Chapter 19: A Single Word Decides (First Update, Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

  This old man has an extraordinary air about him, with a superior aura that emanates from his entire being. Every gesture and movement exudes a dignified presence that commands respect.

  Arriving in Chang'an, the highest-ranking official Li Changguo met was Li Linfu. Although Li Linfu was a notoriously treacherous minister throughout history, he had remarkable talent and an impressive demeanor, which left Li Changguo astonished. However, compared to the elderly man before him, he was far inferior.

  An old man was followed by four people, three sturdy men with tiger backs and bear waists, each with a bulge at their waist, it was clear they were armed and were the old man's bodyguards.

  There was also an old man, tall and majestic in stature, with a clear and handsome appearance, although he was no longer young, but could not hide his former handsomeness.

  His most distinctive feature is his chin strap beard.

  Not a small matter!

  Li Changguo thought for a moment, this is Chang'an, the capital of the Great Tang Empire, where officials and nobles gather, and there are many such superiors.

  If one were to exaggerate a bit, if you threw a bamboo pole in Chang'an and hit ten people, nine of them would be nobles. It's not surprising that even an old man like him is among the nobility.

  "There's no one here, sir, you may go ahead." Li Changguo gave a ceremonial nod to the old man.

  The old man smiled slightly at Li Changguo, as gentle as spring breeze and rain, making people feel comfortable, walked up to the front, stood behind the railing, and began to appreciate the beautiful scenery.

  Four men stepped forward and stood behind him, three guards at the back, that beardless old man standing in the middle.

  Three guards were very vigilant and looked at Li Changguo with a glance, forming a "?" shape, protecting the old man in the middle.

  These three men walked with a strong and powerful gait, setting their own pace. With Li Changguo's discerning eye, he could tell at a glance that they were top-notch experts who had already discovered that Li Changguo was not to be trifled with.

  Chong Sanren smiled slightly, and Li Changguo shifted slightly to the side, only then did the three guards' vigilance relax a little.

  At this time, there are many tourists here admiring the scenery, occasionally pointing out the sights and mostly discussing current politics.

  "The castle of Shibao must be taken..."

  "It's great if it can be knocked down, but can it really be knocked down?"

  There are many people discussing it, and it's nothing more than a debate about whether to fight or not.

  As for Shibao Castle, whether to attack or not, there is no consensus among tourists, and even the court ministers have no consensus. Everyone knows the benefits of taking down Shibao Castle, but they are afraid that it will be difficult to take down Shibao Castle, pay a high price but fail to take it down, and no one can accept it.

  This point is best represented by Wang Zhongxi, who was a talented general but stopped at Shibao City and refused to send troops due to fear of heavy casualties.

  Everyone here is discussing whether to attack Shibao City or not, but Li Changguo remains silent, looking somewhat out of place.

  The old man listened to these gossiping words, furrowed his brow, glanced at Li Changguo and smiled: "Young people, they are all gossiping, why are you also gossiping?"

  "They are reasonable in what they say, but it doesn't hit the point." The old man asked casually, and Li Changguo replied casually, without intending to continue.

  "Oh!" Unexpectedly, the old man seemed to be very interested in this topic. After hearing Li Changguo's words, he was quite surprised and asked: "Young man, then you say, where is the harm?"

  "The weakness of Shibao City lies in two points." Li Changguo had already thought about it and replied calmly.

  "What two points?" The old man's interest was even greater, and he asked closely.

  "Is it worth attacking Shibao City?" Li Changguo's eyebrows rose, like a sharp sword being drawn out of its scabbard.

  "Haha!" The old man nodded slightly and said, "Attacking Shigucheng is certainly worthwhile. Shigucheng was originally built by Emperor Yang of Sui during his western tour of Zhangye. At the end of the Sui dynasty, Tubo took advantage of the opportunity to occupy it. With Shigucheng as its base, Tubo could advance and retreat at will, which created a huge headache for the Tang Dynasty, with over 100,000 troops stationed in Hexi to prevent Tubo's invasion. If we can take it down, the Tang Dynasty won't need to station over 100,000 troops in Hexi, which would be a tremendous advantage."

  The old man's words were reasonable, and Li Changguo nodded in agreement, saying: "What the old gentleman said is only one of the advantages, there is another advantage."

  "Ah!" Li Changguo's words were clearly beyond the old man's expectations, and he was very interested, asking: "What other benefits are there?"

  "The Shiguo Castle is located at the strategic point of Hezhou and Dafei River, if it falls into the hands of the Tang Dynasty, why doesn't the Tang Dynasty take advantage of this opportunity to send troops and attack Dafei River?" Li Changguo's words awakened people from their dreams.

  The old man's eyes suddenly shone exceptionally bright, like the fierce sun in the ninth heaven. He nodded heavily and said: "You're right! You're absolutely right! The Dafei River is the most important place for Tibet, this is where the Tibetan cattle and horses multiply. If it falls into the hands of the Tang Dynasty, Tibet will decline from then on. Ha ha, young man, although you are not old, you have great insight! Great insight indeed!"

  On one hand he praised Li Changguo, on the other hand he lightly clapped his hands, it's clear that he sincerely praised Li Changguo.

  That old man's face was full of astonishment, his eyes were exceptionally bright, and he stared at Li Changguo fiercely, as if Li Changguo was a big girl.

  "Ah!"

  The old man sighed and said, "It's a good thing to know, but unfortunately, the Stone Fortress is not easy to attack. The Stone Fortress is not big, but it's located in a strategic location, shaped like an eagle spreading its wings, with only one small path leading to the fortress. Even if there were more troops, they couldn't be deployed, and it would be a great waste of soldiers. If we were to attack, losing 300,000 to 500,000 men might not even guarantee victory."

  It was precisely because of this that famous generals like Wang Zhongxi were weighed down by worries and stopped in front of Shibao City, refusing to send troops. It wasn't that he didn't know the benefits of taking Shibao City, but rather that he couldn't accept such a high price.

  "This is exactly what I wanted to say as my second point." Li Changguo nodded in agreement with the old man's words, saying: "The Stone Fortress City is easy to defend and hard to attack. If the Tang Dynasty wants to take down the Stone Fortress City, it will inevitably have to pay a high price. Whether it's three or five hundred thousand casualties, or one million eight hundred thousand casualties, the Tang Dynasty can still afford it with its national strength."

  The old man raised his head, puffed out his chest, and a surge of pride suddenly arose: "The great Tang Dynasty is powerful and vast, with a large population. To say nothing of 30,000 or 50,000 casualties, even if there were 100,000 to 800,000 casualties, the Tang Dynasty could still withstand it. At worst, the Tang Dynasty would just need three to five years of rest and recuperation to recover."

  The Tang Dynasty was powerful and populous, with a population of 30-50 million. The cost of 3-5 million, 10-18 million, although heavy, was still within the Tang Dynasty's tolerance range, this is absolutely not an exaggeration.

  "Since taking down the Stone Fortress is worthwhile and the price of Datang can be afforded, why not do it?" Li Changguo's counter-question left the old man speechless.

  The old man's mouth was wide open, and he couldn't say a word for half a day. His eyes were bright like the scorching sun in the sky, staring at Li Changguo tightly, not speaking for a long time.

  That old man was also staring at Li Changguo with a look of astonishment.

  What Li Changguo said makes sense in two aspects.

  Attacking Shi Bao City will inevitably come at a great cost, which is not important. What's important is whether the Tang Dynasty can afford this cost. If the Tang Dynasty cannot afford it, no matter how great the benefits of taking Shi Bao City are, they will not attack.

  If the Tang Dynasty could afford the cost and it was worthwhile to capture Shi Bao City, then not attacking Shi Bao City would be unforgivable.

  "Poor Wang Zhongxi, a talented general of his generation, with the appearance of Wei and Huo, able to conquer and fight well, but he is afraid of Shi Bao City, his insight is not as good as yours, young man!"

  The old man looked at Li Changguo with great admiration, his eyes shining brightly and sparkling.