Tang Dynasty: The poisonous scholar in the Eastern Palace, please abdicate and let the wise one take

Chapter 320 Leading an army alone, a surprise attack on Gaochang!

Gaochang Kingdom.

In the palace study.

Qu Wentai was holding a teacup in his hand, staring at the map hanging on the wall.

Tingzhou.

Yu Gushe’s army is approaching, how long can Futu City hold out?
Once Yugushe takes Tingzhou, he can march straight south along the Silk Road to join his army and jointly attack Yanqi!
By destroying Yanqi and other countries, Gaochang had accomplished a great feat, and its territory was even within the territory of the Turks. As for the threat from the King of Tang, it was just a small matter!
A eunuch hurried into the study and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Minister of War, Mr. Zhou Wenxuan, wishes to see you."

Gaochang had many connections with the Central Plains and adopted the systems of the Central Plains dynasty.

Below the king, there is the Lingyin, who is equivalent to the prime minister, and under him are the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Granaries, the Ministry of Guests, the Ministry of War, etc.

Each department has a chief secretary, and the chief secretary of war is equivalent to the Minister of War in the Tang Dynasty.

"Xuan."

Qu Wentai turned around and sat back in his chair.

After a while.

Military Minister Zhou Wenxuan walked in quickly and bowed, "Your Highness."

"What do you want to do in the palace at this time?"

Qu Wentai had a smile on his face, but Zhou Wenxuan's next words made his face change instantly.

Zhou Wenxuan: "Puchang sent an urgent report that Cui Zhengjun, the commander of Yumen Pass, has sent several scouts to Puchang and Tianshan to gather information."

"According to the news from Yumen Pass, the Tang Dynasty sent General Xue Wanche to lead 20,000 troops to Yanqi for assistance. He has already arrived at Yumen Pass!"

Qu Wentai was surprised. "The 20,000-strong Tang army has arrived at Yumen Pass?"

Zhou Wenxuan: "That's right. I suspect that Cui Zhengjun's scouts are gathering information for Xue Wanche."

"The Tang Dynasty is moving so fast..."

Qu Wentai murmured, and said in a deep voice: "Puchang, how are the defenders of the two cities in Tianshan?"

Zhou Wenxuan: "Your Majesty, we have sent another 1,000 elite troops to Puchang. Together with the garrison troops, there are a total of 2,000 troops stationed there. Tianshan City currently only has 800 elite troops."

"However, relying on the favorable terrain, the 800 people in Tianshan City are enough to defend Tianshan City."

Tianshan City, as the name suggests, is a city built on the mountain. The city is high and the roads are dangerous, so one man can guard the pass against ten thousand.

Although there are only 800 defenders in the city, it is definitely not an easy task to climb up Tianshan City!

In the past, the Turkic army left tens of thousands of corpses under the Tianshan City and returned empty-handed.

“Two thousand people are too few.”

Qu Wentai rubbed his head.

Although there are only 800 people in Tianshan City, he can rest assured, but there are too few defenders in Puchang City.

Based on his understanding of the Tang army, the combat effectiveness of these 20,000 people is definitely far superior to that of the Gaochang soldiers.

Moreover, the terrain where Puchang City is located is relatively flat. Unlike Tianshan City which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is not easy to stop the 20,000 troops of the Tang Dynasty with only 2,000 defenders!
"Can we draw elite troops from Tiandi and Jiaohe and rush to Puchang City to help Puchang Yuan Zhenli defend Puchang City?"

"It's hard."

Zhou Wenxuan sighed, "Your Majesty, the defenders of Jiaohe and Tiandi are only over a thousand people. Now, we have selected 500 elite soldiers from each city to rush to Puchang City."

"If we need to mobilize more troops, we can only draw soldiers from the city."

Draw elite troops from Gaochang City?
Qu Wentai pondered and shook his head.

Gaochang City is the capital of Gaochang State. There are only one thousand elite soldiers guarding it, and they cannot be dispatched casually.

Once these one thousand men left Gaochang, the Tang Dynasty would only need to send three to five hundred men to march straight into his palace.

"Send a message to the fourteen counties, ordering the magistrates of the fourteen counties to each dispatch two hundred strong men to rush to Puchang City to resist the Tang army!"

"This……"

Zhou Wenxuan looked embarrassed.

Gaochang was originally a small country with a small population and little land. The total number of troops in the country was less than 6,000, and the number of soldiers who could fight was only more than 3,000 at most.

This is already the limit of Gaochang Kingdom.

No matter how many troops there are, Gaochang Kingdom cannot afford to support them with its finances.

Now, two hundred strong men have been drawn from each of the fourteen county towns, and the county towns are completely without labor.

"what happened?"

"Your Majesty, if we draw civilians from various counties, I'm afraid it will cause the people to be in an uproar."

After Zhou Wenxuan glanced at Qu Wentai, he spoke again: "Besides, the Ministry of Revenue simply cannot come up with so much money..."

Qu Wentai waved his hand to interrupt Zhou Wenxuan's words, "Yu Gushe's army has already gathered in the direction of Tingzhou."

"We only need to hold out for a few days. Once Yugushe takes over Tingzhou, he will move south and enter our Gaochang territory."

"At that time, relying on the strong Turkic soldiers and horses, it will be easy to stop the 20,000-strong Tang army."

"As long as we stop the 20,000 elite soldiers of the Tang Dynasty and capture Yanqi and Yuli, do we still need to worry about not having enough money to pay their military salaries?"

"Pass on my order. Each county shall immediately dispatch two hundred strong men to rush to Puchang City!"

"……Yes!"

……

Yumen Pass.

Su Chen was woken up by soldiers early in the morning and taken to the meeting room.

Xue Wanche, Cui Zhengjun and others had already arrived.

In front of them was a well-prepared sand table, on which were clearly marked the routes into Gaochang State, as well as the division of troops in the five major cities and fourteen counties.

Good guy.

What a fast move.

Su Chen was shocked at first sight, and when he looked carefully, he was even more stunned.

"Mr. Su."

"What is Mr. Su thinking while staring at the sand table?"

Everyone greeted each other with smiles, and seeing Su Chen staring at the sand table without saying a word, they asked curiously.

Su Chen pointed to the distribution of troops in the city on the sand table and asked, "There are only 2,000 defenders in Puchang City?"

"Yes, two thousand at most."

Cui Zhengjun nodded and said, "And this is one of the five main cities of Gaochang State. The next ones are Tiandi City, Jiaohe City, Tianshan City, and Gaochang City where the palace of Gaochang King Qu Wentai is located."

Su Chen frowned and looked across the sand table. Wow, after a careful count, the Gaochang Kingdom’s military strength was only about 10,000 people at most?

With such a small number of troops, you still dare not give face to the Tang Dynasty?

"Mr. Su is wondering why Gaochang has only so few troops, right?"

A civil servant smiled and said, "In fact, Gaochang's military strength is quite good among all the countries."

Su Chen nodded.

The civil servant explained, "Gaochang has a small population of about 11,000 households. Excluding the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled, there are less than 6,000 people who can be recruited into the army!"

"And among these 6,000 people, we have to exclude those who are physically unfit. All in all, Gaochang Kingdom only has 3,000 soldiers who can fight on the battlefield."

"There are one thousand elite soldiers in Gaochang City, and the King of Gaochang will not easily mobilize them. In addition, the eight hundred elite soldiers in Tianshan City will not leave easily either."

"So, there are only two thousand elite soldiers gathered in Puchang City at most."

Su Chen: "..."

Good guy.

Not only do you know Gaochang's inside story thoroughly, you also took into account any elite troops they might have transferred.

What the hell is this Qu Wentai up to?

"Have the scouts detected any movement of the Turkic cavalry?"

"not yet."

Cui Zhengjun shook his head. "Perhaps it is just as Mr. Su said. The Turks are fighting in the direction of Tingzhou."

Su Chen touched his chin and said, "In other words, we don't have much time left?"

"What does General Xue think?"

"Soldiers are valuable and quick."

Xue Wanche spoke slowly, "Within one day, we will take over Puchang. Within two days, we will sweep through the five cities and fourteen counties of Gaochang and capture Qu Wentai alive!"

Su Chen: "..."

Well, I have already thought of a solution.

Su Chen smiled and nodded, "General, you are very courageous."

Cui Zhengjun looked at Xue Wanche and said to Su Chen, "The reason why I called you here today is because General Xue hopes that you can lead an army on your own."

Su Chen: "Ah? Me?"

Xue Wanche smiled and nodded, "Although this matter is somewhat dangerous, you are the most suitable person for it."

"whats the matter?"

"You will personally lead a thousand elite troops to enter Gaochang through this narrow path and launch a surprise attack on Anchang, Gaoning, Linchuan and other counties."

Xue Wanche pointed to the county town in Gaochang and moved little by little, "Then we will reach Gaochang City and join our army."

"...?"

Su Chen looked at the line carefully and a strange look appeared on his face.

This route can be easily handed over to Cheng Chumo and the others. Why do I need to lead the troops myself?
When Su Chen looked up at Xue Wanche and others, he found that many military generals and civil officials had envy on their faces.

For an instant.

Su Chen understood.

Xue Wanche wants to give the credit of capturing the king to him!

As Xue Wanche led a large army to attack the city, the pressure on Puchang City must have doubled, and it had to constantly ask Gaochang for help.

By then.

The troops and civilians in Gaochang will go to Puchang for support following the order of the King of Gaochang. That is why Puchang has 2,000 troops!

Therefore, Gaochang was short of military forces and had few strong civilians.

Neither the fourteen county towns nor the other three main cities have the ability to stop them!
Even if Gaochang King Qu Wentai knew about it, he would not dare to act rashly! Because Gaochang City where he was located only had a thousand elite soldiers. How could they dare to go out of the city to fight?
Isn't he afraid that Su Chen will lead a thousand elite soldiers, annihilate his thousand defenders, march straight into his palace and chop off his head?

"no need."

Su Chen pondered and shook his head, "General, you know I don't understand war, so why not let Cheng Chumo and the others go."

Xue Wanche smiled and said, "It would be most appropriate for you to go."

"Don't worry, listen to me."

Seeing that Su Chen wanted to refuse, Xue Wanche smiled and raised his hand to stop him, and continued: "A thousand people are not many. With your ability, you can easily make them as powerful as your arms."

"Once you have penetrated the territory of Gaochang and my troops have not yet reached the city of Gaochang, you will lead these 1,000 elite soldiers and cross Gaochang to Yanqi!"

"Mr. Su, the purpose of our trip is not only to deal with the King of Gaochang, but most importantly, to ensure the safety of Yanqi!"

Su Chen nodded, "General, you are right, but I am really not good at leading troops."

“No one is born a general.”

Xue Wanche smiled slightly, "I will let Li Jingheng and Cheng Chumo each lead 500 elite soldiers to follow your command."

"Li Jingheng has been with King Jiangxia since he was young, and he knows a lot about military affairs. There's no need to say much about Cheng Chumo, he's a young man, and he's a good general."

"With these two accompanying you into Gaochang, you will have no worries."

"deal?"

"deal!"

After getting Xue Wanche's affirmative answer, Su Chen couldn't help but sigh.

There is a high probability that Li Chengqian is involved in this matter.

Otherwise, why would Xue Wanche give him such a good opportunity to make a contribution for nothing?
After thinking it over again and again, Su Chen nodded and agreed, "Su Chen obeys."

Xue Wanche smiled and said, "You will set off in half an hour, go and get ready."

"it is good!"

Su Chen turned and left.

Cui Zhengjun sighed, "General, this may be a great achievement, are you just going to give it to him?"

Xue Wanche waved his hand indifferently, "As long as our trip goes smoothly, there will be plenty of opportunities for military merit."

Cui Zhengjun nodded.

Although Su Chen and others have a great chance of taking advantage of the situation to defeat Gaochang King Qu Wentai, it also depends on whether Su Chen has the courage to lead a thousand people to attack Gaochang City!
If he didn't have the courage, he could at most gain credit for a surprise attack, but the credit for capturing the king would still go to Xue Wanche.

Xue Wanche: "The most important thing now is to find out where Yu Gushe's army is!"

"Xu Fei!"

"The end will be here."

"You lead 800 soldiers, and follow the Tingzhou-Gaochang section of the Silk Road to explore the movements of the Turkic army in the direction of Tingzhou."

Xue Wanche said in a deep voice, "If you encounter a large Turkic army, send someone to inform me immediately."

"Yes!"

Xu Fei turned and left immediately.

Xue Wanche took a deep look at the sand table and said in a deep voice: "Gather the troops, and attack Puchang City in half an hour!"

……

"Mr. Su."

Li Jingheng and Cheng Chumo were already waiting for Su Chen. When they saw Su Chen coming, they couldn't help but show excitement on their faces.

They will follow Su Chen into the territory of Gaochang Kingdom and attack Gaochang City where Gaochang King Qu Wentai is located!
If successful, we will directly capture the King of Gaochang!
"General Xue has told you all?"

"Ok!"

Li Jingheng and the other person nodded in unison.

Su Chen smiled and said, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"No."

Li Jingheng and the other man looked at each other and shook their heads, "Let Mr. Su direct you."

"it is good!"

Su Chen nodded, "In that case, I will gather your troops and follow me into Gaochang."

"Yes!"

Li Jingheng and the other man immediately clasped their fists and left.

In just an incense stick of time, the one thousand men under their command had gathered.

Su Chen took Sun Qiang, Cao Yuan and others to inspect it.

Su Chen pointed at the things some soldiers were carrying, "You are carrying too much stuff!"

Li Jingheng took a look and said, "Mr. Su, this is the dry food and tents for sleeping that everyone brought..."

"No need."

Su Chen waved his hand and said, "You only need to bring one day's worth of dry food. Throw away all the other useless things."

"One day's dry food?"

Li Jingheng and the other man were stunned.

"Mr. Su, it will take us at least half a day to walk along the mountain path before we can enter the territory of Gaochang Kingdom..."

"Isn't the remaining half day enough for you to get food?"

"...?"

Looking at Su Chen with a smile on his face, Li Jingheng and others felt something was wrong.

Half a day to get food?

This is not planning to bring any dry food!

"I have reserved a meal for you. Whether you can enter Gaochang before dark depends on your speed."

Su Chen smiled and looked around, "I heard that General Xue brought elite soldiers, but are they elite soldiers or a mob? Let's wait and see."

Li Jingheng and the other man looked at each other and said, "Carry only one day's worth of dry food, and take away all the other useless things!"

Faced with the orders of Li Jingheng and the others, although many of the soldiers present were dissatisfied, Su Chen's "dragon and insect" words came first.

No one wants to be a coward.

In just a moment, all the things except the dry food for the day were left behind.

"Mount."

"Enter Gaochang before 3 p.m."

(End of this chapter)