area51novel Page 361
Page 361
Although Waleng is already in Li Chang'an's hands, Yalong and Shanshan still have some strength.
After spring arrives, the Guiyi Army will have the strength to first wipe out the Shanshan tribe.
Gu Dazu was the infantry commander, with White Feather Soldiers, Mo Dao Soldiers, and 50,000 Green Cang Infantry under his command.
Li Chang'an planned that the Xuanjia Army and 25,000 Tang cavalry would be led by Li Cunxiao.
Because Li Cunxiao was a fierce general, he was best suited to be fully armed and bravely overcome all obstacles.
Li Chang'an entrusted the White Horse Cavalry and another 25,000 Tang cavalry to Huo Qubing.
Because Huo Qubing was most skilled at long-distance raids, leading light cavalry was the most suitable option for him.
Name: Huo Qubing
Age: 21 years old
Realm: First-grade Martial Artist (Early Stage of Celestial Realm)
Talents: Commander (Rank 1), Military Strategy (Rank 1), Martial Arts (Rank 2)
Abilities: Commander (First Rank), Military Strategist (First Rank)
Emotional level: 100 (Die-hard fan)
This is what a genius is!
After Huo Qubing took office, Li Chang'an immediately arranged for them to train their troops in preparation for a bloody battle against the Western Rong after the spring.
However, before Li Chang'an could make a move after the harsh winter, the Western Rong tribes emerged first.
In the main hall of Prince Li Chang'an's mansion, Zhao Dingxiu's face was flushed.
"Your Highness, this old minister had just restored a sliver of life to Qingcang when it was destroyed by the Western Rong!"
"Those Western Rong people came and went like the wind. They were probably starving due to the snow disaster. This time, they directly robbed five county towns in Qingcang!"
Zhuge Liang also said, "The three county towns of Kuitun County were also plundered by the Western Rong tribes, but it may not have been the same group of people."
“These Western Rong barbarians were driven to the west by the Northern Mang. They are extremely savage and treat the people like livestock.”
Shazhou has no Great Wall to defend against foreign tribes, and Li Chang'an's army is all near Jinchang County, so there are not many garrison troops in the county town.
It turns out that Huang Boren turned a blind eye to these things when he was in office.
As long as the powerful families and officials at the top are safe, the lives of ordinary people are never a concern.
This is also why Yuan Benxi dared to exile Li Chang'an to Shazhou, because the iron hooves of foreign tribes could arrive at any time.
Moreover, over the years, they have become accustomed to this way of life, and they come to rob when they are hungry.
They'd rob them, then let them roam free for a few years until they were fattened up, before robbing them
Therefore, the 200,000 people of Qingcang have always been refugees and cannot change their situation.
Just as Li Chang'an was about to take over Qingcang, he was targeted by the Xirong tribe.
Zhao Dingxiu originally served as a Grand Scholar in the central government of Western Chu, which did not border any other ethnic groups.
He was so angry he was almost in tears. "Your Highness, this old minister has failed to live up to Your Highness's expectations!"
"The seeds and money that were just delivered to those counties have all been stolen."
Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao and Huo Qubing's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
The reason why Han people could survive in the sandbars was because these places still had arable land.
However, the barrenness over the years is the result of the actions of the Western Rong and Northern Mang.
The young Huo Qubing said fiercely, "Your Highness, this humble general requests to fight!"
"We must not allow these barbarians to come and go so freely."
"This humble general, leading only three thousand White Horse Cavalry, is more than capable of annihilating the Western Rong!"
Seeing Huo Qubing's enthusiasm after joining the party, Li Cunxiao could no longer sit still.
Both of them were martial generals at the early stage of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, and now this pretty boy was even more arrogant than him. How could he show weakness?
"Your Highness, even with only my own Xuanjia Army, I can still break through the Western Rong!"
This is why Li Chang'an summoned Huo Qubing. Having two fierce generals under his command would create both competition and motivation between them.
Li Chang'an turned his gaze to Zhuge Liang, "Strategist, what do you think?"
Zhuge Liang fanned himself with a feather fan and slowly shook his head.
Li Cunxiao said urgently, "Strategist, is it not even enough for me to lead only three thousand men?"
Huo Qubing was even more radical, saying, "Strategist, this humble general does not need any provisions!"
Seeing the two vying for it so fiercely, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but smile.
"What I mean is, the two generals should lead all their troops and make sure to terrify the Western Rong."
"In the south of Shazhou, General Zhang intimidates the barbarians, and in the north, General Gu defends against the Northern Barbarians."
"The Guiyi Army in the south has 10,000 elite troops, and Shazhou still has more than 50,000 infantrymen, which is enough to deal with any offensive."
The four thousand elite veterans of the White Feather Soldiers and the Mo Dao Soldiers never left Li Chang'an's side.
In this way, Li Cunxiao and Huo Qubing could each lead their 28,000 troops to invade the Western Rong tribes.
Li Cunxiao and Huo Qubing were thrilled, and they both stared eagerly at Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an said calmly, "The strategist is a great philanthropist, but I am not."
“The Western Rong treat the Han people like livestock, so we don’t need to treat them like human beings either.”
"Since they provoked us first, I grant each of you the right to slaughter ten tribes!"
The two replied loudly, "Your subordinates obey!"
Li Cunxiao's army marched from Kuitun, penetrating deep into the heart of the Western Rong territory. Huo Qubing's army marched from Qingcang, with the White Horse Cavalry and the Tang iron cavalry passing through the city of Qingcang.
The purpose of this was to tell these newly settled refugees that the Tang emperor was not just making empty promises.
Huo Qubing took the lead and addressed the onlookers, "Fellow villagers!"
"His Highness the King of Tang is a man of his word. Since he said he would give you a home, he will definitely do so!"
His Tang cavalry were all former refugees, and they were all fired up when they heard these words.
After so many years, they finally have a home. How could they not fight desperately to protect their home and country?
The people were outraged, and countless people were discussing it excitedly.
However, many people are worried, after all, the Han people have not been able to gain a foothold in the northwest for hundreds of years.
Even the highly decorated military commander Xu Xiao failed to recapture Shazhou, instead using it as a buffer zone with the Western Rong tribes, which shows how troublesome the Western Rong tribes were.
Xirong Grassland.
The so-called Western Rong, like the Northern Mang before their rise to power, were actually composed of individual tribes.
However, the Northern Mang successfully broke free from its outdated political organization and established a powerful and influential empire.
They also drove some of the more barbaric and backward tribes to the west, which are now the Western Rong people.
All the large and small Xirong tribes received news of the military expedition from Shazhou, but they were not worried at all.
The Tuli tribe was the most barbaric tribe among the Western Rong.
The tribal chief, Tulihe, scoffed, "You blind fool."
“We’ve been eating Qingcang’s two-legged sheep for years, and these people are actually going to attack us.”
He pulled a woman he had recently abducted into his arms and pinned her down in front of everyone.
A burst of laughter erupted from inside the tent, as the fierce-looking men laughed so hard they were sprawled out on their backs.
Each of these men had a woman they had abducted serving them.
"I heard that the Tang Emperor killed Huang Boren, so he probably thinks he's capable now."
"That good-for-nothing Huang Boren, if it weren't for the tributes he gives us every year, we would have already snatched his daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law away!"
"Since this Li Chang'an is so ungrateful, why don't we just storm into Shazhou and kill him!"
"I've heard that Emperor Li Chang'an of Tang is surrounded by beauties! *slurp*"
These burly men, uttering foul language, casually gnawed on the cooked meat in front of them.
The women who had been kidnapped all gagged when they saw the meat.
Upon seeing this, the burly men of the Tuli tribe burst into laughter, and many of them stuffed meat into the mouths of the women.
Tulihe shouted, "Fellow warriors!"
"We must fight this battle fiercely and show Li Chang'an the might of the grassland heroes!"
"After killing the soldiers of Shazhou, I will lead you to slaughter the five counties of Shazhou!"
Tulihe's order quickly spread throughout the tribe, and the men of the Tuli tribe became excited.
There were many slaves in the tribe who had been captured, and some of them had even stayed in the tribe for several years.
For so many years, no one has ever ventured deep into the grasslands. Is it really possible this time?