Chapter 14: The Gale (IV)

It turned out that occasional firm military discipline could yield excellent results. After executing Bian Lingcheng’s adopted son, not a single complaint arose within the Tianwei Army. Although Wu Fuhui was extremely dissatisfied with Li Kuo, he dared not upset the young man at such a critical moment. Despite his impatience and reluctance, since Li Kuo held the title of deputy military governor, Wu Fuhui had no choice but to swallow his grievances.

With unified thoughts came coordinated actions. Shortly after leaving He Lie City, the Tianwei Army arrived at the foot of Suiye City by noon. Instead of rushing to attack, Li Kuo ordered the troops to camp on an open plain five li away from Suiye City, planning to launch an assault at dawn.

To prevent night attacks by the Xiongnu cavalry, Li Kuo gave detailed instructions on how to set up the camp. Following the orders of the deputy military governor, the soldiers gathered many tree trunks from the nearby forests, cut them into two rows—one long and one short—baked the bases of the trunks, and buried half of them in the ground. The longer trunks were arranged in a tight outer row, while the shorter ones formed an inner row. Wooden planks were then placed between the two rows, creating two levels. This formed a temporary wooden wall around the Tang army’s camp; the protruding parts of the long trunks served as protective barriers. The upper layer of the planks allowed sentries to patrol, while the lower layer could store defensive weapons and provide a place for the soldiers to rest.

Outside the camp, there were also piles of branches and wooden fences, with numerous iron thorns scattered on the outermost perimeter. Even if the Xiongnu cavalry launched a night attack, their leading horses would likely stumble over these obstacles!

Li Kuo ordered that every fifty soldiers form a group and use one tent, with the tents arranged in pairs facing each other. Ditches were dug around the tents and between the camp areas. This was because the Suiye River region was in the rainy season. Although they only needed to stay for a few more days, Li Kuo wanted to be absolutely thorough. To prevent leaks of military secrets, he issued strict orders forbidding soldiers from wandering between camp areas or moving around within their own tents.

He ordered the Tianwei soldiers to leave an open space in each camp area, away from water sources and food storage, specifically for using the restroom. Those who left the camp without special permission would be executed on the spot!

With strict military discipline, Li Kuo’s trusted subordinates repeatedly explained their commander’s orders to the soldiers. As Li Kuo’s confidants, they were well aware of their general’s methods of military organization and camp setup, so they had no difficulty adapting.

Yet this posed a great hardship for the Tianwei soldiers heading to Anxi. For mere camp setup, had they ever been subjected to such strict demands before? If they really had to follow Li Kuo’s instructions to the letter, their bones would surely break!

Though they complained, no one dared actually challenge Li Kuo. He had made it clear in the military orders that those who disobeyed would be executed without mercy! The copper-armored enforcement teams were everywhere in the camp, and the heads of those who defied Li Kuo’s orders were still hanging on bamboo poles. They certainly wouldn’t risk losing their lives by arguing with him!

Left with no choice, everyone worked hard to set up the camp according to Li Kuo’s requirements. By the time everything was done, night had fallen. (Note 1)……

Inside the palace of Shuye City, the lights were bright.

Mo Qizi, son of Khan Moqi of the Huang clan’s Turkic tribe, was strolling leisurely in the palace. Upon hearing that a large force of Tang troops was approaching Anxi, Mo Qizi gathered his subordinates and clansmen from the city’s core area to strengthen the defenses and patrols at the city gates. Although the Turkic tribe had gradually weakened due to internal strife, Mo Qizi still had over 20,000 troops at his disposal.

With his substantial resources, Mo Qizi was confident and unafraid of the Tangs’ “military retaliation.” Why should the Tangs come to demand revenge? Why should he simply hand over Shuye City to let the Tangs occupy it?

They were descendants of the Divine Wolves. Since the Tangs had come looking for them, they would settle matters with them under the gaze of Eternal Heaven!

Before the New Year, Gao Xianzhi launched a campaign against the Kingdom of Shi. Khan Fuhan received a plea for help from Shi’s ruler, Teli, and led his warriors to help from Hexiang. Unexpectedly, the Tangs were cunning and tricked Khan Fuhan into capture!

The heartless Gao Xianzhi used Khan Fuhan as a bargaining chip to gain credit, transporting him thousands of miles to Chang’an City, where he humiliated him in front of the Tang emperor! That was bad enough, but he even asked the Tang emperor to execute Khan Fuhan right there in the palace!

Upon hearing the tragic news, Mo Qizi nearly fainted. But he couldn’t collapse—he was the hope of the Huang clan’s Turkic tribe, their only trusted leader! As for those of the Hei clan, they were no longer part of the Turkic tribe since they had defected to the Tangs!

Mo Qizi clenched his fists and swung them fiercely into the air.

A divine wolf that loses its sharp claws becomes an ordinary, lazy dog; an eagle that loses its courage turns into a worthless sparrow!

He, Mo Qizi, would never allow Shuye City to be ruled by such lackeys of the Tangs! So he conspired with his trusted allies and staged a coup shortly after the Tangs left, killing the Hei clan’s khan and other royal members, and reclaiming Shuye City from the Tangs!

Moqi Zhi now holds a deep-seated hatred toward the Tang people for killing his father; unless he defeats their army, he has no face to remain the Khan of the Tuyuhesh! Whether for public or personal reasons, he has no reason to retreat. He wants to fight and use a decisive victory to wash away the humiliation suffered by the Tuyuhesh people over the past hundred years!
“Huh!”
Moqi Zhi exhaled deeply, staring at the blood-red flames dancing on the candlestick, his lips curling slightly: “Sangchen Nuor, come in.”
“Tak!”
The man called Sangchen Nuor was a burly man clad in leopard skin. Hearing Moqi Zhi’s order, he strode over to the prince.
“Tak, in my opinion, we should charge out of the city and fight the Tang invaders head-on! The old Khan was just killed by them, and now they’ve attacked Suiye City under the pretense of seeking justice—how outrageous!”
Sangchen Nuor grumbled angrily, teeth clenched. In his eyes, the Tang people were nothing but hypocritical snakes masking their vicious nature with pretense of virtue.
“My Nuor, you’re thinking too simply,” Moqi Zhi said, shaking his head. “Do you really think the Tang people came to Suiye to seek justice?”
He pointed westward. “Their real goal is the west. A great battle is imminent, and they want to leave a stronghold for the Anxi troops deep in the River Regions to retreat to safely!”
Sangchen Nuor sneered coldly. “Of course they hope I’ll go out of the city to fight them. But I won’t give them that chance! Take this letter to General Said bin Humaid in Taraz and tell him that an Anxi army has arrived in Suiye. He’ll understand once he sees my letter.”
“But, Tak, are we just going to tolerate this? Nuor wants to fight the Tang invaders to the death! Nuor wants to avenge the old Khan!”
Sangchen Nuor clenched his fists, insisting.
“Nuor! You must leave the city tonight and deliver this letter to General Said bin Humaid immediately. The safety of Suiye depends on this letter!”
“Tak!”
“Go, hurry up!”
Moqi Zhi pushed Sangchen Nuor out of the palace door fiercely, shouting.
“Sigh, Tak, take care. Nuor will return to Suiye as soon as I deliver the letter!”
Sangchen Nuor shook his head helplessly and disappeared into the darkness with a long sigh.
Note 1: The process of the Tang Dynasty setting up camp is described in detail elsewhere; here it is only briefly mentioned. Readers interested can refer to “The Art of War” by Li Wei.