Tibet

Li Ye also crossed the Datong River. As soon as he crossed the river, Nan Jiyun came forward to report: "Your Highness, we have captured a Tuyuhun soldier who looks like a Han. He is very anxious to tell us something, but we can't listen." Understand!"

He immediately turned around and ordered: "Go quickly and invite the guide, General Chen!"

The guide Chen Kai was still on the other side, and soldiers immediately ran to the other side.

Li Ye looked at the camp area several miles away and asked, "Have you sent anyone to the camp area?"

The opponent has hundreds of large tents, and it is impossible to have only a thousand soldiers, but at least two to three thousand.

"General Xin led two thousand people to investigate."

At this time, the guide Chen Kai was brought over, and Li Ye said to him: "The soldiers captured a Han Tibetan soldier. He seems to want to say something to us."

Li Ye waved, and the soldiers escorted a Tibetan soldier forward. Under the firelight, his face did indeed look like a Han, but he looked to be in his forties or fifties.

"You ask where he is from? What's going on?"

Chen Kai asked him a few questions in Qiang language, and the man immediately replied in the same language.

"Your Highness, he said that he is a Han from Shanzhou. He was kidnapped to Tuyuhun when he was ten years old and made a sheep-herding slave. Thirty years later, he was forced to serve as a soldier. He just lay on the ground pretending to be dead and said that he had something important to do. tell us."

"What's important?" Li Ye asked.

Chen Kai asked the other party again in Qiang language. The man wrote eagerly with his hands and said something in his mouth.

Chen Kai was also surprised and hurriedly said to Li Ye: "He said that tens of thousands of Tibetan troops came here two days ago, coming from Shanzhou."

This news made Li Ye stunned. He was vaguely aware that there might be a trap here in Big Dou City.

Suddenly, shouts of killing were heard in the distance, followed by shouts of killing from the other side, and a fire broke out.

"No!" Li Ye immediately ordered: "Send my order and the whole army will retreat immediately!"

Only halfway across the river, the soldiers turned around and returned to the north bank.

Li Ye suddenly saw three gunpowder arrows rising in the distance, and his heart sank. It was a distress signal sent by the soldiers at Badou Bagugukou.

At this time, a soldier rushed over and said, "Your Highness, General Xin was ambushed. There are a large number of enemy troops ambushing here. Please cross the river immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a cry of killing suddenly came from the east. It seemed that countless enemy troops were coming from the east.

Li Ye immediately said to Nan Jiyun: "General Nan led three thousand troops to rush to Dadou Bago to rescue him. If Dadou Bago is lost, we will not be able to return to Hexi!"

"Your Highness, what should General Xin do?" Nan Jiyun asked anxiously.

Li Ye was silent for a moment and said: "Go and protect Dadou Bugu immediately. This is a military order!"

"I humbly obey my orders!"

Nan Jiyun had no choice but to lead his army to retreat.

Li Ye knew Nan Jiyun very well. If Nan Jiyun was allowed to break off, he would definitely go to rescue Xin Kuang. Then he and Xin Kuang would be completely destroyed. Nan Jiyun must be allowed to cross the river first. At this time, any hesitation will lead to irreparable consequences. serious consequences.

Li Ye also ordered Yingshitang General Liu Chunyun to lead an army of 2,000 spears to cut off the rear. He also led the army to retreat to the north bank.

Two days ago, Shang Jiezan led an army of 60,000 to Dadou City. He did not send troops to support Dadou Valley. Instead, he laid a dragnet on both sides of the Datong River and launched an attack when the Tang army was halfway across the river.

At this time, fierce fighting broke out in four places. First, Xin Kuang's 2,000 troops were surrounded by 20,000 Tibetan troops.

Shang Jiezan personally led an army of 15,000 to attack the ferry on the south bank. Liu Chunyun led an army of 2,000 to desperately resist the enemy's attack.

There were also 10,000 Tibetan troops on the north bank, led by Lun Mangre, who launched a surprise attack on the Tang army that had not yet crossed the river. At Dadou Bagokou, there was also a fierce battle between 8,000 troops and the 2,000 Tang troops who stayed behind.

Li Ye crossed the Datong River. At this time, Nan Jiyun had led three thousand troops to rescue Dadou Bago. Li Ye asked the general Guan Peidao who was left behind: "How many enemy troops are there?"

"The details are not very clear, but it is estimated that there were about ten thousand people. The attack was very sharp. I was helpless because of my humble position. I lit a thousand jars of fire oil to force them back."

The camels could not cross the pontoon bridge, and the kerosene and grain and grass they carried were unloaded. At the critical moment, Guan Pei ordered the kerosene urn to be smashed, ignited the kerosene, and threw in all the fodder to form a wall of fire. Forced the enemy troops back.

"Well done!" Li Ye praised.

You must be decisive at this time. You would rather destroy the kerosene than let the other party get it.

At this time, a school lieutenant rushed back to report, "Your Highness, General Liu Chunyun was unfortunately killed in action. The enemy has occupied the south bank of the ferry, and all the soldiers behind him have been wiped out."

Li Ye sighed and ordered helplessly: "Retreat at full speed!"

More than 10,000 troops retreated quickly towards Dadou Bugu. Three thousand cavalry led by Guan Pei cut off the rear, and the army fought and retreated.

Fierce fighting also broke out at Dadou Bagukou, and eight thousand Tibetan soldiers attacked from the west.

However, he was discovered by Tang Army sentries and sounded the alarm urgently.

A fierce battle broke out between the 2,000 Tang soldiers and 8,000 Tubo troops guarding the valley entrance. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, but the Tubo troops far outnumbered the Tang troops. The Tang troops could not withstand it and were killed and retreated.

Just when it was extremely critical, Nan Jiyun arrived with his army.

The Tibetan army was attacked in the back and was caught off guard. Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, the Tang army in the valley began a desperate counterattack. Under attack from both front and rear, the Tubo army retreated hastily to the west.

At the fourth watch, Li Ye's troops all withdrew from Dadou Bago.

The entire army was in a low mood. Although victory or defeat was a common occurrence for military strategists, no one could remain calm in the face of truly tragic losses.

The Tibetan army did not keep any prisoners of war. In this battle, 6,000 Tang soldiers were killed, including General Ying Yanglang Xin Kuang and General Ying Shi Lang Liu Chunyun. Unfortunately, Liu Chunyun was also one of the generals of the Pei family. He had followed Li Ye for many years and was loyal. He had just Unfortunately, the general who succeeded Li Xiyue died for his country, which made Li Ye heartbroken.

Nan Jiyun was sitting on a big rock. He was also feeling sad about Xin Kuang's death in battle.

Li Ye came over and patted him on the shoulder, saying sadly: "The failure of this battle is my responsibility. I have been fighting too smoothly recently and underestimated the enemy of Tibet."

Nan Jiyun smiled bitterly and said: "We were almost wiped out in this battle, thanks to the Han Tibetan soldier who leaked the secret. Looking back now, they ambush Xin Kuang actually wanted to attract our main force to rescue, and then Shang Jiezan cut off from the river. Our retreat route was to surround and annihilate each of us, and thanks to His Highness’s calm command, we made every step right in the critical situation and saved our main force. If we made any mistake, we would be doomed.”

Li Ye nodded, "Shang Jiezan made careful arrangements this time. His early decoys and riverside deployments were all deduced and planned over and over again. He even used a big fight to pull out the valley as bait to catch us all in one fell swoop."

"Your Highness, you mean that Qilian Military City was also deliberately flooded by them?"

"It's very possible. Pei Jun told me that my grandfather used the same method to dig holes into the city thirty years ago. I felt a little abnormal. Did the Tubo army really forget thirty years of history?

Now it seems that it is precisely because it is too easy to capture Dadou Valley and we are arrogant that we think it is also easy to capture Dadou City. This is clearly Shang Jiezan's step-by-step strategy to lure the enemy. "

"It's a pity that he fell short and was destroyed by a small Tuyuhun slave soldier."

Li Ye smiled lightly and said, "This is God's will. We are destined not to be destroyed."

"Since Shang Jiezan failed to achieve his goal, what will happen next for him?"

"I believe that Shang Jiezan will not give in. He will definitely gather an army to retake Dadou Bago!"

"ah!"

Nan Jiyun stood up in shock, "Then we must deploy immediately!"

Li Ye nodded, "That's why I came to you to cheer you up. Now we don't have time to mourn the dead!"