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

Chapter 726 Heavy Cavalry Charge, Charge (Third Update)

The first light of dawn breaks in the east.

The sounds of endless fighting echoed incessantly from within the city walls ahead.

Di Renjie had somehow donned a suit of black armor, a sword clenched between his teeth, and a crossbow hanging from his waist.

Like an ordinary soldier, he climbed up the city wall using the ladder.

On either side of him were countless Tang soldiers, all looking the same.

The moment they climbed the city wall, they frantically rushed towards the steps on both sides and fought their way down the wall.

From the city gate beneath their feet, countless black-armored cavalry charged into the city, advancing directly along the central avenue.

Facing them were countless Tibetan cavalrymen charging towards them.

The two groups of people exchanged a single glance, and their eyes were filled with bloodlust and hatred, leading them to charge into battle without regard for anything else.

All the infantrymen along the way very tactfully made way for the central road.

Hesitating for even a moment would result in being stabbed to death by a long spear.

More infantry engaged in equally bloody battles on both sides.

However, compared to the Tang army's orderly movements and unified command, the Tibetan soldiers in front appeared somewhat chaotic. Coupled with the constant falling crossbow bolts overhead, they were quickly forced to retreat.

But at the same time, a large number of Tibetan infantrymen poured into the North Gate Square, making it impossible for them to retreat.

“These Tibetan infantrymen are sacrificial lambs used by Dama Rinchen to wear us down,” Li Dejian’s voice rang out from the side. Di Renjie quickly turned around and bowed, saying, “General.”

Li Dejian waved his hand slightly and looked at Di Renjie, saying, "The fact that you can come here shows that you are a promising talent. His Majesty has not misjudged you."

"Thank you for your kind words, General." Di Renjie bowed respectfully.

Li Dejian turned to look into the distance and said calmly, "Dama Renzeng is in turmoil. His main force defending the city all died in the city last night."

Now we can only use these reserve infantry to deplete our crossbow bolts, morale, and even fighting strength. His real hope lies with his cavalry, but he's forgotten the limitations of the terrain here.

Di Renjie was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Yes!"

This is a strategic pass, a place to defend against enemy invasion, not a place for cavalry battles.

"But he had no choice; he could only do this now. And yet, he forgot that the Tibetan cavalry were no match for the Tang cavalry." A hint of sneer flashed in Li Dejian's eyes. Dama Renzeng was simply not a qualified general.

Di Renjie nodded. Yes, the reason why the Tibetans were forced to garrison the pass was because their cavalry was no match for the Tang cavalry, so they hoped to use the pass to stop the Tang.

By obstructing and delaying, as long as winter comes, given the harsh conditions here, the Tang Dynasty will have no choice but to withdraw its troops.

This process would continue for two or three years until Tibet's national strength recovered, at which point they would once again emerge from the mountains and engage in a final, bloody battle with the Tang Dynasty.

“Therefore, we are determined to win this battle.” Li Dejian’s hand gently tightened around the hilt of his sword.

Di Renjie looked ahead, and at that moment, a loud "boom" was heard, and the wall between the North Gate Square and Zhongguan District suddenly collapsed completely.

Tibetan soldiers from the Tang Dynasty appeared within the Zhongguan area.

Standing here, Di Renjie could even see Dama Renzeng in the distance dancing with excitement at the sight, urging the battle to begin.

Di Renjie now finally understands that Dama Rinchen is not a qualified commander at all, because he has forgotten that expanding the battlefield is a good thing for the Tibetans, and even better for the Tang Dynasty.

With a "whoosh," hundreds of crossbow bolts flew up from the city wall at the same time, then crashed heavily into the densely packed Tibetan infantry.

Without even aiming, in the blink of an eye, a large area of ​​the Tibetan infantry had been cleared.

Blood flows into a river.

……

Di Renjie was kept by Li Dejian's side, where he would occasionally offer some guidance.

Crossbow bolts were fired intermittently from the city wall, ensuring the steady advance of the Tang Dynasty's battle line.

At the same time, a large number of cavalrymen rushed into the city from the north and south gates.

Li Dejian was right; the Tibetan cavalry was no match for the Tang cavalry.

Before the two even met, five crossbow bolts were already fired. Even if the person didn't die, they would be pierced through the chest by sharp spears.

The Tibetan cavalry mostly wore leather armor, while the Tang cavalry mostly wore iron armor. The Tibetans often couldn't break through the armor of the Tang cavalry, while the long spears of the Tang cavalry easily pierced their chests. Throughout the city, the Tibetans were quickly driven backward.

At this moment, Li Dejian suddenly spoke softly, "That's about enough."

"Almost done?" Di Renjie looked up in surprise.

A smile flashed across Li Dejian's face. Just then, a loud bang came from behind him, and Di Renjie turned around abruptly.

Countless heavily armored cavalrymen, whose horses were also heavily armored, appeared in Di Renjie's sight.

These heavy cavalrymen accelerated wildly and charged straight into the city, advancing like an iron fortress.

Anyone who stood in their way was instantly and violently knocked away.

Heavy cavalry, heavy cavalry.

As soon as the heavy cavalry appeared, they charged toward the south gate opposite with the fiercest momentum.

Once the south gate is breached, not only will the entire Yunshan Pass fall completely into the hands of the Tang Dynasty, but the Tibetan soldiers inside and outside the city will also suffer a terrible fate.

Keep in mind that this is the highest point of the entire Tanggula Mountain Pass, and when the cavalry charged down, no one could stop them.

This was Su Dingfang's last trump card.

……

Li Dejian turned to Di Renjie and said, "Stay here."

After saying this, without waiting for Di Renjie to respond, Li Dejian let out a whoosh, and in the next moment, countless black-armored infantrymen followed behind him down the city wall.

At this moment, the Tang army's lines had advanced beyond the range of the crossbow bolts, rendering the city gates largely ineffective. Di Renjie was about to give chase, but then he stopped.

Although this place has little effect on the direct battlefield, it has become one of the most important foundations for the Tang Dynasty to occupy Yunshan Pass.

As long as this place is not lost, even if any unexpected events occur on the battlefield, the Tang Dynasty will still be able to turn the tide.

Di Renjie stood on the city wall, watching Li Dejian rush down and take over the entire battlefield.

The Tang soldiers began to coordinate more effectively. With swords and spears swirling around, Tibetan cavalrymen had their throats ripped open and chests pierced, falling to the ground, bleeding profusely.

The entire situation rapidly shifted in a direction favorable to the Tang Dynasty.

Di Renjie raised his head, his joy mixed with a fleeting hint of worry.

Because outside Yunshan Pass, there are still tens of thousands of elite Tibetan cavalry. Although the overall situation is settled, if they want to wipe out all of these Tibetan cavalry, they will inevitably pay a heavy price.

Especially on the opposite side, Dama Rinchen was still frantically directing his cavalry to charge into the city, disregarding their own lives...

Di Renjie suddenly stared intently at Dama Renzeng opposite him. He finally understood why Dama Renzeng was still unwilling to give up easily despite the unfavorable situation.

In the bloody battle, a large number of Tang soldiers were also killed or wounded. If their casualties exceeded a certain limit, it would have a huge impact on the army's subsequent operations, and their progress might not be significant throughout the winter.

This will give Tibet some time to catch its breath.

Despite the current situation, Dama Rinchen aims to outmaneuver Su Dingfang in terms of overall strategy.

Just as the bloody fighting intensified and a large number of cavalry were being deployed to the battlefield, the thunderous sound of hooves suddenly came from the mountain road to the north.

Di Renjie suddenly turned around and saw Li Junxian, dressed in red and golden armor, leading 30,000 cavalrymen directly towards Yunshan Pass.

The figure rushed past Su Dingfang from under the black banner and then charged straight into Yunshan Pass.

Di Renjie couldn't help but laugh.

The overall situation is completely settled.

……

"Kill!" With a thunderous roar, a squad of heavily armored cavalry charged out of the south gate and into the larger group of Tibetan cavalry outside the city.

As soon as they stepped out of the city gate, more black-armored cavalry followed and charged out.

From this moment on, the entire Yunshan Pass completely fell into the hands of the Tang Dynasty.

"Great Minister, let's go!" A guard pulled hard on Dama Rinchen, trying to pull him away from the city wall.

Although the Tang army captured the city gate, they charged out of the city directly instead of climbing the city walls.

Because there were still quite a few Tibetan soldiers inside the city who had not been completely wiped out.

It is also because the black lion and elephant flag stands tall here.

“I cannot leave.” Dama Rinchen turned to look at his personal guards, then calmly shook his head and said, “In this battle so far, I bear the greatest responsibility. I have no face to return to Lhasa to see the Tsangpo and the Queen Dowager again. You go and tell the Tsangpo and the Queen Dowager my news. Also, tell them to keep the Queen Dowager and hold Lhasa. Perhaps we still have a chance.”

"Grand Chancellor." A hint of pain flashed in the eyes of his personal guard.

“Go, tell the family to retreat to Shannan immediately.” After a slight pause, Dama Rinchen said softly, “As long as Lhasa is still there, we will hold on. Once Lhasa falls, we will surrender. We will have fought for the Tsangpo to the last moment.”

"Yes!" The guard reluctantly cupped his hands, then turned to bow his head.

At this moment, Dama Rinchen's last words were: "Remember, go home first."

"Yes!" The guard's eyes twitched, then he bowed deeply and turned to leave.

After his personal guards had gone far away, Dama Rinchen turned to the side and said, "Pass down the order: I will live and die with Yunshan Pass to repay the great kindness of the late king. Let them decide what to do!"

"Yes, sir!" The guard turned and left without hesitation.

Looking at the endless battle raging before him, Dama Rinchen slowly drew his long sword, then looked up at the sky and whispered, "My late king, protect Tibet. Kill!"

……

On the blood-soaked city walls, countless Tibetan corpses lay scattered.

Su Dingfang calmly walked to the side of the city gate tower, looked at the corpse of Dama Renzeng who had fought to the last with his sword, sighed softly, and said: "Collect his body properly, and then prepare three hundred prisoners to wear mourning clothes for him."

"Yes!" Di Renjie stood behind Su Dingfang and bowed.

"Where are Li Dejian and the others now?" Su Dingfang continued to ask.

"Just now, I received news that General Li has led his men, disguised in Tibetan armor, toward Baishan Pass. The Duke of Wuchang, General Fang, General Xue, and General Pei are all following closely behind," General Di Renjie reported.

"At their speed, taking Baishan Pass will be no problem." After a slight pause, Su Dingfang said, "After taking Baishan Pass, order Fang Renyu to lead all the infantry to garrison Baishan Pass, and order Li Junxian to march on Nagqu to seize the grain supplies."

He ordered Pei Xingjian to lead 5,000 cavalrymen to charge westward to meet up with Duke Xue and Xue Rengui, and ordered General Xue to march eastward to Ziqu to open up Changdu.

Tell them to be careful; our crossbow reserves are running low.

Di Renjie's expression changed slightly, then he cupped his hands and said, "Yes."

"Don't be nervous. With the advantage of the city walls and the cavalry's ability to maneuver freely, this winter will be no problem. As for when we can break out next year, that depends on when the replenishment of military supplies arrives." Su Dingfang looked at Wei Hongji below the city walls and said with a smile, "We also have Wei Shaojian here. The crossbows collected from the battlefield can be reused after a little repair. However, the supply lines will be stretched, and the Tibetan autumn harvest hasn't arrived yet. If they occupy the city at will..."

"We're in big trouble now." Di Renjie immediately realized.

Occupying the territory was not difficult; governing it was the real challenge, especially given that they themselves were barely managing to keep up with their own food supplies.

"Also, go and draft a victory report. Now that we've won a great victory, the news must reach Chang'an so His Majesty can know," Su Dingfang said with a sigh.

Although they were fighting on the front lines, the emperor in Chang'an was expending just as much energy as they were on the front lines.

Su Dingfang took one last look at Dama Renzeng's body.

With his death, Tibet was not far from its demise.

(End of this chapter)