Tibet

Accompanied by Yang Xiao, Li Ye climbed up the long castle. The castle was thirty or forty feet above the ground. He climbed up a mountain road with an inclination of nearly 80 degrees. When he looked back, he saw an almost straight cliff. Most people would definitely see it. His legs were so scared that he felt weak. Fortunately, there was a long rope next to him, but Li Ye didn't need it.

Yang Xiao pointed at the long rope and said, "Your Highness, we must place a long rope when we go up and down the mountain. Otherwise, it will be too dangerous. Even so, more than a dozen people fell to death."

Li Ye nodded. This kind of mountain road that is close to a right angle is indeed too dangerous. Going up the mountain is better, but going down the mountain will definitely make your legs weak. I really can't imagine that the castle was built on such a cliff.

Yang Xiao understood what King Qi was thinking, so he explained with a smile: "Your Highness doesn't know. This side of Longyou is full of towering mountains, so both the military and the people like to build forts, especially those built by the military. They are all dangerous. Your Majesty, go to Shanzhou and take a look. There are dozens of military fortresses there, each one more dangerous than the last. This can be regarded as a major feature of Longyou!"

At this time, they went up to the castle. There was also a stone wall built on the mountain that was one foot high and more than ten feet long, forming a fan-shaped circle.

Only after we got to the fort did we realize that there was a whole other world inside. Outside was a dozen acres of flat land, and in the innermost part there was a valley three feet wide, about two miles long. The valley was filled with small houses. It was deep and dry, with cliffs on both sides. , about a thousand people, men, women, old and young, live in this valley.

"You built all this?" Li Ye was a little shocked when he saw that the valley was filled with densely packed adobe houses.

Yang Xiao shook his head, "The Long Castle existed in the Sui Dynasty. It was built by the army and constantly repaired. He took the humble position of guard here ten years ago. Later, the government's finances could not keep up, and many military facilities were abandoned.

Three years ago, half of the state troops in Lanzhou were reduced, and the Long Castle was abandoned. I used my connections to take it over and renovate it. Unexpectedly, it was put into use last year. After the Tibetans came to Lanzhou, I took my tribe and fellow villagers with me. Hide in the long castle. "

"Is there a way to capture it?" Li Ye asked curiously.

Yang Xiao also smiled and nodded, "Actually, every castle has a weakness. It just depends on whether the attacker can find it? Once it is found, it will be easy to capture. To be honest with you, Your Highness, this weakness is water. Almost all castles have this weakness. Weakness: There is no water source, so we can only store a lot of water. It usually lasts for a month. The army cannot be surrounded all the time! When the army withdraws, we will try our best to replenish water. If we are surrounded, we will be more frugal, and we can basically get through it. ”

"Didn't you say that the Long Castle has water?"

Yang Xiao smiled bitterly and said: "The water source of the long castle is the snow on the top of the mountain. The snow is collected in winter and disappears after the snow melts in spring. Alas! The mountains where the castle can be built are basically stone mountains. How can there be stone mountains? Where’s the water source?”

After coming down from the Chang Castle, Li Ye led the army to continue northward. At noon the next day, the army arrived at Jincheng County.

Jincheng County is today's Lanzhou. It is located on the south bank of the Yellow River. There is Jincheng Pass on the north bank of the Yellow River. It is the only way to the Hexi Corridor and the only way from Hehuang to Shuofang. It has always been an important commercial hub in history.

Of course, the strategic position is more important. It is also the only way to pass through the Tang-Tibo ancient road. There are two roads from Chang'an to Shanzhou in the Hehuang Valley. The southern route is the Hetao Road, which is where Xin Yunjing led his army to Taozhou. On that road, from Taozhou to Hezhou, and then to Huangzhou, there is a relatively flat official road that is feasible and can carry heavy trains.

There is also a northern line, that is, from Chang'an to Lanzhou, and then from Lanzhou along the Yellow River to the Hehuang Valley. The distance is about 600 miles, and it is also possible to carry the baggage train.

The key is to be able to carry a baggage team. If there is no baggage team, there will be more roads to travel. However, any large team must carry food, grass and other baggage, otherwise the people and horses will starve to death before they can go far.

Therefore, the North and South Tangbo Roads are also the only way for the Tubo army to advance eastward. In Li Ye's plan, as long as he defends a strong city in the north and south, it will cut off the Tubo army's eastward advance. In the south, he is considering Minzhou. Yile County in the north, and Jincheng County in the north.

Jincheng County is also the seat of Lanzhou's state government. For Li Ye, it is also a key place for him to open up the Hexi Corridor. He has begun to consider placing the Helong Jiedushi Palace in Jincheng County.

According to Li Ye's deployment, he led an army of 20,000 to intercept Didao's southbound Tibetan army. Li Baozhen led an army of 10,000 to intercept the 5,000 Tibetan army in Weizhou. After completing their mission, both sides met in Jincheng County.

But to Li Ye's surprise, Li Baozhen's 10,000 troops arrived in Jincheng County one day ahead of him and had already occupied the county seat.

Li Baozhen and Zuo Dazhi came to meet Li Ye. They saluted on their horses and said, "See you, Your Highness!"

Li Ye smiled and asked, "You guys are so fast. When did you arrive in Jincheng County?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, we arrived in Jincheng County yesterday afternoon. The defenders abandoned the city and fled, and we immediately occupied the county seat."

"How many casualties did we have when the Tibetan army intercepted Weizhou?" Li Ye was very concerned about this issue.

Li Baozhen's eyes dimmed, and he sighed: "He is humble and incompetent. Although the ambush was successful, there were still heavy casualties in the end. After an afternoon of fierce fighting, there were only more than 7,800 troops left in the 10,000 troops, with more than 2,000 casualties."

This result was within Li Ye's expectation. Li Baozhen was commanding an army from Jingxiang and did not follow him to Chang'an. This army would definitely suffer heavy losses if it confronted the Tibetan army.

"Exactly how many were injured and how many were killed?"

"Only more than 500 people were injured, and the others were killed in action. The Tubo army was too strong. If we hadn't ambushed them with crossbows first, cut down nearly 2,000 Tibetan soldiers, and cut them into two. If it were a head-on encounter, it would be very likely. We were the ones defeated. The Tibetan army fought to the last man, and the last soldier killed more than a dozen of us. The brothers are all frightened. If we fight for another half hour, the whole army will definitely collapse."

Li Ye nodded, "Our Jingxiang Army has never encountered a strong enemy. An Qingxu's offensive has stopped at the Han River. This time we encountered a strong enemy like the Tubo Army. It is normal that we are not used to it. Moreover, this time the Tubo Army did not know that we We were caught off guard, basically ambushed, and it will be even more difficult in the future. The only way is to strengthen training, there is no other way!"

"Remember your humble position!"

Li Ye led the army to Jincheng County. The county is adjacent to the Yellow River in the north. It is a large county with a wall of thirty miles in circumference. The city wall is tall and strong, and the moat is three feet wide.

Like other counties in Longyou, Jincheng County's industries were ruined due to the Tibetan invasion, and its population fled. The city's population was only half of its original size.

Because of Li Ye's arrival, the whole city was celebrating. Almost all the people took to the streets, beating gongs and drums to cheer the arrival of King Qi's army.

Walking to the top of the city, Li Ye looked into the distance. The water of the Yellow River was not turbid in the Lanzhou area. The water color was bright yellow. The river was extremely wide. Big waves rolled on the water. The water was thick and fast. Opposite it should be Jincheng Mountain. The mountains were majestic and undulating. Like a natural barrier, there is another pass at the foot of the mountain, which is Jincheng Pass, known as the north gate of the county.

Li Ye looked to the west and saw a very flat official road that stretched into the distance, with towering mountains in the distance.

Although this place belongs to the Loess Plateau, the Loess Plateau of the Tang Dynasty is completely different from the Loess Plateau of later generations. There is abundant precipitation, a warm climate, and continuous forests as far as the eye can see. There are even large woods on both sides of the official road.

The city is also lined with trees, and two small rivers pass through the city. The streets in the city are spacious and neat, and the various buildings are good. You can see many large buildings.

Li Ye has been thinking about his previous decision during this period. He wanted to place the Jiedu government office in Zhangye in Jingxiang and Hanzhong.

But after he actually arrived at Longyou, he realized that it was inappropriate for the Jiedushi Palace to be located in Zhangye. It was too far away. The distance would make him lose his sense of presence in Longyou and lose control of Longyou, which would be equivalent to giving up control of Longyou. Longyou returned it to the court.

He is increasingly inclined to place the Jiedu Envoy's Mansion in Longyou, and Jincheng County is right between Hexi and Longyou. Both sides can be taken into account, and the city is not bad, so why doesn't he place the Jiedu Envoy's Mansion in Jincheng County? ?