In the vast Gobi Desert, the sun was extremely scorching. It was like being in a steamer. An army of about a thousand people was marching in the scorching heat. This army was the Firearms Surveillance Unit.
"Brother Ju, drink some water." Meton raised a water bottle and threw it to a graceful young man beside him. This man was Qu Zhisheng.
"Merton is too polite. I don't deserve to be called a sinner." Qu Zhisheng said humbly. He respectfully took the water bottle and elegantly drank a mouthful of water.
Meton shook his head and said, "Brother Ju is too polite. After you go to Chang 'an City, we will all be your subjects. You don't need to be so polite."
Qu Zhisheng couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "Merton really overestimates me. I'm just a person who destroyed my country. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave Chang 'an City for the rest of my life. I'm already satisfied that I can keep my life."
Mo Dun looked deeply at Qu Zhisheng and said, "Brother Ju, you are too pessimistic. Misfortune is a blessing in disguise, and fortune is a blessing in disguise. In my opinion, Brother Ju, the destruction of Gaochang is not entirely a bad thing."
Qu Zhisheng couldn't help but twitch his mouth. He was originally the high and mighty King of Gao Chang. Now he was a prisoner and was sent to Chang 'an City to proclaim the achievements of the Tang Emperor. It was not a bad thing.
Meton knew what Qu Zhisheng was thinking. He immediately explained, "Brother Ju, have you ever thought about this? Gao Chang claimed to be powerful, but in front of other countries, it was just a joke. The Western Turks, Tubo, and even Xue Yantuo and Tie Le in the north could easily destroy Gao Chang. At that time, Brother Ju and Brother Ju must have known the fate of Gao Chang. Now Gao Chang has been captured by the Tang dynasty. The Imperial Court has appointed you as the Commandery Duke of Jincheng. You can pass down the legacy of the Tang dynasty for thousands of generations. Who can tell whether this is a blessing or a curse?"
"Western Turks, Tubo, Xue Yantuo." When Qu Zhisheng thought of this, he couldn't help but shudder. He naturally knew Gao Chang's situation. Usually, he had to find a way to survive in the cracks of various countries. Even so, he couldn't afford to offend anyone and was even blackmailed from time to time. If Gao Chang had really been killed by these three countries, his head would have been separated from his body, and his wife and daughter would have ended up in an even more miserable state.
Qu Zhisheng was only able to protect his family's safety because the Tang dynasty was a country of etiquette. Moreover, with Xieli Khan as an example, he had the thought of surrendering at that time. If the other three countries came to attack Gao Chang, Qu Zhisheng would probably only have one path, which was to resist to the end. Of course, the end result would probably be even more miserable.
"Thank you, Merton, for your righteous words that day." Qu Zhisheng cupped his hands and thanked him again. At that time, Hou Junji also wanted to kill Qu Zhisheng. Fortunately, after Meton analyzed the pros and cons, Hou Junji let go of his killing intent and temporarily imprisoned Qu Zhisheng. He had also heard about the rumors of the Tang Dynasty army's plundering, but he kept his mouth shut, for fear that he would reveal a flaw and lead to a fatal disaster.
"The reason why I spoke out at that time was that I know His Majesty's character. You don't have to be discouraged. Now, many generals in Chang 'an City are in important positions. As long as Brother Qu is loyal to the Tang dynasty, there is a possibility that His Majesty will put you in important positions in the future." Meton persuaded. In his impression, Qu Zhisheng was directly put in important positions by the imperial court and was sent to be an official. As long as Qu Zhisheng didn't make any trouble, his future would not be too miserable.
Thinking of the famous Hu generals in the Tang dynasty army, Qu Zhisheng couldn't help but nod and say, "The Heavenly Khan is broad-minded. I have heard about it for a long time, and I admire you very much."
Thinking of the rumors about the Heavenly Khan, Qu Zhisheng was slightly relieved, and his fear of going to Chang 'an City was reduced a lot.
"We're leaving the Gobi Desert!" Suddenly, there was a cheer in front of them. Meton immediately looked over and saw that there was some green in front of them. They had unknowingly traveled two thousand miles.
"We're arriving at the Tang dynasty."
Qu Zhisheng was shocked. After walking two thousand miles, they would probably arrive at the territory of the Tang dynasty.
In the past, he admired the culture and prosperity of the Tang dynasty very much. He dreamed that one day he could ascend the throne and personally come to see the Heavenly Khan and see the prosperity of Chang 'an City. He didn't expect that he would come to Chang' an City in this way.
Everyone in the Firearms Division cheered. Although the Firearms Division had brought enough water and food, the scorching heat of the Gobi Desert still made the soldiers suffer. As long as they walked out of the Gobi Desert, they would soon arrive at Yumen Pass, where they would get enough supplies and rest.
At the thought of returning to the Tang dynasty, the soldiers of the Firearms Division couldn't help but quicken their pace and march forward.
Suddenly, Xue Rengui, who was leading the way, casually raised the binoculars in his hand. This was his quality as a soldier. Usually, he would always observe and make sure that it was safe. However, this time, there were several Hu scouts in the yellow sand through the binoculars.
These were indeed Hu scouts. Xue Rengui would never mistake them. He had followed Meton through the Western Expedition to Tuyuhun and the Western Expedition to Gao Chang. How could he not distinguish the difference between Hu and ordinary caravans?
Immediately, Xue Rengui waved his hand and led two teams of cavalry from the Firearms Division to hide their figures and outflank the Hu.
Although the Hu scouts didn't have binoculars, they were very alert. They quickly sensed danger and immediately turned to flee. Xue Rengui raised his bow and shot. The other soldiers of the Firearms Division also shot. Soon, several Hu scouts fell to the ground. However, one of them endured the pain and urged his horse to flee quickly.
Xue Rengui's face was solemn. He went forward to check on the dead Hu scout. After seeing the prominent plateau red on his face, his face couldn't help but become serious.
"Tubo cavalry!" The soldiers of the Firearms Division exclaimed.
Xue Rengui grimaced. He had never imagined that Tubo cavalry would appear in the vast Gobi Desert several thousand li away. Moreover, these were only Tubo scouts. No one could say for sure how many soldiers were behind them.
"Let's go back and report to the Wine Chancellor." Xue Rengui understood the gravity of the situation and immediately turned back.
The wounded Tubo scouts galloped on their horses and quickly arrived at the hiding place of the Tubo Army.
"Reporting to the general, the firearms department has appeared. We were discovered by them in advance and they ambushed us." The cavalry scout who was shot by the arrow said weakly.
Hearing the account of the scout who had been shot, Lun Trinling was delighted instead of angry. "Good, the son of Mo has finally appeared. This time, I will step on the bones of the son of Mo and make my name known throughout the world."
Lun Trinling waved his hand and boldly ordered, "Get on your horses, find the Firearms Division, and kill Mo Jiazi!"
In a flash, the five thousand Tubo cavalry mounted their horses and galloped toward the Firearms Division, kicking up yellow sand and seething with killing intent.
"Wine Chancellor, there's an enemy!"
Xue Rengui led his team to Meton's side and told him about the Tubo scouts.
"Tubo people! Not good! We've been tricked! " Meton frowned and cried out in alarm. Only now did he realize that something was wrong with the rumor in Gao Chang that Princess Changle was pregnant and hoped that Meton would return to Chang 'an as soon as possible. From an old man from the Mo Family asking a messenger to deliver a message to someone directly interceding with Hou Junji in the Middle Army Tent, all of this was not right. Now that he thought about it, there must have been an invisible hand behind all of this, and this hand was obviously Tubo. Moreover, there must also have been people from the Tang dynasty adding fuel to the fire. Only by cooperating from the inside and outside could they have done this without revealing anything.
Modun subconsciously felt that something was amiss and had refused to take the lead in returning. However, he had been blinded by good intentions. Coupled with his worry for Princess Changle, he had fallen for the trap.
Fortunately, he did not return alone this time, or he would not be able to turn the situation around. Now that he had a fully staffed Firearms Division around him, he might be able to fight back.
"Why are Tubo people here?" Qu Zhisheng asked in surprise. It was extremely unreasonable for Tubo to appear here, as it was thousands of miles away from here.
Meton looked back at Qu Zhisheng and said, "Brother Ju, maybe you don't know. During the battle in Gao Chang, Tubo suddenly joined forces with the Tuyuhun traitors and killed the king of the Tuyuhun, Murong Shun. The westernmost city of Tuyuhun is only a few hundred miles away from here, so it is not difficult to understand why Tubo people would appear here."
"Ah! Fu Shun, no, Murong Shun is dead! "Qu Zhisheng could not help but exclaim.
Qu Zhisheng naturally knew Murong Shun. Originally, he had hoped that the best treatment he could receive was to be like Murong Shun and be supported by the Heavenly Khan as the king of Gao Chang. Now that he heard about Murong Shun's experience, he realized that being a Jincheng County Duke in the Tang dynasty was not bad. At least, he would not have to worry about his life. Tuyuhun had Tubo behind them, and Gao Chang had the Western Turks behind them. He could not guarantee that he would not end up like Murong Shun.
If it was before, Qu Zhisheng would inevitably feel a burst of regret. If Gao Chang could hold on, with the support of the Western Turks and Tubo, there would be a great chance that Gao Chang could be saved. But now, Qu Zhisheng could only rejoice. The more stubborn he resisted, the more miserable his end would be. Now, all he could do was rejoice.
"Lord Chancellor, in my opinion, the reason why Tubo's cavalry appeared outside the Gobi Desert must be because of the gunpowder and Lord Chancellor. I ask Lord Chancellor to withdraw from Gao Chang for the time being and let I block this Tubo army." Xue Rengui cupped his hands and said. Since the Firearms Division had broken through Gao Chang's city, everywhere the Firearms Division went, they would attract covetous eyes. Xue Rengui knew that the Firearms Division had now become the target of public criticism. The appearance of the Tubo army in front of him was the best proof.
However, Meton shook his head and said, "Behind us is two thousand li of the Gobi Desert. I'm afraid the remaining water source is not enough to go back. Even if we retreat, where can we go? Besides, according to military reports, our army has already gained the upper hand in Tuyuhun. The Tubo army is slowly retreating towards the Tubo Plateau. The current Tubo army can't be too large. Moreover, the environment here can't accommodate a large number of troops. Moreover, our Firearms Division is not without the power to fight. "
Meton understood that once they were surrounded by a pack of wolves, turning around and running away was the most foolish choice. The only way was to find a favorable terrain to defend and counterattack.
Tubo had crossed thousands of li to come here, so it could only be cavalry. What cavalry feared the most was naturally the desert. Once the cavalry lost their mobility, there was no lack of sand in the Gobi Desert.
"Choose a sandy area and arrange a defensive formation. Xue Rengui will lead three hundred cavalry to the battlefield to restrain the Tubo army." Meton ordered. At the same time, he did not forget to send two teams, one to the Gao Chang's direction and the other to the Jade Gate Pass's direction to ask for help.
"Yes!" The officers and soldiers of the Firearms Division began to move. Soon, the Tang Dynasty army chose an open sandy area. Two hundred carriages formed a formation, and the secretly developed firearms of the Firearms Division were set up one by one.
The Firearms Division had practiced many times to defend against the enemy. Even the carriages pulled by the Firearms Division were specially made for defense.
Various countries coveted gunpowder, and how could the Firearms Division not know their situation? They had already made a lot of defensive weapons to protect the gunpowder. This was also the reason why Meton was confident in defending the Firearms Division.
However, when the firearms supervisor finished setting up the defensive formation, Morton couldn't help but blurt out when he saw the five thousand cavalrymen rolling in. "That was too hasty!"
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