Chapter 43: The Turtle in the Urn (Third Update, Seeking Votes)

  Cross the river!

  Du He sat on the ground and regulated his breathing for a moment, recovering some of the internal energy lost due to the consecutive battles. He received news that the Tubo army was about to arrive.

  The soldiers who had rested for a while also fastened their armor, each biting a branch that would prevent them from making a sound in their mouths, and they all entered the predetermined ambush location to hide.

  It was still less than half a time from Songzan Gambo's arrival, and the net had been set up, waiting for the prey to fall into it.

  Around noon, dust rose slowly from a thicket of trees in the southeast direction.

  A surge of excitement and agitation welled up in Du He's heart: Song Zan Gan Bu had finally taken the bait!

  All the way, Du He played a psychological tactic, through familiarity with the terrain, constantly luring the Tubo army into the trap.

  He deliberately opened up a distance with the Tibetan army at three places where it was convenient to hide troops, creating an illusion for Songtsen Gampo that stopping to search would be a waste of time, and instead, increasing the distance would cause them to lose sight of the Tang army.

  Facing the Tang army that had already disappeared, Songtsen Gampo and his men would not waste any more time searching this not-so-dangerous valley.

  But he didn't know that this was exactly what Du He and Li Ji had planned together.

  As he watched the Tibetan army gradually appear before his eyes, Du He's entire body was boiling with blood, and his blood rushed to his cheeks and forehead, his heart pounding, pounding, pounding... as if it were about to jump out of his chest.

  The leaves rustled in the gentle breeze, making a "sasa" sound. The Tibetan army marched rapidly and didn't pay attention to whether there were any ambushes on either side.

  The vanguard of the Tubo army has entered the ambush circle, and Du He looks at the Tubo being lured into the pot step by step. The anxiety in his heart is hard to describe with pen and ink: he just feels that time is passing too slowly.

  He glanced around and saw Luo Tong, Fang Yi'ai and others were also showing tense expressions.

  At this moment when victory and defeat are decided, no one can avoid such a feeling.

  The strong sunlight filters through the gaps in the treetops, and the chirping of birds playing and fighting can be heard from the dense green shade. Who would have thought that in a little while, this quiet and beautiful forest would become a battlefield with flesh and blood flying everywhere?

  Suddenly, a figure on the slope below caught his full attention: it was a special general of the enemy army's formation, around twenty years old, wearing fish-scale armor, with an extremely ancient style of armor, and the scales on the front and back of the armor were actually made of gold. His waist was as straight as a spear, and the heavy golden armor couldn't hide his powerful physique and majestic aura.

  Although it cannot be confirmed that he was Songtsen Gampo, it can be confirmed that the person must have been one of the enemy leaders and a heavyweight figure in the army.

  The Tubo army finally completely fell into the Tang army's pocket, Du He had already grasped the hilt of the Panlong sword, waiting for Li Ji to take the lead in launching an attack.

  Time passed minute by minute and second by second. Suddenly, the horn and war drum sounded loudly from the depths of the mountain road in the west, and countless flags surged out... Li Ji finally made a move!

  His move immediately triggered a chain reaction, and the Tang army hidden on the mountainside emerged like bamboo shoots after rain. Nearly 80,000 Tang soldiers rushed out of the ambush circle one after another. Their shouting voices converged into one place, and the sound of their cries surged down to the foot of the mountain like a tide, with morale soaring to its peak.

  Almost 100,000 Tang soldiers responded in unison, thundering across the fields, and the sky and earth changed color.

  Innumerable birds in the forest were frightened by the noise, flapping their wings and flying into the sky. For a time, people shouted and horses neighed, dust flew everywhere, and the quietness and tranquility of just now had flown away, replaced entirely by chaos and clamor.

  "Boom boom splash!"

  The Tang army, already prepared, threw down jars of oil and bundles of flammable dry grass and hay. Rockets shot out, and a huge fire rose into the sky accompanied by the miserable cries of the Tibetan soldiers.

  The Tang army stood at both ends of the mountain slope, using arrows, rolling stones and wooden logs to throw down, for a time, dust filled the sky, rumbling and deafening, with an intimidating presence.

  The Tibetan army apparently did not expect the Tang army to be ambushing here, and one by one they were beaten into a state of disarray.

  Du He also emerged from hiding, and upon seeing the situation, he burst out laughing loudly: "Tibetan bandits, if I don't make you suffer a crushing defeat this time, then from now on my name Du He will be written in reverse!" His voice was not loud, but his internal energy was extraordinary, and in this chaotic battlefield, it could still reach the ears of the Tibetan soldiers below.

  The flames died down, Du He's long sword pointed afar, and he was the first to rush down the mountain.

  Our troops have come from a thousand miles away, and we haven't had enough time to rest. It's an exhausting journey, but now morale is high. If we delay, it will only weaken our momentum. So, taking advantage of the enemy's current instability and confusion, we should launch a strong attack, which is in line with the principles of warfare.

  Li Ji had experienced many battles and understood this principle, at the same time, he also conveyed the drumbeat of attack.

  Soldiers should emerge from the grass, tree holes and shadows with a loud shout. The scattered Tibetan soldiers had not yet stopped to take up a defensive posture when they were already splashed with blood and fell down.

  Zhilü Si, Niujin Da, Liu Lan, Li Yexu, and Li Jiyi led the charge, each one descending from the mountain like a fierce tiger. The sound of ten thousand people shouting shook the heavens, and the entire battlefield was filled with carnage.

  The vanguard, consisting of ten groups of three thousand men each, charged down the mountain slope in an organized manner. As long as they could cut off the Tibetan soldiers into several segments on this wide mountain road and make them unable to support each other, even if the terrain here was not dangerous, they would still be able to surround and annihilate them.

  In the forest, on the mountain path below, shouts of killing, angry roars, screams and miserable cries rose one after another. Amidst the clear sound of clashing blades, there were dull thuds of flesh and bone being torn apart, and fresh blood stained the grassy ground in the forest.

  Du He plunged down, with the Panlong sword in his mouth, and grabbed a handful of arrowheads from the pouch at his waist with both hands, shooting them out one by one.

  The Tang army soldiers who had already known about Du He's ultimate skill couldn't help but let out a sincere gasp of amazement at witnessing this divine technique once again, and they couldn't help but admit defeat.

  The dark projectile infused with internal energy was stronger than the bow and arrow, its accuracy needless to say. The arrowheads seemed to have eyes as they shot towards the vital parts of the human body. After shooting down a dozen or so people, he grasped the Panlong Sword and his body rose into the air, dancing the Iron Blood Twelve Style to slaughter through the waves of people, the long sword swinging, its light flashing in all directions, opening and closing with an unstoppable force.

  There was a Tubo general who was so enraged by the slaughter of his own soldiers that he charged forward, brandishing his wolf-toothed club.

  Du He smiled coldly, unfolded his light skill, and leaped forward three feet away in the blink of an eye. His long sword slashed down from top to bottom, cutting through his armor, slashing open his chest, and blood "poured" out with a splat.

  The Tubo Wanfu Chang's eyes widened in disbelief, still holding the wolf-toothed club, and fell backwards.

  Even if he died, he still didn't know how he died. The opponent was clearly three zhang away from him. How did he suddenly approach in the blink of an eye and give him a sword without any defense?

  Isn't this Tang person using the Earth Escape Technique!

  Others have died, and it will never be known naturally.

  The battle is still going on, but the outcome has already been decided at the moment when Songzan Gambo fell into the trap!

  PS: It seems that the strong push has been successful, and I'm grateful for it. If not for your support, the second generation wouldn't have achieved such results. During the strong push period, I still updated three times a day and rushed to the top of the charts at night. Please give me some support, thank you!