"Send the order, Ming Jin, and tell the cavalry to move back!" Black Teeth Changzhi shouted. Since the position he chose was on a gentle slope, he could stand high and overlook the entire battlefield without any obstruction. He could clearly see The Tibetan second and third formations were in strict formation, and the few cavalry only moved forward slowly, always maintaining contact with their own infantry. In this case, even if the Tang cavalry could win the cavalry battle, the Tibetan cavalry could retreat to their own infantry square and reorganize their formation to fight again. It was difficult for the Tang army's cavalry to completely eliminate or expel the Tibetan cavalry from the battlefield, let alone flank or attack the Tibetans from behind to win the final victory. In this case, it is better for the cavalry to retreat first, take advantage of the high ground, and be in an invincible position first.
Hearing the sound of gold ringing behind him, Sha Zha Xiangru turned around and looked towards his own formation, only to see that the handsome flag was still standing. He was Hei Te Changzhi's old friend for many years, and he immediately guessed It went beyond the old friend's intention. He raised his arms and said loudly: "The Tubo dogs are going to fight hard. We don't have to fight with them here. Let's go back to our formation and take a breather!"
As the horn sounded, the cavalry of the Tang Army, like birds returning from their cages, began to gather their formation, and then slowly retreated up the hillside. The last two formations of the Tubo Army began to overlap together, and then began to move forward along the gentle slope towards the Tang Army. The position was pressed up.
"Quick, quick, bring water!" Sha Zha Xiangru jumped off the horse, grabbed the water bag handed over by the servant, and started drinking. After taking two sips, he shouted: "Ma, the horse has to drink enough. We’re going to charge into battle again soon!”
As the second and third formations of the Tubo people approached, a panic arose behind the shield wall of the Tang army. Although these Danyang shield bearers were carefully selected by Cao Wenzong, they were strong and had certain martial arts skills. They also exercised their discipline and obedience during the long-distance march, but this was the first time they fought against such a tenacious and tenacious enemy as the Tibetan soldiers. They saw with their own eyes that the leading group of Tubo people were shot by crossbows and javelins, leaving corpses all over the field. However, the remaining people still moved forward firmly, repeatedly attacking the shield wall, and now more enemies were moving forward, as if forever. It was like an endless wave, but our own cavalry retreated. When the two sides compared, some people suddenly started to waver.
Cao Wenzong, who was supervising the battle in front of the formation, could see it clearly. He knew that the situation was extremely critical. The two armies were fighting like two strong men at each other's horns. Once they caught up with each other and became entangled, no one on the other side could retreat even half a step. Once he retreats, he will be crushed like a mountain falling apart. Unless he is ten times stronger than his opponent, he will never be able to overturn the situation.
"Where are my disciples, Cao Wenzong!" Cao Wenzong shouted loudly.
"Li Bo is here!"
"Wang Hequan is here!"
"Liu Buhao is here!"
With a chorus of voices, more than thirty men gathered around Cao Wenzong. They were all his disciples who had followed him since Chang'an, and they all had their own talents. Cao Wenzong glanced at the crowd and drew his sword. He shouted: "The Governor usually treats each other as a soldier of the country. Today's situation is critical. We will repay him as a soldier of the country!" After saying this, he shouted loudly, held up the sword in one hand and waved the iron cone in the other, and went straight into the Tubo formation. The disciples behind him followed closely. He is invincible in every way, whether he chops with a sword or strikes with a cone. When the Danyang soldiers behind them saw this, their morale was greatly boosted, and they moved forward in unison. When they were condescending, the first formation of Tubo was forced to retreat.
"Cao Wenzong's iron cone is really impressive!" Hei Te Changzhi could see clearly under the banner. He saw Cao Wenzong leading his disciples straight into the Tibetan formation and killing more than ten people with his hands. It was as if they were among grass and mustard. He couldn't help but gasp. , knowing that this was a rare opportunity, he quickly ordered the drums to be beaten and all the troops to advance together.
The second and third formations of the Tubo people were moving forward on the gentle slope, trying to replace the first formation that had been fighting fiercely for a long time. However, they did not expect that the battle situation, which was quite favorable to their own side just now, suddenly reversed. It became a mass and lost its original order. The Tubo generals also knew that this was extremely dangerous. While giving orders to turn around and fight to the death, they also ordered that anyone who dared to disrupt their formation would be beheaded on the spot. In the blink of an eye, twenty or thirty bloody heads were chopped off and thrown in front of the formation for public display.
But the advantage of the Tang Army's cavalry was fully demonstrated at this time - four legs are always faster than two legs. The Tang Army's cavalry seized this fleeting opportunity and rushed directly into the gap between the first and second formations of the Tubo people, attacking from behind. Launched an attack on the Tubo people. With irresistible bravery, they broke through the enemy's line and rushed towards the center of the line where the flag was waving. Wherever this surging torrent rushed through, there was only a soul-stirring cry of death, the sound of horse hooves like a storm, the clash of weapons and weapons, and the sound of knives and swords slashing on metal armor and flesh. various sounds on.
The first group of Tibetan soldiers had been fighting fiercely for less than half an hour and were already exhausted. At the same time, they were attacked by Tang army infantry and cavalry from the front and back. They could no longer hold on and retreated one after another. Even the last few The bravest and most tenacious people, in order not to be engulfed by enemies rushing from all directions at the same time, have to retreat backward to ensure that their backs and sides are protected by their companions. As the saying goes, a defeat is like a mountain falling. As the banners of the first Tibetan army fell, some of the Tubo people who lost their commanders were still fighting on their own, while some had completely lost their ability to resist, like sheep scattered by tigers. They ran for their lives all over the mountains and plains, trampling on each other, but no one laid down their weapons and surrendered to the Tang army.
After defeating the first formation of Tubo people, the Tang Army's cavalry did not directly attack the enemies in the second and third formations. Compared with these crossbowmen and shield bearers, these cavalrymen had much more combat experience. They were skilled in Shooting enemy soldiers with bows and arrows, driving the defeated Tibetan soldiers towards the enemy's line, just like herdsmen driving their sheep. Facing the Tibetan cavalry who rushed out to launch a counterattack, they did not rush to fight. Instead, they pretended to retreat first, and then with a whistle, they swept in from all directions and surrounded and eliminated them. The Tubo cavalry did not lack courage, but they were far behind in other aspects.
Facing the fierce attack of the Tang army, the Tubo generals knew that victory was no longer possible. The only thing they could do was to hold on as long as possible until dark. By then, the chances of victory and defeat were evenly divided between the two sides, and the Tang generals would probably withdraw their troops. , I will lose less and win instead. Once he made up his mind, he immediately ordered his infantry to shrink into three hollow square formations, arranged in a zigzag pattern. The ones on the outside were all heavily armored infantry holding large shields, while those on the inside were armed with bows. The crossbows and slings fired back, and for a while arrows and stone bullets were fired at each other like rain. Many of the Tang army's cavalry were hit by arrows, so they had to retreat a little to let the crossbowmen and archers behind them come forward.
Hei Te Changzhi put the Tibetan man in a posture of holding his head and being beaten, but he felt relieved in his heart. Before he set out, he knew that the strengths of the Tubo people were their tough soldiers, strong armor and strict discipline. This kind of hand-to-hand combat between armies will naturally make people scratch their heads, but if they hold their heads and hold on like this, there is nothing to be afraid of. To put it bluntly, when it comes to long-range weapons such as crossbows and stone throwing, Wang Wenzuo said he was second, but no one dared to say he was first. No matter how thick the armor of the Tubo people is, if they just get beaten, it will only be more severe.
With the sound of horns and drums for mobilizing troops, the heavy crossbowmen of the Tang Army had already appeared in front of the formation. They hid behind the shield wall and began to use winches to open the heavy crossbows. The pulling force of this type of heavy crossbow for individual soldiers is basically more than 800 kilograms. Even with leg pedals, it cannot be wound up, so it can only be wound up with a winch mechanism. Due to the center of gravity of the crossbow, its maximum range is actually average, but the use of specialized armor-piercing arrows has the effect of killing heavily armored soldiers at medium and close ranges, and can even penetrate some shields. Of course, the disadvantage is that the winding and reloading speed is very slow, almost catching up with the early matchlock guns. Even for a skilled shooter, two rounds per minute is enough.
With soft sounds, people continued to fall down in the Tubo formation. At first, the Tubo people thought they were accidentally shot in the face or other gaps in their armor, but when they discovered that some of the people who had been hit by arrows had been pierced through their armor. When he hit the defensive chest, a panic began to spread in the ranks. After all, it was one thing to be killed, but it was another thing to stand there and be shot by the enemy without any resistance. The Tubo people began to spontaneously attack the Tang Army's shield wall, but were quickly repelled by the firepower of "Scorpions" and crossbows. Even the few who could get close were defeated by the side attacks of the Tang Army's cavalry.
After several repetitions of this, the situation became very obvious. There were only two ways in front of the Tubo people. They could either grit their teeth and continue to hold on, or be surrounded by the Tang army on three sides, retreat down the hillside, and then cross the river with their backs to the Tang army's cavalry and escape. . If the risk of crossing the river to attack the Tang army high on the hillside was one, then after the counterattack failed and turned its back on the condescending Tang army, the risk of escaping across the river was one hundred. Any fool can see that the Tang army was playing the trick of "surrounding three and missing one". The problem is that the Tubo people have no choice.
With a desolate horn, the Tubo people began to slowly retreat down the mountain. Arrows and stone bullets continued to fall into their ranks, knocking people down, but no one cared. The living people stepped over the bodies of the fallen. , keep moving forward, no one cares whether the people on the ground are dead or alive. At this time, the living no longer care about the dead.
"Want to pursue?" Sha Zha Xiangru asked enthusiastically.
"Yes, but it's still early!" Hei Teuchang said: "The Tubo people are already determined to die. If you rush forward, they will bite you back, and it will be to the bone to say the least!"
"That's true! These Tubo dogs are very difficult to deal with!" Sha Zha Xiangru asked, "Then let them go like this?"
"How is this possible?" Hei Te Changzhi said with a smile: "We are somewhat lucky to win this time. It's hard to say whether we will win or lose next time. How can we let it go so easily! Now they have the intention to die. , don't touch its edge lightly, but it will be different after they cross the river——"
"Yes, people in desperate situations will fight to the death, but when they reach a safe place, they want to escape!" Sha Zha Xiangru said with a smile: "Wait until they cross the river, and then fight!"
"It should be said that we should wait until they are halfway across the river! Attack the Tibetans who cross the river first, and they will definitely be able to defeat them easily. The remaining half will not be able to fight even if they are determined to die!"
————————————————————————
Songzhou, Dudu Mansion.
"The troops ahead have reported!" Cui Hongdu said, "It's news from Hei Te Changzhi!"
"Hurry and take a look!" Wang Wenzuo took the military report and said with a smile: "I sent He Bayong and Hei Te Changzhi to separate their troops. I was willing to do it because the news about He Bayong arrived first. I didn't expect it was Hei Te Changzhi. 's arrived first!"
"Perhaps he encountered Tibetan soldiers on his way to Hei Te Chang!" Cui Hongdu said: "I hope we can win and have a good start!"
"Hei Te Changzhi has a calm temperament. Although he may not win, he will not be defeated!" Wang Wenzuo opened the letter while talking. After reading a few lines, he suddenly laughed and said: "Okay, Hei Te Changzhi encountered Tubo in the river valley. We have more than 700 soldiers beheaded and more than 1,700 prisoners alive. There are countless battles. This is a great victory!"
"Seriously? There are so many!" Cui Hongdu was stunned after hearing this, and was also overjoyed: "I remember that Hei Te Changzhi set out this time with less than 4,000 troops, but he was able to kill so many prisoners. To describe his merits, it is beyond comparison. Step up!"
"That's for sure!" Wang Wenzuo was already smiling from ear to ear: "If we win this battle, the people of these Qiang and Hu tribes will be settled. At least they will be settled this winter, and there will be room for me to operate. No matter how unwilling the Tubo people are, they have to wait until next spring!"
"That's true. The weather here is so bad in late autumn. In winter, cats can only stay indoors. It's just a dream to go out to fight!" Cui Hongdu said with a smile. He knew Wang Wenzuo's plan. Compared with the Tubo people, During the war, Wang Wenzuo was more interested in uniting the Qiang and Hu tribes and opening up trade routes. Of course, the Qiang and Hu tribes on the northern Sichuan Plateau are just outsiders. No matter what they want to do, they must first show sufficient force. Therefore, the ideal situation is to win a beautiful victory before winter, and then take advantage of this prestige to contact the Qiang and Hu tribes and business travelers in winter to sign an agreement. When the Tibetans come again after spring, the situation will be different. Same.
"Since Hei Te Changzhi's side has won, there is no need for He Ba Yong to continue! Send an envoy to chase He Ba and tell him that he can withdraw his troops!" Wang Wenzuo said. His original strategy of sending troops was to divide the troops and join forces. Come on, now that Hei Te Changzhi has won the battle, there is no need for He Bayong to make any unnecessary moves.
"Yes, would He Ba be unwilling to do this?" Cui Hongdu said in a low voice.
"Are you unwilling?" Wang Wenzuo stroked his beard: "In matters of military affairs, only profit and loss shall prevail. If He Ba doesn't even understand this principle, he is not worthy of being a general. He is my humble man. I won’t lose him in any way, but I can’t care so much about the battle!”
"Yes, yes!" Cui Hongdu lowered his head, feeling a little frightened in his heart. His words just now were to ask for favors for He Ba Yong, hoping to give He Ba a chance to make some military exploits and avoid being overpowered by Hei Te Chang Zhi. , but Wang Wenzuo refused directly.
Routinely begging for votes, subscriptions, and rewards!
I saw some book friends in the discussion forum saying that General Hu could not enter the inner circle because it was easy to control, so it was used in the Tang Dynasty. In fact, there were too many generals in the Tang Dynasty who entered the inner circle.
(End of chapter)
