Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 152

After finally waiting for Guo Ziyi to return to Chang'an with Pugu Huai'en, Li Yu immediately summoned him and inquired about countermeasures. Guo Ziyi replied, "I am not worried about Dazhen Pass and Long Pass, but I am worried about Qing and Jing prefectures—the Western Qiang occupy these areas. If they coordinate with the barbarian rebels, our army will inevitably be attacked from both sides..."

Li Yu said with a wry smile, "Does the Western Barbarians already seem too difficult to subdue, and we still need to send troops to attack the Western Qiang?"

Guo Ziyi shook his head: "No. We should now keep the Western Qiang in check, give them some wealth and goods, and prevent them from colluding with the barbarian bandits. After the barbarian bandits retreat, I suggest that we summon the noble chieftains of the Dangxiang and Tuyuhun tribes to the court, have them destroy the Nuci tribe, and then move the Dangxiang and Tuyuhun tribes eastward to the area between Yin and Xia, far away from the barbarian bandits."

Li Yu nodded repeatedly: "What the Minister says makes a lot of sense." He then asked: "But we must wait for the barbarian bandits to retreat... How can we retreat the barbarian bandits?"

Guo Ziyi volunteered: "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Longzhou to defend against the barbarians."

Li Yu shook his head: "The Minister should stay in Chang'an to stabilize the people's hearts and should not leave me so easily... Moreover, he has just returned from Lingwu and must be exhausted. How can he brave the wind and frost and travel a long way again?" I've already let you go to Shuofang, aren't you satisfied? The old man is quite clever.

Guo Ziyi only mentioned it casually, guessing that Li Yu would not release him... So he advised, "Now, none of the armies in Longxi have capable commanders. Hun Shizhi has returned to Shuofang, and Gao Sheng of Fengxiang, Wang Zhongsheng of Fufang, and Sang Rugui of Binning are not capable generals. Li Sheng and Ma Sui are still too inexperienced to command troops. If Your Majesty is unwilling to send an old minister on a long journey, you should appoint a more capable general instead."

Li Yu pondered for a moment and then asked, "Whom do you recommend?"

Li Ji was standing by at the time, his mind racing: I, I'll go!

However, Guo Ziyi glanced at him but did not mention his name—you're joking, even though you are the emperor's favorite general, you are only a fourth-rank official, how can you suppress Gao Sheng and Sang Rugui? So he suggested, "Try Ma Lin, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

Li Yu urgently summoned Ma Lin, appointing him as the Chief Military Advisor of the Guanzhong Marshal's Office and ordering him to march west and take command of the various towns. However, Ma Lin had only been gone for less than two days, and before he had even reached Fengxiang, an urgent report arrived—Dazhen Pass had fallen!

The Tang army held out at Dazhen Pass for over a month, but finally, under the Tibetan army's relentless and relentless attacks, the pass fell and collapsed. The Tibetan army then launched a large-scale invasion of Longzhou, looting everything in its path, and their advance pointed directly at Fengxiang Prefecture.

Gao Sheng, the military governor of Fengxiang, closed the city gates and defended it. The Tibetan army surrounded the city from all sides and launched a fierce attack for several days, putting the situation in dire straits. Fortunately, Ma Lin gathered several thousand defeated soldiers from the Qishan area to come to his aid. He ordered his soldiers to hold bows and arrows, fully drawn, and to protect him as he broke through the gates. After catching his breath, without even removing his armor, he went out to fight again, defeating the Tibetan army decisively. Gao Sheng gathered the cavalry in the city and handed them all over to Ma Lin. Ma Lin pursued the enemy for ten miles, killing and capturing several thousand, which temporarily stabilized the situation.

It was already October, winter was approaching, and the weather was getting colder day by day, but there was no sign of snowfall. According to past practice, if the winter snow were a little heavy, the Tibetans would have difficulty transporting grain and their cavalry would be unable to roam freely, so they would most likely retreat on their own initiative.

Li Ji's return to the capital was intended to prepare for any eventuality, to shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending Chang'an or protecting Li Yu during his escape. However, seeing that the barbarian army was still far away, Li Yu did not explicitly order the imperial guards to be deployed, leaving them idle. With nothing to do, he resumed his old routine, hosting banquets for guests at Lü Miaozhen's house every two or three days, including civil officials such as Li Qiyun and Yang Yan, as well as military generals such as Hun Jian.

The Lü family prospered as a result, and their two newly promoted top courtesans—Miss Susu, who had redeemed herself last year to become a concubine of a wealthy merchant—also rose to fame. Lü Miaozhen considered whether to simply move to Zhongqu and went to consult Li Ji. Li Ji laughed and said, "'A mountain is not famous for its height, but for the immortals dwelling there; water is not sacred for its depth, but for the dragons residing within.' Baotan, you need to understand this: is your business so successful because of your own abilities? Isn't it because of the fact that the late Master Cui and I often hosted banquets at your house? With me around, you can become famous throughout Nanqu. But if you move to Zhongqu, you'll just be a nobody."

"Moreover, the guests I entertain are of very different kinds. There are refined gentlemen like Vice Minister Yang (Yang Wan) and Attendant Li (Li Qijun), but there are also military men. In the southern part of the city, the refined gentlemen will come to patronize you from time to time because of my reputation; but if you go to the central part of the city, which of those military men would dare to set foot there? If you lose me as your major patron, how long can you stand in the central part of the city?"

Lu Miaozhen replied awkwardly, "What you say is true, my lady. It was my oversight that led me to seek your advice."

That day, Li Ji did not spend the night at the Lü family's house again—he still had a wife and concubine to feed at home, and he didn't have the energy to waste on prostitutes—he rode away from Nanqu as soon as it got dark. Just as he returned to his own gate, a man suddenly jumped out from the side, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Greetings, Commander Li!"

Li Ji looked closely and exclaimed, "Oh, it's an old friend!" He immediately dismounted and asked, "Old Jia, what brings you to Chang'an?"

It turned out that this person was none other than Jia Huai, the deputy general of the Fengxiang Army.

He ushered Jia Huai into his home and ordered Qingluan to prepare food and wine to entertain him. Jia Huai impatiently explained his purpose: "Previously, Ma Zhenxi (Ma Lin, the military governor of Zhenxi) lifted the siege of Fengxiang and confronted the barbarian rebels between Wushan and Nanyou. However, the barbarian reinforcements have arrived and have joined forces with the Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, Di, and Qiang tribes in the northern mountains, numbering nearly 200,000... Ma Zhenxi has sent people to the capital many times to request reinforcements, but there has been no news..."

Li Ji was greatly surprised: "I have never heard of this!"

Not to mention that he himself was very concerned about the western front and frequently went to the Ministry of War to inquire about news, even though Li Yu was timid and habitually easily startled, upon hearing bad news, he would definitely summon Li Bi, Li Shi, Yuan Zai, and others to discuss it. Li Bi and the others couldn't possibly keep it from Li Ji. I thought the situation at the front had temporarily stabilized, so why haven't I even heard of Ma Lin's repeated requests for reinforcements?

A chill ran down his spine, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Who's behind this?"

Jia Huai replied, "I'm afraid it's Master Cheng..."

Li Ji flew into a rage: "How dare this eunuch have such audacity?!"

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Accompanying the Emperor to Shaanxi

The situation at the front is urgent and precarious, but the rear remains indifferent. This is mostly because someone is interfering and suppressing the military intelligence. Such hateful things are frequently recorded in history.

When Li Ji read history to this point, he often wondered, what exactly were those guys who concealed military intelligence, or powerful ministers or eunuchs, after? If they were bribed by the enemy and acted as spies for the enemy, like Bo Pi in the late Spring and Autumn period, then it would be understandable; but if not, did they not consider that if the great edifice collapsed, everything would perish?

Take Cheng Yuanzhen as an example. Li Ji absolutely does not believe that he was bribed by the Tibetans. In the Tang Dynasty, he held power and was second only to the emperor, gradually approaching the former Li Fuguo. If Chang'an were occupied by Tibetan bandits, would he still be able to run to the emperor's court as the head eunuch? Does this guy even have a brain?

When questioned again, Jia Huai smiled wryly and said, "According to our investigation, the Ministry of War received an urgent report from Ma Zhenxi and then presented it to the palace... Now that Lord Cheng is the Marshal's Chief of Staff and also in charge of the Inner Palace Secretariat, unless he is obstructing things, His Majesty will surely inquire about it..."

"Could it be Yu Chaoen?"

“Li Shuai once told me that Cheng and Yu were not on good terms, so if Yu obstructed the matter, Cheng would surely report it. The Inner Palace Secretariat was under Cheng’s control, so how could it be kept from him? Therefore, Ma Zhenxi and Gao Jieshuai sent me to the capital specifically to see Li Shuai and help inform the Emperor.”

Li Ji slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Very well, I will go to the palace to meet the Emperor right now!"

Looking at the sky, he hesitated... It was already quite late, the drums for quieting the streets had sounded, and if he went to see Li Yu now, Li Yu might not be willing to see him. Besides, since Cheng Yuanzhen had concealed military intelligence, he most likely wouldn't let him into the palace...

It's not that there aren't other ways. For example, you could inform Li Yu about this through Li Bi. The safest way would be to inform Li Shi first, and then have Li Shi go to the palace to inform Princess Hezheng. Surely Cheng Yuanzhen can't stop the princess from seeing the emperor?

But upon further reflection, if this could bring down Cheng Yuanzhen, that would be fine. However, given Li Yu's personality, once he learned the truth, he would at most give Cheng Yuanzhen a good scolding, which would be harmless. On the contrary, it would cause Li Yu to completely break ties with Cheng Yuanzhen. I was even planning to have Cheng Yuanzhen help me deal with Yu Chaoen. It wouldn't be worthwhile to directly oppose him now.

After thinking it over, I decided to let Jia Huai eat first and ordered the servants to prepare the horse, as I was going to the palace.

However, when Li Ji entered the palace, he did not request an audience with Li Yu, but instead made a special trip to visit Cheng Yuanzhen. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got to the point: "Why does Lord Cheng conceal and not report urgent military intelligence whenever Ma Zhenxi reports it?"

Cheng Yuanzhen was taken aback upon hearing this: "How did Changwei know this?"

Li Ji curled his lip: "Chang'an is such a large city, with so many officials and spies. How many things can be kept from people? Fortunately, I heard about this matter and came here to ask you, Master Cheng, if others knew about it—for example, Yu Chaoen—and reported it directly to the Emperor, how would you, Master Cheng, face the consequences?"

Cheng Yuanzhen said with a wry smile, "I was also thinking about protecting my body..."

According to him, Li Yu was very preoccupied and suffered from neurasthenia. Since the war against the barbarians began, he had hardly had a full night's sleep. In particular, he had a strange nightmare the night before, and in the middle of the night, he called Cheng Yuanzhen over and muttered to himself for half the night...

Li Yu dreamt that the Tibetan army had captured Fengxiang and was marching straight towards Chang'an. His vanguard reached Bianqiao before he received the news. He immediately summoned Li Shi, but was told he had left the capital to defend against the invaders; he summoned Guo Ziyi, but couldn't find him anywhere—he hadn't thought of Li Mi or Li Ji in his dream at all. In this moment of crisis, he instinctively ran barefoot out of the Daming Palace, then out of Chang'an, without even putting on his shoes, and in one breath—wait, he was already in Shanzhou!

Immediately, Cheng Yuanzhen rushed up to protect the emperor and told Li Yu that the six armies had collapsed, the officials had scattered, and the barbarian rebels had entered Chang'an and installed Li Chenghong, the Prince of Guangwu, as emperor...

When Li Ji heard Cheng Yuanzhen say this, he thought to himself, "No wonder. Yesterday, he was suddenly stripped of his title of Prince Li Chenghong on charges of speaking out of turn. It turns out it was all because of a dream!"

—Li Chenghong’s father was Prince Bin, Li Shouli, and Li Shouli’s father was Crown Prince Zhanghuai, Li Xian. Li Xian was the second son of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu, and the second crown prince during Emperor Gaozong’s reign. He served as regent three times, but was later deposed and reduced to commoner status for treason and was subsequently killed.

Cheng Yuanzhen said, "Look, just because of a dream, the Sage severely punished Li Chenghong. His mental state is like this. How dare I report urgent military information? If I really frighten the Sage, the consequences would probably be more serious than concealing military information."

In a sense, Cheng Yuanzhen was loyal to Li Yu, because the power of eunuchs was inherently tied to the imperial family, and the current emperor was one he had supported; therefore, he did not want anything to happen to Li Yu. However, deceiving the emperor, or "opportunistically currying favor with the ruler," would, according to traditional Confucian morality, make him an absolute villain, and certainly not a "loyal minister."

Li Ji patiently explained this principle to Cheng Yuanzhen, saying, "The sage's dream may well be a warning from Heaven. Although you, Master Cheng, can keep the sage asleep for a day or two, if the barbarian invaders really break through Fengxiang and reach Bianqiao, can you really keep it a secret forever? The truth will eventually come out! At that time, how will the sage view you, Master Cheng? Moreover, the sage will be even more frightened; how can he possibly stay healthy then?"

Cheng Yuanzhen pondered for a long time, and finally could only sigh and say, "Fine... let's wait for the Ministry of War to report again, and I will not stop you..."

The key issue was that Li Ji had come to him in the middle of the night to earnestly persuade him, and Cheng Yuanzhen had to give him face. Otherwise, given that Li Ji was a favorite general of the emperor, a friend of Li Shi, and a cousin of Li Bi, if he were to inform those two, Cheng Yuanzhen would likely be unable to stop him and would only end up as the villain, turning his friendship into enmity. Li Ji didn't want to break ties with Cheng Yuanzhen for the time being, and Cheng Yuanzhen shared the same thought.

— Yu Chaoen is still watching closely from the sidelines. Recently, he seems to have become very close to Yuan Zai. If I lose the support of these three Lis, I might really be no match for Yu Chaoen.

So early the next morning, Li Ji sent Jia Huai to the Ministry of War to submit another letter. Sure enough, before noon, an imperial edict arrived, summoning him to the palace to see the emperor.

It was still the same Penglai Palace as last time, and Princess Hezheng was still accompanying Li Yu. However, in addition to Cheng Yuanzhen, Li Bi, and Li Shi, Guo Ziyi was also present at the meeting.

Since the Tibetans were allied with the Western Qiang and their forces were very strong, Ma Lin asked for help. So naturally, reinforcements should be sent. But where could the reinforcements be sent?

Most of the troops in Guanzhong have now been deployed to the front lines. If troops were to be transferred from Hedong or Shuofang, the journey would be too long and ineffective. Guo Ziyi suggested sending a brigade of the Northern Imperial Guards, but Li Yu, fearing it would weaken the defenses of Chang'an, firmly refused.

Li Shi petitioned to send Guo Ziyi to the front lines—"The Minister of Works alone is worth an army of 100,000!" But Li Yu still couldn't make a decision.

Left with no other option, Li Mi suggested: "Order the Shuofang Army to march south to Jing and Yuan, forcing the Western Qiang to retreat; order the Shaanxi-Guo Army to send troops west to protect the capital region. I heard that the Dazhen Pass suffered a defeat, and many of the defeated soldiers fled to Shangzhou. We can send people to gather them and aid Fengxiang."

Taking the opportunity, Li Ji petitioned: "Li Qijun has long been stationed in Shang and Jin, and it would be most appropriate to send him there."

However, the military situation was urgent, and everyone present thought this was the first time Ma Lin had asked for reinforcements. Only Li Ji and Cheng Yuanzhen knew that this had happened several times before. Even if the Shaanxi-Guo army rushed to the rescue, it would take at least five or six days. They wondered if Ma Lin could hold out.

After exchanging a glance with Li Bi, Li Ji clasped his hands and pleaded, "If Ma Zhenxi is unable to defend against the barbarians and Fengxiang falls, the enemy is only a few days' journey from Chang'an, and the route is safe. In case of emergency, I request to escort Your Majesty eastward to Shanzhou to avoid the enemy's advance!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yu shuddered, the nightmare of that night resurfacing in his mind. Princess Hezheng grew anxious and hastily rebuked Li Ji, saying, "You mustn't speak recklessly! How can His Majesty leave the capital so easily? I summoned you here to command the Imperial Guards and protect Chang'an in case of unforeseen circumstances. I thought you were incredibly brave, but are you so afraid to even defend the city that you intend to abandon it and flee?!"

Li Ji replied, “There are no fixed strategies in warfare, and we must be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. But we must first devise the worst possible strategy before we can hope to defend against the enemy with a better one. The Western Yunfan bandits and the Western Qiang have a combined force of 200,000. Not to mention that there are less than 10,000 troops available in Chang'an, even if troops from Shuofang, Shaanxi, Guo, or even Hedong come to our aid, can our Tang Dynasty possibly send 200,000 troops to defend against the bandits? Then Fengxiang and Chang'an will undoubtedly fall!”

"Two hundred thousand is probably an inflated figure; don't take it seriously..."

“What the princess says is absolutely right. In my estimation, the barbarian bandits number only fifty or sixty thousand, and the combined forces of the Western Qiang number thirty or forty thousand… Although it is still a large number, if our Tang Dynasty manages it well and our soldiers fight bravely, we may not be unable to hold them off outside the capital. However, discussions within the palace are merely theoretical; the actual situation cannot be understood without seeing it with one’s own eyes.”

At this point, Li Ji finally revealed his intention, stood up and bowed deeply: "Therefore, I request to go and assess the enemy's strength for Your Majesty. If they are few, it will reassure Your Majesty; if they are many, it will allow us to make a decision as soon as possible."

What are we planning? Running away, of course!

In fact, Li Ji did not really want to persuade Li Yu to flee Chang'an. He felt that Chang'an was well-defended, with nearly 10,000 imperial guards and hundreds of thousands of civilians. Even if young men were temporarily recruited to help defend the city, it would not be able to be taken down in just a few days.

Of course, this is all predicated on the emperor not running away and the officials not causing chaos.

Even considering the worst-case scenario, if the combined forces of the barbarian tribes and the Western Qiang didn't number 200,000, including both combat and auxiliary troops, they would still number around 160,000 to 170,000. The Tang army at the front only numbered 40,000 to 50,000, and that was a coalition of multiple garrisons. They had just suffered a defeat at Dazhen Pass, and their morale was low, so they probably couldn't hold out for long. If these 160,000 to 170,000 enemy troops reached the walls of Chang'an, as long as the emperor didn't flee, Li Ji was confident he could defend the city for ten days to half a month. After that, reinforcements from Shaanxi, Shuofang, Shangzhou, and even Hedong should arrive.

If the war continues to turn against us, it will not be too late to help the emperor break through the encirclement and head east.

Li Ji was actually intimidating Li Yu, hoping to get him to leave the capital and go to the front lines to assess the situation. As a military commander, how could he expect Li Erlang to advise the emperor when the enemy's situation was unclear? He couldn't even convince himself, let alone others.

If he were left in Chang'an, completely bewildered and lost in the fog of war, waiting for news from the front, Li Ji would surely go mad! At the very least, he would suffer from neurasthenia, just like Li Yu.

However, if Li Yu were to directly say that he wanted to go to the front lines, he would most likely refuse. Therefore, Li Ji first suppressed and then praised, first pretending to persuade Li Yu to flee, and then mentioning that he wanted to go and observe the enemy's strength.

Li Ji estimated that the only person present who could see through his tricks was Li Bi—he had debated with Li Bi more than once, and they were familiar with each other's methods—so he first winked at Li Bi, requesting: Brother, don't speak, just watch my performance.

Li Yu fell for the trap and immediately placed all his hopes on Li Ji: "You should hurry to the front line to observe the enemy's strength and estimate their numbers, so as to decide whether to defend Chang'an... I am in the capital and await your return to report."

Li Ji seized the opportunity, saying that war was dangerous and fierce, and that he had only brought twenty riders with him to Chang'an this time. He asked His Majesty to allocate some Imperial Guards to accompany him. Li Yu agreed, but such specific matters were naturally not for him to handle personally. He pointed to Cheng Yuanzhen and said, "The Baoying Army is Li Ji's former command. Several hundred men can be allocated to accompany him westward—you go and do it."

After stepping back, Li Ji leaned closer and asked Cheng Yuanzhen in a low voice, "Master Cheng, the Sage just said that he had given me several hundred men. I wonder how many hundred exactly?"

Cheng Yuanzhen glanced at Li Ji, noticing the other man's large eyes darting around with a half-smile, and immediately understood. He then smiled wryly, "Nine hundred, what does Changwei think?"

"What harm is there in adding ninety-nine more? Besides, now that I have assessed the enemy's strength, I should hurry back to report to the Emperor. It is inconvenient for me to lead infantry; it would be best if they were all cavalry."

"Then let's make it nine hundred and ninety-nine riders."

Li Ji immediately stepped aside and bowed deeply to Cheng Yuanzhen: "Master Cheng is so virtuous, I will surely repay you in the future!"

----------

At this time, on the front line of Longzhou, Ma Lin was attacked from two directions by the Tubo army from the west and the Western Qiang allied forces from the north. Almost every day, hundreds of soldiers were killed in battle, and the number of wounded was twice as many. He was about to be unable to hold on.

His encampment was located between Qianyang County and Wushan County. The Qian River originates from the northwest mountains, flows between Yong County and Wushan, and empties into the Wei River, where the terrain gradually flattens out on both banks—meaning this could be considered the westernmost point of the Wei River plain. Ma Lin had previously repelled the Tibetan army at the city of Yong County, the seat of Fengxiang Prefecture, and pursued them to this location. He then sought out several isolated mountains nearby to set up camp, hoping to block the enemy army in the mountains.

Although the Tibetan army was still strong, two to three times the size of the Tang army, the mountainous terrain and winding roads made it difficult for them to concentrate their forces to attack the Tang forces. Ma Lin was confident that he could hold out for several months, waiting for the court to send reinforcements or for the Tibetans to withdraw their troops due to the cold weather, snow, and lack of supplies.

But just as the camp was being set up, the various tribes of the Western Qiang suddenly attacked from Jingzhou in the north, heading straight for the Tang army's flank. Ma Lin was forced to divide his troops to resist, leaving him stretched thin and compelled to urgently dispatch a fast horse to Chang'an to seek help.

However, several attempts to send envoys were unsuccessful, as if thrown into the sea, with no response. Through his relatives and friends in the capital, and through their informants, it was likely that Cheng Yuanzhen had intercepted the memorials and failed to report them to the Emperor…

Fortunately, Gao Sheng suggested that 40% of the current Fengxiang army consisted of soldiers from the Longyou army who fled east after the loss of their territory and were subsequently merged and incorporated into the army. Many of these soldiers knew Li Tan, Li Ji, and Yang Yan. They could try to use this channel to bypass Cheng Yuanzhen and quickly report the critical situation at the front to the emperor. Ma Lin considered that Prince Qi, Li Tan, had been completely excluded from the court and was forced to observe mourning for Emperor Suzong, so he was probably of little use. Yang Yan was ultimately a civil official and had no connection with the military system, so he might not be willing to risk offending Cheng Yuanzhen... It would be better to try to get through to Li Ji.

So he sent Jia Huai back to Chang'an immediately to persuade Li Ji.

Jia Huai had been gone for several days and should have arrived in Chang'an and met Li Ji by now. However, whether Li Ji would accept the request was still unknown. More importantly, the court had temporarily dispatched troops, and it was unclear how long it would take for them to reach the front lines. As for Ma Renjie, he was already helpless and had no hope of defeating the enemy.

The generals urged that it would be better to retreat for the time being and hold Fengxiang Prefecture. They believed that there was still a chance to pull most of the troops out of danger. If they delayed for a few more days, they might not be able to leave, and tens of thousands of government troops might be wiped out.

Once the army is defeated, Prefect Gao will certainly be unable to defend Fengxiang. Once Fengxiang falls, the area west of Chang'an will be completely defenseless...

Left with no other option, Ma Lin ordered Lü Yuejiang, the military commander of the Weibei expeditionary force, to lead his troops to cover the rear. They burned the fortifications and fled in one night. The Tibetan army pursued them from behind, and Lü Yuejiang fought valiantly until his troops were exhausted, at which point he was captured.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Li Er Returns Again

The Tang and Tibetan armies faced off at Longzhou. The Tibetan officials took turns challenging them, displaying considerable arrogance. However, their commander, Ma Chongying, remained perpetually worried. The other officials were quite surprised, thinking to themselves, "Our advance has been quite successful this time. First, we ambushed and repelled the Tang's flanking force outside Longguan, then fought hard to break through Dazhen Pass, and are now directly threatening Fengxiang… Although we suffered a slight setback at Yongxian, that's common in military conflicts. Now, the Tang army facing us numbers only forty or fifty thousand, and their morale is low; they are exhausted and weary. If we can launch a full-scale attack and crush them in one fell swoop, capturing Chang'an is not a dream—what are you still worried about, Commander?"

Ma Chongying couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking to himself: Short-sighted people live quite happily...

His original plan was to seize Longyou, severing the connection between the heartland of the Tang Dynasty and Hexi, Zhenxi, and Beiting, so that Tibet could spend five to ten years completely annexing the Western Regions. However, after years of bitter fighting, he finally defeated Prince Qi, Li Tan, and swept through Shan, Lan, Kuo, He, Wei, Qin and other prefectures, directly approaching Dazhen Pass. The leaders of various tribes plundered Tang lands and captured Tang people, and they all became very rich. Once their greed took hold, they could no longer control themselves.

Continuing eastward, one enters the vibrant world of China, a land of abundant resources and a thriving population. And just over ten days' journey lies Chang'an, the renowned capital of the land. It is said that the streets of Chang'an are paved with gold bricks, the trees adorned with brocade, and wealthy households use nanmu wood for beams and sandalwood for pillars. Even the common people enjoy plump mutton at every meal. If one could conquer it, one's descendants would be able to live comfortably for generations!

In comparison, the wealth of the Western Regions consisted of only a dozen or so sandbars along the Silk Road, which, even piled together, probably couldn't compare to the size of Chang'an. The northward advance was particularly treacherous, separated by deserts and snow-capped mountains—from Lhasa to Chang'an was four thousand li, and to Yumen Pass three thousand li. If the journey were unimpeded, the former would take at most two months, while the latter might take three months or more…

Why go to the long way around, choose the difficult over the easy, and choose poverty over wealth?

Therefore, when Ma Chongying initially proposed his strategy of dividing the east and west to advance into the snow-capped mountains, the high-ranking officials and nobles nodded enthusiastically, praising it as a "brilliant plan." However, after conquering Longyou, various suggestions for modification and even proposals to completely overturn the established strategy emerged one after another. Ma Chongying was helpless and could only desperately try to win over the three high-ranking officials, pleading with them to support his proposal.

However, in terms of strategic planning, San Shang gradually drifted apart from Ma Chongying... In the end, Shang Zanmo privately advised Ma Chongying: "The will of the people cannot be reversed, so it is best not to be stubborn in your own opinions."

He further proposed: "Tang can still defend against us even if they hold Dazhen Pass. Moreover, if I advance my main force northward, and they come out from Dazhen Pass to try to recover Longyou, how will we deal with them? It would be better to launch another eastern expedition, break through Dazhen Pass, and march into Ping, threatening Fengxiang and Chang'an. Then the Tang people will be afraid and seek peace. At that time, we can use Longdi as the boundary, and we will have all the land outside the mountains. After stabilizing the region for several years, we will have no worries about the rear when we go north."

Ma Chongying was then forced to lead a large army eastward again, fighting a bitter battle to break through Dazhen Pass. However, although they had penetrated deep into Longzhou, the Tang army seemed to be at its last gasp, and his mood was not as excited and optimistic as that of his ministers. He said to Shang Zanmo, "The rebellion in Guandong has been quelled, and the main force of the Tang army will be transferred westward in succession. Now, 40,000 to 50,000 troops are enough to block our advance, and their fighting spirit is still high. I fear that if we continue to advance eastward, we will be like people trapped in a quagmire, unable to extricate ourselves..."

"I am now marching straight for Chang'an, but Hexi and Shuofang are to the north, and Jiannan and Shannan are to the south, and they could cut off my retreat at any time. The great chaos has just been quelled, and the Tang army is exhausted and short of supplies, which is why I have been able to penetrate so deep; however, if Chang'an hears the alarm, the Tang emperor will be terrified and will surely issue strict orders to all the provinces to come to the aid of the emperor. Who would dare to disobey?"

Shang Zanmo said, "I have a plan. After we conquer Chang'an, we can install someone surnamed Li as the emperor of China and order him to cede territory..."

Ma Chongying shook his head repeatedly: "No, no. The Tang Emperor is appointed by Heaven, how can he be installed privately? Besides, if I don't seize Chang'an, the officials will be furious; if I do seize Chang'an, the Tang people will hate me, how can they still obey the Tang Emperor I have installed? If we can break into Chang'an in one battle, capture the Tang Emperor, and force him to cede territory, then there is still something to say... But the Tang Emperor is good at escaping, I don't think we can capture him. Moreover, there are still troops in Shanzhou, Hedong, and Henan. If the Tang Emperor escapes to those places and gathers troops to fight, the new emperor will definitely not be able to establish himself in Chang'an..."

Moreover, Ma Chongying was worried that if he gained a slight advantage in this battle, that would be fine, but if he won a great victory, it would further arouse the greed of the tribal leaders, and they would probably have to fight eastward again next time, leaving him with no hope of advancing northward.

However, the territory of the Tang Dynasty was several times that of the Tibetan Empire, and its population was ten times that of the Tibetan Empire. Its war potential was unfathomable, and its strategic depth stretched for thousands of miles. Even if the Tibetan Empire won every battle and the Tang army retreated again and again, they could always regroup and rebuild their defenses. But if the Tibetan army suffered a major defeat and was further and further away from the plateau, it would probably not be able to escape back.

The tribal leaders are all short-sighted; I cannot allow them to lead me by the nose, ultimately ruining the country and failing the king's high expectations. But, when should I find an opportunity to back down?

Therefore, the tribal leaders repeatedly requested orders to launch a fierce attack on the Tang camp, regardless of casualties—because they estimated that as long as they defeated the Tang army before them, the gates of Chang'an would be open to them—but Ma Chongying always refused. Ma Chongying explained, "Even if we capture Chang'an, the Tang still has hundreds of thousands of troops in Guandong, and our army cannot stay in Tang territory for long. It would be better to force the Western Qiang to launch a major attack on the Tang camp, so that we can suffer fewer losses among our barbarian soldiers."

"Tang territory is not suitable for long-term defense, and we will eventually have to retreat back to the plateau. The Western Qiang, however, are in Longyou. They were previously under the control of Tang, but now they are allied with us against Tang. But if Tang's power recovers, they will most likely turn back. Those barbarians are only interested in profit; how could they truly be loyal to the Zanpu? It would be better to order them to attack Tang, so that Tang and Qiang will develop deep hatred. Then, if Tang wants to recover Longyou again, the Qiang will definitely stop them. And if Tang does not destroy the Qiang, they will never dare to cross Longyou to plot against us. This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone."

Ma Chongying was indeed clever, but unfortunately, others were no fools either. The Western Qiang were a diverse group, and they had previously rebelled against the Tang Dynasty one after another, like trying to suppress one problem only to have another pop up, but most of them dared not completely break ties with the Tang Dynasty. The Tibetan army wanted the Qiang soldiers to lead the attack, but only Nuci was willing to follow orders without question. The other Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, and various Di tribes all dragged their feet and wanted to negotiate with the Tibetans first, demanding weapons and provisions endlessly.

In fact, the Dangxiang Qiang chieftain Tuoba Chaoguang also secretly sent people to Ma Lin's army, both to express his loyalty and to ask for supplies...

Thus, the Tang army held their ground in a strategic location and, surprisingly, faced an enemy force four times their size attacking from two sides. They held out for more than half a month until they were exhausted and had to retreat.