Chapter 55: Poli
In order to stop the Tang army, the Turkic army of 10,000 marched quickly towards Feng'an Military City in the cover of night.

The chief commander of the army was General Poli, a cadre of the Apoda army.

The word "Poli" is like a crystal gem to the Han people, but in Turkic, "Poli" means "wolf".

The Turks used the wolf as a totem and called their army the "Wolf Army."

In this name, if Poli had no ability, he would be killed by other Turkic warriors.

Facts have proved that Poli is a hero respected by all Turks.

He killed dozens of Tang soldiers, two yamen generals, and one cavalry general in battle; he defeated many rebellious tribes, captured and killed their chiefs, and killed even more people.

He was first appreciated by Pobu Khatun, the mother of Dengli Khan, who gave him an official position in the royal court of Poli in the name of Dengli Khan.

Later, Poli was praised by Gutuyehu Khan and Usumish Khan.

Last year, when Wang Zhongsi led the Tang and Hu armies to threaten Usumish Khan, Poli personally led the cavalry to the tent to guard.

He supported the unification of the Turks and believed that the Turks would be passed down forever and would never be extinguished.

He believed that the former overlords of the grassland, the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Rouran, were not as strong as the Turks, let alone as brave as them.

He firmly believed in the idea of ​​"dying with heavy troops is better than dying of illness", and was deeply ashamed of the betrayal of the Turkic right wing.

He swore to the gods on the Tianshan Mountains (the Turks called Yu Dujun Mountain Tianshan Mountains) that sooner or later he would punish the cowards of the Right Wing Tribe, reintegrate the fragmented Turkic Khanate, and restore the glory of two hundred years ago.

Po Li also had some military strategy. He did not march all the time. When he was fifty miles away from Feng'an Military City, he ordered the troops to stop and rest for half an hour to recuperate.

"Commander, the Tang people say that speed is the essence of war. We should make a concerted effort to prevent the Feng'an Army from escaping. Now the Feng'an Army's light cavalry is still chasing away our scouts, making it impossible for us to learn about the situation in the Feng'an Army City area."

A Turkic Dagan named Xi Jiejin said to Poli.

"It is said that the Tang general in Feng'an Military City is a powerful figure. Three months ago, he took advantage of the fatigue of his war horses to defeat the Dulu tribe and killed the leader of the Dulu tribe in battle. We can't do that."

Bo Li already knew that it would be difficult to stop the Tang army while they were crossing the river.

At worst, the Tang army could take a longer route to cross the river.

They need to fight with the Tang army and seek opportunities to win.

This time, Po Li was ordered to come, mainly because he was worried that the Feng'an army would go north along the river to the gorge to cover the Tang army crossing the Mingsha River.

In addition, Boli will observe the battle situation and fight if there is an opportunity, and retreat if there is no opportunity.

"You can kill a general among thousands of people. If the Tang general meets you, his body and head will be separated."

Xi Jiejin was not flattering Polii, but believed in Polii's ability.

"I will definitely kill him and defeat the Tang army. Let Wang Zhongsi return in defeat!"

Pauli clenched his fists.

"Weapons must not leave hands; Soldiers must not leave their horses for more than three steps; A formation of 100 men must not disperse. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed!"

Even when he was resting, Boli was strict with his subordinates.

Maintain formation so that you can charge at any time if the situation arises.

"As ordered!"

Xi Jiejin and other Turkic generals said in unison.

……

At midnight, the Yellow River became quiet, the moon hung high in the sky like a round disk, and the sky was full of stars, twinkling at the end of the desert, making the frontier seem boundless and magnificent.

Outside the military city, Li Xuan looked up at the sky. After midnight, it would be Mid-Autumn Festival.

The soldiers are aiming for the north. How many of them remember that the moon will be exceptionally bright these days?

"General Li is a poet. How can he be inspired to write poetry when he sees the full moon?"

Li Guangbi was beside Li Xuan and spoke slowly. He admired Li Xuan's spirit of "everywhere in life is green".

Although he was not a general of the Jinglüe Army, he came with the Jinglüe Army and could give advice to the Jinglüe Army.

"The soldiers are in high spirits. How can we destroy this atmosphere?"

Li Xuan shook his head slightly and said to Li Guangbi.

During a war, it is negative to make soldiers feel homesick.

"That's right. The Turkic actions were beyond our expectations. It looks like the outcome will be decided by the Yellow River." Li Guangbi nodded. According to the original strategy, they should have attacked the Turkic right wing and marched straight in. The Khan's wives and princesses came to the camp one after another.

Li Xuan just smiled and waited for the next wave of scouts to return.

He did not want to copy poems at this time, let alone poems that were negative or satirical about the emperor or the court.

He had his own political ideals and needed to release the "correct voice of the prosperous Tang Dynasty."

Don't be like Du Fu, who wrote "The rich have wine and meat, while the poor freeze to death on the streets" before the Anshi Rebellion broke out and the emperor was still indulging in the extravagant life of Huaqing Palace.

Others include "Emperor Wu's intention to expand the border has not yet ended", "Don't you see, at the head of Qinghai, no one has collected the bones since ancient times", "The hot hand is unparalleled, be careful not to get close to the prime minister's anger", "The dandies will not starve to death, but the scholars will often make mistakes", "I only think that singing has ghosts and gods, but who knows that starving to death will fill the ditch"...

Such as, etc., playing a tone that is inconsistent with the prosperous times.

Tear off the fig leaf.

How could the court possibly use Du Fu, and how could the emperor like Du Fu?
Even though Du Fu had extraordinary talent and a noble family background, he was excluded from the "He Yue Ying Ling Ji".

Although he admires Lao Du's noble character and respects the waves in his writing, Li Xuan wants to learn from it. Let Lao Du be the saint!
Becoming a prime minister through military merit is only the first step.

He didn't want to be a prime minister who only obeyed the emperor, because that way he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything big.

At the beginning of August, Li Xuan sent back another poem, titled "Song of the Frontier", which expressed political significance.

Li Xuan deliberately asked Li Shizhi to pass it to Li Longji: The Han flags fill the Yin Mountains, and not a single Hu child will be allowed to return. I wish to serve my country for the rest of my life, why should I enter Yumen Pass alive?

One is to express his loyalty to Li Longji, and the other is to prove his bravery to Li Longji.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Chao once said: "I dare not even think about reaching Jiuquan County, but I hope to enter Yumen Pass alive."

This poem uses this as an allusion, but the desire to serve the country is more straightforward.

A real man should make great achievements, why does he need to return home alive?

What Li Xuan didn't know was that Li Longji happened to see this poem at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet and circulated it among all the ministers at the banquet.

He also said to his attendants: If I can achieve the same fame as Huo Qubing and obtain the same status at the same age as Huo Qubing, what's wrong with that?

……

"General, the Turkic cavalry is less than thirty miles away from the military city, and there are at least ten thousand of them."

Just then, the scout came to report.

"Probe again and report again!"

After hearing this, Li Xuan waved his hand.

"During the Sui Dynasty, Yang Su once said that infantry battle formations were a way to defend and were not enough to win. What do you think, General Li?"

Li Guangbi asked Li Xuan.

He had ordered the heavy infantry to carry the chariots and deer horns across the river first.

Two thousand heavily armored infantrymen have relied on the city to form a defense line in front of Feng'an Ferry.

It would be extremely difficult to break through the Feng'an army's phalanx without enough Turkic cavalry.

By noon tomorrow, all the troops will be able to cross Feng'an Ferry, making the battle formation more solid.

"Now the Huihe and Karluk have already started their attack on Basmil. The Huihe have also sent tens of thousands of cavalry to threaten the Turkic camp. The Turkic people are more impatient than us. We must be patient."

While Li Xuan was replying to Li Guangbi, he was thinking about other tactics.

Under normal circumstances, the Tang army's formation would be extremely passive.

But this was a different time. Wang Zhongsi's main force went out of the Yin Mountains and began the expedition.

The Uighurs were like hungry wolves, drooling at the Turkic territory.

The Qarlugs were gods of war when the wind was favorable, and they always liked to give those who were down a fight a beating.

The other tribes will just watch from the sidelines and do their best not to add insult to injury.

If the tens of thousands of Turkic cavalry at the gorge were to remain in a stalemate with the Tang army for too long, Usumish Khan would probably be chased away.

It is unwise to give up the advantage in battle formation and actively fight with the Turkic cavalry in a fit of anger.

Although Li Xuan was eager for military merit, he would not joke with the lives of his soldiers.

(End of this chapter)