As the saying goes, a desperate army is bound to win.
The remaining 30,000 Anxi border troops, led by Guo Dingfang, the General of Anxi and the General Who Guards the West, had suffered repeated defeats when facing the overwhelming Tubo army, and had eventually retreated to Chang'an.
The morale and physical strength of the soldiers in Anxi have plummeted to rock bottom.
The more than half a month of retreat to Chang'an City further fueled the anger of the Anxi border troops, turning them into powder kegs ready to explode at any moment.
The arrival of Chen Qingzhi, the deputy marshal of Longcheng, became the spark that ignited the powder keg of the Anxi border army.
Seeing the Xuanjia Army soldiers who had rushed to the aid of Chang'an and were fighting a bloody battle against the Tibetan rebels, the fighting spirit of the Anxi border army was aroused to an unprecedented level.
With Guo Dingfang's order, all 382 officers and soldiers of the Anxi border army with the rank of centurion or above were incorporated into the Trapped Camp (suicide squad)!
Guo Dingfang took the lead, charging at the forefront of the Trapped Camp with a ring-pommel dagger in hand.
"Seize the camp gate and slaughter the enemy soldiers!"
Guo Dingfang shouted slogans and charged forward against the Xuanjia Army's leaping squad, which had been driven back by the Tibetan bandits.
A ring-pommel sword flashed in his hand, and wherever the blade passed, there were screams of agony and splattered blood from the Tibetan army.
"Seize the camp gate and slaughter the enemy soldiers!"
Following closely behind was the Trapped Camp of the Anxi Border Army.
These battle-hardened generals, forming a suicide squad, fearlessly faced the arrows and spears of the Tibetan army and rushed to the front line of the battlefield to participate in the operation to seize the gate.
Under Guo Dingfang's madman-like, reckless fighting style, the Tibetan soldiers who had painstakingly organized an offensive at the west gate of the Tibetan camp were instantly thwarted by the Trapped Camp.
Then, the Xuanjia Army's leaping squad seized the opportunity and joined forces with the Anxi Border Army's Trapped Camp to fight the enemy together. They routed the enemy troops at the west gate of the Tubo camp, and they scattered in all directions.
Attack one point, and break the entire line.
With the fall of the west gate of the camp, the entire Tibetan camp was thrown into chaos.
The fierce battle raged until dusk, and the remaining gates of the camps were successively captured by the Xuanjia Army and the Anxi Border Army.
As dusk fell, the Longcheng army advanced directly towards the central command tent of the Tubo camp.
"Report!"
"Reporting to the Zanpu, the Han army has captured all the gates of my camp, and several Han armies are converging on the central command tent!"
At that moment, the Tibetan messenger's tearful voice rang out outside the central command tent.
In the center of the tent, the once arrogant and domineering Tibetan king, Dama, was now slumped in a chair, his dark face drained of color, so gloomy it seemed as if ink could be squeezed out of it.
On the table in front of him, a beautiful porcelain bowl held steaming hot, fragrant butter tea.
In fact, without even needing a messenger to report, just by listening to the noisy and chaotic shouts of battle outside the main tent, King Dama, as the Zanpu (Tibetan king), could tell that the Tibetan army's chances of winning this battle were slim and their defeat was inevitable.
However, he was still unwilling to accept it, fantasizing that it was all just his imagination.
However, the messenger's words shattered Dama's illusions.
At this moment, Dama no longer possessed the heroic ambition that the Tibetan army had shown at the beginning of the eastern expedition, when they had won one victory after another. Like a defeated rooster, he resigned himself to his fate and awaited his final end.
"Someone come here!"
"Take the king and move with him!"
In a daze, Dama seemed to see his Imperial Guard Commander, Zaxi.
Zaxi burst into the tent and ordered his guards to lift Dama, who was slumped in the center of the tent, and carry him out.
Before leaving, he did not forget to give the order: "Burn this place down! We must not let our army's secrets fall into the hands of the Han army!"
"Yes, General!"
Moments later, flames soared into the sky from the Tibetan central army tent, and smoke and dust rose everywhere.
The remaining Tibetan army, already on the verge of collapse, saw the central command tent where the emperor was located ablaze, and their last shred of faith crumbled, rendering them unable to mount any effective resistance.
After one night.
The once bustling Tibetan camp is now a scene of devastation, littered with frozen corpses.
Chen Qingzhi, the deputy marshal of Longcheng Army, stepped into the Tubo camp wearing a white robe and stood in front of the central command tent, which had long been burned to ashes, deep in thought.
Behind him stood Zuo Liangcai, the vanguard commander of the Xuanjia Army, full of fighting spirit, as well as Guo Dingfang, the triumphant general of Zhenxi, and the generals of the Anxi border army.
Chen Qingzhi said, "Gentlemen, His Highness Prince Jin has given me the order to completely annihilate the Tibetan rebels during this western expedition!"
"Yesterday's battle saw the Longcheng Expeditionary Army achieve its first victory, a cause for celebration, but—"
Suddenly, Chen Qingzhi changed the subject and continued, "The Tibetan king Dama has vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead. I, Chen Qingzhi, will never be the one to release a tiger back into the mountains."
"All generals, heed my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
brush!
At the command, all the generals of Longcheng answered in unison.
Chen Qingzhi said sternly, "The army will not rest. We must immediately march west, even if we have to fight our way to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to capture Dama and bring him back for trial."
"We need to see him alive or dead!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
......
Another large army from Longcheng, on its westward expedition, was marching in a long, single-file formation across the vast, desolate deserts of Northwest China.
Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin rode on the back of a yellow horse, breathing in the dry and fresh air, which seemed to be mixed with a little sandy smell.
"Xiao Po!"
Chen Huai'an shouted sharply, "How far is the army from Yumen Pass?"
Commander Xiao Po of the Imperial Guard rode forward and said, "Reporting to Prince Jin, at the current marching speed, the army will arrive at Yumen Pass in less than an hour."
"Once you pass Yumen Pass, you will enter the Anxi Four Garrisons-controlled area leading to the Western Regions!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded.
Looking at the endless yellow sand before him, where the wind blows and creates layers of sand waves, and gazing at the undulating sand dunes that can be seen everywhere, he couldn't help but feel inspired to write poetry.
He casually recited: "The Yellow River flows far up to the white clouds, a lone city stands amidst ten thousand mountains;"
"Why should the Qiang flute lament the willows, for the spring breeze does not reach Yumen Pass!"
drive!
drive!
Sigh—
At this moment, the valiant General Pang Xianchu rode up on horseback, cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Huai'an, and said with a beaming smile, "Your Highness, what excellent writing!"
Ha ha!
Chen Huai'an laughed heartily and waved his hand.
Pang Xianchu continued, "Your Highness, an urgent message arrived from Chang'an: the Tubo have suffered a great defeat, and the siege of Chang'an has been lifted. Deputy Marshal Chen Qingzhi is commanding the Xuanjia Army and the Anxi Border Army, marching westward to reap the remaining Tubo forces!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded again and said calmly, "I understand!"
In fact, there was no need for Pang Xianchu to inform him; Chen Huai'an had already sensed the news of the great victory in Chang'an several days ago. With a "ding" in his mind, the system rewards had arrived.
Then, Chen Huai'an waved his hand and ordered, "Pass down the order: the army should speed up its march and camp outside Yumen Pass tonight!"
"The siege of Chang'an has been lifted, but the soldiers and civilians in the four garrisons of Anxi are still living in dire straits."
"The sooner the army arrives, the sooner the people and soldiers of the four towns will be saved!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
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