Chapter 203: Troops, Top Generals
The Dunhuang case has come to an end.

Li Xuan asked Yan Zhenqing to stay in Dunhuang County and temporarily take charge of daily affairs. After the Dunhuang prefect took office, Yan Zhenqing would return to Liangzhou City.

On this day, the sea was clear and the sky was sunny.

Taking advantage of the cool early morning weather, Li Xuan led the Shen Ce Guard and prepared to leave Dunhuang.

Upon learning that Li Xuan was about to leave, the people of Dunhuang came to see him off.

Li Xuan did not ride out of the city on horseback. When he saw many little children surrounding him, he simply picked up a child and put him on his horse.

The child was not afraid of Li Xuan at all. He asked the adults and they all said that he was a kind general.

They were very puzzled. Why was he called a benevolent general when he killed so many people outside the city a few days ago and the adults covered the eyes of the children to stop him?

Maybe they will have the answer when they grow up!
Li Xuan's kindness not only included getting rid of merchants, tyrants, and corrupt officials, but also distributed benefits and farmland to the people of Dunhuang.

"General, I want to be a general in the future!"

The child riding on Li Xuan's horse said in a baby voice, "It's very generous."

“Haha, you have great potential!”

Li Xuan led the Arabian horse for the child to prevent the horse from getting angry.

The common people were all moved by Li Xuan's magnanimity. Some old people had lived for fifty or sixty years, but had never heard of a great man being able to humble himself and have fun with the people.

Li Xuan is a royal relative and the Duke of Chu who commands hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers.

If other border generals can look the people in the eye, they will be worthy of praise.

But compared with Li Xuan, it is still far behind.

Yan Zhenqing had different insights every day when he followed Li Xuan.

He knew that the nobles might have some complaints about Li Xuan's massacre, but that was because they had their own interests involved.

To be honest, there is no contradiction between Li Xuan's love for the people and his punishment of evil.

It's just those people who are contradictory.

Li Xuan has a clear definition of the powerful.

The big families, the gentry, the nobles, those who take human life lightly, those who bully men and women, and those who exploit the common people are called "tyrants".

Families with a long history and a bright family tradition, as well as wealthy farmers, need not worry.

Even if it is land annexation, as long as it does not constitute the crime of being a tyrant, Li Xuan will not punish it.

The personal guards also followed Li Xuan's example, placing the children on the horses and leading the horses for the children, making them laugh.

This was the first time they were not afraid of the officers and soldiers.

Li Xuan's personal guards were all knights who valued righteousness over their own lives and were willing to help others in need.

They followed Li Xuan just because they wanted to follow a hero and do just things.

Even if it is just like the one described by the great poet Wang Wei in "Youthful Journey", it is still a grand and spectacular scene!
Even after death, the fragrance of chivalrous spirit can still be smelled!
But Li Xuan has strict promotion standards for his personal guards!
Except for the few personal guards designated by Li Xuan, those who killed enough enemies would be promoted to Lang Jiang or Ya Jiang.

As a reward of silk, he would give part of it to his personal guards, and the other part to the families of those personal guards who died in battle.

Although the personal guards wore double layers of armor, they were inevitably killed or injured when they followed Li Xuan into battle.

It was also because of Li Xuan's solidity that the guards fought bravely and fearlessly, making the Shen Ce Guards invincible when charging into battle.

"General, you are a noble man. The villagers don't have much to give, but we have collected some money. Please accept it as your expenses."

When Li Xuan's team arrived at an intersection, a respected elder came with two mules carrying several bags of money to give to Li Xuan.

These were pieced together by the people of Dunhuang as a token of gratitude to Li Xuan.

In hot weather, if you give other things as gifts, it will be difficult to preserve them.

"This is a lot of money! But how can I accept it? My food, clothing and other expenses all come from the people. You are my parents who provide me with food and clothing. As an envoy appointed by the saint, I am just doing what an official should do. Giving this money to me will not change anything, but for the villagers, it can give them a hearty meal of meat."

Li Xuan spoke slowly to the elders and the people around him.

Indeed, this money is just a drop in the bucket for him. If he leaves it to the people, he can use it as an extra meal during festivals!

"General, your kindness to Dunhuang is beyond the reach of the vast Qilian Mountains, let alone a few bags of money. Your eyes are clearer than the water of the medicinal spring; your heart is more colorful than the colorful sand under the Mingsha Mountain. With you here, the yellow sand outside the city looks like green land; the water of the Ganquan Spring has become sweet; the ten thousand Buddhas in the Mogao Grottoes are very close to us, how can you be so kind; the jackals have been driven away, and the tigers and leopards have been killed. We know you don't care about these, just take it as your good intentions!"

The elder was a teacher. He grabbed Li Xuan's hand and spoke emotionally.

"When Liu Chong left his post as governor, he only took one cent from the people, which he left in the local river. I won't take a single cent, because my heart has always been in Dunhuang and with the folks! Just take care of yourself, we will meet again!"

Li Xuan patted the elder's hand, but finally refused to accept it.

He could not accept any reputation he had worked so hard to build, whether for the people or for himself.

He just walked straight past the elder.

The people were so moved that some even sobbed.

"General..."

At the gate, an old man called Li Xuan.

The old man was accompanied by a pretty girl, who was the old man from Dongmen.

He no longer used the cane at this time, before he recovered his spirit.

Li Xuan stopped his horse and waved to the old man to come to him.

The old man and the girl were extremely excited and trotted over.

"You saved my granddaughter, I would like to express my gratitude to you!"

As soon as the old man arrived in front of Li Xuan, he brought his granddaughter to kneel down in front of Li Xuan.

Li Xuan doesn't want money, he has nothing, so he can only express his gratitude in this way.

This time, Li Xuan compensated the abducted women with a large amount of silk money, enough for them and their children to live on for a long time.

"You don't have to do this, old man!"

Li Xuan quickly helped the old man up, as he felt that this was unnecessary.

He also helped the girl up. She looked much better these days, and Li Xuan was very relieved.

But the girl took one look at Li Xuan and quickly lowered her head.

"General, please take care of yourself on the battlefield. I hope you can defeat Tubo soon."

The old man's son died in Longyou. He hoped that the Hu bandits in the south would be eliminated as soon as possible, and that Li Xuan could be safe and sound. Only people like the general can bring benefits to the world.

"Thanks to you! Elderly people should also take care of their health."

Li Xuan replied with a smile, and then said to the girl: "Take good care of your grandfather!"

"Ok!"

The girl bowed her head and responded.

The old man didn't dare to delay Li Xuan's journey, so he thanked him and made way for Li Xuan to leave.

It's early now, it will be difficult to travel once the sun comes out.

Afterwards, Li Xuan put the child down on the horse, touched the back of his head, and told him to go find his parents.

Riding on the Ferghana horse, Li Xuan galloped away quickly...

The Shen Ce Guards also followed Li Xuan and disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Li Xuan didn't need to look back to see the waving; he had already walked far away, but could vaguely hear the shouting...

Li Xuan stayed at Molijun for a day...

Li Xuan stayed in Doulu Army for three days.

Li Xuan also stayed in Jiankang Army for three days.

The main purpose was to observe the training of these soldiers and encourage them before the war.

Li Xuan did not ask about the Ningkou Army which was further away.

When Li Xuan was still in Jiankang Army, the messenger came to Zhangye County through the post station.

When he saw Li Xuan, he reported directly: "General Li, this is the edict of the sage."

This edict was marked as urgent, seven hundred miles away, which shows how important its content was.

Li Xuan opened the imperial edict.

Li Longji asked him to return to Chang'an quickly via the official road post station, but he did not say the specific reason.

"The Qinghai War is about to begin. Why would the Saint summon me to Chang'an at this time?"

After Li Xuan folded the imperial edict, he frowned and muttered to himself.

"Could it be that Li Linfu, the old villain, is trying to mess with me? That doesn't make sense. If there is something wrong, Mr. Gao will remind me, and Yang Yuhuan should also help me speak up."

"The Saint already knows that the Tibetan king is going to mobilize the whole country and lead the army in person. He will definitely rely on me to fight a decisive battle with Tibet."

"And some time ago, the saint granted me special privileges."

"Maybe something big happened in Chang'an, but it can't be a bad thing for me."

After analyzing for a moment, Li Xuan decided to rush back to Chang'an immediately.

He set out from Jiankang Army and stayed in Guzang for a day.

He told Yang Wan, the chief judge of Hexi, about the arrangements for the Dunhuang captives and the preparations for the battle.

In addition, Li Xuan wrote another letter and asked his personal guards to take it back to Hehuang and give it to Liu Yan.

He also instructed An Sishun and Gao Xiuyan that starting from mid-July, the troops in Hexi and Longyou would begin to move towards Hehuang, just like last year.

After arranging everything, Li Xuan took Luo Xing, Xue Cuo and a dozen other personal guards and headed for Chang'an.

This time, they did not ride military horses, but horses from the post station.

Every fifty miles, they would change horses and keep running.

We only rested for four hours at night and traveled more than 300 miles a day...

...Qinghai, waiting outside the city.

"Zanpu, all the kings and chieftains of the tribes have arrived. We can now conduct the military review."

Moluqiongsang and Woermang reported this to Chidai Zhudan in the city.

This is their last chance!

If they cannot defeat the Tang Dynasty, they can only retreat to the snowy plateau and recuperate.

The old nobles of the Snowy Plateau were too conservative and actually proposed to give up Qinghai and withdraw from the Snowy Plateau.

After conquering Tuyuhun, Tubo has been managing Qinghai for a longer time than Jiuqu.

How can you just give up?
Chidai Zhudan rejected all objections and, with the support of Moluqiongsang Woermang, launched a decisive battle with the Tang Dynasty.

After Lun Xijiazang's death, Mojie Sangdongzebu was appointed as the great Lun.

Now he is also following the army.

Mojie Sangdongzebu was known as a "famous general" who was able to command an army.

Now there is only one great minister in charge of Lhasa City!
They transferred troops from Jiannan, Nanzhao and the Western Regions respectively.

He also summoned the Zhangzhung, Tongjia, Dangxiang, Subi, Tuyuhun and other tribes.

Of the four major imperial guards, the third one, except for the one guarding the Luoshui City, arrived.

The good land had been used up with almost all the young and strong men mobilized, and the total number of infantry and cavalry exceeded 330,000.

There were also some women who brought low-level slaves to help Tubo transport food and supplies.

After Li Xuan wiped out the Tubo's active forces, this was the largest force that Tubo could mobilize.

It is really difficult to withdraw the remaining troops.

All his efforts are accomplished in one battle!
Chidai Zhudan rode a white horse and arrived at the vicinity of Qinghai under the protection of Moluqiongsang Woermang, Mojiesangdongzebu and others.

Tubo had an army of 100,000 troops confronting the Jiuqu troops of the Tang army, and also defending in Chiling and eastern Qinghai.

Therefore, the Tibetans only had 100,000 troops in the military parade in Fushi City this time.

Even so, the flags stretched for dozens of miles, the swords and spears were like a forest, and the shouts of people and the neighing of horses had already covered Qinghai.

The parade was divided into two teams, led by Nlandazalukung and Nanangshangjiesixiuting respectively.

While the emperor was reviewing, the nobles, ministers of state, marshals, subordinate kings and chiefs also watched together.

The armored knights of the Royal Guards galloped around Qinghai, team after team.

Every shout from the heavy infantry holding the greatsword was filled with murderous intent, and every swing of the greatsword was accompanied by the sound of breaking through the air.

Soldiers holding swords and shields, sword dancers, formed a charge formation.

Spearmen form the cavalry formation.

The archers and slingers tried their hand at shooting and throwing.

There are also thousands of powerful crossbowmen, who seem to be no worse than the Tang army's crossbows.

The imperial guards were dressed in iron mail, and both men and horses were covered in mail mail.

This momentum gave more confidence to the nobles, kings and chiefs present.

They have 330,000 troops, while the Tang Dynasty is estimated to have only a few hundred thousand, so they still have a great chance of winning.

As the military parade that resounded through heaven and earth came to an end, Chidai Zhudan hosted a banquet for the nobles and kings and chiefs outside Fushi City.

The imperial guards wearing gilded robes drove out the yaks, and the nobles, kings and chiefs shot the animals themselves for food.

This is a custom in Tubo and it is a must at grand banquets.

The Tibetan nobles and kings and chiefs had some fun shooting yaks, and while the banquet was being prepared in the kitchen, they gathered around Chidai Zhudan.

"With such a strong army, we Tubo will surely win this battle. We will hold a meeting tomorrow night. We will be victorious with unity!"

Chidai Zhudan continued to appease the kings and chiefs.

His subordinates were not worried, but he was afraid that these kings and chiefs would be afraid of Li Xuan, which would affect the overall deployment and battle.

"I, Subi, will do my utmost to chop off Li Xuan's head and present it to the Zamp!"

King Mo Lingzan of Subi shouted loudly, showing his loyalty.

The surrounding kings, chiefs and Tibetan nobles all despised his bragging and some even laughed at him.

"King Suobi is very brave, what's so funny? If you can kill Li Xuan, I will set aside three Dongdai as a reward, and give you 10,000 slaves, ten winter pastures and ten summer pastures for cattle and sheep."

Chidai Zhudan's expression suddenly turned serious.

This was related to the rise and fall of Tubo, and he was not speaking nonsense. If the kings and chiefs could kill Li Xuan, it would only mean carving out three Dongdai.

As soon as Chidai Zhudan finished speaking, the kings and chiefs were shocked, but when they thought of Li Xuan's bravery, they began to hesitate.

If possible, they would rather preserve the strength of the tribe.

But verbally, the kings and chiefs, like Mo Lingzan, spoke nonsense, belittling Li Xuan as worthless, as if the army could rush into Jiuqu and pick Li Xuan's head off like picking peaches.

"Reporting to the Zamp, Li Xuan is good at charging into battle and killing generals, which has caused many casualties in our army. Many people in Tibet are afraid of Li Xuan's bravery. But I think Li Xuan's charging into battle is precisely his biggest weakness. In this battle, as long as we kill him, we can easily win. Not only can we recapture Jiuqu and Chiling, but we can also enter the Tang army's Anren Army, Ningsai County, and Hehuang, and turn defeat into victory."

Mojie Sangdongzebu spoke on behalf of Tubo.

"That being said, Li Xuan is not that easy to kill!"

Chidai Zhudan glanced at Mojie Sangdongzebu and spoke slowly.

"Call them up!"

Mojie Sangdongzebu waved his hand, and eighteen generals in chain mail came to the banquet.

After seeing them, the subordinate kings and chiefs looked at each other in bewilderment.

Because there was someone they knew here.

There are great generals in the army, and there are fierce generals in the army.

The certificates they wore were at least inscribed in silver.

One of them was a general named Shang Duojieer and the other was named Chenbale, both of whom were peerless warriors with jade certificates of status.

They are famous in Tubo for their bravery!
In addition, there were eight Tibetan generals with golden certificates of officialdom.

"Report to the Zamp, these 18 brave generals are all the bravest generals of our Tubo. Each of them is as brave as the Tongyahu, especially General Chenbale, who can kill a yak with his bare hands. General Shangduore'er can fight against a hundred people with one horse, and no one can defeat him. He is the most powerful general of our Tubo. These 18 brave generals will lead the Yulin Imperial Guards and rush forward together when they meet Li Xuan. Even if he is a god descending from heaven, he will not be able to escape death."

Mojie Sangdongzebu said excitedly to Chidai Zhudan.

After witnessing the power of the eighteen generals, he felt that dealing with Li Xuan was not that complicated.

Li Xuan claimed that he could kill Tongyahu in one shot, but Tongyahu was only Ye Ru's best general, while Shang Duorel was the most courageous man in Tubo and could easily defeat Tongyahu.

What's more, there is Chenbaler, a powerful general second only to Chandorger, plus the help of sixteen other powerful generals.

He couldn't imagine how Li Xuan could win.

Of course, there are also huge disadvantages to doing this.

If the eighteen most valiant men of Tubo were gathered into one army, the other armies would lack powerful generals and their combat effectiveness would decline.

Shang Duojieer even commanded tens of thousands of troops.

But the soul of the Tang army in Helong was Li Xuan. If Li Xuan was killed, everything would be solved.

"Clap clap clap..."

Chidai Zhudan clapped his hands and praised loudly: "Great! With all of you warriors, Li Xuan will not live to see the next year!"

This matter was, of course, arranged by Chidai Zhudan. Mojie Sangdongzebu proposed a suggestion, but he could not mobilize so many powerful generals.

Chidai Zhudan's idea coincided with that of Mojie Sangdongzebu.

As long as they kill Li Xuan, they will win.

In addition, there are new and famous generals such as Enlanda Zhalugong, Nanang Shangjiesi Xiuting, two great theorists and several marshals in the army. They are all good at commanding troops and can stabilize the situation even without powerful generals.

At this point, the Tibetan nobles and kings and chiefs felt a little relieved.

Logically, if the eighteen most courageous people of Tubo gathered together to attack Li Xuan, they should have a great chance!

Mei Lingzan couldn't help but feel nervous when he saw this...

On the second day, at night, Tubo began the alliance meeting.

This alliance meeting was held according to the standards of a grand alliance.

Tubo held a major alliance every three years, and all of them were held at night.

The altar has been built.

"Ow..."

With screams, dogs, horses, cows, donkeys and other livestock were brutally killed and placed under the altar.

There are also a lot of food and delicacies under the altar.

A wizard holding a stick was jumping around on the altar, muttering something under the reflection of the stars and the moon.

Chidai Zhudan, with the Great Treatise, the Middle Treatise, the Small Treatise, the Marshal, the kings and chiefs, closed their eyes and prayed in front of the altar.

Beneath the altar were devout soldiers who believed that this alliance would bring them victory.

"You must all work together to protect my family. The gods of heaven and earth know your intentions. If you break this promise, your body will be torn into pieces and used as a sacrifice!"

As the wizard was dancing, he seemed to be possessed by something. He straightened his body, pointed his stick at the horses, cows, donkeys and dogs that died miserably below, and shouted loudly.

"Alliance of mutual respect!"

Chidai Zhudan and other kings and chiefs looked up to the sky and shouted.

The alliance was completed, and the 330,000-strong Tubo army also began final preparations!

(End of this chapter)