Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 311: Strategic Conception of a Vast Empire (Part )

"Come to think of it, the Crown Prince's current behavior is really similar to that of the Duke of Liang back then." Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch, looking at the somewhat bewildered Li Chengqian, and said with a hint of amusement, "Indeed, Fang Xuanling acted just like that back then."

Zhang Sun Wuji followed suit and bowed, saying, "The Crown Prince has been regent for two years, and Prime Minister Fang has been assisting in government for two years. It's normal for the Crown Prince to be affected."

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned, then reacted and said, "Prime Minister Fang has worked so hard for the country. I admire you deeply."

"Yes!" Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction, then changed the subject and said, "For the time being, the Goguryeo situation will remain as it is. The Ministry of War will proceed according to plan, the Ministry of Revenue will prepare food and fodder, and the Ministry of Works will repair military equipment. Within two to three years, I will return to Goguryeo."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed in response.

No one tried to persuade Li Shimin, and no one would pour cold water on the emperor's enthusiasm.

Who knows what it will be like in two years, three years?

Perhaps the emperor was in good health, but a widespread flood was enough to extinguish all his enthusiasm.

"Okay, let's talk about the Xueyantuo." Li Shimin's expression grew serious, and then his eyes were cold as he said, "I launched an expedition to Goguryeo, and the Xueyantuo actually dared to take advantage of the situation and launch an attack. They are truly ignorant of death. So, today, I will destroy the Xueyantuo."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian followed the other ministers in bowing, looking at the emperor with some surprise.

He knew that the emperor was going to mobilize troops against the Xueyantuo. After all, not long ago, the emperor had already begun to order the border states of the Tang Dynasty to prepare for military action. However, starting a war and destroying a country are two different things.

The Xueyantuo were far away in the northern desert.

Mobei is extremely far away from the border of the Tang Dynasty, more than 3,000 miles away. It is not easy for the Tang Dynasty to cross the vast grassland and destroy the Xueyantuo Kingdom.

The emperor sat on the imperial couch, looking at Li Chengqian with a hint of pride, and then said, "Prince, how do you think we should fight this battle?"

Li Chengqian thought rapidly in his mind at this moment, and said at the same time: "Father, the battle can be commanded by the generals in the army. I believe that it is not difficult to defeat the Xueyantuo. However, the real difficulty lies in the situation in Mobei after defeating the Xueyantuo. So, I am thinking, should we make arrangements in advance?"

Li Shimin was slightly stunned, then he said with a bit of amusement: "You say!"

"Because of its remoteness, the Tang Dynasty lacks control over Mobei. Therefore, the Xiongnu, Turks, and Xueyantuo have risen and fallen one after another and have been controlled by the Tang Dynasty. Even if the Tang Dynasty destroys the Xueyantuo now, tomorrow, one of the Uighurs or Tiele may rise again and replace the Xueyantuo. Therefore, a long-term strategy is needed to maintain the long-term stability of Mobei." Li Chengqian pondered.

"You continue!" Li Shimin's expression became serious. After the demise of the Eastern Turks, Li Shimin expected stability in the northern desert. However, after the Xueyantuo family became the only one in power, they became ambitious and began to move south, trying to become another Eastern Turks, provoke the Tang Dynasty's border, and annex the Turkic tribes.

What's more, they even sent troops to attack the border of the Tang Dynasty one after another when Li Shimin was distracted eastward.

If he doesn't kill him, the emperor will not be able to calm down.

However, after the Xueyantuo was destroyed, another powerful country would inevitably rise within 20 to 30 years at most.

At the same time, there were also stirrings within the Turkic people, and people were uneasy.

How to completely stabilize the northern border is a question that Li Shimin needs to think about seriously.

"Horses!" Li Chengqian finished speaking, then looked up at Li Shimin and said, "Father, I hope that when the Tang Dynasty distributes the spoils after the war, it will not take the Xueyantuo people, nor the Xueyantuo cattle and sheep, but only the Xueyantuo horses!"

"The grassland tribes come and go like the wind, relying on their warhorses. Without them, even their attacks on one another would be severely hampered." Li Ji stood up, bowed to the emperor, then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness's foresight is excellent. If we can seize all of the Xueyantuo's warhorses after the war, the grassland tribes of northern Xinjiang will have peace for at least twenty to thirty years."

Li Chengqian frowned slightly and couldn't help but look at Li Ji.

Li Ji shook his head and bowed, "However, Your Highness, if we take a large number of war horses from Mobei, firstly, the Tang Dynasty will not be able to provide enough fodder for these horses to survive. Secondly, war horses are the foundation of the grasslands. We know this, and so do the grassland tribes. If something happens, it will be tantamount to forcing all these northern tribes to unite... Therefore, taking the war horses completely is not feasible."

"They still have ambitions!" Li Chengqian sighed lightly.

"It is not advisable to take all the war horses. So we should focus on taking war horses and use cattle and sheep as supplementary supplies. The country was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty. After the war, the Tang Dynasty should take as many war horses as possible." Changsun Wuji stood up to support Li Chengqian.

"Prince!" Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Father, your Majesty, what I'm thinking of is if we can obtain a large number of war horses from the Xueyantuo and bring them back to Chang'an, we can replace all the old and weak war horses in the army. Even the old and weak horses, even those in better health, can be sold to the people, especially to the south, so that as many horses as possible can be used by the people..."

"There's not enough fodder." The emperor pointed out the key point. Not every place is suitable for raising horses, and horses can't survive everywhere.

"Buy fodder from the grassland tribes." Li Chengqian's eyes narrowed slightly, and then he said softly, "Use tea and silk to buy fodder at low prices from the grassland tribes. This will indirectly control the number of war horses of the grassland tribes, thereby controlling the strength of the grassland tribes."

Li Shimin's face suddenly changed in shock. If the number of war horses of the grassland tribes could be controlled, the threat of the grassland tribes could be greatly reduced.

In an instant, Li Shimin came up with several ways to take advantage of the situation.

Li Chengqian leaned slightly to the side, looking at the ministers in the hall, and said, "The number of war horses in the Tang army today is still too small. If we could have a large number of war horses, not only would the army's combat effectiveness be improved, but using the spare war horses to transport food and fodder would greatly reduce food loss and allow the army to quickly keep up with its operations."

Nowadays, the transportation of food and fodder in the army is done by either carts, boats, or even simply by manpower. But no matter whether it is a cart or boat, the transportation speed will always be slow when loaded with food and fodder. However, it is completely different with war horses.

War horses are much faster than vehicles, ships and manpower, and can keep up with the army's movements in a timely manner. In this way, the consumption along the way is greatly reduced.

Li Chengqian stepped forward and bowed earnestly, saying, "Father, as long as there are enough war horses, I can guarantee that wherever the soldiers fight, the court's food will follow."

Li Chengqian said this, and all the officials in the palace looked at him in surprise. Especially the military commanders, who were surprised, but also had infinite joy in their eyes.

They knew best the importance of logistics to war. If they had enough food and logistics, they could even fight to the ends of the earth.

Prince, Prince, Prince is truly a good prince of the Tang Dynasty.

If anyone wants to seize the crown prince's position in the future, the soldiers in the army will be the first to disagree.

……

"Your Highness, this is a bit of an exaggeration." Li Ji quickly bowed again and said, "Warships and carriages can transport grain and fodder, and each carriage can carry several dan, but war horses can only carry less than eleven."

"Then we should prepare more horses." Li Chengqian looked at Li Ji and said seriously, "If we have one thousand, three thousand, or even five thousand war horses to transport food and fodder, then quantity will no longer be a problem."

"In that case..." Li Ji didn't know how to refute for a moment, because this brought back the issue of the Tang Dynasty not having enough horses.

What if the Tang Dynasty doesn’t have enough horses?
Plunder from the grasslands.

when?
just now!

Tang Jian's breathing couldn't help but become lighter. He didn't care about the fighting on the battlefield, but if he was given enough war horses to transport food and grass, the losses could be reduced to a minimum.

The remaining laborers were able to return to production.

So as long as there are enough horses, the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue will be minimized.

The emperor sat on the imperial couch, thinking about Li Chengqian's words.

With sufficient food and grass and minimal losses, the Tang Dynasty could withstand even an attack on Liaodong.

Not only Liaodong, but also the Western Regions, Mobei, Annan, Tubo, and even India and Persia will be under the iron cavalry of the Tang Dynasty.

By then, he will rule over an extremely vast empire.

However, he was Li Shimin after all.

He keenly realized the risks involved.

Big risk.

……

"Too hasty." Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch, looking at Li Chengqian, and shook his head slightly. "A large number of war horses need to be replaced, and even more need to be dealt with. This can't be dealt with just by saying it will be handled. It will take a lot of time... For example, if so many war horses pour into the local area, if someone uses them to cause chaos or even rebellion, how can we prevent it?"

Li Chengqian was startled, then bowed and said, "Father, all horses over thirty must be registered, or else it will be considered treason. At the same time, we must find a way to reduce the endurance of horses not in the army. Finally, we must control the length of weapons and reduce the length of swords in the civilian population..."

"What I want is to stop people from plotting rebellion." Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and shook his head, saying, "Your method will take time, and not just one or two years, but ten, twenty, or even longer."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly. Change, not reform, would bring not only benefits but also disadvantages. He had to admit this.

Shang Yang, Wang Anshi, which one of them had a good ending?

Although there is nothing wrong with Li Chengqian's strategy at the moment, it will be too late once something goes wrong.

"And what Duke Ying said makes sense. The grassland tribes are not fools. Even if they can't see through the mystery for a while, as long as someone is willing to make a trip to contact the inside and outside, then by then, outside the Great Wall, the grassland tribes will be approaching Chang'an, and inside the Great Wall, there will be rebellion, then there will be earth-shaking changes immediately." Li Shimin directly pointed out the key point.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian's mouth twitched slightly. He could not refute this question. This situation was indeed very likely to exist.

No, it is bound to happen. If there is such an opportunity, anyone who can see through this will not miss it.

"Not to mention Tibet." Li Shimin said with a serious expression, sighing, "Western Turkestan is a bit farther away, so it's okay, but Tibet is not that difficult to get down from the plateau."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian had to nod again.

"So, war horses can be distributed among the people, but their numbers must be strictly controlled. Even every single horse must be registered." Li Shimin looked up and said, "This is a long process, requiring efforts from all sides to establish a system. Furthermore, the length of weapons cannot be changed. You forgot, the government soldiers brought their own weapons into battle."

Li Chengqian's eyebrows jumped, and he immediately bowed and said, "Yes!"

"Take your time." Li Shimin smiled and looked at Li Chengqian and said, "I must admit that you are on the right track. If the Tang Dynasty wants to achieve great things, it must have enough war horses. However, these horses must be strictly and clearly controlled. As for fodder, there must be enough grassland to control. All of these must be under our control."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed seriously.

"Thirty years? Not too soon." Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian, shook his head slightly, and said, "All aspects of the problem must be resolved in the most reliable way. When you return, write a strategy, a general strategy for the next thirty years. After thirty years, it will be basically complete... Control Andong in the east, reach Persia in the west, control the northern desert in the north, and pacify Annan in the south. This will create a truly powerful empire."

"Your son obeys the order!" Li Chengqian bowed solemnly.

(End of this chapter)