Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Lun Qinling did not want to surrender now because he still wanted to avenge his father and brother.

But reason also told him that the hope of revenge was extremely slim, and in order to reduce casualties among soldiers and innocent civilians, surrender was the most correct choice.

On the imperial platform.

Songtsen Gampo, with a haggard face, coughed violently a few times, then stood up by supporting himself on a chair.

There was silence for a long time.

Songtsen Gampo said weakly, "As for Qinling, is there really no chance at all?"

"How could the Tang army unleash such powerful combat power even in a battle on the snowy plateau?"

The reason why the Tubo people were not afraid of the Tang Dynasty was because of their unique geographical advantages. The Tang army could not exert even 50% of its combat effectiveness in fighting against them here.

But the Tang army they faced today killed them in just a few hours without them being able to fight back.

This abnormal scene left him puzzled.

Lun Qinling smiled bitterly and said, "Zanpu, the Tang army's combat effectiveness has indeed been greatly affected, but the Tang army has completely changed its fighting style."

"They first used an endless stream of sorcery to destroy our defenses and military formations, leaving our warriors with no will to resist."

"By the time the Tang army launched their attack, our soldiers' fighting capacity had been completely lost."

If the battle had taken place in Qunu City, the Tang army would have attacked them long ago and would have captured all of them.

The reason why the Tang army advanced step by step was because they were not suitable for fighting on the plateau.

Thinking of the current irreversible decline, Songtsen Gampo started coughing again.

"Cough cough!"

This time he spit out a lot of blood, and his face looked very red.

Lun Qinling looked at the bloody handkerchief in Songtsen Gampo's hand, and his heart tightened, but he did not say anything.

The empty hall suddenly fell into silence.

Just as there were shouts and cries of killing outside the imperial city, there was also chaos inside the imperial city, and countless ministers and people from the harem rushed to the door of the hall.

They were stopped by the soldiers and could not enter, so they shouted at the door of the hall.

"Zanpu, surrender! The imperial city is full of Tang troops!"

"We can't fight any more!"

"The Tang army has warned us that if we continue to resist, they will throw their magic into the imperial city!"

"We lost..."

These nobles knew best that if Tubo surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, their wealth and glory would be lost.

But they also knew that if they didn't surrender, they would die.

They all placed their hopes on Princess Wencheng, hoping that this Tang princess could say a few good words for them and make them a wealthy family.

Anyway, they didn't feel it was shameful to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

In the main hall.

When Songtsen Gampo heard the shouts coming from outside, his face was filled with gloom.

"Lun Qinling, you must surrender to the Tang army under my command."

"I'm going to see the Queen."

He took off the token from his waist and asked the eunuch to hand it to Lun Qinling, then he got on the sedan chair and left through a side door.

Lun Qinling looked down at the token in his hand that could command thousands of troops. At this moment, he felt that the token was just a piece of scrap metal and had no value except shame.

I was stunned for a long time.

Lun Qinling walked out of the hall with the token and announced Songtsen Gampo's decision to surrender.

"Great!"

"Lun Qinling, quickly surrender to the Tang army!"

"The Tang army is coming soon!"

Lun Qinling looked at this group of spineless princes and nobles, and his heart was filled with sadness.

He ignored this group of excited people and instead walked slowly out of the imperial city with heavy steps.

...

apse.

Under the pavilion in the center of the lake.

Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng sat opposite each other, chatting about the past while sipping wine.

Chatted for a while.

Princess Wencheng asked softly, "Your Majesty, have you decided to surrender?"

Not only could she hear the terrifying roar and the fiery red mushroom cloud rising from the sky in the back hall, but she could also hear the shouts of the Tang army outside the imperial city.

The war has reached this point, and the outcome is obvious.

"Ah."

Songtsen Gampo nodded and then said softly: "Queen, we have no children, and you are so young, you should find a good family to marry."

"I am tired. I will sleep in the pavilion in the middle of the lake."

Bang~

The wine jar in Princess Wencheng's hand fell onto the table.

After a long time.

Princess Wencheng said softly, "Your Majesty, His Majesty admires you very much. After Tubo surrenders to the Tang Dynasty, His Majesty will also make use of you."

"Why do you have to commit suicide?"

Hearing his wife's words, Songtsen Gampo showed a bitter smile on his sick face.

He also knew that he could survive by surrendering, but what could he do if he dragged his dying body to the Tang Dynasty?

"Hey!"

Songtsen Gampo sighed heavily and said helplessly, "My queen, I am already terminally ill and will not live long enough to reach the Tang Dynasty, which is thousands of miles away."

"This king sacrificed his life for his country, which means he did not bring shame to our ancestors."

Having said this, Princess Wencheng did not continue to persuade.

She knew that Songtsen Gampo's body was already dying, and his heart meridian had been damaged during this period, so he would not live long.

Perhaps sacrificing his life for his country is his best destiny.

Princess Wencheng poured two cups of wine, then raised the wine jar and said, "Your Majesty, we are husband and wife. This cup of wine is in your honor."

Songtsen Gampo held up the wine jar and said, "Madam, please."

After a few rounds of drinking, the two of them...

Songtsen Gampo coughed up a lot of blood again. He waved his hand and said, "Queen, please go back to your bedroom. I don't want to die in front of you."

Princess Wencheng nodded, bowed deeply, and then left with her maid.

After a while.

Songtsen Gampo ordered his guards, "All of you go protect the queen and hand her over safely to the Tang army!"

"promise!"

The guards kowtowed several times before leaving with sorrowful expressions on their faces.

Songtsen Gampo took out a bottle of poisoned wine from his wide sleeves. He looked around with longing, then drank it all in one gulp.

...

Two and a half hours later.

The golden afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the quiet city of Lhasa. On the streets, there were only the patrolling Tang army, and no Tibetan soldiers or civilians were to be seen.

In the main hall.

Xue Rengui reported: "General Du, we have killed 10012 enemy troops and captured 26825. We have not yet plundered the city's wealth."

"Since there wasn't much fighting, our army only had 13 killed and 99 wounded."

Most of the enemy troops in the city were killed by bombs and arrows, which greatly reduced the casualties of the Tang army.

There was a pause.

Xue Rengui continued, "Songtsen Gampo drank poison and died under the pavilion in the middle of the lake in the rear hall. I have already ordered his body to be embalmed."

"Princess Wencheng was also rescued safely by us. She was not harmed at all."

"When I met Princess Wencheng, she asked me to pass on a message to you, hoping you would not harass the Tibetan people in the city."

After listening to Xue Rengui's report, Du He nodded slightly.

He had no sympathy for Songtsen Gampo's death. After all, this man was very ambitious and had previously sent a large army to invade Songzhou of the Tang Dynasty.

As for Princess Wencheng, she was just an ordinary princess.

The house searches must continue.