jdhmnovel Chapter 1025 A Dilemma
Chapter 1025 A Dilemma
The guards and Franz's personal guards were completely surrounded. A heavy spear struck down with all its might, killing the soldier who was holding the banner.
The moment the soldier's body fell, the great banner also fell.
The fall of the great banner symbolized the fall of the central army. The cavalry units no longer received instructions and, like a swarm of confused bees, ran around aimlessly.
Intending to die for his country, Fran had just drawn his sword when he was grabbed and pulled onto a horse by a cavalryman who attacked from behind. The sword fell to the ground.
The cavalrymen who had captured Fran laughed heartily, quite pleased with their achievement.
Under the encirclement and suppression of various cavalry units, this Gui cavalry force that came to support Supi was completely wiped out. The corpses all over the mountains and the bloody smell in the air proved the cruelty of this war, and also made Lun Ke, who was captured alive outside Supi City, much more sober.
The strong wind was blowing from the direction of Stone Fortress City, and the earthy smell mixed with the stench of blood made him realize that his last shred of illusion had been shattered.
Supi is finished, and Shibao City is not much better off. Guo Yuanzhen will have plenty of ways to make the Tibetan king Qinu Xi willingly offer up his territory and beg for mercy from the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, given the current situation, His Majesty the Emperor of Tang is unlikely to agree to Qi Nuxi's groveling and begging.
After the two battlefields ended, the cavalry that were still able to move had to go to support Guo Yuanzhen's battlefield. The Iron Falcons, who blocked the infantry reinforcements from Shibao City, returned victorious. Lan Ke's deputy personally handed over the head of the infantry commander, which made Fran disheartened and determined to starve himself to death.
This war, which was destined to affect the survival of Tibet, came to an end. The various tribes cleaned up the battlefield and moved into Supi, while sending news of the defeat at Lunke and the annihilation of Fulang's army to Shibao City.
It was a full day and night before General Kars of Stonecastle received the news; the messenger's horse had nearly died from exhaustion by the time he brought him back.
The messenger died of exhaustion after delivering the battle report, which sent chills down the spines of Karls and the generals in the tent.
"General, can we still continue this battle?"
One of the young soldiers, trembling with fear, uttered treasonous words.
In the past, anyone who dared to say something that affected morale would have been immediately dragged out of the tent and beheaded as a warning to others.
But things are different now.
Not to mention this young general, even seasoned veterans couldn't remain calm at this moment.
The three major military strongholds formed an iron triangle, tightly guarding all directions and protecting the city of Lhasa. Now that Supi has been forced to retreat, the garrison of Stone Fortress has suffered heavy losses. Kars, relying on his remaining 80,000 troops, is facing an unimaginable difficulty in stopping Guo Yuanzhen's hundreds of thousands of troops.
If Guo Yuanzhen had not fought Kars at all, but had only sent 100,000 troops to block them here, while the rest of his forces marched straight to Lhasa, then the foundation of the Tibetan generals would have been destroyed.
It should be noted that all generals who went on expeditions had their entire armies stationed in Lhasa, precisely to prevent these generals from surrendering to the Tang Dynasty or rebelling.
Once Guo Yuanzhen's divine troops arrive, the defenses of Lhasa will be breached in just two or three days.
The generals were so anxious they were scratching their heads and talking amongst themselves.
"General, what should we do now?"
"Yes, Commander, you must come up with a solution at this critical juncture."
“Our relatives are all in Lhasa. The day Guo Yuanzhen broke into the city, none of us will have any chance to resist!”
"That's right. Even if we try our best to get to Lhasa, it's definitely too late. Guo Yuanzhen is definitely on guard against us."
"That's right, what should we do next!"
Karls slumped down, a lingering sorrow between his brows.
To be a general to such an extent is truly unique in the world.
Despite having an army of 120,000 under his command, he sent 40,000 troops to support Supi out of fear of losing him, ultimately finding himself in a dilemma.
"Inform the king about the situation here. Also, send scouts back to Lhasa to investigate the situation along the way."
"Send out another group of soldiers disguised as civilians to investigate the current distribution of the Tang army."
"An unprecedented crisis is emerging, and we are caught in the vortex, not knowing when we will be able to get out."
He lowered his head, racking his brains for a solution.
……
Two days passed in a flash. After various forces rushed to deliver messages, the Zanpu Qinu of Hongji City received news that the Supi camp had been breached.
Outside Hongji City, Wang Xiaojie also received the news and sent troops to attack in shifts, mainly targeting a group of crossbowmen who were about to be killed.
Qi Nuxi realized Wang Xiaojie's intentions, but he was at a loss for how to deal with them. He could only ask Kars to do everything he could to retreat to Lhasa as quickly as possible and rely on the city's defenses to resist Guo Yuanzhen's army's attack.
Qi Nuxi himself continued to lead his troops to fight against Wang Xiaojie's 200,000-strong army.
This is a last resort; the previous triangular defense has completely collapsed, so now we have no choice but to adopt a pincer movement.
However, Qi Nuxi also understood that if Guo Yuanzhen could break through the Supi garrison camp in a short time, causing Lun Ke to be defeated and captured, he could also prevent Kars from reaching the city of Lhasa.
Kars, located in Stone Castle, received the reply a day and a half later in the night. He stared at the letter sent by Qinuxi, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.
"Now you want me to retreat to Lhasa by any means necessary, at any cost?"
"Your Majesty, what are you trying to do?"
"Do you know Guo Yuanzhen better than I do?"
“How could someone as meticulous as him possibly allow me to retreat to Lhasa?”
Just as he was talking to himself, the deputy general came in from outside. Looking at his old superior who had followed him for more than 20 years, he brought him a bowl of butter tea.
"General, what's troubling you this time?"
He spoke softly, his face full of concern.
Kars took the butter tea and pointed to the letter on the table.
"This was sent by the king's men. We must do everything we can to get to Lhasa and protect it."
The lieutenant's hands trembled almost imperceptibly.
He didn't read the letter, but stared at Karls with a look of astonishment.
"At this critical juncture, should we hurry to Lhasa?"
"Isn't this just wiping us all out?"
Karls remained silent.
What the lieutenant said is absolutely correct.
"General, it seems the Zanpu wants us to die here immediately..."
“Don’t say such things that are detrimental to unity. If those soldiers who are loyal to the Zanpu heard this, they should kneel down and beg me to cut off your head.”
“Even if you cut off my head, I will never agree to retreat to Lhasa.”
"So I'm also very troubled."
Carls put down his teacup, his gaze complex.
"If we follow the king's advice and risk going to Lhasa, our men will surely die under the blockade of the Tang army."