The fifteenth day of the pursuit.
When they first started chasing them, the brothers were quite fast. But after half a month, the roads here were no longer in good condition because they had left the grassland area and came to the Gobi Desert. Fortunately, they all had new horseshoes, otherwise the horses' hooves would not be able to hold on.
In addition to the original 5,000 cavalry, the team now has over 600 more prisoners, all captured along the way. Originally, Su Dingfang thought, we should just deal with them all. Are we really going to run away with them? Then, thinking about the army's lack of menial tasks, since all the troops this time are combatants, we can't do everything ourselves. So, we assigned 50 cavalrymen to supervise them and do some odd jobs. So far, it seems to be working.
Of course, the warriors on the Xueyantuo grassland are not so easy to manage. When they first heard that they were asked to do these chores, they immediately became unwilling to do so. When some people's heads became like balls, these people no longer had so many things to do. They just made fire and cooked when they needed to, and fed the animals when they needed to.
Fortunately, they entered the Gobi Desert and the cavalry did not need to march quickly. If they had to march quickly, they would not be able to keep up with the pace. Now Su Dingfang's fighting spirit had been worn down. He had realized that Li Xiang must have known the terrain here long ago. He did not ask him to come out to fight, but to ask what was going on in Gaochang State.
Plus with these hundreds of prisoners, it would be even more impossible for me to be faster than them.
Five days ago, they received the imperial edict from the court. The officials of the court's Lifanyuan had already set out and should meet up with them in the next two days. After the two sides met, Su Dingfang escorted the court officials to Gaochang.
"Reporting to the General, the Left Envoy of the Lifanyuan, Zhao Guangtai, has arrived outside the camp gate."
Since the team had stopped, Su Dingfang took off his armor and was lying in the tent humming a tune when his soldiers brought him a piece of news he had been thinking about day and night. If he had not been waiting for this Lord Zhao, he would have led his men to attack Gaochang Kingdom, which was 150 miles away. Was there any need for him to stay in this place?
"Bring me my armor and send someone to inform General Huo. We will go out of the camp to welcome him."
Considering the current rank, Su Dingfang is naturally not as good as this Lord Zhao. He is the left envoy of the Lifanyuan. In addition, he is in charge of this matter, and we are only responsible for guarding, so it is normal to go to the camp gate to greet him.
Huo Qubing never took off his armor and soon arrived here.
The ceremonial procession of the Tang Dynasty angels is becoming more and more impressive. Originally, there were only one or two hundred people, but now it has increased to six hundred people, stretching for nearly several hundred meters.
"Greetings, Lord Zhao."
"Please stand up, Generals! This is truly a burden to me. You two have fought so hard for the Tang Dynasty on the front lines, while I am merely doing some tedious work behind the scenes. How can I possibly ask you two to salute? On behalf of the imperial court, I thank you both."
Zhao Guangtai is a sensible man. It is precisely because of this that Li Shimin sent him here. What the Tang Dynasty needs now is recuperation, not fighting everywhere. If it goes to war with Gaochang Kingdom again, then the Tang Dynasty will really have no time to rest in the next few years.
When Zhao Guangtai came out of Chang'an City, Li Shimin specifically instructed him to try his best to make Gaochang Kingdom hand over the leader of the bandits. We don't need to control the rest of the people. As long as we can bring Xueyantuo Khan back to Chang'an and behead him, the matter will be over.
According to the Tang Dynasty officials, Gaochang Kingdom should not dare to refuse. After all, they are a small country. Although their land area is not small, the total population of the country is less than one million. For such a country, how much courage would they need to refuse the Tang Dynasty?
"Master Zhao, what are you talking about? We just have different divisions of labor and we all serve the court. My prince has already instructed that this time when we go to Gaochang, we will obey Master Zhao's orders in everything."
Hearing Lord Zhao being so polite, Su Dingfang originally wanted to give him a warning. Civil officials and military generals are always in opposition to each other, which is normal in every dynasty. But if someone comes up and flatters you, if you still oppose him, it would seem that you are a little petty. So the things Su Dingfang had prepared earlier could not be used now. As for Huo Qubing, he just had to stand behind Su Dingfang and listen. Try to express as little opinion as possible.
"The imperial decree. Although I am the chief envoy, the two generals are deputy envoys. If there is anything, let's discuss it together. The emperor's intention is very clear. That is, without going to war, we should bring Xueyantuo Khan back to Chang'an and behead him."
Zhao Guangtai repeated Li Shimin's meaning. In fact, they all knew what Li Shimin meant, otherwise Su Dingfang would not feel so bored. The court has already set the tone for you. If you make trouble, he cannot bear the responsibility.
In addition to Li Shimin's imperial edict, what scared him the most was the letter from Li Xiang. Li Xiang had made it very clear in his mind that if he dared to provoke a war, he would send him to the military camp in the rear to train new recruits and he would never have the chance to go to the battlefield.
Su Dingfang was not afraid of anything else except being prevented from going to the battlefield. So even though he was eager to try, he had to put out the flame now and follow Lord Zhao obediently to Gaochang Kingdom to read the letter of credence.
After resting for two days in the local area, Lord Zhao adjusted his condition and the group set off. At this time, the 5,000 people could not gather together. Su Dingfang brought 3,000 people to follow Lord Zhao, Huo Qubing led 1,000 people to wander around, and the other 1,000 people were stationed in the original base as their logistical support.
Seeing Su Dingfang's arrangement, Lord Zhao also felt that it was extremely appropriate. He didn't know much about military affairs. Since Su Dingfang thought it was a good idea, then we should just follow this method. They had already sent people to deliver a letter to Gaochang Kingdom. Now they should have arrived at the border and guided us to Gaochang City.
The closer you are to your target, the greater the danger. If nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected will surely happen...