Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5138 Pre-war deployment
"Then I'll be the General of the Imperial Guards."

Li Chengqian made the final decision.

The source of soldiers for the Honorary Office came from the sons of nobles and officials of the fifth rank and above. Their duty was to guard the imperial palace and the imperial city. The loyalty of the soldiers was beyond doubt. Appointing Lun Qinling as the General of the Imperial Guards gave him enough power without worrying about him winning over the soldiers to commit treason. It was a perfect choice to kill two birds with one stone.

What kind of trust and honor it is for a foreign military general to be able to guard the palace and stay in the imperial city?

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Li Chengqian took a sip of tea, his eyes swept across the faces of several people, and he said casually: "The prince was born, and I will hold a full moon banquet next month. The king and his subjects will have fun together, and the whole world will celebrate together. All of you, my dear ministers, please come. We will not leave until we are drunk."

The atmosphere became solemn.

It is natural to hold a full-moon banquet, but who will prepare and who will host it?
The Queen is not in the palace at the moment...

Li Ji always pretended to be dead, so he would not comment on such sensitive topics. He lowered his head and drank the tea with a "full gulp" sound.

Ma Zhou didn't mind his own business except government affairs.

Cui Dunli lowered his head and eyes. He was a staunch "Prince Party". No matter what happened in the outside world or in the palace, he always firmly supported Crown Prince Li Xiang.

Liu Li, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, couldn't escape at this moment...

I can only bite the bullet and say: "Your Majesty's prosperous bloodline is a blessing to the empire! The queen is dignified, virtuous, and capable. She will definitely prepare the full moon banquet properly."

This was both a test and a reminder that such a large banquet must be hosted by the Queen, or at least she had to be "named" to host it, otherwise it would be unjust and would attract criticism.

Li Chengqian felt a little depressed, but he still nodded and said, "Of course it was the Queen who arranged the preparations."

But now the Queen is in the East Palace and won’t come back. Do I have to go and invite her in person?
Cui Dunli said, "The prince's full-month banquet is a great joyous event. When I get home, I will ask my wife to report to the Queen, run errands for her, help out, and also share in the joyous atmosphere."

Li Chengqian glanced at Cui Dunli.

Today, Cui Dunli is no longer the man who held the title of Minister of War but was actually a puppet of Fang Jun. The Ministry of War is firmly under his control. When Fang Jun is not in Beijing, he acts as Fang Jun's "spokesperson" and becomes the leader of that faction.

Cui Dunli's words at this moment represent Fang Jun.

They would not recognize anyone who wanted to usurp the power of the Queen or threaten the position of the Crown Prince...

Is it true?
Ma Zhou, who had been silent, also spoke up at this moment: "I will assist the Queen in mobilizing vegetables, fish, meat, cakes and fine wines from all over Jingzhao Prefecture to successfully hold the little prince's full moon banquet."

Li Chengqian: "..."

In your eyes, am I a tyrant?

Even if the crown prince is deposed or enthroned, the queen is still the master of the six palaces, and no one can usurp her authority!

But he didn't want to say this, saying it would be like showing weakness, so he nodded expressionlessly: "That's it."

"I'm waiting to retire."

Several people stood up, bowed, and left the imperial study.

Li Chengqian knelt on the mat without moving, drinking tea slowly, feeling very heavy-hearted.

The more the ministers expressed their firm support for the Eastern Palace, the more he felt a growing sense of crisis. The prince was young now, but in a few years, when he grew up, wouldn't all these people rush to the Eastern Palace to swear allegiance?

He, the emperor, is already being sidelined by these civil and military officials. If an Eastern Palace is added in the future, won't he become just a decoration?

But if they really wanted to depose the crown prince and appoint another one, they would probably face resistance from both the government and the public...

*****
The first day of June, the fourth year of Renhe.

Amir led his 30,000 troops out of Kesan City, crossed the Yaosha River, and marched eastward along the northern foothills of the Alatau Mountains, heading straight for Hengrus.

When the news reached Suiye City, Fang Jun immediately summoned the officers and soldiers in the camp to discuss the matter.

A huge map was hung on the wall of the general's tent. This was thanks to Fang Jun's great efforts in investigating the topography of the world when he first became the Minister of War. His ability to draw maps increased day by day. In addition, the Silk Road was an important transportation route between the East and the West, and the Ministry of War had invested heavily in strategic locations such as the Western Regions and Hezhong. Almost every Tang Dynasty merchant caravan would receive a secret mission, and they had to collect all the terrain and landforms during the business process.

The map was densely marked with mountains, rivers, cities, towns, villages, and even some wells...

This is not only the most advanced technology at the moment, but also a reflection of the country's strong national strength.

The small black flag representing the Arab army has been planted less than a hundred miles west of Henglus...

Pei Xingjian stood in front of the map and briefly introduced the current situation: "Amir led more than 30,000 people from his own tribe as the vanguard. They look aggressive, but they may not really intend to capture Suiye Town in one go. They are more likely to push the battle line forward to buy time and space for them to gather the coalition forces of various tribes."

All the officers nodded in approval.

Although a plan was made to raid Kesan City before the enemy troops were complete, it was impossible for the enemy to wait in Kesan City until they had finished gathering before launching a large-scale attack...

Pei Xingjian continued, "The enemy will soon arrive at Hengluo. Our two thousand soldiers in the city will abandon the city and retreat after a short resistance. At the same time, we will bury gunpowder and lay fuses in various places in the city..."

All the officers were immediately cheered up.

"If nothing unexpected happens, after the enemy captures Hengluo, they will definitely set up their headquarters in the city and command the entire front-line battle formation. If we wait until their commander-in-chief and generals gather in the city and then detonate the gunpowder, won't we be wiped out?"

"Haha, this battle is too easy, isn't it?"

"The Arab Empire may seem to have a vast territory, but in reality it is a mess. Those armies may look fierce and scary, but they fight on their own. They are fine when the wind is favorable, but once the situation is unfavorable, they will flee in a blink of an eye, faster than rabbits!"

This is the feeling expressed by a general who participated in the previous battle in the Western Regions. That battle was too tiring, and he couldn't catch up with the enemy even if he chased after them...

Fang Jun waved his hand, and the account suddenly fell silent.

He looked around with a serious face: "The king of righteous soldiers, soldiers who respond to the enemy will win, soldiers who are angry will lose, soldiers who are greedy will die... Arrogant soldiers will surely be defeated! We have all fought for half our lives, and have escaped death countless times. Don't you understand this principle?"

This sentence was like a wake-up call. The generals dared not refute it. They all lowered their heads and were alert in their hearts.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it has seldom suffered defeat in wars against foreign races. The foreign nations and ethnic groups that originally surrounded the Tang Dynasty fell one after another under the Tang Dynasty's weapons, and some were destroyed, some were wiped out. Even the Arabs, the only army that could be compared with the Tang Dynasty at that time, were defeated in the previous battle in the Western Regions with an army of 200,000.

Fighting wars one after another inevitably breeds arrogance and indulgence, and makes people completely forget the truth that "arrogant soldiers will be defeated".

After all, there are crushing victories, victories of the few over the many, ambushes from all sides, and fights with one's back to the wall, but there has never been a battle that is "sure to win."

As the saying goes, "Man proposes, God disposes." No matter how amazing the strategy or how meticulous the tactics are, we must always face unexpected events.

Any seemingly insignificant incident may determine the outcome of a war...

Fang Jun's tone was still stern: "We must not only win, but also win big. In addition to winning big, we must also reduce the casualties of soldiers as much as possible. Those soldiers who followed us thousands of miles to guard the Western Regions, the brothers who charged into battle and went through fire and water under our orders, we must bring them back alive to Guanzhong to reunite with their families, and also bring them to Chang'an to enjoy supreme honor!"

"How do we do this? We need to keep tactics and strategies in mind, cooperate with each other, help each other, and keep our minds alert at all times. We must not make mistakes due to carelessness, arrogance, or other stupid attitudes!"

He slammed the table, his face as hard as steel. "Let me be frank. I can allow you to fail, and even die in battle. But if you make a big mistake because of your own stupidity, I will tie you up and send you back to Chang'an. I will read out your mistakes outside the Jinguang Gate and then behead you. Let your family be ashamed because of you, and let the historians record your stupidity in the history books, and let you be infamous for eternity!"

A group of brave and hot-tempered officers and soldiers shuddered subconsciously and remained silent.

A real man dies on the battlefield. Most of those who have served in the military are accustomed to life and death and can put life and death aside. If they can win honors for their families and families, death is not scary for them.

But if it is really as Fang Jun said, it is absolutely unacceptable!

Others might say this just to scare people or remind them to be careful, but everyone knows that Fang Jun, who is in the military, is a man of his word, and he can do what he says!

Seeing that all the generals were subdued and dared not even breathe, Fang Jun nodded with satisfaction.

"Xue Rengui, listen to my orders!"

"The general is here!"

"You will be the vanguard of the army, leading 8,000 light cavalry and 2,000 iron cavalry to Baishui Town, and join forces with the withdrawn troops from Hengluo. Wait for an opportunity to counterattack Hengluo, and be sure to drive Amir back and push the battle line to Yaoshashui."

"Here!"

Xue Rengui stood up and took orders in a voice as loud as a bell.

Fang Jun looked at Gao Deyi again and said, "Tonight, lead 3,000 infantrymen to sneak out of Suiye City and follow the established route to the south, crossing Qianquan Mountain and sneaking into Tuozhe City. Try to hide your whereabouts as much as possible and don't let anyone detect your whereabouts. After arriving in Tuozhe City, contact Ashina Helu and act according to the plan."

"Here!"

Gao Deyi's face flushed and he was extremely excited.

The officers standing by looked on with envy.

Fang Jun warned: "This task is extremely difficult, but it is also easy to achieve special achievements. Everyone envies you. You must act cautiously and not be careless."

"Don't worry, Marshal. If we fail to attack the Arabs' rear, I will die in Kesan City!"

Fang Jun nodded and said, "In this battle, we will win by combining the normal and the unconventional. Xue Rengui is the normal one, you will contain the enemy's main force head-on and focus all their attention on the Yaoshashui line. You are the unconventional one, it will be hard and difficult, but it will also be unexpected. Whether we can win a great victory depends on whether you can destroy the enemy's rear formation and disrupt their morale. If we win this battle, I will definitely keep my promise to you."

Gao Deyi was full of confidence and shouted, "I am willing to die for you, Marshal!"