Chapter 4821 Between Victory and Defeat

Chapter 4821 Between Victory and Defeat
The two previous consecutive mutinies had put Li Chengqian's throne in jeopardy and even threatened his life. Although times have changed, Li Chengqian must have always been vigilant about the various forces involved in the mutiny, and it is impossible for him to just let it go, both publicly and privately.

That is not being "broad-minded" but raising a tiger to harm yourself.

He did not believe that Emperor Taizong could suppress all opponents with his great prestige and strength, making them afraid to act rashly. Therefore, even if they did not implicate many people after the "Xuanwu Gate Incident", the Zhenguan period was still stable.

But Li Chengqian was different. When he was the crown prince, he was questioned by Emperor Taizong, who repeatedly wanted to change the crown prince. Although he finally ascended the throne, he was questioned by the world. Although he was "legitimate", it was difficult for him to "have his say". This led to an unstable foundation for his rule. It was only with Fang Jun's full support that he was able to stabilize the situation.

Therefore, it is entirely possible that Li Chengqian launched a "war to eliminate enemies" and wiped out those who opposed his rule or coveted the throne.

This is "top-down".

Regardless of whether they were members of the royal family, or nobles and aristocratic families, many of them had participated in the two mutinies. Although Li Chengqian later stated that he would not pursue the matter, who could really assume that nothing had happened?
They may have the intention to harm others, but they are even more defensive against others. If you say that these people are just sitting there waiting to die, I'm afraid no one will believe it.

Once a mutiny occurs, it means that the entire ruling class of the country has irreconcilable conflicts of interest. Such conflicts of interest can ignore hierarchy and even transcend right and wrong. Everything they do is just for the pursuit of interests, so it often forms inertia. Once it happens, there will be a second time. If it is not stopped in time, it is likely to happen again and again.

This is "bottom-up".

Beneath the seemingly thriving situation lies a huge torrent, and everyone involved can feel it or even detect some clues.

How can I not be trembling with fear and trepidation?
*****
The news of the defeat of Lebujie and the capture of Naluyi made the whole Fuqi City cheer and jump for joy. All the tribesmen of the Gar tribe were excited and rushed to tell each other about Lun Qinling's victory in the first battle. With an invincible commander like Lun Qinling, a brave general like Bolun Zanren, and the almost endless support of the Tang Dynasty, everyone believed that the seemingly powerful Tubo was actually weak and superficial, and the Gar tribe would soon be able to attack the plateau and capture Luoshui City.

Being expelled from Lhasa and driven to Qinghai Lake, the ancient Tuyuhun territory, the entire Gar tribe felt deeply ashamed and were determined to make the Zamp and the tribal leaders on the plateau suffer the consequences.

Moreover, once the city of Lhasa was captured, Lu Dongzan would most likely replace Songtsen Gampo as the king of Tubo. The entire Gar tribe would then become the rulers of Tubo and the whole tribe would benefit. How could they not be excited?

However, unlike the whole city which was celebrating, Lu Dongzan was worried.

The thin and small figure curled up on the Hu bed. The temperature dropped sharply as the autumn wind gradually rose. He was wrapped tightly in his robe. His wrinkled face twitched and he sighed from time to time.

Sitting cross-legged next to her, Zanpo crushed the walnuts with her hands, then carefully picked out the walnut kernels and placed them on a plate. Hearing her father sigh again, she couldn't help asking, "The two brothers are unstoppable and victorious. The eldest brother has been traveling on the plateau to win over the tribes that have long been friendly with us and has achieved great results and received many promises. Why is father not happy?"

"Happy? I'm almost dying of worry!"

Lu Dong was full of praise and cursed, "Those two idiots are like wild horses on the battlefield, totally out of control. They only care about the victory or defeat of a day or a night, the gains and losses of a city or a place, but have no sense of the overall situation. They are simply idiots!"

Zanpo was a little confused and asked, "But before my brother went to the battle, didn't father repeatedly tell them to be careful and cautious to achieve victory?"

"Nonsense! There are countless Tang and Tibetan spies in and out of Fushi City. We can't hide anything from them. If I tell them not to win, do you believe that the Tang army will come from Dadouba Valley tomorrow morning? Besides, the reason why I didn't mention specific requirements to your brother is to see if he has outstanding strategic ability. I'm a little disappointed."

Lu Dongzan was very annoyed.

The victory in the battle of Lunqinling, the capture of Naluyi and the cutting off of the Ela Pass made the lush and water-rich Dafeichuan completely fall under the control of the Gar tribe, and they defended the dangerous area, which was a complete victory strategically.

But what would it matter if we captured a mere Naluoyi? Apart from angering Luoshui City, there would not be much practical benefit. On the other hand, if we lose the first battle, Tubo will not take the Gar family seriously and will not mobilize a large army to destroy them. The Tang people will also be disappointed with the Gar tribe and no longer expect the Gar tribe to contain Tubo. Then the Gar tribe can not only eat the benefits given by the Tang people, but also ensure the current situation, killing two birds with one stone.

The reason why he did not instruct his two sons before they went out to fight that they could only lose and not win was that he was considering Lun Qinling's strategic ability and whether he could cultivate the ability to look at problems from the overall perspective rather than fighting for temporary success or failure.

After all, his expectations for Lun Qinling far exceeded those for his eldest son, Zan Xiruo...

But now he was a little disappointed.

Zanpo's eyes widened, unable to understand his father's crazy idea: "You actually used the entire Gar tribe as a tool to develop your brother's strategic ability?"

Lu Dongzan shook his head, sighed, and was too lazy to speak.

He certainly wasn't gambling with the life and death of the entire Gar tribe. It would be better to lose the Battle of Luyi, as it would quickly end the war and return to a stalemate. But victory was not entirely without benefits, as the morale of the entire tribe would be greatly boosted and the fighting spirit would be high, so they could take advantage of the situation to pursue the enemy.

However, this would fall into the calculations of the Tang people, using the flesh and blood of the Gar tribe to consume the national strength of Tubo...

Of course, the initial disappointment was that Lun Qinling failed to reach the level he had expected, and if he wanted to take over and lead the entire tribe, he would need to continue to hone his skills.

……

Lun Qinling, who was far away at Naluyi, reorganizing his troops and preparing for a fierce battle, realized belatedly that his quick and efficient capture of Naluyi was not a good thing.

"The Zamp seems to have unified Tubo, but in fact, the various factions are fighting each other, and the interests between them are difficult to reconcile. There are many contradictions, and they can only be suppressed by the Zamp's prestige. But this contradiction will erupt sooner or later, and once it erupts, it may bury the entire Tubo. Now our unexpected victory must have shocked the city of Luoshui, but it also gave the Zamp a reason and opportunity to divert internal contradictions. We have helped the Zamp a lot."

The truth that "war is the best means to divert conflicts" is not profound. Before, Songtsen Gampo was obsessed with marriage with the Tang Dynasty in order to borrow the power of the Tang Dynasty to suppress internal disobedience. Later, when the marriage fell through, he began to actively prepare for a war against the Tang Dynasty in order to ease internal conflicts through war. However, as "barley wine" brought huge benefits to the Tibetan tribes, the battle plan had to be temporarily shelved. Now that he had captured Naluyi at lightning speed, Songtsen Gampo had another opportunity to gather the whole country's strength to fight.

Otherwise, with the strength of the Gar tribe, even with the support of the Tang Dynasty, it would be impossible for the entire Tubo to pay attention to it. Songtsen Gampo wanted to gather the strength of the whole country, but no one would cooperate with him. That would only make the other tribal leaders think that he had ulterior motives, and they might even take advantage of the invasion of the Gar tribe to eliminate dissidents.

Like Zanpo, Bolun Zanren was a "warrior" of the Gar family. He was invincible on the battlefield but an idiot when it came to strategy, so he couldn't understand: "So it's our fault for winning?"

"How can you say that?"

Lun Qinling drank a sip of highland barley wine and chewed roasted beans. "Victory is victory, defeat is defeat. We captured Naluyi and cut off the Ela Pass in one battle. Not only did we bring Dafeichuan under the rule of the Gar tribe, but we also blocked the Tibetan army to the north of the Ela Mountain. We can attack or defend. We have perfectly completed the initial strategy. It is an indisputable great achievement."

He swallowed the beans, took out the map and examined it carefully, saying, "But father probably doesn't think so. He thinks that a defeat will give the Tang people an excuse of 'I can't win', and thus get rid of the Tang people's pressure. It will also make Luoshui City take us lightly and think that we are vulnerable and don't take us seriously, so that the situation will return to the previous balance."

Bolun Zanren also grabbed some beans and said, "That's not bad. As long as we can maintain a stable situation, we will be stronger in ten or twenty years. We won't have to rely on the Tang people and be chased around like hunting dogs by them."

"Innocent!"

Lun Qinling muttered, indicating the distance between Nuanquan and Liemohai with his fingers, and said without raising his head: "Father is too afraid of the Zamp. He has been crawling under the Zamp's majesty for many years. Once he is hostile to him, he will be afraid. He only hopes to maintain a balanced situation to survive the current crisis and then make other plans. However, he completely forgets that neither the Tang people nor the Zamp can allow the Gar tribe to continue the previous stability. So don't worry about father's worries. In this battle, we will fight quickly. As long as we can drive straight in and be unstoppable, when the front line is directly at the city of Luoshui, the situation will definitely change drastically!"

Can the weak defeat the strong and fight all the way to the city of Lhasa?

This is very possible.

Although Tubo seems to be unified, in fact, there are many factions within it, fighting against each other. The Zamp cannot make a decision on his own. This is the Zamp's worry but also his opportunity, so he must mobilize the armies of various tribes to block and attack. If he wins, everything will be fine. Even if he loses, he can use the Gar tribe to reduce the strength of various Tubo tribes. When the strength of each tribe drops sharply, how dare they continue to disobey the Zamp's orders as before?

And this is the opportunity for the Gar tribe. The hastily mobilized army may not have the will to fight to the death. However, the Gar tribe's army, whose combat power has been increased several times with the help of weapons and equipment funded by the Tang Dynasty, is in high spirits, and it may not be impossible for them to capture cities and strongholds along the way.