Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 190

Chapter Fourteen: The Interplay of Reality and Illusion

After the White Dew solar term, the weather gradually turns cold, and urgent messages fly back and forth between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and beyond, indicating that both the Tang and Tibetan sides are preparing for another war.

Just as Li Ji had predicted—actually, it was only a matter of course—from Fengxiang to Chang'an, not only within the cities but also in the military towns, there were many Tibetan spies, or soldiers and civilians bribed by the Tibetans. As a result, the general situation of the Tang army's mobilization was quickly reported to the plateau and gathered on the case of Ma Chongying, the Grand Master who was preparing to set off in the Jishi Mountain area.

Ma Chongying slapped the table in delight: "The Tang family's plan is exactly what I expected!"

Last year, Li Ji led the Shuofang cavalry westward into Liangzhou. This advance was not only anticipated by Ma Chongying, but also served as a warning to the Tibetan leadership. Previously, the Tibetans, focused solely on the Western Regions, considered the main Tang army—which only knew how to defend Dazhen Pass and dared not advance westward to reclaim lost territory—a sign of cowardice and largely disregarded it. However, in last year's battle, although Ma Chongying overruled objections and deployed a large army to set a trap, he not only failed to severely damage the Shuofang army, but Li Ji also inflicted heavy casualties on the Tibetan troops and their allied Qiang and Hu tribes, before successfully escaping. Therefore, Ma Chongying warned his noble chieftains:

"The Tang dynasty has already secured the east and is about to plan the recapture of Hexi and Longyou. If Hebei is not secured, the Tang emperor will not dare to relocate Li Ji to Shuofang; and if he did not rely on the impregnable Guanzhong region, he would not dare to send the Shuofang army westward to harass us. In that case, our main force will advance into the Western Regions, and Liang, Lan, Qin, and Long will rely solely on the Qiang and Hu tribes. Once the Tang find an opportunity to invade and recapture Hexi and Longyou, I fear that the westward-bound army will have to return eastward, and the wars of Anxi and Beiting will have to be temporarily halted. Is this what you gentlemen wish to see?"

Therefore, it is necessary to advance eastward again, engage the Tang forces in one or two battles, disrupt their strategic deployment, damage the production and reserves in Guanzhong, and, more importantly, severely demoralize the Tang army and frighten the Tang emperor's determination to recover lost territories. Only in this way can we ensure that, within a few years, we can focus all our efforts on conquering the Western Regions and completely pacify the Anxi and Beiting garrisons.

But how should we confront the Tang army? Qilibuzang suggested: "Since the Grand Master believes that the Shuofang army is strong and Li Ji is a formidable enemy of our tribe, and that the two combined will surely cause trouble, then we should first send troops eastward from Liangzhou and attack Lingzhou..."

Ma Chongying shook his head and said, "How could I not wish to capture and kill Li Ji to avenge the humiliation I suffered in the past? But alas, Shuofang is not easy to conquer..."

He also knew that the journey to Lingzhou and Lingwu, the core of Shuofang Town, was nearly a thousand miles long, a desolate and sparsely populated area, making it difficult for a large army to travel. If the Tang army were to cut off their supply lines, not a single horse would be able to escape. But what if they sent elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack? Li Ji was not stupid. If they had taken precautions beforehand and held their positions at the passes, the Shuofang army would not be easy to defeat.

Da Shang asked, "Does the Great Treatise mean we still need to fight at Da Zhen Pass?"

In fact, the original desire of the Tibetan nobles was to advance eastward, break through the Dazhen Pass, enter Guanzhong, and attack and plunder famous cities and towns such as Fengxiang and Chang'an, from which they would reap the greatest rewards. However, after suffering a major setback, the Tang court gathered troops in Guanzhong every autumn to defend the Dazhen Pass and several nearby strategic passes, leaving the Tibetan army with no opportunity to exploit. As a result, Ma Chongying's strategy to advance on Anxi and Beiting was barely approved.

Although the journey was long and the population was not large, the number of Tang troops in the Western Regions was limited. Moreover, killing one would reduce the number of troops. Unlike Guanzhong, which had hundreds of thousands of Tang troops and strong cities to rely on, although it would be possible to feast after taking it, it was uncertain how much manpower and resources would be needed. It was very likely that the losses would outweigh the gains.

Moreover, the Western Regions control the Silk Road. If we can truly take over the Four Garrisons of Anxi and the Three Prefectures of Beiting, we can negotiate peace with the Tang people and resume trade. I believe the Tang people are very likely to agree. Then we can sit back and enjoy the commercial taxes, and first take exotic goods from distant lands. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

In short, all the noble chieftains actually wanted to attack Guanzhong from the east, but they were quite wary of the Tang army's defensive strength.

Ma Chongying said, “Last year I dispatched tens of thousands of troops, advancing from both the north and south, hoping to severely damage the Shuofang army. As a result, Shuofang will certainly not dare to come this year, and the Tang court will surely worry that I will take the main force directly to Lingzhou. Lingwu is the place where the previous Tang emperor ascended the throne, how dare we abandon it lightly? Moreover, Li Ji is a favorite general of the Tang emperor, and his bravery is widely known among our barbarians. If Shuofang is defeated, the Tang people will be timid, while the morale of our barbarians will be greatly strengthened—therefore, the Tang people will surely come to the rescue of Shuofang.”

"However, the Tang family's reserves are limited. According to reports, the price of rice in Chang'an has risen three times in the past six months, indicating a shortage of money and grain. If all efforts are devoted to saving Shuofang, the troops stationed at Dazhen Pass will be insufficient. Perhaps this year, they will not be able to gather 100,000 troops in Longzuo..."

Shang Jiexi frowned and said, "These are all speculations by the great scholars, and may not be what the Tang Emperor thinks. So what if this autumn, the Tang people still send their main force from Guanzhong to Dazhen Pass to block our army?

Ma Chongying smiled and pointed to the map: "Da Shang is quite right. Therefore, the routes to attack Shuofang and Dazhen Pass are actually feints. My real purpose is here..."

The western defense line of the Tang Dynasty gradually rose in elevation from north to south. The northern prefectures such as Ling and Yan were relatively flat, with the Yellow River as the boundary, with deserts in the north and grasslands in the south. The southern prefectures of Longzhou and Yuanzhou were plateaus with dense mountain ranges, with the Liupan Mountains connecting to Longdi, making them treacherous and difficult to traverse.

The Tang family established multiple passes around Dazhen Pass, gathering heavy troops to defend them every autumn.

However, in the northern part of Huizhou and Yuanzhou, where the two meet, the terrain is more fragmented. Although the terrain is also high, it is carved out by the Yellow River tributaries Zuli River and Weiru River, as well as the Jing River and its tributary Yangjinchuan, creating many valleys that are relatively easy for large armies to move through. In particular, along the Weiru River, one can go south from Feng'an Army and Mingsha City in Lingzhou directly to Pinggao County, the seat of Yuanzhou. Then, after passing Tanzheng Gorge, one can go south along the Jing River and Qian River valleys, thus revealing the area north of Fengxiang and entering the Guanzhong Plain. This is a nearly straight north-south thoroughfare through mountains and rivers, about 700 li long, which is much easier to travel than other roads in Longzuo.

Therefore, capturing Yuanzhou would directly threaten the Guanzhong Plain and sever the direct connection between Shuofang and Guanzhong.

However, this road cannot be crossed from the beginning—unless Lingzhou is captured first—and Ma Chongying's plan is to intercept them halfway from west to east. This is because the Tang army's thousand-mile defense line from Shuofang to Guanzhong has a salient, which is also its weak point: Huizhou, which is guarded by the Anxi and Beiting military camps.

According to reports from spies, Huizhou's capital, Huining, and the Huining Pass to its southwest were defended by only five or six thousand men, who were also short of money and supplies and whose morale was low. Every autumn, the Tang court would send about ten thousand reinforcements to Huizhou, but this was still much weaker than the reinforcements near Dazhen Pass in Longzuo.

The final strategy was thus determined as follows: Qilibuzang would lead the Hexi troops to attack Shuofang, first capturing Xinquan garrison to cut off the connection between Ling and Hui, and then attack Feng'an Army from the east. Ma Chongying instructed Qilibuzang: "If the Shuofang army sends Feng'an Army to fight, you should retreat to Xinquan garrison to avoid being taken advantage of in open battle; if they hold Feng'an Army, you can try to attack, but the key is not to lose too many soldiers; if the Tang army easily abandons Feng'an Army, it must be to lure us deeper into the territory, you must not advance rashly, but hold Feng'an Army and wait for us to capture Huizhou before deciding on our next move."

Da Shangjie led the troops from Longyou to press Dazhen Pass, thus tying down the main force of the Tang army defending against the autumn attack.

Ma Chongying himself led 40,000 elite troops in two separate routes: one route attacked Huining Pass and advanced into Huizhou, aiming to quickly defeat the Tang's Anxi and Beiting expeditionary forces and block reinforcements from Guanzhong; the other route advanced along the mountains between Huizhou and Yuanzhou, with the goal of Shimen Pass.

Once Shimen Pass is captured, to the west, Quwu Mountain can be blocked to threaten Huining; to the east, the Hulu River Valley can be used to directly attack Pinggao. The highest expectation is to capture Pinggao and seize Yuanzhou, then launch a surprise attack from the rear on Muxia, Liupan, Longshan, and Zhisheng Passes, completely disrupting the Tang army's defense system. There might even be a chance to take Pinggao and threaten Fengxiang. Even if this is not achieved, Huizhou can be taken as an opportunity to sever the direct connection between Lingzhou and Yuanzhou.

With the strategy settled, I heard that among the towns in Guanzhong today, only Fengxiang, Jingyuan, and Binning have mobilized troops. The troops stationed at Fuyan and Tongguan, as well as the garrison in Jingzhao and the imperial guards in Chang'an, are merely making a show of force. Upon hearing this report, Ma Chongying was overjoyed—why would the Tang reduce their autumn defense forces? This must be a troop redeployment, and more importantly, a large amount of money and grain, intended to assist in the defense of Shuofang. Just as I expected.

Moreover, if Shang Jiexi leads the troops of Longyou, raises false banners, and pretends to be the main force to attack Dazhen Pass, the Tang court will be terrified and forced to replan the supply of grain and materials and transfer troops from various garrisons to the west. Then, they will definitely not be able to take care of Lingzhou and Huizhou on the northern front. I may be able to easily take Huizhou or even Yuanzhou.

Therefore, he ordered the three armies to set out immediately.

Meanwhile, Qilibuzang led 5,000 Tibetan troops and 25,000 Qiang and Hu soldiers out from the southern mountains of Guzang, and within a few days arrived at Xinquan Garrison. In fact, Xinquan Garrison was located in Wulan County, south of the Yellow River. Although it had fortified itself along the river, its defenses were extremely weak compared to those on the north bank of the Yellow River. The garrison numbered only a little over 300 men, and after defending it for less than an hour, it was captured by the Tibetan army.

Of the three hundred Tang soldiers, most died in battle, and the rest risked swimming across the Yellow River, where half of them drowned in the turbid waves.

There were still nearly a thousand people in Wulan County and the surrounding fortresses. They cried out in alarm across the river, but dared not come to their aid. Instead, they hurriedly dispatched fast horses to inform the Anxi and Beiting military camps located in Huining County.

Qilibuzang left over a thousand Qiang and Hu people to guard the fortifications, protect the transport route, and monitor the movements of the Tang army south of the Yellow River before continuing eastward, heading straight for Feng'an Army.

Feng'an's army originally had more than 4,000 soldiers, but their training level was not high and they were short of warhorses. Qilibuzang was confident that he could take the city in one fell swoop. However, when they were only a hundred miles away, a spy came to report that Shuofang had sent 3,000 soldiers to garrison the area, and the defenses were now quite tight.

Qilibuzang nodded and said, "Just as you predicted, the Tang people are already prepared for our attack on Shuofang this autumn." He then asked, "Is it infantry or cavalry coming? How many warhorses do they have?"

The spy reported: "Most are infantry, with only one or two hundred on horseback."

Qilibu Zang thought to himself, "Since the Tang people have sent reinforcements, they are not planning to abandon their fortifications and lure us deeper into the city. If they had sent cavalry, they would have intended to fight in the field. Now that they have only sent infantry, they must be planning to defend the city."

However, it's also possible that Li Ji will lead cavalry to follow, hoping to wear down our army's morale with strong defenses before winning in open battle—otherwise, given the strength of Shuofang Town, they wouldn't have sent only three thousand reinforcements.

So they advanced to Feng'an Army and set up camp, sending elite cavalry out from the north and south to find an opening, patrolling eastward for ten or twenty miles, ready to guard against an attack from the main force of Shuofang. Qilibuzang also made a show of force, pretending that his 30,000 troops numbered more than 50,000, and even erected Ma Chongying's banner in the army to deceive the Tang people; moreover, he kept all the genuine Tibetans firmly in his hands, only ordering the Qiang and Hu servants to advance with the army to try to attack the fortifications of Feng'an Army.

Feng'an Army was located north of the Yellow River, less than three miles south of the riverbank and a similar distance north of the desert and Gobi. In other words, the distance between the Gobi and the Yellow River was six or seven miles. Feng'an Army was positioned in the center, with its attached forts and scattered strongholds, controlling the main road.

The main fortress is not large, much smaller than an ordinary county town in the interior, with a permanent population of only about two hundred households. After hearing the alarm, all the Han Chinese from the surrounding area were moved in, and with the garrison and reinforcements, it now houses more than five thousand people, barely filling the area. In addition, there are six or seven fortresses to the north and south, forming a defensive triangle, each garrisoned by two or three hundred soldiers.

The battle first broke out in front of a slightly protruding fortified village three miles north of the city.

Each of the Qiang and Hu tribes formed a protective flanking force, monitoring the remaining Tang fortresses. Meanwhile, over a thousand men, divided into several echelons, charged straight at the fortresses, unleashing a hail of arrows.

The first volley of arrows was fired, but there was no response from inside the fortress. Emboldened, the Qiang and Hu soldiers continued to approach, preparing to fire again. Unexpectedly, when they were fifty or sixty paces from the fortress wall, a drum suddenly sounded, and arrows rained down from the fortress. The dozen or so Qiang and Hu soldiers at the front were instantly turned into pincushions and fell from their horses.

With the two sides exchanging fire, the Tibetan side was completely at a disadvantage.

Firstly, the defending troops had fortifications as a defense, and near the fort walls, they had erected several cowhide tents overhead to shield them from arrows—it is estimated that of the hundreds of arrows fired by the barbarians in a volley, only about half actually penetrated the fort, and the number that landed on the heads of the defenders could be counted on one hand; in contrast, the attackers had no cover whatsoever, and being on horseback, they were also large targets…

Secondly, the barbarian troops were all mounted archers, with a relatively short range and weak firepower; the Tang army, on the other hand, not only had powerful foot archers, but also a considerable number of powerful crossbows, which could fire straight at fifty or sixty paces, and the simple leather armor of the Qiang and Hu tribes could not defend against them at all, basically piercing through them with a single shot.

More importantly, the presence of the fortress provided cover, preventing the Qiang and Hu armies from passing through any gaps and encircling them from all sides. As a result, their deployment was limited to only a hundred paces in front of the fortress, rendering their numerical advantage ineffective.

Therefore, after forty or fifty men fell, Qilibuzang finally ordered a temporary retreat. He then ordered some of his servants to dismount and advance on foot, while the cavalry provided support and supervision on both flanks and rear.

As the bugle sounded, over a thousand Qiang and Hu soldiers lined up in formation, the first few rows each carrying large wooden shields that could almost cover their entire bodies. This time, the Tang army attacked when they were still nearly seventy paces from the fortress walls, but instead of using powerful crossbows, they used volleys of arrows. A few quick-thinking Qiang and Hu soldiers managed to raise their wooden shields to protect their heads from the sides and above, but most were too slow to react—especially the Qiang and Hu soldiers in the back rows, who at most had only small shields—and were successively struck in the head and shoulders by arrows, falling with cries of pain.

A projectile arrow is not as powerful as a direct crossbow shot, so most of those hit by the arrows this time did not die, but were severely wounded and rolled on the ground...

Chapter Fifteen, Where Are the Bandits?

Bai Guangyuan immediately informed Li Ji, who was in Mingsha City, of the news of the invasion by the barbarian army.

While General Bai had great confidence in his command abilities, the combat quality of his Dingyuan City troops, and even the fortifications of Feng'an Army's fortresses—which he had participated in building—he still only had six or seven thousand Tang soldiers. It was no easy task to successfully repel tens of thousands of barbarian troops.

Most importantly, although the Dingyuan City troops are capable of fighting, the Feng'an Army has been neglected for a long time and will likely be a hindrance. According to the Jiezhen's prediction, the invading foreign troops this autumn are all elites—especially since they are displaying the banner of Da Lun Ma Chongying.

The intelligence was transmitted through two channels. First, beacon fires were lit on the fortresses, and the message was relayed from one fortress to another, reaching Mingsha in just two hours. In addition, a fast horse was dispatched, carrying military intelligence documents, which traveled for half a day and a night to deliver them to Li Ji. Meanwhile, Li Ji had already mustered his troops and made all necessary preparations for battle, intending to leave Mingsha City.

The beacon fires, naturally, could not contain overly complex information. Therefore, the initial message Li Ji received was simply that tens of thousands of barbarian troops had attacked, captured Xinquan, and were about to advance on Feng'an Army. Moreover, there was a banner bearing the name of an important general in the army. According to the pre-arranged signal, if it was an important general, it must be Ma Chongying who had arrived.

Thus, Li Ji mobilized all the troops of Mingsha City—after a year and a half of recruitment and training, they now numbered twenty-six battalions with nearly four thousand warhorses—to go east to provide relief. At the same time, he ordered the Commander Chang Qianguang to lead three thousand garrison troops south to assist in the defense of Mingsha and to secure the transportation route; General He Youxian led four thousand garrison troops west across the Yellow River and set up camp at Xiashi to prevent the barbarian army from taking advantage of the situation to break into the fertile lands of Lingwu and Huaiyuan.

The vanguard general, appointed Hou Zhongzhuang, was about to depart when the official document from the Feng'an Army arrived. Li Ji unfolded it and glanced at it, his brows furrowing slightly—something was amiss…

He predicted that the Tibetans would not send tens of thousands of troops to attack Lingzhou. The most likely scenario was that Ma Chongying would send Qiang and Hu troops to the rear to protect the supply lines, while he would personally lead less than 20,000 elite cavalry to attack at double speed, hoping to catch him off guard.

Li Ji knew that the elite troops of Tibet, especially the cavalry, were all in the hands of the "Three Shangs and One Lun," each with ten thousand cavalry, totaling forty thousand cavalry. Under normal circumstances, five parts would be used for expeditions and the other five for defending the country. So, if some troops were selected and transferred from other units, the maximum number of troops that could be deployed would be thirty thousand. The problem was that, considering the road along the edge of the Gobi Desert and the Yellow River, if thirty thousand cavalry were to be deployed, the logistics would definitely be unbearable.

When the Tibetans attacked Longyou and Hexi, and later broke through Dazhen Pass to invade Guanzhong, this problem did not exist, because their food and supplies could be obtained through plunder. The Tang dynasty was unlikely to actually implement a scorched-earth policy, as while it might repel the enemy, it would severely damage their own productivity. However, along the route to attack Shuofang, there were almost no villages within hundreds of miles. Even the garrison at Xinquan and the army at Feng'an were merely military fortresses with sparse populations and little stockpiling.

This was also the main reason why the generals requested to temporarily abandon Feng'an Army and retreat to the Mingsha City area to fight the enemy. However, Li Ji was worried that retreating without a fight would damage his own prestige and demoralize the Tang army. He also feared that the nomadic tribes near Gaolan Prefecture would be lured by the Tibetans and offer up military supplies... Of course, most importantly, if the Tibetan cavalry crossed Xiashi and trampled the farmland, it would be a net loss. Therefore, the main battlefield was set up in the Feng'an Army area.

The signal fires that day could not have contained detailed and accurate information. Yun Fan's army numbered in the tens of thousands, but Li Ji, as he had predicted, likely numbered only ten to twenty thousand. Moreover, at that time, the Fan army was still several miles away from Feng'an Army, making it impossible to accurately determine the exact number.

However, this intelligence, written on paper and delivered by fast horse, was written by Bai Yuanguang's scribe when the barbarian army was already approaching Feng'an Army and searching for a place to set up battle. Its content was undoubtedly much more detailed and accurate. It said that the barbarian army numbered about 40,000, with almost half of them being warhorses, and that many of them were Qiang and Hu people. Upon seeing this, Li Ji couldn't help but feel deeply suspicious.

—Either ten or twenty thousand, or around one hundred thousand, your in-between forty thousand makes it very difficult for me to make an accurate judgment, Brother Ma! And inexplicably, there are quite a few Qiang and Hu people mixed in as well…

Li Ji's first reaction was that Ma Chongying was using a false display of force, pretending to have a large army to deceive him. But if they were all elite Tibetan troops, there would be no need for him to go to the trouble of impersonating Qiang and Hu people. If there were both Qiang and Hu people and an army, was he showing him strength or weakness? What was his true intention?

Unable to contain his hesitation, he ordered Hou Zhongzhuang to advance first, while he summoned the remaining officers and generals for a hasty meeting outside Mingsha City. Some generals said the main force was barbarian cavalry, mixed with some Qiang and Hu troops—but this couldn't explain the logistical pressure created by including the Qiang and Hu; others said the barbarian army intended to attack with 100,000 troops, with surplus forces remaining—but this couldn't explain why, after a day, Bai Yuanguang still couldn't accurately assess the enemy's numbers, and why there were no new warning signals from the beacon fires…

Gao Chongwen said, "The military commander values ​​Ma Chongying too much. Perhaps Ma Chongying did not plan everything perfectly, nor was he able to defeat my ambitions in Shuofang. He merely gathered Qiang and Hu troops from Hexi and Longyou, along with a small number of barbarian cavalry, to come east in order to attack Feng'an Army and avenge the military commander's invasion of Liang last year."

Li Ji smiled and shook his head. Gao Chongwen was, after all, a former general of Pinglu, who had long been in the east. Last year, he had accompanied Li Ji on a trip to Liangzhou, which was his first time fighting against the Tibetan army. Therefore, it was understandable that he lacked sufficient knowledge of Ma Chongying, who had served as the commander-in-chief of the Tibetan army many times. Li Ji, however, was absolutely unwilling to underestimate Ma Chongying.

That's the kind of general who managed to escape from my grasp!

After repeated discussions, they still couldn't find a solution. Finally, they could only stomp their feet and say, "No matter what tricks the barbarians have up their sleeves, I must go and rescue Feng'an Army!" Even if Ma Chongying really did lead an army of 100,000 to attack, it was just that the rear guard had not yet arrived or was deliberately hiding. Since I had made up my mind not to let him get close to Mingsha City, the planned battlefield could not be changed and should still be near Feng'an Army.

Thus the army set off again, crossing the Yellow River to the west. On the first day, they marched nearly forty li and were expected to reach Feng'an Army in five days. Theoretically speaking, Bai Yuanguang could hold out for ten days or so by relying on his strong defenses.

The next morning, after walking a short distance, another report arrived from Feng'an Army, detailing the initial engagement with the enemy. Bai Yuanguang reported: "The enemy approached our fortifications and deployed their troops. The following day, they launched a Qiang and Hu attack on our fourth northern fortress. After half a day of fierce fighting, they could not get close to the walls, suffering one or two hundred casualties. It's a pity we couldn't take their heads. Our defenders only suffered seven dead and six wounded..."

Following this, Bai Yuanguang, drawing upon his extensive battlefield experience, offered some new assessments: "Judging from the enemy's banners, they number around 50,000. I previously estimated at most 40,000. After another day of fighting, I fear their numbers are mostly fabricated; even 40,000 would be insufficient. Moreover, most are Qiang and Hu, with very few genuine Tibetans. Even if the Qiang and Hu attack our fortress, they are unwilling to exert their full strength, only sending scouts eastward, seemingly to ascertain the movements of our reinforcements..."

During the afternoon break, while preparing lunch, Li Ji summoned all the generals and officials again, displayed the report, and said with a smile, "Ma Chongying is clearly waiting for me to go."

It is obvious that the number of the barbarian troops is not large and their quality is even worse—most of them are Qiang and Hu auxiliary troops. They captured Xinquan Shouzhuo in one fell swoop and advanced very quickly, but now they are fighting quite cautiously in front of Feng'an Army. They must have seen that the Tang army has made a prior judgment and is determined to hold their ground, so they are waiting for Li Ji to personally lead a large army to reinforce them so that the main force can fight a decisive battle.

The current problem is, since the barbarian army in front of Feng'an Army is very likely not the main force, then where is the main force? Where exactly is it waiting for me?

Xu Yu, the Left Wing Army Commander, said: "If Ma Chongying brings a large army, I fear that our army will abandon Feng'an Army and retreat to Hedong. In that case, they will have a long journey and will have difficulty in replenishing their supplies, making it inconvenient for them to penetrate deeper. That is why we sent tens of thousands of Qiang and Hu troops as the vanguard, so that I would think that Feng'an Army could barely hold out. Then the commander-in-chief will surely lead the main force to reinforce us, and we can wait for the commander-in-chief to arrive before his main army sets out again."

Xu Yu meant that the main force of the Tibetan army was not hiding; they were simply trailing far behind, waiting for us to pass before they would swarm us. The key point was that the area was bordered by the Yellow River on one side and the desert on the other. Tens of thousands of Tibetan troops could only be located west of Feng'an Army, about a day or two's journey away, and they couldn't find any other place to hide.

Therefore, Chen Lizhen suggested concentrating the cavalry from each camp and advancing swiftly to coordinate with the Tang soldiers in the various fortresses of Feng'an Army to defeat the barbarian invaders in one fell swoop—they were only about 30,000 Qiang and Hu soldiers, not difficult to defeat. When the vanguard was routed, even if the main barbarian force arrived, their morale would certainly be affected, and then the defense of Feng'an Army would be safe.

"And if I can kill Ma Chongying in battle, I, Tang Ke'an, will be at peace!" With that, he cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble general requests the order to cut off the head of the Ma bandit!"

Gao Ying smiled and said, "Since the main force is in the rear, perhaps only Ma Chongying's banner is in front of Feng'an Army, but he himself is not in the formation."

Wei Gao then offered a cautious strategy: "Since Ma Chongying is waiting for the commander to go, the commander can stop halfway. Our army can gradually reinforce Feng'an Army and see how the barbarian bandits respond. As long as Feng'an Army is not lost, the barbarian bandits are numerous and cannot hold out for long. They will eventually retreat. The commander can then pursue them and achieve a great victory."

Li Ji stroked his beard with his right hand, listening to the generals' discussion. He remained silent for a long time until Wei Gao finished speaking, then suddenly looked up and asked, "What did you just say?"

All the generals and officers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Ji shook his head and turned to Gao Ying: "I'm asking, what did Gong Chu just say?"

Gao Ying hesitated before replying, "I believe that if the enemy forces at Feng'an are not the main force of the barbarian army, then even if they raise a large banner, Ma Chongying may not necessarily be in the army..."

"If Ma Chongying is not at the front of Feng'an Army, then where is he?"

"It seems that the main force lagged behind the vanguard by one or two days, so that General Bai would not be able to find out."

Li Ji, with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth for a few steps before slowly asking, "I predicted that the barbarian army would not attack Dazhen Pass this autumn, but would instead come to plot against my Shuofang... I did not discuss this with you before informing the Imperial Envoy, Minister Jia, who then presented it directly to the Emperor. So, what do you think of my prediction? Is it right or wrong?"

All the generals were bewildered. Xu Yu hurriedly said, "The barbarian bandits have indeed broken through the defenses of Xinquan and are attacking Feng'an Army. It is clear that the commander's prediction was correct..."

It was the young Wei Gao who was quick-witted: "Does the commander mean that the attack on Feng'an Army is just a feint, and that no large army will follow up?"

Li Ji slammed his right fist into his left palm: "And there is absolutely no doubt that Ma Chongying is not among them!"

He then explained: “I transported grain and reinforcements from Mingsha and Lingzhou to Feng’an Army, which is much closer and more convenient than the barbarian bandits coming from Liang and Lan. If the barbarian bandits had an army of 100,000, why didn’t they come immediately and attack Feng’an Army instead of waiting for me to come to its rescue? If Feng’an Army does not fall, I will have nine-tenths of the geographical advantage, while the bandits will only have one-tenth. Even if an army of 200,000 came, I would not be afraid! And if the bandits only stay for one or two months, they will surely exhaust the reserves of Hexi and Longyou.”

"That's why I predicted that the barbarian bandits might send ten or twenty thousand elite cavalry to catch us off guard, seize Feng'an Army, or even approach Xiakou. But the ones who came today are not elite, and they are not attacking the fortifications with all their might... I'm afraid my prediction was wrong. Ma Chongying was just using a feint to tie down our Shuofang troops, while he actually went to attack elsewhere!"

All the generals and officers were shocked upon hearing this. Gao Ying hurriedly asked, "Could it be that the main force of the barbarian bandits is actually heading towards Dazhen Pass?" Chen Lizhen replied, "Perhaps they are just using offense as a substitute for defense to prevent our army from going to Liangzhou again. In fact, it is possible that the main force of the barbarian bandits is still heading towards Anxi and Beiting."

Li Ji hurriedly ordered someone to bring a map and spread it on the table. He then beckoned to the officers and generals, telling them not to stand on ceremony—"Everyone, come closer and let's study this together." So the officers gathered and examined it for a while. Wei Gao suddenly gasped in shock.

"What is Chengwu worried about?"

Wei Gao pointed: "The concern lies in Huining..."

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Ma Chongying launched a two-pronged attack on Huizhou. The main force, numbering 40,000, launched a fierce assault on Huining Pass. The southern force, consisting of 5,000 elite troops, marched out from the mountains north of Watingchuan to attack Pinggao. According to reports from spies, the Jingyuan Army had already divided its forces to defend various passes, leaving only less than 2,000 weak soldiers under the command of the deputy military governor Han Quanyi in Pinggao.

Ma Chongying was confident of victory in this battle. He believed that within ten days to half a month, he would be able to break through Huining Pass and reach the walls of Huining City, leaving the Tang Dynasty no time to react. He was certain that Huizhou was his, but whether he could launch a surprise attack on Yuanzhou, break through the surrounding passes, and cut off the north-south passage along the Weiru River, Hulu River, and all the way to Tanzheng Gorge depended entirely on the progress of the southern army.

However, this southern army, being a surprise force, naturally carried a high risk. If the advance did not go smoothly, or if Pinggao City could not be captured in a short period of time, the Tang Dynasty's troops from Jingyuan, Binning, and other places would likely encircle and annihilate the entire army, leaving not a single horse behind. Therefore, Ma Chongying, as the prime minister of the country, could not personally take the risk. He then entrusted the important task to Mangremelongqixibi, the military governor of Yemaochuan—who can be simply referred to as Mangre.

Mangre came from a family of military heroes in Tibet. He joined the army at a young age and fought in hundreds of battles, almost without a single defeat, earning the deep trust of Ma Chongying. Moreover, he was young, only in his early thirties, in the prime of his life when he was at his most energetic and vigorous—a general who was too cautious would not be suitable to be the commander of a surprise attack force.

The battle first broke out in the north, with Qilibuzang leading his army eastward from Liangzhou in an attempt to create the illusion that the main force was attacking Shuofang. Then, Shangjiexi from the south moved eastward from Weizhou, threatening key passes in Longzhou centered on Dazhen Pass—from north to south, namely Anrong Pass, Dazhen Pass, and Anyi Pass—disrupting the Tang court's deployment and keeping its reinforcements busy.

Meanwhile, Ma Chongying, Mang Re, and others also set off from Weizhou, marching eastward to a place called Jinjiyuan south of Huizhou, where they temporarily rested their troops and awaited an opportunity...

Chapter Sixteen, Before Huining Pass

Huining County is located on the east bank of the Yellow River. The county is mostly mountainous, but in its central part there is a gentle slope about 20 li wide from north to south and about 90 li long from east to west. Horses can gallop there in half a day and a night to reach Hechi, which is also a salt-producing area. The area around Hechi is treacherous and difficult to traverse, but not far to the east, the terrain opens up again and becomes flat, with a road leading directly to the Hulu River Valley, 80 li north of Pinggao City.

Because Huining City was located near the river, and the nearby section of the Yellow River had a rapid current that was almost impossible to cross, it was absolutely impossible to attack from the west. However, there was a mountain valley road to the south of Huining City. Traveling south for about 150 li, one would cross the border of Huizhou and reach Jinjiyuan directly—Huining Pass was located in the middle of this valley road.

The Qinling Mountains, Longdi Mountains, and hundreds of miles to the north actually belong to the plateau, but unlike the Tibetan heartland, the soil is relatively loose. Over millions of years, rivers and rainwater have carved out many deep ravines. Standing on the plateau and looking out, it seems like a flat plain, but there are countless cracks of light and shadow; and in the deep ravines, only loess walls can be seen, with a line reaching to the sky—this special terrain is called a plateau.

Jinjiyuan is quite special because its surrounding ravines are both deep and wide, as if a mountain peak suddenly rises from a relatively wide flat area, thus becoming the natural boundary between Huizhou and Weizhou. Its surrounding ravines are deep enough to garrison a large army.

Ma Chongying parted ways with Mang Re at Jinjiyuan, instructing him: "I will travel north along the valley from here, and in five days at most, I will reach Huining Pass. Wait for me to arrive at the pass and then set off eastward to take Yuanzhou. The terrain along the way is treacherous and uninhabited, so you must be careful—if it is not easy to break through the enemy lines, Yuanzhou will be easily obtained; but if the Tang people discover our army's movements in advance, I am afraid that it will be easy to leave but difficult to return."

Mang Re laughed heartily a few times, comforting Ma Chongying, "Don't worry, Da Lun. This plan, even if it can't be said to be perfect, has a 70-80% chance of success. The Tang people are misled by our weak defenses in the north and south, and will certainly not defend the central route. I predict that this attack on Yuanzhou will only be bumpy on the way, but not dangerous. We will be able to take Ping smoothly and approach Pinggao..."

Starting from Jinjiyuan, passing through the border between Hui and Yuan prefectures, and heading towards Pinggao, the seat of Yuan prefecture, there are basically no real roads, only small paths trodden by cattle and sheep in the mountains, or ravines between the plateaus, and they are winding and circuitous, requiring crossing three treacherous mountains along the way. Fortunately, Ma Chongying had planned ahead, not only secretly sending spies to thoroughly survey the surrounding terrain, but also recruiting more than a dozen local Qiang people as guides. Theoretically, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should take a maximum of eight days to reach Pinggao, which is only a dozen miles south of Pinggao city.