The Great Tang General

Chapter 134: Transformed into a ghost, tying grass before the battle

After preparing for an hour, Li Xuan gave the order to set off.

There were more than a thousand women and children in the slave camp, as well as one hundred and ten Han men.

"General, the people in this camp are also responsible for herding yaks. There are more than a thousand yaks and five or six hundred sheep!"

Gao Shi came to report to Li Xuan and asked him how to deal with these yaks and sheep.

"Our next march speed will be the same as that of the infantry! Bring these yaks with you, and have the rescued men and strong women drive them on the march. Kill all the sheep and put them on the backs of the yaks as rations for the march."

Li Xuan gave instructions to Gao Shi.

These Han people usually help the Tibetans to graze and can easily drive the livestock.

"As ordered!"

Gao Shi took the order and left to make arrangements.

Li Xuan thought about it and came to the yak pen.

He looked at the sturdy yak and its huge, hard, pointed horns.

"Secretary Gao, what do you think about tying weapons to the horns of yaks?"

Li Xuan stroked the yak and suddenly asked Gao Shi.

"Does Li Shuai want to imitate Tian Dan's fire bull formation during the Warring States Period?"

Gao Shi's eyes lit up.

He had been in Yan for a long time and had heard of the Fire Bull Formation.

At the same time, he also knew that the Fire Bull Formation was not very effective.

If the enemy is brave enough, arranges their troops in battle formation, and uses spears to block the attack, it will be basically impossible for the "Fire Bull" to charge through.

Also, if the enemy is scattered or is cavalry, the Fire Bull Formation will find it difficult to show its power.

So Gao Shi told Li Xuan about his concerns.

"We use yaks to attack the Tibetan infantry that is blocking us. And the Tibetans will definitely lie in wait at the dangerous mountain pass, and their formation will be extremely dense. When the fire yaks charge, we use cavalry to shoot at the Tibetan infantry and confuse them. Although it may not be the final word, it will be easier to win!"

Li Xuan certainly didn't expect to win by relying solely on the Fire Bull Formation.

The Fire Bull Formation depends on the right time, place and people. As long as the opportunity comes, there is a chance of a big victory.

There is also an example of Wang Xuance using the Fire Bull Formation to defeat the Indian elephant army.

When Li Xuan was on the march, he naturally carried grease to make torches, which he could mix with cloth to infuriate yaks.

Although the yaks are tamed, they still have a bad temper.

As for the pursuing Tibetan cavalry, Li Xuan dealt with them personally!

After having this idea, Li Xuan ordered people to find the grease in the slave camp to ensure that there was enough grease.

The Tang army carried pine oil, while the Tubo slave camp had a lot of animal oil.

All the clothes, cloth, and captured weapons were carried away.

When everything was ready, the women and children mounted their horses.

Li Xuan personally took the child to his mother.

Children on horses must be taken care of by women.

The horse's reins are held by the cavalry.

They had only one way to go, heading north.

If we do the opposite, it may seem unexpected, but we will have to pass through Dafeichuan, where there are many Tubo and Tuyuhun tribes, and we can also mobilize troops from Jiuqu, which is definitely a road to death.

Li Xuan didn't want to return via Qinghai.

It is now clear that Qinghai must be surrounded by the enemy. Li Xuan is worried that a major battle will break out in Qinghai and everyone will sink to the bottom of the lake.

So we can only go north.

To the east of Qinghai, there are the Anren Army, Weirong Army, Baishui Army, Lintao Army, and Heyuan Army, with more than 30,000 soldiers deployed.

There were also many cavalrymen.

After suffering huge losses, Tubo had few troops left in Hequ and Qinghai areas.

The troops deployed here can definitely hinder the support of the Tibetan cavalry in Jiuqu and southern Qinghai.

The enemy forces Li Xuan had to face were limited.

He has already given Wang Nande military power. If the enemy really dares to go north, he will go to war directly.

After everyone left the camp, Li Xuan ordered Luo Xing and Xue Cuo to burn down the slave camp.

The raging fire shot up into the sky, burning down this sad place.

Even the bodies of the Tibetan soldiers were burned.

"Nan Jiyun, you lead 200 cavalrymen as the vanguard. The best archers in the army will be assigned to you, and the best horses will also be at your disposal. If any Tibetan soldier dares to approach, even if it is a Tibetan scout, immediately chase him and shoot him."

Before setting off, Li Xuan issued a military order to Nan Jiyun.

"General Li, please allow the soldiers under my command to take off their armor and ride on light cavalry."

Nan Jiyun asked Li Xuan for permission.

Although Ming Guang Armor is relatively light among iron armors, it still weighs at least 40 to 50 kilograms.

This has a huge impact on horse speed.

When many defeated soldiers were fleeing, the first thing they did was not to drop their weapons, but to take off their heavy armor and helmets.

Li Xuan was very pleased that Nan Jiyun was so bold.

At this time, a light cavalry was really needed to deal with obstacles for them in front.

After obtaining Li Xuan's permission, Nan Jiyun led his troops and took off the Ming Guang armor.

They didn't even wear helmets, they all had unkempt hair, sword clothes, and protruding sideburns.

Dressed the same as the Hu people.

Except for Nan Jiyun, the soldiers all gave up their spears and only carried two bows and swords.

Li Xuan asked his personal guard Li Sheng to join Nan Jiyun's team as deputy.

Li Sheng is good at shooting and can separate his rate from Nan Jiyun at critical moments.

Li Xuan also instructed Gao Shi that once a battle broke out, he would be responsible for stationing on the spot, stabbing the spear into the mud, tying the cattle and horses to the spear, and surrounding the city in a circle.

Xin Yunjing led three hundred cavalrymen to guard around here.

Cen Shen was responsible for comforting these women and children.

Li Xuan was the rear guard and when he encountered the enemy, the soldiers on his left and right followed him and charged forward.

Only after seeing the Tang army leave the slave camp did the Tibetan defenders of Fuqi City dare to send out the only 300 cavalrymen in the city to investigate.

Seeing that the Tang army had only more than a thousand people, and they wanted to escort the slaves, mostly women and children, away, they suddenly felt that they were capable again.

They wandered around the edge of the Tang army, trying to delay Li Xuan.

"Although we are marching slowly, we cannot allow anyone to spy on us!"

Nan Jiyun was in the front, and Li Xuan was in the back. When he saw the three hundred riders following closely from a distance, he ordered the soldiers to stay where they were and listen to his orders, while he rode his Fire Cloud Horse and chased after them.

When the Tubo people saw the Tang army chasing them, they naturally would not retreat.

Some Tibetan cavalrymen had already picked up bows and arrows and slingshots, competing to see who could hit Li Xuan first.

But Li Xuan stopped when he had ridden his horse 120 steps.

He took out the carved bow, put the arrow on the string, and shot the arrow.

"Pfft!"

The leader of this cavalry team was shot in the neck by an arrow and fell off his horse with his eyes wide open.

"Is that the divine bow in his hand?"

The other Tibetan soldiers were incredulous.

Before they could react, several more people were brought down.

"Get close to him and avenge the Great Five Hundred!"

Seeing that Li Xuan was more than two miles away from the Tang army, they thought they had room to maneuver.

"Boom!"

The Tibetan cavalry seemed to be rushing towards Li Xuan with great momentum.

It was naturally impossible for Li Xuan to get within the shooting range of the Tubo cavalry.

He drove his horse backwards. The Fire Cloud Horse was unrivalled in the world, but its sprinting ability was not as good as that of the Ferghana horse. It was easy for it to shake off these Tibetan cavalry.

Li Xuan always kept his pace a hundred steps away, shot an arrow, and immediately took the arrow from the bow bag.

Every two breaths, an arrow will be shot.

Every time Li Xuan turned his head and drew his bow, the Tibetan cavalry in the front row would have their hair standing on end.

Li Xuan's arrows never missed their targets. They could pierce through iron armor from a hundred steps away, making them angry, fearful, and powerless at the same time.

When they were only one mile away from the Tang army, Li Xuan suddenly raised his hand.

As if at a command, more than a hundred cavalrymen rushed over.

"Oh no! General Tang is trying to lure us. Turn your horses around!"

A Tibetan centurion's face changed drastically. They were driven crazy by Li Xuan.

But if he suddenly stopped in the middle of the sprint and turned his horse around, how could he possibly escape the Tang army that was less than a mile away?

Moreover, when the Tubo army moved their horses to distance themselves from the Tang army, Li Xuan turned his horse around and pursued them.

Within the range, the enemy will be defeated.

In an instant, the Shen Ce team was only dozens of steps away from the Tibetan cavalry, and they started shooting.

In less than half a minute, only a few dozen Tibetan riders were left.

The Tang army's horses were unable to catch up because of their iron armor, so Li Xuan galloped on his horse, closed the distance, and shot arrows continuously.

In the end, there were only a dozen riders left, and they fled separately.

This way it will be difficult to pursue Li Xuan!
The Tibetans' arrows and horses were all brought into the Tang army. Li Xuan also found a dozen javelins on Tibetan horses.

The Tang army had more powerful crossbows and did not know how to use javelins.

Li Xuan also took the javelin away, his strength could make the javelin more powerful.

As the horses of the Tang army could not run fast, they had to walk at a slow pace and urge the yaks to move forward. As a result, they only traveled more than 30 miles in half a day.

Li Xuan led Nan Jiyun to lead the cavalry to clear the way, and a number of Tibetan cavalry were caught up and shot dead.

Although the team was large, Tubo did not dare to approach.

……

At the same time, Meilu Xiequ had led the cavalry across Qinghai and arrived in the area of ​​Fuqi City.

"Meet the General!"

The defender of Fuqi City immediately went to pay a visit to Molu Xiequ.

"How long has the Tang army been away from the slave camp?"

There was no hesitation in asking, he went straight to the point.

From a distance, they saw flames rising into the sky.

They also stopped at Longju Island and were very angry when they saw the Tang army slaughtering all the living beings on the island.

He vowed to capture these Tang troops and tear them into pieces.

"About three hours!" The defender of Fuqi City replied to Molu Xiequ.

"Your Fushi City and the slave camp are almost the same as the Tang army. Did you just watch them leave?"

Molu Xiequ questioned the commander of Fuxi City.

He was just venting his emotions, knowing full well that the Tang army was an elite cavalry, and that the old, weak, sick and disabled soldiers in Fuqi City and the slave camp would have no chance of defeating the Tang army.

"General, please forgive me. The Tang army attacked suddenly and we had no time to prepare. When the Tang army left, our army sent 300 cavalrymen to pursue them, and almost all of them were wiped out!"

Cold sweat broke out on the forehead of the Fuqi city defender, showing that he was not a coward.

The Tubo people called the Stone Fortress "Iron Blade City". Because of Mo Lu Xie Qu Ke's Iron Blade City, he became very powerful in the Tubo Kingdom.

As a rising star, even Enlanda Zhalugong (Lun Xinuolu) at that time could not compare with him in reputation.

Chidai Zhudan even praised Molu Xiequ as a famous general in contemporary times whose military exploits were second only to Moluqiongsang Woermang and Mojiesang Dongzebu.

Therefore, the commander of Fuxi City was very respectful to Meilu Xiequ, even though Meilu Xiequ was not his superior.

"All three hundred cavalrymen were annihilated. What military merit did you gain?"

Meilu Xiequ asked the commander of Fuqi City.

"According to the generals who escaped, the Tang army general is very powerful. He can shoot without missing a target from a distance of 120 steps. The horse he rides is probably the legendary Qinghai Cong. We can't touch him. The cavalry under my command was almost defeated by his own strength!"

The defender of Fuqi City answered cautiously to Molu Xiequ.

"Who are you talking about? Why does he look so much like Marshal Li Xuan of Longyou?"

Mei Lu Xie Qu tightened his forehead.

As the survivors of the Anxiang Army returned to the various Tibetan tribes one after another.

Tubo was already aware of Li Xuan's bravery.

He was so powerful that no one could defeat him. He was just like the gods in their legends.

The number of people in the Tubo Kingdom who were as powerful as the Tongyahu could be counted on one hand.

Such a powerful general was no match for Li Xuan.

They also knew that Li Xuan possessed superb archery skills, and stories of "shooting the ball in the imperial court" and "shooting the tassel on flying horse" were widely circulated in Chang'an.

The Tibetan king was very angry about the defeat in the Battle of Lishui, and he even ordered that whoever could defeat Li Xuan would be appointed as deputy prime minister.

Any warrior who kills Li Xuan, regardless of his status, will be awarded a jade certificate.

"This kind of behavior that puts one's life at risk shouldn't be done by Li Xuan!"

The defenders of Fuqi City thought it was unlikely. Li Xuan was a marshal, how could he not care about his life?
"Li Xuan once led hundreds of cavalrymen, galloped thousands of miles, entered the ice field and captured the Turkic Khan and Basmith Khan. Although he was promoted to the rank of marshal, he was still young and impetuous after all!"

Meilu Xiequ's eyes became fanatical. If he could capture Li Xuan, he would be a great hero of Tubo. Rookie generals like Enlanda Zhalugong were not qualified to compare with him.

Tubo has occupied Tieren City, but is in a passive position on the border between Tang and Tubo, all because of Li Xuan.

If Li Xuan is captured, the newly gathered morale in Longyou will be gone.

Mei Lu Xiequ didn't care whether Li Xuan was in the Tang army or not, but he gave orders to the army that Li Xuan was in the army.

The 10,000 cavalrymen under his command went completely crazy, and the Zamp's military order spread throughout the army. They all knew what killing Li Xuan meant!
The Tibetan cavalrymen were rubbing their hands in anticipation, wishing they could charge forward immediately, tear Li Xuan into pieces, and claim the credit.

"Tongya Hu is not worthy of being with me. I will use the spear in my hand to chop off Li Xuan's head and obtain the jade seal of authority!"

The deputy general on this trip, Cai Bangdachang, was a fierce general, and his martial arts skills were no less than Tongyahu.

Because of his noble birth, he looked down on generals like Tongyahu who rose from humble backgrounds.

The Caibang clan, along with the Molu clan, the Nanang clan, and the Chen clan, is one of the four major noble clans of Tubo.

In the Tubo Kingdom, all families that had married into the Zamp had their family members given the title of "Shang" in the Tubo political arena.

In other words, the relatives of the Tubo Dynasty were collectively called "Shang". At the same time, among the families that intermarried with the Zan, four families were the most prominent and had the most intermarriages with the Zan, so they were collectively called the "Four Major Shang Clans".

The Tibetans have a very clear distinction between superiors and subordinates. When you are born as a human being, your nobility or humbleness, honor or disgrace are all determined by fate.

Under such circumstances of hierarchy, Tongyahu, who came from a small family, was naturally despised by Cai Bangdacang.

"If anyone can kill Li Xuan, it must be me!"

Another fierce general, Langchi Sangyangton, was also determined to capture the head of Tubo.

"Although we have many cavalry, we must not be careless. We will charge forward and surround the Tang army if we encounter them."

Although Meilu Xiequ was very excited, he was not blind. He immediately arranged tactics.

Prepare to eat Li Xuan steadily.

But he didn't see the red eyes of the Tibetan soldiers.

The original intention of the Meilu Xiequ was to boost morale and arouse the greed of the soldiers.

Although they obeyed Meilu Xiequ's orders, they all had in mind that they must find Li Xuan and kill him.

This is an opportunity for the carp to make the leap to the dragon gate.

Ten thousand cavalrymen rushed towards the Tang army in a mighty force.

When they were about thirty miles away, they were discovered by scouts of the Tang army.

"About 10,000 cavalry! This is a tough battle! But our army is capable of fighting ten enemies at once. This is the time to establish our reputation!"

Although Li Xuan was alarmed by the number of Tibetan cavalry, as the commander, he did not show any panic but instead remained confident.

He immediately ordered his soldiers to stop marching.

Under Gao Shi's arrangement, the captured spears were hammered into the mud to "draw" a circle.

All the women and children stayed in the pen, and the horses and cows were tied to the spears.

There are more than a dozen layers inside and outside. Not to mention riding a Tibetan war horse, even if you dismount and walk, you have to be very careful to squeeze in.

The Han Chinese men volunteered to stand guard in the circle with spears in hand.

If someone from Tibet tried to get in, they would immediately fight back on foot.

Li Xuan also selected suitable Ming Guang iron armor and asked these men to wear it. More people means more strength.

"Liao Shisan, you are not good at archery and horse riding, so you don't have to follow me. I will order you to lead a hundred men to guard the circle. If anyone rushes in, kill him immediately."

Li Xuan gave instructions to Liao Zhengrong.

Liao Zhengrong is the thirteenth child in the family.

"As ordered!"

Liao Zhengrong clasped his fists heavily. It was all because of him that Li Shuai risked his life to come here.

He felt very guilty!

In this battle, I will repay you at the cost of my life.

After the formation was arranged, Xin Yunjing led the cavalry on the periphery to resist the charging cavalry.

In this battle, the one thousand cavalry under Li Xuan's command could not hold back too many enemy cavalry, and there would definitely be enemy cavalry attacking here.

Nan Jiyun led his two hundred light cavalry with excellent archers, and relying on the mobility of the light cavalry, they kept shooting outside the Tubo army.

"General Che, are you afraid of death?"

Li Xuan suddenly asked Che Shensai.

"At this time and in this place, I have no fear."

Said Cheshen Sai fearlessly.

He firmly believed that with Li Xuan around, they would win the battle.

If we can rescue the abducted women, children and civilians of the Tang Dynasty from thousands of miles away, it will be a story that will be passed down through the ages. Why should we fear death?
"The enemy cavalry exceeds 10,000, which is disadvantageous to our army. I plan to cut off the enemy's main general's head in the midst of the 10,000 troops to boost their morale. I need you to lead the troops in the front to contain them, and I will lead my personal guards to find a weak point on the side to attack. It will be a very dangerous thing for you."

Li Xuan said to Che Shensai seriously.

"It is thanks to General Li that I can return to my hometown and serve as a general. If I can sacrifice my life in the wilderness, I will be worthy of the country's upbringing and General Li's kindness. Even if I die in battle and turn into a ghost, I will make a grass knot in front of the battlefield to help General Li and his soldiers return to the Tang Dynasty."

The God of Chariots dismounted and bowed to Li Xuan. He used the myth of "tying grass" to express his determination.

"Qiang!"

Li Xuan also drew his sword and said to the soldiers: "Hearing the whistling wind and seeing the dark sky, it must be the brothers who died in the battle of Lishui who came to help our army win. The sound of the wind is like a war drum. I will cut off the enemy's head and fight until the end. We will be together in death and in wealth and fame!"

"Li Shuai Tianwei!"

Generals such as Che Shensai and An Zhongzhang all shouted.

The morale of the soldiers was high, and the Tibetan cavalry was only a few miles away from the Tang army.

The Tang cavalry also began to run.

Li Xuan led his personal guards to one side.

The main force was led by Che Shensai and An Zhongzhang, who led nearly a thousand cavalrymen.

(End of this chapter)