Chapter 122: The truth and the false, unbearable

"What? All 10,000 cavalrymen were wiped out. Our army crossed the mountains and went deep into Tang territory, but we only had 20,000 cavalrymen. Now we have only 10,000 cavalrymen left."

Xie Gong, the Tibetan envoy from Naqu, shouted loudly.

Although the Tibetans were fierce in infantry combat, cavalry was essential as a mobile force to surround the infantry when an isolated army was advancing deep into the enemy's territory.

They had nearly 50,000 infantry.

Although many armors and supplies were transported by ox carts.

However, the purpose of the Tubo coming was to support the war by fighting. They plundered the Tang army's Anxiang, Fenglin, Daxia, and Fuhan counties for food, and plundered the pastures of Jinjian Mountain and Shimen Mountain to supply the military.

If their retreat was blocked by the Tang cavalry, the blow to them would be fatal.

"Marshal, we should withdraw from Tang territory immediately."

"The Tang people are despicable and cunning, and they are plotting against our army. Once we have regrouped, we will seek revenge on them."

"Evacuate immediately..."

Others, especially the Tibetan nobles and officials, basically tried to persuade Lun Xinuoza.

"Marshal, we have no choice but to fight to the death. Our cavalry can withdraw, but the infantry and ox carts cannot leave. The Tang army has armored cavalry and iron cavalry."

"Marshal, we will set up camp and make it impossible for the Tang army's armored cavalry to attack. We will have a chance to defeat the Tang army."

Hawkish factions such as Xinogu believed that they should deploy troops and engage in a decisive battle with the Tang army.

As the commander-in-chief, Lun Xinuoza found it difficult to calm down.

If they were caught up by the Tang cavalry during their retreat, there would be a risk of defeat.

If we set up camp and defend on the border of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang army will surround us without attacking, and we will continue to waste time with them. When their food and grass are exhausted, we will be defeated even more miserably.

"Go and inquire about the exact number of Tang cavalry. The heavy infantry that have crossed the bridge, come back immediately. The baggage should be inside, the carts and the army should be outside, and the cavalry should be on the flanks, forming a battle formation."

As for Synozza's temporary arrangement, he wanted to know more.

We don't know the details of Anxiang City, but we must not attack it by force. Otherwise, the tragic situation of attacking Pingyi and Shouzhuo will continue.

Seeing that Lun Xinuoza had already issued the military order, the Tibetan generals and accompanying officials had no choice but to obey.

Just as the Tibetan heavy infantry was preparing to return to the other side, An Sishun led 10,000 infantrymen, equipped with heavy armor and powerful crossbows, and rushed down from the north of Anxiang City.

Qian'er Dafu led 5,000 infantrymen from the east of Anxiang City and formed a battle formation.

These 15,000 Tang infantrymen were soon within a mile of the Tibetan heavy infantry.

An Sishun and Qian'er Dafu had arrived here a long time ago. Since Xinoza led the army to Anxiang Bridge, their every move had been under the surveillance of the Tang army.

The Tibetan army prepared to cross the bridge and leave, but it was not that easy.

The Zhenxi Army and the Momen Army had a total of one thousand cavalrymen. They took advantage of the slow movement of the Tibetan heavy armored infantry and advanced within less than 200 steps of them.

This made the Tibetan heavy-armored infantry afraid to cross the bridge, for fear that they would be suddenly attacked by the Tang army's infantry and cavalry while squeezing across the bridge.

The Tibetan heavy infantry thought that the Tang army was going to attack, so they formed a battle formation with their backs to the bridge.

"Reporting to the Marshal, we have seen over a thousand Tang Dynasty armored cavalry, with about three thousand elite cavalry and three thousand light cavalry."

When Lun Xinuoza was looking at the Li River worriedly, the scout reported to him.

"The Tang army doesn't have many cavalrymen. Has Li Xuan, the commander of Longyou, come here?"

Lun Xi Nuo frowned.

Although the Tang army took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, it was difficult for him to understand how they could annihilate 10,000 cavalry so quickly.

"Marshal, the main force of the Longyou Army still has to face our troops from the Chiling direction. The Tang Army can only mobilize so many cavalry. Judging from their infantry, in addition to the Zhenxi Army, the other part should be the Momen Army. The Tang Army was able to defeat our vanguard cavalry because it must have been a surprise attack when our army was attacking Pingyi Shouzhuo City, which prevented our army from organizing its forces and led to its defeat."

"The Tang army's cavalry is west of the Li River, and the infantry is east of the Li River. There are not many of them. They don't defend the city, and it seems that they want to fight a decisive battle with our army. We have a great chance of winning."

Xie Gong, the military envoy of Nagqu, told Lun Xinuoza that he rationally supported Lun Xinuoza and wanted to fight against the Tang army.

Why did the Tang army want to use more than 20,000 infantry and cavalry to fight against their more than 50,000 infantry and cavalry?

So Xie Gong thought that his side had a greater chance.

"I have thought about what the general said. I am worried that the Tang army may have reinforcements. We are fighting in the Tang Kingdom. If the Tang army reinforcements suddenly rush over, it will be a huge blow to us."

As for Synoza, he was cautious about this.

The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, and the Tang army is best at using conspiracies and tricks.

But if we go to ask for help now, we need to mobilize troops from Qinghai, and the round trip will take nearly a month.

Because there were no cavalry available in the Tuyuhun and Jiuqu areas.

By then, even the Tang army's troops in Hexi would be able to arrive at the battlefield, and it would be too late.

This is the disadvantage of going deep into the enemy's territory alone.

Whether it was the Tang Dynasty's conquest of the Turks or the Tibetans' entry into Helong, if a confrontation occurred, it would be impossible to waste time asking for reinforcements, and they would most likely fight head-on.

"Marshal, you can send fast horses to ask the great leaders in the Chiling area to take the initiative to lead troops to the Hehuang area, and even attack the Tang army's camp to contain the Tang army in the Hehuang area. We will form a defensive formation here and push the carts outside the army to resist the Tang army's armored cavalry and iron cavalry."

Xie Gong thought for a moment and then spoke slowly.

He suggested waiting for a few days to see whether the Tang army would take the initiative to attack them.

"Under the current situation, this is indeed the only way. If the Tang army does not have other reinforcements, we will definitely win this battle. If the Tang army has reinforcements again, we need to decide based on the battle situation."

As the commander-in-chief, Lunxinoza must act decisively in times of crisis.

He ordered the infantry to form a formation along the Li River and put all the baggage, food, and cattle in the center of the camp.

On the other three sides, north, west and south, chariots were placed in the front, with spear infantry and archers behind the chariots. In addition, Tubo also had some elite slingers.

They dumped carts of stones that had been prepared long ago, ready to use the "sacred" weapons in their hearts to kill and injure the Tang army.

Slingshot is a type of soldier that has existed since ancient times and has been widely used throughout the world both in ancient and modern times.

The tool used by Tibetan slingers is called slingshot.

It is a simple and reliable tool for increasing the power of slingshot. The slingshot is usually woven with ropes, with a spring pocket in the middle and a loop at one end that can be put around the finger to fix it.

When using the slingshot, the slinger puts the stone into the sling bag, puts the rope loop through his fingers, and then holds the other end in his hand. When throwing, he swings the rotating slingshot rapidly facing the target. When it accelerates to the limit, he lets go and the stone flies towards the target under the action of centrifugal force.

The power of the slingers was not small, and their range could reach over 100 to 150 steps. Although the stones they threw had no penetrating power, they could still seriously injure the enemy at high speed.

The Tibetans looked down upon the skills of horse riding and archery because, according to Tibetan legend, the bow and arrow were weapons that appeared during the reign of the Dark Yaksha and were evil weapons.

The slingshot is a holy weapon because it was invented by the divine king Mujekot, whose descendant was the Tubo Zamp.

Of course, there were many Tibetan warriors who were good at archery. There was also a legend that King Gesar, the hero who conquered demons and monsters in the eyes of the Tibetan people, was good at using bows and arrows.

It can be seen from the fact that the Tibetan army was equipped with a large number of bows and arrows that they subconsciously believed that bows and arrows were more lethal than slings, but they were unwilling to admit it.

……

the other side.

"General Li, the Tibetans have not withdrawn, but are setting up camp, waiting for our army to attack. Their cavalry is on the flanks. In addition, the Tibetan heavy infantry is lined up in front of Anxiang Bridge to defend our Zhenxi Army and Momen Army."

The scout reported the movements of Tubo to Li Xuan.

"I know, keep on finding out!"

Li Xuan nodded.

The cavalry under his command had regrouped and was less than thirty miles away from the Tibetan army.

The elite cavalry is still in the front, and the light cavalry is on the flanks, ready to outflank at any time, and the armored cavalry is stationed several miles behind.

"Tibet is very cowardly. They still have tens of thousands of cavalry, but they dare not take the initiative to attack." Che Shensai despised Tibet's cowardice.

"The Tibetan army is worried that our army may have reinforcements, so they formed a battle array and let our army take the initiative to attack."

Gao Shi instantly understood Tubo’s intention.

"General Li, I think our army cannot take the initiative to attack. As their food and grass gradually run out, they will be unable to hold back."

Cen Shen also said this to Li Xuan.

"That's right. We are going to have a protracted war with Tibet."

After weighing the pros and cons, Li Xuan nodded and said.

If the cavalry actively charged into a formation blocked by chariots, they would suffer heavy casualties and might even fail.

If they lose the battle, they will lose the entire Anxiang County.

"General Li, our army must also pay attention to the enemy forces in the direction of Chiling. If Tubo communicates, they will attack Wei to save Zhao, forcing us to return to Huangshui for support. Although Anxiang County is critical, the Hehuang area is the core of Longyou."

Yang Wan reminded Li Xuan.

"If Tubo threatens Hehuang, our army can gather 30,000 soldiers and horses to defend it."

Li Xuan thought deeply for a moment and then said, "In order to prevent any mishaps in Hehuang, I am going to ask the governor of Hexi for help and ask him to send 20,000 to 30,000 troops to enter Hehuang."

"Li Shuai is wise!"

The officials agreed.

The overall strength of the Hexi Army was slightly stronger than that of Longyou. After the destruction of the Turks, the Hexi Army lost a powerful enemy and its burden was much lighter.

Although Fu Menglingcha was still fighting with the Turgesh, the Turgesh were now at the end of their strength. Li Xuan believed that Fu Menglingcha could send some soldiers into Hehuang.

Li Xuan immediately wrote a letter to Fu Menglingcha, promising to give the Hexi Army 3,000 war horses and 500 yaks afterwards.

After weighing the pros and cons, Meng Lingcha will definitely send troops.

Because Longyou is equivalent to the barrier of Hexi and has always been the bridgehead against Tubo, once Hehuang suffers heavy losses and Li Longji learns that Fu Menglingcha did not send troops, he will be to blame.

Li Xuan was able to cross the Li River in a small boat and give instructions to An Sishun and Qian'er Dafu.

He ordered the Zhenxi Army and the Momen Army to merge together, station near the south gate of Anxiang City, and establish a defensive position, so there was no need to pay attention to the Tibetan heavy infantry.

If the Tibetan heavy infantry want to cross the bridge, let them pass.

If the Tibetan army withdrew, the Tang army's infantry would rush across the bridge and join up with the cavalry to pursue them.

Li Xuan also ordered the cavalry to hunt down any Tibetan cavalry who wanted to go north to investigate the strength of the Tang army.

Except for a small number of soldiers who monitored the movements of Tubo, the rest of the soldiers rested on the spot.

The Tibetan army was tense and waiting for the Tang army to attack, but the Tang army did not move. After one night, the Tibetan soldiers were in low spirits.

"General Li, my light cavalry can pass by the Tibetan army during the day, and my elite cavalry will also be dispatched to make the Tibetans think that our army is going to attack."

Xin Yunjing suggested to Li Xuan.

"Okay! General Xin will lead the light cavalry to carry out the mission. Keep a good distance and do not engage the Tibetan cavalry."

Li Xuan agreed and gave the task to Xin Yunjing.

"As ordered!"

Xin Yunjing took the order and left.

Nearly three thousand light cavalry, led by Xin Yunjing, headed towards Tubo.

Li Xuan asked the elite cavalry to mount their horses and the heavy cavalry to put on their vests.

If the Tibetan cavalry chased the light cavalry, the elite cavalry of the Tang army would cooperate with the light cavalry to destroy the Tibetan cavalry first.

Lun Xinoza thought that the Tang army was coming to attack, so he prepared the army to fight back.

But the Tang army just passed by them and did not enter the range of Tubo's projectiles.

The elite cavalry of the Tang army, led by Li Xuan, was only a few miles away from the main force of Tubo.

It was equivalent to pointing the tip of the spear at Tubo's chest, so that Tubo would not dare to relax for a moment.

Another day passed suddenly.

At night, Li Xuan ordered the cavalry to retreat to a distance of twenty miles.

But the cavalry who were hunting down the Tibetan scouts were still not far from the Tibetan front line, and seemed to be preparing for a surprise night attack.

This caused Tubo to live in fear all night long in the cold night.

At daybreak, a large number of Tibetan soldiers had dark circles under their eyes.

"Damn it, the Tang army did this on purpose to keep our army in a state of combat!"

Lun Xinuoza saw the Tang army's light cavalry passing in front of their formation again and said angrily.

"Our army has no idea of ​​the Tang army's strength, so we can only be passive!"

Xie Gong said helplessly.

"Leave 10,000 soldiers on patrol at night, and the rest of the soldiers will rest."

Of what Sinnosa commanded.

Tubo most hoped that the Tang army would take the initiative to attack.

But the Tang army never attacked, which made them the most uncomfortable.

Lun Xinuoza thought that 10,000 soldiers were enough to guard the city. Even if the Tang army attacked, it would be difficult to break through in a short time. There was time for other soldiers to join the battlefield.

Night, midnight.

"Boom boom boom!"

Several miles to the north of the Tubo army, dozens of war drums were beating at the same time.

The sound of drums was earth-shaking, like thunder, and seemed to contain murderous intent, sweeping towards the Tubo camp.

At that moment, all the Tibetan soldiers were called up and went to the front of the formation with weapons in hand to prepare for defense.

The cavalry also mounted their horses and formed a charging force.

Lun Xinuoza, Tongyahu, Xinuogu, Xijiazang, Xiegong and other Tibetan generals were on full alert in front of the battle line, waiting for the Tang army to rush over.

"Whoosh..."

There was no sound of horse hooves except for the dense beating of drums and the cold wind blowing past the front.

The Tibetan soldiers waited anxiously for half an hour, from building up their morale to yawning and feeling sleepy.

"This should be the Tang army's strategy to tire out the troops!"

Xie Gong reminded Lun Xinoza.

"Songtsen Gampo used his spear to stab a yak to death to prove his courage. We are so cowardly! Marshal, please let me lead the cavalry to attack the Tang army."

Tongyahu was furious after hearing this. He had a fiery temper and didn't want to go on like this.

He rose from a minor noble soldier to his current position, and was granted a golden certificate. He was very confident in his bravery and eager to fight.

As long as Tubo had military merits, they could obtain more land and slaves.

Soldiers were generally keen on fighting, so Tongyahu was very disdainful of such defensive actions.

Tongyahu had already learned from the defeated soldiers that the Longyou commander's flag had appeared, proving that Li Xuan was there.

He wanted to stab Li Xuan to death with the iron spear in his hand to prove his bravery.

"Wait a little longer. Our food and grass can still sustain us for ten days. If that doesn't work, we can kill the two thousand cattle we brought with us. This will sustain us for a few more days. We will only have a chance if the Tang army takes the initiative to attack."

On Synozza's refusal to unite the Yahu.

The Tibetan military regulations were strict, and no matter how angry the Tongyahu was, he had to listen to Lun Xinuoza's orders and dared not act on his own.

The drums of the Tang army stopped beating.

Then Synozza sent out some scouts to investigate.

But the Tang army's drummers had already placed the war drums on their horses and left under the escort of the light cavalry.

After learning the situation, Synossa ordered the soldiers to go back and rest.

This time he was careful and had his cavalry patrol several miles away.

"Dong dong!"

At three quarters past the hour of the Chou Dynasty, the war drums of the Tang army sounded again.

The Tibetan patrol cavalry thought that the Tang army was cheating again, so they quickly headed towards the source of the war drums.

"kill!"

When they were about to get close, Nan Jiyun led a hundred elite cavalrymen and suddenly rushed out from the darkness under the cover of drum sounds.

The Tibetan patrol cavalry only heard the dense war drums but did not hear the sound of horse hooves. When they saw the bright armor under the bright light, it was too late to turn the horses.

After a fierce battle, dozens of Tubo cavalrymen were killed and only two patrol soldiers escaped.

The patrol soldiers fled back in a panic. Lun Xinoza thought that the Tang army was really going to attack, so he once again summoned the soldiers to prepare for defense.

After waiting for another half an hour, the drumbeats stopped and no attack came.

"Li Xuan, that brat."

About Sinnosa gnashing his teeth.

The key is that they hear the drumbeat and cannot fail to take action.

The Art of War and the Art of Wu were brought to Tibet by Princess Wencheng, and were required for the nobles to learn.

The art of war is to mix the real and the fake.

What is virtual is real, what is real is virtual.

If they slack off even once and the Tang army launches a real attack, it will be too late to regret.

Therefore, when the trend is unclear, Tubo must cheer up.

"Boom boom boom!"

Sure enough, just after the Yin hour, the war drums sounded again, accompanied by the sound of trumpets.

The Tang army was silent again.

As soon as the day broke, thousands of light cavalry roamed around the Tubo army, and the elite cavalry pressed forward.

The Tibetan soldiers were very angry. They had never felt so humiliated before.

The cavalry united and requested a fight to the death with the Tang cavalry, but were rejected by Synod again.

Lun Xinuoza believed that the Tang army's move was intended to deliberately lure their cavalry into battle.

Although on the surface the Tang cavalry was at a disadvantage.

But the Tang army had 3,000 cavalry and 1,000 fully-equipped cavalry.

It was difficult for the Tibetan cavalry to cope with this kind of impact.

What's more, we don't know whether the Tang army has other troops hidden.

The Tang army used the same method to "torture" Tubo for three days.

Even if it is "empty to make it strong", Lun Xinuoza also hopes that the young and energetic Li Xuan can't help but charge into the battle.

But Li Xuan is very patient!
"Marshal, it seems that the Tang army will not take the initiative to attack. They want to wear us down. If they continue like this, they will be waiting for death. We must think of another countermeasure."

Xie Gong said to Lunxinoza with a tired face.

"We sent several waves of scouts, each with four horses to deliver the message to Dalun. Dalun should know our situation now. I hope he has already planned an attack on the Hehuang area."

Said Synoza, looking toward the west.

"Marshal, what do you mean?"

Xiagon looked at the expression of Lysinus and thought that he would take action.

"Xiegong, I order you to lead 20,000 troops across the bridge to cooperate with some heavy infantry to attack the Tang army soldiers under Anxiang City. If you eliminate the Tang army's infantry, we will have more room to maneuver and gain spoils of war."

Lun Xinuoza gave orders to Xie Gong.

This is a decision we had to make.

If he did not want to retreat, he had to attack. Synozza did not dare to fight with his only cavalry.

So he could only hope that the infantry could bring him a great victory and boost morale.

(End of this chapter)