Chapter 238: Blocking Huashi Gorge, the Tubo King is at the end of his rope

Wuhai, Wuhai City.

A few miles away, Nan Jiyun led his soldiers through Huashixia and arrived here.

When the Tubo army marched northward to Dafeichuan, there were less than 400 soldiers left in Wuhai City.

They learned that the Tang army was attacking on the Dafeichuan ancient road.

But it is expected to arrive at least tomorrow night.

Wuhai City is only a few miles away from the Dafeichuan Ancient Road and is built to the east of Wuhai.

During the Battle of Dafeichuan, Xue Rengui won the first battle at the river mouth and then captured the city of Wuhai.

Although Wuhai City is just an inconspicuous small town, it is an important town on the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road.

Because there were too few Tibetan soldiers in Wuhai City, it was impossible for them to leave the city and block Huashixia.

Judging from the various gullies, it would take tens of thousands of soldiers to block Huashixia.

Therefore, it was impossible for Nan Jiyun to defend Huashixia to the death. Instead, he had to leave Huashixia and go to the plains around Wuhai to deal with the Tibetan cavalry.

Then they covered the main force to pass through Huashixia and rush towards Dafeichuan.

When Nan Jiyun arrived near Wuhai City, it was late at night with wind and snow.

He had the armor removed from the horses and put on them.

Take out the crossbow from the sheepskin bag and prepare it.

The ladder has also been assembled.

The soldiers drank the last of the wine in the wine bag, and their bodies finally felt a little warm, then they walked towards Wuhai City.

Due to misjudging the arrival time of the Tang army and the cover of the snowy night, the Tubo defenders did not expect the Tang army to attack so quickly.

"what sound?"

"There seems to be someone?"

When the Tang army was a hundred steps away from Wuhai City, the soldiers on the city wall heard a rustling sound in the wind and snow.

It was pitch black and they couldn't see clearly.

After a while, a Tibetan soldier discovered that a series of figures were running wildly at the south gate of Wuhai City.

"Enemy attack!"

The Tibetan soldier shouted, alerting the soldiers on the city wall.

On the south city wall, dozens of Tibetan soldiers were guarding in the wind and snow.

Since they knew that the Tang army had reached the Bayankala Pass, so many people were on duty. In the past, no one in Wuhai City would go up to the city wall on a snowy night.

"Woooo..."

After the shouting, the night horn sounded, waking up the Tibetan soldiers in the city.

But just as they rushed out of the house and before they had time to climb the city wall, the Tang army hooked a ladder on the city wall more than ten feet high.

In the dark night, the Tubo people thought that the Tang army was climbing the city wall, so they all poked their heads out and even picked up stones to hit them.

"Boom boom boom..."

But the Tang army did not climb the city wall at all, but hid aside. The Tang soldiers took out their crossbows and shot at the Tibetan soldiers on the city wall.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The distance was only a dozen steps at most, and the Tibetan soldiers on the city wall were shot like hedgehogs by hundreds of crossbow arrows.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Tang army soldiers began to climb the city wall.

Although there were only a dozen ladders, the remaining Tibetan soldiers did not dare to stick their heads out.

In this way, the Tang army climbed up and easily landed on Wuhai City.

The Tibetan soldiers stabbed with spears, but were blocked by the Tang army's iron armor. The Tang army soldiers fought back and killed all the Tibetan soldiers on the city wall in a few rounds.

Nan Jiyun also climbed up the city wall.

This city gate was not a heavy-duty gate. After the Tang army descended from the city wall, they easily opened the gate and the soldiers swarmed in.

The Tibetan soldiers rushed out of the houses but were powerless.

They were too few in number, and unlike the Tang army, every soldier was wearing armor.

In panic, they are vulnerable.

Nan Jiyun was very brave in foot combat. When he encountered a group of Tibetan infantry, he charged with his spear, and the spear shot out like a dragon. In the flying snow, he stabbed and killed more than a dozen Tibetan cavalrymen in a row.

The Tang army soldiers fought bravely and soon forced the remaining Tibetan soldiers in Wuhai City to surrender.

In less than an hour, the Tang army captured Wuhai City.

Nan Jiyun then ordered the soldiers to bring the horses over and sent them to patrol north along the road.

The rest of the soldiers rested, ate a hot meal to ward off the cold, replenished their strength, and closed their eyes to rest.

Nan Jiyun drove away the captives and took out the food in the city to feed the war horses so that they could recover their strength.

If the scouts discovered the movements of the Tibetan reinforcements, they would lead their cavalry to attack at any time.

Among the elite cavalry on this trip, some were dancing cavalry.

Nan Jiyun couldn't keep these cavalrymen in the city, so he had to tie down the enemy in the open fields.

In Wuhai City, Nan Jiyun ordered the captives to push down one side of the city wall, so that even if the Tibetan reinforcements arrived, they would not be able to occupy Wuhai City.

This continued until dawn, when scouts rushed back to report to Nan Jiyun that a large number of Tibetan cavalry were moving south overnight, and their vanguard was less than thirty miles away from Wuhai City.

Nan Jiyun immediately woke up his soldiers and prepared for battle.

They led their war horses and spare horses out of the city. Nan Jiyun did not kill the more than 100 captured Tibetan soldiers, but dispersed them.

All the Tibetan weapons and armor were taken away by the Tang army. In Nan Jiyun's opinion, these one hundred or so Tibetan soldiers could not cause any trouble.

"General, although the Tibetan reinforcements are numerous, they have rushed from the Dafei River and have not rested all night. Our troops have more than three hours to recover their strength. We should take advantage of this opportunity to attack the Tibetans and strike them before they can gain a firm foothold."

A general asked Nan Jiyun for orders.

"Our goal is to delay the Tibetan reinforcements and buy time for General Wang's march. Even if we kill 5,000 Tibetans and 1,000 of our brothers die in battle, what's the point?"

"But you are right. Tubo is exhausted. We should attack the front of Tubo first. Before reaching the main force of Tubo, we can shoot and disrupt the formation of Tubo, but we cannot charge into the formation!"

Nan Jiyun nodded, accepting half of the strategy.

Although they are armored cavalry, their numbers are few after all. Execution with the ultimate goal in mind is considered strategy.

They have to wait for Wang Nan to arrive and gain absolute advantage.

We also need to support the actions of Li Shuai from Dafeichuan who is ready at any time.

"As ordered!"

The generals did not dare to disobey Nan Jiyun's orders.

Tubo is not made of clay, and using two thousand to attack tens of thousands is a huge risk.

The best strategy is to shoot from one side to attract the tired Tibetan soldiers to pursue.

Nan Jiyun led his elite cavalry and advanced towards Enlanda Zhalugong in the howling north wind.

At this time, Enlanda Zhalugong did not know that Wuhai City had been breached.

He just wanted to reach Huashixia as soon as possible.

Because not long ago, he learned a piece of news that shocked him.

Meilingzan led the soldiers of Suobei to rebel, and the Tang army broke into Dafeichuan. Now Nanang Shangjiesi Xiuting is leading the troops to resist.

And the Zamp was riding non-stop towards Huashixia.

Not long after he led his troops away, Tubo was facing a life-and-death situation.

Of the more than 300,000 soldiers and horses, only 30,000 cavalry were left under his command.

It was because of this shocking news that Enlanda Zhalugong rushed to Huashixia overnight.

They hoped to capture Huashixia as soon as possible and complete the deployment to annihilate the Tang army that had penetrated deep into Tubo.

Only by completely annihilating the deep-rooted Tang army could the Zamp return safely to Lhasa.

"Report..."

"General, nearly 2,000 Tang cavalry suddenly appeared and attacked our vanguard. Our 2,000 vanguards were caught off guard and almost all of them were wiped out."

Just then, a soldier ran to Nlandazalugong in a panic to report.

"How could the Tang army be so fast?"

Nlandazalukong was horrified. After all, he was a famous general. The next moment, Nlandazalukong understood: "The Tang army is also marching day and night in the heavy snow, and many horses are galloping. Send the vanguard to attack."

"If that's the case, Wuhai City has most likely been captured by the Tang army."

At this moment, Nlanda Zhalugong couldn't help but feel his heart beating faster.

The Tang army expected that they would blockade Huashixia, so they sent vanguards to intercept and delay them.

All the Tang troops were equipped with iron armor and were galloping across the plains around Wu Hai, making it difficult to annihilate them in a short period of time.

"Even so, we must occupy Huashi Gorge!"

Nlanda Zalugong gave the order.

They don't have much time.

If Nang Shangjie Xiuting can't hold out for even a day, it will be useless even if they occupy Huashixia.

If the main cavalry of the Tang army were to attack from both sides together with the Tang army that had penetrated deep into the hinterland, they would undoubtedly be defeated.

Now Nlandazalugong could only try his best, hoping to open a way for the Zamp before the Tang cavalry arrived.

"Boom!"

When they were still twenty miles away from Huashixia, Nan Jiyun led his elite cavalry, stepped on the thick snow, and charged to the front of the main Tibetan cavalry.

Since the Tang army's elite cavalry had to keep their spare horses, they were more dispersed.

They usually form a team of 100 people, led by an escort officer.

The distance between teams was more than a hundred feet, or even more than a mile.

In this way, the Tang army could retreat quickly at the critical moment.

It is also more flexible when shooting.

Enlanda Zhalugong saw through Nan Jiyun's purpose at a glance. He ordered the left and right wings to send out 5,000 cavalry each to encircle and suppress Nan Jiyun.

The other cavalry continued to advance towards Huashixia.

The Tibetan cavalry rode alone, wearing light armor, and although they had the advantage of speed, they were exhausted and could not catch up for a while, and were inevitably counterattacked by the Tang army's cavalry archers. Every time the Tang army rushed for an hour, they would change their horses.

Once the Tibetan cavalry slowed down, they would actively shoot back.

They even rushed over and engaged in close combat.

After several hours, the Tibetan cavalry were exhausted, and some of their horses stood in the snow, unable to run.

The Tang army counterattacked, killing and wounding many, and the Tibetan cavalry had to retreat to the main force position.

Nlanda Zhalugong was very angry. He could not let the Tang army make trouble beside him because the Zamp's troops were about to arrive.

If the Tang army attacked the Zamp, he would be blamed for his death.

Therefore, Enlanda Zhalugong had to send another 5,000 repaired Tibetan cavalry to continue the pursuit.

In front of Huashixia, the strength of the Tibetan cavalry was weakened again.

"General Enlan, Zamp is only eighty miles away from Huashi Gorge. He is being pursued by tens of thousands of cavalry led by Li Xuan. Please go and rescue him as soon as possible."

When Enlanda Zhalugong was making arrangements, the guards wearing ruler-belt pearls and holding golden arrows gave orders to Enlanda Zhalugong.

"Isn't General Nang holding off the Tang army?"

Nlanda Zhalugong was stunned.

He wanted to keep his troops to annihilate the Tang army that had penetrated deep into the hinterland.

If they are transferred, what will happen to their retreat?
"General, the infantry led by General Nanang has been defeated by the Tang army, and General Nanang is likely to have died in the battle. In addition, the Zamp sent 5,000 cavalry to intercept Li Xuan, but they also suffered heavy casualties."

The guard's messenger replied to Enlanda Zhalugong.

If the situation was not urgent, Chidai Zhudan would not have recalled Enlanda Zhalugong.

In order to stop Li Xuan's pursuit, Chidai Zhudan had to cut off his own flesh and blood again, leaving behind 5,000 cavalry.

But in less than an hour, these 5,000 cavalry were scattered, with casualties everywhere.

The Tang army stayed up all night, pursuing the enemy in the snow.

Cavalrymen kept falling behind along the way, leaving only 5,000 cavalrymen around Chidai Zhudan. How could he not be afraid?
"Hey! Call all the troops north to protect the safety of the Zamp first!"

Nlandazalugong slapped his chest and gave the order.

It was already afternoon, and he knew that the main force of the Tang army that had penetrated deep into the hinterland would not be too far from Huashixia.

The Tang army destroyed a large section of the wall of Wuhai City, making it impossible to defend.

How many Tang cavalry will they face then?
Enlanda Zhalugong didn't care about so much. Knowing that the main force of the Tang army was about to attack, it would be useless for him to defend Huashixia to the death.

And the Tang army's cavalry was trying to find ways to weaken them and disrupt their formation.

The Tibetan cavalry suffered repeated defeats and their morale declined to the extreme.

Every soldier felt that the future was uncertain and they saw no hope of victory.

Even if Nlandazalu Gong offered a generous reward, it would be of no use.

In this battle, the Tibetan soldiers showed no temper at all.

They were powerless from all sides.

……

When Enlanda Zhalugong led his troops northward, Wang Nandi arrived more than 20 miles away from Huashixia.

He first sent scouts into Huashixia, and after learning that there was no ambush in Huashixia, more than 10,000 soldiers marched into Huashixia in a mighty force.

As the scouts were deployed, Wang Nan soon learned that Nan Jiyun was fighting a fierce battle with a part of the Tibetan cavalry.

He immediately led the cavalry to provide support.

Five thousand Tibetan cavalrymen were surrounded by more than ten thousand Tang troops. After a fierce battle, these Tibetan cavalrymen were frightened and dismounted and surrendered.

Wang Nandani and Nan Jiyun thus learned some information.

The main force of Tubo has basically been defeated, and now is the time for the Tang army to pursue.

"General, I suggest that our army block the Huashi Gorge and leave the Tibetan king no way to retreat. With General Li here, the battle over there will not be a problem. We must prevent the Tibetan soldiers and the Tibetan king from escaping."

Duan Xueshi said to Wang Nandi.

No matter what, Tubo still has tens of thousands of cavalry, so there is a great possibility that they can break through.

With more than 10,000 soldiers and 500 powerful crossbows, they can definitely defend Huashi Gorge.

As long as they don't let Chidai Zhudan, the remaining Tubo soldiers and nobles escape, they will have accomplished a great feat.

If they were greedy for merit and went to surround Chidai Zhudan, leaving Huashixia empty and letting Chidai Zhudan escape, they would be ashamed of Li Shuai's trust.

Although the Tubo army was defeated, it was not without a trace of strength. It still had two imperial guards in the country to intimidate the nobles.

At the same time, there are troops in other places.

Although Tubo gave up India, the Western Regions, and Nanzhao and its strength was reduced, it was still able to gather some troops.

And these, Tubo must give up! Because they were defeated in this battle.

"Just do as Secretary Duan said!"

Originally, Wang Nan wanted to lead his troops north to encircle Chidai Zhudan together with Li Shuai.

But Duan Xueshi was right. Now the situation has changed. The most important thing is to control Huashixia and prevent Chidai Zhudan and the Tubo soldiers from escaping.

After making a plan, Wang Nande and Nan Jiyun escorted the captives to Huashixia.

The Tang army dismounted and formed their battle array.

Line up the powerful crossbows on the high ground, set up obstacles, and point the spears outward.

Although the snow showed no signs of stopping, the Tang army built a fire in the formation and cooked mutton in a pot.

The mutton that had been brought from Chaka Salt Lake had not been eaten yet. The soldiers were tired and cold and needed a mouthful of broth to replenish themselves.

……

Late at night, Nlanda Zhalugong met the panicked Chidai Zhudan.

The ministers and kings around him were all in an extremely miserable state. Even though they had no scars on their bodies, they could not hide their decadence.

They thought that the heavy snow would prevent the Tang army from entering the snowy plateau, but it made the environment for them to leave even worse.

The knights behind him were like double eggplants.

After escaping from last night to tonight, I am exhausted both physically and mentally.

Many soldiers fell behind because their horses were exhausted.

If the Tang army fell behind, at most they would miss out on military merit.

If a Tibetan soldier falls behind, he will either die or surrender.

"The matter has not been accomplished. Now only 20,000 cavalry have returned. I feel ashamed of the Zamp!"

Nlandazalu bowed respectfully to Chidai Zhudan.

"Don't blame the general! Li Xuan is less than 20 miles away from us, and he is chasing us like a mad dog. If the general does not lead his troops here, the next time Li Xuan rushes over, no one will be able to stop him!"

Chidai Zhudan helped Nlandazhalugong up.

He was afraid that he would not be able to hold out in Huashixia, so he asked his guards to bring golden arrows to summon Enlanda Zhalugong for protection.

"Zanpu, I will use my life to escort you back to Luoshui City."

Nlanda Zhalugong bowed again.

In this battle, Tubo lost too much. He did not see Moluqiongsang Woermang, who had always cared for him. This means that Moluqiongsang Woermang may have passed away.

"General Enlan is a loyal minister! Do you think we can still pass through Huashi Gorge?"

Chidai Zhudan didn't say much and asked Enlanda Zhalugong directly how he escaped from danger.

"The main force of the Tang army that has penetrated deep into the hinterland must have already reached Huashi Gorge. It depends on whether they are coming to cooperate with Li Xuan to encircle and annihilate us, or to defend Huashi Gorge."

"If they go north, I will definitely be able to hold them back and escort the Zamp out. If they deploy defenses in the strategic Huashi Gorge, our army will not be able to break through for the time being. If Li Xuan leads his troops to come again, our army will be in danger..."

Enlanda Zhalugong analyzed all the possibilities of the Tang army.

"Zanpu, you can't break out from the main road again. Last year, Li Xuan used a fake banner to deceive our army. Please leave the banner behind and take your guards from the road north of Wuhai, crossing the mountains, where you can reach Baihai directly. Although you can't ride a horse in the dangerous place, you can lead the horse through..."

Finally, Nlandazalugong suggested to Chidaizhudan.

Because he was sure that Li Xuan would block Huashi Gorge. Since the beginning of the war, the Tang army has been cautious and has never made any mistakes. This time will be the same.

Only by blocking Huashixia can the Tubo be completely annihilated.

Enlanda Zhalugong used to be a close guard of Chidai Zhudan. He often traveled back and forth to convey orders to various tribes and knew that road.

Nlanda Zhalugong's words made the ministers and kings somewhat interested.

They just want to escape!

Even the tribes of the Tongjia King, the Tuyuhun King, and the Dangxiang King were all in the area north of Dolma.

But from the moment the Tang army left Dayuechuan, these tribes were destined to be difficult to survive.

"Do you want me to abandon my soldiers and flee?"

Chidai Zhudan said very entangledly.

He had to have some dignity. With a total of 330,000 troops, if he took only a few people back with him, the nobles and subordinates would definitely become disloyal.

Those nobles all had private soldiers and slaves, and could form an army.

Chidai Zhudan experienced many rebellions. When he was not in power, his grandmother Meilu and the great minister Qilixu successively suppressed the rebellions.

After he took power, rebellions still occurred from time to time.

This total defeat may be the fuse for another rebellion.

"Zanpu, we have lost the chance to win. You are the hope of Tubo. If you don't leave, won't the blood of the soldiers be shed in vain?"

Nlandazalugong said with tears in his eyes.

How confident was he?
He wanted to compete with Li Xuan and show through his actions that he wanted to eat "meat".

Li Xuan is too brave, too smart, and too strong.

At this time, Nlanda Zalukong no longer had such unrealistic ideas.

He only hoped that the Zamp could go back and take ten years to recover.

"Zanpu, you are everything to the country, you must leave..."

The other ministers and kings, regardless of their purpose, all persuaded Chidai Zhudan...

(End of this chapter)