Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

At present, except for Tubo, the Tang Dynasty has conquered all the surrounding territories, which shows its strong determination to expand its territory.

As for the strength of the Tang Dynasty, there is no need to say more.

In front of the Tang Dynasty, Tubo is now like a hungry wolf against a tiger, with no possibility of victory at all.

If Songtsen Gampo had taken the initiative to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, perhaps the Tibetan royal family and court officials could have held higher positions in the Tang Dynasty, and the Tibetan soldiers would not have died.

But Songtsen Gampo was unwilling to give in!

"Hey~"

Princess Wencheng sighed deeply. She did not continue to think about these things, but walked quietly to the pavilion in the center of the lake to enjoy the snow.

She knew very well that Tubo would soon be destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, and she would return to live in the Tang Dynasty.

This is a good thing for her.

the other side.

The first thing Songtsen Gampo did when he returned to the hall was to send someone to call in the commander-in-chief, Lun Qinling.

"Lun Qinling, the Tang army will be at the gates of the city tomorrow morning. How is your defense?"

"Have the civilians and soldiers from the surrounding cities been brought back to Lhasa?"

Even though Songtsen Gampo is seriously ill now, the young man still has the ambition to become a powerful leader.

He was able to conquer many Tibetan tribes when he was just over ten years old, and now he will definitely be able to resist the attack of the Tang army and defend his foundation.

Below the main hall.

Lun Qinling reported: "Report to the Zanpu, I have ordered the soldiers and the people in the city to set up three lines of defense behind the city wall."

"If the Tang army doesn't have many monsters that break into the city, we can withstand the Tang army's powerful offensive."

Having learned from the lesson at Qunu City, Lun Qinling widened the distance between the defenses in the city by more than two hundred steps.

The defenses previously set up behind the city walls were all destroyed by the Tang army's monsters and were of no use at all.

There was a pause.

Lun Qinling continued, "I have already brought back all the food and supplies, soldiers and civilians from the cities within a hundred miles of the city to Luoshui City. There are now more than 25 soldiers and civilians in the city."

"I will gather all the adult men and women in the city and have them assist us in defending the city."

Then Lun Qinling reported all his preparations to Songtsen Gampo.

After listening.

Songtsen Gampo said solemnly, "For Qinling, this battle is crucial. No matter how great the cost, we must keep the Tang army out of the city."

"After driving away the Tang army, I will appoint you as Prime Minister!"

The Grand Chancellor was the most prestigious official among the nine ministers in charge of Tibetan affairs. He was in charge of the military and political power of Tibet, and his status was equivalent to that of the Left Prime Minister and the Minister of War in the Tang Dynasty.

The last person to serve as prime minister was Lun Qinling's father, Lu Dongzan.

Lun Qinling responded in a deep voice: "Thank you, Zamp, for your grace!"

Faced with the great benefits promised by Songtsen Gampo, he felt no joy at all.

Resisting the Tang army was not an easy task, especially when Tubo was short of soldiers and generals, and he was not very confident.

...

Hundreds of miles away.

In the lobby of the city lord's mansion in the towering city walls of Medog.

The chief military commander Li Ji sat in the main seat, the deputy chief military commanders Niu Jinda and Li Mengchang sat in the first seats on the left and right sides, and Pei Xingfang, Du Junchao, Zhishisili, Qibi Heli and other chief military commanders sat on the left and right sides respectively.

Although they captured the fortified city of Medog, they did not feel the slightest joy in their hearts.

A moment of silence.

Li Ji sighed and said, "Oh, I didn't expect General Du to be so bold. After raiding Qunu City in the Tianzhu territory for thousands of miles, he is now raiding the Tibetan imperial capital, Lhasa City."

"We missed a great opportunity!"

When the generals heard what Li Ji said, they all showed regret on their faces.

But they were not jealous of Du He taking away the military merits that belonged to them, because they were not sure they could conquer Tubo before Yuan Zheng.

On the left side of the lobby.

Niu Jinda said helplessly: "General Manager Li, we only have 50 thunder bombs on hand, and Commander Du has at least 300."

"Plus, Commander Du and his men have captured a large amount of livestock and food, so we don't have to worry about food supplies at all."

A few breaths have passed.

Zhishisili also said, "General Du and his men are fighting in the Indian territory, which is a flat plain. We are fighting on a plateau, and it is difficult for our soldiers to adapt."

"I'm afraid General Du's surprise attack on Luoshui City this time won't be very smooth."

All the generals nodded. They had been fighting on the plateau for some time and were exhausted physically and mentally.

Many soldiers fell ill because of this and did not even have the strength to put on armor or wield spears.

After these generals have finished speaking.

Li Ji then laughed and scolded, "Don't be so confident. If General Du leads his troops to capture Luoshui City in one fell swoop, I wonder if you dare to use the excuse of not acclimatizing yourself."

"Fighting on the plateau, Coach Du and his team experienced the same difficulties as us!"

this...

The generals were stunned.

They touched their noses in disappointment and did not make any more excuses.

Chat for a while.

Li Ji said solemnly, "Generals, we must contain the enemy forces around Bowo and Luowo to prevent them from returning to reinforce Luoshui City!"

"I have already sent people to find Cheng Yaojin and Xue Wanche and have them tie down their respective enemy forces."

"After the prince captures Lhasa City, we will persuade the enemy forces in the surrounding cities to surrender!"

Except for the first few battles, the Tang army had the advantage. As the weather became increasingly colder and the terrain became higher, the two sides were evenly matched in the following battles.

If we want to end the battle quickly, it depends on whether Du He can quickly capture the city of Lhasa.

All the generals in the hall stood up and responded with serious expressions.

"I will obey your orders!"

It's already early November, and they don't have much time left!

...

The next day.

When the morning light rises.

Outside the south gate of Lhasa City, a dense mass of cavalry suddenly appeared.

When the defenders on the city wall saw the Tang army approaching slowly, they immediately shouted at the top of their lungs.

"The Tang army is coming!"

"Beat the drum!"

As the Tibetan soldiers roared, several drums responsible for warning suddenly sounded.

The already depressing atmosphere in Lhasa City was now shrouded in a layer of dark clouds.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

The commander of the South City Gate reported: "Your Excellency, the Tang army has arrived outside the South City Gate and has set up camp in front of us."

"I request to lead 5000 elite cavalry to attack the camp and catch the Tang army off guard!"

wow~

As the South Gate Guard finished speaking, a huge noise suddenly broke out in the hall.

Not long after, a group of civil and military officials began to scold.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Can our Tibetan 5000 elite cavalry be a match for the tens of thousands of Tang cavalry?"

"If we lose these 5000 elite soldiers, how can we defend the city?"

"You brainless fool!"

The commander of the South City Gate's face turned red when the civil and military ministers said this.

He did not dare to refute, for fear of being framed by these cowards. If he did not die at the hands of the Tang army, he would die at the hands of these cowards.

Below the main hall.

Lun Qinling said slowly, "If the Tang army sends people to dig tunnels, we can send 2000 cavalry out of the city tonight to set fire to the camp!"

"If we can inflict heavy damage on the Tang army, it will also relieve our pressure."

"Even if our entire army is wiped out, it won't weaken our strength too much."