bookrebus Chapter 1158 The Defeat of Tibet
Chapter 1158 The Defeat of Tibet
Without further hesitation, Yuchi Yao dispatched a high-ranking royal official as a special envoy, carrying even more generous gifts and a clear letter of appeal for aid.
He personally wrote down his promise to "be a vassal forever and pay tribute every year," and rushed to Langhou Fort overnight to submit to Daqing.
This time, Zhang Yi didn't leave them hanging.
The Khotan envoy, with tears streaming down his face, recounted the perilous situation of his kingdom's impending doom and presented a letter of credence and a list of gifts.
Zhang Yi and Luo Yueniang listened carefully and then reluctantly discussed it for a while.
Zhang Yi finally spoke in a stern tone: "The Tibetans are tyrannical and invade neighboring countries. Our Celestial Empire cannot bear to see its people suffer..."
"However, our army's expedition has consumed a great deal of food, supplies and equipment, and the soldiers who risked their lives also need to be compensated."
The Khotan envoy quickly stated that Khotan was willing to do its utmost to compensate for all military losses and would also offer generous gifts to the army.
This is exactly what Zhang Yi and his companion were waiting for.
It's unreasonable for us to pay for your wars.
“In that case,” Luo Yueniang continued, “we invite your esteemed envoy to stay and watch our royal army defeat the enemy.”
The time was ripe. The Tibetan army, having won a series of victories, became arrogant and suffered a setback at the last line of defense in Khotan, where their vigilance gradually weakened.
Zhang Yi and Luo Yueniang quickly devised a plan: Luo Yueniang would personally lead 5,000 elite Qing troops as the central route to launch a frontal assault on the Tibetan army camp.
Zhang Yi led the Shazhou Army and two thousand Qing Army cavalry, flanking from both sides to cut off their retreat.
The battle began at dawn.
The Qing army's artillery fire first covered the Tibetan army camp, causing chaos and destruction.
The Qing army infantry, who had been resting and recuperating for a long time, advanced steadily under the cover of musket fire.
The Tibetan army was caught off guard by the sudden attack and its barely organized counterattack crumbled under the barrage of musket fire.
By noon, the Tibetan army's commander-in-chief had been killed in battle, and the remaining troops collapsed.
The remaining troops attempted to retreat, only to find their escape route completely blocked by Zhang Yi's Shazhou Division.
The soldiers of Shazhou, harboring a blood feud, were exceptionally fierce in their killing of the Tibetans.
Some of the remaining Tibetan soldiers fled to two other small towns nearby. Zhang Yi pursued them in victory, while Luo Yueniang divided her forces to cooperate.
Within a few days, they captured five cities in succession, completely eradicating the Tibetan forces northeast of Khotan.
This battle shocked the entire nation of Khotan.
When the Eastern army makes a move, it is swift and decisive, annihilating the elite Tibetan forces and expanding its territory by a hundred miles.
What terrifies Khotan the most is that it was thought that Daqing and Tubo were evenly matched, but now it seems that Daqing is unilaterally crushing Khotan.
The Tibetans had no power to fight back. Who could stop such a powerful Qing army?
Yuchi Yao personally led his civil and military officials thirty miles outside the capital to welcome Zhang Yi and Luo Yueniang with the most solemn tributary ceremony.
The official letter was formally presented, acknowledging the vassal state and paying tribute, expressing the willingness to serve as a permanent bulwark.
Zhang Yi, representing the emperor, accepted the official letter, reiterated the emperor's responsibility to protect trade routes and safeguard vassal states, and stationed a 500-strong auxiliary defense mission in Khotan.
The news swept through the Western Regions like a whirlwind.
Upon hearing the news, the kingdoms of Kucha and Shule sent envoys back and forth between Langhou Fortress and Khotan in an endless stream.
Seeing Daqing's growing power, the countries became increasingly subservient.
As a result, the situation in the Western Regions began to steadily progress in accordance with Li Che's plan.
. . . . . .
The Tibetan army camp was located beneath Chuimacheng.
The standoff has lasted for more than a month.
Wang Sanchun's troops stood firm like a cold reef, unmoved no matter how the waves of the Tibetan army crashed against them.
The defensive line built by Qing army firearms turned the Tibetan army's offensive into a bloody attrition war. The heavy infantry that Lu Dongzan had placed high hopes on suffered heavy losses under the multi-layered firepower, and their morale plummeted at a visible speed.
The Tibetan army was caught in a dilemma; they couldn't break through the enemy lines, and they were unwilling to retreat, so they could only remain in this stalemate.
However, bad news can't be kept secret forever.
On this day, a messenger covered in dust was carried into the central military tent by his personal guards, trembling as he presented military intelligence from the Western Regions.
Lu Dongzan was discussing military affairs with several trusted generals.
He unfolded the scroll and scanned it with his eyes.
The inscription, written in hurried handwriting, reads: Liucheng has fallen, Shazhou has surrendered, Langhou Fort has been breached, Shiqi Pass has surrendered, Khotan has defected, and the Tibetan forces in the eastern part of the Western Regions are nearly disintegrated...
The signature was that of his trusted confidant in the Western Regions, so the information must be accurate.
The air inside the tent instantly froze.
The generals watched as Da Lun's hand, holding the secret scroll, began to tremble uncontrollably, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
The color drained from that usually calm and dignified face at an alarming rate, turning it ashen.
He felt as if his spine had been removed, and he swayed, having to reach out and brace himself against the table to steady himself.
Lu Dongzan stared intently at those few lines of text for a long time, so long that the messenger almost collapsed to the ground, while the generals exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, as if he had exhausted all his strength, he placed the secret scroll on the table and gently smoothed it out.
Then he waved his hand, his voice hoarse: "All of you... get out."
“Great discourse…” Zanni wanted to say something.
"Get out," Lu Dongzan repeated, without looking up.
The generals dared not speak further and bowed as they withdrew.
Lu Dongzan sat there alone, his back hunched over for the first time.
The candlelight reflected his empty pupils onto the table; his eyes were devoid of any light.
The Western Regions were the most fertile territory of Tibet besides its Gaoyuan homeland.
That is the source of wealth, the strategic flank, and the key to maintaining strategic advantage over the Central Plains.
Now, that arm has been severed cleanly at the root.
Lu Dongzan originally thought that Li Che, a young man, was personally in charge of the army, which was why Chuima City was so difficult to conquer.
He never expected that this audacious emperor would lead his isolated army to silently circle around to his rear, delivering the most fatal blow.
His hundreds of thousands of troops were bogged down at the gates of Chuima City, caught in a dilemma, while the gates to the rear were wide open.
It's true that one wrong step leads to another.
No, perhaps I was wrong from the moment I decided to devote all my efforts to the Eastern Expedition.
No, perhaps even earlier!
The seeds of disaster were sown when Tibet became complacent in the false prosperity of its expansion into the Western Regions.
He sat there, motionless, like a rapidly weathering stone sculpture.
The candle burned out, a new one was placed in its place, and then it burned out again.
Outside the tent, the noise of voices gradually subsided until all was quiet, and then the sky began to lighten.
When the guards mustered their courage and gently lifted the tent flap during their routine morning inquiry, they were so startled that they took a step back.
Lu Dongzan remained seated behind his desk, but his hair, which had previously been mixed with gray, turned completely white overnight!
Her face was haggard, her eyes were sunken, and she had lost all her former charm.
When those eyes looked up at the guards, they were filled with an unfathomable weariness.
"Great Lord! You..." The guard's voice trembled.
Lu Dongzan waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.
Almost simultaneously, hurried and chaotic footsteps came from outside the tent.
Several high-ranking generals rushed in, disregarding protocol: "Your Excellency! Something terrible has happened!"
"Qing army flags spotted to the west! They're everywhere, at least tens of thousands!"
"It's Li Che's dragon flag. They and the garrison of Chuima City have formed a pincer movement. The scouts say they saw them setting up those heavy weapons that can breathe fire and spew thunder!"
"Let's stop lying. The only person in charge of military affairs in the city is General Wang Sanchun of Qing. The Emperor of Daqing has already outmaneuvered us!"
After the generals finished their hurried reports, they finally saw what Lu Dongzan looked like and froze on the spot.
His hair turned white overnight!
He spoke at length about...
Despite the fear on everyone's faces, Lu Dongzan remained unusually calm.
He even gently tidied his snow-white sideburns and said in a hoarse voice, "I understand."
"Great Lord! We're caught in a pincer attack! What we need to do now..." Zan Nie said urgently.
"Withdraw the troops," Lu Dongzan interrupted him.
"Withdraw the troops?!" The generals were stunned.
An old general said urgently, "Great Lord! If we retreat now, all our previous efforts to capture Chuima City will be in vain!"
"A vast expanse of fertile land south of the Qilian Mountains and at the western end of the Hexi Corridor will all fall to the Qing people! Our operations in the Western Regions... are completely finished!"
"In this way, Tibet will lose its best buffer zone and granary, and will be locked in the plateau forever!"
Another trusted confidant said, "If we lose this battle, we won't be able to explain it to the Zanpu (Tibetan king), I'm afraid..."
"Please think twice before you speak!"
Most of them were from Lu Dongzan's faction and knew the consequences of withdrawing their troops.
Even if they manage to return to Lhasa, what awaits them is not a way to survive, but rather a reckoning.
"What else can we do but withdraw?" Lu Dongzan slowly stood up. "If we don't withdraw, Tibet will lose more than just buffer zones and granaries."
He walked to the simple map, his finger traced across the city of Chuima, across the vast plateau behind him, and finally landed in the direction of Lhasa.
"The Emperor of Daqing arrived in person, bringing with him the glory of his new victory. He joined forces with Wang Sanchun, and they had the advantage in morale, manpower, and weaponry. They also cut off our connection with the Western Regions."
"Our army is exhausted from long-term fighting, and the transportation of supplies is becoming increasingly difficult. Morale is already low. If we are attacked from both sides, the army's morale will collapse in an instant."
"If we fight now, not only will we not be able to win, but we may also face the danger of total annihilation."
He turned around and looked at the generals: "Wang Sanchun is a fierce tiger, and Li Che is an even more powerful dragon. Now that the dragon has arrived and is attacking us from both sides with the tiger, what will this weary yak have left?"
The tent was deathly silent.
Although Lu Dongzan's analysis was harsh, it hit the nail on the head.
Everyone knows that Tibet has been defeated.
“If our army is annihilated here,” Gar Tongtsen’s voice grew even lower, “then Lhasa will be vulnerable, the emperor is young, and what will those restless nobles in the country do?”
"At that time, Tibet may face disintegration, national extinction, and even the extinction of its people!"
"Even if we lose territory, we can still survive by preserving our foundation on the plateau and then plan for the future."
"If we lose our army and our country, then all will be lost."
He ignored the pale faces of his generals and directly ordered: "Order the entire army to immediately break camp, take turns providing cover, and withdraw to Yemachuan to defend the strategic mountain pass."
"Discard all unnecessary baggage and travel light and swiftly."
"The garrison troops in each village along the way, after receiving the retreating army, burned the villages and destroyed the roads to delay the Qing army's pursuit."
Some generals were unwilling to accept this and wanted to say something more.
Lu Dongzan's eyes turned cold, and he said in a chilling tone, "I know what you're thinking. Nothing else matters when it comes to the greater good. Tibet cannot perish!"
"If anyone takes this opportunity to do something foolish, don't blame me for disregarding our past relationship!"