Chapter 42: Assault on Chuiye (III)

In fact, Li Kuo’s time in Chuiye City was not easy. On one hand, he had to balance the power among various tribal forces in the city, and on the other, he needed to use Tuhufun as a puppet to rule Chuiye. In other words, his role was more that of an unseen manipulator rather than someone who directly oversaw affairs. There were two reasons for this. First, after he recaptured Chuiye City, the emperor did not issue any special decrees; according to previous practices, Chuiye would still be left under the self-governance of the Turgesh people. This made sense—given that the Tang forces in Anxi were already engaged in battles with the Arabs in River Region, they had no extra energy to deal with other tribes. Although the Turgesh people were no longer as strong as before, they still retained considerable strength.

At present, the four garrisons in Anxi were weak, with fewer than ten thousand soldiers, including the old and weak. If the Turgesh people were pushed to the brink, they might turn against the Tangs. Not only would River Region be in danger, but all four garrisons in Anxi could also fall to the barbarians. In such chaotic times, it was natural to adopt a policy of appeasement, using the barbarians against each other—hadn’t this been the approach since ancient times?

But what Li Kuo didn’t expect was that Tuhufun’s ambitions were enormous. He wasn’t satisfied with the title of khan granted by the emperor and wanted to extend his control to the Ili River region! He aimed to restore the old lands of the Western Turkic Khaganate! For such an ambitious barbarian chief, the “Decree of Enfeoffment” was a severe blow. With Tuhufun’s ambitions, he would surely be dissatisfied with this secretly plotted decree. The emperor’s intentions were good, but he was acting too hastily.

Li Kuo could clearly sense Tuhufun’s resentment, even though the barbarian chief tried hard to hide it. He had to keep a close eye on this highly ambitious man. Although Tuhufun had disbanded all his troops except those guarding the palace, for a nomadic people like the Turgesh, everyone was a soldier. In times of war, with just a word from the khan, they would unite as one to face external threats.

Of course, Tuhufun’s actions were a clear sign of goodwill toward Li Kuo—at least for now, he wouldn’t rebel against the Tangs. After careful consideration, Li Kuo decided to leave five thousand Tianwei troops in Chuiye City, which would serve to deter Tuhufun while ensuring a safe return route for his army.

In fact, based on the timing of Liu Yi’s message, General Gao should already have engaged in battle with the Arabs. By the time Li Kuo arrived with five thousand soldiers in River Region, everything would likely already be decided. What meaning did his arrival hold for a battle that was already over?

Of course it makes sense! If the Tang army won, there would be no problem. But if they lost… If they lost, these more than five thousand men could at least serve as reinforcements.
At the time of departure, Li Kuo did not take Liu Yi with him. This man had traveled thousands of miles from Hezhong, already exhausted. Although he insisted on leading the army, Li Kuo firmly refused. Liu Yi was now too weak to ride a horse by himself; taking such a person on a long journey would likely result in his death from illness within a hundred miles.
Moreover, the camps of the Tang army in Anxi must have changed significantly since a month ago. Even if Liu Yi were taken along, he would not immediately provide any useful clues.
Their greatest enemy on this journey was time, so they had to rush to Hezhong day and night without delay.
For this mission, Li Kuo brought 15,000 horses and 50,000 dan of food. Each rider would have three fine horses, and each warhorse would carry an additional 3 dan of food.
The reason for bringing so much food was to prepare for possible battle scenarios. If General Gao were defeated in battle against the Arabs, there would be no time to replace the supplies, forcing them to retreat with only light cavalry. In that case, the food they carried would barely last the army three days.
What would the army rely on after those three days?
In fact, even if General Gao won, there would still be little food left. Given the current strength of the Anxi army, victory would also deal heavy blows to their forces. General Gao would surely not risk attacking Talas again, so the only option would be the wheat fields around Hezhong.
Fortunately, it was now the harvest season, and the Tang soldiers could seize all the wheat in the fields after winning. But even then, the freshly harvested wheat wouldn’t immediately turn into bread!
Without additional food, the Anxi army risked running out of provisions…
Running out of food was the most terrifying thing for an army. If soldiers couldn’t even feed themselves, where would they find the strength to fight? Over time, morale would surely collapse, and with low morale, some soldiers might flee or even defect at night.
Therefore, Li Kuo had to bring enough food—enough to sustain the army for at least ten days as a emergency supply!
For the Tianwei Army, the long journey was rather tedious. If they just needed to find the route to Talas, that would be fine, but right now, no one knew exactly where they were going. Talas, Shenhaizi, or Julan City? Anything was possible; they had no idea of the exact location of the reinforcements.

“I said, Brother Kuo, that kid surnamed Liu said they set off from Shenhaizi. By the time they left, the Anxi army was stationed there. Shenhaizi is truly amazing—it can hold so many men!”
Zhang Yanji couldn’t hold back any longer. Waving his whip lightly, he leaned in and asked, “If it’s really as that kid Liu Yi said—full of fish and shrimp, with reeds everywhere—General Gao could surely order his men to fish and catch shrimp to sustain themselves. Besides, since Shenhaizi is so hidden, General Gao doesn’t have to worry about the Arabs discovering it. In that case, once his men have recovered and regained their strength, they can suddenly attack the Arabs out of surprise. Who knows? In their panic, those barbarians might abandon their weapons and flee!”
Seeing him talk so enthusiastically, Li Kuo just shook his head and said, “It’s not that simple. Not to mention whether Shenhaizi can support over twenty thousand men. Even if it could, General Gao wouldn’t just sit idly! Do you think the Arabs wouldn’t think of Shenhaizi if nearly thirty thousand Tang soldiers suddenly disappeared?”
This was true. The area around Talas City was all desert, with only Shenhaizi as an oasis. If the Tang soldiers disappeared suddenly, the Arabs would surely turn their attention to Shenhaizi.
“So what if they do? Even if their hundred-thousand-strong army arrived at the edge of the lake, they could only sigh in frustration. Aren’t they all cavalry? If they had the guts, they could ride into the marshes to search! The reeds, as tall as a person, would completely conceal the soldiers and horses. Even if they searched for a year or half a year, they might not find a single clue!”
Zhang Yanji shrugged and continued to defend his point.
“Do you really need to search the lake area by area to find people?”
Li Kuo shook his head with a bitter smile. “All you need to do is set fire to it. Burn around the perimeter of Shenhaizi, and in less than an hour, the soldiers hiding in the lake will be driven out in panic by the smell!”
Hiss! Zhang Yanji gasped in shock, feeling a chill run down his spine. Yes, Brother Kuo was right. There was no need to search the lake area piece by piece. Just set fire, and the flames would spread through the reeds throughout the lake. By then, even if the soldiers hiding there could endure the heat, they would flee in panic due to the suffocating smoke!
“Besides, with General Gao’s unyielding nature, how would he hide in Shenhaizi like a coward?”
Li Kuo sighed deeply. “If my prediction is correct, General Gao won’t rest for more than a month. After that, he’ll surely take the initiative to seek a decisive battle with the Arabs!”

“Oh, then war must have already broken out at Talas. It will take us at least three days to reach Julan City, and perhaps another five days to reach the Talas River. What are we waiting for? Shouldn’t we hurry and march to assist General Gao?”
Zhang Yanji was horrified and urged them urgently, holding the reins with one hand.