The national site of Gaochang Kingdom is located in what is later known as the "Turpan Basin". It is located in the south of the Tianshan Mountains and is closely connected to the transportation hub of the Western Regions. It is dry and sandy all year round, and it is extremely hot in summer. Because the basin is surrounded by mountains, people in the Tang Dynasty used to call it "Flaming Mountain".
Originally, such a place with a harsh climate should be extremely barren and desolate. Just because it is located at the strategic point of the Silk Road and has a lot of business travel, it generated extremely rich commercial profits and made it a symbol of the Western Regions. Battleground!
It was a hot summer day, and the Tang Dynasty's Western Expedition army was miserable.
The main tent of the Tang Army's military camp was like a steamer, but all the generals from the commander Qin Shubao on down were fully clothed, and everyone was sweating profusely.
"Commander, why don't you take the opportunity to move the troops and horses into the city to escape the summer heat?" Qibi Heli said, "Since the Anxi Protectorate has been built, it is reasonable for the soldiers and horses to enter the city. How can the commander enter the city alone? "
"Yes, Commander, what General Qibi Heli said makes sense." Other generals also agreed.
Qin Shubao waved his hand and stopped the generals from talking. He said: "How can I not know the suffering of all the soldiers in the hot summer? But at this time, the death of King Qu Wentai of Gaochang was during the mourning period, and the people were in panic after the war. We are waiting for him. If we enter the city in large numbers, it will disturb the people on the one hand, and it will violate morality on the other. If our army goes deep into this area alone, the morale of the army must be stable, and the morale of the people must not be lost. In this western expedition, the priority is to attack the city and conquer the people. Otherwise, the priority is to conquer the people. What can we achieve with more than ten thousand soldiers and horses? Since Qu Zhisheng has led his country to surrender, he is a citizen of the Tang Dynasty. We hope that the generals will take the overall situation first and endure the heat for a while. After all, the people of Gaochang will know the sincerity and trust of our Tang army."
"Now that the commander-in-chief's military order has been issued, we have nothing else to say." Qibi Heli clasped his fists and said, "But the general has one more thing to say, and I have to say it. The commander-in-chief will station his troops and horses outside the city to show his sincerity and trust. The general agrees. However, the general only leads 500 troops to take charge of the capital, and the general thinks it is impossible!"
Qin Shubao's dragon eyes and phoenix eyes shone slightly, he stroked his beard and said, "Why?"
"Commander, please listen to the details of the general." Qibi Heli said, "Although Qu Zhisheng has led the country to surrender, Gaochang Kingdom has always been a puppet country under the control of the Western Turks. Previously, the old king Qu Wentai He also sent an envoy to the Tang Dynasty to declare his vassalship to me, but not long after, the whole country rebelled. But what happened? The land of the Western Region was originally owned by the Western Turks. The Khan's court has always sent Tutun (Turkic official name) to serve in Gaochang. One is to supervise the king's actions, and the other is to collect taxes and wealth. Gaochang is a typical puppet country. In recent years, Tubo has become stubborn. , the Iron Hoof of the Plateau set foot on the ground of the Western Regions, and joined forces with the Western Turks to fight against the Tang Dynasty. Under the combined pressure of these three forces, the king of Gaochang State was in name only unable to protect himself. In the Battle of Puchanghai, the Tubo and Gaochang coalition forces were defeated. The Tibetan forces temporarily withdrew from the Western Region, but the Western Turks were unscathed. At this time, Gaochang quickly surrendered under the threat of the Tang Dynasty's troops, but this does not mean that it was separated from the control of the Western Turks! "
"Are you trying to say that it was a conspiracy for Qu Zhisheng to invite me to the city to take charge of the Anxi Protectorate, and that they wanted to murder me?" Qin Shubao wrote lightly.
"Commander, you must be on guard against others!" Qibi Heli said eagerly, "After Gaochang surrendered, in order not to disturb the people, the commander sent a soldier and horse into the city. We have almost no idea what happened in the city. I know. The general can conclude that a few months will be enough for the Western Turks to make any response to our army. If this invasion is a conspiracy, the consequences will be disastrous!"
"Qibi Heli, it's good that you are thoughtful and careful. But you only know one, not the other." Qin Shubao smiled and said, "In recent years, there has been internal chaos in the Western Turks, and they have been divided into the north and the south. , and the hatred between the two courts has been as deep as the sea, and they have been fighting each other for many years. The Nanting Shaboloyehu Khan Bobu of the Western Turks has repeatedly sent envoys to me to pay tribute and be friendly to me. Shan, Qiemo, Tohuluo, Yanqi, Shi, Shi, He, Mu, Kang, etc. were all under his control. Only Beiting refused to obey me and had a feud with me a few days ago. The Nanting Shabo Luo Yehu Khan's letter of goodwill is that he is willing to contain the northern troops to support us. Although his words cannot be fully believed, it is indeed true that the northern and southern courts of the Western Turks are at odds. At present, in the land of Gaochang, there are three forces of Datang, Beiting, and Nanting competing. No one can act rashly, otherwise they may be attacked and defeated by the other two parties. What's more, Lanzhou soldiers and horses have already left the second pass in the west, and Xue Wanche. He personally led the army to garrison in Puchanghai to respond to me from a distance. Our army will be confident with the support. Why should we fear him from the north and south? My commander estimates that Qu Zhisheng also learned the news about Xue Wanche's army marching out of Erguan. After that, I was officially invited to take charge of the Protectorate. Even if there were Tutun from the Western Turks in the city, he would not dare to act rashly. Otherwise, my son's 100,000-strong army in Lanzhou would be more than enough to crush Gaochang. !”
"Commander, you must not take it lightly!" Qibi Heli said hurriedly, "Although the northern and southern tribunals of the Western Turks have been fighting each other for many years, they have always regarded the Tang Dynasty as a common enemy! Moreover, the Gaochang Kingdom just It is the sphere of influence of the North Court. Even if the South Court is sincerely friendly with me, the Tang Dynasty, it is said to be a containment, but when it comes to fighting, they can just sit back and watch the tiger fight, and reap the benefits of the leader! My mind is as big as the sea, I don’t know how cunning you are. I am a barbarian, but I still want to say something bad about the barbarians - you must not use the kindness and integrity of Han Confucianism to measure the thoughts and calculations of the barbarians! I am friendly, but as long as I lose power, he will instantly turn his back on me and take advantage of me! What's more, Gaochang is not under the rule of Nanting. The Nanting Khan sent a letter of goodwill, which is like taking advantage of him! Relatives. If the Tang Dynasty grows stronger in the Western Region, he will be protected; otherwise, he is hundreds of miles away, so it is probably beyond our reach. Furthermore, the North and South Courts of the Western Turks are inherently powerful. Nan Ting is simply irresistible, so he has shown his favor to me, the Tang Dynasty, from afar, asking for protection and rescue. At this moment, we can only be cautious and do not overestimate or trust Nan Ting. "
"It makes sense." Qin Shubao still nodded in agreement, stroking his beard, and continued, "Qibi Heli, you are Chief Hu who has lived outside the Great Wall for a long time, and you know the subtleties of this place very well, far better than me. But our army has moved thousands of miles away. Have you forgotten why you came?"
Qibi Heli was startled for a moment, then nodded and said: "How dare you forget each other, general? Conquering the Gaochang Weijia Western Region is exactly the purpose of our trip."
"That's it." Qin Shubao smiled slightly and said easily, "His Majesty's decree granted me the title of Protector of Anxi, and ordered me to establish the two states of Xiting and set up the Protector of Anxi here. From then on, I began to manage and manage the Western Regions. Now that Gaochang has been decided, Qu Zhisheng has accepted the official title granted by the Tang Dynasty and completed the construction of the Imperial Protectorate himself. Can I still find any reason not to take office? In fact, you don’t need to tell me. Knowing that the northern and southern courts of the Western Turks were staring at us with wide eyes, every move we made was under their surveillance. The enemy was in the dark. Cowardly. Now, even if I know that Gaochang City is a conspiracy trap, I must step into it with my head held high!"
"Commander, don't act out of anger!" All the generals were anxious and exclaimed together.
Qin Shubao raised his hand and waved his hand proudly: "I have made up my mind! No need to remonstrate anymore!"
The generals were anxious and did not dare to say anything, so they could only moan in silence.
"Rengui." Qin Shubao suddenly called.
"The end will be here." Xue Rengui, who had been standing silently beside him, promised with clasped fists.
"I will only bring Yuwen Hongtai and five hundred Yi soldiers into the city. I will leave the troops and horses outside the city to you to command. I will order General Qibi Heli and others to assist you." After that, Qin Shubao picked up the general seal on the table and "Take the seal!"
Xue Rengui stared at Qin Shubao with thick eyebrows, cupped his fists and said: "The last general - dare not accept the seal!"
"You dare to disobey military orders?" Qin Shubao was furious!
"Commander, please listen to what I have to say!" Xue Rengui bowed on one knee and said in a deep voice.
"speak."
"Please, Marshal, withdraw the troops!" Xue Rengui said every word, shocking!
Sure enough, the whole hall was in an uproar.
Qin Shubao looked at Xue Rengui intently for a long time before he said: "Rengui, I know you have always been brave and resourceful and have strong opinions, but what you just said was beyond my expectation. Tell me why you suggested that I withdraw my troops." ?”
"The general believes that at this moment, it is a good strategy for our army to retreat in order to advance." Xue Rengui said, "Gaochang has been set but it is a national funeral. The Tang Dynasty governs the country with benevolence and filial piety. It is not allowed to garrison troops in the city at this time. This is the reason for retreating. First; secondly, our army is extremely exhausted after traveling thousands of miles alone. It is very difficult to transport food and grass, and there is also a lack of water and heat. The soldiers are homesick and miserable; thirdly, although our army is wandering outside and has long ignored life and death, but But it has added a huge burden to Lanzhou. The commander-in-chief imagines that although Lanzhou is said to have a hundred thousand troops, the front is surrounded by enemies on all sides, but the army is actually surrounded by dangers. It's not easy inside, so how can we find the strength to build the Anxi Protectorate? At this moment, the most difficult thing is not the commander, not us and the soldiers, but the commander and the Lanzhou soldiers and civilians. If the commander comes to help Gaochang, it will cost Lanzhou soldiers, horses and food. It goes without saying that they have wasted people and money. When the time comes, Lanzhou will be empty and the enemy will take advantage of it. If something goes wrong, the consequences will be disastrous. If the young commander does not come to Gaochang's aid and violates the imperial edict and the imperial order, the young commander's crime cannot be evaded. For personal reasons, how can the young commander put the general in danger and remain unmoved? It is the time of national mourning in Gaochang. It is appropriate for the general to retreat first without losing the national prestige and to show his kindness to our army. It would be a long-term plan for Puchanghai and Xue Wanche to join forces, or to go east to Erguan to join forces with the young commander and then make some good plans. Gaochang is really like chicken ribs, which are tasteless and have meat if they are discarded. Don't wait for me to retreat. In the future, no matter whether it is the Western Turks, the Northern and Southern Courts or Tubo, as long as they dare to plot against Gaochang, they will take the initiative to cause trouble and declare war on me. At that time, the soldiers and civilians of Gaochang will all be loyal to the Tang Dynasty. At this moment, the commander-in-chief must not act on his own initiative. , we should focus on the long-term and overall situation!”
After Xue Rengui finished speaking, there was silence in the handsome tent.
Xue Rengui was not the only one who thought of withdrawing his troops. Even Qin Shubao had long wanted to temporarily abandon the "tasteless" part of Gaochang; but Xue Rengui was the only one who could see the overall situation and get to the point and dare to speak out.
a long time…
"A true man, if you have something to do, you must do something..." Qin Shubao stood tall and straightened his eyebrows, stroking his beard, and said in a long voice, "I have given an order and it cannot be changed. Xue Rengui, I order you to take over the military seal! From now on, you will be in charge of everything. Army, perform your duties as commander!"
Outside the tent, the strong wind roared and the war drums thundered.