The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 432: Once you've been there, you'll be loyal
There was also a very important person among the teachers who came to Tubo this time. He was the former director of Chongwenguan in Luoyang.

The Chongwen Hall here is built on the bank of the Zangbo River. When Sangbu Zha walked forward, students from the Tang Dynasty came to ask questions.

Sambuza bowed and said, "I am here to look for the current head of Chongwen Hall."

The current head of the Tubo Chongwenguan is named Zhang Da'an, a young man under 30 years old. He is very young.

Tubo had just returned to warmth in April, and the sun was shining brightly at noon.

He followed a student to a grassland where the grass was very dense and there were more than ten cattle grazing here. The herd always seemed to move very slowly, but when you looked again after a while, you would find that they had moved to another grassland.

The snow on the grass has not completely melted yet, and spots of white snow can be seen, but green grass has already grown out.

In April in Tubo, the cold winter has not yet faded away, and the surroundings are still cold and windy.

The children were flying kites with strings in their hands. For the Tibetan children, who were good at throwing stones or herding cattle and killing sheep, this was an activity they had never experienced before.

Some girls get married when they are not very tall, and some boys' lives lose so much color from the time they can just remember things.

The children on the grass and the kites in the sky created a rare gentle scene in spring.

This kind of scene is indeed rare in Tubo. In the past, Tibetan children would not gather together to play in so many ways. At that time, most children grew up in their own pastures with herds of cattle or sheep.

Everything seems better when kids have fun playing.

The Tang students brought Sambuza to the head of the Chongwenguan in Tubo.

"Sir, this is the Tibetan minister, Sambuza."

Hearing this, Zhang Daan turned around and saw the Tibetan envoy whom he had not seen for many years. He smiled and said, "You are so old."

Sambuza stroked his gray beard and said, "I used to go to Chongwenguan and Jingzhaofu frequently. I wonder if you still remember me."

Zhang Daan said: "I remember that you were an envoy to Tang at that time, and you even had a fight with the Ministry of Rites."

“Hahaha…” Sambuza laughed and said, “That was many years ago.”

It was like two good friends who had not seen each other for many years. At that time, Zhang Da'an also worked in Jingzhao Prefecture.

Sambuza asked again, "Why did you come to Tubo?"

"Chongwenguan is short of staff. Luoyang and Chang'an need more capable officials. Besides, I also want to visit Tubo. I just arrived last month."

Seeing Zhang Daan wearing the unique clothes of the Tang people, even he overcame the severe cold and climate of Tibet.

Sambuza whispered: "Tang people are brave, you are not afraid of Tubo."

Zhang Daan said: "In fact, we have always been worried that you will not welcome us. I wonder if you can convince more Tibetan herdsmen to let their children come to Chongwenguan to study."

Sambuza sat cross-legged on the grass, looking at the children's smiles, and said, "I received a letter from the Zamp. The Zamp has made an agreement with the Khan, but many herders are still worried."

"You know the current Khan well. You witnessed the new emperor ascend the throne in Chang'an."

"Well... the former Heavenly Khan was powerful, but the current Heavenly Khan is even more strict."

"The hostility between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty stems from distrust, from past grievances and wars. Rather than saying that the Tang Dynasty's wars were cruel, the wars of all dynasties in history were even more cruel. In the years of war, prisoners could be easily killed. Even 400,000 people could be buried alive with just one order."

"Even a soldier could treat prisoners at will. The way to solve problems in the books of Chongwenguan has also changed. We should trace the source of the dispute to solve the problem in a practical way. After all, if we don't handle it well, there will be endless troubles."

"In fact, people only care about themselves. It has nothing to do with whether they are Tibetan herdsmen or Tang people. Tang people care about themselves, and Tibetan people care about themselves. Only themselves, who have come from the wilderness to the present and have etiquette and laws, can have sympathy."

The children laughed continuously, their cheeks were red from the sun. Zhang Daan said again: "The dead have turned into soil, but the living people want to live better, right?"

Sambuza pondered these words and said slowly: "Live better?"

Zhang Daan said: "Your Majesty's advocacy for Chongwenguan is universal love, which is the Mohist doctrine of our Central Plains. Now universal love has become the key to Chongwenguan's expansion. A sage is responsible for governing the world, so he must be aware of the source of chaos."

"There are many theories in the Central Plains, and we can't say that everyone can learn them all, but we at Chongwenguan want to teach them to learn to love themselves, and then love the people of the world. When people are good, the country will be better."

"As in the carving of words, we apply this wisdom to our strategies in the implementation of governance."

Sambuza whispered, "But the people you love are always the people, not the Tibetan nobles."

Zhang Daan smiled and said, "That's enough. Chongwenguan cannot change everyone, but hopefully it can change some people. Our focus is on people, not on being able to gain a foothold in Tubo. Do you think your nobles will jointly punish the lower-class herdsmen?"

Sambuza said: "So you chose the most common herdsmen instead of the children of Tibetan ministers and Tibetan nobles."

Zhang Daan smiled and said, "Chongwenguan was built in Guanzhong for ten years before expanding to Luoyang. In the following years, it began to go to Hebei, Liaodong, and south to Yangzhou. However, our steps are not big. Chongwenguan only has influence in a few prefectures in the Central Plains, but the number of teaching people is increasing year by year."

"Our Majesty has said that no matter whether it is official rule or people's rule, if we want to expand, we need the support of tens of millions of people. Therefore, we need to accumulate. More than ten years have passed, and we can accumulate for another ten years."

"In the decades since Chongwenguan was established, we have discovered some clues. Chongwenguan in the Western Regions has made very impressive progress in its education policy. There are even many people from the Western Regions working in Chongwenguan, and officials headed by people from the Western Regions have begun to be established in the Western Regions."

Sambuza smiled again after hearing these words.

There are still people in Tibet who resist Chongwenguan, and these people are all Tibetan nobles.

Just as Zhang Da'an said, if Chongwenguan wants to prosper, it needs accumulation. More than ten years have passed. We are not afraid of another ten years. We must keep our feet on the ground, take one step at a time, and overcome all obstacles.

Sambuza vaguely understood why universal love had once been a doctrine that was not mentioned by people in the Central Plains.

“You use universal love, but you won’t always stick to it.”

Zhang Da'an nodded: "You are right."

Sambuza liked the scenery here very much, and liked the smiles of the Tibetan children even more. He asked, "Can I come here often to see the children?"

Hearing this, before the person in charge could speak, the teacher beside him saluted and said, "You are a minister of Tubo, so you can naturally come to visit these children, including the other herdsmen of Tubo, at any time."

Sambhota was a Tubo minister during the early days of Songtsen Gampo's founding. He was Songtsen Gampo's most steadfast follower and the closest to the Tang people among all the Tubo ministers.

But in Tubo, the conflict between Chongwenguan and Tubo herdsmen continued.

The time in Tubo was very peaceful. The volunteer teachers would gather here every month to talk about the situation here and the problems they encountered in various parts of Tubo.

After these words were sorted out, Zhang Da'an, the head of the Chongwenguan in Tubo, wrote them down and had them submitted to the Chongwenguan in Chang'an.

"Master Zhang, General Cui is here." General Cui Dunli, who was stationed in Qinghai Road, finally came to Tubo. Zhang Da'an stood at the Zangbo River, his clothes fluttering in the wind, watching the army riding towards him. The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, startling countless water birds along the way.

"Head of the Tibetan Chongwen Hall, Zhang Daan greets the general!"

The bright voice echoed by the river. Cui Dunli pulled the reins to stop his horse, and the army behind him also stopped.

The great general dismounted and said with a hearty smile, "I have long wanted to come here, and the Tang army soldiers have long wanted to step on the Zangbo River. It's a pleasure."

He got off the horse and pulled Zhang Da'an to his side, saying, "Come on! Let's talk for a moment."

"it is good."

Cui Dunli participated in the war against Tuyuhun and the eastern expedition to Liaodong. Although he was a civil servant, he also had the heroic spirit of a great Tang general.

"I received an order from the court yesterday. Today I personally brought people to build the Tibetan Protectorate. Is the situation in Tibetan areas okay now?"

"Report to the General, everything is fine."

"Ha ha!"

"I wonder if the general wants Chongwenguan to do anything?"

Cui Dunli finally put away his smile and lowered his voice, "The court has issued an order for us to unite all the forces we can to stabilize the overall situation in Tubo."

"Thank you for your guidance, General."

Cui Dunli looked at the vast Tibetan pasture with a disdainful look and said, "If you want me to take action, I hope Brother Zhang will let me know."

Zhang Daan smiled and said, "Of course."

In the eyes of the Tibetans in the distance, two Tang people were laughing loudly by the Zangbo River.

In the fourth year of Qianqing's reign, which should have been the time when the Grain Rain had just passed in Guanzhong, the envoys from the Arabs and the Persians sat on both sides of the Anxi Protectorate.

The Persian envoys glared at the other side with gnashing teeth, and the Persian prince Peroz wanted to draw his sword and kill the Arabs several times.

Due to the presence of the Tang army, they did not dare to take action.

Pei Xingjian felt that as a governor, he could no longer handle the matter, so he sent all these people to Chang'an.

After bidding farewell to the two envoys in front of Xizhou City, Pei Xingjian looked at Bai Fang and said, "You can also use this opportunity to go to Chang'an."

Bai Fang said: "Chang'an is the most beautiful place in the world. Just going there once is enough."

Pei Xingjian asked again: "Really?"

Bai Fang was a man from the Western Regions, with blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a round-necked shirt, which was unique to the Tang people, and black boots. He held a scroll of books in his hands behind his back, raised his head and looked towards the east, and said, "I will fight for the Heavenly Khan on the battlefield and make military achievements before I go to see him. By then, I should be able to become a Tang person."

As he was speaking, he turned around and saw that Pei Xingjian had already returned to the city.

Bai Fang still had a smile on his face. He hurriedly followed Pei Xingjian and said, "Pei Duhu, I want to kill enemies for Tian Khan. Only after I kill all the enemies of Tian Khan can I become a person like Qibi Heli and Ashina She'er."

Pei Xingjian greeted the people in Xizhou City with a smile along the way. The more books Bai Fang read, the more he talked. He used to live for the beliefs in his heart, but after entering Chongwenguan, Tian Khan became his belief.

Having only been to Chang'an City once, he was extremely loyal to Tian Khan.

For him, after abandoning Xuanzang, Bai Fang felt unprecedented freedom. He could read the books he wanted, and he even had a child with a Hu woman.

When the Persian prince Peroz arrived in Chang'an, it was already the summer of the fourth year of Qianqing.

The prince also looked to be around thirty years old, with yellow hair, tattered clothes, and a pair of blue eyes.

At this moment, in the imperial city, Guo Daiju, the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple, was fighting with Xin Maojiang, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

"Guo Shaoqing, the Persian envoy has arrived!"

Guo Daiju took the shoe and stuffed it into Xin Maojiang's mouth.

The other party pulled Guo Daiju's hair, and the two sides fought hard for a while.

Xin Maojiang was from Longxi and had just been appointed Shaoqing of the Dali Temple this year.

"Shaoqing Guo! The Persian envoy is here!" the clerk who delivered the message shouted again.

Guo Daiju shouted, "The court is on holiday, let them go back!"

"This..." The clerk was a little embarrassed and said, "But the envoys are outside Chang'an and cannot enter the city. They are about to faint from the heat."

Guo Daiju kicked Xin Maojiang away, and the two separated again. He could only follow others and leave.

In the midsummer season in Chang'an City, there were few people on Zhuque Street. The north-facing and south-facing Chang'an City was like a huge steamer at this time of year, so hot that people could not breathe.

Guo Daiju walked along the shadows of the eaves on both sides of Zhuque Street, saying, "Your Majesty is taking a rest, and the court is also taking a rest. What are the Persian envoys doing here at this time?"

The clerk walked quickly, explaining as he walked: "It is said that the Persian prince is coming personally with envoys. It is fine that Guo Shaoqing does not meet them. Without the reception of the Honglu Temple, the Persians cannot enter Chang'an City. What should we do if they die of heat outside? I hope Guo Shaoqing will have pity on them."

Guo Daiju walked quickly, with some impatience in his eyes.

I walked all the way to the city gate and saw a group of Persians, about ten of them, all of them sweating profusely from the sun.

Guo Daiju didn't have anywhere to go, so he just walked here from Suzaku Gate, with a large area of ​​his back wet with sweat.

"Which one is the Prince of Persia?"

Bilus hurried forward, handed over the document, and saluted in the Guanzhong dialect he learned in the Western Regions, saying: "This is the document from Pei Duhu, I am the Prince of Persia."

Guo Daiju took the document and confirmed it before letting the people into the city. He then said, "Send them to the post house first. I will report to the court. All are waiting for the court's arrangement and the emperor's order."

A group of messengers followed behind, still talking in Persian.

As for when Your Majesty will meet them, it is unknown. This matter depends entirely on Your Majesty's mood.

(End of this chapter)