"It's simple, my child, it's simple." Seeing that the other party finally relented, Gema pretended not to care and smiled: "As long as you don't report this matter to the upper authorities for the time being." In this way, we will be able to avoid causing internal contradictions in the Turks at this critical time. What about you, hold the Zijin Pass steadily, let our Yakut legion deal with the rebels with all their might, after defeating them, what should you do, what else do you do, how to report to the old prince is up to you, okay? ”

The guards of Zijin Pass were a little hesitant about this. To tell the truth, he really didn't want to hide the truth from his boss for the Yelun clan, and even more despised Gema's unruly approach, but the other party was right about one thing, the current enemy, the unity between the Turkic tribes is precious, and before he has fought with outsiders, he will quarrel within himself, which is also very detrimental to the cause of the Great Khan's crusade. So, the guard nodded slightly: "Alright then, Gemar Khan." I believe that you are considering this from the point of view of the interests of the Turkic Empire. I will not report the situation here to the prince for the time being, and I also ask you and the Yakut soldiers to hurry up and put down the rebels as soon as possible and restore stability in the western Xinjiang. ”

After saying that, the guard saluted Gemma and turned and walked out of the tent.

Looking at the other party's back gradually moving away, a subtle sneer appeared on the corner of Gema's mouth.

He hooked his hand to the side, called over a close general, and whispered in the man's ear: "You immediately lead five thousand soldiers and horses, all of whom must be all Yelun Clan warriors, to enter the Zijin Pass in the name of escorting the wounded soldiers and grain and grass." When you get there, you leave four thousand soldiers and horses in the fortress of Chengguan and keep an eye on the men of the Second Legion; The remaining 1,000 warriors continued eastward, setting up secret checkpoints on all the main roads and small roads, and blocking all correspondence and messages to the east. ”

Of course, the general knew the Khan's intentions for doing this, so he nodded hurriedly, and then asked, "If the Second Legion has any unusual behavior, what should I do about it?" ”

"If the situation is not right......" Gemam showed a cold light, waved his big hand viciously, and made a downward slashing motion: "Take them all!" ”

-

The reinforcements of the Yelun tribe from the Yakutia steppe, under the leadership of Duke Belen, set out from the Turkic Empire on the Western Continent, all the way day and night, straight into the vast ghost desert of Western Xinjiang.

However, the journey did not end there.

After the reinforcements arrived in the Chaikun Basin, they originally thought that they would either go into battle soon, or transfer to Ulan City to assemble and rest, but they did not expect a new military order to come, but they were asked to continue their journey, crossing the Chaikun Basin from north to south, and breaking into the Chechi Kingdom located in the hinterland of Western Xinjiang.

Before coming here, the Duke of Belen had done some serious homework, so he also knew very well that Che Chi Kingdom was the core area of the ghost desert in Western Xinjiang, and it was also the origin of all kinds of chaos. Whether it was the rebellion of the Western Frontier Domain more than 20 years ago, or the armed rebellion against the rule of the Shengtang Dynasty four years ago, the Chechi royal court, which had the god of Nanjin Flower, stirred up the sensitive nerves of this land again and again, and gathered all kinds of violent and unstable forces.

Now, it has once again become the center stage of the chaos in Western Xinjiang, and the protagonist has been replaced by the remnants of the Holy Tang Dynasty - the Zhenjiang Army.

Duke Belen knew that his brother was in a bad situation now, and if he was not careful, he would be severely punished by the Great Khan Ashina, and at that time, I am afraid that not only Gema Khan alone, but all the nobles of the Yelun clan, including him, would not have any good fruit to eat.

The brutality of the Golden Clan is by no means a joke.

Therefore, Belén worked tirelessly and despite his exhaustion, he encouraged the officers and men of the whole army to raise their spirits a hundredfold, urged the war horses again, and marched southward, aiming directly at Icoru County in Chechiguo.

After several days of rapid night marching, the reinforcements finally reached the small valley near Ikoru under the guidance of local guides, avoiding all the towns, villages, and people.

Belen asked the troops to seize the time to rest for a whole day, and then prepared to launch a surprise attack on the county seat according to the original plan, completely cutting off the supply line of the Zhenjiang army, but unexpectedly, at this time, the new order of Gemak came again.

The Duke of Belen couldn't help but frown.

It's not that he can't understand his brother's difficulties, and he did this just to avoid intelligence leakage and be informed in advance by enemy spies. However, 60,000 or 70,000 soldiers and horses are not small-scale troops after all, and no matter how cautious and thoughtful they are, it is impossible to disappear into thin air and disappear without a trace on other people's territory. Repeatedly changing offensive objectives means that commanders need to frequently adjust their combat plans, and troops need to make different pre-battle preparations many times, all of which take time.

And every minute that drags on for a long time, the risk of the entire army being exposed increases by ten ten, and the so-called tactical suddenness that has been fought for in exchange for desperate efforts will be exhausted.

To put it simply, the road is in vain.

-

"Lao Xie, I look at this situation, it seems that something is wrong."

"Your Excellency is right, that old guy Gemma probably has already smelled something."

"Mostly. You see, the location of this nameless small valley is very well chosen. It's very close to Ikoru County, so it's clear that you're here for the county seat. But if you think about it, starting from this place, whether you go west or east, to Metasequoia City or Rouge City, it is also very convenient, and the distance between the two is not too much. This makes it difficult to determine where the enemy is attacking. ”

Two days ago, the Pegasus Scout Battalion finally spotted the traces of Belen's soldiers and horses, and locked on to the small valley where the enemy troops were stationed. At this time, Li Jiangyao and Xie Tanzhi were facing the map, studying the important information sent back by the scouts.

Xie Tanzhi's brows tightened: "I really didn't expect it, Gema is quite clever." According to our original conjecture, as soon as the reinforcements from Yakutia arrived in Western Xinjiang, most of them would be ordered to rush to the aid of Zijin Pass, cooperate with the main force of Gema's Western Xinjiang Reorganization Army, and raid Youchang's troops from the rear. However, Belen passed through the Chaikun Basin, and did not go east, but suddenly turned more than a hundred miles away from the Shanshan royal court, and came straight towards Ikoru, accidentally avoiding the ambush circle we had set up in advance, and making us and your friend wait for a long time in vain. ”

Li Jiangyao nodded and said, "Actually, this is also reasonable. Gema knew in his heart that no matter how fast Belen moved, as long as he entered the Western Ghost Desert, he would not be able to hide it from our eyes sooner or later. Under the premise that the Zhenjiang Army is willing to take precautions, even if they really launch a surprise attack from behind, it will be difficult to achieve the same effect as the Battle of Crescent Bay, and there is a possibility that they will be hit hard by us. Therefore, it is a reasonable choice for Gemma to ask Belén to change his goals. ”

"Well, fortunately, we also expected this situation and made many preparations, so as not to lose ground." Xie Tanzhi then asked, "My lord, what now?" Is it time to set up a net in Ikuru County and wait for Belém to take the bait? ”

Li Jiangyao stared at the map and said in a deep voice: "I've been thinking about it, the enemy's movements are worth playing. On the face of it, the Turks were indeed the most likely to attack Ikru, thus cutting off Xu Youchang's retreat. But ......"

"But the more traces you have, the more unusual it becomes." Xie Tanzhi also stared at the map: "You're worried that Gema is playing tricks on us again, right?" ”

Li Jiangyao smiled slightly: "That's right." In particular, the Intelligence Department sent news just now, saying that it was learned from within the Western Xinjiang Reorganization Army that Gema had clearly instructed the Duke of Belen to attack Icoru County with all his strength and block Xu Youchang's supply line. This made me feel more and more that the other side might have another conspiracy. ”

Xie Tanzhi was a little curious: "What is the reason for this judgment?" Or is it just the instinct of the generals? ”

Li Jiangyao smiled dumbly: "It's not so mysterious." At the end of the day, it's a matter of location and timing. Belém has been in the small valley for several days. It stands to reason that if Gemma really wanted him to occupy Ikoru, there was no need to drag it out so much, let alone choose to hide in Kotani. ”

"I understand," Xie Tanzhi reacted: "Belen's advantage lies in his concealment, as soon as he entered the Western Frontier, we haven't been able to fully grasp his movements, taking advantage of this effort, he has rushed thousands of miles to Ikru, and it is easy to succeed." But the other party was hidden and fast as the wind in the first half, but in the second half he dragged on, guarding the close target but not moving. Obviously, this is Gema setting up suspicions, and at the same time, he is also observing the reality of our army. ”

Li Jiangyao looked at Xie Tanzhi with interest: "What do you think the other party has planned?" ”

Xie Tanzhi thought for a moment and said with a smile: "Gema Khan is cunning and wise, like an old fox, until now, he is not sure whether our army is feint to attack Zijin Pass or really want to occupy Zijin Pass. Before making an accurate judgment, he didn't dare to let Belen go into battle too early, nor did he dare to let the 70,000 living forces go too far from him, so this hiding place was very important. ”

Li Jiangyao listened very carefully, nodded his head, and motioned for Xie Tanzhi to continue.

Xie Tanzhi said: "When you went to the Central Plains, Gema sent troops to attack us, and he suffered a big loss in intelligence, so he should be extremely cautious in this regard." Now I order Belen to lead an army of 70,000 men, squat in such a position, and wait for an opportunity, I am afraid that he intends to give orders before he arrives, so that we can be elusive and grasp. Of course, Gemma is not worried about us attacking Belen, because the other party is a cavalry with strong combat effectiveness and mobility, and it is very convenient to fight and run. ”

"So what?" Li Jiangyao asked.

"So, Gema used a Belen and locked us up."