Chapter 26 The twenty-sixth round of Ping the Western Regions and the Western Expedition to Qiuci to help the Tang Dynasty attack Tianzhu in the south

After that, Li Shimin and Xuanzang had frequent contacts, and he was summoned to the palace many times for in-depth talks. Every summer when he went to the Yuhua Palace to escape the summer heat, Xuanzang also went with him, translating scriptures and discussing Buddhist principles with Li Shimin. Later generations don't know what effect Li Shimin's research on Buddhism has on his heart.However, one thing is obvious, that is, his mentality has begun to calm down. Compared with the irritated mentality before he went to Korea, there is a big gap between the two. Gao Yanshou reported this day: "Since King Fadie of Kucha (now Kuqa, Xinjiang) passed away, his younger brother Helibu failed to succeed to the throne and has not come to pay tribute for the second time. The ministers think that he should be questioned."

Kucha borders Yanqi, and in the southwest of Yanqi, the country is about a thousand miles across and about 600 miles in length.The country is rich in hemp, wheat, japonica rice, grapes, gold, etc. It is a small and rich oasis country. Li Shimin asked: "Does Yibi Shekui Khan still refuse to accept the dowry?" "Yibi Shekui Khan is really rude, and there has been no reply for more than a year." Gao Yanshou replied. "Well, it's reasonable for King Qiuci not to come to court because of his power." Li Shimin said disdainfully. Yibishekui Khan was the grandson of Nishu Khan. In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, Nishu Khan died, and Li Shimin registered his grandson as Yibishekui Khan.

Since the reign of Zhenguan, Li Shimin has been taking measures to support Nishi Khan and attack Siyehu Khan.After the Battle of Yanqi, Siyehu Khan's power was greatly weakened.And Yibi Shekui Khan succeeded to the throne. With the support of the Tang Dynasty, he launched attacks one after another, and drove Siyehu Khan's forces to the west of Tuhuo Kingdom.In this way, the situation in the Western Regions changed suddenly, and Yibi Shekui Khan began to show his strength in the Western Regions.At that time, the administrative seat of the Anxi Protectorate established by the Tang Dynasty was still in Xizhou, and Xiangxi only controlled Yanqi in name.

After Yibi Shekui Khan gained power, he sent envoys to Chang'an to propose marriage to Li Shimin. Li Shimin agreed to marry the princess, but he put forward a condition: "Shuge Qiuci, Khotan (now Hotan, Xinjiang), Shule (now Kashgar, Xinjiang), Zhu Jubo (now Yecheng, Xinjiang), Congling (now Xinjiang Taxkorgan) ) The five countries thought it was a bride price." These five countries are all desert oasis countries, mainly irrigated by oasis, agriculture and mulberry industry, and they are under the control of Yibi Shekui Khan at that time.Li Shimin put forward this proposal because he wanted to directly control the farming areas that were easy to guard, and then implement the rule of detention over the Turkic people who were mainly nomadic.

Unexpectedly, Yibi Shekui Khan had nothing to say. During this period, he also did something that annoyed Li Shimin even more, that is, he sent troops into Yanqi in an attempt to control the country.It was only because of Li Shimin's strict order and reprimand that he reluctantly withdrew his troops. Li Shimin looked at his eldest grandson Wuji and said: "Wuji, you see, when this person is weak, he can agree to anything. Now that he has strength, he suddenly changes his face. It can be seen that in the affairs of the four barbarians, he blindly treats them with virtue, and sometimes It's useless."

Changsun Wuji nodded and said: "Your Majesty's words are very true. The Turkic people have been in contact with China for many years, and they have always had such a temper. If they are strong, they will rely on them, and if they are weak, they will deceive them. If you blindly rely on virtue, there will be no good results. Your Majesty, before For several years, our country has been busy with Mobei and Koryo affairs, now that Mobei has been flattened, all the tribes have surrendered, and Koryo is also exhausted, we can spare our hands to deal with the affairs of the Western Regions."

Li Shimin asked, "What's happening in Korea recently?" Ma Zhou replied: "I have just received a letter from Yingzhou, saying that after Cheng Mingzhen led a boat division into the territory of Korea to harass for a while, Li Shangshu and Zhang Jian led the troops across the Liaoshui River, stormed Nansu and other five cities, and destroyed their troops. Return the city walls." Li Shimin praised: "Li Shizhen is also a hero! As a result, Nagai Suwen has no time to look around, and is too busy dealing with domestic affairs. Wuji, you are right. Over the years, the Turkic people have been the biggest problem in my heart. Now We must handle the affairs of the Western Regions well."

To manage the affairs of the Western Regions well, it is bound to take Yipi Shekui Khan as the enemy.In this way, the Tang Dynasty's strategy of supporting the Western Turks of the Nishi family that had been pursued for many years had to be greatly changed. Li Shimin really asked: "Xuanling, have Ashina Buzhen and Ashina Helu been in Beijing?" Fang Xuanling replied: "They are all here." Ashina Buzhen and Ashina Helu descended to Tang successively after the war between Gaochang and Yanqi, were appointed generals, and stayed in Beijing. "Which of these two is the most influential in the old department?"

"Ashi Nabuzhen has been in Tang Dynasty for many years, and he is already old. If the two are compared, it is natural that Ashina Helu still has the appeal in the old department." Fang Xuanling replied. "Well, Ashina Helu's old department is now living in Mohe City, Tingzhou, right? In this way, we can set up the Yaochi Governor's Mansion in Mohe City, and put it under the control of the Anxi Governor's Mansion, and give Ashina Helu the Yaochi Governor." Ma Zhou prepared to draft the decree after agreeing. Li Shimin's re-appointment of Ashina Helu's intention is very obvious, that is, he wants to use the Yaochi Dudu Mansion as the basis, let Ashina Helu find a way to summon the remnants of Siyehu Khan who fled and left in the local area, in an attempt to contain Yibi She Kui Khan.

Although the situation in the Western Regions is complicated, the root cause is, after all, the result of the struggle between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks there.In such a comparison between two forces, one party will eventually lose.The Tang Dynasty is both powerful and monolithic internally. On the other hand, the Western Turks are torn apart and incessantly disputed, and they are doomed to fail. Ashina Helu was awarded the governor of Yaochi, and after taking office, he summoned the remnants of Siyehu Khan, and his power gradually became stronger, which had the effect of restraining the Western Turkic Nishu faction.However, after Yibi Shekui Khan's power was greatly weakened, Ashina Helu felt that his wings were growing, and seeing Li Shimin's death, he rebelled against the Tang Dynasty, and was finally wiped out by the Tang Dynasty.

Changsun Wuji said: "Your Majesty, it is too slow to set up the Yaochi Governor's Mansion to contain Yibi Shekui Khan. Now that Yanqi is under Guo Xiaoke's control, if you send troops to take Kucha again, Yibi Shekui Kehan ​​will be cut off. Khan's arms make him dare not look east. I am willing to lead troops to conquer." Li Shimin shook his head and said: "Wuji, it is not your specialty to lead the army to fight. If there is an opportunity for conquest in the future, you can't go out to fight. You can just live in Beijing and dispatch. I have won many battles in the past. If I fight by myself now, I may not win all. The so-called art In the future, Xue Rengui and others should handle the matter of war.” He paused, and continued: “King Kucha is rude, so he should be punished. But how to conquer must be done properly. Zhi’er, do you think it should be used?” What method?" Li Zhi thought for a while, and then replied: "My son read the chapter "Yue Wu" in the "Emperor Fan" of the father, and saw that it said: "A man who is a soldier is the weapon of the country. Although the land is vast, it is warlike." The people are withered; although the country is safe, if you forget the war, the people will perish.' The sons and ministers understand the father's holy will, and now the country is quiet, so don't use weapons rashly. However, the king of Kucha is rude, and if he wants to connect with Yipishekui Khan, he must conquer My son recalled that in the last battle of Yanqi, Guo Xiaoke led the frontier soldiers to fight against him without any troops from the country, and he thought that this method could be used when fighting against Kucha." Li Shimin praised Li Zhi's words quite a lot, and said: "You can say this, and I and the ministers have taught you for many days. Yes, I must conquer Kucha. I do this because I want to seek land. Turtle It has always been one with China, and bringing it into the unity of China is not for aggression, but for the necessity of the country. However, in this battle, Kucha was conquered openly, but in secret, it was to deter the troops of Yibi Shekui Khan and Guo Xiaoke. Horses are a bit too thin." Changsun Wuji said: "Your Majesty, I want Xue Rengui to lead 100,000 troops and join forces with Guo Xiaoke to win this battle." "No! Zhi'er just said that in order to ensure peace in the country, it is not appropriate to transfer troops from the country; moreover, Xue Rengui has not experienced many battles after all, so I am a little worried about letting him bring so many soldiers and horses." Ma Zhou was able to understand Li Shimin's intentions, so he reported: "Your Majesty, after the Mobei tribes were naturalized in China, they all longed for the opportunity to make contributions. I think that this battle does not need to transfer troops from the country, but can send Qibi tribes, Turks, etc. Department and other soldiers, and let Tuyuhun and Tubo send troops to assist, and the deployment of troops can be completed." Li Shimin was overjoyed and said: "Ma Qing's words are in line with my intentions. First, these tribes are close to the Western Regions, so they don't need to travel long distances; second, the soldiers of the tribes are mainly on horseback, with the ability to strike swiftly and vigorously. All right, that's it." In fact, as Ma Zhou said, the biggest advantage is that there is no need to transfer troops from China, which is most in line with Li Shimin's wishes. A few days later, Li Shimin issued an edict: Ashi Nasheer was appointed as the Chief Chief of the Kunqiu Road Marching Army, and Qibi He Li was the Deputy Chief Chief.Let them command more than 100,000 soldiers and horses from the Qibi and Turkic tribes, and control the troops from Tuyuhun and Tubo, and go to Xizhou to join Guo Xiaoke, the governor of Anxi. Since Xuanzang returned to China, the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tianzhu has gradually warmed up. Li Shimin and King Jieri admire each other. Although they are thousands of miles away, they still face each other face to face. In the winter of the 21st year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin sent Donggong Youwei to lead Wang Xuance as an envoy, leading more than 30 entourages, and set off from Chang'an, passing Tuyuhun, Tubo, and Niboluo along the way to Tianzhu. Although Wang Xuance traveled through difficult and dangerous places along the way, all the countries were friendly to the Tang Dynasty, and there were post envoys to entertain them, so Wang Xuance and others traveled safely all the way.Compared with Xuanzang's lonely expedition for thousands of miles, there is a world of difference. When Wang Xuance traveled to the ground of Tianzhu, he saw great chaos in the country.He sent left and right to inquire, so it turned out that King Jieri suddenly fell ill and passed away recently. The kingdom of Tianzhu has always been divided into four parts. When the king of Jieri was strong, he controlled the east and west Tianzhu. Although the southern Tianzhu had not completely surrendered, he still expressed his obedience to the king of Jieri on the surface.Now that the news of King Jieri's death has spread, all the countries have opened their eyes to observe and watch the next move of Zhongtianzhu.At this time, Alonashun, the minister of King Jieri, adopted a powerful method and established himself as king. Alonashun is violent by nature, and has always had a bad reputation among the nations.When the king of Jieri is in the sun, he can restrain his viciousness and not give him real power.Now that King Jieri had just died, Alonashun thought that no one could restrain him, so he sent someone to assassinate the prime minister of the country, Kara Bishi, in order to order Tianzhu. When Tianzhu heard that Alonashun had made himself king, he was in an uproar.Some weak and small countries did not dare to make a sound, so they just let it go, while some powerful countries in South Tianzhu said that they would stand on their own and would no longer call themselves vassals. When Wang Xuance's entourage learned of this situation, they all advised Wang Xuance to turn around and wait for Tianzhu to calm down before going on an envoy.Wang Xuance disagreed, thinking that he should not give up halfway, so he led his followers to Chahe Luocheng, the capital of Alonashun, and asked to meet Alonashun. Alonashun is currently busy with domestic affairs and has no intention of receiving Chinese envoys.At this time, his subordinates reported that the Chinese envoys were carrying a large amount of property, and Alonashun immediately said: "Let them leave the property and leave immediately." The belongings that Wang Xuance carried included gifts from the Tang Dynasty to King Jieri, and tributes from the countries along the way to the Tang Dynasty.If Alonasun took away the gift given to King Jieri, it would be fine even if he didn't return the gift, but now he wanted to take away other tributes, Wang Xuance firmly refused. Seeing that Wang Xuance was so tough, Alonashun couldn't help being furious, so he sent five hundred soldiers to break into the post where Wang Xuance lived, intending to rob him.The two sides were at a stalemate, and finally moved their hands.The people Wang Xuance led were also strong men, all of them were brave, but there were so many enemies.After a scuffle, several of the more than 30 people led by Wang Xuance were killed, and the rest were also captured. Wang Xuance was known for his bravery in the East Palace. When the melee started, he drew his sword and chopped down several people in front of him.Seeing that there were hundreds of people on the other side, he knew that today's result was embarrassing, so he fought and retreated, so he retreated to the position of the rear window, jumped, smashed open the window and jumped out of the window.It was pitch black at night, he took advantage of the cover of the night to find a horse, and fled to the northeast while the night was falling. Wang Xuance traveled day and night all the way, endured hunger and hunger, and managed to get out of the territory controlled by Alonashun.During Wang Xuance's mission to Tianzhu this time, the scenery along the way was beautiful, and he felt the beauty of the friendship between the neighbors of the Tang Dynasty.Unexpectedly, being in such a situation, he felt both loss and resentment, and when he traveled to the ground of Tubo this day, his heart became even more angry for no reason, so he rushed to Luoxie, hoping to find Songtsan Gampo to borrow troops. Ashina Sheer and Qibi Heli received the imperial edict, and immediately went to the Ministry of War to issue four documents.Two of them were sent to the Turkic and Qibi tribes, ordering them to reorganize 100,000 soldiers and horses and start westward; the other two were sent to Tubo and Tuyuhun, asking them to prepare 50,000 soldiers and horses, and they all went to Xizhou to gather together. After finishing these things, the two led dozens of entourages and left the capital to go to Xizhou along the post road.This battle was not a small one. Datang only issued a few documents to prepare troops and horses; Guo Xiaoke had been farming in Xizhou and other places for many years, where there was sufficient food and grass, and there was no need to transfer from Guanzhong, so preparations for the war were extremely easy. The two had previously conquered Tuyuhun with Li Jing in the eighth year of Zhenguan, and Gaochang with Hou Junji in the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, both passing through Longxi.At that time in Longxi, the city was depressed and there were very few people.In today's Longxi, both sides of the post road are full of crops; due to the smooth roads in the Western Regions, there are endless business travelers on the roads, and most of them are people of various races from the Western Regions who entered China for business.The two watched this scene, and the more they walked forward, the more they sighed. When they reached the ground of Binzhou, Ashinasher said, "He Li, do you know when the emperor wanted to manage the Western Regions?" "It probably started with the conquest of Tuyuhun. After the emperor sent Li Jing to pacify the Eastern Turks, he was able to free up his hands to manage the Western Regions." Qibi Heli replied. Ashinasheer married Li Shimin's sister, Princess Nanyang, and Qibi Heli married the daughter of the royal family, the head of Lintao County. Both of them used to be brave generals of the Turkic and Qibi tribes, and now they are the sons-in-law of the royal family Limen. , Naturally loyal to Li Shimin.Ashina Sheer shook his head and said, "No. I heard that when His Majesty was the King of Qin, he came here to conquer Xue Rengao. One day, he stood with Li Jing on the tower of Binzhou City, looking to the west, and said: "After the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the countries on the roads of the Western Regions fought in chaos. , Business travel is blocked, although Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty operated for a while, now he has experienced wars and returned to the old. If the roads to the Western Regions are cut off, China will hardly be called a big country.' You see, it may be at this time that the emperor has already decided to open the roads to the Western Regions." Qibi Heli nodded and said, "Thirty years have passed since that time. Your Majesty has a long-term plan in mind. It seems that he still has to complete his great cause when he sends us to Kucha this time." When the two arrived in Xizhou, Guo Xiaoke brought them into the city.At that time, the soldiers and horses sent by Qibi Heli and Tuyuhun had gathered here. The Tubo and Turkic soldiers and horses traveled a little further, and they should arrive within ten days. After the three got together, they discussed the marching strategy while waiting for the follow-up soldiers and horses.King Qiuci, who is so close at hand, doesn't know that the Tang Dynasty has formed an iron fist in Xizhou and is about to strike him fatally. When Wang Xuance arrived, he revealed his identity.A few months ago, when he passed by here as an imperial envoy of the Tang Dynasty, he had been warmly received by Songtsan Gampo and Lu Dongzan, so the Tubo officials did not dare to neglect him and hurriedly led him to Lu Dongzan. Seeing Wang Xuance's distressed appearance, Lu Dongzan showed surprise in his bright eyes, and asked, "When your envoy left the country, there were dozens of people following him, why did you come here alone and in such a distress?" With a gloomy expression, Wang Xuance slowly explained what happened to him. After hearing this, Lu Dongzan showed anger, and said, "The Buddhist kingdom of Tianzhu is famous for its proprieties, yet such a rude person has come out. The matter of diplomatic relations is a great gift of the country, how could Alonashun do it for petty gains? Let the two countries turn against each other? What is the intention of the virtuous envoy here?" Wang Xuance said the words of borrowing troops. Lu Dongzan was more serious, and pondered: "This matter is so important, I dare not make the decision. How about this, you follow me to meet Zanpu, and let him decide the matter of sending troops." When Songtsan Gampo learned of what happened to Wang Xuance, he couldn't help being furious, and cursed: "If you don't capture such a rude person, it will be hard to relieve your anger. I know that your envoy is General Yongli, can you lead troops to fight?" In recent years, the Tubo Kingdom has become more powerful, and it can be said that it dominates the plateau.Songtsen Gampo thought that other than the Tang Dynasty, none of the surrounding countries could compete with it.Wang Xuance proposed to borrow troops, which hit his heart, and he naturally agreed. Wang Xuance replied: "The last general is going to Tianzhu, but there is such a commotion, it is really embarrassing to return to the country. Zanpu agreed to borrow troops, and the last general is deeply grateful and willing to lead the army to go out immediately." "Okay, I'll send 1,200 domestic elite soldiers to help you, and I'll send another 10,000 troops from the Nivalo Kingdom, and dispatch food and grass to go with you." Songtsan Gampo said decisively. Wang Xuance felt that there were too few borrowed troops, so he said embarrassingly: "Zanpu, when King Jieri was alive, he fought in the South and the North, and he had 100,000 soldiers under his command, so he unified most of Tianzhu. Once we penetrated into Tianzhu, we were unable to win and were in an embarrassing situation. The last general asked, can we send another team of troops as backup?" Songtsan Gampo shook his head and said, "No need! I know the details of Alonashun. This man has a bad reputation. Although he proclaims himself king, it is difficult to convince the crowd. Besides, although Tianzhu is a large land, there are many small countries. The Japanese king has passed away, and these small countries have fallen into a leaderless situation. Go ahead, the small countries along the way know that your purpose of this trip is to conquer Alonashun, and they are trying to protect themselves, so they will never come forward to stop you. After you fight with Alonashun , as long as the first battle is won, its soldiers will definitely flee in fear. I have calculated the details of this battle, so don't worry anymore, just go with confidence." Songtsan Gampo dominated the plateau for many years, not by luck, but by ability.What he said just now is actually a thoughtful speech that silently observes the general situation and is familiar with the national conditions of Tianzhu.After Wang Xuance heard this, he was very convinced, bowed and said: "So, I will be grateful for Zanpu's help. Tomorrow, I will take my cavalry to Tianzhu. Because of the emergency, I will not greet the princess today. Wait for the victory Come back and kowtow to the princess again." Songtsan Gampo smiled and said, "That's fine. The princess will feel sad when she sees you in such a mess. When you come back victorious, I will describe the process in detail. The princess misses her homeland, Seeing the people of the old country is very kind, when the time comes, you can tell all kinds of things, the princess will definitely listen to it with gusto." Wang Xuance bowed to leave, and then went to the post with Lu Dongzan to rest. Ashinasheer, Qibi Heli, and Guo Xiaoke discussed the strategy of this battle together, Ashinasheer said modestly: "Guo Duhu has been in the Western Regions for a long time, and he knows the strategy of the army well. I discussed it with Heli on the road. Hosted by Guo Duhu." Guo Xiaoke shook his head and said resolutely: "I read the emperor's edict, which is very clear. This battle is dominated by you, and I will support from the rear. You don't have to refuse. I will obey the emperor's will and help you to win this battle. .As for the strategy of engagement, I shall make suggestions to the best of my knowledge so as to complete the marching plan." Guo Xiaoke then introduced the situation in front of him, and finally said: "The purpose of this battle is to conquer Kucha, but in fact it is to weaken the power of Yibi Shekui Khan. The emperor had far-sighted considerations and appointed Ashina Helu as the governor of Yaochi in advance to contain Yibi. Bishekui Khan. In this way, we will have no worries when we march. After you march, I will lead the follow-up troops to station in Yanqi to deter Yibishekui Khan from moving, so you can concentrate on dealing with Kucha." Guo Xiaoke understood Li Shimin's intentions and knew that he had two roles in this battle: one was to be responsible for the food and grass supply in the rear, and the other was to lead the soldiers under his command as backup, and to deter Yibi Shekui Khan from moving. A few days later, Ashinasheer and Qibi Heli led an army of more than 100,000 troops and began to enter Yanqi territory.They divided their forces into five armies, the central army led by Ashinasheer and Qibi Heli to dispatch and support the rest of the troops; the other four armies consisted of Qibi soldiers, Turkic soldiers, Tuyuhun soldiers and Tubo soldiers.After they entered the territory of Yanqi, they spread out in a fan shape and quietly pressed towards the northern border of Kucha. King Heli Bushibi of Kucha was living in the capital at this time, unaware that the Tang army had entered the northern border of his country. Qibi Heli led a part of the Chinese army to attack forward, and his subordinates were elite soldiers from the Qibi tribe he was familiar with.These people are used to galloping in the desert, and they have developed the ability to slash and kill like the wind. This time, they are targeting Qili City, an important town in the north of Qiuci.Last night, Qibi Heli led his troops to sneak into the valley ten miles away from Qili City through the darkness.Seeing that the sky was bright, they suddenly started and rushed towards the city gate. The thunderous sound of horseshoes approached from a distance, and the defenders of Qili City stared wide-eyed, not knowing who was coming.Under the protection of the Western Turks, the Kucha Kingdom has not had a war for a long time, and its vigilance is relatively lax.At that time, the gates of the city were opened wide, and people came and went.The defenders were mostly watching the incoming riders, and even forgot to close the city gates to take precautions.When they saw that the cavalry was coming to attack the city, it was too late to close the city gate, and the Qibi iron cavalry forward had already rushed across the suspension bridge and broke into the city gate. The other four groups of soldiers and horses also attacked the city and seized the territory, and within a few days, all the northern borders of Kucha were captured. He Libu Shibi was shocked when he heard the news, and hurriedly summoned more than 50,000 soldiers from the capital and the south, and went north to meet the battle. Wang Xuance led the 1,200 Tubo cavalry to the country of Nipaluo.King Nivala saw Songtsan Gampo's handwriting, and that day he summoned 10,000 people and gave them to Wang Xuance to lead.Wang Xuance didn't stop there, and marched across the mountains to Tianzhu. If you want to reach Tianzhu, you have to climb over the snow-capped mountain in front of you.The Tubo people and Niboluo people have been on the plateau for a long time, and they regard the steepness as flat ground, and it is very easy to walk along the way.Seeing this situation, Wang Xuance was deeply moved.If I go back to the country to lead the army to ask for it, I don't want to talk about the war in Tianzhu, but the high mountains and plateau climate on the way, the Chinese people are very uncomfortable.When he arrived at this time, he was more fortunate that he had a good idea of ​​borrowing troops. Out of the ground of the mudra country, it is the territory of Zhongtianzhu.It is only two hundred miles away to go to the capital city of Cha and Luocheng in Tianzhu.The conquest team arrived at the foot of the mountain, took a rest for a day, and rushed to the capital of Zhongtianzhu. As Songtsan Gampo said, no one resisted where the team passed, and several cities along the way closed their gates in an attempt to protect themselves.When Wang Xuance first entered the territory of Tianzhu, he was still vigilant in every possible way, guarding against someone coming to harass him. After he traveled about a hundred miles deep into Tianzhu, he finally calmed down and ordered his troops to speed up the marching pace, ignoring the people along the way. When they arrived at Chaheluo City in this way, they saw that the city gate was closed.Wang Xuance ordered the city to besieged, and then shouted to the city: "I am Wang Xuance, imperial envoy of the Tang Dynasty, and I want to talk to Alonashun." The interpreter around him loudly translated Wang Xuance's words. Alona got the treasure carried by Wang Xuance that day, but he didn't know that Wang Xuance escaped alone.He looked at Wang Xuance at the bottom of the city, and asked left and right: "Didn't you say that all the envoys of the Tang Dynasty were captured? Why did this person appear again?" Left and right speechless. Seeing that Wang Xuance only brought more than ten thousand troops, Alonashun thought that he had a large number of people in his country, and now he had a city to rely on, so he didn't pay attention to Wang Xuance, didn't talk to Wang Xuance, turned around and went back to the palace. Unlike Chinese cities, the Tianzhu city is not built with solid stone and rammed earth, and there is no moat protection outside the city. The city wall is relatively thin and short.Wang Xuance moved to the right guard of the Eastern Palace due to his military achievements, and he had experienced many battles. He served under Li Daozong's account in the Liaodong campaign, and knew the strategy of attacking the city.Seeing that Aronasun refused to answer him, he knew that he wanted to use the city to fight against him. He circled the city for a while, carefully observed the appearance of the city, and then made a plan to attack the city. Wang Xuance saw that the city wall in the southwest corner was relatively low, and the walls there were all large boulders. If people climbed on the wall, there was a place to climb.But the people in the city are obviously aware of this, and the defense of the defenders is relatively denser than other places.Wang Xuance decided to implement the strategy of "striking from the east and attacking the west", and mobilized 5,000 people to gather at the east gate of the city, putting on a posture of a strong attack. There are no siege tools such as catapults and crash cars at hand, so Wang Xuance ordered people to find long logs and other things, and supervised the construction of ladders in front of the formation.After several ladders were built, people were sent to shoot arrows at the city, trying to disperse the defenders, and then people picked up the ladders and rushed to the bottom of the city, preparing to climb the city wall. Seeing this, the defenders in the city hurriedly dispatched a large group of troops from other places to repel the attackers with arrows, crossbows and stones, causing many injuries to Wang Xuance's men. But Wang Xuance remained unmoved and continued to send people to attack the East Gate.At night, every other hour, people set up torches, yelled, and pretended to be attacking the city.For several days in succession, Wang Xuance sent people to attack the city during the day, and sent people to harass the city at night, making the people in the city busy with coping and exhausted, so they concentrated all their attention on the east gate and dispatched guards from other places to defend it. On the night of the third day, Wang Xuance secretly ordered all the ladders to be moved to the southwest corner of the city, and sent 5,000 people to hide outside the wall.When it was midnight, Wang Xuance ordered people to set up torches again, and made a lot of noise at the east gate.The defenders in the city saw them doing this every night, and they were used to it. They just watched closely and didn't care much. When the east gate started to clamor, the people hidden in the southwest corner started to move.They took advantage of the night to quietly put the ladder on the city wall, and people began to climb the city wall along the ladder and the wall. After all, the actions of thousands of people were too noisy. When they just climbed up, the defenders in the city discovered their actions and immediately yelled.While shouting, they threw stones and shot arrows, trying to suppress the siege. Seeing this, Wang Xuance shouted loudly: "Raise a torch, shoot arrows, and storm the city wall." Several interpreters around him also loudly repeated the order several times. The torches were immediately raised, illuminating the surroundings like daylight, and more than a thousand archers around Wang Xuance aimed their long arrows at the top of the wall. Wang Xuance rushed to the foot of the city wall and shouted loudly: "It will be difficult for the enemy reinforcements to come in a short time, everyone climb up harder and occupy the city wall as soon as possible." Dozens of Tubo people brandished scimitars and reached the top of the ladder. These people were the elite soldiers of Songtsan Gampo during the battle.When the archers behind saw that they had reached the top, they hurriedly stopped shooting.Seeing that the arrows had stopped, these Tubo people jumped up the city wall from the ladder, brandished their shiny scimitars, and slashed at the guards. There was a scuffle on the city wall, and the Tubo people and Nibra people behind kept climbing to the top of the wall, and then joined the battle group.After less than half an hour, the defenders were all killed, and Wang Xuance took control of the southwest corner of the city wall. Wang Xuance ascended the city wall from the ladder, and heard the shouts of killing approaching from everywhere in the city, knowing that the enemy's reinforcements were approaching.Looking back to the left and right, there are only a thousand people who climbed the city wall at this time. With such a small number of people and horses fighting against them, they will be trapped in a corner, and the situation is very critical. The closest to the west gate, Wang Xuance selected 300 Tubo soldiers as the vanguard, let them descend the city wall and rush towards the west gate, so as to open the west gate, and call for the follow-up troops to enter the city through this gate. Wang Xuance ordered the rest of the people to set up their positions to resist the reinforcements from the enemy.In doing so, he actually wanted to distract the enemy's attention, so as to cover the people who went to attack Ximen. After fighting like this for more than an hour, the people who went to the west gate finally wiped out the defenders at the city gate, and then opened the west gate.At that time, the follow-up people had been waiting outside the city for a long time. They all straddled their horses and drew their swords, ready to enter at any time.Seeing the city gate open, they kicked their horses, raised their scimitars, and rushed into the city with shouts. When Alona heard that the city was broken, he hurriedly led the people in the harem and the ministers to open the south gate and fled south.When the people in the city saw the king fleeing, they also jumped up and fled south with him.In this way, the fighting in the city gradually subsided, and at night, more than 3,000 Tianzhu guards were beheaded. When Wang Xuance learned that Alona had fled south, he immediately dispatched 500 Tibetans and 2,000 Nibornans to pursue them on horseback.These iron riders riding on the plateau were like a whirlwind on the flat ground, and quickly caught up with the fleeing Cha and Luo people.At that time, the turbulent Ganges River lay in front of them. Seeing the flood in front of them and the pursuers behind them, these people had no choice but to swim for their lives.Among them, there are many people who can't swim, plus some women, children and the elderly. After entering the water, they reached the depths and were immediately submerged by the flood. They lost their lives one after another. There were as many as ten thousand people. After all, Aluo Nashun escaped early, and there was another boat to cross.After crossing the Ganges, he knew that the enemy could not come over, so he sat on the ground and panted for a long time before he recovered. He Libu Shibi only led more than 50,000 people to the north to fight, which shows that he did not know that the Tang army had more than 100,000 people suppressing the border.The way to fight is to know yourself and the enemy. He Libu Shibi violated the taboo of military strategists in this way, waiting for his doomed fate of failure. When the Kucha soldiers left the capital for more than 50 li, they encountered more than 10,000 people led by Qibi Heli.The two armies fought hand-to-hand, and the Tang army lost, and was immediately defeated.Qibi Heli fought and retreated, and fled to the northwest. Seeing the Tang army fleeing, He Libu Shibi couldn't help but feel complacent. He smiled to the left and right and said, "It's ridiculous that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty despised us and only sent some foreign soldiers here to fight. They are a gang of mobs, and they came to my territory today. I don’t care if they come or go.” He ordered to speed up the pursuit, and then sent people to surround him from both sides, determined to wipe out the tens of thousands of troops in front of him and win the first victory for himself. Therefore, Qibi Heli led the Qibi people in front, and the Kucha soldiers followed closely.Qibi Heli saw the opponent's attempt to outflank, so he ordered his men to speed up their retreat to avoid being surrounded by the enemy. The two armies were fighting and walking, and they had marched 30 li to the northwest without realizing it.This is the border between Qiuci and Yanqi. The terrain is mostly low and hilly, with long grass buried on it. It is winter and moon weather, and the surroundings look yellow. Seeing that the Tang army was about to retreat to Yanqi territory, He Libushibi shouted: "Soldiers, work harder, we must wipe out the Tang army here." Before he finished his words, he heard three gunshots, three black smoke appeared in the air, and suddenly a large number of Tang soldiers appeared all over the mountains and plains in unison.They were divided into five groups, fanning towards themselves, with a handsome flag flying in the wind in front of them, and the flag was the majestic Ashinasheer. It turned out that Ashinasheer and Qibi Heli had made a plan, if all the troops were to be suppressed in this battle, Helibu would definitely flee in fear of the situation, so that his new force would not be severely damaged.Qibi Heli resolutely called for battle at this time, willing to lead more than 10,000 people to meet the enemy, show them weakness, and lead them into the Tang army's ambush circle.Nahe Libu didn't understand this plan, so he followed suit, obediently led by Qibi Heli, and entered Tang Jun's ambush circle step by step. The battlefield situation reversed. The Kucha soldiers resisted for a while at first, but as the number of Tang soldiers increased, they gradually couldn't resist, so they had to fight and retreat.He Libu Shibi was quite clever, seeing that the Tang soldiers outnumbered him, he knew that the fight would not lead to good results; also seeing that the Tang army's encirclement circle had not yet been closed, he ordered his subordinates to rush towards the gap. After some fighting, the Kucha soldiers managed to break through the Tang army's encirclement, but more than 4,000 people were beheaded in the formation.Helibu Shibi asked his soldiers to abandon their belongings and fled back to the capital with light clothes, and then fought against the Tang army against the city. Ashinasheer saw the Kucha soldiers start to flee, and understood what Khalibu Shibi was trying to do.At this time, he had joined forces with Qibi Heli, and the two had a brief discussion. Ashinasheer said: "They want to retreat to the capital and hold on. There is no such thing as cheap. It can keep the vanguard in contact with the enemy. Do not leave, tightly entangle the opponent, and look for an opportunity to wipe out the enemy." When the two went out this time, Ashinasheer was quite handsome, and Qibi Heli used his bravery to block the striker alone, and they cooperated very tacitly.Qibi Heli had originally lured the enemy to come here, but he was exhausted. Hearing this order, he immediately cheered up, took the lead, and went to chase the enemy. The Kucha soldiers fled in front, and the Tang soldiers followed and chased after them. After the Tang soldiers entangled some of the Kucha soldiers, some of them were left to surround and annihilate, and the others continued to chase after them.On the vast land, the dust kicked up by two groups of people formed a yellow dragon, rolling away from north to south.During this day, the two armies first fought in a scuffle, and then you chased each other. Time passed quickly, and the night gradually opened up. Qibi Heli saw that the night was coming, and the front was not far from the capital of Kucha. He was afraid that the lonely army would go deep in the dark, and it would be easy to change, so he ordered to stop the pursuit.He Libu Shibi led the remnant troops to fight and retreat, and they had already killed many men and horses. Now that the Tang army stopped chasing, the pressure suddenly disappeared.He didn't dare to stop to rest, and led the remnants to rush to the capital in the dark. Qibi Heli pursued this time, traveled more than 80 li, captured and beheaded more than 10,000 Kucha soldiers, and severely damaged Kucha's new force. Alonashun was not reconciled to failure. After crossing the Ganges River, he summoned soldiers from the south of the country and borrowed thousands of soldiers from neighboring countries. Wang Xuance lived in Chaheluo City at that time, heard that Alona had crossed the Ganges River, and thought hard about the way to attack. The tens of thousands of soldiers that Wang Xuance brought this time have suffered hundreds of casualties after the previous battles.There are about 30,000 soldiers that Alona called for the decisive battle this time.According to the usual method of warfare, one would have to lead troops forward to meet them and fight a head-to-head duel. In case the battle goes unfavorable, they could return to Cha and Luocheng to hold on. This method is relatively safe. However, there are two disadvantages in doing so: one, the opponent has a lot of people after all, if they fight one-on-one, they will fall into a situation of mutual consumption, which is obviously beneficial to the opponent; , the Tianzhu people will definitely besiege the city, so that with the isolated city against it, Alonashun can calmly summon follow-up soldiers to strengthen the attack power, so that this battle will become a protracted battle, which is also not good for Wang Xuance. The Tubo people and the Niboluo people have fought on the plateau over the years, and they have practiced sharp horsemanship and swift chopping and killing methods, and their strength lies in the word "fast".If you fight hard with the other party, you are abandoning your own strengths and using your own weaknesses. Wang Xuance decided to use his strengths: take advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold, use whirlwind tactics to disrupt the enemy's formation, and then look for opportunities to expand the results of the battle. He ordered a team of 1,000 Tibetans and 2,000 Navalas to quietly leave the city at night, then head west, and then go east along the Ganges.He himself led the rest of the troops to defend against the city, waiting for Alona to attack the city. Wang Xuance participated in the Battle of Goryeo and witnessed Li Shimin's tactics of besieging the city and fighting for aid. 阿罗那顺不知此计，他过了恒河整顿队伍，然后大摇大摆地向茶和罗城行去。二日后，天竺兵行到城前，可以看到城墙以及其上遍布的旗帜。 阿罗那顺匆促之间从各地召来的这些人，没有经过训练，显得驳杂和凌乱。他们到了阵前，仅听命于自己的首领，依旧自成一统。他们一窝蜂冲到城墙脚下，冲着上面摇旗呐喊。 王玄策此时在城墙之上，他注视着下面的天竺兵，表情木然，不知心里在想些什么。 双方对峙约有一个多时辰，太阳此时高挂空中，将万道金辉播撒地上，与相对潮湿的空气一搅和，显得闷热无比。阿罗那顺想起王玄策前些日子攻打自己的情景，下令人们寻来大木头准备撞门，并在阵前绑扎云梯。 蓦地，从南边传来马蹄声和喊杀声，阿罗那顺惊愕地登上高地向南观察，就见那边一片黑影如旋风般地飘过来，再仔细一看，原来是数千身穿玄衣之人跨马劈杀而来。 这帮人势不可挡，他们闯入天竺兵阵中如入无人之境，很快地撕开一个缺口，快速切入中部。 阿罗那顺明白了对方的来意，急忙下令组织人力前去围堵。这时候，其身后又传来喊杀声。他转身再看，就见从城墙的两侧，忽然冒出了两彪人马。他们皆身穿玄衣，手扬弯刀，驱动座下铁骑，准备与南来之人会合一处。 王玄策此时在城墙上气定神闲地观看城下的厮杀。看到城下的三彪兵马渐渐会合一处，王玄策将手一挥，两边持槌之人擂响大鼓，顿时又增强了战场上的肃杀气氛。 诃黎布失毕带领残部缩入都城，下令紧闭城门，以图固守。他知道自己不是唐军的对手，派相国那利带人星夜西去，找乙毗射匮可汗求援。 阿史那社尔从后面赶上来与契苾何力合兵一处，他们休息一夜，平明时分即拔营南进，前锋到了午后即抵达龟兹都城下。随着后续兵马渐渐到达，唐军将此城围得水泄不通。 诃黎布失毕站在城墙上，眼望越来越多的唐兵，心中的忧虑渐渐加重。他眼望西面，心想那利刚走，乙毗射匮可汗即使派援兵前来，三日内断难到达。若想凭城坚守，此城无法与焉耆都城相比，实在无险可守。他立在城墙上，呆立了一个多时辰，眼望夜色愈浓，心中打定了一个主意。 是夜云遮星月，四周漆黑一团。唐军经过数日鏖战，现在将此城团团围困，又见城中毫无动静，不免有些懈怠。他们扎营四周，仅派一些人警戒，其他人抵足而眠，呼呼大睡起来。 诃黎布失毕知道，自己难以坚守三日，乙毗射匮可汗援军到达之前，自己就会成了唐军的俘虏。为今之计，只有轻身脱逃此城。他回宫后不通知妻子随行，悄悄集合数千名贴身侍卫，让他们到西门处等待。丑时三刻，他认为唐兵此时正在熟睡，遂令人打开城门，带领数千人一拥而出。 这下子弄得唐军措手不及，仓促之间难以组织人马围堵，遂使龟兹人从容逃出。阿史那社尔和契苾何力来到西门处，询问被擒获的数名龟兹兵，得知诃黎布失毕为领头之人，深悔未及防范，后悔不迭。 经历了这一番闹腾，东方渐白。阿史那社尔下令全军即刻埋锅造饭，让人们饱餐一顿后即开始攻城。 其实不用阿史那社尔动手，此时城中早已乱成一团。他们得知国王逃走，已无抵抗之心。再看宫中，诃黎布失毕的嫔妃得知国王不顾自己而单身脱逃，心中生出无边的哀怨及愤怒。太阳刚刚升起，此城四门轰然打开，他们不战而降了。 阿史那社尔入城后，立刻命令契苾何力带领二万铁骑，沿着诃黎布失毕逃窜的路子追击，务必将其生擒；再召郭孝恪前来，由其负责镇守龟兹都城；他自己带领其余人马向西南行去，以图收服于阗等国。 契苾何力接令，迅速在军中挑选二万名精壮之人，其中多为突厥人和契苾人。这些人长期在大漠草原生活，最善于骑射，现在深入荒原追袭敌人，为其拿手好戏。契苾何力寻来向导，并向沿途之人打听诃黎布失毕的逃窜踪迹，这样边问边走，不觉已在路上行了十日，已行走四百余里。 这日苍茫时分，契苾何力终于打听到了诃黎布失毕确切的落脚之处。此处向西北方向行走二百里，那里有一座废弃的城池，名叫拨换城。诃黎布失毕奔逃至此，一面修筑城池，一面招来龟兹人，旬日之间，竟然招来了万余人。这里离射匮可汗所居的碎叶城不远，他幻想唐军不敢深入追击此地，妄图在这里喘息一阵。 数日之后的一个早晨，诃黎布失毕还在睡梦中被人唤醒，他闻言急忙到城墙上观看。只见一夜之间，城外遍立唐军旗幡，此城又被唐军围困。诃黎布失毕大惑不解，又使劲揉了揉眼睛，只见中间旗幡之下，昂然挺立着一位英武将军，他识得此人：正是刚刚交过手的契苾何力。 诃黎布失毕观见此景，顿时大怒并迁怒左右：“人家一夜之间将我们团团围困，难道没有一点动静？你们浑然不觉，简直是一群蠢牛！”此时开骂，却忘了自己也是刚刚被人从梦中唤醒。 他就在城墙上呆立半天，有心想突出城外向碎叶城靠拢。但见唐兵轮番跨马在四周警戒，知道他们接受了上次的教训，不敢懈怠一分。果然，到了是日夜里，唐兵骑着马儿，手执火把在外巡查不已。诃黎布失毕衡量形势，知道城中召来的万余人毕竟为乌合之众，绝非城外二万铁骑的对手。于是，他彻底打消了突围的念头，转而进行全力防守。 诃黎布失毕在这里全力防守，那契苾何力却没有一点儿攻城的动作。他将营盘扎好，派出铁骑来回巡查，严防城中人逃出，不向城中射一箭，也不修造攻城之具，如此而已。 这样双方对峙了二十余日，每天日出日落，双方没有战事，显得非常平静。数日后，诃黎布失毕隐隐地有些担心，认为唐军此举欲耗尽城内粮食，使城中粮尽而自行出城投降。他当时心存侥幸，认为城中存粮尚多，可以支撑月余，此间乙毗射匮可汗不会坐视不管，定会引军来解救。谁知二十余日过去，乙毗射匮可汗的身影无影无踪，城中的存粮耗去大半。这一下子，弄得诃黎布失毕六神无主，顿时慌了神。 城外唐军依然不慌不忙，也没有一点儿攻城的意思。契苾何力围困此城后，立刻与郭孝恪联系，让其调派五千人自西州向拨换城转运粮草。这样，围城之人有后方源源不断的粮草接济，乐得在此清闲地围城。 如此又过了十余日，城中断粮数日后，终于有人忍不住打开城门向唐军投降。诃黎布失毕起初还派人弹压，最后难挡其势，只好长叹一声，徒手出城向契苾何力投降。 契苾何力看到诃黎布失毕那憔悴的样子，取笑道：“你知道终有投降的一日，何必要在城中苦苦坚持。你若早出来一天，亦可少遭一日罪。” 诃黎布失毕低头不语，心中懊恼不已。他到此时，不怨别人，唯怨乙毗射匮可汗袖手旁观，不来援救自己。 其实他错怪了乙毗射匮可汗。那利找到乙毗射匮可汗，果然请得了万余突厥兵，那利一开始不知道都城已失，依旧领兵向其都城扑去。 吐蕃人和泥婆罗人闻听城墙上的击鼓声，顿时抖擞精神。他们合兵一处，然后如旋风般地在天竺人丛中快速掠过。太阳底下，那些闪亮的弯刀忽起忽落，皆沾满了红艳的鲜血。过了顷刻，城门大开，从中又拥出一彪人马，马上混入战团。他们在阵中来回搅动，直杀得天昏地暗，日光无色。 是役，天竺人死者五千余人，伤者无数。阿罗那顺本想自己人多，不料己方难挡那些迅猛的铁骑冲击，很快溃败。他看到势头不好，准备脱逃，王玄策在城墙上早就发现了他的身影，下令百名吐蕃兵盯住他，伺机活捉。当天竺兵彻底溃败的时候，这百人迅速抢上高地，将其擒拿。 此后，王玄策挥兵南进，渡过恒河，俘虏中天竺国人数万名，其中有阿罗那顺群妃及王子。经此数役，王玄策大名响震天竺，城邑来降者计有五百八十余所。 王玄策又在茶和罗城居住月余，立阿罗那顺之子为国王。他觉得此行目的已经达到，遂嘱咐阿罗那顺之子要与邻国和睦友好，不要轻易征伐。办完这些事，他俘获阿罗那顺返回长安。 王玄策离开天竺的时候，东天竺王尸鸠摩送牛马三万犒军，迦没路王献五天竺地图，可谓风光无限。王玄策还访来一名方士，此人名叫那罗迩娑婆寐，自言已活二百岁，有长生之术，王玄策决意将其也带回长安。 王玄策班师回国的路上，要经过泥婆罗国和吐蕃国，王玄策见了泥婆罗王和松赞干布，自然百般感谢他们的借兵之恩。 禄东赞眨着小眼，笑对王玄策道：“贵使出使诸国，到了最后竟成了一位得胜将军。你回京后，皇帝陛下定会大加封赏了。” 王玄策答道：“玄策所以能擒获阿罗那顺，无非借了禄相之力。玄策回京后，定向陛下细说禄相的功劳。”王玄策所言非虚，此战若无松赞干布和禄东赞的鼎力支持，断无作为。 “罢了，你见了皇上提提赞普之功就行，不用提我。对了，我为敬德将军和咬金将军准备了一些土物，你可替我带回。”是时，段志玄和何吉罗已逝，禄东赞早已得知消息，所以并不提及。 王玄策临行之前，专程前去拜见文成公主。 文成公主依旧唐装，其颜色如旧，经历了数年生活，神色间增添了不少成熟和矜持。她看到故国之人，心中不免激动，因王玄策为东官僚属，熟知宗室之事，便殷勤探问娘家情景。 得知李道宗从征高丽，她叹道：“父王身体康健如昔，我心甚喜。然战阵为凶险之地，不可轻涉。你回京后，可将此语带给父王。” 文成公主对征伐天竺不以为然，斥责王玄策道：“你之本分为出使诸国，未得朝廷言语，怎可轻易动兵？唉，那日赞普提起你来借兵，我试图拦阻，谁知你已领兵出征。天竺佛国经此劫难，定然伤折不少。” 王玄策知道文成公主崇信佛法，心怀慈悲，他得胜后本来满心欢喜，经文成公主的数句斥责，其一团高兴顿时化为灰烬，吓得不敢再吭声。 文成公主说出此话，心中黯然，脸现萧索之意，也没有心情再说话。王玄策见状，遂小心翼翼地辞了出来。