Wow!
These words caused an uproar inside the tent.
The Tang generals didn't even need to turn around to look; they could tell from the voice that the one who suggested "killing prisoners" was Lan Yu, the Marquis of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty.
Of all these generals, only Lan Yu harbored the deepest grudge against the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army.
In the Battle of Talas, Turgun nearly wiped out Lan Yu's entire army;
In the Battle of Princess City, Turhun personally led the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary army, directly defeating Lan Yu to the point that he had to tie himself to a flagpole with a rope to direct the battle.
To this day, Lan Yu still walks with a limp, entirely thanks to the Arab Empire's army during its eastward expedition.
Now, the culprit Turhong has already died tragically under the halberd of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an;
However, those Arab soldiers who went on the eastward expedition still survived. How could Anxi Marquis Lan Yu, who was straightforward and always sought revenge, miss such an opportunity to beat a drowning dog?
Even though the emperor ultimately did not agree to his suggestion, he still had a chance to vent his feelings, which at least made him feel better, didn't it?
As expected, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, upon hearing Lan Yu's suggestion, immediately waved his hand and said only, "Killing prisoners is inauspicious!"
In fact, at this moment, what Chen Huai'an was thinking about was how to maximize the remaining value of these hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war and wounded soldiers in his hands.
Instead of simply waving a large hand and killing them all.
Killing them is easy, but cleaning up the mess is a real problem!
If he had listened to Lan Yu's advice and killed all the prisoners of war from the Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary force, then the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire outside the Western Regions would have truly reached a point of irreconcilable conflict.
It's likely that the news of the killing of prisoners reached Baghdad just a second ago, and the Abbasid Caliphate will immediately launch a full-scale eastward expedition to "exchange fates" with the Tang Dynasty, a fight to the death.
Wouldn't this completely ruin the excellent situation that Chen Huai'an had painstakingly built up?
If he really had this intention, why would he bother to have a one-on-one duel with Turhun, the greatest warrior of the Abbasid Caliphate and the great general of the Arab Empire's eastern expedition, outside Black Tiger City?
Wouldn't it be much easier to simply order the Shenji Battalion outside the city to bombard the city day and night with their red-coated cannons until the entire Arab Empire's eastern expeditionary force inside Black Tiger City is wiped out?
At this moment, Guo Dingfang, the Vice Minister of War and Marquis of Zhenxi, also stepped forward and said slowly, "I also believe that killing prisoners is inappropriate and that education should be the primary approach!"
"Lord Guo, you make it sound so easy!"
Lan Yu dared not argue with Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, so he turned the conflict to Guo Dingfang, the Vice Minister of War, and said, "Who was it that just petitioned His Majesty that these hundreds of thousands of prisoners need food, water and medicine?"
"Focus on education and moral guidance; you're the one who should support them!"
"Marquis of Anxi, you—"
Guo Dingfang was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond to Lan Yu.
In fact, his original intention was to assimilate these hundreds of thousands of prisoners, just as he had done with the relationship between the Western Regions and the Tang Dynasty, so that they would accept the Central Plains culture and eventually become willing followers of the Tang Dynasty.
However, Guo Dingfang suffered from poor speaking skills, and his words were not clear enough, which allowed Bluetooth to take advantage of the situation and launch a counterattack against him.
Lan Yu remained as nonchalant as ever, spreading his hands and saying, "We can't kill them, we can't raise them, and we have to worry about the wounded not having enough medicine to treat them, which could lead to an outbreak of disease in the army."
"What else do you think we should do?"
At this moment, Zuo Liangcai, the Marquis of Changxin, who had remained silent in the corner and whose presence on the western expedition had been remarkably low, suddenly stood up and said to Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, who was seated in the main seat: "Your Majesty, I believe that these prisoners of war can be assigned to forced labor."
"Now, Duke Pang Xianchu of Jin is carrying out a large-scale construction project in Chang'an Prefecture on the Emperor's orders. Why not incorporate these hundreds of thousands of prisoners into the corvée labor and make them contribute to the relocation of the Tang Dynasty's capital to Chang'an?"
"In a way, we can wash away their sins of invading the Western Regions and the Silk Road by contributing to the Tang Dynasty!"
"Your Majesty, Marquis Changxin is absolutely right!"
Huo Qubing also stepped forward and stated, "I also believe that these hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war can be escorted to Chang'an Prefecture to serve as laborers. They are well-trained soldiers, and when put into the labor service of large-scale construction projects, they will naturally be more reliable and durable than ordinary laborers."
"Since hiring laborers costs money anyway, why not use the money to cover the living expenses of these prisoners of war? It might even save the court a lot of money on salaries!"
oh?
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow, and a plan came to mind.
Changxin Marquis Zuo Liangcai's suggestion to use prisoners of war as laborers reminded Chen Huai'an of something: why not just have these hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war perform labor on the spot and build an outer Great Wall along the western border of the entire Western Regions?
That's right, it's the Great Wall beyond the borders!
As a time traveler, Chen Huai'an naturally knew that no dynasty could last for ten thousand generations. Even Genghis Khan, a great conqueror, after his Mongol cavalry trampled across almost half the earth, his descendants still failed to protect their great empire.
For Chen Huai'an, who possesses the [Born to Be an Emperor] system and can achieve unlimited troop production, he can certainly be fearless of any threat or challenge;
However, once he achieves the status of "the greatest emperor of all time," or after he passes away, will the successor of the dynasty have the ability to fearlessly defend the great empire he has built without fear of any threats or challenges?
Obviously, the answer is no!
If, when that time truly comes, there is such a Great Wall beyond the borders that forms the first line of defense for the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions against foreign enemies, wouldn't it be much better for future successors?
In addition, Chen Huai'an had already made a plan in his heart to let the prince born to his imperial concubine, Princess Yue Qiluo, inherit the title of the valiant Khan Moyanchuo of the Uyghur Khanate and become the undisputed Western King of the Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, his initiative to build an outer Great Wall along the border of the Western Regions at this time was undoubtedly paving the way for his descendants and laying the groundwork for their long-term and peaceful rule over the Western Regions.
Upon realizing this, Chen Huai'an suddenly felt enlightened, as if struck by a sudden awakening.
Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, waved his hand from the main seat, and the previously noisy central military tent immediately fell silent.
Cough cough!
Chen Huai'an coughed twice and said, "The Marquis of Changxin's suggestion is very much to my liking. Using these hundreds of thousands of enemy prisoners of war who invaded the vassal states of the Great Tang as forced laborers can be considered as giving them a chance to redeem themselves, and it also demonstrates the magnanimity of our Great Tang Dynasty as a superior nation."
"only--"
Then, Chen Huai'an changed the subject, saying meaningfully, "I do not intend for them to go to Chang'an Prefecture to perform corvée labor and contribute to the construction of the new capital of the Tang Dynasty."
"How could these barbarians from beyond the borders possibly understand the aesthetics of the palace architecture of my great Han people?"
"What if the palace they build for me turns out to be some kind of incongruous foreign-style architecture? Wouldn't that make me and the Tang Dynasty a laughing stock and a laughingstock?"
Hahaha!
Upon hearing this, the generals present couldn't help but burst into laughter, thinking to themselves that the emperor was as humorous and witty as ever!
Immediately afterwards, Chen Huai'an said, word by word, "I have made up my mind. Let them build a Great Wall outside the borders of the Western Silk Road to defend against foreign invasion!"
"Building a Great Wall beyond our borders is a meritorious deed for the present and a benefit for future generations!"
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