roccoschili Chapter 579 The Monster on the Plateau
Chapter 579 The Monster on the Plateau
In the dilapidated stone chamber, several oil lamps emitting dim light swayed on the wall, barely illuminating the entire stone chamber.
The dancing flames sometimes jumped up suddenly, and sometimes flickered weakly, appearing powerless.
The entrance to the stone chamber is half-hidden by a pile of miscellaneous items. If you don't look for it deliberately, it is difficult to find this mysterious place hidden in the city.
"Jiang Liu'er, has everything stopped?"
Xu Yuan stood in a corner of the stone chamber, his figure hidden in the dim light and shadow. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his gaze passed through the layers of flickering lights and was fixed on Jiang Liuer who was drinking in front of him.
Jiang Liuer held a wine jug in his hand, tilted his head back and took a big gulp. The wine flowed freely from the corners of his mouth, soaking the clothes on his chest.
He casually wiped his sleeve with his hand, letting out a hearty "gulp" sound from his throat. He then nodded heavily with a hint of unruly smile on his face. He said, "Don't worry, big brother. I'm not a brainless idiot. Right now, those Jinyiwei guys are like mad dogs, biting everywhere. The inspection is so strict, who would dare to do anything under their noses?"
"Unless you think your life is too comfortable!"
Hearing Jiang Liuer's carefree answer, Xu Yuan suddenly raised his head, which had been lowered.
His eyes flickered with a complex light, even with a hint of disappointment. He spoke word by word, "Do you really think that His Majesty knows nothing about what we've done?"
The wine jug in Jiang Liuer's hand trembled violently, and a few drops of wine splashed out, leaving a dark stain on the ground.
His face was filled with astonishment. His drunken eyes instantly became clear. He stared straight at Xu Yuan, his mouth slightly open, and after a long while he stammered, "What do you mean? You...you said His Majesty knew? How is that possible? But how could His Majesty know?"
His mind instantly fell into chaos. He had been extremely painstaking in planning everything, and every link had been carefully arranged. He thought that he had done it flawlessly and was absolutely foolproof. How could His Majesty possibly notice it?
Looking at Jiang Liuer's panic-stricken look, Xu Yuan sighed softly and did not respond immediately. Instead, he slowly turned around, walked back to the table, and slowly sat down.
He picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and continued to concentrate on writing the seemingly extremely important thing in his hand.
After a long while, Xu Yuan spoke again, his voice filled with helplessness.
"Do you think His Majesty doesn't know?"
"His Majesty knows everything. He just wants to see how far we can go."
"Many of those people under your command are spies planted by His Majesty. I can't tell you who they are because I'm afraid that with your impatience, once you find out, you'll definitely reveal your true colors, and then everything will be over."
He paused, then added, "I even once suspected that you were also His Majesty's man. Later, after a long period of observation, I felt that you were not."
"How can I be His Majesty's man? His Majesty doesn't give me any money to spend. I am only loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in this life!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liuer loudly defended himself, but soon, as if all his strength had been drained away, he slowly sat down and asked with a puzzled look on his face, "But how did His Majesty discover us?"
"I still don't understand. The Crown Prince is his only son! Does His Majesty have to be wary of even his own son?"
Xu Yuan shook his head slightly.
"It's not that Your Majesty is wary of His Royal Highness, but rather, Your Majesty's intelligence network is so powerful that it's beyond our imagination, it's simply unprecedented."
When Jiang Liuer heard what Xu Yuan said, he subconsciously shook his head, his face full of disbelief. His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he did not say anything, but just snorted heavily to express his disapproval.
Seeing Jiang Liuer's stubborn look, Xu Yuan put down the brush in his hand, slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the stone chamber.
As he walked, his shadow kept shaking, making him look a little lonely.
After a moment, Xu Yuan stopped and turned around. His expression became increasingly solemn, his eyes revealing a kind of awe of the unknown. He continued, "The aristocratic families are deeply rooted in the court and have enormous power. I won't go into details about their strengths, as you already know them. So let me tell you about Tubo."
He raised his head slightly.
"The Tubo region is located on a plateau with a harsh environment. It has been a wild and barbaric landscape since ancient times. Tribes abound, and they often attack each other. The people live in extreme hardship, and their civilization lags far behind ours in the Central Plains."
"But then the savior who changed the fate of Tubo appeared. He was Songtsen Gampo."
"When Songtsen Gampo was twelve years old, he inherited the throne and became the king of Tubo."
"But at that time, he was nothing more than a puppet king controlled by various forces. In the court, powerful ministers were in power, and those ministers with ulterior motives each had their own agenda, causing chaos in the court."
"But as soon as Songtsen Gampo ascended the throne, he showed extraordinary precocity."
"He knew he was in a difficult situation, but he didn't panic. Instead, he maneuvered through the complex court situation and skillfully maneuvered between various forces."
"He secretly observed the situation, patiently biding his time, and finally united those forces in the court who were willing to support him. After some planning, he successfully killed the powerful officials who had disobeyed his father and regained his own power in one fell swoop."
"But this is just the beginning of his legendary life."
"After he came to power, Tubo was not at peace. The old nobles were unwilling to lose power and rose up in rebellion. The whole of Tubo was plunged into chaos and war."
"Faced with such a situation, Songtsen Gampo did not retreat at all."
"So, he began to prepare for war. For three years, he toiled day and night, personally training soldiers, researching tactics, and continuously improving the army's combat effectiveness."
"At only fifteen years old, he led the army to quell the rebellion."
"Songtsen Gampo on the battlefield was like a god descending from heaven, leading the charge and defeating the enemy wherever he went."
"His bravery was no less than that of Sun Ce back then. His fearless aura inspired and captivated every soldier. He was like a natural-born god of war, defeating the enemy with a small force, crushing the old noble coalition and achieving fame in one battle."
"The victory of this battle not only greatly boosted the morale of the Tibetan army, but also shocked the entire Tibetan people."
"After that, Songtsen Gampo pursued the victory and led his army to sweep away the enemies on all sides with overwhelming force."
"He conquered all the enemies along the way, and in just a few years, he put down all the rebellious forces in Tubo one by one, achieving the unification of Tubo."
"He then chose Lhasa as the capital, stabilizing the political center of Tibet."
"He also personally organized manpower and created the Tibetan script, ending Tibet's history of having no written language and enabling Tibetan culture to be passed down and developed."
"At the same time, he drew on the systems of the Central Plains dynasties and established a complete bureaucratic system. From the central government to the local governments, officials at all levels performed their duties, making the political management of Tubo more orderly and efficient."
"He single-handedly transformed Tubo from a backward tribal alliance into a system as advanced as that of the Tang Dynasty, establishing a glorious unified dynasty."
"And when he did all this, do you know how old he was?"
When Xu Yuan said this, he stared at Jiang Liuer closely.
Jiang Liu'er frowned, a thoughtful look on his face. Various possibilities flashed through his mind. After hesitating for a long time, he said uncertainly, "Thirty years old?"
Xu Yuan shook his head again, a hint of surprise and emotion in his eyes, and his voice unconsciously rose a few degrees.
"He's not even eighteen! He did all this and he's not even eighteen!"
"In just five years, he completed a magnificent transformation from a puppet king to a great monarch who unified Tibet. The entire plateau was unified under his rule, and no other surrounding forces could rival him."
"And yet, at that time, he was still a young man full of vigor and vitality. How could such talent be fully described with just the word 'good'?"
"Not only is he unmatched on the battlefield, but he also possesses foresight and vision in civil administration. He is truly a man of both civil and military prowess, a well-rounded talent!"
"If we really want to compare people of the same age, even among us Han people, the ancient Wei Huo, who was famous for his young fame, how could he be compared with him?"
"His rise to prominence is simply unbelievable. Even Emperor Taizong, who founded our nation, was shocked. He couldn't help but wonder, what kind of monster has emerged from this plateau?"