Chapter 387: Walking the Grassroots Path

The Tang army has already completed its formation on the opposite bank of Jiduju Zhe City, i. e., the south bank of the Wu Hu River, the capital of Huoxin Kingdom, and is ready for battle.

The Great Arab troops have arrayed themselves below the city, refusing to cross the river at all, waiting for the Tang army to attack.

The fight hasn't even begun, yet the momentum has already weakened by three points.

On the south bank of the Wu Hu River, Fang Chongyong stands on a slightly elevated sand mound, holding the Thousand-mile Mirror to observe the Great Arab troops' movements.

"Send the order down: have Wang Nande keep the main force in place to regroup, and He Changqi take the elite to guard; after one hour, they will swap."

Fang Chongyong says to Feng Changqing, who stands beside him.

"Understood!"

Feng Changqing takes the command and departs.

After he leaves, Che Guangqian asks in doubt: "Jiedushi, our troops' morale is high; why not make a single, decisive push?"

War is about each side's abilities. As the saying goes, it's quality, not quantity, that matters for soldiers; a general's worth lies in strategy, not bravery. The commander is the one who arranges troops, not a frontline berserker, nor a special forces unit that fights many with few.

It's not for any other reason; Fang Chongyong wants to win elegantly while holding an advantage, making the casualty ratio look better.

Some want to cross the river, some want to rotate, some want to return to the city; the Great Arab army's officers of all ranks must step forward to soothe the soldiers, leaving their original positions.

"Jiedushi, the Great Arab side is getting restless!"

Looking at us, we are too complacent; caught off guard we could suffer losses, so steadying ourselves does no harm.

Che Guangqian suppresses her excitement and shouts.

At this moment, the psychological edge between the two armies begins to show!

The Tang army isn't worried about the Great Arabs crossing the Wu Hu River, so they can calmly adjust their formation and let some soldiers rest.

The Great Arab soldiers, upon hearing the reed pipe, have begun to line up, but not quickly.

Because they won't resist to the end, there will be no sliver of hope for survival.

Behind them lies the city; there is no retreat, only a fight with their backs to the water—no turning back, only a chance to live through death.

At that moment, Feng Changqing, panting heavily, runs over and, out of breath, asks Fang Chongyong: "Jiedushi… they, General He, they request battle!"

Fang Chongyong raises his thumb in praise, then falls silent, his eyes fixed on the opposite riverbank.

"Go tell He Changqi and Wang Nande: anyone who dares to charge recklessly will be killed without mercy! Hold steady!"

Fang Chongyong hands the Thousand-mile Mirror to Che Guangqian, who, after looking at it, indeed shows a thoughtful expression.

"Take a breath first."

"These people expect our strength; they have decided to place themselves in a death trap to be reborn, which is when their edge is at its peak.

Gradually, the Great Arab soldiers begin to slacken and become restless.

Fang Chongyong believes he will certainly not be the one to get anxious first.

But the Great Arab army doesn't dare to charge directly across the icy surface of the Wu Hu River!

They waver between field battle and defending the city; as time passes, their formation looks less orderly than before.

In fact, it's possible that the Great Arab commander is also observing the battlefield opposite, brewing various tactics.

Fang Chongyong would rather be cautious a bit than lose troops and horses by being too reckless.

The Great Arab soldiers have steadfast gazes; though their faces look tense, both hands tightly grip weapons, appearing ready to die together.

As time passes, the Tang army on the south bank of the Wu Hu River, thanks to rotation, always has half its soldiers resting. Across the river, beneath Jiduju Zhe City, the Great Arab army dares not relax at all.

Sure enough, as night approaches, the reed pipe sounds from the enemy camp across the river, its tone very distinctive—only blown when the whole army charges.

At that moment, it is the time for us to make a single, decisive push to annihilate the enemy.

In fact, no one needed to say it; everyone on the sand mound saw it clearly, and Fang Chongyong saw it even more distinctly through the Thousand-mile Mirror.

"Now is not the time to charge; when the sky is about to darken, if our troops still do not act, the Great Arabs will surely lower their guard. Even if the commander orders them to stay, the soldiers probably can't endure and will want to return to the city to garrison. Fluctuating morale is inevitable.

Fang Chongyong instructs Che Guangqian.

Fang Chongyong, with a calm expression, says to Feng Changqing.

After the Tang army's pursuit, the Great Arabs have no time to prepare; after fleeing back to Jiduju Zhe City, they hastily organize a defense.

But precisely because of that, this battle will turn them into trapped beasts, fighting the Tang army to the death!

Che Guangqian rushes to deliver the order, fearing she might be too slow; He Changqi and the others, once excited, would charge.

"Do you think we should charge now?"

Feng Changqing catches his breath, thinks, and says.

Fang Chongyong, half-smiling, looks at Feng Changqing and asks.

The Great Arabs are in a difficult situation now!

They want to hold, but their blood‑bravery is fading; they want to return to the city, yet fear the Tang army will charge across the ice; they want to rotate, but worry that during formation adjustments they'll be vulnerable to a surprise attack.

More importantly, for Fang Chongyong, this battle is merely an appetizer; a tougher fight lies ahead, and he cannot afford to lose too many troops through complacency and suffer a grim victory, which would be far from enjoyable.

"Deputy Colonel Feng, you can be a great general."

Fang Chongyong has only heard that phrase among the Great Arab army; even the many small states west of Congling have never heard it.

"Watch them and then speak."

In the previous battle, the Great Arabs collapsed without fighting because of the "Divine Fire," so the Anxi Expeditionary Force's morale was extremely high, believing they had divine aid.

Fang Chongyong places his hands on his hips, gazes across the river at the Great Arab army, and a hint of worry flashes in his eyes.

"Relay our command: the military band beats drums, raise the banner! Prepare to break formation!"

Fang Chongyong instructs Che Guangqian.

"Understood!"

Che Guangqian feels hot blood surge through her frozen body!

Boom—boom—boom—boom—boom—boom—boom!

The war drums roar, and hot blood boils!

Atop the sand dune, a great banner bearing the character "Fang" was raised by the standard-bearer, fluttering in the wind.

The Arab army had not even finished forming their ranks, nor had they set foot on the Oxus River, when they saw the Tang light cavalry charging in with Masuo raised, howling as they came!

Their momentum was like rolling thunder, pressing forward with irresistible force!

The already loose sword-and-shield soldiers at the very front of the Arab army were instantly breached with a gap. He Changqi led the elite troops to continue breaking the formation, while the mounted infantry in leather armor behind them dismounted one by one, each wielding a wolf-tooth club, swiftly and expertly expanding the gains like a fierce tiger tearing open its prey's belly.

Following behind the cavalry, they kept tearing and pulling apart the gaps in the Arab army's formation.

In almost the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, the Arab army's morale flash-collapsed. It was not the kind where most of the men had been killed and they were outnumbered and wanted to flee. Rather, they were so shocked by the powerful impact that their will wavered, and their bodies, out of fear, naturally turned and ran!

One could not say the Arab army's commander did not try; by launching the attack ahead of Fang Chongyong, he had in fact already seen through the Tang army's intentions. It was just that in many cases, hard power was simply there—the gap in absolute strength was not something a commander could erase with battlefield tactics.

The battle entered its mop-up phase. By now He Changqi had dismounted and was fighting fiercely; everywhere there were Arab soldiers running desperately toward the city of Jiduojuzhe. Wang Nande had already led the cavalry in pursuit; taking the city was merely incidental.

Because the Arabs themselves were not the masters of this city either; they too were sojourners here, forcing the locals to convert to Islam and levying heavy taxes on non-believers! They were deeply unpopular among the local populace.

Their popularity was perhaps only slightly better than that of Gao Xianzhi and his Anxi Army.

Watching the battle from the sand dune, Fang Chongyong breathed a sigh of relief. With a powerful army, using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—this was exactly the effect one wanted.

The sky gradually darkened, and the slaughter on the battlefield slowly neared its end. The Tang army dispatched a dedicated "finishing-off team"—any Arab struggling on the ground, they went up and delivered a single blade stroke.

Beforehand, Fang Chongyong had already stated that after this battle, no prisoners would be taken from the enemy—do not make trouble for yourselves.

Since he had said so, his subordinates naturally acted according to regulations, without any superfluous and useless sympathy.

Half a shichen later, the blood-soaked He Changqi walked up the hill carrying a severed head, came before Fang Chongyong, tossed the head at his feet, clasped his fists in salute, and said: "This subordinate has slain the Arab army's commander. Jiedushi, will you record a merit for me?"

"Record a merit for slaying an enemy commander for him."

Fang Chongyong said to Feng Changqing.

"Jiedushi, why is it not the foremost merit?"

He Changqi asked with slight dissatisfaction.

"As vanguard, your very role is to slay commanders and capture banners. If even this merits foremost credit, wouldn't you have foremost credit every single time? Go cool off to the side and think about it yourself!"

Fang Chongyong waved his hand impatiently and, with a group of personal guards, crossed the ice of the Oxus River to arrive at the city gate of Jiduojuzhe. The place was piled high with Arab army corpses, many of them struck by arrows in the back.

Severed arms and limbs, and even corpses beaten so concave they were no longer recognizable as human, were everywhere.

It was tragic to the extreme!

Even though Fang Chongyong was accustomed to grand spectacles, seeing this bloody scene, his stomach still churned in waves, and he wanted to find a place to vomit properly.

War was so brutally violent, and yet so ever-changing. A single decision by the commander could very well determine the outcome of a battle, and even the life and death of tens of thousands.

Once battle began, these vivid lives all became casualty numbers, and chess pieces that could be remotely commanded.

Only after the battle ended did they turn back into "people."

Previously, Fang Chongyong had always been doubting what was recorded in the history books of his past life—that Geshu Han had lost two hundred thousand troops in a single battle at Tong Pass.

How on earth did that fellow squander two hundred thousand troops in a single battle?

Even two hundred thousand pigs would take several days to kill, wouldn't they?

But after today's battle, Fang Chongyong completely understood. The instant a great army's morale flash-collapsed—that was the sun and moon hanging upside down, mountains and seas shattering!

The tide of it was like a flood; no one could stop it. Never mind two hundred thousand—even if the numbers doubled, when the collapse came, it was the same story!

In this era, laws, morals, and ethics were not as handy as the blade in one's hand.

Because battle was truly so perilous, the victors could take everything, sharing the spoils they had won by risking their lives.

"Have the King of Huoxun, along with the various princes and ministers, come to the city of Samarkand in Kang to see this Jiedushi.

As for the rest, handle it as you see fit; I will not enter the city."

Fang Chongyong instructed Feng Changqing.

"Understood!"

Feng Changqing clasped his fists in salute and said, seemingly still having something to add, appearing as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"It is merely a matter of distinguishing close from distant; no need to say more."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and turned to leave. The mountain of corpses piled before the gates had sickened him, so much so that he had no desire whatsoever to meet the King of Huoxun.

Fang Chongyong had already fully understood what kind of character these small Western Regions states had; he naturally had ways to settle the situation and could not be bothered to listen to those tedious people's clamor.

……

In the twelfth month of the ninth year of Tianbao, the Anxi Expeditionary Army shattered the remnants of the Arab army in the Kingdom of Huoxun, settling the matter in a single battle and beheading the enemy commander Mansur.

Afterward, the army returned to Samarkand, the capital of the Kingdom of Kang. The King of Kang presented a great number of horses, cattle, sheep, camels, and other livestock, as well as nearly all the provisions in the state treasury, to reward the victorious returning Tang army.

For a time, Fang Chongyong's prestige was unmatched; he was hailed as the "Lion of the Western Regions" by the people of the various countries west of the Pamirs.

In the first month of the tenth year of Tianbao, Fang Chongyong, in his capacity as Grand Envoy for the Western Regions, established the "River Central Protectorate" centered on the Kingdom of Shi, with its seat at Zhezhi City.

He himself concurrently served as Chief Protector.

At the same time, the very first act of the River Central Protectorate's yamen was to promulgate the "Abolition of Slavery Decree," which shocked all the countries west of the Pamirs.

Fang Chongyong ordered the abolition of all slave status for slaves in the subordinate prefectures under the River Central Protectorate, west of the Pamirs. Based on the principle of voluntary participation, they were to be incorporated into a special "retainer" household registry, and registered in Zhezhi City.

At the same time, relevant decrees were specially promulgated to inform the various subordinate prefectures: anyone who was a slave, as long as they were recorded in the River Central Protectorate's registry, would receive equal land distribution on a first-come, first-served basis, and participate in military agricultural colonies.

Those who were unwilling to participate in the land distribution could engage in any of the hundred trades within the various cities, without restriction.

After this series of combined measures, slaves from various countries fled the houses of local nobles one after another, coming to Zhezhi City to register their households. Those great households, fearing the valor and combat prowess of the Tang army, dared not act rashly and could only let the slaves leave.

Under Fang Chongyong's instructions, Feng Changqing accepted them all without exception, distributing land in turn, even organizing them into militia for basic military training. At the same time, he cracked down on slave traders, forbidding them from operating in the various countries.

For a time, the authority and prestige of the Anxi Expeditionary Army soared. Apart from the local great landowners and large Hu merchants, no one else guarded against Fang Chongyong and his men like guarding against thieves anymore.

While "bestowing grace," Fang Chongyong also had the "Cheka" led by Che Guangqian specifically gather intelligence everywhere, and forcefully crack down on local lawless strongmen!

They were not allowed to scheme against the slaves, nor to capture runaway slaves. To set an example, Fang Chongyong did not hesitate to engineer several cases of entire-family extermination.

Don't ask whether it was the Tang army who did it; if asked, the Western Regions had many bandits, and no one wanted to see such things.

Fang Chongyong's principle was: whoever stuck his head out, he would go after them! To ensure the effective implementation of the abolition of slavery act!

Through laws and military escort, implementing the abolition of slavery and equal land distribution, Fang Chongyong forcibly transformed the former "slave" class of the various small Western Regions states into staunch supporters who relied on the Tang army for protection.

Unlike the Tang's past approach to managing the Western Regions, which favored a top-down strategy, Fang Chongyong did the opposite and took a grassroots approach.

By winning the support of emancipated slaves and by not infringing on the interests of ordinary people, he gained the understanding of the common folk, using them to counterbalance the great aristocrats and major Hu merchants who already had little good reputation.

Using the anti-slavery decree as a wedge, he weakened the power of the local great households, making them and the emancipated slaves who had already become "military colony militias" two sides whose conflicts could no longer be reconciled, checking and balancing each other.

Meanwhile, Fang Chongyong and the Tang army merely "mediated" (taking sides) among them, breaking the personal bonds of dependency between the great households and the slaves, turning them into a purely employment relationship, or colonist households of the military colonies.

At the same time, he no longer carried out unjustified purges of local great aristocrats who had committed no offenses, in order to establish rules.

Thus the countries west of the Pamirs lost their former "peace and harmony," but the support the Tang army received became even broader.

The Great Tang had not abolished slavery, yet Fang Chongyong was actually implementing abolition in the small Western Region states west of the Pamirs—one could only say that in order to control the local situation, this Grand Envoy for Managing the Western Regions had no choice but to disregard all that!

However, just as the Anxi Expeditionary Army was preparing to march, cross the Oxus River, traverse the great desert, and head for the city of Merv deep in the desert to attack the Arabs' lair—

The envoy sent by the court had arrived!

A civil official Fang Chongyong did not recognize, a eunuch he likewise did not recognize, and a military general he still did not recognize.

The "Chang'an Comfort Delegation," composed of the three men and their retinues, arrived at Zhezhi City.

And they clearly came with ill intent!

(End of this chapter)