Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Chapter 419 Tang Fan

Oh…

I didn't come here specifically to look for myself...

Xiao Cui is a little lost...

Jiang Shangxian honestly recounted how he'd been queuing up to buy bubble cakes, heard gossip, and ultimately forgotten about them. "Do you know why?"

"In the eighth year of the Zhenguan reign, our dynasty launched an expedition against Tuyuhun."

Cui Bianxu didn't ask why she was curious about this, but explained it to her bit by bit: "It was just when Qi Zong Nong Zan succeeded to the throne."

As a government official's wife who is about to take up a job, Xiao Cui is very pleased that Xiao Jiang is so eager to learn!

"So, Your Majesty was afraid that Tubo would cause trouble when fighting Tuyuhun, so he sent Feng Dexia as an envoy to Tubo..."

Jiang Shangxian's mind was quite sharp theoretically. She spoke slowly, feeling a heavy weight on her heart: "Qi Zong Nong Zan learned from Feng Dexia that the Western Turks and Tuyuhun had successfully requested the princess..."

Cui Bianxu took over the conversation, "On the Jiashen day of the eleventh month of the eighth year of the Zhenguan reign, the Tubo envoys arrived in Chang'an for the first time to propose marriage. On the Jichou day, His Majesty issued an edict to launch a large-scale attack on Tuyuhun."

Jiang Shangxian counted the days on his fingers: Tubo arrived in Chang'an on November 11th, and the imperial edict was issued on November 16th. There were only five days in between, and the time was so tight...

There is nothing fishy here. She, Xiao Jiang, grilled Alibaba lamb skewers upside down!

"Until May of the ninth year of Zhenguan, when our army destroyed the regime of Fuyun Khan of Tuyuhun, Tubo did not mobilize a single soldier." Cui Bianxu had a pretty good memory, especially when it came to war, he remembered it quite clearly.

Jiang Shangxian clearly understood that Li Shimin had been secretly planning this for years, wanting to make Tuyuhun call him "Daddy" long ago. So he sent someone to tell Songtsen Gampo that so-and-so had succeeded in marrying the noble Tang princess! And so-and-so, a toad who wanted to eat swan meat, also got it!

I just want to ask you, are you excited or envious? !

How could Songtsen Gampo not be moved when he heard this?

My goodness, you all have it, why don’t I? Is it because I, Songtsen Gampo, am not worthy?

What is worrying is not the lack of food but the inequality!

She reasonably suspected that Feng Dexia must have made some specious promises to Songtsen Gampo at that time, otherwise Songtsen Gampo would not have turned a blind eye to such a major military operation concerning the security of Tubo's northern border.

Cui Bianxu's reaction to her guess was subtle. Although he did not say it directly, he obviously agreed with it.

When this happened, he was still a young and inexperienced man, not yet exposed to court affairs, so he didn't know much about it. However, he could make his own assessment of the military situation: "November and December of the ninth year of the Zhenguan reign were a time of political turmoil in Tuyuhun. If our dynasty were to simultaneously fight Tuyuhun in the west and Tubo in the south, it would be no easy task."

Jiang Shangxian took over the conversation with a serious look on his face, "So we secretly reached an agreement with Tubo to contain them and prevent them from moving north..."

Similarly, for Tubo at that time, if it could marry into the Tang Dynasty, which defeated the East Asian overlord Turks, it would undoubtedly have a significant impact on its unification of the various tribes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and then implement its northward strategy.

A position as a concubine can bring about an improvement in political status, and also allow one to receive culture, technology, and religious beliefs from the Tang Dynasty. Don’t even think about whether it’s a loss or not, it’s a huge profit!

At this time, men don't need to maintain any moral integrity! At most, he can pay with his body, and it's a bargain for this kid!

Before destroying the Tuyuhun Fuyun Khan regime and achieving the strategic goal of westward expansion, it would be impossible for Li Shimin to easily marry the princess to Tubo, a potential rival that was geographically approaching him.

Cui Bianxu reminded him, "In the eighth year of the Zhenguan reign, the emperor agreed to marry a princess to Tuyuhun, but no princess has been married to date."

In the ninth year of Zhenguan, Fuyun Khan was overthrown. In the tenth year of Zhenguan, Udiyebaledu Khan Nuohebo, who was supported by the Tang court, proposed marriage to the Tang Dynasty.

This timeline is dragging on for quite a while.

"In December of the ninth year of the Zhenguan reign, when Tubo went to Chang'an for the second time to ask for marriage, Tuyuhun was in turmoil."

Cui Bianxu picked up another golden silk cushion. He was still navigating the intricacies of officialdom, but he knew his own hobbies like the back of his hand. "Last August, the Xueyantuo were rising in the north, and it was also a crucial period for the conquest of Gaochang."

"So Tubo chose this time to start a war with our dynasty, and chose Songzhou in order to force our dynasty to surrender by fighting Gaochang..."

Jiang Shangxian took over and continued, she understood that these national leaders were truly meticulous, treating the world as a chessboard, taking every step carefully, and deciding the victory from thousands of miles away.

Those things described in novels where the king of a country is busy looking under women's skirts all day long, being obsessed with women, and governing the country to make the army rich and the people strong is simply impossible. Who has such energy?

It is impossible for Jiang Zemin, who has been in power for a long time, to come up with an emperor who is in love but can still govern the country well.

Cui Bianxu was very impressed that she could always talk to him about this. He made a golden silk oil ball and placed it in her hand as a reward: "Tell me, why didn't Tubo destroy Tuyuhun?"

Is this a test for her?

And reward her with what she brought?

Bah~

However, Xiao Jiang, who had been frequently tested on his homework recently, had become a mature student. As he held the golden silk oil cake, his brain cells immediately started working frantically: "Is Tuyuhun being driven north of Qinghai Lake to avoid direct conflict with our dynasty?"

"Yes." Cui Bianxu had an expression that showed that the child was teachable and a smile on his face.

correct answer!

Xiao Jiang happily stuffed the golden fried dough in her hand into her mouth. The glutinous snack made her look like a chubby little hamster with chubby cheeks.

Cui Bianxu felt that he was still not comprehensive enough - why didn't he think of preparing some melon seeds here?

Even a skilled worker in peeling melon seeds is itching to...

This war was fought so subtly, fully demonstrating the concept of knowing when to stop. This was done to avoid pushing the war zone into the Hexi Corridor, the Tang Dynasty's strategic channel for westward expansion, and to avoid a collision with the Tang Dynasty's westward expansion strategy.

In ancient times when information was underdeveloped and the transmission of messages was difficult, large-scale cold weapon wars were entirely dependent on the foresight of leaders on both sides.

From a political perspective, this old guy Songtsen Gampo is really capable!

所以吐蕃在揍了吐谷浑、党项、白兰等一堆被杀鸡儆猴的倒霉小国之后，李世民还是拖着下嫁公主这事儿，松赞干布才会将矛头指向了松州。

The reason for choosing Songzhou as the main battlefield is self-evident, and there are too many reasons why Li Shimin married Princess Wencheng after winning the war, whether it is the border city defense layout, trade exchanges, or...war.

Li Shimin had to take Gaochang.