Yalu River
After receiving the order from the court, Li Xiang immediately led his rapid response force to set off.
Li Xiang discovered that Qin Huaiyu was good at local management, and this guy had been trained by Qin Qiong and also had his own way of managing the army, so he let this guy continue to stay in Goguryeo. Li Xiang took Niu Jinda and Su Dingfang to the grassland.
"What's going on here? I was supposed to be helping the court solve its problems, but General Li Jing was stripped of his power. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to accept it. We're not doing this for our own benefit, this is for the benefit of the Tang Dynasty."
After receiving the imperial edict, Niu Jinda was the first to lose his temper. Was General Li Jing doing this for himself? He was clearly doing this for the entire Tang Dynasty, but he was treated like this. No one could stand it, especially since he respected the general very much.
"Who says not? If it were me, I'd just turn around and go back. At worst, we wouldn't go. Nothing happened on our territory, and we don't want to be blamed. But then General Li Jing was treated this way. If General Li Jing hadn't been in charge of the overall situation, how could Goguryeo have such supervision? Not only were they not rewarded for their merits, but they were also punished for thinking about the Tang Dynasty."
Su Dingfang was a hot-tempered man, and he couldn't stand this. Li Xiang also heard these words in the carriage, but he didn't say anything. Perhaps this is what we want to know. Weren't the people under Li Shimin also dissatisfied with some of the practices of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan? This led to the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
"Your Highness?"
The two men talked outside the carriage for a long time, but did not hear Li Xiang say anything, so they decided to see what Li Xiang thought.
"Send the order to set up camp and rest."
Li Xiang calculated the time and realized that they had been running for a long time. Although this was a rapid reaction force, they had to rest when it was time to rest. If they continued to persevere based on willpower, they could have continued running for several hours, but it was not cost-effective for the soldiers and horses. Therefore, it was better to have a good rest at this moment. After we have rested well, we can completely take back these few hours.
The soldiers under his command had already formed their own system. Their tents were different from those of others, and the internal structures were all set up. Although Li Xiang could not build simple houses now, it was still no problem for him to build a few simple tents. With just a few soldiers cooperating slightly, the tent would be built immediately, which was many times faster than before.
Everyone in the army had their own duties. Some were setting up tents, others were on guard around, and some were helping the cooks boil water. After marching for such a long time, everyone was thirsty and hungry, but according to the order issued by Li Xiang, no one could drink cold water no matter how thirsty they were. They had to drink the water in their own kettle.
Although there is no pollution in this era and a lot of water can be drunk directly, Li Xiang has a heavy mission this time. If he gets diarrhea due to unclean water, it is very likely that something bad will happen. The army on the front line has been surrounded by heavy siege. The King of Wu can still hold on, but not for long. Li Xiang must let his men hurry up.
"Your Highness, you have no opinion on this?"
Su Dingfang said somewhat dissatisfiedly, after all, General Li Jing was good to Li Xiang, and now the general was treated like this, why didn't Li Xiang say a word?
"What do you want me to think? Did I submit the last memorial to ask the general to come out of retirement again? If I do that, I'll be putting the general on the spot. It's hard to say whether he can have a good ending. If the emperor becomes suspicious, who can expect a good outcome? It's better to handle this matter calmly. When the emperor comes to his senses, the general can naturally return to the Ministry of War. Besides, the seal of the Ministry of War will not fall into the hands of others."
Li Xiang said very calmly that he was no longer the desperate young man. If he were still the desperate young man, Li Xiang would have submitted a memorial long ago, and maybe even taken his people back to Chang'an. But if he took his people back to Chang'an, Li Shimin probably wouldn't even open the gate of Chang'an City.
Niu Jinda and Su Dingfang were furious just now, but after hearing what Li Xiang said, they really felt that their ideas were too immature. Making trouble is absolutely not advisable. If you two make trouble, it is equivalent to rebellion, and then the most difficult thing will be for General Li Jing.
"I know what you two are thinking. You're just speaking up for the general. I feel bad about it, too. But we don't have a say right now. Goguryeo did win a great victory, but the court hasn't treated us unfairly. We've given us all the rewards we deserve. If we want a say, then we can find it in the north. As long as we defeat the Xueyantuo army and rescue the King of Wu's army, are we still afraid of not having a say?"
Li Xiang's words instantly made both of them understand. What Li Xiang said was right. If you want to have a say in the court, you must have merits. Even if Li Shimin is the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he has to take into account the thoughts of his meritorious officials. He can't just do whatever he wants. If he does, it will not be good for anyone.
"Then we have to ask His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu to hold on a little longer. I originally thought he was a good fighter, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this. I hope nothing happens to them, otherwise even if we defeat the Xueyantuo, the credit will be in vain."
Su Dingfang said with some concern that in the eyes of the generals in the court army, His Royal Highness the King of Wu was both civil and military, especially his martial arts were really good, so people had a wrong idea that this guy was also good at leading troops in battle, but your personal skills were good, and leading troops in battle were completely different things, and it could be seen now.
While Li Xiang and others were worried, King Wu Li Ke was indeed having a hard time. Their living circle was further compressed. Now the two groups on the grassland had merged into one. The Xueyantuo originally invaded the territory of the Dong Turks. The two sides should have been enemies, but because of the wrong command of His Royal Highness the King of Wu, the two sides have now become allies.
The supplies from the south can't be delivered, and there's no way to get them locally. His Majesty the King of Wu's camp is about to run out of food. Although the rations have been reduced, they won't last much longer...