Three days later, at dinner time, two boxes were delivered along with dinner.

The guard still didn't say anything, put down the things and left.

Xenobud did not eat when the food came and drink the wine when it came, but stared at the two boxes in front of him for a long time.

It was a long time before he reached out and grabbed a box, opening it with a trembling hand.

Inside is the head of Sijak.

The other, the head of Surabi.

Bean-sized tears fell on the head.

I don't know how long it took, but Xenobud put on the box and began to eat and drink.

He swept away the food and wine that had been served, then sat down cross-legged on the floor and began to recite the scriptures.

Nothing was said all night.

After breakfast the next day, it was Li Ze's guard commander Li Peng who appeared outside the door.

"Let's go, Li Xiang wants to see you!" Li Peng looked at Xenobud expressionlessly.

Xenobud nodded, stood up, pointed to the two boxes on the table, and said, "General Li, can you let my two brothers have a whole corpse?" ”

Li Peng said coldly: "After they escaped from the long street, they hid in Ping'an Fang, and in order to hide, they killed a family of six. ”

"I'm willing to pay 100,000 silver dollars for this." Xenobud Road.

Li Peng shook his head and said, "It's not a matter of money. They will be hung on display for seven days to deter lawbreakers. After seven days, whether it will be fed to the dog, or will it be returned to you, and it depends on what Li Xiang means! ”

Xenobud stopped talking and stretched out his hands.

Li Peng shook his head: "There's no need, I think you are also an understanding person, and you won't do superfluous things." There are still nearly 1,000 people in Chang'an, and for their life and death, I don't think you will act rashly! ”

Xenobud stopped talking, straightened his clothes, and walked out with Li Peng.

"I've seen Li Xiang!" Walking into Li Ze's spacious large study, Xenobud hugged his fists and saluted, then stood up straight and stared at Li Ze.

Li Ze smiled slightly, looked at Xenobud and said: "Xenobude, your Tang dialect is becoming more and more fluent, I remember that a year or two ago, you were still snorting, but now you can't even hear a little accent." ”

Unexpectedly, Xenobud was a little stunned and speechless for a while.

"Xue Jun said, in Lingxian Restaurant, you told him that I won't kill you, where did you get this confidence from?" Li Ze pointed to the chair under his head and asked.

Xenobud thanked him, then sat down and said, "Because Li Xiang is not ready yet." ”

"What preparation?"

"Preparations for another war with our Tibetans." Xenobud said: "Now, Li Xiang has more important things to do. ”

Li Ze laughed, looked at Xenobud and said, "I'd love to hear the basis for what you said?" ”

"Since our defeat in Hedong that year, I have been following Li Xiang, and it has been three years now." Xenobud said: "I have always paid close attention to Li Xiang, paid attention to Li Xiang's style of doing things, the characteristics of governance, and wondered what Li Xiang wanted to do next, I think, I still have something." ”

"Tell me about it."

"Li Xiang has two big things to do now." Xenobud said: "The first thing, Henan, although Guanzhong has been taken by Li Xiang, but these places have been plagued by many years of war and the rule of the Great Liang, which can be described as the people's poor livelihood, and it takes time and a lot of money to restore the prosperity of these places. ”

Li Ze nodded.

"The second point is that you may not have taken the Southern Xiangxun Group in your eyes, but in fact, the strength of this military group should not be underestimated, and you are not sure to swallow him in one bite." Xenobud continued.

"Are you underestimating my Datang strength so much?" Li Ze sneered.

Xenobud pondered for a moment and said, "Of course, if you are desperate, I believe that the final victory will also be yours, but in the process, you will have to pay the price that you are not willing to accept. ”

"What price will I pay?" Li Ze wanted to know what this great Tibetan nobleman had studied.

"You don't want a smashed-up South." Xenobud said seriously: "Over the years, I have not only bought ordnance for Da Tan in Datang, I am also doing business with many people, and I have also made friends with many people, among them, there are many people who have learned a lot of knowledge in Datang, and their knowledge of you is closer to the truth than my knowledge of you, so I am happy to listen to their views." ”

Li Ze nodded slightly.

"The national policy implemented by Li Xiang in the north is unacceptable to those big landowners in the south." Xenobud said: "So now, it is the time when their will to resist is the most resolute, and if Li Xiang launches a large-scale war at this time, even if he wins, he will pay a greater price." ”

"Won't you pay in the future?" Li Ze asked rhetorically.

"I guess, Li Xiang is trying to drag them down!" Xenobud sighed: "I have been in the Northland for many years, and I have seen Li Xiang's ability to govern the world, the richness of the Northland, and the Northland becoming stronger day by day. Now, you have opened up what you call the Silk Road, and you have no rivals at sea, and they are creating a steady stream of wealth for you, which will make your rule richer and stronger, and your army stronger and stronger. Those people in the south, not stupid, they will not fail to see this, so, they will definitely strike first. And you, waiting for work, are constantly wearing down their military strength. In my opinion, although the South has formed an alliance, they are not monolithic internally, unlike the Northland, where you can say it at once, and everyone will immediately follow it, from top to bottom, and no one dares to put a beak. ”

Li Zehe laughed.

"As time goes by, the South will inevitably become tired, and they will continue to raise taxes and levies in order to confront you, in order to obtain more wealth to fight against you and maintain their rule, which is a vicious circle, and once you step into this trap, there is no possibility of jumping out. In the end, you'll get the biggest win at a smaller cost. ”

"Your analysis is very reasonable, but what does this have to do with your Tibet?" Li Ze said with a smile.

"The same thing! Fighting against the south, you still have the righteous name of dominating the world, but fighting against Tibet, you don't have it. Xenobud said: "We Tubo people will also resist desperately, and we Tubo are located on the plateau, climate, terrain, your army is not adaptable, the so-called time, location, people, are on our side." So you won't do it until you're ready. Since I can't do it, I'm safe. You don't want to fight on two fronts again at this time. ”

"Fighting on two fronts is not a difficult task for us." Li Ze sneered.

"That was before, and you had to do it." Xenobud said: "You didn't have a choice before, but now, the choice is yours, and with your style, you will inevitably choose the one with the least cost, I have to say, you are a prime minister who loves the people like a son." ”

"Xenobud, you are a very bad general in the war, very bad, you are more suitable to be a diplomat, in this regard, you are very special, you observe very carefully, and you also have a deep understanding of our national policy of the Tang Dynasty." Li Zedao.

Xenobud blushed a little.

"But there's one thing, you're wrong."

"I wonder what point is wrong next?" Xenobud Road.

"For so many years, I have pressed Li Cunzhong in Lingzhou, even if I fought on the two fronts in the most difficult time, I didn't touch him, what do you think it is for? Do you think it's because I don't trust Li Cunzhong? Li Ze smiled: "I have been working on recovering the Western Regions, and now I have successfully completed this, do you think I am just to recover the land of the Tang Dynasty?" What are we spending so much money on building the Loop? Zhang Jia has been staying in the Hetao area, just to build such a big city? Li Ze leaned forward and looked at his opponent.

Xenobud sweated down.

"All of this they did was to form a strategic encirclement of Tibet." Li Ze said coldly: "I want to teach you to know that at this time when we were talking, Li Cunzhong's tens of thousands of troops had already begun to move forward, and now they must have entered the territory of Tubo." Zhang Jia's army was the other way, and they were to enter Tibet from the Western Regions. ”

Xenobud stood up suddenly: "Li Xiang, if the Tang Dynasty invades Tibet, the Tibetans will definitely rise up to resist. ”

"In my opinion, you are also part of my great Chinese nation." Li Ze said lightly. "Abdullah has gone back. The rule of you nobles in Tibet is not stable, and your cruel rule has caused you to lose the hearts of the people. That's why there was the uprising of these slaves in Abdullah. We, the Tang Army, will go to liberate this slave. Let these people live the same life as us Tang people. Abdullah is our first fulcrum, and there will be more and more such fulcrums in the future. Xenobud, what do you think? ”

"Li Xiang, Tubo is not a southern training." Xenobud took a deep breath: "We have our traditions, our history. ”

"Your future history will become a part of the history of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Has Lee Xiang made up his mind to go to war?" Xenobud had completely calmed down: "If this is a foregone conclusion, we are not afraid, we have a vast territory, and we have the bravest warriors, and we have a natural geographical advantage. Is it really in your interest to fight a protracted war? ”

"Beside the couch, no one is allowed to sleep soundly!" Li Ze said: "Xenobud, Tubo, I am determined to win. ”

"In that case, why didn't you kill me?" Xenobud said angrily: "What's the use of telling me so much? ”

"Of course it works, because I want you to be one of us."

"Don't think!" Xenobud glared at Li Ze angrily: "Li Xiang, you are humiliating me." ”

"I'll take you to see something, and after reading it, maybe you won't think like that anymore." Li Ze laughed: "Xenobud, you are a learned Tibetan nobleman, you are not a hot-headed reckless man, nor is you a stubborn stone who does not know how to change, I said earlier, you are a qualified diplomat, so you will weigh the pros and cons, calculate the gains and losses, and know what is the best thing for the people on that land?" Among them, including you Tibetan nobles, since you have been in Wuyi for so many years, you should know what kind of treatment the surrenderers will be, and what will happen to the resisters in the end! ”