Tubo Zanpu would have an annual alliance with his ministers every year, and if Tubo Zanpu was happy, several alliances a year would happen.
As long as he wants to cause trouble, ministers such as the vassal town will set off for the holy city: Luoxe City (Lhasa).
Their alliance has only one purpose, which is to ensure the legitimacy of Tubo Zampu.
The use of oaths and ancient rituals such as blood alliance is the only way to prove Zamp. It is also an important ceremony for them to sign the contract and swear allegiance to Zamp.
Songtsen Gampo's influence in Tubo was unparalleled, and his grandson Mansong Mantsen, after inheriting his glorious property, especially with the help of Ludongtsen, put the entire Tubo royal family in an extremely stable position. , in a stable situation.
The Tubo army was like a replica of the Tang army, but in a general sense.
If you really study the Tibetan army's organization, you will find that their centripetal force and loyalty have nothing to do with the country, but only with the people.
Just like the ministers of the vassal town were only loyal to Tubo Zampu, not Tibet, the hierarchical hierarchy under the monarchy system made many officials know the king but not Tibet.
Tubo had sixty-one soldiers in Dongdai, just like the Thousand Households of the Tang Dynasty. Each Thousand Household was under the jurisdiction of the upper level Ru.
Tubo is divided into seven tribes, commanding 61,000 households. As the top power royal family in the empire, a different number of people are drawn from each tribe every year to form the royal army, which is the direct force of Zampu, while the rest belong to the seven tribes. Ru rules.
Therefore, in Tubo, apart from the prime ministers Zanpu and Ludongzan, the most powerful and most likely to subvert the Tubo regime are the seven aristocratic classes that govern Qiru.
Some people also call them the "Seven Red Kings of Tianchi", who are scattered around Luoxue City. They are divided by Zanpu like princes. They are in charge of the army in their hands and fight for the stability of Zanpu's royal family and the expansion of territory.
Strategies such as instigating rebellion and alienation are of absolutely no use to Tibet, which is now prospering and has a relatively complete and stable political system.
The people here's belief in Zanpu is as clear and pure as the sky here. People's thoughts are also purely loyal to the great god Songtsen Gampo.
Li Hong was sitting in the tent, listening to the reports from Cheetah, Jingzhe and Hengqiao. The horizontal knife in his hand was scratching back and forth on the ground. He didn't believe that the Tubo was like a piece of iron with no gaps at all.
"Are you sure you haven't found anyone who can be used by us?" Li Hong spoke very softly, as if he was afraid of disturbing anyone.
But the faces of the three Cheetahs were pale. In two years, they and others had not succeeded in instigating a rebellion, not even a big shot who played an important role in Tubo.
But their biggest achievement was that they made a great achievement without using their brains, that is, they assassinated generals from more than a thousand households in Tubo.
Nowadays, the Tubo generals with more than a thousand households are surrounded by soldiers. They are protected by a large number of soldiers when going out and returning home. They have become Tubo national treasures.
"The loyalty of each of the Seven Heavenly Red Kings is beyond our imagination. No matter it's money, beauty, or power, there is no way to make them have a single thought." Cheetah and Jingzhe knelt on the ground and said with their heads lowered.
His Highness the Crown Prince gave them the maximum rights, but in the end, apart from assassinating many Tubo generals together with Heng Qiao of 'Jingwei', they had no other achievements.
This made them feel ashamed when facing Li Hong's inquiry, feeling that they had failed His Highness's trust and expectations in them.
"Do you know Chidu Songjie?" Li Hong took out a list from his arms. In addition to the names of the Seven Heavenly Red Kings, there was also the name of a person named Chidu Songjie.
In response to Li Hong's interrogation, the three of them looked at each other, then nodded in unison and said, "Master, I know this person."
"Tell me about him." Li Hong watched Bai Qi walk in leisurely from outside. His black fur became brighter, like silk and satin, making people want to hold him in his arms and caress him.
"Sir, Chidu Songjie is the junior prime minister of Tubo, only one level lower than the current prime minister of Tibet, Garzandro. He is also a powerful figure in Tubo. I heard that this person is very difficult to deal with, but he is extremely loyal to Zampu. "The cheetah looked solemn and said cautiously.
"In addition to Zanpu, Tubo is the prime minister, then the minor prime minister, followed by the internal prime minister, the general prime minister and other official ranks. Chidu Songjie has been suppressed by Lu Dongzan for many years, and now after his death , but was suppressed by Lu Dongzan's second son Garzandra." Li Hong stroked Bai Qi who was sitting at his feet and continued: "Hengqiao, you can go to Luoche and try to fight with Chidu Songjie. touch."
Li Hong was able to obtain information about Chidu Songjie because Bai Chun secretly sent information through a caravan after he entered Tubo.
However, Chidu Songjie is, as Cheetah said, extremely cunning and suspicious in character.
So until now, only Bai Chun had had brief contact with him, and he still didn't get any promise at all.
The Tang Dynasty is now sparsely populated, let alone Tibet, which is located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau on the 'roof of the world'.
Since entering Tubo, Li Hong's more than 20,000 troops have not encountered effective resistance so far.
Occasionally, they would encounter some small tribal armed forces, ranging from a few dozen to two or three hundred people. Once they attacked, they were defeated by Li Hong's cavalry and lost their combat effectiveness.
Just like the small waves splashing under Li Hong's cavalry along the way, it could not pose the slightest threat to Li Hong's cavalry that had been prepared for more than two years.
But as we go deeper and deeper, the number of Tubo soldiers also increases, but fortunately there are two guides, Jingzhe and Cheetah, who have been wandering around Tubo for two years.
Therefore, Li Hong did not suffer a loss because of the unfamiliar terrain. On the contrary, the previous encounters caused the somewhat careless Tubo soldiers to suffer a lot.
The seven kings of Tianchi each have a royal city, each have a fiefdom, and each of them is in charge of a Tibetan army and horse.
Judging from the map hand-drawn by Jingzhe and Cheetah, it looks like it is arranged according to the Big Dipper, with the holy city of Tubo being placed in the middle.
These eight cities were basically the most prosperous and largest cities in Tubo. The remaining small tribes either relied on them or were suppressed and surrendered.
In short, in this area guarded by several large tribes such as Ali, Shannan, and Naqu, Tubo's Zanpu is like a god, worshiped by everyone.
Zedang, the royal city of Nie Chizan, one of the Seven Tianchi Kings, was also the first Tibetan general to bear the brunt of the decisive battle with Li Hong.
Lawless and Quan Yi were both in the camp, under the command of Li Hong, with their eyes fixed on the rough map.
Every terrain, every small nomadic tribe, and even small mountain valleys, etc., were carefully analyzed by Li Hong in detail.
This was Li Hong's first time setting up field fortifications. Even Lawless could see a trace of dignity and caution on Li Hong's face.
In the past few years, they have followed His Royal Highness in many small-scale battles, but this is the first time they have built fortifications.
After Li Hong arrived at the place thirty miles below Zedang City, he began to construct the fortifications to lure the enemy, the fortifications in anticipation of annihilating the enemy, the fortifications to block the enemy's breakthrough and the reinforcements.
Li Hong dug trenches into the broad and flat grassland, which made Lawless wonder what their use was. Even Nie Chizan, one of the Seven Tianchi Kings in Fangzedang City, was confused.
The ultimate perfect battlefield for cavalry assault, the generals of the Tang Dynasty dug them like canals for water irrigation, but this place was still far away from the Jiqu River. Why on earth did he dig these trenches
Nie Chizan stood on the top of the city and watched. The excellent weather made his vision extremely clear, and he could even vaguely see the cavalry of the Tang Dynasty running back and forth.
Looking at the pony under his crotch, Nie Chizan couldn't help but smear his disdain. Does he also want this kind of pony to win against their tall horses
A group of about ten cavalrymen left a trail of smoke on the field, and then quickly entered from the gate of Zedang City.
After a while, the Tibetan soldiers on horseback appeared on the top of the city and said to Nie Chizan: "There are about 20,000 Tang cavalry. Just like the last time we visited, they did not move at all, as if they were waiting for reinforcements." ”
"We attack tonight. We don't have to wait for Si Chizan's reinforcements. We have enough troops to defeat them. But we have to pay tribute to the warriors of the Tang Dynasty. This is the first time they have invaded our Tubo territory. ." Nie Chizan was very relaxed, as if when the sun rises tomorrow, all the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty outside the city will be killed by them or become their slaves.
The cavalry of the Tang Dynasty were not good at fighting on the plateau, and now their horses looked short and small, unable to withstand the impact of their fine Tibetan horses.
If you can't win over these people with the 50,000 people in your hands, you can do it with the name of the Seven Heavenly Red Kings.
The comfortable daytime slowly fades away from people's sight under the sunshine.
The hazy night carries a cool breeze, forcing people to wake up and start resisting the long cold night.
The tents of the Tang army in the wilderness were brightly lit. Whether it was food or various supplies, no one knew how they got it.
This place is located in a remote place, but looking at the appearance of the Tang army, it doesn't look like they are coming from an expedition at all. They have sufficient food and grass, but they look like they have just come out of some city.
Fifty thousand cavalrymen drove out of the city gate silently, and then the large city gate slowly closed.
The Tubo soldiers, led by Nie Chizan, did not attack immediately, but walked slowly until they could clearly see the brightly lit camp of the Tang Dynasty. They could even see the soldiers walking around the door. When it became clear, they began to silently spread out their formation like a tide, preparing to attack Datang's camp.
Nie Chizan looked at the still unconscious Datang camp and sneered: "Is the commander-in-chief of Datang a pig? We are all here, and they don't even know it yet."
(End of chapter)