Li Jiangyao smiled heartily and asked the three of them to sit down and chat slowly.
After Chen Zhen sat down, he said to Li Jiangyao: "Sir, since you returned to the Central Plains, all the soldiers in the army have been thinking about you all the time. Sometimes when I think about it, I feel like I have lost my soul."
"Hahaha, you are exaggerating. I am not the lover of your dreams. How can I lose my soul?" Li Jiangyao said with a smile: "Hey, let me ask you, this is the Intelligence Department in Ulan The stronghold of the city?”
Chen Zhen responded: "Reporting to your lord, this Maji Silk Embroidery Shop, including the boss, the boss's wife, and the embroidery worker, all seven people inside and outside are from the Intelligence Department. We are responsible for relaying intelligence exchanges between Wulan and Metasequoia. .”
Zhou Xingzai asked curiously: "Transmitting information? So, do you have other spies in Ulan City?"
"That's right, Mr. Zhou, there are still many people." Chen Zhen said: "They are secretly lurking inside and outside the city, collecting all kinds of information about the enemy, and we compile this information and send it back to the headquarters."
Li Jiangyao was thinking about the Zhenjiang Army and asked, "How are Xu Youchang and the others doing? I heard they just had a great victory before?"
When Nan Hejin heard him ask about this, he was excited and about to answer. Suddenly he remembered that he had just been reprimanded by Chen Zhen, so he carefully closed his mouth and watched Chen Zhen answer eagerly.
I only heard Chen Zhen say: "Sir, it is indeed a great victory! In this battle, our army annihilated more than 4,000 Turkic Yakut regiments, and all the invading enemies were repelled. For this reason, Gema was furious and ordered the Turkic Yakuts under his command to be killed. The generals were beheaded in public display."
Then, he told Li Jiangyao and Zhou Xing the ins and outs of the battle in detail.
Li Zhou and others were delighted to hear it, and they were all happy for the victory of the Zhenjiang Army. Li Jiangyao said with emotion: "Lao Xu, he is fighting more and more skillfully! Brothers in the legion are fighting for their best, and your intelligence department is fighting for your best. Okay, very good!"
When Chen Zhen and Nan Hejin heard the commander-in-chief praise the intelligence department for its merits, they couldn't help but look at each other happily, with proud expressions on their faces.
Li Jiangyao praised them a few more words, then changed the subject and asked, "Have you heard about what happened in the military camp outside the city last night?"
Chen Zhen was a little surprised: "Sir, your information is so well-informed! We only learned about this this morning, and we haven't reported it to the headquarters yet. Nan Hejin, it's better for you to introduce the details to your Excellency."
Nan Hejin glanced at Li Jiangyao timidly, waiting for his agreement.
Li Jiangyao smiled and said: "Chen Zhen, look at how scared you were just now. Nan Hejin, don't be nervous. How are you doing at ordinary times and how you are now. I am your commander, but I am not a man-eating tiger." "
Hearing this, Nan Hejin grinned widely, scratched his head sheepishly, and then carefully told the news he had gathered.
The situation he described was basically the same as what the Qiuci official in the restaurant described, but it was more detailed and accurate, including the background and status of the officers of several military camps in Western Xinjiang involved.
Li Jiangyao and Zhou Xing nodded repeatedly, listening and thinking. Finally, Zhou Xing asked Nan Hejin: "Do we have any of our own in the Western Xinjiang Army?"
"Yes, many informants are from our tribe." Nan Hejin nodded.
Chen Zhen added: "The Shenhua family is spread all over Western Xinjiang. This time the Western Xinjiang army has expanded and reorganized, and many new members of the Shenhua tribe have been recruited into the army. Among the first few troops to cause chaos last night, there was a battalion officer From the soldiers to the soldiers, there are a total of eight hundred people, all of whom are descendants of the Shenhua family."
"My dear, are you so powerful?" Zhou Xing was a little unbelievable: "Can they listen to us?"
Nan Hejin's face showed no doubt: "As long as the prince's token is shown, which Shenhua tribe member dares to disobey?"
Li Jiangyao knows the situation of the Shenhua family better than Zhou Xing, so it is not surprising. He is concerned about other aspects: "In addition to the children of Shenhua, how much influence can we have on the troops of other countries?"
Chen Zhen carefully analyzed: "The conflict between the Western Xinjiang Army and the Turkic Army has been going on for a long time. The conflict last night was just a concentrated outbreak. When they attacked Metasequoia, the reason why Gema did not send Xijiang troops was The Xinjiang army went out to fight one by one, precisely because we were concerned about their loyalty. In this case, as long as we use some means, we will definitely be able to instigate many people to rebel. "
Zhou Xing was overjoyed: "Wouldn't it be possible to disintegrate the Western Xinjiang Army from within?"
Chen Zhen nodded: "Yes. Our Master Xie originally planned this. However, there are some new changes in the situation now, which may interfere with some of our previous arrangements to instigate rebellion against the Western Xinjiang Army."
"What's new?" Li Jiangyao asked.
Chen Zhen asked instead: "Sir, do you know why the Turks, who have always been arrogant and domineering, tolerated the protests and confrontations by the Western Xinjiang Army yesterday?"
Li Jiangyao and Zhou Xing were both puzzled by this and shook their heads.
"Because they are now empty of troops!" Chen Zhen explained: "Previously, the Yakut Independence Army that stayed in Western Xinjiang with Governor Gema Khan had a total of more than 80,000 soldiers and horses, but we killed several thousand of them. But the main force is still there. According to common sense, 70,000 elite Turkic troops are more than enough to defend various vassal states or to control the 150,000 newly formed Western Xinjiang Army. But no one expected that not long ago, Gema’s command The 40,000-strong army was suddenly transferred away."
"Forty thousand people were transferred?" Li Jiangyao frowned: "Where? To the east or to the west?"
Chen Zhen continued: "Well, they are all heading east. It seems that the war in the imperial capital is tense, and the Turks are a little unable to bear it."
Li Jiangyao wondered to himself: "It shouldn't be. Let's not talk about how fierce the fighting was in the imperial capital. As the rear area of Xinjiang, we should not be so disrespectful. Besides, they had just suffered a defeat and lost their troops. Where did it come from? With such confidence, you dare to use fewer troops to deal with us?"
"We still don't know the specific reasons." Chen Zhen said: "However, as a result, the main Turkic force in Gema's hands is only more than 30,000. To guard the ghost desert of the western border, which is thousands of miles away, it can be described as stretched. It’s not an exaggeration.”
Zhou Xing couldn't help but laugh and said: "No wonder the Turks endured such nonsense last night. It's because they have something to hide. Once they took action, the entire Western Xinjiang army blew up their camps, and there were only more than 30,000 Turkic soldiers. , it really may not be able to suppress hundreds of thousands of people from Western Xinjiang."
Li Jiangyao thought for a moment and then asked Chen Zhen: "The new changes you are talking about are not just the transfer of 40,000 Yakut troops to the eastern front, right?"
Chen Zhen nodded: "Just this morning, Gema Khan summoned all the generals of the Western Xinjiang Army and announced that he would speed up the reorganization of the army. He arranged for 12,000 Yakut soldiers to directly join the battalions of the Western Xinjiang Army. It will be mixed into four new divisions. Each division will maintain a strength of about 33,000 troops. The Turks will serve as the commanders, and the Western Xinjiang generals will serve as deputy generals to assist in command."
Nan Hejin added: "As a result, the original organization of the Western Xinjiang Army has been almost completely disrupted. If you want to continue to instigate rebellion, you must readjust the plan. We are planning to send this news to Metasequoia and report it to General Xu I would like to thank the chief secretary and ask them to make a decision."
Li Jiangyao thought for a while and agreed: "Okay, since Lao Xu and Lao Xie have been taking care of it, their strategy will still be the main one. I'll settle down first and see what the situation will be like later. You two, please work hard and follow me later. Sir, go and call his other three brothers here, and let’s talk slowly in the evening.”
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It is true that the Yakut Army has once again mobilized to the eastern front.
After the Turkic army conquered Xiao Pass, they divided hundreds of thousands of Eastern Expedition troops into three groups, led by three generals and acted separately.
The old marshal He Lianxiong led his army, bypassed the imperial capital, and continued to attack eastward, aiming directly at Tongguan. According to Ashina Zhijin's intention, he would strive to capture this strategic location connecting the Central Plains before Xie Guang.
Prince Ronia of the Temple commanded the Third Army of the Golden Tribe. With the assistance of the Marquis of Durham and General Doron, he attacked the Hanzhong area and pursued the Shengtang court as it retreated south, hoping to completely destroy the dynasty's ruling system.
The most important task - to attack the imperial capital, was taken over by the Khan's eldest son, His Highness Chili.
Chili's idea is very simple: he wants to be the first to enter the imperial capital and become the hero who personally buried the Holy Tang Dynasty. This can not only lay the foundation for his own throne, but also leave the most glorious and glorious record in the history of Turks. .
In Prince Tanli's eyes, the battle for the imperial capital seemed like a huge pit, but it turned out to be a golden opportunity in Prince Chili's heart.
The Great Khan Ashina Zhijin set up his Golden King's Tent at Beizhao Temple, eighty miles west of the imperial capital, as the presidential headquarters for the entire Eastern Expedition, coordinating the actions of various legions.
Prince Chili led 180,000 troops from his own army, plus 110,000 Turkic tribal troops and 100,000 Western Xinjiang affiliated troops who cooperated with him in attacking the city. A total of nearly 400,000 troops advanced into the Holy Tang Imperial Capital and implemented a siege and blockade of the entire city.
On the tenth day after the siege, the long-prepared large-scale siege finally began in full swing.
Chili sat upright on his horse, looking at the majestic imperial capital city in the distance, and couldn't help but feel complacent. He waved his big hand and ordered all the troops under his command to launch a fierce attack on the twelve gates on the four walls of the imperial capital at the same time.
According to his preconceptions, this battle was not too difficult to fight.
Although the imperial capital city is high and deep and the defense system is extremely strong, there are only about 100,000 defenders in the city at this time. Moreover, they have suffered consecutive defeats before and are now trapped in an isolated city. They must have low morale and no desire to fight.
On the contrary, my side has an absolute advantage.
The strength of the siege army was four times that of the defenders, and their combat prowess was far superior to Shengtang's by several levels. They were marching eastward with overwhelming force, and their morale was even more incomparable. As long as they can maintain their consistent fierce combat style, create a high-pressure situation, and continuously attack the imperial capital from all directions like a wave, they will definitely be able to break the will of the defenders in a short period of time and break through the city defenses in one fell swoop.
However, the cruel reality gave Chili a loud slap in the face!
