Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 752 Between Advance and Retreat
The temperature in Liangzhou in late spring is very comfortable, even making people temporarily forget the endless yellow sand nearby.

On the top of Liangzhou City, the Tibetan great minister Dazalugong was gazing at the cross-shaped city that looked like a flying bird, feeling extremely emotional.

After so many years, it has finally been a long time since Tubo arrived in this majestic city. Although the price was a bit high, it was all worth it.

This time, Tubo sent out an army of 200,000, which marched into Liangzhou and the Western Regions from three directions, determined to win.

Dazha Lugong's life was not easy at all, and his experience was even more bumpy than Fang Chongyong's.

He spent several years wiping out the Zamp's mother and uncle's family, killing all the Buddhist nobles, re-supporting the Tibetan Bon religion, and setting up the underage Zamp like a puppet.

The turmoil within Tubo was no less severe than that of the Tang Dynasty. It was just that Dazalugong acted early, quickly, and ruthlessly, and the Tubo nobles were relatively concentrated.

Therefore, this bloody struggle did not cause large-scale resistance, and all problems were solved at the top level.

Now Dazha Lugong is the Grand Councilor of Tubo, and his power is greater than that of Lun Qinling in the past. This military action against the Tang Dynasty can be described as a desperate gamble.

In order to survive and to divert domestic conflicts, since Dazha Lugong could lead everyone to the Tang Dynasty to make a fortune, these Tibetan nobles were willing to obey his orders.

The Tibetans marched in from Ganzhou, and after successfully occupying Ganzhou, they turned westward to attack Shazhou.

Taking advantage of the excellent opportunity when all the Tang Dynasty's troops in Longyou were withdrawn, a group of troops came from Qinghai Lake, captured the Hehuang Valley, and headed towards Lanzhou.

Finally, we went all the way to Dadouba Valley and ignored everything else and headed straight for Liangzhou.

Among them, Dazalugong personally led his troops through the Dadouba Valley, and took over Liangzhou in one fell swoop while the Tang army had not yet assembled.

In the past few years, under the call of Li Baoyu, the nobles of Liangzhou continued to immigrate to Hedong, and the military force was very empty. For example, Lun Gongren's family had long since left, and all of its members had settled in Hedong.

Many knowledgeable people in Liangzhou had anticipated the hidden danger of Tubo invasion, but there was no way to stop it.

When the Chishui Army moved eastward, Liangzhou lost its support and foundation. The few people who were temporarily recruited could not stop the Tubo army.

However, after conquering Liangzhou, Dazalugong did not plunder or massacre the city. Not only was the war not over, but he also hoped that Tubo could take root in the Hexi Corridor.

If we kill everyone, who will farm the land and who will herd the sheep? These are very realistic problems.

Now, he has already sent a part of his troops to attack Lanzhou to the east, but the news has not yet reached Liangzhou, so it seems that there won't be any big problem.

"Any news about Shangxi Dongzan's troops?"

Dazha Lu Gong turned around and asked a Qi Bendao beside him.

Qi was a Tibetan official position, responsible for reconnaissance, guiding the way, and checking the health of livestock in the army. He also had some functions of a quartermaster and a chief scout, and had great power.

"To reply to the great theory, not yet. I guess... it's not going well."

This Qi Ben was also speaking the truth. As for Shang Xidongzan's military ability... it's hard to describe in a few words.

The upper limit is visible at a glance, but the lower limit is bottomless.

"The last time he attacked Zhangye, he was slow to act and was ambushed on the road. He retreated 20 miles, which allowed the Tang army to escape. When he captured Zhangye, only the elderly, the weak, women and children were left in the city.

He has not been punished for this matter, can't he even take Suzhou?"

Daza Lugong asked in a bad tone.

Shang Xidongzan is such a piece of trash!
Originally, the Tibetan army was a strong force and should have swept across the Hexi Corridor like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. However, once the battle started, Shangxi Dongzan's cavalry was ambushed and defeated on the spot by the Tang army that took the initiative to attack!
After fleeing for twenty miles, Shangxi Dongzan reorganized his troops, using only heavy infantry composed of small Tibetan nobles in the lead and cavalry guarding on both wings, and advancing slowly in this conservative formation.

When the army arrived at Zhangye City like a turtle, only a few old and weak people who could not walk were left in the city, and the rest were nowhere to be seen.

Dazha Lugong didn't even want to comment on Shang Xidongzan. What was this dog brain doing?

The Tang army's attack was to buy time for the soldiers and civilians in Zhangye City to retreat, asshole!
Shangxi Dongzan also asked Dazhalugong for help, saying that he had encountered tens of thousands of Tang troops. However, Dazhalugong was stepping up his attack on Liangzhou City at that time and ignored the useless man's request for help.

It was later proved that Dazha Lugong's judgment was correct. If there were really tens of thousands of Tang troops, they could have held a funeral for Shangxi Dongzan by now, and there would be no chance for this guy to jump around!

When Dazha Lugong thought about these things, he felt very angry.

The domestic politics of Tubo is even worse than that of the Tang Dynasty. Once a capable person appears, a bunch of useless people will surround him.

That was how I talked about Qin Ling back then, and it is still the same for me now.

The backwardness of the serfdom system made Dazalugong feel deeply helpless. As long as Tubo had such a system, there would be hanging people like Shangxi Dongzan and hanging incidents like him fighting a broken war, and they would continue to appear.

The Qi in front of him didn't dare to speak. He lowered his head and remained silent, admitting his mistake and begging for mercy.

To the Tibetan nobles, Dazalugong was like a killing god. He would kill all the nobles in the country who did not stand on his side, and then annex their tribes!
He killed Tibetan nobles much more cruelly than the people of the Tang Dynasty. This time he sent troops to the Tang Dynasty to stabilize people's hearts and consolidate his personal prestige.

"Forget it, send someone to urge them!"

Dazha Lu Gong waved his hands, and suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.

At this time, a Changben (military judge) walked up to the tower and whispered to him: "Dalun, Shangxi Dongzan was ambushed again in Suzhou, and his troops were defeated and could not be stopped. After the army retreated to Ganzhou, Shangxi Dongzan gathered his troops and conquered Jiuquan overnight, but only the old and weak were left in the city. Shangxi Dongzan sent someone to plead guilty, please punish him."

How could a person drown twice in the same river?

Dazalu Gong thought he had heard it wrong.

Can't you see that this is such an obvious strategy of using offense instead of defense and turning the tables?

Stick to them, follow them, and chase them after the Tang army is exhausted!
Dazalu Gong held his forehead, took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart and said: "Let Shangxi Dongzan quickly send troops to Shazhou, while the Tang army is not yet firmly established, and chase them! Go and take Shazhou! Is he blind? The Tang army is obviously shrinking its forces and concentrating them in Shazhou. Does Shangxi Dongzan want to wait for them to recuperate and counterattack Liangzhou after they are ready? Ah?"

He roared at this Chang Ben.

Tubo’s military law is strict. Generally speaking, in such a situation, killing Shangxi Dongzan twice is enough.

But Dazha Lugong didn't dare to do so now. Once he announced that he would take action against the opponent, the team that Shang Xidongzan was in would mutiny.

This is not Tubo, and Dazalugong lacks direct means to restrain Shangxi Dongzan.

Just as Chang Ben was about to leave, Dazha Lugong quickly called him back.

"Shazhou is a desolate place. The passage to the west has been cut off for decades, and people and animals cannot pass through. If Shang Xidongzan cannot take Shazhou, let him bring his head to me!"

Daza Lugong said bitterly.

His subordinates scattered like birds and beasts and quickly left the city wall, not daring to bring bad luck upon him.

Are there any military talents in Tubo?

Actually, there was one, but he was killed by Dazalugong in the previous political struggle. Shangxi Dongzan was not very talented, but he was a Tibetan noble who stood on Dazalugong's side and could not be easily moved.

Many times, when a leader sees that his subordinates are all good-for-nothings, he feels very powerless.

Because some "painters" do not paint on a blank piece of paper, but instead complete a sequel on a painting that is already filled with various "monsters", integrating them into their own works.

It is extremely difficult and often compromises and concessions must be made.

This is the situation that Dazalugong is facing.

Tubo was a feudal society, and the nobles were extremely powerful. They formed alliances with each other, and the political struggle was very fierce. Many times, he could not get what he wanted.

Suddenly, a strange question popped up in Dazha Lugong's mind.

After years of preparation and long and detailed investigation, it was found that there were no regular troops of more than 5,000 men in the Hexi Corridor. In many places, only 2,000 to 3,000 men were left as standing troops.

In the past, except for the Chishui Army of more than 30,000 people in the Hexi Corridor, other places had an army of 5,000 to 7,000 people, and a large number of these troops were transferred to Guanzhong.

Which Tang army is the one that defeated Shangxi Dongzan? Who is their commander?

You know, as the Tang army returned to Guanzhong in large numbers, they also brought with them generals who were good at fighting. In other words, now in the Hexi Corridor, not only the number of Tang troops was reduced, but also the number of generals who were good at fighting was reduced.

Is it that Shang Xidongzan is too incompetent, or... his opponent is too strong?
Dazalu Gong sighed. The most feared thing in war is accidents. Accidents mean variables.

It also means that the situation that seemed to be a sure win is starting to become unstable.

"Shang Xidongzan, this piece of trash, please don't cause trouble again."

Daza Lugong was a little anxious. This was not the first time he had experienced the horror of a stupid teammate.

……

It was already late at night, but Fang Chongyong still locked himself in the study at home and did not allow anyone to disturb him.

Wang Yunxiu and others came to the study door several times, and heard faint sighs coming from inside, but finally chose to quietly retreat to the bedroom.

In the study, Fang Chongyong was staring at the map of Hexi on the table in a daze.

It was unknown how long it had been before he stretched himself, shook his head helplessly and said, "Usually, we are defending the vast border of Anxi, but today, the border defense is in Fengxiang. If we can't get back the Hexi Corridor, we won't have a peaceful life. Should we stay here or send troops?"

The news that the Tubo army conquered Liangzhou was both unexpected and reasonable for him.

Back then, Brother Ji mobilized a large number of troops from Hexi to enter Guanzhong. Except for those who were consumed, the troops, mainly the Chishui Army, are still in Hedong and have not returned.

Although Gao Xianzhi provided some blood, there were only a few thousand people, and there were many wounded among them.

The Tibetans used to employ troops numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and it was difficult for ordinary people to withstand them.

Whether to send troops to Hexi is a question. If you want to send troops, you must first take care of Guanzhong. If you want to take care of Guanzhong, you must now participate in the fight between Li Baochen and Li Baoyu.

This is contrary to Fang Chongyong's previous strategy of "steady development, gradual expansion, and laying a solid foundation."

Of course, every disadvantage has its advantages. Taking advantage of the fact that the Tibetans have not yet established a foothold in Hexi, quickly recovering the lost territory will be of great benefit to the future!

The difficulty only exists in the present moment.

"Hexi, Hexi..."

Fang Chongyong muttered to himself, undecided for a moment.

At this moment, Fang Laique pushed the door open and walked in without even saying hello.

"Go back to sleep. Don't hide here if you have a fight with your wife!"

Fang Zhongyong scolded impatiently.

It cannot be said that Zheng Shuqing's niece was a bad woman, but it is difficult for any woman to remain calm after giving birth to a child and seeing her husband's dementia.

In addition, Fang Laiqiao was a nitpicker, and Zheng was almost pissed off to death by him.

"Ah Lang, Che Guangqian said so."

Fang Lai Que paused for a moment, then said in a completely different tone, somewhat similar to Che Guangqian's: "Your Majesty, as long as you can take back Liangzhou from the Tibetans and pacify Hexi, you will be the common ruler of the world, and no one will be dissatisfied. The Tibetans are coming this time, it is an opportunity given to you by God, you must not let it go, please think twice."

Uh... Fang Zhongyong suppressed the embarrassment on his face and just nodded silently.

"Ah Lang, Yan Zhuang said so."

Fang Lai Que continued, "Your Majesty, we cannot send troops to Liang Province. It was not easy for us to establish our current foundation. If we send troops to Liang Province, we will have to send troops to Guanzhong, which will be a waste of money and manpower. If we win, it's fine. But if we lose, our foundation will be shaken. Those who did not obey you in the past will jump out, and the Li family will also take the opportunity to cause trouble."

Well, different people have different ideas.

Fang Chongyong understood that his staff were probably waiting in the lobby of the mansion and no one had left.

During such a critical decision-making period, no confidant would leave Fang Zhongyong's side. Who the hell is so bold that he can still sleep well now!

"Got it, stop making noise!"

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand impatiently, then stood up and walked towards his own lobby. As expected, all his trusted aides were there.

It was just that they seemed to have just had a "cordial and friendly" exchange, with everyone arguing and getting red in the face. When they saw Fang Zhongyong coming, they acted as if nothing had happened and lowered their heads to drink tea to hide their embarrassment.

Wang Yunxiu was desperately winking at Fang Chongyong.

"I am going to the Bianliang Palace now. If you want to come with me, then let's go. If you are tired, you can rest here for a night. We can discuss it tomorrow."

Fang Zhongyong looked around at everyone and said.

Going to the palace?
After hearing this, many people lost their composure.

Yan Zhuang asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Sir, why are you going to see the emperor?"

"Because I am not the Son of Heaven."

Fang Zhongyong said something meaningful, then turned and left.

Che Guangqian and the others quickly got up and followed him out of the mansion. They all mounted their horses and headed towards the Bianliang Palace.

(End of this chapter)