Chapter 51: Mountains and Seas (IV)
The Tibetan centurion’s fierce shouts yielded little effect; hardly any soldiers paid him attention. Under the onslaught of the Tang army’s cavalry, these soldiers, who had just woken from sleep, hadn’t even had time to put on their trousers before rushing out of their tents and scattering in panic.
Who said the Tang army was a force of righteousness? This Tang army cut down and killed anyone in sight—where was there any trace of kindness? The Tibetan soldiers now fully understood the destructive power of the enraged Tang cavalry. Any who tried to resist or kneel and beg for mercy had their heads severed and trampled into pulp.
“Charge forward, all of you! Charge!”
The Tibetan centurion’s eyes were red with fury. He killed a fleeing soldier beside him and, holding up the bloody head, screamed loudly.
Seeing this, the soldiers trying to escape stopped and turned to fight the Tang army. Either way, death awaited—so why not fight to the death? With this mindset, nearly a hundred Tibetan soldiers picked up spears scattered on the ground and pushed forward. Since the Tang people wouldn’t spare anyone, they were forced to fight to the end. In the eyes of the Tibetan soldiers, these Tang people were bandits, invaders—they would fight for their chieftain and for Tibet.
But they clearly underestimated the power of warhorses and tried to knock the Tang soldiers off their mounts with spears.
A tall Tibetan soldier charged forward with his sword, but before he could even touch the horse, a Tang soldier slashed a one-foot-long wound across his chest. Blood gushed out in spurts, and the Tibetan soldier collapsed within a few steps.
Another Tibetan soldier drew his curved sword and tried to slash at the horse’s leg, but before his sword could even reach mid-air, an arrow shot through his head. He died without even knowing who had killed him.
Seeing nearly a hundred of his comrades about to be slaughtered by the Tang troops, the Tibetan commander flew into a rage. He removed the bullhorn bow from his back and shot at a Tang soldier. Using a powerful five-stone bow, he fired a bone arrow with great force at the soldier’s chest. The Tang soldier was in the midst of a killing spree, having already beheaded three Tibetan warriors and earned a promotion. If he killed six more enemies, he would be promoted again. He seemed to see his wife and son smiling at him by the bed, and he imagined his fellow villagers giving him thumbs up in praise. But as he indulged in these dreams, he felt a sharp pain in his back and tried to say something. The images before his eyes grew increasingly blurred—the smiles of his wife and son turned into the grotesque faces of Tang civilians, and his home turned into a stinking Buddha tower. Eventually, everything became pitch black, and the Tang soldier collapsed forward, lifeless.
The enraged Tibetan soldiers immediately surrounded him and chopped the Tang warrior who had killed three of their comrades to pieces.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…” The deep sound of Tibetan horns echoed, waking more and more soldiers from their sleep. They put on their chainmail and rushed out.
“Gather around me! Stay calm! Don’t push!” The Tibetan commander shouted loudly, trying to bring the scattered soldiers back under control. Hearing the horn signals, the panicked soldiers gradually calmed down and gathered orderly on the sides. In no time, nearly a thousand soldiers gathered under his dark-colored banner.
“Order everyone to launch fire arrows!”
Li Kuo held the reins in one hand and drew out the massive dark bow from behind him. With a quick swipe, he lit a fire starter, and the feathered arrows dipped in tung oil were shot out with a whoosh, lighting up the night sky. The arrows traced perfect arcs and landed in front of a tent, where flames instantly erupted, turning the tent made of white felt into a sea of fire.
Seeing this, the soldiers quickly drew their bows, loaded arrows, and took out fire starters.
“Fire them!”
Li Sheng, thanks to his precise shooting skills, had earned the trust of everyone and become the archery instructor for the troops of the Tongwu Camp. Under his training, although the soldiers couldn’t hit targets from a hundred paces away, they could still hit the center of the target from fifty paces. At his command, nearly a thousand fire arrows were shot out in a rush, and the flames quickly spread, turning the night sky bright as day. More and more tents caught fire, with flames leaping from one tent to another, devouring everything in their path.
Some Tibetan soldiers were burned to death inside their tents without even having the chance to run out. Others were awakened by the flames and the sound of horns; they rushed out naked only to be trampled into pulp by the charging Tang cavalry.
The Tibetan camp at the bottom of the valley had now turned into a sea of fire, resembling a hellish realm.
Li Kuo fought relentlessly, wielding his black sword, beheading a Tibetan soldier with each swing.
“Stop him! Stop him! Whoever kills that Tang general will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with a thousand sheep!”
The Tibetan commander offered a huge incentive, ordering his troops to charge forward. He had already realized that all of the Tang army’s tactics revolved around this young general—in other words, this general was the soul of the Tang army. By killing him, they could severely weaken the Tang army’s morale.
With such a generous reward, brave men emerged. The Tibetan soldiers, already intimidated by the Tang army’s momentum, rushed forward with their curved swords, aiming to use the head of this Tang general as a stepping stone to achieve high ranks.
Li Kuo sneered inwardly. Instead of retreating, he advanced, holding his sword at an angle as he charged toward the pitch-black general’s flag. That must be the Tibetan commander. By seizing that flag, he could completely break the Tibetan troops’ morale.
Upon learning their commander’s plan, his personal guards gathered around Li Kuo. A cavalry unit of several hundred men tightened their formation, like a sharp spear piercing into the heart of the Tibetan army, aiming at that pitch-black flag.
Before those Tibetan soldiers with swords could even reach the Tang general’s horse, they were pierced by spears from the guards on both sides, turning into bloody messes. The guards lifted the dead bodies and spun them vigorously. As a result, the other Tibetan soldiers who rushed forward were knocked down by their comrades’ bodies and then trampled to death by the approaching horse hooves.
“Pour tung oil!”
Li Kuo ordered, staring at the dense crowd of Tibetan soldiers ahead.
Dou Qing nodded in understanding and ordered that tung oil be poured over the hundred stray horses nearby.
“Light the fire!”
At that command, sparks immediately appeared on the horses’ bodies. Each of those hundred warhorses carried piles of dry wood, and now, with tung oil on them, they caught fire instantly, reaching heights of two or three feet. The frightened horses neighed and charged fiercely at the Tibetan soldiers.
“It’s the fire horse formation! It’s the fire horse formation!”
Some Tibetan soldiers who had experienced the Battle of Great Wall Fort and managed to escape ran back in terror. Even though the law enforcement troops rushed in to assert authority, it was no use—the Tibetan soldiers were completely broken. Those who ran slower were pushed down by their comrades and never got up again. The retreating soldiers were trampled by the charging horses, stepping over their fellow soldiers’ bodies. Those who tried to resist were swept away by the crowd and forced to flee backward. The number of retreating soldiers grew, while any resistance diminished.
Under the pitch-black night sky, nearly a hundred dazzling fire dragons appeared among the Tibetan camps.
Note 1: Fire starter: A tightly rolled bundle of rough, earthen paper that, once lit with fire and blown out, still emits a red glow as if there’s embers left in the ashes, allowing it to burn for a long time. It can be reignited with a single blow when needed, often used for night attacks.