In fact, from Huo Qubing's tone, Li Xiang already knew the fighting ability of these people. Sending them to the battlefield would definitely not bring shame to the Tang Dynasty.
But war is not that simple. Take the attack on Fuso as an example. Although Li Xiang acted very casually, he had been preparing for nearly half a year before.
The scale of this war is more difficult than attacking Fuso, especially since there are many small countries in Zhenla. These countries are very stubborn. According to Li Xiang's understanding of them, if we expect them to surrender voluntarily, it is probably unlikely.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. As long as Your Highness points out a target for us, no matter where it is, we will be able to take it down for Your Highness, and we will never drag our feet."
When Huo Qubing saw Li Xiang in deep thought, he thought he was worried about the enemies in the south. In Huo Qubing's eyes, these enemies were really not worth mentioning. When they formed small teams and entered Zhenla, neither the government army nor the private army of the wealthy families were their opponents.
"It's good to have confidence, but war is no joke. We must be prepared. I know you don't need logistics to fight, you just need to keep charging forward. But we don't just want to take this place, we also want to govern it well and turn it into a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty..."
After Li Xiang finished speaking, Huo Qubing seemed a little confused. This guy had a simple mind and was always thinking about fighting. As for what happened after the war, that was something you civil servants should think about. Anyway, I am only responsible for fighting and I don't care about the rest.
As a general, Huo Qubing could certainly think about the problem in this way, and Li Xiang also encouraged them to think in this way. Doing so would actually make the problem simpler. But if Li Xiang also thought in this way, then some things would probably be difficult to deal with.
"You can take the remaining men and return directly to Chang'an. Let Huo Qubing serve as my temporary guard and command another 3,000 men from his army."
Since there was no way to test the combat effectiveness of this army, Li Xiang decided to take them with him to see how it went. After all, the journey back to Chang'an was still long, and there would always be opportunities to use troops along the way.
"Your Highness, you've forgotten us old ones just because you've got new ones. We escorted Your Highness from Chang'an to Fusang, and then from Fusang to Lingnan Road. I didn't expect Your Highness to send us back with just a single word."
Su Dingfang acted as if he was about to cry, but he did not argue with Huo Qubing about this matter. After all, Huo Qubing had been training here for two or three years and really needed a chance to show himself.
What's more, Su Dingfang's men had left Chang'an for nearly a year, and many of their children didn't recognize them, so they took this opportunity to rush back to Chang'an so that they could meet their families.
Moreover, while His Highness is not returning to Chang'an, these people can take a long vacation at home.
The officers and soldiers on the navy warships can still take turns fighting, but the guards around Li Xiang have never been rotated, so they can only stay beside Li Xiang.
There was no opportunity before, but now I finally found one.
"General Su, what are you talking about? Your Highness is planning to test us along the way. You didn't have an effective test just now, and Your Highness is already feeling uncomfortable."
Huo Qubing was also a smart man, and naturally understood why Li Xiang asked them to serve as guards. However, his army was almost all-round, and no matter what Li Xiang asked them to do, they could do it well.
What's more, the way back to Chang'an from the south passed through many mountains and forests, which was just right for his army to provide escort and give Su Dingfang's army a little rest.
"Just know it, kid. I need to see the results in two or three years. Have your people prepare supplies for General Su and his men on the road. Try not to disturb the people and go all the way back to Chang'an."
Although Li Xiang's army was very well-behaved, the journey from Lingnan to Chang'an was long, and no one knew what would happen along the way. Li Xiang always asked the army to solve their own problems and try not to ask local officials for help on the road, so as not to add difficulties to the people on the road.
When Huo Qubing was training in the local area, several large warehouses were built. Su Dingfang's people had all kinds of supplies, which could be replenished here. Anyway, Li Xiang stayed here and could exchange them in the system at any time. Su Dingfang also asked his men to fill up the warehouses and try to reach Chang'an in one go. He also wanted to go home and take a look.
After the two armies changed guard, the surrounding followers soon discovered that Su Dingfang's army had always been wearing the armor of the Ming Emperor. They were the guards of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so they were very conspicuous everywhere.
But Huo Qubing's men were different. In order to be able to fight better in the jungle, their armor was all green, sometimes dark green, sometimes turquoise. Anyway, it was to better hide themselves, which was also a preparation for actual combat.
When these people put on dark green armor and stood guard at the door of Li Xiang's tent at night, if you didn't look carefully, you wouldn't be able to see that there were people here, which shows that they were closer to actual combat.
That night, Li Xiang held a banquet in Huo Qubing's camp to entertain the accompanying officers and soldiers, and asked them to return to Chang'an first.
After hearing the news, everyone jumped for joy. Although they were eager to achieve great things, most of them also wanted to see their wives and children. They had been away from home for more than a year, and now they had a chance to go home and visit, which made them very happy.
Of course, they also understood that as Li Xiang's guards, they could not stay at home for too long. After Li Xiang returned to Chang'an this time, they would probably be drafted into the army again. If they wanted to go back, they would have to wait until Li Xiang conquered the Southeast Peninsula.
Huo Qubing kept toasting Su Dingfang, because he also wanted to know some precautions. The first priority of the generals and soldiers who came out of the system was to ensure Li Xiang's safety, even if it meant sacrificing their own lives, they had to ensure Li Xiang's safety.
As for Li Xiang, he is actually a very powerful master. If someone really wants to assassinate him, even if he enters the last encirclement, it will probably be difficult to succeed. Li Xiang can deal with several killers by himself.
This feast lasted until midnight, and Huo Qubing was ready to start his career as a guard commander...
