Khotan Town, one of the four towns in Anxi, is close to Tubo. If the name Khotan is not very famous, you can put it another way. Khotan Town is the Hotan of Xinjiang in later generations, the place where jade is produced.

From the map, if the Tang Dynasty is on the offensive against Tibet, then Khotan will be the bridgehead for the king's army to attack Tibet. If the Tang Dynasty is on the defensive and Tubo invades, Khotan will be the first line of defense within the Tang Dynasty. Its geographical location

It is very important and is a battleground between the two countries.

Interestingly, Khotan is an independent country. The leader of the country is named Yuchi, and the king of Khotan in this generation is named Yuchi Sheng. Therefore, to be precise, Khotan should be called "Khotan Kingdom".

The successive kings of Khotan were very loyal to the Tang Dynasty. Because the royal family admired the prosperity and culture of the Tang Dynasty, they often sent their children to Chang'an to study or serve as officials. The Tang Dynasty was also very kind to this younger brother who never left him.

, not only sent back a large number of gifts every year, married children and in-laws, but also stationed troops at the request of Khotan, and established the Bisha Governor's Palace in Khotan.

In the 22nd year of Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong established Qiuci, Yutian, Shule, and Yanqi as four towns. They were unified and controlled by the Anxi Protectorate, and soldiers and horses were stationed respectively. These are the famous "Four Anxi Towns"

.

When a country's sovereignty is still intact, it is a very advanced concept to actively invite other countries to station troops in its territory. It is still common in modern times more than a thousand years later.

From this we can also see how good the relationship between Khotan and the Tang Dynasty was. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is "Yu Tie".

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Khotan was often invaded by foreign enemies. The foreign enemies were mainly Tibet from the south. Due to the powerful Tibetan army, Khotan was devastated by the Tibetans. This was one of the reasons why Khotan had to invite the Tang Dynasty to garrison. Later the Tang Dynasty

After the Tang army stationed, they fought with Tibet inextricably. However, after Emperor Gaozong, the combat effectiveness of the Tang army was gradually not as good as before, so Khotan was often lost.

During the period from Wu Zetian to Li Longji, Khotan changed its owners several times. In order to compete for this strategic location, Tubo and Tang Dynasty had been fighting in a tug-of-war for many years, taking turns to raise red flags. The competition was very fierce.

Gao Xianzhi was surprised that the Khotan defenders were defeated so quickly, but it was not surprising that they launched a war against Tibet without any warning.

Gu Qing was a little puzzled: "Why did Tubo initiate a war? You can't just start a war without a reason, right?"

Gao Xianzhi smiled bitterly and said: "What reason is needed to launch a war? Since Emperor Gaozong, the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo has become increasingly bad. There is no need for a reason for the war between the two countries, because everyone understands that any reason is just a high-sounding fig leaf.

There have been too many battles, and the fig leaf is no longer necessary."

"Anyway, the Tang Dynasty wanted to swallow up Tubo, and Tubo wanted to swallow up the Tang Dynasty. It's that simple. Over the years I have been in Anxi, I have always fought undeclared wars with the Tubo thieves. Often, after a few years of peace, Tubo suddenly invaded.

The locations of the attack are usually Khotan in Anxi, Liangzhou in Hexi, and Shanzhou in Longyou."

Gu Qing murmured: "The ancient people were really simple and upright, and they didn't need a reason to fight..."

Gao Xianzhi glanced at him with a hesitant expression.

Gu Qing understood his expression, so he smiled and said: "Commander Jie, it is war time now. The general has said that if there is a war, the general and his soldiers and horses will obey the command of the commander, and ask the commander to take over the soldiers and horses of the four towns.

, prepare to fight the enemy."

Gao Xianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and sighed: "Master Gu Hou understands righteousness, and Brother Yu admires him."

After saying this, Gao Xianzhi's expression suddenly changed, and his recent listless look was gone. His whole aura suddenly became fierce, like a peerless sword that had just been unsheathed, spitting out its edge without any scruples.

From the first time Gu Qing met Gao Xianzhi, it was only at this moment that he looked like a truly famous general who would go down in history.

"Send out fast horses and summon soldiers and horses from the four towns to Kucha City. The Jiedushi Mansion will beat drums to gather the generals!"

…………

In Qiuci City, in the Jiedu Envoy's mansion, all the generals gathered together. Many of the faces were unfamiliar. Most of them came in a hurry from the other two towns.

Gao Xianzhi's face was as dark as water, and he stood in front of the main case without saying a word. Gu Qing sat on the right side of Gao Xianzhi, and Bian Lingcheng, as the supervisor, sat on the left side of Gao Xianzhi.

The generals looked calm, obviously not surprised by the Tibetan raid on Khotan, they were used to it.

But Bian Lingcheng kept looking at Gao Xianzhi and Gu Qing, with a look of confusion in his eyes.

Originally, Bian Lingcheng thought that after the war, Gao Xianzhi and Gu Qing would make a big fuss over the fight for the command of the four towns in Anxi. However, at this moment, Gao Xianzhi and Gu Qing's expressions were calm, and Gao Xianzhi stood in the center as usual. It was obvious that this time the fight against Tibet was strong.

The command was still in his hands, but Gu Qing didn't seem to mind, willing to sit next to him and play a supporting role.

This... the script is wrong!

Isn't the purpose of Gu Qing coming to Anxi to seize power? What a good opportunity this war is. Besides, Gu Qing has 10,000 elite soldiers and horses, and he is the supervisor of the army, why not seize power? If the war is still commanded by Gao Xianzhi, then

If there is any misconduct, Chang'an will issue an order to reprimand Bian Lingcheng, so Bian Lingcheng actually hopes that Gu Qing will take over the command.

The reason why most supervisors from ancient times to the present are bad people is because they look at problems from different perspectives.

In the eyes of the coach, war is war. War only needs to be won, and there is no need to think about factors other than war.

However, in the eyes of the supervisors, the victory or defeat of the war is secondary. They will only look at the war from a political perspective. Once they look at the war from a political perspective, their stance will be different.

The intricate relationships in the court, the emperor's complicated psychology, and the intrigues within the army are all more important than the outcome of the war. For political needs, he would not hesitate to lose a war.

So at this moment, Bian Lingcheng didn't care much about the Tubo invasion. What he cared about was why Gu Qing didn't seize Gao Xianzhi's military power. Didn't His Majesty mean that he should come to Anxi to contain Gao Xianzhi? With such an excellent opportunity, he did nothing and took the initiative.

Give up military power to Gao Xianzhi...

Bian Lingcheng secretly made a note in the little black notebook in his heart, and decided to turn around and report to Chang'an.

Gu Qing had no idea that he was about to be accused secretly for the first time in his life. His attention was focused on the generals in front of the hall.

Gu Qing listened carefully as the generals were called in. Unfortunately, except for Ma Lin, there were no familiar names.

Gu Qing silently counted the famous generals in the Anxi Protectorate. There were only three famous generals, Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, and Ma Lin. Most of the other famous generals were in other Protectorate's Mansion, such as Ge Shuhan, who was "Geshu Ye carries a sword".

position, or in Chang'an, such as Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi.

When all the generals arrived, Gao Xianzhi looked around and said slowly: "Ten days ago, the Tibetan thieves sent 30,000 troops to invade Khotan. The Khotan defenders were defeated and retreated. I, the King of the Tang Dynasty, have been favored by the emperor and have the responsibility to defend the territory and resist the enemy.

, the war has begun, everyone from this commander on down must act bravely, serve the country with their bodies, and do not betray the emperor and his people."

There was a sound of armor leaves clashing, and all the generals clasped their fists in salute and said loudly: "Yes!"

Gao Xianzhi nodded and said: "Starting today, soldiers and horses from the four towns of Anxi gathered in Kucha. The garrison in Kucha immediately sent out scouts to find out the movements of the Tibetan rebels. They also searched for the defeated Khotan defenders along the Yuhe River, contacted them, and gathered the defeated troops.

The three armies prepared grain, grass and weapons, and recruited civilians. All the cities of the Anxi Protectorate were closed, and a curfew was imposed in the city. They quickly reported the military situation to the Beiting, Hexi, and Longyou Protectorates. The generals ordered their troops and horses to prepare for war and prepare to go out to fight against Tibet.

Thief army."

"yes!"

Gao Xianzhi turned to look at Gu Qing and said, "Does the deputy commander have anything to say?"

Gu Qing smiled and said: "The general has nothing to say. He has 10,000 soldiers and horses, 15,000 war horses, some grain, grass and weapons, at the command of the commander-in-chief."

Bian Lingcheng's pupils shrank suddenly when he heard this.

Gao Xianzhi smiled with satisfaction. Gu Qing's humble attitude in front of the generals obviously gave him enough face. Gao Xianzhi secretly appreciated it.

Of course, give face to face, Gao Xianzhi knew very well that if he really wanted to bypass Gu Qing and mobilize 10,000 troops under his command, Gu Qing would definitely flip the table and fall out on the spot. Everyone knew what was the truth and what was just a formality.

After pondering for a moment, Gao Xianzhi said: "You cannot change generals before the battle. This is a taboo for military strategists. The deputy commander's 10,000 troops and horses are still under your control. After the scouts find out the enemy's movements, you can discuss the movement of the troops and horses with the deputy commander."

Gu Qing gave Gao Xianzhi enough face, and Gao Xianzhi reciprocated. He gave Gu Qing enough face in front of the generals. He could not move the 10,000 soldiers and horses under Gu Qing's command. The situation was not too critical. Gao Xianzhi did not forget the emperor's imperial edict to Gu Qing.

The imperial edict stated that the left guard's 10,000 troops were controlled by Gu Qing. Gao Xianzhi would never touch Gu Qing's troops unless absolutely necessary.

After gathering the generals, Gao Xianzhi ordered the generals to perform their duties, and then ordered everyone to disperse.

Gu Qing also said goodbye to Gao Xianzhi, planning to return to the camp to organize his troops and supplies. As soon as he left the Jiedushi Mansion, he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind, and Ling Cheng chased after him.

"The Border Patrol Army has something to explain?" Gu Qing asked curiously.

Bian Lingcheng looked around, pulled Gu Qing to a deserted corner, stamped his feet and said angrily: "Master Gu, why is the military power in Anxi still in Gao Xianzhi's hands? Didn't we agree to contain Gao Xianzhi together?"

Gu Qing said blankly: "When did we agree? Is it possible that the Border Patrol Army is still hungover?"

Bian Lingcheng suddenly changed his expression: "Last time in the Marquis's handsome tent, how could we... say... no, no..."

Bian Lingcheng spoke slower and slower, looking increasingly embarrassed.

Well, it seems that I didn't say it last time. It's just that Gu Qing had the emperor's imperial edict and his intention to contain Gao Xianzhi was obvious. Bian Lingcheng subjectively believed that Gu Qing and Gao Xianzhi would definitely seize power, which gave rise to the illusion that they were allies.

Gu Qing looked at him sympathetically and said sincerely: "The border supervisors may have been too tired recently. Do you want to go back to Chang'an to rest for a while? I requested your Majesty's order and said that the border supervisors became sick from overwork and vomited ten pounds of blood.
Chapter completed!