Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4833 Strategic Significance
The sky gradually darkened, and flames shot up into the sky above the mountain pass in the distance, which showed how fierce the battle was. Sai Rugundun was anxious and kept urging his men to speed up and rush to Zishankou. Along the way, battle reports from Zishankou kept coming in. He knew that Meilu Cidan was still at the end of his strength, and it was a miracle that he could hold on until now under the fierce attack of Lun Qinling's "Thunder" and "Rocket", but he could not expect him to really defend Zishankou.

How powerful was the Gar tribe when they followed the king to sweep across Tubo and destroy Xiangxiong? In recent years, under the management of Lu Dongzan's sons, the tribe has not declined at all, and now they have military equipment sent by the Tang people...

However, no matter how hard he tried, he was still a step too late.

Only ten miles away from Zishan Pass, the defeated soldiers were seen fleeing from the pass in a desperate manner, even blocking the marching direction of Sairugongdun for a time...

Sai Rugong Dun was not panicking at all. He shouted, "Hold the formation tightly and don't let the fleeing soldiers break through. Anyone who dares to rush into the formation without any choice will be killed without mercy! Also, capture a few people and ask whether Mei Lu Ci Dan is dead or alive!"

"Yes!"

"Walk from the sides, don't rush into the queue!"

"Get out of the way. If you run into the disorderly formation, I will kill you without mercy!"

"You, you, you, come here quickly. I want to ask you where is General Lu Cidan? Is he dead or alive?"

Sai Rugundon stabilized the formation while guiding the fleeing soldiers, and quickly gathered the more than 2,000 retreating soldiers, while the rest fled in panic and disappeared.

After a while, they finally found Meilu Cidan.

The commander of Zishankou had discarded his armor for the convenience of escape, but he was staggering and could hardly walk, so he was carried back by several guards. The hammer blows from Bolunzan's blade were like thunder and lightning and there was no avoidance. Although he was wearing armor and was not injured in vital parts, he still suffered multiple fractures and damaged organs, and he vomited blood every time he spoke.

Serugundun frowned as he looked at the descendant of the Meilu clan, one of the "Four Great Noble Clans", and felt that it was a bit tricky, because according to the military discipline of Tibet, without the "pardon" of the king, the defeated generals would be tied up immediately and sent to Lhasa City for punishment. But how could Meilu Cidan withstand the long journey in his condition?
If he died on the way, Meilu would definitely not let him off.

There are more than a thousand tribes with a long history in Tubo, but only four of them can be called "Shang". These four tribes are called the "Four Great Shang Tribes". Almost every tribe has intermarried with the Yalong Tribe where the Zamp is located. They are considered "nobles among nobles". They are not only powerful, but also have great influence on the Zamp.

You must not offend him.

After a brief pause, Sai Rugongdun said in a deep voice: "The enemy is strong and now occupies Zishankou, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. We must charge desperately to recover the lost territory. How about you order all your soldiers to obey my command and cooperate with me to counterattack Zishankou?"

Meilu Cidan was not stupid. He knew that the other party was trying to absolve him of his guilt. Once he could recapture Zishankou, his guilt would be much less. He did not hesitate and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Marshal. All the Meilu soldiers under my command will obey your orders and are determined to defeat the enemy, regardless of life or death!"

Sai Rugundun nodded and immediately ordered the entire army to stop and rest on the spot. They had been galloping for a long distance without stopping, and were already exhausted. Although he knew that the Gar tribe on Zishankou was also trying to buy time to rest, and that the longer they stayed, the more strength the enemy would recover and the battle would become more intense, he still had to be patient and let his soldiers eat and rest.

While the deputy general was gathering and reorganizing the defeated soldiers of the Meilu clan, Sairu Gongdun had a simple shed built by the roadside to block the strong wind. It was already October now, and the temperature difference between day and night on the plateau was extremely large. It was scorching hot during the day and made people sweat profusely, but the temperature dropped sharply at night. Judging from Meilu Cidan's appearance, his internal organs were probably damaged and he could not withstand the cold wind.

While making tea, Sairu Gongdun asked Molucidan in detail about the battle of Zishankou, as well as the combat power, equipment, tactics, etc. of the Gar tribe. Molucidan recovered a little after drinking the hot tea, and naturally told him everything he knew.

Sairu Gongtun had never dealt with Molu Cidan before, and now he felt even more depressed when he heard him describe the battle situation and analyze the battlefield clearly and logically. This proved that Molu Cidan was not a mediocre person, and the defeat at Zishankou was not due to his incompetence but the Gar tribe was too brave, so the upcoming counterattack at Zishankou would naturally be extremely difficult.

Meilu Cidan took a breath and said with a cheer: "The strategic significance of Zishankou is too important. I have lost my troops and territory this time and I am guilty of this. I dare not hope that the Zamp will show some leniency. I only hope that I can help the Marshal to take back Zishankou!"

"Your injuries are serious. Even a long journey is dangerous, let alone charging into battle? You have to think carefully. After all, victory or defeat depends on you."

Meilu Cidan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Without me, the soldiers under my command may not obey the commander's orders obediently. If our two armies cannot unite and fight without reservation, we will not be able to defeat Lun Qinling."

Serugondon naturally knew how powerful Lun Qinling was, and sighed, "It's a pity for such a rising star who could have become the 'military god' of Tubo."

But it's just a pity. When Lu Dongzan was expelled from Lhasa City and the Gar tribe was exiled to Qinghai Lake, it was not because of the right or wrong decision of a certain person, but because the entire Tubo power core jointly excluded Lu Dongzan. It cannot be reversed by anyone who wants to.

Since it is destined, there is nothing to regret.

After half an hour, the army rested and the defeated soldiers were reorganized. The two armies combined to form a total of 15,000 troops, and marched towards Zishankou along the mountain road in a mighty manner.

The Gar tribe occupying Zishan Pass fortified their positions and allowed the enemy to advance upwards, while they only defended their hastily repaired walls from above and waited for a battle.

Whizzing!

Two rockets were fired from the pass on the top of the mountain, drawing a swaying parabola in the night sky and falling into the enemy formation that was charging upwards. Then two balls of fire exploded, the soldiers were terrified, and the horses were neighing. The enemy formation, number of people, and equipment within a range of dozens of feet all fell into the eyes of Lun Qinling who was high up on the mountain pass.

Bolun Zanren stood beside his brother, holding a mace, and asked hurriedly, "When will we attack?"

After a short rest, his strength had recovered. Seeing the dense enemy troops attacking from the hillside, he could not contain his excitement and was eager to rush out and start killing!
"Attack, attack, and know how to attack! The enemy is numerous and we are few, the enemy is idle and we are old, the enemy is strong and we are weak, we should just hold on to the high ground and take advantage of the terrain, what the hell is the point of attacking! Is your brain full of flesh, you only know how to be violent and ruthless, without any wisdom or calculation?"

"Okay, okay, if you say so, then just stick to it. Why bother swearing at me? I just don't bother to think too much when I'm with you. It's not that I'm stupid."

"Then you retreat now."

"Ah? Not only are you not going to attack, but you don't need me to defend the city either?"

"You are stupid and you don't want to admit it. Go to the post station and get ready. If the enemy attacks a certain wall, you need to rush to support them. If there are too many enemies gathered at the city gate and the gate is in danger, you need to lead your troops to charge and ensure the safety of the city gate!"

"Oh, that's right, I'll do it right away!"

Looking at this "innocent" brother skipping down the city wall, shouting and gathering the guards together to be ready for support or attack at any time, Lun Qinling shook his head helplessly.

Then he looked at the enemy troops who were pouncing on him like wolves and tigers with a determined look.

Zishan Pass is the boundary between the territory personally occupied by the Zamp and the rest of the tribes. If what they had conquered before were the private territories of various tribes, then the territory across Zishan Pass was the Zamp’s territory. The strategic significance was worlds apart, and the impact it brought to Tubo was also incomparable.

The enemy's hideous faces finally appeared in the light of the fire on the city wall. A tide of enemies poured out like demons from the dark night and launched a fearless and fierce attack on the mountain pass.

"kill!"

There was no temptation or buffer, and the battle became intense in an instant.

*****
Fuqi City is too far away from Hexi, and there is a mountain called Qilian Mountain between them, which makes the road difficult to travel and transportation inconvenient. In order to ensure that the situation on the front battlefield can be grasped in time, Pei Xingjian did not dare to go back to Hexi. He simply set up camp outside Fuqi City and on the shore of Qinghai Lake to supervise the battle nearby.

When the news of Lun Qinling's capture of Zishankou came back, Pei Xingjian knew it immediately. After a little thought, he went straight into Fuqi City. Seeing Lu Dongzan, who was hunched over in animal skins and looked listless and drowsy, he said straight to the point: "It's winter now. If the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, it will be difficult for the Tang Dynasty to deliver supplies on time. Therefore, Lun Qinling can only stay at Zishankou and can no longer attack southward. Otherwise, if the food supply route is blocked, the Tang Dynasty will not bear any consequences."

Lu Dongzan seemed to have expected this, and sighed, "You are also a man who knows military affairs. Now it's not about whether Qin Ling wants to continue to attack southwards, but without the support of the Tang Dynasty, he can't defend Zishankou at all!"

He pointed to the battle report on the coffee table beside him: "Saerugondon is the most trusted person under the Zamp. He has been invincible for many years. He is now commanding the army to attack Zishankou day and night without caring about casualties. He even braved arrows and stones several times to boost morale. Our army has to bear huge losses every day. The soldiers are fine. At most, I can send all the servants around me, but food, fodder, and weapons need to be replenished urgently, otherwise Lun Qinling can only retreat from Zishankou."

Pei Xingjian snorted and stared at Lu Dongzan without saying a word.

He knew that the other party had more to say. Once Lun Qinling retreated from Zishankou, it would not just be giving up Zishankou. He would retreat all the way from Huashixia, Liemohai, and Nuanquanyi to Elashankou and return the cities and lands that he had previously captured.

Even Naluyi and Dafeichuan were no longer needed, and the only thing left was to defend Dafeiling to prevent the Tubo army from crossing the line.

The situation has returned to the state before the war. All the previous support and funding from the Tang Dynasty have been wasted and meaningless. The most important thing is that the strategy has completely failed. Can Pei Xingjian bear this responsibility?