Chapter 422: Riding the Tiger, Unable to Dismount

"Kill! Fight our way out, now!"

The Uyghur chancellor Dun Yinghe shouted, watching the Shuofang army from all directions, arrayed in tight formation, slowly closing in, already drenched in sweat from anxiety.

In his heart he regretted it—this trip, he truly should not have come to Lingzhou City.

In truth, he had only come to find some amusement. Ordinarily accustomed to seeing Tang officials with their noses turned up to the sky, he now wanted to reclaim some dignity.

He never expected to walk into a trap!

Earlier, Li Guozhen had shown weakness, which had made Dun Yinghe somewhat curious. Because in the calculations of the Uyghur leadership, the Shuofang army sending people to demand an explanation would have been the normal course of action, and in doing so, they would have entered the back-and-forth tug-of-war that the Uyghurs had preset.

Both sides haggling, contending without breaking relations—that would have been the proper way.

To put it plainly, the Uyghurs were merely one branch of the Nine Surnames of Tiele. On the steppe, though they were the dominant power, they still could not compare to the Türgish of old, who had covered the sky with a single hand. Especially with the constraint of the Alliance Oath Stele, the Uyghurs dared not openly turn hostile.

The reason they wanted to stir up trouble was simply that the Tüfan were now weakened, causing the balance of power among Tang, Tüfan, and the Uyghurs to lose its counterweight. Now that Dazha Lugong had installed a new Tsenpo, it had led to ceaseless vicious infighting between two factions at home, leaving them temporarily unable to attend to the border.

As a result, the Uyghurs' "united-front value" to Tang had correspondingly diminished.

Conversely, the Uyghurs also felt the danger of "when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold." While their military might was still formidable, with two hundred thousand mounted archers at their command—if they did not make a fuss now, they would no longer be able to!

Thus, the Uyghurs' probing this time, though laden with meaning, was not truly intended to break with Tang.

Yet what Dun Yinghe had not anticipated was that they only wanted to make a fuss for a few pieces of candy, but the Shuofang army had no intention of indulging them.

"Stop! I am the Uyghur chancellor! I demand to see Jiedushi Li! I demand—"

Dun Yinghe shouted toward the Tang army's formation, but before he could finish speaking, a sharp arrow struck him squarely in the forehead!

One arrow—blood sprayed!

In the darkness, he fell backward, life or death unknown.

Having lost their leader, the many Uyghur chiefs blundered about like headless flies, trying to break out of the Shuofang army's infantry formation. However, Li Guozhen had gone all out this time, having considered every detail.

Never mind that the infantry formation was dense and sword-and-shield soldiers blocked the way—even if a few fierce warriors managed to fight their way out, covered in wounds, they would find that Tang light cavalry, well-rested and ready, had long been lying in wait, eyeing them like tigers.

Every one of these men carried a torch, poised to strike. Moreover, Li Guozhen had also posted elite Shuofang troops to guard every floating bridge and ferry crossing on the far bank of the Yellow River.

The entire point was to let not a single fish slip through the net!

The slaughter before the Alliance Oath Stele continued, while atop the walls of Lingzhou City, Li Guozhen and Zhang Qiqiu watched the flames soaring skyward before the stele, expressions of complexity and conflict on their faces.

At times gratified, at times regretful, at times worried, at times relieved.

They had many thoughts in their hearts, yet neither gave the order to halt the slaughter.

"To break faith before the Alliance Oath Stele erected by the Sage—the Sage will certainly be most displeased."

Zhang Qiqiu could not help but sigh, knowing what would happen next.

On matters of this sort, he had suffered losses before.

If not for that business of Yang Yuhuan's inexplicable drowning back then, he would have been promoted long ago. Why toil away as a Military Farm Commissioner all this time?

That Sage in Chang'an was not one to be generous with his forbearance!

Only, in Zhang Qiqiu's view, Tang did not belong to Brother Ji alone—it also belonged to the court, to the border armies. Often, the interests of the nation stood above the interests of the Son of Heaven. The glory and grandeur of Tang concerned everyone.

Especially the Tang people on the frontier.

Dealing with the Uyghurs had been an arrow on the bowstring to begin with; this time, it was merely a matter of the moment presenting itself.

"The Sage will certainly be displeased, but someone must do such things.

How can we carve flesh from Tang to feed these wolves and jackals, simply because the Sage is displeased?

Feed them until they are full, only to let them come back and bite us?"

Li Guozhen shook his head, his resolve clearly very firm.

Barbarian beasts, nothing more—what need was there to speak of morality to them?

Morality was for speaking with humans—that was the prerequisite!

Before long, the distant flames gradually diminished, and the faint sounds of killing gradually ceased.

Li Guozhen and Zhang Qiqiu both let out a breath in unison. Many things are very tense before they are done; once done, they are just like that.

Everyone does what they believe to be right.

Often, they carry extremely subjective perceptions. They believe these things ought to be done, and so they do them. Even if those things appear utterly mad and incomprehensible.

Just then, Pugu Huai'en, his armor covered in dried bloodstains, stepped forward, clasped his fist in salute to Li Guozhen, and said: "Jiedushi, the Uyghurs have been entirely eliminated. Not a single one escaped. Your subordinate comes to report."

That face of his, its skin roughened by years of wind, appeared exceptionally resolute. Though not old in years, he looked unusually mature.

In setting up this trap against the Uyghurs, Pugu Huai'en had contributed greatly—he had, one might say, fought the full match from start to finish.

His sacrifice was not small.

After all, the Pugu clan, when the Nine Surnames of Tiele had first begun to rebel against the Türgish, had joined the present-day Uyghur tribe in alliance, together with many other Tiele tribes. They had been part of "Greater Uyghur."

It was only later, for various reasons, that they had separated, and the relationship remained very close. In a sense, the "pledge of allegiance" that Pugu Huai'en had submitted this time was of the highest caliber.

Of course, the Pugu and the "Uyghurs" were not one and the same. This also explained why there were many Uyghur cavalrymen within the Tang army, yet they did not belong to the Uyghurs and did not follow the orders of the Uyghur Yabgu.

At this moment, Pugu Huai'en had no road back—he could only follow Tang and go all the way to the end.

"Well done!"

Li Guozhen gave a slight nod, his impression of Pugu Huai'en clearly having changed.

"Jiedushi, the Uyghurs have suffered such a great loss—they will certainly not let the matter rest. Your subordinate recommends concentrating our forces and striking the Uyghur royal camp."

Pugu Huai'en requested to fight, his expression grave.

"Let them come if they will—we will make sure they never return! A proactive strike carries too great a risk, and we would not be in the right."

Li Guozhen waved his hand, clearly not taking Pugu Huai'en's words seriously.

Pugu Huai'en sighed and said nothing.

He understood Li Guozhen's intent; he was simply unwilling to accept it.

Li Guozhen would likely soon be taken down by the court and escorted back to Chang'an for the Son of Heaven to deal with.

So this Jiedushi of Shuofang of course did not care how the Uyghurs retaliated! No matter how formidable the Uyghurs were, could they possibly fight their way to Chang'an?

However, Pugu Huai'en and his tribe could not relocate to Chang'an. If the Uighurs sought revenge, they would bear the brunt — how could he not panic?

"General Pugu, truth be told, we would like to offer you some comfort too.

But we will likely be reassigned within the next few days. That letter was, after all, written by you to the Son of Heaven — you should know that better than anyone.

The new Jiedushi of Shuofang is surely already on his way.

Once he arrives, you can discuss military affairs with him then. The Uighurs' revenge won't come that quickly either — they will certainly wait until winter, when the pastures wither, before mobilizing.

Even if we swore solemn oaths to guarantee you something now, our words wouldn't be of any use."

Zhang Qiqiu patted Pugu Huai'en on the shoulder and said.

"This humble officer is just... alas!"

Pugu Huai'en shook his head helplessly. Though he had known these things all along, having Li Guozhen and Zhang Qiqiu state them so bluntly still left him somewhat at a loss.

What a damn screwjob!

He cursed inwardly, yet had absolutely no recourse.

Surviving in the cracks — that's how hard it is! Life is often just this helpless!

For someone of Tiele Nine Surnames origin who wanted to rise above others in the Great Tang, it was impossible without enduring hardship, swallowing grievances, and tolerating exploitation.

Where there is struggle, there is sacrifice — this truth was fully embodied in Pugu Huai'en.

"By the way, while the new Jiedushi hasn't arrived yet, I'll write you a transfer order, reassigning you to the Hengsai Army in Fengzhou (Jiuyuan City) to the northeast.

That way, you won't have to face the Uighurs head-on."

Li Guozhen proposed out of goodwill.

Lingzhou was certainly the Uighurs' main direction of attack, and detouring to Fengzhou required a forced march of several hundred li — not really worth it. Li Guozhen's intention was also to let Pugu Huai'en avoid the Uighur army and not engage them head-on.

Lest tempers flare and make it hard to play the peacemaker afterward.

Unexpectedly, Pugu Huai'en flatly refused: "If the Uighurs dare come, the Pugu tribe will be the vanguard. If they refuse to submit, we'll beat them until they do."

The steppe peoples believed in respecting the strong and letting strength do the talking. If you were polite but lacked strength, others would not respect you.

"So be it, then."

Li Guozhen nodded slightly, feeling a twinge of guilt in his heart, but quickly cast aside such distracting thoughts.

What's done is done — overthinking serves no purpose.

Better to just do it!

……

"…………

You once had some heroic dreams, like warm lamplight in the dark of night.

How could you lack that power of hope — you can only puff out your chest and press bravely onward.

You walk down this bustling street; searching for the direction you should go.

You walk down this bustling street; searching for the strength you once possessed."

Riding his horse and humming a tune, Fang Chongyong led the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army at an unhurried pace. At this moment, the scenery before them opened up suddenly.

A yellow "giant dragon" blocked their path. Ahead, they could only go left or right.

It was the mighty, surging great river: the Yellow River!

The green grasslands that had surrounded them were now, in late autumn, withered away entirely, leaving only withered yellow everywhere. Together with the murky Yellow River, they formed a scene both grand and desolate.

Fang Chongyong and his men had now reached the banks of the Yellow River! This was Lingzhou — though they had not yet reached Lingzhou City!

This was different from the verdure and layered ridges of Guanzhong, different from the endless yellow sands of the Western Regions. This was scenery Fang Chongyong had never seen before.

Boundless grasslands!

"Jiedushi, heading west along the Yellow River is the garrison of the Feng'an Army; heading east along the Yellow River is Lingzhou City, where the Jinglue Army is stationed. Continuing northeast along the Yellow River leads to the Hengsai Army in Fengzhou and the Zhenwu Army in Yulin.

Please give the order, Jiedushi, so this humble officer can guide the army!"

Che Guangqian, serving as the army's guide, rode forward and reported to Fang Chongyong.

Unlike the densely distributed forces under the Hexi Jiedushi, the Shuofang Army was spread across an extremely vast area, with great distances between each garrison!

It was mainly composed of two large groups.

The Feng'an Army in the south and the Jinglue Army in Lingzhou City formed one part, while the Hengsai Army and Zhenwu Army in the north formed the other. After the An-Shi Rebellion, the latter was separated into its own Zhenwu Army Jiedushi.

Battles here were all fast-moving strikes — riding in to attack, then riding out. You couldn't count on foot soldiers trudging back and forth, panting and wheezing.

By the time you arrived, everything would already be cold. The Hetao grasslands were the cavalry's home ground.

Without horses, don't even bring it up — just wash up and go to sleep.

"Mm, the army will camp here for the night. Tomorrow we head west to the Feng'an Army garrison."

Fang Chongyong pointed west with his riding crop and said.

"Eh?"

Che Guangqian was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Jiedushi, aren't we going to Lingzhou? Lingzhou is to the east!"

He couldn't understand why Fang Chongyong had chosen to go to the Feng'an Army.

"Going to the Feng'an Army garrison is still within Lingzhou — who said we absolutely had to go to Lingzhou City?

Wherever the Jiedushi is, that's where the official business is.

First we take over the Feng'an Army, then we'll see about the next step."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand, clearly unwilling to play by someone else's script.

By now it was getting late, so the army set up camp directly on the banks of the Yellow River. Before they had even eaten dinner, Yan Zhenqing came to find Fang Chongyong to discuss important matters.

"Your Highness, why are we going to the Feng'an Army garrison?"

The moment they met, Yan Zhenqing got straight to the point, not beating around the bush at all.

"Because I'm afraid."

Fang Chongyong said with a helpless expression.

Hearing this, Yan Zhenqing, as if his face were smeared with cake, didn't know what to say and could only wait quietly for what came next.

"Now we know nothing about the situation in Lingzhou, and Lingzhou City is the old stronghold of Li Guozhen and his men, and the expeditionary army is also there.

We would rush there and also capture Li Guozhen, capture Zhang Qiqiu, and even some of the commanders under his command.

"Isn't Sir Yan worried then?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a smiling squint.

"Your Highness, you are absolutely right, sigh!"

Yan Zhenqing let out a long sigh; he just didn't understand why the Son of Heaven would have him accompany Fang Chongyong to Shuo Fang. After thinking it over, he suspected the emperor feared Fang Chongyong might amass troops and become self‑important, so he wanted to bring the border commanders of the Shuo Fang army under his control.

Imperial tactics keep a natural suspicion toward military generals.

"Your Highness, do you perhaps intend to first garrison at the Feng'an Army base, then scout for information to see whether the Uighur envoys have already met disaster?"

Yan Zhenqing, upon thinking of this, suddenly had an epiphany and said.

If the Uighurs have never come, that's one way to handle it. If the Uighurs have already been dried up, that's another way to handle it.

The two cannot be conflated.

"Indeed, that's exactly it."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, not denying his own plan.

In Shuo Fang, Yan Zhenqing is someone he must unite with, also a political ally; the two share the same misfortune.

So Fang Chongyong doesn't mind speaking the truth.

"That will do, then."

Yan Zhenqing always felt this saint's order was terribly unfair.

"By the way, I've heard the Uighurs control two hundred thousand, but I don't know if that's true?"

Yan Zhenqing suddenly recalled this matter and felt uncertain.

That's two hundred thousand cavalry, not two hundred thousand pigs! The Uighurs produce many horses and are quite wealthy; while selling to the Tang, they also quietly sell to the Tubo. In recent years their troops have grown considerably.

Truly, they are not to be underestimated.

"Sir Yan, heading southwest from the Feng'an Army garrison leads to Wulan Pass. From Wulan Pass, not far west, lies Wuwei City of Liangzhou, also the base of the Chishui Army.

If the Uighurs launch a fierce attack on the Feng'an Army, the Hexi troops could arrive within days.

The Shuo Fang army cannot be relied upon, but the Hexi army still can be."

Fang Chongyong smiled and explained.

Hearing this, Yan Zhenqing couldn't help but admire Fang Chongyong's extensive connections and resources! This Prince of Pingxi truly continues to surprise.

Just as the two were chatting merrily, from outside the door He Changqi reported: "Jiedushi, the Shuo Fang expeditionary army's envoy Hun Jin requests an audience."

So he's already here?

Fang Chongyong and Yan Zhenqing exchanged a glance; the Shuo Fang army's men arrived so quickly!

(End of chapter)