The next day, February 15th, coincided with the period of the New Year. In the early morning, there was a meeting at Wude Hall.
The civil and military officials, Qi Xunlue, etc., after the mountains shouted long live, were arranged on the left and right. Li Shimin, wearing a dragon robe and wearing a crown, was sitting on the dragon chair and said loudly: "I am looking forward to the court meeting today to discuss important national affairs. I have important matters to discuss with all the ministers."
When everyone heard this, their hearts suddenly tightened, and they all thought to themselves that it was probably related to the Tubo war. Not long ago, there was a commotion in the western border of the Garqin Mausoleum, which shocked the world. Is there anything bigger than this
"The war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo has been going on for many years. It has continued since the Wude Dynasty to this day, and it has never stopped. Although I had the intention to have a permanent alliance between the two countries, Tubo refused me a marriage and killed my envoys, and also sent troops to attack the borders and invade the frontiers. He even killed the hero of our feudal state. Now he is harassing our state and county, killing people, setting fire to the city, and doing great harm to the people. This hatred is irreconcilable," Li Shimin said loudly, and his voice was full of power. "Now. Qin Mubai, the commander-in-chief of the march of the Guanxi Road, led his army to defeat Tubo in three consecutive battles at Huanyue Valley, Dafeichuan, and Yumen Pass, wiping out more than 100,000 enemies. Take advantage of the victory and pursue it, just as you did when you wiped out the Turkic Khanate, and use a heavy force to strike the final blow against Tibet."
At this point, Li Shimin paused and said: "I have been fighting all over the world for half my life, and I know very well the principle that 'those who know how to fight are not wary'. After all, war is a weapon that can hurt the enemy and yourself, and should not be used unless it is absolutely necessary. . Most of the important officials and relatives of the emperor are present today, and I just want to ask you what you want to do. Is this a world-famous war feasible?"
As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, the entire court fell silent. All the ministers heard that the emperor went against the norm and took a preemptive strike today. In the past, whenever major matters were decided, ministers would meet in person, and then the emperor would make the final decision. Today, it was the other way around. The emperor first shook off his baggage to express his feelings and let the ministers express their opinions.
Li Shimin handled this matter a bit "unkindly". After all, not every minister would dare to veto the emperor's opinion easily. This would test courage and courage. But at the same time, this also means that the emperor seems to be "determined to win" today. He has probably made up his mind to fight this battle. The so-called bringing it up for public discussion is just an attempt to escape the reputation of being stubborn.
Therefore, for a while, no one came out to express their opinions.
"Why, all the ministers have nothing to say about such an important national policy? Do you want to force me to send pen and ink to serve it like last time?" Li Shimin said.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone actually stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
When everyone took a look, it turned out to be Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu was a erudite and talented scholar. He was a descendant of the former Sui aristocracy and had a noble bloodline. He was highly regarded by Emperor Gaozu. Although Li Shimin did not abandon him after he ascended the throne, his important position had long been replaced by Fang Xuanling, Li Shimin's direct descendant. The biggest characteristic of this person is that he is upright and, to put it harshly, "ignorant of current affairs." He was at odds with Fang Xuanling and others, and often bluntly stated that his advice offended Long Yan, but he never compromised or showed weakness and only knew how to confront others, so his official career suffered several ups and downs. Now he has just been demoted to a foreign official and has just been recruited back. Above the court, he is called "Xiao Lao Niu", which means he is stubborn.
"What's Xiao Tejin's advice?" Li Shimin said. Tejin was Xiao Yu's official name. Literary officials had no actual duties, but their high official rank was a false honorary title. They were generally held by extremely noble and highly respected people.
"Old minister, since your majesty is well aware of the principle that 'those who know how to fight are not willing to fight', you must remember that no matter how big the country is, if you like war, you will perish." Xiao Yu said, "In recent years, our country, the Tang Dynasty, has been fighting endlessly, and the fields are covered with bones. Tao, the country's wastage is at its bottom; the soldiers' robes are stained with blood, and the people are miserable. I dare to ask Your Majesty whether we, the Tang Dynasty, still implement the benevolent rule to help the world and govern the people, or have embarked on the road of tyranny. ?”
"The Tang Dynasty governed the country with benevolence and filial piety, which naturally followed the king's way." Li Shimin replied calmly.
Just as Xiao Yu was about to argue again, Fang Xuanling stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
"speak."
Fang Xuanling bowed his hands, turned to look at Xiao Yu, and said: "What Xiao Tejin said just now was taken out of context. "Sima Fa" says that no matter how big a country is, it will perish if it likes war; no matter how peaceful the world is, it forgets to fight. It will be in danger. In the more than ten years since His Majesty took the throne, the Tang Dynasty has never taken the initiative to provoke a war. Fang Xuanling asked Xiao Tejin, what should the Tang Dynasty do when faced with enemy invasion
"This..." Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment and said, "No matter how overbearing the king is, he will always fight back."
"Then fighting back, is it a royal move or a domineering move?" Fang Xuanling asked again.
Xiao Yu was stunned and glared at Fang Xuanling angrily, "Ms. Fang, are you setting a trap for me?"
Fang Xuanling smiled, and everyone in the court laughed softly.
Li Shimin also laughed, waved his hand and said: "Xiao Tejin, I know you have good intentions and are loyal to the country. But at this moment, please don't talk about useless truths. What I want to discuss today is the use of troops against Tubo. Reasonableness and feasibility. The ministers only discuss whether this battle can be won, whether it is necessary to fight, and whether it is cost-effective."
Fang Xuanling raised her hand and said, "What Your Majesty just said, there is a core word in it, and that is the word 'cost-effective'."
"Yes, not just me, but all the people of the Manchu Dynasty and the world will think about this issue." Li Shimin said, "As we all know, Tubo is located on a plateau frozen for thousands of miles, barren and desolate, and people's livelihood is poor. Not only is it difficult to use troops, but we in the Central Plains The people are not adapted to the living environment there. This is the main difference between the Tubo and the Turks. Can our army fight on the plateau? If we fight, can we win? Big question."
"Your Majesty, I think this big question should be asked to the generals on the front line, instead of letting the ministers in the court discuss it." Fang Xuanling said, "Because among the people present, no one has been to the Tubo Plateau and no one understands it. We don’t know the real situation there, and we don’t know the situation on the front line. No matter what outcome we discuss here, we take it for granted. Wei Chen thinks that our doing so is actually irresponsible for the war. Injustice to the soldiers on the front line.”
"It makes sense..." Li Shimin nodded with deep understanding, "What do you think?"
Xiao Yu had not yet retreated, so he hurriedly said: "What your Majesty just said was to discuss whether it is necessary to launch this war. Now, why has it changed to discussing the key to winning or losing the war? So, Your Majesty is Are you teasing the ministers? Since your Majesty has decided to fight, why do you need to discuss it? "
When everyone heard that Xiao Yu was complaining about the emperor, they secretly scolded him for not understanding the current affairs, and they also broke into a cold sweat for him.
Li Shimin was very patient today and did not get angry, saying: "Of course I am not teasing you. The necessity of this war depends largely on the future outcome. Who would go to war if they knew they would lose? Xiao Te Jin, do you think I would do such a stupid thing?"
The ministers laughed again, and Xiao Yu's face became even more ugly. He had no choice but to hold up his hands and say "Old minister, that's what he said" and then retreat obediently.
Fang Xuanling said: "Your Majesty, the current situation is like this, and war is inevitable. It is not because we in the Tang Dynasty are warlike and want to achieve great results, but because Tubo presses too hard. Not long ago, more than ten counties in Western Xinjiang were deeply affected by It was so poisonous that the people were displaced and suffered unspeakably. This suffering was even worse than the suffering of the war. - Wei Chen secretly believed that the struggle between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo originated from the struggle between the Central Plains people who were happy to live in peace. The natural opposition between human nature and the human nature of nomadic peoples who live by plundering is impossible to reconcile. Therefore, national policies such as peace and alliance can only seek temporary peace. , there is either a life-and-death bloody battle between the Central Plains and the Hu people, or an endless cycle of marriage wars, wars and marriages. Wei Chen has thought many times, can the peace and prosperity of an empire only be built on women? What are the men of this empire used for?”
As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was booed and shocked.
Because all those present were men from the Tang Empire.
Fang Xuanling was unmoved. He looked at his eyes, nose and heart, and loudly said: "We think that the war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo has arrived. The soldiers of Guanxi shed blood and fought in succession to defeat the enemy. Sharpness is the blessing God has bestowed upon us in the Tang Dynasty! If we do not seize the opportunity to avoid future troubles at this time, we will regret it one day! Your Majesty is the king and we are ministers, and we should plan for a hundred years instead of just focusing on it. At present. It is true that this battle will be very difficult and will cost countless soldiers and soldiers their bones. However, for the long-term benefit of our descendants, we should put down Tubo and avoid future troubles!"
Fang Xuanling, a literary scholar, is not young yet, but when he said this, his words were as sonorous and impassioned as a martial artist!
Li Shimin's heart was boiling with passion, and he almost jumped off the golden lance, Zhan La Fangxuanling, and shouted, "My confidant and the pillar of the country."
But at this moment, he kept calm very well and said: "I heard what Fang Aiqing said, the key lies in the word 'long term'. In fact, I want to say that Fang Aiqing has always been strongly opposed to war. Because he has always been He is the steward of the Tang Dynasty, who is in charge of the country's financial and food expenditures. No one knows the wealth of the Tang Dynasty better than him, and no one knows the losses caused by a war better than him. Now, even Fang Xuanling is aware of it. Does such a strong effort really mean that this battle is what the people want? Please don't just listen, come and express your opinions."
In fact, when it comes to this, 99% of people already know in their hearts that this battle must be fought.
At this time, Changsun Wuji stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the minister Fang Xianggong said that he believes that this battle must be fought. But how to fight and who to send to fight are more important than anything else. "
Everyone, including Li Shimin, was awakened - today's core topic was made clear by the core figure!
Yes, the key to this battle is not only to determine the rise and fall of the two dynasties, but also to determine the future pattern of the Tang Dynasty. At the same time, the prince of the Tang Dynasty and the team of future courtiers will also be decided.
At this time, Changsun Wuji would no longer sit back and watch Leng Mingzhe protect himself. He had to take the initiative. Otherwise, what awaits him may be the decline of Jianghe.
"Good question." Li Shimin nodded in approval and said, "Actually, what we want to discuss today is this military and state matter. Who should I send to lead a war like pacifying Tubo? Just like back then, I sent Li Jing. But now Li Jing is old. I am too sick to make the journey. Who should I send?"
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, Fang Xuanling said: "We think that to conquer Tubo, we must use generals. There are many generals in our court, but there are not many generals and troops who are really familiar with Tubo and adapted to their original position. The Kansai Army Commander-in-Chief Qin Mubai has inherited his father's legacy and has been conducting military campaigns in Kansai for a long time and has defeated Tubo many times. He is indeed the best candidate."
When you say this, only a fool would object. Because there is really no one more suitable to fight against Tubo than Qin Mubai. Li Ji is famous and capable, but now he is busy dealing with Xue Yantuo in the grassland!
"Wei Chen once again agreed with Fang Xianggong that the person who led the expedition against Tubo must be Qin Mubai." Changsun Wuji raised his hand and suddenly changed the topic and said, "However, it is difficult to shoulder such a huge national war. Qin Mubai is still young after all. Wei Chen suggested that His Majesty should choose experienced veterans to support him. At the same time, the court must send important ministers to serve as marching commanders! "
Hearing the words "March Chief Shi", everyone was shocked - didn't that mean that the imperial court was sending supervisory troops to keep an eye on Qin Mubai? Did he mean to imply that Qin Mubai was not very obedient and had to send someone to guide him and fight this battle according to the emperor and the court's wishes? Or was it that... Qin Mubai was ambitious and should beware of it? !
When Li Jing destroyed the Turks, he didn't send such people! They were all famous ministers and generals, and they all obeyed the unified command of Li Jing. Li Jing was given full authority to issue orders on behalf of the emperor. Even princes like Li Daozong did not dare to say anything!
"History of the imperial court's appointment of marching commanders?" Li Shimin slowly repeated the sentence, slightly frowning and said, "Who do you think it would be better to send, Situ?"
Everyone was slightly shocked again. The emperor's words were tactful and he directly asked "Who should I send?" instead of asking "Is it necessary?" - the implication was that the emperor actually agreed!
It seems that only Changsun Wuji can understand the emperor's wishes best!
"Wei Chen believes that this battle is related to the lifeline of the country and the rise and fall of the clan. If the emperor is not in command, the prince must be sent to suppress the army to inform the world and inspire the three armies!" Changsun Wuji raised his eyebrows and bowed his hands, saying loudly, " The King of Wei, Li Tai, is a man of great virtue and good character, a man of modesty and dignity, and he is strong enough to withstand the hardships of military service. He is the most suitable candidate!"
These words were like a heavy bomb that made everyone's hearts beat loudly on the spot!