Chapter 15: Beacon Fires (I)

The fortress welcomed honored guests from Chang’an. As the commander of the Great Wall fortress, it was only natural to host a grand banquet for them.
That night, Commander Dian Wuxi arranged a feast on the second floor of the fortress to entertain the soldiers of the Shence Army. At the fortress owner’s invitation, caravan leader Guan Yuyuan and two escorts were also fortunate enough to attend. The atmosphere was joyful and harmonious.
Under the commander’s orders, the fortress soldiers assembled the square tables used for meals, stretching them from the east end to the west end of the stone fortress.
“Come, come! Let your elder brother toast you as a welcome gift!”
Dian Wuxi raised a cup of wine and held it toward Li Kuo.
“Let’s drink and enjoy together!”
Li Kuo smiled slightly, raised his cup in a circular motion, and then drank it all in one gulp.
“Delicious!”
Dian Wuxi exclaimed loudly, patting Li Kuo’s arm. “Young Li has already reached the rank of regimental officer—his future must be bright. I, Dian Wuxi, truly enjoy making friends like you, who are straightforward and carefree. After all, that’s how one lives comfortably! For me, it’s one cup of wine, one piece of meat, and one friend!”
His words were full of boldness, inspiring similar enthusiasm in Li Kuo.
“A life so joyful deserves a big drink!”
Li Kuo filled his cup again and downed it in one gulp.
“Clap, clap, clap!”
Dian Wuxi clapped his hands and said, “You’re truly remarkable, young man. Now, watch the Loulan dance performance I’ve prepared for you.”
He gave a few orders to a bodyguard nearby. The bodyguard nodded and went to the stone gate, waving his hand. In moments, a group of young Loulan girls in colorful silk dresses entered, carrying a delicate fragrance with them.
“Young man, what do you think? Not bad, right?”
Dian Wuxi boasted proudly, showing his yellow teeth.
Li Kuo frowned and said, “According to the Tang Dynasty’s military regulations, women are not allowed in the barracks. Commander, you…”
Dian Wuxi waved his hand dismissively. “Ah, you don’t understand. The regulations forbid bringing camp prostitutes into the barracks. But such exquisite singers certainly don’t fall under that category.”
At his words, his subordinates agreed enthusiastically. Having lived in the fortress for years without seeing women, they were all restless. If even singers weren’t allowed in, life would be far too boring.

One of Dian Wuxi’s deputy generals chuckled and bowed to Li Kuo, saying, “Our governor is thinking of all of you brothers. It’s rare for us to see something ‘delicious,’ and if we’re not even allowed to dream of a bit of meat, who will be willing to fight for the Tang Dynasty? We’re not like General Li, who comes from the capital and has broad insights. Everyone just wants to support their families and survive better.”

For some reason, what should have been a reasonable statement took on a different meaning when spoken by him. Li Kuo felt disgusted and frowned repeatedly.

“Zhongli, don’t be rude!”

Dian Wuxi glared at Zhongli and sharply reprimanded him. Joking was fine, but his words had crossed the line. He still didn’t know much about Li Kuo, so it was best not to give him any leverage.

“Come on, let’s eat meat!”

Dian Wuxi personally cut a thin slice of meat from a roasted deer leg and handed it to Li Kuo.

Li Kuo nodded slightly, took the deer meat, and took a bite.

“It tastes good.”

“Hehe, glad you like it. Let’s start!”

Dian Wuxi squinted and waved his hand, signaling the singing girls to begin performing.

The lead dancer bowed deeply to the crowd before starting to dance gracefully.

“Brother Kuo, have you seen this kind of dance in Chang’an?” Dian Wuxi asked, stuffing a roasted lamb leg into his mouth with a smile.

Li Kuo shook his head. “To be honest, I’ve lived in Chang’an for sixteen years yet have never seen such a unique dance.”

“That’s right! These are descendants of Loulan. No one else can perform this dance. Though Chang’an is prosperous, it’s impossible to gather singing girls from all over, right?”

Dian Wuxi winked and slapped his leg.

“If it weren’t for our governor’s keen eye, these singing girls would still be picking fruits in some remote mountain, never getting such a chance to perform for everyone,” the military officer beside Dian Wuxi said, flattery overflowing from his mouth.

“Xi Mocha, only you know how to talk!” Dian Wuxi kicked Xi Mocha’s butt lightly and joked, “But hey, your lies make me happy!”

“As deputies, our most important duty is to serve you well. Only when you’re happy can you lead us better in defending the Tang Dynasty!” Xi Mocha gushed, speaking sweet nothings nonstop.

“You!” Dian Wuxi tapped him lightly with his finger without saying anything further.

“Liniang, dance well. If you perform well, who knows, I might even reward you by giving you to this general!” Dian Wuxi shouted at the lead dancer, in high spirits.

The dancer named Liniang seemed to understand Chinese. Her cheeks instantly turned red.

“Haha, the girl is blushing. After spending so many nights with the governor, she still acts innocent.”

Zhongli laughed so hard that he knocked over the wine cup on the table, spilling wine everywhere.
“Look at yourself—shouldn’t you be punished?”
Dian Wuxi grew stern, pretending to be angry.
“Yes, I deserve punishment! I’ll drink three cups as punishment!”
After saying that, Zhongli fetched two empty cups, filled them, and drank them all in one gulp. He then turned the cups around to show everyone that there wasn’t a drop of wine left.
“Haha, impressive!”
“Hahaha, haha…”
The atmosphere became lively. Just then, the wooden door burst open, and a soldier stumbled in and knelt down. The cold wind from late autumn rushed in through the door, instantly dispelling the effect of the wine.
With his pleasant mood ruined, how could Dian Wuxi be happy? He pointed at the soldier and said, “How have I taught you? Be more calm when handling things. If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up—why are you in such a hurry? Have you any idea the trouble you’ve caused to our guests?”
The soldier, scolded by his commander, felt extremely aggrieved and choked out, “Lord, the Tibetans—Tibetans have arrived!”
Dian Wuxi waved his hand dismissively. “I thought something serious had happened. It’s just a few Tibetan scouts. How many of them? Three hundred riders or five hundred?”
The soldier burst into tears. “At the foot of the mountain, there are all Tibetans—a sea of them. I don’t know how many, maybe five thousand, maybe ten thousand. We’re done!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Dian Wuxi’s drunkenness vanished instantly. He rushed down from the platform, grabbed the soldier by the collar, and yelled, “Say it again—how many Tibetans? Lying about military situations is a capital offense!”
The soldier collapsed to the ground, crying, “The entire foot of the mountain is filled with Tibetans. I really don’t know.”
“Hmph!”
Dian Wuxi threw the soldier to the ground and stood up, ordering, “Zhongli, Ximo, take your elite troops and come with me to the city walls to check!”
With that, he rushed out of the room first and headed to the battlement. The cold wind blew across his face, washing away all traces of alcohol. Looking into the distance under the faint light, he could faintly see figures everywhere—black masses in all directions.
“Where are the sentries? The sentries?”
Furious and embarrassed, Dian Wuxi roared loudly.
“Lord, everyone was at the banquet and didn’t pay attention. The beacon tower in the distance hasn’t been lit in a day—no one was prepared.”
The scouts knelt beside Dian Wuxi, crying and explaining.
“Damn you, good-for-nothing!”

Dian Wuxi kicked the leader of the scout team aside while shouting curses. He had no idea how so many Tibetans had managed to break through the Shimen Mountain defenses and rush all the way to the Great Wall Fortress; nor did he understand why the dozen or so beacon towers along the route hadn’t lit their warning signals all day. But none of this mattered now. What he needed to do was pick up his sword and defend this strong fortress at all costs.
“Brothers, take out your weapons and fight like hell!”
Dian Wuxi roared, his eyes, which were nearly seven feet tall, bloodshot.
Dark clouds covered the city as a storm was approaching. The fortress at Kanglang Mountain Pass was like a lone boat at sea, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.