Chapter 249 Tubo becomes a vassal and returns to Chang'an

The next day, the army left Huangshui one after another.

Li Xuan personally escorted the Heshuo army for more than ten miles. He chatted with generals such as Wang Sili and Ashina Fuwen as they walked.

He was thinking about the generals of Helong, wondering how many of them would be available at the critical moment.

Li Guangbi was a man loyal to his country.

Although Li Xuan was a descendant of Li Shimin, he was not eligible to inherit the throne under the royal family system.

Even if all of Li Longji's descendants died, it would be the turn of Li Zhi's descendants.

Hedong may be obtained by An Lushan in the future.

But An Lushan did not control the Hedong Army.

During the Anshi Rebellion, An Lushan only started his rebellion with the Hu tribe alliance composed of Fan Yang, Pinglu, Khitan, Xi, Wei Shi, Mohe, Tongluo, etc.

As the seat of the Hedong Jiedushi, Taiyuan was never conquered by either An Lushan or Shi Siming.

After watching the Helong cavalry march away, Li Xuan sighed.

He had recommended Wang Sili as the commander of the left wing of the Shuofang Army, Ashina Fuwen as the commander of the Feng'an Army, and his former subordinate Guo Hecang as the deputy commander of the Feng'an Army.

He also has a huge influence on the 8,000 Feng'an troops in Lingwu County.

Li Xuan's roots are in Longyou and Hexi.

Even if he did not hold military power, he was confident that he could gain control of the troops by just raising his hand.

After a few years, the personal guards who once followed him and the soldiers who once fought with him would all grow into backbone members.

The generals he promoted were generally young, some in their early twenties, and all of them could reach adulthood.

The Hedong and Longyou armies left, but their main generals Li Guangbi and Cheng Gui stayed and went to Chang'an with Li Xuan to receive the heroic medals awarded by Li Longji.

……

As time went by, under the rule of becoming prime minister based on military merit, Li Xuan's potential to become prime minister became increasingly obvious.

At this time, Li Xuan's achievements spread all over the country, and his prestige grew day by day.

Compared with Li Xuan's achievements, those generals who became prime ministers because of their military achievements in the past are not worth mentioning.

Li Xuan plagiarized many poems. Poetry in this era was a plus for ministers.

Li Xuan has also handled many cases and proposed financial management strategies with significant results.

People used to think that Li Xuan’s age was a flaw.

Now, Li Xuan's age has been ignored. His achievements and maturity have long made up for his age disadvantage.

Li Xuan himself also has this feeling.

That's why he made arrangements for his subordinates in advance.

Gongshu Qingzi had already made a cotton-bouncing bow and a cotton-bouncing hammer.

Previously, a Hu merchant from Cao State gave Li Xuan a bag of cotton. Li Xuan took it out and tried to flick it, but found it was quite difficult.

After many improvements, it became much easier.

Li Xuan ordered the craftsmen to manufacture at least a hundred mature cotton-fluffing bows and cotton-fluffing hammers.

More will be made in the future.

Gongshu Qingzi taught the soldiers, and when the cotton was ripe, he asked the soldiers to pick the cotton for the people.

Li Xuan recorded how to use cotton in a book and gave it to his assistants, asking them to convey it to the people.

"Your Highness, General Li, I, the great Tibetan minister, Enlanda Zhalugong, request an audience as an envoy."

As soon as the soldiers outside Huangshui City withdrew, Luo Xing went inside to report to Li Xuan.

Enlanda Zhalugong was escorted all the way to Huangshui City by the Tang army with only a few followers.

"The Tubo finally arrived. I thought they were unwilling to accept it!"

Li Xuan had not gone to Chang'an because he was waiting for news from Tubo.

After Mojie Sangdongzebu told him what happened in Tubo, Li Xuan felt that if Mashang Zhongbajie came to power, he would most likely compromise with the Tang Dynasty.

Because if you don't compromise, you will be destroyed!

There is no need for Li Xuan. The Tang army can cross the Bayankala Mountains after completing plateau training.

"Bring the Tibetan theory to the government office!"

Li Xuan asked his personal guards to bring Enlanda Zhalu Gong into Huangshui City.

Half an hour later, Enlanda Zhalugong stood outside the government office.

He looked up at the solemn governor's office with mixed feelings.

I still remember that when the Tang Emperor went hunting, Li Xuan placed the bones on the north and the meat on the south.

It was used to implicitly criticize Tubo for not taking action against the Indian countries, but instead provoking the powerful Tang Dynasty.

With the national strength of Tubo, those small countries in India can be easily conquered.

Faced with Li Xuan's sarcasm, the unyielding Enlanda Zhalugong smashed his bones with stones, implying that he could conquer the Tang Dynasty.

The fact is, in two years, everything has collapsed.

It wasn't just Tubo's teeth that were broken; he even swallowed his own teeth, damaging his internal organs.

The conflicts within the country were only temporarily suppressed. The intrigues among the nobles and the resentment among the people were never extinguished.

The snowy plateau is no longer a natural barrier.

Just as Maxiang Zhongbajie said, once Li Xuan is ready and leads his troops into the basin, there will be nobles with ulterior motives who will become Li Xuan's guide.

Therefore, Nlanda Zhalugong felt that he had a heavy responsibility.

There was another thing that made Enlanda Zhalugong very conflicted. The person he was loyal to, Chidai Zhudan, was captured alive by Li Xuan.

"please!"

The guard in front of the yamen just uttered a word and let Enlanda Zhalu Gong enter.

Enlanda Zhalugong entered the government office and walked into the main hall.

He tried to keep himself calm.

At the first seat in the main hall, Li Xuan was reading a classic book.

Enlanda Zhalu walked in respectfully, but Li Xuan seemed not to hear anything.

"Enlanda Zhalugong, the 37th Tibetan Zamp, is here to meet the Great Tang Marshal!"

Nlanda Zhalugong revealed his identity.

Li Xuan then put down the book and looked at Nlanda Zhalugong and teased: "Can Trisong Detsen appoint a special envoy when he is not yet weaned? Does he know that his father is still alive?"

"Are there not enough young rulers in the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains?"

Enlanda Zhalugong felt that Li Xuan was humiliating her and retorted subconsciously.

"The young rulers of the Han Dynasty were surrounded by treacherous and corrupt officials, so most of them did not have a good ending. Are you and Maxiang Zhongbajie such people?" Li Xuan asked back without changing his expression.

"You will never understand the loyalty of us Tibetans."

Nlandazalugong argued strongly.

"Loyal? General Shang Duore bravely went to his death, and Shang Jie Si Xiuting rushed before his death. I thought that those who broke through hard bones were courageous people."

"I didn't find you outside the Dafei River, I didn't find you inside the Dafei River, I didn't find you on the Dafei River Ancient Road, and I didn't find you in Huashi Gorge. All the generals around Chidai Zhudan died, and you were crawling alone on the snow. You are so pitiful, the great Zamp."

"If I hadn't asked after the war, I would have thought that General Enlan was admiring the snow in Luoshui City and looking up at the sky in Hongshan Palace. Is this loyalty?"

Li Xuan's words were very insulting and even more hurtful.

When Nlandazalugong heard this, his face turned red and he felt ashamed.

Especially when he learned that the Zamp was lying alone in the snow and was mocked by Li Xuan as pitiful, Enlanda Zhalugong wanted to commit suicide.

But he has his own mission, which is more important than his own life.

He also thought of the time when they were hunting and Li Xuan was eloquent and changeable.

He was actually seduced by Li Xuan's verbal trap, so he had no momentum at all.

"Marshal, since Princess Wencheng entered Tubo, the Tang Dynasty and Tubo have formed an uncle-nephew alliance and have advanced and retreated together. Over the past hundred years, there have been many misunderstandings, which led us to fight. Our Zamp hopes to make peace with the Tang Dynasty and sign an alliance again. With the highest sacrificial ceremony, let the heavens witness our friendship. I also hope that the Marshal can release the Zamp to return to Lhasa!"

Nlandazalu Gong didn't dare to say anything else and bowed and got to the point.

He didn't just crawl on the ground and surrender, but instead thought about fighting for something.

"If Chidai Zhudan goes back, who will be the king? After he goes back, can he bring back 330,000 Tibetans? If not, the nobles will be dissatisfied and the people will be angry."

Li Xuan's answer was irrelevant. He seemed to know the situation in Tubo very well.

"The hundred-year war between Tang and Tubo was caused by your greed. Tang was also greedy, but Tang had an appetite. You Tubo are trying to swallow an elephant like a snake, which is overestimating your own capabilities. Your first king, Chi Nie Zamp, built the Yumbulakang Castle just to prevent wild yaks. Now you want to build the castle on Tang land, which is also the reason for Tubo's failure."

"Besides, you are challenging my patience by talking nonsense like this."

Li Xuan interrupted what Enlanda Zhalugong was about to say.

Tell him that the strong are respected.

If you win, you can laugh out loud.

If you lose, just accept the punishment.

If you can’t get it on the battlefield, how can you expect to get it at the negotiating table?
Li Xuan is not someone from later generations.

"This is a letter from Tubo. Marshal, please present it to the Emperor of Tang. We Tubo are willing to be crowned, pay tribute every year, and come to the court every year..."

Nlandazalugong took a deep breath and said no more. He took out the parchment scroll from the package and presented it respectfully.

Faced with the powerful Li Xuan, they only have this one way. Saying more will only bring humiliation upon themselves.

"You have invaded without reason, slaughtered my people, and abducted my border residents. It is easy to start a war, but it is not that easy to surrender after you lose. Thirty thousand elite cavalry will leave the Bayankala Pass and break into the Hongshan Palace within three months."

After the personal guards took the letter from the country, Li Xuan did not even look at it and used his power to overpower them.

"This time I surrender with all my heart. If I disobey you, I will be struck by lightning."

Nlanda Zalukong pointed to the sky and said.

His heart became anxious.

He knew that Li Xuan's words were not nonsense. If Li Xuan led 30,000 elite cavalry into Tubo, no one could stop them.

"Since you are sincere, I will propose a few conditions. You drive 30,000 cattle, 30,000 horses, 10,000 camels, and 500,000 sheep to Qinghai. Then, bring 2,000 kilograms of gold to Chang'an to pay homage to the saint and ask for the title of Tibetan king. The annual tribute will be discussed during the visit to Chang'an!"

"Release all Han slaves in Tubo back to Qinghai."

"Let the Mo family go to Baihai." "Let Maxiang Zhongbajie's son go to Chang'an to learn our Tang culture."

"The Tubo and Tang conducted mutual trade in Qinghai, located near Fuqi City."

"The road to Tianzhu for Tang merchants must not be blocked, and the safety of Tang merchants must be protected."

Li Xuan put forward several conditions in succession.

I have told Li Longji before that only if these conditions are met can Tubo come to Chang'an for pilgrimage.

"The Marshal's conditions are a bit unreasonable..."

Nlanda Zhalugong said with an unpleasant look on his face.

There is no problem for mutual trade and merchants to pass through. The ancient road of Fuxi City is the ancient Silk Road.

Maxiang Zhongbajie's son was sent to Chang'an as a hostage, and he had no say in the matter. But he thought Maxiang Zhongbajie would definitely agree. A nobleman had many wives and concubines, so he didn't need a son.

The Han slaves had been rewarded by many nobles, and it was not easy to release them all at once.

The Mo family is the family of Mojie Sangdongzebu. Mojie Sangdongzebu has been labeled as a traitor. If the Mo family is released, it will damage his and Maxiang Zhongbajie's prestige.

Moreover, the horses, cattle, alpacas and gold that Li Xuan wanted were too many.

Once these horses, cattle, sheep and camels arrived in Qinghai, Tubo would have to empty many pastures. Tubo, which had already suffered heavy losses, would need a longer time to recover.

In addition, they had to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty every year, which must have been a considerable amount.

"I want to march south and connect the two territories. It is the saint who has shown leniency. I have given you the opportunity, and it will be too late to regret it."

Li Xuan said in a deep voice that he was still unmoved by these conditions.

Tubo has no choice!

He also knew the character of Tubo, and knew that they would definitely rebound from this oppression, but he didn't care.

In ten years, Tubo was still far from recovering.

As long as Tubo exists, the Longyou Army with 110,000 soldiers will exist.

Enlanda Zhalugong was shocked by Li Xuan's momentum.

Li Xuan did not give any chance for bargaining because Tubo was a complete loser.

The atmosphere in the lobby froze for a moment, but became more tense with every passing breath.

Li Xuan simply continued to pick up the book...

As a result, Nlandazalugong felt even more pressure.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Li Xuan put the book down again.

Enlanda Zhalugong looked tense. He thought Li Xuan was going to kick him out, so he immediately said, "I, Tubo, agree to the Marshal's conditions... This is the price of offending the Celestial Empire. From now on, Tubo will be a vassal, and the Zamp will be given the title of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. The troops will be dispatched by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty at any time! When I return to Tubo, I will immediately bring tribute and pay homage to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!"

After saying this, Nlanda Zalukung seemed to have lost all his strength.

The Zamp is the reincarnation of a god, but now he wants the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to clear his name. This is a shame.

But the country is weak, and the only way to preserve it is to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens.

"As long as Tubo is sincere, our Tang Dynasty will treat you just as your Maxiang treats your Zamp. Don't even think about enduring humiliation, as it will push you into the abyss..."

Li Xuan slowly said to Enlanda Zhalugong.

"The Tubo people will defend the Celestial Empire for a hundred generations!"

After Nlanda Zhalugong bowed again, he asked Li Xuan, "I hope to see the Zamp."

He knew that it was impossible for the Zamp to return to Tubo, and he just wanted to see what happened to the Zamp.

"The saint has ordered that no one is allowed to see the Tibetan king. If you want to see him, go to Chang'an and ask for an audience!"

Li Xuan directly pushed the blame onto Li Longji.

The less trouble, the better.

Enlanda Zhalugong could not force it, so he could only bow to Li Xuan and leave the lobby.

In the courtyard of the Jiedushi's government office, Mojie Sangdongzebu and Enlanda Zhalugong missed each other.

The two generations of great scholars stared at each other.

When Enlanda Zhalugong was about to speak, he was interrupted by Mojie Sangdongzebu: "I know what you want to say. But I have nowhere to go, and the ancient Tang-Tibet Road leads directly to the Tang Dynasty. If I return to Luoshui City first, will it still be Zhongbajie's turn? I didn't underestimate your ability, but I overestimated your loyalty. I didn't expect you to be so decisive when abandoning the Zamp!"

After saying this, without waiting for Nlandazhalugun's reply, Mojie Sangdongzebu left.

Enlanda Zhalugong still felt ashamed and left the government office with his face covered.

The submission of Tubo meant the end of the war between Tang and Tubo that had lasted for more than a hundred years.

Over the past few months, all necessary arrangements have been completed.

From the new county governor to his newly appointed subordinates, everything can continue to proceed in an orderly manner.

Li Xuan wrote letters to Gao Shi, Yang Wan and Liu Yan to ask them to settle the Han slaves released by Tubo.

Li Xuan ordered to set off the day after tomorrow, and a thousand light cavalrymen from the Lintao Army would escort Chidai Zhudan, subordinate kings, government ministers, major Tibetan generals, nobles, thousand-household heads, etc., along with gold, silver and jewelry, back to Chang'an.

Also accompanying them were Nan Jiyun, Geshu Han, An Sishun and several other hero medal recipients, who were to receive medals from the saint.

Get ready in these two days!
Li Xuan also gave his subordinates some instructions, asking them to do their job and not to think too much.

Peaches and plums, the next from Seikei!
The next day, Li Xuan and Li Mi went fishing by the Huangshui River outside the city.

In one hour, Li Xuan caught several fish, but Li Mi didn't catch any.

"Sir, you're unlucky today!"

Li Xuan put the fishing line into the water again and teased Li Mi.

He suspected that Li Mi, who did not eat meat, did not know how to fish.

"Fishing is all about waiting, being patient and waiting for the fish to bite."

Li Mi was not at all anxious.

"Sir, you are really patient. If there is no fish after half an hour, I will get anxious." Li Xuan smiled.

"The general doesn't like fishing, so he is anxious, which is understandable."

Li Mi said to Li Xuan.

"Oh! Yes! Fortunately, I am lucky today. I will return to Chang'an tomorrow. Will you accompany me, sir?"

Only then did Li Xuan talk about this matter.

"The mountain people can return to Mount Zhongnan."

Li Mi's meaning was very clear, he did not want to pursue a career in officialdom.

His practice at the frontier gave him some insights, and he wanted to continue practicing the art of immortality.

"When I was reading history books, I saw that Zhang Liang met Huang Shigong and Wang Meng met an old man in Songshan. I used to sigh at their adventures, but now I don't envy them at all, because Zhang Liang and Wang Meng could only meet Huang Shigong and the old man in Songshan once, while I could always ask for advice from my good teacher and helpful friend!"

Li Xuan suddenly sighed.

He compared Li Mi, who was also a Taoist, to Taoist sages like Huang Shigong.

The Old Man of Songshan is an unknown hermit with foresight.

"When Zhuge Liang failed in the Northern Expedition, no one said it was his fault; when Sima Yi gained control of the country, everyone criticized him. Because this is in line with morality!"

"The ruler is bent to find the straight line, not the small straight line but the big straight line. The general is wiser than me. I dare not be like Huangshi Gong and Songshan Laoweng."

Li Mi calmed down and spoke to Li Xuan.

His words were concise but meaningful.

Li Xuan was silent and thought.

The float was moving, but he didn't notice it, it was as if his heart was beating.

He seemed to understand what Li Mi meant.
If the generals and officials under his command all felt that he wanted to save the world and bring peace to the people and establish an era like that of Yao and Shun.

Like Zhuge Liang, he had the courage to do something even though he knew it was impossible, and eventually he was defeated and retired from politics.

It even makes the world feel that great regret.

It was a regret that filled the generals and noble men of letters with indignation.

That way, when he sets things right, there will definitely be people who will understand.

It's a good idea to think like this, but it's extremely difficult to implement it.

"General, move."

Only then did Li Mi start to remind them.

"call out……"

Li Xuan pulled the rod, but this time he didn't catch any fish.

Li Mi also took advantage of this opportunity to quickly reel in his rod. Li Xuan did not notice that Li Mi was fishing with a straight hook...

A person who does not eat meat is destined not to be able to fish.

Afterwards, Li Mi asked Li Xuan to leave on the grounds that he had finished his work.

Li Xuan has a general direction in mind, so he can slowly think about the details.

The time left for him seems to be a lot, but in fact it is very short.

When returning to Huangshui City, Li Xuan gave fish to the people passing by...

Under normal circumstances, he should have let go in front of someone like Li Mi, but Li Xuan didn't.

This is also Li Xuan's personality and ambition.

When returning to Chang'an, Li Xuan did not let Changli accompany him.

The next morning, Changli combed Li Xuan's hair. Li Xuan told Changli that if he did not return to Longyou, he would send someone to pick her up in Chang'an.

Changli was so moved that she almost cried. As a maid, she was already satisfied to be able to serve Li Xuan all the time.

When Li Xuan left by carriage, the people in the city all came to see him off.

Li Xuan waved to the people on his horse.

They just thought it was a simple farewell and that Li Xuan would come back soon.

When the counties along the way learned that Li Xuan was going to offer the Tibetan king to Chang'an, the people rushed out of the city and took to the official road. Wherever he passed, the streets were deserted.

This gift was specially brought by Li Xuan for Li Longji, to be presented during the Qianqiu Festival.

Of course, if the gift dies during the long journey, that’s another matter…

(End of this chapter)