Withered leaves drifted through the air over Suiye.
Compared to the other cities, this city was more like the interior of the Central Plains. The ground was paved with gray stone and had a damp feel to it. And on both sides of the road, there were more buildings of the Central Plains. Most importantly, there were finally more people here than in other places. It was no longer like other places, which were completely empty, with only a few Hu merchants in sight.
However, the atmosphere of war here was also much stronger than anywhere else.
Clangclang!
Suddenly, the clanging of metal came from the distance, accompanied by the sounds of fighting.
"Zhang Que, what's going on? Why are there sounds of fighting up ahead? "
Wang Chong frowned and gestured for Zhang Que to come over. The Anxi Protectorate army was already on the front lines, fiercely battling with the Arabs. There shouldn't be any fighting in the city at a time like this.
"Reporting to Marquis: it's a group of bandits in Suiye. We don't know when they appeared, but when we discovered them, they were setting the city on fire and pillaging. Our troops are currently fighting with them and should be able to defeat them very quickly. "
"Bandits? Isn't this the territory of the Anxi Protectorate? Isn't Feng Changqing still in the residence? Why would bandits appear here? "
Wang Chong sternly said, his brow creased.
Although Gao Xianzhi had taken with him nearly ninety percent of the Anxi Protectorate army, he had still left ten percent behind to guard the rear. With these Great Tang soldiers guarding the rear, this sort of situation shouldn't have occurred. Moreover, one of the Twin Walls of the Empire, Feng Changqing, was holding down the rear.
"I'm not sure."
Zhang Que shook his head, a look of confusion in his eyes.
"Based on what our eagle team has seen from the sky, there's probably more than one group of bandits in Suiye, and this situation has probably been going on for some time. General Kong Zi-an is currently leading his men to drive out the bandits. I'm confident that it won't be long before all of them are eliminated. "
Wang Chong nodded. "We'll know once we ask Feng Changqing."
Just as he was speaking, the sound of galloping hooves could be heard. A messenger passed through the heavy ranks and suddenly rushed over from the front.
"Report! Marquis, Anxi Vice Protector-General Feng Changqing requests an audience! "
"Oh?"
Wang Chong's eyes flashed in surprise. Speak of the devil, and the devil appears. Without much time to think, Wang Chong patted his warhorse and immediately moved forward.
…
On the side of the official road, beside a green government office, a few figures stood quietly. The leader was an ugly, dark-skinned middle-aged man with a straight back and a gentle demeanor. He looked extremely confident. Behind him were four burly and burly soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate army, long sabers strapped to their waists.
It was unknown how long the four of them had been standing there, but their expressions were slightly anxious.
"He's here!"
At the sight of Wang Chong's horse, Feng Changqing's eyes brightened, his heart overjoyed. As if he had found his savior, he led the four elites of the Anxi Protectorate army forward to meet the enemy. For nearly two months, Feng Changqing had been anxiously waiting, every day like an ant on a hot pan. Only he knew how he had managed to endure these two months.
Now that Wang Chong had finally led an army of more than one hundred thousand soldiers through Suiye, Feng Changqing felt much more at ease.
In truth, as Wang Chong's constant evasions, he had once suspected that Wang Chong was just making up excuses. But at this moment, when he saw the surging Qixi Protectorate, Feng Changqing no longer had any doubts. And what excited Feng Changqing the most was that he had originally believed that Wang Chong would only bring twenty to thirty thousand soldiers at most. He had never imagined that Wang Chong would bring reinforcements that far surpassed his expectations.
"Marquis, you've finally arrived!"
Feng Changqing strode forward, bowing in front of Wang Chong's White-hoofed Shadow and clasping his hands in greeting. The moment these words left his mouth, Feng Changqing could no longer hold back his tears. The City of Talas was in a perilous situation, and he had not received a single letter in more than three days. Although he was extremely anxious, he could not show it, because everyone was watching him.
If even he panicked, then all of Anxi would be finished.
But after waiting for so long, this day had finally arrived, Wang Chong's arrival.
"Milord, there is no need for such courtesy!"
Wang Chong's expression turned serious, and he hurriedly dismounted and helped Feng Changqing up. Feng Changqing was a famed general of Anxi, one of the Twin Walls of the Empire. In terms of age and seniority, he had far surpassed Wang Chong, but in terms of status and status, Wang Chong had far surpassed Feng Changqing.
Gao Xianzhi had left Feng Changqing to guard the rear, giving him the position of Vice Protector-General. But Wang Chong was Qixi's Protector-General, and the Young Marquis that had been personally conferred by the Holy Emperor. In this aspect, Feng Changqing could not compare. Thus, when Feng Changqing met Wang Chong, he needed to bow as a subordinate.
"Dare I ask Milord, what is the current situation in the Western Regions? What is Lord Gao Xianzhi's situation? And when I just entered the city, I saw bandits running amok. Aren't there still soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate army stationed in Suiye? Why is something like this still happening? "
Wang Chong got straight to the point.
Wang Chong had long since heard of Feng Changqing's reputation. In his last life, the Twin Walls of the Empire had been two of the brightest stars of the Western Regions. Although he had heard a lot about them, this was his first time meeting them in person. Feng Changqing had an extremely ugly appearance, and his status was not as high as Wang Chong's, but Wang Chong did not look down on him in the slightest. On the contrary, he treated him with extreme respect. This was also why he had hurriedly dismounted and bowed upon seeing Feng Changqing.
This was a loyal subject of the empire, one of the best in logistics and administration. Even Xu Yi-qin, who would later become the Queen of Logistics, had once said that she admired him immensely. It was precisely for this reason that bandits were running amok in Suiye that Wang Chong found it even more difficult to understand.
"Marquis might not know, but Anxi is currently plagued by internal and external threats. The Arabs have not only colluded with the Shi Kingdom, but have also sent out many spies to bribe the Hu of Anxi, equipping them with horses and weapons so that they can stir up trouble in the rear and disrupt Anxi. In addition, the Anxi Protectorate army led by Lord Gao Xianzhi has been locked in a stalemate with the Arabs at Talas for two months. The people of the Western Regions are unsettled, and many small kingdoms and tribes of the Western Regions are taking advantage of the situation. Anxi is severely lacking in soldiers. The total number of soldiers doesn't even add up to two thousand, far from enough.
"What Marquis is seeing right now is the result of my doing all I can to maintain it. Otherwise, Suiye would have been even more chaotic."
Feng Changqing had a haggard expression on his face.
As one of the Twin Walls of the Tang Dynasty, besides Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing was the most dazzling figure in all of Anxi. Feng Changqing truly could not escape the blame for Anxi's current state, but only Feng Changqing understood just how difficult his situation was. When the thirty-six kingdoms and tribes of the Western Regions were taking advantage of the chaos to rise up, the two thousand soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate army that had been left behind to guard the area was truly a single log.
On the one hand, Feng Changqing was worried about the safety of Gao Xianzhi and the thirty thousand soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate army at Talas, and on the other hand, he had to do his utmost to maintain the stability of the Western Regions.
"So that's how it is!"
Wang Chong was also moved. He knew that Gao Xianzhi hadn't left many soldiers in the Western Regions, but Wang Chong had never imagined that there would only be two thousand soldiers. Maintaining the safety of the vast Western Regions with such a small number of soldiers was practically impossible. In truth, the fact that Suiye, as the city closest to Talas, was still able to have so many merchants and still maintain order on the surface was a testament to Feng Changqing's astonishing abilities.
"Chen Bin, give Lord Feng Changqing two thousand soldiers and equip them with crossbows and shields. In addition, I will give you ten ballista teams. No matter what, Suiye must be stabilized!"
Wang Chong ordered without turning his head.
Suiye was where the Anxi Protectorate was located. It was both the closest defensive fortress to Talas and the spiritual center of the Western Regions. If even the Anxi Protectorate's Suiye fell into chaos, the entire Western Regions would truly be thrown into chaos. Thus, no matter what, Wang Chong had to stabilize the situation in Suiye and kill all the robbers.
"Yes, Marquis!"
Chen Bin's voice came from the rear, and then the sound of hooves galloping into the distance.
"Marquis, I can deal with the situation in Anxi for now, at least for the time being, but Lord Gao Xianzhi is in a dire situation. I'm afraid that he won't be able to hold on for much longer. I hope that Marquis can hurry up and reinforce Lord Protector-General as soon as possible! "
Feng Changqing suddenly said, his eyes brimming with unease and anxiety.
"Lord Feng, don't be in such a rush. Just what is the situation at Talas?"
Wang Chong asked.
Up until now, almost all the information on Talas had come from the Anxi Protectorate and Feng Changqing. No one knew the situation at Talas better than Feng Changqing, not even Zhang Que.
"The situation at Talas is extremely bad. When the Arabs first arrived, they didn't have many soldiers or sufficient preparations, and there were no trees around Talas that could be cut down. But now, the Arabs are gathering more and more soldiers, and their attacks are getting fiercer and fiercer. Based on the information I've gathered, the Arabs are already cutting down trees in the rear and bringing them to the front lines, where they are building ladders and other construction equipment. This is clearly the intention of an all-out assault. In a few days at most, Talas won't be able to hold out. "
"The Arabs are currently focusing all their attention on Talas. If Talas falls, Anxi will quickly fall. The entire Western Regions will fall into the hands of the Arabs. "
Feng Changqing's expression was extremely agitated.
"Marquis, Anxi and the Tang Dynasty have no more soldiers to use. We can only rely on Milord. Changqing requests Marquis, no matter what, you must rescue Lord Protector-General and the Anxi disciples in the city! Please! "
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