Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 148 The Northern Expedition Begins: Inheritance and the Rapid Advance (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
In fact, Li Shimin's intentions were not solely based on the speed of the recovery of Kyushu.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the influence of the Gu family.

In the original history—

Li Shimin was an emperor with exceptional strategic thinking. In addition to pacifying the land by force, he believed that "the Hu and Yue peoples and the Chinese are one family" and advocated that "a king should regard the whole world as one family."

In the original history, ethnic minority generals accounted for half of the court officials, and tens of thousands of families of Turks and other ethnic groups lived in Chang'an, with more than one million people registered in the Tang Dynasty's household register.

In the original history, Li Shimin was like this, let alone now that Gu Chen, Gu Ye and others have taken the lead.

Now he is only more determined to do so.

By integrating foreign tribes, strengthening the Nine Provinces, opening up trade routes, and ultimately creating a prosperous era.

This is definitely a viable path.

As long as he is alive and can maintain stability within the Tang Dynasty, this path will lead the entire Tang Dynasty to a new peak.

Even Gu Yi was filled with anticipation.

—The reign of Emperor Zhenguan was marked by the tribute missions of all nations.

Having laid the foundation for the entire Kyushu, what will the next golden age look like?

And what enormous impact will this have on the future of Kyushu as a whole?
All of this is something Gu Yi can look forward to.

Li Shimin was not a man who hesitated.

Once he made up his mind, the entire Tang Dynasty court quickly sprang into action in accordance with his will.

It is worth mentioning that--

Gu Quan set off.

After several years, he finally arrived at the place he had always longed for, intending to carry on Gu Yu's legacy and secretly lead a group of Gu family members in a charge.

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

In fact, the Turks have started raiding again not only because of human greed, but also because they are exhausted by the situation.

In recent years, internal conflicts within the Turkic peoples have been ongoing.

Although the previous alliance between the Turks and the Tang Dynasty was renewed, the considerable casualties still greatly affected the reputation of Khagan Jieli.

And the most crucial factor was Gu Yu's interference.

He had been secretly sending people to sow discord among the Turks, and this continued even after his death.

In addition, there have been continuous natural disasters in recent years.

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

Li Shimin also needs to seize this opportunity.

The news kept spreading.

The mobilization of the army could not be kept secret, and the whole world knew that the current emperor seemed to be about to wage war again.

This has indeed caused some panic.

After all, the actions of Yang Guang in the past still remain in people's hearts.

Although life during the Kaihuang era was not as good as it is now, it was gradually improving, but it ultimately succumbed to Yang Guang's forced labor and two expeditions.

Now another great battle is about to begin.

This will inevitably cause panic among the general public.

But in the end, it didn't cause any real trouble.

Li Shimin's prestige throughout the land is now too high, not to mention that the fact that the Gu family members guard the gates of the nine provinces is no secret in the world today.

The Holy Emperor was married to a member of the Gu family.

This combination gives people a strange sense of security.

Moreover, this time the target was the Turks, and the repeated raids had already made the people of the world resent the Turks.

The people of the Central Plains have an inherent sense of pride in foreign tribes.

This way, they will also support this Northern Expedition, and even if they feel panicked, there won't be any major chaos.

Tai Chi Hall.

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

—It's time to move troops!
Everyone is well aware of this.

An emperor with Li Shimin's personality would absolutely not tolerate any threat to the Tang Dynasty from all sides.

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

Li Shimin's face was solemn and resolute as he surveyed the assembled officials below with piercing eyes. He then declared in a firm and resounding voice, "The Eastern Turks have repeatedly invaded our borders and harassed our people."

"If it weren't for the Grand Tutor and others leading the army to stop us."

"Now, the Turks are even more likely to cause trouble."

"My mind is made up. I will definitely attack the Eastern Turks to avenge the national humiliation and safeguard the peace of the borders of my Great Tang!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers either showed excitement or nodded slightly in agreement.

Li Shimin then announced the appointment: "Li Jing, Minister of War, is appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Dingxiang Road Army, in full charge of this military operation, with Zhang Gongjin as his deputy to assist Li Jing."

“Li Ji, Governor of Bingzhou; Chai Shao, Prefect of Huazhou; Xue Wanche, Grand Governor of Lingzhou, etc.”

Then, he loudly ordered: "All of you will be generals of your respective routes, leading 100,000 troops to attack the Turks from different directions. You must coordinate your efforts and defeat the Turks in one fell swoop!"

One by one, the generals who had been named stepped forward and solemnly bowed to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin then went on to explain the basic strategy for this trip.

He is a born leader.

Although they won't be on the battlefield, they can still formulate appropriate tactics based on geomantic maps.

—Four armies!
This was a tactic he and Gu Quan had come up with.

They encircled the Turks from different directions, and Gu Quan was also able to mobilize troops from Shuofang!
As long as you can seize the opportunity.

This would directly and completely tear apart the Turks and utterly shatter their alliance!
Li Shimin emphasized his tactics, but he also knew he couldn't be too demanding of his generals. He delegated authority to them and reminded them, "The Grand Tutor is currently in Shuofang."

"At that time, the Grand Tutor will also lead troops out of Shuofang."

—The Grand Tutor was referring to Gu Yan.

Gu Yan has now inherited all of Gu Yu's positions, and his status in the court is unmatched.

He would naturally not reveal Gu Quan's identity.

In fact, if he could, Li Shimin would even be willing to personally lead the troops. Unfortunately, he was not the envoy for the ten directions of conquest. As an emperor, he also had other responsibilities.

All the officials obeyed the order.

The atmosphere inside the hall became even more solemn at this moment.

Li Shimin's gaze swept sharply across the crowd, his eyes gleaming with intelligence. He slowly stood up and said in a resounding voice:

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

His expression was so resolute.

Upon seeing this, the ministers did not hesitate for a moment, immediately bowing deeply to Li Shimin and shouting in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!!!"

The important matter was quickly settled.

November of the fourth year of the Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin appointed Li Jing as commander-in-chief, leading an army of 100,000 men in four routes, heading straight for the Eastern Turks.

The news spread instantly, shocking everyone!
Meanwhile, in Shuofang.

Gu Quan did not bring many people with him when he came to Shuofang, only a few guards from the Gu family.

Li Shimin originally wanted Gu Quan to lead the troops.

But Gu Quan refused.

Gu Yu had already left him the most suitable troops in Shuofang, and if he were to become the commander-in-chief of the three armies during such a major battle, his identity would definitely be discovered by those with ulterior motives.

This is not what Gu Quan wanted.

After many years, the brothers finally reunited.

Seeing the dense scars on Gu Quan's face, Gu Yan and his brothers couldn't help but feel their eyes redden.

This elder brother bore everything and gave all the glory to them.

But since we're brothers, there's no need for further words.

The brothers simply hugged one after another, without even exchanging pleasantries, just like in previous years.

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

This was established by Gu Yan for him.

They hoped that one day Gu Yu's spirit in heaven could see them, the descendants of the family, leading troops out of Shuofang, just like their ancestors, to restore the prestige of the Nine Provinces and the Gu family.

Afterwards, Gu Quan went to see the five thousand specially trained soldiers that Gu Yu had left for them.

These people are absolutely deadly.

Whether in terms of execution, endurance, cold resistance, or equestrian skills, they are absolutely elite.

Although I had already said it countless times in my letters and memorials.

But this time, Gu Yan still carefully explained their extraordinary nature to Gu Quan.

“Brother, these soldiers were improved by Father based on the training methods of Sheng Gong and Chen Gong.”

"Look at their warhorses. These are all Chakou Post Horses from Hexi, especially known for their cold resistance and long-distance travel."

"Each of them could draw a three-stone bow bare-armed in the snow and ride a horse continuously for three days without falling off the saddle."

"."

Gu Quan arrived in Shuofang.

Gu Yan seemed to finally be able to unload some of the burdens in his heart and return to his former somewhat carefree state.

Gu Quan listened very attentively as well.

Even if one already knows the characteristics of these people, for a true commander, only seeing things with one's own eyes can truly convince one.

Gu Quan's command skills have now reached the top level under Luo Shu Xie Lu Qi.

Just look at the eyes of these soldiers.

He was able to perceive their extraordinary nature from them.

After completing all this, Gu Quan led Gu Yan and the others back to the main tent to discuss the next tactics.

"His Majesty and I have agreed that this war will be fought by four armies attacking from all four directions."

In the main account.

As Gu Quan pointed to the geomantic map, he explained the tactics he had discussed with Li Shimin: "Based on my understanding of Li Jing, he will definitely use a surprise attack and a rapid march to take advantage of the Turks' lack of reaction time and secure victory."

This is also one of the reasons why Li Shimin chose to launch the war in winter.

The Turkic people had limited internal resources;

They never expected that the Tang Dynasty would choose to make its move in winter.

This is Gu Quan's judgment as a top commander.

"Li Jing's ability to command troops is extraordinary. If I am not mistaken, as long as this expedition goes smoothly, Khagan Jieli will have no choice but to retreat to Qikou, hoping to use the natural defenses of Yinshan to block the advance of our Tang army."

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

"Li Ji and others were also able to attack the remnants of the Turkic tribes from all directions."

"."

Gu Quan's expression was extremely serious as he looked at the geomantic map in front of him, and a fictional battlefield immediately appeared in his mind.

He was basing this on the defenses of the Turks.

They analyzed the upcoming battle situation based on the personalities of both commanders.

The tent was completely silent.

Looking at the geomantic map before them, all the brothers showed expressions of shock.

Although they already knew that Gu Quan's abilities far surpassed theirs.

But he could never have reached this level in the past; his ability to coordinate and judge the overall situation was like that of a celestial being.

"Does my brother mean that our army should directly attack Yinshan?"

As soon as Gu Quan finished speaking, Gu Yan immediately frowned and asked, "To block Jieli's retreat and form a pincer attack with Li Jing?"

—That is indeed a good idea.

If everything really goes as Gu Quan predicted, then this will definitely be a killing blow to Jieli Khan.

"No!"

But Gu Quan shook his head directly: "Although I am very confident, we must not be arrogant when it comes to a war for the nation."

As he spoke, he pointed to "Baidaochuan" and "Yudujinshan" on the geomantic map.

"Our army should focus on these two locations." Baidaochuan is the granary of the Turks.

It contained fodder that the Turks used to feed their livestock during the winter.

Yudujin Mountain is a sacred mountain of the Turks.

Gu Quan is a member of the Gu family, and he will not forget the advantages that the Gu family has.

This move also has a strategic purpose.

That is to take Juyan Lake.

This move not only blocked Jieli's westward escape route, but also laid the foundation for the future pacification of the Western Turks.

The Central Plains have been in chaos for a long time, and the Western Regions have long since broken away from the control of the Central Plains and are now under the control of the Western Turks.

Even trade routes during this period were blocked by various departments.

Although the Western Turks were different from the Eastern Turks, they maintained a superficial friendship with the Tang Dynasty over the years, but in reality, they controlled key routes, occupied the Western Regions, and even affected the trade routes between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions.

He was also certain that, given Li Shimin's character, he would absolutely not tolerate this situation continuing indefinitely.

This battle was bound to happen sooner or later.

The current occupation of Juyan Lake is the foundation laid for this.

Gu Quan is no longer focusing solely on the Turks; he wants to succeed on two fronts!
Even Gu Yi was taken aback by what he saw.

He quickly went through Gu Quan's thoughts in his mind and considered them in light of the original historical battle.

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

They burned the Turkic fodder.

This would have a fatal impact on the entire Turkic Khaganate, plunging all its tribes into famine in a short period of time.

And occupy the sacred mountain.

That would destroy their faith.

With these two approaches combined, along with the surprise attack by Li Jing and others, it is absolutely possible to quickly pacify the Eastern Turks. At that time, the Tang army will naturally be able to face the Western Turks.

It is important to know that in the original history...

The Western Turks also repeatedly surrendered and rebelled when facing the Tang Dynasty, which seriously affected the Tang Dynasty's control over the Western Regions. It was not until the Zhenguan era to the Xianqing era that the problem was completely resolved.

If we can truly achieve early integration now, the increase in the strength of the Tang Dynasty would be unimaginable.

This move is somewhat risky.

However, the benefits it can bring will far exceed those of the past.

The key is--

Even if they were defeated, the Turks would be unlikely to inflict any significant damage on the Tang army.

Li Jing and his men's abilities are no joke!

Thinking of this, Gu Yi's heart couldn't help but pound wildly.

If it could really be accomplished, this battle would greatly accelerate the course of history and would definitely propel the Tang Dynasty's national strength to another level. Perhaps it would even be possible to achieve everything he had envisioned in the past.

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

If the Maritime Silk Road had been successfully opened, the benefits it would have provided to the entire Kyushu region would have been unimaginable.

And the Gu family can completely get rid of the burden of Kyushu.

To establish a foothold overseas.

At that time, we can successfully create a dual guarantee system with Kyushu as the main focus and overseas areas as a supplement!
This is an absolutely momentous event, whether for the Gu family or for the entire Nine Provinces!

The tent was completely silent.

Gu Yan and the others stared intently at the geomantic map, pondering its possibilities.

Although they all trusted Gu Quan implicitly, they would not blindly follow him on matters that concerned their family's reputation; they would carefully analyze the gains and losses involved.

Although their abilities are not as good as Gu Quan's.

But now that Gu Quan has pointed out the various strategic intentions, they are able to analyze their feasibility.

Gu Quan didn't say anything more.

He knew that he and his brothers, including Gu Yan, were all holding their breath.

Once they understand the details, they can't possibly refuse such a thing.

really--

A moment later, as Gu Yan nodded, the eyes of the others also hardened.

"it is good!"

"As you say, elder brother!"

This battle was destined to be earth-shattering.

Jieli Khan was no fool; he had already heard about the movements of the Tang Dynasty and had taken some precautions.

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 dead of winter.

As Gu Quan had expected, Li Jing seized the opportunity and launched a swift surprise attack.

December.

Li Jing personally led three thousand elite cavalrymen from Mayi and launched a night raid on Dingxiang.

Compared to the original history.

The surprise attack strategies of the generals of Kyushu have indeed become much stronger over the generations.

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

In just one day, the unprepared Turkic army was defeated by Li Jing.

In the ensuing chaos, the military camp at Dingxiang was breached.

The remnants of the Turkic army hurriedly fled north to Qikou, and the Khan Jieli finally learned of this. Shocked, he immediately deployed defenses throughout the Yinshan Mountains.

At the same time, Li Ji also led his army north from Yunzhong and launched a full-scale attack on the Turkic tribes.

Gu Quan did not take direct action.

Jieli Khan never gave up his attention to the Gu family.

He needs to wait;

They need to draw all of Jieli Khan's attention before they can truly deliver a fatal blow.

January of the fifth year of the Zhenguan era.

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

—The news spread.

The Turks were terrified.

An invisible panic permeated the entire Turkic territory. The Tang Dynasty's decisiveness this time far exceeded their expectations, and some small tribes had even begun to surrender to the Tang army.

However, Jieli Khan also managed to hold onto Yinshan.

The northern border region is bitterly cold.

Especially under this heavy snow that seems capable of swallowing people, crossing the treacherous Yinshan Mountains is no easy task.

However, the situation for Jieli Khan was also not good.

With Tang armies attacking from all sides, the pressure he faced was unimaginable; it was impossible to resolve everything with just a natural barrier.

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

Jieli Khan had no intention of relaxing his strict defenses over Shuofang, but the current situation was forcing him to make a choice.

If troops are not mobilized, morale will surely collapse.

Even if he manages to hold off the Tang army, his so-called Khan position will likely be completely over.

But mobilizing troops—

This meant he was destined to face the threat from the Gu family.

He could only gamble, hoping that Tang Jun wouldn't keep pressing him so relentlessly.

Upon learning of this, Gu Quan did not hesitate at all. He immediately led his specially trained 5,000 troops into action, with their target being Baidaochuan, the Turkic granary.

This journey is destined to be extremely arduous.

Only these specially trained soldiers could possibly do that.

The key was the long march that required bypassing the Yinshan Mountains!
Even with Li Jing and others drawing Jieli Khan's attention on the main battlefield, the difficulties of this journey were still unimaginable.

And the most important thing is——

Gu Quan still needs to ensure the fighting strength of his soldiers, since the granary is a crucial location and will inevitably be guarded by elite troops!

Fortunately, the Gu family members already had experience with such surprise attacks.

Especially Gu Quan.

Although on the surface everything was done by Gu Yan, in reality he was in complete control of the details.

He was like an invisible guardian.

He secretly served as a bridge between the Gu family and the Tang Dynasty.

Taking a detour;

They kept taking detours.

Gu Quan did not want to clash with any Turkic army. Unless he was certain that no one would be left alive, he could only take detours and lead his army forward through the wind and snow, advancing towards their predetermined goal.

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

His former informants not only brought back a lot of information for Gu Quan, but also provided him with very detailed geomantic maps.

This is Gu Quan's greatest asset in this battle.

This is a plan and aspiration passed down from one generation to the next.

It is precisely because of this that each of these young disciples has such a firm mindset.

The Gu family needs to make its name known again.

Now—it's not enough!

The Gu family was able to bear the title of Marquis of Champion of the Han Dynasty in the past and win the hearts and minds of everyone in the world. Now they can do it again in the rising Tang Dynasty!
Four hundred miles!
Gu Quan traveled a full four hundred li (approximately 200 kilometers) in a roundabout way!

And it only took eight days!
And this is not the limit. Gu Quan deliberately slowed down the speed because he was considering that the combat effectiveness of his soldiers would be affected. If it were the limit, it could probably be done in six days!
The advantages of years of special training became fully apparent at this time.

Although there were still some casualties.

But most of them withstood the hundreds of miles of march.

The twilight, as dark as ink, permeated every inch of Baidaochuan's land.

Gu Quan squinted, gazing at the mountain of hay in the distance and the Turkic guards pacing back and forth. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Gu Yan and the others beside him held their breath, their eyes gleaming with barely suppressed excitement, like wolves that had caught the scent of blood.

Gu Quan instinctively gripped the horse spear in his hand, the weapon forged from cold iron gleaming with a chilling light under the moonlight.

Just as he was about to raise his spear and give the order, Gu Yan suddenly raised his spear high, the tassel fluttering in the night wind: "Brother, it has been many years since I have seen you use a spear."

His voice was deep yet carried immense weight, with an unyielding stubbornness that left no room for refusal.

Gu Quan shuddered, his gaze fixed on the long spear—the shaft was wrapped in old deerskin, etched with battle marks of varying depths, the very spear he had once wielded on the battlefield.

The past came flooding back like a tide.

In a daze, he seemed to see again the scene of him leading his brothers with a gun to follow Li Shimin.

Now that he's back, he's completely different.

He understood Gu Yan's thoughts.

Although his name may not be known throughout the world, he still wants his current brothers and future generations of the Gu family to remember him.

The rest of the world may not know, but the Gu family members need to know.

Gu Quan suddenly smiled.

Without hesitation, he threw the lance at Gu Yan, the blade slicing through the night sky with a sharp whistling sound.

Gu Yan caught it steadily and handed it over at the same time. The moment the two brothers' fingertips touched, it was as if some kind of sacred inheritance was completed.

Gu Quan gripped the spear tightly, the familiar touch coming from his palm, like a long-lost friend.

He took a deep breath, suddenly raised his spear high, the tip pointing straight to the sky, and roared with a deafening roar: "Kill!!"

The roar suddenly rang out.

The thousands of soldiers behind them, who were already prepared, shouted in unison and charged towards Baidaochuan like tigers released from their cages.

Iron hooves shattered the night; the clash of weapons and shouts of battle instantly resounded through the sky.
(P.S.: Begging for monthly votes~~~ I'm so sick and desperately praying for updates!..)

(End of this chapter)