"If this is really the case, the old man will be scolded for a thousand years, and he will be willing!" The Niu Shi Award was excited when he heard it, and slapped the table with his hands.

Some of the generals present who are about the same age as the Niu Shi Award also have bright eyes, and everyone is excited.

The desert of North Vietnam and the green mountains in the west are the lifelong dreams of this generation of generals of the Niu Shi Award. Because in their youth, the wilderness north of the desert until the snow all year round, and the west of the Green Mountains until the uninhabited Aral Sea, were the territory of the Tang Dynasty. And there is also Persia, because of its admiration for the culture of the Celestial Empire, took the initiative to attach itself to the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty did not send a single soldier to it. (Note: In fact, Persia couldn't stand the invasion of the Great Food, so it attached itself to the Tang Dynasty and asked the eldest brother for help.) ）

And with the growth of their generation of generals, it is the news that Datang continues to lose its city and land. The Turks re-emerged, and soldiers and horses crossed the Yellow River several times. The Gumo Prefecture of the Tang Dynasty moved more than 2,000 miles eastward from the Wuhu River and was relocated on the bank of the Bachang River.

The main reason for the loss of a large area of land is, of course, that Datang itself is engaged in internal fighting and cannot spare its hands to compete with foreign enemies. Another important reason is that the Tang army fought against the enemy west of the Green Ridge and north of the Yellow River, and whether it lost or won, it was a loss-making business on the books.

To the west of the Green Ridge and to the north of the Yellow River, it is very far away from the grain-producing areas of Datang. The grain and grass are transported to the front line, and three percent can be consumed just on the road! And the Tang army has always regarded itself as a teacher of benevolence and righteousness, and rarely does anything to plunder. After defeating the local chieftains, it was difficult to obtain any material compensation, and then the imperial court needed a large amount of expenses in order to reward the meritorious soldiers in the war.

Therefore, as the treasury became increasingly empty, the Tang Dynasty court became less and less energetic to the Western Regions and the Plug. Last year, Suo Gelian broke the leaves, Gumo and other big cities, and then waved his army to attack Qiuzi, and the imperial court sent more than 15,000 soldiers and horses to the Niu Division. Zhang Renyuan wanted to build a city along the Yellow River and garrison troops, and asked for money for two years in a row, but the household department was penniless.

And if the Tang Army could turn the war into a sure-fire deal every time like it is now, the situation would definitely be completely different. Those Qingliu in the court who open and close their mouths to "convince people with virtue" will also obediently shut their mouths. In this regard, the Niu Shi Award has a deep understanding, and his experience in Qiuzi in the past two years is proof.

Last year, when he led the lone army to defend Qiuzi, there was more than one "smart man" in the court who advised Emperor Shenlong, asking the Tang army to abandon the four towns of Anxi and retire Yanqi and Shazhou. Feng Suo Ge is the fourteen surnamed Khan, and the Tuqi Shi tribe is the buffer between the Tang Dynasty and the Great Food. Even until Suo Ge Zhang Qian killed and gave up the voice of the four towns, it did not subside.

And as Zhang Qian sent troops to capture Bahanna, he forced Shi Guo to sign an indemnity agreement that lasted for fifty years. If you give up the four towns of Anxi, no one will dare to mention it again.

If this war to exterminate the Turkic rebels not only made a lot of money for the Anxi army, but also did not increase any burden on the imperial court, then it would make the Manchu civil and military form a new consensus, and foreign wars could actually make money. Recovering the old land west of the Green Ridge is not necessarily a loss-making deal.

In this way, the Niu Shi Award, the protector of Anxi, may personally lead his brothers to kill Ah Yan (Anxi Prefecture) in his lifetime. Let Gumo Prefecture move back to the old site from the mouth of the Sancha River again. Let the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate return to the scale of forty years ago. Let Persia, Kunxu and Shufeng, these anointed places, return to the territory of the Tang Dynasty again! (Note: During the period of Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, the city of Ayu was called Anxizhou.) Shufeng, Kunxu and Persia were all nominally under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty at that time. ）

Once a person has a goal and believes that it is achievable, he becomes motivated.

The Anxi Dadu Cattle Keeper Award led the brothers, and after removing the cancer of Qarluq, the speed of the march suddenly accelerated. It only took ten days to cross the Golden Mountain, and appeared at the location of the Badhi Secret King's Tent, on the bank of the river. Here, the Tang army was warmly entertained by the three tribes of Ba Ximi, Dubo, and Wutiande, and the grain and grass sacrificed by each department were piled up.

In order to thank the khans of the various ministries for their support, the Niu Shi Award personally went out and "identified" the seal letter of the governor of the Tang Dynasty taken out by the khans of each ministry. And in front of the khans of the various ministries, he wrote a memo to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, protecting the khans of the various ministries and inheriting the position of the governor of the Tang Dynasty on their respective ancestors. Then with several governors, they swore a blood oath and jointly sent troops to attack the ungrateful Turkic Khan Huang Si!

Thus, when the Anxi army set out from the vicinity of the tent of the king of Basimi, the size of the army increased to 34,000 men. Suddenly, there were 9,000 more samurai from various divisions, and they were divided into two battalions, one large and one small, by the Niu Shi Award. A battalion with a large number of more than 8,500 people collectively acted as auxiliaries, transporting grain, grass and baggage for the Tang army, and taking care of the livestock sacrificed by various units along the way. Another small battalion, consisting of more than 500 carefully selected warriors of various nationalities, acted as scouts, and together with the original scouts of the Anxi army, they opened the way for the army and probed the Turks for their movements.

Turkic has always been the lingua franca of all the tribes of Mobei, and the scouts of each tribe are familiar with the terrain. With their help to explore the way, of course, the Anxi army went more smoothly, and after more than ten days, Yanran Mountain was already in sight.

Compared with the Tianshan Mountains in the Western Regions and the Jinshan that the Anxi Army had just crossed, Yanran Mountain could only be regarded as a little brother. However, the significance of this mountain to the soldiers of the Central Plains is extraordinary. Back then, Dou Xian led the Han army north to the desert, and it was near this mountain that the main force of the Xiongnu was completely annihilated, so that the Han Dynasty completely cut off the trouble of the Xiongnu. Since then, Le Shi Yanran has become the highest glory of the Central Plains military generals.

Since the Han Dynasty, as long as the Central Plains army marches north, the word "Le Shi Yanran Four" will inevitably be brought up again. In the dreams of countless literati and artists, putting Ma Yanran under the mountain is also the most exciting scene.

Now, Niu Shi Award actually led the brothers, bypassing the mountains and deserts, and killing from north to south to the foot of Yanran Mountain, how could the old general not be excited. Therefore, without waiting for the scouts to send back the situation of the enemy troops in the area of Yanran Mountain, they categorically ordered the three battalions of Shaye, Shule, and Khotan to quickly move closer to the main force. The 25,000 Tang troops were clenched into a fist, ready to take the mountain with lightning speed, and deal a heavy blow to the stubborn Turkic defenders.

However, to the great disappointment of the old general, before he could discuss with Zhang Qian, which battalion of brothers should be sent to act as the vanguard. Chang Shuxin, who was in charge of all the scouts, had already sent someone Pegasus to deliver good news: the Turkic defenders stationed at the important pass on Yanran Mountain, known locally as Tiger Pass, suddenly set fire to all the grain and grass and burned all the grain and grass baggage, and abandoned the pass. The gateway to the Turkic royal court was opened, and after the fire was extinguished, the Anxi army could follow the main road and go straight to the Turkic Khan's tooth tent!

"What? Abandonment? "It was as if the hammer had smashed into the cotton, and the Niu Shi Award was flashed so uncomfortable. He frowned on horseback and asked in a loud voice. "Can the scouts see clearly? What is Mo Si's idea of this guy? He is not afraid of being attacked on his back? ”

"You can see clearly, the Tiger Pass was indeed set on fire by the Turks themselves. According to the Qarluqs, after crossing this pass, leading to the Turkic king's tent, is a horse and a flat river! The scout did not dare to slack off, and inquired about the situation, and reported to the Niu Shi Award one by one, "According to the rumors of the local shepherds, the Turks seem to have just suffered a defeat. Most of the soldiers and horses were transferred to the south to fight against the Shuofang army, and there were only five or six hundred men stationed at Tiger Pass. ”

"Suffered a defeat, in the hands of Zhang Renyuan?" Niu Shi Award was stunned, hesitated for a long time, and then nodded lightly, "If you have already suffered a big loss in the hands of Zhang Renyuan, it makes sense for the Turks to give up Tiger Pass." It's just that Ashnamo doesn't want his king's tent anymore? The old man didn't believe it, if he couldn't even stop the Shuofang army, he was sure that he could block the Anxi army and the Shuofang army from the north and south! ”

"In any case, after the fire is extinguished, let's go through the pass first!" Zhang Qian was also confused by the actions of the Turks. After thinking about it, he whispered beside him, "However, after passing the customs, I also ask Daduhu to stop the team immediately for repairs, and at the same time send someone to try to contact Zhang Daduhu, the Shuofang army." Ask about the next step of the two armies' cooperation strategy. ”

"Stop, we are less than six hundred miles away from the Turkic king's tent?" Niu Shi Yu quickly turned his head and asked in a low voice with a bit of surprise.

"The Turkic king's tent will not be moved, and once we suffer a heavy setback, all the gains we have made will have to be vomited. Even let this joint effort to pacify the Turks fall short! Zhang Qian changed his usual boldness and responded cautiously.

In this era, there was neither telephone, nor telegraph and network, and information was transmitted very slowly. Therefore, the situation of the Shuo Fang Army in his and Niu Shi Award was sent by the messenger of the Shuo Fang Army more than 20 days ago. The messenger mixed in the caravan and crossed the grassland to reach the Xuanchi, and the road was delayed for more than half a month.

In other words, the news about Shuo Fangjun that Niu Shi Award and Zhang Qian knew at the moment all happened a month and a half ago. As for the position of Shuo Fang's army at the moment? And what victories did they achieve? and whether it was the main force of the Turks, etc., is unknown.

There is a way to know oneself and know one's opponent, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles. At the moment, the people do not understand the situation of the Turks and the friendly forces, and it is by no means rational to continue to march high. And stopping the team at Yanran Mountain without moving, although it missed the opportunity to raid Mosi's lair, it can ensure that the army is always invincible.

"Dadu Protector, what the marching chief said is very true. We already have the power to defeat Qarluq, so there's no need to take any chances! ”

"The Turks are behaving strangely, and most of them have to be guarded!"

"In the current situation, it is better to have no success than to have it. Even if our army does not move in Yanran Mountain, it will not affect the Shuofang army to continue to chase Mo Si and fight. And once our army is taken advantage of by Mo Si because of its eagerness to make meritorious contributions, the morale of the Shuofang army will inevitably drop greatly. ”

……

Not only Zhang Qian, but other generals, such as Wei Bo, Guo Hong and others, also felt that the performance of the Turks was too unbelievable. One by one, they spoke one after another, and advised the Niu Master Award to be cautious!

"Anyway, it's not yet the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there is still some time before the snow falls!" Seeing that everyone's opinions tended to be safe, the impulse in Niu Shixue's heart was slowly suppressed by him. After a moment of silence, the old general made a solemn decision. "Someone, pass the old man's order to Chang Shuxin, and let him take the scout to extinguish the fire. Then take the Tiger Pass as the starting point and explore all the conditions within the surrounding fifty miles. The old man is here in Yanran Mountain, and he is consumed with Mo Si, seeing that he is in a hurry, or the old man is more anxious! ”