Chapter 14 Famous General Gao Xianzhi

Looking at the tall walls of Kucha City, Zuoche sighed: "Young Master, we have finally arrived! We are home!"

Kucha is a big city in the Western Regions, and Anxi Protectorate is here.

The four towns of Yanqi, Kucha, Khotan and Shule are collectively known as the Four Towns of Anxi, and are the strategic pillars of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions. Among these four towns, Kucha is the most important to the Tang Dynasty.

Ge Shuhan patted the dust on his body and laughed: "I'm finally back! After so many years, I'm finally home!" He waved his hand and said: "Go and go into the city!"

"Young Master, look, the Jiedushi is here, he is here to welcome us." Zuo Che was very excited, lowered his voice, and whispered in Geshuhan's ear: "Young Master, as soon as you arrive, Jiedushi Tian Renwan will be done."

Li Longji admired Geshuhan's military talents very much and asked him to manage the Western Regions, that is, he appointed him as the governor of the Western Regions. As soon as he arrived, Tian Renwan, the former governor, had no choice but to stand aside.

Looking back on the time when Geshuhan left the Western Regions, his reputation was unknown. Now, he is the general in charge of the Anxi Protectorate. How many years have passed? There has been such a change, and Zuoche cannot be happy.

Geshuhan didn't have this leisure, and said with a solemn face: "The burden on my shoulders is heavier than any Anxi Protector General."

Since the collapse of Tubo, Dashi has become a little anxious. It is unnecessary to think about it. After the Tang Dynasty destroyed Tubo, the more than 100,000 troops originally used to defend Tubo became strategic mobile forces and would inevitably be sent to the battlefield that the Tang Dynasty wanted to invest. At present, the place where the Tang Dynasty needed to invest more troops the most was the Northland, defeating the Later Turks.

Once the Turks were defeated, the Tang army would advance westward in large numbers. Then, the pressure faced by Dashi would be much greater. If Tubo had not restrained the Tang army for so many years, the Tang army would have advanced westward in large numbers, so how could it be that Dashi would not be anxious or not. This emergency would be extremely important. Wars in the Western Regions would have been more frequent and larger in scale, and Geshuhan's burden on his shoulders was too heavy.

The left car couldn't help but suffocate and had to stop talking.

Tian Renwan led the generals to arrive and saluted to Geshuhan and said, "I have met General Geshu."

Geshuhan replied, "Geshuhan has met General Tian."

After everyone's greetings, Geshuhan asked the matter: "General Tian, ​​is the army's base ready?"

"Before the troops move, food and grass will go first." This is a common military pronunciation. Before the army arrived, Geshuhan sent someone to inform Tian Renwan and asked him to prepare his garrison and food and fodder.

Tian Renwan smiled and said, "Please rest assured General Geshu. Everything is ready, just wait for you to arrive. General Geshu, the emperor sent 30,000 reinforcements and 3,000 Dragon Martial Army. That's great. There have never been so many troops in the Western Regions. Should General Geshu fight a few battles?"

Because of the relationship between Tubo and the poor western regions, the Tang Dynasty did not send many troops in the Western Regions, and some wars were not enough to be fought. Now, it is a big shame to add 30,000 reinforcements, and if you don’t fight a few battles, you’re so sorry.

All the generals had this idea, and couldn't help but look at Geshuhan and wait for his words.

But Geshuhan did not answer them, "I will talk about this later. Let's arrange for the brothers to camp."

The garrison was ready long ago. With the order, 30,000 Tang troops followed the soldiers of the Western Regions in batches and were arranged quickly.

"General Geshu, please come to the mansion." Tian Renwan invited him warmly.

Geshuhan did not agree, "It's not too late for me to go to the Protectorate's Mansion." Without waiting for Tian Renwan to speak, Geshuhan went to inspect the camp. Tian Renwan and a group of generals had to follow.

By the time the inspection was completed, it was already a waste of time. The inspection was orderly and without any mistakes. Geshuhan said very satisfied: "General Tian is well prepared, Geshuhan has thanked him here."

Tian Renwan returned the courtesy and said, "General Geshuhan is so serious, this is what I should do. Please go to the Protectorate's Mansion to speak."

Geshuhan nodded and followed him into the Anxi Protectorate Mansion. After entering the Protectorate Mansion, Geshuhan looked around and said with a smile: "There is no change. I thought I had changed a lot after leaving these years." Going back to this familiar place, Geshuhan was very happy.

Tian Renwan smiled and said, "The Protectorate has not changed much, but the people have changed a lot. General Geshu has become a general of the Anxi Protectorate. Is this change still small?"

A burst of laughter sounded.

Geshuhan shook his head and said, "General Tian, ​​do you know how heavy the burden on our shoulders is? Although the emperor said that he would guarantee the four towns of Anxi in any case, will you be satisfied with this requirement?"

"Of course not!" the generals said in unison.

Keeping the four towns is the bottom line of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, in order to prepare a place for the Tang army to advance westward in the future. However, Emperor Xuanzong added 30,000 troops. If only this requirement is met, no matter whether anyone speaks or not, the generals of the Western Regions will feel that they are blind.

Geshuhan nodded and said, "The next year, our Anxi Protectorate will have many tough battles. Oh, everyone will sit down. Before discussing military information, I will announce the edict." He took out the edict of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to read it.

To appoint Geshuhan as the general of the Western Regions Protectorate, we need to inform the generals here that the edict is necessary. Otherwise, Geshuhan will be difficult to handle.

As soon as the edict was read, Geshuhan said slowly: "Geshuhan is young and knowledgeable. He is favored by the emperor and is in charge of the Anxi Protectorate. If you don't have any questions, please come to your teachings."

"General Geshu fought so well in the battle of Tubo, we admire him very much. The Anxi Protectorate Mansion was handed over to the general, and we were convinced." Tian Renwan spoke on behalf of the general.

During the battle of Tubo, Geshuhan made a lot of efforts and was recognized as a new star in the army. Although Tian Renwan and others were in the Western Regions, they still knew about this matter quite well. This is the truth.

Soldiers are those who are capable. If they were the incompetent, Tian Renwan and the others would not be so convinced.

Ge Shuhan nodded and said, "I thank you for your respect for my brother Shuhan. I have thanked you here. Before talking about serious matters, I will tell you a rule. Whenever you discuss matters in the army, you don't have to be polite, just talk about things directly, let alone say nothing of useless nonsense. Violators, engage in military law!"

"This..." The generals had never seen even the ceremony, and they couldn't help but feel suffocated.

"General Geshu, the last general obeys the order!" Amid the hesitation of the generals, a general who was less than twenty years old shouted to accept the order.

Although Tian Renwan and the others did not speak, they glared at him. It is human nature to be polite, and it is essential in the court or in the army. Geshuhan saved it. This matter was contrary to normal and it was difficult for the generals to accept it for a while. But someone shouted at the request, which was too embarrassing.

Geshuhan ignored the reactions of the generals: "What's your name?"

"Last general Gao Xianzhi!" The young general replied loudly.

Ge Shuhan nodded and said, "Okay! Gao Xianzhi, do you know why I did this?"

Gao Xianzhi replied loudly: "Reply to the general, the last general will make a bold guess. If there is anything wrong, please forgive me. The last general thinks that soldiers are the most important, so we who lead the troops should act more quickly and not learn from those scholars. When they meet, they say a lot of literary nonsense! If you have something to say, you have nothing to do, do things immediately, so that you can adapt to the war next year."

Geshuhan slapped gently and said, "What position are you now?"

"The general is the last general, and he is a guerrilla general, and he was awarded for his father's merits." Gao Xianzhi answered truthfully.

"Your father is General Gaosheji?" Geshuhan looked at a middle-aged general in the seat.

The middle-aged general was Gao Xianzhi's father Gao Sheji. He stood up and replied: "Go back to General, he is the dog son."

Geshuhan continued: "It is good to be a guerrilla general because of his father's merits, but it is a shame for a real man! A real man must rely on himself to achieve fame and fortune, and does not have to be embraced by his father. Gao Xianzhi, you are a wise person like you, it is not worth it to inherit your father's merits. I will be promoted to a general now, but you will be rewarded for your merits in the future!"

It is certainly a joy to inherit the blessings of our ancestors, but for those who want to do something, they still disdain. As Geshuhan said, fame must be achieved by themselves. Gao Xianzhi was very excited and said, "Thank you, General, the last general will definitely make contributions!"

"Okay!" Geshuhan praised the high-high.

Gao Xianzhi was a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. When he was in the Western Regions, the Tang Dynasty's influence in the Western Regions reached its peak. Although the defeat of Talas did not affect his contribution to the Western Regions. However, he was a Goryeo, not a native Tang Dynasty.

His father Gao Sheji was a meritorious, so he was appointed as a guerrilla general. When he was twenty years old, he was appointed as a general, and his father's class rank was the same. The father and son were both generals, which became a good story for a while.

Gao Xianzhi first served under Tian Renwan and Gai Jia, but these two people did not discover his talents and did not use them more. It was not until Hu Meng Lingshi discovered his talents and promoted him. Only then did he expand the Western Regions and fight against Talas later.

Gao Xianzhi's rise was because he fought two battles that others dare not fight, one was to fight Xiaobolu, and the other was to fight the Imperial Army.

These two battles were marching in the plateau glacier area, and the time was still long and the difficulties were so great that it was unimaginable that Gao Xianzhi not only fought, but also won.

In 1913, after surveying Gao Xianzhi's march route a thousand years ago, the British explorer Stein commented: "There are a large number of troops passing through Pamir and Hindu Kush. This is the first time in history. The mountains are planted in the sky and lack supplies. I don't know how to maintain the supply of the army at that time? Even the modern general will be helpless." He also sighed: "This brave general of China has been thrilling and difficult to march. Compared with famous European generals, from Hannibal to Napoleon, to Suvorov, they have crossed the Alps. "

It is precisely because of these two battles that Gao Xianzhi's status as a famous general was established.

Geshuhan looked at Tian Renwan and said, "I'm going to ask General Tian to talk about the situation in the Western Regions."

When he was just a little newcomer and was not familiar with the situation in the Western Regions, Tian Renwan, the ex, stood up and walked to the map and said, "General Geshu, you are fighting in Tubo, we are not idle either in the Western Regions. Taking advantage of the new Tubo break, we mobilized troops and acted as an attacking posture. The vassal states of Tubo were scared to us and asked to surrender one after another. We first criticized them and acted as if they were disobedient. They repeatedly begged and sent the prince to be hostages, and we agreed.

"Now, there are as many as twelve hostages in Kucha City. When spring is in full bloom, send them to Chang'an."

Only those with a little brain know that the new Tubo defeat should be a good opportunity to capture the Tubo vassal state. It is very normal for Tian Renwan and others to do this.

Geshuhan nodded and said, "Where is Xiao Bolu and Da Bolu?"

Tian Renwan smiled and said, "General Geshu, these two countries used to fight against our Tang Dynasty with the support of Tubo. Now, they are as obedient as lambs. They not only send a lot of food, fodder, but also send a prince to serve as hostages. The man is in Kucha."

"These two places are the key points of our army's battle with Dashi. Have you sent troops to stay? The reason why Tubo was able to own these two countries was that they were stationing troops here." Geshuhan asked the key points.

Tian Renwan looked ashamed: "General Geshu, this matter is not happening. Our Western Regions only has a little force. If we were sent to the army, how would other places deal with it? If we had known that you would have led 30,000 reinforcements, we would have raised the matter of garrison."

"It's still time to express it now!" Geshuhan's voice raised his voice: "It's a place to rush, and I decided to station 10,000 troops. General Tian will be responsible for this matter. We will first negotiate with these two countries. If they don't agree, we will destroy them."

"As for orders!" Tian Renwan was very happy and excited: "With reinforcements, the eight protectors of the Western Regions, seventy-six prefectures, and one hundred and ten counties will be stable. This is something that has never happened!"

Regarding the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, we have to explain it.

The term Western Regions refers to the vast area west of Yangguan, but it has changed a lot in the past dynasties and is different. In the Han Dynasty, China began to operate this land because it was first connected to the Western Regions. At that time, the Western Regions were not too big, and were about the same as the current Xinjiang. By the Tang Dynasty, the Western Regions reached its peak in Chinese history. Although the center was the four towns in Anxi, the area was several times that of today's Xinjiang.

The current Pamir Plateau, northern Afghanistan, northeastern Pakistan, and Kazakhstan are all within the Western Regions. The two arduous battles carried out by Gao Xianzhi were marching on the Pamir Plateau, which was particularly difficult.

Since the Han Dynasty, the management of the Western Regions was mainly to implement the "Panxian" system. The so-called "Panxian" means to borrow the power of the Western Regions at that time. If they were loyal to China, they would give them power. If they opposed China, they would be wiped out.

One advantage of doing this is that it can not only own the Western Regions, but also reduce the burden. The disadvantage is also obvious, that is, the "central government" has loose management of the here, and those vassal states surrender today and rebel tomorrow. I don't know how many times have happened in thousands of years of history.

It is a great regret that the county system implemented in the mainland cannot be implemented in the Western Regions. It is not someone else who has promoted the county system to the Western Regions, but Emperor Yang of Sui, who has scolded countless descendants. He was the first emperor in Chinese history to promote the county system to the Western Regions. This is a great historical contribution. Later generations only know his cruelty, but do not know his historical achievements. It is really a pity!

Although Emperor Yang of Sui was the king of the country that was destroyed and was cursed by later generations, his own talent was not inferior to Emperor Taizong of Tang. He was a very smart person. At the beginning of his ascension, he worked hard to govern the Sui Dynasty very well. However, in the later period, people changed and were greedy for pleasure, which led to the disaster of the country being destroyed.

Emperor Yang of Sui was equally famous as his cruelty. Of course, his literary talent was also great. It can be said that Emperor Wu of Han was very famous among emperors, and many of the edicts were written by Emperor Wu of Han, but it was still worse than Emperor Yang of Sui. Perhaps, Emperor Yang of Sui's literary talent was the best among ancient Chinese emperors.

There is a significant difference between the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions of the Han Dynasty, which is that they are much more stable. Of course, the Western Regions began to operate in the Han Dynasty and we should not blame the Han Dynasty too harshly. The reason why the Western Regions under the Tang Dynasty was stable was closely related to Emperor Yang of Sui's implementation of the county system to the Western Regions.

This cannot be erased because of the defeat of Emperor Yang of Sui.

Increasing troops to the Western Regions is the thing that makes Tian Renwan and the others happy the most. After introducing the situation in the Western Regions, it is time to discuss the use of troops. Tian Renwan's eyes shine: "General Geshu, which direction do you plan to use troops? In my opinion, it should be directed to take Huluoshan. Huluoshan is full of cities, with a large population and a fertile land. If we can take it down, then our Western Regions army will be guaranteed and we don't have to worry about food, clothing and use. The court can also save a lot of military expenditure."

"The last general agrees!" Many generals agreed in unison.

"Khurashan is the key to Dashi. If it is captured by Datang, it will not only solve the supply of the army, but also be closer to Dashi. There are too many benefits. In the past, we could only think that we could not fight because the troops on hand were limited. Now, with 30,000 reinforcements, we can fight this battle." Gao Sheji agreed very much.

The generals started to talk, and the sound of asking for troops to be sent to Khurashan rose and rose. Only Gao Xianzhi sat quietly without any indication. If it were someone else, he might be ignored. However, Ge Shuhan was so bright that he looked at Gao Xianzhi and asked, "General Gao, what do you think?"

Gao Xianzhi stood up and said, "Although your proposal is good, it cannot be implemented. Khurashan is the important place of Dashi. It is of course a rich place. If it can be taken down, it will be of great benefit to the Tang Dynasty. However, Dashi is not stupid. There are heavy troops stationed here. If we attack Hurashan now, there will definitely be a fierce battle."

"War as long as you fight, who is afraid of bad war?" A general immediately retorted.

Gao Xianzhi ignored them and continued, "If someone took the opportunity to stab him in the back when we and Dashi were having a fight in Khurasan, what should we do?"

Gao Sheji disagreed with his statement, and said with a stern face, "Xianzhi, don't speak nonsense. Although the Western Regions are not very calm, they are still acceptable. General Geshu, don't listen to him talking nonsense."

Ge Shuhan waved his hand and encouraged Gao Xianzhi to continue saying: "General Gao, continue."

Gao Xianzhi responded and said, "The Western Regions are currently calm, and I won't know it after a while. As far as I know, Tuqi Shi has a strange movement. Now it is approaching Dashi. Once they collude and take advantage of our large-scale attack on Khurashan, Dashi is attacking in front and Tuqi Shi is disturbing in the back, how can we handle ourselves?"

"General Gao, who doesn't know that the thunder cavalry and the big food are great enemies? After they have been fighting for so many years, the dead can pile into a mountain, and the blood can flow out a river!" Tian Renwan disagreed.

Gao Xianzhi's voice increased: "Not long ago, Dashi sent someone to Mochuo's place and also sent someone to Sulu's place. Don't you know?"

Sulu is the leader of Tuqishi.
Chapter completed!