Later historians usually like to refer to the "Battle of Wuguan" as a key turning point in the entire Turkic invasion of the East.

Because the victory in this battle meant that the initiative to attack the imperial capital returned to the hands of the Shengtang army.

Although Wuguan is not as famous as Tongguan and Tiger Prison Pass, it also has immeasurable value as the gateway to the southeast of the imperial capital. Take this city, and the road to the capital of the dynasty will be unsafe and peaceful.

Therefore, from the moment of recovering Wuguan, Shengtang's comprehensive strategic counteroffensive officially kicked off.

The meaning behind this is naturally self-evident.

However, when people carefully study that period of history, they will often get an extremely surprising discovery: the Jingxiang army, which made the first contribution, actually did not encounter particularly stubborn resistance at Wuguan.

In such a strategic place related to the direction of the war, the defenders turned out to be some second-rate tribal forces of the Turkic Empire.

The main army of the golden clan, without exception, was all absent.

People can't help but ask, why did the wise and martial Ashina Khan make such a low-level mistake? And where did those formidable Turkic elite troops go at that time?

Due to various reasons, when the historians of the Holy Tang Dynasty recorded this past, they were all hinted at by the court, intentionally or unintentionally.

Either under pressure or out of desperation, everyone took their eyes off the map and avoided a place name that was both familiar and unfamiliar:

Zijin Pass.

The smoke of gunpowder has dissipated, the waves have washed the sand, and many heroic stories have been cleansed.

No matter how fair the history is, it still can't withstand the erosion of power after all.

If you want to solve the mystery of the year and explore the original appearance of history, in the end, you can only find in the enemy's historical materials to get a few words and clues, and then stitch together a complete answer step by step.

It's embarrassing.

However, history is made by people, after all. How the history books record and how future generations comment on it is not really important to those who made history.

What matters is what kind of choice you made at that time.

Li Jiangyao is facing a choice problem at this moment.

The Jingxiang army captured Wuguan, and the forward troops had already marched towards the imperial capital. After receiving the urgent report, the Prince of the Temple did not hesitate at all, and immediately ordered the whole army to march and return to the division as soon as possible.

At this time, what should the Zhenjiang army do?

Out of the East? Or stubborn?

Intellectually speaking, Li Jiangyao did not think that the time for a decisive battle had come.

First of all, the Turks now have at least 350,000 to 400,000 troops, and they have rich combat experience and are extremely loyal. The best way to face this kind of opponent is to consume him piecemeal, drag him to the point of exhaustion and loss of sharpness, and then swallow him in one gulp.

On the contrary, if you concentrate your forces for a strategic decisive battle at this time, you will play into the hands of the Turks. It is really unimaginable that the 400,000 tiger and wolf army can exert what kind of terrifying combat effectiveness it can exert when it is held together.

Secondly, the poisonous soldiers in the Central Plains, the anti-king in the Lianghuai region, and the Xuanjia army entrenched in the south of the Yangtze River are all potential threats. Once you jump out and make trouble during the decisive battle, it is by no means a matter of dragging your feet, but a fatal backstab!

No matter how bad it is, it is necessary to coordinate sufficient forces to suppress these threats and prevent them from having the opportunity to interfere with and sabotage the deployment of a strategic decisive battle.

The third question, and the most sensitive, is: who will be in command?

In a large-scale battle involving hundreds of thousands, or even millions of troops, it is necessary to first establish a strong command headquarters and ensure that one person is commanded by one man.

Moreover, this person can't be the kind of stupid person who only has a noble status but has no experience in big wars.

The generals are incompetent, and the three armies are exhausted.

But judging from the current situation, not to mention the person who commands all armies, even a simple command, I am afraid that it will not be established.

What is the situation inside the Jingxiang army, Shen Lie has already told Li Jiangyao through the Reverse Scale Division, if it weren't for Old Man Dong who sacrificed his life to work hard to coordinate, they would be able to fight each other.

Such an army goes to a decisive battle against the Turks, are you kidding me?

Li Jiangyao once thought about whether to recommend himself and personally integrate the armies from all walks of life and unite them into a force. However, he is also very aware of the consistent urine nature of the Shengtang military, and he also understands that in the eyes of those generals, this is absolutely impossible.

You? Li Jiangyao? First, there is no background, and second, there is no qualifications, and the warlord of the Western Territory who was born as a seven-rank captain, why should he be our commander?

For this reason, Li Jiangyao even thought about it and simply pushed Xu Youchang up.

This good brother of his, brave in battle, resourceful, loyal to the Holy Tang Dynasty, the most commendable thing is that Xu Youchang was born in a family of military generals, his grandfather Xu Lie was highly respected in the army, and his protégés were all over the world.

If Xu Youchang is allowed to be the commander, most of them can get the support of the generals.

However, Shen Lie wrote a letter to directly dissuade Li Jiangyao's thoughts.

The top military officials are not stupid, you are the chief protector, Xu Youchang is the deputy capital protector, and he is the person from your Shantou faction. What is the difference between letting Xu Youchang be the coach and letting Li Jiangyao be the coach? It's nothing more than marionettes.

This is not good for the left or right, which makes Li Jiangyao feel once again that the time is not ripe for a decisive battle.

Since the conditions are not in place, then you should not rush to make a move.

At the high-level meeting of the Zhenjiang Army, Li Jiangyao put forward his own strategic concept: defending the west and advancing eastward, seizing important places, compressing space, and encroaching step by step.

Specifically, it is to try to avoid the outbreak of large-scale fierce battles with the Turks, and under the condition of effectively preserving strength, block the Zijin Pass and Shengyu Pass in the west, and wait for the opportunity to seize those strategic points that are conducive to defense in the east, constantly squeezing the living space of the Turks, and gradually encroaching on and depleting their vital forces.

Until the day of the decisive battle.

This idea was supported by all the generals of the Zhenjiang Army. Everyone had fought with the Turks, and they knew that unless they had to, they really shouldn't risk their deaths and give the enemy a chance to turn over.

Xu Youchang proposed that the strategic concept of Daduhu could be written into an official letter, and in the name of all the officers and men of the Zhenjiang Army, it could be submitted to the emperor Li Bing, the commander of the Jingxiang Army, Ma Hongjie, and the Yizhou court, asking them to cooperate with each other.

Xie Tanzhi immediately expressed his approval, and after obtaining Li Jiangyao's consent, he personally wrote three official letters, and sent the intelligence department to send them out of the customs.

However, to everyone's surprise, the letters sent to the imperial court and the Jingxiang army were like mud cows entering the sea, neither agreeing nor opposing, in short, there was no reply.

The emperor's side came up with the news half a month later.

What the Reverse Scale Division sent to Zijin Pass was a holy decree made of yellow silk.

In this more than 200-word will, Emperor Li Bing did not mention a word about the strategic concept, but also praised Li Jiangyao, and finally issued a very specific order:

The main force of the Zhenjiang Army will leave the pass as soon as possible, attack and advance eastward along Liangzhou, Yongzhou, Suzhou, and Shaanzhou, and join the imperial capital with Ma Hongjie's troops!

After Li Jiangyao finished reading the holy decree, he smiled bitterly at Zhou Xing, who had made a special trip for this purpose, and said, "What does Brother Shen think about this will?" ”

Zhou Xing shrugged: "Lord Changshi just said two words, nonsense." ”

Li Jiangyao nodded silently, Shen Lie was right, it was indeed quite nonsense.

According to the idea of Emperor Li Bing, the army did not need to go to Suzhou, and Yongzhou had to collide with the Turkic iron cavalry before it passed. In the unobstructed Yongliang Corridor, fighting a field battle on the plains with the Turks, Ashina had to be crazy.

In the same way, although the Wuguan is in hand, but to the direction of the imperial capital, all the way is the Guanzhong Plain, the war horses run straight to the joy, and the most suitable for high-mobility cavalry gallops.

And the Jingxiang army is all from the south, with many infantry and few cavalry, if you break forward without a head or brain, you can be directly abused by the Turkic iron cavalry to doubt your life.

Will you still be in the imperial capital? A hammer!

Li Jiangyao threw the holy decree on the table and asked Zhou Xing: "You don't need me to bow three times and bow nine times, thank the lord Longen, right?" ”

Zhou Xing smiled: "I'm not a eunuch who delivers the decree, so it's useless for you to ask." ”

Li Jiangyao motioned for him to sit down, and then poured him a cup of tea: "Is there any new news from the east?" Let's hear it. ”

"There's really something new." Zhou Xing took a sip of hot tea and said, "Since Jing Xiangjun announced his obedience to the emperor, the attitude of the Yizhou court has also changed. Some officials who questioned the emperor either died down or were ostracized, and gradually lost their movement. Instead, the three provinces and six ministries wrote one after another to express their loyalty to the emperor. What's more, many ministers left Yizhou, crossed the Yangtze River and Hanshui, risked being attacked by poisonous soldiers, and ran to the emperor's side to serve their lives. ”

Li Jiangyao smiled faintly: "No matter what time it is, there is always no shortage of adults with a keen sense of smell, right?" ”

Zhou Xing showed a disdainful expression: "A bunch of villains who tend to be inflammatory!" If this is left to the first emperor for a while, the Reverse Scale Division will have to do them! ”

He put down the teacup and continued: "The emperor values the officials from Yizhou very much, and many things have begun to rely on them to do things, and the weight of Lord Changshi's words is obviously not as good as before. ”

Li Jiangyao heard the resentment in Zhou Xing's words, and could also imagine Shen Lie's current situation, so he couldn't help but ask, "Who are the people around the emperor who are more active right now?" Can Murong Xue still be trusted? ”

"General Murong is still the same, in charge of the army." Zhou Xingdao: "He was the earliest minister of the dragon, and he was born and died with the emperor many times, so no one can shake his position in the emperor's heart." As for the newly favored officials, I think there are three people who are the most conspicuous. ”

"Which three? Do I know each other? ”

Zhou Xing shook his head: "I guess most of them haven't heard of it, because they are all petty officials of four or five grades." Before the imperial court moved to Yizhou to avoid trouble, those three guys didn't mix well in the imperial capital, and they were not well-known. ”

He paused slightly, crossed his fingers and introduced: "Taifu Shaoqing Wei Zixuan, Yushi Zhongcheng Tian Mu, and Zhongdu Governor Gong Chengze." ”

"Wei Zixuan, Tian Mu, Gong Chengze......" Li Jiangyao thought for a while: "Well, I really haven't heard of it." How are the three of them? Do you have any talents? ”

Zhou Xing pouted: "There is a talent for fart!" Full of bad water, one bastard more than the other! ”