After rebirth, I joined forces with my mortal enemy to seek revenge.

The snow in Chang'an was falling intermittently. When the sun came out, the snow melted into water, and then gradually froze into ice under the north wind. The road was muddy and difficult to walk on, so the Emperor of Wei was merciful and simply canceled the court meeting. He asked the court officials to report to the government office on time.

In the depths of winter, at dawn, only the lanterns in front of the Suzaku Gate were lit on Suzaku Street. The court officials, wrapped in fur coats and winter robes, gathered together, talking in twos and threes.

"Fortunately, the snow in Chang'an has stopped. If it continues like this, I'm afraid it will cause disaster. Can the Ministry of Revenue still take out the money?"

"We can always get by by tightening our belts. Snow is a sign of a good harvest. This year's snow is heavy. Next year will surely bring a good harvest."

"Well, I hope so."

Their conversation was interrupted by Pei Xianggong's compliments.

Looking back at the sound, I saw Pei Jiaoran walking slowly towards me in a black cloak, smiling at everyone. When she came, everyone's conversation came to an abrupt end.

The drum sounded, and the Suzaku Gate slowly opened, and the court officials filed in. The snow on Chengtianmen Street had already been swept, but it was still slippery. Everyone walked much slower than usual.

"I heard that Prime Minister Pei went to Lizheng Palace yesterday to submit a memorial?"

Hearing Jia Gonglu's voice, Pei Jiaoran turned around. He smiled softly, "Mr. Jia is really well-informed."

"Give people favors and let them serve me." Jia Gonglu stroked his beard and pointed at the court officials pouring into the government offices. "Don't underestimate them. They only have green robes and green skins now, but they are the key to weaving the network."

Pei Jiaoran smiled at Jia Gonglu and nodded in agreement. She still agreed with this.

While they were talking, the two of them had already walked to the Council Hall and happened to run into Cen Xi, Su Jinghui and others who were coming from the other side.

Seeing Su Jinghui frowning and looking at him unexpectedly, Pei Jiaoran curled his lips indifferently, stepped aside, let the three people go in first, and he followed closely behind.

The eight prime ministers gathered in the Political Affairs Hall. Jia Gonglu was the prime minister on the left, while Su Jinghui was on the right and Cen Xi was on the lower left. Looking at the two empty seats in the middle, Pei Jiaoran looked thoughtful.

While he was thinking, he heard footsteps on the corridor. He turned around and saw the Crown Prince and the King of Wu coming in front and behind. Before the two entered, Jia Gonglu led the others to stand up and greet them.

The prince sat down with his clothes on and said with a smile, "My dear ministers, there is no need to be polite. Please sit down."

Everyone sat down as instructed. The prince said, "I came here today because Mr. Pei offered advice yesterday, which Your Majesty was very satisfied with. But he also wants to hear what other suggestions you gentlemen have. Mr. Pei, please tell me."

"Send an envoy to comfort Nanzhao, forgive their past actions, and confer the title of King of Nanzhao." Pei Jiaoran looked at the prince with a burning gaze, "Although my plan is to ally with the Arabs in the west and Nanzhao in the south, the key lies in the peace with the Uighurs in the north. I think your majesty sent you here because your majesty can form an alliance with the Arabs and Nanzhao, but not with the Uighurs."

"Pei Qing is indeed a thoughtful person." The prince looked at everyone with an embarrassed expression, "Your Majesty has had a grudge against the Uighurs since he was young. Your Majesty has no opinion on the other two parties, but he hates the Uighurs the most."

Su Jinghui, who had been listening for a long time, could not help but interject, "When your majesty was in the palace, he was sent as an envoy to the Uighurs, but was bullied by the Uighur Khan. Your majesty has been brooding over this for many years. Prime Minister Pei, you want your majesty to seek cooperation from the Uighurs. Isn't that a slap in your majesty's face?"

Ignoring Su Jinghui's ridicule, Pei Jiaoran said seriously: "The Arabs are thousands of miles away from the Western Regions, and they can only play a role of containment on Tubo. Although Jiannan is close, the terrain of Sichuan and Yunnan is mountainous and steep, which has always been suitable for defense rather than attack, and can only play a role of containment. Only the Uighurs in the north have hundreds of thousands of troops and have long wanted to go south. If we can direct their spearheads to Tubo, it can not only greatly relieve the defense pressure of the Longyou Army, but also liberate the Shuofang Army stationed in Lingzhou to defend against the Uighurs. On the contrary, if Tubo and Uighurs join forces. The defense line of Longshan will no longer be a defense line, but a giant pest that eats away at the lifeline of the country's wealth. "

"The Arabs are in the Pamir Mountains, and it is indeed beyond our reach." The prince nodded and smiled, "Pei Qing, please continue."

This was what he wanted to hear. Although his secretary gave two identical strategies, he avoided mentioning the Uighurs at all.

Pei Jiaoran understood, "When I have nothing to do, I like to visit the West Market. I heard from the Uighur merchants that the current Uighur Khan was the prime minister of the previous Khan. Because of political differences, he launched a coup and proclaimed himself Khan. Currently, the Uighur nobles are dissatisfied with him. If our dynasty can provide financial support, how can we not use him for our benefit?"

"If the Huihe people make peace, Tubo will not dare to invade the border easily. If we recruit Nanzhao next, it will cut off Tubo's right arm. Nanzhao has been a vassal of China since the Han Dynasty, but because of repeated pressure from Tubo, it rebelled against our dynasty. As a vassal of Tubo, we suffered from the heavy taxes and labor service imposed by Tubo, and we never stopped thinking about becoming a vassal of Wei again. The Arabs are the strongest in the Western Regions, with land from the Pamir Mountains to the Western Sea, covering almost half of the world. They and India admire China and are enemies of Tubo, so I know they can be recruited."

"Mr. Pei, you were also involved in the August accounts this year. Don't you know what the situation is in the court?" Yuwen Jie said slowly, stroking his beard.

"Yuwen Pushe, why is Zuo Cang so short of money?" Pei Jiaoran asked back, and seeing that he didn't say anything, he continued, "It's all because Longshan needs to stockpile a large number of border troops. The accounts sent by various government offices this year are clearly written. This year, 170,000 soldiers were recruited from Guandong and stationed in the west of Beijing, and the annual grain consumption was 240,000 hu. Now the grain is 151 dou, a total of 360,000 strings. If the country is hit by famine and chaos, and the funds are insufficient, even if there is money, there will be no grain to buy."

Su Jinghui rebuked: "So, Mr. Pei means that as long as we form an alliance with the Uighurs, we can withdraw the defense forces in Longshan? Or is he planning to reduce the troops again?"

"My plan is not to reduce the number of troops, not to disturb the people, and to ensure that there is enough food."

The prince was intrigued by her words and said with a smile: "Pei Aiqing, please continue. I will convey everything I said today to His Majesty."

"Isn't there a deposit of inferior silk in Zuozang? We can dye it into colorful silk, and then forge agricultural tools to buy wheat seeds, and give it to the Uighurs to relieve the internal crisis of the Uighurs. And the military towns along the way can forge agricultural tools to buy wheat seeds, recruit soldiers to plough the wasteland and plant it. When the wheat is ripe next year, the government will buy it for you. The same is true for planting rice next spring. The land in Guanzhong is fertile and has been barren for a long time, so the harvest will be rich. And we can also exchange it for military horses from the Uighurs."

Both the Uighurs and the Tubos produced good horses, and they had enough advantages in horses. Once they joined forces, Longyou and Hexi would be theirs. At that time, the imperial court would have to station a large number of troops there, and they would only need to harass them from time to time. In the long run, even the most powerful dynasty would be dragged down.

Although Pei Jiaoran's words hit the Wei Emperor's sore spot, they also revealed the lifeblood of the court to the world.