A Millennium Aristocratic Family Starting from the Shang Dynasty

Chapter 690 Battle of Hehuang (2)

Just as Tuyuhun was retreating westward again and burning pastures, the generals in Liangzhou City were also discussing how to fight next.

The people in charge of this battle were Li Jing, Wang Xuanji, Xu Shiji, Li Daozong and Hou Junji, all of whom were basically experienced generals.

Now there is some debate on whether to pursue Tuyuhun.

After arriving here, they clearly realized the cruelty of the plateau desert, and most of them disapproved of continuing to march deeper.

The climate here is very different from that of the plains. Many soldiers developed some illnesses after arriving here, and even those who were not sick would feel tired faster on the plateau.

Hou Junji said directly: "In the Sui period before Tuyuhun, they surrendered and rebelled at times. They had no credibility. When the Sui Dynasty conquered Tuyuhun, they used this tactic!"

"The former Sui Dynasty's 300,000-strong army campaigned here for several years, but was unable to annihilate its main force. In the end, it had to be named Khan and divide the counties here."

"The army was stationed here, and the food and grass consumption was extremely high. Tuyuhun also avoided fighting, which caused the Sui Dynasty's army to consume too much and had to withdraw."

"Tuyuhun sent a document begging for peace and surrender. The Sui Dynasty held their noses and recognized it, and named Tuyuhun Khan."

"I have sent people to the plateau before. It is a bitterly cold place. Although we can survive, we cannot feed the millions of Tuyuhun tribes. If it continues to be exhausted, they will definitely be the ones who cannot hold on!"

"But if we continue to waste time here, I'm afraid the army will consume too much and the court will not be able to bear it!" Xu Shiji frowned next to him.

But although this tactic is clearly seen, it is not easy to break it.

Tuyuhun's tactics were very simple to put it bluntly. He relied on the terrain and climate to fight guerrillas with the Tang army. If the Tang army pursued them, in this case, he would lead them by the nose.

"Now the Tuyuhun people want to use the same method to consume us."

Wang Xuanji didn't want to return without success this time, so he wanted to continue spending time with Tuyuhun.

Wang Xuanji listened to what everyone said, and then said: "Don't worry about the food and salary of the army. I have been stationed here for seven years. There is enough food to feed the army for a year. But how long can Tuyuhun hide on the plateau?"

"General Manager, Murong Fuyun wants to fight us. Seeing that he is no match for us, he immediately retreats, trying to tempt us to pursue him." Li Daozong said directly.

Indeed, if a large army were stationed here and constantly harassed Tuyuhun, Tuyuhun would definitely not be able to bear it, but it would take too long.

"We are not familiar with this place, and there are many Qiang and Hu tribes who have been attracted by Tuyuhun. If we go deeper, we may be taken advantage of by the enemy. I suggest that we withdraw our troops first and fight again when we have the opportunity!"

After Tuyuhun dragged the Tang army and defeated it, or led it into a trap, he could annihilate the Tang army in one fell swoop.

Even forcing Tuyuhun to surrender directly to the Tibetan people on the plateau would be a problem by then.

Li Jing said: "Thanks to your majesty's trust, I am allowed to command the army to conquer Tuyuhun. I just want to deal with them and either surrender or destroy the country."

"If we just evacuate like this, and next year Tuyuhun comes to invade the border again and harass Liangzhou, will the imperial court then send tens of thousands of troops to attack?" "If we really do this, it goes without saying that it will waste people and money, but if those foreign tribes Seeing what we can do if we don’t take Tuyuhun, we will definitely despise our Central Plains.”

"Your Majesty's prestige will also be affected, and more importantly, it will make those barbarians and barbarians think that the Tang Dynasty is nothing more than this. If this is the case, we will never redeem ourselves until we die!"

"Tuyuhun is cunning and thinks that depending on the terrain, climate, environment, and logistics, we can defeat us. But I refuse to admit defeat. Doesn't he think that we dare not pursue him? Then I will give him a surprise!"

"This battle has many loyal followers from the tribes, so we must not only win, but also win beautifully. Let Murong Fuyun of Tuyuhun know that if he offends the Tang Dynasty, he must use his blood to atone for it!"

"We also need to let them know what will happen if they dare to provoke Datang!"

"This time, the imperial army will be divided into two groups, one going to the north and the other going to the south, and then they will meet at the stronghold established in Tuyuhun. Along the way, all the strongholds in Tuyuhun will be eradicated!"

"In addition, aren't those Zahu, Xiqiang, and Dangxiang people worried that the imperial court will take the opportunity to annex them? Send people to appease them. If we can get them to support us, it will be easy to defeat Tuyuhun!"

At the insistence of Li Jing and Wang Xuanji, the army did not retreat again, but prepared to continue to pursue Tuyuhun and completely annihilate it.

At the same time, in order to avoid being unfamiliar with the road terrain, Wang Xuanji personally went to the Zahu, Xiqiang, and Dangxiang tribes to inform them of the imperial edict in order to gain the trust of these tribes.

He also told them that the Tang Dynasty would not invade their territory or their tribes. As long as they were willing to help the Tang Dynasty defeat Tuyuhun, he would personally write to the court and set up a shopping mall here so that they could buy iron pots, Tea, sugar, medicines, cloth, etc.

Wang Xuanji had been operating here for several years. These people knew Wang Xuanji's name. After getting his promise, the Tang army had no intention of annexing them all, and invited them to join the tribute system and become a Tang state. They all said Willing to serve Datang.

With the support of these Xiqiang, Zahu, Dangxiang and other tribes, the Tang army was ready for the final step of attacking Tuyuhun.

These Qiang and Hu were familiar with the terrain here, and Tuyuhun's plan to take advantage of the favorable terrain failed.

At the same time, the imperial court conscripted all the countries in the Western Regions, and the Wang family of the Western Regions formed a coalition army in Tianci City, preparing to outflank Tuyuhun from the west.

The Wang family in the Western Regions occupies Tianci City, which has abundant water and grass, numerous fertile fields, and enough food to support the march of the army.

Although there are deserts and Gobi to the west of Tuyuhun, these are not insurmountable natural dangers for the Wang family in the Western Regions. What's more, the Wang family in the Western Region is very familiar with this desert and knows which oases are accessible.

With the support of the Wang family from the Western Regions, the Allied Forces of the Tang Dynasty successfully surrounded it from the south, north and west.

As for these things, Murong Fuyun, the Khan of Tuyuhun, had no idea at all. He was busy leading the tribe to retreat, and the millions of Tuyuhun tribesmen did not retreat together.

Long before the Tang army was dispatched, Tuyuhun had already begun to retreat, and the pastures along the way were burned.

After the Tang army entered here, many people suffered from altitude sickness. Fortunately, Li Jing was prepared, and after a period of adaptation, the number of people who suffered from altitude sickness was within his prediction.

Li Jing arranged for people to send these people back, and then continued to lead the army in pursuit.

(End of this chapter)