"Old!" Looking at the pale setting sun in the sky, Urqibu Aijinsitai said in a long voice. He is seventy-four years old this year. Outside the Yumen Pass, where he rarely sees green for a few days throughout the year, he is definitely a person.
Amazing longevity. Therefore, as one of the oldest chiefs in the Qiemo River Basin, he saw many things in his life that others did not have time to see clearly.
He had seen the rise and expansion of the Turkic Empire under the leadership of Gudulu Khan, and also witnessed its decline day by day under the leadership of Mopohan; he had seen how the black wolf cavalry led by Pijak Khan showed off his power,
He also witnessed how the 100,000 Tang troops under Wang Zhongsi were devastated; he saw the eyes of Baimei Khan that could not be closed, and he also witnessed the dripping blood on the sword head of the powerful Peiluo Khan. (Note 1)
Year after year, the Tulum moraine underfoot keeps changing its owners. Every time the king's flag changes, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood are left behind. As a small tribe with a total population of less than 50,000, the Urqi tribe can only be among them.
Go with the flow. Try to stay with the side that is about to win, even if you suddenly change sides. Try your best not to be on the wrong team to avoid the thunderous wrath of the strong.
Therefore, being slow when things happen is a summary of Urqi tribe's lifelong experience. You should not be the person at the front, even if huge benefits are at your fingertips. You should not be the person holding back the team.
Even if there is a mountain of knives lying in front of him, the Geshu tribe sent an envoy to invite the five major tribes living near Puchanghai to jointly send troops to attack a Tang Dynasty baggage team. He also adopted the same strategy. He accepted the gift and sent troops on schedule to avoid offending Ge Shu.
Shu Bu was so angry that he secretly instigated the nearby Turkic tribes to retaliate. At the same time, he tried to walk slower than others, so as not to be the culprit of the annihilation of the baggage train, so as to prevent Feng Gaizi, the Jiedushi of the Fourth Town of Anxi, from settling accounts in the future. (Note 2)
"Yes, we are all old. In the future, Tulum Moraine will belong to young people!" With the same idea of picking up leftover bones, there is Aijin Jie Zhilue from the Ministry of Fire and Luo. He is also unwilling to participate in the robbery and killing.
A group of Tang people's transport team provoked a large-scale pursuit by the Anxi Army. You know, Feng Changqing was famous for being a calf protector. Whoever touched a hair of his subordinates, he could not spare his hands to deal with it.
If you free your hands, the earth will definitely collapse.
But at the same time, Aijinjie Zhilue of the Sehuoluo tribe was not willing to offend Ge Shuhan. Although Puchanghai was located in Anxi Town, Hexi Jiedushi Ge Shuhan could not lead his army across the border to stand up for his tribe. However, at the moment
The Turkic tribes scattered throughout the Western Regions all followed the Geshu tribe, which angered Geshuhan. No one was sure whether a neighboring Turkic tribe would take a big bite out of them by competing for pasture.
Two evils faced each other, so Jie Zhi Lue Aijin invariably adopted the same countermeasures as Tai Si Tai Aijin. He led all the camel soldiers to the expedition. He Gu, Chu Mukun, and Chiya were willing to please Ge Shuhan, so they let them
Go ahead and please. The Urqi tribe and the Sehuluo tribe are willing to follow slowly and share the leftovers. Anyway, the main specialty of the camel is its load-bearing capacity and endurance, and it is impossible to run faster than the war horse in any case.
The two mature guys joined forces and rushed forward, following the horse hoof marks left by the other three tribes. They kept spotting Loulan people's scouts along the way, and they didn't bother to send anyone to chase them. They arrived.
At this time, whether the two camel cavalry joined or not had no impact on the outcome of the battle. He Gu, Chu Mu Kun, and Chi Ya sent out the best of the clan, totaling more than 800. They led more than 800 elite warriors.
, if they can’t even eat more than 400 Loulan people, Chu Mukun Tumati and others should not continue to hang out in the Puchanghai area. There is no room for the weak in the Gobi Desert, and other tribes who smell the illness of their companions will rush there as soon as possible.
Come here and divide up the pastures, livestock and women belonging to the three failed tribes.
As if aware of this, after watching for a moment near the large group of people, the scouts sent by the Loulan people completely disappeared. Aijin Jiezhi of the Sehuluo tribe shook his head slightly and smiled bitterly, his face full of sympathy for the enemy.
However, less than half an hour after he had laughed, he began to worry about the other three tribes again.
"I'm telling you, Brother Tsitai, Tumati and the other three little guys, they can't really lose! It stands to reason that a messenger should come over to show off at this time!" Urqi tugged gently.
Peter, who was in a state of disbelief, inquired with a slight frown on his face.
"That's not true. Jie Zhilue, why do you become more timid as you get older!" Di Sitai turned around and scolded with a smile, "The warriors under Tumati's command are more than twice as many as the Loulan people."
"Aren't I a little worried?" Faced with his friend's question, Ai Jinjie from the Seihuoluo tribe smiled slightly. "There are indeed only more than 400 people in Loulan, but there are more than a hundred people from the Tang Dynasty who can't stand it. I heard people say
, Half a month ago, a group of Turks also attacked the Tang Dynasty's transport team, but they were completely annihilated!"
"Then the Loulan people must have taken advantage of them at the critical moment." Urqi tribe Aijinsitai shook his head and vowed to cheer up his friend. "I have also heard people talk about that battle. The Turks and
When the fighting between the Tang people was at its most intense, the Loulan people suddenly came out from behind and killed them. We in the Western Regions have too many tribes. Everyone has their own thoughts and stabs each other, so they are becoming more and more declining. It really takes one-on-one to win.
I won’t lose to them Tang people!”
"That's true!" Jie Zhi shrugged slightly and kept smiling bitterly. All the ministries in the Western Regions are united. It sounds nice to say it, but it is easier said than done. Since the death of Ashina Guduulu, the various ministries in the Western Regions have never been united. They are always regarded by the Tang people as
They were provoked to fight each other at a very small cost, and then they were defeated and conquered by the Tang people one by one.
"I know very well the tempers of those little guys. If they are not sure of victory, they will definitely stand still and wait for us to follow before launching an attack!" After squinting his eyes and thinking for a while, he added with a curled lips.
No one is a fool, and fools cannot be tribesmen. But all the smart people were forced to retreat step by step by the Tang people who were neither smart nor strong. They led their tribes to retreat from the Qilian Mountains to Tulum Moraine.
Then retreat all the way further to the west.
"That's true. Even if you can't win, you won't even have a chance to escape!" Jie Zhi sighed slightly and agreed with a smile. Four hundred people defeating eight hundred people is a classic. But if four hundred people fight
If you can completely wipe out an opponent twice your size, it can only be called a miracle.
But the miracle happened right before his eyes.
Before he finished speaking, more than thirty Chumukun warriors, covered in black burqas, had already broken through the obstruction of the distant barrier and fled towards the brigade on horseback. As they fled, they shouted in Turkic language at the top of their lungs: "Help!"
,Help, the Loulan people are chasing us!"
"Stop them!" Aijinsitai of the Urqi tribe immediately took the white camel under his crotch and ordered loudly. "Let them go around to the back of the team and don't get close!"
"Yes!" The tribe's Zhuoban Falcon agreed and led more than twenty camel warriors to fight out of the team. While blocking the retreating troops, he shouted loudly, "Go around, go around, go around to the back of the team! Otherwise, don't blame me for attacking.
ruthless!"
The Chu Mukun warrior did not dare to disobey, so he obediently turned his horse's head and went around to the back of the camel team. Seeing this, Duo Sitai breathed a sigh of relief, and was about to order someone to bring the defeated troops in front of him and ask about the details of the battle.
Process. Suddenly a siren sounded loudly in the distance. More than a hundred Chumukun warriors, all wrapped in black cloth, were chased like ducks by more than three hundred Loulan cavalry. They rushed towards the group of warriors composed of Urqi and Sehuluo.
Brigade.
"Stop them, stop them! Everyone, form a circular formation. Archers are ready! Shoot at the base of the formation." Aijin of the Urqi tribe was so frightened that he did not bother to ask Aijin of the Sehuluo tribe for his opinion on the strategy.
Give orders loudly.
"Form up, form up. Anyone who dares to intrude, shoot!" Jie Zhilue's reaction was not slow, and he immediately issued an order to his troops. The dangers of a broken army are extremely terrible. Often, before the enemy can get close, his troops will be killed.
The position has been disrupted by the defeated troops.
"Woo, woo, woo, woo!" The shrill horns sounded one after another. Accompanied by the sound of the horns, the camel cavalry of Urqi and Sehuolo quickly adjusted their formations, trying to form an easy-to-defend but difficult-to-defend formation.
They attacked in a circular formation to avoid the impact of the broken troops. At this moment, a piercing cry suddenly came from the rear team. The Chumukun tribe warriors who had gone around to seek shelter raised their scimitars and attacked the camels carrying supplies and fresh water.
Cut it off.
The camel cavalry protecting the baggage was caught off guard and was chopped to pieces by the warriors of Chumukun tribe. The camels in the group were frightened and ran around. The warriors of Urqi and Sehuluo had just formed a rudimentary circular formation.
They were immediately torn apart, and many cavalrymen had to turn around to deal with the camels charging towards them. The vicious Chumukun warriors, waving their scimitars, followed behind the camels and hacked and killed them randomly.
Thirty people, wreaking havoc under the eyes of more than 1,100 people. Only madmen would do this. But at this time, no one could laugh at their madness. Just when the two warriors of Urqi and Sehuluo were charged by their own camels
When they were in a hurry, more than a hundred Mukun warriors on the opposite side had already "escaped" to within fifty steps. The twenty or so people in front suddenly bent down, took out a long spear from the victory hook, and held the flat end in their hands.
It crashed into Urqi Falcon and others who were responsible for the interception.
Horse! Qu Zhuoban, an Urqi falcon who had experience in fighting against the Tang army, screamed. He raised his scimitar and tried to deflect the three-foot spear. This effort was almost in vain. With the momentum of the war horse, the long spear on the opposite side was like a
An angry giant python knocked away his scimitar, hit his chest, knocked him up, and lifted him into the air.
If it was a hardwood horse, the person holding the horse must let go at this moment. Otherwise, the huge repulsive force would knock the person holding the horse off the horse. However, something happened that stunned all the camel cavalry. Qu Zhuo hit the falcon.
After the shift, the python-like long shaft actually bent into a bow shape. In an instant, almost all the recoil force was absorbed by the deformed shaft. As Qu Zhuoban's body was lifted off the saddle, the shaft
It bounced straight again in an instant, throwing Qu Zhuoban, the falcon who had lost his breath, far away like a grass roller.
"Kill!" the spear holder on horseback shouted angrily, pushing and pushing with his arms, sweeping the spear pole left and right. The impact force accumulated on the pole continued to be released, "pop" and "pop", hitting the other two
The camel cavalry's chest knocked the two men off their humps, breaking their muscles and bones.
"Kill!" "Kill!" The other twenty or so long spears followed closely behind, bumping, provoking, prodding, and beating. In the blink of an eye, they killed all the Urqi warriors responsible for the interception.
"People from the Tang Dynasty, they are people from the Tang Dynasty!" At this moment, Aijinsitai of the Urqi tribe recovered from the shock and shouted hoarsely.
He understood that he had been deceived. The holders who rushed forward and the insidious guys who had gone around to the back of the team were not Chu Mukun's defeated troops at all, but genuine Tang people. Only Tang people could afford it.
The expensive composite horse pole! Only the people of the Tang Dynasty could make the Tumukun tribe fight back in such a short period of time.
But it was too late to make any adjustments at this moment. After breaking through the obstruction of the Falcon Qu Zhuo Ban, the Tang people, who were all wrapped in black robes, did not stop for a moment and ran straight into the two main warrior teams of Urqi and Sehuluo.
Twenty-six horse-steeds are arranged in a line with sharp knives that are full of sharp teeth. They are stuck and killed, driven forward, and go straight in.
The cavalry formation, which had been hit by their own camels, was in disarray, and a huge crack immediately appeared in the front. At the front of the crack, the Tang people holding long spears looked like menacing gods. Following them, more than eighty black-robed warriors waved their bows.
The knife expanded the crack, expanded it, and expanded it into a huge gap, which was dripping with blood.
"Block, block!" Ai Jinjie of the Saihuoluo tribe was as wary as a knife and desperately urged his warriors to block the gap. Several young men known for their bravery in the tribe mobilized their camels to rush forward. They pinched them from left to right.
At the head of the horse holding the sword, the scimitar flashed several shrill cold lights.
"Kill!" The spear holder who was rushing at the front shouted again. The long spear slipped in along the gap of the sword light and pierced the throat of the tribal warrior closest to him. Then, he held the spear pole tightly in his left hand.
With his right hand, he flicked the sword, and the seemingly cumbersome Zhangba Chang suddenly turned, changed from a thorn to a cut, and drew a flat line of cold light, cutting a huge bloody gash in the neck of another camel cavalry who rushed up to attack.
"Uh!" The camel cavalryman whose neck blood vessel was cut dropped his scimitar and tried to cover the wound with his fingers. All efforts were in vain. As the hot blood poured out, the strength in his arm became weaker and weaker.
Weak and dying, he saw the cold front turning again, sweeping a few feet away, and sweeping one of his robes into the air.
"Kill!" Several other long poles hit each other one after another, knocking away several camel soldiers around the one holding the pole at the front. In just a few breaths, a dozen of the bravest young men from the Cyprus Fire Department
, all died in battle, no one was spared. And they had no chance to touch the corners of their opponent's burqa.
This is impossible, this is impossible. Aijin Jie of the Sehuluo tribe was stunned. There was no need to send people to stop him anymore. No one in the Sehuluo cavalry could stand in front of the horse holding the sword. The Urqi tribe
The same was true for the camel soldiers. Under the urging of the tribe Aijinsitai, they tried desperately, tried desperately, but in the end they all fell off their mounts and died.
How could there be so many warriors in a baggage train?! Jie Zhi felt a salty taste welling up in his mouth. In his early years, he had fought against the Tang army under the banner of the Turks. Although the Tang army was powerful at that time
It is so vast that among tens of thousands of people, there are only a few thousand good handlers. How can a small baggage team be able to pull out nearly thirty handlers?
Of course he didn't know that the two dozen or so holders who were getting closer and closer to him were the sons of good families selected from thousands near Chang'an City. Last year, tens of thousands of people went to Baima Castle to take the exam, and finally passed Gao Lishi
Together with Feng Changqing, they only selected a thousand people.
After more than half a year of hard training, these thousands of people are among the best in the Tang Dynasty's frontier army. What's more, Wang Xun and the twenty-five flying dragon guards behind him have just experienced a bloody battle.
Tempered by fire.
Of tens of thousands of people, only a thousand were taken. From a hundred people, only twenty-five were left. Such a cruel "elimination rate" certainly far exceeded the natural selection in the growth process of tribal herdsmen! Why do the tribal warriors in the Western Regions have better average physical fitness than ordinary people?
The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty? It’s because the people in the Tang Dynasty live a prosperous life, and the chance of boys growing up safely is much higher than that in the Western Regions. The reason why the tribal warriors are tall and tall is because those who were born under the difficult living conditions have poor health.
Those who are slightly weak have no chance to grow up!
Just these truths, Jie Zhilue has no chance to think about it again in his life. Just when he was in pain, the Loulan warriors who followed the Chu Mukun tribe's "robbery" also came to kill them. Each one had a scimitar in his hand.
He rushed in through the gap left behind by his allies and chopped down the two warriors of Urqi and Sehuluo until they were like wolves.
At this moment, the thirty or so men in black robes who charged at the rear of the circular formation finally completed their mission after paying the price of more than half of them being killed. With a whistle, they turned their horses and left. They had just broken away from the camel soldiers,
The leader immediately stretched out his big hand and tore his black burqa to pieces.
"Ah wu, ah wu, ah wu!" The young warrior leading the team raised his head and shouted, his voice although a little childish, but full of domineering.
They were from Loulan. Aijindishitai of the Urqi tribe guessed wrong. He went around behind them and risked a near-death threat to disrupt his temporary arrangement. The people who disrupted his temporary arrangement were not Tang people, but Tang people's allies. A group of people who looked younger than
A twenty-year-old Loulan warrior.
"Ah wu, ah wu, ah wu!" The group of black-robed warriors who were the first to follow the sword holder and wield their scimitars to harvest lives also raised their heads and roared out the depressed air in their hearts. Neither were they.
Ai Jintiusitai of the Urqi tribe from the Tang Dynasty guessed wrong again. It was the Chu Mukun warrior who had just joined the army and was fraternizing with the camel soldiers of the Urqi tribe half a day ago!
He was dressed in a black robe, covering him from head to toe, covering up all differences.
The insidious generals of the Tang army deceived two old foxes, Du Sitai and Jie Zhilue, with the help of the Chumukun people's black burqas. They asked the Loulan warriors to put on the Chumukun people's burqas and pretend to be defeated soldiers in pursuit of Ur.
They were protected by the two troops of Urqi and Sehuolo. Then, they put on Chumukun people's robes, pretended to be broken troops and rushed straight to the main formations of Urqi and Sehuolo to open a gap.
They attack from both front and back, and attack suddenly. They also make full use of the characteristics of tribal warriors who disperse when they lose a battle and march forward indomitably when fighting with a favorable wind. What a sinister strategy and a pair of penetrating eyes. Looking at the distance not far away, they rush more and more.
The closer Changshang came, Di Sitai didn't want to run away, but suddenly wanted to see what the leader of the Tang Dynasty looked like. He had fought for different camps all his life, and he surrendered and rebelled under the banners of different Khans.
, it is not unfair to die in the hands of such an opponent before dying of old age!
Note 1: Guduolu, Mozha, and Pijia were the three great Khans of the Later Turks. In 742, the Tang general Wang Zhongsi destroyed the Later Turks. In 744, the Baimei Khan, who was leading the remnants of the Later Turks, was killed by the Uighur leader Guli Peiluo.
Killed, the Turkic Empire completely disappeared from China.
Note 2: Tulun Qi is Tassalamagan. Puchanghai is today’s Lop Nur.
