"Your Majesty, our troops and horses are ready now, we have enough food and weapons, and our arrows are already strung. Why are we still standing still and not firing?" Wang Yansheng asked directly when meeting Chai Rong.
Looking at Wang Yansheng and other generals, Chai Rong's aging face showed a smile, and he said calmly with a little care, "Don't worry! Have a sip of tea first, the imperial court has entrusted us with the attack. The matter is of great importance, so don't act too hastily and miss the military plane! The westward march has been waiting for so many years, so why rush it now!"
In his early years, Chai Rong was often irritable and aggressive in both his personality and behavior. Now, as he gets older, he has become increasingly calm, just like his always outwardly heavy appearance.
"Your Majesty, you can keep your composure!" In front of Chai Rong, Wang Yansheng was usually able to put away his unruly attitude, so he sighed, and then said: "However, it has been almost two months since the edict was issued. If we delay it any longer, there may be an accident.”
Seeing that Chai Rong remained calm, Wang Yansheng said: "It's not that we are impatient. Now that the army has gathered here, the momentum has spread. After such a long time, the Uighurs may have reacted and will not really use the passage for us." I was confused by the rhetoric. According to the report of the Sentinel Cavalry spy, Jiedan City has already strengthened its security, concentrated troops and horses, and controlled entry and exit. It is obvious that it is on guard. If we wait any longer, I am afraid it will really delay the military aircraft!"
"Furthermore, all the troops from all armies have gathered in Liangzhou, and they have been practicing for a while. In this season, from the soldiers to the husbands, they are thinking too much about Tutian, and their willingness to fight is not high. Coupled with the doubts about the expedition, The morale of the soldiers is not stable. If we delay it for a longer time, I am afraid that morale will decline even more. If the generals have no fighting spirit and the soldiers have no fighting spirit, no matter how complete the preparations are, fighting may not be beneficial to our army."
After hearing these words, Chai Rong noticed Wang Yansheng's rough but determined face, couldn't help but smile, and said in an emotional tone: "Guanglie, you have extraordinary experience, you really impress me! "
Wang Yansheng's words are also reasonable and well-founded. Obviously, he is not just impatient and eager to achieve success. He is also very accurate in judging the situation, military morale, and morale. Such ability is not what Wang Yansheng possessed in his early years.
Facing Chai Rong's praise, Wang Yansheng's tense face relaxed a little, and he cupped his hands and said: "I have some humble opinions, please listen to me, please think twice!"
"What do you think?" Chai Rong looked at the generals Guo Jin and Kang who came with him.
The remaining people, with Guo Jin having the highest military qualifications, also spoke directly: "General, I think it's time to send out troops! No matter what the situation is with the Guiyi Army, it's time to take action, and we can't let the Uighurs react completely! "
"May I ask, Lord Ying, if you have any plans? If so, please tell me so as to reassure the soldiers!" Kang Zaiyu, who had performed well in the Northern Expedition, thought for a while and asked proactively.
Faced with the generals' request, Chai Rong slowly said: "The problem of military morale is just that the middle and lower-level officers have doubts because they don't know the goal of this expedition. As long as the intention is made clear in the future, people will feel at ease.
As for the Uighurs, whether they are aware of it or not, and whether they are prepared or not, they will not hinder our army from advancing westward. Below Hexi, it is still too small. They can only rely on a few city walls. However, if they only rely on the fortified city, for our army, it is tantamount to sitting back and waiting for death.
Do you want the Uighurs to be trapped in the city, or do you want to tangle with them in the wild? "
They are all veteran generals with rich combat experience. After listening to Chai Rong's statement, their eyes lit up and their worries turned into joy. Wang Yansheng touched his palms to express his agreement, but then quickly frowned: "However, the city of Xiandan is very strong. It will not be easy to break it!"
"As long as we trap them, are we afraid that we can't break the city?" Guo Jin said confidently: "It's not that I underestimate the enemy. In terms of city attack and defense, the Uighurs are not worthy of competing with my Han army!"
Chai Rong's consideration was exactly the same. There would be no problem in defeating the Uighurs and regaining Gansu with the strength and military power of the Han Dynasty. But the effect Chai Rong wants to achieve is to completely conquer it and leave no trace of trouble.
The Uighurs are, after all, still a nomadic people. If they are allowed to defeat without defeat, abandon Hexi, and migrate to the southwest to avoid disaster, then even if they regain Gansu, they will still have a tail left behind, and they cannot be defeated once and for all.
Therefore, for Chai Rong, recovering Gansu is only the basic goal, and how to conquer and control the Uighurs is the ultimate goal.
A discussion temporarily calmed the generals' vigorous fighting spirit. However, after Wang Yansheng and others retreated, Chai Rong couldn't help but frown. As he walked around the hall, his steps were not too fast, but his heart was obviously not as calm as he appeared on the surface.
All planning cannot be based on wishful thinking. It also depends on the reaction of the Uighurs. Chai Rong is also worried that something unexpected will happen if the plan fails. Especially when the Uighurs are wary, perhaps it is time to mobilize troops.
Chai Rong's slight hesitation soon turned into firmness, and he determined to send troops. What made him determined was a Liangzhou official named Li Su. This person was ordered to go to the Uighur Khan's court to discuss the matter of borrowing the road. It took a lot of time, but Li Su fulfilled his mission and returned.
It is obviously impossible for the Ganzhou Uighurs to say that they have no doubts about the imperial court's intention to send troops to the Western Regions to rescue Gaochang. The biggest doubt also lies in giving way to the border. What if the Han army plots against itself?
However, the Uighurs do not have the confidence to refuse directly. After all, the conflicts between the two sides in the Hexi Corridor have become increasingly serious in the past two years. However, despite the disagreements, the relationship was not broken after all, and friendly exchanges were still maintained on the surface.
If the Uighurs really fell out with the Han court, they would not have the guts. Therefore, with a mentality of worrying about gains and losses, looking forward and backward, I delayed the matter.
During the discussion, on the one hand, the troops were mobilized to enrich the elixirs and strengthen the defense; on the other hand, they secretly sent people to explore the situation in Liangzhou. After learning that the Han army was gathering troops to prepare for an expedition to the Western Regions, they had less time to make a decision.
He deliberately refused, but was afraid of offending the court, so he simply attacked Gansu... although the Han court's target this time was them.
After procrastinating for a long time, the Uighur monarchs and ministers finally relaxed after they realized that the deletion of Dan was stable enough. Li Su replied that he was willing to use the road, but only five thousand troops were allowed to pass...
Guo Rong couldn't be more satisfied with this result, so he immediately gathered his generals to make arrangements for sending troops. When it really started to move, Chai Rong's style was also vigorous and resolute. Guo Jin led 5,000 army infantry and cavalry as the vanguard to attack first, aiming directly at Jiedan. Chai Rong led the central army and the baggage team, and then advanced.
Wang Yansheng originally wanted to compete for the position of advance guard. He had been frustrated these years, but Chai Rong refused and kept him in the central army on the grounds of assisting him in commanding the army.
The next thing went very smoothly. Guo Jin set out from Liangzhou with 5,000 cavalry and attacked Xiedan City. Although the Uighur troops and people along the way were wary, they seemed to have received the order in advance. Sure enough there was no harassment.
As a result, Guo Jin led the army and was able to march straight in and successfully forced into the Uighur Khan's court, Xiedan City. Jiedan is located in the central area of the Hexi Corridor. It is also an important town on the Silk Road. It is the east gate of Ganzhou and is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Therefore, Ganzhou Uighurs used it as the seat of the Khan Court, and spent a lot of manpower to build and expand it. .
As a base camp that has been operating for a long time and has accumulated accumulation for several generations, the Uighurs will not give up easily. This is true for the so-called man-made and money-deprived business. Therefore, Chai Rong was worried that the Gansu Uighurs would be defeated and left, which was excessive worry. After all, he had not yet reached that point. Basically, as long as Jiedan is captured, the Ganzhou Uighurs will be basically pacified.
There were only more than 300 miles between Liangzhou and Xiedan. Guo Jin did not advance in a hurry, but kept it steady and marched at a speed of 70 miles a day. Before setting off, Chai Rong had no other instructions, except for one thing, which was to be careful and not to be careless. Guo Jin also kept this in mind.
So, after five days, on March 11, the second year of Kaibao in the Han Dynasty, the Han army approached Xiedan City. After more than half a century, the Central Plains army once again returned to its homeland under the banner of the Han people.
