Chapter 317: The Battle of Tubo (Class)
Since the Tang army in Longyou officially declared war in late June, the battle on the eastern front has been unstoppable. Geshuhan has been on the whole line, and the troops are divided into two groups. One route is the general Wang rarely leads 20,000 Tang troops to attack Wuhai. It is an important pastoral area for the Tubo people. There are a large number of herders and 5,000 Tubo troops stationed. The Tang army defeated the Tubo army in Wuhai with a large number of attacks and was beheaded by the Tang army in one fell swoop. Tens of thousands of Tubo men and women were captured by the Tang army and 400,000 cattle and sheep were seized.
Geshuhan personally led an army of 50,000 to attack the Jiuqu area. This was originally the territory of Tuyuhun and an important grain-producing area on the Tubo Plateau. After Tuyuhun was annexed by Tubo, it became the logistics base for the Tubo army to invade Tang. Tubo gathered 30,000 heavy troops here to defend, which was also the focus of Geshuhan's attack. Although the number of Tang soldiers was superior, the Han people's personal abilities were not as good as those of the Tubo people when fighting on the plateau. The two sides fought several battles, each with their own victory and defeat, and were in a stalemate.
The battle just ended, and both sides withdrew their troops. In the distance was the Tubo people's Hongji City. The Tubo army fought against the city, which once again defeated the Tang army's plan to seize Hongji City.
The setting sun was like blood, and the bright red sunset scattered on the plateau valleys. On the hillside and the gravel beaches by the river, there were as many as a thousand people in the dead Tang soldiers. There were a lot of dazzling blood everywhere. The undead war horses were still lying on the ground and thrusting. The soldiers who died in battle were lying on the ground, holding swords, arrows and shields in their hands, and sleeping in this cold land.
The bodies of Tubo soldiers had been carried away. Hundreds of Tuyuhun old men hired by the Tang army were struggling to carry the bodies of Tang soldiers. In groups of three, they put a body on a stretcher, slowly lifted it up, and staggered towards the Tang army's position in the setting sun.
The Tang army's camp was stationed on a high-level mound. It built a simple wall with huge rocks to prevent the Tubo cavalry from raiding. There were wooden towers standing high around and observing the movements around. Nearly 10,000 Tang army crossbowmen were arranged on all sides of the huge rocks, holding hard crossbows in hand and waiting for the formation.
On a lookout tower, Geshuhan stared at Hongji City in the distance with expressionless expression. After taking the city, the Jiuqu area took half. Although the Tang and Turkish armies were in a stalemate, Geshuhan was confident of winning the battle. At first, he found that the Tubo army was not as strong as he had imagined. At first, he thought it was Dazha Lugong's plan to lure the enemy into depth. After luring the Tang army into depth, he attacked the Tang army's logistics, such as Baishicheng and other places.
He increased the defense of Baishi City, increased the troops and increased the city walls, but after the battle between the two sides and the continuous transmission of scout information, he gradually found that the situation was not what he thought. Tubo was indeed insufficient in military force. Even their important population gathering place, Wuhai, was captured by the Tang army without any effort. Even if Dazhalugong lured the enemy deeper, he would not use Jiuqu and Wuhai to take risks. Tubo lost his food and population, what else could it have?
Geshuhan gradually guessed seven or eight points. This may be a problem within Tubo. From the transportation of their logistics materials, it can be seen that his scout found that since the war started, the Tubo army had not transported any materials, and it was all relying on the little resources stored in the Jiuqu area to support it. In other words, Dazhalugong had no support, and they could not last long with those little materials.
Geshuhan is worthy of being an experienced veteran. He knew very well that the more this time, the more calm and cautious he should be. In order to prevent the Tubo army from really using the strategy of luring the enemy into depth, Geshuhan implemented a step-by-step strategy to conquer a place and consolidate a place. He would never be greedy for merit and make progress. He should ensure the smooth supply of food and other materials and prevent the Tubo army from cutting off the support.
It should be said that his strategy has been completely correct so far. Although they have not captured Hongji City, he has already taken the initiative on the battlefield. It is a matter of time before he can capture Hongji City. As long as Anxi's Tubo army does not come to attack his rear, he will be 90% sure to win this battle. Now it seems that Li Qingan has dragged down Anxi's Tubo army and cooperated with him very well.
On the contrary, Tubo commander Dazha Lugong was already burning with fire. He had actually predicted the large-scale attack of the Tang army in advance, but he had no choice but to expect that he could do anything. Tubo's more than 200,000 troops gathered in logic and were in the hands of Dalun Nang Xie Dazan. No matter how he wrote to ask for help, Nang Xie Dazan would not send reinforcements, and even the weapons and tents were not sent. If this continues, Tubo will not only lose the Jiuqu area, but even nearly half of the land will be lost. Of course, the Tang army will not adapt to the highland ice fields, but what about the population? Tubo has lost its most precious population and has severely damaged its vitality. Will they still have a chance to rise in the future?
Dazha Lugong was worried. He hated the Tang army to take advantage of the situation, but he hated Nang Xie Dazan for his own selfish interests. Now what he was most worried about is Wuhai. If Wuhai could not defend, the Tang army would go south. Jishishan would not protect him and Baihai would not protect him, so they would have no way out. Now Dazha Lugong is facing a dilemma, whether to defend Jiuqu and wait for reinforcements, or to preserve his strength, to retreat to Baihai, or to retreat directly, it would be impossible. Nang Xie Dazan would take the opportunity to kill him, and defend Jiuqu would have been annihilated by the Tang army. If Nang Xie Dazan really cared about Jiuqu, he would not have no reinforcements now. He could only retreat to Baihai and wait for reinforcements. I believe Nang Xie Dazan would not want the Tang army to attack him.
Dazhalugong was in a dilemma. The wheat in Jiuqu area would ripen in two months and it was given to the Tang army for nothing. He was really unwilling to accept it, but it would not work if he didn't leave. He knew very well that the five thousand Tubo troops could not defend Wuhai no matter what.
Dazha Lugong looked at the direction of Wuhai for a long time. Finally, he made a decision and slowly ordered to the left and right: "Transfer my order. At the second update, the entire army will retreat to Baihai in the south!"
Late at night, 20,000 Tubo troops gave up Jiuqu and retreated south. They crossed the Yellow River fifty miles south and retreated towards Baihai. Geshuhan also ordered that no pursuit be allowed, nor that Wang Yande's army would be allowed to intercept him. The Tang army then occupied Hongji and Damomen area and collected the Jiuqu tribe.
Geshuhan was not in a hurry to go south to Baihai, but built a city, mobilized the army, and formed Wuhai and Jiuqu Company, and ordered the logistics and food resources to be transported to Hongji City continuously. He then visited several major Tuyuhun tribes, promising that the Tang army would protect their property and not forcibly rob their food and land. He also formed a Tuyuhun army of 3,000 people to be stationed west of Qinghai. This attitude was actually acquiesced to the Tuyuhun people to restore the country.
It should be said that the strategy of the Tang Dynasty was extremely correct. The Tang army was unable to station on the plateau for a long time. Supporting the Tuyuhun people was equivalent to establishing a barrier on the plateau, so that the Tubo people could not directly threaten the security of Longyou.
The attitude of the Tang army was supported by the Tuyuhun people. They drove away the Tubo people and returned the Han slaves to show their sincerity. They formed a self-defense army. More than a dozen tribal leaders gathered in Jiuqu and unanimously elected the former Tuyuhun King's younger brother Dorde as the new king of Tuyuhun. Geshuhan sent people to send Tuyuhun King to Chang'an to pay homage to Li Longji to discuss the matter of restoring the country.
At this point, the first step of the Tubo battle had been achieved, and the strategic advantages were further tilted towards the Tang Dynasty. In early July, Geshuhan immediately deployed 50,000 troops on the Wuhai line, waiting for the final opportunity for the decisive battle.
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On the contrary, the Tang army on the Eastern Front was progressing smoothly, but the battle on the Western Front was extremely fierce. The Khotan Army Town was the most important military town south of the Anxi Desert. Taking the Khotan Town opened the southern gate of Anxi. The 6,000 Tubo troops who were good at surviving in difficult environments could cross the Tulun Desert along the Yu River, which is today's Taklamakan Desert, and reach the important Anxi towns with empty troops in the north. Therefore, the battle for the north road has reached the point of life and death.
As soon as the sky was dawn, the heat wave swept across the Gobi land like fire. Although the ground was scorching, the low horn sounded still sounded west of the town of Yutian. The black Tubo cavalry appeared on the horizon again. The battle had been fought for three days and three nights, and nearly a thousand people were killed or injured on both sides. Although the Tubo army had to bypass Yutian Town several times, they were all discovered by the Tang army scouts and were intercepted by the Tang army. In fact, the ownership of the town of Yutian is no longer important. Even if the Tubo army seized the town of Yutian, it would be useless. What is important is that the Tubo army wanted to break through the Tang army's interception and head north.
There were nearly 3,000 Tang army members. Under the leadership of the Tang general Zhang Yongqing, the vast Gobi desert was formed on the vast Gobi desert. Behind it is the vast desert with yellow sand. About two miles away is the Yu River. The river is shimmering and shining under the scorching sun. It is composed of two tributaries originating from the Kunlun Mountains. It flows into the depths of the desert and flows out in winter. However, in the summer when the water is abundant, the Yu River does not flow out, flowing across the desert and pours into the Chi River in the north. It is called the River of Life. You can reach Bahuan City by walking along the Yu River.
Three thousand Tang troops arranged into a gun and arrow formation on the Gobi Desert, that is, there were a thousand crossbowmen in front and a cavalry behind. The crossbowmen were actually cavalry, but they did not ride horses for the time being, and they lined up in infantry form, so that they could pull the crossbows and have a longer range. When the Tubo army approached, the cavalry behind them would fight, and the crossbowmen would get on horseback and become cavalry again.
The Tubo army still has more than 4,000 troops, and the two armies have little difference in strength. The number of Tubo soldiers is slightly superior, but the Tang army has the advantage in weapons, especially the Tang army's crossbows are extremely sharp. After three days of battle, Tubo lost two thousand people, twice that of the Tang army.
The general of the Tubo army was named Jiazasangji. He was about forty years old and was also an experienced veteran. He was especially familiar with the terrain of Anxi. This time, the Tubo army only brought half a month of dry food for light-weight travel, and it took at least half a month to pass through the desert. They had spent five days on the road, which means that their dry food was no longer enough to support them out of the desert. Of course, they could kill horses to replenish them, but even so, their dry food was also very nervous.
If they could not rush through the Tang army's defense line in the past two days, or if there were more than a thousand soldiers killed or injured, their northern expedition would end in failure.
The Tubo army feared heat and not cold. The extremely hot desert climate made them a little uncomfortable. Only a moment in the morning can keep them vigorously energized. After another hour, they will be unable to bear the heat of the earth and their combat effectiveness will decline sharply.
Jiazasangji silently looked at Yuhe in the distance, and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He would rush over no matter what.
"Kill!" He roared, and more than 4,000 Tubo cavalry launched. They held up their shields, galloped in war horses, rolled up rolling yellow sand, and murderous aura filled the Gobi Desert, sweeping towards the Tang army.
The Tang army was ready for battle, and Zhang Yongqing whispered hoarsely: "Come on the crossbowman!"
A thousand Tang army cavalry have dismounted, and everyone holds Tang crossbows and archers on their backs. They line up in three rows. Under Zhang Yongqing's order, they stepped forward and opened the distance. The range of Tang army's hard crossbow was about two hundred steps, and the effective killing range was 120 steps. When the Tubo army approached thirty steps, the crossbowmen would retreat and get on the horse, and the cavalry behind them took over. Within ninety steps of the Tubo army's killing range, ordinary soldiers could fire two arrows, while trained crossbow soldiers could fire
The three arrows, the Bahuanying team responsible for blocking the Tubo Army, are all veterans. They have undergone strict training and can fire three arrows, which means a total of three thousand arrows. In addition, the two thousand cavalry in the back row are equipped with bows and arrows, and they can also shoot a round in a short time. In fact, five thousand arrows are shot out, which poses a great threat to the Tubo Army. However, the strength of the bows and arrows is not enough, and they cannot penetrate the Tubo Army's shield. Most of the time, they can only hurt horses, while crossbow arrows are different. They can penetrate the Tubo Army's shields.
In a blink of an eye, the Tubo cavalry rushed into the range. A thousand crossbowmen raised the Tang crossbow high at a 30-degree angle. The enemy was getting closer and closer. Yellow sand filled the sky and the earth, covering the sky and the sun were completely invisible. With a drum sound, the first row of Tang army's 330 arrows rose into the air and roared into the yellow sand. Immediately, the first row of arrows was loaded, the second row shot out, and then the third row shot out, three rows of arrows, and thousands of crossbow arrows were like a net of arrows made of woven, shooting at the Tubo cavalry.
Screams suddenly erupted in the yellow sand, and some horses were constantly being shot. The war horses fell and the cavalry were thrown out. The powerful crossbow arrows pierced through the wooden shields in the hands of the Tubo people and shot into the faces and chests of the cavalry. However, the Tubo people were already red in their eyes and rode their horses to rush forward regardless of life and death. At this time, the bows and arrows of the Tang cavalry also shot out, with arrows pouring like rain and arrows flying like locusts. A cruel blood-devouring battle was formed.
Five thousand arrows shot over half a hundred people, and the Tubo cavalry swept over, and the Tang cavalry also raised their guns to meet each other, getting closer and closer. Both sides had even seen the anger on each other's faces clearly, but the faces of the soldiers at the front changed instantly and became extremely frightened, but they could no longer stop. They closed their eyes desperately amid the screams.
There was a loud bang in an instant, and the two armies collided. The countless people in the front died tragically in the collision, their bodies were broken, and their helmets and broken spears flew into the sky, and a fierce battle began.
The war horses were catching and fighting, the bayonets were slashing, the screams of killing, the screams, the crackling sound of bones being cut off, and the clattering sounds of their throats before death, one after another. A Tubo centurion was extremely fierce. He held a thirty-pound sword in his hand and fought fiercely. The one who fought against him was a young Tang army. He had insufficient experience. He grabbed the war horse and cut the Tang army soldiers into two pieces in half with a sword. The internal organs were rolled out and the blood arrows were spurted out.
Another burly military commander of the Tang army was furious. He rushed silently and stabbed him from behind with a strong force. He stabbed the Tubo Centurion's chain mail with one shot. The tip of the gun was revealed from the front chest. General Tang roared and pushed him high in the air. The Tubo Centurion looked upward, and his big copper bell eyes were dying and glaring at the Tang general with his last strength. He chewed his tongue and sprayed him at the person who killed him.
The sun was rising higher and higher, and the scorching sun blew the flames towards the ground, as if burning the earth and melting the heat waves, and people seemed to be in a steamer, which made people breathless. On the Gobi Desert, the fierce battle between the two armies continued, but the physical strength of both sides dropped rapidly, sweat and blood mixed, and many people fainted due to excessive physical overdrawing, but both armies lost command and could not get rid of each other in the melee. I don’t know when the battle will end, and maybe they will fight until everyone fainted.
But at this moment, a loud horn sound suddenly came from afar. The horn sound was like a strong wind blowing away the rushing heat waves and also chilling the hearts of the Tubo people. A group of thousands of Tang cavalry rushed towards this side, and the big flag waving in the wind embroidered the word "Shule". This was the arrival of Shule's Tang army.
The morale of the Tubo army completely collapsed, they no longer had the fighting spirit and fled in all directions. Shang Xi Dongzan's conspiracy to sneak attack the hinterland of Anxi was completely shattered.
The blocking battle in Yutian Town was just a small episode, but the battle that really determined the pattern of the Western Front was kicked off on the grasslands on the banks of Sabize.
The 15,000 Tubo army in Sabize was cut off by Feng Changqing's army. The 50,000 Tang army blocked the Tubo army in the Sabize Basin. The Tang army was not in a hurry to attack. Li Qing'an knew that most of the cattle and sheep in Sabize had been transferred, and the remaining cattle and sheep were only enough for the Tubo army and civilians to survive for half a month. He used the method of encirclement to slowly consume his morale. After ten days of siege, the Tubo army finally began to break through.
Shang Xi Dongzan had no way out, so he simply chose men among the tens of thousands of herders who accompanied the army. Any man under the age of 60, as long as a young man who was higher than the wheel was all incorporated into the army. In this way, the army that Shang Xi Dongzan could command jumped from 15,000 to 40,000, ready to break through from the west to Ula Ulan Lake.
That morning, the Tang army scouts discovered the abnormal movement of the Tubo army, and the drums in the Tang army camp suddenly rang out.
"Dong!Dong!Dong!"
The drums were loud and loud, inspiring people. Nearly 25,000 Tang troops were lined up on the vast grassland. This was another large-scale battle of the Anxi Tang army after the Battle of Talas. If this Tubo army could be wiped out, the Tubo people would not be able to attack Anxi in the short term. This allowed the Anxi army to deal with Dashi with peace of mind, fight for Sindh and Punjab, obtain a stable grain supply base, fight for Tochar, drive the Dashi's forces across the west of the Amu River, and restore the power structure before the Eastern Expedition of Dashi. This was Li Qing'an's first goal.
Li Qing'an had confidence in this battle. He had the main force of the Anxi Army, while the opponent had only 15,000 people. As for the herdsmen who were temporarily organized, he did not care at all. Although Shang Xi Dongzan sent out a surprise troops to surround Wei and save Zhao and disrupt his rear, Li Qing'an believed that this was actually Shang Xi Dongzan's defeat, splitting up the army that was originally limited in number, and his surprise troops may not be effective. It is meaningless to capture Yutian Town. To attack Kucha and Bahuan City are far away. Even if it is successful, when the news comes, I am afraid that the war here will be over long ago. The far water cannot quench the near thirst. What's more, he has sent troops to intercept it, and even with Feiying, Li Fei Shouyu of Shule sent troops to aid, the Tubo surprise troops will not play a big role.
On the contrary, if he was Shangxi Dongzan, he would use the strategy of escaping, leaving a small number of troops in Sabize, and let the herders pretend to be an army and live in the tent, while the main army pretended to be a herder and retreated to Ula Ulan Lake in the south. By this time when the Tang army discovered that the main force of Tubo had already gone far away, and might be able to support Longyou and hit Geshuhan's back.
But Shang Xi Dongzan did not adopt this strategy, which was his mistake. If he took a wrong step, the Tubo army would pay the price of annihilation.
Li Qingan sneered, Shang Xidongzan had no chance anymore, and he immediately ordered: "The army is in line!"
The 25,000 Tang troops quickly formed a huge moon formation, with flags waving and fluttering in the wind, and the bow and crossbow army lined up in front, followed by cavalry teams, finally infantry teams, and two other chariot troops, a total of 300 vehicles.
This is the first time that Anxi has put on the battlefield. Each chariot is pulled by five horses. The horses are covered with armor and two chariots. The chariot is shaped like a container from later generations. It is made of wooden structure and is covered with three layers of mature cowhide. The internal structure is complex. There are shooting holes on both sides. The roof and rear plates can be opened. There are five Tang army operators in the car, and one or two small throwing weapons, either bed crossbows, small throwing tools, or chain crossbows. Due to the use of the enemy, this time when dealing with the Tubo army, most of the tanks are equipped with two chain crossbows. Twenty arrows are shot out from the shooting holes on both sides. Some chariots are also equipped with bed crossbows. This type of chariot mainly attacks the enemy from the flanks, which are extremely powerful, but its weakness is also obvious. It cannot be left alone and must be guarded by cavalry.
When the Tang army was waiting, the Tubo army in the distance also appeared. They had no formation and were overwhelmed with 50,000 or 60,000 people, all riding on horses. They were mixed together, and it was difficult to tell who was an ordinary herdsman and who was a Tubo soldier.
"General, the Tubo people are probably not here to fight with us, they are going to escape!" Deputy General Tian Zhen saw the Tubo army's intentions and whispered to Li Qing'andao.
Li Qingan shook his head and said, "Don't be careless, beware that the enemy uses this posture to confuse us!"
He ordered again: "Tell Feng Changqing that he can attack from behind."
Several eagles immediately flew up from the Tang army and flapped their wings and flew eastward. Feng Changqing was about twenty miles away from Li Qing'an on the east side of Sabize. They used falcons to contact each other, but at this time Feng Changqing also began to launch, less than ten miles away from the Tubo people.
Chapter completed!