Chapter 53: Imagination is Not as Good as Action
Li Yuanba's idea was simple, to sweep away one by one the countries that would pose a threat in the future! Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng's vision for the overall situation was far inferior compared to Li Shimin's.
Li Shimin, although unwilling to intervene in court affairs again, Li Yuanba's actions were too extreme! He discussed with Li Yuanba the idea of all high-end military forces in the Great Tang: If you take away all the high-end military forces of the Great Tang, what if the surrounding vassal states take advantage of your expedition and send troops or dispatch masters? Who can resist? The best way is to subdue them or eliminate their high-end military forces first! Otherwise, when you return from your expedition, the country will have fallen, what's the point?!
According to Li Shimin's words, the first threat to be eliminated was Tubo!
The Tubo people occupied the present Tibet, after the Warring States period, some Qiang tribes, such as the Faqiang and Mitang tribes, gradually moved to the current Tibet region. They merged with the local people, multiplied and developed, forming the Tubo tribe. The establishment of the Tubo Dynasty was by the yak department active in the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley, and the unification of the various departments of the yak department was called Gnie Gnie Zanpu. "Zanpu" means strong husband, later became the title of the Tubo ruler. From Gnie Gnie on, the Tubo people established a hereditary chieftain system, after the eighth generation Zanpu Buzhaga, Tubo society gained relatively rapid development, gradually transitioning from primitive society to slave society.
The people here cultivate Buddhist mantras and other methods, although they have not yet formed a large sect. However, this is the world's highest average elevation plateau, mostly located in southwestern China, including the entire Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province, western Sichuan Province, southern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and parts of Gansu and Yunnan. The entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau also includes parts of Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with a total area of 2.5 million square kilometers. Within the borders, the average elevation is 4,000 to 5,000 meters, earning it the nickname "Roof of the World" and "Third Pole". It is also the source of many major rivers in Asia. The people here have a profound understanding of martial arts that far surpasses other places! Moreover, this place will also be the first to produce someone who can successfully use mantras to transcend into a mythical realm, retaining some memories, which can also be said to be an incomplete reincarnation! This also explains why there are countless strange and supernatural events here. Although the famous Potala Palace has not been built yet, it is already the greatest potential threat to the Tang Dynasty!
Li Shimin was not a prophet, but Songtsen Gampo, the first great ruler to unify Tibet, was already ten years old.
Li Yuanba wants to see the current territorial map of the Tang Dynasty. Upon seeing it, he realizes that the Tang Dynasty's territory is not as large as it was in later generations. The map looks like a rooster without its neck and head, and its abdomen seems to be missing a big chunk. The tail of the rooster also appears to be incomplete. Li Yuanba finds this awkward.
Li Shimin tells him that the Uyghur tribe in modern-day Xinjiang is not submissive and may rebel against the Tang Dynasty at any time. Then, Li Shimin analyzes the situation of neighboring countries one by one for Li Yuanba, but he can't remember them all. He only remembers that the Tuyuhun must be eliminated first.
Looking at the map of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuanba sighs and thinks that the current situation is too complicated. The territory in the west, including Xinjiang, is all summarized as "Tibet".
Li Yuanba left behind a hundred legendary masters within the sect, including Li Daoxuan who wouldn't stop nagging, to protect his family in the mansion. The rest followed him on his military campaigns! Those left behind to guard the mansion were from different schools and didn't dare speak out against them, all holding their breath waiting to vent their anger on the hapless Tubo people!
The Tubo is not unified yet. Once a strong leader emerges, the Tubo will be far stronger than the Turks were before!
Li Yuanba's previous Musou technique shocked the heroes of the world, but what they didn't know was that Li Yuanba's Musou technique had limitations! Under normal circumstances, Li Yuanba could only use it three times a day. If he overused it, he would become spiritually exhausted, and in severe cases... ...he would fall asleep! Sudden drowsiness without warning, this was the extreme point of spiritual fatigue...
Li Yuanba had someone create a simple yet domineering armor for him, without a helmet, with two shoulder guards extending outward from his shoulders, gauntlets on his upper arms, and streamlined armguards from his forearms to his wrists. His hands were left bare because no metal could withstand the force of his grip when wielding weapons! The upper body was made of scale armor that fit tightly around his torso down to his waist, while the lower body was almost entirely covered in metal armor; since Li Yuanba disregarded the wear and tear of metal on his body, even his shoes were made of metal. It took a master craftsman's utmost effort to complete this task. Just making Li Yuanba's shoes nearly drove the craftsman mad... The entire shoe was made of metal, with no elasticity whatsoever, so whenever Li Yuanba moved his toes, he could easily poke holes in things...
A suit of armor made entirely of gold dazzles people's eyes, how much gold is this?!
Li Yuanba, clad in armor that was mere decoration for him, stood on the platform with his crimson cloak billowing behind him. For the first time, he addressed the thousands of skilled warriors below, his voice dripping with killing intent: "Today, our first conquest is Tubo! I only have one demand for you: put away your pity! You all know the tragic fate of the Five Barbarians in the past, and some of you may even have their bloodline or that of other invading tribes like the Turks. But all this will become a thing of the past! You all possess extraordinary martial prowess, but it's only used to stir up trouble in my Central Plains, leaving behind nothing but the phrase 'bullying the weak'! Every day, you're all shouting about the greatness of our dynasty and how we should conduct ourselves with dignity towards outsiders. I'm telling you, these are just empty words that make me sick to my stomach! The saying 'those who are not of our kind must have a different heart' has been shouted by our ancestors for thousands of years. Have your brains turned to mush?! Once foreign tribes become powerful, the only possibility for them is to invade our rich and beautiful lands! This time, when we conquer other foreign tribes, I don't want to hear about any brainless actions. You must annihilate all foreigners you see, without exception! Don't even think about sparing women, children, or the elderly! Have you heard of the saying 'a single spark can start a prairie fire'? If not, it doesn't matter. But if I find out anyone is hesitant to take action, I'll have their families pay the price! Look at the massive army behind us. If you let any foreigners who harbor hatred towards us slip away, they will exact bloody revenge on them without mercy! This is the cruelty of war. Pity is just a slogan for the weak!"
Li Yuanba paused for a moment, then issued an order to the mighty army: "You several gods each lead a team of people, advancing from the border of Tubo, and when you reach the center of their territory, you will lead your subordinates to attack in all directions. At the end of every month, send someone to report your position to me, and I will wait for your news at Lhasa! If there are any hard-to-chew bones, notify me immediately! For now, prioritize preserving your strength, and you can handle other matters on your own. King Yanglin of Shan, discuss a good route with them, then send me the message, preferably before noon, and set off immediately after lunch!"
Li Yuanba wants to hug his daughter - Li Yilin again before going on the march! And if there is a second daughter, she will be named - Li Siman!
A massive army marched, with tens of thousands of scavenging troops, countless sects and Li Yuanba's clan members, followed by nearly a million-strong imperial army, a mix of dragons and snakes, making a deafening noise! Li Yuanba didn't want to be delayed, so he ordered the army to advance quickly, rushing to reach Hezhou and enter Tuyuhun.
In ten days, Li Yuanba and his men arrived at the Hezhou in the fastest speed of a legendary master, rested for one day, and several thousand killing machines followed Li Yuanba into the Tubo territory!
Thousands of people formed a square array of several kilometers, and the killing began! Due to the complex terrain here, it belongs to the vast territory and sparse population, so Li Yuanba's advancement was very slow.
"Too slow! You each lead your troops and advance at will, I'll head straight to... no, to Luoyang! We'll meet there!" Li Yuanba was very dissatisfied with the speed, he decided to go ahead first, because that place was the gathering place of Tubo's top-notch men. At first, he thought things were too simple, these few thousand people were too small for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau! If such slaughter continued, it would take at least several decades to make a rough sweep! Since that's the case, why not wipe out all their high-end resistance and let the Tang army take over, it's more convenient!
After giving orders, Li Yuanba rushed alone with his double hammers to the Tubo's expert camp, which was also their political center - Luosha!
Li Yuanba didn't expect that this time, he would discover his own limits! That is to say, the limit of how many times he could use his Musou technique, thirty! This was also Li Yuanba's realization after almost sweeping through the entire Luoshen Center region and falling asleep: "I'll have to be more careful from now on..."
