Chapter 128: Close Combat

That night, the three ships set sail with the west wind. Li Qing’an left the Li Fei brothers to guard the island, while he and Bai Yuanguang led 200 soldiers to Xihai Commandery.
By noon the next day, the large ships gradually approached the northeast coast of Qinghai. This area was where Xihai Commandery had been located during the Han Dynasty. To the northwest lay the foothills of Datong Mountain, and to the southeast began Chilin Mountain. These two mountain ranges met here in an “eight” shape, with a plateau grassland about a hundred li wide in between. The Huang River flowed through it, making this place of great strategic importance.
The three large ships entered a small tributary, leaving a dozen Tang soldiers to guard them while the rest dismounted and led their horses ashore.
The area was characterized by highland meadows. In the distance stood the snow-capped Datong Mountains. Vast forests stretched down from the gentle mountain slopes, with thick grasslands between them. Small streams flowed down from the mountains, converging into larger rivers before forming the Huang River—this was its source.
Li Qing’an looked around. Autumn was in full swing, with everything covered in golden hues. This area was sparsely populated, and the forests and grasslands were mostly in their natural state.
“Everyone, rest here and wait for news from the scouts.”
As soon as he gave the order, he heard the sound of horse hooves rushing toward them. The sound seemed extremely urgent. Li Qing’an immediately ordered, “Wait! Don’t slack off.”
Everyone turned toward the sound. The two scouts they had sent were whipping their horses frantically, looking extremely anxious. Li Qing’an took down his bow. Since their scouts had just been sent out, it meant something had happened nearby.
“General!”
The scouts shouted from afar, “There are Tubo troops…”
The Tang soldiers were shocked and quickly drew their bows and swords, ready for battle.
“Don’t panic!”
Li Qing’an roared. He turned to He Yanming and ordered, “Go quickly and tell the ships not to go far away, ready to provide support at any time.”
He Yanming turned and rushed toward the river mouth. Li Qing’an spurred his horse forward and demanded sharply of the scouts, “How many Tubo troops?”
Before the scouts could answer, the sound of horse hooves came from afar again—a cavalry unit was rushing toward them.
“General, these are Tang patrol troops. About 300 Tubo soldiers are chasing behind them.”
Li Qing’an reacted quickly. He pointed at the woods about ten steps away and ordered, “Everyone, go into the woods and prepare to ambush the enemy.”

Tang troops rushed into the forest in an instant. Li Qing’an waved to them as they came from afar, signaling them to keep running. It was a Tang scouting party of twenty men, led by a high-ranking general in his thirties. Seeing a group of Tang soldiers crouched in the trees with bows drawn, he immediately understood their intention. He turned around and shouted, “Speed up! Don’t stop!”

The twenty cavalrymen sped past the Tang troops’ ambush site like lightning, and soon the sound of rapid horse hooves came from behind. A large group of Tibetan cavalry was chasing closely behind, gradually getting nearer. Their shouts could already be heard, and their fierce faces could be seen—wearing iron helmets and gray chainmail armor.

Li Qing’an drew a poison arrow capable of piercing armor. Its slender, sharp tip glowed with a faint green light in the sunlight. This was a new type of arrow modified based on Zhang Pingbo’s suggestions. Its effectiveness was unknown, but today was the perfect chance to test it. His eyes were filled with anticipation as he nocked the arrow on his black bow, squinting slightly as the bow was drawn back to full tension. The sharp tip was aimed at the leading Tibetan officer.

On either side of him, all the Tang soldiers had their bows drawn, each aiming at their target. The forest was about fifty steps away from the path the Tibetan army would take. The Tibetan cavalry were getting closer, their faces dark and eyes gleaming with excitement, like a pack of black wolves.

“One hundred steps… eighty steps… sixty steps…”

When the Tibetan army was within sixty steps, Li Qing’an released the string. A piercing arrow shot like lightning at the leading Tibetan centurion. It flashed through the air before piercing through his skull. The force of the arrow was so great that it entered through his forehead and exited at the back of his head, piercing through his helmet. The centurion fell backward from his horse. Only then did Li Qing’an realize he should have aimed for his chainmail armor. He shook his head and drew another arrow.

Li Qing’an’s arrow was like a command. Arrows rained down from the forest. The first round of two hundred arrows flew at the Tibetan army. Before they could take ten steps forward, a second round was fired. Within just fifteen steps, the Tang troops had fired three rounds in total.

Cries of pain filled the air as warhorses neighed loudly. Many Tibetan soldiers fell from their horses, reducing their numbers by half in an instant. Many horses also fell due to being hit by arrows. The first few horses refused to move, kicking their legs desperately and blocking the path, causing chaos among the Tibetan cavalry.

The Tang troops rushed out of the woods, firing arrows like a downpour—precise and deadly, without any hesitation. Wave after wave of arrows flowed like clouds and water toward the Tibetan soldiers, who cried out in pain. Of the 300 Tibetan cavalrymen, only a dozen remained on their horses, terrified and scattering in all directions.

“Stop!”

Li Qing’an waved his hand, and the Tang troops immediately ceased pursuing. Their expressions were urgent, but since Li Qing’an didn’t speak, none of them dared move.

Li Qing’an nocked an arrow and shot one at a Tibetan soldier still crawling on the ground, killing him on the spot. Smiling, he said, “That’s enough!”

The Tang troops rushed off their horses, drew their swords, and beheaded the Tibetan soldiers, stuffing their bloody heads into reward bags. In moments, all 300 Tibetan soldiers were headless corpses.

“General, look at this chainmail.”

A soldier handed a set of chainmail to Li Qing’an. When he unfolded it, he indeed saw a fine mesh lining the inside—the mesh was very dense, allowing the improved piercing arrows to pass through but not the arrow shafts.

Li Qing’an took an arrow and tested it. Fortunately, almost any bowshot over two stones could pierce it. He immediately ordered, “Strip all the chainmail off and take it with you.”

At that moment, 20 Tang scouts returned. The leading general bowed to Li Qing’an and said, “I am Wang Nande, the commander of the Shenwei Army. Thank you, General, for saving us. May I ask your name?”

Li Qing’an replied with a smile, “I am Li Qing’an from Anxi. I’ve long heard of General Wang’s bravery.”

“You’re Li Qing’an?”

Wang Nande was astonished. He couldn’t understand how Li Qing’an from Anxi could be here. After a long pause, he stammered, “Could it be that General Li came from the Datong Valley?”

“No! I crossed Qinghai by boat.”

“By sea!”

Wang Nande could hardly believe his ears. Could someone really come this way by sea?

“General Li, Commander Geshu is nearby. Please follow me.”

“Good! I’ll go right away.”

Li Qing’an turned to his men and waved, “Follow me. Let’s set off.”

The Tang troops mounted their horses and followed Li Qing’an eastward.

Li Qing’an rode alongside Wang Nande and asked with a smile, “Isn’t Commander Geshu in Shanzhou? Why is he nearby?”

Wang Nande smiled and said, “General Li may not know, but two months ago, the Tang army built Shenwei City at the foot of Chiling and stationed 3,000 troops there. The commander appointed me as the commander of the Shenwei Army.”

“What was the Tibetan reaction?”

“Building a city right under their noses surely annoyed them, but there were no large-scale attacks—only sporadic raids, usually involving three to four hundred men. The Tubo army that General Li ambushed just now was one such group.”
The two sped up. After about an hour of riding, they approached the steep Chiling Mountains, which are today’s Riyue Mountains. Towering and stretching for hundreds of miles, they acted like a huge barrier across the ancient Tang-Tubo trade route. The Tubo army, coming from the Tibetan Plateau in the east, had a strategic advantage at Chiling—easily defensible and difficult to attack. By advancing, they could sweep through the Hehuang region; by retreating, they could hold the mountains. As a result, for decades, during the battles over Hehuang, the Tubo always held the initiative, while the Tang army was forced to defend itself.
Chiling had only Shibao City as the path to cross it, so Shibao City’s strategic importance shaped the outcome of the entire Tang-Tubo war. In the 29th year of the Tianbao era, Gai Jiayun, the governor of Hexi and Longyou, carelessly lost control of Shibao City, angering Emperor Li Longji, who dismissed him from office. From then on, he disappeared from the political stage of the Tang Dynasty.
This battle over Hehuang was essentially a struggle for Chiling. Geshu Han knew well that the Tubo had deployed a massive army along the Dafei River and Chiling, making Shibao City difficult to capture. So he took a detour around the side, entering Haixi Commandery to build a city, aiming to approach from the beginning of Chiling and find an opportunity to defeat the enemy from behind.
Li Qingan and his group turned around a mountain pass, and in the distance, a castle came into view. Built atop a mountain, it faced the towering Chiling Mountains. Still about ten miles away from the castle, a cloud of yellow dust suddenly appeared as a group of troops rushed toward them.
“It’s the commander-in-chief!”
Wang De saw the commander’s flag from afar and shouted excitedly, urging his horse forward to meet them.
The large Tang army arrived in a flash and stopped about dozens of steps away. Geshu Han rushed out from among the troops, waving his whip and shouting, “General Wang, I was just on my way to rescue you!”
“Commander-in-chief, I was being pursued by the Tubo army. It was only thanks to General Li of Anxi’s rescue that I was able to escape.”
Geshu Han had already seen Li Qingan and was secretly surprised. How could he be here? Could he have come from Datong Valley? Impossible—Datong Valley was heavily defended, and the Tubo had built fortresses to block access. How could he have gotten through?
Filled with suspicion, Geshu Han smiled and said, “General Li, long time no see?”
Li Qingan spurred his horse forward and bowed, saying, “Commander-in-chief Geshu, I was sent by General Gao to assist in the battle. I’m sorry I couldn’t arrive earlier. Please forgive me.”
“Not at all! General Li arrived at just the right time.”
Geshu Han glanced at Li Qingan’s troops and saw that there were only two hundred men. He could no longer hold back his curiosity and asked, “General Li, did you come from Haixi?”

“That’s right. I successfully launched a night attack on Fusi City in Haixi, burning 300,000 dan of Tibetan grain, killing 3,000 enemy soldiers, and seizing Tibetan ships to cross the sea. Currently, my troops are stationed temporarily on Longju Island. I’ve come here to report to the commander-in-chief.”
“I see!”
Ge Shuhan slapped his thigh vigorously and exclaimed excitedly, “The scouts who explored Datong Valley reported that Fusi City was in flames. I was thinking heaven must be watching—turns out it was General Li who did this! Brilliant! Burning 300,000 dan of grain will surely affect the course of the war!”
So excited that he could hardly speak coherently, Ge Shuhan recalled that a few days ago the emperor sent an envoy to inquire about the progress of the battle. Although it wasn’t explicitly said that the emperor was dissatisfied with him, Ge Shuhan could tell from the soaring rice prices in Chang’an that the emperor was under great pressure and must be displeased. Worried about having nothing to report, he rushed to Shenwei Fort yesterday in an attempt to achieve some military successes. But the Tibetans refused to fight, leaving him at a loss. Now, with Li Qing’an reporting that Fusi City’s Tibetan supplies had been burned and 3,000 soldiers killed, this was a significant achievement—how could he not be overjoyed?
He quickly grabbed Li Qing’an’s arm and said affectionately, “Come! Come! General Li, please come with me into the city for a chat.”
……
Shenwei City was built with huge stones, making it very sturdy and spacious, capable of accommodating thousands of people. Since March this year, Ge Shuhan had sent troops to build the city there. Currently, 3,000 soldiers were stationed inside, under the command of General Wang Nande and his subordinate Yang Jinghui as the chief and deputy military commanders.
In a stone chamber inside the city, Li Qing’an hung several maps and reported on the situation in Haixi to Ge Shuhan. “I killed Shangxidezan and disguised his army to lure them into Fusi City. That night, most of the Tibetan troops were still asleep. I led my troops in a night attack and succeeded. All 1,000 Tibetan soldiers and 1,000 Tuyuhun soldiers inside the city were killed. I set fire to their grain supplies. I also sent Colonel Nan Jiyun with 200 men to attack the Tibetan grain transport docks, seizing 30 grain ships that allowed us to withdraw from Haixi.”
Li Qing’an then hung a map of the sea and pointed at Longju Island. “Commander-in-chief, this island is two li wide and six to seven li long. Its terrain is flat, making it suitable for stationing troops. Moreover, it’s located in the heart of the sea, allowing surprise attacks deep into the Dafei River basin to cut off the Tibetans’ supply lines. Commander-in-chief, I suggest stationing troops on Longju Island—it can serve as a sharp blade inserted into the Tibetans’ backs.”
Ge Shuhan examined the map carefully and pondered for a long time before saying, “General Li, have you considered the dangers when Qinghai freezes over?”

“Ice? ” Li Qing’an was stunned. He had never considered this possibility. It was already mid-September; by November and December, the lake surface might freeze, but then wouldn’t the Tubo army be able to march straight in? He suddenly realized a major flaw in his thinking and fell silent for a while.

Ge Shu Han smiled and said, “But ice is good too. It allows me to transport supplies to the island and build a city on Longju Island.”

He walked over to the map and pointed at Longju Island, asking, “How many troops do you have on the island now?”

“Reporting to the commander, I brought a thousand men, and I rescued five hundred strong slaves from Haixi Fort. However, in the battle at Fusi City, nearly three hundred of my men were killed or injured. Now, including the wounded, there are about a thousand two hundred men on the island.”

“In that case, you still have a thousand four hundred men. Here’s what I propose: I’ll give you another thousand six hundred archers and cavalry, bringing the total to three thousand. I’ll provide you with all the food and supplies needed to build a city. You must construct Yinglong City on Longju Island. I’ll appoint you as the commander of the Yinglong Army. Once the ice melts next spring, you’re to take control of the Qinghai waters and harass the Tubo army’s rear.”

Li Qing’an nodded and knelt down, giving a military salute. “I will not fail to live up to the commander’s trust.”

Ge Shu Han quickly helped him up, patted his shoulder, and smiled. “I will surely request recognition for your efforts from the imperial court after this battle at Fusi City. You can return to Longju Island in peace. Soon, soldiers and supplies will arrive—send ships to pick them up.”

“Commander, there’s one more important matter I need to report.”

Li Qing’an took out a piece of Tubo armor and laid it on the table. “I wonder if the commander has noticed, but the Tubo armor has been modified—there’s a layer of fine mesh inside.”

Ge Shu Han examined the armor carefully, his expression turning extremely serious.

……

Li Qing’an did not go to Shanzhou. He met Ge Shu Han in Shenwei City and received his support, after which he immediately returned to Longju Island.

The journey from Longju Island to Xihai Commandery was smooth, and they reached the shore in just one night. But the return trip was not so easy, as the wind was against them, making the ship move extremely slowly. It took a full day and night to cover half the distance. Just as dawn broke, Li Qing’an was awakened by noise.

“What happened?”

He stepped out of the cabin, greeted by a cold wind. The water was covered in mist, making it impossible to see more than a few dozen feet ahead.

“General, a small island has been spotted ahead. Everyone thought it was Longju Island, but it’s not.”

“There’s actually an island!”

Li Qing’an walked to the bow of the ship with great interest and looked carefully toward the southwest. He faintly saw a dark silhouette. As the ship got closer, he could see it clearly—it was indeed an island, or rather, a huge granite rock standing in the sea, covering an area of about two mu.

He Yingchuan stepped forward and reported, “General, I seem to have seen this rock when we arrived. We still have half the distance to Longju Island.”

Li Qing’an pondered for a moment before asking, “When we came here, could we see the coast?”

“Faintly, but not very clearly.”

“If that’s the case, I want to build a beacon tower here. If the Tubo people attack Longju Island across the ice, we can seek help from Shenwei City. The two cities can support each other. I’ll assign you the task of building this beacon tower.”

He Yingchuan hesitated for a while before saying, “General, I heard from Old Zhang that to the south of Longju Island, there’s another small island called Sankuaijiao, about thirty li away from Longju Island. A beacon tower could also be built there.”

“Good! You’ll be in charge of building both beacon towers.”

“I shall obey the order!”

……

By noon the next day, the ship finally arrived at Longju Island. As soon as Li Qing’an stepped ashore, he began planning the construction of the city. The mountains on Longju Island were made of granite, which was easy to quarry. There was also a limestone deposit on the island. Li Qing’an divided his soldiers and laborers into several groups: some were tasked with quarrying stones and lime, while others were responsible for shaping the huge rocks into long slabs of bluestone.

Quarrying mainly took place on a cliff in the southeast, where there were several large cracks, making it easy to extract granite. The island soon became bustling, filled with the sound of chiseling and the soldiers’ shouts as they worked.

Li Qing’an searched for the most suitable location to build the city. According to his plan, since the Tubo army could come across the ice in winter, the city couldn’t be built on flat grassland—it had to be constructed in a strategic location.

Longju Island was half flat land and half rocky terrain, with steep cliffs covering most of the mountainous area. There was hardly any flat land available for building a city. After searching for a long time, he finally found a spot that could barely serve as a building site. It was about a hundred zhang high, surrounded by sea cliffs on three sides, with only the north side offering access via a winding path. At the top of the mountain was a flat area of about twenty mu, but there was already a building there—the Yinglong Temple.

Li Qing’an pointed with his whip and ordered, “Demolish the Yinglong Temple immediately!”