Chapter 247 Military Morale
Although there were heavy casualties, the strategic goal had been achieved. As long as this offensive could be maintained, the Turks would not be able to withdraw their troops, as they would be defeated if they did.

But it is not easy to maintain such an offensive. Today, it is thanks to the bravery of the vanguard Du Fuwei, who even risked his life, that the whole army can be motivated.

It still depends on heavy rewards and severe punishments. Just when Xu Shiji was about to summon all the generals to issue orders to the three armies, Shan Xiongxin and the officials who transported grain and salaries arrived, bringing a lot of rewards such as silver, silk, and livestock.

After all, the emperor was well aware of the situation Xu Shiji was facing, and this time he specially opened the treasury to encourage his soldiers to fight hard.

Empty promises and immediate rewards have completely different effects. Xu Shiji gave nearly half of the food, wages and silk to the soldiers who went to fight today without hesitation, and promised on behalf of the court that the casualties compensation would be doubled.

This was a very generous reward, and it once again boosted the morale of the entire army. Most of the time, the soldiers were not afraid of a strong enemy, but what they feared most was fighting to the death but not getting the proper reward.

The next morning, the emperor's decree arrived again, promoting Du Fuwei to the rank of Duke of Zhangqiu County and General of the State, promoting Lieutenant Wang Xiongdan to the rank of Deputy Lieutenant of Zhaowu, and Lieutenant Kan Leng to the rank of Bodyguard...

Such quick rewards have never been seen since ancient times. The soldiers now clearly feel that His Majesty is always watching them.

Fame, fortune, money, and land, whatever you want can be obtained through this battle!

Therefore, Xu Shiji did not need to do anything more. He only needed to give out rewards according to the facts to maintain high morale. So Xu Shiji did not hesitate to order Shan Xiongxin and Xue Wanche to lead the troops into battle again.

Another day of fierce fighting passed. The Turks were well prepared this time. Elite troops fought against elite troops and neither had the upper hand. However, Xu Shiji did not care at all. He just ordered the military supervisors to count the military achievements and then reward and promote them as quickly as possible.

At the same time, people were constantly sent back to Chang'an to ask His Majesty for more food, fodder, silver, silk and other items. The Emperor completely opened his own treasury and allowed people to take as much as they wanted, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs also stepped up efforts to mobilize funds from local areas.

Thanks to this, the Tang army went into battle almost every day. Even if they were occasionally tricked or defeated because of their recklessness, it would not affect their ability to fight the next day at all.

After all, with Chang'an at their backs, the imperial court was also sending reinforcements continuously. It was obvious that the emperor was putting all his efforts into this.

The Turks had no way to deal with this. If they only had one commander, perhaps they could simply abandon part of their troops and escape.

But these are two Turkic tribes, and they are enemies that had just ceased hostilities not long ago. Who would be willing to leave their troops behind? Aren't they afraid that the other side will take the opportunity to annex them halfway?
However, some problems began to arise on the Tang army side. Li Mi looked at his confidant who had followed him for many years and asked: "When did you become one of theirs?"

Li Cha bowed and said, "I have always been your servant."

"Then you shouldn't have come to frame me for being unfaithful and unjust!"

Li Cha advised: "Your Majesty is becoming more and more arbitrary and arbitrary now, and is almost the same as Emperor Yang. You were able to see it in the past, why didn't you make plans earlier?"

Li Mi sighed deeply: "Since you dare to come, I think your clan members also have this idea."

"Yes, those who do evil things will never be helped by God."

"Mr. Li, as long as you let the Turks go, your majesty will sweep the country clean, and then we will work hard, whether it is to establish a new master or change the dynasty, we can make the family prominent again."

Li Mi sneered: "Is it so easy to change the world in your eyes?"

"The Yuwen family can do it, the Yang family can do it, the Li family can do it, isn't this how the world has always been?"

Li Mi sighed: "No wonder Your Majesty is unwilling to tolerate the aristocratic families anymore. If you all think this way, what do you think of the world?"

Li Cha was very surprised: "Mr. Li, you back then..."

"The past was the past, and the present is not the same. Moreover, I was unable to rebel against Yang Guang, so how dare I rebel against the holy ruler now? Come, take these officials to the commander-in-chief's tent!"

The man immediately kowtowed and said, "No, please think twice. My life is insignificant. If I implicate my clan, wouldn't it be..."

Li Mi looked at him with contempt: "Most of my relatives were killed by Emperor Yang after they followed Yang Xuangan in his uprising. Those who remained regarded me as an enemy. Why should I care about their lives?"

Soon, Li Mi's undisguised actions triggered a chain reaction, and people from many generals and officials' tents were dragged to Xu Shiji's tent.

Everyone waited for a moment, and then Xu Shiji came out holding a head in his hand: "Anyone who shakes the morale of the army will be killed without mercy!"

When everyone heard the commander's order, they ordered their guards to take action. Soon, there were more than a dozen headless corpses on the ground, and their heads were cut off and sent to the capital.

"No... don't kill me, brother. Please, brother, you can't kill me. I won't dare to do it again, never again!"

Everyone's eyes were on Zhai Rang, who stood in front of his brother who was already shitting and pissing, wanting to cry but unable to: "This...this is my dearest brother, please allow me to take him back to the capital to apologize to His Majesty."

Zhai Rang knelt down and begged Xu Shiji. He really didn't expect it to be so straightforward. He thought they would just be escorted back to Chang'an for punishment.

If I had known this earlier, I would rather take the risk and hide my brother.

Xu Shiji sighed. Zhai Rang and he had been running Wagang for many years. Although they often had disagreements, they still had a friendship.

But at this time he couldn't make any mistakes. Was he willing to kill his uncle with his own hands?
Didn't Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui know that if this happened, their family would inevitably suffer a great loss?

Your Majesty has made such a huge bet, how could he not be on guard against their repeated changes? What else could Shan Xiongxin have done instead of accompanying Your Majesty here in person instead of staying in Chang'an at this time?

"Someone, drag Zhai Rang away and escort him back to Chang'an!"

Zhai Rang was not considered a brave man in his early years, and now he was fat, so he was quickly dragged away, and his brother was naturally beheaded.

After that, no one said anything and went back to rest. But the night was not peaceful. The Duke of Jiyin and the General of the Left Guard, Shan Xiongxin, arrested many people.

But they were not beheaded, they were all escorted back to Chang'an. Everyone knew that dying last night was far better than not dying now.

But most of the unstable factors in the army have been eliminated, and the generals have also relaxed a little.

Li Mi laughed and said, "They still don't understand Your Majesty and have never seen Your Majesty's methods. They followed Your Majesty and won the world smoothly, and they thought it was all their own merits."

Many generals nodded, and those who had served in the army finally understood what it meant to follow His Majesty.

Fang Xuanling was somewhat worried: "Although it will not disrupt the country, if it continues like this, it will inevitably lead to constant human disasters, which will not be good for the court either."

After all, there are few intelligent people, and even fewer who truly understand the current emperor. There will always be fools who rebel under the guidance of many aristocratic families.

What's more, the emperor was evil to monks and Taoists, and these people were not willing to accept it passively.

………………

(End of this chapter)