Guo Song randomly summoned the generals in the commander's tent to discuss sending troops.
"It is now the end of February, and the ice and snow have begun to melt. Since the emperor has approved the combat plan, we must prepare to send troops. We cannot wait for the ice and snow to completely melt before setting off, so I decided to set off in five days for night combat training.
That ends here. Soldiers must continue to strengthen their martial arts training and not slack off!"
All the generals bowed and saluted together, "Obey the order!"
………
When Guo Song returned to the mansion, he first came to the back house. His wife Xue Tao was already full month old, and his daughter Xiaowei was also more than a month old. She had turned into a beautiful little baby. She was sleeping most of the time.
I drink milk when I wake up and go back to sleep when I'm full.
The yard is full of diapers,
Guo Song carefully picked up the baby and kissed the baby's pink face, his eyes full of love.
Xue Tao hugged her husband from behind and asked in a low voice: "How long will it take to go this time?"
"One to two months!"
Guo Song thought for a while and then said: "If conditions permit, I plan to go to Anxi again and try to come back as soon as possible."
Xue Tao has become accustomed to her husband going off to war. She sighed softly, "Husband, be careful!"
………
Five days later, 20,000 Tang troops left Zhangye for the northern expedition with a large amount of baggage. They did not go through Suzhou and Guazhou, but took a secret passage at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. This secret passage could not carry large carts and baggage, but the Tang army did not
Instead of carrying carts, thousands of camels carried food, soldiers, armor and other baggage. After most of the ice and snow melted, the camels themselves could also find forage under the snow.
All the 20,000 Tang troops were on horseback. Horseback riding does not mean they are cavalry, it is just a means of transportation.
The team marched all the way west. The march was not fast. They marched during the day and lit bonfires and slept in the open at night. Five days later, the team began to hear the howling of wolves.
Guo Song immediately ordered the army to stop moving forward for a day. He called Liang Wu and Yao Jin up and said to them: "This group of wild wolves has been harming this road for decades. Today is the time to liquidate it. You two will each lead the way."
This department will encircle and suppress this wolf pack, and the one with the most wolf corpses will win."
The two agreed without hesitation, and each led two thousand cavalry and ran towards the mountains and woods.
Guo Song immediately ordered to camp on the spot to rest. At dusk, the soldiers returned one after another.
An open space was surrounded by soldiers. Everyone was whispering and discussing secretly. There were two piles of wolf carcasses in the open space, both of which were more than a hundred. After counting, several sergeants announced loudly that the first battalion had hunted 176 wolves.
The second battalion hunted one hundred and ninety-two wolves, and the second battalion had sixteen more.
The soldiers of the second battalion were in jubilation. At this time, Liang Wu shouted loudly in the distance: "It's not necessarily who will lose and who will win!"
Everyone looked around and saw Liang Wu covered in blood, dragging a huge wolf corpse in his hand, followed by dozens of cavalry. Everyone exclaimed and gathered around. Liang Wu threw the wolf corpse to the ground.
, "This is the Wolf King. The Wolf King has been hunted by us."
This wolf king was twice as big as the other wolves, with four or five arrows stuck in his body, but the fatal wound was in his throat, which was pierced by a knife.
Liang Wudao: "I led dozens of elites to encircle and suppress this wolf king. It escaped several times and finally killed it. Killing this wolf king is at least worth hundreds of ordinary wolves."
Yao Jin said disdainfully: "We have agreed to win with numbers. No matter how powerful the Wolf King is, he is just a wolf."
"nonsense!"
Liang Wu jumped up in anger, straightened his neck and shouted: "You hunted a wolf king and showed me?"
Everyone turned their attention to Guo Song, who had just arrived. Guo Song knelt down, looked at the Wolf King, and said to everyone: "Killing the Wolf King is of great significance. If the Wolf King runs away, we will completely lose this siege."
, and this wolf king is very cunning, and it is not difficult to kill it, so the wolf king cannot be counted as just one wolf, I think it is reasonable that it should be counted as fifty wolves!"
The soldiers of the first battalion suddenly cheered, and they finally defeated the second battalion.
Guo Song then said apologetically to Yao Jin: "If there was a huge difference in the numbers between your two armies, I could judge you to be a tie. But if your numbers are not much different, and the other side has hunted the Wolf King, the other side should be judged to be the winner based on emotion and reason.
."
Yao Jin bowed and said: "Shijun's judgment is fair and reasonable. I am convinced. But this small victory is nothing. Let's compare the results of the battle against the Tibetan army!"
Liang Wu raised his eyebrows coldly and snorted, "I'm looking forward to that day coming soon!"
Although Yao Jin did not take this wolf siege seriously, they completely wiped out this group of gray wolves that had been active for more than 20 years at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. Since then, more and more people have taken this shortcut.
Eventually it became the trade route from Dadou to Shazhou.
After a day's rest, the Tang army continued to advance westward. Ten days later, the team entered Shazhou.
It was already early March, the ice and snow in Shazhou had melted, Populus euphratica was sprouting, birds were chirping, and spring was everywhere.
It was already dusk, so Guo Song ordered his soldiers to camp and rest on the spot, and sent several scouts to Dayun Temple to inquire about the news.
Although Zhang Yun and his scouts had already moved into Dunhuang City, he still arranged two liaison soldiers at Dayun Temple just to wait for this moment to arrive.
By noon the next day, several scouts brought back news from the city. Zhang Yun made an appointment to seize the south gate at three o'clock tonight. He would cooperate internally and externally to help the main force of the Tang army seize the city, and agreed to raise a fire as a signal.
Guo Song carefully read the pigeon letter twice. Zhang Yun meant that the Tibetan army's defense in the north of the city was relatively tight, while the south of the city was relatively loose.
"How is Commander Zhang doing in the city?" Guo Song asked a liaison soldier.
The liaison soldier bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Commander Zhang and a hundred brothers are mainly working as clerks in the shops of the Cao family and the Zhang family. With the protection of the two family heads, everyone is doing well, and the Tubo people have no doubts.
"
Guo Song was more concerned about the Tibetan people's logistics supplies. He had previously learned that the Tibetan warehouse was located in Dunhuang County, so he decided to seize the county first, not only to protect the people of Shazhou, but also to seize the logistics supplies.
The Tubo army had no logistical supplies and would inevitably seek a war or evacuate Shazhou. At least the Tang army would not have to attack the strong and strong Tibetan camp.
Guo Song looked at the map. They were about twenty miles away from Dunhuang County. Guo Song immediately ordered: "Rest on the spot and set off at the first watch!"
Dunhuang City has been a strategic location since ancient times. It is the only place to go from the Hexi Corridor to Anxi. Eastern and Western civilizations met here, creating a splendid Buddhist culture.
Dunhuang is a large city with a population of more than 10,000 households, most of which are Han people. It is very different from other cities in the Hexi Corridor where Hu and Han people are mixed. This is also because after Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty destroyed Chen and Xiliang, he exiled a large number of Jiangnan royal families and nobles to distant places.
The arrival of Dunhuang kept them as far away from their hometown as possible, but at the same time it also contributed to the prosperity of Dunhuang.
Dunhuang City has a circumference of 30 miles, with tall and strong walls. There are two gates in the south and north. At the first watch, a hundred Tang army scouts quickly gathered in the Cao Family Courtyard. This place is very close to the south gate, only more than 200 steps away.
Hundreds of Tang army scouts were all dressed as Tubo soldiers. They could be identified by having a white flower on their chests, which was clearly visible at night. In addition, their weapons were spears, swords and bows and arrows, which were completely different from the Tubo soldiers.
The appointment was made at the third watch, which was also the sleepiest time of the day, which was conducive to them seizing the city gate. Of course, Zhang Yun had repeatedly observed that Tubo attached great importance to the north of the city and deployed heavy troops at the city gate, which was also close to the Tubo logistics warehouse.
The north gate has something to do with it. In comparison, the number of Tibetan soldiers in the south of the city is much smaller, less than a hundred.
It was already two o'clock in the morning. Zhang Yun gave an order and led a hundred soldiers out. They walked through the south side door. There was a small alley on the other side. Directly across from the small alley was the ramp to the city.
Zhang Yun waved his hand and led fifty soldiers to the ramp. The other forty-eight soldiers, led by a brigade commander, went straight to the city gate.
Completely different from the tight defense of Jiuquan City, the defense here is very lax. Dozens of Tubo soldiers are sleeping in the city tower. It is no wonder that first the Shatuo army comes from the north before Tubo will enter a wartime state. Now
Winter had just passed, and there was no sign of Shatuo sending troops yet, so Tubo naturally did not enter a wartime state.
There was a strong wind in Shazhou at night. Most of the soldiers hid in the tower to sleep. Only two soldiers on duty sat on the ground and dozed off.
As soon as Zhang Yun waved, two soldiers rushed forward at lightning speed and cut the throats of the two soldiers. Several soldiers pushed the door in with sharp daggers. They bent over and seemed to be looking for a place to sleep, but they couldn't find a place to sleep.
He cut the throat of the sleeping Tibetan soldier with a knife, and then pierced the back of the heart with a knife. In just a few moments, all the thirty Tibetan soldiers were killed in their sleep.
There were not many soldiers under the city gate, and more than a dozen soldiers who were sleeping near the city were all killed. The soldiers of the Tang army pretended to be on guard, but opened the city gate, lowered the drawbridge at the top of the city, and Zhang Yun lit a fire on the top of the city.
Two torches, waved.
In just a moment, the main force of 20,000 Tang troops arrived silently and rushed directly into Dunhuang City.