The Shengtang Dynasty, which lasted for eight hundred years, occupied a vast territory spanning thousands of miles across the twenty-eight states of Middle-earth. In order to seize and defend this territory, the dynasty faced almost countless opponents.
But having said that, before, neither the large or small city-states in the Jinhe River Basin nor the Hu people in the north and the barbarians in the south made Shengtang feel unusually vigilant like the Turkic Empire does today.
The reason is simple, the Turks are very powerful, as powerful as the Holy Tang.
In just a few decades, the Western Continent was ravaged by the Turks with the force of the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves. Except for Persia, Dashi, Tianzhu and other countries, they desperately supported and survived, and the other small countries all surrendered.
Therefore, in terms of pure national strength, the Turkic Empire in the Western Continent is not much inferior to the Shengtang in the Eastern China. In fact, the Turks are even better in terms of being martial and warlike.
I don’t know since when, Xuanmen and Holy Religion became the ideological foundation of the entire dynasty.
Taoism emphasizes tranquility and inaction, while the holy religion promotes benevolence, justice, loyalty and filial piety. Officials and people in the Shengtang Dynasty gradually accepted civilized education, established imperial examinations, and respected morality. "Be gentle, courteous, thrifty, and yielding" was regarded as a noble expression. Except for the royal family and the military, they still insisted on martial arts and martial ethics. , the whole dynasty has become more peaceful.
Under such circumstances, the Turks, who took pleasure in bloodthirsty killings, naturally became more and more terrifying to the people of Shengtang.
The people were afraid, and so was the court.
Therefore, it became a national policy of Shengtang to try to avoid direct conflict with the Turkic Empire and never start a war unless absolutely necessary.
When the rebellion in Western Xinjiang first started, the late Emperor Li Chengwen mobilized an army of 470,000 troops and pounced on them with the intent of massacre. In fact, to some extent, he had the intention of "ending the war with war."
Only a strong enough force can deter powerful enemies and avoid the outbreak of a national war due to misjudgment.
Because of this, when the imperial capital received an urgent report from the Zhenjiang Protectorate that the Turks had invaded the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang and provoked a war, everyone in the imperial court agreed that the most elite forces of Shengtang should be dispatched immediately to deal with it. In order to quickly quell the crisis.
Rapid suppression is also to avoid a larger war.
In this way, the "First Western Xinjiang Battle" between the Holy Tang Dynasty and the Turks in history began unknowingly.
Xie Guang, the famous general of the dynasty and the commander of the Xuanjia Legion, personally took the lead and commanded 100,000 Xuanjia cavalry and 70,000 border guards to fight against the 150,000 soldiers and horses of the Turkic Blood Wolf Legion in the Western Xinjiang.
The first real contest between the two warring parties, and also the most important contest in the entire battle, took place in King Chechi City.
This battle lasted for seven days, and was also called the "Seven-Day Battle" by later generations.
In the first half of the fierce battle, the Turks were the main attackers and Shengtang was the main defender. Nearly 150,000 Turkic blood wolf troops besieged King Chechi's city, which was defended by 70,000 Zhenjiang troops. The two sides fought fiercely for five days and five nights. The attacking side tried its best and almost succeeded. However, just when the royal city was about to be captured by the Turks, the main force of Shengtang arrived on the battlefield in time and immediately reversed the offensive and defensive momentum.
The Seven-Day Battle thus entered a more intense second half.
However, to the surprise of the Turks, the Xuanjia Army who rushed to the rescue did not directly go into battle. Instead, they were still dispatched by the Protectorate to forcefully challenge the Turkic army with a weak division.
What they didn't expect was that the Xinjiang Army, which was mainly composed of infantry, actually fought with the Blood Wolf Cavalry on the plains and wilderness for two full hours, until both sides were exhausted and watched the battle from the sidelines. The black armor cavalry suddenly launched and launched a fierce attack on the main force of the wolf army.
The outcome of this battle was determined the moment the black wave rushed down the hill.
Not long after, the Imperial Capital received a battle report from Western Xinjiang from thousands of miles away:
In the battle to defend Chechi King City, Shengtang won a great victory!
In this battle, the 150,000 soldiers and horses of the Turkic Blood Wolf Clan were completely defeated by the Xuanjia Army. The enemy killed more than 27,000 people, wounded more than 60,000, and captured 9,233 prisoners, including 68 officers above centurion.
The enemy's deputy commander, Duke Karen, was killed on the spot, and coach Guritai led the remaining troops to retreat westward.
Currently, the Xuanjia Army is dividing its troops into multiple groups to pursue and defeat the enemy.
The entire battle report did not mention the Zhenjiang Protectorate at all, as if those people were completely transparent.
However, this did not affect Emperor Li Chengwu's good mood.
Hearing that the Turks were defeated, Li Chengwu was overjoyed and immediately issued a decree to reward the frontline soldiers. At the same time, he promoted Xie Guang to a first-class military prince and received the title of "Shangzhu Kingdom".
Logically speaking, after an important victory in a war like this, it is normal to issue a general order to reward meritorious personnel. However, formal promotions and promotions often need to wait until the entire war is over and the victory or defeat is completely determined before declaring merit and rewards.
The main reason why Li Chengwu was so anxious to be promoted to Xie Guang's official position was because he was so happy.
The reason is still the same sentence: written documents are not written, and military actions are not effective.
As the 30th emperor of the Holy Tang Dynasty, Li Chengwu was simply a saint-like existence compared to previous emperors.
Before he took the throne, the Jin Dynasty Rebellion and the military struggle broke out, but those things had nothing to do with him. After ascending to the throne, Li Chengwu never really used the sword of Shengtang for so many years. The armies from all walks of life can only play swatting flies all day long.
Some time ago, due to a disaster that had never happened in a century, some nomads in Mobei occasionally went south to plunder. The Ministry of War saw this opportunity and talked hard before asking Li Chengwu to issue an order so that the Xuanjia Army could send troops northward and use those small tribes like horse bandits to sharpen their swords and practice their skills.
However, this war in Western Xinjiang is completely different from the Battle of Mobei. The Turkic Empire, whose strength is comparable to that of Shengtang, dispatched hundreds of thousands of elites to launch a brazen invasion of Guimo in Western Xinjiang. Even Cao Yongji, a veteran of the Protectorate, was completely defeated. If it was still handled improperly, the long-standing military power in the western part of the dynasty would The peaceful situation will be gone.
Therefore, as an emperor, Li Chengwu had to pay attention to it and was even more worried about whether this battle could be successfully won.
Although we can't compare to the illustrious military exploits of the late emperors, we can't be too ugly.
Because of this, when he read the good news from Xie Guang from Western Xinjiang, he could not hide his excitement. He repeatedly urged the messengers to send the reward message to the front line quickly, and at the same time ordered the historians of the National History Station to write down it in vivid colors. One stroke:
In the 820th year of the Holy Tang Calendar, Emperor Chengwu dispatched the Xuanjia Legion to fight against the 150,000 elite Turkic Blood Wolf Army, and won a great victory in the battle of Western Xinjiang!
-
After Zhang Sanpi read the commendation order sent by the Ministry of War of the Imperial Capital, he didn't say anything more and just put it quietly on the table with his expression as usual.
Xie Guang looked at him with interest for a while and smiled slightly: "Brother Sanpi, you don't seem very happy."
Zhang Sanpi: "The commander-in-chief made a strong statement. The imperial court commends the frontline soldiers, and I feel honored to be one of them."
Seeing that he was neither humble nor arrogant, Xie Guang secretly praised this man for being extraordinary, but he said: "This battle is won by my dear brother, who deserves the first credit. When I return to the court, I will definitely tell Emperor Ming to ask for credit for you."
As he spoke, he deliberately lowered his voice: "Old Cao will definitely be finished this time. Even if he doesn't lose his head or go to jail, he will probably have to resign and return to his hometown. You and I know very well what kind of person Guan Zhan is, so... He Dadu protector My successor will probably be you, my good brother."
Zhang Sanpi felt a bit disgusted in his heart, and said in a calm tone: "The Commander-in-Chief is joking about his humble position. How could Sanpi be so virtuous, how dare he covet the position of Commander-in-Chief?"
"Hey, you can't say that," Xie Guang smiled and waved his hand: "You and I are classmates in the martial arts hall, and we have a close friendship. How many years older than you are, I can be considered an elder brother. Of course we are brothers. I need to take special care of you. The imperial court has just promoted me to the rank of Shangzhu, and I can speak in front of the emperor regarding military matters. I have everything under my control, so you can rest assured."
Faced with Xie Guang's deliberate wooing, Zhang Sanpi remained unmoved and responded calmly: "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, for your kindness. It's not enough. Who does this Zhenjiang Commandery Seal belong to? It's really not a humble position." I dare not make any assumptions. I came here to discuss with the commander-in-chief how we should cooperate in the next battle with the enemy."
Xie Guang never expected that his "confidential" words would be met with disgrace by Zhang Sanpi. He suddenly looked sulky and snorted coldly: "Well, since Deputy Zhang cares about fame as little as trivial matters, it's Xie who is overly worried. If you ask about the battle, I have already taken care of it."
As he spoke, he picked up a scroll on the table and threw it in front of Zhang Sanpi.
Zhang Sanpi unfolded the scroll and looked at it, and couldn't help but be slightly stunned: "General, you don't need us to participate in the pursuit of the Turks?"
Xie Guang's tone was cold: "The Zhenjiang Army has fought hard before and suffered huge losses. I sympathize with your hard work and the brigadier generals are resting. What's wrong? Is there anything wrong?"
Zhang Sanpi cursed in his heart: Damn it, we have to fight hard and hard battles, and the good things like chasing down the remaining enemies are yours. You can talk about being considerate of the Xinjiang Army. You are really good at planning.
He smiled slightly and said calmly: "The commander-in-chief loves his soldiers as much as his sons, and I admire him for his humble position. However, the ghost desert in Western Xinjiang has a weird climate and complex terrain, and the thirty-six countries each have their own national conditions. We, the Protector of Xinjiang, Although the government's combat power is average, the advantage is that it has been stationed here for a long time and is familiar with the situation. In pursuit of the Turks, we should do our best."
Hearing what he said, Xie Guang couldn't help but hesitate: Although Zhang Sanpi was cunning, his words were indeed reasonable. For a general like Xie Guang who is good at conquering and fighting, the effect of chasing a powerful enemy in an unfamiliar area will be greatly reduced if there is no local snake to lead the way.
Maybe, if you are not careful, you will be bitten by the Turks in turn, and the gain will outweigh the loss.
Thinking of this, Xie Guang showed a sneer on his lips and nodded slightly: "My dear brother, what you said makes sense. So be it, you will select two thousand elite scouts for me, assign them to each Xuanjia army, and chase the fleeing enemies together. .”
Zhang Sanpi did not expect that Xie Guang would make such a move. Not only did he not give the Duhufu a chance to make meritorious deeds, but he would also take advantage of them and use Zhenjiang's scouts to lead the way for their Xuanjia.
He thought for a moment and then retreated to advance: "That's fine. Most of us here are veteran soldiers who are familiar with the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang. Although their legs, feet and eyes are not very useful, there is no problem in leading the army."
When Xie Guang heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows: "Old Army? Brother Sanpi, are you joking? What I want is the Pegasus Scout Battalion."
Zhang Sanpi had long guessed that the other party wanted to borrow the most elite Pegasus scouts, so he pretended to be embarrassed: "Pegasus scouts? This... this is a bit difficult to handle."
"Oh? Why is it so difficult?"
"The commander-in-chief doesn't know something," Zhang Sanpi explained calmly: "We have a hundred thousand people in the Zhenjiang Protectorate, and the most precious ones are the Pegasus scouts. Generally speaking, they all belong to the Protectorate of He Jingming. Those under direct command will not be easily called upon unless it is a major matter. I originally thought that I would keep them in my hands well to meet emergencies, and maybe they could make some contributions to the Protectorate. So you see..."
Xie Guang was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then laughed loudly, pointed at Zhang Sanpi's nose and cursed: "You're such a slippery man, you're so clever! Well, it's up to you. The Zhenjiang Army will also send some cavalry battalions." Brigade, let’s go chase the Turks together, and let you take some credit. But don’t try to be careless with me about the Pegasus scouts again!”
