Chapter 17: Two Nations Submit to Tang, A Single Battle Seals Divinity
"At the very least, you'll need fifty thousand men..."
"And you'll need catapults, scaling ladders..."
"Those three thousand cavalrymen of yours won't be enough..."
Liang Shidu poked his head out from a crenel on the city wall and shouted loudly.
"Yo, yo, yo..."
"It seems the Prince of Liang looks down on me..."
"How about I try... and see which one of you dares to show your head!"
Su Liang, standing below the city, stroked the Overlord Heaven-Splitting Bow in his hand and joked.
Liang Shidu looked at the Overlord Heaven-Splitting Bow in Su Liang's hand and instantly lost his nerve.
He immediately shrank his neck back.
Su Liang then mocked him: "Rumor has it the Prince of Liang is defeated time and again; does he lack even the courage to face me now?"
At this moment, Liang Shidu on the city wall was already trembling, and the soldiers protecting him had long since been scared into wetting their pants.
It was simply because Su Liang’s five-hundred-meter range was too monstrous.
They had heard of it long ago.
On the banks of the Wei River, from a distance of four or five hundred meters, he had not only shot and killed Jiali Khan but also many Turkic generals.
Seeing that Liang Shidu still dared not show his head, Su Liang continued to taunt: "Little Liang... in my opinion, you should just call your barbarian daddy over."
"At least they have the courage to lead their troops south!"
"They wouldn't be like you, hiding in this turtle shell!"
"Hurry up and call your barbarian daddy over!"
Hearing this, Liang Shidu flew into a rage, the veins on his forehead bulging, his fists clenched tightly, yet he still dared not show his head.
Wang Xuance, standing to the side, saw this and said: "Young Master, why don't we attack the city?"
"Young Master's archery is peerless under heaven; you could shoot arrows into the city wall, and the White-Robed Guard could easily scale it."
"No need..."
Su Liang shook his head slightly.
He then said: "If my calculations are correct, someone will open the gates to surrender. You send someone to notify General Li Jing and have him lead fifty thousand elite troops here."
"As for Lingzhou, you can send someone to notify General Zhang Gongjin, the defender of Xiaoguan, and have him detach ten thousand troops to garrison Lingzhou."
After all the orders were given.
Su Liang looked at the gate tower of Shuofang and said: "Those who surrender will not be killed. If you do not surrender by this time tomorrow, then it will be as you said."
"Tomorrow, when my fifty thousand Tang Army troops arrive, we will surely break through the city, and at that time, I will wipe out your entire Liang clan."
"Wipe out the Liang clan, those who surrender will not be killed!"
"Wipe out the Liang clan, those who surrender will not be killed!"
"Wipe out the Liang clan, those who surrender will not be killed!"
Suddenly, over three thousand White-Robed Guards shouted in unison.
The civil and military officials on the gate tower were already silent as cicadas in winter.
A quarter of an hour later, Su Liang led his troops away and set up camp two miles outside the city.
A moment later, over three thousand small individual tents were pitched.
Every hundred men took turns keeping watch.
The next morning.
Su Liang, still in his sleep, was woken up by Wang Xuance.
Su Liang stretched and said: "Has someone come to surrender?"
Wang Xuance smiled: "Young Master's prediction was spot on; someone just came to surr..."
Su Liang waved his hand to interrupt: "Is his name Liang Luoren?"
Wang Xuance was stunned upon hearing this, then said: "Young Master is truly divine; the man who came is indeed named Liang Luoren!"
Su Liang immediately got up and walked out of the tent.
He saw dozens of people dressed as civil and military officials not far away.
Many of them were covered in blood, and he immediately understood what had happened.
He then asked: "Who is Liang Luoren?"
A moment later, a man covered in blood stepped forward slowly.
He knelt down, performed a salute, and said: "Reporting to the Prince of Chu, I am he."
Su Liang quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Alright, there is no need for kneeling; we in the Tang do not have such customs. Since you are surrendering, there is even less need for it here. From now on, you are all citizens of the Tang."
The people behind him also stood up gratefully; if not for the Prince of Chu's mercy, they feared they would not be alive today.
Su Liang scanned them, noting the man looked to be in his thirties, and then said: "I ask you, why did you kill your cousin?"
Liang Luoren was stunned at first, then said slowly: "To protect the clan, my cousin truly deserved to die."
"Oh?"
Su Liang became interested.
He rubbed his hands together and asked: "Then tell me, why did he deserve to die?"
"As Han people, my cousin should not have led the Hu south to invade the Tang, and even less should he have recognized a thief as his father."
Liang Luoren blurted out.
Hearing this, Su Liang shook his head slightly and chuckled.
He then said: "Alright, let's not mention these things. Have someone bring some mutton and mutton soup; the weather in the north is truly a bit cold."
Half an hour later.
Liang Luoren had people bring over plenty of mutton soup and meat, and even had them move over many tables.
He then looked at Su Liang and asked: "This subordinate would like to ask a question, if it is convenient for the Prince of Chu."
Su Liang said indifferently: "Speak freely."
Liang Luoren said: "Why did the Prince of Chu not let the soldiers enter the city to eat, but instead had this subordinate bring it here?"
Su Liang said: "I simply did not wish to disturb the people."
Hearing this, Liang Luoren immediately said: "I have long heard that the Prince of Chu loves the people as his own children; seeing it today, it is truly extraordinary."
Su Liang waved his hand to interrupt: "Alright, no need for the flattery."
Liang Luoren asked in confusion: "What is flattery?"
Su Liang was speechless and immediately said: "It means sycophancy."
Liang Luoren smiled awkwardly upon hearing this.
A quarter of an hour later, Su Liang had finished eating.
He immediately looked at Liang Luoren and asked: "Can you make decisions for this region now?"
"This subordinate can make decisions. I wonder what the Prince of Chu's instructions are."
Liang Luoren inquired.
Su Liang said: "Nothing much..."
"It's just that the north is indeed a bit cold. Tomorrow, send some people to Helan Mountain in Lingzhou. Find someone named Er Hu and bring some smokeless coal to the north."
Liang Luoren immediately asked: "Is it honeycomb coal?"
Su Liang said: "It is indeed honeycomb coal, but don't forget to bring some money when you go; the selling price must be the same as in Changancheng."
"I can give you a ten percent profit margin. Go get some brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone; I will write a letter, and you can have someone take it along."
Liang Luoren was overjoyed; there had long been rumors that the Prince of Chu was as wealthy as a nation.
The Taoyuan County he built was even comparable to a fairyland on earth.
To be treated like this by the Prince of Chu, this deal was not a loss.
The twenty-fifth day of the eleventh month, in the ninth year of Wude.
The Liang regime, which had held the Hetao region for ten years, was completely destroyed.
At noon that day, Li Jing's army arrived.
Seeing that the Liang state had already surrendered, he was filled with disbelief.
And it had been done without losing a single soldier or a single arrow.
Furthermore, by using both kindness and might, he had completely won over the hearts of the people.
Just at this moment, a long-lost voice echoed in Su Liang's mind.
"Ding: The system has detected that the forces under Ashina Sunishi set fire to the mountains. Because the fire is small, it has currently been extinguished."
"Ding: The system reminds the host that the forces under Ashina Sunishi consist of over fifty thousand households and more than one hundred thousand people, among whom there are thirty thousand Turkic soldiers."
"Ding: The system reminds the host that if Helan Mountain catches fire, the Taixi coal could burn for a thousand years..."
"Ding: The system has issued a new mission; please have the host go and defeat the forces under Ashina Sunishi as soon as possible."
"Ding: The reward for completing the mission is the Mohist Mechanical Arts."
Su Liang immediately stood up and looked at Wang Xuance: "Have the White-Robed Guard assemble!"
He then found Li Jing and said: "Ashina Sunishi set fire to the mountains; the coal mines in Helan Mountain must not be harmed."
"We must rush to Lingzhou and continue north from the northwest of Lingzhou. I leave the matters here to you."
Regarding this, Li Jing patted his chest and guaranteed that no trouble would arise.
A quarter of an hour later.
Su Liang had already led the White Robe Guard to head toward Lingzhou.
The journey was eight hundred li, and they could arrive in a little over a day.
November 27th, early morning.
Somewhere in the Yinshan.
Su Liang stood on a hillside, looked at the White Robe Guard, and said, "Do you know why you are called the White Robe Guard?"
Tiankui blurted out, "Famous teachers and great generals need not worry, a thousand armies and ten thousand horses avoid the white robes."
"The White Robe Guard is named for this!"
Upon hearing this, Su Liang said, "Good... then tell me about the deeds of the White Robe Army."
Tiankui continued, "In the past, the Southern Liang general Chen Qingzhi led over 7,000 men of the White Robe Army and crushed the Northern Wei's army of five hundred thousand."
"They captured 32 cities in succession, fought 47 battles large and small, and never suffered a single defeat."
"Good... it is good that you know."
Su Liang shouted his approval.
He then said, "You were all carefully selected and have practiced martial arts since childhood."
"Now, your warhorses, weapons, and armor far exceed those of the original White Robe Army."
"Although you cannot fight a hundred alone, fighting ten alone is more than enough."
"Today, the Turkic barbarians of the Ashina Sunishi tribe intend to set fire to the mountains; they deserve to be wiped out."
"This place is only 50 li from the Ashina Sunishi tribe's main camp. Everyone, rest in place; we depart in two hours!"
"In the past, the Great Khan's three thousand Tiger Guards faced the Xiongnu's army of one hundred and fifty thousand. They raided the camp and killed twenty thousand, pursued them along the way and killed twenty thousand, chased them to their lair and killed thirty thousand, and in the end, killed everyone they saw. They kept going until they killed the Northern Xiongnu King, forcing the Xiongnu army to retreat thousands of li, never daring to invade again."
"Today, let us use the Turks to test the blades of our White Robe Guard!"
"Anyone who dares to hold a sharp weapon shall be killed!"
More than three hours later.
Five li southeast of the Ashina Sunishi tribe.
Su Liang and the others were watching from afar with telescopes.
Looking at this tribe that possessed fifty thousand households...
The hidden sentries along the way had already been cleared out by the White Robe Guard.
A quarter of an hour later.
Su Liang spoke indifferently, "The Ashina Sunishi tribe has over fifty thousand households and more than one hundred thousand people, among whom thirty thousand are Turkic soldiers."
"However, out of those thirty thousand, only nearly twenty thousand have combat capability."
"The others are either children between thirteen and fifteen years old, or old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers."
In August of the ninth year of Wu De, an army of over two hundred thousand from the Eastern Turks was buried in the Great Tang.
To ensure their rule over the Mobei grasslands, the Ashina clan had everyone aged thirteen to fifteen enlist, and most of these people had no combat power.
Wang Xuance heard this and said, "Is the Young Master planning to use the Fish-Scale Formation for a swift victory?"
Su Liang smiled faintly, then shouted loudly, "White Robe Guard, form the Fish-Scale Formation, strike directly at the Turkic main camp!"
They marched to within 200 meters of the main camp.
Su Liang held his Swimming Dragon Army-Breaking Spear and shouted, "Draw the Mo blades!"
Instantly.
Over three thousand White Robe Guards all held one-zhang-long Mo blades, standing with them across their waists!
One could see the blade bodies were seven chi long and pitch black.
The edges were three chi long, bright silver, and shone with a fierce, cold light.
The soldiers of the Sunishi tribe were all terrified; the speed of the incoming army was so fast that they could no longer block it.
With the charge of the White Robe Guard, in just an instant, the Turkic army was crushed, men and horses alike.
Flesh and blood flew everywhere!
Before long.
The Sunishi tribe was already in chaos, suffering heavy casualties!
The Turks who escaped with their lives spurred their horses and fled north...
Family and children were no longer important.
What mattered was staying alive!
Three hours later...
Su Liang spoke indifferently, "How is the battle situation?"
Wang Xuance, who was to the side, said, "Of the thirty thousand Turkic troops, only a thousand or so fled north; the rest were all killed."
"We captured one hundred thousand Turks, and in addition, there are two hundred thousand sheep, fifty thousand cattle, one hundred thousand Ma Pi... the gold and jewelry cannot be counted for the moment..."
Su Liang asked in confusion, "Why so many?"
Wang Xuance explained, "The water and grass around the Yinshan are lush, and since the Ashina clan is the royal family, there are naturally more."
Su Liang said nonchalantly, "Very well, leave the rest of the matters to General Zhang Gongjin to handle."
"You go and rest first, and have someone slaughter some cattle and sheep."
An hour later.
Everyone was gathered around hot pots, eating meat.
Zhang Gongjin also approached Su Liang and said, "Imperial Son-in-Law, may I see the Mo blade of your White Robe Guard?"
"Hehe..."
Su Liang chuckled upon hearing this.
He thought to himself that the discipline of the White Robe Army was still quite good.
He then looked at Wang Xuance and said, "Go get a Mo blade and let General Zhang take a look."
A moment later.
Zhang Gongjin was already holding the Mo blade in his hand, examining it closely.
He then began to brandish it...
"This... this blade weighs a full 30 jin, yet it is so light and easy to swing; it is truly incredible."
Zhang Gongjin could not help but exclaim.
Seeing this, Su Liang also chuckled.
He then said, "General Zhang is joking..."
"General Zhang is a tiger general of this age; this 30-jin Mo blade is naturally nothing to you."
"Even if it is easy to swing, it is still difficult for most soldiers to master."
Hearing this, Zhang Gongjin also smiled awkwardly.
"Ding: Congratulations to the host for completing the latest mission, rewarded with Mohist Mechanism Arts. Does the host wish to begin integration now?"
Su Liang said without hesitation, "Integrate!"
Instantly, a tidal wave of memories flooded Su Liang's mind.
It took a full quarter of an hour before the integration was complete.
At this moment, Su Liang was already dazed, unable to calm down for a long time.
The Mohist Mechanism Arts rewarded by the system were bound to be the finest and most comprehensive.
There was so much knowledge in the Mohist Mechanism Arts that Su Liang noticed the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse and began to study it in detail.
It would have been fine if he hadn't looked into it, but the deeper he understood it, the more incredible he felt it was.
Even Zhuge Liang's Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse came from the hands of the Mohists!
A true Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse that required no human power!
It could travel a hundred li a day!
Inside the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse were hundreds of metal parts of various sizes, utilizing the principle of leverage, with large and small gears working in coordination;
At the same time, it used the principles of magnetic attraction and repulsion to drive the rotation of the gears.
Pulling one hair moved the whole body.
Damn! Damn! Damn!
The Mohists had created a closed, independent system that achieved the conservation of energy!
Using this to achieve perpetual motion...
Furthermore, there were mechanisms hidden in secret places on the exterior of the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse.
The mechanism was set up in a nine-grid pattern and had to be operated in a specific order.
Otherwise, it could not be started.
It also introduced the reason why the Mohists disappeared completely from history.
To consolidate their position, feudal emperors honored only Confucianism, and from then on, all other schools were dismissed.
The advanced ideas of the Mohists were even less accepted by the world.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, they were subjected to severe suppression.
During the Three Kingdoms period, a branch of the Mohists presented the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse to Zhuge Liang, intending to re-emerge.
In the end, it also ended in a bleak outcome...
The next morning.
Su Liang led the White Robe Guard to continue north, sweeping through dozens of tribes large and small along the way.
Anyone holding a sharp weapon, kill them all.
Zhang Gongjin was completely reduced to a tool for cleaning up the battlefield.
Meanwhile, outside Changancheng.
"Eight-hundred-li urgent report!"
"Eight-hundred-li urgent report!"
A guard rode a horse at full gallop into Changancheng, not stopping until he reached the front of the Taiji Palace.
A moment later.
Inside the Ganlu Hall of the Taiji Palace.
Li Er was discussing matters with his ministers.
After saluting, the guard said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, the Liang Kingdom has submitted to the Tang!"
He then respectfully handed over a battle report written by Li Jing.
Li Er took it, opened it, and saw a few large characters:
The Liang Kingdom has submitted to the Tang; through a combination of grace and might, they have been thoroughly subdued.
Following that was a detailed battle report.
At the end, it even included Li Jing's thoughts and arrangements for military operations against the Turks.
November 30th.
Outside Changancheng.
"Eight-hundred-li urgent report! A great victory!"
"Eight-hundred-li urgent report! A great victory!"
Inside the Ganlu Hall of the Taiji Palace.
The news of the great victory, that the Ashina Sunishi tribe had been annihilated, had already arrived.
Li Er and the dukes and ministers were overjoyed, dancing with excitement.
There were over three hundred thousand head of cattle, sheep, and horses, and the gold and silver treasures had not yet been tallied.
Li Er immediately arranged for men to go and accept them.
A full two hundred thousand head of livestock were being driven into the territory of the Great Tang.
Even more, tens of thousands, were being moved directly to Changancheng.
The ninth year of Wude.
Early morning on December 5th.
Shuofang City, at the residence of Liang Luoren.
At this moment, inside the council hall.
Su Liang was already seated there, surrounded by Li Jing, Wang Xuance, Liang Luoren, and others.
Su Liang, seated at the head, asked, "The news hasn't leaked out, has it?"
Liang Luoren said, "It has not leaked yet. This time, a total of over fifty thousand men are distributed within the Shuofang Commandery to search for and capture the Turks."
"After ten days of searching, there are no more Turks within the territory; every adult male has been executed."
"On the borders, there is also the strict defense of General Li Jing's army of over fifty thousand."
Li Jing also spoke up, "Is Little Su's arrangement this time intended to take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Yinshan?"
Su Liang chuckled and said nothing; he was indeed worthy of being the Great Tang's God of War.
The current situation was clear at a glance.
That night, Su Liang led over three thousand White-Robed Guards to launch a night raid on Yinshan.
Li Jing's army was deployed on the periphery, ready to provide support at any time.
Su Liang carried out a grand strategy of fire attacks.
In an instant, the flames from the thousands of Turkic yurts at Yinshan soared into the sky.
In one night of raiding and killing, over thirty thousand Turks were executed.
Over one hundred thousand Turkic men and women were captured, along with hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses.
Just like Zhang Gongjin.
Liang Luoren was also reduced to a tool for cleaning up the battlefield.
In a single night, the Turks surrendered one after another.
In this battle, Su Liang also personally killed Ashina Teqin and Ashina She'er.
These two had participated in the plot and intended to murder Su Liang, so Su Liang naturally would not let them go.
It was a pity that Zhishi Sili managed to escape.
As for the Turks who had already surrendered, Su Liang could not be bothered to ask about them.
In the end, Princess Yicheng was also captured alive.
Following Su Liang's order.
This Princess Yicheng, who had married far away to the Turks for the stability of the Sui Dynasty's borders and had successively married four Turkic men—a father and his sons—was put to death!
According to Turkic custom, after a father or brother dies, one may marry the wife of the father or brother.
This is a type of ancient marriage custom called levirate marriage, commonly known as the widow-remarriage system.
Traditionally, the Han people did not encourage levirate marriage, especially after the rise of Confucianism; social opinion considered this a form of incest and legislated against it.
Although it was a bad habit, it was repeatedly banned but never stopped.
The widow-remarriage system could prevent the loss of family wealth and labor.
It was not until the Ming Dynasty that the law stipulated: those who marry the widow of a father, paternal uncle, or elder uncle shall be sentenced to beheading, and those who marry the widow of an elder or younger brother shall be sentenced to hanging.
After Qimin Khan died, Shibi Khan took Princess Yicheng as his wife.
After Shibi Khan died, Chuluo Khan took Princess Yicheng as his wife.
Later, finding Chuluo Khan ugly, she took advantage of his illness to poison him with Five-Stone Powder and supported his younger brother, Jieli Khan, to take the throne.
During the Sui Dynasty, Princess Yicheng had many times assisted her cousin Yang Guang.
During the Tang Dynasty, she had many times incited Jieli Khan to send troops south.
Early morning on December 6th.
Jieli's former trusted general, Kang Sumi, brought Empress Xiao and her grandson Yang Zhengdao to surrender to the Tang.
At this moment.
Su Liang also saw the legendary Xiao Meiniang, who "married five emperors."
She was indeed a legendary woman of peerless beauty.
Now sixty years old, Xiao Meiniang still possessed a lingering charm.
Walking slowly, every look and smile was exactly like the thirty-year-old Dongfang Bubai in *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*.
Not only was she full of charm and alluringly changeable, but her petite, five-foot-tall stature was also adorable.
It turns out that it is not just modern people who have a taste for this.
Even the ancients were the same.
The ninth year of Wude, December 10th.
When the news of the victory reached Changancheng, the entire city was shocked beyond measure.
At this time.
Inside the Liangyi Hall of the Taiji Palace.
All the ministers in the court were incredulous; they could not imagine it, nor did they dare to think it.
In a mere half-month, two kingdoms were successively annihilated.
Furthermore, they launched a long-distance raid, capturing three hundred thousand Turks and nearly a million head of cattle, sheep, and horses.
Relying solely on the 3,600 White-Robed Guards, Li Jing's army mostly provided support.
What was most unacceptable of all was that not a single one of the 3,600 White-Robed Guards had fallen in battle!
Su Liang became a legend in one battle!
End of Chapter
