Regardless of whether it's ridiculous or not, nobles always talk in this way. First, they have to compare their family backgrounds. In this process, the powerful people naturally take advantage.
Not long after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, many dignitaries started from scratch and had no family background to speak of. Therefore, the customs were not as good as those in the Sui Dynasty, but the customs and habits were still the same, and it was not possible to change them if they wanted to.
The Zheng family in Xingyang was a famous family in the Central Plains, and Master Zheng himself was Ashina's well-informed son-in-law. It was quite important for him to come to talk to Li Jing.
The Sanyuan Li family was nothing, but the Tang Dynasty's abbot led hundreds of thousands of troops. In the eyes of Zheng Congshi, he was undoubtedly a powerful official of the Tang Dynasty, so he had to be especially careful about what he said.
Then during the conversation, you can understand the other person's temperament, talents, etc. This is the process, even in front of the army.
…………
After a few test sentences, Master Zheng also understood that the man in front of him was dignified and dignified. He looked like a typical nobleman from Guanxi, and he was completely different from those Turks.
So he no longer hesitated and simply stated his purpose.
"The commander-in-chief came here with his troops, enforced the orders and prohibitions, and used the troops in a wise manner. It is really admirable. Now the Khan ordered me to come..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Jing interrupted him and said: "As far as I know, the person who came should be the Turkic Turkic Khan Ashina Duowen, right? He commands all the eastern Turkic tribes, and his power is indeed not small, but how can he be called this?
For Khan?
Hey, if you have the will to be independent, there is no need to say anything else."
Master Zheng's eyes twitched slightly, and he tried to calm down before saying, "With the current situation, why should the governor care about this?"
Li Jing shook his head and laughed, "That's wrong. How long has it been since your Majesty and the Turkic Khan formed an alliance on the grassland? The Turkic Khan of the East started an undeclared war with me.
I didn’t send anyone to question him, but the person who betrayed the alliance sent you to speak first. How can this make sense?”
Master Zheng smiled bitterly. He knew that this was obviously a rule of the Central Plains. The right and honor must be clearly stated. The generals before the army would report these to the court for the emperor and courtiers to see.
When the time comes, whether there is war or peace, there will be consequences, so it is not up to the generals before the army to have the final say.
"Why should the governor ask questions knowingly? On the grassland, the Eastern and Western Khans are just like the princes of the Central Plains. They command great power. Their orders are everywhere, and all the tribes in the east obey them..."
"So he can ignore the alliance between the two countries and lead his troops to come here to fight me?"
This is so annoying. Master Zheng pondered for a long time and decided not to dwell on it. If he continues to say it... what can he say? Say that the Eastern Khan Ashina Duowen has lost his position? Or should Ashina
Duo Wen plans to take over Liaodong and make himself king?
Everyone probably knows that this kind of verbal dispute is meaningless to him.
"King Khan asked me to come here because he wanted to stop the army. King Khan knew that he had been deceived by the Goguryeo people, so he led his troops southward. We also know that the Goguryeo people are cunning... and we did not come here intentionally to cause harm.
Now the two armies are facing each other, and if the stalemate continues, it will be of no benefit to both families.
What King Khan means is to stop the troops and make peace, and everyone can take what they need, but I wonder if the governor can respond?"
Listening to Master Zheng's words, Li Jing was able to confirm that the Turks were in a dilemma and couldn't stand it any longer. What did this mean to the Tang army?
Li Jing thought for a moment and said: "The two families have stopped fighting and reconciled? Haha, it's easy to say that, but you are so soft-spoken and you can't win my trust. Why don't you let Ashina Duowen come to see me in person? Then we can talk about stopping fighting."
It’s not too late.”
Master Zheng's heart skipped a beat and he knew that he had said the wrong thing and his posture was too low, which immediately made the other party aware of the predicament faced by the Turks.
As his mind was spinning, he forced out a smile and said: "The governor is joking. It is not easy for the commander to meet when the army is on a campaign. If the governor insists on doing this, I can only go back and report to the Khan. That will be a big problem for the two families.
what are the benefits?"
Li Jing laughed easily, "You're wrong. I think the Turks raised their troops in a hurry. They must not have expected to spend the winter here, right?
Are the military resources sufficient now? Are the soldiers still comfortable? Do the generals have no complaints? Humph, you are in a dilemma and are already dead. Why not go back and tell Ashina Duowen, let him tie his own hands and feet, and come to ask for surrender.
I may still be able to save his life, otherwise if I catch him, I may only have a solitary head sent to Chang'an."
Zheng's apprentice was conceited about his intelligence and wanted to learn from Su Qin and Zhang Yi. In fact, from the moment he entered the Tang army's camp, he sent a signal to Li Jing that the Turks could not attack and defend, so it was probably impossible.
The two armies are at war and you come to negotiate peace? This is not the way to give credit for merit. Wise men in ancient times would not do such stupid things.
The interesting stories about the back and forth between Zhuge and Sima are all literati's writing style. If you take it seriously, it would be a joke.
The mere presence of Master Zheng here doubled Li Jing's chances of winning the battle. How could he talk to him properly? It would have been good if he had not beheaded him immediately.
As for the price the Turks would pay if they sent people to sue for peace, Li Jing felt that the Turks couldn't come up with anything good that would make people's eyes brighter.
Moreover, he didn't believe what the Turks said. With so many cavalry troops on the side, how could anyone be reassured?
Unless the Turks send all their horses over, would the Turks dare to do that? What is the difference between that and surrendering to the Tang Dynasty?
Li Jing was determined and began to count the time. Waiting for another month, well, I'm afraid that in less than a month, the Turks themselves would have to disperse.
As long as the tens of thousands of Tang troops in the east restrained the Goguryeo people in the mountains and forests, the Turkic cavalry who could not get help from the Goguryeo people would either simply retreat, or they would freeze to death and starve to death in the wilderness.
The situation was excellent, very different from what he expected. Master Zheng's arrival only confirmed this point.
In October, when the weather is not too cold, there will be enough time to attack Pyongyang City. When spring comes next year, the flowers will bloom, and then we can wipe out the Goguryeo tribe in the east, and we will be done.
…………
With such calculations, the results are self-evident.
The "smart" Zheng Congshi was driven out of the Tang army camp in despair. Li Jing only gave him two choices: surrender to the Tang Dynasty or retreat. There was no third way.
There were not so many intrigues, and the conditions Zheng Congshi wanted to give, such as crossing the river to rule, or sending the Tang army some war horses, or letting the Turks lure the Goguryeo people out of the city to help the Tang army capture Pyongyang, etc., were not stated.
, and was kicked out.
In fact, what he didn't understand was that as long as the Turks were still on horseback and had the strength to fight the Tang army, their threat would always exist.
As the commander-in-chief of the army, Li Jing could not make any deal with the Turks to cross the river to rule the country. It would be a serious crime for a former general of the army to liaise with the enemy.
The Tang Dynasty had already unified the world, and it was no longer the time for the princes to make friends with foreign invaders and support themselves with troops.