Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 195

Upon hearing this, Li Shi broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly defended himself, saying, "This is merely my humble opinion. Whether Changwei is truly sincere is impossible to ascertain. However, Changwei has always been impatient and unafraid of risks, as Your Majesty knows—for example, during the palace turmoil of the past, he was not in the Forbidden City, yet he dared not delay for a moment, riding alone to the outside of the Flying Dragon Stables, and then standing guard at the gate to ensure Your Majesty's safety. If he had not been so impetuous, and had instead entered through the Mingfeng Gate to gather the Baoying Army, the subsequent events would have been unpredictable..."

When Li Yu specifically mentioned Li Ji's past act of saving the emperor, his expression visibly softened quickly. He then asked, "Even so, the alliance of various garrisons may indeed shake the foundation of the court, and this action greatly violates the duties of a subject—what do you think should be done?"

Li Shi said, “It depends on whether Your Majesty allows them to go on the western expedition. If not, then you can recall Changwei and teach him a lesson in person. You can also transfer the allied military governors to other posts, which will naturally eliminate the trouble. If you allow them to go on the western expedition, then a great battle is imminent. We must not discourage the generals. I think it is not too late to deal with it after the battle.”

"Then they will soon submit their memorial. Should I grant it or not?"

"This is not something your subject dares to comment on. Your Majesty may ask the Prime Minister and Lord Guo."

Li Yu glanced at his eldest son and slowly said, "No wonder Li Ji is on good terms with you; you are both equally impatient and hasty... You should know that a general who is impatient will lose his army, and a ruler who is impatient will lose his country! I have my own decision; you may leave now."

After returning to his residence, Li Shi secretly summoned his trusted confidants, including Lu Qi, the Left Assistant Secretary, and Chang Gun, the Assistant Minister of Personnel, to consult with the officials on this matter. Lu Qi naturally spoke favorably of Li Ji, saying, "General Li is building up Your Highness's power base. Thus, although General Li is in Shuofang, his influence can be extended to Guanzhong—I congratulate Your Highness."

Chang Gun, however, had a different attitude: "Li Ji is ultimately an unlearned warrior. This action will surely incur the sage's wrath and stir up public opinion. Your Highness should gradually distance yourself from him to avoid future trouble." He paused, then lowered his voice to analyze further:

"Although the An Lushan Rebellion has been quelled, the power of military officials has grown significantly. With General Guo Si at the heart of the court and regional military governors at the border, all hope to achieve further merit, be enfeoffed as kings or prime ministers, and rule over their respective regions. Currently, the court's finances are insufficient, and even after several years, it will be difficult to replenish reserves. This has forced the court to adopt a defensive posture towards the Western Barbarians, hesitant to easily reclaim lost territories. Military officials are thus dissatisfied and are seizing this opportunity to form alliances. If this trend continues, the court's authority in controlling the region will inevitably decline, and regional separatism will gradually take hold. Not only will the current emperor be wary of this, but even Your Highness, if you were to ascend the throne in the future, you would likely be subject to their control—how can you possibly welcome this outcome simply because Li Ji is Your Highness's close confidant?"

Li Shi nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "What Yifu said is very true, it has enlightened me greatly... In Yifu's opinion, is it possible that the Sage would approve their proposal and issue an edict for the western expedition?"

Chang Gun sighed, “If the four garrisons jointly submit a memorial, and Fengxiang is likely to be added to the list, how dare the court disobey? If this leads to the loss of the hearts of the soldiers in Guanzhong and Shuofang, a hundred-foot dike will collapse in an instant! However, if they are defeated in this battle, the court can gradually dismiss or reassign the military governors and regain power; but if they win this battle… I fear disaster will be imminent! In my opinion, I would rather see their army annihilated…”

As Chang Gun had said, the petitions from the four garrisons requesting permission to fight arrived in Chang'an in a few days, and several days later, Zang Xirang, the deputy military governor of Fengxiang, Li Sheng, the deputy military governor of Binning, and Li Huaiguang, the military governor of Fufang, also submitted their petitions. The prevailing sentiment in the court was: "Just drive out the Tibetans, that's enough. With the court short of funds, what business do these military men have, what trouble are they causing?" But the military men joined forces, took the same stand, and expressed the same attitude, so even the prime minister dared not disobey. Thus, an imperial edict was finally issued, ordering the five garrisons to combine their forces and plan the recapture of Longyou.

At the same time, Han Huang, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was ordered to allocate grain and fodder for the front lines; Pei Zunqing, the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and a scholar-official of the Jixian Academy, was appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and ordered to march west.

Pei Zunqing was a prime minister of two dynasties, holding a high position and great prestige, but he had never been familiar with military affairs and was completely incapable of commanding troops on the battlefield. Accepting this order, he was only responsible for supervising the army. The old man was already over seventy years old and of course dared not go to the front line. So, upon reaching Fengxiang, he stopped his horse and only sent some advisors to the front to gather information.

Because the various garrisons had already mustered their troops and set off for battle before the imperial edict was issued.

Following the arrangements made after the banquet that day, the troops of Jingyuan, Binning, and Fufang, along with Xing Junya's forces, broke through the passes of the Liupan North Road and advanced to Longcheng and Chengji. Soon, the Fengxiang army also responded, with Zang Xirang and Li Sheng leaving the passes of the South Road and heading west along the Wei River. The two armies met north of Zhuyu Mountain and essentially recovered the entire Qin Prefecture.

Yu Lu did not encounter much resistance, because Ma Chongying knew that the balance of power in Longyou had reversed after he withdrew from Huizhou. If the Tang people did not launch a counterattack, it would be fine, but if they did, it would be difficult to resist. Therefore, he first retreated to Xiangwu, and then to Taodong. Then, from north to south, he began to build a solid defensive line along Kanglang Mountain, Changcheng Castle, Wujie, Dalai Valley, Nangu, Niaoshutongxue Mountain, Longma Mountain, and Kongtong Mountain.

Before the defense line was completed, Shang Jiexi fled back from Chengji. Soon after, the Tang army followed, and the two sides finally engaged in a fierce battle. The total strength of the Tibetan army was about 50,000, and the Tang army gradually gathered, with the same number.

The battle lasted for more than a month. During this time, Li Sheng made a detour from Dangzhou and defeated the barbarian army stationed near Kongtong Mountain. Shang Jiexi held Changcheng Castle for more than 20 days before launching a counterattack, defeating a part of the Binning army and killing the Tang general Zhang Yunqi.

During the fierce battle, Ma Chongying also sent envoys to Chang'an, hoping that the Tang and Tibetan empires would cease hostilities and make peace. He proposed that since the Tang had taken Qin, Wei, and Cheng prefectures, Tibet would not demand them back, and the current battle line could be used as a boundary, with the west belonging to Tibet and the east to Tang. Li Yu appointed Cui Youfu to preside over the negotiations. Cui Youfu, however, was not very knowledgeable in military affairs and consulted Guo Ziyi. Guo Ziyi first instructed him to question the Tibetan envoy: "If the two sides make peace, can you guarantee that you will not invade Anxi and Beiting again, and that you will return Khotan?"

The envoy replied, "Let's keep things separate. We'll focus on the eastern border demarcation for now, and discuss the western issue later."

Cui Youfu immediately slammed his fist on the table and cursed: "Anxi and Beiting are also Tang territory. Since they have said they are negotiating peace, how can they not discuss it? Now, in Longyou, I attacked and you defended, and you come to ask for peace. In the Western Regions, you attacked and I defended, and you say you will negotiate again—I have never seen such a shameless person or heard such shameless words!"

However, Li Yu was somewhat tempted, mainly because Pei Zunqing had submitted a memorial stating that the front lines were currently at a stalemate and that the supply of provisions was running low—"Qin and Wei prefectures are in ruins, with only one or two out of ten people remaining. Although they should be recovered, they would only be a burden to the court, not a benefit. Why not temporarily agree to peace, have the troops withdraw, appoint officials to govern them, and gradually recruit and pacify the refugees to restore production? It is expected that after three to five years, we can then plan to conquer the Hehuang region again."

The order was given to Cui Youfu, who was not very willing. He then consulted Guo Ziyi, who told him to ask the foreign envoy: "It is said that Taodong is the boundary, but what about the north? Are Liang and Lan prefectures willing to return to us? If so, a peace treaty can be reached."

However, the envoy still shook his head, saying that these were lands his family had painstakingly conquered, and how could he simply hand them over? "Furthermore, these two prefectures are mostly grasslands inhabited by Qiang and Hu peoples, whose customs are vastly different from those of the Central Plains. Under our rule, they will be far more convenient for the people than under the Tang Dynasty..."

Cui Youfu immediately overturned the table: "How dare this envoy offend our two late emperors with a single word?!"

In response, Li Yu could only smile bitterly—he knew that Cui Youfu was merely making excuses, but this envoy had actually uttered the characters "zhi" (治) from Li Zhi's name and "min" (民) from Li Shimin's name, which concerned the face of the imperial family. Even if the emperor was eager to stop the war, the negotiations certainly couldn't continue...

Upon hearing the news, Guo Ziyi merely tapped the table lightly and muttered to himself, "Since they refuse to give Liang and Lan, let's see if Shuofang can take them..."

Although he was in Chang'an, he was still the old commander of the Shuofang army, and no movement in Shuofang could escape his notice. He already knew that after the Pinggao oath, Li Ji had led the four thousand elite Shuofang cavalry back to their garrison. Given Li Ji's character, and being the one who initiated the western expedition, would he really be willing to leave the battlefield and watch others fight? Li Ji's eagerness to return to his garrison meant he was definitely planning to attack Liangzhou…

Just as Guo Ziyi had predicted, Li Ji's main objective was not in Longyou, but in Hexi. On the day he bid farewell to the generals and returned north to Feng'an Army, he immediately began training his troops and allocating provisions, making preparations for a westward expedition.

He sent a letter to Yang Yan, first offering self-criticism and expressing his apologies, saying, "I know that you, sir, are in charge of managing the town's finances. Not only is it difficult to cook without rice, but you're practically creating something from nothing. It's truly been difficult for you. Since we've already planned our expenditures and incomes, we shouldn't easily break the plan. However, the military situation has changed rapidly, and the opportunity has arrived suddenly. If we let the enemy escape now, it will bring trouble for generations to come. There's no other way but to trouble you, sir, to help me raise some more money and supplies."

Moreover, if we can truly recover Liangzhou, it is far more prosperous than Lingzhou. I believe the spoils will be enough to make up for the losses. Furthermore, Lord Yang will manage the output of Liangzhou to supply salt and Lingzhou. Starting next year, your work will be much easier!

Yang Yan couldn't help but sigh, "The general first comforted me, saying, 'Don't worry, just hurry along, I will wait for you.' Then he spurred his horse and rode off, leaving me no time to even see his back... How difficult it is to serve under the command of the Shuofang general!"

But he also knew that the matter was of great importance and he could not afford to falter at this crucial moment. If Li Ji were to be defeated and return, he might take all the blame upon himself, or even turn against him without regard for past friendship. If he could truly recover Liangzhou, then there was no need for any carrots to lure him. With the merits of Zhidu, he would have a great chance to return it to the Central Court!

So I raised funds from all sides, even emptying the treasury, for military use—once the war was over, I took my leave, and even if the people and soldiers of Shuofang had to eat chaff and wild vegetables for several years, it would be none of my business…

Chapter Twenty-Five: The People Win Grain

Upon receiving news that the Tang and Tibetan armies were locked in a stalemate east of the Tao River, Li Ji immediately led his troops westward, feigning an attack on Lanzhou while actually heading towards Liangzhou.

However, this tactic failed to deceive Ma Chongying. Ma Chongying, stationed in Didao City to command the frontline battles, noticed the absence of Shuofang banners among the Tang army, realizing Li Ji must have returned to his post. His subordinates expressed concern: "If the Shuofang army takes advantage of the situation to seize Lanzhou, advancing north and disrupting our rear, the situation will be dire." Ma Chongying repeatedly shook his head: "Li Ji's ambitions lie in Liangzhou, Gansu, Jiangsu, and Guazhou, not Lanzhou..."

So he ordered Qilibuzang to defend the city cautiously, not seeking merit but avoiding mistakes, and to hold out until heavy snow fell and the Tang army was forced to retreat—the accompanying shaman said that it would definitely snow this winter, and the monks had no objection to this.

However, Qilibuzang was defeated by Feng'an Army and barely escaped with his life. He managed to return to Guzang City and briefly regroup his remaining troops. Before he could even settle down, the Tang army from Shuofang surged forward. Initially, he planned to defend Herong City, Changsong County, and Baishan Garrison to gradually weaken the Tang army's momentum. However, Li Ji's military tactics were swift and decisive, and the Shuofang army was unstoppable. As a result, Herong City fell in less than five days, and Changsong County in just six. Helpless, Qilibuzang had no choice but to consolidate his defenses, constructing a triangular defensive line around Guzang, Chiwu, and Jialin.

Li Ji led his troops close to the enemy's defense line and personally rode his horse to survey the terrain. Looking out at Chiwu Town from afar, he couldn't help but sigh, "What a pity, I can't see the Chishui Army at its peak."

Chiwu Town was named after the nearby Chiwu Spring. In the early Tang Dynasty, the Chishui Army was established here, with a quota of 33,000 soldiers and 13,000 warhorses. It was the largest field army in the entire Tang Dynasty, and even in the entire country.

The Chishui Army was initially established in the second year of Emperor Gaozu's reign (621 AD) to settle An Xiuren, a Sogdian noble chieftain who had defected and surrendered. At that time, Li Gui declared himself emperor in Liangzhou, and An Xiuren held the position of Privy Councilor. His elder brother, An Xinggui, residing in Chang'an, volunteered to go west, persuading An Xiuren to secretly ally with the Tuyuhun and defeat Li Gui. After the war, Li Yuan enfeoffed An Xinggui as Duke of Liang and An Xiuren as Duke of Shen, ranking them first and second among the "Twelve Meritorious Officials of the Wude Era." Their former troops were then reorganized into the Chishui Army.

The primary duty of the Chishui Army was to sever the connection between the Turks and the Tibetans, and to protect the Hexi Corridor. After the defeat of the Turks and the rise of the Uyghurs, who made peace with the Tang Dynasty, the Chishui Army effectively ended its historical mission, gradually weakening and eventually relocating to the prefectural capital, Guzang. Chiwu Town thus ceased its history as a military town and became an ordinary market town.

However, it had been a military town for a century, with a vast territory and high walls. After temporary repairs by the Tubo army, its defensive capabilities were no weaker than those of an ordinary county town in the interior. In addition, Guzang, the capital of Liangzhou in the northeast, was also a large city, and Jialin County in the north had complete facilities. Each was thirty li apart, with many temporary fortresses in between, forming a defensive perimeter as solid as an iron barrel.

Li Ji frowned, thinking to himself that these two cities and one town looked like they wouldn't be easy to conquer.

According to scouts and intelligence gathered from various sources, the number of genuine Tibetans in Liangzhou is no less than four thousand, while the number of Qiang and Hu allies is nearly twenty thousand. They have all amassed and concentrated in these two cities and one town. Although their morale is low, they are still capable of fighting. In contrast, the Shuofang army he led this time, mainly composed of soldiers from Mingsha City, plus some soldiers from Dingyuan City and the Jinglue Army (Lingzhou headquarters), numbers only slightly over twenty thousand. If it were a field battle, he was confident of defeating an enemy twice his size; even attacking a city wouldn't be difficult. But the enemy has adopted this defensive posture…

Especially since the Tang army had come from afar, the supply lines were too long, resulting in significant losses and increased risk of danger. Although Bai Yuanguang had been ordered to lead troops to oversee the supply routes, Li Ji could not possibly feel at ease.

Because he didn't know how the battle was going in the south. What if Ma Chongying could recover in Longyou and send troops from Lanzhou north to attack the Tang army's supply lines, and Bai Yuanguang couldn't defeat them? Therefore, a swift victory was necessary, and the troops could not be bogged down under the fortified city for too long.

How can we break through the enemy's defenses? We really need to plan this carefully... Hmm, is it too presumptuous of us to come to Liangzhou without first taking Lanzhou?

After much deliberation and weighing of options, his expression shifted between light and shadow. Just as he was about to turn his horse back to camp, Li Ji suddenly felt a coolness on the tip of his nose. Looking up, he saw thick clouds gathering, and sparse sleet was falling...

His expression changed drastically—"Oh God, please don't play tricks on me at this crucial moment!"

However, his lingering hope was quickly shattered by reality. Before Li Ji could even ride back to the Tang camp, the sleet turned into snowflakes, accumulating a thin layer on the ground and tents. The snowfall began near dusk and continued unabated into the night, drifting and scattering until late at night. The next day, at daybreak, he went out of his tent and saw that everything outside was a vast expanse of white, with snow deeper than his ankles.

Li Ji summoned his generals for a discussion. They all agreed that fighting in the snow was inherently difficult, especially with the long transport route; the impact of this blizzard threatened to disrupt supply lines. Furthermore, no one could guarantee that the next few days would be sunny and snowless. The only course of action was to withdraw the troops immediately and retreat back to Lingzhou.

Li Ji was unwilling to give up. In fact, both the Tang and Tibetan armies would be affected by fighting in the snow. While attacking a city in the snow was indeed difficult, the coordinated movement between the two cities and towns was effectively cut off by the heavy snow. If he had sufficient food supplies, the snow might actually be a winning opportunity. The problem was that the snow would affect the supply lines. Unless he was confident he could break through the Tibetan army's defenses within ten days, once his food ran out, he would be trapped and unable to escape!

He persuaded the various towns in Guanzhong to retake Longyou in the west, thus restraining Ma Chongying, while he led the Shuofang army to launch a fierce attack on the Liangzhou barbarian army, which was in chaos and demoralized due to its recent defeat. Before the battle, he estimated that he had an 80% chance of winning. However, the snowfall brought by God reduced the chance to less than 20%. With only a 20% chance of winning, was it still worth taking the risk?

He couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh, "This is the will of Heaven, and it cannot be changed by human power." He then ordered his things to be packed up and they should go back.

As the Tang army broke camp one after another, before they could even set off, a guard reported that local people had gathered in front of the camp gate, pleading with Commander Li to come out and meet them. Li Ji went out of the camp to look and saw a dozen or so men, mostly old men, bowing and waiting outside the gate. Looking further into the distance, he saw that there seemed to be hundreds or even thousands more people gathered in a distant crowd.

When the old men saw an official in purple robes come out, they all knelt down and prostrated themselves in the snow.

Li Ji hurried over and said, "Elders, please rise. The ground is cold, so don't catch a cold." He personally helped the old man kneeling at the front to his feet. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the old man had a high nose, deep-set eyes, and a slightly curly beard.

After being pulled up, Lao Hu said repeatedly, "We are trapped in the barbarian lands and have long awaited the royal army. But the general has only just arrived at the city of Guzang, yet he wants to retreat... Does the court really intend to abandon the people of Liangzhou and no longer care for them?" He spoke in a pure Tang accent, with only a slight hint of a Northwestern accent.

Li Ji asked him, "Where are you from, old man?"

Old Hu hurriedly said, "I suppose the general saw my appearance and thought I was a barbarian. Indeed, my ancestors were from Dong'an Kingdom. They moved to Guzang with the ancestors of Liang and Shen, and it has been more than a hundred years and seven generations since then. Therefore, I am a local native and a true Tang person. The general must not regard me as a barbarian."

Li Ji hurriedly said, "That's not what I meant... There are only a few thousand true barbarians in Liangzhou now, the rest are all under the control of the Qiang and Hu..." He couldn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear: It's normal for me to have doubts about your appearance.

Old Hu argued, “I am different from them. After Liangzhou fell to the Tang, more than 100,000 Tang people lived in the area from Xiutu City in the north to Changsong County in the south. As for the nomadic Qiang and Hu people, they were scattered in the Daxue Mountain and Guzang South Mountain areas, or in scattered grasslands outside the Great Wall. When the barbarian bandits captured Liangzhou, they lured the Qiang and Hu people to control the Tang people. Today, the stubborn barbarian bandits in Guzang, Chiwu and other places are mostly from them, not local natives like myself.”

Li Ji nodded, indicating that he understood. The core area near Guzang was always inhabited by Tang people or Sogdian Hu people who had been influenced by Tang culture. There were no nomadic tribes. The Qiang Hu people who were guarding the city for Tubo were transferred from remote areas in the north and south.

Old Hu continued, “The barbarian bandits have been quite cruel to the Qiang and Hu people, and their killings and plundering of the Tang people are even worse. We have been craning our necks to look eastward every day, yearning for the return of the royal army to relieve our suffering. Fortunately, General, you have led a large army here. The people of Liangzhou are all overjoyed. We can see that the barbarian bandits are retreating into Guzang and Chiwu, and dare not resist the royal army. It is only a matter of time before the whole of Liangzhou is recovered. I don’t know why you ordered the troops to withdraw?”

Li Ji couldn't help but sigh, "It's not that I don't want to fight, but the weather is unfavorable. Last night, heavy snow fell, and fighting in the snow is already difficult. In addition, we are short of food and supplies, and we are afraid that the heavy snow will block our supply routes. I had no choice but to issue the order to retreat."

Old Hu hurriedly said, "We have also considered this matter, and have specially sent this old man to ask the general. If you are worried about insufficient food, the people of Liangzhou are willing to give their entire fortune to support you. We only ask that the general kill all the barbarian bandits, recover the whole of Liangzhou, and stop the Tang people from being bullied by the barbarian bandits!" He then turned his head and waved to the back, saying, "Where is the food? Bring it all over."

Several of the younger men among the elders immediately ran quickly toward the group of people in the distance.

Li Ji hurriedly replied, "Winter is a difficult time, and the people have surplus grain in their homes. How could I dare to take it lightly?"

Old Hu said with tears in his eyes, "In the autumn, the barbarian bandits levied grain and mustered troops. We managed to hide some grain, and it wasn't stolen by the bandits..."

"If that's the case, then even more so..."

"General, please allow me to report. After the barbarian bandits occupied Liangzhou, they did not levy fixed taxes, but instead plundered from every village to make ends meet. If it weren't for your timely arrival with your troops, even these private stashes would not have been safe. Rather than letting the barbarian bandits come to steal our grain after the royal army leaves, if we give in, our families will inevitably starve to death; if we don't give in, we will surely be killed by the barbarian bandits. It is better to give them out to supply the royal army. The people of Liangzhou are in such dire straits. Only by driving out the barbarian bandits can we have a way to survive!"

As the group approached, half of them carrying loads on their shoulders and half pushing carts piled high with grain, Old Hu said, “These are just people from a few nearby villages. They don’t have much grain stored up. We have already sent people to other places. In three to five days at most, tens of millions of grain will arrive. I implore the general to accept this and help the people of Liangzhou.”

Li Ji felt a lump in his throat and sighed, “The people of the Central Plains are terrified of soldiers, but the people of Liangzhou are willing to sacrifice their homes for their country… The cruelty of the barbarian invaders and the hardships of the people are evident from this. Now that I have come here, how can I abandon them?”

He immediately bent his knees and knelt down in the snow, saying, "I must thank the elders of Liangzhou for their kindness!"

The people repeatedly said they dared not accept such a gift and quickly returned the bow. Li Ji then ordered all the generals to come out and commanded the soldiers to line up inside the gate to respectfully receive the grain from the people.

He also invited the dozen or so elders to the camp and addressed his subordinates loudly: "Heavy snow has fallen, and I was worried that the supply lines would be blocked, so I ordered the army to retreat. But now the people of Liangzhou are suffering greatly from the barbarian bandits and are willing to give their entire fortunes to supply our army with food. I am not made of wood or stone, how dare I say the word 'retreat' again?"

He pointed north and said, "The barbarian bandits are trapped. Originally, the two cities and one town were in a pincer movement, but because of the snow, communication is difficult. I can defeat them one by one." He then pointed south and said, "Originally, I was worried about barbarian reinforcements coming from Lanzhou, but now that there is heavy snow, the reinforcements will not arrive."

"Then our army will have no worries about food and fodder, nor will it be attacked from both sides. We only need to fight our way forward. Can the mere towns of Chiquan and Guzang withstand the snow-white blades of our Tang warriors? Those who feed us are our fathers, and those who clothe us are our mothers. The elders and people of Liangzhou who feed us are like our fathers and brothers. How can we abandon our fathers and brothers to the barbarian bandits? This would be a great disgrace to us men!"

"A person who receives kindness must repay it; to remain unpunished is no better than a beast! You should all check yourselves; if you still have those things, then you must not back down. You must kill all the barbarian traitors and restore Liangzhou to its former glory. Only then can you repay the kindness of the fathers and brothers of Liangzhou, relieve the hearts of the women and children of the local people, and uphold the will of a true man of seven feet tall! So, are you willing to follow me, risking your lives, and slay the barbarians in the snow?!"

Encouraged by this, the soldiers almost unanimously shouted, "Kill the barbarians! Kill the barbarians! Kill the barbarians!" The roar caused snow to fall from the gates and fences...

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After respectfully seeing off the people of Liangzhou, Li Ji once again convened a meeting to discuss the strategy for advancing the army. Jia Huai stepped forward and advised:

"The kindness of the elders of Liangzhou is something I can never repay. I am not afraid to die to fight the barbarian bandits and destroy them. However... although the soldiers are all brave and courageous, we cannot win a battle by relying solely on bravery; although the people have brought grain, we have only counted a few hundred bushels, which is not enough for the entire army for a day... I implore the commander to plan carefully before acting and not to waste the lives of our men."

Li Ji smiled and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Jia Jun. I naturally have a plan." He then looked at the generals and comforted them, "I just asked the elders to introduce some locals who are familiar with the geography of Chiquan Town to guide the army. You should know that the Chishui Army has been gone for a long time, and all kinds of construction projects in Chiquan Town have been abandoned. Although the barbarians have made temporary repairs, there are bound to be omissions. The local natives will surely be able to find out the gaps."

"I was originally worried that if we attacked one of the two cities and one town first, we would be attacked from the other two. But the heavy snow has made it difficult for the enemy to move, so we can concentrate our efforts on attacking one of them. Let's take Chiquan Town as the lead and approach it tomorrow to form a battle formation. We can test it first, then find its weaknesses, and perhaps we can break through in one fell swoop!"

Chen Lizhen requested permission to attack Chiquan Town first!

Li Ji shook his head: "Your Majesty commands cavalry; we must not act rashly."

Shuofang Commander Chang Qianguang stepped forward and requested orders: "Last year, Commander-in-Chief captured Herong City. Previously, he defeated the enemy's surprise attack and repelled the enemy at Feng'an. I was unable to participate in any of these battles. Does Commander-in-Chief only value newcomers and General Bai, while considering us useless? I humbly request to lead the vanguard and take Chiquan Army."

Li Ji nodded and said, "Du Yuhou is an important general in Shuofang, and his reputation is well-known. Therefore, I am reluctant to use him lightly. But if I do use him, he must be a sharp and capable commander to meet the enemy's strong defenses! Now that Lord Chang has requested the order, I should grant permission to strike first."

Chapter Twenty-Six: Paying Attention to Details

Chang Qianguang is a descendant of Chang He, a meritorious official in the early years of the dynasty. He is in his prime and can be considered the third generation of leading figures in the Shuofang Army. The first generation was naturally Guo Ziyi's peers, and few of them are still alive. The second generation includes Hun Shizhi, Bai Yuanguang, and others, all of whom are over forty years old. They hold the position of Du Yuhou, which is equivalent to the highest military judge.

Because Li Ji was deeply troubled by the entrenched personnel relationships and numerous factions within the Shuofang army, he used the pretext of replenishing troops to relocate to Mingsha City and start afresh. Initially, Chang Qianguang and others maintained a respectful distance from this newly arrived commander—they dared not refuse to cooperate, after all, he was both a favorite general of the emperor and had Lu Geng as his assistant, which was tantamount to having Guo Ziyi's endorsement—and were unwilling to actively curry favor with him. However, after two campaigns, not only did Li Ji's trusted generals behave well, but even Bai Yuanguang gained many opportunities to achieve merit, and Chang Qianguang felt that he was in danger of being marginalized.

Therefore, when attacking Liangzhou this time, Chang Qianguang took the initiative to request orders and expressed his willingness to follow. He then selected 500 elite troops from his own army to follow him to the city of Guzang.

Li Ji planned to advance through the snow and attack Chiquan Town first. Chang Qianguang stepped forward to volunteer for the battle and was finally appointed as the vanguard. So the next day, they broke camp and set off, heading straight for Chiquan Town. Li Ji first ordered Chen Lizhen and Wei Gao to lead two battalions of cavalry to patrol the flanks to prevent the barbarian troops from other cities and fortresses from coming to the rescue. Then he personally beat the war drums and urged Chang Qianguang to go into battle.

The previous day there was no further snowfall, but the snow that had accumulated to begin with was not very thick. Now, in many places, the snow melted under the sun, forming icicles, making walking even more difficult. Fortunately, there was still plenty of hay in the army, which was used to wrap the soldiers' boots and the horses' hooves, which could slightly reduce the hindrance underfoot.

Chang Qianguang did not launch a desperate attack; his soldiers shouted slogans loudly, but seemed somewhat sluggish in their movements. Li Ji was quite dissatisfied, so he summoned him during a lull in the fighting and asked, "If the Commander-in-Chief is afraid of death, or worried about weakening his forces, why not let another general take over the vanguard position? What do you think?"

Chang Qianguang crossed his hands and said, "Since the commander said that today's attack was just a test, I did not give strict orders or exert my full strength. I was just looking for the enemy's weaknesses."

"Have you found any flaws?"

Chang Qianguang shook his head and said, "No." Before Li Jiguang could get angry, he quickly explained, "However, we have already assessed the situation of the enemy and ourselves. The walls of Chiwu Town originally had many gaps. Although the barbarian bandits repaired them, they could not completely breach them. It would not have been difficult to attack, but the ground was covered with ice and the walls were covered with snow, making climbing difficult. Moreover, the barbarian bandits defended the town quite tightly. Therefore, I believe that a forced ascent would only result in the loss of soldiers and may not even lead to any success. To break through this town, we should start with battering rams."

Li Ji frowned slightly: "I have ordered men to rush to build rams, but it will not be completed in one or two days. Commander, you should know that the army is currently short of food and there is a risk that our supply lines will be cut off. We can only disregard losses and seek a quick victory."

Chang Qianguang said, "There's no rush, not even a day or two." He then pointed south and said, "The north wind is strong now. I saw the snow clouds from the other day, and they're gradually moving south. I imagine it will soon snow in the area around Guzang South Mountain and Pipa Mountain. As long as General Bai guards the area carefully, although transporting provisions will be difficult, it won't be cut off by the Lanzhou barbarians. They're trying to cross the mountains in the snow, which will be even more difficult for them. Since the route is secure, there's no need to sacrifice too many soldiers' lives. We can wait until the ramming is successful before launching a fierce attack on Chiwu Town. If Chiwu falls, the barbarians will be unable to defend themselves from both ends, and Guzang and Jialin will be easy to take."

Li Ji stroked his beard, lost in thought and remained silent.

Chang Qianguang leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "May I ask, General, how many more days will the army's rations last?"

Li Ji glanced at him and casually replied, "No more than five days."

Chang Qianguang glanced left and right: "Today, many more people have brought grain. Although the number is not large, it may be enough to sustain us for another day or two. If we manage to capture Chiwu Town, I dare say that we can take it down in two days at most."

"What if it doesn't work out?"

"I am willing to accept military law!"

Thus, the first attack yielded no breakthrough. Since Chang Qianguang had expressed his resolve, Li Ji ceased paying attention to the front lines and returned to his tent to study the geography and military situation with the guides sent by the local elders—most of whom had lived in the heart of Liangzhou for generations and were far more familiar with the situation than the Tibetans and the Qiang and Hu tribes who had only been in the prefecture for two or three years. What Li Ji needed were the details, the details that the enemy might have overlooked!

The first loophole he found was Chiwuquan.

Chiwu Spring is located outside Chiwu Town; or rather, Chiwu Town was originally built beside the spring. The town only has one small well, and daily water for drinking and use must be drawn from Chiwu Spring. Cutting off the water supply would have been a brilliant strategy to defeat the enemy, but the snow that fell the day before had not yet melted in many places. This meant the Tibetan troops in the town could use the snow for cooking and sustain themselves for another three to five days, while the Tang army could not wait that long…

However, Li Ji discovered a detail during his questioning at Chiwu Spring.

It turns out that the old man who led the people of Tongfu yesterday was surnamed An. He originally came from the Dong'an Kingdom, which was established by the Nine Sogdian Clans. After entering the Tang Dynasty, he, like his brothers An Xinggui and An Xiuren, also took An as his surname. He originally lived in Chiwu Town, where he attracted merchants from the Silk Road and was very wealthy and powerful.

Before Liangzhou fell, the Silk Road was open, attracting merchants from all over. Often, they would bring hundreds of camels and thousands of horses, which, finding it inconvenient to enter Guzang City, would be parked near the Chiwu Spring for easy access to water. An Laohu monopolized this land and charged for the water, making a fortune. However, after the arrival of the Tibetan army, they used the area near the Chiwu Spring as a pasture. An Laohu not only lost his source of income, but when he went to plead for mercy, he was whipped several times by the Tibetan general. This further brought trouble upon himself; Tibetan soldiers ransacked his home, seized his wealth, and raped his daughter-in-law…

Old Hu An had been managing Chiwu Spring for many years and was quite familiar with the surrounding geography. One of the guides he sent was his trusted servant. Li Ji questioned him repeatedly and even drew detailed descriptions of the area around Chiwu Spring, finally finding a loophole in the defenses.

The section of the town wall closest to the spring, perhaps due to years of waterlogging, had a weak foundation and frequently collapsed, requiring repairs every five or six years. However, since the Chishui army moved to Guzang, and because there were few bandits in the vicinity, no one paid attention to the condition of the wall, and it hadn't been repaired for over thirty years. With the large-scale arrival of the Tibetan army, the temporary filling with wood and stone, and the rammed earth wall, whether it would be sturdy enough, is anyone's guess.