The real reason that prompted His Majesty Li Er to attack the Gaochang Kingdom in advance was that the king of Gaochang, Qu Wentai, together with the Western Turks, sacked three cities of the Yanqi Kingdom and took all the residents in the cities back to the country.
Yan Qi, like Yi Wu, knew that he was not strong enough, so he could only gnash his teeth behind his back and cry to Boss Tang...
When something like this happens, His Majesty Li Er can no longer tolerate it, otherwise everyone will feel that there is no way out with the Tang Dynasty, and how can they lead the team? If these small countries in the Western Regions all fall to the Turks, the war will directly burn to the Tang Dynasty.
The northwest border of the Tang Dynasty was something that the Tang Dynasty would never tolerate.
Therefore, Li Daoyu, a doctor in the Yu tribe, was ordered to go to the Western Regions to reprimand Gaochang for his misbehavior and was ordered to reconcile the relationship between Yanqi and Gaochang.
Ju Wentai did not dare to openly break up with Datang, so his attitude towards Li Daoyu was good. He humbly admitted his mistakes and showed his loyalty. However, this is where this person's stupidity should really lie. On the surface, he respectfully admitted his mistakes, but in fact, he relied on
I am far away in the desert, the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and I continue to do things that are both positive and negative.
However, he didn't seem to understand the situation. Although the sky was high, the emperor was not far away...
The Tang Dynasty, which had defeated the Eastern Turks and Tuyuhun successively, had already begun to concentrate its efforts on the land of the Western Regions. How could it tolerate Gao Changguo's double-dealing at the doorstep of the northwest?
A few days ago, envoys from Gaochang came to pay homage to the Tang Dynasty.
Taking this opportunity, His Majesty Li Er denounced Gaochang's bad behavior in the court and listed several of Gaochang's crimes.
In the past few years, Gaochang has been paying tribute intermittently, not abiding by the vassal etiquette, and not acting like a minister. Qu Wentai once openly declared to the envoys I sent that everyone has his own way of living, and he does not have to be dependent on others.
Gaochang has accepted canonization from the Central Plains for generations, what is the purpose of saying this now?!
Not only that, Ju Wentai also incited Xue Yantuo, saying that since you are a khan, you should be on an equal footing with the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and should no longer kowtow to the Tang Dynasty...
His Majesty Li Er reprimanded him, and the envoy from Gaochang State took this statement back. Ju Wentai, because he had the secret support of Western Turks and Xue Yantuo, felt that he was a prince, so he didn't take it seriously.
But what he didn't understand was that when Xue Yantuo learned about the thunderous wrath of His Majesty the "Khan of Heaven" Li Er, he was immediately scared to death...
With the intention of clearing himself, expressing his intentions and hoping to make a small war fortune, he sent an envoy to deliver a memorial, requesting that he be used as a guide to attack Gaochang with the Tang army!
This is really like having someone give me a pillow when I want to sleep.
His Majesty Li Er praised this very much. On the one hand, he sent Tang Jian, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and the right-leading general Zhi Wan Si Li as envoys to Xue Yantuo to discuss the joint dispatch of troops. On the other hand, he assembled the army to give Gaochang a thunderous blow.
The dark clouds of war began to gather over Gaochang.
What's sad is that Qu Wentai didn't realize this in time...
In his eyes, the Tang Dynasty was thousands of miles away from Gaochang Kingdom, and there were dense deserts all along the way. No matter how mighty and domineering His Majesty Li Er was, he would not be able to take such a big risk on an expedition to Gaochang Kingdom. At most, he would give a stern warning.
It doesn't have much real effect...
**********
"This battle must not only be won, but also won neatly!"
In the military tent by the Puchang Sea, Hou Junji looked around at the generals and said in a deep voice.
Hou Junji is a famous general. Although he has never heard of the phrase "the continuation of war history and politics", it does not prevent him from knowing this truth.
The destruction of Gaochang State was easy for the Tang army. It cost a lot of military expenditures and some money and food. As for whether it was a surprise attack or a frontal attack, there was not much difference. Gaochang State, with its small land and few people, was simply vulnerable.
.
However, the shock that a frontal attack can bring far exceeds the effect of a surprise attack.
He wanted to let the countries in the Western Region know that the mighty soldiers of the Tang Dynasty could easily raze a country to the ground and grind it into powder!
All the generals stood up together and said loudly: "Commander, please give me the order to fight for the country, even to the death!"
There was an indomitable momentum in the big tent.
"Haha," Hou Junji smiled slightly, waved his hand, and said, "Don't be nervous. Gaochangguo is just a country. In my eyes, it's like a country chicken and a dog's ears! In the blink of an eye, it will be wiped out in ashes. What's the point?
"
The generals also laughed. Indeed, no one took Gao Changguo seriously...
Hou Junji glanced at Fang Jun, who was listless in the back row, and said with a smile: "Hou Xinxiang is not in a high mood today, but are you tired from training your subordinates for days?"
Someone laughed out loud.
Along the way, all the troops in the army were relaxed and happy, and their morale was loose. Only the Shenji Battalion, which was at the end and walked together with the transport camp and the sick and wounded camp, was the most noisy.
Drills continued throughout the day, regardless of black and white, sometimes carrying heavy loads for cross-country travel, sometimes gathering in the middle of the night, sometimes practicing formations... In the eyes of these proud warriors, this was Fang Jun's first time in command of an army, a boring game to show off his status.
, like a clown, really ridiculous.
Fang Jun glanced at Hou Junji, then lowered his eyelids and said casually: "It's not bad."
Hou Junji's eyes twitched, extremely dissatisfied with Fang Jun's attitude.
A tent full of generals, how dare you look down on me?
Hou Junji, who has always been extremely conceited, would never examine his own mistakes. If he hadn't suppressed Fang Jun severely, why would Fang Jun be dissatisfied with him?
Hou Junji looked around at the generals: "The vanguard General Qibi has led his troops to clear out all the enemy troops along the way. Tomorrow morning, the army will attack directly at the gate of Gaochang City. It must be decided in a battle!"
"promise!"
Hou Junji looked at Fang Jun again and said with a smile: "Since Xinxiang Hou is full of energy, the heavy burden of transporting grain and grass should be taken care of by Xinxiang Hou."
Fang Jun knew long ago that with Hou Junji's temperament, attacking Gaochang Kingdom would not be his turn, so he said nonchalantly: "It will just follow the commander's orders."
I thought that I could get some meritorious deeds from this western expedition, which would give me some confidence to fight for a military position in Canghaidao. Who knew that I would be so depressed when I saw Hou Junji, a villain who was bound to take revenge...
Hou Junji stopped looking at him and said coldly: "That's it, let's go back to camp, settle some things, and set off tomorrow to go straight to Gaochang!"
"promise!"
The generals suddenly accepted the order.
After returning to the station, I watched the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion help the sick and wounded battalion build barracks to accommodate the sick and wounded, and then went into the military tent in a daze out of boredom.
Changsun Chong was finishing a pile of account books. When he saw Fang Jun coming in, he stood up and said: "Just now, the commander-in-chief ordered someone to come here to deliver the order. He said that the Chinese army lacked a marching secretary. He transferred his subordinates to fill in the gap. Lord Admiral
, you see..."
Marching Secretary?
Fang Jun rolled his eyes and said carelessly: "Grandson Prince Consort, do you know what I hate most about you?"
Changsun Chong was stunned, how could he talk like this?
Fang Jun didn't wait for his answer, and said to himself: "Hypocritical! How hypocritical! Everyone knows that our Shenji Camp is probably the place least likely to win military glory in this Western Expedition. Your eldest son-in-law has the ability and can scheme.
Who will stop you when you get an opportunity to serve in front of the commander-in-chief and share the military merits? It's too late for everyone to envy you! But you just can't speak out openly, and you are transferred to the Chinese army as marching secretary? Changsun Prince Consort
, I’m not saying that you are a bit narrow-minded!”
Changsun Chong blushed at Fang Jun's words.
This is called the art of speaking. Do you understand that this is low-key?
Changsun Chong was so angry that he gritted his teeth. He had never been humiliated like this since he was a child. He suppressed his anger and cupped his hands and said, "I hope your admiral will allow it!"
Fang Jun laughed and said: "You are being hypocritical and you still don't admit it. You can leave if you want. If someone refuses, you won't go?"
Changsun Chong said angrily: "Even if the admiral refuses, I will have to go even if I am a subordinate!"
"Isn't this the end? It's useless for anyone to object, so why do you still have such a respectful face? Hypocrisy, so hypocritical!"
Changsun's nose was so angry that it was almost smoking!
Too lazy to talk nonsense with this stick, Changsun Chong turned around and left.
When he walked to the tent door, he turned around again. The anger was gone from his face, and he cupped his hands and said, "Admiral, please take care of yourself!"
After saying that, he strode away with a cold face.
But I am gritting my teeth with hatred in my heart, you bastard, I will wait for you to die miserably!
Why does Fang Jun care if Changsun Chongsheng is angry or not? He really doesn't like this guy. He always feels that this guy is a bit too gloomy and has no manly air of hiding. He seems to feel inferior in front of anyone and express his thoughts.
Hidden and show a false face.
self-abasement?
Fang Jun was also amused by this idea that came to him.
The dignified eldest son of Sun Wuji, the son-in-law of His Majesty Li Er, the most outstanding person among the second generation of nobles, would feel inferior?