Tibet

Li Siye smiled and continued: "Tubo Zanpu is eager to open up Tochara and get sufficient logistical supplies from Tochara. However, several Tibetan political ministers are opposed to it, believing that sending troops to Tochara is a blind advance that will make Tubo miserable. suffered greater losses.

The official also said that Zanpu has been defeated repeatedly in Longyou and Anxi over the years. Tubo has been completely at a disadvantage, and its population and national power have been greatly depleted. Therefore, many powerful families in Tubo are dissatisfied with Zanpu. Big and small Bolu We don't have many troops. Commander, this is an opportunity given to us by God. "

Li Ye agreed with these words. He did know that during the Tianbao period, Tubo was unfavorable to the Tang Dynasty. Wang Zhongsi, Ge Shuhan and others repeatedly defeated Tubo in Longyou, and Tubo also lost the Nine Bends of the Yellow River that it had finally obtained. .

Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing also strongly restrained Tubo in Anxi, preventing Tibet from advancing westward to Tocharo.

The foreign war was unfavorable, the national power was greatly damaged, and internal conflicts in Tubo began to intensify. It should be next year that Tubo Zampu was assassinated by a powerful minister.

Li Ye immediately said: "I want to meet this Tubo official!"

Not long after, this Tibetan official was brought into the tent. He was about thirty years old. He looked thin, with dark skin and clear eyes. His temperament was completely different from that of the Tibetan army. At first glance, he looked like a higher-level noble.

"My name is Basangxi, and I am an official under Zamp."

He spoke fluent Chinese. Li Ye was not surprised. Li Siye told him that this official had been sent to Mount Wutai to study Buddhism and was proficient in Chinese.

"You came to Shishi Kingdom to study Buddhism?"

Basangxi shook his head, "I was ordered by Zanpu to go to Wuzhanna country to find Padmasambhava to teach Buddhism in Tubo. I happened to pass by Yushi country and rest here for some days."

"Are you coming from Dabolu?"

"Yes! I walked westward along the Qiangtong River and passed through Dabolu."

The Qiang Tong River is the Xindu River. Today's Indus River originates from the Zhangzhong area. Zhangzhong was called Qiang Tong in ancient times.

"How many Tibetan troops do Da Bolu and Xiao Bolu have?" Li Ye asked.

Basangxi was silent, and Li Ye smiled and said: "If you are willing to tell me, I will not only let you go back to Tubo, but I will also tell you about a prophecy of your Zanpu Chide Zuzan, which was told to me by Padmasambhava. It is predicted that he will be assassinated next year.”

Basangxi was shocked and looked at Li Ye. Li Ye said calmly: "I won't lie. I can use torture to make you talk. There is no need to lie to you."

Basangxi looked at Li Ye for a long time and said: "Little Bolu has three thousand troops, and Big Bolu has seven thousand troops, a total of ten thousand people."

Li Ye said slowly: "Some of your political ministers colluded with Su Biguo to assassinate Zanpu."

"who is it?"

“I don’t remember exactly who it is, but it seems that the name has the word plum in it.

"Ah! It's Lang Meise."

"It seems like he is telling you, Zamp, not to go to the horse racing next year."

"Is this really Padmasambhava's prediction?"

"Believe it or not!"

Basangxi didn't quite believe it, but the other party said it was Padmasambhava's prediction. What if it was true? There is no need for him to lie to himself about this kind of thing!

Basangxi asked again: "You promised to let me go back, when?"

"I'll let you go after I take down Da Bolu."

It takes ten days to walk from the Kingdom of Shishi to Xiaobolu, and they are all marching in the Poyi River Valley. The altitude of the valley is not high, only about two thousand meters, so the 30,000 Tang troops can walk relatively easily.

Li Ye adopted a step-by-step strategy. He placed the first phase of the logistics center in the Kingdom of Xuushi. All grain and grass logistics were left in the Kingdom of Xuushi, and 5,000 troops were left for defense. Once Xiaobolu was completely captured, the logistics center would be destroyed. Move to Xiaobolu.

When fighting on the plateau, logistics is the most important thing. Only with sufficient food and meat and perfect logistics support can the Tang army have sufficient physical strength to fight the Tibetan army.

This was Li Ye's painful experience learned in the Gasi Grassland. If they had had more food and more rest at that time, they would not have run out of food, fought in a hurry, and ended up losing more than 1,800 people.

Two days later, it was no longer possible to march in the valley. They had to march on the mountainside dozens of feet high. The road also bifurcated here, with a north bank road and a south bank road, both going to Xiaobolu. The north bank was controlled by the Tang Army, and the south bank was controlled by the Tang Army. It is controlled by the Tibetan army.

Li Ye led his army onto the Nan'an Road and continued westward. Two days later, the road ahead began to widen, and a very abrupt boulder mountain blocked the way. This boulder mountain should be the remains left by the mountain collapse. After thousands of years of weathering and ice and snow erosion, all the gravel has disappeared, leaving only countless boulders piled up to form a boulder hill.

The hill is about seven to eight feet high and a hundred feet wide. It is very steep. There is only a seven-foot-wide line of sky in the middle that can pass through. The length of the line is about a hundred steps. There are obviously artificial fortifications on both sides of the mountain. This is the first place of the Tibetan army. A fortification.

In fact, the Tang Army was also the same. They also built several dangerous fortifications halfway along the way that only one man could control and that no one could open.

Although the sliver of sky in front of us can be passed, it has been tightly blocked by the Tibetan army with thousands of sandbags. They have to carry out thousands of sandbags one by one and endure the rain of arrows from the Tibetan army.

Or give up the idea of ​​​​a thin line of sky for the time being and climb directly to the top of the ten-foot-high mountain. On the top of the mountain, two hundred Tibetan soldiers are already waiting.

What to do, there is no siege ladder, so we can only climb up by ropes, but there are Tibetan troops on top, and the ropes can be cut off with a single blow.

But there is always a way. Li Ye gave an order, and three thousand crossbowmen rushed forward, lined up in six rows, and fired arrows in three sections at the top of the mountain like a rain.

The dense arrows made the Tibetan army above unable to raise their heads, and another five hundred soldiers rushed up, each holding a leather bag in their arms, and together they sprayed fierce fire oil towards the top of the mountain.

However, this kind of leather bag can only be sprayed seven or eight feet away, and cannot reach the top of the mountain. It can only be shot on the rocks, but it will have some effect.

Dozens of rockets were shot out, and the fierce fire oil flowing on the mountain began to burn. The fire was raging and the smoke was billowing. The Tibetan soldiers on the top of the mountain couldn't stand the burning and smoke, so they retreated one after another.

Li Ye frowned. The Tubo soldiers only retreated slightly, but they were still on the top of the mountain. Once the Tang army started to attack the mountain, they would come back to kill them. Burning the mountain had no practical effect.

At this time, General Li Fei Yuanli stepped forward and saluted Li Ye and said: "I am reporting to the Jiedushi Envoy that I have a team of five hundred men under me who can throw seven or eight kilograms of heavy objects ten feet away."

Li Ye remembered, "But the spear thrower?"

"Exactly!"

Li Ye immediately ordered: "Give them five kilograms of kerosene pots!"

This time, the Tang army was well prepared and brought a large amount of oil produced in Bukhanna. After simple precipitation and refining, it became fierce fire oil.

This fire attack weapon, which has been widely used in the West, also began to appear in the Tang army.

In the battle of Dashi, clay pots were mainly used to throw fire oil and leather bags were used to spray fire oil. They were very convenient and practical. Li Ye also learned the fire attack tactics of the Dashi army. However, the clay pots had thin skin and were not suitable for long-distance transportation, so the Tang army used them. Large wooden barrels are specially used to transport kerosene.

Li Ye ordered five hundred clay pots to be taken out, filled with kerosene, and sealed with lids. Each pot weighed five kilograms.

Five hundred tall and strong Tang Jun throwers picked up the clay pots of kerosene and ran, and threw them up the mountain with all their strength. All 500 clay pots hit the top of the mountain and fell to pieces. The kerosene dripped all over the ground and was immediately ignited by the rockets. The top of the mountain became a sea of ​​fire and smoke.

The Tibetan soldiers couldn't wait any longer and retreated down the mountain one after another. Li Ye was wearing a lanyard ladder and climbing up from the innermost part with the Panlong Ladder on his back.

These boulders are as smooth as mirrors and have no foothold at all. It is indeed difficult to climb, but the cliffs next to them can be climbed.

Ten feet high, that is, ten stories high, Li Ye was as nimble as an ape, gradually reaching the top.

Suddenly, two cold arrows ‘Whoosh! Whoosh! ’ The shot was fired at Li Ye’s back with great force. Seeing that the coach had no way to hide, the soldiers of the Tang Army below suddenly screamed in surprise.