Chapter 481: The Battle of Nine Turns (Part 2)

At this moment, many Tang soldiers saw the smoke signals before dawn. They stood up in surprise and stared at the signals. Initially, many soldiers had been puzzled why Li Sheng had not gone to Luan Shi Kan but instead came to Fei Yun Du. Now they understood Li Sheng’s foresight.
The well-trained troops of Anxi showed their excellence at this moment. When the enemy threat emerged, the Anxi soldiers quickly awakened their comrades from sleep. Silent and swift, they finished packing their belongings in no time and formed ranks, ready to set off at any moment. In contrast, most of the other 5,000 Tuyuhun soldiers were still asleep. Those who were awakened only looked around confusedly; seeing no one calling them, they went back to sleep.
Li Sheng could not help but marvel at the disciplined training of the Anxi troops. Compared to them, the soldiers from Longyou still fell short. At that moment, Deng Shan, a lieutenant general of the Anxi army, stepped forward and said, “General Li, we are fully prepared and ready to set off at any time.”
After pondering for a while, Li Sheng ordered, “The Left Guard and Central Guard shall follow me to the Yellow River. The rest of the troops shall remain at their posts!”
The army was divided into three guards—Left, Central, and Right—each consisting of 3,000 men. Under Li Sheng’s command, the 6,000 Tang soldiers set off immediately, mounting their horses and rushing toward the Yellow River bank, about ten miles away.
…
Fei Yun Du was a crucial crossing point for the Yellow River. Therefore, in addition to two beacon towers, there was also a scout camp with nearly a hundred scouts. Long before the Tibetan army was twenty miles away from the Yellow River, the Tang scouts had already detected them and immediately used the snow pigeons unique to the plateau to alert the beacon towers.
The beacon towers on the high ground across the river lit up their warning signals. Just half an hour after the signals were lit, the 6,000 soldiers from the Left and Central Guards arrived about two miles from the Yellow River bank. By then, the Tibetan army had not yet reached the river and was still ten miles away.
Li Sheng had received the message from the scouts. The main force of nearly 20,000 Tibetan soldiers was approaching from the middle section of Fei Yun Du. The areas along both banks of the Yellow River there were covered with dense forests, providing excellent cover. Yet Li Sheng’s gaze turned to Xian Ke Island in the middle of the river. The island was also shaded by dense willow trees with lush canopies, making it a natural hiding place. After pondering for a moment, he immediately turned around and ordered, “The first and second crossbow units must go to the island immediately to prepare an ambush against the Tibetan army as they cross the river!”
Li Sheng placed great emphasis on morale in battle—morale was crucial not only for the Tang army but also for the Tibetan army. Moreover, for Ma Chongying, crossing the river would be disadvantageous, so he might not launch an attack rashly. Instead, he would wait for the other 20,000 troops to join before launching another attack, giving Li Sheng time to prepare.

Although Li Sheng’s idea was good, he overlooked one thing: he hadn’t communicated with the generals of the Anxi Army under his command. Li Sheng was still under thirty years old and had previously been an obscure military officer. In fact, youth wasn’t important, nor was a lower rank. There were many young generals in the Anxi Army, and it had happened before that lower-ranking officers commanded higher-ranking ones. Back when Li Qing’an participated in the attack on Xiaobolue, he was just a colonel yet led officers above the rank of military officer.

So Li Sheng’s lower rank wasn’t the fundamental issue. The key point was that he wasn’t a general of the Anxi Army. The Anxi Army was highly combat-effective with strict discipline—they would act upon orders and stop when ordered, which were their strengths. However, the Anxi Army also had a downside: they tended to be exclusive. Any officer not from the Anxi system would find it difficult to control this army unless they were exceptionally outstanding.

For matters like troop deployment and marching, the Anxi Army would obey according to military discipline. But when it came to actual combat, some of their generals would have their own ideas.

As soon as Li Sheng gave the order, Lieutenant General Deng Shan stepped forward and said, “General Li, although ambushes on the island are good, if the Tibetans use fire attacks, it might be detrimental to the soldiers on the island. Please reconsider, General Li.”

It was normal for subordinates to offer advice, but Deng Shan was different. He was a veteran who had followed Li Qing’an for many years, having participated in the battles against Xiaobolue and Shibao City. He held great prestige among those 20,000 troops and was also a Lieutenant General and a loyal general. Before Li Sheng took command of these troops, he had essentially been the main commander. Now, his advice meant he opposed Li Sheng’s battle plan, though he expressed it subtly, using gentle words to dissuade him.

Only then did Li Sheng realize he had ignored the opinions of the Anxi Army. The ability to communicate effectively with one’s troops was also an important skill for a general. He smiled slightly and said, “General Deng, you may not be aware that although the island is covered in dense forests, the Tibetans won’t use fire attacks. This island is merely a springboard for their attack. If they used fire attacks, they wouldn’t be able to use the island themselves. Moreover, the Tibetans aren’t good at fire attacks due to the climate of the plateau. I’ve also considered the danger to the Tang troops on the island, which is why I’ve sent only a small number of Tang archers to ambush there—aiming to demoralize the Tibetans. Does this explanation help you understand, General Deng?”

Deng Shan thought for a moment and then said, “Our Anxi Army is equipped with small catapults that can throw stones weighing 20 jin up to 200 steps away. I think it’s sufficient to hold off the Tibetans from the shore—why take the risk of going onto the island?”

Li Sheng also understood in his heart that he couldn’t issue harsh orders to the Anxi Army; otherwise, it would arouse the soldiers’ resentment, which would be detrimental to the future defense of Jiuqu. He could only try to persuade them as much as possible. Especially since Deng Shan enjoyed high prestige among the Anxi Army, if he could support him, it would play a crucial role in the success of future battles. With this in mind, Li Sheng whispered a few words in Deng Shan’s ear, “General, you don’t know—I went to the island to scout ten days ago…”

Although Deng Shan was still somewhat skeptical, the boldness and audacity of Li Sheng’s plan suited his taste, so he nodded with a smile and said, “Alright! I agree to General Li’s plan. Please give the orders.”

…

When fighting against the Tang Army, Dazhalugong preferred it when the enemy called him Ma Chongying. He valued strategy in battle, especially the strategies of the Han people, whom he admired greatly. By adopting a Han name, Ma Chongying, he aimed to compete with them on an equal footing.

This time, Ma Chongying made a mistake in attacking Jiuqu. The scouts he sent repeatedly reported the same information: only 15,000 Tuyuhun troops were stationed in the Jiuqu area. Ma Chongying knew the Tuyuhun people better than anyone else. In the past, he had nearly 100,000 Tuyuhun troops under his command. The biggest flaw of the Tuyuhun army was their lack of bravery—or rather, their timidity. They were neither as fearless as the Tubo army nor as well-trained as the Tang army. Their equipment was outdated, and their morale was low. A 20% casualty rate would often lead to their collapse.

It was precisely because of his understanding of the Tuyuhun people that Ma Chongying decided to attack Jiuqu and Dafeichuan from two different directions. It wasn’t until he recaptured Wuhai that he received the latest intelligence: a 60,000-strong Anxi Army had entered Longyou, with 20,000 of them stationed in the Jiuqu area. In other words, he was no longer facing the weak Tuyuhun army but a elite Anxi Tang army. Although he realized it would be difficult to capture Jiuqu with just 30,000 Tubo troops, Ma Chongying still decided to test the Tang army’s strength first.

He sent his general Lun Xidazang with 3,000 troops disguised as 10,000 to cross the river at Luanshikang in the south, aiming to lure the Tang army’s main forces there. This was his usual tactic—successful most of the time, failed rarely. If the Anxi Army wasn’t familiar with him, they might fall into his trap, allowing his main forces to cross the river at Feiyundu calmly.

Ma Chongying also sent a large number of scouts to investigate the situation along the Yellow River. He had already received intelligence that there were about five to six thousand Tang troops on the other side of the river. Additionally, around a thousand more Tang troops had reached Xianke Island, clearly intending to lay an ambush on him. He couldn’t help but sneer—could just over a thousand Tang troops stop him from capturing Xianke Island?

He immediately waved his battle axe and ordered fiercely, “The entire army, speed up! As soon as we reach the shore, cross the river immediately and seize Xianke Island!”

……

Fifteen thousand Tang troops were divided into two groups. Nine thousand hid twenty li away, while Li Sheng led six thousand Tang troops to the banks of the Yellow River. Another thousand Tang troops, carrying crossbows and other military supplies, crossed to the island on sheepskin rafts.

By this time, Ma Chongying’s Tubo army was already several li away. The scouts he sent had long uncovered the Tang troops’ deployment.

Before long, the massive Tubo army arrived at the banks of the Yellow River. As Ma Chongying had ordered, the Tubo soldiers inflated their sheepskin or cowhide bags, tying dozens of them together to form a huge raft, then covering it with thick cowhide. Each raft could carry dozens to a hundred people. In just a moment, more than thirty such rafts were in the water. Three thousand Tubo troops at the forefront jumped onto the rafts and rowed vigorously toward Xianke Island in the middle of the river.

The Yellow River at Feiyundu was about five li wide, with gentle currents and flat land on both banks, allowing direct access to the interior of the river’s bends—perfect for large armies to cross. However, rowing for long periods was exhausting, and there was little room to maneuver if faced with enemy defenses. Thus, Xianke Island in the middle of the river served as an excellent staging ground. If captured, it would halve the distance the crossing army had to cover.

By now, two battalions of a thousand Tang troops had already taken control of Xianke Island. They were stationed across the two-li-long island, ready according to Li Sheng’s plan. Hidden in dense willow forests, they held their crossbows horizontally, watching as dozens of small black dots approached on the river surface.

The west bank of the Yellow River was about two li from Xianke Island. The Tubo soldiers, with bare upper bodies, rowed hard under the scorching sun. At the front of each raft stood six or seven Tubo soldiers, holding up specially made iron shields. Behind them, another twenty or so soldiers had bows drawn, ready to confront the Tang troops.

The thirty-plus rafts got closer and closer to Xianke Island. At three hundred steps away, the drums on the rafts began to beat—boom! boom! boom! The rhythmic sound encouraged the rowers. The Tubo soldiers shouted in unison. With their hair shaved off and faces painted, they looked especially ferocious. The rafts accelerated rapidly, getting closer and closer to Xianke Island—250 steps, 200 steps, 150 steps…

One hundred and fifty steps was the effective killing range of the Tang army’s crossbows. At that moment, a sound of clappers arose on the island, and a thousand Tang crossbowmen fired simultaneously. Arrows flew like swarms of locusts, shooting swiftly toward the rafts on the river surface.

The six rafts at the forefront were hit first. A dense rain of arrows clanged against their shields. Although the Tubo army raised shields for defense, the Tang crossbows were powerful. Thin and sharp arrows pierced through the gaps, breaking through the Tubo soldiers’ chainmail, causing many soldiers to fall into the water screaming in pain.

Especially the oarsmen, with no protection on either side and bare-chested, suffered the most. Many were killed by arrows, causing the rafts to spin in the river and unable to move forward. The rafts were also pierced by arrows and began to leak air. One raft, severely damaged, could no longer bear the weight of the Tubo soldiers and overturned with a loud crash. Dozens of Tubo soldiers fell into the water, struggling desperately. Clad in heavy chainmail, they couldn’t stay afloat and soon sank to the river bottom.

Wave after wave of Tang crossbow arrows continued to rain down. Seven rafts had already overturned, and four more had no oarsmen left, unable to move forward and drifting downstream. Nevertheless, fifteen rafts managed to get within a hundred steps. With drums beating like thunder and shouts echoing across the sky, the oarsmen rowed hard, getting closer and closer to Xianke Island.

On the opposite bank of the river, Li Sheng watched impassively as the Tubo army attacked Xianke Island. With only a thousand soldiers on the island and no means to deploy large-scale defensive weapons, its fall was inevitable. Judging from the current situation, the first wave of Tubo soldiers was about to reach the island. He glanced toward the opposite bank, five li away. Fortunately, the wind was strong that day, scattering the fog and allowing excellent visibility, so he could clearly see what was happening on the other side.

More rafts appeared on the opposite bank—dozens of them, like black dots. It was obvious that Ma Chongying hadn’t deployed all his forces; he had used only 30% of his army. Li Sheng felt a hint of regret.

On the river, three more of the fifteen rafts were overturned, and twelve rafts had reached within fifty steps of the shore, almost there. Six more rafts behind them were also within a hundred steps. The fierce faces of the Tubo soldiers could now be seen clearly, and their arrows poured down on the island. Some soldiers waved their swords, eyes wide, screaming hysterically like beasts.

At this moment, the Tang troops on the island began to retreat. Their original intention was not to seize the island; seeing that the Tibetan soldiers were about to land, they abandoned the island one after another, carrying the wounded soldiers and boarding rafts from the other side. One soldier had already boarded a raft but then remembered something, turned back, ran into the dense forest, cut down the flagpole with a knife, removed the Anxi army’s battle flag, and bent over, holding the flag as he rushed toward the riverbank. Tibetan arrows whizzed past his head. Upon reaching the riverbank, he leaped onto the last raft, and more than a dozen Tang soldiers immediately rowed hard toward their own shore.

The Tang soldiers were highly efficient; they had all evacuated by the time the Tibetan vanguard was still twenty steps away from the island. They were not wearing heavy armor, and the rafts were light and sturdy. Twenty rafts quickly left Xianke Island.

Victorious shouts from the Tibetan army echoed across Xianke Island, and their battle flags fluttered there, as if they had already won the battle.

A hint of mocking sneer appeared in Li Sheng’s eyes as he continued to watch the nearly a hundred large rafts moving swiftly across the river. Without any interference from the Tang army, these rafts all reached within a hundred steps of the island. Together with the Tibetan soldiers on the island, there were well over ten thousand people. Their hour of suffering was approaching.

On the opposite shore, Ma Chongying saw that his army had occupied Xianke Island as planned, and a smile appeared on his face. Seizing Xianke Island meant they had already won half the battle. There was a stretch of land over a dozen li long on the opposite shore suitable for landing. Even if the Tang army had trebuchets, it would be difficult to stop them from landing swiftly. He immediately turned around and ordered, “Beat the drums! Tell the warriors to prepare to attack the opposite shore right away!”

The loud sound of the drums echoed along the shore—this was the order to urge the Tibetan army to attack.

The forests on Xianke Island were dense, making it difficult for the large rafts to pass through. Therefore, after landing, one or two soldiers were left on each raft. They would row the rafts around the island to the other side. Xianke Island was elongated, with rocky areas in the north that made landing difficult, while the south was easier to reach. Thus, the rafts could only go around the island from the south. Ten days earlier, Li Sheng had personally explored the island and found that it was covered entirely with a type of willow tree with large crowns and soft wood. This material wasn’t suitable for building houses but was excellent fuel.

This gave Li Sheng a bold plan: if the Tibetan army really crossed the river at Feiyun, he could use this island as a battlefield.

Just as over a hundred rafts lined up in a queue, passing around the southern tip of the island one after another, several Tang army divers hidden along the shore quietly dived into the water. Wearing only shorts and biting sharp knives in their mouths, they swiftly swam beneath the Tubo army’s rafts, moving silently beneath them.

At the same time, on the northern side of the island, two other divers quietly climbed ashore. They took out an oil-paper packet from a stone cave, opened it quickly, and found it filled with flammable materials. Clearly, the Tang army planned to use fire as a weapon. The island was covered with dense willow forests that burned easily, and when the thousand Tang soldiers arrived, they brought large amounts of fire oil, which they applied to many of the tree branches on the island.

Nearly ten thousand Tubo soldiers were crowded on the east side of Xianke Island, anxiously waiting for the rafts to arrive. But no raft came, no matter how long they waited. Many soldiers grew desperate and started shouting and cursing. Unaware that most of the rafts had already sunk, with those sharp knives being their most terrifying enemy, they continued to wait.

Suddenly, a fierce fire broke out on the southern side of Xianke Island. The flames shot high into the sky. The dry willow forests, coated with fire oil, caught fire instantly. Driven by the wind, the fire spread rapidly, engulfing the entire island in moments. Red flames soared across the island, with terrifying tongues of fire bursting from the trees, consuming everything. Over ten thousand Tubo soldiers were trapped on the island with no way to escape. They screamed in fear, trampling on each other. Some threw themselves into the Yellow River, while others instinctively rushed back into the dense forests, hoping to find rafts to escape from the other side. But that side had already been consumed by the fire, and the path back was blocked as well. Thousands were trapped in the flames, screaming in despair under the scorching heat.

On both banks of the Yellow River, all the soldiers were stunned, unable to believe that the war had turned into such a tragic outcome. Li Sheng sighed in relief, but there was no trace of pride in his eyes—his fire attack strategy had finally succeeded.

Ma Chongying stared blankly as the fire consumed the entire island, listening to the screams and cries coming from it. His heart seemed to be consumed by the flames as well. He had learned the strategies of the Han people but failed to grasp their essence. The true essence of Han strategy was simply one sentence: Success or failure lies in the details.