After the Garqinling annihilated all the enemy troops and captured the enemy chief alive, he returned victorious. The royal city of Luoxe was filled with cheers, and at the same time the crowd was filled with passion and resentment. Whether they were princes, nobles or common people, they all came to watch, wanting to see with their own eyes what the legendary "murderer" Hou Junji looked like.
Hou Junji was tied behind his back and sitting on the saddle, with a calm expression and cold eyes. He looked indifferently at the group of Tubo people in front of him who were shouting abuses and applauding, as calmly as if they were shopping in the streets.
Gal Qinling rode beside him, glanced at him sideways, and said with a smile: "General Hou, how does it feel to be spurned and cursed by all the people?"
"Quite good." Hou Junji curled his lips indifferently and said, "The people you mentioned are my enemies. Being so hated by the enemy at least proves that Hou is quite competent as a general."
Gal Qinling frowned slightly, "Have you ever thought about how you will die?"
"This kind of troublesome question should be for you to think about, why should I worry about it?" Hou Junji continued to sneer, "Anyway, as long as I live for a day, you will eat, drink and have sex with me. Let me make it clear first, it is not good. If you don’t eat wine or meat, all your plans will be in vain if you starve to death.”
Gal Qinling gritted his teeth, turned his head and stopped talking to Hou Junji. He thought to himself: This Hou Junji seems to have no courage, but in fact he still has some city and foresight. Unfortunately, due to his personality, if he wanted to fight in the court, he would definitely be far from a match for the likes of Changsun Wuji and Qin Mubai. Earlier he was ostracized by Changsun Wuji, and now he is used and abandoned by Qin Mubai... If this man was born on the plateau, he would definitely be my right-hand man! Because in our temple of the Tubo Dynasty, there are not as many intrigues and intrigues as Tang Yan. It depends on strength!
In front of the royal city, people all over the mountains and plains were surrounded. The army of Garqinling blocked a way and prepared to enter the city. The anger of the people on both sides gradually grew. Many people shouted that they wanted to tear Hou Junji into pieces and eat them in one bite. More people squeezed desperately to rush in and attack Hou Junji. There were even some excessive Tubo people who walked beside Houjunji regardless of the Garqin Mausoleum and threw stones at Houjunji. Gal Qinling was offended and ordered to draw swords to intimidate and arrest several excessive people. Only then did the turbulent crowd calm down a little.
Finally entering the royal city, Garqin Ling asked the sergeant to take Hou Junji to a secret room and imprison him. He strictly guarded him and did not allow anyone to get close to him. He provided him with food and wine, and asked a medical officer to treat Hou Junji's injuries.
Gal Qinling personally swung his sword and cut off the rope on Hou Junji's body, glanced at him, and strode away.
Hou Junji laughed loudly and shouted: "I want to roast a whole lamb, and I want the wine you Zanpu drank! I also want hot water to bathe, and change into new clothes. If the service is not attentive at all, I will hit my head against the wall and die." superior!"
The Tibetan sergeants who were in charge of him were all so angry that their faces were red and their necks were thick. They did not dare to disobey the marshal's orders, so they swallowed their resentment in their stomachs.
Galqinling went to see Zanpu.
When Qizong Nongzan saw Gar Qinling, he smiled and took a long breath. He stepped forward to catch him and said: "Qinling, we will not say a word of thanks between you and my brothers. In short... this country can I would abandon my sect and Nongzan, but I can’t live without you, Garqin Ling!”
"Zan Pu's words are serious." Gal Qinling sighed softly, gritted his teeth and frowned, and said, "I have ten thousand reasons to kill Hou Junji. Really, I want to bite off every piece of his flesh with my own mouth. He can swallow it alive without drinking water, but if Zamp doesn’t want to let him die, I can’t kill him.”
"Everyone in the world misunderstands Qin Ling and only thinks that Qin Ling is domineering and overbearing. Only I know that Qin Ling always puts the country first in his heart, and I, the useless Zanpu brother, is always in his heart." Qizong Nongzan also smiled bitterly. After making a sound, Lagar Qinling sat down and poured a cup of wine for him personally, saying, "Please drink this cup to the full, as Brother Yu is grateful to you!"
"Thank you, brother!" Gal Qinling drank a full gulp, let out a heavy breath, and said, "Brother, what are you going to do next?"
"Li Shimin has given the order to mobilize all the strength of the country to fight me decisively. Qin Mubai led an army of 400,000 to counterattack on the plateau and pressed forward step by step. At this moment, the enemy is strong and we are weak, and the situation is critical." Qizong Nongzan frowned and said, "But, The Han people have always been very political. In fact, even if they conquer the plateau, they may not really have much benefit. Not to mention that the war will consume a lot of national power, and the many troubles in the aftermath will be enough to trouble them. During the ten years of the Tang Dynasty, neither Li Shimin nor the ministers could not ignore these considerations. In other words, Li Shimin had a tough attitude on the surface, but he was also very hesitant and hesitant in his heart. He had been calculating. A war is not worthwhile. This means that an alliance is not completely impossible.”
Gal Qinling nodded with an indifferent expression and said: "As my brother said, the war has not yet broken out in full force, so it is the last time to make an alliance. Once Qin Mubai sends his troops to the plateau, it will be the end of Li Xian. The arrow had to be fired, and the last chance for peace and alliance was gone. It is true that I have always been opposed to any peace alliance, but... out of respect for Zamp, I can no longer insist on trying other strategies of governing the country and diplomacy. The method may not be bad. From the present point of view, even if it means gaining ten or twenty years of breathing space, it will be fine.”
Qi Zong Nongzan smiled happily and nodded: "Thank you, Qin Ling. You have studied Sinology intensively and are familiar with the Han people. You should know that when they are faced with being forced to kill by foreign enemies, they will firmly unite and fight against the outside world with all their strength. Once that happens, When the world is peaceful and there are no external troubles, domestic troubles will arise. The current Tang Dynasty seems to be rich and powerful, but in fact, the internal troubles are also quite serious. Almost all of Li Shimin's sons have grown up, and the crown prince was recently deposed. Cheng Qian, the East Palace has always been vacant. This is his real worry. At this time, we should not disturb him. We should let a group of people in the court fight to the death and let Li Shimin be exhausted. We should take this opportunity. It is a good time to rest and recuperate, and we can obtain many things from the Tang Dynasty - such as resources such as money, grain, cloth and tea, technologies such as iron smelting, weaving, planting, and pottery, as well as many cultural essences, all of which require us to spend a lot of money. years to learn and apply.”
"Yes." Gal Qinling nodded decisively and said, "I have to admit that the Tang Dynasty has a glorious civilization that we cannot match. Regarding Sinology, the deeper I delve into it, the more I feel that I am ignorant and shallow. Before, I had always been I thought we should take advantage of our strong national strength to defeat the Tang Dynasty and seize all these things. Now I understand that Zampu is right. But he is indeed unmatched. It’s not like they are invincible—the chance of victory may lie in what Zanpu Gangfang said, when their internal troubles break out!”
"Well!" Qizong Nongzan smiled and nodded happily again, and said, "Qinling, you are still the same person you were before, my flesh and blood brother and true confidant. But I want to know, when you led the troops to fight yesterday, you His attitude was still quite tough, why did he suddenly change his attitude today?”
"Because of Hou Junji." Gal Qinling frowned and said, "It was him who changed my view of the Han people, changed my understanding of the current situation, and shook the everlasting belief in my heart. …faith!”
"Why?" Qizong Nongzan asked in surprise.
Gal Qinling picked up a glass of wine, took a few sips, frowned and pondered, and said: "I have been in the army for twenty years, and I have never encountered a general like Hou Junji, nor have I encountered the kind of army he brought out. . Brother, you know, although we won this battle, we won it without force. I have carefully checked that every Tang Army soldier has no less than ten injuries-and they are not minor injuries. Before the fierce battle, at least 10,000 of the more than 20,000 Tang troops should have been seriously injured, including Hou Junji. However, they all fought to the end, with no deserters and no prisoners except Hou Junji. Not even one of the corpses had intact limbs... This is really terrifying! It was Hou Junji, this army, who showed me the terrifying power contained within the Han people!"
Abandoned Zong Nongzan’s face changed slightly! —I’ve known Gal Qinling for so many years, and this is almost the first time I’ve heard him say the word ‘terrible’!
"I used to think that our Tubo nation was the bravest nation in the world, the most loyal, brave and fearless nation. But compared with Hou Junji and his army, we are just brave." Gar Qinling frowned With deep locks and stern eyes, he said, "The power displayed by Hou Junji and his sergeants seems to surpass human power itself. I used to be puzzled as to what allowed them to overcome the human instinct for death. The fear, what pushed them beyond the limits of injury that the human body can endure... Now I understand.”
"What is it?"
"Faith." Gar Qinling's face darkened and he said, "They are the Han people in the Central Plains. The culture and education they have accumulated over thousands of years have given them a powerful spiritual power that ordinary people do not have. In fact, just comparing physical fitness, strength, and In terms of horsemanship, archery and fighting skills, our Tubo army is indeed invincible. But... we lack faith, or have no faith. The reason why our soldiers fight is for the reward after the war or the fear of the punishment of defeat. At the moment, it seems that these can arouse the combat effectiveness of the army, and the Han army is generally unable to defeat us. But... if the fighting spirit of the Han people is truly aroused, the belief in their hearts will turn into an extremely terrifying force. Each of them has transformed into a crazy fighter like a demon, almost invincible - just like Hou Junji's army!"
"So, we must pursue and establish our orthodoxy as soon as possible!" Qizong Nongzan slammed his fist on the table and said in a deep voice, "A country cannot last long by just relying on war horses and scimitars. It must be Have your own Taoism to educate the people and influence future generations. Only by Taoism can you truly conquer people's hearts and achieve long-term stability. Qin Ling, I have discussed Legalism and Confucianism in Sinology many times before. Legalist governance can best enrich the country and strengthen the army. I agree with this, and the facts have proved that you have indeed achieved it. In just a few years, our Tubo Empire has become stronger and stronger, and our army is unrivaled in the world. But if we want to pursue long-term peace and stability. To achieve real prosperity, we still need to control people's hearts. To plunder with severe punishments, intimidation, sanctions and military expansion can only be a temporary solution, not a long-term solution!"
"Hey...!" Gal Qinling sighed heavily and shook his head, "I'm too impatient. Now, it's time to put down my dignity and ask for peace with the Tang Dynasty and learn from his master. The only thing I'm worried about now is that the two sides will form a friendship. The hatred is too deep, and the Tang Dynasty may not be so easy to accept the alliance. And... there is still the biggest obstacle in front of us! "
"You mean, Qin Mubai?"
"yes."
Qizong Nongzan pondered for a moment, smiled slightly, and said, "Qinling, have you ever thought about it, Qin Mubai is actually very similar to you?"
Gal Qinling was startled for a moment and said calmly, "Maybe!"
"Actually, he is also a rare talent. He can command thousands of armies when mounted, and can lead a country to safety when dismounted." Qi Zong praised and said, "Qin Mubai is not an ordinary general. Otherwise, Li Shimin's ability to recognize people and his imperial skills Shen, it is impossible to send him to Lanzhou to take charge. The implication is that Qin Mubai seems to be just a marshal, but in fact he has the ability to influence the court's major national policies. Moreover, we have already seen it. It's over, isn't it? - Hou Junji, isn't he just a man-eating monster? His purpose is nothing more than to stimulate national conflicts and make the two countries completely break up and the war will be irreversible? A tough fighter!"
"Brother, what do you mean, you need to tie the bell to untie it? If you want to make an alliance, you have to convince Qin Mubai first?" Gar Qinling said.
"Not bad." Qi Zong nodded approvingly, "I know this is difficult, quite difficult. But you may not succeed if you try, and you will definitely not have a chance if you don't try. And have you ever thought about why Qin Mubai is so tough in the battle? Is it just Is it influenced by his father Qin Shubao? "
"I have thought about it..." Gar Qinling said, "Qin Mubai is not only a general, but also a politician. What he thinks more about should be his political future. As far as I know, Qin Mubai and The King of Wu, Li Ke, was the closest, and the relationship between Wei King Li Tai and Jin King Li Zhi, who were most likely to be appointed heirs, was average. If Li Tai and Li Zhi succeeded to the throne, they would definitely be conservative kings. It would be of little use to have people like Qin Mubai. . Therefore, I guess Qin Mubai wants to turn the tide and change the fate of himself and Li Ke, and use his unparalleled military achievements and prestige to support Li Ke to come to power to ensure that he will remain standing for decades to come!"
"Hitting the nail on the head!" Qizong Nong praised, "So, if you want to convince Qin Mubai, you have to start with Li Ke - what a coincidence, Li Ke is now in Qin Mubai's army, serving as a supervisor! Hou! Junji is Qin Mubai's confidant, but in the eyes of the court, he is a great traitor. Therefore, we cannot kill Hou Junji. The enemy of our enemy is our friend, and we can take advantage of him. We must make a big fuss about him!”
"Oh?" Gal Qinling exclaimed, "Brother, are you already confident?"
"No..." Qizong Nongzan shook his head, "I just want to give it a try first. Li Ke's position is that of the imperial court, which is different from Qin Mubai, the military commander. No matter how close the relationship between the two is, in the face of such a big right and wrong, , those who should be opposed will still be opposed. Therefore, as long as we are willing to sincerely declare ourselves as ministers and pay tribute, this will be of great benefit to the Tang Dynasty. As the mouthpiece of the imperial court, Li Ke has no reason to refuse our request. Harmony. The Han people are obsessed with saving face. They believe that peace is the most important thing, and subduing the enemy's troops without fighting is the best policy. We Tubo people are not like the Han people who like to live in vain and accept the consequences. Just pay tribute, what does it matter? Wait ten or twenty years, we will become stronger, and they will be in civil strife. Whether it is reputation or benefits, we will be able to avenge our previous humiliation. In the history of the Han people, isn't there the Yue King Gou Jian? Is it an allusion to the bravery of living on fuel? —And I estimate that the Tang Dynasty, which prides itself on being the richest in the world, will accept our surrender and surrender, but will not ask for our tribute at all; not only will it not be paid, but it will be paid according to the previous agreement. Come to marry the princess and give them a considerable dowry. This is their character! —Qin Ling, do you think this kind of deal is a good deal? "
"My brother is still smarter." Gal Qinling smiled and said, "It's just that my brother may suffer some infamy and grievance when the time comes."
"It doesn't matter!" Abandoned Zong Nongzan laughed, "Even if I abandon Zong Nongzan and go to Chang'an to be a hostage, that's fine. Together we created the country of Tubo. While enjoying the wealth, we must also take responsibility for this country. , isn't it? Compared to those warriors who died on the battlefield, what do I mean? Besides, I went to Chang'an, and you can stay here to help my son. I said, Tubo can abandon me. Zong Nong praises it, but it cannot be without the Garqin Mausoleum! - As long as the Qinling Mausoleum remains, Tubo will surely rise to prominence one day! If that day comes, what I said to you can also be regarded as Tuogu! I went to Chang'an and will definitely not come back. Just treat me as dead. It's all up to you!"
Gal Qinling trembled all over, stared at Qizong Nongzan, raised his glass, "Brother, I respect you!"
"The desire to prosper Tibet will never die, and the desire to destroy Tang Dynasty will never die!" Qizong Nongzan raised his glass, "Qinling, no matter what happens tomorrow, whether our brothers will still be together, please remember this sentence! - Ten years , twenty years, or even a hundred years, I hope that one day our people will plant the Tubo totem flag on the top of the imperial city of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty!"
"The desire to prosper Tibet will never die, and the desire to destroy Tang Dynasty will never die! - Cheers!"