The Great Tang General

"Your Majesty, the Tang army orders you to surrender and you will be spared death!"

The Tubo scout general reported to Enlan Dazhalugong.

"This time, this theory will not retreat."

Enlan Dazhalugong held the sword tightly with a firm look in his eyes.

Once again in dire straits, Enlan Dazhalugong is ready to fight to the death.

How could a commander escape again and again in his life?

What's more, Enlan Dazhalugong understood that Tubo had reached the point of national destruction and ruin.

He deployed the troops as much as possible and encouraged the Tibetan soldiers with passionate words.

But at this time, the Tibetan soldiers were in panic.

The courage that had been mustered up for the new recruits after all the fanfare had long been lost.

Enlan Dazhalugong's few words in front of the battlefield could not boost the confidence of the soldiers.

Even some cavalrymen were trying to get rid of the infantry and break out on their own.

Everything was different from what the commander had said in advance. The Tang Dynasty actually had so many soldiers.

So much so that the hatred in their hearts turned into fear.

They felt they were cheated by the coach.

The Battle of Dayuechuan back then is a nightmare for many Tibetan teenagers today. The sounds of crying in every household are still vivid in their minds. This is another round of crying.

Enlan Dazhalugong was only concerned about his own reputation and so-called shame. He claimed that "if you fight to the death, you will live, but if you are afraid, you will die", and threatened that "after death, you will go to heaven and see the gods". Not only did this fail to restore morale, it also caused resistance among the Tibetan soldiers.

Especially those Tibetan slaves.

As Tibetan resources were further compressed, they paid great tribute to the Tang Dynasty.

The lives of Tibetan slaves without household registration were more difficult than before.

The original upper-class slaves were not as good as the lower-class slaves during Chidai Zhudan's reign.

All thanks to the warriors for suppression!

In the situation of disunity, the morale of the Tubo people was at its lowest point.

"We should attack immediately while the Tibetan formation is not stable. As long as we hold on, the Tibetan main force will surely collapse!"

Duan Xueshi said to Nan Jiyun.

At this time, the Tang coalition forces had not rested for a long time, but the soldiers were full of energy. They saw that the main force of Tubo was at the end of its strength, and they all wanted to rush forward to fight for military merit.

"We must also be on guard against the Tibetan army's desperate counterattack. Our army must cut off the Tibetan main force, destroy their morale, and then annihilate them separately."

Nan Jiyun agreed.

The Tang army could not rest, so as not to give Tubo a chance to catch its breath.

After Duan Xueshi and Nan Jiyun discussed, the heavy armored infantry advanced first, and then the armored cavalry charged, dividing the Tibetan formation into two.

He ordered the soldiers of all the Hu tribes to form battle formations according to their tribes and not to disrupt the formation. Anyone who disobeyed would be beheaded!
At this time, the Tang army's prestige over the subordinate tribes was unprecedented.

Because these are General Tian’s troops!
Among these tribes, except for the Subi and Bailang Qiang, the rest were actually controlled by the Tang Dynasty, and there were even Han people serving as officials in these tribes.

In previous wars, the Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, Western Qiang, Tongjia, Tubo and other tribes were all defeated.

Almost all of their nobles were eliminated by Li Xuan.

Moreover, the various Tibetan tribes were not called Tubo in the Tang Dynasty. Li Xuan divided them according to mountains, seas and rivers, such as the Jishi Tribe, Qinghai Tribe, Baihai Tribe, Yellow River Tribe, etc.

The Subi and Bailang Qiang were completely surrounded by the power of the Tang Dynasty. They only needed to pay taxes every year and their country was autonomous.

After everything was arranged, the heavy armored infantry of the Tang Dynasty's Shen Ce Army, Wuning Army, Baishui Army and other units attacked Tubo before dark.

In the snow, the Tang army had specially trained javelin teams, who would throw javelins at the Tibetan soldiers when they got close.

"Woooo..."

The command was limited at night, so the Tibetan horns continued to sound.

"Boom...boom..."

The sound of the Tang army's war drums became more frequent, shaking heaven and earth.

On the other side, Li Sheng and Qu Huan were also ready to attack.

At the same time, the Tang army also sent a group of soldiers to launch a feint attack.

The light cavalry also galloped and spread to both sides, seeking to engage in a battle with the Tibetan soldiers.

As the Tang army approached, the Tubo army barely held up their shields.

At this time, the weather turned suddenly cold and neither side could draw their bowstrings.

It was also difficult for the Tubo to use their slingshots, which they were good at.

"Heavy javelin throw!"

The commanding general of the Tang army gave the order first.

Hundreds of javelin throwers emerged from the crowd, holding six-foot-long javelins that looked like spears.

These javelins are not only extremely long, but also have barbs on the blades. Once they hit the shield, the enemy will not be able to remove them in a short time.

This is specifically designed to counter the birth of large shield soldiers.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

The javelin flew out in an arc.

The Tibetan vanguard remained hidden behind their shields, resulting in limited casualties.

Many javelins were nailed to the shield.

After several waves of javelins were thrown, the Tibetan soldiers' shields were covered with javelins.

When the Tang army's heavy armored infantry began to attack, the Tibetan shield soldiers wanted to shake off the javelins on their shields, but found that no matter how hard they tried, the javelins were firmly "attached".

The principles of physics make the shield very heavy and impossible to move.

They were unable to further remove the javelins as the Tang army was already ten steps away from them.

"kill……"

With roars, the Tang army charged forward with great momentum and speed.

In an instant, the collision of metals was like thunder, and the sparks that flew up were like stars in the night sky.

The Tibetans were only on the defensive, and cowering in fear. The heavy shields only added to their depression.

The long spears of the Tang army warriors searched for gaps between the heavy armor and were always able to break through the Tibetan shields and pierce the bodies of the Tibetan soldiers.

The soldiers' gasps, roars and the sharp sounds of metal clashing resounded through the sky. The snow under their feet was stained with blood and gradually turned into blood-red ice chips.

After a fierce battle, the morale of the Tubo people collapsed.

They abandoned their shields and retreated, leaving their backs wide open.

The Tang army followed up, charging and attacking fiercely, disrupting the Tibetan formation and continuously picking off Tibetan corpses.

"Boom!"

After receiving the report from the front army, Duan Xueshi sent heavy cavalry to charge and split the Tibetan formation.

After a while, the heavily armored cavalry rushed towards Tubo like a steel torrent.

Along the way, countless Tibetan soldiers were knocked down or stabbed to death.

As soon as they charged into the battle, the Tibetan slaves became chaotic. The warrior was unable to hold on alone and could not lift the sword, so he could only flee for his life.

The battlefield, which was more than ten miles in radius, was divided into two by the armored cavalry.

Behind the armored cavalry, there were tens of thousands of light cavalry holding swords.

At this point, Duan Xueshi ordered the entire army to attack fiercely.

For Enlan Dazhalugong, the only way for the Tibetan army to win was for the cavalry to defeat the Tang army's cavalry.

He ordered his brave generals to lead more than 20,000 cavalry to attack the Tang cavalry led by Nan Jiyun.

Nan Jiyun was not afraid, for he knew that the Tibetan infantry was about to collapse.

Defeating the Tibetan cavalry was a fatal blow to the Tibetan army.

Nan Jiyun believed that it was possible for the Tibetan cavalry to break through, and he wanted to prevent them from having such an opportunity.

He used the iron cavalry as the spearhead, and the Hu and Han light cavalry were armed with scimitars and machetes, attacking the two wings separately, and keeping a reserve force to prevent cavalry.

During the battle, Nan Jiyun led his personal guards and took the lead.

"Pfft!"

On a cold night, with the icy armor shining, Nan Jiyun rode his horse at full speed, his spear piercing the wind, and a Tibetan general was stabbed off his horse on the spot.

He rushed forward again, thrust forward and killed the enemy with his lightning-fast silver spear.

The warhorse under Nan Jiyun's crotch neighed in the wind, making him charge into the battle more fiercely, and his bravery was as strong as ever.

Behind Nan Jiyun, the cavalry rushed forward, crushing the thousands of layers of frost. No matter whether it was night or day, the flags were waving wildly, and the flag bearers were not afraid of the front and followed bravely.

Wherever the Tang cavalry passed, the Tibetan cavalry was completely defeated.

After only one hour of fighting and charging on the battlefield, the Tibetan cavalry suffered heavy casualties.

At this time, Li Sheng led 5,000 cavalrymen to attack the Tubo cavalry that was besieging him and arrived at the main battlefield of the Tubo cavalry.

Li Sheng was the bravest of the three armies. He was young and strong. With one swing of his spear, he killed several riders and made those who attacked him flee in fear.

His long spear collided with the Tibetan spears and scimitars, and with just one move, he was able to kill the enemy cavalry.

Li Sheng's joining dealt a fatal blow to the Tubo cavalry.

The Tibetan cavalry, which had long been unable to hold on, were defeated first.

Some of the generals were of noble birth. They ignored Enlan Dazhalugong's military orders and led their troops to break out and escape.

The more resourceful Tibetan cavalry did the opposite. They tried to break out to the west, cross the Xiangride River, and return to Tibet from another route.

The defeat was like a landslide. As the Tibetan cavalry fled, the Tibetan slaves also took the lead in breaking out and escaping. They did not recognize their relatives or distinguish between people and horses, and they just killed whoever was responsible.

Although the Tibetans had a large number of infantrymen, they had no one to rely on and were slaughtered by the Tang army.

They attacked the large formation arranged in a curved circle on the east side, and their heads were broken and bleeding.

Spears and scimitars were broken in front of the Tang army's indestructible formation, and chain mail was torn in the cold wind.

"Da Lun, there is no chance of victory, we must break through."

A Tibetan general reported the news from the battlefield to Enlan Dazhalugong and persuaded him.

"It is precisely because we cannot break through that we have to fight to the death with the Tang army. There is no such opportunity!"

Enlan Dazalu said weakly.

He had taken off his hat on a cold winter night, his face turning blue with cold.

There were still more than a thousand soldiers left to join the battle, but these soldiers could not make any waves on the battlefield.

The civil and military officials around Enlan Dazhalugong also looked sad.

Their life and death, as well as the fate of Tubo, will be decided in this battle.

"Li Xuan is invincible! Why can't he defeat Nan Jiyun and Duan Xiushi? I heard that Duan Xiushi is just a scholar. Is it really me who is incompetent?"

Enlan Dazhalugong knelt on the ground, leaning on his knife.

Looking at the starless sky, Enlan Dazhalugong was confused for a moment.

The last time, he felt guilty about the ruler and beads and cried to the sky.

This time, who does he feel guilty towards and who does he owe allegiance to?
The young Zamp was sidelined by him and Mashang Zhongbajie; when the old Zamp was imprisoned by Mashang Zhongbajie, he chose to remain silent.

He is no longer the original Enlan Dazhalugong.

He is nothing but a man obsessed with power, fame and wealth.

Just like the powerful officials he hated before.

The only difference was that he sincerely hoped that Tubo could recover Qinghai and Jiuqu, occupy Longyou and Hexi, and establish the "Tubo Empire" in his mind.

But Li Xuan is a "prophet" who sees through Enlan Dazhalug's thoughts. He will definitely leave a large number of troops and keep Duan Xueshi, Li Sheng and Nan Jiyun, the most valued soldiers in the Helong Army, in Baihai.

Enlan Dazhalugong looked at some dejected civil and military officials.

We were completely defeated, there was nothing we could do!

"If I die today, Tubo will perish!"

"I am loyal to Tubo!"

"Pfft!"

Enlan Dazhalugong, who had seen through everything and was completely hopeless, swung his knife at his neck before his confidant could react. Blood splattered, his eyes widened, and he slowly fell to the ground in the snow.

He didn't face it.

The current situation made Enlan Dazhalugong realize that An Lushan could not defeat the Heavenly General.

It is also clear that after the annihilation of the Tibetan army of 100,000, the old aristocratic forces and the monk clan will rise up, and they will attack Mashang Zhongbajie under the slogan of supporting Chidai Zhudan.

But Mashang Zhongbajie will definitely not sit still and wait for death. He will fight back together with the Bon believers and the new military households.

Every last drop of Tubo’s blood will be squeezed dry.

Enlan Dazhalugong didn't want to be captured, nor did he want to face it.

Following the Mother of All Gods of Bon religion, he has achieved spiritual liberation.

At this moment, Enlan Dazhalugong had one ear in the sky and the other on the ground.

Countless people were shouting "big talk", but Enlan Dazhalugong could no longer hear them...

His last thought was of his lifelong enemy Li Xuan, ruling the snowy plateau.

Li Xuan issued an order to the nobles to hold a meeting. In the Yuji Xiaoma Garden, he split the Tubo that had been unified with great difficulty and named it mountains and rivers.

The moment Enlan Dazhalugong closed his eyes completely, there was no more "Ma Chongying" in the world.

"The Great Theory..."

Compared with the ministers of state and generals, Enlan Dazhalugong's personal guards cried out in grief.

"Puff...Puff..."

Dozens of personal guards committed suicide in front of Enlan Dazhalugong's body.

They received the grace of Enlan Dazhalukkon and also believed in Bon religion.

With the end of Enlan Dazhalugong, the unwilling Tibetan officials announced their surrender to the Tang army.

Only when the horn of surrender sounded throughout the venue did the Tibetan infantry stop their meaningless resistance.

Only a few cavalrymen still dreamed of breaking through and escaping, but their fate was doomed to be tragic.

The next morning, the battle was completely over.

Except for a very small number of cavalrymen who escaped in the chaos, most of the others were killed or captured.

Enlan Dazhalugong's body was also brought to Duan Xueshi.

Duan Xueshi ordered his men to capture Enlan Dazhalugong's head and report the victory to Chang'an.

A few days later, after cleaning up the battlefield, Duan Xueshi personally wrote the battle report and sent the damaged horses to Chang'an.

In this battle, 55,000 Tubo people were killed directly and indirectly, and more than 50,000 were captured.

Twenty-six thousand war horses, more than thirty thousand cattle, sheep and camels were seized, and the rest of the military supplies were insignificant.

More than 2,000 Tang soldiers belonging to the Baihai and Qinghai Military Governor's Offices died, and more than 5,000 were injured or sick.

More than 4,000 people belonging to the Hu tribe died, and more than 5,000 were injured or sick.

Overall it's a big win.

It is a rare military achievement since the founding of the Tang Dynasty and has great strategic significance.

At the same time, Duan Xueshi also proposed a strategy and presented it to Li Xuan.

He obtained some internal information of Tibet from Tibetan captives.

and the conflicts between the old nobility and the new nobility, the Bon believers.

The young Tibetan king was sidelined by Mashang Zhongbajie, and the old Tibetan king was imprisoned.

Having been in business for ten years, under normal circumstances no one can shake Kanmaxiang Zhongbajie's prestige.

But it's different now.

When he first came to power, Maxiang Zhongbajie suppressed the nobility, the Shang clan, and Buddhism in order to consolidate his power and eliminate the impact of the Battle of Dafeichuan, and to enhance the status of the household registration and warriors.

This made the people support Mashang Zhongbajie.

Duan Xueshi believes that Mashang Zhongbajie still has certain strength.

The old aristocratic groups and the fallen Shang clan will take the opportunity to attack Mashang Zhongbajie.

Civil war in Tubo is inevitable.

After the victory of this battle, the Tang Dynasty should have shown an attitude of calm and asked for gold, silver and jewelry from Tubo, so that the Tubo people would think that the Tang Dynasty would not enter Tubo.

After the Tang Dynasty obtained gold, silver and jewelry, it sat back and watched the civil strife in Tubo.

When Tubo is completely exhausted, we can send our army in and destroy Tubo without any effort, thus eliminating the border threat forever.

Nowadays, there are many Tibetans in the Tang Dynasty, and they can easily obtain maps of Tibet and information about nobles and nobles.

After ten years of preparation, we have cultivated sharp warriors from the plateau.

The snowy plateau can no longer stop the Han people.

……

In early December, snow fell in Chang'an, like broken jade flowers scattered all over the eaves of the palace, and all the pavilions and terraces were covered with white gauze.

When Li Xuan was handling government affairs in the Secretariat, he received the battle report from Duan Xueshi.

When Enlan Dazhalug's head was sent to Chang'an a few days ago, Li Xuan sent a message on horseback to order the Beiting Army to return to Beiting Tianshan as usual and there was no need to provide support.

Duan Xueshi and Nan Jiyun did not disappoint Li Xuan's trust in them. They completed a beautiful annihilation battle and dealt a fatal blow to Tubo, which was just gaining momentum.

After reading the battle report and Duan Xueshi's strategic suggestions, Li Xuan summoned Prime Minister Li Xian, Minister of War Feng Changqing, and Vice Minister Cen Shen to the Council of State for discussion.

They all agreed that Duan Xueshi's policy was feasible.

If there is a serious internal conflict in Tubo, perhaps next year we can order the Baihai and Qinghai armies to send troops to Tubo and attack Huanglong directly.

Managing Tibet is extremely important to the Tang Dynasty.

During this era, Tibet had a warm climate suitable for farming.

The most critical concept of Tubo has not yet been fully formed, and it is the best time to localize it.

Immediately afterwards, Li Xuan issued an edict to praise generals such as Duan Xueshi, Nan Jiyun, Li Sheng, and Qu Huan, and commend the bravery of all the soldiers.

He would reward the soldiers generously and have the Ministry of War send officials to investigate the wounded, disabled and killed in battle, and provide pensions to the soldiers.

Governors and generals will no longer report on the wounded, disabled or dead soldiers.

It’s not that I don’t trust Nan Jiyun and Duan Xueshi, but I want to standardize the system and prevent any more loopholes.

Li Xuan also issued an edict to the King of Bailang Qiang and the King of Subi, praising them for their contributions to cooperating with the Tang Dynasty, exempting them from taxes for two years, and rewarding each of them with 5,000 pieces of silk and 300 pieces of Shu brocade.

Other tribes belonging to the Tang Dynasty will also be rewarded according to their contributions.

Li Xuan also conferred honors on Nan Jiyun and Duan Xiushi.

Nan Jiyun was granted the title of General of the State, Supreme Pillar of the State, Duke of Qi, and the Jade Unicorn Medal!
Duan Xiushi was awarded the title of Purple Gold Guanglu Dafu, Shangzhuguo, and Duke of Wei. He was awarded the Jade Lin Medal!
Li Sheng was appointed as the deputy governor of Baihai Governor's Office, granted the titles of General Yunhui, Zhuguo, Duke of Baihai County, and awarded the Medal of Hero!

Qu Huan was appointed as the governor of Qinghai Governor's Office, and was granted the title of General Guide, the title of Upper Guardian, and the title of Duke of Huangshui County. He was awarded the Hero Medal!
Dozens of other generals were rewarded, including Prince Subi, Chang Qing and other Hu generals, who were awarded medals of warriors and promoted to higher positions.

Li Xuan ordered the Baihai Military Governor's Office and the Qinghai Military Governor's Office to expand their armies to 30,000, including 20,000 cavalry.

As for the soldiers, they will be recruited by the Ministry of War in Longyou and sent to various tribes in due course.

He asked Duan Xueshi and Nan Jiyun to comfort the soldiers and prepare them for battle.

Always pay attention to the movements of Tubo. It would be best if you could win over some nobles in Tubo and find out military intelligence.

The Tibetan captives are all excellent labor force.

They were escorted to Hexi to repair and widen the road from Dunhuang to Chang'an.

As for the desert after leaving Dunhuang, it cannot be overhauled for the time being, so the only thing they can do is to add more post stations along the oases to keep it completely under the control of the Tang Dynasty.

In mid-December, Lai Chen led a large army into Shu.

Zhang Xing set out from Chang'an and would not arrive until next year.

The moment when Duan Xueshi and Nan Jiyun defeated Tubo.

The Tibetan army that entered Xichuan was doomed to be defeated.

Their logistics would inevitably be overwhelmed, and the news of the Northern Expedition's failure would be enough to turn the Tibetan army, whose morale was high, into a frost-bitten eggplant.

Lai Zhen entered Shu County with 15,000 troops.

Among them, ten thousand were elite troops, and five thousand were new soldiers recruited in Shannan.

He immediately followed the prince's imperial edict to deprive Cui Yuan of his command of Shu and drove Cui Yuan back to Chang'an.

Lai Zhen took out Li Xuan's imperial edict, which stated in black and white that he was appointed governor of Shu County, commanding the county troops, border troops, and local militia in Jiannan Road.

In addition, Lai Zhen had a large number of troops and 5,000 cavalry. Even if Shu County was dissatisfied, it did not dare to resist.

Who made Cui Yuan make such a mess?

In late December, Lai Chen set out from Shu County and headed for Jiulong City in Mengyang County.

The Tubo Eastern Marshal did not continue to attack in two directions as Cui Yuan had expected.

Instead, they combined their troops and attacked Mengyang County together.

They attempted to plunder Mengyang County and then enter Shu County.

Jiulong City was the capital of Mengyang County and was a large city.

The Tubo army launched an offensive with cavalry and attacked the city directly, thinking that Jiulong would be as easy to attack as the previous small city.

They had wild ideas and looked down on Jiulong, which had tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

The defeated border troops and the local militia spontaneously organized by the people to defend the city caused the Tubo people, who had no heavy siege equipment, to suffer heavy losses.

Even the Tubo, which was at its peak in history, found it difficult to capture Mengyang.

Since ancient times, the people of Xichuan have regarded Tubo as a great enemy and have been on guard against it, and they have united to defend their homeland.

Sometimes, population is also a kind of strategic depth.

The county with only a few thousand people was occupied by Tubo in an instant, and Tubo could not move an inch in Mengyang County with a population of more than 300,000.

After hitting a wall at Jiulong City, the Tubo Marshal ordered Tubo to take a detour and attack Daojiang City in front of Tuojiang River, a tributary of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Daojiang City was built along the river. Although it was not a county seat, its population was no less than that of Jiulong. The Tubo people besieged and attacked it for more than ten days but still failed to break through.

During this period, they heard the news that Enlan Dazhalugong was killed in the battle of Baihai and the entire army was wiped out.

The logistics were no longer guaranteed, and the Tang army had fortified their defenses and cleared the countryside, making it difficult for them to rob.

The terrified Tibetan marshal retreated quickly.

Unfortunately, Lai Chen, who was worried about the safety of Mengyang, led 5,000 cavalry to Tuojiang River first.

Daojiang Ling reported to Laizhen that Tubo had retreated.

After hearing about the battle situation in Mengyang, Lai Zhen believed that Tubo had been fighting for a long time and could not make any progress, and that the morale of the Tubo people was now weakening. He made a prompt decision and ordered the cavalry to cross the Tuojiang River.

Before the infantry arrived, Lai Chen led 5,000 cavalrymen in pursuit, accompanied by Li Baozhen, a minor general.

After An Lushan's rebellion, An Zhongzhang and An Taixuan were ashamed to have the same surname as An Lushan, and asked Li Xuan to change their names.

Li Xuan changed An Zhongzhang to Li Baoyu and An Taixuan to Li Baozhen.

The invading Tibetan army had both cavalry and infantry, and their marching speed could not match that of the Tang army.

At Yulei Mountain, Lai Zhen encountered the Tubo army.

He ordered Li Baozhen to lead a team of light cavalry as a detachment to show weakness to the enemy and lure out the Tibetan cavalry.

When the Tibetan cavalry arrived to pursue, Lai Chen led his troops to suddenly attack and defeated the Tibetan cavalry.

Upon seeing this, the Tubo marshal ignored his infantry and fled in panic, causing chaos in the infantry formation.

Lai Zhen took advantage of the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, beheaded more than 5,000 people, and captured more than 15,000 people.

Immediately afterwards, Lai Zhen sent generals to enter the Xichuan counties occupied by Tubo.

The Tibetan defenders fled at the sight of the enemy and did not dare to hold their ground.

At this point, Jiaochuan County, Jingchuan County, Weichuan County, Pengshan County, and Yunshan County were all recovered.

There was no point for the Tang army to occupy further west.

There are thousands of ravines and gullies here, which is not suitable for living and can only be used for garrison.

If you want to occupy it, just cross the thousands of ravines and occupy the core of Tubo.

In the middle of the first month of the sixteenth year of the Tianbao period, Lai Zhen brought the victory letter of the pacification of Xichuan to Chang'an.

(End of this chapter)