Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4831 Purple Mountain Fortress
Subimojie was crawling at Songtsen Gampo's feet, her body as fat as a sturdy mastiff. She raised her head and looked at this gaunt man who held the supreme power in Tubo. Her expression was flattering and her tone was respectful, and she was just about to wag her tail.

"Zanpu is the whitest snow mountain and the strongest goshawk on the plateau. The Subi Kingdom is willing to be under your rule for generations, and I am willing to be your most loyal minion and obey your command."

She was really willing to "let him drive her". If Songtsen Gampo showed even the slightest interest in her, she would immediately take off all her clothes and lie down. Unfortunately, she only saw indifference in this man's eyes...

Songtsen Gampo sat on the felt, looking coldly at the obedient but extremely ugly woman in front of him, and said in a cold tone without any emotion: "Why do you want to kill Subi Yangxiong? He is not only your brother, but also my loyal servant."

Subimojie was trembling with fear and tried to argue: "Zanpu was deceived by him. He is just a poisonous snake that doesn't know what loyalty is. He even wants to chain me, his own sister, to satisfy his lust. How can he be loyal to anyone? If I don't kill him, he will definitely lead his guards to attack my tent at night. I have no choice."

Even the cold-hearted Songtsen Gampo couldn't help but look at her. What kind of beast is Subi Yangxiong to have obscene thoughts about a woman like you?
But it doesn't matter. No matter how loyal Su Bi Yang Xiong is to him, a person is of no value once he dies.

What matters is control over the living.

If it weren't for the need for the Subi Kingdom to deal with the possible corruption in the future, Songtsen Gampo would have chopped this stupid woman into pieces and fed her to the dogs...

"Go back, gather your people and take good care of your territory. If the Gar tribe attacks, strike them hard. I will give you strong support."

"Thank you, Zanpu, for your forgiveness. The Subi Kingdom will always prostrate itself at the feet of the Zanpu and is willing to fight to the death for the Zanpu!"

……

After Subi Mojie left, Songtsen Gampo stood up, walked to the window, stretched out his hand to push it open, and the cool air blowing from the top of the distant snow-capped mountain poured into the room. Then he took a long breath. The body odor of that woman was so nauseating that it was simply unbearable.

Serugundun, who had a square face and a square figure and looked like a square, came in from outside and knelt in front of Songtsen Gampo.

Songtsen Gampo stood with his hands behind his back, looking down from above: "Where is Zansiruo?"

"I don't know. I only know that he is running around among the old tribes of Zhangzhung, but he has no fixed place to stay and his whereabouts are confusing. I have not yet been able to detect his specific whereabouts."

"Lu Dongzan, this old thief, still has evil intentions."

Songtsen Gampo sighed.

Before, he did not take Zan Xiruo seriously, thinking that the reason why Lu Dongzan sent him to contact the old tribes of Zhangzhung, the six tribes of Nachang and other tribes was to use the power of these tribes to negotiate peace and eliminate the guilt of being forced by the Tang people to counterattack the city of Luoshui. But now it seems that it is far more than that.

Once Lun Qinling and his army march forward, the entire situation in Tubo will change dramatically. No one knows how many tribes will be won over to Lu Dongzan's side, and thus take the opportunity to demand more autonomy from him while pretending to obey him.

Maybe he even colluded with Lu Dongzan to fight for the control of Tubo...

"We still have to stop Lun Qinling's attack, so don't worry about Zan Xiruo for now. My dear, please prepare and lead the army to Zishan Pass. The situation over there is precarious. If Lun Qinling breaks through, it will cause the situation to collapse. We must defend the mountain pass."

"Don't worry, Zanpu, I will do my best."

*****
From Qinghai Lake to the south, all the dangerous passes on the Tang-Tibet Road were built with walls. They served as both the positions of the defenders and the places for travelers to rest and pay taxes. Therefore, most of them existed in the form of "post stations".

The same is true for Zishankou.

This pass was built between high mountains and steep cliffs. A narrow pass was blocked by a stone fortress. Merchants traveling back and forth could only pass through the pass from the north and south gates. There was no other way. Moreover, the terrain here was quite high and one had to walk uphill on both sides to reach it, making it easier to defend and more difficult to attack.

The gunpowder smoke on the top of the mountain enveloped the entire fortress. Puffs of black smoke rose into the sky and were blown away by the mountain wind, swirling around. The solid walls collapsed piece by piece. Black stones were scattered everywhere after the gunpowder burned, and corpses lay in all directions. The splattered blood cooled and solidified, and the dark brown color soaked the earth, which was shocking.

At the foot of the mountain, the troops that had just withdrawn were resting. Lun Qinling walked among them and from time to time he would kindly inquire about the wounded, pay attention to their injuries, give some encouragement, and promise some rewards, so that the morale would not become slack due to the long-term siege.

When he arrived at Bolun Zanren's side, he saw that this brother, who had always been brave and led the troops by example, was covered with wounds, and his sturdy armor had many dents from blunt objects. Lun Qinling stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, took the herbs from the guard and applied them to his brother himself.

Bolun Zan Renlie grinned, enduring the severe pain caused by the stimulation of the herbs, and spat: "How tenacious! The wall collapsed, the food and fodder were burned, but he can still hold on until now. What a beast!"

Lun Qinling had a blank expression on his face. He applied the herbal medicine to a wound on his shoulder with his hand and said, "Take a good rest. If we concentrate all our strength tonight and charge again, we will definitely be able to capture Zishan Pass. No one can stop our brothers from charging!"

Bo Lun Zan Ren shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no, the Tang people have a saying that goes 'A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall'. Brother is the commander of an army, so he should stay in the rear and make plans. Leading the charge is my job. How can I let brother take risks? What's the point of taking Zishankou if something happens to brother?"

Since the day of the uprising, they have successively captured Nalu Posthouse, Nuanquan Posthouse, Liemohai, and Huashixia, and have been invincible along the way. It is only now that they have encountered real difficulties.

After capturing Huashixia and defeating the Suobei army, Lun Qinling took a short rest before launching an attack, attempting to catch Zishankou by surprise while it was still unprepared, but ended up crashing into the rocks.

The unique geographical location of Zishankou means that any conspiracy or trickery is useless in fighting here. This is the only way to get there, and you have to fight hard.

"Sky-shaking bombs" blew down the walls piece by piece, and "rocket" razed the fortress to the ground. However, even in this situation, the defender of Zishankou Fortress, Molu Cidan, organized his death squad to repel the Gar tribe cavalry that rushed into the fortress again and again, and he never retreated a single step even when the corpses of the defenders filled the mountain pass.

Although the soldiers of the Gar tribe were better equipped and braver, they lost the initiative when attacking from the bottom up. In addition, due to the disadvantage of insufficient manpower, they launched three fierce attacks in consecutive days but failed to capture the tribe. They also lost nearly a thousand soldiers.

Although the number of casualties was nearly ten times that of ours, the enemy had the entire Tubo as reinforcement, while ours was one less for every one they killed...

Lun Qinling also made up his mind and decided to fight to the death with all his strength tonight without reservation. He could not delay any longer, otherwise when the enemy reinforcements arrived and the troops were replenished, Zishankou would become an insurmountable natural barrier for the Gar tribe.

Just fight here and then negotiate with the Tang Dynasty?
It’s not impossible, but Qin Ling is unwilling to do so.

With every step forward and every Tibetan soldier consumed, the Gar tribe will gain confidence in negotiations with the Tang Dynasty. The Gar tribe cannot always exist as a buffer between the two great powers. If it wants a piece of land that can grow freely without being consumed as a vassal, it can only fight for it through hardships and perseverance.

Moreover, he had a hidden ambition in his heart. If Yao Tian's luck could reach the city of Luoshui and cause a dramatic change in the entire Tibetan situation, who knows, God would give a greater reward to the Gar tribe...

That night, Lun Qinling organized the army to launch a desperate charge. He personally led the charge, braving the arrows and stones and the swords of Bo Lunzan. Rockets streaked across the night sky and landed on the temporary tents built by the defenders. The raging fire added to the panic of the defenders. The soldiers of the Gar tribe rushed up the mountain road like a tide.

The commander of Zishankou, Molucidan, stood in the post station holding a spear. He ignored the fire behind him and burned the tent and food. The only thing in his eyes was the enemy in front of him.

Soldiers of both sides fought desperately in the rubble of the collapsed wall. The rubble all over the ground prevented the Gar tribe's cavalry from launching a charge, but even though their greatest advantage was curbed, the Gar tribe's soldiers, who were better equipped and had more men, still had the upper hand. They could often fight one against two, or even one against three, and not be at a disadvantage. They were brave, ruthless, and fearless of death.

The two brothers Lun Qinling and Bolun Zanren were extremely brave. Lun Qinling's saber flew up and down with flashing blade light, and he was invincible. Bolun Zanren swung his mace horizontally and horizontally, making it impossible for anyone to get close to him. The two of them led the way and forcibly chiseled a gap in the defenders' formation. They led the soldiers behind them to continuously advance, and they were about to break through the wall area and enter the post station.

Molucidan gripped his spear tightly and asked the guards to tie the silk ribbons of his armor tightly. The soldiers behind him suddenly cheered. He looked back in surprise and saw a cluster of fire rising in the darkness on the south side of Zishankou. It must be the arrival of reinforcements.

But Meilu Cidan remained calm and motionless. The fire was estimated to be still twenty miles away. The marching speed at night was only half of that during the day, so it was impossible to arrive in a short time. If they wanted to repel the charge of the Gar tribe, they could only rely on themselves.

He raised the spear in his hand and shouted loudly: "Don't count on reinforcements. We have defended the mountain pass and repelled the enemy. This is the honor we deserve after holding on for so many days. How can we share it with others? The glory of the Lu family will be determined in this battle. My men, follow me to kill the enemy!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

They repelled the enemy's attacks many times in a row for many days. Although they suffered heavy casualties, their morale was high. They all knew that the enemy was at the end of its strength and could not continue. They only needed to repel them once more to completely defend Zishankou and gain the honor. Naturally, they were eager to fight and followed Molucidan to rush towards the enemy who had broken through the wall area.

(End of this chapter)