"Huh-huh-"
With heavy breathing, Wang Tianyong used his last strength to push open the city gate.
The light from the bonfire shone on Wengcheng, and he saw each and every one of them turning to look at him, with surprise in their eyes. These eyes gathered together to achieve his supreme glory.
He will never know that in the old time and space, he also climbed the Cangshan Mountain, but in the end he was alone and helpless, and ended up with his head hanging on the door. Although he tried his best every time, sometimes a lot of luck is needed on the battlefield. This time, he was lucky enough.
"Go to the city!"
The Nanzhao soldiers in Wengcheng were still looking up at the fireworks, while the Tang army was already rushing towards the city gate.
Wang Tianyun was still pushing the city gate, and was suddenly surrounded by a crowd. His robes held him in their arms and patted his back hard.
"Good job, eating dog intestines, really good job!"
Wang Tianyun laughed loudly and deliberately shouted: "The Anxi Army is the strongest!"
This time, the soldiers in Hexi and Longyou were too lazy to argue with him and indulged him, shouting: "The Anxi army is invincible in the world!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Wang Tianyun laughed until he was exhausted, but still did not rest. Instead, he took a wine bag, drank a sip, threw the wine bag to his soldiers, wiped his mouth and said: "I will lead the way and capture the royal city!"
He seemed to have endless energy. After drinking, he became more energetic, turned around and rushed towards the city.
As soon as the Tang army entered the city, the morale of the Nanzhao army was on the verge of collapse.
The reason why Meng Shezhao was able to unify the six imperial edicts was precisely because of the support of the Tang army. They had always been in awe of the Tang army and needed successive great victories to gradually overcome it. When this hope of victory was shattered, awe turned into fear.
This psychological change soon affected the combat effectiveness. After the Tang army entered the city, they quickly formed a dominant position on the battlefield.
"Where is the commander of the rebel city defense?"
On the way here, Wang Tianyun asked Zheng about the location of the Taihe City guard general's command. At this time, he raised his hand and pointed at an arrow tower in the city. The Tang army then went straight to the enemy tower and killed them there.
For Mou Ju, the commander-in-chief of the Nanzhao army, the change came too fast. One moment, he saw Duan Jian and Wei arriving with his army. Nanzhao's victory was imminent. The next moment, the city gate was suddenly opened.
Before he even figured out what was going on, the Tang army had already reached the arrow tower where he was.
Mouju looked over and saw that the situation was irreversible, so he couldn't help shouting: "It's over! It's over!"
He was rude and ferocious by nature, and looked like a "southern barbarian". Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be an uncivilized savage. But when he encountered something, he actually didn't panic at all. He kept yelling but his eyes kept rolling.
"Surrender!" Mouju shouted, "Hurry up the lowering flag! Surrender!"
Speaking of surrender, he took off his armor without hesitation and descended from the archery tower with his hands raised.
He had thought about it. If the Tang emperor wanted to govern Liuzhao and Cuanbu in eastern Yunnan, he could not do without Nanzhao. Although Nanzhao rebelled this time, as long as his surrender attitude is good enough and he can escape unscathed, there will still be opportunities for rebellion in the future.
"Don't shoot the arrows, don't shoot the arrows, I surrender!"
Facing the cold arrow clusters outside, Mouju put on a scared look, hunched his neck and squatted down, moving towards Tang Jun bit by bit, his movements looked very funny.
At the same time, he continued to shout: "Don't kill me, I am useful to you! I can make the soldiers of Nanzhao not resist. I can go to the royal city to persuade Ge Luofeng to surrender..."
Wang Tianyun sneered, but did not kill Moju, waiting for Wang Zhongsi to come and make the decision.
After a while, Wang Zhongsi came over accompanied by the generals, and Wang Tianyun heard Gao Shi talking.
"Duan Jianwei's soldiers and horses are at the foot of Cangshan Mountain. The southern barbarians are afraid of pretending to surrender and want to delay time. The top priority is to break through the royal city..."
Wang Tianyun was convinced of Gao Shi's views. He stepped forward, performed a military salute, and whispered in a low voice: "Commander, I have something to say."
Wang Zhongsi was very fond of this general who had crossed Cangshan Mountain. He nodded and listened to what he said.
"Commander Jie, the Nanzhao people can deceive them into surrendering. We can also deceive them and let Ge Luofeng surrender from the city. When they all surrender, it is not up to Commander Jie and the saint to decide whether to kill or not."
Wang Zhongsi shook his head and said: "Now that we have entered the city, why is there any need to use deception again?"
"Is this important?" Wang Tianyun said: "General Gao used these methods in the Western Regions. He first gathered these chiefs, rewarded them, asked them to arrange their troops, and then killed them all."
Gao Xianzhi is very good at deceiving people, and Wang Zhongsi has heard about it.
Let’s not talk about the battle of Xiaobolu Kingdom. Last year alone, Gao Xianzhi first made peace with Shi Kingdom, and then took advantage of Shi Kingdom’s unpreparedness to send troops to sneak attack, captured the King of Shi Kingdom and his tribe, and killed all the old and weak; On the way to Chengdu, he attacked Tuqishi and captured his khan on the grounds of Tuqishi's betrayal.
This is really useful, but Wang Zhongsi doesn't like it. He thinks that deception has to be used as a last resort. Gao Xianzhi repeatedly breaks trust with others, even if he breaks trust with his enemies, and sooner or later there will be backlash. If the Tang Dynasty wanted to conquer and govern Yunnan, it should establish its prestige. What's more, in this situation where the overall situation has been decided, cheating to reduce a little trouble is not worth the gain.
"Hold it!"
Wang Zhongsi did not put on a pleasant expression, nor did he expect Mouju to recruit Geluofeng and other chiefs for him, nor did he promise preferential treatment to anyone.
If you want to surrender, you can just take them back to Chang'an and offer the prisoners under the palace.
What Mouju wanted was that once he surrendered, Wang Zhongsi would step forward to help him up, comfort him, and order him to help on the spot. Unexpectedly, he still had to be taken into custody, so he immediately refused and took a few steps back, shouting: "Spare my life and I will surrender!"
If he wanted to be taken into custody, he might as well take advantage of the chaos to escape from Taihe City, hide in the mountains and forests, and wait for the Tang army to leave before gathering his old troops.
Wang Zhongsi looked at the figure who was running away in a hurry, his face was as dark as water, and he said: "You have betrayed the Tang Dynasty, and you still want to pretend that nothing happened and continue to be a great chief. It is not such a good thing."
The Tang army attacked and wanted to capture Mouju. Seeing that he resisted fiercely, they simply cut off his head with a sword.
Soon, a head was hung on the city gate, shocking the Nanzhao soldiers.
Wang Tianyun raised his head and met Mou Ju's eyes that were still round until death. He scratched his head helplessly, secretly thinking that Wang Zhongsi's character was too strong and completely different from Gao Xianzhi's. But there was nothing he could do about it. He was the coach, and since the coach gave orders, he would just follow the orders.
"Attack the royal city!"
"Walk!"
Wang Tianyun didn't complain and strode towards the royal city.
There is only this last step left to put down the Nanzhao rebellion.
~~
Empire.
On the couch paved with golden brocade, Ge Luofeng sat upright, thinking that Duan Jianwei had indeed not let him down and had regained Longweiguan so quickly.
The performance of the second son Duo Chuan is also very good.
However, Ge Luofeng knew that he would never be able to pass the throne to Duo Chuan. His intentions were clear when he named his sons. Geluofeng, Fengjiayi and Yimouxun, according to the tradition of Nanzhao, the first character of the son's name is the last character of the father's name to show inheritance.
In addition to tradition, the marriage with Tubo also made Ge Luofeng even more reluctant to pass on the Duo biography. He did not want to see a Nanzhao queen with a strong maternal power.
And his grandson Yimouxun is still very young. He must live long enough to ensure that the throne can be smoothly transferred to his grandson a hundred years later...
"Your Majesty! It's not good!"
An exclamation interrupted Ge Luofeng's reverie. He came back to his senses and wanted to ask what happened, but the news had fallen into his ears.
"The Tang army broke through the city gate and entered the city!"
Ge Luofeng didn't believe it.
Unable to accept the sudden turn of events, he personally climbed to the top of the royal city to observe the situation inside the city.
"Your Majesty, it's true." Yang Zifen rushed over, bowed low, trying to hide the panic in his voice, and said: "The Tang Army Wang Tianyun's troops crossed Cangshan Mountain, attacked Wang Zhongsi from inside and outside, and opened the city gate..."
Ge Luofeng asked: "Is it too late to hold on to the royal city until Duan Jianwei arrives to support us?"
Yang Zifen hesitated and replied: "Your Majesty, once Taihe City is defeated, the morale of the army will be lost. I'm afraid it will be difficult to wait for reinforcements to defeat the enemy. Surrender now, and there is still the possibility of protecting the Meng clan from taking over Nanzhao. It's too late, I'm afraid Wang Zhongsi refused to surrender. Just now, Mouju wanted to surrender, but was beheaded by Wang Zhongsi."
Ge Luofeng was unwilling to give in and stared at the foot of Cangshan Mountain.
He could see the light of fire in the distance and guessed that it was Duan Jianwei fighting against a certain Tang general. If Duan Jianwei can come forward to rescue the siege, he still has a chance to save his royal career.
Time passed little by little, and a ray of morning light shone on the Erhai Lake.
Duan Jianwei has not launched the offensive yet.
~~
"General Duan, send troops!"
Duo Chuan rode up to catch up with Duan Jianwei and urged: "Go up and defeat the Tang army."
"Wait a moment."
Duan Jianwei was also helpless and said: "We conquered Longwei Pass overnight and ran all the way to Taihe City. The soldiers' physical strength has been exhausted. Now the troops are not full and the formation is not organized. You can see that the Tang army is condescending and ready to attack. At this time, we can attack with force. Not a good time."
"Aren't you talking about driving away Xianyu Zhongtong's defeated army to break the formation?"
"But you see, this plan didn't work out, so we had to attack by force."
"If it's too late, the Tang army may capture Taihe City." Duo Chuan said anxiously.
As if in response to his words, cheers came from the Tang Army formation.
Duo Chuan then rode up and looked up to see what was happening. He just happened to see the sun slowly spreading from behind, climbing up Cangshan Mountain, illuminating the Tang army's array, and the armor flashed like fish scales.
The sun continued to spread upward, smearing the top of Taihe City with a touch of gold... The flag of the Tang Army was waving.
Duo Chuan's heart sank.
Nalanzhen rode over and looked at his profile silently.
After a while, Duo Chuan turned his head and regained his composure. His eyes were still full of energy and asked, "Did you see it?"
"The Tang army captured Taihe City, what are you going to do?"
"It doesn't matter." Duo said: "There is still a royal city in the city. My father is a very strong man. He will hold on until I defeat the Tang army and relieve him."
"That's good." Nalanzhen said, "I thought I couldn't marry you."
"I will marry you." Duo Chuan said with great confidence.
Na Lanzhen accepted her fate and said: "I will fight side by side with you, just like Tubo will fight side by side with Nanzhao."
Because of her words, Duo Chuan was very happy and grinned like a young man.
"Do you know 'Li Shimin, King of Qin'? Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the most outstanding 'Erlang' in the world. I want to be like that."
Hearing this, Nalanzhen couldn't help but look at Duo Chuan again and said, "I'll wait and see, but you have to be careful. That Tang Army general Xue Bai has a very powerful hidden weapon in his hand."
Duo Chuan patted his heart hard and responded with enthusiasm: "For my father and my fiancée, I will win this battle!"
After waiting for a long time, all the Nanzhao soldiers finally arrived. They took a short rest, used dry food, and began to line up to prepare to attack the mountain.
However, when a horn sounded, the Tang army actually came to kill them first.
"kill!"
"Ge Luofeng has been executed! Those who rebel against the Tang Dynasty will be killed without mercy!"
There were shouts like this all over the mountains and plains, and rain of arrows shot at the Nanzhao army from high places.
It is hard to say how many casualties such an offensive caused to the Nanzhao army, but the impact on the morale and morale of the army should not be underestimated.
Duan Jianwei was holding an apple and eating it, looking at the battlefield, chewing the pulp in his mouth, making a crunching sound. He couldn't tell whether what Tang Jun shouted was true or false, and it was impossible to ask Ge Luofeng to confirm it at the moment.
This situation is far more dangerous than good.
One bite, two bites, and gradually there was only a core left in the apple in my hand. Duan Jianwei held a long knife in his hand, dug a hole in the ground, buried the fruit core in it, and covered it with soil with a long knife.
Here he planted a hope.
"Ming Jin!"
After shouting like this, Duan Jianwei turned his horse and left without hesitation. There was a loud sound of gold ringing behind him, and the generals and soldiers followed him, slowly retreating south.
The sound of ringing gold reached Duo Chuan's ears, and he was unwilling to give up and shouted: "Duan Jianwei! Give it another try!"
But shouting alone cannot bring back Duan Jianwei, let alone the lost military morale.
After shouting a few more times, the Tang army even cut off the retreat of his troops and surrounded them.
"Surrender." Nalanzhen strode forward, pulled Duo Chuan off the horse, and advised, "Surrender."
"I won't surrender!" Duo Chuan was very determined.
"Listen to me." Nalanzhen said: "Many things do not necessarily have to be achieved on the battlefield. In addition to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the Han people also had a king named Gou Jian. In fact, you can..."
"Don't tell me this!" Duo Chuan roared, "I want to take back Taihe City!"
He broke away from Na Lanzhen's hand, raised his knife and faced the Tang army to kill him, and chopped down a Tang soldier with one blow.
Blood splattered on Duo Chuan's face, and he looked like a mad tiger, killing people one after another, boosting the momentum of the Nanzhao army with his own bravery.
"Huang Dinghuo, shoot him!"
"Whoosh."
An arrow shot from the hillside, hitting Duo Chuan's eye.
"ah!"
He screamed and swung the knife wildly with the arrows and blood on his face, preventing the Tang soldiers from getting close.
"puff."
He was stabbed again in the back.
"Surrender!" Na Lanzhen shouted: "We surrender!"
"No surrender!" Duo preached.
Nalanzhen did not agree with Duo Chuan's stubbornness. She speculated that if the Tang army wanted to govern Yunnan, it would definitely give Meng Shezhao a chance. Even as a Tibetan, she thought it was time to temporarily compromise to save her life, but Duo Chuan fought desperately until he fell.
She watched her fiancé bleed to death, and she didn't feel sorry for him. It was too late for her to feel sorry for herself.
Fate gave her another heavy slap, but she had learned to tolerate it.
Gradually, the war subsided and the Tang army began to escort the prisoners. Nalanzhen stood there honestly, looked up, and saw a familiar and proud figure on the hillside again.
When she thought about her vow to defeat Xue Bai, her eyes were sore and she almost cried.
~~
Royal City, on the city tower.
Ge Luofeng closed his eyes, smelled the bloody wind, and tasted the taste of failure.
He had already seen the retreat of Duan Jianwei at the foot of Cangshan Mountain, and knew that his career as king was in vain.
"Your Majesty, get a traitor!"
Outside the royal city, the Tang army was about to attack the city, but the guards shouted like this.
Ge Luofeng turned around and saw a group of people escorting Zheng back.
"Mr. Zheng?"
"Your Majesty, he is a traitor. Last night, some soldiers saw him leading the Tang army down from Jingang City and opening the city gate. He wanted to open the royal city gate just now, but we discovered it in time..."
Ge Luofeng was stunned, looked at Zheng Hui with his bloodshot eyes, and shook his head in disappointment.
Zheng Hui felt ashamed when he saw him and sighed.
Ge Luofeng stepped forward, took the knife from the guard, and personally escorted Zheng Hui back to the main hall. After giving some instructions, he waved the waiter away.
"I treat my husband with all my heart. Why would you betray me?"
"The Tang Dynasty has shown great kindness to the king. Why did the king betray the Tang Dynasty?"
"It was Zhang Qiantuo who deceived me!" Ge Luofeng shouted.
Zheng Hui shook his head and said: "The king has lied to others for too long, and even deceived himself. But the king asked himself, wasn't his rebellion against the Tang Dynasty due to ambition?"
"It's because the Tang court has always wanted to control Nanzhao and has been depriving me of my power. They have never trusted me and my son!"
"When did the King ever trust me?"
Ge Luofeng still clung to the knife, stepped forward, swung the knife, and cut off the restraints on Zheng Hui's hand.
Zheng Hui had already closed his eyes and started to kill him with his neck. Unexpectedly, his hands were loosened and he couldn't help but be surprised.
"Kings?"
"Everyone has their own position. I don't blame you for your choice." Ge Luofeng threw away the knife in his hand and shook his head with a desolate expression.
He was heartbroken, but he had not lost his mind yet, and was still making final arrangements for things he was worried about.
"But, sir, could you please do me a favor for the sake of our friendship?"
Zheng Hui looked at Luo Feng's pleading eyes and wanted to agree, but he was afraid that he would not be able to agree, so he hesitated.
"I will never embarrass you, sir." Ge Luofeng said, "Save my grandson's life. He is innocent."
Zheng Hui opened his mouth, knowing that his decision would bring a lot of trouble, and responded with a hoarse voice: "Okay."
Ge Luofeng nodded happily.
At this time, footsteps were heard from the back of the hall, and a woman walked over with a child in her arms. It was Pi Dujin and Yimouxun.
Yimouxun was now familiar with Zheng Hui, and he was not afraid when he met him. He opened his bright eyes, stretched out his little hand, and babbling.
Ge Luofeng hugged the child, gently touched her grandson's face, and gave a faint instruction.
"Pi Dujin, you will be Mr. Zheng's concubine from now on, serve him well."
"Your Majesty, no." Zheng Hui was surprised and quickly refused.
Pi Dujin was also stunned for a moment and wanted to refuse, but did not speak. He lowered his head and glanced at Zheng Hui.
Ge Luofeng said: "Only when Mr. Zheng agrees can I feel at ease."
Zheng Hui shook his head and said, "I will definitely protect Yimouxun's safety."
"No, you must accept her." Ge Luofeng insisted, "From now on, Yimouxun is also your son. You give him a Chinese name."
Pi Dujin obeyed King Nanzhao's instructions, stepped forward, took Zheng Hui's hand in his, and leaned against it gently.
Zheng Hui was shocked and quickly avoided it.
When Yimouxun saw this, he burst into tears.
Ge Luofeng said: "You betrayed me, I don't blame you, but do you want me to die without peace of mind?"
"Kings……"
"Name, give it a name."
"Zheng...Zheng Xiaoheng."
Ge Luofeng nodded, stepped forward, handed his grandson into Zheng Hui's hands, and sighed, "Take them away. You will open the royal city and make contributions to the Tang army."
Zheng Hui took the child, and the crying soon stopped. The child was actually closer to Zheng Hui, and was actually a little afraid of Ge Luofeng, his grandfather.
"Your Majesty, I take my leave."
When Zheng returned to bid farewell to Luo Feng in the pavilion, he had mixed feelings when he thought of the situation he had encountered from Xilu County and how the King of Nanzhao had shown him the kindness of knowing him.
He didn't know what to say, so he could only bury all his emotions in his heart and left the hall with the orphan and widowed mother.
Ge Luofeng sat alone on the king's couch paved with gold and brocade. He took off the golden crown on his head and took a look. He put it on again out of reluctance. Even if he failed, he would face failure as the king of Nanzhao. .
But then, when he thought of the humiliation after being captured, his interest suddenly waned, and he took off the golden crown again and threw it aside.
He sat there and waited until Tang Jun rushed over.
"Ge Luofeng, do you regret betraying the Tang Dynasty?!"
Following this shout, a Tang Army general kicked open the palace door and rushed in.
Ge Luofeng didn't answer, but she asked herself in her heart if she didn't regret it, it was just that if she won she wouldn't regret it, if she lost she would regret it. What was there to say?
When it comes to winning a king or losing a bandit, is it really true that his talents and strategies are not as good as those of Li Longji?
Time is also fate.
~~
The Tibetan army is still stationed on the shore of Erhai Lake.
Yixiang Ye Le was sitting on a lone boat fishing, illuminated by the warm sun, as if he was about to fall asleep.
He knew the plan of the Nanzhao army. Duan Quange and Duan Jianwei attacked from front and back. Duo Chuan detoured to Cangshan Mountain and attacked Longweiguan together. From last night to today, news should have come that the Tang army was destroyed.
However, in the afternoon, he was surprised by the news delivered by express horse.
"The Tang army captured Taihe City and captured Ge Luofeng..."
Yixiang Ye Le suddenly lifted the fishing rod, and a small fish was brought out of the water with the hook.
The messenger's eyelids twitched, secretly thinking that Da Xiang was very good at fishing, but now was not the time to praise him.
"Is the news true?" Yixiang Yele asked.
"The villain has confirmed it many times and it is true."
Yixiang Ye Le still doesn’t believe it. After all, overnight, before the Tibetan army could react and go to support, Nanzhao was destroyed. He couldn't believe anything he said. However, confirm again and again that this is the fact.
He even took a boat across the Erhai Lake himself and took a few glances at Cangshan Mountain on the west bank of the Erhai Lake. It was not until he saw the flag of the Tang Army flying on the top of Buddha Peak that he finally confirmed the matter.
In this way, the Tubo army must withdraw its troops as soon as possible and cross the Lu River. Otherwise, when the Tang army recovers, it will have to pursue them one after another.
As for the whereabouts of Princess Nalanzhen, Yixiang Ye Le no longer cares about it.
On the same day, the Tubo army immediately broke out of camp and marched for more than 80 miles until they passed Longshou Pass before stopping to set up camp. They had to leave before the Tang army captured Longshou Pass.
~~
On the map, the location to the north of Longshou Pass is marked.
Xue Bai held up the pen and turned around to take a look. He saw Nalanzhen being brought in and showed her the map generously.
"Yixiang Ye Le has retreated here. He will be able to retreat to Langqiong in three days and cross the Lu River in five days. He seems to have forgotten you."
Nalanzhen said: "The lives of soldiers are important, and I am not afraid of being left behind."
"But I have asked Li Fei Yuanli to set up an ambush at Lushui, preparing to attack halfway across the river and inflict a heavy blow to the Tibetan army."
"you……"
Na Lanzhen's expression changed immediately.
Based on her recent understanding of Xue Bai, he could probably do it. After all, Tibet is now hastily retreating.
"There are so many ferries in Lushui. How do you know where the Grand Prime Minister will cross the river?"
"He came from Daocheng, and naturally he returned from Daocheng."
Nalanzhen was glanced at by Xue Bai's sharp gaze and realized that he was testing her reaction. She quickly pursed her lips and said nothing, lowering her head to prevent him from looking at her face. Try your best not to reveal any flaws in your expression.
She had to admit that she already had an inexplicable fear of Xue Bai in her heart. His every move and look made her afraid.
Xue Bai smiled casually and said, "I told you, I won't kill you because I think we will have a chance to cooperate in the future, so I'll sell you a favor this time, and you can go."
"What?" Yalanzhen couldn't believe it, her eyes widened and she asked, "What kind of deceit are you trying to do?"
"Let's go, you're free."
"You must be deceitful." Yalanzhen thought, and said, "You want to use me to deliver news so that the Prime Minister will not dare to leave Daocheng. Am I right?"
"Maybe." Xue Bai turned around and saw that she was still there, raised his chin, "Aren't you leaving yet?"
"What on earth are you..."
"Lifei Yuanli!"
Yalanzhen gritted her teeth, turned around and left. She strode out of the royal city and found that Tang Jun had prepared two good horses for her.
She was not polite and rode straight towards the waves.
~~
Xue Bai summoned Li Fei Yuanli, made a few strokes on the map, and explained.
"We haven't taken Longshou Pass yet. In addition, Duan Jianwei's remaining troops have not yet surrendered, so we cannot prevent the Tibetan army from evacuating. But that silly princess will definitely tell Yixiang Ye Le about our ambush in Lushui."
"Will Yixiang Yele believe it?"
"It's better to believe that it exists than to believe that it doesn't exist." Xue Bai pointed at the map and said: "The old man is cautious and is unlikely to go directly to Daocheng, nor will he look for a ferry in the east. The Tibetan army will inevitably turn to the west to cross the river."
Li Feiyuanli smiled and said: "The terrain in this area is difficult, and they can't bring much loot."
"You lead a group of people to chase them. You don't want to annihilate the Tibetan army. If you encounter them crossing the river, just take a bite."
"Here."
Xue Bai said: "What are you doing to me? Go and ask Commander Jie for help."
Li Feiyuanli was now very familiar with Xue Bai. He smiled and said: "I think that stupid princess of Tubo is our lucky star. Maybe I can get Yixiang Yele's head after chasing her this time and make a great contribution. It’s time to repay Xue Lang hard..."
(End of chapter)
