Chapter 139: The Working Person's Self-Awareness

West of Jiuquan City lies the former Yumen Military Garrison, where the Tufan have massed heavy troops as a mobile force, ready to reinforce the Ganzhou front at any time.

They could also dispatch troops to Gua Zhou at once, or even march to Sha Zhou, breaking through the Hexi Corridor.

At this very moment, the Tufan Ruzhu (equivalent to a military district commander) Lang Meise, who is in charge of the military affairs, is restless.

Standing before him is a burly Tufan general dressed in blue silk, Enlan Dazalu Gong, who retreated from Sha Zhou to this place.

When he withdrew his troops, he fell into an ambush set by a thousand elite cavalry of Cui Qianyou, nearly to the point of only escaping with his life. Yet Enlan Dazalu Gong is not a man who waits to die, nor does he attribute his failure to inferior skill, so his fighting spirit remains intact.

Enlan Dazalu Gong, with his few remaining troops, after shaking off Cui Qianyou's pursuit, took a detour to Gua Zhou, and eventually arrived at the Tufan main camp in Su Zhou, where he pledged allegiance to Lang Meise, a follower of Bon, temporarily submitting to his control.

Lang Meise governs the Tufan Su Bi region as the Ruzhu under Sun Boju.

The spread of Buddhism in Tufan began from the southern Luo Xie City. Because successive Tufan Zanpu revered Buddhism, the farther one is from Luo Xie City, the stronger the influence of Bon becomes. Now the Su Bi area is rapidly turning into a Bon stronghold.

Enlan Dazalu Gong cannot return directly to Luo Xie City; going back would mean death. He knows well that without earning a "merit," he cannot report to the Zanpu.

Whether annihilating the Tang army or taking down Lang Meise, either option works. Enlan Dazalu Gong is a very adaptable strategist, not a simple fool who judges friend and foe solely by religious belief.

Because of the dispute between Buddhism and Bon, Lang Meise has long been at odds with the current Tufan Zanpu Chi Dezuzan (also known as Chi Dai Zhudan).

This time the Zanpu ordered Lang Meise to bring troops to Su Zhou, certainly with the consideration of weakening Su Bi's military strength.

After all, the Su Bi region is traditionally Qiang territory in the northeast of Tufan's domain, not a core area. The core of Tufan rule lies in the southern Luo Xie City (Lhasa) and its surroundings, and the conflict between the two has lasted more than a day or two.

Indeed, using a foreign enemy to weaken one's own troublemakers is standard practice, nothing surprising.

Moreover, Enlan Dazalu Gong's family resides not far east of Luo Xie City; his authority comes from the Zanpu, so he cannot steadfastly side with Lang Meise.

"Those are hard‑won riches; are you really going to let the Tang people burn, destroy, and seize them?"

Lang Meise retorted with a dissatisfied expression.

Deliberately leaving a Nangxia for the Tang army to attack, one must admit, that loophole was indeed sold at a hefty price.

"The elite Tang troops in Sha Zhou are fierce and hard to handle. A direct assault is unwise; better to lure the enemy in, draw this army to Su Zhou for battle. Then the Ruzhu can surround them with tens of thousands of troops, making it a sure win!"

Enlan Dazalu Gong bowed and saluted, saying.

"Hmph, may your move work."

Lang Meise snorted coldly, outwardly unyielding, but in truth he had no solution for Enlan Dazalu Gong.

Currently, the Tufan forces on the eastern front are under immense military pressure. The Tang army attacks daily; Wang Zhongsi rotates the Hexi armies to assault the Jiayuguan Gorge near Jiuquan City, continuously eroding Tufan morale and manpower.

Their plan is to use logistical superiority to wear the Tufan army to death! The Tang supply lines from Liangzhou can fully meet the demand.

By autumn and winter, Su Zhou and Gua Zhou become major grain‑deficit hubs of the Hexi Corridor; normally thousands of Tang troops rely on Liangzhou for provisions, and now nearly a hundred thousand Tufan soldiers are concentrated here, creating an extraordinary logistical strain.

The Tufan army has almost stripped both provinces of all available grain.

Meanwhile, the opposing Tang forces can draw supplies from Liangzhou and Ganzhou, and as one side weakens while the other strengthens, the Tufan army will be driven into a desperate situation!

This time they plan to sacrifice another relatively insignificant Nangxia, and Lang Meise almost felt compelled to grab a sword and go to the front to supervise the battle.

Suddenly, a Tufan royal guard entered the stone house and saluted Lang Meise: "Ruzhu, we just received news that the Tang army attacked the Nangxia at Chang Le County today."

Lang Meise sprang up, exclaiming, "Is that true?"

"Absolutely certain, but…"

The guard hesitated, about to speak.

"Speak!"

"But after they burned the supplies inside the Nangxia, they withdrew."

"That can't be!"

Before Lang Meise could speak, Enlan Dazalu Gong couldn't help but interject, his face horrified.

The trap he set was absolutely foolproof; any ambitious Tang commander would be tempted to "seal the victory in one battle," hoping to become the decisive factor in the Tufan–Great Tang showdown!

Indeed, Enlan Dazalu Gong used himself as a template, reasoning that others would make the same choice, so he laid the trap on the Gua Zhou–Su Zhou border, waiting for the Tang army to crash into it.

A scheme that would fool him couldn't possibly be easily unraveled by anyone.

The Tang troops in Sha Zhou are capable and hard to handle; he tested that last time. Thus, the more such commanders and armies exist, the more they crave to make a name for themselves!

How can they resist the lure of "victory within reach"?

"I'll give you five thousand troops; you should lead them to pursue now, hoping you can still catch up."

Lang Meise said coldly, his face expressionless.

If this man were not one of the four elite guards serving the Zanpu, Lang Meise would have already executed him by military law! Moreover, they are all Bon‑faith Tufan nobles, and the current Buddhist–Bon conflict within Tufan leaves Bon with little advantage.

Hence Lang Meise spared Enlan Dazalu Gong.

Although he suffered a major defeat earlier, Enlan Dazalu Gong remains a significant figure within the Bon camp.

"Ruzhu, pursuing now yields uncertain results. I, your subordinate, think it wiser to hold steady."

Enlan Dazalu Gong bowed and said.

Even now, he still does not understand why, after the Tang army reached Chang Le County, they dared not continue to attack Gua Zhou or even Su Zhou.

At the very least, they should have taken Jin Chang County, the seat of Gua Zhou, where there are few Tufan troops!

How did they see through this trap?

Enlan Dazalu Gong has no answer in his heart, and no one can answer him.

Unfortunately, pursuing now is likely already too late.

"I order you to pursue, not to bargain with me."

"Understood!"

Enlan Dazalu Gong sighed helplessly, took the order, and left.

This battle is undoubtedly a loss; better to retreat with trusted followers to Luo Xie City after defeat, as the Hexi front is already doomed.

He originally planned to first lure the Tang army from Sha Zhou, then, while Sha Zhou is vacant, whisk away the mobile Tufan force of tens of thousands stationed in Su Zhou, rushing straight into Sha Zhou. After capturing the two cities, the road to the Western Regions would open, revitalizing Tufan's strategic position.

The vast Western Regions can then be traversed freely, with Dunhuang as the starting point.

When the Tang army loses the western segment of the Hexi Corridor, what performance remains?

If we redeploy troops from the Anxi Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate, the various forces in the Western Regions will also stir. The Western Regions are so vast; without tens of thousands of men to hold the place, would the Tang officials really be effective?

Unfortunately, the high command of the Tufan army does not share his view; they still place the strategic focus on the Liangzhou front, hoping to swallow the entire Hexi Corridor in one bite.

How could that be possible! Only if the Tang Empire had fallen could such a plan be carried out!

"Wait…"

Lang Mesè called Enlan Dazalu Gong back again.

"Take troops to the Jiayu Pass gorge; we have little grain left. Once the autumn harvest comes, the supplies in Liangzhou and Ganzhou will increase, and the Tang army's strength will grow.

Let's settle the decisive battle with them soon."

Lang Mesè sighed and said, "I'll go with you this time."

"Understood!"

Enlan Dazalu Gong nodded, then withdrew from the stone house. The scorching sun outside made him feel dizzy repeatedly.

Deciding the battle now is too hasty, it's literally a path paved with lives.

……

Seeing the familiar little city of Shazhou before him, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but exhale in relief, feeling his whole body about to fall apart.

After rushing back, he finally arrived before nightfall! The journey was bumpy and exhausting, fearing Tufan pursuit, his heart was in his throat, terrified that if caught they'd burst his anus.

If this keeps up, he feels his heart disease will flare up!

The camel he rode on this expedition isn't a good bird either; it keeps turning its head to bite his sleeve, often looking at him with a stupid‑cute gaze, and once even spat on his face.

No wonder horses are humanity's preferred mounts; camels are so pretentious, if you don't get used to them they'll pick fights. Riding a horse doesn't have that nasty habit.

Because of the attack on Jinchang County, the senior generals in the army felt some regret. Yet this time they could return whole‑heartedly, even bringing back a few hundred warhorses, so they had no real complaints.

The Tufan's defensive weakness was unexpected to everyone; the basic combat objective was fully achieved, leaving little to complain about. The generals only felt they had wasted a rare good opportunity.

After all, such a chance to strike from behind with a club isn't common!

Yet among the three thousand soldiers marching with the army, many were bewildered.

They naturally welcomed not attacking Jinchang County; the sheep couldn't be brought back, which is understandable since that would slow the march. But the treasure in the Tufan camp, clearly takable yet left untouched, left them puzzled—why?

It wasn't that they couldn't carry it, nor would it affect marching speed!

The last fire was burned down—what a pity!

Their grasp of military strategy isn't that high. Moreover, they wouldn't understand that if Fang Chongyong let them take the Tufan treasure back, perhaps Enlan Dazalu Gong would truly lead troops in a chase. Whether those three thousand could safely return to Shazhou is uncertain.

"Sir, after much deliberation, I feel not attacking Jinchang County this time is indeed correct. We don't know how many Tufans are in Su Zhou, nor their distribution; with such unclear enemy intel, going there may make return impossible.

The Shazhou border troops have already earned considerable merit; their desire for victory isn't strong, self‑preservation should come first."

Cui Qianyou rode his camel close to Fang Chongyong and lowered his voice.

He thought it over during the journey and realized Fang Chongyong had truly given his all this time; pressing on would be too risky. At that moment, the generals' eagerness to fight stemmed mainly from insatiable greed.

After cooling down, not only Cui Qianyou but many other commanders felt it was improper.

In fact, this clean, decisive handling of a Tufan pocket captured hundreds of horses; regardless, it gives the Hexi Military Governor's Office something to report.

Accumulating those battle merits, any of these senior generals would surely be promoted a rank.

"Serving a thousand miles just for food and clothing; being a soldier eats grain just to get by; with unclear enemy intel and no imperial command, what's the point of the hassle?

Which soldier has no kin, no elders? Their lives are lives, aren't they? Is it for a few bolts of silk or a few Tufan heads that they're sent to die?"

Fang Chongyong gave a helpless wry smile, knowing many would mock him privately, yet he didn't regret his earlier decision.

Many things, those who understand need no further explanation; those who don't, no amount of explanation is like playing a lute to a cow. Fang Chongyong was already too lazy to explain why he was so cowardly.

This raid on the Tufan logistics point was like knowing in a past life that a certain passenger plane might have a timed bomb.

If that day only this one flight could rush back to the company, and the matter couldn't be disclosed…

Then was Fang Chongyong risking a bomb that might explode mid‑air by taking that flight to get back to work quickly?

Or change flights, take leave and return later?

Actually the answer is obvious.

It's just a job, eight hundred coins a month—no need to risk one's life.

The Tang Empire isn't his private property!

Pursuing unrealistic profit while shouldering unbearable risk is a very foolish act.

Doing so will certainly affect troop morale and might miss a brilliant victory and a chance for fame and divinity.

But Fang Chongyong is terrified of death… He truly fears death; if he could avoid risk, he would never choose it!

The Fang office only goes all‑out when forced; otherwise they're as cowardly as dogs!

Yet one issue cannot be ignored.

In this matter, if that flight didn't explode, the company's boss and colleagues would never know the incident. All they'd see is Fang Chongyong taking leave.

Thus understanding between people is often limited, which is a helpless fact.

"Living is enough; safety first."

Fang Chongyong sighed, riding his camel slowly into the city.

As soon as he entered the town on his camel, the local gentry and ordinary townsfolk who had been waiting for a long time began cheering, shouting, singing and dancing!

Some even came forward to feed grass to Fang Chongyong's camel.

"Indeed, I brought them all back, not a single one missing."

Seeing this, Fang Chongyong let out a grateful sigh; he understood exactly why the townspeople were cheering.

At that moment, the camel that had been restless all along turned its head and spat a mouthful of grass‑stained saliva onto Fang Chongyong's face!

The crowd burst into uproarious laughter!

Camels are like that; locals are used to it, but they didn't expect even the inspector to be unable to control such a quirky animal.

Fang Chongyong helplessly wiped the camel's saliva from his face with his sleeve, gave an awkward smile and waved to the raucous crowd.

Tomorrow the monthly ticket is double, prepare for a burst update, tickets are all ready.

(Chapter complete)