Chapter 72: Stone Fortress (1)

On May 25th, the eighth year of Tianbao, Ge Shu Han, the governor of Longyou, personally led 60,000 elite troops in a full-scale attack on Stone Fortress.
Both the Tang Dynasty and Tubo were determined to seize Stone Fortress. Taking it meant gaining control of the strategic stronghold at Chilin; in other words, capturing it would give the Tang Dynasty the upper hand in the war against Tubo. That was why the Tang Dynasty was willing to mobilize its entire nation for this battle, and all of Ge Shu Han’s tactical plans revolved around Stone Fortress.
To be honest, Stone Fortress was indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack. Built atop steep cliffs, it was surrounded by mountains over 800 feet high on three sides. The summit was relatively flat, and Stone Fortress, covering nearly 200 acres, was constructed there. The fortress had a permanent garrison of 1,000 soldiers, but the actual number often exceeded this, reaching around 1,500.
Although Stone Fortress was strategically located and claimed to be impregnable, it was not invincible. Its greatest weakness was its limited space, which meant only a limited number of soldiers could be accommodated. Without effective support, no matter how defensible it was, one could still block its entrance with corpses!
He had considered sending a surprise force to ambush Tubo reinforcements from the southern mountains surrounding Stone Fortress, but after discussing it with Da Fu, he decided it was not advisable. First, it was difficult to allocate troops properly—too many would draw the attention of Tubo forces in the southern region, rendering his plan useless, while too few would not have much impact. Second, behind Stone Fortress lay the vast Dafei River Basin, with flat terrain. Tubo could easily mobilize troops from the Wuhai area or recruit new forces along the Dafei Ridge. No matter how many troops he sent, how long could he hold them back?
Only by making the Tubo feel a severe threat could they be intimidated; only by putting Tubo forces in a dilemma could they make decisions more favorable to Ge Shu Han.
The Tubo were certainly not fools, so the cost had to be one they couldn’t bear! He had already received secret reports that during the war, Tubo’s king, Chide Gutsan, would personally go to Jiuku City to boost morale. So, he would satisfy Chide Gutsan’s desire for battle by sending troops to encircle the city from behind!
Using a feint to rescue another force was a last resort. If he didn’t attack Jiuku City, how could he drive away the Tubo defenders at Chilin? If he didn’t withdraw the reinforcements from Chilin, even with three heads and six arms, Ge Shu Han could only beat the rocks of Chilin Mountain in vain.
Sigh, then it depended on Gao Xiuyan and Li Kuo’s ability to adapt on the spot. He hoped he hadn’t misjudged them!
“Ugh, ugh-ugh-ugh-ugh.”

The deep horns sounded, and the Tang army launched its first assault.
Zhang Shouyu stared intently at the Tubo army flags atop Shibao City, his expression grave. As the vanguard commander of this siege, and a trusted subordinate of Geshu Han, he was well aware of the political significance of this battle for their commander. Victory would bring rapid promotion, while defeat would bring disgrace. He was already deeply bound to Geshu Han, leaving him no choice but to seize Shibao City at all costs.
Glancing down at Wu Hai and Tao Cheng standing nearby, Zhang Shouyu allowed himself a slight smile of relief. These men were veterans he had trained himself; even if he didn’t trust himself, he couldn’t doubt them.
After his promotion, they too had risen to the rank of junior officers, officially becoming part of the Tang army. Life was often like this—when you were in extreme distress or despair, the gaze of a trusted friend could inspire you to pick up your sword again!
“Captain Wu Hai, report for orders!”
“Here I am, sir!”
“I order you to lead the first and second battalions, along with six hundred soldiers, to the first tier of the stone plain. You must secure a foothold there at all costs!”
Zhang Shouyu raised his voice and commanded, “Captain Zhang, I only have six hundred men. To reach the first tier of the stone plain… it’s probably impossible…”
“What, is there a problem?”
Zhang Shouyu’s gaze sharpened, his tone suddenly cold.
“No problem. Even if I die fighting on those stone walls, I will fight to secure a base for our army!”
Wu Hai puffed out his chest, his voice filled with a manly resolve.
Zhang Shouyu patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t overthink it. Once we take control of the stone plain, we’ll set up tents. Leave the rest to me. The lives of men from Longyou are precious—we can’t allow you to waste them like this.”
Moved by Zhang Shouyu’s words, Wu Hai’s eyes reddened. “Captain Zhang, you… you… thank you!”
It took the tall man a long time to muster a few words, his teeth biting his lips.
“Go now! Real men don’t cry!”
Zhang Shouyu gave Wu Hai’s backside a playful kick, shouting jokingly.
“I’m off, Captain Zhang. Take care!”
With that, Wu Hai turned and strode toward the foot of the mountain, his silhouette tinged with melancholy.
Zhang Shouyu sighed softly. “Captain Tao Cheng, report for orders!”
“Here I am, sir!”
Tao Cheng bowed and replied.
“I order you to lead a thousand sword and shield soldiers to carry stones and follow Wu Hai closely. Once he secures the stone plain, you must immediately join him there!”
“Is that… all?”

Tao Cheng stared at Zhang Shouyu in disbelief, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion.
“Just do as I say—no need for all this nonsense!”
Zhang Shouyu was annoyed, his voice laced with anger.
“Yes!”
Though he didn’t understand why Zhang Shouyu wanted him to move so many boulders to the stone plain, he trusted his boss! He was a soldier, and soldiers only had to obey!
“Go.”
Zhang Shouyu nodded, his eyes weary.
“Third Regiment Lieutenant, Li…”
Halfway through, he realized that Li Kuo was now in charge of a whole battalion on his own. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Third Regiment Lieutenant Wang Zilin, I order you to lead four hundred elite soldiers to transport the axle-turning carts to the stone plain. Any problems?” (Note 1)
Wang Zilin wasn’t originally his subordinate; General Geshu had temporarily assigned him to him. That’s why he used such a tone to “discuss” matters—with him, if Wang Zilin failed to understand, Zhang Shouyu wouldn’t hesitate to be ruthless!
“I accept the order!”
To his surprise, Wang Zilin agreed quite readily.
“Hmm.”
With a brief response, Zhang Shouyu waved his hand, signaling Wang Zilin to get ready.
With a bitter smile, he looked northward.
He only hoped Wang Zilin would reach Jiuqu City safely. Whether they could capture Shibao City would depend on this special force.
From afar, over six hundred Tang soldiers clung to the stone cliffs like ants, crawling toward the stone plain dozens of feet away. Each of them had a snake-skin bag tied around their waist, filled entirely with iron wedges. Though they looked ugly, they proved extremely useful. At first, when Zhang Shouyu ordered the army blacksmiths to forge them overnight, everyone didn’t understand their purpose. It wasn’t until they actually climbed the sheer cliffs of Chiling that they realized their value.
Chiling was full of dangerous peaks and cliffs. Even though they were currently only climbing at the foot of the mountain, the slope of the cliffs already reached over sixty degrees. What was most frustrating was that the cliffs were extremely smooth, with not a single plant growing on them. Despite their strength, they couldn’t use it effectively—until their lieutenant told them to take out the iron wedges from their bags, which changed everything.
Though the cliffs of Chiling were smooth, there were still some gaps. They simply needed to insert the iron wedges into those gaps and hammer them firmly with knives to secure them.
Using these iron wedges as footholds, they moved like fish in water, instantly gaining momentum.
Who said Chiling was too dangerous to climb? It all came down to human effort.
“Xiao Jiu, why did you come along too? Just a little kid—trying to earn fame in the battlefield like the men?”

A veteran in his thirties lifted his leg to test the hardness of the rock wall; seeing no sign of looseness, he drove an iron wedge into it firmly.
“Who’s this kid? I’m already ten or nineteen!”
The soldier known as Xiao Jiu appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen, his youthful face filled with stubbornness.
“Oh, Xiao Jiu’s already an adult. Have you ever tasted a woman? That feeling, oh, it makes one’s muscles and bones tingle.”
Trying to ease his fear, the soldier deliberately stirred up trouble.
“What’s so special about women? My mother arranged a marriage for me in Jixian. I’ll consummate it as soon as I return home!”
Xiao Jiu raised his eyebrows, his voice brimming with pride.
“That’s great then. The taste of a woman is something no amount of delicacies can compare to.”
The veteran talked intermittently, but his work didn’t stop. He encountered a huge rock wall and searched for ages without finding a single crack.
What should he do? Should he go back the way he came and find another path?
As he pondered, he felt a strong wind blow from above.
“Be careful!” Xiao Jiu shouted hoarsely.
But it was too late. When the veteran looked up, he saw a boulder weighing hundreds of pounds rushing toward him. His pupils widened in terror. The giant rock rolled down, crushing everything in its path—shattering the iron wedge and destroying the veteran’s hopes.
In an instant, the veteran became a mass of flesh and blood, stuck to the boulder as it rolled down the hill.
“Big Brother Laolao!” Xiao Jiu’s small chest heaved as he cried bitterly.
Biting his lip, he glanced at the towering Tibetan flag, feeling a flame of anger ignite in his heart.
“Tibetan brutes! I’ll fight you to the death!”
Xiao Jiu pulled out an iron wedge and drove it hard into the crack in the rock.
Note 1: Chuanzheche: A vehicle equipped with twelve stone crossbows, connected by iron hooks and ropes. As the vehicle rotated on its axle, the crossbows were drawn to full tension. Each crossbow had seven nocks, with the central nock holding a large arrow—seven inches long and five inches wide, with a three-foot shaft five inches in diameter, its feathers made of iron. There were three arrows on each side, smaller than the central one. When the trigger was pulled, all arrows were released simultaneously, reaching a range of seven hundred steps. Any fortress hit by these arrows would be destroyed, and its towers would collapse—this was known as a chuanzheche (see Volume 160 of Tongdian).