Li Zhi's unrequited love was only his own worry. Now, the entire Chang 'an City was attracted by another matter, which was the Turks' request for help. Even the discussion about the exact time of the Hundred Schools of Thought had been overshadowed.
The Turks, who had once suppressed the Tang Dynasty, were now asking for help from the Tang Dynasty. This made the people of Chang 'an City somewhat proud, but there was still a lot of debate about whether to help the Turks or not.
"Your Highness, Simo Khan has sent five urgent letters asking for help from the Tang Dynasty."
In the Taiji Palace, Li Chengqian had just returned to the palace. The Minister of Rites, Linghu Defen, and the other officials were already waiting for him. When they saw Li Chengqian return, they hurried to report.
"What's the situation now?" Li Chengqian's heart tightened and he quickly asked.
"Your Highness! Xue Yantuo has been planning for a long time. He found out that His Majesty went to Mount Tai in the east and took the opportunity to gather 200,000 cavalrymen to attack the Turks under the leadership of Prince Danduo. He intends to destroy the Turks in one fell swoop. Now, the grassland troops have gathered under the banner of Danduo and are marching south, "Minister of War Li Ji reported.
"200,000 cavalrymen!" All the officials gasped. It seemed that the barbarian Khagan was truly an extremely daring person. He was prepared to wipe out all the tribes that had returned to the Eastern Turks in one fell swoop, eliminating his threat while it was still budding. Once the barbarian Khagan succeeded in wiping out the Eastern Turks, the Great Tang would probably be helpless against Xue Yantuo.
"How is the strength of the Turks?" Li Chengqian frowned and asked.
Li Ji shook his head and said, "Simo Khan only has 40,000 elite soldiers and 100,000 herdsmen. Now, Simo Khan has ordered the old and weak to go south near the Yellow River. He is personally leading 40,000 elite soldiers to mediate with Xue Yantuo and wait for the Tang Dynasty's reinforcements."
40,000 elite soldiers against 200,000 cavalrymen. Li Chengqian secretly shook his head. If the Tang Dynasty did not make a move, the Turks would definitely lose.
"His Majesty has gone to Mount Tai in the east and has not yet returned. The Crown Prince is in charge of the country. Your Highness, please give the order to rescue the Turks immediately. Otherwise, the Turks will be in danger," Defen said bitterly..
............ if the Turks were defeated, the Tang Dynasty's strategy................................ if the Turks were defeated....
"Your Highness, please give the order to send out the troops." The officials all pleaded.
........... but............................. Emperor........... Emperor................... Emperor.
.......... How many troops and provisions do we need? "Li Chengqian asked.
The Minister of Civil Affairs, Tang Jian, stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, Xue Yantuo has a strong army and 200,000 cavalrymen. Our Tang Dynasty's soldiers are brave and good at fighting. We only need 30,000 troops and 100,000 dan of provisions."
Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said, "Our Tang Dynasty has to send troops and provide money. We also have to give the victory to the Turks."
"This will show the generosity of His Majesty, the Heavenly Khan, and make the whole world submit," Wei Zheng said proudly.
"Is that so? Lord Wei, you strongly opposed His Majesty's Mount Tai Pilgrimage. You thought that it would be a waste of money and manpower. Going north to help the Turks will cost more than ten times more than the Mount Tai Pilgrimage. How can Lord Wei Zheng not feel distressed? "Li Chengqian said sarcastically. He was venting his anger for Wei Zheng for making things difficult for Li Shimin.
Wei Zheng said proudly, "One is for the benefit of the country, and the other is for personal gain. How can you confuse them?"
"Then who will feel distressed for the Tang Dynasty's soldiers who will bleed for no reason? If they are killed in the grasslands, how many families will be separated by life and death?" Li Chengqian sighed.
"Then Your Highness, do you mean to leave the Turks in the lurch and watch Xue Yantuo annex the Turks?" Wei Zheng said with a frown.
Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Of course not. The Tang Dynasty will definitely let the Turks return to the grasslands. They will have to help the Turks gain a foothold in the grasslands. As for how to help, it is still up for discussion. At least, we can't just let the Tang Dynasty do the work."
The officials couldn't help but be surprised. Only now did they realize that Li Chengqian had other plans.
"Your Highness, please enlighten us." The officials said one after another.
Li Chengqian said loudly, "If the Turks want to gain a foothold in the grasslands, they can't always rely on the support of the Tang Dynasty. They need to work hard on their own. Otherwise, even if the Tang Dynasty can save the Turks once, can it save them a second time?"
Many officials nodded. Unless the Tang Dynasty sent out all its troops, it was impossible to destroy Xue Yantuo. It was conceivable that the struggle between Xue Yantuo and the Turks would continue for many years. The Tang Dynasty could not be caught in the quagmire of the grassland war.
"But Xue Yantuo didn't listen to the Tang Dynasty's order and sent troops to the Turks for no reason. The Tang Dynasty can't just sit by and watch. However, in addition to the imperial court sending troops, there is another way to make the Turks greatly increase their strength in a short time. That is to sell armor and weapons to the Turks. In this way, the Tang Dynasty doesn't need to send troops, and the Turks can protect themselves. This is the plan proposed by Mo Jiu. What do you think?" Li Chengqian revealed the proxy war plan that he was proud of and sold out the son of the Mo family. After all, such a hooligan method really damaged his image as the Crown Prince.
"Proxy war?" Tang Jian's eyes lit up. In this way, the Tang Dynasty didn't need to spend a penny. On the contrary, they could get a lot of benefits from the grassland. Perhaps only Mo Jiazi could come up with such a way to make a profit without losing money.
All the officials were stunned. Who would have thought that Mo Jiazi would use the means of doing business at the national level? This method was too rogue and subverted the ethics of Confucianism.
"Minister agrees. As long as most of the Turks serve in the Chang 'an Imperial Guards and have weapons, their strength will be doubled and they will be able to contend with Xue Yantuo." Tang Jian was the first to agree. As long as the Ministry of Revenue did not have to pay, he was happy to see it.
"No! How can we, the Celestial Empire, do such a greedy thing? It's really unbecoming of His Majesty, the Celestial Khan. " Yu Zhining and the other civil officials objected. Now, as long as it was the idea of the Mo Family, he had always been against it. Moreover, in his opinion, national relations had always been based on righteousness. How could they do business? This was simply too degrading.
"If we don't sell the weapons to the Turks, do we want the Tang Dynasty's soldiers to bleed and sacrifice in vain?" Li Chengqian asked rhetorically.
Yu Zhining was speechless. On one hand, it was the righteousness of the country. On the other hand, it was the lives of the soldiers and the interests of the Tang Dynasty. No matter what choice he made, he would be criticized.
"Your Highness, the Minister thinks that we should both use the Turks and guard against them. The Turks are brave and good at fighting. If we let the Turks have the armor and weapons of the Tang Dynasty, it will be like raising a tiger and inviting calamity. The Minister has a way to satisfy both sides. It can let the Turks protect themselves and not damage the interests of the Tang Dynasty's soldiers." Unexpectedly, Zhangsun Chong spoke out against selling the weapons to the Turks.
"Oh! Prince Consort Zhangsun, please speak. " Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows and said. He did not think that his brother-in-law's way of satisfying both sides could be compared with Meton's proxy war strategy.
Zhangsun Chong said proudly, "Mo Jiu's proxy war can indeed benefit the Tang Dynasty the most, but it will damage the reputation of His Majesty, the Heaven Khan. Therefore, the Minister thinks that it is best to change from selling to giving. In this way, His Majesty's demeanor as the Heaven Khan will be shown and the strength of the Turks will be greatly increased."
Many officials were moved. If the weapons sold to the Turks were changed to given to the Turks, the difference would be like heaven and earth. It was very compatible with the ethics of the Confucians. Immediately, many officials looked at Zhangsun Chong with satisfaction. They were very satisfied with this Confucian disciple who had become a general.
Tang Jian nodded. If they changed from selling to giving, although they would lose some armor and weapons, the Ministry of Revenue would not have to pay for it.
"However, if the Turks become stronger, it is also not in the interest of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, we can't give the Turks too much armor and weapons. In the opinion of the Minister, the Tang Dynasty can only give the Turks 3,000 pieces of armor and weapons at most, which is enough to let the Turks have the strength to protect themselves and will not be out of the control of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty only needs to send a small number of troops and horses, with the cavalry of the Tang Dynasty as the vanguard, which is enough to defeat Xue Yantuo. Of course, the cost of the troops sent by the Tang Dynasty will also be borne by the Turks," Li Chengqian said in a clear voice, revealing his plan to satisfy both sides.
Li Chengqian immediately thought about it. He naturally knew that Mo Jiazi's plan to lead people to war was the most beneficial to the Tang Dynasty. However, he was in a high position, so he could not only look at the interests, but also the politics. Yu Zhining strongly opposed the proxy war plan to uphold the benevolence, righteousness, and morality of the Confucian school, while Zhangsun Chong half supported the proxy war plan and strongly encouraged the Tang Dynasty to send troops directly. Obviously, this was in the interest of the military. After all, every war was accompanied by brilliant military achievements, which was an irresistible temptation for the military generals.
"Prince Consort Zhangsun's plan is brilliant. What do all the ministers think?" Li Chengqian finally compromised. After all, he was only a crown prince, so he could not ignore the interests of the civil officials and the military generals. He could only agree to this compromise.
"Great!" All the civil and military officials in the court nodded. At this point, the plan of the Tang Dynasty to aid the Turks had been decided. Half of the troops and horses, and the other half of the weapons and armor.
As for the memorial that the Mo family was going to build a super-high building, it was passed quietly in the court.
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