Chapter 226: Unusual Activity Among the Tuhu Tribes

As the moon rose, two Tang army scouts rode through the dark forest. Surrounded by dense trees with twisted branches, they followed the rushing stream, heading west as quickly as possible. They climbed over one hill after another, moving deeper into the Jiebei Forest. Gradually, they grew tired, their warhorses snorting constantly, and their pace slowed down.

“Brother Qin, let’s stop and rest for a while!” the younger scout said, panting slightly. “The air here seems very thin. I’m having trouble breathing.”

“Hmm!” The older scout nodded and looked around. Pointing to a relatively flat boulder in the distance, he said, “Let’s rest on that rock!”

The two turned their horses and slowly approached the huge rock. The two Tang army scouts were of different ages—the older one was named Qin Haiyang, 32 years old, from Zhaocheng County in Hedong. He had enlisted in the army in Tianbaothe first year and currently lived in Jiahe County in Xizhou as a military household. The younger one was Feng Silang, 17 years old. He had moved from Hedong to Beiting two years ago as part of one of the ten thousand military households, also settling in Jiahe County in Xizhou. His parents were still alive, and he had four brothers. He was the third oldest; his two older brothers joined the army, while his eldest brother and youngest brother stayed at home to farm and grow grapes for wine.

Following the Tang army’s tradition of mentoring newcomers, the experienced soldier Qin Haiyang took charge of this young scout. Since they were both from Hedong and lived in the same county, they got along very well.

The two led their horses to the large rock, which was two zhang high, three zhang long, and over one zhang wide—a long, rectangular boulder. After observing the surroundings for a while, Qin Haiyang said to Feng Silang, “When resting in the wild, we must find a high place to avoid being attacked by wild animals. Do you see? There’s a stream to the north. At night, groups of wild animals often come to the stream to drink. If they spot us, we’ll become their food.”

“I remember!” Feng Silang nodded and climbed up the rock like a monkey. Smiling, he said, “Brother Qin, the top is quite flat. We can stay here overnight without problem.”

Qin Haiyang tied up his horse, then took down the sleeping bag and food pack from the horse meant for carrying supplies and threw them up. “Catch!”

Feng Silang caught them, spread a large oil-paper sheet on the rock first, then unrolled the sleeping bag. The sleeping bag was made of wool, thick and warm, and could also be used as a seat when not in use.

He then opened the food pack, took out a dry cake, and handed a piece of braised beef to Qin Haiyang with a smile. “Brother Qin, have some!”

Qin Haiyang sat down, took the meat pie, and then pulled out a pot of wine from the bag. He drank several big gulps before praising, “It’s truly good wine—so satisfying!”
He smiled at Feng Silang and said, “Silang, do you know why I wanted to become a scout?”
Feng Silang shook his head. Qin Haiyang pointed at the wine pot and said, “It’s for this—as a scout, you can get five jin of wine each time you go on a mission, and it’s always good wine. Hehe!”
He took another sip. The rich aroma of the wine made him close his eyes in pleasure. Smiling, he asked Feng Silang, “Then why do you want to be a scout?”
Feng Silang scratched his head and said, “I don’t know either. General Nan asked us who wanted to be scouts, and I just raised my hand without thinking. Since he saw I was in good physical condition, he approved it.”
“You kid! Treating a life-or-death decision as a joke.”
Qin Haiyang shook his head with emotion. “Do you know? Being a scout in the Western Regions is the most dangerous. The barbarians here grew up on horseback, with excellent horses. Once they spot you, it’s hard to escape. If you’re lucky, you get captured as a prisoner and exchanged later; if not, you’re killed on the spot. I was captured once in the fourth year of Tianbao and was almost killed before being exchanged.”
“But I heard that scouts can rise quickly in rank. Our military governor-general also came from a scout unit.”
“You’re mocking me! I’ve been a scout for almost ten years, yet I’m still just a regular soldier. The military governor-general only became one in the fifth year of Tianbao… Never mind, let’s not talk about it!”
Qin Haiyang took another sip of wine. Suddenly, he stopped drinking and pricked up his ears, scanning the surroundings. At that moment, a flock of night birds took off from the northwest.
“Not good!”
Qin Haiyang shouted softly and jumped down from the big rock, leading his horse behind it to hide. Feng Silang also jumped down and asked in a low voice, “Brother Qin, what’s wrong?”
“Shh! Don’t speak.”
The two hid behind the rock. From afar, they could faintly hear the sound of warhorses wading through water, along with voices. Feng Silang peeked into the distance and his blood ran cold. Fifty steps away, in the woods, a massive group of Xiongnu cavalry appeared, crossing a small stream and heading northwest.
Qin Haiyang’s pupils constricted. Good heavens, there were over three thousand of them, and they even had scaling ladders. What were they up to?
The Xiongnu cavalry didn’t notice them and continued wading across the stream toward the northwest. At that point, Feng Silang couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Brother Qin, what kind of intelligence have we uncovered?”
“We’ve caught a big fish.”

Qin Haiyang was extremely pleased and explained to him, “First, when night birds fly away in flocks, it must mean a large group of people has passed by—like us two walking here; those birds wouldn’t even dare to defecate. Second, judging by the number of people—no experience needed; with enough observations, one can roughly estimate how many there are at a glance. Third, look at their equipment. You might not know this, but I know it best. In the past, the Turkic horsemen used tattered equipment—shoddy leather armor, homemade bows and arrows, as well as knives and spears of various lengths. But this time, they’re all wearing uniform heavy leather armor, carrying the same long spears, bows and arrows made by craftsmen, and even detachable ladders. What do you think this means?”
“I can’t figure it out.”
“Idiot!” Qin Haiyang slapped him on the back of the head. “These are the equipment of the Abbasid army, indicating that the Turkic horsemen have received support from them. The ladders too—are detachable and assembleable. Those idiots from the Turkic horsemen, who only know how to burn cow dung, couldn’t make such things; they must have been made by the Abbasids.”
“But what do they use the ladders for?”
“You fool! Of course they use them to attack cities. What do you think? To climb walls and steal women?”
“Then which city are they attacking?”
“Stop asking so many stupid questions. Just follow along.”
Qin Haiyang climbed up a large rock, packed up his things, and the two mounted their horses, following in the footsteps of the Turkic horsemen.
……
To the northwest of Gongyue City lay five cities in sequence: Fengming City, Longwei City, Baihan City, and Yibao City. These five cities supported each other, forming a strategic defense line. Among them, Yuegong City was the main base for troops and the gateway to Beiting, making it of the greatest strategic importance. Fengming City, on the other hand, was the closest to Suiye and served as the logistical base for attacking Suiye.
Of the five cities, Beihan City had the fewest troops. Located on the edge of the desert south of the Yibao Sea, it currently had just over 500 soldiers. Its commander was Nan Jiyun, who had achieved great merits in the first battle of Suiye and was promoted to Lieutenant General. Besides him, there was another important figure in the city: Yan Zhuang, Li Qing’an’s advisor.
Yan Zhuang had returned from an inspection of the Yibao Sea and passed through Beihan City. His leg disease flared up while crossing the desert, so he stayed temporarily in Beihan City to recover.

The reason Nan Jiyun was in Beihan City was the result of Feng Changqing’s purge of the Beiting Army last year. As a trusted subordinate of Li Qing’an, after Feng Changqing took control of Beiting, he was demoted from commander of the Hanhai Army to Beihan City, while Lei Wanchun was sent to Yibao City as its governor. After Li Qing’an regained power, he was busy reasserting control over Anxi and preparing for war against Suiye, leaving no time to deal with him and Lei Wanchun.

“General Nan, the governor is under great pressure in his second battle against Suiye. Whether his strategy in Hezhong can succeed depends on this first battle. If he wins, the court will support him; if he loses, the opposition in the court will come out to criticize him. So although he claims not to care about Dumoji, he actually values it more than anyone else. You can tell from the way he mobilizes troops—he has deployed all the Beiting Army, and the Anxi Army is also joining the fight from the south. He even wanted to use gunpowder, but I persuaded him against it.”

“Why?” Nan Jiyun was puzzled. “Using gunpowder wouldn’t increase the chances of victory?”

“Gunpowder should only be used at critical moments, like in a decisive battle against the Arabs. Using it too early would alert them.”

Nan Jiyun nodded silently. Yan Zhuang was right. Although Dumoji was a headache, it wasn’t yet necessary to resort to gunpowder. Just as he was about to leave, he saw that Yan Zhuang seemed to have more to say, so he waited.

Yan Zhuang could barely walk now, limping heavily—this was the limit of his recovery. He walked a few steps in the room, sighed worriedly, and said, “Actually, what I’m truly concerned about is the situation within the court. By sending the Tianwei Army to Anxi, although Anxi’s military strength has increased, the governor has also fallen out with Geshu Han. There are also An Lushan and An Sishun, who both hold grudges against him. Add to that the political rival Yang Guozhong—his situation in the court is dire!”

“If we recapture Suiye and expand our territory westward, preventing them from finding an excuse, won’t everything be fine?” Nan Jiyun was unconvinced.

Yan Zhuang smiled bitterly. “Things aren’t as simple as you think. Do you understand the principle of ‘excessive merit threatening the ruler’? Have you seen what happened to Wang Zhongsi? Last time, the governor was only demoted to Liuzhou. If he were to truly defeat the Arabs and expand the Tang Empire’s territory westward, and if there were schemers in the court inciting trouble, I dare say the emperor will surely kill him sooner or later!”

Nan Jiyun was shocked and asked urgently, “Is there any way to avoid this?”

Yan Zhuang stared fixedly at the ground, his eyes reflecting inner conflict. He knew there was a way, but he never dared to speak it out—this was not something to say casually; it involved the life and fortune of Yan Zhuang, Li Qing’an, and countless soldiers of Beiting. He couldn’t say it, at least not unless it was absolutely necessary. He glanced at Nan Jiyun, who was looking at him with hope in his eyes. After a long while, he slowly said, “If that moment really arrives, those who plan things are not only humans but also the heavens.”
Just then, an anxious voice came from the door, “General Nan!”
“What is it?” Nan Jiyun turned to ask.
“The scout Qin Haiyang has returned with urgent news.”