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

Chapter 93 Father and son work together to plot against the Tibetans (Part )

The purple memorial was placed in front of him, with two words written behind the densely packed font: Not allowed.

Li Chengqian raised his head, looking at everyone in the Chongjiao Hall, then looked at Lu Dongzan, who was sitting at the upper seat on the right, and said calmly, "Envoy, it's a pity. I originally wanted to let my sister marry from the land of the Tang Dynasty, but my father did not allow the establishment of Changzhou to govern the Dangxiang states."

"The Dangxiang are under the jurisdiction of Songzhou, so there is no need to bother Changzhou." Lu Dongzan smiled reluctantly.

The Dangxiang states were located in the mountains west of Shu. Further west, the Tongtian River was the border of Subi; south of the Dangxiang was Tuyuhun.

In fact, all the Dangxiang states were vassals of Tuyuhun in the early years.

However, after the Tuyuhun Kingdom was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, the Dangxiang states became vassal states of the Tang Dynasty.

The Changzhou that Li Chengqian mentioned is the area in the center of Suobei, Dangxiang and Tuyuhun.

As for further west, there is a thousand-mile swamp.

If the Tang Dynasty really established Changzhou there, it would be equivalent to directly bordering Tubo.

In the future, if Tubo wants to move east or south, it will be immediately controlled by the Tang Dynasty.

……

Among the ministers in the palace, Li Daozon was a famous general from the royal family. He saw the key to Changzhou's location at a glance.

He could even imagine the emperor's surprise when he saw this memorial, but unfortunately, there were Dangxiang and Tuyuhun in between, which was basically an enclave that was difficult to govern and a waste of manpower.

"That's fine." Li Chengqian casually closed the memorial and looked at Lu Dongzan: "Since that's the case, then let the Zamp go to Tongtian River to pick up the bride."

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness." Lu Dongzan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Chengqian turned to look at Li Daozong and said, "Uncle Wang, I think it would be better if you and the Duke of Anguo led 5,000 cavalrymen from the Left Guard and 5,000 cavalrymen from the Right Guard, and also recruited 20,000 Tuyuhun cavalrymen to escort the bride to the north bank of the Tongtian River. After all, the journey is long and unstable, so it would be helpful to bring more soldiers."

Lu Dongzan suddenly looked up, and his heart, which had just relaxed, suddenly tightened again.

Li Daozon, the Minister of Rites of the Tang Dynasty, was a fierce general in the army, and his ability was even greater than that of Hou Junji, the Duke of Chen.

As for Duke Anguo Zhishisili, the Right General of the Guard, he was a killing god in the army. He played a role in the destruction of Tuyuhun five years ago.

The Tang Dynasty fought their way up to the Maji Snow Mountain, passed through the Kuhai and Wuhai, and reached the source of the Yellow River, Baihai, just one step away from the Tongtian River.

……

"Your Highness, you're joking." Li Dao Zong smiled a rare, relaxed smile and said, "With 30,000 cavalrymen, people would think we were going to fight or demonstrate, not to escort a bride."

"Uncle Wang is right!" Li Chengqian thought for a moment and nodded, then looked at Lu Dongzan and said calmly, "Envoy, what do you think?"

Lu Dongzan's mouth twitched slightly, and he said, "Zanpu can go one step further to Baihai to pick up the bride."

"No, it's too far." Li Chengqian's expression instantly turned cold.

Didn’t he know the Tibetans? In his previous life, Lu Dongzan went to Baihai to marry.

From Lanzhou to Shanzhou, to Riyue Mountain and Qinghai Lake, then to Tuyuhun Plateau, then to Maji Snow Mountain, Wuhai and Kuhai, and trek two hundred miles across the snow-capped mountain plateau to Baihai.

Altitude sickness alone can take half a person's life.

"What do you think, Your Highness?" Lu Dongzan looked at Li Chengqian with a cold expression. How could he not see that the prince had his own ideas in his mind.

"How about the Bitter Sea?" Li Chengqian suddenly smiled and said, "It's only about a hundred miles north of the Baihai Sea anyway."

"Kuhai is the territory of Tuyuhun. Isn't it inappropriate to invade it like this?" Lu Dongzan was a little confused about what Li Chengqian wanted to do.

But no matter what, as long as Li Chengqian wanted to do it, he would firmly oppose it.

"Tuoba is a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. How dare Tuyuhun disagree with what the Tang Dynasty and Tubo want to do?" Li Chengqian's expression turned cold.

Six years ago, the Tang Dynasty destroyed Tuyuhun and re-established the country. Tuyuhun's national strength declined to the extreme, but three years ago, Tubo took the opportunity to attack.

Afterwards, Songtsen led the cavalry of Tuyuhun and Dangxiang and headed straight for Songzhou.

When the Tibetans wanted to go, they asked Tuyuhun for permission.

Lu Dongzan suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He had not expected that the words of the Tang prince would be so sharp. He could only bow bitterly and say, "Your Highness..."

"In fact, in my opinion," Li Chengqian looked at Lu Dongzan and said bluntly, "In my opinion, it would be best for the Zanpu to come to Shanzhou, no, to Lanzhou to personally welcome the bride. Now is the only way to show his sincerity... As the elder brother, I have to seek some face for the imperial sister."

Li Chengqian's last words made Lu Dongzan hold back what he wanted to say.

As his elder brother, he made arbitrary demands. What could Lu Dongzan say?

However, Lanzhou and Shanzhou were already the borders of the Tang Dynasty, and Lanzhou was an important city in the western part of the Tang Dynasty.

Songtsen Gampo went to Lanzhou to marry his bride. What a joke! He brought too many people, and the Tang Dynasty became wary.

If we bring too few people, what if the Tang Dynasty detains them in Lanzhou?

Lu Dongzan finally had to nod: "Then I will listen to the prince and welcome the bride in the Sea of ​​Bitterness."

"Very good." Li Chengqian finally nodded in satisfaction, and then continued: "The rest is the treatment of a princess getting married, which is equivalent to Princess Honghua."

Princess Honghua was the daughter of Emperor Taizong. In February of the previous year, the emperor sent General Zuo Xiaowei, Prince of Huaiyang Li Daoming, and General You Wuwei Murong Baojie to escort Princess Honghua to marry Tuyuhun Prince Murong Nuohebo with a large amount of dowry.

"No, it must be higher than Princess Honghua." Lu Dongzan's expression was resolute, and then he said firmly: "The Tubo Kingdom is much stronger than Tuyuhun. The Tang Dynasty cannot treat Tuyuhun the same as Tubo."

Li Chengqian turned and looked at Li Daozon, who turned his head slightly at this time.

That was his daughter, so naturally he hoped that she could marry into a better family and have a bigger dowry, but the decision was made by the crown prince, so he couldn't agree or disagree.

Li Chengqian lowered his head and thought silently, not saying anything for a long time.

At this time, Dou Dan, Yu Zhining and Zhang Xuansu stopped talking. They could all see that the prince was very opinionated about this matter, and his words were difficult to refute. Most importantly, they could see that the prince was much more familiar with Tubo than they were.

"Gao Yi is equal to Princess Honghua. The exact amount is higher than the betrothal gift from Tubo." Li Chengqian looked up at Lu Dongzan and said through gritted teeth, "Envoy, the Tang Dynasty will not mistreat its daughters, but it will not mistreat its sons-in-law either. There are some things I have already said before, so I will not repeat them. You should keep this in mind."

Lu Dongzan's heart suddenly tightened. He knew that the prince was talking about the issue of offspring. The prince and the entire Tang Dynasty had doubts about this matter.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will tell the Zanpu what Your Highness said." Lu Dongzan bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Okay, let's discuss the other details..."

……

On the 16th day of the first lunar month, the palace was hung with red silk and the sound of firecrackers kept popping.

Li Shimin, dressed in a scarlet and yellow dragon robe, stood at the door of the east wing of Taiji Hall with a complicated expression, watching the celebratory procession turn from the side into Xianchun Gate and go to Wanchun Hall to pick up the princess.

He could hear bursts of playful noises.

He knew that the young people were asking questions to embarrass Lu Dongzan, Gar Lunqinling and his group.

The emperor smiled calmly, then turned sideways to look at the people behind him and asked, "Although your actions this time may be somewhat willful, I feel that you have other intentions."

Li Chengqian glanced at the solemn faces of Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and others on his right before he bowed and said, "Father, this marriage is, in the final analysis, nothing more than the Tibetans using the power of the Tang Dynasty to intimidate the Subi, Yangtong, Dangxiang, and Tuyuhun nations."

"The Tang Dynasty did the same thing. They used marriage to appease Tubo's ambitions, then bided their time and watched them fail." The emperor said this calmly. He then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "So, you want the King of Jiangxia and the Duke of Anguo to lead 10,000 elite cavalry, and at the same time recruit 20,000 Tuyuhun cavalry to the north bank of the Tongtian River to escort the bride?"

"That was originally my idea. A demonstration. The Tubo people can do it, and the Tang can do it, too." Li Chengqian's expression suddenly grew cautious. He then bowed and said, "However, I was recently studying medicine... and suddenly realized that the Tang Dynasty encountered two difficulties during its conquest of Tuyuhun."

"Medical skills?" Li Shimin frowned and looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "What are the two major problems?"

"First, after the army reaches the plateau, those with weaker physiques will soon experience shortness of breath and general weakness. Even those with stronger physiques will only experience the effects later. Doctors call this plateau miasma." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian continued, "Back then, because the Tuyuhun were too weak and the campaign was too short, this phenomenon did occur, but the army didn't pay much attention to it. Only the military medical officers recorded it."

The emperor's face darkened and he nodded, "Go on."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed and said, "If we follow the Tibetans' suggestion and welcome the bride at Tongtian River, then the army will not only have to ascend the Tuyuhun Plateau, but also the Bailima Snow Mountain, and then march another 500 miles south on the Dangxiang Plateau before reaching Tongtian River... The army will move slowly when escorting the bride, and I'm afraid anything will happen when they reach Tongtian River."

"By then, a good journey to demonstrate military might will become a joke." Li Shimin's face was as cold as ice.

"At that time, Songtsen led a large army and had been waiting on the north bank of Tongtian River for a long time. His army was in good shape, while our army was exhausted. The Subi, Yangtong, Dangxiang and Tuyuhun countries were all watching. When the time came, people's hearts would naturally turn to the Tibetans, which would be disadvantageous to our Tang Dynasty." Li Chengqian bowed solemnly.

"That's why you want Songtsen to go further north to welcome his bride." The emperor subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think Lanzhou is the best." Li Chengqian sneered, "This is the second biggest problem I mentioned... I've studied medical books and battlefield records and found that almost all soldiers who didn't suffer from highland miasma on the plateau, after the battle with Tuyuhun, suddenly suffered from lowland miasma after returning to Lanzhou. They felt weak and dizzy, as if drunk."

"Highland miasma? Lowland miasma?" Li Shimin looked confused.

"Yes, the plateau is undulating, six or seven hundred feet high. Whether it's a sudden climb or a sudden descent, it's difficult for the human body to adapt to it, so all kinds of diseases and miasma can occur." Li Chengqian lowered his head and said in a cold tone, "That's why I want to see what the situation will be like if Songtsen leads his army to Lanzhou. If it's as described in the medical books, with weakness all over the body, dizziness in the head, and a state of intoxication..."

"No need for Songzan." The emperor turned and looked at Zhangsun Wuji. "Wuji, send a message to the governor of Lanzhou immediately to inquire about the situation of the Tibetan envoys who are staying in Lanzhou."

Lu Dongzan came to the Tang Dynasty to propose marriage, bringing with him thousands of Tibetan cavalry. However, these people were stopped in Shanzhou and Lanzhou, and now is a good time to check them.

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji immediately turned around and left.

"Although we are welcoming the bride in the sea of ​​suffering now, if we can prove this, our army will have a much greater chance of winning against Tubo in the future." Li Shimin couldn't help but clench his fists.

Li Chengqian bowed, took a half step forward, and said, "Father, I think the name 'Bitter Sea' doesn't sound good. How about having Songtsen go to the Dayichuan grasslands beneath the Baili Snow Mountain to pick up the bride? There, the grass and water are lush and the scenery is charming..."

"Yes!" The emperor's eyes lit up.

(End of this chapter)