Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 873 Encounter
"A war is more expensive than a long one!" Pei Xingjian laughed bitterly: "Everyone knows this truth, but Qinling is not easy to deal with. To be honest, it is Tang, not Tubo, who is delaying the war to consume the opponent's energy!"

"I know this too!" Hu Liang said with a smile, "So when Tubo besieged Ganzhou, my father also agreed with your and Mr. Liu's strategy, but it was a different time now."

"Oh? How do you say this?" Pei Xingjian asked.

Hu Liang and Yan Liang exchanged glances, and Yan Liang nodded: "Mr. Pei, my father plans to let us leave the Huanghe River Valley, enter Qinghai Lake, and go straight to Qinling's lair!"

"What?" Pei Xingjian was startled: "How is this possible? Your Majesty may not know the situation in the west these years. Since the defeat of Dafeichuan, the offensive and defensive positions have changed. Over the years, the Tubo people have either attacked by force or recruited troops. The Qiang and Hu tribes in the vast area from Qinghai Lake to the Huang River Valley have basically been subordinated to the Tang Dynasty, and only a few still obey the Tang Dynasty. And unlike the nomadic tribes such as the Turks, Tiele, and Uighurs, the Tubo people always They built stone cities in high and dangerous places and sent garrison troops to hold them. Therefore, if we followed your father's strategy, we would have traveled thousands of miles just from Shanzhou, and there would be many dangerous places along the way. With all the enemy soldiers, this host-guest situation alone is a big problem!”

"There is no need to worry, Mr. Pei!" Hu Liang said with a smile: "My father has prepared two sharp weapons when I come from Chang'an this time, just to prepare for this expedition!"

"Two sharp weapons?" Pei Xingjian frowned: "You two, let me tell you something, the war between these two countries is related to the rise and fall of the country. No matter how cautious you are, you can't be too cautious. Just one It’s not a wise move to use only two sharp weapons for this dangerous strategy!”

"Haha!" Hu Liang smiled: "This is not an ordinary sharp weapon!" At this point, he came close to Pei Xingjian and whispered for a moment. Pei Xingjian's eyes widened and he trembled: "You can see Can a mirror from afar allow people to fly to the sky? Is there really such a magical weapon in the world?"

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Frustrated by the Battle of the River Mouth, the Tubo people quickly retreated from the bridgehead on the east bank of the Yellow River. Instead of defending along the river, they chose several highlands on the river bank to build stone forts and leave troops to guard them. Riding as a scout, the main force retreated to the main camp in the rear. This was a very wise choice. After all, the freezing Yellow River was not enough to serve as a defensive barrier. Instead of dividing the troops, it was better to show weakness first and lure the Tang army to cross the river to pursue them.

However, Pei Xingjian, who was opposite him, was also a veteran of the army. He just ordered to send more rangers to drive away the Tibetan scouts. The main force of the Tang army still did not move forward. Both sides were like two experienced heavyweight boxers, both of them were careful. He kept his distance, constantly testing his opponent with jabs with his front hand, while his back hand was always tense, ready to give his opponent a thunderous blow at any time.

The hill rose from the rocky beach in the distance, abrupt and isolated, and its tops, covered with dwarf pine trees, could be seen for miles. Local guides call this place a crotch thing. It looks really similar from a distance, Gao Yannian thought to himself.

He was the first to reach the top of the hill, but the road was so rough and steep that he had to leave his mount below. "The terrain here is good!" Gao Yannian pointed to the northwest: "If a checkpoint is set up here, the Tibetan cavalry can be seen more than ten miles away!"

"If I were a Tibetan, I would also expect that the enemy would set up a lookout post here!"

"However, they didn't expect that we could see so far!" Gao Yannian said proudly.

"That's right, this telescope is really good!" Changgoro took out the telescope from his sleeve and started to look into the distance. These few precision instruments are only distributed to a few senior officers under Hu Liang's command. According to Wang Wenzuo's plan, Brother Huliang will lead his troops through the Hehuang Valley and march directly to Qinghai after the beginning of spring. Before sending troops, officers like Gao Yannian and Chang Wulang must become as familiar as possible with and adapt to the local environment and the common tactics of the Tubo army. Therefore, after the Battle of Hekou, Hu Liang divided his troops into several small groups and took turns to go out on patrol to accumulate experience for the following war.

"Changgoro, what do you think of this expedition?" Gao Yannian lowered his voice and asked his friend.

Changgoro put down the telescope and was silent for a moment: "Do you still remember what you said when we passed by Qishan?"

"Was passing by Qishan?" Gao Yannian thought for a moment: "Are you telling me that I said the place was desolate?"

"Yes!" Changgoro nodded: "This place is even more desolate than there at that time, and the place we are going to is much more desolate than here!"

"Yes!" Gao Yannian sighed: "I also asked the guide. The terrain there is much higher than here. People on flat ground can't even breathe evenly and find it difficult to walk and talk, let alone fight, if they go there. . The Tang army went there ten years ago, but was defeated and the entire army was wiped out!"

Changgoro didn't say anything. He patted the rough trunk of the pine tree next to him twice: "I think this is why Your Majesty asked us to take turns to patrol!"

"No matter how difficult it is, we will definitely win in the end!" Gao Yannian clenched his fists and spoke in a low voice.

"It's so cold here!" Changgoro suddenly sighed: "If we were in our hometown, our eyes would still be full of green at this time, right? It's not like here, where everything is bare, and the mountains are full of bare rocks. There are only a few pine trees. Not bad!”

"Yes!" Gao Yannian sighed, looking a little confused: "By the way, Changgoro, did you bring wine this time?"

"Wine?" Changgoro laughed: "What? Are you homesick?"

"Well!" Gao Yannian stretched out his hand: "Give me a bite! Taste the taste of hometown!"

The entourage had already set up a bonfire with an iron kettle on it. Chogoro poured some rice wine, stirred it with a spoon, and added honey, dried berries, nuts, honey and lemon slices to prevent it from boiling. This special drink first became popular among sailors on sea ships, especially those on whaling ships heading north, where legend had it that the drink could cure illnesses. As the whaling industry, fishing, trade and exploration activities at sea became increasingly developed, this drink also returned from the sea to the land, and was very popular in the coastal areas of Japan, Sanhan, Liaodong and even Cangzhou. Gao Yannian and Chang Wulang also developed the habit of drinking a drink between marches.

Gao Yannian raised the cup. As the hot liquid flowed out from the long mouth of the pot, he closed his eyes happily and took a deep breath. He let out a long breath. "What are you going to do next?" Changgoro filled a cup for himself: "Going further ahead will enter the area actually controlled by the Tibetans, and the probability of encountering an ambush will become higher and higher!"

"The last group of people only came here and then went back?" Gao Yannian asked in surprise.

"Yeah!" Changgoro nodded:

"Then walk a little further!" Gao Yannian said, "until you meet the Tubo people!"

"They suffered a lot in the battle at Hekou, and the Tubo people are probably thinking of winning back the city now!"

"So what?" Gao Yannian said with a smile: "Although Hekou defeated the Tubo people last time, they rushed into the mire at their own risk, but this time we want to see their true ability!"

While talking, the rice was ready, which was soup and cakes. The soup contained radishes, onions and beans, as well as a few slices of pickled pork. The cakes were dry and hard. Gao Yannian cut the cake into small pieces, threw it into a soup bowl, soaked it until soft, and ate it.

After eating, the group continued to move westward. The wind became stronger and stronger. The cold wind whistled in their ears, rolling up the cloaks on everyone's bodies, and fine sand particles flying in the air. Gao Yannian had to wrap his cloak tightly, lower his head, and get close to the horse's neck. Even so, his face was still sore from the beating. As the wind got stronger, it was difficult for him to open his eyes.

"High School Lieutenant!" the guide came over: "Looking at the weather, I'm afraid it's going to snow!"

"Snowing?" Gao Yannian looked up to the sky and saw that the sky was very bright with no clouds. Looking to the north, the sky was gray-white. When the manic north wind blew over, it began to mix with white snow spots. He stretched out his hand to take a few snow seeds and asked, "Are you sure? But there are no clouds in the sky!"

"Lieutenant Gao Gao, you are not a local and don't know the weather in Longyou!" the guide shouted loudly: "It must have snowed heavily in the north, and the north wind picked up the snow and blew it here. There are no clouds in the sky now, but Such a strong wind blew the snow over in a blink of an eye!”

Before Gao Yannian could make a decision, the snow spots grew larger and larger in the blink of an eye, sweeping from north to south. The sky and the earth were completely engulfed by gray-white thick clouds, and the meandering people and horses were suddenly submerged in the white blizzard. People jumped off their horses and hid behind the horses, holding on to the reins tightly while curling up against the horses. The sound of snowdrops hitting the saddle was like thousands of arrows falling from the sky. The heavy snow was blowing endlessly with the wind, seeming to bury them completely. And these soldiers and war horses who were preparing to explore could only bear the ravages of the wind and clouds in the world alone until the wind stopped and the snow stopped. It was already midnight, and the exhausted people fell asleep on the white snowdrifts.

"Prolong life, prolong life!"

Gao Yannian was awakened. He subconsciously held the handle of the knife at his waist. When he opened his eyes wide, he realized it was Changgoro's familiar face: "What's wrong?"

"The snow has stopped!" Changgoro said: "It's daybreak, let's go back!"

Gao Yannian stood up and looked up. Everywhere he looked was snow, and the wind stopped. In the snow that covered his calves, it was extremely inconvenient to gallop and kill. He nodded: "The ground is covered with snow. If your actions are bound to leave traces, it's better to go back!"

That day, they immediately crossed the valley in the snow, immediately cleared the west bank of the river, and looked at the east bank. There is a faint curl of green smoke behind, and there are still a few black spots in the wilderness. The guide said that it was the remains of the last time the Tibetans attacked the city. It should not be far from the river, but the fields were covered with heavy snow, and it was difficult to tell where was the wind-frozen river and where was the land.

Gao Yannian and his party crossed the river and came to the ruins of an earthen village. They went in to eat some dry food, fed the horses, rested for a while, and then continued eastward.

Due to the wind and snow, the traces on the road along the way were not obvious. It was already dark, but the earth was bright white, and even the faint clouds in the sky could be seen clearly. The moon occasionally showed its head through the sparse gaps in the clouds, which added to the eerie and pale light, as if it was not walking in the human world. At midnight, the knights were still moving forward in a winding column, and there was no order to stop and rest. The people marched along in a state of extreme drowsiness, even the scouts who rode in front of the group.

Gao Yannian was already extremely sleepy. In order not to fall off his horse, he kept pinching his thighs. Suddenly, he saw a gray-white shadow approaching in front of him, and he suddenly woke up.

"Wulang, there seems to be someone in front of you!" Gao Yannian suddenly said.

"What?" Changgoro was in a daze. Gao Yannian whipped the back of his hand, and he woke up. At this time, they could already see clearly that it was one or more people on horseback, with horse hooves leaping across the snow. There is almost no loud noise. The man on horseback moved forward leaning on the horse's mane, holding the horse with one hand and holding the bow with the other hand, leaping lightly as the horse undulated on the snow.

Almost in an instant, the distance between the two sides had shortened to less than forty steps. Gao Yannian saw the figure stand up from the horse. He had an arrow across his mouth, and another arrow was already on the string. superior. The local scouts of the Tang army fell off their horses before they had time to react. The shooter rode up to the deceased, dismounted, cut off his head, tied it to the saddle, turned around and ran away, leaving a trail of blood on the snow.

Seeing that the scout in front of them had been shot dead, Gao Yannian and Chang Wulang suddenly woke up. Gao Yannian shouted: "There are thieves, kill the thieves!" The Tibetan scout urged his horse to escape, and at the same time he opened his bow and fired a Ming Dy. , the sound of the thunder pierced the air, making a sharp sound. Behind him, dozens of Tibetan scouts rushed out and rushed towards Gao Yannian and others.

The Tang army faced a sudden encounter and hurried to fight. Both sides drew full-horned bows and fired at each other. The arrows pierced the air and made a sharp sound. Because there was snow on the ground, it was not conducive to galloping and conflicting, so both sides fired at each other in a circle.

After the two sides shot at each other for a while, the Tang people gradually recovered from the initial panic. They found that although the enemy's shooting and riding skills were very good, the armor on their bodies could not compare with their own. Although for the convenience of movement, these knights None of them were wearing heavy armor, but at least they had a curtain vest and a helmet, and with the leather jackets on their bodies, many Tang knights were able to fight back after being hit by six or seven arrows. On the Tibetan side, people were shouting and horses were neighing, and heavy bodies fell one after another into the snow that covered the horses' hooves, making a muffled thumping sound, and the number quickly decreased.