The Great Tang General

"Your Majesty, looking at Li Xuan's battles, he used many schemes and tricks, some veiled, some veiled, some soft, some hard, which made it hard to guard against."

"They have excellent armor and powerful bows and crossbows. Especially in the Hexi and Western Regions, the Tang army imported a large number of horses from the Arabs and the Western Regions, and the horses they bred are extremely powerful. They also have carefully selected fierce soldiers."

"If our army waits for Li Xuan to arrive at Yudujun Mountain, it will not only wear down our morale, but also lose the initiative. In a head-on confrontation, our army may not be a match for the Tang army."

"Yes, we should first send cavalry to attack Juyan Lake to attract the Tang army's attention. Then we will raid the Tang army's troops at Baiting Lake, burn the Tang army's food and grass stored at Baiting Lake, and plunder the Tang army's livestock at Baiting Lake."

"Our Huihe light cavalry comes and goes like the wind. Once the Tang army's food and grass are burned, they will want to fight to the death, which will also affect their morale... The opportunity for our army to win a great victory will also come..."

Mohedagan held a map and explained his strategy to Yidijian.

During this period, it can be modified according to the deployment of the Tang army.

In short, it is to take advantage of the mobility of the Uighur light cavalry, take the initiative to attack, and gain the upper hand on the battlefield.

Don't be passive anymore and let the Tang Dynasty lead you by the nose.

Just like the current situation in the eastern part of the Uighurs, the situation is a mess and is essentially dominated by the Tang army.

The Tang army used its own military governorates to contain the various Uighur tribes.

"The Karluks, Xueyantuo, some Turks, and the Nine Surnames tribes that are affiliated with our Huihe are pretending to obey but secretly disobeying. We can only mobilize 70,000 troops. Can we implement such a strategy by dividing the troops?"

After thinking for a while, Yidijian expressed his concerns.

He felt very bitter.

The Uighur Khanate, which boasted of having "two hundred thousand soldiers at its command", could only gather 70,000 soldiers in the end.

Yidijian has decided to fight to the death. He is not afraid, but he has always believed that 70,000 cavalrymen are acting together.

"It is enough to send 20,000 light cavalry to raid the Juyan Sea. The remaining 50,000 cavalry will be used for frontal deployment."

"There are also many Tang Dynasty pastures around the Juyan Lake area. If we take over the Juyan Lake, we can go south along the Zhangye River (now the Heihe River) to Zhangye City, and we can even attack Liangzhou City to the west. The Tang army will not abandon it."

Moheda Gan replied to Yidijian.

Since ancient times, the Huns, Turks and others often went south through the mountain roads and plundered Zhangye and Wuwei.

These are the rare roads that lead north from the Hexi Corridor to the grasslands. The Tang Dynasty set up many guard posts and garrisons to prevent merchants, spies, etc. from passing through.

Especially in the direction of Juyan Sea, the Tang Dynasty had rebuilt Juyan City on the Juyan Sea and set up a city guard with 1,700 soldiers and 500 horses.

In the second year of Tianbao, the Tang Dynasty felt that the city's garrison was too small, so it was changed to the Ningkou Army, which had 8,500 soldiers.

Even after the Wuwei Military Governor's Office was established, the Ningkou Army still had 5,000 people.

This shows its strategic position.

The Juyan Lake is divided into two parts, the East and West Juyan Lake, covering a vast area.

The Baitinghai area is located to the east of the Baitinghai Lake and to the west of the Xiutu Lake, which are also two large lakes.

Baiting Sea is hundreds of miles north of Liangzhou City.

The Juyan Lake is thousands of miles north of Zhangye City.

The Baiting Lake and the Juyan Lake are separated by 1,500 miles, with a vast desert in between.

Therefore, the East and West Juyan Seas, Baiting Sea and Xiutu Lake are like two pairs of bright eyes inlaid in the north of the Hexi Corridor, and are rare desert oases.

The Tang army chose to store supplies in Baitinghai because it was close to the prosperous Liangzhou city. After the city was rebuilt and developed, it would be easier to use as a strategic location.

However, the Juyan Sea is too far away from Liangzhou City, more than 1,700 miles away, making it inconvenient to transport supplies.

But one thing is that the Juyan Sea is only more than 2,000 miles away from the Uighur royal court and the Chanyu City.

It was very suitable for the Uighurs to raid the Juyan Lake and disrupt the Tang army's rear.

Liangzhou City is the fifth largest city in the Tang Dynasty, and Li Xuan will definitely defend it at all costs.

When the Tang Dynasty was unable to take care of both ends, they raided Baitinghai and burned the Tang Dynasty's food, fodder and livestock.

Mohedagan thought it was a very good plan.

Seventy thousand soldiers and horses are absolutely feasible.

"Only by taking over the Juyan City beside the Juyan Sea can we open the door to the Hexi Corridor. Who can take on this important task?"

With no better solution, Yidijian was willing to try Mohedagan's strategy.

"Donsang Teqin is capable. He has fought with two generations of Great Khans in the south and the north. He is brave and good at fighting. He is capable of taking on this important task."

Mohedagan recommended Dunsang Teqin.

Dunsang Teqin is the nephew of Guli Peiluo, and in terms of seniority, he is the uncle of Yidijian.

He was one of the important officials who supported Yidijian.

Dunsang Teqin is not very wise and is usually used as a brave general.

But he was brave and fearless of death, and believed in the creed that "a heavy soldier dies in disgrace due to illness."

He broke into the Hexi Corridor and narrowly escaped death.

At that time, they will face siege from the Tang army which is several times larger than their own, and even Li Xuan will have to go out in person.

Only Dunsang Teqin, the leader of the entire Huihe tribe, can shoulder this task.

"Okay, I will order Dunsang Teqin to lead 20,000 light cavalry to attack the rear of Juyan Lake and break into the Hexi Corridor. If you win this battle, I will make Dunsang Teqin the Dunsang Yehu."

Yidijian agrees with Mohedagan’s recommendation.

Yehu, whose status was second only to the Great Khan.

It is usually inherited by the sons of the Great Khan, such as the eldest son of the Great Khan, Prince Yehu.

It is also possible that a strong person in the clan is in charge.

As long as Donsang Teqin performed meritorious service, he would be qualified to serve as Yehu.

Since it was related to the life and death of the Huihe people, Yidijian had no choice but to relax the restrictions and make solemn promises to the Huihe tribes.

The tail is too big to be cut off, it is a matter for the future.

Xian Yidijian must defeat Datang at all costs in order to gain stability and consolidate his power.

"The Great Khan is wise!"

After Mohedagan left, the specific plan began to be implemented.

There was constant bad news from the east; some defeated soldiers had already arrived at Chanyu City.

This situation cannot continue.

Just seven days later, Dunsang Teqin led 20,000 light cavalry southward to the Juyan Lake.

Yidijian left two thousand guards to guard Shanyu City.

Then he personally led all 50,000 cavalrymen, together with Mohedagan, Governor Hulu, and fierce Uighur generals, from Gunli and Zhiduo, southward towards Baitinghai.

Before swearing to go to war, Yidijian took out most of the gold, silver and jewelry in Shanyu City and rewarded them to his soldiers.

He also made a promise to the soldiers that if they could kill a general of the Tang army, they would be granted the title of nobility.

Killing three Tang soldiers will give you ten sheep, two cows and a slave.

If we win a great victory, we will be able to plunder some Han women in the Hexi Corridor and give them all as rewards to the soldiers.

At the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven.

Yidijian personally killed sheep, cattle, horses, and dogs, and swore an oath of blood.

He knelt down and worshiped the heaven, swearing a solemn oath not to retaliate until victory was achieved.

Yi Di Jian hinted to the wizard and then cast the hexagram.

Because there is a legend about Li Xuan as "Eagle" and "Tiger" in Huihe.

On the altar, Mohedagan imprisoned a tiger and an eagle in cages respectively.

In full view of the crowd, after the wizard made a divination, the eagle and the tiger suddenly fell into the cage, motionless. "The eagle and the tiger are dead, Li Xuan will die... God cannot tolerate Tian Khan..."

The Uighur wizard jumped around muttering something mysterious.

The foreshadowing couldn't be more obvious.

Mohedagan repeatedly used faith to make the Uighur soldiers believe that it was God who wanted to take Li Xuan away, in order to dispel the soldiers' fear of Li Xuan.

If Xuan announced a fight to the death with Li Xuan, many soldiers would definitely not be able to withstand such pressure.

The material rewards, coupled with the spiritual "rewards", helped to boost the morale of the Uighur cavalry.

Before Yidijian led the army in person, he once again issued the Great Khan Order to the subordinate Qarluk, Xueyantuo, Turkic, and Tiele peoples, asking them to lead their troops to defend the country.

But now the Great Khan's order is destined to fall on deaf ears.

Many tribes on the grassland are fence-sitters, unless the new Khan Yidijian wins a big victory.

If the Tang Dynasty wins, they will be the first to show their loyalty to it.

……

Liangzhou City.

The imperial guards under Li Xuan's command have been resting in Liangzhou City for seven days.

The Dunhuang Army and the Wuwei Army set up camp in the oasis of Baiting Sea one step ahead of time, with their backs to the original Baiting City.

In addition to Baiting City, hay fields and warehouses were also built along the Baiting Sea to store grain and fodder.

At the foot of Suwu Mountain, there are large pastures that can provide meat protein for the soldiers on the expedition.

The arrival of the Supreme Being in Liangzhou City brought glory to our humble home. The entire city was under heavy security.

But the Silk Road remained open, and Liangzhou City was the most prosperous city on the Silk Road, without a doubt.

When Li Xuan was the governor of Wuwei, he governed Liangzhou City, built a large number of workshops outside Liangzhou City, established the economic order of Liangzhou City, repaired water conservancy projects for Wuwei, and changed agricultural tools.

Outside Liangzhou City, cotton is everywhere.

In winter, people wear cotton clothes, which is the warmth under the protection of the Supreme.

Therefore, all the people are grateful to the emperor.

When Li Xuan arrived in Liangzhou City this time, the streets were deserted by the people who wanted to see his holy face again.

Unfortunately, Li Xuan could not stay in Wuwei for too long. After learning about the affairs of Liangzhou City from the prefect of Wuwei, Li Xuan left Liangzhou City on the eighth day and led the imperial army north to Baitinghai.

The army went up the Baiting River and arrived at Baiting Sea half a month later, where they met with Wuwei Governor Li Zhushi and Dunhuang Governor Guo Xuji.

The total number of cavalry on both sides exceeded 70,000.

A large number of troops will have to be left behind to maintain order in the Hexi Corridor and the newly established Tianshan Province.

In particular, the Tang army did not mobilize a single soldier from the 5,000 troops in Juyanhai.

When Li Xuan was at Baitinghai, he received a military letter from Chang'an.

It was the news that Wang Nande and Guo Ziyi had won consecutive battles.

Before this, Li Xuan already knew that Li Guangbi had won a great victory in Kulunpo.

While the army was resting, Li Xuan and his generals discussed the next marching plan in the central camp.

"I just received news from Chang'an. The governors of Lingwu and Taiyuan led their troops to march forward. It is certain that there are no reinforcements from the eastern part of the Huihe to support the central and western parts of the Huihe. Our enemy is the Huihe cavalry centered on the Shanyu City. Under the circumstances, their number will not be too large..."

Li Xuan handed the memorial to the generals for them to read.

After successfully joining forces, the next thing they faced was how to fight on the battlefield.

Is it to take advantage of the victory and attack Huanglong directly?
Or use a strategy?

Or continue to dispatch troops and crush the Uighurs with absolute force?

"I estimate that Chanyu City is in chaos and the soldiers have no will to fight. Our army is in high spirits, so we should march north to Chanyu City and settle the matter in one fell swoop."

The old but strong Master Li Zhu stood up and bowed to Li Xuan to ask for orders.

Seeing the great achievements of the Qinghai Army and the Baihai Army in Longyou in destroying Tubo, the Wuwei Army and the Dunhuang Army not far away were very envious.

They had been looking forward to this moment day and night.

In the past, Longyou and Hexi usually acted in parallel.

Therefore, the Wuwei Army and the Dunhuang Army did not want to fall behind and vowed to turn Huihe into a protectorate.

"Your Majesty, some Huihe tribes have surrendered to Xizhou. At this critical moment, the Huihe are not united internally, and I also think it is time to attack."

Guo Xuji agreed with Master Li Zhu's opinion.

He was only a general, while Li Zhushi was a great general, and he was more eager for merit than Li Zhushi.

Li Xuan could understand the soldiers' desire to achieve great things.

But their troops were in the open and were under the surveillance of the Uighur scouts.

If the Tang Dynasty fights a decisive battle with the Uighur cavalry at the foot of General Yu's mountain, it will win, but the losses will inevitably be heavy.

The consistent strategy is to win at a lower cost.

Things are different now than before.

Under the Military Governor's Office system, the lives of soldiers are very valuable.

For every soldier who died in battle, a pension would be distributed to his family through the Ministry of War.

"Replying to Your Majesty, Yidi Jian has just assumed power and will not compromise easily. Even a lion will use all its strength to fight a rabbit. We should wait for our spies to find out the situation. At present, the Jinlong Division has sent the Jinyiwei to persuade the Xueyantuo and the Karluk people. They are the western and southwestern barriers of the Huihe people. They are wavering to begin with. Once they surrender to the Tang Dynasty, the Beiting Army can easily enter the west of the Huihe people, cross the Jinshan Mountain, and directly attack the Shanyu City and Fugui City."

"The food, grass, cattle and sheep in Baitinghai are enough to feed 70,000 troops for a year. Our food and grass resources are continuously transported to Baitinghai, so there is no need to rush. The governors of Taiyuan and Lingwu have already formed a deterrent to the Huihe in the east. Even if they cannot march here in a short time, they can still use their power to make the Huihe panic."

"Unless the Huihe are desperate and take the initiative to attack, our army's advantage will be established over time..."

After Li Xuan glanced at the Minister of War Li Mi, Li Mi understood and immediately stood up to make suggestions to prevent a head-on confrontation with the Uighurs.

Li Mixin believed that he was good at leveraging power.

The Huihe are now full of loopholes. The Tang Dynasty has many ways to win, and there is no need to use the most brutal one.

Li Mi's only worry was that the Uighurs were unwilling to sit and wait for death and chose to take the initiative to attack.

This will cause some trouble for the Tang Dynasty.

Li Mi didn't know Yi Dijian very well and didn't know if he had the courage to do so.

"I agree with Minister Li's suggestion. As the saying goes, the best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, and the next best is to attack their alliances. If the Karluks and Xueyantuo rebel, the Tang Dynasty will adopt the best strategy, which is more in line with the interests of the Tang Dynasty."

Privy Councilor Feng Changqing chose to agree with Li Mi.

Now Li Zhushi and Guo Xuji were equivalent to Feng Changqing's subordinates. He did not forget to comfort Li Zhushi and Guo Xuji: "The Huihe will be destroyed in this battle, and there is no need to rush to make achievements. The emperor will lead the army in person and follow the kingly way."

"We are impulsive and are willing to obey the Supreme's decision."

Li Zhushi and Guo Xuji realized that they were too eager for quick success and immediately bowed to Li Xuan.

The new military system has stipulated that soldiers will receive common rewards as long as they go to war.

In "Military Soul" of "Tang Monthly", Li Xuan used the saying "One battle means the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers" to criticize generals throughout history who only cared about their own promotion and wealth and did not care about the lives of their soldiers, including those famous generals who were well-known in ancient times.

"After brainstorming, the strategy proposed by the two generals is not a bad option. We just need to try the best method first."

Li Xuan waved his hand, telling Master Li Zhu and Guo Xuji not to take it too seriously.

In every military meeting, there will be more radical generals.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, if our army waits for the actions of the Jinyiwei and the spies at Baitinghai, we must also use static tactics to prevent the Huihe from taking the initiative to attack and nip all dangers in the bud..."

When Li Xuan was discussing with the generals, Li Mi looked at the map and reminded Li Xuan...

(End of this chapter)