Although the wind in August was still a little hot, it was much better than July on the whole. Du Qi's army had been resting in Jiuquan. On the one hand, he recruited soldiers to restore the army's combat effectiveness. On the other hand, he arranged people to spread the news of Li Shimin's defeat in the Tang dynasty, which made the Tang dynasty even more chaotic.
The recruitment of soldiers was unusually smooth.
In Xia Xia, soldiers were highly respected.
Not only did they enjoy the honor of protecting their country, but they were also treated very well in Xia Xia. Although there were risks in being a soldier, once one entered the army, it was extremely easy to support one's family. For many people who didn't study, entering the army was an opportunity to support their family and also an opportunity to stand out.
In the army, most people couldn't be promoted, but at least it was easy to support their family. Therefore, it was easy for Xia Xia to recruit soldiers. In a short time, the army was expanded to 100,000 soldiers again.
Xue Rengui and Xiao Yuanqi each commanded 50,000 elite soldiers. In addition, the loss of the elephant soldiers was also made up. However, the lost elephants couldn't be recovered for the time being. They could only wait until they returned to Xia Xia to replenish the elephants.
After the number of soldiers was recovered, it was time for the army to break in and practice.
Because there were veterans in the army, the old led the new. The new soldiers quickly adapted to the army because of the veterans. Especially the veterans under Du Qi's command, they were the bravest men on the battlefield. With the presence of these people, the soldiers in the army quickly recovered and were ready to fight.
In the main tent of the army camp.
On this day, it rained in Jiuquan, which was rare. As the light rain fell, the whole sky was misty. Especially after the rain, the weather was even cooler.
Du Qi was sitting in the tent, writing a book.
Now, he had transcribed countless materials and sent them all to the University of Science and Technology. However, Du Qi's transcription seemed to be a lot, but in fact, it was too little. Because every subject had countless materials.
When Du Qi was writing, a soldier came in and reported, "Your Majesty, Pavilion Leader Shangguan wants to see you."
Du Qi ordered, "Pass!"
The soldier went to pass on the order. Not long after, Shangguan Yi stepped in. His face was brimming with a bright smile. He said happily, "Your Majesty, a letter from General Ma of the Western Region. He has good news."
Du Qi said, "Previously, Ma Yuan and Lai Ji asked for permission to fight against Boland. Could it be that they had already won? That's why I sent a letter back to report the good news. "
Shangguan Yi said seriously, "Your Majesty is wise. It was indeed Ma Yuan who led fifty thousand elites to attack the easternmost region of the Persian Empire, Bolang City. In the battle of Bolaen City, Ma Yuan had taken it without expending a single soldier. Please read the letter for the details, Your Majesty. "
As he spoke, he handed over the letter.
Du Qi took the letter and quickly skimmed through it. After he finished reading the letter, he looked excited and praised, "Lai Ji did not disappoint. He actually overturned Bolang City by himself. The most important thing is that he targeted Tibit's shortcomings and set up a good plan. Tibit's reward is a bit tricky! "
Shangguan Yi nodded. "Your Majesty is right. Tibit is addicted to alcohol and dotes on his wife. He does have shortcomings. However, I think it's not easy to take charge of the government. In fact, it's easy to get rid of his weakness. The simplest way is to let his wife, Zhao Qingyao, come forward. This way, the matter will be easy to solve. Tibit has the ability. It's a pity not to use him. "
After hearing this, Du Qi thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. Send a message to Ma Yuan, let Tibitt take charge of Bolang City, and let Tibitt be the City Lord of Bolang City. Send a secret order to Lai Ji. Zhao Qingyao must be included in the system of bad people. Her task is simple. That is to let Tibit do things honestly. "
"Yes!"
Shangguan Yi cupped his fists.
Du Qi said, "Bolaen City in the west has been pacified. The Tang dynasty in the east is in chaos. Our military strength has also been restored. At this time, I think it's time to start the war. Shangguan Yi, pass down the order. The army will set out for Gan Province and seize Jiuquan. "
"Yes!"
Shangguan Yi replied again.
He turned around and went to make the arrangements. In a short time, the order was carried out and the bugle horn sounded in the army. The army set out and left Jiuquan, heading straight for Gan Province.
Before Du Qi's army set out, he had already arranged for scouts to keep an eye on the situation in Gan Province. There were no troops guarding the various places in Gan Province. Du Qi's army was invincible and unimpeded. They smoothly killed their way into Zhangye County and arrived at the administrative center of Gan Province.
The news of Du Qi's army approaching Zhangye County reached Liu Hongcheng's ears.
During this time, Liu Hongcheng had been preparing for war.
He prepared defensive equipment, recruited soldiers to defend the city, gathered food for long-term war preparations, and reinforced the city walls and gates of Zhangye County. He constantly strengthened the defense. When Liu Hongcheng received the news of Du Qi's attack, he personally went to the city gate tower of Zhangye County. He was now the Governor of Gan Province. He was in charge of both military and political affairs and had great power.
Currently, Liu Hongcheng had already recruited thirty thousand elites. This was the limit of what he could recruit. Liu Hongcheng had no confidence in fighting Du Qi's army head-on. However, he was only in charge of defense. Therefore, even if there were only thirty thousand people, Liu Hongcheng still had a certain degree of confidence. He believed that he could defend the county.
The situation would be different if he delayed it for a few months.
Liu Hongcheng was born in the military. Therefore, he was very strict with the officers and soldiers in his command. He carefully selected and arranged all the officers and soldiers to ensure that there would not be any mistakes. Even if Xia's army attacked, Liu Hongcheng was confident that he could defend against it. After all, the Zhangye County that he was guarding had already been reinforced.
Liu Hongcheng was standing on the city gate tower at this moment. He leaned his hand on the city wall and looked at his aide Guo Zhao. He said, "Mr. Guo, Xia Xia's army is coming for us. According to the information sent back by the scouts, there are at least a hundred thousand soldiers. There are even elephant soldiers. This battle will put us under a lot of pressure. Do you think we can defend the county in the end? "
Liu Hongcheng was under a lot of pressure even though he was guarding the county.
After all, it was not easy to defend.
Guo Zhao smiled and said, "In my opinion, it won't be easy to defend the county for a long time. Unless we can send out a surprise attack and defeat Du Qi. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to win this battle. It will be good enough if we can retreat unscathed in the end, let alone victory. "
Liu Hongcheng said, "Do you have a plan?"
Guo Zhao said, "I do have a plan, but it can't be called a plan. It's just a simple and ordinary strategy."
Liu Hongcheng said, "Please enlighten me."
Guo Zhao said seriously, "The simplest way is to pretend to surrender. Then, we will lead the army to submit to Du Qi and let Du Qi's army enter the city. Du Qi will enter the city successfully and take control of the defense of the city. Then, Du Qi's army will have to enter the camp to rest. When the time comes, we will turn around and blow up the camp. As long as we set up an ambush with gunpowder, it won't be difficult to blow up the camp. "
After a pause, Guo Zhao continued, "But after this plan is implemented, our soldiers will also die. If we don't have our people in the camp, it will obviously tell Du Qi that there's a trap. So, if we want to succeed, we can only be ruthless to ourselves and the enemy. Only in this way can we succeed. "
Liu Hongcheng frowned.
This plan would cause their own people to be injured. After all, after the gunpowder in the camp exploded, it was impossible to say that only Xia Xia's people and not the Tang dynasty's people. This was a strategy to kill a thousand enemies but lose eight hundred of their own men. It was not a good plan.
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