Chapter 48: Mountains and Seas (I)

On the tenth day of the fifth month in the eighth year of Tianbao, Geshu Han, the governor of Longyou, personally led 60,000 elite troops from Longyou to camp beneath Shibao City. He ordered Abusi to lead his Tongluo cavalry along with the troops from Hexi—totaling 60,000—around the southern route of Chilin Mountain to intimidate and hold back the Tibetan defenders in the Bai Gu and Wan Xiu areas. Meanwhile, he secretly sent General Gao Xiuyan and Lieutenant Li Kuo with 30,000 special troops to cross Qinghai Lake and attack Jiuqu City from the flank…

The Battle of Hehuang had officially begun. The Tang Dynasty and Tibet were now like gamblers risking everything—they had no way back once they stepped onto the gambling table.

Passing through Shenwei City and crossing Qinghai Lake, they headed straight for Jiuqu City. According to reliable intelligence, the Tibetan king, Trisong Detsen, had already set out to oversee the troops, so he surely wouldn’t stay at the front line. Jiuqu City, the closest to Shibao City, was his best choice…

The strategy of “besieging Wei to rescue Zhao” was applied in a somewhat forced but effective manner. There wouldn’t be many defenders in the Jiuqu area, so they surely could force the Tibetans to send reinforcements!

This was what General Geshu Han had said to them before setting off. Although they had to stop for a short rest because of the long convoy, they only stayed on Longju Island for one night. The next day, before dawn, the 30,000 Tang troops set off without delay toward the Haixi crossing.

“Qilang, the outcome of this Battle of Hehuang determines the fate of the Tang Dynasty. The lives of millions of people in Guanlong depend on you!”

Whenever Li Kuo remembered Geshu Han leaving him alone that night and saying those words while patting his shoulder, he couldn’t help but shudder. Since when had he borne the burden of his nation’s survival? The young man couldn’t imagine what would happen if the battle failed…

“Brother Kuo, since we’re here, why not march straight into Lhasa City and destroy the Tibetans’ stronghold?”

Zhang Yanji rode on his horse, giving orders with great authority.

“Hm?”

Li Kuo snapped out of his thoughts and replied. After understanding his friend’s idea, he smiled bitterly. “Not to mention we don’t even have the authority to attack Jiuqu City. Even if the general gave us the freedom to act on our own, Lhasa City is thousands of miles away from the west coast of Qinghai Lake. By the time we get there, the battle will likely be over.”

“I was just suggesting. It still depends on you to make the decision.”

Zhang Xiaolangjun shrugged and smirked.

“Qilang, if we keep marching at this pace, we might miss the best opportunity!”

General Gao Xiuyan tightened the reins, waiting for Li Kuo to catch up to him.

“Yes, the commander said they will launch a full-scale attack on May 20th, which means we must reach the outskirts of Jiuqu City by the 20th. We’re all light cavalry with minimal supplies—almost no heavy equipment except for small trebuchets. Each person and horse has rations for three stones, and after traveling just over a hundred li, it’s unclear when we’ll be able to cross the vast Dafei River.”
Li Kuo spurred his horse to catch up and nodded in agreement.
With thirty thousand Tang cavalry marching at full speed, they certainly didn’t need to worry about small groups of Tibetan defenders, but they also lost their advantages in mobility and concealment. The vast cavalry force was exposed under the clear sky; even if the guards at the fortresses along the way were blind, they would still be visible.
However, they didn’t have to worry about ambushes. Aside from the ten thousand troops stationed at Dafei River, there were hardly any regular military forces in this area. Once they crossed this obstacle, they would enter the flat highland grasslands, allowing them to reach the outskirts of Jiuqu City as quickly as possible and force the defenders at Chiling to send reinforcements!
Yet the mountain roads in the Dafei Ridge area were extremely difficult to navigate. Since entering the ridge, they hadn’t found a single road as straight as the official roads of the Tang Dynasty. Almost every dirt path was worn by hunters and herb gatherers. After being washed by heavy rains, the soft soil collapsed into mud. At first, they didn’t pay much attention, stepping in the mud carelessly, but it soon caused serious trouble for their ankles.
Li Kuo was secretly glad he had Lin Feng, an experienced soldier from Longyou, with them. Without him as a guide, they might have gotten lost in the dense forests. Although the mountain roads seemed to lead straight ahead, without guidance, outsiders would likely end up wandering in circles.
What was even more terrifying was the presence of deadly quicksand in this wilderness. It looked like a calm mirror on the surface, but in reality, it was like a murderer hiding a knife behind a smile. According to Lin Feng, whether it was hunters, herders, or animals, none had ever managed to escape unscathed once they stepped into the quicksand!
As the sun began to set, they set up camp in front of a raised earthen slope and pitched tents. More than two hundred white canvas tents stretched in a row, bathed in the golden light of the sunset, creating a spectacular sight. But the soldiers, who had marched all day, clearly had no mood to appreciate the beauty. As soon as their commander, Gao Xiuyan, ordered them to camp, they collapsed like limp meat, gasping for breath.
“Damn it, Old Wu, aren’t you afraid of breaking your legs from all this marching?”
A fire officer from the Tongwu Camp panted heavily, complaining angrily. He was from Liaodong and spoke with a strong nasal accent.

Old Wu moved around a few times and said, “Who knows? We just do as ordered from above. Brother Qi, after serving in the army for so many years, don’t you understand this basic principle? But I heard we’ll have it the easiest in this battle.”
The man surnamed Qi spat and said, “Nonsense! Who the hell said it’s easy? If anyone thinks it’s easy, let them go fight! I, Qi Laosan, don’t want to earn military merits! Don’t think just because the main force of the Tubo is concentrated at Chiling, we’re safe. We’re actually urinating right at their doorstep, advancing alone—do you understand? That’s exactly what we are!”
Li Sheng patted the man surnamed Qi on the head and said, “Qi Laosan, don’t pretend you understand. Advancing alone means an isolated army entering enemy territory. We’ve left a retreat route—what’s there to fear?”
He had now been promoted to the commander of the Sixth Brigade of the Tongwu Camp due to his merits, and had gradually earned the trust of the main general Li Kuo and the respect of his comrades, so his words carried weight.
Qi Laosan smiled brightly and said nothing more.
“I heard that the women of the Tubo are all very lustful. Most of their men are fighting at the borders and can’t return home even a few times a year. These women are so frustrated that whenever they see a man, no matter who it is, they just knock him down and satisfy their desires first!”
Seeing the conversation getting dull, Old Wu took the initiative to lighten the mood.
Upon hearing this, Qi Laosan immediately became interested. He shifted his seat eastward and said, “What? How can there be such shameless witches in the world? Then why don’t we see them coming out to welcome our army? Brother has been dying to satisfy himself these past few days!” (Note 1)
Old Wu gave him a disdainful look and said, “Do you think the Tubo have that many women? If our 30,000-strong army marches in together, won’t they be driven to madness? Even if they’re ugly with pockmarks, as long as their butts are round enough, they’ll probably be devoured until not a bone is left!”
“That’s true. After all, it’s the feel that matters for women. When it gets dark and they cover themselves with blankets, don’t they still rely on those two inches between their legs to seduce?”
Hearing their jokes and vulgar remarks, Li Sheng unconsciously shifted to the side. Deep down, he still saw himself as a Confucian general and couldn’t tolerate such talk.
Li Kuo leaned against a mound of earth outside the tent, warming himself by the fire, thinking about the past dozen days.
In this expedition, Gao Xiuyan was the main general, with him serving only as a deputy general.

Ranking by military rank was only natural, and Li Kuo had no complaints about it. What troubled him, however, was that his third brother, Li Zigu, was also in this army. He held the position of Lieutenant General in the Hexi Army, a true fourth-rank official in the Tang Dynasty, yet because he was under the Hexi Army, the commander forced him to be under Gao Xiuyan’s control. Gao Xiuyan was merely a guerrilla general; although he had merits for defending Shenwei City, he could at most reach the same rank as his third brother. If not for his uncle Gao Xianzhi, he would never have been given command of this army.

Although he knew this was the result of compromises among various forces, he still felt disgusted. Had the military achievements of the Tang Dynasty been cut into pieces for different factions to divide? Was all that glory of 150,000 armored soldiers just an illusion?

Though Gao Xiuyan treated him kindly andfriendlyly, the young man always felt his attitude was too familiar, his smile too artificial.

That professional smile made him feel weak, cold, and shivering uncontrollably!

What worried the young man even more was the attitude of the soldiers. Perhaps because of a few victories, they saw war as too easy. Even if everything went smoothly and they managed to force the Tibetan forces to retreat to Jiuku City, they would still lose many comrades.

One general’s success comes at the cost of thousands of bones. Perhaps in the eyes of the commander, the only value of these ordinary soldiers was to use their bones to build the lasting achievements of the generals and highlight the extraordinary feats of the nobles. Phrases like “dying in battle with honor” were merely excuses used by those in power to inspire soldiers to die for them. Half the city in dust, half in blood—these ordinary soldiers’ lives were worth less than ants in the eyes of those in power. People often say “I regret urging my husband to seek a noble title,” but they don’t realize that these soldiers don’t even have the chance or power to become nobles.

Yet they treated war as a game, just a game!

The moonlight shone softly, bathing everything in spring’s glow. The sun rose and set, evoking both joy and sorrow.

Li Kuo suddenly remembered a poem his grandfather used to read to him when he was young: “The gentleman is at war, his return unknown; the gentleman is at war, neither day nor month in sight.” (Note 2)

When this war was over, during the Shangyuan Festival, he could return to Chang’an and sit by the old locust tree, drinking the flower tea prepared by A Tian, right?

Note 1: “Koushi” is dialect for “buttocks.”

Note 2: From “The Gentleman is at War” in The Book of Songs, expressing a woman’s deep longing for her husband who is away at war.