At the beginning of December of the third year of the Apocalypse, the Western Expeditionary Group Army of the Tiance Army captured the last stronghold of the Guiyi Army, Shazhou, and Zhang Chaofeng, the last person at the helm of the Guiyi Army, was wounded by the Flying Eagle Brigade at close range in the fierce battle. Cao Rengui, the general of the Guiyi Army, fled to Anxi with part of his troops, and Gao Siji, the deputy commander of the Tiance Army's Western Expedition, ambushed the Uighurs of Anxi to receive the men and horses in the Kalishan Pass, and fought until dawn, killing and capturing more than 50,000 Uighur troops. In this battle, the Tuoba Si Succession Corps successfully defeated the harassment of the Tibetan mercenary group on the southern front, and cooperated with Xuanying Wei to block the Zhang clan on the north side of the Tanggula Mountains.

By the time the third day of the twelfth month of the third year of the Apocalypse, when Wan Yi and Tuoba Siji's carriage came to the city of Shazhou, Chai Jia had basically wiped out all the remnants of the Guiyi Army in the five counties under Shazhou, and the war was over. After Wan Yi arrived, he and Tuoba Sijian dealt with the backlog of affairs separately, separating the military from the government, and commanded the army to rectify the Guiyi army and the Uighur prisoners, waiting for the National Guard to come and take over. At the same time, Wan Yi and Tuoba Siji, as the supreme military and political leaders in the northwest, jointly reported to Chang'an the victory at Shazhou, and attached a detailed record of the battle to the back of the military newspaper and sent it to the General Staff Headquarters.

"Marshal, there shouldn't be any other actions by the military at the end of the year, right?" Tuoba Sijian was just about to ask Wan Yi about his next plan, the New Year is coming, and this group of senior generals in the northwest basically can't go back, but the northwest in the cold winter is about to enter the most severe cold season, if you continue to move troops at this time, I am afraid that not only the soldiers will not be able to stand it, but the logistics side will also collapse. The first battle of Shazhou almost depleted half of the weapons and ammunition reserves stored in Guazhou, and if the war continued, not to mention the other ammunition delivery alone would be enough for the logistics department to go crazy. And with the arrival of the coldest weather, almost all outdoor heavy activities have to be stopped, otherwise it will be too draining.

"Deputy Prime Minister, aren't there a lot of seizures on the sandbank? We had enough rations for the military before, and you can take them with you. Wan Yi shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Could it be that these are not enough?" This side of the sandbar is the seat of the Guiyi army, so is there not even some food? Do you want me to send troops to borrow food from the big families in the city? ”

Wan Yi's method is simply to use his own control of force to play a scoundrel, but this method obviously can't make Tuoba Sizhi nod, "Dashuai, you know that Zhang Chaofeng has scavenged a large amount of grain and grass from the people when he was forced to recruit troops before, and those big households in the city don't have much grain in stock, if we send troops to forcibly recruit again, then I'm afraid that there will be turmoil again on Guazhou's side in an instant, and these people are inextricably linked with the surrounding Uighurs and Tibetans. We must not create such a big problem for ourselves until we stabilize the hearts and minds of the people on this side of the sandbank. ”

"It's not that we're in trouble, it's that we're in big trouble right now." Before Wan Yi could speak, Zhao Si's voice came from outside the tent, and then the head of the Northwest Xuanying Guard walked in and said with a wry smile: "I was really said by the deputy marshal, this Cao Rengui is really a big trouble, according to the urgent news from Anxi, the Anxi Uighurs have agreed to Cao Rengui temporarily garrisoning in Boxian Town, and the worst thing is that this guy has begun to send countless people to various parts of Anxi to persuade the leaders of the large and small tribes in various places, and prepare to win over the various ministries to form an anti-Tang alliance." According to the news from the secret guard, Li Qiming, the lord of Khotan, has been moved and promised to persuade the twenty tribes around Khotan to participate. It is said that Cao Rengui's purpose this time was to find a way to find the descendants of the nine surnames of Zhaowu back then, select elites from them, and form an anti-Tang army to compete with our western expeditionary army. ”

"Khotan? No, I've read the information of Khotan before, this Khotan is my Chinese bloodline, why would I join forces with these surrounding tribes to fight against the Tang Dynasty this time? And so positive? Liu Xuan, who walked in as soon as Zhao Si's words were finished, was a little inexplicable, he was the chief of staff of the Western Expeditionary Army, and he was very familiar with the information of Khotan, this Western Regions Buddha Kingdom admired the Central Plains Dynasty very much, how could he rashly become an enemy of the Tang Dynasty?

"Liu Xuan, you may not understand, the previous lord of Khotan and the Guiyi Army have a deep relationship with Zhang Huaishen, and the two families even conspired against the Uighurs and Tubo during the heyday of the Guiyi Army, and before Khotan was occupied by Tubo, it was the Guiyi Army that defeated the Tubo to allow Khotan to restore the country." Zhao Si smiled bitterly: "In addition, now that our western expedition is menacing, I am afraid that the little suzerain affection for the Central Plains in the past will not play a role." And for them, the Guiyi Army is their own people, which we can't compare. ”

"Vertical and horizontal, this seems to be your Xuan Yingwei's housekeeping skills, right? Since Cao Rengui can unite the various tribes of Anxi against the Tang Dynasty, then we can also divide and disintegrate their alliance, right? Liu Xuan naturally understood what was going on when he heard Zhao Si's words, so Liu Xuan had full confidence in Xuan Yingwei on how to solve the current crisis.

"Zhao Si, do you Xuan Yingwei have a way to deal with it?" Wan Yi also asked Zhao Si at this time, although Cao Rengui's move against the Tang Alliance was a big problem for the Western Expeditionary Army, but Xuan Yingwei was a new spy war organization formed by Li Xuanqing according to the memories of his previous life, and in the eyes of Wan Yi and others, since Xuan Yingwei could detect it, there must be a countermeasure.

"The key is still in the Zhaowu nine surnames that Cao Rengui is preparing to convene, the Zhaowu nine surnames were originally the descendants of the Yue clan people of that year, but after the previous generation of Anxi troops returned to China to quell the rebellion, the Zhaowu nine surnames were destroyed by the Great Eclipse, Uighurs and Tubo people, and their clansmen were also scattered, and some of the clansmen also returned to Middle-earth with the Anxi army and integrated into the Central Plains." Zhao Si nodded and said, "I plan to urgently return to the Central Plains to find Minister Murong, contact the former Kang clan through him, and then divide and disintegrate Cao Rengui's thoughts." ”

"But this is just one of the plans, and the other is that Xuan Yingwei is already executing." Zhao Sidao: "However, although this plan is already being implemented, I must go back to Chang'an to ask the commander, and by the way, let the commander give the supreme order, and through the dark line we buried in the northwest, the people screened out by Xuanyingwei and the Flying Eagle Brigade will be successfully entered into the descendants of Zhaowu Jiu in Cao Rengui's network." ”

"Dark lines? Why do you Xuanyingwei still have a dark line in the northwest? And you can't even transfer it with your authority? "This time, not only Liu Xuan, but also Wan Yi and Tuoba Sizhi are curious, what kind of character is the dark line that needs to be ordered by Hu Xiaosi to be activated? And why is it that even they, the supreme person in charge of the military administration in the northwest, are not clear?

"This is a dark line inadvertently planted by the emperor and commander before the founding of the Tang Dynasty, so the level is the highest, and I only know a rough idea because I am in charge of the northwest, but I can't start it. However, this time the situation is special, and it is also related to the descendants of the nine surnames of Zhaowu, so I think it's time to start. Zhao Si obviously didn't know much about the specific situation here, so he changed the topic and said: "However, this time, Cao Rengui wanted to select people from among the nine surnames of Zhaowu, obviously after careful consideration, and his purpose was not so simple. ”

"You mean that he wants to use the surname Zhaowu Jiu to get a piece of land in Anxi or elsewhere?" Wan Yi was a little uncertain and said: "It's just that the glory of the nine surnames of Zhaowu has long been in the past, even if there are still descendants among the people, but a hundred years have passed, I'm afraid it has already been assimilated, just like the Han people in the northwest region, it is estimated that they don't even remember their own history, how can they help Cao Rengui?" ”

"Ordinary people with the nine surnames are naturally almost the same as the tribes of a few tribes such as the Uighurs in the northwest, but after all, the nine surnames of Zhaowu were brilliant back then, so they are still very powerful in Anxi and near the west of the Green Mountains, and some of them also hold the local lifeline, if these people are attracted by Cao Rengui, the energy that bursts out is absolutely considerable. The Guiyi Army led by Cao Rengui is currently only living in Boxian Town, and does not have its own territory that cannot develop and grow, and most of the soldiers' families and friends are in Shazhou, so there is no problem in a short time, but if it takes a long time, there will definitely be a big problem. Therefore, for him, he must solve the foundation problem as soon as possible, find a suitable territory and then settle the clansmen and soldiers, which only the Zhaowu nine surnames can help them. Moreover, in the environment of the wolves on Anxi's side, if he wants to break through, he can only rely on the descendants of Zhaowu Jiu. After all, no matter how he changes, there is one thing he can't change, that is, he is originally Han, and the tens of thousands of horses under his command are also Han. This is hardly recognized by other ethnic groups in the northwest, and even Khotan will not tolerate such a force to exist outside of its control. It is not that the Han people in the northwest have not resisted the rule of foreign races in the past hundred years, but they are really isolated and helpless, with enemies on all sides and no allies. This is also the reason why the descendants of the Anxi Army were finally encircled and suppressed by various ethnic groups and fell into Tang Kou. Zhao Si's words reminded everyone of what happened to Zhang Sheng.

"Do you mean that the descendants of the nine surnames of Zhaowu are more interested in the Han people and the Tang Dynasty than in Khotan?" Wan Yi obviously got another meaning from Zhao Si's words, so he immediately asked.

"At that time, the countries established by the nine surnames of Zhaowu were all vassals of the Datang Anxi Dadu, and for them, the Tang Dynasty was undoubtedly their greatest hope. If you want to restore the country, you can only rely on Datang, but it's a pity that we came a little late, if we could come to Anxi ten years earlier, then we would definitely get their full assistance, instead of being stolen by Cao Rengui like now. Zhao Si nodded and said: "According to the news brought back by the secret guards and the westbound caravan, there are many descendants of the Zhaowu Nine surnames who still maintain the practice of letting the children of the clan learn Tang Yan, just looking forward to the day when our Tang Dynasty can reopen the Silk Road." You must know that even the Han people in Anxi today cannot do this, and if Tang Yan is discovered by the Uighurs and the Great Cannibals, he will be treated as Tang Kou. ”

Zhao Si's words undoubtedly revealed Xuan Yingwei's plan to the three people present, but Wan Yi obviously didn't plan to ask about this matter in detail, Xuan Yingwei was originally a force independent of the General Staff, and the plan he made was basically only responsible for the above. But Wan Yi still heard the meaning of Zhao Si's words, and immediately asked, "In this case, what do we need to do?" Although the army can't be mobilized on a large scale, is the strength of your Xuanying Guard too thin for this anti-Tang alliance? ”

"The specific plan requires me to go back to Chang'an to reformulate the details, but I also ask the marshal to transfer some soldiers who can speak well, preferably proficient in the languages of various ethnic groups in the Western Regions, with careful minds and firm ambitions, by the way, it is best to transfer Zhang Sheng out and let him take advantage of this time to teach them the living habits and details of the northwest, and wait until the commander and the emperor agree, and enter Anxi with Xuan Yingwei." Zhao Sidao: "There is also the deputy prime minister's side to seize the time to carry out reforms in Shazhou, and publicize the national policy of my Datang through the Silk Road, so that all ethnic groups in the northwest can fully understand my Datang as soon as possible." ”

"That's no problem, anyway, I'm idle during this time, I'll arrange it back after the situation on the sandbar is stable, and I will form a new caravan to enter Anxi as soon as possible." It's just that Cao Rengui originally started in business, and he may instigate the various ethnic groups in the northwest to cut off the Silk Road again, so how will the caravan pass when the time comes? Tuoba Sizhi appreciates this, but is also a little worried.

"I have already discussed this with Xiaohu, and after the Flying Eagle Brigade waits for replenishment and rest, it will immediately enter various parts of Anxi to carry out tasks and cover the entry of your caravan. Moreover, Cao Rengui's liaison messengers will also be included in the killing targets of the Flying Eagle Brigade at that time, and all the leaders of various clans who have contact with Cao Rengui will be attacked by the Flying Eagle Brigade. Zhao Si obviously wanted to carry out the assassination mission to the end, so he sneered when he heard this: "According to Cao Rengui's idea, all exits of the Silk Road will definitely be closed, but I have already planned to assassinate important people who are connected with him, and at the same time install and cultivate people who are friendly to the Tang Dynasty to carry out the anti-blockade mission." ”

"Since you have a plan over there, I won't say much, I will dispatch the elites of each department to cooperate with the Flying Eagle Brigade to carry out the mission, you go back and let Xiaohu come over, and I will arrange manpower for him." The losses of the Flying Eagle Brigade in the First Battle of Shazhou were not small, and the three brigades of the Flying Eagle Brigade sent to the northwest lost a total of about 300 people. The Flying Eagle Brigade was originally the king of soldiers, and every soldier was the most elite soldier selected from thousands of battles, and it was extremely difficult to replenish, even if the Flying Eagle Brigade had formed a complete set of talent selection and training system, it was still heart-wrenching for Su Xiaohu, and he didn't have a good face these days. Wan Yi's words are equivalent to preparing to transfer the most elite soldiers in the 200,000 army in the northwest to supplement the Flying Eagle Brigade.

"Okay, Zhao Si, when do you plan to go back to Chang'an? Now that the end of the year is approaching, if you want to leave, you have to advance it, otherwise you won't be able to catch up with the year-end meeting. Tuoba Sijian had no opinion on Wan Yi's arrangement, so he asked one last question instead.

"In the next two days, I will set off after arranging the things at hand, and Xuan Yingwei's command will be temporarily transferred to the group army headquarters after I leave, and I will go through the transfer procedures." Zhao Sidao: "Please rest assured that although Cao Rengui's anti-Tang alliance is fierce, Xuan Yingwei will definitely not let it succeed, thus affecting the great cause of my Tang Dynasty's westward expedition." ”