Chapter 218
Li Er was very satisfied with Li Chengqian's extermination of Xueyantuo, which proved that he, the prince, had good vision.
"Now that Xueyantuo has been exterminated, how did you deal with Mobei?" Li Er asked. Li
Er wanted to see how Li Chengqian would deal with the relationship between the Han people and other ethnic groups, which was related to the future of the Tang Dynasty.
"Xueyantuo Dumozhi and other tribes, as well as the Uighur, Pugu, Tongluo and other tribes all requested to submit to the Tang Dynasty, and I have approved their requests!"
"Dumozhi even followed me to Chang'an in person. Dumozhi was the last Khan of Xueyantuo after all, and I dare not make random arrangements."
"I will place him in the posthouse and send people to take good care of him. How to deal with Dumozhi still needs to be decided by my father himself." Li Chengqian said.
Li Er nodded, and approved of what Li Chengqian did.
"If you were asked to deal with Dumozhi, what would you do?" Li Er asked.
Test me again! Li Chengqian thought to himself: In history, after Dumozhi surrendered and came to Chang'an, Li Er gave Dumozhi a general position.
"I think we can keep Dumozhi in Chang'an and give him an official position. This way, we can not only monitor Dumozhi, but also use him for our Tang Dynasty." "
With Dumozhi, the last Khan of Xueyantuo Khanate, we don't have to worry about those Xueyantuo people who are still greedy and unwilling to die to restore their country." "
It can also show the magnanimity of our Tang Dynasty as the Celestial Empire. It's a win-win situation. Why not do it?" Li Chengqian said his suggestion.
"You are right! Keeping Dumozhi will not only show the magnanimity of the Tang Dynasty, but also appease the Xueyantuo people. Then appoint Dumozhi as the general of the Right Guard, and leave this matter to you." Li Er said.
"Yes! Your son obeys your order!" Li Chengqian said, "Your son has something to say
, but I don't know if it's appropriate or not!" "Whatever you say, just say it. Even if you say something wrong, I won't blame you. The reason why I appointed Wei Zheng was because I valued his outspokenness and his courage to risk the world's disapproval." Li Er said.
"Father, although we have wiped out the Xueyantuo and the nine tribes of Tiele in northern Mobei have submitted to the Tang Dynasty, I am worried that among these people, there may not be another force like the Xueyantuo."
"We wiped out this one today, and the day after tomorrow there will be another one. Why can't we solve them once and for all?" Li Chengqian asked.
As the saying goes, those who are not of my race must have different hearts! These tribes submitted to the Tang Dynasty because the Tang Dynasty is strong. They are weak now and may not really submit.
Maybe one day, when they are strong, they may want to become the second Xueyantuo.
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but think of Silla, this small country living on the peninsula, isn't it like this!
There were three small countries on the peninsula, and Silla could not defeat the other two, so it thought of its neighbor, the powerful Tang Dynasty.
Silla relied on the strength of the Tang Dynasty to unify the peninsula, but also drove the Tang army out of the peninsula and took the fruits of the Tang army.
In the end, although it still surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and recognized the status of the Tang Dynasty as the suzerain, it is an indisputable fact that Silla rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. However,
even if Silla unified the peninsula, it could not be compared with Xueyantuo, otherwise, it is still unclear whether Silla would surrender to the Tang Dynasty again.
"War doesn't solve everything. Military force can only intimidate the other side and make them succumb to the military force of our Tang Dynasty, but this is only a temporary solution. "
"There are still many enemies of the Tang Dynasty, especially Tubo. Don't think that Tubo and the Tang Dynasty seem to be in harmony now."
"But Tubo's ambition to expand outward still exists. Sooner or later, there will be a war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo."
"Only by conquering people's hearts can we have long-term stability. I will treat them with sincerity, and there will always be people who truly submit
to the Tang Dynasty." "As long as our Tang Dynasty continues to maintain a strong national strength, it will be able to intimidate the scoundrels, and with the loyal barbarians of the Tang Dynasty monitoring us, the border of the Tang Dynasty will always be peaceful." Li Er explained to Li Chengqian.
This is a political policy adopted by the Tang Dynasty towards ethnic minorities in the southwest. This system is called the system of control.
The Tang Dynasty recognized the local aristocrats, conferred titles
of nobility, and incorporated them into the court management system. The word "ji" means to tie up a horse with a leather net, and "mi" means to tie or tie up. "jimi" literally means to restrain and keep them from moving. In layman's terms
, it means to tie up these foreigners like horses with reins, firmly control them in your hands, and prevent them from escaping.
On the one hand, it is to use military strength and political pressure to control these foreigners.
On the other hand, it is to appease foreigners with economic and material benefits.
During the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, such a system of control was called the Tusi system. The system of retaining and controlling the people
originated from the Tang and Song dynasties, and was perfected into the chieftain system in the Yuan Dynasty. It reached its peak in the middle and late Ming Dynasty and began to collapse. It was not until the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty that the land reform was carried out.
In this way, the system of retaining and controlling the people disappeared in the river of history.
This was also an indispensable component for the Tang Dynasty to firmly control the surrounding ethnic groups and its prosperity.
"I understand!" Li Chengqian said.
"It's good that you understand! After all, there are many tribes surrounding the Tang Dynasty, and not everyone is hostile to it. We must use force to eliminate those who want to resist it."
"Use the tributary system to appease the barbarians who are willing to submit to the Tang Dynasty. No matter what, the population of the Tang Dynasty is limited. It is unwise to use force to conquer the surrounding ethnic groups."
"Even if you have a strong financial foundation, it will eventually be lost. That's why we need to subdue the surrounding ethnic groups to guard our borders." Li Er admonished.
"Your Majesty, I will remember your teachings. Your Majesty, the Uighurs, Pugu and other tribes want to come to Chang'an to meet you. Your Majesty, I have allowed them to come to Chang'an and they will arrive in Chang'an soon." "
Your Majesty, I allowed these tribes to come to see you without your permission. Please punish me." Li Chengqian stood up and saluted.
"These are just some small matters. If you agree, then it's agreed. You have even destroyed Xueyantuo, why do you still care about these things?" Li Er patted the seat beside him and motioned Li Chengqian to sit down and talk.
Li Chengqian sat down again. Li Er's reaction was within his expectations. He was just pretending to see if Li Er was what he thought.
Li Er dismissed everyone and gave him and his son space to talk about personal matters.
Li Er said that he first affirmed Li Chengqian's performance during his time as regent, praising him for becoming more mature, but he was a little too aggressive and should be more cautious.
Li Chengqian listened quietly to his father's admonitions and teachings, and responded from time to time.
The father and son chatted until late at night, and Li Er let Li Chengqian leave his bedroom, Ganlu Hall.