Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 471 You come and I go
Lun Qinling was quite pleased to hear his brother say this while running. His brother did have a good talent in military affairs. If he was trained, he would become a great general of Tubo. He taught loudly: "The way to use troops is to use the majority to defeat the minority. The Tang army came to support in two ways, just when they were at their weakest. It was the day between New Year's Day and the Lantern Festival. They were urgently dispatched in such bad weather, so the army was naturally in a bad state. In order to quickly support the soldiers on Qinghai Lake, they had to march faster."

"With this weather, terrain, and climate, the Tang army's combat effectiveness will be greatly affected."

"On the battlefield, it is better to lose a thousand troops than to lose a single advance."

"If we don't give them time to adjust and the chance to reunite, we can gain the upper hand."

"Besides, there is no trivial matter in war. Do not fight a meaningless war, even if it is an easy victory."

Zanpo reacted quickly and asked, "Like Xiang Yu?"

"Just like Xiang Yu!" Lun Qinling affirmed and said loudly: "Xiang Yu was a great hero, winning every battle, but he became weaker with each victory, while Liu Bang was defeated by Xiang Yu many times, but he became stronger with each defeat. This is because Xiang Yu won too many meaningless victories, while Liu Bang only won a few key battles and conquered the world..."

"Our goal is to put pressure on the Tang army and force Su Dingfang to lead the army despite his injuries. The only way is to gain an advantage as quickly as possible and let the Tang court know that no one can be our opponent except Su Dingfang."

"The next battle we'll have with the enemy is to win quickly."

Lun Qinling said this as he led 25,000 Tibetan soldiers behind him to the battlefield.

After marching for a day and a night, Lun Qinling stopped at a dangerous place to rest.

Lun Qinling reined in his horse and stood on a high slope. In the distance, floating clouds were gathering rapidly. In Qinghai during the first month of the lunar year, it was snowing lightly. The cold wind was howling, sweeping the snowflakes across the dry earth, roaring and snarling like a wild beast.

Six black shadows were galloping towards them from a distance, and before they got close, a man fell off his horse.

The other five people ignored them and continued to rush towards the Tubo military camp.

Lun Qinling said: "Go and save them!"

He arranged for his personal guards to rescue the people, and he himself went to meet the five scouts.

The five scouts breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that it was their commander-in-chief. They reined in their horses and said, "Commander-in-chief, we were chased by the Tang cavalry and have not found out the enemy's specific whereabouts."

When two armies clash, the first to come into contact with the enemy are usually scouts.

The purpose of scouts is to find out the enemy's whereabouts and find out the number of enemies.

The number of tens of thousands of soldiers is huge, but in Qinghai, where the terrain and environment are complex, they are like a drop in the ocean and extremely difficult to find.

It is usually necessary to spread out scouts and search for the enemy in all directions.

The enemy and I are the same.

If you want to find the enemy, you must first deal with the encounter with the enemy scouts. Only after passing this level can you get close to the enemy's main force.

But a truly well-trained army will arrange rangers to clear out enemy rangers near the main force. Unless in a specific terrain environment, it is difficult for scouts to get close to the rangers to blockade.

Lun Qinling was not surprised to hear the scout's report.

He had fought with Cheng Wuting before. The more Tubo valued the Tang Dynasty, the harder it worked in gathering intelligence.

When Cheng Wuting was transferred to Shanzhou, someone had already collected his general resume.

Lun Qinling knew Cheng Wuting's abilities and also knew his intentions.

"Brother, did Cheng Wuting know that we were coming to look for him, so he deliberately found a place to hide and rest?"

Zanpo reacted quickly and guessed Cheng Wuting's intention.

Lun Qinling said: "The Tang court is full of talented people. Cheng Wuting has been following his father into battle since he was young. He is naturally a man who knows military affairs. As a general, how can he not see the flaws that we can see? It's just that the military situation is urgent, so we have to rush to support Qinghai Lake. In order to avoid being taken advantage of by our army, it is the most reasonable and effective strategy to find an opportunity to rest after arriving. The soldiers of the Tang army are brave and good at fighting. As long as they are given a day to recover, they can maintain their good combat effectiveness."

Zan Po said hurriedly: "Then we can't give them this opportunity. But where are they hiding?"

Lun Qinling took out a map from his bosom and said, "Can you point out where we encountered the Tang Army Rangers?"

Scouts are an important role in the army. They provide key information support for the army's actions by detecting the enemy situation and reporting the enemy's dynamics. Scouts usually have excellent physical fitness, observation and adaptability, and are able to perform tasks behind enemy lines to ensure the safety and victory of the army.

The selection criteria for scouts are also very strict, requiring candidates to be not only physically strong and skilled in riding, but also to have excellent observation, memory and expression skills, a high degree of alertness, adaptability and independent survival ability.

After just a brief search on the map, the scout leader pointed out the place where they encountered the Tang cavalry.

Lun Qinling looked at the map, pondered for a moment and said: "The Tang army should be here..."

"right here!"

Lun Qinling's second sentence was particularly firm, and he said loudly: "Send the order to inform Shi Mengheng to lead the vanguard troops to set off immediately and rush to the direction of Chiling. There is a Longju Ridge to the west of Chiling, and the Tang army is most likely there."

"The rest of you are ready to fight..."

Zanpo looked at her brother in surprise.

Lun Qinling had enough patience for his brother and explained, "The Tang Suqing scouts' cavalry appeared here, which means that the main force of the Tang army will not be too far away. In other words, where the cavalry appeared, there must be Tang court troops within a radius of ten miles. If I were Cheng Wuting, I would choose Longju Ridge."

“Sheltered from the wind, with water, a wide view, and the ability to advance or retreat.”

"What I can think of, Cheng Wuting can also think of."

Lun Qinling said seriously.

Sure enough, everything was as expected.

After galloping over the mountains and following a stream, we immediately saw the mighty and high-spirited Tang army on the hillside.

The high mountains were crowded with people like ants.

The most conspicuous military flag is undoubtedly the flag of the Tang Army.

Shi Mengheng rode quickly to the nearby area and reported: "General, as soon as we arrived nearby, we saw the Tang soldiers ready to attack us! I was afraid that it was a trick, so I didn't dare to move forward."

Lun Qinling ignored Master Mengheng and looked at Zanpo.

Zanpo looked at her brother's encouraging eyes and said, "I think it's just bluffing..."

Lun Qinling laughed happily, "That's right. The enemy must have discovered that we are approaching them and know that their position has been exposed. Instead of sitting there and waiting to be killed, it is better to seize the high ground and take advantage of the terrain. Then, they will make an offensive move, just to make us afraid so that they can take the opportunity to rest for a while."

He sneered, looked at the Tang soldiers on the hillside with burning eyes, and shouted to the back: "Eagles on the plateau, can we make them get what they want?"

"cannot!"

The Tibetan soldiers shouted in unison.

Flags are flying and drums are beating.

Lun Qinling said: "Attack!"

Amid the howling cold wind, 15,000 Tang soldiers formed a square formation with a radius of two miles. Their black and red armor looked particularly eye-catching against the backdrop of white snow and yellow earth.

Cheng Wuting stood on the high slope and looked down at our soldiers.

After continuous marching, most of the Tang army soldiers were tired, and they were quite annoyed when they saw the Tubo soldiers who started to attack not far away.

This time he miscalculated.

Cheng Wuting knew about altitude sickness. Most generals at their level had read Chen Qingsi's "On Tibet" and knew the general principles of altitude sickness and how to deal with it.

The first time he followed Su Dingfang to Qinghai Lake, he did not clearly feel the impact of the plateau climate.

The main reason was that Cheng Wuting was a strong general, very young, and at the prime age, he could minimize the impact of the plateau climate. Su Dingfang had fought many battles at Qinghai Lake and had mastered certain tricks. Xi Junmai was on Qinghai Lake, so he could hold out until their arrival. The march was not urgent, and the basic combat effectiveness of the soldiers was maintained.

The situation at Qinghai Lake was critical this time. Xi Junmai was trapped in Fu'ai City, the Tang army camp was breached, and Qinghai Lake was in danger of being lost.

Faced with this situation, Cheng Wuting had just arrived and did not have a good grasp of the rhythm of rest. After a rapid march, the soldiers were seriously physically exhausted.

I had originally intended to restore the soldiers' strength in this sheltered and secluded place.

However, they did not expect that Tubo would come so quickly, leaving them no chance to rest.

"On Qinling!"

Cheng Wuting had heard Su Dingfang praise Lun Qinling many times, praising him as a rare military talent.

Cheng Wuting was still a little unconvinced. They were all young talents, so who didn't have some pride?

This time, I saw how powerful Lun Qinling was...

My little mistake was completely exposed to the other party.

Cheng Wuting calmed his mind and began to prepare for the attack.

They chose this high slope originally intending to hide from the cold wind on the back of the slope, and now they can make use of it.

The Tang army formed a battle array around the hillside. The front row was composed of elite spearmen. Their spears were specially made, three or four feet longer than ordinary spears. They were stacked in five rows, with the last person placing his spear on the shoulder of the person in front, forming an insurmountable steel jungle.

Behind the spearmen are well-trained crossbowmen. If the Tubo launched a frontal charge, they would surely suffer horrible deaths.

In order to prevent the light cavalry's roundabout attack, the two wings of the phalanx were equipped with large shield soldiers to prevent horse archery, and there were also cavalry raiding the rear. They could gain the initiative from top to bottom.

The Tubo army began to move.

Cheng Wuting held up the command flag high and ordered the archers in front to string their crossbows.

However, the Tibetan cavalry increased their speed but did not charge directly into the steel jungle. Instead, they split into two, avoided the front, circled around to the left and right front of the army formation, and slowly advanced to the left and right wings...

Obviously they were planning to go around to the left and right wings to look for opportunities to fight.

Cheng Wuting squinted his eyes and looked ahead. He didn't care about the Tibetan cavalry on the left and right wings, but stared straight ahead.

Until shouts and screams were heard from behind.

Obviously, the Tang army could not take on all the attacks on this high slope, as they had weak points in the rear.

Tubo has launched an offensive...

Cheng Wuting waved his hand and called two captains to lead troops for support, while he continued to watch the Tibetan army in front of him.

Lun Qinling was also sitting on the horse, looking up the hillside, motionless and quiet.

It seemed that the war in the rear had nothing to do with them.

Zanpo looked at the fireworks that had already been lit in the distance, listened to the dense sound of bone flutes, and the sound of the Tang army's war drums, and felt a little itchy.

"Brother! The weakness of the Tang army is at the back. I will go and grab the first credit for you!"

Lun Qinling smiled and said, "Don't you regret this trip?"

Zan Po asked, "What is there to regret?"

He reacted quickly and said, "Could it be that this is a false impression by the Tang army?"

Lun Qinling's eyes were sharp, and he said, "It must be an illusion! We are many and the enemy is few, the enemy is tired and we are strong, and if we stay in Longjuling, we will die. The Tang army will not stay in a desperate situation, they will break out. According to the terrain, the best route is to break out from the front. The real decisive battle will be in the front, not in the back."

Zanpo slapped his thigh and shouted, "I understand. This is the intention of the Tang army. He deliberately created a loophole in the rear to attract our troops to attack from the rear. In this way, our front will be short of troops, making it easier for them to break through."

"Brother, since you have seen through the other party's plan, why did you still fall into the trap and attack?"

Lun Qinling smiled and said, "If we don't attack, won't it give them a chance to rest?"

Zanpo smiled embarrassedly. This question was quite stupid.

"Brother, when do you think they will break out?"

Lun Qinling said: "After dusk!"

He thought for a moment and said, "We can take advantage of the night to increase our chances of breaking through."

Lun Qinling was still confident in his judgment, and he was also very patient, so he just waited.

Time passes minute by minute...

Cheng Wuting of Shanposhan saw that although the Tubo army was attacking their rear, the battle preparations in the front had not been lifted, and he knew that he had really met an opponent.

He stared at the Tang army flags not far away, lost in thought.

A quarter of an hour, half an hour...

An hour...

Nearly two hours passed, and suddenly the flags that were fluttering in the wind began to dance violently.

The north wind howled suddenly...

Strong winds mixed with snowflakes swept toward the north...

Cheng Wuting's face was filled with ecstasy...

At the same time, Lun Qinling squinted his eyes because of the sudden strong wind, and his face felt like it was being pricked by snowflakes, and his cheeks were scratched by a knife, causing a dull pain.

Lun Qinling, who had been calm, suddenly shouted: "Meet the enemy!"

Maybe what the other party is waiting for is not the dusk, but the north wind.

When Lun Qinling shouted "Meet the enemy!", Cheng Wuting also gave the order to charge.

"Warriors of the Tang Dynasty, follow me and crush the enemies before us!"

As the commander of an army, Cheng Wuting did not hesitate at all. Wearing the shining Ming Guang armor, holding a spear, he jumped on his horse and rushed towards the enemy in front of him.

The Tang army swooped down from the high slopes in the face of wind and snow, and while the Tibetan soldiers were blinded, they were killed like a torrent.

The two armies immediately engaged in combat.

Blood splattered everywhere and people and horses fell to the ground.

Cheng Wuting looked at the Tibetan soldier who was trying hard to open his eyes, and stabbed his spear into his throat.

Although the enemy soldiers died, the horses were still galloping forward...

Cheng Wuting continued to charge forward, carrying the corpse, and his horse spears killed three people in a row...

(End of this chapter)