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

Chapter 668 From Pingrang in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, the territory extends for thousands of miles (Second Update)

In Chang'an, snow fell heavily.

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch, looking at the memorial in his hand.

The stoves in the two side halls were burning extremely brightly.

Li Chengqian put down the memorial in his hand and looked into the hall.

Changsun Wuji and Li Ji knelt on the left side of the main hall.

Cui Dunli and Qiu Xinggong knelt and sat on the right side of the main hall.

“He Lu is very lucky.” Li Chengqian handed the memorial to Zhang Anan, who then handed it to Changsun Wuji.

"The sudden arrival of this heavy snow at such a crucial moment saved him from death." Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh and said, "If it weren't for this heavy snow, perhaps the war against the Western Turks could have been ended, and next year's military expenses could have been saved."

Changsun Wuji glanced through the memorials, handed them to Li Ji, and then looked at Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Majesty, from these memorials, I can see that Helu is an extremely cautious fellow. In several major battles, he hid in the back and even had someone else act as his double. It's really..."

Li Chengqian chuckled softly. To be honest, even he hadn't expected He Lu to be such a coward.

“However, Your Majesty!” Changsun Wuji’s expression turned serious as he looked at Li Chengqian and said, “It is precisely because Helu is so cautious that I believe that even without this heavy snow, it would not have been so easy to hunt him down.”

"It's hard to say; he might escape to Congling and Greater and Lesser Bolu. If the army really has to chase after him, it might not be a good thing."

“I agree with what you said, Minister.” Li Ji handed the memorial to Cui Dunli on his right, and then looked at Li Chengqian and said, “Your Majesty, the terrain of Congling and Greater and Lesser Bolu is complicated, and the army has fought several battles. The military provisions were also captured from Helu, so there is nothing wrong with that. The key is the weapons, especially the crossbows.”

“Yes, especially crossbows.” Cui Dunli nodded in agreement and said, “Although this battle was orchestrated by all sides and the soldiers in the army fought hard, the biggest factor was still the crossbows.”

“Without enough crossbow bolts, Wang Fangyi wouldn’t have been able to kill most of the 15,000 Turkic cavalry in a short time, and then block the Tianshan Pass in the shortest possible time, forcing Dieyun to retreat north because he couldn’t provide reinforcements,” Qiu Xinggong sighed. “Without enough crossbow bolts, they also wouldn’t have been able to deal with Dieyun in a short time!”

Even if the 50,000 Turkic cavalry were foolish enough to divide their forces, the strategic time gained by the rapid and relentless crossbow fire was the foundation for their great victory.

Strategic timing.

Strategic timing.

This was true in the subsequent battles.

In the shortest possible time, the Tang Dynasty defeated the enemy, then quickly advanced, and finally assembled several large armies to annihilate Helu's main force in one battle, thus rapidly advancing to Shule.

This rapid and mobile tactic was the fundamental reason why the Tang Dynasty was able to win this battle.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly. Indeed, everyone in the court had sharp eyes and saw everything very clearly.

At this moment, Changsun Wuji spoke up: "Your Majesty, now in Anxi, because we have seized a large amount of grain left by Helu, the supply of military rations is still relatively easy. On the contrary, Your Majesty has consumed far too much military equipment, especially crossbows."

Li Chengqian nodded slowly with a heavy expression.

The crossbow played a crucial role in the Tang Dynasty's easy victory over the Turks.

If the pursuit continues, the crossbow supply will run out, and the battle will no longer be as easy as before.

Add to that the unique terrain of the lush mountains and snow-capped peaks, and the Pamir Plateau behind them, and they might very well suffer a crushing defeat.

Even if it wasn't a major defeat, taking down Helu with too many losses was not what Li Chengqian wanted to see.

"So be it." Li Chengqian took the memorial back from Zhang Anan and said, "Have the Ministry of Works and the Directorate of Works speed up production. Once the crossbows are replenished next year, then we can start the war."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, Cui Dunli and Qiu Xinggong bowed in unison.

Li Chengqian breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "In any case, taking Shule will give us another foothold in the west, and it will also make communication with the Western Tuyuhun easier. It will also be easier to transport weapons and supplies through the Western Turks."

The eastern Tuyuhun is a plateau, but the western Tuyuhun is sunken down and the terrain is not as high. Although crossing the plateau is still troublesome, it is much safer than traveling thousands of miles through the desert.

"If we take Shule and send people to garrison Xiaobolu, we can block Helu's passage into Anxi again." Changsun Wuji looked up at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, by next year, Ashina Buzhen and Ashina Misha, together with the Duke of Liang, will go north to take Suyabchuan, and then go south to join the Duke of Yanmen in attacking from the northeast. That will be enough to take down Helu."

"Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations!" Li Ji said with a smile and clasped his hands in greeting.

“That’s right!” Qiu Xinggong followed with a cupped-hand salute and said with a smile, “Perhaps next year, Helu will be escorted to Chang’an and petition His Majesty to become the Heavenly Khan.”

"Heavenly Khan!" Li Chengqian exclaimed with some anticipation, but then he waved his hand and said, "Don't be optimistic about anything in advance. We must be cautious in everything. The reason we were able to defeat Helu in this battle was because of Dieyun's carelessness, which allowed Wang Fangyi to seize the opportunity."

As for Helu, it would be best if he could be captured alive, but if that's not possible, his death is acceptable. Ashina Buzhen and Ashina Misha are already sufficient.

In the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, the late Emperor Taizong appointed Ashina Misha as the Xili Bidulu Khan, but his cousin Ashina Buzhen opposed it.

Subsequently, Bu Zhen killed more than twenty of Mi She's brothers and nephews.

Ashina Misha gradually failed in subsequent battles, and finally in the thirteenth year of the Zhenguan era, he led his tribe to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

Ashina Buzhen then declared himself the Dulu Yabghu, but unfortunately, his people did not submit and became increasingly disloyal. In addition, at that time, Yugushe began to rise to power and eventually became the Yibi Dulu Khan, forcing Ashina Buzhen to flee to the Tang Dynasty.

Ashina Misha was appointed as the Right General of the Imperial Guard.

Ashina Buzhen was appointed as the General of the Left Guard.

These two brothers harbored deep hatred for each other, but in the Western Turkic Khaganate of today, both were rare figures of the Khan level.

However, both of them were losers, but both of them are still alive.

In addition, the two had extensive connections within the five tribes of Dulu, so it was easy for them to shake Helu's foundation.

……

“Once the five tribes of Dulu betray Helu, then Helu will only have the five tribes of Nushibi left.” Li Chengqian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The five tribes of Dulu were deeply influenced by the Tang Dynasty because they lived east of the Suyab River, while the five tribes of Nushibi were less influenced by the Tang Dynasty because they lived west of the Suyab River.

In addition, in recent years, many remnants of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, as well as the remnants of the Western Turkic Khaganate who had been defeated over the years, have been fleeing west of the Suyab River. The five tribes of Nushibi harbored deep hatred for the Tang Dynasty.

"To completely defeat Helu, we still need a major battle." Li Chengqian's expression turned solemn.

“Your Majesty!” Changsun Wuji looked up easily and said, “The five tribes of Dulu and the five tribes of Nushibi have a deep-seated hatred. When the time comes, the five tribes of Dulu can be easily mobilized. Helu’s defeat is only a matter of time. In comparison, what I am more concerned about is who will rule the Western Turks after Helu.”

"Western Turkic Khan!" Li Chengqian sighed softly. For many years, the Tang Dynasty had always supported the people of the five tribes of Dulu to become the Western Turkic Khans. The Western Turkic Khans of the five tribes of Dulu wanted to unify the entire Western Turkic Khaganate. They not only had to appease and win over their own people, but also had to attack the five tribes of Nushibi.

There were wins and losses along the way.

After unifying the entire Western Turkic Khaganate, the victor waged war against the Tang Dynasty.

The defeated were defeated by the Five Khans of the Nushibi tribe, who eventually unified the Western Turks and then waged war against the Tang Dynasty.

In the end, they were all defeated by the Tang Dynasty.

Whether it was the internal strife within the Western Turks or the Tang Dynasty's defeat of the Western Turks, both events greatly depleted the Western Turks' strength.

"Your Majesty!" Li Ji said, bowing slightly. "This time, He Lu rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. So far, more than 50,000 of his men have been killed or wounded. 30,000 have been taken prisoner by the Tang Dynasty, and 20,000 have scattered and fled. They will not return to He Lu. The strength of the Western Turkic tribes has been greatly weakened. Therefore, I suggest that we directly annex the Western Turkic tribes and incorporate them into the Tang Dynasty."

"We've swallowed up the Western Turks." Li Chengqian suddenly looked at Li Ji and said softly, "If I remember correctly, the Western Turks' western border has already reached the Western Sea, hasn't it?"

The Western Sea here is the Caspian Sea. "Yes!" Li Ji nodded and said, "The Western Turks can attack Persia to the south, and beyond the vast Western Sea lies the territory of the Abbasid Caliphate, and further west is the Qin Dynasty."

“From Pingrang in the east to the Western Sea in the west, the territory extends for more than ten thousand miles.” Li Chengqian’s breathing became heavy for a moment.

The phrase "Called Heavenly Khan" immediately came to mind for Li Chengqian.

Once the Western Turks were fully incorporated into the Tang Dynasty, the entire territory of the Tang Dynasty would stretch from Goguryeo in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, from the Mongolian Plateau in the north to Annam in the south, covering a vast area.

This was something his father, the emperor, had never done.

Even if Li Zhi achieved this in his previous life, Li Chengqian did it ten years earlier than Li Zhi.

Moreover, although Li Zhi achieved this, the entire foundation of the Tang Dynasty was severely depleted, to the point that the victories of Goguryeo were later stolen by Silla, and the Western Turks, not long after Li Zhi's reign, gradually broke away from the control of the Tang Dynasty with the rise of Tibet.

Finally, a powerful Later Turkic Khaganate stood in the north of the Tang Dynasty.

Later Turks and Western Turks rebelled.

Li Chengqian calmed down immediately.

While the Western Turks' betrayal was partly due to Tibetan intervention, the main reason was that the Tang Dynasty had failed to control the Western Turks.

Or to put it more directly, when the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Western Turks, it caused them great loss of population. After years of peace, they quickly recovered and then rose up against the Tang Dynasty again.

At that time, the Tang Dynasty no longer had the power to completely pacify the Western Turks.

To put it more directly, the Tang Dynasty never won the hearts of the Western Turks.

The Turks feared power but did not cherish virtue.

They would betray the Tang Dynasty at the first opportunity.

Regardless of whether you bring him into the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

But we cannot follow the example of Li Zhi and act blindly.

……

Li Chengqian looked up, waved his hand and said, "Let's put the matter of the Western Turks aside for now. I need to think about it carefully. After all, it's easy to bring the Western Turks into the Tang Dynasty in the short term, but in the long run, the Tang Dynasty will have to bear a lot of burdens from the Western Turks. This is the same reason why we don't immediately annex Goguryeo and the Eastern and Western Tuyuhun."

Everyone looked up in surprise. They had been engrossed in the grand plan Li Ji had outlined, but unexpectedly, the emperor was the first to calm down.

Since the emperor has said so, what else can they say?

Everyone cupped their hands in unison and said, "Yes!"

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "I also want to bring the Western Turks into the territory of the Tang Dynasty, but now is indeed not the best time. Putting aside other things, look at the area north of Anxi. We only have Tingzhou as our support, and Tingzhou is far away from the Suyab River. Even if we annex the Western Turks, we cannot actually control them. Moreover, there is also the Uyghurs who are eager to make a move..."

The emperor's voice trailed off at the end.

The ministers' expressions immediately turned solemn.

The threat to the Tang Dynasty was not only the Western Turks in the west, but also the Uyghurs in the north, who were not exactly peaceful either.

Before the Uyghurs came the Xueyantuo. After unifying the northern border, the Xueyantuo also began to expand in all directions, while setting their sights on the Tang Dynasty.

Finally, the Tang dynasty destroyed the Xueyantuo, and the Uyghurs rose to power.

The Uyghurs will certainly not be peaceful in the future. Keeping the Western Turks alive might be useful when the Uyghurs are destroyed in the future, and that would weaken the Western Turks once again...

Xue Rengui pacified the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows, but he was also pacifying the Tiele tribe!
The Uyghurs were one of the Tiele tribes. Who knows if the Tiele would rebel in the future and if the Uyghurs would be involved?

"The matter of the Western Turks is of great importance." Li Chengqian looked up at everyone and said, "After you all return, think carefully about how we should plan for the next cycle."

"Here!" The officials held their hands in awe.

"Alright." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The Northwest has won a great victory, and I must show my appreciation. Now that it's snowing heavily, it's not appropriate to lift the curfew. Issue an edict that after the heavy snow, the curfew in Chang'an will be lifted for three days, and the people can celebrate!"

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji immediately bowed.

"Furthermore, there is war in the Northwest this year, and I see that the price of grain in Chang'an is higher than last year." After a slight pause, Li Chengqian said, "Since the Western Turks have not been completely destroyed, I cannot bestow any more rewards. Pass down the word that once the war with the Western Turks is resolved next year, I will exempt the entire Guanzhong region from land taxes for a year."

"Your Majesty is benevolent." Changsun Wuji bowed with some emotion.

With the war in the Western Turks still unresolved, it's really inconvenient to give generous rewards. Otherwise, what will happen next year if we give rewards this year?
Furthermore, if something goes wrong next year and the army suffers a major defeat, should the land tax still be waived?

So I can only send a message.

However, this single piece of news was enough to reassure the people and put their minds at ease, so grain prices naturally dropped.

"Three days later, all officials in the court, except those who remain on duty, should rest as well." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "This great battle has killed countless Western Turks, and I should go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices. Three days later, I will go to Taiyi Qinghua Temple and Da Ci'en Temple to offer sacrifices."

The Imperial Ancestral Temple was primarily dedicated to the late emperors, Emperor Gaozu, and other ancestors of the Tang Dynasty, while the Taiyi Qinghua Temple and the Da Ci'en Temple were mainly for the worship of Empress Wende.

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

"And another thing," Li Chengqian said, looking up. "That's pretty much how things are this year. At the end of the year, the Ministry of Personnel will begin registering candidates for next year's imperial examinations. It's also time for the court to consider the candidates for the chief examiners. Uncle, Duke of Yingguo, you should think it over carefully and give me a suggestion."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji and Li Ji bowed in unison.

"Alright, that's enough for today." Li Chengqian stood up slightly and looked at Zhang Anan: "Select four hot dishes and fine wines from the Imperial Kitchen and deliver them to the residences of the four ministers. Make sure they don't get cold on the way... I need to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices first, so I won't keep you all for lunch."

"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"

……

Inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, various sacrificial offerings and animals were placed on the offering table.

Li Chengqian knelt alone on the prayer mat, bowing his head in prayer, a rare occurrence for him.

"From Pingrang in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, the territory stretches for over ten thousand miles." Li Chengqian slightly raised his head, looked at Li Shimin's memorial tablet, and asked, "Father, what do you think your son should do?"

Everything on Dongdao is proceeding in an orderly manner, and in a few years, he will be able to completely swallow up the three kingdoms of Dongdao.

But the Western Turks, the Western Turkic problem, was now before him.

Goguryeo and the Three Kingdoms of Dongdo relied solely on their unique terrain; their actual strength was not great.

However, the Western Turks were powerful and, given a period of stability, they were able to quickly recover and become a new enemy of the Tang Dynasty.

This would make it impossible for the Western Turks to settle down.

However, once the Western Turks were incorporated into Tang territory, Li Chengqian would not allow them to easily cause trouble again.

This contradicts the Tang Dynasty's national policy of weakening the Western Turks.

"Father, I truly wish to completely annex the Western Turks," Li Chengqian said softly, muttering, "Give me a good plan."

(End of this chapter)