The biennial joint meeting of the countries in the Western Regions was held as scheduled on January 28, 695 in the continental Gregorian calendar, on the outskirts of Bega, the capital of Bega. The venue was located on the shores of the scenic Lake Baikal. The red-walled and blue-tiled Yunxiu Villa spread over thousands of acres. It looks particularly spectacular under the shade of green and lush pine trees. This Yunxiu Villa is the private property of the royal family of the leader of the Baikal Kingdom. It covers an area of more than a thousand acres. A small canal is led from Lake Baikal into the Villa, forming a small lake. The scenery is extremely beautiful. The willows brushing the ground beside the lake are graceful. Pleasant, but different from the bold and majestic style of the ancient pines and cypresses on the outer layer.
The joint meeting of the countries in the Western Region is a meeting held by the countries in the Western Region to strengthen ties between countries, promote economic and trade exchanges between countries, discuss major issues involving regional affairs, and resolve conflicts between countries. The meeting is held at the beginning of a single year and is attended by kings, crown princes and important ministers from various countries. In the previous dozens of joint conferences, the countries in the Western Region had not made any major breakthroughs on any major issues. The kings of each country regarded it more as a vacation and came with their wives and children.
However, the atmosphere of this year's Western Region Contact Conference is different from any previous one. In view of the increasingly tense surrounding situation, the countries have reached an agreement in the preparatory meeting and are preparing to discuss some major and important issues at this conference. Deep-seated issues were discussed in secret, and the number of participants in the meeting increased significantly compared with the previous session. Neighboring countries and regions also sent delegations of various sizes to participate in the meeting as observers. For a time, the shores of Lake Baikal were turbulent.
Su Qin put his hands behind his back and looked quietly at the sparkling lake outside the window, "It's better when the water is clear and clear, and the mountains are also strange when they are empty and rainy. If you want to compare the West Lake to the West, it's always better to put on light makeup and heavy makeup." Slowly chanted this book Su Shi, the famous poet of the North and his ancestor Su Shi, said Su Qin was intoxicated by the beautiful scenery outside the window, "The scenery of Little Lake Baikal is really no less than that of the West Lake in Yuhang."
"Sir." The door rang softly.
"What's the matter?" He frowned slightly, obviously unhappy that someone interrupted his enjoyment.
"I'm sorry, sir, Your Highness Watt is here to visit you." The person outside the door replied carefully.
"Oh, please come in." Su Qin sighed. After all, he was here with a mission, and now was not the time to enjoy the scenery.
"Master Su, it's been several months since we last seen each other." Watt walked in looking majestic and handsome. The fur hat with a mink tail on his head showed that his identity had changed greatly from a few months ago. He walked up and held Su Qin's hands tightly according to the etiquette of the Tang people.
"I haven't had time to congratulate Your Highness. I only heard about it before I came here. Mr. Li has returned to Beijing to report on his duties, and Mr. Xiao is in Qingyang again. I am here to congratulate you on their behalf." Su Qin waved and the attendants outside the door A wooden box was immediately presented, and the lid of the box was gently opened. A delicate and lifelike jade relief lay quietly inside, flashing with gleaming light.
"Thank you, sir. Please thank Mr. Li and Mr. Xiao for me." A look of gratitude appeared on Watt's face. No matter what was in this wooden box, it would not be easy as long as someone has this new thing, let alone himself. They also played a big role in becoming one of the uncle's heirs, especially Doni, the internal affairs officer under his uncle. However, Doni maintained an extremely close relationship with Li Wufeng, Xiao Tang and Mr. Su in front of him. Good relationship.
He did not refuse, but solemnly took it with both hands, observed it carefully, and then handed it to the attendant outside the door behind him.
"Your Highness, this little Lake Baikal has a pleasant scenery. How about we go for a walk?" Su Qin suggested.
"Okay, I was just about to take some time to chat with Mr. Su alone." Watt readily agreed, thinking that he knew that Su Qin's suggestion must have some meaning.
Walking along the edge of the lake, Su Qin and Watt's entourage were spread out in a fan shape around them to be on guard. After all, this was in the middle of nowhere. Although the Bejia Kingdom had strengthened security measures, out of caution, it was better to be more vigilant.
"Your Highness, what do you think of this joint meeting of the countries in the Western Regions?" The lakeside is made of white stones and has an oval embankment. Although it is still a bit cold in the Western Regions in January, the lakeside is very clean and looks natural and harmonious, full of life. A kind of simple beauty. Su Qin and Watt remained silent and walked far away before Su Qin raised the topic.
"I'm afraid this joint meeting is a little different from previous ones, and the topic of discussion will probably focus on our two companies. Last year, we asked the countries in the Western Region to provide more grain and grass than in previous years. Although they reluctantly agreed in the end, they have already buried it. The seeds of conflict have been planted. Our demand for food and grass this year will definitely not be lower than last year. By then, I estimate that their reaction will be stronger. Maybe they will discuss how to deal with it." A faint wry smile appeared at the corner of Watt's mouth. He gently raised his leg and kicked a pebble under his feet into the lake, causing ripples to appear on the calm lake surface.
"The seeds were not planted just last year. In fact, they were planted a long time ago. They were planted when you asked them for free assistance. No one is willing to give money and materials to others for free, let alone not for one or two years. It happens every once in a while, and no one welcomes such a neighbor." Su Qin corrected Watt, "It's just that the conflicts intensified last year."
"We don't want to do it either. If the people in the tribe can survive, we don't want to do such a thing. But the climate on the prairie is changeable. If God doesn't open his eyes, we will have no way to deal with droughts and snow disasters. We just have to survive. That's the only way. The year before last, we lost the war with the Chidi people and suffered heavy losses. The elders and nobles in the clan have long been dissatisfied. If we don't seek some compensation, I'm afraid my uncle won't be able to sit still." Watt explained.
"Your Highness, I have no intention of criticizing your behavior. For the survival of your own nation, it is understandable even if you do some behavior that harms other nations. It's just that I think this time the countries in the Western Regions seem to be united in a rare way, and it seems that they are going to have something big. We have to guard against this move." Su Qin shook his head to indicate that Watt had misunderstood his meaning and reminded him.
"Oh?" Watt immediately became alert, "Could it be that the countries in the Western Region still want to unite to deal with us?"
"Things are not just that simple. Take a closer look. Where else are people coming this time? I heard that the Mote and Qur people have sent people, and even the Chidi people in the west have representatives. Ah." Su Qin glanced at Watt with deep meaning.
Watt was shocked when he heard this, but he immediately replied: "It seems that the person who came here is really evil, but I also heard that the northwest surroundings are very wary of Mr. Li's wanton expansion of the army, especially when I heard that Mr. Li established an army in Northern Luzon The army of three divisions, and a cavalry division in the northwest, including the Yinchuan Prefecture and the Hexi Luo people are very sensitive to this move, so they also sent people to this joint meeting here. "
Su Qin smiled slightly, "Now that Northern Luzon has been included in the imperial territory, it is natural to establish an armed force to protect the security of this area. There is no need to make a fuss about it. As for the establishment of a cavalry division, Mr. Li has this intention, and it is also to strengthen the control of exchanges. The protection of the merchant brigades only makes the troops more mobile."
The two exchanged glances and smiled heartily. The alliance of the five countries in the Western Region is a result that neither side wants to see, especially the Mote and Chidi people who are also involved. If they really form an alliance, it will be equivalent to forming an alliance against the Luobi people from the east, west and south. Although the encirclement was not stable, it was intolerable to the Luobi people; the Mote people were uncharacteristically living in harmony with the Sisluo people last winter and this spring, and did not fight against each other like in previous years, which also made the northwest One party feels a certain amount of pressure. If Sun Yuanliang from Yinchuan Prefecture gets involved, it will pose a serious threat to Li Wufeng's base.
"It seems that our goals are the same, Master Su. I think we should work hard according to our own ideas." Watt suggested with a smile.
"Hehe, very good, just do as you say. I think the arrival of our two parties may make many people feel uncomfortable." Su Qin laughed.
In another villa at the same location, the energetic leader of the Loulan Kingdom, Haibal, was having a secret conversation with the leader of the Bega Kingdom, Altai, who was the guest of honor.
"Brother Altai, this joint meeting is a gathering of heroes. Not only did the Motte and the Sisluo Empire send special envoys, but the Luobei people also sent one of their highnesses, and Li Wufeng's side even sent their core figures. One of the leaders, Su Qin, seems that this meeting has really affected the nerves of all parties." Haibal said with concern.
Altai, the leader of the Bega Kingdom, is also over fifty years old. A huge ruby gleams on the turban on his head. His fat face is full of red light, and he looks like a good man. Among the kings of the Western Regions, he was only younger than Haibal, and his prestige was also higher.
"Brother is right. Our joint meetings have not attracted so many people's attention in the past. Even the Luobei and Tanghe people used to just send representatives to take a look, but this time it is completely different. , all the people here are heavyweights, our Yunxiu Villa can be said to be a great place now." Altai was still smiling.
"Let's get down to business, brother, what do you think of my last proposal to speed up the defense integration process of the Western Regions and form a joint force?" Haibal focused on Altai's fat face.
"Now the Luobi people are advancing step by step, their appetite is getting bigger and bigger, and they ask for more and more 'aid' every year. The people of our five countries are complaining, but if they are not satisfied, then the Luobi people will take advantage of the opportunity. To stir up trouble, we originally wanted to use the power of that guy Li Wufeng to compete with the Luo Bei people. Unexpectedly, this guy was so cruel that he actually colluded with the Luo Bei people for his own benefit. Instead, he refused to form an alliance with us. Now our situation is It is very difficult. To meet the requirements of the Luobi people, they will inevitably go further and ask for more, and our people will not agree. But once the war breaks out, our existing army is no match for the Luobi people. Then we In the end, you will suffer greater losses." Altai's face was still rosy, but it was covered with a dark cloud.
"Also, Li Wufeng in the east is frantically expanding his army to prepare for war. I heard that they have begun to form a cavalry division in the northwest county as their independent rapid reaction force. In the south, in Northern Luzon, they have also formed a large-scale army. And conducting military exercises there, the five countries in the Western Region have formed a situation of encirclement. From the bottom of my heart, I agree with the formation of a joint force, which can strengthen our strength and facilitate unified command if a war does occur. Give full play to its role. But I am thinking, can this combined force alone and our respective armed forces be able to resist the invasion of Luo Bei and Li Wufeng?" Altai finally asked.
"You asked a good question. Our current strength alone is indeed not enough to fight against the Luobi people. But you have to see this. Since the Luobi people were defeated by Li Wufeng and the Chidi people in the past few years, their strength has already increased. has declined significantly. You can see from the current performance of the Mote people that the Luobi people's control over the Mote people has gradually declined. Once the Mote people break away from the control of the Luobi people, they will inevitably have a negative impact on the Luobi people. We are forming a powerful joint force. Even if we cannot completely get rid of the Luobi people, we at least have a strong weight in our hands." Haibar knew that he would not convince Altai, so the idea of forming a joint force was It's just a castle in the air, so I tried my best to analyze the pros and cons for him.