——————————————————————————————
When he received the letter from the messenger, He Bayong was struggling to wipe the mud off his boots. A sudden heavy rain turned the road into a quagmire, forcing the Tang army to stop advancing.
"Hei Te Changzhi has won a great victory, do you want me to retreat?" He Bayong put down the letter he had read, with obvious disappointment on his face.
"Yes!" The messenger smiled happily: "He encountered the Tubo people in the valley. The two armies clashed. Our army won a great victory. We captured more than 700 heads and captured more than 1,700 people alive. We achieved a great victory. !”
"This black tooth is always there——!" He Bayong's sigh had mixed meanings, including disappointment, envy, and jealousy, but in the end he nodded: "Okay, I will retreat. Anyway, there is no way to go." Fa is gone!”
Retreating was more difficult than advancing. The sky was as black as the pine forests on the distant hillside. The rain in late autumn kept falling, which was bone-chilling. The rain drowned out the sound of horse hooves and blurred everyone's faces.
The Tang army retreated to the southwest, away from the grass and swamps, and followed the road they came from on the desolate wilderness. Due to the trampling of the people and horses when they came, and the watering of the rain, the road had completely turned into a muddy beach. From time to time, people slipped and fell. What was worse was the horses and pack animals. These poor beasts almost slipped every step of the way. He Bayong had to order everyone to dismount and cut the weeds on the roadside and spread them on the road to prevent the carriages and horses from slipping.
That afternoon, Tang Jun finally entered the forest full of streams. Soon dense trees surrounded them, the rain became lighter, the horses became brisker, and the infantry struggled to keep up with the pace of the horses and carts. The howls of wild beasts could be heard in the distance, which was frightening. No one in the procession spoke. He Bayong looked back from time to time to make sure that no one behind the baggage was left behind or pursued.
"With this kind of horrible weather, the Tubo people won't be able to catch up, right?" He Bayong whispered to himself. He was not confident about it. Indeed, the rain made the road slippery and difficult to travel, and the cold weather on the plateau aggravated the situation. point. But this was a war, and the rain also greatly reduced the power of most of the Tang army's crossbows. This was good news for the Tubo people. More importantly, the Tubo people had just lost a battle. If he were the general of the Tubo people, he would I will definitely seize every opportunity to get back into the game.
The Tubo general would not devote all his troops. If it were him, he would gather all the horses, two or three horses per person, and go back to the front of the Tang army, choose a dangerous location, wait for the Tang army to be exhausted, and then launch a surprise attack , resolve the battle in one fell swoop. He heard from the garrison soldiers in Songzhou how the Tubo people would treat prisoners. Beating and cutting off ears were commonplace. There were also more cruel things, such as cutting off a foot and making him a rice-pounding slave. Or gouge out your eyes and be locked in a cellar for a lifetime, and so on. He Bayong secretly made up his mind that if he really got to that point, he would never fall into the hands of the Tubo people and be at the mercy of cruel fate.
Every time he passed a place where an ambush might be hidden, He Bayong carefully sent out scouts to search for it, but in the end nothing happened. There was nothing in the darkness or behind the trees.
When they walked through the woods and arrived at the river, Heba Yong ordered the soldiers to camp and rest. The rain had gradually stopped, but the weather had become colder. He Boyong suspected that the ground would freeze that night. The soldiers built piles of bonfires and dried their clothes and crossbows on them. He Bayong walked through the bonfires and tried his best to encourage his soldiers. There were still two days' journey from Songzhou. As long as he returned there, everything will get better.
He Bayong didn't rest all night. He was wrapped in a cloak, leaning on his horse, and his weapons were within easy reach. He didn't take a nap until dawn. When he was awakened by the sound of hissing, he found that it was a morning without dawn. The sky was slowly brightening, but the sun could not be seen. The darkness turned to gray, and color hesitantly reappeared in the world. The fir trees took on a dark green color, and the red birch, tawny, and red gold broad leaves turned almost brown. The soldiers fed the horses and drank water, and at the same time ate a cold breakfast of unleavened hard bread and bacon.
"We may have gone astray, General!" Chen Guoce said. He is the Zhechong Colonel of Fengzhou Zhechong Prefecture on the Guannai Road. He has been stationed in Songzhou for almost two years and is quite familiar with the local terrain. He is serving as He Bayong this time. Lieutenant-General and Guide.
"Are you sure?" He Bayong's face became increasingly ugly.
"I'm sure!" Chen Guoce had a scar on his left forehead and half of his eyebrows were missing. He looked a little funny: "Look at the mountain to the west. If we are not wrong, that mountain should be to the east of us! "
"Damn it!" He Bayong looked at the mountain pointed by Chen Guoce for a while. His impression seemed to be exactly what he said. There was a mountain to the east of him when he set off. He spat in annoyance: "Then what now? manage?"
"It is definitely impossible to turn back now. Firstly, they might just run into the Tibetan soldiers pursuing them. Secondly, the soldiers originally thought they would be able to return to Songzhou in two days' walk, but now they know that they have gone the wrong way. If we have to go for another day or two, morale will definitely be terrible!"
"You're right! So what should we do now?" He Bayong nodded. As the saying goes, if you go all out, you will be weak, and you will be exhausted. The Tang army initially sent troops to divide the troops and attack the Tubo people, but they were attacked halfway. Ordering the troops to retreat was already bad, but what was even worse was that they encountered heavy rain during the retreat and took the wrong route. After all this trouble, how could these soldiers still fight?
"We can continue to go south until we reach the Dalu River, then turn west along the river, then cross the river and then go south. Although we have to walk thirty or forty miles more, we can still reach Songzhou! And there is another way to go. The advantage is that our flank is next to the Dalu River and the terrain is flat, so we don’t need to worry about the Tibetans ambushing us in dangerous places!”
He Bayong watched Chen Guoce describe the new march route on the rough map, but he was thinking about the feasibility of the opponent's strategy in his mind. After a few minutes, he nodded: "Okay, just do what you said! I hope All the best!"
After the Tang army had breakfast, they started marching again, and it rained again. From beginning to end, except for occasional intervals, the sun was never seen. The temperature is getting lower and lower, and a pale mist flows through the pine forests and surges over the barren wilderness. In the afternoon of that day, they finally walked out of the woods. There was a river in front of them. The soldiers of the Tang Army cheered. They had had enough of the woods and rugged hills. The rivers and plains in front of them gave them a fresh experience. Songzhou City Not far away.
"Is this the Dalu River?" He Bayong asked.
"Yes, that's what the local Qiang and Hu people call this river. In summer, there are many deer in the swamp woods on both sides of the river!" Chen Guoce said.
"That's good, let the soldiers stop for a while and have something to eat!" He Bayong said: "And Dashude!" He waved and summoned a stocky knight: "Dashude, 豼Take dozens of cavalry to explore the surroundings, keep your eyes open, and don’t miss the Tibetans!”
"Yes!" Dashuide responded. He blew a whistle and rushed out with dozens of cavalry like the wind. Chen Guoshui looked at these knights and praised: "What a good man, no less good than me." He is a man from Guanxi in the Tang Dynasty! Whose surname is this Da Shude? Chen is so ignorant, how come he has never heard of this surname?"
"It made Colonel Chen laugh!" He Bayong said with a smile: "This Dashude was originally from the Baekje clan. After the king defeated the Baekje rebels, they followed Fuyu Fengzhang and fled to the Japanese country. Later, the king fought again In the Japanese country, they had no choice but to surrender. This time when the king's governor came to Songzhou, they rolled up their armor and followed him, acting as pawns!"
"No wonder the Baekje clan is so tough!" Chen Guoce exclaimed. Baekje, Goguryeo and other countries had been fighting fiercely with the Tang Dynasty for decades. Although the Tang Dynasty finally conquered them, they still valued the military nobles in the country. He moved them into the country and incorporated them into his own army to serve under orders. Gao Xianzhi, Hei Te Changzhi and others were the leaders among them, and the people of the Tang Dynasty did not think it wrong at that time.
He Bayong chatted with Chen Guoce for a few words when he suddenly heard a sharp sound coming from the distance. It was the sound of Ming Dy. This sound could only mean one thing at this time - that is, the enemy had appeared.
"Quick, put on your armor and mount your horse!" He Bayong jumped up from the ground and shouted loudly: "Blow the trumpet and order all teams to put on their armor and prepare for battle!"
No matter how surprised the Tang army was, He Bayong's order was still passed on. The soldiers took off their armor from the donkey cart and put it on, strung their bows, and prepared to fight. The reaction of the more than 700 Baekje Japanese Lang Party cavalry who were accompanying them was the worst. Quickly, in the blink of an eye, they were already lined up in two lines in front of the formation. The horses' hooves trampled the river bank, mud splashed everywhere, and there was a burst of curses.
"Colonel Heba, Colonel Heba!" Da Shude swept over like the wind, his face full of surprise: "It's a Tubo, a Tubo!"
"I know they are Tubo people!" He Bayong asked urgently: "How many people do they have?"
"It's not clear yet, but when we found the Tubo people, they were drinking horses. There were at least a thousand horses everywhere on the river beach!"
"Drinking horses?" He Bayong was stunned when he heard this, and immediately understood what Da Shude meant: "Are you saying that the Tubo people were not careful at all?"
"Yes, there is plenty of water and grass along the river, which is a good place for grazing horses!" Dashude said: "I suspect that the Tubo people did not expect that we would take this road. They thought that we would take the old road, and they wanted to Feed the horses here, and then intercept our army halfway!"
Hearing this, He Bayong and Chen Guosu exchanged glances, and both saw ecstasy in each other's eyes. As Da Shude said, the only possibility that can explain the strange behavior of the Tubo people at the moment is that both sides changed their paths in unison. The Tang people took the wrong path, while the Tubo people deliberately took a detour to intercept, but did not want the two sides to collide. Fortunately, the Tang army discovered its opponent before the Tubo people, and the Tubo people were herding horses on the riverbank without warning.
"Colonel Chen, I will leave all the infantry here to you! I think you will be the successor!" He Bayong got on his horse and said with a smile: "Soldiers are valuable and quick, Da Shude, you are the vanguard!"
"Follow your orders!" Dashude shouted loudly.
The Tang cavalry advanced along the river bank, and the desire for victory burned He Bayong's chest like a fire, sweeping away exhaustion. He personally served as the vanguard of the arrow formation, and the rest of the people lined up from the two wings. Those with the best horses, the best armor, and the best martial arts were in the first column, then the second column, the third column, and the third column. Four columns, with a distance of about ten steps between two columns. A large flag with a white background and red edges fluttered above He Bayong's head, and the red bird on the flag flew in the air. The war horses ran faster and faster, and weeds and shrubs fell under the horses' hooves. On the riverbank in front, hundreds of horses could be clearly seen. The frightened Tubo people were picking up weapons in a panic and saddled their mounts. Some The impatient ones simply climbed onto the saddleless horses and fled far away. Some Tibetans simply picked up weapons and formed a formation to fight against the sudden enemy.
"Don't be in a hurry to chase the escaped people, don't be in a hurry to get the spoils of war!" He Bayong shouted: "Defeat the Tubo people first. Anyone who doesn't obey the military order and grabs the horse first will be beheaded!"
The ground was wet and slippery, half mud, half rain. The hoof of He Bayong's horse slipped and stirred up the mud, almost causing him to fall off the saddle before he could reach the enemy team. Fortunately, he was a good horseman and could twist his body to maintain balance. The Tubo people tried their best to get closer to each other and resisted the sudden impact with a dense formation. He Bayong bent his bow and shot two arrows, then raised his sword and shouted: "Wonderful victory!" Everyone shouted in response. The sharp arrow formation flew out, emitting a long scream of steel, and the rolling horseshoes and sharp sword blades merged into one, rushing towards the enemy formation.
Dashude leveled the spear, and the tip of the spear penetrated the shield and armor. The huge momentum took it off the ground, and the barrel of the spear broke immediately. He dropped the barrel of the gun, grabbed the bone on his wrist, and hit the next opponent hard on the head. His brains and blood flew everywhere. The impact of the collision made his shoulders paralyzed, but he didn't care and rode forward.
He Bayong's steel knife cut most of the resister's neck off. He turned sideways to avoid a spear, and he vaguely heard cheers coming from behind him. The Tibetan flag had been forgotten on the muddy ground, and those who gathered around it either fled or were cut down to the ground. Heba Yong rode his horse to knock down a slinger, cut off a spearman's arm from shoulder to armpit, and then gave an iron helmet a hard blow, which at least gave him a concussion. When he rushed to the river, his horsemen stood up, followed closely by Da Shude, whose body was covered with blood. It was not clear whether it was the enemy's or his own.
"We won the battle, Colonel Heba!" Da Shude said loudly.
He Bayong took off his helmet and his field of vision suddenly expanded. The river beach was full of Tubo people and frightened horses fleeing in all directions. The knights of the Tang Army had already dispersed their formation, intercepting and capturing prisoners and horses everywhere. Indeed, victory There is no doubt that it is yours!
"Yes, we won!" He Bayong replied seriously, and then laughed: "This time it is our turn to win, and we will win even more happily!"
(End of chapter)
