Li Shimin suddenly said heroically, "If we can solve the problem of altitude sickness, then what's the point of negotiating with Tubo? Isn't a mere Tufan's military strength enough to make me fearful? "
Without altitude sickness, Li Shimin would have destroyed Tubo's small army before Meton returned.
Meton smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, the School of Mo has indeed solved the problem of altitude sickness, but with the current technology, they can't make the antidote."
Li Shimin couldn't help but feel disappointed. He frowned and said, "Even the School of Medicine can't make the antidote?"
Meton nodded and said, "Yes, the antidote for altitude sickness isn't medicine, but oxygen. I wonder if Your Majesty still remembers the first secret skill that the Minister showed when he first entered Chang 'an City."
"The secret skill of living fish." Li Shimin blurted out.
Meton nodded and said, "The reason why the fishes that are caught die is that they need oxygen in the air. It's the same for everything in the world. In altitude sickness, the breathing space and purple fingers are the symptoms of the human body lacking oxygen. Therefore, the antidote for altitude sickness is very simple, which is to make oxygen. It's a pity that although I've already offered a reward of 10,000 coins, no one can make it. "
Li Shimin couldn't help but sigh. The Tang dynasty had solved the problem of altitude sickness and knew the antidote, but they couldn't make it. They could only watch Tubo be arrogant.
"But Your Majesty, don't worry. The School of Mo has increased the investment in making oxygen. I believe that one day, Tubo will meet its end." Meton said with a determined face.
Li Shimin nodded and said, "What a pity! We can only let Tubo go this time. "
Meton sneered and said, "No, Tubo wants to negotiate for peace because he's afraid of the gunpowder of the Tang dynasty. After all, altitude sickness reduces the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, but the power of the gunpowder is not reduced at all. In this way, Tubo's natural advantage will be greatly weakened. This is the reason why Tubo is eager to negotiate for peace. On the other hand, we can use Tubo's desire to negotiate for peace to weaken Tubo."
Li Shimin nodded slightly in agreement and looked at Merton, "Do you have a good plan?"
Merton said, "Although Tubo has the geographical advantage, it has three major weaknesses."
"Please speak!" Li Shimin listened attentively.
Merton said, "Tubo's first major weakness is its weak national strength. Since Tubo wants to marry a merchant's daughter as a princess, then it must be treated as a princess and a grand palace must be built. If it's not willing, it will retreat in the face of difficulties. If it agrees, it will take the opportunity to weaken Tubo's national strength."
Li Shimin's eyes lit up. This was indeed a good idea. Whether Tubo agreed or not, it would not harm the Tang dynasty.
Meton continued, "Tubo's second major weakness is food. The Minister once said that Tubo Plateau is cold and only cold-resistant highland barley can grow. Not to mention the low yield, it is the only staple food of Tubo. The Minister has bought a lot of highland barley from Tubo Plateau, but it is far from enough. The Minister wants Your Majesty to issue a ban on alcohol."
"A ban on alcohol!" Li Shiming couldn't help but look at Mo Dun in surprise. One had to know that the most expensive wine in the world was the Mo Family Village's Xie Qianchou. Since Mo Dun had taken the initiative to ban alcohol, the Mo Family would suffer the greatest loss. In order to take revenge, Mo Dun had spared no expense.
Meton nodded and said, "Although the Xie Qianchou from Village Mo is very profitable, it consumes too much food. In recent years, even if the brick road is smooth, the price of food in Guanzhong is still rising year after year. The high quality of liquor is the culprit."
Li Shimin nodded. Many people had already remonstrated with Li Shimin, and the spearhead was directed at the Xie Qianchou from Village Mo. It was unexpected that Meton took the initiative to solve it himself.
"The Minister thinks it is time to leak the secret of wine-making to Tubo. Now the Tang dynasty has issued a ban on alcohol. If Your Majesty allows the import of high quality liquor from other countries, Tubo, who has just obtained the secret of wine-making, will definitely be ecstatic. Tubo will definitely take the bait and make wine and sell it to the Tang dynasty. In this way, the food in Tubo will be greatly reduced, and the national strength will be weakened again."
Although Meton's secret of wine-making had been leaked to the wine-making workshop, he did not leak it to Tubo, which made Meton look at the wine-making workshop of the Tang dynasty in a new light.
Li Shimin's heart was moved. As an emperor, he naturally knew that food was the foundation. If Tubo used the only staple food, highland barley, to make wine, it would inevitably leave a hidden danger. One day, it would be used by the Tang dynasty.
"Tubo's third weakness is ignorance. That is ignorance." Meton finally said.
"Ignorance? Meton just praised Lu Dongzan and Songtsen Gampo as heroes of the generation. How can he say Tubo is ignorant in the blink of an eye? Isn't this self-contradictory? "Li Shimin was puzzled.
Meton explained, "The so-called ignorance refers to the state of ignorance in Tubo as a whole. Songtsen Gampo has just unified the Tubo plateau. Before that, Tubo did not have a written language. Even the Tubo Grand Minister, Lu Dongzan, was illiterate, let alone ordinary Tubo people."
Li Shimin suddenly understood Meton's meaning.
"But ignorance and backwardness also represent barbarism and valiance. This is also the reason why Tubo is brave and good at war. We can't control the Tubo people's bodies, but we can put a shackle on their minds." Meton smiled slyly.
Although Li Shimin did not know the phrase 'all brawn and no brains', he knew that the more barbaric a person was, the more they believed in the gods. Especially in the Tibetan Plateau, they believed that they were under the protection of the gods. They believed in the gods even more.
Meton smiled slightly and said, "Then does Your Majesty know which religion does not allow killing?"
"Buddhism!" Li Shimin was shocked and instantly understood Meton's plan. Tubo was adjacent to India and had a certain foundation of Buddhism. In addition, Tubo people were ignorant and superstitious. Once Buddhism prevailed in Tubo, people would not be willing to kill. The brave and good soldiers of Tubo would probably become history.
Meton nodded solemnly and said, "The two martial artists have repeatedly destroyed Buddhism, which shows the harm of Buddhism. Instead of this, it is better to divert the trouble to the west. When necessary, we can even help Buddhism and let the theocracy of Tubo plateau be higher than the royal authority. How can Tubo, ruled by a group of temples, pose a threat to the Tang dynasty?"
Li Shimin could not help but be shocked. When Meton told him that three of the origins of the world's great civilizations had fallen to theocracy, he could not help but tremble with fear. He did not expect that one day, the Tang dynasty would use this strategy on Tubo, and Tubo would not be aware of it at all.
Meton's three strategies could almost be said to have touched his heart. With these three strategies, even if oxygen was not produced, the threat of Tubo would be greatly reduced. Li Shimin could not help but be excited.
"In that case, the task of receiving Tubo's special envoy this time will be handed over to you. I hope you will not disappoint my expectations." Li Shimin said meaningfully.
Meton immediately understood and understood that Li Shimin agreed with his plan to weaken Tubo and avenge his humiliation.
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