Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 512 Encounter

Chen Qingsi had a headache because there was too much information and it was too confusing.

It's hard to tell the truth from the fake.

But one thing is certain, the situation in Tubo is more serious than Chen Qingsi had imagined.

Or maybe the chemical reaction caused by Gal Dongzan's death was beyond his imagination. Gal Dongzan's status in Tubo was higher than he thought...

His death caused all the demons and monsters that had been suppressed to reveal themselves.

A lot of things don't make sense.

Chen Qingsi's eyes lit up and he suddenly thought of the fight between Wei Yan and Yang Yi.

This is illogical.

It was a pity that Wei Yan died, but was his death unjust?

That's really not unfair at all.

Seize power by force and burn the plank road.

In history, Wei Yan was not killed by Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang just calculated that after his death, the people under him would not be able to control Wei Yan, and Wei Yan would disobey orders, so he told the troops to ignore Wei Yan's troops and retreat on their own.

However, no one expected that Wei Yan would be so foolish as to burn the plank road and lead his troops to seize power by force, which was tantamount to launching a mutiny.

Ma Dai just cursed Wei Yan in front of the army. The soldiers under Wei Yan's command couldn't stand their boss's behavior and dispersed.

Wei Yan suddenly became a lonely man and fled back to Hanzhong in disgrace, where he was eventually killed by Ma Dai.

Wei Yan died entirely because of his stupidity.

Is Wei Yan really stupid?
Of course he wasn’t stupid, it’s just that Zhuge Liang’s death was so sudden that the Shu army was stunned.

The mountain that was pressing on him suddenly disappeared, and Wei Yan himself was also confused. In a short period of time, he had no mind to make a reasonable analysis, and just responded passively. As a result, he did a series of irrational behaviors.

The situation in Tubo is the same now. The sudden death of Galdongtsen has led to the complete collapse of the Tubo military and political system that had been built around him for decades.

This made the pressure on the Tibetan nobles who had always depended on Gal Dongzan suddenly disappear. They were used to obeying orders, but suddenly they lost their restraints, which was like a wild horse running out of control.

Humans have always been emotional animals, and it is impossible for them to face anything calmly at all times.

Now the Tibetan tyrants in Fu'ai City, those with strong strength want to fight for power, those with medium strength are thinking about how to survive in this chaos, and those with weak strength are thinking about how to survive.

Everyone has their own little thoughts, thinking about how to profit and how to survive.

Therefore, the current situation is chaotic and unreasonable, which is normal.

What they had to do was to take advantage of the chaos in Tubo to gain the greatest benefit for themselves.

Chen Qingsi analyzed the few clues in the chaos. There were two useful pieces of information: Meilu's surrender and the Tibetan king's secret withdrawal tomorrow night.

Chen Qingsi was not surprised by the Lu family's surrender. He had done all this on purpose.

The reason why he silently took care of Meilu family was naturally not because of Chimalo, but to force Meilu family to turn to the Tang Dynasty.

Chen Qingsi had already learned about what the Meilu clan had experienced in Tubo. The powerful people who had once been on par with the Zamp clan had now become something that could be trampled upon by anyone.

How could I not be angry? How could I not be chilled?
Why would the Lu family end up in this situation today?

Isn’t it because you fully support the King Mangsong Mangzan?
The results of it?
Mangsong Mangzan chose Gardongzan at the critical moment and abandoned them, completely cutting off their chances of rising. How could they not be disheartened?
It's just that people have to bow their heads under the eaves...

If they are given a better choice, the answer is obvious.

When Chen Qingsi was in Chang'an, he suggested to Li Zhi that he should treat Chimalo well for today.

It is not difficult to see from the military deployment of Tubo that Meilu was pushed to the front line everywhere these days, and was obviously being abandoned. If it were not for his intentional care, Meilu would have become a lower-class noble in Tubo.

Moreover, both messages revealed the news that Tubo was going to withdraw its troops, so it was certain that Tubo did intend to withdraw its troops.

This is understandable, as Mangsong Mangzan cannot control the current situation.

In this chaotic situation, anything could happen. Mangsong Mangzan would be in danger if he could not control the situation in Fu'e Town. God knows whether someone would do something irrational for the sake of power.

Only by retreating back to the base camp can we take the initiative.

Therefore, withdrawal was inevitable, as the Tubo people had no intention of fighting anymore.

Apart from Galdongzan, who truly cares about Tubo, who cares about Qinghai Lake?
Tubo is in such a state now, wouldn't it be better to guard your own little piece of land?
Tubo wanted to retreat, but without the Lu family, there were military mobilizations and they were at the front line. They were probably abandoned, so their surrender was understandable.

The news he brought is probably true...

Tubo planned to withdraw its troops the next night.

Chen Qingsi continued to ponder: Mangsong Mangzan will withdraw his troops tomorrow. There is no source or clue for this news. But in fact, this one is the most credible.

Without Lu's surrender, which was reasonable and well-founded, it would have been a situation like Zhou Yu fighting Huang Gai, one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten.

But this inexplicable and confusing message is different.

This actually has nothing to do with Zhang Rendan. Even if Zhang Rendan hadn't shot that arrow, Chen Qingsi felt that they would not be able to obtain any useful information.

If this news is true, then the person who can get this news must be a core figure in the top level of Tubo.

Mangsong Mangzan slipped away early because he was not guarding against them, but against those powerful people with ulterior motives within Tubo.

Now that the news has been leaked, only a small number of people can know about it in advance.

It is impossible for this small group of people to leave any evidence of regicide, so they want to use the Tang Dynasty to get rid of Mangsong Mangzan.

If the other party really wants to reveal the news to them, there are many ways to do it. Lurking nearby like this, most likely he doesn't want to reveal his identity.

Since I don't want to be exposed, it doesn't matter whether I die or not.

If it was a trick, if it was fake, why would there be so much trouble?

The more complicated the situation is, the more it proves the authenticity of this news.

"Send a message to Xi Junmai, tell him to split up into smaller groups and set off tonight to set up ambushes at Nalu Post and Zhonglong Post..."

"Tonight?" Song Lingwen thought he had misheard.

Chen Qingsi affirmed: "Tonight, Mangsong Mangzan plans to withdraw a day earlier, which is enough to show that he has doubts about the loyalty of some powerful people in Fu'e City. Since he has doubts, he will definitely not leave on time. It is possible that he will leave a few hours earlier or decide on the time of departure at the last minute. Only by setting an ambush in advance can we be sure of success."

Song Lingwen exclaimed: "The chief steward has made very good considerations."

"Also, have the entire army be on guard and ready to attack at any time."

Chen Qingsi estimated that Tubo’s retreat would not wait until the day after tomorrow…
-
Fuai City. Three o'clock in the morning.

Mangsong Mangzan, who had not fallen asleep, suddenly called Zanpo to his side and said, "Pass the order down, pack lightly, ride two horses each, and return to Luosi on time at four o'clock in the morning."

Zanpo was still asleep when she suddenly received the order. She was a little confused at first, but she reacted quickly.

The atmosphere in Fuai City was very depressing, and Zanpo had already felt it. It was his suggestion to leave a day earlier. He was really afraid that if he retreated with the army, he would encounter the fierce pursuit of the Tang army, and something unexpected would happen to the army in the chaos of fleeing.

The Tibetan king's lineage was small in number. Songtsen Gampo died early, and his sons died early as well. Now Mangsong Mangtsen only had two sons, one three years old and the other two years old.

If something unexpected happens to Mangsong Mangzan, the person who seizes power will definitely be the next Gal.

It is impossible for the new Gal clan to tolerate the survival of the old Gal clan.

He had to protect Mangsong Mangtsen no matter what. Only in this way could the Gal clan have a glimmer of hope.

The decision to set off now has been made at the last minute, and the timing is so cleverly planned that unnecessary risks can be avoided.

Soon, under Zanpo's arrangement, a team of 4,000 people gathered in the southern city of Fu'ai.

In addition to Mangsong Mangzan's personal soldiers, there are also Gal's most core private soldiers and death squads.

"set off!"

With an order, four thousand people rushed towards the South Gate.

At first, the officers guarding the city were even reluctant to open the gate and had to get permission from their superiors.

It was not until Mangsongmangzan drew his bow and arrow, pointed it at the city guard and ordered him to open the door that he was forced to open the door.

After all, Mangsong Mangtsen was the Zamp. If he was really shot to death for disobeying the Zamp's order, no one would say anything and his death would be in vain.

After this incident, Mangsong Mangzan became more determined to return to Luoshe.

As soon as the city gate opened, more than 4,000 people rushed towards the plateau like lightning.

Because they were traveling light and riding two horses, they were moving very fast. By dawn, they had crossed the plains south of Fu'e City and entered the rolling hills.

This is also the reason why Mangsong Mangzan chose to set off at four o'clock in the morning.

Once they enter the hills, their whereabouts will be difficult to track.

It was different from when they came here. Last time, because the situation was urgent, they had been descending the mountain day and night, and they were exhausted. They were entangled by Xi Junmai and naturally could not escape.

Now they are recuperating and full of energy. The period from four o'clock in the morning to the early morning is the time when they are most sleepy and most willing to sleep.

They took action first and entered the hills first. The Tang army and the powerful people with ulterior motives realized it later and tried to catch up with them in a hurry, but it was not easy. As long as they could reach Zhonglong Post safely, they would be safe.

But just as Mangsong Mangzan and his party rode at full speed, spending a day crossing the hills and preparing to rush to Nalu Posthouse along the mountain trail, a team of Tang troops appeared in front of them.

Mangsong Mangzan's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Why are the Tang army here?"

For a moment, Mangsong Mangzan began to suspect Zanpo beside him. He was the first one to know his plan and glanced at Zanpo inadvertently.

But Zanpo also looked shocked and at a loss.

Mangsong Mangzan also knew that his suspicion was groundless. He had not told anyone in advance the time of his choice of action. Even if Zanpo was the first to know it, even if he really had ulterior motives, he would not have had time to do so many things.

It is impossible for the Tang army to react so quickly...

Zanpo was surprised at first, but soon reacted and said, "Zanpu, the Tang army is bluffing. Look at them, they are lined up neatly, but there are large gaps between the soldiers. They are barely holding on to block the road in front of us."

Mangsong Mangzan covered his eyes and looked, and it was really so.

Zanpo said: "The Tang army did not line up to wait for us intentionally, but they found us approaching and had nowhere to hide, so they simply lined up to prepare for battle and delay time. Someone must have leaked our whereabouts, so they set an ambush in advance, but they didn't expect us to set off in advance and bump into each other."

Mangsong Mangzan said: "Charge forward. At this point, if you move forward, you will live, but if you retreat, you will die." He called out: "Zanpo, you lead the way, and I will hold the bow and arrow and kill the enemy together with you."

Zanpo loudly accepted the order, gathered his troops and shouted, and led two thousand warriors of the Gal clan to charge towards the Tang army.

Mangsong Mangzan charged into the battle line for the first time without any fear. He held a bow and arrow and shot the Tang army in the distance surrounded by his personal guards.

Looking at the charging Tubo army, Niu Yanyou complained bitterly.

Niu Yanyou was a captain in the army. He was ordered to rush to Nalu Station to set up an ambush. However, he did not expect that while he was climbing the mountain and before he reached Nalu Station, he saw dust flying in the distance and a large number of cavalry rushing towards them.

Niu Yanyou was a grassroots military officer without any background. He relied on actual combat, fighting battle after battle, and was promoted to this position based on his military merits.

He had not read much, but his many years of military career had enabled him to have his own judgment about sudden changes.

First of all, this cavalry could not be a friendly force. They split into small groups and intended to set up an ambush at Naluyi. They wanted to attack unexpectedly and suddenly.

Therefore, they were very cautious along the way. Not only did they split up into small groups and marched over hills during the day, but they also traveled quickly at night and even covered their lanterns with black cloth for fear of being discovered by the Tibetan scouts.

What they found was a large group of cavalry heading straight for where they were.

This is obviously contrary to their purpose.

The Tubo army arrived faster than they received the news. Their team, which had been broken up into small pieces and gathered together temporarily, had no time to hide, let alone carry out the ambush plan.

Niu Yanyou acted decisively. He did not choose to confront the Tubo army head-on. Instead, he collected stones from the surrounding area, inserted spears into the ground to serve as chevaux de frise, and formed a battle array to meet the enemy. At the same time, he sent people to Nalu Posthouse to notify Xi Junmai who had arrived in advance and asked them to be prepared.

Niu Yanyou looked at the Tibetan army rushing towards him with great momentum and shouted, "Brothers, these Tibetan boys are trying to get through here without saying hello or leaving anything behind. Tell me, should we let them pass?"

"No!"

With more than a thousand men facing Tibetan soldiers that were many times their number, the Tang army showed no fear at all.

Niu Yanyou held the spear tightly in his hand, his face gloomy, and waited. Just as the enemy entered the shooting range, he suddenly pointed the spear and shouted, "Shoot!"

As the sound of horse hooves approached, the sound of bowstrings began to sound even more rapid than the sound of horse hooves!

As the screams of someone falling down after being shot by an arrow rang out, Niu Yanyou shouted again: "Raise your guns!"

Facing the attack of the Tibetan cavalry, although the Tang soldiers were at a disadvantage in terms of manpower, they remained fearless. They stood shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot, and used their flesh and blood to resist the charge of the cavalry.

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

Although the Tibetan cavalry were lightly armed, the explosive power of their horses still killed many of the soldiers in the front row.

Niu Yanyou adhered to the consistent tradition of the Tang army and stood at the forefront of the team.

The spear in his hand was a carefully crafted iron spear, which directly pierced the horse's throat. When he was also hit back by the backlash of the force, he fell backwards and the iron spear in his hand slipped out of his hand.

Niu Yanyou rolled on the ground to relieve the force of the impact. He didn't care about the pain all over his body. He drew his Tang sword and rushed to the front again.

(End of this chapter)