Hearing what Li Xiang said, Xiao Shougui also frowned. He originally thought that our two roaming troops would have already fought with the army of the Arab Empire, and even been able to annihilate a large number of enemies. Even if there was not a large number of enemies, there must have been some. However, judging from their memorials, apart from experiencing the scorching sun in the desert, they really could not find the army of the Arab Empire.
When Li Xiang retreated that day, he left them an order, which was to move within 500 miles of the battlefield and not to move forward. If they continued to move forward, they would be in the territory of the Arab Empire. Once they were surrounded by their people, there would be no possibility of rescue. So Li Xiang is now hesitating, either to let these people retreat or let them continue to move forward.
Seeing Li Xiang frowning, Xiao Shougui felt that he should give it a try.
"Your Highness, if conditions permit, why not have them charge south? However, the five thousand they have is definitely not enough. Your Highness should let them gather ten thousand men. Then, just like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing did when you attacked Tuyuhun, didn't you also go deep into the grasslands? Only by doing things they dare not even think about can we strike directly at their heart and let them know the power of our Tang Dynasty."
Xiao Shougui thought of this incident, and Li Xiang's eyes lit up at this moment. He didn't know if it was because he had achieved success and fame, so he was less and less willing to take risks. When he led his troops to the expedition to Tuyuhun, he only had a few thousand people under his command. Didn't he also leave Liangzhou City and advance into the depths of the grassland?
The current Cheng Chuliang and Su Dingfang.
Everyone's abilities are stronger than they were back then, plus their weapons and equipment are stronger now, so even if they go deeper into the south, they can guarantee victory. If they want an army to eat them up, they will probably have to deploy five to eight times the force.
Before the defeat of the Arab Empire, they might have had this ability, but 100,000 people were wiped out in one fell swoop, plus those from the Governor's Office of Anton. If calculated in this way, the Arab Empire's losses in the war with the Tang Dynasty have exceeded 400,000 people. This can be said to be a huge failure.
So when the Arab army met the Tang army, they would definitely feel psychological pressure, and this psychological pressure might be the beginning of their failure.
"Do you think 20,000 troops can shake the entire Arab Empire?"
Li Xiang said with some doubt, the command ability of these two men is unquestionable. Even if they are each equipped with an army of 10,000, what can they do within the territory of the Arab Empire with just these 20,000 men? If they go too deep into the territory, they will most likely be surrounded, and then it will be the end of them.
"Your Highness, don't expect too much from them. They can't possibly win a victory against a hundred thousand men now, but if they can achieve even a small victory, wouldn't that also weaken the Arab Empire?"
Xiao Shougui also noticed that Li Xiang's expectations were a bit high. Of course, this was normal. Eating too many big meals would naturally make his appetite picky, so he would not even look down on roadside stalls. Now Xiao Shougui just wanted Li Xiang to get used to it. Sometimes roadside stalls can be delicious too.
"It seems that you are the one who sees things clearly. I am a little too persistent. Then we will do as you say. Immediately send a message to Chang Sunze to lead 20,000 troops south. 10,000 of them will be given to the two generals, and the remaining 10,000 will be stationed where we fought."
Li Xiang thought for a while and said, if these 20,000 troops go deep into the enemy territory, they will not be able to survive without support from the rear. Chang Sun Ze brought these 10,000 people with him, which can be regarded as a relief force. If they fail on the opposite side, there will be someone to provide supplies after they return. In the vast desert, supplies are the most important. Once these things are missing, even if there is no enemy in front of you, you will most likely be defeated.
Chang Sun Ze quickly received the task. During the past month, he continued to train the local army in order to let these people join the Tang army as soon as possible. Although there was no way to send them to the battlefield now, at least they understood that there was no benefit in following the original tribal nobles.
After those tribal nobles were beheaded that day, these people finally came to their senses. The Tang Dynasty court would not only give you favors, but sometimes it would also demand your blood. It depends on your own choice. If you stand in the Tang Dynasty camp, everyone will benefit when the Arab Empire is conquered in the future. But if you think of making trouble in the rear, then before you succeed, your whole family will turn into ashes.
Now, after receiving Li Xiang's order, Chang Sun Ze also set off immediately. The Tang army's ability to assemble was very fast. From the time he received the order to now, less than five hours had passed, and Chang Sun Ze had already set off with the vanguard. Li Chengyi also looked at all this with envy, but he also understood that His Highness would not let him go to the front line in a short time. Among the four generals, he had the most contributions, so before others made contributions, he could only stay with Li Xiang, not to mention that a general was also needed in the rear.
Among these 20,000 elite troops, Chang Sun Ze also brought 2,000 local troops. Although Li Xiang had some objections, Chang Sun Ze still argued that these people had written blood oaths. They wanted to improve their family's lives through war. If we don't give them a chance, it would be a bit too much.
These two thousand people will be divided into two parts, one part will follow Su Dingfang and the other part will follow Cheng Chuliang. As for whether they can improve their family's lives after returning from the front line, it depends on how they perform on the battlefield.
If you perform well, then we will all be happy, and your family will also be able to get more food and water. But if you perform poorly, then I'm afraid you are deceiving us. The Tang army has always been ruthless to those who deceive us.
Especially since what happened to Kim Won-sik in Goguryeo, so in such a situation, we must be a little wary of rebels in any region, otherwise we may easily get our heads chopped off in our sleep. This is not a joke, those who are not of our race must have different hearts!
