Li Xiang had a headache when they finished drinking. Maiqi Tusi's alcohol tolerance was absolutely amazing. He and Li Xiang were drinking together. Li Xiang was already leaning against the wall, but Maiqi Tusi was still able to chat with others very well. This shows that he can drink a lot.
Of course, Chief Maiqi did not delay his work. After dinner, he asked someone to take his letter to other chiefs, and prepared to meet with other chiefs that night to quickly settle the matter.
The reason why Chieftain Maiqi was so anxious was because he had received some news that other chieftains might not fight to the end like him. Now that they have the support of the Tang Dynasty, everyone's ideas may be different. They were originally just some local factions, but now someone has given them blood transfusions, so on many issues, they can completely fight the central government to the end.
It was very cost-effective for Li Xiang to spend money to support them. If they were not allowed to fight among themselves, perhaps two Tibetan soldiers could exchange for the life of a Tang soldier. Now he only needed to spend some money, and then these two Tibetan soldiers could fight against each other. No matter who fell, it would be a victory to some extent for the Tang Dynasty next to them.
While Li Xiang was making rapid progress, Lu Dongzan was having a hard time.
Songtsen Gampo issued several golden medals, asking Lu Dongzan to return to the holy city as quickly as possible, but this guy kept delaying along the way. Later, when several chieftains rebelled in a large-scale rebellion, he realized the urgency of the matter and returned to the holy city as quickly as possible.
After returning, Songtsen Gampo was furious and scolded this guy severely.
The court ministers did not dare to say much. After all, in the past, the Zanpu had always respected the Prime Minister and had to consult the Prime Minister before making a decision on many things. Now he was scolding him mercilessly. Of course, Lu Dongzan deserved to be scolded for giving up state affairs for a woman.
The court ministers also knew that Lu Dongzan was the only one who could turn the tide, so they all knelt down and begged for mercy. Only then did Songtsen Gampo soften his stance and let Lu Dongzan quell the rebellion as soon as possible.
At this moment, Lu Dongzan was in the front-line camp. Dozens of generals on both sides were ready and could launch an attack on the chieftain's camp at any time.
The chieftain coalition and the Zamp army were ten miles apart. It was obvious that the Zamp army was more powerful, but the chieftain coalition had not been defeated. The two sides had been deadlocked for more than a month, and neither side could do anything to the other. It was at this time that Lu Dongzan came.
In addition to resolving the rebellion as quickly as possible, Lu Dongzan also had his own plans in mind. If the rebellion was not quelled quickly, Li Xiang would soon lead his men into the plateau. After letting him see all this, that guy would definitely cause more trouble. Moreover, Lu Dongzan did not want Changsun Pingting to see all this. Every man wants to show his strong side to his beloved woman.
"Your strategy is foolish. Who told you to attack head-on? If we attack head-on, even if we defeat the chieftain coalition, our losses will be enormous. In the end, we won't be able to clean up the situation. Even the chieftains around the Holy City will join the rebellion."
After understanding the situation on the front lines, Lu Dongzan berated the surrounding generals. He believed these generals simply didn't know how to fight. "Although they were extremely brave on the battlefield, if you fight like that, by the time you're done, we'll have shed half our blood. How can we even manage the entire plateau?" "You are the Zamp's most elite troops."
"But the people we brought with us are staring at us. If our army doesn't leave, they won't leave either..."
General Gesang said that he was also the main candidate to lead the troops this time. The "they" he was talking about were the chieftains around the holy city. Although those people abided by the requirements of the central government, they were also extremely cautious on the battlefield and were unwilling to let their subordinates be cannon fodder.
"You idiot, you don't know how to use them. Go and pass on my order immediately. If you capture the chieftain camp ahead, half of the land and slaves can be divided among them."
Lu Dongzan knew he had to motivate his men, especially the chieftains surrounding the Holy City. If he didn't offer them any benefits, why would they lead their men to fight for you? After the battle, they would return with their troops in disarray, with nothing to show for it. So what was the point?
"Prime Minister, is this inappropriate? Should we consult the Holy City..."
Gesan said in surprise that there had never been such a rule before. No promises were ever made before the war. Only the loose cadres had the right to distribute all of this after the war. If it were to be distributed in advance now, wouldn’t it mean that they, the pro-army soldiers, would get less?
"Shut up! Send the order tonight and launch the attack early tomorrow morning."
Lu Dongzan no longer listened to the explanations of his subordinates. He believed that they now had the advantage, and as long as they crushed their way through, these chieftains would definitely not be able to stop them. They should take advantage of their current advantage and directly wipe out the more than 10,000 troops in front of them. Although there were still people in the camps of the chieftains, they would not pose much of a threat to us.
That night, there was a burst of joy in the Tubo army camp. Lu Dongzan was everyone's idol, and his words were very trustworthy. The chieftains from all over were ready to go, striving to do something big the next day. The land around the holy city was relatively barren. If they could get a piece of fertile land, so many slaves would not starve to death every year.
Lu Dongzan, however, stood high up, gazing at the Tusi camps in the distance. "Do you also want a share of this fertile land? This is the only land in all of Tubo that's most productive. Tomorrow, you'd better fight those rebellious Tusi to the death..."
In Lu Dongzan's eyes, even if the chieftains had surrendered to the central government, they were still chieftains of Tubo and would sooner or later become an obstacle to the central government. He would use this war to eliminate all of them.
"Prime Minister, General Kto has already set out from the Holy City with his men. Once we have a result here, their hometown will belong to us."
One of the men said, holding a letter.
Lu Dongzan nodded without saying anything. General Kto only had 11,000 men left in the Holy City, but he was still asked to take 5,000 men with him. If the two gangs fought to the death tomorrow, General Kto would be able to take over the property of the chieftains around the Holy City...