The Great Tang General

After the fall of the Bohai Kingdom, Li Guangbi treated the nobles such as Yizhenmeng and Yiwanfu differently, even though they offered their capital to him.

When Xianzhou City was captured, the nobles surrendered out of necessity.

Now that Zhen Meng and Yi Wanfu have made great contributions in surrendering the city, they have saved the Tang soldiers from death and injury. Li Guangbi, Guo Ziyi and Wang Sili have discussed and decided to report this to the emperor truthfully, record their merits and reward them.

As long as they follow the will of the Supreme Being, they will gain new wealth and honor.

Guo Ziyi ordered Xue Jianxun, the chief secretary of the Taiyuan Military Governor's Office, to escort Daqinmao, Wuzuoge and other Bohai and Mohe nobles back to Chang'an for disposal by the Supreme Emperor.

Although Bohai was destroyed, the Shiwei and Heishui Mohe were not pacified.

This time, Guo Ziyi was appointed by Li Xuan as the Marshal to Pacify the Northeast. Naturally, he could not just destroy Bohai and then stop.

But winter had come, and it was no longer suitable to attack northwards.

Otherwise it will cause unnecessary casualties.

The army first set up camp in Bohai to prepare supplies and rest.

In the spring of the second year of Qianyuan, when the ice and snow melted, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and Wang Sili received an imperial edict from Li Xuan, allowing them to advance.

Guo Ziyi stationed Wang Sili's troops in Bohai, cooperating with Yizhenmeng, Yiwanfu, Gao Buping and other civil and military officials originally from Bohai, to stabilize the fifteen prefectures and three independent states of Bohai.

Guo Ziyi personally led the Taiyuan army to attack the Shiwei tribe.

Li Guangbi personally led the Fanyang Army and the Xi, Khitan and other vassal armies to conquer the Heishui Mohe.

Now the territories of Shiwei and Heishui Mohe are crumbling. They will collapse with a slight push from the elite cavalry of the Tang army.

Faced with the pursuit of the Tang Dynasty, the only options were to move away from their homeland or hide in the vast mountains and plains.

The great chieftain of the Shiwei tribe, Moheduo, lost all his prestige in the Shiwei tribe due to the heavy loss of his troops and horses.

After he returned to the Shiwei tribe, the tribes instantly split up, and many small leaders no longer obeyed Moheduo's command.

Some Shiwei tribes were unwilling to abandon the land on which they depended for survival, and also knew that the journey to the west was difficult, so they prepared to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

Some resolutely moved westward and entered the territory belonging to the Uighurs.

Moheduo had no choice. He no longer had the ability to use force to intimidate other tribes into obedience.

After much deliberation, he decided to migrate further north with his immediate tribe and close associates.

The situation of the Heishui Mohe was even worse, because Wu Zuoge had great prestige among the 18 tribes of the Heishui Mohe.

After he was arrested, the eighteen tribes of the Heishui Mohe fell into complete chaos.

After they returned, they did not think about fighting against the Tang Dynasty, but about fighting for power and profit.

The Tieli and Funie tribes, under the slogan of pacifying the country before fighting the enemy, took advantage of their powerful tribal advantages and entered Boli Prefecture (now Birobidzhan) of the Heishui governor's office, and expelled the Wuzuo tribe from their dominance over the Heishui Mohe.

And subdue other tribes to obey them.

But after the Tieli and Funie tribes won, because of the uneven distribution of the spoils, everyone wanted to become the new chief, and the two sides fought each other.

Against this background, Li Guangbi led an expeditionary force into Boli Prefecture and easily wiped out the rebellious Heishui Mohe tribe.

He knew that some tribes were hiding between the Black Mountains and the White Waters, so he ordered them to surrender to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible and not to resist stubbornly.

Li Guangbi followed Li Xuan's order and established Heishui County after occupying Bolizhou.

The Heishui Commandery originally established by the Tang Dynasty had long since been disrecognized.

He also ordered the Pinglu Military Governor's Office to set up a Black Water Army with 5,000 cavalry.

Build Blackwater City with captives.

In the future, more people will be immigrated to Heishui County to ensure that the Tang Dynasty can gain a firm foothold in the Heishui County area.

In the autumn of the second year of Qianyuan, Li Guangbi led two thousand cavalrymen to the territory that originally belonged to the Junli tribe. This is the lower reaches of the Heishui River and is close to the North Sea (now the Sea of ​​Okhotsk).

According to Li Xuan's instructions, Beibing County was established in Junlibu, and the Beibing Army was set up with a thousand soldiers.

And open up fixed routes and circle pastures.

In the summer of the third year of Qianyuan, Li Guangbi led his troops from Beibing County, crossed the sea and attacked the Kushuo tribe (now Sakhalin Island), one of the 18 tribes of the Heishui Mohe.

Under the leadership of the Mohe captives, Li Guangbi quickly captured the Kushuo tribe and planted the Golden Dragon Flag of the Tang Dynasty on the island.

According to Li Xuan's instructions, Li Guangbi changed the name of the cave to Whale Island.

Establish Whale County!
He also performed sacrifices to heaven on the northern plains of Whale Island and ordered craftsmen to carve stones to record his achievements.

According to Li Xuan's plan, in the summer of the fourth year of Qianyuan, Li Guangbi moved the population of the island to the southernmost plain of Jingdao Island and established the Jing County station there. He also replanned the channel for the tower ships.

Compared to the north, the winters here are milder due to the endless mountains behind it.

The flat terrain not only allows for the establishment of pastures for grazing, but also allows for the cultivation of corn and vegetables after the land is reclaimed.

As it is adjacent to the Whale Sea in the south, people here can make a living by fishing. Even the Mohe people of the Kushuo tribe have a tradition of going out to sea to fish.

Li Guangbi led the nobles of Qushuo away from Jingdao, and finally returned to Chang'an in the autumn of the fourth year of Qianyuan...

Jing County established the Jing Navy, which had 500 soldiers and horses.

In the future, some of the exiled Han criminals will be relocated to Jing County and then explore the entire Jing Island.

There was a legend in later generations that when Li Guangbi arrived at Kushuobu by boat, he saw a whale leaping into the sea, so he reported it to the emperor, and thus the name came from it.

……

When Li Guangbi, Guo Ziyi and Wang Sili first began to sweep across the Northeast.

August 1st, the first year of the Qianyuan period.

Marshal Nan Jiyun and Deputy Marshal Duan Xueshi, following Li Xuan's edict, crossed the Bayankala Mountains and launched a war of annihilation against Tubo in order to resolve the southwestern border problem in one fell swoop.

The troops in this line were mainly composed of the Baihai Navy and the Qinghai Navy.

They were assisted by the Subi, Tongjia, Tuyuhun, Bailang Qiang, Dangxiang, and Shanhe tribes.

There were also some Tibetan captives who surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

They will enter the snowy plateau together with the Tang army.

A total of more than 80,000 soldiers and horses were dispatched, with a total of more than 120,000 war horses, steeds, dromedaries, mules, etc.

It was a long march, and there were many cattle and sheep for the soldiers to eat.

The situation in Tubo is now very clear. Under the pretext of rescuing Chidai Zhudan and Trisong Detsen, the old aristocratic forces have united with the group that is dissatisfied with Mashang Zhongbajie and raised an army.

At first, Maxiang Zhongba Jiezhong was on par with the old aristocratic forces.

But at the most critical moment, Mashang Zhongbajie contacted the Zhangzhung Kingdom and struck back at the old aristocratic forces, thus laying the foundation for his own victory.

Then, after several fierce battles, the army of the old aristocracy was repelled.

It offset the old aristocratic forces' desire to attack the city of Logia.

However, the "military households" supported by Mashang Zhongbajie and the "Bon religion" tribe were also severely damaged.

Without Enlan Dazhalugong to share the pressure with Maxiang Zhongbajie, he would be unable to do many things.

After returning to Lhasa City from Nangba to suppress the rebellion again, Mashang Zhongbajie came to Hongshan Palace with a tired body.

"Tibet is so fragile now!"

He felt deeply that the once powerful Tubo had been shattered.

Songtsen Gampo once unified the tribes on the snowy plateau and established the concept of Tubo.

Tubo has always been the eagle of the snow-covered land.

They cherish the treasure land given by God and accumulate their own beliefs through hard work and courage.

The efforts of successive Zamps and Dalons enabled them to conquer one tribe after another.

They were ambitious, and their biggest strategy was to control the Hexi Corridor and annex the Western Regions.

Build an empire comparable to the Tang Dynasty.

During the Chidai Zhudan period, the country was strong, with hundreds of thousands of warriors, and it had constant victories and defeats with the Tang Dynasty.

It was not until that man arrived in Longyou that Tubo’s nightmare began.

In just a few years, Tubo lost 500,000 soldiers and horses, and went from being a prosperous country to being populated by only the elderly, the weak and the sick.

The tribes that took more than a hundred years to conquer were all dispersed in one day.

The great Zamp was imprisoned in Chang'an for nearly ten years and was ridiculed by the Tang people.

This was the first time that a country paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty.

Even during the period of marriage alliance, the two countries were only allies.

Pay tribute every year and come to the court every year.

The Tubo people's wealth was emptied, so that when Tubo wanted to resist, they did not have enough fighting spirit.

Although Maxiang Zhongbajie was a powerful official who played political games and undermined the monarch, he had a strong desire to strengthen the country.

He thought he could take advantage of the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty to achieve his revenge.

Once again, the entire army was annihilated, completely shattering Mashang Zhongbajie's hopes.

As a great theorist, I wanted to turn the tide and save the collapsing building.

But now, is there any hope for the entire Tubo?
Exhausted both physically and mentally, Maxiang Zhongbajie came to the Bon temple in Hongshan Palace and met Master Suoli.

Master Soli is the most respected master in Yungdrung Bon religion, and even Mashang Zhongbajie has to respect him.

"Why did the great theory come?"

Master Suoli bowed to Maxiang Zhongbajie and asked.

"Am I still the great theorist of the country, am I still the Maxiang of the Zamp?"

The confused Maxiang Zhongbajie asked Master Suoli.

"The big theory should still be!"

After a moment's silence, Master Suoli replied to Maxiang Zhongbajie.

How could there be such a big theory about imprisoning the Zamp?
Maxiang means "uncle".

Originally, Mashang Zhongbajie was called Nanang Zhongbajie. Because he was the uncle of Trisong Detsen, he could change his name to Mashang Zhongbajie.

What uncle would imprison his nephew?

When Mashang Zhongbajie asked this question, he was deceiving himself.

"After pacifying Nangba, when we passed Tangla Mountain, an avalanche occurred and more than a dozen warriors were buried in the snow and could not be found."

"Master, may I ask, is this my fate or the fate of Tubo?"

Maxiang Zhongbajie asked Master Suoli again.

This is where he is unwilling and worried.

Bon religion worships nature, including the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, lakes, cattle, sheep, animals, etc. Its main rituals include dancing, sacrifices, divination, chanting and exorcism.

Therefore, avalanche, a normal natural phenomenon, is considered by Mashang Zhongbajie to be a sign from God.

He and Enlan Dazhalugong were both devout Bon believers and cracked down on temples that promoted Buddhism.

Even the Zamp would not allow it.

Therefore, this avalanche incident made Mashang Zhongbajie question his life.

"The gods are angry, but Dalun has been working hard for Bon religion, protecting the gods and believers. The gods will forgive Dalun's mistakes."

The master was no exception and spoke to Mashang Zhongbajie against his will.

It is precisely because Mashang Zhongbajie prevented Buddhism from entering the snowy plateau that Bon religion has been able to maintain its current status.

Master Suoli also hopes that the Bon Church will have more and more believers and more people will believe in the power of heaven and earth.

Maxiang Zhongbajie shook his head. He knew that he could not find the answer from Master Suoli.

Perhaps Master Soli's understanding of Bon religion is not as good as Enlan Dazhaglukong's.

Just as Maxiang Zhongbajie was leaving the hall, Master Suoli suddenly spoke again: "If we can preserve the Bon religion, the great achievements of the Great Theory will be no less than those of Master Xinrao Miwo..."

This made Mashang Zhongbajie stop in his tracks.

Master Tsongkhapa is the founder of Bon religion, which is more than two thousand years old.

The demise of Tubo meant that Bon religion and its flourishing temples might be cut off.

Master Soli's words were ambiguous.

It seems that the answer has been told to Maxiang Zhongbajie.

Master Suoli also had concerns.

He feared that an avalanche was the fate of the Bon religion!
Back in the house, Maxiang Zhongbajie had another sleepless night. He always had a bad premonition.

Kemaxiang Zhongbajie came from that era and witnessed the Battle of Dayuechuan. When he thought of that godlike man, despair followed him like a shadow, just like this long night, with no sign of dawn.

That night, Mashang Zhongbajie had another dream.

The scene of the avalanche reappeared in his dream.

He woke up from his dream, feeling short of breath, and quickly opened the window.

"Whoosh..."

When the cold wind blew, Mashang Zhongbajie leaned against the window and breathed a sigh of relief.

There were no stars in the sky and the house was dark.

Maxiang Zhongbajie immediately ordered the female slave to light the candles.

Facing the candlelight, he could no longer fall asleep, with the scene of the avalanche all over his mind.

Before daybreak, Mashang Zhongbajie ran to Chidai Zhudan's residence in Hongshan Palace.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"Old Zanpu, the great theorist is here to pay his respects!"

Chidai Zhudan was still asleep when he heard the maid calling him.

He was so scared that he jumped out of bed, thinking that the traitor Mashang Zhongbajie was going to kill him.

Otherwise, why would you arrive before dawn?

But Chidai Zhudan had to go see Mashang Zhongbajie.

Putting on his clothes and feeling nervous, Chidai Zhudan summoned Mashang Zhongbajie to the side hall.

"After the Battle of Dafeichuan, our Tibetan army was only left with tens of thousands of soldiers. After ten years, we finally recovered to 200,000 troops, but due to the return of the Zamp, it was destroyed in an instant. Now Tibetans are not as strong as they were ten years ago. Tibetans' national strength has been drained. Don't you know Li Xuan's conspiracy? Why did you come back?"

Mashang Zhongbajie has always been well-mannered, but when he met Chidai Zhudan again, he did not greet him but scolded him harshly.

Tubo has been cut off for a generation.

The name "Tibetan Tubo" can no longer unite the people.

Some tribes that hated Tubo, carrying their children and the elderly, crossed the Bayankala Mountains and joined the Baihai of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, Maxiang Zhongbajie attributed the current situation to Chidai Zhudan who only wanted to seize power.

Li Xuan saw that Chidai Zhudan was just like Li Longji and was unwilling to be lonely.

A small conspiracy caused Tubo to fall apart.

"You don't even understand what Zamp means? Why are you questioning me?"

"Aren't you and I the same kind of people?"

Chidai Zhudan retorted to Mashang Zhongbajie.

It was too late when he woke up. He admitted that he loved power, but didn’t Maxiang Zhongbajie love it?

Mashang Zhongbajie excluded dissidents and, together with Enlan Dazhalugong, undermined the power of the Zamp, which was an unforgivable crime.

"Wow... I feel so ashamed of my ancestors..."

After being accused by Chidai Zhudan, Mashang Zhongbajie suddenly knelt down and cried.

The posture is like that of a devout Bon believer venerating the gods.

He didn't come here to criticize Chidai Zhudan at all.

Mashang Zhongbajie was from the Nanang clan, and was determined to lead the Nanang clan to become the most prominent noble clan in Tubo.

As early as when Xibuye first established the Tubo state in Yalong, the "Nanang clan" was already a vassal of Xibuye Zamp.

His ancestor Nanang Zanxiongjia once used a Tibetan mastiff smeared with poison to poison the usurper Luo Ang.

At that time, the Nanang family was a loyal and brave family.

The Nanang family originated from the Yalong area and was the absolute backbone of the Tubo royal family.

When Songtsen Gampo formulated the "Three Shangs and One Theory", he said that "the upper part of the Molu clan (Gyaltsen Sengge), the lower part of the Chen clan (Gyaltsen Xieding), the middle part of the Nanang clan (Nanang Jiagan), and the one theory is the Wei clan (Jisandana)".

All of these demonstrate the long-standing status of the Nanang family and their loyalty to the royal family.

But in the generation of Maxiang Zhongbajie, although his sister became the queen of Chidai Zhudan, Maxiang Zhongbajie also turned the tables and seized power.

The adversity with no hope in sight made Mashang Zhongbajie repent.

The Nang family is no longer qualified to be loyal subjects.

Chidai Zhudan also understood that Mashang Zhongbajie was definitely not kneeling to him or admitting his mistakes to him.

Seeing how devout Mashang Zhongbajie was, Chidai Zhudan was also deeply saddened.

He finally remembered that it was his "ambition" that pushed Tubo into the abyss.

In terms of cause and effect, he was the main culprit for the decline of Tubo.

As Chidai Zhudan thought about it, tears welled up in her eyes.

"The Tang army will wait until we are both defeated and injured before entering the Snowy Plateau. Now that we are both defeated and injured and struggling to survive, their troops should be arriving soon. Do you think a miracle will happen?"

After the king and his ministers cried for a while, Mashang Zhongbajie wiped his tears and asked Chidai Zhudan.

Li Xuan's strategies are closely linked.

They knew exactly what the Tang army was doing, yet they were led by the nose.

Last year, after the defeat in the Battle of Baihai, they had to pay a large amount of gold as compensation to the Tang State.

It just brought a little peace of mind.

"I will send a message to the Laru and Yeru tribes to stop the civil war and go all out to fight the possible Tang army."

The country that Chidai Zhudan founded for his ancestors chose to compromise with Mashang Zhongbajie at this moment.

"Do you really think those people who shouted the banner of rescuing the old Zanpu are doing it for you?"

Mashang Zhongbajie asked back.

Those old aristocratic forces were only trying to overthrow him and put him in power.

As generations of young men died in battle, Chidai Zhudan became infamous in Tubo.

When the elderly, women and children think of the Ruler Belt and Pearl Dan, they think of their dead sons, husbands, and fathers...

"The Tang army has traveled a long way, and it will take about three months to reach Luoshui City after passing through the Bayankala Pass. We can take advantage of their fatigue and attack them by surprise. Li Xuan is now the king of a country, and it is impossible for him to lead the army personally."

"Since ancient times, there have been countless stories of a few defeating the many. These stories often happened in times of crisis. We are in such a predicament now."

Chidai Zhudan sighed.

If Tubo cannot be preserved, he will die with regret.

"To defeat a larger force with a smaller one, we must first unite against the enemy. Do we have what it takes?"

Maxiang Zhongbajie shook his head and said.

When the soldiers heard about the Tang army, they no longer felt hatred, but were so scared that they peed their pants.

How can we fight back against the Tang army under such circumstances?

The Tang Dynasty captured too many Tibetans, even great theorists like Mo Jie Sang Dongzebu worked for the Tang Dynasty.

They were well aware of the mountainous terrain of the snowy plateau, and that an ambush would be extremely difficult.

"Do you want to hand over Luoshui City to the Tang Dynasty, like Dongzebu did, and become a vassal of the Tang Dynasty?"

Chidai Zhudan stared at Mashang Zhongbajie.

What he could not accept the most was this result.

The thing he feared most for the rest of his life was going to Chang'an again.

At every banquet, Li Longji would "invite" him to the banquet in a ostentatious manner.

Foreign envoys pointed fingers at him, and princes and nobles laughed at him.

The graceful music, the singing and dancing, and the fragrant wine did not arouse the slightest interest in him.

Having gone through repeated torment, when Li Xuan released him, he was eager to return home regardless of the consequences.

“This is where I have a hard time deciding!”

He neither denied nor agreed.

After the avalanche, the fatigue of years made Maxiang Zhongbajie, an ambitious man, feel like retreating.

Ten years ago, he joined forces with Enlan Dazhalugong to wipe out the Mo and Lang families and gain power.

Now the people of the Mo and Lang clans are worse than pigs and dogs.

If he fails again, the fate of the Nang family may be even worse than that of the Lang and Mo families.

After hope, repeated disappointments lead to despair.

"No... The snowy plateau was conquered by Songtsen Gampo. If we hand it over to others, the snow-capped mountains will collapse."

Chidai Zhudan grabbed Maxiang Zhongbajie and said.

He wanted Mashang Zhongbajie to give it another try.

They, the Tubo, can keep failing, but as long as they win once in the Snowy Plateau, they can stop the Tang army from thinking of entering the Snowy Plateau.

Having lost the will to attack, they only wanted to defend their land.

"The snow mountain collapsed ten years ago; Tubo was destroyed a year ago. Songtsen Gampo only subdued the yak with a spear. Is he as great as Li Xuan who tore a tiger apart with his bare hands?"

"Li Xuan will definitely destroy Tubo. The gods have already predicted what choice I should make. It's just that my heart is struggling."

Maxiang Zhongbajie replied to Chidai Zhudan.

The ruler, belt and pearl are dejected!

He seemed to see the end of Tubo.

He is the real king who lost his country.

"Report... Report to you, old Zamp, the scouts have reported that the Tang army has crossed the mountain pass and is following the main road between Tang and Tibet, heading south into the snowy plateau. The sentries and garrisons along the way are simply unable to stop them."

At this moment, a young Tubo minister rushed into the hall and reported the military situation to Mashang Zhongbajie.

The Tibetan scouts have now brought news that the Tang army has entered the snowy plateau for at least half a month, or even nearly a month.

Mashang Zhongbajie mobilized almost all the troops he could to the vicinity of Lhasa City to quell the rebellion.

Only 1,800 soldiers were left in the north.

Maxiang Zhongbajie knew that no matter how many people stayed, they would not be enough for the Tang army to kill.

Are there any strong men in Tubo who can withstand the consumption?
Just leave the north undefended.

"How many soldiers and horses did the Tang army bring?"

After Mashang Zhongbajie felt relieved, he asked calmly.

"According to the scouts, the Tang army's troops are everywhere in the mountains and valleys. They set up camp at night and the view is like a sea of ​​stars. There are hundreds of thousands of horses and camels in front of them. The neighing of horses brought by the long wind can be heard from more than ten miles away."

Xiao Gongjun replied to Maxiang Zhongbajie, in a word, it is more.

The Tang army made adequate preparations to destroy Tubo.

The soldiers trained over the past ten years enabled the Tang army to adapt to the cold miasma at high altitudes.

The emergence of cotton-padded clothes, cotton socks and gloves enabled the Tang army to better resist the cold than the Tubo army.

"Zanpu, I can only wait outside the city of Lhasa for the Tang army to arrive."

Maxiang Zhongbajie said to Chidai Zhudan with a smile.

Including the imperial guards and slaves, he now has only 20,000 soldiers and horses in total.

Once these troops left the city of Lhasa.

Those old aristocratic forces will immediately occupy this place.

The battle had reached this point, involving issues of faith, and it was no longer possible for Mashang Zhongbajie to unite with the old aristocratic forces to fight the enemy.

If the Tang army's "100,000 soldiers and horses" arrived outside the city of Lhasa, it would be meaningless for him to gather all the soldiers and horses to defend it.

The city of Loksop was never known for its defense.

Mashang Zhongbajie has already made his choice in his heart.

(End of this chapter)