Chapter 223: Tubo also studied Sun Wu? Letter from a distant king
"As long as our army keeps a close watch on the Tibetan army, it will not be easy for them to retreat calmly. The Tibetans must have beacons to convey their orders. We are simply blocking them, and they will not be fooled into coming to support us. If we attack fiercely, the Tibetan army will move out. When our army is not as strong as the Tibetan army, it is risky to besiege and attack their reinforcements. If we don't rush to win, we can indeed confront the Tibetan army, wait for an opportunity to attack the Tibetan food transportation route, and slowly look for opportunities to fight."

Liu Yan agreed with Li Mi's idea.

Among the 300,000-strong Tibetan army, there must have been Tibetans who transported food and supplies.

Hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain are consumed every day, or tens of thousands of sheep are slaughtered.

With every day of delay, Tubo’s food and grass would be reduced.

The Tang Dynasty's light cavalry that harassed Tubo's grain routes did not have to succeed, as long as they could cause panic in Tubo.

"That's right, but we have to consider the changes in the Tibetan army formation. The Tibetans are not made of clay, and Chidai Zhudan is a great leader. Just because the Tibetans are now deployed in a defensive formation doesn't mean they will always stay like this."

Li Xuan could understand the purpose of the Tibetan army's defense in three places.

He wanted to use a defensive posture to wear down the Tang army's strength.

Li Xuan defeated Tubo too many times in field battles, causing psychological trauma to many Tubo soldiers.

Now Tubo is taking the defense as offense.

Their three major camps seem to control key locations and a lot of terrain.

However, the Tang army, with light cavalry as the vanguard, could definitely bypass the Tubo camp, but they had to prevent Tubo from sending cavalry to encircle and suppress them.

Tubo has put all its national strength into this mobilization, so it must have a lot of cavalry.

"If our army fails to achieve results for a long time, Helong will continue to consume food and supplies, and I am afraid that information that is unfavorable to you will be spread in Chang'an."

The judge Lu Zhen reminded Li Xuan of this.

Similar things happened many times in ancient times, such as Wang Jian's conquest of Chu, where he won under pressure.

Others, such as Lian Po, were cautious and fought against the Qin army in the Battle of Changping. However, King Xiaocheng of Zhao was dissatisfied with Lian Po's conservative strategy and replaced him with Zhao Kuo.

Everyone knows that the current saint is eager for military achievements. If he has no military achievements for several months, it is inevitable that treacherous ministers will make slanderous remarks.

"A wise sage would know that it would take a long time to wipe out hundreds of thousands of bandits. Does the military supervisor think so?"

Li Xuan suddenly asked the military supervisor Zhang Daobin.

"Your Excellency has extraordinary strategies and has his own way to win. I will report the battle situation to the Saint."

Zhang Daobin said quickly.

It was a torture for him to be a military supervisor under Li Xuan. Not only could he not get any gold, silver or jewelry, but he was also whipped by Gao Lishi from time to time.

If he dared to say anything unfavorable to Li Xuan, his memorial would probably be blocked by Gao Lishi before it even reached the emperor's hands.

"Thank you, Military Supervisor!"

Li Xuan nodded.

He would also write a memorial to explain the war situation to Li Longji.

However, Li Xuan was much more tactful. He explained to Li Longji that the reason he did so was to block Chidai Zhudan's escape route.

Increases the chance of capturing and killing with a ruler and pearl.

The time when Chidai Zhudan became Zamp coincided with the time when Li Longji became emperor.

In the correspondence between the two men, Chidai Zhudan was very rebellious and even spoke rudely, not taking Li Longji, his elder brother-in-law, seriously.

There were too many battles between the Tang and Tubo, from the kidnapping of civilians to the massacre of Dahua City, which made Li Longji lose face.

Li Longji was always thinking about killing Chidai Zhudan.

Li Xuan's goal was to capture Chidai Zhudan, so Li Longji could endure it even if it had to wait until next spring.

"Li Shuai, the Tibetans are all afraid of your power. You can continue to use your substitute to intimidate them. Even if your guess is false, it will put them under tremendous pressure."

Gao Shi said to Li Xuan.

Only Li Xuan can use this real and fake substitute tactic.

Gao Shi thought it might be a good idea to use it since it would not cause any loss to them.

"Well, this time I will place my flag in the Jiuqu area."

Put the general flag at Jiuqu, Li Xuan may be there or not.

It depends on Tubo’s next move.

"General Li, judging from the Tubo's deployment, the main force is Kubahai's army. According to the intelligence we have received, they are very close to the border of our Tang Dynasty, and their camps stretch for hundreds of miles, as if they were deliberately letting us see. The art of war is all about the real and the fake. If our army can be used, Tubo may not be unable to use it. The Art of War and Wu Zi of our Tang Dynasty have long been passed on to Tubo. For example, the Tubo prime ministers before Lu Dongzan, Lun Qinling, Lun Xinuoluo, Qilixu, etc., are obviously well versed in the art of war."

While the generals were talking, Li Mi suddenly raised a question.

Intelligence showed that the main Tubo army was less than 40 miles away from the Tang Dynasty border and less than 100 miles away from the Anren army.

Although Tubo adopted a defensive tactic, its retreat was not thorough.

"Sir, what you mean is that many Tibetan military camps were empty before Kubahai?"

Li Xuan immediately understood what Li Mi meant.

If you think about it carefully, it is indeed possible. The place where Tubo set up its camp is too close to the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

But just now Li Mi proposed to fight a war of attrition with Tubo, and now he feels that Tubo’s main camp is empty. What does this mean?

Other subordinates and generals also looked at Li Mi at the same time.

It would be fine if no one asked such a question, but once it was asked, everyone felt like they had a flash of inspiration.

"This is my guess, I can't be sure. But I think that emptiness is only relative, there are still tens of thousands of troops. If Kubahai is just trying to scare our army, then its main force is likely to gather in the Jiuqu area. Tubo believes that the general will attack from Jiuqu, so it is preparing an ambush against Jiuqu soldiers."

"General, you can send experienced generals to check the Tibetan camp south of Jiuqu. If there are obvious flaws in their camp, it means they are trying to lure us into attacking. If Tibetans have a large number of troops ambushed in Dafeichuan and attack us when we are attacking, our army will be at risk of failure and Jiuqu may be counterattacked directly."

As a counselor, Li Mi told Li Xuan what he could calculate.

To find out the truth, Li Xuan needs to send someone to investigate.

However, Li Mi's original intention remained unchanged. Tubo would not take the initiative to attack, but would wait for the Tang army to attack.

Therefore, they were able to continue the confrontation with Tubo.

In this way, if Tubo really had an ambush, it would panic when it saw that the Tang army was slow to take the bait.

When the generals and subordinates heard this, they immediately felt that this was how Tubo had arranged it.

What a great mountain man!

Although this young Taoist priest was not Li Shuai's subordinate, he had such a strategy.

Li Mi had never been to the scene, but he was able to make convincing inferences based only on maps and intelligence.

"Sir, your words really enlightened me. Regardless of whether it is as you said, I will send someone to check it out without making a sound."

Li Xuan clapped his hands.

Li Mi's words were well-founded, and Li Xuan believed that the probability of this happening was quite high.

Tubo has the old but strong Moluqiongsang Woermang, as well as the famous Tubo generals Mojiesangdongzebu and Enlanda Zhalugong, none of whom are easy to deal with.

The layout of Tubo was too simple, which always made Li Xuan feel that something was wrong. Now he knew what was wrong.

"General Li, if the Tibetan camp at Kubahai is empty, should our army launch a fierce attack? This will help us win the first battle and boost morale!"

After learning about this situation, Gao Xiuyan couldn't help himself and stood up and bowed to Li Xuan.

"If Tubo uses a strategy of false and real, then our army must not attack. We want to achieve a big victory, not a small victory. A rash attack will only alert the enemy."

Li Xuan disagreed with Gao Xiuyan's words.

If possible, Li Xuan would choose to launch a battle in northern Qinghai and officially start the Battle of Qinghai.

A successful start will boost our own morale and weaken the enemy's morale.

If the enemy still refuses to attack, the confrontation will continue.

"General Li, if the enemy's main force is in the Dafeiling area of ​​Dafeichuan, and the enemy's troops are in Chiling Pass and Kubahai, we must keep a close eye on them and prevent them from escaping. This way, their main force will be wary and we will stick to them tightly."

Duan Xueshi stood up and bowed to Li Xuan, and his words were quite strategic.

In his heart, he admired Li Mi's speculation, but he believed that there were at least 100,000 Tibetan troops in Chiling and Kubahai. If the Tibetans withdrew rashly, these 100,000 troops would be trapped in the encirclement and blockade of the Tang Dynasty.

The main Tibetan army will definitely leave the fortified camp and abandon the deep trenches.

At that time, they would be able to implement their plan to cut off Tubo's retreat route.

"Mr. Cheng is right. Once our troops are assembled, we will begin to arrange for the encirclement of the Tibetan soldiers in Chiling and Kubahai."

Li Xuan nodded.

No country would abandon an army of 100,000 at will.

At that time, there will be a major war between the two sides.

If that time really comes, the Tang army will definitely be the side with the greater advantage.

Because the Tang army still has other cards.

"The various garrisons in Chiling must be strictly guarded. If Tubo deploys its troops, our troops will immediately join the battle. We occupy the terrain and have a large number of powerful crossbows. Tubo cannot break through us in the dangerous terrain."

Li Xuan spoke to the generals again.

"As ordered!"

Both the Anren Army and the Suihe Guard deployed heavy troops at the Chiling Pass, with the support of the Hexi Hu Cavalry.

The Tang army was determined to defend these garrisons on these rugged paths to the end.

In particular, Eagle Mountain Fort and Red Rock Fort directly controlled the West Pass and the Northeast Pass.

With these two castles, Tubo would not be able to send troops from these two places. "As for the food for the troops, don't be stingy. Although we don't have many cattle and sheep in the pastures in Hexi, we have hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep in the pastures in Jiuqu and Taoyang. This time, the Helong tyrants have given us a lot, which can be used by the soldiers."

"Beginning in September, the soldiers were allowed to eat boiled beef and mutton every ten days until the end of the battle."

Li Xuan gave instructions to his colleagues in charge of logistics, including Liu Yan and Gao Shi.

During the war, Li Xuan needed to maintain morale, even if it meant eating all the cattle and sheep on the ranch.

It is difficult to finish meat even if you only eat once every ten days.

"As ordered!"

Liu Yan, Gao Shi and other subordinates bowed and accepted the order.

"During this period, when you are deploying and training your troops, you should think more about tactics..."

After discussing for another half an hour, Li Xuan spoke to the generals.

After all the troops arrive, Li Xuan will rearrange them.

First find out which side the main forces of Jiuqu and Kubahai are on, and then confront the Tubo army according to Li Mi's ideas to see who has better patience.

Then he sent light cavalry to the north and south of Qinghai to look for opportunities to fight.

All of this must be done after all the troops are fully assembled.

The first military meeting was temporarily concluded.

Li Xuan asked his personal guards to tell Li Zhushi to carefully observe Jiuqu's camp and report to him.

Let Li Fei Yuanli personally lead people to investigate near Kubahai Lake, and make sure to observe the Baili camp and record all the details.

Li Xuan stayed in Huangshui City to check military and government affairs.

The files of Shuofang and Hedong have been delivered. Li Xuan wants to take a closer look at them, and then combine them with what Wang Zhongsi told him to seriously understand the structure of Heshuo.

Five days later.

"General Li, a Western Hu merchant came to see you and said he got cotton seeds."

When Li Xuan was reading in the government office, the personal guard reported to Li Xuan.

"Quick! Bring him in!"

Li Xuan was relieved to receive the letter and was very happy.

Previously, he commissioned the Sogdian merchant Kang Jiahong to spread the news of buying cotton at a high price.

With three times the profit from silk, the Sogdians were encouraged to transport cotton to Helong.

As a time traveler, Li Xuan knew that the emergence of cotton had epoch-making significance.

Li Xuan really doesn't know how to make cotton cloth. He can only make cotton cloth according to the most ancient method.

But Li Xuan probably knows how to play cotton and can make a cotton bow.

The cotton used to make cotton-padded clothes and quilts must be processed using a cotton-fleshing bow or a cotton-fleshing hammer.

Because the cotton is scattered when it is just picked, it needs to be flicked to make the cotton blend together to form cotton wool.

Then, fluffing the cotton can make it softer and have a better warmth-keeping effect.

The new quilt feels very soft and comfortable, and is also warmer.

"Cao Tuluo, a Sogdian from Cao State in the Western Regions, pays homage to the wise and great Marshal! It is my honor to meet you and do business with you."

A Sogdian merchant with a yellow beard and a high nose entered the lobby and bowed respectfully to Li Xuan.

He was also a Hu merchant who often came to the Tang Dynasty, so he learned Chinese since he was a child.

He had long heard that Marshal Helong was a wise and brave young man.

When we met in person, I didn't expect Li Xuan to be so young.

Li Xuan's reputation resounded throughout the Hexi Corridor, especially after he dealt with those evil Hu merchants.

The Sogdians all knew that Li Xuan valued credibility, provided a good business environment for merchants, and was also a person who would not tolerate any injustice.

The Sogdians were rootless people. If they broke the law in the territory of the Tang Dynasty, they would be executed and there would be no way to seek justice.

Cao Tuluo was a typical Sogdian businessman who was very careful with his money and could be found wherever there was a business opportunity.

Although the Arabs claimed to prohibit the export of cotton seeds, how could this be a problem for the Sogdians?
Just like the Sogdian merchants bribed the officials and border troops of the Tang Dynasty to bring women out of Yumen Pass and Yangguan.

It was easier for Sogdian merchants to bring some cotton seeds out of the Arab world.

Because the Arab soldiers and local officials didn't care about cotton seeds at all and would release them as long as the money was paid.

"My friend who has come from afar, please don't be polite!"

Li Xuan asked Cao Tu Luo to stand up.

"This is a letter from our king of Cao to the marshal, which I am delivering."

Cao Tu Luo bowed again, took out a letter from his arms and held it in his hand.

The personal guard Luo Xing took the letter and handed it to Li Xuan.

Although he was a businessman, the king's letters certainly took priority.

"It's not appropriate to give the king's letter to a border commander like me!"

Li Xuan did not open the letter, but slapped it on the table and pressed it with his palm.

The State of Cao was one of the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu.

The Nine Zhaowu Clans refer to some Sogdian states between the Uhu River (now the Amu Darya River) and the Yasha River (now the Syr Darya River).

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, the Sogdian states were nominally vassal states of the Tang Dynasty, but in reality the Nine Zhaowu Clans each lived independently, making it impossible for Tang troops to station any of them.

The Pamir Mountains are too difficult to cross!

"The King of Cao has heard of your reputation and admires you very much. This letter has no other meaning. Besides, our Cao is too far away, at the westernmost part of the Western Regions. How could something that would damage your reputation happen?"

Cao Tuluo told Li Xuan to read the letter without worry, as it was not something harmful to the Tang Dynasty or a bribe.

Li Xuan didn't think any more and opened the letter.

One of the tiny countries in the former Zhaowu area did have no conflicts of interest with him as the marshal.

The letter was written in Sogdian language with a Chinese translation next to it.

The King of Cao, Geluo Pulu, first praised Li Xuan's achievements against Tubo, saying that Li Xuan was brave and invincible and had already made a name for himself in the Western Regions.

During the Kaiyuan period, the State of Cao presented Cao Ye Na Ji, a Hu Xuan woman, to Li Longji. Li Longji took her as his concubine and she gave birth to the 29th daughter, Li Chong Niang.

In the fourth year of Tianbao, Geluo Pulu again presented a tribute to Li Longji, clearly expressing his hope to break free from the threat of the Arabs and to become a small state of the Tang Dynasty.

But Li Longji did not agree!

Because the ancient land of Zhaowu had been controlled by the Arabs for decades.

They stationed troops there and forcibly changed the Sogdians' minds. The Sogdian states and dozens of small countries south of the Iron Gate Pass had to pay a large sum of protection fees to the Arabs every year.

The country is in misery and is torn apart.

Under the deliberate actions of the Arabs, some countries no longer functioned as countries but became puppets of the Arabs.

The Arabs were not satisfied with expanding eastward to the Pamir Mountains. They wanted to bring "God" to the earth and then launch an attack on Anxi.

Because the Arabs thought they could go further east!
The King of Cao, Golubulu, was already in a desperate state and was trying every possible means to cure his illness.

The only country he could seek help from was the Tang Dynasty.

Before this, Geluo Pulu had asked Gai Jiayun, Tian Renwan, and even Fu Menglingcha, but they were all rejected.

Li Longji considered that Cao State was just a dot on the map, and did not want to cross mountains and rivers to send troops to encircle and suppress it.

After Li Xuan's reputation spread to the Western Regions, Golubulu felt that Li Xuan was a ruthless character and hoped to ask Li Xuan to persuade the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Because civil war had already broken out in the Arab Empire, it was the best time for the Tang Dynasty to attack the former territory of Zhaowu.

The Black Caliphs (the Hashemite family) began planning to control the Caliphate Empire as early as thirty years ago.

Through clever propaganda and agitation, they gained the support of many people, especially the Arabs and Persians. They formed an alliance with the Black Arabs as their leader.

This year, the Black Caliphs openly rebelled and attempted to seize the position of Caliph.

Golubulu thought this was a good opportunity for them to submit to the Tang Dynasty, as there were not many Arab troops in the former Zhaowu area.

The Black Caliphs, for the sake of the Caliphate, and the White Caliphs, for the sake of defending the Caliphate, will do their utmost to eliminate their opponents and obtain the supreme scepter.

To the Arabs, the Caliph is God!

"I am very grateful that your king can send a message to me. But I am very sorry that I cannot persuade our emperor to send troops to the Arabs. You should have seen what I am doing in Hexi. I will have a decisive battle with hundreds of thousands of Tibetan troops. It is also difficult to mobilize the troops of the Tang Dynasty."

"The Black Caliphate will surely replace the White Caliphate and create a new dynasty. When you leave, take my letter with you. I will go to the Western Regions in a few years. Just be patient!"

Li Xuan also politely declined Li Longji's request to send troops to rescue the State of Cao, saying that it was just looking for trouble.

But Li Xuan did not say anything final.

He said that he would go to the Western Regions sooner or later, which was very meaningful.

When he goes to the Western Regions with the reputation of defeating Tubo, it will inevitably shock the Western Regions.

Because there were more than twenty Tibetan vassal states in the Western Regions, this represented influence.

Li Xuan felt that Geluo Pulu was a useful person who could help him conquer the former territory of Zhaowu in the future.

(End of this chapter)