The biggest natural enemy of desert marching is the climate.

In Gu Qing's eyes, the climate in the desert was even weirder than Huangfu Sisi's temper. It was a clear and cloudless weather, and he would fall out at every turn, and the sky would be dark with sand and rocks flying around without warning.

Before setting off, Gu Qing specially hired a few more experienced guides, promised a large sum of money, and ten thousand soldiers and horses, all of whom were cavalry. Not only that, Gu Qing also brought an extra five thousand horses, as well as forcibly or forcefully arrived from the Qiuci Town caravan.

More than a thousand camels were purchased or rented, and the entire team had more animals than people. Most of the spare animals carried food, fodder and drinking water.

Nearly 20,000 soldiers from the Anxi army opened the way, and Gu Qing's 10,000 soldiers and horses moved behind. This army was considered the richest and most extravagant in the entire Anxi army. They were like a group of bandits who made a fortune through robbery, holding their heads high and proud.

Look directly at An Xijun's jealous and envious eyes.

Food and drinking water were carried by war horses and camels at the back of the team. The bulging bags of food and the water tanks sewn with tanned furs were particularly conspicuous.

Gu Qing gave this order specifically. He used practical actions to tell the officers and soldiers of the Anxi Army that I am not good at fighting, but you are not good at logistics.

Leaving Qiuci Town and heading east, the army marched along the Chihe River, setting up camp after marching fifty miles every day. The soldiers from the four towns in Anxi camped in the same camp, while Gu Qing's 10,000 Zuowei soldiers camped ten miles apart.

Scouts inquiring about the military situation kept sending news from the front.

More than ten days ago, after the Tubo army captured Khotan, the remaining defenders who retreated from Khotan, totaling more than 5,000 people, marched deep into the desert along the Yu River. Yesterday they walked out of the desert and were gathering towards Kucha Town.

The Tibetan army marched into the depths of the desert five days ago, but disappeared without a trace. Countless scouts entered the desert and searched for many days, but lost all traces of the Tibetan army in the desert, and seemed to have disappeared into the desert out of thin air.

We can't blame the scouts for failing to investigate and lose the enemy's traces. The desert is too big. The name of the Taklimakan Desert in the Tang Dynasty was "Tulun Moraine". It is the largest desert in China and ranked tenth in the world in later generations. This shows how huge the desert area is.

An army of 30,000 people entered the desert and disappeared into the vast desert without paying attention. It was very difficult to find it again. It was difficult to even identify the direction in the desert. It was impossible to find out where the enemy was.

.

The news that the enemy was missing really made the whole army quite uneasy.

If you are not afraid of a god-like opponent, you are afraid that you will not even be able to find traces of your opponent, which will add too much uncertainty to this battle.

On the third night of the expedition, when the camp was set up, Gao Xianzhi's commander beat drums to gather the generals, and summoned all the generals to the commander's tent to discuss matters.

When Gu Qing walked into the commander's tent, he found that the atmosphere was very solemn. All the generals had gloomy faces and remained silent. Seeing Gu Qing come in, the generals just gave a scrawled salute.

It is definitely not a good thing for the enemy to disappear. All Gao Xianzhi's pre-war plans must be overthrown. The next attack location of the Tibetan army can only be guessed based on the only clues. Such guessing is too risky.

If you make a mistake, the price you pay will be high. Not only will your side miss the mark, but the enemy may also take the opportunity to raid an unexpected city, causing a serious strategic mistake.

"Commander, I think we can only divide our forces and attack at this time!" A general stood up and said solemnly.

The generals whispered among themselves after hearing this, some agreed, while others snorted disdainfully.

Gu Qing sat next to Gao Xianzhi, expressionless and silent.

Among this group of generals who have experienced hundreds of battles, Gu Qing is currently just a younger brother. No matter his age or military experience, he is just a younger brother. A younger brother must have the consciousness of a younger brother, listen more, read more, and talk less.

Bian Lingcheng, who was on the other side of Gao Xianzhi, looked a little haggard. It was obvious that the march in the past few days was quite hard. The eunuch was missing a part. Will riding a horse be more difficult than a normal person? This question is a bit profound. Gu Qing secretly made a note and decided in the future.

Before you kill Bian Lingcheng, ask him sincerely.

"Commander, I think it is absolutely impossible to divide the troops! There are thirty thousand bandits and bandits, and our army, including the 10,000 soldiers and horses under Deputy Envoy Gu, is only over 20,000. The Tibetan thieves are not weak in combat, and both sides are evenly matched. If

However, after the troops are divided, if any troop encounters the Tibetan bandits, the whole army will inevitably be annihilated, so the commander must be careful!" Another general objected fiercely.

The two generals immediately started to quarrel in the commander's tent, and they were all red-faced. The generals took sides, and the quarrel became more and more fierce. The hot-tempered ones had already rolled up their sleeves and were ready to take action.

Gao Xianzhi remained gloomy and silent, just staring at the map of the Western Regions on the desk with a dark and unpredictable expression, not knowing what he was thinking.

At this time, Gao Xianzhi was under great pressure. He was the commander-in-chief, and the victory or defeat of the entire army depended on his thoughts. The emperor of Chang'an was obviously dissatisfied with him. If he did not deliver a good answer in this battle, I am afraid that

Chang'an's decree will come soon, and he will be transferred away from Anxi and back to Chang'an to retire.

Gao Xianzhi was a general with a very strong self-esteem, and he did not want to return to Chang'an in disgrace as a loser.

The key now is the enemy's traces and attack targets. There are not many cities on the edge of the desert, but there are at least the four towns of Anxi, as well as many cities including Xizhou, Tingzhou, and Yizhou. Gao Xianzhi wants to bet in these cities, guessing that Tubo

The army may enter which city and then send troops.

It's too difficult. If he guesses wrong, Gao Xianzhi's future will be over.

Gu Qing had been looking at him silently, without saying a word very wisely. With Gao Xianzhi's strong character, he didn't need other people's advice at this moment, he only believed in his own judgment.

After a long time, Gao Xianzhi coldly stopped the quarrel among the generals in the commander's tent, and said in a deep voice: "The whole army camped and prepared by the Red River. There will be no more marches tomorrow. Ten teams of scouts were sent into the desert with enough food and water, and we marched from different places.

Go in that direction and look for the enemy. If you encounter Tibetan traitors, come back immediately and report them."

The generals had no choice but to accept the order.

Gu Qing nodded, it was considered a last resort, more conservative, but very safe.

There was no result from the discussion. Gao Xianzhi gave the military order and dispersed the meeting. Gu Qing rode back to the camp. After returning to the camp, he immediately summoned Chang Zhong and other four generals.

"How many days can our army's food, fodder and drinking water last?" Gu Qing asked immediately.

Chang Zhong thought for a while and said: "The food can last for two months, and the fodder is slightly less, which can be enough for the war horses for more than a month. Don't worry about drinking water. We camp by the Red River. It is still summer. I will ask

Guide, there is plenty of water in the Red River in summer, which can be drunk after being boiled, but it may dry up in winter..."

Gu Qing murmured: "Two months are needed. If we add more people, one month should be enough..."

Chang Zhong asked curiously: "Master Hou means..."

Gu Qing sighed and said: "The scouts came to report that the defeated defenders from Khotan City have walked out of the desert and are almost at Kucha City..."

Chang Zhong blinked and suddenly understood something: "Does the Marquis want this defeated army?"

"I heard that the defeated army numbered 5,000 people, which is quite a lot. Anyway, Khotan has been lost and their organization has been disrupted. It is better to take them in. No matter how powerful the enemy is in the future, we will still have thousands more in our hands."

Usable soldiers and horses have advantages and disadvantages, but after weighing them, they are worth it." Gu Qing said slowly.

Chang Zhongwei said: "This army has suffered a new defeat. It is difficult to boost their morale in a short period of time, and their combat effectiveness is also terrible. If they encounter the enemy, I am afraid they cannot be expected to play a big role..."

Gu Qing pondered for a long time and said with a smile: "After all, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Even if we can't count on them, we won't lose anything by raising them for a few days. What if this defeated army can still be used after being reorganized?"

Gu Qing nodded vigorously and said decisively: "Okay, it's decided. General Chang, send people to Kucha City immediately to pick up this defeated army. I want these five thousand troops!"

Gu Qing insisted, so Chang Zhong had no choice but to accept the order and resign.

Sitting alone in the commander's tent, Gu Qing stared at the map and studied it for a long time, trying to find the true strategic intention of the Tibetan army. However, after all, he had no experience in fighting. He couldn't figure it out for a long time. The desert is so big and there are many cities outside the desert. I don't know.

Before Tibet's strategic intentions, any city had the possibility of being attacked by Tibet.

Han Jie quietly walked into the commander's tent and said: "Master Marquis, it's time to eat."

Gu Qing looked away from the map, sighed in frustration, and rubbed his aching temples vigorously.

"Are these Tubo thieves running into the desert to die? What on earth do they want to do?" Gu Qing murmured.

Han Jie said softly: "If you are not of my race, it is naturally difficult to predict what you will do and think. Tubo is located on a plateau, with poor real estate, and its people are brave and warlike. At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, their ambitions may have been suppressed, but now,

The war between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty often resulted in more victories than defeats, and I don’t know why..."

Then Han Jie added: "However, the merchants of Tubo are quite mild-tempered. Maybe they have learned bad things from our merchants of the Tang Dynasty. They slapped them with smiles on their faces. They are quite willing to do business, haha."

Gu Qing blinked his eyes, as if there was a light in his mind that appeared and then disappeared.

"Tubo merchant?" Gu Qing murmured.

"The Marquis doesn't remember? Before we arrived at Kucha City, we encountered a group of bandits on the road who robbed a Tibetan caravan. The Tibetan merchant was so grateful that he almost knelt down in front of the Marquis. There were also many Tibetan merchants in Kucha City.

He is still wearing a leather robe on a hot day, and the strange smell on his body almost kills people. Now when I meet Tibetan merchants in Kucha City, I always take a long detour..."

Gu Qing suddenly laughed a few times and said: "The Tubo businessmen are not bad, really good, haha..."

Seeing that Gu Qing's expression suddenly became happy, Han Jie asked in confusion: "Master Hou, what's wrong with you?"

"Send a few smart-talking guards to leave the camp immediately and go to Kucha City to find Tibetan merchants, especially those who have just entered Kucha City in the past few days."

"What the Marquis means is..."

Gu Qing squinted his eyes and said with a smile: "The scouts can't find out the movements of the Tibetan rebel army, but the Tibetan merchants are not sure. Thirty thousand soldiers and horses cannot suddenly invade. There must be preparations and rumors in the Tubo country before sending troops. Their preparations and rumors
Chapter completed!