Many people in Chang'an were puzzled by Li Xiang's sudden return. To them, wasn't it just the arrival of the Arab army in the west? What was so great about that? We'd fought so many battles in the past few years, so what kind of army could we possibly take seriously? We could just take them down if we wanted to.
Some people were close to Li Xiang, so under his influence, they naturally knew that the Arab Empire was very powerful. Whether it was the people or the army, it was a strong enemy of the Tang Dynasty.
But some people are different. They have been stunned by the victories of the Tang Dynasty in recent years. In their view, no matter what kind of country it is, it is impossible for it to bring disaster to the Tang Dynasty. As long as we are united, we will not take any enemy seriously. Some people even said that we can defeat them with just our army in the Western Regions. His Royal Highness is really making a fuss about nothing.
This kind of talk dominated Chang'an. Look at the aristocratic children who came to study in Chang'an. Which one of them wasn't arrogant? Haven't they already been defeated by us? This so-called Arab Empire probably doesn't have much power; it's nothing more than bluffing. Once we defeat them, we'll show them the might of the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, some people also said this. They believed that Li Xiang hurried back from the south just to establish a higher prestige.
Li Xiang has won so many victories over the years that everyone's ears have become calloused. So no matter what kind of victory Li Xiang has achieved, no one can elevate him to the same position as before. So Li Xiang must create an enemy for himself, an enemy with a situation similar to that of the Tang Dynasty.
Only by defeating such an enemy can Li Xiang's reputation continue to rise.
The wise man shook his head at their idea. Li Xiang had been rising for so many years and had never done anything so deceptive. Moreover, he now even had the rank of Tiance General. What was the point of doing something like this? Li Xiang's prestige was already ranked first in the country.
Moreover, as long as it is a fake, there will definitely be some disadvantages. Once others find out, it will be a crisis for Li Xiang's prestige. The risks and benefits are not proportional. Anyone with a brain would not do such a thing, and Li Xiang certainly would not do it.
Amidst all the rumors and suspicions, Li Xiang rushed back to the capital and went straight into the palace. He did not do anything else but explained to Li Shimin the power of the Arab Empire.
This was not the first time that Li Shimin had heard similar things. Li Xiang had said it several times. However, as he was in control of such a huge empire, Li Shimin could not help but feel a little proud. The area of our empire had reached the largest in history. Should we still be afraid of the damn Arabs?
"No matter what, I still feel that this is too hasty. The situation in the south is very good now. We cannot let them throw us off balance. You should finish the matter in the south before returning. Moreover, the Western Regions have already responded. This is the memorial we just received, and it has not yet been forwarded to the south."
It turned out that when Li Xiang was in the south, he would immediately copy and send out the memorials from Chang'an City after receiving them, but Li Xiang was already on his way back, so these memorials were not sent out.
Seeing the arrangement of Xiao Shougui and Cheng Chumo, Li Xiang nodded beside him. This was also a very honest and responsible arrangement. In this way, it could also test the strength of those Arab troops. At the same time, there were not too many Tang troops participating in the war. Even if they failed, it would not have any impact on the military prestige of our Tang Dynasty.
"Grandfather is right, but this country is like a thorn in my heart. Every time I hear about it, I always feel a little depressed, so let's prepare to deal with it first. As for the man's side, here are some arrangements left by my grandson. We should be able to occupy the entire territory of Zhenla in a few months. As for Tianzhu Kingdom, we should let it go for a while."
Li Xiang did not argue with Li Shimin on this matter. After all, their perspectives were different. Although Li Shimin controlled the entire country, he did not know much about the future situation. The Arab Empire had fought against the Tang Dynasty in history.
Of course, that war should have taken place during the Tianbao period, but now the Arab Empire has already infiltrated the Pamir Mountains in advance, which means that because of Li Xiang's arrival, the entire history has undergone certain changes.
In Li Shimin's eyes, India should be a very large country. Li Shimin was not interested in the small countries around it. He originally wanted to let Li Xiang conquer India so that he could go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven.
But unexpectedly, Li Xiang suddenly changed his itinerary and insisted on running back to fight this damn Arab Empire. Of course, although Li Shimin was not satisfied, Li Shimin was also an outstanding military strategist. He was not sure about some situations on the front line, so he could not give orders to Li Xiang casually. This was related to the life and death of tens of thousands of Tang troops.
"You've been in charge of all the military affairs these past few years. Since you think the current situation isn't good, then proceed as you wish. Do you really want to go to the Western Regions in person this time?"
Li Shimin still did not take the matter of the Western Regions seriously. In his opinion, with the Cheng brothers there, plus a smart man like Xiao Shougui, the three of them would definitely be able to take good care of the Western Regions, and there was no need to travel a long distance to that remote place.
"Grandfather, please take a look. This is our country's western border, the Pamir Mountains. The Arab Empire has already infiltrated. We used to compete with Tubo for the Western Regions, but Tubo no longer has the ability to do so. If we don't intervene, in just three or two years, the entire Western Regions will likely become theirs. After all, they share a common language."
The Han people are born with some deficiencies compared to some people in the Western Regions. These people in the Western Regions are actually somewhat similar to the Arabs.
If there had been a long period of ethnic integration, Li Xiang would certainly not be afraid of this, but we have only occupied the Western Regions for a few years, so there is no question of integration at all.
Li Shimin himself was a man of profound military attainments. After listening to Li Xiang's explanation, he also realized the seriousness of the situation. Small forces were of no concern to us. We didn't even need to send out troops. We could bring them down simply by relying on the prestige of the Tang Dynasty. But if there was an empire similar to the Tang Dynasty, those things would be hard to say...
