Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

The main reason was the lack of cavalry at the front. Even if they could defeat the enemy in front of them, they would probably not be able to catch up and would be unable to inflict maximum damage. After all, "it is better to cut off one finger than to injure ten fingers of the enemy." However, cavalry could not travel the southern route and could only slowly move westward from the northern route. Therefore, they simply split up, with cavalry in the north and infantry in the south.

The fact that the Tibetan army had built fortifications at the northern pass of the gorge could not be kept secret from the Tang people—in fact, there was no need to hide it, as Li Ji had already been mentally prepared. So, he first abandoned his mount at his own fortification, then led several dozen strong men, removing their armor and helmets, armed only with short weapons, each gagged, and under the cover of starlight and the dim light of night, quietly sneaked to the Tibetan fortifications. With a loud shout, "Li Erlang is here!" he charged straight in. Caught off guard and hearing of Li Ji's name, the hundred Tibetan soldiers scattered instantly. Li Ji then led his cavalry out of the gorge, directly attacking the Tibetan army's rear.

The specific time for the operation had, of course, been communicated to Li Yuanzhong long ago, and he had made preparations in advance. As soon as Li Ji emerged from the small gorge, fires were lit in the northern camp to signal the start of the attack. Li Yuanzhong immediately ordered: "Open the gates, spread out the barracks, and form ranks. At daybreak, we will attack the barbarian bandits and strive to annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

Li Tan made up his mind to take a gamble, while Li Yuanzhong, a fierce general in the army, always had a stronger gambling instinct than his superior. He knew this was a golden opportunity. If they could defeat the enemy, the pressure on Shancheng would be greatly reduced. If they failed, he believed the commander would not send reinforcements. Therefore, he concentrated all his forces, and even the five hundred men on the cliff were lowered down by ropes. Except for Yi Tiechui leading a few wounded soldiers to guard the camp, everyone else was sent down.

Even with the addition of two thousand new infantrymen, the Tang army's strength was still only half that of the enemy. However, their morale was high and everyone was brave. Under Li Yuanzhong's skillful command, they quickly broke through the barbarian fortifications and trenches and began close combat.

In terms of hand-to-hand combat, the Tang army was already superior—because their weapons were relatively better—Li Yuanzhong sent Mo Dao soldiers to mingle among the spearmen, to desperately cut through the fence and attempt to rush up the ramparts.

The Mo Dao was a uniquely shaped long-handled sword, as heavy as a spear, but with a blade twice the size. Besides its thrusting capabilities like a spear, it could also slash. Originally, it was a powerful weapon used in formations to counter cavalry. Later generations often mythologized the Mo Dao—mainly because no actual artifacts survived, allowing for boundless imagination based on limited written records—but if this weapon was truly indestructible, why wasn't it a primary weapon of the Tang army, and why is there no surviving example?

In fact, the Mo Dao itself is not much different from the Heng Dao or Zhang Dao, except that it can be connected to a long handle. Therefore, in daily storage, the blade and handle are often separated. In addition, the wooden handle is easy to decay, so naturally no complete cultural relics can be left.

Li Yuanzhong utilized the long handle of his Mo Dao (陌刀) and its slashing ability to destroy the palisades outside the barbarian camp with great success. In the blink of an eye, several breaches were cleaved in the wooden palisades, allowing spearmen and sword-and-shield soldiers to swarm in. Seeing this, Qilibuzang had no choice but to order some of his well-equipped cavalry to dismount and join the melee—the infantry's fighting ability was simply too poor, and their morale was low; before long, many had abandoned their weapons and fled.

He was just about to send the remaining cavalry out from the left and right flanks to harass the Tang army and relieve pressure on the front when he suddenly received a report that a Tang army force had already broken through the fortifications blocking the valley entrance on the north route and was rushing eastward. Qilibuzang was shocked and blurted out, "That must be Li Erlang!"

No wonder we couldn't find the thief anywhere; it turns out they used their trump card here!

Qilibuzang hesitated for only a moment before turning his horse around and fleeing in disarray.

He had considered the situation clearly. Morale was low, and even with fortifications, it would be difficult to repel the Tang army's fierce attack. Even deploying cavalry on both flanks would only slightly salvage the situation. If he was a step too slow, Li Ji could lead his troops to the camp and launch a pincer attack from the east and west, potentially encircling and annihilating his army.

By then, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave even if I wanted to!

The battle is lost, and I can't blame myself entirely—who told the main camp to refuse to send reinforcements? Since that's the case, what's the point of me fighting to the death here? I might as well cut my losses and leave the battlefield as soon as possible. With the thousand or so cavalrymen protecting me, I should be able to escape alive.

With Qilibuzang gone, the Tibetan army immediately collapsed, and the Tang army successfully stormed into the camp, with no fewer than a thousand surrendering without weapons. Unfortunately, these were mostly infantrymen, essentially Tibetan serfs, while the semi-professional cavalry scattered in all directions. Chen Fu led the Tang cavalry in a fierce pursuit, but ultimately, his own forces were too few, and the casualties were limited.

Meanwhile, Qilibuzang had fled more than five miles in one breath when he suddenly heard the sound of galloping hooves. A group of Tang cavalry charged straight at him from the flank. This was naturally Li Ji. The place where he crossed the Huangshui River was the same as the place where the Tibetan cavalry attacked the northern route the day before, because it was the most convenient place for cavalry to cross the river nearby.

Seeing that the Tang cavalry were outnumbered and the pursuers had not yet caught up, Qilibuzang pointed with his whip from his horse and said, "Is there anyone who dares to fight? If you can capture or kill Li Erlang, the Grand Council has offered a great reward!"

However, after calling out three times, only a few people responded.

The Tibetan army naturally had its share of brave warriors. If the two armies were to clash head-on, many would be eager to charge forward and challenge Li Ji, hoping to seize any chance of wealth and power. The problem was, this was a defeated battle. The main camp had been abandoned, and the commander had fled in disarray. How many men would still have the courage to fight that "Li Erlang"?

In the blink of an eye, the Tang cavalry were upon them. Only a few Tibetan riders led the charge, but before they could even get close to Li Ji, the Tang cavalry fired arrows, and they were all shot off their horses.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Qilibuzang immediately lashed a lieutenant beside him with his whip and shouted, "Go and stop the Tang people!" Then he pulled on the reins and galloped away in a southerly direction, fleeing for his life.

But in that brief delay, Li Ji had already spotted the barbarian general amidst the thousands of troops. He immediately shouted, "Shoot the men, shoot the horses; capture the king to capture the thief!" and led five hundred Shence cavalrymen straight over, quickly scattering the demoralized and disorganized barbarian cavalry.

Li Ji killed three enemies in quick succession, then spurred his horse to pursue Qilibuzang. Twenty miles passed in the blink of an eye, and before him stood only Qilibuzang, alone on horseback—

Warriors can be brave or cowardly, and horses can be slow or sluggish. Qilibuzang's guards either fell behind or were shot dead by Tang cavalry.

As for the Tang people, Li Ji glanced around briefly and saw that his nearest comrades were still a mile behind him...

Since he had led his cavalry out, he naturally chose the most magnificent steed. With virtually no enemy in front of him, his warhorse almost never slowed down and naturally charged to the front. However, after about twenty li, both Qilibuzang in front and Li Ji behind gradually slowed down, their warhorses panting heavily, already nearing their limit.

After running a little further, not only was Shancheng in sight, but the Tibetan army camp set up to the east of the city was also getting closer and closer. Qilibuzang felt a little more at ease, and then lashed the horse's rump hard again—as long as I could escape back to the camp, I didn't care if I killed this beast.

Li Ji, trailing behind, grew anxious and hurriedly drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired a fierce shot at the barbarian general in front of him—unfortunately, the distance was too great, and with the horse galloping at high speed, it was difficult to aim accurately, and the arrow missed by two feet. Relying on his strength, Li Ji fired three more arrows in the blink of an eye, but apart from one arrow hitting the horse's rump, which actually spurred the barbarian horse to run even faster, he achieved nothing.

At this moment, the Tibetan cavalry sent out from the eastern Tibetan camp, who had been lingering nearby, also gathered around. Qilibuzang hurriedly shouted, "Li Erlang is behind us. If we can capture and kill him, the Grand Council will surely reward us handsomely!" So dozens of riders brandished their spears and swords and rushed straight towards Li Ji.

Although Li Ji was frustrated, he dared not take any more risks. He had no choice but to raise his sword and spear and change the direction of his charge. He first steered his horse slightly to the side and charged at the northernmost barbarian rider. With a swift movement of his spear, he pierced the barbarian's chest and knocked him off his horse.

But then a spear thrust came from the side. Li Ji parried, and as their weapons clashed, his opponent, unable to withstand his immense strength, dropped the spear and was forced to lie prone on his saddle, galloping away. This brief delay allowed the remaining barbarian cavalry to circle around, some continuing westward to intercept the Tang cavalry following behind, while the four bravest riders surrounded Li Ji. Then, four longswords slashed down from different directions.

Li Ji used his right hand to parry one enemy with his sword and his left hand to parry two more with his spear. The only enemy he could face head-on was the blade. He twisted his neck, tilted his helmet to one side, and narrowly deflected the blade, causing a few sparks to fly from the metal beast-shaped shoulder guard.

The headbutt was merely a matter of using the force to deflect the impact, but the three blows from his hands were mostly hard collisions, equivalent to three burly men simultaneously exerting force on Li Ji from above. Li Ji himself could withstand it, but his warhorse had been galloping for quite some time and was exhausted. How could it possibly endure it? It immediately let out a mournful neigh, its four hooves buckled, and it collapsed to the ground.

Li Ji thought to himself, "What a fine horse! It didn't throw me off with a single lurch..." The horse fell slowly, giving him a chance to escape from the stirrups. He immediately swerved to the side. Before he could even regain his footing, a hoof the size of a bowl came hurtling towards his chest. Li Ji blocked it with his spear, taking a slight step back, but then another hoof struck him from the side, hitting him squarely in the groin. At the same time, three long swords came crashing down on his head with a gust of wind...

In that life-or-death moment, Li Ji suddenly unleashed an unprecedented agility. He rolled on the ground, and although he was in a sorry state, he narrowly avoided being trampled by horses and slashed by swords, escaping the encirclement. However, as soon as he leaped to his feet, another spear thrust towards his chest.

Li Ji had lost his lance during his roll, leaving him only with his broadsword. Instead of parrying, he relied on his superior martial arts skills, employing the same tactic he had used before: slightly shifting his body, he reached out his left hand and grabbed the lance shaft, then forcefully snatched it away—

They failed to seize it.

It wasn't that the barbarian cavalry were stronger than Li Ji, but the enemy was a fresh force, while Li Ji had been fighting for a long time and was inevitably sore and weak. Moreover, just as he was exerting his strength, another arrow was shot from the side, forcing him to let go and stagger backward to dodge.

Li Ji thought to himself, "No wonder people say 'one horse is worth ten paces.' When on horseback, one can unleash twelve times the power of ten, while when I'm off the horse, I can't even use half of my skills..."

Fortunately, his entourage finally arrived one after another, which slightly drove away some of the barbarian cavalry and protected Li Ji in the center. Immediately, a knight jumped down and handed the reins to Li Ji: "Second Brother, mount your horse."

Li Ji asked, "And what about you?"

The other party smiled and said, "What is my life worth? On horseback, I can only fight two at a time, but Erlang, once you're on horseback, you can fight ten at a time! Please, Erlang, quickly mount your horse and kill the thieves."

Li Ji had no time for pleasantries. He nodded to the Tang soldier, then mounted his horse. Looking around, he saw dozens of corpses lying within a dozen or so feet, half barbarians and half Tang soldiers. He shouted, "Li Erlang is here! Lead your men to kill the traitors!"

The Tang cavalry responded with a resounding shout, their morale soaring. The Tibetans, on the other hand, were terrified, some even showing signs of fear and retreating slightly. However, before Li Ji could unleash his fury under the cover of his comrades, horns sounded from the Tibetan camp opposite, and the gates burst open, countless banners pouring out…

Upon seeing this, the Tang soldiers all paled.

Ultimately, we only had a hundred or so riders on our side—Li Ji's five hundred Shence Army soldiers weren't all cavalry. Although the Western Army was elite, and almost everyone could ride a horse, most of them lacked the skill to keep up if they weren't professional cavalry. The Tibetan cavalry gradually gathering opposite us, though slightly inferior, were enough to hold us back and prevent our escape. If the main force of the Tibetan army arrived to launch a counterattack, would we even have a chance of survival?

Li Ji gritted his teeth and said, "You all retreat, I'll cover your retreat!"

However, no one was willing to back down.

Many Tang cavalrymen, while fighting the enemy, shouted, "Second Brother, retreat first and go get reinforcements to avenge us!"

The Tibetan army rapidly approached; a glance revealed no fewer than two or three thousand cavalry, and twice that number of infantry. Li Ji secretly regretted his actions—but not his pursuit of the enemy too far, making it difficult for his main force to keep up. He felt deeply that if he had remained in the rear, he would have been better off not being on the battlefield. But since he was now facing the enemy, his emotions were stirred by the atmosphere, and as long as he died a worthy death, what was there to fear?

He immediately let out a bitter laugh: "These barbarian thieves really think highly of me, sending ten thousand men to oppose my hundred cavalry." He raised his head to the sky and roared: "Today, if I die here with you, my loyal souls will forever guard the territory of our Tang Dynasty!"

Ignoring his exhaustion and the pain in his groin from being kicked by the horse, he spurred his horse forward, raised his sword, and severed the neck of a barbarian rider, sending his head flying like a ball.

Upon seeing this, the barbarian cavalry were all greatly alarmed and retreated in disarray.

The human spine is very hard, and it is impossible to sever the head in one blow unless the bone joint is hit. Moreover, the horizontal sword used by Li Ji is extremely narrow and long, and is not suitable for powerful slashing. However, when a person is in a state of near despair and has the determination to die, the amazing power that bursts out is terrifying even to Li Ji himself.

From afar, the sound of drums thundered from Shancheng. Immediately, many hidden gates on the city walls opened, and countless armored cavalrymen filed out, their men like divine generals and their horses like heavenly dragons…

/♂

Chapter Twenty-One: A Long March In

Guo Xin's defense of Shancheng is not particularly arduous at the moment.

He had been following his uncle Guo Ziyi into battle even before he was as tall as a cartwheel. Over the course of more than twenty years, he had fought in no fewer than a hundred battles, and had contended with the barbarian bandits on the plains many times over. He had a wealth of experience in battle. In addition, although there were fewer than ten thousand soldiers in Shancheng, there were a considerable number of civilians. Although Guo Xin arranged for them to retreat in succession as soon as he entered Shancheng, less than a third of them were willing to leave.

From septuagenarians to young children and even women, they all said, "Our ancestors' graves are all here. How can we bear to abandon them? If the officials are unwilling to defend Shancheng and return, then so be it. But since they want to fight the barbarian bandits, we, their sons and daughters, are here. If we are to die, we will die together!"

"Even if I can't take up arms to kill the bandits, it would be good to carry arrows and stones for the young men, boil water and cook meals..."

Upon seeing this, Guo Xin's eyes reddened. He then organized all the people in the city to patrol the streets and alleys, search for spies, transport food and supplies, cook and boil water, and care for the wounded. He governed them all with military law, turning the entire city of Shan into a large military camp.

With high morale and the soldiers and civilians fighting bravely, Guo Xin was confident that he could hold out for three months as planned.

But what if the barbarian rebels still refused to retreat three months later...? He had no idea. He could only constantly recall the name of Zhang Xun—"According to Li Ji, when General Zhang was in Suiyang, he defended against 200,000 rebels with only a few thousand old and weak men, and held out for a full year. Although I, Guo, am not as capable as General Zhang, I humbly hope that Heaven will protect us, so that even if the soldiers and civilians of this city die, they will die a worthy death, and three times the number of barbarian rebels will be buried with us!"

The Tibetan army's encirclement from all sides was within Guo Xin's expectations; he was still able to hold his own against the Tibetans by focusing his attack on the west side of the city. However, a purely defensive strategy would not only result in being passively attacked but also prevent the inflicting significant casualties on the enemy—although many enemy soldiers were killed during the siege, once the city fell, it would become a one-sided massacre, and it was simply impossible for every Tang soldier to be killed along with three Tibetan soldiers. Therefore, he specially organized a thousand well-equipped cavalrymen, who did not go up the city walls to assist in the defense but instead lay in ambush in the city every day, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

This is also a common practice in defending cities. A truly fortified city does not rely on city gates for entry and exit—because the enemy will definitely pay attention to the city gates—but instead sets up multiple hidden doors in the city walls, so that mobile forces can sneak out at any time. Even if they cannot trample the attacking camp, they can still disrupt the rhythm of the siege.

Moreover, after launching rockets and firebombs in the initial battle, destroying many of the enemy's siege weapons, the Tibetans learned their lesson and began covering them with wet mud to make it difficult for the defenders to set fires. At this point, elite cavalry had to rush out from nearby hidden gates to disperse the Tibetan troops protecting the siege weapons and destroy them directly.

There were multiple hidden doors, and they were very narrow and easy to block, making them impossible for the Tibetans to defend against.

However, so far, they have not yet had the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the barbarian camp. It is as if Guo Xin has this trump card, but has not yet fully unleashed it.

Guo Xin's only worry was about Xiaoxia. He didn't think he could hold out for three months. By then, the Tang camp in Xiaoxia would still be intact and able to support the retreat of the soldiers and civilians in the city. He feared that Shancheng would not fall, but Xiaoxia would be abandoned, or even that the barbarian rebels would break through to the east and threaten Shanzhou. In that case, his defense of Shancheng would become a complete joke.

Therefore, he deliberately showed some weakness on the city wall, letting a few Tibetan soldiers climb up, to lure the enemy with a little sweetness, so that Ma Chongying would not see that Shancheng was difficult to capture and send his main force to attack Xiaoxia first.

Beacon fires burned day and night in Shancheng to send messages to the rear, and the same was true for Xiaoxia. However, the distance was too great, and the overcast skies of the past few days made it impossible to see clearly—was Xiaoxia still in Li Yuanzhong's hands? How many troops did the Tubo send to attack Xiaoxia? The lack of certainty made Guo Xin restless and unable to eat or sleep.

However, just as dawn broke that day, a soldier reported: "We have just seen the beacon fires. General Li is going to use all his strength to break through the enemy camp on the front and come to rescue Shancheng!"

Guo Xin was naturally taken aback upon hearing this: "You all saw the beacon fires at Xiaoxia?" He looked up at the sky, but something was wrong; the thick clouds hadn't dispersed yet... And had Li Yuanzhong received reinforcements from the military governor, daring to break out of the camp to aid Shancheng?

The soldiers reported: "It's not a beacon fire in the small gorge, but a beacon fire on the main road."

From Shancheng to Xiaoxia, a distance of over thirty li, theoretically, a beacon tower should be placed every twenty li at higher elevations and every ten li on the plains. Beyond that distance, communication would be difficult. Therefore, there were originally several beacon towers along the Huangbei Road, but they were abandoned when the Tibetan army circled around to the east of the city and advanced towards Xiaoxia.

However, after Li Ji emerged from the small gorge and before crossing the Huangshui River, he specifically dispatched ten riders to retrieve the beacon tower, light the signal fire, and send a message to Shancheng.

Guo Xin climbed the city wall and saw that the beacon fires were real. Although he suspected it was a trick by the barbarian bandits, he still moved most of his cavalry to the west of the city, ready to support the reinforcements from Xiaoxia at any time.

As dawn broke, the barbarian army in the west of the city began to organize its attacking forces, ready to launch a fierce assault at any moment. Guo Xin, mindful of the situation in the east, temporarily entrusted the defense of the west city to Hu Hao—although Hu Hao's abilities were limited, as long as he followed his established methods, he shouldn't cause any major trouble—while he himself remained on the east city wall, keeping watch.

Not long after, a guard came to report: "The enemy formation is complete, and they are about to attack the city."

Guo Xin waved his hand: "Report back to me after you've engaged in battle."

A short while later, the guards reported again: "The barbarian bandits are fiercely attacking the city gate, but our army is more than capable of defending it."

"It is said that General Hu should not underestimate the enemy, should not fight recklessly, and should follow the established methods I have taught him in the past."

After some time, "The barbarian bandits have already erected siege ladders, and the city walls are under heavy pressure. General Hu requests permission to dispatch cavalry out of the city to destroy the enemy's weapons!"

Guo Xin sighed softly, "The enemy already knows about the secret gate in the west of the city. I'm afraid even if we send cavalry to help, we might not be able to get out..." After hesitating for a moment, still not quite at ease, he said, "Tell General Hu to be careful in defense. I will go to the west of the city to take charge."

At the same time, the barbarian camp in the east of the city opened its gates, and barbarian troops poured out, preparing to attack the city—clearly to tie down the defending forces and create an opportunity for the west side of the city. Guo Xin couldn't help but give a few more instructions to the general guarding the east side of the city before he was about to leave the city when suddenly a soldier pointed into the distance and shouted, "It's my Tang banner!"

Guo Xin darted back in one stride, gripped the city wall, and looked into the distance. He saw more than a hundred riders approaching in the distance, the lead rider leading the way for about a mile, chasing after a barbarian general.

Guo Xin excitedly slapped the city wall: "General Li must have defeated the enemy at Xiaoxia!"

But why are there so few people? Could it be that both sides have really killed everyone, with one side only having a hundred cavalry left and the other side having only a commander without troops? That can't be... After all, Guo Xin had been fighting on the battlefield for a long time, and he immediately judged that this must be cavalry chasing the enemy, while the infantry were still cleaning up the battlefield behind them.

But you've gone way too far! The barbarian camp is just ahead. Why don't you stop now? Who is this guy? Is he so eager to make a name for himself that he's been blinded by the barbarian general's reward?

Immediately, the patrolling barbarian cavalry from all directions gathered around, letting the barbarian general go, and surrounding the leading Tang cavalry. Before long, the Tang cavalry arrived one after another, and the barbarian cavalry also gathered in greater numbers. They brandished their swords and spears, clashing back and forth, and it was truly a fierce battle.

Guo Xin stood on the ramparts, his palms sweating with anxiety, but he couldn't help at all... There were still tens of thousands of Tibetan soldiers stationed below the city, and some of them were about to attack. He was already too busy defending the city to send troops out to support or reinforce it. He could only sigh that this Tang cavalry was very brave, and they all seemed to have red headscarves wrapped around their heads, making them quite conspicuous from a distance. They must be the elite of the Shence Army, but they were tired from their long journey and might not be a match for the growing number of Tibetan cavalry.

What a waste of such a fine young man!

Just as I was about to turn my head away, unable to bear to look any longer—I should go to the west of the city to command the attack and defense—my gaze swept back to the barbarian camp. There, countless cavalry and infantry surged out, charging towards the hundred riders in a chaotic, disorganized manner.

The Tibetans must be crazy. Why would they send thousands of troops when they could only face a hundred cavalrymen?

Guo Xin knew that the barbarian camp east of the city had a garrison of about ten thousand troops, but only about a thousand were sent out to attack the city on a daily basis. The rest spent their days digging trenches and building fortifications, preparing for a prolonged siege. He had once led his troops out at night to launch a surprise attack on the barbarian camp in that direction, hoping to break the encirclement, but the enemy's defenses were quite strong, and he could not succeed.