The group of messengers was also listening.

Their ideas are not as complicated as Li Wei's, and the Western Turks have rebelled several times, and just dismembering the culprit is not a serious punishment. Like the envoys of He Guo, they didn't even like Li Wei's gentle words to Touchero, and hoped that the Tang Dynasty would introduce more severe measures.

The reason for this difference in thinking is precisely the geographical relationship.

The Tang Dynasty was far away, and the Western Turks could not be called completely occupied, let alone even more distant in the river. What they were most concerned about was whether the Tang Dynasty army was strong, and if it was not strong, it would not be able to defeat the Great Eclipse. In addition, I was concerned about the attitude of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty, and the attitude of the two emperors of the Tang Dynasty towards the river was only to be restrained, restrained, not to take a stitch or a thread, and not to send a single soldier. Nor is that what the countries of the Riverland region want to see.

But listen carefully.

The emperor of the Tang Dynasty has quarreled with the five surnames until now, since he is acting as a messenger and is the emperor who respectfully sees the Tang Dynasty, none of them are bad. I also understood that the Tang Dynasty wanted to immigrate in Shayechuan, but the five surnames did not agree. Why do you want to immigrate, you want to focus on the Western Regions, and the initiative of the five surnames will be lost, so naturally you will not agree. But it's a good thing for the riverine region.

The Tang Dynasty's center of gravity shifted to Broken Leaf City, how far away could it be from the Hezhong region?

One by one, they fell down and begged.

"Rise up, before I set out from the eastern capital, I consulted with several ministers about your river. To help, an army must be stationed. ”

"Your Majesty, we will warmly welcome," Wen Goutong said excitedly: "As long as the Tang Heavenly Empire sends troops, our countries will take the initiative to provide your country with grain and grass." ”

"Ambassador Wen, it's not as simple as you think, if you want to help you, you have to fight against the Great Food. Big Food is not a small country, it is a strong country. The army is stationed in small quantities and does not work. There are many garrisons, and you are burdened. Not only food, but also weapons, armor, baggage, wounded medicine, and soldiers' bereavement rewards. This is unrealistic. That is, you agree for the time being, but in the future, there will be many contradictions, and the people will not be satisfied, which may cause more bad things to happen. Hence the second strategy. Our Tang Dynasty army is centered on Broken Leaf City, and we will respond to you in the river at any time. Send some generals to train your soldiers. As you saw in the battle just now, even if our army is not as brave as the noodle people, will the final result be won? There's a recipe for that. Then organize your nations into a loose alliance to fight the invasion of the Great Eclipse. It's really not good, our Tang Dynasty army set out from Broken Leaf City and joined forces with you, after a few blows, the big cannibals can only look at the ocean and sigh. Moreover, they had to fight the Byzantines to the west. ”

"That's a good idea," Shi Zhongxin, the envoy of the Stone Kingdom, praised with a stroke of his hand.

Shi Guo was in the rear and hoped that the Tang Dynasty would support him, but once the Tang Dynasty sent a heavy army into the Hezhong region, he was still a little hesitant in his heart. In particular, Shi Zhongxin is an old nobleman of Shi Guo (Shi is the surname of King Shi, and later the Turks moved in, and the surname Shi became the surname of the nobles of Shi Kingdom. However, most of the countries in the river, including Shi Guo, Cao Guo, and He Guo, all have the surname Zhaowu, so the Tang Dynasty people called Zhaowu the nine surnames. ）

"That's good, but no casualties, no weapons attrition?" Li Wei asked sarcastically.

All the costs will not be less, just change it in Broken Leaf City, which can reduce contradictions and disputes. The latter sentence has not been asked yet, you have the protection of the Tang Dynasty without thinking about anything, is there such a good thing in this world?

Either it's surrender, can Li Wei take a fancy to this surrender?

Without waiting for these envoys to think about it, Li Wei said directly to the point: "Therefore, at the beginning, my opinion with several ministers was that each country should be divided into six equal parts according to the size of the country's territory, the number of people, and the degree of wealth. For example, Kang is classified as the first class, Shi is classified as the second class, Anguo Xicao is classified as the fourth class, Dongcao and other countries are classified as the fourth class, Xiaoshi Guodong Mi is classified as the fifth class, and smaller countries and tribes are classified as the sixth class. Those with less than 300 troops are ignored, as long as they send soldiers to help. The first class pays 3,000 taels of silver a year, the second class pays 2,500 taels of silver, and so on, and the sixth class only needs to pay 500 taels of silver a year. In this way, there will be enough expenses to maintain a strong army in the Tang Dynasty and take care of the safety of your rivers. ”

It's not excessive.

The Western Regions was a policy of restraint, but the Tang Dynasty had to send some garrisons. A grain tax was also levied, not in the form of silver, but in the form of grain and livestock. This tax is also very light and almost negligible. But sometimes officials do not do well, which is also one of the reasons why the ministries of the Western Regions are not satisfied. When Li Wei came to the Western Regions this time, he also planned to accurately set the amount of taxes, so as to save unnecessary disputes in the future and give officials a chance to fish and meat.

Hezhong is now almost the richest country in Central Asia. The products are abundant, the climate is humid, rich in gold and silver, and some countries even produce crystals, gems and jade. How rich is it, there is a rumor in the river that the Empress Dowager An Guo was defeated and fled, lost a shoe, and let the big cannibal pick it up, and it turned out to be worth tens of thousands of silver coins. Li Wei was stunned when he heard this, and often wondered what material this shoe was made of.

Let's talk about the price of silver. The monetization of gold and silver in the Tang Dynasty had the greatest impact on the Wa Kingdom. And Hezhong, Persia, and Dashi have long implemented the monetization of gold and silver. There is little fluctuation. According to some estimates, the price of gold and silver in the Hezhong region is also different, and one tael of silver is about equivalent to the purchasing power of 700 wen yuan in the Tang Dynasty. If only the price of grain is calculated, it is equivalent to the purchasing power of 500 yuan. The tax set by Li Wei is very low for the countries in the river. But the Tang Dynasty was also able to win by quantity, from Hezhong to neighboring Tocharo, similar to Nanzhao, there were many small countries and tribes, some of which dared to call themselves a country with only a few hundred people. There are about 1,000 countries and tribes in this area, and at least more than 100 countries meet Li Wei's criteria. If it can be collected in full, it will be able to collect more than 200,000 taels of silver a year. The silver was depreciated in the river, but it was transported back to Chang'an, and then the materials were transported from Chang'an to the broken leaves. The value generated is calculated according to the price of silver in the Tang Dynasty. In this way, more than 200,000 taels of silver is also a considerable tax.

It can't be said that taxes are not talked about, such a vast area, so many people, 200,000 taels of silver a year, what kind of tax is it? It's not so much a tax as a protection fee.

But it still can't be implemented.

For example, in Shiguo, there are several large silver mines in Shiguo, among which the two major silver mines of Ilak and Biliangkanke can produce 100,000 taels of silver a year. But Shi Guo is in the rear, in exchange for An Guo, let him pay 10,000 taels of silver a year, and they will be willing. Even if Shi Guo asked him to pay a thousand taels of silver, he might not be reluctant in his heart. This problem is also encountered when mobilizing the forces of various countries.

So Li Wei just said it, immediately changed his tone, and continued: "It's not appropriate, my court is a fetter to the river, and once you do this, you people may not be willing." Therefore, only one last option remains. Continue to form an alliance for you, send generals to train your army, and even support some weapons, whether you can send troops or not, and act when the opportunity arises. In this way, you will not need any burden. However, don't forget, we Tang people do not owe you a debt in the river, and it is your own responsibility to resist the invasion of the great cannibals. But I have heard many things, that not only have you surrendered to the Great Food, you have paid tribute, but you have even abandoned the gods of your fathers and converted to Islam. Let me ask, do the gods of Islam bless the great cannibals, or do they bless you river people? I haven't figured out my own attitude, how can we help you in the Tang Dynasty? We sent troops to the Western Regions to protect the trade road and protect the Hexi Corridor, we sent troops to protect the safety of the people of Liaodong, we sent troops to protect the people of Lingwu in Hedong, Hebei Province from being violated, and we sent troops to Tibet to protect Jiannan Longyou from being harmed by Tibet. But what are we when we send troops to the river? If your own attitude is ambiguous, why should we in the Tang Dynasty wade into this muddy water? ”

These messengers could not speak.

After Li Wei's stern tone, he became tactful again, and said, "Of course, the situation in your countries is different, and the ideas you consider are also different. Before you came, you didn't find out what our Tang Dynasty thought, let alone produce a unified thought. But you don't have to worry, since I have come here from thousands of miles away, I must also solve these problems one by one. Now that you have come, the other nations will also send envoys in the next few days. Everyone sat down together for preliminary consultations. ”

There is another sentence that Li Wei did not say, how deep the Tang Dynasty army entered this time, firstly, depending on the attitude of the countries in the river, they are interested in the river, but before the affairs of the Tibetan and Tibetan countries and Silla are resolved, Li Wei will not venture deep into the river. I just said so much, including taxation, real taxation, only this tax will be levied, and it will really make up for the losses of the Tang Dynasty army? This is all a smoke bomb, just to show them that the Tang Dynasty is an attitude. Our Tang Dynasty is on your side, so you should boldly resist.

No matter how deep you go, it's important to wait for the scouts to come back and find out the news of the Great Eclipse.

After saying that, he sent the messenger out of the middle tent.

A few days later, more messengers arrived. Including Anguo, the more distant kingdom of Hoxun and Pakhana (descendants of Guwusun). The latter two countries were also hard-hit by the Great Eclipse, including Khorezm in the south, which had been swallowed up by the Great Cannibals. These countries also maintained friendly relations with the Tang Dynasty, and Hu Ying led the group to the Tang Dynasty, and it was from these countries that he made a detour back to the Tang Dynasty.

Li Wei arranged these envoys together, meaning the same as what he said that night.

Let them discuss it for themselves. The result can be imagined, like Anguo and Huoxunguo, it is best for the Tang Dynasty army to settle in immediately, even at any cost, at least better than the insatiable burning and looting of the big cannibals again and again. But there are some countries that are reluctant.

But a few days later, Tang Jun once again made them feel the spirit of Wang Ba.

Li Jinxing led an army of 5,000 and traveled overnight, he was not used to night battles or night marches, but he was mixed with Heizhi Changzhi and was somewhat affected. After three watches, we hastily set up camp and rested for one night. The next day was another rapid march. Normally, it was a two-day journey, but in order to achieve the effect of a surprise attack, Li Jinxing only brought two or three days of dry food and some simple tents with him on this march. Truly travel light. The speed was very fast, and in the evening, it reached the tent of Uzil.

The messenger of Uzel thought that there was still one day, at least half a day to prepare. No. Uzile got the news that only one hour later, the Tang army arrived. As a result, like Li Sharuo, he was helpless, and in extreme embarrassment, he personally greeted him.

Then Li Jinxing warmly invited, not only invited Wu Zhile, but also invited almost all the nobles.

Li Wei came, and the most important thing was this turkish. They did not take a direct part in the rebellion, but most of the subordinates participated in the rebellion. Including his important other department, the Che Nose Shi Department (I saw that some people said that the Che Nose Shi is the official name of the Tuqi Shi, which is not right, you can watch "Please Slow Wang Hui to Perform the Che Nose Performance". It is clearly stated that it is a tribal name). It was also because it was another part of the Turgy Shi, so when Li Wei chose the target to attack, he took the initiative to let it go.

This is also the reason why the Turgish messenger saw the great victory, and was still slowly bargaining with him.

There was no war with the Turgish, but the scouts sought information from many of the Turgish, including important nobles of the tribe.

As a prisoner of others, I have also heard all kinds of rumors and methods of this new emperor, I know that it is not easy to fool, and I don't want to go to Chang'an to retire, so I honestly bowed down and said: "The minister is wrong." ”

Li Wei sneered: "Just one mistake, I will forgive you?" ”

"The ministers will honestly obey the dispatch of the Tang Dynasty in the future."

"You keep repeating it, how can I believe it?"

"The minister is willing to send a son into Beijing."

That is, to be a hostage, but if you are a hostage, you will not rebel? The Khitan also sent hostages, but what was the result? If it weren't for Tang Xiujing who beat them cold, would they bow down and obey their orders? Li Wei was silent.

"The minister paid 10,000 cattle and sheep and paid tribute to the Celestial Empire."

Li Wei was a little moved, this was exactly what he lacked, and he strongly pressed down the ** in his heart, and shouted: "What do you think of our Tang Dynasty?" Became a big cannibal? ”

Wu Zhile was a little dumbfounded, you are not a big cannibal, why did you bring back all the grain, cattle, horses and sheep in batches and escort them to Broken Leaf City? I didn't dare to refute it, so I had to say: "The minister is still willing to move to Yumian Prefecture." ”

This is what Li Wei needs, so he snorted and asked, "What else?" ”

"What else?" Uzile is a little confused, I have sent protons, and I am willing to pay cattle and sheep for forgiveness, and I also took the initiative to cooperate with you to relocate, what else do you want me to do?

"Why did you Western Turks rebel and revolt, it was the imperial court that chose the Great Khan for you, but did not obey his orders."

understood, and said: "The minister is willing to obey the orders of the Great Khan, but who is appointed by the imperial court as the Great Khan?" ”

"The son of Bu Zhen touches Therro."

"I will obey his command in the future."

Li Wei was satisfied with letting him go down, but he didn't release him, and let him persuade the other four envoys by himself to when Broken Yechuan would move out, and when would he be able to release Wu Zhile back. But he was still not at ease in his heart, so he called Wang Fangyi over.

Wang Fangyi chased him all the way to the old nest of Pharyngeal Noodles and captured Ashina Qiuer alive from a cave. Originally, he wanted to kill him according to Li Wei's intentions. Chang'an raised too many Hu people who ate white rice, and Li Wei didn't want to raise them anymore. But this guy was very clever, and when he saw the arrows outside burrowing into the cave like rain, the guards around him fell down one by one, shouting loudly inside: "I am Ashina Qiuer, surrender, surrender." ”

Report yourself to your home and surrender, this is not easy to kill, otherwise it will become the second Ashina Fu Nian. In the future, it will have a bad effect on the governance of the Turks. He was captured and sent to Chang'an with some important leaders.

But in terms of twists and turns, Li Wei reported the war in a low-key manner. I also talked about all kinds of difficulties, anyway, for a while, I can't get out of the Western Regions.

Then he plundered all the wealth of the swallowed surface, and handed over the rest to Ashina Touchoro to lead the various departments to divide up.

Walking out with Wang Fangyi, Li Wei looked at the endless Gobi Desert in the distance and said, "The Tuqishi tribe is very powerful, I'm worried. If the father and son of Wuzhile are sent to the capital, the people of all ethnic groups will settle down and disobey. If he is allowed to return, he will continue to serve in the future. Wang Duhu, do you have any way to dismember the Trolls? ”

"Your Majesty, no, the Turks are the five surnames, once the same measures as the pharyngeal face are taken, the Western Turks will produce a greater ***."

"Wang Duhu, you misunderstood what I meant, I mean to find a way to divide their clan, instead of taking measures to treat them."

"It's a little bit tricky." Wang Fangyi couldn't help but lower his head in contemplation.