The hills in the wilderness are not very high, and there is no vegetation on the mountains to provide cover.
After Li Qinzai's soldiers and horses occupied the top of the hill, they were clearly displayed in front of them, and everyone's standing position could be clearly seen.
Surrounded from all sides, Li Qinzai could only choose to occupy the high ground and defend it.
As if in a dream, from strategic initiative to complete passivity, the turning point is Shanzhou.
Is it worth it?
Quite worth it.
If time could go over again, Li Qinzai would still make the same choice.
Faced with the lives and deaths of tens of thousands of people, Li Qinzai had no other choice. He was born into a powerful family, but his soul was still grassroots. He could not use the lives and deaths of the people as a bargaining chip in exchange for victory in the war.
At this time, the remaining three thousand soldiers and horses were completely surrounded by the Tibetan army.
Li Qinzai occupies the high ground and will not sit still and wait for death. He still needs to do his best to keep the soldiers following him alive.
"Do you know how to dig a trench?" Li Qinzai asked Sun Congdong and Song Jintu.
The two nodded. In fact, ancient wars also involved soil work. The purpose of digging trenches was to deny the enemy's cavalry and slow down the enemy's charge.
"We also dig trenches, but not to stop the enemy. Instead, we stand in the trenches and build trenches one by one to defend step by step. The most important thing is the musketeers. Those who don't have muskets use bows and arrows. In short, there is no need for defensive warfare.
Charge and hold on to the trenches of your position."
"If one trench is lost, we will immediately retreat to the second trench and continue to hold on. If there is a chance, we can recapture the first trench."
After Li Qinzai explained it in detail, Sun Congdong and Song Jintu understood.
"When you understand, start digging. Everyone starts moving. Why are you so stunned!" Li Qinzai waved his hand, and the two of them quickly conveyed the order.
More than 3,000 people were carrying out soil work at the same time, and the only hilltop in the wilderness was filled with dust for a while, covering the sky.
From the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, according to Li Qinzai's idea, trench defense lines were built step by step, one after another.
Every line of defense is an opportunity for survival, and everyone digs it carefully.
"How far away is Su Dingfang's army from us?" Li Qinzai suddenly asked.
Sun Congdong sighed: "There's at least one day's journey left. When they arrive, they can collect the bodies for us, so we won't end up dying in a foreign land..."
Li Qinzai smiled: "I don't pay much attention to this. It's the same wherever you die."
Smoothly hugging Zi Nu, Li Qinzai blinked: "I'll have someone dig more holes at the top of the mountain. Let's bury them together. I have many brothers. I can protect you on the road to hell."
Zi Nu had no fear of death at all. Instead, he smiled sweetly and leaned on Li Qinzai's shoulder, saying: "I listen to you. When the last soldier is killed, I will go down and wait for you."
As he spoke, Zi Nu suddenly hugged him hard and smiled wildly: "I'm so happy that I can live and die with you. I've done what your wife couldn't do!"
Sun Congdong and Song Jintu's expressions froze and they turned their heads knowingly.
Sun Congdong smiled sadly: "What have I done wrong? I want to see other people's love before I die, and I will be just a lonely ghost after death..."
Li Qinzai smiled uncomfortably: "A barbarian woman from outside the country, her behavior is a bit unrestrained, don't worry about it."
The rapid sound of horse hoofbeats was heard, and a scout hurriedly came to report: "Uncle Li County, 20,000 Tibetan troops from the northwest have arrived, only ten miles away from us."
Li Qinzai sighed, with a smile on his face, but his eyes were extremely determined: "Everyone, prepare to fight to the death."
…………
In a handsome tent thirty miles away from the top of the mountain, Lu Dongzan stood behind a low table, staring at a map in front of him with a serious face.
The tent was full of people, all of whom were brave generals under his command.
On the map, marked arrows point directly to the same place from all directions. Outside the encirclement of the map, another arrow is still hundreds of miles away from the encirclement of the Tibetan army.
Lu Dongzan stared at the map and said: "Su Dingfang's army is about to arrive. The scouts reported that it is still one day's journey from Liangzhou. If he knew that we had entered the territory of Tang Dynasty and surrounded Li Qinzai, Su Dingfang would have ordered the army to change its route and rush for reinforcements."
Looking up at the generals, Lu Dongzan emphasized his tone and said: "I will mobilize all the troops in Tuyuhun to annihilate Li Qinzai."
"Now that Li Qinzai has been surrounded by us, it is impossible to break out. There is no room for failure in this battle. If anyone's defense line lets Li Qinzai escape, the general will behead him in public, and everyone in the clan will be killed!"
The Tubo generals responded with a roar.
Lu Dongzan added: "Li Qinzai has only three to four thousand soldiers and horses. This battle must be fought quickly. Remember, we only have one day. After one day, Su Dingfang's army will come to rescue us, and we will be defeated by then."
"In one day, Li Qinzai will be annihilated. I'm betting on the fate of the country and laying out this plan. If Li Qinzai dies, Tubo will at least be invincible. Even if it loses to Su Dingfang's army, I still have the bargaining chip to share Tuyuhun with the Tang Dynasty!"
…………
The sky was filled with yellow sand, and a caravan was struggling to move forward against the wind and sand outside Lanzhou City.
The caravan is a private caravan belonging to the right-hand Prime Minister Xu Jingzong's family, and is run by his grandson Xu Yanbo. It departs from Chang'an City, loaded with exquisite porcelain and silk from the Tang Dynasty, and is heading to the Western Regions.
Said to be the Xu family caravan, it was actually a joint venture between three companies, the largest of which was Li Zhi, followed by Li Qinzai. The Xu family contributed money and effort, but only accounted for a pitiful one-tenth, but the Xu family was happy with it.
For the Xu family, it doesn't matter whether the caravan makes money or not, and it doesn't matter if they give money. What matters is the political significance and status.
This caravan has more people than ordinary caravans, and the camels and horses are more than twice the size of ordinary caravans.
This was an accident. Before setting off, Li Qinzai's wife Cui Jie and an unknown Jinxiang county head prepared a lot of materials and entrusted Xu Yanbo to bring them to Li Qinzai. The combined materials of the two families could easily
Enough for an entire caravan.
Xu Yanbo was willing to help, but he was not willing to be a free logistics team, so he had to temporarily add camels, horses and caravan guards to the original size of the caravan.
Therefore, half of the items carried by the caravan were the items carried by the two women for Li Qinzai, and the other half were the items brought by Xu Yanbo.
It’s okay to take things with you, but you can’t help but make money, right?
The Xu family caravan just set off from Lanzhou today. Looking at the map, it was still hundreds of miles away from Liangzhou. After walking these hundreds of miles and handing over the items carried by the two women to Li Qinzai, Xu Yanbo wondered if he was in Liangzhou.
The state will restock the goods to make up for the logistics losses on the road.
After leaving Lanzhou City, the caravan walked more than 20 miles. Xu Yanbo suddenly discovered that there were more and more people on the road. The people were bringing their families with them, and they looked panicked. Some of them were carrying luggage, and some were just carrying simple bags.
A baggage.
Xu Yanbo felt strange, so he stopped several people and asked about it.
After asking, Xu Yanbo was confused.
"How dare the Tubo thieves attack Shanzhou? Who gave him the courage to be a bastard!"