Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 712 Nighttime Battle, Strategic Planning (One update today)
Dafeichuan.

A cold wind swept rapidly across the dark night sky.

Torches were held high in the empty military camp.

Tenzin Tashi reined in the reins, gave Lü Dan a deep look, and asked, "Why do you think that all of this is a trap, just because of this empty camp? Or are you hiding something? Is the progress in Xituyuhun not going well, or is the progress in Qugou not going well?"

Lü Dan was taken aback and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Because progress in the other two locations was as expected.

"So you were scared by the Tang people." Tenzin Tashi's voice turned cold, and his hand silently gripped the hilt of his knife.

Upon seeing this, Lü Dan's eyes widened, and he quickly cupped his hands and said, "This humble general will obey the Vice Chancellor's orders without question and will never disobey."

Tenzin Tashi then slowly released his grip and said, "Now, tens of thousands of troops have already reached Dafeichuan. Just because of your suspicion, you want to withdraw them? Do you really think that marching an army is a child's play?"

"It was my fault," Lü Dan said, bowing deeply.

Tenzin Tashi's cold gaze still lingered on Lü Dan.

For a moment, Lü Dan felt numb all over.

Just then, a fast horse came from outside the camp and stopped in front of Danzeng Zhaxi. The general on horseback bowed solemnly and said, "Vice Prime Minister, most of the Tang army has headed towards Xinghai, and another three hundred cavalrymen are heading towards Qugou. They must have gone to request reinforcements."

Danzeng Zhaxi thought for a moment and said, "The request for help is true. Those people are probably still thinking of coming back to fight. After all, with the five thousand cavalrymen from Xinghai, they will have fifteen thousand cavalrymen. They should have the guts to fight us."

"Yes!" Lü Dan cupped his hands in greeting. He knew that, strategically speaking, as long as those 15,000 men were still in Xinghai, Danzeng Zhaxi could not send his full force to attack Qugou.

As long as Qugou remains, reinforcements from Lanzhou and Shanzhou will be able to arrive smoothly.

Once Qugou falls and the Qinghai South Mountain Pass is occupied by the Tibetans, then the entire situation of the Eastern Tuyuhun will fall completely into the hands of the Tibetans.

Tenzin Tashi looked up at Lü Dan and said, "Can your men keep up tonight?"

"Keep up?" Lü Dan looked up in surprise.

"Tonight we will march on Xinghai," Tenzin Tashi said calmly. "We will take Xinghai tomorrow morning, and then, under the cover of daylight, cross the Shazhuyu River and march on Qugou."

The Shazhuyu River is a long river that flows from west to east into the Yellow River in the central part of the plateau.

"So that's why they retreated to Xinghai tonight, worried about being caught up with at the Shazhuyu River. If the cavalry were to fall into such a predicament, it would be troublesome," Lü Dan murmured.

“Naturally.” Tenzin Tashi turned his horse toward Xinghai and said indifferently, “Your ten thousand cavalry will be on the far left of the main army, and then we will all march toward Xinghai.”

“Yes!” Lü Dan immediately cupped his hands in greeting.

Soon, Lü Dan followed Danzeng Zhaxi out of the military camp. At this moment, looking at the densely packed Tibetan cavalry, Lü Dan roughly counted them and realized that there were at least 30,000 Tibetan cavalrymen in Dafeichuan.

Lü Dan's gaze passed over the army and landed on the Maji Snow Mountain behind them.

Was there really only 30,000 Tibetan cavalrymen who marched from Tibet to Dafeichuan, or were there many more Tibetan cavalrymen rushing here at high speed?

……

Under the cover of night, countless cavalrymen, carrying torches, galloped wildly along the foot of the snow-capped mountains toward Xinghai.

Looking down, one can vaguely see that the cavalry is roughly divided into four groups.

The 10,000 cavalry at the front, the 10,000 cavalry in the middle, and the 10,000 cavalry at the rear were densely packed and stretched out for more than ten kilometers.

To their left, towards the Shazhuyu River, were ten thousand Tuyuhun cavalry.

If any attack comes from the direction of the Shazhuyu River, the first to be attacked will be the Tuyuhun cavalry.

Tenzin Tashi took command of the central army and then led his cavalry at a steady pace toward Xinghai.

Although he was eager to get to Xinghai immediately, he had to conserve his strength for his warhorses.

Otherwise, if they reach Xinghai and their warhorses are too weak to run, then they will be the ones who die.

Danzeng Zhaxi's gaze pierced the deep darkness as he galloped across the grassland.

Warhorses know better than they do how to run safely.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from the dense forest in the southeast.

Tenzin Tashi looked up in surprise and saw a dense cloud of crossbow bolts fly out of the dense forest and then fall down quickly.

The first few dozen warhorses at the head of the army suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Tenzin Tashi watched in astonishment as another volley of crossbow bolts shot into the dense forest. He never expected that the Tang people would dare to ambush and kill him halfway through his journey.

Tenzin Tashi immediately smiled, because he had 30,000 Tibetan cavalry and 10,000 Tuyuhun cavalry under his command. On Mount Maji, there were also 10,000 Tibetan cavalry and 10,000 Dangxiang cavalry, totaling 60,000 men. This was very good, very good, compared to Xinghai's 15,000 cavalry.

"kill!"

……

Luoyang, Qianyuan Hall.

Dozens of candles illuminated the entire hall.

Officials kept coming and going, constantly organizing and delivering memorials to Lu Dunxin, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, and finally to the emperor sitting on his throne.

Changsun Wuji and Li Ji sat on the left side of the main hall, carefully reading through the memorials presented to them.

Li Chengqian calmly put down the memorial in his hand and looked at Changsun Wuji and Li Ji, saying: "The Anxi Protectorate reported that they chose to believe Ashina Misha, and then united the various Turkic tribes of the Kunling Protectorate to attack the Wunushibi tribe, falsely accusing them and arresting Ashina Buzhen."

Changsun Wuji shook his head and sighed, "Ashina Buzhen is really stupid. He actually expected the Tang Dynasty to kill Ashina Misha for him."

"In any case, with Ashina Buzhen's impeachment memorial, the Anxi Protectorate can rightfully arrest Ashina Buzhen. If he suddenly resists, it will inevitably result in bloodshed." Li Ji looked up at Li Chengqian and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. After many years of planning, the various tribes are finally about to succeed."

Li Chengqian chuckled softly, then said seriously, "I don't care how many people the Western Turks will die this time. What I want is for the Fubing system to be completely established throughout the Western Turks."

"Given the current situation, the blood feud between the Kunling and Mengchi governors and the local chieftains is deep." Changsun Wuji cupped his hands and said, "After this, apart from His Majesty, no one will want to easily gather a large number of cavalry in the Western Turks again."

"It would be best if it could be accomplished. Next is the war in Xichang Prefecture." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Pei Xingjian has already sent troops from Anxi to Xituyuhun. Once the Western Regions are pacified, 20,000 cavalry can be immediately mobilized to participate in the war to destroy Tibet."

The war that destroyed the Tibetan Empire.

These six words echoed softly throughout the Qian Yuan Hall, causing everyone to pause in their movements.

Li Chengqian picked up another memorial from his desk and said, "Liu Shenli was assassinated in Tianshui, and a leader was killed. I have already ordered someone in Chang'an to identify him, and we should have results soon."

Changsun Wuji nodded and said, "A person who can lead five hundred Shadow Army cavalrymen to quietly cross the mountains and kill his way to Tianshui, and who can accurately predict that the Duke of Dai will stay in Tianshui, is probably no ordinary person. It is a pity that such a person died in Tianshui."

“Liu Shenli acted too quickly, but judging from the memorial, that man is clearly determined to die.” Li Chengqian shook his head and said, “He doesn’t even want to live anymore. In fact, even if we capture him alive, he will probably die sooner or later. It won’t be of much use and will only waste our own time.”

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji and Li Ji bowed in unison.

In reality, it's already like this; the person is already dead, so there's not much point in discussing it further.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, and Xu An quickly entered from outside the hall, placing a tightly rolled-up secret letter in front of Li Chengqian.

"Your Majesty, this message came from Chang'an via carrier pigeon." Xu An bowed slightly.

Li Chengqian was full of surprise. He then opened the scroll, but after just one glance, his expression changed.

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji and Li Ji looked up at the same time, their faces showing surprise.

“It is Zanxi Ruo.” Li Chengqian sighed and said, “Dou Zhijie had been to Tibet before, so after taking a few more glances, he finally recognized Zanxi Ruo.”

“So recently, the one stirring up trouble in the Tang Dynasty is Zanxi Ruo.” Changsun Wuji nodded in realization, then sneered, “Like father, like son. Lu Dongzan, Gar Chinling and Zanxi Ruo are almost all equally skilled in intrigue, and in the end, they all die because of intrigue.”

Li Chengqian glanced at Changsun Wuji, unsure of what to say for a moment.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "With Zanxi Ruo dead, all of the Tibetans' plans in the Tang Dynasty are completely ruined. Duke of Ying, go back to Chang'an and leave tonight."

"Yes!" Li Ji immediately stood up, cupped his hands in acceptance of the order.

"After the Duke of Ying returned to Chang'an, all military deployments were entrusted to him." After saying that, Li Chengqian continued, "Let the Crown Prince also learn from him. Putting aside everything else, the Crown Prince needs to clearly understand the simplicity of every step in military operations."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Li Ji immediately cupped his hands and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

Li Chengqian nodded, and Li Ji then withdrew and left.

……

Watching Li Ji's figure disappear, Changsun Wuji turned to Li Chengqian and said, "So, everything was within Your Majesty's plans?"

Li Chengqian lowered his head and sighed, saying, "The matter of the Western Turks was planned from the time we destroyed them. Fortunately, Tibet fell into the trap, and I can now resolve the issue of the Western Turks."

Changsun Wuji bowed slightly.

"As for recalling the Duke of Dai to the capital, that was a reminder from the Minister of War." Li Chengqian looked toward Xichang Prefecture and then chuckled softly, "He and Su Dingfang are currently hiding in Xinghai. If the Tibetans are not careful, the ten thousand mountain soldiers they are leading will definitely be dealt a severe blow by the Tibetans."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji nodded in agreement. Liang Jianfang's sudden return to the court had completely exposed the Tuyuhun people.

“Then there’s the death of Zanxi Ruo.” Li Chengqian shook his head and said, “I never expected that someone would actually intercept and kill the Duke of Dai on his way back to Xichang Prefecture.”

It was originally just a casual move, but I truly didn't expect him to fall into my trap and die. It's truly a pity.

Zanxi Ruo, Lun Qinling, and Lu Dongzan, these three men, father and sons, were the ones who brought about the centuries-long glory of Tibet.

Zanxi Ruo's abilities were not much inferior to those of Lu Dongzan and Zanxi Ruo.

To be honest, if he could be used by the Tang Dynasty, whether it was to conquer Tibet in the future or to govern the Tang Dynasty's own internal affairs, he would definitely be a great talent.

Unfortunately, all three of them, father and sons, died at the hands of the Tang Dynasty.

"To be honest, I didn't expect that it was Zan Xiruo who was stirring up trouble in the court." Li Chengqian looked up and sighed, "In the past two years, the most talked-about topic in the entire harem has been the reshuffling of the four consorts and the other consorts. I deliberately spread the rumors about this." Changsun Wuji nodded. The emperor's move was indeed a brilliant one.

When Andong was first established, the imperial harem needed to appoint Consort Xian and Consort De, so various families sent many people to Andong in response to the court's support for the region.

Although Andong had many benefits, without the emperor's intervention, the aristocratic families' arrangements for Andong would have been significantly less effective.

"In the end, Lan'er became a virtuous consort, with the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Liu family of Hedong contributing a lot." Li Chengqian couldn't help but smile.

The Wang family has been supporting him a lot in the past two years, with the aim of getting Wang Youlan into the position of one of the four imperial concubines.

In fact, this was not only a matter for the Wang family of Taiyuan, but also for the Liu family of Hedong, and even Changsun Wuji.

Therefore, Wang Youlan eventually became a virtuous concubine, which pleased all the powerful clans in Guanzhong.

Look at the emperor's harem. The empress is from the Su family, a legitimate martial arts clan, which is second only to the major clans in Guanzhong. The father of the Consort Gui is Zheng Rentai, a former general of the Prince of Qin's mansion. The Consort Shu is the daughter of Wei Zheng. In addition, there is the Wang family of Taiyuan, which has close ties with Guanzhong, and Zhaoyi Su Yi, the head of the nine concubines. They are all from Guanzhong.

“The Cui family got a prime minister, and the Lu family got a Grand Master of Ceremonies.” Li Chengqian looked calmly at Changsun Wuji and said, “Every family got what they wanted. Only the Yang family and the Jiangnan gentry were somewhat disappointed. Later, I took the opportunity to let them make their move in Lhasa.”

Because Li Chengqian did not try to cover up the matter of the four concubines, it became a hot topic in Chang'an.

The people of Chang'an, the citizens of the capital, are more knowledgeable about gossip than anyone else.

With the added fuel to the fire, even the Tibetans could perceive the interplay of interests and grudges involved.

Many things seem trivial to Li Chengqian, but to those with ulterior motives, they can easily escalate into a whole host of problems by taking the opportunity to exploit them.

Changsun Wuji nodded slowly.

At this time, he intentionally or unintentionally ignored the matter of Wu Meiniang and Xu Hui.

After all, in his view, Wu Meiniang was the late emperor's concubine, and now that she was staying in the palace, she was mainly there to take care of the children of the empress and the other concubines.

Xu Hui was the same; Xu Yi had already given birth to two princes, so it was normal for her to take care of him.

Of course, Changsun Wuji did this because he had more important things to focus on.

Raising his head, Changsun Wuji asked, "Your Majesty, what about the Prince of Jin...?"

“Zhi Nu…” Li Chengqian thought for a moment, and finally said, “Zhi Nu was not kidnapped by the Tibetans. He is currently in Chengdu and is being taken care of by Li Daozong, the Grand General of Yizhou.”

Changsun Wuji nodded slowly and said, "I knew Your Majesty wouldn't let the Tibetans get hold of such a weakness."

"I was also in the middle of the night, pondering what the Tibetans might do that was beyond my expectations, when I suddenly thought of Zhinu." Li Chengqian sighed softly, and then said, "So I had people make some arrangements in Qianzhou, and the Hundred Cavalry Division deployed a group of assassins."

"Then that 'Prince of Jin'?" Changsun Wuji couldn't help but look up.

"He will meet with Princess Wencheng. As for the rest, I don't know who will die at his hands." Li Chengqian shook his head calmly.

The best fate for a meticulously trained assassin is to drag his most valuable enemy down with him.

"Nothing in the world is ever easy," Changsun Wuji sighed.

“The Tang Dynasty has had the hardest time.” Li Chengqian’s expression turned serious as he said, “This time, the Tibetans have invaded Xichang Prefecture. No one knows exactly how many people they sent. Fifty thousand, or one hundred thousand? Uncle, this battle is still going to be fought.”

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji bowed seriously.

"Let's stop here for tonight. Uncle, go back and get some rest." Li Chengqian glanced outside the hall; it was already quite late.

Changsun Wuji hesitated for a moment, then asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, once things are settled, how do you plan to settle the Prince of Jin? Qianzhou is no longer safe."

Li Chengqian clenched his fist slightly, then looked up and said, "Let's settle them in Xiangzhou; it's relatively quiet there."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji breathed a slight sigh of relief, then cupped his hands and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

"Take care, Uncle." Li Chengqian nodded gently, then watched Changsun Wuji leave Qianyuan Palace.

Li Chengqian then looked at the people in the hall and said, "Divide into two shifts, one shift to rest in the west side hall, and the other shift to stand guard."

"Yes!" Lu Dunxin, Xu Jingzong, Li Yifu, Pei Yan, Cen Changqian and others bowed in unison.

Li Chengqian got up and walked towards the east side hall, eventually exiting from the east side.

……

The night was cold and still, the stars and moon hidden from view.

Li Chengqian strolled along the palace road, heading towards the Zhenguan Hall.

Although Li Chengqian was uncomfortable with Li Zhi's situation, he did not oppose Changsun Wuji too much.

Li Zhi actually wanted to settle people in Qianzhou, after all, many people could see that he was using Li Zhi as a pretext for fishing.

That is why no one dared to make any moves on Li Zhi.

On the contrary, Changsun Wuji was more afraid that someone would have designs on Li Zhi, and if that were to happen, Li Zhi would probably not survive.

Therefore, they wanted to move Li Zhi to another place, to keep the news secret, and to try not to disturb him, so that he could live out his life in peace.

Let's do this for now.

Under the Daye Gate, Li Chengqian stopped and looked up.

Since the Xu family was accused of smuggling ironware to Tibet, the Wu, Xiao, Zhang, Yang, Su, and Dou families, and all those involved, were ordered by Li Chengqian to stay at home. This was not only the case outside the palace, but also inside; all the concubines involved were also ordered to stay at home.

However, once the matter is fully investigated, the ban will be lifted for almost everyone, except for two people.

Li Chengqian turned to the side and asked, "How are things going with Consort Wu and Consort Xu?"

Xu An stepped forward quickly, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, everything is fine."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded.

Like Xu Hui and Xu Yi, Wu Zetian was ordered to surrender herself behind closed doors.

However, compared to outside the palace, food inside the palace needed to be served by special people.

Therefore, eunuchs were stationed outside the palace to guard against secret communication.

Li Chengqian looked up and said, "After autumn, I will return to Chang'an. Consort Wu and Consort Xu will both stay in Luoyang and not return to Chang'an. Choose suitable people to serve them properly and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Yes!" Xu An nodded and bowed in agreement. Consort Wu was backed by the Yang family, while Consort Xu was the mother of two princes, so naturally she had to be taken care of properly.

However, the reason why they weren't allowed to return to Chang'an was not something Xu An should be asking.

Li Chengqian stepped forward, his expression calm, and asked, "By the way, how's the investigation on Di Huaiying's side going?"

"It should take some more time. We should be able to figure it out once His Majesty returns to Chang'an." Xu An paused slightly, then bowed deeply.

“We don’t need to worry too much about Di Huaiying’s actions. The only thing we need to be careful about is Wu Yuanshuang’s side.” Li Chengqian stepped into the bright Zhenguan Hall, walked to the imperial couch, and pondered, “Zan Xiruo is dead. Luo Binwang’s next move is hard to predict.”

With Zanxi Ruo dead, the Tibetans' plans in Xichang Prefecture will completely fail, and all they can do is remain trapped in the Tanggula Mountains.

The Tibetans would no longer trust Luo Binwang, and Li Zhi would naturally no longer entrust him with the task. What would become of Luo Binwang in the future?

Should they forcibly go to Tibet to take Li Zhi, or should they fight their way back to Chang'an to abduct Wu Yuanshuang, or should they go into hiding again and disappear without a trace?

If it were either of the first two, Luo Binwang would be doomed.

If he chooses the last option, Li Chengqian might give him a break. In the future, when fighting against the Abbasid Caliphate, this pawn might still come in handy.

Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on Wu Yuanshuang. If anyone makes a move against him, then we should also take care of the people behind him."

"Yes!" Xu An cupped his hands in greeting, then quietly retreated into the darkness.

Li Chengqian raised his gaze and looked towards Xichangzhou.

I wonder how far the fighting has progressed there?

……

Under the cover of night, tens of thousands of cavalrymen gallop across the grasslands.

Suddenly, countless crossbow bolts shot out from the forest, catching them completely off guard.

But the deaths and injuries of a mere few dozen men were nothing compared to the 40,000 cavalrymen in Tenzin Tashi's eyes.

Even if the Tang people really tried to gain a strategic advantage by ambushing in the mountains, Tenzin Tashi would have no choice but to do so.

Compared to brutal siege warfare, this kind of cavalry duel suited Tenzin Tashi's taste better.

With 40,000 to 15,000, the advantage lies with him.

A "whoosh" sound rang out.

In the darkness, military orders were swiftly relayed.

A large group of cavalry began to head north, avoiding crossbow bolts from the mountains.

At the same time, a large number of cavalry continued to charge, but as they charged, their fire arrows flashed and shot directly into the forest.

The rocket fell, and a flash of fire erupted.

The densely packed figures of Tang soldiers in the mountains and forests immediately came into view of the Tibetan cavalry.

A quick count revealed a staggering three or four thousand people.

A sinister smile flashed in Tenzin Tashi's eyes.

(End of this chapter)