Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 85 Send out troops!

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

February of the seventh year of the Jiayou era.

In the past six months, both the Western Xia and the Tibetan Empire have experienced significant political upheavals.

The power struggle between the uncle and nephew in Western Xia has already come to a conclusion.

The new emperor Li Liangzuo gradually seized military power by invading Tibet and using military force, and plotted to kill his uncle, Mozang Epang.

Because he had just seized power and his authority was unstable, the new emperor Li Liangzuo, who had always advocated conquest, dared not mobilize the army on a large scale, fearing that something might happen to his core team.

As a result, the Western Xia withdrew its troops one after another, and the war between the Western Xia and the Tibetan Empire gradually subsided.

In Tibet, the most renowned leader, Qusiluo, fell seriously ill and remained bedridden, causing his already restless subordinates to descend into complete chaos.

The Tibetan regime continued to split, with each branch establishing its own independent territory, resulting in a state of continuous fragmentation.

This can be seen from the constant incursions of small tribes into the territory of the Great Zhou.

It should be noted that in order to resist the invasion of the Western Xia, Tibet had always maintained an attitude of "allying with Zhou to control Xia".

Now that the Western Xia army has only recently withdrawn, the Tibetan strategy should lean towards recuperation rather than invading the territory of the Great Zhou.

The leader, Gusiluo, must have made similar arrangements, ordering his followers to conserve their energy and strength.

Unfortunately, he could no longer control his subordinates.

Neither regime was secure; the new emperor of Western Xia held sway, and the former king of Tibet had lost his authority.

Shaanxi Road, Xizhou.

After six months of training, with ample provisions, the soldiers have already been trained and are fully prepared.

Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Jiang Zhiqi, Shen Kuo, and Xue Xiang, under the pretext of inspecting the territory, quietly led their troops to Xizhou and stationed their troops there.

The Chinese military tent.

The group gathered around the "Great Zhou-Western Xia-Tibet Border Defense Map" and began discussing it.

Jiang Zhao glanced around and said, "If we want to take Hexi, we must first recover Hehuang."

In short, the basic tone was set.

The land of Xizhou has always been adjacent to Hezhou.

Hezhou, on the other hand, was a territory controlled by the Tibetans.

North of Hezhou lies the so-called Hehuang region.

The Hehuang region, connecting the Western Xia to the west and the Tubo to the north, was not only a hub linking the Central Plains with the Western Regions, but also the only bordering area between the Western Xia and Tubo.

With the Yellow River, Huangshui River, and Jishi Mountain forming a natural defense line, this place is truly a "key" to the northwest region, a typical place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and can be held firmly by relying on its natural defenses.

Because of the river valley, the Hehuang region has fertile soil, abundant water resources, and lush vegetation. Once troops are stationed here to cultivate the land and support the army, the region can achieve "using agriculture to support warfare" and remain invincible.

If we truly control the Hehuang region, the biggest weakness of the Great Zhou military—horses—can be alleviated.

The Tibetans have always favored tea and silk.

In the past, the Western Xia, the Great Zhou, and the Tubo Kingdom all used the Hehuang region as their trade market.

This is also the only place where three countries meet.

If we control the Hehuang region, the Western Xia and Tubo will lose contact. By using the Hehuang region as a passage, we can monopolize the tea-horse trade, exchange warhorses with Tubo, weaken the Western Xia's economic lifeline, and obtain high-quality warhorses to enhance our national strength.

As the only region bordering both the Western Xia and Tibetan territories, the Hehuang region holds immense strategic significance.

Once you get your hands on it, the room for maneuver is enormous.

Upon hearing this, the others all nodded in agreement.

This move was made with a strategic vision, and it was impossible to make a mistake. Hexi was also known as Western Xia.

If the Hehuang region is not captured, and there are no horse breeding farms, the Great Zhou cavalry will inevitably be a weakness.

From a strategic perspective, the Hehuang region was destined to be a key area for territorial expansion.

Wang Shao pointed to the edge of Hezhou: "This area is the territory of the Mengjiaoluo tribe, while Hezhou is controlled by the Moershuiba tribe. Perhaps, we can use the pretext of attacking the Mengjiaoluo tribe to launch a surprise attack on the Moershuiba tribe and thus take Hezhou."

Everything has a starting point, and what Wang Shao was referring to was the starting point for expanding territory.

The Tibetan Empire operated under a system of alliances, resulting in a relatively dispersed power structure.

Even the tribe that Gusiluo belonged to at its peak only had a population of four or five million.

Among the three major regimes of Western Xia, Great Zhou, and Tubo, Tubo was always the weakest, struggling to survive in the cracks.

The Mengjiaoluo and Moershuiba tribes were the backbone of the Tubo Kingdom, with a total population of around one million, but only about twenty thousand actual soldiers.

This population is undoubtedly a tiny fraction of the total population of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

However, with a population of one million, the area actually controlled by Mengjiaoluo and Moershuiba is not small at all.

Among them, the Mengjiaoluo tribe controlled four northwestern border states, frequently threatening the borders of the Great Zhou and Xia dynasties, while the Moershui Ba tribe controlled two important Hehuang states, Hezhou and Taozhou.

The main purpose of this garrison in Xizhou is to target the He and Tao prefectures, which are controlled by the Moershui Ba people.

The Moershui tribe is not very strong, so a rash attack would likely result in a loss.

Of course, once you've acquired it, the next step is to hold onto it.

In the past, if He and Tao prefectures had fallen into our hands, the Western Xia would have seized the opportunity to intervene, and the Tibetan Empire would have tried its best to take them as well. The Great Zhou would not have been able to hold them at all.

Unfortunately, things are different now.

Both the Western Xia and the Tibetan Empire were in an unstable phase, and it was not advisable to wage war against them. If a tentative attempt to seize them failed, neither country would be willing to fight for them with all their might.

When expanding territory, the most important factor is timing!
"A few days ago, the Mengjiaoluo tribe invaded the surrounding borders. Under this pretext, we launched a feigned attack on the Mengjiaoluo tribe and then passed through the border area of ​​the Hehuang region to attack the Moershui Ba tribe."

As he spoke, Wang Shao looked at Jiang Zhao.

"Perhaps it's worth a try." Jiang Zhao nodded thoughtfully.

Surprise attacks and conquests—this tactic has proven incredibly effective time and again, a classic that has been passed down for millennia.

The new army had been training for half a year, but in the end, it was still a new army, and the vast majority of them had never seen blood.

To train experienced and elite veterans, war is the only way.

The main strategy is to launch surprise attacks, which can draw blood from soldiers while keeping the risks low.

"The Tibetan tribes were divided, with some tribes pro-Zhou and others pro-Xia. However, the Great Zhou did not have in-depth exchanges with the pro-Zhou tribes."

Jiang Zhao instructed, "If you encounter people from the pro-Zhou tribes, you can try to win them over. By supporting the pro-Zhou tribes and suppressing the pro-Xia tribes, you can hold onto the territory you have acquired."

Whether they were pro-Zhou or pro-Xia tribes, they were actually "surrenderists".

These surrenderers are quite powerful; if used properly, they could become a new force.

The Tibetan Empire operated on a system of alliances, with tribes scattered throughout the country. There was no concept of "those of the same lineage should not be enemies."

Using Tibetans to control Tibetans is an old trick, but it still works.

Having given all the necessary instructions, Jiang Zhao proceeded with the plan:
"Fifteen thousand soldiers were divided into six armies. The army was divided into three routes: Zhonghuai led one army to feign an attack on the Mengjiaoluo tribe, while Zichun led two armies to launch a surprise attack on the Moershui Ba tribe."

I command the three armies, stationed in the central command, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Mengxi and Shizheng are in charge of logistics.

If a surprise attack fails, the combined 7,500 soldiers of the three armies are enough to stabilize the overall situation, whether they attack from the front or provide support.

After speaking, the group bowed in unison.

(End of this chapter)