Zhou Jun sat in the upper seat, with Feng Changqing and other officials standing in front of him.
Putting down the map in his hand, Zhou Jun asked Feng Changqing: "The cannibals have stationed their troops in Talluos City, but they still have no intention of retreating?"
Feng Changqing cupped his hands and said: "Reporting to the Protector, the Daqi people not only did not retreat, but also pushed the military line to the Congling (Pamir Plateau) area, and successively occupied Shujian City, Julan City, and Kesai City. Our army marched towards
We retreated eastward and have already retreated to Suiye Town and Shule Town, where we have set up defense lines."
Zhou Jun calculated in his mind that since the Great Cannibal won the Battle of Talos, he began to rapidly expand his power and territory while the Anxi Army was defeated. To date, it has occupied the nine surnames under the Anxi Protectorate.
The country of Wu Nu Shibi (the five tribes of the Western Turks) and the Hedaro branch (part of the former Persian Empire).
Judging from the map, the Great Cannibal has occupied almost one-third of the territory originally controlled by the Anxi Protectorate.
Zhou Jun asked Feng Changqing: "Who is the general of the Dashi Army?"
Feng Changqing: "The name of the commander of the Great Food Army is Ziad, and he was the commander during the Battle of Talos... But there are also rumors that the leader of that battle was someone else, and he was the new leader of the Great Food Army.
Abu Muslim, Governor of Khorasan.”
The last time Zhou Jun heard the name Abu Muslim, he remembered it was when the Umayyad Caliphate was defeated.
Nodding, Zhou Jun asked Feng Changqing: "Who is leading the Tang army that is confronting the Dashi Army now?"
Feng Changqing: "Now the Tuqi Shi tribe has moved to Suiye Town, and the tribe has surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. They are Hu Congjun, and the leading general is named Ashina Chu; the garrison envoy of Shule is Li Siye, because in Talas
For his meritorious service in the battle, he was awarded the title of General Youjinwu by the imperial court and was retained as the envoy of Shule Town."
Li Siye?
When Zhou Jun heard this familiar name, he was stunned for a moment, then blurted out and asked: "Li Siye is in Shule Town, where is the Xiushi man?"
Compared with Li Siye, who had a great reputation, Duan Xiushi, the famous loyal and loyal prince in history, was still an unknown general at this time.
Therefore, after hearing Zhou Jun's words, Feng Changqing was stunned in place for a while. After a while, he replied: "General Duan is in Anxi Mansion, serving Guo Yi in the Scout Mansion."
Zhou Jun nodded lightly and said: "Let him participate in the next military meeting."
Feng Changqing didn't know what was going on and just agreed.
After the military meeting, Zhou Jun held a banquet in the side hall of the Duhu Mansion to entertain Feng Changqing.
This banquet is not a social interaction between superiors and subordinates, but purely a meeting between friends.
Zhou Jun and Feng Changqing sat across from each other, pouring and drinking by themselves, looking much more relaxed and casual.
Feng Changqing drank the wine in the cup, his face turned a little red, and he raised his hands to Zhou Jun and said, "Protector Zhou..."
Zhou Jun stopped his chopsticks and glanced at Feng Changqing.
Feng Changqing rubbed his forehead and changed his words: "Zhou Erlang...the situation in Anxi is unstable these days, and there are troubles everywhere."
Zhou Jun: "Tell me more."
Feng Changqing: "To the west, the Daqi people are aggressive, to the north, the Geluolu people are watching, and to the south, Dabolu and Tubo are colluding with each other and intending to rebel. Apart from these external enemies, Anxi is also full of dangers. Because of the difficulties in the Stone Kingdom,
Some of the nine surnames of Zhaowu deeply hated the Tang Dynasty, colluded with Tubo, and caused chaos everywhere in Anxi."
Zhou Jun: "How to collude?"
Feng Changqing: "There is a Buddhist esoteric sect in Tubo. With the money and connections of the nine surnames of Zhaowu, they finance Buddhist temples in Anxi and attract believers. There are many disasters that originate from Buddhist temples. But most of these Buddhist temples
They are all inextricably linked to various forces, and rashly using force to suppress them may trigger a backlash."
Zhou Jun: "Please be at ease. I have already reported to the imperial court about the disaster caused by the Tubo Esoteric Sect, and I have heard from you recently."
Feng Changqing was relieved when he heard this, and then asked: "Mr. Zhou, the situation in Anxi is like this, is there any good strategy?"
Zhou Jun: "If it were you, what would you do?"
After thinking about it, Feng Changqing replied: "If it were me, I would first use troops against Dabolu to ensure that there are no more worries to the east of Congling. Then use Congling as the boundary to confront the Dashi Kingdom. After the strength becomes stronger,
Then regain the lost territory in the west."
Zhou Jun: "If your method wants to be effective, there must be a prerequisite."
Feng Changqing: "Yes, if you want to use troops against Da Bolu, you must first ensure that the Great Food Kingdom will not suddenly attack. If our army is using troops against Da Bolu, the Great Food Kingdom will take the opportunity to advance eastward from Talos City.
, first pass through Julan City to attack Suiye Town, and then go south to attack Shule Town, then Anxi will be in danger."
Zhou Jun: "So, the first priority is to properly deal with the big cannibal in the west."
Feng Changqing: "Zhou Lang, regarding the cannibalism, does the court mean...fight or peace?"
Zhou Jun: "Let's make peace."
Feng Changqing said oh, and then said: "In that case, I will start preparations now and send an envoy to Dashi next spring."
Zhou Jun: "No, let the Duhufu prepare to send troops in the spring next year."
Feng Changqing was stunned and asked quickly: "Where to send troops?"
Zhou Jun put down the wine glass in his hand, glanced at Feng Changqing, and said slowly: "Talus."
Feng Changqing opened his eyes wide and said in shock: "Ah? We need to fight the Battle of Talos again?!"
Zhou Jun looked at Feng Changqing and asked: "Let me ask you, Dashi Kingdom has just calmed down the civil strife, and the domestic situation is also unstable. Logically speaking, we should have sent an envoy to make peace with the Tang Dynasty. Why hasn't the envoy arrived after so long?
North Korea, even more reluctant to retreat?"
Feng Changqing thought for a while and replied: "The country of the Nine Surnames is rich, but it is also a choke point, and the cannibals are unwilling to give up."
Zhou Jun: "This is just one of the reasons. The biggest reason is that the big cannibal is hesitant."
Feng Changqing: "Hesitating? Why are you hesitating?"
Zhou Jun: "Wondering whether to move eastward... The main battlefields of the Great Eater Kingdom were originally Asia Minor, France and Egypt on the western front, while the eastern front of the Great Eater Kingdom has always been in the Khorasan Province. The Great Eater Kingdom was originally
They thought that all the small countries in the east, such as the nine surnames of Zhaowu, were not worth mentioning. It was not until they met the Tang army that they completely changed their minds."
Feng Changqing: "What Zhou Lang wants to say is that after seeing the combat power of the Tang army, the Great Food Kingdom has listed the Tang Dynasty as a major threat. Therefore, whether it is war or peace, there is no unified internal unity within the Great Food Kingdom.
Opinion?"
Zhou Jun: "Yes, according to my guess, the Dashi Kingdom should also be divided into two factions: the main war faction and the main peace faction. The main war faction believes that although the Tang army is strong, the Shazhou rebellion, Anxi instability and other events have shown that
To curb the decline of the Tang Dynasty, at this time, we should strike while the iron is hot, completely suppress the momentum of the Tang army, stabilize the eastern front of the Great Shi Country, and avoid future troubles. However, the advocates of peace believe that the Tang Kingdom is too strong, and the Great Shi Country should temporarily avoid the edge.
The main enemy of the Shi Kingdom is the Christian Kingdom on the Western Front. Now it is an enemy of the Tang Kingdom. It is tantamount to fighting on two fronts. The gains outweigh the losses, so it is better to make peace."
Feng Changqing: "So, our army should send a mission to Dashi to dispel the other party's doubts and then conclude a peace treaty. Why did Zhou Erlang say that he would fight Talos again?"
Zhou Jun: "To make peace without a fight would be to show weakness. Not only will this move fail to dispel the doubts of the Great Eaters, but it will only embolden the arrogance of the main war faction of the Great Eaters. At that time, the Great Eaters will launch a series of
Without the peace terms, Anxi fell into a passive position."
Feng Changqing: "Then Zhou Lang means... fight first and then make peace?"
Zhou Jun nodded slightly and said: "However, before we deal with the big cannibal, we still have one thing to do."
Feng Changqing: "What's the matter?"
Zhou Jun pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "Counting the days, the imperial edict should be arriving soon."