The man on horseback shouted hoarsely and rode up the hill. When he came to the father and son, he turned over and dismounted, knelt on the ground and cried: "Master, the Tubo people attacked from Tanju Ridge. They killed the men in the tribe and plundered the country."
The women and livestock of the tribe are now heading towards Congling!"
Jia Luo's eyes were split open, and the nightmare turned into a reality. This was a terrifying and painful truth for him. The vision of the frost-haired Lord of the Kingdom of Anonymous went dark, and his body fell backwards.
"Father!"
"Lord of the country!"
Chasugan hurriedly stepped forward to hug his father, and together with the tribesmen who came to report the news, they sent him to the thatched hall where the messenger was guarded.
Li Siye stretched out his hand to pinch Jialuocong's people, causing him to wake up and turn around. When he thought of the murdered tribesmen and the kidnapped wives and children, he couldn't help but feel sad in his heart. He opened his throat and cried loudly: "My
Yanshi! My daughter Aranda! I...I want...!"
"grown ups!"
He almost fainted again, but was grabbed by Zha Shiqian and hugged him. The cry of his youngest son Ruosuluo, who had just joined the Tang army in guarding the city, could be heard in the distance. He staggered into the thatched hall and knelt down on the ground.
The father and son hugged each other and cried bitterly.
Li Siye stood nearby and couldn't comfort him, so he had to ask Shini's subordinates who came to report the news: "When did the Tubo people attack? How many people came?"
This tribesman may also have a relative who was captured. He was so sad that he couldn't control himself, and he was crying so much that he couldn't say a complete sentence.
Suo Yuanyu and Li Twelve Niang were also standing in the thatched hall. Their daughter's heart was as tender as water. They were infected by the sadness of Jia Luocong and his son, and they also wiped the tears from the corners of their eyes with Luopa.
Of course Li Siye can also feel the anger and sadness, but is now the time to cry? The Tibetan people have unknown intentions and whereabouts, and they have no idea how to remedy the situation and organize their efforts to snatch them back. What's the use of just crying?
He roared out: "Stop crying!"
The shoulders of the tribe trembled and they rubbed their eyes with the backs of their hands. The crying stopped instantly. Gayan and his son stopped crying and looked back at Li Siye. The old king continued to cry, but the sound was much lower, which did not prevent them from talking.
Li Siye immediately ordered the soldiers standing guard at the door to run to summon Tian Zhen and Teng Mu, and then said loudly to everyone in the hall: "The Tubo people attacked the Shinyu Department. It is right for you to be sad, but is this the right time for you?
Cry a little longer, the Tubo people have already brought your tribe’s wives and children back to Xiaobolu, and then you should really cry!”
Gayan stood up from the ground, grabbed Li Siye's sleeve and said: "Li Shijun! Send someone to Shule Town quickly and ask them to send an army to rescue!"
Li Siye was unmoved and calmly analyzed: "Shule Town is further away from Shouchu City than Tanju Ridge. By the time Kuai Ma goes to report the news and Shule Town envoy sends troops again, it will be five days ago."
Six days have passed, General, your wife and daughter cannot wait much longer."
"Then what should we do? Li Shijun, please think of a solution quickly!"
Li Siye turned around and asked the messengers: "When did the Tibetans attack? How many people are there?"
"Yeah, last night, no, in the second half of the night, it was dark and I couldn't see clearly. Their torches were like stars at night, and there were thousands of people."
"Thousands of people! So many!" Gayan's fear worsened, and his heart became more desperate and desolate: "Even in the nearest city of Sole in Bohe Prefecture, there is only one regiment of nearly 300 people. It is better to send people to Shule as soon as possible.
Bring in the reinforcements!"
Li Siye felt awe in his heart. The Tubo troops could easily dispatch more than a thousand people, while the Tang Dynasty had only 20,000 troops in total in Anxi, scattered in four towns, states, and cities. In the entire vast Congling area, the total troops did not exceed 500.
, it stands to reason that it should have been captured long ago. That’s not how true strength should be calculated.
"It's too late to move the reinforcements, they are heading towards Congling!"
Li Siye raised his hand to stop his men from talking. To Tian Zhen who came to the thatched hall, Teng Mu ordered: "Immediately organize all the soldiers guarding the city to come to the thatched hall to look for a soldier who has dealt with the Tubo people and ride a fast horse."
To investigate the enemy's situation, order five people to respond behind him, and to find out clearly the number and equipment of the Tibetan army."
The two men took the order and left, and began to organize soldiers to serve as sentinels and assemble in armor. It was rare to have such a tense pre-war atmosphere in the city. After hearing the military order, the soldiers silently put on their armor and prepared compressed biscuits and pickled biscuits.
Meat. The ladies saw the solemn expression on their husbands' faces and thoughtfully did not ask. They could only silently squat beside them and put on his leggings and skirts.
Due to the overstaffing of Congling Guards in the past six months, although there are 20 people involved in escorting the caravan, there are currently 140 soldiers. Excluding the Huotou Army responsible for logistics, 130 can be put into combat.
people.
Li Siye used his strong economic strength to equip the soldiers with sophisticated scale armor. The left team was equipped with high-quality horn bows, and the right team was equipped with powerful crossbows, pewter pole spears, bronze shields and horizontal knives. If Mo Dao was not under the control of the Duhufu
, there is a price but no market, he can also get ten or twenty handfuls.
When all the soldiers heard about the upcoming battle, they were inexplicably nervous, but also a little excited. They had been stationed in Congling for many years, and they had not tasted the brutality of war for a long time. Although their swords and guns were sharp, they didn't know whether they were still in their hearts.
Have an edge?
Li Siye strolled out of the thatched hall, his eyes passed over the faces of the soldiers one by one, and he said in a calm but helpless tone: "I know that you have been used to a stable life in Congling, but you have never forgotten your true nature.
Identity, you are soldiers! Whether it is farming, or protecting businessmen as bodyguards, it is all a side job! Now it is your main job!"
His tone gradually became more generous: "If you are a soldier, you should defend the territory. If you are a soldier, you should kill the enemy. I can buy you sharp steel knives and thick armor, but I cannot arm your hearts." He pointed to his chest and said:
"Only if this place is sharp enough, fearless enough, and brave enough, can we be invincible and conquer all attacks!"
The soldiers raised their swords and guns and shouted loudly: "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Li Twelve Niang leaned on the doorpost and looked at Li Siye's back with a slightly surprised expression. She was not used to looking down on this man. As an officer, he bought music, dance, and sensuality. This was only for mediocre officials.
performance; but now it seems that he still has the courage and responsibility, at least he can say these heroic words.
General Ga Yancong, who was grieving that his wife and daughter had been captured, was rekindled by the heroic spirit in front of him. He drew out the horizontal sword from his waist and said loudly to Li Siye: "Li Shijun, this general also has the spirit of bravery today."
Although the five hundred tribesmen are not as well-equipped as the Tang army in Congling, we are willing to go forward and kill the Tubo people!"
"Report!"
The messenger soldier with feathers in his pockets led his horse in from outside the city gate, knelt on one knee and crossed his hands to report: "The Tibetan army is still more than a hundred miles away from guarding the city, and is expected to arrive tomorrow. They have taken the package with them.
The large number of prisoners in the Shiji Department is a thousand-man team. This thousand-man team includes fifty-gui shooters and eight hundred Yongs to protect them."
Li Siye was confused when he heard what he heard. Fortunately, Song Heng, the former commander of the army, understood the organization of Tubo's army and explained it to him in detail. Tubo, a slave regime that combined nomadic herding and farming, implemented a military system in which all the people were soldiers.
During the reign of Songtsan Gampo, he founded the Five Ru, also known as the Five Wings, each of which commanded 10,000 households according to the region. Under the Ru, there was Dongdai, which managed 1,000 households. These soldiers who were both farmers and soldiers were divided into two categories. One category was those with personal
Katsura, the property warrior class, had sharp weapons and strong armor, and were usually cavalry; the other was the yong, composed of slave soldiers, with crude weapons and wearing leather armor or no armor.
"Gui" is the elite of the Tubo army. The loss of such soldiers is a loss. As for the mediocrity of the slaves who are not strong in combat effectiveness, there are as many as they need. When their lives are needed to fill them, these people will be ruthlessly consumed.
Li Siye finally understood the true strength of the Tibetan army. A thousand soldiers sounded terrifying, but there were only about fifty people wearing iron armor. Although the number of unprotected slave soldiers was large, they probably did not pose a threat.