Chapter 18: Come up with an idea

Ruizong admitted his mistake in public. How many people have encountered such a thing from ancient times to the present? Not to mention that Song Jing was so excited, even Chen Wanrong had red eyes and a sore nose, and he couldn't help but want to cry.

A man doesn’t cry easily, but he is not excited!

Ruizong helped Song Jing up and said, "I am not in good health, so I won't be happy with you." With a move of his hand, Duan Hui came over and helped him down.

Looking at the back of Ruizong, the ministers said affectionately: "Greatly send the Supreme Emperor!"

Ruizong's performance today is just the same as before, and it is still so sincere, touching, and it is impossible for the ministers not to be excited.

After seeing off Ruizong, Li Longji did not take his seat, but slowly walked down, came to the middle of the ministers, with a smile on his face, and asked, "Today is Yuanzheng, the new year has begun. This year is called the first year of Kaiyuan. Do you all know what Kaiyuan means?"

"Remember!" The emperor's reign title is a big deal, and no ministers dare not remember it.

Li Longji nodded and said, "Just remember! I want to remind you to work diligently, abide by the law, and be honest and self-righteous. I remember what Zhuge Liang said, "Do your best to do your best and die until you die."

"Thank you for your advice, I will remember it!"

"After talking about the main business, let's talk about some private matters." Li Longji changed the subject: "Today is Yuan Zheng. The court congratulations are over, and it's only three days off. What do you think are you going to do? For the Chinese New Year, talk about these things, and have a good time. I want to have a good sleep and work hard in three days!"

"Haha!" The ministers laughed. They didn't expect that Li Longji's thoughts were so simple, as simple as an ordinary person.

"Yao Chong, what do you want to do?" Li Longji named.

What the prime minister of the dynasty was really attractive, and the ministers couldn't help but stare at Yao Chong. Yao Chong didn't think about it and said, "Emperor, what I think is slightly different from the emperor. I want to get drunk first, then have a good sleep, nourish my spirit, and work hard to do it in three days. In the new year, there are many things that the Tang Dynasty has to do, and I dare not slackew."

That's right, in the new year, the Tang Dynasty faced too many problems. One is to eliminate accumulated problems, and the other is that large-scale wars are imminent. The accumulated problems have been decades and cannot be eliminated without years of hard work. There are two wars, one is a war against the post-Turks, and the other is a battle with the Dashi and two wars at the same time. This is very difficult for any country and any dynasty. Not to mention, the scale is still so large that there are so many things to do.

Although Yao Chong's idea is slightly different from Li Longji, his intentions are the same, which is to cultivate his spirit and do a big fight. Li Longji deeply praised it and asked, "Song Jing, tell me what you think. You just came back from Guangzhou. Do you want to go home first to meet your husband?"

Everyone could hear what he meant. The ministers did not expect that Li Longji had such an unknown side and could hold back his smile.

Song Jing said seriously: "I have not returned home for many days in the city, so I want to go home."

This is human nature, but the ministers have no intention of laughing at him.

"Zhang Shougui, tell me what you think." Li Longji looked at Zhang Shougui.

Zhang Shougui thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, my idea is not much different from Yao Xiang."

Li Longji sighed: "You all want to have a sleep, nourish your spirits, and prepare to do a good job. I am both relieved and sad! Those who are pleased, your thoughts are human nature and there are no special requirements. Those who are sad, such ordinary requests will not be obtained until the end of the year. How hard are you working for the Tang Dynasty on weekdays? I was moved by what I heard of.

"For the sake of the people of the world and the Tang Dynasty, our monarchs and ministers will continue to work hard as usual. I hope you and I will maintain this beautiful character!"

"Abide by the order!" The ministers received the order.

Li Longji continued: "The New Year is over, and you all want to rest. I don't take it anymore. Let's go away now. Go home and have a good rest! Yao Chong, Zhang Shougui, Song Jing, Chen Wanrong, come with me. I have something to do, and I want to discuss it with you."

Chen Wanrong was about to go home, but after hearing this, he had to follow Li Longji. At the end of the New Year, there would be no major matters to discuss. Li Longji said this, and there must be a very important matter.

When I arrived at Luanxiang Pavilion, there was a basin of charcoal fire in the pavilion, which was warm. Li Longji asked Chen Wanrong and the others to sit down.

"Chen Wanrong, you got married. Are you thinking about going home to see your wife? Don't be embarrassed. We are all experienced people. Who hasn't experienced this?" Li Longji joked and said, "You all want to rest, but I called you again, so you can't rest, because there is an important thing that needs to be discussed. Let's take a memorial on the desk and handed it to Yao Chong.

Yao Chong took the browsing and handed it to Song Jing. Song Jing looked at it and handed it to Zhang Shougui. Finally, he turned it to Chen Wanrong's handwriting. Chen Wanrong looked at it and saw that the familiar handwriting was reflected in Lian. It was Geshuhan's memorial.

After seeing it, Chen Wanrong was very happy. Geshuhan had just arrived in the Western Regions for a long time, and he managed Tuqi Shi to obey. Tuqi Shi was the most important force in the Western Regions, not one of them. He was self-respecting. Tian Renwan and the others tried their best to get a bargain from Tuqi Shi. Unexpectedly, Geshuhan succeeded easily, which was really worthy of happiness.

Li Longji smiled and said, "As soon as Geshuhan arrived in the Western Regions, he took a pretty move and controlled the thunder cavalry. As long as the 50,000 Hu'er Army was in the hands of Geshuhan, it would be impossible for Sulu to think about it. You all tell me, Geshuhan plans to march towards Khurashan, how likely is he to win?"

Zhang Shougui thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, I think General Geshuhan's handling is not thoughtful. Su Lu and Dashi have a peace talks with him. This matter is untolerable, but General Geshu refuses to pursue it, which seems inappropriate."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yao Chong immediately opposed: "General Zhang, you have been in the north for a long time and are not very familiar with the situation in the Western Regions. The Western Regions are not as good as the North. There is only one opponent in the North, just let go of your hands and feet. Although the North is inconvenient, the reinforcements and supplies from the court are sent continuously. However, the Western Regions are different. There is not many troops, so you need to use the power of the Western Regions to maintain stability. If you can not cause trouble, you should try not to cause trouble. When it is time to pursue the matter, there is nothing to hesitate.

"Besides, in the current war, if the Tuqi rebelled, it would be a big problem. In the current situation, stability is the priority. Geshuhan held Sulu's 50,000 Hu'er Army in his hands, which could not only be used to attack Dashi, but also to check and balance Sulu's hostages. With this end, Sulu dared not make any changes."

Song Jing echoed: "Your Majesty, I agree with what Lord Yao said."

As Yao Chong said, the situation in the Western Regions is very different from that in the North. There are many countries in the Western Regions. Moreover, there are many forces in the competition. Due to road issues, the Tang Dynasty did not have many troops, which were not as strong as the North. As long as the Turks dared to come, they would beat you up and make you bloody.

The Western Regions should focus on stability. In order to achieve this goal, all kinds of means can be used, intimidated, won over, divided and disintegrated, and only the means that can be used can be used.

Those sent to the Western Regions must not only have military talents, but also have power and wiseness. Geshuhan has both, and is the best candidate to guard the Western Regions.

Zhang Shougui is a very good general, but he is a little unsatisfied in his power and skills. He was stunned and embarrassed: "Your Majesty, I am ashamed."

"There is nothing to blame for yourself. If you have something to say, don't hide it. You are a general, and you are not familiar with these power-making methods. This is normal." Li Longji comforted: "I also think Brother Shuhan is doing it well. However, I don't want the matter to be finished."

Yao Chong thought Li Longji wanted to pursue this matter, so he hurriedly advised: "Your Majesty, it's best if this matter is over. Even if you want to investigate, you have to wait until the fight is over."

Li Longji waved his hand and said, "Yao Chong, don't worry, I won't cause trouble yet. I'm thinking, why not add icing on the cake? I plan to appoint Su Lu as the general of the Zuo Yulin Army, the Jin Fangdao Military Commander, and give him Zhongshun Khan. What do you think?"

At that time, the Tang Dynasty was powerful, and all the surrounding ethnic minority leaders were proud of being recognized by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If Li Longji really gave Su Lu the title, Su Lu would be very honored. At the same time, the negotiations with Dashi were completed and he would be relieved.

Yao Chong agreed very much: "Your Majesty, I agree!"

Chen Wanrong and Song Jing had no objection, so the matter was finalized.

"You guys say, how likely is Geshuhan to win the battle in Khorasan?" Li Longji was still a little confused: "Although I want Geshuhan to deal with it at the moment, this kind of big battle has not been seen in the history of the Tang Dynasty, and I must know it."

Khorasan is a rich land, in northeastern Iran, including the Kashaf Valley and the upper reaches of the Atrak River between Mount Kopet, and the plains south of Mount Binalude. It is located at the junction of Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, and occupies an important position in inland transportation. The main agricultural products include wheat, barley, rice, cotton, tobacco, beets, and fruits.

This is a large granary of the Arab Empire, and it is a major area among the important areas. The Arab Empire must have sent heavy troops here. Although the military strength of the Western Regions has been enhanced, it is pitifully thin compared to the entire Arab Empire, and Li Longji cannot do it if he is not worried.

Yao Chong thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, I am not very familiar with military affairs, so I am not inconvenient to argue. However, General Zhang is here, so we might as well listen to his views."

Li Longji smiled and said, "This is exactly the reason why I called Zhang Shougui. Zhang Shougui, tell me, if you encounter this situation, what will you fight? How likely will you win?"

Zhang Shougui pondered for a moment and said, "Although there are 30,000 reinforcements in the Western Regions, plus the original army, they can dispatch about 40,000 Han troops. This is the backbone of the Tang Dynasty's advance. Tuqishi's 50,000 Hu'er Army can also fight. Tuqishi is known as the most powerful country in the Western Regions. After so many years of confrontation with Dashi, although the Hu'er Army is inferior to the Han army, it will not be much worse. In total, there are about 90,000 elite troops, which is OK.

"In addition to the troops of other vassal states, this time we can dispatch about 150,000 troops. 150,000 troops are still far from enough compared to the army of Dashi, but we can still fight.

"If I come to fight this battle, I will not fight hard with Dashi. You must know that the total strength of Dashi here is far stronger than ours, and fighting hard is very unwise. The most important problem is that the army of Dashi cannot be concentrated. As long as the army of Dashi is not carried into a group, Dashi will not be the opponent of Dashi, and the chance of victory should still be very high. 70% or 80% or 80% or there are still some."

This is what the military strategists say, and it makes people understand it at once. No matter how many troops you have, you only need to have no superior troops on the battlefield, and there will be no threat and you can defeat them one by one.

This was particularly prominent when Genghis Khan fought against Khwarezm in the west. At that time, Khwarezm's total military force was ten times that of the Mongolian army, but because the rulers of Khwarezm ordered division of troops to defend, the troops could not be concentrated, Genghis Khan defeated them one by one, and they ate the remaining troops bit by bit, eventually leading to the destruction of Khwarezm.

For his side, he must form superior forces on the battlefield. For the enemy, it is common sense for military strategists to prevent him from having superior forces on the battlefield. Ge Shuhan is extraordinary and will not understand this.

After hearing this analysis, Li Longji smiled and said, "There are more temples that win, and the fewer ones that lose. I am 70% sure that there are more temples that are already more temples. It seems that the battle of Khurashan is worth looking forward to. I will issue an order to Geshuhan. If you can fight, you will fight. If you can't fight, you will withdraw."

This is to grant Geshuhan the power to make decisions on the right time. This way, no matter how good it is to deal with it, everyone naturally has no objection.

"I have a clear idea about the matters of the Western Regions. Let's talk about the matters of the Northern Region." Li Longji continued: "In the battle of the Northern Region, Zhang Shougui took over the command. I have already decided on this. With the commander, I also need a military supervisor who has been with him. Who do you think is the most suitable?"

Zhang Shougui's eyes suddenly stopped on Chen Wanrong. Yao Chong and Song Jing also looked at Chen Wanrong and did not say anything. Although he didn't say anything, he understood the meaning very well. Chen Wanrong was the military supervisor.

Li Longji had already thought about it, otherwise he wouldn't have called Chen Wanrong.

"Chen Wanrong, you ask me for a fight, and this military supervisor will give you this military supervisor. You are with Zhang Shougui these days and have a joint effort. I hope that in this battle, you two will work together to completely destroy the Turks." Li Longji appointed the military supervisor.

When Chen Wanrong appointed the commander last time, he felt that he would be the military supervisor again. Now, it felt like he was aware that he was in a daze. He was afraid that the artillery was not good at using it, because at that time, only a few people knew how powerful the artillery was. The generals on the front line knew nothing about artillery, and the military supervisor had to do it.

Although it is a pleasure to be a military supervisor now, it also makes people feel that the responsibility is heavy. At the beginning, there was no clear goal in fighting Tubo, and wherever he could go. Li Longji's goal was very clear in the fight against the rear Turks, which was to dispatch 500,000 troops to completely defeat the rear Turks.

If the post-Turkish live power cannot be eliminated in the south of the Mo, we must learn from Emperor Wu of Han and pursue it to the north of the Mo. The burden is too heavy, and it is not too much to say that it is a heavy burden.

Chen Wanrong thought for a while and said, "The emperor is very grateful to me. However, I am afraid I can't bear this burden."

Li Longji smiled and said, "What can I afford to take? No matter how heavy the burden is, it is more heavy than my shoulders? My shoulders are under the throne of the Tang Dynasty."

Although he was laughing, he was a little heavy. Chen Wanrong was suffocated and said, "Emperor, why do the imperial court always send military supervisors when fighting?"

"The military supervisor must be needed. This is a tradition for thousands of years." Li Longji raised his eyebrows and said, "It is necessary to send a military supervisor, although it is restrained by the generals. The defeats of all dynasties are often caused by the chaos of the border generals, which leads to poor command of the court. If there is no military supervisor, the border generals will not do whatever they want!"

The army is really important. If it is not good, chaos will occur. It is precisely because of this that a tradition that has been in the thousands of years is to send military supervisors during wars to maintain the stability of the army.

This approach itself is understandable. If there is no military supervisor, the generals are really high and the emperor is far away, without any scruples, and it is inevitable that they will do whatever they want. However, the military supervisor sends people temporarily, and some emperors even send eunuchs. These people rely on the emperor's kindness to command randomly and command blindly, and often defeat the army and defeat the army.

Chen Wanrong kept thinking that if he could find a way to maintain the stability of the army without disturbing the command of the army. After hearing this, he couldn't help but flash his inspiration and said in a lost voice: "Your Majesty, I have a strategy to stabilize the army without restraining the generals' command."

"Haha! Are you kidding?" Li Longji didn't believe it and smiled: "This is a difficult problem for thousands of years, an old problem that Qin and Han Wu have not solved. Do you have a way?"

It is unimaginable for a dynasty or a country to have no army. Similarly, it is unimaginable if the army does not strengthen its control, because the army is really important. In order to strengthen the control of the army, countless people have worked hard to achieve this. It is not difficult to believe that Chen Wanrong can solve the problem that has lasted for thousands of years!

Not to mention that Li Longji doesn’t believe it, even Yao Chong and others don’t believe it. They have been thinking about a solution for decades, but they have no idea at all, and are still using the traditional method: sending military supervisors!

Chen Wanrong thought about this problem for a long time, and when he first thought of this method, he couldn't help but be very excited. Regardless of their expressions, he continued to say: "Your Majesty, this method is not very clever. I am thinking, why not develop the military supervisor into an official system, and establish the military supervisor at each level, and build it into a brigade."

"Nothing is like this! How can I fight after surveillance?" Li Longji's face sank and he rebuked lightly.

Who said that surveillance cannot fight? Just clear rights and responsibilities are required. Chen Wanrong is confident and said, "Emperor, military supervisors can be permanent, just distinguish the responsibilities of military supervisors and generals. Master, don't worry, let me finish speaking and make a judgment."

Li Long basically came to scold him. After hearing this, he dispelled the idea of ​​scolding him and said, "Okay, you said."

This idea is really going to be adopted, which is a major event in Chinese history. Chen Wanrong was very excited and his tone increased several times: "Emperor, the reason why the military supervisors have been sent in all dynasties is to maintain the stability of the army and prevent generals from becoming large. However, because the military supervisors are not permanent and change very quickly, the problems caused are obvious to all. First, the military supervisors are generally close confidants of the emperor, who do not know how to fight, rely on the emperor's favor, command randomly, and command blindly, and not letting the general fight go, is often defeated."

This is a major drawback of the military supervision system. Li Longji couldn't help but nod and said, "That's it!"

Chen Wanrong continued: "The military supervisor is not a permanent establishment. If you send it to the army, its effectiveness is limited. The reason is that when there is no military supervisor, will the generals not make any abnormal movements? Not necessarily! If there is a general with ulterior motives, who can know?"
Chapter completed!