Lord Zhao has never cooperated with Li Xiang, but he has heard of Li Xiang's way of doing things before, which is to use force as a prerequisite under any circumstances. If our force does not have an advantage, then talking about anything is a waste of time. Today, after seeing Li Xiang's way of handling things, it is really the same as the legend.
Xiao Shougui was also watching all this with great interest. When he set out from Chang'an City, his grandfather told him very clearly that he should just follow Li Xiang in everything. Even if it was some orders issued by Chang'an City, he had to follow Li Xiang's lead.
"Everyone, please speak up. Although this is our first collaboration, we are all under the banner of the Tang Dynasty. If what you say is beneficial, then I will accept your opinions. You will understand over time. I don't have a one-man show here."
Li Xiang saw that Lord Zhao seemed to have something to say, but was hesitant. In fact, this was normal. Lord Zhao was not Li Xiang's direct subordinate. All the troops here belonged to Li Xiang, so Lord Zhao was hesitating whether to raise objections.
"Since Your Highness has said so, let me just say a few words. War is definitely going to be fought. I wonder if Your Highness will direct his spearhead at the Western Regions coalition forces or at Gaochang?"
Lord Zhao hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke out what was in his heart. When Lord Zhao said this, everyone present was a little surprised. If a war breaks out, we will of course be facing the Western Regions Allied Forces. They have already raised the banner of resistance against the Tang Dynasty. Gaochang's attitude is still very vague at this time. How can we declare war on Gaochang? If we declare war on Gaochang, wouldn't that be equivalent to pushing Gaochang to the side of the Western Regions Allied Forces?
"You old man just don't understand military affairs. Don't talk nonsense in such occasions in the future. We will leave your stage to you, but we still have the final say in matters of war."
Su Dingfang and Lord Zhao had become very familiar with each other, and they often joked with each other during this period. So when Lord Zhao finished speaking, Su Dingfang immediately stepped forward to smooth things over, for fear that others would laugh at Lord Zhao for not understanding military affairs.
"wrong……"
After Su Dingfang finished speaking, he was ready to let Lord Zhao leave first, but Li Xiang raised his hand to stop Su Dingfang. Li Xiang had heard what Lord Zhao had just said.
When Li Xiang raised his head, everyone knew that he must have changed his mind. However, Gaochang was still quite powerful at this stage. Although it had been beaten by Xueyantuo for a while, it was still a big country in the Western Regions.
"Lord Zhao really reminded me of this. Otherwise, we would have to enter the west of Gaochang. We are not familiar with fighting there, so there is still a certain risk. But if we fight in Gaochang, then we will have a sure win. After defeating the Gaochang army, we can first control Gaochang and then serve as a warning to the other countries in the Western Regions."
After Li Xiang finished speaking, Niu Jinda and Su Dingfang also thought about it. This Lord Zhao is not only a civil servant, but also seems to have some understanding of military affairs. As our prince said, instead of going to the unfamiliar place in the west to fight, it is better for me to take Gaochang in the familiar place first.
If we can capture Gaochang, we can attack or defend, which means we have a very good offensive position. At the same time, we can also prevent the Western Regions coalition forces from going to the interior through the Hexi Corridor. This will make us invincible, and it is much safer than taking the risk of leaving Gaochang and going west to fight the Western Regions coalition forces.
What's more, except for the Western Turks, most of the countries in the Western Regions coalition did not want to fight with the Tang Dynasty. They were simply coerced by the Xueyantuo and the Western Turks. As long as we occupied the land of Gaochang, other small countries might not continue to hold on. It is also possible that they would surrender to the Tang Dynasty in the middle. After all, they are all trying to survive in the cracks. It doesn't matter who they serve as puppet emperors.
"Oh, old man, you have an extraordinary brain."
After Su Dingfang and the others finished analyzing the map, this guy patted Lord Su on the shoulder and said, "How strong is that hand?" Li Xiang immediately frowned. "How strong is that hand?" The soldiers knew it well. "It's okay for the soldiers to get slapped by you, but how can the old man bear it?"
"Now you're not saying I don't understand military affairs?"
Mr. Zhao's teeth were itching in pain at the moment. Su Dingfang's grip was really strong.
"Old man, you are both civil and military. If you hadn't suggested it, we might have had to fight here for two more years. Now, if we want to take Gaochang, we must attack both places at the same time."
Su Dingfang quickly entered combat status and took out all the previous battle plans. Although it took him several days, Su Dingfang was a very free and easy person. Now that there was a new direction of attack, the energy we had spent before didn’t matter. As long as it could be beneficial to us, it was nothing more than a waste of time.
Li Xiang was too positive about Su Dingfang's work status. Many people spent several days on it, so the plan must be carried out. If it is not carried out, it would be equivalent to wasting his labor results. In fact, in military and national affairs, the labor results of one or two people are not important. The key is whether we can finally obtain the greatest benefits.
"Your Highness, we already have an insider in Gaochang. Should we notify them of this operation?"
Su Dingfang suddenly thought of some officials they had bribed. These people had already privately sworn allegiance to the Tang Dynasty. If they could help, it would play a significant role, but at the same time the danger would also be magnified.
"Don't notify them yet. We don't have many people this time, so we have to launch a surprise attack. Those people in the capital must control the palace. As long as we control the upper class of Gaochang, we can defeat their most powerful army, and basically control Gaochang."
More than 10,000 people want to occupy someone's entire country, which is basically a joke, but occupying the country to a limited extent is not a problem. Moreover, we have royal descendants to support us. After we occupy this country, Wadahan may be the new king of Gaochang.
Of course, it's just a puppet. Li Xiang must control this guy. If he relaxes a little, our efforts may not get a good result. The dog's rope must be tightened.
