Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 349: He has brains, but not much

Be a person first, do things later.

Fang Chongyong had indeed done all the necessary preparations in Qiuci Town, but the serious matters had not yet started.

So what is serious business for him?
The answer is to open up territory for the Tang Dynasty.

This was the guarantee that Fang Chongyong had signed and pledged to Brother Ji in black and white. Without this guarantee, it would have been impossible for him to obtain the military power of the Tang Dynasty's border army in the Western Regions.

This is also the reason why he tried every means to peacefully resolve the conflict with Gao Xianzhi.

If there is a gap between your goals and your own strength, and you feel that you are unable to cope with it, you should recruit as many friends and assistants around you as possible, so that you can try your best to create conditions when there are no conditions!
So early the next morning, Fang Chongyong came to the Yamen of the Anxi Protectorate and convened a meeting between Gao Xianzhi and Bian Lingcheng, who was the supervisor of the army, to discuss the relevant strategies for the next military operation.

Probably because he was more mellow at yesterday's banquet, Gao Xianzhi and Bian Lingcheng were obviously much more enthusiastic towards him. Upon hearing that Fang Chongyong wanted to discuss countermeasures, he quickly summoned all the generals of the Anxi Army who were still in Yiluolu City to discuss important matters.

Except for Li Siye and Bai Xiaode who were guarding Yanqi Town, everyone else was basically here. The generals gathered around a large map with clear markings on every small oasis and hundreds of towns in the four towns of Anxi, waiting for Fang Chongyong to lecture.

This map uses certain techniques from West Asia and was drawn locally in Kucha Town. Its surveying and mapping techniques are quite different from those in the Central Plains, but it seems to be more clearly marked. This thing can be called one of the treasures of Kucha Town. , and will never be taken out of Iluolu City.

Whether you can win depends not only on your own performance, but also on whether the enemy is a pig. If the enemy does not give you a chance, you can only remain undefeated but cannot win.

Of course, there are countless people who fail, and even end in miserably. The Mongolian Empire usually likes to play roundabouts like this, and when it stalls, it even made its own emperor die on the way.

However, although he was very confident, the ten generals, partial generals, and military envoys of the Anxi Army present did not have the same confidence as him. Each of these people frowned and said nothing, as if they were thinking about something difficult to decide.

"We expect 5,000 people to start from Kucha Town, pass through Biahuangcheng (Aksu, Xinjiang), enter Zosede (Bachu, Xinjiang), and then pass through Shule (Kashgar, Xinjiang).

But was this the first time that the Tang army experienced harsh geographical and climatic conditions and defeated the enemy?

Fang Chongyong looked at Gao Xianzhi expressionlessly and asked.

Due to the limitations of productivity in the feudal era, the Wakhan Corridor could only be traveled for three months out of the year. At other times, neither humans nor animals can pass.

This plan can be summed up in five words: Those who are skilled in art are bold!
There is nothing to say. From a strategic point of view, this is an outrageous military plan that completely ignores the bottom and has no chance of winning.

In the process of executing the strategy, any surprises and variables are basically not considered, and the error tolerance rate is extremely low.

Things like luck are sometimes elusive.

Gao Xianzhi didn't know how to answer this question. After all, he had never been to Xiaobolu. I just heard from the invited guide that the natural conditions on the mountain are very harsh.

In the era of cold weapons, he rushed directly from Qiuci to the Wakhan Corridor... Fang Chongyong remembered that when he was in his previous life, it was already modern, with the blessing of high technology. But the road is still extremely dangerous.

"The Tang army took down Xiao Bolu's troops with ease. This ambassador believes it.

It can be said that successful experiences and painful lessons are equal in half.

"Ambassador Fang, you were in Hexi before and didn't know the military situation in Anxi.

For example, if the army cannot cross the Congling Mountains, or if the Tocharian mercenaries do not come by then, how should we deal with this situation?

When Li Jing's three thousand elite troops ambushed the Turks, it was not freezing cold at the ambush location. Could it be that the weather was very good at that time?
Gao Xianzhi knew that Fang Chongyong's considerations were not unreasonable, but he was not convinced.

Tell me, can man conquer heaven? "

Gao Xianzhi gave a very general explanation and did not elaborate on these plans.

But from a tactical point of view, Gao Xianzhi's move is amazing. Even your own people don't dare to do things, and the enemy is even more unpredictable.

However, people cannot fight against the sky. The difficulty of this battle lies in the right time and place, not in the people.

Sun Tzu's Art of War says: Be invincible first, and then wait for the enemy to become victorious; the invincible lies with oneself, but the victorious lies with the enemy!

However, although many generals came today, the Tocharian envoy was not invited. All the generals looked at Gao Xianzhi thoughtfully, and saw that the deputy governor of Anxi seemed unwilling to explain anything. They seemed to understand something, so they kept silent knowingly and waited for the real " "The top leader" came to the meeting.

Fang Chongyong suddenly asked with a straight face.

As for the soldiers and horses to attack Xiaobolu, they can be recruited along the way. "

In fact, is there any such case in history?
The answer is not only yes, but many.

Xiao Bolu's soldiers are weak, but I, Anxi Jian'er, can beat ten with one.

History is full of robbers who went straight to a bank and successfully robbed it without any plan, and were not caught afterwards.

When the Tang army arrives at Xiaobolu, even if a pontoon bridge on a small river is cut off by the enemy, it may cause the army to be unable to advance, unable to retreat, and the entire army will be annihilated after supplies are cut off.

Gao Xianzhi took the thin wooden stick used to point to the map from him, pointed to the specific city location on the map and said:

Then we'll have to act on our own initiative.

In three months, he traveled from Anxi to Xiaobolu, and then returned to Anxi after finishing his work. This plan was not outrageous.

the answer is negative.

This battle will be won by surprise. "

After repairing, the entire army crossed Congling (Pamir Plateau) and stationed at Telemanchuan (Wakhan River). After arriving there, they would join up with the Tocharian mercenaries and together they would attack Yunbao, the most important stronghold outside Xiaobolu.

Fang Chongyong was wondering, is there a possibility that this one...can be used without gambling?
In other words, you don’t have to risk your life every time. If a person is used to gambling everything, there will always be times when he is unlucky and loses, right? If the head is cut off, can it grow again?
"High Deputy Protector, is it because the soldiers of Anxi are so strong, brave and good at fighting that they give you the courage to move forward?"

But the question is, as the general person in charge of managing the Western Regions, does Fang Chongyong need to pin his hopes of victory on his luck?

Gao Xianzhi explained very confidently.

Fang Chongyong looked solemn and asked in a deep voice.

"High Deputy Protector, please tell me, this ambassador. What was your original plan?"

You can't say he can't win.

How did you know you would lose before the war started? Any guesses are theoretical, and the real victory or defeat can only be known on the battlefield.

There is no way to argue about this kind of thing, practice brings true knowledge! If Fang Chongyong really "talks on paper" like Fang Chongyong and can judge the outcome by showing the situation encountered by both sides, then what battle is there to fight?
Everyone submits their names to compete, and depending on the conditions of each party, the winner can be decided!

But Fang Chongyong spoke eloquently and Gao Xianzhi was dumb and didn't know how to explain.

The atmosphere in the signing room suddenly became deadlocked.

"Everyone, please go back and think about it. At this time tomorrow, we can come together to discuss sending troops.

Ambassador Fang, Senior Deputy Protector, why not just stop here today, there is no point in wasting time. "

Li Qijun quickly stood up and smoothed things over.

Looking at this situation, if we continue to argue today, there will be no results. It is better to calm down first.

Li Qijun understood very well that Fang Chongyong did not want to send troops to Xiaobolu, or that he did not want to send troops directly. He had other plans for this.

We haven’t informed everyone yet.

As for Gao Xianzhi's gameplay, to be honest, Li Qiyun has also read military books. His opinion is inclined to Fang Chongyong, and Gao Xianzhi is too risky.

The life-betting style of play can bring supreme glory to Gao Xianzhi, but the prerequisite for victory is to bet on the life of his Tang Army and his own, and bet everything on this game.

"That's fine, let's all be separated."

Fang Chongyong said with some waning interest.

After saying this, he ignored the others and walked directly towards the outside of the Yamen.

..."Jie Shuai, Gao Xianzhi, a Korean slave, has a very wild temperament, is very courageous, and has very crazy ideas."

In the bedroom, He Changqi calmly applied eye drops to Gao Xianzhi in front of Fang Chongyong.

"Oh? What, you have great ideas?"

Fang Chongyong stopped thinking and looked at He Changqi with a playful expression and asked.

He Changqi is also a man who fights in battle. He is not a simple guard and only knows how to use force. He has very high military qualities and has no problem commanding at least several thousand troops. He Changqi's opinion is worth listening to.

"Jie Shuai, Gao Xianzhi's strategy is to use the blood and bones of Anxi soldiers to pave his way to promotion. It's not like I have never seen such a person before.

Think about it, as long as we go down that road, if there is any trouble at that time, it will cause the heaven and earth to respond, and the earth and the earth will not work.

People can still starve, but what should horses do?
I heard that the current in Teleman River is very fast. What should I do if I can’t cross the river? What should we do if the enemy attacks us halfway across the river?
What should we do if there is a shortage of food and grass and soldiers fall ill?
Even if Yunbao City is captured, there will definitely be a lack of siege equipment. Where will they find trees to cut down?
What if the Tocharians arrive a month late? Even if we arrive ten days late, our troops will be greatly reduced and we will not have enough food and grass. At that time, should we march or retreat?
If anything goes wrong in any of these links, the campaign is at risk of collapse. Can Gao Xianzhi guarantee that there will be no problems in every aspect? "

He Changqi explained coldly.

His words couldn't help but make Fang Chongyong look at him with admiration.

Fang Chongyong originally thought that Lao He was just a pig brain, but he didn't expect that he had some insight into strategy.

He does have a brain, although not too much.

"You are right, but...this is not the main reason why the Commander-in-Chief does not agree to directly send troops to Xiao Bolu."

Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice.

Gao Xianzhi actually underestimated him. Of course, this was actually caused by information asymmetry. Gao Xianzhi's eyes are still focused on the military level, while Fang Chongyong's methods have always been both military and political.

However, there is no need to explain these nonsense to He Changqi.

At this time, the soldiers reported that Li Qijun was visiting. Fang Chongyong quickly welcomed him into the courtyard, introduced him to the bedroom, and asked He Changqi to guard the door to prevent others from entering.

The two sat down in front of the desk, and Li Qijun got straight to the point and asked, "I am here because I want to know what Ambassador Fang really thinks about the expedition against Xiaobolu."

Why did he say it was a "real idea"?

Because Li Qijun is a smart person, he knows that Fang Chongyong is also a smart person. The high-profile actions of others may not necessarily be the real purpose, but may just be a strategy.

It was obvious that Fang Chongyong was just throwing stones at the matter discussed in the signing room in the morning, testing the differences among the Anxi army on the plan to attack Xiaobolu, and how much support he had already received.

Judging from the current situation, Gao Xianzhi should not have convinced the middle and senior leaders of the Anxi Army, at least not to form a unified opinion.

So Li Qiyun especially wanted to know what Fang Chongyong wanted to do.

"Xiao Bolu, we don't have the conditions to attack yet. Therefore, this ambassador wants to change the target."

Fang Chongyong said with a smile.

"Change it?"

Li Qijun murmured to himself, and then asked: "Which one should I change?"

"Stone Country."

Fang Chongyong spit out two words from his mouth.

"Why the Stone Kingdom?"

Li Qijun asked with a confused look on his face.

Even if Fang Chongyong said that the heavenly soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were stationed in Tuhora, he would not be surprised. But Shi Guo is not in this direction at all. After leaving Qiuci, there is no need to go west to Shule, but to go north over the mountains and ridges, and then go west, all the way west from the direction of Suiye Town, in order to attack the vast area of ​​Shi Kingdom and even Kang Kingdom.

It has to be said that Fang Chongyong's plan is a bit abstract. Li Qijun couldn't understand. This plan was even more speechless than Gao Xianzhi's plan.

"If I say that this ambassador just wants my concubine to enjoy being the Queen of the Stone Kingdom for a while, will Judge Li believe it?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile.

"Ambassador, please be more serious. You are teasing me like this, how can I talk about things?"

Li Qijun smiled bitterly.

Let your concubine, who has blood from the Western Regions, be the queen of the Stone Kingdom. She really dares to think about it! Even if she is the daughter of King Xin'an, she is still an illegitimate daughter! Do you dare to play like this?

How can military and national affairs be trivial!

"Xiao Bolu is too poor. There are still 100,000 Tubo troops stationed around there, who can support King Xiao Bolu at any time.

I don’t know whether Gao Xianzhi is very brave.

But those who are good at fighting have no outstanding merits. If they use troops without planning, they have already fallen into the inferior position.

The feud between the Shi Kingdom and our Han family has been going on for a long time, and they are even more unruly towards our Tang Dynasty. More importantly, the Stone Kingdom is powerful and wealthy and should not be ignored.

If it has disloyal intentions and colludes with the black-clad gangsters, it may cause catastrophe in the Western Regions.

Such a thorn in the side, this ambassador will be the first to remove it! "

Fang Chongyong clenched his fist tightly and said, obviously he had a plan in advance and it was not a whim.

The Kingdom of Shi was the Kingdom of Dayuan (yuan) during the Han Dynasty, where Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was concerned about the bloody horse. It was also a great injustice.

This large country in the Western Regions has been attached to the Western Turks for a long time because of its geographical relationship. It is the Western Turks' top ally in the Western Regions and has long been at odds with the Tang Dynasty. After the Western Turkic forces were flattened by the Tang Dynasty, Shi Guo reluctantly paid tribute and was canonized as the Dawan Dudufu by Emperor Gaozong.

Unlike Tochar, the Shi Kingdom did not send protons to serve as bodyguards in the Tang Dynasty palace, nor did it send aristocratic children to the Chang'an Imperial College. Although he did not openly oppose Datang, his attitude of keeping a distance was very obvious.

This kind of thorny head cannot be cut off!
At this time, He Changqi knocked on the door and reported: "Commander Jiesi, Qi Si, the Tocharian envoy, wants to see him. He also brought a strong and powerful five-color parrot, which is just outside the courtyard gate. Do you want to let him in?"

Tocharians?
Fang Chongyong and Li Qijun looked at each other. It was because the Tocharians heard the news and were afraid that the Anxi army's plan to attack Xiaobolu would change, so they came here to lobby.

Sure enough, no one who can get involved in politics is simply a big grievance! Regardless of the possibility of success, these people will work hard in their own way.

Fang Chongyong could not help but admire the Tocharians who persevered.

"Let him in."

Fang Chongyong sighed and said that he actually did not want to see the Tocharian envoy at this juncture. But people are already here, so it seems rude to stop them and not let them in.

After a while, Qi Si walked into the room with a smile on his face, then put a huge wooden cage in his hand on the ground and said: "Ambassador Fang, I have a gift for you. Please don't refuse."

He pointed to the five-colored parrot in the cage, whose size was no less than 70 to 80 centimeters according to visual inspection.

This gift is a bit expensive!
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but glance at the ridiculously large five-color parrot in the cage.

At this moment, the parrot in the cage suddenly shouted with a voice like a broken gong: "Gao Xianzhi is greedy, Gao Xianzhi is greedy!"

The three people in the room looked at each other, and Tocharian envoy Qi Si smiled awkwardly and explained: "This thing is quite spiritual and can speak human language. Only a hero like Ambassador Fang can accept it."

Can this be explained by parrots being quite spiritual?
Fang Chongyong sighed softly and said: "Big boss, we can be considered friends who have sat at the wine table together. If you have anything to do, can you open the skylight and speak openly, don't beat around the bush?"

"Gao Xianzhi is stupid, Gao Xianzhi is stupid!"

The five-colored parrot in the cage shouted again.

Fang Chongyong and Li Qijun both looked at the Tocharian envoy with strange and incomprehensible eyes.

(End of this chapter)