"General, why are you here?"
Li Xiang returned from his conversation with Zat'elk and suddenly discovered Qin Qiong there. Shouldn't he be in the capital? Why did he end up here?
"After your memorial arrived in the capital, the Emperor attached great importance to it. This is also an opportunity for us. No matter what you do in Tubo, we must provide necessary support. From now on, I will guard Liangzhou City and command 80,000 troops on the border of the Tang Dynasty. If anything happens to you, I can lead my troops south at any time."
If we were just going to Tubo to send the bride, we wouldn't need to worry about so many things. But now something might happen to Li Xiang in Tubo, and Li Shimin was worried about his grandson, so he ordered Qin Qiong to bring part of the army over. In addition to the 80,000 troops on the border, if something happened to Li Xiang in Tubo, our army would not be a joke. Even if we are not used to fighting on the plateau, we have to go forward.
After hearing this, Li Xiang felt very warm in his heart. Although he often fought with the old man in Chang'an City, he could still distinguish between enemy and friend at the critical moment.
"Thank you, General. I didn't expect to alarm you. However, this is indeed an opportunity for us. The Tibetan Kingdom's military strength is not weak. It is considered a relatively strong country around the Tang Dynasty. We are not afraid of them now, but if we make a mistake in the future, it is hard to say what they will do. I am going to the plateau this time to weaken them as much as possible."
Li Xiang certainly knew what Tubo had done. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the Tubo army had invaded Chang'an City, and it was a bloody scene. So for the sake of future generations, Li Xiang could not allow Tubo to have such ability. This Tubo civil strife was a good opportunity.
"I understand what Your Highness is thinking. That is to nip all dangers in the bud. The last time we sent troops to fight, Your Highness's theory was very effective. But we still have to be careful this time. Tubo and Tuyuhun are different, and Lu Dongzan is even more different."
Thinking of the wise Tubo Prime Minister, Qin Qiong frowned. Although Li Xiang often teased him along the way, Qin Qiong knew very well that it was because the guy had lost his mind. If he had kept his sanity, and if they were in the Tubo territory, Li Xiang might not be able to gain the upper hand.
"Enough of the small talk. I'll be leaving tonight. The general will inspect the border during this time and seal all the holes that can be blocked. At the same time, order the troops outside the city to temporarily assemble. When we gave them the grassland, we also made it clear that these troops must accept orders from the court at any time..."
The armies that Li Xiang mentioned are not a small number. In order to ensure the safety of their grasslands, each major family has recruited a group of guards, with as many as three to four thousand people and as few as eight to nine hundred people. As long as they are all assembled, we will have an army of 30,000 in an instant. There is no need to worry about Tuyuhun. They have been scared by us a long time ago, and they still want the Tang Dynasty to guarantee their safety, so they will not turn their guns around.
Of course, we have to be on guard against what we need to be on guard against. The city defense fortifications in Liangzhou City cannot be reduced in any way. We can ignore the outside world, but Liangzhou City is our last bottom line. No matter what happens outside, we must maintain sufficient military force here.
Li Xiang's arrangement for Qin Qiong was very simple, which was to let Qin Qiong reorganize 20,000 to 30,000 cavalry. The number did not need to be too large, as long as they had fast mobility. Infantry was of little use on the plateau. Even for these cavalry, Li Xiang did not let them go deep into the plateau. He just let them wave flags and shout cheers around the plateau.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will complete this matter in five days at most and have them conduct a drill outside Liangzhou City."
Qin Qiong was a smart man and quickly understood what Li Xiang was thinking. We need to conduct exercises all the way south and just follow Li Xiang a few hundred miles away. It is not a threat to you with force, but if our prince feels uncomfortable, then our army may not be able to do anything.
"Tell all the cities along the border to prepare. I have no idea how this situation will turn out. If it really spreads to the border, they might even have to fight in the city walls. Of course, this is the worst-case scenario. It's best not to get to that point."
Li Xiang has a habit of always preparing for the worst no matter what he does. As long as we have the worst plan, even if things get worse at that time, we have enough ability to deal with it. But if we don't prepare in advance, the result in the future will be unpredictable. Li Xiang cannot let millions of people on the border get trapped.
After explaining these things, Li Xiang did not stay here for long, but set off directly with his people. He was able to reach the Tuyuhun royal court as quickly as possible. If it were not for Qin Qiong and Zatlk, Li Xiang would probably have arrived long ago.
Judging from the current situation, Zat'ek can provide 6,000 people, and Qin Qiong can provide 30,000 people, of course, all of them are cavalry. Although this number is not small, if you want to threaten Tubo, I am afraid this number is not enough. Li Xiang has to see how much Midu Khan can provide.
Only a month later, Li Xiang came to the Tuyuhun grassland again. Midu Khan wished that he would never see this little villain Li Xiang again in his life. The first time this guy came, he defeated them, Tuyuhun.
When he came for the second time, Tuyuhun became a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.
This third time, I don't know what will happen...
Although Midu Khan was a little nervous, he still had to welcome the guests.
"Great Khan, you and our Crown Prince should be acquaintances. There's no need to be so nervous, right?"
As the Protector General of Tuyuhun, Lord Zeng naturally had to join the welcoming ceremony. However, he saw that Midu Khan was sweating. What was going on?
Midu Khan gave an awkward smile. "Who wants to be acquainted with that brat? Anyone who does will suffer a bad fate. Our once prosperous grasslands have now become a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. Isn't it all because of that brat?" "I hope he never comes to the grasslands again."
