"What kind of smile is that? I'm going to tell you something. Even though this guy isn't that great, you can't make it too hard on him. Let's just train him the way we normally do. If he can't keep up, we have reason to keep him, but if he can, no one can give up on him."
When Li Xiang saw Su Dingfang's smile, he suddenly felt a chill all over his body. This guy shouldn't target anyone in particular. After being in the Western Regions for so long, Li Xiang knew Su Dingfang's character well. He wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for someone, but he might raise the training goals of the entire army in order to achieve the goal of keeping this guy.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. Old Su is not that kind of person. If he plays tricks, even if there are a few more of his kind, they probably won't be able to set out with us. We have formulated some regulations along the way. If Your Highness is free, please come with me to the military camp and give us some advice."
Now we have learned that when we go to a new place, we must make a plan in advance and ask others about the local situation. If there is really no one, we can send out the vanguard first. We must know both ourselves and the enemy.
"What am I here for today? Isn't it to discuss our route of advance? This journey is indeed not very peaceful. I've heard from some people that, besides the difficult terrain, the people along the way may not welcome us. So this trip to Nanzhao is even more dangerous than our trip to the Western Regions. You must be prepared."
The two chatted as they walked towards the tent. Su Dingfang had already sensed that this journey was not going to be peaceful, but hearing these words from Li Xiang made him even more nervous. Since he had followed Li Xiang until now, nothing had seemed to have caused him to take such a serious matter. Could it be that there were some wolves, tigers or leopards along the way? He had been through all kinds of things, so this shouldn't be a problem for us, right?
Before the two men entered the tent, they heard the sound of horseback riding behind them. Li Xiang looked back and saw a young general in a white robe coming towards them from a distance. This was also an acquaintance of theirs, Qin Huaiyu, the son of Qin Qiong.
Originally, this guy was transferred to the Goguryeo front, but there was nothing happening there, so this guy started to seek personal gain again. His father used his old face to finally transfer him back from the Goguryeo front. But after returning to Chang'an City, there was nothing happening. The war in the Western Regions had ended, and Cheng Yaojin's two sons had already filled the vacancies there. This guy had no choice but to come directly to Li Xiang.
"Okay, okay, if you're willing to follow me, then go ahead. I'll go tell the Emperor later that there really aren't that many things going on in Goguryeo. We've encountered a lot on the way, and having a good helper like you is a plus. Let's go in and take a look together."
Before Qin Huaiyu could speak, Li Xiang had already agreed. Qin Huaiyu grinned and said, "After all, they are our own people. If it were someone else, it would probably take them a long time to say for sure. This trip might be dangerous, but how many of them, descendants of generals, are afraid of danger? They are all afraid of not getting hurt on the battlefield, so no one cares about danger."
"First, tell me about our route this time."
Su Dingfang returned to Chang'an City early and borrowed people from Changsun Wuji. In the past ten days, this guy did nothing but make this marching route, but it has not been reviewed by Li Xiang yet, so Su Dingfang is still unsure. The marching route that was previously formulated must be asked to Li Xiang, otherwise he will definitely take a lot of detours.
"The route we're taking is a common one. Starting from Chang'an City, we head south to Yizhou, then pass through the Nanman, and finally enter Nanzhao. Of course, it sounds very simple, but it's nearly two thousand miles along the way, especially since the terrain is not suitable. Our previous road construction plans were all concentrated in the north, and we've started in the Jiangnan region, but Yizhou is not suitable..."
Su Dingfang's route is still acceptable. As for building a road in this area, Li Xiang was not very supportive at the beginning. This area is known as the Ten Thousand Mountains. If you want to build a road in this area, forget it with the current technical conditions. Even in the 21st century, the transportation conditions in this area cannot be compared with those in the eastern coastal areas. It can only be said that they have been partially improved.
"The route is basically fine, but there are a few dangers along the way. The first is naturally the natural environment. Once we depart from Chang'an City and enter Sichuan and Shu, it's mostly mountain trails, so we need to prepare the soldiers. Another thing is that after passing Chengdu, there are barbarian lands to the south. Although these people have long since surrendered to us, their situation is probably well known to the merchants who have come here. It's not much better than the Western Regions."
Li Xiang wrote down two difficult points on the map, and the people around him nodded. What Li Xiang said was the most difficult part along the way, especially in this natural environment. It would be easy for a small group of troops to pass through, but if a large group of troops were to head south, it would not be so easy.
When Li Xiang was about to occupy Nanzhao, the court ministers had already raised this question, and Li Xiang also gave them an answer, which was that everyone should go by sea. There would be at most a few thousand elite soldiers on the land side, and the rest would have to be transported by sea by the Dengzhou navy, so it would be more convenient for us.
"Has there been any news from the navy?"
When Li Xiang returned to the capital, he had already sent someone to deliver a letter at full speed. Because there was no route to that place, everything had to be replanned. There should be results within this period of time.
"In reply to Your Highness, Admiral Ding Kui's letter has arrived. We haven't found the exact route yet, but their second group of personnel has already left. I believe there should be news by the end of the month."
Although Li Xiang provided them with a general direction, sea navigation still needs to be accurate. If it is inaccurate, even though we have a lot of people, we may be buried in the vast ocean at any time, especially when transporting a large number of troops. They eat, drink, defecate and urinate on the boat. If there is a little lack of planning, these people may starve. If they have no food or water by then, they will just be fed to the fish.