The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 799 Xiangxiong Army: The Breakthrough of Tubo

In the third year of Shengwu, it was late July, and the Central Plains was still in the hot dog days. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau had been swept by a sudden snowstorm, and the Doma area was covered with white snow. The nearest place, but from the northward movement of the Tubo forces to the present, is not considered a pure land on earth.

There have been wars all these years. At the beginning, Tubo and Tuyuhun fought against Dangxiang, and then the Silk Road coalition forces came to fight Tuyuhun again. After the coalition forces left, Tubo and Tuyuhun began to fight each other, but in the middle of the fight, Tubo and Tuyuhun reconciled, and then It provoked the Sui army.

The continuous war has caused the herdsmen who live on this land to suffer a lot. No one dares to graze the lush pastures on both sides of the Yellow River. They are afraid of crossing the border or being stabbed by the army who doesn't know where, but they don't graze. , what can I do?Do you want to cultivate the fields like the Central Plains?But who would?And even if they could, there didn't seem to be a peaceful place for them to settle down.

But on this day, an old shepherd of Dangxiang couldn't take care of so much, because the snowstorm came suddenly, he didn't prepare winter fodder at all, and if he didn't go out to graze, his cattle and sheep would starve to death. So he and several other old herdsmen drove the cattle and sheep out of the mountains to graze.

Looking at the cattle and sheep happily gnawing on the tip of the grass under the snow, an old shepherd sighed: "This place hasn't been in such a mess for a long time, but this mess is a big mess, and I don't know when it will end."

An old shepherd hugged a wounded lamb and fed it with a handful of grass as if he were serving his own child. Without raising his head, he sighed and said, "Who knows? It's all because of the damned Tibetans. If they hadn't If the south fights up, it won't be so messy here."

An old man said: "Two months ago, when the Tubo soldiers came to forcibly confiscate cattle and sheep, they said that after Langri Zanpu unified the plateau, they moved from the Qiongjie and Zedang areas in the south of Shanxi to Luoxie. From then on, it will be Tubo. The imperial capital, with the migration of Tubo Zanpu, many tribes living in the mountains have also moved to the Jiqu River Valley to live, and the Tubo soldiers also said that if we go, we can also be assigned to the grassland."

Although the Qiongjie and Zedang areas in the south of the mountain are the birthplaces of Tubo, and there are ancestors’ tombs there, Langri Zanpu always believes that compared with the small and narrow Yalong River Valley, the Jiqu River Valley is wider and logically located on the Jiqu River. In the lower reaches, Nyainqentanglha Mountain serves as a barrier in the north, Niangpo and Gongbu in the east, Xiangxiong in the west, and Yalong River Valley in the south, with a moderate location.Moving the capital logically is not only conducive to controlling the Supi clan based here, but also preventing the Xiangzhung in the west, the Sui Dynasty in the north, and the Tuyuhun in the east.

In view of the above considerations, Langri Zanpu and his civil and military forces decided to move the capital logically and take it as the center of Tubo, gradually transforming Tubo from a loose tribal alliance into a unified territory, system, and people's hearts. Filling the population of the Jiqu River Valley and forming the permanent center of Tubo, he continued to move the population of large and small tribes into it. After Dangxiang was divided by Ertu, many people were moved by him in this way. Of course, some small tribes became 'Fish that slipped through the net', for example, the tribe where these old people belonged to is one of them, but these small tribes that live in no fixed place are difficult for people to catch. Now, they had fled long ago, so targeting these small tribes, let the soldiers who occasionally encountered them be lured.

"I'm not going..." The old shepherd holding the lamb looked up and murmured, "I don't think the Jiqu River Valley will be better than here, as long as the damn war is over, this place will be better than before. "

People who live in one place for a long time will always have feelings of reluctance. These old shepherds who have lived in the Doma area for a long time naturally have a nostalgia for their homeland. Who would want to live in a completely strange place if they have a peaceful life?

suddenly!The ground trembled slightly, and the cattle and sheep stopped grazing, raised their ears, and looked around anxiously.

"Go, go quickly."

Several old shepherds were shocked, and they wanted to drive the cattle and sheep away. They knew that this was the movement of the army marching. In the far east, a black line appeared at the place where the sky and the earth meet. As they approached, A powerful evil spirit rushed over.

These old shepherds, who were talking and laughing, mounted their horses one after another, swung their whips desperately, and yelled at the cattle and sheep to avoid them.

However, a flock of sheep is an unusually loose organization, and they usually bump into each other when they are together. The only way to make them obedient is to control the leader, so that the other sheep will rush forward without thinking. It doesn't matter whether it's an abyss or a pack of wild wolves ahead.

A few old people quickly found the leading sheep, and took away their cattle and sheep victoriously. However, the old shepherd, who was only concerned about the lambs just now, could not find his leading sheep. He even took more than ten sheep on a cliff, licking the salt on the stone wall leisurely.

The old shepherd had no choice but to give up the sheep. However, he was slow to react and did not get on the horse at the first time. Of course, when he found the horse, the army galloping from the east was already in sight.

"Boom~"

At this time, it was obviously too late to give up and leave the righteous way. The old shepherd was like a drop in the ocean in front of the mighty iron cavalry sweeping in.

"Pfft~"

An arrow that pierced through the air pierced his chest, and bright red blood gushed out. The old shepherd froze and fell off the horse feebly.The high-speed galloping horse stepped over his corpse without stopping for a moment, turning into a pool of bright red on the snow.

On the vast land, [-] Tubo cavalry are densely packed like locusts. From a distance, it looks like a sandstorm is sweeping.

"Damn bastard, are you rushing to die?"

"Almighty God, curse these evil Tibetans!"

"They must die badly."

"The Tubo people must die badly..."

A few old shepherds who escaped by chance ran back to the right path, and saw that the old man had no bones left but his beard and hair covered in mud, and they all cried and cursed.

But, no matter how they howled, it was obvious that no one would pay attention to these humble ants.

On the cliff not far from the head sheep, a Sui army scout prostrated himself on the snow, watching the scene condescendingly with binoculars, but his focus was not on the old shepherd rushing to the sky, but on the Tubo army roaring westward. Behind the mighty army are more than 2000 cattle, and after that is the continuous flock of sheep. After careful observation for a while, he suddenly found something, and immediately said: "There is something wrong with the cattle of the Tubo army. There are more than 2000 cattle. There are two thousand The cavalry guarded, and these soldiers also carried bundles of hay."

There are nine scouts on the left and right sides of this scout. This is one of the twenty scout teams sent by Yang Tong. Their task is to observe every move of the Tubo army, and report any abnormality in time.

Hearing what my partner said, everyone immediately paid attention to it.The fire chief of this team of scouts took the binoculars and looked carefully. He really found that each of the two thousand Tubo soldiers was carrying a long and light cloth bag. They seemed very careful. Most of them put the cloth bags on the horses On the other side, the body of the horse blocked the real content, and the naked eye could not see what was inside, but with the help of the telescope, Huo Chang still clearly saw some hay exposed from the cloth bag, which was obviously a long-distance While galloping, due to the bumping of the horse's back, the long and light cloth bag staggered from its seat, revealing the contents inside.

"Don't be careless, take a look too." The chief fire handed over the telescope to several other subordinates.

Everyone watched one by one, and finally came to a conclusion, and one person expressed the common aspirations of everyone: "The soldiers who guard the cows carry hay and wrap it in cloth like a treasure. They should plan to send a fire bull to our army."

Huo was overjoyed. They discovered this secret that could change the outcome of the war. It must be a great achievement. He immediately wrote the eagle letter and quickly sent it to the west where the army is located.

. . . . . . . .

Yang Tong personally led more than 7 soldiers out of the camp and slowly came to the wilderness ten miles away. This team included 1 soldiers from the First Army, [-] soldiers from the Ninth Army, and [-] Qiang soldiers. , Eight thousand elephant soldiers.In terms of military strength, it exceeds Ludongzan by more than [-] people.

In addition to the dusty journey and the tiredness of the Xiangxiong soldiers who came to rescue unexpectedly, the [-] Sui soldiers were all full of energy and high morale. The brigades, each team, and each fire lined up one by one. Although the entire army is cavalry, there are also infantry on horseback, such as heavy crossbowmen, Modao soldiers, and spearmen. The cavalry is divided into crossbow cavalry, light cavalry, heavy cavalry.

In order to make it easier for soldiers to assemble and fight, the Sui army set up eight guard flags in the guard, including lion, tiger, leopard, wolf, eagle, suan, bear, and elephant, and [-] colors, so that each guard flag is different, which is convenient for soldiers. In the time of war, quickly identify and follow the battle flag to which you belong.This is the combat experience summed up by the ancestors, which is very valuable.

In addition to these arms, the Sui army also dispatched a thousand honeycomb crossbows this time. This is a big killer prepared by the Sui army for the Tubo army. The pulley increases the power of the winch, making it have a longer range and stronger power. In addition, the big arrows are changed into slender small iron arrows, which can shoot [-] arrows at a time, which is a sharp weapon against dense cavalry.

The skillful craftsmen of Kaitianyuan also creatively invented the arrow clip. One arrow clip is equipped with [-] iron arrows. A lot of time spent.

There are two types of honeycomb crossbows, large and small. The large one is one foot long, six feet wide, and weighs hundreds of catties. It is generally used to defend the city; It is no different from a carriage. Open the door to adjust the height according to the difference in terrain, and then launch. The key is that it is not affected by the weather. This small honeycomb is operated by three people, one winds the string, one loads the arrow, and one drives the carriage. When arriving at the designated location, the soldier driving the car is responsible for watching the flag.

This kind of crossbow has a long range, dense arrows, strong lethality, and a wide range of damage. It can be called a rocket launcher in the era of cold weapons. Its disadvantage is that it may not be accurate, but it is undoubtedly quite suitable for dealing with dense lineups.

At this time, the army had already occupied the pre-set battlefield as scheduled. Following Yang Tong's order, the horn sounded and the flag was waved, the army stopped advancing quickly and quickly formed four square formations: the front army, the left and right wings, and the rear army. .

The front army's formation was three miles wide, with flags flying, and the momentum was very large. In the front were [-] sword and shield soldiers, followed by [-] Mo Dao fighters. The sword hands are arranged in three rows, forming an unstoppable and invincible wall of swords.

On both sides of Mo Dao Shou, there are three thousand light cavalry. They are guarding the left and right sides of Mo Dao Shou. Behind the light cavalry are [-] heavy cavalry. Behind Mo Dao Shou are the thousand cellular crossbows. car.

In addition, there are [-] crossbowmen behind the honeycomb crossbow. They and the honeycomb crossbow formed a double blow from far and near.

As soon as the army formation was set up, a Shura guard rushed over from a distance, "Your Majesty, the scouts have discovered an emergency!"

In order to keep the Sui Army's secrets as far as possible and keep Xiangxiong from knowing, the sending and receiving station was set up on a hill a few miles away, and Shurawei sent messages back and forth.

"Let's talk." Yang Tong glanced at Li Mixia, the Xiangxiong King beside him, and said with a smile.

"Report to Your Majesty, our scouts found that Tubo brought more than 2000 cattle, each guarded by a soldier. These soldiers carried a bundle of hay, and the scouts suspected that the enemy was planning to use the fire ox array against our army." Shura Wei said here , and said: "Eight scouts in a row saw all of them and made the same judgment."

"The discovery of the scouts is indeed very important. They did a great job!" Yang Tong did not hesitate to praise him, and told the Shura Wei, "Remember the numbers of these eight scouts, and reward each team with a thousand coins after the battle!"

"Thank you for the reward from the sage on behalf of the scout brothers." Shura Wei hurriedly saluted.

"Continue to inquire, and report as soon as there is any news."

"Honestly obey orders."

Asura Wei left, Yang Tong ordered to the left and right: "Please come and discuss matters with Du Shangshu and Governor Xue."

soon.

Du Ruhui and Xue Wanshu, who were wearing armor, came galloping together, and the two saluted from a distance: "My minister sees the Holy One."

"According to a piece of information obtained by our military scouts, Tubo seems to be planning to use the Fire Bull Formation to deal with us. Now that time is running out, do you two have any easier solutions?"

Yang Tong thought of Lin Shuai's failed Fire Bull Formation, and couldn't help laughing.It would be great fun if Tubo also made the formal error of knowing what it is and not knowing why it is.

"Ah?" Both of them were taken aback when they heard the words, but when Xue Wanshu was thinking, Du Ruhui smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry, the formation of fire bulls is nothing more than surprise, if you take precautions, you will not get any effect at all. It is not difficult to break."

. . . . . . . . .

However, the Tubo army sweeping westward continued to gallop for more than ten miles, and the marching speed began to slow down. Before the army formation, Lu Dongzan was wearing a brocade robe, and his eagle-like eyes showed a sense of murderous intent and anxiety.

What he was most worried about would finally happen. The reinforcements from the Sui army had arrived, and they marched eastward with a total of 7 troops. They made preparations [-] miles ahead, occupied the best position first, and set up a formation to wait for them. In the past, if the Tubo army went to fight them, they would be at a disadvantage no matter in terms of terrain or limelight.

Lu Dongzan rubbed his cheeks tiredly to wake up his brain. Last night's sleepless night, early morning failure, and tens of miles of rushing accumulated made him feel exhausted. .

Originally, he had hoped that relying on his superiority in military strength, he would be able to completely suppress the Sui army who were not adapted to the blizzard.But the arrival of reinforcements from the other side made his dream come true.

Although the other party now took the initiative to run out for a decisive battle as he wished, he knew that his army had been harassed all night and was as tired as he was.

If you don't fight, the soldiers will not only be in danger of running out of food, but will also be attacked day and night by the cunning Sui army behind them. At that time, panic will start to accumulate in the hearts of the whole army, so the longer the decisive battle will be delayed , the more panic will accumulate, the less chance of victory will be.

Lu Dongzan took a deep breath. He knew that it was time for the Tubo army to go all out, and there was no other way.

At this time, three scouts covered in blood rushed back. They were the team of spies he sent out, but they were intercepted by the scouts of the Sui army, and only three of the complete centurion fled back.

"General Geer, the main force of the Sui army, about 7 people, has been found ten miles ahead. Among these troops, we also saw the king's flag of the Xiangxiong Kingdom. It seems that Li Mixia brought the Xiangxiong barbarians to join us. The Sui Army's formation." The scout said bitterly.

Lu Dongzan was taken aback for a moment, and then asked with bright eyes: "The king's flag of Xiangxiong Kingdom? Are you sure?"

The scout replied very positively: "I participated in the war against Xiangxiong, and I was a scout before. That flag is definitely Li Mixia's king's flag."

"What position are they in?" Lu Dongzan asked: "Together with the Sui army, or to be independent?"

"Returning to General Geer, the Sui army formed a central army and the northern and southern wings. Xiangxiong's soldiers and horses formed a self-contained body. Their number is about [-], and the formation is located in the south of the Sui army."

"Is Xiangxiong's soldiers and horses really self-contained?" Lu Dong praised that he couldn't believe his ears, "How dare the Sui army let such weak soldiers be their wings?"

The scout nodded, and emphasized again: "Yes! We can see clearly that Xiangxiong's soldiers and horses have indeed become the wings of the Sui army."

"Haha, this is heaven helping me to win a big victory in Tubo." Lu Dongzan jumped off his horse in ecstasy, knelt on the ground with a 'plop', opened his arms to the sky, and shouted excitedly: "May the sky be the best!" Protect Tubo."

After he finished praying, he jumped back on his horse and shouted to the two Subi warriors beside him: "General Drepung Nasheng, General Ba Dianzebu, have you heard what the scout said?"

"Back to General Geer, the last general heard everything." Drepung Nasheng and Ba Dianzebu were also very excited. The Sui army may be more difficult to defeat, but they have fought against Xiangxiong soldiers many times. Knowing the basics, the opponent's fighting will and fighting power are also clear, and they are very confident in destroying this army.

"The weak and incompetent Xiangxiong soldiers actually came, and the stupid general of the Sui army actually let them serve as wings. Isn't this stupid? I think it's the gods helping us, blinding the eyes of the general of the Sui army. General Drepung, I I will give you [-] soldiers and horses to be the vanguard of our army and contain the Sui army's front army; General Ba, you bring [-] soldiers. The male soldiers and horses are the point of attack, as long as they are defeated, the damned Xiangxiong rebels will definitely attack the Sui army formation, and that will be a godsend opportunity for our army to defeat the Sui army."

"The last general obeyed..." The second general obeyed.

"General Mengzhong, you are the backup of General Ba, and you are responsible for tearing apart the breakthrough of Xiangxiong." Lu Dongzan gave another order to a capable general. Titans, the Geer family where the Meng family and Lu Dongzan belonged are both old Tubo nobles. The two families have been married for generations, and they are fused with the blood of the Tubo royal family, regardless of you and me.

"The general will follow orders." Meng Zhong accepted the order.

"Prince, you also bring [-] soldiers and hide [-] cattle in the army. When General Drepung stabilizes the position, immediately attack the northern flank of the Sui army with fire cattle."

"The last will obey."

"Soldiers, the gods are blessing us. Follow me to kill the enemy." Lu Dongzan shouted excitedly.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The [-] Tubo army suddenly roared into the sky, their sabers gleaming under the snowy light, and they rushed towards the Sui army ten miles away like a boundless pack of wolves on the grassland.

(End of this chapter)