Prince of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 559 Before leaving

The khan before the Western Turks was Yipidulu, and Yipishekui succeeded in taking the throne after defeating him, while Ashina Helu was Yipidulu's subordinate. After Yipidulu's failure, he In desperation, he finally chose to turn to Datang.

So in theory, Ashina Helu and Yibi Shekui are incompatible. It is with this in mind that Li Shimin accepted Ashina Helu and asked him to guard the Western Regions to guard against Western Turks.

Li Shimin has always been very confident in his determination, so when Gao Ming asked him to guard against Ashina Helu, although Li Shimin didn't say anything, he was still somewhat suspicious because he felt that Ashina Helu It is impossible for He Lu to be so stupid as to betray Datang.

But the facts proved him wrong.

Perhaps Ashina Helu was not stupid, but was blinded by ambition, but in any case, betrayal is betrayal, which Datang cannot tolerate.

Therefore, Li Shimin's expedition this time was in the name of "countering the rebellion", declaring to the outside world that he sent troops to solve the traitor Ashina Helu.

Undoubtedly, this is a very good reason, and it is also in line with Datang's long-standing tradition of "learn from teachers who are famous", and no one can find fault with it.

However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that countering the rebellion is just an excuse. The purpose of Li Shimin's dispatch of troops this time is to solve the Western Turks and completely remove the obstacles from the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions, so as to re-establish the order of the Silk Road.

As for the counter-insurgency, it was just incidental.

Gao Ming knew about these things early on, and it could even be said that he had participated in the war against the Western Turks. If Li Shimin hadn't prepared for the imperial conquest, then it would have been Gao Ming himself who went on the expedition this time.

But looking at Li Shimin's excited face, Gao Ming's mood became inexplicably relaxed.

"Compared to the failure to conquer Goguryeo in the original history, perhaps this conquest of the Western Regions is more suitable for him?"

Thinking of this, Gao Ming immediately smiled at Li Shimin.

"Old man, how many people are you going to bring with you this time? There are only about a hundred thousand people in the left and right guards. I'm afraid this is not enough people?"

"Huh?" Hearing Gao Ming's words, Li Shimin glanced at him curiously: "How do you know that I have two guards on the left and right?"

Seeing Li Shimin's curious expression, Gao Ming laughed again.

"Because I heard that you ordered Su Dingfang to deliver food and grass. Since you ordered Su Dingfang, there is no reason not to use the left and right guards!"

"I see!"

After hearing Gao Ming's explanation, Li Shimin nodded immediately.

"That's right, I'm indeed going to take the left and right guards to go out this time, but it's not just these people, there are also the 25 troops who returned from Xue Yantuo, a total of [-] people, enough to defeat the rebellion. Most importantly, I have this !"

Having said that, Li Shimin immediately patted the tank's body with "bang bang bang" a few times, and then grinned at Gao Ming.

"With this, plus the fifty cannons brought back from Goguryeo, plus the 25 people who went out this time, I believe that the Western Regions can be easily pacified!"

Hearing Li Shimin's words, Gao Ming was taken aback for a moment, but finally nodded.

"Uh...it seems to be the case."

Gao Ming knew very well that Datang was very strong both in infantry and cavalry. Basically, no one could fight against Datang's army with the same strength. The original Jieli Khan was the best example.

Facing the Tang army's attack, the best way is to defend the city and use a solid city to bridge the huge gap in combat power. After all, it is impossible for cavalry to fly up to a city wall that is several meters high.

But with artillery and tanks, this gap has also been filled.

Out of the range of the opponent's bow and arrow, the cannon can easily blast through the opponent's city gate, and then use the cavalry to drive straight in, which can be called simple and rude.

With these two weapons of war, tanks and cannons, Gao Ming was able to defeat Goguryeo and Baekje within two months, and Cheng Yaojin and others also used them to destroy Xue Yantuo at a slight cost.

Now that Li Shimin has them, it is obviously not difficult to defeat the Western Turks who are not much stronger than Xue Yantuo.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin immediately began to stroke the tank in front of him, with a satisfied expression, as if what he was touching was not a cold tank, but a peerless beauty.

Under Gao Ming's surprised gaze, after a while, Li Shimin opened his mouth with a fascinated face.

"With such a tank, it can bring such great benefits in a war. If there are a hundred of them, then which country in this world can be an enemy of Datang?"

"Haha, there must be none!"

Hearing Li Shimin's hypothesis, Gao Ming immediately laughed, but soon, he shrugged helplessly towards Li Shimin.

"However, this is impossible, because the cost of tanks is very high, one needs [-] guns, and this thing requires not only money, but also time. It took Datang Military Industry Department more than half a year to build this tank alone. time, so it is unrealistic to want to create more tanks in a short time!"

If it was Li Shimin in the past, when he heard Gao Ming say that a tank cost [-] guan, he would definitely shrink back, but after seeing the benefits of the tank, he felt that it was really worth the money.

More importantly, now that Datang's treasury is abundant, he also has confidence.

"What if we send more people? It shouldn't be a problem to build ten a year, right?"

Hearing Li Shimin's words, Gao Ming still shook his head.

"It still doesn't work, because even if we have money and people, we are short of iron!"

The iron smelting technology of the Tang Dynasty determined that although iron was not a rare commodity in the Tang Dynasty, it was not very abundant. Except for civilian iron and farm tools, most of the iron was used to make weapons and armor.

A huge monster like a tank needs a lot of iron. With Datang's current level of iron smelting, it is obviously unrealistic to build a hundred of them in a short period of time.

Gao Ming knew this very well, so he directly pointed it out to Li Shimin.

"According to our current conditions, at most one more tank can be built, otherwise it will become a burden, and I think that instead of wasting so much iron to build another tank, it is more cost-effective to use these iron to build dozens of cannons!"

Having said that, Gao Ming patted Li Shimin's shoulder earnestly.

"Old man, you have to eat this meal one bite at a time, and you have to walk step by step on the road. If you take big steps, it's easy to get scratched!"

Li Shimin: "..."

Seeing that Li Shimin didn't speak, but just glared at him with glaring eyes, Gao Ming immediately realized that his behavior was inappropriate, so he quickly took away the hand on Li Shimin's shoulder, and then smiled obsequiously towards Li Shimin.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I just help you sweep the dust, don't mind, haha!"

As he said that, he still pretended to sweep Li Shimin's shoulders a few times with his hands, as if there was really dust on them.

Seeing this scene, Li Shimin could only sigh helplessly.

"Hey... I got it. Well, what else do you have to say? If not, I'm about to leave. Li Yunhu and Xue Li are still waiting for me at Yumen Pass!"

Now it was Gao Ming's turn to be surprised, Li Shimin's eyes widened as soon as Li Shimin finished speaking.

"Huzi and Xue Rengui are at Yumen Pass? You plan to let them go to the Western Regions with you?"

Seeing Gao Ming's surprised look, Li Shimin smiled again, and nodded while smiling.

"That's right, and I plan to let them each lead an army to attack Ashina Helu and Yibi Shekui respectively!"

"what?"

Hearing Li Shimin's words, Gao Ming's eyes suddenly widened, full of disbelief.

"Isn't it too abrupt for them to attack Ashina Helu and Yibi Shekui? It's not time for them to be alone, right?"

Seeing Gao Ming's panicked look, Li Shimin laughed again.

"Gao Ming, I know that these two are people you value, and I have heard Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Jingde praise them more than once, so I want to see their true abilities with my own eyes, and judge whether they are worthy of me by the way. Son's value!"

"Just because of this?"

Hearing Li Shimin's answer, Gao Ming immediately opened his mouth, showing disbelief, but Li Shimin nodded seriously.

"That's right, because of this!"

"But……"

Gao Ming originally planned to say something, but before he finished speaking, Li Shimin waved his hand towards him.

"I know what you want to say. These two people do have their shortcomings. Huzi is brave and intrepid, while Xue Li is too young and inexperienced. But it is precisely because of this that they need to be tempered even more, otherwise In the future, how will you help you guard the land of the Great Tang?"

"But in case..."

"No case!"

Hearing Li Shimin's words, Gao Ming fell silent immediately.

Seeing the change in his face, Li Shimin smiled again, and then patted him on the shoulder.

"Gao Ming, you are the prince of the Tang Dynasty now, and you will become the emperor of the Tang Dynasty in the future. There are some things that you should understand without me telling you. Well, it's getting late, and I should set off. Don't forget what I said earlier. If you pass!"

After speaking, Li Shimin opened the door of the tank again and climbed up.
Looking at Li Shimin who had already boarded the tank, Gao Ming also came back to his senses, and he quickly shouted at Li Shimin's back.

"Old man, don't worry, before you come back, I will take care of your house for you, and I promise nothing will go wrong!"

Hearing Gao Ming's words, Li Shimin, who had already boarded the tank, immediately smiled.

"That's good, then I'll..."

Originally Li Shimin wanted to say "this way I can rest assured", but before he could say "rest assured", Gao Ming's voice reached his ears again.

"Old man, you have to come back quickly. I will last for three months at most. If you don't come back, I will become a foolish king. Also, your new dragon chair is really hard. I will take it with you when I sit tomorrow. You don't mind a pad, do you? And..."

Hearing Gao Ming's "rebellious" words, Li Shimin's old face darkened immediately, and before he could finish speaking, he closed the tank door with a bang, and then waved his hand.

"set off!"

(End of this chapter)