Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 507: Hard Stockade
Chen Qingsi was a little surprised to hear that Wang Xiaojie was not there.

Wang Xiaojie's rank was not low, so whether he was killed or captured alive, Tubo should have publicized it widely.

After all, this is a great opportunity to boost morale...

There is no news now. Could it be that he escaped by luck?
Based on the situation described by Cheng Wuting, Wang Xiaojie probably has no ability to escape.

Even Xi Junmai was able to escape the siege only with the help of Cheng Wuting. What virtue and ability did Wang Xiaojie have?

I hope this guy is as lucky as he was in history.

Wang Xiaojie's experience in history is somewhat legendary. This man, known as the greatest general of the Wu Zhou Dynasty, first stepped onto the historical stage in the Battle of Qinghai. He defeated 180,000 Tang troops at the Battle of Qinling and captured Liu Shenli and Wang Xiaojie of the vanguard army.

Liu Shenli died miserably in Tubo, but Wang Xiaojie became the emperor emeritus in Tubo.

The reason is simple: Wang Xiaojie looks almost exactly like the father of the then King Tridu Songtsen, who is now the Tubo King Mangsong Mangtsen.

Tridu Songtsen lost his father at a young age and relied entirely on Trimalo for support. He was severely lacking in fatherly love and treated Wang Xiaojie almost as his own father.

Wang Xiaojie had complete freedom of movement in and out of Tubo, and officials and people at all levels respected him very much.

This is also related to the Tibetan beliefs. The Tibetan beliefs believe in reincarnation, and most people, from top to bottom, regard Wang Xiaojie as the reincarnation of King Mangsong Mangtsen.

Wang Xiaojie stayed in Tubo for many years. He not only learned the Tibetan language, but also collected a lot of Tibetan intelligence.

Wang Xiaojie was homesick and sad, and Tridu Songtsen couldn't bear his sorrow and sent him back to the Tang Dynasty.

From then on, Wang Xiaojie was very good at fighting against Tubo on the battlefield. He knew Tubo too well and was an expert on Tubo. Except for the famous general Lun Qinling, he really couldn't beat him and was beaten to pieces by the opponent. Other Tubo generals were really no match for him and he fought several beautiful battles.

It was also because of this that Empress Wu had special trust in him and thought that Wang Xiaojie was capable of fighting, so she sent him to fight the Khitan. As a result, the small Khitan was killed directly.

This legendary plot dare not appear in TV novels, but it exists in reality.

Wang Xiaojie ruined the state affairs. Chen Qingsi had no good feelings towards Wang Xiaojie, but because of his relationship with Su Dingfang, he still didn't want him to die in Tubo. If he could be saved while still alive, then he would save him. If he really couldn't be saved, then there was nothing he could do.

"Keep paying attention! He is a figure, and there must be an explanation whether he is dead or alive."

Cheng Wuting agreed.

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost calm, Chen Qingsi said, "Well, the past is in the past. It's not shameful to lose a battle. There are only a few undefeated generals in this world. As long as we win, it's fine."

Xi Junmai was scolded to death, but he dared not get angry. He was just full of grievances and had no place to vent. After hearing what Chen Qingsi said, he also said: "General Manager, I feel ashamed of the court's cultivation and your support. I am willing to be the vanguard and avenge the previous humiliation. If we cannot win, there is no need for the general manager to do anything. I will kill myself and put an end to it all."

"No hurry!" Chen Qingsi said, "If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools. In the past few days, Tubo has reinforced and repaired the defense facilities we built and built new facilities. It is not easy to attack by force. They want to emulate Zhuge Liang and reduce the logistical pressure by raising livestock and farming in Qinghai Lake. Then we will let him know. He is not qualified to be Zhuge Wuhou, and I, Chen Qingsi, am not Sima Yi."

Sima Yi was frightened by Zhuge Liang in the Battle of Lucheng.

What virtue and ability did Galdongzan have to make Chen Qingsi afraid of him?

"Pass the order down, the entire army will move to the foot of Nanshan Mountain and use local materials to build equipment."

Following Chen Qingsi's order, more than 60,000 soldiers marched towards Nanshan in the southwest of Qinghai Lake.

Chen Qingsi's arrangement was very strategic. Nanshan, also known as Kukunor Ridge, is the natural dividing line between the Qinghai Lake and Chaka Lake basins, and is also the highest place in the surrounding area.

To the southwest of Nanshan is the city of Fu'ai.

The area surrounding Fu'ai City is all plains and basins with flat terrain. Transporting various equipment from Nanshan to Fu'ai City will save a lot of manpower and material resources.

Chen Qingsi's every move was under the surveillance of Tubo scouts.

It is impossible to hide the movements of 60,000 troops from the Tibetan scouts.

When Chen Qingsi set up camp in Nanshan, the news reached Galdongzan.

Gar Dongzan closed his eyes, and the topographic map of the entire Qinghai Lake naturally emerged in his mind. Thinking about the timber owned by Nanshan and the geographical advantages, he thought to himself: "Are you really planning to defeat me in one fell swoop? You are underestimating me too much!"

"That's fine!"

The most perfect ending in Galdongzan's mind was confrontation, but since Chen Qingsi wanted to fight, he would join him. As long as he could delay Chen Qingsi's army, they would be able to gain a foothold in the rear little by little and eventually gain a firm foothold.

"Father! How should we respond now?"

Gal Dongzan said: "It is better to keep our troops in place. We are on the defensive and have a certain advantage. As long as we can stop a few rounds of their attacks, we can force the situation into a confrontation. We can not only gain the support of the Arab Empire, but also seize the opportunity to stabilize the land behind Qinghai Lake and increase the burden on the Tang court. We can kill two birds with one stone."

Galdongzan was extremely patient and he waited for more than a month.

I waited directly from the fourth year of Qianfeng to the fifth year of Qianfeng.

In the new year, the Tang army was not in a hurry to attack, but instead celebrated the New Year happily.

It was on December 20th of the fourth year of Qianfeng.

Chen Qingsi issued an order: divide the 60,000 soldiers into 16 groups, three groups on alert, 11 groups ready for battle, and each of the two groups selects the strongest soldiers in the army and divides them into two teams to compete. The competition events include: polo, wrestling, weapon fighting, archery, and equestrianism. The winners will enter the winner group and participate in the promotion competition.

The loser will prepare for battle honestly...

Finally, the champion was chosen and received generous rewards.

Regardless of victory or defeat, the 60,000 soldiers took turns having a good year.

January 25th.

Chen Qingsi beat the drum to gather his troops.

The Tang army had more than twenty generals and officers, divided into two groups.

Among them, in addition to the veteran Longyou generals left behind by Su Dingfang, such as Cheng Wuting, Xi Junmai, Tuoba Jun, Zhu Zhitong, and Wu Shijia, there are also several new faces, including Chen Daci, Liu Tingrui, and Hamu.

The three people at the end were selected by Chen Qingsi through competition. Chen Daci was very brave and was the champion in armed fighting, Liu Tingrui was the champion in wrestling, and Hamu was the champion in horseback archery.

Of course, generals of Xi Junmai's level did not participate in it, otherwise the outcome would have been no suspense.

Judging from the martial arts that Xi Junmai has, there are only a handful of people in the entire Tang army who can defeat him.

Chen Qingsi asked with a smile: "How is the morale of the troops? I hope they are not losing their morale due to playing with things!"

Although Cheng Wuting was demoted, he still had the highest status. He said: "Not only that, but it is even worse. Especially the Longyou Army..."

The Longyou Army had followed Su Dingfang for many years and had never suffered such a devastating defeat, so they began to doubt themselves.

They thought they were very awesome, but suddenly they found out that it was not them who was awesome, but their old boss Su Dingfang. Their morale was greatly affected.

This relaxation has restored a lot of the damaged morale.

"Okay! Now that you've rested enough, let's perform well!"

"Cheng Wuting, listen to my order. You lead your troops to Datong Mountain and build Datong Village..." Cheng Wuting stepped out and said, "Understood!"

"Tuoba Jun, listen to my order. You lead your troops to Sun Moon Mountain and build Sun Moon Village..."

Tuoba Jun said: "Yes, sir!"

"Xi Junmai listens to the order."

Xi Junmai took a big step forward and said, "Xi Junmai is here!"

Chen Qingsi said solemnly: "Your mission is the most important. Build the Rubber Village on Rubber Mountain! Your position is the most important. Once the camp is completed, Tubo will surely come to attack. Fight back. I will let Chen Daci and Hamu lead their troops to help you..."

Xi Junmai gnashed his teeth and said, "I will definitely live up to your high expectations."

"The rest of you, follow me and move forward ten miles to build Nanping Village!"

"Everyone, once the camp is built, build defenses inside and send out cavalry outside. Listen carefully, I want to make sure that there is not a single good pasture and no cattle or sheep left in the entire Qinghai Plain. If you encounter civilians, take them away and move them to the Nine Bends of the Yellow River. If they disobey, kill them on the spot."

There is no such thing as a strong attack.

Chen Qingsi had no intention of attacking forcefully from the beginning.

It would be strategically disadvantageous to launch a strong attack at this time.

If we really defeat Tubo, then Tubo will be of no use to us.

The Arabs would cut off the food supply to Tubo, and thus concentrate all their efforts on dealing with the Tang army in the Western Regions. However, due to geographical problems, the Tang army's logistics would be a burden and it would be easy for the enemy to take advantage of it.

It is more advantageous for the Tang army to keep Tubo than to defeat Tubo.

Besides, what would happen even if we defeated Tubo?

Conquering the plateau and destroying Tubo is just talk.

If they really had to go to Lushe, not only would the Tang soldiers not be able to withstand the climate on the plateau, but given the current situation, where would they have enough manpower, material resources and financial resources to control it?

The plateau is a well-deserved strategic treasure in the future, but at this time, it is just a chicken rib. When it does not affect the country's destiny, it can be taken for the future.

Now is not the time.

This is the case of winning. There is not much benefit in winning, not to mention the risk of losing.

Chen Qingsi did not dare to compare himself to Su Dingfang, who had the determination and courage to win.

If you can't gain anything from either side, it's better not to fight.

But if we really don't fight, we will fall into the trap of Galdongzan. He is using the method of cannibalization to settle the population in Qinghai Lake little by little and turn the void into actual control.

Chen Qingsi couldn't let him have his way.

Qinghai Lake is a magical place, surrounded by mountains on all sides, Datong Mountain in the north, Qinghai Nanshan Mountain in the south, Riyue Mountain in the east, and Xiangjiao Mountain in the west. The lake is the largest inland lake in China. The lake on the high mountains was later called a tear of the Western Regions.

Because of the existence of Qinghai Lake, the surrounding fertile plain basin is suitable for animal husbandry and farming.

And the city of Voai is located between the plains and basins...

In order to resist Tubo, Cheng Wuting built strong fortifications around Fu'ai City.

Galdongzan reinforced the fortifications again, intending to use them to consume the Tang army and tie down the Tang army around the defense line of Fu'e City.

Chen Qingsi didn't care about the other side's defense line, but built a stronghold around Qinghai Lake. He didn't fight Gal Dongzan head-on. Gal Dongzan wanted to resist the Tang army at the defense line of Fu'ai City, while their people imitated Zhuge Liang and stole the resources of Qinghai Lake...

Chen Qingsi simply destroyed Qinghai Lake. Anyway, the Tang army and the Tuyuhun people did not need the resources of Qinghai Lake for the time being, so they burned the grass and destroyed the land.

If the land is destroyed, it can be cultivated again; if the grass is destroyed, it will grow more lush next year.

In short, the Tang Dynasty doesn't need it, and you Tubo don't want it either.

See who can outlast whom...
-
Voyage City!
"Father, the Tang army has moved."

The climate in Qinghai Lake in the first month of the year is extremely cold. Even though Gardongzan was wrapped in a coat, he still couldn't stand it, so he wrapped himself in a quilt, which made him feel much more comfortable.

Gar Dongzan held a bowl of hot mare's milk tea in his hand, drank two sips, exhaled a breath of cold air and said: "It's time to move. We have cut down so many trees in more than a month, and used the Spring Festival to restore the morale of the soldiers. It's unreasonable not to move. Do you have a detailed goal?"

Zanpo took a sheepskin map from his bosom, spread it out in front of Gardongzan, pointed at Datong Mountain, Nanshan Mountain, Riyue Mountain, and Xiangjiao Mountain, and said, "They actually divided their troops into four groups and set up camp around us. They are so bold! They really don't take the opportunity to attack? They think too highly of us..."

In terms of military forces, the Tubo people had the upper hand, with a population of 100,000.

The Tang army had only 60,000 soldiers, yet they dared to divide their forces.

Zanpo wanted to eat them all along the way and let the Tang army know the consequences of despising them.

Gal Dongzan shook his head and said, "If we go to war, we will really fall into the trap. Chen Qingsi dared to divide the troops like this, obviously seeing through our outward strength but inner weakness."

You understand your own business.

Su Dingfang's last dance not only destroyed Lun Qinling, but also annihilated the strongest army of Tubo.

The present Tubo no longer has a truly battle-hardened army, but it does not lack strong soldiers, as the various nobles still have a certain amount of wealth.

But today, if there is no real chance of winning, would they risk all their wealth for Tubo?
The internal conflicts in Tubo were not resolved but only suppressed.

The soldiers in their hands are their confidence. Without sufficient benefits and before the outcome is clear, they will not use their own resources to force a charge against the Tang army.

Relying solely on the newly recruited soldiers, they can fight defensive battles and battles with the wind, but if they really have to fight a tough battle with the Tang army, they will not be able to withstand the pressure.

He looked at the map, feeling a little strange, and said, "But Chen Qingsi's deployment of troops is a bit too bold. Is he trying to pull out the nails? Pull out the defense lines one by one, and then meet up in Fuai City?"

Zan Po said, "My child feels the same way. Hey... Apart from anything else, Cheng Wuting is indeed extraordinary. No wonder the old villain Su Dingfang chose him. The defense lines he set up are linked together, which can resist the enemy from the outside and provide support from the inside. If Wang Xiaojie and Xi Jun had not fallen into the trap, we would have nowhere to start if they really wanted to attack by force. This defense line is indeed the best to attack together."

Galdongzan felt a little strange. He couldn't figure out the reason for a while, and the poem "Hu Wu Ren" appeared in his mind again.

Hu Wuren, Han Daochang.

Hu Wuren, Han Daochang.

Do you really want to use me, Tubo, as a sacrifice to accomplish Wei Huo's feat?
"Keep paying attention and tell the soldiers not to be careless. The Tang army's siege equipment is unparalleled in the world. Don't underestimate the enemy."

For three consecutive days, the Tang army did not move.

Galdongzan found it more and more strange. They had spent more than a month cutting wood and making equipment, so why were they still hesitating?

Until the fourth day, four large villages suddenly emerged overnight and stood around Qinghai Lake.

(End of this chapter)