Di Xian has been familiar with military books since he was a child and has served in the Xuanjia Army for a long time. Not only is he no stranger to military affairs, but he is also a staff general beside Xie Guang. Therefore, when he heard what Lao Jianhua said, he couldn't help laughing and said: " The disciple’s random thoughts just now made Master laugh.”
Lao Jianhua clasped his hands behind his back: "Oh? Why did you say it was just random thoughts?"
"That's obvious," Di Xian said: "How could a sudden chaos occur in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang, and how could it break away from the Turks and return to the Holy Tang Dynasty? This kind of thing will never happen, which means that Ashina Zhijin has no worries and is firmly in an invincible position."
Lao Jianhua turned to look at the night outside the window and said quietly: "That's not necessarily the case."
Di Xian was greatly surprised: "What? Does Master think..."
"It doesn't matter what I think," Lao Jianhua smiled: "What matters is that Western Xinjiang is not as stable as Mount Tai."
He paused and then continued: "Those guys who were lurking in the west on my orders sent back news from time to time. According to them, Western Xinjiang is currently on the verge of being turned upside down."
Di Xian couldn't help but was slightly startled: "Why is this? Are those Western Xinjiang vassal states not going away again? However, the disciple heard that the Yakut Army of the Turkic Yelun tribe is currently guarding Western Xinjiang, and its strength is second only to the Gold The leader of the tribe, Gema Khan, is also a ruthless character, even Ashina Zhijin is a bit afraid of him. With him here, can Western Xinjiang be turned upside down?"
Lao Jianhua smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I'm afraid Gema Khan is not as powerful as the outside rumors say, and it is not those useless vassal states that are making trouble in Western Xinjiang. The situation here is very complicated. There are Zhenjiang Protectorate, some The local tribal forces in Western Xinjiang, the Persians, and maybe even the Beiya Nilin Division. These people are getting together and preparing for a war."
Di Xian opened his mouth in disbelief: "No way? The disciples are all confused. What's going on with the Zhenjiang Protectorate? Weren't their entire army wiped out? Why did the Persians get involved too? The Turks know ?"
"If I guess correctly, the Turkic High Command still doesn't know how bad the situation in Western Xinjiang is," Lao Jianhua said with a meaningful smile: "I have been operating in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang for many years, and several of my clerks have also They have rich experience and are as capable as the spies of the Nilin Division. They paid careful attention and gradually figured out the context there. And Ashina has not made any new moves so far, which means that he is probably I was blinded by Gemma and had no idea what was happening in Western Xinjiang.”
Facing Di Xian, who still looked confused, Lao Jianhua introduced: "I remember I mentioned to you before that there is a small group of remnants in the Zhenjiang Protectorate, that is, Li Jiangyao who is entrenched in Metasequoia City in Chechi Kingdom. Are you still Do you have an impression? He is currently the biggest scourge of the Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang! This guy is very amazing. Not only is he brave and ruthless in fighting, good at tricks, but he is also very clever in political and political tactics. In just a few years, he was actually defeated by the Turks The Great Khan made him a baron, and also won over the natives of Western Xinjiang and the Persian Empire, making them all his helpers. Recently, Zhou Xing of the Nilin Division also appeared in Metasequoia City, probably on the orders of Shen Lie. Colluding with Li Jiangyao!"
"How strong is Li Jiangyao?" Di Xian couldn't help but ask.
"Conservative estimate," Lao Jianhua said in a very calm tone: "He has at least 200,000 troops under his command, and they are well-trained and well-equipped."
Di Xianteng suddenly stood up and said in a deep voice: "I understand what you just said about the favorable geographical conditions! If the situation is true, then Li Jiangyao is the most critical link in Li Bing's hands and the most lethal. One link! As long as he launches an attack in Western Xinjiang and seizes two passes, he can seal the door behind Ashina Zhijin. When the time comes, Li Bing will concentrate his forces on a decisive battle with the Turks, and the balance of victory and defeat will tilt suddenly! "
Lao Jianhua's expression remained unchanged: "That's exactly what I mean."
"Then what are you waiting for?!" Di Xian said anxiously: "Notify the Turks quickly, otherwise they will be doomed."
Lao Jianhua leisurely walked to the table, sat down slowly, picked up the tea cup and took a sip, and said calmly: "Why should I be so kind to inform Ashina Zhijin to take precautions?"
Di Xian was a little puzzled: "Didn't you say that you would rather the Turks win?"
Lao Jianhua smiled and said: "What I said is that I hope the Turks can be better, but it does not mean that I hope they will win. You must know that on the road to unifying the Holy Tang, they are also our strong enemies."
Di Xian thought for a while and said tentatively: "Master's intention is... to turn the Turks into trapped beasts and fight, just to consume Li Bing's strength?"
"That's right!" Lao Jianhua said with a smile: "The Turks are too powerful, and they control the imperial capital and Tongguan, making them almost invincible. I'm worried that Li Bing will not live up to his expectations and will not achieve the effect of losing both sides. Right now With the variables in Western Xinjiang, it will be more interesting for both of them to fight. As for us, we will seize the time to advance into Jiangnan, continue to grow our strength, and wait for the day when we can clean up the mess."
Di Xian's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Master, you have a wonderful plan. I am convinced! Here in the Central Plains, the troops under Li Bing's command plus the troops assembled in the Jingxiang area can number about 800,000, which is exactly the same as the Turks' eight One hundred thousand people; on the other side of Western Xinjiang, Li Jiangyao's 200,000 troops faced Gema's more than 100,000 elites, and they were equally matched. As long as these two places let the fight begin, the northwest and the Central Plains will be completely in chaos. A pot of porridge, let’s recharge our batteries in Jiangnan!”
-
Just when the Xuanjia Legion was in chaos, Lao Jianhua killed Xie Guang, and was preparing to move his army to the south of the Yangtze River, unexpected changes occurred on the battlefield in Western Xinjiang thousands of miles away.
The Second Army and the Fourth Army of Zhenjiang, which were responsible for monitoring Zijin Pass, suddenly received Li Jiangyao's order to retreat and returned overnight to Langkelondo City, which was closest to Zijin Pass.
Faced with the Zhenjiang Army's actions without warning and with unknown intentions, Gema Khan remained highly vigilant. He rejected his men's suggestions to counterattack Ulan and regain their strength, and decided to hide in Zijin Pass for the time being and wait and see what happens. .
He was really scared of being beaten by Li Jiangyao. He was worried that as soon as he showed up in Western Xinjiang, he would be slapped by the opponent again.
However, this time Ge Ma was overly worried. The Zhenjiang Army's contraction was not aimed at him.
In the city guard house of Metasequoia City, the top leaders of the Zhenjiang Army gathered together to discuss the next strategic direction. Among them, the Shengtang generals represented by Xu Youchang and Du Jian advocated concentrating superior forces to seize Zijin Pass and Shengyuguan as soon as possible, and then continue to advance eastward to contain the Turks' invasion of the Central Plains. The local generals such as Huoliya and Heishan believed that they should take advantage of Gema's current retreat in Zijin Pass to gradually sweep through the entire Western Xinjiang and completely eliminate the rebellious vassal states such as Loulan.
Most of the Xinjiang Army officials, including the Little Prince of Shenhua, Kuliban, Situ Wushou, Yuduoluo and Mamu, maintained a neutral stance.
Xie Tanzhi was secretly worried when he saw this, because the representatives of these two opinions happened to be the generals of the main army. Once the dispute broke out, it would easily lead to internal discord, which would affect the unity of the Xinjiang Army.
He turned to look at Li Jiangyao, who had been silent, and coughed twice: "Everyone, you have said so much, is it time to listen to the coach's thoughts?"
Kuriban nodded quickly after hearing this: "Yes, shouldn't it be up to the adults to decide what to do?"
Situ Wushou was also worried that the dispute between Xu Youchang and Ho Liya would become more and more fierce, so he smiled and said to Li Jiangyao: "Sir, the generals just spoke freely and expressed their thoughts clearly. In the end, it is still up to you to make the decision. We listen to you. of."
"Jiang Yao, time waits for no one!" Xu Youchang was still unwilling: "Right now, 800,000 enemy troops are marching into the Central Plains. War fires are everywhere and life is devastated. How many people have suffered! If we don't act as soon as possible, we will miss the opportunity to fight!"
Huoliya was not to be outdone: "General Xu, as I said just now, I understand your eagerness to rescue Shengtang. But the Central Plains are devastated, and Western Xinjiang is easy to live in? Our people have been devastated by war for five years, and they are still alive today. Being ravaged and oppressed by Turks and rebels, they are always looking forward to our rescue, aren't they?"
"Besides, things have to be prioritized," Heishan added angrily: "Brother Xu, didn't you often teach us before that we must be steady in fighting, and we must first be invincible before waiting for the enemy to be victorious? Don't we have complete control? In Western Xinjiang, if we rush to attack the two passes and contain the Eastern Expeditionary Army, I'm afraid there will be big problems in the rear."
Du Jian said solemnly: "We didn't say that the entire army would be dispatched. General Xu meant to seize two passes first, and then send a group of soldiers and horses to harass Ashina Zhijin's back so that they could not attack the Central Plains with all their strength. And Zhenjiang As for the army, the main force is still in Western Xinjiang, and we are not afraid of any tricks played by the rebels of the feudal state."
"Although our current military strength is stronger than before," Holia frowned: "compared to the vast territory of Western Xinjiang, it is still stretched thin. In this case, we really shouldn't divide our troops."
Xu Youchang shook his head: "Princess, we really can't wait any longer. Once Ashina Zhijin has a firm foothold in the Central Plains, the problem of insufficient food and grass supply in the northwest will soon be alleviated, and the Turks will be able to breathe a sigh of relief." .At that time, not only Shengtang, but also Western Xinjiang will face a huge crisis again!"
Seeing that he was a little agitated, Heishan tried his best to use a gentle tone in order to avoid a quarrel: "General Xu, according to your method, it is no problem to contain Ashina Zhijin, but at the same time, it also means facing the danger of being attacked from both sides. Once the Turks People have returned from the Eastern Expeditionary Army, and Loulan, Shule, Chechi and other countries also took the opportunity to cause chaos, so isn't our situation a crisis?"
Xu Youchang and Du Jian were about to talk again, but Xie Tanzhi raised his hand to stop them: "Why are we arguing again? Don't we listen to your opinions?"
When everyone heard this, they didn't dare to say anything more, and all looked at Li Jiangyao who was sitting in the middle.
Li Jiangyao was originally in a daze, but now he realized that everyone was looking at him, and he smiled sheepishly: "What? Did the quarrel come to an end?"
Xie Tanzhi shook his head helplessly: "I'd better ask your Excellency to make your decision."
"What's your idea?"
"Oh, it's about whether we should attack the two levels first, or sweep the Western Xinjiang first. This question needs to be decided by you."
"Let me tell you... I'm not in a hurry." Li Jiangyao rubbed his hands and said like a profiteer: "I was just thinking, should we collect the debts we lent outside?"
