The 18th of February, an auspicious day.
On this day, Du Qi proclaimed himself Emperor in Gaochang and announced Xia Xia's independence to the world. For the people of Xia Xia, this was a good thing. Because Xia Xia was no longer a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, the whole country celebrated.
Du Qi pardoned the world for his enemies.
And on the day that Du Qi proclaimed himself Emperor, Xia Xia's letter of credence was delivered to the Tang Dynasty in advance. It was the 18th of February, and the letter of credence was delivered to the Imperial City of Chang 'an.
Today, Du Qi was like a taboo of the Tang Dynasty.
Few people mentioned it.
Many people didn't even dare to mention it casually. After all, Li Shimin had been defeated twice by Du Qi. Especially recently, Hou Junji was killed by Du Qi as a sacrifice. Su Dingfang and the other Guazhou soldiers submitted to Du Qi. Duan Zhixuan was even defeated and captured, suffering heavy losses.
This series of events caused the Tang Dynasty to lose face.
Few people in the court mentioned it.
They were all worried about angering the emperor.
Tang Zhen received the letter of credence from Xia Xia. He didn't read the contents of the letter, but he knew that it was from Du Qi. He became nervous. He hurried to Li Shimin's side and reported, "Your Majesty, Du Qi has arranged for someone to deliver the letter of credence."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. The battle of Guazhou in the Western Region was a huge blow to Li Shimin. Not only did he lose soldiers, but he also suffered an unprecedented defeat.
This was something he had never encountered before.
Li Shimin was a veteran on the battlefield and had experienced hundreds of battles. Although there were times when he was no match for the enemy, he would eventually win after going through hardships and could turn the situation around. But this time, he retreated in a sorry state.
Li Shimin took the letter of credence. When he finished reading the contents of the letter, he was so angry that he laughed and said, "Very good, very good! Du Qi is really ambitious. He planned step by step until he broke away from the Tang Dynasty and declared himself Emperor. "
When Tang Zhen heard the two words' emperor ', his heart skipped a beat.
Du Qi declared himself emperor.
In other words, Du Qi was equal to the Tang dynasty, and it was no longer a vassal state of the Tang dynasty. At this moment, Tang Zhen's back was slightly arched. He looked very cautious and did not dare to be careless. In Tang Zhen's view, Du Qi's approach was tantamount to poking a hole in the sky. Especially when Tang Zhen saw that Li Shimin did not speak for a long time, he became even more cautious.
After a long while, Li Shimin ordered, "Summon Zhangsun Wuji."
"Yes!"
Tang Zhen immediately went to make arrangements.
Soon after, Tang Zhen returned to Li Shimin's side and said, "Your Majesty, should we inform Prime Minister Fang and the others?"
"No need."
Li Shimin answered concisely.
Li Shimin's words were much colder. Not long later, Zhangsun Wuji took small steps and quickly entered the hall. He bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty!"
Li Shimin said, "Auxiliary engine, sit!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After Zhangsun Wuji thanked him, he sat down respectfully. He looked at Li Shimin, and when he saw Li Shimin's cold expression, he felt a sense of heaviness in his heart. As someone who had followed Li Shimin for close to twenty years and had known Li Shimin for more than twenty years, Zhangsun Wuji knew Li Shimin's thoughts.
Obviously, Li Shimin had encountered something.
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, could it be that you have encountered some problems?"
Li Shimin said, "Du Qi has sent a letter of credence."
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Du Qi is now the most powerful person in the Western Region. Why did he send a letter of credence?"
Li Shimin said, "Du Qi declared himself emperor in Gaochang and left the Tang dynasty. Coincidentally, today is the day Du Qi declared himself emperor. Coincidentally, his letter of credence was also delivered today. He really picked a good day! "
Zhangsun Wuji's heart skipped a beat, but he was thinking quickly in his heart. Thinking of Li Shimin's current expression, Zhangsun Wuji's expression was unprecedentedly solemn. He said, "Your Majesty, Du Qi has always been ambitious. Back then, when Du Qi was in Chang 'an, I could already see that Du Qi was unruly and unruly. This person is extremely detestable. "
Li Shimin said, "There's no use in saying all this now. Du Qi declared himself emperor in the Western Region, and Xia Xia is on the west side of the Tang dynasty. Compared to the Turks in the past, Du Qi is a bigger threat. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty is right. Du Qi is indeed a huge threat. Therefore, I feel that we must curb him and not let Du Qi continue to grow. "
Li Shimin said, "How do we curb him?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, my suggestion is very simple. We should use the strategy of instigating defection and roping him in. The Tang dynasty has to deal with Tibet, Goguryeo, and so on. They can't attack Du Qi. Until now, we haven't gotten the formula for making grenades, landmines, and other weapons. This is also disadvantageous to us. Now, I feel that there are three things we need to do. "
Li Shimin said, "Let's hear it!"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "The first thing is actually to deal with Tibet, Goguryeo, and other border issues. We need to gradually weaken these forces and increase the strength of the Tang dynasty again. "
"The second thing is that when Du Qi destroys the various countries in the Western Region, the various countries might not be truly respectful. There will always be some people who are dissatisfied with Du Qi. Therefore, what we need to do is to rope in this group of people, instigate them to rebel and make them create trouble for Du Qi. In short, the more people we have in Xia Xia in the Western Region, the better. "
"The third thing is to increase the investigation of grenades and other weapons. We must get the formula back. If the Tang dynasty has these weapons, it will be beneficial for the Tang dynasty to fight against Du Qi. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, these are my arrangements."
After hearing this, Li Shimin's eyes turned. He quickly thought about the feasibility of Zhangsun Wuji's suggestion. After a while, Li Shimin said, "Wuji, I feel that the first thing you considered is not appropriate. We need to make adjustments. Because it is impossible to destroy Tibet, Goguryeo, and so on in a short period of time. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, how do you plan to adjust it?"
Li Shimin said, "Join forces with Tibet, Goguryeo, and so on. Then gather the remaining Turks in the north and gather everyone to attack Du Qi together. In fact, we have made such an arrangement before. However, at that time, we didn't join forces. Now, we have to establish a united front and unite all the forces that can be united. We will unite all the forces that can be united. We will form the strongest force and counterattack Du Qi. "
Zhangsun Wuji was shocked. Li Shimin actually wanted to join forces with Tibet, Turks, and so on.
This was very surprising.
To Li Shimin, this was almost an impossible choice. Yet, Li Shimin chose such an arrangement.
This showed the influence Du Qi had on Li Shimin.
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, even if we want to join forces with Tibet, Goguryeo, and the remaining Turks, just contacting these people won't be done in three to five months. It will take at least a year and a half, or even longer. After all, it won't be easy to make arrangements and adjustments for each party. "
Li Shimin said, "No matter how long it takes, this is the only strategy we can choose now. To destroy Tibet, we don't need three to five years of preparation. To destroy Goguryeo and so on, it won't be done in a day. So, to destroy all the parties, it won't be done in a short period of time. Now, we can only choose this arrangement. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "I will follow Your Majesty's arrangement and send people to contact all the parties."
Li Shimin said, "Assistant, you have full authority to make arrangements for this matter. The news can't be leaked."
Zhangsun Wuji was a little stunned.
He actually wanted to keep it a secret.
Li Shimin continued, "When the attack is completed, come and tell everyone in the court."
Zhangsun Wuji said, "I understand."
At this moment, Zhangsun Wuji already understood what Li Shimin was thinking. Now, Li Shimin was no longer constrained by formalities when dealing with Du Qi. The methods he used were also more intense.
Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "You may leave."
Zhangsun Wuji bowed and thanked him. He turned around and left. He also understood that the war between the Tang dynasty and Xia Xia had just begun.
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