Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 3138 Clouds in the Western Regions
The two kept talking about the sunset.

Li Xiaogong admired Xue Rengui's talent and character very much, and imparted his own understanding of the war without reservation.Xue Rengui also admired Li Xiaogong's military exploits, studied with an open mind, asked his own questions from time to time, and could get appropriate answers.

As the sun went down, the room became cooler.

Li Xiaogong finally said: "'The advantage lures it, the chaos takes it, the reality prepares it, the strong avoids it, the anger scratches it, the humble makes it arrogant, the loss makes it tired, the relatives leave it. Attack the unprepared , Unexpectedly', this is what "Sun Tzu's Art of War" said, I think it is the truth of war, always remember it, weigh it and figure it out, and get the essence of it when you are young and blue."

Xue Rengui nodded and said, "I would like to be taught."

"Ha ha!"

After talking for an afternoon, Li Xiaogong was not tired at all, instead he stretched his waist in high spirits, and said with a smile: "It's not early, my king asked someone to prepare a banquet, let's have a few drinks. Tonight Rest in Jiaohe City, get up early tomorrow morning and go west, sit in Suiye City."

Xue Rengui got up and saluted: "Thank you for your kindness, but the general's heart is urgent, so he won't stay. The night is cool and suitable for marching. The general will pack up and lead the soldiers out of the city, and rush to Suiye Town overnight."

He was very anxious at the moment, worried that if the Great Food Kingdom sent troops to the Western Regions, Suiye Town would bear the brunt of it, and he had to rush there to deal with it.

Li Xiaogong thought for a while, but he didn't hold back, he just told him: "Everything must be cautious, step by step, act after making a plan, and avoid impulsiveness. The courage of a man is what soldiers should possess. As a commander, you must know how to choose advance and retreat."

Xue Rengui panicked and said: "The general protects the Western Regions, you are the commander in chief of the army, how dare you be the last general?"

Li Xiaogong sighed and said: "I'm old, I don't have the ambitions of the past, now the situation is ups and downs, it's time for you to fight for the first, why do you need to underestimate yourself? But there is no need to take credit too seriously, everything must be for strategic purposes Heavy. As long as you can endure the Western Regions, even if you lose a hundred battles, the first attack is still yours. But if you lose the Western Regions, even if you kill hundreds of thousands of barbarians, what's the point?"

He looked down on those generals who "see death as home" and "break the boat" at every turn. In his opinion, the only way to survive is to continue to strive for the victory of strategic goals.A vigorous battle is certainly famous in history and rewarded for thousands of years, but what good is it for the country?

Able to bend and stretch, know how to choose and balance, and always keep the country and society in mind, that is the real handsome talent.

Xue Rengui bowed and said: "The final general will remember the instruction!"

"Okay, since you are anxious, then leave quickly. Remember to keep the communication open. If you need support, just send someone to notify, and the king will arrange it."

He is the Protector of Anxi, and he should sit in Jiaohe City to deter the countries in the Western Regions and the Turks who make waves from time to time and are unwilling to be lonely. It is impossible for him to go to the frontline battlefield.

However, Xue Rengui is a born soldier, although his strategy still needs to be sharpened, his ability on the battlefield is not small, so he can rest assured.

"Here! The general obeys orders."

Farewell to Li Xiaogong, Xue Rengui came out of the government office, immediately returned to the building, gathered his own soldiers, had a simple dinner, packed up his luggage, and immediately rode out of the city, heading straight for Suiye City overnight.

At this time, the fierce battle in Liaodong was in full swing, and the army captured Anshi City, and marched southward, reaching Yalushui.

Fang Jun led the army out of the town of Hexi, and lived to die, while the elders in Guanzhong saw each other off.

The cloud of war shrouded the eastern and western lands of Datang.

……

Half a month later, Xue Rengui, who had to change his horse every time he went to a posthouse, arrived in Suiye City.

As soon as you enter the city, you can feel the solemn atmosphere.

After arriving at the government office, all the generals and schools guarding the city had already gathered together.

Xue Rengui took off his helmet and put it on the desk, walked to the desk and sat down, waved his hands for everyone to sit down, and asked in a deep voice, "How is the situation now?"

Colonel Yuan Wei said: "I would like to report to Sima, the secret agents stationed in Damascus have recently sent back news, saying that Mu'awiyah has already summoned more than [-] troops, and the troops are ready to fight, and the expedition is imminent. Although all the people in the country I don’t know what the purpose is, but news has spread among the army that Muawiyah is going to attack the Western Regions and open the door to the East.”

Xue Rengui fell silent.

It is not without reason.Even though there is no actual order specifying that the target of the Damascus attack is the Western Regions, there are indications that there is no deviation.

The Arabs were extremely fanatical when they fought. Although their combat effectiveness was slightly inferior to that of the Anxi Army, they were numerous, and more than [-] people came in full force. How could the little Suiye City resist?

The entire Anxi army is only tens of thousands of people, even if the last one is exhausted, can it stop the Arabs' attack?

Xue Rengui made a decisive decision: "Immediately order that all the merchants in the city withdraw, and withdraw to Luntai together with the residents. The army is prepared and the supplies are replenished."

The generals were taken aback, and quickly asked: "Sima, how did this happen? Now many news are just speculations, and it is not known whether Damascus really attacked the Western Regions. If the merchants and people are evacuated at this moment, how will the court explain it?" ?”

The importance of the Silk Road needs no elaboration.

This is a road that flows with gold. Even though the maritime trade of the Tang Dynasty is booming at present, for Guanzhong and other places, almost all foreign trade must rely on the Silk Road to complete.Especially as an important town in the Western Regions, Suiye City not only has merchants and people from the Tang Dynasty, but also Hu merchants and Hu people from Tianzhu, Dashi, Luoma, Turks, etc., once they all evacuate, the impact will be too great.

It is almost equivalent to taking the initiative to cut off the silk road...

Xue Rengui frowned and said: "It should be broken, but it will be disrupted. Keep these merchants and people, and wait until the Arabs break the city to increase the supply? This kind of responsibility is all up to me. No matter how the court handles it, you don't need to bear it. Just do what you're told."

Out of the intuition of the commander-in-chief of an army, after repeated weighing, Xue Rengui believed that Damascus would definitely use troops against the Western Regions.

That being the case, what is there to hesitate?
A head-on attack is tantamount to hitting a rock with an egg, so take every step at a time and clear the field with a firm wall.The Arabs have always supported war with war, and they rarely prepare enough food, fodder and armaments. As long as they are not given enough room to plunder, the battle can be delayed as long as possible.

Until the moment the fighter plane is switched.

"Here!"

All the generals and schools dare not say any more.Although Xue Rengui is young, he has a solid background. Not only did he serve in the navy, but he is also the confidant of Fang Jun, the leader of the army, Yue Guogong, and now he has the absolute trust of Li Xiaogong, the king of Dadu Huhejian, and he is entrusted with him everywhere.

This is prestige.

The generals and schools all withdrew, acted according to the order, and began to evacuate the merchants in the city. Regardless of Han or Hu, they were all ordered to escort the goods and grain to the east and retreat to Luntai City for temporary shelter.

This move naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of the merchants and common people. The so-called enemy attack, not only did they not see their shadows, they even did not even leave the border, so we were scared like this?Especially once they retreat to Luntai City, even if the entire Silk Road is temporarily closed, the goods in their hands cannot be sold, and the loss is too great.

However, the situation in the Western Regions is turbulent, and the Anxi Army has always implemented military control. Under the military order, whoever dares to resist and oppose will be severely punished.

Therefore, although the merchants complained a lot, they did not dare to disobey Xue Rengui's order, and retreated from Suiye City one after another. On the Silk Road, the cars and horses rumbled and rubbed shoulders, and countless people and horses drove all the way to the tire carts.

Xue Rengui was stationed in Suiye City. Although he knew that he was defeated by the Arab army, he could not hand over Suiye City. He formulated tactics to meet the enemy, repaired the city's defenses, boosted the morale of the army, and made all preparations for the battle.

Three days later, a few scouts came from the west, stepped on the sandy ground outside Suiye City and billowed smoke and dust, straight into the city, and sent a battle report to the government office.

Xue Rengui held the battle report in his hand, looked at ten lines at a glance, his face was gloomy, and after reading it, he handed it to the general in the room for circulation.

The generals and schools circulated it one after another, all with a solemn mood.

Three days ago, Muawiya swore an oath in Damascus, sent troops to the Western Regions, vowed to open up the road to the East, and conquered the rich and mysterious Far East, and spread the gospel of the Prophet all over the world.He ordered his son Ye Qide to be the commander-in-chief, commanding an army of 30 and attacking the Western Regions.

In an instant, the cloud of war enveloped the entire Western Region.

The atmosphere in the government office was oppressive.

The news of Tuyuhun's rebellion is no secret. With the possibility of Tuyuhun crossing the Qilian Mountains and cutting Hexi off, hundreds of thousands of Arab troops are coming.
(End of this chapter)