Tiantang

Chapter 271

Chapter 278
While Li Guangbi was running, smoke rose slowly from the military fort in the far northwest direction, which was particularly conspicuous in the windless clear sky.

Li Guangbi stopped suddenly, staring at the northwest direction, his expression changed suddenly: Gyatso's soldiers and horses came so fast when the enemy attacked in the northwest!
"Report, the enemy in the northwest is attacking, and the Tubo soldiers and horses are attacking!"

"Report, the Tibetans have invaded and occupied Feichuan Fortress!"

The bugle whimpered and echoed in the wilderness, and a group of soldiers came at a gallop.

Li Guangbi stomped his feet fiercely, ran to Zhang Xuan's handsome tent, and strode in.

Zhang Xuan and Li Tan were laughing and talking about something, when they suddenly saw Li Guangbi barging in with a bad face, they couldn't help frowning.

The matter was urgent, and Li Guangbi didn't care whether Zhang Xuan was happy or not. He hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Commander, the enemy attacked in the northwest, and the Tubo people have already occupied our army's fortress!"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback, and then smiled, "The Tubo people came very quickly! However, Guangbi, don't panic. In this battle, you don't have to worry about short-term gains and losses. Losing a few fortresses is nothing."

Li Guangbi sighed softly, and said respectfully, "Commander, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. Our defense line retreated and concentrated east of Doma, at the foot of Jishi Mountain, leaving a large space on both wings. If Gyatso and The novice's troops led the army to take advantage of the vacancy, and our army was attacked on three sides, I'm afraid..."

Zhang Xuan glanced at Li Guangbi, and said calmly, "Do they dare to come? To be honest, I am afraid that they will not dare to come!"

Zhang Xuan got up abruptly, walked to the map, and pointed his finger, "Gyatso's entire army has only less than two people. This time, Gyatso was ordered to lead an army of [-] to attack the Liangzhou. Shu Han marched westward with his troops, and he must have taken Gyatso's lair!"

"Therefore, I guess that Gyatso is just bluffing and driving straight into the hinterland of Liangning Prefecture? Unless he wants to completely abandon the Hexi defense line. Ge Shuhan's Hexi army is not a vegetarian."

Zhang Xuan smiled lightly, pointed to Jin Chuan's position, and said, "The same is true for the monks. These two are local military lords in Tubo, and it is almost impossible for them to sacrifice their lives for Stanley at all costs. .”

"That's why I predicted that our real opponent in this battle is the 2 men under Stanley's troops. This is why I ordered you to concentrate your superior force and fight with the Stanley soldiers east of Doma."

Li Guangbi was silent for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "Commander, the battle is fickle and there are no fixed rules. If Gyatso and the novice really go straight in, how will our army deal with it?"

Zhang Xuan turned his head to look at Li Guangbi, and laughed loudly, "Guangbi, it seems that you are still worried. You are afraid that the commander may make a mistake in his judgment and cause our army to lose the battle..."

Li Guangbi's face tightened, he bowed and said respectfully, "The last general dare not!"

Zhang Xuan took a few steps forward, patted Li Guangbi's shoulder, and said with a smile, "If Gyatso and the novice really dare to invade my hinterland, then this commander has already prepared a pocket to lure the enemy at any time." into the urn."

"The commander-in-chief has already ordered the defenders of Shancheng to cross Chiling and ambush on the side of Heyuan. According to the time, Guo Ziyi led an army of 7 and had already arrived in Gongzhou. The commander-in-chief's pocket formation, Guo Ziyi left Gongzhou, the Shancheng army blocked the entrance to Bohai, your [-] troops returned to the division, and our army surrounded and wiped out more than [-] people in Tubo, what's the problem with catching turtles in the urn? Ok?"

Li Guangbi suddenly realized, smiled ashamedly, clasped his fists together and said, "The commander-in-chief is wise, the way of using soldiers is unpredictable, and the final general will sigh!"

Zhang Xuan laughed loudly, "Guangbi, leading the army to kill the enemy, I am not as good as you, but if it is about planning the war situation, you are not as good as this commander!"

……

……

evening.

In the barracks, smoke billows from the kitchen, and bonfires blaze.The strong odor from burning horse dung and cow dung was dispelled by the howling northwest wind. Soldiers of the Tang Army were wrapped in thick cotton-padded clothes, or sat around the campfire and whispered, or ran around to patrol the sentry posts. The whole camp was silent. .

Speechless all night.But at dawn, it was the coldest time in Liangning Prefecture in winter. Suddenly, violent movements came from the northwest, and the neighing of people and horses became louder and louder, breaking the tranquility of the camp.

The sobbing and desolate bugle sounded again, patrolling soldiers poured in from all directions, and the generals also rushed out of their respective tents, gathering the soldiers and horses of the headquarters in the shortest time, waiting in formation, ready to respond.

Zhang Xuan quickly put on his armor, wrapped in a thick cloak, and rushed to the northwest gate surrounded by more than a hundred guards.

A team came from the grassland in the direction of Feichuan. From a distance, it was half soldiers and half civilians.

Standing at the gate, Zhang Xuan could already clearly hear the cries of the common people's women in the procession, and saw expressions of sadness and panic floating on the cheeks that were red and chapped by the cold wind.

The corner of Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched lightly.At a glance, it can be seen that these must be soldiers and civilians who fled from the Feichuan grassland area.On the non-Sichuan line, there are hundreds of Tang troops stationed and three garrison forts, guarding hundreds of immigrant families to open up wasteland there.

Obviously, although Gyatso's troops did not drive straight into Liangning Prefecture, they still sent a small number of troops to occupy Feichuan and took down three forts outside the Tang army.This was already in Zhang Xuan's expectation.

Although he had ordered people to retreat in batches in advance, he did not expect that Gyatso's army and horses came so fast that some people were attacked and plundered by Tubo people on the way before they could completely retreat.

Zhang Xuan was silent for a moment, sighed softly, and ordered the soldiers to open the gate immediately, and collect the soldiers and civilians who had fled.He turned around and was about to leave, but out of the corner of his eye, he found that in the rushing team, there was a tall soldier carrying a thin girl on his shoulders, and the girl's figure was very familiar.

Zhang Xuan's heart skipped a beat, he suddenly turned around again, and rushed out of the gate first.

……

……

Zhang Xuan didn't expect that Huanniang and her father Hu Kan were farming on the front line of Feichuan.In fact, it was winter, and it was not the best season for farming. This group of immigrants in Feichuan was nothing more than marking the boundaries with the help of soldiers, and preparing for the land reclamation in the spring of next year.

Just as the father and daughter followed the military order and slowly returned to the hinterland of Liangning Prefecture, a group of 500 Tubo cavalry suddenly rushed in. The [-] Tang troops guarding them fought desperately, and most of them were killed or injured.

On the battlefield, many common people also suffered disasters. More than a hundred people died under the trampling of Tubo iron cavalry, while the rest were lucky enough to escape under the protection of the remnants of the Tang army.Fortunately, the Tubo soldiers and horses did not continue to pursue southward.

Hu Kan died in the rebellion, and Huan Niang escaped by chance, but found her father lying in a pool of blood, and fainted on the spot from fright.

A soldier of the Tang army found the token of King Pingxi falling from Huanniang's body. He was so shocked that he didn't dare to neglect, so he brought her back.

Along the way, Huanniang was almost hoarse from crying.

She was only seven or eight years old, her mother died young, and only her father was left to depend on each other.Now that the father is dead, for a child, this is a disaster.

Zhang Xuan took Huanniang from the soldier, and seeing the despair and sadness in Huanniang's eyes, as well as the panic that was still in shock, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, and his hands holding Huanniang trembled slightly.

"Huan Niang..."

Huanniang stared at Zhang Xuan with blank eyes, her small mouth twitched slightly, her withered lips were cracked, and she raised her small hand, but dropped it powerlessly.

"Daddy is dead, Huanniang is suffering...wow..." Huanniang suddenly howled hysterically, lying in Zhang Xuan's arms, her almost frozen body twitching violently.

Zhang Xuan hugged Huan Niang tightly, his shoulders trembled, and finally a line of hot tears couldn't help shedding.

The man did not shed tears, but he did not go to the sad place.

"If the people were forced to retreat two days earlier, why would this be the case! I didn't think carefully, and the planning was unclear... It was my fault that caused the people to suffer military disasters!" Zhang Xuan handed Huan Niang, who had fainted from crying in his arms, to Hua Nuer , looking up to the sky and sighing in grief and indignation.

In fact, the two armies are fighting, and the battle is changing rapidly. After all, Zhang Xuan is a man or not a god, and it is impossible to cover everything.Zhang Xuan didn't expect Gyatso's troops to arrive so quickly. In his overall planning of the campaign, this could be regarded as a small omission.

"You don't have to blame yourself, Commander. In the battle between the two armies, some casualties are inevitable. Please condolences, Commander!" Standing behind Zhang Xuan, Li Guangbi cupped his fists and said softly.

Zhang Xuan suddenly turned around, looked at Li Guangbi and said decisively, "Guangbi, how far is the Stanley army from my camp?"

Li Guangbi pondered for a moment, then replied, "Marshal, come and report to me, the soldiers and horses in Stanley are less than three hundred miles away from me."

Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice, "Quickly transmit the commander's military order, ordering Heyuan Shancheng Guards to detour to Sanjiao City to stand by; order Guo Ziyi to lead the army to march day and night, and must arrive in Feichuan within two days!"

"This commander will personally lead these [-] soldiers to attack the Shaliu River, and take away Gyatso's lair. I will hate you today!"

Zhang Xuan turned around abruptly and strode away.

Li Guangbi looked at Zhang Xuan's back, heaved a sigh of relief, and hurried to convey Zhang Xuan's military order.

……

……

In Zhang Xuan's warm handsome tent, Huanniang was covered with a thick quilt, hugged by Hua Nuer, and fed a bowl of hot broth, her mental condition improved a little.

Zhang Xuan sat on the edge of the bed, tightly holding Huan Niang's cold little hand, and said softly, "Son, are you feeling better? From now on, you will stay by my side..."

Huanniang pursed her lips tightly, and suddenly cried and threw herself into Hua Nuer's arms.

"Good boy, don't Huanniang cry..." Hua Nuer gently patted her on the back with some pity, and comforted her softly.

a long time.

Huanniang gradually stopped crying, and turned her head to look at Zhang Xuan with tears in her eyes, but she couldn't say a word.

Zhang Xuan felt a pain in his heart, sighed, held Huanniang's little hand, and clenched his teeth.

"Huanu'er, take good care of Huanniang, I'll come as soon as I go." After Zhang Xuan finished speaking, he got up suddenly, and walked out of the big tent with a dignified expression.

(End of this chapter)