Thirteen days before the Battle of Chang'an began.
On the official road in Huining, Huizhou, a mighty cavalry army marched from north to south, with no end in sight.
General Guo Xin of the Anxi reinforcements divided his 30,000 soldiers into two groups.
The first group consisted of 10,000 people, all cavalry, lightly equipped and led by Guo Xin himself, and rushed to Chang'an day and night; the other 20,000 people were infantry, baggage, etc., and fell behind.
Guo Xin, who was riding a horse, looked behind him while urging him on.
Although Kong You, the imperial censor, was a civil servant and looked weak, he followed the cavalry on the road without falling behind at all, and he was still chatting and laughing along the way, which was quite surprising.
Guo Xin rode a horse and came to Kong You. He first cupped his hands and then said: "Kong Zhongcheng."
Kong You cupped his hands and said: "General Guo."
Guo Xin was not good at words and did not like to beat around the bush, so he asked: "The Tubo people came out from Shibao City and occupied Kuozhou in the Tang Dynasty. Why did they choose to go south to attack Chang'an? Instead of attacking Liangzhou, which was closer.
?”
Kong You replied: "First, between Kuozhou and Liangzhou, there are Shanzhou and Lanzhou, and among these two states, there are Daxue Mountain, Guzang Mountain, Jinshan, Pipa Mountain, etc. (today's Bayan
Kela Mountains, part of the Qinling Mountains), most of these mountains run east-west, blocking roads and making it difficult for the army to move. If the Tubo army wants to attack Liangzhou, they must first go east to the junction of Lingzhou and Lanzhou, and go around a
Make a big circle, then turn around and pass through Shuofang, and finally attack Liangcheng to the west."
"Secondly, the Tubo army walked down the plateau this time and chose Chang'an as its target. Its strategic purpose was not just to plunder..."
Hearing this, Guo Xin was a little surprised: "The Tubo people have always been predatory. If it's not for robbery, then why?"
Kong You said quietly: "The Tubo people behaved strangely this time. Considering the war situation in Jiangnan, I suspect that the Puppet Tang Dynasty and the Tubo were working together to create today's situation..."
Guo Xin: "If it is as Zhongcheng said, then the situation in Chang'an may be very critical."
Kong You: "Guo Ziyi had earlier arranged an 80,000-strong army on the western front of Chang'an to block the Tibetan offensive. The terrain there is difficult, and the location of the stronghold is unknown. As long as it can be delayed..."
Before he finished speaking, a fast horse galloped from the front army.
The visitor was a postman delivering military reports. He took out a blood-stained military report from his arms and handed it into Guo Xin's hands.
The latter opened it and looked at it. He was stunned at first, then sighed and handed it to Kong You.
Kong You took the military report, glanced at it roughly, and said helplessly: "General Chunyu fell into the trap. The 30,000 Tang troops in Hezhou suffered a major defeat in the Shimen Mountain area. Fortunately, Fengxiang Pass and Taihe Pass are still in our army.
In hand. The general should order the cavalry to rush to Chang'an as soon as possible."
Guo Xin nodded and gave the order for a rapid march.
Three days later, the cavalry led by Guo Xin left Huizhou and marched on the border of Yuanzhou, less than two days away from Fengxiang Pass in Jingzhou.
At this moment, bad news came again.
The governor of Jingzhou rebelled against the Tang Dynasty, and Taihe Pass and Fengxiang Pass were captured by the Tubo people almost at the same time in one day.
After hearing the news, Guo Xin didn't come back to her senses for a long time.
The 80,000 troops arranged by Guo Ziyi to guard the three key points were all breached in such a short period of time.
As a result, there was a flat plain between the Tubo army and Chang'an City, and there were no dangerous points to defend.
Guo Xin gritted his teeth and planned to give an order to his subordinates to avoid the Tibetan army, bypass Jingzhou where he was going next, and take another slightly longer road eastward, from Yima Pass in Qingzhou, to the south to Chang'an.
After learning of Guo Xin's decision, Kong You immediately found the latter and persuaded him to abandon this route.
Kong You said: "The three checkpoints on the western front of Chang'an have all been lost. The 10,000 cavalry troops in the general's hands have no meaning in going to Chang'an at this time."
Guo Xin was confused: "After losing 80,000 Tang troops, Chang'an has almost no soldiers left to fight. At this time, we should rush to Chang'an's reinforcements as soon as possible."
Kong You: "If the 80,000 Tang army still survives, and the 10,000 elite soldiers under the general's command can unite with them and engage in a head-on battle with the Tibetan army, there is at least a 90% certainty that they can win. General Chunyu fell into the trap and the 30,000 Tang army in Hezhou were defeated.
, If the general joins forces with the Fengxiang Army and the Fufeng Army, he is still 60% sure that he can defeat the enemy; however, now that Chang'an's 80,000 elite troops have been lost, the general's army has lost the support and has no advantage at all."
"So, even if the general leads 10,000 cavalry to bypass Jingzhou and go south from Yima Pass in Qingzhou, it will take at least five more days to reach Chang'an. Whether Chang'an will still be there after five days is anyone's guess.
.Even if Chang'an is still not lost, how long can the ten thousand soldiers in the general's hands help Chang'an hold on?"
Kong You's words stunned Guo Xin.
If Chang'an has 80,000 elite soldiers, plus its own 10,000 cavalry, it will be no problem to deal with the Tibetans.
However, in the current situation, Hezhou, Fengxiang, and Fufeng have all been lost. If they want to rush to help Chang'an, the cavalry must either make a detour or risk passing through the area currently occupied by the Tibetan army. No matter which way, it will take a long time.
By the time Guo Xin arrived in Chang'an, even if the city had not been lost, how to defend it next was still a big problem.
Kong You added: "General, please don't forget that the military order we received is to completely annihilate the Tibetan army and then get rid of the Tubo Dalu Sang Chiruo. Even if the general can defend the city of Chang'an with 10,000 Tang soldiers in his hands.
How should we win this battle next?"
Guo Xin was a little surprised when he heard Kong You's words.
Chang'an's 80,000-strong garrison was completely wiped out and three checkpoints were lost. Although the Tibetan army of 200,000 also lost some troops, if the captured slave soldiers are included, there was almost no significant loss in combat strength.
Under such circumstances, judging by Kong You's tone, the other party actually wanted to annihilate the Tibetan army?
Seeing Guo Xin's expression, Kong You said: "General, please think about what is the advantage of our army now? First, the enemy's army is in the light and our army is in the dark. The Tubo people don't know that our army is already approaching the capital; second,
Our army is composed of cavalry and is well-equipped. No matter whether it is mobile or surprise, it can cause chaos behind the enemy's rear."
When Guo Xin heard this, he vaguely understood: "Zhongcheng wants to use the cavalry to attack the Tibetan people's food roads and rear camps, so that most of the enemy troops will return to defense, thereby lifting the siege of Chang'an?"
Kong You: "That's right, but there is also a skill in forcing the main force of Tibet to return to defense. It won't work if you force it too hard, and it won't work if you force it too loosely. It won't work if the enemy troops come too many, and it won't work if they come too few."
Hearing this, Guo Xin was confused: "What do you mean by this?"
Kong You smiled slightly and said: "Someone has a plan. If the general is willing, he can act according to the plan and ensure that the Tibetans never come back."
Hearing this, Guo Xin nodded and said, "Zhongcheng, please speak."
Kong You: "First of all, ask the general to send a fast horse through the war zone to Chang'an to report the news that reinforcements are about to arrive, so as to stabilize people's hearts; then, the general goes to find a toga and some fake beards.
By the way, you should also apply some white flour on your face, so that it looks more like..."
Guo Xin was stunned and asked, "What do you need these things for?"
Kong You: "When everything is ready, the general will naturally know about it."