Control your ancestors and create an immortal family starting from the Eastern Han Dynasty

Chapter 211 Stepping on the Divine Mirror, Crossing Higher Mountains (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The sudden change caught everyone off guard.

However, this was not entirely bad news for the Tang army, even though they had failed to deplete the enemy's large-scale elite forces at Longshan.

But at least in terms of morale, the Tang army had completely gained the upper hand.

In the first year of the Zhide era, in June.

With all preparations complete, the army finally set off.

Gu Yi made thorough preparations for this battle. He not only mobilized all the knowledge he had accumulated, but also spared no effort in gathering all the resources of the Gu clan.

—The first to be affected were naturally the professional doctors accompanying the army.

Leaving aside other aspects, at least in the field of medicine, the Gu family can definitely be called the best in the world today.

Each time Gu Yi takes control, he uses his accumulated knowledge to gradually provide assistance to the family and clarify the direction for its members.

On the one hand, he himself was not entirely proficient in medicine;
The more crucial reason is that medicine is different from other skills; it requires a down-to-earth approach and gradual, step-by-step accumulation.

Forcing these talents to grow too quickly will only ruin them.

Even so, it still established the Gu family's capabilities in this area.

Take, for example, altitude sickness, which we face today.

In fact, in the original history, the Tang Dynasty's understanding of altitude sickness was very limited, mainly based on experience and some simple theories.

This indirectly led to several major defeats against Tibet.

But the Gu family today is completely different.

Since Gu Jing's generation, after Gu Yi made Gu Jing aware of the existence of altitude sickness through the Spirit Jade, the Gu family has begun specialized research on altitude sickness.

Over the years, they have been recording the different reactions that the human body produces at various altitudes.

And try various methods to relieve these symptoms.

certainly--

From a modern perspective, these experiments may seem overly simplistic, but in this day and age, they are already quite remarkable.

And based on decades of research.

The Gu family has a detailed understanding of altitude sickness and has even stocked up on Rhodiola rosea, a medicine that can promote blood circulation, relieve fatigue, and enhance the body's resistance.

This is also why Gu Yi wants to strike at the heart of the enemy's territory this time.

This is going with the flow, not going against fate.

With Gu's preparations and the knowledge stored in his mind, it is no longer a dead end for him to set foot on the plateau again.

The army's speed was not particularly fast.

This was also requested by Gu Yi himself. He first selected a group of soldiers in good physical condition to transport the grain in advance.

This will minimize the pressure on the soldiers.

However, it is also necessary to control the route to prevent the Tibetan army from burning the supplies. All of this must be under strict control.

Besides--

This includes the marching speed of the soldiers.

Gu Yi was not in a hurry to march, as he wanted to give his soldiers some time to adapt.

Some people are healthy, while others are not.

Altitude sickness is like that; it doesn't happen to everyone. As the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces, he also had to establish a strict rule.

It is worth mentioning that the Gu family's resources are indeed extremely formidable.

The accompanying military doctors were all acclimatized to the high altitude, and there were a large number of them, with each battalion having its own doctor.

These people are not under anyone's control; instead, they deal directly with Gu Xuan.

Furthermore, Gu Yi's requirements for them were also very strict.

That is, whenever a fatal "altitude sickness" occurs, no matter who the person is, they must immediately descend the mountain, and even Guo Ziyi, Gao Xianzhi and others are no exception.

Of course, this also includes Gu Xuan, the head coach.

However, with the "miracle cure" in hand, altitude sickness was unlikely to occur in Gu Xuan.

Under these circumstances, the Tang army's marching speed could not possibly be very fast.

Lhasa City.

As the location of the royal court of the Tubo Kingdom, this place occupies an extremely prominent position within the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

It is located in the central part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, on the north bank of the Lhasa River, a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. It is situated in the middle reaches of the Lhasa River valley plain, surrounded by mountains on all sides. The Nyainqêntanglha Mountains serve as a natural barrier to the north, while the Potala Mountains, Chakpori Mountains, and Mopan Mountains surround it.

Easy to defend, difficult to attack

It can be described as a gift from heaven.

Tibet had already received news of the Tang army's entry into the country, and the entire Tibetan Empire was astonished by this news.

Whether it was nobles from any tribe or the emperor Trisong Detsen, their first thought was that the Tang army had gone mad.

People who don't believe in mountains dare to cross them so openly.

What else could this be but madness?
In this state of mind, Trisong Detsen sensed a golden opportunity.

Hongshan Palace.

This is the residence of the Tibetan king, and its architecture is extremely magnificent. Unlike other foreign tribes, it did not imitate the architecture of the Central Plains, but instead maintained its own characteristics.

Inside the Red Mountain Palace at this moment.

Standing atop the high platform of the Red Mountain Palace, Trisong Detsen's hawk-like gaze swept over the tribal leaders and nobles standing solemnly below, his voice as sharp as the icy wind of a snow-capped mountain:
"The Tang people's presumptuous entry into the divine realm is truly arrogant and ignorant, and a blasphemy against the mountain spirits!"

“They disrespect the guardians of the snow mountain and fear no divine power, daring to set foot on our sacred land of Tubo. Such rebellious behavior shows that they are extremely arrogant and will bring about their own destruction!”

"What does that brat Gu think of my Snow Eagle?"

"Do you think that we Tibetans are weak lambs that can be driven around on the grasslands at will, or easily defeated foxes and rabbits in the forests of Liaodong?"

"We are children of the snow mountain, blessed by the gods and protected by the spirits of ten thousand mountains!"

“Anyone who does not devoutly revere the spirits of the mountains and dares to defile the sacred land with their mortal body is committing a great disrespect to the gods of heaven and earth!”

"His crimes deserve to be punished, and his actions will surely be condemned by Heaven!"

His expression was furious, and he smiled disdainfully as he spoke: "That Gu brat is ultimately too young and ignorant."

"Thinking back to those days, what could Gu Jing, who was known as the butcher, do?"

"It's because they don't dare to step into the sacred realm of my Tubo."

"Does this brat from the Gu family really think that his Gu family can conquer my sacred Tibetan mountain?"

Following his words, the Tibetan nobles present all nodded in agreement.

This is the power of faith.

When facing the Gu family outside, they would feel fear. Even if the Gu family stood on the frontier of the Tang Dynasty, just as Gu Jing had done in the past, they would still be wary.

However, things were completely different when these people stepped into Tibetan territory.

Before truly experiencing the terror of the Gu family, the power of this faith was enough to overwhelm everything.

These people, in particular, live on the plateau year-round.

They were well aware of what would happen to the bodies of people who were not adapted to high altitudes if they rashly entered the high-altitude region.

Of course, they couldn't possibly understand any scientific principles; they would only believe that this was the protection given to them by the deity they believed in.

And that is their greatest source of confidence.

There was no hesitation.

Trisong Detsen's decision was made in the blink of an eye.

Without the slightest hesitation, all the nobles responded and followed. As the Tang army's iron hooves truly set foot on the plateau, the hearts of these Tibetan nobles were more united than ever before. June 12th, the first year of the Zhide era.

As the Tang army continued its advance, it finally suffered a counterattack from the Tibetans on this day.

Just as Gu Yi had predicted—

The Tibetans' primary target remained the Tang army's food supplies.

Fortunately, Guo Ziyi, Gao Xianzhi and others had made thorough preparations long ago. Gu Yi's approach of setting the general direction and leaving the details to them ultimately brought out all the abilities of these generals.

The two sides engaged in a major battle at Xiqing Mountain.

Both have suffered damage.

Although the Tang army was indeed quite strong, being on the high plateau would inevitably affect their physical condition to some extent, which would naturally impact their combat effectiveness.

The good thing is that the Tang army still had food supplies.

This was very good news for Gu Yi.

It is worth mentioning that Gu Yi's strategy this time is completely different from that of the previous Gu family members.

They didn't employ any surprise attacks; their main strategy was to proceed steadily and surely.

Starting from Longyou, the army passed through the Taohe Valley, then crossed the Xiqing Mountains to control the Yellow River's nine bends, effectively locking down Luoxie.

There are still many details to be found.

Furthermore, this is not a fixed strategy; it needs to be judged based on different situations.

In short, Gu Yi's strategy for this trip was to avoid high altitudes as much as possible, so as not to affect the soldiers' combat effectiveness.

Of course, he never expected to completely subdue the entire Tibetan Empire in one battle.

This is completely unrealistic.

For Kyushu at present, it would be good enough if the entire Tubo (Tibetan) region could be gradually integrated into Kyushu, just like the Western Regions.

However, this also made Gu Yi think of another problem.

Is the Gu family's current practice of integrating various fields into the Nine Provinces ahead of schedule putting too much pressure on future emperors?
Let's not even talk about tyrannical rulers.

For any wise ruler, the pressure of unifying the entire world far exceeds that of the original history, not to mention the subsequent governance.

This will definitely be a headache for them.

But there's nothing to worry about.

As I said before, Gu Yi no longer cares about how history originally unfolded. As the Gu family's glory lasts longer, the changes it makes to history will only become greater.

As for whether those emperors from the original history will reappear, who can know for sure?
The war continues unabated.

As the Tang army advanced deeper into Tibet, the Tibetan invasion became increasingly daring, and various problems arose within the army itself.

Even with thorough preparations.

However, altitude sickness still occurred uncontrollably, though the number of people affected was not that large.

However, this also has a huge impact.

Ordinary soldiers were fine, but as the army advanced deeper into enemy territory, some generals also began to experience this condition.

However, the Tibetans immediately began to retaliate.

Gu Yi had no choice but to adopt a more conservative approach, slowing down the army's march and giving the soldiers more time to adapt.

At this point in the war, the supply of food and provisions became the key to victory.

Trisong Detsen was able to secure his position as Tsangpo (king), which shows he was no ordinary person.

He knew that it was not advisable to engage in a direct battle with the Tang army at this moment, so he instead precisely targeted the Tang army's lifeline—the supply lines.

From a contemporary perspective, this strategy can be considered wise.

After all, the deeper the Tang army penetrated into the plateau, the more likely the invisible "plateau calamity" would become a fatal shackle.

However, this is precisely where Trisong Detsen's thinking was limited.

Gu Yi's seemingly slow and deliberate approach was precisely to buy the army a valuable period of adjustment.

The Tibetan tactic of harassing supply lines unexpectedly aligned with Gu Yi's calculations.

He is not afraid of a protracted battle.

The Gu family had been preparing for this place for decades, and the supply of food and provisions was already well-established.

Moreover, Gu Yi even began teaching the soldiers how to cultivate land on the plateau. Regardless of whether this would be useful in this expedition, it would certainly be useful in the future.

Gu Xuan's political acumen was fully demonstrated under these circumstances.

Although the situation appeared extremely dire on the surface, Gu Yi remained calm and even felt that his plans were progressing very smoothly.

Tang army camp.

During the routine rounds by the doctors from each battalion, shouts and arguments quickly erupted from the tents:
"I'm not sick! I want to follow the Grand Tutor to fight the enemy and make meritorious contributions; I'm perfectly healthy!"

"How could my health be in danger? Enough said!"

"Doctor! Please! I'm really fine, I've been feeling much better these past few days! Let me go into battle, I want to make a difference!"

The camp was noisy, but fortunately it had not yet turned into chaos.

After the commotion subsided, the commanders of each battalion rushed over and solemnly reported the actual number of casualties under their command to the central army.

Everyone had a different expression.

This was a situation the Tang army faced every day: a general's trusted confidant would suffer from severe altitude sickness and have to turn back.

They had already pleaded with Gu Xuan on their behalf.

But Gu Xuan's answer was always the same: "Do you want your brothers to die, or do you want them to risk their lives to achieve some merit?"

This is a very easy question to answer.

Altitude sickness at this time of year is not as easy as it is in modern times.

"Master."

After the soldiers finished their usual pleas for mercy, Gao Xianzhi got straight to the point: "The Tibetans have been harassing our army more and more recently. Should we continue to deal with them slowly and deliberately?"

He can't wait.

Upon hearing this, many generals in the tent nodded repeatedly, their eyes revealing the same anxiety and confusion. Even the usually composed Guo Ziyi and Feng Changqing frowned.

They ultimately failed to fully comprehend the horror of altitude sickness, only feeling that the longer it dragged on, the more severe the "mountain calamity" would become, as evidenced by the soldiers' listless state.

Gu Yi remained calm, showing no surprise whatsoever.

They simply didn't understand what altitude sickness was.

I just feel that this situation will become more and more serious over time.

Hearing this, Gu Yi was not surprised at all. With a slight thought, Gu Xuan glanced at the generals and asked in a deep voice, "What do you generals think we should do?"

"Grand Tutor!" A general could not contain himself and clasped his hands in a loud voice, "This humble general believes that we should gather our elite troops, strike at the heart of the enemy, and launch a strong attack on Lhasa!"

"Exactly! This 'mountain calamity' is unavoidable, why waste any more time and effort, only to increase casualties!"

"..."

The generals immediately offered their suggestions.

Having spent some time with him, they had come to understand Gu Xuan's personality and knew that offering advice would not be punished.

After everyone had finished speaking, Gu Xuan spoke again, but did not answer the soldiers' possible questions. "Please don't be anxious, everyone."

"Let's wait a little longer—"

As he spoke, he looked at Guo Ziyi: "What if we lose to them in a few more days?"

This is the key to Gu Yi's insight into the overall situation!
Given the information gap in his understanding, how could he not take advantage of it?
For example, the altitude sickness we face now!
(P.S.: I'm begging for monthly votes at the end of the month! Please support me, brothers! I would be extremely grateful.)
(End of this chapter)