Li Shimin said, "Du Qi, are you really going to start a war with the Tang dynasty over three inanimate objects? You have to know that once the war starts, you might not be able to bear the consequences. "
Facing Li Shimin's threat again, Du Qi directly said, "Your Majesty, you threatened me before, and now you're threatening me again. If the Tang dynasty, Tibet, and I start a war at the same time, I have nothing to say. Let's fight first, then sit down and talk. In any case, I have plenty of patience. What do you think, Your Majesty? "
Li Shimin's expression was cold and solemn.
He was in a dilemma.
Du Qi had a trump card in his hand, and Tibet was also eyeing covetously from the side. Even if he started a war, it wouldn't be easy. And in this situation, Li Shimin didn't want to return empty-handed. He wanted to take some benefits back.
Du Qi chose to refuse.
And he wasn't afraid of threats.
Li Shimin thought for a moment, then said, "Du Qi, let's change the condition, which is the second condition. Unconditionally release Hou Junji and all the captive Tang dynasty soldiers."
Du Qi said seriously, "Your Majesty, you've always had one view that hasn't changed."
Li Shimin said, "What view?"
Du Qi said, "My title of Pacifying West King was bestowed by Your Majesty. The area under my jurisdiction also belongs to the Tang dynasty in name. The problem is, I don't have to listen to Your Majesty's orders. More importantly, Your Majesty may not be able to sweep through the four provinces of the Western Regions. So, Your Majesty, you can't do anything to me, so why should I release them? "
After a pause, Du Qi continued, "Let's change the way of thinking. Your Majesty should consider how you can redeem Hou Junji. Otherwise, these people will really have to stay. They'll have to consume food every day if they stay in the army. I can't keep these people forever. "
Li Shimin frowned.
He brought the army to suppress Du Qi, but he didn't expect to be threatened by Du Qi.
Du Qi continued, "Your Majesty, to put it bluntly, if I don't care about the people's livelihood and economy in the four states and really start a war with the Tang dynasty, Your Majesty won't be able to endure it. Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who are wearing shoes. After all, the four prefectures of the Western Region are poor to begin with. If he was beaten to a pulp, he could just develop in the future. After the Tang dynasty suffered a heavy blow, it would not be easy to rebuild it. Especially since the Tang dynasty had only been established for a little more than ten years. Some people who had come from the Great Sui Dynasty might not have lost their ambitions. Your Majesty, do you really want to start a war? "
Li Shimin's heart sank.
The more Du Qi spoke, the more unfavorable the situation seemed to be for Li Shimin, because Li Shimin had too many misgivings.
Li Shimin truly had no desire to fight with Du Qi. He said, "Du Qi, as long as you release Hou Junji and release all the captives, I'll give you a chance. In that case, we will no longer pursue the matter. If you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about your parents. In any case, they have always been in Chang 'an. "
Du Qi said, "Your Majesty, if you didn't threaten me with the safety of my parents, I would have thought more highly of you. But Your Majesty mentioned my parents, and the implication is that you are using them to threaten me. Your Majesty's actions are somewhat disappointing. "
Li Shimin said, "We did not use Du Ruhui to threaten you. How you interpret it is your business."
Du Qi said, "Your Majesty, I had already thought about it. If Your Majesty recognized the reality and admitted that you were wrong, I would release Hou Junji and return all the captives of the Tang dynasty. But now, I am very unhappy, so there must be conditions for this war to end. "
Li Shimin narrowed his eyes and asked, "What conditions do you have?"
Du Qi said, "Your Majesty, my conditions are very simple. First, Your Majesty will personally issue an edict to recognize the status of the four prefectures of the Western Region. Second, apologize to me for slandering me. Third, let Zhangsun Chong come to the Western Region as a hostage. "
Li Shimin said, "Absolutely impossible."
Du Qi shrugged and said, "If Your Majesty is unwilling, just pretend that I didn't say anything. Let's start the war. In addition, what I said will always count. After all, Your Majesty is the Emperor of the Tang dynasty, the sovereign state, so I will give you some benefits. "
Du Qi picked up the wine bottle again and poured a cup for Li Shimin, saying, "Your Majesty, this cup of wine is a toast to you. After this cup of wine, if you want to start the war, I will accompany you to the end. "
Li Shimin picked up the wine bottle and drank it. When Du Qi stood up and was about to leave, Li Shimin said again, "Du Qi, do you really want to start the war?"
Du Qi paused for a moment and then said, "It is Your Majesty who insists on starting the war, and I will accompany you to the end."
Li Shimin's eyes were gloomy.
For him, it was a difficult choice to make. After Du Qi left, Li Shimin also stood up and returned to the front of the army. Cheng Yaojin was in the prime of his life, and his face was full of fighting spirit. He cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, when are we going to attack? Even if Du Qi has weapons, I am still willing to be the vanguard and lead the army to charge. "
"Retreat!"
Li Shimin ordered.
Following Li Shimin's order, Li Jing, as the general manager of the army, immediately made the arrangements.
The army of more than 200,000 retreated in a grandiose manner. However, Zhangsun Wuji couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, we have 200,000 troops. Why didn't we attack and just retreat?"
At this moment, Zhangsun Wuji was somewhat unhappy. He couldn't understand why the army had already lined up and was clearly going to attack, but Li Shimin and Du Qi chose to retreat after a conversation.
It was too surprising.
Li Shimin's face was dark, and he didn't say a word.
The surrounding people all saw that something wasn't right. Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, and the others all didn't say anything. After the army retreated a distance and set up camp, Li Shimin gathered everyone in the main tent.
Li Shimin sat on the main seat.
Below him were Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Zhangsun Wuji, and the other officials.
Everyone looked at Li Shimin.
Their faces were filled with doubt.
Everyone didn't understand.
Li Shimin's face was as heavy as water. After a long time, he let out a long sigh, looked around at everyone and said, "After talking with Du Qi, the reason why I decided to withdraw the army is because right now, we are not suitable to fight with Du Qi."
Zhangsun Wuji couldn't wait and said, "Your Majesty, why aren't we suitable to fight with Du Qi? Even if Du Qi's army is strong and even has mysterious weapons, our army is stronger than his. But our army's combat power is stronger, and we have more people. It's impossible that we can't break through Du Qi's camp. "
After a pause, Zhangsun Wuji continued, "Moreover, our army has prepared enough sheep to break through the formation. As long as the sheep clear the path, we can win. We don't have to be afraid of this battle. "
Li Shimin said, "Tibet has already set up camp at the border, and they can attack at any time."
Zhangsun Wuji frowned, "That's impossible, we didn't receive any news before this."
Li Shimin said, "Du Qi wouldn't lie about this. The current Tibet Zangpu Gongga was supported by Du Qi. When Tibet's army reaches the border, we will be attacked from the front and the back. Once we fight with Du Qi, Tibet will also invade. Even if we can split our forces to defend, the war with Tibet will involve too many of our forces, and it might even cause a war within our country. Once such a war starts, it won't be easy to stop it. "
Zhangsun Wuji frowned when he heard that. He pondered for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, if we don't care about Du Qi and the news of Du Qi's location spreads out, the Great Tang will never have a day of peace. Today, Du Qi doesn't listen to orders, but in the future, there will be more people imitating Du Qi. Therefore, this subject believes that we must stop this trend. "
Li Shimin said, "We must stop it, but what can we use to stop it? You must know that Du Qi has hundreds of thousands of troops now. Moreover, Du Qi's weapons are more advanced. I'll just say one simple thing. Once Du Qi retreats and returns to Rouyuan County, he will defend the county to the death. Especially with his weapons, we only have twice as many troops as Du Qi. Can we take down the city? "
After a pause, Li Shimin continued, "To deal with the Turks, we can split up and disintegrate, but to deal with Du Qi, we can't use these methods. Moreover, Du Qi's men were all raised by him, so it's hard to rope them in. Furthermore, if the Tang dynasty is caught in the war here and can't get out, it won't be easy for us to get out of the next step. "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
