The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 795 But I Can't Help It

Under Lu Dongzan's urging, threats and lures, the [-] fine Tibetan cavalry marched westward through the snow, but in order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops, they did not dare to march too fast. After three days of marching, they gradually approached Doma. Valley, when it was about to reach Marong Cogen Lake, the remnant soldiers came to report, and only then did they know that a Sui army with thousands of people appeared near the shore of Malong Cogen Lake.

Lu Dongzan was shocked when he heard the news.

He knew that the defense of the Malon Cogen Lake was weak. Once the Sui army attacked the camp with a small force, it was very likely to cause heavy losses.

Lu Dongzan didn't care about the complaints of the whole army, and immediately led the army to Malong Cogen Lake.

When they arrived at the big camp, they saw that the whole camp was destroyed by the fire, many tents were still emitting faint green smoke, and the ground was covered with charred human and animal corpses. The women and children were crying and packing up the leftovers. When they heard that the army was coming back, they ran out and cried bitterly about the brutality of the Sui army.

Lu Dongzan was so stimulated by the tragic scene in front of him that he almost fainted. At this time, a ten thousand captain who stayed behind in the camp came to kneel down and plead guilty. He fell down and cried: "General, the Sui army is very cruel. Many old people, women and children were killed, more than 5 people were burned to death, and most of the soldiers were also killed."

Datzen Gampo gritted his teeth, "How about the sheep and horses?"

This is also the issue that Lu Dongzan is most concerned about.

Cattle and sheep are their food, and the importance goes without saying; the war horses grazing here are also very important.

Because the cavalry not only gallops long distances and sprints at short distances, but also rushes back and forth in the sea of ​​swords and gravel.The horny skin of the horseshoe is the easiest to fall off in this situation. Once it falls off, the horse will not be able to fight again.

When the Sui army had no horseshoes, at least [-]% of the horses were useless after a great battle. According to statistics, most of them could no longer go to the battlefield due to damaged horseshoes. Unlike the nomads, the Central Plains Dynasty could continuously obtain war horses. In addition, if the war horse is damaged, it can only be replaced. If the second or third horse is also injured, you can only ride the injured horse. This will cause great harm to people and horses. The soldiers of the Sui Army from the two major horse sources can avoid this suffering, and don't have to worry about it.

But for the aliens without horseshoes, although there are enough horses, these losses must be considered before the battle. Generally, when marching, they will bring an extra horse as a spare; A stocking place for spare war horses.

If these spare horses are lost, the soldiers' own horses will be damaged again, and the combat power of a soldier will be reduced by at least half.That's why Dazan Gampo was so anxious.

"The Sui army was divided into two groups, one killed people and the other entered the livestock pen. After the war, I asked people to collect and count them. At present, there are only 10,000+ live sheep and less than [-] horses left." Mr. Wan said.

"We entrusted the camp to you. You can't keep it, but you still have the face to survive. Go to death." Dazan Gampo resentfully cut off the head of the ten thousand husbands, and asked Lu Dongzan Said: "General Geer, what should we do now?"

Lu Dongzan looked at the sky, and said fiercely: "Station the army here for one night, and tomorrow I will lead the army to attack the Sui army's camp, and capture Doma Valley in one fell swoop."

"This!" Dazan Gampo couldn't help hesitating a little, and said, "General Geer, we only have more than [-] sheep now, and the army rations may not be enough."

"Because we are in the crisis of food shortage, we must fight with all our strength. Even if we can't get into Heyuan, we must drive the Sui army back to Doma North Valley, so as to achieve the goal of opening up the food road and protecting the land of Tubo from the ravages of war. "Lu Dongzan said resolutely.

"Okay, just hit..." Although Dazan Gambo was reckless, he was not a fool, and he knew that Lu Dongzan's decision was the most correct one at present.

Because although this place has become the territory of Tubo, all the people in the surrounding area have been relocated, and there is no grain left. Doma, the pass north from the border of Tubo, is under the control of the Sui army, and their army will not be able to get food supplies. , can only sit and eat, and the daily consumption of the 100 army is astonishing. There are only more than [-] cattle and sheep left here. According to this number, they will run out of food in half a month at most. By then They can only kill horses to survive, but what advantage does the Tubo army have without their horses?

Of course, you can also return to Jishiguan and join Langri Zanpu, and let Tuyuhun be in charge of feeding the entire army.But Doma has already fallen. If the army retreats in desperation, the Doma Sui army can easily enter the Tubo border without any worries. .

"Your Majesty, General Geer." At this moment, a soldier galloped up and shouted: "The three generals Nong Zhunbao, Drepung Nasheng, and Ba Dianzebu led their troops to see you."

"Aren't they being logical? Why are you here?" Lu Dongzan frowned, even surprised in his heart, after thinking for a while, he ordered: "Please hurry up."

After a while, three sturdy middle-aged men rode their horses and saluted from a distance: "The last general will see the prince and General Geer."

"Why are the three generals here?" Lu Dongzan smiled back and said:
Nong Zhunbao, Drepung Nasheng, and Ba Dianzebu were all from Subi, and they made great contributions in Langri Zanpu's defeat of Subi, so they were reused by Langri Zanpu, but the rise of these people, Part of the rights of the old Tubo nobles such as Geer, Sa, and Meng were taken away, which made them very dissatisfied.

Although Lu Dongzan was highly trusted by Langri Zanpu, and he himself understood righteousness, but before that, he was the heir of the Geer family, and he also felt dissatisfied and dissatisfied with the Supi family; Loyalty to Tubo Tsanpu, and his loyalty to the four fortresses of Tubo, this is what Lu Dongzan is proud of, and he looks down on these Supi people who betrayed their old masters for profit.But Lu Dongzan is a person who knows the general after all, and will not show contempt at this critical moment.

"General Geer also knows that Doma Valley is the east gate of our Tibet. The consequences of losing it are too serious. When I hear the news, I will bring my troops to help." A burly man with a red face said.

The name of this person is Nong Zhunbao, and it was he who set up a sentry on the side of Daba Xiaru Mountain, and let the Tubo army enter, and the Subi Kingdom, which lost its dangerous fortress, was destroyed so quickly by Langri Zanpu.

"Thanks to the three generals for their assistance."

Lu Dongzan's face was rough, but his thoughts were delicate. He saw that there were not so obvious black and dried blood on the three of them. His eyes were fixed, and he asked again: "Did the three generals meet the Sui army?"

"Yes and no." Without waiting for Lu Dongzan to ask, Nong Zhunbao said, "Yes, it is because we fought with the Sui army; no, it is because we launched an attack on our own initiative."

"Oh?" Lu Dongzan asked with concern: "How is the battle going?"

Nong Zhunbao said: "The Sui army was stationed at the foot of the mud-rock mountain. We used the terrain to dig the embankment of the lake on the mountain at night, and the torrent of mud-rock flooded the Sui army camp into flat ground."

"Haha... No wonder the river is muddy. It turns out that the three generals buried the Sui camp. The entire Sui army should have been wiped out, right? This is really a happy event! Let's celebrate it." Dazan Gampo couldn't hide his joy. Said.

Lu Dongzan didn't say a word, he knew it must be in the following.

really!

"The prince is disappointed." Nong Zhunbao sighed and continued: "The speed of the man-made torrent of mud and rocks is extremely slow. When the mountain fell off, the Sui army who was aware of it began to withdraw from the camp. They trained Yousu, stable and not chaotic, quickly withdrew to the other side of the river. Our ambushes bravely intercepted and fought fiercely. However, the Sui army was extremely fierce. We were defeated, and the Caibang Nathan brothers unfortunately died in battle. .”

"Did the Sui army retreat completely?" Lu Dongzan didn't care about the life and death of Cai Bang Nasen and Su Pijun. What he cared about was the situation of the Sui army. Wasn't part of it buried by mud and rock torrents?"

"The night was dark and there was a heavy snowstorm. We don't know exactly how much the Sui army suffered, but they were blocked in the river by us for a long time, and the torrent of mud and rocks rolled down from behind. Their losses must be not small..." Nong Zhunbao looked back for a while, and then said: "Also, all their supplies and ordnance have been buried."

"Haha... The strength of the Sui army is smaller than ours, and the only thing they can rely on is their excellent weapons and equipment. Without these equipment, the Sui army has nothing to fear..." Dazan Gampo laughed and said: "You generals have made such a great contribution. , I must ask for credit for you.”

"The prince is right." Lu Dongzan also showed an excited smile. Just as Dazan Gampo said, after losing the strong camp and excellent equipment, the balance of victory has already favored Tubo. He is full of confidence in tomorrow's war .

"Thank you, prince." Nong Zhunbao, Drepung Nasheng, and Ba Dianzebu said gratefully.

Looking at the wreckage, Nong Zhunbao gritted his teeth and said, "It's a pity we came a step late."

"We will recover the losses here from the Sui army tomorrow. Generals, rest well tonight. We will attack with the whole army tomorrow, and we must let the Sui army pay for it with blood." Lu Dongzan waved his hand and said coldly.

Nong Zhunbao asked: "General Geer plans to fight the Sui army tomorrow?"

"That's right." Lu Dongzan said excitedly: "The climate on the plateau is changeable. Different times of the day, different temperatures, and within twelve hours, it presents the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The reason why the Sui army boarded the mountain in the hot summer The plateau just wanted to avoid the winter blizzard, and tried to fight Tibet before winter came, and then retreated quickly. In terms of time, they couldn't afford it. , now the generals have succeeded in breaking the lake and buried their camp, and all kinds of cold shelter materials have been lost. If my prediction is not bad, the Sui army has already appeared to be frozen to death and frostbite, which caused the morale of the Sui army who were afraid of the cold to plummet , the environment is getting worse."

"The soldiers of the Sui Army were demoralized and suffering from hunger and cold. They had no other choice but to stand firm and wait for supplies and reinforcements. What they fear most now is a decisive battle. In order to delay the speed of our army, the date of the decisive battle was delayed until the arrival of the reinforcements, so there was nothing to do. It’s not extreme, it was destroyed on my way of marching. But no matter what, it can’t change their plight of few soldiers, incomplete equipment, and hunger and cold.”

"General Geer explained the situation of the Sui army so thoroughly, he deserves to be a wise man in Tubo." Nong Zhunbao admired him.

Lu Dongzan was also very proud, but he said very modestly: "It's just God's blessing, and the generals have created a good opportunity to win the victory. I am ashamed of the reputation of the wise. Tomorrow's battle, I will ask the three generals to do their best." Use all your strength to show off my Tubo glory."

Nong Zhunbao, Drepung Nasheng, and Ba Dianzebu looked at each other, saluted Lu Dongzan, and said in unison: "As long as General Geer orders, we will do our best. "

"I expect that the Sui army who slaughtered the shepherds of Malong Cogen Lake will come to attack the camp tonight, delaying our army's journey and dragging down our soldiers. General Nong is brave and good at fighting, and he is very good at defense. I will give you ten thousand elite soldiers, Responsible for the defense of the camp tonight." Lu Dongzan was very satisfied with the statement of the three generals, and immediately said:

"The final general obeys orders." Nong Zhunbao responded excitedly.

"The Sui people are as cunning as wolves. If they come to attack and harass them at night, General Nong just needs to drive them away. Don't chase them without authorization, so as not to be fooled by them." The anger must also be directed at the main force of the enemy army."

"I will understand at the end."

"General Drepung, General Ba." Immediately afterwards, Lu Dongzan said to the two generals Drepung Nasheng and Ba Dianzebu, "You two will each take over [-] elite soldiers, and tomorrow you will be the vanguard of our army."

"The last general obeys orders." Tubo advocated force, respected warriors, and despised cowards. Not only did Drepung Nasheng and Ba Dianzebu not be afraid of the forward task, but they were extremely excited.

In the eyes of the two of them, Lu Dongzan's arrangement was to give them credit.

In fact, Lu Dongzan did have the intention of giving credit to the second general. The Subi family is not monolithic, and there are many internal contradictions. After becoming a Tubo nobleman, there are differences between superiors and inferiors.

The families of Drepung Nasheng and Ba Dianzebu are far inferior to the four big families of Nong, Niang, Wei, and Caibang. They really want to become the top nobles in Tubo and enjoy the worship of thousands of people.

When Lu Dongzan saw the three coming at the same time, he had the idea of ​​introducing the second general as a foreign aid for the Geer family. Drepung Nasheng and Ba Dianzebu were given the position of striker who made great contributions. As long as the two made great contributions, they would naturally be grateful to themselves and lay a friendly foundation for the future recovery.

. . . . . . . . . . .

at the same time.

At the new camp of the Sui Army, which is only fifty miles away from Malong Cogen Lake, Yang Tong was also discussing the military situation with the generals. Come report."

"Why didn't you send the eagle letter?" Yang Qinfang asked in confusion.

"It should be a big event, Yingxin can't tell." Yang Tong responded, and said to the messenger: "Let the scout come in."

"Here." The messenger left in a hurry, and soon brought a scout in the middle of the army into the tent.

The scout saluted and said: "Report to the Holy Majesty, I am humbled by the order of the General Wang, and come to report the good news to the Holy Majesty."

"Is it finally here?" Wang Xiongdan was ordered to leave the camp before the torrent of mud and rocks occurred to harass Lu Dongzan's army. Yang Tong was also full of anticipation for the word 'announcement', and said with a smile, "I can't wait, let's talk about it quickly."

"My lord, we inadvertently broke into Malong Cogen Lake, the logistics center of the Tubo army. There are more than a million cattle, sheep, and war horses! We have successfully burned it and caused them heavy losses. General Wang led our army Get away..." The scout described in detail how they discovered the Tubo supply team and the night attack on the Marong Cogen Lake Camp.

When the scout said that Wang Xiongdan accidentally guessed from the grain transport team that there was a big fish in the north, all the generals looked at Yang Tong with emotion, thinking that he was too good at employing people.

In particular, Yin Mingyue admires Yang Tong's responsibility system. She originally wanted to replace Wang Xiongdan to destroy, but Yang Tong thought that Wang Xiongdan was more suitable than her. Familiar with various unconventional combat methods, now it seems that Wang Xiongdan is indeed more suitable than her.

After the scout finished speaking, Yang Tong asked him to step back and rest, and said to the generals: "Lu Dongzan has arrived at Malong Cogen Lake fifty miles away, and with the journey of cavalry, he will arrive at Doma tomorrow, and the war is about to start. Have different views and opinions?"

"My lord, I think it's a good thing." Du Ru said with a dark smile.

"Why is it a good thing?" Wei Fengwu asked puzzledly: "Tuban's concentration of troops to fight will not only increase the pressure on our army and make it more difficult to defeat the enemy, but even if our army wins a major victory, our own casualties will also increase exponentially." .Is it possible to avoid the reality and adopt the tactics of rushing thousands of miles, dividing and cannibalizing?"

She presided over the funeral in the army, and she has a deep memory of that scene. She heard that the Tubo army had invaded on a large scale, and worried that the Sui army would suffer heavy casualties again.

Her implication is that this war will become very difficult and tragic, and whether it can be avoided as much as possible.

Wei Fengwu's words made the big tent silent, even Du Ruhui needs to give her face and respect her opinion.

After a long time, Yang Tong said slowly: "I can understand the queen's feelings, and I don't want to fight such a tough battle. Even if Tubo can surrender and let us arrange it, I would like to have more people in the Sui Dynasty. But many things cannot Just looking at it, it looks like the Eastern/Turkic people in Qimin Khan. Emperor Wen kindly placed them to live in the southern part of Yinshan Mountain. They were just about to move, and then directly launched the Yanmen Rebellion and intervened in the Central Plains War. The same is true for Tubo. If we can't wipe out their vitality in this war, they will be like Turks, because they are afraid of the Great Sui Dynasty. When they recover, who can guarantee that they will still be safe and sound? Who can guarantee that they will not send troops to Heyuan, Hexi, and the Western Regions?"

"We are strong now, but it doesn't mean we will be prosperous in the future. For future generations, there will be one less powerful enemy, so that future generations will not blame our ancestors for being short-sighted. We must wipe out potential powerful enemies once and for all before they develop into scourges. State. Therefore, whether it is dealing with Turks, Goguryeo or Tubo, the best way is to wipe out their resistance, and then split them into small countries and small tribes. Just like the countries in the Western Regions that have been weak and weak for generations From generation to generation, I have been deterred and ruled by our Great Sui army."

Yang Tong's words echoed in the big tent, knocking everyone's heart hard, "Although Lu Dongzan has a large number of troops now, it does not mean that he can cause us heavy casualties. And even if the cost is huge, the peace and joy of the generations to come By the way, what is this?"

"The Holy Majesty fought for the Great Sui Dynasty and for future generations, but my concubine made inappropriate remarks." Wei Fengwu smiled wryly, "The concubine's thinking is too simple!"

"Your Majesty, Empress, let me say a few words." At this time, Du Ruhui smoothed things over and said, "The Holy Majesty only cares about reasoning, but ignores the great significance of this battle. If we look at this war from another angle, there will be no What an anomaly."

"What's the other angle? Please tell Du Shangshu clearly." Wei Fengwu knew that Du Ruhui wanted to tell herself.

"The interests of the Great Sui are the overall interests of everyone in the Great Sui. If we want to gain a foothold in the Northwest, we must first rely on the reputation of the Holy Majesty and the Great Sui to the countries in the Western Regions, and second, we must rely on the invincible Great Sui army. In the interior of the country, at the moment when troops were sent to help Puppet Tang, Tubo was my enemy of Tai Sui. If I, Da Sui, let Tubo lightly, it would chill Da Sui's heart, and secondly, it would fuel the arrogance of the four races. If the army is not destroyed and the country is divided, the second, third, and fourth Tubo will wield butcher knives against us in the Sui Dynasty. If we put up swords everywhere, our army will lose a thousand times, ten thousand times the strength of this battle. , Years of fighting in the Four Fortresses will also lead to emptiness in the universe and a great loss of national power, and the emergence of Tubo can just let us kill chickens and monkeys." Du Ruhui said.

Wei Fengwu nodded, "I understand what Du Shangshu means. For us, this battle is not only a battle between the Sui Dynasty and Tubo, but also concerns the peace of the entire Sui border and the majesty of the Sui Dynasty in the world. .Chen Tang wrote to the emperor of the Han and Yuan Dynasties that "those who commit crimes against the Han Dynasty will be punished no matter how far away they are."

"That's right." Yang Tong nodded and said, "The meaning of this battle has gone beyond the war itself, and has far-reaching consequences. From the perspective of the war itself, if Lu Dongzan's [-] troops die, Tubo will have no power to fight against the Sui Dynasty." , our army only needs one partial division to make the hinterland of Tubo blaze with flames and exhaust itself.”

Speaking of this, Yang Tong said to the crowd: "The relationship between countries is based on the law of the jungle, the supremacy of strength, and the respect of the strong. If you want to blame them, you can blame them for living next to the Sui Dynasty. If you want to blame them, you can blame them." They are weaker than the Great Sui Dynasty. I don't want to start a massacre, but I can't help it. The strength of my great Sui army does not allow me to be merciful."

"I don't want to kill, but I can't help it. The strength of my Great Sui army does not allow me to be merciful." Everyone's eyes lit up, and the more they savored the words, the more heroic they felt.

"Go and prepare. If Lu Dongzan dares to come tomorrow, let the Tubo barbarians taste the power of the bee crossbow!" Yang Tong said coldly.

"The last will obey."

(End of this chapter)