Hou Junji was still staring at Qin Mubai aggressively, his eyes gradually became arrogant, provocative, and unconcealable with expectation and desire.
Of course Qin Mubai knew what he wanted. From the day he was demoted from Chang'an and sent to Liangzhou, Hou Junji looked forward to the day when he would make a comeback.
Now, this day seems to be near.
He wanted military power, wanted to prove himself, and wanted to do something earth-shattering that would shut up Changsun Wuji and even make Li Shimin lose his face.
This was his only purpose all along, willing to succumb to the subordinate Qin Mubai, a junior!
Of course Qin Mubai knew it well. For a person like Hou Junji, no matter how many gold and silver beauties he has, he can't win over him. The only thing that can be fatal to him is trust and power! The trust and power that allows him to show his self-worth!
"Soldiers are valuable and quick! General Hou, please organize your troops and horses. The whole army will set off immediately and go straight to Dafeichuan!" Qin Mubai paused for a moment, his eyebrows sank slightly, "That is our main battlefield. !”
"promise!"
Hou Junji shouted in a deep voice and clasped his fists in agreement.
This was almost the first time that he said this word willingly in front of Qin Mubai as a subordinate. At this time, with the strange light flashing in his eyes, even Chen Yan, who was standing behind Qin Mubai, could clearly see that this lone wolf had really found the wolf king he needed!
Qin Mubai nodded, and then said: "The battle at Huanyue Valley is just the first battle of the counterattack. The centipede insect is dead but not stiff, and the vitality of the Garqin Mausoleum is still alive. Please General Hou draft and issue a command order on my behalf. , I solemnly warn the entire army to guard against arrogance and impetuosity and not to underestimate the enemy! Otherwise, it will be our turn soon to be defeated in the battle of Huanyue Valley."
"Okay." Hou Junji clasped his fists and agreed. This kind of thing is exactly what he, a marching commander, does. After a brief pause, he said, "The snow is getting tighter and we cannot delay it for a moment. Otherwise, once the snow closes the mountain, we will be blocked at the gate of Huanyue Valley and lose our chance of fighting in vain. My subordinates suggest that we first let The subordinates can lead the cavalry and light troops to go ahead and rush to Dafeichuan. General Yuwen Hongtai can lead the remaining troops and escort some grain, grass, baggage and other items to get up. As for the battlefield here, it can be handed over to Xue Wanjun's troops who will come to join forces later. ”
"Okay, that's fine, I'll listen to you." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and accepted it completely.
Hou Junji rarely showed a comfortable smile and said: "The young marshal is not in good health. It is better to go back to Shanzhou for a while to recuperate. After all, this battle is not a day's work. The health of the young marshal is really related to our army." Life or death. This is not the opinion of my subordinates, but also the unanimous wish of the entire army.”
"I think so too." Chen Yan from behind added.
"Yes, third brother, your body and bones are still important. You should go back to Shanzhou to rest and recuperate! Besides, you are the groom's official now, so you should stay in the bridal chamber and be happy!" Yuwen Hongtai shouted carelessly.
Qin Mubai was stunned, "What nonsense are you talking about? What kind of groom's official? There are women here, and you are so arrogant. You should be beaten!"
"Uh!... It should be beaten, it should be beaten..." Yuwen Hongtai was suddenly embarrassed and stuttered.
"Mu Bai, let me explain this to you in detail." Chen Yan said, "You should agree to General Hou's request first!"
Qin Mubai thought for a while and said: "General Hou, no one in our army can surpass you in your ability to lead troops to fight. Now I can agree to let you lead the army, but there are three things I want to tell you. you."
"Young Marshal, please speak." Hou Junji's expression suddenly brightened and his eyes brightened!
"First, don't underestimate the enemy. With all calculations, the Tubo people's loss here in Huanyue Valley is only one-third of the troops. Gar Qinling still has 200,000 troops and most of the Kunlun cavalry in hand." Qin Mubai Said, "Although our army's small victory has dampened the enemy's energy, there is still a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ours, and our army is still in a weak position. Moreover, all the deceptions that should be used have been used, and the Garqin Mausoleum will not If we don't fall for anything, the only thing left is to fight head-on. Therefore, we must clearly understand our situation and never let complacency grow in the army."
"Don't worry about this." Hou Junji said, "Hou has allowed himself to be wild and rebellious all his life, but only on the battlefield, he has never been arrogant and underestimated the enemy."
"Secondly, when you leave, I have sent Zhang Tong to lead a troop to blow up the Buha River and flood Dafeichuan. If this plan succeeds, the Dafeichuan military camp will suffer a devastating blow. Can flood I don't know how many Tubo people will freeze to death, but what is certain is that it will become a natural disaster. I guess when you arrive with your troops, you will be able to meet Zhang Tong. Capturing prisoners and rescuing military supplies is the first priority. We must also guard against a sudden counterattack by the Tibetans.”
Hou Junji set out ahead of Zhang Tong, but he didn't know about it. At this moment, he was surprised at first and then raised his eyebrows excitedly, "Although this plan is a little poisonous, it is ingenious. The power of heaven is beyond human power. A general who can flexibly use the right time and place like you is outstanding." "
"That's ridiculous." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "The third thing I want to tell you is not to kill indiscriminately."
Hou Junji frowned slightly, "What is indiscriminate killing?"
"Except for the casualties during head-on confrontations on the battlefield, all others are indiscriminate killings." Qin Mubai replied, "If you think back to the ashes of our fallen soldiers from the Garqin Mausoleum, you will understand why I prohibit indiscriminate killings. ”
"Just to win people's hearts?"
"That's understandable."
Hou Junji pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "I can only promise you, try not to kill indiscriminately. I know that you have lofty aspirations and great ambitions. What you care about is not just the victory or defeat in a battle, but you want to finally level the plateau." Conquer Tubo. It’s not that I look down on you, I’ve always wanted to get the truth from you - do you think this is possible? Or is this just your wishful thinking and self-deception?”
Qin Mubai smiled and did not answer.
Yuwen Hongtai became anxious and shouted: "Hou Junji, what nonsense are you talking about? Since you can't trust my third brother, don't follow my third brother!"
"Heizi, shut up." Qin Mubai scolded and said only four words to Hou Junji, "It depends on manpower."
"Then I will believe you again." Hou Junji said categorically almost every word, "I hope you will not disappoint me."
After that, he gave a fist and turned around and left, his big riding boots crunching against the snow.
"If you encounter Gar Qin Ling who comes to challenge you, you don't have to fight with him. One word - endure!" Qin Mubai said loudly behind him, "If he is patient, I will be anxious. If he is anxious, I will be patient. Now, the initiative falls to We have it in hand. If he wants to fight quickly, there will probably be a huge crisis in food supply. "
"Grain road supplies?" Hou Junji paused in his steps and muttered. He looked back at Qin Mubai but didn't ask any more questions. He just hugged him and mounted his horse.
Everyone watched Hou Junji ride away on horseback through the snow.
"This guy! Have you agreed?" Yuwen Hongtai couldn't hold it in any longer and cursed: "Third brother, this man is so arrogant and rude! Just let me have my way, so I just knocked him down and beat him severely. Say it again!”
"I want to do the same. Everyone who comes into contact with him wants to do it." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "But if you really understand him, you will be full of tolerance and respect for him."
"What do you mean? I don't understand." Yuwen Hongtai shook his head blankly, "I only know that this guy is very arrogant and deserves a beating!"
Chen Yan smiled and said: "Heizi, Hou Junji is cold-faced and hot-hearted, with a hard mouth and a soft heart. People like him don't understand hypocrisy and politeness, and they don't have bad intentions. He is upright, just like you. If not, he would How could he be defeated by Changsun Wuji and others in the court, and end up being degraded as a minister who had contributed to the founding of the country? "
"Ah? Isn't that just short-sighted?" Yuwen Hongtai was stunned for a moment, "Does sister-in-law want to say that I will be like him in the future?"
"Haha, you definitely won't!" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Although you are a little reckless, but if you don't fight for power and gain, no one will fight against you. Who will harm you?"
"Hehe, yes!" Yuwen Hongtai grinned, "I have a third brother! I just follow the third brother and don't think too much about anything!"
"Silly black man!" Qin Mubai smiled and thought to himself: At the beginning, Hou Junji had the same feelings for Li Shimin as Yuwen Hongtai had for me, but what about in the end? ... Human relationships in Canghai Mulangtian are so fickle, which only adds to the sadness!
Soon, Hou Junji organized his headquarters with 50,000 light horses and roared away against the auspicious snow. Yuwen Hongtai led thousands of soldiers and horses from his headquarters to ride over Qin Mubai's Xufu, inventory the battlefield and build temporary barracks. When night fell, the entire army rested in the temporary camp in front of Huanyue Valley.
That night, the north wind howled and the heavy snow became heavier. Qin Mubai couldn't help but worry about Qin Shi and others who had previously ambushed the mountain and detonated explosives. It was so cold and freezing. They must have suffered a lot from lying in wait on the mountain for so many days. Detonating explosives was dangerous in itself. Now that the mountain is blocked by heavy snow, they don't know whether they will live or die
At noon the next day, the mountains and fields were completely white and the snow was thick.
The army had just finished lunch, and Qin Shi and others came back miraculously!
They actually walked out of the snow-capped mountains, but none of them were human-like. Each of them suffered from frostbite much more severe than Qin Mubai's. Moreover, more than thirty people did die from the severe cold and avalanches.
Qin Shi, a wild boy as thin as a grass root, was extremely tenacious. He came back with almost no hair on his body, and he didn't even have frostbite on his body. According to Lu Youhai and others, this boy was not only not afraid of the cold, he often bathed with snow cubes, and led them to hunt animals in the mountains to satisfy their hunger and find passages. If it hadn't been for him along the way, these two hundred people would have been trapped and frozen to death in the mountains!
"They are the real heroes! The key to our army's victory!!" Qin Mubai held a celebration banquet for Qin Shi and others, and truthfully informed the soldiers of the previous arrangements.
All the soldiers were amazed and admired. Overnight, Qin Shi, an unknown soldier, became a famous hero in the entire Kansai Army. When it was time to spread out the merit list and record the meritorious deeds, Qin Shi refused to do so. He felt that he was just a dog slave of the Qin family. He did the simplest and most important things according to his master's instructions. No reward.
Qin Mubai told Qin Shi that if the battle is finally won, the court will reward you based on your merits. According to the Tang Dynasty's practice of attaching great importance to military merits, your merits are enough to be awarded a fifth-grade guerrilla general, or a viscount or above. .
But Qin Shi still refused to die. He said that he would not be an official or a general, but would only serve his master and run errands for him. When everyone tried to persuade him again, he actually cried because he thought Qin Mubai was going to drive him out of the house.
Qin Mubai had no choice but to give up, and finally had to write down the names of Lu Youhai and other Vulcan soldiers on the merit list.
One day later, 25,000 men and horses under Xue Wanjun returned from Shanzhou, bringing with them a large amount of important supplies such as grain, tents, and cold clothes. Qin Mubai left 5,000 of them behind and gave them to his generals to temporarily garrison them in a temporary military camp. After the heavy snow stopped, he would clean up the battlefield and deal with post-war matters. The other 20,000 horses were handed over to Yuwen Hongtai, and he was asked to escort the military supplies and go to Dafeichuan as soon as possible to meet Hou Junji.
Although Yuwen Hongtai was a little reluctant to "hang out" with Hou Junji, he obeyed Qin Mubai's orders obediently and made a promise not to quarrel with Hou Junji and to obey his orders.
After making some preparations, Qin Mubai led 10,000 pro-Xun Yifu cavalry, divided into two groups with Yuwen Hongtai's troops, and went to Shanzhou and Dafeichuan respectively.