Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 839 Is the Li Tang Dynasty Destitute?
Once the army left Fuliang, it was like a giant dragon entering the sea, plunging headlong into the vast journey. As Xia Lin rode his horse and looked back to the east, the outline of Fuliang City had long since disappeared into the mountains, and the tenderness in his heart for his beloved children was hardened by the oncoming wind.

At this moment, he was no longer the Magistrate Xia who had to deal with his wives and concubines and worry about daily necessities, but the Commander Xia who was about to lead tens of thousands of elite troops into the barren land.

The scenery along the way was like a faded painting, gradually changing from the lushness of Jiangnan to the vastness of the Central Plains, and then irreversibly tinged with the yellowish hues of the Northwest. Sometimes, the flags of the Dugu or Tang family caravans could be seen on both sides of the post road. When they saw this large army, they would often give way to the side of the road. The steward in charge of escorting the caravan would even come forward, with awe and a hint of barely perceptible worry, trying to slip Xia Lin some local specialties or newly brewed fine wine.

"Lord Xia, the journey is long and arduous, and the weather is dry. This is just a token of my appreciation, to moisten the throats of the soldiers." An old manager of the Dugu family, his face weathered by time, held a wine flask, his eyes revealing deep concern for the chaos in the Western Regions. Now that Xia Lin was personally in command, it meant that the land, where profits and risks coexisted, was about to face a true storm. Few in the world were unaware of his methods.

Xia Lin didn't accept the wine, but instead tapped his palm lightly with his riding whip. His gaze swept over the old shopkeeper and the caravan behind him, and his tone was unquestionable: "There is a prohibition on alcohol in the army. You don't need to bother trying to please me. Your task is to transport the goods to Shanshan. Not a single grain of rice, not a single arrowhead, can be missing or delayed. Once the goods arrive, you can pretend I don't exist, and I won't say a word. If you delay the battle, even if you are my own father, you will be punished according to military law."

The old shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, naturally daring not to say anything more, and bowed as he stepped aside. He silently watched the army, carrying an oppressive and chilling aura, wind its way westward.

Xia Lin was extremely strict in disciplining his troops, with laws as solid as mountains, but he was not inhumane. During daytime marches, although he spent most of his time on horseback, he endured the sun and wind alongside his soldiers, and his light military uniform was always covered in dust. When setting up camp at night, he and other officers of all ranks ate from the same pot as the ordinary soldiers, without any special treatment.

"Commander, do you think we can really beat those unruly ones to a pulp on this trip?" A green recruit, his face still bearing the innocence of a child but his eyes filled with admiration, mustered his courage and asked as he sat by the campfire.

He had only recently joined the army, and Xia Lin's legendary stories always filled him with excitement. Now, having the opportunity to sit with his idol, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

Xia Lin was slicing a piece of dried beef with a dagger when he heard this. Without even looking up, he asked, "Scared?"

"I'm not afraid! The soldiers of Fuliang don't know the word 'fear'!" The new recruit's voice was a little weak, though he held his head high: "It's just... I heard that the people over there are tall, and their eyes are blue and green, like the Arhats in the temple, kind of eerie!"

Several scarred veterans nearby burst into laughter. One old soldier, missing half a front tooth, chuckled and cursed, "You little bastard, what's there to be afraid of Blue Eyes? He's not going to stare you to death with his eyes, is he? Just pull out that thing from your back and shoot him in the chest, and even the most powerful monk will have a bloody hole in him! Besides, as long as you follow the commander, let alone Blue Eyes, even if it's heavenly soldiers and generals, we'll have to chop them up and stuff them in their mouths so they can swallow their 'things'!"

That accent sounds like a veteran from Northeast China who came back with Xiao Chenzi...

A burst of boisterous laughter erupted in the tent, and the vague unease caused by the unfamiliar territory was largely dispelled by the laughter of these seasoned veterans.

Xia Lin laughed along, and only after swallowing the food in his mouth did he say, "Tall, big target, easy to aim. Strange eye color, easy to spot at night. As for being evil?" He paused, his tone still calm, "To them, we are the real evil. Have you ever seen anyone bombard a large camp from two miles away?"

The laughter inside the tent grew even louder, and the greenhorn joined in with a silly grin. He scratched his head, and the slight unease in his heart actually dissipated amidst the noise.

Xia Lin stood up, patted the new recruit on the shoulder, said nothing more, lifted the tent flap and went out.

A biting night wind swept through the tent, carrying the dry chill characteristic of the Gobi Desert. Even in early summer, it hadn't improved much, whipping the stray hairs across his forehead. He looked up westward; the stars hung low, the Milky Way glittering, no different from the Gobi night sky of that other world. Only beneath this starry sky awaited him: the cunning schemes of the Tang Dynasty, the 50,000 elite troops of the Northern Han sharpening their swords, the hesitant, ambivalent attitude of the Western Regions, and the unpredictable, awe-inspiring might of that vast land.

The news of Guo's father's serious illness weighed heavily on his heart, but he couldn't afford to be distracted, at least not now.

"People are always parting ways throughout their lives."

He muttered something to himself, so softly that only he could hear it. Then he took a deep breath of the sandy wind, forcibly suppressing the distracting thoughts, and his eyes regained their sharpness and focus.

The further west you go, the less greenery there becomes. As far as the eye can see, there are mostly rolling hills, and hardly anyone lives there. But their luck isn't too bad, because the northward expansion of the precipitation line for almost ten years has meant that although the Gobi Desert hasn't been completely eliminated, the sandstorms have significantly decreased, and water resources are no longer as precious as before. Oases are everywhere, dividing the Gobi Desert into patches.

The scouts sent out were like falcons released into the sky, braving the wind and sand to travel back and forth every day, constantly sending back intelligence, big or small, from the front lines to the central army. After all, they were now in the territory of the Li Tang dynasty. Although the move to bypass Chang'an was carefully planned in advance, they were still in someone else's territory, so they still had to be careful.

"Report! Commander, Yangguan Pass is just fifty li ahead, and there is plenty of water nearby!"

"Report! Traces of Northern Han cavalry, numbering about three hundred, have been spotted a hundred miles north of the Northwest Pass. They are acting suspiciously, seemingly surveying the terrain. After encountering a small group of our outpost, they fled far away without engaging in battle!"

"Report! General Wang of Shanshan City has sent a messenger with an urgent military report, who is waiting outside the camp. His men and horses are exhausted!"

Upon hearing the last point, Xia Lin perked up and put down the map covered in dense symbols: "Bring it in!"

Soon, an officer covered in dust, with chapped lips and sunken eyes, was helped in by two bodyguards. Upon seeing Xia Lin behind the desk, he struggled to push the bodyguards away and knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse: "This humble general, Zhou Xun, the Zhaowu Colonel of Shanshan City, pays his respects to the Commander-in-Chief! General Zhuo has ordered me to travel day and night to deliver this military report!"

He took out a letter from his close-fitting leather pouch, which was soaked with sweat and had become somewhat blurred at the edges, and held it high with both hands.

The guard took the letter and handed it to Xia Lin, who quickly unwrapped the sealing wax and unfolded the letter. Zhuo Heng's handwriting was no longer the childish style he had as a boy; now, his characters, like the man himself, were strong and powerful, carrying the ruthless spirit of a seasoned general. The contents of the letter were more specific and more serious than the intelligence Sun Jiuzhen had gathered through trade routes, and a sense of anxiety permeated every line.

The 50,000 elite troops under Liu Min, a general of the Northern Han, were not merely stationed on the border to exert pressure. Recently, they had repeatedly crossed the traditional border in small groups to attack and plunder Western Region tribes near the Cheshi direction. Their methods were extremely cruel, consistent with the usual style of those nomadic tribes. They started by burning, killing, and looting, clearly clearing the periphery of the battlefield and clipping their wings to pave the way for the main army's subsequent advance. The envoys of the Tang Dynasty were also unusually active, frequently traveling to the southern kingdoms of Khotan and Shule, offering them great benefits and spreading rumors that the Great Wei was "insatiable" and "intimidates other countries," attempting to create a buffer zone against the Great Wei.

Meanwhile, within the Protectorate of the Western Regions, the leader of the already ambivalent local faction, a Turkic nobleman named Ashina Helu, had recently been in close contact with the Li Tang envoys. His tribal troops showed signs of unrest, not only frequently mobilizing their forces but also outwardly complying with Zhuo Heng's orders while inwardly disobeying them. Zhuo Heng judged in his letter that there was a high probability he had already sided with the Li Tang.

In the letter's conclusion, Zhuo Heng bluntly stated: "My forces are sufficient to defend the fortified city of Shanshan, but to pacify the Western Regions, eliminate treacherous officials, and resist Liu Min in the north, I am stretched thin and stretched thin. Liu Min is eyeing us from the north, He Lu is disloyal from within, the Li Tang is hindering us from the east, and the various kingdoms of the Western Regions are holding Ma in the west. With these four forces all in cahoots, the situation is extremely precarious, and morale is wavering. I urge Commander Xia to arrive quickly to stabilize the situation!"

Xia Lin finished reading the letter without any expression on his face. He simply placed the letter gently on the table, his fingers unconsciously tracing the location of Shanshan City on the exquisite map. That was his only foothold in the Western Regions, but now, thanks to Zhuo Heng's words, it was already in a precarious state.

"Commander Zhou, you've worked hard. Go and get some rest. Have someone prepare some hot soup and food for him."

Zhou Xun raised his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with urgency: "General! General Wang asked me to inquire how many more days it will take for the army to reach Shanshan? The soldiers and civilians in the city are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the royal army! That scoundrel He Lu has been making increasingly frequent moves lately, and I am worried..."

Xia Lin glanced at Zhou Xun, who was almost at his limit, and decisively interrupted him, his tone still calm: "After you've rested, tell him to hold Shanshan and keep an eye on He Lu. I've brought the knife to clean house. The day our army arrives will be the day Liu Min retreats and He Lu is beheaded. And what are you worried about? Your Western Route Army isn't badly equipped. Even if you're deep in enemy territory, it won't be as dangerous as you say. You can't advance and you can't hold your ground? You tell Zhuo Heng a message: 'If you little bastard ruin the Western Route Army for me, you can go back to being the heir of the Duke of Xu.' Remember, relay those words back to me verbatim."

There were no grand pronouncements, no exciting promises, only this calm statement, yet it carried more power than any vow. Zhou Xun paused, a strange confidence welling up within him. He clasped his hands tightly, his voice even more hoarse: "This subordinate understands! This subordinate will immediately return to report to General Wang!"

Watching Zhou Xun being helped out of the tent by his personal guards, Xia Lin slowly stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and gazed at the massive army outside, preparing their meal.

After a moment of silence, he said to the messenger beside him, "Pass down the order: we will break camp half an hour earlier tomorrow, and increase the marching speed by another ten percent. Tell the battalion commanders to keep their men in check and conserve their energy. Also tell the soldiers to hold on a little longer; when we reach Shanshan, I will treat them to a whole roasted lamb. There will be no wine, but plenty of meat!"

The order spread swiftly throughout the army. There were no cheers, but the eyes of the weary soldiers blazed with an even brighter fire. The saying that young soldiers crave glory is no lie; if it weren't for the military order, they might have run out into the enemy camp that very night to challenge them, hoping to earn their own place in the Han envoy's family history.

The next day, the army was to pass through Yangguan. Unlike Yumenguan, Yangguan primarily served commercial and diplomatic functions, acting as a hub for envoys, marriage alliances, and merchant travel. Xia Lin and his men were choosing this route to launch a surprise attack, catching the enemy off guard.

But to his surprise, when he entered the territory of Yangguan, the defending general firmly closed the city gates and refused to let him pass...

"General, the gates of Yangguan Pass ahead are closed. They insist that the army needs His Majesty's edict and the General's Tiger Tally to cross the border."

Xia Lin felt insulted after hearing this, but he also knew that this was basically the trick of San Niang and the others. Li Tang knew that he could not stop Xia Lin, but he could delay for as long as possible. As long as he could hold out his army until September, once the snow came, not to mention the new army, even the Heavenly King himself would have to hibernate.

If Xia Lin's summer offensive fails to materialize, there will be ample time for Chang'an to devise a countermeasure, and perhaps they will even be able to secure a place in the Western Regions.

However, this is not to blame San Niang, because the Li Tang Dynasty cannot afford to lose. Once Xia Lin completes the unification of the Western Regions, the Li Tang Dynasty will have no other outcome but to surrender. Above them are the cavalry of the Northern Han Dynasty, to their left is the Northwest Army of the Great Wei Dynasty, to their right is the Central Army of the Great Wei Dynasty, and below them is the insurmountable Tubo...

We've lost even this much strategic depth. Play? Play my ass!

Now that they're using this method to restrain Xia Lin, even Xia Lin himself feels that this person is underestimating him.

Riding my horse to the front of the column, I saw two sides of soldiers facing off. Archers on the city wall were drawing their swords, and some dark iron pipes were aimed at the ground below. It was clear that these were cannons "self-developed" by the Li Tang dynasty. Looking at their design, hey... I almost forgot to engrave the Shenji Battalion's number on them.

"Who goes there!"

The garrison general is Li Shangnian. He should be considered San Niang's nephew, but he is older than San Niang. After all, not everyone is as willing as Xia Lin to entrust the defense of an important border town to someone with no blood relation.

Xia Lin, still on horseback, merely glanced at the people on the city wall without saying a word, simply beckoning them down with his finger.

"You brat, how dare you be so arrogant!" shouted the adjutant beside Li Shangnian. "How dare you treat my general so disrespectfully!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the soldiers in the new army automatically found firing positions and took their weapons from their backs, the sound of them pulling the bolts in unison.

At this moment, Li Shangnian's legs were cramping. He glanced at the indignant adjutant next to him and whispered, "That's Xia Daosheng."

"what?"

The adjutant's legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Oh my god... I think I'd better go down."

(End of this chapter)