Chapter 73: Terrifying the Grassland
That afternoon, Li Xuan selected thousands of horses and brought the bodies of the Feng'an soldiers who died in the battle back to the Feng'an military city.

The wounded soldiers also returned on horseback or in carriages.

In the end, only more than 1,800 Feng'an troops were left.

This included nine hundred cavalrymen.

The next day, Xiang Yujing, the envoy of Dingyuan Army, led 3,000 light cavalry of Dingyuan Army as the vanguard, preparing to launch an attack on the left wing of the Turkic tribes.

The main force buried the Turkic corpses on the battlefield at random.

Li Xuan led the Feng'an Army to find a river to wash their armor and bodies, otherwise it would be too uncomfortable to wear them.

Another day passed and the central army set out.

Li Xuan thought he could enjoy Zhang Qiqiu's healthy marching speed, but he didn't expect that Zhang Qiqiu could now travel sixty miles a day.

The war horses captured this time were used to transport a large amount of food, supplies, armor and weapons for the Tang army.

Three days later, the vanguard army was only twenty miles away from the Dulu tribe.

At the same time, Wang Zhongsi's military order came.

Wang Zhongsi directly deprived Zhang Qiqiu of his command power and gave Cui Zhan and Cheng Gui the power to act at their discretion.

Cui Zhan sent his deputy general to the rear army, and he returned to the center army.

At this moment, although Zhang Qiqiu held the title of "Deputy Marshal", it was just a title without substance.

He didn't expect Wang Zhongsi to react so strongly and deprive him of his military command without any explanation.

This shattered Zhang Qiqiu's dream of relying on Apodagan and other troops to achieve success.

Zhang Qiqiu then suddenly realized that Wang Zhongsi's father was once an army envoy of Feng'an. He died in battle because his generals were jealous of his military achievements and did not come to his rescue.

In Wang Zhongsi's mind, this alone was enough reason to deprive Zhang Qiqiu of his military power.

Desire blinded Zhang Qiqiu's eyes and made him unable to see himself clearly.

Zhang Qiqiu realized his crisis and became more low-key.

Once they set up camp, Zhang Qiqiu recited the Diamond Sutra in the central military tent.

"As we expected, the Dulu tribe led their tents and left. It is estimated that the Apodagan, Yuledusi, Kala and other tribes also led their tribes to leave the west of Helan Mountain."

In a military camp, Cheng Gui, Cui Zhan, Li Xuan, Li Guangbi and others were discussing together.

They have now ignored Zhang Qiqiu.

"Our army now has a large number of war horses. I suggest that the infantrymen who can ride horses mount war horses and use cavalry to pursue these tribes."

Cui Zhan said to everyone.

He was very depressed as he was transferred to the rear army by Zhang Qiqiu to escort food and fodder for no reason.

He was also reprimanded because of the civilian labor incident.

The first credit was won by Li Xuan, and the second credit was won by Cheng Gui.

He must seize the few remaining merits.

"The Turkic Left Wing tribes have lost 50,000 cavalrymen, and the 18 Hebo tribes have already left. Now there are only a few combat cavalrymen left. We can probably form more than 30,000 cavalrymen and divide them into three groups. We will pursue from three directions."

Cheng Gui gave his suggestion.

"Yes, we also need to meet up with General Wang as soon as possible."

Cui Zhan nodded and took the initiative to say, “Let me go after the Apoda cadre.”

Chief Apodagan was killed by the Turkic king Tingdong, and as a meritorious tribe after the establishment of the Turkic Khanate, it was the most powerful.

At the same time, it is most likely to gain military merit.

"General Li, I will select 8,000 infantrymen who can ride horses from the army and cooperate with your troops. I just don't know which tribe General Li is going to chase?"

Cheng Gui took Li Xuan's opinion into consideration.

Hun Shizhi did have 10,000 cavalrymen, but Cheng Gui believed that there was a conflict between Hun Shizhi and Li Xuan.

Hun Shizhi's Hu cavalry was led by him and Cui Zhan.

"Leave the Yuledusi tribe to me."

Li Xuan picked one at random.

"What should we do with Xiang Yujing?" Cui Zhan asked Cheng Gui again.

"Let him come back from the front army and accompany Zhang Qiqiu to command the central army."

Cheng Gui said bluntly that everyone in the army knew that Xiang Yujing and Zhang Qiqiu had a good relationship.

"Well, it's settled. The king has ordered that all tribes must surrender and must not slaughter the women and children of the Turkic tribes."

Cui Zhan reminded everyone again.

"understand!"

Li Xuan nodded.

The central army advanced towards the Hunyi River.

Cheng Gui selected 8,000 cavalrymen and assigned them to four cavalry commanders, as well as escort officers and team leaders.

If nothing unexpected happens, this cavalry unit will become a permanent organization.

Li Xuan saw that most of the soldiers in his Jinglüe Army knew how to ride horses, so he asked them and found out. After Wang Zhongsi became the governor of Shuofang, he required the soldiers in the Jinglüe Army to learn horsemanship.

For moments like this.

These cavalrymen knew about Li Xuan's heroic deeds and admired him very much.

They were all willing to obey Li Xuan's orders.

Li Xuan ordered the soldiers to bring enough dry food and water, and to bring 3,000 more war horses to transport armor and supplies.

He formed a new scout battalion, with each man and three horses, and marched ahead.

Li Xuan led the main force to march for seven hours every day. Three days later, Li Xuan arrived at the original residence of the Yuledusi tribe, which was located on the south side of the river and had abundant water and grass.

Li Xuan followed the traces left by Yuledusi's tribe and sent scouts further to investigate.

Two days later, early in the morning, a scout came to report: "General, we found a Turkic tribe ninety miles away. They are driving their cattle and sheep and migrating to the northwest."

"How many soldiers are available for battle?" Li Xuan asked the scout.

"There are less than three thousand mounted guards in front and behind," the scout replied.

"Catch up with the Yuledusi tribe before noon!"

Li Xuan gave orders to his subordinates to speed up the march.

Three hours later, next to a salt lake.

A team of about 30,000 to 40,000 people moved forward slowly.

The elderly and babies sat on ox carts, and women and children drove tens of thousands of cattle and sheep.

In comparison, they have only three to four thousand young and middle-aged men between the ages of fifteen and forty.

They are the Zuoxiang Yuledusi tribe that Li Xuan is looking for.

The migration day and night made them tired and haggard.

If they lose the battle, the enemy must be looking for them.

Seeing that they could not move any further, Chief Yuledusi ordered the tribe to rest by the salt lake and eat some food.

The hexagrams he had read for several days all showed very bad luck, which made Chief Yuledusi extremely worried. Family members had died in every camp, and the tribesmen were filled with grief. They had to leave their homeland and their future was uncertain.

"Reporting... Reporting to the chief... There are Tang cavalry chasing us from behind."

The scouts of the Yuledusi tribe reported to the Yuledusi chieftain breathlessly.

"How many riders?"

Chief Yuledusi asked the question emphatically.

"The dust is flying, there must be ten thousand riders." The scout replied.

"it is as expected."

The Yuledusi tribe believed in wizards, and the bad omens in recent days had made him mentally prepared.

The men of his own tribe no longer had the will to fight against the Tang army.

"If we can't fight, we can only surrender like the right wing did."

If you abandon your people, you will be spurned by the gods.

The elders of the Yuledusi tribe remained silent.

Once the war breaks out, the elderly, the weak, women and children in the tribe will be slaughtered.

"Go and tell the Tang army that our Yuledusi tribe is willing to surrender."

Chief Yuledusi was afraid that the Tang cavalry would attack him directly, so he took the initiative to send his men to express his willingness to surrender.

"Accept their surrender!" It would be best if there is no need to fight, so that you can get huge spoils without losing a single soldier.

When Chief Yuledusi saw Li Xuan coming to the Salt Lake, he immediately brought people to pay him a visit.

When they saw Li Xuan, some of his followers were so frightened that their legs went weak and they trembled.

"How can this be? Although we surrendered to the Tang people, we are not afraid of death, but we are worried about the extinction of our tribe."

Chief Yuledusi scolded lightly.

"Chief, that man is the mighty general of Feng'an Army. He killed fierce generals in battle as easily as plucking a white flower. When we were attacking Gaopo, many times we rushed up but were dispersed by him alone." The follower said in fear.

"it's him?"

When Chief Yuledusi heard that it was this Tang general, his hair stood on end.

It won’t be long before Li Xuan’s bravery will spread throughout the grassland tribes.

He was worried that Li Xuan would retaliate against the Yuledusi tribe.

At this point, Chief Yuledusi could only bite the bullet and step forward to pay his respects: "I, the guilty Yuledusi, have offended the Tang Dynasty and the brave general. I beg the general to forgive me."

"For hundreds of years, the Turkic tribes have raised troops when they were in a favorable position and surrendered when they were defeated. The Tang Dynasty raised troops to attack you because you often invaded the border and robbed Tang merchants. When will you learn to be righteous?"

Li Xuan sat on his horse and pointed his whip at Chief Yuledusi.

"We know our mistakes and are willing to be your vassal for generations. We dare not rebel."

Chief Yuledusi lay on the ground with his head down.

"Why did you kill my Tang people and chop off their heads as a provocation?"

Li Xuan has always been brooding over this matter.

"Unfair! This was not my idea. This was the idea of ​​Apoda cadre, the commander-in-chief, Poli."

Chief Yuledusi broke out in cold sweat and kept crying out for justice.

In Chief Yuledusi's mind, there was nothing wrong with what Poli did.

All the Turkic men are good at controlling the bows.

The young and strong men of the Tang Dynasty were also their enemies at that time. But at this time, he did not dare to say a word.

"Where are you going to migrate to?"

Li Xuan said nothing more, as Po Li had been killed by him. He couldn't just massacre all the Turkic soldiers out of anger.

There were many Turkic tribes and nobles who submitted to the Tang Dynasty. There was also a district in Chang'an specifically for settling those Turkic nobles.

"Tianshan, near the Yazhang..."

Chief Yuledusi was afraid of Li Xuan like a tiger and did not dare to hide anything.

"It is said that the Huihe are attacking the Turkic tent. What is the current situation?"

Li Xuan knew that the Turks liked to call Yu Dujun Mountain Tianshan Mountain, while the Han people liked to call Yu Dujun Mountain Yanran Mountain.

He was very interested in that place.

"We have fought several battles at the Ekun River, and the outcome is currently unknown."

Chief Yuledusi spoke truthfully.

Although the Turkic yamen is weak, the nobles can still unite and gather tens of thousands of cavalry.

The Uighurs fought on two fronts, cooperating with the Karluk to attack and capture the Simit tribe.

At the same time, he planned to seize the Turkic yamen.

"I understand. You order the tribe to follow me."

Li Xuan thought about it and decided to let the Uighurs and the Turkic camp fight for a while.

"As ordered!"

The Yuledusi tribe could only drive cattle and sheep and follow the Tang cavalry.

According to the plan, they would first be taken to the Hunyi River and wait for Wang Zhongsi to deal with them.

Li Xuan estimated that the Turkic left wing would be placed in the Hetao and Yinshan areas for use by the Tang Dynasty.

It took twenty days to get to Hunyi River, and I could clearly feel the weather getting colder.

The rear army carried a large amount of linen clothes, which they could wear when they reached the Hunyi River.

At the same time, generals Cheng Gui, Cui Zhan and others also captured Apodagan, Dulu, Kala and other tribes and came to the Hunyi River.

Wang Zhongsi led his troops out of Yinshan. Although he did not lead the most elite troops, he swept all the way.

The flanks of the Turkic yamen were basically cut off, ready to threaten the Turkic royal court to the west at any time.

To the north, they wiped out the Eighteen Hebo tribes and the small Turkic tribes around the Dule River.

The central army of the detachment arrived at the Hunyi River earlier than Li Xuan.

South of the Hunyi River, there are fluttering flags, herds of cattle and sheep, and camps one after another, stretching for dozens of miles.

"General Li, thank you for your hard work."

Li Guangbi came to greet Li Xuan.

"How is Zhang Qiqiu?"

After Li Xuan bowed to Li Guangbi, he asked directly.

"As soon as Zhang Qiqiu arrived at Hunyi River, he was summoned into the tent by Marshal Wang. I don't know what he said. But soon after, the military supervisor Han Zhuang entered the tent, and the two of them left the tent at the same time." Li Guangbi replied to Li Xuan: "Now Marshal Wang no longer trusts Zhang Qiqiu."

What he meant was that the military inspector Han Zhuang was protecting Zhang Qiqiu.

"Thanks for letting me know."

This guy Zhang Qiqiu has this skill and can actually collude with the military supervisor.

During the reign of Li Longji, every Jiedushi had a military supervisor beside him to ensure Li Longji's control over military power.

These military supervisors were all trusted eunuchs who had been with Li Longji since childhood. They had no worries about having offspring, so Li Longji trusted them very much.

The military inspector has enormous power. He can not only monitor the generals of the army, but can even interfere with the army's training and battle plans.

After every war, before the military orders from the Jiedushi arrived in Chang'an, the secret letter from the military supervisor might reach Li Longji first by express horse.

Since ancient times, generals have regarded Sima Rangju's beheading of the military supervisor Zhuang Jia as a good story.

But if anyone dared to touch the military supervisors sent by Li Longji, even if they had legitimate reasons, Li Longji would make him pay the price.

Li Guangbi brought Li Xuan to Wang Zhongsi's central military tent.

"Greetings, Marshal Wang."

Li Xuan bowed to Wang Zhongsi.

"No gift!"

Wang Zhongsi personally stood up and helped Li Xuan straighten up, saying with a smile: "Qilang has become more mature."

A real baptism of iron and blood. Li Xuan standing in front of him had a firm face and a majestic spirit.

When Li Guangbi came with the message, he thought Li Xuan was going to sacrifice his life for his country like his father.

So in a fit of rage, he first removed Zhang Qiqiu from his command.

When he learned that Li Xuan was safe and sound and had decided the outcome of the battle, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Qi Lang's battle shocked the grasslands. Apodagan and other tribes all feared you as a god. You held the high ground and crushed the morale of the Zuoxiang tribes. I have read Qi Lang's battle report. Even if Xiang Yu were reborn, he would be no more than this. I have copied the battle report and sent it to Chang'an by express horse. The imperial edict for promotion should be on the way now."

Immediately afterwards, Wang Zhongsi praised Li Xuan.

His main forces were infantry and cavalry, and against the main force of the Turkic cavalry of more than 30,000, a great victory was inevitable.

But Li Xuan fought alone and almost defeated the 50,000 cavalry on the left wing with the strength of his own army.

The saints like this kind of beautiful record of defeating the majority with the minority the most, as it can better demonstrate the power of the Tang Dynasty.

"It's a pity that most of the soldiers of Feng'an Army were killed or injured." Li Xuan sighed.

"I questioned Zhang Qiqiu, and his answer was illogical. He didn't seem like a general. But the military supervisor vouched for Zhang Qiqiu, saying that he was too cautious. If he was really that cautious, more than a thousand people of my Tang Dynasty should not have been brutally killed. I have impeached him, and it depends on the decision of the saint." Wang Zhongsi comforted Li Xuan.

Although it achieved Li Xuan's great military exploits!

But Zhang Qiqiu cannot escape the blame.

Wang Zhongsi pondered over it many times. He had always thought that Zhang Qiqiu was a normal Confucian general, but now the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he was a fool.

"Believe in the wisdom of the saints."

Li Xuan was determined that even if Zhang Qiqiu escaped, he would find an opportunity to kill him.

People are responsible for their own actions.

After Li Xuan and Wang Zhongsi talked for half an hour, Wang Zhongsi handed a battle report to Li Xuan.

(End of this chapter)