Li Jing and others came in a hurry and sat on the ground around the campfire. After hearing the information, they pondered in silence and deduced various possibilities in their minds. The atmosphere was a bit solemn.
Jincheng County is a battleground for military strategists. It is strategically located and can be called the gateway to Longyou Road. Once it is lost, Tubo's advance can threaten Chang'an, its defenders can strangle the northwest gateway, and its retreat can sweep across the entire Longyou Road. As far as Tubo is concerned, it's all over the place.
They are all alive, but to the court, it is like losing an arm.
Qin Huaidao can not care about the court, that is Li Er's, but he has to care about the people of Longyou Road. If the city is massacred like Zhangye County, tens of thousands of fresh lives will be lost. Moreover, after taking Jincheng County, Tubo will definitely continue to take over.
Xiping County and Wuwei County will expand to the north, and the strategic depth will be greatly increased. Zhangye County will become an isolated city.
A lonely city without support is a mortal enemy. If it cannot defend it, it has no value in defending it.
To the west of Zhangye County are Suzhou, Guazhou, Shazhou, Jiuquan County and Dunhuang County, two big cities, and then Yumen Pass. To the north of Yumen Pass are Yizhou and Xizhou. Going westward are Qitun, Qiemo and so on.
The territory of Hanzhou captured by Qin Huaidao shows the importance of Yumen Pass.
Qin Huaidao's eyes fell on the Yumen Pass on the map. There was a border army of the imperial court stationed here, with 2,000 people. The Turks were already attacking Qitun, and Xizhou had become an isolated city. It was surrounded by groups and had no soldiers to support it. Can Yumen Pass be defended?
Once Yumen Pass is captured by the Turks, their way will be blocked, but it is not a big problem. I am afraid that the Turks will not gather together, and it will be difficult to fight if they ride around on horseback. If they gather in one place, they will be easy to bomb.
The sparks crackled and danced in the wind, like elves, disappearing suddenly.
Everyone frowned and thought about how to solve it, but they couldn't figure it out for the moment.
After a while, Li Jing suddenly said: "My dear nephew, the most urgent task is to determine the next target of the army and continue to move forward? Or should we retreat to attack Tibet, capture Jincheng County, and clear the Longyou Road?"
The next step is the key goal, which can only be determined by Qin Huaidao.
Cheng Yaojin also agreed: "Yes, the key is what should we do next? As for the loss of Jincheng County, I don't think it is a big problem. The imperial court is not a vegetarian. The Holy Emperor will definitely mobilize a large number of troops to conquer."
"Who will be the general?" Qin Huaidao asked.
This sentence stopped everyone in their tracks, and they were all a little dumbfounded.
The first batch of reinforcements from the imperial court was led by Zhi Feng Si Li. Although Zhi Feng Si Li could still fight, he was old and should not have gone out again. However, the imperial military generals were inactive and had no future. Who else could be sent?
Li Jing thought for a while and said: "There are many good talents among the younger generation in the imperial army, and they will stand out when given the opportunity. It is hard to say how to recapture Jincheng County, but holding the western front is not a big problem, and the imperial court will have no worries in a short time."
This judgment was very important to Qin Huaidao. As long as the western front was not lost, the situation would not be corrupted, war would not break out in the Central Plains, and the war would be limited to the northwest.
Li Jing was able to draw such an inference, and Qin Huaidao had no doubt that if he sent his troops to fight back, he might face a double attack from the Turks and Tibet. If he continued to advance westward, he would only face the Turks' enemies, and the two powers would harm each other.
Whichever is lighter.
The next moment, Qin Huaidao's eyes fell on Yumen Pass again.
If you have artillery in hand, it is most advantageous to fight a siege, but the Tubo and the Turks do not. As long as you hold Yumen Pass, the Tubo will not be able to continue to advance westward, and you can concentrate on taking care of the Turks. The Turks will not dare to continue to detour from the north to Chang'an and Chang'an arrogantly.
The people in the north will be protected from war disasters.
Moreover, guarding Yumen Pass is equivalent to guarding the west gate of Longyou Road. In case of defeat, the army can retreat to Longyou Road. The entire Longyou Road is long and narrow, running east to west. There are towering mountains in the north and south. There is no way to go. Naturally,
The passage can become a base.
Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Qin Huaidao gradually made a decision.
The next moment, Qin Huaidao's eyes fell on An Guogong. An Guogong realized something, sat down, cupped his fists and said: "Please give the order to the King of Han."
"Jincheng County is lost. The Tibetans are most likely attacking Xiping County and Wuwei County. They will eventually reach Zhangye. Zhangye County is not worth defending. I intend to continue to advance westward. Official roads are robbed. The presence or absence of the imperial army is a problem. I have to work to secure the country."
I want to have a good chat with you all. Chen Ming is great. Those who are willing to stay will follow me. After the war, they can go and stay as they please. If they want to take a small road back to Chang'an to distribute food and grass, I will not stop them, but we must make a decision tonight."
"Okay, I will go find them now." An Guogong agreed and hurried away.
"It doesn't matter if we continue to advance westward, Hanzhou cannot be lost." Li Jing agreed.
Cheng Yaojin also agreed: "Yes, Longyou belongs to the imperial court, and the imperial court will find a way to regain it. Hanzhou is yours. If we lose it, we will have nowhere to go."
Qin Huaidao nodded and looked at Luo Ying with wise eyes.
"Uncle, give me the order." Luo Ying said solemnly.
"Special warfare division, Guards regiment, follow me, bring enough food and grass to travel day and night, and raid Yumen Pass. The remaining troops and horses will be handed over to Shibo." Qin Huaidao said and looked at Li Jing, his eyes were cold and solemn, and his fighting spirit surged.
.
"No problem, but what if Yumen Pass is still in the hands of the imperial court?" Li Jing reminded.
Taking action against the imperial border troops was tantamount to rebellion and was not advisable. Qin Huaidao would not be foolish and explained: "An Guogong and his 10,000 ethnic soldiers accompanied him. The imperial border troops along the way were coordinated by An Guogong. An Guogong had a sacred intention and was the leader of Longyou Road.
The general manager who suppresses chaos can control the troops and horses of Longyou Road."
"This method is feasible, don't worry, as long as I'm here, you'll have no worries." Li Jing agreed.
"Yes, there is also me." Cheng Yaojin agreed.
"Go and prepare." Qin Huaidao looked at Luo Ying. With a special operations division, a special operations group, and An Guogong's 10,000 soldiers, they can capture Yumen Pass even if it is occupied by Turks. He looked around and continued:
"Chu Mo, Yi Ai, Luo Zhang, take the baggage team into the city and load all the available grain and grass supplies into the truck. Luo Wu, continue to make the explosive packs. Work harder tonight and set off early tomorrow morning."
"Follow the order!" The four of them responded in unison and hurried away.
Soon there were only three people left at the scene. Qin Huaidao signaled a guard to get a washed and skinned sheep and roast it on the bonfire while chatting casually with Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin about the situation.
Not long after, Li Jing suddenly sighed and said: "When my nephew proposed to send troops to Tibet in three directions, the imperial court refused. It seems a pity now. If there were three directions to attack, Tibet would inevitably divide its troops, and the initiative lies with the imperial court.
, let alone attacking Longyou Road, it is difficult for Tubo to defend Tuyuhun. Now it is good. We can concentrate our forces to calmly capture Jincheng County and make Chang'an more powerful. The initiative lies entirely in the hands of Tubo. It is a pity."
"Why are you mentioning all this? Your Majesty has too many concerns and has lost his previous vigor. However, after this battle, he may be able to regain his ambition and re-enable Li Xiaogong. Then the Western Front will be worry-free." Cheng Yaojin said, the entire Tang Dynasty
In terms of grasping Li Er's thoughts, no one can match Cheng Yaojin and Changsun Wuji.
"What you said makes sense. Li Xiaogong, the prince of Hejian County, is good at fighting. With him, there will be no worries on the Western Front. I can rest assured." Li Jing's eyes lit up and he relaxed.
At this time, the little fish hurried over.
Qin Huaidao asked in surprise: "But is there something wrong, madam?"
"Miss asked me to give this to you. I just received it." Xiaoyu handed over a small piece of paper.
The small note was a special kind of paper made by Qinjiazhuang. It was light and flexible and was specially used for flying pigeons to send messages. Qin Huaidao realized that something was wrong, so he quickly took it and opened it. His pupils shrank suddenly and he handed it to Li Jing next to him.
Li Jing was also surprised when he took it and handed it to Cheng Yaojin.
"What's wrong?" Cheng Yaojin realized that something had happened, took it over and took a look, exclaiming: "I just mentioned him, and the old man died? How... is this possible?"
Qin Huaidao didn't know when Li Xiaogong died in history, but he knew that the older generation of princes in the court would pass away one after another in the past few years. He frowned and said, "Remember that the prince of Hejian County was only fifty years old, right?"
"Yes, at this juncture... it's a pity!" Li Jing responded with a frown.
"Then only Liu Hongji will lead the expedition." Cheng Yaojin said.
Liu Hongji, Duke of Kui, was very responsible for the loss of Tubo. He had been neglected for a long time and now there was no one available. Liu Hongji, who had served as the Governor of the Tubo Protectorate for a period of time, knew Tubo best and was an ideal candidate.
"Who the imperial court appoints has nothing to do with us. It's getting late. Let the two uncles have some food and go to rest." Qin Huaidao interrupted the topic, but his eyes fell on the map and remained motionless.
Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin exchanged glances, said nothing more, just ate something to fill their stomachs and left.
The wind is whistling and the chill is refreshing.
The bonfire danced with the wind, as if trying to get rid of the disturbance of Tuo Shuo Feng, exploding sparks.
Anguo Gongzhi lost his mind and ran over happily, sat down by the campfire, took a large piece of mutton handed by Qin Huaidao and took a bite. While chewing, he said: "King of Han, all brothers are willing to stay."
"All willing?" Qin Huaidao was a little surprised.
"That's right, the way back has been cut off. Even taking a small road is dangerous. If you have a narrow escape, it's better to follow the King of Han. However, we have an idea. Can we report to the court that we died in the attack on Zhangye County? From now on, we will remain anonymous and focus on
Follow the King of Han to make great achievements."
Qin Huaidao felt warm in his heart. It felt good to be trusted and followed.
"Okay, I'll tell you what to do. You'll have to deal with it. Get ready. Take your 10,000 clan soldiers and set off with me tomorrow morning and attack Yumen Pass. You will negotiate with the imperial guards in the cities along the way. Those who are willing to defect will be taken in. Those who are not willing will be taken in.
Don’t be embarrassed, what about the remaining 20,000 troops and horses that I, the king, will disperse and gather together?”
"I will obey the order of the King of Han!" Zhi Shesi Si Li agreed. As long as his own soldiers are not dispersed and reorganized, it will be fine. The imperial army is a temporary command, so it doesn't matter if they are handed over.