Chapter 175 The Guide Is Here

The sun sets in the west and the sky is gradually filled with dusk.

Thirty miles away from the Xi people's camp, the vanguard of the Zhou army was stationed not far from a stream and was resting.

After galloping for hundreds of miles, most of the Zhou army soldiers were exhausted, but under Zhao Ji's arrangement, they still maintained the necessary vigilance, and some soldiers were setting up camp.

It's funny to say that Zhang Xuanyu abandoned his infantry and led his cavalry deep into the enemy's territory alone, but was completely wiped out by the Khitans.

This time, Zhao Ji chose the same approach as him. He handed over more than 10,000 infantrymen to Yang Xuanji, and personally led 8,000 cavalrymen to attack day and night.

The Tang army always seemed to like playing this way. More than ten years later in another world line, Li Guangbi's father Li Kailuo would also lead 4,000 cavalrymen first, and then be defeated by the opposing Xi leader Li Dafang.

By the way, Li Kailuo was also a Khitan and the son-in-law of Li Kaigu, so Li Guangbi, one of the famous generals who quelled the Anshi Rebellion, was actually Li Kaigu's grandson.

However, since Zhao dared to advance alone, although there was a bit of a gamble involved, he had also made sufficient preparations.

As a Khitan, Li Kaigu was familiar with the local mountains and geography. If he encountered danger, he would take a detour if possible. If he couldn't, he would send more scouts to explore and search so as to avoid an ambush.

The main forces of the Khitan army are all in Dongxishi Valley. If they all come to attack his detachment, Wang Xiaojie's main force will have the opportunity to take advantage.

As for Mochu, there was no direct contact between the Khitan and the Turks, so they had to rely on Xiao Qingfang as a middleman to pass messages. It also took time to mobilize troops, so it was difficult to pose a real threat to Zhao Ji.

What we should really be careful about are the Xi people led by the local tyrant Li Dafang.

However, Li Dafang was also one of Zhao Ji's targets on this trip. He was planning to use military deterrence to lure the Xi people into his own camp.

While the army was resting, Zhao Ji and Li Kaigu patrolled the surroundings together, observing the terrain and also acting as guards.

"Kai Gu, is that the Xi people's tent in front of us?" Zhao Ji waved his whip on his horse and pointed.

Li Kaigu's horse was behind Zhao Ji: "Reporting to the commander-in-chief, it is correct. If our 8,000 cavalrymen charge forward, it will not take half a day to kill the Xi people without a single piece of armor left."

Zhao Ji shook his head and said, "That depends on whether Li Dafang knows what is good for him."

"Report!" Shen Tao rode over, "General, a group of Xi cavalry appeared ahead, and the leader claimed to be Li Dafang, and wanted to see the governor."

Zhao Ji's face became serious, and he asked in a deep voice, "Li Dafang, how many people did he bring with him?"

"Only a few dozen riders." Shen Tao responded quickly.

Zhao Ji smiled when he heard this, and felt relieved. He then ordered, "Tell Li Dafang to come to the central army tent to see me."

"Yes." Shen Tao agreed, then turned his horse around and left.

Zhao Ji led Li Kaigu and dozens of elite guards back to the camp and joined the main army.

Not long after, Li Dafang and his entourage, led by Shen Tao, arrived at the Zhou army camp, and their horses and weapons were confiscated by the Zhou army.

Some Xi people felt somewhat dissatisfied, but they did not dare to resist, so Li Dafang had no choice but to comfort them.

Then, Li Dafang and his cronies slowly walked into the camp. The air around them suddenly became tense, and a low horn sounded suddenly.

Two teams of elite soldiers emerged from the darkness, armed with long spears and short blades, ready for battle, blocking the road leading to the central army tent.

"The commander-in-chief only allows Chief Li to enter, and the rest of us have to wait outside." Xiao Bao stood in front of the formation, his voice loud and majestic.

Li Dafang sighed inwardly, but he also knew that he could not resist at this moment, so he had to straighten his clothes and walked towards the big tent trembling with fear.

There was bright fire inside and outside the big tent, and the soldiers on both sides glared at Li Dapo.

Li Dapo secretly complained. He thought the generals of the Zhou army would be able to understand the situation and win him over. Unexpectedly, the new Zhao governor was just like the previous Zhao governor, and seemed to be full of malice towards the barbarians. When he entered the tent, Zhao Ji was wearing armor and playing with a sword. The cold light made Li Dapo tremble with fear.

"The criminal chief Li Dafang pays homage to the governor." His legs went weak and he fell to his knees, performing a great salute.

Zhao Ji put the sword back into the sheath with a clang. "Li Dafang, you led the people to rebel and oppose my Great Zhou army. You dare to come to see me at this time, aren't you afraid that I will kill you as a sacrifice?"

Li Dafang kowtowed repeatedly, speaking earnestly: "Commander-in-chief, please understand that Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong rebelled, and the Heavenly Army of the Great Zhou suffered a setback. The Xi people are isolated and weak, and have no choice but to pretend to be in harmony with Li Jinzhong. But we Xi people are still loyal to the Great Zhou, and have never thought of confronting the Heavenly Army."

Zhao Ji sneered: "Then how come this commander-in-chief saw your Xiren troops in the Khitan camp in Dongxishi Valley?"

Li Dapo was relieved to see that Zhao was still willing to talk, "That was all Li Jinzhong's fault. There were a few ambitious people in the clan who were bewitched by the Khitan and became confused for a while."

"But most of the people in the tribe are still loyal to the Great Zhou. As soon as the governor's army arrived, the chieftain rushed to greet them, which is a clear proof. Please understand this, governor."

Zhao Ji's face remained stern, and he pressed on: "Even so, the Xi people's rebellion is a fact. If the court does not punish them, how can it deter the people?"

Li Dafang kowtowed again and said, "Commander-in-chief, the criminal chief is willing to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence. The clan is willing to provide 500 fine horses and 3,000 sheep to support the army. At the same time, the criminal chief will restrain his clansmen and will never help the Khitans with a single soldier again."

Zhao Ji finally showed a satisfied smile after hearing this: "In that case, I will be disrespectful if I refuse. It is impolite not to return the favor. This time, I will march into Yingzhou, and you can lead several thousand people to follow me. When we capture Khitan people and livestock, I can give you a ten percent share."

Li Dafang was stunned when he heard this, and he looked embarrassed: "Commander-in-chief, this..."

Zhao Ji narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, and said in a cold tone: "Li Dafang, you are a smart man, so I will not beat around the bush. I am asking you to send troops because I want you to draw a clear line between you and the Khitan. In this way, the court will not only not blame you, but also reward you."

"If you still harbor hope and try to fight against the Heavenly Soldiers, I will have no choice but to kill you here first, and then lead my army to crush your Xiren camp!"

Upon hearing this, Li Dafang immediately apologized, "I would never dare to have such an idea. The reason I dared to come to see the governor is naturally to support the Great Zhou, and I have no intention of playing both sides."

"It's just that the Khitan sent envoys to threaten the chieftain. They said they have allied with the Turks and want the chieftain to cooperate with the Turks to ambush the governor. Once they find out that the chieftain is helping the heavenly soldiers, I'm afraid my tribe will be in trouble."

"The Turks will arrive in a day or two. The chieftain is really powerless and is counting on the governor to send troops to resist the Turks. It's not that he is unwilling to help the Great Zhou."

"Oh? Are you serious?" Zhao Ji asked with a frown.

"It is absolutely true! The two Khitan envoys are still in my tent. If the commander-in-chief doesn't believe it, he will know the answer by asking." Li Dafang said hurriedly.

Zhao Ji was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately ordered: "Okay! Send someone back to the tent quickly to capture the two Khitan envoys and bring them to me."
-
Since Li Dafang sent people to capture the Khitan envoy, Zhao Ji felt a little relieved, but at the same time he secretly felt lucky.

Fortunately, I arrived quickly enough and provided enough military deterrence. Otherwise, when Li Dafang heard that the Turks and Khitans had joined forces, if the Turks had arrived earlier, they would definitely stand on the opposite side.

Zhao Ji saw that Li Dafang looked a little uneasy, so he comforted him, "Okay, Chief Li, don't be nervous. Since you have chosen to help the Great Zhou, I will naturally protect you. I also have more than 10,000 troops, which will arrive soon, and will naturally help you resist the Turks when the time comes."

Li Dafang's expression was indeed much relieved: "Thank you, Governor."

"But, since the problem with the Turks has been solved, then the troops I asked you for before should be no problem, right?" Zhao Ji said again.

Li Dafang was horrified: "What? The Turkic army is approaching, and the governor is still planning to go to Yingzhou?"

"Why, you don't want to? This commander-in-chief is not afraid that you will leak the information, so what are you afraid of? You have captured the Khitan envoy, and you still want to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers?" A fierce light flashed in Zhao Ji's eyes.

Li Dafang waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, the criminal chief definitely does not mean that."

Zhao Ji smiled slightly and said, "This governor won't make it difficult for you. If you can't provide 3,000 men, 1,000 men will be good too."

Li Dapo smiled a smile that was uglier than crying: "Since the governor said so, I will do as you say."

(End of this chapter)