In the forest.
" It's over…" Cheng Chumo's face was pale and filled with indescribable loneliness." It's really like what Your Highness said, it failed…"
The expressions of the others around him were also very ugly.
The angry shouts seemed to have become even louder.
There were only a few hundred Tang soldiers left, and they charged at the Tubo soldiers with straight knives.
What they attracted were usually a few sharp arrows.
Some Tang soldiers were unwilling to give up and shot back. However, the inner lining of their armor was soaked. The thick armor made them clumsy and slow. Just as they shot an arrow, they attracted more arrows from the enemy.
The Tibetan people were like monkeys, shuttling through the forest. The rugged ground and the obstacles formed by the dense forest could always be dodged quickly while running, and their speed did not decrease at all.
However, his soldiers could not do so.
The angry shouts were the final swan song.
Charging at the enemy with a sword in hand was the best way to lose one's mind.
The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were determined to attack the enemy just to maintain the pride in their hearts.
They would rather die in battle than lay down their weapons and surrender.
Sigh!
Sighs sounded from the noble disciples.
"Soldiers, charge!" Amidst the deafening roar, Xue Rengui's face turned red as he raised his saber and rushed toward the top of the mountain.
At this moment, there were only a few soldiers around him.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Arrows rained down from their left, right, and front.
After running for a hundred steps, several soldiers beside Xue Rengui were shot one after another and withdrew from the battle.
Even Xue Rengui had a red mark on his breastplate.
Holding his saber, he watched as dozens of Tibetan soldiers appeared and surrounded him.
While panting, Xue Rengui's eyes revealed a look of shame and indignation.
He had received the order for this simulated battle. Although he had been short on time, he had made a lot of preparations.
Considering that it was difficult to use long weapons in the forest, he had all the spearmen carry sabers.
As a hunter, he knew the importance of bows and arrows in the mountains. This battalion was fully equipped with bows and arrows.
A series of preparations still failed.
At this moment, Xue Rengui understood that he had overlooked too many things that seemed unrelated to combat.
"Kill them!"
Qin Huaiyu and the others watched as Xue Rengui charged forward. Wherever he went, he was undefeatable.
"Maybe Xue Rengui can reach the top of the mountain by himself, even if it's a draw…" Cheng Chuliang said in a low voice.
He didn't even have the confidence to say that.
Qin Huaiyu shook his head and said solemnly," Your Highness is right. A loss is a loss. We can't accept losing now. In the future, when we face the Tubo, we will suffer a huge loss.”
Xue Rengui seemed to have won and continued to charge forward.
After he killed dozens of Tibetan soldiers, the Tibetan soldiers hiding in the forest finally couldn't take it anymore.
Lu Dongzan appeared.
More than 100 Tibetan soldiers armed with bows and arrows surrounded Xue Rengui.
"General Xue, the outcome of the competition has been decided. Put down your weapon. I admire General Xue's bravery and the bravery of the soldiers of the Great Tang.”Lu Dongzan said solemnly.
It was just more like a declaration of victory.
"The Great Tang only has generals who have died in battle, not generals who have surrendered, even if this is just a simulation!”Xue Rengui said lightly. He then slowly raised his saber and walked toward Lu Dongzan.
The smile on Lu Dongzan's face disappeared.
The pride of being a Tang Dynasty soldier, the courage to risk his life, and the sense of belonging to the imperial court made Lu Dongzan's heart heavy.
The Tibetan soldiers definitely could not do this!
In the face of failure, the Tibetan soldiers would choose to put down their weapons!
"Raise your arrows!"
Crash!
Hundreds of Tibetan soldiers heard Lu Dongzan's order and immediately aimed their arrows at Xue Rengui.
"Kill them!"
Xue Rengui roared and fearlessly charged at the general beside Lu Dongzan. This battle was commanded by this man.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows without arrowheads kept shooting out, but Xue Rengui blocked them with his saber.
In the end, he rushed to Lu Dongzan's side. When he raised his saber and looked at the Tibetan general, the saber in his hand stopped just a foot away from him.
Dozens of red dots appeared on Xue Rengui's armor.
Clang!
Xue Rengui's lips trembled as he withdrew his saber. He forced out a few words,""We lost."
"General Xue, although defeated, it's still an honor!" Lu Dongzan said.
"A loss is a loss," Xue Rengui said lightly.”Then, Xue Rengui turned his head. His eyes were red, and he finally shed tears. He had lost the face of the entire Tang Army!
Qin Huaiyu and the others saw Xue Rengui lowering his head and passing by. They all saw Xue Rengui crying.
They were also very sad, but they did not experience it as directly as Xue Rengui and were more affected.
……
Two hours later.
Both sides retreated from the foot of the mountain.
On the side of the Imperial Court, everyone from Li Shimin to the ordinary soldiers had ugly expressions on their faces.
No one had expected that they would lose so miserably in a simulated battle that they thought they would win!
"Zanpu, this battle has awakened me and everyone in my dynasty. Fighting on the plateau is indeed different from fighting on the plains.”Although Li Shi Min felt embarrassed, he still faced failure.
Songzan said modestly," Your Majesty is too humble. I admire the bravery of the Tang soldiers. The small country of Tubo can defeat the Great Tang once or twice, but the real competition between countries is about comprehensive strength. Tubo sincerely hopes to learn from the Great Tang and is willing to follow the Great Tang's lead.”
After a short pause, Songzan continued,"If Your Majesty is willing to let Tubo and the Great Tang marry, I am willing to cooperate with the Tang army to attack Tuyuhun. Tubo only wants the worst part of the plateau in Tuyuhun.”
After hearing this, Li Shi Min was furious.
Songzan's action was clearly an exorbitant demand!
Not only did they want to marry, but they also wanted to participate in the division of Tuyuhun.
"Your Majesty, Tubo doesn't have the ambition to expand eastward, nor does it have the strength.”Lu Dongzan was keenly aware of the emotional changes of the Tang Dynasty's monarch and his subjects. He explained,""The Tang Dynasty is a big country after all. Tubo was trembling in fear under the shadow of the Tang Dynasty and obtained the plateau territory with the worst environment in Tuyuhun.”
Lu Dongzan's words were obscure, but everyone understood.
They were hinting that the Tibetans had no intention of invading the Great Tang.
He had divided up the vile territory of the Tuyuhun Plateau because he did not want the Great Tang to encroach on it.
This was because once the Great Tang occupied these places, Tubo's strategic environment would deteriorate and it would be constantly threatened by the Great Tang.
Li Shi Min thought that if he lost this battle, it wouldn't be difficult for him to attack Tuyuhun in the future.
If he could use Tubo to reduce the casualties of the Tang soldiers, it would not be difficult to accept.
" Tsk tsk..." Li Shiming hesitated, and a strange voice suddenly sounded.
Li Shi Min looked in the direction of the voice and saw his unlucky son glance at him before turning around and leaving.
She was clearly mocking him.
Li Shi Min was furious.
Unlucky child, you don't know how expensive rice is. Do you think your father is really willing to agree to Tibet?
" Father, have you forgotten that my brother is training a new type of…" Li Tai rolled his eyes and spoke. However, before he could finish, Li Shimin's fierce and angry gaze scared Li Tai into shutting his mouth.
Cheng Yaojin cupped his hands and said,"Your Majesty, I think it's possible!"”
Li Ke stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look angrily at the Cheng family bandit and the little fatty.
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