At this time, everyone in the army seemed to feel calmer.
Unlike Lingwu, which is isolated in the north, and Huile, who is guarding the mouth of the river, this is the northwest inland, the Anding County of the Han Dynasty. The soil they are stepping on now is the land of the Han Dynasty.
When this army came back, it was no longer a fledgling calf, but a tiger whose claws had been sharpened by the wind and snow on the grassland and Gobi.
On the flanks and back of the army, a large group of former Han slaves were driving carts to help escort the Turks who had become prisoners as they slowly moved forward. Behind them, there were still five thousand soldiers and horses who had been cut off from the rear.
More than two thousand cavalry - just soldiers who can ride horses.
Another advantage of this battle for the Han Dynasty is that a large number of horses were captured. However, cavalry cannot be trained overnight, so now they just selected some northwest men with better equestrian skills and even Han slaves.
Qingzhuang only acted as "cavalry infantry", responsible for guarding the outside, communicating with each other, and even helping to watch over the Turks. After all, there were few honest Turks except Heli, who even the Han people looked down upon.
Of course, the Turks who lost their horses were not even as agile as the Han people in running. In addition, these mounted infantry were not vegetarians after all. After killing more than a dozen in succession, the rest of the Turks, at least on the surface, had no choice but to
obey.
The cavalry came the fastest, and the Anding elders who came out of the city to greet them could already clearly see the dancing red flag and the faces of the first few people.
Having been in the northwest for a long time, Hou Mi and others also had the unique red color of the plateau on their faces. Coupled with their dark skin, they looked no different from the men in the northwest.
The army's return from Lingwu to stability was uneventful. Although Xiao Guan's commander-in-chief was changed, Liang Rui's arrangements were no different from those of Yu Yi at the time.
Zhong Yijiang even doubted that he could directly go around to the south of Pinggao County and come back via the main road in Guanzhong.
Of course, it is obvious that the order Liang Rui received was similar to the one Yu Yi received. Li Xingchen did not cause trouble, so they could not cause trouble. And if Li Xingchen really planned to take action, then Liang Rui's experience was not in vain.
Although they are still on the march, Cao Zhong and others have already begun to plan how to deal with Liang Rui. With the court's always "stingy" attitude, it is not likely that they will give up Lingwu, and indeed no one knows what will happen next.
Another nomadic group will rise in the north, or another group of Turks will come to retaliate. If the detection is not timely, the Turks may directly kill them to Anding or Jincheng. Therefore, this risk cannot be taken. In the end,
It's better to move the front as far forward as possible.
And in this way, Xiaoguan and Pinggao County are like a nail embedded in the road from Anding to Lingwu, which the northwest army must eradicate no matter whether it goes north or south.
But at least both sides are negotiating now to avoid conflicts as much as possible. After the war, the army also needs to rest and reorganize, and so many Han people and Turkic prisoners also need to be resettled, so dealing with Liang Rui is not the top priority.
Xu Deyan, who came back first, looked at the majestic Han cavalry, and then at the endless team behind him, with a solemn expression on his face, but his eyes glanced at the heads of several aristocratic families next to him. These people have also been governing the northwest for a long time.
A "difficult disease".
These families have been entrenched in the northwest for too long, and they have become tangled local snakes.
For them, the northwest is a place far away from the emperor. It doesn't actually matter who sits on the dragon throne. They can all survive safely and even gain more benefits in the process of changing their strength.
.Otherwise, these aristocratic families would not have been able to sit firmly on the Diaoyutai amidst hundreds of years of turmoil, watching all kinds of heroes come and go, and it was actually they who really controlled the northwest.
Therefore, in the previous battles with the Northern Zhou Dynasty and even against the Turks, these people were not very motivated, which also made Changsun Sheng and Xu Deyan very troubled. After all, without the help of these local aristocratic families, some things are indeed difficult to handle. This
At one time, the Han Dynasty also relied on the large amount of grain, grass, soldiers and horses in Bashu to make up for the gap in the northwest in time.
What about next time, when the Han Dynasty really goes to war with the Northern Zhou Dynasty?
Won't these people hold us back?
The return of the Han army this time was obviously a complete shock to these aristocratic families. When they were even preparing to change their tactics in the northwest, the Han army actually won the battle and defeated the Turks.
This made these aristocratic families feel cold in their backs, but they also actively came to greet him one after another.
But for the Han army returning from the victory, the actions of these people were just the icing on the cake, and they did not know that the Han governor standing at the front was already thinking about their property.
"This is the land of the Han Dynasty, let the family take care of it." Xu Deyan tilted his head slightly and dropped a sentence.
This sentence was very soft, and he said it to Ushi Hong who was standing behind him.
Niu Hong himself came from the Anding Niu family, and this sentence was obviously what Xu Deyan wanted him to pass on to the Anding Niu family.
Niu Hong took a breath and looked at the figure of the young man walking forward. This sentence weighed heavily on his heart.
————————
"I welcome your Majesty." The ministers headed by King Gu Ye were already waiting on the pier.
Li Xingchen went out for a long walk. Gu Yewang, the prime minister, naturally had the heaviest burden, and there were a lot more wrinkles on his face.
"My dear friends, thank you for your hard work." Li Xingchen said with a smile, and even personally stepped forward to help King Gu Ye, "I have been in Beijing for many days, and my family, country, and country depend on the maintenance of your family. This is a great victory in the northwest and a great victory in Nanxiang. Everyone,
Everyone deserves credit!”
"I don't dare!" Gu Yewang and others hurriedly returned the courtesy.
At the same time, they also began to secretly ponder in their hearts. His Majesty's direct mention of the Northwest and Nanxiang battles obviously not only meant that the court would reward the meritorious soldiers in these two battles in the future, but also meant that His Majesty had already prepared for the next two battles.
The strategic direction is becoming more and more clear. Isn't it Yang Jian who is sandwiched between Northwest and Nanxiang?
Things are different now. There is no need for the Han Dynasty to waver between the two forces. It is time to show his strength.
"Gu Gong, come and ride with me in the chariot!"
Li Xingchen laughed loudly and personally helped King Gu Ye: "Compared to the past, how old is Mr. Gu?"
King Gu Ye looked at the crutch in his hand and said helplessly: "The new trend is new, as the saying goes, 'new every day, new every day, new every day'. The veteran is in his position and dare not be slow. Your Majesty is in the prime of life, and the veteran will naturally
He’s too old!”
Li Xingchen said with emotion: "Don't worry, Mr. Gu. Even though I care about you, I will not treat you badly."
King Gu Ye looked at Li Xinchen gratefully. What Li Xinchen had just promised was the future of the Gu family.
I don’t regret this path, it’s the right one.
——The twelfth volume of the world is complete——(To be continued)