Chapter 480: The Battle of Nine Turns (Part 1)

At that moment, Li Guangbi’s voice came from the courtyard: “Is the General inside?”
“He’s in the house, reviewing military affairs.”
A bodyguard reported, “General, Governor Li requests an audience!”
“Let him in.”
The door opened, and Li Guangbi stepped in quickly from outside. Just as he knelt down, Li Qingan helped him up, smiling and saying, “No need for such formalities. We’re all on the same side. Come, sit down and talk.”
Li Qingan invited him to sit and ordered a cup of tea to be brought in. Li Guangbi had come from Dafeichuan, traveling nonstop for three days and was quite tired. He picked up the teacup and drank the cool tea in one gulp before saying, “The Tibetans this time are up to no good!”
“Let’s not talk about the Tibetans for now. Talk about Tokharistan instead.”
Li Qingan asked with a smile, “Have the Arabs taken advantage of my absence to invade Tokharistan and provoke us?”
Li Guangbi shook his head and said, “Fortunately, it seems the Arabs are busy fighting against the previous dynasty’s army in distant Libya and can’t afford to worry about the east for now. Tokharistan has remained peaceful this year. As for Sindh, it is said that General Feng has suppressed two uprisings there.”
Li Qingan knew a little about the uprisings in Punjab. They arose because the Tang army forced the local people to build ports, coupled with heavy taxes, leading to an independence movement in the city of Adbalashira. He believed Feng Changqing could handle the situation well. Not wanting to discuss Sindh further, Li Qingan changed the topic back to Longyou.
“General Li, tell me about your troop deployment in Longyou.”
At the mention of Longyou, Li Guangbi perked up and said with a smile, “Although we can defeat the Tokharian army, they are after all a weak force. I feel it’s not truly honorable to win against them. The Tibetan army, on the other hand, is a real powerhouse. To be able to fight them fairly has been my wish for years.”
Suddenly, Li Guangbi noticed the huge map. He was stunned, then his eyes lit up with delight. He quickly walked over to the map, examined it closely, and said to Li Qingan in excitement, “General, where did you get this treasure? What I need most right now is a map of the plateau. Your map is like a timely rain!”
Although Li Guangbi didn’t say it outright, Li Qingan understood his meaning. He smiled and said, “This map was brought to the capital by Tibetan envoys. I thought it was good, so I got it. If you need it, I’ll give it to you.”
Li Guangbi was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, “Thank you very much, General!”

He picked up the stick and pointed at the four circles drawn by Li Qinggong, smiling and saying, “It seems the great general knowsLongyou well. The places he marked are indeed key areas there. According to my latest intelligence, the Tibetan army of 50,000 has split into two groups. One group of about 20,000 is heading north to Dafei Chuan, while the other group of 30,000 has already occupied Wuhai and is marching toward the Nine Bends of the Yellow River. But in my opinion, this is a mistake by the Tibetan commander. Perhaps he lacks accurate intelligence and doesn’t know that the 60,000 troops from Anxi have arrived inLongyou. He thinksLongyou is unguarded after Ge Shu Han left, so he divides his forces to seize strategic locations as quickly as possible. But he will likely change his strategy soon, as he will soon encounter 20,000 Tang troops and 15,000 Tuyuhun troops blocking his path at the Nine Bends of the Yellow River.”

“Wait a moment!”

Li Qing’an seemed to realize something and asked urgently, “You mean the Tibetan army only has 50,000 troops? Is the intelligence accurate?”

“It should be correct. I’ve received the same conclusion from three scouting teams. The Tibetan army might be advancing in stages, and these 50,000 could just be their vanguard.”

“That’s possible, but there’s another possibility as well.”

Li Qing’an also stepped forward to the map, took the stick, and pointed at Anxi, saying, “I suspect the Tibetan attack onLongyou is just a feint. Their real target is Anxi. In the past, when they were weak, they still had over a million troops. After several years of rest, their army now numbers at least 200,000 to nearly 300,000. How could they send only 50,000 troops to attackLongyou? If they really do have only 50,000 troops for this attack, then it must be a feint—their main force is attacking Anxi.”

Li Guangbi was shocked. He quickly said, “If that’s the case, Turfan is in danger. Right now, Turfan only has 8,000 Han troops stationed at the silver mines, plus local troops, making a total of just over 40,000. If the Tibetans launch a strong attack on Turfan, our silver mines will be severely affected.”

“Not only is Turfan in a difficult situation, but the four garrisons in Anxi are also in trouble. When I led 70,000 troops east to Guanzhong, I almost depleted all the troops in the four garrisons of Anxi. Out of our 300,000 troops in Anxi, we took away nearly half. There are 50,000 Hu troops by the Juyan Lake in Hexi, and the 60,000 troops in Hexi and the Kingdom of Shi cannot be moved. There’s also 15,000 troops in Xinde. In fact, the number of troops we can mobilize is only 30,000 to 40,000. But I can’t leave Suiye too undefended, so I can at most send 20,000 troops to defend Anxi. Adding the 20,000 cavalry I’m leading now, that’s only 40,000 in total. If the Tibetans send 100,000 troops to attack Anxi, to be honest, my chances of winning are not high.”

Li Qing’an was extremely anxious. His front lines had stretched too far, leaving him without any troops available today. At that moment, Li Guangbi suggested, “General, why not recall the Hu troops from the Juyan Sea to Beiting first? Then I can dispatch ten thousand troops here, and another ten thousand to Hexi. In this way, Anxi can gather seventy thousand troops. With the logistical support from the various states in Anxi, I believe we can just barely fight against the Tubo army.”

Li Qing’an pondered for a while before nodding and saying, “Your plan is excellent. I’ll adopt it.”

……

The Jiuqu region refers to the area within the first major bend of the Yellow River’s upper course, which is today’s Tongde and Guidé counties in Qinghai Province. Here, the terrain is high in the north and south with a low area in the middle, forming a valley basin surrounded on all sides. The climate is warm, the land is extremely fertile, and there is ample water for irrigation. Thus, this area is the most important grain-producing region in the plateau. The Tang army also established the Dushan Army and Jiuqu Army here. To the north of the Jiuqu region, there were also heavy troops stationed such as the Wuning Army, Weisheng Army, and Jintian Army.

Since the Tubo army occupied the Jiuqu region in the 29th year of the Kaiyuan era, this grain-rich area became a logistical base for the Tubo to attack Longyou. It wasn’t until the summer of the 11th year of the Tianbao era that Ge Shuhan’s army recaptured this strategic location.

Currently, there were 15,000 Tuyuhun troops stationed in the Jiuqu region, along with another 20,000 Tang troops who had just arrived. The Tang army’s commander, Li Guangbi, assigned General Li Sheng to guard this strategic area.

After joining Li Qing’an in Mei County, Guanzhong, Li Sheng returned to Longyou. He ordered his subordinate general Yue Ning to lead 1,000 troops to defend Shibao City, while he himself led 5,000 combined Han and Hu troops to garrison the Dafei River area. Li Sheng was highly skilled in martial arts, especially in archery. He enjoyed great prestige among the Han and Hu troops. It was under his efforts that the unrest among the Hu troops caused by Ge Shuhan’s departure was quickly quelled. It can be said that Li Sheng made significant contributions to stabilizing the situation in Longyou.

This time, as Li Guangbi led his army eastward, holding the position of Deputy Governor of Longyou and Governor of Shanzhou, he appointed Li Sheng as the Commander of the Five Armies in Jiuqu, in charge of 35,000 Han and Hu troops.

Drawing on years of experience dealing with the Tubo people, Li Sheng noticed that their scouts had increased their patrols since July. He realized that the Tubo were likely to launch an attack on the Tang Dynasty in autumn. With this awareness, he had begun strengthening defenses in the Jiuqu region a month earlier, constructing beacon towers along the inner course of the Yellow River to communicate with each other. To concentrate his forces, he also withdrew the 3,000 Tang-Hu allied troops stationed in Wuhai along with over 40,000 herders, relying on the natural barriers of the Yellow River to defend against the Tubo army. It turned out to be a wise decision—although Dazhalugong captured Wuhai, he couldn’t carry out mass killings like in Baihai, nor could he seize a single animal.

Li Sheng had already received intelligence that after occupying Wuhai, 30,000 Tubo troops continued to advance eastward. Their tactical intent was clear: to seize control of the Jiuqu region as soon as possible. The wheat had already turned yellow, and in a few days, it would be ready for harvest. Once the Tubo army took control of Jiuqu, they would have access to supplies.

Normally, the wheat in Jiuqu could be harvested at the beginning of August, but due to cooler weather in recent years, the maturing period had been extended, with harvesting not starting until after the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, in some of the river valleys where temperatures were slightly higher, the wheat matured a few days earlier, and harvesting had already begun in some areas.

That afternoon, Li Sheng and his deputy general Yang Jingyun inspected the wheat harvesting progress in the Mizha City area. Mizha City was a large granary built by the famous Tang general Wang Xiaojie in the Jiuqu region—there were three such granaries, one in each of the northern, central, and southern parts of the region. Li Sheng was inspecting the one in Dushan in the southern part.

On the huge square outside Mizha City, piles of golden wheat covered the ground like mountains. Thousands of soldiers and laborers were busy turning the wheat over to dry it quickly so it could be stored in the granaries.

Seeing that it would take at least ten days to dry the wheat before it could be stored, Li Sheng grew worried. If the Tubo army attacked, it would disrupt the harvesting, causing much of the wheat to rot in the fields.

He asked, “General Yang, do you think that once the Tubo learn of the large number of Tang troops stationed in Jiuqu, they will continue crossing the river and advance eastward, or will they stay on the west bank of the Yellow River and wait to launch a joint attack after bringing in another 20,000 troops?”

Yang Jingyun was also a young general, under thirty years old, from a prominent family in Huangshui County. He had joined the army at age 17 and risen to the rank of general through merit. Geshu Han appointed him as the military commander of Dushan Army. He had a very good relationship with Li Sheng. Hearing Li Sheng’s question, he smiled slightly and said, “General, who do you think will lead the Tubo?”

Li Sheng thought for a moment before saying, “Given his familiarity with Longyou, Ma Chongying is the top candidate among Tibetan generals. Judging from the Tibetan army’s killings of the Baihai herdsmen, it closely resembles Ma Chongying’s style. I think he must be the Tibetan commander this time.”

Yang Jingyun laughed again and asked, “If it’s Ma Chongying, would he attack Jiuqu directly?”

Li Sheng also smiled. “Ma Chongying likes to seize the initiative and is good at feinting attacks. If he were to attack Jiuqu, I don’t think he would wait until his troops gathered before striking. He would attack immediately and divide his forces into two groups.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier rushed over and reported, “General Li, the beacon tower at Luanshikang has been lit—three columns of black smoke.”

Three columns of black smoke meant an enemy army was approaching. Li Sheng pondered for a while. Although it was likely a feint by the Tibetan army, he couldn’t afford to be careless. He immediately said to Yang Jingyun, “General Yang, you should lead 5,000 Dushan troops to defend Luanshikang. Use bows and arrows extensively to kill the Tibetan troops in the river.”

Yang Jingyun bowed in agreement and left. Li Sheng had no time to inspect Mizha City either. He immediately ordered, “All troops must enter emergency combat readiness immediately. The Jiuqu army and the Tuyuhun Mingcha troops should follow me to Feiyundu right away.”

The Yellow River upstream was not as wide or turbulent as in the middle and lower reaches. The water flow was gentle, the river was narrow, and there were often dense vegetation-covered islands in the middle. The banks had cliffs, but there were also gentle slopes and flat areas. The Tibetan army could easily cross the Yellow River using sheepskin rafts. The two easiest places to cross were Luanshikang to the south, where the river was narrow and the current slow, and Feiyundu directly to the west.

Feiyundu was not a ferry crossing but a stretch of about twenty li of gentle slopes and flat areas. Dense forests covered both banks of the Yellow River, and there was a narrow island in the middle called Xianke Island, about three li long and twenty zhang wide. The island was covered with lush trees and served as a habitat for cranes. The cranes flew high, as if immortals were present, hence the name Xianke Island.

If the Tibetan army was feinting, they were most likely to cross the river from Xianke Island. Li Sheng’s troops were not far from the Yellow River. The 35,000 troops were divided into three large camps. He led 19,000 Jiuqu troops and 5,000 Tuyuhun troops. The Jiuqu army was actually the Anxi troops that had just arrived. Li Guangbi had handed command of the 20,000 Anxi troops to Li Sheng, who then divided them into two groups: one called the Dushan army and the other the Jiuqu army.

In the darkness of the night, 15,000 troops marched swiftly through the valley. The distance from the main camp to the banks of the Yellow River was about 80 li, and they needed to march all night to reach it by dawn the next day.
It was already the fifth watch of the night; the darkness still reigned, with stars scattered across the sky. A bright crescent moon hung alone in the eastern horizon, but a hint of blue was already visible on the sky—dawn was approaching.
The Tang army was then 10 li away from the Yellow River banks. In a clearing about three li long within the valley, 15,000 Tang soldiers lay packed together. They had rested for an hour. The soldiers of the Anxi Army each had woolen sleeping bags, and despite the cold night wind, they slept soundly. The Tuyuhun soldiers also had their own ways of keeping warm—wrapping themselves in thick sheepskin—and they too fell into deep sleep.
Li Sheng, however, could not fall asleep. This was his first time commanding an army on his own. He might be facing the famous Tibetan general Ma Chongying. Facing such a fierce battle as his first command, he felt utterly uncertain.
He also knew this wasn’t because Li Guangbi valued him. He and Li Guangbi weren’t very close, and Li Guangbi didn’t know much about him. He would never entrust him with such important responsibilities. Li Sheng realized it must be an order from Li Qingan; otherwise, Li Guangbi would never hand over 20,000 Anxi Army soldiers to a young general from Longyou.
Li Qingan’s trust filled Li Sheng with gratitude, but it also imposed a heavy responsibility on him. Could he defeat Ma Chongying and defend the Jiuqu region this time? It would be a turning point in his military career, even in his fate. 15,000 Tang soldiers against 50,000 Tibetan soldiers—his strength wasn’t weak. It depended on whether his judgment was correct. He was betting that Ma Chongying would use a feint, pretending to attack Luanshikang while actually heading for Feiyundu.
As dawn approached, Li Sheng stood up and stretched deeply. It was time for the army to set off. Just as he was about to order them to move, he suddenly saw three thick columns of black smoke rising not far to the west.
It was a beacon fire—the beacon fire at Feiyundu had been lit!
……