Chapter 486: The Golden Mountain Wolf Pack

Smoke billowed into the sky from Sabize. The three beacon towers between Sabize and Qiemo City also lit up one after another. At the same time, homing pigeons soared through the sky, spreading the news that the Tubo army was about to attack Anxi throughout the region.

Qiemo City was a garrison held by the Tang army, under the jurisdiction of Tianjun Town. Together with the Tang troops stationed in the surrounding smaller cities, there were about two thousand soldiers in total. When He Lou Yurun, the commander of the four garrisons in Anxi, led his elite forces to Qiemo City, the troop strength increased to seven thousand, greatly enhancing its defenses.

Since Qiemo City was the first major city targeted by the Tubo army in their attack on Anxi, it had been repaired several times. Especially after the battle of Sabize three years ago, Li Qing’an ordered extensive renovations—raising and strengthening the city walls, and digging a moat three zhang wide and two zhang deep outside the city, turning Qiemo City into an impregnable fortress.

At that moment, General He Lou Yurun stood on the city wall, staring in the direction of Sabize. Urgent news had arrived from there: the Tang patrol had spotted as many as thirty thousand Tubo soldiers marching toward Sabize. He Lou Yurun was deeply worried. Could Qiemo City withstand an attack by thirty thousand Tubo soldiers? Undoubtedly not. The city wasn’t very strong, and even if it were, the small number of defenders would be unable to hold off the Tubo army. It seemed they had no choice but to abandon Qiemo City and concentrate their forces to deal with the Tubo army.

Beyond Qiemo City, He Lou Yurun was even more concerned about the severity of this Tubo attack on Anxi. Were they launching a full-scale invasion, with more troops following? Or was it just a probing attack? What was their true goal—Shazhou, Anxi, or Toharistan? It was difficult to make an accurate judgment. This was the advantage of the Tubo people—they could launch attacks from all directions from the plateau, while the Tang army found it hard to reach the plateau to strike at their stronghold. But whatever happened, he had to deal with these thirty thousand Tubo soldiers first.

“Pass down my orders!”
He Lou Yurun finally made up his mind. “Order the Tang troops in Qiemo City to destroy the city and return to Qiemo City at once!”
……

“Boom!” A loud noise came from the city of Sabi. One of the grain warehouses in the city collapsed, and over a hundred cavalry rushed out of the city, with a huge fire burning behind them. Outside the city, more than a thousand Tang soldiers had already tied over a hundred thick ropes around the city walls. Once the cavalry inside rushed out, the more than a thousand soldiers began to pull hard. The already severely damaged west city wall wobbled and finally collapsed with a loud crash. The defender of Sabi City was General Luo Shengjun, a military officer. Seeing that both the Tang army and supplies had withdrawn from Sabi City, he immediately ordered, “The entire army must retreat to Qiemo City at once.”

At that moment, a lieutenant stepped forward and reported, “General Luo, the forestry team of the second patrol, along with twenty of our men, have not returned yet. Should we wait for them?”

Luo Shengjun immediately shook his head and said, “The 30,000-strong Tibetan army is already 30 li away. There’s no time to wait. Send someone to tell them to head straight back to Qiemo City.”

Seeing that everyone was ready, he waved his hand and ordered, “Set off!”

More than a thousand Tang soldiers turned their horses and headed in a grand procession toward the northwest, gradually disappearing at the edge of the grassland.

Not long after the Tang army left Sabi City, a dark line appeared at the edge of the forest to the south. As the dark line drew closer, the sound of horse hooves, like thunder, followed. The dark line gradually turned into a vast black carpet—the 30,000-strong Tibetan army had arrived at Sabi City.

Tibetan general Shang Jiasu seemed worried. He had just received orders from Shang Xidongzan to capture the Tang army’s Shule fortress within 20 days. The order was given to him, but no additional troops were provided. Attacking just one city or fortress wouldn’t be a problem, but capturing Qiemo, Yutian, and Shule—all three strongholds—seemed quite difficult. From this, Shang Jiasu could see Shang Xidongzan’s selfish motives.

Originally, the king intended for him to attack Tohara because he was familiar with it. Shang Xidongzan, on the other hand, came to attack Anxi because he had a large army. Moreover, he had retreated from Anxi three years earlier, but now he was trying to reverse that situation. Shang Xidongzan used his authority as commander to order him to lead his troops to attack the tough Tang strongholds, thereby tying down the main force of the Tang army, while he himself led his large army to attack Tohara, where the Tang forces were weak.

Shang Jiasu was frustrated but helpless. At that moment, one of his attendants said, “General, it seems the Tang army has abandoned Sabi City.”

Shang Jiasu looked in the direction of Sapi City through the curtain. A column of black smoke rose from the city, shooting straight into the sky. Shang Jiasu spurred his horse to gallop, and soon he reached the foot of the city. The city walls had collapsed, the gates were destroyed, and fierce fires were burning inside. The barracks, houses, and various facilities in the city had all been reduced to ashes; the entire city was now completely useless.

“General, maybe we should move our logistics here?” suggested an officer.

Shang Jiasu pondered for a moment before shaking his head. His logistical forces were currently in the Ulan Lake area, about two hundred li away. If they moved to Sapi Marsh, they would be easily attacked by the Tang army. Three years earlier, Shang Xidongzan had lost precisely because his logistics were captured by the Tang forces.

“Forget Sapi Marsh. Turn around immediately and march on Qiemo City!”

……

Just as the Tibetan army’s vanguard advanced toward Qiemo City, a Huihe cavalry force of 30,000 men had crossed Jinshan Mountain and suddenly attacked the Geluo people’s stronghold in Xuanchi area. This Huihe cavalry was led by General Hemogadagan. The Huihe people’s initial strategy was to launch a surprise attack on Beiting, but by then, the Geluo, Shatuo, and Tonglu armies had already retreated to Beiting. Hemogadagan changed his strategy and bypassed Jinshan Mountain from the north to launch a surprise attack on the Geluo people’s stronghold. He planned to cross the Tuodan Ridge, head south along the Yibohai Sea, and finally strike at the Anxi army’s main base, Suiye City.

This was an agreement reached a few months earlier between the Tibetan envoy Jisang Jiagong and Khan Geluo. The two sides formed a strategic alliance to jointly confront the Tang Dynasty. They agreed to hunt in Anxi during the autumn when the horses were at their strongest. According to their agreement, the Tibetan army would send 200,000 troops to attack Longyou and Anxi, while the Huihe people would send 50,000 troops to attack Beiting. However, after discussing with their ministers, Khan Geluo and his advisors decided to reduce the number of cavalry by 20,000 to send 30,000 troops in a surprise attack on Beiting to support the Tibetan army’s advance northward.

The Xuanchi area was filled with Geluo people’s camps. The grasslands here were vast and lush, making it an ideal place for grazing. But it was already late autumn, and the grass had gradually turned yellow. Strong winds blew, and in another month, the first snow would cover both sides of Jinshan Mountain. Herders were bringing their sheep and horses back to the pens. They had dried the tender grass in spring so that it could be used to feed their livestock through the winter.

The morning sun was especially warm, and surprisingly, there was no wind today. The camp, composed of thousands of large tents, was bustling with activity. The smoke rising from the Göktürk tents resembled tall, slender birch trees, rising straight into the sky. The warm sunlight shone among the tents, where women were milking sheep. Groups of children rode ponies around the tents, playing games, with cheerful laughter echoing throughout the camp.

In the chief’s magnificent tent, Mölüke Kül Tigin sat at a small table, squinting as his three newly married young wives prepared sheep milk tea for him. All three were beautiful and delicate; the oldest was only eighteen, and the youngest sixteen. The youngest wife had been married just three days ago and still retained a childlike innocence. Under Mölüke Kül Tigin’s gaze, she appeared extremely shy.

Since the Göktürks had fully become dependent on Anxi, their resources had increased. They no longer had to sell their cattle and sheep to obtain food and tea. As payment for their military services, Anxi provided them with 200,000 dan of grain and 30,000 dan of tea each year. They kept their own cattle and sheep for consumption. In addition, their warriors who went on expeditions would bring back furs, women, and other treasures captured from the Uyghurs.

With abundant resources, the Göktürks’ lifestyle became lazy and extravagant. In previous years at this time, they would still graze their cattle and sheep on the grasslands, letting them eat the autumn grass before returning to camp three or four days before snowfall. But now, with snow still a month away, they no longer had the desire to graze. They began herding their cattle and sheep early and took time off for winter, with almost every household having female slaves captured from the Uyghurs. The Göktürks began to enjoy the life of slave owners.

In previous winters, young warriors would practice fighting on horseback near the tents, but now it was quiet. The men hung up their swords and armor and replaced them with beautiful furs, while their bows and arrows were left in corners, covered in dust.

Mölüke Kül Tigin already had enough wealth to fill three tents and over twenty female slaves. Yet the three women who became his wives were all noblewomen captured from the Uyghurs, extremely beautiful. One of them was even the wife of a Khagan. Mölüke Kül Tigin hoped that they would give him more sons.

The youngest wife was named Duoyunu, the daughter of the Uyghur prime minister Yanzhigaluo. She picked up the gleaming golden milk pot, knelt in front of Mouci Heishan, and poured him a cup of milk tea. She was a remarkably beautiful girl—small and delicate, with fair skin and large, innocent-looking eyes beneath long lashes. Her delicate appearance was almost like that of a flower, and her expression was extremely charming.

It was evident that Mouci Heishan also adored this youngest wife. He reached out and pinched her delicate face, smiling and saying, “Didn’t you say last night you wanted your own tent? Fine, you’ll have one tonight. I’ll sleep with you tonight. Remember, you must take good care of me.”

“Yes!”

Duoyunu raised the milk tea high above her head with both hands, saying, “Great Chief, please drink the milk tea!” Her tone was humble, but when she lowered her head, a look of hatred flashed in her eyes. Mouci Heishan took the milk tea, but the handle of the dagger at his waist became visible. Duoyunu stared intently at the dagger handle, her chest heaving violently.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Seeing her hands trembling, Mouci Heishan asked in surprise. At that moment, the milk pot on the table began to vibrate slightly, with the lid clanging nonstop. The other two wives also stood up in panic, unsure of what was happening. Mouci Heishan, being experienced, immediately realized something was wrong—it must be the sound of horse hooves; a large group of horses was approaching.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside. People were shouting in panic. Mouci Heishan stood up quickly and strode to the door. He saw thousands of his people running around in all directions, many already on horseback fleeing south, ignoring their possessions and livestock. He shouted sharply, “What’s going on?”

“Great Chief, look over there!”

One herdsman pointed north. Mouci Heishan glanced in that direction and was terrified. On the grassland several miles away, a vast army of cavalry was charging toward them. Countless banners with wolf heads fluttered in the air, covering the sky like a sandstorm. In front of the cavalry, hundreds of Göktürk herders were fleeing in panic, but they were quickly swallowed up by the cavalry and disappeared without a trace.

Mouci Heishan stood there frozen for a while before suddenly shouting and turning to flee. There was a fine horse beside his tent. He untied the reins and mounted it. At that moment, Duoyunu rushed out of the tent, spreading her arms and shouting, “Chief, please take me with you!”

Mouci Heishan loved this 16-year-old wife dearly. He immediately reached out to her, saying, “Hurry up and get on the horse!”

Both men and women among the Uyghurs were skilled in horseback riding. Duoyunu mounted her horse, sat in front of him, and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist. As she plotted to assassinate Heishan, she turned the horse around and shouted, “Hold on tight; I’m leaving…” Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly trembled violently and lowered her head in shock—there was a dagger deeply embedded in her waist, held in her younger wife Duoyunu’s hand. Duoyunu swiftly pulled out the dagger and screamed, “Die!” She thrust it hard into his chest, piercing his heart. At the moment Heishan was killed, he heard Duoyunu’s vicious last words: “I tell you, I’m not the daughter of the prime minister—I’m the daughter of the Uyghur khan. You’ve defiled my purity; I’ll make you Göktürks pay a thousandfold price!”

……

Thirty thousand Uyghur cavalry rushed in like a storm. They cut down tents, killed men and children, and seized women. Screams and cries filled the air, with blood flowing like rivers and corpses everywhere. Then, a young woman rushed forward, holding a severed head high in her hands and shouting, “I am Princess Duoyunu of the Uyghurs! The chief of the Göktürks has been killed by me!”

He Modagan rushed forward quickly. Recognizing Duoyunu, he exclaimed in surprise and joy, “Princess, aren’t you dead yet?”

Filled with hatred, Duoyunu screamed hysterically, “I’m not dead yet, but I’ve been defiled by the Göktürks! I want you to kill every last one of them—not even infants!”

“As ordered!” He Modagan issued a command of total extermination. The Uyghur cavalry immediately split into fifty groups, surrounding Xuanchi and attacking in all directions. This time, the Göktürks faced an unprecedented catastrophe.

……

News of tens of thousands of Uyghur cavalry massacring the Göktürks reached Suiye City within three days. The Anxi army was shocked, and the Anxi Government immediately changed its plan to march south to Turfan to defend against the Tibetans. Instead, they dispatched 20,000 elite Tang troops northward to the seven defensive cities north of Suiye. The Anxi Government also sent an urgent request for aid to the 20,000 Tang troops stationed in the Shi State. With both the Tibetan army and the Uyghur army attacking Anxi at the same time, it faced its greatest challenge in seventy years since Wu Zetian’s reign.