Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 508: End of Qi
When Galdongzan got the news, the quilt he was wrapped in fell to the ground.

"how is this possible?"

Zanpo also looked incredulous and said, "When I first heard the news, I also found it incredible. I even went to investigate the situation and found that a large village had indeed been built overnight."

Galdongzan's mind raced and he had figured out the reason.

In the previous month, Chen Qingsi did not build any siege equipment. Instead, he cut down trees to make wooden stakes to guard the stronghold.

After arriving at their respective locations, they spent two days assembling the wooden fences, and then built the camps at the same time at night, resulting in four camps being built in one night.

The Tang army was best at setting up camps, and with sufficient materials, it was not difficult to build a camp overnight.

But since the Tang army had no intention of launching a forceful attack, why would they go to such lengths?
Since Chen Qingsi has chosen to use his own hands to consume the financial and material resources of the Arab Empire... wouldn't it be better to confront them directly outside the city of Fu'ai? This way, there would be no need to divide the troops, nor would there be the risk of dividing the troops.

Suddenly, Gal Dongzan's face turned pale. The four villages were built around the four mountains surrounding Qinghai Lake. Their target was the people, not to give themselves the opportunity to encroach on Qinghai Lake...

"Quick, attack the camp on Rubber Mountain immediately..."

He grabbed his son's arm and screamed, then he became so angry that he fell headfirst onto the bed and lost consciousness.

Galdongzan obviously saw through Chen Qingsi's thoughts. The other party planned to rely on the unique terrain of Qinghai Lake to trap the larger force with the smaller one, and rely on strict defense and attack on the grain routes to achieve the goal of consuming the money and grain of the Arab Empire. By the way, it could also make his deepest plans come to nothing.

Once the four villages truly gain a foothold in Qinghai Lake, it will mean that Tubo has lost the gamble on national destiny.

The only way now is to break through the camp near Rubber Mountain that is in charge of Xi Junmai.

Rubber Mountain is located to the west of Fu'ai City, very close to Nalu Post Station at the foot of the plateau. It can not only threaten their food supply, but also attack the people they settled at the foot of the plateau and restrict their expansion.

The other three villages can be ignored, but the big village near Rubber Mountain must be eliminated.

Zanpo screamed in horror: "Father, Father!"

He was about to rush out to call the army doctor, but as soon as he left the room, he suddenly retreated back.

learn from mistakes.

In order to avoid making her father sad, Zanpo chose to suppress the news about Lun Qinling and reported it only after confirming his life or death, which ruined everything.

This time he learned his lesson and was not too panicked. After thinking carefully, he waved his hand to call his confidant and said, "Go to the city and ask for a doctor who is proficient in Tang medicine."

Tuyuhun has begun to fully integrate with the Tang Dynasty, and the doctors in Fu'ai City are learning traditional Chinese medicine which has been passed down in China for thousands of years.

Compared with their Tibetan witch doctors who are full of religious colors, the doctors of the Tang Dynasty are more trustworthy.

Looking at her father whose face was as pale as wax paper, Zanpo gritted her teeth, pulled her closest family general to her, and whispered: "If my father is still not awake before dusk, send someone to invite the Zamp to come and take charge. If I never come back, go and invite the Zamp and tell him the situation."

As he said this, he pushed his family guard aside and strode out of the Tuyuhun Protectorate. He gathered his troops and headed straight for the Tang army's rubber camp.

Following a long "woo woo woo" sound of trumpets, in a moment, the sounds of people and horses merged into one.

Teams of Tibetan soldiers, holding high their flags and accompanied by the sound of trumpets, marched in formation one after another and gathered under the huge banner.

After Zanpo Lun Qinling was killed in battle, he took over his brother's work.

He is not as talented as Lun Qinling, but he is better in hard work.

Lun Qinling has been studying Li Jing's formation and has recorded his own insights.

Li Jing divided the Tang army into very detailed units, including the vanguard, garrison, jumping, cavalry, special forces, crossbowmen, and archers. Each unit will respond in different ways according to the different enemy and friendly situations, different terrains, and even different types of units. The changes are varied...

Tubo did not have the conditions of the Tang army, so Lun Qinling could only reduce it and divide it into four types: sword and shield soldiers, spearmen, archers and cavalry. He also developed different offensive and defensive tactics.

Zanpo studied day and night and gained some experience, and his command was quite methodical.

Facing the Tang army camp that had been erected overnight, Zanpo said loudly: "Soldiers, this Tang army camp may look majestic, but it's just an appearance. It's just like the so-called mountain cat courting, it's just that one moment."

The mountain cat refers to a kind of wild cat-like beast that lives on the plateau. It looks ferocious and like a tiger, but mating and reproduction are just a shaky thing.

To use the Chinese words to describe it, it is strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Zanpo didn't believe how much defensive power the large camp built by the Tang army in one night had.

What he said was so interesting that the Tibetan soldiers laughed out loud.

"Mr. Xi is no match for a defeated general. He almost died at the hands of my father before. Today, he dares to come here and fight against us without caring about his life. We must make him come back to this battlefield..."

It must be said that the previous overwhelming victory greatly boosted the morale of the Tubo army. With just a simple encouragement, the Tubo soldiers were already raising their weapons and shouting.

Galdongzan was very good at winning people's hearts and used the fields of Qinghai Lake as a reward.

Anyone who has made contributions, regardless of how much they have done, can get a share of the arable land and pasture in Qinghai Lake.

The specific number will be determined by the amount of meritorious service.

In the previous battle, many soldiers had already been commended.

Under the temptation of the fields, the faces of the Tibetan soldiers were glowing with a mixture of hope and excitement. They wanted to swallow the enemy in front of them and hunt for more military exploits and military honors.

Zanpo sighed softly and immediately gave the order to attack: "Sword and shield soldiers in the front, archers in the back, spearmen on the left and right wings as guards, cavalry to raid the formation, attack!"

He didn't waste any time and launched his attack quickly.

As the horn sounded, the Tubo army began to advance.

The Tibetans love horns and they think the sound of horns is sacred.

Blowing the order to attack with a horn is far more effective than the Chinese war drum.

Before the Tibetan army got close, the sound of bows and crossbows poured out from inside the Tang army's camp.

The Tang Dynasty's powerful bows and crossbows were famous throughout the world. As an old rival, Tubo had long been aware of them and had sufficient strategies to deal with them.

From the beginning of the attack, the Tubo formation was loose in order to reduce casualties and avoid being too dense and covered by the pouring rain of arrows.

Even though the sword and shield soldiers were in the front and although they were standing in a loose position, Tubo still paid a heavy price facing the powerful bows and crossbows of the Tang Dynasty.

More than a hundred people fell in all directions...

The Tibetan soldiers were fierce and continued to charge forward. Only when they got really close were they able to restrain the Tang army's bows and crossbows.

Zanpo kept his eyes on the battlefield, paying close attention to all changes.

He was not such a meticulous person before, but after the tragic deaths of his two closest brothers, he had to shoulder the honor of the family, and he had changed a lot. He wanted to be as considerate as possible in everything.

Sword and shield soldiers are most suitable for siege battles, but due to their short arms and legs, they are naturally defeated by cavalry.

He was worried that the Tang army would suddenly open the gates and send cavalry to attack his sword and shield soldiers, so he deliberately arranged spearmen to guard the left and right wings, for he was worried that Xi Junmai would suddenly leave the camp to attack.

Until this moment, the sword and shield soldiers had rushed to the gate of the village, and Zanpo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Start planning the second round of attack!
Zanpo did not expect to take down the large camp in front of him with just one round of attack, but he had the advantage of having more soldiers and generals. Even if it took a lot of effort, he would use up all the soldiers bought by Xi Jun.

In fact, Zanpo still doesn't know why his father gave such an order, but he knows that if it weren't extremely dangerous, his father would not have such an attitude.

Whatever the reason, just obey.

But at this moment, a surprising change occurred. Suddenly, a deafening drum sounded, and the rubber stopper door suddenly opened.

This sudden change caught the attacking Tibetan army off guard.

Many soldiers instinctively rushed into the Tang army camp.

However, at this moment, a group of cavalrymen fiercely crashed into the center of the Tibetan sword and shield soldiers.

The Tang army suddenly appeared in this form, and no one was prepared, causing an uproar.

Seeing this, Zanpo's face tightened and he couldn't help but gasp: The Tang army's momentum was extremely terrifying. They used the powerful charging ability of the cavalry from the front to split the Tubo army that passively rushed into the camp into two teams...

Xi Jun’s purchase was so bold that it was far beyond Zan Po’s expectations.

When Xi Junmai saw that the effect of his own efforts was beyond his imagination, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. Sure enough, the situation was as the general manager had analyzed.

When he was in Nanshan, Chen Qingsi had analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the current Tubo.

The advantage is that they have won a great victory, their morale is high, they are used to the plateau climate and have extraordinary endurance. The disadvantage is that the soldiers are not well trained and the real elite have suffered too many casualties.

The nobles cherish their private soldiers and are reluctant to waste them.

Xi Junmai saw that Zanpo was coming with great force, and although he had set up a large camp on his side, it was only an external framework that could block certain attacks, but he could not really expect it to have a miraculous effect.

Tubo was determined to defend itself, which would put it in a passive position due to a protracted war.

It's better to attack head-on...

The soldiers who were attacking Dazhai as the vanguard were definitely not the main force of Tubo, so they could be bullied.

However, he was quite afraid of the spearmen on the left and right wings.

Xi Junmai had seen Lun Qinling's ability to change formations, which was similar to the Tang army's six-flower formation, using the soldiers' positions to intersperse and move the spearmen to form a spear formation.

Even Su Dingfang was amazed.

Xi Junmai didn't dare to bet whether the other party had this ability, so he simply opened the gate when the other party rushed to the gate of the village, leaving no chance for the other party to change their formation.

As for whether it would invite a wolf into the house, that is something Xi Jun has to consider when buying it.

"The best way to wash away the shame is to welcome victory by stepping on the corpses of the enemies!"

"In this battle, I would rather die than win!"

Xi Junmai took the lead. At this moment, he seemed to have transformed into the brave warrior who led 120 riders into the crowd of thousands of soldiers and killed the general. There was no extra thought in his mind, just one word: charge.

He turned into a flash of lightning and bravely wedged into the enemy group, swinging the huge iron stick in his hand left and right, hitting left and right.

It is said that a general with a hammer and a stick cannot be defeated by force.

The mixed iron rod in Xi Junmai's hand will kill anyone who is touched, and will injure anyone who is hit. There is no logic to it.

Even if you are wearing thick armor, if you are hit by his stick, the force will go through the armor and penetrate deep into your internal organs, breaking your organs and bones.

In just a short period of time, the area within Xi Junmai's attack range became a vacuum zone.

No Tubo soldier dared to step forward to fight him, and they all avoided him, as if they were avoiding the god of plague...

Xi Junmai led 500 cavalrymen and directly killed the Tibetan attacking force.

Xi Junmai saw the Tubo general looking at this place from afar under the big flag in front of him. He pointed his long stick at the distance and said, "When I have killed enough, I will come to take your life."

He did not rush to kill Zanpo.

Xi Junmai knew that the soldiers around Zanpo were all elite Tubo soldiers. He had fought with them before to save Wang Xiaojie. They were definitely not comparable to the sword and shield soldiers he had killed before.

Of course, fighting alone, none of them can be their opponent.

However, they were skilled in the art of combined attack. Some killed horses, some shot arrows from behind, some restrained, and some launched sneak attacks. Once they were exhausted, they would be at risk of being captured immediately.

He turned back and killed again.

When Zanpo saw this, he was stunned, his hands and feet were cold, and he issued the most wrong order in his life.

"Quick, Feng Yizhong, lead the troops to rescue!"

It is true that Zanpo has talent, but unfortunately he is too well protected. Although he has some amazing performances, they were all achieved under the protection of Lun Qinling and Gardongzan who are in charge of the overall situation.

Now there is no Lun Qinling and no Galdongzan.

Zanpo's lack of true independence is clearly revealed.

In this situation, the front army should be allowed to retreat on their own, allowing them to use their lives to deplete the Tang army's physical strength.

Zanpo did not yet have the determination and courage to make this choice, which also doomed the outcome of his battle.

With Xi Junmai charging so bravely, the defeat of the front army was inevitable and could not be reversed by sending reinforcements.

The addition of new forces did not help the front army out of defeat. On the contrary, because the front army had already been on the verge of collapse due to Xi Junmai's charge, it affected the supporting troops.

The supporting troops had no way to produce a good response with the front army, which seriously affected the strength of the supporting troops.

Xi Junmai continued to break through, charging forward and killing fiercely.

Chen Daci, who was in charge of the situation in the rear, saw an opportunity.

"General Hamu, lead your troops to attack from the northeast corner. Don't kill them too hard. Drive those soldiers who have lost their minds towards the Tibetan rescue troops."

As he spoke, he asked someone to wave the command flag to tell Xi Junmai to attack the Tubo support troops later.

The defeated soldiers of the front army rushed towards the supporting troops and dispersed them.

At this time, Xi Junmai, with his courage that could not be matched by ten thousand men, used the method of breaking through the enemy's channels to kill off the Tibetan support troops.

This directly resulted in the complete defeat of the two armies.

"kill!"

Chen Daci waved his flag and the Tang army swarmed out.

Zanpo's own troops were defeated and had no chance of turning the tide of the battle.

The entire army was defeated.

Xi Junmai chased for five miles in one breath before returning to the camp satisfied.

He did not let victory go to his head and understood the principle of not pursuing a desperate enemy.

Zanpo returned to Fu'ai City dejectedly like a lost dog and came to the Protectorate.

Gal Dongzan, who had already woken up, looked at Zanpo. There was no disappointment in his eyes. Instead, he said with a hint of joy: "It's good that you came back safely, good child. I don't blame you, I don't blame you..."

As he spoke he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell limply onto the bed, dying on the spot.

(End of this chapter)