As soon as Zhangsun Wuji uttered these words, he immediately incurred the crowds wrath.
Tubo is merely a small country in the southwest. If you provide me with fifty thousand well-trained soldiers, I am confident we could swiftly defeat them. Why should the Prime Minister prioritize their pride over our own prestige?
Cheng Yaojin stepped forward, his eyes glaring at Zhangsun Wuji.
Following that, various military leaders chimed in, expressing their eagerness to return Songtsan Gampos head as a trophy for Li Er.
Li Er furrowed his brow slightly and turned to Li Jing, who stood at the forefront of the generals.
Li Jing, what is your view on this?
Li Jing bowed and then replied, Your Majesty, while Songtsan Gampos army may number two hundred thousand, they are, in my estimation, no more than mere novices. Defeating Tubo would be a simple task. The challenge lies in what comes next.
Oh? Li Jing, please speak plainly. Li Er nodded, indicating for Li Jing to continue.
Li Jing said, Ive heard that the terrain in Tubo is extremely high. Non-locals who ascend to its borders experience dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. This is the greatest obstacle if Your Majesty wishes to conquer Tubo.
In these past few years at home, Li Jing hadnt confined himself to mere book learning. In reality, he had used this time to study the potential adversaries of the Great Tang.
Previously, the obscure Tubo was not within his considerations. However, the Tu Valley Region, sharing the same plateau as Tubo, became Li Jings focal study point.
In the sixth year of the Martial Arts reign, the Tu Valley Region harassed Fangzhou and then proceeded to trouble the states of Tao and Min. (Ed Note, Fangzhou, Tao and Min are all border cities of Tang. )
Qi Zhous governor, Chai Shao, personally led his troops to provide support. This battle was difficult to describe in a few words. The Tu Valleys troops initially besieged Chai Shaos forces in a valley, and they were shot down from an advantageous position.(Ed Note, Qi Zhou is a strategic border city in Tang.)
According to standard judgment, Chai Shao should not have been able to turn the tide in this situation. However, Chai Shao miraculously turned defeat into victory, beheading over five hundred enemies.
Chai Shaos strategy was brilliantly innovative, given the circumstances of the time. Chai Shao had musicians play the Huqin at a critical juncture, and two beautiful women dance. This simple ploy caused the Tu Valley troops to cease fire, captivated by the performance.
Consequently, Chai Shao secretly dispatched troops to cut off their retreat. This incident revealed that the Tu Valley troops were easily swayed and had a penchant for indulgence.
This battle led the Tu Valley to eventually submit to the Great Tang.
Given their feeble combat strength, provoking the Tang should have led to their swift defeat, following conventional logic. However, the Tang army could not engage in this battle.
Not because the Tang forces were inadequate but the Tu Valleys location was extremely challenging.
As Li Jing stated, the region where the Tu Valley resided had a very high altitude, causing severe altitude sickness in most individuals. Before the battle began, much of their combat strength was diminished. Engaging in this kind of battle was simply not feasible.
The Tubo people had the advantage of such favorable terrain, initially making it impossible to eradicate them.
Tubo greatly outnumbered the Tu Valley Region regarding territory and population, making it even more challenging.
Li Er nodded, strongly concurring with Li Jings words.
It was precisely this aspect that he was concerned about. The Tubo people who descended from the plateau werent a major threat.
Those 200,000 troops were an easy target in Li Ers eyes. However, todays Tubo had been united under Songtsan Gampos rule.
The power gap between a regime with internal conflicts and a well-governed and cohesive territory was substantial, and Li Er was acutely aware of this.
He knew that even if they managed to repel the Tubo people this time, they couldnt completely conquer the nation. In the future, the Tubo people would likely continue to harass the Border Cities periodically, much like the annoyance of flies buzzing in your ears every day.
Not to mention, Tubo was more than just a minor annoyance. It was more like a persistent rat.
Tubos ability to muster 200,000 capable soldiers is indeed commendable. Otherwise, we could consider acceding to Songtsan Gampos request for a marriage alliance Li Ers thoughts were wavering as he pondered this.
At this moment, the court had descended into chaos. A group of military generals surrounded Li Jing, seemingly unable to believe that even he hadnt crushed the Tubo threat.
There was an air of contemplation among the civilian officials as they discussed in hushed voices, trying to find a solution.
At this point, Zhangsun Wuji asked, Your Majesty, how about summoning the Tubo envoy into the court and inquiring about Songtsan Gampos intentions?
Zhangsun Wuji had also noticed that Li Er might be considering a peace agreement. It was just that he might be hesitant to bring it up directly due to matters of face.
Li Er nodded in agreement.
Before long, the Tubo envoy entered the hall and carefully respected Li Er and his officers.
After acknowledging his identity, Li Er spoke directly.
Previously, Songtsan Gampo sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, proclaiming allegiance. And I have also treated Tubo with kindness, sending Feng Deya to establish diplomatic relations fostering goodwill between our nations. However, within a few years, Songtsan Gampo raised troops to invade the Tang Dynasty. Is he intending to be my enemy? Li Er spoke in a calm tone.
The Tubo envoy quickly knelt, speaking humbly, Your Majesty, there must be a huge misunderstanding!
I came on this mission to the Tang Dynasty. Zanpu and Prime Minister Lu Dongzan intended to serve Your Majesty as a father. If it werent for their busy schedules, they would have personally come to Changan to apologize to Your Majesty.(Ed Note, Zanpu is Songtsan Gampos another title.)
Li Er gave a cold snort and continued, So when Tubos troops are near Songzhou, what is their intention?
Your Majesty, this time Tubos military actions are not directed against the Tang Dynasty
The Tubo envoy sighed deeply.
Songtsan Gampo has long admired the Central Plains culture. I have been standing by Zanpus side, often hearing him express his wish to come to Changan for cultural exchange and learning. Therefore, Songtsan Gampo eagerly sought to marry a princess from the Tang Dynasty.
Its unfortunate that the King of Tu Valley interfered, leading to Zanpus failed marriage proposal. Faced with such a disgrace, how could Zanpu not seek retribution? Furthermore, initially, Tu Valley underestimated the situation and invaded the Great Tangs territory. As a friendly nation of the Tang Dynasty, it was only right for us to respond to Tu Valleys aggression, The Tubo envoy explained.
After Tubo envoys explanation, the audience, including Li Jing, was left astonished.
The officers of the Tang Dynasty were veterans of warfare, and fighting for territory and wealth seemed justifiable to them.
But engaging in a battle over a woman? Wasnt that a bit too impulsive?
At this moment, the Tubo envoy continued, Zanpu is afraid of Your Majestys misunderstanding and especially sent me to explain the matter. At the same time, Zanpu also wishes to revisit the past and propose to marry a noblewoman from the Heavenly Dynasty. Your Majesty, may I know your thoughts on this?
The grand court fell into utter silence. Even the military leaders were rendered speechless, exchanging glances with each other.
While they were certainly willing to wage war, the battle would seem pointless if the situation was as the envoy described.
Engaging in warfare over matters like these would truly be embarrassing