The series of actions of the Zhenjiang Army in the pass greatly affected the actions of the Turks in the Guandong region. Defending the Great Khan immediately became the number one mission of all soldiers and horses, especially the Golden Tribe, which was extremely nervous and immediately stopped

After slowing down their progress, they began to turn around and return.

It was not clear to Roniya, Helianxiong and other Turkic generals that doing so was tantamount to giving up Ashina Zhijin's war spirit plan, but for them, the safety of the empire's leader was more important than conquering the Holy Tang.

As the Turkic army gradually shrank, the imperial court of the Eastern Capital finally heaved a sigh of relief. Not only was the crisis in Luoyi relieved, but the state capitals in various places also temporarily maintained peace. When Bao Yuchun saw that the Turks had retreated, he also issued an order in time to let the rebels retreat.

All military units withdrew and retreated to the front line of Ruzhou and Xuzhou again to consolidate the gains they had made.

At this time, 650,000 troops had been assembled in Dongdu. What should be done next suddenly became a hotly debated issue among everyone.

Ma Hongjie, Murong Xue, Chang Tao and other military generals generally believed that since the Zhenjiang Army surrounded the imperial capital and Luonia and the others went to rescue Ashina Zhijin, of course the imperial court would take this opportunity to attack Tongguan and give Li Jiangyao

The Western Army provided cooperation.

However, the court ministers headed by Governor Yin Chengyi and Qianniu General Gong Chengze expressed different opinions. They felt that the rebels were entrenched north of the river and in the southern part of the Central Plains, and would always be a huge threat to the eastern capital Luoyi. What if?

The main force moved to the west to attack Tongguan. If Bao Yuchun suddenly attacked again, the situation would be even more passive.

Therefore, Yin Chengyi proposed that at this stage, the rebels should be targeted first, and the lost lands such as Ruzhou, Xuzhou, Chenzhou, Caizhou, and Nanyang should be recovered as soon as possible, and the southern barrier of Luoyi should be preserved.

Faced with these two different views, Li Bing really felt a little embarrassed.

From his original intention, of course he hoped to drive away the Turks and regain the imperial capital as soon as possible. However, the crisis of two consecutive defeats in the past also made him increasingly worried about the safety of the eastern capital.

If Yin Chengyi's misfortune was true and the rebels came back just as the army marched to Tongguan, then who should be allowed to resist the opponent's attack?

After much thought, Li Bing decided to adopt a compromise approach.

The army was divided into two, allowing Ma Hongjie's southern army to go to the west, while Murong Xue and others' troops directly under the imperial court stayed in the east capital to deal with Bao Yuchun.

Unexpectedly, however, the idea of ​​dividing the troops was immediately strongly opposed by the military.

We are about to start a decisive battle with the Turks. The generals are not very satisfied with the existing troops. Do you still want to divide your troops?

Ma Hongjie bluntly said that dividing the troops was pure nonsense.

He wanted to take care of both ends, but in the end he couldn't take care of both ends. To guard Luoyi, only 50,000 or 60,000 soldiers and horses were enough. Not to mention that Bao Yuchun had no intention of storming the eastern capital. Even if he did come, the 50,000 defenders would not be able to take care of them.

It can last for several months. Once the army has destroyed the Turks, it can immediately return to reinforce Luoyi.

The military generals who dared to sneer at the emperor's wise decision were immediately caught by some court officials and made a fuss about it. Within three days, Tian Mu, the head of the Nilin Division, made a list of dozens of people and secretly submitted it to Li Bing.

A general who made rude remarks in private about his strategy of dividing his troops.

Even Murong Xue's name was prominently listed.

Li Bing was fine at first, but when he looked at the list and carefully read what those people said, he couldn't help but become furious, secretly cursing in his heart that these rude warriors were really abominable.

Wei Zixuan, Gong Chengze and others took advantage of Li Bing's bad mood and secretly whispered in his ear:

Your Majesty, the country has been at war for a long time. The military, relying on its important position, has become more and more arrogant and domineering. Sooner or later, it will cause some trouble. The court should make plans early and find ways to deploy and resolve it. In addition, the Zhenjiang Army is currently the largest separatist force.

, Li Jiangyao dared to proclaim himself the Protector-General, and did not take the imperial court seriously at all. It would be better to let them fight to the death with the Turks, so that they would not become a serious problem in the future.

Li Bing was persuaded by them and couldn't help but feel that it made sense.

From a long-term perspective, after driving away the Turks, the Zhenjiang Army may indeed become the next hidden danger. Since Roniya and Helianxiong are aggressively fighting back to Guanzhong, it is better to let them and the Zhenjiang Army consume each other, while the court sits firmly

Diaoyutai.

Only by planning in this way can one be considered a wise politician.

After thinking about this, Li Bing once again issued a decree: Don't you generals think that the plan of dividing the troops is unwise? Well, I have decided not to divide the troops. They will all stay in Luoyi and are not allowed to go anywhere!

As soon as this order came out, all the armies were stunned: Are Li Jiangyao and the others really allowed to deal with the main Turkic force by themselves?

Murong Xue returned to Luoyi from Longmen Town overnight and asked to enter the palace to meet the saint. Li Bing knew the purpose of Murong Xue's trip. He didn't want to see him this late at night, but after hesitating again and again, he still did not refute his beloved general.

In order to save face, he summoned Murong Xue in the imperial study room.

After the audience ceremony, Murong Xue got straight to the point and asked about the decree.

"Your Majesty, I'm confused about something. Why did you order the entire army to stand still for the time being? Do you have any new considerations about the war situation?"

Li Bing really wanted to say, why do I need to explain to you why I gave the order? However, when the words came to his lips, he changed his words and said: "It is not a new consideration. Originally, the next step of using troops has not been completely determined.

My purpose is simply to remind all troops to be calm and not to act rashly."

Murong Xue had been with Li Bing for many years, so how could she not understand the emperor's temperament? Someone must have been slandering and bewitching him, which led to the change of orders.

Murong Xue took a deep breath, cupped her hands and said: "Your Majesty, according to reports from spies, all Turkic troops are currently rushing towards Tongguan, and the battle in Guanzhong is imminent. We should seize the opportunity now, act in time, and cooperate with the Western Army to attack

The battle in the imperial capital is what it is."

Hearing this, Li Bing asked coldly: "Has the Western Army's battle against the Imperial Capital been reported to the imperial court in advance? Has the Ministry of War and the Governor's Office approved it? Why didn't I know that they were going to attack the Imperial Capital?"

Murong Xue was slightly startled: "This... the Zhenjiang Army has always fought independently, and there has never been a precedent of reporting to the Ministry of War before taking action."

"Murong, you have reached the key point." Li Bing snorted dissatisfied: "Do the so-called Zhenjiang Army have the slightest awareness of the Holy Tang Army? They clearly know that I am the emperor, and the imperial court is in the east capital.

, can be used in any war action

They didn't ask for instructions, they just gave a notification. What do you want me to do? How do you want the court to deal with it? To put it nicely, Li Jiangyao is fighting alone, but to put it badly, his army in suppressing Xinjiang is independent of the court.

Separatist armed forces!”

Li Bing paused for a moment and said in a deep voice: "The Zhenjiang Army did not listen to the unified dispatch of the imperial court and suddenly started a war with the Turks without authorization. Instead, it asked the imperial army to run for reinforcements. I'm afraid this is putting the cart before the horse?"

These words left Murong Xue speechless.

It is not entirely unreasonable to say what Li Bing said. The Zhenjiang Army was established at the beginning of the Great Rebellion. At that time, the court was too busy to take care of itself, and the subordination relationship between the two could not be established. Later, Li Bing was in Youzhou

After raising troops, the imperial court went to Yizhou to avoid trouble, while Li Jiangyao was isolated by the Turks in the western frontier, thousands of miles away, fighting life and death with the vassal alliance, and no one had time to pay attention to the other party.

Today, the emperor is in power and the court has returned to its throne, but Li Jiangyao has also become the uncrowned king of Western Xinjiang, with hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and generals under his command. They only obey his orders, and they have no idea who the Emperor of the Holy Tang Dynasty is.

Under such circumstances, Li Bing would naturally have the emotion he felt right now: uncomfortable and fearful.

However, Murong Xue was thinking about her good brothers Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang, and refused to give up. He waited for Li Bing to take a sip of tea and put down the cup before trying to say: "Your Majesty, as the old saying goes, the world is so big.

, could it be the king’s land, the rate

On the shore of the earth, could it be that they are the king's ministers? Li Jiangyao and the others have always called them the Shengtang Zhenjiang Army, which means that in their hearts, they are still the soldiers of the Shengtang. It's just that the world is in chaos and they cannot accept the imperial court's orders for the time being.

control."

Li Bing listened to his sincerity and nodded silently, but did not speak.

Murong Xue continued: "Li Jiangyao launched an attack on the imperial capital. Although he did not obtain the approval of His Majesty and the imperial court in advance, the purpose of his action was to relieve Luoyi from the siege. At that time, the Turks and Bao Yuchun were approaching the eastern capital.

The situation is extremely critical."

Murong Xue told the truth, and Li Bing couldn't help but nodded again.

Seeing that the emperor's attitude softened, Murong Xue quickly continued: "Your Majesty, the Zhenjiang Army has now surrounded Ashina Zhijin. All the Turks are panicking, otherwise they would not run to Tongguan with all their strength. This is the best strategy for a decisive battle.

The opportunity. If we can take advantage of this opportunity to completely defeat the Turks, the world will be settled, not far away!"

Murong Xue spoke impassionedly, but Li Bing remained calm as usual.

These years of ups and downs have made Li Bing become more and more gloomy. The impulsive young prince who was eager for success has now transformed into a dynasty ruler who only cares about practical interests in everything.

Even without Wei Zixuan and others provoking him, Li Bing was secretly thinking about how to deal with those military bosses. He had previously decided to divide his forces and ordered Ma Hongjie's Southern Army to attack Tongguan. It was his plan to consume the Western Army at the same time.

, and also consumed the Southern Army as much as possible. However, Ma Hongjie's opposition and Wei Zixuan's advice made him temporarily change his mind.

Therefore, Murong Xue's impassioned speech moved only himself, but was of no use to Li Bing.

In the eyes of this emperor in troubled times, both the Turks and the troops who control the frontier can be classified as enemies. Those who obey me will prosper and those who go against me will perish.

He had already thought about it long ago and wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers. How could he change his mind just because of Murong Xue's persuasion?

However, this kind of thing can only be thought about but not said, let alone create a bad impression on his important ministers, so Li Bing still responded seriously: "Murong, what you said is very reasonable, and I also agree with it. However, we

There are not many armies that we can truly control, and sometimes, as an emperor, I don’t even have the say.”

[Author's words: Sometimes I always wonder why our nation can always stand up despite all the hardships? I think one of the important reasons is that whenever the building is about to collapse, there are always heroes willing to stand up.
Chapter completed!