Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 153

The Tibetan army pursued the Tang army, capturing the Tang general Lü Yuejiang alive and bringing him before Ma Chongying. Ma Chongying personally untied him, comforted him with kind words, and then inquired about the Tang court's movements. Lü Yuejiang replied:

"Ma Zhenxi has been defending you here for more than half a month. Prefect Gao took the opportunity to strengthen the defenses of Yong County, building strong fortifications throughout the Beishan and Wei River areas, making it impossible for even a single horse to pass. If you wish to attack Xijing again, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Moreover, the court has already ordered the Shuofang Army to march south and attack your rear, and has ordered the Shangjin Army, the Shanguo Army, and the Hedong Army to come to your aid one after another, with a total force of no less than 100,000. They will surely annihilate you all between Long and Feng!"

Upon hearing this, the various tribal leaders couldn't help but show a hint of fear, while Ma Chongying remained calm—he simply didn't believe it! However, he also feigned concern and turned to the leaders, saying, "If the Tang forces besiege us, our army will be unable to return... We can only send a envoy from the Western Qiang to attack Fengxiang first to assess the situation. If things go wrong, we should return to Longyou immediately, lest the hard-won opportunity for victory vanish into thin air."

An official spoke up: "Please send the looted goods and captured Tang people we have recently seized to Longyou as a precaution." Ma Chongying agreed.

He then dispatched a contingent of the barbarian army to urge the Qiang tribes to advance eastward, directly threatening the city of Yongxian. Yongxian was located on a plain, with no natural defenses except for a lake to the south. However, Gao Sheng temporarily set up more than ten camps around the city. After Ma Lin retreated, he immediately divided his troops to defend the city, controlling the battlefield and preventing the enemy from easily bypassing it.

With Nu Ci as the main force, the Qiang army launched a fierce attack on the Tang fortress. However, while the organized but undisciplined barbarian cavalry could roam freely on the plains, they lacked sufficient skills and means to breach fortifications. As a result, after three days of continuous attacks, they only managed to break through one Tang fortress, killing and wounding several hundred Tang soldiers while losing more than a thousand of their own.

Soon after, Ma Chongying led the main force of the Tibetan army to arrive.

Ma Chongying personally went to inspect Tanglei and ultimately decided to send the Western Qiang away. He planned to have his noble chieftains attack the fortress from different directions. If they could break through the fortress and approach the city wall in a short time, that would be best. Even if they failed, making the chieftains suffer a bit might make them obedient and stop.

Previously, the fierce attack on Dazhen Pass had crippled four armies. The leading noble chieftains wept and begged for a large amount of spoils before retreating to the rear. If one or two more armies were crippled, perhaps the obstacles in front of Ma Chongying would be reduced, and he would have a chance to negotiate peace with the Tang people and withdraw his troops.

Originally, Ma Chongying was unwilling to lose too many of his barbarian soldiers, but those officials had almost driven him to the brink of despair, so he didn't care anymore—as long as it wasn't his own men who died!

With the plan finalized, Ma Chongying directly named the five tribal leaders—those who had been the most vocal in their calls to storm Chang'an—to launch a simultaneous attack on the Tang fortifications from different directions. Ma Lin personally led his troops out of the city to provide support, but was repelled by Ma Chongying's ambush. However, the Tang army fought valiantly, battling from dawn until noon, and the barbarian army, at a two-to-one casualty ratio, only managed to breach two fortifications.

In the midst of the fierce battle, a sudden tremor shook the earth. Ma Chongying looked up and saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance. Then, countless Tang cavalry surged forward, their thousands of hooves pounding the ground with astonishing force, like a continuous barrage of thunder!

Ma Chongying exclaimed in surprise, "Tang reinforcements have arrived! I wonder which garrison they are from, and how many troops they have?" The proportion of cavalry varied among Tang garrisons. Garrisons like Shuofang and Hebei, which controlled the best horse-producing regions, typically had over 10% cavalry. However, garrisons along the Huai River and south of the Yangtze River often had fewer than a hundred cavalrymen out of every ten thousand troops—but such distant regions generally wouldn't be mobilized from Guanzhong. If we consider nearby garrisons like Shannan and Shaanxi-Guo, with several thousand cavalrymen in front, wouldn't the infantry following behind be at least fifty or sixty thousand?!

He hastily ordered the troops attacking the fortified position to withdraw and commanded the Qiang army to meet them and try to halt the enemy's advance.

From afar, shouts seemed to drift on the wind. Ma Chongying asked his men, "Are those Tang people shouting? What are they saying?" One of his subordinates, with a better ear, replied, "It sounds like—'Li Er, the governor of Jingzhao, who defends Longyou against the barbarians, is here!'"

Ma Chongying was greatly surprised: "I heard that Li Ji has gone to Hebei, how could he have come here? Could this be the Hebei army?!"

He had already learned about the Tang Dynasty's strategic plan for this autumn through various channels, including through the initiative of Fan Zhicheng of the Shuofang Army, who sent people to make contact. The plan was to first gather troops in Longxi to await the arrival of the Tubo. Therefore, he launched his troops ahead of schedule, catching the Tang army off guard. If the Tang Dynasty had simultaneously ordered the Hebei troops to come to the western front, they would have arrived around the same time!

Why would they mobilize troops from Hebei for no apparent reason? Could it be that I underestimated the Tang Emperor's resolve, and that he intends to concentrate the nation's elite forces in Longxi for a desperate last stand, hoping to annihilate our main force in one fell swoop? If the Hebei troops are here, what about the Henan troops? What about the Hedong troops? Could they be trying to cut off our rear?!

It's no wonder Ma Chongying had such a vivid imagination; after all, within the entire Tibetan Empire, aside from Trisong Detsen, he was probably the one with the deepest understanding of the Tang Dynasty's national strength and war potential. Sometimes, the more a person knows, the more they inevitably think...

As the saying goes, "The older you get in the world, the more timid you become."

The newcomer was indeed Li Ji, leading a thousand cavalry—including nine hundred and ninety Baoying soldiers, twenty of his own personal guards, and a Jia Huai—who had left Chang'an two days prior and were heading west at breakneck speed.

The fighting strength of this cavalry was guaranteed, and it was incomparable to the Imperial Guards during the Tianbao era. Emperor Suzong Li Heng had originally formed the Yingwu and Weiyuan armies and incorporated the Shence Army when he abandoned Chang'an, because the six armies had scattered and were unusable. After Li Yu ascended the throne, he allocated a large amount of military supplies to these new Northern Army Six Armies.

Even after the fall of the two capitals and the collapse of half the empire, the core military equipment manufacturing technology remained in the hands of the Tang court and was not widely dispersed. As a result, the equipment of the Imperial Guards was far superior to that of the foreign armies—even Li Ji's personal guards couldn't help but show envy in front of ordinary Imperial Guard soldiers. As for pay and provisions, needless to say, even the officials of the Ministry of War wouldn't dare to skimp on the Imperial Guards' rations, even if they were just drinking soup.

The Tang court's finances were indeed stretched thin, but it was still sufficient to support the six armies of the Northern Army, which numbered less than ten thousand. Moreover, Li Yu would occasionally use funds from the imperial treasury to reward the six armies in order to win them over.

Most of the members of these six armies were veterans from Guanzhong. Even though their courage had waned due to long-term garrisoning of the capital region and lack of battles, their basic qualities were still superior. In particular, Li Ji, Li Sheng, Ma Sui, and other generals had put a lot of thought and effort into training these six armies.

Most importantly, although the Imperial Stables were basically reduced to only "Flying Dragons," they still held a thousand fine horses. Combined with the existing forces of the Six Armies, it wouldn't be difficult to muster two thousand cavalrymen from Chang'an. Li Ji asked Cheng Yuanzhen for cavalry. Cheng Yuanzhen, like Li Fuguo in the past, held a multitude of official positions, including the idle stable officer. Since he had already given Li Ji face, he decided to go all the way and not only allocated nine hundred and ninety-nine cavalrymen without any hesitation, but also allowed Li Ji to select brave men from the Baoying Army.

Li Ji had only been away from Baoying Army for a year, and more than half of the officers and soldiers in the army were still familiar faces. So he counted a dozen or so heads and ordered them to select the elite to set off with him. His original intention was to go to the western front to investigate the battle situation in detail so that he could come up with a reliable strategy in front of the emperor. But with a thousand cavalry, how could he not take action if he really encountered the barbarian bandits? Since he was going to take action, he naturally had to choose the best fighters to bring along.

After two days of rapid march, they arrived at Qishan County, where they encountered Ma Lin's messenger again, seeking reinforcements. They learned that the Tang army had retreated to Fengxiang, and that the Tibetan and Qiang tribes were fiercely attacking the city's outposts. Li Ji ordered his soldiers to rest well in Qishan for the night, and the next day led a thousand cavalry westward along the Wei River, bypassing the south of Yong County. With a single command, they charged straight into the Tibetan army's ranks, shouting in unison, "Li Er, the commander of Jingzhao, who defends Longyou against the Tibetans, has arrived!"

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Real and the Fake Princess

In any battle, it's essential to first send out scouts to thoroughly investigate the enemy's situation before slowly approaching and launching an attack when an opening arises. However, after analyzing the battle situation the previous night, Li Ji decided—

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, let me be reckless one more time!

He had already learned about the situation at Yongxian from the envoy sent from Fengxiang to Chang'an. The Tang army was defending the fortified positions against the Tibetans and Qiang. Based on Ma Lin's tactical skills and battle plan, it was unlikely that the Tibetan army could break through all the fortified positions and reach Yongxian in just one or two days unless they launched a full-scale attack regardless of casualties.

Even if they manage to reach the city walls, surely a fortified city cannot fall in a single day?

Even if we assume the Tang army suffers a major defeat and Fengxiang falls, surely not a single defeated soldier will be unable to escape? If I encounter defeated soldiers on the way, I will naturally turn my horse around and rush back to Chang'an; as long as I don't encounter defeated soldiers, I can charge straight at the barbarian camp under the city without prior reconnaissance!

Unless Ma Chongying is a master strategist, it's unlikely he would set an ambush for me.

Moreover, even though the fortifications outside the city have been breached, it would be impossible for the Tibetans to build strong fortifications and implement a siege and reinforcement strategy in just one or two days.

Li Ji made this assessment. On the Tibetan side, there were naturally scouts scattered across the fields, concealing the battlefield and gathering intelligence. The problem was that the Tang cavalry arrived far too quickly, and with a thousand riders galloping at full speed, no one dared to confront them, and there was basically no time to return to camp and report. Caught completely off guard, Li Ji managed to successfully approach the Tibetan formation.

Ma Chongying was momentarily stunned, still wondering: Is this really Li Ji? Is this really a Hebei soldier? This slight hesitation in the command system affected the soldiers on the front line, with disastrous consequences.

He hastily ordered the troops still attacking the Tang fortress to retreat, but the Tang army, seeing reinforcements arrive, were greatly encouraged—although they were unaware that only a thousand cavalry had come—and seized the opportunity to pursue and kill their way out of the fortress, making it difficult for the Tibetan army to retreat smoothly, thus causing chaos. Ma Lin, seeing this from the city wall, also hurriedly led his troops out to fight. In an instant, the tide of battle turned.

Ma Chongying ordered the Western Qiang to intercept them, but the scattered Qiang cavalry were no match for the Tang Dynasty's semi-armored cavalry. Li Ji shouted and fired a volley of arrows, killing dozens of riders, and the rest were terrified. Then, the barbarian cavalry mixed in with the Qiang army shouted, "It's Li Er again!" and turned their horses to flee, causing the Qiang army to collapse.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Ma Chongying sent his generals to cover the rear and hurriedly fled west, leaving the battlefield—Li Ji, however, was unwilling to pursue him far.

Actually, Li Ji hadn't expected his reckless attack to be so effective. He had defeated the combined forces of the Tibetans and Qiang in a single charge. He hadn't had enough of the killing and wanted to pursue them further. However, in order to surprise the enemy and create momentum, he led his cavalry in a charge when they were still more than a mile away from the battlefield. By the time the Tibetan army retreated, their horses were exhausted and they could no longer run.

If we were to pursue them at a great distance, it's estimated that half of these thousand-plus warhorses would be exhausted, and we might not even be able to inflict significant casualties on the enemy. It would be a complete loss.

So they slowly reined in their horses, met up with Ma Lin, and returned to Fengxiang Prefecture.

Gao Sheng then expressed his deepest gratitude.

Gao Sheng and Li Ji had some disagreements when they were in Longyou, but times have changed. Although the young man's rank was not as high as his own, he was now a favorite general of the emperor. How could he dare to offend him? Especially since Fengxiang Prefecture was in imminent danger and it was only thanks to Li Ji leading troops to its aid that the barbarian bandits were driven back. Gao Sheng was not a complete ingrate; he was ultimately grateful.

If it weren't for Li Ji's arrival to help, Gao Sheng, who was incapable of fighting, would not have had the confidence to hold Yong County for long. Even if he didn't die at the hands of the rebels, he would still be unable to bear the guilt of losing territory.

Li Ji appeared tough on the surface, but was actually quite shrewd. Although he looked down on Gao Sheng, the latter greeted him with a smile, so he couldn't very well refuse him. Thus, they entered the city hand in hand, and Gao Sheng said he would host a banquet for Li Weibo.

Li Ji waved his hand and said, "The bandits haven't gone far, and they may come again. There's no time for a feast." He then revealed that what he had brought this time was not reinforcements, but rather that the Emperor, unaware of the situation at the front, had sent him to scout ahead.

"Now that we have summoned the Shangzhou army to the north to provide relief, I fear it will take at least ten days for them to arrive."

Upon hearing this, Gao Sheng's face immediately fell. "As Changwei said, the enemy has not gone far, and their momentum has not been severely weakened..." Although he did not know much about military affairs, he could roughly understand from the people on the city wall that although the Fan and Qiang tribes had retreated, they had not pursued them far, and they had not brought back many heads. "If they rest for a day or two and then come back, how will we deal with them?"

Li Ji bowed to Ma Lin and said, "The fortifications set up by Ma Zhenxi outside the city are clearly layered and are truly capable of defending against bandits..."

Gao Sheng thought to himself, "That was my idea, alright? Although it was a plan devised by my behind-the-scenes advisor."

"...If we quickly repair the fortifications, it will not be difficult for Fengxiang to hold out for ten days."

He verbally comforted Ma Lin and Gao Sheng, but inwardly he was also worried. If Li Qijun acted quickly, he could indeed gather the defeated soldiers who had fled to Shangzhou and rush to Fengxiang in ten days. The question was, how many soldiers would he have? And how much fighting strength would they have left? It seemed that the only option was to rush back to Chang'an and wait for the Shaanxi-Guo army to be summoned to the capital, then try every means to bring over the main force of the Six Armies of the Northern Army.

Ma Lin sent men to scout the enemy's strength, while Gao Sheng ordered the mobilization of laborers to repair the fortifications. He then prepared a banquet to entertain Li Ji. Under the influence of alcohol, Li Ji, feigning nonchalance, asked Gao Sheng, "I have a request to make. I wonder if you, sir, would be so kind as to grant it?"

Gao Sheng nodded repeatedly: "Whatever you have to say, Chief Guard, I will listen to everything you have to say..."

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Li Ji did not stay in Yong County for long. The next morning, upon hearing that the combined forces of the Fan and Qiang tribes had retreated to their old camp at the western entrance of the Wei River Plain and estimated that they would not dare to come again for a day or two, he gathered his troops and returned to Chang'an. He went to pay homage to Li Yu and had just finished explaining the course of his journey. Just as he was about to plead with Li Yu to allow him to lead the six armies of the Northern Army on the expedition, a young eunuch suddenly peeked out from the palace gate.

Cheng Yuanzhen understood, apologized, went out to inquire, and then rushed back in, loudly proclaiming, "Congratulations everyone! Congratulations to everyone!"

Li Yu raised an eyebrow: "What's so good to hear? Has the barbarian bandits retreated?"

"Although the bandits have not retreated, they are probably not far away—a messenger from Fengxiang reports that the barbarian envoy has come to sue for peace."

Ma Lin and Li Ji repelled the Tibetan army twice at the walls of Yong County, but the number of casualties was limited and did not cripple the Tibetan army. However, Ma Lin's victory was one thing, but Li Ji's victory dealt a great psychological blow to the Western Qiang allied forces.

In particular, Li Ji relayed Li Bi's plan to Ma Lin and Gao Sheng, including ordering the Shuofang army to march south to Yuan and Jing prefectures to seize the opportunity to attack the strongholds of the various Qiang tribes. Ma Lin immediately sent someone to secretly inform Tuoba Chaoguang, with whom he had previously been in contact, and spread the word among the Qiang tribes. As a result, the Dangxiang Qiang left without prior notice, and other tribes such as the Tuyuhun and Nuci also dispersed one after another...

Having gained such a favorable position, Ma Chongying finally persuaded the various tribal leaders to temporarily hold back their troops, send envoys back the captured Tang general Lü Yuejiang, and take the opportunity to negotiate peace with the Tang.

Four days later, the envoy arrived in Chang'an. It was the same envoy who had come a few years before—Qilibuzang, a trusted general of Ma Chongying.

The conditions proposed by the Tibetan side were that both sides agree to take Longdi as the boundary, with the west belonging to Tibet and the east belonging to Tang, and request that the Tang emperor marry Princess Yizhen to Trisong Detsen, so that the two families could form a marriage alliance again.

Chancellor Yuan Zai and others advocated accepting the conditions offered by the Tibetans. They argued that since the prefectures of Longyou had already fallen to the rebels, why cling to empty promises? They suggested waiting until the Tang Dynasty had accumulated strength for several years and the troops in Guanzhong were strong before launching a campaign to retake Longyou through Dazhen Pass.

Alliances are just that—alliances. They can be torn up at any time given the right excuse.

Li Mi, however, held a dissenting opinion, saying: "If the Tibetans gain control of Longyou, they will cut off the Hexi Corridor, leaving Anxi and Beiting isolated. The people in those two places are fierce and control fifty-seven kingdoms in the Western Regions and the Ten Tribes of the Turks, which can restrain the Tibetans. If the court does not abandon Longyou, everyone will look forward to the imperial army's expedition, and they will surely sharpen their swords and take up their bows to fight against the Tibetans. If the court allies with the Tibetans and abandons Longyou, it will be tantamount to abandoning Anxi and Beiting. Those people will deeply resent China, and one day they will invade with the Tibetans as if to settle a personal score."

He suggested that at the negotiating table, the two countries should insist on using Menggu and Chiling as the border, and then retreat eastward mile by mile, with the bottom line being to retain Lanzhou and Weizhou. As for "rewarding" Tibet with some money and silk, that would not be a problem.

The Tang court generally found the marriage proposal acceptable, but Li Yu's desire to marry a daughter of the imperial family was rejected by Qilibuzang—"My family seeks a true princess, why offer a false one?" The negotiating officials explained to him that there was no difference between a true and a false princess, but Qilibuzang simply shook his head: "Li Erlang once said that even Princess Wencheng and Princess Jincheng were false princesses. Why does the Tang family marry a true princess to the Uyghurs, but refuse to marry a true princess to our Tibetan king?"

Li Yu then summoned Li Ji to ask him about it. Li Ji spread his hands and said, "It was just some cursing on the battlefield. There are never any nice words when people curse each other. How could that barbarian have taken it seriously?"

Li Yu said with displeasure, "If you were still a minor general in Longyou, your words could be laughed off. But now that you have become a military governor, how can you defend yourself if the barbarians seize on this as an excuse?"

Otherwise, you should go to the Court of State Ceremonial and explain to them in person.

Li Ji clicked his tongue softly, thinking to himself, "How am I supposed to explain this?" But the emperor's refusal to marry off his daughter showed a bit more humanity than his father's... After thinking for a moment, he crossed his hands and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, is it truly necessary to negotiate peace with Tibet?"

Li Yu glanced at him in surprise: "If we don't make peace with the barbarians, do you have a plan to repel the enemy?"

Li Ji replied clearly and logically: "The barbarian thieves are insatiable. Having already taken Longyou, they have invaded Fengxiang and now they want the real princess. If we give in too easily, who knows if they won't take advantage of us further? Our Tang Dynasty has negotiated peace with the barbarians more than once, yet war has never ceased. This shows that the Yuan ministers and others have suggested giving in to the barbarians first, and then pursuing Longyou after our national strength has recovered. Even our nation of propriety holds this intention, let alone the barbarian thieves. Even if they achieve their goal this year and retreat, they will surely come back next year."

"The barbarian bandits occupy Longyou and demand that Longdi be used as the boundary, but this is merely to cut off the western route so that they can take Zhenxi and Beiting. Therefore, when my elder brother suggested using Qin and Wei as the boundary, they would certainly not agree. Since they have already seized the land, how could they possibly redeem it with a little wealth? So if they will not agree to use Longdi as the boundary, why would they agree to marry off the princess? Regardless of whether it is true or not."

"Your Majesty's current concern is that the Tibetan rebels still occupy Longshang and are unwilling to retreat hastily. There is a fear that if the peace negotiations fail, they will invade Fengxiang again, threatening Chang'an. However, this time it was not us who sought peace; it was the Tibetans who first sent envoys to request peace. This shows that the rebels have no intention of lingering. Regardless of whether the peace negotiations succeed or fail, they will retreat this year and there will be no further large-scale invasions..."

Li Yu frowned slightly: "Can you guarantee that the barbarian bandits will retreat?"

Li Ji shook his head: "This is my guess, but I dare not say for sure. I only want to remind Your Majesty that what Your Majesty seeks is the retreat of the rebels, not the completion of the agreement."

Li Yu stroked his beard, pondered for a long time, and then said, "The envoy from the barbarian tribe said that as long as the agreement is reached, the army will withdraw, and all the officials agree with this. Only you have a different view... But what plan do you have to make the enemy withdraw their army even if the agreement fails?"

Li Ji pleaded, "Please allow me to discuss this with my elder brother before reporting back to Your Majesty."

He then went to the Hanlin Academy to discuss the matter with Li Mi. Li Mi said, "I also believe that the barbarian bandits have already decided to retreat. Their request for peace is merely a formality. However, the Emperor does not believe it. Therefore, he is willing to defy the Prime Minister and oppose the cession of Longyou, just to delay the time. It is common for peace negotiations to take three to five months to be completed. But can the barbarian bandits really stay for three to five months and not leave by next spring?"

Li Ji advised, "We still need to use some means to hasten the thief's departure and put the emperor's mind at ease."

So he discussed it with Li Bi for a long time, and the next day he went to the Honglu Temple to see Qilibuzang.

However, Li Ji did not go alone; he also brought along two senior military officers—Guo Ziyi and Pugu Huai'en. Meanwhile, Qilibuzang was arguing with the Imperial Censor Xue Jingxian and others, insisting on using Longdi as the boundary and demanding the true princess, when a minor official suddenly reported in. Xue Jingxian immediately got up, straightened his clothes, and went out to greet him.

Qilibuzang was quite puzzled, wondering what was going on. Could it be that the Tang Emperor himself had come to negotiate with him? Probably not... It was most likely the Prime Minister who had come.

He then rose to wait respectfully. Before long, Xue Jingxian led in three people. The first two were dressed in purple robes, at least fifty years old, with robust physiques and vigorous spirits. The last one was an official in a red robe, with a thick beard, but his face looked quite young.

The official in purple robes who was in the lead said, "The Emperor has sent us here to listen to his discussions so that we can report back." He then sat down at the head of the table, waved his hand to signal everyone to sit down, and said, "You gentlemen, please discuss this. We are just here to listen and will not interrupt." Only the official in red robes did not sit down. Instead, he glanced at Qilibuzang with a malicious smile and asked, "Does the envoy recognize me?"

Qilibuzang examined him closely and replied, "You seem somewhat familiar. May I ask who you are...?"

The other party laughed loudly and said, "Of course you look familiar. I have ridden my horse and brandished my spear on the battlefield many times, killing countless of your soldiers and generals. In the Shanxi Valley, I almost captured Ma Chongying, but I was just one step away from erecting the 'Monument to Kill Ma'!"

Qilibuzang was greatly surprised: "You are Li Erlang!"

Li Ji reached out and patted him hard on the shoulder: "You are a famous general of Tibet, yet you escaped on the battlefield. Unexpectedly, you have delivered yourself to our doorstep today..."

Qilibuzang felt a jolt in his heart, and then heard the old man in purple robes at the head of the table reprimand him: "This is the Court of State Ceremonial, Li Weibo must not be disrespectful to the foreign envoys." He then smiled at Qilibuzang: "I have not yet been introduced. I am Guo Ziyi." He pointed to the purple-robed official next to him, who seemed somewhat listless: "This is Pugu Huai'en."

"Greetings to Minister Guo, and Minister Pugu..."

Pugu Huaien shook his head: "I have just received the order to relinquish my position as Left Minister of Works and assume the post of Minister of Agriculture..."

"Congratulations on your promotion, Minister of Works Pugu." Qilibuzang was somewhat knowledgeable about China, which was why Ma Chongying sent him to negotiate peace time and time again. He naturally knew that Minister of Works was one of the Three Dukes, and his position was on par with Grand Commandant Li Guangbi and Minister of Works Guo Ziyi. However, this was just an honorary title given to a military man, and he could not really participate in important military affairs.

Guo Ziyi pointed again: "You recognize Li, the military governor of Weibo." Li Ji smiled sinisterly: "Of course I recognize him, otherwise I wouldn't remember my words on the battlefield the other day, that I would definitely ask for my Tang Zhen princess for the Tibetan king."

Chapter 40, Dong Zhuo's Old Tricks

Several generations of Tang emperors were prolific fathers. Li Yu alone had eleven sons, three of whom were granted the title of prince. As for daughters, he had seven. Moreover, from Princess Yongqing, who was the third in line, all of them were still minors. Princess Lingxian and Princess Zhengding, who were above him, died young. Princess Yongqing had already married Pei Fang.

Therefore, he was unwilling to marry the "real princess" to the Tibetan king—my daughters are all still young, how could I bear to send them to a foreign land and live there forever? He did have a younger sister, Princess Yongmu, whose husband, Wei Hui, had died and she was a widow… but Li Yu still couldn't bear to part with her!

Compared to his father, Emperor Suzong Li Heng, Li Yu still values ​​kinship more—at least so far.

That's why he asked Li Ji to explain to the foreign envoys that in Tang Dynasty, there is only the distinction between princesses and county princesses, not between real princesses and fake princesses. Anyway, there are a lot of women in the imperial family, so we can just confer a princess title and marry her off to Trisong Detsen.

Chancellor Yuan Zai also suggested: "Our Tang Dynasty married the two Ningguo princesses to the Uyghurs, and the Uyghurs twice sent troops to help quell the An Lushan Rebellion; if we could marry the princess to the Tibetan king, it would surely resolve the long-standing feud between the two families, and perhaps even make Tibet no longer our enemy."

Li Mi, however, retorted: "Our Tang dynasty originally married Princess Wencheng and Princess Jincheng to the former Zanpu of Tibet, but the two sides were constantly at war, which shows that marriage alliances could not quell the greed of those barbarians. Marrying princesses to the Uyghurs is a gesture of good neighborliness from the Uyghurs, hence this reward to solidify our friendship; if Tibet is willing to first return Longyou, with Menggu and Chiling as the border, and agree to a peace treaty and cease hostilities, then we can discuss marriage alliances. If they do not agree, and after marrying the princesses, the Yuan prime minister still intends to reclaim Longyou in the future, wouldn't that be untrustworthy, unjust, and damaging to the prestige of our Tang dynasty?"

Actually, Li Mi didn't oppose the Tang-Tibet peace treaty involving marriage alliances, or the marriage of a princess—regardless of whether she was the emperor's own daughter. If a woman could bring an end to the war, that would be incredibly beneficial and cost-effective. The words he used to refute Yuan Zai were ones he had learned from Li Ji during a previous debate.

Li Ji believed that whether two countries went to war or made peace was always determined by the relative strengths of both sides, not by marriage alliances—in political matters, no one truly considers feelings. For example, in the early Han Dynasty, princesses were sent to the Xiongnu for generations, and the Xiongnu invaded year after year. If the son-in-law was powerful, he would still beat his father-in-law. As for Wang Zhaojun's marriage to the Xiongnu, it was only because Huhanye was first driven to desperation that the marriage alliance was used to strengthen the bond between the two families.

Princess Wencheng's marriage to the Tibetans was predicated on the Tibetan invasion, which was soundly defeated by the Tang army. However, the Tang could not launch a full-scale attack on Lhasa and wipe out the entire region. Both sides had the intention to make peace before the marriage was agreed upon. The marriage of Princess Xiao Ningguo to the Uyghur Khan was based on the same principle.

Therefore, marriage alliances are merely icing on the cake; they can bring friendly nations closer, but they cannot turn enemies into friends. If we apply Li Ji's theory to today, then Tibet is unwilling to return Longyou, nor is it willing to withdraw its troops immediately. Its hostility remains deep, and its ambitions remain fervent. So what good would simply marrying a princess do?

Li Bi felt that Li Ji's words seemed to make some sense... but he wasn't completely convinced. Ultimately, for these ancient scholar-officials, regardless of whether it was useful or not, for the sake of the country, what did it matter if a woman's happiness was sacrificed? As for refuting Yuan Zai, he was certain that regardless of whether the peace treaty succeeded or not, the Tibetans would inevitably withdraw their troops. Therefore, it was best to drag out the negotiations and not agree to any of their conditions. Besides, if the princess were really married off, would we still have a legitimate reason to recover Longyou in the future?

Yuan Zai deeply resented Li Bi for this reason, but let's leave that aside for now. After Li Ji and Li Bi made their decision, they reported back to Li Yu. The next day, Li Ji dragged Guo Ziyi and Pugu Huai'en to the Honglu Temple to see Qi Libuzang. The purpose was to show that the Tang Dynasty had gathered many good generals. If you linger and do not leave, you should think carefully about the future war.

He further questioned Qilibuzang: "When I was on the battlefield, you actually believed the real Princess Yunzhen and the fake Princess? If that's the case, I also said that you are all beasts with fur and horns, and that the Tibetan king is a gorilla king. Would you admit that too?!"

Guo Ziyi naturally rebuked him: "Li Weibo, watch your mouth!"

Li Ji rolled his eyes: "I don't know what the sage wants us to hear. Land and population have always been seized by the knife, how can they be settled by negotiating at the dinner table? At the meeting at Mianchi, if Lian Po hadn't deployed his chariots on the border, I bet Lin Xiangru would not have been able to escort King Zhao back to Handan alive!"

"The day before yesterday, before the royal army had assembled, we still had to appease the foreign envoys; now that..."

Guo Ziyi frowned, slapped his thigh, and shouted, "Li Weibo, if you are impatient to listen, you may leave. We will report back to the Emperor afterward!" He abruptly interrupted Li Ji.