After a battle between Dafeichuan, the Tang army won the first battle, chased and killed all the way, beheaded more than 2,000 levels, confiscated thousands of war horses, and seized sword armor and rods.

Although the British army on the front battlefield collapsed, the subsequent pursuit and suppression lasted for many days. After all, the cavalry was mobile and flexible, and it was almost impossible to directly capture large-scale on the front battlefield. Moreover, these British soldiers could be selected as vanguard troops, and their armed rations were also very good. The war horse alone reached the level of one man and two cavalry or even more. The Tang army had limited advantages in this regard.

But the army fought with a momentum. When the main force of the foreign army was defeated head-on, the Tang army was still organized and flexible in the subsequent pursuit, while the fleeing foreign army was divided into large and small teams, either surrounded and killed, or panicked and lost the wilderness. Most of the enemy's heads captured by more than two thousand levels were produced during the pursuit.

The British army had nearly 20,000 people along the way, and although they were only a little more than one-tenth of the direct gain, if those who fled, injured and surrendered had already lost most of their combat effectiveness, it was almost impossible for them to participate in the subsequent war system.

Therefore, this battle can be said to be a worthy victory at that time. The Tang army's vanguards had been in the hinterland of Qinghai for a long time and finally achieved such a boastful victory. From top to bottom, the crowd was excited. After the subsequent pursuit came to an end, Guo Zhiyun immediately planned a battle report to send it to the rear.

After a battle went on, in addition to the damage caused to the enemy's vitality, the Tang army gained the initiative in the war area ahead. Guo Zhiyun took advantage of the situation to station the vanguard camp in Nuanquanyi, which was previously occupied by the foreign army, and the Tang army's front line also advanced hundreds of miles forward and arrived in the western part of Dafei River.

The main road ahead of the army in the rear was cleared, and the marching speed was also accelerated. Meng Lingqing, the chief marching officer of Jishi Road in the middle, sent another 5,000 powerful troops to arrive at Nuanquan Station day and night, and joined Guo Zhiyun's command, and continued to expand the advantages and initiative of the Tang army.

The first battle was won, but the task of the vanguard was still very arduous. Especially after the front line advanced to the western foothills of Dafei Sichuan, the strategic depth of the entire battlefield expanded several times, and the situation on the battlefield became extremely complicated. Although the front of the foreign army suffered heavy losses, the subsequent troops were still extremely considerable and could appear from any direction at any time.

Moreover, after the main force of the army arrived, the requirements for the geographical situation were higher. Whether it was a water source with abundant water and grass, or a camp rest and rest location with open terrain, they needed to be investigated and occupied in advance.

Jiyu City, the base camp of the foreign army, also responded very quickly. Although the first battle was unfavorable, it was not discouraged. It sent all the troops to the key geographical location of the patrol site. It also relied on the terrain of Wuhaidi in the upper reaches of the Heyuan River to dispatch soldiers and block the river, hoping to hinder the Tang army's actions.

This series of actions still brought some trouble to the Tang army. Although the season was turning into early summer, there were many rivers and canals in Qinghai, but the largest water source still came from the melting water of the mountains and snow. As the water sources on the upper stream were blocked, the sourceless water quickly dried up. Even if the riverbed was dug deep, almost no springs were poured out.

This practice of the Fan Army also shows the differences between the different opponents in the Qinghai war.

If the original Tuyuhun regime resisted the Tang army, it would not have taken such measures. After all, they grew up here, and the living environment in Qinghai was quite fragile. Once the hydrological environment, which is the fundamental vitality, changes, the damage it brings to the region will be difficult to repair for several years. Even if it is perfect for a while, various survival crises will be derived in the future.

But Tubo has no scruples about this. Qinghai is just a land of conquest for them. Only by taking it in their own hands can they continuously extract benefits. But if they cannot win this battle with the Tang Dynasty, Qinghai will naturally not be able to defend it. Even if there is any bad influence in the future, it has nothing to do with them.

Of course, the British army's approach also revealed some lack of confidence. The disastrous defeat of the people in the front made them realize that the Tang army was so powerful that the offensive and defensive strategies on the front battlefield had not been created, and they could only find another way to the elements outside the battle.

Moreover, this kind of household blocking water sources is only a temporary measure, and the scope of application is very limited. Although Qinghai Lake itself has a lot of bitter water, it is also a place where water vapor is filled in the regional center. The surrounding mountains and ice and snow melt water also gathers many rivers, including Dafeichuan, which are beyond the control of the foreign army.

The activities of the Tang army around Qinghai will not be too affected by the actions of the British army. It only lacks sufficient water supply to promote the army leaving Haixi and advancing to Jiyu City. The activities of the main force of the British army are also greatly restricted, and it is difficult for the army to dispatch and set up a counterattack.

Another point is the season. It has just entered early summer, and the temperature is still gradually rising. Many snow-capped mountains in the area are constantly surging down. The water volume will have a period of growth for several months. It is impossible to congestion for a long time.

Although the mobilization efforts of the British army in this battle were also extremely strong, they were also small in the face of natural power. Moreover, due to the terrain, Wuhai near Jiyu City was originally one of the sources of the Yellow River. More than half of the melting water of ice and snow in the territory gathered here. If the British army continued to block the river channel, I am afraid that before the Tang army came, the flooded river water would first submerge Jiyu City, so such a method would inevitably not last long.

Although this method has various restrictions, it does not mean that it is meaningless. At least with the temporary depletion of surface water sources, it is difficult for the main troops of the Tang army to accumulate directly at Yucheng, which has bought a great strategic time for the Fan army.

It should be noted that there are still tens of thousands of people moving eastward from the middle of the country. As long as they can arrive at the front-line battlefield on the eve of the war, their strength against the foreign army will be greatly enhanced.

Moreover, the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. I don’t know what variables it will bring to the battlefield during this period of delay. At least it is a great pressure on the Tang army’s logistics.

The Tang army did not have the habit of family members following the army. War and production were carried out simultaneously. Hundreds of thousands of troops left the country and the daily material consumption was an astonishing number. Once the logistics did not continue in this process, the morale of the army would inevitably be turbulent, the combat effectiveness would decline significantly, and it would even be possible to collapse without fighting.

From this point of view, although the Gar family no longer holds military power in this war in Tang and Tibet, the Tubo side still followed the basic idea of ​​the Battle of Dafeichuan decades ago, that is, try to avoid direct decisive victory on the front battlefield, and start with the war cycle and the logistics supplies of the Tang army. Even if it cannot directly intercept and grab, it must be delayed and consumed indirectly as much as possible.

In the early morning, under the escort of hundreds of elite cavalry, Guo Zhiyun rode his horse to Naluo Post a hundred miles west of Nuanquan Post. Several Tang generals stationed here went out to greet him.

Guo Zhiyun looked cold and nodded slightly on the horse's back to respond to the generals' greetings. He did not feel like greetings, but said in a deep voice: "Go to Chishuiyuan first."

Chishui is a tributary at the source of the Yellow River. It originates from Wuhai, travels down the foothills, gathers waters to the Kuhai Sea, and then flows from the Thunderbolt Valley into the Jiuqu area of ​​the Yellow River. It is the most important surface river in this area. Locations such as Naluyi and Nuanquanyi are all strongholds established along the Chishui River.

The Chishui River channel facing west of Naluyi is also called Chishuiyuan, and is called Seabucktower in Qinghai. Although the river channel is winding, it directly leads to Jiyu City, where the foreign army is located.

A crowd surrounded Guo Zhiyun and bypassed Naluyi, rode his horse and arrived at the Chishui River Valley shortly after walking. At this time, the sun had already shone on the earth, the vision became extremely wide, and the temperature gradually became hot.

Qinghai's climate is very different from that inland. Although it is late in spring, the warm spring breeze lasts very short, and by the end of April it is already a bit hot and hot. The temperature difference between day and night is extremely large, and you may have to wear cold clothes day and night, but at noon, the sun is hot, and people will easily become dehydrated when exposed to the sun.

Guo Zhiyun got off the horse in Gaogang. He had rock crusts without soil covering the foot. The Chishui River ditches were below the slope, but there was no water waves flowing. The exposed mud blocks of the riverbed were slightly cracked. The originally shallow aquatic plants by the river also died in the sunlight.

Looking westward, the curved river channel was completely unrest with water. Some soldiers dug down the river. The pit was already very deep, but the soil was only slightly tide, and there was no groundwater surging out at all.

Seeing this scene, Guo Zhiyun frowned even tighter, and continued to move forward more than ten miles under the guidance of his generals, reaching a river pond surrounded by rocks. This river pond is a drinking land originally built by the foreigners. Several springs gush out from the mountains beside the river beside the river beside the river pond. After it merges into the river pond, a pool of turbid mud soup was formed at the bottom of the pond.

In order to avoid the evaporation of water vapor, several layers of grass felt were set up above the pond to avoid direct sunlight. A ditch was drawn out on one side of the pond, and hay was filled with filter screens to block the mud and sand. The water flowing out was carried out in a wooden barrel. Although it was much clearer than the bottom of the pond, it was still turbid.

Guo Zhiyun took the water scoop and sipped it, put it between his lips and teeth for a while and swallowed it. Then he shook his head and then said in a deep voice: "Did you find out the situation upstream clearly?"

The general Gao Sheji went up front and crossed his hands and replied: "It has been found that there is Niu Xindui fifty miles away, which is a large pass upstream of the Chishuiyuan. Six rivers on both sides of the northwest of Niu Xindui converge. The foreign troops set up dikes at the pass, and the forts were set up in the peaks, and about two thousand troops were stationed. There are foreign camps around Niu Xindui, each of which echoes, with crowds ranging from about seven thousand..."

It is obvious that Niu Xindui is the focus of the foreign army blocking the source of the Chishui River. Although the terrain is not surprising, it has more than thousands of troops stationed, which shows the importance attached to this place.

"We must conquer Niu Xindui in the near future!"

After listening to the enemy situation reported by the general, Guo Zhiyun pondered for a moment and spoke.

Although the terrain of Haixi is flat and vast, the army must walk by the water, so the real marching route is limited. At present, the main force of the middle army can reach Nuanquanyi in just ten days. Before this, Guo Zhiyun's troops must solve the water source problem.

If this problem is not solved, the army will not be able to settle in Nuanquan Station.

Although there is a water source of Dafeichuan that is a hundred miles northward, and the southern foot of Dafeichuan is also a relatively suitable garrison, the journey between the army and Wuhai will be shifted by two to three days. Not to mention taking Wuhai directly, even if there is a slightly large-scale battle in the territory, because Dafeichuan is on one side, the dispatch and response and support between the various tribes will become inefficient.

Another important point is that there is a flat road connecting the Fuqi City in the southern foot of Dafeichuan. Once the main force of the army is stationed there, it will inevitably be invaded by the flanks of the Gar family in Fuqicheng. If the troops are divided to attack Fuqicheng, they will not be able to guard against the foreign troops from Jiyu City on the front battlefield. Since the foreign troops have made this arrangement, they will definitely not let the Tang army divide the troops.

Therefore, the most reasonable approach at the moment is to capture the foreign army's Niu Xindui, so that the water source and the journey forward will become smooth.

After making this decision, Guo Zhiyun continued to move forward surrounded by the generals and arrived at Niu Xindui, where the Fan Army Fortress was located in the afternoon.

Niuxindui is a high slope with piles of soil and rocks. It is named after its shape similar to Niuxin. The slope is not large, but the range is very wide, slightly narrow from north to south and very wide from east to west. The British army set up two beacons on the top of the slope, and also laid trenches at the foot of the hillside, resisting horses and other defenses.

The foreign soldiers on the beacon castle saw Tang soldiers approaching, and soon the sound of drums and horns warning sounds sounded. About a thousand foreign soldiers rushed down from the beacon castle and set up formations after the horse-rejecting formation. Seeing that the number of Tang soldiers on the slope was not large and there was no trend of attack, they became bolder and rushed around the horse-rejecting horses and shouted in the rear. Although most of the Tang soldiers did not speak the foreign language, looking at their expressions, they could tell that the greetings of the old man and the aunt were not like the happy New Year.

Seeing this scene, Guo Zhiyun was very frustrated. He was an old soldier in Heyuan. After experiencing the years when the Tang army was weak and had to set up beacons on the Chiling line to defend Longbian, he did not expect that the offensive and defensive situations between the two sides have been exchanged, and the foreign army has learned the Tang army's skills to a full extent.

The group ignored the clamor of the foreign army and investigated thoroughly around Niu Xindui. The foreign army learned the skills of the Tang army too much. Digging deep into the trenches almost made Niu Xinbao an isolated island, but no exit was left. Seeing that the small number of Tang army was walking in a swaggering manner but unable to attack, they couldn't help but screamed from the arrogant just now.

"It's a little troublesome!"

After a week of investigation, Guo Zhiyun couldn't help but sigh. Although the method of building forts by the foreign army to defend was a bit rigid and could not be flexible in switching between offense and defense, it also made the offense difficult.

If you attack head-on, you must first break through the trench, horse-resisting formation and other obstacles, as well as a gentle slope attack that lasts several miles long. A series of actions will be covered by the foreign army's bows and arrows. If you want to capture it, you will suffer heavy losses.

If you go around elsewhere, not to mention the twists and turns of the route or the distance, there are no obvious loopholes in the arrangements made by the British army around them, and you will inevitably suffer from left and right attacks.

But no matter how difficult it is, the river Chishuiyuan is of great significance to the subsequent advancement of the battle, and the obstacles in front of you must be defeated no matter what.

After inspecting the enemy camp for a while, Guo Zhiyun temporarily returned to Nuanquan Station and ordered the dispersed troops to gradually meet near Niuxindui while clearing the surrounding areas of the foreign army, he planned to gather superior forces and remove this obstacle in one fell swoop.

Although he had made such a decision in his heart, Guo Zhiyun was still in a heavy mood when he thought of the difficulties and foreseeable tragic battles. As the saying goes, with his order, in the subsequent battles, there will be many loyal soldiers who will be buried on the steep slopes of Niu Xindui.

Although kindness does not control the army, who would be indifferent to life and death if it were not for a person who is vicious and vicious by nature?

Therefore, while waiting for the troops to meet, Guo Zhiyun could not sleep day and night. He drew the terrain near Niuxindui and the strongholds of the foreign army into simple pictures, and carried them with him on his way up and lying down, hoping to choose an offensive plan with the least damage to the battle.

On this day, all the people and horses had gathered near Niuxindui. When Guo Zhiyun was about to set off to the front line, a dusty army joined the camp, which was Du Xian who was quite optimistic about Guo Zhiyun.

After entering the camp, Du Xian had no time to pause and asked the wise general that he had not left the camp, so he hurriedly walked into the big tent. Before he could see the ceremony, he spoke: "I went around and sent orders to this trip. I passed by Niu Xindui several times. I observed the formation and gained something. I dared not hide my own personal gain. I hope it would be beneficial to defeat the enemy!"

"Speak quickly!"

Guo Zhiyun was happy after hearing this. He was troubled recently. He was troubled by this. He could be said to be restless in sleep and eating. He had some vague ideas in his mind, but there was always a diaphragm that could not be broken through, and he was in a state of anxiety.

When Du Xian heard this, he stopped being polite. He went in front of him and looked at the simple picture of Niu Xindui. He picked up the pen and hooked the drawing. The newly drawn ink line just overlapped with the trench excavated by the foreign army, making this line of defense thicker and more prominent, making the direction of Niu Xindui on the drawing more prominent, isolated from other elements on the map.

Seeing this scene, Guo Zhiyun's eyes lit up, and the diaphragm that had been blocking his thoughts was suddenly exposed. Du Xian had already put down his brush and said, "The foreign military law is my defense plan, digging earth and stones to create difficulties, but Zhang Shi only got the superficial ones. Niu Xinduo's formation seems solid, but in fact it is circled by the earth. Our army must take it, not in a corner of dead land, but in the flow of living water. The water is impermanent, and it will prosper according to the times. The weather is with me. Kill the enemy and get water, and you can get it at the same time!"

"This is a great good word, this is a great good word! Du Ganjun is quick to fighter and has a profound insight, but I am not as good as me! The thieves do not know that water and fire are feared, and they are good at exercising the power of Gonggong, and they will surely die!"

With Du Xian's guidance, Guo Zhiyun's thinking became smooth. He slapped the table and laughed, and then said: "This thief's plan is limited, and the application is not only here. Joining the army, I hold my letter and telling the general manager of Meng that the warplane should not be missed!"
Chapter completed!