Yang Fan said, "Of course not only that. There are also the scouts from the He Yuan Army helping me. I have thought about it. The reason we ended up like this after leaving Luoyang is because we are not familiar with Longyou. Even if we changed into the attire of the Longyou people, we would not be able to blend in quickly. The locals would be able to see the difference at a glance, which is why you were ambushed. I am only one person. If I blend in with the horse caravan that is used to Longyou, it will not be easy for others to see through me. Furthermore, it is not suitable for you to move in your current situation. Why don't I go alone, along with the scouts from the He Yuan Army. Maybe it will have a miraculous effect. "
"This … …"
Huang Xuchang was slightly hesitant.
Yang Fan smiled slightly. Looking at the pitiful state of the Hundred Cavalry soldiers in the room, he said, "Everyone came west together. Some of our brothers have been slumbering in Longyou. It is not that the brothers here do not want to carry out the mission, but they do not have the strength to act. Our time is tight. If Yang Fan does not disappoint everyone and completes the mission, the credit will naturally belong to everyone. Yang Fan will not be greedy for credit alone! "
Hearing this, Huang Xuchang's black face turned red. He said angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about? Will I fight with you for credit? I am just worried that so many of us will be killed by the enemy. You are alone … … "
Yang Fan said, "What is there to worry about? Someone has to do this. Since I am a soldier, how can I be afraid of death! We have so many brothers. Some are dead, some are injured, and some are dead. I am the only one who is still alive and kicking. If I don't go, who else can go? Can I be a coward? "
Huang Xuchang looked at him for a long time. He sat up with difficulty and held Yang Fan's hand. He said emotionally, "Beta Persei, after you entered the Hundred Cavalry, I, Old Huang, started to be picky and disliked you no matter how I looked at you. Old Huang was wrong. This matter concerns the honor of the Hundred Cavalry. Now, I will leave it to you! "
Yang Fan looked at this soldier who valued honor more than his life. He did not say anything and only nodded heavily. He then turned to the shopkeeper and said, "Have the local scouts who cooperated with us come here?"
The shopkeeper replied, "Not yet. Only an officer in charge of this matter came by to deliver some necessary medicine and invited a doctor from the army to treat everyone. Because your trip here is an absolute secret, and you can't move for the time being due to your injuries, we haven't sent any scouts to coordinate with you yet. "
Yang Fan thought for a moment and said, "How about this? You inform them to send someone over tomorrow afternoon. We'll meet first and discuss our plan of action. Most of our people are injured, so there's no need for them to send the original number of scouts. However, the scouts must be elite. I want the most outstanding scouts here! "
The shop owner nodded and said, "Alright! I'll inform them immediately. "
Yang Fan continued, "Captain Huang, brothers, stay here and recuperate. I'll come back to see you tomorrow."
Huang Xuchang asked, "Aren't you going to stay here?"
Yang Fan said, "It's easy for me to go alone. I won't attract too much attention wherever I go. The main reason why we were recognized the moment we arrived in Longyou is because we don't look like locals. I want to walk around and learn more about the customs here. "
Huang Xuchang nodded and said, "Alright! Then be careful. "
By the time Yang Fan left the leather shop, it was already late. It was already past the hottest period of the day, and it was almost dusk. The sun had already lost its power, and the wind that was blowing against his face had a trace of coolness. The people who were drowsy from the midday heat felt refreshed as they faced the wind.
Yang Fan did not wander around aimlessly. In order to find his enemy, his experience of hiding in Luoyang for more than a year told him that there was no quick way to blend in with the locals in a place with different customs. Rather than wasting time on this, it was better to seek help from Shen Mu.
Although Shen Mu was stationed in Chang 'an, he clearly had an enormous hidden force in Longyou. Since they were already working together, how could he not make use of such a powerful person?
Yang Fan carried the wolf skin mattress and asked around until he found the Huangshui Courier Station.
More accurately, this was the Huangshui Courier Station. A courier station was a place set up by the imperial court to receive officials, couriers, and other public servants. Only a level lower than it was called a guesthouse. It was a place set up by the local government to receive officials and public servants who had connections. Next was a private inn.
The Huangshui Courier Station was actually a collection of courier stations, guesthouses, and inns, so it occupied a large area. Yang Fan rushed directly to the northwest corner of the Huangshui Courier Station, where the inn was located. The grade of the inn at the Huangshui Courier Station was no worse than the guesthouses here. This was the most high-end inn in the city.
Yang Fan wandered all the way from the west of the city. After confirming that no one was following him, he entered the inn with a bundle of wolf skin. The waiter in the inn saw him dressed like this and almost threw him out. Hearing that Yang Fan was looking for someone, the waiter doubtfully asked him to wait outside the door while he went in to report.
In a short while, Zhang Yi ran out with his mouth wide open. There were a few red lipstick marks on his cheeks. It seemed that this "Little Flying General", who had not tasted meat for months, was really greedy. He couldn't wait to have sex in the garden of the Yan family, and after checking into the inn, he enjoyed the bliss of having two wives.
Although this "Little Flying General" was as cunning as a fox and as vicious as a wolf, his attitude toward people was very simple: If you are good to me, I will be good to you. If you treat me as a brother, it doesn't matter if I risk my life for you. Yang Fan had given him two enchanting and moving Persian beauties in a flash. This "Little Flying General" really treated Yang Fan as a brother.
"Haha! Erlang, why are you here? I was thinking of looking for you to drink some other day. You came at the right time. Don't leave tonight. Let's drink to our heart's content! "
Zhang Yi went forward to hug Yang Fan and pulled him inside. The waiter saw that this ordinary person was really this rich guest's friend and couldn't help but secretly rejoice.
…
"Haha, is that so?"
When Shen Mu heard the reason for Yang Fan's visit, he couldn't help but laugh. "I originally didn't expect the soldiers from Luoyang to be able to find any special information. I originally wanted to help you in this aspect. This is also good. Throw away those people and you are the only one. It will be more convenient for us to move around."
Yang Fan said happily, "If that's the case, I really have to thank Brother Shen."
Shen Mu waved his hand and said, "Don't mention it. Speaking of which, there is no falsehood in the various reports from Longyou. The Empress is just being paranoid by those scheming officials around her. That's why she can't trust anyone. The information I've gathered might be more detailed than what the military scouts have gathered, but that's all there is to it. There won't be much difference. "
Shen Mu said again, "Where will you be staying tonight? If you can leave, why not stay here? Gathering information is a small matter. My people have been gathering information from various places in Longyou, so it's just a matter of convenience. You don't have to worry about this matter too much. As for the matter that I mentioned, we still need to discuss it properly. "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "I came here today with the intention of being an unwelcome guest. If you don't ask me to stay, I will not leave either."
…
At night, in Shen Mu's room.
The three of them sat facing each other. Zhang Yi is the only one drinking heartily.
The wine is good, the dishes are good, but Shen Mu and Yang Fan's minds are not here.
Shen Mu said, "The Tubo army's organizational structure is like this. The country is divided into four Ru. Each Ru is divided into two sub-Ru. Each sub-Ru has four Dongdai. Each sub-Ru also has a direct subordinate Dongdai. In addition, there are four Imperial Army Dongdai guarding the four Ru. Each sub-Ru has a marshal, a deputy general and a judge. In total, there are more than four hundred thousand soldiers and horses. Their armors and weapons are highly skilled and can be forged into excellent weapons. We have already talked about their fighting strength. Next, we will talk about their weaknesses. And they are unavoidable weaknesses. "
Yang Fan's spirit was aroused and he leaned forward slightly.
Shen Mu said, "The Tubo are good at fighting, they dare to fight and they are not afraid of death. This is not false. But they have a big problem. Our dynasty's soldiers and generals belong to the country. The soldiers and generals are not united. For example, the current Longyou General is Lou Shide. If Lou Shide is transferred to Liaodong tomorrow and Qiu Shenji is appointed as the Longyou General, he can also command Longyou's hundreds of thousands of soldiers. But Lou Shide, he single-handedly took up his post. When he goes to Liaodong, he can command Liaodong's hundreds of thousands of soldiers. This kind of situation is impossible for the Tubo! "
Shen Mu took a sip of wine and said: "The Tubo army has a big problem. This problem exists even in the elite troops of the Tubo headquarters, and that is, the power of the general does not come from the top, but from the bottom."
Yang Fan asked, "What do you mean?"
On the side, Zhang Yi gulped down a big bowl of wine. He stared at them and then grabbed the wine jar and filled it again.
Shen Mu said, "The Tubo army and the people are united. During wartime, they are the army and during peacetime, they are the people. Their general is the lord and the leader of the tribe during peacetime. Because he has people and territory in his hands, he is recruited to fight in wartime. That's why he is a general. If his men and horses are all killed, he as the lord will naturally be finished. Even if Zan Pu wants to use him, he can't send him to any other lord's tribe to command other people's troops. In this case, it means that as long as his men and horses are all killed, he will be penniless. It's impossible for him to become the commander and continue to live the life of a superior. Therefore, they must preserve their capital. Once the battle is too hard, even if the soldiers dare to fight, their leaders will not dare to continue fighting. They will do everything possible to preserve their own strength. "
Yang Fan suddenly understood and gently nodded his head. Shen Mu continued, "Let's talk about those vassal tribes of Tubo, such as Yangtong, Supi, and Tuyuhun. They are regarded as foreign tribes by the Tubo nobles and are discriminated against. When they go out to war, the Tubo's generals and soldiers are fed with meat and drink, but they are often hungry and full.
Not to mention this, as vassal tribes, they must regularly pay tribute to the Tubo's headquarters, send troops for free, and distribute the spoils of war first to the Tubo's headquarters. How can they not harbor resentment? It's just that they are forced by the situation and have no choice but to comply. Therefore, there are those who outwardly agree but secretly oppose, there are those who secretly drag the troops down, and there are those who betray our court. These are the weaknesses that we can exploit.
Sui Wen Emperor Yang Jian and our dynasty's Emperor Taizong were able to defeat them completely because they cleverly exploited their internal contradictions. Otherwise, with the wisdom of these two sovereigns and the many elite soldiers and generals under them, they may not be able to easily win against such a brave and skillful army! "
Yang Fan sighed, "That's right. No matter how brave and skillful an army is, if it has this flaw, as long as it is exploited, there is no reason for it not to lose. Fortunately, they did not learn our Central Plains military system, otherwise this Tubo would be even more of a headache. "
Shen Mu laughed heartily and said, "That's impossible. The reason why I said that this is an unavoidable flaw is because of this. They can't learn our military system."
Seeing Shen Mu laughing, Zhang Yi also giggled foolishly. After laughing, he picked up his wine bowl and said to the two of them, "Cheers! Cheers! "Finishing, without waiting for the two of them to reply, he tilted his head back and downed the wine again.
Yang Fan stared at Shen Mu and asked, "Can't learn it or don't want to learn it?"
Shen Mu replied, "It's that they can't learn it! Our Central Plains military system originated from our Central Plains' agricultural system. The grassland military system originated from their nomadic system. Unless they also change to farming, otherwise they will not be able to learn it. Their current military system may have a major flaw, but it can still allow them to become a strong country in the western region. If they forcefully learn our dynasty's military system, I'm afraid they won't even be able to maintain their current situation and will soon become a mess. If a system lags behind the present and is still being implemented, then it will be a disaster. But no matter how outstanding a system is, if it surpasses the present and is implemented in the present, then it will also become a disaster! "
Yang Fan carefully pondered over Shen Mu's words. After a long time, he was slightly moved and said, "Listening to a wise man's words is better than reading ten years later. With Brother Shen's knowledge, if you enter the court and become a Prime Minister, it will be more than enough! "
Shen Mu laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Erlang is too kind. This brother can only be an armchair strategist and cannot be a Prime Minister in court!"
Shen Mu's smile faded and he said to Yang Fan, "The Eastern Turks have the same problem as Tubo. But because they do not have many vassals, this problem is not as serious as Tubo. I plan to support the Western Turks to resist them and tie up the Eastern Turks. The focus of this division will be on the Tubo side. "
"Although Tubo does not have two Khans, they have a Prime Minister whose authority is no less than that of the Khans. This Prime Minister is the God of War, Qinling, who has defeated several famous generals of my Tang dynasty. Qinling is the son of Tubo's former Prime Minister, Lu Dongzan. When the current Zampu was young, Lu Dongzan was the regent. After Lu Dongzan's death, his son, Qinling, became the Prime Minister and continued to wield power. Now, this Zampu has grown up … "
Hearing this, Yang Fan finally understood Shen Mu's overall plan and could not help but be shocked at the meticulousness and farsightedness of his plan. Defeating an enemy once on the battlefield would only cause a temporary loss to the enemy. Unless it was a massive casualty, it would be very difficult to damage the enemy's vitality. However, once the conflict between the two opposing factions was provoked, the damage would be huge. It could even last for decades until the other party's national strength was exhausted.
Yang Fan excitedly asked, "Then, what can I do?"
Shen Mu replied, "Of course, you will be the one to 'discover' this problem. You will be the one to 'find' someone or something that the enemy can use and report it to the Empress so that she believes that she can use this to divide and disintegrate the enemy. If you are willing to share the credit with Teacher Xue or some other general you are on good terms with, I believe that you will have a greater chance of success! "
Startled, Yang Fan somewhat disappointed, "What I am doing … is that simple?"
Shen Mu smiled, "It is that simple!"
Yang Fan sighed, "This truly is a simple task!"
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