Chapter 244: War to End War

In a war, for both sides engaged in battle, even a very small setback can often influence the overall direction of the situation.

In the era of cold weapons, the complete annihilation of a ten-thousand-strong elite cavalry force by the enemy would obviously greatly affect one's own margin for error in operations, and could even lead to having no presentable reserve force at a critical moment, watching helplessly as victory slips away before one's eyes.

In the spring of the seventh year of Tianbao, the Acting Jiedushi of Longyou, Fang Chongyong, had three thousand elite soldiers don sheepskins to disguise themselves as sheep, mixing among ten thousand real sheep, and set an ambush on the grasslands north of Datong City in Xingxiu River.

This deployment became the decisive factor in the ensuing battle.

The Tibetan cavalry, whose purpose was plunder, came suddenly and did not see through these Tang soldiers wearing sheepskins. They charged straight for the villages around Shancheng to loot, and could not be bothered with the flocks of sheep at all.

After the Tibetan army departed, these three thousand "sheepskin soldiers" moved large numbers of chevaux de frise previously placed inside Datong City to the route the Tibetan cavalry had to take on their return, namely the narrow valley road beneath Datong City.

After completing these tasks, the "sheepskin soldiers" lay in wait inside Datong City for orders, lowering their banners and silencing their drums, quietly observing the situation.

The Tibetan cavalry had a very smooth time looting, but on their return, they were blocked by the chevaux de frise.

The Tibetan army's commander-in-chief, Shang Yexi, first ordered the cavalry under his command to dismount and move the chevaux de frise.

When five thousand elite cavalry of the Tang army's Lintao Army pursued them to this point, he led the remnants in a panicked flight to Datong City, and was ultimately annihilated by the "sheepskin soldiers" inside the city and the Lintao Army outside the city attacking from within and without.

In this battle with a convoluted and bizarre course, both sides deployed nearly equal forces, yet the Tang army annihilated ten thousand Tibetan cavalry with a combat loss ratio of less than 1 to 30, making it the most dazzling battle in the past ten years.

This battle shocked the court and the public. Anyone who heard the course of the battle dared not believe it was real. Yet it had truly and actually happened!

On the second day after the battle, the Acting Jiedushi of Longyou, Fang Chongyong, dispatched the Jiedushi Judge Cen Shen to Fuxi City, the former capital of the Tuyuhun occupied by the Tibetans, to negotiate with the Tibetan Great Minister Qilixu.

Cen Shen harshly condemned the Tibetans for breaking their word and lightly starting a war, tearing up the peace agreement between the two nations, and that the annihilation of their troops was entirely their own fault.

He also demanded that the Tibetans send someone to Chang'an to apologize and pay compensation to the Tang Emperor.

If not, then it would be taken as the Tibetans declaring war first, the peace treaty between the two nations from before would be voided, and henceforth when the two sides met on the battlefield, each would be left to the mercy of fate!

The various units of the Longyou border army were sleeping on their weapons awaiting dawn. Since they had already annihilated ten thousand elite Tibetan cavalry before, they could likewise beat the Tibetans so they would not dare cross the line!

Seeing the Tang side's attitude so tough, the Tibetan Great Minister Qilixu, who knew he was in the wrong, stated:

There was no such thing as a Tibetan army attacking the Tang army's garrison. That the Tang army was attacked was of course very likely true, but whether it was actually done by the Tibetans could not be casually claimed and recklessly stated.

Qilixu believed that the many tribes around the Huangshui Valley were not limited to the Tibetans alone, and it was very likely that the Turks or the Dangxiang had disguised themselves as the Tibetan army to fish in troubled waters, hoping to profit from the situation.

He himself had not ordered any Tibetan army to raid Shanzhou, nor had he heard of any casualties among the Tibetan army.

Therefore, regarding this matter, the Tibetans would send an envoy to Chang'an to explain directly to the Tang Emperor. If the Tang Longyou border army intended to deliberately provoke an incident, then the Tibetan army would not be ambiguous either, and meeting on the battlefield would be perfectly fine.

In short, the Tibetan side had no intention of breaking the peace agreement between the two nations, and hoped the Tang Longyou border army would not casually pin labels and frame them.

This time, Fang Chongyong struck the Tibetans a vicious blow from behind. Then the Tibetan side still had to rub the top of their heads while saying they had not been beaten, and in the end still had to send someone to Chang'an to explain to Li Longji.

This battle could be said to have broken the Tibetans' "energy gauge," leaving them unable to advance or retreat.

Seeing that the objective had been achieved, Cen Shen, who was blooming with joy in his heart, feigned anger and left with a flick of his sleeves. After returning to Shanzhou, he reported all he had seen and heard to Fang Chongyong and the various army commissioners of the Longyou border army, and everyone was deeply impressed by Fang Chongyong's brilliant calculations.

Tactics serve strategy, and strategy serves politics. War is fought as politics; otherwise, it is nothing but a meaningless struggle that wastes money and provisions.

Fang Chongyong's political objective was very clear: to "use war to end war."

Using a small-scale complete victory to dispel the Tibetans' restless ambitions and buy the necessary time for internal adjustments within the Longyou border army.

This great victory, firstly, could prove that the Tang army was fully prepared with weapons at the ready, and that the Tibetans' risky actions would not yield any good results; secondly, it cut off one of the Tibetans' fingers, thoroughly disrupting their deployment and seizing the initiative in public opinion.

Now that this matter had been publicized, if the Tibetans went to war, it would confirm that they had torn up the peace agreement and broken their word.

If the Tibetans sent someone to Chang'an to explain to Brother Ji, then they would be the first to concede, and it would be even more impossible for them to go back on their word and start a war.

Without a just cause for war, having recently suffered defeat, and with their deployment disrupted, no matter how one looked at it, this was not a good opening. Fang Chongyong estimated that if they were not driven to a dead end, the Tibetans would certainly hold back for the time being.

Moreover, within Tibet, the "Shang" faction had suddenly lost ten thousand elite cavalry, causing a major shift in the balance of power with the "Lun" faction, and therefore they too had to act cautiously. Tibet likewise needed to adjust its internal relations and redeploy its troops.

Fang Chongyong's dispatch of Cen Shen to Fuxi City to probe the Tibetans' true intentions was precisely to clarify Tibet's view of this battle, to see whether their words and actions would match his own estimates.

From Qilixu's performance, the Tibetans had already abandoned their attempt to launch an offensive in the spring.

However, the Tibetans' pace of expansion would not stop because of this "minor" setback.

It was likely that this autumn, the Tibetans would send troops to Longyou according to the rhythm of war they had long been accustomed to. A protracted great war was still unavoidable!

The struggle with the Tibetans was the Tang dynasty's destiny, a fight to the death. Though Fang Chongyong had done his utmost, he still could not change the great tide of history and geopolitics.

……

On the pasture outside Shanzhou City, two cavalry units were forming up, preparing to charge and fight.

The Modao army and heavy infantry arrayed in the distance were likewise brimming with killing intent, ready at any moment to become merciless meat grinders.

On a viewing stand specially constructed, several stories tall, Fang Chongyong held a "telescope" in his hand, observing five hundred cavalry selected from the Lintao Army and the Heyuan Army, along with two thousand infantry in coordination, conducting tactical exercises.

Cavalry charges, mounted infantry dismounting to fight on foot, Modao units forming up, heavy infantry skirmishing with cavalry, and other such drills would all be presented one by one.

"Judge Cen has worked tirelessly this time and made outstanding contributions. After returning to the capital to report on duty, this Jiedushi will recommend you to the Sage as an Investigating Censor."

Fang Chongyong set down the telescope in his hand and said with a smile.

"How would this subordinate dare to claim credit? It is all thanks to the Jiedushi's strategizing that those Tibetan scoundrels were caught in one net!"

Cen Shen excitedly clasped his hands in salute. Fang Chongyong's words might have been merely polite, and the court might not necessarily reward Cen Shen exactly as Fang Chongyong had said.

But regardless, once the military merits were reported, promotion and elevation in rank were guaranteed; it was only a matter of how much. Cen Shen now fully appreciated how delightful it was to be an official with someone above covering for him.

As long as you had merit, someone would immediately report it for you. Compared to toiling alone in the officialdom, it was truly far more comfortable.

Seeing Gai Jiayun, Wang Nande, and others beside him all looking at him with eager eyes, Fang Chongyong waved his hand nonchalantly and said:

"The principle of this Jiedushi in handling affairs is one word: fairness!

Whoever achieves merit, this Jiedushi will petition the court on their behalf! Whoever makes a mistake, this Jiedushi will be equally impartial and stern.

The military merits of the Lintao Army this time, and the military merits of the Tianwei Army, have all been reported. The arrears in military pay from before will also be issued by the court in the near future.

Now begin the drill!"

In every gesture and movement, Fang Chongyong's bearing was like that of a regional overlord. Of course, the various army commissioners of the Longyou border army now automatically ignored the word "Acting" before Fang Chongyong's title.

The worldview of soldiers was very "simple." How big an official one could become, how skilled one was at climbing the ranks, how formidable one's schemes and intrigues were — these people looked down on all of that.

Whoever could lead them to defeat the enemy, whoever could lead them to continuous victories, that person was the true king.

As for the rest — status, position, appearance — none of it was worth mentioning.

Fang Chongyong used a thoroughly satisfying great victory to tell the various armies of Longyou: whether he could lead troops was debatable, but he absolutely knew how to use them!

"Jiedushi, are we really not sending troops to the Nine Bends Yellow River region?

Since we've already won once, why not win a few more times!"

Gai Jiayun asked with a thick skin, his face full of conflicted emotions.

The military merits from the previous battle mainly belonged to the five Lun brothers and the "Sheepskin Army." The Lintao Army had only gotten a taste of the broth; their battle contributions were not many, and the rewards reported upward were not much either.

Mainly, past battles against the Tibetans had all been too brutal—once fighting started, it couldn't stop, and after each battle every army would suffer significant casualties. So the army commissioners of each army, especially that batch of generals who had risen from the border armies, all maintained a cautious attitude toward fighting the Tibetans.

But now it seemed the Tibetans couldn't take a beating at all—ten thousand cavalry delivered straight to the table!

This kind of battle was practically like going out to pick up money. So what was there to fear? Obviously the more the better!

After Fang Chongyong led the troops to a complete victory over the Tibetans this time, the various Longyou armies from top to bottom all began to get restless in their thinking. Gai Jiayun was just more impulsive, saying what everyone else wanted to say. People who shared his idea were now everywhere in the Longyou army.

Hearing this, Fang Chongyong looked displeased and scolded:

"Whether to fight or not, and how to fight, are all the Sage's intentions—how could this Jiedushi act rashly on a whim?

Those who know the inside story would think this Jiedushi is too eager for merit and disregards soldiers' casualties;

Those who don't know the inside story would think this Jiedushi is using military power to assert himself and plotting rebellion!

Do not say such things anymore. Await the court's military orders!"

Fang Chongyong once again demonstrated his flexible moral bottom line. When he wanted to fight, it was about securing benefits for his brothers; when he didn't want to fight, it was whatever the court said.

Gai Jiayun's flattery had hit the wrong spot, and he hastily bowed to apologize.

By now the military exercises had already begun. Cavalry units started demonstrating flanking and encirclement techniques, with billowing dust trailing behind the formations. They charged to the front of the formation arrayed by the Modao squad, then instantly split apart from both sides and circled behind the Modao squad.

One dragon splitting into two dragons, then ultimately merging back into one. This fully demonstrated the cavalry's mobility. Unlike what Fang Chongyong had anticipated, the Longyou Tang cavalry were all lightly armored, and even the armor on the heavy infantry was lighter than that of the Tibetans.

To adapt to the highland climate, the Longyou Tang army had deliberately reduced the weight they carried. When facing off against Tibetan heavy infantry, individual defense was at a comparative disadvantage.

If the Tibetan cavalry last time had gone into battle in heavy armor rather than disguising themselves as Dangxiang people to raid, then even if Fang Chongyong had used stratagems, the Tang army's losses would not have been small.

After watching this military exercise, Fang Chongyong had to admit that the Tang border army's tactics and combat skills were still very solid—far stronger than the flashy but impractical moves of the Longwu Army.

Just then, He Changqi quietly walked to Fang Chongyong's side and said in a low voice, "Fang Jiedushi, that eunuch named Bian Lingcheng has arrived."

"Counting the time, he should be here by now."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said. He knew that since he had requested merit from the court, Chang'an would not fail to respond.

Fang Chongyong brought the various army commissioners, and the group came to the Longyou Jiedushi yamen. He saw the travel-worn Bian Lingcheng, whose hair had been blown somewhat disheveled by the wind, yet wearing a smile on his face, as if he hadn't been here long and hadn't even had time to wash up.

Before Fang Chongyong could bow, Bian Lingcheng instead bowed to him first and said:

"Congratulations, Fang Jiedushi. Fang Jiedushi is now the court's officially appointed Jiedushi of Hexi.

To be so young and already elevated to Jiedushi—Fang Jiedushi can be called the first person of our Great Tang."

Huh?

Fang Chongyong was stunned, thinking he had misheard.

Even if Brother Ji was being outrageous again and insisted on appointing him as an official Jiedushi, it should have been as the Jiedushi of Longyou under normal circumstances, right?

What did this have to do with Hexi?

Seeing Fang Chongyong not speaking, Bian Lingcheng continued:

"The Sage has appointed you as the official Jiedushi of Hexi. Gai Jiayun remains as Acting Jiedushi of Longyou.

General Wang Zhongsi is already on his way to Shanzhou; he will replace Du Xiwang as the new Jiedushi of Longyou.

Furthermore, the Sage permits you to select your own trusted aides to go to Hexi. You are allowed to bring the recruited Yinqiang Xiaojie Army along.

All of this has been stamped and verified through the Secretariat and the Chancellery. Both the Left Chancellor and the Right Chancellor agreed to this matter—it was not the Sage's unilateral decision."

Hearing these words, the Longyou border army commissioners present were all shocked.

Fang Chongyong had led them to victory over the Tibetans, and indeed the acting Jiedushi had been made official—but he had become the Jiedushi of Hexi!

This was a huge joke!

"Lord Imperial Envoy, could the imperial edict be mistaken?

Fang Jiedushi has performed a great service and should naturally take control of Longyou's military authority and serve as the Jiedushi of Longyou.

What does Hexi have to do with us?"

Gai Jiayun summoned his courage and asked Bian Lingcheng.

"Insolence! What status do you have, to dare question the Sage, to dare question the court!"

Bian Lingcheng cursed at Gai Jiayun.

Never mind that he was exceptionally courteous to Fang Chongyong, seeming very humble—as soon as the person this eunuch faced changed, he would instantly turn hostile.

Whether arrogant before and deferential after, or deferential before and arrogant after, their kind sized people up and adjusted their attitude without the slightest hesitation.

Gai Jiayun, having invited ridicule upon himself, could only retreat to the side awkwardly and say nothing.

"Everyone, disperse for now. This Jiedushi has matters to discuss with the Imperial Envoy."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand at the crowd and said.

After all idle personnel had exited the Jiedushi yamen's main hall, Bian Lingcheng then said unhurriedly:

"The Right Chancellor single-handedly recommended you as the new Jiedushi of Hexi.

The former Jiedushi of Hexi, Wang Chui, had a serious conflict with the An clan of Liangzhou. The An clan's faction in the court impeached Wang Chui for corruption and lawbreaking.

Wang Chui is currently on his way back to the capital to report on his duties, and upon reaching Chang'an he must defend himself before the Sage.

The Right Chancellor then recommended Fang Jiedushi to the Sage to succeed as Jiedushi of Hexi, providing many convincing reasons. None of the central court officials objected.

Moreover, Longyou had just achieved a great victory, and the Sage was highly satisfied. He had originally wanted to reward Fang Jiedushi, and so agreed in stride.

Only your father opposed this, but the Sage did not listen.

This matter can no longer be changed. Fang Jiedushi should take up his post sooner rather than later."

Bian Lingcheng said with a fawning expression.

At this moment, Fang Chongyong was already numb.

Dog-fork Li Linfu, a biting dog doesn't bark, this bastard is really fucking sneaky!

Fang Chongyong knew very well, this high-sounding Hexi Military Governor has a volcano under his butt.

Immediately, he was about to go sit on the volcano crater.

(End of chapter)