The army set off in batches and headed in different directions.

Gu Qing's strategic intention is not only to suppress bandits, but more importantly, to train troops in actual combat, to allow his soldiers to experience the real flames of war, and to fuse several troops under his command into one in actual combat.

The soldiers and horses under Gu Qing's command were divided into four parts. One part was the 10,000 left guard soldiers and horses he brought with him when he set off from Chang'an, the other part was the old Anxi army that was originally under Gao Xianzhi, and the 5,000 Khotan army from Shen Tian.

, and Liu Hongbo and Gao Lang were ordered to increase their troops by 20,000.

The soldiers and horses of the four groups are all under the command of Gu Qing. No one among the soldiers and horses of each group is convinced by the other. There have been fights between soldiers in the camp in the past few days. This is a bad sign. It must be eliminated in time, otherwise it will wait until

The generals in each department are powerful, and they are pulling up small hills. Any attempt to achieve internal unity is a bit nonsense.

The last purpose of suppressing bandits is to show the merchants of Kucha City. The army is dispatched, the flags are fluttering, and the anger is in the sky. With such powerful force protection, the merchants will naturally feel a sense of security, which can effectively appease them because of the bandits.

The fear caused by robbery and killing can also establish the reputation of Kucha City's good business environment and attract more businessmen to flock here in the future.

To achieve this goal, it is very necessary to send troops.

What's more, Gu Qing is a person who attaches great importance to personal interests and has no qualms in his eyes. What the bandits are doing is really robbing him of his money bag. This is intolerable. They must be killed so that Datang can once again

Establish a strong authority in the Western Regions and frighten the restless small countries and tribes in the Western Regions.

This time, Duan Wuji was also sent out by Gu Qing, asking him to follow Chang Zhong. Chang Zhong was older and was very stable in his military affairs. His many years of battle experience were worth learning from Duan Wuji.

The army was sent out, and the camp outside Kucha City suddenly became empty, leaving only two thousand troops behind.

The hustle and bustle of the past has now become quiet. Not even a cough can be heard in the Ruoda camp. Gu Qing suddenly felt a little lonely while living in the handsome tent.

Men can be lonely too, especially single virgins.

"Han Jie, tell me...if an enemy takes advantage of the emptiness of my camp and makes a surprise attack on me, how can I die more beautifully?" Gu Qing said quietly while sitting in the handsome tent.

Han Jie was stunned. He had never thought about this question, and he would not think about it because it was too unseemly.

"Don't worry, Lord Marquis, we still have two thousand soldiers in the camp. Two thousand soldiers in the Western Region are enough to deal with any enemy's surprise attack."

"What if there are 20,000 or 50,000 enemies?"

Han Jie smiled proudly: "The countries in the Western Regions can no longer organize an army of more than 20,000. From the establishment of the Anxi Protectorate in the Zhenguan Year to the present, the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions have been destroyed and reduced by our Tang Dynasty. Earlier,

They were suppressed iron-bloodedly by Commander-in-Chief Gao Jie in 2006, and now the countries in the Western Regions are living in fear and fear and dare not act rashly."

Gu Qing thought thoughtfully: "Since we live in fear, where did these desperate bandits come from? I always thought they were disguised as gangs."

"The general thinks that they should be the remnants of Tuqi Shi who were killed by Gao Jie Shuai in the past, and maybe there are people with the nine surnames of Zhao Wu..." Han Jie suddenly lowered his voice and sighed softly: "Gao Jie Shuai and these

In the Western Regions, we used too many troops in the Western Regions. Whether it was the Shi Kingdom or the Tu Qi Shi, those who were originally quite loyal to the Tang Dynasty, especially the nine surnames of Zhaowu, originally had their hearts set on the Tang Dynasty and always wanted to surrender. Gao Jie

When Shuai used his troops to fight, all loyalty turned into hatred..."

Gu Qing nodded: "That's why Commander Gao Jie caused His Majesty's dissatisfaction, so he sent me to replace him. Commander Gao Jie has already sent a letter to Chang'an requesting his transfer. He will be transferred back to Chang'an around the beginning of next year."

Han Jie smiled and said: "Congratulations, Lord Marquis, you will be the legitimate Lord of Anxi from now on."

Gu Qing was thinking about something else at the moment. He frowned and thought for a while, then slowly said: "I heard that in the Zhaowu Nine Surnames, everyone is engaged in business. When the Nine Surnames were at their peak, they almost controlled the Western Regions.

Most of the businessmen earn money and wealth that can rival the country, is there such a thing?"

Han Jie nodded and said: "Yes, the nine surnames of Zhaowu were originally Yuezhi people. Later, they were attacked by the Xiongnu and moved to the Western Regions. They were divided into countries. They said they were nine surnames, but they were actually nine kingdoms. This ethnic group has been good at doing business since ancient times and has been rich.

But the enemy country, but they paid too much attention to money and profits, and neglected to prepare and organize the army. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, they were often defeated by foreign enemies. It was not until the Zhenguan period that the nine surnames submitted to the Tang Dynasty, and they had a stable life. The nine surnames of Zhaowu

Since the year of Zhenguan, I have always been devoted to the Tang Dynasty. Every time the emperors of the Tang Dynasty changed, they would be rewarded and given titles..."

Gu Qing said solemnly: "It's a pity that Gao Xianzhi's greedy thoughts shattered the loyalty of the nine surnames of Zhaowu..."

In the ninth year of Tianbao, Gao Xianzhi destroyed Shiguo, and Shiguo became one of the nine surnames of Zhaowu.

After Gao Xianzhi destroyed the Shi Kingdom, he also defeated several other kingdoms of the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu to pieces. Shangshu said that the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu "lost the courtesy of Tibetan ministers".

Under this ridiculous reason, Gao Xianzhi's original intention was actually to covet the money of the nine surnames of Zhaowu who were extremely wealthy. During that time when the country was destroyed, Gao Xianzhi made a lot of money, and the originally strong defense line in the west of the Tang Dynasty, and the Anxi Protectorate

The hearts and minds that have been fought for for hundreds of years have completely collapsed because of Gao Xianzhi's battle.

After the First World War when the Shi Kingdom was destroyed, the attitude of the various tribes in the Western Regions toward the Tang Dynasty changed from friendly to fearful and hostile.

These are all the faults of Gao Xianzhi. What is annoying is that Gu Qing, as his successor, has to wipe his ass.

It was for these reasons that Gu Qing insisted on driving Gao Xianzhi away from Anxi even though he knew he was a famous general of the Tang Dynasty.

He is still too old to worry, and he has caused more trouble than Gu Qing, a young man put together. Gu Qing really doesn't dare to use such an uncontrollable person.

Han Jie looked at Gu Qing's thoughtful expression and asked tentatively: "The Marquis suddenly asked about the nine surnames of Zhaowu..."

Gu Qing sighed and said: "I am short of talents around me. I need them all. Whether they are invincible generals, strategists, or businessmen who can fully guarantee my logistics and earn a steady stream of money."

After pondering for a long time, Gu Qing seemed to have made up his mind, and suddenly said in a stronger tone: "Zhaowu Jiu surname, I want to appease them and let them regain their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty, because I need their help. The people of the Jiu surname have been good at doing business since ancient times.

He is a helper given to me by God."

Han Jie smiled bitterly and said: "Shuai Gao Jie defeated the nine surnames of Zhaowu to pieces in a battle in the past. The people of the nine surnames are missing. Not only did the Marquis try to appease them, we don't even know where their people are.

Besides, our Tang Dynasty has a hatred for the genocide of the Nine Surnames, how can they still be loyal to the Tang Dynasty?"

Gu Qing said seriously: "There is a quick and effective way..."

"any solution?"

"In front of them, Gao Xianzhi was chopped with a knife..."

Han Jie took a breath and looked at him in horror: "Master Hou, are you serious?"

Gu Qing waved his hand and said with a smile: "It won't be so straightforward... but you can consider persuading Gao Xianzhi to draw a sword and kill himself in front of the Nine Surnames. The effect will be the same. For the overall situation of the Western Region, Gao Jieshuai probably won't mind..."

Han Jie was silent for a long time and said slowly: "General, I thought... Gao Jieshuai would mind."

Gu Qing sighed and said dejectedly: "When Jing Ke assassinated Qin, in order to win the trust of the King of Qin, he needed to betray the general Fan Yuqi. Fan Yuqi killed himself without saying a word. Why can't Gao Xianzhi be as happy as Fan Yuqi... …”

"Master Marquis, you are overthinking, Gao Jieshuai will definitely not be so happy." Han Jie tried his best to persuade.

Gu Qing thought for a while and said: "Send a few people from the camp to catch up with the soldiers and horses, and tell them that if they encounter people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu during the suppression of bandits, they must be kept under the sword and cannot be harmed. Bring them back to me."

…………

In the next few days, Gu Qing waited in the camp for news from the generals ahead.

It is a pity that the traces of the bandits are not so easy to find. Countless scouts from various ministries were sent out, but the bandits seemed to have burrowed into the sand and could not be found. On the contrary, due to the extreme climate of the desert that alternates between hot and cold, our soldiers I fell ill a lot.

The enemy could not be found, let alone the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu.

Gu Qing was in a very anxious mood. He was estimating the day when An Lushan would raise his troops every day. Once An Lushan raised his troops, Li Longji would definitely transfer the Anxi army to Yumen Guanqinwang. At that time, no matter how far Gu Qing would manage Anxi, he would have to immediately Give up everything and lead the troops into the pass.

Before An Lushan raises his troops, Gu Qing must race against time to perfect Anxi's operations.

"Perfect" means that there must be a steady stream of logistical supplies, financial resources that make daily gains, and moreover, it must win over the morale of the officers and men of the Anxi Army and subtly let them be used by themselves instead of the imperial court.

Winning over the nine surnames of Zhaowu is a very important part of it. Gu Qing didn't think about this when he first came to Anxi. As time goes by, as he gradually grasps the power in Anxi, he can sit in his current position and see the overall situation of the entire Western Region. , only then suddenly realized the importance of the nine surnames of Zhaowu.

The problem now is that we can't even find anyone.

Huangfu Sisi carried the lacquer box and trudged to the gate of the camp. Looking at the empty barracks inside, Huangfu Sisi had a smile on her lips and trimmed her hair to make herself look more charming.

The sergeant on duty in front of the camp stopped her and no one was allowed to enter the camp.

Huangfu Sisi told the sergeant in a soft voice that she was a friend of the coach, Mr. Gu, and could she be accommodating.

The young sergeant refused coldly, because the honey trap did not work well. Once he dared to let the idlers into the camp, what awaited him was harsh and ruthless military law, and his head would be lost.

Huangfu Sisi had no choice but to retreat and ask for help, and asked the sergeant to come inside to report, and invited Han Jie, the personal guard general beside the Marquis, to come out.

The sergeant hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed and sent a person to the camp to report.
Chapter completed!