Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 477 Fall
Qinghai Lake.

The armies of Cheng Wuting and Heichi Changzhi joined together.

Cheng Wuting and Heichi Changzhi were both analyzing where the Tubo army would hide by looking at the map.

The two generals are collecting intelligence information on their nuclear opponents.

The transmission of information in ancient times was too inconvenient...

At present, Cheng Wuting and Heichi Changzhi knew nothing about the situation Su Dingfang was facing. They did not know that Lun Qinling risked his life to hold on to Su Dingfang so that Zanpo could lead the remaining troops through the Poluozhengu Valley and escape the encirclement of the Tang Dynasty.

The only information the two men had at the moment was that Su Dingfang had rescued Fu'ai City and then launched a surprise attack on Wuhai as planned.

According to the original plan, their goal at this moment was to encircle and kill the Tibetan soldiers who were trapped in Qinghai and had their retreat cut off at the foot of the mountain.

But the current situation is somewhat different from the planned one...

In Chen Qingsi's plan, he had not expected that the Tubo offensive would be so fierce that they directly captured half of Fu'ai City. If Xi Junmai had not been invited to celebrate the New Year in Fu'ai City by chance and took over the inner city defense at the critical moment and resisted the offensive of the Tubo army, Fu'ai City might have fallen directly.

This also led to Su Dingfang, who originally planned to launch a surprise attack on Wuhai, choosing to rescue Fu'ai City first and then march north.

This change also led to the Tubo army not being as expected. The Tubo army received news that Wuhai had fallen and their retreat was cut off. Instead, they received news that the Tang army was planning a surprise attack on Wuhai...

The gap between them cannot be calculated rationally.

To put it simply, it was the Battle of Guandu, when Cao Cao captured Wuchao, just like Cao Cao was on his way to Wuchao.

The former was that the retreat was cut off and the army was trapped and died in Qinghai Lake, while the latter was that the retreat was not cut off and there was still a glimmer of hope.

Therefore, Tubo did not suffer the defeat as imagined, but retreated in an orderly manner.

This was different from the plan, and Cheng Wuting and Heichi Changzhi were unsure whether Su Dingfang would take Wuhai as promised...

The Tubo army also took the opportunity to disappear from their sight...

Qinghai Lake is extremely large and its terrain is quite complex. Once the Tubo soldiers disappeared, the two men could not find any trace of them.

Of course, the most important reason is the snowstorm...

The wind and snow covered the traces of the army's movement, greatly increasing the difficulty of their search.

Heichi Changzhi said: "Are these thieves rats? Where did they go... Our people have searched the area within a hundred miles, but couldn't find any trace of them."

Cheng Wuting kept his eyes fixed on the map and asked, "Do you think they will go to attack Luozhengu?"

Heichi Changzhi's heart was moved, and he asked hurriedly: "Po Luo Zhen Valley? Is it the Valley of Death?"

Cheng Wuting said: "Our people have searched everywhere, but there is no sign of them. They are not hiding in the surrounding area, nor have they gone to rescue Wu Hai. It makes no sense for them to disappear out of thin air. Although it is unthinkable to break into Luozhengu, it is also a way out."

Heichi Changzhi nodded and said, "That makes sense. This also explains why the Tibetan soldiers disappeared out of thin air... Lun Qinling was so eager to pursue Su Xinggong, in order to buy time for the Tibetan army? So that the Tibetan army that broke through Luo Zhengu could reach Wuhai first?"

"Most likely!"

Cheng Wuting meant the same thing.

The two people received different information and were at different angles, so they seemed to be slow to realize it.

But at this critical moment, I gradually got a glimpse of the whole picture.

Heichi Changzhi pointed at the map and said, "We are not familiar with the terrain, and we are not well prepared. There is not much point in rushing to break through Luozhengu. We are a few days late, and we may not be able to chase them even if we want to. If we reveal our whereabouts, they will stab us at the opening of Luozhengu, and we will lose all our people. It is better to support Su Xinggong, who should be harassed by Lun Qinling."

"It is impossible that Su Xinggong cannot see through the problems that we can see through."

"If he thinks there is a chance to take Wuhai and acts according to the original plan, then we will help him... If he is really entangled by Lun Qinling, I think Su Xinggong will not attack forcefully. Lun Qinling is the only famous general of Tubo. If we capture him, it will be worth our trip here."

Cheng Wuting said, "We are of the same mind. Although Commander Xi has led his troops to support Lord Xing, the small soldiers and generals under Commander Xi may not be able to stop the elite troops under Lun Qinling."

The shrimp soldiers and crab generals mentioned by Cheng Wuting naturally did not refer to the Tang army stationed in Tuyuhun.

At the beginning of the battle, the Tang army stationed in Tuyuhun fell into Lun Qinling's trap and was dispersed and defeated.

Xi Junmai supported Su Dingfang with the Tuyuhun soldiers who were defending the inner city...

Tuyuhun no longer has its own troops, but the Khan's guard is still needed.

However, due to the protection of the Tang army, they lived too leisurely and lost the sense of crisis unique to nomadic fishing and hunting peoples, and the Khan's guards became extremely corrupt.

Heichi Changzhi and Cheng Wuting could tell roughly how much combat power there was at a glance.

The two of them discussed it together and set off towards Nalu Posthouse.
-
Dragon Post!
Lun Qinling's face was covered in blood, and his ears were filled with the dense and noisy clattering sounds...

Looking at the less than 500 soldiers around him, Lun Qinling said in a hoarse voice: "Hold on a little longer, we have passed Zhonglongyi. As long as we get off Naluyi, we will reach Qushan. Qushan is connected to Kunlun Mountain. As long as we cross Qushan, we will be saved..."

"vomit……"

Lun Qinling was being chased all the way and had no time to eat. He just drank water to fill his stomach. He said so many words in one breath and felt his stomach churning as if it was being pricked by countless small needles.

He vomited out a mouthful of clear water, which tasted bitter like jaundice water.

Listening to the sound of horse hooves getting closer and closer behind him, Lun Qinling thought to himself, am I, Lun Qinling, really going to die here today?

Lun Qinling's heart was filled with grief, indignation and unwillingness. Originally, he had decided to fight Su Dingfang to the death.

After achieving his goal, he became even more unscrupulous. With the mentality that killing one would not be a loss and killing two would be a profit, he turned himself into a trapped beast and frantically bit and counterattacked in the encirclement set up by Su Dingfang.

As a result, an unexpected opportunity opened up a way for him to survive.

Xi Junmai was chasing him from behind. His soldiers, despite their absolute advantage, were so timid in the face of his counterattack that they looked as if they were afraid to fight to the death with them.

Lun Qinling seized the opportunity instantly, tore a hole in the enemy's path, and finally broke out of the encirclement.

Despite the heavy losses, there was still a glimmer of hope.

only……

The Tang army obviously had no intention of letting them go and pursued them madly.

Especially Xi Junmai, who "made a mistake", bit himself desperately.

Xi Junmai is the most famous warrior in Qinghai. Even at his peak, Qin Ling was no match for him, let alone now that he is at the end of his rope.

"Ru Shuai! I will repay your kindness in the next life!"

Just at this moment, the man beside him stopped and turned his horse around.

There were more than 300 people left with him.

The Tibetan armored cavalry was originally a cavalry team formed by Songtsen Gampo by gathering warriors from all over the country, but after the power fell into the hands of the Gar family, the armored cavalry also became a powerful weapon for the Gar family to intimidate the nobles.

Galdongzan knew Lun Qinling's potential well, so he handed the armored cavalry to him.

Lun Qinling completely controlled this army through his personal charm, and it became his weapon for conquering cities and territories.

Even in such a dire situation, the armored cavalry still had no intention of rebelling, but were willing to stay and block the pursuers.

Lun Qinling did not look back, but just ran away. At this point, only a safe escape would be worthy of them. The three hundred people successfully bought Lun Qinling some time, at least the shouting and killing behind him could no longer be heard.

This meant that they had distanced themselves, and it also meant that the 300 people at the rear were all doomed.

Lun Qinling looked at Qu Shan who had appeared in his sight, his red eyes revealing a bit of expectation.

"It's right in front!" Lun Qinling galloped on his horse and roared, "Everyone rush up the mountain, regardless of the enemies behind you, save your lives and avenge your brothers."

Lun Qinling watched the mountain in the distance grow bigger and closer, but at this moment, within his sight, he saw an army stationed near the mountain...

Two armies of nearly 5,000 people were rapidly approaching from the northwest and northeast in an evacuation formation!
The heart of hope fell straight down from the sky...

The flags in the distance read "Cheng" and "Heichi".

Lun Qinling looked at the densely packed Tang army in front of him, and at Xi Junmai who was like an evil ghost behind him. His hand holding the knife trembled slightly, and then blood spurted out of his throat...

I fell on my back, my mind went blank...

The blue sky is in my eyes...

This is the sky of the plateau!
His eyes gradually became unbalanced, but another picture appeared in his mind.

An eagle soars, and a heroic young man runs across the grasslands in the valley.

The young me could only follow him with great effort...

But he couldn't catch up until the other party stopped.

"Qinling, you can't have fun, right? I am the same. The grassland on the plateau is too small. Zamp will take you to Qinghai and the Yellow River to run horses in the future..."

The scene then changed, and the heroic young man lost his charm and fell on the sickbed.

He was only thirty-three that year...

"Da Lun, Tubo is entrusted to you..."

……

"Qinling, the Zamp has broken his promise..."

"Zamp, Qinling will ride the horse you gave him and gallop across the Qinghai grassland..."

Zanpu...

Qinling also broke his promise.

As his eyes closed, the Tibetan military god fell.
-
Chang'an, Ministry of War.

Chen Qingsi looked at the victory report from the front line and saw the death of Lun Qinling in the report. For a moment, he felt mixed emotions.

It feels unreal...

Is Qin Ling really dead?
That famous Tang Dynasty general harvester, that victim of the Tang Dynasty, the famous Tibetan general who suppressed the powerful Tang Dynasty at its peak with his own strength, is really dead?
Some excitement, but also some complicated emotions.

It is a great pity that such a powerful opponent did not die at his hands.

If Lun Qinling cannot be eliminated this time, Su Dingfang will inevitably die of old age. The next time Tubo comes back, he plans to personally ask for orders to lead the troops to fight.

And we have already formulated a strategic plan...

What a pity, it is of no use.

Chen Qingsi sighed with some regret.

Chen Qingsi calmed himself down, sorted out the victory report in his hand, and went to the palace to meet the emperor.

Chen Qingsi already had the privilege of having direct access to the emperor's ears, and now that it was wartime, everything had to be kept simple.

He met Li Zhi easily.

Li Zhi looked at the victory report in his hand, his eyebrows were full of joy, and he said with a smile: "How dare a mere firefly compete with the bright moon."

Over the years, he had caused a lot of trouble for Tubo. Now that he had won a great victory and forced Lun Qinling to commit suicide, the depression in his heart immediately disappeared.

"Chen Aiqing is in Chang'an, but he can win a battle thousands of miles away. Zhang Zifang is no different. I have you, Aiqing, even better than Emperor Gaozu had Zifang!"

Li Zhi looked at the good news in his hand again and again and was in a good mood.

Chen Qingsi did not dare to take credit for it, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I just set up a game, and the real player was Lord Su Xing. If Lord Su Xing had not taken advantage of the situation and made good arrangements, we might not have won today."

Chen Qingsi was an expert in military affairs and knew that this battle between Su Dingfang and Lun Qinling could be considered a peak showdown.

Su Dingfang's control of the overall situation, his understanding of the war situation, and Qin Ling's desperate counterattack when in danger were all brilliant.

If it were not for Su Dingfang who saw through the situation and responded flexibly, the Tang army would have been in danger.

If it were not for Lun Qinling, who seized the opportunity and saw the opportunity first, the Tubo army would have been wiped out.

Both of them showed extraordinary military skills...

Just by looking at the battle report in his hand, Chen Qingsi had a feeling of being personally present.

Li Zhi said unconcernedly, "Mr. Su Xing has made great contributions, and you don't need to be modest. In recent times, you have made plans and made plans, and in the long term, you have made great foresight into the threat from Tubo. How could you be so rare? If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't have known that there was a hungry tiger hiding under my nose."

Li Zhi didn't understand military affairs, but he could tell good from bad.

As the emperor, how could Li Zhi not know how much trouble Tubo had caused them?
This was the result despite Chen Qingsi's reminder and the existence of his "On Tubo", a strategic paper that was ten times better than his "On Qin".

If there was no Chen Qingsi, they would have neglected to suppress Tubo and allowed it to grow stronger under their noses. How terrible would that be?

For some reason, Li Zhi had an illusion that without Chen Qingsi, Tubo would become a serious threat to him.

Chen Qingsi did not take credit for himself. He had made enough contributions. Keeping a low profile was the right path. He changed the subject naturally and said, "Your Majesty, after this battle, Tubo suffered heavy losses. This was especially true for the Gal clan. This defeat was enough to shake the Gal clan's foundation. If nothing unexpected happens, Tubo will be in chaos and will no longer be a threat. The court can focus its attention on the Western Regions..."

Li Zhi said: "My dear minister, don't forget that we still have a wonderful chess move."

Chen Qingsi pretended to be confused, then suddenly realized: "Your Majesty, are you talking about Chimalun?"

Li Zhi said: "Of course it is her. Although she is a woman, she is not inferior to men. She has been studying hard in the Hongwen Academy in Beijing for these years. She is quite resourceful. She can contact the Molu clan and oppose the Gar clan together to make Tubo completely chaotic."

"I have no time to take care of Tubo now. I will deal with him after I have dealt with the Kingdom of Daqin..."

Li Zhi is now a little bit high-spirited and in high spirits.

Before, he always took his father Li Shimin as his role model, and felt that when future generations mentioned him, Li Zhi, it would be enough to just refer to him as the son of Heavenly Khan Li Shimin!

Now he feels that he can turn against Tiangang and challenge his father's position.

Who is Li Shimin?
Li Zhi’s father!

This feeling is pretty good.

(End of this chapter)