Guazhou, the Governor's Residence.
Su Dingfang sat in his study with a grave expression.
Fu Junheng was seated below him.
Seeing Su Dingfang's grave expression, Fu Junheng smiled and said, "Governor Su, you've been so worried these days. What are you worried about? Could it be that Governor Su is worried about Du Qi's safety? "
Su Dingfang said, "Du Qi's safety is not something this official needs to worry about."
Fu Junheng said, "Since that's the case, what is there to worry about? The Imperial Court has arranged for Gao Shilian to come to the Western Regions as the Jiedushi of the Anxi Protectorate. Moreover, Hou Junji is leading an army of fifty thousand to Guazhou. "
"This is a good thing for our Guazhou."
"Once they arrive, the situation of Du Qi's family dominating the Western Regions will change completely. In fact, the countries of the Western Regions will truly be under the rule of the Tang dynasty. Unlike now, even though Du Qi is the Pacifying West King of the Tang dynasty, Du Qi is actually a country within a country. He only listens to orders and doesn't listen to orders. He is completely independent. This is extremely inappropriate. "
Fu Junheng had never liked Du Qi.
Previously, when Su Dingfang and Du Qi's armies clashed on the border, Su Dingfang's army had been utterly defeated.
Fu Junheng had suffered a blow because of this.
After a long period of silence.
Only then did he recover.
Now that the Imperial Court had arranged for someone to be the Jiedushi of the Anxi Protectorate, and even Hou Junji had come, it was clear that they wanted to make a move on the Western Regions and force Du Qi to hand over his authority.
Fu Junheng was quite pleased with this matter.
Du Qi was so arrogant.
Now that he had handed over his authority, he couldn't be arrogant anymore. In fact, if Du Qi dared to resist, Hou Junji would be there to prevent Du Qi from jumping around.
Su Dingfang looked at the smug Fu Junheng, shook his head and sighed, "Chief Fu, you don't understand this official's thoughts. What I'm worried about is not Du Qi, but Gao Shilian. "
Fu Junheng immediately laughed and said, "Governor Su, your worries are groundless."
Su Dingfang chuckled.
Fu Junheng continued, "No matter how strong Du Qi is, he still has Hou Junji's army. But even if Hou Junji couldn't stop them, the Tang dynasty still had hundreds of thousands of soldiers. In the end, Du Qi won't be able to withstand it. "
Su Dingfang said in a deep voice, "The Tang dynasty is indeed very strong, but it's impossible for the Tang dynasty to send all their forces to the Western Regions. Especially with Du Qi's current strength, according to the latest news, he already had close to 100,000 people. In addition, the weapons of the Tang dynasty soldiers were also very sophisticated. You were also present during the previous battle and saw the situation at that time. "
Fu Junheng continued, "That's nothing much. It's just that their weapons are slightly better."
Su Dingfang said, "Chief Fu, you're biased against Du Qi, so you're used to overlooking Du Qi's strength. The sabers of Du Qi's soldiers are extremely sharp. Also, when Du Qi fought with the 70,000 Western Turkic soldiers, we received news that Du Qi used an unknown new weapon. Although it's called a mechanism, it's actually an unknown weapon. Although Du Qi sealed the news, our people still managed to find it. "
Fu Junheng said, "Chief Fu, it's just a temporary thing. Besides, it might not be able to be used on a large scale here. As for what it is, we don't know. So, there's no need to investigate. "
Su Dingfang shook his head.
Fu Junheng was very good at managing government affairs. He was quite capable and could be considered a capable official. However, when it came to Du Qi, he couldn't see Mount Tai.
"Report!"
At this moment, a scout entered the hall.
The scout hurried into the hall and handed over a letter to Su Dingfang. "Chief Fu, there's a big movement in Yizhou."
Su Dingfang quickly opened the letter. After reading it, his expression changed again and again. He waved his hand to dismiss the scout.
Fu Junheng asked, "What happened?"
Su Dingfang said, "Du Qi dispatched troops from Gaochang, leading an army of a hundred thousand men toward the border between Yizhou and Guazhou. It'll be difficult for the imperial court to arrange for Gao Shilian to be appointed as the regional envoy of the Anxi Protectorate. Even if Hou Junji has an army of 50,000 soldiers, and our subordinates have been expanding their influence. Our army has reached 20,000 soldiers, and if we include the auxiliary soldiers, we have at least 30,000 soldiers. We don't have the confidence to fight with Du Qi. The arrangements made by the imperial court this time can easily lead to conflict! "
Fu Junheng shook his head. "Chief Fu, you think too highly of Du Qi, so you're actually a little afraid of Du Qi. Within the Tang dynasty, the land under the heavens belongs to the emperor, and all the people living on the land are the emperor's subjects. The Western Regions belongs to the Tang dynasty, so how can we leave it to its own devices? "
Su Dingfang said, "You're right."
He shook his head and continued, "Forget it. These aren't things that I, the Guazhou Chief Fu, can worry about. Let's just let nature take its course. As for Du Qi bringing 100,000 soldiers to the border, we just have to make preparations. "
Fu Junheng said, "Chief Fu is wise."
"Report!"
Soon after, another attendant entered.
After the attendant stood still, he said, "Chief Fu, according to the news from the city gate, Hou Junji and Hou Junji have arrived. Gao Shilian and Hou Junji have already entered the city and are heading toward the Provincial Governor's Residence. "
Su Dingfang said, "I know."
He waved his hand to have the attendant withdraw, and then he led Fu Junheng out of the study to wait at the entrance of the Provincial Governor's Residence. The two didn't have to wait for long before they heard orderly footsteps.
At the very front was Gao Shilian and Hou Junji.
Gao Shilian was wearing an official's robe and a cloak, while Hou Junji was wearing armor. An army of 50,000 soldiers followed close behind, their momentum imposing. Both of them had grave expressions on their faces.
Strictly speaking, Gao Shilian and Hou Junji were both part of the Crown Prince's faction, but Gao Shilian's status was a little higher. After all, in terms of relationship, he was Li Chengqian's maternal uncle. Hou Junji was only a member of the army, and he was one of the lower ranked generals in the court. Hou Junji was closer to Li Chengqian.
Before Hou Junji set out, he had paid a visit to Li Chengqian, and the news he received was that he wanted to viciously humiliate Du Qi and even destroy Du Qi's reputation.
Back then, Du Qi and Li Chengqian had clashed.
Li Chengqian still remembered it.
When Su Dingfang saw Gao Shilian and Hou Junji, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Su Dingfang pays respects to Regional Governor Gao and General Hou."
Hou Junji gave a slight nod.
Gao Shilian smiled and said, "Chief Governor Su, you're doing very well as the Governor of Guazhou! The officials in the royal court all praised Governor Su's reputation. Before I left, when His Majesty summoned me, he also praised Governor Su for being able to take on great responsibilities. "
Su Dingfang said, "Regional Governor Gao is too kind. Please!"
Gao Shilian gave a slight nod, and Hou Junji had the soldiers set up camp before following Gao Shilian into the residence. Su Dingfang and Fu Junheng walked at the back, and the group entered the main hall and took their seats.
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