flstandardbreds Chapter 1135 The Battle for National Destiny (1)
Chapter 1135 The Battle for National Destiny (1)
The Tibetan army's camps spread across the spine of the plateau like black moss.
Inside the central command tent, the giant tallow candles crackled and popped as they burned.
The passionate fervor of the daytime military council had dissipated, and now only Lu Dongzan remained in the tent.
He did not remove his armor, only his helmet, revealing his gray and white braids underneath.
The candlelight cast flickering shadows on his face, but the confidence that had shone through during the day was now mostly swept away by the night wind of the plateau, leaving only an undisguised look of exhaustion.
Lu Dongzan sighed softly, feeling utterly exhausted.
The tent flap was carefully lifted a crack, and as a cold wind rushed in, the trusted general Zan Nie slipped in.
His face was still flushed with excitement, but when he saw the expression on the face of the person in the main seat, his excitement instantly froze on his face.
At that moment, Lu Dongzan's gaze had already turned towards them.
"Great Master?" Zan Nie stepped forward quietly, bowing respectfully. "It's late, and I see you haven't rested yet. We must break camp tomorrow..."
Lu Dongzan did not look up, his eyes still fixed on the map, his expression serious.
Zan Nie also sensed something was wrong and silently stopped talking.
After a long pause, Lu Dongzan finally uttered a sentence in a low voice: "Zan Nie, what do you think... the odds of winning this battle?"
Zan Nie was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard.
During daytime military councils, they would launch into grand pronouncements about the state of the nation, always mentioning the capture and killing of Emperor Qing—what boundless pride they displayed!
Why would you ask such a question when you're alone at night?
He immediately straightened his back and replied, "What makes you say that, Your Excellency? Our Tibetan army of 300,000 is composed of battle-hardened elites, and we are further aided by the natural defenses of the plateau."
"The Qing army is exhausted from its long march and is not accustomed to the local climate. Although its leader, Li Che, has some wisdom and courage, he is young and impetuous and has fallen into the trap of a great debate."
"Our army will surely win this battle! We will capture Li Che alive and display our national prestige throughout the world!"
He had said these words during the day, and many generals had said them as well; they were the best way to boost morale.
But speaking it again in this quiet tent now sounds strangely hollow, even somewhat jarring.
Lu Dongzan finally raised his head and glanced at him.
There was no approval in his eyes, only a weariness bordering on pity.
He slowly shook his head, his voice low, yet it scraped against Zan Nie's eardrums like a knife:
"Do you even believe what you're saying?"
Zan Nie seemed to have his throat grabbed, his passionate expression frozen on his face.
“That’s the Qing Army.” Lu Dongzan stopped looking at him and returned his gaze to the map. “It was personally created by Li Che, and the Qing Army has never been defeated in its campaigns over the years!”
"But......"
Zan Nie had just opened his mouth when Lu Dongzan interrupted him, each word seeming to be squeezed out from his chest:
"Saying that we are certain of victory... is just empty talk to reassure the troops."
“Zan Nie, I watched you grow up. There are no outsiders here, so there’s no need for empty words.”
Upon hearing Lu Dongzan's words, Zan Nie felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.
He licked his dry lips, his voice trembling slightly: "If that's the case, why does the Grand Master still insist on this battle?"
"Even to the point of exhausting the nation's resources, gambling... gambling everything?"
He wanted to say, "I'll stake your reputation on it," but he didn't dare say it.
"Why?" Lu Dongzan gave a bitter smile, his smile full of bitterness. "Because if we don't fight... we can't go on."
He stood up, the armor plates on his body making a soft rubbing sound.
Walking to the edge of the tent, I looked out at the dark plateau that seemed to swallow up all light.
“Zan Nie, what does this Tibetan look like to you?” he suddenly asked.
Zan Nie was even more bewildered and didn't reply for a long time.
“Like a mad horse.” Lu Dongzan asked himself and answered, “Over the years, we have been conquering Tuyuhun in the east, pressing westward into the Western Regions, and eyeing Shu in the south. We have been sucking the milk of our spoils without stopping, fattening up the nobles and tightening the bowstring.”
"It has become accustomed to running wildly, to plundering, and to venting and covering up all its internal conflicts by conquering others."
He turned around, his eyes filled with a deep fear that Zan Nie had never seen before: "But now, the horses have slowed down."
"Sichuan has been firmly swallowed up by the Qing Kingdom, and the kingdoms of the Western Regions have also begun to waver... There are fewer fat pieces of meat that can be easily plundered."
"When the horse slows down, the riders start to fight amongst themselves, arguing about who gets more and who does less."
"The nobles' greed is never satisfied, it only grows ever larger, and on horseback sits an increasingly restless... young Zanpu."
He paused very slightly when he mentioned the Zanpu.
Zan Nie's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not think any further.
"Internal disputes intensified, with families attacking each other, annexing land, fighting over slave households, and even engaging in private armed conflicts."
"The national treasury, due to years of military campaigns, is no longer as abundant as it once was, and the king..."
Lu Dongzan paused again, this time for an even longer period.
"Although the Zanpu is young, he is no mediocre ruler. Some voices are beginning to gather around him, and these voices are shaking the national policy and the fundamental interests of some people."
"Therefore, this battle is inevitable!"
Lu Dongzan's voice was resolute yet filled with helplessness: "We must not only fight for the Qing Kingdom, but also for our own Tibetan people!"
"We must use a significant victory to revitalize this galloping steed, use the spoils to silence the discontented nobles, use military achievements to solidify my authority, and also suppress the increasingly obvious disturbances from the Zanpu's side."
Zan Nie felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
He then realized that this great battle seemed to be a proactive attack by the Great Lun, with victory seemingly within their grasp.
Behind this lies a precarious and precarious situation, like walking on thin ice.
"Then...then why don't we hold our ground and defend it to the death? If the Qing army comes to attack the plateau, they will surely suffer heavy losses, and then we can..." Zan Nie asked.
Lu Dongzan interrupted him: "We can't defend! Once the Qing army really sets up camp below the plateau, they won't even need to attack. Just by adopting a posture of long-term siege, the pressure on the country will increase exponentially."
"What will those already disgruntled nobles, their subjects who are filled with resentment due to the heavy conscription, and the king himself do?"
Lu Dongzan helplessly stated the reality: "They will not unite against a common enemy; they will only turn their attention to me and the policy of advocating foreign military action even faster!"
"A precarious balance will collapse more quickly under the pressure of external enemies."
He let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with heaviness: "I led my troops out to actively seek a decisive battle, precisely to divert internal troubles to the outside."
"If we win, all problems can be covered up, or even turned into greater benefits."
"We lost..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Zan Nie already understood.
If we lose, we'll likely face internal and external troubles, and war will break out everywhere.
Lu Dongzan himself, and indeed the entire radical faction, may face utter ruin.
This is a vast empire coasting along with inertia, where the helmsman knows that what lies ahead may be an iceberg, yet is unable to swerve sharply.
He could only grit his teeth and accelerate, in a desperate gamble hoping to break through and find a way out.
As Zan Nie gazed at the grand discourse under the candlelight, he seemed to age several years in an instant, and a lump formed in his throat.
Can we really win this battle?
. . . . . .
Blowing through Macheng.
This border city, which had just experienced a bloody battle, looked particularly desolate under the leaden sky.
To the west of the city lies a relatively open frozen snowfield, with a view that extends to the farthest reaches.
On the watchtower at the highest point of the city wall, Wang Sanchun stood with his hand on his sword.
His gaze was fixed on the horizon.
At first, it was just a blurry, wriggling black line, as if the earth itself had cracked open and opened a wound.
Gradually, the black line thickened and widened, like thick ink constantly overflowing, slowly spreading towards Chuimacheng.
The rumbling sound seemed to come from the depths of the earth, and even from this distance, it could be faintly heard.
That was the sound of countless hooves, footsteps, and wheels rolling over the frozen earth.
"They're here," Wang Sanchun murmured, his voice quickly shattered by the biting wind high above.
Deputy General Zhao Duo leaned closer, his voice tense: "General, judging from this force, there are at least 100,000 men. Lu Dongzan has probably brought his entire fortune."
Wang Sanchun did not turn around, but asked only, "How are the food and military supplies in the city?"
"We have enough supplies for more than two months, and we also have no shortage of gunpowder. About half a month later, another batch of new explosive shells and reinforcements were delivered."
Wang Sanchun nodded, his gaze still fixed on the approaching black tide.
The walls of Chuimacheng were not high or thick, and the city had just experienced a fierce siege.
If they relied on traditional tactics to defend the city to the death, they would not have much of an advantage. The Qing army had never been good at hiding behind the city walls.
Li Che's previous defense of the city was also due to a shortage of gunpowder, leaving him with no other choice.
"Give the order," Wang Sanchun finally commanded, "All troops, march out of the city and form ranks!"
Zhao Duo's eyes lit up: "Here you go!"
There are large open areas outside the city, which are perfect for artillery to use.
Lu Dongzan wanted to swallow Chuimacheng whole, but Wang Sanchun insisted on setting up the battlefield outside the city, right under his nose!
It's still uncertain who will swallow whom!
The order was quickly relayed.
The Qing army in Chuimacheng did not panic or become chaotic due to the approaching army; instead, they responded quickly.
Squads of soldiers poured out of their barracks, and guided by their banners, flowed through the four city gates toward the vast white snowfield.
Soldiers and militiamen from the supply battalion poured hot water and compacted the ground in the area of the position to begin constructing artillery positions.
Subsequently, the infantry, organized into battalions, deployed according to formations they had practiced countless times in daily drills.
Officers of various ranks moved among them, constantly adjusting the spacing and angle in hushed tones.
Most striking were the dozens of heavy cannons that were dragged out of the city.
This is not the small-caliber mortar of the past, but the standard cannon of the Qing Army, with a range far exceeding that of the present era.
They were placed in pre-reinforced firing positions, and the gunners began inspecting the gun barrels, cleaning the breech, and moving the propellant charges and shells.
The dark muzzles of the cannons were all pointed at the approaching black tide.
Wang Sanchun, fully armed and riding a sturdy horse, patrolled in front of the gradually forming military formation.
The soldiers gripped their weapons even tighter as they watched their commander's composed figure.
As dawn broke, the snowfield reflected the pale light of the sky.
The vanguard of the Tibetan army could already make out their banners and outlines.