Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 68

At this point, he raised his head and looked at Yi Tiechui: "If what Lord Yi just said is true, if the barbarian bandits come again next autumn, they will still number over 100,000 and will still be led by Ma Chongying. Their strength will be greater than before, but not by much. Currently, there are over 20,000 troops inside and outside Shancheng. If we train more able-bodied men in the city, we can reach 30,000. With these 30,000 men, can I defend the city again?"

He straightened his neck and puffed out his chest: "I declare to you all—I can!"

Hu Hao, Yi Tiechui, and the others perked up upon hearing this. Li Ji was about to speak when Guo Xin waved his hand, signaling him to calm down, then smiled wryly and said, "However, there is a dilemma. If it can be resolved, Shancheng will be safe; otherwise..."

Li Yuanzhong asked, "What are the two difficulties? Please explain, Brother Guo."

"The first difficulty, as Inspector Li said, is the lack of food and fodder."

This great battle, which lasted for more than two months, had already depleted the government's supplies. Since the autumn harvest was harvested early, most of it could only be used as firewood and fodder. It would be difficult to supply the city's soldiers and civilians until next autumn. How could they possibly deal with another invasion by the barbarian invaders?

If the large tracts of land outside the city were still arable, that would be fine. However, even if the barbarian bandits dared not launch a major attack for nearly a year, they could still send out scouts to harass them at any time. Moreover, since places like Linfan City and Suihe Shouzhuo have fallen, they will not only harass the north of the city. So how can the common people cultivate their land?

Hu Hao asked, "Could we ask the commander to supply some provisions?"

Li Yuanzhong shook his head: "If Shanzhou had sufficient supplies, why would we have relied on the wheat from Shancheng and been ordered to defend it?"

Everyone remained silent. Hu Hao, feeling helpless, asked, "What is the second difficulty?"

Guo Xin smiled wryly and said, "The second difficulty is... Shancheng may not be able to garrison 20,000 troops for long!"

Originally, based on the direction of the Tibetan army's invasion last year and their intentions, Li Tan determined that their next move would be to capture Shancheng. That's why he entrusted most of the available troops to Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong to defend the city to the death. However, now that the Tibetans have left, they might return next year, and no one can say for sure where they will attack. How could they possibly leave all the border prefectures empty and only defend Shancheng?

“Look at this,” Guo Xin said, pointing to the map. “Ma Chongying, as the ruler of Tibet, personally led tens of thousands of troops, but suffered heavy losses at the gates of Shancheng and was forced to lift the siege. Do you think he would be content with that? I suspect that even if he retreats, he will most likely turn around and attack Yaowu’s army…”

Upon hearing this, Li Ji's eyelids twitched slightly, and he hurriedly asked, "Is there any chance of saving him?"

Li Yuanzhong sighed softly and replied, "The Yaowu Army is already isolated on the border, cut off by roads, and ultimately beyond saving..."

Guo Xin said, “If the Yaowu Army is still here, it can still restrain the barbarian rebels and prevent them from easily advancing south... If it falls, the barbarian rebels will have many more ways to invade. First, they can go out of the Dadouba Valley, circle around the north of the Daxue Mountain, and launch a surprise attack on the Chishui Army, threatening Guzang; second, after defeating the Weirong Army, they can go south along the Haowei River and outflank Shanzhou; third, they can go down the river, pass through Jintian, Weisheng, Ningbian, and the old fortress of Jishi, and head towards Dahua and Kuozhou; fourth, they can go through the Tao River and attack the Shence and Momen armies…”

Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui both changed color upon hearing this—the Shence Army was their hometown!

Li Ji interjected, "West of the Shence Army lies the former territory of the Tuyuhun. Could they send envoys to make contact and prevent it from being used by the Tibetans? As for the two routes to the north, one goes through the Dadouba Valley, and the other passes through the Weirong Army. The roads are treacherous and long, so the Tibetan bandits might not dare to come..."

Guo Xin nodded to him: "Inspector Li is right, however... if we are unprepared, the barbarian bandits will surely come! Moreover, they might even abandon Longyou and march towards Hexi." He looked around at everyone and slowly said: "Therefore, the troops gathered in Shancheng must be divided and deployed to various routes. In Shancheng, maintaining ten thousand men will be the limit. If we take the two rebels, Ma Chongying, with our ten thousand men, I have no confidence, nor can I expect the commander to send General Li with troops to reinforce us in time..."

Li Ji couldn't help but sigh: "I have to be on guard at all times, but the enemy can come along one path. My strength is weak, and it will be even weaker if we split up. The enemy is strong, and it will be even stronger if we gather together... making it even harder to resist..." Who said that defensive battles are easier than offensive battles? Unless you know in advance where the enemy will come from.

Hu Hao was still struggling: "There are still more than half a year left. I can try to recapture some military towns... or even build new military towns and block all roads so that the barbarian bandits will not be able to cross... The mountains and rivers of Longyou are very dangerous. Often, one man can hold the pass against ten thousand!"

The Longyou Road stretches from Longdi in the east to Chiling in the west, extending deep into the plateau, and its terrain is indeed quite treacherous. During the century-long war between the Tang Dynasty and the Tubo Kingdom, more than twenty military towns and garrisons were established along the Longyou Road. A few of these were forward bases, while most were strategic strongholds, serving purely defensive functions, thus creating a deeply fortified position.

However complex the terrain and how densely packed the passes, they still need to be defended to be effective. Previously, the army in Longyou numbered nearly 100,000—originally planned for 75,000, but after crossing Menggu and Chiling and advancing to the vicinity of Xihai, the number of military garrisons increased, and the military strength also expanded—in addition to those stationed in various locations, they could still gather around 50,000 mobile troops, ready to engage the barbarian invaders in a decisive battle. Now, however, the main force has been transferred eastward, and the garrison is already insufficient; where can they possibly muster any reinforcements?

Why did so many military towns fall instantly when the Tibetans invaded last year? Firstly, there was a shortage of garrison troops; secondly, Gao Sheng was incompetent and dared not send reinforcements… But most importantly, even if the officers and soldiers left behind were willing to fight, they still needed troops to fight. No matter how strategically important the location of each military town, or how desperately the defenders fought, without external support, they would eventually fall.

So when Hu Hao said something like, "I can try to recapture some military towns... or even build new military towns and block all roads," it was easy to say, but difficult to actually carry out. He lacked both manpower and resources. Li Ji didn't even bother to refute his nonsense.

However, some people took Hu Hao's words to heart—Li Yuanzhong pointed at the map, thinking as he spoke: "As General Guo said, let's set aside Hexi for now and just talk about Longyou. To prevent the enemy from coming along the Haowei River, we must restore the Weirong Army; if they come along the river, we must consolidate Dahua; if they go via the Tao River, the Shence and Momen armies can support each other and protect Taozhou, so the problem isn't too big... The key is that if we want to take Longyou and threaten the capital region, the closest route is still the Shancheng and Shanzhou Lintao Army route..."

"If we advance slightly and block the key points around Shancheng, the 10,000 troops stationed in the city can provide reinforcements at any time, and there may be no danger."

Li Yuanzhong meant that the Tibetan army could indeed attack from multiple directions, but given the current situation, the most likely scenario was to take the central route and attack Shancheng. Unfortunately, Shancheng was surrounded by plains, making it easy to besiege and difficult to defend with few troops. So, if they could build fortifications near the mountains, wouldn't it be less necessary to deploy too many troops there?

Upon hearing this, the generals' spirits lifted—after all, none of them were willing to abandon Shancheng, which they had fought so hard to defend. If they were confident they could continue to hold it, that would be best—so they followed Li Yuanzhong's lead, pointing out the terrain and offering their suggestions. Li Ji was among them. Although he felt it was unreliable and very risky, since there was plenty of time, they should consider all possibilities and discuss all the plans. As the saying goes, "He who calculates more wins, he who calculates less loses, and what about him who calculates nothing at all?"

The meeting lasted until late at night. Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong, after considering various opinions, finally concluded that Shancheng might not necessarily need to be abandoned.

So he wrote a detailed plan and, along with the official report of victory, gave it to Li Ji to take back to Shanzhou and report to Li Tan. Li Ji himself had reservations about this final decision, but ultimately his military experience was still limited, and he couldn't possibly argue with the scholars and officials to persuade everyone, especially Li Yuanzhong, who was very interested in and confident about stationing himself in Shanzhou. Li Ji couldn't very well refuse him.

The next morning, he got up and rode back to Shanzhou at full speed to pay his respects to Li Tan. Li Tan had already received the news of the victory—the Tibetan army had just retreated, and Guo Xin had immediately sent someone to report it. However, the battlefield was still being cleaned up, and Li Ji and others had not yet returned from their retreat, so the report was not detailed enough, and the list of meritorious soldiers could not be compiled. He was overjoyed and excited until he met Li Ji, and his excitement had not subsided.

Under my command—though remotely—I managed to hold Shancheng with a small force against a large one, so the barbarian bandits are truly nothing to fear!

Therefore, upon seeing Li Ji, before even unfolding the report for a closer look, he earnestly asked, "Now that the barbarian bandits have retreated, can Shancheng not be abandoned?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Planting Beans and Wheat

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Li Ji explained in detail the plan that the generals of Shancheng had discussed to Li Tan.

Shanzhou was the center of Longyou Circuit, and Lintao Army was the residence of the Longyou Military Governor. However, in terms of geographical location, Shancheng was actually more important.

From north to south, five major rivers flow from west to east into the Longyou region: the Haowei River, the Huangshui River, the Heshui River, the Taoshui River, and the Qiangshui River. Among the mountains, the river valleys are relatively fertile, and the roads are slightly easier to traverse. The Qiangshui River flows through Diezhou, and the Taoshui River through Taozhou. These two areas are relatively barren; even if the Tibetan army were to invade, they would not be able to plunder many people or supplies. Moreover, the roads are winding and difficult to travel, so it is unlikely that they would advance through these areas—at least not as the main force.

As for Li Ji's personal opinion, he still adhered to his views in "The Strategy of Defending Against the Tibetans". He believed that the main direction of Tibetan expansion was to the north, and the land they coveted was in the Western Regions. The reason they attacked Longyou was only to cut off the Hexi Corridor and make it difficult for the Tang army to provide large-scale reinforcements to the northwest. Therefore, if they advanced eastward along the Tao and Qiang rivers, it would be completely contrary to achieving this strategic goal - Ma Chongying would definitely not do it.

Of course, we also had to guard against a small number of barbarian troops passing through here and heading east, in order to confuse or contain the Tang army, so the border garrisons could not be completely evacuated.

Therefore, if Ma Chongying were to invade again next year, the most likely scenario would be that he would head east along the Haowei River, Huangshui River, and Heshui River. The Huangshui River is located in the middle of these three routes, and there is a valley near Shancheng that connects to the Haowei River in the north and the Heshui River in the south, making it a crucial transportation hub in Longyou. If Shancheng is held, the Tibetan army will find it difficult to penetrate deeper; however, if Shancheng is abandoned and retreats to Xiaoxia, both the northern and southern routes will be perilous.

Therefore, from a strategic perspective, Shancheng must be defended, but the question is, can it be defended? And how should it be defended?

The generals of Shancheng suggested taking advantage of the retreat of the barbarian army to retake Linfan City to the west, Xuanwei Army to the north, and Suihe Garrison to the south, thus weakening the interior while strengthening the exterior. These three locations are all strategically important; if they could be retaken, each could be garrisoned with over a thousand troops, along with ample provisions and supplies, enough to hold off the barbarian army for over a month. While Shancheng should not be abandoned, it was unnecessary to leave a large force there; instead, a strong mobile force should be organized in Shanzhou to provide timely support to the front lines.

Upon hearing this, Li Tan was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Then can Linfan, Xuanwei, and Suihe be restored?"

Li Ji replied, "Generals Guo and Li are planning this matter, and it is expected that it will not be difficult to recapture Linfan City. If Xuanwei Army cannot recapture it, then we will build a new fortress on Tulou Mountain; if Suihe Garrison cannot recapture it, then we will build a new fortress in the mountains to its north. Although it is not easy to coordinate with the Haowei River and the Yellow River, it can still ensure that Shancheng is not lost in an instant."

Li Tan slammed his hand on the table: "That's excellent, let's proceed as you all have proposed."

Li Ji hurriedly said, "Wait a minute—the generals of Shancheng are quite confident, but they are ignorant of the affairs of Guandong..."

Li Heng abolished the military campaign and ordered all the provinces to attack An Qingxu, appointing only a eunuch as the military supervisor. Both Li Ji and Li Tan felt this was unreliable and were not optimistic about the war in Guandong. However, to avoid undermining morale, they kept the matter secret and did not inform the generals in Shancheng. As a result, the generals believed that by the autumn of the following year at the latest, the troops from Guanzhong who had been on the eastern expedition would be able to return to their posts one after another. With just one or two more men, not only Shancheng, but the entire Longyou Province would be safe.

Li Ji, however, dared not be so optimistic. He reminded Li Tan, "If the barbarian bandits come again and the war in Guandong has not ended, and not a single horse can return to the garrison, then even if it is as the generals have discussed, how many mobile troops will the commander-in-chief be able to send out at that time? Moreover, where will the food for the front line come from?"

"It would have been better to discuss it as before: abandon Shancheng, relocate the people to Shanzhou, and divide the troops to guard various towns. That would have been a more prudent approach."

Li Tan smiled and said, "A report has arrived from Guandong..."

Just last month, Guo Ziyi led his troops across the river from Xingyuan, advanced to Huojia, and decisively defeated the rebel general An Taiqing, beheading four thousand and capturing five hundred. An Taiqing fled to Weizhou—Li Ji's hometown—whereupon Zhang Xun and Lu Jiong crossed the river north from Yangwu, and Ji Guangchen and Cui Guangyuan crossed the river north from Suanzao, joining Guo Ziyi and Li Siye, and entering Weizhou territory. An Qingxu mobilized all 70,000 troops from Xiangzhou to the rescue, personally commanding the central army, while Cui Qianyou commanded the upper army and Tian Chengsi commanded the lower army.

Guo Ziyi ordered 3,000 skilled archers to lie in ambush within the fortified camp. He himself went out to fight the rebels, feigning a retreat. An Qingxu pursued them, but as soon as he reached the camp, the ambush was sprung, and arrows rained down. Guo Ziyi also turned to fight, and Zhang Xun and Ji Guangchen attacked from both sides, resulting in a crushing defeat for the rebels. Guo Ziyi captured An Qingxu's younger brother, An Qinghe, alive, and executed him in front of his army. Taking advantage of the victory, he attacked and captured Weizhou, and pursued the enemy all the way to Xiangzhou…

Xu Shuji, Dong Qin, Wang Sili and other armies arrived and defeated An Qingxu again at Chousigang. They beheaded 30,000 and captured more than 1,000. An Qingxu's main force was thus annihilated.

Li Tan concluded by saying, "Now that Guo Ziyi has besieged Xiangzhou, the rebel An can only hold out in a desperate situation; Li Guangbi's army will also arrive soon, and the day when the traitor is beheaded will probably not be far off."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji frowned slightly: "Are the rebels really that fragile?"

From Li Tan's description, it's clear that the eleven military governors didn't coordinate well with each other; it was basically Guo Ziyi's army fighting alone, yet they managed to win battle after battle and advance straight to Xiangzhou... Guo Ziyi is indeed formidable! But An Qingxu, having gathered his defeated troops, still had seventy or eighty thousand men, roughly the same as the combined forces of the eleven military governors. How could they have suffered such a crushing defeat in such a short time? Weren't all our previous worries in vain?

Li Tan laughed and said, "Heaven has taken away his will, and it cannot be restored. I heard that when An Qingxu first returned to Xiangzhou, he had abundant armor, weapons, and supplies..." All of these were looted by An Lushan over the years—"However, he did not personally attend to government affairs, but spent his days feasting and building pavilions and towers, attempting to maintain a long-term separatist regime in Hebei. Gao Shang, Zhang Tongru, and others were vying for power; Cai Xide was capable and resourceful, but he was slandered and killed by Zhang Tongru, and his subordinates deserted; he appointed Cui Qianyou as the military commissioner of the realm, in charge of both the central and foreign armies, but Qianyou was stubborn and bloodthirsty, and the soldiers did not support him..."

In short, An Qingxu's crushing defeat, and so swiftly, was entirely his own doing.

Li Ji asked, "What about Yan Zhuang and Zhou Zhi?"

Li Tan said, "I do not know Zhou Zhi, but as for Yan Zhuang, he surrendered long ago. Has Changwei not heard of this?"

Yan Zhuang was originally a confidant of An Lushan. It is said that he was already dissatisfied with An Qingxu's murder of his father and usurpation of the throne. Therefore, when An Qingxu abandoned Luoyang and fled, Yan Zhuang did not follow him across the Yellow River to the north. Instead, he turned back halfway and surrendered directly to the Tang Dynasty. Li Yu wanted to use this man as a "golden horse bone" to recruit other rebel generals, so he petitioned Li Heng to appoint him as Minister of Agriculture.

The Minister of Agriculture (司农卿) was the chief official of the Ministry of Agriculture (司农寺), a third-rank official with a highly prestigious position. Although he no longer held the power of the Grand Minister of Agriculture (大司农) of the Han Dynasty, he was still responsible for managing the imperial treasury, palaces, gardens, and providing officials' salaries and necessities for court assemblies and sacrifices, thus wielding considerable power. However, Yan Zhuang was ultimately a surrendered official. Knowing his sensitive status, he kept to himself and never engaged in private conversations except for official business. Few Tang Dynasty officials were willing to treat him well, and some even avoided mentioning him, ashamed to be associated with him. Therefore, although Li Ji had returned to Chang'an for several months, he had never heard of Yan Zhuang's surrender.

After digressing to say a few words about Yan Zhuang, Li Tan said to Li Ji, "This is Heaven's blessing upon our Tang Dynasty, bringing disaster upon the An family. Perhaps the war in Guandong is not as dangerous as we previously feared. If we capture Xiangzhou and kill An Qingxu, Hebei can be pacified. Having gained Longxi, why would we then covet Shu? The government troops will certainly not directly attack Youyan, but will confront Shi Siming for a period of time and plan slowly. Now, more than 100,000 troops are stationed outside. How can this last long? They will surely release some of the Western Army to return to their posts."

Li Tan's words were somewhat ambiguous, but Li Ji understood immediately. Why did Li Heng abolish the military campaign? Why didn't he let Guo Ziyi, who had the highest rank and reputation, command all the troops? Wasn't it because he feared that if the entire army was in the hands of one person, another An Lushan might be created?

However, although they are divided into eleven military governors, they are still together. Who knows what they will do? As long as An Qingxu is eliminated, Shi Siming will be left alone, and the biggest threat to the front will be eliminated. Li Heng will most likely transfer some of his troops back to guard other places—at least some of them should be assigned to Longyou.

Li Ji frowned and said, "Shi Siming... if he marches south and joins forces with An Qingxu, I'm afraid the war will be fraught with setbacks..."

Li Tan smiled and said, "I was also worried about this, but fortunately An Qingxu helped our Tang Dynasty resolve this problem."

Since Shi Siming had rebelled against the Tang Dynasty twice, he naturally wanted to join forces with An Qingxu to resist the enemy. However, when the envoy arrived in Xiangzhou, An Qingxu demanded that he return the counties he had previously seized. Shi Siming was furious and simply proclaimed himself "Great Sage King of Zhou," refusing to even nominally raise the banner of Yan.

Li Ji pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but speak up, reminding them: "If the two traitors join forces, they will be truly difficult to deal with; if they separate, they will be easier to handle. However, the traitors are not necessarily unaware of this. An Qingxu is a foolish fellow, while Shi Siming is extremely cunning. We must still guard against him quietly heading south..."

Li Tan wasn't completely blinded by the news of victory from Guandong. He immediately nodded, "That's indeed the case. I should report this to His Majesty..." Then, realizing his foolish father might not heed his advice, he changed his mind—"Write a letter to the Crown Prince, asking him to inform His Majesty and warn the generals at the front. However, we can't intervene in the Hebei campaign; we can only plan for Longyou. Just before Changwei arrived, I discussed this matter with Gongnan..."

In fact, as soon as Li Tan received news of the victory at Shancheng, he naturally had the idea of ​​abandoning the previous plan and no longer retreating. So he urgently summoned Yang Yan to discuss the matter. He knew very well that if he wanted to occupy Shancheng for a long time, food and supplies would be a big problem.

Yang Yan replied, "The grain reserves in Longyou are really insufficient, and Shancheng has almost no output... However, if we withdraw from Shancheng, how will we resettle the tens of thousands of people?"

In the past, many military towns in the west were destroyed, and a large number of soldiers and civilians fled back. For those who had joined the army, Li Tan naturally ordered them to rejoin the army and retrain them. Even if food and supplies were insufficient, with a great enemy at hand, they had to tighten their belts to supply the military first. As for the civilians, he ordered Yang Yan to plan and find a place to settle them.

Yang Yan also conscripted some of the able-bodied men into the army, while the remaining elderly, weak, women, and children were driven to the Guzang South Mountain area to build civilian settlements. Although Longyou Road was relatively sparsely populated, the Huangshui River Valley within Shanzhou was developed earlier, and most of the land was owned. As a member of the ruling class, Yang Gongnan could not possibly "seize the land from the local tyrants and distribute it to them."

However, reclaiming wasteland was hard work, and the common people were not necessarily willing to do it. Moreover, under normal circumstances, when the imperial court ordered people to reclaim wasteland, it would exempt them from rent and taxes for the first few years. Now, with the war urgent and resources scarce, Yang Yan was unwilling to do so. Therefore, he could only build civilian settlements and force the displaced people to work under military law. To put it bluntly, the settlement people lost their basic personal freedom, were forced to work, and most of the harvest went to the government, making them not much different from serfs in ancient times.

Yang Gongnan didn't care much about the suffering of the serfs. As an official with a certain sense of responsibility and conscience, he was satisfied as long as he ensured that most of the displaced people wouldn't freeze or starve to death and could survive for a few more years. He felt he had done right by the emperor and the military governor. However, he had to consider the initial investment: since he had ordered the reclamation and land clearing, he had to send people to their destinations first, provide them with food for the journey and for a considerable period after they settled down, and also procure farming tools and seeds... He was so busy that Yang Gongnan was exhausted, and his hair turned gray even in his prime.

In particular, he had limited manpower, and most of the officials in the shogunate were incompetent and incapable of doing their jobs, and they held a "non-violent non-cooperation" attitude; that's why Yang Yan suggested to Li Tan that if those bastards wanted to leave, let them leave, and I would go and recruit some suitable guests for His Highness.

Unfortunately, those he had placed high hopes on—such as Xue Yong from Hedong, Yuan Xiu from Xiangzhou, and Zhang Zhu from Fengxiang—as well as Du Fu, whom Li Tan had tried to recruit on a whim, were all still out of town and unable to arrive in time. The Battle of Shancheng was already over. With the war over, the coordination and transportation of supplies could be somewhat eased, but abandoning Shancheng would soon be on the agenda. Yang Yan thought to himself, "I haven't even managed to properly arrange the original tens of thousands of men yet, and if I get tens of thousands more… I'll really have to 'devote myself to the utmost until my dying breath'!"

Therefore, I earnestly request Li Tan that since the barbarian bandits have been repelled and they may not dare to come again next spring, could we postpone the abandonment of the city? At least the tens of thousands of people in the city can be relocated to the east in batches after a few months, so that I won't be too strapped for cash.

Li Tan frowned and said, "At most, it will be delayed until after the New Year... If the relocation of people cannot be completed before the spring, and the planting is delayed, are we going to let tens of thousands of people in Shancheng eat the government's grain without any benefit?"

Yang Yan sighed, "It's a pity about the fields outside Shancheng. If they could be cultivated again, not only Shancheng, but Shanzhou as a whole would be free from shortages!" After careful consideration, he suggested, "The people of Shancheng could first plant some vegetables, fruits, beans, and soybeans..."

Some vegetables are harvested in the summer, such as chives, which can be harvested in some form throughout the year, except for the cold winter. As for beans, although they mature in autumn, the tender leaves in summer—such as broad beans—can also be eaten as vegetables. In short, the summer is hot, so the foreign invaders generally do not launch large-scale attacks—besides, they are busy planting barley, so the harvest in the fields will not be given away or forced to be harvested prematurely.

"Your Highness, please consult the generals of Shancheng. Is it possible to confirm that the barbarian bandits will not return next spring?"

Now, Li Tan asked Li Ji the same question, and Li Ji cautiously replied, "It is not certain. However, after repeated discussions, we believe that the possibility of the barbarian bandits returning next spring is only one or two out of ten, and even if they do return, it will not be a large-scale attack."

Li Tan nodded and said, "There is no perfect solution in this world. Some risks must always be taken. As Gongnan said, if we abandon Shancheng, the people will have nowhere to go. If the generals can recover and defend the four passes of Shancheng, then the people will not have to grow vegetables and beans. They can grow wheat and barley. After the autumn harvest, the situation in Longyou will be very different..."

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Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Tibetan King

After Ma Chongying withdrew from Shancheng, he first ordered Shang Xidongzan to lead his troops south to attack Yaowu Army.

The Yaowu Army, located south of Chiling and deep within Tibetan territory, was established by Geshu Han in the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era, a mere four years ago. Therefore, the number of civilians within the army is small; about thirty percent of the garrison was ordered to reinforce the east. Even combining the military and civilians, the total force is less than five thousand.

In particular, the Tibetan army had already captured Zhenwei Army in the north last year, cutting off Yaowu Army's connection with the Tang Dynasty's homeland. With the enemy pressing in and no external aid available, some soldiers mutinied, killed their commander, and surrendered to Tibet. Shangxi Dongzan then demoted all the captured Tang people, both soldiers and civilians—including those who had surrendered—to serfs and distributed them among his generals.

The other Tibetan generals were deeply dissatisfied and requested Ma Chongying to continue south to attack the Shence Army—they also wanted a share of the credit and slaves. However, scouts found that Xicangzhou and Guang'en Town had been evacuated, and their soldiers and civilians had all retreated to Shence Army. Shence Army, along with Momen Army to its northeast and Lintan County, the capital of Taozhou Prefecture to the east, were all less than a hundred li apart. The three cities were strategically located, with a total of 5,000 soldiers and more than 20,000 civilians, making it truly difficult to conquer.

Moreover, it seems that many Tibetan soldiers have developed a psychological trauma from beating those who wear red headscarves...

This man's psychological bottom line is actually quite easy to cross. If he had successfully captured Shancheng, Ma Chongying might have become arrogant and not only continued to attack Shanzhou, but also divided his forces to sweep across Longyou. However, after suffering repeated defeats at Shancheng, and even personally covering the retreat and setting up an ambush, he not only failed to severely damage the Tang army, but was also forced to abandon his 500 elite ambush troops... Since he had already lost face, was it necessary to risk taking another Shence Army to try to salvage the situation? It was better not to overdo it.

Therefore, he rejected the generals' proposal, withdrew his troops, and returned to Lhasa. On the way, he secretly consulted with Shang Zanmo several times, and also wrote a letter to Shang Jiexi, who was left behind, earnestly requesting the two great masters to continue to support him. Only then did he dare to humble himself and personally go to the king to apologize.

The Tang dynasty's account of the then-Tibetan king, Sassilong Lazan, later known as Trisong Detsen, shows that he ascended the throne at the age of thirteen, making him only seventeen at the time. However, he was precocious and possessed remarkable talent, having plotted to eliminate the powerful minister Xiangzhong Bajie. Thus, he was hailed by his ministers as a peerless ruler, comparable to Songtsen Gampo. Therefore, Ma Chongying dared not deceive Trisong Detsen, concealing his defeat as a victory. He only hoped that the king would remember his past achievements, and that Shang Jiexi and Shang Zanmo would speak favorably of him, preventing him from being completely stripped of his power.

The details of the battle had already been reported to Lhasa in writing—Tibet also had its own written language, created by Songtsen Gampo in imitation of the Sanskrit script, Lanza script—Trisong Detsen probably knew all about it. Therefore, after Ma Chongying knelt and begged for forgiveness, he gently asked, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, but, does Your Excellency understand why you were defeated this time?"

Ma Chongying said, "I was misled by the Tang people and divided my troops below Shancheng, attacking the city and Xiaoxia on two separate occasions, and thus arrived..."

Trisong Detsen shook his head: "These are all minor details. The key issue is—your assessment of the enemy is flawed!"

"Last year, taking advantage of the Tang army's eastward reinforcements to quell the rebellion in Longyou, Da Lun launched an attack on the armies of Shenwei and Jintian, sweeping all before him. Shanzhou dared not send troops to stop him, thus underestimating the enemy and thinking that since the Tang rebellion had not ended, this year's situation would be the same as last year. But before Da Lun launched his troops, he knew that the Tang emperor had newly appointed his third son, Li Tan, as the military governor of Longyou and Hexi. Did he first thoroughly investigate this man's character, abilities, and what kind of assistants he had under his command?"

"Guo Xin and Li Yuanzhong were both temporarily transferred from Hexi. But since Li Tan was ordered to control the two towns, it is reasonable for the generals to be transferred. Why did Da Lun not take precautions? It is said that there is a very brave Li Erlang in the Tang army. This man is not a general from Longyou or Hexi. He must have been brought by Li Tan from Chang'an. How come we did not find out about this man beforehand?"

"Although yaks are large, their ranks are loose, and the role of the lead yak is negligible; although wolves are small, if the alpha wolf is cunning and brave, it can make the whole pack fierce and uncontrollable. The Tang army in Longyou changed its commander and several generals, but the soldiers were still the same, yet their courage and cowardice were completely different. Does the Grand Master not understand this principle?"

"You underestimate the enemy and still expect to win battles—Great Lord, have these years of victories made you arrogant and no longer as calm and cautious as before?"

Ma Chongying, prostrate on the ground, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, repeatedly saying, "Your Majesty is right, it is all my fault..."

Trisong Detsen comforted him, saying, "There's no need to dwell on the past. Although we didn't capture Shancheng this time, we did manage to break through several Tang military towns, and our main force wasn't severely damaged. At most, it was a waste of resources and no real achievement, so we can't say that you, Grand Master, are guilty. However, I'd like to know if you have any plans for dealing with the Tang people in the future?"

Ma Chongying replied, "I sent Qilibuzang to Chang'an to sue for peace, but I don't know if he will return safely... It would be better to take this opportunity to send more envoys eastward to find out the situation of the Tang rebellion. I dare not deceive the Zanpu; if the Tang rebellion can be quelled next year and the Longyou army returns westward, then there will probably be no other option but to sue for peace..."

Trisong Detsen shifted his gaze from Ma Chongying's back, looked up at the outside of the hall, and sighed, "What a pity, I don't have the ability to see a thousand miles, so I can't see the situation of the Tang Rebellion... Buddhas and Bodhisattvas must have such supernatural powers. If they could issue a decree based on our sincere offerings and prayers, that would be wonderful."