When Yelu Abaoji retreated from the Bohai Sea to the West Building, in addition to the losses of the previous battles and the garrisons stationed in Changling and Buyeo, there were still 1340,000. In order to support the West Building in time, Yelu Abao sent the crown prince Yelu Bei to lead 30,000 elite cavalry as the vanguard. Li Congjing crossed the Henghe River with the advance of the Youzhou army, and when he arrived at the West Tower, Yelubei's 30,000 elite cavalry had already confronted the Tatars for several days.

The march route of the main force of the Youzhou Army to the north to the West Building was roughly at right angles to Yelu Abaoji's return route, and the marching speed of the two armies was about the same, and there was no chance to engage on the way. There is no need for the Youzhou army to fight with the Khitan army in the field before arriving at the West Tower.

By the time Li Congjing arrived at the West Tower, the Tatars had been attacking the city for many days, although the casualties on both sides were not small, and Tubak also intended to avenge the revenge calculated by Shu Luping, but the West Tower had not been captured - compared with the Han army, the Khitan army was not good at attacking and defending the city, but compared to the more unbearable Tatar Department, it was much stronger.

Although the Tatar troops could not attack the city, after all, they had gone through hardships, and this time they came for revenge, but the field battle did not disappoint Li Congjing, and when Yelubei arrived at the West Tower, he intended to raid the Tatar department, but was killed and retreated by Tubak's army. As a result, when Li Congjing arrived at the West Tower, the Battle of the West Tower was in a delicate balance—after the arrival of Yelube, the Tatars stopped attacking the West Tower.

Accompanied by Tubak, Li Congjing took Mo Li, Du Qianshu, Wang Pu and other strategists and generals Guo Wei and Meng Ping, and rode out of the camp with more than a dozen guards to check the city defense of the West Building.

The Tatar Khan Tubak pointed to the city of Xilou and said to Li Congjing: "There are not many defenders in the city, around 5,000, but the city defense is extremely strong, and the defense equipment at the head of the city is also sufficient, most of which are unheard of by our department before.

Li Congjing couldn't cry or laugh, Tubak probably hadn't seen a few cities in his life, and it might be possible for them to attack the fortified city head-on, taking advantage of the surprise attack, and it would be difficult to achieve results in a frontal attack - the so-called city gate can breathe fire, and it should be poured fire oil from the hole in the city gate.

Perhaps because he felt that he had not been able to make contributions for many days, and his face was a little unhappy, Tubak said: "Fortunately, General Li came in time, and with the elite of the Heavenly Dynasty, it should be much easier to capture the city."

"Our army has no intention of capturing the West Building." Li Congjing said unexpectedly to Tubak, seeing that the other party was puzzled, he continued: "It is naturally best if the West Building can be conquered, and there is no need to force it if it cannot be conquered. The armies will join the West Building, and they must take the attack on the living forces of the Khitan army as the top priority, and only in this way can the Khitan army be fundamentally weakened and the various departments can restore their old business. ”

Tubak pondered and said, "General Li intends to fight the Khitan army in the field? ”

"You can say the same thing." Li Congjing was noncommittal.

According to the footsteps of the Youzhou army and Yelu Abaoji, they will be able to arrive at the West Building in two days, Li Congjing thought in his heart, Yelu Abaoji died on the way to the Bohai Division, originally he died in Fuyu Mansion in history, so the other party's death should be in these days, and I don't know when the news of Yelu Abao's death will come.

"When will Princess Ahri return?" Li Congjing turned his head and asked Tubak. Ahri went to contact the black car Murowei, and he knew about it, but the specific situation was not clear.

The Khitan was founded only ten years ago, and since then it has conquered various tribes, and the Khitan's control over the grassland today cannot be compared with the future, so there is room for Li Congjing to call on all the tribes to rebel against the Khitan, but with Yelu Abaoji's hand, this control will not be too weak.

This time, the Tang Dynasty spread all over the Northern Desert Grassland, and there were not as many people who had the ability to respond as imagined, and even fewer who could gather troops to come to the West Building, most of them were fighting against the Khitan ruling class in various places, and there were only a few departments such as Heichezi Murwei who could really come to the West Building. This is also the reason why Ahri personally went to lobby the black car Murowei.

Lu Longbian's army marched out of the Great Wall and fought in the grassland behind the Youzhou army in Xilou, which was not only the need of Li Congjing to ensure his belly and back, but also to echo the struggle of the various departments of the grassland—its strategic intention, which was very simple to say, but very brutal, in a word: to attack the Khitan ruling foundation in the grassland.

"Calling on all the tribes of the grassland to rebel against the Khitan, there is no need for all the tribes to go to the West Tower, on the contrary, there is smoke everywhere, and it has the effect of attacking in groups. In the Battle of Xilou, our army does not even need to be defeated, as long as it is not defeated and the war lasts for several months, the situation in the Khitan country will be eroded. When the battles of the various tribes become their own momentum, the roots of the Khitan State will also rot. When Li Congjing was planning the battle of the West Building, he had said to Mo Li and others, "And this is the purpose of my troops in the West Building, and it is also the purpose of my fight against the Khitan over the years, and it is the fundamental method to curb the Khitan state." I have only one sentence for the grassland plan, which is only to achieve a strategic purpose: to bring the grassland back to the situation of the heroes! ”

At that time, Li Congjing also said: "The grassland heroes are fighting together, fighting each other, and clamping down, so they don't have the energy to attack the border - no one has the energy." At that time, there will only be one powerful country outside the Guan, and that is the Bohai State. As the prosperous country of Haidong, the Bohai State is not like the Khitan, Tatar and other steppe tribes, they are not nomads, they can survive without raiding the Tang border, and they can survive very well. Not only did the Bohai State not have the need to intrude on the border, on the contrary, they could also become a powerful assistant to the Tang Dynasty and clamp down on the grasslands. ”

In the end, Li Congjing concluded: "Only in this way can the Youyun border be truly peaceful." ”

After Li Congjing said these words, Mo Li once asked: "If this can be done, the border can be stable for at least a few decades, but after a few decades, if the grassland returns to the current situation, what can it do?" ”

Li Congjing responded to Mo Li with a smile: "If it really comes to that time, the Tang Dynasty should be reunited, right?" ”

Mo Li understood what Li Congjing meant, and he nodded: "If the Tang Dynasty repeats the unification, the grassland will naturally no longer be a concern. ”

This time, Mo Li thought that he understood Li Congjing, but in fact, he didn't.

To completely stabilize the grassland, it is not possible to have a unified Central Plains dynasty. How to make the grassland nomads no longer threaten the Central Plains, Li Congjing has his plan. However, in order to realize this plan, he needs to master the full power of a unified dynasty. If history gives him this opportunity, it should be what he will do after he unifies the Central Plains - in other words, if the Tang Dynasty wants to unify the Han world, it must have a stable rear.

If it is really at that time, Li Congjing's sight is not only the Northern Desert grassland, but also Hexi, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Western Regions, and all places where the Han civilization can reach.

Li Congjing asked about the date of Ahri's return, and Tubak replied: "Yesterday, I received news that after the black car room Wei started his army, he has gathered a lot of soldiers and horses, and is rushing to the west building, and it should arrive in the near future. ”

Li Congjing nodded and asked no more.

The 50,000 Youzhou army, plus the Tatar Department and the Black Chezi Murwei, as well as other large and small tribes, should not be much less than the Khitan army. The Battle of the West Building, although it can be delayed to achieve part of the strategic intention, but Li Congjing has no intention of dragging it out. History is running out of time for him in the grasslands, and he must deal with the war here as soon as possible and return to the Central Plains.

Observing the city defense of the West Building was just a routine matter for Li Congjing, and after seeing it, he was about to return to the camp, but at this moment, the gate of the West Building opened.

Li Congjing led a large group of people to observe the city defense of the West Tower here, and the Khitan guards on the city wall could naturally see them. After the city gate was opened, several riders rushed out of it, and what made Li Congjing stop was that these riders were holding messenger runes.

The envoy of the two armies in front of the battle, this is the treatment that the Tatar department did not enjoy before Li Congjing's arrival.

Li Congjing and the others waited for the Khitan envoy to come on the same place, and then he knew the purpose of the envoy: Shu Luping wanted to meet with him.

In this regard, Li Congjing naturally has no reason to avoid it.

"I've been here for so long, but I haven't seen this Khitan queen yet." Tubak touched his beard and popularized science with Li Congjing, "I haven't met before, I only know that she is a member of the Uighur Shulu Department, and the small character is in the moon, and Yelu Abaoji relies on her a lot, and she has the reputation of being the pearl of the grassland, and she is a stunning beauty." ”

Li Congjing said in his heart, no matter how beautiful a beauty is, she is in her forties, how beautiful can she be?

After a quarter of an hour, Li Congjing would not have such thoughts. Because he saw Shu Luping, and Shu Luping is really beautiful, so beautiful that people can't see her age, so beautiful that people will unconsciously ignore her age, so beautiful that she doesn't look like a thing in the world, and she really deserves the reputation of the pearl of the grassland.

Shu Luping does not have Yaxing like Wang Yanzhang, and he will put a small case in front of Li Congjing and have a few drinks. When the two met, they were on horseback. And with him came Jerubi.

"When does General Lee plan to fight?" As soon as Wu met, Shu Luping took the lead. She is dressed in red and armor, but she is slightly powdered, the years have not left traces of vicissitudes on her face, but it has given her an indescribable charm, whether it is a distant mountain-like eyebrows, or a bewitching little cherry lips, there is a charm that can make any mature man fall.

Li Congjing looked at Shu Luping, his gaze slid over the other party's towering and straight chest, looking unscrupulous. God is pitiful, even for the most moving beauty, he lacks awe, and it is impossible for him to tie his hands in front of the other party. Appreciation, unreserved appreciation, was his only respect for them.

"If General Li wants to fight, tens of millions of Khitan athletes will fight your army to the death at any time, and they will never retreat half a point!" Shu Luping pointed at the Xilou City behind him with a horsewhip, and raised his eyebrows lightly, "The capital of the Khitan Kingdom is here, if your army can conquer it, you can try it." Although the Khitan is an immediate nation, they also have the determination to live and die with the national capital! ”

After Shu Luping finished speaking, seeing that Li Congjing still had no intention of speaking, she couldn't help frowning slightly, the other party's eyes were so naked, which made her displeased, she felt that her queen's dignity was desecrated, and turned to a cold voice: "General Li, what are you looking at?" ”

Li Congjing smiled slightly, withdrew his gaze, and said to Shu Luping: "Yueliduo, right?" You don't need to convey to me the Khitan army's determination to fight to the death, because that doesn't change anything. I don't even think you need to go out of town to meet me, if you continue with these useless remarks. I'm much more interested in your beauty than I am - it seems to me more worth talking about."

When the three words "Yueliduo" appeared in Li Congjing's mouth, Shu Luping was already furious, and before Li Congjing finished speaking, the humiliated queen even began to tremble slightly.

And Li Congjing's next words made her anger disappear invisibly.

"Of course," Li Congjing calmly looked at Shu Luping's peachy eyes, "If your hands tremble a little more and try to pull the hidden arrow mechanism hidden under the cuffs, it will be useless, although we are only less than ten steps apart, I will definitely be able to dodge." ”

Shu Luping was slightly stunned, and then began to really look at Li Congjing, "How did you find out?" ”

Li Congjing shook his head with a smile, expressing his helplessness, but he didn't mean to explain, "The queen of a dignified country, preparing to assassinate the commander of the enemy army before the battle, such a thing is really sensational. ”

"It seems that our conversation should be over, although you are the queen, but your rude behavior makes me angry from the state of etiquette."

"Li Congjing!" Shu Luping stopped Li Congjing, who was about to leave, and then smiled, "What, this is so scared and want to escape?" Seeing that Li Congjing had already begun to mention the reins of the horse, the queen who was looking forward to learning more about her opponent increased her weight and said, "Didn't you say that there are more valuable topics worth talking about?" ”

I don't see how Shu Luping moves, but when she says this, it is soft enough and seductive.

Li Congjing spread out his hands, "But that's useless, don't think I don't know, you're in your forties." After saying this, Li Congjing smiled, ignored the black face, and finally got angry Shu Luping, turned the horse's head and left.

Shu Luping's chest rose and fell, looking at Li Congjing's back, she hesitated for a long time, but she still dismissed the plan to sneak attack behind her back, because she was no longer a little sure.

"No wonder Yelubei and Deguang will suffer in your hands one after another, and even the emperor can't help you." Shu Luping muttered to himself, gathered his sideburns and green silk, and also pulled out his horse and turned around.

This respected and glamorous queen felt a hint of loss rise in her heart.