The power of the army is gained by winning battles one after another.
The prestige of a commander-in-chief is also gained by leading his soldiers in battle after battle, and there is absolutely no trickery.
Fang Jun ate a piece of barbecue and ordered: "Tomorrow we will break up camp and continue to march westward. After bypassing Jiaohe City, the whole army will camp. Waiting for my command, we will kill every carbine, break through Jiaohe City, and capture the thieves one by one.
Come out and punish others as a warning to others!"
"Here!"
Pei Xingjian and Cheng Wuting responded with a bang.
They all know that if the occupation develops as expected, this battle will not only wipe out the traitors inside the Anxi Protectorate, but also completely open up the Anxi army's rear path, and can also gain the full support of the Uighur people. The two armies will meet at one point.
To advance westward to support the Anxi Army would be much more powerful than if the Youtun Guards were to advance on their own.
It will not be like before, where the Anxi Army can only retreat step by step and clear the country. Instead, it will have the strength to fight.
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, apart from the humiliation of being led by the Turkic Jieli Khan directly into the capital and marching troops north of the Weishui River, forcing His Majesty Li Er to sign the Weishui River Alliance, he has always suppressed the surrounding Hu barbarians.
Fighting to death, how could the Anxi Army ever feel so aggrieved as now?
This was not caused by the low combat effectiveness of the Anxi Army, but by the impact of the entire country's Eastern Expedition, which resulted in the Anxi Army's strength being damaged and insufficient support.
If it were a real battle with swords and spears, no army in the Tang Dynasty would have ever been afraid of the Hu people, let alone the Anxi army, which had experienced hundreds of battles.
Although the Anxi Army suffered a bitter defeat in the Battle of the Western Regions, within the entire Tang army, there were few who ridiculed the Anxi Army and those who shared the same hatred with the enemy. Everyone held their breath and intended to go to the Western Regions to support the Anxi Army and defeat the arrogant Arabs.
Kill hard for a while!
*****
The sky and the earth are vast and the snowfields are vast.
A hundred miles west of Jiaohe City, there is a place where two rivers converge, crossing and enclosing a ten-foot-high loess platform. It is narrow at both ends and wide in the middle, shaped like a willow leaf. A majestic city was built on the earth platform.
Surrounded by water on all sides, the terrain is high and easy to defend but difficult to attack. There are four city gates and the streets and alleys in the city are well-organized.
This place is the center of Tang Dynasty's rule in the Western Regions, Jiaohe City.
Under the heavy snow, a group of knights came roaring on the frozen river. When they arrived a hundred steps away from the city wall, they all stood on horseback. The leader sat on the horse's back, holding the reins tightly with one hand and raising the other hand.
He pushed up the bamboo hat that was covering the snow and wind on his head, revealing a pair of falcon-like eyes, staring coldly at Jiaohe City, which was built on a loess plateau rising from the ground in front of him.
A man behind him reined in his horse and took two steps forward, saying in a low voice: "General, Jiaohe City is where the Anxi Protectorate is located. The city is full of Tang troops. It is too risky for you to enter alone, so you might as well consider it carefully."
Another person also dissuaded him: "The Han people are treacherous. What if they deceive the general this time, lure him into the city, surround him and kill him?"
The general was none other than the Turkic general Ashina Helu. He sneered when he heard this, his face covered with beards as cold as ice and snow, and his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, but it conveyed a meaning that could not be rejected: "The Han people often say, 'You can't get into the tiger's den until you enter the tiger's den.
Huzi, today I will enter Jiaohe City to see if they have the guts to leave my life here! You go back to the camp for the time being, and be on guard against all parties, so that no one can detect the location of the camp.
, waiting for my return, we will gather our troops and horses together, rush into Jiaohe City, seize this heartland of the Western Region for the Turks, and make great achievements for the Great Khan!"
"Here!"
The people behind him didn't dare to persuade him any more and all accepted his orders.
Ashina Helu pushed the brim of his hat down again, waved his hand, and rode ahead, followed by two personal guards. The three of them rode through the frozen river in the wind and snow until they reached the city gate.
under.
The other soldiers watched for a while, and after the three figures disappeared into the wind and snow, they turned their horses and followed the path back to the camp where the army was stationed.
…
There was a strict inspection at the city gate. Two teams of soldiers stood on both sides of the doorway holding horizontal knives, one on the left and the other on the right. They searched the people and merchants one by one when they came in and out.
However, this was not a problem for Ashina Helu. The people in the city had already prepared a suitable identity for him. After the personal guards around him showed the documents to the soldiers, they were immediately let go without any questioning.
After Ashina Helu entered the city, he rode slowly along the long streets of the city. It was snowing heavily at the moment, and the streets and alleys were covered with thick snow. There were few pedestrians. The shops on both sides of the street were still there except for a few wine shops.
The shop was swaying in the wind and snow under the guise, while all the other shops were closed to prepare samples.
Countless houses are quiet and peaceful in the wind and snow, and the prosperity of normal times can be vaguely seen.
Ashina Helu has been fighting in the Western Regions for many years, but has never set foot in such a city under the rule of the Tang Dynasty. As he slowly walked forward, he looked around and was very interested. He couldn't help but secretly admire the ability of the Tang people. It was originally just a place where two rivers met.
A loess plateau was washed away, but through the joint efforts of the army and the people of the Tang Dynasty, a city was built that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and quickly developed it into the core of the entire Western Region and a node on the Silk Road. In just over ten years,
There will be prosperity.
Engage in construction, and the people of the Tang Dynasty will be invincible.
However, although the Turks envied the Tang people's ability to create prosperity from scratch, they would never learn it. The Turks grew up on horseback from childhood, and were skilled in bow and horse and had strong personalities. There was no need to learn writing and arithmetic every generation.
How many generations or even ten generations will it take us to accumulate a wealth of experience?
Since the Tang people were good at creation and could build a city in such a barren land and make it prosperous, all the Turks needed to do was ride a horse, hold a bow, and carry a knife to rob...
Low-class people will work hard to build, but people like the Turks, a nation favored by God, only need to wait for others to finish the construction and then snatch it away.
Not long after the three of them walked forward, they encountered a group of cavalry walking slowly from the other side of the street. The one trotting first was the soldier who was responsible for searching the merchants outside the city gate just now. The soldier pointed this way.
After talking to the man on the horse for a few more words, he ducked to the side of the road and trotted along the wall of the shop back to the city gate to continue his duty.
Both parties stopped and looked at each other.
The two personal guards around him had already put their hands on the handles of the scimitars hidden under their thick cotton clothes. As soon as they found anything amiss, they would rush forward and kill them with all their might, trying to give Ashina Helu the chance to escape.
Chance.
Ashina Helu was not afraid at all. He took two steps forward with the reins in hand, raised his chin slightly, revealing his falcon-like eyes under the bamboo hat, and said coldly: "I have heard that the people of the Tang Dynasty know how to be polite and hospitable, and I came here in the wind and snow.
Shouldn't we just discuss it on this street? We should find a place to sit, eat a few bites of meat, and drink a bottle of wine."
The leader opposite was wearing a Tang Army uniform. Hearing this, he was slightly startled, then nodded and said, "That's how it should be, please."
After saying that, he turned the horse's head and walked into a nearby alley. The snow was very deep in the alley. The war horse moved forward slowly, made a turn, and went forward for some distance before stopping in front of a door, turning over and dismounting.
He knocked on the door a few times, and when it opened, he cupped his fists at Ashina Helu who was following behind and said, "Please."
Ashina Helu looked around on the horse, then dismounted and strode into the courtyard without any hesitation.
The courtyard is not big, but after entering the door, I realized that the yard is actually quite big. At this moment, the snow on the ground has been swept away, and there is no thin layer that just fell. Everyone in the group entered the yard, and the gate was just closed. The rest of the people were waiting to be
The servants in the courtyard led him to the side rooms on both sides. The horses were tied to the hitching posts in the courtyard, and Ashina Horu was invited into the main hall.
The hall is not big, but the windows are bright and clean. The floor is covered with wooden floors. It is very warm when you take off your boots and step on them, obviously burning the ground dragon.
Seeing him come in, the three people who were kneeling in front of the desk stood up one after another, and everyone greeted each other.
Ashina Helu took off his bamboo hat, revealing a square face full of beards. A pair of hawk-like eyes flashed across the faces of the three people in front of him one by one. He just handed over his hand and said in a stiff Chinese: "Ashina
He Lu, I’ve met you all.”
The person in front was of moderate stature, neither fat nor thin, about forty years old, with a slim appearance. However, a scar on his forehead spread from the edge of his eyebrows to the corners of his eyes, making him look a bit more cold and fierce. He returned the courtesy.
: "Jiaohe City Guards Hou Mo Chen Sui has met the general."
The person next to him was probably in his thirties, with a long beard, a straight face, and an extraordinary bearing. He smiled and cupped his hands and said: "The Anxi Protectorate has recorded affairs and joined the army. The eldest son is Ming."
Ashina Helu's eyes stayed on his face for a while, and he nodded slowly.
The last person had a slender figure and should have had a handsome face. However, there were two wounds on his forehead and cheeks, with bones visible, making the whole person look quite ferocious. He said calmly: "I am Sun Han."
Ashina Helu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes flashed, and he stared at Changsun Han for a while, then he laughed twice and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, the calculations of the Changsun family are really admirable.