Chapter 165 Backstab, Yulin Qianhu Suo
"You are a very talented debater, but the northern part of my Huihe has not yet been pacified, and it is impossible for me to break with the Tang Dynasty. When you Tubo are defeated, I will just send more gold, silver and jewelry to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

Although Guli Peiluo was conflicted, he was determined not to go to war with the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, Tubo is not a good person. They might deliberately plot against them and make them fight to the death with the Tang Dynasty so that they can have a chance to breathe.

"These are what the Tang emperor lacks the least. What he lacks now is the ability to conquer borders, to make the territory of the Tang Dynasty boundless, so that he can become the best Han emperor."

Nlandazalugong laughed and continued.

"Li Xuan will attack you when the autumn is high and the horse is fat. He will attack Shibao City or Qinghai Jiuqu. Can you stop him?"

Guli Peiluo changed the subject and asked with a frown.

"Without external aid, it will be difficult for our army to stop them. Because our army needs to guard against Jiannan, Nanzhao, Tianzhu, and the Western Regions. It will take too long to recruit young and strong men and build castles."

Nlanda Zalugong suddenly became frustrated and shook his head slightly.

In fact, no matter what, they will fight to the death and strive to win.

It took them more than a hundred years to get Qinghai Jiuqu. Now they have Shibao City as a fulcrum.

He said this in the hope that it would make Guli Peiluo feel a sense of crisis and force him to get involved.

"That's your own business, Tubo. We can't help you."

Guli Peiluo remained awake the whole time.

"Ugh!"

Nlandazalu sighed.

"Why don't you Tibetans save your forces, abandon Qinghai and Jiuqu, and relocate the people to the snowy plateau. This way, your hundreds of thousands of troops will not be consumed and you can counterattack at any time."

Mo Yanchu said this.

As long as Tubo maintains enough combat troops, the Tang army in Helong cannot relax. This is beneficial to the newly born Uighur Khanate.

They were afraid that Tubo would suffer heavy losses again in this year’s battle and would be unable to counterattack and put pressure on the Tang Dynasty.

After listening to Mo Yanchuo's words, Enlanda Zhalugong cursed in his heart: It turns out that this is not your Huihe land. It is thousands of kilometers long, and you just give it up like that.

So many of their men died in battle that the current situation has come about.

But Enlanda Zhalugong could not get angry, so he could only explain: "Qinghai, Jiuqu, plus the affiliated tribes, have more than 700,000 people. We can't withdraw in a short time, so we can only choose to fight with the Tang Dynasty."

"The Tang Dynasty is powerful. In this case, I can only wish you the best."

Mo Yanchuo and Guli Peiluo summoned Enlanda Zhalugong inside, just to ask about such situations.

As for the rest, they are powerless.

"The lips and teeth are interdependent. Are the Huihe really only willing to survive for a few more years? The Huihe Khanate may seem newly established, but I'm afraid it will be just like the Basmith Khanate, a flash in the pan."

"Great Khan, honestly, do you think Li Xuan is a warmongerer? Look at what he has done in the past two years. He is a reincarnated killer. This year, I was sent to the Tang Dynasty as the deputy envoy of the Tibetan delegation. I personally spoke to Li Xuan. He spoke arrogantly and domineeringly. He is only eighteen years old! He will definitely look for opportunities to deal with the Huihe in the future."

"Our today is Huihe's tomorrow!"

Nlandazalugong said anxiously.

Guli Peiluo and his father looked at each other, unmoved.

"We Tubo do not beg the Great Khan to send troops. The Great Khan only needs to send tens of thousands of cavalry south for a thousand miles to review the troops in the north of Baitinghai. In this way, the Tang army in Hexi will not dare to act rashly. We Tubo will be safe, and you Huihe will also be safe. We only need to wait until next year for the eight castles of Tubo to be built and more soldiers to complete training, and then we can hold the Tang army in Hexi and Longyou..."

After Nlanda Zhalugong finished crying, he finally began to talk about the purpose of his trip.

He also presented a map to tell Guli Peiluo and Moyanchuo where the newly built castle was.

Once these castles were completed, Tubo had more than a dozen castles in Jiuqu and Qinghai, each guarded by thousands of people, forming a support for each other.

It would be extremely difficult for the Tang Dynasty to take over Jiuqu Qinghai.

It was nothing more than Tubo changing its strategic initiative to a passive one.

But Li Xuan was too powerful, so he could only delay for a few years to stabilize the internal situation of Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, and Bailang Qiang, and then start to counterattack the Tang Dynasty.

"Even if it's a military parade, I'm afraid it will anger the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang army in Shuofang goes out of the border to threaten us, we will be in trouble."

There was a gleam in Guli Peiluo's eyes.

He was tempted, but the powerful Shuofang Army of the Tang Dynasty also made them feel uncomfortable.

"It would take the Shuofang Army several months to reach Yu Dujun Mountain. But the Great Khan's cavalry could reach the north of Baiting Sea in less than ten days from the royal court. When the Tang Army's scouts captured at Baiting informed Li Xuan of the news, even if Li Xuan was ready to send troops, he had to give up."

"After this winter is over, you can tell the Tang Dynasty that this is just a military parade and there is no other intention. The Huihes have at least 200,000 soldiers. With us holding the Tang Dynasty back, the Tang Dynasty will not easily send troops to you."

Nlandazalugong gestured on the map with his hands and spoke to Guli Peiluo and his son with a solemn oath.

Seeing the two princes hesitant, Enlanda Zhalugong took a step back and bowed to say goodbye: "The Tang Dynasty's Helong troops are to deal with Tubo and Huihe. We are natural allies and there is no conflict between us. Your loss will not benefit Tubo. This is what I say from the bottom of my heart. Great Khan, please think about it again, I will take my leave."

After saying that, Enlanda Zhalugong left the tent!
"What he said makes sense! Li Xuan is too belligerent. He will definitely attack our Huihe in the future!"

Guli Peiluo looked at the map left by Enlanda Zhalugong and said to Moyanchuo.

"I agree with the Khan. This man is like a tiger in the jungle and an eagle in the sky. I will never forget the sight of him riding a horse and holding a spear. I am just afraid of completely offending the Tang Dynasty."

Mo Yanchuo was not afraid of Wang Zhongsi because Wang Zhongsi was a benevolent general. Although he could be as powerful as thunder once a war started, he would not start a war easily.

It’s hard to say about Li Xuan. He is young, fearless and too warlike.

But if he marched his troops south for a military parade, anyone could see that this was a response to Tubo.

After all, the Huihe had not finished their own work, but they were still thinking about holding a military parade north of Baiting Sea.

"If we offend today, we will have to pay for it tomorrow. As long as Tubo is not defeated, it will be fine. Once these Tubo castles are built, they will be able to hold the Tang army in Helong."

Guli Peiluo made up his mind.

He was not in good health and wanted to see the growth of the Uighur Khanate, which he had founded, while he still had the energy.

Enlanda Zhalugong said that the Basmith Khanate was a flash in the pan, which touched Guli Peiluo's heart.

He thought that he was different from Jie Di Yishi Khan. He was a hero and must not end up in vain.

The hatred for his father's murder, coupled with Guli Peiluo's belief that Li Xuan was "taking advantage of others", has always been in his heart.

At that time, it was obvious that Wusumishi and Jiediishi could not escape.

However, it made Li Xuan a powerful figure on the grassland, and the most precious jewels of the Turkic royal family were also taken away by Li Xuan.

"The Khan has made his decision, and I will not dissuade him any more. I will just send light cavalry and deploy scouts 200 miles ahead. Once the majority of the Tang cavalry appears, our army will immediately retreat to the grassland. Li Xuan, who dares to travel thousands of miles to compete with me for the Turkic Khan and lead a lone army of more than a thousand cavalry deep into the heart of Tibet, will definitely dare to raid our army. There will be no way to mediate."

Mo Yanchu reminded Guli Peiluo.

He was afraid that after Li Xuan got the news, he would be so angry that he would give up attacking Tubo and raid their "parade" cavalry.

"Although it's an over-concern, this arrangement is a good one. But there is still a question. What if our military parade fails to deter Li Xuan and he still recruits troops from Hexi to attack Tubo?"

Guli Peiluo asked Mo Yanchuo.

If that were the case, it would be a huge embarrassment to the Uighur Khanate.

"Your son suggests that we should not fight!"

Mo Yanchu answered to Guli Peiluo.

But logically, there is no such thing as a surprise in war. Even if Li Xuan knew that this was a strategy, he would definitely leave the main force of the Hexi Army to defend.

Putting your people in danger in order to conquer another country is not what a hero does.

If Li Xuan really let the people of Hexi fall under the hooves of the Uighur cavalry, then they could only let Tubo fend for themselves.

"That's the only way!"

Even though it was tempting to attack Hexi of the Tang Dynasty and cut off the road to the Western Regions, Guli Peiluo still had some determination.

At that time, Li Xuan would definitely not attack Tubo again, but instead send elite cavalry back to defend and attack them.

After receiving the reply from the Uighurs, a smile appeared on Enlanda Zhalugong's face.

He suggested that the Uighurs begin a military parade in September.

If the Tang army attacks, it will begin to deploy troops in August.

After the Tang army's Hexi troops arrived in Longyou, they had to return to defend, which was exhausting and would affect the morale of the Tang army.

Guli Peiluo and his son Moyanchuo accepted Enlanda Zhalugong's advice.

……

Jishi Army.

After nearly half a month of inspection, Li Xuan returned to Jishi Army at the end of September.

Li Xuan inspected the troops and boosted morale.

The soldiers all knew that a big battle was about to take place, and they were sharpening their swords and preparing to receive military honors.

Li Xuan first set out from the Weirong Army, and then went to the Baishui Army, Anren Army, Heyuan Army, and Suihe Shouzhuo.

Now to Jishijun.

The battle of Jishi Army was the place where Li Xuan became famous in Tubo. After the defeat in the first battle, the former "Tubo Maizhuang" was no longer considered by Tubo this year.

On this day, Li Xuan took Geshu Han, the envoy of Jishi Army, fifty Shen Ce Guards, as well as Gao Shi, Liu Shan and other subordinates to inspect the border.

"General Geshu, the Jishi Military City is on the bank of the Yellow River, and the Tibetan Wanxiu City is less than a hundred miles upstream from you. What kind of city do you think Wanxiu City is? How long will it take to attack it by force? Can it be conquered by surprise attack?"

On the border between Tang and Tubo, along the surging Yellow River, Li Xuan asked Geshu Han.

Jishi Military City is the most important stop in his inspection. His Lintao Army will pass through Jishi Military City and enter Jiuqu.

He wanted to ask Geshu Han about the specific route, where would be the best place to attack first, and how to attack more quickly.

"Replying to General Li, Wanxiu City is a military castle similar to Jishi Military Castle, and it plays the same role as Jishi Military Castle. After much investigation, we found that there are more than 4,000 Tibetan infantry and cavalry in Wanxiu City. There is also a lot of food stored inside. Under normal circumstances, if Wanxiu City is attacked, Damomen City and Baigu City, which are dozens of miles away, will definitely come to the rescue. In addition, there is a Tibetan cavalry to the southwest of Baigu City, guarding the pasture. To the east and north of Baigu City is the Tibetan farming area, where tens of thousands of Tibetan infantry are stationed. The Tibetans are building four new castles in Jiuqu, and there are about 3,000 infantry and cavalry stationed around these castles. The laborers who build the castles are also likely to be conscripted into the army when the war starts."

"If we attack Wanxiu City, we can either capture it in one fell swoop, making it difficult for other Tibetan cities and support troops to react. Or we can first clear out the infantry and cavalry around Wanxiu City, occupy Hongji Bridge, and then besiege the city and use heavy equipment such as catapults to slowly attack Wanxiu City, as well as Damomen City and Baigu City around Wanxiu City."

After thinking for a while, Geshu Han slowly said to Li Xuan.

It is not easy to capture a city in a short time with four thousand soldiers guarding it.

Especially at this time, Tubo prepared a large number of stones and arrows in the city.

Wanxiu City was built along the Yellow River, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Therefore, Geshu Han's words were more inclined to sweep away the Tibetan cavalry guarding the pasture in Jiuqu and the Tibetan infantry guarding the military farms.

It would be better if we could lure out the soldiers from the four Tibetan castles.

"So the total number of Tibetan soldiers in Jiuqu Land is more than 40,000."

Li Xuan knew that Tubo, where every citizen was a soldier, could mobilize more soldiers to Jiuqu.

"Not only that, the Tuyuhun tribe in Jiuqu can at least mobilize more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry, and the Bailang Qiang can also mobilize more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry."

Geshu Han reminded Li Xuan not to ignore the existence of these two Tibetan affiliates.

Fortunately, the Dangxiang tribe was in Qinghai and was not assigned to Jiuqu.

"General Li, although Jiuqu has more soldiers and horses, as our army begins to deploy troops in Chiling and Qinghai appears, Tubo will definitely draw troops from Jiuqu to support us."

Gao Shi said to Li Xuan.

Now Tubo has so many troops in Jiuqu because it is afraid that the Tang army will suddenly attack Jiuqu.

Tubo had been deploying troops for half a year, and the military strength in Jiuqu, Qinghai and Chiling was quite evenly distributed.

If a war breaks out, it would not be arranged like this. The superior forces would definitely be transferred to one side.

"Makes sense!"

Li Xuan agreed with Gao Shi's words.

He was not afraid of the 60,000 Tibetan infantry and cavalry, but he wanted to occupy Jiuqu as quickly as possible.

"General Geshu, if the war breaks out, I will not call up the troops of the Jishi Army. They will be on standby in the Jishi Army. I will order the heavy siege equipment, catapults, and crossbows from Huangshui City and Guzang City to be secretly transported to the Jishi Army. You will be in charge of the siege in the future."

Li Xuan gave instructions to Geshu Han.

Although he did not like siege warfare, at least the Shudun City on the other side of Hongji Bridge must be taken, and it must be taken in a short time so that they can control Hongji Bridge.

Compared with Tubo and even the nomadic peoples of the grassland, the Tang army had a wide variety of siege equipment, which could greatly improve siege efficiency and reduce casualties.

"As you command! The soldiers of the Jishi Army admire General Li's virtue and prestige, and are ready to die for him at any time!"

Geshu Han bowed to Li Xuan on his horse.

He couldn't wait to make achievements and repay Li Xuan for promoting him.

After he arrived at Ji Shi Army, he found that although Li Xuan was the commander-in-chief, he had great prestige in Ji Shi Army.

All this was because Li Xuan was clear about rewards and punishments, which made Geshu Han remember it in his heart.

Li Xuan's bravery was another factor that made the soldiers admire him.

Geshu Han was extremely strong and brave, but he had to give in to Li Xuan because some of Li Xuan's achievements were extraordinary...

Geshu Han was also very good at dealing with people. His words and deeds imitated those of ancient heroes, so he was very much to the soldiers' liking. In just a few months, he had become one with the 7,000 soldiers of the Jishi Army and was able to effectively command them.

"General Li, there is a group of Tibetan cavalry running towards our army, about a hundred of them."

After marching for another half an hour, they were galloping in the territory of Tubo like scouts. The guards who had explored the way ahead ran to Li Xuan and reported.

"Withdraw!"

Li Xuan gave the order that there was no need to go any deeper.

They each rode two horses, both of which were top-quality. With the territory of the Tang Dynasty at their backs, they could leave at any time.

"General Li, with only a hundred cavalrymen, we can capture them and understand the current situation of Tubo."

Geshu Han asked for a fight.

Although he only brought his own servants, General Li had fifty personal soldiers.

He heard that General Li's personal soldiers were knights who were good at riding and shooting.

What's the point of just a hundred Tibetan cavalrymen?
"If they continue to chase us when we are ten miles from the Tang Dynasty border, we will leave them behind."

Li Xuan's personal scouts only explored a few miles ahead, so everything had to be done with caution.

Once the action is taken, no one can be left alive, lest the Tubo people guess that Li Xuan has been to the Jiuqu border.

"As ordered!"

Geshu Han also thought it made sense and suggested that it was better to be cautious.

The group controlled the speed of their horses and returned to the Tang Dynasty.

Half an hour later, a hundred Tibetan cavalrymen were in hot pursuit.

Probably because they saw that the Tang army had only half the number of their troops, they dared to go deep into their borders. And because they saw their horses gradually approaching the Tang cavalry, they decided to chase them to the end.

If they encountered more Tang troops, they would decide to return.

"Warriors, kill them and take their heads to claim the reward."

When they were only 200 steps away from the Tang cavalry, the leading centurion shouted loudly.

They were all wearing chain mail.

They were the elite cavalry of the famous Yulin Qianhu of Tubo.

This name is obviously imitated from the Yulin Guard of the Tang Dynasty.

The Yulin Thousand Households Unit was the most powerful of the four major Tibetan imperial guard Thousand Households Units.

The head of the thousand-household unit must be a close confidant of Chidai Zhudan.

It was because of his great skills and courage that he dared to pursue the Tang army who were all clad in Ming Guang armor.

"Move the horses ahead and kill them. Either capture them or kill them. Leave no one alive!"

Seeing that they were close to the border, Li Xuan no longer tolerated it.

Even if the enemy was wearing chain mail, he was confident that he could defeat them with one charge.

Even if the enemy has reinforcements, Li Xuan can enter the Tang territory openly.

"Hey..."

In addition to Gao Shi, Liu Shan and other subordinates, the horses of the Shen Ce Guard ran for several hundred steps before turning around.

The Shen Ce Guards untied the spare horses, picked up the bows and arrows on the horses, and prepared to shoot.

"The Tang army actually dared to turn around. Warriors, here comes the military achievement..."

When the Tang army turned around, it was only 120 steps away from the Tubo imperial army.

"call out……"

Just as the centurion of the Tibetan imperial guards was trying to encourage morale and achieve military merit, an arrow came flying, broke through his neck guard and pierced his neck.

The centurion of the imperial guards widened his eyes and fell off his horse before he could finish his words.

The other Tibetan imperial guards cavalrymen widened their eyes.

What kind of archery is this?
"Whoa..."

In an instant, two more arrows were fired, and two Tibetan imperial guards fell off their horses.

"Not good, this kind of archery skill is only possessed by the Tang army marshal, retreat quickly..."

The Tibetan imperial guards thought of a scary figure and realized that they had hit a wall.

In a flash, the two sides were only 70 steps apart. The Shen Ce Guards began to draw their bows and arrows. Tubo had already lost the best opportunity to evacuate...

(End of this chapter)