Li Shimin and the others were playing mahjong while keeping an eye on the situation over here.
When they saw Fang Er directly order the bombardment, Li Shimin's expression instantly turned displeased.
Damn it, aren't shells money?
This son of a bitch has no idea how to live frugally!
Li Jing seemed to guess his thoughts and casually played a tile.
White tile!
Your Majesty, no matter what, this kid didn't hold back. Take your time, he's still just a child.
Kong! Li Shimin threw out his three white tiles. After all, this was a city, and it could be garrisoned later. With such a bombardment, it would have to be rebuilt.
Oh? The white dragon, a kong from the wall, I'm done!
Glancing at the white dragon he drew, he pushed over all the tiles in front of him.
Haha, Your Majesty, have you forgotten about the silver mountain? Can't you just have that kid dig it up himself and give you an accounting?
Qin Qiong took out a cigar from his pocket and offered it to Li Shimin.
In just this short while, this lord had won almost two boxes.
Now, cigars were the hard currency among these rough men. Thick, black, and long, when sucked into the mouth, they were truly exhilarating.
Seeing that the shelling had ended, they couldn't continue playing mahjong.
After packing up, the group walked towards Fang Er.
Kid, another city is gone, can't you take it a bit easier?
Li Shimin was still a bit displeased. How good was the Big Dark's suggestion, burying himself in his own pit? This kid was just too lazy to think.
Heh heh, Your Majesty, don't dwell on this for now. I've gotten the information from Ya Erjin.
The two teams he dispatched were to inform Jieli, saying that within ten days, Jieli would surely come with a large army.
Fang Er quickly changed the subject.
What are you talking about? Jieli is bringing a large army? Niu Jindao patted Fang Er on the shoulder to confirm.
You believe what he says? In my opinion, it's more reliable to go to Qikou! Li Jing stroked his beard, skeptical of Ya Erjin's statement.
Yuchi Jingde frowned: What if we take a wrong turn on the road? We only have so many people, and it's not appropriate to divide the forces, is it?
Map!
Li Shimin extended his hand to Fang Er.
A map was spread flat on the hood of the pickup truck.
The few of them gathered around and looked at the terrain.
It's still more than five hundred li from Qikou, and even if Jieli really comes, he will definitely march along the Nuozhen River!
We'll wait for Jieli here!
Li Shimin's finger pointed to a place called Tieshan.
Nuozhen River is the name of a river. Who knows why the name is so strange.
The northern end of this river is Jieli's base camp, Qikou (Erlianhaote).
And the southern end is where Li Shimin pointed, Tieshan.
Marching on the grassland is not like marching in the central plains. Water sources are the top priority, so armies often march along water sources.
Although the straight-line distance from Qikou to Heicheng is the shortest, there are no streams along the way to supply the army with water. Following the Nuozhen River to Tieshan, and then turning towards Heicheng is the only option.
Li Jing nodded as he looked at the map: Your Majesty is wise, this plan is feasible.
Li Xiaogong and Yuchi Jingde also nodded.
In that case, let's prepare the army and set off.
Yes!
After a slight adjustment, the troops began to march towards Tieshan.
Whenever they encountered small tribes, they would crush them and take their cattle, sheep, and mules to replenish the army's provisions.
Eating meat all day long made the soldiers, except for the artillery camp, feel energetic and restless.
What Fang Er and Li Shimin didn't know was that as they marched, the Turkic camp at the foot of Tieshan had already fallen into a war.
It was Zhuzi and Ma Chao!
The two of them, leading a thousand Tianhuo troops and five thousand hired mercenaries, were attacking fiercely at the foot of Tieshan.
As mentioned before, the Turks lived by water and grass, and Tieshan was at one end of the Nuozhen River, making it one of the gathering places for various Turkic tribes.
The nomadic herdsmen of the Ayan tribe, seeing Zhuzi and his men, immediately notified their tribal leader, Guli Duo.
Report! Leader, from the southwest, about five to six thousand people are approaching!
Guli Duo sat in his tent, gnawing on a lamb leg: What tribe is it? Are there any banners?
Replying to the leader, there are no banners. I fear the approaching party is ill-intentioned.
Send someone quickly to invite the leaders of the Helu and Sibiyu tribes!
Yes!
After the messenger herdsman left the tent, Guli Duo shouted outside: Someone!
A soldier in animal hide armor rushed in.
Call that guy named Wang over here!
Yes!
Not long after the soldier went out, he brought in a middle-aged man, about forty years old.
Wang Chiyao pays his respects to Leader Guli Duo!
This man was actually the head of the Wang family of Taiyuan!
Old Wang, I received news that an unknown cavalry is approaching here. I'm ordering your tribe's warriors to go and intercept them!
In addition, I'll give you three thousand slave soldiers. Do you have any objections?
Wang Chiyao really wanted to say, "I'm not going."
But he was now living under someone else's roof. The family's wealth and young children were controlled by Jieli. If he dared to disobey in the slightest, his entire clan might be annihilated!
Thinking about it, when he fled from Taiyuan to this place, his clan had over two thousand strong young men, but now, there were less than a thousand left.
The missing clansmen were all killed when Guli Duo assigned them to fight with other tribes.
Perhaps this was karma.
Wang understands. I will go back and gather the troops now.
Wang Chiyao cupped his hands in a salute, then turned and left Guli Duo's tent, heading towards his clan's gathering place.
ps: Third update.