There are often cliffs along the Dadu River. Whenever we encounter them, we cannot march in the valley. We can only take a detour over the mountains, avoid the cliffs, and then go down to the river again.
On a journey of nearly two hundred miles, we can only travel more than ten miles a day.
The soldiers at the front fought through thorns and thorns to clear the way. The "fighting through thorns" mentioned here is actually cutting away the stinging thorns on the road, not a metaphor. When Xue Bai saw their skin being cut open, exposing the bones inside, and the wounds oozing with pus and festering, he couldn't help but feel that this idiom was really not suitable for the trivial troubles that most people encountered in life.
Thorns bring disability and death, and no one has time to cry.
That day, in order to bypass a large cliff, the scouts searched for a long time, hoping to find a way over the mountain. In the end, they only found a steep slope. People had to climb vines to go up the slope, and it was even harder for horses to catch up.
Gradually it was Xue Bai's turn. He stepped forward, held a vine branch as thick as his forearm, and was about to start climbing when someone suddenly shouted: "Xue Lang, slow down, I'm here to help you!"
But Wang Tianyun, who was sitting nearby bandaging his wounds, saw him and quickly rushed over. Since the march, Xue Bai has rarely met Wang Tianyun several times, because the other party is the vanguard and has been clearing the way in front.
"General Wang is injured?"
"It's a small injury, nothing in the way." Wang Tianyun looked fierce, but at this time he tried to show a smile to show his respect for Xue Bai.
In his eyes, a young champion, not enjoying the glory and wealth of Chang'an, ran to the battlefield in Jiannan, not only strategizing, but also waiting for the good life to be rewarded. However, sharing the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, such a person is certainly worthy of respect. .
However, in the eyes of the scheming powerful people in Chang'an, such a person must have great intentions.
"Xue Lang, your shoes are torn, how about a new pair?" Wang Tianyun shouted: "Shi Da, bring a pair of shoes, mine is short, bring Ruan Chengzong's."
The shoes on Xue Bai's feet had been worn out in the past two days. Because he often had to wade in water, the soles of the shoes were about to fall off when they were wet and dry. But he had actually changed a pair, while the other soldiers had not yet changed.
"No need." Xue Bai said: "My shoes can still be used. If you give the soldier's shoes to me, what will he wear?"
"Ruan Chengzong is already dead, mother. He was only bitten by a snake and died before dark."
Wang Tianyun seemed to be talking about an ordinary thing, with no reverence for life in his tone.
Xue Bai is not a soft-hearted person, but he has seen too many partings between life and death in recent days. He took the pair of shoes in silence.
"This dilapidated road going south is really not as easy to walk as the road we used to attack Xiaobolu. You can't ride a horse for several sections." Wang Tianyun pointed to his pair of bow legs. He didn't think they were ugly, but felt proud, and said, "My legs are , I have to ride a horse, I’m not good at climbing mountains.”
Although he said this, Wang Tianyun actually climbed the mountain very quickly, and he could move as fast as flying on the dangerous path.
Xue Bai changed his shoes and stepped on them. They felt quite solid. He thought to himself that this might have been sewn by Ruan Chengzong's mother-in-law or wife.
Climbing up the steep hillside, the terrain becomes higher and higher. Gradually, the view of the Dadu River becomes like a river. Going further, there were no roads in several places, and the soldiers cut down trees to make temporary roads. The branches were simply cut off, and the bark was not peeled off. Naturally, we couldn't expect it to be very stable, and it was wobbly when walking.
That is, when Xue Bai and other officials passed by, Wang Tianyun shouted and asked the soldiers to hold on to the tree trunk.
The feet are stepping on the round tree trunk, and below the trunk is an abyss.
Xue Bai walked through this section of the road with lingering fears. When he reached the woods ahead, he rested against a tree trunk.
Wang Tianyun came forward and asked a few questions with concern, but he was obviously not good at caring for others. He kept asking questions like "Is Xue Lang tired?"
"General Wang, do you have a request?"
"Not really." Wang Tianyun scratched his head and murmured in a low voice, "Well, the telescope. Can Xue Bai go forward... Can I exchange my military exploits with Xue Lang for one? The heads of Nanzhao rebels below Ge Luofeng, Xue Lang You can have as many as you want.”
The telescope was given to Wang Zhongsi by Xue Bai. He also brought one himself, which he usually used to observe the battlefield and learn Wang Zhongsi's commands. At this time, Xue Bai thought about it and thought that Wang Tianyun was a trustworthy person, so he said: "Then let's exchange the heads of two important rebel generals?"
"Really?!" Wang Tianyun was overjoyed, rubbed his hands excitedly, and said, "I have been coveting it for a long time. Xue Lang is just waiting. When I conquer Taihe City, I will give you the credit and guarantee you three official promotions. "
"It's a deal."
After saying this, Xue Bai heard a whistle sound and turned around to see Wang Zhongsi standing on a high place, holding a telescope and looking around. From time to time, he ordered people to raise the order flag. He should be personally commanding the small team. Scout.
Xue Bai climbed up a little further, took the telescope from Diao Bing, and looked around.
After the Dadu River breaks out of this section of the canyon, the front gradually opens up and the water slows down slightly. On the east bank, the soldiers were building bamboo rafts, cutting off a large bamboo tree, tying it tightly, and making leather bags according to Xue Bai's instructions.
The leather bag is made by peeling off the sheepskin completely, tying the limbs and anus and other leaky areas, and then blowing air to make it a floating object.
The soldiers tied several leather bags to the bamboo raft to increase the buoyancy, but although the river seemed to be very slow, if they just put down the bamboo raft, they would be washed away.
Then a soldier tied a leather bag to his body and led a rope into the water first. He must have been very good at swimming, but not long after he entered the water, he was washed dozens of steps downstream. The soldiers on the shore quickly tightened the rope, and he gradually adjusted and swam to the other side...
Taking advantage of this moment, Wang Zhongsi turned to look at Xue Bai and said: "The Tubo people have already discovered us, so I deliberately let Luo Zhui go to let the Tubo people know that we will cross the river at the bend of the Dadu River."
"But we rush to the ferry in advance?"
"Thirty people cross the river first," Wang Zhongsi said. "If the Tubo people want to stop us, they will gather troops and ships at the corresponding places before we cross the river. These thirty people can go to inquire about the situation and even seize the ships."
Xue Bai asked: "Is only thirty people enough?"
"No baggage, no more, no more traces can be hidden."
From this incident, we can see that Wang Zhongsi was very assertive. Although Xue Bai suggested crossing the river in Shimian County, Wang Zhongsi did not intend to completely comply. He sent a team of scouts to the other side to explore in advance, looking for better opportunities at any time.
Xue Bai did not feel slighted because of this. Instead, he learned that a general should listen to opinions while being assertive and maintain flexible tactics instead of rigidity.
While talking, the soldier crossing the river had swam across the center of the river, and at the same time, he was also washed a long way downstream.
Suddenly, the river water around him was dyed red and was quickly washed away.
Xue Bai quickly moved his telescope to observe, but did not see anyone shooting arrows on the other side. But it was the soldier who stepped on a reef in the river and was cut by a stone. He struggled a few times in the water and was unable to continue swimming. He floated in the river like a dead fish and was washed away by the water, relying on ropes and leather bags. , so that it was not washed away or sunk.
"Pull him back." Wang Zhongsi ordered.
The flag was waved, but before the people on the bank could pull back the soldier crossing the river, he rested for a while and swam hard again, waving his arms to fight against the rough waves. I kept being pushed downstream and swam forward hard.
Finally, he landed on the shore, walked back for a while, wrapped his rope around a tree, leaned under the tree, and then began to treat the wound.
The people on the shore pushed the bamboo raft into the water. Wang Tianyun was the first to board the bamboo raft. He and the soldiers pulled the rope and pulled the bamboo raft to the other side.
The Tang army divided three times, with ten men crossing the river each time. After that, Wang Tianyun led the thirty warriors and disappeared into the woods on the west bank.
~~
The Dadu River rushes down, enters the territory of Shimian County, and turns eastward.
In the upper reaches, the Dadu River has an east bank and a west bank; here, it has a south bank and a north bank. During the Shu Han Dynasty, Zhuge Liang pacified Menghuo and established Yanniu County, Hanjia County on the north bank, and Qiongdu County, Yueqi County on the south bank. Further south, there is Menghuo City.
In the Tang Dynasty, they marched nearly two hundred miles along the river valley and finally arrived here.
Li Sheng led his men to capture a Si hunter in the mountains and forests. Wang Zhongsi asked the military interpreter to ask a few questions and learned that the best place to cross the river here is called "Zida Di". What is the meaning of this name? I asked that person but couldn't find out anything.
The situation was different this time. There was less room for flexibility. Wang Zhongsi did not play any counter-intuitive tactics. After asking questions, he killed the hunter with a knife.
After that, the soldiers were ordered to rest while waiting for news about Wang Tianyun.
That night, Xue Bai was lying in the field covered with only a layer of felt, listening to the sound of water flowing in the Dadu River, and suddenly regretted not handing the telescope directly to Wang Tianyun.
It's a pity that Wang Tianyun didn't say in advance that he wanted to cross the river. He was laughing one moment, and then quietly got on the bamboo raft the next.
"Cuckoo, cuckoo."
Suddenly, birdsong sounded from the other side of the river, and crows responded from this side.
Xue Bai stood up, looked at the sparkling river surface under the moonlight, and felt the restlessness of the Dadu River...
~~
"The Yak tribe is right behind, with more than a thousand people."
"Only this few people?"
Wang Tianyun was a little surprised. Based on the information he knew, the Yak Division could mobilize at least 3,000 troops. Why were there so few?
"The strange thing is that they didn't get ahead of us and marched all the way, exploring all the way."
"Is that because Luo Zhui didn't tell the Yak tribe that we were going to cross the river at Zidadi?" Wang Tianyun pondered, "He is a man who keeps his word."
He sent someone to return the obtained information to Wang Zhongsi.
The current situation is that the Yibu on the other side of the Dadu River have not yet noticed the approaching Tang army, and there are ships on both sides of the river near Zidadi. The Yak Division is still on the road and may support the Xi Division at any time.
The counter-intuitive plan did not work. What Wang Zhongsi had to do was very simple. He directly seized the boats on both sides of the strait, including asking Wang Tianyun to row the boats he could grab on the south bank back to the north bank, and the main force quickly crossed the river.
We must establish a foothold on the south bank before Xibu reacts. Defeat the Yak tribe before the Yak tribe arrives. The last point is to ensure that no one will escape across the Jinsha River to report the news.
After making a plan, Wang Zhongsi recruited Li Sheng and Qu Huan, ordered them to seize the ship, ordered Guan Chongsi to cross the river first, and cooperated with Wang Tianyun to form an array on the other side, and ordered Tian Shengong and Tian Shenyu to lead the follow-up troops to cross the river.
After the assignment was complete, with a few birdsong, the military order was delivered to Wang Tianyun.
The Tang army rested for a night and then began the battle across the river.
…
Wang Tianyun received the military order and left two people to conduct reconnaissance in the mountains and forests to the north, keeping an eye on the Yak tribe's movements.
He personally led the remaining soldiers to rob the ships on the south bank.
Zidadi is the easiest place to cross the Dadu River, so there are some Si people living there. They think that Tibetan merchants are ferrying people there, and sometimes they kill people and steal goods.
Wang Tianyun led the people closer and closer, and finally some people found their traces and shouted loudly.
"Whoosh."
Wang Tianyun shot the opponent down with an arrow. His soldiers no longer concealed their traces, but rushed forward with shouts of death to frighten the opponent.
Compared to the battle with Xiao Bolu, the scene before him was nothing. This small victory in Stealing the River was easier than expected as Sibu was unprepared.
Unfortunately, it was inevitable that some people would blow a horn made of horn.
"Woo——"
The sound carried far away, obviously alarming Sibu.
"Move quickly! Row the boat over to pick up the people!"
Wang Tianyun strode forward, knocked down a Tibetan tax collector, took the unfinished naan from his hand, and took a big bite.
He crossed the river without any luggage. Although he caught some small birds in the past two days, he did not dare to light a fire to roast them. At this time, he was so hungry that he looked like a robber.
The mountain city in the south responded to the sound of horns, and the troops of the Yi tribe were already rushing here.
Fortunately, the first batch of Tang troops crossing the river today have arrived.
Guan Chongsi was tall and had been feeling uncomfortable since entering the Western Sichuan Plateau. At this time, he jumped off the boat and shouted, "Form up!" without even knowing the direction.
Before he finished speaking, he vomited because of seasickness.
"Array up!" Guan Chongsi stood up and shouted without wiping his mouth.
The array of Tang soldiers on the south bank was thin, but they drew their bows and arrows one after another. When the troops coming from Yibu began to charge this way, the first round of arrow rain had already been fired, suppressing the enemy's morale.
~~
The battle in Zidadi had just begun. On the upper reaches of the Dadu River, two Tang soldiers who were watching from a high place had already seen the soldiers and horses of the Yak tribe coming from the north.
"Go and report to the general, the Yak Division is here!" a Tang soldier named Shi Da ordered.
"good."
Shi Da stayed, lowered his body, and listened to the enemies of the Yak tribe running past his feet one by one, silently counting their number.
After that, he waited for a long time to make sure that all the people from the Yak tribe had crossed the border, and then stood up.
Suddenly, a flexible figure in the forest caught his attention.
At first he thought it was a monkey, but after staring carefully for a while, he discovered who it was.
It was actually the guide that Commander Ji had let go.
Because Shi Da was Wang Tianyun's personal soldier and always walked in front, he recognized the other party and knew his name was Luo Zhui.
"Whoosh."
A crossbow arrow suddenly shot in front of Luo Zhui.
Luo Zhui was startled, stopped quickly, and turned to look at the woods to one side.
"I know you can speak Chinese." Someone asked in the woods: "Answer me, have you told the Yak tribe that we are going to cross the river at Zidadi?"
Luo Zhui recognized that it was Tang Jun and was not afraid of backlash. He hurriedly said: "I have news and want to trade with your general!"
"Take off your clothes, raise your hands, and come over here."
Luo Zhui obeyed the instructions and walked quickly into the woods. He was immediately hit on the back and fell to the ground.
Shi Da stepped forward, held him down, tied his hands, and led him all the way to the Dadu River.
"I really have important news!" Luo Zhui thought that the other party was going to sink him into the river, so he shouted quickly.
"Yeah?"
"Really, I need to see your general."
Shi Da then untied the rope from Luo Chai's hand, tied a leather bag to his body, and shouted: "Hold the rope and swim over!"
~~
Xue Bai hasn't crossed the river yet, and is watching the battle with a telescope on the north bank of Zidadi.
Xibu did not receive the news in advance, was a little confused, and failed to organize an effective defense immediately, so the Tang army gradually crossed the river with nearly 600 people.
The situation is improving.
But there was a problem. There were more than ten ships, and the current of the Dadu River was too fast. The river was more than 300 steps wide, the water was deep, the waves were rough, and there were countless whirlpools in the river. Every time you cross a river, you have to lead the boat several miles upstream. While paddling, the river water washes you downstream, so you can cross diagonally to the designated location.
Based on this calculation, it would probably take four days for all the nearly four thousand Tang soldiers to cross to the other side.
Just as he was thinking about it, there was another horn sound from the south bank, and the yak tribe had arrived.
Xue Bai didn't think that these loose tribes in Tubo would have much determination to fight, but what surprised him was that after the Yak tribe arrived on the battlefield, they actually fought in a very orderly manner. Judging from the posture, they actually wanted to form an array and establish a relationship with the Yi tribe. A good line of defense, suppressing the landing space of the Tang army.
Why?
Does Tibet have more troops? Is it enough to complete the half-crossing attack?
Xue Bai didn't quite understand. After all, he was still on the battlefield for the first time, and he wanted to ask Wang Zhongsi, but Wang Zhongsi was busy commanding at this time and had no time to pay attention to other trivial matters.
People were coming and going near the general platform, and suddenly someone said to Gao Shi: "Secretary Gao, the scout has got a guide..."
"We'll talk about the guide later."
Gao Shi clearly noticed something was wrong with the Yak Department and was carefully observing the reaction on the battlefield.
Xue Bai looked around and said, "What's the news? I'll handle it."
"Thank you Xue Lang."
Xue Bai walked some distance back and saw Shi Da approaching with Luo Zhui in his arms.
"If you have any news, tell me."
"I want to see your general." Luo Zhui said, "I can't say anything until I see him..."
"Do you have any conditions?" Xue Bai said directly: "I can make the decision to promise you, tell me."
He had a convincing temperament, and Luo Zhui couldn't help but be a little shaken, and asked: "Are you really able to take charge?"
After hearing this, Shi Da couldn't help but shouted: "Can Xue Lang still lie to you?! In our army, apart from the commander-in-chief, Xue Lang's words are the most effective."
Xue Bai didn't know that he had such authority now, so he smiled bitterly.
"Okay." Luo Zhui said, "My wife and children will be taken away by the Tibetan ministers. Can you help me save them?"
"It's difficult. We have no reason to help you." Xue Bai said.
Luo Zhui couldn't help but be very anxious, and said hurriedly: "Zhujie Gongbu gave my family to the Tibetan soldiers and horses going south, and they are also going to Nanzhao."
"Then this matter needs to be discussed." Xue Bai's tone was flat, sounding as if he had known about this matter for a long time and was not very interested in Luo Zhui's news. Fortunately, he was still willing to listen and said: "Tell it from the beginning. , so that I can trust you."
"Okay, I went back to the yak tribe and found that Zhuji Gongbu had recruited all the remaining men in the tribe. I felt something was wrong, so I secretly returned home and found that Dejimedo was missing. I asked my best Only then did I know that he had been taken away by the Tibetan minister. I followed Zhujie Gongbu's soldiers and horses as he walked south along the Dadu River, hoping to catch up with the Tibetan minister's army."
Although these words were simple, Luo Zhui was so anxious that he was confused and repeated, and he finally finished them.
Xue Bai asked: "Is the leader of the Yak tribe following the Tibetan army?"
"yes."
"What else do you know about that Tibetan army?"
"Can you save my family?"
Xue Bai said: "I can promise you."
Luo Zhui had no choice but to believe him and said: "There is a very noble woman in the team. Maybe she is leaving Dejimeduo. There are eight thousand of them, all soldiers recruited along the way, and they are going to the south. Imperial edict for support.”
"Where have they gone?"
"I don't know, but they set off two days earlier than Drolje Gonpot."
~~
The battle on the other side of the river seemed to be getting more intense.
Xue Bai did not rush to explain the situation to Wang Zhongsi. Instead, he drew a simple schematic diagram with the pen and paper he carried with him, marking the various troops on both sides.
After that, nearly a hundred miles south of the Dadu River, he wrote the words "Menghuo City" and "Tubo troops nearly 10,000 people."
Walking up to the general stage, Xue Bai handed the drawing to Wang Zhongsi and took a look.
During this action, the expressions of the two people did not change at all, so as not to cause any panic to the people around them.
"Yan Wu."
Wang Zhongsi summoned Yan Wu and said, "You will take command temporarily."
Yan Wu was obviously extremely flattered and wanted to be humble.
But what is rare is that at the critical moment, he dared to take on the heavy responsibility and responded with determination and coldness.
"Here!"
Wang Zhongsi handed the commander's flag into his hand and walked to the side with Xue Bai unhurriedly.
"Is the news reliable?"
"I'm 70% sure it's true."
"It is not difficult to defeat them." Wang Zhongsi said, "The difficulty is that we cannot afford to delay them. We must not delay the march and let the news arrive before we leave Lushui and reach Nanzhao."
Xue Bai asked: "According to General Wang's wishes?"
Wang Zhongsi thought for a while and made a risky decision.
"Divide your forces and cross the river."
~~
One tent after another was erected on the large meadow.
Lun Ruozan arranged for the soldiers to camp. Although he felt very tired, he still went to Na Lanzhen's tent to ask a few questions.
"Princess has worked hard all the way, and we will arrive at Menghuo City in a day or two. Then there will be highland barley wine..."
"Who told you I wanted to drink?" Na Lanzhen's cold voice came from the tent.
"The princess liked to drink it when she was little."
"I don't like it anymore," Nalanzhen said. "If you had spent all your time on business, you might have become prime minister by now."
Lun Ruo praised: "If the princess wants me to become prime minister, I..."
"Prime Minister Yixiang Ye Le must have arrived in Nanzhao." Nalanzhen interrupted him again.
"That's because Aba grassland is easier to walk on." Lun Ruo praised, "In order to get news about Chang'an, I went around to the east..."
As he said this, some soldiers came to report that the generals of the Tong tribe and the Yak tribe had a quarrel.
Lun Ruozan didn't want to care about these trivial matters and said: "We will deal with it according to military law. Both sides will fast for a day."
Nalanzhen asked: "What's the quarrel about?"
"I don't know yet, but the leader asked me to ask the general to deal with it."
"Go and find out why."
After a while, the soldier sent a report and said: "Zhujie Gonpo sent a messenger, saying that a large number of Tang troops were near the Dadu River. General Tong did not believe it and started a quarrel."
Lun Ruozan thought: "Does the Tang army want to attack Qiandiao City again?"
In his heart, he did not think that when Nanzhao rebelled against Tang, the Tang army would leave Nanzhao alone and attack Tubo. This was definitely not a decision that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who liked all nations coming to court, would make.
Today, it was in front of Princess Nalanzhen that he showed that he took this matter seriously.
In fact, this was because he deliberately delegated power so that Nalanzhen could interfere in the military affairs so that he could get along with her more... He knew that this princess had always had considerable ambitions.
To this end, he summoned the messenger sent by Zhujie Gonpo. After carefully listening to his report, he shook his head and thought that Zhujie Gonpo wanted to avenge his son, so he recruited tribal men to encircle and suppress a Tang caravan. .
"This leader of the Yak tribe only thinks about his personal vendetta, so don't pay attention to him."
"Is he so bold? How did he come up with this rhetoric?" Nalanzhen was a little curious and murmured: "If a Tang army comes down along the Dadu River Valley, where will they go?"
Lun Ruozan smiled and said: "Do they want to attack Menghuo City?"
"What if... it's further?"
"farther?"
Lun Ruozan was stunned for a moment and caught Nalanzhen's meaning. He pondered carefully and finally shook his head and said, "No, this plan is too risky. There is no need for Tang Jun to do this."
Nalanzhen frowned, unsure.
Although she had some assumptions, she actually still believed that it was Zhujie Gonpo who had falsely conveyed military information for personal revenge.
But what if?
"Whether it's true or not, it's less than a hundred miles away, just go and take a look and you'll know..."
(End of chapter)
