The Ba River in September is undoubtedly very beautiful. Although it is already the dry season, the river is still gurgling. Clusters of wild chrysanthemums blooming on the river bank are extremely gorgeous, and golden fallen leaves are floating in the wind.
Like butterflies fluttering, occasionally a fat fish jumps out of the water, which always stirs up ripples in the river. For thousands of years, the beautiful Bashui has always meandered like this in the south of Chang'an City, but today's Bashui River
But there is something unusual - quiet, too quiet, not to mention the birds that used to fly in groups of three or five in the sky are now missing, but also the insects that are always singing endlessly in the grass.
There was no sound for a moment, only a chilling atmosphere lingering around the river - soldiers. At this moment, the open space beside the Bashui River was full of soldiers with bright armor and swords and guns. The army of hundreds of thousands was divided into dozens of squares.
The formation was lined up along the open space by the Bashui River. So many people and horses gathered together that not a single conversation was heard. Except for the occasional snort of the horses, there was no trace of noise.
All he had was a murderous aura rising to the sky.
Gradually, a rumble of horse hoofs sounded, and a puff of smoke rose in the distance. Thousands of cavalry were rushing towards this place. Hundreds of colorful flags in the queue were fluttering in the wind, swaying out of a group of soldiers. In the lead was a bright yellow flag with a letter:
Under the big "Li" character and the great swagger, the great emperor Li Shimin was galloping on horseback with a cold and stern expression on his face, followed closely by more than a hundred civil and military ministers.
Cold and stern, yes, the look on Li Shimin's face was really cold and stern. Anyone who was not blind could see the anger there. Of course, Li Shimin had reason to be angry - at the time when the Tang Dynasty's military was at its peak, there was still
Someone dared to stroke the tiger's beard of the Tang Dynasty, and even picked a time when Li Shimin was enshrined in the Zen of Mount Tai to offend him, which is unbearable! This extremely hateful guy is the Khan Yinan of Xue Yantuo's tribe.
Xue Yantuo, the name of a northern grassland tribe, was originally one of the Tiele tribes, formed by the merger of Xue and Yantuo tribes. Initially, they were engaged in nomadic herding in the Tula River Basin in Mobei, and their labors belonged to the Turks. There is no doubt that Bashui in September of the Sui Dynasty
It is extremely beautiful. Although it is already the dry season, the river is still gurgling. Clusters of wild chrysanthemums blooming on the river bank are extremely gorgeous. The golden leaves are fluttering in the wind like colorful butterflies. Occasionally,
A fat fish jumps out of the water, always causing ripples in the river. For thousands of years, the beautiful Bashui River has always meandered south of Chang'an City like this, but today's Bashui River is a little unusual -
Quiet, so quiet, not to mention the birds that usually soared in groups of three or five in the sky now disappeared, even the insects that always sang endlessly in the grass also made no sound at this time
, there is only a chilling atmosphere lingering around the river - soldiers, the open space beside the Bashui River is full of soldiers with bright armor, swords and guns. The army of hundreds of thousands is divided into dozens of square formations, along the Bashui River.
A formation was formed in the open space by the river. With so many people and horses gathered together, not a word of conversation could be heard. Except for the occasional snort of the horses, there was no trace of noise, and there was only a murderous aura rising to the sky.
Gradually, a rumble of horse hoofs sounded, and a puff of smoke rose in the distance. Thousands of cavalry were rushing towards this place. Hundreds of colorful flags in the queue were fluttering in the wind, swaying out of a group of soldiers. In the lead was a bright yellow flag with a letter:
Under the big "Li" character and the great swagger, the great emperor Li Shimin was galloping on horseback with a cold and stern expression on his face, followed closely by more than a hundred civil and military ministers.
Cold and stern, yes, the look on Li Shimin's face was really cold and stern. Anyone who was not blind could see the anger there. Of course, Li Shimin had reason to be angry - at the time when the Tang Dynasty's military was at its peak, there was still
Someone dared to stroke the tiger's beard of the Tang Dynasty, and even picked a time when Li Shimin was enshrined in the Zen of Mount Tai to offend him, which is unbearable! This extremely hateful guy is the Khan Yinan of Xue Yantuo's tribe.
Xueyantuo, the name of a tribe in the northern grasslands, was originally one of the Tiele tribes and was formed by the merger of the Xue and Yantuo tribes. It was originally nomadic in the Tula River Basin in Mobei and worked as a Turk. The first year of Daye of the Sui Dynasty (6o5)
, the Tiele tribes rose up to resist the tyranny of the Western Turks, and jointly promoted Yi Shibo, the leader of the Xueyantuo tribe, as the Yezhe Khan. As a result, Yi Shibo led his tribe to establish the Yanmo Mountain (a branch of the Altai Mountains) and became the strongest tribe in Tiele.
In the fourth year of Zhenguan, Sun Yinan, who lost his bowl, united with Huihe to send 200,000 troops to help the Tang Dynasty attack and destroy the Eastern Turks. They took the opportunity to gain power and set up their tents at Yudujun Mountain in the south of the Orkhon River (the eastern branch of Hangai Mountain), and the territory of the Khanate began in the east.
The Greater Hinggan Mountains reach the Altai Mountains in the west, the Hetao in the south, and the Selenge River in the north. The territory includes the Uihe, Pugu, Tongluo, Beyegu, Adui, and Lin tribes. In view of this, in order to prevent Xue Yantuo from becoming a new border danger
, the Tang Dynasty adopted a policy of supporting the Uighurs and suppressing Xue Yantuo, which aroused great dissatisfaction among the Yi men and gradually separated from the Tang Dynasty; in the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty established Li Simo, a member of Jieli Khan's tribe, as the khan and built a tent in the river (Tao).
) South, nominally he ruled the old Eastern Turks who moved inland to the south of Hetao, but in fact they were monitoring Xue Yantuo, which aroused Yinan's suspicion and fear. In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, he took advantage of the opportunity of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to grant the title of Mount Tai, and ordered his eldest son Dadu to lead Huihe and others.
In the name of pursuing Li Simo, the troops entered the Great Wall and reached Shuozhou, Shanxi Province. Li Shimin, who was enshrining Zen in Mount Tai, had to rush back to Chang'an to prepare to meet the enemy. You can imagine the anger in his heart.
"The Tang Dynasty is mighty!"
"The Tang Dynasty is mighty!"
...With the arrival of Li Shimin, the sound of horns and the passionate war horns of the soldiers sounded in each military formation. Waves of heroic spirit soared into the sky, shocking the geese that were migrating south in the sky. Li Shimin Le
Stopping the galloping horses, he walked slowly in front of the troops, inspected the military appearance of each army, and followed the avenue left among the troops straight towards the general station by the Bashui River.
"Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, our army has been sharp and invincible, and we have been invincible wherever we go. However, there are young thieves named Xue Yantuo who dare to invade our borders and take our people captive. What can we do to our soldiers?
"On the high platform, Li Shimin glanced at the soldiers under the high platform and asked calmly.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Hundreds of thousands of soldiers shouted angrily at the same time, murderous intent rising into the sky.
"Okay!" Li Shimin waved his hand and said: "The military exercise begins!" As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ji, the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary army who had been waiting for a long time, strode to the stage and waved the command flag in his hand calmly and powerfully.
In an instant, the military formations of all parties that had been standing there started to move one after another. The soldiers of the infantry, cavalry, and baggage battalions came on stage one after another. Amidst the sound of the horn, the power of each army was fully displayed. The strength of the troops and horses attracted the attention of the ministers.
The cheers continued, and the foreign envoys who were invited to watch the ceremony were so shocked that their faces turned pale. Among the exclamations and applause, only one person seemed extremely calm, and that person was Li Zhen.
It has been almost fifteen years since he came to this dynasty, fourteen years and nine months to be precise. Li Zhen has already become a tall and strong man. Standing together among the brothers, he is taller than others.
First of all, if the hair on his lips hadn't revealed the secret, no one would have been able to tell that he was less than fifteen years old. At this time, Li Zhen was not only older than Jianya, but also
The number of years for an official is more than enough, but Li Zhen has never established a government office, nor has he ever been an official. Seven years have passed since Li Zhen made it clear in his letter that he would not establish a government office, but Li Zhen has never established a government office. As for the
Li Zhen had been appointed to many official positions in this chapter, and he had applied for the official position himself. Unfortunately, the old man had never approved it, and he never had an explanation. Not only did he not let Li Zhen go to the official position, but he also failed to do so in the tenth year of Zhenguan.
After conferring Li Zhen the title of King of Yue, he took Li Zhen with him from time to time. Whether he went to Luoyang, the eastern capital, or to inspect other places, Li Zhen was always indispensable. Even this time, he did not hold back the title of Zen in Taishan. In fact, Li Zhen
Zhen was the only prince who accompanied Li Shimin during this sacrifice to heaven. Not even the prince could follow him.
Li Zhen didn't know what the old man was thinking, and didn't want to figure it out, but Li Zhen knew the current situation very well - because of Li Zhen's favor, and the fact that he still had money in his hands, and he also had takeaways.
With printing skills, wine-making and other things at hand, Li Zhen's life has begun to tighten. A group of capable heirs have focused their attention on Li Zhen. Although Li Zhen has never been
She forms cliques, does not make personal friends with courtiers, and does not go out of her way to compete for favors. She has always remained neutral among her brothers. But the problem is that the tree wants to be quiet but the wind does not stop. The brothers are worried that Li Zhen will fall to her competitors or stand on her own.
They have begun to secretly join forces and prepare to knock Li Zhen down first. Li Zhen already knows this through the "Rising Sun" in his hand. At this point, Li Zhen has to seek self-protection.
To protect yourself, you must be strong. With Li Zhen's current status, it is not impossible to win over the courtiers, but the noise is too big. Not to mention that the brothers will not sit back and watch Li Zhen rise up, even the old man.
I can't explain it. The only feasible way is to show it in the army. If you have a gun, you will be the grass-headed king. Of course, it is not a simple matter to show your power in the army. Even if Li Zhen's two masters are both
Even the most famous generals in the Tang Dynasty are not the best. Without him, the most important thing in the army of the Tang Dynasty is military merit. Without military merit, no one will take you as an onion no matter how great your martial arts skills are. So Li Zhen could only make a decision.
On this expedition, however, it was not easy to get the opportunity to go on the expedition, so Li Zhen had to wait for an opportunity that the old man could not refuse.
The Tang Dynasty adopted the government army system. There were 634 Zhechong mansions in the country. Each government had 800-1200 soldiers. Except for going out on expeditions and taking turns to guard, the soldiers of the mansion spent the rest of the time at home and farming. During the farming breaks, they were commanded and taught by the Zhechong captain.
The technique of attacking and fighting. Sixteen guards are set up in the center to control the soldiers and horses of the world, namely the left and right guards, the left and right knight guards, the left and right martial guards, the left and right majestic guards, the left and right leading guards, the left and right Jinwu guards, the left and right gate guards and the left and right Qianniu.
Guards. Except for the prison guards and the Qianniu Guards, the other twelve guards all led the military mansions to Chang'an to guard the guards. These sixteen guards were all in the south of the palace, so they were called Nanya Army, which was the national
The army corresponds to the Yulin Army, the emperor's private army in Beiya. Each guard has one general and two generals, with subordinates who have a long history, such as joining the army, Zhonglang Jiang, Lang Jiang, Bing Cao, Cavalry Cao, etc. The central government has another
There is a Ministry of War, which is responsible for dispatching troops.
The essence of the government's military system is the check and balance of military power - each guard has the right to lead troops but has neither the right to deploy troops nor the right to train troops. The Zhechong Prefecture has the power and responsibility to train troops, but has no authority to use troops or deploy troops. The Ministry of War has the power to deploy troops.
But there are no soldiers to use. Only the emperor's imperial edict can combine the three and send out the army. This method of checks and balances looks good at first glance. It can balance all parties and prevent one party from becoming dominant. It can also be used when troops are needed.
There are soldiers available, but in fact, there is a big hidden danger in the government's military system - those who train the troops do not use the troops, and those who use the troops do not train the troops. This leads to a situation where the soldiers do not know the generals and the generals do not know the soldiers. If the Tang Dynasty had not been established,
If both the generals of the guards and the officials of the Zhechong Mansion were all strong generals who had experienced hundreds of battles, the military of the Tang Dynasty would have been in ruins long ago. Even so, a very bad sign has appeared - there are many veterans and no rookies.
.
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been many veteran generals who can serve as commanders, such as Li Jing, Li Ji, Cheng Zhijie, Su Dingfang, Hou Junji and other Gonggun princes. Any one of them can serve as the commander-in-chief of the army, but there are no strong generals who can serve as the vanguard.
No, the reason is very simple: although the veteran generals are old, they are still strong and capable of leading an expedition, but if they are asked to charge into battle, it will be difficult for them to do so. Furthermore, these old men are all
He is a high-ranking person, how can he stoop to the role of a small vanguard officer? Therefore, this military parade is not only to show the powerful military power of the Tang Dynasty to foreigners, but also to select this person.
The selection of the vanguard officer for the first expedition was a helpless move.
"Your Majesty, the military drills have been completed. Please let your Majesty know if we can start the vanguard battle." After the military drills were completed, Li Ji strode to Li Shimin, who was sitting on the dragon chair, and loudly asked for instructions.
"Okay, let's get started." Li Shimin was still immersed in the excitement of the military exercises in front of him and looked very good. When he saw Li Ji coming to ask for instructions, he waved and agreed without thinking.
As Li Ji's command flag was waved, the horns of each army sounded again. Twenty to thirty young generals rushed out from their own troops on horseback and gathered under the general platform. Everyone raised their spears and pointed at
Li Shimin on the high platform bowed and performed military salutes. When Li Ji waved the command flag, the competition officially began.
The most important people in the Tang Dynasty were horsemen and archers. Whether they were princes, nobles or children of aristocratic families, they were all proficient in this art. Even those well-educated scholars could mount a horse and drive successfully. As for the generals in the army, it was even more unworthy.
Everyone is a good player in this way, and this competition is about riding and shooting ability - divided into three target positions of 80 steps, 120 steps, and 150 steps, and shooting one arrow at each target.
, only those who hit the red heart with three arrows can be selected for the second round.
Not to mention, this group of young generals selected from the armies of Nanya are all good players. After a round of competition, there were actually fifteen people who hit red hearts with three arrows. They were the generals who were eliminated.
All three arrows hit the target, but one or two of them missed the red heart. There were four outstanding candidates among the candidates - Zuo Jinwu Guards Zhonglang General Hou Guozhong (the eldest son of Hou Junji), You Xiaoqi
The Wei Lang general Qin Huaiyu (son of the late Hu Guogong Qin Qiong), the right Jinwu guard riding Cao Helong, and the left Wu guard riding Cao Liang Zhenwu. Not only did these four arrows hit red hearts with all three arrows, but they also penetrated the bull's-eye with their strength. They are rare generals. All the generals are wonderful.
The performance made all the officers and soldiers cheer and applaud. Even Li Shimin was very happy to see it, and the smile on his face was particularly bright.
The opportunity has come, ***, it depends on whether it will succeed or not! After the generals had finished testing, and before Li Ji announced the start of the next round of competition, Li Zhen, who had been standing silently aside, took a deep breath
With a breath, he strode out of the queue of princes and went directly to Li Shimin's seat. He knelt down on the ground and said loudly: "I would like to inform my father, I have been practicing bow and horse since childhood, and I am also willing to play."
Let me try my skills and ask my father for permission."
As soon as Li Zhen said this, everyone in the audience was shocked. On the high platform, everyone's eyes were all focused on Li Zhen. Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then frowned and looked at Li Zhen silently for a while.