Chapter 622: Chapter 86: The Gu Clan Name Reverberates, Offense and Defense Reversed

As expected, after hearing these words, the atmosphere inside the entire tent instantly became several degrees heavier.

Many noblemen from various tribes even showed signs of fear in their eyes, but more showed disbelief.

Tsri Songtsen Gampo was no exception.

Although he could not fully express his thoughts, at that moment, a sense of retreat had already emerged in his heart.

However, comparatively, Tsri Songtsen Gampo was acutely aware that he could not retreat.

The Tubo war machine had been activated.

If he were to simply return like this, he, as the Zanpu, would certainly face backlash, potentially ending up in a similar plight as in the past, causing Tubo to fall into another civil strife.

Moreover, Tsri Songtsen Gampo was extremely unwilling to submit.

One capable of regicide undoubtedly harbors an intense desire for power beyond words.

How could he possibly be willing?

To retreat now, where would he find such a godsend opportunity again in this lifetime?

Must Tubo live under the shadow of the Gu Clan for generations?

Glancing over the faces inside the tent full of disbelief and worry, Tsri Songtsen Gampo took a deep breath, his chest heaving before he burst into a hearty, albeit slightly awkward laugh, "Hahahahaha!"

"This is undoubtedly Gu Clan’s old trick!"

The sudden laughter ripped through the deathly silence like thunder, drawing everyone’s gaze to him.

The deliberately relaxed expression on Tsri Songtsen Gampo’s face became more evident as he scanned the crowd, speaking aloud, "Not to mention that it is a force of two hundred thousand troops!"

"Even if they were two hundred thousand livestock, how could the Gu Clan possibly drive them all and slaughter them thoroughly and pacify everything in such a short time?!"

"Gentlemen—" he raised his voice abruptly, filled with a confidence that seemed to see through everything, "don’t forget, what is the Gu Clan best at...?"

No words were needed, and the same thought instantly flashed through the minds of everyone in the tent.

—Psychological warfare!

This was the Gu Clan’s sharpest weapon!

The Gu Clan’s greatest skill against foreign races lay precisely in various methods to dissolve their alliances.

"We must not throw ourselves into disarray!" Tsri Songtsen Gampo’s sharp gaze swept over everyone like a hawk, resolutely proclaiming, "No matter what, our goal for this expedition remains unchanged— we must penetrate deep into Guanzhong!!!"

"At that time..."

"The granaries, treasures, beauties, slaves... will all be for you to take as you wish!!!"

— A blatant allure of greed!

Yet it was extremely effective.

Hearing these words, every person present immediately showed a gleam of greed in their eyes.

This was a trait deeply rooted in the bones and blood of Tubo.

Even without external enemies, internal slaughter and contention were always for the most primitive interests.

Let alone the fact that what’s now before them is the fat piece of land that is Guanzhong.

Meanwhile—

With the spread of events at Tong Pass and various rumors, this scene unfolded similarly in different regions.

The land of Liaodong.

The current states like Goguryeo and Baekje had already fallen into civil disorder.

The two factions were initially evenly matched, but as this news gradually spread, the situation completely reversed.

Those unwilling to face the Gu Clan and who even attacked Fan Yang began to gain the upper hand.

On the contrary, those nobles who allied with An Lushan started to worry.

Some wanted to surrender before the situation was entirely settled, while others, like Tsri Songtsen Gampo, were unwilling to concede.

However, it was precisely because of this—

The civil unrest in the Liaodong region also became more brutal.

Even those people withdrew the troops that aided pirates in invading, to return home and partake in wars.

Similarly, the land of Jiangnan was also shaken.

The various forces with rebellious intentions began to hesitate at this moment.

Although Gu Yi had not yet mobilized his forces,

Just with the battle at Tong Pass, he had gradually gained an invincible momentum, stabilizing the already faltering Great Tang.

Moreover—

In the grand scheme of things, a shift from defense to offense appeared likely.

Despite the fact that for the Great Tang, the unrest from various regions still remained so.

But this is the subtle art of winning hearts!

....

In the first year of Zhida, May.

As grain supplies from various places were successively mobilized, Gu Yi also embarked on his expedition.

It is worth mentioning that the absorption of the rebel forces had long been completed, and these were all seasoned soldiers. Under the management of experienced generals like Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, it wouldn’t take much time.

Moreover, Li Heng issued a decree to cooperate with Gu Xuan.

Under the names of the Great Tang Emperor and the Gu Clan Patriarch, the Grand Tutor of the court, to proclaim to the world.

— Those who pull back from the brink shall be forgiven.

This was a necessity for Gu Yi.

Having decided to first deal with the foreign invader, it was first essential to stabilize all sides.

This time, Gu Yi wasn’t merely thinking of repelling Tubo.

Since the Western Regions were gradually integrating into Kyushu, for Gu Yi, it was also time to reclaim the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau occupied by Tubo.

This was something Gu Yi had always remembered.

If it weren’t for the battle at Tong Pass, this would still be very difficult.

But now that offense and defense had swapped roles.

Gu Yi believes many will make wise choices, though it couldn’t solve everything entirely, it would earn him some time.

For Gu Yi, this would be enough.

As for the pirates, Gu Yi simply disregarded them; the Ryukyu maritime force was enough to handle them.

When all is settled, if there’s a chance to trace back to the source, it wouldn’t be too late.

At least for now, the Great Tang cannot concern itself with so many issues.

It’s worth mentioning that Gu Xuan’s ability in internal affairs was indeed strong, especially with the help of the Luoshu Harmonizing Device, he had already started thinking about post-war rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, among the current generation of the Gu Clan, only Gu Xuan was poised enough.

Otherwise,—

Assigning the expedition to another clan member, letting Gu Xuan directly administer internal affairs, would be best.

However, Gu Yi felt quite helpless about this.

The Patriarch of the Gu Clan must personally enter the battlefield; only in this way could he instill confidence in the soldiers and intimidate the enemy.

The army set out.

This journey, Gu Yi was as blatant as ever, not concealing his objectives at all, allowing messages to spread in all directions.

Although these methods seemed quite clumsy,

But what of clumsiness?

Sometimes, it is exactly these seemingly obvious tactics that can have transcendent effects.

The current situation at Long Mountain was very stalemated.

Since the Western Regions mobilized their forces, Tubo faced increased pressure.

Unfortunately, the time given to the Western Regions was still too short; for now, the Western Regions had not fully integrated into Kyushu, making it insufficient to utilize its full strength.

Otherwise, Tubo would have no opportunity for expansion.

However, this was beyond anyone’s control.

The progress achieved was already quite significant for the entirety of Kyushu.

— The messages kept spreading.

Under the probing of countless scouts, Tsri Songtsen Gampo and others quickly received the news, immediately tightening their already tense nerves.

Gu Clan... has truly arrived.

Even at this point, these people found it hard to believe.

Similarly, many couldn’t help but want to retreat.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau did give them a great sense of confidence, they instinctively felt that retreating would render the Gu Clan helpless.

Even if unable to expand externally,

They could still compete through internal strife.

While these people lacked the courage to battle with the Gu Clan, they had no fear of confronting others.

Yet... as things had come to this stage,

How could Tsri Songtsen Gampo allow internal division?

He was indeed a very courageous person, and to prevent the Gu Clan’s information from influencing their internal affairs, he immediately began a purge internally.

Faced with absolute interests, even members of the same tribe would make different choices.

Under such circumstances, the forces of various Tubo tribes were instantly united by him, and he harbored no retreat at all.

Even intensifying the attack in a frenzy... ...

...

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