The army set out on the battle, flags covering the sun. With the joy of the people of Chang'an, the soldiers carried halberds and horses and hung out of the city.

More than 30,000 troops were in a mighty way without a head and tail. The vanguard had been driving for more than ten miles, but the rear army had just left the city. Under the floating flags, the soldiers with their heads raised and their chests were full of energy, especially under the gaze of the people of Chang'an, they tried hard to stand up to their chests to make themselves look more masculine.

For the soldiers of the Anxi Army, being bid farewell to the whole city was a rare experience.

In the past, they only saw the military robes and the enemies with their teeth and claws on the opposite side. There were not many scenes of people sending off their spontaneously.

Walking in the team leaving the city, the stranger suddenly stuffed a handful of dried fruit, an egg, or half a piece of steaming cake by the stranger. The old man patted the soldiers' hard and cold armor and told them loudly that they must win a battle, which would increase the power of the Tang Dynasty and make the news of victory angry with the people who have been suffering for a long time.

The team started slowly and unhurriedly, and an indescribable atmosphere spread throughout the team.

The soldiers suddenly felt that this expedition was different from the past, but they couldn't say what was different. They only felt in their hearts that it seemed that this time they went to the battlefield to kill the enemy and kill the enemy's head and receive rewards was not the most important thing. The most important thing was that they could not disappoint these strange people who were sent to each other.

The people were eating and drinking pots of slurry. If they were waiting for news of the defeat of the Anxi Army, they were full of energy when they set out to fight, but they were dejected and defeated. Thinking about such a scene, the soldiers felt that they could not bear it. Perhaps the most shameful scene in their lives.

One hour later, the army all left the city, and the team marched silently, only the rumbling sound of horse hooves could be heard, as if there were waves of dull thunder. The dust was flying on the avenue outside the city. The people who sent the soldiers out of the city saw that the army was gradually obscured in the dust and no longer saw each other, so everyone returned to the city reluctantly.

In the team that went out to fight, every Anxi army soldier pursed his lips tightly. Before they could recover from the atmosphere of farewell, a strange and exciting aura surged in everyone's heart.

In the cavalry formation of the central army, a young soldier finally couldn't help but take out a Hu cake and looked at it carefully. After a while, he couldn't bear to eat it, and then silently stuffed it back into his arms.

A sergeant next to him smiled: "Eat as long as you want. We are all cavalrymen, and eating will not affect riding horses."

The young soldier shook his head and said, "Mr. Gu ordered us to eat military rations when we rest. I want to keep this cake."

"How long can it last? Put it in your arms for two days, and it absorbs sweat and is dusty. Can you eat it even if the smell is rotten? Don't waste it."

The young soldier still shook his head: "This was given by a commoner when he first left the city. He stuffed it into my arms without saying anything. I didn't even have time to thank me, so he left."

Another soldier also took out a cooked egg from his arms, lit it at him as if showing off, and then stuffed it into his arms: "This is also given by the people."

The young sergeant glanced at him: "Why don't you eat?"

"Haha, I want to keep it too. I have enough military rations and can't be hungry. This egg is rare. I have never collected the people's things when I went to war."

The young soldier looked at the marching team in front of him and said softly for a long time: "I always feel that this cake in my arms is more expensive than the rewards I received after killing the enemy. I don't know why..."

Another soldier also fell into deep thought and said, "We fought Luoyang, fought against Yingshui, attacked Tongguan, and conquered Guanzhong, and fought thousands of miles north and south. It took nearly three years. Before today, I just wanted to kill a few more enemies and receive more rewards. After the rebellion was quelled, I would return to my hometown to buy land and be a rich little landlord. Apart from these, I really didn't think about anything else..."

"But today I went out of the city and saw the people sending them to us in groups. They were not wealthy and stuffed their own food to us. There was also a strange old man who patted my breastplate hard and told me loudly that I must listen to the general's orders and kill more enemies and not to lose Master Gu's face." The sergeant's mouth raised slightly, with a smile in his eyes.

"The old man looked very much like when my father gave me before the army. My father also patted my chest and told me to send it like this and that, and it took me more than twenty miles before turning back..." The sergeant took a deep breath and turned his head.

Feeling the warmth of the cake in his arms, the young soldier suddenly said, "This time I went to war with Mr. Gu, I think it seems that killing the enemy and receiving rewards is not that important..."

Another soldier nodded and said, "That's right, we shouldn't kill the enemy just to receive rewards, people should have different ways of living."

"Why don't you just kill the enemy when you live?"

"It's different, it's the same to kill the enemy, and the purpose is different," the cooked egg in the soldier's arms also had a faint body temperature. The soldier subconsciously stroked his chest and murmured: "I always feel that the people gave me their most precious things. If I fight just for the reward, I would be too conscience."

"If it's just for the reward of money, when the enemy is too many and I am too few, I might choose to escape..." The young soldier hesitated for a moment and said, "But if the cake is given to me by the people in his arms, when the enemy is too many and I am too few, I might choose to die with the enemy. I don't know why, a piece of cake can make me fight to the death. Are you stupid? Haha."

Another soldier also laughed: "Me too, I'm quite stupid, haha."

Suddenly there was a stir in his chest. The young sergeant laughed a few times, suddenly raised his neck, and roared loudly: "Follow the master and conquer a peaceful ritual!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the general urged the horse to catch up and whipped a whip on his back. The beaten sergeant was not afraid and laughed loudly.

The soldiers around him seemed to be infected, and they laughed out loud, then shouted in unison: "Follow the grandfather and conquer a peaceful ritual!"

At first, only a dozen people yelled together, and then the more they spread, the more they spread, and the more they spread. In the end, the team of tens of thousands of people spoke in unison, with the same voice echoing between the green mountains and green waters, dense forests and rivers, and the same sound echoed between the world for a long time.

In the central army, Gu Qing, who was riding on the horse, also heard the soldiers roaring in unison, and couldn't help but be stunned, and then laughed.

"The peaceful and prosperous dynasty..." Gu Qing murmured to himself.

A petite woman dressed in a personal guard next to her came over. It was Zhang Huaiyu who disguised herself as she went to the battle with Gu Qing. This was the first time Zhang Huaiyu went to the battle with Gu Qing. Gu Qing was unwilling to agree, but he had no choice but to do what Zhang Huaiyu insisted on doing. Gu Qing could not stop him, so he had to let him go.

Zhang Huaiyu looked at Gu Qing with a smile, and his expression was filled with admiration.

"It's incredible that a tiger and wolf army can be so loyal to you. How did you do it?" Zhang Huaiyu was extremely curious. In her eyes, Gu Qing was just a weak boy back then, and he could only get beaten up in terms of force. Why could such a weak boy train an army to be submissive?

Gu Qing smiled and said, "Be honest, share the same hardship, be fair in dealing with things, and be morale of the army."

It's concise, but it hits the nail on the head.

Looking at the Anxi Army with great morale, Zhang Huaiyu's always cold face also showed a hint of excitement.

"Gu Qing, you have the capital to compete for the world with such a powerful army, and the capital is very strong. As long as the soldiers are loyal to you, you will always be invincible."

Gu Qing was silent for a moment and said, "I can only say that I can be invincible on the battlefield, but it is not necessarily true in the court, among the people, and in the territory of the Tang Dynasty."

Zhang Huaiyu said curiously: "Why? What is there that cannot be conquered by swords?"

"I thought so at the beginning, but later I went to the court and saw many kings and ministers. I gradually realized that some things cannot be conquered by swords, such as human hearts."

Gu Qing sighed and said, "Duan Wuji and some generals around him have hinted intentionally or unintentionally, and asked me to cut the mess quickly and replace the emperor directly. With my current strength, overthrowing the emperor only requires a military order. The soldiers will capture the palace and tie the emperor to me..."

Zhang Huaiyu blinked and said, "So, things are not that simple, right?"

"Yes, it's actually easy to kill the emperor and replace him, but how can the hearts of the world be conquered with swords?"

Gu Qing rubbed his face irritably and said, "In the world, how many farmers, landlords, merchants, and how many local officials who remain loyal to Li Tang, there are clans in the countryside and loyal ministers in the court. They are still savoring the afterglow of the Kaiyuan prosperous era. If the heaven and earth suddenly change a new master, how can these people who are loyal to the Tang Dynasty be willing?"

"It would be easy to kill all these people. If anyone doesn't accept it, they will send troops to conquer. But have you imagined how many people they need to kill to consolidate the new dynasty regime I founded? The murderous crimes committed are too great, and some people who were originally loyal to me will begin to be dissatisfied with me."

"At that time, only someone needed to climb the high ground among the people, and the rebels who were anti-me in various places rose up, and the whole world was really in chaos. To be honest, I least want to see such a situation, and with my ability, I can't control it."

"Even if I hold an invincible army in my hand and lose the people's hearts, I will eventually be doomed to fail."

Zhang Huaiyu nodded thoughtfully: "So, is this why you are reluctant to cause trouble?"

"Yes, now I can change the rules of the game, but I can't overturn the entire rules of the game. This is my positioning for myself. After all, my wings are still not strong enough."

"How can the wings be hard?"

Gu Qing looked at the gray sky in the distance and whispered: "When the court officials, landlords, clans, and people are completely disappointed with the current regime, maybe... I will be born."

After Gu Qing finished speaking, he suddenly burst into laughter, and Zhang Huaiyu looked at him in confusion.

"It's so strange. No matter how evil or dark the thoughts deep in my heart seem to be able to speak up in front of you, without any psychological burden or moral shackles."

Zhang Huaiyu also smiled: "So, I am a bad guy in your eyes? Only those shameless thoughts would you tell me so calmly?"

Gu Qing thought about it and said seriously: "It's not like a bad guy. You probably look like a toilet, which contains excrement."

Not far behind the two, Han Jie followed them on a horse. Seeing Zhang Huaiyu being crazy on the horse's back, he could kick Gu Qing so hard that he screamed.

Han Jie tightened the hilt of the sword on his waist, then let go, and murmured sympathetically: "If my wife dared to treat me like this, I would have been dismissed by her. The man is really a person with great perseverance. If he can tolerate what ordinary people cannot tolerate, I am afraid I will not be a big shot in my life."

…………

Before going to the war, the scout had been sent out and rushed to Shuofang for thousands of miles.

Five days after the army marched, the scout had turned around and reported the military information to Gu Qing.

The Uighur tribe in the northern grassland was traveling through the Tongluo tribe and the Qiezi tribe, and led 50,000 elite troops by Prince Ye Hu, the son of the Uighur Gele Khan. His vanguard of 10,000 cavalry was still three days away from Yinshan, the border of the Tang Dynasty.

The so-called "Ye Hu" is not a human name, but an official name of the Turkic Khanate. Later, after the Turkic Khanate was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, the northern nomadic tribes have always used the official name of the Turkic Khanate. "Ye Hu" is usually the son of the Khanate and the tribe leader.

The leader of the Uighur tribe was actually Prince Ye Hu and the legal heir of Gele Khan. It can be seen that the Uighur Khan also attached great importance to the borrowing of troops from the Tang Dynasty, and the one sent it was Prince.

After hearing the news, Gu Qing's face became a little more gloomy and he became even more disgusted with Li Heng.

"It's so embarrassing the country!" Gu Qing gritted his teeth and cursed.

What did they send troops from thousands of miles away? It was the master who kindly invited them to plunder their own population, livestock and property. The emperor thought it was weird enough. In contrast, Li Longji was much more wise than him in his later years. Although he ran faster in times of crisis, Li Longji at least did not take the initiative to invite aliens to rob their own population, property when he was in power.

"The vanguard Ma Lin led 10,000 cavalry to march quickly and welcome me. The Uighur soldiers were not allowed to step into the border of the Tang Dynasty! Outside the Tang Dynasty, those who dared to cross the border and call themselves soldiers will die!" Gu Qing ordered angrily.

After the military order was passed, the troops of the vanguard Ma Lin accelerated their journey, quickly left the central army, and galloped towards the north.

Gu Qing thought for a while and continued to order: "Suan Jiushi's magic shell camp was ordered to march quickly to follow. With the north of Yinshan as the boundary, the Uighur soldiers dared to step into the north of Yinshan as a provocation of the Anxi army of the Tang Dynasty. Ma Lin and Sun Jiushi can take the initiative to launch an attack."

After hearing the military order, the soldiers of the Five Thousand Shenshe Battalions also accelerated their journey and quickly left the central army.

Zhang Huaiyu was beside Gu Qing, observing him silently for giving orders, with strange brilliance flashing in his beautiful eyes.

After giving the military order, the army continued to rush forward.

Gu Qing couldn't help but look at Zhang Huaiyu and said, "You have been looking at me for half an hour, claws?"

Zhang Huaiyu smiled faintly, turned his face and said, "Look, you are different from before. When you were in Shiqiao Village, you were still a young boy. Now you are a majestic general. A military order can make countless people sacrifice their lives for you. Thinking about your youthful appearance, it was only five or six years ago. The encounters in life were quite wonderful."

Gu Qing sighed: "When I was in a position, I should do whatever I should do. When I was a teenager in the mountain village, I had to do food and clothing. In addition to food and clothing, I also took into account the food and clothing of the whole village. When I walked out of the mountain village and came to Chang'an to be an official, what I wanted to do was to do, besides being promoted, I would do a few good deeds, and be worthy of my official position and salary. Now I hold military power and the top of the ministers, what I see in my eyes is the sufferings of the world, the honor and disgrace of the country, and the realization of my ambitions, and I am worthy of this life."

Zhang Huaiyu whispered: "People who climbed up from below step by step know the difficulty of peace and the sufferings of the people. He knew how to make the people benefit and how to deal with government affairs fairly and wisely, without asking ignorant and foolishly like Emperor Hui of Jin…"

Gu Qing sighed: "How to restore this country after the war and how to let the people recuperate, these trivial and complex problems are more difficult than war, and the road ahead is still long..."

Three days later, the scouts sent a military report that Ma Lin and Sun Jiushi's 15,000 cavalry had reached the north of Yinshan and were stationed in the country's territory.

Ten thousand vanguards of the Uighur Khanate also arrived in the north of Yinshan and encountered the Anxi Army of Ma Lin's troops. Ma Lin was ordered to form a formation and acted as an act of intercepting the Uighur vanguard, which made the Uighur vanguard's vanguard very surprised and did not understand his intention. He sent a messenger to Ma Lin's troops to communicate. He was refused by Ma Lin, and the messenger returned in vain.

The two armies faced each other in the north of Yinshan. Both sides were silent. The generals of the two armies did not issue any military orders, just waiting for their respective main forces to arrive.

Two days later, the main force of the Anxi Army arrived at Beidaying in Yinshan.

The commander's tent had already been set up for Gu Qing. Gu Qing got off his horse and went straight into the commander's tent. The generals gathered in the commander's tent. There was a sand table in the middle of the tent, which accurately reduced the terrain near Yinshan as it was. The arrangement of the Uighur tribe's troops was also marked with a small flag on the Shapan Mountain.

Generals such as Chang Zhong, Ma Lin, Sun Jiushi had already been waiting in the commander's tent. When Gu Qing entered the tent, the generals stood up to salute.

Gu Qing did not say any unnecessary nonsense, and after entering the commander's tent, he quickly walked to the edge of the sand table, staring at the deployed forces of the two armies on the sand table, and said to Ma Lin: "Does the Uighur army have any signs of war?"

Ma Lin wore a helmet, and his heroic face looked particularly dark. He heard this and said, "Mr. Master, the vanguard of the Uighur tribe sent a messenger to see the Uighur general, but was rejected by the Uighur general. It seemed that the Uighur army was quite surprised. They did not expect that the Anxi army would travel thousands of miles away and acted as a gesture to them to meet the enemy."

Chang Zhong laughed and said, "If it were me, I would be shocked. He was obviously on the request of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to go south to help, but he was stopped by the Tang army before he entered the border. How can people understand it?"

Gu Qing still stared at the sand table and said lightly: "The emperor is the emperor, I am me. The emperor made a foolish decision and I can choose not to obey the order. The Tang Dynasty is not his own. He can do things that lose power and humiliate the country. I can't do it, I'm sorry for the ancestors."

Chang Zhong emphasized the key point: "Even the last generals can't do it. They traveled thousands of miles to invite people to their own house to grab things. Haha, it's crazy. After death, there is no face to see the heroic spirit of Emperor Gaozong of Taizong."

Han Jie hurried into the tent and said with his fists: "Mr. Master, half an hour ago, 40,000 troops from the Uighur Central Army had reached the north of Yinshan Mountain, less than ten miles away from our vanguard. The Uighur Ye Guard Prince was leading a hundred personal guards to come, standing in front of our army's formation, and requesting to meet the Duke."
Chapter completed!