Chapter 90: Human Hearts (1)

A scorching sun hung high in the sky, emitting relentless heat. Puddles along the dirt road steamed slowly, rising and drifting away. From time to time, one or two wild dogs would run to the puddles, stretching out their curled long tongues to lick the remaining water.

Nearly a thousand Tang soldiers from the Tongwu Camp and three thousand warriors from the White Wolf Tribe had marched nearly twenty li under the blazing sun without pause. After a night of fierce fighting, the troops had dealt a heavy blow to the Jiuqu Tubo forces, achieving a temporary victory.

The Tang army’s task was to lure the Tubo forces along the Chiling front line to come to their aid. From this perspective, they had perfectly completed their mission.

Of course, Colonel Li Kuo would not be satisfied with this. He had cleverly set an ambush to trap the Tubo soldiers, using the terrain of the valleys and pit traps to nearly wipe out their light cavalry. Without the speed advantage of cavalry, even if the Jiuqu forces escaped from Shuanglong Valley, they would not dare pursue them. As long as Gao Xiuyan held off the Tubo forces coming from the front, these thirty thousand Tang soldiers could all return to Qinghai via the river mouth.

What worried the young man, however, was that the soldiers from the Xiongwu and Zhenwu camps had not joined him in time. Before the battle, he had specifically instructed Wang Xiaochun not to engage in prolonged fighting but merely to prevent the Tubo forces from breaking through directly from Shuanglong Valley. But it seemed this kid had already fought against the Tubo forces. Scouts sent by Xianyu Yu reported that the mountain road leading to Bulun Post was blocked by huge rocks, and from the plateau, the valley was filled with Tubo corpses. Clearly, Wang Xiaochun had not settled for just feigning strength to scare off the Jiuqu forces—he had actually used a thousand reserve troops to kill nearly five thousand elite Tubo soldiers!

At this moment, Li Kuo felt both worried and pleased. He was pleased because the Tang people led by Wang Xiaochun had thoroughly proven themselves through this battle, regaining their long-lost confidence. He believed they would soon integrate into the unique cultural atmosphere of the Tang forces in Longyou. He was worried because the boy had been too impulsive and failed to follow his earlier orders. It wasn’t that Li Kuo was petty—military orders were absolute. For him, it would just be a few words of reprimand, but under a stricter commander, execution might be ordered to establish authority.

As the saying goes, there is no room for whims on the battlefield. All a soldier can do is obey. If everyone had their own ideas, how could the battle be fought?

“Brother Kuo, where could Xiaochun and the others have gone? If we follow the planned route, we should head south, not west,” Zhang Yanji asked solemnly as he rode over.

Li Kuo shook his head and said, “Logically, we should meet them at Ling Mountain, thirty li away, but huge rocks block the mountain path, so we have no choice but to take a detour via Bolun Post Station.”
Zhou Wucui nodded. “Your analysis makes some sense. You haven’t disappointed my efforts.”
After achieving a great victory, the entire Tongwu Camp was in high spirits, with a harmonious and enthusiastic atmosphere throughout.
Zhou Wucui also relaxed his tense nerves and reverted to his playful demeanor from his time in Chang’an.
Li Kuo gave him a sidelong glance and pretended to be annoyed, saying, “So rude! Not a trace of propriety left.”
Zhou Wucui curled his lips. “I believe anyone who claims to value etiquette, but if you, Li Qilang, are so stuck in those trivial rules, this genius will laugh until he chokes on an egg.”
“You dare mock me!”
Li Kuo laughed and punched his friend’s shoulder, feeling extremely pleased.
Over the past period, everyone had been on constant march under intense pressure. They had to worry about the Tubo scouts and deal with annoying mosquitoes, leaving them utterly exhausted.
With this great victory, home must be near now.
Li Kuo looked north. The battle for Shibao City must be reaching its climax by now. Commander Geshu had ordered him to launch the attack by the end of May, but he had advanced the timing of the attack by three days. This gave the Tang army more time to capture Shibao City outright—it was only a matter of time.
“Home”—this word now seemed so sweet. Without fancy words or teachings from the imperial academies, it bound his heart tightly through the bond connecting wanderers and soldiers.
This simple square character carried so much emotion. At home, there was the delicious food prepared by his mother, the kind teachings from Uncle Sun; there were Xiao Liu and Dezi’s silly giggles, and the Confucian teachings from the scholars…
Ah, and the fragrant eggs made by A Tian.
There were no calm waters by Qujiang Lake, no luxurious pleasures in Huaqing Palace, but home held a heartwarming scent. A scent unique and incomparable.
Who says young people know no sorrow? It’s just that they haven’t yet reached the stage of longing!
“General Li, looking so distracted—surely you’re thinking of Miss Du.”
Pu Dachui grinned broadly, acting as if he had everything under control.
“Ah!”
Lost in thought, Li Kuo was suddenly pulled back to reality by Pu Dachui’s remark.
“Hey, even you dare tease this general!”

Li Kuo glared at him irritably, “In my opinion, you’re not hurt enough. You really deserve more cuts from those Tubo people!”
Knowing Li Kuo was being sarcastic, Pu Dachui didn’t take it seriously. He simply placed his hands on his chest in a gesture resembling Xi Shi holding her heart and lamented, “If that’s the case, I’ll be heartbroken to death, you heartless man!”
Seeing such a burly man acting like a little girl, Li Kuo couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Strangely enough, although his subordinates often acted rudely and caused trouble for him, he never found it inappropriate.
He wanted to create a relatively relaxed atmosphere for everyone, offering comfort to his comrades in the tense and stressful military life. That was the rule of the Tongwu Camp, his rule as Li Kuo. As for what others thought, it wasn’t his concern.
“In my opinion, Captain Li is a true man of genuine character!”
At that moment, Li Sheng, carried on a wooden plank, also kept his mouth busy. How could he not make fun of his “world-famous love story” that could move even ghosts and gods?
“Great, you’re all ganging up on me. Thinking I’m such an honest guy I won’t get angry, right?”
Zhang Yanji pretended to be terrified and waved his hands, “How dare we? You’re the leader of the Tongwu Camp. With just one word from you, wouldn’t we be dragged outside the camp and beaten with a military stick?”
“Yanji… Yanji… I thought you were my best friend, but it turns out you’ve already ‘betrayed’ me!”
The young man smiled bitterly and shook his head helplessly.
“Don’t worry. With me here, see who dares to bully you!”
Aina spurred her warhorse over and publicly took Li Kuo’s arm.
“Ooh!”
“Ooh, lady hero, spare my life! Lady hero, spare my life!”
The Tang soldiers burst into laughter, bowing and kneeling in supplication.
“That’s much better!”
Aina hummed in satisfaction, proudly raising her head. “I don’t care if someone’s hair is long or short. In this Jiuxu Dafeichuan, there’s no girl more beautiful than me, Aina.”
“Ooh!”
All the generals were greatly impressed by this scene of a beauty saving a hero, praising it highly.
Although Aina still acted as if she had effortlessly accomplished everything, Li Kuo was already blushing with shame.
“Stop talking!”
Annoyed, Li Kuo waved his whip lightly.
“We won’t talk anymore, okay?”
Pu Dachui rubbed the back of his head and chuckled.
“Sigh, I really can’t deal with you guys!”
Li Kuo sighed deeply and put down his whip.

The group continued on for about half an incense burn time, enjoying some quiet moments along the way. They reached a fork in the road when the scouts sent by Xianyu Yu rushed back in a panic, whipping their horses frantically.
“General, General…”
“What happened? Speak slowly, don’t rush.”
Li Kuo held the reins and spoke calmly.
“The Tibetans… the Tibetans… they’re here. Three miles away, all Tibetans.”
Li Kuo frowned and asked, “How many Tibetans?”
“Maybe ten thousand, maybe twenty thousand. They’re coming from the direction of Huzhaikou, all cavalry!”
“What!”
The young man exclaimed in shock.
Tens of thousands of Tibetan cavalry coming from Huzhaikou? How was that possible?
“That’s right, they’re coming from Huzhaikou.”
Seeing his commander puzzled, the scout puffed out his chest and insisted on his claim.
Had Gao Xiuyan failed to stop the Tibetans? A huge question arose in the young man’s mind. If so, these thousands of soldiers would be in danger.
“Damn it! What’s the use of that Gao Xiuyan? He leads over twenty thousand cavalry yet can’t even stop a bunch of barbarians.”
Pu Dachui slapped his thigh and cursed angrily.
“I told you he wasn’t trustworthy. In my opinion, he wants to kill us outright! It’s convenient for him to use the Tibetans!”
Zhang Yanji snorted coldly, his words full of mockery.
“Enough!”
Li Kuo waved his hand to stop the argument among his subordinates. What needed to be done now was to stabilize the troops’ morale; such talk must not spread.
“Is there any other route besides going around through Bolun Post?”
The scout nodded reluctantly, “There is. If we take this small path on the right, it leads straight to the Qianli Dafei Ridge. Crossing Dafei Ridge could also take us to the river mouth.”
Li Kuo shook his head, sighing inwardly. It was utterly impossible to return to the river mouth via Dafei Ridge. The ridge was covered in thick snow and vast ice fields; a single misstep could lead to falling into bottomless ice holes. Even the strongest warriors wouldn’t dare to cross it, let alone with so many wounded soldiers in their army!
Since going to Dafei Ridge was out of the question, could they break through directly from Bolun Post?