novelSusiti Chapter 10 Influencing the Decisions of the Tang Dynasty, Old Li, You're Not Honest!
Chapter 10 Influencing the Decisions of the Tang Dynasty, Old Li, You're Not Honest!
"Old Trump, stop beating around the bush."
Li Er pressed for answers anxiously. He wasn't stupid; he clearly sensed that Lin Chuan had some secrets.
"Alright, you may be businessmen and well-informed, but you certainly don't understand this point."
"The Eastern Turkic Khaganate is located in the north, and its climate is completely different from that of the interior. This year, it has suffered a severe snow disaster."
"Now that the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, the little Khan's request for help is an opportunity, but the Tang army lacks experience in snow warfare."
"If the Tang Dynasty sends troops there, not only will the long journey bring fatigue, but they will also be walking into a trap in unfamiliar territory without anyone to guide them."
Lin Chuan gathered his thoughts and spoke directly.
Li Er immediately stood up, his expression of horror becoming even more pronounced.
"Old Trump, you can't just say things like that!"
"This place is thousands of miles away from Eastern Turkic Khaganate, how do you know there was a major snowstorm there?"
Li Er was in a state of panic. If what Lin Chuan said was true, the Tang army would indeed suffer heavy losses if they went there.
"Whether that's the case or not, we can find out by sending someone to investigate."
Lin Chuan answered with a smile.
After hearing this, Li Er remained silent. Regardless of whether it was true or false, he immediately decided to send someone to the Eastern Turkic Khaganate to investigate.
"Even if the Eastern Turks are suffering from a snow disaster now, my Tang army can handle it!" Li Er immediately added.
Yes, even if the Turkic Mountains were blocked by heavy snow, Li Er did not want to give up this opportunity.
Now that we know there's a snow disaster there, let's prepare in advance.
By working together with the Turkic Lesser Khan, we will surely be able to capture the Khagan of Jieli in one fell swoop.
Lin Chuan simply shook his head after hearing this.
"The Tang army was indeed powerful, and the country was founded on military strength, but war also depends on timing."
Then, Lin Chuan dipped his index finger in the tea and sketched a map of the area surrounding the Tang Dynasty on the table.
This scene shocked both Li Er and Lao Sun.
They had to reassess Lin Chuan; this eunuch was indeed exceptionally talented!
"Look here, this is the territory of the Turks, and further north are Goguryeo and Tuyuhun."
"If the Tang Dynasty were to send troops to attack, how would other powers react?"
"They understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' Once Goguryeo and Tuyuhun join the battle, the Tang Dynasty's advantage will be gone, and we will be surrounded in a chaotic war."
"At that time, the competition will no longer be about the combat effectiveness of the military, but about the overall strength of the entire country."
……
"Our country is now strong and has ample grain reserves, so what is there to fear?"
Although Li Er was terrified, he still retorted defiantly.
"If there were no natural disasters, that would indeed be the case."
Lin Chuan waved his hand.
"However, the Tang Dynasty has indeed had bad luck this year. Last year there was a drought, and this year it has suffered from a severe drought and locust plague."
Li Er was instantly shocked and stood up immediately.
"You mean, Hadong Province is experiencing a severe drought?"
Li Er's face was filled with terror; he was completely shocked by Lin Chuan's words.
Old Sun's expression also changed drastically.
"That can't be right, can it?"
Nevertheless, Li Er still asked the question, because if Hedong Road really suffered a severe drought, he couldn't possibly not know.
"Just look it up and you'll find out."
Lin Chuan gave the same answer.
He himself was unsure whether Hadong Province had truly experienced a severe drought, but he was certain that the drought had occurred in that year.
Therefore, considering that the mountains in the Turkic region were blocked by heavy snow, and that the surrounding Goguryeo and other forces were eyeing them covetously.
Coupled with the severe drought in the Guanzhong region, he concluded that the Tang Dynasty would lose if war broke out.
"Old Chuan, I suddenly remembered I have something to take care of."
Finally, Li Er said goodbye and hurriedly left the tea shop with Lao Sun.
You proceed to the palace as quickly as possible.
"Auxiliary Machine, immediately dispatch men to the Turkic territory and Hedong Road to conduct a thorough investigation."
Li Er spoke in a serious tone.
He had to immediately verify whether the information Lin Chuan had provided was true.
a few days later.
Ganlu Hall, Imperial Study.
Li Er urgently summoned Fang Xuanling and others, and at this moment he waited anxiously for news.
I'm in a terrible mood because I just learned that the Turkic territory is indeed snowbound.
Now, only news from Hadong Province remains!
"Da da da!"
Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded, and Changsun Wuji rushed in with a panicked expression.
"Your Majesty, the Hedong region is indeed suffering from a severe drought!"
Upon hearing this news, Li Er was shocked and collapsed onto his bed.
Lin Chuan's predictions all came true!
"That's impossible!"
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were shocked; they could not accept this fact.
If a severe drought occurs in Hadong Province, local officials must immediately report the disaster situation, which will then be submitted to the three provinces and six ministries for review.
But they didn't receive any news. How did Lin Chuan find out?
Attacking the Turks now is unrealistic, but if we miss this opportunity, there may not be another chance!
Both of them were disappointed.
Li Er glanced at them and knew their dissatisfaction, but the key issue now was the severe drought in Hedong Province!
The drought is severe, affecting dozens of prefectures and counties. Fields are barren and crops cannot be harvested, with Taiyuan being the most severely affected.
The people have deteriorated to the point of resorting to cannibalism; if this is not addressed quickly, the disaster will be unbearable.
"Immediately issue the order to appoint Prince Li Xiaogong of Hejian as the Grand Commander of the Hedong Army, in charge of all military and political affairs."
"Furthermore, summon Wei Zheng to receive an imperial decree and appoint him as the supervisor of disaster relief."
"A thorough investigation will be conducted into officials who concealed the extent of the drought, embezzled relief supplies, and failed to provide adequate assistance."
"We must investigate this thoroughly and show absolutely no leniency!"
Li Er had already harbored murderous intent in his heart. His imperial face was filled with rage, and his body trembled uncontrollably. He was extremely angry.
The officials in Hadong Province are extremely despicable, according to the investigation.
The drought had already shown signs, but they deliberately concealed the truth out of fear of punishment.
"Investigate this immediately! I demand a thorough investigation!"
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaogong and Wei Zheng, who had just been summoned, trembled and immediately withdrew.
Subsequently, Li Er urgently summoned Fang Xuanling and others to discuss countermeasures.
In the face of a severe drought, we must spare no effort to minimize the losses.
……
East Market, Tea Shop.
Lin Chuan has been feeling restless lately because he hasn't observed any troop movements in Chang'an.
Did Li Er abandon the attack on the Turks?
At the same time, he learned of the severe drought in Hadong Province, which terrified him even more.
Lin Chuan recalled the course of history and deduced from the timeline that the severe drought in Hadong Province should continue for some time before it arrives.
The butterfly effect triggered by the time travel alerted Lin Chuan.
He realized that he must be careful in his words and actions in the future to prevent causing even greater changes.
"Old Trump, I'm here."
A few days later, Old Li and Old Sun, who hadn't been seen for a long time, visited again.
This time, Lao Li's attitude towards Lin Chuan changed significantly; he was much more enthusiastic and respectful than before.
If it weren't for his two predictions, the Tang Dynasty would have paid a heavy price.
Li Er barely rested during this period, focusing all his efforts on dealing with the crisis in Hedong Province.
The memorials submitted by Wei Zheng were filled with names, and all of them were ordered to be executed.
Regarding the request from the Turkic Khan, Fang Xuanling's suggestion was adopted, and it was decided to immediately appease him.
This ally is crucial and cannot be lost.
"Old Chuan, what's wrong?"
But then, Old Li noticed that Lin Chuan's expression looked unusual.