Chapter 132: Cool to the Core

"Ugh…"

In the Tufan camp, the tardily arriving Fang Chongyong, as soon as he set foot here, couldn't help to flip over, dismount, and vomit wildly!

Corpses littered the ground everywhere, the overwhelming majority were Tufan, many of them missing arms or limbs. Their grim faces, blood staining the yellow sand, made the whole place exude an indescribable tragic grandeur.

The Tang soldiers, exhilarated to the extreme, somehow had gotten hold of some iron saws and were "counting heads" on the spot. Their faces were fanatical, and faced with the scene that made Fang Chongyong vomit, they barely changed expression.

Things that earn military merit never disgust them!

Perhaps to the Doulu soldiers, those who lick blood at the blade either lick their own blood or someone else's. Once on the battlefield, they're no different from beasts; do they even care about making killing look pretty?

There is no such notion.

"Sir, you'll get used to it; this is how the battlefield is—being alive makes you a winner, there's no time for anything else."

Zhang Guangsheng, who had been guarding Fang Chongyong, whispered.

"No problem, you go deliver the orders for me. Have the soldiers quickly clear the battlefield, return to the city and hold the fort, and don't cause any side issues."

Fang Chongyong, suppressing the sour churn in his stomach, said.

Across the Ganquan River lay a Tufan main camp; the two faced each other across the water, and it was unclear whether they were subordinate to each other. Fang Chongyong was puzzled inside, but showed no reaction outwardly.

Now everyone in the small city of Shaozhou watches his performance; any doubt could be magnified countless times, affecting morale!

The puzzling aspect of this battle is: if handled strictly according to Tufan military law, the Tufan forces across the river that failed to rescue the dead would be sentenced to death.

If the Tufan high command holds them accountable, the punishment is severe, and even the Tufan senior officers could bear joint responsibility.

However, the situation inside Tufan is far more complicated than in the Great Tang.

Tufan's internal economic system is a fiefdom system with serf‑like characteristics. In theory, "all lands on the borders belong to the king," so all Tufan territory is nominally under the Zhanpu.

The Zhanpu governs by leasing lands to the great nobles. Those nobles must pay taxes to the Zhanpu, and they in turn use a "tax‑package" system to parcel the lands to smaller nobles.

Tufan's administrative structure is five "ru" and sixty‑one "dongdai", essentially six larger districts (one lacking a "ru"), each containing about ten "dongdai".

Each "ru" enjoys considerable independence; they are not a monolith, and the combat power and cohesion of their armies differ vastly.

Even during Tufan's formation, many "dongdai" were neighboring long‑standing rivals.

Thus the force attacking Shaozhou is one Tufan army, while another attacks Luocheng; the two mock each other, and this possibility cannot be ruled out.

Of course, if those were the only issues, it would be fine; the Tufan high command could reconcile them.

The troublesome part lies in the religious differences among Tufan nobles, a major internal conflict.

Since Songtsen Gampo, successive Zhanpus have suppressed Bön by promoting Buddhism. Yet many nobles still follow Bön and command armies.

Back in Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan era, the Tufan Zhanpu Songtsen Gampo once prophesied: when a descendant bearing the characters "Chi" and "De" appears among his great‑grandchildren, Tufan will become a Buddhist world.

In that world, Bön followers will no longer meddle in state affairs, and the nation will be prosperous and the people live happily.

However, that so‑called "beauty" essentially means Bön is suppressed and royal authority is consolidated, which is favorable to Tufan's monarchy.

The lowly serfs will see no fundamental change in their lives.

The power struggle between the Tufan monarch and nobles has seeped into the Tibetan Buddhist vs. Bön conflict. Religion is merely a tool; the real chaos is the power fight.

Because his name contains the characters "Chi" and "De", Chi De Zu Zan, who has governed for decades, began to vigorously promote Buddhism after ascending the throne.

In the fourth year of Jinglong (710 AD), Chi De Zu Zan married the Tang Princess Jincheng, bringing in more Buddhist teachings and monks, and also sheltering Western monks who fled the war into Tufan.

During this period, many pro‑Buddhist ministers were promoted to high offices, severely infringing on the rights of Tufan nobles and Bön followers, provoking strong resentment.

Last year, to stabilize the regime and ease Buddhist–Bön noble tensions, Chi De Zu Zan, citing a smallpox outbreak in Tufan, expelled many monks.

This move not only failed to quell the dispute but also emboldened Bön followers, pushing the internal Buddhist–Bön clash into a deadly, white‑hot stage that began to affect state policy.

Fang Chongyong doesn't know all of these details, but he has gathered many fragmented key pieces of information from the sidelines.

"Sir, the Tufan troops across the river are forming battle lines!"

Zhang Guangsheng pointed to the Tufan main camp across the Ganquan River and said.

The Tufan army besieging Luocheng is on the opposite bank, and appears not to be subordinate to the unit just annihilated by the Tang army.

The other Tufan force that was just watching from the opposite bank now seems to have just woken up, also forming lines and waiting, though it's unclear what they intend.

Fang Chongyong considered the Ganquan River, which had just flooded with a fierce current, and also thought of the Dunhuang Mother River, temperamental even in summer; he deemed the likelihood of the Tufans crossing the river very low.

As long as the opposing commander's mind is still sound.

"If the Tufan army tries to cross, we can strike them halfway across; under normal circumstances, they won't cross the river."

Fang Chongyong stared at the raging flow, the river now over three meters deep, waved his hand, and said calmly.

Engaging the Tang army while crossing the river now would be nothing but a suicide mission, wouldn't it?

Thinking that, Fang Chongyong almost laughed out loud.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the Tufans on the opposite bank hurriedly hauled out many reed rafts from the main camp, clutching them like dumplings and leaping into the Ganquan River, clearly intending to cross and assault!

"WTF…"

The Tufans' arrogance left Fang Chongyong utterly speechless, and he burst out a profanity.

Li Quan of the Tang dynasty, in "Tai Bai Yin Jing: Water Battle Implements", says: "A reed raft is made by bundling nine‑foot reeds, turning them upside down into a bundle, binding with ten ropes, resembling a bound spear as a raft. Its length and width vary with the abundance of reeds; it can carry people. If reeds are unavailable, cattail reeds can be used similarly."

In Dunhuang there is a distinctive kind of reed, perfect for reed rafts; a few bundles tied with rope can be hugged and used to cross.

Along the banks, except during drought, this cheap and abundant plant is everywhere and can be harvested anywhere. The Tufans, of course, did not bother with politeness and simply used it as "boat‑building" material for the army's river crossing.

"Form the formation!"

A messenger from afar shouted, and a drummer behind him hammered furiously. The Tang soldiers who had been using saws to "count spoils" quickly located their horses, mounted, and prepared to charge the Tufans who had just landed.

"Sir, the damaged camp is a dead zone, not safe here; perhaps we should retreat to observe the battle from the side."

Zhang Guangsheng, quick‑witted, led Fang Chongyong's little red horse over and said.

"That works as well."

Fang Chongyong, without pretense, stepped onto the stirrups, mounted, and, under the guard of Zhang Guangsheng and others, left the Tufan main camp, moving to the rear of the Tang formation.

Wang Sili had been waiting here for a long time, and now calmly issued the command.

The Doulu army is an elite frontier force with regular organization, and now they displayed their ability to enforce orders without question.

As for the troops of the local magnates, Wang Sili did not trust them to fight a tough battle, so he ordered them to retreat back into the city. Those people had already withdrawn with their spoils to the small town of Dunhuang, leaving only the Doulu Army stationed here in formation.

"Please wait a moment, my lord; I will speak after I have crushed the Tibetan army."

Wang Sili spoke calmly to Fang Chongyong, who was seated on his horse, appearing not at all worried.

"Then I entrust everything to you, Commander Wang."

Fang Chongyong didn't put on airs; he simply and honestly retreated to a place farther from the battlefield. Even if he couldn't kill the enemy, he at least wouldn't drag Commander Wang down!

Fang, the young master, had a clear sense of his own standing; he knew exactly who he was.

Speaking of strategic planning, he might have a few tricks; but when it comes to battlefield command, especially the maneuvers after suddenly encountering the enemy, he is far inferior, not fit for the refined hall, and even his flattery cannot match the battle-hardened Wang Sili.

War is brutal and dangerous; better not go up there to show off, or you might get killed.

Fang Chongyong's heart leapt to his throat, and he watched helplessly as the Tibetans fording the river, before they could gain a foothold, were cut down by the Tang cavalry that had rushed to the riverbank, like sheep being slaughtered, without mercy.

These people didn't create even a shred of a miracle before being outright crushed!

This time, calling it a battle is a stretch; it's more like they're marching to their deaths!

Even as an enemy, Fang Chongyong watching from the side felt his heart ache!

"They're just slave soldiers and servants; if they were the elite 'Gui' troops, they certainly wouldn't be sacrificed so pointlessly. The Tibetan commander on the far bank was just probing whether we were fully prepared—this man is a ruthless character who doesn't care about lives."

Zhang Guangsheng, standing beside Fang Chongyong, couldn't help but comment, and he spoke with great insight.

He was a soldier who usually placed great emphasis on study, with lofty ambitions; in his daily life he also gathered much information about the Tibetans, knowing many of their inner workings.

The Tibetan commoner class is divided into 'Gui' and 'Yong', and these two constitute the main force of the Tibetan army.

But this is somewhat similar to the situation of the Tang militia during the Zhenguan era: back then the Tang had many 'conscripted soldiers', and now the Tibetan army also has a huge number of serf soldiers. Moreover, the 'Yong', who handle logistics and miscellaneous tasks, have a status even lower than one might imagine.

These 'Yong' and serf soldiers are often used as expendable material; the Tibetan commanders do not regard their lives as important, and when they are all dead they simply draft more of the same type to replace them.

Fang Chongyong suppressed his inner discomfort, watching Wang Sili calmly command the Tang troops, deploying forces for an attack, and he let out a helpless sigh.

War is a major affair of the state, the place of life and death, the way of survival and extinction; it must not be neglected.

As the chief planner and commander of battle, the commander bears an extraordinarily heavy responsibility; a slight mistake can doom tens of thousands of subordinates.

A person has only one life; once dead, there is no return. There are no reloads, no regret pills to take. Being careful ten thousand times is not too much; one slip and your life is gone forever.

Who in the world possesses an immortality halo that can guarantee survival on the battlefield until a natural death?

Thinking of this, his face turned pale and cold sweat broke out all over his body.

Soldiers of the mid-to-late Tang and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms often act recklessly without regard for consequences, and there is indeed a reason they neglect to make provisions for the aftermath.

Some soldiers mutiny simply because they have lost all their money gambling; in truth, having grown accustomed to licking blood from the blade, what difference is there between dying of poverty and being killed?

These soldiers, versed in tactics and skilled in killing techniques, possessing nothing else, once they lose their reverence for death, there is nothing in the world they dare not do.

Standing on this battlefield where killing is rampant, Fang Chongyong also felt the tragic grandeur of the lower-rank soldiers. In an age when human lives are as worthless as weeds, even the humblest life strives to let out its final song.

The only way to survive is to climb to the upper echelons of the army, where the mortality rate drops dramatically.

"I don't know what awaits us on the road ahead, but it surely has nothing to do with peace, kindness, or justice."

Fang Chongyong muttered a famous quote he had seen somewhere in his past life, feeling that placing it here was truly fitting.

From afar came the sound of fighting, which gradually turned into helpless wails.

……

After a day of tense fighting ended, Fang Chongyong dragged his weary body to the main seat in the great hall of the Sha Prefecture government office. He still could not rest at all!

Doulu Army Commander Wang Sili, together with the local magnate representatives led by Zhang Xuan, all took their seats here to discuss the next steps.

Throughout history, many who have been on the battlefield have died celebrating prematurely with champagne, and many commanders have missed the chance to pursue a victory, only to be counterattacked and killed by the enemy.

The current situation is that this war has not ended because of the daytime victory; on the contrary, with the expansion of the horizon, it has become even more unfathomable.

The small city of Sha Prefecture has had its siege lifted; should we pursue the victory and lift the siege of Luo City?

Beyond Sha Prefecture, could there be Tibetan reinforcements coming?

"According to the prisoners' confession, the opponent we faced this time is the Tibetan Datong Army that was crippled by Prince Xin'an's forces more than ten years ago.

It is a newly reconstituted unit, and its combat strength is not strong.

I believe the Tibetan elite forces are not here, so we can coordinate with the Tang troops inside Luo City to strike from within and without, annihilating the Tibetan army on the far bank."

Wang Sili said in a deep voice.

So it turns out that Anaye's father was quite formidable; back then he must have been nearly sixty years old.

Fang Chongyong murmured to himself, but his face remained composed as he gave a slight nod.

Back then, Anaye's father thrashed the Datong Army, and now her man has thrashed the newly reconstituted Datong Army. One must say, this maiden from the Hexi region really has some fateful connection with the Tibetan Datong Army.

"I think we should send someone to Luo City to scout the situation; we know nothing about the Tibetan force outside Luo City, and acting rashly could easily cause unnecessary losses.

As things stand, Guazhou has surely fallen, which is why the Hexi border troops' reinforcements have not yet arrived. Since we have already won a battle, we ought to proceed steadily and securely."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and said, disagreeing with Wang Sili's view.

"My lord, morale can be raised but not allowed to drop!"

Wang Sili pleaded.

Just then, a scout rushed in, cupped his hands to Fang Chongyong in salute, and loudly reported: "Commander Fang, the Tibetans on the far bank are withdrawing!"

Upon hearing this, the officers in the hall instantly exploded like a boiling pot, beginning to chatter noisily and becoming agitated!

(End of chapter)