The third update, 1600 monthly ticket update!

The road from Longguan to Weizhou is actually the river valleys cut by the Wei River. There are countless small valleys on both sides of a large valley, and there are many smaller valleys on both sides of the small valleys. In some places, there are river valley basins formed by the cutting and erosion of the Wei River.

This is a very strange terrain, which is actually similar to the Loess Plateau. However, there are not only high slopes, but also mountains and dense forests.

It is in this lowland of the valley that a road that is not quite flat extends westward.

Some sections of road are relatively wide, but some sections are very narrow, as if walking in a canyon.

Every time I pass through these canyon sections, Zhang Chao is always a little worried.

This kind of terrain is too easy to set up an ambush. When the two ends of the canyon are blocked, it will be like turtles in a jar. For this reason, Zhang Chao had to spread the scouts of the hundreds of cavalry far away, and then picked some veterans and some new recruits from hunters to reconnaise.

The further away from Longguan, the higher the alertness of Zhang Chao.

Now Zhang Chao is wearing cowhide armor and a silk shirt is also lined with a silk shirt. This is also the experience my father has taught Zhang Chao. Silk has good anti-sting ability, especially the anti-arrow effect.

He was holding a crossbow and a single crossbow.

There are many kinds of crossbows in the Tang army, including arm-opening crossbow, horn-opening crossbow, wooden single crossbow, large wooden single crossbow, bamboo pole crossbow, large bamboo pole crossbow, Fuyuan crossbow and winch crossbow.

The Tang army has always attached great importance to long-range attack capabilities. In the regular legion, there are special archers and crossbowmen teams, and the proportion is quite large.

The range of the Fuyuan crossbow can reach 300 steps, the range of the arm-opening crossbow is 230 steps, the range of the horn crossbow is 200 steps, and the range of a single crossbow is 160 steps.

As for winch crossbows, it is a large crossbow machine that requires several cows, or dozens or hundreds of people to pull it away.

The single crossbow in Zhang Chao's hand is the simplest of these crossbows. It is easy to turn the strings, but the range of 160 steps is also quite powerful. If you are well-trained and have enough accuracy, it is simply a nightmare for the enemy.

Since leaving Longguan, Zhang Chao has been keeping his hands on his crossbow. He carried a bow on his back, Ma Shuo was hung on his saddle, and a horizontal knife was worn on his waist.

Zhang Chao's bow is a horn bow, which is a cavalry bow.

The bows used by infantry in the Tang army are usually long bows, and there are also slight bows and lead bows, which are specially used by the Imperial Guards.

In the main force of the Tang army, the equipment rate of bows is quite amazing, almost reaching the terrifying level of one bow. Every time they fight, they will not yell and rush up to kill directly. The Tang army will first use the crossbowman team to fire crossbow arrows, and then the archers.

If the enemy wants to join the battle, they must die first.

Unfortunately, Zhang Chao only has one hundred bows and two hundred crossbows in his hand, and most people don’t know how to use them, only a few hunter children can do it.

At this time, Zhang Chao really hoped that he would have a well-trained crossbowman team under his command.

If you encounter an enemy, you can start attacking the enemy with a Fuyuan crossbow at 300 steps. When the enemy rushed to twenty steps ahead with a bow and arrow along the way, the crossbowmen threw down the crossbow, and could also pick up spears or fight in close combat with swords and shields.

"Everyone cheer up!"

Zhang Chao shouted, looking at the woods on the surrounding mountains, he always suspected that there would be ambush inside.

"There is Fuqiang City ahead, and there will be no Tuyuhun people here." Xu Jingzong said next to Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao sneered at Xu Jingzong's optimism. This was not a time for blind optimism. Fuqiang City was in Qinzhou, but it was only more than a hundred miles away from Weizhou. Who knew whether Tuyuhun had penetrated this.

Tuyuhun is a cavalry. Although these people live in Qinghai, they are actually the same as the Turks. They make a living by nomadic life. They usually live in tribes, do not farm or build houses. They live by water and plants. The tribe counts the population, not counting how many households there are, but directly counts the number of riders there.

They are a small tribe of thousands of riders, and a large one of three or five thousand riders. Each of them is a one-horse. As many as the riders are, there are as many as the riders.

"Report! Discover the enemy!"

He rode back from the front quickly, and it was the scout sent by Zhang Chao.

Xu Jingzong looked at Zhang Chao with resentment.

Zhang Chao was also stunned. Is this a crow's mouth? It will work as soon as you say it.

"Report to the General Manager, and the traces of the Dangxiang Qiang people were found twenty miles ahead."

Zhang Chao looked at the scout who was exhausted and asked hurriedly, "How many people are there? Have they discovered us?"

"There are about a thousand cavalry, and they are burned and killed in a village in front of them. They should not have found us."

When Xu Jingzong heard that there were thousands of cavalry, his face turned pale.

"Damn Dangxiang Qiang."

Zhang Chao was a little confused. How did the Qiang people bypass Weizhou and come to Qinzhou?

"These people should not be the Tuyuhun soldiers who besieged Weizhou. They were Dangxiang Qiang people who had long surrendered to the inner ranks." Xu Jingzong expressed his guess.

Dangxiang Qiang was a branch of the Qiang people. They lived in the Yellow River area in the southeast of southern Qinghai. During the Han Dynasty, a large number of Qiang people were moved to Helong and Guanzhong areas.

For example, Ningmin County in Bashang was moved by a large number of Qiang people from Ningzhou, so it is called Ningmin County.

However, there are still a large number of Qiang people in the Hehuang area. During the Western Jin Dynasty, a branch of the Xianbei Murong tribe moved to near Qinghai and later established the Tuyuhun Khanate. For hundreds of years, they fought with the Qiang and Di people for many years. In the end, the Raptors crossed the river to suppress the local snakes and incorporated many Qiang and Di tribes into the Tuyuhun Khanate.

There are also many Qiang people who are unwilling to be ruled by Tuyuhun, or after being defeated, they will join the Central Plains and move to Longxi and other places.

During the Sui Dynasty, many Qiang tribes were attached to each other, and then these Qiang people were placed in various river valleys in the Longxi prefectures.

In fact, the reason why Tuyuhun was able to conquer three states so quickly this time was because many of the Dangxiang Qiang people who had originally attached themselves to rebel and returned to Tuyuhun in the early years was their supporters.

Now, there was also a rebellion in Qinzhou. Xu Jingzong immediately determined that this was also the rebellion of the Dangxiang Qiang people who originally attached themselves to live here.

"These unskilled ungrateful wolves!"

Xu Jingzong cursed.

However, Zhang Chao was thinking about the situation in front of him. If the rebellion of the Dangxiang Qiang people was really supported by the Tuyuhun people, it would be dangerous.

According to some of the situations he knew, in the Longxi prefectures, there were at least tens of thousands of Dangxiang Qiang in front and behind. There were 300,000 to 400,000 people in the entire Dangxiang Qiang, which did not include the snow-capped Dangxiang, the black Dangxiang, and other Di tribes, Tuyuhun people, etc.

These people are still very strong if they can establish a foothold in the Qinghai area for hundreds of years.

Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Qiang and Di, but only the tens of thousands of people in Longxi area are attached to Dangxiang Qiang. This is a big trouble.

Fuqiang City is still unknown if it is in the hands of the Tang army.

"What should we do now?" Xu Jingzong asked Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao didn't know what to do. Although he claimed to have three troops, a total of more than 8,000 people, and more than 5,000 civilians, those 8,000 people were all farmers, none of them had been trained and they were not equipped enough weapons.

If eight thousand people come together, they will definitely not be able to defeat one thousand Dangxiang Qiang.

Weizhou was named after the Wei River and was named Longxi County in ancient times.

Li Shimin stood on the head of the city of Longxi County, looking at the continuous white tent outside the city, unable to help but clench his fists. He traveled day and night, but in the end he was one step late. Xiangwu City, the capital of Weizhou, was captured by Tuyuhun.

Li Shimin could only enter Longxi County, east of Weizhou.

"Zhang San should be here soon now, right?"

From Longxi County to Xiangwu City, it is only more than 30 miles away, but Longxi County is far less tall and strong than Xiangwu City. Xiangwu City can be said to be the military and political center of the Tang Dynasty in several prefectures in Longxi, with a lot of food, grass, military equipment, tall city and a large population.

However, with the damn Dangxiang Qiang's internal and external cooperation, Li Shimin was still one step late.

Now Li Shimin is stationed in Longxi County, facing the growing number of Tuyuhun and Dangxiang Qiang people.

With the more than 10,000 troops in his hand, Li Shimin could not go out of the city to fight.

"Maybe we should withdraw to the Fuqiang City of Qinzhou before the Tuyuhun people were surrounded." Changsun Wuji suggested. Tuyuhun's momentum was far beyond their expectations. The most deadly thing was the rebellion of the Dangxiang Qiang who had previously attached themselves, responding to the Tuyuhun people.

This is something they hadn't expected before.

It rained all night!

Fang Xuanling also advised Li Shimin to avoid Tuyuhun's sharpness for the time being.

Tuyuhun and Dangxiang Qiang combined forces, at least 40,000 to 50,000 people. Just because they showed more than 10,000 troops, it was difficult to fight against this small Longxi County.

Li Shimin stood on the top of the city and kept looking at the enemy camp in the distance.

"We cannot retreat. Once we retreat, the entire Weizhou will be lost. The Tuyuhun people occupied Weizhou. At that time, we will be blocked in the east. They can easily attack Lanzhou and Huizhou, and even attack Ganzhou, Su and Liangzhou in Longyou. Weizhou cannot be lost. If we give up Weizhou, we will lose all the whole thing. Even if Tuyuhun does not attack Chang'an, the entire Longyou will be lost, and it will be a disaster-like consequence."

"But we have few soldiers and few generals, and there are insufficient food, grass and weapons in the city." Changsun Wuji was still persuading.

"We have more than 10,000 troops and a city. Besides, Zhang Sanzheng led 8,000 troops and 5,000 civilians, and a large number of food, grass and weapons. As long as reinforcements and food, grass and weapons arrive, we still have the strength to fight against Tuyuhun." Li Shimin insisted.

"But the eight thousand soldiers led by Zhang San are just farmers who have just put down their hoes, and even some unsuccessful middle-aged men."

"Keming, what do you mean?" Li Shimin asked Du Ruhui who had not spoken.

Du Ruhui shook his head, "Your Highness, if Zhang Wenyuan really came in time with eight thousand supplementary soldiers, five thousand civilians, food, grass and weapons, we do have the power to fight. But what I am worried about is that Zhang Wenyuan may not be able to arrive in time, or even cannot come."

“Why?”

Changsun Wuji said beside him, "You have to ask why. Zhang San has long been the prince. He is eager to use a knife to kill people at this time. Why can he come in a hurry?"

Li Shimin glared at Changsun Wuji, "Zhang San has always been from the Qin Palace. Go to the Eastern Palace, that's what I mean."

Changsun Wuji was a little stunned. The news was so shocking.

He looked at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, and their faces were as normal, "Did you know long ago?"

Li Shimin said, "I won't let them tell you. Only a few people know about this. The fewer people know, the better. Keming, you should talk about your worries."

"Your Highness, Dangxiang Qiang, since the Dangxiang Qiang people in Weizhou rebelled, there are many Dangxiang Qiang people in Qinzhou. If they rebel, then not to mention that Zhang Sanlang arrived in time with reinforcements' arms and food, they may not even be safe."

Li Shimin clenched his teeth. If it was as Du Ruhui said, there was also a Dangxiang Qiang rebellion in Qinzhou, blocking Zhang Chao's path, and even annihilated Zhang Chao's supplementary troops and seizing food, grass and weapons, then his more than 10,000 people in Longxi City would be really in danger.
Chapter completed!