Chai Zhewei must have expected that the prince would send an imperial doctor there, so the disease must be real.
Otherwise, once he is found to be pretending to be ill, he will be charged with "neglect of duty" and "bullying the emperor". If the counties in Hexi are lost because of this, it is possible that the title of the Duke of his country will be slapped to the end!
Especially Fang Jun, that fellow now sees him as a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh. If he gets the chance, he will definitely add insult to injury and make every attempt on the prince's ears. How can he be as good as him?
So he didn't want to go to Hexi to face the fierce Tuyuhun cavalry, and he would have to make himself really sick...
Li Chengqian didn't know what to say, so he clicked his tongue, and after a long while he said in a muffled voice: "The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty all allowed civil and military forces. Mounting your horse can kill the enemy, and dismounting your horse can govern the people. Even a fool like Xue Wanche still charges into battle, is brave and good at fighting, but There has never been anyone so afraid of the enemy and so timid in fighting..."
A mere Tuyuhun was too frightened to fight. If he faced Turks and Xue Yantuo, wouldn't he have to flee when the wind blows or hear the wind?
It was simply a disgrace to the Tang army!
Li Daozong was also a little speechless. Back then, Chai Shao was afraid of being encircled by the Sui army in Chang'an, so he fled to Jinyang under various excuses, leaving Princess Pingyang alone in Chang'an to face the thousands of troops accompanying the army. Today, Chai Zhewei is also so naughty and fearless.
It is true that like father, like son, the blood line continues, father and son inherit...
As expected, not long after, the chamberlain who went to Duke Qiao's mansion returned and reported: "Duke Qiao is indeed ill and has suffered from wind and cold. The imperial doctor from the imperial hospital has treated him. His condition is quite serious and he must be nursed back to health, otherwise he may damage his lungs and spleen." , leaving the root of the disease.”
Li Chengqian had known this for a long time. He waved his hand and dismissed the servants. He looked at Fang Jun and Li Daozong and said: "Dong Qiao is seriously ill, so naturally he cannot go to Hexi. But how can we resolve the crisis in Tuyuhun?"
Logically speaking, deploying a guard army to guard Hexi is the safest way to not only deter Tuyuhun, but also to defend the counties in Hexi after Tuyuhun seriously rebels.
Chang'an has two fully reorganized military guards. Since Chai Zhewei is seriously ill, the Zuen Guards are naturally unable to go on the expedition. So as long as the Right Tun Guards are replaced, the strategic effect will be the same.
However, for Li Chengqian, Fang Jun's presence in Chang'an was the cornerstone of his position as the crown prince. The Youtun Guards, like the Six Rates of the East Palace that had not yet been reorganized, were the iron and steel walls of the East Palace of Suwei.
If Fang Jun leads the army on an expedition, the safety of the East Palace can only rely on the Sixth Rate of the East Palace, and the safety factor will be greatly reduced.
After all, Li Jing is the God of War. Without a period of rigorous training, the Sixth Army of the East Palace will not be able to form a strong combat effectiveness. By then, Chang'an will be empty, and there will be someone who is really bold and wants to commit treason, and the East Palace will not be able to resist it...
The palace was very solemn and the atmosphere was a bit dull. Chai Zhewei was seriously ill and seemed unable to take care of Hexi. If Tuyuhun really rebelled and attacked the counties in Hexi, it would be a big trouble.
After a long time, Li Daozong suddenly said: "At the beginning of Zhenguan, your Majesty attacked Tuyuhun. All armies came out to attack Qinghai, defeated Tuyuhun's cavalry, forced Tuyuhun to commit suicide in Fuyun, killed countless young men, and greatly damaged Tuyuhun's vitality. Tuyuhun has certainly been recuperating and recuperating over the years, but time is still short after all, and the population cannot be replenished quickly. Even if there are countless war horses, there is still a lack of warriors who are good at fighting."
After saying that, he looked at Fang Jun with bright eyes and said in a deep voice: "The combat strength of Tuyuhun at the moment is at best 50,000, and at most 60,000. It is absolutely impossible to exceed 60,000 elites! With the fighting strength of the Youtun Guards, Supplemented by the tyranny of firearms, perhaps only half of them can be dispatched to defeat Tuyuhun's attack. After all, if they are defending in the city and not out of the city for field battles, Tuyuhun's cavalry will not be of much use."
In the battle against Tuyuhun, he participated as a general in charge of the army. He and Li Jing each led an army to attack separately, and finally forced Tuyuhun to surrender and annex Datang. Therefore, I have a strong say in the real situation of Tuyuhun.
When Li Chengqian heard this, he was shocked and said hurriedly: "Absolutely not! There are only more than 30,000 soldiers in Youtun Guards. If the troops are divided into half, it will be less than 20,000. How can we face Tuyuhun's 60,000 elites? What's more, if Tuyuhun really rebels, he will definitely get Tubo If they agree, they may even form an alliance secretly. Maybe Tubo will directly send troops to help, which is an elite army of 70,000 to 80,000 people. How can we defeat them? Absolutely not!"
His position as crown prince had been stabilized by Fang Jun in the past, and he would also need Fang Jun's support in the future. Even as a minister and the pillar of the country after he ascended the throne in the future, how could he let Fang Jun be trapped in Hexi and face multiple times? Attack by a powerful enemy?
If anything goes wrong, he will regret it!
Fang Jun understood what Li Daozong meant. This was not the time to collect rare feathers, but to face difficulties and resist powerful enemies.
Once Hexi falls, the situation will deteriorate like an avalanche, sweeping half of the Tang Dynasty into it. Even if the Tuyuhun is finally defeated, the empire's vitality will be severely damaged, and several years of hard work will be ruined.
He knitted his thick eyebrows and said calmly: "Your Highness, there is no need to be anxious. Although I am not afraid of fighting to the death, I will not blindly seek death. However, if we cannot enter Hexi at this moment, once Tuyuhun rebels, we can fly over the Qilian Mountains in a few days, and the army will attack The situation in the counties in Hexi will collapse and there will be no way to recover! Is it necessary to spread the word to the world and order the armies of Shandong, Jiangnan, and Bashu to abandon their local areas and go to Beijing to serve the king? If that is the case, the country will be unstable and wars will be everywhere. Since Zhenguan, His Majesty and the people have The great situation that I have worked so hard to create will be destroyed in one day."
Li Chengqian was about to say more, but Fang Jun had already continued: "Your Highness, rest assured, I am not a reckless person. I will carefully weigh the comparison of the combat power of the two sides to ensure that nothing is missed before I can go out to control Hexi. If I am not sure of victory, I will I will work with His Highness to protect Guanzhong, and at the same time spread the word to the world, and order all armies to come to Beijing to serve the King."
But if that time really comes, a charge of "being unable to protect the country" will make Li Chengqian's position as the crown prince shaky.
Li Chengqian naturally understood the consequences, but said categorically: "Even if the prince Gu is really crippled, he must not let Erlang put himself in danger!"
He is a person who values friendship and was able to fall out with Li Yuanchang over a woman. He defended Fang Jun not only because Fang Jun was his assistant who helped him keep his throne and even ascend to the throne, but he also couldn't watch Fang Jun fall into the enemy's position in order to keep his position as prince.
Otherwise, even if he becomes emperor in the future, how can he let go of today's affairs?
If he feels guilty all his life, then the emperor might as well not do it.
Fang Jun was moved in his heart and laughed: "Your Highness is so kind to me, and I am so grateful! Your Highness must know that although Wei Chen is called a stick, he is actually greedy for life and afraid of death. If you are not completely sure, your Highness will chase you away." When Wei Chen went to Hexi with him, Wei Chen would also complain that he was ill. But if he could win the battle, the feat of holding up a building that was about to collapse and turning the tide of collapse would be achieved by His Highness locking up Wei Chen. I must go and catch him!"
How could Li Chengqian not hear that he was trying to comfort himself? Qi said: "Don't say such nonsense! If Tuyuhun really rebels and the right guard is defeated, you as the commander naturally cannot escape and will be trapped in the enemy's formation. How can there be any hope of survival? You don't care about others, but you It is absolutely impossible to die, otherwise how can I explain to Gao Yang and Chang...Sizi?"
I was so anxious that I almost said "Changle"...
Li Daozong said from the side: "Erlang must feel your highness's love and care. However, your highness does not need to worry too much. Xue Yantuo had 200,000 people who controlled the strings. Erlang led his army straight into Mobei, killing corpses all over the field. To banish the wolf to Xu in the Dragon Court? Tuyuhun suffered heavy losses, but no matter what, he is not even half as good as Xue Yantuo. With the elite of the Youtun Guards, supplemented by firearms, he may not be incapable of fighting."
On the battlefield, there is never a sure-win battle.
No matter how many soldiers there are and how many generals there are, they can still suffer miserable defeats. Even if they have many soldiers and many generals, they can also defeat the many with less.
If the temple is the winner before the battle, you can fight.
Li Daozong had unparalleled confidence in Fang Jun and the Youtun Guards under Fang Jun, an army equipped with the earliest and most practical firearms in the army.
Because he personally participated in the battle to attack Tuyuhun. Tuyuhun seemed to have strong troops and horses, but in fact he lacked bravery, resourcefulness, and morale. When the wind was favorable, he could gallop across Qinghai, but when the wind was against him, his morale was completely lost, and he collapsed at the first touch.
Li Chengqian looked worried, but couldn't say more.
After all, he is the crown prince, and he is now responsible for supervising the country. It would be a huge dereliction of duty if he still defends his trusted ministers when the enemy is attacking the city and plundering the territory, causing the war situation to deteriorate.
