Chapter 228: Sending Soldiers to the Snowy Plateau, Breaking the Ambush with One Arrow
"General Wang, General Nan, this journey is long and full of dangers. After interrogating the Tibetan soldiers in Chaka, we found that there are hundreds to thousands of Tibetan soldiers in Xiangride River, Baihai, Bayankala Pass, Maduo, and Wuhai City. These will consume your energy."

"You may go to Baihai, Duoma, or Wuhai City. Your whereabouts will definitely be known by Chidai Zhudan. Then Tubo will send warriors to intercept you."

"Within half a month, I will pursue Dafeichuan relentlessly. They have 300,000 soldiers and hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep and camels. If they forcefully withdraw from Dafeichuan and Dafeiling, their formation will be in chaos."

"I believe you can jump over the mountains and see the bright moon. When you get around to Dafeichuan, it will be time for our decisive battle. The battle of Dafeichuan several decades ago was a shame for our Tang Dynasty since its founding. That battle allowed Tubo to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Tang Dynasty. This time, we will avenge our previous shame and beat Tubo back to its original form."

After resting in the camp for a night, Li Xuan sent Wang Nande, Nan Jiyun and the soldiers of Lintao Army along the ancient road of Fuqi City, heading south towards Xiangride River.

Before setting off, Li Xuan boosted the morale of Wang Nande and Nan Jiyun.

"The Tibetans can roam the ancient roads of Fuqicheng and Dafeichuan, and we Tang people can certainly overcome such obstacles. The interior of Tibet is empty, and the obstacles on the road are insignificant. I can definitely reach the rear of Dafeichuan at the critical moment."

Wang Nan said to Li Xuan.

"I will fully assist General Wang to defeat the Tibetans' blocking troops and achieve victory."

Although Nan Jiyun's words were short, his tone was firm.

He was grateful for Li Xuan's recognition and support. In just over two years, he went from being a county soldier to becoming a general appointed by the sage himself.

There is no greater favor than this, and he can only repay it with his death.

"Secretary Duan, you are a scholar. Are you willing to follow the soldiers into the Snow Region and assist in military affairs?"

After Li Xuan nodded, he suddenly asked Duan Xiushi.

"My humble contribution was praised by General Li as a courageous and resolute person, and I was awarded my current rank. I should have put on armor and charged into battle with a sword, but due to my lack of ability, I cannot gallop on the battlefield and kill the enemy. I joined the army like Ban Chao did, wanting to devote my energy and talents to the country. Now the opportunity has come. Even if General Li didn't say it, I would have asked for a military commission like Zhongjun did."

Duan Xueshi bowed to Li Xuan and cited the story of Zhongjun of the Western Han Dynasty volunteering to fight to express his determination not to fear death.

"If all the civil and military officers are like this, the Tibetans will be slaughtered wherever they go."

Li Xuan patted Duan Xiushi on the shoulder. He was indeed the person he favored.

"We will definitely live up to Li Shuai's trust!"

The soldiers bowed to Li Xuan again.

"Don't let the country down!"

Li Xuan corrected their remarks: "Let the soldiers take out the wine jugs, and we will drink a sip of wine together as a farewell gift and to wish them a triumphant return!"

Next to the Chaka Salt Lake, the scenery is bleak and the sky is gloomy.

Dozens of cavalry phalanxes stretched for more than ten miles.

In addition to his mount, each soldier had two spare horses.

They were equipped with powerful crossbows, spare weapons, and carried more alcohol than ordinary soldiers to keep warm.

In addition to the food, the cattle and sheep in the Chaka camp had been slaughtered and taken away.

The flags fluttered in the north wind, and the soldiers' eyes were extremely determined.

Li Xuan rode his horse through the middle of the team, turning back and forth to inspect each team.

"This time, I cannot go with my brothers. But I believe that my brothers will be able to win the battle, just like our surprise attack on Baitinghai! The desert wind is nothing but this; the snowy plains will be crushed by the iron cavalry of the Tang Dynasty..."

"Brothers who died in battle, please wait for me in the underworld for a while. I will recruit you after I go to the underworld. Soldiers who are still alive, I will personally award you medals of honor, and you will return home in wealth and honor..."

"Raise the wine in your hands to bid farewell to our brothers. Let us drink heartily. Even the gods of this world will be afraid of us..."

To make a long story short, Li Xuan raised the wine jug in his hand.

Those soldiers who did not hear Li Xuan's words from afar understood what he meant by his actions and all picked up their wine bags.

As Li Xuan took a big gulp of the wine, the soldiers drank in a very disciplined manner.

"set off!"

The morale was perfectly high. Seeing Li Xuan waving his hand, Wang Nan put down the wine jug and raised the command flag.

The soldiers all loaded their wine bags and marched southward along this ancient Silk Road.

The scout camp was divided into several hundred cavalrymen, and under the leadership of Nan Jiyun, they galloped forward to gather intelligence and raid Tibetan post stations along the way.

When necessary, clear out some of the Tibetans on horseback.

Under the protection of the Shen Ce Guards, Li Xuan watched more than 10,000 cavalrymen disappear.

Still standing on the top of the hill, watching for them.

Only when the Lintao army was completely blocked by the mountains did Li Xuan order his troops to return.

Hundreds of prisoners were escorted away by the Shen Ce Guards.

They pushed dozens of carts carrying captured supplies, the bodies of hundreds of dead soldiers, and dozens of wounded soldiers.

A day later, Li Xuan arrived at Fuqi City.

The Tang army's Helong cavalry took up their positions and frightened the defenders of Fuqi City so much that they could not sleep for two days and two nights. All the soldiers stood on the top of the wall and did not dare to go down even at night.

They were afraid that the Tang army would reach the city walls if they were not careful.

They also saw the Tang army building siege ladders.

It’s just that the Tang army didn’t have many siege ladders, they were just trying to scare them.

"General Cheng, push the Tibetan captives to the front and tell the defenders of Fuxi City that they will not be killed if they surrender, otherwise, after the city is captured, no one will be left alive!"

"They are an isolated city and have no way of getting any other news. We should trick them into believing that the Tibetan king has already withdrawn from Dafeichuan and that they are abandoned. There is no point in resisting."

After Li Xuan returned, he had an idea and decided to try this method to weaken the will of the defenders of Fuxi City.

If it really doesn't work, use the previous plan. If it still doesn't work, it means that Fuqi City is also a turtle city and will not pose a threat to their rear. Just leave a small number of cavalry to keep an eye on it.

"As ordered!"

Cheng Gui immediately ordered his men to escort hundreds of Tibetan captives to the west gate of Fuqi City, about twenty steps away from the city gate.

The Tang army used the bodies of Tibetan captives as shields.

Naturally, the Tibetan soldiers did not dare to shoot arrows!

The Tibetan guards on the city wall became even more terrified after seeing these Tibetan soldiers.

“That seems to be Chaka’s Big Five Hundred Losang?”

"They are the defenders next to Chaka! Chaka has been breached by the Tang army."

"There are also female slaves who transport food and supplies to Fuqi City..."

"It's over. Are the Tang army going to execute them in front of the city to intimidate us?"

"It's been two days, why haven't our reinforcements arrived yet?"

"Has the great chief Zamp already abandoned us?"

……

On the top of Fushi City, the Tibetan soldiers were in a panic, as if the sky was about to fall.

Even the defenders were at a loss.

There was one sentence that he thought made sense: it had been more than two days, why hadn't the Zamp's reinforcements arrived yet?

If we follow the ancient trail and pass Dafeiling, we should arrive soon.

"Listen up, everyone on the city wall. We, Marshal Li, have come to attack you personally. Your Zamp has already retreated from the Dafei River back to the snowy plateau. You are now an isolated city on Qinghai, with no help from inside or outside. If you surrender, you will be able to save your life like the Chaka defenders. If you resist stubbornly, you will be killed without mercy after the city is captured!"

"I'll give you two hours to think about it. Our siege equipment will arrive soon. After two hours, we will attack from all sides and make Fushi City collapse in an instant!"

Below the city, a soldier from Longyou shouted at the city wall in Tibetan.

Li Xuan was one hundred and thirty steps away from the city gate, staring closely at Fuqi City.

Li Xuan was leaning on a two-stone bow.

His words contain a lot of information.

Helong Marshal Li Xuan has arrived!

The Tubo Zamp retreated!
The Tang army’s equipment is arriving, ready to attack the city!
Those who resist will be killed, and those who surrender will not be killed!

This news caused the Tibetan defenders on the city wall to howl in terror.

The Zamp really abandoned them!
For strategic reasons, the Tibetan king was unable to defend Fuxi City.

This is understandable. After all, military strategists do not care about the gain or loss of a city or a place. The final victory is called a great victory!

But if the Tubo king abandoned them and ran away, the situation would be different.

Even a warrior who is not afraid of death will be disheartened.

And the Tang army’s commander-in-chief Li Xuan has arrived.

Although they did not see the general's flag, they had reason to believe that Li Xuan was among them, leading tens of thousands of cavalry.

Surrendering can save you from death like the soldiers below.

Unlike all the previous commanders of Helong, although Li Xuan was known as the God of Killing, there seemed to be no example of him killing surrendered prisoners.

Especially the slaves and servants in Fuqi City, they were afraid of death, and they all looked at the defender of Fuqi City, hoping that the commander could make a decision.

Fuqi City is not a mountain city. It is located in the south of Xiarige River (now Buha River), with Qinghai Nanshan Mountain to the west and Qinghai Lake to the east. However, it is far away from these mountains, seas and rivers and is located on a flat plain. It is much easier for the Tang army to attack it from all sides than to attack the Jiuqu city.

The only advantage of Fuqi City is that it was once the capital of Tuyuhun, so the rammed earth layer of the city wall is thicker and the city wall is higher.

The word "Fushi" is Xianbei language, meaning king.

When the commander of Fuqi City saw the same expressions on the faces of the warriors and servants, he immediately knew that they had no intention of resisting.

He was also afraid, but he had the noble blood of the Meilu family flowing in his body.

As the leader of the four major Shang clans, he would rather die than surrender!
"Little Li Xuan, let's attack the city! Even if the city is broken, we will kill 10,000 of you! We will meet the gods after we die, what do we have to fear?"

"Warriors, even if you are not killed if you surrender, you will be slaves for life and will die under the whip of the Tang people sooner or later. The Zamp will not give up on us. We must seek a life among a thousand deaths, warriors become nobles, slaves become warriors, and we will make achievements today..."

The defender of Fuqi City suppressed his fear and uttered arrogant words to the Tang army.

He then turned to encourage the soldiers in Fuqi City.

One hundred and thirty steps away, Li Xuan heard the translator who came running with the army and thought that the general who was shouting was the defender of Fuqi City.

Seeing the body of Fuqi City's defender exposed to his vision, his eyes became sharp, and he quickly raised the two-stone strong bow and took out a special arrow from his waist. "Crack!"

In an instant, the bow was drawn to the full moon.

"Boom!"

"stop……"

After a slight aim, Li Xuan released the bowstring.

The bowstring vibrated, and the arrow shot through the air at an astonishing speed, rushing like a meteor.

The defender of Fuqi City on the city wall never expected that arrows would be shot from such a long distance.

Because the legendary Li Xuan never shot arrows so far.

When the defender felt a chill on his spine, he turned his head subconsciously.

I only saw a dark shadow, and it was chilly...

"Pfft!"

The next moment, blood spurted out of the forehead of the Fuqi city defender, as the tip of a long arrow had completely penetrated his forehead.

His face was instantly covered with blood, looking extremely hideous.

The defender of Fuqi City was unable to even scream. He stared with eyes wide open and slowly fell on the parapet.

"General..."

The soldiers of Fuxi City cried out in fear.

But no one was sad about the general's death. They just quickly dodged, fearing that more arrows would be shot, which made them even more confused.

It’s Li Xuan!
Only Li Xuan could shoot such a magical arrow.

"Listen up, people on the wall. This is what happens if you don't surrender. Those who resist will be killed without mercy, and those who surrender will be spared. There are two hours left. Make a decision early!"

The Longyou army ran to a few dozen steps below Fuqi City and took the opportunity to shout loudly towards the top of the city wall.

The soldiers were afraid, and the slaves were ready to put up the gate.

They were just slaves, and now that their commanders were dead, they didn't want to be buried with them.

The warriors saw this and realized that they were powerless. They could stop the slaves, but they didn't want to.

When the deputy general of Fuqi City came over from the east city wall, he saw that the situation was hopeless. The soldiers became desperate and had no choice but to lay down their weapons and order all the soldiers in the city to leave.

Everything went beyond Li Xuan's expectations, and Fuxi City was captured without bloodshed.

With Fuqi City, not only can we obtain food and grass from Fuqi City, but also soldiers suffering from altitude sickness can have a good rest in the city.

After a few days, maybe I’ll be able to keep up with the battle.

There were only Tibetan soldiers in Fushi City, but no civilians.

Li Xuan had already known about the decisive battle between Tubo and the Tang army and had made preparations for both scenarios.

They dispatched troops to Qinghai.

The Tibetan people, Tuyuhun people and Dangxiang people in the Qinghai area were relocated to Tongjia and Subi areas.

If they are defeated in the war, these population resources can help them make a comeback.

All the Tang Dynasty got was a piece of land.

If we win, we will move these people to Qinghai or even Jiuqu...

"In ancient times, Xue Rengui conquered Tianshan with three arrows. Today, General Li breaks the ambush with one arrow."

Li Guangbi came to Li Xuan and exclaimed, "This arrow is amazing!"

"The Tibetans surrendered because they were deceived by us and were at a loss. Compared with Xue Rengui's conquest of the Nine-surname Tiele, my actions are nothing."

Li Xuan shook his head.

"If you were Xue Rengui, you would have been able to defeat Tianshan with three arrows. If Xue Rengui were you, he might not have been able to defeat the ambush with one arrow. The general is stronger than Xue Rengui!"

Li Wei, the judge of Shuofang, complimented Li Xuan. In fact, he felt that what he said was true. He had never heard that Xue Rengui could shoot the enemy to death from more than a hundred steps away.

"It's all thanks to the lacquer bow left by Governor Wang!"

Li Xuan stroked the lacquer bow, and was reminded of the person who brought him back.

Although it is not convenient to use on horseback, its range and power when dismounted are incomparable to a crossbow.

Li Guangbi's face was full of complicated expressions. Wang Zhongsi had once hidden the lacquer bow in his bag, but Li Xuan used the lacquer bow to shoot and kill the commander of Fuxi City with one arrow, forcing the Tibetan soldiers to open the city and surrender.

If you can break the ambush with one arrow, it will surely be regarded as a good reputation.

There were countless soldiers who admired Li Xuan's archery skills.

Hun Yu, who was only eleven years old, was proud of his archery skills, but in front of Li Xuan, he was just like a child and not worth mentioning.

He saw the scene of Li Xuan bending the bow and drawing the arrow just now.

He initially thought it was an impossible shot.

But the next moment, he was stunned.

This is even more incredible than Pegasus shooting the tassel.

Because of Li Xuan, their generals in Gaolanzhou were killed by Wang Zhongsi.

The clan was very dissatisfied with Li Xuan.

Hun Yu was very puzzled. For committing such a serious crime, shouldn't he be punished by military law?
His father taught him the principles of commanding an army!

Isn't it the job of a general to reward merits and punish crimes?

Little did they know that only with such a broad mind, one could regard himself as a Tang person, and only then could he stand out among many Hu generals and step into a broader world.

Instead of staying in Gaolanzhou and herding horses all his life!
On that day, Li Xuan ordered the slaughter of cattle and sheep in the city, and the soldiers had a meal to drive away the cold.

The weather is gloomy and unusually cold, and heavy snow may fall at any time.

Following Li Xuan means there is meat to eat. As long as there are cattle and sheep captured, they will be eaten up even if it means everything else.

Some generals, after capturing cattle and sheep, only rewarded their soldiers with one meal, and ate the rest themselves and other generals every day, and rushed to Chang'an to claim credit.

Li Xuan never sent a sheep to Chang'an.

But Li Longji favored Li Xuan more.

Because other generals rarely offered treasures.

Li Xuan always brought back a lot of gold, silver and jewelry.

It was very common for generals to divide up the spoils of war and jewels from the beginning to the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

"The soldiers who are suffering from cold miasma, rest in the city. Collect all the weapons and armor of the Tuyuhun soldiers and lock them up in Fuxi City. A thousand soldiers will stay behind to guard them and take care of the sick soldiers."

Li Xuan gave the order.

The unarmed surrendered soldiers had no chance of escape when facing the Tang army who were armed and wearing armor.

He would not kill the surrendered because his ultimate goal was to integrate with Tibet.

At this time, the Tubo people were just a concept formed by the integration of many tribes.

Therefore, Songtsen Gampo is the greatest figure in Tubo, even a thousand years later.

The next day, Li Xuan ordered his troops to set out for Dafeiling.

Excluding sick soldiers, the Tang army still had 45,000 cavalry available.

Li Xuan let Li Guangbi serve as the vanguard and lead 3,000 light cavalry of the Tianbing Army to clear the way.

He led the central army along the ancient road between Qinghai and the Nanshan Mountains of Qinghai Province and marched towards Dafeiling.

Tens of thousands of reserve horses carried twenty days' worth of food for the army.

Li Xuan asked Gao Shi to drive tens of thousands of cattle and sheep in Fuqi City, including yaks carrying some food.

It also saved the Tang army's logistics department the trouble of providing supplies to their cavalry, saving a lot of effort.

……

Dafeichuan.

Chidai Zhudan, Moluqiongsang Woermang, Mojiesangdongzebu, Nanangshangjiesixiuting and others were all gathered together.

They were stationed in two parts.

One is the strategic location of Dafeiling, dozens of miles away, where a fence was set up for defense. This area was composed of infantry, slaves, and subordinates, totaling about 80,000 people.

In addition, there were 120,000 infantrymen lined up in Dafeichuan.

The 100,000 cavalrymen were divided into six large formations.

Among them, there is one phalanx each for the Tiger and Lion Imperial Guards and the Yulin Imperial Guards.

There are four remaining phalanxes, each with 20,000 cavalry.

After the Zamp and the Prime Minister got together, they immediately discussed countermeasures.

In addition to these core members, there were also some government ministers, Ye Rudiruben, the Tuyuhun King, the Tongjia King, the Dangxiang King, the Subi King and some other affiliated tribes.

In addition, the two powerful generals of high status, Shang Duojieer and Chen Bale, also attended the trial.

"We gave up Tieren City and Fuqi City, and gathered all our troops in Dafei Ridge and Dafei River. After several months, I didn't expect the battle situation to be so bad. Our losses were obviously not very big, but now we have to defend Dafei River..."

Chidai Zhudan said with great sorrow in the big tent.

He personally gave up the Iron Blade City, which had always made him proud, and the important city of Fuqi on the ancient Silk Road.

But now he has stationed 300,000 troops in the Dafei River and on the Dafei Ridge.

Although many grasslands in the Dafei River were not burned, the morale of the entire army was extremely low.

The Tang army had already closed in on them. The nearest cavalry was only twenty miles away. With a whip, they could charge into the Dafei River...

(End of this chapter)