Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 205

After Jinshan's death, his son Zhuxie Fuguo succeeded him, and was granted the title of Prince of Yongshou. After Fuguo's death, his son Zhuxie Guduzhi succeeded him. Because the Uyghurs submitted to the Tang Dynasty, he was appointed as the Deputy Protector-General of the Uyghurs. When the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, Guduzhi led his troops to follow the Anxi and Beiting military expeditions eastward to defend the emperor. Emperor Suzong of Tang appointed him as a Special Envoy and General of the Valiant Guard.

Jian Dao had naturally heard of the Shatuo tribe, so he asked, "Isn't your lord... the Governor of Manchuria, the General of the Valiant Guard, whose name is Guduzhi?"

Zhu Xie Jinzhong's face darkened: "You are referring to my father, who passed away last year..."

The Shatuo tribe lived in the area around Lake Pulei, which was within the territory of Yizhou. Yizhou was under the jurisdiction of the Beiting Jiedushi. Therefore, Zhu Xie Guduzhi helped Li Yuanzhong fight against the invading Tubo. Last autumn, due to months of hard work, he caught a cold and died. He bequeathed his throne to his son Jinzhong.

Knowing that he had encountered the Shatuo tribe, and that the Shatuo tribe, as he had heard before his arrival, still respected the Tang dynasty and had not surrendered to Tibet, Jian Dao felt greatly relieved. Immediately, Zhu Xie Jinzhong ordered cattle and sheep to be slaughtered and a banquet to be prepared to entertain Jian Dao and his party. He personally drank with Jian Dao and, during the meal, asked:

"Sir, you are writing to Commander Li of Beiting on behalf of Grand Commandant Li. But do you know which Grand Commandant Li is? My late father once led troops east to defend the emperor. When he returned, he told me that the Grand Commandant Li of the central court was named Guangbi, but there were rumors that he had passed away—is he still alive? Last year, Li Shuofang sent Ma Congshi to Beiting, saying that he was preparing his troops and horses, intending to recover Hexi. I wonder how well the preparations are going today?"

Ultimately, the journey was long and arduous, and the Tibetans had cut off the central route and blocked news, so Zhu Xiejinzhong and others were extremely slow to understand the situation in the East. In fact, if Li Ji hadn't sent Ma Meng to detour through the Uyghurs and make a trip to Beiting two years ago, Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong wouldn't even know the latest "Dali" reign title, and their daily official documents would still be marked "Yongtai Fourth Year"...

Jian Dao replied with a smile: "My lord, Grand Commandant Li, is none other than Li Shuofang, who wrote to me the year before last. Not long after Ma, the subordinate official, returned, the barbarian bandits invaded Huizhou and Yuanzhou, but were driven away by my lord. Taking advantage of the victory, he pursued them and recovered Liangzhou. Soon after, His Majesty transferred my lord to the position of Military Governor of Hexi and appointed him Grand Commandant. Last year, he again defeated the bandits at Zhangye and recovered Ganzhou..."

After hearing a brief account of the events leading up to this, Zhu Xie Jinzhong became increasingly excited and delighted.

Because the Tibetan Empire was powerful and invaded year after year, and the Tang armies in Anxi and Beiting were cut off from their homeland, they could only defend themselves and had no power to retaliate. As a result, many of the Hu tribes that had submitted to the Tang Dynasty turned to the Tibetan Empire or remained neutral for the time being. Among them, within the Beiting territory, probably only the Shatuo tribe was still willing to fight for the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, before his death, Guduzhi instructed his son: "My family has been subjects of the Tang Dynasty for generations and has received great favor from the Emperor. We must never betray him. There are grasslands everywhere, but there is only one Emperor. If you are forced by the Tibetan bandits, you should rather lead your entire clan to flee far away than surrender to the Tibetans!"

Zhu Xie, of course, agreed with tears in his eyes, but after his father breathed his last and he ascended to the throne as clan leader and governor of Jinmanzhou, he couldn't help but start calculating his own plans. The old man had said, "Grasslands are everywhere," but Puleihai was a unique place in the entire world! Dozens of miles of shimmering blue waters, surrounded by lush vegetation, were unparalleled not only in Yizhou but throughout the entire Beiting region. Who could bear to give it up?

Indeed, the world is vast and grasslands are everywhere, but such good places by the lake are really rare, and even if there are any, they have long been occupied by others. How could it be the turn of other tribes that have moved here?

Zhu Xiejinzhong inevitably had some crooked thoughts. He thought to himself, "As long as Tibet still allows my tribe to graze around Lake Pulei, what's wrong with surrendering to Tibet?"

However, he had fought alongside his father against the Tang army in Beiting on numerous occasions, and had many friends. He was emotionally inclined towards the Tang Dynasty, and unless absolutely necessary, and Beiting was no longer defensible, he would never make the decision to contact Tibet. This inner conflict caused him great anxiety, and today, upon hearing that the Tang army had already recovered Liangzhou and Ganzhou, they were not far from Yizhou!

Oh, actually there's still more than a thousand li to go... But if we start from Liangzhou, we can say that the westward expedition to recover lost territory has already been almost halfway done without us even realizing it.

"It is infuriating that the barbarian traitors have blocked the news, preventing the various tribes of the Western Regions from knowing about the return of Liang and Gan prefectures to Tang. If this news can be spread throughout the three prefectures and four garrisons, it will surely stabilize the people's hearts, and the various tribes may be able to unite to resist the barbarians!"

Zhu Xie Jinzhong was most pleased with this. If this good news could be used to bring many hesitant tribes back to the Tang camp and turn some of the tribes that had submitted to the Tang into fence-sitters, then the Shatuo would no longer need to fight alone.

So he inquired in detail about the inner workings of the Hexi army—the secret letter hidden in the hair bun contained very little information, mainly just to prove the envoy's identity—but Jian Dao was wary and only revealed 40%, refusing to divulge the whole story—who knows if you might turn around and sell the information to the barbarians? In fact, if the other party were an enemy, a mere flick of the whip, without any actual torture, would likely be enough for him to confess everything he knew and didn't know; but if the other party were his own people, he dared not give them too much information.

Because no matter what, the Hu tribe is the Hu tribe, and Zhu Xie, though loyal, is ultimately not a Tang person.

Although Zhu Xie Jinzhong was young, he was shrewd. Seeing this, he was neither angry nor pointed it out. He simply said to Jian Dao, "Sir, please rest in my army for a day or two. I still have some things to do. After I finish, I will personally escort you to Jinman to see Commander Li."

So what are the Shatuo tribe busy with here? Zhu Xie Jinzhong didn't hide anything from Jian Dao and explained, "Yiwu is difficult to defend, so we are going to abandon it."

Last year, the Tibetan army marched north and nearly breached the walls of Yiwu. Beiting lacked sufficient manpower and resources to repair them, and if another battle were to break out this autumn, it would likely fall. Therefore, Li Yuanzhong ordered all the Tang people in Yizhou to be relocated to Tingzhou, leaving only a thousand soldiers in Yiwu. This would allow them to defend the city if possible, and facilitate their evacuation if necessary.

The Shatuo tribe was thus ordered to come and escort the Tang people and their supplies northward.

Jian Dao asked Zhu Xie Jinzhong, "How many people are in your department?"

Zhu Xie Jinzhong stiffened his neck and proudly replied, "I have 30,000 troops, 30,000 victorious soldiers!"

—The term "luo" used by nomadic peoples is equivalent to "tent" or "household". 30,000 luo equals 30,000 households. As for "victorious soldiers", it does not refer to elite soldiers capable of fighting, but only to military service. Nomadic peoples are all capable of fighting, and basically each household can provide one horse.

Of course, people have their courage and their cowardice, and horses have their good and bad. It is impossible for all 30,000 cavalry to go into battle. Under normal circumstances, 70% of them, including the old and weak, will be left to guard the troops. At most, 10,000 cavalry will actually go into battle.

Even so, they were still considered a large tribe—most of the Qiang and Hu tribes in Liang and Gan prefectures were small tribes with only a few thousand to less than ten thousand people, and even the Hun tribe in Ling prefecture didn't reach thirty thousand tents. That's why Zhu Xie Jinzhong showed such pride.

Jian Dao, a merchant by trade, was adept at social maneuvering. He quickly offered a few flattering words, which made Zhu Xie Jinzhong beam with a smile. But then Jian Dao changed the subject, asking, "In recent years, many barbarian bandits have sent their main forces westward to attack our Longxi region, so the forces originating from the Western Regions must be few. I've heard that Anxi and Beiting still have over ten thousand troops, plus your thirty thousand victorious soldiers. Are you still not enough to defeat them? Why then do you abandon Yiwu?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xie Jinzhong couldn't help but sigh softly, "Sir, you are unaware of something..."

Since the northern expedition from the plateau, the roads have been difficult to traverse. Indeed, the number of Tibetan troops invading each time was not large, but the problems were: First, the Tang armies in Anxi and Beiting were cut off from the mainland, resulting in a shortage of supplies. They could only defend the cities and dared not easily go out to fight in the open field. Guo Xin was forced to fight the Tibetan army in the open field a few times. Although he won more battles than he lost, the Tibetans had reinforcements while the Tang army did not, and as a result, he lost Khotan.

Secondly, because the Tang army mainly adopted a defensive posture, the Tibetan troops roamed freely in the surrounding areas, forcing many Hu tribes to surrender and become Tibetan vassal armies. And with these vassal armies added, the number of Tibetan troops was not just twenty or thirty thousand.

Third, to the north, there are the Turgesh and Karluks, who frequently coordinate with the Tibetans to launch offensives...

"To tell you the truth, sir, if Grand Commandant Li cannot send troops westward as soon as possible to open up the road and support Anxi and Beiting, I fear that this beautiful land will fall into the hands of the barbarian bandits... Or, if the Tang army is defeated, the Uyghurs may come south and annex it, who knows?"

"Then what if things get urgent, what will your department do?"

Zhu Xie Jinzhong could not say, "Then I'll just surrender to the barbarians," so he could only show a regretful expression and say, "The only option is to go north and join the Uyghurs."

Jian Dao hurriedly said, "Please hold on for another two or three years, and the Grand Commandant's army will surely arrive!" He then began a long-winded boast about Li Ji's martial prowess: suppressing the An Lushan Rebellion, pacifying the various vassal states in Hebei, taking Liang and Gan prefectures, killing Zhou Zhiguang, forcing Tian Chengsi to surrender, defeating Mang Re, and driving away Qi Libu Zang... It was as if all the major battles fought by the Tang family in the past ten years had been commanded by that Grand Commandant Li, and there had only been great victories, never draws, let alone defeats. Zhu Xie, deeply impressed by his loyalty, finally asked, "When my father returned, he said that the only great generals of the Tang family were Minister Guo and Grand Commandant Li... He was referring to the Grand Commandant Li of the past. I wonder how the Grand Commandant Li of today compares to him?"

Jian Dao laughed and said, "The late Grand Commandant has passed away, and Minister Guo is old. My Grand Commandant is in his prime, able to ride a spirited horse, wield a large spear, and draw a powerful bow with a seven-pound weight. No one in the world can rival him. Even Ma Chongying, the great minister of Tibet, was once chased by my Grand Commandant's light cavalry and almost died."

Zhu Xie Jinzhong couldn't help but look eastward and sigh, "If I could see such a hero in this life, my death would not have been in vain!"

Three days later, the matter was finally concluded. Zhu Xie Jinzhong led his troops back to the Puleihai area and then accompanied Jian Dao westward to Tingzhou.

The seat of Tingzhou, which was also the location of the Beiting Jiedushi (military governor), had been moved several times before finally settling in Jinman. Although the Zhu Xie clan held the hereditary position of governor of Jinmanzhou, they had long since lost control of the affairs of this tributary prefecture. The current Beiting Jiedushi was actually concurrently held by Ma Lin, the Anxi Jiedushi—hence the nickname Ma Zhenxi—and Li Yuanzhong was only the deputy Jiedushi. However, Zhu Xie Jinzhong and others still habitually referred to him as "Commander Li" and did not mention his "deputy" status.

Li Yuanzhong had already received the news and immediately prepared a grand procession to welcome Jian Dao and his entourage. However, Jian Dao looked around and could see that most of the equipment of this Hanhai Army was old and shabby, and their weapons were also lacking. He thought that the Yiwu Army in Yizhou and the Tianshan Army in Xizhou must be even worse off...

Hearing that Li Ji had been appointed Grand Commandant, Li Yuanzhong felt a pang of bitterness. He thought to himself, "Back in Longyou, he was just a naive young man who needed my constant guidance! If I hadn't been ordered to the western garrison and had stayed in the Central Plains, I would have easily obtained a garrison post. Even if I didn't become Grand Commandant, I would at least be a third-rank official. Unlike now, I've survived countless battles, yet I still wear a scarlet robe..."

Fortunately, he hadn't dared to underestimate Li Ji ten years ago—mainly because Li Ji was a confidant of Prince Qi, Li Tan—and they got along quite well. He couldn't help but sigh, "I knew back then that Li Changwei would rise to prominence by attaching himself to the emperor, and indeed I was right!"

He also inquired in detail about the situation in Hexi Town from Jian Dao. This time, Jian Dao no longer concealed anything, and told him everything he knew, even embellishing the story and adding more details—something Li Ji had instructed him to do before coming. He also revealed that the Grand Commandant planned to attack Suzhou this year, and if the war went smoothly, they might be able to reach Yumen Pass directly…

"However, the barbarian bandits suffered a defeat in their invasion of Longxi last year and are now on the defensive. They may concentrate their main force in Su and Gua prefectures, or they may launch a surprise attack on Anxi and Beiting. The Grand Commandant sent me to convey this message to Commander Li: 'Do not become complacent because strong reinforcements are on the way. Even the halfway point of a journey of a hundred li may be the hardest, and the effort may be in vain.'"

Li Yuanzhong nodded and said, “That’s exactly what I was thinking. If I hadn’t heard about the situation in the Central Plains last year, I might have held firm in each city, refusing to retreat even a step; but now that I hear reinforcements are coming, I’ve first moved the Tang people from Yizhou. If the enemy attacks too hard, I’ll abandon Yiwu, consolidate my forces, and focus on defending the Zheluomanshan line…”

Zheluoman Mountain is located north of Yiwu City and south of Lake Pulei, but the actual garrison of the Beiting Yiwu army is not in Yiwu City, but north of Lake Pulei. Abandoning Yiwu would open a major road, allowing the Tibetan army to advance directly towards Tingzhou. However, if the Yiwu army and the main force of the Shatuo tribe could be deployed along the mountain, they could contain the Tibetan army from the flank, slowing down the intensity and speed of their advance on Beiting.

So, with autumn approaching, what are the plans of the Tibetan side?

The nine newly appointed Chancellors of the State Council convened to discuss the matter and unanimously agreed that they should not attack Longyou this autumn, but instead adopt a defensive posture along the Tao River.

This was because years of eastern expeditions had not only failed to gain an inch of territory, but had instead resulted in heavy losses as the Tang forces pushed them back. This led to a shortage of supplies within Tibet, low morale, and a growing sense of war-weariness among the people. Theoretically, Tibet should have withdrawn entirely, maintained a defensive posture for several years, developed its economy, and accumulated resources before launching another war. However, the problem was that some battles were unavoidable…

Chapter 47, The Strategy of the Barbarian Army

Last autumn, the Tibetan army engaged in fierce fighting with the Tang army on the eastern front, but unexpectedly, the Nanzhao Kingdom suddenly launched an invasion from the north and captured Yuji City.

In fact, several years earlier, when Li Bi went south to Taihe City, he persuaded Geluofeng, the ruler of Nanzhao, to betray the Tibetans and return to the Tang Dynasty. On the surface, Geluofeng still appeased the Tibetans, but he slowly plotted to cut off the food and water supply to several Tibetan troops stationed in Nanzhao, forcing them to return home. When Lhasa sent envoys to question him, Geluofeng lied and said it was due to a poor harvest in the country. He also said that the Tibetans were busy on the eastern and northern fronts and dared not put too much pressure on Nanzhao.

Upon hearing that the Tang army had launched a counterattack and recaptured the three prefectures of Liang, Wei, and Qin, Geluofeng felt the time was ripe to formally declare his allegiance. He then sent an envoy north to contact Cui Ning, the military governor of Xichuan, agreeing that Xichuan would send troops to aid them should they be attacked by the Tubo. After receiving a positive reply, he formally submitted a letter of submission to Chang'an and then led his army up the Lancang River valley to attack the border fortress of Yuji City.

Because of the long-standing peace between the Tibetan and Nanzhao kingdoms, although Geluofeng's expulsion of the Tibetan army made the Tibetan upper class feel a sense of crisis, the lower-ranking soldiers still lacked vigilance, and thus the Nanzhao army was able to take them down in one fell swoop. The Nanzhao army then continued northward, approaching the Chawarong and Ma'ergan regions.

When the news reached Lhasa, even Trisong Detsen couldn't help but feel a little panicked, because if the Nanzhao army broke through the defenses of the two cities mentioned above, Sunboru would be just to the north...

Sunboru's original name was Supi, which was referred to as the "Women's Kingdom" in ancient Chinese books. It was originally a powerful kingdom on the plateau, until it was subjugated by Tibet during the reign of Langri Lunzan. During the reign of Songtsen Gampo, Supi rebelled once, but was defeated and annexed. Although Tibet set up eleven thousand-household offices in some of its areas, it did not abolish the Supi royal family.

It wasn't until the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty that King Melingzan of Supi decided to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and was killed by the Tibetans. His son, Xinuoluo, led dozens of cavalrymen to escape to Longyou and joined the Tang Dynasty. Only then did this region come under the direct jurisdiction of Lhasa and was renamed Sunboru. "Ru" was a first-level administrative division of the Tibetan heartland.

Therefore, it can be said that most of Sunboru's territory came under Tibetan control a few years earlier than Longyou and Hexi. With the people's hearts unsettled, if the Nanzhao army were to approach Sunboru, those former Supi clans and generals might very well seize the opportunity to rise in rebellion. If Sunboru were to descend into chaos, the road from Lhasa to the east would be cut off, and not only Longyou and Hexi, but even the Dafeichuan area might be lost!

Trisong Detsen was forced to redeploy troops to reinforce the defenses of Chawarong and Ma'ergan, while simultaneously pacifying Sunboru. He was then compelled to issue an edict ordering Shang Jiexi to quickly conclude the campaign in Longyou and withdraw his troops back to the Gaoyuan region. Although the reinforcing Tibetan army successfully repelled the Nanzhao forces and prevented them from threatening the Sunboru area, the prolonged campaign left them with no resources to recapture Yuji City.

Therefore, upon returning from last year's settlement, he proposed that a punitive war must be launched against Nanzhao. Even if it could not be brought back under the control of Tibet, Geluofeng could not be allowed to remain in the south, threatening to invade the north at any time. This year's battle in the south is certainly unavoidable.

Furthermore, Li Ji has already taken Liang and Gan prefectures, and may once again march westward to seize Suzhou, Guazhou, and Shazhou. While there are differing opinions within the Council of State, with some councilors believing Li Ji is exhausted and unable to continue westward in the short term, political rivals Shang Jiexi and Ma Chongying expressed their views almost simultaneously:

"Do not underestimate Li Ji!"

After a series of battles, both Tibet and the Tang Dynasty needed to sit down and lick their wounds and stockpile resources. Therefore, a stalemate could be maintained in the Longyou region for the time being. However, Li Jizhi's military tactics were often unpredictable. When others thought it was not advisable to advance, he would insist on moving forward and win battles every time.

In terms of the overall war situation, the Tang and Tibetan forces had indeed reached a point where neither side could make much of a move. However, in local battles, weaknesses were inevitable, and Li Ji always managed to find these weaknesses and strike them hard, thus succeeding. Of course, while his victories in each battle weren't particularly perilous, he couldn't claim to have a foolproof plan either. Neither Ma Chongying nor the monk Jiexi could understand why that guy seemed to be in such a hurry.

The only explanation is that Li Ji absolutely did not want to see Tibet completely conquer the Western Regions. If Anxi and Beiting were not conquered, Li Ji's western expedition would be much easier to fight, as it would be coordinated with other forces. However, if the Tibetan army successfully annihilated the Tang army left to guard the Western Regions, both Li Ji and other generals would find the Tang expedition to foreign lands extremely costly in terms of money, food, and resources. In short, after the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty was no longer the wealthy and powerful nation it once was, but had become a poor country with only a facade of prosperity.

Unfortunately, Tibet has been fighting major wars in recent years and is not wealthy...

Therefore, no matter how difficult it is, this battle in the north cannot be avoided.

Ma Chongying's most admired predecessor was the great leader Galchen Lingzanzhuo during the reigns of Mangsong Mangtsen and Tride Songtsen. He possessed a strategic vision encompassing the entire world, not dwelling on the gains or losses of a single city or territory. He opened up new battlefields everywhere, successively defeating the Tang army in places like Dafeichuan and Xihai, capturing four towns to the north, invading western Sichuan in the central region, and subjugating the six Zhao states to the south. Even the renowned Tang general Xue Rengui had to make peace with him and retreat. Today, Tibet's national strength is nearly twice that of Galchen Lingzan's era, while the Tang Dynasty's power is not what it once was. Yet, those glorious victories are unlikely to be seen again.

This is because during the Tang Dynasty's full-scale counter-offensive against Tibet during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, the Tang Dynasty had greatly strengthened the defenses of the four garrisons of western Sichuan, Longyou, Hexi, and even Anxi. Military towns were built in numerous locations, forming a dense network, as if the Tang Dynasty wanted to firmly bind Tibet and then exploit it at will. Although Tibet later took advantage of the An Lushan Rebellion to not only recover lost territory but also capture Longyou and Hexi, and launch attacks on Anxi and Beiting, if the Tang army were to return and rebuild those military towns in a similar manner, even if Qinling were to be resurrected, it would be difficult to ignite war on all sides and seize territory again.

This is also the main reason why the first line of defense in Longyou—the Liupan Passes—was able to withstand repeated attacks from the Tubo without breaking through, and could potentially switch from defense to offense at any time. Having suffered defeat last year, and hearing that the Tang dynasty had again amassed a large army in Taodong, plotting to rebuild a second line of defense; and that Li Ji, after capturing Liang and Gan, was rebuilding the military garrisons of Dadou and Jiankang, under these circumstances, another attack on Longyou would inevitably fail, and the plan to send troops from Lanzhou to threaten Liangzhou also had little chance of success.

Therefore, there are only two ways to prevent Li Ji from connecting with the Western Regions: First, hold the two prefectures of Su and Gua to delay his advance and wait for the Tibetan Empire to recover its strength; second, seize the four towns of Anxi and the three prefectures of Beiting as soon as possible to completely thwart Li Ji's ambitions.

Ma Chongying said, "Suzhou and Guazhou are not easy to defend. Moreover, if we focus on defending Suzhou and Guazhou and wait for our forces to accumulate, while the Tang army only mobilizes one force in Hexi, even if Li Ji exhausts his troops and ultimately fails, it will not harm their country. The Tang's territory is five times that of ours, and its population is twenty or thirty times that of ours. If we gain one unit, the enemy gains ten units. If we fight again in the future, we will have no chance of winning."

"Only by seizing the Western Regions as soon as possible can we return Hexi or Longyou to the Tang people and make peace with them. Even if the Tang people still want to take back the Western Regions, we will have vast grasslands and the benefits of the Silk Road. Our strength can increase by three points every day, and we can close the gap with the Tang people by ten points. In the future, we will still have a chance to hold our ground and remain undefeated."

Shang Jiexi listened to his old rival's words, first nodding, then shaking his head. He said, "Although Da Nang Lun's words are reasonable, Anxi and Beiting are not things that can be obtained easily."

Back in the era when the "Three Shangs and One Theory" were in power, although Ma Chongying strongly advocated taking the Western Regions from the north, he was actually mainly responsible for the eastern front. Several times when he attacked Anxi and Beiting, it was his troops led by Shang Jiexi. He knew very well how tough those two thorns were to gnaw on.

"The Tang army in the Western Regions has been cut off from its retreat, and even the Uyghurs are too far away to come to its aid. Thus, it is fighting like a cornered beast, fighting to the death. If given time, we can gradually weaken them, and the various Hu tribes in the Western Regions will gradually submit to us, and we will eventually be able to take over their territories. However, if we launch a hasty attack on Anxi and Beiting, our army will suffer heavy losses, and we may not be able to take them quickly. If we cannot hold Su and Gua, and Li Ji breaks through and coordinates with him, I fear that our tribe will have no chance to advance north again."

Ma Chongying couldn't help but sigh: "We have to defend Su and Gua, and we have to attack the Western Regions. How difficult it is!"

He somewhat regretted attacking Shuofang and Huizhou back then—mainly out of fear of Li Ji—if he had only sought to maintain an undefeated record on the eastern front, focusing all his efforts on strengthening the defenses of Hexi, or launching a strong attack on the Western Regions, he wouldn't be in such a predicament now. Of course, if Shang Jiexi hadn't devoted all his efforts to attacking Longyou last year, only to return empty-handed and exhausted, perhaps there would still be a chance for things to turn around now…

After repeated discussions, it was decided to divide the troops into three routes: the eastern route would reinforce the Dajun Town in Guazhou and help defend Suzhou; the central route would head north from Guazhou to attack Yizhou in order to advance on Tingzhou; and the western route would cross the Dasha Sea from Shazhou to launch a surprise attack on Zhang Sancheng to cut off the connection between Anxi and Beiting.

Ma Chongying suggested that he personally lead the Eastern Route Army to confront Li Ji again, but Shang Jiexi rejected the idea. Shang Jiexi himself had never met Li Ji before, and thought to himself, "Da Nanglun, you've been defeated by that kid several times already, and last year you were so eager to attack Shuofang and seize Huizhou. I feel that you've acted somewhat incoherently in front of Li Ji, and your mental fortitude is clearly lacking... How can I feel at ease letting you go and confront him head-on again?"

He said, "The Great Sand Sea is not easy to cross. Without Da Nanglun leading the troops, victory cannot be guaranteed."

The journey from Dunhuang to Zhangsancheng, northwest of Yanqi Town, is nearly 1,500 li (approximately 750 kilometers), and involves traversing the desolate Gobi Desert known as the "Great Sand Sea." This surprise attack carries a high degree of risk. Of course, if successful, the results will be significant. By severing the connection between Anxi and Beiting, and then drawing the Karluks southward, Anxi will be a different story, but the people of Beiting will surely be thrown into chaos.

The Tibetan strategy was that it would be best to block Li Ji in Su and Gua prefectures; if Li Ji broke through to Yumen Pass, we could gain several hundred miles of strategic depth if we could capture Beiting first; if that failed, Li Ji could communicate with Beiting, and with Zhang Sancheng guarding the way, it would be difficult for him to advance to Anxi.

Shang Jiexi's original plan was to attack Yizhou while simultaneously sending a separate force westward to capture Zhang Sancheng, the garrison commander, via Xizhou. However, Ma Chongying argued that such a march would be too slow and would fail to achieve the goal of catching the enemy off guard. He argued that attacking Xizhou first, even with a small Tianshan army, would be fraught with danger, as the route passed through four fortified cities: Puchang, Liuzhong, Gaochang, and Tianshan. Given their siege capabilities and the long distance they had traveled, it was impossible for them to carry sufficient equipment and supplies. How long would it take to overcome these obstacles one by one?

It would be better to focus all our efforts on attacking Tingzhou. Once we take down the location of the Beiting Jiedushi, the Tianshan army will naturally collapse, and Xizhou will be within our grasp.

Of course, because they also have to fight Nanzhao this year, and with multiple fronts across the country, command and coordination are difficult, and supplies are hard to allocate, Tibet doesn't plan to send out the Greater and Lesser Bolu to attack the Four Garrisons of Anxi... oh, now there are only three. If they focus all their efforts on attacking Beiting, Anxi will definitely come to their aid. Only by taking the enemy by surprise and quickly cutting off their communication can they guarantee victory in the Beiting campaign.

Therefore, Ma Chongying made a suggestion, saying that he had crossed the Great Sand Sea before and it was not necessarily as difficult as the legends said. As long as a guide was found and a lot of camels were collected to carry supplies, a thousand or two people could hopefully make it across. The key was that this would catch the Tang people off guard and leave them completely unprepared.

Shang Jiexi said that since that's the case, it would be best if Da Nanglun led this surprise force.

He decided to personally lead troops to attack Yizhou and Tingzhou, and appointed his confidant Shang Ximo as the military governor of Guazhou, to supervise Mang Re, who was redeeming himself through meritorious service, and to block Li Ji.

After receiving the order, Shang Ximo led 5,000 troops north to Guazhou before the autumn harvest. Ma Chongying's surprise force also set off at the same time. Shang Jiexi's main force to attack Yi and Ting prefectures would have to wait until autumn. The journey took more than a day. After arriving at Jinchang City, the location of the Guazhou military town, and handing over the defense, he urgently summoned Mang Re to discuss military matters.

Mang Re was then stationed at Fulu County, the easternmost part of Suzhou, where he was making preparations for defense. Upon being summoned, he hurriedly rode west to see Shang Ximo. Shang Ximo asked him, "How do you plan to defend Suzhou?"

Mang Re smiled bitterly and spread his hands: "It's not easy."

The Hexi Corridor is essentially a single road, with most of the cities connected in a line. Surrounded by vast wilderness, it offers virtually no natural defenses. While much of the area is Gobi Desert and sandy land, and large armies would inevitably follow oases, making it impossible to stray too far from the main road, small cavalry units could easily deviate for ten days or more to outflank the enemy. In short, the prefectures of Su and Gua are easy to attack but difficult to defend.

Mang Re said that I planned to deploy defenses step by step to gradually thwart the Tang army's offensive and wear down their fighting spirit. Therefore, the first line of defense was placed in the area of ​​Fulu County and Kongtong Mountain, as well as Qilian Garrison to the south; the second line of defense was the prefectural capital Jiuquan City and the nearby Dongting Mountain; and the third line of defense was in Yumen Army, Jinshan, and Dudeng Mountain.

"Such a defense, if it is to be secure, cannot be accomplished without ten thousand men. At present, my Tibetan army under my command has less than five thousand men. I hope that the general will add some more troops."

Shang Ximo shook his head, saying that this wouldn't work—"The Tang people are skilled at attacking cities, as evidenced by the defeats at Shandan and Zhangye. Fulu and other places are small counties, and Kongtong and Dudeng are not particularly dangerous mountains. How can we defend against them? Deploying defenses at each point only disperses our forces, making us easier for the Tang to defeat one by one." He then pointed out, "My idea is to abandon Fulu and Jiuquan, and concentrate our forces to defend the east of Yumen Pass..."

Mang Re frowned: "If we don't protect Fu Lu, Qilian Garrison will be isolated and unable to hold out, with no hope of receiving reinforcements from Shannan..."

Shang Ximo curled his lip: "South of the Qilian Mountains, where are the reinforcements coming to you? Why bother guarding it?"

Chapter 48, The General Comes from the West

Thanks to Li Ji's hard work and the financial support from merchants like Yu Ling, Guzang City gradually became bustling.

In particular, Li Ji promised to open up the Western Regions and restart the Silk Road within five years. As a result, he conquered Ganzhou in the west in just the second year, which greatly boosted the confidence of "investors". Many of these investors had been eyeing the profits of the Silk Road and had been persuaded by Yu Ling to place their bets on Li Ji. Now that they saw that Grand Commandant Li was not just making empty promises and that there was a real hope of achieving his goal on schedule, they sent people to Guzang to exchange some contracts in advance and purchase some shops and land, preparing to be among the first to go to the Western Regions to trade and make profits once the Silk Road was open.

In addition, Gao Ying and others also incited many people from the Central Plains to move north. Not many decent people were willing to move, mainly those who originally lived in Hexi and fled south in droves due to the war. As a result, the roads to Liangzhou were always full of travelers.

On this day, two more riders galloped side by side toward Guzang City. One of the riders was a burly man, seven feet tall, with a dark complexion, round eyes, and a bushy beard, whose imposing presence was evident even without anger; the other was a young scholar, handsome in appearance, with a sparse beard.

Upon arriving at the city gate, soldiers surrounded him, intending to check his identity and search his luggage. The scholar was one thing, but the burly man on horseback carried a heavy armor bag, a powerful bow, and an iron spear... Upon seeing this, the soldiers immediately became alert, pointing their spears at him and asking, "Where do you come from? What is your identity? Why are you carrying prohibited items?"

It's common for ordinary people to carry a stick or a sword for self-defense when they go out. With the recent chaos and regional warlordism, many military weapons have ended up in civilian hands, and even privately carried standard-issue swords are commonplace for the garrison. But powerful bows, crossbows, armor, and lances are strictly forbidden for private possession. This guy is incredibly audacious, daring to bring them into my Guzang City in broad daylight!

The main problem is that these things can't be hidden, especially the horse lance. The head alone is more than two feet long and more than half a palm wide. Even without the shaft, it's still very conspicuous.

The burly man smiled slightly, reached into his robes, and pulled out a small silk pouch, flashing it at the gatekeeper. The guard immediately barked, "Don't try to bribe us! Our superiors are strict. Even if you offer a thousand taels of gold, without verifying your identity, you won't be allowed through this gate!"

The burly man was taken aback by what he heard, while the scholar beside him was somewhat amused and exasperated. He pointed his halberd and shouted, "You uncouth country bumpkin, how come you don't even recognize a fish bag?"

The soldiers were all greatly alarmed, yet unsure of the situation. They hurriedly continued to hold their spears high, defending themselves, while one soldier quickly ran to report to his superior. The burly man sighed softly, "I intended to infiltrate Guzang incognito to assess the situation within the city… but now I can no longer conceal it…"

The scholar chuckled and said, "In the end, your lance is just too conspicuous..."

Before long, a military officer rushed over, clasped his hands in salute to the big man, and asked, "May I ask your identity and name, sir?" Fish-shaped pouches were customarily worn only by officials of the fifth rank or above, but he was only a minor seventh-rank military officer with a salary, so how could he not be respectful?

The burly man then pulled out his identification from his robes and handed it to the other man: "Go and inform Grand Commandant Li that former general Nan Jiyun has come to pay his respects."

Li Ji was reviewing official documents in the yamen when he heard that Nan Jiyun had arrived. He was both surprised and delighted—wasn't Brother Nan Ba ​​in Jizhou as the Military Commissioner of Heng Hai Army? How come he suddenly came to Liangzhou?!

He hastily ordered the man to be summoned into the city. He himself dressed in his finest clothes and went out of the yamen to greet him. The two men bumped into each other halfway there. Li Ji looked closely and saw that it was indeed Nan Ba. Without even dismounting, he rushed forward and grabbed the reins of Nan Ba's horse. Nan Jiyun also happened to reach out and rein in Li Ji's horse. The two men looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Li Ji then released the reins and bowed from horseback, asking, "Brother Nan, what brings you to Guzang?"

Nan Jiyun did not answer, but simply turned slightly to the side and introduced the scholar beside him to Li Ji: "This is the son of Pei Shaofu, who has come with me to see the Grand Commandant."