Chapter 863: Court Debate, Decision! II (1/2)
Chapter 863: Court Debate, Decision! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Alarmist drivel! The Four Garrisons of Anxi constitute a minor territory on the border, and Talas is itself a city beyond the borders, a vast distance from the capital. In the future, should we pour out the entire strength of the country to reinforce Anxi when it cries 'emergency'? The Western Regions lie beyond the bounds of civilization, and not even half a Tang lives there. Do we need to waste our resources and exhaust the strength of the Great Tang for some mere foreigners?”
Amidst all these arguments, the official Yang Lu could no longer hold himself back.
Yang Lu was an imperial censor and a typical civil official. Civil officials had always been staunchly anti-war, and amongst the many voices in the court that opposed reinforcements being sent to Anxi, Yang Lu was one of the loudest.
A titled general stepped forward, his face seething with rage. ”Military matters are of vital importance to the state. One Imperial Great General and thirty thousand of the empire's best soldiers are besieged at Talas. Should we just stand by as these people die, treat it as a matter of little concern? Then when all the other border generals ask for help, we can ignore them as well? And when the common people face misery and catastrophe, which of you will take responsibility!”
There was no need for King Song to step forward with regards to Talas, as there was no small number of hawkish voices in the court.
Whether in the Sui or the Tang, or any of the other dynasties, the conflict between the civil and military officials had never ceased. The incident at Talas had only served to sharpen this divide.
”The crucial point here is that the war of the southwest has just concluded, and all the protectorates are still recovering. Where would we get reinforcements in such a short time? The Imperial Court has always prioritized placing its soldiers on the border, and the capital and the rest of the interior simply don't have the soldiers. What happens if we transfer the soldiers from other protectorates and some other incident occurs? In the current situation, it's not that we don't want to help Anxi, but we simply don't have any soldiers to send!”
One of the officials who stood more in the middle of the debate could no longer keep on watching and finally voiced his opinion. But the moment he spoke, another voice responded.
”Qixi Protectorate's Wang Chong!”
This voice was soft and timid, apparently worried that it might attract too much attention. But the moment it spoke, the entire court fell silent. Even Yang Lu and the more neutral official were both speechless.
Longxi, Beiting, Andong, and Annan Protectorates had just experienced battles that left them lacking soldiers, forcing them to only passively defend and not aggressively attack. These four areas all had places that their soldiers needed to defend, enemies to be fought against. These soldiers truly could not be taken away so that they could be sent over the Cong Mountains to fight the Arabs.
But Wang Chong's Qixi Protectorate was different.
The Qixi Protectorate had always served as a reserve for Anxi, and Wang Chong was the current temporary Qixi Protector-General. Of the various Protector-Generals, Wang Chong was probably the only one capable of going to Anxi's aid. However, Qixi was traditionally menaced by Ü-Tsang and the Western Turks, and throughout its history, it had always been in a state of passive defense, rarely able to engage in offensives, much less reinforce Anxi.
But it just so happened that Wang Chong had launched attacks targeted at Ü-Tsang and the Western Turks. The battle at the triangular gap had shattered the threat of Ü-Tsang to the west, and the battle at the Qixi Armory had vanquished the threat of the Western Turkic Khaganate to the east.
The Qixi Protectorate was currently in a state of unprecedented safety. There were no armies threatening it.
And as the commander of Qixi Protectorate, the temporary Protector-General, Wang Chong had already proved his abilities in the war of the southwest and the two battles at Qixi. Privately, many already referred to him as the empire's Eighth Great General. There was no doubting his strength, and he was completely capable of holding his own.
There was no one more suitable than Wang Chong and the Qixi Protectorate army for the job of reinforcing Anxi and breaking the siege of Talas, and such an operation wouldn't have much of an effect on the rest of the empire.
”This…”
Even the vehement anti-war doves like Yang Lu and the other civil officials turned pensive at this suggestion.
Bang!
A jade seal stamped down on an official document from the Bureau of Military Personnel. After more than a month of debate, the civil and military officials of the Great Tang had reached agreement with unprecedented speed.
'Qixi Protector-General Wang Chong is ordered to lead his army to reinforce Talas! All needed weapons, supplies, and soldiers should immediately be submitted to the Imperial Court. The Six Bureaus are ordered to offer their full cooperation, with no room for error!'
At dusk, a carrier pigeon took off into the air, flying toward Qixi.
At this moment, all of the Great Tang had eyes on Qixi, on Wang Chong. Whether or not Gao Xianzhi and his Anxi Protectorate army could be saved all depended on Wang Chong!