Xueyantuo Royal Court
During these few days, Bayan Zhuoer was never idle. Li Xiang did not tell him what to do. He had to understand everything himself. If you want to become the right general of Xueyantuo, then you have to do what you should do.
After settling down the herdsmen who had been taken out, Anggurtai also returned with his men. Li Xiang made arrangements for the two men. Anggurtai was the left general and Bayannur was the right general. The defense area was similar to before. Previously, there were left and right generals on the grassland, but now Li Xiang reorganized them into left and right generals.
Huo Qubing also returned from Mobei. They walked all the way to the Arctic Ocean area mentioned by Li Xiang, but that place was even worse than Li Xiang described. A total of more than 1,500 people went there. When they saw the sea in the north, about one-third of them could not come back.
However, according to Li Xiang's instructions, they placed the Tang Dynasty's boundary markers in the far north, which meant that the Tang Dynasty's territory reached there, and the entire area in between was uninhabited, so there was no need to station troops for the time being.
Li Xiang has already formulated a complete plan. This summer, Li Xiang will send out several expedition teams. Their task is to map the territory of this area. At the same time, an outpost will be set up every two hundred kilometers. Their task is to observe everything here. Once any organized personnel enter, they must immediately report to the court.
As for the escaped Xueyantuo Khan, news has been reported recently that they have already entered the territory of Gaochang Kingdom from the west.
Li Xiang had already sent the memorial back to Chang'an. Now that Li Xiang was outside, he could only send official documents from Chang'an City and have the people from the Lifanyuan take them to Gaochang State.
"This is far too slow. It would be better if our cavalry chased them directly. If Gaochang is sensible, it would be fine. If not, I don't think it would matter if we destroy them."
Su Dingfang is now accustomed to this. They were trained by Li Xiang like warmongers. Li Xiang also likes such wild people. What's more, during the Zhenguan period, all generals basically had this idea.
"General Su, Gaochang is not to be feared. Its military strength is not strong either, with only a few tens of thousands of people at most. But Gaochang has the support of the Western Turks, who are very powerful."
As the left commander of the Xueyantuo, Angurtai was naturally very clear about some situations in the Western Regions. The original Turkic Empire was very powerful, but later it split into two countries, the East and the West. The eastern one was naturally destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, and the remaining part migrated westward, which is now the northwest area of my country, where the Western Turkic Khaganate was established.
"How powerful can it be?"
Su Dingfang said cheerfully, and Angurtai fell silent. The strength of the Western Turks was relative to that of the Xueyantuo. If compared with the Tang army, the gap between the two sides was almost visible to the naked eye. If you tell an adult that a child is strong, will the adult believe it?
"How was the training of the Turks when you arrived? How many of your men joined?"
When Li Xiang set out from the Turks, he had already reorganized the Turkic troops and had them undergo several months of training. Now, judging from the time, the training should be almost completed, and Angurtai's men have also been incorporated.
"Your Highness, according to your instructions, they must undergo three months of systematic training. When I set out, they had already been in training for two months and should have completed it by now. However, without your order, they are still stationed. A total of 25,000 cavalrymen from our side and the Turkic side have been selected."
Angurtai said honestly, and when he said this, this guy's heart felt like bleeding. This was the last bit of strength he brought out, but Li Xiang would not allow these people to touch the military power again. Although your titles sound good, you don't have many troops under your hands.
The people of the grasslands were unruly. This was the impression Li Xiang had left on them. If the Turks hadn't been in civil strife this time, why would Li Xiang have come to this place? Of course, this was also an opportunity. If they didn't rebel now, they would rebel later. While we were strong enough now, we could crush these people's rebellious hearts. Nothing else would happen within a hundred years. By the time a hundred years had passed, national integration would have occurred, and who would still dwell on the past?
"For the time being, you all should rest where you are. Spring is coming soon, and it's time for the grasslands to recover. You must help these herders recover quickly. Only when they recover can our rule become more solid."
Upon hearing Li Xiang's words, Su Dingfang knew that there was no chance of fighting. After all, what Li Xiang had to do now was economic recovery. Only if there were a large number of cattle and sheep on the grassland could they survive the winter.
After saying these words, Li Xiang let the generals on the grassland go out. Although they had already submitted to Li Xiang, Li Xiang still had to make them feel different. As long as he made them feel different from the generals of the Tang Dynasty, they would continue to perform hard.
"Regarding the Gaochang Kingdom, we can't just wait for the imperial court. We must send a team to follow Xueyantuo Khan's route and continue westward. On the one hand, we want to pursue them, and on the other hand, we want to record everything along the way. Although we don't need it now, we may need it in the future."
Now that there were no outsiders around, Li Xiang expressed his true thoughts, and Su Dingfang immediately became excited. This guy was most reluctant to stay in the army. If he was asked to fight, there was really no problem with it, but if he was asked to develop in the army, he would just be killed. He didn't have such cells in his brain.
"Your Highness is right. My three thousand cavalrymen are ready. Why don't you let me lead them?"
Su Dingfang said eagerly that this guy now has a lot of merits, but he is not fighting for the merits, he just hopes to realize his own life value. He believes that a general's life value can only be shown on the battlefield.
"Huo Tang, you will be the deputy commander and General Su will be the commander-in-chief. The two of you will lead 5,000 soldiers and horses to pursue westward, but you are not allowed to enter the territory of Gaochang."
Li Xiang shook his head and finally paired Su Dingfang with Huo Qubing. The two of them would slowly discuss things. When there were other people around, Li Xiang would call Huo Qubing Huo Tang, which meant Huo Huo Datang...