Chapter 1373: The Southern Foot of the Jin Mountains

The towering Jin Mountains stretched from the northwest to the southeast, spanning thousands of li, running all the way down to the great desert. In the azure sky floated thin layers of cloud; beneath the clouds gleamed snow-capped peaks, and at the feet of those peaks lay forests and pastures, valley tundra, lakes scattered throughout, and rivers rushing past.

Spring had arrived, the bitter cold receding, all things reviving. At the mountain's foot, there was noticeably more life—snow leopards and antelope dashed across the wilds, squirrels and birds foraged in the woods.

Since ancient times, relying on the Jin Mountains, countless tribes had hunted, gathered, and herded here, surviving and thriving. The Turks, who once dominated beyond the northern frontier, rose to prominence east of the Jin Mountains, eventually taking up the banner of supremacy from the Rouran and contending with the Sui and Tang dynasties for hegemony over East Asia.

Over the centuries, they rose and fell several times. In recent decades, this land had been territory of the Khitan Liao state, while at the same time, a new steppe power was quietly growing and strengthening. These were tribes formed from the descendants of the Uyghurs, the Tatars, and the Khakas, which the Liao court called the Naiman tribe—the origin of the Naiman of official history.

Of course, they were still weak. However, because they were located in a remote area, nestled against mountains and water, with abundant forest and pasture resources to draw upon, their development, though slow, was steadily growing.

The disputes between Han and Liao had not drawn them in. When the Han army's light cavalry made their long-distance expedition and fought bloody battles in Mobei, these tribes were among the few untouched by the chaos—instead, they took the opportunity to absorb and swallow up remnants fleeing from the east, expanding themselves further.

At the southeastern foot of the Jin Mountains, downstream of the Yizhi River (the Irtysh), in a densely forested valley, a tribe had made its camp. Looking out, there were over a hundred tents of various sizes.

This was a settlement of about two thousand people—not small by the standards of the many tribes around the Jin Mountains. More importantly, this tribe was unusual: all of its members were able-bodied young men. And the tight, sturdy palisade surrounding the camp made it even more distinctive. Around the watchtowers and at the center of the camp, several banners stood fluttering in the wind.

Whether the black banners or the army banners bearing the characters "Liu," "Yang," and "Wang," all were somewhat worn and stained with blood. But neither the bloodstains nor the sword cuts could diminish their proud bearing.

This tribe, so different from the local peoples, was clearly the remnant of the Han army from Mobei.

Last year, after being defeated at Mount Wugu in Mobei by the Liao Commissioner of Military Affairs Yelu Xian, the Han army had retreated westward.

Under the relentless pursuit of the Liao army, most of the Han forces scattered—some perished at Liao hands, some were lost in the vast grasslands. In the end, the Han army regrouped at the Liao city of Zhenzhou, gathering the defeated soldiers and reorganizing their ranks.

But the Liao pursuit was too urgent. Before they could even find their footing, the coalition of Mobei tribes under Yelu Xian's command was already closing in. Helpless, the two commanders Yang and Wang had no choice but to abandon those soldiers who had not yet returned and continue retreating westward, all the way back to the former Zubu royal city, where they finally caught a brief respite.

However, under Yelu Xian's command, the Liao pursuit was extremely determined, and soon the pursuers arrived again. Having just suffered defeat, with the enemy strong and themselves weak, the situation was critical. Under these circumstances, Wang Yansheng and Yang Ye held an urgent discussion to seek a way out.

Returning south through the great desert to the Great Han—that option was abandoned outright. In such a tense situation, without adequate preparation, heading south would mean facing Liao interception; even if they broke through, they would still have to face the harsh desert and Gobi environment. That would be no different from seeking death.

As for staying in Mobei to fight a guerrilla war, that would be sitting around waiting for death. So without much hesitation, Yang and Wang settled on a plan: as Li Chongju's investigation and speculation had suggested, they would head west to survive.

After a brief period of packing and preparation, before the Liao pursuit force could arrive, Yang Ye and Wang Yansheng led the army westward, heading straight for the Jin Mountains. The subsequent results proved this decision correct, and it saved the far-ranging Han soldiers from annihilation.

Toward this Han army that had boldly marched north, penetrated deep into Mobei, and thrown the entire region into chaos, the Liao commander Yelu Xian naturally harbored deep hatred, wishing only to destroy them. Faced with the expeditionary force's successive retreats, he pursued relentlessly. Even when the two generals Yang and Wang led their troops fleeing west, he still dispatched several thousand cavalry to continue the chase, seeking total annihilation. At the same time, he sent envoys with orders directing the Naiman tribes east of the Jin Mountains to send troops and cooperate in the suppression.

But things did not go as he wished. During that period, Mobei was still in turmoil—the tribes scattered, the clans divided. Although Yelu Xian, relying on decades of Liao prestige, had managed to bind the tribes together into a coalition and defeat the Han army, the mess was left behind. Yelu Xian had no choice but to devote more energy to pacifying Mobei, and could not fully commit to hunting down and destroying the Han army.

As for the Naiman tribes, they had long begun paying lip service to Liao's commands. They were unwilling to send men and horses, to expend their tribes' able-bodied warriors in battle against the Han army. Years earlier, when they had cooperated with the Liao army's expedition to the Western Regions, they had already suffered a loss—the result being that the Liao court grew fat while they, the subordinate tribes, were drained.

They were even quite displeased that the Han army had been driven west, bringing the flames of war to their own lands. The pursuing Liao cavalry were also composed of Mobei horsemen. In the Battle of Mount Wugu, including the subsequent pursuit battles, these Mobei riders had experienced the Han army's combat ability and fighting will firsthand. Though the Liao army had won, their own casualties were by no means light.

This desperate Han army, though fleeing west in disarray, still posed a threat. If provoked into a desperate counterattack, it would surely mean another bloody battle. And these Mobei riders had no desire to keep grinding themselves down against the Han army, so their enthusiasm for pursuit was low—because there was no profit to be gained, and no small amount of danger.

Add to that the fact that Mobei's morale was truly shattered and scattered at the time. The Han army's raids had thoroughly destroyed the Liao ruling system in Mobei.

The Liao court's prestige plummeted, its strength was damaged, and many tribes inevitably began to harbor disloyal thoughts, questioning Liao's rule. The Zubu and Tatar tribes, having suffered heavy losses, were crying out for relief, while those tribes that had avoided disaster in time and preserved their strength wondered whether they might have a chance to expand. Even the pursuing leaders and generals were more careful about preserving their own forces, their minds on the interests of their own tribes.

With all these factors working together, the far-ranging Han army was given a gap to slip through and a chance to catch their breath. Yang Ye and Wang Yansheng were both battle-hardened generals with keen instincts; being on the scene, they felt the changes in the enemy situation most acutely.

Once they sensed that the Liao pursuit behind them was slackening, they felt somewhat reassured, and had more room to think about where to go and how to completely escape the crisis.

Wang Yansheng's idea was to charge straight in and fight their way out. By comparison, Yang Ye was calmer and more rational. In his view, although they were taking the route through the Jin Mountains, they ultimately knew nothing about the local situation, nor the attitude of the Naiman tribes, and the slowing pursuit behind them gave them more room to adjust.

So on Yang Ye's suggestion, though the expeditionary remnant reached the Jin Mountains, they did not venture deep into the tribes' heartland. Instead, keeping a safe distance, they sent envoys to make contact, stating their intention to pass through.

When the Naiman learned that the Han army was coming west, they were extremely wary of this wounded tiger, but their attitude was ambiguous. After sensing the Han army's sincerity, their hostility was somewhat dispelled.

After two rounds of contact, they reached an agreement with two Naiman tribes in the southeast: the tribes would show them the way, and in return, the Han army paid with some iron-clad horses and weapons, and also traded for some military supplies.

At the eastern foot of the Jin Mountains, the Han army gained a rare period of rest and reorganization. Afterward, they decisively took a detour, following mountain trails, and moved south of the mountains. After all, north of the Jin Mountains, the agreement with the Naiman tribes was not so reliable—the Han army did not trust them, and the Naiman tribes were equally worried about the Han army. So they simply crossed south, escaping that dangerous circle.

By the time they reached south of the Yin Mountains, winter was approaching. To the south, across the shifting sands, lay the Western Regions—they were not far from escaping with their lives.

However, due to the changing weather and their unfamiliarity with the geography and the situation in the Western Regions, they did not rashly head south. Instead, they chose to rest in place, build a camp, and endure the winter before deciding what to do next.

When they had withdrawn from the Zubu royal city, they still had nearly four thousand soldiers. Fleeing all the way, crossing the Jin Mountains, by the time they rested at the southern foot, only a little over two thousand five hundred remained. And after enduring the bitter winter, by this spring of the ninth year of Kaibao, all that remained was fewer than two thousand soldiers.