Chapter 121: The Archers and Cavalry of Jiangdu

Today, the training ground of the Right Military Guard once again became the focus of attention. The poor performance of the military examinations at the beginning of the year, particularly among those from Jianghuai, displeased Emperor Li Longji. This led to the dispatch of 24 military commanders to Jianghuai to train troops. Nearly half a year had passed, and today was the day to assess their progress.

The training ground of the Right Military Guard had been prepared two days earlier. At dawn, groups of the Imperial Guards entered the area to search every corner, eliminate potential hazards, and secure the observation platform like an iron vault, ready for the arrival of Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty.

By now, it was fully daylight, and high-ranking officials above the third rank had gradually arrived at the training ground. Although they were informed in advance that it was a review, everyone knew that this was likely an opportunity to set the tone for the Battle of Hehuang. Almost all the key officials had arrived, and they gathered in groups on the observation platform, whispering among themselves.

Zhang Yun, the Minister of Revenue, sat next to Pei Kuan and asked in a low voice, “Minister Pei, I heard that your grandson was bullied by the Yang family a few days ago. Is that true?”

Pei Kuan grunted heavily without answering. Zhang Yun glanced around and lowered his voice further, “The governor of Jingzhao has reported this to the palace, but the emperor has not given any response. Minister Pei, the emperor’s silence is quite meaningful!”

Pei Kuan still remained silent. He understood what Zhang Yun meant—the emperor intended to tolerate the Yang family’s actions—but he didn’t grasp why Zhang Yun was telling him this.

“Minister Zhang, this matter is already over. I don’t want to bring it up again.”

Zhang Yun smiled slightly and said, “This morning, the Hanlin Academy began drafting an imperial edict. Yang Zhao has been appointed as the chief secretary of the Jiannan Military Governorate and governor of Yaozhou. Has Minister Pei heard about this?”

Pei Kuan was surprised. He indeed hadn’t heard of this. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, “Minister Zhang, is this true?”

“Of course it is. By tomorrow at the latest, the edict will be officially issued. Alas! The Yang family has grown too powerful.”

Zhang Yun sighed. “Guo Xu, the military governor of Jiannan, was appointed as the pacification commissioner of Yunnan yesterday to resolve the internal strife in Nanzhao. Yet at just this critical moment, Yang Zhao was appointed as the chief secretary of the Jiannan Military Governorate. The emperor’s intentions are self-evident!”

“Are you saying the emperor plans to make Yang Zhao the military governor of Jiannan?”

Zhang Yun nodded. “Perhaps not yet, but by next year at the latest, Yang Zhao will definitely become the military governor of Jiannan. And the reason the emperor appointed him as governor of Yaozhou is to have him oversee matters related to Nanzhao.”

Pei Kuan sneered and said, “Behind Nanzhao lies a struggle between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo. Does Yang Zhao really have the ability to handle it?”

“I think the same, but the Emperor believes he has the ability. What can we do? Minister Pei, it’s enough for us to be aware of this matter; I’m sure some people would even welcome it!”
With that, Zhang Yun glanced at Li Linfu, who had just entered the inspection platform.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!”
At the entrance, a guard shouted loudly, and all the ministers stood up. A large group of guards rushed in, and moments later, Li Longji entered clad in golden armor, shocking all the ministers present. They looked at each other and suddenly understood—that the Emperor wearing armor was showing his determination to launch the battle in Hehuang.
“Your servants pay their respects to Your Majesty!”
Li Longji scanned the crowd with a stern gaze before waving his hand and saying, “My lords, you may rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“My lords, you must have seen my attire. Indeed, I am here today not only to inspect the drills of the Jianghuai militia but also to discuss the plans for the battle in Hehuang. I hope we can make a decision today.”
Li Linfu quickly agreed, “If Longyou isn’t secured, how can Guanzhong be at peace? The decision to fight in Hehuang was made back in the second year of Kaiyuan. Your Majesty, there’s no need to discuss this further.”
With Li Longji appearing in armor and Li Linfu bringing up the second year of Kaiyuan, the ministers who had doubts dared not speak. Even Pei Kuan, who wanted to point out that disasters had struck various regions that year, remained silent. It was clear that Li Longji was resolute, and any so-called discussion with the ministers was merely for show.
Seeing no opposition, Li Longji nodded in satisfaction. “Since none of you object, the plan to launch the battle in Hehuang is settled. Now, I’d like you to discuss the details.”
Noticing Yang Shenjin about to speak, he waved his hand and smiled, “There’s no rush. Let’s first watch the border troops train, and discuss as we go.”
Li Longji then said to Chen Xilié, “Left Prime Minister, you may begin.”
“As ordered!” Chen Xilié hurried off the platform.
……
Outside the west gate of the training ground, twelve militia units were neatly arranged. They wore uniform armor and maintained strict discipline. For half an hour, the 1,200 soldiers stood motionless like 1,200 statues, leaving even the dozen or so officials from the Ministry of War in awe. Could these be soldiers from Jianghuai? Such a solemn atmosphere could only come from border soldiers who had experienced war.

Li Qing’an was also clad in armor today, carrying the horizontal sword given to him by Gao Xianzhi at his waist, with a large black bow on his back. Behind him, a hundred soldiers stood in neat formation, each holding a long bow and a quiver slung across their backs, their expressions solemn as they waited for the upcoming inspection. Their warhorses stood quietly beside their masters, their hooves gently tapping the ground from time to time.

At that moment, Li Qing’an glanced sideways at Li Siyue, who happened to be looking at him as well. Their eyes met, and they nodded in understanding. Today was not only a competition among the twenty-four border generals but also a clash between several major border armies.

Li Siyue trained infantry using broadswords. Although there were no such swords in Jianghuai, each soldier carried a specially forged large sword, its blade shining brightly and exuding a fierce fighting spirit.

At the front was Li Guangbi’s Wujin Camp, whose soldiers were spearmen. A hundred soldiers stood tall, holding iron spears.

Suddenly, the drums began to beat loudly. All the soldiers turned their gaze toward the corner tower on the left, where a red flag was waving.

Li Guangbi gave a low command, “Mount your horses!”

The hundred spearmen mounted their horses, controlled their speeds, and slowly headed toward the west gate of the training ground. There, over twenty Yulin soldiers were guarding the area. Upon seeing the first group approaching, they stepped aside. The cavalry sped forward and rushed into the training ground.

As the hundred cavalry entered the ground, slight stirrings arose among the spectators on the viewing platform. The soldiers controlled their horse speeds and marched in unison toward the platform before suddenly stopping and saluting Li Longji together.

Li Guangbi shouted, “Unleash the spears!”

In an instant, a hundred long spears were thrust forward. The hundred cavalry demonstrated a sophisticated spear formation—their techniques were exquisite, like falling pear blossoms, creating a mighty and unstoppable force. Li Longji nodded and said to Li Linfu, “Prime Minister, this is what the sons of Jianghuai are like. This is the elite of my imperial troops. It seems that the troops from the Central Plains are not weak after all. The key lies in the generals—strong generals make strong troops. This Li Guangbi is quite good; he resembles his father.”

Li Linfu pondered for a moment before saying, “These past few days, I have been considering the war against Tubo in the Hehuang region. Although Anxi achieved a great victory over Xiaobolue, it was actually due to a surprise attack. Xiaobolue hardly fought a real battle against Tubo. Anxi has the advantage of terrain, so such tactics might work there. But the situation on the eastern front is different. After suffering losses in Anxi, how could Tubo not deploy heavy forces to defend the Chiling area to protect their logistical base? I believe that relying solely on the troops from Longyou is insufficient to win in Hehuang; reinforcements must be brought in from elsewhere.”

Li Longji nodded slightly. “The prime minister is right. Chiling is easy to defend but difficult to attack. I’m also worried about the insufficient troops in Longyou. I plan to dispatch 30,000 troops from Hexi and 30,000 from Shuofang to support Longyou. As long as we can capture Chiling, I’m willing to pay any price.”

At that moment, the drums sounded again, and Anxi’s Da Dao Army entered the field. A hundred tall and burly soldiers from Shouchun, clad in heavy armor with helmets covering their faces and noses, revealing only their cold eyes, carried broad-sword-like weapons about ten feet long. They formed four rows and advanced like a wall. Li Siye, wielding a real Da Dao, was at the forefront.

Their movements were slow, but each step carried immense weight, the sound of their feet striking the ground echoing like thunder. They marched step by step toward the inspection platform. Their fierce aura made many officials in the front rows change color and stand up involuntarily.

Li Longji remained silent, his gaze fixed on the formation of this army. He had seen the Da Dao demonstrations by the palace guards before, but nothing as awe-inspiring as this army’s power. He suddenly realized the key lay in Li Siye, who stood nearly ten feet tall in the middle—he was the core of the entire army. Because of him, the army seemed to have a soul.

“Magnificent! The Anxi Army!” Li Longji couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

With a low command from Li Siye, the Da Dao Army turned eastward. There, a row of dozens of wooden puppets stood. The soldiers charged forward, their blades slashing down with unstoppable force, reducing the puppets to pieces.

Cheers erupted from the inspection platform. Li Longji let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Li Linfu. “This is the first time I’ve witnessed the might of the Anxi Da Dao Army.”

“Your Majesty, this isn’t the real Da Dao Army yet. I’ve heard that during the attack on Lianyun Fort, the Da Dao Army charged forward, and even the Tibetans’ giant logs and stones couldn’t harm them. The so-called impregnable Lianyun Fort was taken by them in one fell swoop.”

Li Linfu’s tone carried a strong implication. Seeing Li Longji deep in thought, he added with a smile, “Your Majesty might as well watch the Anxi Army’s cavalry archery.”

After saying that, he gave a signal to Li Lin, the deputy minister of war. A red flag was lowered from the watchtower, and the sound of horse hooves rushed in like thunder. A group of cavalry archers charged into the training ground at lightning speed. Li Qingan led the way, with his hundred elite riders following in a V-formation. Their formation kept changing—sometimes forming a crescent arch, sometimes a diamond—as they galloped across the field, raising clouds of yellow dust.

The team gradually formed a large circle with a diameter of two hundred steps. They rushed around like a carousel, with a wooden mannequin about seven feet tall standing at the center. Li Longji suddenly understood. He stood up abruptly, watching nervously every move of the Jiangdu archers and cavalry. The archers held rigid bows, but none drew arrows. Suddenly, Li Qingan gave a loud shout, and the hundred archers almost simultaneously drew their arrows, nocked them, and shot—all in one smooth motion. A hundred arrows whizzed toward the mannequin. With a “thud,” all the arrows pierced its upper body, turning it into a hedgehog in an instant. Such precise shooting earned applause, but it wasn’t over yet. The archers rushed forward ten steps and fired a second volley with equal precision, this time switching hands as they shot. The mannequin’s chest and abdomen were also covered in dense arrows, none of which missed target. Despite collisions between the arrowheads, their strong force ensured no deviation. “Truly the best archer in Anxi!” Li Longji praised, stroking his beard. “Not only is his individual archery skill outstanding, but he has also trained a team of elite archers in just a few months—proof of his extraordinary leadership skills. What a talent!” The impressive accuracy of the Jiangdu archers’ shots made the imperial guards uneasy. General Chen Xuanli gave a low order, and three hundred imperial guards stepped forward with shields to protect Li Longji. After two rounds of shooting, the Jiangdu archers changed tactics again, forming a formation similar to a wild goose formation and racing in circles across the training ground. Several guards carried in a large iron cage containing thirty homing pigeons. All the officials stood up, showing great interest—this was a new type of archery they had never seen before. One guard lifted the lid, and the thirty pigeons flapped their wings and took off, rising quickly and flying eastward. But just twenty zhang above the ground, the hundred archers sped past them, drawing their bows like a full moon and shooting arrows like swarms of locusts. A net of arrows formed in the air, causing the thirty pigeons to cry out as they fell one after another. Yet one pigeon managed to escape the net, flying swiftly northeastward, covering fifty zhang in an instant. At that moment, Li Qingan drew an arrow, drew his black bow tightly, and aimed at the fading gray figure. With a sound of the bowstring, an arrow shot like lightning after the pigeon, which was already seventy zhang away. Just as the pigeon tried to soar higher, it was struck in the chest and abdomen by the arrow and plummeted to the ground, landing right at Li Longji’s feet.

A few feathers drifted down from the sky. Silence reigned on the observation platform. Everyone thought of one thing: if Li Qingan could shoot down a pigeon flying high in the air with an arrow, what would happen if his arrow had been aimed slightly lower, not at the pigeon but at the current emperor?

General Chen Xuanli’s face turned pale. It was then that he realized the terrible flaw in their security measures. They could only defend against ordinary archers or assassins, but if assassins also had Li Qingan’s skill with an arrow, who could protect the emperor?

At that moment, Li Qingan dismounted and rushed over, kneeling down to apologize, “I have offended Your Majesty. I deserve death!”

Li Longji bent down to pick up the pigeon, examined it carefully, and smiled, “I never thought General Li was also someone who knows no mercy.”

Gao Lishi behind him laughed, “That’s the true spirit of a general. In the face of battle, there’s no room for weakness.”

“The general is right,” said Li Longji. He handed the pigeon to a guard and slowly walked to the railing in the front row. Bowing slightly, he said to Li Qingan, “General Li, you truly have the talent of a great general. Just now, the Prime Minister reminded me that since the Anxi army was able to capture Xiong Fort in one fell swoop, you too could participate in the Battle of Shibo City. General Li, would you be willing to go to Longyou to fight?”

“I am willing to serve Your Majesty, but as an Anxi general, I must obey the orders of Commander Gao.”

With that, Li Qingan added solemnly, “Your Majesty, the soldiers of Jiangdu Camp are all willing to serve in Anxi. Please grant their request!”

Li Longji smiled slightly and asked Li Linfu, “What do you think, Prime Minister?”

Li Linfu pondered for a moment before saying, “The central plains lack enough soldiers. Generally, it’s recommended to recruit troops locally in the border areas. However, these twelve training camps don’t have many soldiers, so it won’t affect the overall situation. If Jianghuai could produce a famous general, it would be a good thing. I can accept General Li’s request.”

“Good!” Li Longji nodded in agreement. “Not only your Jiangdu Camp, but all training camps—whenever soldiers are willing to serve in the long march, I won’t stop them. Additionally, I order Gao Xianzhi to send three thousand elite Anxi soldiers to Longyou to assist in the battle.”

…

At dusk, the poetic sisters were busy packing their things along with Xiao Lian. They too would return to Anxi with Li Qingan. Both sisters were excited, filled with anticipation for their future lives.

“Sis, when I was little, I had a dream that I would herd sheep on the grasslands. I never thought it would come true.”

Gazing at the clouds drifting across the sky, bathed in the glow of the sunset, she seemed to see in her beautiful eyes herself holding a sheep whip, driving flocks of white sheep. In the distance lay endless grasslands, with leather tents blooming like flowers across them. Among them was a small tent—her home.

“Silly girl! What are you daydreaming about?”

Rushi smiled and said, “Haven’t you heard from Xiaolian? We both live in the city, pretty much like Chang’an, just with more Turks on the streets.”

“How’s the packing going for the three of you?”

Li Qing’an walked in smiling. Seeing the room filled with bags and parcels, he shook his head and said, “We’re bringing too much stuff. It’s unnecessary. We can buy more when we get to Anxi.”

Xiaolian shook her head and laughed, “Elder brother, don’t you know how things are in Anxi? The goods there are of poor quality and extremely expensive. Let’s bring more good things so we can give them to our neighbors. That way, we can get along better in the future.”

She pointed to several large boxes and said, “These were given to us by Master Gao—yellow porcelain from Shouzhou, blue porcelain from Yuezhou, Fangwen silk from Suzhou, as well as Mengding tea from Bashu, Shu brocade, rouge and powder from Ziyanzhai in the capital, and jewelry from the Er Zhao family in Luoyang. None of these are available in Anxi. Elder brother can give them to your colleagues and superiors. Mother Wu will surely like them too. Let’s take them!”

Li Qing’an, convinced by her reasoning, could only smile and say, “You little girl, you always have reasons. Whatever you decide, just do it quickly. We’re leaving early tomorrow morning.”

“Don’t worry! We won’t delay.”

“Then I’ll go to the military camp. I’ll be back later.”

Li Qing’an smiled and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, Rushi called out to him, “Elder brother!”

She ran over and whispered, “Yunu came to deliver the dance costume just now.”

Li Qing’an perked up immediately and asked, “Did she say anything?”

“She said she brought the music scores. That’s all.”

“Oh!” Li Qing’an felt a bit disappointed. He forced a smile and said, “Then practice hard!”

“But her music scores aren’t meant for us.”

“Why?” Li Qing’an was puzzled.

Rushi took out a music score from her cloth bag and handed it to Li Qing’an, smiling, “Elder brother, you’ll know once you take a look.”

Hesitantly, Li Qing’an took the score. It wasn’t printed but handwritten, clearly recently copied, with a faint scent of ink on the paper. Yet he didn’t recognize a single note. He asked with a smile, “What’s this?”

“Elder brother, you’ll know once you look at the last page.”

Li Qingan flipped to the last page and was stunned. On the back page, there was a line of delicate handwriting: “Sad Spain.”