Chapter 141: Heavy Punches Strike (Part Two)

"Let's set the twin oars in motion, and the little boat pushes through the waves…"

From the yamen's rear courtyard came Fang Chongyong's childlike voice that sounded like a wailing ghost; Anaye looked at the crystal hourglass gifted by a Western merchant, then glanced at the sandbags bound to his hands and feet, while the yamen official was swinging fists and kicks in the courtyard, and he sighed helplessly.

Not knowing what to say, Fang Chongyong, who used to whine for a massage whenever he was tired, has become frighteningly self‑disciplined these past two days, truly following his schedule for study and training; every night when she gives him a massage, the official falls asleep quickly, and no one knows what stimulus he received.

"Lord, the Guo military envoy requests an audience!"

Zhang Guangsheng hurried into the rear courtyard, clasped his hands in a bow to Fang Chongyong and said,

"Come, come, help me untie this; wow, this thing is really heavy."

Fang Chongyong let out a sigh and asked Zhang Guangsheng to come and untie the ropes binding his sandbags.

He brushed dust from his hands, looked helpless, and asked, "What's the hurry? Can't you let me catch my breath?"

"Lord, the Tibetan forces have clashed with our army at Jiayuguan! Our scouts boldly went to Suzhou to verify the reports. When they returned, the horses were dead from exhaustion!"

Zhang Guangsheng seemed nervous. For him, this was certainly a matter of life and death.

But Fang Chongyong's face remained calm, as if he could still keep things under control.

"I'm afraid it's not just the Guo military envoy, right? Come, let's go to the main hall."

Led by Zhang Guangsheng to the yamen's main hall, Fang Chongyong saw the generals already waiting anxiously, each fidgeting. They whispered to each other, turning the place into something like a bustling market.

"Lord, the decisive battle is about to begin…"

Before Guo Ziyi could finish, Fang Chongyong waved his hand to stop him.

"Those who want to join the excitement, muster troops and head to Gua Zhou's Changle County, prepare to capture Tibetan prisoners."

"Those who don't want the hassle, go to Luo Cheng to reorganize troops and horses."

"Mou, who is stationed in the little town of Shazhou, is waiting for your good news—let that be dismissed."

Fang Chongyong seemed completely indifferent, let alone setting out with troops!

"Lord, what should we do?"

Guo Ziyi was shocked; this was entirely different from what they had expected!

"Lord, a dragon without a head cannot function; you oversee Shazhou's military and civil affairs, so whether you launch an attack or not, there must be an explanation."

Cui Qianyou said calmly,

"Alas, you're putting Mou in a difficult spot!"

Fang Chongyong stood up, then sat down again, sighed, and continued:

"When we finish reorganizing our troops and rush to assault Jiayuguan, the battle will likely already be over, and we may even run straight into the retreating Tibetan forces."

By then we'll already be exhausted from the march, unprepared, so the outcome is uncertain.

I suspect the defeated Tibetan troops will retreat via the Ming River (Shule River) back to the plateau; you should take your forces to Changle County in Gua Zhou, where we have been before, and wait there comfortably.

Even if we can't annihilate the Tibetan army, we can at least cripple it!

If the risk seems too great, holding Shazhou still earns merit, without the hassle; just train the troops properly.

I won't compete with you for credit on this matter.

This isn't urgent; just discuss among yourselves whether to dispatch troops.

Whether you go or not is voluntary, no coercion. When the time comes, tally the merits and report them to me.

After speaking, Fang Chongyong rose and left, ignoring the many Shazhou border generals who had already fallen into thought.

Back in the rear courtyard, he saw Anaye fiddling with the delicate glass hourglass, absorbed in play, so he snatched it, set it on the ground and said, "Keep training, help me bind the sandbags!"

"That was quick?"

Anaye asked in surprise.

"Otherwise, those Qiu Ba will go out to fool around again; let them, I'm not joining."

Fang Chongyong said indifferently.

In his past life, he found it extremely annoying when a senior leader would barge in and snatch credit just as a project was about to succeed. So now, when the Shazhou border troops are vying for merit, this court‑appointed Fang official shouldn't be such a spoilsport, fighting over credit with the ambitious Qiu Ba.

What good is it to earn merit?

Can he, by his own strength, retain the court's wealth and rewards?

Are the high offices and generous stipends bestowed by the court something he can obtain through his own ability?

Are the plucked battle honors truly his own skill?

No, those are Brother Ji's "gifts". They say you can just take them.

Without a court appointment, Fang Chongyong would become a penniless half‑grown child, nothing at all!

A beautiful rainbow bubble bursts the moment a needle pricks it.

Fang Chongyong understood that everything he now has is thanks to the "platform", and that platform isn't even his own.

Riding the high‑speed rail a thousand miles a day—does that prove you run fast?

Flying a plane ten thousand miles a day—does that prove you can challenge the blue sky?

Those are the platform's power, not yours.

Where to go, how high to fly, when to depart—none of those are up to you; what's there to brag about?

Now, rushing up to lead Guo Ziyi's crew to scavenge and claim great merit—does that make you a "famous general"?

In his past life, those so‑called "Progressive Party" were just sell‑out sluts seeking glory. They had no real skill, merely climbing on others, yet they pretended to be important.

One's worth lies in self‑awareness!

Fang Chongyong was too lazy to say any of that to Anaye.

This Hexi local girl studies medical texts daily; that's true progress.

"It's fine you don't go; I just don't want you constantly risking."

Anaye let out a huge sigh, fearing that Fang Chongyong might bolt in armor and run.

"That's war, not a game; people die."

Fang Chongyong said quietly, his gaze calm.

……

Swish! Swish! Swish!

On the towering cliffs of the eastern bank of the Taolai River, hundreds of bed crossbows arrayed along the bank were firing at the Tibetan formations across the river. Firing in rotating relays, their firepower was sustained!

Wang Zhongsi had unexpectedly placed all of the Tang army's bed crossbows here, but in reality it was only to cover the elite Red Water Army's flying crossing of the Natural Bridge!

The Tibetans had also deployed heavy forces on the opposite bank, but clearly, they were suppressed by these hundreds of bed crossbows and could not even raise their heads.

Near the Natural Bridge, Tibetan slave soldiers were everywhere, nailed to the ground by bed crossbow bolts, howling and struggling.

As well as broken and discarded shields!

Yet under the watch of their overseers and the rear blocking squads, these men dared not retreat a single step. They could only watch helplessly as their comrades were shot down by the Tang army, struggling to shield the front of their formation with square tower shields. When those in front fell, those behind stepped up to take their place.

Solemn and brutal!

Ma Yuanqing frowned slightly. At this level of firepower, an ordinary army would have routed long ago. The Tibetans really fought like they didn't care about their lives — shot down in such numbers and still acting as if nothing happened!

But he dared not slack off. Wang Zhongsi had given orders: unless the Tibetan formation collapsed early, they were to act only after firing all the bed crossbow bolts, and absolutely not advance rashly.

So Ma Yuanqing could only grit his teeth and keep the Tang forces firing. Honestly, killing the Tibetan slave soldiers like slaughtering livestock did not feel good.

Of course, anyone who had dealt with the Tibetans knew that over there, they didn't fear death. So Ma Yuanqing's discomfort was one thing, but he would not hold back any effort in doing the deed.

In Tibet, whether at the bottom or the top, no one treated human life as anything important. Respecting their wishes was the right thing to do.

Just then, a commotion arose in the Tibetan army. The slave soldiers actually turned and hacked down their overseers. The troops in front turned back like a tide and counterattacked, fighting with the blocking squads. The entire formation had descended into chaos!

"Good opportunity! Pass on my military order — cross the bridge!"

Ma Yuanqing was overjoyed. The Red Water Army grunts didn't stand on ceremony with the Tibetans either, sprinting all the way and crossing to the far side of the Natural Bridge with almost no losses. The moment they engaged the Tibetans on the other side, the enemy began to collapse and rout completely!

This scene left Ma Yuanqing stunned time and again.

He had truly thought the Tibetan slave soldiers, pinned to the ground in skewers by bed crossbow bolts, felt no pain and no fear! So these people did know fear after all!

"Someone, go deliver a message to Jiedushi Wang. Say that the Natural Bridge is secured, and I will lead my troops to stick a knife in the Tibetans' belly! Jiedushi can make his move too."

Ma Yuanqing gave a sly grin and spoke to the personal guards beside him.

On the Jiayu Pass canyon side, the fighting was still going on, but it had eased considerably compared to before. Whether among the Tibetans or the Tang army, the front few ranks of heavily armored elite soldiers had all been spent.

The fences the Tang army had set up had long been destroyed, replaced by layers upon layers of corpses. Those behind stepped on the corpses of those in front, holding long spears and thrusting at the opposing soldiers. The blood on the ground stuck to their leather boots, leaving one vivid red footprint after another.

Wang Zhongsi stood on the hill, coldly watching it all. Now he was like a seasoned chess player, watching the pieces on the "board" slaughter each other, feeling the sorrow of being a chess piece.

An individual's strength, on a battlefield like this, was insignificant — incapable of doing anything at all.

Just as he fell into deep thought, a messenger hurried over from afar, cupped his hands to Wang Zhongsi and said, "Jiedushi, General Ma has succeeded!"

"Good!"

Wang Zhongsi's brow finally relaxed. Resisting the Tibetans head-on for so long — wasn't it all for this moment?

"Pass on my military order — Red Water Army iron cavalry, flank and counterattack! Charge the formation!

Light infantry, prepare to sweep in from the front!

Aside from this Jiedushi's personal guards, everyone else — full assault!"

"Yes, sir!"

The generals around him all received their orders and departed. Wang Zhongsi's face finally showed a long-absent smile.

This battle was finally over!

Yet after the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, the battle situation changed drastically!

"Jiedushi! General Dong's side can't hold anymore — the Tibetans' camel cavalry are about to break through the northern defense line!"

A scout with several arrows lodged in his body came riding at full gallop, shouting as he ran. When he reached them he fell to the ground, vomiting blood, clearly not long for this world.

The Tibetans actually couldn't be stopped? Camel cavalry?

Wang Zhongsi was stunned, silently crying out that things were bad!

In truth, he had not worried before about Dong Yanguang being unable to hold, because he actually had a reserve force in hand. But he had just ordered the reserves to attack, and now he could not order them to stop!

This was war. Confusion in military orders would cause chaos in the army — then they wouldn't even need the Tibetans to attack; their own side would fall into disarray.

"Personal guards, assemble, follow me!"

Wang Zhongsi mounted his horse, drew the horizontal blade from his waist with murderous intent, and roared at the personal guards around him.

……

In a small valley at the junction of desert and grassland north of Jiayu Pass, the Tibetan army's desert cavalry was fighting Dong Yanguang's Dadu Army. The battle had entered a white-hot stage. Both sides had abandoned their mounts and entered into close combat.

As for the Tang army's formation, since their numbers were small, it had long been broken apart by the Tibetans, and they had now begun fighting in isolated pairs.

The battle situation was extremely unfavorable for the Tang army!

That the Tibetans abandoned their horses and switched to camels that could move freely in the desert was something Dong Yanguang had not anticipated.

That the Tibetan army numbered over ten thousand was also something Dong Yanguang had not anticipated!

Though Wang Zhongsi had correctly predicted the direction of the Tibetan counterattack, he had not anticipated their ruthlessness.

The Tibetan commander had actually treated the tens of thousands of Tibetan troops on the front battlefield as bait to draw in the Tang army's main force! Those men, regardless of victory or defeat in this battle, would mostly be unlikely to survive!

For the sake of victory, the Tibetans did not care about casualties!

"General Dong, let's retreat — we can't hold!"

A personal guard behind him shouted at Dong Yanguang. With the Dadu Army's under-strength three or four thousand men (their cavalry having been pulled away), how could they possibly hold back over ten thousand Tibetan elite troops!

"Retreating is also death!"

Dong Yanguang hacked the Tibetan before him to the ground, then turned and roared a reply!

Given the current situation, was it something he could retreat from just by saying so?

Woo! Woo! Woo!

From behind, not far away, dust and smoke billowed, and the desolate horns wailed mournfully!

Reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements have arrived!

Dong Yanguang shouted loudly.

The soldiers of both armies locked in combat were stunned; seeing the scale of the dust, there must be tens of thousands—what's the point of fighting?

Many Tibetans seeing the situation turn bad turned and fled, some mounting nearby camels and galloping off. The remaining Tang troops of the Great Dou Army, their morale greatly boosted, chased after the fleeing Tibetans, hacking and slashing!

The battle was decided in an instant!

Dong Yanguang's horizontal saber fell to the ground—this was already the fifth saber he had broken today. He thought he would die here, but instead he found life in desperation!

Although the Tibetan army was numerous, its morale was already spent. Upon hearing the Tang army's bugle, utterly different from their own side, seeing the distant rolling dust, and the faintly visible cavalry unit, Enlan Dazalu Gong realized the tide had turned.

Moreover, his attendant Lang Meise had already been frightened out of his wits! He directly ordered a retreat!

Taking advantage of the fact that the Tang army's horses struggled to march in the desert, the Tibetan army fled in desperation toward Melon Prefecture. As long as the retreat route of the Dark River (Shule River) remained uncut, they could safely withdraw along the Dark River back to the Tibetan plateau to rest and recuperate.

What they didn't know was that Dong Yanguang and the others, upon seeing Wang Zhongsi leading over a hundred personal guards rushing over, were nearly scared out of their wits!

Wang Zhongsi had tree branches tied behind the horses, dragging them on the ground to kick up dust, making it look like many cavalry were following. This was thanks to the sandy terrain north of Solemn Prefecture, which easily raises dust; otherwise, this ruse couldn't have been pulled off.

"Upon learning that your forces could not resist the Tibetans, this Jiedushi personally came to support you!"

Wang Zhongsi rode on his horse with a faint smile, patting the head of his mount as he spoke, his face showing no small amount of pride.

"Wang Jiedushi... you're going to scare the lowly officer to death! Why don't I see your main force?"

Dong Yanguang asked doubtfully, knowing full well that Wang Zhongsi had always kept a reserve force!

"Well, that's a long story. The lads have probably already broken the enemy; we just need to return to our camp—no need for more talk!"

Wang Zhongsi waved his hand, too lazy to say more to Dong Yanguang. Of course, he wouldn't punish him either.

Second part

(End of chapter)