Chapter 74: Ten Thousand Li (Part 2)

Duan Xiushi’s analysis was based on the overall interests of the Anxi army and made perfect sense. Everyone agreed that his reasoning was sound, and it was highly likely that General Gao had already led his defeated troops on a journey eastward toward Kucha.
But isn’t there always a possibility of something going wrong?
What if General Gao hadn’t crossed the Talas River yet? What if the Anxi Protector-General was still surrounded by the Arabs? Wouldn’t leaving now cut off his only path to survival?
Although Li Kuo didn’t have a close relationship with Gao Xianzhi, if Gao lost his life because of his decision, Li Kuo would feel guilty, regardless of whether the imperial court pursued accountability.
In the end, not only Duan Xiushi but also Li Sheng and Zhang Yanji advised Li Kuo to consider the bigger picture and focus more on controlling the routes along Julan City and Ashibulai City. After all, even if General Gao was indeed trapped on the west bank of the Talas River, most of the surviving soldiers would still choose to return to the four garrisons of Anxi via these routes. With the Tang Dynasty’s defeat, these opportunists would surely turn against them. If no one from the Anxi army took a strong stance, the safety of these soldiers couldn’t be guaranteed.
In other words, what Li Kuo needed to do now was weigh the safety of General Gao against the overall situation of Anxi. Should he risk the lives of five thousand soldiers by relying on General Gao, or should he make a rational decision based on the current circumstances? It all depended on Li Kuo’s will.
After careful consideration, Li Kuo ultimately decided to follow the advice of his generals and head to Julan City to support the defeated Anxi troops. After all, according to Duan Xiushi’s information about the Tang army’s positions, if they crossed eastward, they would definitely head there. There was no need to risk the lives of thousands of soldiers for a slim possibility.
No one, no matter how noble their status, could force Li Kuo to make such a decision—even if it was the Anxi Protector-General, his direct superior!
In fact, it was the best choice for the Tianwei Army to head eastward to Julan City at this time.
As Duan Xiushi said, the Arabs’ attention was largely shifting from the upper reaches downstream. By advancing northward to Julan City at this moment, they could avoid the Arab cavalry on patrol. Although the soldiers weren’t afraid of facing the Arab cavalry head-on, the Anxi army was weak at the moment, and it was better to avoid unnecessary conflicts. There was no need to engage in a fight just for temporary glory.

True courage is not about daring to take great risks to confront the enemy, but about making the right choice at the right moment, even if that choice seems somewhat humble or restrained. All of this is for the future! One day, there will surely be a battle between the Tang Dynasty and the Abbasids!
“Brother Ke, do you think it’s too obvious for us to enter Kulan City in such a grand manner?”
Looking at the crossbows placed on the battlements of Kulan City, Zhang Yanji instinctively shrunk his neck. It wasn’t that he was timid; the circumstances were simply different from before. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be a problem if the ruler of Kulan City came out personally to welcome them. But doing so now carried great risks. After all, the defeat of the Anxi army would likely reach these areas soon.
Although the ruler of Kulan City was unlikely to outright reject their request, who knew what schemes he might have in mind? What if he secretly colluded with the Abbasids? Wouldn’t that put them in a difficult position, surrounded by enemies?
“The more the front lines are in disarray, the more we need to act boldly.”
Li Ke shook his head and gave a bitter smile. Military strategy involves using deception—truth within falsehood, falsehood within truth, truth hidden within deception, and deception concealing truth. If everything had to be laid bare, there would be nothing left to strategize about. With the Anxi army just suffering a crushing defeat, morale was extremely low. So they needed to project a strong image to confuse or intimidate the barbarian tribes around Kulan City, preventing them from acting rashly and at least making them cautious about rumors coming from the west.
Of course, this approach carried risks. If the ruler of Kulan City saw through their intentions, he might turn against them immediately. But as long as they appeared confident enough, the barbarians would likely hesitate to risk their entire nation by secretly allying with the Abbasids.
“When we enter the city later, you don’t need to say anything. Just follow my instructions.”
Li Ke took a deep breath and looked at the dark gray walls of Kulan City in the distance. “I just hope it’s not too late!”…
Dusk was approaching, and the evening wind was bitterly cold.
The River Region barbarian tribes were not like those in the Central Plains. Even in early autumn, the nights could be unbearably cold.
The soldiers of the Tianwei Army waited outside the north gate of Kulan City for a whole tea break without receiving permission to enter. If it weren’t for the amiable attitude of the gatekeepers, they would have rushed in by force right away.
Was that tiny earthen wall, barely a few feet high, really considered a city wall? If they wanted to, they could take it down in less than half a day!

The officer in charge of the city gate could only complain in his heart about his bad luck for running into such formidable opponents. The military lord, who was used to acting tyrannically on a daily basis, now had no choice but to bow and scrape, carefully chatting with the Tang army generals while ordering soldiers to rush to the palace to report the matter to the king.

But whether it was a problem with the messenger soldiers or the king himself was too lazy to get up from his warm bed, the king did not show up for a long time. The Tang army generals were naturally furious, and they took their anger out on themselves. If not for the young general beside them who stopped them, they would have torn themselves apart in frustration!

The gate officer dared not show the slightest sign of impatience. This matter involved the fate of the country of Kulan, and he couldn’t afford to take that responsibility. If he angered the Tang army generals and they destroyed the city, wouldn’t he become a sinner through the ages? Just look at what happened to the capital of the Shi nation— the Anxi Protector General led his army and completely destroyed it. What kind of “benevolent” empire was the Great Tang, really? If they really wanted to be ruthless, nothing like massacring and looting was beyond them.

Since they were weaker, they had to submit obediently and willingly. If they couldn’t even understand this basic principle, then they deserved to have their city destroyed and their nation wiped out.

The gate officer racked his brains for praise and poured it all onto the Tang army before him. Yet even so, he didn’t gain even the slightest understanding from the Tang generals, who kept asking when they could enter the city.

This wasn’t something a mere gate officer could decide. If he allowed them in now, perhaps the king wouldn’t say anything in front of the Tang generals, but once the Tang army left, the king would surely cut off his head!

Just as his back was drenched in cold sweat, hurried footsteps finally came from inside the city.

The gate officer let out a sigh of relief and gave the Tang generals a flattering smile: “Generals, our king should be arriving soon.”

“Hmph, just a mere barbarian chieftain from a foreign land, yet acting so arrogantly. It’s your king’s great fortune that our commander is willing to enter your city of Kulan. I didn’t expect him to like putting on airs so much. Do you need our brothers to help him practice?”

Dou Qing had long been annoyed by the barbarians’ dismissive attitude toward him. He raised his eyebrows and stepped forward.

“What are you saying? Hehe, how would our king dare to be disrespectful to the commander!”

After speaking, he turned his head to examine Li Kuo carefully, seemingly trying to turn the obscure and unfamiliar term “military governor” into simpler words.
“However, His Majesty is extremely busy with state affairs, having to deal with a large number of memorials every day…”
Before the gate official could finish speaking, he was sharply interrupted by Pu Da Chui.
“Oh? Your king still has to handle memorials every day? Mustn’t they already be piling up like mountains?”
He had long disapproved of that guy’s deliberate flattery. The man always tried to win his favor by imitating Tang customs. That was one thing, but now he even tried to mimic the emperor’s words and actions of the Great Tang. What kind of political matters could this tiny barbarian kingdom, no bigger than the size of a palm, possibly have? In his view, the king of this barbarian kingdom was clearly indulged in women and unwilling to make progress!
“Da Chui, don’t be rude!”
Li Kuo shot Pu Da Chui a glance and said calmly to the gate official, “My brother speaks like this all the time—without any ill intent. I hope you won’t mind.”
Though his words were gentle, they carried an air of authority that left no room for doubt. The gate official was overjoyed to have an out and kept waving his hands, saying, “It’s fine, really!”
As they were chatting, they heard the massive wooden gates a few dozen steps away slowly opening. A group of soldiers armed with spears rushed out of the city and lined up in two rows.
Soon after, surrounded by a dozen of his trusted advisors, Li Huaizhong, the king of Julan City, strode toward them.
“Ah, esteemed Military Governor of Anxi! I, Li Huaizhong, a vassal king appointed by the Emperor of the Great Tang, have come out of the city with my military and civil officials to welcome the heavenly army!”
His words were extremely flattering, causing many soldiers from the Tianwei and Tongwu armies to frown. But Li Kuo merely smiled, bowed, and said, “Your Majesty, the city lord, is being too polite! I have come with my troops to discuss important matters. I hope you won’t mind.”
“How dare I! It’s an honor for Julan City to be chosen by Military Governor Li as a base for the royal army. Come, generals, please come inside. Tonight, I’ll host a feast to welcome you!”
Li Huaizhong forced a smile, bent down, and stretched out his arms to invite them in.