Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4800 The troops are approaching the city
The steel knives produced in the Tang Dynasty reflected the lights in the post station in the night, and every swing left a trail of blood. The Tibetan soldiers were always brave but lacked discipline. When the battle was going well, they were powerful and could defeat two enemies at once, but once they were in a stalemate or encountered a surprise attack, they would instantly become chaotic. The soldiers in the post station lost their command and fled in all directions, and the merchants were like headless flies, shouting and running around trying to avoid.

Lun Qinling took the lead, slashing with all his might with the sword in his hand. He had no idea how many people he had chopped down, and his whole body seemed to be covered in blood. Suddenly, the pressure was relieved. It turned out that he had already killed his way from the east gate of Nuanquan Posthouse to the west. The posthouse only had these two gates, and both had been completely pierced through.

Wiping the blood off his face, Lun Qinling shouted, "Control the two city gates and kill all enemies in the city without mercy!"

It is almost dawn, and we still have to cross the Eola Mountain to cooperate with Bolun Zanren to attack Nalu Station from both sides. There is no time to waste, so we must eliminate the enemy in Nuanquan Station as soon as possible. Only then can we go north and cross the Eola Mountain without any worries.

The soldiers under his command responded loudly, and they formed groups of three or five, riding their horses and charging back and forth to kill anyone who was not one of their own, no matter if they were guarding soldiers or merchants passing by.

In an instant, Nuanquan Station was filled with wailing and blood flowing like a river, and broken limbs and corpses piled up like a mountain.

Ma Zhu, who sprained his ankle after jumping down from the wall, climbed onto the horse with the help of the guards. The first thing he thought of was not to gather the soldiers and fight a desperate battle, but to rush along the wall with the guards to the intact gate on the west side, trying to rush out of the gate and escape. However, he met Lun Qinling, who had killed him back and forth, halfway.

Lun Qinling said nothing, he rode his horse, reined in, whipped his horse, brandished his sword and charged forward, raising his sword and slashing.

In a hurry, Mazhu raised his sword to block. With a "clang" sound, the two swords collided and a string of sparks flew. Mazhu felt numbness in his palm and the sword almost slipped out of his hand. In the light of the fire, he could see clearly that the person opposite him was Lun Qinling. Facing this famous Tibetan general, he felt timid in his heart. Knowing that he was no match for him, he turned his horse and was about to escape.

The two horses' stirrups were locked, and Lun Qinling struck back with another knife.

Ma Zhu raised his knife to block again, but the knife in his hand broke into two pieces. He was so scared that he shouted, "Stop him!"

The guards on both sides rushed forward like crazy and tried to besiege Lun Qinling to rescue Mazhu.

Lun Qinling cut off the opponent's weapon with one sword. Seeing that his guards were surrounding him, he calmly loosened the reins with his left hand, then handed the sword to his left hand. He used his free right hand to pull off the dagger given by Bolun Zanren from his belt and threw it at the fleeing Mazhu.

The dagger drew a streak of white light in the air and accurately pierced into Ma Zhu's back.

"Ouch!" Ma Zhu screamed, spurred his horse forward a few steps, then his body tilted and he fell off the horse with a bang.

Lun Qinling's personal soldiers also rushed up at this time, blocked Mazhu's guards and killed them one by one.

……

The battle lasted only half an hour, and thousands of Tibetan defenders were caught and killed. Even the merchant caravan that stayed there was killed.

Lun Qinling ordered the soldiers to cook. The corpses were piled up randomly aside and more than a dozen large pots were set up on the open ground. The doors and windows were removed and a fire was started. Soon several large pots of rice were ready. The soldiers were divided into two groups. One group would guard outside the wall while the other group would eat, and then they would take turns.

After finishing the meal and taking a break, Lun Qinling stood up and said, "I know everyone is very tired, but we can't rest at this time. The enemies from Liemohai will come to reinforce us soon. Once we are entangled by them, we will have no chance to capture Nalu Station. So we have to cross the Ela Mountain to the north overnight and try to reach Nalu Station before sunset tomorrow to attack Brother Wu from the north and south! As long as we capture Nalu Station and annihilate Lebujie, we can attack or defend and be invincible!"

"Don't worry, my dear. We can handle this!"

"That's right. For the sake of the family, I am not afraid to sacrifice my life, so why should I be afraid of being a little tired?"

Seeing that the morale was high, Lun Qinling shouted, "Great! Throw away all the baggage and go into battle lightly. Just bring enough dry food for one meal. The battle of Naluyi at dusk tomorrow will be the decisive battle. If we win, Naluyi will have countless spoils. If we lose, you and I will both die and there will be no need to eat!"

Not only was he brave in combat and had outstanding tactics, he was also good at boosting morale. With just one word "decisive battle", he boosted the morale of his soldiers. Although the Gar family was a large Tibetan family, they had been crawling at the feet of the Zamp and had been subjected to too much suspicion and suppression. Everyone felt the same and had been depressed for a long time. Now that they had the opportunity to avenge their previous humiliation, they naturally took up the responsibility.

With the help of his personal soldiers, Lun Qinling arranged his armor and weapons, took back the dagger that shot Ma Zhu and tied it carefully to his belt, then jumped on his horse and shouted, "Let's go!"

This time they rode out from the intact east gate, followed closely by two thousand elite soldiers. They also rushed out of Nuanquan Station like a whirlwind and plunged into the Ola Mountains, where dark shadows were lurking in the dark night in the north.

Only a few bonfires were left, whirring in the night wind, with sparks swaying in the wind, then quickly extinguished. Corpses piled up like a mountain on the ground, blood seeping into the gravel ground, turning it dark red, and the smell of blood filled the air...

……

Like most of the snow-capped mountains on the plateau, the peak of Mount Orla is covered with snow that never melts all year round. The white cover appears particularly holy. The snow halfway up the mountain slowly melts and gathers into streams, nourishing the lush greenery on the hillside.

Nalu Posthouse is located on the gentle slope of the Eola Pass. Like Nuanquan Posthouse, it is surrounded by stone walls, but the walls are taller and thicker. It is also located on a high ground overlooking the Dafei River, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

The Ela Pass is a must-pass place on the Ancient Tang-Tibet Road.

The Tibetans were not used to living in houses. They preferred yurts and tents. Therefore, the few houses in the post station were all for the Han merchants passing through. Even the guard commander Lebujie lived in a snow-white tent.

Lebujie was not tall but extremely strong, with a beard as curly as needles, two red blushes on his dark cheeks, a neck with bulging veins that was almost as thick as his head, and bulging muscles in his arms under his leather coat. He looked like an inverted triangle, and at first glance he was a strong, brave and warlike man.

With his short fingers, he grasped a small silver knife, cut a piece of mutton from the lamb leg bone, put it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it, then with his greasy hands he picked up a bronze wine jar, raised his head and drank the wine in the jar in one gulp.

"The king was wise. He had long seen that Lu Dongzan had ulterior motives and was plotting something bad, so he expelled him from Luoshui City and exiled him to Qinghai Lake. However, the king was still soft-hearted. How could he give the former land of Tuyuhun to the Gar family so that they could have a chance to recuperate? Now, Lu Dongzan has colluded with the Tang people and is actually trying to attack Luoshui City... How do the Han people say that?"

"It should be 'raising a tiger brings disaster', right?"

"Right!" Lebujie slapped his thigh, his face full of indignation: "That's the word! Lu Dongzan is a tiger that eats people without leaving any bones. His sons are tiger cubs that are greedy for flesh and blood. They are all inhuman beasts!"

Seeing Lebujie cursing at Lu Dongzan and his son, the staff beside him became anxious: "By evening at the latest, Lun Qinling will cross the Dafei River and reach the mountain pass. How should we deal with it? Please tell us, General!"

The enemy is already at the gates of the city and you are still here cursing and swearing instead of doing your job. If cursing works, what's the point of using a knife?
Lebujie grabbed a piece of meat and put it in his mouth to chew. He wiped the grease off his robe with his hands and said vaguely: "Naluluyi is a natural barrier, easy to defend but difficult to attack. What is there to be afraid of if there is not an enemy ten times as strong as us? Lun Qinling is a man who knows military affairs. Naturally, he knows that it is impossible for a few thousand troops to capture Naaluluyi. But he still wants to come. It is obviously for the Tang people to see. When the time comes, he will feint and retreat after being defeated. In front of the Tang people, he can say, 'It's not that the Gar family didn't try hard, it's really impossible'. Haha! The Tang people are so stupid. Lu Dongzan and his son are more cunning than the foxes on the plateau. They ate the food and supplies provided by the Tang people but refused to put in any effort. I really want to see the disappointed and regretful faces of the Tang people!"

"Ah? Is that so?"

The staff was a little confused, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed possible.

Lu Dongzan was known as "the wisest man in Tubo", he was extremely smart, and his sons were all outstanding people of their time. How could he not know that it was impossible to capture Naluyi with only a few thousand soldiers? Since he knew it, he still led his army here. It was very likely that he had to pretend because of the pressure from the Tang people...

So...nothing serious?
The staff thought about it and still felt that something was wrong, so they suggested: "The general is wise and intelligent, and I am ashamed of myself. However, it is better to be cautious. We should still be prepared for the battle and ensure that there are no mistakes. After all, the strategic position of Luyi is too important to be lost."

Downstream from Naluyi is the lush Dafei River, the former home of Tuyuhun, a must-pass place for Tubo to descend from the northeast to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Dafei River and Fuqi City in its northwest are connected to the eastern end of the Hexi Corridor in the north and the Wei River Valley in the east. As long as Tubo firmly occupies Dafei River, it can threaten the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, as well as Fuqi City of the Gar family in the north, and even threaten the Guanzhong Basin, the heartland of the Tang Dynasty, in the east.

Similarly, once Fuqi City and Dafeichuan fell into the hands of the Tang Dynasty, not only would the Tubo's route to the north be blocked, but it would also provide a strategic buffer zone, allowing it to attack the Tubo Plateau from the south at any time.

This is exactly why Minister Chisang Yangton sent his brother Lebujie to garrison Nalu Posthouse. There cannot be any mistakes.

Lebujie wiped his glib lips and nodded in agreement: "You are right. We must not be unguarded no matter what."

His elder brother, Chisang Yangton, was one of the most powerful people in Tubo and had a strong personality. If anything went wrong at Naluyi, his elder brother would definitely twist off his head and take it to the Zamp to apologize...

"Pass the order, send out scouts to investigate the enemy's movements, including their strength, number, direction of advance, etc. All troops must assemble, close the two city gates, and from now on, no one is allowed to enter or leave the post station. We must be on high alert!"