Chapter 41: The Tang Army Clashed with the Caliphate
Word Number：336
Author：闲穿径竹
Translator：
Release Time：2025-06-26
The Tibetan censor, Lun Ruozan, had stationed his vast army north of Erhai, at Langqiong (modern-day Eryuan, Dali). Upon receiving the allegiance of Nanzhao, he immediately dispatched five thousand cavalry from Langqiong, urging them at full gallop towards the shores of Erhai. United in arms, the forces of Nanzhao and Tibet advanced together, ready to engage the Tang army in fierce battle. Duan Jianwei, commanding the Nanzhao forces, divided his troops into three columns. One swept down from Luchuan (present-day Shuanglang, Dali), another pressed forward from Lunan (modern Haidong, Dali), while the third advanced from Jiangkou (now Xiaguan, Dali), all converging upon the Tang army with unrelenting force. With no capable generals left at his command, Xianyu Zhongtong found himself helpless. That day, the Nanzhao army struck with full force, their war drums booming like the crashing of tidal waves. From the east, Duan Quange emerged; from the west, Duan Jianwei advanced; while Ge Luofeng himself led the central forces. The Tang army was caught in a three-pronged assault, engulfed in a sea of flames. The battle raged from dawn until dusk, leaving countless Tang soldiers dead or wounded, forcing the remnants of their forces to retreat in disarray toward Jiannan. Fearing the wrath of the imperial court, Yang Guozhong concealed the full extent of Xianyu Zhongtong’s defeat. Instead, he fabricated a report, claiming the Tang army had achieved minor victories but had been outmatched due to Nanzhao’s treachery in allying with Tibet. He alleged that the Tibetan warriors were fearsome in battle and that Zhongtong, rather than suffer further losses, had prudently withdrawn his troops. Thus it was said: “The army at Erhai lay in ruin and dust, yet the capital rang with tales of triumph. Returning in shame, they feasted at Ganquan Hall, while Gao Shi’s verses laid the truth bare.” Finding no alternative, Ge Luofeng was forced to submit to Tibet. In the Tibetan tongue, the term for “younger brother” was “zhong”, and so he was granted the title Zanp
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