Chapter 164: Pacifying the Sacred Mountain of the Turks, Reviving the Name of the Gu Family (Part I)

The sounds of slaughter were like crashing waves tearing at the shore, erupting with a roar from the depths of the snow plains.

Gu Quan took the lead, his armor reflecting the cold light of the moon as he charged straight ahead into the fray.

——Kill!

And only kill!

Whether it was Gu Quan, the other Gu Shizi, or those soldiers who had been through years of hardship, everyone at this moment remembered only this single, simple word.

The Gu family needed this battle!

The entire Nine Provinces needed this battle as well.

What they had to do was just like Gu Chen in years past: kill until the world was cowed, kill until no one in any direction dared to claim supremacy; only then could the entire Nine Provinces usher in true stability.

The sudden shouts of battle completely shattered the silence of the entire Baidaochuan.

Before the Turkic garrison could even react, the great battle had already begun.

Gu Quan continuously brandished the long spear in his hand, spurring his horse to charge at the very front; no one could block a single strike from him.

This was the terrifying nature of the Luoshu Harmonizer; it could rapidly adjust Gu Quan’s personal attributes based on the environment.

At the imperial court, it would redistribute attributes from martial prowess to internal affairs.

When formulating tactics in the tent, it would push Gu Quan’s command attribute to its limit.

And now, in this head-on slaughter, it allowed Gu Quan’s martial prowess to reach its peak.

That was exactly the case now.

Gu Quan was invincible, and no one could stop him!

His martial attribute was originally as high as eighty-three points, and with the help of the Luoshu Harmonizer, his martial prowess directly exceeded ninety points.

Ninety points—

According to Gu Yi’s long-term judgment, this could already be called the pinnacle of humanity.

In other eras, perhaps Gu Quan would not be the greatest of his time.

But at this moment, he could absolutely be called a human god of slaughter!

And do not forget, this was a surprise attack!

No one could have imagined that the Tang Army would be able to cross the Yinshan and strike directly at Baidaochuan.

Amidst the chaos.

The entire Turkic garrison transitioned from confusion to collapse as casualties continued to mount, and this state of collapse grew increasingly widespread.

"Kill!!!"

Sounds of battle cries rose from all sides.

Gu Quan brandished his long spear, letting the scalding blood dye the pristine white snow.

He did not even need to give further commands.

The five-thousand-strong army, trained for years, immediately formed a cone-shaped battle formation, like a poisoned bone awl, stabbing straight into the Turkic grain supply camp.

The dull thud of horses trampling the snow mixed with the clashing of blades.

In the next moment, accompanied by the wails of Turkic soldiers rising from all directions, black smoke billowed from the fodder piles, carrying sparks that shot straight into the sky.

Amidst the firelight, Gu Quan’s silver hair flew, his spear claiming lives with every thrust.

To the eyes of the Gu Shizi, this scene momentarily overlapped with the records of Gu Chen in the family genealogy—the same thunderous momentum, the same invincibility against ten thousand.

"Fire!!!"

"It's on fire!!"

Panicked voices rang out incessantly.

Although there was heavy snow everywhere, do not forget that this was where the Turks piled their fodder, and this fodder was precisely the best accelerant!

——The situation had completely changed!

The one guarding this vital location was a trusted general of Jieli Khan.

He knew the importance of this place.

Now that they were in a full-scale war with the Great Tang, if any error occurred here, this so-called alliance of the Eastern Turks would come to an absolute end.

But even if he were unwilling to retreat, what could he do?

In a great battle, what one fears most is disorder.

Because often, as soon as any sign of chaos appears, it affects the entire army, causing it to collapse completely, beyond any hope of rescue!

And now, that was exactly what was happening!

He wanted to reorganize his troops, he wanted to stabilize the formation, but the moment this great fire truly ignited, this battle was effectively over.

No matter how unwilling he was, to reduce casualties, he could only retreat.

He had to completely abandon this fodder, which represented the hope of the Eastern Turks.

This was a very difficult choice.

But it was also the only way out at the moment.

Gu Quan did not choose to pursue.

For him, the purpose of this battle had already been achieved.

This rising fire was the final funeral song for the entire Eastern Turks; even if those soldiers fled, it would ultimately be in vain.

The Eastern Turks were finished.

Even if Jieli Khan could hold the entire Yinshan, with the fodder burned, the livestock of every tribe would inevitably starve; regardless of the outcome of this battle, the internal conflicts of the Eastern Turks would never be suppressed again!

What he had to do now—was to attack the Yudu Jinshan!

To dismantle the Eastern Turks at their very survival and foundation.

And this journey could also point toward the heartland of the Western Turks, making full preparations for future offensives!

The fire burned the sky.

The increasingly fierce flames melted the surrounding ice and snow, giving a feeling of scorching heat in what should have been a bitterly cold climate.

Gu Quan reined in his horse at the edge of the sea of fire, watching the fleeing Turkic soldiers scatter like birds startled by a bow.

The burning fodder looked like a red dragon soaring into the sky, and the melted snow mixed with blood flowed across the ground in streams.

This battle not only burned forty thousand hu of Turkic grain but also completely sealed the fate of the entire Eastern Turks—when starving tribes began to devour one another, the so-called grassland hegemon was nothing more than a candle in the wind.

In fact, for Gu Quan.

He could now fully reorganize his army, pursue the fleeing Eastern Turks directly toward the Yinshan, and coordinate with Li Jing’s army to attack from both sides and take down Jieli Khan directly.

This was the most foolproof strategy.

And it would also be a certain victory.

But if he did so, he would be giving up the best opportunity to pacify the Western Turks and bring the Western Regions back to the Nine Provinces in the future.

The Western Turks would certainly become wary.

If it were the Gu Quan of the past, he might have done just that.

But ever since that day he chose to disfigure his face to help Li Shimin, he had already become completely different.

For him.

To be able to help Li Shimin fulfill his ambitions in this life, and to allow the prestige of the entire Gu family to reappear as it was at its peak, that was enough.

He would not give up any opportunity!

The news continued to spread.

The remnants of the Eastern Turks naturally fled rapidly toward the Yinshan, reporting the situation from all regions.

Reports of defeat!

Nothing but reports of defeat!

After Jieli Khan had gathered all the elites from the four directions to the Yinshan, the situation faced by the tribes in those regions was naturally extremely difficult.

They had no way to fight and could only choose to surrender or die.

But they could retreat—Jieli Khan could not!

He was now regretful to the extreme, wishing he could slap himself, constantly questioning why he had been greedy and allied with the Great Tang before it had unified the world.

The blood pack had turned on its master!

In just a few short years, the entire Nine Provinces had completely exceeded his control, and the roles of attacker and defender had completely reversed.

But how could he be reconciled to this?

It was not just the fear that Li Shimin would kill him directly, but also his unwillingness to relinquish the power in his hands!

He had no choice but to fight!

But with the return of the defeated troops from Baidaochuan, an incomparable aura of despair finally descended upon the entire Eastern Turks.

Yinshan.

"What! Baidaochuan has been breached by the Tang Army?"

Jieli Khan’s eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

The others in the tent were also completely stunned.

They found it hard to accept all of this.

"Impossible! The Great Khan holds the Yinshan, and the Tang Army has never breached it; how could Baidaochuan have been broken?"

"It is the Gu family," the defeated general said with a trembling voice, telling Jieli Khan about the situation at Baidaochuan.

But did it still matter?

When he uttered the two words "Gu family," all illusions in the hearts of those present instantly vanished!

——The Gu family!

Two simple words instantly caused the atmosphere inside the entire tent to change abruptly.

What are the descendants of the Gu family most skilled at? Who in the world does not know?

A surprise attack!

Jieli Khan had previously been curious as to why Gu Yan of Shuofang had never coordinated with the Tang Army from beginning to end.

Now, everything is clear.

He was preparing a fatal blow!

The expressions of everyone changed drastically; the importance of Baidaochuan was self-evident, and they could not help but think about what would become of the livestock of their own tribes.

Jieli Khan’s expression at this moment was equally grave.

But he was, after all, no ordinary man.

He immediately beckoned, and the next moment, his trusted aides walked out of the tent and brought in several dozen guards.

Each of them had a saber strapped to their waist.

Seeing this, the expressions of the surrounding tribal leaders also changed instantly, and they hurriedly looked at Jieli Khan and asked, "Great Khan, what is the meaning of this?"

"Everyone... there is no need to overthink."

Jieli Khan’s expression was gloomy as he looked at the wary crowd present: "I am merely afraid that you might lose your composure and leak this news!"

He had to suppress this news.

He could not let the various tribes within the Eastern Turkic Khaganate collapse first!

It was already the end of the first lunar month!

Each tribe still had some stored fodder; as long as they could hold out until the spring thaw, there would still be a chance for everything!

The atmosphere in the tent became instantly murderous.

Everyone was staring intently at Jieli Khan, their eyes filled with anger.

They were all tribal leaders, after all.

And the fact that they could walk until today and still stand by Jieli Khan’s side already proved the extraordinary nature of their respective tribes.

Now that Jieli Khan treated them this way, how could they not be angry?

But being at the mercy of others, what could they do no matter how angry they were?

They could only obey.

Jieli Khan looked at the crowd with a grave face, first asking if they had other thoughts in their hearts, and only after seeing their silence did he reveal the plan in his heart!

He wanted to feign surrender to stall for time!

As long as he could drag it out until the spring thaw, the problem of fodder could be solved, and he did not believe the Tang Army could keep waiting on the grasslands like this!

Even if they did not want to give up, by then the land would be covered in green grass, and they would have plenty of time to contend with the Tang Army.

Although the tribal leaders had never expressed any opposition from beginning to end.

Jieli Khan still had them placed under control.

And subsequently—

He sent his own envoy to the Tang camp.

The Tang camp.

"Jieli wants to surrender?" Upon hearing this, the officers and soldiers all revealed looks of joy in their eyes.

Only Li Jing’s expression remained calm.

He did not believe Jieli Khan would be so easy to deal with; if he truly wanted to surrender, there would have been no need to hold onto Yinshan for so long.

However, he did not speak.

He simply let the envoy continue speaking, and after giving no reply, he had someone take him away.

"General, what is the meaning of this?"

The officers and soldiers all saw that something was wrong with Li Jing and immediately asked.

Jieli Khan was surrendering.

This was a great achievement for all of them!

After all, before setting out, Li Shimin had said that he wanted Jieli Khan to kneel before him.

Wasn't this the opportunity?

"Do you really believe that Jieli is sincerely surrendering to our Great Tang?" Li Jing looked at the crowd with a calm expression: "If he were truly willing to surrender, why wait until today?"

Li Jing still held a very high reputation in the army.

Hearing this, the officers and soldiers could not help but fall into deep thought.

"Our Great Tang’s military might is currently at its peak. If my guess is correct, Jieli is definitely doing this to stall for time."

Li Jing stated his judgment again, but he seemed to suddenly think of something; his eyes changed abruptly, and he looked at the generals and asked: "Wasn't it said ten days ago that the Grand Tutor had already mobilized troops from Shuofang?"

"Is there any news now?"

Upon hearing this, the generals all instinctively shook their heads.

With Yinshan acting as a barrier.

News from Baidaochuan could not be transmitted that quickly.

"Let us table this matter for now; immediately send men to scout for news of the Grand Tutor."

As he spoke, Li Jing walked directly to the map and stared intently at the area behind Yinshan.

Something major must have happened to the Turks.

Otherwise, Jieli Khan would never have made such a choice suddenly; even if he were using a ruse, it wouldn't go this far.

"Understood!"

The officers and soldiers did not hesitate and immediately bowed before leaving.

Countless scouts emerged from the military camp and finally brought back the situation in the entire Baidaochuan.

And upon learning this news.

The entire Tang Army camp fell into complete silence.

A thousand-mile raid;

Directly destroying the enemy's grain supply camp;

Fundamentally severing the enemy's core.

It was the familiar style of the Gu family descendants, yet it was all so dreamlike.

To accomplish such a feat in the current environment of wind and snow, the hardships and dangers that had to be faced were unimaginable to others.

Although they still held a great advantage.

This move by the Gu family was equivalent to providing them with a guarantee; regardless of whether they could capture Yinshan, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate would no longer have any possibility of a counterattack.

All doubts were instantly resolved at this moment.

It was no wonder Jieli Khan would harbor thoughts of surrender.

"General, should we..." A deputy general spoke urgently, but before he could finish, Li Jing raised his hand to stop him.

He paced to the map, his hawk-like gaze sweeping over the crowd: "No. In these past few days, several Eastern Turkic commanders have disappeared mysteriously; there must be something suspicious about this."

Li Jing also had informants inside Yinshan.

Under the current situation, there were certainly tribes that wanted to surrender to the Great Tang, but these tribes were simply too weak and lacked influence.

The firelight reflected off his white hair like frost, but it could not hide the sharp edge dancing in his eyes.

"In the past, the Marquis of Zhaolie said that stability only exists under a sharp blade."

He suddenly drew the sword at his waist, the blade cutting through the stagnant air in the tent, "The time has come!"

"Unless Jieli binds his own hands and surrenders in person, the army's offensive must never stop!"

"A moment of hesitation could allow the enemy to regroup."

Military orders were like mountains; the generals in the tent gave their orders in unison.

The news from Baidaochuan had made them even more confident; for all the Great Tang soldiers, the credit for this battle was already secured.

As for whether Jieli Khan surrendered or not—they no longer cared!

If he didn't surrender, they would just march directly into Yinshan.

Now that Baidaochuan had been lost, they concluded that Gu Yan’s next move would certainly be to coordinate with them in a pincer attack to assault Yinshan.

With a pincer attack, how could there be no possibility of earning merit?

It was not just them who thought this way.

Jieli Khan also had the same concern; to prevent this situation, he had no choice but to divert troops to guard against another surprise attack from the rear.

The situation in the entire Yinshan region became increasingly severe.

No one could have predicted that the Gu family would abandon the current opportunity and Yinshan to head elsewhere.

(End of chapter)