Be a person first, then do things.

Fang Chongyong did all the foreshadowing that should be done in Qiuzi Town, but the serious things have not yet been done.

So what is serious for him?

The answer is to open up territory for Datang.

This is the guarantee that Fang Chongyong signed and signed for Brother Ji in black and white, without this guarantee, he would not have been able to get the military power of the border army of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions.

This is also the reason why he tried his best to resolve the conflict with Gao Xianzhi peacefully.

If there is a gap between the goal and your own strength, when you feel that your strength is not enough, you must make as many friends and assistants as you are, so that you can try to create conditions when there are no conditions!

So early the next morning, Fang Chongyong came to the yamen of the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate and summoned Gao Xianzhi to a meeting with Bian Lingcheng and others, who were the supervisors, to discuss the relevant strategies for the next military action.

Probably because the hand at the banquet yesterday was more mellow, Gao Xianzhi and Bian Lingcheng's attitude towards him was obviously much more enthusiastic. As soon as he heard that Fang Chongyong was going to discuss countermeasures, he hurriedly summoned the generals of the Anxi Army who were still in Yilulu City to discuss major matters.

Except for Li Siye and Bai Xiaode, who guarded Yanqi Town, everyone else basically arrived. The generals gathered in front of a large map with a huge area, marking every small oasis and hundreds of towns in the four towns of Anxi, waiting for Fang Chongyong's lecture.

This map uses some techniques from West Asia, drawn locally in the town of Qiuci, and its mapping techniques are quite different from those of the Central Plains, but it seems to be more clearly marked, and this thing can be called one of the treasures of Qiuzi Town, and it will never be taken out of the city of Ilulu.

However, although there were many generals who came today, the Tocharian messenger was not invited. All the generals looked at Gao Xianzhi thoughtfully, and saw that this deputy capital protector of Anxi didn't seem to want to explain anything, and they seemed to understand something somewhat, so they kept silent knowing and waited for the real "number one" to come to the meeting.

"Senior Deputy Protector, tell this ambassador about it. What was your original plan? ”

Fang Chongyong's face was solemn and asked in a deep voice.

Gao Xianzhi took the thin wooden stick used to point the map from his hand, pointed to the specific location of the city on the map, and said:

"We expect 5,000 people to start from Qiuci Town, pass through the city of Diachang (Aksu, Xinjiang), enter Shused (Bachu, Xinjiang), and then pass through Shule (Kashgar, Xinjiang).

After repairing, the whole army crossed the Green Ridge (Pamir Plateau) and was stationed at the Thelman River (Wakhan River). Once there, they joined up with the Tocharian mercenaries and attacked Cloud Castle, the most important stronghold on the outskirts of Little Boru.

When the time comes, we'll see you again.

As for the soldiers and horses that attack Little Bolu, you can recruit them along the way. ”

Gao Xianzhi explained in general terms, without giving a special explanation of these plans.

For example, if the army can't cross the green mountains, and for example, the mercenaries of Tochar don't come by then, how to deal with such a situation.

This plan can be summed up in five words: the art master is bold!

There is nothing to say, and from a strategic point of view, this is an outrageous military plan that completely cares about the head and has no chance of victory.

In the process of executing the strategy, basically no surprises and variables are taken into account, and the error tolerance rate is extremely low.

When the Tang army arrives at Xiaobolu, even if a pontoon bridge over a small river is cut by the enemy, it may cause the army to be unable to advance, unable to retreat, and the whole army will be wiped out after the supply is cut off.

But from a tactical point of view, Gao Xianzhi's hand is very wonderful. What even oneself would not dare to do, the enemy could not predict.

You can't say he's never going to win.

In fact, is there such a case in history?

The answer is not only, but many.

Of course, there are countless failures, and even fiascos. The Mongol Empire usually likes to play such roundabouts, and there are times when they play out the flames, and they once gave their emperor a roundabout death in the middle of the way.

It can be said that the successful experience is half the bitter lesson.

Luck is such a thing as unpredictable sometimes.

There is no shortage of robbers in history who went directly to the bank without any plan and succeeded in robbing it, but were not caught afterwards.

But the question is, as the head of the Western Regions, does Fang Chongyong need to pin his hope of victory on the luck of "gambling"?

The answer is no.

Sun Tzu's Art of War has a cloud: first for the invincible, then for the enemy to be victorious; Don't win against yourself, but win against the enemy!

Whether you can win or not depends not only on your own performance, but also on whether the enemy is a pig's head three. If the enemy does not give him a chance, he can only remain undefeated and cannot achieve victory.

Fang Chongyong was wondering, is there a possibility, in fact, this one is ...... Can you not gamble?

In other words, you don't have to gamble on every hand. If a person is used to gambling with his life, there will always be times when he is unlucky to lose, right? If my head is cut off, can it grow any longer?

"Is it because of the perseverance and courage of the Anxi soldiers that they gave you the courage to move forward?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Gao Xianzhi expressionlessly and asked.

In the era of cold weapons, he rushed directly from Qiuzi to the Wakhan Corridor...... Fang Chongyong remembered that in his previous life, he was already modern, with the blessing of high technology. But the road is still treacherous.

Under the constraints of productivity in feudal times, the Wakhan Corridor was only accessible for three months of the year. At other times, neither humans nor birds and beasts can pass through.

In three months, he went from Anxi to Xiao Bolu, and then returned to Anxi after finishing work, this plan is not ordinary outrageous.

"Ambassador Fang, you used to be in Hexi and didn't know about the military situation in Anxi.

Xiao Bolu is weak, and I, Anxi Jian'er, can be one as ten.

This battle is a surprise and will be won. ”

Gao Xianzhi explained very confidently.

However, although he was very confident, the ten generals of the Anxi Army, partial generals, and military envoys present did not have such confidence as him. All of them frowned and did not say a word, as if they were thinking about something difficult to decide.

"It is easy for the Tang Army to clean up Xiao Bolu's soldiers and horses, and this ambassador believes it.

It's just that people can't fight with the sky. The difficulty of this battle lies in the favorable time and place, not in the people.

Tell me, can man conquer the sky? ”

Fang Chongyong suddenly asked with a straight face.

Gao Xianzhi didn't know how to answer this question, after all, he hadn't been to Xiao Bolu before. I just heard from the guide who invited me that the natural conditions on the mountain are very harsh.

But was it the first time that the Tang Army had experienced harsh geographical and climatic conditions to defeat the enemy?

When Li Jing's 3,000 elite soldiers ambushed the Turks, the ambush site was not freezing cold, could it be that the weather was very good at that time?

Gao Xianzhi knew that Fang Chongyong's consideration was not unreasonable, but he was not convinced.

The war didn't start, how did you know you were going to lose? Any speculation is theoretical, and the real win or loss is only known on the battlefield.

This kind of thing can't be argued, practice makes sense! If you really "talk on paper" like Fang Chongyong and show the situation encountered by both sides, you can judge the victory or defeat, then what battle is there to fight!

Everyone reports the name and compares with each other, and looks at the conditions of all parties, and you can decide the winner!

But Fang Chongyong was right-hearted, and Gao Xianzhi was stupid, and he didn't know how to explain.

The atmosphere in the signing room suddenly froze.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you should all go back and think about it, and at this time tomorrow, we will come together to discuss the matter of sending troops.

Ambassador Fang, Senior Deputy Protector, it's better to stop here today, it's not interesting to spend it. ”

Li Qiyun hurriedly stood up and said in a round.

Looking at this posture, if we continue to argue today, there will be no result, so it is better to calm down and calm down first.

Li Qiyun understood very well that Fang Chongyong didn't want to send troops to Xiao Bolu, or that he didn't want to send troops directly like this, so he had other plans for this.

I just didn't tell everyone about it for the time being.

And Gao Xianzhi's gameplay, to be honest, Li Qiyun has also read the book of war, and his opinion is inclined to Fang Chongyong, Gao Xianzhi is too risky.

The way of gambling can bring supreme glory to Gao Xianzhi, but the premise of winning is to bet on the lives of Tang Jun and his own under his command, and bet all on this game.

"That's fine, let's all disperse."

Fang Chongyong said with some interest.

After saying this, he ignored the others and walked straight in the direction outside the yamen by himself.

……

"Jie Shuai, Gao Xianzhi, this Gao Linu, has a very wild temperament, a lot of courage, and a very crazy idea."

In the bedroom, He Changqi quietly gave Gao Xianzhi eye medicine in front of Fang Chongyong.

"Oh? What, you have a lot of ideas? ”

Fang Chongyong stopped pondering, looked at He Changqi with a playful expression and asked rhetorically.

He Changqi is also a man who fights in battle, and he is not a simple guard, but only by force. He has a fairly high military quality, and there is no problem in commanding at least a few thousand troops. He Changqi's opinion is worth listening.

"Jie Shuai, Gao Xianzhi's way of playing is to use the blood and bones of Anxi soldiers to pave his way to promotion, it's not like I've never seen this kind of person.

Think about it, as long as that road goes, if there is a little trouble at that time, it will be called the heavens and the earth.

People can still starve, but what can horses do?

I heard that the water of the Teler River is turbulent, what should I do if I can't cross the river at that time? What should I do if the enemy forces are halfway across the opposite bank?

What should I do if there is a shortage of food and grass and the soldiers are sick?

Even if it is attacked under the city of Cloud Castle, there will definitely be a lack of siege equipment at that time, where to find trees to cut down when the time comes?

What if the Tocharian comes a month late? Even if you come ten days late, the number of troops will be a lot less, and the food and grass will not be enough.

In these links, as long as there is a problem in one place, the battle is at risk of collapse. Can Gao Xianzhi ensure that there are no problems in every link? ”

He Changqi explained coldly.

His words couldn't help but impress Fang Chongyong.

Fang Chongyong originally thought that Lao He was a pig's brain, but he didn't expect him to have a lot of insight into strategy.

I do have brains, though not too much.

"You're right, but...... This is not the main reason why the commander of this section does not agree to send troops directly to Xiao Bolu. ”

Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice.

Gao Xianzhi actually underestimated him, of course, this is actually caused by information asymmetry. Gao Xianzhi's eyes are still focused on the military level, while Fang Chongyong's methods have always been a two-pronged approach to military and politics.

However, there is no need to explain these nonsense to He Changqi.

At this time, the soldiers announced that Li Qiyun was visiting, and Fang Chongyong hurriedly welcomed him into the courtyard, introduced the bedroom, and asked He Changqi to guard the door of the house to prevent idle people from entering.

The two sat down in front of the bookcase, and Li Qiyun asked straight to the point: "The lower official is here to know what Ambassador Fang really thinks about the expedition to Xiao Bolu. ”

Why did he say "real thoughts"?

Because Li Qiyun is a smart person, he knows that Fang Chongyong is also a smart person. The fanfare of others is not necessarily the real purpose, but is likely to be just a ploy.

Obviously, Fang Chongyong was just throwing stones to ask for directions about the matter arguing in the signing room in the morning, testing what disagreements there were in the Anxi army about the plan to go to Xiao Bolu and how much support he had received.

Judging from the current situation, Gao Xianzhi should not have persuaded the middle and senior ranks of the Anxi Army, at least not to form a unified opinion.

So Li Qiyun especially wanted to know what Fang Chongyong wanted to do.

"Little Bolu, there are no conditions for an attack yet. Therefore, the Ambassador would like to change the goal. ”

Fang Chongyong said with a smile.

"Another one?"

Li Qiyun muttered to himself, and then asked, "Which one is that?" ”

"Stone Country."

Fang Chongyong spat out two words from his mouth.

"Why Shiguo?"

Li Qiyun asked with a puzzled expression.

Even if Fang Chongyong said that the Tang Heavenly Soldiers were in Tocharo, he would not be surprised. But Shiguo is not in this direction at all. Out of Qiuci, you don't have to go west to Shule, but go north over the mountains and mountains, and then go west, all the way west from the direction of Broken Leaf Town, in order to attack the vast area of Shiguo and even Kangguo.

I have to say that Fang Chongyong's plan is a bit abstract. Li Qiyun was a little incomprehensible, this plan was even more speechless than Gao Xianzhi's plan.

"If this ambassador just wants my beloved concubine to have a good time as the queen of Shiguo, will Judge Li believe it?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smile.

"Ambassador, please be serious. You are so ridiculous, how can the lower officials say things? ”

Li Qiyun smiled bitterly.

Let your little concubine with the blood of the Western Regions be the queen of Shiguo, this one really dares to think about it! Even if it is the daughter of King Xin'an, it is an illegitimate daughter! How dare you play like that?

How can military affairs be child's play!

"Little Bolu is too poor, and there are still 100,000 Tubo troops stationed around, and they can support King Bolu at any time.

Whether Gao Xianzhi is very brave, this ambassador does not know.

However, those who are good at fighting have no outstanding merits, and they use soldiers instead of plotting, they have already fallen into inferiority.

The grievances between Shiguo and my Han family have been going on for a long time, and they are even more unruly to my Tang Dynasty. More importantly, Shi Guo is strong and wealthy, and it should not be ignored.

If it has a disobedient heart and colludes with the black-clothed food, it may cause a catastrophe in the Western Regions.

Such a thorn in the side, this ambassador will be the first to pull it out! ”

Fang Chongyong clenched his fists tightly and said, obviously it was a plan, not a whim.

Shi Guo is the Han Dynasty, the Dawan (Yuan) country that was remembered by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is also a proper injustice.

Because of its geographical relationship, this large country in the Western Regions has long been dependent on the Western Turks, and it is the number one horse of the Western Turks in the Western Regions, and it has been at odds with the Tang Dynasty for a long time. After the Western Turkic forces were flattened by the Tang Dynasty, Shi Guo reluctantly paid tribute and was canonized as the Dawan Governor's Mansion by Gaozong.

Unlike Tocharo, Shi Guo did not send protons to the Tang Dynasty court as guards at all, nor did he send the children of nobles to the Chang'an State Prison. Although he did not explicitly oppose Datang, his attitude of respecting and staying away was very obvious.

This kind of thorn can't be sharpened!

At this moment, He Changqi knocked on the door and said, "Jieshuai, the Tocharian envoy Qi Si asked to see him, and he also brought a strong five-colored parrot, just outside the courtyard gate, do you want to let him in?" ”

Tocharians?

Fang Chongyong and Li Qiyun glanced at each other, this is the Tocharian people heard the rumors, and they were afraid that the Anxi army's plan to attack Xiaobolu would change, so they specially came to lobby.

Sure enough, if you can mix politics, there will be no simple injustice! Whether there is a possibility of success or not, these people will work hard in their own way.

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but admire the perseverance of the Tocharians.

"Let him in."

Fang Chongyong sighed lightly and said, he actually didn't want to see the Tocharian envoy at this juncture. But everyone is coming, and it seems very rude to stop people and not let them in.

After a while, Qi Si walked into the room with a smile on his face, and then put a huge wooden cage on the ground in his hand and said, "Ambassador Fang, the lower official has sent you a gift, please don't refuse." ”

He pointed to the five-colored parrot in the cage, whose size was no less than seventy or eighty centimeters under visual inspection.

This gift is a bit hanging!

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but glance at the five-colored parrot in the cage that was so big that it didn't speak.

At this moment, the parrot in the cage suddenly shouted in a voice like a broken gong: "Gao Xianzhi is insatiable, Gao Xianzhi is insatiable!" ”

The three people in the room looked at each other, and the Tocharian envoy Qi Si smiled awkwardly and explained: "This thing is quite spiritual and can speak human language. Only a heroic ambassador can accept it. ”

This is also explained by the parrot's rather spiritual properties?

Fang Chongyong sighed lightly and said, "Big Chief, we can be regarded as friends who have sat at the wine table together. Is there anything you can do to open the skylight and say something bright, don't beat around the bush? ”

"Gao Xianzhi idiot, Gao Xianzhi idiot!"

The five-colored parrot in the cage shouted again.

Fang Chongyong and Li Qiyun both looked at this Tocharian envoy with strange and inexplicable eyes.

(End of chapter)