Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4867 Confused
The army was defeated like a mountain.

Even though the troops that Sai Rugundun set up the encirclement with were all elite members of the tribe, and their numbers far outnumbered those of Lun Qinling's troops, when defeat was already inevitable and the situation was dire, no matter how many people there were, they were no more than cattle and sheep. They were driven out and killed, and more than ten thousand people either fled in disarray or surrendered without offering any resistance.

The wind and snow became stronger, but the warriors of the Gar tribe were all cheering and excited, celebrating the victory of this Jedi counterattack.

Lun Qinling quickly ordered people to gather the food and fodder of the Sairu tribe and guard them strictly. This was the foundation for him to continue his march southward. If someone took advantage of the chaos and burned them, it would be too late to cry.

But after the ecstasy, worry came over him: there were more than five thousand prisoners in this battle, and his own troops were only five thousand. How to deal with so many prisoners?
If they were released on the spot, most of them would flee back to Serugundun, and after a brief reorganization, they would become their enemies in the future.

If we massacre them all, the news will definitely not be blocked. Once the Tibetan tribes know about it, they will definitely resist the Gar tribe severely, which will be detrimental to the overall situation in the future...

In desperation, Lun Qinling had to order the captives to be driven to the north of Zishankou and sent a small number of soldiers to escort them to Fuqi City. He did not care whether they would escape on the way.

He streamlined the personnel, replenished the baggage, transported the grain to Zishankou and sent people to guard it, and then took advantage of the moment when Sairugundon defeated the enemy by surprise and rushed forward without stopping to Lhasa City.

……

It was freezing cold in the twelfth lunar month, with snow and wind blowing everywhere. Sai Rugongdun looked back while riding his horse at full speed. The tribal brothers who had followed him to dominate Tubo were now in a panic, running for their lives in the ice and snow, with their flags down and their weapons and armor abandoned. From time to time, the injured fell to the ground and could not get up, but their companions around them did not even look at them, let alone lend a hand, and just ran for their lives.

Morale collapsed, the army was divided, and the defeat was overwhelming.

He knew that Lun Qinling would surely come after him immediately, so he did not dare to stop to treat the wounded or support his comrades. He only hoped to cross the Yak River, dismantle the pontoon bridge, and form a battle array by the water, relying on the wide river surface to block Lun Qinling's steps.

However, when we arrived at the Yak River and saw the river surface frozen solid by the severe cold, the little bit of expectation in my heart completely vanished.

The Yak River has a wide channel and fast-flowing water. It only freezes in the coldest two months of the year. It is not yet time for it to freeze, but in the past two days, with heavy snow and a sudden drop in temperature, the river has frozen ahead of time...

Could it be that the Zamp’s luck has run out?
Scouts brought news that Lun Qinling was chasing and killing him. Filled with resentment, Sai Rugundon did not even have time to gather the remaining troops. He joined forces with a part of the defeated troops of the Subi Kingdom, crossed the Yak River, and rode south without stopping, hoping to reach Dangla Mountain before Lun Qinling caught up, so as to use the terrain to stop Lun Qinling's steps.

Dangla Mountain is the last pass from north to south on the Tang-Tibet Road. If Lun Qinling cannot be stopped, the road where his cavalry can cross Dangla Mountain is a relatively flat one. After passing Gechuan Posthouse and Nongge Posthouse, they can directly reach the city of Lhasa.

By that time, Tubo will be in a state of flux...

*****
The city of Lhasa is located in a river valley, surrounded by towering mountains. There is no severe cold in winter and no scorching heat in summer. The temperature is relatively mild and there are rarely strong winds.

Snow flakes fluttered down from the sky, landing on the roofs of temples and courtyard pavilions. From time to time, monks in red robes walked among them, with the sound of Buddhist chants and the crisp sound of wind chimes. The temple in the snow seemed like a paradise.

Songtsen Gampo sat in front of the open window, smelling the aroma of tea and the steam rising up, watching the falling snow outside, and his restless mood slowly calmed down.

Sambuza put down the battle report in his hand with a grim expression, opened his mouth to speak, hesitated for a moment, fell to the ground without saying anything, and just sighed softly.

As soon as the battle report of Sairu Gongdun was delivered, the Zamp summoned him. The moment he saw the report, he could not believe his eyes. Twenty thousand elite soldiers of the "Sairu" tribe blocked Zishan Pass and only defended without attacking, but they were ambushed and defeated by the Lunqinling cavalry?
That’s Serugundun!

The person second only to Lu Dongzan under the Zamp was defeated miserably by the little boy Lun Qinling, and fled for his life, leaving his armor and weapons behind...

Finally, he could not help but complain: "How could Sairu be defeated miserably by a child? After this defeat, all the important passes in the north have fallen, and the enemy army is in high spirits. With the increase of one side and the decrease of the other, Danglashan may not be able to withstand it... Sairu Gongdun has made a mistake!"

This is by no means alarmist. The fact that Qinling's mere five or six thousand cavalrymen were able to capture key passes one after another and were unstoppable is enough to show that their combat effectiveness is far superior to that of any Tibetan tribe. If Luyi, Liemohai, Huashixia, Zishankou and other key passes that obviously occupy geographical advantages could not stop them, could Dangla Mountain stop them?
Once they capture Dangla Mountain, they will be just a stone's throw away from Lhasa City...

We can't let the Zamp lead the army in person, can we?
Songtsen Gampo's focus was not here. He took a sip of tea and said slowly, "The intention of the Tang army is very clear. They want to use war to make it impossible for Lu Dongzan and I to relax. They want Luoshui City and the Gar tribe to fall into a melee and entangle each other. In this way, the southwestern border of the Tang Dynasty will be safe. The limited support provided by the Tang army to Lun Qinling stationed at Zishankou can be seen... But why did Lun Qinling dare to go against the wishes of the Tang people and launch a surprise attack with all his strength and march deep into the enemy's territory alone?"

Sambuza was slightly stunned, then suddenly realized: "Zamp's intention is to say that Lun Qinling has other reasons to rely on?"

If you think about it carefully, it does make sense.

No matter how unparalleled in strategy Lun Qinling had and how invincible Bolun Zanren had been, they only had 5,000 soldiers after all. Once they broke through to the outskirts of Luoshui City, the 50,000 elite soldiers of the Yalong tribe defending the city would be enough to defeat them in one battle and turn them into ashes.

No matter how conceited Qin Ling was, could he really think that his 5,000 soldiers could defeat the 50,000 elite troops of the Yalong tribe and capture the city of Luoshui?
What's more, there is the Zamp's invincible guard "Guangjun"...

The only possibility was that Lun Qinling was convinced that the Yalong tribal army could not go out to fight, or that his army could defeat ten of them with one.

It was impossible to fight ten with one, so even if the battle started at the foot of Luoshui City, Qinling would have more than 5,000 soldiers...

"Will someone betray the alliance and side with the Gar tribe?"

Sambuza was terrified.

Songtsen Gampo drank tea and said, "Since Lu Dongzan started his rebellion, his eldest son Zanxi has disappeared. Could it be that he has some disease that makes him unable to see the light of day or the public?"

"Zanpu, please understand. Zan Xiruo must have gone deep into the plateau to wander among the tribes and sow discord, trying to contact more tribes to respond to the attack of the Gar tribe!"

This was actually speculated before, but now it is basically confirmed.

The question is which tribes did Zansiro lobby and which tribes were persuaded by him?
Sambuza's face changed drastically as his heart moved: "It must be that Cang Liubu!"

The so-called "Six Tribes of Nacang" were all located on the territory of the Zhangzhung Kingdom, where the various tribes of the Zhangzhung Kingdom were entrenched. After Tubo destroyed the Zhangzhung Kingdom, it had no spare energy to conquer these tribes and could only allow them to reproduce and thrive in their ancestral homeland.

In fact, this is also the current situation of Tubo. Songtsen Gampo nominally unified Tubo, but in fact he governed Tubo in a way that was close to a "tribal alliance". In various places, powerful tribes entrenched in a place nominally submitted to Songtsen Gampo, but with "regional autonomy", Songtsen Gampo's jurisdiction over these tribes was also very loose, and he even had to turn a blind eye to the collection of corvée labor and taxes, and just "do his best"...

The area where it is located is vast, "twenty-five days' journey from north to south and fifteen days' journey from east to west", and is located in the northwest of Lhasa City.

Once Lun Qinling broke through Dangla Mountain and attacked Luoshui City from the north, the "Six Tribes of Nacang" responded by launching an attack from the flank. The elite troops of the Yalong tribe could only defend Luoshui City and did not dare to take the initiative to attack.

The chain reaction among all the Tibetan tribes triggered by this would be the most fatal. The foundation of Songtsen Gampo's rule would be shaken or even collapsed...

Therefore, Lun Qinling was confident that he could capture Lhasa City and allow the Gar tribe to return to the core of Tubo power, and even influence Tubo's national politics, and then use this to negotiate with the Tang people.

What would the Tang people do if they were angry? Unless they were determined to go to war with Tubo, they would have to swallow their anger...

Unexpectedly, Songtsen Gampo shook his head calmly: "No."

"Hmm? Please tell me clearly, Zanpu." Sambhota didn't understand why Songtsen Gampo was so sure.

Songtsen Gampo put down his teacup and said, "I have already sent the Guangjun to the six tribes of Nachang to monitor all their leaders and clan leaders. The Guangjun even found the whereabouts of Zan Xiruo, but he escaped after they failed to catch him, so the six tribes of Nachang were not convinced by him."

Sambuza was puzzled and pointed at the battle report on the table. "But if the six tribes of Nacang had not agreed to raise troops to respond, how could Lun Qinling dare to advance alone? How could he dare to attack Luoshui City? Even if he arrived at Luoshui City and no one responded, how could he be so confident that he could capture Luoshui City?"

Songtsen Gampo turned his head and looked at the white snow, red walls and monks walking in the snow in the courtyard outside the window, and sighed quietly: "Now they are afraid of my power and dare not agree to Zansiruo, but if Lun Qinling really marches to the gates of Luoshui, how much respect will they have for me?"

Authority is like a spruce tree standing on the top of the mountains. When it remains unmoved in the face of wind and rain, people will be full of awe and admiration for it.

But once someone is digging for the roots, people can imagine how the whole tree will be shaken after the roots are dug up, and naturally start to think about how to cut down the tree, cut it up, use it as beams, or break it into strips to make window frames...

When authority collapses, the beasts coveting it will swarm in and compete to devour it.

Sambuza still didn't understand: "But if Qinling's troops were at the gates of the city and had taken some initiative, those people would stand up and cheer for him or even send troops to help, right? But Qinling's mere 5,000 troops, how could it be possible to threaten the safety of Luoshui City?"

Since the Zamp said that the six tribes of Nachang did not respond to the Gar tribe, then it must be true. But without the support of the six tribes of Nachang, how could Lun Qinling dare to advance alone?

Is this kid really that brave?