First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 502 Mission to Tuli, Exercise Army Formation

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Jimen Pass, namely Juyong Pass, has been expanded and repaired in successive dynasties, and now it has developed into a huge military town.

Jimenguan is located in the middle of the canyon, which belongs to Jundu Mountain, the remaining line of Taihang Mountain, connecting Taihang Mountain on the left and Yanshan Mountain on the right.

The name of Juyongguan began in the Qin Dynasty. When Qin Shihuang built the Great Wall, he moved prisoners, soldiers and forced civilians to the pass of Jundu Mountain, which means "relocation to mediocrity".

In the Han Dynasty, it was called Juyongguan, and "Juyongguan is one of the nine fortresses in the world", which came from "Huainanzi" in the Han Dynasty.During the Three Kingdoms period, it was changed to Xiguan, and it was called Naqian Pass in the Northern Qi Dynasty, and it was called Jimen Pass in the former Sui Dynasty because it was located at the northwest gate of Ji County.

There are countless wars that took place at Jimen Pass in the past dynasties. Whenever there is a war in the land of Youyan, there must be a figure of Jimen Pass.

There are two military mansions before and after the current Jimen Pass. There are also several military mansions, and there are as many as [-] defenders along the line.

In the Jimen Army Mansion, Gao Chong, as the commander-in-chief of the military exercise, sat at the main seat, six prefects from You, Yan, Yi, Tan and other prefectures, and eight commanders from the army mansions of Jimen and Jundu. Don't be a lieutenant general, his rank is not high enough, so he didn't attend.

"Everyone, I guess Tuli has received the news now," Gao Chong said in a deep voice, "We want to achieve the goal of deterrence without breaking out of conflict. How should we handle this? What do you think, please speak freely."

Wang Junkuo was the first to speak, "After we left the fortress, we only patrolled the border areas, and we didn't go deeper than one mile. This should not lead to conflicts."

"That's not necessarily the case." Liu Hongji frowned and said, "That Tuli boy is young, if he is suddenly aroused, he will attack with a large army after being frightened, and I will not be worth the loss."

Wang Junkuo snorted coldly, "I'll just practice hard, if he dares to come, teach him whether to come back or not."

Gao Chong waved his hand, "Eruption of conflict is the worst policy. My idea is that it is better to send an envoy first to truthfully inform Tuli of our purpose for this military exercise."

Everyone paused after hearing the words, only to hear Gao Chong continue: "In Tuli's eyes, the Khitan and other tribes are just his cattle and sheep.

Tuli has a cowardly personality. During the reign of the two uncles, he did not dare to show any disrespect. Moreover, he is not good at military affairs, and he has no interest in military affairs. Khitan and other tribes expressed dissatisfaction, what do you think Tuli will do? "

The crowd looked at each other in dismay.

Little Tuli Khan's character is indeed rather cowardly. Two uncles successively seized the position of Khan. He has always been submissive. Sprinkle all on the tribes under your jurisdiction.

This is also because of Gao Chong's understanding of this little Tuli Khan, so he will conduct a joint military exercise in Youyan.

Gao Chong would not have done this in places like Daizhou and Lingzhou, because it was close to Jieli Khan's territory, but Jieli Khan would go straight to it without saying a word. Not daring to use troops.

In the original history, the tribes under Tuli surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and Jieli Khan dispatched heavy troops to support the little Tuli Khan in suppressing the rebellion. As a result, Tuli was defeated and fled back to Yazhang in embarrassment. Then Jieli was furious and directly ordered the arrest. Tuli didn't dare to resist at all, and he was captured honestly.

It was only after being imprisoned and whipped by Xieli that Tuli was terrified, so he went to Nantou Datang.

This is why Gao Chong dared to conduct military exercises in Youyan. He did not target Tuli, but only targeted those small tribes.

If Little Khan Tuli had some responsibility and was a hero like his father and second and third uncles, he would definitely support his subordinates, but Tuli was not a hero.

Li Xiyu, who closed his eyes and dozed off on the left, nodded in agreement at this moment.

"Ambassador Gao is right. Although Tuli is violent, he is actually timid to use troops. As far as I know, he has not initiated a conflict. Even when Jieli came to the throne, there were many people who supported Tuli. , but due to Jieli's power, Tuli still did not dare to fight.

In addition, Tuli came from a noble family, and regarded small tribes such as the Khitan in the east as worthless. If we only target the Khitan and other tribes, Tuli is likely to stand by and do nothing, or even... ".

"We will even take the initiative to hold Khitan and other ministries accountable," Gao Chong continued.

Li Xiyu twisted his beard and smiled.

"So, that Tuli is a silver-like pewter gun head, which is not useful if you look at it," Wang Junkuo laughed.

Cheng Ji, the governor of Tanzhou who had been reprimanded by Wang Junkuo before, also said at this time: "In this way, we can still provoke the relationship between Tuli and Khitan and other tribes.

Tuli missed the position of Khan twice, and he must be extremely thirsty for power. He never went south to plunder, but his subordinates often plundered. Didn't this mean that they did not obey his orders.

We made it clear to Tuli that the Khitan and other tribes looked down on him, refused to listen to his orders, repeatedly invaded the south, and robbed huge amounts of property. I don't believe that Tuli is not angry."

Gao Chong's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands and cheered: "Cheng Shijun is a good planner, so we will increase the amount of property looted by the Khitan and other tribes by ten times and a hundred times. , Tuli will be furious."

Wang Junkuo rolled his eyes, and immediately understood, pretending to be Tuli's tone, slapping the case and pretending to be angry: "You have robbed so much property, why don't you give it to me?"

Everyone burst into laughter, every word you said was plotting the Khitan, Mohe and other tribes to death.

"In this case, according to everyone, who is suitable for the mission?" Gao Chong sat watching the crowd and said, inadvertently saw Wang Shen.

Wang Shen noticed Gao Chong's gaze, and immediately understood, with a happy expression on his face, "Ambassador, I would like to go."

Wang Junkuo stared at the words, and immediately said: "I would like to go too."

Anyone could see that this errand was a sure thing, and seeing the obvious credit, Wang Junkuo was unwilling to give it to Wang Shen.

Gao Chong stretched out his hand to comfort him, and said bluntly: "Don't be impatient when you are at peace, Jun Kuo, the military drill still needs you to coordinate, so let Wang Shijun go this time."

Wang Junkuo was anxious, but Gao Chong's eyes seemed to have deep meaning, his heart moved, he swallowed the words, and said respectfully: "I will obey the ambassador's arrangement".

Seeing that Wang Junkuo, who has always been rebellious, obeyed Gao Chong's words, the rest of the governors and commanders were secretly stunned. Only Liu Hongji looked normal, as if he had expected it.

"Wang Shijun, you are a scribe, even though you can ride and shoot, but your murderous power is not enough, I will equip you with a fierce general, which will not only protect you well, but also deter Tuli," Gao Chong said with a smile.

Liu Hongji suddenly laughed.

Wang Shen hastily thanked him, "May I ask who it is?"

Gao Chong clapped his hands, and a person came out from the back hall, and everyone was amazed when they saw it.

"It's really a warrior."

"Good life and majestic".

"Wang Yun?" Wang Shen took a closer look and said in surprise.

"It's a member of your Wang family, the Great Swordsman of the River East, Wang Yun", Gao Chong said with a smile, "How about it, the equipment I found for him is not bad, isn't it?"

I saw Wang Yun, who was eight feet long, with big arms and round waist, wearing a bright bright armor, a wind-winged iron pocket on his head, a horizontal knife hanging from his waist, holding a long-handled big knife, standing upright beside Gao Chong, like a god, very majestic and mighty.

"Will the Tuli child be scared to pee when he sees it?" Wang Junkuo laughed, and everyone couldn't help but laugh.

"Not bad, not bad", Li Xiyu nodded and praised: "Such a guard can show the great power of the Tang Dynasty, even the palace guards in the imperial city are no more than that."

The left and right guards are the servants of the guards who are in charge of holding the sword, the personal guards around the emperor, and the palace guards of the palace guards.

In the former Sui Dynasty, it was called Zuo Zuo Beishen Mansion. In the third year of Daye, it was changed to Zuo Xiaoqiwei, and in the fifth year of Wude, it was changed to Zuo Xiaowei.

Xiaowei generally chooses tall and majestic soldiers as the guards of the palace.

In the later Ming Dynasty, he was called General Dahan, who belonged to the emperor's army, and his main focus was a mighty and majestic man.

When Wang Shen saw Wang Yun, his thoughts changed sharply. At this moment, he realized that he fell to the ground deeply, "I will not disgrace my life as an official."

Even if the people present had the lowest official positions, they were all in charge of the military government, and there were no fools. Seeing Wang Yun, who was born in the Wang family, here, he knew the deep meaning of Wang Shen's mission.

In the afternoon of the same day, Wang Shen took Wang Yun, who was fully equipped, out of the fortress to the Tuli Little Khan's Tooth Tent. Wang Junkuo thought about it and finally mustered up the courage to find Gao Chong.

"You and I don't need to be polite, just sit where you want." Gao Chong didn't get up, put down the military book in his hand, and said casually.

Wang Junkuo felt relieved when he saw this, he was originally from a humble background and never paid attention to etiquette, the more casual Gao Chong was, the more relaxed he felt.

"Yuzhi, did your eyes indicate something else?" Wang Junkuo asked directly after sitting down.

Gao Chong laughed and said, "I'm really worried that you will get angry and insist on arguing with Wang Shen."

Wang Junkuo grinned, "We're not the kind of ignorant people, since Youzhi wanted Wang Shen to go on an envoy, there must be a reason."

"Stop", Gao Chong quickly stretched out his hand and said, "I didn't mean to let him go, I also followed orders and followed instructions."

Wang Junkuo was startled, looked around and asked no one, and asked in a low voice, "Is this what the prince means?"

"I didn't say that," Gao Chong laughed, and then took a deep look at Wang Junkuo.

"Jun Kuo, you and I are close friends of the crown prince. We should share the concerns of the crown prince. Now that the Wang family has become familiar with it, we can't do too much. Do you understand what I mean?"

Wang Junkuo's thoughts changed sharply, and he nodded hurriedly: "I understand, since this is the case, then I am convinced, and I will give the credit to Wang Shen."

After finishing speaking, Wang Junkuo babbled and cursed: "His uncle's family is different."

Gao Chong stared, Wang Junkuo quickly grinned and said, "Of course, you are different."

"What do you think about the military drills?" Gao Chong asked directly.

Although Wang Junkuo's conduct is not good, he is undeniably talented in military affairs. Although he has relied on tricks to win many times, his record is true, and his ability to use troops to train troops is still top-notch.

Otherwise, in the troubled times back then, Wang Junkuo would not have occupied Taihang Mountain by himself, and successively defeated Song Laosheng, Ding Rong and other Sui Dynasty generals. Although the title of handsome green robe is mostly bragging, it is also a manifestation of strength.

"Beyond the Great Wall, there is a map of Pingchuan, what I mean is to directly drill the army formation."

Wang Junkuo had already had a draft on this, and said directly: "In the past, in the camp, I only practiced golden drums, flags, orders, formations, riding and shooting, etc., and neglected battle drills. The main reason is that the venue is limited. To make up for the shortcomings, in addition, the military drills stretch for several miles, and the momentum is huge, which is more conducive to deterring Tuli."

"Good", Gao Chong praised with a smile: "Jun Kuo's idea coincides with mine, so this military exercise will focus on training battle formations."

Speaking of the military formation, Gao Chong had to admire the wisdom of the ancient Chinese.

In terms of war, the Huaxia people are really talented, not to mention the 36 strategies and other strategies, just marching and deploying formations is an extremely profound knowledge.

The marching and fighting of the regular army is not as chaotic as a swarm of bees, and the ancients can also line up.

The kind of situation where you train the infantry formation a little bit, walk in unison, and then sweep the world, shocking the famous generals of the world does not exist.

Because the queues of regular infantry are also neat and uniform, what is forbidden is to describe the queues, and the queues can be quickly adjusted through commands such as the sound of the golden drum and the change of flags.

The military system of later generations did not appear out of thin air, but the wisdom condensed by countless ancient people from generation to generation.

"I'll give you two days to inspect the preparations of the military mansions, and prepare all personnel, ordnance, golden drums, flags, logistics, etc.

This military exercise must be rigorous and serious, but anyone who is perfunctory should report it immediately and deal with it severely," Gao Chong said seriously.

Wang Junkuo accepted the order in awe. He is now focusing on following Gao Chong's footsteps to show his loyalty to Li Shimin. He will meticulously complete Gao Chong's orders.

After Wang Junkuo left, Gao Chong continued to look through Youyan's army book, filled with emotion.

Time, what is needed most now is time. I am confident that Li Shimin will be given three years to restore the country's strength, and it will not be as stretched as it is now.

The equipment of the current Tang army's soldiers is not up to standard at all. The reason is that they are poor, and only the pikemen are used as an example.

According to conventional standards, a pikeman needs a set of armor, a long spear, a horizontal knife handle, a step bow (including three bowstrings and thirty arrows), a set of military tents (including corresponding crossbars, a large number of Nails, hammers, piles, etc.), a bag of dry food with a bucket of two liters, a bag of water with a bucket of five liters, short knives, files, pliers, whetstones, armor-removing knives, etc.

This is just the equipment of a spearman, and there are corresponding auxiliary soldiers, civilian husbands, etc.

Leaving aside the equipment of various arms, an army often needs three to five times as many logistics personnel to serve. War is logistics, and war is fighting for national strength. This statement is absolutely true.

The military exercise in Youzhou was in full swing, and Li Shimin followed suit in Guanzhong, but the form in Guanzhong should be patrolling.

Li Shimin issued several decrees in succession, and sent out six inspection envoys, without exception, all of them were former generals of the Tiance Mansion, namely Yu Chigong, Cheng Zhijie, Qin Qiong, Qiu Xinggong, Hou Junji, and Zhang Gongjin.

With these six people, they inspected the military offices of the Guanzhong states, promoted military affairs in their jurisdictions, and had the right to temporarily take charge of the troops. They claimed to strengthen patrols and guard against Turkic invasion to the south. The legitimate reasons are convincing.

It's just that, some caring people are restless. It's no problem for you to patrol the defense of the states. Why can you take over the military power? Out, but for some caring people, that is his amulet.

(End of this chapter)