Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 796 For Whom the Bell Tolls
"Have you heard? The government wants to select brave warriors to raid Liangzhou. They are very dissatisfied with the previous battle."

"Have you heard? The government despises us cowards and says we can't defeat Tubo, so they've offered a high reward and want us to have a bloody battle with Tubo."

"Have you heard? The emperor wants to imitate Huo Qubing's surprise attack on Hexi, and he also said that whoever dares to go to the battle will be made a marquis and a prime minister after returning victorious."

Inside the Bianzhou military camp outside Jincheng, certain rumors were spreading like a plague among the grassroots soldiers.

All of this content was quietly recorded by Han Huang without missing a word, and sent to Fang Chongyong's desk.

Experiments in later generations have proven that if the process of word of mouth is not controlled, the loss of information will be about 30% each time it is transmitted.

In other words, once a rumor is spread a few times, even the person who spread it will not be able to accurately control the content of the rumor.

This kind of thing was an iron rule in ancient times when there were no computers, telephones or the Internet.

Looking at the distorted rumors on the table, Fang Chongyong didn't know what to say.

It should be said that there were all kinds of information, or the news that he deliberately asked Han Huang to spread had already become various versions circulating among the soldiers, with all kinds of statements.

What's more, there are also claims that it was to rob the Tubo princess!

Fortunately, the key information that "the government may send troops to Hexi in the near future" was conveyed, so the work was not in vain.

"Go to Jincheng and have a drink to relax. Although the result is not what I expected, it is still under control. There is nothing for you to do for the time being."

Fang Zhongyong waved gently at Han Huang, indicating that he could go to rest.

If Han Huang continued to stay in the camp, someone would always notice certain rumors, which were actually spread by the military commander. Fang Chongyong also didn't want the other party to be stabbed in the back by those soldiers in the future.

"I obey your orders, and you should take a rest as well."

Han Huang said something polite to Fang Zhongyong, then slowly left the general's tent.

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Suddenly, a bell rang outside the military tent. It sounded like it came from the Golden City, and the sound was solemn and distant. Fang Zhongyong felt something and walked out of the general's tent. At this moment, Han Huang also stopped outside the military tent to listen, looking a little dazed.

"Since you have nothing to do, why not go to the temple and pray for the army."

Fang Zhongyong calmly ordered, called a few personal soldiers, and took Han Huang to the place where the bell sound came from. When they arrived in front of the temple where the bell rang, they found that this was the "Puzhao Temple" built by Emperor Taizong during the Zhenguan period, which was quite famous in the local area.

A high monk has just passed away here today, and a ritual is being performed in the temple. The bell was rung just now for this purpose.

"Ask no more for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for you!"

Fang Zhongyong muttered to himself in a low voice, so that only he could hear it and no one else could know.

"Dear donors, the monks in the temple are performing a ritual for Master Huide. It is really inconvenient to go in and play. Please forgive me."

A young monk came forward, and Chongyong and his group saluted with their hands folded.

He looked a little scared, after all, Fang Zhongyong was surrounded by burly soldiers, but his attitude was extremely firm.

Perhaps it was because the little monk was still young and inexperienced, and he didn't know how terrifying someone like Fang Qing was.

In fact, the funeral of a Buddhist master is indeed not convenient for unrelated people to attend. When the monks in the temple encounter the powerful and reasonable, it is understandable that they insist on their principles.

"Then I will burn three incense sticks in front of the temple for this master whom I have never met. This is not too much, right?"

Fang Zhongyong asked with a smile.

"Donor please come this way."

The young monk made a gesture of invitation and led Fang Zhongyong and his party to the gate of the temple. There was a large incense burner with many incense sticks in it, some of which had burned out and some had not yet burned out.

Obviously, Fang Chongyong and his companions were not the only ones offering sacrifices.

Fang Chongyong took the incense handed to him by a monk in the temple. He lit it with his own hands, bowed respectfully, and then inserted it into the incense burner.

Just now, Fang Chongyong silently said in his heart: Dear eminent monk whom I have never met, please do more good deeds and bless the imperial army to successfully recover Hexi.

The people around him, including Han Huang, also went to burn incense, and then they all began to return to the camp without entering Jincheng.

On the way back to the city, Han Huang approached Fang Chongyong and whispered, "The ancients said that instead of asking about the common people, they asked about the gods and ghosts. The emperor has burned incense for the eminent monk who passed away today. I think this eminent monk will surely bless our army to defeat Tubo."

What he wanted to say was that worshipping here was useless and would only make the world laugh at him. But he couldn't say it directly, he had to remind him indirectly.

Otherwise, it is easy to imagine what would have happened to Tian Feng.

Fang Zhongyong laughed and shook his head, saying, "That's wrong. If worshipping Buddha was useful, then Dazalugong would have been killed by Buddha long ago. It is said that the newly appointed Tibetan king worshipped Buddha every day in Lhasa City. He was very pious and probably cursed Dazalugong for a bad death. In the end, wasn't he suppressed by Dazalugong, who didn't believe in Buddha at all?"

Fang Chongyong prayed to the monk for protection in his heart, but he spoke with disdain about such things.

A political animal like him has long been unable to control himself. His every word and action is full of political flavor, not for himself. What he thinks in his heart cannot be known by those around him.

The dynasty is about to change, and all the smart people in the world will gather at the center of the court. The density of talent will be so high that it is unimaginable.

These people can get things done, but they can also mess things up. There is no quick fix for how to use people and how to control them instead of being controlled by them.

What Fang Chongyong was thinking about was his grand plan for the future, and Han Huang, after being ridiculed, immediately realized that he had underestimated this official Fang, and he dared not show off his intelligence anymore.

When Fang Chongyong returned to the tent in the main camp, he saw He Changqi wandering outside the tent, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Fang Chongyong coming back, he immediately stepped forward and saluted without saying a word.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

After entering the military tent and sitting down, Fang Chongyong asked.

"Sir, I, your humble servant..."

He Changqi seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

"Our army will soon attack Hexi and fight with Tubo. You should stay in Jincheng and guard the camp. I will also command from here."

Seeing that He Changqi couldn't explain it for a long time, Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently and said.

"Official, this..."

He Changqi was a little anxious.

But Fang Zhongyong interrupted him and said, "You suggested that we wait until autumn to use the troops. I was thinking that this is not your usual style. I think your injury is serious and you need to recuperate for a while, so you can't go into battle."

Fang Chongyong said with a sigh.

It was common for generals to be injured on the battlefield, especially fierce generals like He Lao Hu who charged into the battle line.

However, it is a bit troublesome to get injured in the palm of your hand when holding a weapon. You say that this injury is serious, but in fact it has little impact on your daily life.

But if you ignore it, your palm won't recover well and you won't be able to hold the knife steadily in the future, and it will affect your condition when fighting in battle.

He Changqi was injured in the tiger's mouth during the battle with the Tibetans, so it was natural to let him rest.

"Alas, sir, I am truly ashamed this time."

He Changqi shook his head and sighed.

He originally wanted to test Fang Zhongyong's attitude, but he didn't mean to miss the battle. He didn't expect that Fang Guanjia would reveal his intention. "It's better to fight this battle sooner rather than later.

If it is too late, the Tibetans will estimate the time when we will send out troops again, which will most likely be after autumn.

If you can think of it, the Tibetans can naturally think of it too.

Sending troops again in the near future will be beyond the Tibetans' expectations and will not give them more time to prepare."

Fang Zhongyong explained patiently.

"I see. Then I will guard the main camp."

He Changqi didn't waste any words. He knew that his lack of military merit this time would definitely affect his future. But the wound on his palm was indeed very serious. The military medical officer said that it would take a hundred days to heal a broken bone. He had to take care of himself in the near future and not fight hard anymore.

Otherwise, if you are not in good condition when going into battle, you might lose your life on the battlefield.

This is not a question of whether to fight or not, but there is no need to risk one's life for the sake of face. Of course, it can also be considered that He Lao Hu wants to stay useful and do more things.

For example, when a dynasty is changed and something like the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" is launched, there must always be someone to take the lead and do the dirty work, right?
He Changqi didn't want to lose his life on the battlefield fighting with the Tubo people, and it wasn't because he simply wanted to enjoy the future glory and wealth that he didn't dare to go into battle.

"Well, let's go."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand gently, not taking it seriously, or at least he didn't seem to care.

The next day, probably because they had heard all kinds of rumors in the army, Che Guangqian and Wang Nande came to the commander's tent together and told him frankly that they wanted to send troops in the near future.

We are not fools. Soldiers in the army are saying that they will give the Tibetans a severe beating in the near future. As the main generals in charge of their respective areas, they certainly cannot turn a blind eye to this.

There are rumors in the army, but the government does not kill people to deter them. This is enough to show that there is a certain situation that the government wants to see, and it is not even ruled out that it is deployed by the government personally.

"You guys are planning to send troops to Hexi, right?"

Fang Zhongyong looked at the two of them and smiled.

“Go back to the government, attacking Hexi is not only to recapture this place, but also to deter all directions.

If someone sees that we cannot defeat Tubo in the short term, it is hard to say what they will do.

For example, the Khitans to the north of Youzhou, the Nanzhao to the south, and even Yan Wu and others in Shu might have different thoughts.

Since the government troops cannot defeat the Tibetans, will the local tyrants and big merchants pretend to obey the taxation policy but actually disobey it?

There are too many variables in these things, so it is far better to endure now and deal with the difficult things. It is better to strike once and for all to avoid a hundred blows. "

Che Guangqian clasped his fists and bowed to Fang Chongyong, explaining his views.

"What about you, what do you say?"

Fang Zhongyong looked at Wang Nanyi and asked.

"Sir, in fact, although we haven't won the last battle, it seems that the Tibetans haven't won either. I can feel that the Tibetans have been defending with all their might, and they must have reached the end of their strength.

Our withdrawal this time is equivalent to letting the Tibetans feel relieved. When we send troops again, we will not play the game of gaining and losing a city or a place with them.

Just one punch will decide the outcome!"

Wang said this with certainty.

Even though his words sounded crude, they actually explain a lot of problems.

Fang Chongyong actually felt that the Tibetans were almost overwhelmed last time, but if the two sides continued to confront each other, the Tibetans would barely hold on, or perhaps hesitate to speak, but they would never collapse.

The Bianzhou army was waiting for time, and they were also waiting for time.

This is like two runners competing in a marathon, they are in similar positions but both are at the end of their strength.

They were running and following desperately, but in fact they were almost exhausted, but they could hold on for a long time, until their energy ran out!
He had seen too many examples like this in his previous life.

Why not switch the game mode and do an explosive sprint! It won't take long for one move to decide the outcome!

There were no fools among the generals in the army. After a few days of rest, they gradually came to their senses. These battle situations were not complicated, but the key points needed to be figured out.

Now we are slowly building consensus.

"I want to split my troops into two groups. One group will take the Uighur Road and the other will attack directly from Guazhou!

The other route was to raise flags and deploy auxiliary troops behind the front line to create momentum and attack Liangzhou head-on.

At that time, it will depend on which one Daza Lugong wants to keep."

Fang Chongyong briefly explained the strategy, and Che Guangqian and Wang Nande both nodded silently.

This move was indeed brilliant. If Dazalugong did not split his troops, this surprise attack team would be able to lift the siege of Shazhou. Together with the Tang army in Shazhou, they would attack Liangzhou from the west, and the morale of the Tubo army would collapse like an avalanche. Knowing that Liangzhou had become an isolated city, the Tubo army would just run away, and there would be no need to fight!

If the troops are divided, there will definitely be a gap in Liangzhou, and the opportunity for battle will be revealed in this tug of war.

When the Bianzhou army attacked Changsong City, did the Tubo army defend itself?
Can they defend against an attack on the Chishui Army’s base?
Can they defend against the attacks on the strongholds outside Liangzhou City?

If they used mobile defense, the troops might not be enough. If they did not leave the city to defend it, Fang Zhongyong could dispatch another force to chase the Tibetan army that was responsible for the rescue westward.

Can Dazhalugong defend against it?
The Tibetans might be able to slowly find a way to deal with it, but it just so happened that the Bianzhou army had just withdrawn from Hexi to Lanzhou, so the Tibetan army was bound to relax.

How could they defend themselves when they were suddenly attacked like a disaster?

This is the mystery of deploying troops. There is no fixed routine, no fixed pattern. Everything depends on the individual and the situation.

However, it is useless to figure all this out. There is still a key question facing Che Guangqian and Wang Nandi: Who will lead the troops to take the Uighur Road?

After all, the danger levels of the two tasks are very different!

Taking a detour through the Huihe Road to attack Guazhou was a move that would break the impasse, but it was extremely risky.

Once the news leaked out and the Tibetans were lying in ambush on the road, it would be a sure thing that they would never return.

Of course, the use of troops is always risky. Either you take advantage of the situation or you use your wits to break through. When you break through, you will definitely reveal a flaw at that moment.

The bet is that the opponent will realize it later. The so-called flawless plan is just that the flaw will slip by before the opponent notices it.

There is no such thing as someone who is invincible and invincible!

"The troops will be divided into two groups. Wang Nandai will lead the troops to raid Guazhou, while Che Guangqian will lead the central army to attack Liangzhou. We will proceed at the same time. That's it.

Do you have any other comments?"

Fang Zhongyong made arrangements directly, looked at the two people in front of him and asked.

"Order!"

The two shouted in unison and looked at each other.

(End of this chapter)