Just like Chang'an's West Market has always been full of beauties and drunkards on the streets, Lanzhou Military Town has the sound of horseshoe bells and boiling blood that refuses to be silent at any time.
The long smoke sets, the mountains and rivers are magnificent!
Tens of thousands of troops have been assembled. The armor is like a city, and the swords and guns are like forests.
Qin Mubai, wearing a military uniform and riding a flaming horse, walked through the army formation. After the military parade was completed, he boarded the general's platform.
On the stage, Jiangxia King Li Daozong has already prepared the sacrifices for all groups. He is just waiting for the arrival of the coach Qin Mubai at the auspicious time. After worshiping the ghosts and gods of heaven and earth, the army will set off for Dafeichuan.
The 60,000 troops who accompanied the expedition were well-organized and their morale was as high as a rainbow.
After the ceremony, Li Daozong handed Qin Mubai his ax and flag and said, "Grand Commander, everything is ready. After one stick of incense, it will be the auspicious hour of the zodiac, and the army can set off!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qin Mubai handed Xiang Xiang's absolutely authoritative ax to the commander of the Central Army, and handed the flag to Zhang Tong, the flag commander. Without further words, he unsheathed his sword and commanded the entire army. Mount your horse and set off immediately.
"Young Marshal, please wait a moment..." A sudden voice interrupted Qin Mubai, it was Princess Wencheng Li Xueyan.
"What do you want to say, princess?" Qin Mubai turned around and asked.
"Forgive me, young commander." Li Xueyan bowed and saluted, "The army is about to leave, but I have a merciless request."
Qin Mubai glanced at Li Daozong and saw that he had no expression or any hint, so he had to say: "Princess, please speak."
"In the old days when I was in Chang'an, I heard that the young marshal could play a good song called "Ambush from Flying Daggers." Li Xueyan said, "Now, except for the young marshal, I am afraid that no one can play this song, even the young marshal. The palace musicians haven’t learned it either. May I ask, Marshal, is this the case?”
"Yes." Qin Mubai said, "At that time, His Majesty sent palace musicians to learn the art, but they only learned one song, "The Overlord Removes His Armor" and "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night". I am also very good at this song "Ambush from Flying Daggers" Play less."
"I have heard people say that this song is impassioned, domineering and majestic. It is the most powerful military music, right?" Li Xueyan asked himself and answered, "In this case, why doesn't the young commander play a song to enhance the military power when the army is about to set off? ?”
Qin Mubai frowned, looking troubled. At this time, who still has the heart to engage in this kind of performance art
And surprisingly, the surrounding generals also echoed: "Yes, young commander, why don't you just play a song for us to increase the power of the army!"
"Yes, Marshal..."
Li Xueyan took a few steps forward and said softly: "Sorry, Marshal. I know you have sworn not to play music again unless it is to pay homage to Yao'er. I also admit that I do it out of selfishness, and I really want to hear you play again. One pipa, even just once, is fine..."
"Why?" Qin Mubai said.
"No reason..." Li Xueyan smiled slightly sadly and said, "I know this is very abrupt and somewhat inappropriate, but... just think of it as me begging you, okay?"
The word "begging" made Qin Mubai feel a little uncomfortable.
"It's not a difficult thing, I just finished playing it..." Qin Mubai nodded and said to his left and right, "Come here, bring the ashes of my father Shuai and Yao'er... Just treat it as a memorial to them! "
When everything was ready, Qin Mubai picked up the ancient wooden pipa that had not been touched for a long time, closed his eyes and concentrated.
Everyone held their breath and stared at him, listening attentively.
Suddenly a string of high-pitched and unrestrained sounds sounded, and everyone felt their hearts swaying, their whole bodies felt like rapids passing by, and their minds were clear!
"Yan'er, why do you want him to play the pipa at this time?" Li Daozong approached his daughter and asked in a low voice, very puzzled.
"The yellow sand is long, and there are thousands of troops and horses; when you hear the pipa playing, the strings are trembling, and the sky is silent for nine days!" Li Xueyan was already in a trance and answered the question.
Li Daozong was stunned for a moment: "What did you say?"
"Father... I am very lucky. I am his close friend." Li Xueyan frowned slightly and said softly, "I just want to know what is going on in his mind at this moment."
"Then you heard it?"
"Well..." Li Xueyan suddenly turned her head, looked at her father solemnly, and said, "Father, under Qin Mubai's calm appearance, there is a wild heart that has been fettered for a long time. He is so unrestrained and passionate that even the gods cannot restrain him! Listening to his music is like seeing the millions of soldiers buried in his heart, and the arrogance that dares to demand justice from heaven and earth... The current Qin Mubai is no longer what he used to be! Qin Mubai! He has completely released himself and is going to do whatever he wants!"
Li Daozong did not show any surprise, but nodded slightly and said: "After this battle, Qin Mubai will either soar to the sky and conquer the world, or he will never be reincarnated. Whether he is a coward or a warrior, we will see the difference soon. ”
"Everyone in the world likes to judge heroes by their success or failure. But in my opinion, no matter whether he wins or loses in this battle, Qin Mubai has lived up to his reputation as a man." Li Xueyan stared at Qin Mubai who was concentrating on the music and said leisurely, "In this lifetime , How many people can be as heroic and spirited as he is without any regrets?”
"So what?" Li Daozong glanced at Li Xueyan and coldly threw away these four words.
Li Xueyan's expression suddenly dimmed a bit, and she said softly: "It's not that bad... It's just like loving a flower. Just look at it and appreciate it if you feel pity for it. You don't have to take it off and put it on your head..."
"Hmph..." Li Daozong snorted slightly annoyed and said, "Then you should really learn from Qin Mubai. In his words, 'A flower can be cut off when it blooms, so don't wait. No flowers, nothing but branches! - He dares to steal a woman from the emperor! What are you afraid of?"
"..." Li Xueyan was speechless, but her eyebrows were tightly knitted.
"Bang—"
The Guiyi sword was unsheathed, the cold light shone brightly, and the dragon roared in the blue sky!
"Go to war—"
Tens of thousands of troops let out an earth-shattering roar and galloped towards the west!
Qin Mubai put his sword back into its sheath, walked back and handed the pipa to Li Xueyan, saying, "Your Highness, I, please take your leave!"
"Take care, we'll be victorious..." Li Xueyan couldn't say much, so she took the pipa and said softly.
Qin Mubai couldn't see that she looked abnormal and wanted to give up, but he only said to Li Daozong: "Your Majesty, after I leave, everything in Lanzhou will trouble you. There will be another place to deal with when the imperial decree is issued. Before that, , please spare no effort and stay in the rear, Your Majesty.”
"Don't worry." Li Daozong only said these two words.
Qin Mubai turned his eyes and saw a few horses parked on the hillside in the distance. Although he couldn't see clearly from a distance, he clearly felt that there were a few rays of eyes falling on him without stopping.
Qin Mubai raised his hand and waved it in that direction, but he shed countless tears of farewell.
Princess Gaoyang, Wu Meiniang's family, Chen Yan, Su Lianqing, and the Tantai sisters all sent Qin Mubai to get on his horse, lead his eye-catching guards "Snow Sculpture Army" and gallop out, gradually disappearing from sight together with the army.
"Thief military academy, stinky man... Why can't you take us to Dafeichuan? Are we so burdensome?" Princess Gaoyang cursed in a low voice with red eyes.
"Stop complaining. If Sister Yan and I hadn't joined forces to intercede for you yesterday, you would have been on your way to Chang'an now." Wu Meiniang sighed.
"He is so cruel!" Princess Gao Yang couldn't hold it back after all. Tears rolled down like broken beads, and she sobbed, "If it weren't for the fact that I was pregnant with Liujia and had difficulty moving, he would have really wanted to drive me back. Chang'an!"
"Princess, don't blame Mu Bai." Chen Yan said, "The reason why I fell in love with him is because he is actually very similar to me in many ways. I would hide alone to give birth to Xiaolouer, and he would also rush there alone. The battlefield is full of life and death. This does not mean that he does not trust or care for the other party. On the contrary, he just does not want us to suffer. "
"Yes, yes, you have explained all the truth, but I am the only one who is unreasonable!" Princess Gao Yang said bitterly, "I just like to share joys and sorrows with him, life and death, is this wrong?"
"That's right." Chen Yan said calmly, "You have this right, and you have done so more than once in the past. But now you no longer have such qualifications, just because you have a child in your belly."
"..." Princess Gao Yang was speechless and could only let her tears flow down uncontrollably.
Wu Meiniang also touched her belly subconsciously and whispered: "Yes... who doesn't want to go with him? But, we are all going to be mothers, and we can't follow our own temper... "
Li Xueyan kept looking sideways at the direction where Wu Meiniang and others were standing, her eyes moving thoughtfully.
"What are you thinking about?" Li Daozong asked, "Jealous of them, or do you want to join them?"
Li Xueyan blushed, then smiled bitterly: "Father, daughters are not as tacky as you think. They only strive for the affection of their children and are jealous. I admit that I admire him. In other times, my daughter would be as uncomplaining as they are. To pursue and love deeply without regrets. But at this moment, he can exercise discretion, and his daughter also knows her priorities. This time, such a huge war broke out between Tang Dynasty and Tubo. Although it was not entirely caused by me, it had something to do with me. . I’m thinking, what can I do at this moment?”
"You can't do anything." Li Daozong said coldly and resolutely, "You shouldn't have foolishly jumped out in the first place and bravely wanted to marry far away from the plateau! Otherwise, there would be no such turmoil. , a laughing stock!”
"..." Li Xueyan stared, lowered her eyebrows, bit her lips, shook her head slowly, and said, "To this day, I still don't regret my original decision. Even in the future, I will do my best to resolve disasters and reduce disasters. War. Even if I know, my power is so humble. No matter who they are, Han or Tubo, it would be better if one less person dies..."
"I'm too lazy to talk to you! You'd better go back to Chang'an as soon as possible to serve your mother!" Li Daozong snorted and walked away with a flick of his sleeves.
Li Xueyan trembled slightly, staring at her father who was striding away. Her eyes were filled with grievances and stubbornness.
"I will never give up...!"
Tens of thousands of soldiers prepared their horses, food and fodder and then came to support them. The army led by Qin Mubai advanced very quickly. In less than three days, we arrived at Shancheng, only a flat plain three hundred miles away from Dafeichuan.
Here, Qin Mubai received a military report from Su Dingfang and Xue Wanche, the guards of Yuyang Second Pass, saying that "Second Pass is as stable as a rock and unbreakable. Please rest assured, Marshal."
But Qin Mubai knew that these few words were the promises made by countless soldiers guarding the border with their blood and lives.
The two brothers of Gal Qinling were obviously sworn to take down the second pass of Yuyang by his brother's death. So from the first day of the battle, the more than 50,000 Tibetan troops adopted a desperate attitude and fought hard to attack the enemy at all costs. They only had to climb up the tower on a ladder made of corpses.
The Tang army garrisoning Yuyang Erguan totaled 20,000 soldiers and horses, and their food and grass were also quite limited. Due to the long distance and difficult transportation, subsequent supply is quite difficult. However, in Su Dingfang's letters, he never asked for food or reinforcements. The two words he mentioned the most were "don't worry".
With these two words from Su Dingfang, Qin Mubai felt relieved on the one hand; on the other hand, he felt deeply ashamed and in crisis.
"We must capture the thief and the king, and defeat the main force of Gar Qinling as soon as possible!" This was the only thought left in Qin Mubai's heart.
Three days later, Qin Mubai led his army to Dafeichuan, and was greeted by defender Xue Wanjun and his generals.
Judging from the situation, before Qin Mubai arrived, Xue Wanjun had already fought several battles with the Tubo people. There were already wounded soldiers in the camp, as evidenced by the pre-war atmosphere of facing the enemy.
After asking, it turned out to be true.
There are still five days left before the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival at the Garqinling Battle, but in recent days, the Garqinling has sent three vanguards, taking turns coming to the Tang army camp to instigate a battle. Xue Wanjun also wanted to test the combat power of Gal Qinling's army first, so he sent several rounds of soldiers and horses to fight with them in several fields, each with its own victory or defeat.
The scale of the battle was not large, and the number of people never exceeded 3,000. It can be seen that both sides were more cautious and only stopped testing.
Xue Wanjun said that this time the Tubo people were serious about it. A quarter of a million troops had been gathered in the Garqin Mausoleum. Maybe the Tibetan Zanpu Abandoned Zong Nongzan had already arrived to take charge of the army. Moreover, the Tianshan Iron Cavalry under the command of Gal Qinling is indeed a big tough guy, and its combat effectiveness should not be underestimated. Most of the troops Xue Wanjun sent in these small battles were veterans who had experienced hundreds of battles in the battlefield. They were also very particular about their formations. However, our own army still lost more than it won and could not gain any advantage at all. The casualties were also far away. Bigger than the other party.
As a result, Dafeichuanli seemed a little nervous and morale was slightly low.
Qin Mubai was not surprised by this, and he had no intention of blaming Xue Wanjun for going to war first. It is necessary to find out the opponent's ins and outs before a battle.
Originally, the combat effectiveness of Tubo's cavalry was indeed strong. If it were an equal fight against the battlefield, the Tang army would indeed not have much advantage.
But Qin Mubai had no intention of "equal confrontation" with Gar Qinling. In his mind, if a person wants to take down a beast, does he have to fight with his bare hands to compete with him for strength
"The Tubo cavalry is strong and capable in the field, especially since Dafeichuan and Qingluo Plains are mostly plain pastures, which is more conducive for them to exert their advantages. We must avoid their sharp edges and hit their weak points, and do not hit them head-on." Qin Mubai said to the generals. , "From now on, hang up your battle-free card first, and don't have to be instigated to go out to fight. I will make a decision after careful planning!"
"promise!"
As soon as Qin Mubai arrived, Dafeichuan had a backbone. The soldiers of the two armies joined forces to set up camp and strengthen their troops. As long as he gave his order, this unprecedented battle would begin. …