Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 778 Pulling out teeth from the tiger’s mouth
The summer night wind was mixed with heat. Wearing heavy armor and holding shields, a bunch of rough men leaned together to form a shield wall.

Only those who have played it know the sour and refreshing feeling.

At the Tibetan army camp near Xiwei Bridge, Dazalugong was commanding the heavy infantry to line up. The entire camp was brightly lit, ready for battle, with the shield wall facing east.

There was anxiety mixed in with his breathing.

"Da Lun, the Tang army has two camps south of Dunhuafang. Our scouts have found out that they have gathered together and left the camp two hours ago and entered Chang'an City. Then, they disappeared."

A direct descendant, Dong Ben, reported to Dazhalu Gong with a cautious expression, fearing that he might anger the great minister.

His implication was also very clear: this army might not be heading towards the Xiwei Bridge camp, but might be heading towards the West Market of Chang'an.

"You don't know Fang Qing, you don't know how cunning this man is. How could Fang Qing not see that the West City side was showing signs of surrounding the enemy and attacking the reinforcements? Would he fall into the trap?
The Xiweiqiao Camp is the rear support for the army in Chang'an City. If the camp is breached, our army in the city will surely be defeated without attacking.

"Just hold on to the main camp, and Lu Jiesang Jiagong will be fine."

Daza Lugong said while staring straight ahead, his face as calm as water and not panicking at all.

As for whether Shulu Jiesang Jiagong would be beaten by the Tang army, Dazha Lugong was very open-minded. If the beating was painful, it would be Shulu Jiesang Jiagong who felt the pain.

If things really reached the point of collapse, Dazha Lugong would lead his troops to save the situation. So it is very likely that Lu Jiesang Jiagong suffered a little, but it is a bit exaggerated that his troops were completely wiped out by the Tang army.

At this moment, a horseman came from the east, stopped ten steps away, and shouted to Dazhalugong: "Dalun, the Tang army has a large group of cavalry coming from the forbidden garden north of Chang'an!"

"Return to the base!"

Dazha Lugong shouted, and the shield wall at the camp gate made way for the scout to enter the camp. He dismounted, came to Dazha Lugong and reported: "Dalun, the elite cavalry of the Tang army is not far away, get ready to meet them!"

"Well, go and change horses."

Dazha Lu Gong waved his hands. Although his expression remained unchanged, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Damn, the bet was right! To fight a little fox like Fang Qing, a hundred tricks are barely enough!
Daza Lugong thought to himself.

The Tang army's reserve troops were in the south of the city, but Fang Qing wanted to order his troops to take a detour in the middle of the night and launch an attack from the north of the city.

How treacherous.

However, Dazha Lugong was prepared and had anticipated that Fang Qing would do this.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves was approaching in the distance, and in the darkness, it seemed that a large group of cavalry was approaching quickly.

"Beat the drums! Hold the line! Don't shoot!"

Dazalu Gong gave three orders in succession. At this moment, arrows shot from horse bows in the darkness were heading towards the camp.

These arrows were not very accurate, and the horse bows were weak, so they did not cause any damage to the Tibetan army. Most of the arrows were caught by the tower shields, and some were even shot directly to the ground.

The sound is quite intimidating, but the effect is really average.

"Da Lun, the enemy cavalry is heading towards the southern camp gate!"

the scout yelled.

"You are not allowed to go out to fight. Use wooden fences and chevaux de frise to block the enemy's cavalry's path. The infantry will line up behind the chevaux de frise. Anyone who goes out will be killed!"

Dazha Lugong gave orders to the messenger.

The commander of the Tang army cavalry was testing the defense strength of the camp. The Tibetan army had a shield wall at the east camp gate, so they couldn't force their way in. So they changed direction.

There were even fewer Tibetan soldiers on the south and north sides, but those two gates were not used for sending troops at all. They were equipped with wooden fences, barricades, and corner towers. Only a small force was needed to guard them.

In fact, both the Tang army and the Tubo had their own rules for setting up camp. As long as the commander was not a drunkard and was not negligent in taking precautions, it would be difficult for the enemy cavalry to attack them.

Sure enough, half an hour later, a messenger came to report that the Tang army cavalry had left and was out of sight, but it was not known whether they were still nearby.

Dazha Lugong’s reply was very certain: guard the camp gate and don’t fight recklessly!
Anyway, he insisted on one thing: as long as I don't act recklessly, you won't have a chance! When the time comes, you will have to go and rescue Xishi obediently.

Faced with the provocation of the Tang cavalry, the Tubo army, which has an absolute advantage in manpower and a large camp to rely on, would it be difficult to fight back?
It's not difficult at all.

But Dazalugong was very cautious. He would rather not win than to minimize the risk of fighting! If I don't lose, I will get a bite in the future!
An hour later, another messenger came to report that the cavalry had turned back, wandered around the north gate, saw that there was no profit to be gained, and finally slipped away.

"Pass the order down. Each unit should leave one battalion (300 men) to guard the gate, and the others should return to their tents to rest."

Dazha Lugong waved his hand tiredly and gave orders to the messenger beside him.

The scorching heat during the day and the fear of Tang cavalry raids at night made life so frustrating! Dazalu Gong laughed and shook his head. He had defended against Fang Qing's "Black Tiger Heart-Digging" move.

Next time, it will be his turn to take action!
Although Shulu Jiesang Jiagong is a worthless person, he did the "bad thing" and played the good guy. It's time for me, the Tibetan scholar, to play the good guy.

Tomorrow, I will ask my subordinate Lu Jiesang Jiagong to pile up the heads of the Chang'an citizens who have been shot in front of the West Market Gate, and then send people to various markets to persuade them to surrender.

Tell these people that as long as they open the gate and do not resist, the Tubo army will not attack them.

Otherwise, the same fate will happen to them as it did to the four barrios around West Market that have been shot down!

Dazhalugong had a good plan. After he captured Chang'an, he would hand over the "executioner" Shulu Jiesangjiagong to the puppet emperor Li Chenghong for disposal, in order to show the Tibetans' "generosity and friendship."

This way you can kill two birds with one stone.

Dazalu Gong returned to the tent of the main camp and lay on the mat thinking about the changes in the battle situation. However, due to fatigue and oxygen intoxication, he soon fell into a coma.

……

boom!boom!
In front of Huaiyuanfang not far from the West Market, a flash of fire appeared in the darkness, and the Tibetan soldiers on duty fell to the ground. The others gathered around in panic and were shot to the ground by the same thing.

A small group of lightly armed infantrymen without even a piece of armor on their bodies rushed over from the shadows, holding thick bamboo tubes in their hands and carrying similar things on their backs.

After they finished firing a round, they would throw the bamboo tube directly onto the ground. Apart from this thing, they only had the sword on their waist for self-defense.

"The emperor said that the one who killed the most enemies this time was the leader of the Sanyuan Battalion! When I become the leader, I will let you sons of bitches pat my back every day!"

A rugged-looking but very young strong man fired the last musket in his hand, then threw the bamboo tube to the side of the road, drew out his sword and chopped at the oncoming Tibetan soldiers!

He drew his sword and killed a man, snatched the spear from the man, and then weighed it in his hand, laughing: "This thing is powerful enough, all the muskets are for women! You Tibetan grandson over there, look at me and see how I kill the general and seize the flag!" This fierce man from the Sanyuan Camp led a group of "commandos" and rushed from Changshoufang to Huaiyuanfang. When he rushed to the Hu merchant's mansion where Lu Jiesang Jiagong was, he saw the camp leader Wang Qiyao waving at him.

All around were Tibetan soldiers with horrific deaths.

"Captain, why are you running so fast?"

The strong young man looked at Wang Qiyao with disbelief.

"Su Guangrong, fighting requires brains, not your strength. Why don't you learn how Xiang Yu lifted the tripod? Maybe you can lift two!"

Wang Qiyao responded casually, not wanting to deal with the troublemaker in the disbanded camp at all. The more you argue with him, the more excited he gets!

Can you fight? Can you beat the musket in your hand?

Ten steps away, the gun is fast! Within ten steps, the gun is fast and accurate!

Ten steps, as long as it’s within ten steps, no matter whether you’re wearing armor or not, I can take you away with just one shot.

Even if it cannot penetrate the armor, the bursting iron sand, with huge energy, hits the armor. It may not seem like a serious problem from the outside, but it is hard to say what kind of damage the internal organs will suffer.

Practicing martial arts, practicing archery, what the hell!

Although Wang Qiyao led his troops in this battle as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, his heart was cold and he was not happy at all.

After ten years of hard training, I still can't beat a weak person who uses a musket to hit me. How can I play from now on?

Su Guangrong was a rough man and could not think of this. However, Wang Qiyao had read a lot since he was young and obviously thought further.

At this moment, a soldier in charge of delivering messages beside Fang Zhongyong strode over and reported to Wang Qiyao: "Captain Wang, your mission has been completed. Shulu Jiesang Jiagong has been beheaded. I cut off his head and brought it back to Dutingyi. You can report the military merits yourself. The encirclement and annihilation battle in Xishi has nothing to do with you. Do not disobey military orders! Please evacuate this place as soon as possible!"

The personal soldier spoke in a serious manner, and Wang Qiyao did not dare to act rashly, and nodded quickly. Su Guangrong, who was standing by, was a little unconvinced, and wanted to say something, but was grabbed by Wang Qiyao's arm.

After the personal soldier left, Wang Qiyao reprimanded Su Guangrong, "You fought in front of the Fang family, is that a place for you to show off? You want to die, but I want to live, so get out of here!"

Wang Qiyao knew very well that their team consisted of no more than a hundred people, and they had to rely on the powerful weapon of the musket and take advantage of the double doors between the various blocks in Chang'an to break into Huaiyuan Block without anyone noticing.

Destroy the command system of this Tibetan army.

All that’s left is for Fang Guanjia to show off his skills.

If anyone wanted to be in the limelight at this time, even if he could gain some benefits temporarily, he would not know how he would die in the future! Even if Fang Qing did not speak, there were people who would flatter him and kill him.

It doesn't seem worth it to offend the future founding emperor just to show off.

Just as Wang Qiyao was muttering to himself, a raging fire had already started in the West Market. The Tubo troops that had besieged the four streets surrounding the West Market had been surrounded by troops from the Bianzhou Army.

Originally, they were the army besieging the West Market. But now the hunters have become the prey. The six gates of the West Market, east, west, south and north, were all open. However, a raging fire had already started inside, and the fire was so fierce that it could not be stopped at all!
The Tang army that came to support drove these Tibetans into the West Market and put them in the "oven". In the corner tower of Yanshoufang not far away, Fang Zhongyong looked coldly at the Tibetan soldiers who were driven into the West Market, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the people in the West Market, as well as Li Siye's troops, have been evacuated to the nearby Yankangfang for rest. At dawn tomorrow, they will head to Dunhuafang.

Now the West Market and the surrounding streets have been surrounded by us, and the three gates of the west wall of Chang'an, Jinguang Gate, Kaiyuan Gate and Yanping Gate, have also been blocked by our people.

All that remains is to drive the Tibetans into the West Market to warm themselves by the fire."

Zhang Guangsheng reported to Fang Zhongyong. Chang'an was special to him. After all, he had served as the Lieutenant General of the Jinwu Guards here for many years. The strategy of mobilizing troops tonight was proposed by Zhang Guangsheng himself.

By utilizing the "double doors" architectural layout between the various blocks, the army was able to quickly move through the blocks and finally encircle the West Market and surrounding areas.

This method will make the wide streets in Chang'an City extremely clean, thereby causing the patrolling Tibetans to relax their vigilance.

The Tibetans were not stupid, they just suffered from their short-sightedness.

Back then, the Jinwu Guards were catching thieves everywhere, so they knew how to take shortcuts and save energy. Those were all professional qualities, but the Tibetans who had just arrived knew nothing about them!
Fang Zhongyong was receptive to criticism and only focused on the general direction. Many of his brilliant ideas were proposed by his subordinates and adopted.

"After daybreak, they sent people to chop off the heads of all the Tibetans and pile them in front of the Kaiyuan Gate to form a Jingguan.

Then put a sign next to it, which read: Anyone who offends the mighty Han will be punished no matter how far away they are. "

Fang Chongyong instructed Zhang Guangsheng, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man covered in flames trying to rush out of the blazing West Market. However, he was stopped by the wooden fence set up by the Bianzhou Army and could not get through.

He rolled on the ground like this and was burned to death.

A hint of hesitation flashed across his face, and finally turned into a long sigh.

"Official, is there anything wrong?"

Zhang Guangsheng asked doubtfully.

Tonight's encirclement battle, with the support of detailed intelligence, was fought like flowing water.

Those who were going to carry out the beheading mission rushed straight to Huaiyuanfang.

Those who were going to encircle the Tubo army advanced from the north and south and then surrounded them.

Wang Nande's cavalry was used as a decoy, deliberately wandering in front of the Tubo army camp, just to confuse the always cautious Dazalugong. Guard the three gates and prevent the remaining soldiers in the city from reporting the news.

Zhang Guangsheng really didn't know what was wrong in this battle.

Perhaps the only regret was that Fang Zhongyong didn't pick up a knife to kill people. But that kind of situation was no longer suitable for him. In the city, in the team, he didn't know the directions at all.

No matter where he was in Chang'an, Fang Chongyong would find a high place to observe the terrain. There was nothing he could do if he couldn't fight on the front line.

"Yesterday the Tibetans killed our people, today we are sending them into the oven, when will this cycle of revenge end?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Zhang Guangsheng and asked.

"Sir, if all the Tibetans are dead, there is no need to report it, right?"

Zhang Guangsheng asked back with a strange look on his face, as if he didn't think it was a big problem.

(End of this chapter)