Li Siye put his hands on his knees and said solemnly: "It was before, it is now. Now allies are precious, and obedient allies are even more precious. The key is that you don't know whether they are obedient on the surface or really obedient. You need to take precautions in advance.
Needle, this is called being prepared."
"Then what?"
Li Siye shook the wooden bowl on the table, glanced at their faces one by one, and said firmly: "Then we sent people to spread the news, saying that Gao Xianzhi's attempt to attack the capital of Shi Kingdom had been exposed, and the emperor had deposed him.
The new Jiedushi is not willing to start another war, so we can't retreat."
"Isn't this tantamount to showing weakness in advance?"
"Fake news! I told you that this is fake news. On the surface, we stood still and led the army to Kesai City in Xiuxun Prefecture, the capital of Ningyuan Kingdom. If the black-clothed eaters are ambitious, they will definitely attack Kesai City and destroy Onion.
Take down all the territory west of the ridge. They must have this ambition, we put the battlefield in Qisai City instead of Talas, turning the away game into the home game."
Tian Zhen slapped her thigh and said, "I don't think it matters what the home and away games are. Even if we send troops to Talas, we can still defeat them!"
"Very good, I firmly believe it." Li Siye met his gaze and said, "What is the essence of war? Preserve yourself and then destroy the enemy. We not only demand victory, but we also demand the greatest success at the lowest cost.
For us, the real victory is not a tragic victory, but a complete victory with sufficient strength to spare."
Cen Shen finally added a word: "Doctor cares about the lives of soldiers, and I, the soldiers of the Anxi Army, are blessed. It's a pity that Cen Shen can't go into battle, otherwise I would have to fight bravely to kill the enemy for the doctor."
Li Siye laughed generously and said to Cen Shen: "Even if you can't go into battle, you can still be of great use. The pen in your hand is a weapon. I want you to write a letter to the enemy general in Arabic, no, in Dashi script, just say
We have no intention of offending the Abbasid army. We hope that the two sides can coexist peacefully, and we can live in harmony with the Ningyuan Kingdom as the boundary. I will write a few more modest words later."
Tian Zhen immediately protested loudly: "Isn't this just groveling? If you beg for mercy like this, you can't go to heaven even if you are a cannibal!"
"Wrong, this is called showing weakness to the enemy and paralyzing them. We have to make extensive preparations. Fighting is equivalent to hunting. As long as you can catch prey, you are a good hunter, no matter what method is used. You all go down and prepare, and then disperse.
"
Everyone folded their hands towards Li Siye and excused themselves, carrying lanterns and returning to their rooms.
Six days later, Li Siye led half of the Anxi army to set off, aiming for the capital of Ningyuan Kingdom, outside Kesai City. He ordered Duan Xiushi to lead the other half and transport grain and grass to Kesai City with the civilians.
When it comes to the transportation of grain and grass, a huge amount of money is spent. Fortunately, he now has the financial resources of Yilu Logistics, and Feng Changqing is in charge of dispatching from behind. Such a steady and steady approach can take the opportunity to expand the fruits of victory if he wins, and he can also take full advantage of the situation if he loses.
And retreat.
When the Tang army arrived outside Kesai City, Li Siye decisively chose not to garrison the city. Instead, he chose to camp on the high ground half surrounded by the river to the east of the city.
He sent people to invite King Ningyuan and Geluolu Khan respectively, and asked people to go to the city to purchase fine wine, and sent a few tooth soldiers to hunt some game. After everything was ready, he waited for the guests to come.
Geluolu has become more powerful in recent years, and its activities are spread all over the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains and the west of the Altai Mountains. One of their branches is gradually growing in Suiyechuan pasture, almost replacing Tuqishi's former dominance. They are on the vast Tianshan pasture.
They were nomadic and used as mercenaries to do odd jobs for the Anxi Protectorate.
Since they have become mercenaries, they may only have business in mind but no morality. The Anxi Protectorate drives them to fight. Of course, they cannot rely only on prestige and empty rewards. Necessary material distribution must still be available.
There are two main ways for Ge Luolu to profit from participating in the war. One is to capture and divide them after the war. They assisted the Tang army in winning the battle and captured a portion of the cattle, sheep, livestock and various living necessities, which were divided among them by the Anxi army.
, to put it bluntly, it is legal robbery. But if you encounter a brave and powerful enemy, or there are few battles with captures, the first method will not work. At this time, you need to behead people to exchange for rewards. What is the price of an ordinary soldier?
, what is the price of an officer at the rank of captain, and even an enemy general has a price.
Compared with Ge Luolu, Ning Yuanguo is a pure die-hard fan and ally. It is politically correct to always follow the steps of the Anxi Protectorate. Wherever the Anxi Jiedushi points, they will attack.
Li Siye had to treat these two types of allies in different ways. The purpose of entertaining King Ningyuan was to deepen friendship, and to entertain Geluolu Khan was to take the opportunity to give a warning.
…
The green wilderness is vast, the clouds are pressed low by the blue sky, the felt tents of the Geluolu tribe are dotted on the grassland, and the herdsmen on horseback drive the sheep, like clouds running on the grassland.
The curtain of Guludunbijia Khan's tent was opened, and several guests with white scarves on their heads and black clothes walked out. They wore black veils on their faces, only revealing their deep-set eye sockets and brown pupils.
Jia Khan followed behind them, his face smiling and his eyes full of lust for wealth.
The guests rode on black horses with gold bridles hanging on their heads. The horses' hooves jumped and ran towards the distance, and their robes rose and fell with the regular rhythm.
Dunbijia looked at their retreating figures and made a tut-tut sound from the corner of his mouth: "These people are really rich. They are much more generous than our masters in the east."
The guards guarding Ye Hu rushed over, shouted to Dunbijia, and pointed to the south: "Ye Hu, the Anxi army is coming."
"So fast!" Dunbijia was shocked and wiped the sweat from his forehead thankfully. If these guys in black had walked a little later, the two groups would have collided.
He immediately ordered his subordinates: "Hurry up and heat the kumiss and kill a few sheep to prepare for the guests."
The Anxi army squad appeared in the round tent of the camp. The leader was Tian Zhen, who was riding a maroon Turkic horse. Behind him was a leopard tail tooth flag representing the Anxi Jiedushi. He was wearing a shining golden Mingguang armor, and several riders behind him
They all wore silver armor and pointed helmets on their heads. The armor shone like a mirror, almost blinding the eyes of the herdsmen.
Dunpijia clicked his tongue and praised: "The Tang army is still rich and powerful, but it's a pity that it is too stingy."
He led the two Tutun officials towards the visitor, and at the same time he bent down and crossed his arms to salute: "Xigeluo Lu Yehudun Piga, welcome the distinguished guests from afar, welcome the general of the Tang Dynasty, you have come all the way.
, but what orders does Ambassador Gao have?"
Tian Zhen got off his horse and crossed his hands according to etiquette.
Drinking.”
Dunbijia quickly shook his head and said, "Now that summer has arrived, as Ye Hu, I cannot leave the camp and trek to Qiuci."
"There is no need for you to run that far, and there is no need for you to go to Shule. Our doctor Li has already set up camp outside the capital of Ningyuan Kingdom, and is just waiting for Ye Hu to go to the banquet." Tian Zhen said coldly.
"Okay then, go back and report to Dr. Li. Dunbija and others will be here in a few days."
"This is really not possible. My doctor is impatient and won't be able to wait for a moment. He also asked Ye Hu to gather his entourage and go on the road with me immediately. If we leave this afternoon, you should show up at the dinner the doctor prepared for you tomorrow night."
Dunbijia felt something was not good, but he did not dare to refuse the Anxi army for the time being, so he had to bite the bullet and said: "General, please wait, I will gather my followers right away, and I will go with you later."