The so-called crossing of the river was actually the Brahmaputra River, which was also the Brahmaputra River in India.
Although it was called India, there were very few indigenous people there. The land was fertile, the flow of the river was abundant, and there was a lot of rain. There were also many types of animals and plants.
The reason why there were so few people in such a good place was because there were also many floods. It rained almost every year, and most people did not have the courage to live there, especially the small rivers and tributaries.
Because there were water, mountains, trees, and wild animals in the mountains, water could provide the necessities for people's survival. Thus, the cannibals treated this place as an important place to attack the Tang Empire.
As long as the army crossed the river and continued north, some of them would die and they would be able to reach Lhasa City.
There were many good things in Lhasa City of Tibet. Other than the Tang Empire's army helping them when they were affected by disasters, the usual things were all transported to Lhasa City by the Tang Empire and sold there. Tibetan specialties were also sent to the city and then transported to Tang by the merchants of the Tang Empire.
Trade with each other and exchange what they needed. The original Tibetans had better days, and the Tang Empire also got what it needed. Compared to the previous war, the trade activities were many times better.
Then, what exactly was there in the city that the cannibals coveted?
First, there were various advanced tools for accurate calibration. Second, there was a small hydroelectric generator and two small wind generators. There was also a munitions factory directly controlled by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. There was a medicinal material classification center, a simple processing center, countless pressure cookers, endless salted eggs and century eggs, cloth and silk from the Tang Empire, finished medicines, and hundreds of tons of salted fish and shrimp sent over from Qinghai Lake.
There were also books, seeds provided by the Sinongsi, and a large research branch set up in the area. There were barrels of soybean oil and high quality white wine, cleaning products, skincare products, and iron ingots with good hardness and toughness. There was also a smelting workshop set up by the Tang Empire.
There were three main telegraph stations, a sub-station for the weather collection and measurement department, a branch of the Institute of Disease Prevention and Research, a bookstore for the humanities and history editors, a breeding base for the military and police Tibetan mastiffs, a breeding base for goshawks, and a farm for other animals and birds.
These were all things that the Tibetans did not even dare to think about in the past. They were a bunch of things that could directly form a social development system.
Zu Zan of Childe was still the local manager, and the princess of Jincheng still treated him as a married wife.
The difference was that Zuzan Chideh had thrown the idea of independence beyond the ninth heaven and buried it in the bottomless abyss. What he had to do every day was to help manage the merchants that came and went, and to learn all kinds of books from Princess Jincheng.
On the other hand, Princess Jincheng was a woman of her word. Other than raising the child, she would instill the thoughts of the Great Tang into the Tubo people. Occasionally, when she was in a good mood or feeling unwell, she would allow the other women to accompany Zu Zan for the night.
When the weather was good, the couple would travel to the capital of the Great Tang Empire and see if they could bring back anything good.
Thus, such a good city was targeted by the Maneaters. As long as they could attack it, even if they couldn't defend it, they could move the craftsmen, students, and other things back.
However, the other places were heavily guarded, especially the Wuchang region in the north. Originally, there was a direct route that could easily lead to the original location of the Turkic Khaganate. But now, that place had become a training ground for the Great Tang. Small-scale conflicts were incessant, and all kinds of weapons were used for testing.
In a situation where there was no other way, the Maneaters gathered an army of 120,000 and planned to sneak through the Brahmaputra River's sluggish basin. Then, they would cross the mountains and ridges to launch a surprise attack. The other armies in the other places would cooperate with them to feign an attack. Although it was called a feign attack, it was actually a suicide mission.
The Maneaters' idea was not bad, and they were willing to pay a huge price for it, even going as far as to take a detour. According to the historical records that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan knew, they had never done so before.
But the current Great Tang was developing too quickly, so quickly that it was like a piece of cake smeared with honey in the eyes of others. Everyone wanted to take a bite out of it and then retreat, getting as much benefit as possible. It was much better than watching the Great Tang develop to its limits and then turning around to bite them.
Of course, if everything developed according to history, the Great Tang couldn't have sent scouts everywhere, especially the Brahmaputra River. If one went north, the geography was extremely harsh. Canyons, snowy mountains, and dense forests were not places that people should go.
Maneaters believed that they would have to sacrifice a lot to attack this place, but they would be able to catch the enemy off guard. Thus, they secretly built the ships. They didn't need ships that could be transported across the ocean, and they didn't need ships that could withstand strong winds or currents. As long as they could get the people to the other side of the river, they would have completed their mission.
Maneaters' calculations were not bad. In the past, if he didn't care about other battlefields and just concentrated his forces to attack, the Tibetan cavalry wouldn't have been able to hold. Now, they no longer wanted to seek victory on other battlefields, even paying the price of religious compromise.
But their opponent was not the original Great Tang, but the Great Tang controlled by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. The two of them would not allow their intelligence network to have a blind spot. No matter where the border was, regardless of the local environment, as long as there was a border, they would definitely send people to investigate.
After the two of them received news of the Maneaters' movements, they also secretly sent their soldiers over, and they even sent a total of forty-six thousand people.
Their goal was that after defeating the Maneaters, some would stay behind while the rest would continue the pursuit. The Maneaters had sent 120,000 soldiers, not more than one million, but less than two hundred thousand.
How many supplies would 120,000 soldiers need? Where were their supply points? Where was the source of the supply lines? Are there any local Indian ethnic groups involved?
Both sides moved in the same way, stealthily. The difference was that the Great Tang side sent over small cannons, which were mortars, and grenade launchers. For this reason, the grenades were specially primed, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to be fired.
As for why they didn't send the field cannons over, it was because they lacked transport helicopters.
The two of them originally planned to attack when the enemy was crossing the river, and then continue to attack after crossing the river.
How could they make the other party attack at the time they requested? As long as they sent out a small portion of their troops to stand on the other side of the river, the Maneaters would be afraid that the Great Tang would send more troops and expose themselves. Under such circumstances, they would have no choice but to attack earlier.
The idea was good, and there weren't any problems during the operation. The problem was that when the Maneaters saw the small portion of Great Tang's troops, they didn't forcefully cross the river.
From the simple telegram, the other party seemed to have given up.
Wang Juan was puzzled. Their side had sent over fifteen thousand people, so where was the Maneaters' resistance? Whether or not their ships were captured by them could be judged from these two points that the other party had made a strategic move in advance.
"Go and ask. The content of the telegram just now was too vague. Let them say a few more words." Zhang Xiaobao ordered the person who passed on the message.
After the person left, Zhang Xiaobao didn't know whether to comfort himself or Wang Juan. He calmly said, "There's no need to rush. The Maneaters aren't gods. It's just that the information they sent over wasn't detailed enough."
"The commander there is Zhang Shougui, and he sent the eunuch Yang Sixun to supervise the troops. We'll send two battalion commanders, graduates of the third world. I'm not worried about the Maneaters suddenly disappearing, but I'm worried that the Maneaters will destroy the enemy's ships and kill the future slaves."
Wang Juan continued.
"That's true. We have information on him. This person likes to use the lives of his enemies to intimidate them. We don't need that now. I hope he learns to be smarter. Otherwise, we'll lose slaves. I'll have him carry the stones himself."
Zhang Xiaobao had a good understanding of Yang Sixun. Wang Juan's words were also recorded in history. This person liked to kill, and he didn't even let go of captives.
In Zhang Xiaobao's view, this was a form of intelligence. Killing the enemy's captives could intimidate the enemy, and at the same time, reduce the enemy's youth. Otherwise, if you attacked and captured a lot of people, bringing them back would be a problem.
What he was afraid of was that he would use this intelligence on the Maneaters. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's goal wasn't to kill people, but to obtain resources. Human resources were also resources. They had only built one railroad, and they had to continue building it.
Zhang Xiaobao suddenly said when he was thinking about who should die in the construction of infrastructure. "We also need people to blow up the river. Blowing up the submerged reefs is almost a death sentence. We can't use our Great Tang people. I can't bear to add people to it."
Wang Juan looked at Zhang Xiaobao in confusion and asked, "Blow up what river?"
"It's the river between us and India, the Brahmaputra River and the Brahmaputra River. If we can form a navigation channel, it will be very useful."
Zhang Xiaobao explained.
"No, the place we're connected to is affected by the geographical environment. It's not navigable. If we build a dam in the future, we can add a few sets of generators. Can you think of something more practical?" A map appeared in Wang Juan's mind. She shook her head and rejected Zhang Xiaobao's suggestion.
"I'm being practical. The geographical environment can be changed. In the past, it didn't change because of India. China has to spend a lot of effort and countless manpower and material resources to transform the river so that it can be navigable. However, India directly said that you can come over. What do you think China should do? Is the investment in the early stage gone?
Tell me, which river in the world can't be transformed? The main problem is whether the investment is proportional to the return. We're not at that time now. Why do you want to stop the Duoduo crossing the river and send troops to track down their supply line? "
Zhang Xiaobao analyzed the situation at that time and asked Wang Juan.
"I'm thinking that if someone in India gets involved, we can attack them, question them, and force them to admit their mistake. Then, we can give up a line of the Brahmaputra River, including a certain area on both sides.
They can't control it now, and there are always floods. They think that by paying a small price, they can get the forgiveness of the Tang Empire. So, we can occupy the river, just like the Qing Dynasty ceding land to pay reparations.
Occupying the Brahmaputra River is occupying the lifeline. What's there to be afraid of floods? We can build a dam and slowly transform it. If we don't have the opportunity to occupy it, we will be struck by lightning. "
Wang Juan repeated the strategic intention that they had discussed before to Zhang Xiaobao.
"That's right, then why don't we transform the river together? We can't even think about building a dam to block the river within ten years. It's better to open it to navigation. Who said that canyons can't be bombed? Who said that canyons can't be bombed? Destruction is always easier than construction.
As long as we are willing to sacrifice the lives of others, I promise to bomb the river within a year and complete control of the entire river basin within three years. That's the entire basin of the Brahmaputra River and the Brahmaputra River.
I've already thought about it. Capture captives and let them bomb the canyons and reefs for me. If they don't die after the first bomb, I won't let them go a second time within a month. If they don't die three times in a row, I'll directly give them a generous reward and let them get rid of their status as captives and slaves.
Then, our country's people who lost their land through the 12 national policies can go there and give them a large piece of land on the plains created by the river. They can buy cattle from India. Anyway, India doesn't value cattle, so they can buy them for our people to use.
If it rains heavily and floods are coming, our people can directly retreat and rush over. It's not a pity to rush over the land that was taken for free. If there's any harvest, it's ours. "
Zhang Xiaobao was in a state of almost sleepwalking, imagining the good times in the future.
Wang Juan also listened with a look of yearning. When Zhang Xiaobao finished, she pointed at Zhang Xiaobao's head and said, "You really don't blush when you talk nonsense. India doesn't value cattle?"
"Value … value? I remember that Indians value the neem tree more. After other people plant it, other people can casually pick the branches and leaves of whatever they pass by and use it to brush their teeth. Can cattle be casually used by other people? "Zhang Xiaobao said with a serious look.
"Brushing teeth is valued? Then cattle also needs to be valued, because Indians also use cow dung to brush their teeth. Say something else, I'm disgusted. "Wang Juan patted Zhang Xiaobao on the shoulder. He actually led the topic to this.
"I'm disgusted too. Anyway, we have to occupy their livestock. The river has to be built, and people have to be arranged there. This is not called colonization, it's a normal migration, or it's arranged to a slightly more remote place to enjoy high-wage job opportunities."
Zhang Xiaobao stopped himself from thinking about the habits of India and dreamed of planting his own land in other people's land.
"Report." The person who had just left came back and said to the two, "The troops guarding Karma Nagpo have sent back news again. They found that there are many cannibals, large and small, and there are countless boats. When the cannibals saw our small troops, they suddenly panicked and scattered. Our troops took the opportunity to cross the river and chase them.
The enemy ran on horseback and ran on two legs. The enemy also threw away a lot of weapons, some made of wood and iron, and some made of wood. There are also places where they live, some made of branches, some made of leather. They also drank from wooden buckets. Some were spliced together with pieces of wood, but most of them were hollowed out in the middle of a piece of wood. Most of the food they eat is also made of wood, there are … "
"Little Liang, get to the point. They foolishly sent back such detailed information. Why did you read it?" Zhang Xiaobao glared fiercely at the person who reported. Did the daily habits of the cannibals need to be explained in a telegram?
The person called Little Liang by Zhang Xiaobao smiled shyly and nodded. "Okay, what Zhang Shougui mainly said is that they have already occupied the original camp of the cannibals. They just occupied it. Now, some of the follow-up troops are left behind, about five thousand people, and the others are crossing the river.
The troops who have already crossed the river are chasing the enemy's scattered troops and capturing many prisoners, mainly to let the people who can speak the language of cannibals shout. General Zhang Shougui also said that a lot of the supplies of the cannibals are still there, not burned, and not protected by anyone.
Zhang Shougui wanted to ask what to do next. He judged that the fleeing cannibals might look for grass roots to eat. Our troops only need to find a place with a water source to encounter the cannibals.
But it is impossible for the fleeing cavalry to kill horses for food. It is more likely that they will run far away, at least to the next supply point on the supply route of the cannibals, or even attack the Indians to plunder survival resources and obtain physiological satisfaction. "
The main content of the telegram was relatively euphemistic, but the meaning was clear. The cannibals were defeated before the battle.
"Those are 120,000 people, and 120,000 well-prepared soldiers. They ran away when they met our small troops? Madam, do you believe it? "Zhang Xiaobao asked.
"Little Liang, send back a telegram. Tell General Zhang Shougui to retreat immediately after a day's pursuit and defend the riverside. Use the resources provided by the cannibals as supplies. It is forbidden to kill prisoners for no reason, and it is forbidden to go in alone. Process the captured ships and use the local resources to continue to build simple transport ships."
Wang Juan instructed Little Liang. Little Liang did not ask any more questions and turned to leave the telegram.
Wang Juan turned back and said to Zhang Xiaobao, "I believe it. Winning a war is not a matter of numbers. We made a mistake and overestimated the cannibals. They wanted to launch a sneak attack on us. When they see our people, the first thing they think of is the advanced weapons and communications of the Tang army.
They are afraid that if they run too slowly, the Tang army will call in more people to attack them. If a few of them run first, they will definitely lose the morale of the entire army. It's not like this didn't happen when the Japanese attacked China in the past. In the first and second world wars, this kind of phenomenon is really too normal. "
"What I want to say is that if they run away, our strategic purpose will not be realized. Isn't it to kill the enemy's strength? After they run away, how many people can we catch in a day's pursuit?"
Zhang Xiaobao felt that the cannibals were not giving them face. What could they do if they persisted? Couldn't they learn how to attack halfway? It seemed that they could not. As long as the people in front of them passed by, the machine gun positions and artillery positions would be set up. The gap between weapons made many tactics useless.
Wang Juan did not continue to explain to Zhang Xiaobao. She knew that it was not that Zhang Xiaobao could not learn, but that sometimes he was not willing to learn military skills. Even if he knew, he still pretended to be stupid and asked her.
Wang Juan was helpless and happy about this. She was happy because she understood that Zhang Xiaobao wanted to set her off, let her perform, and then be happy with him. Many men did not understand this. Generally, women understood, so their family life was very happy. What made her feel helpless was that Zhang Xiaobao actually knew that she understood his intentions, but he still pretended to be stupid. At this time, Zhang Xiaobao did not look pretentious, but cute. He was really good at coaxing girls.
"Hubby, tell me, how did you train?" Wang Juan suddenly asked. It had nothing to do with the war they were talking about just now.
"I saw it in family psychology and couple psychology." Zhang Xiaobao immediately knew what Wang Juan was asking, and his current behavior and tacit understanding explained his understanding of the two kinds of psychology.
"What I'm asking is … Forget it, I'll tell you about the three essentials and the knowledge of how to use them to survive, okay?" Wang Juan returned to the previous topic.
"Okay." Zhang Xiaobao sat upright.
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