The Western Region, Xihe, and Liaodong are covered with clouds, but on the Tubo Plateau, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the sky is clear and blue.
In the palace of Luoxe City, Songtsen Gampo, who was dressed in ordinary clothes, looked at Lu Dongzan who looked tired and his legs were shaking slightly. He quickly stood up to greet him, stepped forward and took Lu Dongzan's skinny hands, and said in surprise:
"Why did the Prime Minister suddenly go to Chang'an when he was on his way to Tuyuhun? That's fine. I know there must be a reason. But since he has arrived in Chang'an, he needs to rest for a few more days. Otherwise, how can his body and bones withstand these thousands of mountains and rivers?
live?"
Holding the four hands together, he felt that Lu Dongzan's skinny body had no strength left, and he couldn't help but feel sad in his heart.
He inherited the position of Zanpu. At the beginning, it was turbulent and he was always in danger of overthrow. It was only after he reused Lu Dongzan and formed an alliance with him that he stabilized his rule. As a result, Tubo became as powerful as it is today, and he became a rare hero in the history of Tubo.
Lord, my anger swallows the plateau and my sword points to the world.
But I never dared to completely believe Lu Dongzan.
This man is so shrewd!
In particular, Lu Dongzan has always taken the well-being of the Tubo people as his own responsibility and is committed to the people's livelihood. He has little interest in competing for imperial hegemony such as conquering the world and invading the Central Plains. This has often caused disagreements between the two people, and has even developed into a
Disagreement.
"Highland barley wine" made most of the nobles in Tubo make a lot of money, and even the people at the bottom benefited a lot. It seemed peaceful and everyone was happy.
However, precisely because of this, his control over the major tribes in the country was reduced to an unprecedented level. In order to make huge profits from "barley wine", these tribes brazenly used their limited grain to brew wine, causing Tubo's grain reserves to be completely exhausted.
They had to rely on trade with the Tang Dynasty to obtain food.
This really cuts off his roots!
Without food and nobles who are so greedy for profit, what can he do to invade the Central Plains and strive for world hegemony?
And all of this was given by Lu Dongzan.
Couldn't he see the conspiracy behind the "highland barley wine" dished out by the Tang Dynasty? Of course he could see it clearly. He was the smartest person in Tubo, and no one had ever been able to play tricks in front of him. From this we can see that,
Lu Dongzan knew the harmful effects of "highland barley wine" but still enjoyed it.
This made Songtsan Gampo very unhappy. In your eyes, are the ambitions of Tangtang Zampo not as important as those slaves?
But now, feeling that Lu Dongzan's vitality is getting weaker and weaker, there is a sense of sadness in my heart.
This is the humerus that helped them wipe out Tubo, occupy Xiangxiong, and dominate the plateau. Even though they have different ideas, they have been helping each other for decades. I am afraid that the day when heaven and man will be separated forever is not far away...
The two sat down respectively. Lu Dongzan said with a wry smile: "It's not that I didn't know that my body and bones couldn't withstand the torment. It's just that I didn't expect that Cui Dunli, the envoy of the Tang Dynasty, accidentally discovered the trace of the veteran when he was on an envoy to Tuyuhun. If I didn't go to Chang'an, let me know.
If the Tang Dynasty declares war on Tibet in anger and even cuts off trade, that would be a serious problem."
As he spoke, he said guiltily: "The old minister's mistake at the time caused the formula of 'highland barley wine' to flow into Tubo, causing the current domestic food shortage dilemma. I feel ashamed and ashamed of Zamp. But the big mistake has been made, and to this day
, Tubo needs food from the Tang Dynasty, and must not go to war with the Tang Dynasty, otherwise the war will be fierce, the country will be short of food, and it will be completely defeated!"
Anyone looking at the remorseful expression on the wrinkles on Lu Dongzan's old face would think that he was a loyal minister who dedicated his life to his life.
However, Songtsen Gampo only had a sneer in his heart...
A difference of thought?
I'm afraid you haven't been planning for this day for a long time!
He never believed in loyalty without any intention, whether to the emperor or the common people. The so-called "benefit for the Tibetan people" in Lu Dongzan's words was just another roundabout strategy in Songtsan Gampo's view.
That's all.
The invitation is real, but the loyalty is virtual.
When the entire Tubo people become rich because of Lu Dongzan's strategy, Lu Dongzan's prestige will rise and reach its peak.
When all the Tubo people support him, is the position of Zanpu still far away from him?
His heart was filled with disgust, but his face was full of sighs, and he comforted: "None of us are saints, who can predict what will happen in the future? The Prime Minister cares about the people of Tubo, and he does not hesitate to work hard and bear the infamy, but he also wants to find a way for the people of Tubo to get rich.
His heart can tell the sun and the moon about the road, and I deeply admire him. As for the current situation, the Tuyuhun invaders are about to invade, and the Tang Dynasty Guanzhong has an empty army, so it must be exhausted. Moreover, it has just received news that Damascus has raised 200,000 troops to attack the Western Region.
The Tang Dynasty is already in dire straits, and if you are not careful, the country will be destroyed. There is no need for Tibet to intervene. We can just sit quietly on the plateau and watch the tigers fight on the mountain."
Not to mention that the flood of "barley wine" caused Tibet to be short of food. Even if this were not the case, with Tibet's current national strength, it would be difficult for Tibet to win a frontal war with the Tang Dynasty.
In this case, why not let Tuyuhun go, Dashi rush forward, and have a bloody battle with Datang, consuming each other?
But Lu Dongzan shook his head and said: "No, no, no, Zanpu must not miss this opportunity. Even if Tuyuhun succeeds in raising troops this time and takes over the counties in Hexi, it will not last long. The Tang Dynasty has a vast territory and a large population, and only needs some buffers.
Within a short period of time, we can pull out a million-strong army. Tuyuhun lacks the back-up force and is unsustainable. Defeat is a matter of time. Instead of the Tang Dynasty counterattacking into Qinghai Lake and completely destroying Tuyuhun, how about we descend from the plateau at that time?
, in the name of supporting the Tang Dynasty, occupy Qinghai Lake first? By that time, Tubo will have obtained the grassland on the banks of Qinghai Lake, and its territory will reach the Qilian Mountains. From now on, it will have an advantage regardless of whether it advances or retreats, offensive and defensive, and this opportunity cannot be missed!"
Songtsan Gambol was stunned for a moment, then finally let go of Ludongzan's hand, stroking his palms and laughing loudly: "This is a wonderful plan! This is a very wonderful plan!"
It is absolutely impossible to start a war with the Tang Dynasty. Once the Tang Dynasty completely cuts off the commercial exchanges between the two countries, Tubo will be in a dilemma of food shortage. By then, it is difficult to say whether the country can be stable. How can it have the remaining strength to fight against the Tang Dynasty?
However, if they sent troops to Qinghai Lake in the name of supporting the Tang Dynasty and took its fertile pastures as their own, they would not only gain geographical advantages, but also obtain rich pastures.
You can even take the opportunity to ask Datang for a batch of grain as a gift...
Even if the Tang Dynasty was dissatisfied with Tubo's occupation of Qinghai Lake, it would be difficult to break up with Tubo in the short term. After all, although Tubo was short of food, its aggressiveness remained unabated. Even if it knew that it would be defeated, it could still severely defeat the Tang Dynasty, which had no national power.
I want another piece of meat.
Tubo did not dare to break up with the Tang Dynasty. On the contrary, how could the Tang Dynasty dare to go to war with Tubo?
Both countries have scruples. As long as they don't cross each other's bottom line, even if it goes a little too far, the other side can only hold back...
Songtsan Gampo has been seeking to break out of the plateau for half his life. He has fought against the Tang Dynasty many times in the past, but has never made progress. Now he is sitting at home behind closed doors. He originally just hoped to encourage Tuyuhun to create obstacles for the Tang Dynasty and weaken the Tang Dynasty.
strength, but didn't want to actually get such an opportunity.
He was inexplicably excited, rubbed his palms and said: "The people of the Tang Dynasty have been bullying me for a long time. They proposed to me several times and were rejected, making me a laughing stock in the world. I wish I could personally lead an army to march into Chang'an, destroy their country and exterminate their heirs! Today I got this
If we have the opportunity, we must let the Tang people suffer the loss of being dumb!"
No one is a saint, and joys, sorrows, and joys are ordinary. As Songtsen Gampo, who unified Tubo, sat on the plateau, and regarded himself as a generation of heroes, the experience of going to Chang'an several times to propose marriage but being rejected many times had already made him self-conscious about his face.
Wu Cun was so angry that he just kept the overall situation in mind and kept silent.
Now that we have the opportunity to disgust the Tang Dynasty, how can we not rejoice?
Songtsen Gampo immediately promised: "The Prime Minister will go back to his hometown to rest first. When his physical strength recovers, he will lead his army to the Tuyuhun border and invade its territory if there is an opportunity. If the Prime Minister really captures Qinghai Lake for Tubo, I will
It is given to the Gar family and will be your fief for generations to come!"
Lu Dongzan was so grateful that he immediately knelt down on the ground, kissed Zanpu's shoes, and said with tears streaming down his face: "Even if I am shattered to pieces, I can't repay Zanpu's kindness! Please rest assured Zanpu, even if I give up this life."
The bones will also be used to plunder Qinghai Lake for Zanpu so that the Tibetan war horses can herd Qinghai Lake!"
Songtsen Gampo laughed and convinced him, and said with emotion: "The Zanpu family has been on good terms with the Gar family for generations. I hope that our descendants can understand and complement each other like I do with the Prime Minister."
Ludongzan quickly expressed his position: "The Gar family has been the eagle dog of Zanpu for generations to come. They are loyal and will never abandon them!"