After listening to his men for a long time, Li Xiang finally understood that if he did not launch a strong attack or use a surprise attack, he might not be able to accomplish this task.
"I thought it would be easy to deal with them, but now it seems like a real challenge."
After listening to everyone's reports, Li Xiang had to admit that these chieftains were difficult, even more difficult than the chieftains of Tubo.
There is no other reason. First, because their terrain is dangerous, and second, because there are still many Han people in the mountains. If they are really forced to kill people, even if Li Xiang takes over the territories of these chieftains, there will be rivers of blood at that time, and it is hard to describe it in history books.
Although war is bound to result in casualties, if too many people die, for example, although Bai Qi fought a war for unification, he was later praised and criticized.
"In fact, I think the chieftains' territories are not without weaknesses. Although we haven't had long training in the mountains, our soldiers have mastered some mountain warfare skills. Coupled with our advanced weapons and equipment, if we really storm, we will definitely be much stronger than the previous Tang army, and our losses will not be that severe."
Su Dingfang hesitated for a moment, but finally said it. Influenced by Li Xiang over the years, he attached great importance to the lives of soldiers.
At the beginning, he thought Li Xiang was making a big deal out of nothing. There are always casualties in every war. If one pursues zero casualties every day, then many strategic goals should be abandoned. Only by staying in the army can one achieve zero casualties.
But later he found that it was not the case. If there were a large number of veterans left after every war, the army would be able to survive even if we fought continuously. These veterans were the army's greatest wealth. No matter where they moved to or what kind of enemy they faced, these veterans would be able to remain calm in the face of danger, which was something that 70% of the army could not do.
"Go call Zhang Jiuli over. We have to start with this old guy. I'll treat him to dinner tonight. Please ask Old Xiao to accompany him."
Li Xiang waved his hand and did not agree with Su Dingfang's proposal. This was the last resort. We had to find other ways now. Maybe we would waste more time and spend more money, but nothing was more important than the lives of the soldiers.
When Zhang Jiuli came, he brought a large number of accounts with him. He found everything that Li Xiang asked him to find. At this moment, this guy saw that too many people had died in the city, and there was a smell of blood when he walked on the street, so he always felt that he had one foot in the underworld.
In his view, although he was the highest-ranking official in the area, many people had better connections than him and were well-connected in Chang'an City. But what good was that? In Li Xiang's eyes, no matter what the people in Chang'an City said, those who deserved to be killed had to be killed.
Zhang Jiuli also received news that officials in Chang'an were all impeaching Li Xiang. It was said that the memorials were coming in like snowflakes, but what good was that? Did you see any decree coming down from Chang'an?
Many people are planning to submit memorials on a larger scale, but the emperor's attitude is clear. Only the newcomers in the officialdom think that if they have more people, they can threaten the emperor and make him bow his head.
Zhang Jiuli is no longer a newcomer in the officialdom. Although he is an official in this remote place, he has a very clear understanding of some things in the court, especially Li Shimin. If two officials fight, he is likely to side with one of them, but if two hundred officials fight one, even if he will side with one, he will only side with one of them.
What the emperor fears most is the formation of factions for personal gain. When an official stirs up a hornet's nest, no matter whether the official is right or wrong, the emperor must first protect this person, and then see how big the entire faction is, and then make a judgment on what to do next.
Many officials participated in the fight against Li Xiang and pointed out his faults, but Li Shimin could see one thing: what you guys said were all empty words, and none of your plans would benefit Sichuan. Although Li Xiang killed people, he developed a plan that would not require the court to pay a penny in a few years, and would even be able to give back to the court. Do you have this ability?
It can be said that Li Xiang understood Li Shimin's heart very well. As long as it does not cost money and can make the people live a good life, Li Shimin would definitely be willing to do such a thing. He also wanted to leave his name in history. Everything Li Xiang did touched his heart.
"Greetings, Your Highness. These are all the transaction records from recent years. They are all here. There are also a few teachers outside who are specifically responsible for this matter. I have called them all over as well."
Zhang Jiuli pointed at several people outside and said that these people were also trembling at the moment. Although they were not officials, they all worked for the officials. How much benefits they had benefited from them over the years, probably only these people themselves knew. Li Xiang had no time to cause trouble for them now, but after dealing with the officials, he might not necessarily cause trouble for them.
"First, sort out the accounts, then go to the west wing for dinner. Someone will be there to discuss these matters with you. Stay here for the time being. The court needs you."
When Li Xiang was speaking, these people didn't even dare to open their heads. They were all petty officials among the officials, not even the lowest officials, and were nothing in the court. Of course, this was only when facing Li Xiang. If they were facing ordinary people, these people would be different, and they would even be more glorious than some officials.
Li Xiang was afraid that these people would flee for fear of punishment, so he wanted to control them first. After all, he would really need them in the future.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Naturally, these people did not dare to refute and obediently followed the guards to the west wing. They would be here for a long time in the future.
"Master Zhang, please come in. I've prepared a small banquet today, and we should have a few drinks. We haven't had a proper drink since we came here. This is the Great Tang Tianniang we brought from Chang'an City. I forgot that there is no shortage of this in Chengdu City. Master Zhang must have drunk a lot in the past."
When Li Xiang said this, Lord Zhang felt uncomfortable all over. Datang Tianniang was not cheap. Even in Chang'an City, only a few people could afford to drink it. However, in Chengdu City, Li Xiang had found quite a lot of it during the search. Adding the freight from Chang'an to here, one can imagine how luxurious the life of these bastards was.