roccoschili Chapter 5473 Argument Before the Emperor
Chapter 5473 Argument Before the Emperor
Chapter 5473 Argument Before the Emperor
Fang Jun took a sip of tea, glanced at Li Ji, and said in surprise, "Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts. Whether it is the Turks, the Khitans, or even the Mohe further to the east, these foreign tribes will definitely cause trouble for the Tang Dynasty sooner or later if they gather together. There is no doubt about this. So why does Lord Ying say such things?"
Then, before Li Ji could speak, he looked at Li Jing beside him and said, "Does Lord Wei have no objection to this?"
In the twelfth month of the third year of the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong appointed Li Jing as the Grand Commander of the Dingxiang Road Army. Generals such as Li Ji, Chai Shao, Li Daozong, and Xue Wanche were all placed under Li Jing's command, and the army was divided into six routes to attack the Eastern Turks.
The following year, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate was destroyed, and Khagan Jieli was captured. Nearly one million of his followers surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.
Emperor Taizong adopted Wen Yanbo's suggestion to "preserve their tribes and respect their customs," and instead of dispersing and relocating the Turks inland or forcibly assimilating them, he established tributary prefectures and settled them in the northern border region, which stretched from Youzhou in the east to Lingzhou in the west. He appointed Turkic nobles as governors, preserved their tribal organization, but incorporated them into the Tang Dynasty's protectorate system, such as the tributary governorates of Shunzhou, Youzhou, Huazhou, and Changzhou.
The initial policies promoted ethnic exchanges, and some Turkic nobles entered the court to serve as officials, and even served as generals of the imperial guards. For example, Ashina Simo was granted the title of Prince of Huaihua.
However, some of the Turks who migrated inland retained their nomadic customs and military organizations and were not effectively assimilated, becoming a burden on the Tang Dynasty's border defenses. Tuli Khan's brother, Jieshe, even launched a coup in Chang'an, attempting to assassinate Emperor Taizong and then flee north to restore the country. The plot failed, and he was killed.
This fully exposed the potential threat posed by the relocated Turks, prompting Emperor Taizong to reflect and regret that he had "almost lost the way to long-term peace"...
However, there has never been a good policy for these surrendered and annexed Hu peoples. They can only be kept within their territory and controlled by institutions such as the Jimi Prefecture and the Governor-General's Office.
Li Jing nodded: "What the Grand Commandant said is very true. The barbarians only know the law of the jungle and do not understand benevolence and morality. They do not obey the rule of the Tang Dynasty in their bones. As long as they gather in one place and have a leader, they can preserve their own customs and beliefs. They are extremely difficult to assimilate. But if we can break them up and turn them into headless snakes, they will probably not be able to make any more waves."
Fang Jun then looked at Li Ji and said earnestly, "So, Lord Ying, don't refute whether my actions in Liaodong were right or wrong. Since the previous practice of setting up tributary states and governorates was already wrong, why not boldly reform on this basis and see the results? The worst outcome is nothing more than a rebellion, so we can send troops to quell it and make an example of them! While the country is strong now, even if we make mistakes, there is room for repentance. If the country declines and the military strength weakens in the future, and those barbarian tribes jump out to stir up trouble again, the empire will be powerless and helpless!"
Li Ji shook his head and remained silent.
The hall was silent.
Apart from Li Jing and Li Ji, the rest of the attendees were all military heroes of the Zhenguan era. They were undoubtedly skilled in leading troops and fighting across the land, but they were not completely ignorant of policies involving ethnic management. Even if they were not completely clueless, they were as if they were listening to gibberish.
There was no room for argument...
Li Chengqian waved his hand: "I have come today to visit the Prince, why bring up state affairs? We can discuss this further in court later."
This statement, while seemingly fair, actually favors Li Ji and expresses disapproval of Fang Jun's methods in Liaodong.
Fang Jun immediately stood up and bowed deeply to the ground: "Your humble servant has just returned to Chang'an and has not yet gone home. I will first go back to let my parents know that I am safe and sound."
Li Chengqian nodded and said gently, "Second Prince has worked tirelessly for the country, traveling thousands of miles across mountains and rivers. His efforts are commendable. Go back and rest for a while, so that Prime Minister Fang can rest assured."
"Here."
Fang Jun agreed, then clasped his hands in greeting to everyone present before turning and leaving.
The hall remained silent.
After a long while, Cheng Yaojin put down his teacup, stroked his beard, and sighed, "I really can't deny that I'm getting old. A new generation surpasses the old. I used to only know that I was not as good as others in leading troops into battle, but now I find that I am not even as good as others in governing the Hu tribes... Why didn't I think of dealing with the Hu tribes in this way back then? Deposing the tribal chiefs, disrupting their formations, and reorganizing their troops, he really had a knack for it."
Zheng Rentai shook his head and said, "It's not as easy as it sounds. If the Khitan hadn't suffered heavy losses from internal strife, and if the tribes hadn't been deeply antagonistic and distrustful of each other, who would dare to rashly go and depose the tribal chief? It would be tantamount to forcing the barbarians to rebel!"
Whether the nomadic tribes submitted or surrendered, the primary condition was that the Tang Dynasty must guarantee the wealth and power of their nobles and royal family. Otherwise, they would rather migrate their entire tribe thousands of miles away than surrender without resistance.
The Khitans were leaderless and fighting amongst themselves, which gave Fang Jun an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Li Jing said, "This can be seen as setting an example for the Khitan. The other Hu tribes must be trembling with fear right now. It is certainly difficult to depose the chiefs of the Mohe, Shiwei and other Hu tribes, but it should not be difficult to issue an order to disperse the Hu tribes and incorporate them into the army."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The tactic of "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" is often very effective. Fang Jun's strong leadership divided and disintegrated the entire Khitan, so which other nomadic tribes would be willing to follow in the footsteps of the Khitan?
A compromise must be made.
Li Ji suddenly said, "The Khitan suddenly fell into internal strife and the various tribes attacked each other, which gave the Grand Commandant an opportunity... But is this opportunity too coincidental? I have also heard of the Li brothers, and they don't seem like the kind of ruthless heroes with such ambition."
Whether it's internal strife or rebellion, the courage required to make such a decision when the overall situation is stable is not something an ordinary person can possess. After all, it involves dragging the entire tribe or even the entire clan into an unknown territory, and there is even the possibility of total annihilation and extermination of the entire clan.
In particular, after Fang Jun arrived in Liuzhou, he did not use the troops of the Yingzhou Governor's Office for assessment, but instead mobilized the elite naval forces for a landing operation in advance...
If Fang Jun were to have made any mistakes during the internal strife of the Khitan and inadvertently leak them out, it would inevitably cause panic and dissatisfaction among all the non-Han peoples who had submitted to the Tang Dynasty, and could very well lead to a turmoil that spread to all the border regions of the Tang Dynasty.
By then, it may be difficult to say whether it was a merit or a demerit.
Li Jing said in a deep voice, "The cause of the rebellion was Zhou Daowu's unauthorized support of Abugu and his private dealings with him. The people who instigated the rebellion were the Li brothers and the Dahe clan. The Grand Commandant was stationed in Liuzhou, deterred Liaodong, and quelled the rebellion. This will be recorded in the national history and the annals of history. What is there to question? Should we see everything as a conspiracy? Gentlemen, we should put the interests of the empire first!"
Having endured years of silence due to his inability to navigate the officialdom, he now has no choice but to speak out.
Despite holding immense power as Grand Commandant, Fang Jun tirelessly traveled to Liaodong to quell the Khitan rebellion, stabilize the situation, and cleanse the border regions. Yet, some in the court, seeking to discredit Fang Jun's achievements and the situation in Liaodong, incited fear and anger among all the border tribes, ultimately destroying the empire's stability.
Absolutely shameless!
Li Ji showed no emotion on his face. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and remained silent, leaving people wondering what he was trying to achieve with his words.
Li Chengqian, feeling somewhat bored, stood up first: "The Prince's situation is temporarily stable, so there's no need for everyone to linger here any longer. Let's all go back first, lest we disturb the peace of the Prince's residence."
"Here."
Everyone rose to bid farewell to the three Li brothers and left with Li Chengqian.
*****
Upon returning to the mansion, Fang Jun first went to the study to pay his respects to his father.
Nowadays, the study has almost become Fang Xuanling's bedroom. Even his three meals a day are delivered here. He spends all day in the study tinkering with that so-called theory, as if he has gone mad, which makes Lu very dissatisfied. She also has many complaints about Fang Jun, the instigator.
Inside the study, Fang Jun sat in a chair, stretched his legs, and yawned. Fang Xuanling immediately said with concern, "Just send someone over to inform him. Why should father and son be so particular about such formalities? Filial piety is not about this. After traveling through mountains and rivers, you should rest properly. Don't think that just because you're young you can act recklessly. You'll suffer for it in the future if you damage your health."
Fang Jun smiled and said, "I feel much more comfortable now. Although the journey is long, we are not in a hurry. It's quite pleasant, like sightseeing."
He then recounted in detail what he had done in Liaodong, focusing on his methods of deposing tribal chiefs and reorganizing various tribes of the Khitan and Xi.
Fang Xuanling listened attentively, and finally asked, "I cannot predict whether this unprecedented strategy will be effective. Are you worried about the reaction of the other Hu tribes?"
Fang Jun nodded and said, "These strategies are essential for stabilizing the border regions and truly assimilating the Hu people, I have no doubt about that. However, the Hu leaders will definitely be very wary of this and may even regard it as a monstrous threat. If someone instigates the Hu people, causing them to betray the Tang Dynasty or even start a rebellion, then all our efforts may be in vain."
There is no doubt that this will happen.
Not everyone stood by him and supported his policies of "stabilizing the border" and "assimilating the Hu people." It wasn't that the policies were bad, but because they were policies he proposed and implemented, there were bound to be people who opposed them.
Political struggles have always been like this: whatever you approve of, I will oppose, regardless of right or wrong.
Fang Xuanling smiled and shook his head: "Whether you rule the world or wield absolute power, no one can unify the discourse and make everyone walk the same path as you. Some people disagree because of differing political views, some because of differing ideologies, and some because they oppose what you approve of... Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han could not do it, nor could Emperor Taizong, because this is human nature. As long as there is a struggle for power, it is inevitable."
He smiled at his son: "You have done very well. Throughout history, countless powerful ministers have not been able to guide the entire empire onto the path you believe in as well as you have. Moreover, all reforms have been carried out gradually and naturally, without causing turmoil or internal strife in the empire. From beginning to end, you have always been able to unite the empire's power against external forces. No matter what you think, you don't need to worry about others. You must allow for disputes and even opposition. If one day there is no voice of opposition in the court, the country, or even throughout the nation, and everyone follows your lead, then you will be the real disaster."