Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 499 The decisive battle begins

Hamu had only been in the Tang army for two years, but he had already been promoted to captain. He naturally possessed considerable courage and strength. However, facing the ghosts and gods, Hamu had no courage to resist and fled in panic.

The same was true for the other soldiers. They were a group of evil spirits with snow-white teeth showing, making people lose the courage to fight against them.

Although they were well-trained, they were controlled by fear and the only thought in their minds was escape.

The commander of the Tang camp was named Chen Daci. Since the last dance at Qinling, Fu'ai City was nearly captured. The Khan of Tuyuhun was unwilling to make Fu'ai City the capital of his country no matter what. He chose to submit to the country and led the people to graze for the Tang Dynasty in the Nine Bends of the Yellow River near Shanzhou and Taozhou.

Xi Junmai took over Fu'ai City and occupied the Tibetan army on the plateau around the city.

As for the original Tang army camp, it was not abandoned, but was rearranged to serve as a barrier with Fu'ai City to defend against Tubo.

Xi Junmai's deputy general Chen Daci took over the responsibility of commanding the military camp.

When Chen Daci heard the movement, he didn't even bother to put on his armor. He just wrapped himself in a fur coat to keep warm and left the tent.

At the moment, he didn't know what was going on, but he was experienced in battle. As soon as he heard the chaos in the front camp, he knew it was Xiaoying.

Marching and fighting is an extremely dangerous thing. If you are too tense or too relaxed and suddenly encounter an extremely fierce attack, the human fear will be infinitely magnified in the dark, which will cause a chain reaction.

The soldiers in the entire barracks lost their fighting capacity due to panic, and some even lost their basic judgment and swung their swords at their own comrades in order to survive.

This situation rarely occurs on the Tang army side.

During this period, the Tang army had extremely high military literacy and the soldiers were martial. When faced with an enemy attack on their camp, they would usually discover their whereabouts before the enemy got close. The soldiers in the front camp would then be awakened by the sound of the golden gongs and would spontaneously organize a battle.

The generals in the rear camp of the central army will also arrange for military support as soon as they hear the news...

A series of counterattacks have almost become a professional instinct.

But now Xiaoying has appeared?

What's happening here?
Chen Daci's face was tense and he had no time to think.

Fortunately, the Tang army was known for its bravery. Although the soldiers in the middle and rear armies heard the turmoil and knew the situation was unfavorable, they did not panic. Instead, they took the opportunity to put on armor and hold swords, waiting for the generals' arrangements.

Chen Daci kept making arrangements.

"Captain Hu, go and pacify the Bing camp... set up a barricade of chariots, spears and crossbows, and wait for the enemy to attack."

"Captain Zhang, go to the T-shaped camp and set up a barricade of chariots, spears and crossbows to wait for the enemy..."

The chevaux-de-frise and spear-crossbow formation was the Tang army's tried-and-tested tactic for defending camp. The chevaux-de-frise were used as shields, and large spears were placed on the chevaux-de-frise like hedgehogs. Strong crossbowmen were located behind the spear formation to attack and kill the enemy.

"General Xu, go to the rear camp and mobilize the cavalry to go back to the front camp. If anyone dares to attack my camp, I will kill him from behind."

"The rest of you, calm your troops and follow me to meet the enemy head-on."

Since the front camp is in chaos, just ignore it and stabilize the middle and rear armies first to deal with the attack of the defeated soldiers in the front army.

"General Chen, there are ghosts, evil ghosts are attacking the camp!"

Finally, the soldiers who fled back told Xiaoying the reason.

"Fuck your mother!"

Chen Daci whipped the man with his horsewhip, knocking him to the ground, drew the sword from his waist, and shouted: "Whoever dares to disrupt the morale of my army will be killed without mercy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his heart ached.

In front of them, ghostly monsters were attacking the fleeing Tang soldiers...

Chen Daci clearly felt the fear coming from the surrounding area.

"ghost……"

“There really is a ghost.”

Chen Daci's hands were also covered in cold sweat. He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his mouth and his body felt a little stiff.

Chen Daci had been in the army for more than ten years, and he was not afraid even if he faced an enemy ten or a hundred times his size. But this creature beyond common sense could completely arouse the little fear left in the heart of a warrior who was not afraid of death.

"General, is this really a ghost?"

Chen Daci bit his tongue hard and bit off a piece of flesh. The pain and the smell of blood in his mouth slightly dispelled his fear. "Damn it, I've never been a deserter in my life. What the hell is this? I'll see for myself. Listen carefully, if I really let the evil ghost swallow me, you guys run as far as you can. If these monsters are not strong enough for us, we can charge back later."

Chen Daci whipped his horse whip violently and rushed towards the group of ghosts on his horse.

"Get out of my way!"

He swung the spear left and right, pushing back and knocking down the fleeing Tang soldiers.

The garrison troops were defeated, and I went against the flow.

With spear in hand and horse in hand, Chen Daci approached quickly, thinking of stabbing it with a gun.

The burly figure in front of him suddenly opened his mouth, revealing his shining white teeth, clearly black and white, which were particularly creepy under the dim candlelight.

Chen Daci shuddered on horseback, and his hand holding the gun went limp.

Chen Daci suddenly found that his mount did not slow down. He pulled the reins with both hands and became angry. I was scared, but my horse was not.

"drive!"

He controlled his mount and rushed towards the ghost.

Chen Daci originally thought that even if he died, he would die clearly. He didn't know whether he was swallowed or torn apart by ghosts. His eyes were wide open.

As a result, the humanoid ghost in front of him showed a look of fear and rolled to the right to avoid it.

The humanoid ghost behind him was unable to dodge and was hit hard. He flew out, fell to the ground and died on the spot.

"That's it?"

Chen Daci was stunned at first, then he became furious. He looked at the ghost rolling on the ground and shot the spear in his hand like it was a spear, chilling him to the core.

Chen Daci rode his horse over and drew out his spear. A flash of lightning flashed through his mind, and he remembered that when he was drinking in Shanzhou, he heard a traveler say that there was a kind of people called Kunlun slaves, who looked like ghosts, with a pitch-black body except for their snow-white teeth.

Could it be?
In fact, with the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, Kunlun slaves have existed in Chang'an for many years and have been accepted by a large number of Chang'an people, but these soldiers guarding the border have almost never seen them.

There are actually quite a few people in the army who have heard of Kunlun slaves, but it is impossible to understand how dark-skinned people can be just based on imagery.

How can one remain calm when faced with such panic?

Only after killing two people in a row did Chen Daci's fear disappear and he finally reacted.

"They are Kunlun slaves, a group of Kunlun slaves..."

Chen Daci thought about his own cowardly behavior and cursed angrily, "I was frightened out of my wits by a bunch of Kunlun slaves. If I don't want to be laughed at for the rest of my life, I'll kill all these beasts!"

Chen Daci rushed to the front, and his personal soldiers followed instinctively. However, seeing a group of Kunlun slaves who looked like evil spirits, they could not help but feel panic. They followed halfway and did not dare to move forward. Until this moment, when they saw the Kunlun slaves being defeated by their general in a few moves, they felt ashamed and roared forward to vent all their anger.

There were not many Kunlun slaves who carried out the night attack, and once they encountered real resistance, they could not hold on and fled in defeat.

Chen Daci looked at the mess on the ground and felt so frustrated that he almost vomited blood.

Xu Qing suddenly appeared in front of Chen Daci.

Chen Daci asked, "Didn't I ask you to chase the thieves? Why did you come back?"

Xu Qing pointed at a Kunlun slave on the ground and cursed, "General, without the candlelight, you can't even see these Kunlun slaves standing in front of you. They lie on the ground and scurry in the dark, just like ghosts. You can't see them at all, and there's no way to chase them."

Chen Daci was so frustrated that he almost vomited blood. Although they repelled the bandits in this battle, this was the Tang Dynasty, not the Song Dynasty.

There is no such thing as winning if you retreat after being hit a few times but not killed.

There were not many bodies of the bandits, and a large number of soldiers in his own camp were injured. He was really embarrassed.

"Where did these Tubo bastards get so many Kunlun slaves?"

"wrong!"

Chen Daci was immediately shocked. He remembered that the traveler said that Kunlun slaves were a product of the Far West, and that the army of the Arab Empire often plundered Kunlun slaves and sold them somewhere.

This is how the term Kunlun slaves came about.

Kunlun slaves are a specialty of the Arab Empire...

Tubo does not have the strength to move south, but what if the Arabs support Tubo?
"Quick, send someone to inform the governor immediately that the Tubo people have left the plateau."

Just as Chen Daci had expected, Tubo invaded Qinghai Lake again.

When the news reached Chang'an, people in Chang'an felt that it was commonplace.

The people of Chang'an have become accustomed to the repeated invasions by Tubo over the years.

Only a few people realized what this Tibetan military expedition meant.

Chang'an, Chengqian Palace.

Li Zhi, Li Ji and Chen Qingsi gathered together.

The fewer people, the bigger the problem.

The decisions that truly determine the direction of national policies are usually made by a few people. Gathering a dozen or twenty people to discuss it will only complicate the situation and ruin the big thing.

"It was my fault. I didn't expect that they would open up the situation from Tibet."

Chen Qingsi really didn't expect that the half-crippled Tubo would make such a move.

As for the black people's night attack, it is really just a plug-in for cold weapons.

Other troops would have to be well prepared for a night attack, with stealthy men holding their tongues and horses wrapping their hooves. But black people walked openly in the darkness, blending into the night. As long as they didn't open their mouths, they might not be noticed if they walked five steps in front of you.

Even if the soldiers in the watchtower stared with their eyes wide open, it was useless because the enemy did not even bother to hide and came closer to attack.

Hard to guard against.

"It has nothing to do with you, my dear minister. You have already said it. If Tubo joins the war, it will be a battle that will determine the fate of the country. Now that they have allowed the troops of the Arab Empire to enter their territory, I think they have given it their all. It seems that I am really anxious to refuse their peace talks."

When their king used Gardongzan to stabilize the situation in Tubo, Chen Qingsi had already predicted that Tubo would ask for peace.

Not only will they seek peace, but they will also use their special strategic value to please both sides in order to restore the economy as soon as possible, and then bet between the Arabs and the Tang Dynasty at the critical moment.

Li Zhi had a tough attitude. He didn't care about having another enemy, Tubo, but he cared about being held hostage by this small country.

Li Zhi's rejection of Tubo meant that Tubo had no choice.

Tubo no longer even has the qualifications to be neutral.

Li Zhi's resolute attitude meant that Tubo's economy would be completely dependent on the Arab Empire, which meant that Tubo's lifeline would be controlled by the Arab Empire.

So Li Zhi knew that Tubo’s actions today were closely related to his decision.

Chen Qingsi also supported Li Zhi's decision, even though it seemed that keeping Tubo neutral was a wise move. But even if Tubo was neutral, could the imperial court still relax its control over Qinghai Lake?

Obviously not.

The strategy of a big country cannot be determined by the attitude of a small country.

"In fact, this will be good for us as well."

Li Ji said softly, "The bandits chose to start their campaign from Qinghai Lake. Of course, it was a surprise, but it was actually more of a sign of distrust towards Tubo. Without the previous disastrous defeat, Tubo and the Arab Empire would have been qualified to sit together and discuss matters. Now that Tubo was badly injured, it is no longer qualified to sit at the table. The Arab Empire was worried that Tubo would fight to the death with us in the Western Regions, but Tubo did not move its troops and reaped the benefits. This time, we specially lent them troops to force them to march to Qinghai Lake. The deeper meaning is to ensure that Tubo will participate in the war and help them contain our army."

"The current situation is just as Mr. Chen expected. Tubo and Daqin have united together. If one moves, the other will surely move as well. Now that we have received news of Tubo's attack, I believe it won't be long before war breaks out in the Western Regions."

Li Zhi looked at Chen Qingsi and asked, "How are the preparations going?"

Chen Qingsi said: "Two years ago, I was already prepared, and now I am even more prepared. Time has only made us more confident, and preparation is not enough."

Li Zhi didn't understand military affairs, but he knew how to employ people. He would not pretend to understand, and he could ask rationally: "My dear ministers, a war is imminent, how should we deploy them?"

Li Ji laughed cheerfully and said, "I won't embarrass myself any more. I'll just listen to Mr. Chen's arrangements."

Chen Qingsi said: "Tubo does not need to take it too seriously. I think the main thing is to defend. Even if we win, it is not convenient for us to attack Luoshui due to the plateau climate. We only need to let Cheng Wuting support Qinghai Lake and Xi Junmai occupy Fu'ai City and defend it. Tubo has suffered a series of defeats and its national strength has long been exhausted. Now that it can launch a large-scale expedition, it is not only betting on the country's destiny, but also relying on the support of the Arab Kingdom. The support of the Arab Kingdom is limited. Once the support is cut off, Tubo will pay a heavy price for it."

"It would be even better if the Arab Empire continues to support Tubo. Their supplies will be transported from Nepal in the South China Sea (Indian Ocean) Bay to the plateau, and then from the plateau to Qinghai Lake. The consumption on this road is not less than when we transport grain to the Western Regions."

"Your Majesty, we are a great agricultural country, while the Arabs are a country engaged in religious wars. With such a competition of consumption, they will surely lose."

"As for the Western Regions, we cannot passively defend. I think we must take the initiative. I don't think the Arabs will blindly support Tubo. As long as the goal is achieved, cutting off support for Tubo is inevitable. Our food supply line is too long, which is a fatal weakness. The Arabs also have capable people. It is impossible not to take action against our food supply. If it really consumes logistics, we will suffer. Taking the initiative to attack, going out to fight, and using the Persian survivors to incite rebellion is the way to win."

Li Zhi looked at Li Ji.

Li Ji said: "I have no objection. Mr. Chen, one is attacking and the other is defending, which complements each other."

As he spoke, his expression suddenly became serious, and he said, "Your Majesty, I have a request!"

Li Zhi suddenly realized something and his expression became serious.

Li Ji said: "I beg Your Majesty to allow me to lead the army to fight a decisive battle with the Arabs in the Western Regions to enhance the prestige of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Zhi looked at Chen Qingsi again.

Chen Qingsi thought for a moment and said, "It would be great if Lord Ying could take command."

(End of this chapter)