Chapter 39: The Only Chance (Second Update, Seeking Votes)

  Li Ji looked at Du He with some comfort as he talked incessantly, but at the same time shook his head and revealed a bitter smile.

  They had known all along, but Du He was the only one who was kept in the dark.

  Songtsen Gampo's intention deceived Du He but could not deceive Li Shimin.

  Li Shimin did not believe the true meaning of the letter written by Songtsen Gampo. As a king, he had this confidence. He believed that under his rule in the Great Tang, unless one was a fool, no one would dare to say such things.

  It's completely imaginable that Songtsen Gampo was absolutely not a fool, but rather an extremely intelligent figure. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the qualifications to rise up in Tibet within just seven short years, quell internal strife and become a powerful overlord with an army of 200,000 to 300,000 soldiers.

  Li Shimin did not oppose Duhe for two reasons: one was that Duhe's plan was indeed feasible, and the other was that he himself did not know the true meaning of Songtsen Gampo, only sensing that he had ulterior motives, so he did not explain.

  That night, Li Shimin gathered his trusted generals and advisors, including Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Li Jing, Li Ji, and Wei Zheng, to discuss the matter.

  It's entirely imaginable that such an array would be unstoppable, not just for the humble Tibetans, but for anyone in the entire world.

  Li Jing said first: "Songtsen Gampo's letter is deceitful. From the old minister's understanding of him, he is definitely not such a muddled and reckless person."

  House Xuanling then took over, "If it's not such a muddle, it must be another plan. This is what he intends to do, show weakness first. Let us mistakenly think that the Tubo does not understand our great Tang Dynasty, and thus give birth to a light enemy heart."

  Du Ruhui immediately said: "The dog son is misled, so he thinks Song Zan Gan Bu is arrogant, but doesn't know that this is his plan to show weakness and provoke the enemy. I reckon their purpose is opposite to the content of the letter, he is not planning to attack Chang'an, but has a mind to defeat our army."

  They spent two hours, and in this way, you spoke one word and I spoke one word, thoroughly analyzing Songtsen Gampo's ideas, making them clear.

  Finally, Du Ruhui hoped that Li Shimin and others would not tell Du He about Song Zan Gan Bu's intentions, hoping that he could understand his own shortcomings and kill his arrogance.

  Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling and Li Jing all saw Du He's potential and had the intention to cultivate him, so they agreed.

  They didn't expect that even without their terrifying lineup, Du He still saw through everything with his own abilities.

  "Brother, how did you see through all this!" Li Ji was very curious. Li Shimin gathered the few outstanding figures of the time to see through the enemy's intentions, and Du He was able to see through it, which made him feel extremely surprised.

  "Hmm!" Du He rubbed his head and said: "Actually, I felt something was off from the beginning. Although Song Zan Gan Bu is an enemy, he really isn't that capable. It shouldn't have been a mistake, but for a while, I couldn't see through his true intentions, so I could only attribute it to arrogance. Lately, thinking about it occasionally has gradually clarified things, and I've understood their true intentions. But..."

  He said, emphasizing his tone: "It is precisely because of this that we must win this battle and win big! Songts?n Gampo was able to devise such a plan, which shows that he has a good understanding of the Great Tang. If not for ulterior motives, why would he do so?"

  Li Ji let Du He retreat, looking at his back, and couldn't help but shake his head in admiration: "Having a son should be like Du Qinglian! This young man is already so intelligent and thoughtful, who knows what he will achieve in the future? It's possible that he'll surpass even Li Jing. Our great Tang Dynasty is blessed."

  Songzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office!

  Songtsen Gampo convened a military meeting in the temporarily occupied Dudu Mansion.

  "Zanp! The Tang Dynasty's Li Ji has led an army of 80,000 to the vicinity of Songzhou, a strategic location, and set up camp there. However, it seems they have no intention of attacking, but rather are fortifying their camp. Furthermore, our scouts have discovered that a contingent of the Tang army took a small path to bypass Songzhou, heading in an unknown direction!" The hundred-household leader in charge of scouting reported this information to Song Zan Gan Bu.

  Songtsen Gampo's face turned gloomy and he fell silent for a moment before saying, "The Great Tang is indeed not to be underestimated. What a clever move, using defense as offense! They must have seen that we can't hold out, planning to cut off our supply lines, defeat us without drawing any swords, and then launch a victorious pursuit. What cunning people!"

  Songtsen Gampo was no fool and saw through the true intention of this tactic at a glance.

  "This is the 'Art of War' by Sun Tzu, which says 'A good fighter should be able to win without being defeated, and not miss the opportunity to defeat his enemy.' We can learn from the 'Art of War', and as Tang people, we will not be inferior to others." The speaker was one of Songtsen Gampo's tutors.

  The princess said, "Isn't this exactly what Zanpu wants? If we can't afford it, let's not waste our time with them. Our goal is to force the Tang Emperor to release the Grand Minister, not really to enter Chang'an." He was also Songtsen Gampo's mentor.

  Songtsen Gampo had four tutors, who were also his most important four ministers: Lu Dongzan, Thumi Sambhota, Shisai Dronyerchungton and Narendraraksha.

  The four great ministers of Tibet were renowned for their prestige, among whom Tongmi Sambhota was good at governing the country, Trisong Detsen was skilled in military strategy, Ngarima Sangdron was brave in battle, and Ludongzan was the most important one who excelled in both literature and martial arts, and had a unique approach to deploying troops, but he was best at strategic planning.

  Just like Zhuge Liang under Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang drafted the development trend of Shu for nearly twenty years when Liu Bei was not even a match for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, with less than 10,000 soldiers.

  When the Tubo was newly established, it was similar to Liu Bei's guest residence in Xinye, and even worse. To its southwest was the country of Xiangxiong, to its southeast was the country of Nanzhao, to its west was the country of Mipala, and to its north was the mighty Tang Dynasty. If these countries had any intention of invading, they would be difficult to resist, and it could be said that they were as precarious as walking on thin ice. However, due to the existence of Tridé Zhāncān, every step taken by Tubo would bring the greatest benefit, causing Tubo to develop rapidly.

  Songtsen Gampo cannot be separated from Tridong Tsen, and Tubo also cannot be separated from Tridong Tsen.

  Songtsen Gampo nodded his head.

  Long ago, when the country was first established, Lu Dongzan had analyzed the great events of the world with him. At that time, he said: "The current Tang Dynasty is a fierce tiger, and no one can match its power. And we Tubo are wolves, wolves cannot compete with tigers, what we can do is to get along with them, without invading each other. But wolves will not lose to tigers, as long as they can stabilize the tiger, and then gather the surrounding forces of Tubo, until the wolf becomes a pack of wolves, this fierce tiger Tang Dynasty will be no longer feared."

  As for his words, Songtsen Gampo always regarded them as sacred orders, so he never had the idea of attacking Chang'an. Chang'an must be attacked, but it has to wait until the wolf pack gathers.

  His current actions are a result of all ministers discussing for over a month to come up with a way to force the Tang Dynasty to return Lulong Prefecture.

  Of course, if they knew that their work of several months could be analyzed clearly by a group of monsters in Chang'an within two hours, I don't know what they would think.

  "We can't drag this out, we have to fight quickly! The Tang army is building defensive fortifications and garrisoning them, clearly they don't plan on engaging us head-on. We also have no choice but to launch a preemptive attack if we want to win. Once their defenses are complete, our chances of victory will be slim. So..."

  Songtsen Gampo stood up, waving his fist and said: "So we can only attack tonight, taking advantage of their fatigue from traveling far and the defensive fortifications not being completed yet, launch a night raid! This is also our only chance!"

  The second generation has created a QQ group, the group number is in the book review section, like-minded friends who like this book or have opinions and suggestions can join, and it's okay to chat casually!

  Finally, I highly recommend Da Zhou Huang Zu's new book "The Great Zhou Royal Family"!

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