Chapter 179 Born with divine power, holding up the city gate

"Oh no! It's the Tang army."

When Li Sheng led his cavalry closer, the Tibetan soldiers finally saw the appearance of the person rushing out of the darkness.

Each of them was wearing Tang Dynasty Ming Guang armor and a mask, looking cold and ruthless in the dark.

The Tibetan soldiers guarding the Hongji Bridge had no time to think about why the Tang army came here. The first thing they thought of was to lower the fence blocking the bridge.

At the same time, he called on the Tibetan soldiers in the wooden house next to Hongji Bridge to come for support.

"Pfft!"

But the momentum of the horse collision was unstoppable, and Li Sheng rode ahead with a spear in hand.

A Tibetan soldier was stabbed to death by a spear.

"Hey!"

Two more Tibetan soldiers rushed forward and tried to stab Li Sheng, who was wearing a mask, off his horse.

"clang!"

Li Sheng pushed back and the two spears were directly knocked apart.

"Pfft!"

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Sheng leaned forward and stabbed two Tibetan soldiers to death with two shots.

Seeing that the fence was about to be closed, Li Sheng immediately dismounted and killed two Tibetan soldiers who were closing the fence.

Other Shen Ce Guards also dismounted and joined in the suppression of the Tibetan soldiers guarding the bridge.

Especially Liao Zhengrong, he was the top swordsman in the Tang Dynasty, and dismounting and fighting on foot with a sword in hand was what he was best at.

"Pfft!"

The long sword in his hand was like a silver-white flying dragon dancing in the night, and all the cold light gathered on the blade.

Several Tibetan soldiers were killed by Liao Zhengrong with blood on their necks.

"clang!"

The centurion guarding the bridge rushed out of the wooden house. Wearing chain mail, he stabbed at Liao Zhengrong.

Liao Zhengrong used his sword to deflect the spear.

After the sound of metal, he stabbed again fiercely, directly into the left eye of the Tibetan centurion.

Amid the Tibetan centurion's screams, Liao Zhengrong drew his sword and kicked him away.

"Click..."

During this time, Li Sheng had already dismounted, and the fence, which had not been completely closed, was opened by him.

Several Shen Ce guards rushed forward and guarded the fence.

At this time, Li Xuan had already led other cavalry guards to rush over.

"Twenty of you will go with me to the other side of Hongji Bridge."

Li Xuan shouted loudly, rode his horse directly through the fence, and jumped over Hongji Bridge.

Hongji Bridge is a wooden bridge. Although it looks wide and spacious, you still need to walk slowly when crossing it.

Li Xuan didn't dare to send too many soldiers to Hongji Bridge.

This bridge was built in the fourth year of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang's reign. The Tang Dynasty used Princess Jinxian's dowry to send Tubo to obtain the nine bends of the Hequ area, which was named "Tangshudi". Tubo then built a wooden bridge over the Yellow River in the area of ​​Gamayangqu, 140 southwest of Jishijun.

Before the construction of Hongji Bridge, Tubo had been crossing the Yellow River by small boats, sheepskin rafts, and cowhide rafts.

The Tibetan soldiers at the other end of Hongji Bridge had already noticed something unusual.

They sealed the fence.

At the same time, he sent people to notify Shudun City, which was about 150 feet away from Hongji Bridge, and asked for support.

"Woooo..."

The urgent sound of horns has also been heard, warning that a powerful enemy is approaching.

There were nearly 3,000 Tibetan soldiers stationed in Shudun City, including some cavalry.

After Li Xuan arrived at the other end of Hongji Bridge, several Tibetan soldiers wanted to block Li Xuan with spears.

“Puff!” “Bang!”

Li Xuan killed two Tibetan soldiers with just one stab and one swing.

In the rear, Xue Cuo, Zhang Wanfu and other personal guards rushed forward with guns and killed all the Tibetan soldiers inside the fence.

Some Tibetan soldiers were holding spears and pressing against Li Xuan outside the fence.

They thought that the tall wooden fence could temporarily "encircle" the Tang army.

But Li Xuan was no pushover. He dismounted and walked to the fence gate with his spear in hand.

"Crack!"

Li Xuan shouted loudly and rushed forward.

The not-too-thick fence gate suddenly shattered into pieces.

Amid the stunned expressions of the Tibetan soldiers, Li Xuan rushed out with a spear.

"Oh!"

A Tibetan soldier was stabbed to death by Li Xuan with a spear, and his body was thrown out, knocking down two Tibetan soldiers who were trying to escape.

The guards rushed forward, abandoning their long weapons and holding swords, and displayed their superb swordsmanship, killing the Tibetan soldiers.

But several Tibetan soldiers also fled to Shudun City.

It didn’t matter to Li Xuan, because he could observe the movements of Hongji Bridge from the city wall of Shudun City.

Although it was night, the sounds of fighting could be heard clearly.

They will definitely make some arrangements.

Li Xuan also carried siege ladders during this march, and as soon as the army arrived, he immediately attacked Shudun City.

Otherwise, with Shudun City next to Hongji Bridge, it would be unreasonable to want to guard Hongji Bridge.

Moreover, the supplies in Hongji Bridge can also be used as supplies for the army.

There must be weapons and equipment in Hongji Bridge.

"Why did the Tang army come to Hongji Bridge? What do they want to do?"

The defender of Shudun City was very confused after hearing the message.

What is even more puzzling is how such a small number of Tang troops could have reached Hongji Bridge?

Moreover, the timing chosen by the Tang army was too weird.

The Jiuqu cavalry just left Hongji Bridge yesterday!
"It seems that the Tang army is not very large, but I suspect that a large force of the Tang army is coming. We must defeat the Tang army's vanguard and guard the Hongji Bridge to prevent their large force from passing through."

"Come here, lead 1,500 infantry out of the east gate, and 500 cavalry out of the south gate. Prepare your armor immediately. Anyone who dares to miss the opportunity will be killed without mercy."

Because Li Xuan was leading his personal guards and five hundred crossbowmen, he left the main force and attacked ahead of time.

The defender of Shudun City guessed that the main force of the Tang army had not yet reached Hongji Bridge, so he wanted to send soldiers out of the city to block the entrance to Hongji Bridge.

He had a very beautiful thought.

As long as they had iron armor and spears to block the bridge, the Tang army would not be able to pass through the Hongji Bridge even if they had thousands of troops.

Regardless of the Tang army’s purpose, we must first block them in Jiuqu.

"General, you can't do that. Shudun City is our Tibetan city of weapons and equipment. There are a large number of skilled craftsmen. Its role is even greater than that of Baigu City, which is used to store grain. Our army should not attack the Tang soldiers crossing the bridge to prevent any accidents."

The deputy general of Shudun City persuaded again and again.

He was afraid that if he failed to achieve the strategic effect after leaving the city, it would be difficult to retreat.

"How dare you! What are you thinking? I have reason to suspect that the Tang army occupied Hongji Bridge in order to allow a large force to pass through the bridge and encircle Meilu Dalun at the eastern pass of Chiling. If Meilu Dalun is attacked from both sides, can you bear the responsibility?"

The Shudun City defender said self-righteously.

He guessed that the Tang cavalry made nine detours in order to encircle Molu, Qiongsang and Woermang.

He is also a member of the Meilu family and does not want Meiluqiongsang Woermang to be in danger.

"General, we can inform Meilu Dalun. The wise Meilu Dalun must have taken precautions. It is too risky to attack the Tang army from Shudun City. If we lose Shudun City, neither you nor I can bear the responsibility!"

The deputy general of Shudun City did not think that what the chief general of Shudun City said made sense.

Since Li Xuan appeared in Qinghai, Meiluqiongsang Woermang has been practicing how to retreat from Dongshankou.

The Tang army needed to have at least 30,000 cavalry to complete the encirclement and blockade.

But it would take more than a short time for so many cavalry to pass through Hongji Bridge.

After all, Hongji Bridge is just a wooden bridge. Although it has been reinforced and repaired many times, it has been weathered by wind and rain for decades.

"Haha... Li Xuan is already in the northeast of Qinghai, why are you still so scared? Although Hexi and Longyou are big, the only one who can pose a threat to my Tubo is Li Xuan. The others are insignificant!"

"If anything goes wrong, I will take the responsibility. Remember, my last name is Molu. Molu, the head of the four great Shang clans."

The commander of Shudun City glared at his deputy commander, looking down on his cowardice.

He sent two thousand men to attack several hundred Tang troops.

If Li Xuan wasn't there, wouldn't it be easy to take him down?

What's more, the Tang army had come a long way, so they were well-rested and well-armored.

At this moment, the deputy general of Shudun City didn't dare to say anything, because a higher-ranking official could crush a person to death.

Whether in the Tang Dynasty or Tubo, a deputy general will never have the power to command the army unless the main general grants him the power.

The thousand-jin gate of Shudun City slowly rose, and Tibetan soldiers wearing iron armor and chain mail and holding spears rushed towards Hongji Bridge.

At the south gate, Tibetan knights rushed out and circled around the battlefield.

"Soldiers, the Tang army is small in number. Defeat them and we will be rewarded!"

The commander of Shudun City personally led the infantry and boosted morale in the rear.

The Tang army also cleared all Tibetan soldiers at both ends of the Hongji Bridge.

Some crossbowmen stayed at the other end of Hongji Bridge to guard it, while the other guards and crossbowmen dismounted and quickly crossed the Hongji Bridge.

Li Xuan immediately ordered the crossbowmen to disperse and form their battle formations.

By the time the Tibetan soldiers from Shudun City arrived, all the crossbowmen of the Tang army had passed the Hongji Bridge.

The crossbowmen were divided into teams of fifty, and they were deployed in front of the bridge, forming a defensive formation.

In addition, all the war horses of the Shen Ce Guard also passed through Hongji Bridge.

"Warriors, charge! Exchange one Tang soldier's head for ten lambs. Exchange the head of a Tang general for a silver certificate."

After seeing the figures of the Tang army in the dark, the defender of Shudun City, who was more than a hundred steps away, shouted loudly.

"kill!"

The Tibetan soldiers shouted loudly in the night, with leopard-like eyes, as if they were about to rush over and tear the Tang soldiers crossing the bridge into pieces.

The Tibetan soldiers at the front were holding spears and wearing iron armor, and they were moving even faster. In a flash, they were only sixty steps away from the Tang army.

"Strong crossbowmen, aim at the iron shadow in front..."

Seeing the Tibetan soldiers getting closer, Li Xuan began to give orders.

The Tibetan defenders of Shudun City actually took the initiative to leave the city and seek battle.

Soon, Li Xuan understood.

This was because they saw that there were only a few hundred of them crossing the bridge, and they wanted to bully them.

If they were to be crushed before the main force arrived, they would be able to move their shields and spears towards Hongji Bridge.

Even if they had more than 10,000 elite soldiers, it would be difficult to pass.

"Wow..."

The Tang army soldiers raised their crossbows in unison.

The soldiers looked calm because their General Li was by their side, like a stabilizing force.

Not to mention more than a thousand Tibetan soldiers, even if more than ten thousand Tibetan soldiers rushed over, they would not be afraid at all.

"Fire arrows!"

Ten steps closer, Li Xuan gave the order.

At this distance, a crossbow can easily penetrate armor and deal a heavy blow to the enemy.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!"

The Tibetan soldiers did not expect that the Tang army crossing the Hongji Bridge were strong crossbowmen, and many Tibetan soldiers were shot to the ground before they could react.

Including some Tibetan soldiers wearing iron armor and armor.

"The Tang army is made of crossbowmen. They need to re-draw their crossbows. If the shield soldiers move forward, we can rush and kill them in one go."

The commander of Shudun City was startled at first, then he immediately issued orders to his subordinates.

The advantages and disadvantages of crossbowmen are obvious.

But the Tang army's crossbowmen have always been elite.

Since drawing the crossbow required great strength, the Tang army's crossbowmen also trained in spear formations and horsemanship.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

When the Tibetan soldiers approached, the Tang army launched another round of powerful crossbows. Unfortunately, this time the Tibetan soldiers with shields blocked the front and killed far fewer enemies than before.

Then the crossbowmen discarded their powerful crossbows, picked up their spears from their sides, and prepared to fight with the Tibetan defenders.

"General Jiang, you will command the crossbowmen to fight on the defensive. If the enemy retreats, you will pursue them."

Li Xuan gave an order to the commander of the crossbow soldiers.

Li Xuan knew the name of every yamen general of the Lintao Army and had some understanding of them.

"As ordered!"

The general accepted the order.

The crossbowmen were armed with spears, and formed a defensive formation in teams of fifty.

"The opportunity has come. Perhaps we can capture Shudun City without attacking it. Brothers of the Divine Strategy Guard, follow me and bypass the battlefield and charge at the west gate of Shudun City."

After Li Xuan finished his instructions, he and 150 personal guards came behind the crossbowmen and mounted their horses.

Shudun City is the largest city in the entire Jiuqu.

Originally it was the old capital of Tuyuhun, named after the old Tuyuhun tribe "Shudun".

Because Shudun City was too important, after the Tuyuhun Murong royal family was expelled, Tuyuhun moved to southern Qinghai.

The city of Shudun became an important city for Tubo to store weapons and equipment.

All this information was found in Li Yi's "Military Record".

The location of Shudun City is very important. Not only is it close to the Yellow River, but there is also Hongji Bridge next to it.

Shudun City faces the south of Qinghai and the Dongshankou of Chiling. It can also quickly enter Jiuqu through the Hongji Bridge.

Weapons, armor and equipment can be transported to strategic locations continuously.

"Oh!"

The Tang army's crossbowmen collided with the Tubo defenders of Shudun City, and for a moment, spears and lances penetrated into flesh.

Although the Tang army's crossbowmen wore leather armor, each of them was a strong man capable of firing a powerful crossbow, and was no worse than the Tibetan armored infantry.

The morale of the Tang army was even higher, and during the offensive, they continued to suppress the Tibetan infantry.

Since Tubo was the attacking party, their shields were of little use.

The crossbowmen kept thrusting, and the Tibetan infantry's idea of ​​"attacking in one go" was put to rest.

At this moment, Li Xuan led the Shen Ce Guards and rode away on horseback.

They bypassed the battlefield and headed straight for the west gate of Shudun City.

"Tang cavalry, hurry up and stop them."

The Shudun City defender commanded.

They also had five hundred cavalrymen marching out of the city.

That's why he was so confident that he gave up defending Shudun City and came to Hongji Bridge.

Once he has eliminated the Tang cavalry, he can use the cavalry to easily disperse the Tang crossbowmen.

"Woooo..."

At the sound of the horn, the 500 Tibetan cavalrymen quickly equipped themselves and charged towards Li Xuan's personal guards in the cold night.

They were full of confidence and believed that this was not a contest of the same level.

The two cavalrymen approached each other, and Li Xuan, holding a spear, led the way.

"Go to hell!"

The leading Tibetan centurion bared his teeth and stabbed at Li Xuan with a spear.

"Pfft!"

Li Xuan's iron spear was as fast as lightning. As soon as it arrived, he stabbed it out.

The Tibetan centurion's spear was pierced by Li Xuan before he could even raise it.

Li Xuan did not pick the corpse, but immediately drew out his spear and attacked other enemies.

"Crack!"

Several spears hit Li Xuan again, but were broken by Li Xuan's iron spear.

Then he shot them off their horses.

Even though he was wearing armor, his internal organs were shattered by the enormous force.

Li Xuan rode his horse as fast as the wind in the dark night, thrusting his iron spear straight forward and attacking left and right, killing more than a dozen people in a row.

The enemies were unable to stop them and were defeated one after another.

Li Xuan's personal guards, led by Li Sheng, Xue Cuo, Luo Xing, Liao Zhengrong and Zhang Wanfu, attacked with spears and lances.

With just one round of charge, five hundred Tibetan cavalry were killed.

The cold moonlight, illuminating the armored faces, made all the Tibetan cavalry feel terrified.

They couldn't help but feel fear. Why were these masked Tang soldiers so brave?
"Don't worry about them, the target is Shudun City..."

The remaining one hundred or so Tibetan cavalrymen had lost their courage, so Li Xuan ordered them not to turn around and pursue them, but to head straight for the west gate of Shudun City.

"What a bunch of good-for-nothings! Oh no, we need to retreat to Shudun City..."

The defender of Shudun City was dumbfounded. Although it was night, he saw that those who fell off their horses were all cavalrymen from his side.

Seeing that the Tang cavalry had already rushed towards Shudun City, he knew that something bad was going to happen, so he immediately ordered the infantry not to fight and to return to defend Shudun City.

As long as Shudun City exists, reinforcements from several directions will arrive soon.

But the speed of the infantry could not keep up with the cavalry of the Tang army.

Moreover, the Tibetan infantry had already started fighting with the Tang army's crossbowmen. When they heard the retreat horn, they were like deflated balls. In a short moment, dozens of them were stabbed to death by the Tang army's crossbowmen.

"Chase!"

Under the command of the crossbow commander, the crossbowmen became completely ferocious and began to chase the Tibetan soldiers who turned around.

Those Tibetan soldiers who ran slowly were killed by the guns one after another.

Fear spreads...

The Tibetan soldiers, who had been so arrogant just now, were now in a state of defeat.

The deputy general of Shudun City on the city wall saw horses running towards him and initially thought they were his own army.

When he got closer, he turned pale with fright.

Shining armor! Masked, like a ghost in the night!
This is the Tang army!
But now the city gates are wide open.

The commander-in-chief leads more than a thousand infantrymen, and five hundred cavalrymen are still outside.

"Shudun City is important, close the gate."

The deputy general stamped his feet and gritted his teeth.

The main general is not as important as Shudun City.

It was the commander who insisted on defending Hongji Bridge.

If the Tang army entered the city, there would be unpredictable consequences. So they simply closed the city gates first.

Wait until the commander kills all the Tang troops before opening the city gate.

As the former capital of Tuyuhun, and designed and built by Han craftsmen, Shudun City naturally has a thousand-jin gate like some cities in the Tang Dynasty.

This prevented the Tang army from destroying the city gates through external force.

Above the city wall of the west gate of Shudun City, there are two supporting stones with capstan columns on them, which can control the closing of the city gate by means of fixed pulleys, and the supporting stones serve as the supporting points.

During the day, the thousand-pound gate would be hoisted high up, and the soldiers guarding the city gate would be responsible for locking it with mortise and tenon joints to allow the Tibetans to pass people, horses and carriages.

At night or when war breaks out, the soldiers at the city gate will lower the ropes, allowing the gate to fall smoothly from the groove, forming an unbreakable barrier.

Different from ordinary city gates.

The only purpose of the sluice gate is to ensure the safety of the city.

Especially in the border cities of Tubo and Datang, most of them had thousand-jin gates.

The sturdiness of a gate that pushes back and forth is far less than that of a gate made of a single piece of iron.

This is also the reason why many attackers climb up the city instead of attacking the city gates.

When the Tibetan soldiers lowered the rope, the gate slowly fell downwards...

(End of this chapter)