In three days, all the Gaochang soldiers who fled in the Gobi Desert were captured, and some who were not caught were turned into corpses, allowing wild wolves to eat them.
At the same time, the armies of Chai Shao and Li Daliang joined Li Ke. A total of 50,000 troops gathered at Qikou, which was the end of the Xihe Corridor and the east gate of the Western Regions.
This is the throat passage into the Western Regions, and it is also a battleground for military strategists. If Qu Wentai, king of Gaochang, leads an army of 100,000, and gets stuck here, Li Ke will have no choice but to fight head-on.
"Young Master, there is information coming from the front..."
"explain!"
Yan Yunliu whispered: "Young Master, the Western Turks learned that Qu Wentai was defeated at Luo Tuofeng and led the army guarding the northern front to escape overnight."
Li Ke could only sigh, there was no way, he didn't have more troops to deploy, otherwise none of them would be able to escape.
Li Daliang pointed to the map and said: "Your Majesty, it is four hundred miles from Qikou to Yiwu. Now they have only traveled for three days. They should not have reached Yiwu yet."
"Your Majesty, please give the order. I will lead ten thousand light cavalry to pursue them."
Chai Shao said quickly: "No, Your Highness!"
Li Daliang's eyes widened, and he turned around and said, "Prince-in-law, do you want to compete with me for military glory?"
Chai Shao: "..."
"General Li, don't be dazzled by victory. The land from Qikou to Yiwu, more than four hundred miles away, is all desolate Gobi Desert. Even if you march in a hurry, I'm afraid it will take two days. By the time you catch up with them, They have arrived in Yiwu."
"Yiwu City was heavily built during the previous dynasty. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It cannot be defeated in a short period of time, and the logistics cannot keep up. When the time comes, you will have no food, grass, and no water. What will you do?"
"What if the Western Turks did it intentionally and ambushed you outside the city?"
"Our current food and grass can only last for five days, and the subsequent food and grass will take about five days to arrive here."
Li Daliang: "..."
Li Ke smiled and said: "My uncle really has the style of a general. He thinks about defeat before winning."
Chai Shao cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, you are so complimentary."
Then, Li Ke smiled and said: "Uncle Li, your military exploits are already great enough, so there is no need to go all out, right? Let's fight steadily. When the follow-up supplies arrive, we will cross the four hundred miles of Gobi Desert and march into Yiwu."
"We obey!"
Crossing the 400-mile Gobi Desert requires a lot of water, and it also needs to be guarded against sneak attacks by Turks. This is a very troublesome thing.
"Lao Liu, please immediately send a letter to the direction of Yumen Pass and ask the Shazhou Governor to mobilize the people to transport water for the army. As long as the water is transported to Qikou, one pound of water can be exchanged for one pound of grain."
"Yes, my subordinates will immediately send orders to Shazhou Governor."
"Is there any news from General Qin?"
"not yet……"
Li Ke frowned. Qin Qiong led 30,000 troops out of Yangguan to attack Tuyuhun King Dayan Mangjiebo. It stands to reason that after the battle at Yangguan, Tuyuhun's morale was completely depleted. It has been half a month, but Qin Qiong has not heard from him at all. .
"Your Majesty, my subordinates will send scouts to inquire about the news..."
After Li Ke and others observed the terrain, they issued another military order: "The entire army will march forward for thirty miles and set up camp on the north slope of the valley entrance."
One day and one night, the military camp was set up, the troops stationed everywhere began to patrol, and the scouts all dispersed.
Next, we wait for the governor of Shazhou and the supporting army to transport military supplies to transport water and food here, and then the whole army marches towards Yiwu.
That night.
There is a Gobi Desert near Qikou, but this Gobi Desert is covered with various crystal stones. Such crystals can shine by the moonlight at night, shining like stars on the entire land.
Therefore, this place was also called Xingxing Gorge in later generations.
Li Ke took advantage of the night to write an urgent letter of eight hundred miles to Chang'an.
He mainly explained some recent war situations, and also asked his father to mobilize domestic businessmen and explain clearly some of the policies he had set here.
I hope that merchants can become the main force in transporting food to the army, freeing up more soldiers. I also hope that these merchants can transport all these commodities from the Western Regions to the Central Plains.
At this moment.
Qin Qiong was like a wild horse running wild, chasing after Tuyuhun King Dayan Mangjiebo all the way.
In three days, they chased for three hundred miles until the army ran out of food and grass, and then they stopped. Fortunately, when King Tuyuhun came, he brought enough cattle and sheep. After killing the sheep for supplies, he chased Tuyuhun again. King kills.
In half a month, Qin Qiong lost one-third of his staff, most of whom died from exhaustion.
Finally, after chasing for a thousand miles, he captured Tuyuhun King Dayan Mangjiebo alive.
At this moment, Qin Qiong was very high-spirited. He planned to take 20,000 cavalry and continue southward, and move all Shanshan City and Qiemo City southward to completely destroy Tuyuhun.
"Huaiyu, my father will give you two thousand cavalry. You will escort Tuyuhunxin Khan to Yangguan. At the same time, send a message to the prince, telling him not to worry. I, Qin Qiong, will not let him down."
"Father, for these more than 10,000 prisoners, you give me 2,000 cavalry, and there is no food and grass along the way..."
"The prince said that captives are very precious..."
"Let's do this. We can't kill the prisoners openly. At night, you open a hole and let them escape. Kill half of them, and then it will be much easier for you to escort them."
Qin Huaiyu's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "Father, you are so tall!"
"Follow the prince, you have to learn more. As a father, you only have a little knowledge."
"Father, please rest assured that the child will definitely complete the task."
Qin Qiong set off again with his army.
Target, Shanshan City.
The city of Shanshan at this moment can be said to be a defenseless empty city. There were originally few people in a place like Shanshan, but Dayan Mangjiebo took away 80,000 troops this time, leaving only a few old, weak, sick and disabled people in the city. .
As long as Qin Qiong can reach Shanshan City, he can easily capture Shanshan. Using Shanshan City as a stronghold, he can advance to Qiemo, capture Qiemo, and even attack Hotan.
If you can capture Hotan, you will make a fortune. Hotan beautiful jade is something that people in the Central Plains like very much.
Qin Huaiyu watched his father lead the army away, and then walked to the prison car where Dayan Mangjiebo was imprisoned.
At this moment, Dayan Mangjiebo's body was covered in blood, and his shoulder blade had been hit by an arrow, but the military doctor had already removed the arrow and bandaged it. ŴŴŴ.BiQuGe.Biz
This person is the most expensive prisoner. As long as Qin Huaiyu delivers this person to Yangguan, it will be a great achievement, and he will be able to follow the prince in the future.
"Water, I want to drink water..."
Dayan Mangjiepo's lips were chapped and his hair was disheveled. He kept shouting for water.
"Come here, give him a sip of water. Don't let him die. Whether brothers can get promoted or make a fortune depends on him. The living King Tuyuhun is more valuable than the dead one."
Later, Qin Huaiyu sent two people to take care of Dayan Mangjiebo. After he was about to die, he gave him a sip of water.
At this point, the first stage of the war was finally completed.
Tuyuhun was completely destroyed, and by the way, Gaochang Kingdom was also destroyed.
Li Jing, who stayed in Tuyuhun, gathered 40,000 troops and gathered with Hou Jun, the Minister of the Ministry of War, the King of the City, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, Li Daozong, the deputy general manager of the march, and others gathered at the border of Tubo.
More than a dozen famous generals of the Tang Dynasty were standing on the ground of Tubo, chatting and laughing, which frightened Songtsen Gampo who was opposite them.
Biquge
