Chapter 411 Advance as retreat
"Your Majesty asked us to find a way to help the people from the plateau to enter the river?" Wang Shao said in surprise after reading the contents of the letter.
"What does Zichun think of this matter?" Gu Tingye asked.
"The invasion of the Hehuang tribe by the Zusiluo tribe is indeed a clever move. The Zusiluo tribe is a descendant of Tubo. It is relatively easy to annex the Tubo tribes in Hehuang. But Xixia will not let them enter Hehuang. Maybe They will pursue them into Hehuang! And the Qiang and Tubo people in Hehuang will not be willing." Wang Shao frowned.
Even though Zunsiluobu cannot defeat Xixia, its current strength is still stronger than that of Hehuang's Qiang and Tubo combined.
The reason why Xisiluobu had no interest in the Hehuang land before was entirely because it was sandwiched between the Song Dynasty and Xixia.
The Qiang and Tubo people in Hehuang are not stupid. How could they let the Xisiluo tribe enter Hehuang?
"But this is His Majesty's order, and I have to obey it. And I think Zunsiluobu is also the key to breaking the situation." Gu Tingye said.
Wang Shao thought about it carefully and said in surprise: "Did Zhonghuai want to take advantage of the situation and make the Tubo tribes feel the threat of the Song Dynasty and take the initiative to welcome the Sisilu tribe into Hehuang? If so, I think the possibility is very small."< br>
No matter how stupid Hehuang Tubo was, he knew that neither the Song Dynasty nor Xixia would want the other party to occupy Hehuang.
Instead of welcoming Xisiluo into Hehuang, it is better to ask Xixia for help.
Even if it is easy to invite God but difficult to send Him away, it is only difficult.
But if they were allowed to enter Hehuang, they really wouldn't be able to send them away.
What's more, they are all Tubo, and the Gsisiluo tribe is the strongest among the tribes divided by Tubo.
For those in power, although everyone is Tubo, they are not from the same place, but it is different for ordinary people.
In their opinion, everyone is a Tubo, and the Zunsiluo tribe is the strongest.
Even if there is no need for annexation, over time, ordinary people from various tribes will slowly flow to the Xisiluo tribe.
Therefore, no matter what, the Tubo people in Hehuang would not let the Tubo tribe enter Hehuang.
"No, I'm talking about the Qiang people! After all, the road to the plateau is in the hands of the Qiang people." Gu Tingye said with a smile.
"How is it possible for the Qiang people to welcome the tribe into the Huanghuang River!" Wang Shao shook his head and said.
"It's impossible."
Gu Tingye smiled and said: "But what if the Qiang people lose again?"
"That's impossible. The Qiang people know the situation of the Zusiluo tribe and know that it is impossible for the Zusiluo tribe to send troops to help them. What's more, the Song Dynasty is still there and the Zusiluo tribe is dependent on the Song Dynasty." Wang Shao shook his head.
"It's normal and natural."
Gu Tingye nodded and said: "You should have won over some people in the Qiang tribe. If the Qiang tribe is defeated again, you can let those people guide the upper class of the Qiang tribe and propose to join the Zhisiluo tribe on the plateau. For the Qiang people, the Zhisiluo tribe and Da Song has connections, and Da Song will not continue to attack them after they surrender.
Although the Zunsiluo are strong, as long as they recover their strength, even if they betray, the Zunsiluo tribe can't do anything to them. After all, Xixia is eyeing the plateau.
When the Qiang people voluntarily surrender, and we withdraw our troops, Zushiluo can enter the Hehuang land in the name of helping the Qiang people. ”
"But will Xixia just sit back and watch the Gusiluo tribe occupy Hehuang?" Wang Shao frowned.
"No!"
Gu Tingye smiled slightly: "But for Xixia, occupying the plateau is the most important thing. Now that the snow has fallen on the plateau, Xixia will not be able to send troops in a short time. Xixia will never think that the Xixia tribe will give up the plateau, they will only think that the Xixia tribe will abandon the plateau. The Ministry just wants to help the Qiang people and get the help from the Qiang people
Therefore, they are happy to use their strength in Hehuang. As long as the Song Dynasty retreats, Xixia will at best guide us secretly and will not interfere in Hehuang affairs.
Xixia wished that Hehuang would be more chaotic. After they swallowed the plateau, they could attack Hehuang.
As long as the leading troops of the Xisiluo tribe stabilize the situation in Hehuang, Xixia's eyes will be on Hehuang, which will facilitate the migration of ordinary people. By the time Xixia discovered it, it was too late. Xixia couldn't let go of the plateau meat and send troops to Hehuang, right?
If this is the case, the Song Dynasty can send troops to occupy the plateau and see if Xixia can sit still. ”
After hearing Gu Tingye's plan, Wang Shao exclaimed: "Zhong Huai is as talented as I am!"
Gu Tingye's calculations are no longer limited to the battlefield.
"Zichun is serious. The key to whether this plan can come true depends on you. Not only do you have to ensure that you can convince the senior officials of the Qiang people, but you also have to go to the Zunsiluo tribe in person to explain our plan to them." Gu Tingye said.
This plan still has to be coordinated by the Zushiluobu. If it is submitted to Bianjing and then sent there, it will be too time-consuming and may not be explained clearly.
As the commander-in-chief, he couldn't leave either. Only Wang Shao made a trip in person.
"These are all trivial matters, but Tubo is newly defeated. Are you sure you can persuade Tubo to send troops again?" Wang Shao said.
"This is simple, just make one move to retreat and advance, and Tubo will take the initiative to send troops." Gu Tingye said confidently.
Wang Shao thought for a moment and understood what Gu Tingye meant, and said: "Then I will prepare and set off as soon as possible, otherwise the heavy snow on the plateau will block the road and it will be delayed a lot of time."
"Well!" Gu Tingye also knew that time could not be delayed.
Wang Shao and Gu Tingye discussed it carefully and wrote a detailed letter about their plans for the Imperial Army to take back. Then Wang Shao made preparations and went to the plateau in person.
A few days after Wang Shao left, Gu Tingye found the leaders of various Tubo tribes and stated that he had received the order and wanted to withdraw from Hehuang.
If Gu Tingye had said that he wanted to withdraw his troops before, the leaders of the various Tibetan tribes would naturally be happy.
After all, the Qiang people were retreating steadily at that time, and they thought that the Qiang people were no longer their opponents.
But now they had just suffered a big defeat. If the Song Dynasty retreated and lost one of their thugs, even if they could defeat the Qiang people, the losses would not be small.
But Gu Tingye insisted on retreating, saying that he had received the imperial edict and could not disobey it.
Zhao Xing sent someone to deliver a message before and entered Hehuang, so naturally he could not hide it from them. They also knew some things about the Song Dynasty, and the generals did not dare to easily disobey the imperial decree.
It had been more than a year since Gu Tingye served in Qinzhou and led troops into Hehuang. He also bribed some people from various Tubo tribes in Hehuang.
Under Gu Tingye's instructions, these people secretly instigated the Hehuang and Tubo tribes to reach a consensus and prepare to send troops again. They asked Gu Tingye to send troops to help, and then retreat after the battle.
Gu Tingye accepted a bunch of gifts before pretending to be reluctant and agreed.
However, Gu Tingye made a request, this time the troops must be dispatched according to his command.
The Tibetan tribes hesitated for a while and then agreed.
They also have a clear understanding of their commanding abilities.
He was able to defeat the Qiang tribe several times before because he followed Gu Tingye's advice.
This time he didn't listen to Gu Tingye and suffered a big defeat.
The next day, news came out that the Song Dynasty had withdrawn its troops.
Gu Tingye led the army and left Hezhou and headed towards the Song Dynasty.
After the Qiang people learned the news, they carefully confirmed it and confirmed that the news was true. After estimating that the Song Dynasty soldiers and horses had withdrawn from Hehuang, they sent troops to regain the lost land.
(End of chapter)