Chapter 357: Overreaching

According to my observation, Broken Leaf City has no defensive capability, but it occupies a vast area, built in the style of Chang'an, about eight or nine li in length and width. Countless merchants and travelers from the Western Regions come and go, making its location very important.

The Tujishi send people there to collect merchant taxes, and they do not station troops.

The army rides along the southern coast of the Hot Sea, and Feng Changqing reports to Fang Chongyong his observations in Broken Leaf City. The situation differs somewhat from what was imagined.

The Tujishi are a nomadic tribe with no experience governing a large city, let alone rebuilding it. Their advantage lies in their nomadic lifestyle, having no fixed settlement and great mobility.

Their herders and livestock are essentially their main wealth. Pastoral economy and agrarian economy are completely different mindsets.

Only by breaking the entrenched thinking of agrarian peoples can one better understand the Tujishi's mindset.

The area where Broken Leaf City meets the surrounding rivers is used by the Tujishi for grazing and collecting passage taxes. Thus their extremely backward agriculture contrasted with relatively advanced trade civilization appears absurd, yet perfectly fits the Tujishi's way of life.

Conversely, agrarian civilization usually only spawns relatively developed commerce when its farming techniques are highly advanced.

Without this understanding, one cannot properly address the needs of nomadic peoples nor deal with them.

"Feng, the staff officer, is well‑read and has a sharp memory; this victory is a great merit for you."

Fang Chongyong encouraged Feng Changqing, saying that he excels at map surveying, enemy reconnaissance, and gathering geographic and cultural information.

At this moment, a gentle breeze blows over the great lake to their right, refreshing the mind. The lake's surface sparkles, and at the horizon rise dark‑green mountains tinged with white, towering and layered.

The scene is bleak, ancient, and majestic.

The scenery is indeed beautiful, but it cannot serve as food; the saline lake has cut off most of the local vitality. Fang Chongyong felt a quiet regret.

"The ruins of Broken Leaf City have lingered too long; the army cannot sustain itself here. During the Kaiyuan era, the Tang forces built a Buddhist temple here called Great Cloud Temple, which still stands today, its incense ever burning.

However, I have only heard it second‑hand and have not seen it myself. The Tujishi's tent is not within Broken Leaf City; it dwells among the water‑grass on some spot along the Broken Leaf River. To locate it, one must ask the locals."

Feng Changqing spoke at length.

"By the way, the Ten‑surname Khans must be here at Broken Leaf Town—could it be because there is a Turkic holy mountain near Broken Leaf?"

Fang Chongyong suddenly recalled this and asked in confusion.

"Regarding this matter, Jiedushi hits the nail on the head.

When the Turkic people take oaths, they name this holy mountain as Xin, calling it the dwelling of the Heavenly Emperor.

Each time the Great Tang confers the title of Ten‑surname Khan, the new Khan must swear to heaven before the great mountain north of the Broken Leaf River.

Otherwise they cannot secure the loyalty of the tribes. The Tujishi currently have the Yellow and Black surnames, originating from a split Turkic group.

According to my knowledge, besides the Black and Yellow surnames, the Turkic also have White, Red, etc., corresponding to the five elements of yin and yang. These so‑called surnames are one way the Turkic combine people from different regions."

The two rode their horses ahead of the formation, chatting as they went. Soon a scout turned back, cupping his fist in salute to Fang Chongyong and reported, "Jiedushi, there are ambushers halfway up the mountain ahead!"

The Hot South Sea line receives river water in autumn and winter, whereas the north line does not, making it the primary marching route.

Since the current Ten‑surname Khan has already fallen out with the Tang army, setting an ambush on the south line is merely standard military logic, nothing surprising.

However, such a small trick is still insufficient against the Tang elite troops.

"He Laohu, lead the vanguard in a charge and eliminate those ambushers. They're on the hill to the left ahead."

Fang Chongyong shouted, brandishing his whip toward a hill ahead.

These ambushers needed no thought; they are the Tujishi's recruited "servant soldiers", unequipped even with horses, used as cannon fodder to test the Tang army's strength.

Killing them causes no remorse and conveniently shifts blame!

"Understood!"

He Changqi shouted, seized the command banner from Feng Changqing, and rode toward his own troops.

After He Changqi departed, Fang Chongyong continued his orders: "The Skirmishers, prepare to move out, wear leather armor at the rear, follow He Laohu's vanguard and alternate in covering attacks. The sword‑and‑shield troops don heavy armor, form a circular formation, hold the line awaiting orders. All other units, string your bows and crossbows, ready for battle; light troops must not wear armor."

Upon receiving the orders, the single‑file marching column formed its ranks, orderly and without a hint of panic.

Fang Chongyong took a monocular telescope from Feng Changqing, squinting one eye while looking through the other, scanning the distance.

In the Tang army's organization, soldiers, weapons, armor, bows, crossbows, equipment, and horses are all allocated separately, many issued only when battle commences. For example, infantry may ride horses to the battlefield and then dismount to fight on foot, or they can march alongside infantry units—highly flexible.

Different circumstances call for different weapons and warhorses.

The armor each soldier wears changes according to actual needs, rather than a fixed set permanently attached to a man. Aside from swords and bows, all other arms are state property, not personal. Selling them privately leads to immediate execution.

A commander who can match equipment to situation already exceeds the average standard in the Tang army.

Tactical procedures in battle are standardized; execution depends on the individual.

Whether one drags on in heavy armor like a turtle or charges bare‑chested with a sword for a killing blow, the only measure of suitability is victory or defeat.

Soon, within the narrow view of Fang Chongyong's telescope, a scene too gruesome to watch unfolded.

A Tujishi warrior wrapped in a headscarf thrust a Duannao at He Changqi. Fang Chongyong had seen this "throw‑or‑stab" Duannao with the Ten General Bai Xiaode of Guizi Town. However, the attacker was clumsy; He Changqi caught the blade bare‑handed, gripping the shaft.

He then yanked it hard, swinging his sword across; the enemy's head flew off, the body slumped. He Changqi seized the Duannao and, in one motion, thrust another enemy soldier down, truly like a tiger descending a mountain.

"He Laohu is usually not very sharp, but in battle he becomes ferociously fierce."

Fang Chongyong set down the "Thousand‑mile Mirror" and muttered to himself.

In fact, no further comment was needed; once the ambush was detected, their doom arrived. What was already a one‑sided battle turned into outright slaughter, the bloody carnage on the hill ahead so horrific that Fang Chongyong could hardly bear to watch.

Many enemy soldiers, kneeling and begging for mercy—unknown which tribe they belonged to—were still cut down by He Changqi's elite troops, a single slash each.

This is not war; it's pure slaughter!

Fang Chongyong frowned slightly but gave no order to halt.

Within less than half an hour, a blood‑soaked He Changqi approached, holding a Duannao he had grabbed from the enemy and a severed head. The Tang sword‑and‑shield formation cleared a path for him, all sharing easy smiles.

"Jiedushi, fortunate to fulfill the command, the enemy commander's head lies here. I also wished to capture him alive for questioning, but those damn pups acted too quickly."

He Changqi complained, his face flushed with anger.

It wasn't that they were swift; their murderous intent was so heavy they never intended to leave any survivors.

The Tujishi Ten‑surname Khans actually dared to detain a Tang envoy, to betray without cause, and even to send troops to ambush the Tang army entering the Hot South Sea line!

Without killing, they cannot intimidate the enemy chieftains.

He Changqi and his men think in an unusually simple, naïve way: kill everyone who dares to resist, and the rest will be obedient.

Think of rebelling against the Great Tang? That notion should never exist!

"Feng Canjun, you're in charge of recording the merit. Later just set up camp on the riverbank ahead."

Fang Chongyong gave Feng Changqing a command, too lazy to say much to He Changqi.

The rules forged in war truly cannot be altered by one or two commanders. Fang Chongyong believes that even if he orders restraint beforehand, once these men are on the battlefield they cannot help it.

Often, defeated enemy troops who kneel to beg for mercy are also slain on the spot by blood‑eyed soldiers.

He dislikes it, yet knows the power of habit is immense. The Qiu Ba and his followers cannot reach the level of a "unified front," so he cannot demand too much of them.

……

"Khan! The situation is dire! On the Hot Sea southern front, the Tang army has taken Frozen City and He Lie City in succession and is now racing toward Ye Zhi City! Only a river separates us from here!"

The relocation detachment has also defected, offering no resistance and even leading the way ahead!

Inside a tented camp outside Ye Zhi City, a Tu Qishi scout reported to the Ten‑surname Khan, his face extremely anxious.

To prevent the guiding faction from growing like a snowball, the Ten‑surname Khan hurried from near Sui Ye City to the front at Ye Zhi City to oversee the battle, hoping to block the Tang army's advance toward Sui Ye City by the narrow Hot Sea passage.

Since the face has already been torn apart, there's no need to mention any "misunderstanding" nonsense; a real fight with real weapons will settle it.

Yet the Ten‑surname Khan seems to have overlooked something.

A hundred eggs stacked together cannot harm a stone even a fraction.

The inability to deploy forces on both the Hot Sea north and south fronts is indeed a huge constraint for the Tang army. But for the Tu Qishi troops, the same logic applies!

Objective geography affects both sides of the conflict in exactly the same way.

The two defensive lines the Ten‑surname Khan set up on the southern front cannot stop the Tang army's advance. Or rather, those Tu Qishi have virtually no will to fight; even the relocation detachment stationed at He Lie City surrendered outright to the Tang army!

In the end, the Tu Qishi had no mental preparation for why they suddenly turned against the Great Tang, nor any war preparation.

The Ten‑surname Khan's collusion with the Black‑clothed Dashi is his and his inner circle's business; the lower‑rank Tu Qishi are unaware. Moreover, because Tu Qishi's internal factions are naturally split into the "Yellow and Black surnames," they cannot be tied together as one rope.

Therefore, a defection on the front line was unexpected yet understandable.

"Khan! Khan! Tang troops are charging the camp from the north!"

A scream rose from outside the tent, though no one needed to shout, because the Ten‑surname Khan at this moment already heard the camp filled with cries of "attack!" and "kill!" echoing from afar to near.

"What's happening! Didn't you say the Tang army was on the southern front, separated by a river? How can they come from the north!"

The Ten‑surname Khan seized the scout's collar, his anger uncontainable!

At that moment, dozens of rockets struck the tent; soon one side of the canvas was engulfed in flames, trembling and about to collapse.

"Go, back to Sui Ye City!"

The Ten‑surname Khan shouted.

He had just stepped out of the tent when he saw the camp outside swarming with Tang cavalry charging on horseback. The tent he occupied was already surrounded by over a hundred Tang soldiers.

The tent, with its distinctive and lavish design, could be seen from afar; it was the only one of its kind in the entire camp, making it hard to go unnoticed.

The Ten‑surname Khan regretted his flamboyance; had he been in an inconspicuous small tent earlier, he might still have a chance to escape.

Suddenly, the Tang soldiers surrounding the tent opened a path; a mounted general rode forward, brandishing a Masuo and pointing at the Ten‑surname Khan, asking, "You are the Tu Qishi Ten‑surname Khan, Iri Dimishi Gudulu Piga?"

The Tang general was none other than Wang Nande, who had raced from the north without pause! He looked at the bewildered Tu Qishi Khan with an arrogant expression.

"I am the Ten‑surname Khan, a subject of the Great Tang. May I ask why the Tang army launched an unprovoked raid on my camp?"

The Ten‑surname Khan feigned ignorance while questioning, but his trembling legs betrayed his true thoughts.

"Even at death you remain stubborn; if you have any excuses, take them to our Fang Jiedushi. Men, seize him!"

Wang Nande roared, and two elite soldiers beside him lunged at the Ten‑surname Khan, binding him tightly with rope.

The Tu Qishi were drawn to the Tang forces in the south, with their main troops on the southern front. This time Wang Nande's surprise attack on the Tu Qishi camp was like an adult bullying a child; the enemy had no defense at all, never considered the Tang army might come from the north, and had few elite troops in the main camp.

In fact, it's a gamble: the Tu Qishi bet on one side and still have a chance to win; if both sides bet, their forces are split, neither front can be held, and they lose even worse.

It's not the Ten‑surname Khan's response that's flawed; the current Tu Qishi are far inferior to the Tang elite, and strategy can no longer bridge the gap.

In fact, although the Ten‑surname Khan concentrated his forces, the southern front also fell, and the relocation detachment's betrayal at a critical moment left the Tu Qishi Khan in despair.

"Take the person away! Send him to Fang Jiedushi's main camp!"

"Tell the Jiedushi that I'm currently leading troops to attack Sui Ye City, assuming I'm the vanguard of the main army and won't return to report."

Wang Nande laughed heartily.

He certainly doesn't want Fang Chongyong to "resolve the Tu Qishi peacefully"; otherwise, how would he earn any battle merit?

No words needed; just charge forward and kill, there's nothing the Tang iron cavalry can't cut down with a single strike!

If one strike can't finish it, swing again.

"Understood, I will handle it at once!"

The deputy general clasped his fists in salute to Wang Nande, then couldn't help but kick the Ten‑surname Khan.

"Those who offend our mighty Han, even from afar, will be punished; you, a petty Tu Qishi Khan, still dare raise arms against the Great Tang—who gave you the face? Who gave you the audacity?"

The deputy general pointed at the grief‑stricken Ten‑surname Khan, cursed him, and tapped the side of his face with the hilt of his broadsword.

His face was full of contempt.

(End of chapter)