Chapter 504: Accident

In late February of the second year of Zhenzhi, the news that Dabolu was taken down by the Tang army reached Suiye City. At this time, the Anxi Jiedushi Li Qingan had returned to Suiye. After receiving this news, Li Qingan immediately ordered the Anxi Army and Anxi Political Affairs Hall to launch the Tochar plan.

The strategic intentions of the Tubo people were also very obvious. They were looking for a second land outside the plateau, a piece of land that was more conducive to the development and growth of Tubo. After the repeated tug-of-war of fighting against the Tang Dynasty for Longyou, the Tubo people finally realized that it was impossible to get Longyou. Especially the failure of the Battle of Shibaocheng in the sixth year of Tianbao, they finally gave up the struggle for the Helong area and began to move their focus to Anxi. Tocharo is undoubtedly the most ideal piece of land.

In the south, Xinde, Tianzhu, and the east are Daqi. To the north are large pastures with sparsely populated and fertile land. More importantly, Tochar is bordered by the Tubo Plateau and can be connected with the Tubo Plateau. Because of this, the Tubo people attached great importance to the occupation of Tochar and they continued to recruit troops. At this time, the troops had increased to 180,000. Even Tubo Zamp Derson Dezan also came to Tochar in person to inspect. It was obvious that the Tubo people were determined to occupy Tochar forever.

It is precisely because of the Tubo people's full care of Tocharo that Anxi faces unprecedented crises and tests. The upcoming Battle of Tocharo will be a battle that concerns the life and death of Anxi. If the Tang army fails in this battle, the Tubo people will definitely attack northwards, and the forces of the Tang Dynasty will be completely driven out of Anxi. Li Qing'an cannot afford to lose this battle. In order to win this battle, he temporarily gave up the power struggle in Chang'an and came to Anxi personally to command the comprehensive battle.

The Tubo people also could not afford to lose this battle. They also realized that the Tang army would launch an offensive in the spring. The young Zamp did not hesitate to go to Tochar himself to command this battle that was related to the future and destiny.

The entire Anxi mobilized, from Shiguo and Ningyuan, all the battles were all the way, from Shule and Kucha, and from the land of Shule and Kucha, to Jiesu, with a steady stream of troops from all over the country, with a population of 150,000. The Anxi Political Affairs Hall also organized 300,000 Han and Hu civilians in various places to transport large amounts of military supplies such as food and forage.

In the Shattered Leaf Valley, a huge grain team was driving on the official road, with crowds of people, and carriages loaded with food and grass, extending one by one to ten miles away. Most of the people driving the carriages were immigrants from the mainland. In order to prepare for the Battle of Tochar, the Anxi Political Affairs Hall imposed a special war tax, which was temporarily changed to a 15-year tax.

As an ordinary citizen, after paying the official taxes, he fulfilled his obligations. However, as a member of Anxi, in order to protect his vital interests, the 300,000 military households and immigrants in Anxi burst out unprecedented enthusiasm, and almost every household donated all their excess money and grain.

Each county formed a team, led by the county magistrate and county magistrate, to the military warehouse closest to it. The military warehouse closest to the Saiye area is naturally Suiye City. There are hundreds of large warehouses here in Anxi, which store more than one million stones of grain and various materials.

This grain team, which is about ten miles long, comes from the grain team from the five counties of Suiye River Valley. At this time, the grain team entered Chuhe County, and the Chuhe County team also joined in.

The team immediately became lively. Many of them were originally fellow villagers. After coming to Anxi, they were scattered to various counties and had daily contacts. They met in the team at this time and were extremely intimate.

Wei Jiyuan, a tea farmer from Chuhe County, also drove a carriage into the team. When Li Qing'an was inspecting Chuhe County, he visited his house. This time, Anxi was preparing for the war, and their whole family was preparing for the war for half a month and devoted themselves to the war.

"Uncle Ji!"

Someone was calling him loudly. When Wei Jiyuan turned around, he saw his distant nephew Wei Qun. His nephew Wei Qun was in his early thirties this year and lived in Chuxi County, northwest of Chuhe County. He had 150 acres of land at home. This time he also joined the team.

"Nephew, you are here too!"

Although the Wei family gathered in the New Year and only lasted a month, they met in the team at this time and felt particularly intimate.

"Hello Uncle Ji!"

Several other young rural farmers who were with Wei Qun also greeted him. Seeing that they were driving a truck full of food, Wei Jiyuan smiled and said, "Why, have you posted all your old money for marrying a wife?"

Several young men scratched their heads and smiled embarrassedly. One of them looked at his carriage. It was full of tea cakes, which were worth at least a thousand guan. He smacked his tongue and smiled: "Uncle Ji, you actually posted the coffin book!"

"How did you speak?"

Wei Jiyuan knocked him on the head with a horse whip and scolded, "I have money to pay and work hard. I have already sent fifty stones of rice ten days ago. This time it is the second trip. I am not like you young people who are greedy for life and fear death. If I am twenty years younger, I will join the army, but my two sons have joined the army, I can also explain, why don't you bastards go to join the army?"

"Uncle Ji, we are a militia and we have to go to the front line at any time. We are not afraid of death."

At this time, my nephew Wei Qun asked curiously: "Uncle Ji, has Dalang joined the army too?"

"I'm gone, I'm going to report to Suiye City on the 16th day of the first lunar month."

Wei Jiyuan was a little proud, fearing that others would not know that his two sons had joined the army, so he whispered: "I wrote a letter to Dalang and Erlang yesterday, telling them that if they were greedy for life and feared death and refused to fight to the death in war, once the Tubo people occupied Anxi, their parents, wives and children would become slaves to the Tubo people, and they would never turn over, so they could do it themselves."

His words aroused the applause from everyone. Su Yi, the new county magistrate of Chuhe County, also said to everyone excitedly: "This old man Wei actually has three sons. The second son was killed during the battle of Huoxun Kingdom. Two months ago, he personally sent his eldest son to the front line. General Zhao Wang also wrote a special letter to him, "The backbone of Anxi". With so many backbones facing Anxi, our Tang army will win this Tochar battle!"

County Magistrate Su’s words aroused everyone’s resonance. Someone shouted, “The Tang army will win, and Anxi will win!”

The blood was boiling, and many people shouted, "We will win, the Tang army will win!"

The belief in victory burned in everyone's chest. They cheered up their spirits a hundred times, accelerated their speed, and drove towards Thunder Ye City in a mighty way.

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Outside the Suye City, 50,000 Tang troops have been assembled. They will be the third Tang army to move to the Su Kingdom. This time, the Tang army almost came out in full swing. Except for retaining 40,000 troops in the river, 50,000 new troops in Saiye, and 20,000 troops in Beiting, the other troops stationed in Anxi were all heading to Tochar.

But even so, the Tang army only assembled 150,000 troops, and there was still a gap between the 180,000 Tubo army in Tocharo. Although the gap was not big, Li Qingan, who had been dealing with the Tubo army for many years, also understood that Tubo Zanpu came to supervise the battle in person, which would greatly boost the morale of the Tubo army.

Li Qingan did not dare to be careless about this, and he ordered the ten kings of Tochar to accompany the army and use their prestige to win the support of Tochar's people.

Li Qingan was wearing a golden helmet and iron armor, a war knife, and a black cloak. He rode on a white Arab war horse. By the moat behind him, the 50,000 soldiers were clearly armoured and energetic. Each of them rode on the war horse, looking majestic. In addition to the 50,000 cavalry, there was also a logistics baggage team composed of 20,000 camels. They were carrying heavy supplies and could set off at any time.

Outside the Thunder Ye City, in addition to the 50,000 Tang troops and logistics supplies teams, hundreds of thousands of people in the whole city also left the city to send the Tang army to the south. At this time, a group of civil servants from the Anxi Political Affairs Hall came up, and Wang Changling bowed to Li Qing'an and said, "Please rest assured, the Political Affairs Hall will ensure the logistics supply of the army and stabilize the situation behind the Thunder Ye."

Li Qing'an nodded and said to everyone: "I don't say anything about the importance of this Tocharo Battle. Everyone should understand that this battle will take at least two months and last for half a year. I hope everyone can unite and make a united heart in Anxi. Not only will it win this battle, but it will also destroy Tubo and ensure that Anxi has a hundred years of peace."

He said to Duan Xiushi again: "There are 50,000 new troops in the Sailed Ye. I hope you will strengthen your defense against the north and must not be careless at all. There is also the training of militia, so you must not slack off!"

Duan Xiushi bowed and said, "I understand the humble position, please don't worry, General."

Li Qing'an finished explaining one by one, and his eyes looked into the distance. From afar, he saw Wuyi and Rushi standing in the family line seeing off. Wuyi had infinite concern in her eyes and waved her hand to say goodbye to him. Rushi held her daughter in her hand. At this time, Rushi seemed to feel Li Qing'an's gaze. She raised her daughter's little hand and waved her hand to him to say goodbye.

Looking at his beautiful wife and his daughter's cute little face, Li Qing'an couldn't help but feel ups and downs. He suddenly clasped his fists and said to everyone: "Take care all of you!"

"I wish the general a victory in the flag!"

Li Qing'an turned the carriage and waved to the army, "Go away!"

Teams of Tang army began to set off, and relatives rushed up, holding the old man, pulling the children, saying goodbye to their husbands, and their sons.

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"Children's father, take care of him all the way!

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"Dalang, remember to defend your country!"

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With the sound of taking good care and farewell, the Tang soldiers marched towards the distant Tochar with tears in their eyes and walked solid steps.

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The riots in Ayan City, Tocharo have been quelled. In this bloody suppression, more than 10,000 workers were killed. Their heads were hung on the streets and alleys around Ayan City. In a bloody storm, Ayan City ushered in the arrival of Tubo Zamp.

The main force of the 40,000 Tubo Army was waiting in line on both sides of the twenty-mile-long stone road. The road had not been completed and the mottled blood was difficult to wash away. Shang Xi Dongzan was in a heavy mood. Although the situation in Tocharia did not deteriorate and was still under the control of the Tubo Army, the resistance of the Tocharian people put him in an embarrassing situation. How did he explain this to Zanpu?

Shang Xidongzan was very helpless. Although he suppressed the resistance of the road construction workers without mercy, he was afraid that the momentum of resistance would spread, so he suspended the special tax of hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep. He knew very well that if the tax was increased, the Tochar's uprising would definitely be surging everywhere, but if the tax was not imposed, their military rations would be difficult for two months, which made him a dilemma!

"Governor, Zamp is here!" an officer shouted in the distance.
To be continued...