Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 212: Rest in Peace
"The Nine-surname Stone Kingdom has long been plotting rebellion. In recent years, they have tried every possible means to evade Anxi's commercial taxes, and the Hu soldiers have repeatedly invaded the border. I came here this time to use the destruction of the country to enhance the power of the emperor, but I didn't expect that the ambitious Western barbarians acted even more cruelly than the savages, and they wiped out the Sogdians first."

The Nine Zhaowu Clans are a collective term for the Sogdians who were active merchants on the Silk Road. They had a close relationship with An Lushan, the Prince of Dongping who enjoyed the emperor's favor.

Gao Xianzhi had several intelligence reports with slightly dried ink next to him. He had no expression on his face as he sat in the main seat and chatted with Guo Ziyun about the war.

After Ge Shujing presented the two men with fruits, he sat down aside.

Qin Huai held two strings of grass dragon beads taken out from the [Zen Hui Bowl] in his hands. After chewing a few and swallowing them, he pointed at the map with his finger and casually agreed with a few words:

"Zuo Jinwu is a famous general who has never been seen before. It is true that the Nine Zhaowu Clans were mostly wiped out, but the Parthians that the Western Barbarians have been looking for seem to have not yet shown up. In your opinion, should we intervene?"

Seeing Qin Huai asking for advice, Gao Xianzhi nodded and said, "The Western Barbarians' invasion is nothing more than their intention to take over the Tianrui mines and the fertile land of our Tang Dynasty, regardless of whether the Parthians can hide it or not." He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said, "Jingbo, don't forget the order from Tianque."

Gao Xianzhi waved his hand and motioned Qin Huai to look at the monk beside him: "Master Bukong's coming with the army this time is also arranged by Tianque. Jingbo has fought three battles with the Western Barbarians and won consecutive victories. His military merits are already exhausted. Since you intend to go to your hometown in the near future, then go ahead. The front army has enough to inherit the business."

Bukong Sanzang was over forty years old, a middle-aged monk wearing gray cloth. When Gao Xianzhi mentioned him, he chanted the Buddha's name in a low voice and saluted Qin Huai.

Qin Huai hurriedly returned the greeting, but in his heart he was very curious about this Master Kaiyuan.

Although Bukong Sanzang was nominally under the Tianrui Division, he had lived in Ci'en Temple for a long time with Tantric monks such as Shanwuwei and Vajrabodhi, serving the Heavenly Palace in Chang'an, unlike most monks, Taoist priests and sorcerers who stayed in the capital to serve. Qin Huai had lived in Beiya for a long time and was a disciple of Taoism, so he had nothing to do with worshiping Buddha or meditating. Therefore, today was his first time to meet the Kaiyuan Bodhisattva, who was praised by Emperor Xuanzong for his "profound Buddhist teachings."

"General, you can decide what you want to do. I am only here to help the army. In all matters, the Heavenly Cavalry comes first."

Qin Huai nodded, and dug out the so-called will of the Heavenly Palace from his original body's few memories. Speaking of which, his original plan was to go directly to the Divine Capital after handing over to Gao Xianzhi to see what was going on in the Tianrui Division. However, Ge Shujing had only been returning to Anxi from Chang'an for a few days when he was urged by the Heavenly Palace to send two orders. After weighing the pros and cons, Qin Huai had to take care of Anxi first.

"Although the twenty territories of the prosperous Tang Dynasty are large, the Tianrui mineral deposits are not many. This trip to Anxi may seem like a military campaign, but in fact it is a campaign for the country."

Qin Huai finished eating the grass dragon ball in his hand and clapped his hands: "I heard that Master Bukong is from the Lion Country and has traveled all over the Western Regions and the Central Plains. I wonder what the Bodhisattva thinks of the world today?"

Bukong Sanzang understood that Qin Huai had something to say, so he smiled and responded proactively: "It is said that there is a holy religion in the European countries, and the divine authority is above the secular imperial power. It is the world of the Lombards. The Arabs are sandwiched between the Western Barbarians and the prosperous Tang Dynasty. They are attacked from all sides, but Khorasan uses the black clothes to conquer the east and the west, which is really unpredictable. As for the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the glorious Tang Dynasty is blessed by heaven to all nations."

Hearing Bukong's reply, Qin Huai nodded, and his index finger crossed the South China Sea and the North China Sea, his tone solemn: "But the Lombards' iron-hulled ships are constantly going down from the shipyard to the Western Ocean. I heard that they have built colonial outposts on three continents and deployed countless people to explore for the Tianrui mineral deposits. Although the newly expanded southeastern sea and northern wasteland of the prosperous Tang Dynasty are also tens of thousands of miles, the men are much slower in finding the Tianrui mineral deposits. There is an abyss to the east of Fusang, which is difficult to advance. Although there is a huge continent to the south of the South China Sea, the land is mostly barren, and it is still unknown whether Tianrui can be excavated. Although our prosperous Tang Dynasty is prosperous, if this battle fails and the Land of Parthia is seized by the Western Barbarians, the situation in the court will be like a raging fire boiling oil, which is hard to estimate."

Qin Huai's words were a bit ahead of the times. If it were someone else, they would naturally be confused. However, the people in the tent were all very smart and they quickly understood the meaning.

"Not only must we win this battle, we must also restrain Zhaowu to control the two enemies."

"It's hard to control foreign tribes. In my opinion, it's better to move Han people from Hedong to open up wasteland and guard the border, cultivate land and prepare for war. Isn't that wonderful?"

Gao Xianzhi had served as the Protector General of Anxi for a long time, but he thought more long-term than Guo Ziyun.

Ge Shujing counted on his fingers, "Hexi, Longyou, Jiannan, the three towns have been recuperating for a long time, it is not difficult to gather tens of thousands of immigrants to cultivate the land, but I am afraid that the one who wants Douji will not submit a petition! Ten days ago, I was waiting for documents in Chang'an, and the treacherous prime minister dragged it for a long time before half the money was transferred. Uncle Yang is the same, he only knows how to occupy a position and eat, and is greedy for pleasure. If it weren't for Zuo Jinwu's outstanding military exploits, they would have withheld more than 50% of the military equipment this time!"

Perhaps because the generals in the account were all his family members, Geshu Jing spoke without any consideration and criticized Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong.

Qin Huai finished chewing the pear in his hand and said leisurely, "They store grain, we store guns. If we can escape this time and steal the Hu Kingdom for Han territory, no matter how good the Dongping King is at dancing the Hu Xuan Dance, what do we have to fear?"

Li Siye wiped the sword in his hand and nodded: "Jingbo is a man of both civil and military skills, unlike me who is a rough man who only loves fighting and killing. But after listening to the whole story, I understand one thing."

"What?"

"You can't rely on favors gained through fighting for it. In the end, you still have to rely on your fists!"

Qin Huai was stunned. You know what, it’s really true.

"Alright, there's no point in talking any more. We don't have much food and fodder this time. Although the great victory boosted morale, we still need to use our troops quickly."

"When does Zuo Jinwu plan to dispatch troops?"

"Tomorrow at 5 a.m., I will personally lead the troops, with Siye as the vanguard, and we will march straight into Samarkand!"

That night, he ordered the Jinwu to be dispatched and the message was passed to each military guard to fight.

Tuhuoxiankehan and Shi Ce each led archers, cavalry and crossbow guards, took three days of dry food, and marched on fast horses all the way to Kangju, harassing the Western Barbarians division that was about to take action and annihilating the enemy completely.

Li Siye served as the vanguard, carrying the Qi Mo Dao and black armor, leading the Shenwu Army and Youwei Guard, opening up the front line from the coast of the Dahu Lake to block the main force of mobile armor.

Guo Ziyun took care of the rear army and led the remaining wounded soldiers to garrison in Talas, Sailan and Chachi, gathering refugees and raising food and fodder to ensure the safety of the rear.

Gao Xianzhi personally led the Zuo Jinwu Guard and commanded the central army, and with the force of ten thousand chariots, he invaded the Nine-Surname Hu Kingdom.

It is the hour of Mao and the sky is slightly brighter.

Horns sound
Countless strong horses had flaming manes like waves, and the muzzles of their cannons were pointed. Tens of thousands of elite cavalry gathered and received orders, then dispersed and moved out, each gathering into three torrents, sweeping towards Kangju.

Swords, spears, and halberds are everywhere, and the wheels of the carriages are rumbling with the waving flags. More than 40,000 strong soldiers are sharpening their swords and marching at full speed.
Kangju Palace, dark monastery.

The pungent smell of disinfectant filled the ward. César slowly opened his eyes and found that his limbs and torso had been fixed with splints and he was lying on a plain white single bed.

The sunlight shone through the ivory gauze curtains, becoming much softer, but Caesar was not much happier because of the rare good weather in winter.

Knight Jose Torres, with a collapsed chest and injured throat, was lying on another single bed in the room, his eyes closed, as if he had not woken up yet. "You're awake."

Ron Bolkiah, who was sitting on a chair like a sculpture reading intelligence, pushed the ink-colored chip on his nose and spoke in a cold voice.

"we lose?"

Xizel lowered his eyelids. Just uttering four words made his muscles ache and he had difficulty breathing.

“It just didn’t win.”

Ron Bolkiah said, "You spent two days in the emergency room at Hailsham before you were out of danger. They gave you a transfusion of plasma several times the amount of an adult's blood, which brought you back from the brink of death."

Helsen, the white-robed medical officer who previously treated Rundstedt, has superb medical skills.

"How is Brother Jose?" César looked aside.

"His injuries were more serious than yours. It took half a bottle of Gaia secret medicine to save him," Long Bolkiah was rarely so patient and explained to César in detail, "Jose's lungs and trachea were pierced by the alien lance, and the lightning scorched his flesh. If it weren't for the Seraph who barely survived, I think I could have replaced him with another adjutant."

"What should I do next? Should I take a few more Seraphim with me to die?"

Césaire looked up at Ron Bolkiah's short, thorny gray hair, and sparks collided with the cold gaze hidden behind the black crystal lenses.

"There is no point in unnecessary sacrifice. The value of the Blazing Knight should not be wasted in such a place."

The Pope's expression became cold and ruthless again: "The Seraph Knights lost nearly half of their men, one third of the Seraphs were killed, and the two divisions of the Crusader Guards suffered an average loss of 40%. Our military strength has regressed by five years. We can no longer tangle with the Orientals."

"The Cardinal is backing down? What a cowardly act!"

Xizel raised his head and looked at the white roof with a mocking tone.

If the Papal States is the leader of the West, then the cardinals are the leaders of the Papal States. Even the Pope is under the control of the cardinals. They elect the Pope and they can also remove the Pope. The Pope himself is more like an honorary position. His main job is to preach, not to have supreme power like an emperor.

"The Black Dragon and the Scarlet Death God died in battle, and the Holy Lance Equipment - Longinus was lost," the Pope said to himself, "After the battle of Chachi, the Cardinals realized that they could not deal with the Eastern alien, so they had to settle for the next best thing and narrowed their ambitions to the original goal."

"The Cardinal will be very dissatisfied with the result, right? They started the war for the land and minerals in the East, but now a huge amount of military expenditure has been spent, but the spoils are very little."

"They are not just dissatisfied, they are furious. They attributed the failure to my poor command. I think they are considering removing me."

"Until they find a suitable replacement, the chances of removing you are almost zero. They need you."

After a brief period of tension, the father and son began to discuss the political and military situation. They got to the point very quickly and exchanged ideas very quickly. Often, their discussion was over before outsiders could understand the topic.

Florence was no different from Chang'an, or the power structure of mankind was mostly the same. The Cardinals and the nobles controlled the lifeline of the Papal States. Pope Long Borgia was not the highest authority. He was more like an executor chosen by the Cardinals. The Cardinals wanted to use his military ability and fierce character to promote the war against the East, but because of Qin Huai's appearance, the war was repeatedly frustrated.

"The situation is not favorable to us. On the one hand, the Messiah has to deal with the pressure from the Arab madmen, and on the other hand, the Eastern army is approaching." The Pope said coldly, "We must find the red mercury deposits of the Parthians and excavate the relics of the old era before the Eastern army arrives."

Although the Papal States had advanced technology, they were the only ones who knew where this technology came from, so they sent adventure teams to all parts of the world.

"Have the Parthians been found?" said Cesar.

"The Inquisition caught them in Xishan not long ago, and they are on their way back now." The Pope said coldly, "Bai Yue is still undergoing experiments at the Cardinal's Chamber, and cannot come to the front line to participate in the operation. This time, you have to lead the mining."

The military and the Inquisition are armed organizations of the same level. The Praetorian Guards obey the command of the Pope, while the Inquisition directly obeys the orders of the Cardinal. The Praetorian Guards are the grand central army, while the Inquisition is a secret army that does not want to see the light. The Praetorian Guards always complain that the Inquisition is overstepping its authority and interfering in their affairs, while the Inquisition complains that the Praetorian Guards are bloated and inefficient. In high-level meetings, the two sides impeach each other, and occasionally there are armed conflicts.

But now, the Crusader Guards have failed in the war, and the Inquisition has made great contributions.

Xizel's expression remained unchanged, and he suddenly asked another question: "Who is the person sent by the Minerva Agency this time?"

He had been in the Minerva Agency since he was eight years old, receiving knight training and learning mechanical knowledge. In seven years, he knew almost everyone in the Minerva Agency.

"Virolaine, there are also people that the cardinal will send." The Pope pulled out a secret letter, "In addition, a Prometheus prototype will also be going with you this time."

"The last question is, what exactly is the treasure of the old era?"

"Virola will explain to you. This mission is very dangerous," the Pope stood up and walked out the door. "But for them, you can't fail."

Xizel remained silent, with a few glimmers of light occasionally flashing in his dim purple eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The Pope pushed the door open and saw Director Spencer waiting outside.

"Your Holiness, the Eastern army has set out and is expected to arrive here in a few days." Director Spencer stood quietly outside the middle-aged man's door and bowed slightly.

"Remind O'Quinn to fortify the city and clear the countryside, and withdraw all forces to Turan. It's time to let those lunatics from the Arabs help us distract the attention of the Orientals." The Pope had a blank expression.

“In the glory of God, everything will be as you wish.”

There should be more in the evening

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(End of this chapter)