Chapter 187 Recovering Jiuqu and Establishing Jiuqu County and Taoyang County

"Lun Xijia Zang hopes that Tubo will have another Lun Qinling. Does he think that Tubo will repeat the battle of Dafeichuan?"

After learning what Lun Xijia said before his death, Li Xuan chuckled.

He knew the reasons for his defeat in the Battle of Dayuechuan, learned his lesson and would not make the same mistake again.

The defeat of the god of war Xue Rengui and the loss of his integrity in his later years led the Tubo to have such fantasies.

After taking over Qinghai, Li Xuan will train soldiers for the plateau so that they can adapt to fighting in the snowy plateau.

Even now, Li Xuan would use the armies of Tuyuhun and Bailang Qiang.

"Reporting to General Li, the head of the Tibetan leader has been chopped off."

The personal guard brought Xijiazang's head to see Li Xuan.

"Send the head of the Tibetan leader to the post station in Huacheng. According to my order, rush it to Chang'an at an accelerated speed of 600 miles..."

After taking a look, Li Xuan gave instructions to the scout.

Although the war was not over yet, sending Lun Xijia Zang's head to Chang'an meant that the war was about to be won.

This is also a kind of good news.

I will write a congratulatory message after the dust of the battle has settled.

"Reporting to General Li, there are about 550,000 dan of barley, wheat and other grains in Baigu City..."

It was not until the afternoon that Cen Shen estimated the amount of grain stored in the Baigu City granary.

"For Tubo, this is already a rich reserve. After all, the food in Jiuqu still needs to be transported to Qinghai and the Snowy Plateau..."

Li Xuan nodded.

Assuming that one soldier eats two kilograms of food every day, this amount of food is enough to feed an army of 100,000 for nearly a year.

"General Li, how should our army plan for these grains?"

Cen Shen asked Li Xuan.

"Put it in Baigu City for now. Baigu City is backed by two mountains, and I think it can be expanded. I plan to summon craftsmen and command the Tibetan captives to seal the northwest and southeast of the valley with the mountains, making it four times larger. Then, we will raise the rammed earth layer of Baigu City and expand the city to three meters high, turning it into a nine-bend strong city. This will prevent the Tibetans from crossing the Yellow River to attack Baigu City in winter..."

Li Xuan told Cen Shen about his plan.

This morning, Li Xuan climbed the mountain next to Baigu City and looked at the entire terrain.

Li Xuan looked down upon the Jiuqu City, even the Shudun City, and decided to build Baigu City into a big city.

"General Li's idea is very necessary. Looking at Jiuqu, Shudun, Hongji, Damomen, and Wanxiu, although they all have the advantage of terrain, they are not considered strong cities. When we attacked these cities, we were unstoppable. If the Tibetans took advantage of the ice on the Yellow River and gathered heavy troops to attack fiercely, it would be difficult for us to hold out until the reinforcements arrived, after all, our main forces are in Hehuang. We now have enough Tibetan captives to build a city with 10,000 people, and with the skilled craftsmen of our Han people, Baigu City will be indestructible. I think that by then, the Zhenxi Army can be dispatched from Fuhan City to Baigu City!"

Cen Shen agreed with Li Xuan and gave him a suggestion.

There is no point in occupying Jiuqu, as the garrison of the Zhenxi Army.

Including Ningsai Army, Zhenwei Army, Hechuan Shouzhuo, Suihe Shouzhuo, etc., can all move towards Jiuqu.

The Zhenxi Army has 11,000 soldiers, and it is more appropriate for them to be responsible for guarding the expanded Baigu City.

"I think so too. After the war, I will submit a petition to the Saint to relocate the people to Jiuqu and set up a county in Jiuqu. Another county will be set up east of Jiuqu, at the source of Taoshui and Lishui. The territory of Bailang Qiang will be temporarily governed by the King of Bailang Qiang, and we will not interfere for the time being."

Li Xuan nodded and presented his own ideas to Cen Shen.

"The Tuyuhun tribes in Jiuqu are estimated to have more than 10,000 tents. Although they have suffered from the war, they still have tens of thousands of people."

Cen Shen was worried that if he did not leave any territory to Tuyuhun and annexed it, something unexpected would happen.

"All the Tuyuhun nobles in Jiuqu have been eliminated, and the Tuyuhun people will have no choice but to join our Tang Dynasty. I will let Murong Xihao become the governor."

Li Xuan wasn't worried about that.

The Tuyuhun people hated the nobles to their core.

If Li Xuan captured and killed all these nobles, the Tuyuhun people would have no choice but to join the Tang Dynasty.

Before Qinghai and Chiling are captured, Jiuqu must respond with caution.

Li Xuan had already thought of the names of the two counties.

The area around Jiuqu is called Jiuqu County.

The area from the source of Taoshui and Lishui to the Yellow River is called Taoyang County.

Baigu City was the county seat of Jiuqu County.

The seat of Taoyang County was located in the area of ​​Maqu Qianhu Suo of Tubo, where there was the half-built Maqu City of Tubo.

It just so happened that its name was changed to the county seat of Taoyang County.

After the war, Li Xuan submitted a memorial to Li Longji proposing to establish a county, transfer garrison troops, and relocate landless people in the interior.

Geshu Han had done something similar in history, and Li Xuan believed that Li Longji would definitely agree to this act of expanding territory.

"Li Shuai is a rare talent. I still have a lot to learn from him!"

Cen Shen had never encountered anything like this before, and he agreed with Li Xuan's idea.

Although he ranked second in the imperial examination, he admired Li Xuan very much. It seemed that Li Xuan knew everything except military affairs and war.

This included optimizing farm tools and modifying water wheels in Hexi, as if Kong Ming were still alive.

Cen Shen never doubted Li Xuan's ability to rule the world.

He believed that Li Xuan would become prime minister and hold the highest position among officials in the country in the future.

The young Cen Shen always asked Li Xuan for advice as a student. Even though he was good at poetry, he believed that Li Xuan could be his teacher.

The next day, Li Xuan left Cen Shen in Baigu City to take charge of the affairs, and he led the other cavalry to Hongji Bridge.

Now the nobles of Tuyuhun have been defeated by Lifei Yuanli, Lifei Shouyu and their soldiers.

Some of those nobles and their family members and children were killed for resisting, while others were captured alive.

Some others escaped across the Yellow River on sheepskin rafts.

Unfortunately, the prince of Tuyuhun who was in charge of Jiuqu also ran away.

After learning of the defeat at the front line, the Tibetans also braved the heavy snow and crossed the Yellow River on sheepskin rafts.

Some were able to take away some livestock, some were able to take away some food, but most of the livestock were left in Jiuqu.

Not long after they crossed the river, Li Fei Shouyu, Li Fei Yuanli, and even Nan Jiyun and Bailang Qiang cavalry had blocked all sections of the river that could be crossed.

There were tens of thousands of captured Tibetan people.

More than 500,000 sheep, cattle, camels, horses and other livestock were obtained.

It is estimated that the gold, silver and jewelry obtained from the Tubo nobles and Tuyuhun nobles could fill dozens of carts.

This also means the official recovery of Jiuqu!

....
Hongji Bridge, forty miles away.

After repeated defeats, the Tibetan soldiers no longer took the initiative to attack Hongji Bridge, but withdrew to observe.

In order to prevent the Tang army from counterattacking them, Meiluqiongsang Woermang had to withdraw another 10,000 soldiers from the Chiling Pass and another 10,000 soldiers from eastern Qinghai.

They barely gathered 30,000 men, set up camp and guarded against the Tang army.

Ever since the Tang army occupied Shudun City on the other side of the Yellow River and deployed its troops in front of Hongji Bridge, Tibetan Qinghai has been in a state of distress.

The Tang army could invade Qinghai at any time if they wanted, and Shibao City would become a decoration.

Now Shibao City can still monitor the Tang army in the Chiling area.

But under Li Xuan's grand strategy, the mere Shibao City has become insignificant.

On this day, Enlanda Zhalugong hurried back from Qinghai to pay a visit to Moluqiongsang Woermang.

At this time, Meiluqiongsang Woermang looked pale, his eyes were dull, and he looked like he could not accept it.

It is impossible to recruit soldiers in the snowy plateau at this season. It must wait until the beginning of next spring.

But Jiuqu is already in danger.

He tried every possible effort, but still didn't know the situation in Baigu City, nor did he know how Lun Xijia Zang was doing now.

Even hundreds of spies were sent out, but none of them returned.

It was from the Tuyuhun nobles who escaped that he received a piece of news that made his blood pressure soar.

It was because of this news that he transferred Enlanda Zhalugong back from Qinghai.

"Greetings, great talk..."

After Enlanda Zhalugong entered the tent, he bowed to Moluqiongsang Woermang.

The moment he saw Meiluqiongsangwoermang, his face changed drastically.

At this time, Meiluqiongsangwoermang was lying on the couch, without his former energy and spirit.

Before, his hair was half black and half white, but after just ten days, Meiluqiongsang Woermang's hair turned almost completely white.

"On you..."

"General Enlan, how is the battle situation in Qinghai?"

Meiluqiongsangwoermang didn't care about his own health. He interrupted Enlanda Zhalugong and only asked about business.

"For some reason, Li Xuan doesn't seem to have any intention of engaging our army. Judging from their cavalry camps and marches, they can retreat back to the Tang territory at any time. General Nanang and I wanted to lure Li Xuan out to fight and cooperate with the infantry to encircle and annihilate him, but it was unsuccessful! Their scouts each had three horses, and they were scattered all over the place, so we couldn't capture them alive."

Enlanda Zhalugong said to Moluqiongsang Woermang.

He was very surprised. Li Xuan was a very fiery general, but he could endure his temper for more than ten days and not attack.

After learning that the battle situation was very unfavorable to them, he and Nanang Shang Jiesi Xiuting decided to take the initiative to seek battle. However, "Li Xuan" stepped into the Qinghai area with one foot and stayed in the territory of the Tang Dynasty with one foot.

How dare they rush in when they have lost the intelligence inside the Tang Dynasty!
Their "luring the enemy deep into our territory" was like punching cotton; the Tang cavalry did not move at all.

"That's right. Because the cavalry commander of Qinghai is not Li Xuan..."

Meiluqiongsang Woermang said slowly. Even though he had known the news for some time, he still clenched his fists as he spoke.

He had been successful all his life, but in the end, he was played around by a young boy.

"The big banner, the elite cavalry, and Li Xuan's personal guards..."

Nlanda Zalukong's eyes widened in disbelief.

"That was an imposter. The real Li Xuan is in Jiuqu. He led the elite cavalry of Lintao to first raid Hongji Bridge and capture Shudun City. Then, in the southeast of Wanxiu City, the entire army annihilated Shang Zanmo and subdued Jiuqu Tuyuhun and Bailang Qiang. Then, within three days, Wanxiu, Hongji, and Damomen were all captured, but it is not clear what happened to Baigu City!"

Meiluqiongsangwoermang told Enlanda Zhalugong the truth.

Their scouts could see the cities of Wanxiu, Hongji and Damomen being breached on the other side of the Yellow River.

But Baigu City is far away from the Yellow River, so they have no way of knowing the details.

Moluqiongsang Woermang was full of pessimism. The Tang army seemed to be drugged and flattened a city every day.

After so many days, can Baigu City be defended with only 2,500 defenders?
If Baigu City fell, there would not be enough food in the Qinghai area until spring, and a large number of livestock would have to be slaughtered for food.

"This is impossible?"

At this moment, Nlanda Zalukong seemed to have lost all his strength and almost fell to the ground.

He has always regarded Li Xuan as his rival.

When the Tang Emperor was hunting, he threatened to bite the bones of the north to pieces in front of Li Xuan.

How cruel my words were back then, how ashamed I am now.

Enlanda Zhalugong was a man well versed in military tactics. In this situation, he knew that Baigu City was eighty percent lost.

As Xi Jia Zang Da Lun has not returned yet, the situation is very bad.

Meiluqiongsang Woermang has always been unwilling to accept this fact.

"We have already taken Li Xuan very seriously, but we still underestimated him. He is not just a reckless man, but also has wisdom and strategy. I suspect that the Tang army did not attack Shibao City, but only attracted the main force of our army to Jixin Valley, and sent the fake Li Xuan to Qinghai to contain the cavalry of Jiuqu. Then the real Li Xuan raided Jiuqu."

Meiluqiongsangwoermang slapped his thigh and said.

"Da Lun, you are right. The Tang army probably did not attack Shibao City. Li Xuan has a huge appetite. He wants to swallow up Jiuqu and Qinghai. Shibao City will be meaningless!"

After Nlandazhalugun recovered his breath, he responded to Moluqiongsangwoermang.

Linked together, step by step, silently.

Such an ingenious plan had them calculated perfectly.

"I request that you and General Nanang lead the Imperial Guards and 40,000 cavalry into the Tang territory immediately to pursue the 30,000 cavalry of the Tang army."

Nlanda Zhalugong recovered and wanted to give it a try, so he asked Moluqiongsang Woermang for help.

"What are the chances of winning?"

Meiluqiongsangwoer narrowed his eyes.

He needs a win, too.

Tubo is so eager for a victory!

Otherwise, there will be no morale!
Li Xuan was originally the nightmare of the Tibetan soldiers. Once the warriors had the idea that Li Xuan was invincible.

I’m afraid even Qinghai will be difficult to defend!
This time, the loss of Jiuqu was a huge loss for Tubo.

The betrayal of Jiuqu Tuyuhun and Bailang Qiang!

There are more than 100,000 people in Jiuqu. I wonder how many of them can finally escape the clutches of the Tang army?
The armor from Nashudun City and more than 700 craftsmen from Tubo.

There was a mountain of grain in Baigu City.

In total, more than 35,000 warriors were killed there.

There is also the great Tibetan scholar Xi Jia Zang. If he really cannot come back, the whole country will be shocked.

"At least 70% sure!"

Nlanda Zalugong gritted his teeth and promised.

"Report..."

At this time, a Tibetan spy with a cold face returned to the camp from the Tang Dynasty and asked to see Moluqiongsang Woermang, saying that he had something important to report.

When Meiluqiongsang Woermang heard that the spy was from the Tang Dynasty, he paused his conversation with Enlanda Zhalugong and immediately let the spy in.

After the Tang army blocked the border, it became difficult for the Tibetan scouts who pretended to be Hu people to leave the Tang territory.

This scout must have taken a long detour, crossed the Qilian Mountains, and passed through various passages before entering the Tubo territory.

"Your Excellency, I have received news from Guzang City in Hexi that not long ago, the Uighur Khan sent Yehu Moyanchuo to lead 50,000 soldiers to the north of Baitinghai for a military review."

"After receiving the news, Li Xuan, the commander of the Tang Dynasty, immediately led 30,000 cavalrymen, with at least one man riding two horses, and some even riding four horses. They circled through the desert and attacked the rear and flanks of the Huihe cavalry."

"The Huihe were caught off guard and had no way to deal with Li Xuan's surprise attack. They fled after fighting for an entire afternoon. However, the Tang army had set up an ambush in advance, and the Tang army pursued them all night, so the Huihe cavalry was completely annihilated."

"The famous Huihe general Alebu was killed by Li Xuan in battle. The Huihe general Yehu Mo Yanchuo gave up his golden armor and disguised himself as a soldier, and only then was he able to escape..."

The spy reported every word of the information he had obtained to Moluqiongsang Woermang.

At this moment, Meiluqiongsang Woermang and Enlanda Zhalugong who were present were all horrified.

This……

Their heads were buzzing and it took them a long time to recover!

No wonder Li Xuan chose to attack them in winter.

It turned out that Li Xuan went to deal with the Uighurs before attacking them.

It was not that Enlanda Zhalugong's mission failed, nor that the Uighurs broke their promise.

Fifty thousand cavalry!

This was not a small number, but Li Xuan wiped them out with a surprise attack of 30,000 cavalry.

What’s even more exaggerated is that the Tang cavalry still had enough strength to launch a major war.

This meant that the Tang cavalry suffered very few losses.

Standing in Helong, sweeping across the north and south!
This is Li Xuan!
Moluqiongsang and Woermang felt complicated, and the idea of ​​sending 50,000 cavalry to attack the 30,000 cavalry of the Tang army disappeared.

Because if the Tang army wanted to avoid fighting, they could just retreat.

The pursuit takes time.

If Li Xuan returns with light cavalry to provide support, can the 50,000 cavalry in Qinghai still be saved?
Those were the few elite Tibetan troops in Qinghai.

They have lost most of their infantry. Most of the infantry at the eastern pass of Chiling are from Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, Subi and Tongjia.

"Great theory, I think there is a chance!"

When Enlanda Zhalugong saw the expression of Moluqiongsang Woermang, he knew that he was unwilling to enter the country to attack the Tang army again.

"General Enlan, if the 30,000 cavalrymen on the other side refuse to fight, ask Li Xuan for help while you pursue them. Even if Li Xuan only leads 10,000 cavalrymen to help, can you stop them?"

Meiluqiongsangwoermang asked Enlanda Zhalugong in return.

"……able!"

After hesitating for a moment, Nlandazalugong uttered the word.

"Oh! I can't."

Meiluqiongsangwoerman shook his head.

If Enlanda Zhalukong said it firmly, he might consider it.

Now there is no need to think about it.

"Our army can also concentrate its forces and counterattack Jiuqu while the Yellow River is frozen."

Enlanda Zhalugong said to Moluqiongsang Woermang again.

"The Tang army in Jiuqu, including Tuyuhun and Bailang Qiang, has at least 30,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry. How can we counterattack? From Qinghai, we can withdraw at most 20,000 cavalry. There are only 30,000 defenders left in Jixin Valley, and they cannot be transferred away. We are not strong enough! We also have to be careful of Li Xuan's advance."

"General Enlan, you are usually very wise, but today you are a little irrational. You need to take a rest. The future of the country depends on you."

Meiluqiongsangwoermang once again rejected Enlanda Zhalugong's proposal and scolded him.

As long as the Tang army had 30,000 cavalry left in the Qinghai area, they would at least need to use equal cavalry to fight back.

In fact, if the Tang army's cavalry were the elite troops from Hexi, with the same number, Tubo would have always suffered more defeats than victories.

Li Xuan is in charge of Jiuqu again.

They no longer had the strength to launch a counterattack.

"I know I was wrong."

Nlanda Zalukong quickly admitted his mistake. He received too much information at once and lost his mind.

"I have asked the Zamp to temporarily transfer the imperial guards from Yoru to the south of Qinghai. We need to deploy our defenses based on the Tang army."

The poor Sang and Woermang were in a state of panic.

Without Jiuqu, the Tang army could attack Qinghai at any time, and Tubo's initiative would become passive...

(End of this chapter)