Tiantang

Chapter 281 Epic Battle (End)

Chapter 288 Epic Battle (End)
It was another round of heart-pounding bullet attacks, fireworks were everywhere in Wuhai City, and the voices demanding to open the city gates and abandon the city became louder and louder.

There was a fierce conflict between Gyatso's regular army defending the city and the private soldiers raised by the nobles of various Tubo tribes in the city. When Gyatso reacted, it was already out of control.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Tang army had not yet surrounded the east and north sides, the nobles, big and small, shouted and ordered the private soldiers to kill the Tubo soldiers guarding the city gate, and then opened the east and north gates, fled Wuhai City in a hurry, and dragged their families away. Take the mouth and rush towards the direction of the Shaliu River.

The escape of the nobles led the commoners in the city to flee with their belongings.Gyatso's soldiers couldn't stop them, so they flew to report to Gyatso.

When the Tang army was firing bullets, Gyatso got the news, his face became extremely hideous, he raised his foot angrily, kicked the soldier who reported the news, and kept calling "trash".

Raba hurriedly said, "My lord, the big thing is not good. The city gate is open. If the Tang army takes advantage of the situation to attack the city gate from the northeast, our army will be in danger."

While speaking, there was another ear-piercing sound of piercing through the air, and the faces of the Tubo generals changed drastically. They quickly covered their surroundings with shields and lowered their heads.The loud explosion sounded again. Above the narrow city tower, the ground had been blasted with small potholes by dense stone bombs and sky-shaking thunders, and the ground was visibly trembling.

Samba gritted his teeth wrongly, "It's very difficult for us to defend Wuhai when the Tang army attacked the city with this kind of weapon. Why don't we give up Wuhai and retreat to the Shaliu River...Please make a decision!"

Gyatso suddenly raised his head and glared coldly at Sangba Cuo, who lowered his head with a guilty conscience.

In fact, Gyatso already had the intention to quit, but he was hesitant.It was easy to evacuate Wuhai city this time. Before the Tang army began to formally attack the city, the Tubo army immediately abandoned Wuhai before it was too late.But Wuhai couldn't hold it, and neither could Shaliu River.

At that time, the commander of the Tang army will drive straight in, and then attack the city with this magic weapon, what will he use to resist?
Gyatso was very upset.

outside the city.Guo Ziyi is preparing to order people to continue installing "ammunition" for the last two rounds of launching.According to the scheduled plan, in order to really shock the Tibetan army, a total of 300 thunderbolts will be fired, that is to say, each catapult will launch one each time, and the [-] catapults will launch a total of ten rounds.

However, the detective came to report that there was civil strife in Wuhai City, the east and north gates were opened, and the fleeing chariots and horses of the nobles and civilians in the city were continuously escaping from Wuhai City and fleeing towards the Shaliu River.

Guo Ziyi was overjoyed when he heard the news. On the one hand, he ordered the catapults to continue firing, and on the other hand, he ordered Lei Wanchun and Nan Jiyun to lead 1000 cavalry each to raid the east and north gates of Wuhai City.

The news that the Tang army divided up and outflanked the two city gates in the northeast reached Gyatso. Gyatso was no longer able to control the situation, and decisively ordered the entire army to rush out of Wuhai City, and the army retreated to the Shaliu River.

……

……

Gyatso led [-] soldiers from his headquarters out of the east gate and retreated along the narrow mountain road towards the Shaliu River.

Guo Ziyi led the whole army to press on, chasing them all over the mountains and plains.

The two armies got closer and closer, when Gyatso became angry and was about to order his soldiers to form a formation to fight the Tang army to the death. Chaos.

Gyatso was furious, but he heard the Tubo soldiers behind him wailing and howling, fleeing with their lives.

Shaking Thunder has made the Tubo army distracted and unwilling to fight.As for the vanguard of the Tang Army, Nan Jiyun's 5000 Shence Army, half of them used crossbows and half of them fired rockets, which caused great damage to the Sangba Co.

This kind of divine fire flying crow with lightning-like speed and infinite explosive power rained down on the Tubo army group, and exploded, overturning all the soldiers and horses, and the Tubo soldiers were scared out of their wits.

This is the truth of the so-called defeat of thousands of miles and failure of an army.

Tang Jun took advantage of the situation and pursued until Dulan.

The Tubo army horses either trampled on each other and died among the rebellious army, or were attacked and killed by the Tang army, or took off their uniforms and fled into the depths of Tubo without a trace. Anyway, Gyatso’s 2 people passed Dulan and reorganized, and there were not enough left. Ten thousand people lost more than half.

The Tang army did not suffer too many casualties, and it easily won a brilliant victory. At the minimum cost of losing less than 2000 people, it is not a big miracle to annihilate 1 people under Gyatso's troops.

The Tang army occupied the Dulan Fortress in the morning of the second day, and took a rest in Dulan.

In the wilderness in front of the Dulan Fortress, despite the cold wind and low temperature, the hearts of the [-] Tang soldiers were still raging with blood, holding up their long spears and knives and shouting hysterically. Big win.

Guo Ziyi led the generals to accompany Zhang Xuan to the watchtower of Dulan Fortress slowly. When the Tang army saw them, they immediately burst into thunderous cheers.

Guo Ziyi flushed slightly with excitement, and of course, Lei Wanchun, Nan Jiyun and other generals did the same.

In Guo Ziyi's nearly 20-year military career, he fought more than a hundred times with Tubo people, large and small, but this was the first time he surrendered without fighting. People were terrified and collapsed for hundreds of miles... This battle has become the battle of Guo Ziyi's glorious pinnacle in his life!
"My sons..." Zhang Xuan stood upright and waved to the army celebrating victory in the wilderness, and shouted loudly, but his words were interrupted by the cheers of Tang Jun.

"The commander-in-chief is mighty, King Pingxi is mighty and invincible!"

"Our army will win, brave and invincible!"

"Destroy Tubo, open up territories!"

The cheers and shouts of the soldiers were higher and higher, almost crazy.

Zhang Xuan had no choice but to smile and keep waving to the soldiers.He knew in his heart that this battle had raised the morale of Longshuo's army to a peak, and his personal prestige in the army had also reached its peak, and no one could replace him.

At this time, if Zhang Xuan gave an order to completely destroy Tubo, the Longshuo army would not doubt it, and would follow him to the death without hesitation, and then try to make contributions.

It's just that the soldiers, including some generals, are a little fanatical, but Zhang Xuan is very sober.

After he came to Longshuo, he was able to achieve great victories against Tubo one after another. This was due to the proper use of strategies and tactics, the power of firearms, and a certain amount of luck and chance.

But no matter what, victory is still in hand, and this has become an epic glory that shocked the world of Tang Dynasty.

……

……

Guo Ziyi hurried into the commander's tent, clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Commander, something is wrong, report it here, the Stanley army is said to be [-], but they didn't attack Li Guangbi's camp in Liangning Prefecture, but suddenly detoured by the Xiyue River Going north to Quma, looking at the formation, it seems to be marching rapidly towards the Wuhai River and the Shaliu River in this direction... There are signs that our army will be cut off."

Zhang Xuan's expression changed when he heard the words, and he frowned and said, "How is it possible? Is the news conclusive? What's going on with Li Guangbi?"

Guo Ziyi breathed a sigh of relief, and said respectfully, "Commander, the news is correct. At this moment, the Stanley army is less than tens of miles away from Wuhai City, and more than a hundred miles away from our army—as for Li Guangbi, there is no news yet. .”

Zhang Xuan's face darkened, he got up abruptly and walked to the map, looked up at the map and remained silent.

The generals were also very surprised. If the Stanley army attacked from behind, it would be very difficult for Zhang Xuan's plan to take Shaliuhe while he was winning.

After a while, Zhang Xuan turned his head to stare at the generals, and said calmly, "What do you guys think?"

Guo Ziyi hesitated for a while, and then resolutely said loudly, "Commander, although our army has won a great victory and our morale is high, it is difficult for our army to go deep into Tubo territory alone. Since Stanley soldiers and horses are chasing after us, our army It's better to accept it as soon as you see it, and return to Liangning Prefecture by detouring Qinghai Lake..."

Guo Ziyi's meaning is obvious. Anyway, he has already won a big victory over Tubo, so he should return to Liangning Prefecture as soon as he sees it.If you are flanked by the Tubo people, you may be defeated.If the army is defeated, the previous brilliant victory will be greatly reduced.

The other generals also had the same attitude as Guo Ziyi, and they all spoke in agreement.

Zhang Xuan was silent.

After a long time, Zhang Xuan suddenly smiled softly, "Ziyi, of course it's safe to accept it when you see it. Our army will return after a great victory. First, we can secure the two Ning Prefectures. It can be described as the best of all three for you to be rewarded for your military exploits."

Guo Ziyi and the others blushed slightly.

"But this is not what I wish. The mobilization of the army and horses to attack Tubo is definitely not a whim. In my strategic plan, from the north of Bohai, Triangle City, Wuhai, Shaliu River to the Hexi line of defense, including The land of more than 500 miles, including the entire Qinghai Lake, must be included in the territory of the Tang Dynasty..."

Zhang Xuan raised his hand to point and circle the map, "This is the purpose of my commander to mobilize the army out of Feichuan, go down to Triangle City, bypass Wuhai and Dulan, and then attack Shaliuhe!"

"Wars cost people money, waste money, and national power. If it's just for the sake of defeating Tubo, why bother to fight lightly? But if this battle can occupy this vast land as its own, then no matter how hard, how difficult, and how hard it is to fight , it's all worth it!"

"Triangle City and Wuhai were taken by our army successively. As long as we take Shaliuhe and completely wipe out the Gyatso tribe, this large territory will be at our fingertips!"

Zhang Xuan tapped heavily on the map with his hand, and suddenly turned his head to look at the crowd.

There was a red light of excitement on the faces of Guo Ziyi and others. Zhang Xuan was right, and it was just around the corner to open up the territory for the Tang Dynasty again. Such a glorious glory, just thinking about it makes people feel excited and unable to control themselves.

"The commander-in-chief is wise, the last general waits for short-sightedness, it is really embarrassing!" Guo Ziyi and the generals bowed down.

Zhang Xuan laughed, "You don't have to be like this."

"As for the Stanley army horse - I really didn't expect that he would feign a shot and prepare to steal the back of our army. It can be seen from this that the commander of the Stanley army is also very human. But our army is on the string. If you don't send it, the Shaliu River is close at hand, how can you not seize it!"

"If we retreat to Liangning Prefecture, we will lose the opportunity to occupy this land. Therefore, the plan to march on the Shaliu River cannot be changed, but it must be advanced."

"I believe that there will be no movement from Li Guangbi's side. Li Guangbi will either lead an army to help, or..." A strange smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Zhang Xuan's mouth, "Either he will attack the Tubo royal court with great fanfare, encircle Wei and save Zhao , forcing the Stanley army to retreat back to Luoxie City."

"Based on what I know about Guangbi, he will probably lead an army to feint to attack some cities, and march westward to attract Stanley troops."

Zhang Xuan laughed loudly, "Although the army of Stanley is said to be one hundred thousand, it is actually only 3 or [-]. Even if Li Guangbi's reinforcements arrive late, as long as our army takes Shaliuhe, in retrospect, it is not without the strength to fight Stanley decisively! This handsome is still afraid of the Stanley dog ​​thieves?!"

"Ziyi, send the order quickly, the army will move out, and march into the Shaliu River immediately!"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand abruptly, and Guo Ziyi and the others bowed down solemnly, "The last general waits to obey!"

……

……

When Zhang Xuan's army left Dulan and marched towards Shaliuhe at high speed, Zhang Tong led nearly 8000 people from his headquarters to Shaliuhe and launched a desperate and fierce attack on the empty Shaliuhe.

At this moment, the remnants of Gyatso's troops had not returned to the Shaliu River, which happened to be a gap.

In order to avoid the court's prosecution, Zhang Tong also went all out. He took the lead and went to the battle in person, commanding the soldiers to capture the Shaliu River at all costs.

Zhang Tong knew in his heart that if he could not win a big victory and gain military merits, even if Zhang Xuan made an exception, the court would not spare him.

The Tubo soldiers and horses were not good at defending the city. Under the crazy attack of the Tang army regardless of the cost, they quickly lost their positions, and the Shaliu River gradually fell into the control of the Tang army.

Some of the defenders fled towards Lake Hala and Daxue Mountain, and some were annihilated by the Tang army.After more than two hours of bloody and bitter fighting, Zhang Tong's Shancheng Guards finally captured the Shaliu River, but they also paid a heavy price with nearly 3000 casualties.But in Zhang Tong's view, the price is totally worth it.

Shaliu River fell.

Gyatso's remnant soldiers got the news on the way, and the morale they had just assembled completely dissipated, and a large number of deserted troops appeared.Countless soldiers took off their armor and fled around, Gyatso and his generals couldn't control it at all.

Guo Ziyi led the army to attack and kill, and Zhang Tong, who had captured the Shaliu River, also led the army to rush out, encircling the Gyatso tribe, which had less than 7000 people, in the wilderness east of Hara Lake.

Gyatso's remnant soldiers, who were trapped in heavy siege by the Tang army, fought back to the death, but they were powerless.After an afternoon of fierce fighting, Tang Jun finally ate all of Gyatso's troops and captured Gyatso alive.

The news that the Tang army had eaten Gyatso's department and the news that Li Guangbi led an army to press against Luoxi City shocked the whole country of Tubo.In order to protect some cities and stabilize the situation in Tubo, the Stanley army had to grit their teeth and withdraw their troops.Stanley watched the vast area from Baihai to Shaliu River being occupied by the Tang army, and one can imagine the shame and resentment in his heart.

So far, this epic battle destined to be recorded in the annals of the Tang Dynasty has come to an end and ended perfectly.

……

……

Shaliu River.

Zhang Xuan and the generals had a banquet to celebrate their victory.

Guo Ziyi and the others were elated, but Zhang Tong lived alone in a corner, taciturn and melancholy.

Zhang Xuan glanced at Zhang Tong, suddenly smiled, raised his glass and said, "Master Zhang!"

Zhang Tong was in a daze, when he suddenly heard Zhang Xuan calling him, he quickly got up respectfully and bowed down, "Marshal, the officer is here!"

"Hehe, Mr. Zhang, please sit down. Our army's brilliant victory is inseparable from Mr. Zhang's ability to capture the Shaliu River in the shortest time. This commander will definitely write a letter to the court to ask for credit for Mr. Zhang." Zhang Xuan stared Zhang Tong said lightly.

Zhang Tong let out a long sigh, and suddenly fell to his knees on the ground, "Commander, I really dare not take credit for this. This officer disobeyed the command of the commander and used troops without authorization, causing the army to lose their food, grass and luggage, and commit a felony. How dare the subordinate officials refuse to die for the kindness of handsome not to kill!"

Zhang Xuan looked at Zhang Tong deeply, and secretly made up his mind.Zhang Tong has proved with practical actions that he has some talents and abilities.He was able to capture the Shaliu River before Gyatso's troops retreated back to the Shaliu River, which was of great significance to the outcome of the final battle.At the very least, if Gyatso were allowed to escape into Shaliuhe City, the war might not end even now.

But now that Zhang Xuan's staff is short of talents, it is time to employ them.

Therefore, he decided not to pursue Zhang Tong's faults anymore. Although he would truthfully report Zhang Tong's merits and demerits, as long as he had his protection, the court would not do anything to Zhang Tong.

Zhang Xuan got up suddenly and walked over to help Zhang Tong himself.

This move undoubtedly represents his attitude.Guo Ziyi and the others knew in their hearts that Zhang Tong escaped after all.

"Master Zhang, please stand up. This commander is strict in running the army, but merit is merit and demerit is demerit, and deeds must be rewarded and demerits must be punished. However, Master Zhang's deeds are greater than demerits, and this commander sees it in his eyes. I should write a letter to the court to protect you. Yu. But you disobeyed my commander’s military discipline, and was burned by Tubo soldiers and horses. If you don’t punish me, you won’t be able to convince the public. Therefore, this commander resigned from your post as governor of Shanzhou, and led the army to stay in Shaliuhe, waiting for the court to deal with it , are you convinced?"

"I'm convinced, I'm thankful to the Marshal for your kindness." Zhang Tongxin was ecstatic, and kneeled down again in gratitude.

Zhang Xuan laughed loudly, turned around, walked back to his seat, and said loudly to the generals, "Everyone, our army has successively captured several Tubo cities such as Sanjiao, Wuhai, and Shaliuhe, and more than ten cities such as Dulan, Huha, and Tianjun. Forts and fortresses, from the line from Bohai to Shaliu River to our frontier defense west of the river, the land within a radius of 500 li is included in our territory of the Tang Dynasty... But it is easy to open up territories, but it is difficult to hold on to the country."

"Everyone, what we are facing now is how to defend this land - we cannot let the fruits of victory gained by the bloody battles of our soldiers be taken away by the Tubo people, and the hard work of the war will be ruined!"

"After this battle, our troops in Longshuo should be shifted to Liangning Prefecture and this place. The order has been passed on, order Shuofang's Gu Xi and Pugu Huai'en to immediately lead Shuofang's 5000 troops westward, and strive to reach Liangning Prefecture in the shortest possible time. At the same time, report the victory to the imperial court, please change the name of the Governor's Mansion of Hejing to the Governor's Mansion of Qinghai, and Li Guangbi will still be the governor, general of Qinghai, commander of soldiers and horses, and Pugu Huai'en will be the deputy governor of the Governor's Mansion of Qinghai and the general of Youwei in Qinghai. , led an army of 5000 to guard Triangle City. Gu Xi served as the deputy governor of the Qinghai Dudu Mansion and the General of Qinghai Zuowei, and led an army of 5000 to guard Dulan. Zhang Tong served as the prefect of Qinghai and the commander of Shaliuhe soldiers and horses, and led an army of [-] to guard Shaliuhe."

"Until the various departments of our army are in place to garrison, Ziyi, for the time being, you will lead the Lingzhou guards to stay at Wuhai City with [-] horses, and guard Tubo carefully, so that nothing will be lost!"

Guo Ziyi stepped out and bowed respectfully, "I will obey orders!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, and continued to issue orders, "Order Li Guangbi's governor's mansion to move to Wuhai City, expand the city, and build a garrison on the triangle city, Wuhai, and Shaliu River; order Changqing and Zhang Xun to mobilize the entire town. No matter what the cost is, we must ensure the food and logistics needs of the Qinghai Governor's Mansion and relieve the army's worries."

"So far, half of my Longshuo soldiers and horses have been in the old place of Tuyuhun to defend against Tubo. As long as we can defend this land, you will be appointed as princes and ministers in the future!" Zhang Xuan slowly got up, looked at everyone with awe-inspiring expression, and his voice was impassioned , "This commander hopes that I, Longshuo, can work together to strengthen my border defenses, so that the Tibetans will be terrified and dare not invade my Tang Dynasty again!"

"The handsome and wise!"

The generals readily agreed.

***********************************************
Hezhou City.

"Report... a great victory for our army, and a great victory for King Pingxi's Western Expeditionary Army!"

Dozens of cavalry soldiers galloped into Hezhou, and Li Tan, king of Jianning, who had already returned to Hezhou to wait for Zhang Xuan, was overjoyed when he heard the news. Seal the newspaper.

Li Tan never expected that Zhang Xuan led the army to go there for more than a month, and once again opened up territory for the imperial court, conquered three cities in Tubo, more than ten fortresses, and separated Bohai, Sanjiaocheng, Wuhai and Shaliuhe. The territory with a radius of hundreds of miles was incorporated into the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and nearly 2 Tubo soldiers and horses were annihilated!

Although he did not personally participate in this battle, Li Tan was in the frontier defense of Longshuo after all, and even stayed in Li Guangbi's camp for a while.Therefore, Long Shuo would be honored to deliver another good news.

Li Guangbi led his army back to the hometown of Tuyuhun, and moved his command center to Wuhai City according to Zhang Xuan's military order.Wuhai City is a relatively well-equipped city in Tubo. As long as it is slightly expanded and remodeled, it will soon become the center of the Qinghai Dudu Mansion.

Li Guangbi's headquarters has 5000 soldiers and horses, plus Zhang Tong's 1 men and Guo Ziyi's 5 people temporarily garrisoned, and the force is as high as 5. Zhang Xuan can rest assured with a heavy defense.

Because they occupied a large area of ​​the Tubo people, the border between Longshuo and Tubo had extended to the territory of Tubo and connected with Hexi. Zhang Xuan deployed half of Longshuo's troops here, so there was no problem in strategy.

In the next step, Zhang Xuan will also ask the imperial court to expand the army and send troops from other feudal towns to Longshuo to increase the number of troops defending Tubo in Liangning Prefecture, Baihai, Wuhai, and Shaliu River to between [-] and [-]. .With such a steady operation, it is difficult for the Tibetans to counterattack.

Fifteen days later, Zhang Xuan returned to Hezhou with a triumphant squad of 1 people from the Shence Army. At this time, it was less than half a month before the Spring Festival of Tianbao's [-]th year.

Li Tan, the king of Jianning in Hezhou, personally led the army and civilians of Hezhou out of the city for thirty miles to meet Zhang Xuan's triumphant army.

Under the banner that covered the sky and the sun, Zhang Xuan was wearing armor and smiling, and was slowly marching surrounded by the generals, while the soldiers of the two rows of Shence soldiers looked awe-inspiring and mighty, and an invisible murderous aura rushed up amidst the roar of horseshoes. sky.

"King Pingxi is truly a world-class hero, rare in a hundred years." Li Tan stood at the front of the welcome civil and military officials, staring at him, a different kind of passion gradually emerged in his heart.

(End of this chapter)