The news was reported back to Chang'an that night. Li Shimin was still half asleep when the officials from the Ministry of War had already arrived at the imperial city.
According to the rules of the Tang Dynasty, the palace gates would not be opened at night unless someone led troops into the capital or a disaster occurred at the border. Now the Tuyuhun army has approached Liangzhou. According to reports from the front-line defenders, the Tuyuhun army burned, killed and looted along the way, causing hundreds of people from our Tang Dynasty merchant caravan to go missing!
Li Shimin was a man of decisive character. After receiving the memorial, he immediately ordered all the generals and princes to go to the Qinzheng Hall to discuss state affairs.
To be honest, since the destruction of the Turks, the Tang Dynasty ushered in a rare period of peace and development. During this period, the surrounding countries were amazed at the national strength of the Tang Dynasty, so they hid their teeth, fearing that they would become the next target of the Tang Dynasty. Perhaps because the period of peace was too long, they all forgot how sharp the Tang Dynasty's sword was.
As the Minister of War, Li Jing first described the situation in the border area.
The Tuyuhun vanguard force has about 20,000 troops. We have 8,000 defenders in Liangzhou City. Although there are tens of thousands of soldiers nearby, most of them are stationed in various cities and cannot provide effective support to Liangzhou City.
The most important thing is that the Tuyuhun army is very familiar with the local situation. They have cut off the communication between our cities. If we go back to the heartland of the Tang Dynasty, the extra time cannot be wasted.
"These bastards should have been killed long ago. I've always said we should kill them first. Whenever the imperial army came, these people would stay away from us. Now, taking advantage of our weak border, they dare to send troops to Liangzhou City. I think they don't want to live anymore."
In Cheng Yaojin's eyes, there is nothing too difficult in the world. If there is, my axe is not a joke.
"General Cheng's courage is commendable, but General Cheng must also understand that the Tang treasury is empty. If we mobilize an army against Tuyuhun, we will need at least 50,000 troops. Do you know how much money and supplies this will cost?"
Minister of Revenue Tang Jian quickly stepped forward and said that they must not start fighting like this. Others may not know the financial situation of the Tang Dynasty, but he himself is very clear about it. Some time ago, the emperor's eldest grandson paid a fine of one million strings of cash, which made him feel a little more relaxed. But if he wanted to send a large army to fight, he really did not have the money.
"You nerds, you always talk about money. People are already at your doorstep. Do you want to give up Liangzhou City?"
Cheng Yaojin said angrily that the military generals all had the same idea as Cheng Yaojin, but the civil officials were only concerned about our wallets. The two sides were arguing here, and Li Shimin was also a headache.
Both sides have their reasons, but if a war breaks out, without money, we won’t be able to fight, and we won’t even be able to get people there.
But if we don't fight, what will become of the Tang Dynasty's prestige? We used to brag about it every day, but now we don't even dare to fight Tuyuhun. How can we win the support of the people in the future?
"Qingque, you seem to have something to say?"
Li Shimin saw that Li Tai was eager to try, and thought that perhaps these sons could find a way.
"I believe this incident stems from a personal feud between Xiang'er and Zat'erk. Why don't we write a letter to release Zat'erk and then send an eloquent official to arrange a marriage for him? This will ensure peace on the border."
After Li Tai finished speaking, although the military generals present were not satisfied, the civil officials were very supportive. During the more than 200 years of the Tang Dynasty, marriage alliances had always been a mainstream project.
Whenever there is a dispute in the border area, the first thing that the top leaders think of is marriage. After all, for the entire country, this is also the lowest-cost method. The only thing to sacrifice is a woman.
"No problem! I also think that marriage is a good idea. My second uncle's cousin should be fifteen years old this year, right? Otherwise, why not choose her as the marriage partner?"
As the deputy commander of the Imperial City Administration, Li Xiang has always stood on the side of the ministers and has not stood with the princes and grandchildren. When he was reborn, he had made up his mind that he would never use women to exchange for peace, so when Li Tai said this, Li Xiang immediately appeared.
"What are you talking about, you little brat? How did your cousin offend you? You let your cousin go to a place like Tuyuhun? Do you think that's where people live?"
Although this cousin was Li Tai's eldest daughter out of wedlock, he loved her extremely because she was his first child. He usually wanted everything for her. After hearing what Li Xiang said, Li Tai immediately lost control and started cursing in the hall.
However, after Li Tai finished speaking, he suddenly felt that he seemed to have said something wrong. It was clearly he who proposed the policy of marriage alliance, but when it came to your eldest daughter, you took back your words. Tuyuhun was a broken place, and your daughter was unwilling to go there. Then whose daughter would be willing to go?
After Li Tai finished speaking, he found that Li Xiang was standing there without saying a word, so Li Tai knew that he had been tricked.
Li Shimin glared at Li Tai. Li Tai didn't know how to explain, so he could only return to the front of the line awkwardly. Since Li Chengqian didn't come to court, he had taken a good position, but the problem was that he was not the crown prince, so no one had to salute him.
"Old Nine, you say."
Li Shimin began to call out names. In fact, whenever there was an important national event, Li Shimin would test his children and grandchildren. When Li Zhi was called, Li Xiang felt that it would be his turn soon.
In the emperor's mind, there are only a few people who can inherit the throne. Although there are many sons who are willing to stand, most of them are just to make up the numbers. Li Chengqian's position was replaced by Li Xiang, and Li Tai is in such a bad state, so the only ones left are Li Zhi and Li Ke. Li Ke was ordered to go out of the capital for inspection, so the throne fell directly to Li Zhi.
"Your son...your son..."
Although Li Zhi was a sinister man, his brain was not very good. Especially when faced with such things, he had no idea what to do. Otherwise, he would not have relied entirely on Wu Zetian after becoming emperor. If he had had any backbone, Wu Zetian would not have been able to control the government.
"Useless stuff."
Seeing his youngest son being so cowardly, Li Shimin was furious.
"Your Majesty, I also think that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei may be right. I also want to send troops to attack Tuyuhun, but the national treasury does not have much silver. If we want to launch a large-scale war, we will need at least 1.5 million strings of silver in the early stages."
Changsun Wuji didn't want his nephew to embarrass himself, so he stepped forward. When the military officers heard the number he said, their faces wavered.