In Tuyuhun Fuqi City Palace, Murong Fuyun sat high on the throne, frowning at the information in his hand.
Murong Yong, the king of Tianzhu, stepped inside quickly and saluted: "See the Great Khan."
"No courtesy!" Murong Fuyun nodded, put down the silk book in his hand, and asked, "What's going on with that traitor Murong Zhao?"
Murong Zhao was the Tianbi King of Tuyuhun. He offered Sansha City to the Sui Dynasty last year. Afterwards, instead of holding him accountable, Yang Ji returned his headquarters in full. Murong Fuyun originally thought that this was one of the results of the negotiations between the two parties. Who would have expected that after Murong Zhao returned to Tuyuhun, he did not even come to Fuqi City, but returned to Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake where his headquarters were located in the name of changing defenses. In this area, Murong Fuyun's dream of killing Murong Zhao and seizing his tribe came to nothing.
That's all, but he actually flirted with Su Bi secretly, and his desire to be an independent king is self-evident. This made Murong Fuyun extremely angry.
Murong Yong replied respectfully: "Reporting to the Great Khan, on the way Murong Zhao retreated to the south, Niluo Zhou led people to intercept him, but was killed by Murong Zhao with 5,000 soldiers and horses. Now he has fled to the southeast of Eling Lake. "
"Hmph!" Murong Fuyun snorted coldly: "Nero Zhou also had 20,000 elite soldiers under his command, but they were easily killed by Murong Zhao. What a waste."
"Great Khan!" Murong Yong said with a bitter smile: "Long before the First Lord, Murong Zhao had been protecting the safety of various tribes in the south. In many battles with the Subi Kingdom, they all ended in great victory, so he was the leader of all tribes in the south. He has great prestige. When his troops arrived, the southern tribes were happy and too late. How could they fight with him? Although Niluo Zhou had many soldiers and generals, he had been harassed by young men from various tribes since he went south. Such a beleaguered army, How can he be the opponent of Murong Zhao who is as comfortable as a fish in water?"
Murong Fuyun's face suddenly darkened. He was silent for a while and then said: "If the Sui Dynasty hadn't been pressing harder and harder, Murong Zhao alone would not be qualified to compete with me. Now my main enemy in Tuyuhun is It's the Sui Dynasty, so they have no choice but to let go of Murong Zhao who has not declared independence for the time being, and let him protect the peace of the south first!"
Murong Yong said hurriedly: "The Great Khan is wise!"
"Wise?" Murong Fuyun sneered. If he was really wise and powerful, he would not have plundered the land of Liangzhou under the hostage of greedy famous kings and chiefs in order to secure his throne.
It can be said that Murong Fuyun was only responsible for 30% of Tuyuhun's situation in this situation, and the other 70% should be attributed to the famous kings and chiefs of various tribes. However, after all, there is not even a trace of it now. meaning.
At this moment, the situation in Tuyuhun is grim, and it can no longer bear the price of internal fighting. For the current plan, the only way is to unite all the forces that can be united, otherwise, it will not be able to defeat the Sui Dynasty at its peak.
Although Yang Ji nominally agreed to serve as the ambassador for the peace talks, neither Murong Fuyun nor Murong Yong dared to place Tuyuhun's hopes on the illusory peace talks. If they really believed that Yang Ji kept his promise, I am afraid that the Sui army would soon In the future, they will be killed at Fuqi City.
"The khans of our nomadic countries generally establish their supreme authority in wars, while the Central Plains dynasties are just the opposite of us. Before they are internally stable, they generally adopt a passive defense strategy externally. The founding king of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian is dead, and Yang Guang, who has just ascended to Dabao, has not yet gained the prestige of being unequivocal. Otherwise, his brother Yang Liang would not have rebelled against him. This also shows that the Sui Dynasty is not monolithic now." Murong Fuyun stood up and left. After a few steps, he suddenly turned to Murong Yong and said: "I think there are certain differences within the Sui Dynasty regarding the attitude towards Tuyuhun. Even if Yang Guang insists on launching a war, I'm afraid he won't have many troops to support Yang Ji. So. The only ones we have to worry about now are Yang Ji and the Liangzhou Army. If the war resumes, the Sui army will definitely be dominated by the Liangzhou Army."
Murong Yong nodded when he heard this. Liangzhou has thirteen or four states in name. The land of Liangzhou is narrow in the north and south and long in the east and west. Except for the three lower states in the interior, the rest are all related to Tuyuhun, the Western Regions, Turks and other foreign countries bordered Liangzhou, so the front line that Liangzhou needed to defend was very long. If Yang Ji really restarted the war, he would not have many troops to use without the support of the Sui court.
With Tuyuhun's current military strength, terrain, and climate, it is not difficult to deal with the small Sui army. The difficulty is that Tuyuhun was worried about angering the Sui Dynasty monarchs and attracting hundreds of thousands of troops, so they did not dare to take the initiative to attack. However, if the confrontation continued like this, it would not be a good thing for Tuyuhun.
So in a sense, if Yang Ji took the initiative to initiate a war and let both sides fight a hearty battle, it would be beneficial to Tuyuhun.
Murong Yong hesitated for a moment and said to Murong Fuyun: "Great Khan, there is news from the southeast that Party Xiang Qiang Tuoba Chici is constantly gathering various ministries, and its movements and intentions are unclear. Should we contain it? "
"Hmph!" Murong Fuyun couldn't help but snorted coldly after hearing this: "Don't pay attention to him for the time being, and his actions indirectly helped us attract the attention of Zhou Fashang, the general manager of Shuzhou, which is beneficial to us in Tuyuhun. When we get through the current crisis, it will not be difficult to divide the parties with different people's hearts. By the way, what's happening with Yang Ji recently?"
"Yang Ji?" Murong Yong was startled for a moment, then shook his head and said: "There is no news. According to reports from our army's scouts, Yang Ji has been staying in Daxing City since Yang Jian was seriously ill. Everything is taken care of by Yin Shishi and Yu Shinan."
Murong Fuyun frowned and said: "Judging from his previous performance, Yang Ji is definitely a foolhardy man. There is no reason for him to stay in the capital of the Sui Dynasty for so long with peace of mind before the situation in Liangzhou is clear. Inform the scouts and Xi Zuo , closely monitor Yang Ji’s movements, and be sure to notify me as soon as he comes to Liangzhou.”
Murong Yong asked: "Great Khan, do you mean to say that Yang Ji has arrived in Ganzhou, and the one in the capital is false?"
"Exactly."
"Is the Great Khan worried too much?" Murong Yong said with some disapproval: "Although we have lost Shanshan and Qiemo, the defensive line has been shortened as a result. No matter which direction the Sui army marches from, it will be difficult to hide from our army. The main force of Yang Ji is concentrated in the North Valley of Dangjin Mountain Pass, and there are 80,000 troops stationed there. Presumably the Sui army cannot get in, and the rest of the nodes are more defensive than aggressive. Therefore For now, even if Yang Ji arrives in Ganzhou, I'm afraid he won't be able to threaten me, Tuyuhun, right?"
"When we had more than 100,000 troops in the west, I didn't expect that Murong Zhao and Murong Tieren would be defeated so miserably, let alone that Yang Ji would use the so-called Shanshan Army to paralyze them." Murong Fuyun defeated Murong Moyong. He glanced at it and said coldly: "Since Yang Ji has done it for the first time, there is no guarantee that he will not do it again, so we must not take it lightly. Let Tuoba Mumi be the Marshal of Shannan and take over the army in the south valley of Dangjin Pass as soon as possible. , as long as the situation in the west is stabilized, other confrontation nodes will be easy to handle. In addition, give Murong Zhao an appointment and a promise."
Murong Fuyun said solemnly: "As long as he defends the south and is willing to defend the southeast, I will confer him the title of Second Khan of Tuyuhun. At the same time, I will order Niluo Zhou to immediately lead the retreat and take charge of the military affairs of Qilianyuan."
Murong Yong saluted and said, "Here."
Murong Fuyun thought for a while and said to him: "You can just leave these matters to others. Tomorrow, you will go to Zhangye again. On the one hand, you can try your best to persuade the Sui Dynasty to give up and make peace. On the other hand, you can also I will take this opportunity to inquire about Liangzhou’s military trends and deployment. If we can end the confrontation, I will remember your great contribution."
"As you command!"
. . . . . . . .
At the end of February in the first year of Daye, the land of the Central Plains thawed, everything revived, and the green color became abundant. It was the mating season of animals again. However, in the area around Jinshan Pass in Shanshandang, the wind was biting and the ice and snow were beginning to melt.
Waves of misty misty rain fell on the vast and majestic wilderness at the western foot of the Altun Mountains. The undulating mountains and winding river banks seemed to be covered with a layer of light white felt that seemed to be there or not, but even so shallow and light. Even the vitality cannot cover up the bare desolation of the northwest.
Today, the North Valley of Dangjinshan Pass has fallen into the hands of the Sui Dynasty, and has become the first strategic frontier for the Sui Dynasty to advance westward into the hinterland of Tuyuhun. There is a huge military camp standing in the valley between the two mountains. Since the tents were originally gray-white, they were now covered with a layer of ice and snow, making the tents almost the same color as the sky and the earth. If you don't look closer, you won't notice this at all. It was a tent, but I mistakenly thought it was a raised snow hill. Although the ice and snow on the tent threatens to collapse the tent, it is not without its benefits. At least the snow on the corners and roof of the tent can seal all the gaps and keep the tent as warm as possible.
Before the cold winter came, the Sui soldiers in the military camp, together with the prisoners of war and the slaves of the Tuyuhun nobles, cut a large amount of firewood from the Altun Mountains and the Qilian Mountains. Build a bonfire to keep the tent warm as spring and protected from the wind and snow outside.
The livestock sheds and pens were also protected, but in this long cold winter, some cattle, sheep, and horses were still frozen to death. However, for this army, such a small loss was almost negligible.
In the Chinese army's tent, Mai Tiezhang, Xue Shixiong and Qian Shixiong gathered their generals to hold the first grand military meeting since the beginning of spring.
As early as when Yang Ji left Liangzhou and went to Guanzhong, he ordered the states to focus on defense. However, after Yang Ji returned to Guanzhong, he experienced too many things and he had no time to care about Liangzhou. Fortunately, the governors and general managers of each state in Liangzhou were all men of both civil and military talents. In addition, there were no foreign enemies who dared to provoke the Sui Dynasty, which was at its peak, so nothing happened in Liangzhou.
Xue Shixiong, Mai Tiezhang and other generals had nothing to fight, so they took up the posts of Shanshan School Inspector and Qiemo School Inspector, and began to work as civil servants; when they gradually implemented the various policies formulated by Liangzhou When this system was used in Shanshan and Qiemo, the two unexpectedly discovered that the government affairs of Shanshan and Qiemo had been manipulated by them.
In the past six months, Shanshan and Qiemo have overcome the trauma of the war, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are changing with each passing day. With the support of the Liangzhou Prefectural Mufu, Xue Shixiong and Mai Tiezhang mainly accomplished three major events, all of which were great deeds that benefited the country and the people.
The first is the restoration of the Silk Road.
Before Shanshan and Qiemo, it belonged to the territory of Tuyuhun, and Tuyuhun was hostile to Gaochang, Yanqi, Qiuci, Khotan, and the Qibi Geling tribe of the western branch of Tieleqibi in the west, so the western section of the southern Silk Road It has been interrupted for a long time, causing great losses to the people of Shanshan and Qiemo. The first thing Mai Tiezhang and Xue Shixiong did was to restore the Silk Road and trade with various countries in the Western Regions in the name of the Sui Dynasty. With the re-opening of the Silk Road, these two places gradually became prosperous.
The second step was spring plowing. The Sui Dynasty's frontier army implemented the military system and the field system, so the officers and soldiers in the army were all farmers who were proficient in farming. In addition to dividing the land equally between the two, they asked some soldiers with peasant backgrounds to teach the people of Shanshan and Qiemo how to cultivate land, how to divert water, and how to plant. They also used the latest farming technology of the Sui Dynasty to seek production for the local people, giving the people confidence in the future. .
The third is running schools. After the establishment of Liangzhou University, many poor scholars admired the name of Er Liu and traveled all the way to Liangzhou to attend lectures. Therefore, Liangzhou did not lack teachers from the four schools and county schools, and these poor scholars saw that the teachers in the school were also an "iron" It was difficult for them to become officials because of their lack of jobs. Under the call of Er Liu, they went to Shanshan, Qiemo, Xizhou, Yizhou, Tingzhou, and Guazhou to teach and educate people. It was quite the attitude of educated youth going to the countryside.
For the people of Shanshan and Qiemo who had just become the children of the Sui Dynasty, they were very insecure. What they needed most was the recognition of the 'new master'. When the government said that their children would be successful if they were successful in learning and talented. But when I became an official or prime minister of the Sui Dynasty, I felt a lot more stable. As soon as the simple school opened, children were sent to the school one after another to study.
Waiting for Mai Tiezhang and Xue Shixiong to do these three major events promoted the development of commerce, agriculture, and education in Shanshan and Qiemo, and at the same time ensured local security. It can be said to be comprehensive, and coupled with the unique natural conditions of Shanshan and Qiemo, Why can't we change three times a day?
The people are realistic. They care about their three meals a day, the severity of their taxes, and their safety. Whether the ruler's surname is Yang or Murong has nothing to do with them.
Compared with the people of Tuyuhun at that time, the people of the Sui Dynasty not only had clear and low taxes, but also their descendants could compete with the legendary sages for official positions. Therefore, when they saw that the government's promises were fulfilled one by one, , their hearts quickly settled down.
The stability and recovery of the rear area also made Xue Shixiong and Mai Tiezhang relieved, and gradually shifted their focus back to the military.
In the past six months, the situation in Tuyuhun has undergone some changes. According to the original plan of Yang Ji and others, after Murong Zhao took his headquarters back to Tuyuhun, he thought that there would be a fight between dragons and tigers, and then ended with Murong Zhao being defeated. After all, both sides There was a huge difference in strength. When the Sui army did not take any action, it was not a problem for Murong Fuyun to deal with Murong Zhao's troops who had lost troops and generals and soldiers were sluggish. But Murong Zhao actually strictly followed the cakes Yang Ji drew for him. When he entered the country from Dangjin Pass, he led his soldiers directly to the south.
Murong Fuyun originally wanted to lure Murong Zhao into Fuqi City and kill him, but he was caught off guard. In anger, he ordered Dabao King Niluo Zhou to lead his army to pursue him.
In terms of military strength, morale, food, weapons and equipment, Murong Zhao was completely at a disadvantage, but everyone in Murong Zhao's defeated army wanted to return. When they retreated to the Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake areas where their headquarters was located, they were suddenly intercepted. They all fought to the death and defeated Niluo Zhou's pursuing army.
Niluo Zhou could have annihilated this tragic army, but he did not know the military principle of "don't stop when the enemy returns". He only relied on his superiority in military strength to outflank him, but was killed by Murong Zhao who defeated the many with less. A battle that turned defeat into victory. The battle lasted for more than two hours, and the Niluo Zhou army finally turned into a crushing defeat.
Murong Zhao did not take advantage of the victory to pursue him. After seizing Niluo Zhou's supplies, he continued to retreat southward without hesitation.
In this battle, Murong Zhao's timing of attack and retreat was extremely precise. When Niluo Zhou's rear army arrived, he had already fled with his ruthless army with high morale. His performance, in the eyes of Mai Tiezhang and Xue Shixiong, was quite beautiful. Now Murong Zhao has retreated to his headquarters, but the surrounding key areas are all Murong Fuyun's territory. His best way out is to fight a bloody road, quickly retreat to the south, and then conclude a joint advance and retreat alliance with Su Biguo or Dangxiang. .
However, before Murong Zhao had a new ally, the Sui army had to take action and help him contain Murong Fuyun's army, otherwise the chess piece laid by Yang Jibu would definitely be annihilated.
Xue Shixiong looked at the map for a while and said to Mai Tiezhang with a solemn expression: "Manager Mai, Murong Fuyun is already in trouble internally and externally. He will never allow Murong Zhao to open the door to split Tuyuhun at this time, so I think he even for personal prestige and for After shocking Xiao Xiao, he will definitely not give up and will not allow Murong Zhao a chance to develop in peace. If Murong Zhao is defeated, Murong Fuyun's reputation in Tuyuhun will definitely rise greatly, making his shaky status stable again."
"The key point is that Murong Fuyun still has nearly 100,000 elite soldiers. If he gathers the young men together, he will have at least 200,000 fighting men. If his reputation increases and his position becomes stable, it will cause great harm to our army. Threat. Even if he breaks the cauldron and leads his army to fight, our army may suffer heavy losses."
Xue Shixiong and Mai Tiezhang are both general managers, marching commanders, and governors of Xiazhou. In theory, their status is the same. However, in this western battlefield, Xue Shixiong is in the position of deputy general, so he only has the right to make suggestions, but the final decision-making power. In the hands of McIron Staff.
"General Manager Xue, how many new soldiers have you recruited in Qiemo?" Mai Tiezhang asked.
"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint Mr. Mai." Xue Shixiong said with a bitter smile: "Mo's land is vast and sparsely populated, and we can't force them to join the army, so as not to damage the good reputation of the Sui Dynasty in Qiemo. In the past three months, I have been in Qiemo We recruited soldiers from all over the territory, but only more than 4,000 soldiers were recruited, and they are all untrained recruits, so they may not be able to participate in the war."
Last year, Xue Shixiong brought 5,000 Sui troops, 5,000 slave troops, and 5,000 Gaochang troops from Yizhou to assist in the war. After Qu Wentai and Gaochang troops showed their loyalty to the Sui Dynasty, they returned home as early as last year with their spoils of war. .
Now, excluding more than 4,000 new soldiers and the Sui soldiers deployed in Qiemo, his army only has a pitiful 6,000 people. Among these 6,000 soldiers, they are still mainly slave soldiers. If there were not 50,000 soldiers here, With the Guazhou Army and the 20,000 Shanshan Army present, he was really worried that these slave soldiers from Turkic prisoners of war would escape and rebel.
"Four thousand is quite a lot. I have recruited more than 3,000 recruits in Shanshan." Mai Tiezhang comforted poor Xue Shixiong, and then said: "Didn't you find the ancient Silk Road? I am going to lead 10,000 elite soldiers." Crossing Mangya, in the name of Su Pi, the internal chaos of Tuyuhun was made, so that Murong Fuyun was surrounded by enemies both inside and outside, and had no time to annihilate Murong Zhao. You and Deputy General Manager Qian stayed at the camp, defending against the Tuyuhun army in the south valley, while actively training new recruits. I Someone will be sent to Zhangye to deliver a letter, asking General Yin to put pressure on various confrontation nodes to reduce the pressure on our western battlefield. What do you think?"
"Is this a good method?"
Mai Tiezhang laughed loudly and waved his hand heroically: "I am not as good as you when it comes to commanding an army duel in an upright manner, but when it comes to sneaking around, you are not as good as me. This type of fighting behind enemy lines is naturally for me, Mai Tiezhang."
Xue Shixiong was speechless after hearing this.
Mai Tiezhang's words may seem arrogant, but they are indeed true. With only a few thousand elite soldiers, he turned Shanshan into a mess and killed tens of thousands of Tuyuhun elite soldiers. What is his ability?
"General Manager Mai, General Manager Xue, it is good to fight behind enemy lines, but we have no orders and no reason to fight, right?" Qian Shixiong next to him hesitated: "We, the Sui Dynasty, and Tuyuhun are in peace talks. If we go to war without authorization, the division will be unknown. !”
"Why is the master out of nowhere?" Mai Tiezhang chuckled: "It's Su Pi who chooses the opportunity to fight. What does it have to do with me, the Sui Dynasty?"
Qian Shixiong smiled bitterly and said: "But King Wei is not in Liangzhou. I'm afraid it won't be good for us to do this, right?"
"It doesn't matter!" Mai Tiezhang pulled Yang Ji out carelessly: "The mission given to us by King Wei is mainly defense, and he did not say that we cannot break into the enemy's territory with partial troops. If we ask for instructions on everything, wouldn't it be a waste of time? Fighter plane?"
He was speaking well at first, but he suddenly changed his tone and said: "King Wei is very grand and bold in his foreign strategy. I know his character very well. His principle is to make us feel free to work hard, and he has made great contributions. It belongs to us, and if anything happens it will be his fault."
"..." Everyone was speechless.
Judging from what he said, he seemed to be very familiar with King Wei.
He himself wanted to make meritorious deeds and live his life as a thief, but he did everything under the banner of Yang Ji. If Yang Ji knew about it, he would probably be very depressed, right?
"Report!" At this moment, a school captain rushed into the tent and said loudly: "Report to General Manager Mai and General Manager Xue, urgent news from Ganzhou."
After hearing this, Mai Tiezhang took the letter from the captain and unfolded it. He read the letter at a glance and couldn't help laughing.
"Mr. Mai, why are you so happy?" Xue Shixiong asked curiously.
"King Wei still knows about me, Lao Mai." Mai Tiezhang laughed wildly and said to everyone: "King Wei is already on his way back to Ganzhou. On the way, he ordered me to hand over the main army to him in the name of Liangzhou Prefectural Shepherd. General Manager Xue, let you and Deputy General Manager Qian tighten the border system, and then let me lead a partial force from the ancient Silk Road into the Tuyuhun territory to cause destruction. Murong Fuyun must not be allowed to destroy Murong Zhao. At the same time, various nodes in the east are also We will put pressure on Tuyuhun and deploy 35,000 troops in the Qilianyuan area alone."
Everyone was overjoyed when they heard the words. Although the content of Mai Tiezhang's words was the same as the previous discussion, because of the superior's order, everyone no longer had any worries.
"Report!" Before everyone could discuss the specific deployment, another scout captain broke into the tent and saluted: "Report to the two managers, Murong Zhao sent envoys to ask for help."
Mai Tiezhang and Xue Shixiong looked at each other, and they could see that they liked each other, and they immediately said loudly: "Now, the teacher is famous."
