Chapter 52 Expected Merit

On the morning of July 18, Wang Zhongsi summoned all the generals and governors of the Shuofang Army to the Jiedushi Mansion.

The Huihe, Qarlug and other tribes that had already arrived at Huile City were met privately by Wang Zhongsi and did not participate in the military affairs of the Tang Dynasty.

The Basimi tribe, which had allied with the Tang Dynasty last year, had not yet reached Huile.

Basmil was a Turkic tribe. Last year, they established a khanate in the western part of Yudujun Mountain. Their leader was Jie Di Yishi Khan.

At that time, the chieftains of the Uighurs and the Karluks were recommended as the left and right Yehu, but they actually did not buy into Basmil's ideas.

And Basmith also began to disobey the orders of the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty promised to give some of the old Turkic territory to the Karluks and would also help the Karluks defeat Mohedagan.

He also promised the Uighurs that they could establish a Khanate and take over all the former Xiongnu territories.

The mission of the two countries was to capture Basmil.

At the same time, Chen Bing threatened the tent of the Turkic Khan Usumish.

History has changed, and Li Xuan has always felt that next year is the best time.

Because the Turkic Usumish Khan would first fight with Basmith Jiediish Khan.

The Turks will become more disabled.

Now facing the alliance between the Tang Dynasty, the Uighurs, and the Karluks, Basmil and the Turkic royal court will inevitably unite against the common enemy.

Eventually, it caused a butterfly effect, allowing Li Linfu to influence Li Longji's will.

"Generals, we are following the orders of the saints, and the basic strategy has been formulated. The Huihe and Karluk will unite to attack Basmil. Our army must first defeat the left wing of the Turks, just like we destroyed the right wing of the Turks last year..."

"Do you have any suggestions? I'm just throwing out some ideas to get you to a better strategy."

After formulating the strategic goals, Wang Zhongsi asked the generals.

"General Wang, the Huihe and Karluk should be the first to attack the Turks, so that our army can take advantage of the situation. When the Turks are in chaos, our army can win at the lowest cost."

The envoy from Xishoujiang City said to Wang Zhongsi.

"I will make this clear to the two chiefs."

Wang Zhongsi nodded. If the Turks were destroyed, the Huihe would gain the most, so they should take the first step to attract the attention of the Turkic left wing tribes.

As long as the Turkic left wing could not gather together, the Tang army could sweep through the country like a storm.

"The Huihe have 100,000 soldiers under their command. I am worried that the Huihe will become more powerful and become a threat to our borders like the Turks in the future."

Guo Ziyi, the commander of the Zhenwu Army, stood up and said.

His worries were not unfounded, and the generals nodded frequently.

Li Xuan took the opportunity to look at Guo Ziyi.

Guo Ziyi, who was in his early forties, was once a top military scholar.

But because he often spent time at the frontier and suffered from the bitter cold, he had a sense of vicissitudes that was different from his peers, and his beard and hair had already turned silver.

But from his sharp eyes and strong voice, one can tell that he is very ambitious and eager for military merit.

"The Huihe are not strong enough to dominate. Even if they completely unify the grassland, it will take more than a decade. Although the grassland tribes admire strength rather than virtue, as long as the Tang Dynasty prospers, the Huihe will not dare to act rashly."

"Military affairs must be planned carefully before action. Now we are targeting the Turks. As for the others, don't think too much."

Wang Zhongsi never approved of mobilizing the nation's might to conquer the entire grassland.

If a certain tribe becomes powerful, the Tang Dynasty will be destroyed by mobilizing troops. Not only will the Tang Dynasty lose its prestige, but it will also be dragged down by its excessive military aggression.

Only by using national strength to intimidate the grasslands can we bring stability to the north.

Wang Zhongsi wanted to always maintain the strength of the country, but he didn't know that the fortress was often breached from within.

"General Li, what do you think?"

Seeing that no one was speaking, Wang Zhongsi suddenly asked Li Xuan.

The generals also looked at the young man's face. They had heard about Li Xuan's deeds. Although he was talented, he could only shoot the tassels on a flying horse. But the commanders were not convinced.

Because Li Xuan's military achievements were not enough to control the Feng'an Army.

But this is also the system of the Tang Dynasty.

Some people can enter officialdom through the influence of their fathers and ancestors as soon as they are born.

Some people study hard for ten years, take the imperial examinations every year, and spend their entire lives studying hard, but still cannot pass.

Fortunately, Li Xuan dared to serve as the vanguard in this battle, which made the other generals look at him with new eyes.

The vanguard army will be surrounded if they are not careful, and if the main force is unable to provide support in time, they will surely suffer a tragic defeat.

"I agree with the king. We should first sweep across the left wing of the Turkic tribes, and then unite with the Huihe and Karluk tribes to break through the Turkic tent in one fell swoop. Last year, the saint sent envoys many times to order the Turkic Khan Wusumishi to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, but he refused. This is against the saint's will. In my opinion, our Tang army should capture Wusumishi Khan alive, just like Su Dingfang captured Helu, to deter the grasslands. Let the grassland tribes know that our Tang Dynasty has the ability to punish them even if they are far away. In this way, they will not dare to covet the Tang Dynasty in the future."

Wang Zhongsi was wise and intelligent, and he formulated an excellent strategy. In addition, he had just wiped out the right wing of the Turks last year. How could he be qualified to question Wang Zhongsi?
He would just think carefully, study and write it down.

Even so, it did not prevent Li Xuan from expressing his feelings to Wang Zhongsi.

If there was an opportunity, he would ask Wang Zhongsi to raid the tent of Usumish Khan, hoping to gain brilliant merit.

"If the first step is completed, we can observe whether there is such an opportunity. If we want to achieve the achievements of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, we need the right time, right place and right people."

When fighting on the grassland, it is not so easy to capture the opportunity.

Wang Zhongsi also had to consider the deployment of various departments and logistics issues.

The courage and perseverance of generals and soldiers are also important factors.

They are about to set out on a long expedition, and when they reach Yu Dujun Mountain, no one knows how many soldiers will fall behind.

If possible, Wang Zhongsi also hoped that the Tang army could capture the Turkic Khan Usumishi or Basmith Khan alive.

Shock the grassland!

After determining the strategic goal and discussing with the generals, the Shuofang Army had 64,700 men and sent out 50,000 troops.

All 14,300 registered horses were mobilized.

Among them were thousands of unregistered horses, such as the surplus horses of the Feng'an Army and many private horses of other armies.

When the Hu people joined the Tang Dynasty, they all brought their own horses, which were their private property.

Among them, the Feng'an Army sent out 6,000 troops.

The governors of all the Hu tribes directly under the Tang Dynasty recruited their clansmen and mobilized 10,000 light cavalry.

The Turkic right wing tribes that surrendered last year mobilized 10,000 light cavalry.

In total, the Tang army dispatched more than 30,000 cavalry and more than 30,000 infantry.

The prefects and deputy governors of more than ten counties, including Shuofang, Jiuyuan, Lingwu, and Yunzhong, organized more than 200,000 laborers to transport food and supplies for the soldiers who went out to the border.

The food supply cannot be interrupted until the final strategy is determined.

Only when encountering the enemy or completing a certain goal could the soldiers carry dry food and advance lightly.

The battle officially began in mid-August.

The Tang army was divided into two routes. One route went out of Yinshan Mountain, mainly composed of Zhenwu Army, Zhongshoujiang City, Anbei Protectorate, Dongshoujiang City, Xishoujiang City, and 10,000 directly affiliated Turkic cavalry. Wang Zhongsi was in charge personally.

They crossed the Yellow River from Mingsha, Lingwu, and headed north along the west of the Helan Mountains, attacking the Dulu, Apodagan, Kala, Yuledusi and other tribes.

The Feng'an Army was the vanguard, the Dingyuan Army and the headquarters' Jinglüe Army were the main force, and the cavalry from the Gaolanzhou and other military governor's offices were the wings.

The command was under the command of Zhang Qiqiu, deputy envoy of Shuofang Jiedushi.

At that time, he would join forces with Wang Zhongsi in the area of ​​Hunyi River, and then advance deep into the northwest to threaten him.

With the combat effectiveness of the Tang army, together with the Uighurs and Karluks, they formed a horn-like situation and surrounded the enemy from all sides from the east, west, south and north.

(End of this chapter)