"Time waits for no one. Li Wufeng will not be quiet for too long. It is like a horse race. People are running and we are also running. When they are faster than us, he will temporarily suppress his murderous intention, because the relationship between the two of us is The distance will get bigger and bigger: when we are faster than them, they will use their advantages to crash into us and prevent us from becoming stronger." Bi Xili seemed to be weighing something, and after pondering for a long time, he said: "Now Li Wufeng's mind There are more important and urgent goals in the world, so they signed this peace agreement with us. Once time goes by and they resolve the problems they urgently need to solve, their butcher knife may be swung at us."
"We are all waiting for the opportunity. It is the common need of both parties to reach an agreement. The Tang Dynasty continues to increase its troops in the peninsula, but on our western border, it replaces the Fourth Army with the Sixth Army. It seems that Li Wufeng may attack the Nanyang Alliance or the Southwest The latter is more likely. On the way back, I had already ordered our intelligence department to alert the Nan'an and Soktu people. However, this did not have a substantive effect. The only The variable may be the Sikkimese, but even if the Sikkimese join the war, it may not be able to change the outcome of this war. The best outcome we hope for is that Sikkim can use their maritime advantages to maintain relative independence, and we dare not expect anything else. ”
Lei Juetian knew this news and Bi Xili should also know it. Now that the Machihans are unable to do anything else, they can only provide intelligence support to these forces who share the same problem.
"I have already expected this situation and the result. From the news you sent back that the Tang people were willing to sign a peace agreement, I knew that the Tang people had other intentions. As expected, they turned their targets to the Nanyang Alliance and the southwest. The Nanyang Alliance used Dong intimidation Threats are used, and Nan'an and Soktu are probably going to use real swords and wheels. I have also asked the intelligence department to inform Nan'an City State and Soktu Principality. I hope they can have good luck." Bixili sighed. In one breath, those small countries and city-states in the southwest knew with their feet what kind of results they could have when facing the Tang army. He could only do his best, and he hoped in his heart that the people of Sikkim would not waste their military power in this area. Rather than doing that, it is better to preserve their strength and ensure that this sea channel is not controlled by the Tang Dynasty.
"Good luck? I'm afraid they are in doom." Lei Juetian responded with a wry smile.
"It seems that Li Wufeng is also preparing to go on a killing spree. Not long after the founding of the country, a war has begun. I heard that a large number of troops have entered from the central mainland. They are probably preparing to compete with the Luzon people. They are going to use troops against the southwest again. , the name of this war madman is not unfair to him at all." Bixili sighed.
"Huh, Khan, Jue Tian thinks that Li Wufeng's frequent use of troops against the Tang Empire he established may not be a blessing."
"Oh? Why do you see that?" Bixili was not surprised. He knew that he, the Minister of State, had always had unique views on war.
"From the time Li Wufeng arrived in Qingyang, it has been smooth sailing for the past ten years. He has been singing triumphant songs all the way. Whether Wu Lun is fighting against the nomads on the Tengger Grassland or against the Liberians in the north, as well as the various vassals within the Tanghe Empire. The kings and Taiping sects, but their success was based on the return of the people of the Tang nation and the full support of the business class. The Tang nation had an absolute advantage in these areas and the Tang nation's strong ability to assimilate made it possible for Li Wufeng to be so successful. to implement his policies."
"As the territory of the Tang Empire continues to expand, we can see that its advantages in this area are constantly weakening. Li Wufeng is sparing no effort to speed up the expansion of areas such as the Western Regions, Northern Luzon, Tengger Grassland, Peninsula and even India. Although it is easy to conquer the military, it is difficult to win over the people. Perhaps Li Wufeng's series of favorable policies in the early stage can indeed win over the local people, but as time goes by, the local gentry and people will gradually find that there are no Tang officials riding on their heads. They can also implement these policies and even live a better life. Why do they have to let Tang officials put themselves above themselves? And the national complex is not so easy to eliminate. The local ethnic groups and those who came from the Tang Dynasty looking for a way Clan businessmen are bound to have conflicts due to competing interests, and these conflicts actually lay the seeds of unrest."
"In order to balance these competing interests, Li Wufeng had to make a difficult choice. Maintaining local national interests will inevitably make the industrial and commercial classes in the empire dissatisfied, while sacrificing local national interests will inevitably arouse opposition from the local people. This is a pair of There is an irresolvable contradiction. If the Empire can still control the situation in areas close to the mainland of the Tang Dynasty by relying on its powerful influence in all aspects, but what about further away? Li Wufeng is indeed talented and strategic, but in the past thirty and fifty years, he has Can our descendants be so wise? Is that kind of short-lived empire what Li Wufeng is pursuing?"
Lei Juetian's series of rhetorical questions made Bi Xili think deeply about it.
"Juetian. Li Wufeng and his advisers will not fail to consider these issues, right?" After a long time, Bi Xili raised his head and asked quietly. Lei Juetian's views were quite sharp, not only targeting the Tang Empire, but also alluding to Ma The future of his khanate.
"Of course they can consider it, but people's self-confidence will expand as the situation changes. If it expands too much, I'm afraid it will be difficult to hear offensive words. Now in the Tang Empire, whether it is the emperor or the civil servants and generals Everyone seems to think that the Tang Dynasty is at the moment of resurgence, and it is time to use this momentum to increase expansion efforts. Hum, they think that they can conquer everything with the powerful military power of the Tang army and the economic driving force brought by the merchants, but The world is not that simple. A country or a place cannot be integrated through the conquest of force and interests alone.
Many complex and changeable factors often lead to endless variables, which may cause endless trouble if you don't consider them carefully. "Lei Juetian's words were deep and determined.
"Then Juetian, do you think Li Wufeng should adopt the strategy of contraction and digestion like us now?" Bi Xili frowned and pondered the meaning of the other party's words.
"No, the Tang Empire is different from our Macchi Khanate. Its innate conditions are more solid and stable than our Macchi Khanate. There should be nothing wrong with the expansionary reform strategy adopted by Li Wufeng now, but with this wave of The offensive is spread out so widely, and considering that Li Wufeng is still expanding his navy, I wonder if the flag of the Tang army will be planted all the way to the west? Or even the New World? Once the appetite is whetted, what do you want to do? It is difficult to be satisfied. Will Li Wufeng be able to give up when things are good in the future? It is impossible to achieve this without great determination and wisdom. We will wait and see whether Li Wufeng and his ministers can do it." said At this point, Lei Juecai took a breath and ended his explanation.
Seeing the serious look on Khan's face who was deep in thought, and did not return to the eyes for a long time, Lei Juetian also felt that he seemed to have thought too far, and when the most important thing to consider was the survival of the Machihan people, everything else was too far away and insubstantial. Not to mention the Tang Dynasty, the old enemy of the Machikhans.
"Great Khan, Juetian also met the people we wanted to see when he went to the Imperial Capital this time. Although he failed to achieve obvious results, Juetian has discovered that the Three Kingdoms Alliance is not as inseparable as the Tang Empire boasted. The Tang Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms Alliance are inseparable. alliance, at least the Three Kingdoms Alliance does not have this feeling. A neighbor that is too powerful can never become a loyal ally, and the Three Kingdoms Alliance sees this very clearly." Lei Juetian finally changed the topic to himself this time The main purpose of traveling north.
"Did you see Bedorich? What did he say?" Bixili's attention was also drawn back.
"The words are not clear. An old fox like Bedolic will not express his attitude easily. After all, we are still on Li Wufeng's territory. But judging from the other party's attitude, the Milanese are also frightened by the Tang people's crazy increase in military power. The Tang Dynasty ordered a large number of ships in Milan and built shipyards in various places. They made it clear that they wanted to compete for Dadongxiang and Nanxiang. According to this established plan, it would not be long before no one could challenge the empire in the Southern Ocean. Hegemony, which is what the people of Milan do not want to see." Lei Juetian smiled slightly and was obviously very satisfied with how this job was going. As long as the tacit agreement between the Tang Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms Alliance can be broken, the country will I'm afraid it won't be that easy for the Tang Empire to deal with the Khanate alone.
"What about the attitudes of the principalities of Majede and Andako?"
"These two countries occupy a subordinate position in the Three Kingdoms Alliance. Generally speaking, the decisions of the Milanese represent their opinions. It can be imagined that the threat to them from the empire is also quite direct, but they are unable and dare not express their opinions." Lei Juetian responded with a smile, "Bedorich has secretly invited me to visit Milan. It seems that they have also realized that being too close to the empire will not gain much substantial benefits for themselves. It may be more appropriate for the Eastern Continent to maintain a balance. Of course, in some profitable situations, they will still work together. For example, they seem to be very interested in the Marvin Islands issue of the Southern Alliance. On other issues that have no substantive significance, the Milanese and the Empire Their interests are not consistent, and the Milanese even hope that Li Wufeng’s Western Expedition will fail, so that they will be safer. Bedoric invited me to visit Milan as soon as possible, but it is limited to my special status, I am afraid I can only enter quietly in disguise.”