A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 961 Shocked by Might

Beiyuan,

The atmosphere in the thatched cottage is good.

Before Fan Xing and Niu Jinda came, they were quite nervous. After all, they had both made mistakes.

Unexpectedly, the emperor was very kind today.

Everyone was invited to drink two taels of gold and one cake of Dragon Tuan Shengxue. Wu Huaiyu explained the processing of this tea. The emperor also gave them two cakes of Dragon Tuan Shengxue.

"You don't have to push, you really did a great job this time."

Li Shimin smiled and explained to Wu Huaiyu that the main strategy of the imperial court's battle to destroy Tuyuhun was to use elite cavalry to rush forward quickly.
Take him by surprise and attack him unprepared.

The main thing is a quick word,
But there is a problem with this strategy, that is, you not only have to be fast, but you also have to be sharp enough to attack quickly and defeat the enemy quickly.

Otherwise, there will be no shortage of food and grass, and it is easy to be surrounded by enemies.

He completely chased down, defeated and annihilated the Tuyuhun people, without giving them any chance to breathe. Fu Yun ran out of Tuyuhun and halfway to the desert in Khotan without escaping.

But they managed to win the battle,
Firearms were indeed the key to turning defeat into victory.

Today's firearms, whether they are rockets, palm thunders or three-eyed blunderbuss, are actually average in power. For example, fire blunderbuss are far inferior to bows and crossbows, but fire blunderbuss and rockets also have their own special features, that is, the sound and light effects.

He can always defeat the Tuyuhun people individually before they can react, and even defeat them quickly when they gather together.
Keep attacking and chasing all the way,

Why was the Tang Army able to attack wave after wave without stopping this time, and was able to quickly defeat the enemy every time?

Wu Huaiyu nodded.

Li Shimin waved his hand, "You are also implicated in this matter by Li Daoyan, but in the final analysis, Tuoba Chi Ci is the leader of both sides."

The Xue brothers were surrounded alone.

Of course, it can allow Tang Jun to realize the strategic plan perfectly.

Qibi Heli also has a small army and few generals.

To say that Tuyuhun also has many soldiers and generals, especially its territory is thousands of miles wide.

"The Battle of Chishuiyuan,"

In addition to the coordination before the war, the excellent command of Li Jing and Li Daozong during the war, and the bravery of Hou Junji, Xue Wanche, Duan Zhixuan, Qibi Heli and others,
The elite of the cavalry are inseparable;
In addition to being experienced veterans, these cavalrymen also have the best equipment this time.

The Tang army's elite cavalry assault and multi-pronged advance tactics met with pig teammates like Li Daoyan. At the critical moment, the three troops from Longyou failed to reach the battlefield as scheduled.

The Tang Dynasty assembled the most elite cavalry this time, and even mobilized some elite cavalry from the Qibi and Turkic tribes. The troops were divided into two groups, the north and the south, and several generals led the camps.

Not to mention firearms.

The nomads were fighting in the wild, and they basically fought on horseback. The rumbling was so scary.

"Due to Tuoba Chici's sudden rebellion, the road was blocked. Li Daoyan, Gao Zhengsheng, and Niu Jinda failed to arrive as scheduled.
The vanguard led by brothers Xue Wanche and Xue Wanjun were surrounded and alone. At that time, they were attacked from all sides by more than ten times the number of enemies.

Xue Wanche and the others were covered in blood, all their horses were dead, and hundreds of people were beaten. They relied on firearms to hold on until Qibi Heli arrived.
Qibi Heli, who only had more than a thousand riders, faced Tuyuhun's army, and finally used the Fire Ox Formation to break through the siege and rescued Xue Wanche and the others.

This is not like defending a city and fighting.

The entire war process was just as planned, like a sharp knife, fast and fierce.

"Without firearms, the Xue brothers would have died in Chishuiyuan, and even if Qibi Heli arrived with a thousand cavalry, he would not be able to defeat the Tuyuhun army, and he might have to join in."

This time they were also equipped with a large number of various firearms produced by the Weapon Supervisor Machinery Factory, including various throwing palm thunders and sky-shaking thunders.
It is also equipped with a large number of three-eyed blunderbuss.

For the nomadic cavalry who have no experience or experience, this thing is really scary.

The battlefield is constantly changing, and even the best plans sometimes fail to keep up with the changes.

Historically, fire bull formations were also common. Knives were tied to the horns of the bulls, match ropes were tied to the tails and other objects were set on fire, and they were driven towards the enemy, which could directly defeat the enemy's army.

"The magical firearms are indeed very sharp against nomadic cavalry. Our cavalry's horses have been trained for at least a year to be frightened by fire weapons. They have been able to adapt to the explosions and loud noises of firearms, but the Tuyuhun people don't know that yet. , their men and horses were so frightened that they didn't even dare to continue fighting."

Niu Jinda gave himself a big mouth and apologized to the emperor.

Excellent armor, sharp weapons, bows and crossbows,

Moreover, the cavalrymen on this expedition have all gone through at least one year of fire-prevention training.

Fu Yun also burned grass several times in order to cut off the Tang army's food and grass.

But this time the Tang Army still won. The most important thing was that this time they only dispatched fine cavalry. They were small in number and relied less on logistics, especially because they were highly mobile.

It can be said that the Tuyuhun people suffered a big loss this time in front of the Tang army's firearms.

The emperor was filled with emotion when he talked about the details of that battle.

Firearms are indestructible;

"Your Majesty, I have neglected my duty and am incompetent."

Then they used a fire ox formation, tying sharp knives to the tip of the ox, and gunpowder to the tail of the ox. They lit it with fire and charged at the enemy troops on all sides. Then Qibi Heli and brothers Xue Wanche led more than a thousand cavalry to charge at the Tuyuhun people, and then they were defeated. enemy,
Join the formation and kill the enemy's famous king. "

Tang cavalry and firearms were basically invincible on the Tuyuhun battlefield.

They are a nomadic people. It can be said that all the people are soldiers, and everyone is a cavalry. However, cavalry is not all an advantage. In the face of the unprecedented firearms of the Tang army,
Especially when the Tang army used firearms to attack, the Tuyuhun people were greatly frightened, and their horses were even more frightened. The Tang army often attacked with rockets, palm thunders, fire blunderbuss, etc.
The Tuyuhun people who were several times or even ten times more numerous had already dispersed in panic.

If it weren't for the support of firearms, the whole army would have been wiped out long ago.

But these are not enough,

In addition to the siege of Chishuiyuan and the heavy losses of the Tang army, the biggest casualty of the Tang army came from Li Daoyan's ambush and defeat by the party Xiang Qiang. His officers and soldiers and the vassal tribesmen such as the Qiang Di suffered heavy losses.

Then many of Gao Zhengsheng's tribal soldiers fled, taking away a lot of equipment and food.

Niu Jinda also lost some equipment and food.

On the frontal battlefield,

The biggest enemy of the Tang army was not the Tuyuhun people, but enemies such as plateaus, no-man's lands, and deserts. After crossing the Hanwei Mountain, the altitude sickness was serious. Many Tang troops fell due to severe altitude sickness. When crossing the desert, there were also many The soldier collapsed due to lack of water.

Of course Wu Huaiyu, the inventor of firearms, knew the sharpness of firearms.
He had already shown his prowess when fighting Turks. In recent years in Lingnan and Fujian, he has also used firearms to teach the barbarian natives.
What the barbarians like most is to fight guerrillas with the officers and soldiers. If they can't defeat them, they will run away, hide in the deep mountains and old forests, and even occupy cliffs, high mountains or caves to resist.
This style of play gives people a headache.
The place they occupy is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If there are too few troops, they will be ambushed and harassed. If there are too many logistics and food supplies, it will be difficult to support them.

As long as they delay, the officers and soldiers will have to retreat.

But now that Wu Huaiyu has firearms in his hands, their previous tried-and-true tactics no longer work. No matter how dangerous your village is, can it be stronger than a city wall?

Gunpowder bags and gunpowder barrels are waiting for you and will be blown away by you directly.

Or rockets, rockets with gunpowder or poisonous smoke. They are not ordinary firearms.

Even in the deep mountains and old forests, it is difficult for the barbarians to resist stubbornly after losing their stronghold.

"The killing of Murong Shun this time was a bit sudden, but it was not a big deal to the court." Li Shimin said,
Murong Shun had been a traitor to China for a long time and had no foundation in Tuyuhun. He was also born to a princess from the Sui Dynasty. When Tuyuhun was fighting against the Central Plains, of course he was a mixed race and was hostile to the Tuyuhun people.

But Li Shimin didn't expect that after Murong Shun killed King Tianzhu and established himself as Khan, he joined the Tang Dynasty, but he was killed by the Tuyuhun people in a short time.

Fortunately, there were troops sent by the imperial court in advance to help.
His son King Yan Nuohebo was protected. For the court, it was enough to have Nuohebo in hand. The chaos in Tuyu was not necessarily a bad thing.

The imperial court took the opportunity to send troops to fight again,
"Those Tuyuhun people were probably defeated too quickly, so they are still not convinced. Just clean them up again and defeat them." Wu Huaiyu said with a smile.

Li Shimin nodded,
Indeed, the Tang army defeated Tuyuhun this time too quickly, so fast that it was a bit unreal. Tuyuhun's generals were unwilling to admit that they were defeated.

Moreover, when some people saw that the Tang army retreated and the Tuyuhun Khanate still remained, they thought that things were still the same as before. The Tang army was not around, and these people had always looked down on Murong Shun.

As a result, the surviving kings and tribal chiefs began to fight for power and wanted to redivide their territory. They thought Murong Shun was an eyesore, or that Murong Shun was unwilling to cooperate honestly, so they simply killed him.

It cannot be said that those Tuyuhun nobles are short-sighted.
Nomadic peoples are mostly like this.
"Hou Junji is already mopping up the ignorant Tuyuhun tribes, and has also sent troops to escort Nuohebo to Chang'an."

The most important thing for Nuo Hebo to pay tribute to Chang'an was to accept the canonization from the imperial court and to complete the engagement ceremony with Princess Honghua.
Of course, there is another purpose, that is, after the new Khan Tuyuhun comes to Chang'an, Hou Junji can freely use his hands and feet in Qinghai without any worries.

The emperor obviously didn't take those Tuyuhun people seriously now, and thought that Hou Junji alone was enough.

"Your Majesty, I have a concern."

"Oh?"

"Tibet."

"After the imperial court destroyed Tuyuhun this time, Tuyuhun's strength was severely damaged. Now that chaos breaks out again, it is really not a worry for the Tang Dynasty, but we must also beware of Tubo taking advantage of the situation.

Previously, the Tubo people had already started a war with Tuyuhun. The two sides fought fiercely in Bailan, with each other winning or losing. Tubo was blocked outside Bailan.

But now Tuyuhun was no longer able to support Bai Lan. Although Bai Lan defeated thousands of soldiers, he was by no means a match for Tubo alone.

The court had to take precautions early and not let Tubo take advantage of the situation. "

Bailanqiang is located in the source area of ​​the upper reaches of the Yellow River between Zishan Mountain and Jishi Mountain.
Previously, the Tang Army's northern and southern armies had crossed Jishi Mountain and traced their way up the Yellow River to Heyuan, Xingxuchuan, and Baihai.
Bai Lanqiang was also defeated by the Tang army in this battle and suffered many losses.

After the war, the Tang army withdrew.

Bai Lanqiang was even less able to resist the Tubo people.

The position occupied by the Bailan people is very important. There is Zishan (Bayan Har Mountain) in the south and Jishi Mountain in the north. They are at the source of the upper reaches of the Yellow River. This is the only way for Tubo to go north and east.

If Bailan is occupied by the Tubo people, then the Tubo will really march all the way into Tuyuhun, and even into the Qinghai Lake. Even the Zhujizhou prefectures established by the Tang Dynasty in Dangxiang will be threatened.

Historically, Tubo took advantage of the Tang Dynasty to destroy Tuyuhun, and then went north, not only entered Tuyuhun, but also finally sent troops to Songzhou, triggering the Tang-Tibet Songzhou War.

Li Shimin thought seriously.

"Tubo has sent another envoy, who is on his way to Beijing. They will propose marriage again this year."

"Your Majesty, we must be tough on Tibet at this time. I think it is better to take advantage of this time when Murong Shun was killed and Nuohebo came to Beijing to directly abolish the Tuyuhun Kingdom and establish the Qinghai Governor's Palace, with the Prince of Heyuan County and Princess Honghua Nuohebo, the Prince-in-law, was the governor of Qinghai. He was divided into prefectures and counties, and the imperial court sent troops to garrison the territory."

"I would like to state to Tubo that the old areas of Tuyuhun are all territory ruled by the Tang Dynasty. The Qinghai Governor's Mansion and Tubo are bounded by Zishan, and Tubo is not allowed to cross the boundary."

"Dangxiang and other Qiang people were appeased by the imperial court and established as Jisi Prefecture. They still warned Tibet not to invade."

Of course, just a verbal warning will definitely not work, military preparations must be made.

The troops stationed in Heyuan and Bailan must be out of reach.

However, it is necessary to station more troops and horses in the four governor's offices of Maozhou, Songzhou, Minzhou and Shanzhou to command the Tuyuhun and Dangxiang tribes.

Maozhou Dudufu, also known as the former Nanhui Prefecture Dudufu, governs the ten prefectures of Mao, Wei, and Yi to the west of Xiwen Mountain and Heming Mountain in Chengdu.
Songzhou Dudu's Mansion, also known as the gateway to western Sichuan, strangles the Minling Mountains, controls the source of the Yangtze River, borders Helong on the left, reaches Kangzang on the right, prohibits Tianfu, and locks the Yin Hammer.

The two governor's offices of Song and Mao are the gateways of western Sichuan. To prevent Tibet, we must first control the Qiang in western Sichuan.

We should recruit those Qiang people over as soon as possible and establish Jisi Prefecture to control them.

The Dangxiang and Qiangji Prefectures in the Yellow River Basin were all placed under the jurisdiction of Songzhou Dudufu.
Jisu Prefectures such as Misang, Dongnu, and Xishan Baguo in the Dajin River Basin were all placed under the jurisdiction of the Maozhou Governor's Office.

Wu Huaiyu proposed that the western Sichuan plateau area west of the Qionglai Mountains should be brought under the imperial rule and this area should be used as a buffer zone with Tibet.

The Tubo people cannot be allowed to enter this western Sichuan plateau. If they dare to cross the Zishan Mountain, they must organize the Qiang people in western Sichuan to send troops to resist. The imperial court will send out some soldiers and horses, and then the Qiang Jizhou tribesmen will join them.

Yalong River, Jinchuan River, the upper reaches of the Yellow River, from Bulgai to Aba, from Markang to Kangding, from Litang to Garze,

The Western Sichuan Plateau is a very vast and complex Qiang area.
It would be difficult for the imperial court to directly control it, but taking advantage of the current strong national power and the power of destroying Tuyuhun, it first sent troops to subdue the Tuoba tribe of Xiang Qiang, the strongest party among them, and then recruited the rest of the Qiang.

Pulling the entire western Sichuan Plateau into the Tang Dynasty's rule,

The Tang Dynasty occupies a strategic high point and is in a position where it can advance, attack, retreat and defend. In particular, it can limit the space for Tubo to develop north and east.

To block them is to strangle them by the throat. If Tubo cannot enter Tuyuhun, it will not be able to achieve historical hegemony. The snow-covered plateau alone is not enough to support them to become a hegemon on par with the Tang Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, I want to stay in Songzhou to atone for my sins. If I am not the governor or the governor, I can be promoted to the captaincy." Niu Jinda was also excited when he heard this. He was too aggrieved last time, and he must avenge his shame this time.

Fan Xing also requested to go to the front line.

The emperor thought for a moment,
But in the end, he still waved his hand,

"This matter needs to be considered in the long term. Let's wait until we meet the Tibetan envoys and Nuohebo and others before taking a look."

"Tuoba Chici, leave it to Hou Junji,"

The emperor has appointed Liu Shili as the governor of Minzhou, Gongsun Wuda as the governor of Shanzhou, Liu Lan as the governor of Songzhou, Li Junxian as the governor of Maozhou, and Duan Zhixuan as the governor of Lanzhou.

Hou Jun gathered the governor of Liangzhou, supervised Tuyuhun, and inspected the Ministry of War.

Surprised by his might, but grateful for his kindness, the emperor still planned to be gentle and put virtue first in dealing with the Dangxiang and Tubo Qiang.

As for Fan Xing and Niu Jinda, the emperor had already forgiven them once. The death penalty was changed to demotion, and those who deserved punishment were still punished.

(End of this chapter)