"All the people who were responding to the Wu clan's disciples were killed, and no one present even sent out a signal. It seems that the Tang Dynasty's internal guards dispatched a large number of good soldiers..."
Xiduoyu, the fourth of the five Gar brothers, unfolded the message sent back, looking thoughtful.
He was originally in charge of the secret guards, who were responsible for internal and external intelligence. Later, the secret guards dispersed, and after the main line and side branches reconciled, the assassins were transferred to him for deployment.
Recently, Sitayu has been traveling around, collecting as much information as possible about Anxi, and made this bold attempt.
The result made him somewhat regretful.
It would definitely be the best if Wu Shizi could be brought into Tubo, not only because these people were relatives, the Tang people might be wary of talking too much, but their understanding of the inside of the Tang army would also help the Tubo army improve their chances of winning.
But Sitayu did not hold out much hope, and it failed as expected. The group of relatives were rescued by the Tang people, while all his people died outside the Anxi Protectorate.
However, it is not that there is nothing gained. At least it can prove that the Tang people are well prepared in the Anxi Protectorate, and the internal guards must have mobilized.
Sitayu thought about it all the way to the military camp.
Before they even arrived, they heard shrill screams. As they walked further, the strong smell of blood wafted over.
Sitayu was no longer surprised to see rows of soldiers being led to the edge and beheaded in public.
However, after silently counting the number of people, he found that the number of people killed today was almost double that of the previous ten days. Sitayu's eyes still showed worry.
To reach the Western Regions from Tubo, you need to cross the uninhabited land of Qiangtang and cross the Kunlun Mountains.
Even if you are not familiar with geography, you can imagine the difficulties when hearing these two names.
After Tubo captured Tuyuhun, they could go west along the Shule River from Haixi, along the Qilian Mountains to Qiemo City in the southern part of the Western Region, and then enter Anxi.
But that road is also difficult to walk. Not to mention the distance, there are many mountains and ravines along the way. It is also a huge test in terms of luggage. Compared with the transportation cost of Tang Dynasty via Longyou into Anxi, it is much higher.
Therefore, Tubo has always been eyeing Longyou, and later took advantage of the Anshi Rebellion to occupy Longyou, and its national power suddenly expanded.
Of course, at that time, Tubo's military capabilities also declined compared to the Qinling era, but all parties went downhill. In the end of the competition, Tubo became the most outstanding performer.
This time, Tubo could not stand out. A team of nearly 200,000 people went north, and when they arrived in the Western Regions, there were not even 140,000 people.
This was still the case when Qin Ling was carrying out iron-blooded measures to clean up military discipline. If the relatives of Wururu made mistakes, their bodies would be thrown into the Kunlun Mountains. On the contrary, those who performed outstandingly were immediately promoted.
There is no doubt that such an operation is a taboo in politics, but Qinling is completely based on the perspective of military victory and does not consider anything else at all. The purpose is to hone this army into an unstoppable edge through marching.
Either return with a great victory, or die in a foreign country!
There is no third possibility!
When Sitayu walked into the main tent, he also saw that all the brothers were there. Qinling and Zanpo were standing in front of the map of Anxi, Brenzanren was taking care of Zanshiruo, and the five brothers were neatly arranged.
Qin Ling's attention was extremely concentrated, and Zan Po was the first to see him walking in: "The fourth brother is back, how are the Wu family's relatives?"
Sitayu shook his head slightly: "The people I sent were intercepted and killed, and they all died outside the Anxi Protectorate. Including Wu Youning, they should have been rescued by the Tang people."
Only then did Qin Ling speak: "It doesn't matter. When we get here, it doesn't matter whether we have relatives from the Tang Dynasty or not!"
Zanpo frowned: "The key is, are those Gaochang survivors really plotting to restore the country, or are they a trap set by the Tang Dynasty's internal guards?"
Brenzan looked over immediately, but this time Sitayu did not give face to his younger brother: "I prefer traps."
"The political situation in the Tang Dynasty was turbulent, externally arrogant and internally weak. What the fifth brother said is correct and basically certain. Businessmen who went to and from the Western Regions during this period had heard about it. The Tang Emperor, who had only ascended the throne for a few years, was frail and sick since he was a child.
, not far from death."
"But after the Tang Dynasty's internal defense revived, it became increasingly difficult to ignore. Silla's easy subjugation was due to the great contribution of Li Yuanfang, the leader of the internal defense cabinet. This person also sent an envoy to Tibet, and the fake Zanpu was inseparable from him.
, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is about to die, and he may be even more eager to perform deeds to destroy the country in order to ensure that he can continue his position in the next court!"
"The restoration of Gaochang is most likely a mystery that this person deliberately set up in front of his fifth brother!"
Brenzan muttered: "Fourth brother thinks too much of Li Yuanfang..."
Zanpo sighed: "The key is that the Tang Dynasty has a strong national power. Even if it is trapped in civil strife, it still has the prestige of running the Western Regions for a hundred years. The countries in the Western Regions are afraid of them like tigers. After all, we, Tubo, are a new and powerful country, and we must have the cooperation of the local survivors."
Sitayu's face darkened. It was not that he didn't understand this truth. If the restoration of Gaochang was false, then even if they won the battle, they would not be able to control this area, let alone use it as a springboard to capture Longyou.
Just as the atmosphere calmed down, Qin Ling waved his hand: "No need to say more!"
He has always had a confident and confident attitude in commanding the army, which will embolden the army, so that he can serve his orders better: "We will attack Khotan tomorrow and attack the Anxi Protectorate within half a month. No matter whether the restoration of Gaochang is true or not, I will
Make it real!"
The brothers' morale was boosted and they all clasped their fists: "Yes!"
Zanpo and Sitayu quickly went to make the final arrangements for the siege. Brenzan was still guarding his brother, but he heard the sound of footsteps.
He raised his head and found that Qin Ling, who had been so confident just now, had become visibly haggard and tired, and even showed an unprecedented depression and shrinkage. He looked at his brother on the hospital bed, his eyes turned red: "Brother!"
Zan Xiruo slowly opened his eyes.
Due to his weak body and the long journey, he was already dying, but he managed to hold on to his breath to see his family survive this most difficult time.
Qin Ling felt very uncomfortable.
The most uncomfortable thing is that he can only confide to this eldest brother now: "I have followed my father since I was a child, destroyed Tuyuhun, and intimidated the Western Regions. The victory of Dafeichuan shocked the world. It was not a fluke, even if my Tubo soldiers are not as good as the Tang Dynasty soldiers.
You are so brave, I am confident that I can defeat you!"
"But in this battle... I really don't have the slightest confidence in winning. I can think of too many ways for the Tang army to win, and all we have left is a desperate fight!"
"Brother, is it possible for my clan to escape to Dashi now?"
Zan Xiruo opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. He just shook his head slowly and looked at his younger brother.
"I see!"
Qin Ling wiped his eyes, regained his former self-confidence and strength, and walked out at a brisk pace.
Only Zan Xiruo, whose chest was rising and falling gently, and Bren Zanren, whose face was filled with tears, were left.
It turns out that my second brother is not invincible...
…
The next day.
The momentum of the Tibetan army, which had been accumulated for more than a month, was released without reservation at this moment.
The military town of Khotan, which was repeatedly built by the Tang army, became a small boat in the stormy sea within an hour, and was in danger.
Qin Ling sat upright on his horse and coldly directed his troops to take turns in battle: "In Khotan Town, the Hu tribe of the Western Regions was still guarding before, and the main force of the Tang army has not yet arrived!"
His son Gong Ren said excitedly: "Father, the Tang Dynasty is busy with internal fighting. How many troops can be mobilized? If there are only tens of thousands of troops, this battle will just destroy them, and the next attack on Longyou will be much easier!"
Qin Ling did not comment, but carefully watched the troops from the Western Regions on the wall struggling to resist. The troops he had trained were already bleeding step by step, and it was extremely tragic!
This is only Khotan, the weakest of the four towns now!
And how long can their morale and their food last?
"The morale of the Fan thieves and the food and fodder of the Fan thieves will not last long!"
In the Anxi Governor's Mansion, Xue Rengui, who was dressed in military uniform, did not even open the message from Khotan, and made an assertion based only on the time when the town fell.
Li Yan stood on the side and participated in the planning of the final battle.
When discussing whether to defend Khotan Town, there was a heated discussion. Even Pei Xingjian preferred to defend the town so that not an inch of land in the Anxi Protectorate would fall into the hands of the Tibetans.
However, Xue Rengui still issued an order. As the first stop for the Tubo army to rush down from the Tianshan Mountains, Khotan Town was difficult to hold regardless of the level of city defense or its geographical location and must be abandoned.
Hei Te Changzhi's ability to defeat the enemy was also negated by him. What Xue Rengui wanted was for Qin Ling to continue his efforts and carry out long-distance attacks.
He was sure Qin Ling would do this.
In addition to the consideration of morale, there is also the unsustainable supply of food and grass. According to the opponent's marching speed, even if they reduce their numbers on a large scale, their food and grass consumption will be faster. Once they enter the country, they must quickly expand their results.
On the basis of various intelligences, Xue Rengui clearly calculated every move of the Tibetan army, and even took into account the unique geographical advantages.
Just as the Tibetan army had plateau advantages in the past, the Tang army also had environmental advantages this time.
From the plains to the plateau areas, altitude sickness will occur. Based on the background of this era, it is called cold miasma.
Going straight down from the plateau to the plains will actually make you feel uncomfortable. The Tang Army who returned to Guanzhong from Tuyuhun also verified this. It is altitude sickness, also known as oxygen drunkenness. The term for this era has not been summarized. After all, miasma cannot be used in the Central Plains area.
.
Ever since, when he saw the Tibetan army marching straight towards Qiuci Town, where the Anxi Protectorate is located, Xue Rengui suddenly thought of how he attributed the failure to the stars. It was a lifelong shame, but when it came time to fight Qinling again
At that time, he was extremely calm and made step by step plans for the camp to annihilate Tubo.
Everything was turned into a short and passionate pre-war declaration: "The Tubo are ambitious and greedy for the wealth of the Tang Dynasty. They are extremely vicious and have caused harm for a long time. This time is a good time to avenge the shame of the past. We should be inspired
With great national prestige, we can defeat the Tibetan thieves and destroy this thieves’ country!”
The generals suddenly agreed: "Victory will kill the Tibetan thieves and destroy this thieves' country!!"