Datang: Ten Years of Proton, Leading an Army of Millions to Return

"If anyone dares to disobey orders again, don't blame me for being rude."

The villagers then realized that the centurion was not kind-hearted, but he just didn't have the courage.

After all, the reputation of the Yan Army and the Great Protector of the Nation was feared both inside and outside the hall. Although these Tartar troops might try to rob supplies out of a fluke mentality, they would not dare to do anything too excessive to anger the Great Yan.

"Centurion," a soldier ran over and said, "There are too many things. We can't move them all. What should we do?"

"Humph, a bunch of trash," the centurion flicked his whip, "Take whatever you can, and smash whatever you can't take away!

The looting by the Zhuji army became even more frantic. Accompanied by all kinds of crackling sounds, one Tatar soldier after another came out with food and valuables in their arms, smiling.

As for those that could not be moved, the Tatar soldiers smashed them to vent their grievances.

Those who took a fancy to the villagers' cotton-padded clothes would directly reach out and steal them, and those who resisted would be beaten severely. Soon the whole village was looted, and the centurion raised his whip, and the hundred robbers cheered and left waving their possessions.

A gust of cold wind blew, and the burning flames and broken porcelain tables and chairs were still telling of the crimes committed by the Han Jie army.

Most of the villagers had sad expressions on their faces, and some even squatted down.

But no one cried, because they knew that although Yangji’s military training was severe, the patron saint of Dayan would surely uphold justice for them and avenge them against Tanjie.

……

Three days later, inside the Daming Palace.

Li Kuan sat high on the dragon throne, holding a memorial in his hand. The ministers below were whispering, with most of their words expressing surprise and indignation.

"Han Ji's army ignored our warnings, crossed the border, and robbed the people of our Tang Dynasty of their supplies. This is already the second memorial this month," Li Kuan put down the memorial.

"I wonder what you think, my dear ministers."

"Of course we will send soldiers to beat them up," Cheng Yaojin said. "If they dare to cause trouble in Dayan, we will make them pay for it!"

"I agree to send troops," Chen Qingzhi also expressed his agreement.

"Compared with the Central Plains, the lives of the people in the North have always been more difficult. With the stabilization of Da Yan in recent years, the situation has gradually improved. If we don't quickly send troops to drive out the foreigners, I'm afraid that sooner or later it will lead to a disaster."

Other ministers also agreed to send troops to attack Yang Ruo immediately. After all, Dayan was now strong in both military and cavalry, and they should give it a head-on blow.

In addition, Xieji is just a tiny country, and its strength is far inferior to that of the Turks or Goguryeo. Only by sending troops immediately can the prestige of the Great Yan be defended.

Li Kuan saw that Dayan was furious and was about to express his opinion, but Heshen suddenly stood up and expressed his different opinion:

"I understand the feelings of the two generals, but I agree with you."

He Shen paused, "It is unwise to send troops this time! The Han Jie are not a big threat to our Great Yan, we should take our time!"

The ministers were suddenly in an uproar. Although they did not dare to criticize Heshen to his face, they were already scolding him for being cowardly in their hearts.

Li Kuan asked doubtfully:
"My dear, why do you say this?"

"Your Majesty, I am not a coward, but our chances of success are slim if we send out troops at this time. Even if we win, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses."

"Fighting requires favorable conditions, favorable conditions and favorable people. But the favorable conditions are not on our side, Great Yan?"

Li Kuan knew He Shen and he must have his reasons: "My dear minister, please speak frankly!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! First of all, the Tanjie is located in the north, and it is extremely cold. My Yanyun City is still covered with snow, and every household is buying charcoal. I guess the Tatars are also covered with ice for thousands of miles, and few people are here."

"Marching in the cold winter is already inconvenient for a large army, let alone in a place like the Far North. Therefore, I think we must be extremely cautious when sending troops to fight against Yang Jie."

"Generals and colleagues, I understand your desire to protect the people of Great Yan and the country of Great Tang. But have you ever thought that if you send troops, you will definitely need to collect a large amount of food and grass? May I ask how we should transport food in a land of heavy snow and ice?"

"this."

Many ministers who had been excited just now calmed down. They had to admit that Heshen was right. It would be very difficult to launch a campaign at this time.

"Besides, in terms of geographical advantages, Yangjie and our dynasty have very few contacts, and few people from our Great Yan go to Tatarji. Being unfamiliar with the terrain is really not conducive to our army's battle. Moreover, according to the contents of the memorial, the local garrison of our Great Yan did counterattack Yangji."

"But the Yang Jie are extremely cunning. Once the battle goes against them, they will hide in the deep mountains and old forests. The local forests are dense and it is extremely difficult to find them. So our army can't find a chance to fight them at all."

"So, in my opinion, if we send out troops at this time, it will definitely cause great losses. If the war drags on, perhaps a large number of soldiers and troops of Da Yan will be buried in the north."

"Yang Ji is afraid of the reputation of our Great Yan, and only wants to rob some supplies, and rarely harm the people. So I think we should take it slow."

"I also agree with your Excellency's opinion," Guo Shoujing also stood up.
"When fighting against Yu Yangji, early summer is the best time. Even though we are Great Yan, with strong troops and horses, if we still tangle with him at this time, we will probably suffer heavy losses."

"Besides, most of the land in the far north is not suitable for farming, which is not unusual for our Tang Dynasty. The people of Yiyangji are also fierce by nature, and it is very difficult for them to integrate into our Tang Dynasty. Going to war with them now will have more disadvantages than advantages, and we should really take a long-term view."

Several civil officials also stood up and expressed their agreement with Heshen and Guo Shoujing's views. However, the military generals also insisted that they must strike down the arrogance of Han Ji and his men. Sending troops is better in a hurry than in a slow manner. Guo Shoujing was unable to make a decision for a while and had to ask:

"Ziyun, what do you think?"

As soon as the voice fell, everyone turned their eyes to the great general who protected the country.

After all, defending the country is the duty of the generals. As the protector of Da Yan, Chen Qingzhi has brought so many new things to Yanyun City many times, promoting the economic development of Da Yan. So when it comes to whether or not to conquer the Tartars, Chen Qingzhi's words are very important.

Being stared at by so many people at once, Chen Qingzhi felt a little uncomfortable for a moment. But fortunately, this was not the first time this had happened, so he touched his nose:
"Your Majesty, what the two adults said is indeed reasonable. Fighting in such a cold weather in the far north will indeed result in a lot of losses, but in my opinion,"

Chen Qingzhi said firmly, "We should not only send troops to repel the Tatars, but also send troops very quickly. Only by completely destroying the power of the Tanji will this barbarian tribe not invade our northern border again."

After hearing this, military generals such as Cheng Yaojin all agreed, but the civil officials were a little slow to react for a while.

On the one hand, he said that sending troops would indeed result in huge losses, but on the other hand, he said that troops must be sent quickly. This sounded like the behavior of a reckless man, and it was not in line with Chen Qianzhi's character and identity at all.

Chen Qingzhi continued, "You two adults are right. Tan Ji is in the far north. He is just jealous of the wealth and abundance of the people of Da Yan, so he wants to rob us."

"Of course, they can't hurt the foundation of our Great Yan, nor will they pose too much of a threat to Yanyun City. But have you ever thought about this, if we really take it slow and temporarily condone the behavior of those bandits, what will the people of Great Yan who have been harassed by Yang Jie think?"

Li Kuan was touched, and Chen Qingzhi continued: "Although the memorial said that the Tatars' main purpose was to rob supplies for the winter, they were afraid of the reputation of our Great Yan and rarely directly harmed the people of the Tang Dynasty."

"But just because there are few of them doesn't mean there aren't any. If the bandits are forced into a corner, they can do anything. The people in the north are tough and unwilling to surrender. If they resist, the Han Jie army will be angry and will definitely do something."

"If our Great Yan army does not immediately send troops to repel the Han Jie in order to reduce trouble, will the people on the northern border be disappointed? Will the other Great Yan people be disappointed?"

The whole court was suddenly silent, and Chen Qingzhi continued to speak while the iron was hot:

"And as far as I know, the Yangjie army has harassed our Great Yan land more than once or twice. They just take advantage of the fluke mentality that Great Yan will not dare to send troops to them in the deep winter, and harass them again and again."

"We can deal with them when summer comes, but Yang Jie is incompatible with our Central Plains, and it will be difficult for us to completely conquer them in a short time.

"Should we wait until next winter and let this group of weak soldiers continue to move south to harass the people of Da Yan and plunder our supplies?"

"Now that our Great Yan is strong and powerful, and the four seas are subservient, it is time to strike the enemy head-on when they think they have the most advantageous advantage. This way, the Tartar army will never dare to go south and disturb our Great Yan territory and the peace of the people."

"This..." Li Kuan was, after all, a monarch who was kind and righteous to the people. After hearing what Chen Qingzhi said, he had to regret his hesitation just now.

Heshen and Guo Shoujing's faces turned red and white.

"General Chen's words are indeed reasonable. We should not ignore the safety of the people in the north and encourage the arrogance of the Tatar army," He Shen stood up and said.

"But the problem I mentioned to you does exist. If we send out troops, General Chen, how can we overcome the disadvantages of our weather and terrain? We will definitely need a lot of food and fodder after we send out troops, but it is deep winter now, which will bring a lot of pressure to our Great Yan!"

"Your Excellency does have a point. Our Great Yan army may suffer some losses in this expedition, but in some cases, advantages and disadvantages can be converted into each other."

Chen Qingzhi said slowly, "I have indeed never been to Xieruo, so I don't know the specific terrain of Yangjie. Hanjie is a small border country, and I, Great Yan, know very little about it."

"But the local soldiers guarding the city, officials, and the people who have suffered from the invasion of the Tartars must have some information. Our Great Yan is rich in resources, and in peacetime, there must be local people doing business with the Tartars. So as long as we can mobilize and make good use of the power of the people, we may not suffer any disadvantages in terms of terrain."

"As for the weather, it is something that cannot be controlled by human power. Therefore, we cannot send more troops this time, but focus on quality. We cannot fight for a long time, but focus on determining the outcome in a short time."

"First of all, in terms of weapons, the strong bows and crossbows of our Great Yan are definitely far superior to the weapons of the Tatars. Secondly, our Great Yan Heavenly Army has grown a lot in the confrontations with the two powerful countries of Turkic and Goguryeo, and has accumulated rich combat experience."

"So I am confident that we can defeat the enemy with fewer troops. We may not suffer any loss in this battle!"

All the ministers expressed their agreement, Cheng Yaojin and others were also eager to try, and Chen Qingzhi continued to analyze:

"Besides, although it is difficult for Da Yan to send troops in this deep winter, it may not be a very favorable and sufficient condition for Xin Ji."

"They are poor, and seeing that our Great Yan is rich, they come here to plunder with a fluke mentality. But how long can the looted things last?"

"Once we repel the Yangji army and make sure they can no longer stop us from plundering our Great Yan's supplies, I believe it won't be long before changes occur within the Yangji army."

The ministers in the court were convinced. Even He Shen, who had just strongly advocated, did not dare to say anything at this moment. Li Kuan nodded and asked:

"Then, my dear minister, how do you think we should conquer Yang Jie?"

"Due to weather and distance, the number of people from the Tang Dynasty cannot be too large. In my opinion, 10,000 troops will be enough. However, the generals and soldiers sent must be elite, and the weapons they carry must be the most advanced in Da Yan."

"Of course, just in case, I also advocate sending a large army to the northern border, ready to respond at any time. We must destroy the Han Jie in one fell swoop, once and for all."

"This is a very good plan," Li Kuan agreed. "Since it was you who proposed the plan, I will order you to be the commander-in-chief and implement it for you soon."

"Although I have never been willing to serve Da Yan, the transportation of food and grass is still a problem. I need to study the solution in Yanyun City, so I am sorry that I cannot go to the battle," Chen Qingzhi postponed.
"At the same time, I risk my life to recommend two people to Your Majesty, the Royal Military Academy and Xue Rengui, the Lord of Ximai."

The news that Chen Qianzhi refused to take command and recommended new people in the hall soon spread throughout Yanyun City.

Everyone was talking about it for a while. Some said it was Chen Qingzhi who wanted to cultivate young talents and temporarily retreat behind the scenes.

Some people also said that it was because Chen Qianzhi had been fighting for many years and his body was covered with scars. The cold weather could easily cause his old injuries to relapse, so he could not go out to fight.

Some people with bad intentions even spread rumors, saying that Li Qiu had no confidence in his own plan, and in order not to affect his reputation, he decided to send two newcomers to take the risk.

Chen Qianzhi mostly just laughed off these rumors. After all, except for the first one, the other rumors were extremely unreliable.

Chen Qianzhi mostly just laughed off these rumors. After all, except for the first one, the other rumors were extremely unreliable.

(End of this chapter)