"Reporting to Your Majesty, now that Tuyuhun has been pacified, what should we do with Tuyuhun?" Fang Xuanling bowed.
He was the leader of all the officials. Now that the war was over, it was time to think about how to deal with Tuyuhun.
As soon as Fang Xuanling's voice fell, all the officials were shaken. This was the most important matter to discuss today. Even Li Shimin's breathing quickened. Tuyuhun had a radius of several thousand li, which was equivalent to 10% of the Tang dynasty's territory. Although most of it was barren desert, there were rare grasslands. If it could be included in the Tang dynasty's territory, it would be a great achievement.
Su Lingnong stepped out and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, in this old subject's opinion, there is no need to discuss this matter. Our Tang dynasty had just pacified Tuyuhun with all our might, so how can we allow a tiger to grow? Why don't we follow the example of the previous dynasty and reestablish the four counties of Qinghai in Tuyuhun and bring them under the rule of the Tang dynasty?"
For farmers, land was the most desirable thing. Only with more land would they have the foundation to grow stronger. Furthermore, there were many cows and sheep in Qinghai, and the key to solving night blindness was meat.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Imperial Censor Quan Wanji retorted, "Yang Guang is tyrannical by nature. How can we follow his old ways? Furthermore, although Yang Guang set up counties in Tuyuhun, it's useless. As long as the decree doesn't go out of Fu Qi City, there's no way we can control Qinghai."
Li Shimin couldn't help but frown. The Sui Dynasty's rule over Tuyuhun was extremely weak. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easily taken back by Fu Yun.
Su Lingnong shook his head and retorted, "That was then and this is now. Tuyuhun is remote and inconvenient. Now that our Tang dynasty's brick roads are open, it only takes three days to travel from Chang 'an to Lanzhou. If there's any movement in Qinghai, the imperial court will be able to receive the news in the shortest time possible."
Li Shimin's eyes lit up. The best distance from the place controlled by the imperial court was seven days. Even in the farthest Lingnan Road, it took half a month for some news to reach Chang 'an. In this way, Tuyuhun was not too far away from Chang' an.
Although Qinghai was vast, they could just build another brick road. With the countless cattle and sheep imported from Qinghai to the Tang dynasty, this business was very cost-effective.
"Our purpose is to suppress Tuyuhun for violating the border. If we destroy their country and occupy their land, I'm afraid it will make the other countries in the Western Region panic, which is not good for the stability of the Tang dynasty's border."
Many civil officials spoke out one after another, talking about benevolence, righteousness, and morality. They talked about the stability of the border and opposed the direct occupation of Tuyuhun.
Many courtiers were also swayed by the idea and voiced their opposition to the establishment of prefectures and counties. Even Li Shimin couldn't help but hesitate.
"What do you think, my dear ministers?" Li Shimin looked at Wei Zheng and the others in the front row. They were the real pillars of the Tang dynasty. Whenever Li Shimin was undecided, he would ask them.
"Your Majesty, if we directly reestablish the four prefectures of Qinghai, it will arouse the dissatisfaction of the local tribes, which is not good for the Tang dynasty's rule. Your Majesty, why don't you let Murong Shun restore the country with the help of the army? Murong Shun has no foundation in Tuyuhun and can only rely on the Tang dynasty. Firstly, I can guarantee the interests of the Tang dynasty. Secondly, I can support the Tuyuhun to protect the western border," Wei Zheng said proudly.
This was the plan he had been thinking about for a long time. It was a good plan to kill two birds with one stone.
"Yes, we can follow the example of the Turks." Xiao Yu nodded in agreement.
Xiao Yu was the most persuasive when it came to such matters. He was a descendant of the former Liang dynasty and the brother of Empress Xiao. After Nanliang was destroyed by Li Jing, not only was he not held responsible, but he was also put in an important position by Li Shimin and was listed as the prime minister.
"The example of the Turks!"
The courtiers couldn't help but nod. When the Tang dynasty defeated the Turks, it was only because they launched a surprise attack and broke through the Turks' tents and captured Xieli Khan that they didn't occupy a single inch of the land of the Turks. This solved the ten year long border problem of the Tang dynasty in the northern border and gained the respect of the various tribes in the northwest. They were called the Heavenly Khan by the various tribes in the northwest.
For a moment, most of the courtiers were leaning towards Wei Zheng's plan.
"I object!"
A courtier who surprised everyone stood out and said.
"Zhangsun Wuji!"
The courtiers were stunned as they didn't expect him to object. Even Li Shimin couldn't help but look over. Zhangsun Wuji was the number one courtier in the Lingyan Pavilion and no one could compete with him in terms of importance.
Zhangsun Wuji said proudly, "Your Majesty, we didn't occupy a single inch of land of the Turks because the Turks' strength wasn't damaged at that time. Furthermore, Xue Yantuo and the Tiele Nine Families were eyeing us covetously. We had no choice but to do so. Now that the Tang dynasty has traveled thousands of miles and returned with Fu Yun's head, the Qinghai region has no power to resist. How can we not take the gift? If we don't take it, we will be punished by the heavens."
"That's right!" Qin Qiong nodded.
Many military personnel also agreed, and even Dai Zhou nodded. The Tang dynasty had almost emptied their treasury for this western expedition. How could they return empty-handed? If they didn't get some money for the treasury, the Tang dynasty might go bankrupt.
"Furthermore, now that the Minister is controlling the Yellow River in Guanlong, he realized that there are too many people in Guanlong, and the land is becoming barren. Only by continuously reclaiming the land can they barely survive. Now that the Imperial Court prohibits reclaiming land and restoring vegetation, the livelihood of the people is cut off, and the only way is to move out. "Zhangsun Wuji paused and said firmly.
"And the Qinghai region is the only way for the people of Longyou to survive."
After Zhangsun Wuji finished speaking, the courtiers couldn't help but fall silent. All the reasons they said were overshadowed by the Imperial Court's hundred-year plan to control the Yellow River.
The disaster of the Yellow River had been around for a long time. Although Mo Jiazi had offered a method to release the flood, everyone knew that it was only a temporary solution. It was currently July, and the northern part of the Tang dynasty was the rainiest. In just a month, the Yellow River had been in danger more than ten times. Qu Village's embankment had already been dug to release the flood. However, there was too much rain this year, and the Yellow River's water level was still high.
The disaster of the Yellow River hung above the head of the Tang dynasty, and the Imperial Court had already reached an agreement to control the Yellow River. However, there were many difficulties in Guanlong, and the most fundamental reason was that Guanlong had too many people and too little land.
Now that the Tang dynasty had finally obtained the Qinghai region, how could the Guanlong family, who controlled Guanlong, let it go so easily? With the Qinghai region, the Guanlong family had found a direction to expand, and the people of Longyou had found a way to survive. Thirdly, the Imperial Court's promotion of controlling the Yellow River would be greatly accelerated.
The people of Guanlong were mostly farmers and herders. If they went to the Qinghai region to graze, they would definitely be able to establish a foothold quickly. Moreover, the distance between Guanlong and Qinghai was very close, and the migration of the people would be very weak.
Li Shimin secretly calculated, and the balance in his heart was slowly leaning towards annexing Tuyuhun.
Some of the officials of the Shandong families could not help but feel anxious. If Li Shimin accepted Zhangsun Wuji's suggestion, then their plan to suppress the Guanlong family would probably fail. Many of the officials' eyes turned sharply. Kong Yingda gritted his teeth and was about to refute when suddenly, another guard rushed into Taiji Palace.
"Report! It's an emergency! Reporting to Your Majesty, the Yellow River has burst its embankment, and there is a flood in Shandong, flooding seven counties! "The guard said with a trembling voice.
"A flood in the Yellow River?"
Everyone was shocked.
"Isn't there a release area?" Kong Yingda's heart trembled as he exclaimed.
Shandong was the headquarters of the Shandong Aristocratic Families. If there was a flood in Shandong, it would be a disaster for the Shandong Aristocratic Families.
Fang Xuanling bitterly said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, five days ago, Luoyang reported that there was a rainstorm and the water level of the Yellow River rose sharply. The embankment of Qu Village had already burst a few days ago. Who would have thought that Luoyang would be able to escape, but Shandong would not be so lucky."
The officials could not help but gasp. At this moment, the Imperial Court's determination to control the Yellow River had never been so resolute.
However, the most important step to control the Yellow River was to reduce the amount of land reclamation in Guanlong and reduce the population pressure in Guanlong. Only then could the vegetation recover.
At this moment, everyone thought of a place: the Qinghai region.
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