The imperial court gathered the troops of the Dong Turks and Tiele to attack the Western Yan Kingdom, and the edict passed through the Imperial Court and the Privy Council, and soon reached the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate.

The Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate was responsible for preaching to the countries of the Western Regions the reasons for the Tang Dynasty's attack on Western Yan.

At the necessary moment, the Dadu Protectorate should gather the countries of the Western Regions to support the army of the Western Expedition, which requires smooth communication between the Tang Dynasty and the countries, otherwise the countries have a way to prevaricate.

This is the status quo.

Since the defeat of the Winter Turks, the establishment of the Anbei Metropolitan Protectorate in Mobei and the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate in Yizhou, these two major Metropolitan Protectorates have been the powerful weapons of the Tang Empire to control the north and northwest.

Among them, the actual control ability of the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate stopped at Gaochang, and further west, the nine kingdoms of Qiuzi, Loulan, Khotan, Jingjue, Shule, and Zhaowu were nominally ruled.

In other words, the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate was the meeting point of the allies of the Western Regions, not the real power organization that controlled the lifeblood of the countries.

At least not yet, Luo Su knows, and Li Shimin also knows that Datang still needs a few dynastic wars to completely establish Datang's position here.

At this special time, the importance of the Heavenly Khan system and a series of policies of Luosu is reflected.

The establishment of an international system is certainly based on the military strength of the Tang Dynasty, but military strength alone is not enough to gain a foothold.

If Datang really had this ability, Li Shimin would not be a good stubble, and he would have done it a long time ago.

At present, the capital protector of the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate is Li Xiaogong, the king of Hejian County, who sent him here, it can be seen that Li Shimin is not at ease with the Western Regions, and there is still the Western Turk in the Western Regions, which has not been tamed.

The two deputy protectors, one is Luo Xuanyun, and the other is Li Shimin's old man, Chang He, the guard who plays a huge role in the Xuanwu Sect.

After the angel who sent the edict left, in addition to the three people, the two deputy protectors of the fourth grade, as well as the chief of the capital protection mansion, Sima, and the people who joined the army were all in the hall, Li Xiaogong had the highest status, and asked first: "What is the current situation in the Western Regions......

What do you think?

Ziyun, let's talk about it first. ”

Ziyun is Luo Xuanyun's word.

Everyone turned their eyes to Luo Xuanyun, and the reason why they asked Luo Xuanyun was of course for a reason, because the current situation in the Western Regions was because of Luo Xuanyun's brother Luo Xuanzang.

The people of the Central Plains may not know very well, but Li Xiaogong and they have been in the Western Regions for two or three years, and they are still relatively clear about Luo Xuanzang's origin.

At the beginning, he was the prime minister of Dou Jiande, the king of Zhao, and after the defeat of the king of Qin in Hebei, he was ignited by the current Tang Dynasty national teacher, changed his name and surname, and started all over again, all the way from the Central Plains to the west, and came to the Western Regions.

After entering the Western Regions, he practiced Buddhism and Taoism, and integrated various academics, coupled with the theory of the creation of King Su, it is said that he also went to Tianzhu, starting from the sixth year of Zhenguan, that is, after the Tang Dynasty defeated the Winter Turks, he returned to the Western Regions, claiming to be the master of Xuanmen, the so-called Xuanmen, the source of all legal systems, and the end of ten thousand laws.

He debated the scriptures in the Western Regions, or in layman's terms, kicked the hall, but he kicked the temple and the Taoist temple.

Ordinary people would probably be killed if they did this, but he had two hundred daring soldiers under his hands, and he was fierce, so at least he wouldn't be killed if he reasoned with him, and it was impossible to say if he talked about physics.

In a short period of time, his reputation was as high as the sky, and he was regarded as a living enlightened person, a Buddha, and a real person by various factions, and almost no one dared to beat his edge, and he was even regarded as a guest of honor by the lords of various countries, competing to invite him to the royal capital to give lectures, and the kings of at least nine countries wanted to offer him a concubine.

At this time, Xuanzang chose to go to the city of Shenlin, and an unprecedented uncovered conference will be held in the city, where Xuanzang wants to sanctify himself, just like when Lao Tzu and Confucius were sanctified in the Luoguo Palace.

Along the way, countless believers followed him, and the lords of all countries, the two khans of the Western Turks, and the masters of the various branch halls of the Suwang Temple all rushed to the Shenlin City to see who was the highest achiever of Suwang's thought.

"At the beginning of this year, the second brother wrote me a letter, saying that this uncovered meeting of God in the city is related to the luck of the Xuanmen, and the meaning of the words is that it is best not to act rashly to let the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate, but I am here, and he is not good to say it directly."

Luo Xuanyun smiled bitterly, when he came to Anxi, he was going to use the power of the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate to help his second brother, but after staying here for a while, he found that it was impossible.

Although there are also many branches of religion in the Western Regions, this thing is completely different from the hundred schools of thought that circulated in Zhuxia at the beginning.

The theory of the hundred schools of thought is essentially a pure tool, so Mozi can change from Confucianism to the founder of Moism, and Xunzi's students have become Legalists, so the king respects Legalism, Legalism prospers, and Confucianism flourishes.

But religion is not like this, it is not a tool, but a sibling or even a head, there are some people, you just cut off his head, he does not convert, and there are other people, on the surface, they do not change their hearts, and they fight back at the first opportunity.

The Western Turks have only been in the Western Regions for a few decades, and they have been completely localized, and a few decades ago they were still a family, all of them are Ashina clans, but now the upper class of the Western Turks and the Winter Turks have been culturally isolated and have turned against each other.

So only Luo Xuanzang's mode can be beaten.

Luo Xuanzang's admonition is very understandable, this is not the so-called battle of luck, in the demonless world, there is no such thing, but a struggle for power.

The person who wins the Uncovered Conference will become the uncrowned king of the Western Regions, and he will be able to smoothly receive the power of the Suwang Temple, and then unify the spiritual world of the Western Regions with the Xuanmen.

Luo Xuanzang will become one of the most powerful people in the Western Regions, and rule the Western Regions together with the secular king of kings.

Someone in the hall didn't understand and asked, "What does Xuanzang really mean when he says don't act rashly?" ”

Li Xiaogong is very politically conscious, he understands, Luo Xuanzang is fighting for religious leadership, and there are naturally political forces behind him, in other words, all the countries in the Western Regions are fighting a dark war behind their backs, and both sides of this war tacitly exclude the Tang Dynasty.

Because Datang as a whole is heretical.

Although the Son of Heaven of the Tang Dynasty got the Apocalypse of King Su, he was only the Son of Heaven of the Tang Dynasty.

The rest of the Central Plains people are heretics, and they don't understand what the truth of Suwang is.

According to what King Su said, the principle of those who believe in different reasons and govern their own places will not allow Datang to participate in this matter.

Militarily and politically, there is no problem in accepting the leadership of the Heavenly Khan, after all, this is a secular matter, but religiously and spiritually, no, the high priest of the Suwang Temple is the supreme spiritual leader.

Li Xiaogong frowned and asked, "According to the real person, isn't it possible for the Protectorate to transfer the armies of all countries now?"

What about the Qinghai war, Your Majesty asked us to transfer troops as a preparation, if Li Jing wins, then the King of Xiyan will definitely flee to the Western Regions, and it is also a credit for us to intercept him here.

If Li Jing fails, then we must return to Hexi at any time to prevent Xiyan from taking advantage of the situation to attack Liangzhou and cut off the passage between my Anxi and Guanzhong, otherwise wouldn't my Anxi Mansion be trapped in a lonely city? ”

What Li Xiaogong said is a bit alarmist, after all, there is no chaos within the Tang Dynasty, even if Li Jing is really defeated in Qinghai Dao, but the government soldiers are only thousands, which is not a break at all.

The Tang Dynasty could send two or three more expeditionary forces at any time to reopen the passage to Anxi.

But if that happens, Datang's international prestige will definitely be greatly reduced, and every defeat needs to be compensated for by a greater victory.

Luo Xuanyun pondered for a while and said: "Dadu Hu, first promulgate Your Majesty's edict on a small scale, don't publish it directly, and then we will jointly sign and report the current situation in the Western Regions to Your Majesty and the Imperial Court Princess."

Looking at the edicts issued by the imperial court, the Privy Council and the Imperial Court are not particularly clear about the situation in the Western Regions. ”

Luo Xuanyun has been merciful when he spoke, not only is it not particularly clear, the current complex situation in the Western Regions can no longer be viewed with the thinking of the Han Dynasty in the past, after the integration of various cultures and political and economic systems, there is a set of effective culture, and excellent art has been developed, which can be said to be the direction of another branch of Zhuxia.

What Luo Xuanyun said belonged to Lao Cheng's serious words, and all the officials of the Metropolitan Protectorate had no opinions, but how to write this song was also a big problem.

Is it difficult to write directly, the lords of the Western Regions have gone to Shenlin City, and they want to participate in the uncovered conference after that, so they can't accept the dispatch of the Heavenly Khan to send troops for the time being, and this is directly handed over, and the imperial court will not be blown up directly.

When Your Majesty receives this kind of recital, doesn't he put this matter on the table and make His Majesty embarrassed.

Does Your Majesty want to send troops directly and compete for the high and low in the Western Regions?

But not only is it unnecessary, but it is also difficult, if Datang really does this, the Western Turks can laugh out loud.

The countries of the Western Regions, which were originally subordinate to the Tang Dynasty, suddenly fell to the Western Turks.

But if you don't send troops, wouldn't you admit that the Suwang Temple is superior to the Heavenly Khan in the Western Regions?

So it's best to blur the past, and don't take the initiative to uncover this hole when you don't have the strength.

Some things are hidden under the water, which is a good thing, so that both parties can be decent, but if they have to be put on the table, making everyone undignified, then the final result will not be good.

"It's better to be tactful, and tell Your Majesty about the current situation in a vague way."

————

During the Zhenguan period, between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, there was an extremely significant political feature, that is, the movement of the armies of the Heavenly Khan to the various countries, always to avoid religious acts, such as the Christmas Day of King Su, which means that the political authority of the Heavenly Khan is far from being deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and there is still an extremely long way to go before the unified multi-ethnic state is completely consolidated within the visual range of the empire centered on Chang'an. ——"The History of the Rise and Fall of the Tang Empire"

(End of chapter)