After hearing what Su Dingfang said, the generals in the hall turned their eyes to Li Ke, wanting to see his attitude. ¨d ¨g
"Today, I just want to tell you that the purpose of our northwest army is not to fight back to Chang'an or to conquer Goryeo, but to guard the northwest for the Tang Dynasty. Speaking from afar, it is to conquer the countries in the Western Regions and make the Western Regions the territory of the Tang Dynasty. The land allows you all to be crowned kings and marquises.¡±
Li Ke¡¯s words were quite inflammatory. He immediately made a promise to the generals to become king, but the generals did not doubt Li Ke¡¯s words at all. Because Su Dingfang's title of king proved that Li Ke was not someone who guarded his title very closely, but rather reflected his sincerity in treating his heroes and his trusted generals.
Therefore, when the generals heard this, a glimmer of light flashed in their eyes, waiting for what would happen next.
Li Ke was very satisfied with what he just said and continued, "But have you ever thought about whether we are capable of conquering the vast countries in the Western Regions now? How should we rule them after conquering the countries in the Western Regions? There is no big country there. People of the Tang Dynasty, do we want to stay out and be the king of the foreigners in the Western Regions? No - absolutely not! Therefore, we have to wait until the court has pacified Goryeo, the situation in Chang'an is stable, and the Tang Dynasty has enough financial resources and the ability to move to the Western Regions Only then can we march westward!"
"However - now, the most important thing for you is to train your elite soldiers well. When the Tang Dynasty goes to war with the Western Regions, whether you will be granted the title of marquis or king will depend on your military exploits, not your qualifications!" Li Ke said loudly.
"Nuo" the generals responded.
Seeing the high spirits of the generals, Li Ke's face darkened and he said, "However, our northwest army is also facing threats and tests - Changsun Wuji and Prince Li Chengqian are eyeing us. We must not take it lightly - you must remember, as long as we are for The peace of the Tang Dynasty, our Northwest Army must definitely defend it with honor¡ª¡ª"
Li Ke¡¯s words were very cryptic, but all the generals knew what King Bei wanted to express, and everyone stood up to accept the order.
After the serious conversation is over, the banquet begins!
Because Li Ke was not short of money, Chai Zhewei made a special trip to Qingtang City. The banquet was very large.
We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. When we meet at the wine table, it is natural that we are inseparable from each other.
Late at night, when the generals were preparing to leave, Li Ke ordered the Eagle Guards to carry out five large boxes.
"Everyone, if you follow me, Li Ke, to conquer the east and west, how can I forget your merits, hard work, and your loyalty?" Li Ke said in a gentle tone, "This little money should be regarded as the reward I give you - ¡ª¡±
As soon as Li Ke finished speaking, five large boxes were opened, and they were all filled with neatly coded banknotes. It is a banknote issued by Beifu Bank with a face value of one hundred guan.
¡°Send it to everyone¡ª¡ª¡± Li Ke ordered.
Commander Wang took the order and placed a bunch of banknotes in front of the generals.
There are one hundred cards in one stack, which means ten thousand guan. There are at least five stacks in front of everyone, which is 50,000 guan.
The generals were stunned. They knew that King Bei was rich and that the entire Black Guard army was supported by King Bei himself. And the military pay they received was all King Bei's own money. They didn't expect King Bei to wait for so much money for themselves today.
"What, you think there are too few?" Li Ke saw that all the generals were stunned and silent, so he opened his mouth and said with a smile.
¡°No¡ªPrincipal, the students are really short of money!¡± Yu Wenguo smiled and quickly grabbed the money.
When the generals saw his appearance, they all burst into laughter and collected their money.
After the generals left, Li Min, Li Zong, Chai Zhewei, Su Dingfang and Di Zhisun were left in Li Ke's study.
Li Ke told Li Min, Li Zong and Chai Zhewei about Li Shimin's illness.
"Third brother, whether the emperor's condition is serious or not remains to be carefully investigated, but Changsun Wuji must have other ideas for deploying troops like this!" Li Zong said.
"The emperor is critically ill and Changsun Wuji is dispatching troops. What else can he think of?" Chai Zhewei said fiercely, "The third brother still has the foresight to make preparations and store enough food and grass in Huazhou!"
"Your Highness, although there are not many troops stationed in Woguan, even if we add 30,000 Luoyang elite soldiers, the total army will be less than 50,000. However, Woguan is steep and the elite soldiers in the northwest are mostly cavalry and are not good at attacking cities. It's hard to break through inside -" Su Dingfang said worriedly.
"Also, Changsun Wuji transferred the Qizhou Army to defend Puzhou, and the Qizhou Army was stationed in Puzhou. Changsun Wuji would definitely let Li Ji lead the army. With Li Ji defending Puzhou, it would be difficult for Chen Qi's army to attack Let¡¯s go to Puzhou City!¡± Di Zhisun also said worriedly.
"Actually, I have never thought of using the Northwest Army -" Li Ke said, "The purpose of the Northwest Army is the Western Regions, not Chang'an City, not to pacify the country.of turmoil. "
When Li Ke said this, he paused and continued, "There are 100,000 fine cavalry in Bingzhou, and 30,000 black cavalry went north to Liaodong, but there are also 20,000 ghost-faced cavalry, 20,000 heavy cavalry and 10,000 wolf cavalry camps. These three Any one of the elite cavalry can defeat the city of Chang'an, so why do we need an army of tens of thousands?"
"As for Li Ji?" Li Ke smiled coldly, "If he dares to go to Puzhou City to lead troops to garrison this time, I will not be polite to him - let him do it again for the last time!"
Seeing Li Ke speaking so confidently, Di Zhisun smiled slightly and said, "It seems that His Highness has a good idea¡ª¡ª"
Su Dingfang also turned his questioning gaze to Li Ke.
Li Ke smiled faintly and said, "Didn't Changsun Wuji transfer 30,000 elite soldiers from Luoyang? There were 50,000 soldiers stationed in Luoyang, and 30,000 were transferred away, leaving only less than 20,000 old and weak people. The troops in the city are empty. This This is the key to this king." Li Ke smiled slightly.
"Your Highness, the Taiyuan army wants to detour to Youzhou and then go to Luoyang. If they enter Chang'an, the journey is too far and the goal is obvious. If Changsun Wuji discovers your intention, he will definitely mobilize heavy troops to defend Luoyang¡ª¡ª" Su Dingfang questioned.
"Ding Fang - I will not give him a chance. My goal is Puzhou, Li Ji -" Li Ke said coldly, "Luoyang City will be captured by someone -" Li Ke was very worried He said confidently, "As long as Luoyang City is destroyed, can Chang'an City be defended? Changsun Wuji would never have thought that Luoyang, the eastern capital that he was least prepared for, would be Chang'an City's nemesis¡ª¡ª"
Immediately, he said, "Dingfang, the current domestic situation is unclear, so the northwest army must not move. We have destroyed Tuyuhun and Tubo, and supported a new Tubo. This has made the countries in the Western Regions very wary of the Tang Dynasty. They have begun They were afraid of the Tang Dynasty and began to guard against the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, if there is chaos in the country during this period, it is inevitable that they will not take advantage of the fire to plunder. Therefore, the main target of the northwest army is the Western Region. As long as you find any changes in the countries in the Western Region , I will send troops immediately to show off my power in a battle and show the national prestige of the Tang Dynasty - when the chaos in the country is over, I will order you to destroy the countries in the Western Regions."
¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry, Su Lie knows¡ª¡ª¡± Su Dingfang replied steadily.
"Well -" Li Ke nodded and said to Di Zhisun, "We agree, I will leave the government affairs in the northwest to you. You have to stabilize the situation -"
"Your Highness, don't worry, I will do my best¡ª" Di Zhisun also said.
"You two -" Li Ke thought for a moment before speaking, "You two should follow me -" and then said to Chai Zhewei, "Zhewei, you will stay in Qingtang City during this period - I will have a task for you!"
¡°No¡ª¡±
Li Zong, Li Min and Chai Zhewei responded.
After making these arrangements, Li Ke asked the five people to leave the study! And he was lost in thought!
Because it is difficult for him to determine what Li Shimin is thinking now! What measures would he take when he found out that Changsun Wuji had mobilized his troops without permission? Was he trying to put down the rebellion? Or should I go back to Chang'an myself¡ª¡ª
However, regardless of that situation, as far as Li Ke is concerned, it is not a bad thing. Li Ke is thinking about how to get greater benefits from it.