The Tang army withdrew its troops and returned directly to Dafeichuan. Qin Mubai issued an order, and all the soldiers returned to their respective camps, with strict vigilance and return to normal.
But all the soldiers in the camp were more or less emotionally disturbed. Some were yelling like Yu Wen Hongtai, while others were frustrated and annoyed after being tricked, especially the new recruits who were full of energy and wanted to go into battle to kill, but in vain After returning empty-handed, they were ridiculed and teased by the enemy, so most of them lost their composure.
Qin Mubai knew in his heart that before the war started, he had lost to Gar Qinling in one move. I have to admit that after all, Garqin Ling is experienced and cunning in his tactics, always taking the initiative. Now, whether to fight or not to fight, everything depends on the thought of Garqin Mausoleum. This was too much for Tang Jun.
Everyone in the camp seemed a little restless, but the only two people who remained motionless were Qin Mubai and Hou Junji.
When he first entered the army, the word Qin Mubai heard most from his father and Li Jing was "the style of a general" - calm in the face of danger, calm and calm!
Now, although he did not say that he had practiced this skill to the extreme, the small situation in front of him was not enough to move him. On the contrary, Hou Junji's expression and demeanor did not change from the time he went to war to the time he came back. To put it mildly, he looked like a dead man. Mounting his horse, charging into battle, and even killing people in a bloody battle, it seemed to be a common occurrence for him.
From this point of view, Xue Wanjun is far inferior.
So after returning to the camp, Qin Mubai only invited Hou Junji to enter the tent for a secret discussion.
"Why, you can't calm down after being led around by the nose?" Hou Junji still had no good words to say, so he came to give Qin Mubai.
"What do you think?" Qin Mubai smiled indifferently and said, "Obviously, Gar Qinling is despising me and insulting me, but he did not attack Dafeichuan rashly, so he takes me seriously. So I I feel more and more that this opponent has some weight.”
"Then you are too late to think about it." Hou Junji sneered, "When he was only twelve years old, that boy and his father assisted the abandoned clan and led the army to conquer the plateau rebellion. Do you think it was a coincidence that he finally unified the plateau and established the Tubo Dynasty?"
"If I remember correctly, this is the first time you have praised someone in front of me." Qin Mubai said. He didn't say the second half of the sentence - "You didn't even say a word of praise for Li Yaoshi, who taught you the art of war."
"If one day you can make your enemies praise you and fear you behind your back, it will prove that you are really capable." Hou Junji said, "That kid from Garqinling is not much older than you. Years old, and the Zanpu of Tubo, Qizong Nongzan, are about the same age as you. Everyone on the plateau knows that there are almost two Zanpu in Tubo, one is Qizong Nongzan, and the other is Qizong Nongzan. In a sense, Tubo could not live without Aizong Nongzan, but the latter was much more important. At the same time, he was the most important to the Tang Dynasty. The real enemy."
"Real enemy? How to say?" Qin Mubai asked.
"If you put yourself in the shoes of Garqin Mausoleum and think about it, you will understand. In fact, his situation is somewhat similar to yours." Hou Junji said, "Actually, kings and ministers are People are not willing to fight, and those who want to fight are usually generals. As for the reason, you can recall how fierce and dangerous the debate over the war was in Tubo. Tang Heqin, this matter was not brought up by our Tang Dynasty, but by the young Tubo Zanpu, Abandoning Zong Nongzan, and he mentioned it a long time ago, even before the Battle of Songzhou - You definitely don’t know these things as well as I do.”
"I admit it. The battle of Songzhou was fought by you, and you were the prime minister of the cabinet at the time." Qin Mubai said, "Since he abandoned his clan and wanted to get married, why did the fight end up like this?"
"There are many reasons. One of the most important reasons is the Garqin Mausoleum." Hou Junji said, "You must understand the principle that good bows are hidden when the birds are gone, right? Tubo has built a huge empire, and Zanpu wants to fight with the great The Tang Dynasty and his relatives brought the plateau into decades of peace, which was used to stabilize the foundation of the empire and cultivate their culture and people's livelihood. What did this mean to the founding father of the country, Marshal Gal Qinling, that there was no need to use force anymore? Are you just waiting for someone to kill the donkey? Of course he doesn't want to! - Think about your own situation. If the war with Tubo hadn't started and you had stayed in Chang'an, you would have been nothing more than an idle prince-in-law. How can a dispensable Qinghei Yiquan live? A man's life is nothing more than drinking, wealth and arrogant ambition. So, don't you have some similarities with him? You must control your own destiny through war."
After hearing these words, Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile, "Hou Junji, I didn't expect that you can't smash a few farts out of a boring jar with a hammer. It's interesting to talk about it for a long time."
"If you don't believe it, you can pretend that I didn't say anything." Hou Junji curled his lips indifferently and said, "Now I only know that the initiative lies entirely with the Galqin Mausoleum, and our situation is not good at all. "
Qin Mubai frowned slightly, nodded, and said, "That's why I asked you to come. Tell me, is there any way?"
Hou Junji was silent for a moment and said, "There is a way, but you may not dare to use it."
"speak."
"The strange troops came out of the snow ridge and attacked the Kunlun Mountains!" Hou Junji said.
Moreover, Qin Mubai did not show the surprise that Hou Junji had expected. Instead, he smiled slightly and said, "This plan coincides with mine. But it is really extremely difficult to implement it." difficult."
"Oh? Did you also think of this level?" Hou Junji was quite surprised. He said, "The home of Garqinling is in Golmud, Kunlun Military Region. This time he brought 300,000 men with him to Qingqing. Luo Yuan's company is so powerful that it is almost impossible to defeat him head-on. Therefore, we can only attack him seven inches away - cut off his food supply and destroy his foundation first, and then let his army lose morale. Likelihood of success.”
"That's right." Qin Mubai said, "The situation in front of me reminds me of the Battle of Guandu in the Three Kingdoms era at the end of Han Dynasty. At that time, Yuan Shao's military strength was far superior to Cao Cao's, but Cao Cao burned Wuchao and cut off Yuan Shao's logistics. The weak defeats the strong and defeats the opponent in one fell swoop.”
"But Garqin Ling is definitely not a loser like Yuan Shao. He has rich experience in hundreds of battles and is extremely resourceful and thoughtful. If you want to take advantage of his loopholes and burn his food and grass, it will be difficult to reach the sky." Hou Junji said, "Moreover, the Snowy Plateau is not a place like Guandu or Wuchao. Let alone the Garqin Mausoleum, which will station heavy troops on the grain road to ensure safe logistics. Even Golmud will take strict precautions, making it extremely difficult to take action. The three armies have not yet Go ahead with food and grass. A battle-hardened general like him must know the importance of food and grass. We have almost no chance."
"It's hard to say whether it will work or not if you try, but if you don't try, you definitely won't have a chance." Qin Mubai raised his eyebrows and said.
"Oh?" Hou Junji said curiously, "What are you going to do? - If you can surprise Kunlun and successfully burn his food and grass, then more than half of this battle will be won!"
"The secret must not be leaked. I have made arrangements, but I am not in a hurry." Qin Mubai smiled mysteriously and said, "What we have to do now is to play two games with Gar Qinling first - we can only lose, not win!"
"Arrogant soldier's plan?"
"Of course!"
"Don't send me to fight this kind of battle!" Hou Junji said urgently, "I hate losing a battle the most in my life!"
"What a coincidence, it has to be you." Qin Mubai smiled lightly.
"Why!" Hou Junji shouted.
"Just because you are the strongest general in the Kansai army, only if you lose to Tubo will Garqin Ling believe you. Only then can you achieve the effect of 'proud soldier'." Qin Mubai said.
"..." Hou Junji was speechless. He gritted his teeth bitterly and nodded angrily, "Okay! But if those old boys like Xue Wanjun dare to sarcastically make fun of me, I will chop off their heads on the spot!" "
"There is a saying in ancient times, how can Yan Que know Hong Hu's ambition? On the other hand, how can Hong Hu care about how Yan Que views him? Hou Junji, if you are really on the same level as them, then I am mistaken." Qin Mubai said.
"..." Hou Junji was speechless again, sighed and nodded, and said, "Okay, Qin Mubai, you win! I didn't expect that you have learned a few tricks to control people at a young age. Is it your Majesty or Li Jing?" Taught you?"
"I can't say that this is the art of controlling people, because I am not your master and you are not my subject. We are comrades who share weal and woe. Mutual trust is the most basic thing. It is okay to make some sacrifices occasionally for the sake of the overall situation. It's inevitable, what do you think?" Qin Mubai smiled.
"In terms of eloquence, I am naturally far inferior to you. That's it, you can do whatever you say. Who made you the coach?" Hou Junji casually held his fists, "You can just tell me when to go out to fight." yes."
"Five days from now will be the date of the Mid-Autumn Festival. There will be a frontal battle anyway." Qin Mubai said, "You come and fight."
"Okay!... But what if I'm not careful and win?"
"I'll chop your head off."
"...Farewell!"
After Hou Junji left, Qin Mubai sat quietly with his eyes closed for a long time.
Such a huge military contest was indeed a huge test for the "fledgling" Qin Mubai. He had led troops to fight in the past, but those previous wars were either trivial compared to the current one, or he was not in charge independently.
Inexperienced, huge pressure, powerful enemies, clever opponents, internal intrigues and intrigues... Qin Mubai felt that all of this was like mountains, pressing firmly on his shoulders.
However, every time the pressure on his shoulders increases, Qin Mubai feels that his shoulders are stronger and his legs are stronger.
After his father passed away, he no longer had the big tree to shelter him from the wind and rain, nor the backing to support him under the pressure, so he had to rely on himself for everything.
"Father, although I am willing to exchange everything I have now for your survival, among all the disadvantages, the only advantage is... your son has truly grown up now!"
"Come here, pen and ink!"
With a flick of his pen, Qin Mubai wrote an urgent military document to report to the court, ordering a fast horse to travel eight hundred miles day and night to deliver it directly to Fang Xuanling, the deputy general manager of the Guanxi Road March.
The letter only said one thing - Qin Mubai needs someone to be his confidant!
The eight hundred snow sculpture army lacks a real leader. Looking through the whole army, there is no suitable candidate. Although Zhang Tong, the one-armed commander of the flag, is the nominal commander, he is disabled and has many inconveniences. If they want to perform some special tasks, the Eight Hundred Snow Sculptures need a real "King of Sculptures"!
This person is none other than Qin Mubai's favorite disciple - Pang Fei!
This kid is now living happily as his local bully in Xiangzhou. How can he be allowed to stay so relaxed and happy
Less than two hours after the horses galloped out of Dafeichuan, a group of strangers arrived in front of the army camp and were stopped by the patrol officers. The general came to report that Pang Fei, the commander of Xiangzhou, had been ordered by the Ministry of War to come to help in the battle!
"There are such coincidences in the world!" Qin Mubai couldn't help being surprised and happy, and immediately called Pang Fei into the Chinese army's tent!
Pang Fei led more than a thousand soldiers and horses into the camp. When he saw Qin Mubai, he bowed head-on and was extremely surprised!
After questioning, I learned that after hearing that the Lanzhou war had begun and Qin Shubao was killed, Pang Fei, who was far away in Xiangzhou, could not sit still for a long time. He even submitted multiple invitations to the Ministry of War, requesting to go to Lanzhou to participate in the war, but he was always like a bull in the sea. . But soon after Fang Xuanling became the deputy commander-in-chief of the Guanxi Road March and took over the Ministry of War, he immediately approved Pang Fei's petition for war. So, this kid spent more than a month galloping all the way from Xiangzhou, thousands of miles away, to Dafeichuan!
Coming with him was Qin Mubai's former direct lineage troops, the Bailang Navy from Xiangzhou Prefecture!
"It's just the right time!" Qin Mubai laughed heartily, "Pang Fei, I have never looked forward to your appearance as much as I do today!"
"It is Pang Fei's greatest blessing in his life to be able to lead his teacher's horse and do the work of a dog and horse!" Pang Fei was also very happy and said, "The student took it upon himself to bring the Bailang navy from Xiangzhou. But this area of Dafeichuan is full of plateau grassland. I wonder if there is still room for us to use it? Does this move by the students seem a bit redundant?"
"It's not superfluous at all." Qin Mubai smiled mysteriously and said, "Maybe you will do the wisest thing in your life - don't ask so many questions, stay here and take a good rest first, so that I can recuperate! "
"Yes, mentor!"
"You are not allowed to call me that in the military camp."
"No, young marshal!"
"Go!"
Pang Fei's arrival surprised Qin Mubai. This was one of the rare good news in recent days. Although this kid may be a bit suspected of joining the military industry in order to make a fortune, it is extremely rare for him to travel thousands of miles to help in the war.
The most important thing is that we really need him right now...
Because Pang Fei's unexpected arrival came early, Qin Mubai's mood became much more relaxed and joyful. Therefore, when he returned to the handsome tent and back house, his steps were a little brisk and there was a little smile on his face. As soon as they entered the back house, they bumped into the Tantai sisters. Seeing Qin Mubai's relaxed expression, the two joked together about whether "people are in high spirits during happy events and will marry the princess today."
Qin Mubai laughed and scolded the two sisters before coming to Princess Wencheng's room.
"Mu Bai, are you back? Are you okay and not injured? Are you victorious?" Li Xueyan asked with great concern.
"Why, do you care about the war?" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Don't you hate war and dead people the most?"
Li Xueyan nodded slightly awkwardly and said, "In comparison, I am naturally more concerned about your safety."
"That's right. People are all selfish." Qin Mubai smiled slightly, "No one is truly selfless, not even you, right?"
"..." Li Xueyan was speechless for a moment by Qin Mubai's confession. She shook her head helplessly and said, "Yes, I am not as great and selfless as I imagined... If war is inevitable, bloodshed and Death will come as expected. I at least hope that you will be safe and that the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty will have fewer casualties. "
"You are very honest." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "I know that you are very conflicted at this moment. You can't even believe in yourself, and you have doubts about your previous ideals."
"Yes... I can't hide any of this from you." Li Xueyan clasped her elbows with her hands, frowned, and took a few steps slowly before saying, "I'm in pain. I've begun to doubt my ideals, my beliefs have been shaken, and I'm very hesitant. I don’t know what to do next. Mu Bai, you are very wise, I always trust you, okay?”
"You don't even trust yourself anymore, are you willing to trust me?"
Li Xueyan turned around, looked at Qin Mubai with a soft expression but firm eyes, and nodded slightly, "I do!"
"Thank you." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "I came here just to tell you something. I am going to take you to observe in front of the battle to let you know what war is. Maybe after that, you will know Understand what you have to do.”
"Take me... to watch the battle in front of the battle?"
"That's right!" Qin Mubai said, "In five days, it will be the date of my battle with Gar Qinling. Originally, it would be quite inappropriate to take you to watch the battle in front of the battle. But I am entrusted by the prince, and I am your friend. I think you deserve to make an exception. After you come back from the battle, no one will interfere or interfere with where you are going or what you are going to do.”
Li Xueyan frowned slightly and pondered for a moment, then nodded firmly, "Okay, I'll listen to you!"
"Five days later, you and the Tantai sisters will pretend to be my guardsmen and follow me into battle to supervise the battle! I believe that from then on, you will truly understand the difference between a woman's benevolence and a righteous benevolence!"
"Although I don't want to see bloodshed and killing with my own eyes. But... I will look forward to that day!"