Chapter 902 Above Qinghai
"The moon is dark and the wild geese fly high. The Chanyu flees at night. I want to lead my cavalry to chase him, but the heavy snow covers my bow and sword."
Li Jing held a sharp blade in his hand, stood on the vast plateau, and chanted this hymn loudly. This was the praise of him after he conquered the Dong Turks. Once it was made, it was circulated wildly in the Tang Dynasty.
Conquering the Winter Turks is an art.
And now, on the vast plateau, there are azure and snow-white glaciers, barren grasslands, vast Gobi Desert, and endless mountains and rivers.
This place is extremely beautiful, and in Li Jing's eyes, this will be another place where his glorious monument of merit will rise.
Behind him, there were 25,000 light cavalry, commanded by him and the five marching generals. They were all elite troops selected to carry out the fatal order issued by the Holy Emperor.
Li Ji rode over, raising a cloud of dust. He was the deputy general manager of the Xizheng army. If Li Jing had any accident, he would be the commander of the army. When Li Ji came closer, he reported in a loud voice: "General Manager, the King of Xiyan knew that my army was heading straight for the King's City of Xiyan, so he used the same old tricks and led his people to escape to the ice field and burned the grassland. This is to force my army to retreat."
This is how the Tang army retreated last time. This vast plateau has an average altitude of over 4,000 meters. The Tang army had difficulty in supplying and physical strength was also a huge problem. Most of the generals wanted to play it safe, fearing that their supplies would be cut off and they would get lost in the wilderness of the plateau.
If that really happened, the entire army would be wiped out. On this plateau, no one can escape alone. Either we leave together alive, or we die in this devilish place.
…
Western Yan King Murong Yun ordered all tribes in the kingdom to leave the vicinity of Qinghai Lake and retreat to the lake deep in the plateau. He laughed proudly to everyone and said, "The emperor of the Tang Dynasty sent a large army to invade my Great Yan Kingdom, but I am not afraid. I am also a descendant of the Xia and Miao people. The Su King will not only bless him.
Be it his title of Son of Heaven, Heavenly Khan, or King of Kings, I do not recognize him.
One day, I will revive Dayan, the dynasty that once had a territory of thousands of miles.
Let the Tang army come. On the vast plateau, there is endless barren Gobi.
The Tang army will be in a predicament of shortage of food and fodder, they will starve to death, and then be defeated by me, or leave here and belong to my territory.
Dayan is like the most sacred Saker Falcon, landing on the highest peak of the Qilian Mountains and never falling to the ground. "
Surrounding Bohai, Murong Yun loudly declared his words of war to the Western Yan royal court. His supporters laughed loudly and danced around the bonfire by the Bohai sea.
Those who were loyal to the Tang Dynasty were very uneasy. Their experience of going to the Tang Dynasty made them realize how powerful the Tang Dynasty was. The Winter Turks were easily destroyed. This time, the general who destroyed the Winter Turks, obeyed the emperor's order and led the Tang army to the plateau.
Can Dayan really resist that extremely powerful country?
Can Dayan really defeat the emperor who is as wise and powerful as the Sage King?
They just had deep doubts.
Loud singing could be heard all around, using songs to express one's aspirations. This was not only the case in the Central Plains, but was the case for almost every ethnic group.
"Chi Le Chuan, at the foot of Yin Mountain.
The sky is like a dome, covering the entire area.
The sky is vast and the wilderness is boundless.
The wind blows the grass low and you can see the cattle and sheep."
Murong Yun sang this folk song which was once popular in Northern Dynasty Yan. When Northern Dynasty Yan sang it at the beginning, it was full of heroic spirit, but when it is sung now, it has endless desolation. Murong Yan migrated from the northeast and finally moved to the southwest. All the experiences he had along the way are reflected in this song.
"Let the Tang Dynasty see the swords of the Murong tribe!"
Murong Yun was very moved, but he had never seen it. Many people looked at this scene blankly, not understanding why he sang this song.
…
When Murong Yun was mobilizing the Western Yan Kingdom, a debate broke out in the Tang army about the subsequent war, that is, whether to continue the advance.
The majority of people did not support continuing the advance. The reason was simple: insufficient supplies, shortage of food and fodder, and too great a risk.
Li Dao Zong even said directly to Li Jing: "General Manager, it is obvious that Murong Yun has studied the tactics used by the Tang Dynasty to attack and destroy the Winter Turks. He did not engage in battle with our army at all, and directly left the royal city, not giving our army the opportunity to raid the royal city and decapitate him. I suggest that we withdraw our troops and fight again when there is a chance."
If Murong Yun were here, he would definitely give Li Daozon a thumbs up. Li Daozon's words hit the nail on the head. He was worried about the Tang army's decapitation tactics, especially Li Jing, who used the decapitation tactics twice in a row when he was attacking the Dong Turks. As a result, he defeated the Dong Turks at a very small cost. Therefore, Murong Yun had to guard against this tactic.
After listening to the objections of several people, Li Jing said generously: "The reason why Your Majesty asked me to be the chief steward is because Your Majesty knows that I am a person who dares to be the first in the world and dares to do things that others dare not do.
This battle must be fought and won, and no one in Western Yan will dare to challenge the Tang Dynasty.
Isn’t the King of Western Yan worried that he will be beheaded by me?
I won't behead you this time.
Does he think I can only come up with surprising ideas?
This time I will use my absolute strength to defeat the Western Yan Kingdom.
According to the guide and the Tang Dynasty's understanding of the Snow Region, we will pursue the Western Yan Kingdom in two routes, the Southern Army and the Northern Army. We will meet here. Along the way, there are strongholds here. By taking down these strongholds, the Western Yan Kingdom will know the power of the Tang Dynasty's army.
Let the King of Western Yan know what it means to have no way to heaven and no door to the earth. "
Li Jing's plan emphasized a large-scale penetration. Wushuang Hou and Guanjun Hou had used this tactic on the grassland to confuse the Huns.
But it was only Li Jing who dared to implement such a tactic of deep penetration on the plateau.
It can only be said that fortunately, although the plateau where the Western Yan Kingdom is located caused some discomfort to the Tang soldiers, it was not serious enough to cause them to lose their combat effectiveness. If it was the plateau where Tubo was located, Li Jing would never have proposed this tactic. After all, abandoning most of the troops along the way would be simply seeking death.
But the danger faced by the Tang army is not only altitude sickness. "Duke Dai, General Manager, if our army marches at full speed, we will not have enough food and grass."
Yes, having no food and fodder is a big deal. Other things such as cold and pain can be endured. Those who came this time are all elites, and there are also many armored men dug out from the deep mountains and forests of Liaodong. They are quite capable of fighting hard, but food and water are necessary to maintain life.
Li Jing pointed at the glacier in the distance and said loudly: "Where there is ice and snow, there is water. Drinking ice and lying in the snow, isn't this necessary for a strong army?
And if there is no food, you can go and rob. The environment on the south road is not that bad. Only the north road is really difficult. Who would take the north road?"
The northern route is indeed more difficult. You may go through a thousand-mile uninhabited area, and the terrain is higher. Although the Tang Dynasty did not know what altitude sickness was, it would be uncomfortable to live in high places. On the northern route, there is even a mountain called "Han Ku Mountain". It is said that after the Han people living in the Central Plains came here, they could not help crying in pain. In fact, it was because the altitude was too high and they had altitude sickness.
Seeing that Li Jing had made up his mind, several marching generals all obeyed his orders. This was the case in the Tang Dynasty army. Li Jing was the marching general, so even if the generals disagreed with the tactics, they could raise their opinions in advance, but once the general made up his mind, they had to carry it out resolutely, otherwise they would be disobeying military orders.
Li Daozong had previously disagreed with Li Jing's pursuit, but now he said generously: "I am a member of the royal family. The most difficult battle should of course be given to me. I will lead the troops to the north."
Li Daozon was the real leader among the royal family, and he was not comparable to a half-baked person like Li Shentong. Especially in the years when Li Xiaogong did not take action, his military exploits were far ahead among the royal family. Li Shimin also respected Li Daozon very much and praised him many times.
When Li Jing heard what Li Dao Zong said, he immediately said happily: "Well, King Jiangxia is indeed a role model for the royal family. When I write the battle report, I must present it to Your Majesty so that Your Majesty can see King Jiangxia's sincerity."
Li Ji paused for a moment and said, "In that case, King Jiangxia, General Ashina and I will lead the troops to take the northern route, while the general manager, General Xue and General Qibi will take the southern route.
We will cross the territory of Western Yan and meet at Dafei River."
The chief steward and the deputy chief steward went their separate ways, each leading two marching stewards. It was a very fair division and there was nothing worth saying about it.
Li Jing rode on his horse and said loudly: "Everyone, what kind of merit you can achieve is in your hands. I only have one thing to say, that is, persistence, and then do not hesitate or wander, keep moving forward, overcome all the hardships that God has tested us, and overcome the harsh environment of this snowy plateau, and victory will naturally be ours.
Finally, I hope to meet all of you who are still alive and encourage each other. "
After that, he rode away with his army, and several marching officers said goodbye to each other, "Everyone, goodbye Dafeichuan, I hope you are all still alive."
Several people gave others the highest blessing, which was to be alive. On the battlefield, nothing was more important than being alive.
Especially on the snowy plateau, any accident could result in their death. Li Jing is indeed a military god, but it is impossible for him to predict every detail.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate. He can only try his best to maximize the human aspect, but the final success still depends on a little luck.
What can we do if we encounter heavy snow in the middle of a march?
It can only be said that it was doomed by heaven.
But what should they say if they suddenly encountered the Western Yan tribe carrying cattle, sheep and other livestock halfway through the march?
All we can say is that God blesses the Tang Dynasty to win all these victories.
Oh, Emperor of Heaven, please bless the Tang Dynasty!
Li Jing, Li Ji, the generals of all the routes, the officers and captains at all levels, and every soldier were praying silently in their hearts.
Finish.
(End of this chapter)
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