Looking away from Xue Tao, Yang Yuhuan secretly glanced at Zhou Jun and said carefully: "In the early years, all the Yang family members died in the war, leaving me alone to live. For a while, I felt lonely and missed me.
My family...fortunately, now that I have Xue Tao, it is like having a daughter, and I feel even more valuable about my family."
Zhou Jun heard something in Yang Yuhuan's words, put down the book in his hand, looked at the latter and asked: "What did the Queen say to you?"
Yang Yuhuan was startled and quickly shook his head and said: "The queen didn't say anything. Those words just now were just what I felt."
Zhou Jun: "I once said that you were unwilling to take you into the palace no matter what. Now that you suddenly talk about your family, you naturally plead for the prince. Am I right?"
Yang Yuhuan froze in place, silent for a long time, but acquiesced.
Zhou Jun: "I know that you and the Queen have a long-standing friendship, but I'm afraid you don't know the twists and turns of Xiao'er's case, so don't get involved."
Hearing Zhou Jun's warning, Yang Yuhuan looked frightened and agreed.
Seeing Yang Yuhuan's expression, Zhou Jun sighed: "The decision I made before has not changed my mind today. As long as you agree, I will issue an order to take you into the palace today..."
Yang Yuhuan forced a smile and said: "I am old and frail. I have already been infamous for the Supreme Emperor's affairs a few years ago. How can I bring trouble to Your Majesty again now?"
Seeing Yang Yuhuan turn his attention to Xue Tao again, Zhou Jun shook his head slightly and stopped trying to persuade him.
Not long after, Fan Jinian came over with several chamberlains and whispered to Zhou Jun: "Your Majesty, the Right Chancellor, the people from the Municipal Department and the Privy Council are all here."
Zhou Jun nodded, stood up, and with the ladies seeing him off, he left Youpingyuan and drove to the Yizheng Hall.
In the center of the government hall, a three-meter-long sand table stands in it.
Zhou Jun sat in the upper seat and looked around. A number of city and Privy Council officials, including Kong You, Kang Kejing, Guo Ziyi, and Guo Xin, were present at today's meeting.
Zhou Jun: "Last August, I discussed with you how to deal with Tubo. Now more than half a year has passed...Guo Xin, you are in Longyou, and I asked you to explore the plateau trends. What news?"
Guo Xin came out and said: "I sent a detailed investigation to explore various areas in Tubo. I found that Tibet had abandoned the eastern front of Dafeichuan, turned to the west, and re-established a defense line in the Yamotang area."
Zhou Jun glanced at the sand table in the palace, thought about it, and said, "The Tubo people are retreating in order to advance, using the land of Dafeichuan to build a pocket formation for us?"
"What your Majesty said is absolutely true." Guo Xin said as he came to the sand table and said: "Once our army marches eastward and captures Dafeichuan, then the north will be Qilian Mountain, the south will be Jishi Mountain, and the west will be Tianjun Peak.
It looks like it occupies a favorable location, but in fact it is surrounded by enemies on three sides."
Guo Xin pointed to the north and south sides of Dafeichuan with her finger: "In the past few years, Tubo's great talk about Sang Chiruo has been to win over people's hearts. Regardless of the opposition of the nobles, they have introduced Tubo mountain people, barbarians, etc. into the army, greatly increasing the military strength.
Most of these mountain people and barbarians are located in the south of Jishi Mountain and on the west side of Qilian Mountain. They happened to form a pincer attack on Dafeichuan with the main force of Tibet."
Guo Ziyi came out and said: "Your Majesty, if our army captures Dafeichuan, the grain road will definitely be located at Moliyi. From Moliyi to Shanzhou, the road is difficult and dangerous, and only mountain roads are accessible. The Tibetans who have mastered gunpowder,
You only need to set gunpowder on the cliff next to the mountain road to blow up the rock wall, causing falling rocks to bury the food road, and deprive the Tang army of Dafeichuan of food."
Zhou Jun pondered and said: "So, if the Tang army attacks by force, although it can capture Moliyi, it will be extremely difficult to defend it in the future?"
Guo Ziyi and Guo Xin called it together.
Zhou Jun was silent for a while, then turned his attention to Kang Kejing, the Secretary of the Municipal Department: "I remember last year we discussed dealing with Tubo. The Municipal Department said that there is a way to defeat the enemy without fighting, but it will take some time to formulate a plan.
Strategy? Now half a year has passed, can you come up with a strategy now?"
Kang Kejing: "Your Majesty, I come from the ninth surname of Zhaowu. I have been taught since I was a child that the power of money is sometimes more useful than swords. To deal with the Tibetan barbarians, instead of using the army, it is better to use trade to make them disorderly."
Zhou Jun: "Oh? Can you tell me how to do it?"
Kang Kejing: "In the past six months, I have conducted an inventory of Tubo's customs and products, and found something that is a treasure."
Zhou Jun: "What?"
Kang Kejing: "Wool. Since the Anbei Protectorate built many wool workshops, the price of long wool has been rising again and again, and it has reached the point where the supply exceeds demand."
Zhou Jun: "I remember that there are also long-haired sheep in Anbei. Why is the supply so tight?"
Kang Kejing explained: "Datang wool is mostly produced in Anxi and Anbei. Anxi wool is short wool, while Anbei wool is divided into two types. The pastures near Baiting produce long wool, and the wool from Anxi is short wool.
In the north, there are mostly short wool. In the entire Anbei, the only real pasture suitable for raising long-haired sheep is an area near Baiting, and there is no suitable pasture further north."
“In addition, the fabrics woven from the long wool of the Tang Dynasty were originally only provided to Western countries such as Byzantium and Frankishness. However, due to the prosperity of maritime trade, countries such as Silla, Japan, and Luzon also began to favor the Tang Dynasty’s products.
Wool products, so wool is in short supply and prices are skyrocketing.”
Zhou Jun: "I finally understand the reason why long wool is in short supply. Please tell me how to use trade to attack Tibet."
Kang Kejing: "Datang has now closed the mutual trade with Tubo. Products such as tea, silk, ceramics, etc. are in great demand from Tubo but cannot be replenished. It is an urgent time. Datang can provide conditions
Open a mutual market and sell tea, silk and other items to the Tibetan people, but we will not charge gold, silver or copper coins, only wool."
Zhou Jun: "Collect only wool from the Tubo people?"
Kang Kejing: "Your Majesty may not know that Tubo lacks large tracts of pasture, and nobles often fight over a piece of lush pasture. If wool is in short supply in Tubo, sheep farming will inevitably become popular, while others will
The livestock industry will definitely be hit."
Zhou Jun suddenly realized: "Another breeding industry will definitely be hit? Is it possible that you are talking about horse breeding?"
Kang Kejing: "Yes, it is horse breeding. Every war horse in Tubo is difficult to raise, and the tribes regard it as an important family property. However, when wool becomes popular, the horse breeding industry will definitely be suppressed.
The stock of war horses in the entire Tubo Kingdom will be greatly reduced, and it will be much easier for the Tang Army to fight against the Tubo Army in the future... This is one of them."
Zhou Jun: "Well, keep talking."
Kang Kejing: "The livestock industry in Tubo is different from that in the Tang Dynasty. The grasslands are owned by the Tubo nobles. However, these Tubo nobles do not graze their own animals. Instead, they divide the pastures into countless pieces and hand them over to the tribesmen.
Domestic slaves or clans take care of it, and they are required to pay a certain amount of tribute every year."
"After Sang Chiruo became a big talker, in order to consolidate his position, he suppressed the nobles and promoted the common people. The two parties are now on the same level. If wool becomes the new trade power of Tubo, then the annual tribute required by the nobles for those domestic slaves and clans will definitely be
It will improve. In this case, the domestic slaves and clans will definitely resist, and then the Tang army will not have to send troops, and Tubo will naturally be in turmoil."
When Zhou Jun heard this, he couldn't help but nodded and said: "Okay, use business as a tool, this is a good plan!"