Chapter 220: Thousand Miles of Raid

One afternoon in late February, Zhang Huan, the governor of Longyou of the Tang Dynasty, stood on a high hill on the bank of the Yellow River, silently staring at the sails and boats heading west. The vast Yellow River water spread out in front of him, and could not see the border, but only saw a large ship like gray clouds spreading flat at the junction of water and sky. This was the return of the Tubo envoys to the west, and their return of the west meant the beginning of the Tang army's western expedition to Hehuang.

"Send the order to Huijun, the army will start crossing the river!" Zhang Huan calmly issued an order to the Western Expedition.

Three days later, on the first day of March of the third year of Xuanren, 60,000 Western Expedition Army crossed the Yellow River in Huijun, crossed Huixi Fort, and advanced along the southern foot of Wushao Mountain to the vast Hehuang area. Five thousand vanguard troops ran starry night, breaking the connection between the Hehuang army before the beacon was ignited.

On the third day of the third month, the army took the lead in capturing Guangwu County, more than 300 miles west of Huixi Fort, annihilated more than 3,000 enemy troops, and rescued more than 30,000 Tang slaves. This was the first great victory in the Western Expedition. The victory inspired the soldiers of the Xiliang Army. They traveled twice the way and divided the troops into two groups. One line along the Wuji River to intercept the Tuyuhun Army, which might be supported northward, and the other line crossed the Wuji River and rushed straight to the hinterland of Hehuang.

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At the same time when the Tang army sent troops from Huixi Fort, another 3,000-man Tang cavalry crossed mountains and ridges. After nearly half a month of hard trek, they arrived at the Jishi Army in Ningsai County. This army was ordered to seize the troops of Wang Siyu in Shibao City. They crossed the Tao River from Didao, ran all the way through the wild mountains and ridges, passed through Shimen Mountain, passed Pingyi Shouqiao, Tiancheng Army, Yanquan City, Hechuan Shouqiao and other series of abandoned former passes, and finally crossed the Yellow River south of Michuan County, and then detoured along Chiling to the west for hundreds of miles, and finally arrived at the Jishi Army.

Jishi Army is a castle located in the mountains and ridges on the bank of the Yellow River. The valleys are warm in climate, fertile land, and abundant wheat.

This place was also an extremely important strategic location. In the seventh year of Tianbao, Geshuhan defeated the Tubo army several times. A hundred miles south of the river valley was Wanxiu City, the nine-curved land of Tubo. After crossing the Yellow River, it was the famous stone castle city.

Under the guidance of the scout Liu Shuai, Wang Siyu's army went smoothly and did not encounter any Tubo army. It was the night before the night fell, and the army arrived three miles away from the Jishi Army. It was spring flood, and the rivers roared in the distance, and it was ten miles away.

"General, I've returned all the way, and the terrain here is the most dangerous, so we have to be careful!" Liu Shuai was still thin, but he was full of energy and his eyes were particularly bright in the night.

Wang Siyu nodded, he turned around and waved his hand. The two soldiers immediately went to the front to explore the road. Wang Siyu stood on a big rock and looked into the distance. His heart was full of anxiety. The governor gave him twenty days, but he had been walking on the road for thirteen days, and there were seven days left. After crossing the Yellow River, he had to walk more than three hundred miles. At the current marching speed, it would take at least four days to arrive. It would only take three days for him to seize the stone castle city.

He took out the information about the Stone Castle City that Luo Guang was giving him before leaving. Through the moonlight, the garrison of the Stone Castle City was estimated to be between 800 and 1,000 people. He patrolled the valleys around the castle in four posts every day, with about 30 people per post. At noon or dusk, the traveling post will return to the city for an hour. To the west of the Stone Castle City, there is a canyon called Dingrong Valley that can lead directly to the Stone Castle City.

Wang Siyu frowned and looked at it for a while, without any plans in his mind. He put the book in his arms and looked west again. The fog was vast. Above the fog, the blue night shadow covered the deep valleys and hillsides, but the ice peaks that reached the clouds showed a beautiful rose color, like dreamy flowers flashing dazzling flames in the sky.

Suddenly, the roar of a mastiff came from a distance, tearing through the silent night. All Tang soldiers immediately stood up and looked ahead nervously. The knife had been unsheathed, the arrow had been in the string, and murderous aura filled the entire valley. At this time, a Tang army stumbled back, with two arrows inserted on his back. Wang Siyu stepped forward and supported him, and asked loudly: "What's going on in front?"

"There is a Tubo tour ahead..." After the soldier said that, he fell to the ground and died with great strength. Wang Siyu's face turned extremely red due to anger. He pulled out his battle knife and waved his hand and said, "First Battalion comes with me, the other two battalions stay behind."

A thousand-man Tang army drew their swords and crossbows, followed Wang Siyu and rushed into the fog quickly. After running a mile, the water mist in front became thicker, and there was no sign of the front in three steps. Everyone was wet and the ground was even more rugged.

"General, stop!" Liu Shuai suddenly saw a strange ancient tree. He suddenly remembered that there was a cliff ahead. He rushed forward and pulled Wang Siyu tightly.

Wang Siyu's feet slipped and his body fell sharply. Thanks to Liu Shuai pulling him, and his reaction was very fast, he grabbed the ancient vine and hung in the air. Through the swimming fog, he faintly saw the rippling light below. It was a small mountain stream with a cliff a hundred feet deep. At this time, several soldiers rushed forward and pulled Wang Siyu up with all their hands.

Suddenly, the roar of a mastiff came from the right front again, followed by a sound of breaking through the air and arrows shot horizontally. Several Tang soldiers were shot and screamed in succession. The other Tang soldiers immediately formed a barrier with shields.

"General, there is a vine bridge in front of him. It leads to the other side. Arrows shoot from the vine bridge." Liu Shuai blamed himself for his guidance. After saying that, he immediately jumped up, holding a shield in one hand and a knife in the other, and was about to rush forward, but Wang Siyu grabbed him, "We can't see them, and they can't see us, don't go up and alert the snake, they broke the vine bridge."

He turned around and waved to a Qiang soldier who could speak Tubo. The soldier immediately stepped forward and shouted loudly in Tubo, meaning that they were traveling merchants passing by.

After a while, the arrows slowly sparsely, and a few shouts came from a faint sound. The Qiang soldiers turned around and said, "They asked someone to go and pass the road to inspect."

Wang Siyu stood up, picked up his big iron spear, and said coldly: "I'll go and pass it on to them."

He took big steps toward the thick fog. With his feelings, he had walked less than a hundred steps. Through the fog, he saw a dark suspension bridge in front of him and some shaking figures.

He shouted in the Tubo language he had just learned, "I'm here!" and shook his big iron spear and rushed towards the bridge, twenty steps, ten steps.

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The Tubo army had discovered something strange. Arrows were fired at once. Wang Siyu's iron spear flew over, like pear blossoms, as if there was an invisible barrier in front of him. The arrows were piked everywhere. In an instant, he rushed to the bridge. Several giant dogs half a man-tall roared and rushed on. Wang Siyu shot one by one, and penetrated them into a string on the gun, like candied haws, and threw them to the left and left the cliff a hundred feet away.

At this time, the Tubo army saw that there was only one person. They were surprised at first, and then they drew their swords and rushed on. Wang Siyu roared like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. He stabbed the sword with one hand and slashed the sword with the other hand. He rushed to the bridge like a whirlwind, stabbed the dozen Tubos on the bridge one by one, and then turned over. The tip of the gun pierced the throat of the three people. One gun was elusive. The tip of the gun pierced the throat and heart of the gun. He shot and shot it without any slightest. In a moment, seventy or eighty people were killed. Even the centurion of the Tubo soldiers was shot off the cliff by him.

He was so angry that he was so angry that he raised his head and laughed wildly, as if the demons were coming to the world. The remaining dozens of Tubo soldiers were so scared that they were scattered. He shouted, fled to his place in panic. Most of them were slaughtered by the Tang army brigade who came to pick him up, leaving only two living people.

Soon, the soldiers asked for confession, but Wang Siyu felt a little cold. Thousands of Tubo troops were garrisoned on the other side of Jishi Valley in front of him. The suspension bridge across the Yellow River in front was destroyed, and only two cables were left. Not to mention that people could not cross the Yellow River under the scattered arrows. Even if the Tubo people fled to the wind and could slide over, the horse could not pass. Besides, even if the Tubo people fled to the wind and escaped, they would not be so stupid that they would forget to cut off the rope.

Sure enough, a Tang army who went to investigate rushed back and reported that the suspension bridge above the Yellow River had been destroyed, and even the ropes were cut off, so it was impossible to cross the river.

Wang Siyu sat on the big rock in great frustration, lowered her head and said, "What should I do? If I can't cross the Yellow River, I have no way to talk about seizing the stone fort."

At this time, Liu Shuai stepped forward to report: "General, it's cold at night. Why not let the brothers go to Jishi Fort to rest first and see if there is any other way to cross the river."

Wang Siyu nodded, and now he had no choice but to do this. He stood up and pointed to Jishi Castle two miles away and said, "Tell me the order, brothers, go to the stone castle to rest."

Jishi Fort was built near the Yellow River. It is tall and strong. The castle can accommodate tens of thousands of people. It was once an extremely important castle for the Tang Dynasty to defend against Tubo. After the Anshi Rebellion, Jishi Fort lost its meaning of existence as the Tang Dynasty's border continued to move eastward, and gradually became deserted. Under the moonlight, the castle gate had decayed. The castle was covered with weeds and moss. Countless animals such as rats and snakes settled down here. The army entered the castle, and groups of bats were alarmed and flew up, circling in the river valley, making sharp screams.

The Tang army cleaned some of the houses and began to bury the pot to cook. Wang Siyu stood at the top of the city and stared at the opposite bank of the Yellow River. This was a narrow passage of the Yellow River. The Yellow River was like a black sword, splitting a river channel among the mountains and ridges, rolling eastward. Jishi Valley was the narrowest place of the Yellow River, only eighty feet wide. The water flowed rapidly, rushing and roaring in the valley, with huge sounds coming from it.

On the other side, you can vaguely see another white castle, Ningbian Fort, and more than a thousand Tubo troops should be stationed in the fort. The two forts are only one mile apart, but they are just a short distance away. Maybe you have to travel thousands of miles to meet.

The matter was irreversible, and Wang Siyu finally calmed down and learned from the prisoners that the enemy had not been here for several years. It was the first time yesterday. Why?

The governor was about to send troops to Hehuang, but the Tubo army had an abnormal mobilization. Is this just a coincidence? Wang Siyu suddenly turned his head and looked south. He put his long hand like a giant ape on his forehead, narrowing his eyes and looking at it, "What did I see?" He murmured to himself, the black mist rose in the canyon like a floating cloud, filled with strange and murderous signs.

‘If you can’t go to Shibao City, then go to the Tubo people’s nest!’

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On the vast wilderness on the south bank of Huangshui, the sound of killing shook the sky and blood flowed into a river. A Tuyuhun army, who came to support from Longzhi County, collided head-on with the main force of the Tang army. The tragic battle had been going on for two hours. The 20,000 Tuyuhun army seemed to have been witchcraft and attacked wildly at all costs at all. The Tang army's crossbow suppressed the Tuyuhun army's attacks one after another. The 20,000 Tuyuhun army had lost more than half, and the momentum of the attack was gradually slowed down.

"Attack on the whole line!" Zhang Huan, the commander of the Tang army, finally issued a counterattack order. The fierce drum sound echoed on the ground like muffled thunder. Twenty thousand cavalry suddenly appeared. They divided into two wings, swept towards the tired enemy like trawling nets and fishing.

They were full of energy and their swords were sharp. Inspired by the sound of horns, their long spear hit the swords, making a loud sound, like a storm, rolling towards the enemy groups.

The Tuyuhun Army finally collapsed in the face of the powerful combat power of the enemy. They threw away their armor and fled in the wilderness, but the cavalry caught up quickly, massacred, wailed, and begged for mercy throughout the wilderness, and they were still cold and cold swords, not accepting surrender, without sympathy and pity. The hatred that the Tang army suppressed in their hearts for more than 20 years completely broke out at this moment.

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In the Yellow River Valley, Wang Siyu's army has been in the valley for two days. Although it is early spring, the valley is like summer, extremely hot and the weather changes as soon as possible. On the third day, the air is even more dull. In the afternoon, dark clouds are pressing down on the top, dark clouds are rolling in the dim sky, lightning and thunder are roaring, and a heavy rain is coming.

The downpour of rain lasted for two hours before stopping. The Tang army finally walked out of the canyon in the mud and came to a flat plateau. The air suddenly became fresh, with the chill of early spring. The sun had already set in the west, and the hazy horizon was covered with blood. They had already penetrated hundreds of miles deep in Tubo at this time.

"Bridge!" Several soldiers shouted loudly. Not far away in front of them, a long vine bridge lies across the Yellow River, and more than one, but Wang Siyu was not infected. He immediately looked at the south with a grim look. In the afterglow of the sunset that was about to disappear, a city stood at the end of the sky, which should be the Wanxiu City of Tubo. Under the reflection of the fiery red sunset, it was like a mythical country.
Chapter completed!