Chapter 49: Mountains and Seas (II)

By the time the sun was high in the second day, all the soldiers were well-fed and full of energy. The reason for delaying the advance wasn’t Gao Xiuyan’s reluctance to waste troops, but rather scouts having discovered an enemy camp in a valley twenty li away.
According to the scouts, the enemy troops in that camp numbered no more than three thousand, posing no threat at all to the larger army. After much deliberation, Gao Xiuyan still decided to eliminate this threat along the way.
After some chaos, the army finally set out eastward.
As per Gao Xiuyan’s plan, Li Kuo led the Tongwu Camp along with over four thousand veteran soldiers from Longyou to open the way at the front. The experienced Lieutenant General Li Zigu, meanwhile, led five thousand veteran soldiers from Hexi to form the rear guard. The rest of the troops followed safely in the middle, protected by these two groups. There was little choice in this arrangement—General Geshu Han claimed to have assigned them thirty thousand elite soldiers, but in reality, less than 40% of them were veterans who had fought against the Tibetans. With the Longyou front line stretching so far, experienced veterans were needed both on the main battlefield and in the southern sector—where else could the elite troops be deployed?
The remaining soldiers were merely inexperienced recruits who had never seen battle. Soldiers who had not bled in combat were not true soldiers. No matter how accurate their archery or how dazzling their spear techniques, they paled in comparison to those experienced veterans.
Gao Xiuyan sighed. With the army at his disposal, it would be easy to crush that enemy camp thanks to the numerical advantage. But if they encountered experienced Tibetan troops, could their morale remain intact, and would they fight as one?
“General, beyond this mountain ridge lies Jinshu Valley,” said Lin Feng, bowing to Gao Xiuyan. Since meeting Li Kuo, he had gradually emerged from the shadow of being abandoned and integrated into this newly strengthened Longyou army.
Though there wasn’t a single comrade who had fought alongside him in the past, and though this army was still somewhat inexperienced compared to the once-impregnable force, he saw vitality in it! Yes, they possessed an ambition that veterans lacked—not just the fearlessness of young bulls charging at tigers, but also a hope for life. Recruits and veterans each had their strengths; it depended on the generals to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses!
“Hmm. After completing this mission, I will personally report your achievements to General Geshu Han,” said Gao Xiuyan, nodding with a gentle smile.
“Everyone, push harder! Once we cross this ridge, we’ll reach Jinshu Valley. This is our first battle—show me what you’re made of!”
A platoon leader rode back and forth at the edge of the army, shouting loudly to maintain discipline.

“Deputy Commander Zhang, I heard there are less than three thousand soldiers in that valley. How can just three thousand heads be enough for everyone?” (Note 1)
“Yeah, Commander Zhang. With so few people left for us, it’s like Zhang Fei trying to chew meat—there’s not even enough to chew!”
Hearing them speak so disrespectfully about war, Commander Zhang cursed loudly, “Shut your damn mouths! Don’t think all the Tibetans are weaklings. Let’s see if the three of you can gain an advantage by fighting one against them!”
He was a veteran who had experienced the massacre in the 29th year of the Kaiyuan era; back then, he was just as young as these new recruits. In his youth, he thought the Tibetans were nothing but uncivilized barbarians, easily slain like vegetables. It wasn’t until he saw those fearless Tibetan soldiers storm the city walls and slash one of their comrades in half with their curved swords that he realized war was no joke—one wrong move could lead to disaster!…
As the sun gradually set, the group finally arrived at Golden Rat Valley.
General Gao Xiuyan’s face was now as pale as iron. The camp was utterly silent, without a sound. There were no sentries on the watchtower at the entrance of the valley, no guards patrolling in front of the barracks, and even the wooden fences in front of the camp were piled up haphazardly…
“Where’s the scout leader? What’s going on here?”
Gao Xiuyan frowned and demanded an answer.
The scout leader had hoped to win the general’s favor by taking advantage of the situation, but the Tibetan camp, which had been crowded at noon, was now deserted and eerily quiet. Trembling, he stepped forward and said, “General, I… I don’t know either. Maybe the Tibetans are taking a nap?”
Hearing his reply, Gao Xiuyan’s anger flared, and he swung his whip at the scout leader. Unable to dodge, the man was struck hard on the left side of his face, falling to the ground in pain. A horrible bloodstain appeared on his left cheek, and his left eye was ruined.
“Hmph! Spreading false reports and disrupting our troops’ morale deserves death by law! Since you acted recklessly in pursuit of glory, I’ll keep your head in mind for now. Someone, drag him away!”
Gao Xiuyan felt disgusted seeing the scout leader writhing on the ground. Waving his hand, he stepped past him.
Gao Xiuyan’s personal soldiers stepped forward and dragged the scout leader away like a dead dog. His screams made many people sigh in dismay.
The new recruits, who had been joking and arguing earlier, were shocked by the general’s cruelty and fell silent.
“This General Gao is really heartless. Even if what the scout leader reported wasn’t true, he still put in effort. Why go so far?”

Zhang Yanji started shouting loudly, speaking up on behalf of those scouts.
“Sigh, military discipline must be strict. This misreported intelligence might have just led us to nothing, but next time it could cost everyone their lives. We’d better be more careful for safety’s sake.”
Although Li Kuo also felt pity for those scouts, he didn’t think Gao Xiuyan’s handling of them was wrong. After all, warfare isn’t a game, and scouts are the army’s eyes and ears. If those eyes and ears are controlled by others, wouldn’t the army become deaf and blind, easy prey?
“But this is too cruel!”
Zhang Yanji still couldn’t accept such a brutal method and argued.
“Let the vanguard charge in and raise the banners of our Tang Dynasty. Cover the camp with arrows—shoot wildly! Anyone who resists shall be executed without mercy!”
Fueled by anger, Gao Xiuyan issued the order to attack. He didn’t believe those scouts would dare to lie about the situation, meaning the Tibetans must have retreated eastward after learning of their whereabouts. But judging from the smoke that had just cleared from the valley, the Tibetans had likely left not long ago. If the army chased after them now, it might still be in time.
If those Tibetan guards managed to reach Jiuqu City and report back, then those 30,000 soldiers would be doomed!……
Note 1: Cutting off three ranks of enemies in battle earns one promotion; three consecutive promotions result in one rank increase. Clear rules, fair to all……