Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4830: Each Has His Own Agenda
Become an independent country?
Even a shrewd man like Lu Dongzan couldn't help but be moved and his blood boil. To create a country in the name of his family and to have endless descendants was the most noble achievement for those who claimed to be heroes in the world, and it was almost unparalleled.

But Lu Dongzan also understood how difficult this was. He was now able to move between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty in the name of his tribe. Even if he now relied on the Tang Dynasty to attack Tubo, he was confident that when the situation suddenly changed, he could turn around and join the Zamp to oppose the Tang Dynasty. However, once he established a country, he would be a "punching bag" sandwiched between the two superpowers. He would not only lose the initiative but also have to bear unspeakable pressure.

After the founding of the country, when faced with tremendous pressure, would it abandon the country and become dependent on Tubo or the Tang Dynasty?

First enjoy the glory of a founding monarch, then taste the shame of a fallen monarch?

Lu Dongzan would not bind himself and his tribe for the sake of that short-lived pleasure. Although establishing a country is wonderful, it is also an invisible shackle. It is not the right time yet.

"Establish a country? I have never thought about this issue. The Gar tribe is just a poor and destitute tribe with a long history on the plateau. They struggle to survive in the bitter cold land just to reproduce and thrive. They don't have the foundation to establish a country. At present, the Gar tribe is seeking to annex the Tang Dynasty. Every member of the tribe hopes to be 'registered as a citizen' and become a real Tang citizen. From now on, they will regard themselves as Tang citizens, which is definitely not the establishment of an independent country."

Which hero doesn't want to establish his own country and pass it down to his descendants?

But he could only show his obedience in front of the Tang Dynasty. Even if no one believed in his loyalty, he had to pretend to be loyal...

Pei Xingjian drank his tea with a smile. Naturally, he did not believe a word Lu Dongzan said. The Gar tribe was like a poisonous snake. When the severe winter came, it chose to lie dormant, seemingly stiff and harmless to humans and animals. But once spring came and it was a suitable season for its growth, it would wander around and choose people to bite.

How could you let such a poisonous snake roam around next to your bed?
Therefore, no matter whether they submitted to the Tang Dynasty or established their own country, it was impossible for the Gar tribe to continue to occupy Fuxi City after this battle.

Although Songtsen Gampo "exiled" Lu Dongzan from Luoshui City, he was still very cautious about him and did not dare to force him too much, so he chose the old place of Tuyuhun as the resettlement place. The Tuyuhun was able to thrive here for hundreds of years, and developed from a tribe with no foundation that migrated from a long distance to a powerful tribe entrenched in one place, which shows the superiority of Fuxi City and Qinghai Lake.

It has abundant grass and water, plentiful rainfall, and flat terrain suitable for animal husbandry. It also controls the trade route between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, so it can be said to be blessed by nature.

The Gar tribe has a much deeper foundation than the Tuyuhun tribe. It is led by a wise and strategic master like Lu Dongzan, and has successors including the sons of Zan Xiruo, Lun Qinling, Bolun Zanren and Zanpo, who are both civil and military and heroes of the time. Sooner or later, it will become a serious threat.

If the Gar tribe is allowed to thrive here for a few decades, it may give rise to another Tuyuhun...

Therefore, the fate of the Gar tribe was already determined. Either the entire tribe would surrender to the Tang Dynasty and be dispersed and resettled in various prefectures of the Tang Dynasty, or they would move out of the Tuyuhun territory and settle in a place west of the Pamir Mountains.

Of course, the prerequisite is to consume Tubo’s national strength so that Tubo will not have the strength to invade the Tang Dynasty’s border within ten years.

Lu Dongzan frowned. How could he not know that the Tang Dynasty was wary of the Gar Tribe? He also knew that the Gar Tribe had no room to resist under the might of the Tang Dynasty and could only become a pawn of the Tang Dynasty and bleed to the last drop of blood in the battle between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo.

Although the Tang Dynasty's conspiracy was unbreakable, Lu Dongzan never intended to follow the Tang Dynasty's orders. He had to fight this war under the pressure of the Tang Dynasty, but when and to what extent the war would be fought was not necessarily decided by the Tang Dynasty.

*****
The green grass in the gaps between the bricks in front of the corridor has been covered with white frost, and it has withered and decayed, completely devoid of the prosperity of summer. The courtyard is covered with withered and yellow leaves, and the slight sound of broken leaf veins when stepped on is like a groan. The life of prosperity in spring and withering in autumn has passed in a flash, and now it has fallen to the ground in a mess like mud.

Will it merge into the soil silently from now on, or will it return to the branches along its roots when next spring comes?

Songtsen Gampo, wearing a dark red monk's robe and straw sandals, walked through the courtyard covered with fallen leaves. He stopped on the stone steps in front of the door, raised his head and looked at the bare branches swaying in the wind, and the snow-capped mountains that could be seen through the branches, feeling a little dazed.

The morning sun shines on the top of the snow-capped mountains with golden light, like a miracle, full of unfathomable holiness.

Then he walked into the house.

Sambuza, Chisang Yangton, and Serugundun, who had not been seen for a long time, had been waiting here. When they saw the Zamp enter, they all stood up and knelt to greet him.

"No need to be polite, please take a seat."

"Thank you, Zanpu."

The emperor and his ministers sat cross-legged around a coffee table. On the stove nearby, butter tea was boiling, emitting a rich aroma.

Seeing that the teapot was already boiling, Sambuza stood up, picked up the teapot and poured the tea into a pot full of milk. After stirring it slightly, it became butter tea, which he filled the white porcelain cups in front of the people and then took his seat.

Songtsen Gampo took a sip from the teacup. It tasted slightly salty, with a refreshing fragrance amidst the greasiness. He nodded and praised Sambuza, saying, "Your craftsmanship has improved greatly."

Sambuza smiled and said, "This batch of tea bricks from the Tang Dynasty is of high quality, so the butter tea brewed from it is particularly fragrant."

Songtsen Gampo took another sip, put the cup on the tea table, and sighed: "Yes, this crystal clear porcelain cup and fragrant tea bricks are all from the Tang Dynasty. If we want to live a comfortable and luxurious life, we can't do without the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, we can only use crude pottery cups and drink black and disgusting tea bricks."

In every walk of life and from any angle, as long as there is a slight pursuit of betterment, it cannot be separated from the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty's economy, culture, manufacturing, etc. are all unique in the world.

Several ministers had no way of responding to this and could only remain silent.

Songtsen Gampo waved his hand and skipped the topic: "Tell me, why was Huashixia defeated by Lun Qinling in one battle? I heard that some people in Luoshui City have praised Lun Qinling as the 'Tibetan Military God'. This is not a good thing."

What is the war about?
It's combat power, logistics, and morale.

Now, with the Gar tribe's successive victories, their troops have advanced straight into the enemy's pass, and the Tubo army has suffered defeat after defeat, losing troops and territory. The morale between the two sides has reversed. When more and more people think that Lun Qinling is invincible, they will naturally become discouraged, cowardly and fearful when facing off, resulting in their side being unable to exert their due combat power, and perhaps they will continue to fail.

This trend must be reversed.

Chisang Yangdun held up a teacup and said, "There were 'armored cavalry' equipped with Tang army armor in Lun Qinling's army. Their charge was unstoppable and they were victorious. Su Pi Yangxiong failed to obey the order of the Zamp to withdraw to Huashixia as soon as possible to assist in the defense. Instead, he tried to stop Lun Qinling at Liemohai. As a result, his front line was dispersed and he was defeated. Although he led the remnants to withdraw to Huashixia, Su Pi Mo Jie failed to gather the defeated soldiers in time and reorganize them. Instead, he took the opportunity to get rid of Su Pi Yangxiong, and thus missed the opportunity to fight... In this battle, Lun Qinling used a kind of 'rocket' that caused chaos in the defenders' formation. Although this was one of the reasons for the defeat, I think Su Pi Mo Jie must bear full responsibility."

When analyzing the Battle of Huashixia, he tried his best to suppress the gloating in his heart and made his tone calm so as not to cause the Zamp's displeasure.

But the implication of his words was very clear. Compared with the annihilation of Lebujie's army in a sudden attack, Subimojie's defeat despite having a large army fully prepared to defend the natural barrier of Huashixia was a bigger mistake.

It's okay for Lebujie to make a mistake. As long as there are people who make bigger mistakes than him, their guilt can be covered up, allowing the tribe to escape the punishment of the Zamp...

Sambhota glanced at Trisang Yangdon and said nothing. Instead, he asked Songtsen Gampo, "Subi Mojie has returned to Lhasa and is crying and begging to see the king. Will the king see her?"

Songtsen Gampo did not answer, but asked: "How is the battle at Zishankou?"

Chisang Yangdun sighed and shook his head, saying, "After Lun Qinling captured Huashixia, he only reorganized himself a little and headed straight for Zishankou. He used his 'rocket' to burn a large amount of food and fodder in the post station, causing panic. He also used thunder bombs to blow up the walls and continued to charge. The Zishankou defenders have repelled Lun Qinling's charge several times, but the losses were huge and the morale of the defenders was low. They may not be able to hold on."

New weapons such as "thunder bombs" and "rocket" were so powerful that the high walls that could be relied upon in war became useless. What was even more fatal was that "rocket" could fly across the battlefield and directly attack the rear army, which dealt a severe blow to the morale of the army.

"Zishankou cannot afford to lose anything."

Songtsen Gampo's cold face revealed anger.

Zishankou is the real gateway to Tubo. Once Zishankou is lost, Lun Qinling's army will directly set foot on the land ruled by him, the Zamp himself. There are only a few dangerous passes left to Lhasa City. If they are able to break through one or two more passes, they will reach the city of Lhasa directly.

By that time, the trouble would be huge. Not only would Qin Ling be invincible in his offensive, but also the various tribes currently dormant under his rule would surely be ready to take the opportunity to cause trouble.

He might not necessarily rebel, but if they took the opportunity to propose some conditions to him that he would never agree to in the past, it would indirectly shake his rule over Tubo.

This is absolutely unacceptable.

So he looked at Serugundun with an expectant look: "It seems that I need you to take action yourself."

Chisang Yangdun lowered his head and drank butter tea, trying his best to hide the resentment and anger in his eyes.

Logically speaking, guarding Zishan Pass was the job of him, the minister in charge of the Tibetan military. Not only was it within his authority, it also meant that the Zamp did not still trust him because of Lebuje's guilt. But now letting Serugundun guard Zishan Pass made him, the military minister, lose face.

There was no expression on Serugundun's broad face, and he said calmly, "I obey your command."

Songtsen Gampo nodded and said to Sambhota, "Send Subimojie to see me later."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)