One afternoon in late February, Zhang Huan stood on a high post on the bank of the Yellow River, silently staring at the number of sails and big ships going west, the mighty Yellow River unfolded in front of him, and he couldn't see the side bank, only saw the big ship like the gray clouds and shadows spread out at the junction of the water and the sky.

"Herald County, the army begins to cross the river!" Zhang Huan calmly gave the order for the westward expedition.

Three days later, on the first day of the third month of the third year of Xuanren, 60,000 troops of the Western Expeditionary Army crossed the Yellow River in Huijun, crossed the Huixi Fort, and advanced along the southern foot of Wusheshan Mountain to the vast Hehuang area.

On the third day of the first month of March, the army took the lead in conquering Guangwu County, more than 300 miles west of Huixi Fort, annihilated more than 3,000 enemy troops, and rescued more than 30,000 Tang slaves, which was the first great victory of the Western Expedition, and the victory inspired the soldiers of the Xiliang Army.

At the same time when the Tang Army sent troops from Huixi Fort, another 3,000-strong Tang cavalry crossed the mountains and mountains, and after nearly half a month of difficult trekking, arrived at the Jishi Army of Ningsai County, this army was ordered to seize the Wang Siyu Department of Shibao City, they crossed Taoshui from Didao, ran all the way in the barren mountains and mountains, passed through Shimen Mountain, passed through a series of former Xiongguan dangerous passes that had been abandoned such as Pingyi Shouchuang, Tiancheng Army, Yanquan City, Hechuan Shouchuang, etc., and finally crossed the Yellow River in the south of Michuan County, and traveled hundreds of miles westward along Chiling. Finally arrived at the Stone Army.

Jishijun is a castle located in the middle of the mountains on the banks of the Yellow River, with a warm climate and fertile land rich in wheat.

It was also a strategically important place. In the seventh year of Tianbao, Ge Shuhan had defeated the Tubo army here several times, and more than 100 miles south along the river valley is Wanxiu City, the land of nine songs of Tubo, and after crossing the Yellow River, it is the famous Stone Fort City that goes west for 300 miles.

Under the guidance of the scout Liu Shuai, Wang Siyu's troops went smoothly and did not encounter any Tubo army. The roar of the river in the distance can be heard for ten miles.

"General, I'm all the way back, it's the most dangerous terrain here, we have to be careful!" Liu Shuai is still skinny, but he is full of energy, and his eyes are exceptionally bright in the night.

Wang Siyu nodded. He waved his hand back. The two soldiers immediately went to the front to explore the road, Wang Siyu stood on a big rock and looked into the distance, his heart was full of anxiety, the governor gave him twenty days and days, but he had already walked on the road for thirteen days, and there were seven days left, and after crossing the Yellow River, he had to walk more than three hundred miles, and at the current pace of marching, it would take at least four days to arrive. Then there are only three days left to capture Stone Castle City by himself.

He took out the information of Shibao City that Luo Guangzheng gave him before leaving, and looked through it by the moonlight, the garrison of Shibao City was estimated to be between 800 and 1,000 people, and it was divided into four posts to patrol the mountain cols around the castle every day, with about 30 people per outpost. At midday or dusk. The sentinel will return to the city for an hour, west of the Stone Fort City. There is a canyon called Dingrong Valley that leads directly to the bottom of the stone castle city.

Wang Siyu frowned and looked at it for a long time, there was no plan in his mind, he put the booklet in his arms again, and looked to the west again, the fog was vast, above the fog, the blue night shadow shrouded the deep valley and the hillside, but the ice peaks that towered into the clouds showed a beautiful rose color, like a dream flower in the sky flashing dazzling flames.

Suddenly, there was a mastiff roar in the distance, tearing through the silent night, all the Tang soldiers immediately stood up, staring nervously ahead, the knife had been unsheathed, the arrow had been wound, and the murderous aura filled the entire valley, at this time, a Tang soldier stumbled back, with two arrows stuck in his back, Wang Siyu stepped forward to support him, and asked loudly: "What is going on ahead?" ”

"There is a Tibetan sentinel ahead." After the soldier finished speaking, he fell to the ground and died, Wang Siyu's face was extremely red due to anger, he pulled out his sword, waved his hand and said, "The first battalion will come with me, and the other two battalions will stay." ”

A thousand-strong Tang army drew their swords and crossbows, followed Wang Siyu and quickly rushed towards the mist, running for a mile, the mist in front of them was even thicker, and they couldn't see ahead in three steps, everyone was soaked, and the ground was even more rugged.

"General, stop!" Liu Shuai suddenly saw a strange-shaped ancient tree, and he suddenly remembered that there was a cliff in front of him, and he rushed forward and pulled Wang Siyu to death.

Wang Siyu's feet slipped, his body fell sharply, thanks to Liu Shuai pulled him, plus he reacted very quickly, grabbed the ancient vine, his body hung in the air, through the swimming fog, he faintly saw the sparkling light below, it was a mountain stream and a small river, the cliff was a hundred feet deep, at this time several soldiers rushed forward and pulled Wang Siyu up.

Suddenly, the roar of a mastiff was heard again in front of the right, followed by the sound of breaking the air, arrows shot horizontally, several Tang soldiers were shot, screaming again and again, and the other Tang soldiers immediately formed a barrier with shields.

"General, there is a rattan bridge in front of you, leading to the opposite bank, and arrows are shooting from the rattan bridge." Liu Shuai blamed himself for his guidance, and after that, he immediately jumped up, holding a shield in one hand and a knife in the other, and was about to rush forward, but Wang Siyu grabbed him, "We can't see them, and they can't see us, don't go up to fight the grass and scare the snake, they broke the vine bridge." ”

He turned back and beckoned to a Qiang soldier who could speak the Tibetan language, and the soldier immediately stepped forward and shouted loudly in the Tibetan language, meaning that they were foot merchants passing by.

After another moment, the arrows slowly thinned out, and a few shouts faintly came, and the Qiang soldiers turned around and said, "They let someone go and hand over the road guide." ”

Wang Siyu stood up, picked up his big iron gun casually, and said coldly: "I'll go and give them an inspection." He strode into the thick fog, and by feeling he had walked less than a hundred paces, and through the fog he saw a swarthy suspension bridge faintly ahead, and some swaying figures.

He shouted in the Tibetan language he had just learned, "I'm coming!" Then he shook his big iron spear and rushed to the bridge, twenty paces, ten paces

The Tibetan army had already discovered that the situation was different, and they fired arrows in unison. Wang Siyu's iron spear flew over. Like a pear blossom, as if there was an invisible barrier in front of him, the arrows were splashed around, and in an instant he rushed to the bridge, and several half-human-high giant dogs roared and pounced, and were shot by Wang Siyu one by one, and pierced into a string on the barrel of the gun, like a sugar gourd. Throwing it to the left, he dropped the cliff.

At this time, the Tubo army saw that there was only one person, they were surprised at first, and then they drew their swords and pounced, Wang Siyu roared, like a tiger into the flock. He stabbed with a spear in one hand. With a knife in one hand, he rushed to the head of the bridge like a whirlwind, stabbed more than a dozen Tubo on the bridge to death one by one, and turned over again, and the tip of the gun pierced the throats of three people. In a moment, he killed seventy or eighty people, and even the centurion of the Tibetan soldiers was picked off the cliff by him with one shot.

He rose up and laughed wildly. It's like a demon nether. The remaining dozens of Tibetan soldiers were frightened and shouted. fled in a panic to the way he came, and was being slaughtered by the Tang Army Brigade that rushed to meet him, leaving only two alive. Soon, the soldier asked for a confession, but Wang Siyu's heart was half cold, the other side of the Jishi Valley in front of the thousands of Tubo troops were stationed from yesterday, and the suspension bridge across the Yellow River in front had been destroyed, leaving only two cables, not to mention that people could not cross the Yellow River at all under the chaotic arrows, even if the Tubo people fled from the wind, people could slide over, and the horses could not pass, and even if the Tubo people fled from the wind, they would not be stupid enough to forget to cut the rope.

Sure enough, a Tang soldier who went to investigate rushed back to report that the suspension bridge over the Yellow River had been destroyed, and even the ropes had been cut, and it was impossible to cross the river at all.

Wang Siyu sat on the boulder in frustration, bowed his head and said nothing, what should I do? If you can't cross the Yellow River, you can't talk about seizing the stone fort.

At this time, Liu Shuai stepped forward and reported: "General, it is cold at night, it is better to let the brothers go to Jishi Fort to rest first, and go down to see if there are any other ways to cross the river." ”

Wang Siyu nodded, now the plan can only be done like this, he stood up, pointed to the stone castle two miles away and said, "Pass my order, brothers go to the stone castle to rest." ”

Jishi Fort is built near the Yellow River, tall and strong, the castle can accommodate 10,000 people, it was a very important castle in the Tang Dynasty to defend Tubo, after the Anshi Rebellion, with the Tang Dynasty border continues to move eastward, Jishi Fort has lost its meaning of existence, gradually barren, under the moonlight, the castle gate has decayed, the castle is full of wild grass and moss, countless rats and snakes and other animals settle here, the army enters the castle, a group of bats are alarmed and fly, circling in the river valley, making a sharp cry. The Tang army cleaned part of the house, began to bury the pot for cooking, Wang Siyu stood at the head of the city, staring at the other side of the Yellow River, here is a narrow passage of the Yellow River, the Yellow River is like a black sword, splitting a river channel in the lofty mountains, rolling eastward, the stone valley is the narrowest place of the Yellow River, the width is not more than eighty zhang, the water flow is turbulent, rushing and roaring in the valley, and there is a huge sound everywhere.

On the opposite bank, you can faintly see another white castle, Ningbian Fort, more than 1,000 Tubo troops should be stationed in the fort, the two fortresses are only a mile apart, but the end of the world is close at hand, maybe you have to go around thousands of miles to meet.

The matter was irreparable, Wang Siyu finally calmed down, and learned from the mouth of the captive that the enemy had not come here for several years, and yesterday was the first time to come, why is this?

The governor is about to send troops to Hehuang, but the Tubo army has undergone an abnormal movement, is this just a coincidence? Wang Siyu Huo Ran turned his head to look south, his long ape-like hand on his forehead, squinted his eyes, what did I see? He muttered to himself, and the black mist rose in the canyon like a puffy cloud, filled with a strange and murderous omen.

If you can't go to Stone Castle City, then go to the nest of the Tibetan people!

On the vast field on the south bank of Huangshui, the sound of killing shook the sky, the blood flowed like a river, a Tuyuhun army and the main force of the Tang army collided head-on from Longzhi County to support, the tragic battle has been carried out for two hours, the 20,000 Tuguhun army seemed to have been in witchcraft, desperate to attack the Tang army frantically, the Tang army's crossbow suppressed the Tuyuhun army wave after wave of impact, 20,000 Tuyuhun army has lost more than half, and the momentum of the offensive is gradually sluggish.

"Attack on all fronts!" The commander of the Tang army, Zhang Huan, finally gave the order for a counterattack, and the fierce drums echoed through the ground like muffled thunder, and 20,000 cavalry appeared, and they divided into two wings, like trawling fish, and swept towards the exhausted enemy army.

They were full of physical strength and sharp swords, and under the encouragement of the sound of trumpets, the long lances struck the swords with a sonorous sound, like a sudden wind, and swept away towards the enemy.

The Tuyuhun army finally collapsed in the face of the enemy's strong combat effectiveness, they threw away their armor and fled in the field, but the cavalry quickly caught up, slaughtered mercilessly, wailing and begging for mercy resounded in the field, in exchange for the land was still a cold sword, did not accept surrender, there was no sympathy and pity, and the hatred that the Tang army had suppressed in his heart for more than 20 years completely broke out at this moment.

In the valley of the Yellow River, Wang Siyu's army has been walking in the valley for two days, although it is now the early spring season, but the valley is like summer, extremely hot, the weather changes as soon as it changes, on the third day, the air is even more dull, in the afternoon, the dark clouds are overpowering, the dark sky is rolling black clouds, lightning and thunder, and a rainstorm is coming.

The downpour lasted for two hours before it stopped, and the Tang army finally walked out of the canyon in the mud and came to a flat plateau, the air suddenly became fresh, with the chill of early spring, the sun had already slanted westward, and the misty sky was smeared with a blood-red, and they had penetrated hundreds of miles into the territory of Tibet at this time.

"Bridge!" Several soldiers shouted loudly, not far in front of them, a long rattan bridge across the Yellow River, and more than one, but Wang Siyu was not infected, he was immediately on a high ground, staring at the south sternly, in the afterglow of the sunset that was about to fade, a city towered at the end of the sky, it should be the Wanxiu City of Tibet, under the reflection of the fiery red sunset, like a mythical country.

No! It is not a mythical country, this should be the world of demons, Wang Siyu's eyes gradually narrowed into a slit, and he saw that about ten miles away, the black and oppressive Tubo army had crossed the Yellow River, and there were at least 30,000 of them, like a black evil dragon, heading north, and the direction they went was Shibao City.