Chapter 163: The Northern Expedition Begins: Inheritance and Surprise Attacks (Seeking Monthly Votes)

In truth, Li Shimin’s mindset was not solely due to the recovery speed of the Nine Provinces.

At its root, it was still the influence brought about by the Gu family.

In the original history—

Li Shimin was an emperor with a highly advanced way of thinking; beyond pacifying through military force, he also believed that "the Hu and the Yue are one with the Central Plains," advocating that "a king views the four seas as one family."

In the imperial court of that original history, ethnic minority generals accounted for half of the court officials, while tens of thousands of families from tribes like the Turks resided in Chang’an, with over a million people registered in the Great Tang census.

Li Shimin was like this in the original history, let alone now, with the groundwork laid by people like Gu Chen and Gu Ye.

Today, he would only be more steadfast in all of this.

Integrating foreign tribes, strengthening the Nine Provinces, opening trade routes, and thereby creating a golden age.

This was absolutely a viable path.

As long as he remained in this world and could maintain stability within the Great Tang court, this path would lead the entire Great Tang to a brand-new peak.

Even Gu Yi was looking forward to it in his heart.

—Ten thousand nations coming to pay tribute, the Reign of Zhenguan.

With him having already laid the foundation for the entire Nine Provinces, what would the coming golden age actually turn into?

And what kind of immense impact would it have on the future of the entire Nine Provinces?

All of this was worth Gu Yi’s anticipation.

Li Shimin was not a man who would hesitate.

Once he had officially made up his mind, the entire Great Tang court moved rapidly in accordance with his will.

It is worth mentioning that—

Gu Quan had set out.

After several years, he finally rushed to the place he had always aimed for, intending to inherit Gu Yu’s unfulfilled wish and lead a group of Gu family descendants to charge into battle from the shadows.

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

In fact, the Turks had begun raiding again not just because of human greed, but also because they were weary of the situation.

For these past few years, there had been constant internal strife within the Turks.

Although the last time had forced the Turks and the Great Tang to sign a new alliance, the significant casualties still had a major impact on the prestige of Jieli Khan.

And the most critical factor was Gu Yu’s interference.

Regarding the Turks, he had always been secretly sending people to sow discord, and this had not stopped even after his death.

Coupled with the constant natural disasters over these years.

Jieli Khan had no choice but to choose to use external enemies to alleviate internal conflicts.

Li Shimin was now also going to seize this opportunity.

News spread continuously.

The mobilization of a great army could not possibly be hidden; the whole world knew that the current Holy Son of Heaven seemed to be taking up arms once again.

This did indeed cause a certain amount of panic.

After all, the actions of Yang Guang from years past still remained in people’s hearts.

Although life during the Kaihuang era was not as good as it was now, it had been slowly improving, only to finally collapse under Yang Guang’s forced labor and two distant expeditions.

Now, a great war was coming again.

This could not help but cause panic among the common people.

But in the end, no disaster could come of it.

Li Shimin’s prestige throughout the world was too high now, not to mention that the fact that Gu family descendants guarded the gates of the Nine Provinces was no secret in today’s world.

The Holy Son of Heaven paired with Gu family descendants.

This combination gave people an inexplicable sense of security.

Moreover, the target this time was the Turks; repeated raids had long since made the people of the world harbor hatred for the Turks.

The pride for the Central Plains deep in the bones of the people.

Made them support this Northern Expedition as well; even if they felt panicked, there would be no major chaos.

Taiji Hall.

The atmosphere in the court was solemn, and all the officials wore grave expressions.

—They were going to mobilize the army!

Everyone was very clear on this point.

An emperor with Li Shimin’s personality could absolutely never tolerate threats to the Great Tang from any direction.

Many of them had been waiting for this day, and now they were all somewhat excited.

Li Shimin’s expression was firm and resolute, his gaze sweeping over the officials below like a torch, and then he said with resounding force: "The Eastern Turks have repeatedly violated our borders and harassed our people."

"If not for the Grand Tutor and others leading troops to block them."

"Who knows how the Turks would be wreaking havoc now."

"My mind is made up; we must strike at the Eastern Turks to wash away our national shame and protect the peace of our Great Tang borders!"

Upon hearing this, the officials either showed excitement or nodded slightly to express their agreement.

Li Shimin then announced the appointments: "I appoint Minister of War Li Jing as the Commander of the Dingxiang Route Army, with full responsibility for this military operation, and Zhang Gongjin as his deputy to assist Li Jing."

"Bingzhou Governor Li Ji, Huazhou Inspector Chai Shao, Lingzhou Grand Governor Xue Wanche, and others."

Then, he ordered in a loud voice: "All of you shall be commanders of your respective routes, leading an army of one hundred thousand, striking at the Turks from different directions; you must coordinate your operations and break the Turks in one fell swoop!"

The named generals stepped out one by one, bowing to Li Shimin with solemn expressions.

Li Shimin then spoke of the basic strategy for this expedition.

He was a natural commander.

Although he would not go to the battlefield in person, he was still able to formulate appropriate tactics based on the topographical maps.

—Four-pronged army!

This was the tactic he had discussed with Gu Quan.

To encircle the Turks from different directions, and Gu Quan would also be able to mobilize troops from Shuofang!

As long as they could seize the opportunity.

They could directly tear the Turks apart and completely shatter their alliance!

Li Shimin emphasized his tactics, but he also knew he could not restrict the generals too rigidly, handing the authority over to them while not forgetting to remind them: "The Grand Tutor is currently in Shuofang."

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

—The Grand Tutor naturally referred to Gu Yan.

Gu Yan now counted as having inherited all of Gu Yu’s titles and positions, and his status in the court was incomparable.

He naturally would not expose Gu Quan’s identity.

In fact, if he could, Li Shimin would even be willing to lead the troops himself, but it was a pity he was not the Ten Directions Expedition Envoy; as an emperor, he also had other responsibilities.

The officials all obeyed the order.

The atmosphere in the entire hall became increasingly solemn at this moment.

Li Shimin swept his burning gaze over the crowd, his eyes incomparably sharp; he slowly stood up and said with a clang:

"In this battle, I want to see Jieli kneel before me with my own eyes!"

His expression was so firm.

Seeing this, the officials did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately bowing deeply toward Li Shimin and shouting in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!!!"

The major matter was quickly settled.

The fourth year of Zhenguan, November.

Li Shimin appointed Li Jing as commander, leading one hundred thousand troops in four routes, pointing directly at the Eastern Turks.

The news spread instantly, and all four directions were shaken!

At the same time, in Shuofang.

Gu Quan had not brought many troops with him this time, only a few Gu family guards.

Li Shimin had originally wanted Gu Quan to lead troops.

But Gu Quan had refused.

Gu Yu had already left the most suitable troops for him in Shuofang, and if he were to be the commander-in-chief during such a great war, his identity would certainly be discovered by those with ulterior motives.

This was not what Gu Quan wanted.

After many years, the brothers finally met again.

Looking at the dense scars on Gu Quan’s face, Gu Yan and the other brothers could not help but feel their eyes redden.

It was this elder brother who had endured everything, leaving all the glory to them.

But as brothers, there was no need for many words.

The brothers just hugged each other one by one, not even bothering with formalities, just as they had in years past.

Gu Quan first went to pay his respects at Gu Yu’s cenotaph.

This was something Gu Yan had set up for him.

It was in the hope that one day, Gu Yu’s spirit in heaven would be able to see them, the descendants of the family, lead troops out of Shuofang and revive the prestige of the Nine Provinces and the Gu family, just like the ancestors of generations past.

And afterwards, Gu Quan went to see the five thousand specially trained troops that Gu Yu had left for them.

These people were absolutely lethal weapons.

Whether in terms of execution, endurance, cold resistance, or horsemanship, they were absolute elites in every aspect.

Although this had already been said countless times in letters and memorials.

Yet this time, Gu Yan still carefully explained their extraordinariness to Gu Quan.

"Elder brother, these troops were improved by Father based on the training methods of Lord Cheng, Lord Chen, and others."

"Look at their warhorses; these are all relay horses from the Hexi fork, especially adept at enduring cold and excelling in long-distance travel."

"Every one of them can draw a three-stone bow with bare arms in the snow and ride for three consecutive days without falling from the saddle."

"."

Following Gu Quan as he hurried to Shuofang.

Gu Yan seemed to finally be able to set down some of the heavy burdens in his heart, returning to that somewhat reckless state of years past.

Gu Quan was likewise listening very intently.

Even though he had long known the characteristics of these men, for a true commander, everything can only be thoroughly believed when seen with one's own eyes.

Gu Quan's commanding ability had now absolutely reached a top-tier level under the influence of the Luo Book Harmonic Instrument.

Just by looking at the eyes of these soldiers.

He was able to perceive their extraordinariness from within them.

And after finishing all this, Gu Quan then brought Gu Yan and the others back into the main tent to begin discussing the subsequent tactics.

"I have already agreed with Your Majesty that this battle shall be fought by four great armies attacking the Turks from four directions."

Inside the main tent.

Gu Quan pointed at the topographical map while speaking of the tactics he had discussed with Li Shimin, "And based on my understanding of this man Li Jing, Li Jing will certainly employ the method of surprise attacks and rapid marches, taking advantage of the Turks' inability to react in time to secure victory."

This was also one of the reasons why Li Shimin wanted to start the war in winter.

The resources within the Turks were limited;

And they would never expect the Great Tang to choose to strike directly in winter.

This was the judgment of Gu Quan as a top-tier commander.

"Li Jing's ability to command troops is extremely extraordinary. If my predictions are correct, as long as this mission goes smoothly, Jieli Khan will only be able to retreat toward Qikou, seeking to use the danger of the Yinshan to block our Great Tang's military edge."

"And as long as we can seize the opportunity—"

"Li Ji and the others will also be able to attack the remnants of the Turks from all sides."

"."

Gu Quan's expression was incomparably serious; looking at the topographical map before him, a virtual battlefield was reconstructed in his mind.

He was analyzing the upcoming war situation based on the Turks' defenses.

As well as the personalities of the commanders on both sides.

The tent was incomparably silent.

Looking at the topographical map before them, the faces of all the brothers revealed looks of shock.

Although they had long known that Gu Quan's ability far exceeded theirs.

But in the past, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to reach this realm; this ability to coordinate and judge the overall situation was like that of a celestial being.

"Does Elder Brother mean for our army to attack the Yinshan directly?"

After Gu Quan's voice fell, Gu Yan immediately frowned and asked, "To block Jieli's retreating army and form a pincer attack with Li Jing?"

——This was indeed a good method.

As long as everything could truly go as Gu Quan predicted, then for Jieli Khan, this would absolutely be a lethal blow.

"No!"

But Gu Quan shook his head directly: "Although I am very confident in my heart, when it involves a war for the nation, we must never be arrogant."

As he spoke, he pointed to "Baidaochuan" and "Yudujin Mountain" on the topographical map.

"Our army's target should be placed on these two locations."

Baidaochuan was the granary of the Turks.

Inside it was stored the fodder the Turks used to feed their livestock during the winter.

And Yudujin Mountain was the sacred mountain of the Turks.

Gu Quan was a descendant of the Gu family, and he would not forget the advantages of the Gu family itself.

And this move also had another strategic intent.

That was to take Juyan Lake.

This move would not only block Jieli's path of escape to the west but also lay the foundation for pacifying the Western Turks in the future.

The Central Plains had been in chaos for a long time, and the Western Regions had long since broken away from the control of the Central Plains, now being controlled by the Western Turks.

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

Although the Western Turks were different from the Eastern Turks and had maintained a superficial peace with the Great Tang for these years, in reality, they controlled the vital passages, occupied the Western Regions, and were even influencing the trade routes between the Great Tang and the Western Regions.

He could also be certain that, given Li Shimin's personality, he would absolutely not tolerate this matter continuing.

This battle would come sooner or later.

And occupying Juyan Lake now was laying the foundation for this.

Gu Quan was no longer just focusing his gaze on the Turks; he wanted to bloom on two fronts!

Seeing this scene, even Gu Yi was startled.

He quickly went over Gu Quan's thoughts in his mind and pondered them based on the great battles in original history.

In the end, he had to admit that this strategy of Gu Quan's was absolutely feasible.

Burning the Turks' fodder.

This would absolutely cause a fatal impact on the entire Turkic people, causing all their tribes to fall into famine in a short period of time.

And occupying the sacred mountain.

Would destroy their faith.

With these two things applied together, plus the surprise attacks by Li Jing and others, it would absolutely be possible to quickly pacify the Eastern Turks; at that time, the Tang Army would naturally have the ability to face the current Western Turks.

One must know that in original history.

The Western Turks also constantly surrendered and rebelled when facing the Great Tang, which seriously affected the Great Tang's control over the Western Regions, and it was not until the reign of Emperor Gaozong that it was thoroughly resolved.

If it could truly be achieved to integrate early now, the increase in the Great Tang's national power would be unimaginable.

Although this move required taking some risks.

But the benefits it could bring would also far exceed the past.

The most critical thing is—

Even if they were defeated, the Turks would find it difficult to cause any huge damage to the Great Tang's troops.

The abilities of Li Jing and the others were not just empty talk!

Thinking of this, Gu Yi's heart could not help but beat wildly.

If it could truly be done, this battle would greatly accelerate the progress of original history and would absolutely make the entire Great Tang's national power develop toward another level; perhaps it might really be possible to achieve everything he had envisioned in years past.

Gu Yi became more excited the more he thought about it.

As long as the Maritime Silk Road could be successfully opened, the help to the entire Nine Provinces would be unimaginable.

And the Gu family could also completely get rid of the burden of the Nine Provinces.

To open up a foundation overseas.

At that time, they could successfully create a dual guarantee with the Nine Provinces as the main and overseas as the auxiliary!

Whether for the Gu family or the entire Nine Provinces, this was absolutely a major event that spanned eras!

The tent was silent.

Gu Yan and the others were all staring tightly at the topographical map to think about the possibilities within it.

Although they all trusted Gu Quan incomparably, for such a major event involving the family's reputation, they would not choose to follow blindly and had to carefully analyze the gains and losses.

Their abilities were not as good as Gu Quan's.

But now that Gu Quan had pointed out the various strategic intents, they were also able to analyze the feasibility within them.

Gu Quan did not say anything more.

He knew that whether it was him or brothers like Gu Yan, they were all holding their breath in their hearts.

As long as they thought through the details, they could not refuse such a thing.

Sure enough—

Just a moment later, as Gu Yan nodded first, the eyes of the others also became firm at this moment.

"Good!"

"We shall follow Elder Brother's words!"

This battle was destined to be earth-shattering.

Jieli Khan was not a fool, and he had naturally heard of the Great Tang's movements long ago and made some preparations.

But he was ultimately a bit too confident.

He firmly believed that the people of the Central Plains would not choose to start a war in the current harsh winter.

And Li Jing also did not exceed Gu Quan's expectations, directly seizing this opportunity to launch a rapid surprise attack.

December.

Li Jing personally led three thousand elite cavalry, setting out from Mayi to launch a night raid on Dingxiang.

Compared to original history.

The surprise attack tactics of the Nine Provinces' generals were indeed much stronger under the influence of generations.

Even though Jieli Khan had made preparations in advance, the final result still far exceeded his expectations.

In just one day—the unprepared Turkic soldiers were trampled by Li Jing.

In the ensuing chaos, the royal tent at Dingxiang was breached.

The remnants of the Turkic army fled in a panic toward Qikou, and Jieli Khan finally learned of the matter; shocked, he immediately deployed defenses across the entire Yinshan.

At the same time, Li Ji led his army north from Yunzhong, launching a full-scale offensive against the Turkic tribes.

Gu Quan did not take direct action.

Jieli Khan had never ceased his focus on the Gu family.

He needed to wait;

He needed to wait for these people to draw all of Jieli Khan’s attention away before he could truly deliver a fatal blow.

The fifth year of the Zhenguan era, first month.

Li Ji encountered a large Turkic army at Baidao, beheading over ten thousand and capturing a vast number of tribesmen.

——The news spread.

The Turks were terrified.

An invisible panic permeated the entire Turkic interior; the Great Tang’s decisiveness this time far exceeded their imagination, and some small tribes had even begun to surrender to the Tang Army.

But Jieli Khan held firm at Yinshan.

The northern frontier was bitterly cold.

Especially under this heavy snow that seemed capable of swallowing men, crossing the natural barrier of Yinshan was no easy task.

Yet Jieli Khan’s situation was also dire.

The Tang Army’s forces were attacking from all directions, and the pressure he bore was unimaginable; he could not resolve everything by relying solely on a natural barrier.

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

Jieli Khan had not intended to relax his tight defense of Shuofang, but the current situation was forcing him to make a choice.

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

By then, even if he could hold off the Tang Army, his time as the so-called Khan would likely have reached its end.

But mobilizing troops—

Meant he was destined to face the threat of the Gu family.

He could only gamble, gambling that the Tang Army would not keep biting at his heels.

And upon learning of this, Gu Quan did not hesitate in the slightest; he immediately led the five thousand specially trained troops and launched his operation, aiming directly at the Turkic granary, Baidaochuan.

This journey was destined to be incredibly perilous.

Only these soldiers who had undergone special training could perhaps accomplish it.

The key was a long-distance raid that also required bypassing Yinshan!

Even with Li Jing and the others attracting Jieli Khan’s attention on the main battlefield, the difficulty of this mission was equally unimaginable.

And the most critical point was—

Gu Quan still needed to ensure the combat effectiveness of his soldiers; after all, a vital granary would surely be guarded by elites!

But fortunately, the Gu family descendants already had experience with such surprise attacks.

Especially Gu Quan.

Although on the surface, everything was the work of Gu Yan, in reality, he was the one controlling every detail.

He was like an invisible guardian.

Secretly and silently serving as the bridge between the Gu family and the Great Tang.

Detouring;

Constantly detouring.

Gu Quan did not want to clash with any Turkic forces; unless he could ensure no survivors were left, he could only keep detouring, leading the army to forge ahead through the wind and snow toward the predetermined target.

Even Gu Yi had to marvel that the foundation laid by Gu Yu was truly excellent.

The moles he had planted in the past not only brought back much news for Gu Quan but also provided him with extremely detailed topographical maps.

This was Gu Quan’s greatest reliance in this battle.

This was the deployment and ambition passed down from one generation to the next.

It was precisely because of this that the mindset of every single descendant was so firm.

The Gu family needed to rise to prominence once again.

As of now—it was not enough!

The Gu family was able to bear the name of the Champion Marquis of the Great Han in the past and win the heartfelt respect of the world; now, they could do the same within this rising Great Tang Dynasty!

Four hundred li!

Gu Quan had detoured for a full four hundred li!

And it only took a mere eight days!

And this was not even the limit; Gu Quan had deliberately slowed down slightly out of concern for the combat effectiveness of his subordinates. If he had pushed to the limit, six days would likely have sufficed!

The advantage of years of special training was fully manifested at such a time.

Although there were still some casualties.

Most of them had withstood this hundreds-of-li raid.

The twilight was like ink, soaking into every inch of land in Baidaochuan.

Gu Quan narrowed his eyes, gazing at the mountains of fodder in the distance and the Turkic guards pacing back and forth; his Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.

Gu Yan and the others beside him also held their breath, excitement dancing in their eyes like wolves that had caught the scent of blood.

Gu Quan instinctively tightened his grip on the horse lance in his hand; the weapon, forged from cold iron, gleamed with a chilling light under the moonlight.

Just as he was about to swing his lance to give the order, Gu Yan suddenly raised his long spear high, the spear tassel rustling in the night wind: "Elder brother, I have not seen you use a spear for many years."

The voice was low but carried the weight of a thousand jun, filled with an unyielding stubbornness.

Gu Quan shuddered, his gaze fixed firmly on that long spear—the shaft wrapped in worn deerskin and carved with battle scars of varying depths; it was the very same long spear he had once used to roam the battlefield.

The past surged in like a tide.

In a trance, he seemed to see once again the scene from years ago when he held his spear and led his brothers to follow Li Shimin.

Although he had returned now, everything was completely different.

He understood Gu Yan’s intentions.

Although his name could not resound throughout the world, he wanted the current brothers and the future Gu family descendants to remember him.

The world might not know, but the Gu family descendants needed to know.

Gu Quan suddenly smiled.

He threw the horse lance to Gu Yan without hesitation; the lance shaft sliced through the night sky, emitting a sharp whistle.

Gu Yan caught it steadily and handed the long spear over; the moment their fingertips touched, it was as if some sacred inheritance had been completed.

Gu Quan gripped the long spear, the familiar sensation traveling from his palm, like an old friend reunited after a long separation.

He took a deep breath, suddenly raised the long spear high, the tip pointing straight at the firmament, and let out a heaven-shaking roar: "Kill!!"

Following this roar, it erupted suddenly.

The thousands of soldiers behind him, who had long been prepared, shouted in unison and charged toward Baidaochuan like tigers released from their cages.

Iron hooves shattered the night, and the sound of clashing weapons and battle cries instantly resounded through the clouds.

(Ps: Begging for monthly tickets~~~ Praying for heaven's grace while updating through illness!..)

(End of chapter)