Chapter 124: Modifying Arrows

Fusi City was originally the capital of the Tuyuhun. After the Tuyuhun were conquered by the Tubo, Fusi City became a key stronghold for the Tubo west of Wumu Co (Qinghai). Located between the Dafei River Valley and the Datong Valley, it served as a link between the Tubo’s military forces in these two areas, making it an extremely important logistical base for the Tubo army, with large quantities of food stored there.

There were about three thousand troops stationed in Fusi City, but the number was not high because the Tubo had blockaded the passages at both ends of Wumu Co, and the Tang army never came from Dunhuang. Only in the fourth year of the Tianbao era did the Anxi Military Governor Fu Menglingcha send a patrol of over a hundred men, who were completely annihilated.

Since the patrol posed no threat to Fusi City, the Tubo did not intend to station many troops there either.

That night, in a forest about ten miles away from Fusi City, Nan Jiyun crouched on a thick tree, his gaze fixed on a path just a few dozen steps away. His ten men were positioned on other trees. They had been lying in wait since noon. From noon on, Tubo soldiers had passed by on horseback along the path, always in groups, with no one alone. Nan Jiyun patiently waited for an opportunity.

Suddenly, a bird call came from afar. Nan Jiyun perked up and looked into the distance. There they were—three Tubo soldiers riding toward them! Just three!

Nan Jiyun immediately whispered orders to the other archers, “Shoot the horses and capture the men!”

He drew an arrow, nocked it on his bow, and slowly drew back the string. Under the moonlight, the three Tubo cavalry riders drew closer, with no other soldiers following. These three were their targets.

The arrows were released. The Tang soldiers beside Nan Jiyun shot almost simultaneously. Seven arrows flew at the three warhorses. The horses screamed and fell to the ground, throwing the Tubo soldiers off their backs. Before they could get up, Nan Jiyun’s second arrow struck one of them in the thigh, pinning him to the ground. Then the second and third men were also hit in the legs, their screams echoing through the air.

The ten Tang soldiers jumped down from the trees and rushed at the Tubo soldiers. Moving with incredible speed, they knocked the Tubo soldiers unconscious, tied them up, and stuffed them into sacks. They also dragged the three wounded horses into the forest. Carrying the sacks, they ran into the forest. Under the cover of darkness, Nan Jiyun’s scouting team disappeared into the vast plains.

The confessions were obtained. Two Tang soldiers who spoke Tibetan pieced together information about Fusi City from the captives and compiled it into a complete report. The Tang army’s camp had been moved to an open area in the forest, with the Fusi River flowing slowly by. Dozens of tents were set up along the river. In the largest tent, several generals from Anxi gathered together. Li Qing’an hung a sketch drawn by Nan Jiyun on a wooden board and said to them, “This is an opportunity. Fusi City has only three thousand troops stationed there, but it possesses over three hundred thousand dan of grain. If Fusi City is attacked, the Tibetans surely won’t sit idly by.”

Bai Yuanguang laughed and said, “Seventh Brother’s real intention is to lure them away from their base, right?”
“That’s right!”
Li Qing’an smiled and pointed to the distance between Fusi City and the north-south direction. “Although Fusi City is located between the Datong Valley and the Dafei River, it’s still over a hundred li away from the Datong Valley. If Fusi City is attacked and the Tibetans seek help, they’ll most likely turn to the Datong Valley. That way, with fewer troops there, our chance arises.”

At that moment, Li Fei Shouyu, who had remained silent until then, said, “Seventh Brother, we can’t be too optimistic. How do we know the Tibetan troops in the Datong Valley will definitely come to help?”
“Second Brother, you’re overthinking it. Didn’t Seventh Brother say it? The Tibetan troops in the Datong Valley are the closest to Fusi City. If your house caught fire, would you go fetch water from the river outside or from the well in your own yard?” Li Fei Yuanli replied in a deep voice.
“It’s not what you think!” Li Fei Shouyu retorted unhappily. “We don’t know the internal structure of the Tibetan army. If the troops in Fusi City are under the command of the Dafei River, even if it’s two hundred li away, they can only seek help from the Dafei River.”

Li Qing’an fell silent. He suddenly realized he hadn’t considered things thoroughly enough. He had been focused on the possibility of the Tibetan troops from the Datong Valley coming to aid, but hadn’t thought about what if they didn’t? And even if they did come, would they definitely be able to pass through the Datong Valley? Would the Tibetan army open a path for their thousand men to pass safely?

A series of questions made Li Qing’an realize he couldn’t be too hasty in making decisions. He nodded and said, “Alright! Let’s not rush to decide. We’ll wait for news from He Yanming before acting.”

The first pre-battle meeting ended. Li Qing’an stepped out of the tent and sat on a large rock by the river, gazing thoughtfully at the water. At that moment, Li Fei Shouyu came over to him and said with a smile, “What, have you lost confidence just because I spoke?”

Li Qing’an shook his head and smiled, “How could that be? I’ve fought in dozens of battles, big and small. Is such a small problem too much for me?”
“Has Qi Lang come up with any solution?”
“Not yet. But many things can’t be solved just by thinking.”
Li Qing’an stood up. At that moment, the sound of women’s laughter came from the forest in the distance. It was the freed slave women sewing clothes for the Tang army. Li Qing’an smiled and said to Li Fei Shouyu, “In just a few days, many of them have changed completely. Remember when we first met them—they seemed like ghosts emerging from the netherworld. If we can free more Han slave women on this journey to Hehuang, it will be worth it.”
“General!”
Someone was calling him from afar. Li Qing’an turned around and saw Marshal He Yingchuan waving at him.
“What’s the matter?”
“General, come and take a look. We’ve made some progress here.”
“Let’s go and see.”
Li Qing’an and Li Fei Shouyu went to a small clearing in the forest, where the Tang army had slaughtered sheep to roast meat. An iron furnace had been set up there, and a dozen Tang blacksmiths were hammering at something. The old Han slave Zhang Pingbo was guiding them from the side, with piles of arrows piled up at their feet.
Li Qing’an stepped forward and saw that they were modifying arrows, turning the triangular arrowheads into streamlined shafted arrows.
He Yingchuan pointed at Zhang Pingbo and said, “General, this old man Zhang has been a blacksmith for the Tibetans for ten years. He knows very well the structure of their chainmail armor and is guiding us in modifying the arrows.”
Zhang Pingbo quickly stepped forward to bow. “General, I am willing to do my part for the Tang army.”
Li Qing’an was very interested. He picked up one of the modified arrows and examined it carefully. The arrowhead was even thinner and longer than those of the Tang army’s piercing arrows, with six grooves cut horizontally at the tip, resembling file strips from later times.
Zhang Pingbo explained, “General Li, since last year, the Tibetan army has modified their chainmail armor in response to the Tang army’s piercing arrows. They added a fine mesh inside the armor with very small holes. The Tang army’s piercing arrows can’t penetrate it, and even if they manage to get in, their power is greatly reduced. So, to break through this mesh, the arrowhead must be both sharp and long. But that’s not enough, because the arrow shaft can’t fit through. That’s why when we blacksmiths made these meshes, we thought of a way to counter them.”
At this point, seeing that Li Qing’an was silent, Zhang Pingbo hesitantly stopped speaking. Li Qing’an snapped out of his thoughts and quickly said, “Go on.”

“The way to counter it is to create grooves on the arrowheads and fill them with poison. Once the arrow tip penetrates the body, the poison will take effect quickly. Even if the arrow shaft doesn’t go in, it’s still enough to kill the Tubo soldiers.”
Li Qing’an found these grooves somewhat strange and asked with a smile, “Then why are these grooves cut horizontally?”
Zhang Pingbo also smiled and said, “General, you don’t understand the Tubo soldiers. They are extremely tough. When hit by an arrow, they immediately pull it out. Ordinary poison can’t dissolve quickly, so it often proves ineffective. That’s why the grooves are cut in the opposite direction—when they pull out the arrow, the poison in the grooves rubs against their flesh, ensuring the maximum amount stays in their bodies.”
“Good, brilliant!” Li Fei Shouyu exclaimed in admiration.
Li Qing’an nodded in agreement. The Tang army usually used piercing arrows against the Tubo army, with arrowheads shaped like bullet tips. However, this manufacturing standard hadn’t changed for decades, and the Tubo people couldn’t alter their hundreds of thousands of chainmail armor pieces. Yet they managed to line them with a fine mesh, slightly modifying them to counter the Tang’s piercing arrows and greatly reducing their effectiveness. It turned out that the Tang army’s solution came from a Han slave they had rescued by chance—seemingly, fate indeed has its ways.
Thinking of this, he quickly asked, “What about the poison? Where can we get it?”
Zhang Pingbo picked up two strands of grass from behind him and said, “General, these two plants—one is called ‘drunken grass,’ and the other ‘nine-poison grass.’ They are abundant near Qinghai and also in the forests. Their roots and stems contain ordinary poisons, but the Tuyuhun people often mix them together to create a highly deadly poison used against wild wolves in the grasslands.”
Li Qing’an immediately said to Li Fei Shouyu, “Arrange for our men to go to the forests to collect these two herbs right away. Remember, don’t spread out—prevent attacks from wild animals.”
Li Fei Shouyu set off right away to make the arrangements. After pondering for a moment, Li Qing’an asked the blacksmith, “How many arrows can you make in a day?”
“General, the five of us can modify 1,500 arrows per day.”
This time, each soldier brought 200,000 piercing arrows and 100,000 ordinary wolf-tooth arrows. Even if they only used 30,000 arrows temporarily, it would take 20 days to complete—time was not on their side!
Zhang Pingbo understood Li Qing’an’s concern. He smiled and said, “General, thirty li south of Fusi City, there’s a small city called Haixi City. The Tubo people have gathered 2,000 Han slaves there to build this city. Many of them are blacksmiths. Several of my former apprentices are working there.”

“Wait!” A bold plan suddenly flashed through Li Qingan’s mind.