Chapter 425 The Tibetan Envoy
"Your Majesty! Tubo has sent an envoy to seek an audience!" The minister mentioned the matter of the Tibetan envoy to Li Chengqian during the meeting.
"Call!" Li Chengqian said.
"Call the Tibetan envoy to see you!" Wang Quan stepped forward and shouted.
"Call the Tibetan envoy to see you!" The eunuch outside the palace passed the message out, and when the Tibetan envoy heard him being summoned, he followed the eunuch to the Xuanzheng Hall to meet the Tang Emperor Li Chengqian.
"Your Majesty, I am here to see the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!" The Tibetan envoy saluted.
"No need to be polite, just stand up! What is the purpose of the Tibetan envoy coming all the way to Chang'an?" Li Chengqian said.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty! I came to Chang'an on the order of the Zanpu to ask the Tang Dynasty to allow Tubo and Tuyuhun to make peace, and to show the friendship between Tubo and Tuyuhun."
"I hope that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty can allow Tubo to graze in the Chishui area of Heyuan. To show our sincerity, Tubo is willing to make peace with Tuyuhun." The Tubo envoy said.
The purpose of his visit this time was not to make peace with Tuyuhun, nor to make a marriage, but mainly to hope that the Tang Dynasty would recognize Tubo's annexation of Tuyuhun.
"Chishui is Tuyuhun's land. What does it have to do with you, Tubo? How can you, Tubo, graze in Chishui? It is too inappropriate for you to occupy the nest of a cuckoo. I will not agree to your request!" Li Chengqian said. He would naturally not agree to Tubo's request.
"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty! I, Tubo, just hope to live in peace with Tuyuhun. Does the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty want to see war and fighting between Tubo and Tuyuhun?" said the Tubo envoy.
How can you tell such nonsense? Who will believe the nonsense you Tubo people tell? If you love peace, how can you annex Tuyuhun?
Do the Tubo people really think that everyone is a fool?
"Since you want to live in peace, please withdraw your troops from Tuyuhun and return the territory occupied by Tuyuhun to Tuyuhun, instead of grazing on other people's land." Li Chengqian said.
The Tibetan envoys were speechless. It was impossible for them to withdraw from Tuyuhun and return the occupied part of Tuyuhun. The reason why the Tibetans went to Tang Dynasty was to hope that Tang Dynasty would acquiesce to their occupation of Tuyuhun.
Even if Tang Dynasty did not agree, it would not matter. The Tibetans would not withdraw to Tuyuhun no matter what, but would continue to fight with Tuyuhun to the end.
This trip to Tang Dynasty was nothing more than to test the attitude of the Tang emperor.
"I, Tubo, come with sincerity, hoping that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty can help reconcile the relationship between Tubo and Tuyuhun. I, Tubo, am willing to marry a princess to the prince of Tuyuhun, and live in harmony forever."
"I, Tubo, do not need any betrothal gifts from Tuyuhun. I just need Tuyuhun to let my Tubo people graze in the Chishui area. Moreover, I, Tubo, are willing to give a generous dowry." The Tubo envoy said.
"Such nonsense, do you think people in the world will believe it? If it were you, would you believe it?" Li Chengqian questioned.
"I believe it. I, Tubo, is a country that keeps its word! We will never do anything to betray our faith." The Tubo envoy said.
As long as the mission can be completed, anything is fine. After all, it's up to you to say whatever you want.
Li Chengqian was almost amused by his anger! Tubo was so shameless that he could tell lies without blushing or beating his heart.
"No matter what you say, I will not agree. I advise you that Tuyuhun is a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. Considering that Tuyuhun is a relative of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty will not pursue the harassment of Tuyuhun this time."
"But you must evacuate Tuyuhun immediately and return to Qisu. Otherwise, the Tang Dynasty will send troops to help Tuyuhun maintain stability. You can leave now!" Li Chengqian said, not wanting to say another word to the Tubo envoy.
"I will definitely bring the words of the Tang Emperor back to my great minister intact. Farewell!" The Tubo envoy said, bowed and left, knowing that he would not doubt what he said.
"My dear ministers, what do you think about the matter of Tubo and Tuyuhun?" Li Chengqian asked after the Tubo envoy left.
"Your Majesty! In view of the current situation of the Tang Dynasty, I think it is not appropriate to have a conflict with Tubo. Peace is the most important thing." A minister stepped out and saluted. The
Tang Dynasty was trying to quell the rebellion while accelerating the pace of attacking Goguryeo. It had no spare energy to care about the affairs of Tubo and Tuyuhun.
"Then what should we do, my dear ministers?" Li Chengqian asked.
"I think we can send envoys to negotiate with Tubo on behalf of Tuyuhun, hoping that Tubo can stop fighting and stop harassing Tuyuhun." The minister said.
"Then how do you plan to negotiate?" Li Chengqian asked again.
"I think we can give the land occupied by Tubo to Tubo in exchange for peace." The minister said.
The minister thought this was the best solution at the moment. He should negotiate with Tubo and give Tuyuhun's occupied land to Tubo. It was not his anyway.
"This is ridiculous! I have never heard of robbers robbing you and giving your things with both hands and smiling."
"Tubo's wolfish ambitions have long been exposed. You really think that negotiations can solve the dispute between Tubo and Tuyuhun. This is simply wishful thinking."
"Tubo's determination to annex Tuyuhun has never wavered. Once any compromise is made, he will make further advances and slowly eat away at it until Tuyuhun is completely annexed." Li Chengqian said.
The minister had nothing to say! He had to retreat.
"I received an urgent report from Mobei! Do you know what it said?" Li Chengqian asked.
"Your Majesty! Did something happen in Mobei again? And is it related to Tubo?" Zhongshu Ling Li Ke asked.
"In December of the year before last, Gongyue and Shule tribes rebelled and attacked Yutian. I ordered Anxi Duhu Gao Xian to lead the army to rescue them." "
I thought Gao Xian would be able to put down the rebellion of Gongyue and Shule tribes quickly, but who would have thought that Gao Xian sent someone to deliver an urgent report that Gongyue and Shule tribes colluded with Tubo to invade Yutian together." Li Chengqian said.
Everyone was shocked when they heard this! They didn't expect that Tubo was actually involved.
"Your Majesty! I think we should send troops to reinforce Khotan immediately. Khotan is one of the four towns of Anxi. It plays a vital role and cannot be lost." The Minister of War stepped out and saluted. "
I have the same idea. Shangguan Yi drafted an imperial edict to order Cui Zhibian, the governor of Xizhou, and Cao Jishu, the general of Zuo Wuwei, to lead troops to rescue Khotan. There must be no mistakes. Khotan must not fall into the hands of Tubo." Li Chengqian said.
"I accept the order!" Shangguan Yi stepped out and saluted.
"Dismiss!" Li Chengqian stood up and left Xuanzheng Hall. The ministers saw him off.
After the working meeting, the ministers left Xuanzheng Hall and returned to their own offices to handle official business.
After Shangguan Yi drafted the edict, it was confirmed by the officials of the three ministries and sent to Li Chengqian, who signed the edict and sealed it before it was implemented.