At the end of June in Chang 'an, it was still hot. Now that it was raining heavily, the weather became much cooler. A gentle breeze blew from the sky, bringing with it a hint of coolness that made people feel very comfortable. Li Shimin also arrived at the entrance of the main hall, feeling the comfortable and comfortable feeling of the drizzle outside. Li Shimin's current life was actually not bad.
The Tang dynasty was under his control. The surrounding Tufan, Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje, and Turks were no longer a threat to the safety of the Tang dynasty. However, there was a Xia Xia in the Western Region, especially Du Qi's proclamation as the Emperor, which made Li Shimin very vexed.
This was caused by the characteristics of the Emperor.
How could he allow others to sleep beside him!
When Li Shimin thought of how powerful Du Qi's Xia Xia was, he felt as if there was a thorn in his heart. If this thorn was not removed, Li Shimin would never be able to live in peace. It was rare for Li Shimin not to deal with government affairs. He just looked at the drizzle. Mist filled the air, causing the visibility outside to decrease. Li Shimin, for no reason, actually wanted to go out and feel the rain.
Just as he was about to step out of the hall to get soaked in the rain, footsteps were heard. It was Tang Zhen. Tang Zhen bowed beside Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, Duke Qi requests an audience."
"Summon him!"
Li Shimin ordered.
He turned around and returned to the hall. He shook his robe and sat down.
After a while, Zhangsun Wuji entered.
Li Shimin said, "No need to bow. Sit down. Tell me, what's the matter?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "It's news about Xia Xia."
Li Shimin leaned forward slightly. His eyes became sharp as he said in a deep voice, "What news does Xia Xia have?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, Du Qi has led the army to battle. He left Gaochang and led the army west to Tianzhu. This time, Du Qi is going to battle Tianzhu. Should we make a move too? "
Li Shimin said, "How many troops did Du Qi send?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "80,000 troops."
Li Shimin thought for a moment, then asked again, "Who are the generals leading the troops?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "It's Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang, leaving behind Ma Yuan and Xiao Yuanqi, two great generals, to guard the place. There are only about eighty thousand soldiers left in Xia Xia. "
Li Shimin suddenly smiled and said, "Wuji, from the looks of it, you're preparing to deploy your troops again. Aren't you afraid that Du Qi will target you again? "
At the mention of being targeted by Du Qi, Zhangsun Wuji's heart was filled with boundless rage that was about to explode. He was incomparably irritable. He had never been humiliated like this in his entire life. Even when his father passed away early and he was chased out of the Zhangsun family with his mother and younger sister, living under his uncle Gao Shilian's roof, he had never been like this.
In front of Du Qi, he was repeatedly humiliated.
This was a stain that Zhangsun Wuji would never be able to erase in his entire life. It was an eternal pain in Zhangsun Wuji's heart.
Zhangsun Wuji pondered for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, although what happened in the past made me extremely pained, every time I think about it, it's as if my heart is being pierced and I'm crying blood with hatred. But as it involves the interests of the Tang dynasty, I won't regret it even if I have to die ten thousand times. So now that there's an opportunity, I think we should still make preparations. "
Li Shimin shook his head and said, "There's no need to think about sending troops to attack Du Qi."
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Why?"
He was puzzled.
Zhangsun Wuji knelt in front of Du Qi to apologize. Although it was twice, Zhangsun Wuji believed that his hatred was definitely not comparable to Li Shimin's. Li Shimin's hatred for Du Qi was definitely deeper than his.
Under this premise, once there was an opportunity to deploy troops, Li Shimin would not give it up. Li Shimin was such a prideful person, yet he had repeatedly hit a wall with Du Qi. He should not have not taken action now that there was an opportunity.
Li Shimin explained, "Auxiliary machine, Du Qi sent troops to attack Tianzhu. Although there's a certain amount of troops in the rear, it's also a fact that it's empty. Under normal circumstances, this is indeed an opportunity for us. However, there are too many inappropriate factors if we make a move now. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, please enlighten us."
Li Shimin said, "Firstly, our weapons are ultimately not as good as Du Qi's weapons. Whether it's the sharpness of the battle sabers, grenades, landmines, or gunpowder, we didn't manage to find any of them. Previously, we've been arranging for people to infiltrate Xia Xia, but all these years, we haven't made any progress. Now that Du Qi has left with his army, we shouldn't send troops. Instead, we should increase our infiltration efforts. While Du Qi is not in Gaochang, we should strive to get our hands on weapons like grenades. Other than that, we should also get their battle saber forging skills. "
Li Shimin said, "This is what we need to do now."
After hearing this, Zhangsun Wuji was convinced and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I'm inferior to you."
Li Shimin continued, "Secondly, send people to increase our efforts in persuading Tibet, the Turks, and Goguryeo. Until now, only Goguryeo has replied that they're not willing to send troops. As for the Turks and Tibetans, there's still no news. Their progress is extremely slow, as if they're being held back. Without the help of these people, we won't be able to destroy Du Qi in one go with our own strength. Therefore, we're not the strongest in terms of strength. "
Zhangsun Wuji nodded again.
Li Shimin's eyes flashed with shrewdness as he continued, "Thirdly, Du Qi and Tianzhu are at war. Tianzhu's geographical environment and climate are completely different. If we want to attack Tintu, it might not be smooth. "
"It's said that Tianzhu has elephants that are taller than humans. They can listen to people's commands and form battle formations. They're invincible. Although Du Qi has grenades and other weapons, in front of Tianzhu's military strength, he's not familiar with the local situation. He might not be able to win. "
"Whether Du Qi succeeds or not, it's worth it for us to let Tianzhu wear down Du Qi's military strength. The best result would be both sides suffering heavy losses. "
"When the time comes, we can arrange for people to contact Tianzhu's king and ask for support from Tianzhu. This way, we'll have more help. Although Du Qi is tyrannical, the Xia Kingdom of the Western Region alone may not be able to stop us. "
Li Shimin said, "For now, let's wait and see."
Zhangsun Wuji said again, "Your Majesty is wise. I only considered that Du Qi's back would be empty after he left, but I didn't consider other factors. I didn't consider it properly."
Li Shimin said, "Auxiliary machine, I can understand your feelings."
Zhangsun Wuji smiled embarrassedly. That was his history of humiliation, and he didn't want to talk about it. He immediately changed the topic and said, "Your Majesty, since we're arranging for people to increase the excavation of grenades and other things, the spies have to be strengthened. It's just that Du Qi cut off all of our spies, causing our strength to be greatly damaged. We have to increase our efforts and support. "
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Of course, we have to increase our efforts. Pay what should be paid, no need to worry. In addition, although Du Qi left Western Xia, with Du Qi's foresight and experience, it's impossible for him not to have backup plans. In short, the people we arrange for must be careful. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "I understand."
After a pause, Zhangsun Wuji suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I still have a plan, but it's a little vicious."
Li Shimin said, "Let's hear it."
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Du Qi only has one son and one daughter now. The Crown Prince of Western Xia has already been crowned, and he's Du Qi's eldest son. If we want to cause chaos in Western Xia, and now that Du Qi isn't in Western Xia, why don't we make a move on the Crown Prince of Western Xia? "
"No!"
Li Shimin didn't even think about it and flatly refused.
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Why not?"
Li Shimin said in a deep voice, "Although I agree to use the necessary vicious methods for the country's interests. But there's no need for such methods to assassinate Du Ye. Or, there's no need to use the method of poisoning Du Ye. "
"It's fine if the news doesn't leak out, but once Du Qi knows about it and finds out that it's the Tang dynasty's operation, the consequences will be unimaginable. At that time, Du Qi will crazily take revenge and target the Crown Prince of the Tang dynasty, and even the rest of my sons. "
"If such a precedent is set, the consequences will be unimaginable. No matter if it succeeds or not, no matter what the probability of success is, we must not use such methods. Moreover, although I hope to take down Du Qi, I don't need to use such methods. "
Li Shimin said, "To kill a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of your own men, or even two hundred of your own men, it's not worth it. You must remember this in your heart, and don't fall too deep into it. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "I understand."
Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "If there's nothing else, you may leave. Remember my words."
"I'll remember it in my heart."
Zhangsun Wuji nodded and left.
Li Shimin looked at Zhangsun Wuji's back view and shook his head with a smile. He knew that he could still maintain his rationality when dealing with Du Qi, but that might not be the case with Zhangsun Wuji.
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