The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 766: Snow Mountain Flying Across the Ages

In February, winter goes and spring comes, but this is only in the Han area. For the north and south of Mount Sumeru (the Himalayas), spring in February does not exist at all.

Usually, in May and June, the waist and above of Mount Xumi are still covered with heavy snow, with no sign of the arrival of spring.

This is the case outside Jilong Sect. This castle is close to the north of Mount Xumi and the conditions are very harsh. Even in summer, there is not much greenery to be seen. Everywhere you look, there is a grayish-yellow color.

Not to mention at this time, the sky and the earth are all covered with white snow. The only difference is that the high places are covered with snow, while the low places are covered with thin ice frozen in the ground.

At this time in Qiangtang, many place names were followed by the word "Zong", which means castle or fortress in Tibetan, so Jilong Zong is actually Jilong Fort.

Of course, there are different sizes of clans. Those who rule large clans, such as the Qiongjie clan and the Renben clan, are great nobles, while those who rule small border clans like the Jilong clan are low-level nobles.

The sound of horse hooves was heard, and the new Jilong Zong Zongben Zhaxi Doji led his warhorse to the tent of Fu Kang'an, the deputy general of the Pingkuo Zong.

This younger sister was made into Ajiegu. Her mother was a slave who starved to death. She was gifted and grew to be very tall and strong even though she had almost no food to eat.

Therefore, he was immediately noticed by Zheng Zongguang, a great criminal expert of the White Lotus Sect, and he went from being a slave to becoming the leader of the Jilong Sect.

"Have you figured out the situation downstream?" Fu Kang'an's arrogance as a bannerman nobleman has been almost worn away over the years.

In the original history, officials like the county magistrate or even the prefect would be whipped if they disagreed with someone, but now, they can be kind to a small vassal who had just risen from a slave.

"General, I've figured it out." Zhaxi Doji quickly got up, then took out the map he had drawn and showed it to Fu Kangan point by point.

"The Jilong River in our Jilong Dzong leads all the way to the northwest of Yangbu (Kathmandu), almost passing by the city of Yangbu.

If the army marches south from Zongben City, thirty miles away is the Gurkha people's Resoma City. Here, the Jilong River is called the Resuo River by them. There is only one wooden floating bridge on the Resuo River. The rest of the places are high in mountains and fast in water, making it impossible to pass.

At the foot of Solala Mountain on the north bank of Resuo Bridge, there is an outpost blockhouse and two garrison blockhouses on the south bank. Resuo Bridge is located between the two blockhouses.

If you want to seize the pontoon bridge, you must first capture the blockhouse on the north bank, and then rush across the pontoon bridge under the Gurkha artillery fire on the south bank."

In fact, the Kalimpong River is the source of the Gundag River, one of the main tributaries of the Ganges.

Going south along this river, you can not only reach Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, but also reach Patna, a famous historical city on the Ganges Plain, a holy Hindu city, and the capital of the famous Maurya Empire.

The Khandag River, right in Patna, joins the Ganges.

This river actually has a very close relationship with the Chinese, because in history, when Wang Xuance destroyed a country alone, the troops he borrowed from Tubo took this waterway.

It can even be said that the waterway of the Gendege River was "cleared" by that idiot Wang Xuance with great effort.

Of course, this does not mean that Wang Xuance dredged the Gendag River, but that Wang Xuance was the first person to lead a team through the Gendag River, from Tubo to Nepal and then to the Ganges Plain.

At that time, Tubo was still in the early stages of slavery and had no concept of recording the geography of mountains and rivers. It had no idea whether it was possible to reach India from the Gendeg River.

Why do you think Songtsen Gampo gave Wang Xuance 7,000 cavalrymen so readily? You should know that at that time, Tubo did not have armed herdsmen. There were only more than 30,000 cavalrymen who had horse bows, foot bows, iron swords, and could wear armor.

Songtsen Gampo gave Wang Xuance 7,000 cavalrymen at one time because he was actually moved by what Wang Xuance had in his hands.

Wang Xuance's waterway to India made Songtsen Gampo see infinite possibilities for the future.

Sure enough, after Wang Xuance borrowed troops to destroy Central India, Songtsen Gampo immediately followed suit. On the one hand, he used the threat of the Tang Dynasty to intimidate the Nepalese countries along the way to cooperate, and on the other hand, he used the 7,000 cavalrymen who were familiar with the waterways to go down the mountains all year round to plunder the Ganges Plain and strengthen the Tubo Kingdom.

The rapid rise of the Tubo Empire in history was at least 20% due to the idiot Wang Xuance.

Time flies, and after thousands of years, when Dayu attacked Nepal, it still took this waterway.

Fu Kangan shook his head. "It's not realistic to seize the pontoon bridge. Once we capture the blockhouse at the foot of Solala Mountain on the north bank, the Gurkhas on the south bank will immediately choose to destroy the pontoon bridge."

"General, I doubt they can wait until we go to fight. If the Gurkhas are smart, they will wait until the ice and snow melt and then destroy the pontoon bridge to prevent us from advancing." Wang Lian, the general of the Songpan Town of the Zhenjun Army and a fierce general from Guizhou, said.

Fu Kangan thought for a moment and slowly shook his head, "It's possible, but not very likely, because years ago, the general had already sent an envoy to Yangbu, asking the King of Gurkha to send someone to Resa to apologize.

I think that even if the Gurkhas saw through this delaying tactic, they would not react too violently and dismantle the crucial floating bridge that allowed them to enter Ngari in advance.”

"But if the Gurkhas are so alert, we will be in trouble." Although Fu Kangan is the deputy general of the Pinggu Army, Wang Lian is a Han Chinese.

Moreover, he was a brave general who had made great contributions when the Qing Dynasty conquered Burma and when Duke Dingguo Chen Guangyao conquered the Northeast. He was well-known to the emperor, so Fu Kang'an seemed very polite.

"I see that General Wang seems to be hesitant to speak. Why don't you tell me your opinion?" Fu Kang'an continued. Wang Lian did look like he wanted to say something.

"General, we have entered Qiangtang, serving His Majesty and our country. The conditions here are so harsh. If we continue to waste time, wouldn't it be a waste of our men's suffering?"

Wang Lian was not polite at all. When Fu Kang'an asked him to speak, he immediately stood up and spoke.

"Moreover, a true man should seize this golden opportunity, make a small investment for a big gain, achieve a surprise victory, and achieve unprecedented success.

If we miss this opportunity, how can we ever be able to ennoble our wives and children? I also want to leave a title or fiefdom for my descendants!"

After hearing this, the eyes of the officers in the room lit up. Soldiers, especially those from a rising country, are not afraid of dying in battle, but only afraid of dying in vain.

After all, there are not many opportunities where you can have such a great advantage and have your wife and children blessed with titles. You don’t necessarily die on the battlefield, so it is definitely a profitable business that you can try.

So it is just as Wang Lian said, opportunities are rare, and many times you will miss it forever.

"Hahahaha, you really have great ambitions. I, Fu Kang'an, also want to get a title!" Fu Kang'an said this with a little sadness.

After all, during the Qing Dynasty, even being a duke or even a king was not a big deal for him, let alone a title.

"Since the general agrees, why don't we select 5,000 elite soldiers, take advantage of the heavy snow blocking the mountains and attack the Gurkhas by surprise when they are completely unexpected, rush 200 miles and capture Yangbu directly!" Wang Lian made a rather radical proposal.

“General, at least 60% of your Black Flag Army have either followed Duke Dingguo to defeat the Rakshasa army in the icy snows of the North Sea and Suwu City (Irkutsk), or followed Duke Jingbian Li Xingtai to cross the snow-capped mountains of the Western Tianshan Mountains and raid the Kokand Kingdom.

Of the two thousand Songpan troops under my command, one thousand are Jiarong soldiers from the Jinchuan area, and the other one thousand are fierce Han and Tibetan warriors from the Songpan and Ganzi areas. They were born and raised in the snow-capped mountains, and are hardy and cold-resistant. They are not unfamiliar with this climate.

Since we all have experience crossing the Great Snow Mountain, and with the locals guiding us, what's wrong with just going down the Jilong River Gorge?

Fu Kangan had actually considered this a long time ago, because just as Wang Lian said, the soldiers he was commanding now were all elite veterans who were very good at fighting in the plateau and snowy mountains.

At the same time, although they seemed to have to cross the dangerous mountain of Mount Xumi, they actually did not have to cross the Great Snow Mountain. Instead, they could go straight south through the Jilong River Canyon.

Of course, the journey is still very difficult because the Jilong River has a large drop and many places are difficult to walk on.

At the same time, even in February (March in the Gregorian calendar), the temperature is still between -5 degrees Celsius and +10 degrees Celsius, which is not very friendly.

"I can't make the decision on this matter. I still need to report it to General Luo. He is the commander-in-chief and should be in charge."

Fukang'an swallowed his saliva. He felt in his heart that there was a chance of success this time, but he still forced himself to suppress the desire in his heart.

Crossing Mount Xumi to strike back at the Gurkhas, destroying the country and capturing the king would surely go down in history. If he secretly took the credit, Luo Siju, no matter how magnanimous he was, would definitely hold a grudge against him. It was really not worth it to offend such a beloved general of the emperor.

Fu Kang'an decided in his heart that if Luo Siju chose to stay in Resa, that would be perfect. If he chose to preside over it personally, then he would be enough to be his deputy.

Wang Lian sighed in his heart. If it were any other Han general, he would not leave this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to Luo Siju, but Fu Kangan could not do that. He was a bannerman, and a member of the upper three banners.

Everyone discussed some details and collectively signed the letter requesting to fight. They were about to send the messenger to Resa immediately, but unexpectedly, Luo Siju came himself.

"Hahaha, good!" Luo Siju was wearing a black Tibetan imitation Tang-style robe, which was an outer robe that exposed half of his shoulders and arms. He held up the letter that everyone was preparing for him and laughed loudly.

"Fu Kang'an, you are indeed a talented person that His Majesty is willing to protect. You have courage and insight!"

"Wang Lian, you have lived up to His Majesty's grace and brought honor to the people of Guizhou!"

"Now the country is engaged in wars all over the country. The war in the four Anxi provinces is still going on, and the Xinhua Grand Commandery in Beihezhou is also expanding southward. His Majesty the King of Lu in the west and the Kingdom of France are also seeking help every day.

In recent years, military expenses have been spent like water, and Your Majesty has been unable to sleep day and night. Prime Minister Luo is almost going bald due to anxiety.

We, the soldiers, have received great favor from Your Majesty and are supported by the people. We should be more considerate of the country and it is indeed inappropriate to continue wasting food here."

Luo Siju said, placing the letter on the commander's desk. "Not only do I agree with your battle plan, but I will also go with you. I came all the way from Resa in the snow and wind just for this purpose."

"Great!" Wang Lian's brows lit up, but he quickly hesitated. "What about Resa? Who will take charge when you're gone, General?"

"You don't have to worry about that." Luo Siju waved his hand. "Before the New Year, the Buddha Cihang Pudu took the trouble to rush to Resa and took over all government affairs. The court's minister in Tibet is also on the way."

This is really the same idea, and it is also a common feature of a country's super-rising period. Soldiers feel that they have a future and status, so they are willing to fight for the country and themselves.

On March 13th of the Gregorian calendar, Luo Siju selected 5,000 men from the 18,000 Pingkuo army in Jilongzong, plus 1,000 Tibetan soldiers, a total of 6,000 people, and used a large number of small wooden boats and sleds to pull the baggage and head south from the Jilong River, which is the source of the Gendege River.

Because the Jilong River passes through Mount Xumi (Himalayas), the river canyon is narrow and long, with a huge drop in height.

Although the highest daily temperature in the Jilongzong plain is more than ten degrees, the canyon rarely sees sunlight all year round. The howling cold wind is like a natural refrigerator with extremely low temperatures, so much so that the river water is still frozen.

Although this allowed the army's flat-bottomed boats and sleds to move very quickly on the ice, don't forget that this is in the Sumeru Mountains, where the elevation difference is extremely large.

So, not long after they set off, several flat-bottomed wooden boats lost control and fell into a river channel that was almost like a waterfall.

Luo Siju and others had no choice but to abandon many large flat-bottomed wooden boats and use smaller sleds instead. Then four or five people controlled one sled and used manpower to pull the sled to prevent it from falling into the canyon too quickly and being smashed to pieces.

Although mistakes are inevitable and the sled and the people fall off together, it is still much better than the people being alive but all the supplies are lost.

On March 18, the army walked for more than five days through the Jilong River Gorge, which was only 30 kilometers long. They lost nearly 30% of their supplies and more than 160 soldiers died from falls and freezing to death before they finally walked out of the gorge.

After leaving the canyon, you will enter the territory of Nepal. The Gyirong River is called the Reso River here. The river surface suddenly opens up. Although the temperature is still low, the river water is no longer completely frozen.

Zhaxi Doji's intelligence was also very accurate. Before the main force of the army left the valley, they could directly see the Gurkha standing in the blockhouse halfway up the Solala Mountain on the north bank of the Resuo River.

This is a very typical Tibetan-style watchtower, built in an isolated place on the mountainside. There are firing holes all over the place, and there is a small cannon on the top, which is very convenient for controlling the surrounding paths, especially the valley entrance.

At this time, Nepal, especially the northeastern part, was deeply influenced by the Qiangtang, including the ethnic group, which also belonged to the large Tibetan population, so there was almost no difference from being in the Qiangtang.

"It's not easy to fight. This is a replica of the Big and Small Jinchuan Blockhouses." Fu Kangan and Hai Lu said almost in unison.

The Jiarong soldiers from Jinchuan and Xiaojinchuan behind them also had the same expression. They probably knew the power of this blockhouse better than the Gurkhas themselves.

"We can take it down, but we can't stop them from destroying the pontoon bridge." Luo Siju narrowed his eyes and made the final judgment. He waved his hand, signaling Tashi Doji, who had just been promoted to the position of Jilong Zongzong, to come forward.

"Is there any place to cross upstream or downstream?" Luo Siju asked.

After hearing what Luo Siju said, Zhaxi Doji first ran to a high place and looked around. After a long while, he took in the surrounding scenery and said to Luo Siju:

"Six or seven miles up from here, there's a narrow river. But the riverside is surrounded by icy cliffs. It takes a brave man who's not afraid of death to lower himself down using a rope."

It turns out that the Jilong River is called the Resuo River when it reaches here because it joins another large river here, or in other words, the Jilong River actually becomes a tributary of the Resuo River when it reaches here.

What the army had to cross was actually a wider river based on the original Resuo River.

"I'll go, the Jiarong soldiers in Songpan Town are the most suitable for this job." Wang Lian, who has always been brave in combat and not afraid of sacrifice, came out directly to ask for battle.

"General Qiemo's three hundred Guizhou soldiers can cross mountains and ridges as if they were walking on flat ground. Even Mount Xumi is no problem for them."

Luo Siju nodded. He also felt that Wang Lian was the most reliable person to go. "I will give you 2,000 men. Within three hours, you must cross the Resuo River, reach the south bank, and launch an attack on the two main garrison towers on the south bank."

"I obey your command, General, please wait for my signal." Wang Lian bowed and accepted the order, then went down to arrange the battle.

"Fu Kangan, I'm giving you a thousand men to attack the northern blockhouse. You need to act as if you're attacking with all your might, but you're also not strong enough."

Luo Siju continued his arrangements. "The rest of the generals, each leading their own troops, as soon as Wang Lian's troops begin attacking the watchtowers south of Resuo River, immediately take a small path around the northern watchtowers to seize the pontoon bridge.

No matter how heavy the casualties, you are not allowed to stay. Within half an hour, you must capture the blockhouse and support Wang Lian."

Luo Siju made such an arrangement in order to take the enemy by surprise, or to put on a show, because if he attacked the blockhouse on the north bank as soon as he got out of the valley, then even if he could take it, the Gurkhas on the south bank would have enough time to destroy the pontoon bridge. He would have to paralyze them first and then seize the bridge by force.

Sure enough, in the afternoon of that day, Fu Kang'an led a thousand people, wearing Tibetan-style robes, and clamored to attack the northern blockhouse.

Although the Gurkhas in the northern blockhouse were startled, they reacted and bombarded, snatched, and shot arrows, making Fu Kang'an's thousand men, who were mainly Tibetan soldiers, unable to raise their heads.

Seeing this, the Gurkhas on the south bank also changed from being nervous at first to watching the joke.

They loudly rang bells and drums to cheer on their comrades on the other side of the river and shouted insults across the river. No one believed that Fu Kangan's troops could capture the northern blockhouse, so naturally they had no intention of cutting off the precious pontoon bridge.

An hour later, more than 300 of Fu Kangan's 1,000 Tibetan soldiers were killed or wounded, and some even refused to advance and began to flee.

The Gurkhas were even more proud. The guard, who came from the Gurkha royal family and could use Singh as his surname, laughed out loud. He even wanted to have half a sheep roasted and use the Tibetans who had suffered heavy casualties on the opposite side as a side dish.

At this moment, Wang Lian's troops of more than 900 people suddenly appeared. They lost seventy or eighty people while crossing the river and lowering the cliff.

"With such a small number of people, you still want to capture the fort where my 3,000 people are stationed. Are the Tibetans all crazy?" General Singh laughed, his words full of contempt.

"No wonder we turned them into obedient slaves so easily. Even the life-size statue of the Gelugpa master was sent to Yangbu's palace."

General Singh was laughing, and his soldiers were laughing too, completely unaware of the danger that was approaching.

"Send out 1,500 men, surround them and kill them all!" General Singh drew his Gurkha knife and gave the order with a big laugh.

(End of this chapter)