It had just fallen at night, and the barracks of the Hexi Dadou Army were silent and tense. The cooks in the army roasted sheep, boiled soup, steamed cakes, and cooked dumplings, and were busy, and no one said a word of nonsense.

After the dishes were ready, they were sent to the various squads with the "fire" as the unit, and they were distributed.

Overeating at night is indeed not good for physical and mental health. But considering that they will be on the expedition soon, it may well be the last good meal of their lives.

Under this premise, all flaws are not worth mentioning.

However, some of the soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army did not eat, they had already eaten an hour ago, and now they were packing up and preparing to go.

white sheepskin coat and sheepskin hat without shedding; thick, breathable cotton vests;

leggings made of Chu hemp in Kuizhou, cowhide gloves produced in Hexi;

cowhide boots, woolen socks and woolen blankets; anti-frostbite external dressing, Chinese medicine pills adapted to the highland climate; crutches, hook locks, long ropes;

Modified arm tension crossbows that can shoot at close range, and so on.

These things that are not very common in the Tang army, the sergeants of the silver spear filial piety army are almost a set of hands.

There are also small blanket tents for several people, specially prepared for the harsh cold weather.

Fang Chongyong took Guo Ziyi to inspect here, and saw that all the soldiers were packing up, checking and filling in the gaps, and couldn't help but nod with satisfaction.

Elite, that's what it should look like.

The so-called elite soldiers are not brave and ruthless; Well-equipped, it's not just a matter of sharpening the knife quickly.

"The soldiers are not more than the fine, and the capture of Ebaoling in this battle is not a victory that can be achieved by piling up the number of people.

On the contrary, there are too many people and trouble, and it is easy to capsize in the gutter.

When we occupy the sky, the Tibetan people occupy the land, and whoever can win the peace will win. ”

Fang Chongyong pointed to a silver spear filial piety sergeant who was trying on clothes and said, Guo Ziyi just nodded slightly and was noncommittal.

Both the Tang Army and the Tibetan Army, especially the Tibetan Army, had the habit of "emphasizing armament rather than equipment". Swords, guns, swords, halberds, armor, horses, siege equipment, both sides are very complete, and there is almost no generation difference. If you want everything, only you can't think of it, there's nothing they can't do.

However, in terms of soldiers' personal equipment, the Tang Army and the Tubo Army are both younger brothers, and they can use them whenever they can, and they don't put too much effort into it.

Its strategic vision is more than a thousand years behind Fang Chongyong, a descendant!

Soldiers can eat well, dress warmly, and be equipped with emergency medicine, which are the most basic equipment of elite soldiers.

In order to adapt to different climates and terrains, a lot of special equipment is required, which is a further logistical support.

As an elite with abundant logistical support, the equipment of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army is specially customized in the workshops under the Ministry of Industry, and some of them are entrusted to the large workshops in Wuwei City, mainly some wool and cold-proof products.

"Fang Jieshuai, how can we capture Ebaoling, how can we be unaware?"

Guo Ziyi asked suspiciously.

"In this battle, I plan to use a thousand elite soldiers to capture Ebao. The remaining 2,000 elite soldiers set off again a day later to open up the grain route, leaving 6,000 large fighting troops as backup. ”

Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice.

He now has nearly 10,000 soldiers and horses in his hands, and he can't use them at all if he is thrown into the terrain of the Great Doutug Valley in one go.

In particular, the Tang Army marched from a low place to a high place, and how to ensure the grain and grass of these 10,000 people was a big problem.

If the battle is stalemate, the advance cannot be advanced, and the retreat cannot be retreated, and the 10,000-strong army is likely to starve to death!

"The marshal has his own mysteries in using soldiers, and the last general is willing to hear about it."

Guo Ziyi asked quietly, this is a typical disbelief, but he was embarrassed to contradict it.

Fang Chongyong saw through his careful thinking, waved his hand and said: "According to historical records, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang Guang led the elite of the Sui army from Zhangye to enter the Dadou Pull Valley. At that time, it was the seventh day, and suddenly there was a heavy snowfall, and most of the Sui army and the cattle and sheep they carried froze to death. Most of the descendants did not believe it, thinking that it was a false rumor. ”

Guo Ziyi didn't speak, but there was a thoughtful expression on her face, and she didn't take Fang Chongyong's words as a joke.

This section of the mountain road in Dadou Tu Valley is a place with a very evil climate. Its northern exit is a desert climate, hot and arid, while its southern exit is a cold and humid plateau climate. The two extremely contrasting climates are blocked by mountain ranges.

And the gap in the middle of this mountain range is the Dadou Pull Valley.

This makes it snowing in June and the temperature dropping by 40 degrees, which is not uncommon in the Great Dou Tu Valley! It's really a daily exercise.

Fang Chongyong guessed that Guangshen should have encountered such a catastrophic climate change back then, and there were no permanent residents in the army, so he was not prepared for the cold, so he suffered a big loss!

Before setting off to Dadou Tu Valley, Fang Chongyong found several guides who had lived here for decades and later begged for a life in Wuwei City, and inquired about the environment over there.

In one word, it is "dangerous". Climate is the biggest enemy of the Tang Army, there is no one!

On the second day of coming to the camp of the Great Dou Army, Fang Chongyong searched for mountain people who were familiar with the route in the local area, and then got an important piece of information: the snowy weather in June of the year came again, but he was not sure which day it was.

Anyway, during this time, just in case, these mountain people do not go into the mountains to herd sheep. In the event of an extreme snowstorm, it often only lasts for half an hour, and it can kill them.

The mountain people are like this, and the Tibetan army is even more so.

The army stationed in the Ebao Ridge in Tibet could not have done a good job of supply; The Tibetan slavery system also made it impossible for the soldiers to be fed and clothed all the time. There may be extreme cooling weather in the near future, will the Tibetan army still patrol along the mountain roads?

Perhaps, but unlikely.

If the attacking team is reduced to 1,000 people, then the possibility of being discovered by the Tibetans on the road is even smaller!

Approaching Ebao Ridge, the army set up an ambush and waited for the possible wind and snow at night. Then take advantage of the cold weather at night or during a short window to take down Ebao, which is powerless to resist, in one fell swoop, and it is worth gambling.

According to common sense, the fastest time of the day when the temperature drops is between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Therefore, the severe cold weather in the mountains is very likely to occur during this period of time, rather than the severe cold in the middle of the night.

In fact, historical records record that the severe cold weather encountered by Guangshen was also during the day. According to locals, this kind of weather usually does not take more than an hour at most, and then the temperature warms up to normal.

If it did not encounter such a big cooling, then it could only choose to raid at night, so the Tang army had a total of two opportunities to attack the city.

Fang Chongyong had already inquired that Ebao was not built on a mountain, but a permanent fortress that was barely built on a mountain in the Han Dynasty, and now most of the city walls have collapsed and cannot be repaired.

The Tibetans had only occupied the area for decades, and they did not renovate the city, but only blocked the gaps in the city wall with wooden fences, and barely maintained a military presence at key nodes with supplies from the south.

Of course, the Tibetan army could barely hold on to the mountains near the logistics base.

If the Tang army wanted to maintain Ebao, it had to use the Dadou Bagu as a supply line to transport supplies from the Hexi Corridor.

In the non-industrial era, it wasn't even theoretically possible. Otherwise, the Hexi Frontier Army would have advanced the battle line to Ebaoling as a defensive node.

After listening to Fang Chongyong's explanation, Guo Ziyi was greatly impressed, the so-called bold and careful preparation is nothing more than that.

If Fang Chongyong's investigation is true, then the vanguard army of 1,000 people in this battle does not need to use horses at all, and they can't run on the mountain road anyway. There is no need to think about the supply line, anyway, if you lose, there is no return.

There is a small river called the Tongziba River in the high mountains, which flows through the northern section of the Dadou Ba Valley. However, the southern section of the Great Dou Ba Valley, close to Tibet, has no water source for the army to drink, which is a big problem that cannot be ignored.

Only then did Guo Ziyi understand what Fang Chongyong's "noble soldiers" meant.

There is no turning back from the bow, the attack on Ebao Ridge has dragged on for a long time, and there is no water to drink, only after crossing the mountain range can there be a new water source, or you have to retreat to the northern section of the Dadou Tu Valley near the military control area west of the river to drink water.

Losing is death!

"Fang Jieshuai, this battle does not seem to be difficult, but the first battle is extremely risky. After taking Ebao, the large army can travel on horseback, and can also drive donkeys and mules to carry the baggage.

The Tibetans south of Ebao also had heavy troops to guard the supplies, and the number was only less than 20,000. However, after the capture of Ebao, our army was invincible.

Therefore, please ask Fang Jieshuai to take the second batch of men and horses to Ebaoling, the first batch of pioneers, and let the last general lead the troops. ”

Guo Ziyi saluted with his hands and said.

"That's fine.

Let He Changqi be your deputy general, and Yuanmen Erlong will be the vanguard, and set off tonight. At noon tomorrow, he will set off with two thousand silver spears and filial piety troops. After we meet, we will send someone to deliver a message and let Liu Gong bring the Great Dou Army to answer. If the war is not going well, there is no need to call them. ”

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said.

The length of the Great Dou Tu Valley is about 50 miles, and the army can reach it on foot in a day, and the speed is even faster if the army marches in a hurry. You don't have to take care of the horses along the way, which saves you a lot of trouble. The vanguard army is 1,000 people, the main force is 2,000 people, and the time difference is about half a day.

The scale of the Great Dou Army, which was slightly inferior in combat strength, was about 6,000 people, and Fang Chongyong in the battle of Ebaoling had no consideration of letting them participate. The main task of the Dadou Army was to attack the logistics base of the Tubo Army in the southeast of Ebao Ridge, and it was only responsible for recuperating in the early stage.

The Silver Spear Filial Piety Army is one of the best men in the border army, and the equipment is all high-quality products produced by the highest-level official workshop of the Tang Dynasty, and the intelligence work in the early stage is also in place.

In the case of mental calculation or unintentional, if this surprise attack fails, Fang Chongyong will write to Brother Ji, saying that he failed in military training and disbanded the Silver Spear Filial Piety Festival to set an example!

After bidding farewell to Guo Ziyi, Fang Chongyong brought He Changqi over to give a lecture.

Although Guo Ziyi led the team in this battle, it was up to Guo Ziyi to decide when to fight and when to march. But after arriving at Ebaoling, how to attack the city, you judge the situation on the spot, and you must personally lead the team. ”

Fang Chongyong said with a fatal face.

"Hehe, don't worry, the commander is not ambiguous."

He Changqi, who was burly and abnormal, patted his chest and reassured.

"Say to the brethren that I will repay them for winning this battle; If this battle is lost, a certain will disband the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army and send them back to their hometown!

Let them all put their tricks on the spot, don't cheat and play tricks for this handsome! ”

Fang Chongyong said calmly.

"Huh? If you can't win, you will revoke the number? Doesn't it say that victory and defeat are common things in soldiers? ”

He Changqi was shocked, and then he realized that Fang Chongyong was really moving. This situation is like someone who killed himself by swallowing feces before going on a blind date, saying that he was not taken by the other party!

However, what Fang Chongyong considered was: For the army, the number means life. The treatment of the army is to follow the number, not to the individual. The Silver Spear Filial Piety Army was disbanded and let them return to their original troops, so what was it?

People live with a face! If your face is gone, how can you be a human being?

If such a dead order does not inspire the fighting spirit of the troops, then there is really no need for this army to exist.

"If this battle cannot be won, then the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army is not worthy of being a saint's army. It's inevitable that people will be embarrassed in the future, so it's better to revoke the number now, and I'm happy to be quiet. ”

Fang Chongyong waved his hand impatiently and asked He Changqi to convey the military order.

……

Sometimes it's sandy, sometimes it's Gobi, sometimes it's snow, sometimes it's lush mountains. The mountain roads in the Dadou Ba Valley are like walking through the mountain roads in different places in the Tang Dynasty, which are unpredictable.

I walked more than forty miles without any danger and danger, and it was already noon at this moment. There was a dazzling sun hanging in the sky, and the sun was like a fire, shining on the thousand vanguard troops of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army, which was dizzying.

These people were sweating all over, and they couldn't take off their cotton and leather clothes, and the scorching heat made them miserable.

"General Guo, don't you let the sons and daughters take a break? You see it's so hot, take off your clothes and get out of the way......"

He Changqi wiped the hot sweat on his forehead with his cuffs and said.

Guo Ziyi's first military order when he set off was that all the soldiers were not allowed to take off their leather clothes and cotton jackets, and those who violated the order would be beheaded!

In fact, it was midnight when I set off, and the temperature in the mountains was very cool, so I didn't think it was too much, so the soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army didn't take this military order seriously. It's just that after walking for most of the day, they still marched in a hurry, and by noon these Qiu Ba people were a little unbearable.

Tiredness is secondary, after all, they are all one of the best athletes in the army, and they are not afraid of this intensity of walking.

It's just that the scorching sun above my head is a little unbearable, it's too sunny! The scalp underneath the sheepskin hat is soaked with sweat! What kind of weather is it in Liangzhou now, wearing single clothes during the day!

The orchid in the wine shop, the white belly is exposed! A group of old men wore cotton jackets and walked on the mountain road, like a herd of roast sheep!

He Changqi was on fire, and there was nowhere to go.

"General He, don't be anxious, I see that the weather is about to change."

Guo Ziyi squinted her eyes and looked at a cloud not far from her head, which was speeding towards her, and she could see that the cloud was moving with the naked eye.

At this moment, a cool breeze hit, He Changqi couldn't help but shiver, and the hot sweat on his body instantly turned into cold sweat!

"Hurry up, give the order, set up a tent, use all the blankets, the wind and snow are coming!"

Guo Ziyi hurriedly ordered.

But that seems like a redundant move. Because he didn't need to give an order, the soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army were already setting up tents in a panic, and no one was blind. I thought it was a legend of the rivers and lakes, but I didn't expect such extreme weather to be encountered by them.

In fact, the climate at the southern end of the Dadou Tu Valley near the Tibetan side is humid, while the climate near the end of the Tang Dynasty is dry and hot, and the altitude near the Ebao Ridge is even higher.

When hot air meets condensation and high altitudes, convection is formed in the channel, which is the same reason that the snow in June is easy for airplanes to freeze in the troposphere.

It may be very strange to the ancients, in Fang Chongyong's previous life, it has long been commonplace, and it is not strange.

Almost instantly, in the valley, the north wind began to howl, and the strong men of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army hid in woolen tents with excellent heat retention, wrapped in blankets and shivering. I used to dislike the leather jacket and cotton jacket I was wearing, which were too thick and hot.

Now I dislike them because they're too thin to use!

Probably the prayers of the people had worked, and in a short time the cold wind had stopped, and heavy snow began to fall in the valley, but the temperature did not rise at all, but dropped a lot.

"Get up, march quickly! Who doesn't move to watch Lao Tzu beat him to death! ”

He Changqi led the pro-soldier team, kicked over one thick military tent after another, and beat the soldiers who stood up and beat slowly with military sticks, and there was a sudden burst of chickens and dogs jumping in the snake-like team.

In less than a stick of incense, the thousand-strong army abandoned the tent in place, marching forward almost at a trotting pace. At this moment, they are only a few miles away from Ebao Ridge!

(End of chapter)