Chapter 25: Gains and Losses (I)

When night fell, all the ugliness in the world donned a layer of darkness, hiding within a facade of pretended order.
As the moon rose and the sun set, the City of Light transformed into a city of sin. What else could those children left homeless by war do but hide in corners and weep quietly?
Man is the butcher, I am the fish. Perhaps, from the start, the choice was never in their hands.
On the city walls, in the alleys, beside the taverns—every place and corner in this once-glorious City of Suiye was stained red with blood.
Blood? Blood! It is a color that brings sorrow, joy, depression, or madness.
For these Tang soldiers from Anxi, everything before them was utterly normal. War knows no right or wrong—only victory or defeat. Having shed tears and blood, they were accustomed to the joys and sorrows, partings and reunions of the world…
Although the Tang soldiers from Anxi had initially cleaned up the streets of Suiye City after the war, removing many filthy remnants, if one paid close attention, one could still find severed arms in deserted alleys or bodies too disfigured to identify.
The owners of these limbs might have been the original inhabitants of Suiye, the Turgesh people, or they might have belonged to the Tang army of Anxi. Regardless of their identity, their fate was always the same: being thrown into mass graves miles outside the city and covered with dirt.
After a great war, plagues were the greatest fear. If these corpses were not dealt with promptly and properly, irreversible consequences could arise.
The dead were gone, and their suffering surely should not be passed on to the living. Perhaps this choice was beneficial for both sides.
In fact, the Tang army did not win easily. Had it not been for Li Kuo, the governor of Shule under the Tang dynasty, who led the Copper Warrior Elite Regiment into battle at the last moment, Zhou Fanghu and Qiao Feng, who were trapped, would likely have been torn to pieces by the fanatical Turgesh people. After all, Birjin had issued a fierce order to kill these Tang soldiers at any cost.
He even abandoned the defense of the city walls, sending all available Turgesh soldiers to the eastern gates of Suiye City to engage in brutal close combat with the Tang army.
They knew defense was hopeless and only hoped to drag these Tang soldiers down with them before dying. Although Zhou Fanghu, Qiao Feng, and their allies were strong, they were exhausted from prolonged fighting and under constant assault from the Turgesh, gradually losing their strength.

Every time they raised their swords, it took them several times more effort than usual, while their opponents, like beasts unacquainted with fatigue, charged at them ferociously.
537, 314, 132, 73…
In the end, only thirteen people remained in the entire vanguard, including Zhou and Qiao. It was these thirteen who created a miracle, holding on until the main army entered the city!
When the great Tang army flag bearing the crimson character “Tang” appeared before Qiao and Zhou, they thought they were hallucinating.
But when the handsome young general charged into the battlefield with a black sword, knocking down several Turkic warriors, and when the warm blood of the enemy chiefs splashed onto their cheeks, they finally believed they were not dreaming!
“We are comrades, brothers who have shared life and death!”
The young general gave them a heroic smile, dissolving all previous tensions between them.
The glaciers melted, turning into sweet springs that flowed across the wasteland. In the barren land nourished by blood, flowers finally bloomed.
“He clearly intended to make things difficult for us! Since he’s not our own flesh and blood, he naturally doesn’t care about us. We had conflicts with him before; that kid must have grown disgusted and wanted to use the Turkic warriors to kill us!”
Zhou Fanghu still heard those words from the squad leader in his ears. Yes, the Tianwei Army had conflicts with him, and he could have used others to kill them and then shifted the blame onto the Turkic warriors.
He could have taken this opportunity to have them all killed by the Turkic warriors!
After all, the Turkic warriors were already at their wits’ end, and he could easily capture the city later. He could have used this chance to retaliate against those who had once questioned or challenged his authority.
But he didn’t. That gentle yet unyielding young general showed everyone what kind of person deserved to be a general of the Tang Dynasty!
Such a person didn’t need an uncle who was a high-ranking official in the court or a maternal uncle who was a military governor. All he needed was a sincere heart that treated comrades like brothers!
“We are comrades, brothers who have shared life and death!”
At that moment, Zhou Fanghu felt incredibly happy.
The subsequent actions were routine and uninteresting. The Tang army blocked some of the main streets in Suiye City and conducted house-to-house searches in key areas. The reason was simple: some remnants of the Turkic forces had fled to the city when the situation turned unfavorable during the war.

To prevent the people of the city from suffering further at the hands of the Turkic Khaganate, the deputy military governor decided to eradicate them completely and wipe out all remnants of the Turkic Khaganate. Of course, General Li specifically ordered that the Tang troops in Anxi not harass the city’s inhabitants and ensure they were left untouched.

Of course, orders are one thing, but once they reach the soldiers, it’s another matter. The soldiers of Tianwei had no goodwill toward these barbarians; during the war, they had helped the oppressors, and many of their comrades had died. If the general hadn’t given the order, even if they weren’t ordered to kill them, the soldiers would still have wanted to teach these despicable people a lesson. But since the general had issued the order, they had to at least show some respect to him.

In the end, the sensible people of Suiye City voluntarily offered gifts to express their gratitude to the Tang troops for capturing Suiye and saving them from disaster. Since these actions were entirely “spontaneous” and not forced by the soldiers, Li Kuo turned a blind eye.

Of course, this outcome was much more humane compared to the practice of massacring entire cities after capturing them in the Western Regions.

After confirming that Suiye City was under control, Li Kuo led his trusted generals to the palace of the Turkic Khaganate, located directly north of the city. This ancient building had been relocated several times, serving as the headquarters of Anxi, the Suiye governorate, and the palace of the Turkic Khaganate, witnessing the changes of the times.

It was undoubtedly thrilling to announce in this ancient building that Suiye City had officially returned to Tang territory. Few people in the Tang’s border regions could compare to this honor.

However, the young man was slightly disappointed that Takmo Qizi of the Turkic Khaganate had managed to lead his men in a breakout during the chaos and was not captured by the Tang troops. Although most of the Turkic Khaganate’s members of the Huang clan were killed in the battle for Suiye, as long as Qizi remained alive, this source of instability would persist. As a highly respected leader of the Huang clan, he could rally a group of people with just a call. Moreover, since the Huang clan had always had close ties with the Arabs, with their support, it wasn’t entirely impossible for Qizi to try to regain control of Suiye City.

In the palace of Suiye, Li Kuo discussed the next steps with his trusted advisors.

“Ah, that Qizi really has good luck. My light cavalry had almost surrounded him, but he managed to slip through our defenses!”

Li Sheng felt guilty for not capturing Qizi, believing that his carelessness had caused unnecessary trouble for everyone.

“Brother Li, there’s no need to blame yourself too much. As the saying goes, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Mo Qizi was also at his wits’ end and took a desperate gamble. It’s already remarkable that Brother Li managed to capture most of his bodyguards.”
After the great battle, it was time to reassure the troops, and Li Kuo certainly didn’t want Li Sheng’s self-blame to ruin the harmonious atmosphere among the entire army.
“Please show more understanding, commanders!”
Li Sheng lowered his head slightly and bowed in gratitude to Li Kuo.
“It doesn’t matter if Mo Qizi escaped. As long as we can cut off his ties with the remnants in Suiye City, we needn’t worry about him plotting anything unlawful.”
Li Kuo was optimistic about this and analyzed it calmly.
“Qi Lang is right!”
Zhou Wucui narrowed his eyes and said, “Today’s Suiye City is different from that of half a year ago. Back then, although Suiye was also recaptured by General Gao, the main force of the Turkic tribes was still there. Once General Gao left with his army, how could those weak and old soldiers withstand the fierce attacks of the Turkic tribes? But this time is different—we have completely annihilated them. Even if they try to make a comeback, it will be impossible in three to five years!”
“Fatty, you’re referring to the Turkic tribes with the Huang surname, right? That Tak from the Turkic tribes with the Hei surname is still waiting outside the palace for Brother Kuo to receive him.”
Zhang Yanji didn’t give Zhou Wucui any face at all and poured cold water on him right away.
“They pledged loyalty to our Tang Dynasty. Without their help this time, we wouldn’t have been able to capture Suiye City so easily!”
Zhou Wucui glanced at Zhang Yanji disdainfully and emphasized sharply, “Hah!”
Zhang Yanji sneered, “The reason he pledged loyalty to our Tang Dynasty before was because he had been suppressed by the Turkic tribes with the Huang surname. He sought refuge with us! Now that the power of the Turkic tribes with the Huang surname has greatly diminished, they can hardly compete with him for the title of khan. Who can guarantee that Tu Huonu won’t become another Mo Qizi? After all, wolves are wild by nature. Anyone who tries to tame them into dogs is simply delusional!”
“Enough. Whether he submits to our Tang Dynasty isn’t up to you two to decide. How about this—tonight I’ll go meet this Tu Huonu Tak first, and then we can decide further!”
Li Kuo waved his hand at the two who were arguing, his face full of smiles.