Chapter 159: The Northern Expedition Begins: Legacy and Swift Assault (Requesting Monthly Votes)

In fact, Li Shimin's mindset wasn't merely due to the rapid recovery of Jiuzhou.

At its core, it was still the influence brought by the Gu clan.

In the original history—

Li Shimin was an emperor with extraordinary intellect; beyond military conquest, he believed "Hu and Yue are one family with China," advocating "a sovereign regards the four seas as one family."

In the original history, minority ethnic generals made up half of the court officials, and tens of thousands of households from tribes like the Turks lived in Chang'an, with over a million registered under Tang's household rolls.

Even in the original history Li Shimin acted this way, let alone now, with Gu Chen and Gu Ye having paved the way.

Today, he would be even more resolute in this.

Integrate foreign tribes, strengthen Jiuzhou, open trade routes, and thereby create a golden age.

This was undoubtedly a viable path.

As long as he lived and maintained internal stability within the Tang court, this path would lead the entire Tang to a new peak.

Even Gu Yi looked forward to it.

—Ten thousand nations paying tribute, the Zhenguan Era.

With the foundation he had already laid for Jiuzhou, what would this golden age become?

And what immense impact would it have on Jiuzhou's future?

All of this was worth Gu Yi's anticipation.

Li Shimin was not a man who hesitated.

Once he firmly decided, the entire Tang court swiftly moved in accordance with his will.

Notably—

Gu Quan had set out.

After years of waiting, he finally arrived at his long-desired destination, determined to inherit Gu Ye's legacy and secretly lead a group of Gu clan youths into battle.

At the same time, Li Shimin was continuously mobilizing troops.

In truth, the Turks' renewed raids were not merely due to human greed, but also because they were desperate from their situation.

Over these years, internal contradictions within the Turks had continuously intensified.

Although they had previously renewed their alliance with Tang, heavy casualties had greatly damaged Jiali Khan's prestige.

And the most critical factor was Gu Ye's interference.

For the Turks, he had long secretly sent agents to sow division, and even after his death, this effort never ceased.

Added to this, years of natural disasters had persisted.

That was why Jiali Khan had no choice but to use external enemies to ease internal tensions.

Li Shimin now intended to seize this opportunity.

News spread continuously.

The mobilization of troops could never be hidden; the entire world knew the current Son of Heaven was preparing to resume warfare.

This indeed caused some panic.

After all, Yang Guang's past actions still lingered in people's minds.

Although life during the Kaihuang era had not been as prosperous as now, it had been slowly improving—until it collapsed under Yang Guang's forced labor and two distant campaigns.

Now, another great war was coming.

It was inevitable that this would stir fear among the common people.

But no major unrest would arise.

Li Shimin's reputation across the realm was now too high, let alone the fact that the Gu clan's guardianship of Jiuzhou's gates was no secret in today's world.

The Son of Heaven paired with the Gu clan youths.

This combination gave people an inexplicable sense of security.

Moreover, this time the target was the Turks, whose repeated raids had long made the people of the realm harbor resentment toward them.

The inherent pride of the Central Plains people toward foreign tribes.

This made them support this northern expedition too—even if anxious, they would not cause major chaos.

Taiji Hall.

The court was solemn; all ministers wore grave expressions.

—It was time to mobilize troops!

Everyone clearly understood this.

A ruler of Li Shimin's character could never tolerate threats to Tang from the four directions.

Many among them had been waiting for this day, and now they were excited.

Li Shimin's face was stern and resolute; his gaze swept the ministers below, then he declared with unwavering clarity: "The Eastern Turks have repeatedly violated our borders and harassed our people."

"Had it not been for the Grand Tutor and others leading troops to block them—"

"The Turks might now be wreaking havoc unchecked."

"I have made my decision: we must strike the Eastern Turks, to wash away the nation's shame and secure the peace of Tang's borders!"

Upon hearing this, some ministers showed signs of excitement, others nodded slightly in agreement.

Li Shimin then announced appointments: "I appoint Minister of War Li Jing as Commander of the Dingxiang Expeditionary Force, granting him full authority over this military campaign, with Zhang Gongjin as his deputy to assist Li Jing."

"Governor of Bingzhou Li Ji, Inspector of Huazhou Chai Shao, Grand Commander of Lingzhou Xue Wancheng, and others—"

He then raised his voice and ordered: "All shall serve as Commanders of their respective routes, leading one hundred thousand troops, striking the Turks along multiple fronts—coordinate fully, and crush the Turks in one decisive blow!"

One by one, the named generals stepped forward, bowing solemnly to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin then outlined the basic strategy for this campaign.

He was a born commander.

Although he would not personally go to the battlefield, he could still formulate suitable tactics based on the topographic maps.

——Four armies!

This was the tactic he and Gu Quan had discussed.

They would encircle the Turks from different directions, and Gu Quan could also mobilize troops from Shuofang!

As long as they seized the opportunity.

They could instantly shatter the Turks completely, utterly destroying their alliance!

Li Shimin emphasized his tactic, but he knew he could not demand too rigidly from his generals—he entrusted them with authority, yet still reminded them: "The Grand Tutor is currently in Shuofang."

"At that time, the Grand Tutor will also mobilize troops from Shuofang."

——The Grand Tutor referred to Gu Yan.

Gu Yan now held all of Gu Yu's former positions; his status within the court was unmatched by anyone.

He would certainly not reveal Gu Quan's identity.

In truth, if possible, Li Shimin would have personally led the troops—but unfortunately, he was not the Ten Directions Marching Commander; as emperor, he bore other responsibilities.

All ministers obeyed.

The atmosphere within the hall grew even more solemn at this moment.

Li Shimin's gaze burned as he scanned the crowd, his eyes sharp and piercing; he slowly rose and spoke firmly:

"In this battle, I will witness Jieli kowtowing before me!"

His expression was resolute.

Seeing this, the ministers hesitated not at all; they immediately bowed deeply to Li Shimin and cried out in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!!!"

The matter was swiftly settled.

The eleventh month of the fourth year of Zhenguan.

Li Shimin appointed Li Jing as commander, mobilized one hundred thousand troops, divided into four armies, and marched directly toward Eastern Turkic.

The news spread instantly, shaking all quarters!

Meanwhile, in Shuofang.

Gu Quan had brought no substantial force to Shuofang, only a few guards from the Gu clan.

Li Shimin had originally wanted Gu Quan to lead the troops.

But Gu Quan refused.

Gu Yu had already left him the most suitable troops in Shuofang; and if he assumed command of the entire army during such a major war, his identity would surely be noticed by those with ulterior motives.

This was not what Gu Quan wanted.

After many years, the brothers had finally met again.

Seeing the dense scars on Gu Quan's face, Gu Yan and the other brothers could not help but feel their eyes grow moist.

It was this elder brother who bore everything, surrendering all glory to them.

But as brothers, no words were needed.

The brothers simply embraced one another in turn, without even the slightest formality, just as they had in years past.

Gu Quan first went to pay respects at Gu Yu's ceremonial tomb.

It had been erected by Gu Yan for him.

It was hoped that one day, Gu Yu's spirit in heaven might witness these family descendants leading troops out of Shuofang, reviving the glory of Jiuzhou and the Gu clan as their ancestors had done.

Afterwards, Gu Quan went to meet the five thousand specially trained troops left for them by Gu Yu.

These men were absolute weapons of destruction.

Whether in terms of execution, endurance, cold resistance, horsemanship, or every other aspect, they were unquestionably elite.

Although he had already described them countless times in letters and memorials.

Yet this time, Gu Yan still carefully explained to Gu Quan just how extraordinary they were.

"Elder brother, these troops were refined by Father based on the training methods of Sheng Gong and Chen Gong."

"Look at their warhorses—these are all Chakou Relay Horses from Empress Hexi, especially famed for cold resistance and long-distance endurance."

"Each man can strip bare in snow and draw a three-stone bow, riding continuously for three days without falling from the saddle."

"."

With Gu Quan's arrival in Shuofang.

Gu Yan seemed finally able to shed some of his burdens, returning to his old, carefree demeanor.

Gu Quan listened just as attentively.

Even though he already knew these men's traits, for a supreme commander, only firsthand observation could bring true conviction.

Gu Quan's command abilities, under the Luoshu Xie Lv Device, were unquestionably at the pinnacle.

Merely by observing the soldiers' eyes.

He could sense their exceptional nature.

After completing all this, Gu Quan brought Gu Yan and the others back into the main tent to discuss the next tactics.

"I have already agreed with His Majesty that this campaign will deploy four armies to attack the Turks from all sides."

Inside the main tent.

Gu Quan pointed at the topographic map as he described the tactic he and Li Shimin had devised: "And based on my understanding of Li Jing, he will employ a surprise rapid-march tactic, striking before the Turks can react and securing victory."

This was also one reason Li Shimin chose to launch the war in winter.

The Turks had limited internal resources;

They would never expect the Tang to strike directly in winter.

This was the judgment of Gu Quan, a supreme commander.

Li Jing's ability to command troops is extraordinary; if my guess is correct, as long as this campaign proceeds smoothly, Jilie Khan will be forced to retreat to Qikou, seeking to use the Yin Mountains' natural defenses to block our Tang army's advance.

And if we seize the opportunity—

Li Ji and the others can attack the remnants of the Turkic forces from all four directions.

Gu Quan's expression was utterly serious; staring at the map before him, a fictional battlefield reappeared in his mind.

He was analyzing the Turkic defenses.

And the personalities of both commanders to forecast the coming battle.

The tent was utterly silent.

Gazing at the map before them, all the brothers wore expressions of shock.

Though they had long known Gu Quan's abilities far surpassed theirs,

he had never before reached this level—this mastery of overall strategy and judgment was like that of a celestial being.

"Brother, are you suggesting we launch a direct assault on the Yin Mountains?"

As soon as Gu Quan finished speaking, Gu Yan immediately frowned and asked, "To block Jilie's retreat and form a pincer with Li Jing?"

—This was indeed a good strategy.

If everything unfolded exactly as Gu Quan predicted, it would be a fatal blow to Jilie Khan.

"No!"

But Gu Quan shook his head directly: "Though I am deeply confident, in a war concerning the state, we must never grow arrogant."

As he spoke, he pointed to "Baidao River" and "Yudujin Mountain" on the map.

"Our objective must be these two locations."

Baidao River is the Turkic granary.

It stores the fodder used by the Turkic tribes to feed their livestock through winter.

Yudujin Mountain is the Turkic sacred mountain.

Gu Quan is a Gu clan scion—he would never forget his clan's inherent strengths.

This move also carries another strategic intent:

To seize Juyan Sea.

This would not only cut off Jilie's western escape route but also lay the foundation for future pacification of the Western Turkic.

Central Plains have been in chaos for a long time; the Western Regions have long since slipped from Central Plains control and are now held by the Western Turkic.

Even the trade routes in between are blocked by various tribes.

Though the Western Turkic differ from the Eastern Turkic and have maintained a surface peace with Tang these past years, they in fact control the vital passes, occupy the Western Regions, and even interfere with Tang's trade routes to the West.

He could also be certain that, given Li Shimin's character, he would never tolerate such a situation continuing indefinitely.

This war would come sooner or later.

Now, seizing Juyan Sea would lay the groundwork for it.

Gu Quan no longer focused solely on the Eastern Turkic—he aimed to open two fronts!

Seeing this, even Gu Yi was startled.

He quickly ran through Gu Quan's thoughts in his mind, reflecting on the great battles of original history.

In the end, he had to admit: Gu Quan's strategy was entirely feasible.

Burning the Turkic fodder

would deliver a fatal blow to the entire Turkic confederation, plunging every tribe into famine within a short time.

And seizing the sacred mountain

would shatter their faith.

With these two moves combined and Li Jing's surprise attack, the Eastern Turkic could be swiftly pacified—then the Tang army would naturally be ready to face the Western Turkic.

Recall that in original history,

the Western Turkic repeatedly surrendered and rebelled against Tang, severely undermining Tang's control over the Western Regions; only by the Xianqing era was the problem fully resolved.

If we could truly achieve early integration now, the boost to Tang's national strength would be unimaginable.

This plan is indeed risky.

But the gains it could yield would far surpass anything before.

Most crucially—

even if we lose, the Turkic cannot inflict massive damage on Tang's troops.

Li Jing's abilities are no mere rumor!

Thinking of this, Gu Yi's heart began to race.

If this could truly be accomplished, this battle would greatly accelerate the pace of original history, propelling Tang's national strength to an entirely new level—perhaps even realizing all he had once envisioned.

Gu Yi grew more excited the more he thought.

If the Maritime Silk Road could be successfully opened, its benefit to the entire Nine Provinces would be unimaginable.

The Gu clan could finally shed the burden of the Nine Provinces.

Establish a foundation overseas.

Then we could successfully forge a dual safeguard: the Nine Provinces as the core, overseas as the auxiliary!

This would be a landmark event for both the Gu clan and the entire Nine Provinces—transcending generations!

The tent fell silent.

Gu Yan and the others stared intently at the map, pondering its possibilities.

Though they trusted Gu Quan completely, on matters affecting their clan's prestige, they would not blindly follow—they must carefully weigh the gains and losses.

Their abilities, though inferior to Gu Quan's,

were now able to analyze the feasibility of each strategic intent after Gu Quan had named them all.

Gu Quan said nothing more.

He knew that whether it was himself or his brothers like Gu Yan, all of them were holding back a surge of determination.

Once they grasped the details, they could not possibly refuse such a thing.

Indeed—

Moments later, after Gu Yan nodded first, the eyes of the others hardened in unison.

"Good!"

"As Elder Brother says!"

This battle was destined to shake heaven and earth.

Jilie Khan was no fool; he had long heard of Tang's movements and made some preparations.

But he had been overconfident.

He firmly believed the Central Plains people would not choose to wage war in this harsh winter.

And Li Jing, as Gu Quan had expected, seized this opportunity immediately and launched a swift surprise attack.

December.

Li Jing personally led three thousand elite cavalry, departing from Mayi, and struck under cover of night toward Dingxiang.

Compared to the original history,

the surprise tactics of the Nine Provinces' generals, shaped over generations, had indeed grown far stronger.

Even though Jilie Khan had prepared in advance, the final outcome still far exceeded his expectations.

In just one day—the unprepared Turkic troops were crushed by Li Jing.

In panic, the royal tent at Dingxiang fell.

The remnants of the Turkic army fled in disarray northward to Qikou, and Jilie Khan finally learned of it; stunned, he immediately deployed defenses across the Yin Mountains.

At the same time, Li Ji also led his army northward from Yunzhong, fully launching an offensive against the Turkic tribes.

Gu Quan did not act directly.

Jilie Khan had never ceased monitoring the Gu clan.

He needed to wait;

he needed to wait until these men drew all of Jilie Khan's attention before he could strike the fatal blow.

The first month of Zhen Guan Fifth Year.

Li Ji encountered the main Turkic force at Baidao, beheaded over ten thousand, and captured vast numbers of tribesmen.

—The news spread.

The Turks were terrified.

Invisible panic spread throughout the entire Turkic realm; Tang's decisiveness far surpassed their imagination, and some small tribes had already begun surrendering to the Tang army.

But Jilie Khan held firm to the Yin Mountains.

The northern frontier was bitter cold.

Especially beneath the snowstorms that seemed to swallow men whole, crossing the Yin Mountains' natural barrier was no easy feat.

Yet Jilie Khan's situation was dire.

Tang forces were attacking from all sides; the pressure he bore was unimaginable, and no natural barrier alone could solve everything.

He could only continuously mobilize troops to face the Tang army.

Jilie Khan had never intended to relax his tight defense of Shuofang, but the current situation forced him to choose.

If he did not mobilize troops, morale would surely crumble.

Then even if he held off the Tang army, his so-called title of Khan would surely come to an end.

But if he mobilized troops—

it would inevitably mean facing the threat of the Gu clan.

He could only gamble, betting that the Tang army would not cling to him so tightly.

Upon learning of this, Gu Quan did not hesitate for a moment; he immediately led his five thousand specially trained troops into action, targeting the Turkic grain depot at Baidao River.

This mission was bound to be extraordinarily perilous.

Only these soldiers, specially trained, might succeed.

The key was a thousand-li rapid strike, requiring them to circumvent the Yin Mountains!

Even with Li Jing and others drawing Jilie Khan's attention on the main battlefield, the difficulty of this mission remained unimaginable.

And the most critical point was—

Gu Quan still needed to preserve his troops' combat strength, for a grain depot would surely be guarded by elite troops!

But fortunately, the Gu clan's descendants had long experience with such surprise attacks.

Especially Gu Quan.

Though publicly everything appeared to be Gu Yan's doing, in truth, every detail was under his control.

He was like an invisible guardian.

Secretly serving as the bridge between the Gu clan and Tang.

Detour;

constantly detouring.

Gu Quan did not wish to engage any Turkic force unless he could be certain no survivors would remain; he could only keep detouring, leading his army forward through wind and snow toward their objective.

Even Gu Yi could not help but marvel at how solid the foundation Gu Yu had laid.

The inside agents he had planted in years past not only brought back a great deal of intelligence for Gu Quan, but also provided him with extremely detailed survey maps.

That was Gu Quan's greatest reliance in this battle.

It was a deployment and an ambition passed down from one generation to the next.

Precisely because of this, the hearts of every one of these sons and brothers were so unshakeably firm.

The Gu clan needed to ring out once more.

At present — it was still not enough!

The Gu clan had once borne the Han dynasty's title of Champion Marquis and won the heartfelt submission of all under heaven; now it could do so again within the rising Great Tang dynasty!

Four hundred li!

Gu Quan had marched a full four hundred li around!

And in only a mere eight days!

And this was not even the limit — Gu Quan had deliberately slowed the pace somewhat out of consideration for the fighting strength of the soldiers under his command; at the absolute limit, he could likely have done it in six days!

The advantage of years of special training was now fully revealed at a moment like this.

Although there were still some casualties.

Yet the greater part of them had endured this several-hundred-li forced march.

Twilight, like ink, soaked into every inch of the earth of Baidao Chuan.

Gu Quan narrowed his eyes, gazing at the mountain of fodder piled in the distance and the Turkic guards pacing back and forth; his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.

Gu Yan and the others beside him also held their breath, their eyes alight with an irrepressible excitement, like wolves scenting blood.

Gu Quan instinctively tightened his grip on the cavalry lance in his hand; the weapon, forged of cold iron, gleamed with a chilling light beneath the moon.

Just at the instant he was about to swing the lance and give the order, Gu Yan suddenly raised his long spear high; the spear tassels snapped and fluttered in the night wind: "Brother, I haven't seen you wield a spear in years."

The voice was low, yet every word weighed a thousand jin, carrying an obstinacy that brooked no refusal.

Gu Quan's whole body jolted; his gaze locked dead on that long spear — the shaft was wrapped in old deerskin, scored all over with marks of battle deep and shallow; it was precisely the very long spear he had once wielded across the battlefields.

Memories came flooding back like the tide.

In a daze, he seemed once more to see that scene of years ago, spear in hand, leading his many brothers in Li Shimin's following.

Now, although he had returned, everything was entirely different.

He understood Gu Yan's intention.

Although his name could not ring out under heaven, he still wished the brothers of now and the sons of the Gu clan of the future to remember him.

The world might not know, but the sons of the Gu clan needed to know.

Gu Quan suddenly smiled.

Without the slightest hesitation, he hurled the cavalry lance toward Gu Yan; the shaft tore through the night sky, emitting a sharp, whistling howl.

Gu Yan caught it steady, and at the same time passed his long spear across; the instant the brothers' fingertips touched, it was as if some sacred transmission had been completed.

Gu Quan tightened his grip on the long spear; the familiar feel traveled up from his palm, like an old friend reunited after long parting.

He drew in a deep breath, then violently thrust the long spear high into the air, the spear-tip pointing straight at the vault of heaven, and let loose an earth-shaking roar: "Kill!!"

As this roar suddenly rang out—

The several thousand soldiers behind him, long since prepared, shouted in unison, and like tigers loosed from a cage charged toward Baidao Chuan.

Iron hooves shattered the night; the crash of weapons and the shouts of killing instantly rang to the skies.

(PS: on my knees begging for monthly tickets~~~ this sick author updates and sincerely implores heavenly grace!..)

(End of chapter)