The protector's concern is justified. Ever since Li Xiang made contact with these chieftains, we have sent a batch of supplies every once in a while to help them win on the battlefield. If we suddenly stop sending them, who knows what choice these people will have.
"Don't worry, Lord Protector. After we sign an agreement with Lu Dongzan, at least half of the troops on the border will be able to return. Then we can stabilize the war situation. When the chieftains lose their stability, we can send our aid. It is better to send timely assistance than icing on the cake. Now that they have won the victory, even if you send them something, they will not feel very grateful."
After Li Xiang said this, everyone present gave him a thumbs up. If we talk about the grasp of the current situation, even if all of us put together, I am afraid we can't catch up with half of Li Xiang's.
"I thought we were going to give him a hard time for a while and not sign an agreement with him. Looks like the agreement will be done in the next two days."
Chang Sun Chong said somewhat depressedly. He had disliked Lu Dongzan in the first place and thought he could control him for a while, but he didn't expect the situation on the plateau to change so quickly. Now we can't make things too awkward with this guy. We have to let him take his people back quickly to maintain the balance. Once the balance is broken, ten or twenty years later, Tubo may become a strong rival of the Tang Dynasty again. What Li Xiang has to do now is to turn Tubo into a second-rate country.
Just as they were talking, Lu Dongzan sent people again. The border area was tense every day. If Lu Dongzan could bring people back, it would be really incredible. So no matter how the people of the Tang Dynasty ridiculed him, he had to have the nerve to go there.
"Although we agreed to meet and want to complete this matter as soon as possible, what should we ask for? We can't ask for too much, but we also need to make sure they don't suffer a significant loss."
"This matter is indeed not that simple," said Master Zeng, somewhat worriedly. "They have shown sincerity now, but it's not enough. We can't push too far at this moment. After all, the Tibetan court is currently at a disadvantage. If we push too far, these guys might just give up. Do we really want to attack the plateau?" We've already analyzed it before; the chances of victory are too slim.
"Let's not deal with them one by one. First, let's deal with the border issue. Let them retreat 100 miles. We want the land within these 100 miles."
Everyone was puzzled after hearing Li Xiang's words. What good was this hundred li of land? It was neither big nor small.
"After gaining this hundred miles of land, their mood has been depressed. The land ceded is not much, but it is still land. Secondly, we have gained an additional frontier position. It is now the dividing line between the plateau and the grassland. If we gain this hundred miles, it will be like having an additional training ground. Our soldiers will no longer have to train on the grassland every day, but can train directly on the plateau."
Li Xiang saw that most people didn't understand, so he could only give them a simple explanation. After listening, these people nodded. This guy Li Xiang has been plotting against the Tibetans. He is indeed a skilled man. Don't become this guy's enemy, otherwise you will die without knowing how.
"We don't need a lot of compensation. Just 20% more than their figure will do. That will be just the same as what we're paying for those Tusi. We can't spend our own money on this. Since the Tibetan court wants to buy peace, let's ask them to reimburse us for the cost."
Most people agree with this idea. You guys are fighting your own civil war. Although we have supported you a lot on the surface, we can't support you forever. We must have enough in return. Although the chieftains have promised to give you slaves, we don't have any of them yet. In order to protect our property, let's collect money from Lu Dongzan first!
"The last and most important point is to have Lu Dongzan announce that he is giving up this marriage."
This was the first time that Li Xiang expressed this attitude in front of everyone. After Li Xiang said this, many people were confused and felt that these things should be irrelevant. Even if she was a princess, she should not be involved in these military and national affairs.
"That's right. Why should we go to a place like that? Even if they send someone over, they can't bring such embarrassment to our Changsun family."
Changsun Chong was the first to support it. When the emperor first issued the decree, he didn't think it was a big deal. He just felt sad that he wouldn't be able to see his sister again. But as time went by, the more he thought about it, the more he understood that this was not only the weakness of the Tang Dynasty court, but also the weakness of the Changsun family.
"This general also feels that this matter is inappropriate. We in the Tang Dynasty cannot do such a thing that would put us at a disadvantage. However, the emperor has already issued an imperial decree, so it is not convenient for us to say anything more. But now that we have this opportunity, we will raise it with him. But what if he disagrees?"
General Qin Qiong had also heard that Lu Dongzan was deeply in love with Miss Changsun, and it would be difficult to ask him to give up.
"I'm afraid it's no longer up to him. In the past, he had some options, but now the Tibetan army is suffering defeat after defeat. If the border troops hadn't gone back to rescue him, he wouldn't have been able to win. The Tibetan king is extremely disappointed in him."
Lord Zeng said this very confidently. Li Xiang was also very confident about this. The reason why he had not brought it up before was because the time was not right. Now Lu Dongzan is a smart man and of course he knows what to do about this matter.
While they were talking, Lu Dongzan's carriage had already arrived. You know, this guy has always been riding a horse, but after these two days of great joy and sorrow, his whole body is a little unable to bear it. But even if he can't bear it, he has to come here in the cold wind.
"Why did the Prime Minister do this?"
When Lord Zeng saw Lu Dongzan, he was also shocked by the scene. Although he couldn't say that his hair was completely white, it was indeed a lot whiter. His eye sockets were sunken, and he looked very weak. Compared with the previous prime minister with a transcendent temperament, he was like two different people.
Lu Dongzan smiled bitterly. How could he not change when the country was undergoing great changes?