Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 193

"If you capture any Tang generals below Bai Xiaode, do not kill them or humiliate them. Wait for my return, and perhaps I can persuade them to surrender."

If I could recruit dozens of Tang generals from Anxi and Beiting, then taking over the Western Regions would be twice as effective with half the effort.

When he finally arrived at Shimen Pass, although the Tang family flags were still flying, the walls were clearly damaged in many places, and since they couldn't move any large stones, they could only temporarily use some gravel and bamboo to block the way. His subordinate came to report: "Our army has been attacking fiercely for four days, and the Tang people have defended very tenaciously. However, I estimate that they have less than a thousand soldiers, and nearly half of them have already been lost. They are about to be defeated. Now that the Grand Master has personally come to supervise the battle, I believe that the next round of attack will be able to break through the pass."

Ma Chongying asked, "Is there any news about Mang Re?"

"Nothing yet. The daily beacon fires are being used to send messages, but what they say is hard to determine."

Ma Chongying smiled: "No news is actually good news. If the attack on Pinggao had failed, Mangre would most likely have come to attack Shimen Pass from both sides, but he hasn't. This shows that Pinggao is already in my hands... or is about to fall into my hands." Then his expression turned serious: "However, Mangre's army is isolated and cannot last long. They urgently need my reinforcements. We must take this pass as soon as possible!" He paused, then asked again: "How heavy are our casualties?"

The general replied, "Because the Grand Commandant ordered an urgent attack on the city, he dispatched all of our elite troops and launched a fierce attack for four days, resulting in considerable casualties—fortunately, most of them were able to be saved, and the dead numbered no more than a hundred."

Ma Chongying said, "These past few days, we've traveled hundreds of miles, attacking cities and passes. I know you're all exhausted. Don't let your guard down. Quickly capture Shimen Pass, then we can rest and wait for the Tang reinforcements to arrive." He then ordered the soldiers to rest for an hour. After an hour, he would personally lead the capture of the pass.

So, after resting and accumulating strength, the Tibetan army launched a new attack while it was still early.

Where they stood, there was a high mountain called Mount Sumeru. The Shimen River flowed from west to east, cutting the mountain in two, north and south, like a stone gate. A pass was built beside the gorge, named Shimen Pass. Three miles east of the pass, the mountain leveled out, and five miles further on, there was a town called Shimen Town, a place where merchants and travelers from the west would rest.

Mang Re led his army on a swift march, encountering no obstacles along the way, and arrived smoothly at Shimen Town. However, although the town gates were wide open, upon entering, they found it deserted and uninhabited. Mang Re panicked and hurriedly kicked open a door to inspect the place himself. He found the house in disarray, with most of the furniture and belongings scattered about, and the stove still warm…

He couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "They must have all fled as soon as they heard I was coming."

After all, he had led 5,000 elite troops along this main road for several days, so it was highly unlikely that the surrounding residents were completely unaware. However, the people of Shimen Town had clearly only fled recently—at most one night—unlike before at Pinggao City, where the Tang people had taken precautions and evacuated the people and emptied the city of supplies. Therefore, even if the nearby town of Shimen had received the alarm, it had not yet had time to send troops to defend the east.

Furthermore, the mountain road is so narrow and the pass is not spacious enough to garrison at most two thousand troops. Unless our main force is still blocked like at Huining Pass, if we come from the east to attack the pass, how can the pass have any spare strength to defend against us?

Feeling reassured, he ordered his soldiers to collect the food left behind by the townspeople, have a hearty meal, rest for two hours, and then surge towards Shimen Pass.

From Shimen Town to the mountain pass, it was less than five li, which could be covered in an instant. However, as they were marching, the vanguard suddenly stopped. Just as Mang Re was about to ask what was going on, a subordinate came over and reported: "General, there is a deep trench dug in front of the mountain, and it will not be easy for the army to pass."

Mang Re said, "We can go back and get a door panel from the town to cross the moat." He had barely finished speaking when he was suddenly startled and hurriedly asked, "When was the moat dug?"

"The soil is still fresh; it will last at most two days."

Mang Re was somewhat alarmed. Although he tried to reassure himself that the garrison at Shimen Pass must have received news of our attack from behind—look, even the townspeople of Shimen have fled; surely they would warn the pass—it was understandable that they had hastily dug trenches to block the attack; it was a last resort. But looking around, to the north was the swiftly flowing Shimen River, to the west was the wide trench of the mountain pass, to the east was Shimen Town, and only to the south was a vast, flat plain…

It's just like a pocket!

While he was pondering this, he suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet, as if a thousand hooves were galloping. Almost simultaneously, the barbarian soldier who was about to go back to dismantle the door came to report: "The gate to Shimen Town is closed for some reason..."

Mang Re, eager to launch a pincer attack on Shimen Pass and escape the perilous situation, inadvertently made two mistakes: first, he failed to order anyone to remain and garrison Shimen Town; second, he failed to conduct a prior reconnaissance of the area around Shimen Pass. The main reason for his failure to raid Pinggao and his forced northward retreat was that his remaining provisions were dwindling, so he dared not eat freely. Having finally entered Shimen Town, he discovered that the townspeople had stored plenty of grain, so he allowed his soldiers to rest and eat their fill. After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, their blood drained from their organs, and their minds went blank…

After devising his plan, Li Ji personally rode to survey the terrain near Shimen Pass. He then ordered the forced relocation of all the inhabitants of Shimen Town to prevent them from being caught in the crossfire, and also ordered trenches to be dug at the mountain pass to block the enemy. Chen Lizhen believed that the barbarian army had little food and was about to empty the town of all supplies to prevent them from falling into enemy hands, but Li Ji smiled and shook his head:

“There is no treasury in the town; all the grain is stored in people’s homes. How can we empty it all in a short time? Moreover, the barbarian bandits have come in a panic. If they see neither people nor grain, they will know that our army is prepared and they will not easily fall into our trap again. If we hold the town, it will take more effort.”

The key point is that on the mountain ridge to the west of the road, there used to be a beacon tower, connecting Pinggao City and Shimen Pass. Although it had been mostly abandoned due to the lack of war, Wei Gao led his troops to repair it. They cut down trees, chopped grass, and piled up horse dung as fuel—the so-called beacon fire was said to use wolf dung, but even if they had prepared for years, it would have been impossible to collect a large amount of wolf dung. They kept an eye on the movements below the mountain and lit fires to warn of the enemy. Therefore, Li Ji could make a rough judgment about the movements of the barbarian army, mainly based on their speed and the time it took to arrive at the battlefield.

So the cavalry ambushed the left side of the road south of the pass, ready to strike at any opportune moment.

The trap set up by Li Ji, a strategy of waiting for the enemy to run into a trap, actually included Shimen Town as well. Although they left food to mislead the enemy, they couldn't be sure how long the Tibetan army would stay in the town or whether they would leave troops to defend it. But a moment in advance, they sent elite soldiers to scout inside. Seeing that the Tibetan army had all gone east, they naturally closed the town gates quickly.

Thus, to the north lies the Shimen River, to the west the Shimen Town, and to the east the wide moat below the Shimen Pass. Only the south is open, a smooth road, perfect for cavalry to gallop freely. It is conceivable that the barbarian army, which launched a surprise attack by sneaking through mountains and valleys, could not have ridden horses and must have been entirely infantry.

The warhorses galloped at speeds exceeding forty kilometers per hour, equivalent to nearly eighty li in Tang Dynasty feet—of course, in reality, it wouldn't take an hour, and even at full speed, it would only take twenty or thirty minutes at most—so the journey from their ambush location to the west of Shimen Town would only take about ten minutes. Ten minutes doesn't sound like a short time; in later times, it would be enough to leisurely smoke a cigarette. However, for thousands of soldiers to quickly change their formation into a battle column, change their facing direction from west to east, and organize into defensive formations, that little time was simply not enough.

Unless the enemy isn't the Tibetan army, but robots, and they need to be connected to a network...

Just as Mangre realized something was wrong and ordered his soldiers to turn around, before the order could even reach the lowest ranks, they saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance, and countless Tang cavalry surging towards them. Mangre was terrified—he had fallen into a trap! The Tang people were not only prepared, but they had also anticipated his arrival at Shimen Pass… Upon closer inspection, he saw the banners of the Shuofang army, and his mind went completely blank.

The fact that the Shuofang cavalry did not go to Lingzhou but instead headed south to Yuanzhou shows that the Tang people had already discovered Da Lun's strategy and had made a complete plan long ago!

As the Tang cavalry approached, they unleashed a volley of arrows, felling Tibetan soldiers before they could even raise their shields, further disrupting their ranks. The Tang cavalry then circled around on both flanks, aiming to completely encircle the Tibetan army, while the vanguard of several hundred abandoned their bows and charged straight in with their spears—the formation acting as a spearhead. A general in black armor and a dark cloak, like a black lightning bolt, instantly crashed into the Tibetan ranks.

It was Chen Lizhen, one of the top cavalry generals in Shuofang.

Li Ji did not charge ahead, but was surrounded by his guards, positioned slightly behind the center of the formation. Seeing Chen Lizhen had already entered the enemy ranks, he couldn't resist the urge to charge forward, but Yuan Jing'an grabbed his reins. Yuan Jing'an advised, "The commander-in-chief is the leader of the army; you must not act rashly."

Li Ji curled his lip: "The rebels are already in disarray, and their morale is surely low. Killing them now is nothing more than slaughtering chickens and dogs. What danger is there? Why can't I step forward?"

Yuan Jing'an replied without any politeness: "'A good rider falls from his horse, a good swimmer drowns, a good drinker gets drunk, and a good warrior dies in battle'—these are the words of your own words, General! We haven't even had the chance to kill the enemy yet, why should you compete for merit with a lowly soldier?"

Li Ji couldn't help but sigh, "If what you say is true, then my spear and mace are probably useless now..." He then glanced at Yuan Jing'an with a sly smile and asked him, "Do you want to go forward and kill the traitors to make a name for yourself?"

Yuan Jing'an hesitated for a moment before replying, "Of course I would like to, but I dare not ask... I fear that if we go, the commander will come forward again."

Li Ji waved his hand and said, "I swear, I'll just stay here and watch the battle, and I'll never go forward. Today's opportunity is rare, so I'll give you a favor and you can all go up and snatch a few heads."

Yuan Jing'an was overjoyed upon hearing this. Although the military commander's guards were honorable and received slightly more provisions than other troops, their primary mission was to protect the commander. Unless the commander was in danger, they had no chance to personally wield swords and spears to fight the enemy. However, he still kept to his duty and first asked Li Ji to send a separate battalion to protect him before leading more than a hundred cavalry guards into the battlefield.

Unfortunately, in that short delay, Chen Lizhen and the others had completely scattered the barbarian soldiers. The ensuing battle could be described as a massacre or a reaping... The five thousand men that Mang Re brought were all elite barbarian soldiers. Although they were in dire straits, their fighting spirit remained strong, and very few knelt down to beg for their lives. However, if the infantry did not form a strong formation, they would have been unable to withstand the charge of the cavalry. Moreover, in the chaos, they did not even have time to break formation...

Often, a dozen or so barbarian soldiers hastily formed small squads, making effective coordination difficult. The Tang cavalry would first open them up with a hail of arrows, followed by sword and spear attacks, maintaining a kill ratio of about ten to one. Many barbarian soldiers fled in terror, either falling into the earthen trenches in front of the pass and becoming prisoners, or leaping into the turbulent waters of Shimen River and perishing in the sea.

Just as victory seemed imminent, a soldier suddenly pointed and lit fireworks on the Shimen Pass, signaling that the pass was about to fall...

The garrison at Guanshang originally numbered only a few dozen soldiers. It was only after Ma Lin heard the alarm at Huining Pass that he urgently dispatched seven hundred garrison troops from Muxia Pass to assist in the defense, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances. Before their departure, Ma Lin instructed them, "The barbarian bandits did not come to the Liupan Passes, but instead attacked Huining, which is truly unexpected. The Anxi and Beiting military camps are few and weak, and I fear they cannot hold it. If Huining Pass falls, the barbarian bandits will most likely come east to attack our Yuanzhou..."

Because he hadn't anticipated a surprise attack from the mountains, he wasn't worried about Pinggao City for the time being. Instead, he was concerned that the force attacking Huining was also a feint, and that the main force of the barbarian bandits would wait until he neglected the defenses of the Liupan Passes before launching a frontal assault. As a result, he only allocated less than a thousand men to defend Shimen Pass.

The general who was given the order was somewhat worried and asked Ma Lin, "If the enemy launches a large-scale attack on Shimen Pass, I'm afraid this small force will not be able to hold it."

Ma Lin instructed, "Go to the pass. If you see the enemy coming in force, report to me immediately. If you can hold out for seven days, you will be credited, and I will send additional troops to assist you."

He could only rob Peter to pay Paul, transferring some troops from Zhisheng Pass to Longshan Pass, from Longshan Pass to Liupan Pass, from Liupan Pass to Muxia Pass... At the same time, he urgently sent envoys to Binning Town to request reinforcements.

Fengxiang is closer, but the soldiers there dare not move.

When they finally encountered the enemy at Shimen Pass, the defending general panicked upon seeing the endless barbarian army stretching across the mountains. He immediately dispatched a fast horse to Ma Lin for help. Fortunately, soon after, soldiers from Shuofang arrived, informing my commander Li of his complete plans…

Chapter Twenty-One: A Sudden Change in the Situation

Knowing that thousands of elite cavalry from Shuofang were responding from behind, the defenders of Shimen Pass were determined to fight, which is why they were able to hold out for four days without retreating.

But manpower is finite, and Shimen Pass was not very fortified—it stood as a roadblock without any advantage of high ground, and had been abandoned for a long time, with many breaches in the earthen walls and insufficient repair supplies. Then, the Tibetan army arrived, rested for only one day, and disregarding the lack of powerful siege equipment, relentlessly attacked the pass, risking lives to pave the way. As a result, the defending troops suffered heavy casualties and became extremely exhausted, finally unable to hold out any longer.

After Ma Chongying arrived at the front line, his offensive was more intense than in the previous days. Finally, many Tibetan soldiers managed to breach the wall through the collapsed gaps. Seeing that there was no way to turn the tide, the defending general lit the beacon fire to indicate that the city was about to fall.

The fighting was still raging behind the pass and had not yet ended, but Li Ji still ordered the flags to be waved, instructing those on the pass: Retreat, don't panic, let the enemy go down to Ping.

He immediately ordered men to dismantle door panels from Shimen Town, construct trenches, and facilitate the garrison's retreat out of the mountains. At the same time, he commanded: "Quickly annihilate the bandits; those who do not surrender will be killed!"

The Shuofang cavalry formed several square formations, using arrows to shoot from afar and spears to pick off enemy soldiers up close, speeding up the clearing process and forcing the remaining Tibetan troops step by step toward Shimen River. In less than a quarter of an hour, the Shimen garrison withdrew—the seriously wounded or those with leg injuries had to give up, and in the end, less than four hundred men retreated outside the mountains.

The barbarian army pursued closely, but as soon as they emerged from the mountain pass, they saw more than a dozen cavalry units standing ready, their warhorses snorting and hooves puffing, poised to charge at any moment...

As Ma Chongying rode his horse into Shimen Pass, it was dusk, and the fiery sunset bathed him. He felt an immense sense of peace and satisfaction—this battle was his for the taking! With Huizhou fallen and Shimen Pass now breached, he could even hope to inflict a heavy blow on the Tang reinforcements near Yuanzhou. He had no doubt that after this battle, the Tang would actively seek peace…

No, the Tang Emperor still cares about his reputation and may not be willing to send someone voluntarily. I should send someone myself, with a slightly more humble tone, just to reach a peace agreement as soon as possible. Although I hope to use Longdi as the boundary, I previously considered that if the Tang Emperor agreed to cede Anxi and Beiting to our territory, we could make some concessions on the eastern border. After this battle, we can focus all our efforts on attacking the Western Regions, and there will be no need for the Tang Emperor to cede territory. Although it will be a little more difficult to take it ourselves, it will be enough to boost the morale of the army and the people.

He dismounted and climbed the gate. Looking west, he saw winding, endless mountain roads. His Tibetan vanguard had already broken through the pass, but more than a thousand rear guard troops were still stuck dozens of miles away. If the Tang had been prepared, repairing the pass beforehand, preparing bows and arrows and weapons, and stationing thousands of elite troops there, even if he had committed all his main forces, he would have had a hard time taking it. And even if he had, how many soldiers would he have lost?

The Tang people were adept at defending strategic passes, such as the Liupan Pass, where they repeatedly suffered defeats in direct confrontations. This time, if it weren't for the surprise attack and the two feints... well, the southern route failed—if I hadn't launched a swift attack, how could Huining Pass and Shimen Pass have been captured so easily?

A smile crept across his face. He turned his head and looked eastward again. Immediately, Ma Chongying felt a chill run down his spine and up to the top of his head!

From Shimen Pass to the mountain pass, it was only a three-mile journey. Standing on the pass, one could see the plains in the distance. Beyond the mountains, banners fluttered and cavalrymen roamed freely... Ma Chongying knew that those who had crossed the pass earlier were all infantry, with very few cavalry generals. So where did all these cavalrymen come from?

Mang Re will come to the rescue after capturing Pinggao City? Impossible. Even in the entire Yuanzhou, it's unlikely that there would be enough usable warhorses!

Immediately following was an urgent report: "Our troops encountered the enemy at the mountain pass. The enemy, consisting mostly of cavalry, charged forward at breakneck speed, throwing our troops into chaos and forcing us to retreat back to the mountain path..."

Ma Chongying glared at him: "Can you tell where this flag is from?"

"It's the Shuofang Army!"

Ma Chongying immediately felt a darkness engulf his vision...

In fact, at this time, the force that intercepted and killed the barbarian soldiers in front of the mountain was not only the four thousand elite cavalry from Shuofang, but also the more than one thousand Shence Right Army soldiers who were originally stationed in Baiquan, whom Han Quanyi had temporarily invited.

Xing Junya originally did not intend to act rashly. Firstly, he had no imperial orders, and secondly, with only 1,500 soldiers, he was afraid it would be difficult to rescue Huizhou. If the number of barbarian bandits was small, the Anxi and Beiting military camps could hold Huining Pass without him having to go out. But if the number of bandits was large, even 5,000 or 6,000 soldiers in the military camp would not be able to defeat them. Since he was unfamiliar with the area, wouldn't he just be throwing his life away?

Han Quanyi repeatedly pleaded, saying, "Please go first, and I believe Ma Zhenxi will soon send reinforcements... If all else fails, if Huizhou cannot be defended, Yuanzhou will be attacked. There are not many garrison troops in Pinggao City. If you can help defend Pinggao and Shimen Pass, you can also achieve great merit."

Although the two had never met, they both came from the Northern Army, which was now considered their most prestigious resume. No matter which army you joined first or how long you fought in battles, as long as you could gain experience in the Northern Army, even if it was only for a month or two, you could talk about it when you went out. Of course, those who couldn't have it would say sour grapes: "Was it really so glorious to have served under a eunuch?" Since there was already some incense smoke, Xing Junya couldn't refuse Han Quanyi's request too much, so he finally agreed, saying that as long as Yuanzhou provided the funds for the troop deployment, he would help defend Pinggao for a month or two without any problem.

But once they entered Pinggao City, Duan Xiushi greeted them and informed them of the barbarian bandits' surprise attack and Li Ji's scheme. Xing Junya couldn't stay any longer—"Commander Li is our senior. Since we are destined to be in Tongzhou, how can we not go and pay him a visit?"

Actually, he was almost ten years older than Li Ji... Regardless, Li Ji entered the Northern Army first, so he was undoubtedly the senior!

In fact, Xing Junya wanted to take advantage of the situation and claim credit. Since he knew that Li Ji was leading several thousand elite cavalry from Shuofang here, even if the barbarian bandits captured Huizhou or even broke through Shimen Pass, they would not dare to underestimate Yuanzhou. They would most likely be forced to fight. How could he let such a low-risk, high-reward battle pass him by? What was the point of merely helping to defend Pinggao?

Thus, a signal fire was lit beforehand to inform the enemy, and then Xing Junya led his troops north out of Pinggao City—not far from the Tibetan army led by Mang Re. Li Ji ordered the signal fire to be used to send a message, instructing Xing Junya to slow down and not to alert the enemy. Only after Mang Re stepped into the trap was it announced that it was safe to proceed, and that Xing Junya should hurry, perhaps still able to catch up with the enemy.

In truth, if the goal was merely to wipe out Mang Re's forces, Li Ji's four thousand Shuofang cavalry would have been sufficient. Even if Xing Junya pursued them relentlessly, he would likely only be able to mop up the battlefield. However, Shimen Pass fell at this very moment, and the main force of the Tubo army pursued the defenders, breaking through the mountain pass. The Shuofang cavalry had only just begun their charge when the Shence Right Army arrived, setting up their ranks and filling the gap left by the Shuofang forces.

Upon hearing the news at Shimen Pass, Ma Chongying nearly collapsed, then cried out in anguish, "General Mangre is likely already trapped by the enemy!" Since the Shuofang army was able to reach this place, it must be a leak of military secrets, or the Tang people have guessed my entire plan. What good can come of that surprise attack force that slipped out of the plateau? Unless they see the situation turning against them and retreat, but given Mangre's temperament, he most likely won't...

Seeing that it was getting dark and there was no way to break through the mountain pass, he had no choice but to order the entire army to retreat to the vicinity of Shimen Pass—the Tang army did not pursue them.

As night fell, a patrolman helped Mang Re, who was soaking wet and had a face as pale as paper, to see Ma Chongying. Upon seeing him, Mang Re collapsed to the ground in tears, claiming that he had been forced by the Tang army and refused to be taken prisoner or have his head taken by the Tang people. So he took off his armor and jumped into the Shimen River to commit suicide.

Actually, if you really want to commit suicide by drowning, it's best to wear heavy armor so you sink to the bottom and can't easily float back up...

Mang Reshi was a skilled swimmer, and he managed to swim against the current, struggling upstream until he reached the valley before finally climbing ashore. There were more than a dozen other Tibetan soldiers who escaped with their lives in this way; the rest were presumably already dead.

Five thousand elite troops were wiped out!

After inquiring about the whole story, Ma Chongying first beat his chest in frustration, then comforted Mang Re with kind words, saying, "General, although you also made mistakes due to your haste and oversight, I was the one who devised the plan, and I must bear the main responsibility." After ordering his soldiers to help Mang Re down to rest, he pondered deeply all night. Early the next morning, he ordered his men to sneak out of the mountain pass to observe the enemy's situation.

Scouts reported that there was no one left outside the mountains; the main Tang army had retreated to camp five miles to the south, and another Tang army unit, bearing the banner of the Shence Right Army, had entered Shimen Town. Ma Chongying couldn't help but smile bitterly, "The enemy refuses to advance; what can I do..."

If the Tang army, emboldened by their victory and in high spirits, were to storm into the valley in an attempt to recapture Shimen Pass and recover Huizhou, then the battle would still be long. But now they have simply left the flat land in front of the mountain open, waiting for me to come out—I am not so foolish as to go down to the flat land and repeat the mistakes of Mang Re—then this battle can be considered over.

So he stayed for a day and ordered the repair of Shimen Pass. He then left a thousand soldiers to guard it. Ma Chongying led the army westward. When he arrived at Hechi, he received a report that Huining City had been captured.

Previously, Wang Tongzhi and others, officers of the Anxi and Beiting military camps, conspired to surrender the city to the Tibetans. After agreeing on a date, they set fires and created chaos in the night, causing widespread disorder within the city. The Tibetan army seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack and scale the city walls. Bai Xiaode fought desperately, and although he personally killed Wang Tongzhi with an arrow, he was ultimately forced to abandon the city. Leading over a thousand remaining soldiers, he barely managed to fight his way out and escape to Ulan.

Ma Chongying breathed a sigh of relief—this meant he had captured Huizhou, and although he had lost 5,000 elite troops, he could at least make up for his losses upon returning to Luoxie and give a passable account to the chieftains. His biggest worry was that the morale of the Anxi and Beiting armies would soar upon hearing that Tang troops from Shuofang and other places were coming to their aid, while he himself had to guard against the Tang army coming from the west. He truly couldn't focus all his efforts on attacking Huining City in the short term, and if the situation dragged on, it might change.

Little did he know that the nightmare had only just begun...

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Li Ji annihilated 5,000 Tibetan troops behind Shimen Pass on the eighth day of the tenth month. Two days later, Ma Lin led several thousand Jingyuan troops to the scene and immediately broke into the valley to launch a fierce attack on Shimen Pass.

If Ma Lin hadn't come, Li Ji would never have dared to attack the pass—how could we waste our elite cavalry from Shuofang? But he was also puzzled as to why Ma Lin had arrived so quickly, and with such a large number of troops—had you abandoned the Liupan Pass?

Ma Lin told him, "We just received a message from Fengxiang that the barbarian bandits originally intended to gather a large army from Longyou to attack Dazhen Pass, but due to the rebellion of the Qiang and Hu tribes, they were forced to pursue and annihilate them at Niaoshutongxue Mountain and could not arrive in time..."

Judging by the time, even if the southern barbarian bandits quell the rebellious Qiang and Hu tribes and launch another attack, it will still take more than ten days for them to arrive. I have the opportunity to temporarily withdraw some of the garrison troops from various passes to take over Shimen Pass—Shimen Pass is the northeastern shield of my Yuanzhou, how can it be allowed to fall into enemy hands for long? Moreover, urgent reports have already been sent to Binning, Fufang, and even Chang'an. In just ten or fifteen days, reinforcements should arrive.

The Tang army launched a fierce attack on Shimen Pass, while Ma Chongying's troops were stationed near Hechi. Upon receiving the news, he was considering whether to engage the Tang army in a fierce battle near Shimen Pass, or to temporarily abandon the pass and let them enter Pingyuan before fighting again. Suddenly, an urgent report arrived: Jinjiyuan had been attacked!

Jinjiyuan was Ma Chongying's forward base for attacking Huizhou. The garrison there was small, only two or three thousand old and weak soldiers, with five thousand bushels of grain stored there for unforeseen circumstances—because Huizhou was barren, and if the war dragged on, supplies would have to be transported from other prefectures. Originally, according to the plan, Shang Jiexi would lead a force to launch a feigned attack on the passes of Liupan, making Jinjiyuan a safe rear base where they would not encounter the enemy. Therefore, Ma Chongying had no concerns, and the garrison was not particularly vigilant.

Unexpectedly, Shang Jiexi changed course at the last minute, heading west to suppress the rebellious Qiang and Hu tribes. Although Ma Chongying had been worried about Jinjiyuan, he was busy capturing Shimen Pass and did not send reinforcements for the time being, only ordering the garrison to be on high alert. Unexpectedly, after Li Sheng broke through Liupan Mountain, he advanced hundreds of miles west, assessed the situation, and surprisingly headed north from Longxi Straight Road, directly attacking Jinjiyuan. The battle lasted only half a day; the Tibetan garrison, caught off guard, collapsed immediately. Li Sheng then set fire to the camp and grain stores, burning them all to the ground.

Upon hearing the news, Ma Chongying could not help but stamp his feet and sigh, filled with regret.

Huizhou is barren, and the grain reserves in Huining City are also not much. Although there is the salt from Hechi, it is not enough to fill their stomachs. So, when his tens of thousands of troops entered the city, the Tang people cut off their retreat. Once the food ran out, there was a risk of the entire army being wiped out!

In particular, the troops left behind at Jinjiyuan were caught off guard and quickly collapsed. They couldn't even tell how many Tang troops had come. The remnants who fled to Huizhou lied to cover up the truth, claiming that there were tens of thousands of troops all over the mountains and plains. As a result, all the generals were afraid and advised Ma Chongying that it would be better to withdraw the troops as soon as possible.

Left with no other choice, Ma Chongying disregarded Shimen Pass and hastily retreated to Huining Pass, then headed south to Jinjiyuan. Upon arrival, he found only scorched earth and corpses, with not a single Tang soldier in sight—Li Sheng's forces ultimately numbered only a thousand cavalrymen. Having narrowly escaped with their victory, they dared not linger. They had already retreated back to Liupanshan.

Almost simultaneously, after several days of fierce attacks, the Tang army recaptured Shimen Pass. Li Ji and Ma Lin, leading a combined force, surged eastward towards Huining City. Passing through Hechi, they saw that the wooden huts where the salt workers had lived were all burned to the ground, with several severed heads hanging from the charred beams—

Before leaving, Ma Chongying had ordered the execution of all the salt supervisors in Hechi and the binding of the salt workers to be taken back to Tibet in order to undermine the productivity of the Tang people.

Li Ji's eyes widened in fury as he roared, "The Tibetan traitors are brutal, and Ma Chongying is hateful. I will take his head one day!" Since they had successively annihilated Mang Re's forces and recovered Shimen Pass, capturing no less than a thousand prisoners, they could naturally extract information from the prisoners about the Tibetans' overall plans and who their general was.

Li Ji wanted to speed up and give chase, hoping to catch up with and kill Ma Chongying, but Ma Lin stopped him. Ma Lin said, "The main force of the barbarian bandits is not yet lost. If they are like cornered rats devouring a fox, I'm afraid our two armies, with only ten thousand men, will find it difficult to break through..." He didn't finish his sentence—"If you rush in rashly, you might turn victory into defeat!"

Then he sighed and said, "From now on, I'm afraid Huizhou will no longer belong to me..."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Remaining Strength Can Be Acquired

Although Huizhou was a salient in the Tang Dynasty's defense line, its terrain was originally advantageous to the Tang: to the east were high mountains and the Yellow River, making it difficult for large armies to pass; only to the north was it barely passable, leading to Shuofang, while to the south was Huining Pass and to the west was Shimen Pass. Therefore, if the barbarian army could not gain a firm advantage in battle, it would not dare to stay in Huizhou for long and would have to retreat—even without Li Sheng's surprise attack, it is estimated that Ma Chongying would have had to go through a lot of painstaking planning to have any chance of actually taking over this land.

However, the Tang people originally relied on the geographical advantage and the nearly ten thousand people within the prefecture, as well as the salt produced by Hechi, to barely maintain a force of five or six thousand soldiers to garrison the Anxi and Beiting regions. Now, with the barbarian invasion, most of the people have fled, fields have been trampled, and productivity has been severely damaged. Even the salt workers from Hechi have been captured. Coupled with the treacherous and difficult transportation routes, maintaining a force of fifty thousand soldiers for an extended period is simply too costly!

Moreover, precisely because Huizhou is barren, other armies are unwilling to come, so the Anxi and Beiting military camps have been ordered to come. Now that the military camps have been decimated, how can they be defended?

Li Ji pointed around with his whip and asked Ma Lin, "The terrain in the heart of Huizhou is quite flat, so why are there so few fields and households?"

Ma Lin smiled and said, "Because there is a river and pond in the middle, the land is mostly saline and alkaline, and not suitable for cultivation."

Li Ji slapped his forehead, thinking to himself, "I've made a foolish mistake..." He then sighed, "It's truly a dilemma. But if I don't defend it, the barbarian bandits will retreat, but they will come back. Shimen Pass is not as strategically important as the passes of Liupan, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to stop the bandits' advance."

Ma Lin shook his head: "This is beyond our control. Let's see how the court arranges it."

The army advanced steadily, gradually pressuring the Tibetan troops until it recaptured Huining City and Huining Pass. At this time, Shang Jiexi finally quelled the rebellious Qiang and Hu tribes, killing tens of thousands of people. Upon hearing the bad news, he was unwilling to accept defeat and attempted to retake Huining Pass and Huizhou, but the Tang army held firm and could not advance an inch for seven days.