Chapter 231 The most crucial battle, great generals attack

"The Tang army actually took the initiative to attack!"

Chidai Zhudan was very surprised when he got the news.

They thought that the Tang army would fight with them and let them take the initiative to attack.

"The Tang army must be furious because of the setback five days ago!"

One minister thought as a matter of course.

But Meiluqiongsang, Woermang and others felt that the Tang army would not be so abrupt.

They told Chidai Zhudan about their doubts.

"No matter what, warriors, be prepared for defense and make the Tang army bleed in front of our formation."

Chidai Zhudan thought it made sense, but in the current situation, they had no choice but to form a defensive formation first, with the cavalry on standby in the rear.

The gap between each Tibetan team was several feet wide.

However, the Tang cavalry could not break into Dayuechuan through this gap because there were nearly 100,000 cavalry there.

Moreover, when attacking the gaps, the Tibetan infantry would also attack the Tang cavalry.

This is similar to the fish scale formation of the Tang army. The reason why the gaps are so wide is to allow the cavalry to attack quickly.

If the Tang army wanted to attack, it had to destroy several large formations so that the Tibetan soldiers could not take care of both sides. Then it could send a large number of cavalry to rush in and engage in a decisive battle with the Tibetan cavalry.

When the Tubo army was on full alert, the Tang army's heavy armored infantry and Modao troops stopped two hundred steps in front of the Tubo formation.

Huge shields, spears, chariots, and chevaux de frise all blocked the way ahead.

In the gaps between the teams, catapults and crossbow carts were pushed out.

There were also many carts in the rear loaded with special stones and special arrows for crossbows.

The Tang army was well prepared for this battle. They could fire arrows and stones continuously for several days without any problem.

Tens of thousands of crossbowmen were ready to fire their crossbows at any time in the gaps between the squads.

Since the crossbow carts and catapults occupied many gaps, the Tang army's crossbowmen were divided into three teams to shoot.

Although it is not as powerful as thousands of arrows fired at the same time, it has greater sustainability.

Several miles behind the infantry phalanx on both wings were the Tang army's cavalry, ready to charge at any time with their whips brandished.

"Oh no! The Tang army is going to use crossbows and catapults to intimidate us!"

When the last general Sangdongzebu saw this scene from the viewing platform, his face changed drastically and he immediately ordered: "Pay attention to maintaining the formation while avoiding the rocks and giant arrows!"

Chidai Zhudan, Enlanda Zhalugong and others also looked unhappy.

In less than an hour, the Tang army had prepared everything.

"Whoosh..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

Crossbows and catapults fired waves of arrows and stones.

There are 100,000 infantrymen on the Tibetan front line, which is too many people.

One hundred powerful crossbows and fifty catapults, each shot could kill more than a dozen Tibetan soldiers.

He was hit by a stone and his body was bloody.

Hit by the crossbow, the shield and armor were pierced.

Not to mention slaves, even warriors would be terrified when faced with such a situation.

So much so that every time the Tang army fired huge arrows and stones, there would be chaos in the square formation.

Seeing that the Tang army's armored cavalry and iron cavalry were approaching another mile forward, it was an offensive posture. Meiluqiongsang Woermang could only order the generals to control the formation and execute anyone who dared to disrupt the formation.

This order caused even greater casualties among the Tubo people!

The terrain of Dafeichuan was no longer favorable to Tubo. It was like a cage that confined Tubo.

"The Tang army is so despicable! They are beyond the range of our bows and crossbows, and we can only passively take the beating!"

Chidai Zhudan slapped the railing of the viewing platform and roared.

Tubo could also make simple catapults, but they were extremely impractical and their quality was far inferior to that of Tang Dynasty equipment, so they were not carried.

"Zanpu, the Tang army must be forcing our army to fight, we must not be fooled!"

King Tongjia said to Chidai Zhudan.

"We should reflect on why the Tang army dared to force us like this. Aren't they treating us as cowards? We just won a great victory a few days ago and our morale is high. How could they do this?"

Shang Duore pointed in a direction and said loudly: "That is the flag of the Tang army commander. Our army should rush over and fight him. The bravest will win when they meet on a narrow road."

Mojie Sangdongzebu was about to scold Shang Duorel, but found that there was no reason to scold him.

As Chandorger said, when two meet in a narrow road, the brave one wins.

They used conspiracy, and the Tang army used open strategy, forcing them to fight.

Otherwise, if they continue to waste time, they will sooner or later be dragged down by the Tang army.

Now the Tang army is still looking at the 80,000 infantry on Chiling, and it is difficult to withdraw.

Meiluqiongsangwoer listened to the whistling stones and nodded.

The Tang army forced its troops to retreat right after experiencing a defeat. Only Li Xuan had the courage to do so.

The place where the general's flags and banners are densely distributed must be Li Xuan.

But Meiluqiongsang Woermang's health was deteriorating day by day, and he needed someone to support him when he walked.

Especially that light snow, which caused Meiluqiongsangwoer to catch a cold. He just got up from the hospital bed yesterday, but he was so weak that he felt tired even to speak a word.

Chidai Zhudan wanted to send Moluqiongsang Woermang back to Luoshui City to recuperate, but Moluqiongsang Woermang refused to go back.

His mind was not yet confused, and he hoped to come up with key strategies for Chidai Zhudan at the critical moment.

He turned his gaze towards Nlanda Zalukong.

"Zanpu, I think what General Shang Duore said is right. We will lead all the cavalry to fight the Tang army. The brave generals will lead the imperial guards to charge at Li Xuan, and the others will hold back the Tang army."

Nlanda Zhalugong understood and said to Chidai Zhudan that he also understood that in this situation, without courage, the situation created before would vanish into thin air and the army would die a slow death.

It's just that the Tang army has more cavalry, and if they follow their previous plan, they have a great chance of winning.

"What about the Tang army's iron armor and powerful crossbow formation?"

Chidai Zhudan looked forward and said.

"Don't worry about the Tang army's armored crossbows. My infantry will hold them back."

Nlanda Zalugong said.

It would be unwise for the cavalry to attack the Tang army's armored phalanx.

They want to use all the cavalry in the most critical places.

There is one point that Enlanda Zhalugong did not mention, that is, if the army fails, they can still retreat to the Dafei River under the cover of the infantry.

"Generals, do you have the courage to attack Li Xuan?"

Chidai Zhudan clenched his fists and spoke to Shang Duore and Chenbale.

"Don't worry, Zanpu. As long as Li Xuan doesn't escape, this day next year will be his memorial day."

"Whether Li Xuan dares to fight or not, the Tang army is doomed to fail!"

Chenbale and Chandorger were as confident as ever.

These five days have made them feel depressed.

"Okay! The two generals will lead the other sixteen generals to capture Li Xuan. The most elite Lion and Tiger Guards and Yulin Guards will all be under your command!"

Chidai Zhudan clapped his hands, preparing for a cavalry battle with the Tang army.

Two hundred thousand cavalrymen were marching across the battlefield, and the infantry could not participate. The Tibetans knew it, and so did the Tang army.

Otherwise there will be a lot of accidental injuries!
Li Xuan still has a backup plan, and of course he will not take the initiative to let the infantry participate in the battle.

Tubo also wanted to use infantry to guard the Dafei River so that the cavalry could withdraw in an orderly manner after their failure.

Only Mei Lingzan had an unnatural expression on his face. He had no idea what Li Xuan was up to.

Why has the order to "blow all the horns at once" not been conveyed yet?

He has two thousand cavalry under his command, who will also take part in the battle.

These cavalrymen didn't know that he was going to rebel. If Li Xuan suddenly gave an order during the battle, he would not be able to guarantee control of these cavalrymen.

But in this situation, he had no choice but to send two thousand cavalry to the battlefield.

Fortunately, his two sons were the only ones who knew his plan, so he let one of his sons lead the Subi cavalry, riding and shooting at the edge without being noticed, and not risking his life.

When the "hundred number sounds", take action immediately.

The eight thousand infantrymen under his command were also ready, and this might be the chance.

Unfortunately, his Subi infantry could not get close to Chidai Zhudan.

……

After an hour of preparation, Tubo first sent out 20,000 cavalrymen from various subordinate tribes to attack from both sides and line up on the flanks where the Tang army's crossbows could not reach.

The Tang army's catapults and crossbow carts were instantly silenced, and the soldiers pushed the catapults and crossbow carts and moved into the formation.

Twenty-five thousand armored infantrymen and ten thousand crossbowmen were deployed in a defensive formation.

The Modao Army under Zhang Xing formed a separate formation next to the heavy armored infantry.

If you don't pay attention, you might think they are also part of the heavy infantry.

More than 50,000 pure Tibetan cavalrymen rushed out immediately afterwards.

Enlanda Zhalugong and Nanang Shangjiesi Xiuting each led thousands of personal guards, bypassed the Tang army's infantry formation, and commanded the cavalry to charge at the Tang cavalry in the rear.

Mojie Sangdongzebu commanded the heavy armored infantry with shields to approach the Tang army's heavy armored infantry 150 steps away.

There were 5,000 Tibetan infantrymen on the east and west sides, surrounding the Tang army's heavy armored infantry square on three sides. They did not take the initiative to attack, but just prevented the Tang army from disrupting their cavalry.

"The Tubo's choice is correct. Our cavalry will go all out to annihilate their manpower."

At Li Xuan's command, all the generals took their positions.

Behind him, there were hundreds of messengers and buglers on standby.

"Woo woo..." In the vast wilderness of dozens of miles, under the command of Li Xuan, the Tang army used the horn as an order to let the elite cavalry and light cavalry run.

The messenger ran to the troops and reported Li Xuan's specific arrangements.

The elite cavalry are in the middle, and the light cavalry are on both sides.

Due to limited space, light cavalry sometimes had to engage in close combat.

Fortunately, the light cavalry of each army carried long weapons.

Only large armies like Lintao, Chishui, Tianbing and Shuofang Jinglüe had pure light cavalry armed with horizontal swords.

"General Che, keep an eye on the enemy's armored cavalry. If their armored cavalry moves out, we will also use the armored cavalry to intercept them."

Li Xuan instructed Che Shensai.

"As ordered!"

Che Shensai obeyed the order. He had already abandoned his broadsword and replaced it with a long-handled hammer, which was specifically used to hammer armored cavalry.

At the same time, the armored cavalry of the Tang army concentrated all the horse lances in Helong.

In addition, there were hundreds of strong men carrying long-handled hammers.

The top of the long-handled hammer is only the size of a fist, but with the impact force it can hit the enemy and inflict heavy damage even if the enemy is wearing heavy armor.

If it hits the head, it will be fatal!
The Tang army came prepared!

"Tell General Li of Hedong not to worry about the infantry of the various Hu tribes on Dafei Ridge. Wait for half an hour after the battle begins, and then lead the troops to penetrate the belly of the Tibetan cavalry."

"Order General Shuo Fangcheng to lead the Shuofang cavalry to make a detour and attack the left wing of the Tubo cavalry."

After observing and making arrangements, Li Xuan asked the messenger to pass the order to Li Guangbi and Cheng Gui.

During this period, he had figured out the identity of the enemy on Dafei Ridge. From the flags, Li Xuan knew that they were infantrymen from the affiliated Hu tribes such as Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, and Tongjia.

A cavalry battle would be of no avail even if they came down.

There are more than 10,000 elite cavalrymen in the Heshuo cavalry. After the battle starts, one strike at the abdomen and the other at the left wing may cause a fatal blow to the Tubo cavalry.

The prerequisite is that the Tang cavalry can hold its ground!

"As long as we destroy some of the cavalry in this battle, the Tubo will be doomed."

Li Xuan spoke to his colleagues around him, including Liu Dan, Gao Shi, Yan Zhenqing, Cen Shen, etc.

His only worry was that after learning that the Lintao army had penetrated deep into the hinterland, Tubo would send tens of thousands of cavalry to intercept them.

Now Li Xuan wants to make sure they have no ability to intercept.

"General Li, the most courageous generals of the Tibetans have gathered together, and they are obviously coming for you. They are likely to rush straight to your position, the core of your army, so you better be cautious."

Liu Dan reminded Li Xuan.

"After the army is deployed, I will be waiting for them here!"

Li Xuan said calmly.

In the eyes of the soldiers, he is an invincible hero.

Li Xuan certainly would not retreat with the banners and flags after the arrival of those Tibetan generals, as that would affect morale.

Moreover, the formation of the Eighteen Tibetan Generals was terrifying. If Li Xuan did not deal with them, he might really kill some of the Tang army's main and deputy generals.

Li Xuan also did not want anything to happen to Xin Yunjing, Zhang Xing, Che Shensai, Li Guangbi, Cheng Gui, Gao Xiuyan, Li Feiyuanli, Li Feishouyu, Geshuhan, Li Zhushi, Wang Sili, Ashina Fuwen, An Yuanzhen, Gao Kai, An Zhongzhang, Qian'er Dafu, Murong Xihao, Zhang Shouyu and other powerful generals.

Other Confucian generals such as Li Guangchen, Liu Zhiru, Zhang Renxian, Wu Huaiyuan, Yang Jinghui, and Cao Shengning also faced risks when commanding on the front line.

These brave generals are all very brave and will form the backbone of his team to restore order in the future.

There are also the chieftains of the various Hu tribes in Hexi and the generals of the Bailang Qiang.

Even those deputy generals, Lang generals, and Ya generals are Li Xuan's future new forces.

"General Li's personal guards may not be enough, so let the Chishui Army's 1,000 elite cavalry guard you!"

Gao Shi knew Li Xuan's temper very well and knew that he could not dissuade Li Xuan from retreating, so he suggested that Li Xuan let the Chishui Army's Tiaodang guard him when he killed the enemy general.

"Sure! Let the Red Water Jumping Elite Cavalry follow me."

Li Xuan nodded, feeling that the Tiaodang Elite Cavalry was indeed very helpful to him.

At this time, Li Xuan's Huoyun warhorse had not only a lance and an iron spear, but also ten javelins.

The tip of the javelin has the ability to penetrate armor. With Li Xuan's supernatural power, he will definitely be able to penetrate the armor within a few dozen steps.

After a while, the elite cavalry of the Chishui Army gathered around Li Xuan.

When the two sides were about to clash, Tubo's Yulin and Shihu had all gone into battle.

Their goals are clear.

The Lion and Tiger Guards blocked the Tang cavalry that was approaching the Yulin Guards.

Shang Duore'er and Chen Bale led eighteen brave generals and the Imperial Guards to attack Li Xuan directly.

The armored cavalry of the two imperial guards were unable to keep up because they moved slowly.

They divided into the left and right wings, looking for opportunities to break into the Tang army's light cavalry.

Chidai Zhudan and Moluqiongsang Woermang were standing on the viewing platform and could not see the entire picture of Dafeichuan.

The cavalry battlefield will be dozens of miles long and wide, and may even be fought on the plains next to the Dafei River.

The cavalry on both sides were confident and wanted to make the most of their cavalry's advantages.

"Order Dongzebu Dalun to prepare. Once our cavalry is victorious, immediately besiege the Tang army's infantry phalanx. As long as these armored infantry and crossbowmen are defeated, the Tang army will become a toothless tiger."

Chidai Zhudan gave orders to the messenger.

"As ordered!"

The messenger received the order and left.

Meiluqiongsangwoermang also thought there was no problem.

The cold wind blew like a knife, and the silver-haired Meiluqiongsang Woerman was sitting on the viewing platform, shaking unconsciously.

He felt that his body could no longer hold on, but his dry hands still held the railing tightly.

Meiluqiongsangwoermang's eyes were blurry as he looked into the distance, but he was still looking ahead, accompanied by Chidai Zhudan.

At this time, Mo Luqiongsang Woermang was almost exhausted. He was like a candle in the wind, which could go out at any time.

He just wanted to hear the sound of triumph.

……

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

The Tang army's war drums were rapid and violent.

The Chishui elite cavalry in the vanguard were all wearing bright armor, like a torrent of steel.

The soldiers held spears in their hands and faced the equally overwhelming Tibetan cavalry with firm eyes and no fear at all.

"Brothers, follow me closely and kill the bandits! You will get medals!"

Li Xuan specially asked Geshu Han to lead the elite cavalry of the Chishui Army as the vanguard.

He believed that Geshu Han had the ability to complete the task.

Geshu Han, with his personal guards and slaves in Zuoche, faced the Tibetan cavalry who were also galloping towards him. He roared and took the lead.

"Kill the bandits and take the medal!"

All the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shocking the sky and the clouds.

Gosuhan's blood boiled when he heard this and he gripped the spear even tighter.

A Tibetan general with 500 men on horseback advanced forward, intending to kill Geshu Han.

As the two horses approached, Geshu Han's eyes widened and he thrust out with his spear.

"Pfft!"

The big man's throat was pierced and he fell off his horse.

Zuo Che did not dismount and cut off the head as he did before. In this cavalry battle, there was no chance to take the head.

He followed Geshu Han closely and guarded his flank.

As a fierce general who was rarely matched by Helong and Wang, Geshu Han was famous for his bravery.

After killing a Tibetan general, he led his personal guards straight into the battle formation, swinging his spears and stabbing, and Tibetan soldiers kept falling off their horses.

After a fierce battle, he rushed several hundred steps and killed a Tibetan captain.

The Red Water Spirit Knights became more morale-boosted, and they followed Geshu Han in a small group, surrounding him and attacking horizontally, galloping continuously on the battlefield.

At this time, Tubo's Tiger and Lion Imperial Guards targeted Geshu Han and the Chishui Elite Cavalry.

They had to temporarily stop Geshu Han's team to avoid ruining the plans of the eighteen powerful generals.

At this time, Shang Duore and Chen Bale had already led the Yulin Imperial Guards and rushed towards Li Xuan.

Along the way, they were intercepted by 10,000 cavalrymen of Bailang Qiang.

"Warriors, if we kill the Tibetans, we will also be rewarded with merit and will be appreciated by the Marshal!"

He raised his sword and ordered Chang Qing to lead the cavalry to meet the enemy, thinking that he could gain meritorious service.

The morale of the Bailang Qiang cavalry was very high. They were excited and charged with spears.

"Traitor of Bailangqiang, die!"

Chenbale had a bad temper. When he saw that these cavalrymen were Bailang Qiang, he became furious.

Although he was holding a long-handled hammer, it was made of pure iron.

The hammer of an ordinary long-handled hammer is only the size of a fist, while the top of Chenbaler's long hammer is about three times the size of an ordinary long-handled hammer.

"Oh!"

A Bailang Qiang soldier was hit by a long-handled hammer and flew off his horse, his internal organs shattered and he died.

Chenbale swung his hammer a few more times, and the Bailang Qiang soldiers flew around like sandbags.

The sound of bang is so powerful and heavy that anyone hit will die.

(End of this chapter)