Overall, talking to Pei Ju was a pleasure.
His compliments are self-evident, but they are not as exaggerated as when they first met. He is always just right, and he is very flexible and can find a basis for his words.
Li Po originally liked smart and insightful people, and Pei Ju was undoubtedly one of the best, but he was old after all, and his reaction was a bit slow.
But having said that, from the emperor's point of view, Pei Ju was a person who was not flattering, and was the same type of person as Feng Deyi.
If you use it well, it will be more powerful than a tiger. If you can't control it, are fooled by him, and give him too much power, then don't expect this person to fulfill his duties faithfully.
Of course, Pei Hongda is already old at this time, so he doesn't need to be so cautious in dealing with him. Age is this person's fatal injury.
…………
"The illustrations of the Western Regions that you wrote in the early days of the Sui Dynasty are now hidden in the Guanwen Hall. I feel refreshed after viewing them. It's just that they were lost due to the war. It's a pity."
If Pei Ju were twenty years younger, well, no need, as long as he was ten years younger, he would definitely take over everything at this time. Whatever the king wants, it is the responsibility of the minister.
In other words, whatever the emperor wants to do, Pei Hong will naturally work hard to achieve it, especially if it is based on the general plan. What he does will definitely agree with the emperor's wishes, otherwise he would rather not do it.
In fact, the concept is similar to that of Feng Deyi. The ministers who have gone through the great cause years and those who can be trusted by Yang Guang seem to have this kind of thinking.
Nothing but the emperor's temperament.
It's just that Pei Ju is old and can't do this. He thought about it and felt very sorry.
"I was in charge of the border market in Zhangye. Seeing that many officials in the court were not familiar with the affairs of the Western Regions, I decided to compile a map of the Western Regions. I recruited hundreds of people and sent people to visit merchants traveling from east to west. It only took a few months to compile the book.
In fact, it takes several years to complete.
The hard work of everyone is not the work of one person..."
Having said this, he slowly shook his head, "It's a pity that it died in the war and many of it is incomplete. Now Your Majesty wants to see its full picture. After so many years, I can't do anything."
Li Po waved his hand and said with a smile: "Don't get me wrong, I'm just talking. I've heard people say that when it comes to transportation between China and the West, the only person who is more accomplished than Zhang Qian is Pei Hong.
I deeply believe that Pei Qing made many good plans back then and divided the Turks into eastern and western parts. This single thing determined the situation for decades. Compared with the wise ministers of ancient times, there are only a few who can surpass Qing.
Every time I think about it, I just hate that you can't be younger, otherwise your talents will definitely add countless brilliance to the Tang Dynasty."
The evaluation is extremely high, and it comes from the mouth of the emperor. It is like gold and jade, and the sound is heard on the ground.
Li Bi looked at her husband from the side and felt that it was a bit too much. However, her husband always respected his elders and treated He Chou very well, and so did Chen Xiaoyi.
And as long as he wants to flatter others... well, no one can stand it. It was like this back then, and now that he is the emperor, it is even worse.
Sure enough, Pei Ju stood up from his seat, bowed deeply, and his tears fell again.
"Your Majesty knows that I am like this... I... I will have no regrets in dying."
The corner of Li Po's mouth twitched twice, "Well, you died twice and cried twice just after we met. These tears come as soon as you say it. I'm afraid Liu Xuande will be willing to give in to you when he sees you, right?"
Li Po was not simply praising others. After Pei Ju sat down, he continued: "Now the government is planning to trade with the Western Regions and other matters, and the Western Regions Map written by you has been of great help.
The Central Plains has been isolated from the Western Regions for almost twenty years, and not many people know about it. Pei Qing might as well recommend some.
Also, many years have passed, and it is not known what the situation is there. When you were in the west, the map stated that there were forty-four countries in the Western Region, but now I don’t know how many are left.
I intend to have someone re-edit the Western Region Illustrated Chronicles, and I will send them over to you for a look. If there are any errors, you will point them out and I will ask them to correct them."
Pei Ju nodded in agreement. He had assisted Yang Guang and watched Dou Jiande act. He had seen as many people as crucian carp crossing the river. After a long conversation, he could see that the emperor was very pragmatic.
Such a person... If you compliment him, he will probably listen and just smile when he is happy. Judging from his background and what Liu Jingsheng and others have said, family background and other things are nothing, and what is valued is everyone's talent.
.
However, even if the kings have different temperaments, they still want the same thing, just the imperial achievements.
"Your Majesty has the heart to manage the Western Regions, and I must do my best to achieve this grand event."
What he said was actually completely different from what he was thinking in his heart. He felt that there was a lot of military activity on the eastern sea and the emperor wanted to run the western regions, which was a bit inappropriate.
If it had been left to the Sui Dynasty, it would not have been impossible to do, but now that the Tang Dynasty has just been established, the national strength has only recovered a little. If you are going here and there, don't end up stumbling like Yang Guang...
But he only thinks about these things in his mind, but does not express them openly. If important matters in the court are not something he can comment on at this time, others will naturally give advice.
Li Po smiled and said, "Running the Western Region is far from being discussed. It's just a precautionary measure. You should have heard that Tubo has appeared in the west.
The survivors of the Western Qiang, or the Tuyuhun, were no longer powerful enemies. They were driven away by the Tubo people. Over the past few decades, the world has changed, and they have long been changed beyond recognition.
Originally, the country and the dynasty were fixed, so I didn't care too much, but Chang'an is located in Guanxi, so I had to focus on Hexi. Fortunately, the situation was not too bad. Later, Zhangye, Dunhuang, Shanshan, and Xihai counties would be taken back one after another.
No matter how far it is, the Tang Dynasty will be beyond its reach. You know the Turkic affairs, do you think I can handle it this way?"
Pei Ju became nervous, and his previous thoughts were overturned. As his mind was churning, some old things always appeared involuntarily, and he couldn't concentrate. He couldn't help but sigh to himself, he was still old after all.
After a long time, he said: "Your Majesty is wise. This is the time to cultivate internal politics. You should give in to the Turks if they give way. You can't care about the short-term short-term with them.
When I was in Luoyang, I heard that Your Majesty was on a northern tour and had an alliance with the Turkic Khan in Yunnei. I felt that His Majesty managed affairs in a relaxed and orderly manner, which was admirable.
It’s just that I feel... we can no longer imitate the former Sui story and control it based on the disputes between the Eastern and Western Turks."
Having said this, Pei Ju stopped, sorted out his thoughts again, and then slowly said: "Back then, the Turkic civil strife was divided into two parts: the east and the west.
Yang Jian helped Qimin Khan seize control of the Turkic royal court, and also used Chuluo Khan to contain the Turkic royal court and the countries in the Western Regions. This was a clever move. I participated in it and was proud of it for many years.
But looking back now, we can see that this was actually a strategy to raise tigers to create trouble. Qimin Khan appeared to be deferential, but in fact he was resting and recuperating, and the Turkic royal court gradually became stronger and stronger.
Chuluo Khan had been living in the Western Region for a long time, and he had many different ambitions, and then he invaded Hexi. Later, Yang Guang used the strategy of his ministers to replace Chuluo with Shekui. This seemed good, but it was not long before the Western Region was cut off from the Central Plains.
Got the news.
In the north, Shibi Khan is even more ferocious, and things are becoming increasingly urgent.
The Turks have been facing troubles on the border for decades. Despite all the gentle strategies, the troubles are still prevalent among the Xiongnu. Therefore, I advise Your Majesty... not to take chances anymore. In the future, you should imitate Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and eradicate them to avoid future troubles.
"
Pei Ju's chest was slightly open. This was a lesson learned in blood and tears. That year, Shibi Khan led more than 300,000 horsemen to swarm southward and surrounded Yang Guang and all the people from the Northern Patrol at Yanmen.
That battle left a deep impression on Pei Ju.
In the end, although the Turks claimed that they had failed to achieve full success and captured all of them, they finally had no choice but to retreat. However, the northern border fortress of the Sui Dynasty was completely destroyed, and the last bit of the king's majesty was wiped out.
The originally peaceful Jin area was surrounded by flames. On the border with the Turks, at a glance, the light of swords flashed, the sound of hoofbeats shook the sky, and all that was heard in the ears were the sounds of killing.
In the end, it was the Turks who added the last handful of soil to the Sui Dynasty, burying this once glorious and powerful dynasty.
…………
Li Po nodded, seemingly approving, but thinking in his heart, this man is really smart. There is not a word of detail in the general outline, but the general direction is very clear.
If the Turks are not eliminated, the Tang Dynasty will not be able to sleep peacefully...
No one in the court cares about war or peace, but no one can make such a clear and well-founded judgment on general strategy.
Even if it is Feng Deyi, the policy he adopts still has the shadow of the former Sui national policy...
Without getting into the details, it's probably not that this person is old and dim, but that he doesn't have that many sources of information and feels that he can't grasp the situation, so he speaks from this perspective.
"I have been in contact with the Turks for many years. The Turkic Khan Ashina Yang Huan was originally the former Princess Yicheng of the Sui Dynasty. She is different from Qimin, Shibi and other Ashina clan members...
With her in office, the Turks have been able to remain stable for a few years. Now that the border troubles have been eliminated, this is actually the reason. If it were someone else, it would be difficult to say.
Alas, there are Xiongnu in front of us and Rouran and Turks behind us. We are unable to do anything on the grassland. In your opinion, what should we do to prevent tribes like Xiongnu and Turks from appearing on the grassland?"
Pei Ju finally got a little dizzy. The emperor was talking happily, which was something he was very happy to see. But the questions came one after another, each one more difficult to answer than the last, and he couldn't bear it.
Moreover, this is a problem that countless sages have been unable to solve for thousands of years. How much smarter can he, Pei Ju, be than those predecessors?
Looking at Pei Ju who was silent, Li Po couldn't help but laugh, "Well, it's my fault that it's hard for you. I've thought about this before.
In fact, it is very simple. If you tempt the grassland tribes to build cities and build some roads, the benefits of nomadism will be much weaker.
For example, it would have been foolish for Khan to move his royal court to Dali City back then. It is a pity that I had few troops at that time, otherwise I would have led my troops out of the fortress and besieged Dali City, and now there would be no Turkic royal court."
Pei Ju stroked his beard, blinked his eyes, and thought about it for a long time. He felt that it seemed to make sense, but it was too simple and something was wrong.
Building cities and roads on the grassland... The Turks would definitely not be able to do it. Did the Tang Dynasty still teach them step by step? I dare to think about this, but I will never be able to do it...
Please remember the first domain name of this book: ._
This chapter has been completed!