"Dashuai, there are three days of travel to arrive in the ancient city of Ganzhou." In the desert of the northwest, a long marching procession is constantly walking on the road that countless people have stepped on for thousands of years, and the figure is far away and empty.

"The desert is lonely, and the sun sets on the long river." Wan Yi looked at the steps of the soldiers of the Tiance Army in front of him and behind him, and couldn't help but sigh. Since leaving the Tiger Hill Pass, it is really in the desert area, the yellow sand is all over the sky, and the oasis that can be seen by chance in the endless desert seems to represent the countless hopes of this land.

"Where has the vanguard arrived?" Wan Yi's army was still in the desert, but Shi Jian and Xue Wanli, who were the vanguard of the army, had probably already walked out of this desert at this time, right?

"The latest news from Xuan Yingwei is that General Shi has led his troops to travel three days from the main force of our army, and they should have arrived outside the Yumen Pass at this time. General Xue's headquarters should also arrive near Ganzhou. Liu Xuan and Zhao Si rode their horses and walked side by side with Wan Yi and said: "Sentinel cavalry reconnaissance, there is an oasis about fifty miles ahead, the area is large enough, and there is a lake, how about our army set up camp here today?" ”

Wan Yi nodded, and handed over the affairs of these marching camps to Liu Xuan. The Tiance army quickly crossed the fifty-mile desert area and arrived at the oasis in front of them. In fact, there is no way to connect the deserts in Ganzhou, which are basically distributed in blocks, and the Jiayuguan area south of Ganzhou was once an oasis, especially near Liangzhou, that is, the Hexi Corridor, because it relies on the snow of Qilian Mountain, but it is green grass. The place where Wan Yi and his family are camping now is a lake formed by a tributary of the Shule River west of Jiayuguan, and a large oasis has been formed around it because of the water source.

There were many things involved in the camping of the army, but Wan Yi did not pay attention to them, except for the fact that he inspected the terrain around the area when he dismounted, and was very curious about this lake, he did not have much interest, and turned around and asked the guards to take out the map and start studying the Uighurs in the Ganzhou area. On the contrary, after a few days of desert marching, the sudden sight of the oasis made many Tiance soldiers cheer, and many people were impatient to run to the lake and start playing in the water to release the depression of the past few days.

Liu Xuan arranged for the soldiers to camp between the oasis and the lake, and on the other hand, he asked Tieliang to send an elite team into the oasis to investigate, and at the same time asked the logistics personnel and soldiers accompanying the army to replenish the water source in advance, and then find the things to ignite the bonfire, and assign the time and password of the patrol detachment.

In addition to the weapons and equipment that need to be transported by the personnel directly under the logistics department, the other food and other materials have all been handed over to the civilian transportation companies, and almost all the needs of the march in the northwest region have been contracted to the three major transportation companies in Hexi led by the Yelu family, and the hundreds of thousands of carriages and trucks under their command have transported a large number of materials from the rear to the front line after Wan Yi led the army to the west, and then escorted a large number of prisoners back to Hexi from the front line. In this way, the logistics department has greatly saved labor costs, and most of the logistics and transportation detachments have been reduced, and the marching speed of the Tiance army has become better and faster.

An hour later, the tents of the 100,000-strong army had been arranged, countless light and dark sentries were arranged around it, and groups of patrolling soldiers had begun to carry out their tasks from the outside in, and the whole camp was like a dormant beast attached to this land.

However, soon bursts of meat aroma began to permeate the entire camp, such as today's food conditions for the army are getting better and better. The Western Expeditionary Group Army had a sufficient supply of meat, and in order to ensure the health of the officers and men and to take into account the special geographical environment of the northwest region, the Logistics Department specially purchased a large number of seafood from Shandong and also transported it with the army, and seaweed and other marine products also appeared on the transportation list of the Logistics Department of the Western Expeditionary Group Army along with pickled products and canned food.

"Dashuai, it's time to eat." When Liu Xuan walked into the handsome tent with food, Wan Yi was still pondering the map, but he quickly threw down the pen in his hand and said with a smile: "Come, eat first, and notify Tie Liang to come over for a meeting after eating." After speaking, he took the food sent by Liu Xuan and said with a smile: "It seems that the food is not bad, and there is actually kelp broth." ”

Wan Yi listened to Liu Xuan's report on the situation of camping while eating, these were originally common sense in the march, but Wan Yi intended to test Liu Xuan, so he asked more carefully. However, when he heard that there was no one living in the oasis, he was obviously stunned for a moment, and he didn't put a piece of meat in his mouth with a piece of meat on his chopsticks.

"Marshal, Zhao Si has already asked the dark guards distributed by the Xuanying Guard to enter the oasis to reconnoitre, and Zhao Si has also sent someone to find the nearby Flying Eagle Brigade. If there is any situation, it will be reported in time. In addition, I arranged for the patrol detachment of the army to be carefully guarded. Liu Xuan thought that Wan Yi felt that there was something wrong in the oasis, so he hurriedly told him all about his arrangements.

However, Wan Yi shook his head, his slightly furrowed brows gradually dissipated, and said with a smile: "Our army passed through here in three ways, although Shi Jian and Xue Wanli may not pass through this oasis, but according to their character, I am afraid that all the tribes in this area know that we are coming, and the news of the destruction of the Uighur army in the first battle of Huqiu Pass must have also reached here, I am afraid that these people will see the banner of the Tiance Army and think that we are devils, so they hid in advance." Okay, let them go, wait until Ganzhou is defeated, and then send troops to search, it's okay to hide, but if you still want to resist the pace of the Tang Dynasty's march to the northwest, then I can only become a devil. After Wan Yi finished saying this, he ignored it, began to eat all the food in front of him, and told Liu Xuan to find Tie Liang. After Xue Wanli and Shi Jian led the army forward, only Tie Liang was left as the main general of the Chinese army, and as for the other generals, they were still a little poor for this kind of large army to fight, and they couldn't help for the time being.

When Tie Liang arrived at the tent, Zhao Si also came back with Xuan Yingwei's people, and the news of the investigation was similar to Wan Yi's guess, but for the sake of safety, Zhao Si still sent people to summon the Flying Eagle Brigade and asked them to send some people to act with the main force of the army.

"Okay, everyone's here, let's get started. Zhao Si told Tie Liang about the latest information about Xuan Ying Wei. Wan Yi saw Tie Liang walking in with his two subordinates, nodded and motioned for Zhao Si to speak.

"The latest news from Xuan Yingwei that the Uighurs returned to Ganzhou after the defeat at Huqiu Pass, in addition to vigorously recruiting their own youth to step up the expansion of the army, they also sent people to Suzhou to contact the Long family, and at the same time sent messengers to the grassland to find their old rivals, the Tatars, in an attempt to draw the three families into an alliance to fight against our army." Zhao Si said while reporting: "So the marshal has sent General Shi to lead the army out of Yumen Pass in order to prevent the main force of the Long family's troops from moving to Ganzhou and avoid the convergence of the three." ”

"Aren't the Tartars sent by the royal court of the Tunas? Didn't we defeat the main forces of Datar and Tartar in a war last year? Why did the Tartars dare to come after they all surrendered? Tie Liang was a little disdainful that the Tatars dared to come to the war.

"The Tatars are also divided into more than a dozen large tribes, although we have conquered their royal court, but the three major tribes in the northwest region have not surrendered, although they and the Uighurs have been fighting for many years, but they are not able to keep their lips and teeth cold, will they be moved by the Uighurs." Liu Xuan took over the conversation and said.

"Whether the Tatars will participate in the war or not, there will be results in the next two days. Wanli has arrived at the city of Ganzhou, and soon news will come. It wouldn't be a bad thing for the Tatars to join the war, and after avoiding the addition of the Long family, we wouldn't have a problem even if we fought against the two forces of the Datars and the Uighurs at the same time. Wan Yi nodded and said, "Today I want to talk about the Uighurs in Ganzhou. The chief of staff gave a detailed account of the Uighurs. ”

"The Uighurs of Ganzhou were originally meritorious ministers who helped quell the Turkic rebellion during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, but around the time of the Wu and Zhou dynasties, the imperial court took their strength from the Uighurs to form the Chishui Army, which was under the command of the capital of Anxi. It's just that after the Anshi Rebellion, the Tubo strategy Hexi, the Ganzhou Uighurs became the deployment of the Tubo people, and they were under their command. In the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Wenzong, the Uighur rule in Mobei was defeated by the Gyasi people, and a large number of Uighurs moved westward. After the civil strife in Tibet, control over Hexi, Gansu, and other places waned, and the Uighurs seized the opportunity to break away from it. Subsequently, after Zhang Yichao built the Guiyi Army, he also participated in it, which became the deployment of the Guiyi Army, and its power gradually grew. During this period, although the Uighurs of Ganzhou were encircled and suppressed many times, they were defeated by them. At the end of the fourth year of Zhonghe, taking advantage of the Huangchao Rebellion in the Central Plains, the Uighurs in the Western Regions also broke away from the Guiyi Army, occupied Ganzhou, Shanzhou and other places, and gradually controlled the Hexi Corridor to the east, and even occupied Liangzhou and other places when their power was at its strongest. Although the civil strife in Tibet became more serious later, and the Wen uprising drove the Uighurs from Liangzhou and other places, the Uighur rule in the Ganzhou territory was relatively stable. ”

"Moreover, after the Uighurs became independent, they also handled the relations with the surrounding areas relatively well, although they expanded a lot of territory, but they always maintained contact with the Guiyi army in the west, and even helped the Guiyi army when the Wen and Tibetan invaded." Liu Xuan continued: "Secondly, the Uighurs were also very active in their relations with the Central Plains, and if it weren't for the sudden rise of our Tiance army, according to the Uighurs' previous plan, they would have found a way to get in touch with the forces located in Guanzhong and get their help. ”

This must have been the habit of the Uighurs, who were able to keep in touch with the upper echelons of the Han Chinese regime and get their help from them, and to be able to keep watch over each other when necessary. This can be regarded as the way to survive and develop in the Western Regions. Wan Yi nodded, and said in a light tone.

"In other words, although there is a great war between the Tatars and the Uighurs, there is a good chance that they will converge against us when the army of our Tiance army is overwhelmed, right?" Tie Liang asked after hearing this.

At this time, there was the sound of hurried footsteps outside the tent, and in a moment, a dark guard of the Xuanying Guard was brought in by the guards to deliver the latest information and then withdrew. Wan Yi took the information and glanced at it and handed it to the others: "It's not very possible, but it's already a fact." Xuan Yingwei detected that the Tatars were already assembling troops in the Da Tan tribe near Ganzhou, and they thought that they should be able to send troops to Ganzhou soon. ”

"Dashuai, what should we do in that case? Did they destroy the Uighurs before the Dadan cavalry arrived in Ganzhou, or did they divide their forces to break them down? Tie Liang couldn't sit still when he heard this, and asked.

"Since they're here, what are they doing in the way?" Wan Yi sneered: "Give them time to gather their troops, and let's break all the obstacles in Ganzhou in one fell swoop and empty all the hostile forces near Ganzhou." The chief of staff went to summon Xue Wanli, asking him to prepare for defense, don't rush to take Ganzhou, wait until they gather, let's gather and annihilate them. ”

"Then why do you want to raise troops overnight to chase General Xue?" Zhao Si thought about it and asked, he was the general of Xuanyingwei, and he didn't know much about marching operations, so he was still a little worried about Xue Wanli on the front line, he only had 50,000 people in his hands, and he was afraid that the other party would suffer if he forcibly attacked after the reinforcements arrived.

Wan Yi shook his head and said, "If we don't do it, we will scare the Da Tan people, so the normal speed will be fine." Now that the Da Tan people have already moved, the other two tribes will not be slow. Ganzhou is destined for a big war. After a pause, he continued: "Although the Uighurs have many ties with our Han regimes, the situation of the Han people in Ganzhou has not improved much, so the Uighurs will either lead their troops out and surrender, or they will be swept into history by our Western Expeditionary Army, and there is no third way. ”

"Let the brothers of Xuan Yingwei work hard, and I will closely monitor all the situation in the vicinity of Ganzhou these days, and I will know every move of the Uighurs. When necessary, the Flying Eagle Brigade can find a way to touch the ancient city of Ganzhou, and then we should work together to take Ganzhou. If the battle of Huqiu Pass has frightened all ethnic groups in the northwest, then the battle of Ganzhou I want to make everyone understand that in the face of the surging general trend, anyone who dares to stop my Tang Dynasty from recovering the Western Regions has only one word, death. The murderous aura brought out by Wan Yi's words made all the generals present shudder.

"Chief of Staff, go and urge the logistics department tomorrow, the transportation of shells and artillery cannot be delayed, we are facing thousands of cavalry in the northwest, and without artillery, the force of the Tiance Army will not be able to give full play to it." Wan Yi asked Liu Xuan to urge the logistics department. Obviously, among the generals of the Tiance Army, except for Chen Fan, he knows the role of artillery in advancing the battle process best.

After Wan Yi gave the general order, all the generals present got up and prepared overnight, Tiance Army promised, except for the sleeping soldiers, those high-level generals were busy with various preparations almost all night, and Wan Yi stared at the map for a moment.

The Tiance Army's Western Expeditionary Group Army is preparing for an unprecedented big war. And in Chang'an City. Zhang Sheng was introduced by Cen Tianshi to meet the current Tang Emperor Li Xuanqing. For the descendants of Anxi, from Li Xuanqing to the ordinary people of the Tang Dynasty are full of good feelings and guilt from their hearts. There is a Tang generation, from the emperors and generals to the common people of Li, who have unimaginable pursuits for pioneering and enterprising. Now that the descendants of the heroes have returned to their homeland, the news of Zhang Sheng and others has spread all over the world in almost a short period of time, and the messages submitted to Chang'an asking the descendants of Anxi to go to various places to cultivate are almost endless.

After meeting Zhang Sheng, Li Xuanqing expressed his appreciation for their perseverance and perseverance in fighting alone for more than 100 years, and encouraged them to continue to work hard.

Li Xuanqing's youth and determination to recover Anxi instantly convinced this descendant of Anxi across the Western Regions, Zhang Sheng immediately bowed to Li Xuanqing, saying that he would return to the front line immediately, and if he did not recover Anxi and did not find the descendants of the Han people who were separated back then, Zhang Sheng would definitely not return.

In the middle of May of the third year of the Apocalypse, almost when Wan Yi was preparing for war, Zhang Sheng and his party also began to set off to return to the Western Regions.