Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Old Jing quickly nodded: "That's right. His Majesty must kneel down... After repeated pleading, the Crown Prince of Yehu will not punish the Grand Commandant and will temporarily refrain from taking the daughters of Chang'an."

Everyone said, "We have all heard about it and deeply admire the Grand Commandant's courage."

Then Li Ji continued, “After Luoyang was recovered, I pleaded with the Prince of Qi to order wealthy merchants like Yu Ling to raise funds and offer them to the Uyghurs to redeem the kidnapped children. In the first year of Baoying, Luoyang was recovered again. I stood in front of Huian Gate and stopped the Shuofang army from entering the city to plunder, and also prohibited the Uyghurs from privately kidnapping Tang people—General Nan knew about this.”

Nan Jiyun nodded and said, "Grand Commandant, you have twice saved Luoyang from disaster. You are truly a living Buddha to all families."

Li Ji waved his hand: "What talk of being a Buddha to all families is just a matter of compassion. Most of you here are warriors who have taken life and death lightly. Only our army has strict discipline. If it were another army, they would often burn, kill, and plunder even within their own borders. They always feel that on the battlefield, life is not in their own hands, so why should they pity others? But I, Li, am different from you. I will not talk about grand principles of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, nor about the importance of the person over the ruler and the country. But I ask you all, where do our salaries, food, armor, and weapons come from?"

"Farmers toil in the fields, yet they cannot escape hunger and cold; craftsmen labor in their workshops, yet their homes may not have all the necessary cooking utensils. They gather wealth from all directions to support officials and soldiers. What is the purpose of this? Is it not to protect themselves from enemy attacks? In ancient times, righteous men who received kindness in giving away their clothes and food would repay it with their lives. How can we, who eat the grain grown by farmers, wear the silk made by weavers, and use the tools made by craftsmen, bear to abandon them to the enemy?"

"Now that the three prefectures of Beiting have nearly 100,000 Tang soldiers, how can we sit idly by and not come to their aid? If I were still in Liang and Gan, I would be too far away to help, so I would have to leave. But now that we have captured Suzhou, we are only 300 li away from the enemy. How can we not risk our lives and bravely advance?"

"Even if the nation loses the Western Regions, there is still hope for recovery; but if 100,000 Tang people are killed, how can the dead be brought back to life? I don't know what you all think, but I know that I am a coward..."

Li Ji's claim of being timid was a huge joke, but no one dared to laugh.

"...I am timid. I am afraid that if I hesitate for a moment and dare not act rashly, the people will be killed and countless ghosts will come to haunt me and demand my life. I will probably not be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of my life. I will definitely regret it until I die!"

“A true man should die for his country. With righteousness before us, how can we cherish our lives and cower in fear? If I were afraid of hardship and death, I would not have come this far, and you would not have fought alongside me. My mind is made up. I will save Beiting and lure the barbarian bandits to face my army directly, so that the exhausted Beiting soldiers and men will not be the enemy's blades and become my shields!”

At this point, he suddenly slammed his hand on the table, his gaze sweeping coldly over the generals: "Gentlemen, are you willing to follow me to my death?"

These words stirred the blood of many. Even though some officers and generals disagreed, since the Grand Commandant had spoken of it, they dared not bear the name of cowardice. They immediately clasped their hands and bowed, saying, "We are willing to follow the Grand Commandant and fight the barbarian bandits to the death!"

Li Ji then looked at Wei Gao and asked, "Does Cheng Wu have anything else to say?"

Wei Gao hurriedly declared, "Since the Grand Commandant has made his decision, I will obey orders and fight to the death without fear!" He paused, softening his tone slightly, "However, as General Xu and Mr. Yan have said, where and how our army should engage the enemy still requires careful planning..."

----------

Li Ji decided that the army would rest in Jiuquan City for another day. The next morning, Gao Chongwen would lead the elite vanguard, and Wei Gao would lead the vanguard army, under the unified command of Nan Jiyun, to attack the barbarian camps around Jinshan and Dudeng Mountain, as well as the old fortifications of the Yumen army. According to Mang Re's report, these locations had around 5,000 barbarian soldiers stationed there, and the fortifications were not yet complete. A hasty attack would greatly increase the Tang army's chances of victory.

But the goal is not just to win, but also to inflict heavy casualties and capture many enemy troops, and to prevent organized barbarian troops from successfully retreating west of the Ming River, so as to strengthen the defense of Guazhou.

After the meeting, Li Ji retreated to his inner chambers and specifically ordered someone to summon Yan Zhuang. He dismissed his personal guards and asked him directly, "Why did you take the initiative to speak up today and offer advice and strategies in front of all the generals and officials?"

Yan Zhuang smiled and replied, "Actually, I am not very good at military strategy, but I see that apart from the two generals of Nan and Jing, all the generals are willing to hold back and advance slowly, and the Grand Commandant is not very willing to allow it. So, thinking about it from a common point of view, the Grand Commandant promised the merchants that they could open up the Western Regions in five years, and two years have already passed. If we can destroy the main force of the barbarian bandits within the territory of Guazhou, we can also pacify the area a thousand miles away. However, if we are slow to act and Shang Jiexi seizes Beiting or even Anxi, it will be difficult to take it quickly, and the war will continue for who knows how long."

"Given the Grand Commandant's temperament, he has never been afraid of taking risks. Moreover, he estimated that our army had just won, and even if we could not defeat the barbarians this time, we would not suffer great losses. Therefore, this risk is worth taking. That is why I dared to speak up and help the Grand Commandant persuade you all. However, I failed to appreciate the Grand Commandant's loving heart. I am ashamed."

Li Ji shook his head: "Sir, please don't make up excuses. You've always offered advice, but usually behind people's backs. Why would you speak up in front of everyone today? I really don't understand. I hope you won't hide the truth—even if it's all for personal reasons, I won't blame you. There's no one else here, so what can't be said openly?"

Yan Zhuang's face darkened: "Grand Commandant, it is enough to examine what I have done. Why do you need to know what I am thinking?"

Li Ji pursed his lips: "Sir, you are wise and sagacious. If I do not understand what you are thinking, I am afraid I will not be able to sleep peacefully. If what you are thinking is harmful to me, then I will naturally ask you clearly. If it is not harmful to me, then why hide it? Nowadays, I am the only one in the world who trusts you. Please do not create any discord between us."

Yan Zhuang hesitated for a moment after hearing this, then sighed and said, "To tell you the truth, I have a desire to return to the Central Court." He paused and explained, "It is not that I am unwilling to serve the Grand Commandant for a long time, but I was framed and expelled from the Central Court. I have always felt resentful and wish to return to the Central Court to see how those people—such as Liu Yan—feel."

Li Ji frowned: "So, if you offer a plan in front of everyone, you can return to the central court?"

Yan Zhuang smiled and said, "Grand Commandant, you've been wise all your life, but you've made a foolish mistake. I'm a former official of the false Yan... no, I was originally the right-hand man of the traitor An. Although I surrendered to Tang voluntarily, many people are wary of me. If I remain silent under your command, I'll be like a walking corpse. Who will care? But if I'm willing to offer my humble opinion, things will be different. I believe that when you succeed, the court will surely issue an edict to summon me."

Li Ji understood. Yan Zhuang had a criminal record; he had once advised An Lushan to rebel. If Yan Zhuang remained as active under Li Ji's command, how could Li Yu sleep soundly? He would definitely find a way to remove Yan Zhuang from his side.

"Sir, are you not at ease working under my command? If you were to return to the central government, I fear you might not have a good life."

Yan Zhuang nodded and said, "I know this myself. Anyway, I'm already sixty years old. When the time comes, I'll get a red robe or even a purple robe to wear, and then I'll retire. The sage will definitely not keep me."

Li Ji lowered his eyes: "It's good that you have this awareness, sir..."

----------

Mang Re led his elite cavalry in a surprise attack on the Tang army, but was defeated. The defeated soldiers fled back to their camps near Jiayu in droves. Soon after, the Tang army took Mang Re to persuade him to surrender and captured the Tibetan camp. Not a single one of them escaped. As a result, the Tibetan army in the Jinshan and Dudeng areas received the news too late. They were attacked by the three generals Nan Jiyun, Gao Chongwen, and Wei Gao. They had to fight hastily and collapsed completely in just half a day.

Among the armies of Hexi, the best in terms of equipment, bravery of soldiers, and combat strength, Chen Lizhen's elite cavalry was the first, followed by Gao Chongwen's vanguard army—the vanguard being a shock force, all heavily armored infantry, and equipped with three hundred Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword)—and the third was probably Wei Gao's vanguard army, which was the most disciplined and obeyed orders without question.

This is also related to the abilities and personalities of the commanders: Chen Lizhen excelled at commanding cavalry, Gao Chongwen was a warrior capable of taking on ten thousand men, and Wei Gao possessed the greatest potential to be a great general. Frankly speaking, even Nan Jiyun, in terms of battlefield command, was inferior to Wei Gao, and in terms of commanding cavalry, he was inferior to Chen Lizhen—after all, he was from Hebei—he could only barely replace Gao Chongwen, and even then, he lacked Gao Chongwen's youthful vigor…

This allowed the Tang army to quickly capture the unfinished fortresses of the Tibetans on Jinshan and Dushan mountains, inflicting heavy casualties. However, when they attacked the old fortress of Yumen, they seemed to have encountered a tough obstacle—more than two thousand Tibetan soldiers resisted fiercely, relying on the walls and houses that were not completely destroyed.

When Li Ji personally led the main force to set up camp at the foot of Dushan Mountain, he heard that the Yumen Army had been attacking the old fortress for most of the day, but it seemed that there was still not much progress. He became anxious. So he summoned his subordinate Bai Yu and ordered him: "You shall take the exiled army and send him to scale the enemy's fortress."

The so-called "tattooed soldiers" refers to the criminals who were tattooed on the face and forced into battle by Li Ziyi. There are now more than four hundred of them, almost the size of a battalion. Li Ji originally planned to place these people in the most dangerous positions of attack, so that the cowardly would be executed immediately, and those who fought bravely and survived would be restored to their freedom as promised.

Bai Yu accepted the order and left. Not long after, a messenger from the front line delivered Nan Jiyun's message.

Nan Jiyun said, "Grand Commandant, don't be anxious. It's just the old fortress of the Yumen Army. It's not like the Yumen Army is still around. I have nearly five thousand elite troops at my disposal. How can I not take it? Why did you send those criminals up here to die?"

The reason I haven't been able to capture it after such a long siege is that I'm worried the barbarian rebels inside the fortress might escape. Previously, when we broke through Jinshan and Dushan, we almost swept them down in one fell swoop, and the defeated rebels would surely flee into the old fortress of the Yumen army. Now, if we capture the old fortress, the defeated rebels will flee west of the Ming River in one go, which would be disadvantageous for our future attack on Guazhou. Therefore, I deliberately delayed the offensive, sending a separate battalion out from behind the rebel lines, intending to wait until dusk before launching a full-scale attack. By then, their retreat will be cut off, and it will be dark; I don't believe many rebels will be able to escape.

Li Ji couldn't help but laugh and said, "General Nan is absolutely right. I was too hasty. In that case, we will follow General Nan's plan."

Chapter 56, Deceiving and Luring the Enemy

At dusk that day, the Tang army launched another fierce attack. Ignoring the objections of Gao Chongwen and Wei Gao, Nan Jiyun personally took up his sword and shield and charged forward. He was wounded three times, but finally captured the old fortress of Yumen. Most of the Tibetan army was annihilated, and only a few hundred men escaped, fleeing in disarray back to Guazhou and swimming across the Ming River.

The Tang army was overjoyed, except for Li Ziyi and other tattooed prisoners who were not happy. They had thought this would be a chance to kill the enemy and make a name for themselves. If they died, it would be a quick and painless death. If they lived, they could wash away their past sins. But they had come all this way for nothing. Nan Jiyun thought their equipment was poor and that they were just relying on their courage. He didn't need to use them at all...

Meanwhile, the defeated Tibetan army fled back to Jinchang County, the seat of Guazhou. Upon receiving the news, Shang Ximo was greatly alarmed and immediately dispatched a fast horse northward to inform Shang Jiexi and plead for the army to return to their aid.

At this time, Shang Jiexi had only led his army away from Jinchang for five days. The vanguard had not yet crossed the border of Guazhou, and the rearguard was still thirty li away. He was astonished upon receiving the news. Firstly, he had not expected that Li Ji had left Ganzhou more than half a month ahead of schedule. Secondly, he had originally thought that with the strength of Shang Ximo and Mangre, plus a depth of seven hundred li and layers of blockades, they could hold out for at least a month or two—it would take me twenty days just to walk—but unexpectedly, Suzhou fell into enemy hands in less than ten days, and the Tang army was advancing directly towards Guazhou…

Shang Ximo's military report was brief, only stating that the Tang army advanced rapidly, fiercely attacking the barbarian fortresses on Jinshan and Dushan mountains, and that their momentum was unstoppable. However, as for where Mang Re was, whether he had won or lost, and whether his army could withdraw in large part, the report was vague and unclear—in fact, he dared not say it outright, fearing that Shang Jiexi would blame him for making mistakes in his plans.

Shang Jiexi was furious: "First it was Qilibuzang, then Mangremolongqixibi. The people Dazhalugong values ​​are all incompetent!"

He felt that those he admired would certainly not be like this—for example, Shang Ximo, the newly appointed military governor of Guazhou. There were three families in Tibet who had intermarried with the royal family for generations, marrying their daughters to the Zanpu (Tibetan king) as his principal wives, who could be given the title "Shang." These families were the Molu, Chen, and Nanang clans. Shang Jiexi and Shang Ximo both came from the Chen clan, so naturally, he trusted his own family more.

Shang Jiexi left Shang Ximo with nearly 20,000 troops and ordered him to control Mang Re. However, for some unknown reason, Shang Ximo handed over more than half of his troops, as well as a large number of warhorses and weapons to Mang Re, leaving his whereabouts and fate unknown. In addition, with the collapse of the defense lines at Jinshan and Dudeng, it is reported that Shang Ximo only has 5,000 men left to defend Guazhou. Even if one has great confidence in the abilities of his nephew, 5,000 men are absolutely not enough to hold the city!

The Ming River flows east of Guazhou, quite wide, but after emerging from the Great Snow Mountain, it flows north into a large marshland, stretching over three hundred li. Its banks are rich in vegetation, suitable for grazing—meaning the Tang army could cross it at any point, and a mere five thousand men simply couldn't stop it. West of the Ming River, there are no further obstacles; Shang Ximo's only option is to hold Jinchang City. However, the Tang army, heading towards Beiting via Guazhou, doesn't actually need to pass through Jinchang City. They could simply follow the Ming River north, directly attacking Yumen Pass. Once Yumen Pass is blocked, the retreat route of their fifty thousand troops will be cut off.

He had considered similar scenarios, but Shang Jiexi always believed that by the time the Tang army broke through the numerous blockades and reached Yumen Pass, he would already be in Yizhou. Then he could requisition grain on the spot and quickly seize Tingzhou. Once Tingzhou fell, Xizhou would be easily within reach. At that time, he could then march south to attack the Tang people. Since his own supply route was short while the enemy's was long, if Li Ji refused to retreat, he would most likely suffer a major defeat at Yumen Pass.

Because their prior intelligence work was thorough, they knew the Tang had already abandoned Yizhou. However, even if they gathered troops from three prefectures in Tingzhou, they would only number around ten thousand, and their morale was low, their supplies insufficient, and their weapons incomplete. The only cause for concern was the Shatuo tribe. Shang Jiexi had already sent envoys to persuade them to surrender. If Zhu Xie remained loyal and submitted to Tibet, they could retain their original pastures around Lake Pulei. This tactic had always worked; after all, they were barbarians, not Tang people. What reason did they have to die for the Tang?

But Li Ji arrived so quickly... If the Tang army had attacked from the rear while I was attacking Tingzhou, the Tibetan army would have been doomed! And who knows, the Shatuo might have even defected to the Tang side in an instant...

Shang Jiexi was furious, and his generals also advised him to immediately return to rescue Jinchang and take the opportunity to defeat the Tang army. After all, his army numbered 50,000, and while they still had enough food and Jinchang had not yet fallen, they hoped to capture Li Ji in one fell swoop, or at least drive him back to Liangzhou.

However, Shang Jiexi slowly shook his head and said, "In that case, it is exactly what the Tang people want."

He felt that 5,000 men defending Jinchang shouldn't fall too quickly—he had confidence in his nephews and nieces, who were far from useless like Mang Re—and besides, the Tang, to save Beiting, would most likely send a force to monitor Jinchang while the main force marched north to take Yumen Pass. He had already been outside Yumen Pass for four full days, and then it would take another four days to turn back, the route being through desolate Gobi Desert. The prospect of retreating midway would inevitably have a negative impact on morale…

It would be better to take Yizhou first, then stabilize the Shatuo tribe, and after a short rest, return to the capital. The victory and new territory would then boost morale. If the Tang army pursues us from Yumen Pass, we can use our superior strength to wait for their exhaustion—try walking through such a desolate place! If the Tang army remains stationary at Yumen Pass, their prolonged presence will lower their guard, making them vulnerable to attack.

So he summoned General Qin Mingsi and ordered him to lead three thousand elite cavalry south to help defend Yumen Pass. He instructed him, "If the Tang people have already captured Yumen Pass, you should not attack rashly. You should go around to the north of the Great Marsh, where the water and grass are abundant and you can graze your horses. Take the opportunity to observe the Tang people's movements. If they intend to come out of the pass to pursue you, report to me immediately."

Qinmingsi received the order and left, while Shangjiexi continued to lead his troops northward, demanding that they speed up their advance and quickly capture Yiwu.

However, after traveling for another three days, the army reached Xingxing Gorge and received an urgent report that the Tang army had neither attacked Jinchang nor marched north to take Yumen Pass. Instead, they had marched westward from the south of Jinchang, along the foothills of the Qilian Mountains, heading towards Shazhou.

Shang Jiexi exclaimed in alarm, "This must be because the Tang people are running out of food supplies—I really underestimated Li Ji!"

The Qilian Mountains and the Daxue Mountains not only served as natural barriers separating Tibet from Hexi, but also, for hundreds of miles to the south, were mostly high-altitude deserts, sparsely populated, and difficult to traverse—only the Xihai area south of the eastern section of the Qilian Mountains was fertile with abundant water and grass, suitable for both farming and grazing. Therefore, Tibet had previously launched its campaigns from the Xihai area, invading Longyou to the east, attacking Hexi to the north, and then advancing westward along the Hexi Corridor to seize the three prefectures of Beiting.

At the same time, troops were also dispatched from the western Bolu region, passing through the eastern foothills of the Pamir Mountains, to attack the four towns of Anxi.

In other words, only the eastern and western ends are easy to reach, while the central plateau is simply not suitable for long-distance transport of enough provisions to supply tens of thousands of troops.

Therefore, Shang Jiexi's initial attack on Beiting was from Suzhou, but his logistical base was in Shazhou—because Suzhou was too poor. Shazhou, whose capital was Dunhuang, had sweet springs, lakes like Sishili and Dajing, and two salt lakes to the north and south, making it rich in resources and abundant in grain. Although both were aimed at cutting off the Tibetan army's retreat, if the Tang army remained in Guazhou and Suzhou, their own food supply would become a problem over time. However, if they easily captured Shazhou, not only would they no longer have to worry about food supplies, but they might also be able to win over the Tang people in Shazhou and the surrounding Hu tribes, instantly expanding their power.

If our army marches south, the Tang forces will be well-rested and ready. If our army is bogged down in Yizhou for too long, the Tang forces can seize the opportunity to capture Guazhou and block Yumen Pass. If both Guazhou and Shazhou fall, would Shang Jiexi dare to launch a fierce attack on Tingzhou and Xizhou, given the constant threat of attack from the rear? Even if we manage to capture the three prefectures of Beiting before the Tang forces completely block our retreat, we would still have to fight our way through Anxi and take a long detour before we can possibly return home.

As a high-ranking official, if he cannot return home for an extended period and sees no sign of victory for a considerable time, who knows if the Council of State might change hands?! The only consolation is that Zhang Sancheng's Ma Chongying, like many others, will not be able to return…

Li Ji's move was quite ruthless.

According to military reports, the Tang army left behind over 10,000 troops—an estimate that may be exaggerated—to build fortifications south of Jinchang to protect their own supply lines. They also sent allied Hu cavalry to raid the surrounding areas, relocating the few remaining Tang people to Suzhou, while subjugating and coercing the Hu tribes who had allied with the Tang. The main Tang army, estimated to be no fewer than 20,000, advanced westward. West of Jinchang, there were no strategic passes or heavily fortified positions; they could reach Dunhuang in seven days at most…

It was too late for Shang Jiexi to go back and save Shazhou now.

But he couldn't abandon the rescue. If he could quickly return and defeat the Tang army left to defend Jinchang, he could still cut off Li Ji's retreat while Li Ji was still establishing a foothold in Shazhou. At worst, he could ignore them, send his main force east, and see if they would come after him!

However, upon further reflection, Li Ji might have considered this possibility; leaving his retreat route empty, he was likely setting a trap for himself… Shang Jiexi repeatedly plotted and ultimately decided—to return south, but temporarily halt at Yumen Pass to gather intelligence on the Tang forces. If Li Ji did not rush back, I would quickly march south and breach the fortifications beneath Jinchang; if he returned east, then we would wait in ambush and engage him in a decisive battle on the west bank of the Ming River!

They hurriedly returned, traveling day and night, and arrived back at Yumen Pass in just five days to meet with Qin Mingsi. Qin Mingsi reported that the main force of the Tang army had indeed gone west, captured Changle County, and entered Shazhou territory. As for whether they had reached Dunhuang and the current state of the battle, it was unclear at the moment because there was only one road, which was blocked by the Tang army.

Shang Jiexi ordered the three armies to rest, have a hearty meal, and feed the warhorses plenty of fodder. Then, he said, "Tomorrow morning, we will head south to Jinchang. It's only a day's journey. If Li Ji doesn't return, we will attack Tang's stronghold no later than the day after tomorrow!"

He was of course unaware that Li Ji had not actually led the main force westward; he himself was right under the walls of Jinchang.

During the meeting that day, Wei Gao pointed out that if our army attacked Yumen Pass, we would leave Jinchang City behind us, which would put us at risk of being attacked from both sides. If we attacked Jinchang, it was said that although the city was small, the walls were high and the enemy army still had five thousand men. If we could not take it down in time and were forced to retreat and come back to rescue it, we would not have much of a chance of winning.

If we are to engage in a decisive battle with the barbarian army, it would be better to set up the battlefield south of Jinchang rather than between Yumen Pass and Jinchang—that way we only need to defend against enemies coming from one direction.

However, if they did not attack Yumen Pass or Jinchang City, Shang Jiexi might not be willing to return with his troops. Therefore, they discussed making a show of advancing westward to take Shazhou. Originally, Wei Gao volunteered to build a fortification south of Jinchang City to be the first to meet the enemy army, but Li Ji shook his head and laughed, "I should stay here personally to boost morale and hold the line."

It was impossible to leave too many troops under the walls of Jinchang, otherwise Shang Jiexi wouldn't have taken the bait. Although the main Tang army hadn't directly attacked Dunhuang, but was lying in wait on the border of Gua and Sha prefectures, the return journey was still fifty or sixty li, which would take two days at a normal marching speed. So, could the troops left under the walls of Jinchang hold out for two days?

The generals all felt it was quite dangerous and advised the Grand Commandant not to put himself in such a perilous situation. Li Ji, however, smiled and said, "If the fortifications fall first, even if the main force returns, there will be no way to defeat the barbarian invaders. We must break through the siege and return to Suzhou. But in this way, the Northern Court can have a year more of respite..."

At this point, he couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking that it might not be a good thing for Beiting to have another year. He hadn't expected the situation with Li Yuanzhong to be so bad until Jian Dao returned and reported in detail that Beiting was short of troops and supplies. Without external assistance, it would be difficult for them to recover, and they would probably become weaker year by year.

However, I still have a chance to defend Suzhou, which is a step forward compared to last year.

After a pause, he continued, "Only when I am under the walls of Jinchang can I command the troops to fight to the death. Moreover, I firmly believe that the Tang family's methods of establishing camps and building fortifications are beyond the reach of any barbarian bandit!"

He had previously fought against the Tibetan army in Longyou and was quite experienced. He knew that the Tibetans were not very good at fortifications—mainly because they lacked technology and relied almost entirely on manpower to build fortifications. In contrast, China's millennia-long accumulation of experience since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods had made its fortification and camp-building techniques unparalleled. Therefore, rather than clashing with the Tibetan army on the plains, it would be better to set up fortifications first and lure the enemy to attack.

Therefore, he ordered Nan Jiyun to lead the main force in a feigned westward advance, while Li Ji himself led 6,000 soldiers to work tirelessly for days to build fortifications south of Jinchang. Meanwhile, Shang Jiexi led his army south from Yumen Pass to Jinchang, repelling several guerrilla and raiding Hu armies along the way, and successfully reached his destination, establishing a camp east of the city. Shang Ximo then respectfully welcomed Shang Jiexi into the city and gave him a detailed account of the situation of the Tang army opposite.

About ten miles south of Jinchang County, there is a mountain called Jieshan, also known as Jieshan. It stretches for nearly three hundred miles in a northeast-southwest direction, directly connecting to the Mingsha Mountain south of Dunhuang City. The main road comes from the south foot of Jinshan and Dudeng Mountain, passes south of Jinchang, and goes north of Jieshan. The Tang army set up camp and built fortifications on the north side of the road to protect the transport route.

Shang Jiexi asked, "Is Tang Lei finished?"

Shang Ximo smiled bitterly and said, "This humble general did not know... Every day when I look out from the city wall, I still see teams carrying earth and stones, but their fortifications... If it were our barbarian territory, it would probably take a month to complete, while the Tang people have already built one as solid as an iron barrel..."

Shang Jiexi, still unconvinced, personally climbed the city wall to survey the scene. He then led his troops out of the city to approach the Tang fortress for further observation. There, on the plain, stretching four or five li east to west and dozens of zhang deep, lay a dense network of crisscrossing trenches. Behind these trenches rose high ramparts, which appeared to be not entirely made of earth, but rather a mixture of wood and stone. He observed them repeatedly, and couldn't help but gasp in astonishment—

"The Tang people's art of fortification is truly astonishing. Although the fortifications are not high, their sheer force can withstand tens of thousands of troops! If we rashly attack, not only will we fail to conquer them, but we may also suffer a defeat. What should we do?"

My original plan was that if the Tang fortifications were not yet complete, or not very strong—which was quite possible given the Tibetan construction speed—I would immediately launch a full-scale attack from all sides, hoping to buy time before the enemy's main force returned to reinforce, and annihilate this Tang army first. However, the Tang fortifications are so formidable. The ten thousand men they displayed must be a feint, but surely there must be four or five thousand of them. I'll find it difficult to take them down in three to five days. What should I do?

Author's note: I'm experiencing writer's block... and I have to go out tomorrow night, so I'll be taking a break from updating. I'm very sorry!

Chapter 57, West Bank of the Underworld

Li Ji set up camp and built fortifications between Jinchang County and Jieshan Mountain, urging his soldiers day and night, and even personally participating in the labor, striving to dig the trenches deep enough and build the walls high enough to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Because there are no natural barriers nearby, and if they were to build a fortified camp on Jieshan Mountain, it would be too far from Jinchang to monitor the enemy or control the road. Moreover, Jieshan Mountain is not very high, and the southern slope is gentle, so the enemy can easily outflank them from behind, making it no different from setting up a camp on flat ground. Therefore, they went to great lengths to make the camp here airtight and leave no gaps for the enemy to exploit, so that they could hold off the main force of the Tibetan army for two or three days.

The most experienced in planning fortifications in his army was the young Wei Gao (Wei Chengwu). In addition, Gao Ying, Yan Zhuang, and others also provided some suggestions. Li Ji even ordered people to quarry stone from Jie Mountain, mix it with soil, and build fortifications. Quarrying stone was originally not easy, but fortunately, he estimated that Shang Ximo's isolated city would be difficult to defend and he would not dare to go out to fight, and Shang Jiexi would not be able to return for at least four or five days; in addition, gunpowder was also used to burn down the mountain rocks.