Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 773 Guess
In early August, the Tibetan leader Ruben Nanang Chitojie led his troops to attack Bingzhou again. Che Guangqian still built deep trenches and fortifications in the valleys on both sides of the Jing River to resist them. However, this time the Tibetans were more flexible in their tactics. They gave up their heavy armor and adopted the tactic of shooting with light bows to waste time with the Bianzhou army.

Once Che Guangqian sent troops to counterattack, they would retreat temporarily. When the Bianzhou army returned to the front line, these flexible Tibetan light infantry would follow and pursue, and both sides would suffer casualties.

But in general, the Tibetans, who were worse at archery and bows, suffered more casualties. However, Nanang Chitojie did not seem to care much about this and continued to strictly implement the strategy of "flexible attack".

This style of play is a bit disgusting.

Don't worry about them. The Tibetans are about to attack the city of Bingzhou.

You have to be on guard against them, the Tibetans will come and shoot at you from time to time.

If you fight back, they will run away, and when you can no longer run and return to the camp, they will follow you all the way.

If you are not careful, you will suffer a loss.

The military situation had changed, so Che Guangqian wrote a letter and sent it to Fang Chongyong, who was in command at Duting Posthouse in Chang'an, saying that the Tubo army had changed their tactics and that there might be a major military action about to take place!
Fang Chongyong immediately sent someone to tell Che Guangqian: Keep your troops in place and guard the Bingzhou line.

Although he appeared to be as steady as an old dog, he also had a bad feeling in his heart.

In the current situation, it was completely unnecessary for the Tibetans to waste time on the Jingchuan line. He had already sent the elite troops of the scattered camp to the west of Lianyun Fort, adopting a hit-and-run strategy to attack the Tibetans' food supply route.

The longer they delayed, the more difficult it would be for the Tibetans to maintain their logistics. Just a few days ago, the clan members and the in-laws of Li Chenghong's branch had been beheaded by order of Emperor Li Qi to serve as a warning to others.

This is a political signal sent by Fang Zhongyong to the outside world, indicating that this matter will not affect others. It is also a warning to those Tianlong people in Guanzhong that if you want to die, please do as you like, as long as you feel stubborn, you can do it.

Then I will send you to the guillotine!
After such a commotion, it was extremely difficult for Dazha Lugong to find political allies in Chang'an. In other words, it was wishful thinking to hinder Fang Zhongyong by creating chaos in Chang'an.

So, what is Dazalugong’s killer move?

Fang Zhongyong stood up and paced in the makeshift, crude study room.

At this moment, Zhang Guangsheng hurriedly walked into the study, and the other party Chongyong reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty, a part of the Tubo army has broken through the cordon set up by Li Baochen's troops on Niaoshu Mountain and is heading towards Fengxiang Prefecture! Li Baochen's son Li Weiyue fled without a fight and has been caught by Wang Nandai. Please make a decision, Your Majesty!"

really!

Fang Chongyong asked Zhang Guangsheng to bring in the messenger, but he didn't expect that the person responsible for delivering the letter this time was Nan Jiyun!
"How's the battle going?"

Fang Zhongyong asked straight to the point without hesitation.

"Reporting to the emperor, the Tubo army has not launched a surprise attack yet, but Li Baochen's troops are demoralized and General Wang is unable to command them, so he has to order Li Weicheng to withdraw them to Wugong County. General Wang has already abandoned Yong County and stationed troops in Chencang, setting up fences and building camps here to wait for the Tubo army to attack!"

Nan Jiyun explained it in great detail.

"Got it. Go and inform Wang Nandai to withdraw his troops to Wugong County, and have Li Weicheng withdraw the rubbish under his command to Chang'an.

We will not defend it anymore. Let’s fight the Tibetan army outside Chang’an.”

Fang Zhongyong waved his hands, looking calm and composed.

Nan Jiyun was originally extremely anxious, but when he saw Fang Zhongyong being so calm, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

If the government officials weren't afraid, then he really had nothing to fear! If the sky fell, how could he be the one to hold it up?

Nan Jiyun came in a hurry and left in a hurry. After he left, Fang Chongyong quickly called Li Quan and told him that the Tibetans had changed the direction of their attack.

"We were careless. We didn't expect that Li Baochen's previous victory was too accidental. The defense of Fengxiang Prefecture was actually riddled with holes. It was Li Baochen who used attack instead of defense, giving the Tibetans the illusion that Fengxiang Prefecture was impregnable.

Now the Tibetans are turning their guns around and attacking from here, so they will still leak when they should. The ambush at Niaoshu Mountain before was a one-time event, so we have to make up for it when we should. "

Li Quan sighed helplessly, and finally understood the current battle situation they were facing.

In the current situation, the Tubo army and the Bianzhou army are fighting on two fronts, and neither side can relax.

The main force against the main force, the minor force against the minor force.

Dazhalugong personally led his troops to Fengxiang Prefecture to compete with Fang Chongyong, while Nanang Chitojie held back Che Guangqian's troops to prevent him from supporting Chang'an.

"I have asked Wang Nan to lead his troops back to Wugong County and lure the Tibetans to Chang'an City to fight. What do you think?"

Fang Chongyong asked.

Either don't fight, or come to Chang'an to fight. It must be said that Li Quan admired Fang Zhongyong's courage. Not everyone can make such a decision.

Similar situations have gone beyond the scope of strategy and tactics and involve a higher level.

For example, before the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu was in a very unfavorable situation. Even if Sima Qian was exaggerating, it is absolutely certain that Xiang Yu was not lying when he used the weak to defeat the strong.

If the normal strategic and tactical deployment is followed, it is obvious that the Qin army should be pulled to the south and north of the Huai River to fight. Crossing the river and rushing to Hebei to fight is extremely dangerous from common sense.

However, Xiang Yu won because of his courage to burn his boats and cross the river.

The so-called commander, in order to defeat the opponent, often needs not only a cool head but also extraordinary courage.

The safest way, of course, is to block them layer by layer, just like Che Guangqian did before against the Tibetans. But the situation west of Chang'an is slightly different.

The Bianzhou Army had just exchanged positions with Li Baochen's troops not long ago, and there was no difference between them and fighting in a different place. The so-called deployment was just a show.

It would be too reckless to continue advancing westward at this time, deploy a defense line in front, and confront the aggressive Tibetans head-on.

Once defeated, it would be difficult for the defeated soldiers to withdraw.

It would be better to deliberately expose a flaw and allow the Tibetans to continue to advance deeper and further westward until they reach the city of Chang'an, and then their logistics will collapse in the stalemate!
In Dazhalugong's view, Chang'an must be defended, which is a huge burden on Fang Chongyong and has great political significance.

But in Fang Chongyong's view, Chang'an was a battlefield and a grave dug for the Tibetans. So what if it was destroyed?

This city is a good place to restrict the Tibetans from using troops!

"Sir, I think it would be best to let Wang Nan withdraw and join forces with the central army.

However, if the government loses this battle, the popularity and prestige accumulated by the government in previous years will probably be gone.

Have things really come to this point?"

Li Quan sighed and asked. At this moment, he already knew that as a "strategist", he was not as good as Fang Qing, the "lord".

Lost because of the lack of decisiveness.

In Fang Chongyong's opinion, letting the people of Guanzhong see how the Bianzhou army defeated the Tibetans outside Chang'an City was a good opportunity to perform a big show! It was not easy to find such an opportunity, and the right time, place and people were all essential!

If they win, the three armies will be full of vigor and a new court will be like the rising sun, enough to dispel all doubts. People like Li Chenghong will be as ridiculous as clowns.

But if they lose, it will be a huge loss of face. If the Bianzhou army wants to enter Guanzhong again in the future, it may not be as smooth as this time, and who knows what will happen.

Of course, Fang Chongyong had no choice now. Instead of sending troops hastily to fight a decisive battle with the Tubo army near Yong County, it would be better to withdraw the troops and wait for them to tire themselves out in Chang'an.

"Go to Fengxiang Prefecture, to the Tibetan army camp, and tell Dazhaglu Gong that I have set up ambushes from all sides at Xiangji Temple, not far west of Chang'an. If he is a man, he will lead his troops here to fight me. If he dares not come, he will follow Tibetan rules and hang a mouse on the commander's flag. Don't worry, Dazhaglu Gong will not kill the envoy for this invitation to fight."

Fang Chongyong instructed Zhang Guangsheng.

He was still a little worried about sending someone else. Zhang Guangsheng knew Dazalugong. The Tibetan minister would still have some regard for personal relationships and would not kill the envoy at this time.

To execute him would be a guilty conscience and would affect the morale of the army. With Dazha Lugong's strict and stern character, he would definitely not do such a thing.

"Sir, do we really want to lure the Tibetans to Chang'an for a decisive battle?"

Zhang Guangsheng was a little surprised, or rather, unbelievable.

"Are you afraid?"

Fang Zhongyong asked with a smile.

Of course he was afraid, but how could Zhang Guangsheng be cowardly at this time!
He patted his chest and said, "Why should I be afraid of him? The Tibetans are not superhuman. If one blow doesn't kill them, I'll just hit them again. There is no way they can't be killed! But... the government said that they would invite Dazalugong to fight at Xiangji Temple. That guy has bad intentions. Will he be fooled?"

Zhang Guangsheng asked a serious question similar to "How to feed rat poison into the mouse's mouth."

You have publicly said that the decisive battle took place at Xiangji Temple, so the ambush must have been well prepared. The Tibetans came in for a decisive battle, and they lost by three points without even fighting. Zhang Guangsheng knew that Dazha Lugong was very cunning.

How is it possible that the other party would agree with whatever Fang Zhongyong said?

"This is a decoy. When Dazha Lugong learns of this, he will be cautious and will not dare to send troops to attack Chang'an.

It will take time for us to gather and reorganize our troops."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand gently and smiled.

Guess, am I prepared? Guess? Do you dare to take a gamble? Do you dare to take a risk?
Fang Chongyong felt that with Dazhalugong's character, he would definitely not guess, so why would he lead his troops to Xiangji Temple for no reason!
This move was just to make Dazha Lugong think that the Bianzhou army was in control of the battle situation and was fully prepared. Then, it would be very unlikely that he would rush to Chang'an without caring about the consequences.

It's just psychological warfare!
What Fang Zhongyong feared the most now was that Dazha Lugong would go crazy and abandon all his baggage and rush directly to Chang'an. This kind of tactic of beating the master with random punches was often hard to defend against.

"I have received your order. I will set off now."

Zhang Guangsheng turned and left the study.

"Sir, I will go check the baggage and fodder. Since the Tibetans are coming, it is only natural for us to build a few camps around Chang'an."

Li Quan saluted Fang Zhongyong with his hands crossed.

Now that the decision has been made, there is no need to continue discussing it, just do it! This battle must be fought, otherwise, the people in Guanzhong will not accept it.

A strong person must have the attitude of a strong person. A loser is definitely not a strong person. The Tibetans are a touchstone for the strength of the Bianzhou army.

Che Guangqian fought well in Bingzhou, but the locals in Chang'an didn't see it and didn't have a deep understanding of it. They even thought that the Tibetans were gaining power when they saw the refugees from Bingzhou.

Therefore, it is very necessary to let the people of Guanzhong Tianlong open their eyes under the city of Chang'an and see what the posture of a strong army looks like.

The social atmosphere in the Tang Dynasty was extremely strong. Fang Zhongyong was very sure that as long as he could defeat the Tibetans in this battle, the foundation of the new dynasty would be laid.

Only by winning can you have the right to speak.

……

Just as Fang Zhongyong expected, Dazha Lugong did not care about his head and butt and rushed all the way to Fengxiang Prefecture. He could not afford to lose. Once he lost, if the Tang army counterattacked, Longyou and Hexi states would be unstable.

When Dazhalugong led his troops through the mountain pass of Niaoshu Mountain and arrived at Xiangwu, Li Weiyue, who was guarding the place, chose to flee without fighting.

Dazalu Gong immediately realized that it would be impossible to keep the secret over such a long distance, even with a forced march.

After that, all the way eastward, Li Baochen's troops were unwilling to fight with the Tubo army and chose to conserve their strength. By mid-August, the Tubo army had occupied Chencang.

We couldn't say that we were invincible along the way, but at least we didn't see any trace of them.

When General Baochen first arrived in Fengxiang Prefecture, many local people fled. Later, when the situation became turbulent, they fled again. Now that the Tibetans have arrived, almost everyone who can leave has left.

Of course, it is not ruled out that they were guided by others and migrated in groups.

In short, Dazalugong seemed to have occupied a lot of territory but did not gain much tangible benefits.

The Tubo army continued to advance westward and occupied Guo County. They found some food and fodder in the homes of local wealthy families that had not been transported away in time, which finally relieved some of the logistical pressure.

All these things made Dazalu Gong feel alert. It would be fine if the Tang army was defeated by them, but now there are empty cities along the way and no army can be seen at all.

It's somewhat like luring the enemy deep into our territory and clearing the countryside.

Dazalugong was a little unsure whether to advance slowly or rush to Chang'an. Moreover, he had lost contact with Nanang Chitojie, and the two armies were too far apart to support each other.

That night, when Dazhalu Gong was checking the map of Guanzhong he had found in Guo County, his personal soldiers reported to the Tang army that an envoy had come to negotiate, and it was undoubtedly Zhang Guangsheng.

Seeing an old acquaintance, Dazha Lugong was also filled with emotion. The little follower beside Fang Qing back then has now become a big follower. Although his status seems to have remained the same, in fact, he can no longer be underestimated.

"This is not the first time we've met. Fang Qing, if you have anything to say, just say it."

In the study of the county government, Dazha Lugong nodded to Zhang Guangsheng and said that there was no need for translation at all and he could just speak Chinese directly.

"The emperor has set up an ambush at Xiangji Temple, not far west of Chang'an, and invited the Tibetan army to fight. If they lose, we will withdraw from Guanzhong directly."

Zhang Guangsheng said calmly.

A hint of surprise flashed across Daza Lugong's face, and then he nodded slightly and said, "I understand, you can go back."

He didn't even express his opinion!
In fact, Dazhaligong was an extremely cautious person. Otherwise, he would not have been the final winner in the fierce political struggle in Tubo.

Anyone who is not careful would have been buried alive long ago. How can he talk to Zhang Guangsheng here as a great Tibetan scholar?
"Goodbye. By the way, the emperor said you would not dare to come. Why don't you follow your Tibetan custom and hang a mouse on the commander's flag?"

Zhang Guangsheng bowed respectfully to Dazhali, then turned and left.

"How to use troops? This great theory has its own rules and regulations. There is no need for you to provoke me."

Dazha Lugong said calmly without changing his expression, but he did not let Zhang Guangsheng pass the message to Fang Zhongyong. Facing such a thoughtful opponent, the more he said, the more mistakes he made, so Dazha Lugong chose to say nothing.

After Zhang Guangsheng left, Dazha Lugong looked around the empty study room. He suddenly realized that he couldn't find anyone to discuss military affairs with!
The extremely vicious political struggles in Tubo made it impossible for him to find like-minded people.

"What on earth are you planning?"

Dazha Lugong paced in the study, muttering to himself, feeling extremely anxious.

(End of this chapter)