Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 779 Take Me Home
The next morning, Dazalugong was awakened by a commotion and uproar, but he did not blame the panicked guards, because something serious had indeed happened.

Under the protection of a group of scouts, Dazha Lugong rode his horse to the Kaiyuan Gate in the south of Chang'an City, and then saw a small hill made of human heads.

Most of these heads were burnt and looked hideous. Many of the scouts around Dazalu Gong couldn't help but retching.

Next to the human head hill, there is a sign with Chinese characters reading: Anyone who offends the mighty Han will be punished no matter how far away they are!
There were only eight words, but they sent a chill through one's heart.

Dazalu Gong suddenly thought of the high-spirited young man back then. At that time, he just looked more alert. If anyone said that this person could achieve what he has today, Dazalu Gong would be the first one to not believe it.

However, the facts are now before our eyes.

Suddenly, he saw a man in Tibetan military uniform walking towards him slowly. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was an aide to him who was responsible for delivering messages to Shulu Jiesang Jiagong and was also a member of the Shulu family.

"Were you released by Fang Qing?"

As soon as they met, Dazha Lu Gong asked directly without any politeness.

"Da, Da Lun, yes, that's it."

This Tibetan noble was so frightened that he couldn't speak clearly. It was obvious that he had been greatly traumatized last night!

"what happened?"

Dazalu Gong pointed at the Jingguan not far away and asked, his expression already somewhat unfriendly!

"Da Lun, last night the Tang army stopped their operations and quietly advanced from the south and north of the West Market, instantly surrounding the West Market. At the same time, the Tang army in the West Market set the entire West Market on fire, and then opened the gate to break out.

Lu Jiesang Jiagong's troops had to retreat to Xishi for defense, and then... that was it.

The Tang army wanted to kill me, but I knelt on the ground and shouted that I was a staff member of Dalun and did not participate in the massacre. Only then did they let me go and let me pass on the message. "

The man spoke intermittently, then knelt on the ground and kowtowed for mercy.

According to Tibetan military law, he had committed a capital crime, but he had not lived enough and did not want to die at all.

"Get up."

Dazalu Gong sighed and didn't want to kill anymore. There was no point in doing so.

"By the way, Dalun, I met Fang Qing, and he asked me to return this knife to you. He also said that if we meet on the battlefield, he will show no mercy!"

The Tibetan noble who survived the disaster took off the sword from his waist and handed it to Dazalugong. It was the "Swift Wind Phantom Sword" that the latter had given to Fang Chongyong that year.

Daza Lu Gong took the knife, pulled it out, and found that the blade was full of notches, obviously it had been used a lot.

"It seems Fang Qing has killed a lot of people over the years."

Dazha Lugong sighed deeply, and it was unknown what he was sighing about. Perhaps he was sad that since he had Yu, he did not have Liang, or perhaps he was nostalgic for his lost youth.

He casually handed the sword to his personal soldier, seeming to be a little disgusted.

Dazha Lu Gong looked at his staff and asked casually, "Didn't Shulu Jiesang Jiagong arrange night patrols last night? Are the troops besieging Xishi blind? Didn't they notice so many Tang troops surrounding them?"

He was very puzzled. Could Lu Jiesang Jiagong be such a waste?
Of course, Dazalugong knew in his heart that he had been fooled last night. The cavalry that attacked the Xiwei Bridge camp was just a guest appearance for a "show match".

I just think of it as a warm-up!

At this moment, Dazha Lugong's tanned face felt hot, as if he had been slapped. He lost more than one point in this battle with Fang Qing!
"Da Lun, Fang Qing was afraid that I couldn't explain it clearly, so he wrote you a letter specially."

This guy is like squeezing toothpaste, he explains whatever Dazalu Gong says.

"Humph! Is there anything else you are hiding?"

Dazalu Gong stared at the "dishonest" guy in front of him and scolded him in a low voice. The Tibetan nobleman laughed and said, "Really, there is nothing more, Dalun, that's all, I don't know anything else."

Not in the mood to deal with such slick stuff for the moment, Dazalu Gong opened the letter in front of a group of scouts and read it word by word. Only then did he understand what happened last night.

According to the Tibetans, the military deployment in Chang'an should be carried out on the streets that are more than 100 meters wide. With such a wide street and such a large movement of the army, anyone with eyes can certainly see what is going on.

Therefore, Dazalugong never sent people to capture the commanding heights in the city, because there was no need. From the south gate, you can directly see the tower of the imperial city!

However, Fang Qing told him another "secret" in the letter.

The army can march in the block. Whether it is hiding, dividing troops, or gathering troops, it can all be done in the block. All adjacent blocks are geographically structured so that the gates face each other, with only a street in between!

In other words, as long as the two adjacent blocks cooperate with each other, they can take advantage of the Tibetans patrolling the street not paying attention, quickly open the door to let the army from the neighboring block enter their block, and then close the door.

Especially when marching at night without torches, similar actions can be said to be flawless!

It was by using this method, which was, to be honest, worthless, that the Tang army was able to move between the various districts and eventually encircle a part of the Tubo army!

Right under Dazha Lugong’s nose, the tooth was pulled out from the tiger’s mouth!

The entire Shulu Jiesang Jiagong tribe was annihilated, leaving no one alive. The unlucky guy in front of him was also spared because he shouted that he was a staff member of Dalun before being slaughtered.

As for why Fang Qing did this, Dazha Lugong also figured it out.

Those who massacred the city must be massacred, and on the contrary, those who did not participate in the massacre would not be killed indiscriminately by the Tang army. This was a warning to the Tubo army not to kill people in Chang'an, otherwise the Jingguan in front of Kaiyuan Gate would be the consequence!

"It is better to cut off one finger than to injure ten fingers. Fang Qing has learned the art of war well."

Dazalu Gong tore the letter in his hand into pieces and sighed with emotion.

Fang Qing used his military skills like a god last night. Without wasting any manpower, he completely wiped out the troops of Shulu Jiesang Jiagong who had rushed into the city and were isolated and helpless in some areas!
As for the main force of the Tibetan army outside the city, Fang Qing didn't even think about it and just fired a feint.

When it is time to attack, attack. When it is not time to attack, never waste your forces! Daza Lugong suddenly had a strange thought in his mind: should this fruitless battle continue?

He observed the faces of the scouts around him and found that they all had a hint of fear on their faces. Obviously, the charred heads in front of them were silently telling them something terrifying. Therefore, it seemed understandable why Fang Qing deliberately left a prisoner to deliver this letter and why he reviewed last night's battle for him, the enemy commander.

Dazalu Gong's mind suddenly became clear. Then, he gently waved his hand to the scouts, turned around and left without saying a word.

……

In front of Dayunjing Temple in Huaiyuanfang, a group of monks were performing a ritual to pray for the souls of the dead. A temporary team of civilians were busy collecting the bodies.

Although the Tibetans were very close, the Tibetan army’s camp was located west of Kaiyuan Gate to Xiwei Bridge.

However, it seems that no one is afraid of them now!

After the battle last night, the Tubo army's Lu Jiesang Jiagong tribe was completely wiped out, and the Tubo people were seriously injured and suffered a very heavy blow! If under such circumstances, the Tubo minister dared to send troops to retaliate, then everyone would be convinced.

"Your Majesty used the military tactics like a god last night. I admire you very much! Next, I will volunteer to be the vanguard and clear the way for you. Please agree!"

In full view of everyone, next to a pile of corpses and with the monks performing rituals staring in amazement, Li Siye knelt before Fang Chongyong and asked for a fight.

The personal soldiers behind him, although all of them were injured, they all knelt down and asked for battle with Li Siye!
These people were veterans of the Western Regions, but until last night, they had never known what "divine troops descending from the sky" meant. They wanted to rescue them, lock the Tibetans in the Western Market for a "barbecue", and evacuate the people trapped in the Western Market.

If you are not careful, it will cause great chaos.

However, Fang Chongyong commanded the elite Silver Spear Filial Piety Army and used Huaiyuanfang in the south as a breakthrough point. He first attacked the Tibetan command system, then withdrew the wounded soldiers and civilians, and finally drove the Tibetan army that besieged Xishi into Xishi like a flock of sheep.

It can be said that it is adapting to local conditions to the extreme!
Without patrolling in Chang'an for five or ten years, it is impossible to have such a big picture! No matter how famous a general or commander is, without such experience, he cannot exert the strength that matches it!
"The army's morale is good!"

Fang Chongyong said calmly and helped Li Siye up.

But he secretly thought in his heart: It's a pity that Dazha Lu Gong will not stay in Chang'an any longer.

Li Siye was eager to fight, but the Tibetans might not cooperate. Fang Chongyong speculated that Dazha Lugong had no reason to stay in Guanzhong. This Tibetan minister would most likely retreat to Lanzhou and make peace with the Tang Dynasty with Weizhou as the border.

The greatest significance of this battle was to make Dazhalugong realize that the Tibetans were not capable of occupying Guanzhong, let alone gaining an advantage in Chang'an. Therefore, as long as this Tibetan minister still had the least bit of rationality left, he would not continue to fight with the Bianzhou army in Chang'an.

Knowing that the opponent was playing at home in Chang'an, and knowing that the opponent's supply line was closer and had sufficient reinforcements, they still kept trying to get back at the opponent.

Can such a person hold the position of a great minister in Tubo?
It's impossible even if you think about it.

Fang Zhongyong never underestimated Dazha Lugong's intelligence. This man was not only smart, but also very capable.

At this time, Zhang Guangsheng hurried over and whispered in Fang Zhongyong's ear: "Sir, part of the Tubo army has left the Xiwei Bridge camp and headed west. The scouts dare not get too close. For the time being, we don't know whether they want to escape or go back to other gates of Chang'an and then sneak into Chang'an to fight."

Pretending to run, but finally circling around to the enemy's rear, Fang Chongyong had not only seen such things before, he even often did this himself.

Therefore, the current situation discovered by the scouts cannot explain anything, at least it is not certain yet.

Of course, by the time it was confirmed, the Tibetans had already achieved their strategic goals, and it was too late to act.

"The Tibetans are trying to escape. Notify Wang Nandai and prepare to pursue them."

Fang Chongyong instructed Zhang Guangsheng.

"Want to run? The main force of the Tibetan army is still there, why would they run?
I wiped out all of them last night, so how can I not retaliate?"

Zhang Guangsheng asked doubtfully.

People usually expect things to develop in the direction they expect. For example, if the war is going well, Zhang Guangsheng hopes that the Tibetans will come to retaliate quickly, and then be beaten or even annihilated.

However, a normal, intelligent enemy, when finding that the battle situation is extremely unfavorable to them and there are not many ways to change it, will often retreat.

Some people even simply cut their losses and leave the market! They don’t want to play anymore! Similar things are not uncommon in history.

The Tibetans suffered a great loss in Chang'an City. If they didn't run away, would they stay in Chang'an and lay eggs?
Fang Zhongyong smiled helplessly and waved his hand gently, saying, "Just ask your personal soldiers to pass the order. It's not up to you to decide whether the Tibetans run away or not. Go ahead."

He wrote a letter to Dazalugong and disassembled and reconstructed the tactics of last night's battle. His intention was to hope that Dazalugong would get out of here soon!
Guanzhong was never the main battlefield for the fight against the Tibetans.

Moreover, he couldn't kill Dazalugong and the main force of the Tibetan army yet! The Tibetans were a chess piece. Fang Zhongyong wanted to use this chess piece to build consensus among all parties.

Precisely because the Tibetans were eyeing them covetously, the Tianlong people in Guanzhong needed him, a powerful official in the Bianzhou court, to maintain national defense security in the west.

Once the Tibetans rapidly decline, this consensus will no longer exist, and Fang Chongyong will face the same problems that Li Baochen faced back then.

He couldn't tell this to anyone else, and even most people couldn't see through his intentions.

Chang'an West Market was established during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. Last night, the Bianzhou Army descended from the sky. If Li Siye did not follow Fang Chongyong's order to burn down the West Market, would the Bianzhou Army be helpless against the Tibetans led by Shulu Jiesang Jiagong?

Absolutely not! It won't even affect anything!
But the burning of the West Market was a severe blow to Chang'an's status as a trade hub, and it also destroyed the purse strings of the Tianlong people in Guanzhong!

At least a hole was dug.

Yet everyone still has to thank Fang Chongyong for coming to the rescue. The ones who did the evil were all Tibetans. What does it have to do with the officials?

Fang Zhongyong's strength has never been in the fighting on the battlefield, but in the planning and layout related to the war. This time, fighting against the Tibetans in Chang'an was itself linked to weakening the Tianlong people in Guanzhong.

Now, the battle in Guanzhong should be basically over.

If Dazhalugong could understand the meaning of what the official was not convenient to say, he should leave immediately and then deploy defenses in Lanzhou.

It is only a matter of time before the Bianzhou army recaptures the Hexi and Longyou areas, either this winter or next spring, but that is a story for later.

"Get ready to pack your bags, we will be returning to Bianzhou soon."

Fang Chongyong stopped Zhang Guangsheng and gave him another instruction, then he mounted his horse and headed east, leaving Huaiyuanfang.

(End of this chapter)