The sky is high and the clouds are wide, and the cool breeze blows on my face.
In a valley, the army marched slowly, without panting or blushing. After three consecutive days, the soldiers had basically adapted to the high mountain climate and were full of energy.
A scout galloped over on horseback, said a few words to Duan Zan, and then returned. Duan Zan did not delay, came to Qin Huaidao and said: "Sir, the scouts who dispersed found a hidden valley ahead, and there was a group of horses in it.
There are more than 200 bandits. Bandits are always vigilant and will arrange secret sentries to monitor the surrounding areas. We have to take a detour."
Qin Huaidao was about to agree when he met many tribes and bandits along the way. In order to avoid being exposed, they all chose to take a detour. Suddenly he thought that the brothers had been traveling for three days and urgently needed to take a good rest and regain their strength. Bandit dens are generally not
There will be people coming here, it's a good shelter.
With a thought in his heart, Qin Huaidao immediately said: "Arrange some people, surround them on all sides, seize the den, and then send people out for ten miles around to remove the concealed equipment. Don't be in a hurry today, have a good rest, and talk about it tomorrow."
Duan Zan looked at the large army. Although he was in a good mental state, something would happen after the state passed. He was a bit exhausted and needed a rest. He immediately agreed: "Follow the order!"
With an order, a large army broke away from the main force and accelerated its advance.
The main force continued to move forward slowly. After half an hour, they arrived at a hidden valley, surrounded by mountains. Only a narrow canyon could enter. The canyon was like a thin line of sky. Fortunately, carriages could pass through, but there was a cave in the valley, with splashing waterfalls and green grass.
It is lush and has a huge cave, which can be called a paradise.
The attacking troops were carrying the corpses of bandits. Duan Zan learned about the situation and came over to report: "Sir, no one has escaped the trap. There is a big pit in the cave, where the corpses are thrown. There is also some food, cattle, sheep and biological supplies hidden, which is enough for three armies."
God needs it.”
"How many horses are there?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"More than three hundred horses. Some were injured in the battle, and there are more than two hundred that can be used."
"It's still not enough. Our war horses on the plateau can only carry loads and cannot run fast. We must ride horses produced in Tibet. Take your time and equip all the horses to the scouts to increase the number of scouts. Starting tomorrow, the scouts will spread out for twenty miles.
, the army needs to march in a hurry, take a good rest today, remember, the water must be boiled before drinking, whoever dares to disobey will be engaged in military law." Qin Huaidao warned.
Duan Zan didn't understand why Qin Huaidao repeatedly emphasized this point, but he rushed to make arrangements like a mountain of generals.
"Let's find a place to rest." Qin Huaidao looked at Xue Rengui.
Xue Rengui nodded and opened the way. The group came to a thatched house and stopped. The carriage gathered together. Half of the people stayed to guard the carriage, while the other half rushed into the room to clean up briefly and light a fire for cooking.
Qin Huaidao sat down on a stone at the door of a thatched house, looked at the busy army, and kept giving orders to Dan Duan Zan, and said with a smile: "Ten thousand people use their fingers like arms, and the orders and prohibitions are carried out in an orderly manner. It is indeed the style of a father.
Brother Xue, learn a little, you will need it in the future."
"There is indeed a way. I have learned a lot along the way." Xue Rengui said with emotion.
The two chatted casually, and not long after, a soldier brought three sheep. Xue Rengui asked one of his men to come over and borrow them. After the opponent left, he asked: "Young master, should you roast them?"
"Let's find something to stew. Haven't you eaten enough roasted here?"
"That's fine." Xue Rengui smiled and made arrangements.
Qin Huaidao took out the map to look at it, but the standard of the drawing was too unclear and he could not find his location at all. He could only make a rough estimate. He estimated that it would take a month to go around the mountains and ridges like this. He must speed up the road behind and ensure at least
March two hundred miles and strive to reach the royal city within twenty days.
Not long after, Duan Zan hurried over and said, "Sir, the troops who searched the surrounding areas returned and found hidden stakes. They were all killed and no one escaped. Are we really going to rest here for a day?"
"Are you worried that this is a place of death?" Qin Huaidao saw that the other party was worried and asked bluntly. Seeing him nod, he continued: "There is no one around and no one has come back. Moreover, the whereabouts of our army have not been exposed, and the Tibetan army will not come. What's the matter?
Worried? But be careful. The scouts put on bandit clothes, pretend to be bandits, and disperse for thirty miles to keep watch. If anyone is approaching, they will be killed directly."
"This is a good idea. I'll make arrangements here." Duan Zan's eyes lit up and he hurried away.
Xue Rengui came over with a pot of stewed mutton in a dignified manner: "Young Master, eat some, General Duan is a little timid."
"No, he just abided by his duty and came to ask for instructions. In fact, he had already made plans in his mind."
"Is that so?" Xue Rengui was a little skeptical, but said nothing more.
The two of them chatted about the journey ahead while eating. After eating and drinking, they found a place to lie down and rest.
…
Early the next morning, the army, which had rested for a day, was in high spirits, resurrected with full blood, well fed and drunk, and broke out of camp. They took the food captured from the bandits and set off, heading straight to the west.
More than four hundred scouts spread out to conduct reconnaissance thirty miles away. News came one after another like a pipeline. The army tried its best to avoid the tribes and villages they encountered along the way. If they couldn't avoid it, they killed them. If they encountered herdsmen, they looted them to replenish food.
, in extraordinary times, take extraordinary measures.
In order to reduce the risk of exposure, the army marched at night after two days, found a sheltered place to rest after dawn, and continued marching after dark. The black and white were reversed, and the body was a little unable to bear it, but the risk of exposure was greatly reduced.
Five days later, the army encountered another group of horse bandits, killed them all, and seized thousands of horses. They rested for a day in a hidden bandit den, recovered their strength, and continued on their way. The terrain ahead became flat and vast, and they marched.
The speed increased again.
Ten days later, the army was only three days away from Luoche City, the royal city of Tubo. There were more and more tribes along the way. To be on the safe side, when encountering large tribes that could not be swallowed up in one bite, they chose to go around. Even if they walked a little longer, they could swallow them up in one bite.
Be absolutely unambiguous and try to control exposure risks.
Originally it only took three days to travel, but the army marched for two more days. Using the cover of darkness at night, they marched 30 miles outside Luoche City and rested in a valley to wait for dawn.
A battle was about to begin, and a chilling atmosphere permeated the army, indifference and silence. The soldiers began to clean their swords, feed materials to the horses, and prepare for the battle.
Duan Zan brought his generals and generals to look for him. There was going to be a battle at dawn. No one could remain calm. Duan Zan did not hide it and said directly: "Sir, how are we going to fight this battle?"
Along the way, Qin Huaidao didn't say anything about his battle plan. It wasn't that he didn't want to say it, but he was unsure. There was too little information to make arrangements. He had been to Lhasa in later generations, but the Luoshu City in this life was not Lhasa. Who knows?
What's the terrain like?
Qin Huaidao understood everyone's mood and said bluntly: "Tonight, the soldiers have a good rest and recover their strength. I will take people to see the terrain in person. I will make a decision when I come back. Brother Xue, come with me."
"No problem." Xue Rengui agreed.
"Sir, are you going to investigate in person?" Duan Zan was anxious.
Qin Huaidao interrupted: "The key to this battle is to go and see for yourself. Come back after daybreak and the army will be left to you. It will be dark and no one will come. If someone comes, just silence them. Brother Xue, let's go and don't ride on the horse."
The two left in a hurry and quickly disappeared into the night.
Duan Zan and others saw this scene and didn't know what to say. They said they were irresponsible. They went to investigate in person. They said they were responsible. How could the commander-in-chief of an army go to investigate in person? What would happen if something went wrong?
"Okay, everyone should perform their duties, but nothing will happen tonight. We will wait until the master comes back." Duan Zan warned.
When everyone saw that Duan Zan had said this, they couldn't discuss it further and dispersed one after another.
…
On a mountain ridge, two black figures moved quickly. Xue Rengui, who was following behind him, couldn't help but said: "Young Master, what did General Duan mean just now?"
"They are anxious, but it is understandable. The army has already arrived at its destination. It has been sleeping rough and suffering all the way, but there is no way to fight. It would be strange if they are not anxious. Can they speed up a little?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"no problem."
The speed of the two suddenly increased. Qin Huaidao was worried about being exposed, so he personally led the way and ran in uninhabited places. Using the cover of the mountainous terrain, he unknowingly came to a hillside. As expected, the front was open and a city appeared. It was made of rammed soil, but it was nestled against the mountain.
However, there is only one way to go up.
There are many earthen walls and some fortresses built around the city. The steep terrain gives people a majestic and solemn feeling. It is not easy to attack. There is a large open land directly in front of the city, and some low thatched houses in the distance.
, well-proportioned and densely packed.
After feeling the direction of the wind, it was blowing from the southwest. There are also hillsides in the southeast that can be used. It is not a big problem for the hot air balloon to rise. Qin Huaidao felt confident and continued to observe Luoche City under the moonlight while whispering: "Brother Xue, you
Look at the city’s defenses, how many troops and horses are expected?”
"It's hard to judge, but look at the size of the city, and consider that there are many nobles in the royal city, with a force of about 20,000 to 30,000, and there is no room for any more. This is a royal city, and it has never encountered foreign enemies, so it is impossible to station too many troops."
"Twenty or thirty thousand?" Qin Huaidao saw that it was about the same as he had expected. He thought for a while and continued: "Duan Zan knows the situation in Tubo best. He said that Tubo has a standing army of about 500,000. Lu Dongzan was captured some time ago.
In order to deter the Tang Dynasty, the troops on the border reached 300,000, and 200,000 troops were stationed north of Tubo. The remaining 100,000 troops should be distributed to the west of Tubo to prevent sneak attacks from the west."
"Isn't it true that 600,000 troops are on the border?" Xue Rengui asked in surprise.
"That's right, Tubo has high terrain and low air pressure. Outsiders cannot adapt to it and no one can break in. There is no big problem of internal emptiness. If you were the King of Tubo, you would deploy in this way. It would be a complete waste to keep the troops inside the country."
"It makes sense. The 20,000 to 30,000 troops in the city should be the Forbidden Army. If we capture them, wouldn't they be able to bring down the top Tibetan officials?" Xue Rengui said excitedly.
Qin Huaidao's eyes lit up. He really hadn't thought about this problem. Before, he just thought about bombarding Luoche City and forcing the opponent to surrender through precise strikes. He looked around for reminders and was suddenly moved. He secretly sighed in his heart. This Xue Rengui is worthy of being a military god.
, with unique vision and boundless courage, he smiled and said: "Tell me what you think."
"Really?" Xue Rengui looked at Qin Huaidao and saw that Qin Huaidao smiled and said nothing. He became more courageous and said excitedly: "When we came here, there was a valley with dangerous terrain, which is conducive to ambush. Let's take a detour to the southwest and then rise with the wind.
The hot air balloon can be used to control the direction after the air attack on Luoche City, and it can land in that valley. When the enemy sees the hot air balloon, they will definitely send troops to chase and kill them. When the time comes, it will be all over."
"How many people do you expect the enemy to chase?" Qin Huaidao asked.
Xue Rengui heard the implication, thought about it carefully, and said with a wry smile: "It's a bit difficult. The enemy can only chase ten thousand people. After all, the nobles in the city are also afraid of death. They will leave a large army behind, even if they kill ten thousand people, it will be useless."
, can’t take the city.”
After all, it was his first time on the battlefield, and the heat was still a little low. Qin Huaidao gave some pointers and whispered: "What if we launch an attack overnight?"
"Night attack?" Xue Rengui was shocked. Flying in the night sky was no joke, but then he thought about it. He was sleeping at night. If a terrorist attack was launched and a large area was exploded, the destructive power would be more than twice as strong as during the day. Even the bombing would cause the house to collapse.
Buried, maybe half of the army can be killed.
However, it's useless to kill half of them, they still can't win, unless...
Thinking of a certain possibility, Xue Rengui was shocked: "Young Master, do you mean that the army attacked the city overnight?"
"That's right, let's go to war. Be bolder and bolder." Qin Huaidao said with a satisfied smile.
"hiss--"
Xue Rengui was still frightened by Qin Huaidao's audacity and asked: "Can it be done?"
"If the plan is well planned, of course it can be done." Qin Huaidao said solemnly, full of confidence, pointing to the surrounding terrain and explaining: "Originally, we only planned to attack at high altitude and force the opponent to surrender, but this city is not strong enough. Unexpectedly, we can
Take advantage and catch them by surprise."
"How do you say it?" Xue Rengui's eyes grew brighter, and his eyes shone like stars.
"If it's a majestic city like Chang'an, if it can't be blown down, it can't be attacked. All efforts are in vain, and we can only force it to surrender. But look at this city. It's all made of compacted earth. Normally, it's difficult to attack, but explosive packs can.
, I overestimated the productivity of Tubo and thought it was also a masonry city." Qin Huaidao said with emotion.
"It's a barren land, and even the level of weapons manufacturing is mediocre. It's all about looting. How can it be possible to build a powerful city?"
"Yes, I overestimated them. Let's talk about it when we get back." Qin Huaidao was so happy that he turned around and ran away.
Xue Rengui quickly followed.
The two of them ran all the way back to the camp, panting from exhaustion, and sat down to drink water and pant. Duan Zan heard the news and brought people over in a hurry. Qin Huaidao said not to ask questions yet, and asked people to bring paper and charcoal, and quickly started drawing. Everyone gathered around
When I came up to take a look, I saw a picture popping up on the paper. I was shocked. The level of painting is simply incredible!
After the painting was completed, Qin Huaidao hung up the picture and erected two torches next to it to illuminate it for everyone to see. He picked up a slender stick as a baton and solemnly said: "Sit down in the front row and stand in the back row, make sure everyone
can see."
Everyone immediately followed the instructions and became excited knowing that the critical moment had arrived.
Qin Huaidao pointed to a location and said: "Leave the baggage troops to guard the supplies. The army will travel all night and wait here before dawn."
Everyone saw that this location was the closest mountain to Luoche City, and it would not be a big problem to rush there overnight. They all nodded. Qin Huaidao continued: "My people will fly into the sky and attack Luoche City from the air."
"Sir, I will excuse you for interrupting me. Your people are flying into the sky?" Duan Zan asked in disbelief.
"This is a military secret. Don't ask any more questions. Just listen first." Qin Huaidao refused to explain. He was too sensitive and complicated. He continued: "Remember, my people will blow up the entrances to the city so that you can enter easily. I
The attack time of my men will not be too long, so once they attack, you must rush out of the ambush point. By the time you arrive, my men will have finished their attack. You can take the opportunity to cover up and go in to capture Luoshu City."
"What, take it?" Duan Zan was shocked.
The other generals were also stunned and confused for a moment.
It’s not that everyone is cowardly, but this matter is too unbelievable. Who would believe that Luoche City was captured in one night?
Qin Huaidao frowned and glanced at everyone, then his cold eyes fell on Duan Zan: "Do you have a problem?"
His gaze was like a knife, piercing people's hearts. Duan Zan couldn't help but shudder. He realized that he had lost his composure and said quickly: "Sir, there is no problem. I will obey the order resolutely."
"What about you?" Qin Huaidao looked at the others.
Everyone shook their heads. Although they were dissatisfied and full of doubts, they were used to obeying and no one dared to speak out.
How could Qin Huaidao not be able to see through everyone's doubts? Thinking that everyone needed to fight hard, speaking more clearly would help improve morale, and asked in a cold voice: "You are all battle-hardened generals. I ask you, if you are more logical
Countless houses in the city have collapsed, fires have spread, there have been countless casualties, the city is in chaos, and the city gates have collapsed. Can it be captured?"
"That's absolutely no problem." Duan Zan said solemnly.
"That's right, if there is such a good thing, it won't be a waste of effort to win it." Other generals also expressed their stance.
Qin Huaidao nodded with satisfaction: "Then let's make a bet. My people are responsible for causing chaos in the city and blowing open the city gates. You are responsible for taking it. If my people can't do it, you will withdraw immediately and return to Chang'an overnight. If
If you can't do it, military law will be used."
"Okay, if Luoche City is in chaos and cannot be taken, I don't need to tell you, I will chop off my own head." Duan Zan said solemnly, his eyes became fanatical. If Luoche City is really captured, it will be a great achievement.
Others also thought of this and became excited. Anyway, if the city is not in chaos, everyone will withdraw their troops and there will be no losses. But if chaos really breaks out, it will be easy to achieve great power, and everyone will be able to leave their name in history.
To be a general, isn't it just to open up new territories and leave a name in history?!
At this moment, morale is boosted!
Seeing that the effect of motivating the generals was good, Qin Huaidao was determined and solemnly said: "This battle should be as fast as lightning. He came from Chang'an as fast as possible, and then captured Luoche City as fast as possible overnight. Therefore, this battle is also called
In the blitzkrieg, it depends on you whether you can decide the outcome and create miracles in one battle."
Later generations of blitz warfare used the latest high-tech weapons to achieve war goals suddenly and quickly with minimal losses. Compared to Tibet, our own hot air balloons and explosive packs were also the latest high-tech, but they were still inferior. Can they strike the enemy like lightning?
, also depends on the ground troops!
Now that the morale of the army is available, the chance of winning is much greater. Qin Huaidao solemnly reminded: "Everyone, this battle must be fast and hit the enemy like lightning. Therefore, the attack must be divided into divisions. You must agree on how to arrange it. After entering,
Capture more senior Tibetan officials as hostages, and the team will rest for two hours before setting off."
The army is unfamiliar, so it is a wise move to leave the deployment to Duan Zan.
Duan Zan nodded knowingly and solemnly agreed: "Please rest assured, Sir, it will be absolutely foolproof. However, can you give the drawings to the general for deployment?"
"Take it." Qin Huaidao handed the drawing to the other party nonchalantly and added: "In addition, two hundred people need to be arranged to help carry some supplies."
"No problem." Duan Zan agreed and hurried to the Chinese military tent with his men.
Xue Rengui asked worriedly: "Young Master, is it appropriate to hand over the command to them?"
"No problem. Don't use doubters, and don't doubt people when you employ them. Besides, we are not familiar with this army, and we don't know the general's character, abilities, etc. It would be bad to give a hasty command. You have seen General Duan's abilities along the way."
"Yes, he is indeed good at leading troops." Xue Rengui agreed.
"Go down with the order and rest for an hour before setting off. We have to get there first."
"Understood." Xue Rengui hurriedly went to make arrangements.
Qin Huaidao was sitting in the coachman's seat, leaning against the carriage with his eyes closed and concentrating. This battle was like dancing on a tightrope. Once he failed, he would face endless pursuit, encirclement and suppression. I am afraid it would be difficult to squint with peace of mind and regain enough energy.
The army gradually became quiet, and everyone closed their eyes to rest.
The moonlight was like water, softly scattered on the faces of the soldiers in the camp, calm and silent.
An hour later, the village guard team woke up, opened the carriage, and took out the packages one by one. The two hundred people who were arranged by Duan Zan to carry supplies lined up. Everyone looked at the carriage curiously. The carriage was sealed tightly all the way.
It was never opened, and everyone discussed it privately, guessing what it was.
The package was tightly sealed, but it was still hard to see what was inside. There were also wooden barrels, and I didn’t know what they contained. The stove was unpackaged, but everyone became more and more curious. Why would you bring a stove to a war?
All supplies were distributed, and with an order, they quickly left the camp.
Qin Huaidao did not need to carry supplies, but walked in front with two swords on his back. He was accompanied by Xue Rengui and a small team who were responsible for opening the way. The team moved very quickly.
The wilderness was eerily quiet, but it was already late at night, no one came, and the team walked smoothly.
Marching in a hurry, Qin Huaidao unknowingly came to a hillside. Qin Huaidao felt the direction of the wind. After confirming that there was no problem, he stopped the large army, unloaded the supplies, and let the team who helped carry the supplies return on their own. Hot air balloons and explosive bags were too sensitive and were important.
, must not be exposed easily.
Qin Huaidao gathered everyone together, and under the moonlight, he drew a brief sketch of Luoshu City on the ground with stones, and warned: "Everyone, after taking off in a while, the flight path cannot be controlled absolutely accurately, and there will be deviations.
I won’t mention the deployment tasks by name, everyone is very careful.”
Everyone looked stern and pricked up their ears.
Qin Huaidao pointed to the sketch and continued: "At the gate of the city, there are enemies hiding in the fortress. The larger rooms may be campsites. They are all important attack targets. Whichever is more convenient, just blow it up. The people living in the low and small rooms are not of high value. Others
It's a waste of explosives. Only the top of the city, which is the palace, cannot be blown up. The King of Tubo must keep it as a hostage, otherwise we will be in danger and won't be able to return to Chang'an. Do you understand?"
"Understood." Everyone nodded.
Qin Huaidao felt the wind and warned: "I will fly ahead in a moment, you follow me, pay attention to the altitude and speed, and when you are above Luoxe City, try to control the speed as much as possible. The slower and lower we stay above Luoxe City, the longer we stay above Luoxe City
The longer it is, the better you can spot the target, but you must maintain the height of an arrow and don’t seek death.”
Everyone nodded and took note.
Everyone in Chashan has done countless simulated attack trainings, and they all know what they are doing.
Qin Huaidao explained some more details. Everyone took action, opened the package, installed and debugged the hot air balloon. The air bag was filled with wind and opened. When it was erected, it almost caught fire. Then the explosive bag, kerosene, and coke were soaked in kerosene.
Distribute all the dry firewood.
There are ten explosive packets per person, so one hundred people means one thousand.
The Royal Palace in Luoche City is so big. Throwing a thousand explosive packets into it and attacking it at night, there is no reason why it should not be destroyed.
Everything was ready. Calculating the time, the large troops should arrive at the designated position. Qin Huaidao warned uneasily: "Remember, after igniting the fuse and throwing it down hard, you must throw all the explosive packets into Luoshu City as quickly as possible.
Then follow me closely and don't fly off the track. If you fly off and get lost, go to the previous camp and gather yourself."
"Follow the order!" Everyone solemnly agreed.
"Is there any problem?" Qin Huaidao glanced at everyone with his eyes like a torch.
"No." Everyone shook their heads with firm eyes.
Qin Huai raised his head again. The moonlight was good tonight and the wind was not strong. It was suitable for taking off. Even if he was off track, he could correct the direction and keep up. It was not a big problem. He said: "Everyone, this battle will create a precedent for air strikes. It has never been done before. You can also
He will become the first person to fly to heaven and leave his name in history forever."
A look became fanatical, and fighting spirit burst out.
"ignition!"
At the command, kerosene was poured into the coke, and when the fire stone was rubbed, sparks flew and burned.
After a while, the coke burned red, and flammable wood was thrown in, making the fire even bigger.
Hot air balloons soared into the sky one after another, flying towards Luoche City like life-threatening gods and demons.