Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 66

As he charged upwards, Jia Huai was filled with regret... "I should have used a knife, which would have freed up one hand to hold a shield. Now that I'm using two weapons, I'll have to rely on my chest to withstand the arrows..."

In fact, he was incredibly agile, dodging and weaving. Even on the ice and snow, his speed was not diminished at all. He dodged all the incoming arrows by turning to the side or knocking them down with his spear.

Li Ji made a trip to the Uyghur camp, riding horses all day long. His legs went numb many times, and he even reached into his pants to feel his inner thighs, but he couldn't find any tender skin left... However, he came and went in a hurry, and there wasn't enough time to exercise and toughen up his muscles. He had a wrestling match with someone from the Mengwu Shiwei tribe and almost won with one move... In short, his bones were a little idle, his skin was a little itchy, and he was eagerly looking forward to a great battle where he could sweat out his youth.

In another sense, the sweat of youth has been shed, and fierce battles have been fought. Once, in that small tribe of Mengwu Shiwei, on the night of a wrestling match, followed by a night of white snow and red beauty...

Li Ji officially completed the formalities and took Qingluan as his concubine. Now that her status was legitimate, how could he not take advantage of her? Besides, as the saying goes, "It's easier to be a bachelor than a widower." He could have restrained himself before, but after that night on the grassland, how could he still pretend to be reserved when he returned to Qingluan's side?

However, this battle was not the same as that battle; bedroom activities and battlefield combat were completely different. Li Ji felt that he seemed to have developed a liking for charging into battle, slaying generals and capturing flags. Perhaps after the battle, looking at the corpses scattered on the ground would suddenly evoke feelings of pity and desolation. But when the battle was underway, his eyes were only on the enemy's head, and his heart only longed for slaughter.

Is this kind of mentality considered pathological?

However, this disease is difficult to cure, and we must wait until the enemy has retreated before we can consider psychological counseling... Since we are already on the battlefield, if we do not take this opportunity to fight a great battle, how can our limbs, bones, heart, liver, spleen, and lungs be in good condition?

kill!

Shouting wildly, he charged straight at the enemy's camp, reaching the gate. He swung his long, horizontal sword down fiercely at the wooden palisade. With two sharp cracks, the wood snapped in two—Li Ji thought to himself, "It's still not enough force. I can't unleash my full strength. Should I draw up a design and have a craftsman forge a demon-headed broadsword?"

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Chapter Thirty-Four: The Favored One with the Surname Li

Ma Chongying and Shang Xidongzan led 3,000 cavalry to relieve Nanlei, but before they arrived, the Tang army, under the command of Li Ji, had already broken through the wooden palisade and stormed into the Tibetan camp.

Li Yuanzhong had naturally informed Guo Xin about this surprise attack beforehand. Therefore, when Guo Xin saw the banners of the Tang and Uyghur armies arrive at the south city, he hurriedly opened the city gates and led several thousand troops, who had been prepared in advance, to attack in support. The barbarian army, intimidated by the reputation of "Li Erlang" and the Uyghur cavalry, and attacked from both sides, was thrown into chaos.

While Shang Zanmo led his troops to attack the city from the west, intending to contain Guo Xin's forces, the Tang army was well-prepared, while he was merely responding to a forced attack. Therefore, mobilizing troops and deploying weapons would not be a quick process to approach the city walls. Moreover, could Guo Xin, a seasoned general, not have anticipated that the barbarian invaders might seize the opportunity to attack the city? He had naturally made preparations in the west of the city long ago.

With fresh troops, the Tang army launched a surprise attack, and the morale of the Tang army soared. The Tibetans suffered a crushing defeat. By the time Ma Chongying and Shang Xidongzan arrived, they could only look at the Tang and Tibetan flags flying on the camp from afar, gritting their teeth as they tried to gather their defeated soldiers to prevent them from collapsing the western camp.

Ma Chongying asked the retreating general why they had been defeated. The general replied, "The Uyghur cavalry came to the aid of Tang, arriving unexpectedly through the snow. Moreover, that Li Erlang was extremely brave, wielding a long sword and a large shield, he cut through the palisade, and the enemy swarmed in, which we could not stop..."

From afar, one could see Li Ji had already remounted his horse, spear in hand, charging back and forth through the barbarian camp, killing the remaining barbarian soldiers; his figure was extremely conspicuous. Ma Chongying couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine—"I never thought that personal martial prowess alone could sway the outcome of a battle involving thousands of troops..."

Theoretically speaking, even in the era of cold weapons, the more troops both sides committed and the more organized they were, the less effective individual bravery could be. In China, starting from the late Spring and Autumn Period, the scale of wars grew larger and larger. Wei Shu's "destroying chariots to form a procession" established a group warfare model based on infantry. From then on, the use of military formations and the implementation of strategies completely overshadowed the impact that one or two brave generals could have on the course of the battle by marching in chariots.

However, the organization of ancient armies was quite low. Even a powerful Central Plains dynasty like the Tang Dynasty could only muster a few thousand to tens of thousands of elite troops at a time, with the majority being roughly trained farmers. If their weaknesses were exploited, they could easily collapse instantly—the same was true for the Tibetan Empire. In other words, the role of brave generals on the battlefield gradually diminished, but under certain special circumstances, they could still exert astonishing effectiveness.

For example, in the early Tang Dynasty, Yuchi Jingde was skilled at dodging spears. He would ride alone into enemy lines, where the enemy's spears would pierce through, yet he could not wound them. He could even seize the enemy's spears and use them against them. Thus, he was able to kill Shan Xiongxin amidst tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry, rescuing Emperor Taizong from the encirclement. Qin Shubao was also able to face "valiant generals and elite soldiers, whose numbers were dazzling, moving in and out," and "he would leap forward on his horse, spear in hand, and thrust himself into the midst of thousands, causing men and horses to scatter." Xue Rengui "pacified the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows," crushing over 100,000 Tiele tribesmen…

Thus, Li Ji's figure grew ever larger in Ma Chongying's eyes, and gradually merged with a painful memory from ten years ago...

At that time, Ma Chongying was not yet thirty years old. He led his thousand men into Little Bolu on a campaign. When the Tang army attacked Little Bolu, he was ordered to relieve Lianyun Fortress. Before he arrived, the fortress had already fallen, and the nearly ten thousand defenders were utterly defeated by the thousand Tang soldiers. At that time, he too dared not go to the rescue, but could only watch from afar. He saw a general raise his flag and lead his Mo Dao (a type of sword) troops up the mountain into the fortress, where they fought a bloody battle. His might was like that of a god descending to earth; no barbarian soldier or general could withstand a single blow from him!

This general's image was thus deeply etched in Ma Chongying's heart, filling him with both terror and sincere respect. He had been thinking that ten years had passed in a flash, and this general, now over forty, was nearing the end of his life; he wondered if he could still fight. Unfortunately, he had been transferred eastward and could no longer fight alongside him on the battlefield to avenge the humiliation of Little Bolu. But unexpectedly, another "Li Erlang" had emerged in the Tang army!

Ma Chongying murmured involuntarily, "This is just like... Li Siye back then... Why does Heaven favor people with the surname Li so much?"

Of course, he didn't know that Li Siye was also from Jingzhao. During the Tianbao era, he had thought of attaching himself to the Jingzhao branch of the Zhao County Li clan in Liaodong, but he failed to seize the opportunity because Li Bi was slandered and exiled to Qichun...

Shang Xidong asked Ma Chongying, "Should we redeploy troops from the main camp to retake Nanlei?"

Ma Chongying smiled bitterly, "Morale has collapsed, the opportunity has been lost, it's pointless... Let's first gather the defeated troops, slowly retreat back to the western fortress, and then discuss the matter further..."

Thus, the Tang army captured the southern fortress of the city, adding another weight to the scales of victory.

The Tibetan offensive launched to the west of the city to contain the Tang army was naturally forced to halt due to the instantaneous fall of the southern fortress. As for the northern fortress's advance on the eastern fortress, it was also blocked by Li Yuanzhong's tight defenses, which prevented them from gaining any advantage. In particular, Li Yuanzhong had not handed over all the Uyghur flags to Li Ji to take with him, leaving dozens in the camp, which made the Tibetan army suspicious and hesitant to launch a full-scale attack. When news of the fall of the southern fortress arrived, and Ma Chongying subsequently ordered a withdrawal to hold the fort, they retreated in frustration.

Ma Chongying returned to his camp and discussed the matter with his generals. The calls to lift the siege and return home grew even stronger. However, Shang Xidongzan and others were still unwilling to give up, saying, "Our army has just been defeated. If we retreat now, not only will it greatly boost the Tang army's morale and increase the difficulty of conquering Longyou in the future, but also retreating in front of the enemy could easily lead to pursuit and heavy losses by the Tang army." They suggested finding an opportunity to fight the Tang army again. If they could win a slight victory and dampen the enemy's arrogance, then retreating would be much safer.

Unable to reach a decision, they could only strictly order each camp and fortress to temporarily adopt a defensive posture and be on high alert to prevent the Tang people from taking advantage of the situation again. Then, that night, Shang Zanmo secretly came to find Ma Chongying and advised him: "The Grand Commandant is the commander-in-chief, while Xi Dongzan and I are merely his deputies. How dare the deputies disobey the orders of their commander-in-chief? If the Grand Commandant is too concerned about our opinions and misses the opportunity, leading to defeat, or if the battle is delayed for a longer period of time without any results, then the blame will fall on the Grand Commandant, while Xi Dongzan will easily shirk responsibility."

"Although the four of us are united in our efforts to assist the Zanpu, not everyone is necessarily selfless or without ulterior motives. Back then, Xidongzan also sided with Xiangzhongbajie, helping him to blaspheme against the Great Zhao clan and expel Tang Sanzang..."

Ma Chongying hurriedly waved his hand: "Back then, Ma Xiang abused his power, destroyed Buddhist temples and promoted the Bon religion. Which of us four didn't tremble with fear and temporarily obey his orders? Now that Ma Xiang has been beheaded, why bring up the past again?"

The Ma Xiang he mentioned was the Tang name of Xiangzhong Bajie, who was the first regent after Tride Tsugten ascended the throne. As both a maternal uncle (Da Shang) and a Grand Master, he wielded immense power, unchallenged by anyone. Although, like Ma Chongying, he was also given a Tang name by Princess Jincheng, Xiangzhong Bajie was a staunch Bon believer. Once in power, he ruthlessly suppressed Buddhist influence. Ultimately, it was the young Tride Tsugten, with the assistance of his close advisor Gui Gan, who lured Xiangzhong Bajie into the Zanpu tomb in Nanangchangpu, blocking the entrance with a large stone, effectively burying this powerful minister alive.

The current "Three Worthies and One Theory" all came to power after Xiangzhong Bajie was killed. The four men had different political ideologies, but they had one thing in common: they revered Buddhism and neglected Buddhism.

However, when Xiangzhong Bajie was persecuting Buddhist forces, these four, under pressure, did not dare to stand up to him directly. They even did a few things that aided and abetted the perpetrators. For example, Xiangzhong Bajie once ordered the Dazhaoshi to be turned into a slaughterhouse, and the person who carried out the order was Shangxi Dongzan.

Ma Chongying then said, "Let's not dwell on the past, otherwise none of us will be entirely innocent." Shang Zanmo replied, "I'm not trying to settle old scores, but simply to show that Xi Dongzan may not be on the same page as Da Lun. Back then, he was ordered by Xiang Zhongbajie to destroy Buddhist temples and expel monks, but he expelled mostly Tang Dynasty monks, while secretly hiding Nepalese monks..."

There were also divisions within the pro-Buddhist faction. For example, Ma Chongying advocated Chinese Buddhism and Central Plains culture, while Shang Xidongzan was more inclined towards religious beliefs and even cultural customs introduced from Nepal. Shang Zanmo used this to explain that the failure to conquer Longyou this time would inevitably lead to a decline in Ma Chongying's prestige, while Shang Xidongzan might actually be happy about it.

Ma Chongying stroked his beard and pondered, then refrained from further questioning.

Shang Zanmo advised, “Hesitation will only lead to harm. Think it over carefully, Your Excellency. I know that Your Excellency is hesitant because you fear that your efforts will be in vain. Retreating early or late will have the same result… Both will damage your reputation and shake your power. Why not take advantage of the fact that we still have enough food and our soldiers are still capable of fighting, and head south to attack the Yaowu Army, or even wipe out the Shence Army! From then on, there will be no Tang soldiers or horses west of Chiling. Wouldn’t that be a great achievement?”

"Moreover, Xi Dongzan and I both agreed to send Qilibuzang to Tang to sue for peace. Therefore, to show our sincerity, our army will only take the old land west of Chiling and will not go deeper into Tang territory. This makes sense."

Ma Chongying sighed softly, "That's all we can do. We'll discuss it again tomorrow. I hope you'll say a few more words to support me."

"That's natural, don't worry."

So at the meeting the next day, Ma Chongying made a decisive decision, ordering the withdrawal of troops and a shift to the southern route to attack the Yaowu Army, which was still isolated west of Chiling. As for the Shence Army further south, which was nearly two hundred li away in a straight line, he decided to wait and see how things developed. He ordered Shang Xidongzan to lead the vanguard to attack both armies—"I'll give you this credit, can't you listen to me a little?"

As for leading the troops to cover the rear and prevent the Tang people from taking the opportunity to pursue and kill, Shang Zanmo originally wanted to take on this important task himself, but Ma Chongying rejected it: "I will take care of the rearguard myself." Shang Zanmo advised, "After all, you are the commander of an army. How can you cover the rear and put yourself in a dangerous situation?"

Ma Chongying said fiercely, "I am unwilling to retreat here. As for covering the rear, I will plot to kill that Li Erlang!"

This time, when I led my troops eastward, I was initially unstoppable. Even though Guo Xin defended the city, I repeatedly thwarted his schemes and smoothly surrounded the city on all sides... Then, out of nowhere, Li Erlang appeared. First, he ambushed and killed Qiangba Luobu, then he used foul language to entice me to divide my forces to attack Xiaoxia. According to Qilibuzang, the defeat at Xiaoxia was largely due to Li Erlang. Then, that fellow led the vanguard for Li Yuanzhong, captured the eastern fortress, and yesterday led the Uyghur troops to recapture the southern fortress...

Li Erlang's reputation for bravery has spread far and wide, instilling fear in the army. This man poses a significant threat to my grand schemes; how can I not eliminate him? Our hasty retreat will likely be pursued by the Tang forces seeking to expand their gains, and given Li Erlang's prowess, he is likely among the pursuers. If I lay in ambush and lure him slightly, I have a good chance of surrounding this scoundrel and taking his head!

If we kill this traitor, we will not only avenge the deaths of Qiangba Luobu and other fallen generals, but also greatly demoralize the Tang people. Even if we fail to capture Shancheng and are forced to retreat, we can still salvage some face—it would be far better than capturing one or two more military towns! Such a heavy responsibility is beyond the capacity of anyone else to shoulder; only I can undertake it.

Upon hearing this, Shang Zanmo yielded and respectfully wished, "I hope that you, Great Master, can truly take Li Erlang's head to commemorate the heroic souls who died in battle."

----------

Under the cover of night, the Tibetan army divided its troops into several groups and gradually withdrew. Guo Xin did not receive a vague report until early the next morning. He hurriedly went up the city wall to check and then ordered someone to invite Li Yuanzhong and Li Ji from outside the city to come and discuss the matter.

Li Yuanzhong goes without saying; he is a general, of equal status to Guo Xin, and a close friend. As for Li Ji, he was originally not of any standing in terms of rank, but his reputation was well-established, and he was Li Tan's confidant, so Guo Xin naturally dared not ignore him.

Upon meeting, he asked directly, "The barbarian bandits are retreating; shall we pursue them?"

Li Yuanzhong immediately patted his chest: "Of course we'll chase after them!"

He then explained, “Our army captured Nanlei and our morale is high. In addition, the barbarian bandits suspected that the Uyghur army was coming to their aid, so it is reasonable for them to retreat in defeat. It is not a feigned defeat. However, if we let them come and go as they please, I am afraid it will be difficult to explain to the commander-in-chief.”

"Furthermore, if we can take advantage of their retreat, pursue their rearguard, and seize their supplies, we can somewhat compensate for our losses. Otherwise, the main force of the barbarian bandits is still here. Although they have retreated today, they may return next spring, and it will be difficult to resist them then..."

Li Ji also clasped his hands and said, "This humble general is willing to go first and lead the cavalry to chase away the barbarian bandits!"

Guo Xin pondered for a moment and said, "As General Li said, we should pursue and kill the barbarian bandits. However... I fear they may set up an ambush behind our rear. If we encounter a setback, it would be like adding insult to injury." He then glanced at Li Yuanzhong, as if to say: "Should we not let Li Ji go? I'm worried that the young man is impetuous and reckless, and that he might fall into a trap because of his victory."

Li Yuanzhong hesitated for a moment.

To be honest, he was also worried about Li Ji, but Li Ji had repeatedly made outstanding contributions, and now his prestige in the army had surpassed that of Generals Guo and Li. Since he had already volunteered, it was inconvenient to directly reject him. Brother Guo, it would have been better if you hadn't called him over to discuss this.

Seeing the two generals exchange glances, Li Ji understood—they were just worried about me—and pleaded, "I was given instructions by the commander-in-chief to pretend to be Uyghur troops and attack the enemy camp, which led to our victory. I dare not boast of my abilities, but the barbarian bandits are terrified at the mere mention of my name, and we can make good use of them. Now, I will lead the Shence Army again, pretending to be Uyghur troops, to pursue the barbarian bandits. If they have no ambush, we can inflict heavy casualties; if they have an ambush, I will be extremely careful."

"Moreover, Emperor De is a valiant general of the Uyghurs, and has experienced many battles. He will surely be a good assistant to me and will not let me suffer any setbacks. Generals, please put your minds at ease."

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Stele of the Slaughtered Horse

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The Huangshui River divides the plateau, forming a large basin around Shancheng and Shanzhou. In addition, the Huangshui River flows from west to east, and north-south tributaries often flow into it between the two mountains, thus carving out many longitudinal canyons.

For example, there are narrow valleys to the north and south of Shancheng, resembling a crossroads. There are two other similar crossroads west of Shancheng, one twenty li away and the other forty li away, except that the four valleys at those two locations are even more treacherous and narrow, making it difficult for large armies to pass.

After retreating to cover the retreat, Ma Chongying set up an ambush at the entrance of the valley on the south side, twenty miles away.

The Huangshui River flows north of Shancheng, nestled between two mountains. The north bank is narrow while the south bank is wide—the same terrain continues all the way to Xiaoxia. However, about ten miles west of Shancheng, the Huangshui River gradually shifts southward, eventually approaching the mouth of the Nanshan Valley. At its narrowest point, the river is less than fifty zhang wide.

Ma Chongying immediately dispatched 500 elite soldiers to advance and hide at the valley entrance. Then, at night, he mobilized 2,000 elite troops to ambush north of the Huangshui River. As long as the Tang army pursued them there, he could set up his formation in advance. Then, the troops at the valley entrance would cut off the enemy's rear, while the troops on the north bank would fire arrows to prevent the enemy from crossing the Huangshui River and escaping. At that point, the only place the Tang army could go would be the deep valley.

But the valley entrance was already narrow, and the inside was even narrower. Moreover, there was no way forward after fifty li; it was a complete dead end. If the Tang army did not enter the valley, they would suffer heavy losses. If they did enter the valley, it would be as if they had put a noose around their own necks.

Ma Chongying considered his trap to be quite ingenious. The only problem was how to lure the Tang people to pursue him. The reason he disregarded his status as the commander-in-chief and insisted on personally covering the rear was for one purpose: to use himself as bait to lure the enemy!

Only my banner could entice the Tang people to take certain risks to pursue me, only to ultimately step into a trap.

At noon that day, Ma Chongying led the last Tibetan army out of the city's fortified camp and retreated westward in an orderly fashion. Sure enough, as soon as he moved, Shancheng opened its gates, and Guo Xin led his troops out in a fierce charge, while Li Yuanzhong also joined them from the southern fortress. Ma Chongying fought and retreated, gradually approaching the valley entrance where the ambush was set up.

A cavalryman reported: "The Uyghur troops have caught up."

Ma Chongying hurriedly asked, "Is there a banner of Yehu? Is Li Erlang among them?"

"The banner of the Protectorate was raised in the center, and Li Erlang charged ahead of the formation."

Ma Chongying was overjoyed: "Today I will capture and kill this scoundrel to avenge the fallen soldiers!" He ordered the rear guard to stop blocking the way and even made a show of being in a sorry state, abandoning their baggage to lure the enemy. Then he led his troops quickly through the valley entrance, turned east at the west end of the valley, and reorganized his formation with his personal guards of five hundred men at the center. Those who followed behind went around to the sides before forming ranks at the rear.

After waiting for a while, and still seeing no enemy troops step into the trap, a scout came to report: "The pursuers have just reached the narrow pass at the mouth of the valley, when they suddenly stopped, dismounted, and sat down on the ground..."

Upon hearing the news, Ma Chongying frowned – what was going on?

----------

At Li Ji's repeated pleas, Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong had no choice but to order him to lead the thousand Shence Knights disguised as Uyghur soldiers to pursue the enemy. However, before they set off, the two generals repeatedly warned: "Do not be reckless or advance too quickly, lest you be ambushed by the enemy. If you are ambushed, hold your ground and we will come to your aid."

Li Ji led the charge, leading the main force and brandishing his spear to drive away the retreating barbarian soldiers. These soldiers were meant to lure the enemy; their movement couldn't be too slow or too fast—it needed to give Ma Chongying ample time to deploy his forces west of the valley—making the situation extremely dangerous. Ma Chongying offered a large reward to recruit daredevils to cover the rear, so although these barbarian soldiers appeared to be fleeing, they occasionally turned back to fight, putting up a rather tenacious resistance.

I'm not afraid of fighting you and not being able to win, I'm afraid of you escaping and me not being able to catch up with you—so Li Ji also enjoyed killing quite a bit.

However, after leaving Shancheng and galloping west for more than ten miles, just approaching the valley entrance, Li Ji suddenly frowned and pulled on the reins. Without his order to stop, the cavalry behind him could not control their mounts and overtook them. Seeing the supplies scattered all over the ground, they rushed to loot them.

Li Ji shouted angrily, "Now that the barbarian bandits are gone, these supplies will fall into our hands sooner or later. Why would we steal them? Under my command, you should obey orders. I won't let you reach out your hands—who dares to?!"

The four words, “Who dares to reach out?” burst forth from his abdomen like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, stunning the entire army and causing them to falter.

Although the Tang army had a rule for the unified distribution of spoils of war, it was generally not strictly enforced. Soldiers who found or seized enemy supplies and equipment on the battlefield would usually hide them themselves. Unless they were very valuable or of significant political importance, military judges would not come to demand them back afterward. Therefore, if a different general were to make such a call, it would most likely be ineffective; everyone would still grab what they wanted, at most sharing some with their superiors.

Li Ji's repeated valiant battles had already established sufficient prestige within the army. New recruits were mostly fearful, while veteran soldiers held him in high esteem, and thus dared not easily disobey Li Ji's orders. Of course, some people also cried out, "These items are first come, first served, and naturally they should all belong to the Shence Army. Second Brother, please do not give them to other armies!"

Despite their shouting, those who had already grabbed something refused to take it out again, and naturally rearranged themselves, no longer rushing forward in a swarm.

In the short time that followed, Di De, who was guarding the banner of the Yabghu in the formation, also caught up. After looking around, he asked Li Ji, "You stopped after going less than twenty miles. Are you afraid of an ambush?"

Li Ji laughed loudly, "Does Ma Chongying compare himself to Zhuge Liang? Alas, I am not Zhang Junyi!"

Di De looked completely bewildered—I've heard of Zhuge Kongming, but who is Zhang Junyi?

Li Ji pointed his spear forward and explained, "Before the two armies clashed, I came to Shancheng to survey the terrain. I've traveled far beyond that, but I've covered all the areas within these twenty or thirty miles. I have long kept the layout of the mountains and rivers in my mind."

"Don't you see that the Huangshui River is gradually moving south, and the path ahead is getting narrower and narrower? I suspect there must be an ambush at the dangerous pass ahead!"

Di De frowned and asked, "The terrain is indeed like this, but judging from the retreat of the barbarian bandits, it doesn't seem like a pretense... Since we're pursuing the enemy, we should at least fight our way through for half a day. Now that we've stopped due to doubts, wouldn't it be a pity if there were no ambush ahead?"

Li Ji glanced at him, thinking to himself, "I even patted my chest in front of Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong, saying that you are a veteran general of the Uyghurs, that you must be cautious and able to assist me so that we don't fall into the enemy's trap... Turns out you're even more reckless than me!"

Upon further reflection, it became clear that Emperor Decai's understanding of the enemy's situation and the strengths and weaknesses of the generals in Longyou was not yet deep enough. Therefore, it was understandable that he failed to see through Ma Chongying's scheme. I wasn't actually being cautious, but rather afraid that I had been too reckless lately. I was constantly on guard and subconsciously had to rein in my spirited horse, which is why I was able to see through the enemy's scheme.

So he explained again: "Ma Chongying is a great minister of Tibet, second only to the emperor, and the commander-in-chief of the entire army. If you cannot win in front of the Uyghur army and are forced to retreat, do you think you can let the crown prince of Yabghu or the prime minister Dunmohedagan cover the rear?"

Dide suddenly realized, "Unless the Khan is in the army."

Li Ji nodded: "If the Tibetan king were in the army, it would be understandable that Ma Chongying would be covering the rear. But now that he is personally covering the rear as the commander-in-chief and deliberately raising his flag, there are only two possibilities: First, no one else can be trusted, and only he himself can shoulder such a heavy responsibility; second, he is using himself as bait to lure our army into an ambush."

"Ma Chongying is also a veteran general of the Tibetans. Since he personally covered the rear, if he wasn't deliberately trying to lure us, why would his troops be in disarray and retreating in such a disorganized manner? At first, I was a little suspicious, but seeing the baggage train scattered all over the ground, I knew there must be a trap—Ma Chongying's act has gone a bit too far; too much of a good thing can be bad..."

Emperor De asked, "What is a play?" Then he realized that now was not the time to improve Tang language skills—"Then what should we do? Should we just give up now?"

After thinking for a moment, Li Ji immediately ordered everyone to dismount and sit down to rest.

—You try to lure me with supplies, so I'll lure you back with my own dismount; I, "Li Erlang," am right here, seemingly easy to capture. Ma Chongying, do you dare to turn around and fight?

When the news reached Ma Chongying, he couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't expect that Li Erlang was so cunning, he actually didn't fall into my trap..." One of his subordinates, who was indignant, immediately requested, "Li Erlang led the Uyghur troops to pursue us, but there were only a thousand cavalrymen. Now that they have boldly dismounted, our army can counterattack them. Even if we can't get their heads, we can still severely defeat them."

Ma Chongying shook his head: "Dismounting in front of the enemy is a feigned weakness. Does that mean they don't have a backup plan? We must not act rashly!"