Tibet

The terrain outside the valley was open, and the Tang army rushed out of the valley and continued to chase the Liao soldiers. The Tang army's war horses galloped, and arrows and thunder exploded in the running Liao people, which frightened the Liao soldiers and made them lose their fighting spirit. They all fled for their lives.

However, the Liao soldiers were lucky. This area was full of mountains. After escaping for more than ten miles, there was another mountain blocking the road in front. The Liao soldiers fled into the mountains and forests to save their lives.

Despite this, more than half of the 20,000 Liao soldiers were killed by the Tang army. In the end, about 8,000 people escaped. They crossed mountains and ridges and took small roads to escape back to the tribe first. Jia Xiu also followed Penglu Anbo and fled back to the Penglu tribe.

Two days later, the Tang army arrived at the Penglu tribe. Most of the low-level Liao people lived in the valley or at the foot of the mountain, farming for a living, but the Liao people with a little status lived on the mountain, forming a piece of Liao village from the middle of the mountain to the top.

The Liao king Peng Luanji naturally lived on the mountain. Although he failed in the first battle, he did not give up. He ordered the construction of strict fortifications on the mountain and pulled all the soldiers up the mountain to confront the Tang army from a high position.

The Tang army did not attack the Liao people living at the foot of the mountain or in the valley. Their target was the Liao people on the mountain.

But the Tang army had not seen any surrendered soldiers coming down the mountain for more than half an hour. Li Sheng shook his head. It is said that the Liao people are stubborn and will not cry until they see the coffin. It is true. He snorted heavily, "Bring me two hundred artillery pieces!"

The Tang army had a supply team of 10,000 camels, and the camels also carried artillery pieces.

Soon, the Tang army built artillery fortifications and mounted two hundred artillery pieces. At the commander's order, the two hundred artillery pieces launched an offensive against the Liao village on the mountain.

This is the advantage of artillery. They have a range of two to three miles, completely covering the Liaozhai on the hillside. One by one, the shells exploded violently in the Liaozhai.

This was the first time that the improved artillery was put into actual combat, and it exerted great power. All the Tang soldiers were stunned.

The Liao people on the hillside suffered a devastating disaster. Men, women, old and young were blown to pieces. Houses collapsed one by one. The surviving Liao people cried and ran for their lives.

Many soldiers who escaped back were arranged in the fortifications, but they were also killed and injured in the explosion. Many people were buried by the collapsed houses.

Although the artillery only bombed the Liaozhai at the bottom, it did not mean that the Liaozhai above could be spared.

Three thousand Tang soldiers gradually approached the Liaozhai. They fired gunpowder arrows together. In just a moment, the Liaozhai caused a raging fire. The houses of the Liao people were almost all wooden structures with straw roofs.

With the help of the mountain wind, the fire spread extremely fast. In just a moment, it spread more than a hundred feet and swept towards the large Liao village on the mountain.

The Liao people cried and shouted, carrying the old and the young and desperately ran towards the mountain. Many people could not run faster than the raging fire and were engulfed by the rapidly developing fire.

In less than half an hour, the whole mountain was filled with smoke and flames, and even the surrounding forests were set on fire.

The Liao King took thousands of people to hide in the cave. He knelt on the ground and cried loudly, regretting it very much. They were used to the comfort of the Tang Dynasty and despised the huge Tang Dynasty. They always thought that the Tang Dynasty was weak and stupid, but once the Tang Dynasty was furious, they realized how small they were, just like ants being gently pinched to death by the Tang Dynasty.

Two days later, the fire was finally extinguished, and large areas of Liao villages were burned to ashes. More than 20,000 people were burned to death. The Liao people finally realized the terrible consequences.

The Liao king Pengluanji surrendered with more than 10,000 survivors, including the uncle and nephew of the Jia family who were tied up.

Pengluanji, along with several sons and a dozen elders, knelt naked in front of Li Sheng to plead guilty.

Li Sheng pointed his whip at the uncle and nephew of the Jia family and said coldly: "For these two criminals, you are willing to take tens of thousands of your own people to bury them. Let's see how you will explain to your people?"

Pengluanji shed tears and said: "I didn't know the consequences were so serious. It's too late to regret!"

"I tell you, my 20,000 soldiers can kill your soldiers without losing a single soldier. This is the strength of the Tang army. It is definitely not comparable to your border troops. I hope you can recognize the reality."

Pengluanji didn't dare to say a word and bowed his head to plead guilty.

To deal with these Liao people, we can't kill them all like Liaodong, because there are many other tribes. If we really kill them all, they will be forced to Tubo.

Only kindness and force can solve the problem. Give them a hard lesson, let them suffer heavy casualties, and then give them a chance to come to court and admit their mistakes.

For at least a hundred years, the Liao people will be obedient to the court.

Li Sheng raised his voice and said to the dozen elders behind him: "I don't care who you let be the chief in the end, but I want to tell you that within this year, your Liao king must go to Chang'an to come to court and beg for forgiveness from His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Only when His Majesty forgives, the matter will be over, otherwise the Tang army will come again next year!"

Li Sheng then put the uncle and nephew in a cage and led the army back to Chengdu.

Ten days later, Jia Xiu's uncle and nephew were publicly beheaded at Caishikou in Chengdu, and the heads of all the important figures of the Jia family were hung on the city wall to deter other nobles.

Just three days after the Tang army returned to Chengdu, Li Sheng personally led 50,000 troops to the south and killed Hezhou.

A few days later, the Tang army arrived at Panshi County, the seat of Zizhou. Zizhou was one of the twelve states that supported the Guo family. The governor Xu Huining was Guo Huaiyan's son-in-law, and the Yang family, a powerful family in Zizhou, was also a staunch ally of the Guo family.

The Yang family supported the Guo family's uprising with practical actions, and the Yang family also recruited 20,000 troops to defend Panshi County.

Li Sheng led an army of 50,000 to Panshi County. On the one hand, he used catapults to throw fireballs to attack the city. On the other hand, he settled down, besieged the city and attacked the reinforcements, waiting for the main army of the Guo family to go north.

The chief general of the Guo Zhaolie Army was Guo Qianren, the cousin of Guo Huaiyan. Like Jia Xiu, he was also purged and dismissed for supporting Yongwang Li Lin. He has always controlled the 20,000 farmhands of the Guo family, and his status in the Guo family is very high.

This time, Guo Huaiyan got the full support of Guo Qianren when he started a rebellion, so Guo Huaiyan appointed Guo Qianren as the marshal.

Guo Qianren is over 60 years old. He had some experience in leading troops 20 years ago and participated in two wars against Tubo, but his actual combat experience is definitely not rich.

However, no matter how ordinary Guo Qianren is, the Guo family will not let an outsider take charge of an army of 100,000.

At this time, Guo Qianren had learned that the 20,000 Tang troops in Yunnan had crossed the Lushui River and were approaching Luchuan County. Guo Qianren immediately divided 30,000 troops to garrison on the north bank of the Jinsha River in Luchuan County to prevent the Tang troops from crossing the river.

At this time, Yang Qinying, the head of the Yang family in Zizhou, urgently asked Guo Huaiyan for help.

Guo Huaiyan did not abandon his allies and immediately ordered Guo Qianren to send troops to rescue Panshi County.

Guo Qianren originally did not want to rescue, but the head of the family Guo Huaiyan urged him three times. Guo Qianren had no choice but to leave 20,000 troops in Hechuan County. He personally led 50,000 troops to kill Panshi County.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

As the fierce war drums of the Tang army sounded, 10,000 archers surged up like a tide, ran to 150 steps, raised their crossbows and fired thousands of arrows at the top of the city.

Soon, dozens of large catapults were pushed over, and the catapults also joined the battle. The long arms threw burning gunpowder cans accurately onto the top of the city. A raging fire ignited on the top of the city, and thick smoke enveloped Panshi County, as if the end of the world had come.

The soldiers, civilians, and officials in the city were terrified. They almost couldn't breathe. Everyone moistened their mouths and noses with towels to filter out the smoke and dust.

That morning, dozens of large catapults were pushed towards the county again. The soldiers on the top of the city thought that the top of the city was going to be burned again. They shouted and ran away. Unexpectedly, the Tang army shot huge wooden balls, which exploded over the city. Tens of thousands of leaflets fell and scattered all over the city.

The leaflets were a letter to the soldiers and civilians of Panshi County. The Tang army issued an ultimatum to the officers and soldiers in the city, demanding that the city be opened and surrendered before noon, otherwise the city wall would be blown up directly. The Tang army rushed into the city and all the soldiers were executed without mercy.

The first general to surrender will be pardoned, and all his crimes will be forgiven.

Less than a cup of tea after the leaflet was dropped, the governor Xu Huining led 3,000 troops to surrender.

In the desperate struggle to seize a chance of survival, warriors are always not as decisive as scholars.