The Great Tang General

Jerusalem, the holy city of three religions, has welcomed new ideas.

The Heavenly Khan from the East not only conquered this place, but also brought a more liberated spirit and more advanced ideas.

This is destined to be a significant event in history.

March, the twelfth year of Qianyuan.

Li Xuan brought Crown Prince Li Yi and Prince of Yan Li Song to the Mediterranean Sea.

Standing on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, looking out over the boundless sea, you can see the sea and sky merge into one, and the waves are magnificent. The waves are like rolling mountains, surging one after another.

Sometimes it is like a thousand horses being silent, with undercurrents surging beneath the calm; sometimes it is like raging thunder, with strong winds stirring up huge waves.

"Yier, Song'er, do you think the Mediterranean is huge?"

Li Xuan asked questions to Li Yi and Li Song again.

"I have never seen the entire Mediterranean Sea, so I dare not make any rash guesses."

This is Li Song’s answer.

He was more interested in military tactics and war, and had no idea about these.

Li Song only regretted that his father did not let him go to the battlefield during this expedition.

When my father was sixteen years old, he could gallop across the grasslands, with his bow and sword covered in snow, and captured two Khans in one battle.

He has grown up.

"Your Majesty, I don't think the Mediterranean is that big."

Li Yi, who has always been steady, answered like this.

"Why do you say that?"

Li Xuan asked back with interest.

He was familiar with later maps and knew the exact size of the Mediterranean Sea.

"From Whale Island to the coast of Hebei, to Qi and Lu Penglai, then to Jiangnan Qiantang, and finally to Fujian Lingnan. These oceans are all connected together and should be in the same sea. I have not seen in the books of Rome and Dashi that the Mediterranean is wider than the east and south coasts of our Central Plains."

Li Yi replied to Li Xuan.

"Snapped……"

Li Xuan clapped his hands, feeling very relieved.

Although the question was simple, Li Xuan believed that many civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty could not answer it. This showed that his son had a broad vision and knew how to think about problems.

"The Mediterranean Sea is not as wide as the ocean in the east of our Tang Dynasty. It is a prosperous commercial sea. Our Tang Dynasty controls the Carthage region, Libya region, Egypt region, and Syria region. The Mediterranean Sea has a place for our Tang Dynasty. Although the world is big, Westerners only have one continent left."

Li Xuan said to Li Yi and Li Song.

Before the Age of Discovery, indigenous peoples divided the world they knew into three parts.

Asia, Europe, and Libya in North Africa.

If Eastern civilization dominates the world, such a division will no longer be possible.

The great geographical discoveries must have been made by the Chinese.

The Tang Dynasty wanted to use its own culture to divide the continents and oceans.

"Yier, Songer, your father has always emphasized that the world we live in is spherical, rotating from west to east; at the same time, it revolves around the sun from west to east. This spherical rotation produces the alternation of day and night, while the revolution around the sun produces the alternation of spring, summer, autumn and winter."

"For example, right now, looking at the sun in the sky, it looks like the morning hour. But in Chang'an, it might already be afternoon."

"Astronomy and geography are profound and endless. Even for us Chinese, we only know that there is Fusang to the east of the East China Sea and there are some small island countries near the South China Sea. We don't know much more than Westerners."

"Objectively speaking, the world we live in is definitely not Asia, Europe, Libya, Egypt, etc. as described by Westerners. There must be continents that we have not explored yet."

"Once the world changes at an accelerated pace, many unpredictable things will always occur. Is there really a destiny that everything will decline after reaching its peak? Will the peak of our China finally come to an end? Even if we don't want to admit it, there will always be that day, so we must constantly strive for self-improvement and keep changing. We must continue to integrate other tribes, build the great Chinese nation, and integrate global resources in the historical revolution. If there are no enemies in the depths of the sea, we will turn our sights to the sea of ​​stars..."

"There is always a point where humans can do anything..."

Li Xuan spoke to Li Yi and Li Song earnestly.

Li Yi could understand all of this.

It was ethereal yet logical, which made Li Yi full of admiration.

He always believed that his father was omniscient and omnipotent.

"Father, how can we let our people verify the grandeur you speak of?"

Li Yi asked Li Xuan.

Even Li Yi listened attentively.

"Build ships that can sail on the ocean for a long time and start the great voyages. Sail around the continent with a purpose and prove that the world is a sphere. And find new continents, explore new continents, bring more crops to the Central Plains, and improve the quality of life of the people."

Li Xuan slowly replied: "History is created by people. It is one of our future habitats."

He had been preparing for this since he ascended the throne.

If the great voyages had been carried out seven or eight hundred years in advance, uncontrollable factors might have arisen.

But Li Xuan knew that this had to be done. The Chinese people would definitely be able to accomplish this mission.

For this western expedition, Li Xuan selected a captain of the Jinlong Division of the Jinyiwei named Ma Sui.

He was a first-rate general in history, and joined the Jinyiwei by chance.

Ma Sui knew many languages ​​and also learned Persian and Roman.

Li Xuan promoted him to major general, asked him to learn more about astronomy and hydrology, and said that he would make important use of him.

Although Ma Sui is still nominally a Wanhu of the Jinlong Division of the Jinyiwei, he has actually left the Jinyiwei.

Li Xuan ordered Ma Sui to arrive at Antioch, requisition ships, lead two thousand imperial troops, land on the island of Cyprus, occupy this important island in the Mediterranean, and hone his naval warfare capabilities.

Soon after, Li Xuan will order Ma Sui to cross the Mediterranean and reach Carthage.

People who can make history need not only courage but also wisdom.

In history, Ma Sui was famous for his strict military discipline and flexible combat skills.

When he governed the local area, he was gentle and loving to the people, and was respected by the people.

Ma Sui was born into a family of scholars. Once when he was studying with his brothers, he sighed: The country is about to be in trouble. Heroes should make achievements in the world and pacify the world. How can they work so hard as Confucian scholars!

Later, An Lushan's rebellion did indeed occur.

In this time and space, since Ma Sui joined the Jinyiwei, he made great contributions in the battle to eliminate Jian Weiliang, and served as a special envoy in the war to destroy the Uighurs, persuading the Xueyantuo and other tribes to surrender.

Li Xuan believed that Ma Sui possessed courage and wisdom.

"Hearing your words and knowing your deeds, even the sages of the past three thousand years cannot compare to you. I am willing to do my best to assist you and build your ideal country."

Li Yi bowed to Li Xuan.

"I, as a father, believe in Yi'er."

Li Xuan patted Li Yi's shoulder at the beach.

I believe Li Yi can inherit his ideals and career.

In China, once something happens for the first time, subsequent emperors, if they have ambitions, will keep moving in that direction.

……

A few days later, bad news came from Chang'an.

Li Xian, the first chief prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, died of illness in Chang'an last winter.

Wang Changling was seriously ill and asked Li Xuan to resign and could no longer serve in the government. Cen Shen was also ill, which made Li Xuan very sad.

The old people who followed him to conquer the world left one by one and grew old one by one...

From now on, I can only miss them in the Lingyan Pavilion.

Li Xuan was unable to return to attend Li Xian's funeral, and could only express his condolences when he passed the imperial edict to Chang'an, hoping that Wang Changling and Cen Shen would survive the disaster safely.

He suddenly realized that three years had passed since he left Chang'an.

But he couldn't go back right away.

If he left the Mediterranean, he would never be able to come back.

He also had to visit Egypt and Carthage during his limited life.

Wait until the situation stabilizes before returning to Chang'an.

However, Li Xuan had already conveyed the imperial edict to the retired emperor Li Shizhi.

The thirteenth year of Qianyuan is the time for a change of leadership.

The chief prime minister, Liu Yan, was dismissed at the end of his term and was appointed as the Grand Tutor.

He completed the "eight plus four" or "four plus eight" system and served as prime minister for a total of twelve years, making an invaluable contribution.

The term of office of Zhongshu Ling Yan Zhenqing expired, and he was dismissed from his post and appointed as Minister of Education. The great calligrapher Yan Zhenqing can now enjoy his old age in peace.

Wang Changling also resigned from the position of prime minister due to illness and was appointed as Sikong.

Li Xuan appointed Li Mi, who had only served one term, as Shangshu You Pushe, the chief prime minister.

If nothing unexpected happens, Li Mi will serve as the fourth and fifth chief prime minister.

Zhang Hao was the Shangshu You Pushe, the second prime minister.

Lu Sigong was the Minister of Personnel, Vice-President of State Affairs, and the third-ranked Prime Minister.

Duan Xueshi continued to serve as the Minister of War and Vice-President of State Affairs, and began his second term.

Liu Shan was appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat and Vice-President of State Affairs, the fifth prime minister.

Chang Gun was appointed as Shizhong (Patient Secretary) and Canzhi (Counzhi) and was made the sixth prime minister.

Diwu Qi was appointed as the Minister of Commerce and Vice-President of State Affairs, the seventh prime minister.

The previous prime minister was the Minister of Revenue, Wang Changling. Now it is the Minister of Commerce.

Diwu Qi also served as the president of the Central Bank of the Tang Dynasty.

This is in preparation for the official issuance of gold and silver coins!

The Shangshu, Shilang, and Li Xuan were also rotated, those who should be promoted were promoted, and those who should retire retired.

In order to ensure the smooth change of power, Li Xuan issued a secret decree to Nan Jiyun, Xue Cuo and Luo Xing, ordering the troops and imperial guards in Guanzhong, Chang'an, Luoyang, Henan, Shanxi and other places to enter a state of combat readiness and act as they see fit.

After all, if you hold power for too long, you will be reluctant to let it go.

Although the possibility is low, it is still worth taking precautionary measures.

Li Xuan's reputation in the army and among the people was too high. The aristocratic families and clan forces were like an ant trying to shake a tree when facing Li Xuan.

Even though Li Xuan was not in Chang'an, Chang'an was always under the influence of Li Xuan.

In April, in order to please Li Xuan, the nobles of Jerusalem wrote a letter to carve a "holy image" for the Heavenly Khan and place it in the center of Jerusalem.

Li Xuan felt that this would be beneficial to his rule and accepted the kindness of these nobles.

He even jokingly told Li Yi: "If one day my statue is knocked down and smashed by the people, it means that the Tang Dynasty has lost Jerusalem."

In mid-April, Li Sheng conquered most of Azerbaijan and Armenia, annihilated some of the escaped ones, and arrested tens of thousands of Arab Christians.

Gained the loyalty of local nobles.

Li Sheng witnessed with his own eyes the nobles kneeling in the direction of Tian Khan.

This made the territory of the Armenian region of the Tang Dynasty completely border with the Roman Empire.

The Roman soldiers did not dare to cross.

The Tang Dynasty occupied the entire Tigris River and most of the Euphrates River.

At the same time, Abogas, the special envoy sent by Constantine V, arrived in Jerusalem to meet Li Xuan.

Although they were old friends meeting, the previous friendship was no longer there.

When Abogas saw Li Xuan again, the heaviness he had felt before was gone.

He read a sense of dominance between the lines of Li Xuan's writing.

Abogas was shocked to see that the people of Jerusalem wanted to carve a "holy image" for Li Xuan.

He felt that Li Xuan had won the hearts of most of the people in Jerusalem.

There is no point in proposing an alliance with Li Xuan.

In order to prevent the Tang Dynasty from attacking the Roman Empire when its military power was at its peak, Abogas had no choice but to give in.

He congratulated the Tang Dynasty on its destruction of the Arab Empire and conveyed the respect of Constantine V.

Li Xuan did not want to take over the Roman Empire at this time. The most important thing now was to take down the soft persimmon North Africa.

The soldiers are tired after the expedition and need to rest.

Nor can we stretch the front line to make supply more difficult.

Li Xuan accepted the gifts brought by the Roman Empire and said that the two sides were "indestructible" allies.

He also expressed his intention to discuss the Silk Road trade route with the Roman Empire to restore prosperity to this land.

The Roman Empire did not dare to refuse, and Abogas agreed to trade on behalf of Constantine V.

The Roman Empire could now only bide its time after defeating the Bulgarian Khanate.

Li Xuan asked Li Guangbi to discuss with Abogas to determine the border line between the two countries, which could not be violated.

But everyone knows that this kind of covenant is just a piece of waste paper.

In Jerusalem, Abogas also gradually realized the horror of the Tang Dynasty.

Before the decisive battle against the Caliphate, Tian Khan conquered the Persian Empire for the second time to establish the stability of his rear area.

Then he used a kind of "heavenly thunder and earthly fire" to easily defeat the Arab Empire.

The allied forces won victory after victory and crushed the enemy with ease.

If this kind of "thunder from heaven and earth" had been used on the Roman Empire, it would probably have ended up in pieces.

As a result, Abogas showed more respect for Tian Khan on the surface.

After staying in Jerusalem for a month, Abogas returned to the Macedonian military district without stopping to inform Constantinople of the results of the mission.

Now the Roman Empire had no chance of defeating the Tang army.

Constantine V realized the seriousness of the situation and ordered the soldiers in the border military district to be restrained and not to conflict with the Tang army.

There was a beautiful woman in Athens named Irene. She was only eighteen years old, of noble blood and very intelligent.

There was no woman in the entire Roman Empire more beautiful and attractive than her.

Originally, Constantine V planned to choose Irene as the wife of his son.

Apogasius suggested that Constantine V adopt Irene as his daughter and make her a princess of the Roman Empire.

She was sent to Jerusalem to become the concubine of the Heavenly Khan as a sign of friendship between the two countries.

All men are lustful, and the wise and powerful Khan is definitely no exception.

As long as the Khan was attracted to Irina, the Roman Empire could buy time.

This kind of marriage policy is not unique to the Central Plains.

The Romans always had a high opinion of themselves, believing themselves to be civilized people and the people around them to be barbarians.

Such as the Suewei people, Adru people, Franks, Alemanni people, Saxons, Slavs, Bulgars, etc., in the eyes of the Romans, each one was more barbaric than the other.

But it was these barbarians who forced the Roman Empire to pay tribute, and they also frequently married their princesses to barbarian leaders, making peace with the "barbarians" they looked down upon.

The ancient Roman Empire was like this, and so is the present Roman Empire.

As a result, the Bulgarian Khanate could now export its power at the expense of the Roman Empire, which once made the Roman Empire embarrassed.

Constantine V endured the humiliation and agreed to the marriage.

Soon after, Abogas will personally escort Princess Irene to the Mesopotamian region again.

He spread the spirit of the Romans to Irene and expressed the current plight of the Roman Empire.

If Irina is favored, she can persuade the Khan not to invade the Roman Empire.

A woman decides the fate of a country.

When Irina was taken from Athens to Constantinople, she was also confused...

……

In June, Ma Sui officially led the fleet from Antioch to attack the island of Cyprus.

He attacked suddenly, and the Arabs on the island were caught off guard.

Under the elite bows and crossbows, they quickly collapsed.

The Tang Dynasty occupied the island of Cyprus.

In July, Ma Lin occupied the main areas of Egypt.

Countless Arabs fled westward, and the local nobles declared their submission to the Heavenly Khan and offered food to the expeditionary force in exchange for peace.

Ma Lin did not act rashly. He wanted to ensure smooth logistics.

After occupying Egypt, report to Li Xuan...

(End of this chapter)