"Report—"
"Reporting to the King, the 50,000-strong army pursuing the Han cavalry was ambushed by the Han army ten miles north of Xiangji Temple. All 50,000 cavalrymen were wiped out, and their commander, Baima, was killed in battle!"
Outside the central tent of the Tibetan camp.
A soldier who risked his life to rush back from Xiangji Temple brought the news of the complete annihilation of 50,000 Tibetan cavalry back to the Tibetan camp and reported it to King Dama.
"The Han army, the Han army reinforcements to Chang'an are gathering at Xiangji Temple and heading straight for our camp!"
"What?"
Upon hearing this, the Tibetan king Dharma was furious.
Forget about maintaining a dignified image, he jumped up from his chair and rushed to the messenger, grabbing his collar.
He glared angrily and roared, "What did you say? Fifty thousand troops were wiped out, and their commander, Baima, was killed in battle?"
The messenger didn't speak, but nodded frantically in pain and despair.
boom!
Dama shoved the messenger to the ground, his eyes bloodshot, and said in a violent tone, "How is this possible? It has only been an hour since Baima led 50,000 iron cavalry to pursue the fleeing Han army."
"In just one hour, the entire Tibetan army of 50,000 was wiped out?"
"Even if there were 50,000 yaks, it would be impossible for the Han army to slaughter them all within an hour!"
Clearly, Dama found it hard to accept the news of the complete annihilation of his 50,000-strong army, and he was even more unwilling to believe that the most elite chainmail cavalry in the Tibetan army could not even withstand an hour of fighting against the Han army.
How is that possible?
If the Han army were truly so powerful, why would they hide in Chang'an like cowards, and why would they suffer a complete rout from Hexi and Longyou prefectures all the way to Chang'an?
"Your Majesty, the Han army's reinforcements and ambush forces number a staggering 100,000!"
At this moment, the messenger continued, his voice trembling with tears, "The entire mountain forest north of Xiangji Temple is teeming with Han army ambushes."
"Their cavalry are all heavily armored, wielding sharp weapons, and their warhorses are tall and muscular, far superior to those of our Tibetan cavalry."
"Even more terrifying was that among the Han army reinforcements sent to Chang'an was a unit of infantry specifically designed to counter cavalry; they were clad in heavy armor and wielded sharp longswords."
"This humble general witnessed it firsthand at Xiangji Temple. This Han army's longsword squad advanced on the battlefield in a wall-like formation, pressing our cavalry step by step. Hundreds of longswords formed a shield, rising and falling in unison, and wherever the shield passed, men and horses were shattered!"
At this point, the messenger knelt down before Dama, weeping and pleading, "Your Majesty, this Han reinforcement force is incredibly powerful. Our cavalry is now completely wiped out. I implore Your Majesty to make a swift decision!"
"Once the Han reinforcements surround us, and the remaining Anxi border troops in Chang'an attack us from both inside and outside, it will be too late to retreat!"
puff!
Before he could finish speaking, the Tibetan messenger who had risked his life to return and deliver the message was beheaded and died on the spot.
In the hand of Dama, the Tibetan king, was a curved knife with a few drops of blood on its blade.
Upon seeing this, the generals, strategists, and servants in the Tibetan central army tent all knelt down, burying their heads deep, none daring to offend the Zanpu.
With bloodshot eyes and a ferocious expression, Dama roared, "With a great battle imminent, anyone who shakes the morale of my Tibetan army or boosts the enemy's morale will be executed without mercy!"
With that, Dama swung his scimitar sharply and ordered in a stern voice, "Pass down the order: prepare the army for battle!"
"Understood!"
At the same time, atop the city wall of Chang'an.
At that moment, the Tibetan cavalryman, who had fought desperately to break out of Xiangji Temple and rush back to the Tibetan camp to deliver a message, was ultimately beheaded by Zanpu Dama.
Outside Chang'an City, several armored cavalrymen rode up on horseback.
Several cavalrymen galloped back and forth along the moat, but the moat, with its drawbridge now lowered, had become an insurmountable barrier for the Xuanjia cavalry.
On the city tower, Guo Dingfang, the General of Anxi and the General of Zhenxi, along with a group of generals under his command of the Anxi border army, also spotted several black-armored cavalrymen below the city.
Immediately, a military officer spoke up: "General, they are cavalry scouts from Prince Jin of Longcheng! They are galloping back and forth outside the city, and they have urgent military intelligence to transmit into the city from time to time?"
Then, the military officer tentatively suggested, "General, should we lower the drawbridge and let these cavalry scouts into the city?"
"No!"
This suggestion was immediately countered: "What if the cavalry scouts below the city are actually Tibetan spies in disguise? Lowering the drawbridge and opening the city gates now would be falling into the hands of the Tibetan bandits!"
"If Chang'an falls, it won't just be a matter of a few of us losing our official hats!"
Whoosh!
"General, be careful!"
As they were talking, an arrow suddenly flew up the city wall of Chang'an and embedded itself straight into a pillar of the tower. The birchwood shaft was still trembling from side to side due to inertia.
"Enemy attack—"
On the city wall, someone exclaimed in surprise.
"Please wait, everyone, there's no need to be alarmed!"
At this moment, Guo Dingfang, as the General Who Guards the West, finally showed some of the demeanor of a great general, and immediately dismissed the soldiers guarding the city wall who were on edge.
Then, he strode over to the pillar that had been hit by the arrow, pulled hard, and removed the arrow from the pillar. He then took the letter tied to the arrow shaft.
Upon opening it, there was only one line of small text: "At the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), lead your troops out of the city, attack from both inside and outside, and annihilate the Tubo!"
The signature reads: Chen Qingzhi, Deputy Marshal of the Longcheng Army!
Hahaha!
Guo Dingfang suddenly burst into laughter, and amidst the astonished gazes of the city's defending generals, he muttered to himself, "Generals, the siege of Chang'an has been lifted, and the Tibetan bandits' death is nigh!"
"By order of the General—the entire army shall assemble, depart from the city at Shenshi (3-5 PM), and join forces with the reinforcements from Longcheng to launch a pincer attack, annihilating the Tibetan bandits outside Chang'an."
"To avenge the soldiers of the Anxi border army who died on the battlefield, and to avenge the innocent people of the various prefectures of Anxi who perished under the slaughter of the Tibetans!"
"revenge!"
"revenge!"
......
Shen Shi Shi Fen.
The 30,000 Anxi border troops who had retreated to Chang'an were fully armed and ready to go.
More than 10,000 wounded soldiers, the elderly, the weak, the sick and disabled who remained in the city climbed the city walls to see off the Anxi border troops who were about to leave the city to fight.
General Guo Dingfang, the commander-in-chief of Anxi and the general who guards the west, took the lead. Wearing bright armor and holding a ring-pommel sword, he rode forward on his horse and gave the order: "Pass down the order to lower the drawbridge and open the city gate!"
"Lower the drawbridge and open the city gates!"
Boom!
Soon, with a muffled thud, the drawbridge hanging high above the moat fell.
Immediately afterwards, the two heavy wooden doors of the east gate of Chang'an were slowly pushed open by soldiers from inside the gate opening.
Guo Dingfang took the lead, the blade of his ring-pommel sword pointing directly at the Tibetan camp outside the city.
With a roar, he shouted, "All generals of the Anxi border army, follow me out of the city to kill the enemy and avenge our grievances!"
"Kill them!"
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