"No matter what the Captain Zhenwei is thinking, it is a contribution to building a library." Ma Da said: "If you have the rent of hundreds of houses, you can do more for the country and the people."

His Majesty Li Er pondered for a moment and said, "King Bin, do you think he has a back? I have some concerns, but I really don't dare to give it to you easily!" As he said that, he couldn't help laughing.

Ma Zhou also smiled and said, "Cultivate ten and give one, your Majesty has already given you a reward? If you have a later date, you will reward according to your merits. Why should you worry about it?"

His Majesty Li Er nodded with a smile, called the palace servant, and asked him to go to Xu's mansion to give him a collection of books "Guanzi".

Ma Zhou smiled but said nothing, and guessed His Majesty Li Er’s plan.

After His Majesty Li Er finished his explanation, he asked Ma Zhou about Tubo’s envoys to apologize and come to propose marriage with great gifts.

Ma Zhou agreed to give the marriage, and most of the ministers in the court also had this opinion.

When later generations mentioned marrying a daughter in the foreign land, they were filled with indignation and called her a humiliating marriage. However, in the Tang Dynasty, this was not the case. It was called marriage from top to bottom, and it did not mean any humiliation, but rather a favor that was despised.

Foreign tribes were also proud to marry the royal women of the Tang Dynasty. Surrounding tribes such as Tuyuhun, Turks, Xi people, Khitan, Uighurs and other surrounding tribes all tried their best to get this treatment, and to improve their political status and reputation among the tribes.

Therefore, it was not embarrassing to give marriages in the Tang Dynasty. From the emperor to the common people, everyone thought it was a very ordinary thing.

Tubo Zanpu insisted on marrying a princess of the Tang Dynasty. On the one hand, he admired the culture of the Shangguo, and on the other hand, he also had the intention of consolidating his own status and subduing the tribes.

Why did His Majesty Li Er and his ministers tend to agree to this proposal?

First, Tubo showed its own strength and allowed Li and his ministers to re-examine it; secondly, the focus of the Tang army at that time was on the Western Turks, in Gaochang, Goguryeo, and Xueyantuo, and the situation of fighting on both sides should be avoided as much as possible.

Gaochang is a local regime located in Turpan, Xinjiang today. It was also known as Cheshi during the Han Dynasty. It began to pay tribute during the Sui Dynasty and was named King of Gaochang and Duke of Bianguo.

In the third year of Wude of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Gaochang King Qu Boya died. His son Qu Wentai succeeded to the throne and sent envoys to Chang'an to confess. Emperor Gaozu sent envoys to worship and formally recognized Gaochang's status as a tribute to the Tang vassal state.

In the fourth year of Zhenguan, Qu Wentai and his wife Yuwen came to Chang'an together. He was received by His Majesty Li Er and was given the surname Li and was named Princess Changle.

After that, the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Gaochang was relatively harmonious. It was not until six years later that Qu Wentai attached to the Western Turks, preventing the Western Regions from tribute to the Tang Dynasty through their territory, and sent troops to harass Yiwu, Yanqi and other pro-Tang forces in the Western Regions.

Obviously, the Tang Dynasty's envy of Ju Wentai did not achieve its goal. Ju Wentai only wanted to enjoy the benefits given by the Tang Dynasty, but did not want to fulfill its obligations to the Tang Dynasty at all.

In order to win over the "King Gaochang", His Majesty Li Er sent Wang Yande to the envoy to "Kaochang".

Faced with the reprimand of the Tang Dynasty envoy, Ju Wentai did not apologize and threatened with self-righteousness: "The eagle flies in the sky, the pheasant flies in the weeds, the cats play in front of the hall, the rats are in the cave, and each has its own place, wouldn't it be nice?"

Ju Wentai means: You are an eagle, I am a pheasant; you are a cat, I am a mouse. Although you are strong and I am weak, you are so far away. No one of us can control each other. Don’t keep slapping hands?

Of course not. From a military and economic perspective, the "Gaochang Kingdom" is located at the important transportation route from the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions. It is a place that the Tang Dynasty cannot bypass when it manages the Western Regions.

What's more, Yanqi and Yiwu have cried to Boss Tang about being bullied. If they don't stand up for their younger brother, wouldn't others feel that there is no way out to follow Boss Tang? If the Western Regions countries turn to the Western Turks because of this, the situation will be serious.

Therefore, either Gaochang surrenders or sends troops to surrender. His Majesty Li Er has only these two options.

Although His Majesty Li Er has not given up on "unified front" Gao Chang, his hope seems to be getting smaller and smaller, and the possibility of using force is getting bigger and bigger.

Of course, His Majesty Li Er was just angry on the surface and did not show his intention to send troops to expedition, but Ma Zhou was so keen and knew very well about His Majesty Li Er's nature. He knew that the expedition of Gaochang was already on the verge of arrows, and the Tang army had to prepare for the war with the Western Turks and Gaochang at the same time.

Under such circumstances, Tubo’s submission and proposing marriage gave the Tang Dynasty an opportunity to avoid fighting on both sides.

Of course, as a superior country and as a gift, His Majesty Li Er always had to take a handful, and he could not make Tubo feel it was too easy.

"A mere messenger came to propose marriage, which is really too contempt for our dynasty." Ma Zhou said with some contempt: "The humble ministers criticized them on this ground, and asked them to send other important officials to come and completely withdraw from the occupied Tuyuhun and live in Qiang, so that they can show their sincerity."

His Majesty Li Er thought about it and agreed. If the Tang Dynasty and Tubo could restore to their pre-war state, Tuyuhun, Shengqiang and others could recover, they could still become buffers and barriers between Tang and Tu.

If Tubo refused to withdraw from the occupied land, let alone Xu Marriage, the Tang army that had been mobilized in the past might have to continue fighting, completely repel Tubo, and help Tuyuhun and other vassal states restore.

"King Bin, if Tubo can be appeased, and Gaochang is still rude and overturned, I want to send troops to fight." His Majesty Li Er frowned slightly and said, "It is blocked by the Hanhai Desert. The camels and horses are needed, and the supplies are really huge. If this is true, I am afraid that several counties will never be restored for several years."

Ma Dami thought for a while and smiled bitterly: "What Your Majesty said is very true. I also think that the first year of the king's army was the year of service in Hexi. Flying straw and picking millet, nine out of ten houses were empty, which is indeed a worry."

The biggest obstacle to the expedition to Gaochang is the thousands of miles of Gobi Desert. There is no water or grass along the way, no one lives there, and military supplies are all transported and carried by themselves, and the quantity will be amazingly huge.

The key is that the number of troops sent cannot be small, which must not only be enough to defeat the joint efforts of the Western Turks and Gaochang, but also stabilize and long-term occupation after pacifying Gaochang, making it a frontier position for managing the Western Regions.

Therefore, in His Majesty Li Er's preliminary vision, the conquest of Gaochang would be a major operation of more than 100,000 people. In addition to infantry and cavalry, a certain number of craftsmen also needed to accompany the army.

Think about it, the food and supplies consumed for more than 100,000 people and thousands of miles of expeditions are astronomical. According to ancient road conditions and transportation levels, where can we prepare completely without a half year?

Spending a lot of money and hard work to attack the far away, this not only tests His Majesty Li Er's courage, but also tests the national strength of the Tang Dynasty.
Chapter completed!