Qingluoyuan was filled with smoke and corpses were strewn across the fields. There were countless huge craters on the ground, and the knee-deep snow was dyed red with blood. Fires broke out everywhere in the huge Tubo army camp, and thick smoke billowed for dozens of miles. Groups of Tibetan prisoners were escorted by Tang army soldiers and walked outside the camp.
Hou Junji was riding a horse in the military camp, his face was tense and his eyes were as cold as ice. A group of prisoners was escorted by him. He glanced sideways and saw that a few of them seemed to be Han Chinese, so he raised his hand and pointed with his whip: "Bring those two people over."
The personal guards stepped forward and escorted over the two Tibetan prisoners who were suspected to be Han Chinese.
"Are you Han Chinese?" Hou Junji asked.
"Yes, we are captured people of the Tang Dynasty. We were used by the Tubo people as serfs to herd and plant crops. When the war started, we went to the military camp to feed horses as fire-headed troops and serve the knights of the Kunlun Cavalry. Every Kunlun Cavalry has a certain There are as many as three or four slaves." One of them replied cautiously in Chinese, with an authentic Kansai accent.
Hou Junji squinted at them, his eyes piercing into their hearts like blades. After careful judgment, it was not like these two were lying.
"Don't be afraid, I won't kill you. Once the identity verification proves that you are Han Chinese who were kidnapped, I will let you return to your homeland to reunite with your relatives," Hou Junji said.
"Thank you, general, thank you so much, general!" The two Han slaves were overjoyed and knelt on the snow, kowtowing non-stop.
"Get up. I will ask you, why are there only a few old, weak, remnant soldiers and horsemen and slaves left in the Qingluoyuan camp? Where are the main force of the Kunlun cavalry in the Garqin Ling?" Hou Junji asked.
"This... villain is just a servant who feeds horses and boils water. I don't know much about it." One of them replied, "I only know that about three days ago in the middle of the night, there was a big noise in the military camp, and most of the people turned away. We drove away to Jishi Mountain in the southwest. Before dawn the next day, the general in charge asked us, the fire-headed grooms, to mount their horses and run around the camp holding flags. In the middle of the night, we were still holding torches. It didn’t exhaust us to death.”
"Bluff and cross Chencang secretly!" After hearing this, Hou Junji completely understood and felt completely cold.
The previous bad premonitions and speculations have now been verified.
Ever since Hou Junji was ordered to lead the army to guard Dafeichuan, the "wounded beast" Gar Qinling has never stopped provoking and attacking Dafeichuan. Although the Tubo people suffered two defeats in a row, they still had 150,000 remaining soldiers and horses, and the main force of the Kunlun cavalry was still there, and Garqin Ling was still in charge. With only the strength of 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers and horses in his hands, Hou Junji is really difficult to compete with. So, following Qin Mubai's instructions, he strictly guarded the camp and used defense instead of attack, letting time, cold and hunger wear down the fighting spirit and strength of the Tibetan people.
In the cold winter, heavy snow closed the mountains and it was difficult to transport food and grass. In fact, not only the Tibetan people, but also the entire Lanzhou were short of food. According to Qin Mubai's pre-planning, when the ice and snow melted and the grain roads were clear, he would shrink the front and concentrate his troops, and then raise enough grain and grass for a decisive battle with the Tubo people. Moreover, in the cold winter, the Tang army's field combat capabilities will be greatly reduced, and they will be far inferior to the Tubo cavalry who are accustomed to the severe cold of ice and snow.
Due to all these factors, the tactic of "replacing offense with defense" was reasonable, and Hou Junji himself did not raise any objections at that time. Although he was eager to make contributions, he also recognized Qin Mubai's tactic.
However, I still made a mistake in the end.
The heavily damaged Galqin Mausoleum looked like a wild beast that had been aroused to a rage. It provoked repeated battles and even risked the power of divine cannons to send troops to attack Dafeichuan. Without exception, they were all beaten. Return.
Such a crazy offensive seemed to fulfill Qin Mubai's expectation - the surprise attack on Golmud was successful, the Tubo people had no food, grass and baggage, and they had to attack Dafeichuan urgently, otherwise they would really die in this severe winter. Unexpectedly, behind the crazy attack, there was a sinister plan - Gal Qin Ling abandoned his 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers and horses like a broken arm, leaving half of them to defend the stronghold and the other half to continue provoking Dafeichuan to contain the enemy. Paralyzing the Tang army; secretly, he personally led the elite Kunlun cavalry of his headquarters to detour to the southwest and climb over the snow-covered Jishi Mountain!
By the time Hou Junji discovered the fraud, it was already too late. Although he immediately led the army to attack, with the help of Shenwu artillery, he defeated the remaining Tibetan soldiers and horses in only half a day, and captured the Qingluo original army camp in one fell swoop, but Gar Qinling and his men The nearly 100,000 Kunlun cavalry have disappeared.
…
Hou Junji had almost anticipated the consequences. He personally came to the vicinity of Jishi Mountain and found traces of a large number of cavalry activities here. Looking up, you can see the endless mountains covered with ice and snow and the dangerous peaks towering into the clouds.
"What a hell! Do Garqin Ling and his Kunlun cavalry have wings?" Hou Junji cursed in his heart, "No bird can fly through such mountains and steep ice peaks. How can the cavalry pass through?" ?”
The lieutenants around them also realized the seriousness of the problem and whispered: "Jishishan Mountain stretches for dozens of miles and is a natural military barrier. In the past, it was the watershed between Tubo and Tuyuhun. The soldiers and horses of the Central Plains could fight At this point, it is almost the end. Now the Garqin Tomb crawls past here like a ghost, and then crosses a plateau and plains to the southeast, hundreds of miles in depth, and then directly faces the new establishment of the Tang Dynasty in the hometown of Tuyuhun. The state and county!”
"Gar Qin Ling will definitely invade Taozhou!" Hou Junji frowned and said, "Because in the Songzhou area, tens of thousands of troops led by Yuchi Jingde, the marching commander of Jiannan Road, were stationed there. Previously, there were It was once a battlefield. However, between the Songzhou Military Region and Taozhou, there is a plateau and ravine area of about tens of miles. Due to the rugged roads and bad weather, it is rarely populated and is almost an uninhabited land. Since Erqin Ling can climb over Jishi Mountain, he will definitely choose such a place to escape Yuchi Jingde’s eyes and go straight to Taozhou!”
"If he captures Taozhou, it will be a big deal!" The lieutenants on the left and right said in surprise, "Taozhou is one of the cities with the most convenient transportation on our western frontier defense line in the Tang Dynasty. After Gar Qinling captured it, the southeast, northwest and Everyone can march, but I am afraid that he will go deep into Guanzhong and harm the Central Plains!"
"Now let's hope that General Yuchi can discover and snipe the Garqin Tomb halfway!"
"It's nothing to hope for!" Hou Junji snorted angrily and said, "Who would send troops to guard the patrol posts on the extremity plateau dozens of miles away when the mountains are covered with snow and the ground is freezing? Yuchi? Jingde is just a fierce general who charges into battle, and he can't do such a delicate job. Besides, even if he is discovered, he may not have time to save him! Since Gar Qinling dares to go, he must have done half the job. Prepare for an encounter. If you encounter the Kunlun Cavalry in that place, it would be strange if Yuchi Jingde’s tens of thousands of Sichuan and Shu infantry are not eaten alive!”
"Doesn't that mean that Gar Qinling must have succeeded and captured Taozhou? Next, we don't know how much poison Xijiang and the Central Plains will suffer!" The lieutenants on the left and right all regretted and complained, "We have seriously neglected our duties. , and actually let Garqin Ling slip under our noses!"
"He will come back again." Hou Junji gritted his teeth and said word by word.
"Come back?" Everyone was surprised.
"Taozhou is connected in all directions. After the Garqin Mausoleum has been causing trouble in Western Xinjiang for a while, he will never kill everyone and attack Guanzhong. That is undoubtedly seeking death." Hou Junji said, "His move is to create chaos, attract and contain Our troops on the border of the Tang Dynasty seek an escape opportunity for himself."
"Then why didn't he simply retreat from Qingluo Plain to the plateau? Isn't a surprise attack on Taozhou unnecessary?"
"He wants revenge." Hou Junji closed his eyes slightly, looking at the white snow-capped mountains in front of him, and said in a deep voice, "The three consecutive defeats in Huanyue Valley, Dafeichuan and Golmud have left him with a great loss of energy and face. , this is not only a military defeat, but also likely to affect his position in Tubo and shake the Tibetan national policy that he, a fanatical war faction, has always advocated. If he retreats in despair, he may never be able to fight again in the future. I saw him on the battlefield. Do you think a hero like him would be willing to do it? In addition, he may have other plots after taking Taozhou, and it should be more than just revenge."
After hearing these words from Hou Junji, a huge stone weighed on the hearts of all the generals.
"General Hou, what should we do now?" Zuo Zuo asked, "Qingluoyuan has been captured, but except for some prisoners of old, weak and remnant soldiers, we have gained almost nothing. How can we explain such a major dereliction of duty to Marshal Qin? ?”
"This is no longer a matter of how to explain it to 'Shao Shuai Qin'..." Hou Junji slowly said this sentence, placing special emphasis on the three words 'Shao Shuai Qin'.
The generals' hearts were filled with confusion - was he implying that His Majesty the Emperor would be held accountable in the future
At this moment, Hou Junji's face gradually darkened, with a vague air of death. He thought in his heart, I am a certain person who has been homeless and humiliated. He finally came out to take charge of the military and wanted to do something big, but he made the most serious military mistake in his life!
Hou Mou was already an abandoned soldier of the emperor and a victim of the imperial party strife. If Qin Mubai hadn't boldly used me in an unusual way, Hou Mou would have either died alone and unknown in Liangzhou, or someone would have found an excuse to root out the troubles to eliminate future troubles. Everything is irreversible now. Because of my mistakes, Qin Mubai will also be responsible for poor deployment and improper employment, and Yuchi Jingde will also be implicated by me. The military's power has finally recovered and risen above the court. It will surely suffer a heavy blow because of Hou's mistake!
Even if the emperor is magnanimous and forgives me once again, can Changsun Wuji let me go? What a chance to put someone to death! —If Taozhou is lost, Western Xinjiang and the mainland will surely suffer huge losses. How many heads will it take to quell public opinion and public anger with such consequences? However, Qin Mubai is one of the few great heroes and celebrities in recent years and a young general trained by the emperor. Although Yuchi Jingde was implicated, he did not take the main responsibility. In addition, he was one of the four great heroes of Kaiyuan and was deeply trusted by the emperor. , now the mainstay is in the limelight... Even if these two people are punished, the emperor will never kill them harshly, at most he will give them a painless punishment!
…
After thinking for a long time, Hou Junji couldn't help but close his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"This time, Hou will definitely die, and there will be no chance of recovery!"
"General Hou, what did you say?" he asked, not hearing clearly.
"It's nothing." Hou Jun collected his thoughts and regained his composure, and said, "The Tibetan soldiers who were just captured in Qingluoyuan do not need to be brought back to Dafeichuan - all will be executed on the spot!"
"Ah? General Hou wants to kill prisoners?" All the generals were surprised, "Or... all of them?"
Hou Junji squinted his eyes, looked up at the sky, and said, "Select the Han slaves among them, give them some food, and let them escape on their own!"
At this moment, he said in his heart: "This can be regarded as the last good deed that I, Hou, will do in this life!"
"But General Hou, our military law in the Tang Dynasty is strict and does not allow the indiscriminate killing of prisoners! Didn't the young marshal also solemnly warn the general before leaving..."
"Hou Mou will bear the huge sin himself!" Hou Junji shouted fiercely.
"Twenty to thirty thousand people!"
"If you dare to disobey this general's order, you will be killed now!" Hou Junji drew his sword.
The deputy generals on the left and right did not dare to say anything more, so they had no choice but to lead Nuo and retreat to carry out military orders.
A gust of cold wind blew past, causing Hou Jun's shirt to flutter and cover his chest and face. He stretched out his hand and held his shirt behind him with a sudden shake, his eyes full of anger, like a lone wolf that had been hungry for a long time, facing the sheep -
"Bring out the Tibetan prisoners in Dafeichuan in ten batches and kill them all! No one will be spared!"
"Yes..." All the generals felt chilled, but looking at the cold blade in his hand, they no longer dared to say anything.
"Go and get busy!" Hou Jun put his sword back into its sheath and waved his hand with his back to the generals. "Tomorrow at this time, all 50,000 to 60,000 prisoners will be killed! Time is very tight!"
The hearts of the generals jumped suddenly, and they looked at each other and said to themselves: Time is tight? What was he rushing to do
But no one dared to ask. Although Hou Junji was good at leading troops, especially good at training troops, and he could share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. He often took the lead in killing the enemy in large and small battles, and he had clear rewards and punishments. He was already quite prestigious among the soldiers; In terms of temperament, Hou Junji was a rather withdrawn, cold, arrogant and hard-to-get-together person. He was also ruthless and ruthless in his words. The generals were really afraid that if they asked more questions, he turned his back and ruthlessly chopped him down on the spot.
But when they thought that 50,000 to 60,000 Tibetan prisoners would be executed soon, all the generals felt a chill in their hearts! -Up to the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, such a thing had never happened! Hou Junji, he is risking the disapproval of the world. Doesn’t he want to live? Even if the Tubo people don't desperately seek revenge on him, the Tang court may not let him go!
After all the generals left, Hou Junji was still standing alone at the foot of Jishi Mountain. Even the flag envoy and personal guards in charge of the flag were ten steps away from him and did not dare to approach.
"Death means death, but Hou Mou has no worries anymore!" Hou Junji took a deep breath, smiled coldly, and said to himself, "In the past, Hou Mou always lived under the emperor's protection and kindness. After that, Hou Mou was impressed by Qin Mubai's loyalty and generosity, and obeyed Qin Mubai's advice, even better than the emperor. And nothing less! —Today, Hou Mou wants to do something that he has always wanted to do, but could not, did not dare to do, and did not have the heart to do!”
"Even if you are not afraid of death, what else do you have to fear!"
"I'm sorry, His Majesty the Emperor! What I'm going to do next may make you regret that you didn't kill Hou Junji earlier! - Just think of it as a wise man who always makes mistakes!"
"I'm sorry, Qin Mubai! Hou Mou once planned to never trust anyone in this life, except you. But now, Hou Mou has to do something to make me sorry for you! But don't worry, no matter what Hou Mou can't kill you! In addition, maybe Hou Mou is doing good things with bad intentions, and can also lay some foundations and create some conveniences for you, which can be regarded as repaying your loyalty and generosity. Let’s raise a white-eyed wolf for a while!”
"A wolf is not a dog after all!" Hou Junji couldn't help but grinned indifferently, "That's what nature is. You should have thought of it, right?"