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

Chapter 734 Death and National Destruction, a Laughing Face for the World (Second Update)
A large black banner stands south of Lhasa, on the banks of the Lhasa River.

Su Dingfang stood on horseback beneath the great banner, with a huge three-masted sailing ship behind him.

With a "whoosh," a crossbow bolt shot directly from the ship and instantly appeared on the city wall.

A Tibetan general was shot through and pinned to the wall along with the crossbow bolt.

Blood slowly trickled down the wall.

Below the city, countless Tang soldiers were frantically climbing ladders to ascend, while the sounds of battle echoed from within the city towards the city gate.

Su Dingfang watched all of this calmly.

The Tibetans were still struggling in their death throes.

In the northwest of the city, a large number of cavalrymen had already stormed into the city. Apart from Wei Daijia's five thousand cavalrymen, the others were rapidly heading towards the south gate.

Before long, fighting will break out both inside and outside the south gate. At that point, morale will waver, and the city will fall.

"Huh!" Su Dingfang suddenly looked up. Right where the Tibetan general had been shot dead by a crossbow, the soldiers suddenly became chaotic. Then, a dense mass of black-armored soldiers rushed onto the city wall and quickly spread to both sides of the wall.

Su Dingfang let out a soft exclamation and leaned forward slightly.

Is something wrong?
As more and more black-armored soldiers charged up the city walls, although there were many Tibetan soldiers on the walls, their resistance was very weak.

It was as if they had lost all ability to resist ever since the garrison commander died.

Su Dingfang suddenly looked up and immediately turned to the side, saying, "Pass down the message: the whole army shouts, 'The Tibetan prime minister has run away! He ran away alone!'"

The guards looked at Su Dingfang with disbelief when they heard what he said.

Su Dingfang smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Go ahead, he really has run away."

"Yes!" The guard immediately couldn't contain his joy and quickly headed forward.

The news spread quickly, and cheers immediately erupted from the army. Soon after, someone sent the message to the city wall in Tibetan.

Chaos erupted on the city wall. People quickly came out to stop it, but no one could completely stop it, because the Tibetan prime minister, Shang Jiezan, did not reappear.

"They really ran away?" Su Dingfang looked at the city wall and said coldly, "Tibet really has no one left."

Since the deaths of Gar Tongtsen and his son, and then of Dama Renzeng and his son, the Tibetans have had no capable generals left.

Even if some people had some ability before, now that the Tang Dynasty is facing imminent danger, there is no one like Tenzin Tashi who has the courage to sacrifice himself for his country.

The Tibetan Empire is doomed.

……

Beneath the city gate, the black banner moved forward.

Dressed in red robes and golden armor, Su Dingfang, accompanied by Di Renjie and Pei Xingjian, slowly entered the city of Lhasa.

Seeing the city in ruins and filled with the sounds of fighting, Su Dingfang narrowed his eyes slightly.

Although there were many sounds of fighting everywhere, the sounds of fighting from the Tang soldiers were actually louder, and the overall sounds of fighting were gradually moving further away.

This indicates that the army has now begun to rapidly take control of the entire city.

Li Dejian rode up from the front, stopped in front of Su Dingfang, and solemnly cupped his hands, saying, "General, the Princess is currently in the Potala Palace, and everything is safe and sound."

Wei Daijia led his soldiers to guard the palace, while they also searched for the whereabouts of the Tibetan Grand Consort Mengjie Chiga and the Tibetan Emperor Mangsong Mangtsen, though it seemed they had escaped through a secret passage within the palace.

"Okay, I understand!" Su Dingfang nodded slightly.

Secret passages, which served as escape routes for the palace, are not uncommon.

After the late emperor led them to conquer the Ziwei Palace, they discovered that there was also a secret passage inside the Ziwei Palace.

However, not many people know about this now.

"Let the Thousand Bull Guards investigate this matter. Everyone else will follow their orders." Su Dingfang said calmly, "The most important thing now is to eliminate all resistance forces in the city. Issue my order: once the Queen Dowager, the King, and the Prime Minister all abandon the city, give three shouts. Anyone who does not surrender after the three shouts will be killed!"

"Yes, sir!" Li Dejian's face was solemn, then he turned and went to give the order.

Di Renjie couldn't help but want to say something, but in the end he suppressed his urge to speak.

Su Dingfang had given them the opportunity to surrender and submit, but they failed to seize it. If they didn't take the chance, then they would have no one to blame but themselves for their deaths.

"Let's go see the Princess." Su Dingfang became solemn and urged his horse slightly. He said, "Actually, there is a good way for Tibet to survive. That is to send the Princess back to Chang'an as soon as possible, and then make her humbly submit to the Tibetans and have no more ambitions. Then the Tibetan kingdom can last forever."

"But would that Tibet still be Tibet?" Di Renjie spoke calmly from the back, saying, "The reason why Tibet is facing the calamity of national destruction today is ultimately because they harbored greed and coveted the Tang Dynasty. That's why they are in this predicament today."

"Yes!" Su Dingfang nodded. Everything that happened to Tibet was their own doing.

……

In the deep, dense forest, Luo Binwang, along with Li Jia and over a hundred guards, quickly made their way through the mountains.

Beside him, more Tibetan soldiers were fleeing with Mengjiechiga and Mangsong Mangtsen.

A male warrior carrying Mangsong Mangtsen and a female warrior carrying Mengjiechiga followed Shangjiezan and others at the front, heading as far northwest into the deep mountains as possible.

Yes, Shang Jiezan.

Luo Binwang never expected that he would see him again.

He originally thought that Shang Jiezan would die for his country in Tibet, but no one expected that he would leave the city wall under the pretext of blocking the Tang cavalry from charging into the city, and instead ordered his generals to do everything possible to defend the city wall and wait for his return.

However, who could have imagined that at the last moment, Shang Jiezan would reunite with Meng Jiechiga and Mangsong Mangzan?

He wanted to escape too.

He had neither the intention nor the determination to perish with the city of Lhasa.

This made Luo Binwang feel utterly absurd.

Tibetans, have you lost all your backbone?
Otherwise, what can be done? Shang Jiezan has arrived; no one can abandon him.

In particular, Shang Jiezan's hometown is in Linzhi.

Their journey also ended in Nyingchi.

If they can reach Nyingchi, they will have the resources to make a comeback.

Because of this, Mengjiechiga completely overlooked some of Shangjiezan's other shortcomings.

However, who could have imagined that they would be overtaken by the Thousand Bull Guards after only two days of running?

Ahead, a stream appeared between the two mountains.

Shang Jiezan, who was at the front, stopped and turned around. When Meng Jiechiga and Mangsong Mangzan caught up, he bowed his head and said, "Great Consort, Tsangpo, let's rest for a bit, drink some water, and eat something. You'll have the strength to keep running!"

"Alright!" Meng Jiechi got off the female warrior, stood on the ground, looked around and said, "Everyone, take a rest."

"Yes!" The surrounding crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Running for two days and two nights without sleep left them all with very little strength.

Even when being carried, Mengjiechiga and Mangsong Mangzan were still very tired and thirsty, let alone those who were carrying them.

Luo Binwang turned around and looked behind him. In the distance, at the edge of his vision, came the sounds of fighting. It was the Guang Army and the Qianniu Guards fighting each other.

Although this was Tibet, a place Guangjun was most familiar with, with Mengjiechiga and Mangsong Mangtsen present, they did not fight in their own way. The Qianniu Guards were not only fierce themselves, but they also dispatched thousands of elite cavalry to support them, and even more cavalry continued to arrive.

The only advantage for them now is that they are in the mountains, which makes it difficult for their warhorses to travel.

Even after entering the deep mountains, they had to abandon their warhorses and end up running through the mountains.

At the same time, a large number of light soldiers fell behind to hold off the pursuers.

"Your Highness, this won't do." Shang Jiezan finally couldn't hold back any longer and said worriedly, "The Tang people have already fallen for us. Given the current situation, it will be very difficult to get rid of them unless..."

"Unless what?" Meng Jiechi asked directly.

“Unless someone can impersonate the Queen Mother and the King and distract the Tang people.” As Shang Jiezan lowered his head, he couldn’t help but glance at Luo Binwang.

At this moment, Luo Binwang smiled slightly and bowed, saying, "I am willing to draw away the pursuers for the Grand Consort, so the Grand Consort need not worry."

"Thank you for your hard work, sir." Meng Jiechiga nodded gratefully to Luo Binwang.

Shang Jiezan, who was sitting to the side, couldn't help but change his expression slightly, and his look became serious.

His intention in sending Luo Binwang alone was indeed to lure away the Tang pursuers, but if it was just him traveling alone, he might very well abandon everyone and escape on his own.

Now that Luo Binwang had so easily agreed to Meng Jiechiga's plan to divide his troops, Meng Jiechiga felt a sense of exhilaration.

However, she was still quite shrewd, and she quickly understood Shang Jiezan's concerns. Her expression calmed down, and then she gave Shang Jiezan a deep look.

“Sir, you should take at least three hundred men with you so that the pursuers will think they are chasing the real king. But this will leave insufficient forces to protect the king.” Meng Jiechiga raised his head slightly and said in a low voice, “If the Tang army is not misled, then such a division of forces is actually the same as not dividing them at all.”

"Your Highness," Luo Binwang bowed, looked up at Meng Jiechiga earnestly, and said, "Your Highness, we can divide our forces."

"Splitting the troops?" Shang Jiezan was the first to frown.

“Alas!” Luo Binwang sighed softly and said, “With the Tang army’s current strength, they have enough manpower to split their forces to pursue us. So what we need is not for me to lead a small group to pretend to be the Queen and the Emperor, but to do the opposite. Only in this way can we really deceive the pursuers.”

"Go against the grain?" Shang Jiezan raised his head slightly, as if he had figured something out.

“I will lead the main force, and have someone impersonate the Queen and the King. Then the Prime Minister will lead the Queen, the King, and a small number of elite troops to take a side road.” Luo Binwang looked at Shang Jiezan seriously and said, “In this way, even if they realize that we have divided our forces, they will only send a small number of elite troops to investigate. In any case, it will be easy to escape.”

Luo Binwang looked at Mengjiechiga and said, "Once we have enough distance between us, we should immediately speed up and then reunite with the Great Queen. Only in this way can we escape danger."

After speaking, Luo Binwang couldn't help but look back the way he had come. The fighting was still going on at the end of his line of sight. No one knew when they would catch up, and no one could be sure who they would chase, but without a doubt, they would chase the side with more people.

Shang Jiezan had undoubtedly thought of this, but seeing Meng Jiechiga's hesitation, he said in a low voice, "Your Highness, why don't I lead the main group and let you take the Your Highness and the Zanpu along the side road?"

Meng Jiechi's breathing immediately became heavy; she could tell that Shang Jiezan agreed with Luo Binwang's statement.

However, Mengjiechiga was unwilling.

She was unwilling to hand over command of the Shadow Army to others; if they became the minority, then her and her son's lives would be in the hands of others.

However, given the current situation, if they don't do this, they will likely be chased to death by those behind them. Even if they escape to Linzhi, they will still be caught up.

Finally, the Tang Dynasty destroyed Linzhi.

Therefore, splitting up the forces is necessary, and one route should even be used to lure the enemy, rather than going directly to Linzhi.

"The Zanpu will follow the Grand Minister, taking one hundred elite Guangjun soldiers." Mengjiechiga suddenly spoke, turning to look at Mangsong Mangtsen and said, "Mother will lead the remaining troops into the mountains, eventually crossing the mountains to reunite with Linzhi."

"Mother!" Mangsong Mangzan exclaimed in surprise, and couldn't help but grab Mengjiechiga's arm.

“This is the only way.” Meng Jiechi sighed softly, looking at Shang Jiezan and Luo Binwang, who were tense but secretly relieved, and said, “If this continues, we will only be hunted down to death by the Tang Dynasty. The only way to ensure your safety is to divide our forces and use someone of sufficient importance to attract their main force.”

There is one thing that will never change: under the protection of a large number of light army soldiers, the location of Mangsong Mangtsen is actually clearly visible.

The more crowded a place is, the more it becomes a key target for the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Guards to hunt down.

“Mother!” Mangsong Mangzan didn’t know what to say for a moment. His eyes were filled with worry and fear. He had never left his mother’s side since he was born.

Mengjiechiga's expression suddenly turned serious. Looking at Mangsong Mangtsen, she said, "You are the Zanpu (Tibetan king). You must understand that you bear the responsibility for the entire Tubo (Tibetan Empire). Listen to your mother and be strong."

Only in this way, when you grow up, will you be able to be loved and respected by the Tibetan people, just like the previous kings, and command their loyalty, ultimately driving the Tang Dynasty out of Tibet.

"Yes!" Mangsong Mangzan nodded vigorously.

Luo Binwang glanced at Shang Jiezan lightly, and a hint of embarrassment flashed in Shang Jiezan's eyes.

Luo Binwang lowered his head, a slight smile in his eyes.

Everyone has their own plans, but no one is a fool.

Mengjiechiga glanced at everyone, then looked at Shangjiezan and said, "Great Minister, contact Nipoluo as soon as possible. Although Lhasa has been destroyed, the Tsangpo is still alive."

"Yes!" Shang Jiezan solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

Luo Binwang, who was standing to the side, looked up in astonishment.

Is there anything about Nepali involved here?

At this moment, Luo Binwang finally understood why Shang Jiezan had insisted on holding out at Luoxie even when things had already reached that point.

It turns out he was the outsider.

……

Under the cover of night, escorted by Luo Binwang and his entourage, Meng Jiechiga led more than three hundred people into the depths of the mountains.

An ancient temple suddenly appeared ahead.

Meng Jiechiga breathed a slight sigh of relief, nodded, and said to Luo Binwang, "This is the last supply depot in the deep mountains. After this, it's a place that even the Guang Army rarely enters. Let's rest for the night and go into the mountains tomorrow."

"Yes!" Luo Binwang bowed respectfully, then followed Meng Jiechiga and the others.

As he moved, he couldn't help but look back at the way he had come.

As far as the eye could see, there were only dense forests, and no trace of the Tang Dynasty pursuers could be seen.

Turning around, Luo Binwang glanced at Meng Jiechiga. "She's a ruthless person too!"
Without Mangsong Mangtsen's hindrance, they moved much faster and quickly escaped the Tang army's pursuit. At this moment, Mengjiechiga suddenly began to divide his troops again. After crossing each mountain, he sent out dozens to hundreds of his Guangjun soldiers to attract the attention of the Tang army's follow-up pursuit.

Without the hindrance of Meng Jiechiga and Luo Binwang, the speed of the Guangjun soldiers would greatly increase, allowing them to quickly shake off the pursuers.

As for what happened next, Luo Binwang suspected that they would not return to join Mengjiechiga at all, but would instead join Mangsong Mangtsen.

After all, Mangsong Mangzan was the true master of Guangjun.

Upon arriving at the ancient temple, everyone immediately began to rest.

After a group of soldiers of light arrived at the collapsed statue of the god, they pressed a switch somewhere, and a hidden door suddenly opened.

Luo Binwang glanced at it from afar and then looked away.

The Tibetan royal family harbors countless secrets throughout Tibet, and even in the face of this crisis of national annihilation, they had anticipated the worst-case scenario.

Of course, this is related to the fact that this is not the first time Tibet has faced a crisis of national extinction.

Songtsen himself ascended the throne hastily after his father, Namri Songtsen, was poisoned.

At that time, the Tibetan royal family was forced to return to their ancestral home in Shannan, and then rose again under Songtsen's painstaking efforts.

Luo Binwang lowered his head slightly. It was a pity that the Tibetan royal family of today no longer had the courage they once had.

If they had listened to him back in Lhasa and had even taken 10,000 of his 30,000 cavalrymen to rush back to Shannan now, their situation today would be completely different.

but……

Luo Binwang lowered his head and smiled softly.

Shang Jiezan brought Mangsong Mangzan back to Linzhi. This guy definitely has the idea of ​​using the emperor to command the princes, and even eventually usurping the throne.

However, Luo Binwang himself was not a good person. Although Meng Jiechiga had taken the initiative to disperse his Guangjun soldiers and eventually gather them under Mangsong Mangtsen's command, it was actually Luo Binwang who had subtly hinted and reminded him, which made Meng Jiechiga think it was his own concern.

Indeed, Luo Binwang did it on purpose.

However, while Shang Jiezan's goal was Mangsong Mangzan, Luo Binwang's goal was Mengjiechiga.

Luo Binwang turned to the side and looked at Meng Jiechiga, who was not far behind him.

At thirty-one, she was in the prime of her life, with a charming appearance and an air of nobility. Coupled with her dashing and heroic demeanor, she possessed a unique allure.

Yes, Luo Binwang had his sights set on Meng Jiechiga.

Because he couldn't bring himself to harm Mangsong Mangtsen. Not to mention Shangjiezan, who was the rightful prime minister, even other Tibetan nobles wouldn't allow an outsider like Luo Binwang to easily interfere with their king.

Unless, Mangsong Manzan is dead.

Mengjiechiga was the Tibetan imperial concubine, and she had no other children.

So once Mangsong Mangtsen dies, the new Tibetan king will be decided by Mengjiechiga alone.

This was Luo Binwang's ideal future: the Tang Dynasty would destroy Mangsong Mangtsen, and he would take control of Mengjiechiga, fleeing with her to a remote area, and then select Luo Binwang's son as the new Tibetan king.

Don't forget, Luo Binwang's wife, the woman he hid in Lhasa and didn't bring out, was a Tibetan royal woman chosen for him by Mengjiechiga.

When the time comes, Mengjiechiga will choose the son of Luobinwang and a Tibetan royal woman as the new Zanpu (king). Then, if the Tang Dynasty's governance of Tibet encounters problems in the future, they can make a comeback at any time.

As for whether this son was born to Luo Binwang and his Tibetan royal wife, or to... Meng Jiechiga, that's not important.

In that way, Luo Binwang could use his son's power to seize the Tibetan kingdom and make it his own.

Thinking of this, Luo Binwang couldn't help but smile.

He turned to Li Jia beside him and said, "Bring Li Zhi over here and give him something to eat. Don't let him starve to death."

When Mengjiechiga and her son Mangsong Mangzan fled from Lhasa, they not only took Luo Binwang and his men with them, but also Li Zhi and some other necessary people.

It was these people who severely slowed down Mangsong Mangtsen's escape.

However, after Mengjiechiga turned around, Mangsong Mangtsen should have already escaped, and although Mengjiechiga temporarily shook off the pursuers, their path forward was dead, and they would soon be caught up.

As for Mangsong and Mangzan, a cold smile flashed in Luo Binwang's eyes.

Going to Nyingchi was absolutely insane.

Not to mention that Xin Liao'er and Yin Yuan are attacking Linzhi in the east, even after Su Dingfang occupies Lhasa, he will not let Linzhi go.

If we can rebuild our lives in Nyingchi, why should we leave Lhasa?

……

Luo Binwang shook his head slightly. At this moment, Li Jia walked over with a burlap sack and placed it in front of Luo Binwang.

Without giving it much thought, Luo Binwang casually untied the thin rope on the burlap sack.

In an instant, a cold light shot out from the pocket and pierced Luo Binwang's chest, causing blood to bloom.

Luo Binwang was stunned. He looked down and clearly saw "Li Zhi" in the sack.

And then there were his icy, unfamiliar eyes.

Li Zhi leaned forward slightly, getting close to Luo Binwang, and said in the lowest voice, "His Majesty said that there are many things he should thank you for, but now, you have done enough."

Luo Binwang looked up slightly, incredulous.

In an instant, the image of the young crown prince who sat and talked with him in the Chongde Hall of the Eastern Palace in Chang'an flashed into his mind.

In an instant, many things from the past few years flashed through his mind.

It turns out that he had never escaped his control.

(End of this chapter)