Chapter 30: The Border Tribes (5)

The night was as calm as water, without the slightest ripple.
A crescent moon hung upside down under the pitch-black sky, its soft light casting no clear direction.
On the plain in front of Qingshi Fort, fifty Tibetan soldiers disguised as Tang troops stood quietly, waiting for reinforcements from Fusi City.
“Chen Xu, it’s all up to you now.”
Pu Dachui patted the arm of an experienced soldier from Longyou, encouraging him.
“Don’t worry, Brother Dachui. With me here, Chen Laosan, the Tibetans won’t spot any flaws.”
Chen Xu patted his chest, guaranteeing success. He had lived in Kuozhou before joining the army, and due to his annual trips to Tibet to trade furs, he spoke fluent Tibetan and had a tanned complexion. His keen observation skills meant he understood the Tibetans’ ways and habits thoroughly. He was tasked with leading this mission to seek reinforcements, and whether he could lure the Tibetans into a trap depended on his performance.
“Boss Pu, there’s movement!”
A sentinel reported in a low voice. “Over a thousand Tibetans, one per horse!”
Pu Dachui nodded. “Once they pass this mountain pass, we’ll charge down from the plain. Remember to follow Chen Xu—he’s the leader of our forces from now on.”
Everyone nodded. Their hearts pounded as they waited for that moment.
“They’re coming!”
After a while, the sentinel shouted sharply—reinforcements from Fusi City had arrived in the area around Qingshi Fort!
“Chase after Xuzi. Remember, from this moment onward, you’re all mute.”
Pu Dachui whispered his instructions. With nothing left to do but rely on fate, they prepared to act.
“Clatter, clatter”—over fifty “Tibetan remnants” charged down the plain, their horse hooves kicking up dust on the sparse soil.
“Vice-commander, there’s a small cavalry unit ahead!”
A Tuyuhun centurion who was on guard rushed to General Meng Chai’ai’s horse and reported loudly.
“Hmm, go find out who they are first.”
Meng Chai’ai waved his whip and pointed ahead.
“As you command!”
The Tuyuhun centurion bowed slightly before turning and running back.
“Stop! Who are you? State the name of your army!”
The centurion halted his horse about eighty steps away and shouted.
Chen Xu calmed his nerves and replied in fluent Tibetan, “We are soldiers under General Lu, the defender of Qingshi Fort. Qingshi Fort is under siege by Tang invaders. The general sent us to break through and deliver news to Fusi City.”

It was very dark, and the Tuyuhun centurion couldn’t see Chen Xu’s face clearly. Yet he couldn’t detect any flaw in Chen Xu’s fluent Tibetan speech. The centurion nodded and said, “We are the reinforcements from Fusi City. Come with me alone to explain the situation to the deputy commander!”

Chen Xu took a deep breath, waved his hand to signal everyone to wait in place, then rode after the Tuyuhun centurion to meet the commander of the reinforcements.

Due to an unexpected incident along the way, Meng Chae had ordered his entire army to remain at their posts. Now, seeing a rider following the Tuyuhun centurion, his eyes lit up as he leaned forward.

Chen Xu had been following closely behind the centurion. When he reached Meng Chae’s side, he deliberately shifted to one side and fell off his horse.

This fall shocked everyone, but Chen Xu endured the intense pain, crawled over, and pleaded in Tibetan, “My lord, please go and save Qingshi Fort! The Tang invaders… Qingshi Fort is under siege, with Tang invaders everywhere. General Lu is leading his men in a fierce resistance, but there are too many Tang invaders. If we don’t act now, it might be too late…”

His speech was broken and disjointed. Yet Meng Chae believed most of it. If he had spoken coherently without any hesitations, Meng Chae would have doubted the messenger’s authenticity.

Meng Chae gave a signal to his bodyguard, and immediately someone threw a leather bag filled with clean water at Chen Xu. Chen Xu grabbed the bag and gulped down the water eagerly, coughing violently from drinking too fast.

“My lord, please save my commander! There are too many Tang invaders, my lord!”

His words were sincere and devoid of pretense. Meng Chae believed most of it, but as a military commander, he had to be absolutely sure. He waved for his bodyguards to bring the torches closer—speech could be learned, but faces couldn’t be changed. If this messenger was disguised as a Tang soldier, he would surely be exposed under the bright light.

When the bodyguards moved the torches closer to Chen Xu’s face, Meng Chae frowned. The messenger’s cheeks were covered in blood and mud, and his hair was messy. It would be impossible to tell whether he was genuine even in daylight, let alone at night. Meng Chae was torn. Reason told him not to trust the messenger easily, but as a Tibetan, he couldn’t stand by while his people were besieged by the Tang without sending help.

“My lord, I can serve as your guide. If you follow me, our army can strike at the weakest point of the Tang invaders and defeat them in one fell swoop,” Chen Xu pleaded, climbing up to Meng Chae and clinging tightly to his thigh.

Menchae was finally persuaded. Following the suggestion of the man before him, he would lead the army to find the Tang forces. In this way, he could bypass the Tang scouts without much effort and confront the main force of the Tang army. Although the Tuuguhun cavalry were slightly inferior to the Tibetans in combat strength, Menchae believed he still had a good chance of winning in a battle on the open field. Moreover, since this man was willing to lead the way ahead, he could be shot dead immediately if things went wrong, allowing the army to retreat.

After thinking it through, Menchae smiled and patted Chen Xu’s arm, saying, “‘Bawo,’ blessed by Shambhala, please lead the way for our army. You will be under the protection of the gods!”

(Note 1) Chen Xu nodded repeatedly in gratitude. Under the flickering light, his dark eyes flashed with intensity.

“They’re coming! The Tibetan barbarians are here!” Zhang Yanji shouted as he saw a cavalry unit of over a thousand men charging from afar.

“Shut up! Aren’t you afraid the Tibetans will hear you?” Li Kuo covered Zhang Yanji’s mouth and warned him in a low voice.

Zhang Xiaolangjun stuck out his tongue and said softly, “I was just excited for a moment. What should we do now?”

Li Kuo shook his head and said, “Wait until the Tibetans are within fifty paces. Then follow my signals and shoot.”

“Great! Let these barbarians taste what it’s like to be hit by thousands of arrows!” Zhang Yanji clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

After half a cup of tea, the Tang ambush troops saw over a thousand Tibetan cavalry charging toward the edge of the dense forest. Everything was going according to plan. As long as the Tibetans entered the range of the archers, they could instantly kill them all.

Wait! Li Kuo frowned. He faintly recognized that the man leading the way at the front was Chen Xu. Although this man had joined the Tongwu Camp only after he arrived in Longyou, he got along well with the veteran soldiers of the Zhuce Army. On one hand, he had a gentle personality and got along with soldiers of any temperament; on the other hand, he had his own convictions and principles, as evidenced by his actions after the feigned attack on Qingshi Fort.

After capturing Qingshi Fort, Chen Xu fought like a rakshasa from hell, slashing at anyone in his path. After a fierce battle, no fewer than seven Tibetan soldiers died under his sword. His cheeks were stained red with blood, but Chen Xu still laughed as he sheathed his sword.

Later, Li Kuo asked him why he had to kill those seven Tibetan soldiers. Chen Xu replied coldly, “Because those beasts killed my entire family when they raided Kuozhou.” It was the third year of the Tianbao era, and the first snow had just fallen, covering the entire valley in snow. Chen Xu happened to be in the county town selling the deer skins he had hunted, so he wasn’t at home for the family reunion dinner. The Tibetan cavalry arrived at the village through the snow, killing anyone they encountered and setting fire to every house they saw. After the massacre and looting, the seven people who ended up dead in front of his house were exactly his family members… From then on, Chen Xu, who used to be a hunter and farmer, no longer existed. All that remained in this world was a man filled with hatred, now a brave soldier in the Longyou army. Due to his bravery in battle, he was promoted to team leader, and later was assigned to the Tongwu Camp by General Geshu Han. Li Kuo truly admired Chen Xu and regarded him as an elder brother. In the young man’s eyes, Chen Xu possessed a determination and sense of responsibility that others lacked. But now, he was at the forefront of the Tibetan reinforcements. If those barbarians got within range and his comrades failed to hit them accurately… The young man didn’t dare think further. Perhaps Chen Xu had already thought of everything. From the moment he volunteered to act as a messenger to lure the Tibetan reinforcements into a trap, he must have anticipated the outcome! A sharp pain arose in the young man’s heart—pain born from helplessness against fate. It was like being on the same ark of fate, suddenly hit by a storm at sea, and waking up to find yourselves both in the water. To save you, the other person on the ark resolutely handed you a plank. This pain came from the transfer of life—when one life blossoms brightly, another fades away! It was a cruel reality, cruel yet true; a fair cruelty, cruel yet just. But Li Kuo insisted that both lives must survive. He refused to yield to fate because he believed that man could conquer nature! “Yanji, pass on my orders—wait until Old Chen has taken thirty steps before telling the brothers to open fire.” Li Kuo gritted his teeth and made up his mind. “Brother Kuo, have you thought this through? At least half of those Tibetan barbarians will escape our range!” But Li Kuo clenched his fist and said sternly, “My decision is final! Humans aren’t animals; we don’t need to sacrifice our brothers to save ourselves!” Under the dim moonlight, the young man’s cheeks were filled with determination. Note 1: Bawo: means warrior in Tibetan.