A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1112 Eight Thousand Miles of Clouds and Moon
"The emperor ordered the envoys to hold the imperial seal and to be the same as the three officials, the Minister of Works, the Minister of War, the Grand Secretary of the State, the Duke of Song, Wu Huaiyu, the Grand Commander of the Hedao Marching Army, and the Deputy Commander, the General of the Left Winged Guards, the Grand Secretary of the State, the Duke of Lu, Cheng Yaojin, and others.

Then he organized the three armies and carried out the punishment from heaven..."

West of Beijing, Longzhou.

Early summer,

Wu Huaiyu took the imperial edict issued by the emperor.
Behind him were the 8,000 elite imperial guards who had come with him to Longzhou for hunting, as well as the magnificent squad of officers and soldiers who had gone on the Western Expedition, including Cheng Yaojin, Fan Xing, Liu Lancheng, Niu Jin, Da Qiu Xinggong, Li Xiu, Xingyun, Shi De, Wu Huaiyi, and Su Dingfang.

There are also Ashina She'er and Qibi Heli,
As well as Jiang Xingben, Liu Demin, Sa Gu Wu Ren, Yuwen Chengdu, An Lushan and other generals and officers,
Wu Huaiyu held the imperial edict in his hand, turned around and mounted his horse.

He kicked the horse lightly, held the imperial edict high, and rode in front of the three armies to show it.
Eight thousand soldiers shouted excitedly,
The heavenly punishment was carried out,

This time the king's army was dispatched to punish the disobedient on behalf of heaven.

"set off!"

Wu Huaiyu did not hold a grand oath-taking ceremony for the expedition. He felt that it was unnecessary. The morale of the soldiers was high.
What we want is to make a concerted effort and head straight to the Western Regions.

"set off!"

Eight thousand elite cavalrymen may not sound like a lot, but when they marched, they were like a long winding dragon.
The marching column stretched out for ten miles.

The army crossed the Longshan Mountains one after another.

Longzhou City Head,

Li Shimin stood there, watching Wu Huaiyu lead his army to the west.
This military action would not only place the Tang Dynasty's sun, moon and star flag on the city walls of Gaochang and on Mount Dianhe in Beiting, Western Turkic.
He would also proclaim the prestige of the Tang Dynasty and his name as the Heavenly Khan throughout the Western Regions.

His prestige as emperor, Li Shimin, will also be further elevated.

The Eastern Turks in the south of the desert have completely prostrated themselves at his feet, and the Xueyantuo in the north of the desert have also been suppressed by the Tang Dynasty in recent years and have become much more obedient.

Now it is the turn of the Western Regions.

At that time, the seven cities of Yiwu voluntarily surrendered. Although the Tang Dynasty established the Anxi Protectorate in Yiwu City and sent Guo Xiaoke and a thousand Anxi troops,

But that's just symbolic.

The small Gaochang Kingdom dared to turn against the Tang Dynasty at any time.

Only when the Tang cavalry sets foot and points their swords, will those foreign nations and barbarians be obedient and submissive.

Wei Zheng and others thought that the emperor's action was too risky.

I feel that Wu Huaiyu is drifting away.
However, as a cavalry emperor, Li Shimin agreed with Wu Huaiyu's strategy.

Li Shimin actually wanted to lead the army in person, but this idea was only in his mind. He was the Son of Heaven, the ruler of a country. Unless it was a matter of life and death, there was no need for the emperor to lead the army in person.

Yang Guang liked to lead the army in person, but he knew nothing about fighting.

In those days, Yang Guang led countless troops, his officials, even his concubines, his palace maids, eunuchs, and even the wives and concubines of ministers and nobles on a tour to the west.
He went west to Zhangye, where he summoned the rulers of the Western Regions.

Seemingly a feat,

But it was a disastrous journey. There was heavy snow and countless people froze to death on the road.

If Li Shimin wanted to tour the west, he would never bring so many irrelevant and powerless people with him. He would do the same as Wu Huaiyu and select only 10,000 or 20,000 cavalrymen for the trip.

Wu Huaiyu was bold and careful. He only wanted 8,000 cavalrymen and even broke the previous convention by not allowing the sons of the soldiers to volunteer to join the expedition.
Those who wanted to join the expedition gathered in Longzhou and were organized separately before heading to the Western Regions.

But they are not allowed to travel with the main force.

What we want is to ensure that this elite force is fast, accurate and ruthless.

There must not be any procrastination, otherwise it will be a disaster.

The emperor's military vision was still excellent and he had great confidence in Wu Huaiyu.

Standing on the top of Longzhou City, Li Shimin even seemed to have seen the Tang cavalry attacking Gaochang Royal City. He had already begun to think about how to deal with Gaochang Kingdom and how to manage the Western Regions.

There was another problem before the emperor, which made him unable to make a decision for the time being.

Wu Huaiyu was victorious in this Western Expedition. Should he reward Wu Huaiyu? How should he arrange for Wu Huaiyu to be rewarded?
Li Shimin had a conflicted attitude towards Wu Huaiyu in recent years. He thought he was very talented, but he was also somewhat worried.

He wants to use it under pressure.

I can't suppress it.

Just like this time, Hou Junji was originally chosen to lead the army, with the Xue brothers, Sheer and Shili assisting. However, when Wu Huaiyu came back and presented his plan for the Western Expedition,

Li Shimin chose Wu Huaiyu's plan without hesitation.

Since we are using Wu Huaiyu's plan, we have to use his people as well.

Wu Huaiyu's plan is something that only Wu Huaiyu is most suitable to be responsible for executing.

Hou Junji did not have the courage or even the ability to execute Wu Huaiyu's plan.

The army marches out like a dragon,

Eight thousand brave men marched westward to expand the territory for the Tang Dynasty.

No matter how the imperial court said that the Western Expedition was to attack Gaochang and Yugushe, it could not conceal one fact.
After the Tang Dynasty unified the country, ended the civil strife, and dealt with the Eastern Turks, Tuyuhun, Dangxiang and other tigers and wolves that were lying in wait for them,
The Tang Dynasty naturally wanted to expand outward, from the south of the desert to the Western Mountains, from the north of Yan to the Western Regions.
Today's Tang Dynasty is following in the footsteps of the powerful Han Dynasty and retracing that glorious path.

Li Shimin always believed that the Tang Dynasty could revive the glory of the Han Dynasty and even surpass it one day.

Maybe,

Let Wu Huaiyu stay in the Western Regions.
Let him be the Protector General of Anxi, the Protector General of the Western Regions, just like he did when he was in charge of Lingnan before, leading his troops to wipe out and conquer the tribes and countries that refused to obey.
New castles, beacon towers, post stations, and settlements were built for the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions.
In the Western Regions, they maintained the Silk Road, established settlements and cultivated fields, and relocated people to guard the borders and develop the country.

The Western Region is so vast.

To conquer them one by one and build and operate there bit by bit, even thirty or fifty years would be too short. Wu Huaiyu could stay there for his whole life.

The particularity of the Western Regions
Li Shimin didn't even have to worry about Wu Huaiyu becoming rebellious after being stationed in the Western Regions for a long time, or even starting his own regime. The Western Regions were basically inhabited by Hu people, with few Han people.
The place with the largest number of Han people was Gaochang State, which had only about 10,000 households.
Even if Wu Huaiyu managed the Western Regions for 20 to 30 years, there would be at most a few hundred thousand immigrants by then, and the Western Regions were so far away from the Central Plains.

As long as Wu Huaiyu doesn't go insane like Hou Junji, he won't have the intention of rebellion.

Alternatively, the Western Regions could be divided into several areas, such as Anxi. The current Nanting and Beiting of the Western Turkic Khaganate could be directly divided into Beiting Protectorate and Nanting Protectorate. In the future, even the Hezhong Protectorate and Tocharistan Protectorate could be established in the same way in the Transoxiana and Tocharistan regions.
After Wu Huaiyu's victory in the Western Expedition, he was allowed to stay as the Grand Protector of Anxi.

After ten years of management, he moved westward to be the Protector General of Nanting. After another ten years, he moved to be the Protector General of Beiting. After another ten years, he moved to be the Protector General of Hezhong.

Keep moving forward.
Every ten years, he moved westward, and the court sent someone to replace his original position.

Li Shimin thought about this and felt that although this method was feasible, it seemed a little unfair. If he really did this, it would be a bit ugly and would discourage the heroes.

I have a headache.

The march is long.
Wu Huaiyu didn't know what the emperor was thinking behind him.
He led 8,000 elite cavalry out of Longguan and headed west.
This all-cavalry unit moved at a very fast speed, all the way to Yumen Pass, with supplies along the way, and no infantry, auxiliary troops, baggage, volunteers, or merchant caravans to slow down the speed.

At the beginning of May, Wu Huaiyu had led his army to Yumen Pass quietly. Ashina She'er, Qibi Heli, Li Zhonglie, Xifeng Bulai and other 8,000 Turkic cavalry, Qibi cavalry, Tuyuhun cavalry, and Dangxiang cavalry successfully joined forces.

After the whole army had a long rest and replenishment there,

The troops marched out of Yumen.

Led by a guide, the army passed through the Yiwu Road and crossed the vast Moheyan Desert.
May 5th,

On the day of Dragon Boat Festival,

People in the south of the Central Plains mostly eat rice dumplings and drink realgar wine during dragon boat races.
Wu Huaiyu arrived at Yiwulu City with 16,000 cavalry.

When Guo Xiaoke saw Su Dingfang's vanguard cavalry appearing outside the city, he was shocked. He did not expect the Tang cavalry to come so quickly and so quietly.

Wu Huaiyu, who arrived later, did not even lead his troops into the city.
Didn't stop to rest.

Now that we have arrived in the Western Regions, we must not relax. We must march forward without stopping and attack them by surprise. If Yu Gushe gets to know the news,

All the hard work will be in vain.

He will surely flee.

Wu Huaiyu didn't want to chase him to Yi Bohai or even to Tocharistan.

"Minister Wu arrived so quickly," Guo Xiaoke came up to greet him.

Wu Huaiyu was not polite to this senior from Wagang. He interrupted his small talk and went straight to the point, "Tell me about the latest situation in Gaochang and Yugushe."

Guo Xiaoke's warm welcome was met with a cold shoulder.

But he did not dare to show off his seniority. He was inferior to Wu Huaiyu in terms of official rank and title.
In this Western Expedition, Guo Xiaoke, the Protector General of Anxi and Governor of Yizhou, was only one of the seven generals of Wu Huaiyu's Western Expedition camp.

Even as the general manager, he actually only had a thousand Anxi Tang troops and several thousand Yiwulu soldiers under his command.

"Earlier, the imperial envoys had arrived in Gaochang and issued an imperial edict to the king of Gaochang to question him, but the people in Gaochang had a bad attitude and even imprisoned the envoys,"

"But the good news is that everyone in Gaochang believes the intelligence from Chang'an, and thinks that the imperial court will probably send troops to the Western Regions in the autumn, led by Hou Junji, to raise a large cavalry and infantry army, and recruit troops from the Turks, Xueyantuo, and even the Western Turkic Nanting to attack.
The King of Gaochang and Yu Gushe had already killed horses and sworn an oath to advance and retreat together.

To this end, Yugushe not only sent reinforcements to Tutun Ashinaju, but also sent his Yehu Ashina Helu to lead a large number of troops from his own tribe and the Chuyue and Chumi tribes to station in Khan Futu City northwest of Gaochang, ready to reinforce Gaochang at any time.

"This Ashina Ju is the military supervisor sent by Yugushe of the Western Turkic region to Gaochang, right?"

"Exactly this person."

All the countries in the Western Regions were dependent on the Western Turks.
At present, the Western Turkic Khanate had two Khanates, the Southern Khanate and the Northern Khanate. Yanqi and Qiuci were under the rule of Yibi Shaboluoyehu Khan of the Southern Khanate, while Gaochang was under the rule of Yibi Duolu Khan of the Northern Khanate.

But no matter whether it was in the past or now, when the Western Turks controlled the countries in the Western Regions, they would send Turkish nobles to lead troops to garrison in each country. They said it was for protection, but in fact it was guardianship and the collection of taxes.

The official title of these Turkic nobles who led troops to guard the country was Tutun.

Ashina Ju was a Gaochang Tutun and a descendant of Yugushe. In Gaochang State, he was the de facto emperor.

Previously, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict to summon Ashina Ju, the general of Gaochang Kingdom, to the court, but he refused.

Ashina Ju is the current commander-in-chief of Gaochang Kingdom's rebellion against the Tang Dynasty.

Ashina Helu, the Yehu under Yibi Duolu Khan, was also one of the Five Great Chutes of Beiting, commonly known as the Big Arrow by the Western Turks.

The Western Turks had ten such large arrowheads, called Shishe, the one with five Duolu was called Dachue, and the one with five Nushibi was called Dashijin.

"Tell me what kind of person Helu is!"

"A person with strength and ambition, with strong soldiers and horses." Guo Xiaoke replied.

Wu Huaiyu smiled gently.

"Yu Gushe was slow to react. He sent reinforcements to Tutun Ashinaju in Gaochang and also sent Helu to garrison Khan Futu City. All of this was in preparation for our autumn troops to attack.
But he was on Beiting Dianhe Mountain southwest of the Yili River, why didn't he recruit more herdsmen to defend himself?"

Yu Gushe's reaction was the same as Wu Huaiyu predicted.
He never expected that Hou Junji's Western Expedition was just a cover, and the real one who went on the Western Expedition was Wu Huaiyu. He also never expected that he came not in autumn, but in early summer.

Wu Huaiyu's target was not Gaochang.
Therefore, Gaochang City and Khanfutu City, where he had deployed heavy troops, were useless.

Wu Huaiyu had only one goal, which was to capture the Khanate in the west of Mount Tai.

Where is Mount Dianhe?
Wu Huaiyu took out the map and found that this Mt.
Now he was in Yiwulu, which was Hami in later generations, and Beiting set up by Yugu was in Yining. The two places were more than 2,000 miles apart.

But for Wu Huaiyu, he had traveled more than 4,000 miles from Chang'an to get here.
What's the point of the remaining two thousand miles?
"Prime Minister Wu, although Yuguse has added some soldiers to Gaochang Tutun Ashina Ju, Ashina Ju and the Gaochang King and his son are completely unprepared. If a divine army were to descend from the sky and raid the Gaochang Royal City now, it would be easy to capture it," Guo Xiaoke suggested.

Wu Huaiyu waved his hand,
"Gaochang City is right there, and it won't run away. It doesn't matter if we take it early or late."

"If the Yu Gushe of Beiting is disturbed, he will run away,"

"Pass the order, the whole army rests for one night. After resting and replenishing supplies, we will head straight to Beiting in the west of Mount Dianhe and we must capture Yu Gushe alive."

(End of this chapter)