The intelligence collected by Tuyuhun was more than that possessed by Li Xiang. After all, Tuyuhun and Tubo were neighboring countries, and countless spies were sent there, including both high-level and low-level spies. Li Xiang was very envious of this intelligence network, but of course he knew that he could not take it directly. Midu Khan himself was in a psychologically fragile state. If you want even someone else's intelligence network, it would be too greedy.
"Your intelligence network is excellent. When I go to Tibet, lend it to me temporarily. Look at your expression. I'm not asking for it. I'm just borrowing it temporarily. Of course, it won't be for free. How about I give you a thousand war horses?"
Li Xiang thought about it and decided that what should be paid must be paid. We are not in a hostile relationship with Midu Khan now, so you can't go too far. War horses are the lifeblood of these grassland people. Li Xiang also has war horses on his grassland. It's no big deal to give him a thousand. After all, what we do is much more valuable than these thousand war horses.
"Your Highness, what are you talking about? If it weren't for your help, I don't know where I would be right now. I'd probably be reduced to a pile of corpses. Forget about an intelligence network. Everything I have can be shared with Your Highness."
When Prime Minister Midu heard about the one thousand war horses, a smile appeared in his eyes, but he also knew that Li Xiang was not someone who would suffer a loss. Now you have taken a thousand war horses from him, and you don't know how many you will have to return in the future. Anyway, the intelligence network is working, and even if they just pass on a message to Li Xiang, it won't be a big deal for them. He just felt a little uncomfortable.
"Let's not get too carried away. Now that I've spoken, just do as I say. Later, take this note to my grasslands and ask them for a horse."
Li Xiang's note had already been written, and after repeated refusals, Midu Khan carefully put it into his pocket. A thousand war horses was not a small number.
Li Xiang did this for a reason. You can force people to do this once or twice, but after a long time, they will not be willing to cooperate with you. At that time, they may not be able to give you all the information. If they do something bad, you may even lose your life in Tubo. Therefore, in this kind of matter, you cannot save a penny of the money you should spend.
After reading this information, Li Xiang basically saw it clearly. It was even more powerful than the information he had obtained himself. In addition to a few big chieftains, many tribal leaders were also ready to move. Of course, this was also very normal. Songtsen Gampo wanted to reduce their power, so why should they just wait there?
"Is there something wrong with Songtsen Gampo's brain? He suddenly raised taxes by 50%. I'm afraid no one would be satisfied."
Li Xiang pointed out one of the main reasons and said that originally the heads of each tribe paid taxes to Songtsen Gampo, but now the rate has been increased by 50%, and no one is willing to pay him. Even the tribes around the holy city have begun to resist the Tubo central army.
"Your Highness, you may not know that Songtsen Gampo is a man who loves to show off his achievements. After he ascended the throne, he fought wars in the south and the north and indeed expanded a lot of territory for Tubo. But the problem is that many places have not solved the problems at all. They only became his territory in name. These people are willing to pay him a portion of money to maintain temporary peace, but this amount of money is limited. If you ask for too much at once, these people will definitely resist. When Lu Dongzan left, he only asked for a 10% increase. Who knew that after collecting this 10%, Songtsen Gampo thought that the people below were not very capable, so he prepared to take another layer..."
Through Midu Khan's explanation, Li Xiang finally understood what was going on. When Songtsen Gampo first increased taxes, he only increased them by 10%, so the chiefs and chieftains under him were unwilling to go against him. After all, he was the nominal king of Tubo, so everyone paid the money honestly.
But I just handed over the money, and you immediately increased it by 50%, and also sent officials to each chieftain in order to find out the chieftains' true strength. You are not only asking for money, but also for their lives, so these chieftains can't stand it anymore.
"According to Lu Dongzan's original strategy, these chieftains should have no room for growth within fifteen years. It's a pity that Songtsen Gampo wasted this strategy."
Li Xiang smiled and said that for the Tubo Kingdom, the whole country was plunged into war, but for the Tang Dynasty, Songtsen Gampo's vanity was a great help to us.
"A few days ago, Lu Dongzan borrowed a passage back home. It's said that he managed to stabilize the two troublemaking chieftains. He is a very charismatic man, and enjoys a high reputation throughout the Tibetan Empire. If possible, Your Highness should eliminate him."
What Midu Khan said was true. Li Xiang wanted to kill this guy several times, but he didn't do it in the end. It wasn't that he didn't have the courage, but simply because the consequences were too serious. In addition to his enormous power, this man also enjoyed a high personal cult in Tubo. Once he died in the Tang Dynasty, Tubo would definitely come out in full force, and what he had done before would be of no use.
Of course, Li Xiang didn't know that Tubo was in such a mess before. If we had known earlier, we would have tried our best to keep him here. We can only blame ourselves for not having so many channels to get information. Neither Zhangsun Wuji nor the Cui family's line had as detailed records as the Tuyuhun side.
"Everyone's gone, so forget about those useless things. I've summarized it briefly. See if I'm right. Although there are many people who can cause trouble, apart from these six chieftains, the others are just talking about it and haven't made any substantive judgments. The six chieftains are very weak. Without other support, they can only hold out for two months at most."
Li Xiang did not say any nonsense, but wrote down the names of some chieftains while talking and marked them. Midu Khan must have a deep understanding of the plateau, and Li Xiang also wanted this guy to help him judge. If he knew the specific strength of each chieftain, Li Xiang would know what to do in the plateau. I am not here to grant a marriage, I am here to make you Tubo turn the world upside down.
