"Attack Gao Chang City?"
As soon as Hou Junji finished speaking, everyone's eyes immediately focused on Meton. This was because Meton had once said that Gao Chang City could be broken in one attack. As long as they could break through Gao Chang City, the rest would be easy. The force of Gao Chang alone was not enough to stop the footsteps of the Tang Army.
Hou Junji turned to look at Merton. "Mo Jiu, how long will it take for the Firearms Supervisor to prepare to break through the walls of Gao Chang City?"
Meton thought for a moment and said, "Gao Chang City is built based on Chang 'an City. Moreover, in order to resist our army, Qu Zhisheng dug very deep trenches outside the city walls. The Firearms Supervisor needs to get close to the walls of Gao Chang City, so we need the army to fill in the trenches outside Gao Chang City. It will take at least 15 days to complete the task."
Tian Tian City's terrain was flat and its defense was weak, so it only took five days. However, Gao Chang City was much better than Tian Tian City. In addition, Qu Zhisheng had dug a large trench outside Gao Chang City, which increased the work by a lot. Fifteen days was the Firearms Supervisor's limit.
"This is simple. Anyway, every time the army attacks the city, they will fill in the trenches. If our army does nothing, I'm afraid it will arouse the suspicion of Gao Chang." Hou Junji waved his hand and said.
Xue Wanjun frowned and said, "From I's point of view, Gao Chang City is tall and thick. With the Firearms Supervisor, it is just a matter of time. We don't need to rush to capture it. The real threat to the Tang Army is the Western Turks. Our army only needs to besiege Gao Chang and attack Khagan Butoh. Once the reinforcements of the Western Turks are destroyed, Gao Chang will definitely open the city and surrender."
"That's right. If the Western Turks were on the grasslands, we would have some concerns. But now that Ashina Khoru has entered Khagan Butoh, I think it is just the next Tian Tian City. We can capture it in half a day. Otherwise, once the reinforcements of the Western Turks arrive, it will be too late," Xin Yaoer said proudly.
He strongly supported the Tang Army to attack Khagan Butoh first. In addition to wanting to gain more merits, once the troops of the Western Turks were destroyed, Gao Chang City would definitely surrender. Then, Mo Jiazi would not have any merits.
However, Niu Jinda shook his head and said, "No. As long as the Firearms Supervisor is ready, we can capture Gao Chang City. The contradiction between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks lies in Gao Chang. Once Gao Chang is captured, the Western Turks will have no reason to interfere. Naturally, they will not easily offend the Tang Dynasty. Our army can also easily complete the established strategy. Why should we complicate matters?"
Niu Jinda's suggestion immediately received the support of many generals. It should be known that although the Tang Army was powerful, it was still risky to face Gao Chang and the Western Turks at the same time.
"No. The Western Turks have already sent Ashina Khoru to Khagan Butoh. They are already provoking the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang Dynasty does not fight back against a country that dares to provoke the Tang Dynasty, wouldn't it be a joke?" Xue Wanjun argued.
In an instant, the generals were divided. One side advocated attacking Gao Chang first to scare away the Western Turks and safely obtain military merits. The other side advocated setting up an encirclement point to attack the reinforcements and use Gao Chang City to lure the Western Turks to send out troops. Not only would they capture Gao Chang, but they would also defeat the Western Turks and obtain double military merits.
Hou Junji could not help but frown and ponder. Both sides were reasonable. One side's strategy was conservative, but it could allow the Tang Army to capture Gao Chang quickly. The other side's strategy was radical. Although defeating Gao Chang and the Tang Dynasty at the same time was risky, it could allow the Tang Army to achieve great military merits.
Hou Junji himself was a bold person. In the original history, Hou Junji had chosen the latter. This time, the ambition in Hou Junji's heart swelled again. If he could defeat both the Western Turks and Gao Chang at the same time, then his military merits would be directly comparable to Li Jing's.
Just when Hou Junji could not help but waver, a voice suddenly said, "Why don't we surrender Gao Chang City first and then attack the Western Turks? In this way, our army can not only complete the established strategy but also fight the Western Turks without any worries."
The generals turned their heads and were surprised to find that it was Mo Jiazi.
"How is it possible to surrender Gao Chang first? Qu Zhisheng has always regarded the Western Turks as a life-saving straw. If we want to capture Gao Chang City, other than a strong attack, we have to destroy the Western Turks' reinforcements so that Qu Zhisheng will completely give up and surrender. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, Qu Zhisheng will not surrender. "Xin Yaoer sneered.
Meton nodded and said, "The reason why Qu Zhisheng did not surrender is that he is waiting for the Western Turks' reinforcements to arrive. Secondly, he is relying on Gao Chang City. However, we only need to let Qu Zhisheng realize that Gao Chang City is not safe. The Tang Army is fully capable of breaching Gao Chang City before the Western Turks arrive. Then, Qu Zhisheng will naturally surrender."
"Mo Jiu, if you have any brilliant plan, you can just say it." Hou Junji frowned and said.
Meton could not help but reveal a trace of embarrassment and said, "I don't know if you still remember the hot air balloon."
"Hot air balloon!" The generals could not help but be stunned. Naturally, they did not forget the hot air balloon incident in Chang 'an that once caused a stir. Not to mention, the hot air balloon later did something that caused a sensation in the Tang Dynasty. It flew directly into the clouds, proving that the clouds were made of water vapor.
"Could it be that Mo Jiu also brought the hot air balloon?" Xue Wanjun said in disbelief. In the eyes of the generals, the hot air balloon was just a toy. How could it be related to war? Mo Jiazi was not doing his job properly!
Meton saw the expressions of the generals. How could he not know what they were thinking? He immediately explained, "You may not know, but in my opinion, the hot air balloon is also very useful in war. First of all, the hot air balloon can carry people into the air. Scouts can stand in the hot air balloon and use binoculars. It is enough to detect the enemy dozens of li away."
The eyes of the generals could not help but brighten. If they could detect the enemy in advance and predict the enemy's movements, it would be very important for the army. In this way, the hot air balloon was also a good thing.
"Let's not talk about the distant ones. Take Gao Chang City as an example. Our army only needs to raise the hot air balloon at the city gate and pull it with a heavy object to let the hot air balloon rise ten zhang. Then, we can have a panoramic view of the movements of the Gao Chang soldiers. In this way, our army can predict the enemy's movements in advance and know the actual situation of the Gao Chang garrison. Then, wouldn't the entire Gao Chang City be under our control?" Merton said.
This time, the generals could not help but hold their breaths. Everyone realized that once there was a pair of eyes monitoring every movement in the Gao Chang City, it would be a great opportunity for the Tang Army.
"What's more, the hot air balloon moves with the wind. As long as it follows the direction of the wind, the hot air balloon can cross the sky above the Gao Chang City, and the Gao Chang City can do nothing about the hot air balloon. According to my observation, the Gao Chang City also uses wooden houses. As long as there is enough gunpowder and oil, the hot air balloon can easily ignite a fire in the Gao Chang City. It can even directly attack the Gao Chang Palace. As long as Qu Zhisheng understands that it is impossible to defend the Gao Chang City, he will naturally surrender. "Meton sneered.
"What if Qu Zhisheng refuses to surrender?" Hou Junji frowned.
"Then don't blame the Tang Army for being ruthless. After fifteen days, the firearms supervisor will blow up the walls of Gao Chang City. The army will invade the Gao Chang City and capture the King of Gao Chang, Qu Zhisheng," Meton said firmly.
Hou Junji closed his eyes for a while and made up his mind. "Let's follow Mo Jiu's plan and force Qu Zhisheng to surrender first. Once Gao Chang surrenders, we will immediately attack Khagan Butoh."
Hou Junji wanted the credit of destroying Gao Chang and defeating the Western Turks, but in the end, he chose the safest way, which was to take down Gao Chang first.
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