Chapter 478: The smoke of war gradually rises

Fengxiang Prefecture is a bridge connecting Guanzhong and Longyou, and is also the second largest metropolitan area in Guanzhong. It has a vast city, fertile land and a large population. It has been one of the rich areas of all dynasties since ancient times.

As the Tang Dynasty began the close preparations for the Tang-Tibet War, Fengxiang began to become busy. There were fiddling men everywhere on both sides of the Wei River, shouting low horns and slowly pulling heavy ships loaded with grain and weapons and materials, walking against the current in the Wei River. On the shore, there was also a huge grain transport team, horse carriages and ox carts, pulling high grain stacks. Under the escort of the Anxi New Army, they marched westward. From time to time, grain and grass convoys organized by various prefectures and counties joined, gathering into a more massive transportation team, which stretched ten miles away.

That afternoon, an army came from Chang'an, with a population of 20,000 people, all of which were all cavalry. They passed the transport convoy from time to time and lined up on the wide road. In the middle of the team, Li Qing'an did not ride a carriage, but rode on a horse. He was surrounded by more than a thousand personal soldiers, and the war horses were walking slowly. This was Li Qing'an's way back to Anxi.

Four days ago, Yang Yuhuan asked the host of Cihang Academy to send a text message. In the letter, Yang Yuhuan politely rejected Li Qing'an's invitation to go to Anxi with her on the grounds that she was in poor health and was not suitable for a long journey. Li Qing'an didn't know why she was unwilling to go to Anxi with her, but her polite refusal did give him a hint of melancholy.

But as the team arrived in Fengxiang, the atmosphere of preparation for the war became stronger and stronger, and the trace of melancholy brought to him by Yang Yuhuan was already gone, and all his thoughts were focused on the upcoming Tang-Tibet War.

Just the day before Li Qing'an left Chang'an, Li Qing'an and Li Heng had an open and honest talk. Li Heng promised to fully support the Anxi army in preparing for the battle against Tubo. At the same time, he sent general Wang Sili to lead 40,000 Guanzhong troops to assist in the battle. They will settle in Hezhou, Taozhou and Diezhou to prevent the Tubo army from breaking through the Longyou defense line from this area.

As a condition for supporting the Anxi Army, Li Heng also clearly demanded that the Zhengshi Hall restore the balance of power. Li Qing'an agreed to his request. He resigned from his post as a subordinate of the Zhongshu and gave up a position. After closed-door consultation, the Zhengshi Hall appointed Cui Huan as the Minister of Revenue and Pingzhangshi of the Zhongshu and took over the position of Li Qing'an. Since Cui Huan was one of Li Heng's three nominees, the Zhengshi Hall restored the power structure of 331, which restored the balance to the already somewhat imbalanced power structure.

Since the unilateral request of the Tubo envoy was clearly rejected by the Tang court, this means that the two countries have no room for reconciliation, and after the failure of diplomacy, war will inevitably come.

The 20,000 cavalry team has been walking for three days. Not far ahead is Yong County, the prefecture of Fengxiang Prefecture. After passing Yong County, you can enter Longzhou, where the last stop for the preparation for war in Guanzhong.

At this moment, a noise suddenly came from the front, and the personal soldiers beside Li Qingan quickly shouted loudly: "General, look ahead!"

Li Qing'an put on the curtain and looked forward, and saw an Anxi cavalry from a distance from the opposite side. The number was small, only about 3,000 people.

Li Qing'an was surprised. Could this be the army that escorted his wife back to Chang'an? As soon as this idea arose, a cavalry officer rushed over. It was Zhang Yongqing, one of his personal commanders. He was the leader of the escort army who was ordered to escort Princess Zhao and Li Qing'an's son back to Chang'an.

"General!"

Zhang Yongqing ran to the front excitedly, and he immediately bowed and said, "I will be in a good way to protect the princess, and I will give orders to the general!"

"Give me order?" Li Qing'an smiled and said, "I haven't arrived in Chang'an yet! What order is it?"

Zhang Yongqing scratched the back of his head, his eyes full of anticipation, "I want to go to Longyou with the General."

"If you send the princess back to Dugu Mansion in Taipingfang, Chang'an, I will allow you to come to Longyou to participate in the war."

Zhang Yongqing was overjoyed, and he hurriedly said, "The princess asks the general to go ahead."

"You boy, you're just talking about the serious business now."

Li Qing'an laughed and cursed, urging the horse to go to the front of the team. He just walked a few steps and stopped again, and turned around and asked, "Where has Li Guangbi's army been?"

"Report to the general, we have been traveling in Dunhuang, and his army should have arrived in Qinghai."

Li Qing'an nodded and rode his horse toward the front army.

As he encountered a team escorting Princess Zhao, Anxi Army stopped temporarily. He saw several carriages in the front army, full of large and small boxes. On the widest carriage, his wife Mingyue was leaning out of the car window and looking out toward her. She suddenly saw Li Qing'an and waved with excitement.

"Da Lang!" she shouted from afar.

Li Qingan rushed up like a gust of wind, holding his wife's hand outside the car window, and he said excitedly: "I didn't expect to meet you here. I thought you had just crossed the Yellow River."

"I rushed back to Chang'an all the way several days earlier than planned. Dalang, are you going to Longyou again?"

A trace of regret flashed in Mingyue's joyful gaze. Li Qing'an nodded and said, "The Tang-Tibet War is about to begin. This battle is of great importance. I must go to the battle in person. I am really sorry. I can't accompany you mother and son in Chang'an, but I want to rest for a day in Yong County, and we still have a day to get together."

Speaking of this, Li Qingan leaned his head and looked into the car window and asked, "Where is the little guy! Why don't you want to see me?"

"He just ate milk and fell asleep."

Mingyue carefully took the sleeping child from her wet nurse and handed it to Li Qing'an, and smiled and said, "Dalang, be careful!"

Li Qingan carefully hugged his son. The little guy was less than one year old and very white, fat and cute. His face was rosy and he was sleeping soundly. Li Qingan lowered his head and kissed him gently. The little guy frowned, as if he was hurt by his father's beard. He suddenly opened his eyes, and his black eyes looked at the strange man in front of him. He twisted his mouth and started to cry loudly.

At this time, the surrounding soldiers surrounded him and looked up at the future master of Anxi. When he heard that he was crying loudly, everyone laughed. Li Qingan simply raised his son high, and the soldiers cheered, and the shouts resounded throughout the sky.

Mingyue's carriage also changed direction and followed Li Qing'an's team to Yong County.

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As the Tang Dynasty began to prepare for the war in full swing, the preparations for the 200,000 Tubo army gradually completed. Early this morning, the sky was particularly clear and a thousand miles away. Outside the city, the sound of low trombones echoed in the air. Teams of fully armed Tubo soldiers began to line up to reorganize the troops. More than 100,000 Tubo army was so dark that it was elusive at first glance, with spears like forests and long swords shining. After several years of preparation, the Tubo army built 200,000 pairs of chain mail and countless war sword spears, and the army and horses reached 500,000. Wheat, barley, air-dried beef and mutton and other dry food filled one warehouse after another. The war resources gradually became richer, and the ambitious Tubo army once again embarked on the road to conquer the East and the West.

However, during this Eastern Expedition, Tubo also had different opinions. Ministers Zanshe Duolun and Lunchizhadacha opposed the war with the Tang Dynasty. They believed that although Tubo's national strength had been restored, it was far from the point of annexation of the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang Dynasty could not be swallowed, then fighting with the Tang Dynasty would consume national strength and would not be conducive to the long-term strength of Tubo. They suggested that they have accumulated energy for another ten years and wait for civil strife in the Tang Dynasty to attack the Tang Dynasty. At present, they needed to form an alliance with the Tang Dynasty in order to seek a peaceful political situation.

However, Shang Xi Dongzan and Dazhalugong, who represent the military forces, firmly demanded to send troops, first of all, to recover lost territory. Dazhalugong even pointed out that if the Tuyuhun land was not recovered as soon as possible, ten years later, when the Tang people became accustomed to the plateau climate, the large area of ​​land there would no longer belong to Tubo, and it was no longer time for me to wait.

The Tubo ministers who had been patient for several years all agreed with the opinions of Shang Xi Dongzan and Dazhalugong and demanded to send troops immediately. The young Tubo Zanpu was not impulsive. He defeated the opinions of the two factions and sent the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Dazandunsu to the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang Dynasty was willing to return the Jishishan and the Jiuqu area of ​​the Yellow River to himself and restore it to the eighth year of Tianbao, that is, the two sides used Chiling as the boundary, then he could join forces with the Tang Dynasty for another ten years.

Although Chisong Dezan had sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, he was always pragmatic and did not believe that the Tang Dynasty would agree to his request. At this moment, Dazandunsu heard from Chengdu that the Tang Dynasty had been divided into two dynasties, and the powerful Geshuhan tribe was no longer Longyou, and Longyou was empty. This news made Chisong Dezan overjoyed. He immediately threw away the alliance and reconciliation, and sent general Dazalugong to lead a 50,000 army to immediately snatch Jishishan and Dafeichuan.

Today is his second time to send troops, and the general Shang Xi Dongzan will lead an army of 120,000 to the west.

"Woo~" As the low horns recalled again, the gate of the city slowly opened, and teams of guards and ministers riding horses came out of the city, flags waving, and flags covered the sky. At this time, the young Tubo Zanpu Chisong Dezan appeared. He rode on a divine white horse, young and heroic, full of vitality, and his eyes were full of yearning for the development of territory.

Accompanying him was Tubo general Shang Xi Dongzan. He was named the commander of the Western Expedition Army, and another general Shang Jiasu was named the deputy general. The two of them led an army of 120,000 to expedition to Anxi. More than 100,000 Tubo troops saw their Zanpu and all knelt down, shouting Zanpu's voice was like a tsunami.

Chisong Dezan nodded with relief, his smile disappeared, and he said to Shangxidongzan solemnly: "The people of the Tang Dynasty must have thought I wanted to compete with them for Longyou, but they didn't know that my real purpose was to seize Anxi. This time you took nearly half of the Tubo army. I not only hope to take down Kucha, but also hope to occupy Tocharo and Xinde, and provide Tubo with a steady stream of food and resources. General Shangxidongzan, I hope you will bring me good news more than Dazalugong."

Shang Xidongzan bowed and bowed, saying, "Please rest assured that Zanpu. I will definitely make Tubo a great power that dominates the West, and I will also dedicate Li Qing'an's head to Zanpu and sacrifice his soul to Lao Zanpu!"

"Okay! You can go."

The powerful horn sounded again, and more than 100,000 Tubo troops set out, wearing chain mail, holding spears and swords, riding war horses, carrying food and felt blankets behind the war horses, and a logistics team of tens of thousands of people also followed the main army to march towards the northwest.
Chapter completed!