Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5116: Shocked by the Traitor
Lu Dongzan was in a state of great headache. He had finally understood that from Fang Jun onwards, all the people in his interest group were fearless and militant! Others used war as a means of advancement, seeking fame and titles, but Fang Jun and his people were simply militant!
They viewed war as a means of conquering the world, hoping to open up trade routes and intimidate the Hu people through war, in order to gain longer-term peace and development time for the Tang Dynasty!

He was a little confused: "The Tang Dynasty is already the most powerful country in the world. Why should we pay such a huge price for the Arabs, who are just a minor problem?"

Fang Jun gestured for him to drink tea, and said with a smile: "As the saying goes, 'How can I allow others to snore beside my bed?' Our responsibility is to strive for a long-term development time for the empire, and to strive for more survival materials for future generations. I know what the prime minister means, and he will curse us for starting a war and bullying the weak... But even if so, so what? What we do today may lead to slander, but ten or a hundred years later, our future generations will benefit from it."

Pei Xingjian also laughed and said, "To exchange our infamy for the well-being of future generations, the sin is in this generation, but the benefit will be in the future generations!"

Xue Rengui drank his tea slowly and imitated Fang Jun's famous saying: "Just do it!"

The three of them looked at each other, then burst into laughter, passionately and heroically.

Lu Dongzan was speechless.

In fact, this is very consistent with his philosophy. The national policy he and the Zamp formulated was first to "learn from the Tang Dynasty's advanced technology in order to control the Tang Dynasty", and then to conquer the plateau, occupy more land, plunder more resources, and lay the foundation of Tubo in one fell swoop.

But I gave up halfway, with no hope of success...

Pei Xingjian raised his hand to pour tea for Lu Dongzan, and said with a smile: "The Prime Minister often talks about 'the bitter cold in Tubo, and it's not easy to survive', as if God is unfair, putting the Tubo people in such a bitter cold place to suffer hardships... But has the Prime Minister ever thought that it is precisely because of the bitter cold in Tubo and the difficulty of traveling on the plateau that it has been able to maintain a situation of seclusion in a corner? If there were no dangers on the plateau, how could Tubo have the opportunity to unify? How could it sit on the sidelines and look down on the chaos in the world and be content alone?"

Lu Dongzan remained silent.

Although he was unwilling to admit it, he knew that Pei Xingjian's words were not false. Not to mention anything else, just looking at the people in front of him, if it were not for the dangers of the plateau that made it difficult for the Tang army to move forward, I am afraid that the people they are preparing for war and stockpiling supplies now will not be challenging the Arabs, but sharpening their knives to attack Tubo.

Having lost the advantage of the plateau, the Tang army, with its well-trained and well-equipped troops, would have no difficulty in defeating Tubo...

In this case, Tubo actually turned a disaster into a blessing?

The plateau is too cold and harsh, the Tang people simply don't like it...

*****
After all, Lu Dongzan was old and not as energetic as before. He was exhausted from traveling for days and fell into a deep sleep after dinner with Xi Duoyu's care.

Fang Jun and the other two moved to the main hall of the official residence and gathered together.

A map of the Western Regions was placed on the table. The three of them sat around it. Fang Jun asked, "Has there been any news from Damascus? What exactly does Muawiyah intend to do?"

Xue Rengui said: "A few days ago, news came back that Muawiyah claimed to 'annihilate the disobedient and revive the kingdom of God', so he summoned various forces to 'serve the king' and has gathered at least 100,000 troops."

Fang Jun looked at the map, measuring the distance between Damascus and Suiye City. He frowned and said, "Last time he led an army of 200,000 but still failed. How can he have the confidence to invade the Western Regions with only 100,000 men this time? He must be hiding something."

Pei Xingjian said: "Although Damascus is known as the first holy city in the West, it has hundreds of thousands of residents. It is almost impossible to support 100,000 troops for a whole winter, let alone more troops?"

The Arab Empire did not have the sophisticated national structure of the Tang Dynasty, nor did it have the ability to mobilize the entire country's strength before the war, so when fighting, each chief brought his own army and dry food...

What chieftain could afford to keep his army idle for a winter, and would be willing to do so?
Supporting 100,000 people is already the limit for Damascus.

Xue Rengui said decisively: "So they will definitely not wait until next spring to start the movement. Maybe at this moment, many troops have not gone to Damascus to gather, but are heading directly to Suiye City. As long as we communicate well during the period, when the spring comes, the troops including those in Damascus will suddenly appear under Suiye City."

Fang Jun agreed with this guess. He moved his finger westward from the direction of Suiye City and landed at the location of Kesan City. "If Muawiyah really has such an idea, then his final gathering place must be here."

The two men stood up and leaned over to look at the map.

Kesan City is located to the west of Gongyue City, on the banks of the Yaosha River. It has a flat terrain, abundant water resources, and a very important strategic location. It is not under the control of the Tang army and is the most suitable place for the army to gather before the war.

Xue Rengui stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Instead of waiting for battle, it is better to take the initiative to attack. What do you think, Marshal?"

Fang Jun thought for a moment and asked Pei Xingjian, "What do you think of Shouyue?"

Pei Xingjian frowned and said hesitantly, "Suiye City is five days away from Kesan City. The terrain is open, which is convenient for cavalry to raid quickly but not conducive to concealment. The enemy will detect us before we reach Kesan City. If we fail to achieve the effect of the raid and then get into a tough battle, casualties will inevitably increase. Moreover, Kesan City is located in the shadow of Yaosha River. If we want to attack the city, we must cross Yaosha River first, which is very difficult."

What he meant was that he also supported the strategy of taking the initiative if the two problems of covert marching and rapid river crossing could be solved.

The three of them gathered around the map, frowning and thinking hard.

Hundreds of thousands of people were involved in this war, and there was a huge gap between active and passive. Although Suiye City was under the control of the Anxi Army, there were Hu people all over the city and outside, and it was difficult to ensure that the news of the army's deployment would not leak out. The enemy had a targeted target, and it would be extremely difficult to hold the defense line. The slightest mistake might lead to the collapse of the defense line.

If you can launch a surprise attack while the enemy is gathering, you can not only inflict heavy damage on the enemy but also severely undermine their morale, making you almost invincible.

However, the two problems of covert marching and rapid river crossing are really difficult to solve.

Fang Jun looked around the map of the Western Regions and suddenly asked, "Before, Lu Dongzan tried to cooperate with the Arabs and sent troops to cut off the four counties of Hexi, so that the Anxi Army could not get reinforcements and fight alone... But even if the four counties of Hexi were really cut off, why did Lu Dongzan firmly believe that the Anxi Army could not defend the Western Regions?"

Given the current situation of the Gar tribe, how could they dare to betray the Tang Dynasty without absolute certainty?
Pei Xingjian's expression changed, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "There must be another accomplice in the Western Regions!"

Even though the Arab army had hundreds of thousands of troops, it had been defeated by Fang Jun once before, with heavy casualties and failure. No one could say that they were sure of victory when they made a comeback this time.

In this situation, how could Lu Dongzan, who is so smart, secretly cooperate with the Arabs?
The only explanation is that among the various Hu tribes in the Western Regions, some people became spies of the Arabs and suddenly turned against the Tang army from behind when the Arab army was attacking head-on. In this way, the Anxi army was attacked from both sides and was completely destroyed.

The Anxi Army was destroyed, the Western Regions fell, and the Arab army joined forces with internal supporters to break through the Yumen, Yangguan and other passes, sweeping across Hexi and heading straight for Guanzhong.

In this way, the Gar tribe can escape from the oppression and coercion of the Tang Dynasty...

Xue Rengui's eyes were burning: "Who could it be? We must find this person. I will personally lead the troops to confiscate his property and exterminate his entire clan, leaving no one alive!"

Pei Xingjian said: "Why not ask Lu Dongzan? If he doesn't tell me, torture him. We must find out the traitor no matter what!"

Fang Jun pondered, his mind working quickly, analyzing one by one: "In fact, it is not difficult to find this traitor. First of all, this person must have a blood feud with the Tang Dynasty. Although he surrendered temporarily, he is unwilling to do so and is always trying to betray the Tang Dynasty. Secondly, he must have a certain amount of power, and his troops cannot be less than tens of thousands. Otherwise, even if he turns against us in the battle, he cannot threaten our rear line..."

At this point, the answer is obvious.

Pei Xingjian and Xue Rengui's faces suddenly changed, and they shouted in unison: "Ashina Helu!"

Fang Jun nodded: "At present, this person is the most suspicious."

Pei Xingjian looked unhappy: "If it is really Ashina Helu, things will be troublesome."

Xue Rengui, who had just clamored to lead the troops personally to confiscate the property and exterminate the clan of the traitor, also remained silent.

Fang Jun asked, "Where is Ashina Helu now?"

Pei Xingjian said: "The troops under his command are stationed in Mohe City, Tingzhou, and there has been no unusual movement so far."

After a pause, he said in a deep voice: "If Ashina Helu is really the accomplice, we must not act rashly. We must think of a foolproof plan to deal with it. Otherwise, the entire Western Region will be in turmoil if we are not careful. In one winter, we may not be able to subdue the tribes and stabilize the situation."

Fang Jun nodded, Ashina Helu was no small fry either.

In the last battle in the Western Regions, Ashina Helu gathered the remnants of the Turkic tribe and attempted to rebel, but was ultimately defeated. However, due to the current situation in the Western Regions, the influence of the Turkic tribe had not been completely eliminated, so the court pardoned his crime and allowed him to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Kunwu Road and stationed him in Mohe City, Tingzhou, to help stabilize the situation in the Western Regions.

By now, Yibishekui Khan has already fled to Tokharistan, and his power has been greatly weakened and he is barely surviving. As the fifth-generation grandson of Shidiemi Khan, Ashina Helu is the "legitimate" successor to the Turkic Khan. More than 100,000 Turkic people have settled near Tingzhou, and they can raise an army of tens of thousands of soldiers anytime and anywhere.

If he gets desperate, the entire Western Region will be turned upside down by him...

Fang Jun straightened up and snorted, "Since the old thief Lu Dongzan is hiding it from us, let Ashina Helu deal with it! If he can't deal with Ashina Helu, I will deal with him!"