The tired warrior's movements became sluggish, and he was completely at a disadvantage in the cavalry confrontation where life and death could be decided in the blink of an eye.
What frightened them even more was that the enemy's armor was too strong. Even with the speed, their swords were not enough to cut fatal wounds. They could only use force to cut people off their horses, and most of the time.
It's just a scratch on the opponent's armor.
Not to mention, the enemy's steel knives were sharp and hard. Even if they were wearing thick leather robes, the enemy would not need to move very much to make long cuts on their bodies.
In just one short confrontation, nearly a thousand people lost their lives. Looking at the place covered with corpses, injured and undead war horses and people wailing incessantly, the Tubo people felt terrified.
Because most of the people lying there were their own people, and the enemies... were very few.
The ferocious Tubo soldiers finally tasted the taste of fear, and finally knew that the outside world was so dangerous, and that there were many warriors stronger than them...
Fortunately, there are not many of them, and it is possible to defeat them.
The cavalry were fighting, and they were not allowed to think too much. The enemy drew an arc in the distance and was preparing to fight with them again.
The Tubo people wanted to turn around and attack this terrible opponent again, but to their despair, before they could turn around, another group of enemies had already appeared in their sight.
Xiao Siye's troops arrived a little late, because there were two centurions blocking them, and they cleverly drove the prisoners ahead. They had already predicted this, so how could Xiao Siye hesitate at this time?
He rushed past with his army, turning everyone in his way into powder, but after such a delay, he was one step slower than Ashina Danai.
But he just happened to seize the opportunity, and when the Tibetans were about to turn around and fight again, he launched a fatal blow to the Tibetans.
Staged assault is the tactic that the Turks are best at. In cavalry battles, they often use brave warriors to penetrate the enemy's formation, and then use their troops to step forward to invite battle. Those who have passed through the enemy's formation turn back to attack the opponent's flank, leaving
The enemy cares about one thing and misses the other.
This tactic is not very effective against the mixed infantry and cavalry armies of the Upper Central Plains, but it is invincible in the Western Regions and against tribes in the Northeast.
This time, the Tang army inadvertently formed this situation and sandwiched the Tubo people who were like country bumpkins in the middle.
Xiao Siye did not hesitate to lead his army to the front of the Tibetan army. Ashina Danai led his army to turn back. He was a Western Turkic nobleman and was not very familiar with this situation. He immediately led his army to the flank of the Tibetan army.
He then retracted the ring-shou sword that had been stained red by blood, took off the bow and arrow from the side of the horse while galloping, raised it above his head and howled repeatedly to signal.
"Zhang Gong, Zhang Gong..." the officers shouted hoarsely one after another.
The Tibetan military formation was actually in disarray, and their followers fled one after another. No matter how much the Tubo people shouted and cursed, it was of no avail.
The soldiers of the Tang army rained arrows, and the Tubo people fell down in rows in a chaotic mess. For a moment, the sound of arrows piercing the flesh, the screams of the Tubo people and the mournful neighing of the war horses were loud.
Xiao Siye led his army straight into the front of the Tubo army. The Tubo people, who had lost their horse speed, were immediately reduced to lambs to be slaughtered. Their long knives were brandished and blood filled the air. The soldiers of the Tang army chopped each one down one by one just like they did during daily drills.
The Tibetans cut down their war horses.
The Tubo army collapsed...
Two thousand cavalry led by Xu Shiji arrived soon after, and the surviving Tibetans were so frightened that they turned around and fled to the northwest together with their followers.
The Tang army encircled and annihilated all the Tibetans who resisted on the Huining River, and then Shi Shiran began to chase the fleeing enemies.
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It is not an exaggeration to describe the Tibetan people at this time as headless flies, because soon after they escaped, they discovered that a large river was passing by in front of them. It was the Yellow River that had never been cut off, and it was the flood season at this time.
The Tang army spread and blocked all their escape routes.
The war entered the final stage, and the Tang army began to persuade them to surrender in accordance with the rules. The remaining three to four thousand Tibetan soldiers gathered on the river bank, looking around, looking pitiful and helpless.
Ruben, a Tibetan who was still alive, led his men back and launched a desperate attack. At this time, it was extremely difficult for them to reach the edge of the Tang army. Almost all of them were shot and killed by the Tang army not far from the river bank.
Some Tubo people who lost the courage to fight the enemy but were unwilling to surrender rushed into the Yellow River, hoping to gain a chance for themselves. However, they were so exhausted that they drowned in the cold and fast water, including both men and horses.
In the river.
Those who surrendered were almost all followers of the Tubo people. They included Qiang people, Tuyuhun people, branches of Qiang people, Dangxiang people and Di people. Anyway, they were a hodgepodge of highlanders.
They tremblingly offered their knees to the victors, just as they did when the Tibetans conquered them.
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The Tang army began to clean up the battlefield. This time the battlefield was a bit big, but the results were undoubtedly brilliant. They galloped for more than a hundred miles and relatively completely annihilated this Tibetan army.
The capture was not satisfactory, and only more than 3,000 people chose to surrender. The Tubo people were very poor, and there was nothing worthy of the attention of the Tang army's officers and soldiers. They even had very little food and grass, which was not enough to fill the teeth of the Tang army.
Of course, this is understandable, otherwise why would the Tubo people come to rob us?
The Tang army was also very tired. They threw the bodies of the Tibetan people there. The carnivores would take care of them, but they didn't know where their souls would go. You must know that this is the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and there are many gods from all walks of life.
It's very good, I don't think the gods of the Tibetan people will come to take advantage of it.
At present, the Tang army has good logistical support, but the Tang army does not actually attach great importance to capture. What they value is the achievement of defeating the enemy. Generals like Xu Shiji pay more attention to this.
Because not all generals are equal, they are ranked based on seniority, military merit is undoubtedly a very important one, and what he lacks is military merit.
When you have enough merits, other generals will not be proud when they are in front of you. When fighting, those who have repeatedly made meritorious deeds will be able to stand in front of everyone and make others bow their heads and obey orders. This is the case with Zhang Lun...
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After the war, the sky gradually became dark, and countless bonfires were lit on the Huining River.
Xu Shiji looked at the sky with looming stars, felt the cold evening breeze on the Huining River, and finally let out a long breath. He won the first battle and made great contributions.
Over the years, he has been fighting everywhere, but this time he feels different because he is fighting against foreign enemies... This is the real merit of a man.
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The army was stationed here, and everyone in the army began to have dinner, and casualties were reported one after another.
Six hundred and eighty-six soldiers died in the battle, most of them were in Ashina Danai's headquarters. They were the first to rush into Huiningchuan and engage in a battle with the Tibetans, resulting in heavy casualties.
The other two units suffered few casualties, so they were able to take advantage.
The entire Tibetan army was wiped out, and more than 10,000 people were scattered over an area of nearly a hundred miles. They were defeated one by one, and almost all of them turned into lonely ghosts.
In the battle of Huiningchuan, there were about 8,000 Tubo people, and more than 3,000 were surrendered. The rest were buried here by the Tang army. There was no doubt that it would be a great victory.
Ashina Danai and Xiao Siye were both arranging the army, counting casualties, seizing, etc., and had no time to pay attention to him as the commander.
As the bonfire burned out, several people were brought to Xu Shiji.
After Xu Shiji took a quick look, he knew that these were several Tubo people. They had black and rough skin, very thick hair, and thick beards. They were wearing tattered leather robes with a special style and heavy clothes.
The smell of sheep mutton, mixed with the stench of blood and sweat, makes you want to vomit the closer you get.
"General Qi, they said they are businessmen. General Xiao asked us to bring them to see you, saying they might be of some use."
Xu Shiji nodded. With Xiao Siye and Ashina Danai helping him, it was really easy.
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Several Tibetan businessmen seemed to have no injuries. The Tang army officers and soldiers would not give any preferential treatment to the enemy at this time. Anyone who was injured would most of the time be stabbed with a knife to avoid wasting precious medicinal materials in the army or becoming a burden to the army.
Unless you are a more important person, such people are easier to identify in war. They are often more gorgeously dressed and have more protection than others.
Of course, if you have no markings, you can only blame yourself for being unlucky. Many generals who died in the rebellion were killed by pawns in this way.
Several Tibetan businessmen bent down to salute. Xu Shiji's guards thought they were not respectful enough, so they punched and kicked them, making them kneel and talk.
The Tibetan merchants obeyed the advice, and then they knelt so hard that they almost buried their heads in the ground. This was probably how they would look when facing their gods.
Businessmen are businessmen, no matter which tribe they belong to. Since ancient times, most of them have had no chance of courage and glory, because they have already given their souls to the devil, lost themselves in calculations, and been blinded by wealth.
It is precisely because of this that they survived by chance. Of course, they still had to struggle hard for survival.
"Who are you and what use do you have to me? Let me tell you."
Xu Shiji asked casually, but in fact he became focused, because for Tang Jun, any news about the Tubo people was very important.
It's a pity that we couldn't catch a few of the bigger ones in this battle, otherwise there might still be merit that can be usurped.
This battle also gave him some understanding of the Tubo people. The Tubo people had no brains, and they had no knowledge of weapons and armor. They were also confused about strategies and tactics, but the Tubo people were all very good warriors.
There were more than 20,000 people, but so few prisoners were surrendered. Firstly, it may be the problem of the Tang army itself, which did not plan to surrender many prisoners. Secondly, the Tubo people were not afraid of death. This is something that needs to be vigilant.
Therefore, every Tibetan prisoner, whether he is a general, a soldier, or a merchant, is very important...Why the hell do the Tibetans bring some merchants with them when they go to war?