Both Bai Xiaode and Guo Xi were the generals who were most familiar with the Qinlong war, but Xue Bai lived in Chang'an, and his understanding of intelligence and timing were far better than them. He must have the help of an expert.
To arrange detailed operations in the Tibetan army and to find out the route of Dazhalu Gong, these matters must be handled by the commander-in-chief on the Qinlong battlefield.
Which commander is that?
When Guo Xi thought of this, he had a thought in his mind and had a vague guess.
Bai Xiaode had already asked first: "Could it be that Marshal Guo reported the information to His Majesty?"
Guo Xi raised his eyebrows and quickly looked at Xue Bai's expression.
Guo Ziyi had suffered a defeat before, and everyone was talking about his fault. Even his son Guo Xi suspected that he had deliberately allowed Da Zhalu Gong to enter the country following the orders of the Supreme Emperor.
And if Guo Ziyi had already been in contact with Xue Bai and designed Da Zhalu Gong, the situation would be very different.
Xue Bai nodded and said, "Yes, it's Marshal Guo."
He walked to the map, pointed twice at the location of Yuanzhou, and spoke slowly.
"The Tang Dynasty has just emerged from the war and is temporarily unable to recover the lost territory in Hexi and Longyou. This time we are in a passive position in the war with Tubo. The enemy can come and leave whenever they want. Even if we defeat Da Zhalu Gong for a while, we will not be able to recover the lost territory in Longyou.
In the fall, he will come again."
"A few days ago, someone in the army was found to be secretly colluding with Tibet. Marshal Guo investigated and learned about Da Zha Lugong's plan to invade Chang'an, so he sent someone to report it to me and decided on a plan to defeat the enemy.'
Lure the enemy deep, encircle and annihilate him. He deliberately leaked the news, let Gao Hui go, and let him lead Da Zhalu Gong to Pingliang and Pizhou. At the same time, he placed an informant around Gao Hui."
Having said this, Xue Bai smiled at Guo Xi and said: "So I said that the person who works carefully is Gao Hui. Doesn't it mean that he is familiar with General Guo?"
Guo Xi was overjoyed.
Although the consequences of all recent remarks are directed at Guo Ziyi, as a son, Guo Xi has also been under too much pressure during this period.
In order to reverse the situation of the war, we pursued all the way here. It was a time when we were both physically and mentally exhausted. Now we know that my grandfather had already made arrangements and was even a major contributor to His Majesty's ascension to the throne. Wouldn't this be more long-term and more stable than supporting the Supreme Emperor?
He thought to himself, right, this is my grandpa's style. He can prepare for a rainy day and not only defeat foreign enemies on the battlefield, but also protect himself wisely and build his career.
He also had strong confidence in Xue Bai and Guo Xi, and was full of admiration for the emperor who had just ascended the throne.
In his opinion, from his grandfather's perspective, those who support him will definitely be right. With his grandfather's support, His Majesty will definitely be able to achieve success.
Guo Xi then bowed his head and said loudly: "Your Majesty has foresight and foresight, I admire you!"
Xue Bai didn't just try to win over Guo Xi, and he didn't rush to call Guo Xi up. Instead, he struck a few words.
"Now you know how to admire me. When you sent troops to bully the people before, you probably never thought about my strict laws."
Guo Xi was rejoicing and worshiping when he was suddenly suppressed and felt panicked.
In fact, the perpetrators of the previous cases had already been punished by Xue Bai. The problem was that Guo Xi's attitude at that time was unconvinced. Although he stayed in Duan Xiushi's tent all night, he admired Duan Xiushi rather than the court.
Despite the law, there was still a lot of criticism towards Xue Bai afterwards.
When Han Huang left, Guo Xi also told the army sergeants that His Royal Highness was too nosy and was deliberately trying to establish his power.
At this time, he couldn't help but worry that these remarks had fallen into Xue Bai's ears.
With this thought, he suddenly felt that this must be the case, so he was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"I know I was wrong!"
Without saying a word, Guo Xi kowtowed to the ground. The helmet shook his head with too much force.
"In the past, I was arrogant and ignorant, and committed serious crimes. Now I have found my way back. I sincerely ask Your Majesty to give me a chance to reform. I will do my best, work hard, and go through fire and water for Your Majesty!"
Bai Xiaode was not willing to be seconded, so he also bowed down and expressed his loyalty.
He caused trouble at this time, which put more pressure on Guo Xi, so he had to quickly show that he was more loyal.
Xue Bai said calmly: "The military situation is urgent now. Let's take the punishment and perform meritorious service to see the consequences."
"Well, I will defeat the enemy for Your Majesty!"
~~
Many more campfires were added to the river bank, reflected in the sparkling river water.
It wasn't until a bright moon slowly dipped into the river, and it was late at night, that it was time to go to sleep, that a group of cavalry led their horses to the river to feed them water.
They ran for too long during the day and stopped late at night. Since the horses could only use their nostrils, they would choke to death if they panted hard to drink water after running, so they had to wait until now to feed the horses. In addition, they had to set up camp after returning, which shows that their
exhausted.
Morale is low and there are complaints.
"Since the imperial court sent envoys to kill our people, life has become more and more difficult."
"I'm afraid that the imperial court will suppress Marshal Guo and take action on us."
"I just took a look, and there are only so many people in the camp. It is said that the imperial commander is going to march personally, so he may have to leave some people to protect the saint. How can he defeat the Tubo?"
After complaining all the way, when they returned to the camp, they saw that Guo Xi was still awake and had summoned all the soldiers to the campfire.
When the soldiers saw their general's haggard appearance, they felt very distressed and started shouting one after another.
Then a deputy general persuaded Guo Xi: "General, we have just arrived with two hundred knights. Although they are elite in the army, they are small in number, so it is easy to get lost here. What's more, if the general has to obey Bai Xiaode's orders, he will definitely die."
Leave the errands to me. General, why don’t you excuse yourself on the pretext that your soldiers are tired after marching for days, and wait and see the situation until reinforcements arrive?”
"Rolling ball!"
Guo Xi cursed loudly and walked proudly among the soldiers.
"Brothers, I know that you have been traveling for days and are exhausted. But our hard work has not been in vain. Now we have taken the credit of being the first to be diligent, and everyone will be rewarded!"
Generals would often withhold most of the rewards in the army and distribute the rest to the soldiers. Although Guo Xi indulged the soldiers, he was good at this and usually only withheld half. This time he was in high spirits and made meritorious deeds.
He was so eager that he was not greedy at all and distributed them all.
As soon as the real gold and silver rewards were announced, the soldiers were overjoyed.
"The country is in crisis today, and it is the time for our men to make contributions on the battlefield. What's more, the Mingjun is born, your Majesty is powerful, and he personally fights against foreign invaders. We serve in front of the emperor, why don't we seek to be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households and be ranked in Lingyan Pavilion? Tomorrow we will fight against the enemy, and we must ask for your help.
You are brave!"
Guo Xi was very excited.
The arrogant soldiers under his command could feel his excitement, and their morale was greatly boosted.
~~
Chinese army tent.
After Bai Xiaode and Guo Xi left, they came back alone to see Xue Bai at night.
"Your Majesty, I just passed by Guo Xi's camp. He was motivating the soldiers. Their morale is very high."
"That's good." Xue Bai said, "Send this matter to Guo Ziyi's army immediately."
"Yes." Bai Xiaode said: "Since Your Majesty has asked Guo Xi to serve him wholeheartedly, you don't have to worry that Guo Ziyi will not come to support you."
"I hope so."
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Although Guo Xi has brought few troops this time, he has a high prestige in the army due to his status. He can set an example for the generals. Since he takes the lead, reinforcements will arrive soon. Listen to him again.
, This battle is planned by Guo Ziyi and His Majesty, our army’s morale is bound to win, and it will not be difficult to hold on until the main force arrives.”
Xue Bai said: "Thanks to General Bai this time."
"I can share your Majesty's worries, even if I die, I will not give up!"
Xue Bai also sent Han Huang to inspect the army, and then he noticed Bai Xiaode and Duan Xiushi, two generals who were capable of both literary and military skills. Duan Xiushi was dispatched to accompany Feng Changqing on the Western Expedition, and Bai Xiaode was reused by Xue Bai.
Guo Ziyi was the first target of all forces in the power struggle. Therefore, it was Bai Xiaode who uncovered Tubo's secret work and used it to his advantage.
It was precisely because of Bai Xiaode and the limited troops he could mobilize that Dazhalu Gong broke into Pizhou. If Guo Ziyi's plan was really the plan, Xue Bai would have defeated Dazhalu Gong long ago.
The problem that Xue Bai encountered in this battle was nothing other than that he had just ascended the throne and could not smoothly command the generals of all parties. He urgently needed a big victory to establish his authority, but he could not win a big victory if he could not command the generals.
As the enemy approaches, he is faced with such a vicious cycle.
So he used deception to deceive the generals that he had Guo Ziyi's support, and then in turn made Guo Ziyi fully support him.
Bai Xiaode first tested Guo Xi's attitude. Seeing that he had not completely succumbed to Li Longji, he brought people to Xue Bai and performed another show to convince him that the Tang army had formed a circle around the Tubo army and that the battle would be won.
It's hard to blame Bai Xiaode for his contribution, but he still pretends not to know and credits others.
But the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty knew about his grievances, and that was enough.
After a great victory, the emperor would naturally not forget to compensate him.
~~
Two days later, Dazalu Gong led his troops to attack.
This was the first battle, and he was very cautious when facing Xue Bai. The purpose of the attack was to test and judge Xue Bai's strength by observing the army's appearance, formation, and morale.
The main force approached and personally observed the Tang army's camp. Dazalu Gong quickly made a preliminary judgment.
Although the camp occupies a strategic location, it is not large and a bit messy, and no more supplies are seen entering the camp from behind.
Xue Bai sent out troops in a hurry and did not bring many troops. This cannot be concealed from others.
Whether soldiers have confidence in their own strength and whether they are afraid of the enemy can be reflected on the battlefield.
It's like two wild beasts meeting each other. You can feel each other's momentum through their posture, eyes, and breath.
At this moment, Dazalu Gong felt that he was a tiger and Xue Bai was a hare.
He also reminded himself that even if he fights a tiger with a rabbit, he should do his best.
Soon, the Tibetan army began to cross the river.
They were not very well prepared for crossing the river this time. Before the cavalry used for cover could be in place, the vanguard troops had already reached the other side of the river.
Because everyone felt that the Tang army would definitely stick to the camp.
When Lang Jiezan waded across the river, half of the main force of today's attack had already crossed over. He sat on a stone to dry his wet feet and was still chatting with others.
He wore a majestic armor today, which attracted the attention of his colleagues.
"Lang Jiezan, where did you get this armor?"
"Lombardo and I exchanged it."
The Lang family was a Tubo noble, but Lang Jiezan's father was on the wrong side in the power struggle. His family was already in decline, so someone asked him: "What did you get in exchange for it?"
"I got the best tea leaves in exchange. Do you know where my tea leaves come from?"
"Where did you steal it from?"
"A few days ago, there was someone from the Tang court who was with the general. He bought a slave from me with tea leaves. Hey, a slave changed into this armor. I'm so smart."
"Li Qiwu?"
"Yes." Lang Jie praised: "He told me that their supreme emperor has taken power again."
"Yes, the general said that there is only a prince who was exiled by Tang Ting. Look, they only have that few troops..."
Before he finished speaking, a shout suddenly came from the side of the ground.
"Tang Jun is coming!"
Lang Jiezan turned around and actually didn't see the Tang army at all. He only saw soldiers, slaves, and driven herdsmen, shouting and screaming, crowded together, and busy.
~~
When the Tibetan army approached that day, the Tang army scouted their horses to detect their movements and reported back to the army. Xue Bai summoned the generals and said that the Tibetan army would underestimate the enemy when they saw that he had few soldiers. He asked who dared to go and undermine his prestige.
Bai Xiaode immediately stepped out and said: "I am willing to ask for a battle, but I will definitely defeat Da Zhalu Gong."
He was good at conducting raids for the vanguard, and he once had the feat of challenging Shi Siming's generals one-on-one and winning and covering them up.
Guo Xi was still looking at the sand table. He didn't expect Bai Xiaode to react so quickly. He quickly said: "The cavalry I lead are all elite cavalry, and they can defeat the enemy for Your Majesty!"
He completely forgot that his lieutenant had asked him to shirk the responsibility and preserve his strength. Instead, he scrambled to go to the most dangerous place and make the greatest contribution.
The few soldiers he brought this time were originally to join forces with Bai Xiaode. Xue Bai then asked the two of them to go to stop the enemy.
The terrain has been explored and familiarized. According to the plan, as long as they attack the Tibetan army while they are halfway across the border and scare the enemy, they will have achieved their strategic goal.
But Guo Xi said: "Don't we still know the virtue of the Tibetan army? They often drive out a large number of herdsmen. To cross the river today, Dazalu Gong will definitely let these people build a pontoon bridge. You lead your troops to provoke, and I use a small group to
If the cavalry rushes across the Jing River to make a surprise attack, the herdsmen will be defeated, so I can take the opportunity to charge."
"Too dangerous."
"It's rare that the king could pick off the Tubo prince with one shot, couldn't you and I? Others only boasted that he was the leader of the enemy generals among thousands of troops. Although the enemy troops were thousands, they were just chickens and dogs!"
Bai Xiaode glanced sideways at Guo Xi, secretly thinking that this guy was too crazy. If he got trapped in the Tibetan army, it would delay strategic matters.
However, Guo Xi was born as a general and had an arrogant temperament. Bai Xiaode could not stop him. In addition, Bai Xiaode himself was a ruthless character who dared to attack the enemy alone, so he agreed.
The worst case scenario is that I can personally take care of Guo Xi when the time comes.
The two agreed, and Guo Xi was so happy that he personally led his army to detour upstream and swim to sneak attack on the enemy's position.
He was worried that his horse would be frightened, so he deliberately did not bring any firearms from the army. Instead, he asked for a few telescopes and handed them to Tan Ma. When he saw that the Tibetan army was halfway across the border, Bai Xiaode had already entered the enemy's formation, and he immediately kicked the horse's belly.
Jump out of the crowd.
"kill!"
Without saying a word, Guo Xi took the lead and attacked the Tibetan army.
The Tibetan army has always been neglectful of formations. In order to show off their bluff during battles, they often drive out large numbers of herdsmen and border people, sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands. As Guo Xi expected, those who gathered at the river today to build a pontoon bridge and transport supplies were all
These people.
The cavalry of the Tang Army rushed in, relying on their sophisticated armor and weapons, and charged and killed the unarmored soldiers, just like trampling on chickens and dogs.
Guo Xi was not only a brave soldier, but also carried the flag of Shuofang Army. The word "Guo" was written on the flag, which gave Dazalu Gong a strong sense of familiarity.
As Guo Ziyi's old rival, Dazalu Gong was immediately taken aback, worried that he had fallen into Guo Ziyi's trap, and immediately ordered the troops to retreat.
Guo Xi was enjoying the killing, but he didn't expect the Tibetan army to retreat so quickly, so he immediately attacked and killed them.
He chased for a while, and Dazalu Gong looked back frequently and found that there were only about 200 Tang Qi men chasing him, so he sent his troops back to outflank him.
However, Tan Ma came to report that reinforcements from the Tang Army were approaching more than thirty miles south, so he had to give up and ordered the rangers to block the pursuing troops and retreat calmly.
Guo Xi fought for a while, but seeing that he could not stop Dazalu Gong, he simply turned around to intercept other Tibetan soldiers.
He looked around the battlefield with his telescope and saw a general wearing bright armor hurriedly fleeing under the Lang family's banner with a shaky pole and Tibetan script written on it. He immediately rushed towards that direction.
"Where to go!"
First he yelled, which made the other party panic.
Then, Guo Xi rode up on his horse, raised the long knife in his hand, and knocked the weapon out of the opponent's hand in one round.
"Bah!"
The two horses crossed each other, and in the flash of lightning, Guo Xi caught it with his hand, like an eagle catching a wild beast in an instant. He directly lifted the general over, held it under his arm with force, and galloped away.
Under such circumstances, if the Tubo general dared to struggle, he would be thrown off his horse and his head would be bleeding. Therefore, he did not dare to move and was captured alive by Guo Xi.
"Wan Sheng!"
The Tang army roared and cheered endlessly.
Guo Xi was very proud and returned to the camp. He saw a few more flags in the camp, and more generals were summoned to express their loyalty to the new king.
It's a pity that those people came too late and couldn't compare to him who had already made the first contribution.
After throwing away the captured enemy general, Guo Xi said loudly: "I'm so lucky to have fulfilled my mission and captured the Tubo Minister Lang alive!"
Then there was another burst of joy in the camp.
Everyone knows the Lang family after having fought with Tibet for so many years, but in fact they don’t know what the names of the Lang family ministers are or what their positions are. Anyway, judging from the bright armor, they must be important Tibetan ministers, and they must be second only to Daza.
Important figures of Lu Gong.
"You! What's your name?!"
"Lang...Lang Jiezan."
"He is indeed a big shot!"
Lang Jiezan could understand what Tang Jun was saying. He looked up and saw that the Tang troops were very excited, pointing at him and talking in all directions.
"Those with 'Zan' in their names are all great, just like our Guo Lang, Li Lang, and Xue Lang."
"Lang Jiezan, I think I've heard of him. He's the Prime Minister of Tubo, right?"
"It must be the prime minister."
"Hey, let me ask you...are you Prime Minister?"
Lang Jiezan trembled when he heard this, and wanted to explain that he was not an important person.
But when he thought about it, if he really explained it, these Tang soldiers would be so angry that they would chop him into pieces.
He had no choice but to pretend not to understand, his eyes widened, and he did not nod or shake his head, until his neck became stiff.
The news soon spread throughout the army, saying that Marshal Guo and His Majesty had set up a plan to surround Da Zhalu Gong. With a bravery that could not be matched by ten thousand men, Major General Guo single-handedly fought his way into hundreds of thousands of Tibetan troops and captured the enemy alive.
The second most powerful figure in the army was the Prime Minister of Tubo.
Xue Bai also sent people to inform Chang'an, and at the same time asked the post horses to inform the officers and soldiers in various places.
Originally, some state officials heard that the new emperor ascended the throne, but the process was not so smooth, and wanted to wait and see. Now that they heard that the new emperor was so tough and tough, and at the same time Guo Ziyi's son was so strenuous, they did not dare to hesitate at all and rushed to the throne.
Arrive at Pizhou.
~~
In the following days, the two sides fought again, with each other winning or losing.
However, the strength of the Tang army was increasing day by day, and their morale was getting stronger. Dazalu Gong had obviously lost hope of victory.
Every day that passes, the situation becomes more unfavorable to him. If it drags on any longer, he may have difficulty even withdrawing his troops.
When it came time to retreat, I thought that Tang Ting now had such a young and heroic monarch, and that within ten years he would be a huge threat to Tibet. It was really disappointing to miss this opportunity to defeat him.
Therefore, Dazhalu Gong thought for a long time and decided to turn south, capture Fengtian, threaten Chang'an, mobilize Xue Bai to pursue him, and force the Tang army to deploy defenses to the east.
At that time, he will suddenly head west, capture Fengxiang, and then fight back to Longyou.
During the process, if the Tang army made an aggressive move in pursuit, he could suddenly turn around and try to get under the dragon flag and capture the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty alive.
Trees are moved to death, and people are moved to life. In the current situation, the Tibetan army can only open up the situation by moving around.
Of course, unfamiliarity with the terrain is a big problem. Fortunately, Dazarugong has no shortage of guides.
He ordered Li Qiwu and Gao Hui to lead the way for the army.
Li Qiwu, as an important official of the clan, had visited Fengtian several times to offer sacrifices. Gao Hui had been in Jingzhou for a long time. Both of them knew the terrain of this area very well and quickly drew a map.
They planned the route, and Dazaru congratulated them greatly, and immediately ordered the army to set off tomorrow.
It's night.
Li Qiwu blew the bamboo flute in the tent, and his voice was very sad.
A few tents apart, Gao Hui listened to the music and sighed quietly.
Suddenly, a soldier behind him spoke.
"General, are you feeling sad when you think about the bleak road ahead?"
"What are you talking about?" Gao Hui said.
"The reason why the general went to the Tubo army was not to treason, but to borrow troops for the Supreme Emperor. But now that the Supreme Emperor has passed away, the world does not know the general's painstaking efforts, and only calls the general a traitor to the country. Even if he helped the Tubo people robbed and kidnapped him before returning home, the general would still have
What future is there?"
Gao Hui sighed helplessly and said: "The matter has come to this, what else can we do?"
"The general is different from Li Qiwu. Li Qiwu has a personal grudge against the new emperor, but the general still has the opportunity to turn his back on the enemy."
When Gao Hui turned around, he was displeased at first, then his eyes flickered a few times, and he shook his head and said: "I don't want to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side, but it's a pity that I don't have a chance."
"The villain dare not lie to the general. The villain was sent here by General Bai Xiaode."
Gao Hui took two steps back in shock, shocked and furious, and said: "What did you say?!"
"The general stuffed information into the belly of the lamb and sent it out of the camp to look for the ewe. General Bai had already known about this. He asked me to follow the general to the Tibetan army to deliver the news. Now, Dazalu Gong is the king.
The divisions are surrounded. This is the general's last chance to make a contribution."
"..."
That night, a simple map was sent out of the Tubo camp, with the route of the Tibetan army marked on it.
Gao Hui promised to lead Dazalu Gong to a designated ambush location.