Chapter 42: One Better Than The Last (First Part)

  Li Siye shook his head, which was already a very subtle opposition, and many officers whispered to each other, discussing in low voices.

  "Xī yǒng xiào wèi yǒng guàn sān jūn, shì ān xī dōu hù fǔ dì yī měng jiàng, yǒng měng wú dí, shuí yě bù shì tā de duì shǒu, wǒ shì wàn fēn pèi fú de. Kě shì, zhè yǒng měng wú dí hé shàn yú móu huà shì liǎng huí shì, fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí! Yǒng měng wèi bì shàn yú móu huà, xī yǒng xiào wèi bù zhī xiǎo zhè diǎn."

  Translation:

  "Xiyong Xiao Wei is the bravest of the three armies and the first fierce general of the Anxi Protectorate. He is invincible in battle, and no one can match him. I admire him greatly. However, being brave and skilled in strategy are two different things! Bravery does not necessarily mean strategic thinking, and Xiyong Xiao Wei doesn't understand this."

  "General Fēng is wise and resourceful, skilled in strategy. His plans are even admired by the Vice Commander-in-Chief. The brave and daring Xiāo Yǒu Jùn is not only fearless but also clever, yet compared to General Fēng, he still falls far short."

  "This Li Siye, he is on good terms with Xiang Yu's general, why didn't he stop him? Isn't this a shame?"

  Listening to everyone's discussion, Gao Xianzhi frowned and hummed a sound: "Hmph!"

  His order was very strict, and all the generals knew that he had deliberately maintained Li Changguo, and they did not dare to discuss it again, and obediently shut their mouths.

  "Haha!" Gao Xianzhi successfully shut everyone up, then turned to Li Changguo with a smile and said: "Li Changguo not only fights well, but also tells jokes, come on, let's drink!" He raised the wine cup in his hand.

  He did this on purpose to help Li Changguo get out of the way and change the subject. If Li Changguo's method was not as good as Feng Changqing, wouldn't that be embarrassing? He had good intentions.

  Gao Xianzhi had said all he needed to say, and by rights Li Changgu should have taken the opportunity to retreat. However, unexpectedly, Li Changgu instead smiled and said: "Thank you, Vice-Director! Whether I speak or not is up to me; whether it is good or bad depends on you, Vice-Director. If you think it's good, then please accept it."

  If you don't fight, you can't go to Chang'an. If you can't go to Chang'an, then you can't change history. Chang'an is the center of the Tang Dynasty. To change history, one must enter Chang'an; there's no other choice.

  "Well, in that case, go ahead and say it!" Gao Xianzhi gazed at Li Changguo, seeing that he was determined to speak, she could only agree.

  "Thanks, Vice Commander!" Li Changguo knew he was well-intentioned and thanked him before rushing to say to Feng Changqing: "General Feng's words are extremely reasonable. However, I think that even if General Feng enters Chang'an, it will still be impossible to request reinforcements or transport more military supplies and rations!"

  "Why?" Feng Changqing's analysis was extremely reasonable, but unexpectedly Li Changguo vetoed him. Feng Changqing was very dissatisfied, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a stern tone.

  "Yes!" Gao Xianzhi frowned and said, "Li Changguo, don't talk nonsense! Now that we have taken down Small Bolu, the Anxi Protectorate has no more worries about its rear. It's a good opportunity to concentrate our forces and compete with Dashi. The Emperor is wise and will certainly dispatch more troops and allocate more military equipment."

  What he said makes sense, and all the generals nodded in agreement.

  "Because Tubo occupies Shigucheng, it hinders the Hexi region and threatens the Hexi Corridor!" Li Changguo's tone was slightly higher.

  "Shi Bao Cheng?"

  Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing's eyes suddenly lit up, as if they had thought of something.

  "Shi Bao Cheng?"

  Li Siye and his men were astonished but did not understand what was happening.

  "Bang!"

  Feng Changqing's right hand slapped heavily on his forehead, with a look of sudden realization, saying: "Deputy Commander, Feng Changqing has miscalculated, miscalculated!"

  "It's not just you who miscalculated, I did too!" Gao Xianzhi rubbed his forehead and said thoughtfully: "I had assumed that after taking Little Balur, the Anxi Protectorate would have no worries in the rear and could concentrate its forces to contend with the Arabs. But I forgot about Shi Baocheng! If Li Changgui hadn't mentioned it, I really would have forgotten."

  With a slight pause, he smiled at Li Changguo, very warm and appreciative, and said: "Li Changguo, in your opinion, what should we do?"

  Gao Xianzhi was a talented general, but he had made a temporary mistake. After being reminded by Li Changguo, he immediately came to his senses.

  "Really!" Feng Changqing also understood and looked at Li Changguo with a look of admiration in his eyes.

  "Deputy capital protector, in my opinion, although the Anxi Protectorate is currently without worries, it lacks military strength, insufficient military equipment, and inadequate food supplies, so it's not suitable for a major battle with Dashi. Li Changguo had already thought of this and slowly said: "If we want the Anxi Protectorate to have more troops, more military equipment, and more food supplies, we should petition Your Majesty to capture Shigucheng as soon as possible."

  Shi Bao City was built during the time of Emperor Yang of Sui's western tour, although it is not large, it is a strong pass, easy to defend and difficult to attack. At the end of Sui and the beginning of Tang, Shi Bao City was occupied by Tubo, leaving endless troubles.

  Shi Bao Castle is located at the throat of the road that Tibet must take to enter Hexi, and with this pass in hand, Tibet can come and go as it pleases, advancing to attack or retreating to defend, and can enter Hexi territory at any time.

  In order to guard against the Tubo, the Tang Dynasty stationed more than a million troops in the northwest. A stone fortress city tied up so many troops of the Tang Dynasty, making it impossible for the Tang Dynasty to deploy more troops, military equipment and food into the Western Regions.

  Historically, Gao Xianzhi defeated the Small Bolü, Geshu Han captured the Stone Fortress City, and Gao Xianzhi launched the Battle of Talas. The three events seem unrelated but are closely linked and interconnected.

  Tibet and the Tang Dynasty were enemies, with two directions. In the west, it was through the small Balur to contend for the four towns of Anxi; in the east, it was through the Shigucheng to threaten the Hexi region, and its restraint on the Tang Dynasty was very obvious.

  It was precisely because of this that after Gao Xianzhi defeated the small Balhae, in order to deploy more troops and military equipment to the Western Regions to contend with Dashi, the wise Li Longji decided to attack Shi Prefecture. At the time, the Four Garrisons Military Governor Wang Zhongshi knew that Shi Prefecture was not easy to attack, and strongly opposed it, which enraged Li Longji; despite Wang Zhongshi being a foster son of Li Longji, he was demoted.

  Under the immense pressure from Li Longji, Geshu Han had no choice but to send troops to attack Shihbao City. After paying a huge price, Geshu Han finally "conquered Shihbao and took the purple robe", confining the Tibetans to the high mountains and dense forests of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, lifting the threat to the Hexi region.

  The land of Hehuang is no longer threatened by Tubo, and the Tang Dynasty can put more troops and military equipment into the Western Regions, which has the famous "Battle of Talas".

  "I've overdone it!"

  Gao Xianzhi blamed himself for a moment, then turned to Feng Changqing and asked: "General Feng, what do you think?"

  "Deputy Commander, I think it's more suitable for the swift and brave Colonel to report the victory!" Feng Changqing was a straightforward person, not like Li Changguo, who would directly admit without embellishing.

  Moreover, Feng Changqing measured Li Changguo and admired him very much. He had already promised to be a life-and-death friend with Li Changguo, and he had a good impression of Li Changguo. Unexpectedly, Li Changguo's insight was even more brilliant than his own, so he looked up to Li Changguo even more.

  "Li Changguo, the task of reporting our victory is yours to undertake!" Gao Xianzhi looked at Li Changguo with a pleased and admiring gaze, smiling happily, feeling extremely delighted.

  Li Changguo is invincible and fearless, to say the least. He's also incredibly perceptive and insightful, even more so than the cunning and experienced Feng Changqing. It's impossible for Gao Xianzhi not to be delighted with him.

  "Thank you, Vice Commander!" Li Changguo bowed in gratitude.

  "This time you go to Chang'an, shouldering a heavy responsibility!" Gao Xianzhi's face was serious as he said: "No matter what, you must persuade the court to send troops to Shi Bo Cheng! Only by taking down Shi Bo Cheng will the Anxi Protectorate have more military strength and be able to contend with Dashi!"