"It's very simple, my child. It's very simple." Seeing that the other party finally relented, Gema pretended not to care and smiled: "As long as you don't report the matter to the superiors for the time being. In this way, we can avoid this critical situation. At that time, it caused conflicts within the Turks. As for you, guard the Zijin Pass firmly and let our Yakut Army deal with the rebels with all our strength. After defeating them, it is up to you what to do, what else to do, and how to report to the old prince. ,OK?"
The defender of Zijin Pass was a little hesitant about this. To be honest, he really didn't want to hide the truth from his superiors on behalf of the Yelun clan, and he even looked down on Gema's dishonest approach. However, the other party was right about one thing. At present, there is a great enemy. The unity of the people is precious. Before fighting with outsiders, the internal quarrels started first, which was also very detrimental to the Great Khan's Eastern Expedition. So, the guard nodded slightly: "Okay, Gemma Khan. I believe you are considering this issue from the perspective of the interests of the Turkic Empire. I can not report the situation here to the prince for the time being. Please also You and the Yakut soldiers seize the time to put down the rebels as soon as possible and restore stability in Western Xinjiang."
After saying that, the guard saluted Gemma with a military salute, turned around and walked out of the tent.
Looking at the other person's retreating figure, Ge Ma showed an imperceptible sneer at the corner of his mouth.
He hooked his hand to the side, called over a trusted general, and whispered in the man's ear: "You immediately lead five thousand soldiers and horses, all of whom will be soldiers of the Yelun tribe, in the name of escorting the wounded soldiers and food and grass. Enter Zijin Pass. After waiting there, you leave four thousand soldiers and horses in the city gate fortress to keep an eye on the people of the second legion. The remaining one thousand soldiers continue to march eastward and set up secret checkpoints on all the roads and trails. , block all letters and messages sent to the east for me."
Of course, the general knew what Khan meant by doing this. He nodded quickly and then asked: "If the Second Army does anything unusual, how should I deal with it?"
"If something goes wrong..." Gema's eyes flashed coldly, and he waved his big hand viciously, making a downward slashing motion: "Take them all!"
-
The reinforcements from the Yakutia Steppe, led by Duke Belen, set out from the Turkic Empire in the Western Continent and marched day and night straight into the vast Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang.
However, the journey of thousands of miles did not end there.
After the reinforcements arrived at the Chaikun Basin, they originally thought they would either join the battle soon or move to Ulan City to gather and rest. However, they did not expect that a new military order came, telling them to continue on their way across the Chaikun Basin from north to south. Breaking into the Chechi Kingdom located in the hinterland of Western Xinjiang.
Before coming here, Duke Belen had done some serious research, so he also knew very well that Chechi Country was the core area of the Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang and the origin of all kinds of chaos. Whether it was the uprising of the Western Xinjiang vassal state more than 20 years ago or the armed rebellion against the rule of Shengtang four years ago, Chechi Wangting, who has the Nanjin Flower God, stirred up the sensitive nerves of this land time and time again. A variety of violent and unstable forces gathered together.
Now, it has once again become the center stage of the chaos in Western Xinjiang, and the protagonist has been replaced by the remnants of the Holy Tang Dynasty - the Zhenjiang Army.
Duke Beren knew that his brother was in a bad situation now. If he was not careful, he would be severely punished by the Great Khan Ashina. At that time, I am afraid that it would not only be Gemma Khan alone, but also everyone including him. The nobles of the Yelun clan will not get any good fruits.
The cruelty of the Golden Clan is by no means a joke.
Therefore, Belen worked tirelessly and regardless of fatigue, encouraged all the soldiers in the army to cheer up a hundredfold, mobilized the war horses again, and headed south quickly, aiming directly at Iklu County in Chechi Kingdom.
After several days of rapid marching at night, the reinforcements finally, under the guidance of local guides, secretly arrived in the small valley near Ikru, avoiding all towns, villages and ordinary people.
Belen asked the troops to seize the time to rest for a whole day, and then prepared to launch a surprise attack on the county town according to the original plan and completely cut off the supply line of the Zhenjiang Army. Unexpectedly, at this time, a new order came from Gemaka.
Duke Belen couldn't help but frown.
It wasn't that he couldn't understand his brother's difficulties. He did this simply to avoid information leakage and being known to enemy spies in advance. However, 60,000 to 70,000 troops are not a small force after all. No matter how careful and thorough they are, they cannot disappear without a trace on someone else's territory. Repeatedly changing attack targets means that commanders need to frequently adjust combat plans, and troops also need to make different pre-war preparations many times. All of this takes time.
And every minute the time drags on, the risk of the entire army being exposed increases by ten percent. The so-called tactical suddenness gained in the desperate rush will be exhausted.
To put it simply, all the roads were wasted.
-
"Lao Xie, I see something is wrong with this situation."
"Your Majesty is right, that old guy Gema may have smelled something."
"Probably so. You see, the location of this nameless valley was chosen very wisely. It is very close to Ikoru County, and it is obviously aimed at the county seat. But if you think about it carefully, starting from this place , whether you are going west or east, it is equally convenient to get to Metasequoia City or Rouge City, and the distance between the two is not much different. In this way, it will be difficult for us to judge whether the enemy wants to Where to attack."
Two days ago, the Pegasus Scout Battalion finally discovered the traces of Beren's soldiers and horses, and locked the valley where the enemy troops were stationed and hiding. At this time, Li Jiangyao and Xie Tanzhi were looking at the map, studying the important information sent back by the scouts.
Xie Tanzhi frowned: "I didn't expect that, Gema is quite clever. According to our original guess, once the Yakut reinforcements arrive in Western Xinjiang, they will most likely be ordered to rush to Zijin Pass to cooperate with Gema's reorganized army in Western Xinjiang. The main force attacked the friend commander's troops from the rear. However, Beren passed through the Chaikun Basin and did not go east. Instead, he suddenly turned around more than a hundred miles away from the Shanshan Palace and headed straight towards Iklu. , accidentally avoided our pre-set ambush circle, making us and our friend commander wait in vain for a long time."
Li Jiangyao nodded and said: "Actually, this is reasonable. Gema knew in his heart that no matter how fast Belen moves, as long as he enters the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang, sooner or later he will not be able to hide it from our eyes. In the town As long as the Xinjiang army is on guard, even if they really launch a surprise attack from behind, it will be difficult to achieve the same effect as the Battle of Crescent Bay, and they may also be hit hard by us. Therefore, Gema asked Belen to change the target , considered a reasonable choice.”
"Well, fortunately, we also anticipated this situation and made many preparations so that we would not get lost." Xie Tanzhi then asked: "Sir, what should we do now? Have we set up a dragnet in Iklu County to wait for Bei Will Lun take the bait?"
Li Jiangyao stared at the map and said in a deep voice: "I have been thinking that the enemy's movements are worth pondering. On the surface, the Turks are indeed the most likely to attack Iklu, thus cutting off Xu Youchang's retreat. But... "
"However, the more traces there are, the more unusual they are." Xie Tanzhi also stared at the map: "You are worried that Gema will play tricks on us again, right?"
Li Jiangyao smiled slightly: "That's right. Especially when the Intelligence Department just sent news that it was learned from within the Western Xinjiang Reorganized Army that Gema had clearly ordered the Duke of Belen to attack Iklu County with all his strength and block Xu Youchang's supply line. This is even more important. It makes me feel that the other party may have another conspiracy."
Xie Tanzhi was a little curious: "What is the reason for your judgment? Or is it just the general's intuition?"
Li Jiangyao laughed dumbly: "It's not that mysterious. In the final analysis, it's still a matter of location and timing. It has been several days since Beren arrived in the small valley. Logically speaking, if Gema really wants him to occupy Iklu, there is no way. There is no need for such procrastination, let alone the unnecessary choice of hiding in Xiaogu."
"I understand," Xie Tanzhi responded: "Beren's advantage lies in his concealment. When we first entered Western Xinjiang, we were not able to fully grasp his movements. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he traveled thousands of miles to attack Ikru. It was easy to succeed. However, the opponent was invisible and as fast as the wind in the first half, but he was dragging his feet in the second half, guarding the target that was close at hand but not taking action. Obviously, this was Gema's attempt to spread suspicion in the formation, and at the same time he was observing. The reality of our army.”
Li Jiangyao looked at Xie Tanzhi with interest: "What do you think the other party plans?"
Xie Tanzhi thought for a moment and said with a smile: "Gema Khan is cunning and wise, like an old fox. Until now, he is still not sure whether our army is pretending to attack Zijin Pass or really wants to occupy Zijin Pass. Without making an accurate decision Before making a judgment, he did not dare to let Beren enter the battlefield prematurely, nor did he dare to let the 70,000-strong army get too far away from him, so this hiding place is very important."
Li Jiangyao listened very carefully and kept nodding, indicating to Xie Tanzhi to continue speaking.
Xie Tanzhi said: "When you went to the Central Plains, Gema sent troops to sneak attack us, and suffered a big loss in intelligence, so he should become extremely careful in this regard. Now order Beren to lead an army of 70,000 , squatting in such a position, waiting for the opportunity to move, I am afraid that he is planning to issue the order when he comes, making it difficult for us to grasp. Of course, Gema is not worried about us attacking Beren, because the opponent is very powerful in combat and mobility. The cavalry is very convenient for fighting and running."
"So?" Li Jiangyao asked.
"So, Gema used a Beren to lock us in."
