Chapter 4872 Repaying evil with kindness

Even though Lun Qinling was mentally prepared and knew that even if the Tang people sent aid, they would be angry at him for undermining the Tang Dynasty's strategy, Zhang Da'an's words still frightened him to the point of sweating profusely.

Because Lun Qinling knew better than anyone that a Gar tribe that was willing to serve as a buffer zone between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo was an ally of the Tang Dynasty, while a Gar tribe that deliberately attempted to capture the city of Lhasa and replace Songtsen Gampo was an enemy.

When dealing with enemies, the Tang army has always been as cold and ruthless as autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, and all enemies will eventually be turned into dust.

Just thinking about the "repaying evil with kindness" shown by the Tang people now, Lun Qinling was nervous. This was not the style of the Tang people at all...

"Grand Commander, you are too kind. The reason I attacked Sairu Gongdon was not because I was disrespecting the alliance, but because I had no choice! Sairu Gongdon is a veteran general of Tubo. His tribe is powerful and has many soldiers and generals. I am still struggling to defend myself. In addition, we are seriously short of food, fodder and weapons. I had to take the initiative to attack when the enemy was negligent and slack. Fortunately, I won a small victory, but I disrupted the established strategy of Protector Pei. This is a great crime. When the situation stabilizes, I will go to Protector Pei and apologize."

Lun Qinling spoke sincerely and looked guilty, and it seemed that he had no choice but to do it.

Zhang Da'an stood up and walked forward, shaking his hands tightly, smiling warmly: "Oh my, it is true! When I set out, the Grand Protector told me that although the general's move destroyed the Tang Dynasty's strategy and caused heavy losses and endless troubles, there must be a reason for it. I must not get angry about it and do something stupid that will make my relatives sad and my enemies happy!"

Lun Qinling was sweating a little. Wasn't he threatening her without any concealment at all?
"The Gar tribe was exiled by the Zamp. Fortunately, the Tang Dynasty extended a helping hand and was able to settle in the former Tuyuhun territory. With the selfless assistance of the Grand Protector, they were able to withstand the hostility of Luoshui City. I will never forget your kindness. How dare I do something treacherous? The Gar tribe will always be an ally of the Tang Dynasty and will follow the Grand Protector's lead!"

"That's right. The Tang Dynasty treated its enemies cruelly and killed them all, but treated its friends with kindness and righteousness. Even a fool would know which choice to make. How could a smart man like the general ruin his own future and go astray? Come on, you must be freezing all the way here. It's a good opportunity for us to drink a bowl of hot porridge to warm ourselves up."

Zhang Da'an smiled and pulled Lun Qinling to sit down.

Breakfast was white porridge, pickles, and a small dish of steamed bacon. Although simple, the portion was enough. Lun Qinling came from the snow and wind, so he was hungry and cold. He drank three bowls of white porridge in a row before putting down his bowl and chopsticks. He breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed: "The most delicious food in the world is rice. It's so delicious!"

Not only is rice delicious, its yield is also much higher than that of barley. It is a pity that such high-quality grain cannot be grown on the plateau.

This is also the reason why Tubo has always been obsessed with and coveted the territory of the Tang Dynasty. The plateau is really too cold and harsh. The Tubo people have been fighting hard against the harsh natural conditions for generations, but they still go hungry and have no clothes to wear. The Tang Dynasty is warm and humid with fertile fields everywhere. The contrast is really unsatisfactory: why can the Tang people have a rich harvest by just sowing some seeds, while the Tubo people cannot get the expected harvest no matter how hard they work?
Why did my ancestors choose to survive in such a cold and harsh place like the plateau, instead of being born in the warm and flat Central Plains?

Zhang Daan smiled and said, "All the food we brought here is high-quality rice produced in Hexi. General, feel free to eat as much as you want. In addition, there are also rockets, thunder bombs and other firearms, as well as some medicines for treating injuries. General, don't you want to attack Luoshui City? Then fight as much as you want."

Lun Qinling was stunned: "We attacked Sairugongdun before because we had no choice. Now the crisis has been resolved. Sairugongdun is in a state of panic like a stray dog and is no longer a threat. I will respect the original alliance and ensure the stability of the plateau. We should stop here."

He dreamed of reaching the city of Lhasa and causing a drastic change within Tubo. What's more, his brother Zan Xiruo had already contacted the six tribes of Nachang to join in the uprising. How could he stop there?
However, the Tang people changed their previous strict order for him to cross Zishan Pass, and instead sent him supplies and weapons to support him in attacking Luoshui City. The huge difference between the two made him confused for a while, so he had to hide his thoughts and figure out the Tang people's plot first...

Zhang Daan had the dishes and chopsticks taken away and served fragrant tea. He took a sip of the tea and smiled, "The Tang Dynasty treats its allies well and will certainly allow them to make mistakes occasionally. General, you don't have to dwell on what happened before. Just wait and see what happens next."

Lun Qinling was silent for a moment, then asked, "What orders does Pei Duhu have?"

"Haven't I already said it? Protector Pei has no other requests. I came here only to fulfill my duty as an ally. If you want to attack Luoshui City, then go ahead. The Tang Dynasty cannot send troops to participate in Tubo's internal affairs, but we will definitely support you with all our strength... After all, we are allies."

Lun Qinling remained silent.

Would the Tang people disregard their own strategy and support the Gar tribe in their bid for the position of Zamp?
This is absolutely impossible. There must be some unpredictable conspiracy behind this.

But now the Gar tribe has already made up its mind and has to launch the attack. The military equipment and supplies provided by the Tang army are extremely important to them. Without these things, it is impossible to break through the defense line of Sairu Gongdun and Gongri Gongzan. If they stay here and delay any longer, the end result will only be defeat and death...

The Tang people did not give him any room for choice, and he had to drink it even though he knew it was a cup of poison.

Taking a deep breath, suppressing the fear and irritability in his heart, Lun Qinling forced a smile and exclaimed: "Pei Duhu is indeed a great man of the time. Not only is he outstanding in literary and military strategies, but he is also broad-minded. I admire him and cannot compare to him! Since Pei Duhu supports you, I will personally lead the men of my clan to march south and capture Luosi! When we move into the Red Palace, we will definitely form a brotherly alliance with the Tang Dynasty!"

"Good, good, good," Zhang Da applauded and laughed, "As expected, he is the best general of the young generation of Tubo. He is courageous and bold!"

Lun Qinling also smiled: "The Gar tribe is loyal to the Tang Dynasty and has no second thoughts. When the rebels in Chang'an attacked the imperial palace, the Gar tribe also sent troops thousands of miles to rush to help and assist His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to quell the rebellion."

Zhang Daan said with emotion: "Who says it's not true? The world can change dramatically, so unwavering loyalty is even more rare."

The world can change drastically, the stars can shift, so how can we maintain our loyalty?

You are just driven by interests, so don't preach loyalty in front of us...

Lun Qinling glanced at the other person and sighed inwardly.

It seems that the Tang Dynasty is extremely dissatisfied with its brazen attack on Serugundun and has completely changed its strategy of supporting the Gar tribe. It is just unknown whether it will abandon the Gar tribe and support another tribe to compete for the position of Zamp, or simply drive more Tibetan tribes to fight each other for their own interests, and finally completely break up the unification of Tibet and return to the previous chaotic and ignorant era of mutual attacks...

……

In any case, Lun Qinling was still very happy when he learned that the aid included two hundred rockets and two hundred thunder bombs.

The Tang army's firearms have long been proven to be not only capable of killing the enemy on a large scale in field battles, but also extremely powerful in capturing strong cities. Many rock-solid cities were as vulnerable as clay sculptures in the face of firearms.

With these firearms, at least we can defeat the Sairu Gundon and Gongri Gunzan standing in front of us with one strike...

After daybreak, the Tang army broke camp and set off. Dozens of horse-drawn carriages slowly headed towards Dangla Mountain and arrived in the afternoon.

Lun Qinling arranged for soldiers to count the supplies and accept them, while he took Zhang Da'an to entertain them with good wine and meat.

During the conversation, he already knew the identity of this man. He was the third son of Zhang Gongjin, Duke of Tan, who was a meritorious official during the Zhenguan period and accompanied the Tang military god Li Jing to conquer the Turks. He was also a close friend of Fang Jun, Duke of Yue, and now he was trusted by Pei Xingjian... Such a young man with a solid foundation, outstanding ability and good strategy would have a promising future.

Naturally, we should try our best to make friends.

Zhang Da'an had a very good personality. Apart from a verbal exchange when they first met, he was gentle, easy-going and humorous afterwards. He also had a very good alcohol tolerance. By the time the banquet ended in the middle of the night, the three of them were all drunk and went back to their tents to rest.

At dawn, Zhang Da'an got up from his bed, drank the soup cooked by his personal soldiers, left the tent, and entered Bolun Zanren's tent under the guidance of several Tibetan soldiers...

……

The sky brightened up, the continuous snowstorm finally stopped, and the long-lost sun peeked out from the mountains that stretched from east to west, shining golden and dazzling on the white snow. However, the plateau was bitterly cold, and the strong wind from the north swept over the snowfield, bringing snow foam to the sky and the earth, freezing the bones.

Lun Qinling, wrapped in fur, rode his horse to escort Zhang Da'an for more than ten miles until they stopped at a bend in a valley. The two families dismounted and held hands, reluctant to part: "I live in a cold and harsh plateau, and you are far away in Chang'an. We are far apart, and I don't know if we will meet again in the future. I feel really lonely and anxious."

"Brother, you are a great man of the time. How can you behave like a child? If the mountains remain green and the rivers flow forever, we will meet again. When the war is over, you will surely become a great hero in Tubo. I will definitely come to you then. Brother, you can't fool me with a pot of muddy wine and a piece of bacon in this snowy and cold wilderness!"

"Haha, it's a deal!"

"After sending you a thousand miles, we must finally say goodbye. Brother, please stop. I am leaving now."

"It's a long journey, please take care!"

"please!"

……

The sunlight was a little dazzling. Lun Qinling squinted his eyes and watched Zhang Da'an lead the Tang army around the valley and disappear in the distance, then rode back to the camp.

Summoning his officers and soldiers, he wanted to strike while the iron was hot and defeat Sairu Gundon and Gongri Gunzan in one fell swoop.