Belus arrived in Chang'an nearly five years earlier than the time recorded in the history books.
The original journey from Persia to Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty was full of dangers and difficulties. Now, because of Li Hong's thousands of miles of attack, Belus was able to reach Chang'an in a very short time with thousands of followers.
In addition, when the white-clothed cannibals besieged Jiling City, Li Hong succeeded in a sneak attack and defeated the white-clothed cannibals, allowing him to escape to the Tang Dynasty safe and sound.
Since then, it has also created a blind illusion for Belus, that is, the Tang Dynasty has become so powerful that no country can shake it or compete with it.
It is completely comparable to the Tang Dynasty when he asked for reinforcements from the Tang Dynasty to restore the country many years ago, but the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty finally said that he was unable to use troops thousands of miles away.
So this contributed to Belus's urgent determination to borrow troops from the Tang Dynasty to restore the country.
So Li Hong knew what Belus wanted to do without waiting for Belus' statement
As for looking for him, I'm afraid it was also because of the various powerful scenes he saw when he was in Anxi. In addition, he was the Grand Protector of the Anxi Protectorate and the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. Such two important identities, It was obviously the reason why Belus immediately found himself.
After listening to Belus' request quietly, Li Hong shook his head firmly and silently when he looked at the sunken eyes with a pair of mysterious blue eyes of expectation.
Seeing Li Hong shaking his head, Belus and Narciye, who had not dared to sit behind him, but stood cautiously and respectfully behind Belus, their four eyes suddenly became dim.
Holding the water glass handed over by Xia Zhi in his hand, he also motioned to Wang Mingyuan and the others to drink water.
Then he spoke: "It is true that the Tang Dynasty is powerful, but it is not powerful enough to let its soldiers sacrifice their lives for other countries at will. You can understand the consumption of a war without me having to say it, not to mention that I am big Is the Tang Dynasty going on an expedition of thousands of miles? Naturally, no amount of territory is enough for me, the Tang Dynasty, but... I need to understand one thing, that is, is the Tang Dynasty capable of holding it? If not, What’s the use of my coming?”
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, if you are willing to help us restore our country, we, the Sassanid Kingdom, are willing to be the subjects of the Tang Dynasty forever. We will always be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. We will be your ministers forever and will never regret it." Belus stood up. , looking at the indifferent Li Hong, said firmly.
Even his son Narshiye, who was behind him, followed his father's words and nodded heavily, as if the father was singing and the son was following suit.
Li Hong still shook his head gently, looked at Belus who stood up, and said calmly: "It's absolutely impossible, I am a very practical person, and I will not do anything if I can't see the benefits. Feel free to help others. Don't say anything about being a minister forever or being a good neighbor. You can still regret it if you write it on paper. If you have read the history of the previous dynasties of the Tang Dynasty, you will understand that the promise you just said, It doesn't do anything for me."
Seeing that Belus was about to continue to express his loyalty firmly, Li Hong stretched out his hand to stop him and said: "Ashina Duzhi, Li Zhelei, Gao Changguo, Khwarezm, Tocharo and Tubo, who didn't want benefits at the beginning? At that time, what he said was more true than gold, but in the end, after he took advantage of the benefits given by the Tang Dynasty, did he still start to invade the territory of the Tang Dynasty? "
"Your Highness, we are different. We Sasanians have the highest commitment. Our whole life is to live for the promises of our friends, and we live for the king and his subjects. As long as you promise to help us restore our country, we are willing to honor you as ours." The king can even let the officials of the Tang Dynasty serve as officials in our Sasanian country and serve as our Persian..."
Li Hong chuckled and interrupted Belus's words, and then asked a little funny: "Since you Sasanians live for promises, why was your father betrayed by his most valued minister? In the fourth year of Anxi, give it to me This feeling makes me always realize that there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. Although it is unreasonable, there is nothing more practical than this. "
After finishing speaking, Li Hong couldn't help but glance at Wang Mingyuan, he was actually willing to be a lobbyist for the Persians! Was this a benefit to him, or did he and Belus develop a deep love for each other after getting along with each other in Jiling City
The meaningful glance shocked Wang Mingyuan, who was sitting on the chair, and suddenly he started to sweat all over his back. He had been silent just now because he was afraid that His Highness the Crown Prince might mistakenly think that he had some kind of relationship with Belus.
How could Wang Mingyuan not be frightened when he saw His Highness the Crown Prince's dissatisfied look just now? What's more, His Highness the Crown Prince was his savior. This was a gift from God.
"There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests." Belus muttered what Li Hong said, and his eyes became darker than before.
Didn't he know that he wouldn't believe the promise he just made, but now he has nothing but his identity as a prince.
And those thousands of Persian soldiers and horses are not enough to restore the country. In today's world, except for the Tang Dynasty, there is no country that can fight against the white-clothed empire. Food.
Seeing Belus's devastated look, Li Hong couldn't feel the slightest pity in his heart.
In his eyes, the lives of the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were much more important than the land resources.
What's more, today's Tang Dynasty has just returned to the pre-Sui level in terms of population after the Zhenguan rule of the emperor's grandfather. In addition, with the military deployment in various places in the past two years, the father is eager to expand the territory and wants to gain political power. Getting rid of Grandpa Huang's shadow once again unknowingly caused the population of Tang Dynasty to begin to decline sharply.
Although today's Tang Dynasty seems to be powerful, it is actually at the end of its power.
Nowadays, the government military system is still the main source of troops, but with successive battles and successive casualties, the effective combat power that the Tang Dynasty's large and small Zichongfu can provide has declined sharply.
Nowadays, apart from Anxi, which is a powerful army, whether it is Yunzhong or Liaodong, the number of troops that Zhechong Mansion can bring to Datang has begun to increase in age, and the young and middle-aged have already died on the battlefield.
If we don't cultivate our health and rest for a few years, we won't give the land of Jiuzhou a few years of stability and peace to nurture new lives and continue the tenacity of the Tang Dynasty.
Then the process of Datang's transformation from the imperial army system to the recruitment system will be hasty and not rigorous, which will lead to public dissatisfaction and riots in some places just like in history.
The far-reaching impact and consequences were that the Tang Dynasty, as recorded in the history books, went into decline, then briefly became strong again, then weakened again to the point of exhaustion, and finally perished.
Looking at Belus's expression, although he looked haggard and his eyes were dim, you could still vaguely see a hint of perseverance and a glimmer of hope.
But no matter what, no matter how Belus begged, Li Hong's heart was as strong as iron. No matter how he begged or promised, Li Hong's head shook like a rattle.
And while shaking his head, watching Belus and Narciye salute and leave, Li Hong was actually thinking about finding someone to make a rattle for Li Lingyue for fun.
"Wang Mingyuan stays." Li Hong came back to his senses and said calmly.
Belus and Narsie were of the same stature, and finally followed a eunuch, saluted Li Hong's back again, and then slowly withdrew.
As soon as the door of the living room was closed by the eunuch outside, Wang Mingyuan couldn't wait to stand up and salute, and quickly explained: "Your Highness, please be aware that I have no personal relationship with Belus. Today, I was confused and brought him here. I want to thank you." His Highness’s life-saving grace in Anxi, as for Belus, it was indeed him who begged me to bring him along. He begged me on the grounds that His Highness’s status was noble and he might not be able to see him easily…”
"Okay, stop talking. I don't mean to blame you. I left you here just to ask, what do you think of me if I let you lead the troops to attack Tochara until you and the white-robed food fight head-on on the battlefield? What chance does Datang have of winning?" Li Hong asked playfully.
Wang Mingyuan was shocked! Just now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince resolutely rejected Belus' request. Why is he now trying to attack Tochara again, and even wants to fight against the white-clothed food
Wang Mingyuan's mind quickly shifted from trying to figure out His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's intentions, to the white-clad troops he had seen and the fighting power of Tocharia, which was now sandwiched between the two countries.
He repeatedly calculated and considered in his mind, and even quickly calculated the basics of how to organize troops, how to fight, etc.
Finally, he looked at Li Hong's face with a faint smile and said solemnly: "Returning to your highness, I am not trying to gain the ambition of others and destroy my own prestige. I believe that if we, the Tang Dynasty, fight against Tochara, we will definitely win. but… ."
"It's okay, keep talking. Besides, I don't have the right to appoint you to fight. I just ask casually." Li Hong said easily.
But Wang Mingyuan didn't dare to think that way. After returning to Chang'an these days, he already knew who His Highness the Crown Prince was.
Now, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince returned to Chang'an, the civil and military officials in the court began to secretly discuss whether the post of Shangshu Ling, which had been vacant since the late emperor took it because of the taboo of the late Emperor, might already be in His Highness the Crown Prince's pocket.
But everyone is just guessing. After all, this post of Shangshu Ling is not trivial. If the current Crown Prince holds it, no one knows what consequences it will bring to the royal family.
Even His Majesty, when some ministers who are close to His Majesty made insinuations, could feel that His Majesty was hesitant about whether to grant the title of Shangshu Ling to His Royal Highness.
Not only did this not become a benchmark for courtiers, but for some reason, it became the biggest reason why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was almost certain to become the Minister of Order.
(End of chapter)