Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 553
"Yes, yes!" The queen's question stuffed Liu Rengui's remaining words back into his stomach. He might dare to say a few harsh words in front of the emperor, but it was another matter in front of the queen. A woman can hold more grudges than a man, and is also much more terrifying.

"Then do as the queen says!" Li Zhi ended this little dispute impatiently: "Someone in the court impeached Wang Wenzuo, saying that as a border guard, he didn't want to lead the army to destroy the bandits, but was eager For the benefit of merchants, they exchanged tea, salt, silk, horses, and treasures with the Tubo people. Liu Xianggong, you were his boss, what do you think?"

"This—" Liu Rengui frowned: "If I remember correctly, Jiannan sent a victory report not long ago, saying that Songzhou defeated the Tubo thieves in the two battles, right?"

"It's true!" Li Zhi nodded, "But this memorial was written two days ago, Empress, do you remember the details? I can't remember clearly!" He knocked on his forehead in distress.

"My concubine remembers that Wang Wenzuo released the captured Tubo people back, and even met the Tubo envoys privately, and traded with Tubo merchants at the border, and violated the imperial court's ban on salt, tea, horses and other things!" The queen said with a smile: " In fact, according to my concubine, whether to release the captives or not to see the Tubo envoys is the power of the border commander. Wang Wenzuo also serves as the deputy envoy of Jiannan Zhidu Yingtian, and border trade with Tubo merchants is not prohibited. The only problem Even if the imperial court wants to use troops against Tubo, he is already responsible for restraining him as the governor of Songzhou, so it is unreasonable to do so! Liu Xianggong, you have also been a border commander, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty!" Liu Rengui coughed twice: "If I remember correctly, Wang Wenzuo's Songzhou Governor's Mansion doesn't have many soldiers, right?"

"It seems that there are [-] garrison soldiers, and the rest are the recruits he brought with him. It seems that there are five or six thousand soldiers!" The queen said.

"Your Majesty has a good memory!" Liu Rengui praised: "I remember that when I first entered the political affairs hall, I once saw a memorial sent by Li Jin, the envoy of Jiannan Zhiduyingtian to deal with soldiers and horses. Regarding the matter of the 1 garrison soldiers in the capital governor's mansion, it is said that these 1 people were originally from Longshang, they were guest troops, and according to the rules, they were replaced once a year, but it has been almost two years now and there have been no new replacements. There is a heart of resentment. And these 32 people seem to be a lot, but the Songzhou Governor's Mansion has a total of 6000 Jimi prefectures under its jurisdiction. The land is vast and there are many Qiang and Hu. A few. So Wang Wenzuo’s available soldiers are actually the [-] to [-] he brought.”

"Liu Xianggong means that Wang Wenzuo has few soldiers? Why is he like the Tubo people?" the queen asked.

"Returning to Your Majesty, Wang Wenzuo is a decisive person. The advantage is that he can often achieve things that are difficult for ordinary people; the disadvantage is that he often violates the prohibition. If your majesty wants to use him, you have to turn a blind eye to some things. He only has such a small number of soldiers , but want to resist Tubo, screen and protect western Sichuan, isn’t it restraint by trade?”

The hall fell silent, Li Zhi and Wu Shi exchanged glances, the tacit understanding between the husband and wife played a role at this time.

"So, Wang Wenzuo does have his difficulties!" Li Zhi said with a smile, "Then let's keep the impeachment first!"

"Your Majesty's magnanimity is really a blessing to the country!" Liu Ren said.

"Tubo is powerful and powerful, and Qinling is a good general in the world, not comparable to Goguryeo and Baekje!" Li Zhi's expression became serious: "I will not let the generals worry about the central government!"

"Would you like to write a letter to Wang Wenzuo to remind him?" Liu Rengui just vetoed this thought, "Maybe this is a trap set by the emperor on purpose. If I tell Wang Wenzuo what happened today , that is a serious crime of leaking forbidden things!"

After leaving the emperor's dormitory, Liu Rengui felt his tense nerves relax.Just now when Li Zhi asked himself about Wang Wenzuo's impeachment, he seemed to be in a tiger's den, and he heard the slow panting of a beast in his ears, as if his sharp teeth would bite off his cervical spine in the next second.The emperor clearly knew that he and Wang Wenzuo were old acquaintances, and he asked himself this question. Did he really want to ask himself about this matter, or did he want to use this opportunity to test himself?Maybe a bit of both?Liu Rengui didn't know that the city of Chang'an was like a huge spider web, and any move he made would alert the hunter hidden behind a certain node, causing a fatal blow at some point in the future.

"Liu Xianggong, Liu Xianggong?"

The familiar voice brought Liu Rengui back to reality. When he turned his head, it was Dai Zhide, the right servant of Shangshu, who hurriedly bowed to salute: "I have seen Pushe!"

"Don't be too polite, don't be too polite!" Dai Zhide said with a smile, "Liu Xianggong is from the emperor?"

"That's right, the Son of Heaven has summoned me to ask you something! I just came out! Where is Pu She going?"

"Naturally go to the Zhengshitang!" Dai Zhide said, and then he lowered his voice: "Anxi has an urgent envoy, and Tubo sent troops out of the Western Regions, and joined hands with Khotan to capture the city of Kucha (now Aksu, Xinjiang)!"

"What, there is such a thing?" Liu Rengui was taken aback. Tang's Anxi Protectorate was set up in Qiuci at that time. If Dai Zhide's news was true, then Tang's Anxi four towns had already collapsed. The connection between Turkic and Zhaowu nine surnames and other Central Asian regions was cut off, and the control of the Silk Road changed hands.

"Of course it is true. Otherwise, why would I be in such a hurry to go to the Zhengshitang? Liu Xianggong, you are old in military affairs, and I will rely on you more in the Zhengshitang for this matter!" Dai Zhide said.

"A matter of the country, Liu dares to disobey!"

The group hurried to the Zhengshitang, and Dai Zhide sent someone to fetch the emergency documents. It turned out that the Tubo general Qinling led an army from Tuyuhun, entered the Western Regions along the Qinghai Road, and quickly occupied the Khotan Kingdom located on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin. King Tian defeated the Tang army guarding Khotan, and then drove straight into Kucha, the center of the Tang army's rule in the Western Regions. After defeating the Tang army in a field battle, he entered the besieged city.Seeing that they were outnumbered, the defenders broke through and abandoned the city. As a result, the Western Regions fell into the hands of the Tubo army.

"If according to the letter, Qinling is the leader of the Tubo army, then naturally there will be a lot of troops!" Dai Zhide said: "It's not surprising that the Anxi army can't hold it, but the Tubo people's move is very bold. !"

Liu Rengui nodded. Since the Western Regions were far away from Tang and Tubo, the two sides did not invest too much troops in this battlefield, at most 2 or 30 people. Moreover, the Western Regions have a desert oasis climate. Many small countries are not big, with a population of tens of thousands to 10 million at best, and a population of several [-] is a big country. It is weak and weak, and it is playing a foolish strategy. Where is Datang and Tubo? They will hang out with whoever is stronger.That's why when Qinling arrived with Tubo soldiers, the Khotan Kingdom immediately turned against them, and after the Tang army failed in the field battle, they gave up defending the city, because once the local small countries saw that the situation was beneficial to Tubo, they would stand on Tubo's side. The Tang army was trapped in the city of Kucha, thousands of miles away from the nearest reinforcements, and they were looking for a dead end.

"Where are the defeated soldiers from the Western Regions now?" Liu Rengui asked.

"Retreating to Shule!" Dai Zhide said, "Should I urge Longyou to send troops quickly?"

"General Xue is a veteran general, so there is no need for us to urge you!" Liu Ren tracked: "And if I remember correctly, Shule City is located next to a mountain stream, the terrain is dangerous, and there is a well in the city. Come down! There is no need to rush!"

Dai Zhide was infected by Liu Rengui's calmness, and he looked at Liu Rengui with admiration: "Then what does Mr. Liu think we should do first?"

"From Chang'an to the Western Regions, Longyou is the only way to go, so no matter what decision the court makes, it is actually General Xue who will implement it." The general and the others are causing trouble, so it is more serious to recruit more soldiers, horses, money and food to Longyou!"

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Shanzhou (now Xining, Qinghai), Longyou Jiedu envoy's administration.

This is a desolate land.Although it is already the beginning of March, weeping willows beside the Chang'an Baqiao can already see the yellow-green bud tips, but here there are only unmelted snow, low hills, and wind-eroded fields.The river bed is as dry as a bone, and only the brown and yellow tough weeds can survive.Springs are rarely found in the wilderness, only a few bitter puddles.And the farther west you go, the smaller the pool you find, and the longer the distance between the pools.If there are gods in this vast wilderness, they must be harsh and mean, and have no sympathy for the creatures they rule.

Xue Rengui spat hard, picked up the water bag to relieve the thirst in his throat, but the water bag was already empty, and the soldiers next to him rushed to bring his own water bag, Xue Rengui took two sips, and cursed: "This In a place where ghosts are planted, only evil ghosts will be treasures!"

"It's been a long time since I've heard that General Xue is the champion of the three armies, but I didn't expect to be afraid of ghosts?" Guo Daifeng asked with a frivolous smile.

"On the battlefield, it's good to know fear! If you don't even know fear, then it's best not to go to the battlefield!" Xue Rengui sneered, he didn't like the young man behind him, who was born in a poor family, and he has grown up to this day with his bravery. Compared with Guo Daifeng, it is a completely different life.As the second son of the famous general Guo Xiaoke in the early Tang Dynasty, he was originally not qualified to inherit his father's title and political resources, but in the 22nd year of Zhenguan, Guo Xiaoke died in battle in Kucha, and Guo Xiaoke's eldest son Guo Daizhao died in the battle.At that time, the emperor was grateful for the old love, and Guo Daifeng inherited the title of his late father.

In February of the fourth year of Xianqing (659), Emperor Gaozong personally tried to recruit candidates. Among the 900 candidates, only 5 people including Guo Daifeng and Zhang Jiuling ranked first. people.The road behind Guo Daifeng was very smooth. The Tang army attacked Goguryeo several times. He participated in it, either by the commander's side, or in charge of transporting food. After accumulating merit, he became Xue Rengui's deputy when he was only in his 30s.Everyone in Chang'an believed that he had both civil and military skills, and that he could become an extremely powerful minister and a minister of the empire before he was forty.

Xue Rengui had also heard of this man's reputation, and he didn't care about having such a deputy at first. The emperor is also a human being, and there will be differences between closeness and closeness. Not necessarily a bad thing.But thinking is one thing, working together is another.Afterwards, the famous general was handsome in appearance and elegant in manner. He was wrapped in a mink fur coat outside his iron armor and wore a gauze crown. Riding on his black horse was like being in the emperor's guard of honor on Zhuque Avenue in Chang'an.

Of course, Xue Rengui is not so stingy that he can't stand the beauty of his deputy, but the problem is that this Guo Daifeng has a strange sense of superiority-he seems to feel that he is a shame to be under Xue Rengui. He often talks to his superiors in a frivolous tone.This made Xue Rengui unacceptable. After all, this is the army, not a banquet in the palace. Guo Daifeng's little jokes may be harmless there, but tens of thousands of people will die here.

"General Manager, look over there!" The one who spoke was Ashina Daozhen, Xue Rengui's other deputy. In terms of status, Ashina Daozhen was more honorable. The child of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan's daughter belonged to the Turkic royal family from the paternal line, and the Tang clan from the mother's line.But Ashina Daozhen maintained the resolute and simple style of the Turkic people, and did not rely on his own identity, and was very respectful to Xue Rengui.

Xue Rengui looked in the direction of Ashina's real finger, and saw a skull on a rock on a short ridge not far away. He kicked his mount and ran over. After getting closer, he found that it was a dog's skull. There were some scattered bones with burn marks on them.

"This is an oath!" Ashina said sincerely, "It should be done by the Tibetans!"

"Oath?" Xue Rengui asked.

"Yes, before the Tibetans do important things, they will take an oath, and the oath must be witnessed by the gods. These bones are gifts for the gods. There should be some buried in the ground around here!"

Xue Rengui looked around and easily found a trace of excavation. He waved his hand, and his subordinates quickly dug up the soil. Sure enough, there were animal internal organs and bones inside.

"Khan is right!" Xue Rengui laughed.

"My father told me when I was a child!" Ashina said with a real smile: "He said that although the Tubo people are cruel, they are extremely loyal, as long as it is an agreement made before the gods, death will not violate it!"

"It is a respectable and fearful enemy!" Xue Rengui nodded: "Since it is an oath, it must be to do great things, so what exactly do the Tubo people want to do?"

"Hahahahaha!" Guo Daifeng's laughter came from beside him, Xue Rengui frowned, this guy was about to break through the limit of his patience.

"Guo Langjun!" Ashina asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing! The emperor ordered me to wait for the army to conquer, but I waited to look around like this. It's like a gangster. How can I not laugh?"

　Calvin worked so hard, and finally finished writing!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)