Chapter 11 Ceding Territory and Paying Indemnity (Part 2) (Second Update, Seeking Votes)

  Du He saw Li Shimin understood his meaning and spoke more enthusiastically.

  "Moreover, they invaded our Great Tang with a hundred thousand troops, destroying our fields and crops, intending to occupy our prefectures and cities, committing heinous crimes that make people's hair stand on end. So, let them cede some land to us as compensation, what's wrong with that? Such things should be common in history!"

  Li Shimin initially thought that Du He was just trying to extort money, and secretly laughed at him. Although Du He's move was a case of adding insult to injury, it had to be considered a clever tactic. The Tibetans were already not wealthy, and the loss of nearly 100,000 troops had dealt them an unprecedentedly heavy blow. If they were forced to pay a large indemnity, they would certainly be plunged into difficulties, making it even harder for them to recover.

  But later on, Du He spoke of it in relation to the land, and people began to stir as well.

  In the Spring and Autumn Period, ceding land for peace was a common occurrence. It was not unusual for countries to exchange cities with each other, and there were records of the Qin king being willing to cede fifteen cities to Zhao in exchange for the He Shi Bi.

  But since the unification of the world, the matter of ceding land has gradually decreased.

  In the Tang Dynasty, there was almost no more talk of ceding land. If you wanted territory, you could only fight for it with real power, and no one would intentionally give up their territory.

  Li Shimin did not expect Du He to have this move, and he stood up with a changed expression.

  He is such a capable person, following Du He's train of thought, he already understood everything: he had already reached an agreement with Xiangyongguo and secretly supported Xiangyongguo in its resistance against Tubo.

  According to his understanding, the original Xiangxiong had 150,000 troops, while Tubo had 250,000 troops. Therefore, Xiangxiong was suppressed by Tubo on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau all along. However, now that Tubo's 100,000-strong army has almost been wiped out and its national strength has also suffered greatly, the situation between the two sides has turned around.

  Although Tubo had a powerful leader, facing the gap in strength and its own bias, it was not easy for Tubo to defeat Xiangxiong.

  If we put some pressure on Tubo from behind, Tubo may even be destroyed.

  It can be concluded that in order to avoid such a situation, as long as one uses strong measures to force the Tubo to cede territory, the probability of compromise is very high. This is not easy to achieve the strange effect of driving people away without war.

  Is it worth treating yourself like this just for the sake of a small piece of land that is barren and far away, unsuitable for the survival of the Tang people?

  To put it bluntly, Li Shimin had a big heart and was interested in the territory on the Silk Road of Western Regions, but he didn't think much of the land of Tubo which was not conducive to their survival.

  Li Shimin told Du He about his inner doubts.

  Du He glanced at Li Shimin with a somewhat foolish look and said, "Uncle Li, you don't know! The current Tubo has occupied the Qinghai of Tuyuhun, do you know how rich Qinghai is?"

  Li Shimin put his mind on the Western Regions, and what he knew about Qinghai was not detailed. He only knew that in the late Western Han Dynasty, Xihai County was established on the north shore of Qinghai Lake, and during the Sui Dynasty, northern Qinghai was also their territory. However, due to its remoteness and location on a plateau, it did not receive much attention.

  In the year when Li Jing led his army to defeat Tuyuhun, he once occupied Qinghai, but because of the unsuitable climate for the Tang people, he returned it to Tuyuhun and let them continue to manage it.

  Not long ago, the Tubo invaded and occupied Qinghai. After driving out the Tubo, due to high altitude sickness, the Tang army did not pursue them, so Qinghai was still in the hands of the Tubo.

  He didn't take this place seriously and didn't pay attention to it.

  As for the original master Tuyuhun, he no longer had the power to retake Qinghai.

  Du He said solemnly: "In fact, this treasure land of Qinghai is no less than the Jiangnan region of our dynasty, and even surpasses it!"

  "It can't be!" Li Shimin was incredulous, for although the economic center of the Tang Dynasty had not yet shifted to Jiangnan, the region's abundant salt and rice were indispensable to the empire.

  Qinghai is comparable to Jiangnan?

  It's really hard to believe!

  "I heard my master say that Qinghai is adjacent to the highland pasture, where the grasslands are vast and the grass is lush, making it most suitable for animal husbandry. For ethnic groups who make a living by herding, this is a piece of land they yearn for. In addition, the mountains within the territory are towering, with diverse landforms, rivers crisscrossing, and lakes scattered about, with dozens of salt pans." Du He's understanding of Qinghai came from his vague memories in his mind. He had once gone to Tibet for a ten-day tour, and Qinghai Lake was a must-visit destination. The knowledgeable tour guide introduced Qinghai Lake in great detail, broadening the horizons of these outsiders.

  Li Shimin's expression changed as he stood up and said in a low voice, "Is this true?"

  As for the highland pasture that Du He mentioned at the beginning, he didn't have many thoughts. The Great Tang Dynasty mainly relied on farming, what's the use of a piece of land suitable for animal husbandry? But when he heard about the salt fields, he couldn't help but take it seriously.

  The Guanzhong region lacks salt, and all the salt is transported from Jiangnan through the Grand Canal of China. This endless journey of tens of thousands of miles requires a huge amount of manpower and resources. If there were indeed dozens of salt pans in Qinghai, it would solve the problem of salt shortage in Guanzhong, and there would be no need to transport salt over long distances.

  "No doubt!" Du He was certain of this point, he remembered very clearly, because Qinghai Lake is a famous saltwater lake.

  In fact, Qinghai Lake's treasures are far more than these, and there are countless game and mineral reserves ranking first in the country. It's just that Du He's memories are not deep, and he dare not confirm whether they are correct.

  But dozens of salt fields were enough to move Li Shimin's heart.

  "Uncle Li, there's another wonderful thing about making Tibet cede Qinghai! Our people are not used to the high-altitude climate, so we don't have a good way to deal with Tibet. But as long as we can get Qinghai and station troops there, within half a year, our soldiers will adapt to the local climate. By then, our army won't be afraid of any high-altitude reactions! That insignificant Tibet, if they dare to be arrogant, will surely make them regret it." Du He continued to tempt him, from both long-term and immediate perspectives, forcing Tibet to cede Qinghai would be absolutely beneficial for the Tang Dynasty.

  Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Let you say what's on your mind, it's decided like this. This Qinghai, I'm going to take it, if not, I'll refuse the Tibetan Empire's request for peace talks and join forces with Xiongnu to attack from both sides and take Qinghai by force!"

  Li Shimin made up his mind, and Du He also let out a sigh of relief, loudly praising the emperor's wisdom.

  Back at the Cai Guo Gong Fu, he found that Du Ruhui had not slept, but was waiting for him. Seeing him return, she pulled him to explain the meaning of his words before leaving.

  Du He could only retell the matter of ceding territory and paying indemnity to Du Ruhui once again.

  Du Ruhui's whiskers twitched, and he hummed: "This idea is quite a loss, but it's also pretty interesting!" He gave such an ambiguous evaluation, and it was unclear whether he was praising or belittling.

  The next day, Li Shimin changed his friendly attitude of yesterday and was severe towards the Tubo envoy.

  What is shown is no longer the tolerance and benevolence of the Tang Dynasty, but the attitude of treating subordinates as defeated generals with a victorious country.