Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 187

This led Li Ji to discover clues to the trap, and he immediately ordered Gao Tinghui to be recalled and the entire army to retreat.

While the other generals were still somewhat hesitant, Bai Yuanguang, quick-witted, immediately volunteered: "This is all due to my lack of understanding... I am willing to stay and defend Herong City to the death, and cover the rear for the commander!"

Li Ji waved his hand: "No need to cover the rear."

He then explained, “The north side of the mountain is flat and open, making it difficult for a large army to lie in ambush. If the barbarian bandits were to deploy troops to await us, they would at least have to hide near Guzang. Even if they received the news in time and rushed over, they would not be able to reach us quickly. On the other hand, the south side of the mountain is full of ravines and valleys, which are convenient for hiding—but it is also the best battlefield for our Shuofang cavalry to gallop across! Therefore, we can ignore Liangzhou and focus all our efforts on heading south to break through the enemy in Lanzhou and retreat to Xinquan.”

In truth, if he wanted to escape, he could immediately mount his horse and turn around. The problem was that the few hundred men from the Anxi and Beiting armies were still in Changsong. Their troops had few warhorses, so their speed was certainly slow. Once the enemy caught up with them, there would be no chance of survival. Given even the slightest opportunity, Li Ji was unwilling to abandon his comrades and return alone. Moreover, his ambition was to recover Gansu and Liangzhou and rescue the Western Regions. He hoped that those young men from Xizhou would one day, as Bai Xiaode had said, serve as his vanguard. If he abandoned Gao Tinghui and the others, would he still be able to win over the hearts of the Anxi and Beiting troops?

Therefore, he repeatedly sent messengers northward on horseback to analyze the situation and urge Gao Tinghui to retreat.

At the same time, Li Ji ordered the Mingsha troops to advance first, with the four camps spreading out and each occupying a valley to block the advance of the northern barbarian bandits, thus ensuring the smooth flow of their rear.

It wasn't until nearly dusk the following day that the Anxi and Beiting troops left Changsong and returned to Herong City.

The reason is simple: the discipline of the Anxi and Beiting military camps was generally poor. On the one hand, it was precisely because Bai Xiaode treated his subordinates leniently that they supported him as their leader after murdering and assaulting Li Yuan. As a result, Bai Xiaode dared not be strict with them, leading to difficulties in maintaining military discipline and a relatively disorganized army. On the other hand, Gao Tinghui was originally a surrendered general who was parachuted into the Anxi and Beiting military camps. His personal martial arts skills, which made him a "warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men," were not enough to control the arrogant and fierce soldiers under his command.

Yesterday, Gao Tinghui led his troops to approach Changsong to assess the enemy's situation. Unexpectedly, the Changsong garrison fled at the mere sight of them. Taking advantage of the situation, Gao Tinghui stormed into the city, his soldiers scattering to plunder, reaping a considerable spoils. Later, Li Ji sent messengers with orders, but Gao Tinghui was unable to gather his troops quickly enough. It was only with great difficulty that he managed to assemble his soldiers, who were carrying large and small bundles, by which time it was already dark…

Forced to stay in the city for the night, Gao Tinghui was surprised to find that Li Ji had sent two more messengers late at night, ordering a strict retreat. Only then did Gao Tinghui realize the gravity and urgency of the situation. At the fourth watch, he sounded the drums, and by the fifth watch, they had hurriedly left Changsong City through the south gate. The soldiers, however, carried their loot on their backs, unwilling to abandon it—partly because the imperial rations had been consistently insufficient in recent years, leaving everyone desperately poor. Gao Tinghui whipped his men, urging them onward, and the fifty li journey took almost an entire day, finally managing to return to Herong City.

In those days, the normal marching speed was very slow. An infantryman could only travel fifty li a day, which was considered quite fast. The problem was that there was no alarm in the surrounding area for the time being, and Gao Tinghui demanded that they rush south. They didn't even rest to cook lunch, and they still dragged it out for most of the day... Li Ji was so angry that he almost hardened his heart and left them behind.

At noon that day, a report came from the south that Wei Gao and others had made contact with the barbarian army and were about to engage in battle. Bai Yuanguang repeatedly advised that the commander should go first—"I will stay and wait for Gao Tinghui and the others"—only then did Li Ji lead his troops away from Herong City, taking the shortest and most direct valley road and turning southeast.

There are several mountain valleys south of Herong City, all of which are narrow and rugged. Only after going south for twenty miles, there is a relatively flat area of ​​about ten miles in circumference—this is where Wei Gao reported that he had made contact with the enemy.

When Li Ji arrived, he could see from afar that the valley was full of barbarian flags, and the latter were lined up along the valley, stretching almost to the horizon. It was difficult to tell how many troops there were—there must be tens of thousands, while our side only had five thousand!

Upon receiving the news, Wei Gao rode quickly to see Li Ji. Upon meeting him, he said, "The barbarian bandits are endless, and we can hardly kill them all. What can we do?"

Li Ji inquired in detail about the battlefield situation, and Wei Gao replied, "This humble general arrived here yesterday, but it was too dark to set up defenses; starting today, we began to move earth and stones to build fortifications in order to block the valley road, but unfortunately the fortifications were not completed before the enemy arrived..."

Knowing his forces were outnumbered and his fortifications incomplete, he knew he would struggle to hold off the enemy. Therefore, relying on his cavalry, he deliberately opened a passage, allowing the barbarian army to enter, then trampled and charged. Initially, this was quite effective, with the barbarian vanguard routed. However, more barbarian troops continued to pour into the valley, and his generals deployed a detachment of armored soldiers to guard the entrance. Those who attempted to flee were executed, forcing their flanks to escape over the mountains… This allowed even more barbarian troops to enter the valley, forcing Wei Gao to retreat step by step.

Li Ji, observing from a high vantage point, concluded, "The main enemy force is here; the rest are not a threat." He immediately ordered the remaining three battalions of Mingsha soldiers to detour through another valley to provide reinforcements. Li Fengguo was the first to arrive, entering the battlefield from the flank and slightly halting the enemy's advance, followed by Gao Chongwen…

The valley, spanning only ten miles in circumference, couldn't possibly hold too many troops. It was estimated that only five or six thousand of the Tibetan army had entered the valley, but they still put immense pressure on the Tang army. In particular, Li Ji had originally relied on his cavalry to inflict heavy casualties on the Tibetan army, which had not yet built fortifications or dug trenches and whose ranks were not particularly well-organized, in the valley and its passageways. Who would have thought that the enemy's advance was also mostly driven by cavalry?

Judging from the banners, the Tang army was divided equally between genuine and fake Tibetans. The fake Tibetans were of limited fighting strength, lacking proper equipment and perhaps unwilling to fight to the death. However, the genuine Tibetans, especially their cavalry, were quite brave and had repeatedly thwarted Tang counterattacks. Li Ji, accustomed to dealing with Tibetan bandits, frowned upon seeing this: "Have the Tibetans also brought the main force of the Three Shangs and One Lun here? Or, after several years apart, have they acquired fine horses from Hexi, resulting in a dramatic improvement in their fighting strength?"

He observed his three generals, noting their disciplined movements, but ultimately, while they possessed great flexibility, they lacked true ferocity. After all, Wei Gao had never been on the battlefield before, Gao Chongwen had long served in Huaixi and was not skilled in commanding cavalry, and neither of them possessed the talent to break through enemy lines; as for Li Fengguo… as a Uyghur Tartar, why didn't you charge to the front lines? Was it due to limited ability, or a lack of courage?

Li Ji thought to himself, "If Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun were here, the barbarian bandits would have been defeated long ago!"

He immediately took the lance from the soldier and was about to charge forward when Yan Zhuang grabbed his belt and repeatedly advised him, "You are now a general, not a cavalry vanguard. The two armies are still locked in a stalemate, and there is still a way out. How can you rush forward recklessly and act like a lowly soldier?!"

Li Ji glanced back at him and said, “Although the outcome is still uncertain, the enemy has a large force while we have a small one. Moreover, the enemy from Liangzhou is also approaching. The longer we linger here, the more dangerous it will be for our army. If we don’t risk our lives now, we may soon find ourselves in a deadly situation.”

Yan Zhuang shook his head repeatedly, refusing to let go: "But as long as you are here, there will always be a chance for things to turn around; if you die, even if you are only seriously injured, our army will surely be wiped out! Let's hold on a little longer..."

Just then, another Tang army charged out from the valley behind them. The general in the lead raised his spear and shouted, "Life and death are at stake. How dare we be afraid? If the enemy is not killed, I will die!" He took the lead and led five hundred cavalrymen forward, rushing straight into the enemy formation.

Li Ji looked closely and couldn't help but clap his hands, saying, "Truly worthy of being the son-in-law of the Hao family!" He then glanced at Yan Zhuang and said, "With Chen Lizhen here, I don't need to go forward. Why don't you be lenient, Lord Yan?"

The charging cavalry general was none other than Chen Lizhen, a former general of Shuofang.

Li Ji, having ascended to a high vantage point, observed the command and deployment of his three generals—Wei Gao, Gao Chongwen, and Li Fengguo—and found them largely flawless and commendable. However, compared to Chen Lizhen's cavalry, they seemed to have fallen a level. Chen's cavalry, when closing in, surged like a whirlwind, and when dispersing, they scattered like sparks flying, swift and unrestrained, instantly tearing a large gap in the barbarian formation.

This is indeed someone who is used to leading cavalry, and cannot be compared with a newcomer who has just started. —Li Fengguo aside, Li Ji is not disappointed in him, but his expectations have inevitably been lowered.

It's said that Chen Lizhen married his wife through this very skill. Originally from Fanyang, he joined the army as a young man and later served as a cavalry colonel under Li Guangbi. After the defeat at Heyang, Li Guangbi was transferred to Henan and sent Hao Tingyu and others to relieve Suiyang and other places. Chen Lizhen followed them, leading a cavalry force straight into the enemy's formation, penetrating their midsection and emerging from their rear as if they were nothing. Upon seeing this, Hao Tingyu couldn't help but exclaim, "This young man's bravery is beyond my reach." After the battle, he recruited Chen Lizhen into his ranks and married his beloved daughter to him.

Li Ji had been training troops at Mingsha for the past few months, and often tested his generals. Wei Gao and Gao Chongwen could answer ten questions for every one they asked, and at least in terms of theoretical knowledge, they already showed the potential to be great generals. Li Fengguo was a little unclear in his speech and often mixed Chinese with Uyghur. Fortunately, Li Ji was also somewhat fluent in Uyghur, but he felt that Li Fengguo was quite experienced.

Chen Lizhen was the only one who was taciturn, lacked knowledge and was clumsy with words. Although Li Ji tried hard to win him over, he often felt that Chen Lizhen was just a clueless young man—he was only seven years older than Li Ji—and probably didn't have much of a future.

Just as everyone was anticipating the duel, Chen Lizhen arrived. His martial arts skills were so refined that they were almost on par with those of Gao Tinghui and other so-called "enemies of ten thousand men." Moreover, his command of the cavalry was effortless and swift as the wind! Li Ji, a seasoned veteran, saw Chen Lizhen's troops charge forward from afar and immediately made his judgment—this battle was won!

Chapter 8, Turning Defeat into Victory

Bai Yuanguang was in Herong City, waiting anxiously for Gao Tinghui to arrive, but neither did the troops from Anxi and Beiting. He paced around in a frenzy, cursing incessantly.

He was incredibly unlucky. He thought he was entrusted with the vanguard and would capture Herong City in one fell swoop, making him the hero of the battle. Little did he know that it was actually a trap set by the barbarian side... He was still completely unaware of it when the commander-in-chief exposed it with a single word. Moreover, it was he who let the Anxi and Beiting troops pursue the defeated enemy all the way to Changsong...

He must take responsibility for it. No matter how unruly he is, and having had fewer battles in recent years, which has given him a bit of a belly, he is still a veteran general of Shuofang. Bai Yuanguang still has the sense of responsibility. The Shuofang soldiers have always been arrogant, considering themselves the strongest in the world, unmatched. They believe that the Tang Dynasty's fall and subsequent restoration are entirely due to the efforts of Shuofang. The more proud the soldiers are, the harder it is for them to accept a general who shifts blame. If Bai Yuanguang runs away today, he will never be able to hold his head high in the army again.

That's why he volunteered to cover the rear, and he patiently waited for the Anxi and Beiting troops to return—or for news of their complete annihilation by the barbarian rebels to come back—before he would leave.

It wasn't until dusk that Gao Tinghui finally arrived at Herong City, albeit belatedly. Bai Yuanguang didn't bother to reprimand him—after all, they weren't from the same faction—and simply ordered, "The commander has already headed south, awaiting only Gao Jun's return—so hurry and follow me!"

However, the Anxi and Beiting soldiers, panting heavily, collapsed on the ground. Gao Tinghui repeatedly spurred them on, but just as one soldier got up, another went limp again... Bai Yuanguang grew impatient and immediately drew his sword, shouting, "The barbarians of Lanzhou are in the lead, and the barbarians of Liangzhou will surely follow. If you refuse to go, it's better for my soldiers to see blood again than for you to be killed by the barbarian bandits!"

He caught sight of a soldier from Anxi and Beiting out of the corner of his eye and immediately swung his sword down—"Do you want your wealth, or your life?!"

Blood splattered, corpses fell, and the Anxi and Beiting soldiers erupted in chaos, clamoring and grabbing their weapons, ready to confront the Shuofang army. Bai Yuanguang's eyes flashed with ferocity, and he immediately ordered, "Kill them all! We'll go after the commander!"

Fortunately, the fierce battle did not last long. Firstly, Gao Tinghui disregarded his status and knelt down to beg for mercy. More importantly, the Anxi and Beiting soldiers were outnumbered by the Shuofang army and had been running all day, exhausted. How could they possibly defeat the enemy? Thus, after killing dozens of people, the Xizhou soldiers finally surrendered, forced to abandon their looted goods and even their weapons. Under the escort of the Shuofang army, they left Herong City and hurriedly headed south.

They ran until dark before finally rejoining headquarters.

In the afternoon battle, Chen Lizhen launched a swift and fierce attack. Li Ji immediately judged that the outcome of the day was already decided, so he hurriedly ordered Wei Gao and others to go out and support Chen's troops in order to expand the victory as soon as possible. At the same time, he also ordered his personal guards to go ahead to the passage on the east side of the valley to prepare wood and stones for evacuation at any time.

As expected, Chen Lizhen launched a fierce charge, and the Tibetan army suffered a crushing defeat. No matter how the armored soldiers guarding the south entrance of the valley tried to stop them, most of them still fled in disarray. Chen Lizhen rode his horse back and forth twice about a mile in front of the valley, and the Tibetan army dared not come out of the valley to engage him again.

Seeing the sun setting and daylight drawing to a close, Li Ji figured that unless the barbarian general went mad, they wouldn't dare attack again today. He breathed a sigh of relief and sent someone back to urge them on—hurry up, or I'll leave you all here!

Upon hearing that the rear guard was approaching, Li Ji left Wei Gao to provide support and led the main force, carrying torches, into the valley to the east—the valley was also filled with torches to confuse the enemy.

After Bai Yuanguang, Gao Tinghui and others arrived, Wei Gao entered the valley with them. Before leaving, he blocked the valley entrance with the wood and stones he had prepared in advance, hoping to delay the pursuit of the Tibetan army.

On the Tibetan side, the commander-in-chief, Qilibuzang, hurriedly arrived from Guangwu. Due to the narrowness of the valley and his presence in the rear guard, he was unable to remotely control the battle within the valley. Upon receiving the report that the vanguard had suffered a setback and had been forced back along the road, Qilibuzang couldn't help but stamp his feet and sigh, "This time, we still cannot obtain Li Ji; the great plan has ultimately vanished like a bubble!"

Since the Tang army retreated before we even reached Herong City, Li Ji must have seen through Da Lun's scheme! Of course, it's also possible that the Tang army was forced to retreat by Ma Chongying's main force in Liangzhou, but that's unlikely—firstly, I'm closer to Herong City and can easily move stealthily by relying on the mountain terrain, while Da Lun is far from Herong City and has no cover on the plains, so he's unlikely to arrive before me; secondly, given the fighting strength of the Tang army ahead, they certainly haven't suffered any setbacks near Herong.

As darkness fell and further fighting became impossible, Li Ji, barring any folly, would surely flee that very night. Left with no other option, Qilibuzang dispatched several cavalry units to bypass the retreating Tang army via other valleys, hoping to ambush them en route.

However, apart from the valley through which Li Ji's main force retreated, the other roads were all more treacherous and narrow, making it difficult for large armies to travel, and often requiring a long detour. Moreover, in the darkness, if the Tibetan cavalry did not light fires, they could hardly move an inch, and if they did light fires, unless the Tang army only knew how to flee in despair, they would be able to discover their tracks long ago.

Thus, the Tang army marched swiftly through the night without rest, finally breaking through the mountains and stepping onto the plains the following afternoon. Several groups of barbarian cavalry harassed them from the side, but were all forced to retreat. When Qilibuzang's main force moved the earth and stones at dawn and pursued from behind, they could hardly even see the backs of the Tang army.

Ma Chongying arrived and joined Qilibuzang only after Li Ji had completely escaped the danger zone and approached Xinquan Shouzuo.

Just as Li Ji had predicted, Ma Chongying was forced to ambush near Guzang, the capital of Liangzhou, which was sixty li from Changsong and over a hundred li from Herong. Even at top speed, it would take a full day to reach them. Thus, after hearing that the Tang army had entered Changsong, he rushed south, but he was still a step too late. What he saw were only two empty cities, Changsong and Herong.

Immediately, Ma Chongying led 800 light cavalry westward along the mountain valleys, finally catching up with Qilibuzang and receiving news that the Tang army had successfully escaped danger. Ma Chongying was extremely annoyed, but upon reviewing his own arrangements, he found no flaws—"I didn't expect Li Ji to be so astute; he truly is a great enemy of Tibet!"

Qilibuzang said, "The Tang army's westward advance this time is mostly cavalry, which is why they can advance and retreat so quickly. I believe that Li Ji most likely has no intention of taking Liangzhou; he is merely causing trouble..."

Ma Chongying lowered his head, lost in thought and remained silent.

Qilibuzang continued, "Now that the great discourse has arrived, our army should pursue it relentlessly. If we can capture Xinquan, or even Feng'an Army, we can inflict a heavy blow on the Tang people—Li Ji will flee in panic and will certainly be caught off guard."

Ma Chongying shook his head and said, "No, I have no plan to directly take Hui and Ling prefectures. Our food and supplies are insufficient for a prolonged war. If we are bogged down under strong fortifications, it will be very dangerous. Besides, Li Ji has no intention of attacking Liangzhou..."

Suddenly a chill ran down his spine: "Could it be that this is just a feint to mislead me, while the main force of the Tang army is actually heading out of Huining Pass to take Lanzhou, or perhaps heading out of Dazhen Pass to take Qin and Wei?!" He hurriedly ordered Qilibuzang to return the army and garrison Longshang.

Li Ji, having just escaped danger, immediately dispatched a fast horse south to Dazhen Pass to deliver the message. The barbarian troops in Liangzhou had ultimately gone too far, only able to follow him and suffer losses; their exact numbers and commanders remained unknown. Meanwhile, those in Lanzhou spotted Qilibuzang's banners and estimated that the barbarian army attempting to cut off their retreat numbered no less than ten thousand. With ten thousand troops from Longxi, the forces between Lanzhou and Wei would surely be weak; perhaps they could break through and gain some advantage.

Li Ji was particularly worried that the barbarian army would pursue them and head straight for Xinquan garrison, or even Feng'an army. Therefore, he hoped that the Tang army inside Dazhen Pass could come out of the pass to provide support and contain them.

However, the troops from several towns in Guanzhong gathered near Dazhen Pass, but they only dug deep trenches and built high walls to guard against enemy invasion. Although Li Ji had reported to them, most of them dared not make any rash moves. In the end, only Li Sheng, the deputy military governor of Binning, personally led several thousand troops out of the pass and onto Qinyuan, crushing nearly ten thousand Western Qiang troops. Upon seeing the banners of the Zhenfan, he immediately retreated.

In a sense, Ma Chongying overestimated the Tang army—not in terms of combat capability, but in terms of their determination to recover lost territory. Since shifting his main force to the north to pursue the Western Regions, aside from this year, the Tibetan troops remaining in Longyou and Hexi numbered only twenty to thirty thousand, with auxiliary troops that could be temporarily mustered to eighty to ninety thousand. However, the Tang army maintained annual autumn defenses, often stationing no fewer than one hundred thousand troops east of Dazhen. If they could concentrate their forces westward, the Tibetans would find it very difficult to resist.

Unfortunately, the morale of these approximately 100,000 Tang soldiers was low. The court had not appointed a highly respected commander-in-chief, nor did it have a comprehensive plan to recapture Longyou. The main reason was that the main forces of each garrison were highly trained and experienced soldiers, requiring substantial salaries and rewards, and consuming large amounts of supplies. The Tang court could not afford to supply a large army for a long expedition, so a defensive posture was the only option. Furthermore, if the Tibetan army were defeated, they could retreat to the plateau, but if the Tang army were defeated and allowed to escape to Xiaping, Fengxiang and even Chang'an would be threatened. Therefore, it was difficult to make the decision to launch a major offensive.

The prevailing sentiment among the emperor and his officials was: let's wait a few more years, accumulate sufficient grain and supplies, and then proceed when we have enough money and provisions...

This led Ma Chongying to dare not delve any deeper, nor did he dare to pursue Li Ji relentlessly.

Li Ji first returned to Xinquan to guard the town, rested for a while, and sent someone to scout the route. Seeing that the barbarian army was not pursuing them, he breathed a sigh of relief and then let Gao Tinghui lead the nearly 1,000 people from Anxi and Beiting across the river back to the town.

Gao Tinghui refused to go, instead kneeling before Li Ji and pleading bitterly. What was he pleading for? It turned out that on the day of He Rong City, the Xizhou warriors were too exhausted to march, leading to a small skirmish with the Dingyuan City troops. In the end, they were forced to not only abandon all the looted wealth but also leave half of their swords, spears, and weapons in the city... If it had been a fierce battle with the barbarian bandits, the number of deaths wouldn't have mattered, but now the men were still alive, but the weapons were gone. He couldn't explain this to Bai Xiaode when he returned!

The Anxi and Beiting military camps were already very poor. With the loss of so many supplies, and with the number of mouths to feed remaining almost the same, they might really be unable to survive...

Seeing this, Bai Yuanguang was enraged and roared, "I saved your lives, and now you want weapons from me? You should know that there is a word in this world called—shame!"

Li Ji waved his hand, stopping Bai Yuanguang from continuing his outburst. He then looked at Gao Tinghui and said slowly, "Do not ask me for the abandoned weapons; you should ask the barbarian bandits for them. However, I also know that the brave soldiers of Xizhou are far from home and are suffering greatly. Their camp is also short of supplies. Since we are neighbors and share the same hatred for the enemy, how can I ignore them? You should go back now. After I return to Lingzhou, I will send a batch of supplies to Huizhou."

He then frowned and raised his voice, shouting, "But you must clearly inform Commander Bai, remembering the kindness of our Shuofang in helping you—this is not compensation for your family!"

After driving away Gao Tinghui, Li Ji stayed at Xinquan Garrison for two more days before setting off back to Mingsha. After settling his soldiers, he personally went to Lingzhou to summon his officers and discuss how to submit a memorial to the court—"Having returned defeated this time, how should we phrase our memorial?"

Hun Shizhi hurriedly said, "This time, the General marched west out of Liangzhou, outnumbered but outgunned, and returned safely with few casualties. He killed and wounded twice as many soldiers as the enemy. How can you say that he was defeated?"

Because Li Ji ran fast, and the main battle only lasted half a day in the valley south of Herong City, his eight battalions and four thousand cavalry suffered less than ten percent casualties—in fact, even fewer people died in the Anxi and Beiting campaigns, and the majority of them were killed by Bai Yuanguang's Dingyuan City troops—in contrast, by taking Herong City first and then fighting fiercely in the valley, the number of enemies killed was estimated to be close to a thousand.

However, there is no way to prove it—in the rush to retreat, excess supplies were simply thrown away, so who would carry the heads of enemy soldiers? Only the heads of four enemy generals were brought back, and they were not even from the real Tibetan tribes, but rather from the Qiang and Hu peoples.

Therefore, Li Ji felt it was difficult to explain to the court. Gao Ying comforted him, saying, "The imperial edict issued the other day did not order me to march west to recover Liangzhou, but merely to harass the enemy and contain the barbarian rebels' westward attack. Now the barbarian rebels have sent over ten thousand troops from Lanzhou to attack, and the number from Liangzhou should be no less than that. In this case, the commander-in-chief can easily defeat twenty thousand rebels with four thousand men, and inflict heavy casualties. Although I dare not call it a great victory, how can I call it a defeat?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, “The commander-in-chief has just been stationed in Shuofang. He should use victories to boost morale and inspire the troops. If he is too harsh on himself, it will cause the soldiers to doubt and fear the barbarians. Wouldn’t that be a loss? I request that this memorial be given to me to draft. It will not exaggerate the victory or deceive the court, nor will it diminish the merits of the generals.”

Yan Zhuang and Lü Xiqian both said that they could also help Gao Gongchu refine the wording, which would surely satisfy both the military governor and the imperial court.

Li Ji sighed deeply and said, "It's not that I'm ashamed of the defeat, but the morale of the army cannot be shaken..." Several advisors from the previous dynasty nodded and said, "In that case, thank you all for your trouble." He then turned to the generals and said, "Although we were outnumbered this time, it also shows that our Shuofang army is poorly trained and lacks fighting spirit. Otherwise, even if Ma Chongying had personally led a large army, we would have surely relied on the terrain to crush them!"

The generals all thought to themselves: "Isn't your boast a bit too much? At most, Shuofang has fifty or sixty thousand soldiers, while Ma Chongying is a high-ranking official in Tibet, and with the support of the Qiang and Hu tribes, he can easily mobilize more than one hundred thousand troops. No matter how much we rely on our strategic location, we can at most hold our ground and not be defeated. We may not even have a chance of defeating the enemy!" But everyone understood that the commander was just shifting the blame—"It's not that I commanded poorly, it's all your fault for not training the troops properly."

This is common practice in the military; as long as the leader doesn't find scapegoats to scapegoat after scolding someone, it's fine. Would subordinates dare harbor resentment after hearing a leader's empty complaints?

Therefore, they did not question or rebuttal, but simply bowed and clasped their hands, saying: "Our army has not fought for a long time and is indeed somewhat lax. It still needs the commander to reorganize it."

Who would have thought that Li Ji's words were not merely an attempt to shirk responsibility? Upon hearing this, he immediately declared, "It's best that you all have this awareness—you should lead your troops to Mingsha in succession, where I will personally train them!"

Chapter Nine, The Situation in the Western Regions

Li Ji first ordered Hou Zhongzhuang to send his four battalions of troops to Mingsha City for reorganization and training.

Hou Zhongzhuang once served as a vanguard under Li Guangbi and captured An Taiqing, a general of the An Lushan Rebellion, alive, earning the title of Champion General. As a result, he was also considered a "remnant" of Li Guangbi and was gradually marginalized in the Shuofang Army. Consequently, he became the second person, after Chen Lizhen, to be incorporated into Li Ji's army.

But before Li Ji had left Lingzhou City, several fast riders suddenly arrived from the north, claiming to be messengers from Anxi and Beiting requesting reinforcements. Li Ji ordered their leader to be summoned into the hall, and upon closer inspection—ah, he looked so familiar.

"Aren't you the one who guarded Shancheng in the past?"

This man was Hu Hao, the commander of the Heyuan Army, who was stationed in Shancheng. Li Ji had dealt with him more than once when he was defending against the barbarians in Longyou. After Shanzhou fell, Li Tan retreated east to Lanzhou Jincheng, while Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong retreated north to Liangzhou. They were then transferred to guard Anxi and Beiting, and Hu Hao followed them.

Hu Hao, covered in dust and with tears streaming down his face before he could even speak, exclaimed, "The barbarian bandits invade every year, and Anxi and Beiting are in grave danger... I never imagined it would be Li Er... Commander Li is guarding Shuofang. I beg you to help me petition the court to send reinforcements as soon as possible!"

Li Ji couldn't help but get up and sit down, patting Hu Hao's back, saying, "Don't cry yet. Come, wipe your face, and then tell me in detail about the situation in Anxi and Beiting. I know you are eloquent and have a deep understanding of local conditions—but when it comes to fighting, you're only half-baked, of course—I believe that's why Guo and Li sent you back east to seek help."

During the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, troops entered the Western Regions and established the Anxi Protectorate. Subsequently, four military garrisons—Kucha, Yanqi, Khotan, and Kashgar—were placed under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate, hence the name "Four Garrisons of Anxi." In the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era, an ambassador was appointed for the various tribes of the Four Garrisons of Hexi Circuit, later changed to a military governor. Anxi Garrison was once renamed Zhenxi, but earlier this year it reverted to its original name, Anxi Military Governor, or Four Garrisons Military Governor—currently, it is concurrently held by Ma Lin, the Military Governor of Jingyuan.

Also during the Zhenguan era, the Beiting Protectorate was established, which, together with the Anxi Protectorate, was responsible for the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. In the ninth year of the Kaiyuan era, the Beiting Military Governor was established. Later, it was divided into the Yixi and Beiting towns, and then merged with Anxi. In the twenty-ninth year of the Kaiyuan era, it was separated again—the Beiting Military Governor was responsible for the Protectorate and the three armies of Hanhai, Tianshan, and Yiwu.

The Anxi Army was originally numbered 24,000, but during the An Lushan Rebellion, Military Governor Li Qijun led 7,000 elite troops to the east to provide reinforcements. The Beiting Army was also numbered 20,000, and several thousand of them were sent to the east to provide reinforcements. Now they are combined into the Anxi and Beiting Military Camps, under the command of Bai Xiaode. As for their respective garrisons, Guo Xin was appointed as the acting military governor of Anxi, and Li Yuanzhong was appointed as the acting military governor of Beiting.

According to Hu Hao, the Turgesh and Karluks are now harassing the north, while the Tibetans are attacking the south. The territory of the two towns is shrinking day by day, and the dependent tribes are fleeing one after another. Beiting can only control the three prefectures of Yuting, Xi, and Yi, while Anxi is forced to hold onto the four towns.

Li Ji had been closely following the wars in Anxi and Beiting, collecting maps of the Western Regions from all over. Combined with his memories from his previous life, he finally gained a general understanding. He then took out his painstakingly drawn map and instructed Hu Hao to explain it to him—

Entering the Western Regions from Hexi, Dunhuang, the capital of Shazhou Prefecture, is the starting point, and then the road splits into north and south. The northern route goes out of the old Yumen Pass, through Yiwu (Yizhou) and Gaochang (Xizhou) and then towards Yanqi, Kucha and Shule; the southern route goes out of Yangguan Pass, through Qiemo and Khotan, and can also meet at Shule - further west from Shule is the Pamir Mountains.

Between the two routes lies a vast desert, stretching for over a thousand miles without a trace of human habitation, making it virtually insurmountable. The Western Regions are sparsely populated, with inhabitants only scattered around water sources, numbering innumerable—when the Tang army conquered Kucha, Ashina She'er reported that he had captured five major cities, explained the impending doom and fortune, and the rest surrendered, resulting in the acquisition of over seven hundred cities… While this may be an exaggeration, it also demonstrates how dispersed the population was.

There are probably only a few hundred villages.

The villages were mainly located in three areas: first, north of the desert, along the line of Yanqi, Wulei, Kucha, Gumo, Weitou, and Shule in the Chihe River (Li Ji estimated it to be the Tarim River in later times) basin—this was the core area of ​​Anxi; second, the Yi and Xi prefectures on the southern slope of the eastern section of Tianshan Mountains; and third, the Ting prefecture on the northern slope of the eastern section of Tianshan Mountains—the former was probably in the area of ​​the Turpan Basin in later times, while the latter was located in the southern part of the Junggar Basin, both belonging to Beiting.

The main enemies to the north of the two towns were the Turgesh and the Karluks, both branches of the Turkic Khaganate. The Turgesh were the first to rise to power in the Western Regions. Sulu Khan had captured Suyab, the former capital of the Anxi Protectorate, and established it as his headquarters. His allegiance to the Tang Dynasty fluctuated, sometimes allying with them, sometimes betraying them. During the Kaiyuan era, the Beiting Protector-General Gai Jiayun decisively defeated the Sulu near Weirong City, leading to his assassination by his subordinate, Mohe Dagan. At the beginning of the Tianbao era, the Tang general Fu Menglingshi attacked and killed Mohe Dagan. The Turgesh then split into two factions, the Yellow and Black, each establishing their own Khan, and both paying homage to the Tang Dynasty.

It can be said that if it weren't for the An Lushan Rebellion, the Turgesh would never have become a threat to the Tang Dynasty again. If Gao Xianzhi hadn't commanded the Turgesh Khan and the emperor to act like servants, would he have dared to launch a long expedition to attack the Kingdom of Tashkent? However, with the chaos in the east, the elite troops of Anxi and Beiting were transferred east to defend the emperor, leaving the Tang Dynasty with no choice but to adopt a defensive posture in the western regions. This allowed the Turgesh to make a comeback.

During the Qianyuan era, the Black Khan Ado Peiluo sent envoys from afar to the Tang court, receiving praise from Emperor Suzong. However, later, the Tubo (Tibetan) forces moved north, conquering Gansu and Liangzhou, cutting off the western route. The Turgesh then turned against the Tang, increasingly encroaching on Tang territory. According to Hu Hao, however, the two Turgesh clans, while invading the Tang, also fought each other, almost constantly at war. In recent years, they have gradually declined, while the Karluks have grown increasingly powerful.

The Karluks were nomadic in the area around Lake Balkhash, northeast of the Turgesh and Qaghan tribes. They had once joined forces with the Uyghurs to submit to the Tang Dynasty and attack the Later Turks. After the Uyghur leader, Guli Peiluo, gained power, he was appointed as the Huai Ren Khan by the Tang Dynasty. As a result, the Karluks split in two, with the eastern Karluks submitting to the Uyghurs and the western Karluks directly under the Tang Dynasty. In the Battle of Talas, the Karluk soldiers who participated in the campaign secretly colluded with the Abbasid Caliphate and launched a surprise attack on the Tang army from the flank and rear. They were defeated by Gao Xianzhi and subsequently declared themselves Khans, no longer submitting to the Tang Dynasty's rule.

In fact, the Uyghurs had always wanted to completely annex the Karluks. When Anxi and Beiting were under attack, the Tang Dynasty sought help from the Uyghurs. However, every time the Uyghur army marched south, it almost always went to fight the Karluks, trying to avoid direct confrontation with the Tibetan army marching north. As a result, the Karluks and Tibet formed an alliance to jointly resist the Uyghurs and also jointly invade the two garrisons.

The Tibetan invasion of Anxi and Beiting mainly proceeded northward in two routes: the eastern route started from Liangzhou, passing through Gansu and Guazhou, heading northwest to seize Yizhou, or it could go west through Shazhou, aiming for Khotan. However, the former route, from Guazhou to Yizhou, was separated by the Moheyanqi Desert, a vast, uninhabited Gobi desert stretching for hundreds of miles. By the time they managed to cross it, their strength was exhausted. Li Yuanzhong then abandoned Rouyuan County and held Yizhou, repeatedly thwarting the Tibetan army's offensives.

Taking the latter route would actually be more difficult. From Qiemo City westward to Khotan Town, the more than a thousand li stretches along the southern edge of the Tulunqi (Li Ji estimates this refers to the Taklamakan Desert), a desolate and remote area, making logistical transport extremely challenging. Therefore, Guo Xin's triangular defense of Kancheng, Khotan Town, and Weiguan was barely enough to hold the line.

However, the Tibetan army also frequently marched north via the western route, passing through Greater and Lesser Bolu, south of the Pamir Mountains, and across the Qingling Mountains to directly attack Kashgar. The first half of this route was mountainous, difficult to traverse, but ultimately within Tibetan territory—Greater and Lesser Bolu had been pacified by Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, and later submitted to Tibet after the An Lushan Rebellion—the latter half, entering the plains, contained numerous oasis villages that could provide supplies. In particular, if the Tibetan army were to capture the two prefectures of Qinan and Biancheng on the western edge of the desert, the connection between Kashgar and Khotan would be severed, rendering Khotan virtually an isolated city…

Therefore, this direction was the most dangerous, and even if the Uyghur reinforcements were willing to come, it would be virtually impossible for them to reach the destination—they would have to cross the territories of the Karluks and Turgesh. Guo Xin was forced to lead his troops out of the city several times to fight the Tibetan army in open battle. Although he won more battles than he lost, he still suffered heavy losses... In the end, even if the Tibetans were defeated, they were not crippled; they could go back to lick their wounds and come back again next year. As for the Tang army, every Han soldier who died was one less to be lost, and as for the Hu soldiers, they could not be trusted too much.

With Gansu and Liangzhou cut off, and Guazhou and Shazhou falling to the Tibetans, Han soldiers could not enter Yumen Pass alive. Surrendering to the Tibetans meant certain slavery, which would motivate them to fight to the death. But for the local natives, what difference did it make whether they were dogs of the Tang Dynasty or dogs of the Tibetans? Even if the Tang people were more peaceful and the Tibetans more greedy and tyrannical, the former's power seemed unsustainable. Surrendering to the latter was at least a way to survive. Naturally, the Tibetans spared no effort in winning over and enticing the local chieftains of the four garrisons, hoping they would defect to the Tibetans.

In particular, every time Guo Xin went out of the city to defend against the barbarians, the Turgesh and Karluks would harass him in the north, echoing the barbarians from afar—according to Hu Hao, although that Guo, the garrison commander, was only in his forties, his eyebrows and beard had turned completely white with worry…

Li Ji couldn't help but ask him, "Junshi told me, how many troops are left in Anxi and Beiting?"