Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 793 Turtle Fist

After crossing Pipa Mountain, the Bianzhou army arrived at the site of "Herong City". Like Wucheng Shouzhuo, this defensive castle had been abandoned for more than ten years and was in a dilapidated state.

It was the middle of winter, and a Tibetan army post of more than ten people stood on the old city wall. When the Tibetans saw the flag of the Bianzhou army, they ran away on horseback, and there was no time to catch up.

Seeing this scene, Fang Chongyong burst into laughter.

The veterans on the battlefield would not shed their last drop of blood for the Tibetan king and the Tibetan minister. Of course, it is precisely because of this that it is difficult to deal with.

Fang Zhongyong ordered to build a camp around Herong City and sent Han Yougui to investigate the enemy situation ahead with scouts. A few days later, Han Yougui came back with bad news: the Tubo army had already deployed defenses in Liangzhou, and it was very tight.

The original Chishui military base, including the Chishui 72 camps, was a semi-permanent military camp, and is now used by Dazha Lugong to station troops.

Jialin City, not far to the northwest of Liangzhou City, and Xiutu City, not far to the north, both have garrisons, but the number is unknown.

The Songchang City, which was closest to them, was also guarded by Tibetan troops, but it seemed to be small in scale.

The Tibetan army in Liangzhou has already deployed its forces and is very difficult to deal with. If the Bianzhou army starts to attack Liangzhou City, the Tibetan army outside will immediately reinforce.

Fang Chongyong did not care about the wind and snow. Before entering the general's tent, he asked Han Yougui to outline the distribution of the Tibetan army on the map with a red pen.

It wouldn't matter if there was no map. When Fang Chongyong and his generals understood the Tibetan troop deployment, they couldn't help but gasp!
You know, when Dazha Lugong led his troops to attack Chang'an, he did not bring all the troops with him. He only brought the elite and his own troops. And in Liangzhou, there are still many Tubo troops stationed!

Now looking at the distribution of troops, the Tibetans probably have no less than 100,000 troops in the Hexi Corridor! Distributed in the five states of the Hexi Corridor, except for several cities in Shazhou that were occupied by the Tang army, the Tibetans should have occupied more than a dozen other cities, large and small.

So, where did their military rations come from?
Fang Chongyong estimated that it should be from the stored grain of the local wealthy families. Based on his past experience as an official here, the Tibetans should not be short of food for at least three years.

"Sir, given the current situation, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win quickly."

Che Guangqian saluted and suggested to Fang Zhongyong, with a conflicted look on his face.

How should I describe Dazha Lugong? This guy is really like a turtle. It seems that he is planning to slowly waste time with the Bianzhou army.

"Guo Ziyi has gone to the Uighurs to borrow troops. They will attack from Shazhou and go around to attack the Tibetans from behind."

Fang Chongyong forced a smile, his mouth was very tough, but in his heart he was secretly worried about the battle situation.

It’s not that he looked down on the Uighurs, but it’s hard to say what will happen to them in the future. However, the strength they showed in previous battles is completely incomparable to that of the Tubo army.

The Huihe people only had a lot of horses, but when they fought, they would rush forward and disperse in a hurry, so their organization could be easily broken.

It is true that Fang Zhongyong was playing the game of the United Front, but he never placed his hopes of winning on the so-called "allies", especially the Huihe people.

The Bianzhou army set up camp at the old site of Herong City. A few days later, Fang Chongyong sent Che Guangqian to lead the vanguard army to attack Songchang City.

This is a small city in the south of Liangzhou. Its wall can be easily climbed by an adult standing on the shoulders of another adult. Che Guangqian did not build any siege equipment and directly led his troops to attack the city.

What he didn't expect was that the Tibetan army in the city put up a fierce resistance, and the Chishui army's original base was not far from here. Before he could make a breakthrough, the Tibetan army's reinforcements soon arrived in Songchang. Seeing that he could not win, Che Guangqian led his troops back to Herong City.

After a little probing, Fang Zhongyong realized that the Tibetans were well prepared. Some troops were guarding the city, some were serving as reserves, and they fought in a very methodical manner, making it difficult to fight head-on.

Dazha Lugong only ordered the defense of Liangzhou City and the surrounding strongholds, and did not lead troops to attack Herong City. As a result, the two armies confronted each other on the line between Herong City and Songchang City, and could not break the situation for the time being.

More than twenty days passed, and it was the 39th day of the coldest period of the year, the coldest time of the year.

Fang Chongyong sent many scouts to the west to investigate the enemy situation. The farthest one even went to Guazhou, Shanzhou, and even Daduba Valley. He made several trips and finally figured out the deployment of the Tibetan great minister Dazalugong.

Early in the morning of that day, Fang Chongyong was looking at a map in the commander's tent. He subconsciously picked up the water cup on the table, but found that the water in it had frozen.

It's so cold!
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh. His heart grew anxious little by little, just like the feeling when he was arm wrestling and for a moment he was tied with his opponent and his muscles were sore and unbearable.

At this moment, Che Guangqian led his troops back to the camp.

When he entered the commander's tent, Fang Zhongyong asked directly without any politeness, "How is the Shanzhou front?"

"Reporting to the emperor, the Tibetans' troops are very weak over there, but their food supply route in Hexi is not through the Dadouba Valley, but from Liangzhou and Ganzhou respectively, and the route is very short."

Che Guangqian looked at Fang Zhongyong's expression and felt that this official was not angry, so he continued in a low voice: "I think it is quite risky for our elite cavalry to cut off the Tibetans' food supply route, and we don't see any opportunity for the time being."

Even during the heyday of the Kaiyuan period, the local area was barely self-sufficient in grain in Hexi.

At present, the local grain production is definitely not enough to satisfy the Tibetan garrison, even if the Bianzhou army does not prevent the people in the city from going out to farm. In other words, if they wait for time, the Tibetans will eventually give up. The only problem is that the grain reserves in Hexi are sufficient, and it is a bit difficult to wait for the Tibetans to die.

So that it is not operable.

At present, it has been discovered that the food in the Hexi Corridor is mainly concentrated in Liangzhou City and Zhangye City, the capital of Ganzhou. It is these two cities that supply the Tibetan garrisons in other cities.

Theoretically, there is a possibility of robbing food, but the food route is too short and it is difficult to find an opportunity.

"You think there's no chance?"

Fang Chongyong asked doubtfully.

"Reporting to the emperor, I do think so. It is better to turn around and attack Shanzhou, and we will surely gain something."

Che Guangqian suggested with a fist.

This was not a random statement, but a conclusion he reached after he visited the Daduba Valley and conducted a detailed investigation of the distribution of Tubo troops' forces.

"Attack Shanzhou? It seems that this Tibetan minister has concentrated all his forces in Liangzhou. No wonder they defend like a turtle, so steadily."

Fang Zhongyong stared at the map and talked to himself.

"Sir, Dazalugong is obviously exposing his weakness on purpose, but we can take advantage of their tricks. As long as we transfer the Tibetan army away from Liangzhou, as long as they start to move, we will always find an opportunity."

Che Guangqian continued, he obviously expected that this was done on purpose by Dazha Lugong.

"It is useless for us to want Shanzhou. Without Hexi, Shanzhou would have no need to exist. I don't know why Dazha Lugong wants to do this, but we must not do what he wants us to do!
After the spring, the whole army will start digging trenches until they reach the city of Songchang, and then continue digging until they reach the city of Liangzhou!"

Fang Chongyong clenched his fists and said!
The soil is frozen in winter, and not all places in Liangzhou are sandy, so winter is really not the season for earthwork.

But even so, after the spring, the Bianzhou army still had to dig a ditch directly to the city of Liangzhou. In this way, as soon as they started to attack the city, the Tibetans would not have time to support each other.

This is a stupid way, but also a good way.

"Sir, if we continue to fight like this, I'm afraid... we won't be able to take back Hexi within three years." Che Guangqian advised helplessly.

Whether Yugong's method of moving mountains is good or not is really a matter of opinion. He didn't know how to say it, but he felt that Fang Zhongyong had a really good attitude.

You know, this Fang official was waiting for a great victory in Liangzhou so that he could change the dynasty and become the emperor! It was really not easy for him to endure this.

"The Tibetans like to endure hardships, so we endure hardships with them."

Fang Zhongyong snorted coldly and said, his will was very firm!
……

This year's Spring Festival, Fang Chongyong spent it in the military camp with a group of soldiers. During this period of time, they had tried several times, and they had fought very cautiously with the Tubo army. It could only be said that there were casualties on both sides, but the battle line had not changed at all.

It would be a lie to say that I'm not anxious, but there's no point in being anxious.

Faced with Dazhalugong's tight defense, Fang Zhongyong did not play any tricks, nor did he turn around to attack Shanzhou.

People of this era lack a deep understanding of Tibet’s geography and climate.

In Fang Chongyong's opinion, the advantage of the Hehuang Valley was not worth taking. Anyway, he had no ability to lead his troops to the plateau, let alone destroy Tubo.

The Hexi Corridor and trade in the Western Regions are the core interests of the new court in the west.

It is not easy to bite off more than you can chew. It is already very difficult to grasp the core interests. There is no need to disperse your strength and fight in vain.

However, on the day of the Lantern Festival, bad news came from the Bianzhou military camp: a coalition force composed of part of the Shuofang army and the Uighurs was defeated in Guazhou!

In order to borrow troops from the Huihe people, Guo Ziyi offered the following conditions: as long as the Huihe soldiers captured a city, whoever grabbed the property in the city would own it! Take as much as you can!

Huihe Yehu was naturally overjoyed and gladly accepted the invitation. The two of them swore an oath of blood covenant.

However, when the war started, conflicts arose between the two sides. The Huihe Yehu refused to listen to Guo Ziyi's advice and refused to attack Shazhou first to eliminate the Tubo army's periphery.

Instead, he insisted on entering Guazhou from the desert.

As a last resort, Guo Ziyi had to lead his troops to station on the outskirts of Changle County, Guazhou, and did not dare to move further east.

In fact, it is easy to understand why the Huihe people behaved this way. At present, Shazhou is under the control of the Tang army, and even if the Huihe people enter the city, they will not get a single hair.

So they went directly to the neighboring Guazhou and quickly captured Jinchang, the capital of Guazhou.

However, just when the Uighurs were making great progress in Guazhou, Nanang Chitojie led his troops from Ganzhou to launch a surprise attack and directly defeated the Uighur cavalry that came to Ganzhou to explore the way. He also took advantage of the cover of night to roll up the pearl curtain and raided Jinchang City with light cavalry!
The Uighur cavalry, tired of looting in the city, were caught off guard and were slaughtered. The riders could not find their horses and were no match for the Tubo army.

The remaining Uighur troops fled all the way westward and actually led their pursuers to the camp where Guo Ziyi was.

The Shuofang army was also dumbfounded. No one expected that the aggressive Huihe people would be defeated so quickly! After a hard battle, they were outnumbered and Guo Ziyi had to retreat to Shazhou with the remnants of his army. The Huihe people fled to the desert and disappeared.

The so-called "Western Route Army" was defeated by a series of punches from the Tibetans.

When Guo Ziyi sent people to the Herongcheng camp to inform them of this matter, the generals under Fang Chongyong could not believe their ears!

They were confronting the Tibetans in Liangzhou and had not yet felt the danger of the battle. Unexpectedly, if they were not careful, the Tibetan tiger would start to eat people!

Everyone immediately began to admire Fang Chongyong's ability to use troops.

The Bianzhou army and the Tibetans were in a standoff, with no clear winner. It seemed like they were just passing.

But even this result was achieved with the unity of the army and the calmness and wisdom of the commander. Candidates who were not serious, such as the Huihe Yehu, simply handed in a blank paper.

"Official, the current situation..."

Che Guangqian was halfway through her words when she didn't know what to say next.

The Tang people regarded the Lantern Festival as the first day of the new year. Unexpectedly, they encountered a heavy blow on this auspicious day!
Even though he was a veteran of battles, he was still a little flustered at the moment.

"How did the Huihe people lose?"

Fang Chongyong looked at the Shuofang Army scout who came to deliver the letter and asked in a deep voice. There was no one making a noise in the general's tent, it was terrifyingly quiet!
"Reporting to the emperor, generally speaking, the Tibetans should have deliberately exposed a flaw and withdrawn the main force of the Guazhou garrison. The Huihe Yehu did not know that this was a trick, so he suffered a great loss.

Of course, this is all General Guo’s analysis, and no one can say for sure what the details are.”

The Shuofang Army scout who came to report the news reported.

Many battle situations can only be understood by reviewing them afterwards.

There is quite a distance between Zhangye in Ganzhou and Jinchang in Guazhou. It is impossible that the Uighurs entered the city the day before and a large group of Tubo troops came to attack us early the next morning.

Obviously, it was all just a trick. The Tibetan cavalry that launched the counterattack was well prepared! It was definitely not a hasty fight.

If we want to blame someone, we should blame the Huihe people for their love of robbery. Otherwise, if they could hold out for a while, Guo Ziyi could still come to their rescue. The war situation in the west of the Hexi Corridor would not have fallen to this point.

Now part of the Shuofang Army under Guo Ziyi's command had been defeated and lost its combat effectiveness.

Now that the matter is done, there is no point in fighting.

Even though he was standing in an enemy position, Fang Zhongyong had to admire that Dazha Lugong had indeed fought beautifully. His tactics and timing were just right, without any redundancy!
Moreover, Dazhalugong also saw clearly that the Bianzhou army and the Huihe people were only superficially united but actually at odds with each other and it was impossible for them to cooperate closely, so although his action seemed risky, it was actually very sure.

The response of the Bianzhou army was just as Dazhalugong had expected.

Fang Zhongyong felt a little regretful. If he had known that the Huihe were so useless, he would have let them play supporting roles outside the Bianzhou army. He really overestimated the Huihe people.

"Don't panic, the situation is not out of control yet. Instead of relying on others, you might as well think about how to defeat the enemy!

Everyone, go back to camp and think of a strategy to defeat the enemy, and then report to me individually."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently, ordered the generals to disperse, and sat alone in the commander's tent, thinking hard.

Now that things have come to this, let’s think of a solution.

Fang Chongyong was thinking about how to break the impasse, but he couldn't think of any good solution for a while.

(End of this chapter)