The disappointment and heartache of the people in the city yesterday seemed to have been transferred to Fang Xuanling's heart. Fang Xuanling felt heartbroken for a while because he had calculated so hard, but unexpectedly, Li Mu had gained a higher reputation.
.
Sitting in the spacious and transparent four-wheel carriage, Fang Xuanling felt that it was difficult to breathe. He knew that this was not only because of his cheeks, but also from Li Mu's boundless pressure. Fang Xuanling had never been afraid in his life.
No matter how powerful the enemy is, he can defeat it as long as he plans well. But facing Li Mu, he is really at his wits' end. Who can stop this non-war crime and luck?
Fang Xuanling spared no effort to suppress Li Mu, but in fact it was not because he had any personal prejudice against Li Mu. He did this entirely because of Li Mu's life experience.
He is a die-hard member of the Qin royal family, and has a sworn hatred with the princelings of Li Jiancheng's lineage. If Li Mu is really what he guessed, trying to get his hands on the throne. If he succeeds, now in the court,
It will definitely be purged!
At that time, it will not be a matter of how many people die. There will be a sea of blood between the government and the opposition!
So after knowing Li Mu's identity, Fang Xuanling had an idea in her mind.
If Li Mu is honest and willing to be a Taiping Marquis, or even a duke or a prince, it will be fine. But if he has even a little bit of disobedience, even if there is a slight sign, he will not hesitate to use his own life to completely eliminate this sign.
extinguished.
Li Shimin did not stop him in his reply, which in Fang Xuanling's view was a tacit approval.
When they arrived at the Lizheng Hall, what were Li Taizheng and Empress Changsun talking about? When they saw that it was Fang Xuanling who was coming, they greeted him with a smile: "Prime Minister, you are here. If you hadn't come, I would still have to look for you."
!Have you read the military report? How about it? What else do you have to say now?"
Fang Xuanling ignored Li Tai's weirdness and just looked at Empress Changsun and said: "Empress, I won't say anything more. With two consecutive victories, Li Mu's reputation has reached its peak! If he... now... the consequences will be disastrous!"
Empress Changsun frowned and sighed: "You can't do the same thing a second time, otherwise it will be self-defeating and the court will lose the support of the people even more."
"The queen is right!" Fang Xuanling replied with a stern face: "The most urgent task is to find someone to replace Li Mu immediately! And Li Xiaogong, their military power must be taken away immediately!"
Queen Changsun's eyes lit up, she looked at Fang Xuanling and said: "The idea is good, but there are no good generals in the court now! Who can replace them two?" Since she was worried that Li Mu's military exploits were too great, he would be famous if he won again, but
Then I thought about it, after all, Li Shimin was not here, she was a queen, and the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics. If she made a wrong decision, how would Li Shimin explain it when he came back, and how would he explain it to the people all over the world?
"It doesn't matter who leads the army, loyalty is the most important!" Fang Xuanling had already thought about the ins and outs, and replied in a deep voice: "The Turks have suffered such a heavy setback, and they can no longer make waves. Now only one person is needed to take control of the army.
Just hold the army steady and wait for His Majesty to come back, whether you have talent or not is secondary!"
"But...how to say this!" Empress Changsun said worriedly. She knew what Li Mu's temper was like. If he did something wrong, he could accept punishment no matter what, but if he did nothing wrong
He was wronged, and this kid refused to give in no matter what. When Li Shimin was around, she could still suppress him, but she couldn't really tell how much weight she, the queen, held in his heart.
"Queen! You can't hesitate any more!" Seeing that Queen Changsun was still hesitant, Fang Xuanling stamped her feet and said: "The Western Turks invaded with 150,000 troops and horses, and were wiped out by Li Mu in a snap. And the whole country of Goguryeo did not necessarily have 100,000 troops.
, Your Majesty has been unable to attack for a long time. If you compare the two, Your Majesty will be outmatched!"
"Okay!" After hearing this, Empress Changsun made up her mind and said, "It's just about this candidate, who should I let go?"
"We must find someone who has nothing to do with Li Mu!" Fang Xuanling added in her mind, "It must be someone from the King of Qin's party."
"So please ask the regent to use the seal." Fang Xuanling looked at Li Tai. Before Li Shimin left, he sealed the 'Jade Seal of the Kingdom', took away the 'Destiny Treasure' he had engraved, and left the 'Destiny Treasure' for
Li Chengqian, when Li Chengqian left, he handed the "Dingming Bao" to Li Tai. The edict issued with the Dingming Bao was theoretically the same as the edict issued by Li Shimin.
Li Tai flatly refused and said: "The prime minister has gone too far, right? Do you still want to pretend to preach the imperial edict?"
No matter how bold Fang Xuanling was, he did not dare to take on such a reputation. He had no choice but to look at Empress Changsun. Empress Changsun pulled Li Tai's sleeve and said: "Don't be impulsive and be obedient!"
Li Tai wanted to argue, but Queen Changsun raised her hand to her forehead. Li Tai immediately panicked: "What's wrong with you, Queen Mother? Your head hurts again?"
"Be obedient... The prime minister is all for the sake of the country and has no selfish motives. If you have any objections, write a memorial to your father and let him make the decision... For now, I still listen to the prime minister!"
Li Tai was a filial person. Seeing that Empress Changsun had made up her mind, he had no choice but to take out the destiny treasure and let Fang Xuanling draft the decree.
…
desert.
It has been two hundred miles since we left the Camel Valley. There are deserts in front, back, left and right. Without a compass and the Big Dipper, it would be impossible to tell the direction.
After setting fire to the Turks that night, only about 10,000 Turkic remnants were left to escape. Li Mu let the army rest in Camel Valley for a day and clean the battlefield. Then he asked 10,000 people to take the captured supplies with them.
He returned to Dingxiang and continued the pursuit with the remaining 20,000 people.
After chasing for 200 miles, they entered the junction of the grassland and the Gobi. With people and horses exhausted, Li Mu had to have people make corrections behind the sand dunes.
Looking at the horse's hoof prints, the Turks were right in front, but even if they were very close, they couldn't catch up.
The same must be true for the Turks. They also need to rest, so Li Mu is not worried.
This is a battle of eagles. Whoever can resist to the end will win. The Tang army brought enough dry food, and Li Mu was not afraid of fighting a war of attrition.
Fifty miles ahead, the Turks' physical strength was also exhausted. They were able to advance fifty miles further than the Tang army, thanks to the riding skills they learned from growing up on horses. The same goes for riding a horse, but they can save a little more effort than the Han people.
It’s not even possible to be convinced.
"Poor sweat, we really can't run anymore..." The first person fell down on the sand dune, and then everyone fell into a trap. Everyone hurriedly begged Tong'e: "Even if the people can persist, the horses can't."
"Hmm..." Tong'e made a calculation in her mind. Although the Tang army could pursue, her own army was indeed extremely tired. If she didn't rest, she would be completely destroyed without the Tang army attacking. After weighing the situation, Tong'e ordered the scouts to strengthen
On alert, the army rested in place until dawn, and then continued to set off.
The remnants of the Turks, as if they had been granted amnesty, immediately dismounted, fell to the ground and fell asleep. In the blink of an eye, they were snoring like thunder, and the sound could be heard for miles. Tong'e didn't want to close his eyes just in case, but snoring can be contagious, so he held on.
After half an hour, my eyelids trembled and I fell asleep.
In her sleep, Tong'e suddenly felt the ground shaking, and she suddenly woke up. As soon as she heard the slightest movement, she immediately roared: "Tang Jun is catching up, run!" Before she finished speaking, Tong'e grabbed her youngest son and
He immediately got on his horse, whipped up his whip, and galloped away!
The other Turks were also frightened. When they heard the shouting, they all woke up and quickly mounted their horses and chased Tong'e.
After a while, the Turks had completely escaped...
At this time, a group of Tang Army forwards appeared.
"Report to the general!" The scout quickly investigated and reported back to the forward general Su Lie, "The Turks have escaped!"
With a dark face, Su Dingfang got off his horse and started searching in the Turkic camp. He saw fresh horse dung all over the ground. Apparently, they were camping here just a moment ago.
"How can you run faster than a rabbit?" Su Lie was depressed. He thought he could kill at least a few Turks, but he didn't expect that these people moved so fast and they didn't catch anyone.
"Chase!" Su Lie spat fiercely, got on his horse, and led his men to chase the Turks in the direction they fled.
There are not many tricks in the pursuit battle. It is just about chasing the opponent closely, or forcing the opponent to collapse. Su Lie's group, who originally followed Li Mu on the flying ball to set fire, relatively speaking, they had more rest.
Not that tired at all, Li Mu asked them to chase for a while to scare the Turks and let most of him have a good rest.
One side can rest, but the other side can't. If one side trades off the other, the chance of winning will be greater.
At dawn, Li Mu asked someone to wake up the sleeping soldiers, tidy up and prepare to continue on their way.
At this time, Su Lie had already sent someone to report to him the situation two hours ago. Li Mu led his people to the Turkic camp and felt a little incredible looking at the mess.
Li Mu couldn't help but feel a little incredible: "You can escape so cleanly without warning. As expected of someone who grew up on the grassland, he is naturally alert."
Binji, who was tied to the horse and marching with the army, said quickly: "Master Hou, ordinary Turks don't have this ability, but Tong'e does. This is his unique skill. According to him, he can
If you put your ears to the ground, you can hear the sound of horse hooves ten miles away!!"
"Oh?" Li Mu was slightly surprised. Although this statement was unfounded, he intuitively felt that it was the truth. "In this case, it is really tricky."
There is a desert ahead, and there is no reference. It is too dangerous to chase the flying ball in the sky. If it falls, there will not even be a place for supplies. If you lose direction in the desert, without supplies, you will die.
"No matter what, just keep chasing." Li Mu couldn't say how frustrated he was. He had already prepared for the arduous pursuit. Every step of the way gained wisdom. A victory like that in Camel Valley could not be repeated over and over again.
To regard the enemy as a fool is to regard oneself as a fool. He will not make the mistake of underestimating the enemy.
"No matter how cunning a fox is, it cannot escape a good hunter. If you keep chasing, you will surely catch them!"
In the next few days, the Turks ran wildly, and the Tang army pursued them, but they could not seize the opportunity to annihilate them all at once.
If you make up your mind to escape, the Turks have too many tricks. They can hide the traces of the army, use decoy troops to create illusions, and lure the scouts astray. They can also take advantage of the changes in the route to lead the pursuers in circles and consume them.
The physical strength of the pursuers wears away their spirits.
But Li Mu was not a vegetarian. After being tricked by him a few times, he gradually figured out the way. They ordered Su Dingfang to spare no effort to fight against the Turks...
In this long process of escape and pursuit, allocating the physical strength of men and horses is a great science. No matter which side, they must reasonably arrange their daily march and rest time to ensure that they can continue high-intensity marches in the future. Who dares to spare no effort in physical strength?
, if you are happy for a while, you will be punished ten times.
Li Mu did the opposite, letting Su Dingfang's forward troops pursue them at all costs, forcing the Turks to run for their lives. Tong'e had no choice but to cut off her men and use a small group of cavalry as bait, hoping to lead the forward troops to a side road.
As expected, Su Dingfang fell into the trap and was led by the nose, getting further and further away from most of the Turks.
Seeing that the Tang army had been fooled, Tong'e could finally let the tired army stop and breathe a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, most of the Tang army's main force suddenly attacked him! Tong'e suddenly realized that Li Mu had deliberately let herself and him
The forward army was tired of struggling. In fact, most of them had been resting and followed slowly. While they were resting, the main force, which had been recharging for several days, suddenly came and was caught off guard.
Although Tong'e once again relied on his super power to take away most of the army, there were still two to three thousand people left behind by the Tang army forever...
Although this battle did not achieve many brilliant results, it was the first time to catch up with the Turks in a real pursuit on the ground. The soldiers of the Tang Army, who had been holding back their anger for more than ten days, came out happily.
In one breath, I finally gained confidence in whether I could catch up and win the final victory.
Just when Li Mu was about to order his soldiers to continue the pursuit, an uninvited guest caught up with him.
"Master Marquis, I have a decree." A scout officer rushed over.
Li Mu frowned slightly, feeling very surprised. The army was now deep in the desert and almost cut off from the mainland, but this messenger was able to find them. He was very capable.
"The person who came here is not a good person." Li Mu made a rough analysis and muttered to himself. But there was nothing he didn't dare to see, so he waved his hand and asked someone to bring the messenger over.
After a while, a dusty eunuch was helped up to Li Mu. This guy had obviously suffered a lot along the way, and his face was even more weathered, making it difficult to see his original appearance. What was even worse was that
His two legs, due to the skin and flesh on the inner side being worn out from riding for days and not getting any rest, have become suppurative and oozing with yellow fluid...
The eunuch endured the pain and saluted Li Mu.
After listening to the other party's self-introduction, Li Mu learned that this person was also a godson of Eunuch Gao. He was not interested in this and asked directly: "Let's forget about the polite words. It's been a hard journey. Whose will is it that I'm here to convey?"
The eunuch took out a bamboo tube from his back with difficulty, tore off the sealing seal, poured out a roll of yellow silk, held it in his hand, and said to Li Mu and others: "Please accept the order from the Marquis!"