Chapter 237: Open and secret battle

In the early morning, the booming sun burst out from the clouds like fish scales, and the fiery red sun covered the Hexi corridor, mountains, water and fields with a fire-like gauze dress.

The morning glow also scattered on Helou Wuji's solemn face. His angular face seemed to turn him into a statue in the glow. The young general immediately remained silent in front of the ruins of Huixi Fort. Three years ago, a shocking bloody battle broke out here. All six thousand Tang troops were buried here. Now the ruins are covered with weeds and vines, and large pieces of bluestone are buried by dense bushes, becoming the home of snakes, rats and ants.

Behind him, flags were waving, and 50,000 troops led horses to line up on the vast Gobi Desert in front of Huixi Fort. The black curtain was like a black curtain covering the earth, and the murderous aura filled the sky filled the beginning of the Hexi Corridor.

"General He Lou, let's go!" The person who spoke was the veteran Bai Guangyuan. Bai Guangyuan was already sixty years old. He had followed Gao Xianzhi to fight south and north, and later participated in the quelling of the Anshi Rebellion for Li Guangbi's troops. In the past few decades, he fought the most as a Tubo army. In the second year of Qingzhi, Tubo general Ma Chongying and Shang Jiexi led an army of 100,000 to attack Longyou and Guanzhong. The veteran Guo Ziyi was ordered to be in danger. At that time, Bai Guangyuan was the deputy general of Guo Ziyi. He defeated Shang Jiexi's troops in Longxi County and annihilated more than 20,000 enemies. Shang Jiexi retreated in panic, laying the victory for the final failure of Tubo's strategic strategy.

This time he was entrusted by Zhang Huan to fight with the Western Army, but he did not hold any military posts to avoid hindering Helou Wuji's exercise of power. His real role was in Anxi. Bai Guangyuan was the son of the King of Kucha and enjoyed a high prestige among the people of Kucha. Over the past ten years, he had written several letters to the court to recover Hexi and Anxi, but all ended in vain. This time, Zhang Huan's army expedition to the west, with 120,000 passion, and wanted to watch his hometown return with his own eyes in his old age.

He Lou Wuji nodded, he turned over and got off the horse, jumped onto a big rock, waved to the army, the flag of the army was restrained, silent, and countless pairs of eyes stared at the commander.

"Soldiers! Our six thousand brothers are lying under the ruins of Huixi Fortress. Their relatives are still wailing under the iron hooves of Tubo, which keeps their souls from dispersing. The Tubo iron cavalry flew unbridledly from them, making them angry. They are looking forward to today day and night, hoping for us. After three years, I, He Lou Wuji, are waiting for today at all times. Like the brothers under the bluestone, they are angry and tossing and turning. Today we once again set foot on our homeland and set foot on the birthplace of our Xiliang Army. The soldiers, we want to wash away the shame. This will be our revenge battle. The Tang men would rather die standing and die than fall down and live!"

"Revenge!" The soldiers of the three armies were all excited, and they raised their arms and shouted, "Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!"

The roars range from sparse to dense, from one person to fifty thousand people, and finally connected into one. The low roars echoed between the heaven and earth, and the earth moved and the mountains were shaking, as if the water of the Yellow River and the Qilian Mountains had changed color.

He Lou Wuji was thrilled with blood, and the morale of the 50,000 army was full of rainbows. For three years, everything was for today. Even if he was excited, He Lou Wuji was not the vanguard of the pass and seized the village. He was the head coach of the Hexi entrusted by Zhang Huan. As early as three years ago, Zhang Huan decided on the strategy of seizing Wuwei and even the entire Hexi.

Seeing that the time had come, he immediately ordered: "Where is General Li Guozhen?"

"The last one will be here!"

A tall and thin general with sharp eyes appeared in front of Helou Wuji. He was the scout team that had been captured by Ma Chongying before the Battle of Hehuang. Now he has been promoted to the commander of the scout battalion.

Here we need to briefly introduce that after capturing Hehuang and the number of troops exceeded 200,000, the previous military positions were too narrow. Zhang Huan reorganized the military system again and divided the Longyou Army into three types. One is the Ya Army, that is, Zhang Huan's direct army, with about 50,000 people. This is the most elite troops of the entire Xiliang Army. Most of them are veterans and the most sharp weapons and equipment, such as the Modao Army and various special battalions; the second is the palace army, stationed in various counties, with the largest number of troops, about 100,000 people; the third is the garrison army, which mainly refers to the defenders of each pass, such as Shibao City, Jishibao, etc., with about 50,000 people.

In terms of military structure, it is divided into six levels of ranks, teams, regiments, battalions, military and guards. The corresponding official positions are the rank commanders, with ten people; the rank commanders, with hundreds of people; the regiment is the rank commanders, with five hundred people; the battalion is the rank commanders, with two thousand people, of which the deputy is the rank commanders, with tens of people; the army is the rank commanders, with tens of people, of which the deputy is the rank commanders, with fifty thousand people; the rank commanders, with only Zhang Huan, with the deputy position being the general, and now there are only He Lou Wuji and Wang Siyu. This time He Lou Wuji went to the expedition to act as the general.

This western expedition to Hexi was the real highlight. For this reason, Zhang Huan specially transferred the Modao Army and some of the Divine Armies in his direct army, and the chariot and cavalry battalions to participate in the war. According to the established strategy, Qiang King Li Jinge entered the Wuwei area ten days ago. His mission was to instigate the Qiang people in the Hexi area. This matter began a year ago.

When He Lou Wuji saw Li Guozhen coming forward, he ordered him: "You lead the headquarters first, and I will restrict you from taking the castle for me before dawn the next day."

The scout camp is a relatively special camp, with only 500 people, but each of them is equipped with unique skills and is the elite among the elite.

"Abide by the order!" Li Guozhen turned over the horse, pointed to the west of the horse whip, and shouted, "Brothers, come with me!"

The five hundred pairs of horses and cavalry seemed to crack a small piece of iceberg, escaped from the 50,000 army, and ran northwest like a strong wind, leaving only the dust in the sky for a long time.

"The army is moving forward!" He Lou Wuji looked at the beacon fire on Wushaoling that had been ignited. With his order, the army slowly started and headed towards Wuwei City.

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After Wuwei County was captured by Chisong Dezan three years ago, it stationed 20,000 heavy troops here, and recruited 7,000 Qiang people to station in various counties. However, ten days ago, the Uighur army attacked Anxi, and the Hexi governor Lunzhizang immediately dispatched 10,000 Tubo troops from Wuwei County to Dunhuang to assemble.

The commander of the Tubo army guarding Wuwei was Shangzabu, who was the nephew of the great prime minister Shang Jiexi. He was about forty years old and was cautious and timid. That morning, he was inspecting the city. Because the Uighurs attacked Anxi, he transferred 10,000 people, which made Shangzabu extremely nervous. On the one hand, he sent additional scouts, and on the other hand, he ordered the beacon tower to be vigilant day and night.

Suddenly, there was a big uproar on the street. Everyone pointed to the Wushao Ridge. When Lunzab looked up, he was so scared that he was so scared that he saw the beacon tower soaring into the sky. Things that he was afraid of day and night finally happened.

"Gather the army! Gather the army!" He roared loudly, turned around and ran towards the military camp. The Tubo people's military camp was in the south of the city. It turned out to be a place where military households lived, and there were neat wooden houses. However, since the fall of Wuwei, the Han people were either killed or become slaves, and the wooden houses of military households became Tubo people's military camps.

Shangzab rushed into the military camp and immediately summoned several confidants to discuss countermeasures. According to his idea, it would be best to give up Wuwei and return to Zhangye to meet Lu Zhizang.

"A general must not!" A commander heard that he had such a ridiculous idea and hurriedly opposed: "General fled back to Zhangye, will Lun Ji hide you?"

Shangzab realized that Lu Jizang, like Ma Chongying, was his uncle's political enemy. When Zanpu ordered himself to defend Wuwei, he asked him to monitor Lu Jizang. If he gave up Wuwei and fled, wouldn't he be caught and killed by him? But there were only tens of thousands of defenders in his city. How could he defend the city? He was anxious and afraid, and sweat flowed down his forehead.

At this time, another commander of the thousand men said, "General, don't worry, I have a way."

Shangzab was overjoyed and hurriedly grabbed him and said, "Tell me quickly, what's the solution?"

"We can make plans for both. First, send someone to Lunjijizang for help. If he refuses to send troops, then he will be responsible for the loss first. Even if the city is lost, the general can question him. Secondly, we must concentrate our troops to defend the city. The general can transfer all the Qiang soldiers in each county back to Wuwei and take Han people as hostages. Do they dare to attack their own people?"

"Very good. I'll pass my order and order all the garrisons of each county to withdraw back to Wuwei!" Shangzab suddenly hesitated for a moment. If Wuwei City is broken, can he survive? Thinking of this, he said in a flash: "It's better for you to defend Wuwei, I'll go to Tianbao County to garrison!"

"No!" Several leaders of thousands of men opposed in unison.

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Guzang County is a place where the Qiang people gather. Among the 7,000 Qiang troops, three thousand people were stationed here alone. It turned out that some of the Qiang people in Wuwei died in battle, and some fled to Longyou with Han military households. In order to make up for the shortage of the population in Wuwei, the Tubo people moved a large number of Qiang people from Zhangye and Jiuquan. Since last year, many Qiang people in Hehuang have moved to Wuwei one after another because they were dissatisfied with the Han rule. Most of them were arranged to raise horses for the Tubo people.

Since the news of the Uighurs attacking Anxi, the atmosphere in Guzang County has also become tense. In the evening of that day, in front of a military camp in the south of Guzang County, several Qiang soldiers who had dinner were gathering together to talk quietly.

"I heard that the Tubo people have been transferred 10,000 to Dunhuang, is this true?"

An older soldier said with some concern: "I heard that it is true, so I was afraid to transfer us to Anxi, what should I do if my wife, children, and children?"

Another soldier also said angrily: "Who said no! We were living well in Hehuang and the Han people did not interfere with us. I really don't understand why the chief had to move to Hexi?"

"Listen to me." Their centurion was obviously an experienced veteran. He whispered: "If you really want to call us to Anxi, I will let everyone slip away quietly. The grassland is so big that there is no place to accommodate you."

After hearing this, everyone felt warm and they were clamoring to speak.

"The general is here!" A soldier saw their leader Ali stalking towards him, and the soldiers suddenly scattered.

Ali was a young Qiang general, with a low figure and a blushing face. However, Ali changed his name before he came to Hexi. His real name was Wugaogeli, the son of Qiang King Li Jinge. Three years ago, after Li Jinge surrendered to Zhang Huan, he selected 10,000 of the strongest men from the clan and handed them to Zhang Huan to establish the Western Qiang Army. The Lang general was Wugaogeli.

He was ordered to move to Wuwei at the end of last year. He also moved to Li Jinge's younger brother, a tribal chief. The Tubo people selected more than 1,000 people from them to form a team of thousands of people. The commander of the thousand men was appointed Wugaogeli, who was renamed Ali. Among the thousand troops under his jurisdiction, more than 300 were changed to the Qiang people in the Tang army, most of whom occupied the positions of officers, and many of the Qiang people in the Tang army changed to dress as herdsmen and were on standby at any time.

Ten days ago, Li Jinge quietly came to Wuwei. With his lofty prestige among the Qiang people, he convinced some Qiang leaders to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, and many people remained neutral and watched the changes.

Wu Gaogeli had just received the order from the above and ordered the Qiang soldiers to retreat to Wuwei City immediately. He immediately realized that this was most likely the Tang army began the Western Expedition.

Wu Gaogli strode over. Seeing that the soldiers who had gathered together just now had dispersed, he glanced at the centurion. The centurion was also a Tang army officer. He served as a captain in the Western Liang army. He came over and asked in a low voice: "But the governor has begun the Western Expedition?"

Wu Gaogeli nodded, "It should be that I just received the order, and the Tubo people were ordered to withdraw to Wuwei immediately."

The centurion's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, "General, this is an opportunity!"

"I know it's an opportunity, so I'm discussing it with you." Wu Gaogli looked at both sides and lowered his voice: "I've made arrangements. On the march, we will replace all the soldiers while the night is falling."

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Night fell quietly, and the gray-white jacking castle was shrouded in the huge projection of the Qilian Mountains. Between the two countries or two hostile forces, Xiongguan Pass Fort has always been a place where military strategists must fight for. However, once one country is occupied by another country, or one force is eaten by another force, Xiongguan Pass Fort loses its defensive significance. For example, how important Shanhai Pass was in the late Ming Dynasty, but when the Qing army entered the pass, Shanhai Pass became an ordinary pass.

The same is true for Jiaocheng Castle. When Wuwei was the last territory of the Tang Dynasty in Hexi, it was the border of the Tang and the Boundaries. Now, it is just an ordinary checkpoint to collect taxes from passing merchants. It is said to be tax collection, but in fact there are no merchants passing by. The forceful plunder of the Tubo army has made the Hexi Corridor a way for merchants to return. If more than ten years are spent, this place will gradually be abandoned like Jishi Fort.

Currently, there are 100 troops stationed in Jiaocheng Castle, most of which are Tubo soldiers. Like the Tang army back then, three years of peaceful life have gradually numbed the defenders, drank and gambled, and thought about finding women in nearby villages, and even secretly went to Tianbao County to have fun. This is the daily life of these defenders.

Although it has been reported that the Uighurs attacked Anxi recently, it was a matter of thousands of miles away, as far as the moon.

At the first update, after two days and one night of forced troops, Li Guozhen finally arrived near Jiao Castle. They had also stationed here. Every grass, tree, mountain and stone are all familiar with each other. He lurked a mile away from Jiao Castle, while Li Guozhen stood on a rock and watched the movements of Jiao Castle.

It was a lifelong shame for Li Guozhen to be forced to become the Tubo army. After the Battle of Knight Valley, he returned to the Tang army. In order to wash away the shame, he vowed from then on that day that he would become a general like Helou Wuji. Shortly after returning to the team, he was sent to the military academy to study with his team's deputy Zhu and Liu Shuai. He spent a year there. He studied military tactics and strategies eagerly, and studied hard until midnight every day. It was his hard work and what he learned that he quickly stood out in the three-month drills. He participated in six military exercises in total, and won five times. He left the military academy with the first place. He was appointed as the commander general of the first battalion of the ten scout camps of the Western Liang Army, and was Zhang Huan's direct subordinate Yajun.

"Shh!" A sharp whistle was heard on the ground, as if a night owl rushed into the forest. Li Guozhen was excited and saw a black figure flying down from the rock like a monkey, jumping three times and jumping in front of him. This was a soldier who went to explore the situation. He was very skilled in martial arts, especially as light as a swallow.

"Report to the general that the number of people who handed over the castle was still hundreds, three people were on duty in one group, and now only two groups were patrolling, and the rest were sleeping soundly."

"I understand." Li Guozhen waved his hand. His old partner, the Qiang people, first came forward to obey orders, first prayed to serve as the commander of Guoyi, and was still his deputy general.

Li Guozhen ordered him, "I personally lead three hundred brothers to seize the fort, and you will take other people to help me."

"yes!"

Li Guozhen was about to set off when suddenly a rapid sound of horse hooves came from a distance. He immediately heard that about five or six horsemen were running towards him.

"General, it seems to be a Tubo messenger." A sentryman ran down to report on the top of the mountain.

"Kill them!" With a command from Li Guozhen, fifty crossbow soldiers immediately took off the steel crossbow, took out three special crossbow arrows and installed them, scattered and hidden on both sides of the road.

These fifty crossbowmen are equivalent to snipers in later generations. They all shoot perfectly, especially the crossbows they use are also specially made, including gunpowder arrows, poisonous arrows and ordinary armor-piercing arrows. Today they use poison arrows, which are made of extremely powerful poisons and seal the throat with blood. They are especially effective for people in the movement, and they don’t even have the chance to scream.

After a moment, the sending soldiers rushed over, getting closer and closer, and after a turn, they appeared fifty steps away, with a total of five people, all looking ahead with a focused expression, none of them paying attention to the bushes on both sides.

"Forty steps, thirty steps, twenty steps..."
To be continued...