Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 177 Yang Guogong Returns

Zhang Dai was detained in the corridor of the Jinwuwei yamen, wondering who would come to rescue him first, or whether no one would come at all.

When he saw Prince Xin'an, Li Yi, hurriedly enter the government office, he felt both delighted and slightly surprised. He had only met the Prince of Xin'an once, and even if they had exchanged words, what he said was rather abrupt.

Calculating the time from when I left Huixunfang to when Prince Xin'an arrived, whether Li Xia was going home or seeking help from the capital, Prince Xin'an should have arrived here without any hesitation. My relationship with Li Xia alone probably wouldn't have been enough to make Prince Xin'an react so quickly.

It's not that his relationship with Yang Sixu was better than his relationship with Prince Xin'an, but Yang Sixu had at least provided assistance in terms of people and resources before. Generally speaking, people who have helped you before are more willing to provide you with more help.

"Zhang Liu, did they beat or torture you?"

Li Xia strode over and looked at Zhang Dai with a nervous expression, asking him questions.

Seeing the man's sweaty and anxious expression, Zhang Dai was quite moved. This fellow had gone to great lengths to save him; his loyalty was truly admirable. Next time he entertained him, he'd at least have a boatload of entertainers and dancers perform for him!

"I'm fine for now. Thank you, Li Jiu. After this matter is settled, I'll go elsewhere to enjoy the scenery!"

Zhang Dai smiled at him, and Li Xia nodded in agreement, saying, "Of course, I even lost my shoes running to save you!"

As he spoke, he lifted the hem of his robe, revealing that he was wearing brocade short boots on one foot and mismatched tall leather boots on the other, looking both comical and disheveled.

At this moment, Prince Xin'an strode over to Zhang Dai. After briefly examining him and seeing that he was unharmed, he said, "Zhang Lang's words have come true. The news of the victory in Hexi has reached the court. Last year, the Tubo invaded Ganzhou. Your Highness judged that their troops were exhausted on their return journey, so you crossed the sea on ice and defeated the Tubo rear army in the western part of the sea!"

Zhang Dai was delighted to hear this, realizing that his somewhat inappropriate remarks at the beginning of the year had had an effect.

Previously, in order to attract the attention of Prince Xin'an and deepen his impression, he almost prophetically gave his views on the border affairs of Hexi and Longyou. Now that the war report from Hexi has arrived, things have indeed turned out as Zhang Dai had predicted.

Prince Xin'an originally thought that Zhang Dai was a mouthpiece for his grandfather Zhang Shuo, but after that, Zhang Shuo did not make any attempt to win him over. When he met Zhang Jiuling at court on the seventh day of the first lunar month and mentioned this matter, Zhang Jiuling shook his head and said he did not know. Only then did he realize that what the young man said was all his own knowledge.

Now that the situation on the Hexi border was exactly as he had described, Li Yi was also shocked. Although he was not yet a general in charge of border affairs, this alone was enough to make him look at Zhang Dai in a different light, so he rushed over after hearing his son's urgent plea for help.

He rushed here not only to rescue Zhang Dai, but also because he was eager to hear his views and analysis on the future development of the situation in Hexi.

"Come with me!"

Li Yi pointed at Zhang Dai, signaling him to follow him, and then turned and walked towards another separate hall. As for the others present, including Li Anle, the General of the Imperial Household, and Wang Shouzhen, he ignored them all.

Li Xia followed his father into the hall, but his father glanced at him and then raised his hand to instruct, "You stay outside the hall and don't let anyone in."

After they were seated in the hall, Li Yi looked at Zhang Dai and said, "Zhang Lang, you didn't finish what you said earlier. In your opinion, this victory may not necessarily be a cause for celebration?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai shook his head and then said, "The Tibetans are still harboring evil intentions and are disturbing our borders. We should pursue them relentlessly and punish them severely. This would be a great joy! However, the affairs of the Hexi Corridor are not limited to this one incident."

The rebels are stubborn and difficult to defeat in a single battle. Moreover, their main force fled after this attack, giving them some insight into our strengths and weaknesses. If we fight again next year, they will only become more cunning and difficult to guard against. If our defenses are inadequate, the border situation could suffer greatly!

"Please explain in detail why you hold this view."

After hearing his point of view, Li Yi continued to press him for answers.

"As far as I am concerned, after the Eastern Expedition, the Guanzhong region is empty, the capital is in the middle of the country, and disasters have occurred, the people are in turmoil, and the border affairs are even more difficult to plan and manage. This year is really not a good time to discuss military achievements and seek merits."

As for the bandits, their king, Zanpu, had long ruled the country, and military and political power had been controlled by his ministers. Only in recent years had he gained initial control, consolidating power internally and establishing military achievements externally. To demonstrate his might, he must display his strength. Tibet is a wolf in sheep's clothing; its ruler desires to display his power, and its ministers desire to consolidate their authority, both seeking to provoke us as a means of advancement.

Zhang Dai first briefly described the situation of the Tang Dynasty itself and the internal situation of Tibet, and then said: "Now the two countries want to compete for temporary strength, but each has its own shortcomings. From Gansu and Liangzhou to Qikou, there are many groups of Hu people who move around and are not stable, so we need to be especially vigilant."

Last year, when Prime Minister Du visited the court, the Turgesh attacked our Anxi. Although tribute was paid again afterward, we still have to be wary. If we form an alliance with Tibet, our Anxi will be unstable. Previously, the Uyghur tribes in Gansu and Liangzhou temporarily submitted to us out of fear of the Turks, but they are still fickle and their treacherous intentions have not been extinguished. If we do not unite them properly, they will surely cause chaos.

These situations are complex and multifaceted, and cannot be resolved by a single battle. While the King of Hexi is adept at decisive battles, he is not particularly skilled at coordinating various affairs or devising comprehensive strategies. If his later reports to the court only focus on military prowess and authority, then the affairs of the Hexi border will surely be lost due to his actions! In this passage, Zhang Dai not only discusses the situation between the Tang and the Tibetan Empire but also touches upon the Four Garrisons of Anxi and the various Hu tribes of Gansu and Liangzhou. Although his words are brief, the information he conveys is extremely rich.

Although Li Yi was usually quite enthusiastic about military strategy and the situation on the border, he had been in mourning for several years and had been far removed from current affairs. After listening to Zhang Dai's analysis, he needed a long time to digest it.

In fact, after entering the mid-Kaiyuan period, the people in charge of the central government changed, and the Tang Dynasty's attitude towards the surrounding barbarian tribes also changed significantly.

Although Yao, Song, and Zhang, who held power in the early years of the Kaiyuan era, had some differences in their views on border affairs, they both basically adhered to the principle of combining kindness and severity.

These people had experienced the painful lessons of fighting against the Tibetans during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, and also witnessed the decline of border affairs during the reign of Emperor Wuzong. Therefore, they realized that it was still somewhat unrealistic, or rather, extremely costly, to try to control all the barbarian tribes with one country.

Therefore, during their rule, although there were wars against foreign powers, they also paid great attention to controlling and winning over the surrounding nomadic tribes, trying to avoid making too many enemies and fighting on multiple fronts.

However, after they withdrew from power, the prime ministers and border generals who came to power after them were all tough in their dealings and lacked the ability to combine firmness with flexibility, which planted many potential problems in border affairs.

For example, the current prime minister, Du Xian, is quite tough and brutal in dealing with the Turgesh issue.

The Tang Dynasty first arranged for Ashina Huaidao's daughter, Princess Jiaohe, to marry the Sulu Khan of the Turgesh. Princess Jiaohe sent an envoy with a thousand horses to Anxi for trade, but because of her arrogant attitude, she was whipped and detained by Du Xian, and the horses froze to death in the snow.

Afterwards, Sulu Khan led his army to besiege the four towns, plundering people, livestock, and stored goods before returning, leaving only Anxi City intact. Upon hearing that Du Xian had entered the court as prime minister, Sulu Khan also temporarily withdrew his troops, paid tribute, and apologized.

However, the following year, the Turgesh joined forces with the Tibetans to invade Anxi again. Fortunately, Anxi had taken precautions based on the previous incident and defeated the invading enemy from the city of Anxi.

Another prime minister, Li Yuanhong, was the one who treated Ketuyu, the actual ruler of the Khitan in the northeast, poorly when he came to court, causing Ketuyu to leave in anger. He then killed the Khitan king Li Shaogu, led the Khitan and coerced the Xi people to rebel and surrender to the Turks, which further escalated the war in the northeast and caused the various towns and armies in Youzhou to shift their focus from defending against the Turks to defending against the two barbarian tribes.

The king, who had just won a great victory in the pursuit of the Tibetans, was ambushed and killed by the Uyghurs while leading his troops to pursue the Tibetan envoys to the Turks due to his improper handling of the affairs of the Uyghur tribes and his carelessness. This caused great shock in the Hexi Corridor.

During the mid-Kaiyuan period, the nation's strength grew daily, and the mentality of the Tang emperors and their officials underwent a significant change. They became more confident and courageous than before, and this mentality directly influenced their attitude towards handling border affairs. They became unafraid of challenges and even actively created incidents.

However, excessive confidence leads to arrogance and self-will, resulting in disorganized actions and a complete lack of strategic focus. By the Tianbao era, war raged along the long borders, and the entire Tang Dynasty resembled a dazzling firework exploding in all directions!
Zhang Dai is currently at the beginning of this transformation. He is eager to get to know Li Yi and share his views, hoping to exert some influence on the future direction of border affairs, make the pace more realistic and orderly, and allow the powerful national strength of the Tang Dynasty to be exported and suppressed in a planned and continuous manner, rather than being squandered indiscriminately.

While Li Yi was still digesting and absorbing Zhang Dai's words about border affairs, a subordinate came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Yang Guogong's envoy has delivered a letter requesting entry into the office."

"What brings Duke Guo here?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi looked puzzled. After a moment's thought, he looked at Zhang Dai and saw that Zhang Dai nodded slightly, indicating that he had come for him. So he got up and gestured for Zhang Dai to go out with him to greet him.

Yang Sixu was carried in by his servants in a palanquin. It seemed that his gout had not fully healed. Seeing this, Zhang Dai was quite moved and quickly stepped forward to say, "I was troubled by some matters, and I am truly flattered and grateful to Lord Guo for coming out of illness to inquire about my affairs. I will never forget your great kindness!"

Yang Sixu nodded to him first, and then said to the Prince of Xin'an, "My illness has not yet healed, and I am unable to rise to pay my respects to Your Majesty. I wish to borrow this house for a while, and I humbly request Your Majesty's permission."

"You flatter me, Lord Guo. The side halls next to the government office are meant to be used for convenient purposes. Your appointment is perfectly acceptable."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi spoke to Yang Sixu.

Yang Sixu gestured for Zhang Dai to follow him to the side hall. His gaze shifted and he saw Wang Shouzhen behind someone, about to walk out. He immediately pointed and ordered, "Detain this man for now. He is not allowed to leave until the matter is clear!"

When Prince Xin'an returned to the government office, Wang Shouzhen was not too nervous. Even if the prince protected Zhang Dai, he thought that the prince would not hold a grudge against him and would make things difficult for him. He could still get away unscathed.

But when he saw Yang Sixu arrive, his expression changed drastically. If he fell into the hands of the eunuchs, even if his life was not in danger, he would probably be humiliated.

So he was planning to slip away temporarily, but as soon as Yang Sixu gave the order, he was immediately surrounded by his servants, and the situation was reversed in an instant.

(End of this chapter)