Chapter 227: Eradicate Completely

“Have them come here directly.”
Nan Jiyun was somewhat surprised, unsure of what was happening. Yan Zhuang smiled beside him and said, “Could it be that Duomoji can’t stand being idle and decides to strike first?”
At that moment, scouts Qin Haiyang and Feng Silang were brought in. The two knelt and saluted militarily, saying, “Reporting to the general!”
“What information have you discovered?”
“We found a Turkic cavalry force of about three thousand heading north. We thought they were going to attack Beihan City, but then we saw them cross the Five Cities Defense Line at night and head further north. We followed them for over two hundred miles before returning after they entered the territory of the Göktürks.”
Nan Jiyun couldn’t figure out the purpose of the Turkic cavalry’s northern advance. Then Yan Zhuang asked, “Recount the details again, making sure nothing is missed.”
Qin Haiyang then described in detail how they detected the enemy forces, concluding, “We saw that the Turkic cavalry had long ladders, so we thought they were coming to attack the Five Cities. But it turned out they were heading north instead.”
Yan Zhuang fell into deep thought. Nan Jiyun waved his hand, telling the two to leave, signaling that they would be rewarded. The two bowed and left.
“I’m worried they’re going to launch a surprise attack on Jinman County.”
After a moment of silence, Yan Zhuang finally spoke, “A surprise attack on Jinman County to disrupt the governor’s plans to recapture Suiye.”
“What should we do?” Nan Jiyun asked anxiously.
“Send someone immediately to inform the governor to prepare defenses while avoiding falling for the enemy’s trap.”
“I understand. I’ll send someone right away!”
……
Between Jinman County and Gongyue City lay eight fortresses of various sizes in the long valleys and grasslands. The Tang army stationed three thousand soldiers in these fortresses, which formed a defensive line to safeguard the safety of the northern Silk Road. To the east of the desert lay a vast saltwater lake covering tens of thousands of acres, called Huangcaobo—what is today’s Aybik Lake. After enduring the harsh desert, merchants would immediately see this endless expanse of blue water, feeling rejuvenated, which is why they also called it the Lake of Life.
To the northwest of Huangcaobo lay a wide pass about fifty li across the Jin Mountains, with no settlements within a hundred li. That night, a large group of dark cavalry crossed the pass and appeared by Huangcaobo Lake. It was a cavalry force of about three thousand, dressed in Uyghur robes, radiating murderous intent. They swept past Huangcaobo Lake and charged toward Xilin Fortress, located a hundred li away.

Xilin Fort was the smallest of the eight fortresses, housing over a hundred Tang soldiers under the command of a fort commander. Built against a mountain, it could accommodate more than three hundred people and was extremely well-fortified. On a hill three miles away stood a beacon tower. In the early morning, as usual, the Tang soldiers sent a dozen sentries to patrol the surroundings. The sound of camel bells echoed as a caravan of dozens of camels approached from afar. The soldiers cheered immediately—this meant they would make some money and bring women and essential goods. They rushed back to their quarters to fetch the furs and argali heads they had captured.

Soon, the caravan arrived and set up tents beside the fortress. Goods were scattered everywhere, and several plump Muslim women stood beside one tent, showing off their charms to tempt the soldiers. The soldiers approached to trade, and some, as soon as they got their money, hurried into the prostitutes’ tents.

The fort commander, surnamed Hu, was an experienced soldier in his forties. The main Tang forces had passed just the day before, and they had finally relaxed, enjoying this rare moment of ease. With a few coins in his pocket, he grinned and strode quickly toward the prostitutes’ tent. Suddenly, a shrill ringing of bells sounded from the fortress—“Dang! Dang! Dang!” Someone shouted, “Beacon fire! Three beacons of fire!”

Hu was shocked. He looked up at the beacon tower on the hill and saw three columns of black smoke rising—an alarm that a large enemy force was approaching. The soldiers panicked and rushed back into the fortress, while several Muslim women also screamed and ran alongside them, barefoot and in disheveled clothes. At that moment, a dull thunderous sound of horse hooves came from afar. A large group of cavalry emerged from behind the hill, their swords gleaming as they charged toward them!

“It’s the Uyghurs! The Uyghurs are coming!”

Hu’s eyes turned red with anger. He grabbed a soldier and shouted, “Go ask the military governor for help! Hurry!”

The soldier mounted his horse and galloped westward. In an instant, a sea of Uyghur cavalry rushed in, engulfing the dozen or so Tang soldiers and merchants who hadn’t had time to escape. The gates of the Tang fortress were closed, and arrows rained down from the walls. But the Uyghurs seemed prepared—long ladders were quickly assembled. Holding their shields high, they charged at the fortress like frenzied wolves, braving the hail of arrows.

At noon the next day, Li Qing’an led five thousand cavalry back at lightning speed. The battle had already ended—the castle was in ruins, the raging fire had died down, and charred wood and corpses still emitted thin trails of smoke. With a grim expression, Li Qing’an entered the castle. It was in complete chaos; the ground was littered with headless Tang soldiers’ bodies, with no enemy corpses in sight. Dozens of women captured along the way and Hu women hiding in the castle had been raped and murdered, their naked bodies hung high on the city walls. All the military supplies and soldiers’ belongings in the castle had been looted, even their armor had been stripped off.

“Reporting to the general, only five soldiers on patrol outside survived. The remaining 144 were all killed by the Uyghurs!”

Li Qing’an’s expression turned extremely dark as he slowly clenched his fists. Nan Jiyun’s timely report informed him of Dumoji’s plot—to disguise himself as a Uyghur and launch a surprise attack on Beiting, aiming to disrupt his plans to attack Suiye.

“Bring in the men sent by Nan Jiyun!”

A moment later, the soldiers brought in Qin Haiyang and Feng Silang, who had delivered the message. The two quickly knelt in half before Li Qing’an.

“I’ll ask you—do you still remember the route they took?”

“We do! We marked it all!”

“Good!” Li Qing’an turned and ordered, “Pass on my orders: intercept this army head-on and wipe them out completely. No surrender will be accepted!”

The large Tang army immediately turned their horses and rushed westward.

……

The mountain pass northwest of Huangcaopu is today’s Alashan Pass. A dozen Tang scouts followed the fresh horse hoofprints all the way. After leaving the pass, the traces of the cavalry headed south, clearly indicating that the Turkic people had achieved their goal and returned to Suiye.

Leading this army that launched a surprise attack on Tang territory was one of Dumoji’s adopted sons, Wupaimodagan. The joy and pride of his success made him eager to return to Suiye at once. Before leaving, his adoptive father Dumoji had told him that if he completed the mission successfully, he could inherit the position of chief of the Turkic people.

To ensure the success of this surprise attack, Wupaimodagan had been preparing for a month. He sent people disguised as merchants and herders to explore the terrain and Tang army defenses in Huangcaopu and Xilin, gathering a great deal of intelligence. It was thanks to this detailed information that he was able to succeed in one strike.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but admire his stepfather’s strategy. The Turkic Khitans and the Uyghurs were both branches of the Turks, with similar appearances and a common language. If they wore Uyghur clothing, they could indeed pass off as Uyghurs. Moreover, since they were attacking from the north, the Tang army would mistake them for Uyghurs launching an attack on Beiting. This would disrupt the Tang army’s plan to attack Suiye, delaying things by a month or two, allowing the Abbasid reinforcements to arrive.

Wu Peimogadan grew more and more pleased as he thought about it, even laughing heartily. It was a pity, however, that he didn’t encounter any Han women this time, which disappointed him.

Suddenly, chaos broke out among the cavalry ahead. They were at the entrance of Huoyun Valley. The valley was about ten miles long, wider in the north and narrower in the south. The southern entrance was about one mile wide, and the Yili River was five miles ahead of the entrance. This place was located between the Tang army’s Fengming City and Gongyue City, about thirty miles from Fengming City. The water in the Yili River in this area was shallow enough to cross on horseback.

It was already dusk, with the sky still red. Through the floating clouds, brilliant flames could be seen. Flocks of gray birds flew overhead, emitting shrill cries as they headed toward their nests on the cliffs. But they couldn’t leave the valley, stuck in the gorge.

“What happened?” Wu Peimogadan demanded sharply as he spurred his horse forward.

“The road ahead is blocked!” someone shouted. “It’s blocked by dozens of huge rocks!”

Wu Peimogadan was shocked. This area was uninhabited, and there hadn’t been any heavy rains recently. How could there be huge rocks blocking the road?

A sense of unease arose in Wu Peimogadan’s heart. He looked up at both sides of the valley. On either side were towering cliffs covered with trees, casting huge shadows that made the area seem especially gloomy.

“Quickly move those rocks aside and pass through at once!”

At Wu Peimogadan’s order, hundreds of people dismounted and started moving the rocks. Just then, a clanging sound was heard, and suddenly, arrows flew from the forests on both sides. A dense rain of arrows poured down on the Khitan troops gathered at the valley entrance. Unprepared, the Khitan cavalry cried out in pain as many soldiers were hit by arrows and fell from their horses. The powerful arrows pierced through their leather armor and even their skulls. Wu Peimogadan was hit in the thigh by an arrow and fell off his horse.

Enduring the severe pain, he shouted, “Retreat quickly! Go back!”

The Khitan cavalry were terrified. They turned their horses around, using their shields to block the arrows, and fled desperately northward. But after running less than two miles, they encountered a human wall that blocked their escape route.

These were a thousand heavy-armed halberd soldiers, each of them towering and immensely strong, wielding halberds two zhang long, clad in armor that shimmered with blue light. Their faces showed only pairs of utterly cold eyes, like a group of hunters staring coldly at prey trapped in a snare. Behind these thousand halberd soldiers were three thousand archers and cavalry, holding crossbows and blocking off the open spaces on both sides. Their commander had ordered to exterminate them all without leaving a single survivor—today, Fire Cloud Valley would become a graveyard for the Turkiš warriors. “Boom!” The drums sounded, slow yet powerful. “Boom! Boom!” Along with the heavy drumbeats, the halberd soldiers stepped forward toward the advancing Turkiš cavalry, each step thunderous and imposing. At that moment, someone among the Turkiš warriors shouted, “Charge!” The Turkiš cavalry launched their attack, knowing that only by charging could they have a chance of survival. Driven by their instinct to escape, they fought desperately, raising their long swords and spears and charging wildly at the Tang army like a storm. Yet the halberd soldiers stood firm as mountains. Wu Peimogadan led the charge, waving his spear and shouting as he lunged at the leader of the Tang army. The leader of the halberd soldiers was General Tian Zhen, who roared and swung his fierce sword downward with great force, splitting Wu Peimogadan and his horse in two in an instant, blood spraying everywhere and internal organs spilling out. The halberd soldiers advanced step by step, swinging their swords and stabbing, unstoppable. The heads and severed bodies of the Turkiš cavalry rolled to the ground, with cries of agony echoing through the valley. Behind and on both sides of them, the Tang arrows rained down like locusts, causing heavy casualties. The wounded Turkiš warriors knelt on the ground, pleading for mercy, but were still torn to pieces by the advancing halberd soldiers. Blood flowed like rivers, and corpses lay in heaps—Fire Cloud Valley had become a slaughterhouse. On the mountain top, Li Qing’an sat on his horse, watching the massacre in the valley with an expressionless face. The setting sun was blood-red, casting a crimson glow over the mountain top. Desperate screams and mournful cries filled the valley, but Li Qing’an remained unmoved. Duan Xiushi beside him could no longer bear it and whispered, “General, why not accept their surrender?” Li Qing’an glanced at him coldly, and Duan Xiushi fell silent, afraid to speak again. “Pass my order—leave no survivors. Exterminate them all!”