"Themselves?" The officials frowned.
Meton nodded, "That's right. The biggest problem of the Turks is that there are too many people and too little land. Back then, His Majesty moved close to 200,000 Turks to the south of the Yellow River and took great care of them. They were protected from the cold and hunger in the north and were given top-grade pastures. In the past ten years, the population of the Turks has multiplied. Now, the population of the Turks south of the Yellow River is close to 400,000. I'm afraid that the original place for the herdsmen is no longer enough."
"400,000!" The officials were shocked. They had actually overlooked such an important number.
Meton smiled bitterly, "If the people of the Tang dynasty were good at farming, it would be easy to feed 400,000 people in such a big place. However, the nomadic habits of the Turks are hard to change. In order to feed the population, even if the Minister had invented the Green Storage Forage Method, it still couldn't meet the needs of the Turks. A large number of cattle and sheep have almost eaten the grassland into sand. The Maowusu Desert has been continuously expanding recently, and the Turks are the main culprits. The achievements that Lord Zhangsun has made in managing the Yellow River can't be compared to the destruction caused by the Turks."
Everyone was in an uproar. They didn't expect the destruction of the Turks to be so great. Of course, the reason why the Turks were so desperate to graze their livestock was probably related to the Mo Family Village's invention of hard liquor.
"This is not the most serious problem. In order to feed more livestock, the herdsmen can only graze their livestock even more desperately. In this way, it will form a vicious cycle. In less than a hundred years, the grassland that the Turks have moved to will turn into a desert. Or the Turks will move to further places and invade the farmland of the farmers, causing disputes between the herdsmen and the Han people." Merton nodded.
The officials nodded. The population of the Turks increased dramatically, the grassland turned into sand, the price of cattle and horses fell, and the income of the herdsmen decreased. The disputes between the Turks and the Han people were all hidden. It turned out that these conflicts were hidden under the facade of the peaceful relationship between the Turks and the Tang dynasty. In the end, it all exploded in the assassination incident.
"Your Majesty, I believe that releasing the Turks back to the grasslands is the general trend. Delay will only bring trouble." Zhangsun Wuji clenched his teeth and stood up to agree.
Wei Zheng seconded, "The Turks are unruly and difficult to tame. Although His Majesty treats them sincerely, they do not know how to repay kindness. In the past, the habit of the Turks was to go south and plunder whenever there was a shortage of livestock. Now, this bad habit is hard to change. Once His Majesty cannot satisfy the appetites of the Turks, the Turks will betray His Majesty. Just as Ashina Jiefu said, the Turks are wolves, wolves that cannot be fed well."
This time, it was only an assassination. The next time, it would be a large-scale rebellion. At that time, the Turks would be even more disastrous.
Li Shimin frowned and said, "A mere 400,000 people? … …. "
Meton shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, in a mere ten years, the Turks' population has already reached 400,000. In another ten years, it will probably reach 800,000 or even 1,000,000. At that time, will His Majesty still be able to satisfy the demands of the Turks? Does the Tang dynasty still have so many grasslands to accommodate the Turks? "
Li Shimin's heart sank. At that time, either the Turks would drag down the Tang dynasty, or the Turks would start an even bigger rebellion.
Li Ji saw that the imperial court had always agreed to release the Turks back to the grasslands. He frowned and said, "Have you guys ever thought that if these 400,000 Turks are just obedient herdsmen in the Tang dynasty, they will have an army of 100,000 in the grasslands!"
An army of 100,000 was a decisive force no matter where it was. In the hands of the Tang dynasty, it was an important help. If they were returned to the grasslands, the Turks' influence on the grasslands would weaken. Once they became enemies with the Tang dynasty, it would be a disaster.
Li Shimin nodded slightly. The reason why he wanted to keep the Turks was because he valued the military strength of the Turks.
The imperial court was silent. How could they not know the importance of the Turks? But just as Mo Jiazi said, there was no way to have it both ways.
"If that's the case, then I have a way to have it both ways." A new voice appeared in the imperial court. Everyone looked and saw that it was the new general of the firearm army, Zhangsun Chong. He looked like a weak scholar, but he was wearing a brand new armor. He looked extremely out of place with the other generals.
Li Shimin's eyes flashed and said in surprise, "Chong 'er, do you have a good plan?"
Zhangsun Chong said proudly, "Your Majesty, the imperial court's current problem is that the Turks want to return to the grasslands. The imperial court is worried that the Turks will cause instability at the border. Since that's the case, why does Your Majesty need to let the old and weak Turks return to the grasslands? You can use the money and food that Your Majesty used to appease the Turks to recruit the Turks. This way, you don't need to spend more money and food. Not only can you satisfy the demands of the Turks, but you also don't need to worry about instability at the border. You can also turn the Turks' cavalry into a helping force for the Tang dynasty. "
"Wonderful! Like father, like son. General Zhangsun's action can be said to be killing two birds with one stone. "
"Your Majesty really has a good eye for talent. General Zhangsun is really proficient in both the pen and the sword."
Many officials praised and flattered Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wuji at the same time.
Zhangsun Wuji glared at Zhangsun Chong and said modestly, "My son is ignorant and incompetent. Everyone is praising him too much."
Zhangsun Wuji said modestly, but there was a proud smile on his face.
Li Shimin also revealed a satisfied expression. He had gone against the opinions of the masses to appoint Zhangsun Chong as the general of the firearm army. This had already caused many people to criticize him. Now that Zhangsun Chong had offered a good plan, it gave him a lot of face.
"Everyone, what do you think of Chong 'er's plan?" Li Shimin asked the generals as usual. In fact, he was already leaning towards this plan.
All of the officials agreed. This plan could indeed resolve the current situation of the Turks. It satisfied the Turks' demands and wouldn't cause the Turks to lose control. This was probably the best plan.
Just when the officials thought that they had found a way to satisfy both sides, a discordant voice suddenly said, "Then the Turks will naturally be satisfied. If there is a day where there are disloyal Turks like the Ashina Society, who will endure humiliation and flatter the Turks maliciously, one day when they hold great power in their hands, with a wave of their arms, hundreds of thousands of foreign soldiers will respond to them. They will probably sweep through the Central Plains. This plan is no different from handing swords to the Turks."
All of the officials were shocked. They felt a chill run down their backs and cold sweat dripped down their backs. Everyone turned their heads with difficulty and saw that the one who objected was Mo Jiazi.
"Furthermore, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty use the Fu Army system. When they go to war, they don't have any rations or pay. However, the Turks have rations and pay. Then what will the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Tang Dynasty think? Will the soldiers still be willing to fight for the Tang Dynasty?" Meton asked.
Li Shimin couldn't help but look embarrassed. He had been deceived by this perfect plan and didn't realize the risks involved. This plan would let the Turks directly control the military power, which was very unfair to the Fu Army system.
"Moreover, the grassland is no longer a place where the Turks can go back whenever they want. After the Turks moved south, the grassland that originally belonged to the Turks has been divided up by Xue Yantuo, Tiele, and Khitan tribes. Letting the old and weak Turks return to the grassland is no different than sending sheep to the tiger's mouth. If Your Majesty supports the Turks to return to the grassland, it will arouse the dissatisfaction of the other tribes. Your Majesty, do you have any plans to go north again?" Meton asked again. No one was willing to spit out the fat meat in their mouth. Once the Turks returned to the grassland, there would be disputes all over the world.
Meton's three objections could be said to have hit the nail on the head and formed a sharp contrast with Zhangsun Chong's boastful words. The difference between the two was obvious.
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