Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 262 Battle (Two in One)

Tubo is more logical.

Dalunfu.

A middle-aged man with big shoulders, round waist, plump body and beard was frowning, looking at the news from his confidant, feeling slightly panicked.

"So, most of the local officials we met in Longxi Hehuang have been transferred?"

The middle-aged man is none other than Dalun Galdongzan, the highest authority in Tubo at the moment.

The great treatise is analogous to that of the prime minister, and naturally the emperor and the Tubo people praise him.

However, at this moment, Songtsen Gampo, Songtsen Gampo, was young. Before his death, Songtsen Gampo asked Gugar Dongtsen to take charge of the overall situation. In the first few years, there were opponents in the court of Galdongzan, but his political skills were great and he united with the Bon religion to form a religious politics. The civil and military personnel of the Tubo and Manchu dynasties were all Bon believers, and his words were more effective than Zampu.

Galdongzan was a bit like Zhou Gongdan. After he took charge of the overall situation of Tubo, he conquered Yangtong, Luowo and Zangerxia, destroyed the Bailan tribe and unified the plateau. He also carried out a series of institutional reforms to delineate farm boundaries, reform the tax system, and follow suit. The Central Plains established household registration and formulated laws, pushing Tibet from a tribe to a country.

If Songtsen Gampo's construction of Tibet was a breakthrough from zero to one, then during the period when Gal Dongtsen was in power, it was from two to nine.

Under the leadership of Galdongzan, Tubo already had the power to dominate.

But strength alone is not enough. Gardongzan has extraordinary strategic vision and is even ranked among the best in the entire East Asia. He knows that in order to truly become a hegemon, in addition to a solid foundation, he must also have sufficient resources and support. They fought in the north and south.

The materials on the plateau are not bad, but they are too scattered and difficult to transport from mountain to mountain.

There is no harm in conquest at close range, but once the front is extended, logistical supplies will be a big problem.

Qinghai Lake can perfectly solve the problems faced by Tubo.

It’s just that the Tang Dynasty was too powerful, and Songtsen Gampo tested it during the Battle of Songzhou many years ago.

Songtsen Gampo did not attack Songzhou directly. Instead, he attacked Tuyuhun first, defeated Tuyuhun and fled Qinghai. Then he defeated the Dangxiang and Bailan Qiang around Qinghai, and had already seized most of the control of Qinghai. , and then marched 100,000 troops into Kuosong Prefecture.

At that time, the main force of the Tang army had not arrived, and Niu Jinda's vanguard army alone caused them a lot of suffering.

Faced with the subsequent Hou Junji and Zhi lost their thoughts, Songtsen Gampo and Galdongtsen realized that the gap in strength was too great, so they decisively retreated, abandoning Qinghai Lake and retreating to the plateau.

If the performance of the Tang army in the Battle of Songzhou was exaggerated, how could Songtsen Gampo, a great hero, spit out the meat he had eaten?

After this battle, Songtsen Gampo and Galdongtsen changed their strategies. They first conquered the surrounding small forces, gathered their strength, and looked for opportunities to seize Qinghai Lake.

Over the years, Galdongzan has been making arrangements to secretly divide Tuyuhun and drive a wedge between Tuyuhun's monarch and his ministers.

It was Galdongzan's handiwork that King Xuan, the Prime Minister of Tuyuhun, hijacked Nuohebo in order to escape to Tubo.

However, Xi Junmai suddenly appeared and led 120 people directly into the midst of thousands of troops and killed Prime Minister Tuyuhun.

In addition to targeting Tuyuhun, Galdongzan adopted a two-pronged approach in the face of the behemoth Tang Empire. On the one hand, he paid tribute every year to show his sincerity, and sent envoys to the Seyi Pavilion in Chang'an to understand the direction of the court. On the other hand, he sent his confidants to do business in the Tang Dynasty. , established relationships with merchants and gentry on the border of the Tang army through trade, and peeked into the military situation in Longyou, Huang and Liangzhou.

Naturally, Galdongzan did not dare to covet the territory of the Tang Dynasty at this moment, but Longyou Hehuang bordered Liangzhou and Tuyuhun.

Once they send troops to Tuyuhun, if the Tang army wants to support them, they will send troops from these two places.

The lax defenses in these two places meant that if the Tang army wanted to support them, they would have to mobilize troops from elsewhere.

In order to seize Qinghai Lake, Galdongzan took everything into consideration. Whether it is border defense or the overall policy dynamics of the Tang Dynasty court.

It is precisely because of this rigorous and conscientious layout that when Tubo sent troops to Tuyuhun in history, it seized the imperial court's Achilles' heel.

The focus of the imperial court was on the Haidong Peninsula, and it could not spare any time to deal with Tubo, so it could only accept a large number of Tuyuhun tribesmen who fled to appease them.

By the time the Haidong Peninsula was resolved, Tibet had already established a firm foothold in Qinghai Lake.

Originally, everything was going according to Gardongzan's plan, but recently the local officials in Longyou Hehuang have been rotated too frequently.

This unusual behavior made Gal Dongzan keenly aware of the strangeness, and he called Zadahui, who was responsible for the matter, to Luoshou to inquire about the situation in person.

Za Dahui took out a sheepskin from his arms and said, "These are the rotating lists. My subordinates have inquired about some of their previous resumes."

Songtsen Gampo took the sheepskin and saw the writing on the sheepskin:

"Ashinazhong, the general manager of Liangzhou, captured Jieli Khan alive. He campaigned eastward, westward and northward in the Tang Dynasty. Last year, he went deep into Mobei to defeat Tiele, the fifth surname. He was promoted to the governor of Liangzhou because of his merits."

"Qiu Xinggong, the governor of Shanzhou, came from a family of generals. He is now seventy-three. He is brave and good at riding and shooting. In his early years, he followed Emperor Zhenguan to conquer Chang'an and eliminated Xue Ju, Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, etc...."

"Liang Jianfang, the governor of Kuozhou, became the general of Youwuhou in the second year of Yonghui. He defeated the border invaders of Douzhou and Yizhou, defeated the foreign barbarians, and conquered seventy-two of their tribes. In the first year of Yonghui, he greatly defeated Chu Yuezhu. Xiegu concentrated on Laoshan, beheading 9,000 people, capturing 6,000 Qushuai, more than 10,000 livestock, and 70,000 cattle, horses and miscellaneous animals..."

"Liu Renyuan, the governor of Yaozhou, was a student of Hongwen Hall and was selected as the right guard. He once accompanied Emperor Zhenguan on a tour to other places and fought wild beasts with his bare hands. He was extremely brave. In the 19th year of Zhenguan's expedition against Goguryeo, he was commended by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty for his military exploits and was promoted to the rank of Shangzhu Kingdom..."

There are still others like Xue Gu, Wu Ren and Gao Deyi. Without exception, one can find more or less military exploits from them.

It was immediately clear how great Galdongzan's strategic vision was.

The Tang court is deploying military forces in Longyou...

Otherwise, there is no reason to replace the governor with a general with military merit in the most critical state capital.

Because of the Silk Road, Longyou has a good momentum of development.

Sima Guang once wrote in Zizhi Tongjian: At that time, China was prosperous and powerful. From Anyuan Gate to the west of the Tang Dynasty, it was thousands of miles away.

Of course, what Sima Guang wrote was not Longyou at this time, but the future...

But it is precisely because predecessors planted trees that future generations can enjoy the shade.

The prosperity of the Silk Road has made Liangzhou second only to Chang'an and Luoyang, giving Longyou a huge development prospect.

The Tang court has always attached great importance to the development of Longyou. The three governors replaced were all capable ministers and officials, and they managed the three states well.

Tang Ting asked three generals to replace them, which would inevitably limit the good development momentum.

This is the only explanation for this abnormal behavior.

"Quickly, go and invite the deputy chief minister, San Shante, to come and discuss matters."

The deputy chief minister is the deputy prime minister, and the three ministers and one minister are the unique official system of Tubo. Simply put, they are the four major families in Tubo.

The three nobles are the Molu family in the upper part, the Chen family in the lower part, and the Nazhi family in the middle part. They are relatives of Zanpu.

In fact, the ancient saying is that "three nobles and one theory", three nobles are relatives, one theory is Webster's, and theory means "big theory"...

In other words, there are more Webster's works in major treatises, but now that Tubo is completely controlled by Gal Dongzan, Webster's theory has naturally withered away.

The way Gal Dongzan governed Tubo adopted the Bafu system, which meant that Tubo all respected Zanpu, but the government decrees made great decisions, leaving Gal Dongzan alone to hold the power of the country and act on his behalf.

Therefore, every major matter is discussed in the Grand Forum.     Finally, just inform Zamp of the outcome of the discussion.

Zamp, who has not yet taken power, is not qualified to say no.

Not long after, the deputy chief minister Dayan Mangbuzhi, as well as the Bulu family Zanli, Chenfangpu, and Nacha Buyou arrived together. In addition to the five of them, there were also two juniors attending the meeting, namely Gar Zanxi. Ruoduobu and Garqinlingzanzhuo were both sons of Gardongzan.

Although he is a junior, he has already shown extraordinary talents. He praised Xiruoduobu for being like his father in both civil and military skills. However, Zanzhuo of Garqinling was obsessed with military strategy and had already experienced thirty-six major and minor battles at a young age. After a defeat, he had a high prestige among the Tubo army, even surpassing his elder brother.

Galdongzan valued his two sons very much. No matter how important the state affairs were, as long as they were willing to listen, they would not object.

Even if it doesn't make sense.

No one dared to tell Gal Dongzan this truth.

Galdongzan informed everyone about the Tang Dynasty's strengthening of Longyou's military deployment.

As soon as these words came out, the six people in the hall all changed their minds.

The outcome of the Songzhou Battle was still fresh in their minds, and they did not dare to confront Tang Ting yet, but they were determined to win the fat piece of Qinghai Lake.

Therefore, everyone has not been able to come up with a good method.

However, the Tang court focused on developing Longyou's economy and was somewhat slack on Longyou's military development. It's an opportunity for them...

Now?

"How could this be?"

No Lu Zanli exclaimed in surprise.

He has always been a radical and coveted Qinghai Lake.

Na Buyou said: "It must be because Tang Ting has a capable person and discovered our strange behavior. I told you before, you underestimated Tang Ting too much. You really thought that after Emperor Zhenguan and Li Jing died, they would have no one left. ?You can do whatever you want?"

To put it another way, that person must be a conservative.

In fact, Na Buyou was also very radical in his early years. He followed Songtsen Gampo in his expeditions from north to south and from all directions, thinking that the Tibetan army could defeat any enemy.

Until Niu Jinda's surprise attack...

Na Buyou saw what a true heavenly soldier and heavenly general was.

At that time, Songtsan Gampo was still a little unconvinced and wanted to fight again. As a result, eight ministers refused to remonstrate and committed suicide directly in front of Songtsan Gampo, not daring to fight again.

There is still a certain shadow about Na Buyou now, but he is just a "little man who speaks lightly" and cannot influence the general trend. At this time, let's teach him something cold and find some sense of existence.

Sure enough, no one paid attention to that shameless speech.

Chen Fangpu said: "If Tang Ting completes his deployment, our situation will be difficult. If we want to win, we can only win quickly and hit the target with one blow. We cannot afford to waste it."

Galdongzan nodded in agreement, which was why they had not dared to send troops.

The Tubo army has gained strength. They are not afraid of fighting, nor do they think that they will definitely lose if they encounter the Tang army on the battlefield. If they are really cowardly, they will not even dare to fight, nor will they dare to pull out the tiger's beard of the Tang Dynasty. However, they know the advantages of the enemy and ourselves. Disadvantages.

The Tang army's national strength was so strong that they could withstand years of protracted wars and even endure multiple large-scale defeats.

But Tubo couldn't do it. Once the battle reached a stalemate or the army suffered too much damage, the entire country would fall apart.

Therefore, they were waiting for an opportunity to catch them by surprise, capture Tuyuhun in one fell swoop, control Qinghai Lake before Tang Ting could react, and then rely on the terrain to defend it to the death.

At that time, they had the resources of Qinghai Lake and the capital to spend with Tang Ting.

Now that Tang Ting understood their thoughts, they sent troops to Tuyuhun, and Tang Ting would definitely support them.

The two sides will consume each other in the territory of Tuyuhun. This is the situation they least want to see.

Galdongzan did not speak, but looked at the Deputy Grand Lun Dayan Mangbu Branch.

Dayan Mangbuzhi did not come from a Tubo family, but was a grassroots official with extraordinary talents. He was so highly regarded by Galdongzan that he even promoted him to deputy despite pressure.

The Dayan Mangbu Branch was mainly responsible for bribing pro-Tibetan officials in Tuyuhun and creating rebellions. The rebellion of Tuyuhun Prime Minister Xuan Wang was his handiwork, but Xi Junmai had a hand in it, otherwise they would have succeeded.

Dayan Mangbuzhi said: "If we really want to mobilize troops, my subordinates can guarantee that Tuyuhunsu and Gui will defect before the battle begins. And among the ten tribes of Tuyuhun, three will remain stationary."

Galdong praised: "Good! If we win this battle, I will be the first hero."

Na Buyou had a displeased look on his face, but he didn't dare to say anything.

Lu Shi praised Li and said happily: "Have you made up your mind now?"

Galdong praised: "Of course, seizing Qinghai Lake is the goal set by Ben Lun and Songtsen Gampo Zampu when they first met. Over the years, they have developed carefully and everything is to achieve this goal. Not fighting is not a fear. Tang Ting is waiting for a better opportunity. Now that our intentions have been exposed, there is nothing to say... Everyone, even if we are enemies of Tang Ting again, Qinghai Lake must be under our Tubo control."

"This is Songtsan Gampo Zampu's long-cherished wish before his death. We must fulfill his long-cherished wish..."

Galdongzan beat his chest and shouted loudly.

In an instant, the eyes of everyone in the hall were hot and firm, and even the timid Na Buyou beat his chest.

At this time, they respect the greatest Zamp in their hearts.

To be fair, Galdongzan's contribution to the development of Tibet has surpassed Songtsen Gampo.

But when it comes to personality charm, Galdongtsen is far from Songtsen Gampo.

Maybe this is the difference between a king and a minister.

"Go get ready!"

Galdongzan waved his hand, and Dayanmangbuzhi, Bulushi Zanli, Chenfangpu, and Nabuyou all resigned.

There were only three people left in the meeting hall: Gardongzan, Garzan Xiruoduobu, and Garqinling Zanzhuo.

Qinling Zanzhuo said excitedly: "Father, I am willing to be a pioneer and capture Qinghai Lake for the great Songtsan Gampo Zanpu."

Praise for Xiruoduo's sermon: "For my father, I am willing to be a pioneer and capture Qinghai Lake for Tubo and my father."

Gal Dongzan looked at his two most outstanding sons and suddenly didn't know how to choose. He simply said: "Okay, if you are determined to do so, then be the vanguard of the left and right and fight together!"

(End of this chapter)