Chang 'an, Imperial City.
This nine-layered palace was the center of power of the entire Tang dynasty. All the officials in the world were eager to enter and gain a place. Because those who could enter the imperial court were not small fry, they were all people in the center of power.
In the main hall, Li Shimin was dealing with government affairs.
The current Li Shimin had long become the leader of the Tang dynasty, and his control over the Tang dynasty was strengthened. He was not worried about internal problems. What he was worried about now was Tibet in the west. The reason was simple. Tibet's Zangpu Gongga was someone that Du Qi supported.
Once they attacked Du Qi, Gongga would not sit by and do nothing. Hence, Li Shimin wanted to destroy Gongga and take down Tibet. However, destroying Gongga was not something that could be done in a day. When the war with Tibet started, Du Qi might intervene and change the situation.
The final result of Li Shimin's discussion with the officials was to change the plan of destroying Tibet. Instead, they would try to rope in Tibet, hoping that Tibet would be used by the Tang dynasty. As long as Gongga stood on the side of the Tang dynasty, then the west side of the Tang dynasty would be safe.
This was a helpless move.
It was also something that could not be helped.
While Li Shimin was dealing with government affairs, Zhangsun Wuji hurried in. He had a solemn expression as he bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Zhangsun Wuji greets Your Majesty."
Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Sit!"
After Zhangsun Wuji sat down, he said, "Your Majesty, there's news from Tibet. It's bad news."
Li Shimin asked, "What happened?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, the envoy that we sent to Tibet in the west wanted to persuade Gongga to become allies with the Tang dynasty, so that Gongga would no longer work for Du Qi. However, Gongga rejected it directly and even chased our envoy out of the country. It's impossible to separate Gongga from Du Qi now. "
Li Shimin's eyes narrowed. A cold light flashed through his eyes. He said, "It looks like Gonga is determined to stand on Du Qi's side and become our enemy."
Zhangsun Wuji said, "He didn't. Although Gonga expelled our people from Tibet, he also said that he didn't want to be enemies with Du Qi and the Tang dynasty. At this moment, he only wishes to remain neutral. "
"Humph," Li Shimin snorted, "He wishes to remain neutral, not helping either side. The problem is that once we start a war with Du Qi, Gonga will become our enemy under the pressure of Du Qi. Therefore, his words are essentially useless. "
After pausing for a moment, Li Shimin continued, "Based on our previous calculations, if we want to take down Tubo, we have to consider the climate, geographical environment, and other factors. Under these prerequisites, it will be very difficult to destroy Tubo. Now that it's difficult to even negotiate peace, this matter is not easy to handle. "
Zhangsun Wuji sighed when he heard that.
He felt rather helpless.
When it came to Du Qi, it was very difficult to deal with. Even though Zhangsun Chong had returned, when it came to dealing with Du Qi, although Zhangsun Wuji wanted to do it now, he was much more cautious. At least, he wouldn't be the first one to stand out.
Li Shimin thought for a moment and immediately said, "Come, summon Fang Xuanling."
The servant immediately went to summon him.
Not long after, Fang Xuanling entered the hall and bowed, "Your Majesty!"
Li Shimin asked Fang Xuanling to sit down and quickly told him about the envoy's failure to persuade Tubo. He then said, "Xuanling, what do you think about Tubo's arrangement?"
Fang Xuanling thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, it's not easy to deal with Tubo. After all, it's hard for us to adapt to Tubo's climate if we want to attack Tubo's territory. "
Li Shimin sighed, "Xuanling is full of schemes, but I can't think of a way to deal with Tubo. It seems that it's really not easy for us to deal with Du Qi and Tubo this time. "
Zhangsun Wuji suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I have an idea."
Li Shimin's eyes revealed a tinge of expectation and said with a smile, "Let's hear it, Wuji, what idea do you have?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "We have to scheme against Tubo and defeat them. We even have to weaken Tubo's strength to the greatest extent. The only way is for Tubo's army to come out and fight with our army at the border. "
"Only then will there be a certain chance and a surefire plan. Therefore, I think that the general plan can be to pretend to fight with Du Qi and make Du Qi order Tubo to deploy their army at the border again. At that time, as long as Tubo's army comes out, we can set up an ambush in advance. It'll be easy to destroy Tubo's army. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Of course, the key to this battle is to create a diversion. We can create a huge momentum to fight with Du Qi and even pretend to attack Du Qi's Yizhou to create momentum. With this premise, Tubo will most likely take the initiative to attack because Du Qi won't let go of Tubo's assistance. "
"Wonderful, wonderful!"
After Li Shimin heard this, a bright smile appeared on his rugged face.
This was an opportunity.
He didn't want to fight with Du Qi. He wanted to attack Tubo and completely weaken Tubo's strength. At that time, when Tubo's strength was truly weakened, it would be much easier for Li Shimin to fight with Du Qi.
Li Shimin said, "The current situation in the Western Region is quite grim! Du Qi unified the various countries in the Western Region and even eliminated the Western Turkic Khagan Tong Yehu. If this continues, Du Qi's strength will only get stronger. We can't afford to waste any more time now. Next, we can't make any mistakes and have to act as soon as possible. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Fang Xuanling thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, I only have one worry. That was whether the battle with Du Qi could be stopped at any time. It's easy for us to start a war, but it won't be easy to stop it. After all, although we can retreat at any time, Du Qi might not let us go. After all, Du Qi is quite powerful. "
Li Shimin said, "Xuanling, you're boosting the morale of others and diminishing your own. Although I don't have much confidence in destroying Du Qi and Xia, I want to destroy Tubo and Tubo. It won't be easy for Du Qi to kill his way into the Tang dynasty and really start a war with the Tang dynasty. You don't have to worry about Du Qi. "
At this moment, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard. It was Tang Zhen who rushed in.
Tang Zhen was the Chief Minister of the Imperial Palace.
He was in charge of all the matters around Li Shimin. He walked to Li Shimin's side and whispered something in his ear. Then, he took out a letter and handed it to Li Shimin.
This letter was from Su Dingfang.
Li Shimin quickly opened the letter and read it. However, when he finished reading it, he frowned slightly. Then, Li Shimin passed the letter to Zhangsun Wuji for him to read. After Zhangsun Wuji read it, he passed it to Fang Xuanling.
Li Shimin said, "Do you have any suggestions on this?"
The content of the letter was very simple. It was that Hou Junji had learned that Du Qi was secretly making a move in disguise in Rouyuan County.
Zhangsun Wuji originally had some thoughts about Du Qi and was prepared to facilitate this war. This time, when he saw Su Dingfang's letter, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"
"Although Hou Junji's arbitrary actions are indeed a little inappropriate. However, the current situation is the perfect opportunity to facilitate the war. If Hou Junji's operation succeeds, it will be excellent and we won't have to plan anything. If Hou Junji fails, Du Qi will definitely not let the matter rest. After all, it won't be difficult for Du Qi to investigate. When the time comes, Du Qi will definitely send troops to fight. This is the perfect opportunity to start the war. "
Fang Xuanling smiled helplessly.
This was truly a coincidence, but Fang Xuanling couldn't stop this war either.
Li Shimin said expectantly, "The current situation is indeed beneficial for us to scheme against Tibet and deal with Du Qi. However, Hou Junji acted arbitrarily and didn't consider Su Dingfang's opinion or the arrangements of the Imperial Court. What he had done was still inappropriate. Because we need to facilitate the war, we will temporarily put this letter aside. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Fang Xuanling also agreed, but he didn't say anything else.
After the general direction was decided, Li Shimin discussed other matters with Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling. Not long after, another eunuch delivered a letter from Su Dingfang. This letter was about Hou Junji, saying that Hou Junji had robbed and killed the scout who was delivering the letter.
When Li Shimin saw it, he was rather unhappy.
He didn't like Hou Junji's actions. In order to dispatch troops, Hou Junji had actually sent soldiers to kill the scout who was delivering the letter. If not for the fact that Su Dingfang had meticulously arranged for a second messenger, Li Shimin wouldn't have known about the situation in the Western Regions and that Hou Junji was planning to deal with Du Qi.
Li Shimin was unhappy, but he didn't do anything about it. He only suppressed Su Dingfang's letter.
This was because the overall situation required a war with Du Qi.
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