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

Chapter 733 Your subject, Wei Daijia, Right Guard General, pays respects to Her Highness the Eldest Princess (First Update)
The morning light flashed a white streak across the horizon.

It allows one to clearly see the logs and rocks rolling on the river surface, like a ferocious torrent of demons, opening its blood-red maw and swallowing everything downstream.

The walls of Lhasa were already densely packed with countless soldiers.

In the military camp east of the city, 20,000 cavalrymen were poised to charge at any moment.

Su Dingfang stood on the hillside, unmoved.

……

The raging torrent rushed down the Lhasa River, all the way to the west of Lhasa, where it crashed violently onto the bank at a bend.

The surging waves even reached the entrance of the military camp on the north side before gradually subsiding.

However, even more of the tide surged onto the riverbank and, following the downward slope of the mountain, rushed directly towards the military camp downstream.

Downstream from the military camp, one could vaguely see countless soldiers rushing out of the camp and frantically heading towards the mountainside, but it was too late.

Many people were still asleep in their tents when they were swept away by the flood.

A large number of wooden stakes slammed violently against the military camp, instantly smashing it to pieces, then crashing into the camp and breaking through it again.

The surging water continued for a full quarter of an hour, and countless people disappeared without a trace in the military camp.

Just as the current gradually calmed down, hundreds of small boats came from upstream, heading towards the military camp downstream.

Half of them went ashore and attacked the soldiers who hadn't been swept away by the current, while the other half attacked the soldiers in the river.

Beat a dog when it's down.

Su Dingfang stood on the mountainside, calmly watching all of this.

He chuckled softly and turned slightly to the side.

In an instant, three thousand black-armored cavalrymen burst open the gates of the camp and charged out from the northern camp, heading towards the southern camp to provide relief.

But at that moment, a thunderous sound of horses' hooves came from upstream.

Suddenly, countless Tibetan cavalrymen charged down from upstream, heading straight for the entrance to the northern military camp.

At the same time, a large number of cavalry charged out from the south gate.

The two cavalry groups merged and charged towards the northern military camp.

For some reason, the gate to the north side of the military camp could not be closed.

Seeing this, Su Dingfang couldn't help but smile.

……

Shang Jiezan stood atop the city wall of Lhasa, watching his cavalry charge toward the gate of the Tang army's central camp.

A wave of emotion washed over me.

Bribing those people with large sums of money can still be effective.

At the crucial moment, they finally proved their worth.

Shang Jiezan watched his cavalry charge to the gate of the Tang army camp, and then rushed straight in.

A wide smile spread across his face.

But in that instant, crossbow bolts, like a dark cloud, suddenly appeared in mid-air and then fell instantly.

The Tibetan cavalrymen who had just charged into the Tang army camp were immediately thrown into chaos.

With a "whoosh," the densely packed gray military tents were instantly opened, and countless black-armored soldiers, wielding long spears, quickly advanced.

In front of the military tent, the black-armored soldiers swiftly planted their long spears diagonally into the ground, the forest of spears gleaming coldly, aimed at the more Tibetan cavalry behind them.

Given this situation, no one can back down any further.

More Tibetan cavalry rushed into the camp from outside, while inside were Tang soldiers who had been waiting in full battle array.

Not only that.

Suddenly, the northeast gate of the military camp opened, and countless Tang cavalrymen rushed out of the camp, charging towards the rear of the Tibetan cavalry.

From the western camp behind, a large number of black-armored cavalry charged out as well.

Seeing this, Shang Jiezan murmured in disbelief, "Could this be a trap?"

"Kill!" A battle cry rang out from above the military camp to the south, and countless black-armored cavalrymen, like a black tide, charged down from the mountainside.

"Oh no!" Shang Jiezan exclaimed in alarm.

The Tibetan soldiers on the southern bank of the military camp were immediately subjected to a frenzied massacre.

"The news has leaked." Luo Binwang looked at Shang Jiezan deeply and said with a heavy expression, "Those were Tang people, and they were your people who were washed away by the flood."

Previously, according to Luo Binwang's plan, Shang Jiezan had the nobles in Shannan feign surrender after offering some resistance, and then, taking advantage of the flood discharge today, suddenly rebelled and attacked the northern military camp from the south.

Luo Binwang originally thought everything was fine, but he never expected that it was all a trap.

The Tang army already knew that the Tibetans were going to release the floodwaters, and that those who had just been swept away by the flood were the people from Shannan, the capital of the Tibetan Empire.

These people had long been completely controlled by the Tang army.

Now, it is the Tibetans who are being besieged from three sides.

Seeing Shang Jiezan's cold hands and feet, Luo Binwang stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and said, "Hurry and save him, hurry and find a way to save him, there is still time."

"How can we salvage this?" Shang Jiezan's voice was bitter for a moment.

"A brave man cuts off his own arm." Luo Binwang said urgently, "Abandon the first five thousand cavalry immediately, and turn south from the north bank to completely destroy the southern military camp. After taking the southern military camp, move south quickly and do not linger. At the same time, try to send a group of people back to defend it."

Shang Jiezan looked at Luo Binwang with some confusion: "Can't we just fight?"

Luo Binwang looked at Shang Jiezan in surprise; he actually wanted to fight.

A flicker of fear crossed Luo Binwang's eyes, but he immediately lowered his head and said earnestly, "Yes, Your Excellency can give it a try."

Shang Jie sighed and said, "I understand your thoughts, sir, but if this is truly a trap, they will soon attack the city. With the cavalry engaged outside, we will still have time to redeploy troops. But once they march south, even if they eventually return via the mountain roads, will Lhasa still be around then?"

Luo Binwang was stunned.

Given the choice between keeping the 30,000 cavalry and Lhasa, Luo Binwang chose the 30,000 cavalry, while Shang Jiezan chose Lhasa.

……

Shang Jiezan ignored Luo Binwang and turned to his generals, saying, "Last night, many civilians and their families were burned to death by the Tang people. Now send men to organize them and help defend the city. At the same time, send a group out to rescue those outside the city and buy some time... Finally..."

Shang Jiezan pondered for a moment, then said, "Pass down the order: do not retreat, charge forward, continue the fight, charge to the northwest of the Tang army camp, break out from the northwest, and then fight your way back into the city."

"Yes!" The personal guard immediately turned and went to relay the order.

Luo Binwang stared straight at Shang Jiezan. He was actually sending his men to their deaths. What a foolish general he was!

“We cannot retreat.” Shang Jiezan looked sadly into the distance and said softly, “With the abilities of those Tang generals like Su Dingfang, do you really think that all the cavalry outside can retreat?”

Thirty thousand cavalrymen, how come they can't retreat?
Luo Binwang was taken aback, then his eyes darkened, and he said in a low voice, "Are you worried that Su Dingfang will follow them and storm into the city?"

“Isn’t that what you’re worried about too, sir?” Shang Jiezan sighed and said, “Otherwise, why would you suggest that they go south along the river? Isn’t it because you’re worried that Su Dingfang and his men will come to Lhasa with the deserters? At the same time, if Lhasa can’t be held, these 30,000 cavalrymen can establish a foothold in the south of the mountains.”

Between Lhasa and Shannan, Shang Jiezan chose Lhasa.

Luo Binwang lowered his head slightly and looked at Shang Jiezan, saying, "I have only one question: according to the laws of the Great Minister, without these 30,000 cavalry, can Lhasa be defended?"

"Yes!" Shang Jiezan nodded in Luo Binwang's surprised gaze, and then said, "Although there are 30,000 fewer people, 20,000 of those 30,000 were already outside the city, and only 10,000 were inside the city. And there are still 60,000 inside the city."

Furthermore, Lhasa has a population of 200,000; in a critical moment, 50,000 to 60,000 could be spared. Why can't it be defended?

Seeing the ruthlessness that flashed in Shang Jiezan's eyes, Luo Binwang finally understood that this guy had actually gone mad.

He had no way out and could only grit his teeth and persevere.

"As long as the gates of Lhasa remain closed, and as long as we hold our ground, we can hold out until this winter. Moreover, with 30,000 fewer people, the city's food consumption will be much lower." Shang Jiezan suddenly laughed and then said, "Many people will die defending the city, which is very good. This way, the people in the city will eat more and become even more loyal."

He's crazy.

Luo Binwang was at a loss for words.

“And outside the city, the Tang people can’t possibly kill all 30,000 cavalry. They might leave 20,000 or 20,000 prisoners. In winter, their food supplies will be even greater. We still have a chance.” Shang Jiezan murmured, looking up, “We definitely still have a chance.”

“The Prime Minister is right. In my opinion, we should select 20% of the veteran soldiers and assign them to lead the new recruits. This is the best way to maintain our fighting strength.” Luo Binwang bowed slightly.

“Sir, you are right.” Shang Jiezan regained his composure and nodded to Luo Binwang, saying, “Thank you, sir…”

With a loud "boom," a boulder appeared in Shang Jiezan's line of sight. He turned his head sharply and saw a three-masted sailing ship on the lower reaches of the Lhasa River. A catapult on the deck launched the boulder, which crashed onto the bank, instantly killing many of the Tibetan soldiers who were fighting.

The sailboat continued on its way and crashed straight into a small boat, which capsized instantly.

In the blink of an eye, more three-masted sailing ships appeared downstream, and then they carried out a frenzied massacre of the Tibetan soldiers on the shore.

Shang Jiezan and Luo Binwang exchanged a glance and sighed at the same time.

They all knew that those who left the city would never return, but they never expected that the Tang army had prepared a navy.

Then those people outside the city will be even less likely to return.

"Let each one who manages to escape be a chance. I will send men to meet them outside the east gate." Shang Jiezan withdrew his gaze with some pain, then looked heavily at Luo Binwang and said, "As for the others, please make preparations immediately, sir."

"Yes!" Luo Binwang cupped his hands in greeting, then quickly headed down to the city walls.

……

Once out of Shang Jiezan's sight, Luo Binwang quickened his pace, arriving directly at the foot of the city wall, where he then climbed up and down.

Li Jia, accompanied by his men and guards, stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Young master, where are we going?"

"To the Potala Palace." Luo Binwang turned his horse around, urged it slightly, and said, "Hurry, hurry up, or it will be too late."

"Yes!" The group immediately mounted their horses and followed Luo Binwang along the long street toward the Potala Palace.

At the same time, a large number of soldiers hurried towards the south gate, which made Luo Binwang increasingly uneasy.

Just as he had walked half a mile, a loud "boom" suddenly came from the northwest.

"Whoa!" Luo Binwang suddenly pulled on his horse, his eyes wide with horror as he looked to the northwest.

Although he still didn't know what had happened, he understood that it was definitely related to Su Dingfang.

Everything that happened from last night until now is flashing through my mind like a revolving lantern.

From the sudden arson attack on the city last night, to Shang Jiezan's surprise attack on flood control being outmaneuvered today, the discovery of the Tibetans' secret operations in Shannan, the discovery of Shang Jiezan's bribery of foreign generals in the Tang army, the previous dozens of three-masted sailing ships, and the sudden changes in the northwest just now...

Everything suggests that Su Dingfang had been planning this for a long time.

Everything erupted today.

Luo Binwang couldn't help but shiver. He suddenly turned around and looked at the city gate, and a thought immediately arose in his mind.

This city may soon fall.
With a cold look in his eyes, Luo Binwang immediately spurred his horse and turned to the side, saying, "Let's go to the Potala Palace. We don't have time."

"Yes, sir!" Li Jia respectfully cupped his hands, then led his men and followed Luo Binwang quickly toward the Potala Palace.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth and no one got in the way.

Luo Binwang quickly ascended the Potala Palace, where he met with the Grand Consort Mengjiechiga and the Emperor Mangsong Mangtsen in the East Upper Pavilion.

Looking at Luo Binwang, who stood with his hands clasped in the hall, Meng Jiechiga asked in disbelief, his hands and feet icy cold, "The Lhasa cannot be defended?"

"Not necessarily." Luo Binwang quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, although the situation is critical, there is still time to maintain it. However, I do not know what happened in the northwest. There are shouts of killing there. If the Tang army has already entered the city, it will be difficult to drive them away. If there is any danger, it may harm Your Highness and the King. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Highness and the King... to temporarily take refuge!"

"Take a break for now?" Meng Jiechi narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Yes, let's take a break for now!" Luo Binwang said seriously, cupping his hands in greeting. "Find two substitutes to stand in for the Queen and the King in the palace. The Queen and the King should take a step back and have people pack their things, preparing for the last resort."

"What preparations have been made?" Meng Jiechiga looked up at Luo Binwang and asked, "Sir, please tell me the truth. There are still tens of thousands of troops in Lhasa. Can't they hold it?"

Luo Binwang bowed slightly, his face bitter, and said, "Today, in the battle outside the city, 30,000 elite troops fell into a trap, and the city could not even provide reinforcements. Although there are still 50,000 soldiers in the city, only 20,000 are actually elite. If we were to fight in the open field against the army outside the city, we would still have a chance to escape, but we are now defending the city!"

Meng Jiechiga's expression changed slightly.

Defending the city, all the elite troops were scattered on the city walls, making it impossible to unite their forces. Facing tens of thousands of elite Tang troops outside the city, the risk was extremely high.

“Although the Prime Minister’s methods are astonishing, he should be able to hold out if nothing unexpected happens, but just now in the northwest…” Luo Binwang paused, his face bitter.

The shouts of battle from the northwest continued incessantly, and were getting closer and closer to the palace, which meant that someone might have already broken in.

A guard strode in from outside the hall, then walked to Mengjiechiga's side and whispered a few words.

Meng Jiechiga suddenly looked up and said incredulously, "What? Five thousand Tang cavalry have already stormed into the city?"

Luo Binwang's body trembled, and then he looked at Meng Jiechiga and said, "Your Highness, please prepare to take refuge for the time being, and at the same time tell the Prime Minister that he need not worry about the palace and can calmly drive the enemy out of the city... Your Highness, it is just a temporary retreat."

They're temporarily staying away; they'll come back in the future.

Mengjiechiga looked down at Mangsong Mangzan in his arms. The sixteen-year-old Mangsong Mangzan did not resemble his wise and mighty ancestor at all; instead, he was timid and shrinking.

Mengjiechiga knew that this was because Mangsong Mangzan was in poor health when he was young, and most of the time he stayed in the deep palace to recuperate, ignoring the outside world, which led to his current situation.

“Alright, let’s take a break for now.” Meng Jiechiga stood up, hugged Mangsong Mangzan, and then looked at Luo Binwang and asked, “Sir, should we bring the Dowager Consort along as well?”

The Dowager Consort, the Grand Consort of Songtsen Gampo, Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty.

“No!” Luo Binwang quickly cupped his hands and said, “As far as I know, although the Tang Emperor’s primary goal is to destroy Tibet, he also hopes to bring the Empress Dowager back to Chang’an. If the Empress Dowager takes the Empress Dowager with her to seek refuge, they will search for her in every possible way. In that case, the situation may be unfavorable.”

Meng Jiechi's eyes hardened, but she quickly softened and said, "Okay, then that's settled."

“However, Your Highness, Prince Li Zhi of Jin can be brought along.” Luo Binwang bowed slightly, his eyes filled with malice.

"Okay!" Meng Jiechiga completely relaxed, turned around and said, "Let's go!"

"Yes!"

……

Bloodshed erupted on the long street.

Wei Daijia, wielding a long spear and clad in black armor, charged and rammed through the long street, leaving trails of blood in his wake.

Countless black-armored cavalrymen guarded both sides, slaughtering and scattering all the Tibetans who tried to stop them.

Suddenly, the path ahead cleared, and Wei Daijia didn't hesitate. He spurred his horse and charged madly towards the Potala Palace, yelling, "Kill!"

Scattered Tibetan soldiers from both sides came to block them from time to time, but they were quickly killed and scattered.

After a fierce battle, at sunset, Wei Daijia led his cavalry to the Potala Palace.

Upon arriving at the Potala Palace, Wei Daijia discovered that all the guards of the upper and lower palaces had disappeared, and there were even some scattered soldiers searching the palace, while a group of people were charging towards the top of the mountain.

Hundreds of soldiers could be vaguely seen guarding the mountaintop.

Wei Daijia's heart sank, and he immediately ordered his cavalry to charge towards the mountaintop.

After killing all the Tibetan soldiers who had fled into the palace, Wei Daijia finally led his men up the mountain.

A captain dressed in a red robe and holding a Tang sword, who looked like a Tang Chinese, stepped forward and bowed to Wei Daijia, saying, "This humble general, Li Min, captain of the Left Thousand Ox Guard, greets the General."

"You are... the ones chosen by the Prince of Jiangxia to protect the Princess?" Wei Daijia seemed to understand.

Li Min cupped his hands and said, "Yes, we were originally imprisoned, but for some reason, we were released and sent back to guard the Princess. At that time, the palace guards suddenly scattered, and the Tibetan Grand Princess and the Tibetan Emperor also disappeared."

"They escaped! They actually escaped!" Wei Daijia couldn't help but grit his teeth.

"General, shall we search?" Li Min asked earnestly, bowing respectfully.

"Search!" Wei Daijia calmed down and turned to the side to order, "Search every place in the palace thoroughly, then occupy all the key locations in the palace and don't let outsiders in easily."

"Yes, sir!" The subordinate general bowed respectfully.

Wei Daijia then turned around, looked at the palace in front of him, straightened his armor, and said to Li Min, "Please announce that Wei Daijia, the Right Guard General, requests an audience with Her Highness the Princess."

"Yes!" Li Min bowed respectfully, then quickly turned and went inside to announce the news.

Soon, Li Min reappeared at the door and bowed slightly to Wei Daijia.

Wei Daijia took a deep breath before stepping into the main hall.

Upon seeing Princess Wencheng sitting on the left side of the hall, dressed in a deep red dress, Wei Daijia immediately stepped forward, then couldn't help but kneel down and kowtow, saying, "Your subject, Wei Daijia, Right Guard General, pays respects to Your Highness the Princess."

As he spoke, Wei Daijia's voice choked with emotion.

Princess Wencheng was startled and quickly stood up, saying, "Brother-in-law, why do you have to do this? Please get up!"

"Yes!" Wei Daijia slowly stood up, wiping away his tears, and said, "Before I left Chang'an, His Majesty and my father-in-law repeatedly instructed me to rush to Hongshan as soon as Lhasa fell to protect Your Highness's safety. Now that I see Your Highness safe and sound, I am relieved."

Wei Daijia was Li Daozong's son-in-law, and his wife was Princess Wencheng's elder sister.

The reason he couldn't help himself today was not only because of his kinship with Princess Wencheng, but also because, under the emperor's influence, the entire Chang'an, from top to bottom, held Princess Wencheng in high esteem.

Now that he had finally met her and would soon be able to send her back to Chang'an, Wei Daijia couldn't help but shed tears.

(End of this chapter)