"No!" Wang Wenzuo refused firmly, which made Langri a little stunned. In his opinion, since Wang Wenzuo showed this new weapon in front of him, he would not refuse his request to buy it.
"Why not? Too expensive?"
"This thing is too dangerous!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "I don't want to die from this guy one day!"
Langri looked at Wang Wenzuo and wanted to confirm whether the other party was telling the truth. This kind of weapon was indeed very suitable for assassination, but he felt that Wang Wenzuo must have some defensive methods: "Don't you hope that I will kill you Tang people earlier?" Qinling?”
"Of course I want Qin Ling to die, but if you attack Qin Ling, you are definitely not doing it for the Tang Dynasty! And if you want to die alone, there are too many ways. Is a weapon that important?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"Qin Ling is not an ordinary person. His father, Lu Dongzan, has been in charge of the government for nearly 20 years. He has more than 200,000 men under his command!"
"You are not an ordinary person. Your country's Zanpu also supports you in this matter, right?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
Langri didn't like this feeling. In front of this man, he felt as if he was naked and without any secrets. He remained silent for a while and finally said: "This is all just your guess!"
"Yes, but my guess should be good, right?" Wang Wenzuo smiled.
Langri kept silent, knowing that the more he spoke, the worse it would be for him. Wang Wenzuo smiled upon seeing this and asked his men to skin the black bear: "This is the first time I have received such a complete skin. Please accept this gift as a symbol of our friendship!"
During the subsequent safari, Wang Wenzuo and Lang Ri talked about many things, including hunting skills, old events in Chang'an and Luoyang, trade, wine, and tea, but they never mentioned that thing again, as if it was a A bomb ready to go off.
It was already dark. The guards set up tents and lit bonfires. Dozens of pheasants and hares were tumbling on the iron spits. The chef carefully applied seasonings and fats, exuding a charming aroma. Today's main dish is hidden in both ends. Antelope, the meat of this animal is tender and delicious. It runs as fast as flying and is very difficult to hunt. It is regarded as a rare treasure by the Tubo nobles. As for the bear paw of the black bear that Wang Wenzuo hunted, because there are many steps to cook, it has to wait until he returns to the country. Songzhou delivers it to the dining table again.
"Wenzong!" Wang Wenzuo sat on the bench and raised his wine glass to greet Langri on the other side of the bonfire: "What do you think of our guests today?"
"Compared to last time, he seems a little lost in thought!" Cao Wenzong stood behind Wang Wenzuo and said in a deep voice.
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
"He has been drinking since the beginning of the banquet and has not eaten anything! Look at the dinner plate in front of him, the barbecue is piled up!"
"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "Did you also find out? There is indeed something on his mind!"
"Because of that Qinling?"
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "That's the Tibetan general who is fighting General Xue. He may be one of the few Tubo people who really hopes that the Tang Dynasty will win, otherwise he will have to worry about it!"
"I remember you said that he was Zanpu's favorite. Could it be that Tubo's Zanpu is also——" Cao Wenzong asked.
"I don't know about this!" Wang Wenzuo picked up a piece of rabbit meat, took a bite, and glanced at Langri: "After all, I have never seen Zampu of Tubo with my own eyes, but I heard that he is already an adult and has two children. Boy, this is very dangerous!"
"Danger?"
"Yes! If possible, the powerful minister would definitely hope that the child on the throne would never grow up; if that is not possible, then it is best for the person on the throne to have an heir with his own daughter as soon as possible!"
Cao Wenzong knew that Wang Wenzuo often didn't like to finish what he said. He liked his subordinates to be smart people who could find unspoken answers on their own. He thought for a moment and then replied: "Qinling will kill Zanpu and then help Zanpu's child ascend the throne?"
Wang Wenzuo nodded: "It depends on who can win in Qinghai!" At this point, he stood up, raised his wine glass high, and said to Langri: "I wish your country Zanpu a long life and happiness. Long!"
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Dafeiling, Tang Army camp.
The man under the big oak tree on the opposite hillside was the first victim today. His position was a full two hundred steps away from the Tang army's camp. In the darkness before dawn, he was just a blurry shadow, but as the sky gradually brightened, he Start moving, stretch, and stand up. The short spear shot by "Scorpion" hit his chest, and the tip of the spear penetrated his body, nailing him to the oak tree behind him. From a distance, he looked like a standing sentry.
This was the first Tibetan scout, but it was certainly not the last. Wang Zhaotang thought to himself that if he followed his original intention, it would be best not to fire with the "Scorpion" at this time, because it would expose the strength of the Tang army. The Tubo people had just won a huge victory. Victory would make people arrogant, arrogant, and do stupid things, and he could just use "Scorpion" to teach the Tubo people a good lesson. But there is no regret in taking medicine, and besides, it can at least boost the morale of the defenders - this is what he lacks now.
Fortunately, Manager Xue returned to the camp two days ago. Through his mouth, Wang Zhaotang learned that the former army was still intact. This made him relieved, but he was not happy for long. Wang Zhaotang knew very well that the expeditionary army was like a person with two legs. If one leg was lost, the person would not simply lose half of his strength, but would be crushed by his own weight. Guo Daifeng's disastrous defeat has marked the failure of this expedition, and the rest is just more losses and less losses.
"I don't know how long it will take for the front army to retreat!" Wang Zhaotang thought to himself: "Without the cavalry of the front army, we can only stay in the camp and can't go anywhere!"
The screams interrupted Wang Zhaotang's thoughts. With the help of the darkness before dawn, a group of Tubo people approached a protrusion of the Tang Army's camp at the foot of the mountain. The Tang Army's sentry made a mistake. He stood next to the torch, which made it difficult for him to see clearly. Enemies in the dark. The Tibetan archers fired arrows at the same time. One man was shot through the throat, and the other was shot in the shoulder. He screamed and fell down, but accidentally let his clothes catch fire. The Tubo people's stealth ended here. They shouted in unison and launched a fierce general attack.
Wang Zhaotang quickly climbed up to the watchtower, overlooking the barren weeds, burnt trees and mud everywhere at the foot of the mountain. In order to build the camp, most of the nearby trees were cut down by the Tang army, and the few remaining trees were almost completely bare. The few remaining brown and yellow dead leaves on the branches could not block the view.
The cold wind was biting, and Wang Zhaotang heard the sound of water and the creaking of rice being pounded in the back camp. The dawn air smelled of rain, but no raindrops fell. The Tubo rockets passed through the morning fog, leaving a pale ribbon-like trajectory and nailing into the wooden wall of the Tang army's camp. Some fell onto the straw bags piled up in the open space behind, and wisps of smoke quickly rose from them.
The dozens of Tibetan infantrymen at the front were all wearing iron armor and holding two-handed battle axes. They would use these to split obstacles and open a passage for the rear troops. The crossbowmen of the Tang army were waiting for them. They heard soft noises, and people fell down from time to time. The Tibetan infantry at the front was shot through the shoulder. He stumbled on, and was soon hit by two more arrows, so fast that he couldn't tell which one hit first. The heavy armor-piercing awl penetrated the iron breastplate as if it were made of silk.
Following the axe-wielding Tibetan heavy infantry were slingers and archers. Many of them only had sheepskin jackets on them. At most, they had a metal plate or wooden board tied to their chests. They either pulled out short bows or placed pebbles on the ground. Enter the sling, spin it overhead with great force, making a whining sound, and then suddenly let go of the rope, and the pebbles fly forward at extremely fast speeds. Raindrops of stone bullets and arrows flew towards the top of the barrier, knocking down five or six of the Tang army's crossbowmen, and the rest hurriedly hid.
"Quick, quick!" Wang Zhaotang shouted loudly: "Quickly put on your armor and follow me. The horsemen will come out from the west and hit the Tibetan people in the back!" He quickly summoned a hundred Tang soldiers and rushed towards the foot of the mountain.
By the time Wang Zhaotang arrived at the foot of the mountain, the Tang army's camp was already on fire, amidst the billowing black smoke and white morning mist. Wang Zhaotang placed the crossbowmen on both wings, and he and his soldiers in the middle, quickly approached. Suddenly, the Tibetans rushed out like angry ants, like an erupting volcano.
The first few Tibetans held up their plush brown cowhide shields, followed by a man holding a two-handed long-handled scimitar. There were bells tied to the braid on the back of his head, which made violent sounds as he moved. Behind them are three men covered in horrific tattoos. Others rushed out of the jungle. Wang Zhaotang saw someone who had just rushed out of the woods and was shot in the chest, screaming in agony.
The smoke is getting thicker and thicker. Crossbow arrows flew back and forth. Wang Zhaotang heard a groan from beside him, and someone fell down. A Tang soldier was nocking an arrow when he was stabbed in the stomach by a spear thrown by a Tibetan man. Wang Zhaotang shouted loudly, telling his men to move closer to each other, maintain formation, stab the Tibetan soldiers in front with spears, and drive them into the woods. The red cloak flew behind him, and the spear pierced the enemy in front. The tip of the spear was caught in the ribs. He had to drop the spear, draw the horizontal knife, and chop off an opponent's leather shield with force until it cracked. opening, and then pierce it, along with the enemy behind it.
The fight didn't last long. The Tubo people either died and were seriously injured, or were driven into the forest. The roundabout Tang army cavalry rushed into their ranks from behind, cutting down and impaling each individual. Bodies were scattered everywhere, like a huge slaughtering workshop.
Only then did Wang Zhaotang feel that he was extremely tired. He inserted the bloody saber into the mud several times to wipe off the blood, and then said: "Clean the battlefield, transport our wounded back, and help the Tubo people by the way." '!"
The soldiers of the Tang Army began to clean up the battlefield. They looked at every corpse on the ground. If it was one of their own, dead or alive, they would drag it aside, and the enemy would kill them. The veterans called this "help, help." There was not so much tenderness on the battlefield. Today you win, tomorrow he loses, only Death is the eternal winner.
After doing all this, Wang Zhaotang sat down on a log. Only then did he realize how thirsty he was. He took the water bag from the soldier and drank almost half of the bag in one breath. Not far away, servants piled Tang Jun's corpses together, and the firelight cast a gloomy red color on their pale skin. He didn't know when or where the crows had arrived, and he listened to them chattering to each other, seemingly celebrating the feast that was about to begin.
The Tang army's servants piled dry firewood on the corpse and threw torches on it. If possible, they would take the ashes back to their hometown and give them to the deceased's parents, wife and children. Wang Zhaotang looked at the rising flames, and suddenly felt envious of these guys. At least there were people to clean up and burn the corpses for them. If we were defeated in the end, the Tubo people would just let these crows feast on our corpses.
Back in his tent, Wang Zhaotang was about to have something to eat when Xue Rengui's soldiers appeared and said that the general manager wanted to see him immediately. Wang Zhaotang had no choice but to follow his soldiers to Xue Rengui's camp.
"The Tubo people just attacked the camp at the foot of the mountain?" Xue Rengui asked without any nonsense: "How many people are they?"
"The total number should be four hundred or five hundred, and there may be more hidden in the woods, but their front team retreated after being defeated by us!" Wang Zhaotang replied.
"Four hundred or five hundred, that's about a squadron!" Xue Rengui licked his lips and asked, "What do you think of these Tubo people? Can they be beaten?"
"Yes!" Wang Zhaotang nodded without hesitation: "Their armor can only be said to be good, but they are not afraid of death. Even if they are surrounded, they will fight to the end. Today I asked the cavalry to rush in from behind. More than seventy people were killed in their ranks, and more than one hundred and thirty were left injured on the battlefield, but not a single one surrendered. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Understood!" Xue Rengui showed a wry smile: "What a difficult group of guys! You did the right thing by not letting the cavalry pursue you!"
"Please forgive me!" Wang Zhaotang said: "Without the cavalry from the front army, we can only defend the stronghold. The Tubo people are very tenacious. Most of our people are sick. We will definitely suffer big losses if we go out to fight in the field!"
Xue Rengui nodded. He knew Wang Zhaotang's meaning very well. The other party was asking how long it would take for the former army to return to the camp, but he could not give an answer: "Maybe in three days, or four days, the former army will be able to return." Here it is! You have to know that the former army has robbed many Tibetan people’s livestock and raw materials, so they move much slower than me!”
"We should throw away all of this at this time. People's lives are about to be lost. How can we care about those things!" Wang Zhaotang's tone was very firm.
Xue Rengui laughed twice and did not answer. Of course he knew that things were not as simple as Wang Zhaotang said - there were many Turkic cavalry in the front army, and it was not that easy to make them give up the spoils they had obtained.
Routinely asking for votes, giving rewards, and subscribing, there is a lot of pressure to achieve results.
(End of chapter)
