Yangtong's scouts arrived at Shanzhou and reported the enemy's situation to Prince Supiru, who immediately organized an army and mobilized all 230,000 troops from Supiru's upper wing to advance toward Hexi.
This army of 230,000 includes 13 Dongdai, a powerful slave, and 20 Dongdai, a tame slave. Each Dongdai has about 5,000 people. It sounds very large and powerful. But the military characteristic of the Tubo people is that the entire population mobilizes.
There is both the military organization Haonu Dongdai and the production organization Tongnu Dongdai. Only Haonu Dongdai has combat capabilities, and Tongnu Dongdai supplies supplies to Haonu Dongdai.
When the Tubo army marches out, they will bring the entire tribe with them. Women and children also serve in the war. They drive sheep and yaks to provide food for their husbands who are fighting in the front.
Because the composition of Supiru is very complex, these Haonu Dongdai have many and mixed arms. Among the thirteen Haonu Dongdai, four Supiru Dongdai are cavalry troops, and two Yangtong Dongdai are for the cavalry unit.
The light cavalry lacked armor. The three Dongdai in Qiangtang were heavy infantry, and the two Dongdai in Tuyuhun were mixed with cavalry and infantry. The two Dongdai composed of Han people were composed of a large number of craftsmen and crossbowmen, responsible for baggage and beds.
Crossbows and other heavy equipment.
This resulted in the thirteen Haonu Dongdai moving at different speeds, causing them to be distributed forward and backward on the road to Hexi.
Li Siye sent scouts in advance to monitor Su Piru's movements, and decided to take the initiative to defeat the enemy troops one by one, leaving them no time to assemble.
At the same time, Su Piru also sent Yangtong scouts to Baiting to find out the real battle situation on the front line and see how long Baiting and Jiaocheng could hold on.
At the end of November, the vanguard of the Tibetan army had reached the border between Shanzhou and Liangzhou, and the last unit to set off was still in Kuozhou. Several generals under his command told him that the vanguard was moving too fast and the army could not pull it back.
If the distance is too long, it will easily be defeated by the enemy and eaten in pieces.
Su Piru was also worried about this, so he sent scouts to investigate, but he refused to give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Tang army has always been very cunning and very mobile. You can usually defeat them on the battlefield.
But it would be extremely difficult to severely damage or even destroy the Tang army. If Baitingjiaocheng's two defenders could hold off the Tang army for more than ten days, they would be able to surround and destroy the entire Tang army.
"Before the scouts return, the army continues to advance. Don't miss the opportunity to fight."
The generals had nothing to say now, so they had no choice but to continue moving forward in the footsteps of Lord Ruben.
…
Bai Xiaode led the Flying Tiger Cavalry to advance quickly and also entered the border between Liangzhou and Shanzhou. The Yangtong scouts sent by Tubo had already returned and reported the military situation to Ruben.
"My lord, Baiting Shouhuo and Jiaocheng Shouhuo were captured by the Tang army three days ago. Now the enemy's movements are unknown. Please make an early decision."
Subhiru smacked his lips and thought carefully, then asked the people around him: "In your opinion, how should I respond."
A general came forward, knelt down and hugged his chest and said: "The enemy can capture Baiting in just a few days and hand over the city to defend the city. It must be because of bad intentions. Our army should treat it with caution and withdraw the army to Shanxi first."
Within the prefecture, wait until the armies arrive and set up camp every day to advance steadily, so that even if you cannot defeat the enemy quickly, you can still be in an invincible position."
Ruben's anger suddenly rose, and he pointed at the general and said: "Since our army defeated the stone castle, we have conquered Kuozhou and Shanzhou, captured Baiting, and guarded the city. We have won six battles and six victories, and all the enemy troops have fled. Now the Tang army can't do anything.
I just recaptured two defense cities, but I scared a kid like you like this."
The general of this group hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "My Lord, this is not a sign of debasement. It is just that we should be cautious when marching and fighting. I hope I can see clearly."
Ruben's anger subsided a little, and he pointed at him and said: "The two Dongdai stationed in Baiting Jiaocheng are my generals. Now that they have been defeated by the Tang army, how can I swallow this sigh of relief? This time
Not only do I want to retake Baiting and Jiaocheng, I also want to capture Liangzhou City, and I will also attack Guanzhong and capture Chang'an in the future!"
The cavalry generals of Su Piru under Ru Ben were excited and stepped forward one after another to plead for battle. One of them was Ru Ben's confidant General Ge Xiaqin: "If I, Lord Ru Meng, will not give up, I would like to serve as a vanguard and lead 10,000 cavalry."
Go straight to Bai Pavilion and I will definitely bring General Tang’s head to you.”
Ruben was immediately overjoyed, stroking his beard and said: "To say that ten thousand people are required to take the heads of enemy generals is a bit too much. However, I will hand over all four powerful slaves Dongdai in my headquarters to your command. More than twenty thousand people can do it."
Can we defeat the Tang army?"
Ge Xiaqin immediately patted his chest and said, "If we can't defeat the Tang army, I will directly raise my head to see you, sir."
Ruben transferred the command of the four Dongdai to Ge Xiaqin and ordered him to lead troops to attack Liangzhou, each carrying six days of supplies. The intention was to defeat the Tang army within six days and seize the
Baiting and Jiaocheng.
The Flying Tiger Cavalry led by Li Siye and Bai Xiaode also marched from the direction of Baiting to the border of Liangzhou. The Tang Cavalry in charge of reconnaissance discovered the Tubo vanguard forty miles ahead and quickly turned back to report.
Upon hearing the news, Li Siye quickly asked: "Which part of Tubo Supiru are they from? How many people are there in total?"
Tang Cavalry reported back: "The Tubo people are moving very fast. We dare not get too close, but there are definitely more than 10,000 people, and they are all cavalry."
Bai Xiaode said on the side: "Tubo Supiru is good at riding horses, and only Supiru and Yangtong can do full cavalry. Presumably this should be Supiru's main army."
Li Siye nodded and said: "In this case, we must not take it lightly and retreat first to lure the enemy deeper." He turned to the military adviser Xu Bin behind him and ordered: "Mr.
, you two are looking for a preset battlefield on our retreat, arrange the positions of the Xuanwu cannon, and then send people to inform me that we will attract the enemy to our preset battlefield. "
Li Siye ordered Bai Xiaode behind him again: "Xiaode, you lead six thousand cavalry to confront the enemy. After contact, retreat quickly and follow our troops to the battlefield we have set."
Xu Bin and Bai Xiaode both crossed their hands: "Here!"
The two of them took orders and left. Bai Xiaode led 3,000 cavalry and continued to advance. Li Siye ordered the troops: "The rear team will change to the front team, and the entire army will retreat."
The Flying Tiger Cavalry led by Bai Xiaode advanced along the edge of the mountains and rivers, and encountered the enemy in the foothills on the edge of Shanzhou. Both sides fired horned bows from their horses.
Ge Xiaqin learned that this Tang army was small in number and attempted to outflank them with two wings and besiege them near Guangwu County. Bai Xiaode retreated decisively.
When he learned that the Tang army was retreating, Ge Xiaqin rode on his horse and waved his whip and cursed: "These Tang dogs are really cunning and run really fast. Let's hurry up and advance all the way to Baiting to see where they go!"
After the general gave the order, the Tubo warriors rode their horses along the ravines between the mountains and rivers, pursuing the Tang army along the way.
Bai Xiaode retreated to the vicinity of Tianzhu County and joined Li Siye's rear army. This is the gateway to Qinghai from the Hexi Corridor. The terrain is steep and complex, and it is more than fifty miles away from Gulang County, the scheduled battlefield arranged by Xu Bin and Duan Xiushi in advance.
Gulang County is located at the junction of the plains and mountains of the Hexi Corridor. The front end of the county is a ditch. Because the Xuanwu cannon is too large to be carried, it cannot be used in mountainous areas. Gulang County is located just in front of the mountain pass, which is the best place.
Default battlefield.
They placed the artillery on the high ground in front of the county seat, with Han Haijun as a cover formation interspersed among them, and the Flying Tiger Cavalry was arranged on the left and right wings by Duan Xiushi and Bai Xiaode respectively.
When the Tubo army marched to the narrow ditch area, Ge Xiaqin reined in the horse and asked the sheep and scout leader beside him: "Where is this place and how far is it from Baiting to guard the capture?"
The leader bowed his head and crossed his chest on the horse and said: "General, this is already within the territory of Gulang County, the gateway to Hexi Province. Across this ditch is a flat river, and Baiting's guard is thirty miles to the west of Gulang County."
Ge Xiaqin finally hesitated for a moment, thought for a while and said: "Out of the ditch ahead there is a vast plain. If the general of the Tang army is not a fool, he will definitely leave a heavy force here to intercept. The front army will rest here for the time being, and when the rear troops catch up, we will
Divide the left and right wings into the ravine and attack the Tang army head-on."