Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

The blue phoenix's color was slightly inferior to Peach Maiden's, but it was still quite acceptable. The key is, a woman who can capture a man's heart is a truly good woman; as long as she passes the test, she immediately earns an extra thirty points!

She can make delicious mutton soup noodles, and she's also quite beautiful. It's hard to find a woman like that. That Cang Cao Military Advisor really put his heart into it.

/♂

Chapter 8, A Letter from Chang'an

Li Yuanzhong went south to Suihe to garrison and plan the withdrawal of the three armies from the front lines, while Guo Xin headed straight for Shancheng to consolidate the defenses. Originally, Guo Xin intended to send 3,000 soldiers, preferably the Shence Army soldiers first. However, Li Tan regarded the 1,000 Shence Army soldiers as his personal guards and was unwilling to entrust them lightly. In the end, only 3,000 men and more than 1,000 warhorses were carefully selected from the soldiers left to guard Shanzhou and given to Guo Xin.

Gao Sheng had previously reported that the remaining troops in the entire region numbered around 20,000, but they had to be divided among various prefectures, leaving only a little over 7,000 near Shanzhou. This number was insufficient, let alone to defend against a Tibetan attack, and even if Shancheng were abandoned to defend Shanzhou alone and ensure the safety of the military governor. Therefore, Li Ji's next task was to assist the military governor's judge and the military advisor in recruiting able-bodied men into the army.

Three recruitment points were set up inside and outside Shanzhou city, with Li Ji in charge of one. He requested that the heads of Tibetan soldiers recently severed be displayed on spears at the recruitment point to attract brave men. Shanzhou originally had a population of over 40,000, but after the Tibetan invasion last year, tens of thousands more fled from the front lines. Lacking food and clothing, they could only rely on the government's relief efforts, which amounted to nothing more than a thin porridge to keep them from starving. Therefore, many of these people harbored deep hatred for the Tibetans and, wanting a full meal, flocked to enlist.

According to Yang Yan's plan, a round of soldiers should be recruited first, and then the elderly, weak, women and children should be temporarily moved to Lanzhou, Weizhou and other prefectures in the east, and given barren land in the mountains to cultivate for their own food—the government really cannot support so many people.

Each of the three recruitment points had its own standards for recruiting people, with Li Ji's selection method being the simplest. He only required that anyone who could straighten their back without falling over by pressing their hand on their shoulder and exerting 30% of their strength, regardless of height or weight, was at least physically strong and could be selected.

It is estimated that five or six thousand soldiers can be recruited in the end, plus those recruited from other states, totaling more than ten thousand. Li Tan and Yang Yan originally planned to recruit 30,000 new soldiers, but due to the difficulty in obtaining grain in Shancheng, the number was reduced by nearly 70%.

After the able-bodied men were recruited, they should be issued weapons and trained. The Shanzhou treasury was relatively full, and weapons and armor were sufficient, but warhorses were scarce, so most of the new recruits could only serve as infantry. Training was originally the responsibility of the Ministry of War, but Li Tan deliberately prevented them from interfering, entrusting the important task to Li Ji, and ordering Li Ji to gradually expand the power of the military governor's personal guard with one thousand Shence soldiers as the core.

Li Ji had witnessed the training of soldiers several years ago in Fengtian. While later generations might not be as talented as the ancients, they were still knowledgeable and could grasp the knack of many things after observing them for a while. In addition, with the assistance of Shence Army generals such as Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui, the training of new recruits quickly got on track without any major problems.

Li Ji originally thought that being a soldier was about training physical strength, including marching with heavy loads, hand-to-hand combat, standing in formation for long periods of time, and so on. He designed many projects and set high standards. However, in the end, he had to halve the number of projects and cut the standards in half, reducing them to 40%.

There was no other way; food rations were limited, and it was impossible to feed the soldiers large meals of meat and fish every day. Without sufficient high-quality protein intake, how could their physical strength be rapidly enhanced?

He could only carefully select more than thirty burly men who were already of good quality, and then pay extra for them out of his own pocket, so that they could be used as the core force.

In addition, Li Ji carried out extensive political propaganda in the new army. First, he had the soldiers hold meetings to complain about the brutality of the barbarian bandits, striving to create an atmosphere of shared hatred against the enemy in the army. Second, he ordered the elite Shence Army to speak out and debunk the rumors of the barbarian bandits' strength. He said that most of them were just temporarily recruited civilians and might not be as good as the soldiers. They were only victorious because of their large numbers, so there was no need to be afraid.

For more than half a month, Li Ji trained his troops during the day, working non-stop. Fortunately, when he returned home in the evening, he could enjoy a delicious meal, which was some consolation. Although Zou Qingluan claimed that her specialty was "mutton soup with flatbread," she did not rely on just one dish. She would often make it only once every five days, and on other days she would make rice or flatbread, displaying her culinary skills and never repeating the same dish twice.

The Azure Phoenix is ​​quite skilled at cooking. It can cook chicken, duck, pork, and mutton for meat, and sunflower, green onion, melon, and beans for vegetables. Although its cooking methods are limited to steaming, boiling, roasting, and grilling, without frying or stir-frying—in those days, stir-frying was practically nonexistent, and vegetable oil was relatively scarce—it still manages to make everything delicious.

Especially the staple food. The grains in the Longyou region are mainly millet and wheat. In Shanzhou, millet is not grown much—which is exactly what Li Ji was not used to eating—so beans and wheat are grown more often. Therefore, wheat-based foods are the main staple. In those days, most things made with dough were called "cakes". Steamed ones were called steamed cakes (mantou), baked ones were called baked cakes, and boiled ones were called soup cakes.

Qingluan could even make soup dumplings in various ways. For example, she would spread the dough into thin sheets, cut them into pieces two fingers wide and two inches long, and cook them in mutton soup. This was the most basic method. If she cut the dough into long strips as thick as chopsticks, it would later be called "noodles," but now it is called "suobing." If she tore the dough into round pieces the size of her fingertips, it would later be called "cat's ears," but now it is called "botuo." In addition, she could roll out dough, wrap it around meat and vegetables as filling, and make wontons. After draining the wontons, they would be called "crescent moon wontons"—which were actually the prototype of dumplings.

Overall, she was far inferior to the chef of the Prince Qi's mansion. Moreover, Qingluan's skills were mostly those of rural families and lower-middle-class people, so she couldn't produce any delicacies or "Hun Yang Mo Hu". However, she could basically meet the daily needs of a gourmand like Li Ji.

Therefore, Li Ji was quite satisfied with this cook.

When inquiring about her background, it was learned that Qingluan's father was originally a military officer—not of high rank, similar to Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui in the present day—who died from an arrow wound while attacking Shibao under Geshu Han. The fatal flaw was that her father didn't die in the attack itself, but rather was shot in the back while retreating after failing to capture the fortress… This was considered a defeat in battle, and although he died, his wife and children were also implicated; Qingluan and her mother were forced into prostitution.

That was ten years ago. From then on, Qingluan became a servant. Then, three years ago, her mother passed away. Fortunately, before her mother died, she taught Qingluan all her cooking skills. By helping out in the public kitchen, she could reduce the frequency of entertaining guests—completely eliminating it was impossible, after all, this woman was quite good-looking and of a suitable age.

In theory, being a courtesan was almost a lifelong commitment—one had to use all one's skills and even one's body to atone for the sins of one's family—the best outcome being that one would be sold off to become a servant or concubine after growing old and losing one's beauty. It was not uncommon for courtesans in the two capitals to become concubines of prime ministers and then wealthy families, but in remote areas like Shanzhou, being able to enter the home of a low-ranking military officer was already considered good fortune.

Therefore, in Li Ji's view, Qingluan's ability to serve him was a promising prospect for her. When he left his post, if he wished, he could easily spend money to redeem her—after all, he was currently a civil servant, though his future wasn't particularly bright—not being a Jinshi or Mingjing graduate meant he couldn't quickly advance in his career—but he was still a step above military officers of the same rank. Moreover, admiring her culinary skills and pitying her background, Li Ji genuinely considered redeeming Qingluan.

The problem was that as they became more familiar, he found it even harder to take that final step and pull Qingluan onto his bed… Li Ji thought to himself, “I’m basically a good man; I wouldn’t force a woman.” But Qingluan herself didn’t seem to have any particular desire. She simply did housework, bought groceries, and cooked, unlike the previous Tao Niang, who frequently expressed her desire to serve him in bed…

Li Ji couldn't help but feel frustrated—if you had given me even the slightest hint, I would have gone along with it; but since you haven't expressed your opinion, I can't bring myself to do it.

But he soon lost that leisure. Li Yuanzhong sent word that before the three armies of Weisheng, Ningbian, and others had even withdrawn halfway, the Tibetan rebels followed suit and launched a fierce attack on Suihe garrison. This was undoubtedly a signal that the Tibetans were about to launch a three-pronged attack on Shancheng.

According to the plan, the autumn grain between Xiaoxia and Daxia must be secured, so Li Tan ordered Li Ji to lead troops to Xiaoxia to garrison it, to be handed over to him after Li Yuanzhong's return. He was assigned 500 Shence Army cavalry, 500 old soldiers from Shanzhou, and 2,000 new recruits. Li Ji still requested that Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui be his deputies.

The night before his departure, after returning home to settle in, the old soldier presented Li Ji with a letter. Li Ji was quite puzzled; who would write to him?

The most likely writer was Li Mi (Li Changyuan), but Li Mi was far away in Hengshan, a long and arduous journey, and having lost his official position, the possibility of the letter being lost en route was several times higher than its safe arrival. Unless it was something urgent, Li Mi wouldn't have gone out of his way to cause trouble.

Upon taking it and examining it by candlelight, he indeed saw the words "Respectfully addressed to my younger brother, Thirteen Lang" written on the cover, but the handwriting was not Li Bi's.

Upon entering the bedroom, Qingluan came over to set out the meal. Only then did Li Ji unfold the letter, first looking at the signature—"Your foolish brother Ji respectfully inquires about your well-being."

Ah, so it was written by that other Li Ji.

The letter began with expressions of farewell, recounting the recent situation of himself and his uncle Li Qiyun, and inquiring whether Li Ji's duties as the military governor of the two towns were arduous and whether he was in a good mood. Then, it began a lengthy account of the situation in the capital. Li Ji immediately understood that although the letter was ostensibly written by Li Guayan, it must have been at the behest of Li Qiyun.

Within a large family, it was common for members of the same clan to stand side by side in the court, supporting each other. In the end, Li Ji was transferred to a civil post, and Li Qiyun felt that he could try to build a closer relationship with him, as it might come in handy in the future. However, as a court official and an elder, he feared that writing a letter directly to Li Ji would cause controversy, so he entrusted Li Guayan to write it on his behalf.

Otherwise, the two Li Jis had only met a few times and didn't have any deep friendship, so why would they write a letter from so far away? And why would they spend so much time describing court affairs?

In the imperial court of Chang'an, Li Heng pushed Li Fuguo to the forefront, thus beginning a new round of purges.

The target of the purge was, of course, those who came from Shu after Li Heng ascended the throne in Lingwu, especially the prime ministers, most of whom were promoted by the former emperor. How could Li Heng allow them to rule for long?

In fact, before and after Li Tan left the capital, Li Heng had already dealt with the incompetent Fang Guan. At that time, Fang Guan had been transferred to the position of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, but he was quite unhappy, often feigning illness to avoid court, yet his house was constantly filled with guests. Furthermore, his cronies repeatedly petitioned Li Heng, saying, "Fang Cilü possesses both literary and military talents and should be given a high position." Li Heng was deeply disgusted and thus officially issued an edict listing Fang Guan's crimes, demoting him to the position of Prefect of Youzhou. In addition, Fang Guan's cronies were also demoted, such as the former Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Liu Zhi, who was demoted to Prefect of Langzhou, and Yan Wu, the Prefect of Jingzhao, who was demoted to Prefect of Bazhou…

Li Ji had already heard about these things, but he only learned from the letter that Xu Shuji, an important henchman of Fang Guan, had not only retained his military power but had also been appointed as the military governor of five prefectures, including Qing and Deng, because of his merit in rescuing Suiyang and his close ties with Li Fuguo.

Upon reading this, Li Ji couldn't help but clench his fist tightly.

Following the dismissals of Fang Guan, Pei Mian, Li Lin, Wei Jiansu, Cui Huan, and Zhang Hao, Li Heng's sword finally fell on Cui Yuan. The key issue was that Cui Yuan's excessive deference to Li Fuguo's orders had already drawn widespread criticism from the court. Li Heng trusted Li Fuguo and would certainly protect him to the death, but he might not trust Cui Yuan. Dismissing him from office would be the perfect way to silence public criticism.

He immediately ordered Cui Yuan to replace Fang Guan as the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, and expelled him from the Hall of State Affairs.

Thus, only the Grand Councilor Miao Jinqing and the Vice Minister of the Chancellery Wang Yu remained in the Council of State Affairs. Therefore, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War Lü Yin, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Li Xian, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery Li Kui, and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Di Wuqi were appointed as co-Chancellors of the Chancellery and Secretariat, to participate in important government affairs.

According to Li Guayan (actually Li Qiyun): Lü Yin was obsequious and sycophantic, Li Kui was obsessed with fame and fortune, and Wu Qi was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, Transport, Taxation, Salt, Iron and Coinage, and had no time to sit in the court; only Li Xian was a member of the imperial clan and was upright and dignified, and was highly regarded by both superiors and subordinates.

However, it's estimated that Li Xian alone will be unable to hold out, and he will most likely be no match for Li Fuguo...

Li Fuguo wielded immense power, even refusing to bow to Crown Prince Li Yu upon their chance encounter in the palace. It is said that all the officials advised Li Yu, as the heir apparent, to reprimand and restrain Li Fuguo, but Li Yu replied, "My father and I followed the Emperor on his western hunt, enduring hardship and hunger in Lingwu. If it weren't for the Duke of Cheng, how could we be where we are today? The Duke of Cheng is old and frail, hence his slow bow; how could I bear to reprimand him?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fuguo hurriedly went to visit Li Yu to apologize. As a result, everyone said that the Crown Prince was able to move people with his benevolence, while Li Fuguo was actually afraid of him. As a result, Li Yu's reputation became even more renowned.

Upon reading this, Li Ji couldn't help but sneer inwardly—this was clearly an act. It seemed Li Yu had adopted his suggestion, outwardly appeasing Li Fuguo and avoiding direct confrontation, while secretly seeking an opportunity to sow discord between Li Fuguo and Empress Zhang. Li Yu's words clearly implied: "Old Li, I won't fight you for power, I'll give you all the benefits, so shouldn't you at least give me some face?"

Li Fuguo was a shrewd man, and he immediately understood, so he took the initiative to apologize and offered up his face with both hands.

In addition, the letter also mentioned that Princess Ningguo had officially married the Uyghur Khan Yingwu.

The letter states that on the day of Dinghai in the seventh month, Wang Yu was appointed as the envoy for the investiture ceremony, with Li Xun, the Right Vice Minister, and Xianyu Shuming, the Assistant Minister of Personnel, assisting him, to formally escort the princess to her new home. On the day of Jiazi, Li Heng escorted the princess to Xianyang. When the princess bid farewell, she said, "The affairs of the state are of utmost importance; even death would be without regret!" Li Heng returned in tears.

When Li Ji read this, he couldn't help but feel sad. He thought to himself, "In the end, I couldn't escape this day after all... Could it be that the Huihe soldiers failed to capture any children in the two capitals, so the bastard emperor was afraid that they would turn against him, and in the end, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and send his beloved daughter away?"

Absolutely despicable!

Chapter Nine, Putting Them in a Deadly Situation

After reading Li Guayan's letter, Li Ji tossed it aside, pondering how to reply, and picked up his chopsticks.

It was probably a farewell meal, more lavish than usual. A dish of steamed mutton with garlic sauce was incredibly flavorful, tender yet firm, and rich yet not greasy; Li Ji ate with great relish. The staple food was sesame seed cakes. Li Ji simply split the cake in half, dipped the mutton in the garlic sauce, and took a big bite, his hands oozing with grease…

The side dishes included scrambled eggs, roasted goose breast, boiled okra, roasted fresh leeks, as well as candied scallions and vinegared celery, along with a large bowl of sesame millet porridge and a small bowl of tender mutton bone soup. Li Ji waved his hands non-stop and ate until he was completely full before putting down his chopsticks and sighing softly, "After this trip to the frontier, I wonder when I will be able to eat such delicious food again..."

Qingluan knelt down and prayed, "May my lord overcome all obstacles and achieve his goal." After straightening up, she pointed to the corner of the room and said, "The clothes have been washed and ironed. Tomorrow morning, I will send my lord off on his journey."

Li Ji turned his head slightly and inadvertently noticed that Qingluan's eyes seemed a little red and there were traces of tears under them. He smiled and asked, "Are you also reluctant to part with me? Although the barbarian bandits are numerous, I don't take them to heart. The headquarters has already made proper plans, and this journey will surely be safe. There's no need to be sad." He paused and then said, "I only hope that General Li Yuanzhong can return from Kuozhou as soon as possible, so that I can relinquish my heavy responsibilities and return to Shanzhou."

In fact, he really wanted to fight alongside Guo Xin, Li Yuanzhong and others. If Guo Xin's judgment was correct, regardless of whether they won or lost, this battle would take at least two or three months. If Shancheng couldn't even hold out for two months, it would prove that Guo Xin was just a theorist. As Guo Ziyi's nephew and recommended by Yan Wu, he probably wouldn't be that bad.

But I really can't bear to leave Qingluan's... delicious food for too long.

"You should take good care of the house and keep it clean until I return."

Qingluan bowed again, as if deliberately concealing her face, and slowly said, "The old soldier has taken care of cleaning and tidying the house; I'm afraid I cannot stay here for long..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was somewhat taken aback and blurted out, "Why is that?" He then realized his mistake and slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "It was my oversight..."

Ultimately, Qingluan was still a courtesan, not Li Ji's private property... This term sounds offensive, but in those days, servants and even concubines were mostly treated as the property of their masters. Qingluan was only temporarily transferred from the granary to serve Li Ji's daily life, doing his laundry and cooking. Since Li Ji was temporarily away on official business, Qingluan had no reason to continue staying in this room.

This house is temporarily unoccupied, and no one needs to serve the emperor or eat there. As for chores like wiping the windows and sweeping the courtyard, is it really necessary to have a courtesan, who is reasonably attractive and skilled, specifically in charge of them? It's such a waste of resources.

Therefore, logically speaking, once Li Ji leaves, Qingluan should definitely be transferred back. As for whether she will be transferred back when Li Ji returns, that remains to be seen.

Thinking about this, Li Ji felt somewhat depressed.

He didn't mind Qingluan cooking for others; the more discerning a gourmand, the less they crave to enjoy food alone—it's all about sharing and everyone praising it, that's true "shared happiness." But as a courtesan rather than a professional cook, Qingluan would most likely be summoned to accompany others in drinking, or even to serve them in bed!

Leaving aside the past, all of this has passed before my eyes. How could I possibly bear to fall into the arms of another?! Li Ji thought to himself, the reason why I have the opportunity and the means to indulge in sensual pleasures, yet I still can't take the plunge, is precisely this: if there's no affection, sleeping with someone isn't enjoyable; but if there is affection, who would want to leave it to someone else?

After thinking for a moment, he said, “My stay will not be long, and with a great enemy at hand, the government will likely have few social engagements or banquets... I will write a few words after a short rest, and you can give them to the Registrar of Household Affairs. From now on, you can stay at my house and not go anywhere else—I believe he can’t refuse me this favor.”

Seeing Qingluan's overjoyed expression, she hurriedly bowed for the third time, saying, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, my lord, and have no way to repay you..." Li Ji reached out and held her shoulder, massaging it slightly, and couldn't help but feel a surge of romantic thoughts...

However, I reminded myself that if I were to take advantage of the situation and use the Azure Phoenix, it would be taking advantage of someone in distress, which is not the behavior of a true man. Besides, we are going to war tomorrow, and I should conserve my energy... I'll wait until we return, or even until the war is over, before considering this further.

----------

After writing a reply to Li Guayan, and then to Qingluan... which could be considered a leave request, Li Ji went to bed early. The next morning, he got up, mustered his troops, and set off westward from Shanzhou in a grand procession.

The small gorge is located 30 li east of Shancheng. People at the time described it as a place of great danger, with steep cliffs and towering peaks, the Huangshui River flowing through it, and the sound of thunder and arrows. The mountain path was so narrow that a cart could not travel in pairs and a horse could not ride side by side.

Specifically, the Huangshui River flows eastward and narrows abruptly at Xiaoxiakou. For nearly six miles thereafter, the current is rapid and the riverbanks are extremely narrow. The north bank is a main road, but at its narrowest point, it is too narrow for two horses to pass side by side. There is also a small path on the south bank, which is so narrow that even horses cannot pass through. In many places, pedestrians have to lean on the wall to barely get through.

However, this wasn't Li Ji's first time here, and he had discussed defense strategies with Chen Fu and others on previous visits. Theoretically, they should station troops at the eastern entrance of the gorge; even a massive enemy force would be forced into a long, serpentine formation, becoming natural targets. But the problem was that this meant the Tibetans wouldn't need to penetrate deep; simply blocking the western entrance of the gorge would prevent the Tang army from escaping. While this would protect the farmland in the valley behind the gorge, it would completely fail to provide support to Shancheng.

If Guo Xin were to defend Shancheng, it would be tantamount to being trapped in a dead end. Not only would it deal a heavy blow to morale, but once the city could not be defended, there would be no way to even retreat.

Therefore, the only option was to set up camp on the west side of the gorge, facing the trumpet-shaped opening and with its back to the narrow road, positioning itself as an easy target to attack but difficult to defend. Theoretically speaking, defending from the east to the west would have been more suitable, with the Grand Canyon or even Laoya Gorge being more appropriate. However, that would have meant handing over vast tracts of farmland and produce to the Tibetans.

In response to this situation, Li Ji's suggestion was: "Go up the mountain!"

Upon exiting the western entrance of the gorge, he ordered his skilled climbers to ascend the southern cliff face and construct a rope ladder several dozen feet long to support his comrades and supplies. Li Ji deployed five hundred new soldiers to the mountain and ordered them to cut down trees to build a simple catapult, using stone cannons and crossbows to control the flat land outside the gorge entrance—this force was entrusted to the cautious and reliable Chen Fu.

The remaining troops dug trenches and built fortifications on the south bank of the Huangshui River outside the canyon entrance, setting up camp. Yi Tiechui was somewhat puzzled and asked Li Ji, "The road on the north bank is wide, while the road on the south bank is narrow. If the barbarian bandits want to pass, they must take the northern route. Why don't we build fortifications on the north bank and instead set up camp on the south bank?"

Li Ji pointed to the surrounding terrain and explained, “Although it is said that the north is wider and the south is narrower, there is no need to consider that. If it is to transport goods, we should take the northern route, because the southern route is not suitable for carriages; but if a large army wants to pass, what difference does it make whether one person walks sideways or one horse travels alone? In fact, the land on the north bank of the Huangshui River is also narrow, while the south bank is much more open…”

The angle between the funnel-shaped opening west of the gorge and the Huangshui River is less than 15 degrees on the north bank but more than 65 degrees on the south bank. This means that if you come out from the main road on the north bank, the road gradually widens and expands, while if you come out from the narrow path on the south bank, the view opens up instantly. Therefore, if several thousand troops were to camp on the north bank, the space would be too cramped to deploy them effectively, forcing them into a purely defensive posture. Furthermore, they would be easily blocked by the Tibetan army and unable to move an inch.

Li Ji led three thousand Tang soldiers, mostly new recruits, but also included five hundred elite Shence troops and no fewer than four hundred warhorses. This was a mobile force that could be utilized and had to be utilized. Having previously reviewed the Battle of Suiyang with Li Mi, Li Ji concluded that a purely defensive strategy, surrendering all initiative to the enemy, would only lead to a weakening force, and without external support, there would be no chance of a comeback.

Zhang Xun defended Yongqiu, Ningling, and even Suiyang with a smaller force. Facing rebels many times his size, he not only repeatedly launched successful counterattacks but also moved freely. If Suiyang's strategic location hadn't been so crucial and irreplaceable, even if Yin Ziqi had three heads and six arms, he wouldn't have been able to do anything to Zhang Xun.

Therefore, Li Ji's strategy was to use deep trenches and high walls, along with crossbows and cannons on the mountains, to directly resist the barbarian invaders. He would then look for opportunities to deploy cavalry to disrupt the enemy's formation and demoralize them, thus reducing the pressure on the defense. Moreover, he needed to support the attack and defense of Shancheng, and even cooperate with Guo Xin to evacuate the entire city's military and civilians to Shanzhou. How could he possibly trap himself in a self-destructive situation?

On the south bank of the Huangshui River, the plains are relatively vast, offering more room for maneuver and making it a much more advantageous place to set up camp than on the north bank.

Yi Tiechui agreed with Li Ji's explanation, but then sighed and said, "It's just that the wider the area, the harder it is to defend..."

Li Ji asked with a smile, "Iron Hammer, are you scared?"

Yi Tiechui's face immediately turned bright red, and he puffed out his chest: "At worst, I'll fight the barbarian thieves to the death. What do I have to fear?!"

Li Ji patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "If Shancheng sends four or five times more enemy troops to Xiaoxia, then General Guo is incompetent, and we should retreat in time without holding out for long."

The main Tibetan force will inevitably attack the western wall of Shancheng, while sending a guerrilla force eastward along the mountains, theoretically, wouldn't be able to send a very large army—though it would likely still be several times larger than Li Ji's forces. If the Tibetan army can successfully advance its main force to the east of the city, forming a siege around Shancheng, external reinforcements will be difficult to provide, and Shancheng will certainly be unable to defend itself. Would Guo Xin not understand this? If he is momentarily confused, or if he understands but is powerless to act, and allows the Tibetans to launch a large-scale eastward advance at the very beginning of the battle, then what is the point of Li Ji and his men defending the western entrance of Xiaoxia?