Late Tang Dynasty: I

Dayaojin, King of Bohai Sea, received the credentials of the Tang Dynasty.

The meaning of the Tang Dynasty is very clear. In addition to the original ports of Liaohe River and Songhua River, three trading ports will be added along the line from Youzhou to Jizhou. The merchants of the Tang Dynasty can trade freely in these three cities.

The merchant caravans of the Tang Dynasty can go up the inland rivers, and the merchant caravans of the Tang Dynasty can also do business freely in the Bohai State. The Bohai State must protect them.

As a reciprocal condition, Datang allowed Bohai State to choose five cities in Datang as ports.

The pass between Datang and Bohai Kingdom no longer prohibits caravans.

The next step is to show favor. The Tang Dynasty allowed the people of the Bohai Kingdom to participate in the imperial examinations and military examinations of the Tang Dynasty, and they could also be awarded officials.

From Oyotsu's point of view, the last one is the key point.

"The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty wants to use troops against Silla!"

The three sins of Silla were solemnly written in the national book.

"The Tang Dynasty asked our Bohai Kingdom to send troops to attack Silla together with the Tang Dynasty!"

100 years ago, the ancestors of Dayaojin once joined forces with the Tang Dynasty to attack Goguryeo, and now we will continue the glory of our ancestors!
…………

"I want to build a special yamen to manage the affairs of the vassals and tribes. What do you think?"

Below are Jingxiang, Zhou Dewei, and Liu Wei.

His Majesty the Emperor's sudden words left them wondering how to respond.

Li Ye said: "There are [-] Khitan tribes. In a few decades, even if an ambitious Khan is born, what they have to do is to unify these [-] tribes before they can threaten the Tang Dynasty. I want to build a yamen. In charge of spies, military affairs, and the relations between various ministries, as long as there are signs of it, we must destroy it!"

The Central Plains Dynasty has always been threatened by the grassland tribes, and His Majesty the Emperor used unprecedented methods to manage the grassland tribes.

"Yang Shihou and Li Cunxiao are on the grassland now. I am thinking of setting up north and south Zhechong mansions on the Khitan ground. Each Zhechong mansion will station five thousand Tang soldiers, and each Khitan ministry will mobilize five thousand strong troops!"

"After the garrison period, the Khitan soldiers can be incorporated into the Tang Dynasty Forbidden Army."

"The north and south Zhechong Mansion is also under the control of the Foreign Affairs Yamen."

"Three-year garrison period!"

The herdsmen of the grassland tribes were also an excellent source of soldiers. Li Ye also wanted to recruit troops in Khitan, and continuously recruited Khitan warriors to the Tang Dynasty to fight for the Tang Dynasty.

The emperor naturally wanted to give these people a way to ascend.

As for the Foreign Affairs Yamen, Li Ye wanted to establish a rapid response agency that could respond immediately to disturbances on the grassland.

Liu Wei said: "Your Majesty, since October of the tenth year of the Great Reign, the Khitan [-] tribes have rebelled no less than ten times, but they were all put down by Yang Shihou and Li Cunxiao. The support of these soldiers stationed in the desert will bring great benefits to the imperial court. The burden..."

Li Ye also frowned slightly: "If I collect taxes from various Khitan tribes, what do you think?"

None of the ministers said anything. No one had done this before. No one could say whether it would cause a backlash from various ministries.

Zhou Dewei said: "When I was stationed in Fengzhou, I heard that the tribal leaders in the grassland wanted to collect sheep from their herdsmen.

The total number of northern and southern Zhechong Prefectures was only 2, divided into 200 tribes. Each tribe had to support [-] people. Not counting military pay, [-] sheep would be eaten in a year. Moreover, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty I can't bear to eat mutton every day. If we transport food to the north, the journey is long and the losses are huge..."

Jingxiang said: "Your Majesty, I heard that Bohai Country also grows rice and millet. It would be much more convenient if the Khitan Beizhe Chong Mansion is established near Bohai Country and the grain and grass can be replenished from Bohai Country nearby!" Liu Wei frowned slightly and said "Jing Gong, what should we do if one day the Bohai Kingdom and the Khitan have different intentions and do not supply food and grass, and the Jiliao Governor's Mansion is unable to rescue them, and there are no reinforcements outside the Beizhechong Mansion and no food and grass inside?"

Jingxiang smiled and said: "What Liu Hanlin said is absolutely true. This matter is very easy. As long as we stock up on food and grass for half a year in Zhechong Mansion, and then bring the homing pigeons from Youzhou to Zhechong Mansion, if things change, hundreds of homing pigeons will come together." Let it fly, as long as a homing pigeon arrives in Youzhou, the army can go straight to Longquan Mansion and sweep the Khitan!"

Liu Wei's face turned red with embarrassment: "I respect you, I admire you!"

Li Ye also nodded, and something he had been thinking about for a long time gradually surfaced.

The so-called Foreign Affairs Yamen actually meant that Li Ye wanted to establish the Military Aircraft Department to help the emperor firmly grasp the military power. Zhechong Mansion was the first step. Later, the military power of the four major governorates of Jiliao, Youyun, Shuofang, and Longxi were concentrated in the Military Aircraft Department. In addition to the garrison troops in the capital that are controlled through the Governor-General of the Five Armies, [-]% of the people in the world are under the control of the emperor.

Moreover, the number of troops under the control of the Fifth Army Governor's Office and the Military Aircraft Department is not certain. Because of the border guard rotation system, when the border army rotates, it will be subordinate to the Military Aircraft Department to mobilize troops.

Another important point is that the Forbidden Army stationed in the capital basically does not engage in war, and its main task is to train troops. However, the border troops often face war and need to respond extremely quickly.

At the end of the tenth year of the Great Reign, His Majesty the Emperor spent time in Youzhou.

In March of the 11th year of the Great Reign, all armies were mobilized and supplies of food and grass were in place. Wang Yanzhang's Mizhou Navy came to Jinmen, and the army stayed in Jinmen. Wang Yanzhang led more than ten small boats upstream from the Yongding River. , all the way to Youzhou to meet the emperor.

"His Majesty!"

"Have a good trip!"

"Didn't break a boat."

Although the navy has supplies, they can bring more food and grass than the army.

Of course, this time Wang Yanzhang also brought a secret weapon, and Xu Yanruo followed closely.

The Tang Dynasty also had cannons.

The cannon made of copper was not difficult for the Tang Dynasty. The caliber was three inches (9cm), the length was eight feet (2.4m), the cannon weighed more than a thousand kilograms, and the cannon shells could only be lead eggs. There was no way, the accuracy of the cast cannon was still not good. Iron eggs are too easy to explode, so you can only use lead eggs with a messy texture.

As for gunpowder, naturally the now relatively mature granular black powder is used.

And the power is really...hard to describe in one word
Compared with the cannon, the Eight Bull Crossbow is just a younger brother.

"Your Majesty, a lead egg weighing more than ten kilograms can be driven seven or eight miles. If it falls on the city wall, it can collapse a large area. If there is no earth-filled city wall in the middle, a single shot can create a gap."

"How many cannons are brought this time?"

"Three solid egg cannons, one mortar, one hundred lead eggs, and more than 5000 kilograms of gunpowder, all packed in wooden barrels and wrapped in oil paper!"

Li Ye nodded and said: "You will set off tomorrow. The task I give you is to block the Han River and prevent any Silla soldiers from crossing the Han River!"

"promise!"

Wuji in March of the 11th year of Dazhi, the Governor's Mansion of Youzhou.

His Majesty the Emperor ordered the generals to take with them the Khitan army, as well as the left Yongwu army from the Ji Liao Governor's Mansion, Wang Zhongshi's left long sword army, and Ding Hui's right long sword army.

On the first day of April, the army swore an oath in the eastern suburbs of Youzhou.

After swearing an oath, the army marched to Andong and approached Pyongyang City. (End of chapter)