Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 461: Defending the Tower
Qinghai Lake, Nalu Station.

Su Dingfang looked at the three stone forts in front of him and said to Xi Junmai beside him, "When were these forts built?"

Xi Junmai also looked confused and said, "I don't know, but I can guarantee that two months ago, this was an abandoned post station."

Nalu Posthouse was a post station built during the friendly relations between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet. It is also the oldest section of the famous Tang-Tibet Ancient Road.

Starting from Chang'an, passing through Shanzhou and Shancheng, entering Qinghai, passing through Moliyi, Naluyi, and Zhonglongyi, arriving at the Yak River, jumping over the Tanggula Mountains, passing through Nagqu, and arriving at Lhasa.

But as the Tang Dynasty and Tubo completely fell out, the post stations along the way were abandoned.

Tubo has always wanted to establish good relations with the Tang Dynasty. After all, the economic and cultural development of the Tang Dynasty was so rapid that no one in the world could rival it.

However, due to Chen Qingsi's interference, there is no possibility of easing the relationship between the two sides.

Not to mention the Ancient Tang-Tibet Road, even the future Ancient Tea-Horse Road was blocked due to Chen Qingsi's interference.

Because Naluyi was very close to the border of Tubo, the herders of Tuyuhun did not dare to graze there, but Xi Junmai formulated a detailed patrol plan to prevent Tubo from suddenly moving south.

Nalu Posthouse is the most convenient passage for going up and down the mountain, so naturally there are always soldiers patrolling.

Xi Junmai was sure that there was no camp here before Tubo moved south.

As for what happened after they went south, Xi Junmai didn't know. Lun Qinling led 40,000 troops south, and the 10,000 Tang troops stationed in Tuyuhun were unable to resist, so they withdrew their front lines and waited for reinforcements.

Xi Junmai naturally didn't know what happened after the battle line was shortened.

Su Dingfang's eyes were filled with solemnity, his white eyebrows were raised upwards, and he looked intimidating without even being angry.

On Qinling!
Su Dingfang silently recited the opponent's coach's name in his heart and said, "He is really a young man worthy of attention."

I have fought with Lun Qinling four times, including this time.

The opponent's first counterattack and retreat left a great impact on him.

The second and third times were head-on confrontations, and each time gave people a different feeling.

The progress we are facing is visible to the naked eye...

This time, Lun Qinling set up a camp here in advance, which once again made Su Dingfang take notice of him.

"I felt that there was something wrong with the enemy's retreat route. It turned out that they were waiting here. It seems that from the beginning, he didn't want to fight us by the Qinghai Lake, but lured us here to fight us with this camp. But he didn't expect that this time, we had two powerful foreign aids, and we suffered a small loss..."

Over the years, Su Dingfang fought for the imperial court in many campaigns. This veteran general went to the Western Regions twice, the Northeast three times, and Qinghai Lake four times.

It is no exaggeration to say that he knew all the generals of the Tang Dynasty's Western Army, Eastern Army, and Central Army, and most of them had fought with him.

When Su Dingfang attacked Goguryeo, Cheng Mingzhen gave Cheng Wuting to Su Dingfang to train with him, and Heichi Changzhi was an opponent recognized by Su Dingfang on the battlefield.

Su Dingfang was overjoyed that Chen Qingsi had transferred the two men to his command...

Su Dingfang has a clear understanding of the abilities of Cheng Wuting and Heichi Changzhi, and uses them as easily as using his own arms.

He knew that Cheng Wuting was brave and resolute, like his father, and was good at fighting tough battles, so he made him the vanguard. And Heichi Chang was rough but meticulous, and was bold and decisive in using troops, so he made him the flank, giving him the privilege of free play, and gave the two men combat arrangements that suited their abilities, allowing them to fully unleash their own strengths.

In this battle, Su Dingfang sent Cheng Wuting to the front, charging into battle and attracting attention. However, Heichi Changzhi was not given any tasks, and was allowed to play freely.

As soon as the battle started, Su Dingfang ordered Cheng Wuting to charge directly at Lun Qinling using the Flying Dragon Rider.

Lun Qinling did not panic in the face of Su Dingfang's sudden attack, but responded calmly, successfully blocking the attack and even having the energy to launch a tentative counterattack.

During the attack and defense, Lun Qinling was no longer being unilaterally suppressed by Su Dingfang.

But before Lun Qinling had time to breathe a sigh of relief, Heichi Changzhi on the right wing took advantage of the terrain, abandoned his horse, crossed the Qinghai Lake shallowly, and went around behind them, cooperating with Wang Xiaojie to disrupt the left wing of the Tubo army.

Lun Qinling wanted to rescue him, but how could Su Dingfang give him the chance?
Su Dingfang dared to give Heichi Changzhi the privilege to mess around, so he was sure to seize the opportunity he created...

This time, Lun Qinling couldn't even hold out for three days, allowing Heichi Changzhi to succeed in a surprise attack.

Qin Ling retreated decisively and did not linger on, until he retreated to Naluyi.

Looking at the camp at Naluyi, Su Dingfang realized that Lun Qinling's overall view had improved compared to the previous times. He was no longer seeking to win a single battle, but instead had deployed defenses at Naluyi, a key offensive and defensive location, which could serve as a stepping stone for attack as well as a stronghold for retreat and rest.

Cheng Wuting frowned and said, "These three camps are very cleverly built, in line with the terrain here. If we want to attack, no matter where we come from, it will be difficult to launch an attack. I think we can advance by piling up earth. As long as we successfully approach the enemy camp, we can use the advantage of crossbows and arrows to suppress them, thus forcing them to abandon the camp and fight."

Cheng Wuting followed his father Cheng Mingzhen to fight against Goguryeo in the northeast.

Goguryeo was best at defense, and those mountain cities made these northeastern generals very skilled in defense.

Cheng Wuting worked hard on the siege.

Compared with the solid mountain cities of Goguryeo, the temporary camp built by Lunqinling in just over a month was not impressive enough.

Su Dingfang nodded and said, "Okay, rest for two days first, and you will be responsible for the attack after three days."

The altitude of Naluyi is three hundred feet higher than Qinghai. Su Dingfang plans to give the soldiers enough rest time so that they have enough physical strength to attack.

Su Dingfang returned to his own tent, and his personal soldiers helped him take off his armor. Feeling the relief of being freed from restraints, he let out a long breath, shook his head and whispered, "I can't refuse to accept my old age!"

Looking back to a few decades ago, he could still charge into battle, leading a large army like a lion to drive out the Turks and reach the shores of the Aral Sea. He could also cross the desert and go straight to the Dayuechuan in Qinghai to kill the bandit leader.

Now he is just wearing armor and commanding the three armies to lead the pursuit. He has not yet personally gone into battle, and he feels powerless.

"General Manager!"

Su Dingfang was sitting on a mat, drinking water and catching his breath, when news came from outside the tent that a letter had arrived from the capital.

"Come in!"

Su Dingfang shouted, and the messenger handed him a letter with the seal of the Ministry of War.

Su Dingfang confirmed that the ink was correct and took out the letter inside.

After reading the contents of the letter, Su Dingfang's eyes showed some enlightenment. So that's it.

Su Dingfang's tactical level and command on the battlefield are unparalleled in the world, but military strategy is not his forte. However, despite his lack of military strategy, after fighting for so many years, he was able to detect that Tubo's recent attacks and defenses had certain problems. He felt that the other side was a little overconfident. Although they had a good grasp of the timing of their attack, but...

Although Su Dingfang admired Lun Qinling's performance and saw that he was an extremely rare general, he had fought for sixty years and was proficient in all aspects of military affairs. Apart from his age, there was no reason for him to lose to a fledgling general.

What’s the use of having a good opportunity if you can’t win?
It was not until I read Chen Qingsi's letter that I realized that the other party seized the opportunity to fight just to make sure that it was me who led the troops. How did Tubo make sure that it was me who led the troops to fight?

The first time, before the Fengshan ceremony, the Tang Dynasty needed a quick victory to establish its authority, so it went up on its own.

The second time, after the Fengshan ceremony, the treasury was empty, and a quick victory was also needed...

This was the third time. In order to better transport food to Guanzhong and prepare for future wars, water control and canal dredging were needed, and a quick victory was needed...

"So it seems that this old man has really been fooled?"

Su Dingfang looked at the letter in his hand and saw Chen Qingsi's other thoughts.

Tubo did not have only one great general, Lun Qinling, but it was Lun Qinling who commanded the troops all the time. He suspected that the great Tubo general Galdongzan was using his whetstone to sharpen Lun Qinling's knife.

This idea is bold, but not entirely unreasonable.

At least Su Dingfang could feel that Lun Qinling was indeed becoming more and more difficult to deal with.

Although they won this time with the help of Black Tooth Changzhi, they were unable to expand their victory. When they fought against him again, it was not so easy.

Now it seems that it is not necessarily because I am old and lack energy, but that the other party is indeed making rapid progress.

"It's just as Minister Chen said. This boy is really a disaster."

Looking at the trap that Chen Qingsi had set up specifically for Lun Qinling, he thought carefully for a while and said, "Well, for the sake of the court and to repay His Majesty's kindness, what does it matter if I suffer a little?"

My body is indeed not as good as before...

Li Zhi was not good at military strategy, and he was far from being as calm and at ease in employing military personnel as Li Shimin.

He couldn't tell what kind of general to use against what kind of enemy.

Therefore, before Chen Qingsi's rise, Li Zhi employed people in a simple and rough manner. He would employ whoever could win the battle and would grab whoever he could get hold of.

Su Dingfang spent most of his short ten years on wars...

This is not a good thing from the overall perspective, but for Su Dingfang, it is an immense trust.

Su Dingfang had great respect for Emperor Li Zhi and was willing to die for him.
-
Nalu Posthouse, Stone Tower Camp.

Lun Qinling stood on the top floor of the camp, looking at the Tang army in the distance: the hill was densely packed with heads, and the soldiers of the Tang army gathered together like ants, their black armor reflecting red light in the rising sun.

After watching silently for a while, although Lun Qinling had long been accustomed to the strength of the Tang army, he still felt a tingling sensation on his scalp when he saw their military appearance and momentum from a high vantage point.

After taking a look at the camp behind him, Lun Qinling felt more at ease. There were countless huge watchtowers in the camp.

This is a Qiang watchtower, also called a Qionglong. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Biography of the Southwestern Barbarians, records that "they live on the hills, with houses made of piled stones, some as high as more than ten feet."

Before, Tubo conquered the Bai Qiang, recruited the warriors of the Bai Qiang tribe, and integrated their culture. They also learned the watchtower.

The towers are square and built one by one. They are wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, forming a trapezoidal shape. The wall is more than three feet thick and is divided into several layers. The upper layer is used to store food and weapons, the middle layer is used for living, and the lower layer is used for livestock. There are observation holes and arrow holes. They are all built with rubble and yellow clay. They look simple, but they are actually very solid.

Lun Qinling initially intended to defeat Su Dingfang to avenge his most beloved brother.

It was just two consecutive head-on defeats that made Lun Qinling realize the gap between them.

Su Dingfang fought all his life, but the number of battles he had commanded was only a fraction of the number of battles he had led on the enemy side.

With such a huge accumulation of experience, and his opponent being a famous general like Su Dingfang, how could he easily surpass him?

Give him ten or twenty years. Lun Qinling has the confidence that he will not lose to him, but it is difficult to match him now.

You shouldn't get angry just to compete with him.

We should learn from Sima Yi. No matter what means we use, the one who laughs last is the winner.

Being young is your advantage...

Lun Qinling did not fight for victory this time. As soon as he got off the plateau, he arranged for people to build a watchtower in Naluyi, intending to consume the energy of the Tang army here.

However, military situation is unpredictable. Lun Qinling originally wanted to lure the Tang army here, but he did not expect to suffer a bold and unexpected attack from Heichi Changzhi.

It was the first time that Lun Qinling had seen a general use his troops in such a way, so he simply retreated here, but suffered more casualties than expected.

Fortunately, I set up a blockhouse in advance, otherwise I would have been defeated in one battle.

"Brother!"

A call came from behind Lun Qinling.

"Brother, why are you here?"

The person who came was his third brother, Gar Zhengzang Zangdon, also known as Zanpo.

Zanpo said, "My father asked me to deliver food. He said that we don't need to worry about food now. We should delay as long as possible. In short, we should consume Su Dingfang's energy as much as possible, increase the pressure on the rear of the Tang army, and make it more difficult for them to prepare for war."

Lun Qinling had been at the front line the whole time, so he didn't know much about what was going on in the rear, which was a bit strange.

Having lost the economic source of the Ancient Tang-Tibet Road, the Tubo rear was under tremendous pressure. Why did they suddenly stop worrying about food?

Zanpo smiled and said, "Brother, you haven't been back to Luosi for too long. My father is really capable of reaching the sky. After he broke with the Tang court, he turned to the West and established trade relations with the Arab Empire. Their grain can be transported from the Arab Sea to Nepal in one go through the Arab merchants. Through Nepal, we can transport herbs, copper and iron from the plateau to the Arab Empire, and the Arab Empire can also send their grain, weapons and other supplies to us."

"Transportation by sea is much more convenient than by road. However, it is more troublesome to transport goods from Nepal to Lhasa. Father has been building roads over the years."

"He said that with a common enemy like the Tang court, the relationship between the Arabs and us will get better and better. The stronger the Tang court is, the more funding we will get."

"The Arab Empire also gave us one hundred of their swords, saying that they were forged with special ores from their country and are sharper than the ordinary swords equipped by the Tang army. My father also asked me to bring them to equip my brother's personal soldiers."

Lun Qinling felt relieved when he heard this, and said, "With father's words, brother feels much more at ease."

Zanpo said, "My father asked me to stay and help my brother."

Lun Qinling was in need of help, so he said happily, "Okay, brothers, we should work together to meet the Tang soldiers below."

As they were talking, the drums of attack sounded.

(End of this chapter)