Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 777 Bloodshed in Chang'an (Part )
There is a saying that goes "What you fear is bound to come true", which is a popular explanation of Murphy's Law.

Although Fang Chongyong did not regard Dazhalugong as a fool, it was obvious that the military skills of this Tibetan general were not ordinary.

The Tubo army was stubborn the last time and suffered heavy losses in front of Dunhuafang, but they learned their lesson the second time.

On the second day after the Tibetans withdrew from Chang'an (that is, two days and one night after the first night attack), the Bianzhou Army, which had set up observation posts on the major pagodas in Chang'an, almost simultaneously sent out scouts to report to the headquarters in Duting Posthouse:
The Tubo army attacked the various districts west of Chang'an City with heavy troops, seemingly intending to build a bridgehead with the West Market as the center!
"Your Majesty, General Li has requested assistance. The Tibetans have rushed to attack the West Market and massacred the four neighborhoods surrounding it! The remaining militiamen and young men in these neighborhoods have all fled to the West Market to help defend the city!"

In the crude makeshift study room at Duting Posthouse, which housed a model of Chang'an City, a blood-soaked scout from the Bianzhou Army reported the military situation at the front to Fang Chongyong.

Dazha Lugong seemed to have seen through Fang Zhongyong's method of dividing his troops and deploying them. He was no longer in a hurry to fight, but instead adopted a steady and cautious approach, advancing step by step, and taking over the market town in front of him step by step.

Even if it means destroying Chang'an and slaughtering all the remaining more than 100,000 people in Chang'an, we will do it at all costs!

"I understand. You go and rest. I will send someone to inform Li Siye."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand calmly, not seeming panicked. This was not the fastest news, but it was the first news to come from the war zone.

All the staff in the study looked unhappy. No one had expected that the Tibetans could play like this. Now they didn't care at all whether they could rule Chang'an.

"Pass on my military order. Each ward should send a personal soldier to inform the garrison and local militia that the Tibetans have already started to massacre the city. They can't run away. Everyone who can hold a knife must participate in defending their ward, for their own sake.

If they really can't hold on, set off fireworks immediately to send a message. I will send troops to help them break out, but I can't guarantee that they will succeed."

Fang Chongyong's face was as gloomy as water as he gave instructions to Zhang Guangsheng.

"Order!"

Zhang Guangsheng clasped his fists, bowed, turned around and left.

After he left, Fang Chongyong called Nan Jiyun over again.

"How is the situation on the West City front?"

As soon as they met, Fang Chongyong started asking without any politeness.

"Reporting to the emperor, the battle is fierce. The Tibetans have surrounded the West Market. However, the wall of the West Market is much higher than the ordinary wall. The Tibetans have not yet broken through it."

Nan Jiyun thought for a moment and then stopped talking as if he had something to say.

"According to the plan, when a block is surrounded, all the surrounding blocks will send out troops to contain the Tibetans. The streets of Chang'an are spread out in all directions, which is not conducive to the Tibetans' troop deployment. Why are there no movements in the blocks east of the West Market? It would be nice if we could just use bows and arrows to harass the Tibetans?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Nan Jiyun with confusion on his face.

"Sir, I know what you are talking about, but those districts were defended by Li Baochen's troops. It is an extraordinary performance that they did not run away. If you expect them to cooperate, perhaps you are overestimating them."

Nan Jiyun replied with a sigh.

Fang Chongyong nodded and immediately understood what was going on.

When the battle plan was formulated, the Tibetans thought that it was the stupidest way to attack the markets in Chang'an one by one. Therefore, the closer to the western market, the safer it was. On the contrary, the closer to the easternmost Dunhua market, the more dangerous it was.

In view of this, Fang Chongyong arranged for Li Baochen's troops to guard the west of Chang'an. Li Baochen's sons also readily agreed, after all, this method of distribution was fair.

However, the more fair the division was in the beginning, the more regretful Li Baochen's troops were now! Whether it was for self-protection or because they felt they were being betrayed and wanted to lie low, these people would not take the initiative to attack and help defend the surrounding market towns.

"Can you still break into the West Market now?"

Fang Chongyong asked.

Nan Jiyun shook his head and said, "I can't climb over the wall when the Tibetans attack the West Market, but it's no problem for me to shoot an arrow in!"

"Okay, then you shoot an arrow in and tie the letter to the arrow. I will write the letter now!"

As Fang Zhongyong spoke, he sat down at the desk, then spread out a piece of paper and wrote quickly: "Tonight at midnight, burn the West Market and break out from the west gate. The east gate will provide support."

The signature is Fang Qing.

Handing the letter to Nan Jiyun, Fang Zhongyong patted his shoulder and said, "Make sure to shoot into the West City."

"Please rest assured, sir!"

Nan Jiyun took the letter and left with a resolute look on his face.

After he left, Fang Chongyong told Li Quan, "Tonight I will personally lead the troops to relieve the siege of Xishi. It is rare for Wang to attack the Tibetan army camp from the north of Chang'an. You will be in full command of all other military affairs."

"Your Majesty! Why don't we just let General He go?"

Li Quan was shocked. He didn't expect Fang Chongyong to go into battle personally.

"If Fang Qing were here, all the officers and soldiers under Fang Qing would stick to their positions."

Fang Chongyong raised his hand, signaling Li Quan not to persuade him anymore.

After pondering for a moment, Li Quan nodded, approving of Fang Chongyong's approach.

In the stalemate stage of the battlefield, every order and every word and action of the commander-in-chief is likely to affect the overall situation! If Fang Zhongyong personally led his troops to support Li Siye and his men to break out, then all the troops in Bianzhou would take this as an example and would not retreat if they could hold on.

The commander-in-chief is the soul of the army. If the commander-in-chief does not run away, his subordinates will not run away!
Soon, observation posts at the front, mainly located in various pagodas, sent people to report the news one after another: After conquering four districts, the Tibetan army did not continue to advance, but instead concentrated its forces to besiege the West Market, apparently with the intention of "encircling a point and attacking the reinforcements."

Fang Zhongyong didn't take it seriously as it was a reasonable thing. After all, if a man is a tiger, then the tiger is also a man.

Dazhaglu Gong wanted to use the West Market as bait to lure the Bianzhou army to come to the rescue, and Fang Chongyong also wanted to use the Black Tiger Heart-Ripping Move to destroy the Tibetan camp near Xiwei Bridge west of Chang'an City.

Whoever wins will depend on their own ability.

……

The two bell and drum towers in front of the main gate of the West Market (the one on the east side) were almost demolished by the Tibetans, but the Tang army at the main gate remained motionless!

A very puzzled question popped up in the mind of Lu Jiesang Jiagong, who was commanding at the side: Are all the Tang troops so tough?
According to the information provided by Dazhaglu Gong, the main force of the Bianzhou army should be concentrated near Dunhuafang. The fact that Dazhaglu Gong suffered a great loss there before is enough to prove this point.

However, the Tang army guarding the West Market seemed very powerful! Aren't they just some local strong men who were temporarily recruited?

"Heavy infantry! Heavy infantry, go ahead! Go ahead, go ahead!"

Shulu Jiesang Jiagong drew his sword, pointed at his own troops who were hesitating in front of him and were forced back by arrows from the West Market defenders, and shouted.

Obviously the defense has been broken!

At this time, a Tibetan officer came riding in, dismounted and reported to his subordinate Lu Jiesang Jiagong: "Ruben, the military order of Dalun asked you to go to the camp as soon as possible, saying that there is something important to say."

"I'm so busy! I don't have the time!"

Lu Jiesang Jiagong waved his hand impatiently, then seemed to remember something and asked casually, "If there is anything, just tell me."

"Ruben, Dalun... wanted to ask you about the massacre in the city. It seems that he didn't give the order?"

The person in charge of delivering the message happened to be a member of the Lu family, and he told the other party some inside information. "Massacre? How could it be massacre? The dead people in the town we broke through were all civilians killed by the Tang army."

Lu Jiesang Jiagong flatly denied it, saying that he was like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water.

I ordered him to be killed.

Things, I ordered to grab.

Now the witnesses are all my men, and the physical evidence has been divided up by them. How are you going to cause trouble for me?
Shulu Jiesang Jiagong is very open-minded. The massacre in the city is indeed wrong, so if I don’t admit it, then there will be no massacre in the city!

"With such a reply, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to Dalun..."

The messenger said with an embarrassed look that he was caught between two big guys and it was very difficult for him to survive.

"Are you his subordinate, or a member of our family?"

Lu Jiesang Jiagong asked back.

"Yes, I will go and tell Da Lun that Ru Ben is in a hurry to attack Xishi and cannot get away."

The man left in a hurry, not wanting to stay here for a moment.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!"

Dozens of pottery jars filled with flaming oil were thrown out from the wall not far away and set fire to the Tibetan army attacking the city. There was immediate chaos and screams.

This kind of fire cannot be extinguished by water or beating. It can only be completely extinguished by covering it with sand for a while.

Basically, wherever it splashes, it will burn.

"What are you still standing there for? Go to the west and fetch some dirt to put out the fire, you idiots!"

Sub-Lu Jiesang Jiagong pointed at the soldiers around him and cursed.

What a bunch of idiots, they only knew how to avoid the fierce kerosene, but didn't know how to go outside the city to get some loose soil to put out the fire! Subordinate Lu Jiesang Jiagong felt annoyed.

He actually saw the consequences of the massacre. Those who were resisting in the West Market were not only the Tang army, but also the escaped soldiers from several previous districts.

After all, the massacre came first, and the defense came later, and everything was not groundless. These Chang'an locals knew that they would be killed regardless of whether they resisted or not, so now basically everyone who could lift a knife took action.

Then why did Shulu Jiesang Jiagong want to massacre the city?
Because he wants to make a fortune with his people, only the dead will not stop them from stealing things, the reason is so simple and straightforward.

No matter how Dazalugong tries to stop it, he can't stop it!
He is really a big shot when his subordinates call him a big shot.

If he prevents his men from getting rich, he will no longer be a great man and will most likely become a dead man.

Perhaps, Dazha Lugong also knew this and sent someone to inform Shulu Jiesang Jiagong just to find an excuse to punish him in the future.

When the sun set in the west, Zulu Jiesang Jiagong ordered to stop the attack. After sending people to surround the West Market, he went into a house in Huaiyuanfang that originally belonged to a big Hu merchant to rest.

Huaiyuanfang was originally a place for the Hu people who came to Chang'an to live in. Huaiyuan means "to embrace the distant barbarians". However, this place, which was originally inhabited by the Hu people, was now being attacked by the Tibetans, which seemed to be a different kind of irony.

Shulu Jiesang Jiagong had never been to the Tang Dynasty before, let alone participated in the border town wars between the Tang Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty. Now that he came to the wealthy Hu merchants' home in Chang'an, he was immediately dazzled.

The only sense of guilt in his heart for not obeying military orders disappeared without a trace at this moment!
Massacre in the city is good, massacre well done!

If we don't kill these people, how can we get the wealth here?

When Lu Jiesang Jiagong thought of this, his mouth couldn't help but curl up. In Huaiyuanfang alone, more than 100 dan of spices, dozens of boxes of gold and silver coins circulated in the Western Regions, and a large warehouse of silk were found!
In the various house-raiding activities in recent years, the Hu merchants played the role of "selling the stolen goods." Because they had no involvement in politics, the cases of family extermination caused by political struggles did not affect them.

On the contrary, when it comes to selling stolen goods, the Hu people in the Western Regions have a natural advantage.

These people were well-informed and knew that Fang Qing was good at manipulating others and would not break the rules, so they stayed in Chang'an, waiting for the "new dynasty to be established" and then continued to grow bigger and stronger.

Unexpectedly, these Hu merchants encountered the "unruly" Tibetans!
Fang Qing is indeed very careful about his reputation, but the Tibetan high-ranking officials do not believe in the saying "no business, no prosperity".

In the eyes of these Tibetan nobles, there are only two kinds of things in the world: one is mine, and the other is also mine but is temporarily kept by someone else.

When the subordinates of Lu Jiesang Jiagong attacked Huaiyuanfang, the Western Regions Hu people wanted to reason with them. Unexpectedly, the Tibetans did not play by the rules and only liked to reason with knives.

"Yes, the Tang Dynasty is good, the Western Regions are good, gold is good, spices are good, they are all good.

As long as it’s mine, it’s good.”

Sitting on a "rocking chair", Shulu Jiesang Jiagong rocked his body while letting his personal soldiers fan him.

I couldn't tell what he was mumbling, but his face looked intoxicated.

Chang'an is good in every way except that it is too hot in summer.

Lu Jiesang Jiagong, who had been commanding his troops to attack West City under the scorching sun during the day, was now exhausted.

Let that bastard Dazalugong worry about things like war!
Shulu Jiesang Jiagong was disdainful in his heart. He thought that Dazha Lugong really looked down on him.

The West City seemed dangerous, but it was actually very safe. He could see that it was such an obvious siege and attack, so could Fang Qing not see it?
Who would be so stupid as to come to Xishi for rescue?
Shulu Jiesang Jiagong had a good plan in his mind. As long as he captured the West Market and seized all the wealth inside, he would ask Dazhalugong for instructions, saying that his troops had suffered too many casualties and he had to return to Lanzhou to change defense!

As long as we return to Lanzhou, everything will be easy!
boom!
Suddenly there was a muffled sound outside the yard!
Lu Jiesang Jiagong was startled and stood up vigilantly looking around.

boom!boom!
boom!boom!
boom!boom!
The muffled sound came from far away, gradually approaching and getting louder and louder! The guards in the yard suddenly became a mess!
"What happened?"

"Lu Jiesang Jiagong looked at the guard beside him and asked. The latter looked at him blankly without saying anything, with a kind of clear stupidity.

"Just tell me what happened!"

Julu Jiesang Jiagong grabbed the collar of his personal soldier, and then he heard the dull, terrifying sound of logs hitting the door.

"Ruben! The Tang army has entered Huaiyuanfang!"

A personal soldier rushed into the yard and shouted to his subordinate Lu Jiesang Jiagong.

"This is impossible!"

Lu Jiesang Jiagong was anxious, and his voice was trembling.

Ruben, who came from the "countryside" of Tubo, seemed to have overlooked a very important thing: the houses in Chang'an could have "double doors"!

He only sent soldiers to guard the streets, but what he didn't know was that the neighboring blocks in Chang'an were all door to door. At night, the army could cross the street door to door to reach another block without lighting torches, which was very concealed and there was no need to expose themselves on the street that was more than 100 meters wide.

boom!
The gate of the courtyard was pushed open. Before Lu Jiesang Jiagong could see what the person looked like, he saw a flash of fire coming out of the thick bamboo tube in the other person's hand.

And then...he lost his life.

Before he died, the last question he had in his life remained in his mind: What on earth was that thing?

(End of this chapter)