Chapter 45: Exhortation

Li Longji stopped as well and smiled, saying, "There are only the three of us here, so there is nothing that cannot be said."

Pei Min said in a deep voice, "My martial arts originate from the pugilistic world, and I am well-versed in the arts of martial combat. Pugilistic combat focuses on the variation of moves, emphasizing the integration of body and mind, as well as the combination of offense and defense. In contrast, battlefield combat prioritizes inflicting casualties on the enemy; the simpler, the better, and the more direct, the more marvelous. Comparing the two, battlefield combat lacks variety. If one wants to achieve supremacy in the martial world through solitary combat like a pugilist, certain disadvantages will indeed exist. However, matters cannot be generalized. In the martial arts of this world, all myriad variations share a single origin. Once one truly reaches a certain realm, there is no distinction between the pugilistic world and the battlefield. A pugilistic expert can execute formation combat simply and directly, and a military general can similarly simplify the complex and comprehend exquisite moves. Take, for instance, Duke Hu Qin Shubao of the early Tang Dynasty; he held a formidable reputation in the pugilistic world, yet on the battlefield, was he not equally invincible? If our court possessed peerless tiger generals akin to Duke Hu, how could Ban Yuan ever be a match? Therefore..."

He paused and continued, "In my humble opinion, it is not the lethal techniques of Tibet that disgrace our Great Tang, but rather that our Great Tang lacks talents who are able and daring to fight. Our failure to defeat them is not because the enemy is strong, but because we ourselves are weak. Your Majesty, just think back to the Zhenguan era and the Great Generals of the Twelve Guards! Duke E Yuchi Jingde, Duke Bao Duan Zhixuan, Duke Kui Liu Hongji, Duke Jiang Qutu Tong, Duke Pi Zhangsun Shunde, Duke Yun Zhang Liang, Duke Qiao Chai Shao, as well as Hou Junji, Zhang Gongjin, and Cheng Zhijie—which one of them was not a tiger general tempered by countless battles and possessed of a formidable reputation? But what about now?" He left his sentence unfinished, but his meaning was crystal clear.

Li Longji was left speechless. Half of the current Great Generals of the Twelve Guards were meritorious officials who had followed him through two coup d'états, while the other half were senior generals with exceptionally high seniority left over from the previous dynasty. Their seniority had been accumulated over time rather than earned through bloodshed on the battlefield.

To scrutinize the matter closely, two-thirds of the current generals of the Twelve Guards had never set foot on a battlefield, and even among the remaining few who had, most were only involved in minor skirmishes, with not a single one having experienced a major campaign.

"Jingyuan's words are indeed reasonable!" Li Longji sighed and said, "However, we cannot entirely shift the blame onto them. In recent years, aside from the military campaigns in Liaodong and Liaoxi in the northeast, the northern, western, and southern frontiers have been free from the scourges of war. Such prolonged neglect of military formations naturally cannot compare to the turbulent and contentious times of Emperor Taizong."

"Precisely because of this, it is all the more cause for concern!" Pei Min said solemnly, "There is an old saying: 'It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.' Having grown accustomed to ease, how shall we resist when war suddenly arrives?"

Li Longji looked at Pei Min deeply and said, "Your thoughts coincide precisely with mine. I intend to mobilize two hundred thousand troops to assemble at the foot of Mount Li for a grand military parade and review, both to demonstrate my commitment to military preparedness and training, and to showcase the might of our nation."

Pei Min's expression stiffened. If Li Longji had not brought this matter up, it would not have crossed his mind, but hearing him say this immediately recalled a historical record of precisely this event. However, the outcome was utterly disastrous. The grand military parade hosted by Li Longji was massive in scale, with banners stretching continuously for over fifty Li. Yet, various incidents occurred, resulting in disorganized troops and chaotic order. Not only did it fail to achieve its purpose, but it also became a colossal laughing stock.

Thinking about it, it was truly tragic; simply maintaining aligned formations was already a challenge for the garrison troops of the current Tang Dynasty, let alone charging into battle to slay the enemy.

"This... Your Majesty, I feel this is somewhat inappropriate!" Pei Min said, bracing himself. "At present, the garrison militia system is corrupted, and the proficiency of the soldiers varies wildly. To suddenly assemble two hundred thousand troops for a review will only provoke greater turmoil without achieving any positive effect. If you wish to demonstrate national might through a military review, we must first elevate the quality of the garrison troops. We should even directly transition to a mercenary system; only when the soldiers possess a certain level of combat capability will such an endeavor yield extraordinary results."

Li Longji pondered for a moment and said, "Chancellor Zhang recently brought this matter up with me. However, Chancellor Yao believes that rashly altering military administration would destabilize the garrison system, so no definitive conclusion has been reached. It now appears that the mercenary system indeed needs to be put on the agenda as soon as possible. As for the Mount Li parade, let us shelve it for now." Instead of dwelling on this issue, he asked, "Today, I noticed your attitude toward the Tibetan envoys was rather unfavorable. Was it because the Tibetan envoys dared to act as though there were no capable men left in our Great Tang?"

Pei Min replied without hesitation, "On the one hand, it is precisely because of them. How can our Great Tang ever tolerate southwest barbarians lording over us and acting imperiously? On the other hand, I believe that Tibet's dispatch of envoys this time is not born of a genuine desire to befriend our Great Tang, but harbors malicious intentions."

Li Longji said in a deep voice, "Explain what you mean."

Pei Min stated, "I have always regarded Tibet and the Turks as external threats, and my vigilance against them has never abated. Now that our Great Tang has entered a period of stability, it is precisely the time for development. Put yourself in their shoes: if Your Majesty were the Tibetan Tsenpo or the Turkic Khagan, would you find a developing Great Tang more terrifying, or a Great Tang with a currently weakened military?"

Li Longji looked stirred and blurted out, "Are you saying that Tibet or the Turks might resort to military force against our Great Tang?"

Pei Min gave a bitter smile. "At least that is my analysis, and there is evidence to support my view." With that, he informed Li Longji about Sun Zhou's denunciation. Looking at the shocked expression on Li Longji's face, he continued, "It is precisely because I discovered Tibet's underhanded dealings that I believe their current diplomatic mission to our Great Tang lacks pure motives. They intend to take advantage of the fact that bilateral relations still exist and fleece us one last time before relations completely break down, thereby compensating for their own deficiencies."

"Would a Great General truly betray the Great Tang for the sake of gold, silver, and wealth?" Li Longji looked at Pei Min with disbelief. In his eyes, Yang Ju had meritorious service. Although he had felt a slight pang of discomfort when the Hexi Nine-Curve territory was gifted to Tibet years ago, he also believed that it was precisely due to Yang Ju's diplomatic mission and negotiations with Tibet that the Great Tang and Tibet had been able to coexist so peacefully.

Pei Min replied, "There is an eighty percent probability! However, this matter is of monumental importance, and I did not dare to hastily arrest Yang Ju for fear of alerting the enemy, intending instead to catch them red-handed with both the culprits and the stolen goods."

Had Pei Min merely used his own analysis to argue that Tibet would eventually break with the Great Tang, Li Longji would likely have been skeptical. But now, by shrewdly presenting both matters together so that they corroborated one another, he left Li Longji with no choice but to believe.

"Damnable!" Li Longji was so enraged that he drew his ceremonial sword and slashed down a bamboo stalk in front of him, saying indignantly, "Three years! If only you could grant me three years, I could forge a hundred-battles elite force just like Emperor Taizong did, but now..."

"Your Majesty!" Pei Min said without hesitation, "Never expect the enemy to kindly grant you time; time must always be seized by one's own efforts. Why did Emperor Taizong have four years back then? It was because he personally went to the Wei River, leveraging the momentum of Yuchi Jingde crushing the Turks at Jingyang to compel the颉利可汗 (Xieli Khagan) into signing the Treaty of the Wei River, thereby buying that time. As long as Your Majesty makes preparations for war and displays the formidable might of our Great Tang, the time to readjust our layout and planning will naturally follow. Passively pinning our hopes on the enemy's charity is truly not a wise strategy."

Li Longji looked deeply at Pei Min and smiled, saying, "Loyal advice is harsh to the ear, but I shall keep Jingyuan's words today firmly in mind. I will immediately dispatch a decree to the governor of Longliang, instructing them to exercise utmost caution and vigilance against Tibet and the Turks. As for the matter concerning Yang Ju, My Lord, investigate it thoroughly. If Yang Ju truly harbors disloyal intentions of colluding with Tibet, I grant you the authority to act with special expedience. Even if Tibetan envoys are implicated, apprehend them all the same."

"As you command!"