Chapter 15: The North Wind (V)

Early the next morning, as dawn just began to break, Li Kuo, the commander of the Tianwei Army, arrived at the army camp under the protection of his trusted subordinates to boost morale. His inspiring speech greatly strengthened the confidence of the Tianwei Army. Soldiers of all ages, almost every one of them, raised their arms tearfully, vowing to stand together with the deputy commander and fight side by side with the Tang forces in Anxi!

Satisfied with the attitude of his generals, Li Kuo sought to further solidify the already somewhat unstable morale. After delivering words of encouragement, he personally went among the soldiers, shaking hands with them in a pledge to defeat Suoye in battle.

To the generals’ great admiration, the deputy commander not only possessed extraordinary courage but was also extremely kind to his subordinates. As the commander of an army, he took the time to help ordinary soldiers adjust their armor and clothing, occasionally patting some on the shoulder with a smile.

These Han soldiers had previously seen Li Kuo’s harsh side in governing the army and thought he was just another noble from a previous dynasty. They never expected the deputy commander to have such a gentle side. All the soldiers admired him deeply, and some young recruits, still tender-hearted, even secretly shed tears. (Note 1) With such a compassionate commander, what more could the soldiers of the Tianwei Army ask for?

“The general said we are fighting to reclaim what belongs to us—Suoye City, which once belonged to the Great Tang!” they said. “We have no guilt; we must fulfill our duty as men!”

“Tell me, why are you fighting?” Li Kuo asked loudly, standing outside the camp gate and glancing at the dense crowd outside.

“For the Great Tang! For the Great Tang!”

“Good. Does that city to the north belong to us? Should we reclaim it?” Li Kuo asked again, nodding slightly.

“Where the sun rises is the land of the Great Tang!”

“Reclaim it! Reclaim it! It’s our homeland—why let those barbarian Turks occupy it?”

“Reclaim it! Follow the general and take back what belongs to us!” “Reclaim it! Reclaim it…”

This was not just a slogan—it was a monument built with the blood and lives of countless soldiers, filled with the respect of Tang soldiers for their country.

They came from various backgrounds before joining the army—some were laborers making a living through hard work, while others were farmers tilling the land with their backs to the sky. Of course, there were also those born into wealthy families with great luck, for whom joining the army was merely a formality, a way to gain some experience for faster promotion in the future.

Their reasons for joining the army varied as well. Some did it to secure a wife and provide for their children or to achieve fame and honor; some aimed to expand the territory of the Tang Dynasty and leave a lasting legacy; and of course, some were driven by anger at the barbarians who had killed their relatives and fellow villagers…

But no matter their previous backgrounds or motives, at this moment they shared one common goal: to drive out the Turkic barbarians who occupied Shuiye City and restore it to the map of the Tang Dynasty!

Where the sun rises belongs to the Tang Dynasty. Every land illuminated by the sun and moon is part of our Chinese land…

“Set off!”

Li Kuo drew out his black sword, which had not seen blood in ages, and shouted triumphantly toward the sky…

“Brother Kuo, in my opinion, Shuiye City seems quite strong. Should we really attack it head-on?”

Looking at the dark, dirty city walls covered in sticky fluids, Zhang Yanji held the reins in one hand and asked tentatively. Though he tried his best to hide it, his words revealed clear signs of fear. It was not really Zhang Yanji’s fault—since the Tianwei Army was sent to suppress the rebellion in Shuiye in a hurry, they didn’t bring much equipment or supplies.

Even the necessary siege instruments were chosen by Li Kuo to be lightweight. As a result, aside from the smallest crossbows and simple ladders made of birch wood, the Tianwei Army had few effective siege tools with them.

This might have been acceptable for an ordinary county town, but they were about to attack Shule City, one of the four garrisons in Anxi. Although not as fortified as Chang’an or Luoyang, Shule was still one of the most prominent cities in the Western Regions.

It was quite unrealistic to expect to capture it without siege engines.

Seeing his friend’s doubts, Li Kuo simply smiled and waved his hand. “Don’t worry too much. Just follow my plan. I guarantee we’ll capture it within ten days!”

“What if we just besiege it instead of attacking? Deplete the city’s food supplies and starve the Turkic people to death?”

Zhang Yanji still wasn’t giving up and came up with another idea that was both amusing and ridiculous.

As the art of war says, if your forces are ten times stronger than the enemy’s, surround them and attack their reinforcements.

However, this tactic of besieging a city to cut off reinforcements seems rather inappropriate under the current circumstances. Not to mention that the Great Devourers are preoccupied with their own affairs and cannot possibly send reinforcements to Shuie in the short term, the food reserves in Shuie City alone are enough to feed the Turki-Shi people for half a year. If they really resort to besieging the city to cut off reinforcements, it’s likely that those who will starve to death won’t be the Turki-Shi people but the Tang troops in Anxi themselves!
Seeing Li Kuo remain silent, Zhang Yanji seemed to have realized the implications as well. With a red face, he said, “Just pretend I never said anything. Let’s attack the city instead.”
Despite his doubts, Zhang Yanji ultimately chose to trust Li Kuo. Though this guy’s thoughts were hard to fathom, he always had plenty of ingenious ideas that ended up bringing surprises to everyone.
“Order the First Thousand Troops to attack the city!”
Li Kuo drew his black sword and swung it vigorously, his smile vanishing instantly.
Upon receiving the commander’s order, Pu Da Chui nodded and personally raised a green flag. He originated as a standard-bearer in the Copper Warriors Camp and rose to prominence thanks to Li Kuo’s trust. Normally, after such rapid promotions, he wouldn’t need to perform such routine tasks as a standard-bearer. But this battle was extraordinary, and Pu Da Chui hoped his actions would inspire his comrades to give their all.
The Tang army had fixed signal flags, most of which were established during the Wude and Zhenguan eras. Having been in use for so long, they often failed to keep up with the changes in actual battlefield conditions.
To adapt to the ever-changing battlefield situation, various border governors established their own signal flags, which made command and communication easier for their troops. However, this also led to potential conflicts in signal usage when armies were moved. When the Tianwei Army was dispatched to Anxi, Li Kuo ordered the military officer in charge to inform the officers above the rank of xiaowei of the Anxi army’s signal flags.
Even so, it took the Tianwei Army nearly ten days to fully understand the Anxi Tang army’s signal flags. Only then did Li Kuo feel confident enough to use the unique signal flags of the Shule Army to command the Tianwei troops.
According to the Anxi army’s system, the flags used were divided into five colors: green, red, brown, yellow, and black. Depending on the battlefield situation and the tasks at hand, these five colors of flags were waved accordingly. The specific battle strategies were determined by the gestures of the flag bearers.
This time, Pu Da Chui waved the green flag, signaling a full-scale attack with no reserves left. He also crossed the flag three times in front of his chest, meaning that the First Thousand Troops should take the lead as a shield, the Second Thousand Troops should follow closely, and the Third Thousand Troops should provide fire support for cover.
This method of attacking a city was common in military treatises from various dynasties. Though not groundbreaking, it was simple, easy to understand, and reliable, making it suitable when the attacking side held a decisive advantage.

However, the balance of offense and defense in this siege clearly did not allow Li Kuo to act as he pleased. Although the Tianwei army numbered over ten thousand, the Turgesh warriors in Suiye City were also no less than five thousand. In this case, the Tang army’s absolute strength was only twice that of the Turgesh people.
Attacking a city with twice the strength was indeed a risky move.
But on the battlefield, orders must be carried out without hesitation. Since Li Kuo had given the order, right or wrong, his soldiers had no choice but to obey.
The three passes of Zisei stand apart, with yellow dust rising in all directions. The Hu flutes sound again as the mighty gates unlock.
The ancient city’s battlements echo as horses gallop back. The Hu people shed tears, while the Han frontier roars like a dragon!
Accompanied by deep horns and resonant drums, the Tang army’s first thousand-man unit charged at Suiye City with square shields!……
Note 1: Duke of Yue: Refers to Yang Su, a famous minister of the Sui Dynasty, known for his strict and ruthless military tactics.