readx; The situation in Khiva City was quickly controlled by the Tang Army, and it quickly calmed down, Arslan breathed a long sigh of relief, there was no large-scale burning and killing of silver in Khiva City, although Li Qing'an promised him that he would not indulge military discipline, but Arslan was still extremely worried, 20,000 Tang troops rushed into the city with a monstrous murderous aura, did Li Qing'an's promise be fulfilled?

But the facts made Arslan have nothing to say, the cavalry of the Tang Army rushed through the streets and alleys, quickly divided and surrounded the city of Khiva, they did not loot and destroy the silver, but had a very clear task, that is, to drive all the residents out of their homes, and search the food in the house and, yes, it is food, the Tang army was not in a hurry to take away the property, but to ask for food, bags of wheat and bread were seized by the Tang army, and the sheep bleated, and were killed by the Tang army with a knife, thrown into the carriage and dragged away. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Arslan's heart was full of worry, he vaguely guessed the intention of the Tang army to rob the grain, maybe it was against the main army of 100,000 Arabs, if this was the case, then the Khorezm people would not become a weapon for the Tang army to deal with the Arabs.

Arslan didn't dare to think about it any longer, and he whipped his horse fiercely and galloped towards the palace of Khorezm.

The Khorezm palace is now a temporary camp for the Tang army, the king and his concubines and children have been detained, more than 2,000 Tang soldiers are quickly searching the palace belongings, and in a large palace, Li Qing'an and several Tang army generals are nervously deciding on the specific course of action next.

On the table is a huge and detailed map of Khorezm, Li Qing'an got the latest information, the vanguard of the 10,000 food army temporarily stopped west of the Amu Darya River, obviously, they already know the news of the Tang army's appearance in Khorezm, the current situation is extremely delicate, it can be said that it has reached the moment of carelessness and loss.

"I'm wondering if we can change our strategy and no longer withdraw to the river, but directly use the 30,000 Tang army against the 100,000 army of the Great Eclipse."

Li Qing'an stared at the map in front of him and said slowly: "I also know that 30,000 against 100,000 is very difficult, and we are not good at desert warfare, but we can defend the city and fight offensive and defensive battles with the enemy, which is what we are good at, and I deduce that the Great Food Army has one of its biggest weaknesses." ”

Bai Xiaode and Tian Zhen glanced at each other, if it was Li Siye and them to discuss tactics, maybe they would participate in the discussion together, but now it is Anxi coach Li Qing'an, in front of him, the two of them have no room to speak.

Both of them bowed and said, "Please give the order of the general, and we will obey the order." ”

Li Qingan was stunned for a moment, and immediately smiled: "Now is not the time for me to give orders, you are both experienced generals, and you should have your own views on the situation in front of you, otherwise how can I rest assured that you will go out and block one side alone, Cui Qianyou is in Mobei, Li Siye is in the river, Feng Changqing is in Xinde, Li Guangbi is in Tocharo, they can all stand alone, next time it will be your turn, let's say!" Don't have any scruples. ”

Both of them smiled embarrassedly, and Bai Xiaode said: "Then I want to ask the general, is the biggest weakness of the Great Food Army the lack of military food?" ”

"That's right!"

Li Qingan nodded with satisfaction and smiled: "I obviously have ideas but refuse to show them, this is not what I want, you go on, why is the biggest weakness of the Great Food Army is the lack of military rations?" ”

Bai Xiaode heard the approving meaning in Li Qing'an's tone, he knew that he was right, he couldn't help but perk up, picked up the wooden pole and pointed to the map: "It can be seen from the terrain around Khorezm that there are vast deserts all around, especially the Karakum Desert west of the Amu Darya River, which is thousands of miles wide and has no place for supplies. This is the reason why the Great Food Army did not go straight down to the river, but had to make a detour to Khorezm, which was hundreds of miles away from the river, and they wanted to get supplies in Khorezm, not fresh water, but food supplies, so this was the most serious problem of the Great Food Army, the logistics supply of the 100,000 army was insufficient. ”

Tian Zhen next to him said: "In this case, wouldn't it be better for the general surnamed Suo to burn all the grain, lead the army to retreat south, and let the Great Food Army fall into Khorezm without food?" ”

Li Qing'an nodded, "This is actually my original plan, because we still have four days to burn the grain and drive the Khwarazm people south, I have calculated, the time is in time, but suddenly 10,000 Great Food Pioneers disrupted my plan, if we implement the original plan, maybe these 10,000 people will not dare to chase us, but the main force of the Great Food Army will therefore abandon the supply plan of Khorezm, and thus turn back to the Great Food, at that time, we may face the attack of the Khorasan Army as the main force." ”

"Is the marshal afraid of the Khorasan army?"

Tian Zhen was still a little unconvinced: "The Khorasan army is our defeated general, why be afraid? ”

Li Qing'an glanced at him and said with a slight smile: "Lao Tian, this is not a war, this is politics, the Khorasan army is completely destroyed, and Mansur will only be grateful to us, but the 100,000 Great Food Army in the north will be wiped out, and the Great Food Army may face splits, and the pattern in the river will be stabilized from now on, so that our strategic focus can turn to the east, so in any case, I need the main force of the 100,000 Great Food Army to Khorezm." ”

Tian Zhen was ashamed on his face, bowed down and said: "The last general is shallow, please forgive the general!" ”

Li Qingan waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's okay! Not in its position is not in its own right, this is really not something you can take into account, you continue to talk about tactics. ”

Tian Zhen sighed and said: "The fortification of Shiva City, we have also seen it, the general defends 100,000 people with 30,000 people, as long as the food is enough, there should be no problem to hold on for more than half a year, in addition, I suggest setting up a mobile cavalry outside to attack the logistics and supply of the Great Food Army, as long as the Great Food Army has no food, within a month, they will inevitably be in chaos." ”

"What about the water source?"

Bai Xiaode said: "There is a dark river deep underground in the city, which leads directly to the Amu Darya River, which can be dug to get water, and it is difficult for the big cannibals to poison and cut off. ”

Li Qing soothed his palms and laughed, "We three stinkers, one Zhuge Liang, not bad!" Not bad! ”

At this time, a soldier came to report, "General, His Highness Arslan urgently asks to see the General. ”

"He's just in time, invite him in!"

Li Qing'an turned around and said to Bai Xiaode: "You go to supervise military discipline, and you are not allowed to take the opportunity to rob the people's property and annihilate the silver women, focusing on the relatively wealthy Muslim families, and take away all the food and weapons in stock, and the Zoroastrians can let them go." ”

He said to Tian Zhen again: "You lead the people of the headquarters to support Lifei Yuanli, I am worried that Lifei Yuanli's troops will be scattered, if it is attacked by the Great Food Pioneer, the consequences will be serious, and then tell Lifei Yuanli that the grain will be carried back as much as possible, but it can't be moved, and then it will be burned with fire." ”

Bai Xiaode and Tian Zhen bowed together and said, "The last general will obey the order!" ”

The two turned around, and at this time, Arslan hurriedly walked into the room, saluted Li Qing'an, and said eagerly: "General, when will the chaos in the city end?" ”

Li Qing'an invited him to sit down, and ordered someone to pour him a cup of tea, and then smiled slightly: "Your Highness, don't worry, I have ordered to no longer disturb the Zoroastrians who support you, and now it is against Muslims." ”

Arslan's heart fell, he took a sip of tea, and asked again, "I don't know what the general's plan is next?" Why search for grain, I heard that there is a lot of grain in the warehouse, which should be enough for the Tang army. ”

Li Qing'an smiled and said: "Capturing Khiva City is only the first step, the next step is to refuse to defend the fortified city to face the main force of the 100,000 Great Food Army, so the food must be rationed, we must prevent Muslims from helping the Great Cannibals, only by pinching their life food in our hands, they will be obedient, you can rest assured, since I have promised you that I will hand over Khorezm to you completely, then I will naturally not break my word." ”

Arslan was a little unnatural, and said: "General, I didn't mean that, I'm just afraid of intensifying the contradictions between the two factions, and it will be difficult to reconcile in the future, I don't know how the general is going to deal with Shi Fen?" ”

Shi Fen is the current king of Khorezm, Arslan wanted to kill him, after entering the city, he led the army to the palace, but Shi Fen has been tightly controlled by the Tang army, Arslan's heart is full of worry, he is very worried that Li Qing'an will not kill Shi Fen, it will become an obstacle for himself in the future.

Li Qing'an understood his thoughts, so he smiled faintly and said: "Shi Fen can't be killed for the time being, his existence is conducive to stabilizing the Muslims in the city, as for whether to kill or not in the future, I only hope you understand the fact that the Arabs will never allow the Zoroastrian country to appear west of the Amu Darya River, they don't dare to come to fight the Tang Dynasty, but they can easily destroy you, think about it yourself!" Why didn't I kill Shi Fen? ”

Arslan understood what Li Qing'an meant, and he asked in a deep voice: "What does the general mean that there will be two Khorezm in the future?" ”

"The appearance of two Khorezm is inevitable, if you have the ability to persuade the Khwarazmian people who have believed in Islam to convert to Zoroastrianism again, then I don't have to worry about anything, otherwise, even if I kill all the Muslims in Khorezm, then Mansur will also kill you, only if Mansur is jealous, he can let you go, Your Highness Arslan, as a king, I hope you can learn the necessary compromise."

Arslan was silent, he knew that what Li Qing'an said was the truth, after 54 long years, Khorezm had already been divided, and he had long forgotten him, if he could get the support of the Zoroastrians and regain the country, it would already be his great luck, where would he dare to hope that the Khwarazm people who believed in Islam would be converted to Zoroastrianism again, he simply did not have the ability to deal with religious contradictions, and sooner or later a civil war would break out, perhaps the only feasible way to divide it into two was to divide it into two.

He sighed, "I see, thank you for your foresight." ”

．．．．．．．．． Walk along the rolling sand dunes to the north of the city of Khiva for about 40 miles, the huge sand dunes disappear, facing a large area of semi-desert and semi-arid land, and a few miles ahead, there is a boundless farmland, the banks of the Amu Darya River are full of fertile land, irrigation canals crisscross it, here is the famous Aral Sea Delta, the land is fertile, the Amu Darya brings abundant water, making it the cradle of Khorezm civilization, and it is also the second largest settlement of Khorezm people. More than 100,000 Khwarazm people are distributed on the vast plains that stretch for more than 30 miles.

It was already dark and bright, it was the middle of winter in December, the white morning mist shrouded the barren land, the cold wind was howling, the villages were as silent as death, many of the houses were still smoking, apparently just burned, and there were ruins and broken walls everywhere, a dilapidated scene.

Five miles further forward, is the largest city in the delta Tucheng, at this moment in the vast field outside the Tucheng, gathered from all directions of the Khorezm people, supporting the old and the young, draped in blankets, women holding children, men leading horses, horses carrying their meager property and food for survival, the procession is also mixed with carriages and ox carts carrying the elderly and children, there are also some food and property that can be taken away on the car, children's cries, old people's cursing, cows and horses' cries, The cavalry of the Tang Army urged with spears on both sides.

The people of Khorezm shivered in the cold wind, and everyone's faces were filled with panic and uneasiness, and they received the news that a war between the Don and Arab armies was about to break out in their land, and everyone had to take refuge in the city of Khiva.

In the wilderness to the west of Tucheng, there is a pile of surplus grain that the Tang army has collected from door to door, and the delta is a place where Khorezm is rich in grain, and every household has a little surplus grain, except for the part that can be carried away, the rest of the excess grain will be burned.

Grain piled up like a hill, and from time to time cavalry galloped in, throwing bags of grain up the hill, since last night, the Tang army began to drive the people of Khorezm in the delta on a large scale and collect grain, this is already the second group of people, the first batch of about 20,000 people have been sent away at the third watch.

At this time, Lifei Yuanli led a group of cavalry out of the earth city and asked in a loud voice, "How many people are in this batch?" ”

An officer stepped forward and reported: "General Hui, this batch is about 25,000 people. ”

"Then we will not wait, but send them away at once, and order the brethren to come and get a bag of grain each."

"Yes!"

The officer waved his hand, "Ready to go!" ”

The horn sounded, and the 1,000 Tang cavalry who were responsible for escorting this group of Khorezm people galloped in from all directions, and they each took a bag of grain, and began to urge the Khorezm people to move, and the team began to set off to the south, and the huge crowd became longer and longer, forming a vast contingent of refugees, who shed tears to bid farewell to their homeland, helped the old and the young, and marched to the city of Khiva, and from time to time new Khorezmian people joined on the way.

In the distance, a group of cavalry of the Tang Army galloped from the south, and asked loudly for the first lieutenant, "Is General Lifei here?" ”

"At the gate of the earthen city." Someone replied.

The cavalry immediately whipped and galloped towards Tucheng, the grain mountain at the gate of Tucheng had been poured with fire oil by the Tang Army and ignited, the fire was soaring into the sky, and the smoke was billowing out. It's a shame to just burn it like that.

At this time, the cavalry team rushed to the scene, and the captain turned over and dismounted and knelt down to salute, and reported: "General Lifei, General Tian has come to assist in transporting grain on the order of the general, and it is almost here." ”

Li Fei Yuanli was stunned, and couldn't help scolding: "His grandmother's, don't come earlier, Lao Tzu has already burned the grain!" ”

Soon, Tian Zhen led five thousand Tang cavalry galloped in, Tian Zhen gave an order, the cavalry dismounted to rest, Tian Zhen strode towards Li Fei Yuanli, he saw the fire not far away, at least tens of thousands of stones of grain were engulfed in the fire, and he couldn't help frowning and shouting: "Lao Li, let's help you carry the grain, how did you burn the grain?" ”

Li Fei Yuanli squatted on the ground and said angrily: "Who wants you not to come earlier!" ”

"You're in too much of a hurry!"

Tian Zhen stepped forward and complained a little: "The general just said that he would burn it when he couldn't take it away in the end, and he didn't let you burn it right away." ”

"Fortunately, Lao Tzu only burned part of it, otherwise he wouldn't have been blamed to death by your kid."

Lifei Yuanli stood up, pointed to Tucheng and said: "What was burned was only the sporadic grain collected from the Khorezm family, and there are still more than 100,000 stone official grains in Tucheng, and I am ready to burn the last fire together with the city." ”

Tian Zhen heard that there were still more than 100,000 stone grains, and couldn't help but be overjoyed, "Then I will be responsible for carrying these grains." ”

"Don't worry, there will be a lot of people being driven here, when the time comes, I will pick some young people to help you carry them together."

Speaking of this, Li Fei Yuanli suddenly remembered something and asked worriedly: "You guys have come all the way, is there any news about the vanguard of the Great Food Army?" ”

Tian Zhen nodded and said, "Actually, we should have arrived a long time ago, but we didn't worry about the Great Food Pioneer Army, so we patrolled all the way on the west bank of the Amu Darya River and found no trace of them, so we should have retreated." ”

"That's good, I've been worried that the Great Food Pioneer will suddenly kill, and my brothers will be scattered below, and if they kill, the problem will be serious."

"The general is worried about this, so he ordered me to answer you, I have ordered Zhou Zheng to lead 5,000 troops to patrol along the Amu Darya River, if there is any news, he will inform us."

"Oh well! You guard the earthen city, and I will go down and drive out the people of Khorezm. ”

After speaking, Li Fei Yuanli led the men and horses of the headquarters to gallop to the north.

．．．．．．．． The large-scale relocation of the Khwarazmian people from the Aral Sea Delta lasted for two days, nearly 150,000 Khorezmian people were driven out of the villages and cities in the Aral Sea Delta, and after the concentration in Tucheng, they were sent to Khiva City in batches, and two days later, when Lifei Yuanli set Tucheng on fire, the last Tang army began to withdraw, and the entire Aral Sea Delta became deserted, villages and cities were like dead lands, groups of wild dogs were looking for food in empty villages, crows were croaking on the branches, fluttering and flying away, and the cold wind blew across the earth, the world is gloomy.

Three days later, the Tang army scouts found accurate information that the first batch of 50,000 main forces of the Great Food Army had arrived in Windy City, about fifty miles west of the Amu Darya River.

(To be continued)