reax;
Li Longji gave the Ministry of War a deadline of five days to prepare weapons, armor, rations, and other materials for 3,000 soldiers. However, the Ministry of War only took four days to gather all these materials. This was enough to show that although the Tang dynasty's treasury was empty recently, it was not difficult to equip an army of 3,000 soldiers temporarily. This was the national strength of a big country.
In the past few days, Ang Lee had not been idle. In addition to gradually gathering all the troops, he also collected all kinds of information about Cuandi, including terrain maps, ethnic distribution, climate characteristics, living customs, and other aspects.
This was because only by knowing enough about Cuandi's situation could it be easier to quell the rebellion there.
"Big Brother, Uncle is here."
Hearing this, Ang Lee put away the map on the table and got up to greet Yan Zhenqing. "Uncle, why are you here?"
"Everything is fine. You will lead the troops to Cuandi tomorrow morning. Uncle is here to say goodbye to you. How is it? Are you confident in quelling Cuandi?"
Yan Zhenqing said proudly.
Ang Lee patted his chest. "Uncle, don't worry. Cuandi is a motley crew. Quelling Cuandi is a piece of cake."
"Good. It's good that you are confident. However, confidence alone is not enough. You must be careful and never underestimate the enemy. Uncle will wait for your triumphant return in the capital."
Yan Zhenqing said loudly.
"Yes, Uncle. I will definitely return in triumph and make contributions to the Tang dynasty."
Yan Zhenqing nodded. He took out an embroidery from his arms and slowly unfolded it. "Everything is fine. This is a gift from Ruyu. Accept it."
Ang Lee looked up. The exquisite embroidery was a white handkerchief with a galloping warhorse embroidered on it. It meant success.
"Uncle, please thank Ruyu on behalf of me. The departure time is tight, so I won't thank him personally."
Ang Lee gently took the handkerchief and stuffed it into his arms.
Yan Zhenqing nodded slightly and looked at Ang Lee and the others. "It's getting late. You should rest early. We will officially set off tomorrow."
"Kun Xiong, send Uncle off."
"No need. You can rest."
"Yes, uncle."
The next morning, the six hundred soldiers of the Dragon Martial Army and the four hundred supply troops all gathered outside the Illustrious Virtue Gate, waiting for the order to set off.
These 600 Dragon Warrior Army soldiers were all elites that Ang Lee had handpicked. The 100 warriors from Yuzhou were also among them. Last time, it was these 600 soldiers who had escorted Zhao Yefu back to Dongnu Province. Ang Lee trusted them quite a bit.
The four hundred supply troops were also the best equipped troops in the capital. Every two soldiers had a supply wagon and two working horses. They could transport large amounts of military resources and provide sufficient supplies for the troops.
Of course, these four hundred supply troops could only maintain the provisions of a thousand troops. As for the three thousand troops that were about to be recruited, the various resources needed would have to be transported by additional troops.
In order to transport the resources needed by these three thousand soldiers, the Imperial Court had mobilized an additional five hundred soldiers and one thousand five hundred commoners to be responsible for transporting these resources to Cuandi. For the safety of these resources, they would set off together with Ang Lee's soldiers.
In other words, Ang Lee would be leading three thousand troops into Cuandi this time.
After a simple wash, Ang Lee led his trusted subordinates and rode toward the Illustrious Virtue Gate in the hazy morning light.
Daye Square was not far from the Illustrious Virtue Gate. Ang Lee's group quickly arrived outside the Illustrious Virtue Gate. At this time, the six hundred Dragon Martial Army soldiers, the four hundred supply troops, and the commoners responsible for transporting the three thousand troops were all ready outside the Illustrious Virtue Gate. They only needed to be given the order to set off immediately.
Because the sky was still dark, the officials sending them off had not yet arrived. There was also no trace of Yu Chengjie's Nanzhao diplomatic group.
Summer was a hot season, but summer mornings were very cool. As long as the sun had not risen, the weather would not be hot.
Ang Lee breathed in the cool air and admired the scenery and the orderly troops around him.
"Big Brother, Nanzhao's diplomatic group is here."
Ang Lee also saw it. Several hundred Nanzhao's diplomatic group were slowly approaching from Vermilion Bird Avenue inside the Illustrious Virtue Gate. At the front were a dozen cavalrymen, followed by carriages and infantrymen, and at the back were the supply troops.
Yu Chengjie slept late and was currently taking a nap in the carriage.
"Second Prince, Captain Li is up ahead."
Hearing this, Yu Chengjie opened his eyes slightly, lifted the curtain of the car window, and looked at Li An who was not far away.
"Stop, stop."
When they reached Ang Lee, Yu Chengjie ordered the carriage to stop. He lifted the curtain and alighted.
"General Li, you're so early!"
Yu Chengjie was all smiles. He seemed to be in a good mood. However, from the puffy circles under his eyes, it was clear that he had overindulged in debauchery these past few days. His body was seriously weak.
"Second Prince, you've been very busy these past few days. How's your waist?"
Ang Lee joked.
"General Li really knows how to joke. Xiao Wang is doing very well. I'll have to rely on General Li to take care of me along the way."
"It's my duty to protect the Second Prince. I won't let any assassins have a chance to harm the Second Prince."
Yu Chengjie smiled even more happily. "General Li, Xiao Wang is definitely going to be your friend. Once we're done with Cuandi, General Li is welcome to visit Nanzhao at any time."
Ang Lee nodded. "If there's a chance, I'll definitely go."
Yu Chengjie and Ang Lee exchanged a few more pleasantries. Then, Yu Chengjie yawned and entered the carriage to take a nap.
When the first rays of the morning sun rose, Prince Qing, Li Tan, and a dozen other princes, along with a dozen fifth-rank officials and above, sent Ang Lee off outside the Illustrious Virtue Gate.
The farewell greetings were nothing more than encouragement and pleasantries. They asked Ang Lee to take care of himself and do more for the Tang dynasty.
After the send-off ceremony, Li An gave an order and led a group of people out of Chang 'an City. They set off in the direction of Cuandi.
To ensure the safety of the entire group, Ang Lee made a scientific arrangement for the entire group. A small number of scouts would scout the road 30 li ahead of time. Once they found anything abnormal, they would immediately report it to Ang Lee. This would eliminate the possibility that the road was blocked by dangerous situations and that there might be assassins lying in ambush.
At the front of the official group were 50 cavalrymen from the Dragon Martial Army. They were responsible for clearing the road and protecting the safety of the entire group. Behind them were the 100 people from Nanzhao's diplomatic mission, Ang Lee, and his 200 soldiers from the Dragon Martial Army.
Behind them were the 400 supply troops. Behind them were the 2,000 soldiers who were responsible for escorting the 3,000 soldiers. Ang Lee had the remaining 350 soldiers from the Dragon Martial Army protect them along the way. This was to prevent any damage to the supplies, weapons, and armor.
In the entire group, other than the scouts at the front who were further away, the rest of the official group was less than 20 li. This was to make it easier for them to coordinate with each other at any time and prevent any unexpected situation from happening.
Because Ang Lee had been through Chencang Road twice, he was more familiar with the situation there. Therefore, this time, he still chose to go south through Chencang Road to enter Central Sichuan and then proceed to Cuandi.
After the 3,000 soldiers left Chang 'an City, they slowly moved forward. Because there were too many supplies and the road conditions along the way were not very good, it was impossible to move quickly.
Fortunately, the mission to pacify Cuandi was not too urgent. It did not matter if they moved quickly or slowly, as long as they could eventually enter Cuandi and start the operation.
Because Ang Lee's fame had already spread throughout the world, they did not encounter any assassins along the way. They did not encounter any accidents until they entered Yizhou City a month later, which was somewhat surprising.
Yizhou City was the largest and most prosperous city in the entire Jiannan City. In the Tang dynasty, there was a saying that Yangzhou was the richest city in the Tang dynasty, and Yizhou was ranked second.
The reason why Yizhou was so prosperous was because it was the commercial center of the entire Jiannan City. All internal and external business transactions had to pass through here, and the prosperity of the business would inevitably lead to the prosperity of the entire city.
Yizhou was rich in Sichuan brocade, tea leaves, and other precious materials. If these materials were sold, it would bring a rich source of income to Yizhou, allowing its economy to continue to prosper.
This was already Ang Lee's third time in Yizhou, so he knew the situation of Yizhou City like the back of his hand. After entering the city, he first arranged the supplies and sent soldiers to escort Yu Chengjie to the Post House to rest. Then, he rode his horse to the Provincial Governor's Mansion to seek an audience with Zhangchou Jianqiong.
"Subordinate Ang Lee greets Marshal Zhangchou Jianqiong."
Seeing that Zhangchou Jianqiong personally came out to greet him, Ang Lee quickly saluted.
"General Li, haha, this marshal already knew that you were coming. I originally wanted to personally come to the outskirts to greet you, but I was too busy. Come, please come in."
Zhangchou Jianqiong's attitude was very cordial. He pulled Ang Lee's hand and walked into the mansion.
After exchanging greetings in the main hall, Zhangchou Jianqiong went straight to the point, "If General Li needs any help from this marshal, this marshal will definitely provide my full support. However, my Jiannan City only has thirty thousand soldiers. Although Tufan was defeated, their strength still remains. Therefore, in terms of military strength, I cannot provide too much support to General Li. I hope General Li can understand."
Ang Lee smiled faintly. He looked at Zhangchou Jianqiong and said truthfully, "How could this subordinate not know that Jiannan City is lacking in military strength? That is why I requested His Majesty to head to Lu Province to recruit three thousand soldiers. Right now, the weapons and armor are all prepared. There is also no problem with the provisions and pay for the next three months. However, the training of the new soldiers requires time, and so does suppressing the rebellion. Three months is not realistic. Therefore, the issue of provisions and pay will require Marshal Zhangchou Jianqiong's support."
Zhangchou Jianqiong grinned, "General Li, don't worry. The imperial edict has already been issued. This marshal is responsible for providing for the three thousand new soldiers that General Li has recruited. Even if I, Zhangchou Jianqiong, have to starve, I will not let my soldiers starve. Yi Province has a lot of money and food, enough to support the three thousand soldiers that General Li has recruited."
"Many thanks, Marshal Zhangchou. With this, Ang Lee will have no worries."
Ang Lee was overjoyed.
Zhangchou Jianqiong smiled casually before frowning, "General Li, do you know how many tyrants there are in Cuandi, as well as their military strength and strength?"
"To tell the truth, I only know the general situation. Only by going deep into Cuandi can I truly understand the situation there."
"Since you don't know enough about Cuandi, why did General Li only ask for three thousand soldiers? With such a small number of soldiers, is General Li really confident in quelling the rebellion?"
Zhangchou Jianqiong was doubtful of Ang Lee's actions. There were tens of thousands of rebels in Cuandi, and the terrain was dangerous. Even Zhangchou Jianqiong, who had thirty thousand elite soldiers, did not dare to ask for an order to clear them out. He was hoping that the imperial court would send a large army. Yet, Ang Lee only asked for three thousand soldiers. This was too shocking.
Ang Lee knew that he was too young, and in many aspects, it was difficult for him to gain the recognition of others. Although he had made great contributions to the Tang dynasty many times, in the eyes of some people, these contributions were more or less due to luck. In the Battle of Yuzhou, if Ang Lee did not have a powerful weapon like skis, he might not have been able to achieve such an outstanding victory. In the Battle of Mother-Son Road, if the Tufan prince had been more cautious, the situation might have been different.
However, Ang Lee was always confident in himself. He believed that only a medium-sized elite army could truly solve the problem of Cuandi's rebellion. If too many soldiers entered Cuandi, it would seriously drag down the imperial court's finances. Moreover, fighting a war was not a matter of having more people. The more people there were, the greater the logistical pressure. Moreover, if there were slippery soldiers in the army, it would cause the entire army to be in danger of sinking into the mire of Cuandi.
In order to prevent the Tang dynasty's army from sinking into the mire of quelling the rebellion in Cuandi, Ang Lee must quickly establish an elite army that could adapt to the climate of Cuandi. This army must be composed of hardworking and honest people, and no slippery people could be included in it.
"Rest assured, Commander. Although this humble one does not understand the situation in Cuandi very well, with three thousand soldiers and strict training, it will be enough to quell the mob in Cuandi."
Ang Lee said confidently.
"Good. Since General Li is so confident, then this Commander will wish General Li success and quell the rebellion in Cuandi as soon as possible."
The only thing Zhangchou Jianqiong could do now was to encourage him.
"Rest assured, Commander. This humble one will definitely not let you down, and will definitely not let His Majesty down."
Zhangchou Jianqiong took out a thick stack of documents and handed it to Ang Lee. He said seriously, "These are some of the information my scouts have found in Cuandi. I believe General Li will definitely need them."
"Thank you, Commander. This humble one could not ask for more."
Ang Lee was very happy. He took the thick stack of documents and casually flipped through them.
Zhangchou Jianqiong stood up and paced around the main hall. He warned, "General Li, Cuandi is a thousand miles southwest of Yizhou. The mountains are high and the forests are dense. The terrain is rugged and hot and humid. It is not a good place. The barbarians there are vicious and cunning. They will not be easy to deal with. You must not underestimate them."
"Yes, Commander. This humble one understands."
Ang Lee lightly nodded. He looked at the documents in his hand and frowned. He asked, "Commander, according to the scouts, there are far more than ten barbarians in Cuandi. There are also countless forts and bandits. If that is the case, we will have to put in some effort."
"Yes, Cuandi is a dangerous place. There are as many barbarians and bandits as there are hairs on a cow. The barbarians can calm the people, but the bandits are different. They do bad things to the people. This is also the reason why the officials of the Tang dynasty are not willing to take up a post in Cuandi."
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