Chapter four hundred and sixteenth show the enemy weak
Many people know about the rule of Zhenguan, which laid the foundation for the prosperous Kaiyuan era.
The Zhenguan period can be divided into three periods.
In the early stage, Li Shimin had just succeeded to the throne, stabilizing the situation and recuperating.
This period was approximately from the first year of Zhenguan to the eighth year of Zhenguan.
What really made Tang Dynasty prosperous was from the ninth year of Zhenguan to the eighteenth year of Zhenguan.
Anyone familiar with history knows that wars in the Tang Dynasty were very frequent during this period.
Many foreign wars made the Tang Dynasty's prestige spread far and wide, and people from all over the world were convinced.
Not only did it weaken the surrounding forces, it also made the surrounding forces fear Datang like a tiger.
From the first year of Zhenguan to the sixth year of Zhenguan, no major events occurred in the Tang Dynasty except for the war to destroy the Eastern Turks and the response to the rebellion of some ethnic minorities.
Therefore, Datang at this time was not as strong as imagined.
When the Eastern Turks were destroyed, it seemed that the Tang Dynasty only dispatched hundreds of thousands of people, but in fact they only took advantage of the civil strife in the Eastern Turks to destroy the Eastern Turks.
To say that the Eastern Turks were destroyed is not very appropriate.
You must know that at that time, the Eastern Turks had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, all of them cavalry. The Tang Dynasty dispatched hundreds of thousands of soldiers, at least half of whom were infantry.
There are countless cases in which the Central Plains dynasty defeated the many with less, but this was because of the favorable weather, place, and people.
If we take advantage of the favorable geographical location, it would be no problem if hundreds of thousands can be destroyed by hundreds of thousands.
But when the grassland is vast and flat, what can the infantry use to fight against the rising troops?
Rather than saying that the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Turks, it is better to say that the Tang Dynasty destroyed Jieli Khan.
In fact, Xue Yantuo was founded on the basis of the Eastern Turks.
Xue Yantuo's army numbered more than 200,000. Although it was not as good as the Eastern Turks in their heyday, it was not much worse.
When the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Turks, it actually did not significantly weaken the power of the grasslands.
It was just that the demise of the Eastern Turks made the grassland situation unstable and gave the Tang Dynasty time to develop.
"I know now is not the time to mobilize troops, but if I do nothing, how will the people of the world view me? I have decided to send an additional 50,000 troops to the border to scare the Western Turks and Xue Yantuo. What do you think?" Li Shimin said solemnly.
As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong came out and said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army."
Although I know that there will definitely be no war if I go now, there is a high possibility of launching troops on the grassland every year, so if I go now, I will have the upper hand.
There is no way, there are too many famous generals in the Tang Dynasty. If we don't fight for them early, who knows if it will be their turn then.
Rather than saying that heroes create the current situation, it is actually better to say that the current situation creates heroes.
Why do so many famous ministers and generals emerge when the world is in chaos?
As the saying goes: Heroes emerge from troubled times, famous ministers emerge from troubled times, and treacherous ministers emerge from emperor's confusion. There is a certain truth to this. Because in the autumn of troubled times, the timid will starve to death and the bold will die. All kinds of chaotic situations are for those who dare to think and do.
People provide a "place to use force" and create opportunities for reckless people to cause trouble in chaos.
Leaving aside the famous generals during the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Tang Dynasty existed for more than two hundred years, and the number of famous generals that appeared during this period may not be as high as that of the early Tang Dynasty.
Famous generals are not born. When the world is in chaos, many famous ministers and generals will naturally emerge from the great waves.
As for the current generals in the imperial court, the Tang Dynasty was stable and there was no war at all. They would naturally fight for it whenever they had the opportunity.
"Your Majesty, I don't think we should send more troops to the border now," Changsun Wuji said.
"Fart, people are beating you right at the door of your house, can we still remain indifferent?" Cheng Yaojin shouted.
Yuchi Gong agreed: "That is, the duty of our generals is to protect our country. You civil servants can let the people be robbed. We are not as cruel as you."
He was originally at odds with Changsun Wuji, so naturally he would not give Changsun Wuji face.
Although Yuchi Gong was talking about Changsun Wuji, many people's faces turned ugly when they heard this.
They are also civil servants.
When Li Shimin saw this scene, he did not scold Yuchi Gong.
If a country wants to be strong, it needs wise kings and wise ministers.
But if all the civil and military officials in the DPRK and China were harmonious, then Li Shimin would not be able to sleep.
As long as it doesn't go too far, Li Shimin is happy to watch them fight.
Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Let's listen to what the auxiliary machine has to say first."
Changsun Wuji was not angry because of what Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong said, at least not on the surface.
"Your Majesty, the people on the border have been plundered by nomads, so what's the use of sending troops at this time?" Changsun Wuji said.
Although Cheng Yaojin and other generals did not agree with Changsun Wuji's words, they had no words to refute.
The people on the border have all been robbed, and it is impossible for the Western Turks and Xue Yantuo to go deep into the Tang Dynasty to plunder.
There is really no use sending troops at this time.
Changsun Wuji said: "I understand that your Majesty sent more troops to the border to frighten the nomads and to give an explanation to the people of the world. However, sending troops will consume too much, so it is better to find another method."
"What do the auxiliary engines think should be done?" Li Shimin asked.
"Your Majesty, I think we should send envoys to the Western Turks and Xue Yantuo to tell them that if they come to the Tang Dynasty to plunder, the Tang Dynasty will send troops to them." Changsun Wuji said.
Li Shimin frowned. It would be meaningless to send an envoy to condemn him like this. On the contrary, he would lose his momentum.
However, he knew that Changsun Wuji must have other intentions, so he thought about it carefully.
As an emperor, although he needs to know people well and make good use of them, and pool their wisdom, he cannot rely on his ministers for everything.
If this is the case, becoming a puppet is not far away.
Occasionally, you still have to show a certain amount of wisdom to let the courtiers know that the emperor is not easy to fool.
Therefore, Li Shimin did not let Changsun Wuji explain, but thought about it himself.
Soon, Li Shimin's eyes lit up and he understood Changsun Wuji's intention.
Changsun Wuji said that sending envoys to Western Turks and Xue Yantuo was actually to show the enemy's weakness.
Now that the people outside the border city have been robbed, and the remaining people have already lived in the city, there is little point in sending troops.
The reason why Li Shimin sent troops was not only to give an explanation to the people of the world.
Another purpose is to tell the Western Turks and Xue Yantuo that the Tang Dynasty is not without the power to fight.
Changsun Wuji's purpose was to let Western Turks and Xue Yantuo know that the Tang Dynasty really had no food to send troops.
If Wang Nian sat like this, it would only make the nomads think that the Tang Dynasty was weak and could be bullied, and it would become worse. But it is different now.
The goal of the Western Turks is to annex Xueyantuo and unify the grassland, but Xue Yantuo is now thinking about guarding against the Western Turks.
At this time, neither the Western Turks nor Xue Yantuo would come to provoke the Tang Dynasty.
Although Datang had previously traded a lot of grain to Western Turks and Xue Yantuo, they would definitely have suspicions and would definitely be on guard against Datang.
The Tang Dynasty has always been strong, but now it is being plundered, but it only sends envoys to condemn it. What will they think?
The Tang Dynasty was out of food and could not send out troops at all.
Although by doing so, they would not be defenseless against the Tang Dynasty, their defense against the Tang Dynasty would definitely be reduced to a minimum before next year's autumn harvest.
In this way, Datang could wait for them to fight and reap the benefits.
"How to give an explanation to the people of the world?" Li Shimin said solemnly.
When Li Shimin said this, everyone else knew that Li Shimin had actually agreed.
I just care about what the people think.
I have to say that Li Shimin is very concerned about face.
"Your Majesty, isn't there the Zhenguan Monthly? As long as the Western Turks and Xue Yantuo plundered the border people and the imperial court was preparing to launch troops on the grassland, wouldn't it be published in the newspaper?" Changsun Wuji said.
"Isn't this deceiving the people? If the people find out, where is the prestige of the court?" Cheng Yaojin said.
Changsun Wuji smiled faintly and said: "Who said you deceived the people? Didn't you say you were preparing? It's cold and freezing now, so it's definitely not suitable to send troops. When the weather gets warmer every year, we will first slowly transport ordnance, food and grass. In this way, the grassland will
It’s time for the situation to become clearer.”
"You've been published in the newspapers, don't those Huns know? How can they start a fight then?" Yu Chigong said.
Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "What if they knew? If they see that we are not making any movement, they will just think that we are bluffing."