It was June, and the sun was blazing.
Because it was so hot outside, Du Qi spent most of his time in the palace, not going out at all. Du Qi was making adjustments to Xia Xia. On one hand, he wanted to strengthen the fighting power of the army and strengthen his control over it. On the other hand, he wanted to increase the economic development of the various regions and ensure that they were both internally and externally developed.
Only this way could they develop their strength to the greatest extent.
In truth, it had been a long time since Du Qi had taken down Shu-lik and destroyed the Western Turks. He had not mobilized troops on a large scale for at least one or two years. This was because he did not have enough control over the various regions and did not have enough assimilation of the Western Regions.
Only by having the entire Western Regions acknowledge Xia Xia.
He wanted everyone to acknowledge his identity.
Only then could they be considered a fusion.
If they were simply fused together, the moment a problem arose, they would ultimately fall apart. Why was it that the Central Plains, once united, could never be split apart? Because the Confucian culture of the Central Plains had a culture of unity.
All the land under the heavens belonged to the sovereign, and all the people on the shores of the land were the subjects of the sovereign. The entire world had to be unified. This was common sense that had been ingrained into the bones of countless scholars, so it would not change even after one thousand years.
The Xia Xia that Du Qi needed was the same.
To truly be united.
Of course, he had also been announcing this matter for more than a year. Whether it was writing, language, or having the common people acknowledge and be proud of it, they had all been pushed forward, and the results were excellent.
The reason was very simple. The common people had gained benefits.
This was the foundation.
Now that Du Qi wanted to make a reform, if it was just empty talk, it would easily make people feel conflicted. Only through the drive of benefits could these reforms be completed, and then through the quiet influence of culture, after a few generations, only Xia Xia would remain in the Western Regions. There would no longer be any kingdoms of the Western Regions.
Although Du Qi rarely went out, he still received a steady stream of news from the various regions so that Du Qi could keep abreast of local developments.
While Du Qi was dealing with government affairs, an eunuch came in and said, "Your Majesty, Shangguan Yi requests an audience."
Du Qi ordered, "Please!"
The eunuchs immediately announced Shangguan Yi's arrival. One by one, the eunuchs passed on the message, and it didn't take long for the message to reach the outside. Moments later, Shangguan Yi entered the main hall, and after bowing to Du Qi, he took a seat.
Du Qi saw that Shangguan Yi's face was covered with sweat and said, "Mr. Shangguan, it must be very hot outside."
Shangguan Yi said, "The blazing sun is like fire!"
Du Qi said, "Someone, bring me a glass of watermelon juice. I want it iced."
The chamberlain immediately went to fetch it.
Not long after, he brought a glass of iced watermelon juice. It was freshly squeezed watermelon juice. There were many fruits in the Western Regions, and watermelons were one of them. The temperature difference between day and night made the watermelon very sweet. Moreover, this ice cube was made by Du Qi by using saltpeter to make ice. Although it was inedible, this ice cube could serve as a cooling effect. The glass containing the watermelon juice was made of glass, and it looked extremely exquisite.
Nowadays, glass was even more popular.
Because Wang Ping and the others' research and development of glass had begun to be involved in daily life, from glass windows, glass mirrors, glass cups, and other daily necessities, many of them were made of glass.
It was precisely because of this that the glass business was extremely good.
Shangguan Yi took a sip of the watermelon juice. In the dog days of summer, a glass of iced watermelon juice made him feel comfortable all over. He only felt that all the pores on his body were opened at this moment, and it was extremely comfortable. And because of the heat brought by walking in the hot weather, as well as the inner irritation, he was completely relaxed with this sip of iced watermelon juice.
In fact, items like iced watermelon juice had also begun to be sold.
It was not rare.
After all, after the skill of making ice with saltpeter was spread out, it was relatively easy to make ice. On the other hand, it was also easy to squeeze watermelon juice fresh, so Li Yanyun did a good job in expanding in these aspects.
Shangguan Yi drank two more sips and said, "I've made a fool of myself in front of Your Majesty."
Du Qi said, "What brings you here today?"
Hearing this, Shangguan Yi's expression became serious, and he said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I'm here today because after the cabinet's discussion, we think that the current Xia Xia has almost adjusted. Not only that, but the population of the Xia Xia has also become prosperous. Under this premise, we must expand further. Proper expansion must be carried out. "
"After our discussion, we think that the Xia Xia should go west again, toward Tianzhu. Or to the Persian Sassanid Dynasty in the west. The areas bordering us should be taken down, and we can't always hold on to them. "
"After all, although the commerce in the countries of the Western Regions is extremely developed now, these flourishing businesses can't really make us take root. We need really fertile land, an area that is truly pleasant all year round."
"There are such places in Tianzhu or Persia."
Shangguan Yi once lived in the Central Plains and saw the colorful Tang Dynasty and the beautiful scenery of the Tang Dynasty. However, Shangguan Yi felt that everything in the Xia Xia was inappropriate.
The climate here was too extreme.
Even if there were abundant resources, in fact, it was too monotonous.
Du Qi said in a deep voice, "The current Xia Xia, our four armies have all been reorganized and have formed a fighting force. The people's livelihood is also quite good, and we can indeed go to war. As for the cabinet, where do you think we should choose to go to war? "
Shangguan Yi said, "Our first choice is Tianzhu in the south, because there are now two major countries in Tianzhu in the south. One is the Jieri Dynasty in the north of Tianzhu, which occupies the northern Tianzhu region and is quite powerful. The other is the Shiloqi Dynasty in the south, which occupies the south-central region of Tianzhu. "
After a pause, Shangguan Yi said, "Whether it is the Jieri Dynasty or the Shiloqi Dynasty, they have a very obvious characteristic. They are not centralized like us, and the imperial court does not control everything. They are similar to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period, where there are many small countries and states under them that respect the suzerain. Under such circumstances, each country has its own thoughts, which is also beneficial to our plan. "
Du Qi nodded and said, "In that case, we will attack the Jieri Dynasty first."
The king of the Jieri Dynasty was now the King of Jieri.
During his reign, the Jieri Dynasty was at its peak, and he almost destroyed the Shiloqi Dynasty in the south and unified the entire Tianzhu region. Even so, he was the most powerful person in the north of Tianzhu. Du Qi knew about the existence of the King of Jieri, but he was not afraid of the King of Jieri. He even disliked Li Shimin, let alone a mere King of Jieri.
Du Qi said, "What suggestions does the Cabinet have for us to send troops to this battle?"
At the very beginning, Du Qi had set up a General Staff Department. However, the General Staff Department needed many talents to participate. Without enough talents, the General Staff Department was equivalent to an empty shell. After Jiang Changzong took a position in the local government, the General Staff Department was completely empty. Du Qi mainly relied on the people in the Cabinet to plan.
There was no other way, as there was not enough talent.
Shangguan Yi said solemnly, "Your Majesty, we are going to Tianzhu. Our Cabinet believes that it is not appropriate to send the entire army. On one hand, we need to guard against the Tang dynasty in the east. On the other hand, we need to stabilize the internal situation. Hence, I plan to let Xiao Yuanqi and Ma Yuan take charge of Gaochang. Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang will each lead forty thousand troops and follow the army. "
After a pause, Shangguan Yi said, "There are two armies, a total of eighty thousand people, which is enough to form a fighting force. Once there are too many people, there will be too many supplies, which is not good for logistics. Now, there are eighty thousand people, so it is not too much and not too little. "
Du Qi thought about it carefully and said, "That can be arranged."
Shangguan Yi said, "Since that is the case, I will immediately send the order to mobilize Xue Rengui's 1st Legion and Su Dingfang's 4th Legion. The Cabinet has decided to set off three days later. That is because three days later is an auspicious day, which is suitable for the army to set off. "
"Okay!"
Du Qi nodded his head once more.
Conquering India was imperative, and it was impossible for Du Qi to be complacent just because he established himself in the Western Region. Although the West Region was developing well, and Du Qi was not weak, there were too many flaws, and it could not be used as a foundation.
Shangguan Yi stood up and left.
Just as Du Qi was preparing to set off, another servant came in and reported, "Your Majesty, Wang Ping requests an audience."
Du Qi said, "Let him in."
The servant went to send the order again.
Du Qi put down the brush in his hand. He was curious about what new items Wang Ping had made.
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