Chapter 38 Tubo Must Be Destroyed

Chapter 38 Tubo Must Be Destroyed

Chapter 38 Tubo Must Be Destroyed

Li Chengqian never paid much attention to the tea-making technique.

The greater the benefits, the greater the gains.

To him, none of it mattered.

As a crown prince, he should be all-embracing and broad-minded, and his vision should be focused on world affairs. If he cares too much about such a small matter, he will appear narrow-minded and short-sighted.

He did not hide anything. If you wanted it, he would give it to you. He just wanted to spread the culture of tea ceremony to the world and contribute to the traditional culture of the Tang Dynasty.

"Then we must first thank the prince for his kindness."

Wei Zheng smiled, a rare moment for him.

After tasting Prince Tea, drinking tea will be tasteless, but it’s not a pity to throw it away.

Li Chengqian said: "Tea is a good thing."

"It can cultivate one's sentiments and cultivate one's character."

He has brought the effect of tea to a very high level.

The people present felt that the flattery was a bit excessive, but they just let it be whatever the prince said.

No one spoke out against it.

"At the same time, tea can also be a medicine."

"Do you know why the Turkic, Tibetan, Gaochang and other countries cannot live without our tea?"

he asked.

"Tea can moisten the intestines and promote bowel movements. Barbarians in foreign countries do not think about farming, do not eat grains, and only eat raw meat and drink blood. The yin and yang in their bodies are out of balance, and they often have difficulty defecating. Many of them die, so they need tea to regulate yin and yang..."

Wei Zheng spoke eloquently and logically at the first opportunity.

It is well known that the ethnic groups outside the Great Wall need tea and what they use it for.

For the ethnic groups outside the Great Wall, tea is a necessity of life. Without it, people will get sick at best, and die at worst.

The Tang Dynasty had frequent tea trade with foreign nations.

"If the Tang Dynasty strictly controlled the outflow of tea, it would not allow trading or smuggling."

"What will happen to the Turkic, Tibetan and other countries?"

Li Chengqian asked again.

"If so, the barbarians around the Tang Dynasty will send troops to attack the Tang Dynasty," said Xiao Yu.

Gao Shilian added: "Our dynasty is engaged in tea trade with foreign races, and we don't want to force them into a dead end."

"If they really unite, we will be under a lot of pressure."

"Starting a war over tea will put us at a disadvantage and is not worth it."

Everyone nodded.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "That's the truth."

"But now, I don't want to see the Tang Dynasty and Tubo make peace."

"Have you any of you taught me anything?"

He said so much before just because of this matter.

"Master Fang, Master Wei, after the court meeting, His Majesty summoned you two. Did you tell him about the marriage with Tubo?"

Wei Zheng said unhappily, "Your Highness, we did talk about it."

"Your Majesty still wants to appease the people."

"Whether the marriage will proceed or not has not yet been determined."

Li Chengqian frowned slightly. Cheng Zhijie and the others had already beaten Lu Dongzan, but hadn't they forced Lu to death yet?
Fang Xuanling said: "Your Highness, the marriage with Tubo does have a bit of the flavor of threatening with military force."

"But our goal is to calm and stabilize this neighbor."

"It won't threaten us all the time."

Li Chengqian sneered, "Threat? We should just kill him."

Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly and said, "It cannot be destroyed."

Wei Zheng said: "Your Highness, you don't know that the terrain of Tubo is too high, and our soldiers are not used to the local climate, which has greatly reduced their combat effectiveness."

"On the other hand, the Tibetans have lived in the highlands for a long time and have adapted to the environment. This is very disadvantageous for our army to attack the Tibetans."

Li Chengqian said, "How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"

"Even if we use all our national strength, can't we destroy him?"

Xiao Yu said, "Your Highness, have you ever considered that if our dynasty sends out all its troops, the Turks, Xueyantuo and others will just sit there and do nothing, and who can guarantee that they won't take advantage of the situation and invade?"

Gao Shilian nodded and said, "Yes, Prince, it's not that Your Majesty doesn't want to fight, but that you can't fight."

“The risk is too high.”

"It's good enough to destroy Tubo, and the price we paid is tolerable, but what if we fail to destroy it?"

Yu Zhining, a member of the East Palace Group, also spoke up and said, "Whether to destroy them or not is one thing. The key is that after we destroy them, they will be reborn and revive."

"Our efforts will be wasted, and it will be a thankless task. On the contrary, it will affect our national strength."

The benefits of conquering Tubo were too unprofitable. Tubo’s fighting power was not worthy enough in the eyes of the Tang Dynasty.

It's completely at the level of a chicken and a dog.

It's just a force that can be easily grasped.

After all, the only ones that the Tang Dynasty can look at with respect right now are Xueyantuo and Turks, and Goryeo has been planning to deal with them for a long time.

But Tubo is an exception.

Li Chengqian knew very well that Tubo’s strength was not its military but its geographical location.

That is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Altitude sickness was definitely a nightmare for the army in the era of cold weapons.

Before the fight even started, the combat power was halved.

For the Central Plains dynasty, which was accustomed to suffering from acclimatization problems, even the northern soldiers who came to the south would suffer from acclimatization problems, leading to defeat.

Not to mention fighting on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

This is really unsolvable at the moment.

Throughout the period of Tang Dynasty's external expansion, Tubo has always been a difficult target to eliminate, and no matter how strong the country was, it could not be eradicated. This shows the absolute advantages brought by the geographical location.

"I know, but that's not the reason."

Li Chengqian said: "Tibet is too close to us and poses too great a threat."

"Have you ever thought that once Chang'an is empty, Tubo will be in a dominant position and can march straight into Chang'an and threaten it?"

Wei Zheng shook his head firmly and said, "Your Highness, this will never happen."

Threaten Chang'an?
Don't be too shocked by this idea.

Chang'an is the capital, and it was surrounded. What would happen?

"I am not exaggerating."

"Master Wei, can you guarantee that something like this will never happen?"

Li Chengqian pressed the question.

Wei Zheng was suddenly speechless.

Others were also in deep thought.

They were all very confident. They believed in the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty army, and the Tang Dynasty's generals.

At this moment, the Tang Dynasty's self-confidence is very inflated.

There is nothing in the world that cannot be destroyed.

The fall of Gaochang this year is the best interpretation of the power of the Tang Dynasty.

But who can guarantee that Tubo will not threaten Chang'an?

Be it alarmist or fantastical.

But it is a possibility that has to be considered.

"The marriage with Tubo must be terminated."

"If Songtsen Gampo wants to fight, then we will fight with him."

Li Chengqian said: "First, cut off all trade with Tubo."

“Especially tea.”

"The Tang Dynasty solemnly declares to all countries that it has officially imposed a comprehensive blockade on Tubo. This move is an offense against the majesty of the Tang Dynasty. His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty have imposed severe sanctions on him."

"Other countries are not allowed to have any dealings with Tubo, otherwise they will be regarded as colluding with the corrupt and challenging the majesty of the Tang Dynasty."

"When will Songtsen Gampo kneel down and admit his mistakes, and the sanctions will be lifted?"

"Warfare does not necessarily require the use of troops. By controlling their vital forces, you can also defeat the enemy without fighting."

At present, the national strength of Tubo is in conflict with that of the Tang Dynasty.

We don’t know who will die yet.

Let them also have a taste of the iron fist from the Tang Empire. It is not only about military force, but also about all-round sanctions that are more painful than death.

"At the same time, select a group of elite soldiers and generals who are adapted to the environment of the Tibetan highlands to prepare for the destruction of Tibet."

"If one year doesn't work, then two years. If two years doesn't work, then five years, ten years."

"In a word, Tubo must be destroyed."

"This concerns the future of the Tang Dynasty."

"I will never allow anyone to spy on me, outside the imperial capital."

"You can sleep, Your Majesty? I can sleep?"

"I think your majesty will have trouble sleeping and eating."

"I don't want to wake up one day and find the outside world full of Tibetan barbarians."

(End of this chapter)