Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4864: A soldier never tires of deceit
Lun Qinling was a man of strategy and resourcefulness, so he would not just attack recklessly in a war. He had only 5,000 elite soldiers under his command, while Sairugundon, who was entrenched at the foot of Zishankou and blocking the way, had an army of 20,000. The road from Zishankou to Lhasa City was blocked tightly. Even if he won by rushing all the way, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Lun Qinling could not afford the huge casualties.

In the final analysis, this counterattack on Luoshui City is equivalent to using the strength of a family to fight against the entire Tibetan tribal alliance, which is tantamount to hitting a rock with an egg. If we cannot preserve our strength in the fierce battle, we will all die after a few major battles...

And there is the most crucial point. The Tang army hopes that the Gar army will hold Zishankou and form a de facto control line. What they least want to see is the Gar army continuing to advance into Luoshui City. Neither the annihilation of the Gar army nor the capture of Luoshui City is what the Tang army wants to see. Therefore, the assistance in terms of weapons, supplies, food and fodder was all restrained. If Lun Qinling wanted to march straight to Luoshui City, the first problem he faced was the lack of food and fodder.

There was not much storage to begin with, and when they attacked Lokosy City, the Tang Dynasty would cut off their aid. The strategy adopted by Lokosy City was to fortify the city and clear the fields... Without food and fodder, how could the soldiers and horses fight when they were hungry?

Therefore, Lun Qinling set his sights on the grain of Sairugongdun.

Early in the morning, the soldiers of the Gar tribe who were guarding Zishan Pass were awakened by the quarrel coming from the general's tent. Then they saw Bolun Zan slamming the door and walking out, as if the two brothers had a falling out over something.

While eating, some curious people will inevitably ask around for information.

A soldier near the general's tent whispered, "It's because the fourth general wanted to attack down the mountain, but the second general didn't allow it."

The gossipers were surprised and asked, "Although the four generals are brave, there are 20,000 troops at the foot of the mountain. How can we defeat them with such a small number of people? We may have a chance of winning if we hold the mountain pass and command the enemy from a high position, but a surprise attack from the mountainside is definitely not a good idea!"

"The four generals are unwilling to take risks, but we don't have enough food."

"The Tang people are so damned! They said they supported us in attacking Luoshui City, but every time they sent us food, they only gave us a little bit. How can we fight with an empty stomach?"

“So the four generals wanted to raid down the mountain not to defeat Serugundun, but to seize his food.”

"But the army of Serugundun also needs to eat. How easy is it to rob him of his food?"

"The second general said the same thing, so the two brothers started arguing."

"The Fourth General really has a bad temper..."

……

"Leader, news from the mountain pass!"

A thin sheepskin was handed into the commander's tent at the foot of Zishan Pass. Sairu Gongdun picked up the sheepskin and read the pre-set secret marks first to confirm that it was correct. Then he carefully identified the words on the sheepskin. The Tibetan language was created by Sambuza, a blend of ancient Zhangzhung and Indian characters. It is a syllabic language. Now there are only a few people in the whole of Tibet who can write and recognize characters. The spy planted in the mountain is a small lord of the Gar tribe who was selected with great difficulty. This is the only meaningful thing he has done in the past few months.

But this little lord's cultural background was obviously not good. The parchment scroll he dropped from the mountain pass during patrol was written in sloppy and crooked handwriting. Serugundun had to look at it with dizzy eyes to barely recognize it...

"Are you planning on taking my food and fodder?"

Sai Rugundon stroked his beard and pondered for a while, and felt that the news was more reliable.

Although the two armies were facing each other at a mountain pass and at the foot of a mountain, Sairu Gundon was more familiar with the situation at the mountain pass because of the presence of spies. The Tang people's intention was very clear. They forced the Gar tribe to attack the city of Lhasa in order to achieve the goal of internal consumption of Tubo and to make all suffer together, thus making the southwestern border of the Tang Dynasty as solid as a rock.

Therefore, it is impossible for the Tang Dynasty to provide Lun Qinling with sufficient food, fodder, military equipment and other assistance. Otherwise, Lun Qinling, who has a strong army, will continue to attack Luoshui City and fight to the death. By then, no matter Lun Qinling's army is completely destroyed or Luoshui City is captured by him, the Tang army's intention will be frustrated.

Lun Qinling was not only a famous general of the Gar tribe, but also an outstanding figure among the younger generation of Tubo. He was extremely wise and full of strategies. How could he not see this?

Therefore, for Lun Qinling, the best outcome would be to remain deadlocked at Zishan Pass. However, if they defended the pass, food and fodder would inevitably be insufficient and the entire army would starve. Therefore, he had sufficient reasons to go down the mountain to seize his own food.

Seems to be ok...

"Chief, a letter has arrived from Lun Qinling. Please open it yourself!"

"Ok?"

Sai Rugongdun was still pondering the authenticity of the news, whether the spy had turned against him after being discovered, whether Lun Qinling had deliberately released the news to guide the spies... and then he received Lun Qinling's letter.

When two armies face off, is there any need for communication between the two coaches?

"Is the courier available?"

"exist."

"Send a messenger with the letter."

"Yes."

After a while, a young Gar soldier was brought in.

The light in the commander's tent was a little dim, and Sairu Gundun asked people to light two oil lamps. Then he looked at the soldier and asked, "Bring up the letter."

The soldier took out a letter from his arms and handed it over with both hands.

Sai Rugongdun naturally didn't dare to take it. What if the soldier took out a dagger from somewhere and stabbed him?
The Han people have a story of "the dagger is revealed when the picture is finished"...

Someone came forward, took the envelope and passed it to Serugundun.

Serugundun looked at the neat handwriting on the envelope, which was much better than the previous secret report...

He opened the envelope and read the contents of the letter at a glance. Then he took a sip of the butter tea beside him and frowned in thought.

The tone of the letter about Qinling was humble, and he cited the past merits of the Gar family and the difficulties they faced today. He said that even though the whole family was exiled to Fuxi City, they never felt resentful towards the Zamp, but were willing to use the flesh and blood of the whole family to build the wall of the Tang people in the region. The Gar tribe was always loyal to the Zamp and Tubo, and was an inseparable part of Tubo...

But now they are short of food and fodder and it is difficult to sustain. Many soldiers are freezing and starving to death. They beg Sai Rugongdun to give them some food and fodder.

The Gar tribe promised to guard the Zishan Pass and never go down the mountain.

Serugundun had a complicated look in his eyes.

In fact, who in the whole of Tubo does not know about Lu Dongzan's contribution? Now the greatest contributor to the unification of Tubo has been exiled with his entire family, abandoned on the front line of resistance against the Tang people, which inevitably makes some people feel sad and pity.

He himself also had a lot of sympathy for the Gar tribe.

But no matter how much sympathy we have, we cannot ignore the fact that the two camps are different and give them food and fodder?
It's just wishful thinking...

After a long silence, Sai Rugong Dun sighed and said, "In the past, I served the king together as a minister and we were loyal to the king. Our friendship was extraordinary. It was only because of the king's military order that I had to lead the army to fight on the battlefield. However, you should also know that even if I sympathize with the Gar tribe and have a close relationship with Lu Dongzan, I dare not do anything to help the enemy. I cannot betray the king, and I cannot let my people be slaughtered because of me."

He was very afraid of Lu Dongzan, so even when the two armies were facing each other, he tried to be as tactful as possible.

Public is public and private is private.

Even though Lu Dongzan was in dire straits, he still had the ability to change the situation. If he expressed his loyalty to the Zamp now, the Zamp would most likely forgive him and allow him to return to Luoshui City and resume his position as the Grand Councilor...

Can't be offended.

The soldier looked humble, as if he had expected Sairugundon to say that. He looked around the tent and waved his hand to dismiss everyone: "If you have anything to say, just say it."

He himself is also a famous general who has fought in many battles. As long as he keeps his distance, the soldier in front of him cannot hurt him.

The soldier then said, "As the Second General said, this matter is indeed difficult for you, Chief. However, the Gar tribe is now struggling, and countless soldiers die of hunger and cold every day. We can only shamelessly ask the Chief to help us for the sake of our past friendship. Since giving away food and fodder will trigger attacks on you by those people in Luoshui City, why not stage a play? The Gar tribe will raid your tribe at night, but will only rob some food and fodder and then return. The Chief will pretend to be attacked, and then fight to drive out the enemy and protect the camp... What do you think?"

Sai Rugongdun sneered in his heart. Lun Qinling is indeed smart, but this request is almost shameless. Why should I cooperate with you in such a drama?

Do I have to take the huge risk of being attacked and suspected of being a traitor just for the sake of past friendship?
He wanted to refuse outright, but when the words came to his lips, his heart suddenly moved.

He nodded and said, "Although it is a little difficult, after all, we have these feelings for each other, so it's okay to help. Go back and tell Lun Qinling that I agreed, and ask him to send someone to discuss in detail."

"Yes!"

The soldiers were very excited and saluted before leaving the tent.

Sairu Gongdun drank the butter tea in the cup in one gulp, and took out a map of Zishankou from the side. The lines were simple and crude, but it clearly outlined the nearby terrain and the deployment of troops on both sides. He took a carbon stick and drew a circle where the left army's food and fodder were piled, then stared at the map in deep thought.

……

"Saerugundun agreed? Oh my, you are really amazing, brother. That old fox actually agreed to give us food. He fell into your trap!"

When Bolun Zanren heard that Sairu Gongdun agreed to Lun Qinling's request, he was full of admiration for Lun Qinling.

Lun Qinling said calmly, "Are you stupid or is Sairu Gongdun stupid? How can we let the enemy plunder our food and fodder in this important military camp? Do you believe that as long as we go as agreed, as long as we get close to the place where the food and fodder are stored, we will definitely fall into a big trap and be surrounded and annihilated in one fell swoop?"

"Ah? That's not possible. He's Sairu Gundun. How can he go back on his word like that?"

Bolun Zanren found it unbelievable. Sairu Gongdun was an important Tibetan official second only to Lu Dongzan. Even Sangbuza was only on par with him. How could a person with such a high status and unparalleled prestige go back on his word?

Lun Qinling snorted and said, "All is fair in war. Why would there be so many rules on the battlefield? But fortunately, I don't plan to follow the plan honestly."