The stone castle city was unusually silent in the moonlight, the silver-white soft light sprinkled all over the castle, the flames of the day were gradually extinguished, the tired soldiers were already asleep, Zhang Huan stood alone in front of the battlements and silently stared at the east, where a bright star hung lonely in the sky.

Today is the first day of the fourth month, and it is exactly a full month since he sent troops to Hehuang, but he feels as if three years have passed, and taking Shibao City means that the overall situation of Hehuang has become clear, but the situation in Jincheng County makes him more and more worried day by day.

"It's almost the fourth shift, won't the governor take a break?" Du Mei slowly walked to Zhang Huan's side, he held the battlements, and turned his head to look at Zhang Huan, "Du Du is worried about the situation on Longyou's side?" ”

"yes!" Zhang Huan sighed softly, "Trisong Dezan personally led an army of 100,000 from Hexi to the east, and I was thinking that he would not just want to cut off my back road when he brought a large army!" ”

Speaking of this, Zhang Huan's eyes showed a trace of resentment and anxiety, "What I'm worried about is Pei Jun and Cui Yuan, as early as a few years ago, they wanted to extend their power to Longyou, and now that they have this opportunity, how could they give up, if I guess correctly, it is very likely that it is precisely because of their troops that Trisong Dezan was forced to turn south." ”

Du Mei was silent, in fact, he had already thought of this possibility, and after a long time, Du Mei asked calmly: "If this is the case, what does the Governor plan?" ”

Zhang Huan sneered and said: "If they want Yan'an and Suide, I can give them to them, if they want Hue and Pingliang, I can also give them to them, but if they are insatiable and want to uproot my Longyou Jiedu, then I'm sorry, I have to use a knife to reason with them." ”

"Governor, rest assured. We still have 40,000 troops left before leaving, and with the prudence of He Lou Wuji, he will guard part of the foundation for the governor, and I am thinking about the lesson of this time. Speaking of the lesson, Du Mei's face showed a trace of shame, and he sighed and said: "Du Du, I have a word, I don't know if Du Du is willing to listen?" ”

Zhang Huan glanced at him, "That's what you say." ”

"I've been thinking these days that we are really impatient in this attack on Hehuang. Including my strong advocacy of sending troops, I was carried away by the smooth flow all the time, and I forgot the reason for accumulating thick and thin. If we accumulate for three years and then attack Hehuang, it will never be the situation we are in today, and I hope that the governor will learn this lesson as well as I do. ”

Zhang Huan took a breath of cold air, he stared at the sky in the east that had gradually revealed the white belly of the fish, and said slowly: "If I can return to Jincheng County smoothly this time, I will be a strong soldier for three years, and wait for the time." ”

Three days later. Zhang Huan completed the whole army and promoted a number of meritorious soldiers, among which Wang Siyu had the most outstanding military achievements, and was named Lang General and Governor of Jiuqu, and led 10,000 Tang troops to capture the Yellow River region and stationed them for a long time.

He also named Zhou Zixing, the deputy general of Wang Siyudi, as the general of Zhonglang and the soldiers and horses of Jishi Valley, and ordered him to lead 3,000 light cavalry to Jishi Fort to build fortifications in the starry night. Prevent the Tibetan army from withdrawing from Tibet.

At this moment, the scouts came with the news that Trisong Dezan himself led an army of 60,000 troops to Linfan Fort, less than two hundred miles away from Shibao City.

If the situation of the Tang army, which had been in the west to Hehuang ten days earlier, was critical, and it was in danger of being attacked by the two Tibetan armies, then ten days later, the situation had reversed sharply. The tide of battle turned against Trisong Detsen, who was in danger of being annihilated by the Tang army at Hehuang, where there were 200,000 Tang troops, and Ma Chongying's division in Hehuang had disappeared, and Shibao City had been lost.

Linfan City, this is after the Tang Dynasty was occupied by the Tubo people in Shibao City. A fort built to defend against the Tibetan attack on Hehuang. It is about 200 miles away from the stone fort city, and the Suirong Fort in the west and the Suihe Fort in the east are in the shape of a zigzag structure.

At this moment, the remnant sun is like blood. The wind is blowing, the vast grassland is out of sight, Tri Song Dezan stands on the castle, let the hunting wind blow, he looks at the south with a frown, the remnants of the army that have fled back one after another brought him an extremely unfavorable news, three days ago, Ma Chongying's department was annihilated by the Tang army ambush in the knight valley four hundred miles away in the southeast, and even Ma Chongying himself was killed on the spot.

This is simply a slap in the face to him, whether to fight or retreat, or to stick to Hehuang, waiting for the army to go north, Trisong Dezan suddenly faced a dilemma, if he held on to Hehuang, he would face the danger of being copied by the Tang Dynasty army, of course, he could finally go south to face Tao and return to Tubo, but that meant that Hexi would be dedicated to the Tang Dynasty.

But if he gives up Hehuang, then he will steal chickens and lose a handful of rice in this battle, so how willing he is.

"Zampu, are you looking for me?" Da Nangger humbly stood behind Trisong Dezan and whispered.

Trisong Dezan turned around and asked coldly, "Have you investigated clearly?" What was the glowing, loud thing that led to Ma Chongying's fiasco? ”

The minister asked no less than a hundred soldiers who had seen it, some said that it was the heavenly thunder invited by the wizard of the Tang Army, some said it was the earth fire, and some said

"Enough!" Trisong Dezan interrupted him angrily, "Do you believe all this nonsense? I asked you to check the explosion when Wuwei was captured, but you didn't find anything, and those craftsmen were killed, this is obviously a new weapon of the Tang army, if you don't find out him, we will be destroyed on this weapon sooner or later. ”

"Zampu is angry! Zampu is angry! The minister immediately sent someone to Jincheng County to investigate the matter, and he must find out. When he saw Zampu's anger, he was so frightened that he made a reassurance.

"Alright! I'll give you two months, and if you can't find out, then you can feed the horses! ”

Speaking of this, Trisong Detsen turned to leave the city, stopped at the entrance of the ladder, and said to his guards: "Pass my order, the army will march towards the stone castle city, and order the front army to send 10,000 men first, and give me a storm of the stone castle city." ”

The drums rumbled, the Tubo army rushed like a black wave, under the stone fort city, groups of Tubo troops rushed up along the narrow winding mountain road, they were holding shields, resisting the collision of wood, and the corpses of their companions were soft under their feet, and they had no way to retreat. Only to rush to the ground regardless of death.

The trees and arrows on the city were as dense as raindrops, the city walls were smashed by the crossbows of the Tibetan people crackling, and occasionally a huge fireball rose from Chengshang and rolled down the mountain road, and the Tibetan army on fire was strung up and down, making a terrible scream, and the front of the mountain was full of weapon wreckage and corpses, but more of the Tibetan army was frantically advancing towards the mountain cliff.

This is a one-sided slaughter without suspense, and the magic weapon for victory does not lie in how high morale is, the madness of the Tibetan army and the attack that is not afraid of death. Still can't hurt the Tang army in the slightest, the key to victory is the steep mountain and sufficient preparation, even if the Tubo army is lucky enough to rush to the Baizhang cliff. But the towering and sturdy walls still left them with a sense of hatred.

Zhang Huan stood on the observation tower, expressionlessly staring at the Tubo army attacking like an ant colony under the mountain, the high city tower made him feel as if he was standing on the clouds, and he could see the end of the field, where there was a faint black line, this black line had existed for half a day, but it did not move, Zhang Huan couldn't help but smile coldly. He had already understood Trisong Detsen's thoughts.

The sun was setting in the west, and the bloody sunset had fallen below the horizon, and the specks that remained on the canopy of the sky had turned dark brown, and soon disappeared desolately, and the surrounding fields were drowned in the boundless darkness and the vast land with a tremor like the coming of death. Every twilight, this bleak scene appears.

The Tibetan army, which had been attacking for a whole day, retreated exhaustedly, leaving thousands of corpses at the foot of the mountain, a layer of hoarfrost in the cold night, and the blood coagulated.

Ten miles away, the big tent of Trisong Dezan is clear. Tri Song Detsen sat cross-legged on the thick felt and stared at a map of the river in front of him, he was contemplating another route of the march, and beside him stood the former army marshal Xi Zhizang, who had just finished reporting to him on the day's battle report.

The fiasco of the tentative attack had made him realize that the capture of the Stone Fort from the north was more powerful than the sky, and the Trisong Dezan Ground Men marched east along the Red Ridge, and suddenly stopped at the top of the Stone Valley. Go in from here. One or two hundred miles can be reached in the Jiuqu region, which has been the base for the Tibetan attack on the Tang Dynasty for a hundred years.

Tri Song Dezan's index finger gently tapped on Wanxiu City. This is it, he immediately said to Xi Zhizang: "I will give you 20,000 troops, go back to Wanxiu City in Jishi Valley, attack Shibao City in a roundabout way, and I will give you another ten days to take Shibao City for me." ”

Without waiting for the answer to the order, a guard reported outside the tent: "Zampu, a messenger from the Tang Army has sent a letter. ”

Trisong Dezan was stunned, and he immediately ordered: "Let him in." ”

After a while, a young official dressed in a civilian robe walked in from outside the tent, he stepped forward quickly, bowed down, and took out a letter and said: "In the Xia Xiliang military household, Cao Shen military Cheng Duo, I have come to deliver a letter for the governor of my family. ”

Tri Song Dezan is proficient in Chinese, and can write a beautiful calligraphy, he took the letter from the hands of his own soldiers, but did not hurry to open it, but carefully looked at the young civil official, only to see that his expression was solemn, his eyes were neither humble nor arrogant, Chi Song Dezan couldn't help but smile coldly and said: "I am the lord of a country, last year, your servant Siqing saw that I was still humble and rude, Zhang Huan actually only sent a small official from the eighth grade as an envoy, do you want to bully me?" ”

Cheng Duo replied with a slight smile: "There is no envoy in front of the two armies, only a military envoy, I came from the heart, Zampu Mo thinks that my official authority is small, a few years ago, when the governor of my family captured the capital city of Han Erbali, when did he send an envoy to negotiate in advance?" ”

Chi Song Dezan's face changed drastically, this is a naked threat, he stared at Cheng Duo deadly, and slowly opened Zhang Huan's letter,

"Your Excellency Tubo Zanpu Trisong Dezan, my country's "Sun Tzu Nine Places" cloud: Cast into the land of death and then survive, fall into the place of death and then live, this is Zhang Huan's immediate situation, Zhang Huan is not talented, willing to unify the army to march into the army, attack it unprepared, surprise, rebuild the merits of Han Er Bali, Zan Pu can be worried?

Youyun: On the army to plan, then to fight the enemy, then to attack the army, under the siege of the city, now Zanpu commanded the army in Luo some thousands of miles away, Zhang Huan got the seal of the Ma Du Governor, and wanted to make a fake book to cast some of the Luo, saying that Zanpu is dead, and Tubo can produce a new monarch?

Zaiyun: I have sent light troops to defend Jishi Fort, and sent people to Longyou, pouring the troops of the Tang Dynasty to the west, and want to ally with Zampu in Hehuang, Zampu is happy?

With these three strategies, may Your Excellency Zampu be cautious! Think! The right section of the Tang Dynasty made Zhang Huan respectful"

Chi Song Dezan's face was white and red, and while looking closely, his hand couldn't help but tremble slightly, and after a long time, he closed the letter and ordered left and right: "Send Cheng to join the army and leave the camp!" ”

Cheng Duo bowed deeply, turned away, there was silence in the tent, and when he saw that the situation had changed, he didn't dare to take the order to leave easily, Chi Song Dezan slowly paced in the big tent with his hands behind his back, considering Zhang Huan's three strategies, maybe it was just his threat, he really didn't dare to send troops; Perhaps there are deep contradictions within the Tang people, and it is difficult to cooperate tacitly; Perhaps the Tang army was not adapted to the climate of the plateau and could not march long distances; maybe

He could find many reasons to convince himself that Zhang Huandi's three strategies were just talking on paper, but after all, he didn't dare to take this risk, and finally, after a long contemplation, Chi Song Dezan sighed and said: "Order all armies to withdraw to Hexi immediately!" ”

In the middle of April of the third year of Xuanren, the 100,000-strong army of Trisong Dezandi was forced to abandon Hehuang and retreat to Wuwei, and Trisong Dezan returned to Luo from Dunhuang. Zhang Huan ordered a thousand people to guard the stone fort city, he personally led the army back to Hehuang, stationed in Shancheng, and then he divided his troops to take Ningsai, Anxiang and other counties, rebuilt the abandoned military fortresses, in Hehuang he liberated hundreds of thousands of Tang slaves, the implementation of the military household tuntian system, the liberated Tang slaves enthusiastically signed up for the army, then the Hehuang army of 80,000 people, and the formation of the Hehuang militia of more than 100,000 people, in this way, the Tang Dynasty lost Tubo for nearly 20 years of Hehuang hometown was recovered by the Tang army again, at the end of May, Zhang Huan led 40,000 troops back to Jincheng County.