After all the civil and military ministers had exited, only Li Shimin and the people he named were left in the hall. Li Min was still lying on the stretcher. He had been with Li Jingheng and the people from Yanbei just now, so he didn't feel anything.

, but now he was lying alone, wanting to stand but not daring to stand, and lying still feeling that everyone's eyes were on him, not to mention how uncomfortable it felt.

Li Shimin asked Li Ke and Li Min to stay, but ignored them and said directly to Li Jing and others: "Tubo has grown up now, and has always been rude to me, the Tang Dynasty. Today the Tibetan ambassador was beaten by these juniors.

With Tubo's past arrogance, they will definitely not swallow this breath. How do you think you should respond?"

"Your Majesty, Tubo has been arrogant for a long time, and we, the Tang Dynasty, will never give in on this matter, so we are sure that we will raise troops to invade the Tang Dynasty in the future, so I hope your majesty will make plans in advance." Fang Xuanling came out first and said.

"What the Prime Minister said is true!" Li Jing, Duke of Wei, also stood up and said, "If Tubo raises troops, it is very likely to march from Jiannan Road, which belongs to the southern border of the Tang Dynasty. The military strength is already weak, and it is close to the Liuzhao in the south.

, Except for Nan Zhao, the other five imperial edicts of these six are all on good terms with Tubo, which is more conducive to Tubo sending troops."

"Well, what the two beloved ministers said is reasonable. It seems that the Tang Dynasty is ready to go to war with Tubo." Li Shimin's mind was also very clear, and he agreed very much with the analysis of Fang Xuanling and Li Jing. Li Shimin was lying on the ground.

Xin admired Li Jing even more. He remembered that the first battle between Tubo and Tang Dynasty was in Songzhou, Sichuan, which was indeed very close to Tubo and Liuzhao.

"Hou Qing, as the Minister of the Ministry of War, it is up to you to introduce the current situation in Tubo!" Li Shimin pondered for a while, then turned to Hou Junji and said to Hou Junji. Hou Junji was the Minister of the Ministry of War at the time and was responsible for collecting intelligence on the enemy.

falls within his purview.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Hou Junji, a fierce-looking man with tiger eyes and an eagle nose, stood up and said: "Tubo is located in the southwest of our country in the Tang Dynasty. It is only separated from our Longyou Road by some Qiang tribes. Tuyuhun is in the northeast and Tuyuhun is in the southeast.

This is the Sixth Edict. The current Zangpu of Tubo is named Songtsan Gampo, the son of Nangri Lunzan. After Songtsan Gampo succeeded to the throne, he moved the capital from Pibo City in Shannan to Luoche, and annexed the Supi and Yangtong tribes.

, and defeated the party, Bai Lan, defeated Tuyuhun, and obtained its old territory. It is extremely powerful. Although it is not as good as the country in its heyday, it is still an enemy that cannot be underestimated..."

Hou Junji talked eloquently to everyone in the hall, mainly introducing the situation of Tubo from the military aspect. After listening for a while, Li Min was very disappointed with the intelligence system of the Tang Dynasty. What top-secret intelligence could he have heard?

?Who knew that Hou Junji had been talking for a long time, which was all about military information, such as the size of the Tubo army? What is the combat strength of the army? Who are the main generals? The general situation of the distribution of troops, etc., as for domestic people's livelihood, politics, economy, etc.

There is almost no valuable information.

Hou Junji talked for a long time, and finally took a sip of tea and added: "In addition to its strong military strength, Tubo also occupies a geographical advantage. Because of its extremely high terrain, the border with our country is very steep, and most of them are

The army cannot pass through, and the few passes are heavily guarded by Tibetan troops. It can be said that it is easy to defend but difficult to attack."

At this point Hou Junji hesitated for a moment, as if he thought of something difficult to understand. He thought for a moment and then continued: "And people who have been to Tubo say that except for the native Tubo people, it is difficult for outsiders to adapt to the climate of Tubo.

For example, once some Datang caravans enter Tubo territory, many people in the caravan will suffer from symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, general weakness, etc., and the people will also become very fragile. A small

The wind and cold could kill someone."

"Oh? There is such a thing in the world?" Li Shimin asked hesitantly. This was the first time for other civil and military officials to hear about such a thing, and they all started talking in low voices.

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely true. The Tubo people once boasted that it was the blessing of their great god that gave Tubo a natural barrier. With this barrier, even if there are thousands of troops, the country cannot enter.

Half a step ahead of Tubo!" Hou Junji replied with an affirmative look.

"Although the things about ghosts and gods are absurd, they cannot be disbelieved..." Li Shimin said silently, looking very confused. Other ministers were also clueless. The royal family of the Tang Dynasty claimed to be the descendants of Laozi Li Er, so

Taoism is highly respected. Most of the upper-class nobles believe in Taoism. The most popular legend in Taoism is the immortality of gods. In order to seek immortality, many princes and ministers are refining elixirs and taking elixirs. Even Li Shimin is no exception.

He kept many Taoist priests in the house, and occasionally made some elixirs for him. Therefore, although Li Shimin did not fully believe in ghosts and gods, he did not believe in them either.

"Father, this is not the protection of ghosts and gods at all, it is just the Tubo people bragging about themselves!" At this moment, Li Min, who was lying on the stretcher, suddenly stood up and said.

He just suddenly realized that the scene he was playing had probably been seen through by Li Shimin and others, but he didn't expose them to their faces. It was probably Li Shimin's intention to make him lie like this. He was worried that he had no legitimate reason to stand up.

Get up, you can't admit to yourself that I'm faking it? Just then I heard that Li Shimin and his gang were stunned by altitude sickness. Li Min was overjoyed, so he simply got up shamelessly. After all, he was underage, so he could act like a rogue.

Very normal.

"Oh? Tell me, Liuyang!" Li Shimin was stunned at first. Originally, he had a deeper meaning for leaving Li Ke and Li Min behind, but he didn't expect that Li Min would dare to expose his lies and stand up. But after all, he is a

The broad-minded emperor was now focusing on Tubo and didn't care much about Li Min's details. The other civil and military ministers were also stunned, and they probably didn't expect Li Min to speak!

"To inform my father, what Mr. Hou said about outsiders being unable to adapt to the Tubo climate is indeed true, but it is not that mysterious. To put it bluntly, it is almost worthless, and it is not impossible to overcome it." Li Min was confident.

Said fully.

"Oh? The old minister is ignorant, please ask His Highness the Prince of Liang for advice!" Hou Junji asked with a somewhat ugly face. After all, he was the Minister of the Ministry of War and was in charge of the military intelligence of the entire Tang Dynasty. Even he didn't understand something that Li Min actually did.

Knowing this, and devaluing it as worthless, it doesn't look good on his face.

"Haha, I don't take advice seriously. Mr. Hou has collected quite complete information about Tubo. Li Min admires him very much!" Li Min said to Hou Junji with a smile. Although what he said was a bit against his will, Li Min did it in a helpless way.

Now that his power is too weak, it is really not the time to offend others. Having Changsun Wuji has already made him uncomfortable enough. He doesn't want to have another Hou Junji to make him unhappy.

Hou Junji was very proud, so he was not angry with Li Min, who was fourteen or fifteen years old. After hearing Li Min's compliment, his face immediately looked much better.

Li Xun breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "Actually, what Mr. Hou just mentioned is that the series of discomforts caused by outsiders after entering Tubo can be collectively called altitude sickness."

"Altitude sickness? Plateau? Is this related to the terrain?" Duke Wei Li Jing muttered to himself for a few times, and suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he thought of something.

"Gong Wei is really powerful. Just by looking at his name, I can think of the key. He is worthy of being the number one in our army of the Tang Dynasty!" Li Min praised. Li Min admired Li Jing from the bottom of his heart for this legendary figure.

When I heard Li Min call Li Jing the "number one in the army", the unruly generals all had expressions of taking it for granted, even Hou Junji, who had a high self-esteem, was no exception. This shows that Li Jing was in the army.

However, it is no wonder that Li Jing retired early and now only acts as a military advisor and does not hold actual military power. After all, no matter how magnanimous Li Shimin is, he absolutely does not want anyone in the army who can threaten his emperor.

A person with royal status.

"Haha, His Highness Prince Liang is so ridiculous. How can I be called the number one person in the army?" Li Jing stroked his beard and said with a smile. He didn't pay much attention to Li Min after the Five Kings Banquet last time. After his careful observation today, he felt in his heart

But he was greatly surprised. In terms of demeanor, temperament, and knowledge, it was almost unmatched among the younger generation he had met. Even Li Ke, whom he had always been optimistic about, now stood beside Li Min like a foil. This

Where is he still the dandy prince from before?

"Haha, Medicine Master, you are so polite. Who doesn't know that you are like a god with soldiers? If it weren't for the help of you and the Qing family, where would our Tang Dynasty be as prosperous as it is now?" Li Shimin also said with a smile, and by the way, everyone present was praised.

He praised it again, then turned to look at Li Min and said, "Ming'er, you'd better tell me about the 'altitude sickness' and what methods can be used to solve this problem."

"Yes, Father!" Li Min bowed and said, "The so-called altitude sickness, in simple terms, is mainly because Tubo is located on a plateau and the air is much thinner than in the plains. People like us who live on the plains,

After entering a plateau area rashly, your body will inevitably experience some discomfort. In fact, if the symptoms are not serious, you will be fine as long as you adapt to it for a while."

"This... is so simple?" Hou Junji looked in disbelief. In order to figure out this matter, their military department spent a lot of manpower and material resources, but in the end what they got was still just a theory of ghosts and gods.

At this time, the British Duke Li Ji suddenly stood up and said: "His Royal Highness the King of Liang said this, this reminds me of when I was young, I went to visit friends in the mountains, but I didn't expect that I fell ill just one day after I went there.

At first, my symptoms were almost the same as Master Hou said, but then my condition worsened and I almost died. My friend hurriedly carried me down the mountain, and I recovered after a few days of rest. I guess it was altitude sickness that time, right?"

"Yes, as long as it exceeds a certain height, when people who have lived in the plains all year round enter, they will inevitably have various reactions depending on each person's physical constitution. However, some people's reactions are very weak, and they are not even aware of it.

Some people have strong reactions, and if not treated in time, their lives may even be in danger. At this time, the best way is to quickly return to the plains like the British public, and rest for a few days and they will be fine." Li Min said again.

"Okay!" Li Shimin jumped up, "If it's true as what Min'er said, then our Tang Dynasty only needs to find a base in Tubo and send troops to adapt to the climate there first. Then why should we fear the mere Tubo children? Hahaha~"

Probably thinking of the future feat of horse trampling Tubo, Li Shimin laughed up to the sky and let out the suffocation in his chest. The civil and military ministers below also talked about it, especially the generals. Most of them had joy on their faces, and finally

There was going to be a war again. Most of the civil servants were frowning and thinking, as if they were weighing the pros and cons of a war with Tubo. However, both the civil servants and the generals looked at Li Min with a hint of admiration.

Changsun Wuji, who was in the crowd, had been looking at Li Min coldly, until he suddenly said: "Your Majesty, although the Tubo army is powerful, to us, the Tang Dynasty, they are just a bunch of chickens and dogs. But

The army has not moved forward with food and grass. If you raise troops in Jiannan and Tubo, you must first solve the problem of food and grass. Jiannan Road is under the attack of Tubo and Liuzhao. Although it is rich, the traffic there is blocked and it cannot support too many troops.

, if the two armies confront each other, it will be extremely detrimental to us, Datang."

Changsun Wuji's words were like a bucket of cold water, which immediately woke up Li Shimin. Jiannan Road included most of the later Sichuan Basin, as well as parts of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Gansu. Although the Sichuan Basin was rich, it was

Surrounded by mountains, coupled with the heavy rain there, the roads are extremely rugged and difficult to navigate. It is estimated that the Tang Dynasty's army would spend a lot of money to enter there.

Li Shimin pondered for a while, then suddenly turned to Fang Xuanling and asked: "Fang Qing, I remember the year before last, Jiannan organized people to overhaul roads. Has the traffic situation improved now?"

"This..." Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly when Li Shimin mentioned this matter, "Your Majesty, Jiannan did organize hundreds of thousands of people to build roads the year before last year, but it was rainy in the south, and the roads that had just been built not long ago were washed away by the rain.

It immediately became muddy and difficult to navigate, and is now mostly deserted, with most places completely impassable."

In ancient times, roads were made of rammed earth, which was most afraid of being washed away by rain. Zhuque Street in Chang'an City was paved with bricks and stones, but it was just a street. If all the roads in the Tang Dynasty were paved with bricks and stones, the Tang government would probably go bankrupt.

It can’t be repaired yet.

"Hi~" After hearing Fang Xuanling's words, everyone present took a breath. All the roads built by hundreds of thousands of people were washed away by rain in less than two years. In the past, they only knew that there were many roads in the south.

It rained, but I didn't expect it to be so severe.

Li Jing stood up again at this time and said: "Actually, Mr. Changsun is too worried. Compared with the Tang Dynasty, Tubo is far inferior in every aspect. Therefore, the old minister predicts that even if the Tubo army invades the Tang Dynasty this time, it will definitely be defeated."

It’s just a test, and they don’t dare to fight to the death with me, the Tang Dynasty, so I, the Tang Dynasty, just need to send a few elite troops to knock off the Tubo’s arrogance, and then the Tibetans will definitely retreat.”

It must be said that Li Jing had a sharp eye and could see the general trend between Tang Dynasty and Tubo at a glance. The Tubo people absolutely did not have the courage and strength to fight to the death with Tang Dynasty, so the first battle between Tubo and Tang Dynasty was destined to be just a battle.

test.

Next to him, Li Min admired Li Min even more. According to what he knew, during the Battle of Songzhou between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, Tubo mobilized 200,000 troops to invade the Tang Dynasty and surrounded Songzhou. However, the reinforcements from the Tang Dynasty later

After killing thousands of Tibetan troops, the Tibetans immediately retreated. Songtsan Shibu even wrote a confession in his own hand, and the fierce battle of Songzhou ended.

"Hahaha~, heroes think alike, I think so too!" Li Shimin clapped his hands and laughed, but soon his face turned worried again, "It is easy to defeat Tubo's arrogance, but this battle also exposed Jiannan Dao Our military strength is empty. I am afraid that as Tubo's strength increases in the future, it will be dissatisfied with Jiannan Road again. It seems that it is right to strengthen the connection between Jiannan and the Guanzhong area, but this road..."

When Li Shimin said this, his brows were furrowed tightly. The ministers below were all worried. Building the road was not a problem. The problem was that it would become unusable soon after it was repaired. A lot of manpower and material resources were spent on it, but it was all in vain. , the treasury of the Tang Dynasty cannot withstand such consumption. In fact, not only Jiannan, but also the powerful Tang Dynasty south of the Yangtze River have road problems. Everyone knows that the south is rich, but transportation has always been a big problem. After all, no matter how much production there is, But it’s useless if it can’t be transported.

"Father, I have something to offer that can solve the road problem!" At this time, Li Min suddenly stood up and said. Seeing the sad faces of the Tang Dynasty monarchs and ministers who were troubled by a road problem, Li Min secretly smiled in his heart. This little thing is very important to him. For this modern man, it is really a piece of cake. It can not only please his cheap father, but also maybe make a fortune easily. It is simply killing two birds with one stone.
Chapter completed!