In the big tent, Lun Xianggui was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. He was pacing back and forth in the big tent with his hands behind his hands. He had already heard about the annihilation of Murong Bianlin from the soldiers who had returned, but the two thousand soldiers who had gone to fetch food
The Tibetan army also lost contact.
No matter how many Tuyuhun troops died, he would not care about it, but the Tibetan army was different. It was not because of the loss of one thousand Tibetan troops that Zanpu was furious before, so he decided to use 20,000 troops to attack Kucha.
But now the two thousand Tibetan troops have lost contact. If something happens to them, how will I explain to Zanpu?
Lun Xianggui has sent cavalry to find the whereabouts of two thousand Tibetan troops. He hopes that they are still on their way back because they are walking slowly due to too much food.
This is just a good expectation. Lun Xianggui knows in his heart that the final result may not be good.
At this time, a general rushed over and said urgently at the door: "Alert to the commander, the Tuyuhun army is causing trouble!"
Lun Xianggui was immediately furious, "What are they making a fuss about?"
"It seems he is dissatisfied with the treatment!"
Lun Xianggui snorted loudly, "Bring me a horse!"
He quickly walked out of the big tent, got on his horse, and ran towards the Tuyuhun soldiers' station. Except for one handsome tent and a dozen warehouse tents, there were almost no other tents for the soldiers in the whole camp. The soldiers were all camping.
However, there is a difference between Tubo soldiers and Tyuhun soldiers. They live in different places. The Tubo army is to the west, where it is not easy to be attacked by sneak attacks, while the Tuguhun soldiers live in the east. The Tang army often launches sneak attacks from the east.
This difference is nothing. The key is that there is a big difference in food treatment, which is the aspect that the soldiers value most. The Tubo soldiers can eat enough, with meat and salt, while the Tuyuhun soldiers can only eat half full, which is just one meal.
The bowl of highland barley batter was mushy, and the salt content was very light, and the shadow of the meat was not visible.
Because of the shortage of food, the army had to cut down on the ration supply. The standard for Tubo soldiers was one pound of highland barley, half a pound of meat, and one tael of salt per person per day, while the Tuyuhun soldiers only had three taels of highland barley, no meat, and only one tael of salt per day.
What made the Tuyuhun soldiers angry was that not only were they treated poorly, but it was their business to attack the city and fight, and the Tubo soldiers did not go into battle at all.
Dissatisfaction accumulates in their hearts day by day.
But the trigger that caused the Tuyuhun army to cause trouble was the Tang army's attack on the Tyuhun herdsmen along the Puchang Sea and the Qiemo River. Many soldiers' homes were there. Without the suppression of Murong Bianlin, hundreds of Tuyuhun soldiers broke out in anxiety and anger.
Lun Xianggui rushed to the Tuyuhun army's camp on horseback, and heard angry shouts from a distance. Hundreds of Tuyuhun soldiers and hundreds of Tibetan soldiers faced each other in darkness, shouting in anger.
"What are you doing?" Lun Xianggui urged his horse to rush forward and shouted.
A large group of Tuyuhun soldiers immediately stepped forward and shouted at Lun Xianggui.
"We're going to starve to death!"
"Why should we starve while the Tibetan soldiers are well fed?"
"We want to go home!"
"We don't want to risk our lives anymore!"
The Tuyuhun soldiers shouted in all directions, making the sound very noisy.
A general whispered to Lun Xianggui: "The main reason is still the food problem. They are dissatisfied with the high treatment of Tibetan soldiers."
Lun Xianggui snorted coldly, "Then let them pray for reincarnation in the next life!"
He raised his eyebrows and said sternly: "The army has military rules. If you dare to cause trouble again, the leader will be executed!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the angry soldiers aimed their spears at him. Stones and mud rained down on Lun Xianggui. Lun Xianggui was caught off guard and was hit hard on the forehead by a stone, causing blood to flow out immediately.
Lun Xianggui was furious and ordered: "Arrest the leader who is causing trouble and behead him immediately!"
He turned the horse's head and returned to his tent. When he returned to the tent, a military doctor quickly treated the wound on his forehead.
Although Xianggui was anxious and anxious, it was not because he wanted to deprive the Tuyuhun soldiers of their rations. It was because the rations were insufficient and had to be cut down. The Tibetan soldiers could not be reduced. This was Zanpu's rule, and there were not many Tibetan soldiers.
There is no need to deduct their military rations. It has always been a common practice for the two armies to be treated differently, and everyone has always accepted it. Why are they causing trouble today?
Lun Xianggui vaguely guessed that it might be related to Murong Bianlin's death. Someone wanted to take over Murong Bianlin's tribal power, so he deliberately provoked trouble.
Whether to appease or to suppress hard, Xianggui has repeatedly weighed it in his mind. If appeasement does not bring practical benefits, the soldiers will still not buy it, and the gaffe will be more serious. Strong suppression will also face the risk of deteriorating the situation.
Xianggui no longer had the food to appease the soldiers, so he could only choose to suppress them hard.
At this time, a general reported at the gate of the main tent: "To the commander-in-chief, the first five people have been captured. How should we deal with them?"
Lun Xianggui said coldly: "Didn't I say to kill him immediately? Do you need me to say it a second time?"
"But these five people are all generals!"
"If you are a general, you must be severely punished. Not killing is not enough to enforce military regulations. No matter who you are, you will be executed. I don't want to say it a third time!"
The general outside the tent could only sigh and turned around to leave.
In the middle of the night, Lun Xianggui was suddenly woken up by soldiers.
"Commander, something big has happened!"
"What happened?" Lun Xianggui asked in confusion.
"Tuyuhun soldiers burned down the warehouse tents and there were a large number of people fleeing!"
"What!"
Lun Xianggui rolled over and stood up, his sleepiness gone. He widened his eyes and asked, "When did it happen?"
"just now!"
Lun Xianggui suddenly heard a noise outside. He pushed away the soldiers and walked out of the tent angrily. He saw a mess outside the tent and a bright fire in the distance. It was the warehouse that had been burned.
Lun Xianggui was so angry that he stamped his feet and angrily scolded the surrounding soldiers: "Why don't you go put out the fire quickly and grab the grain and mutton for me!"
There was chaos in the military camp, soldiers were running around, and countless people carrying basins and buckets rushed to put out the fire.
The Tang army in Qiuci City was also alarmed. After hearing the news, Guo Xin came to the city wall and stared at the fire in the military camp in the distance. He faintly heard shouts from the enemy camp.
"Commander, if the enemy has internal strife, is this an opportunity for us?" several generals whispered.
Guo Xin shook his head, "Even if there is internal strife, we can't go out to fight in the city. The risk is too great. We must be careful of the enemy's deception!"
"But hasn't Guo Changshi cut off their food and grass?"
Guo Xin received an eagle letter from Guo Song yesterday and learned that Guo Song's army had wiped out the Tuyuhun and Tubo armies, completely cutting off the other side's food and grass. It would be reasonable if the enemy army broke out in civil strife.
But Guo Xin still shook his head, "It is precisely because of the crisis on the other side that we cannot rush forward. Once we fall into the trap, Guo Changshi's efforts will be in vain."
Several generals had a look of shame in their eyes, and they bowed together and said: "The commander-in-chief has thought carefully, and we understand our mistakes!"
Guo Xin smiled slightly and said: "But what the situation is, we will know at dawn!"
The fire in the warehouse has been extinguished. Nearly a thousand stones of highland barley have been burned to half, and 30% of the freshly slaughtered mutton has also been burned. However, the most violent burning is the forage, which cannot be extinguished at all. We can only wait for it to burn to ashes, but with
Dozens of siege ladders piled together with fodder were all burned to coke and could no longer be used.
In addition, there were more than 2,000 Tuyuhun soldiers who fled, probably because they set the fire out of spite.
But the loss of food and grass and the flight of some soldiers are secondary. The key is that the military morale is beginning to show signs of collapse. There are currently 9,000 soldiers left in the military camp, 8,000 of whom are Tuyuhun soldiers, and only 1,000 Tubo soldiers. If other Tuyuhun soldiers mutiny or
Once the large-scale escape was realized by the Tang army in Qiuci City, they would be in danger of being completely destroyed.
Lun Xianggui knew that they could not stay any longer. There was still an hour before dawn, so he immediately issued an order to withdraw.
A quarter of an hour later, nearly 10,000 Tibetan troops quietly left Kucha City and retreated on horseback toward Puchanghai.
It was getting daylight, and the soldiers of the Tang Army on top of the city discovered that the enemy camp outside the city was empty and hurriedly reported to their commander Guo Xin.
Guo Ting immediately led a dozen generals out of the city to check the situation. The camp was indeed empty, with only a lone Chinese army tent left. The ground was littered with various garbage and debris discarded by the Tibetan soldiers, as well as broken armor and broken armor.
swords, and some tattered blankets.
The warehouse to the south was even more in a mess, with bags of charred grain soaked in water, mutton burned to charcoal, and fodder burned to ashes. Dozens of siege ladders burned blackly were piled up and down next to them.
Most of them have been burned out and can no longer be used.
Guo Xin felt relieved this time. The enemy army had really retreated. He turned back to the generals and said: "Tell the city that the Tibetan army has retreated!"
When the news reached Kucha City, there was a sudden joy on the city walls and in the city.