Chapter 174: Spring Hunting in Tianshan (Part 2)

A light drizzle fell from the sky, and the camp was in chaos—tents had been overturned, bowls and pots shattered, and muddy clothes and daily items were scattered everywhere. Bloodstains could be seen throughout. A Tang army cavalry unit stood ready, separating the Shatuo and Göktürk tribes.
The Shatuo and Göktürk warriors glared at each other, drawing swords and knives, radiating murderous intent. Dozens of wounded men lay in pools of blood, groaning in pain.
At that moment, a Tang soldier shouted, “General Li is here!”
A group of cavalry rushed forward at full speed. Li Qing’an, wearing a helmet and armor with a grim expression, led the charge. He roared, “Who dares to lift a weapon in my Beiting territory?”
Ye Huguduzhi of the Shatuo hurriedly said, “Lord, it’s not that we’re rude. It was the Göktürks who first killed our hunting dogs and insulted us Shatuo as dogs.”
Li Qing’an cast a cold glance at the Göktürks. Mousiluoduo, the Göktürk prince, snorted arrogantly and turned away. Si Han, the second prince, stepped forward and bowed, saying, “It were the Shatuo who first invaded our Göktürk grazing lands and killed our people. We’ve already shown great restraint.”
Guduzhi flew into a rage and accused them, “Eight years ago, you killed our Shatuo people, stole our women and children. Our leader died at your hands—have you forgotten?”
Mousiluoduo became furious and cursed, “You Shatuo dogs! We spared you eight years ago. This time, I’ll wipe you out completely.”
“Silence!”
Li Qing’an shouted angrily. He mounted his horse and pointed his whip at the two tribes, saying, “I don’t care about your old grudges. From today onward, if the Shatuo or Göktürks dare to cause trouble again, it’s considered an insult to my Tang Dynasty. I’ll send troops to deal with them.”
He then ordered his subordinates, “Separate them and keep them apart.”
Both the Shatuo and Göktürk tribes fell silent. Li Qing’an glanced at Mousiluoduo again, seeing his contemptuous expression, and secretly sneered. He added, “I’ll say it once more—no more trouble from today onward. Don’t treat my words as wind. If you don’t believe me, try it.”
With that, he turned his horse and rushed toward Beiting City, ignoring them further. Si Han watched Li Qing’an’s retreating figure, his brows furrowed. He seemed to realize something was wrong but couldn’t put his finger on it.
…

At the very same time when the two factions were at odds, Zhao Tingyu, the governor of Xizhou, arrived at Cheng Qianli’s residence. Zhao Tingyu was around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, tall and thin, with fair skin and an eagle-hook nose. He had originally been a general in the Jinguwei Guard and was transferred to Beiting in the fifth year of the Tianbao era. In Chang’an, he belonged to the Prince Qing faction. After failing to become the governor of Anxi, Cheng Qianli also joined the Prince Qing faction. For this reason, the two became close friends and later became relatives through marriage—Zhao Tingyu’s brother married Cheng Qianli’s daughter. Since their marriage was arranged in their hometown, few people in Beiting were aware of it; only old bureaucrats like Yang Fengche could detect clues from various documents. This time, Zhao Tingyu came to Beiting not for a spring hunt but under that pretext to discuss the next steps with Cheng Qianli. On the surface, the conflict in Beiting seemed to be between Cheng Qianli and Li Qing’an, but in reality, Cheng Qianli had little power, especially no military authority. Thus, the real conflict was among the three powerful governors. Han Zhi, the governor of Yizhou, had already expressed his willingness to follow Li Qing’an’s leadership, so he could be ignored. The actual conflict was between Zhao Tingyu and Li Qing’an. Zhao Tingyu’s Tianshan Army, consisting of five thousand men, was a formidable force, which gave him the confidence to confront Li Qing’an. Moreover, as he represented the Prince Qing’s interests in Beiting, his confrontation with Li Qing’an was essentially a confrontation between the Prince Qing and the crown prince. This time, he brought five hundred personal guards to Tingzhou and stationed them in an independent camp outside Jinman County. The five hundred guards stayed by his side at all times, highly vigilant. He also entrusted the main army in Xizhou to his trusted general, Long Qianfei. Without his orders, no one could move the Tianshan Army. In the study, Cheng Qianli looked grave. Before him lay a letter written by the Prince Qing, in which he explicitly ordered them to continue opposing Li Qing’an and reassured them that he was seeking a position as deputy governor from the emperor. The letter did not specify whether this position would go to Cheng Qianli or Zhao Tingyu. “I heard Han Zhi has already defected to Li Qing’an,” Cheng Qianli said in a hoarse voice after a long silence. Compared to a few years ago, Cheng Qianli had aged greatly. He was only forty-five years old now, yet most of his hair had turned white. His career had not been smooth—after competing with Gao Xianzhi in Anxi, Gao Xianzhi rose to power. Cheng Qianli tried every means, even deferring to the Prince Qing, before finally being transferred to Beiting as deputy governor. The Prince Qing had also promised him that he would eventually become the governor of Beiting.

He waited day after day, never expecting that what would come in the end would be Li Qing’an taking charge of Beiting. He suffered a severe blow—within just a month, his hair turned white. During the over month since Li Qing’an took control of Beiting, he paid attention to almost nothing, indulging in wine and women all day long, and his health deteriorated greatly.

Zhao Tingyu stood with his back straight. He glanced at Cheng Qianli and saw that he reeked of alcohol, with a weak and vacant gaze. Filled with dissatisfaction, he said coldly, “Do you really think Han Zhi has defected to Li Qing’an? He, like us, refuses to let Li Qing’an interfere with his Yiwu army; he just does it more discreetly. The one who truly defected to Li Qing’an is Yang Fengche. I don’t know how you managed it, but with the leverage you have, you still can’t control him.”

Zhao Tingyu spoke rudely, showing no humility just because Cheng Qianli was the father-in-law of his brother. In fact, his position as Governor of Xizhou was of the third rank, while Cheng Qianli’s role as Deputy Protector was only of the fourth rank, half a level lower. Even within the Prince Qing’s faction, his status was higher than Cheng Qianli’s.

Cheng Qianli felt embarrassed. He muttered under his breath, “You know nothing. Li Qing’an is the Chief Censor with oversight powers. If he doesn’t investigate, Yang Fengche’s secrets mean nothing.”

“But you’re too decadent.”

Zhao Tingyu banged the table hard with his knuckles. “Look at yourself now. You’re the Deputy Protector of Beiting. Even without military power, you should still be able to handle matters like military rations! Yet you’ve given up everything. You’re a great disappointment to His Highness.”

“I’m simply too tired. I think we might not be able to defeat him.”

His weakened health eroded Cheng Qianli’s will, and his confidence faded day by day. He sighed dejectedly, “The emperor not only gave him military power but also oversight powers, even assigning him the role of military administrator. With such combined military and political authority, it’s easy for him to deal with me! You still have your army to rely on. What do I have?”

“You can’t put it that way. You’re part of Prince Qing’s faction, fighting for his interests. You’re thinking too much of yourself, Deputy Protector Cheng. Don’t forget—you swore an oath to Prince Qing.”

Thinking of the oath he had taken to Prince Qing, Cheng Qianli shuddered. After a long while, he mustered his strength and asked, “So what should we do now?”

“Do nothing. Just patiently wait for the imperial appointment letter. As long as we can get the position of Deputy Military Governor too, we won’t have to fear him at all.”

“But he won’t sit idly by.”

Zhao Tingyu sneered coldly and said, “He’s currently preoccupied with the conflicts between the Göktürks and the Shatuo! He has no time to deal with us. After the spring hunt, I’ll return to Xizhou immediately. You must pull yourself together and stop indulging in wine and women.”
“Spring hunt!” Cheng Qianli sighed. “Hunting isn’t so bad after all.”
……
The spring hunt was a traditional recreational activity of Beiting. Every year in March or April, when the weather was pleasant, skilled archers and horsemen from Beiting would gather in the Tianshan Mountains to compete in hunting skills.
The hunting ground was south of Luntai County, in what is now the Urumqi area. Located at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, it featured dense forests, numerous rivers, fertile grasslands, and a variety of wild animals such as wolves, bears, argalis, gazelles, red deer, foxes, and gerenuks. Back then, Li Qing’an had hunted a black panther on the other side of the Tianshan Mountains, and its pelt still hung in Li Linfu’s study.
At noon, a massive hunting party appeared on the vast grasslands. Due to its large size, the party was divided into three groups, each led by a commander, spreading across a 300-400 li long hunting area. Li Qing’an’s Hanhai Army, along with the Shatuo and Göktürks, as well as high-ranking civil and military officials from Beiting and the three counties of Tingzhou, numbered around 800 people. Eagles circled in the sky, hunting dogs barked fiercely, and horses galloped swiftly—within moments, a thousand riders swept across the plain.
“I indulge in a bit of youthful recklessness—holding a yellow dog in my left hand and an eagle in my right, wearing a brocade hat and a sable coat, as a thousand riders sweep across the plain.”
Li Qing’an laughed heartily. Riding a sturdy chestnut-colored Gaochang horse and wielding a flaming bow, he rushed up a hill, followed by hundreds of riders.
A cold north wind blew on the hill. An eagle folded its wings and landed on his shoulder. Li Qing’an looked into the distance—before him lay a vast forest, and to the north, an endless grassland. A river wound like a jade belt across the grassland, flowing all the way to Tinghai, hundreds of li away.
The Shatuo leader, Guduzhi, rushed forward and said loudly with a smile, “I’ve long heard that Envoy Li is unparalleled in archery. Could you show us your skills?”
Most of the Beiting officials had only heard that Li Qing’an was the best archer in Anxi but had never seen him shoot. Hearing this, they all agreed.
“Envoy, shoot an arrow!”
Li Qing’an didn’t refuse and gladly said, “Very well, then I’ll show you my skills.”
He drew out a long arrow engraved with his name and looked up for a target. Just then, several hawks took off from the forest in the distance and circled toward them—eagles had invaded their territory, and they came to drive them away.
At the head was a huge male eagle, its wings spanning five feet—much larger than any other eagle.

“That’s the Eagle King!” Several eagle slaves cried out in excitement.
The eagle seemed enraged by the invaders’ rudeness; it spread its wings and flew past their heads with a roar, causing widespread astonishment. Luo Duo, frustrated, put down his bow and arrows. He wanted to shoot down this Eagle King, but its speed was too great—his arrows couldn’t hit it. Not only him, but all the warriors looked disappointed; it was impossible to subdue this Eagle King with arrows.
Li Qing’an didn’t draw his bow. Instead, he narrowed his eyes to examine this magnificent bird. It was a newly mature eagle, with a sharp, curved beak, iron-gray feathers, and powerful talons tipped with hooks.
He became interested. Just as cavalrymen loved their horses, frontier generals had a special affection for eagles. Eagles were also symbols of status, and having an Eagle King as a soldier was one of Li Qing’an’s dreams.
He slowly drew his bow to full tension. He knew the Eagle King would show off its strength again. Sure enough, the Eagle King soared in the sky, while the hawks scattered in fear at its imposing presence.
With a sharp cry, as if celebrating victory, the Eagle King circled downward and flew past the hill. The moment it passed by, Li Qing’an’s powerful arrow was released, shooting like lightning toward the Eagle King.
A mournful cry was heard as the Eagle King’s body suddenly dropped, spiraling downward like a feather falling from the sky. Everyone widened their eyes—almost everyone saw an arrow embedded in its wing. It tried to fly back to the forest, but it was too weak.
The Eagle King let out a sad cry before finally landing on the grassland three hundred steps away. The hunting dogs barked furiously and rushed at the eagle, but Li Qing’an galloped over, shouting, “Back off! Don’t touch it!”
He drew his bow and shot arrows like meteors. In moments, he killed several dogs that had approached the Eagle King. The dogs, frightened, whimpered and scattered.
Li Qing’an dismounted and slowly approached the Eagle King. The eagle’s eyes were blood-red as it glared at him, letting out mournful cries. It tried to attack the man who had shot it, but it was too weak.
“General, let me take care of this Eagle King! I can tame it.”
Eagle slave Meng Wulang’s eyes sparkled with eager anticipation. Li Qing’an nodded. “Heal its wounds first. I’ll tame this eagle myself.”
Meng Wulang spread a fine net to cover the Eagle King, carefully caught it, and held it high. Cheers erupted on the hill.

At that moment, three horses rushed over from afar. The cavalry on them shouted loudly, “General, there is a herd of antelopes about thirty li ahead—over a thousand in number!”
“Good!”
Li Qing’an mounted his horse, took out a horn, and blew it vigorously. The deep sound of the horn echoed through the sky and earth—it was the order to set out on a hunt. He pointed his long bow eastward, and with a roar, the cavalry charged down from the hills, following Li Qing’an toward the east.
…
These were herds of antelopes that had lived for generations at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, numbering over a thousand. Spring was their breeding season, and they were gathered by the river to drink. Suddenly, the faint sound of barking dogs in the distance alarmed them. They raised their heads warily and rushed toward the forest.
But it was too late. A group of cavalry emerged from the edge of the forest, cutting off their escape route. Soon, cavalry surrounded them from all sides, blocking every path of escape. The cavalry began to tighten their encirclement, causing the antelopes to flee in panic.
A brutal hunt began. The cavalry charged at the antelopes, shooting arrows like rain. Antelopes fell to the ground one after another. As the hunt intensified, their original formation broke up. The cavalry formed their own groups, excitedly drawing bows and shooting at the poor antelopes. Roars, the sound of horse hooves, and the barking of hunting dogs filled the air as water splashed everywhere.
Just then, a scream suddenly came from among the cavalry. Guduzhi, the leader of the Shatuo, fell off his horse, an arrow with a wolf-toothed head embedded in his back.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone. The hunt gradually quieted down. Suddenly, a dozen Shatuo cavalrymen rushed at Mociluoduo with furious shouts. Mociluoduo’s face turned pale green; he held a bow and arrow, still wearing a fierce smile on his face. He had finally seized his chance.
The Geluo people gathered around, drawing their swords and attacking the charging Shatuo. A cold smile flashed in Li Qing’an’s eyes. With a swing of his long bow, hundreds of Tang soldiers rushed forward, separating the Shatuo and Geluo who were about to clash.
An unexpected human incident saved the antelopes. Hundreds of them took advantage of the situation and fled into the forest.
Li Qing’an spurred his horse forward. Guduzhi had already been rescued by the military doctor. Although he had dodged in time, Mociluoduo’s arrow had still hit his back, putting his life in danger.
“Return to the camp immediately!”
Li Qing’an glanced coldly at the two ethnic groups and said, “It seems I need to settle some old accounts with you.”

Inside a large white tent, a dozen Kiełag and Shatuo people sat facing each other, old grudges and new resentments burning in their eyes. Guduzhi, too seriously injured to attend the mediation meeting, was represented by his son, Zhu Xia Jinzhong. Zhu Xia Jinzhong gripped the hilt of his knife so tightly that his knuckles cracked loudly; he longed to slice off the head of the Kiełag man across from him with one stroke. History was indeed so similar—eight years ago, his grandfather had been seriously wounded by an arrow shot by a Kiełag chief attempting to assassinate Heishan, and died three months later. Eight years later, his father had been seriously wounded by an arrow aimed at Heishan’s son; whether his father would survive was still uncertain. The deep blood feud between the Shatuo and Kiełag could only be settled with blood.

Mouci Luo Duo paid no attention to this; he had no intention of attending this worthless spring hunt at all. His sole goal was to storm the Jinshan Ranch and tear those damned Shatuo people to pieces. Only now, with this successful arrow shot, did he feel his trip to Beiting hadn’t been in vain.

Next to him, Mouci Sihan was worried. He had always sensed something bad was coming, and now he suddenly understood—it was the Jinshan Ranch. It was still in the hands of the Shatuo. But Li Qing’an said he would send troops to punish whoever caused trouble. What about the Jinshan Ranch? Couldn’t the Kiełag take it back?

At that moment, Li Qing’an spoke up, “The Kiełag and Shatuo were originally the same tribe, yet now they harbor such deep hatred, putting this general in a difficult position!”

“Lord!” Zhu Xia Jinzhong was about to speak, but Li Qing’an waved his hand to stop him.

“For the harmony and peace of Beiting, this general decides to mediate between your two tribes. I will strive to be fair and impartial. But I must say something unpleasant upfront—actually, I said this the day before yesterday. Once I make a decision, no tribe is allowed to cause trouble again. Otherwise, it will be considered disrespect toward the Tang Dynasty, and I will send troops to deal with them. Do you hear me?”

Li Qing’an looked at them and said to Zhu Xia Jinzhong, “Let the Shatuo speak first!”

Zhu Xia Jinzhong, having already received instructions from his father, quickly replied, “The Shatuo will obey the lord’s orders.”

“What about the Kiełag?” Li Qing’an glanced at Mouci Luo Duo.

Mouci Sihan hurried to speak, but Mouci Luo Duo glared at him fiercely. “You have no right to speak on behalf of the Kiełag.”

Mouci Sihan fell silent immediately. Mouci Luo Duo twisted his neck and said in a deep voice, “Our Kiełag’s position is simple. If General Li handles things fairly, we will obey. If not, we regret to say we cannot accept it.”

His defiant words made the high-ranking officials from Beiting beside Li Qingan all look grim. Yang Fengche and military supervisor Wang Tingfang exchanged a glance. Yang Fengche snorted and said, “Is that also what your father, Heishan, thinks?”
“General Yang, since my father sent me here, I fully represent the Göktürks.”
“Very well! Then let me mediate now.”
Li Qingan stood up and first said to Zhu Xia Jinzhong, “As far as I know, this escalation of conflict was caused by the Shatuo attacking the Göktürks first. I want to know why the Shatuo would attack the Göktürks.”
“Reporting to the general, eight years ago, Beiting was hit by a blizzard. My grandfather went to the Göktürks to plead with them, asking them to allow us Shatuo to spend winter on the Jinshan Pasture out of kinship. The Jinshan Pasture wasn’t originally owned by the Göktürks; they just occupied it. My grandfather approached them out of respect. Unexpectedly, not only did they refuse, but they also launched a massacre when the Shatuo were unprepared. My grandfather died from their arrows, over 500 Shatuo herders were killed, and 1,300 Shatuo women and children were taken away, including my mother. We have been carrying this deep hatred for eight years.”
Li Qingan nodded and then asked Mouci Luoduo, “Do you have any doubts about what the Shatuo say?”
Mouci Luoduo burst into loud laughter. “That’s right! The Shatuo are completely correct. Eight years ago, I killed hundreds of those Shatuo dogs and stole their women. After having fun with them, we sold them to the Uyghurs. It’s nothing serious. On the grasslands, strength rules. If they Shatuo killed the Göktürks, I accept it. I won’t act like a woman and seek mediation. Instead, I’ll go back and wipe out the Shatuo. If they have the guts, let them kill us all too. That’s why we revere wolves—survival on the grasslands depends on who is stronger.”
Mouci Luoduo’s blatant wolf-like logic drew murmurs of disapproval. Wang Tingfang frowned and whispered to Yang Fengche, “This man will surely bring disaster to the Göktürks.”
Mouci Sihan became panicked and kicked his elder brother hard, scolding in a low voice, “How can you speak like that!”
“You bastard, shut up!”
Mouci Luoduo cursed mercilessly. Mouci Sihan’s face turned pale instantly. He lowered his head, but a resentful glint flashed in his eyes.

Li Qing’an watched the scene silently before continuing calmly, “Since the hatred between your two families cannot be erased, I have no choice but to issue a mandatory order. Starting today, neither family is allowed to seek revenge anymore. The two leaders of the Shatuo people were injured, and your women and children were taken captive. No matter how much you hate each other, I forbid you from continuing to fight. As for the Göktürks, you are also not allowed to retaliate against the Shatuo. Both sides must stop now. Let me say it one last time: whoever dares to take action again is showing disrespect to the Tang Dynasty. Don’t blame me if I send troops to suppress them.”

After speaking, he waved his hand, and two bodyguards brought in a table with a peace treaty written in Turkic. Li Qing’an pointed at Zhu Xia Jinzhong and said, “Words alone are not enough; let’s have it written down as proof. Sign it first!”

Zhu Xia Jinzhong couldn’t write, so he bit his thumb and pressed a fingerprint under the Shatuo people’s name.

“It’s your turn.”

The two bodyguards brought the table over to Mousi Luoduo. Mousi Luoduo examined the treaty for a long time. Mousi Sihan beside him couldn’t help but ask, “What about the Jinshan Ranch?”

Mousi Luoduo finally realized what was happening. He raised his head and roared, “What about our Jinshan Ranch then?”

Li Qing’an replied coldly, “Whether it’s the Jinshan Ranch or whatever else—killing the Shatuo leaders or taking their women—those are all things of the past. I don’t care about your past grudges. I only care about the future. Neither side is allowed to lift a weapon again.”

Zhu Xia Jinzhong was overjoyed. Li Qing’an’s words meant that the status quo would be recognized, and the vast Jinshan Ranch would belong to the Shatuo people.

“Damn your lies!”

Mousi Luoduo flew into a rage, tore up the treaty, kicked over the table, and strode away. The other Göktürks hurried after him, leaving only Mousi Sihan in the tent. Mousi Sihan sighed deeply and rushed after them.

Li Qing’an watched their retreating figures until they disappeared before turning to the high officials of Beiting and saying coldly, “As you’ve seen, I was willing to help them reconcile, but the Göktürks refused to be grateful and forced me to use force.”

He shouted sharply, “Someone!”

A few soldiers immediately came forward. Li Qing’an ordered, “Immediately convey my orders: have Han Zhi, the governor of Yizhou, and Zhao Tingyu, the governor of Xizhou, come to see me at once.”

Cheng Qianli beside him suddenly felt that something serious was wrong, and his vision went black.