Chapter 8: Killing from a Hundred Paces Away

Behind a huge rock two li away, Li Qing’an watched the hundreds of Turkic cavalry under the flickering flames—this was the first challenge he faced since entering the Tang dynasty.
But the enemy numbered over five hundred, while Li Qing’an and his men totaled only four. Could one man face a hundred?
He quickly racked his brain for historical examples of outnumbered forces winning battles, but none of them seemed applicable here. Without courage, even the most classic strategies were useless.
“Take off one of your quivers and give it to me!”
A few Tang soldiers were stunned. Han Jinping hurriedly advised, “Fire Commander, you can’t take such a risk. They are regular Turkic troops, not ordinary herders. Let’s wait for reinforcements from Bahuan City!”
“It will take at least two days for reinforcements from Bahuan City to arrive. By then, the fortress will already be destroyed. Give me the quiver!”
With no choice, they removed a quiver and handed it to Li Qing’an. He Yanming hesitated for a moment before saying, “Fire Commander, let me go with you!”
“No need. It’s easier for me to act alone.”
He patted He Yanming’s shoulder and smiled, “Xiao He, teach me a Turkic phrase—how do you say ‘emergency’?”
“Urenma jubo bajaruo.”
“I understand. Wait for me from afar. Under no circumstances follow me.”
Li Qing’an hung the five quivers on his horse and spurred it forward, racing southwest.
To scout for Tang reinforcements heading north, the Turks stationed sentries at the southwest and southeast corners, five li away. Under the cover of darkness, Li Qing’an gradually approached the sentinel at the southwest corner. He tied his horse to a willow tree. A Turkic cavalryman was sitting under the tree, drinking water. In the dim light, his tall figure showed no signs of sensing danger.
Sixty paces away, behind a large rock, Li Qing’an took out the seven-stone strongbow he had bought from Bahuan City. He had previously shot at targets, trees, and animals, but this was the first time he was shooting at a human.
He slowly drew back the bow, his lips almost bleeding from the strain. Taking a deep breath, he controlled his pounding heart as he aimed the long arrow at the sentinel’s gaping mouth. Drawing the bowstring fully, he released it—the arrow shot out like lightning. With a loud “thwack,” the arrow pierced the sentinel’s mouth, exited through the back of his head, and nailed him to the tree without even a cry.

Li Qing’an’s back was drenched in sweat. He had no time to savor the taste of killing. He rushed upward, quickly stripping off the sentinel’s coat to put on, then taking off his own hat to wear it instead. After that, he dragged the corpse deep into the bushes before cutting the reins of the warhorse tied to the tree and leading the horse away into the darkness.
…
The bloody battle had begun. The Tang army fired arrows like rain, densely targeting the Turkiš cavalry below the fortress. The ground below the fortress was littered with corpses; dozens of Turkiš soldiers were killed there. Yet the enemy troops behind them were fearless, determined to capture the fortress. Another fifty Turkiš soldiers charged forward, carrying mud bags to fill in the ditch in front of the gates.
In the distance, over two hundred Turkiš cavalrymen also shot arrows from their horses. The arrow rain was dense, with most hitting the stone walls, but some also reaching inside the fortress, causing casualties among the Tang army.
Li Fei Yuanli’s eyes turned red with fury. He shouted orders for the Tang army to shoot at the enemy, “Over here! Shoot here! Over there, shoot that tall officer! Damn it! You missed! Did you grow up eating shit?”
With a slap, Li Fei Yuanli sent a Tang soldier flying. He drew his bow himself, but the tall Turkiš officer was gone. Frustrated, he shot an arrow randomly and cursed, “Damn it! They don’t go after the fat women in the south—they come to attack us! These Turkiš are crazy!”
Suddenly, he saw dozens of Turkiš cavalrymen dragging a battering ram. He was stunned for a moment, stepped back two steps, and muttered to himself, “It’s over. I’m going to die here today. The beautiful women of Dongdu, the beautiful women of Chang’an… I won’t see you anymore.”
…
“Break it open!”
Amid the flickering flames, Turkiš leader Du Luoxian was furious. Pointing at the stone gates of the fortress, he roared. For the sake of a gem, over sixty of his men had already died, yet not a trace of the gem could be seen. He began to feel pity—these brave soldiers were more valuable than any gem.
“Charge in! Leave no Tang soldiers alive!”
Twenty men rushed toward the fortress gates, carrying the battering ram, while dozens of Turkiš soldiers on either side held up their shields to protect them, resembling a giant centipede.
At that moment, a Turkiš soldier with his face heavily painted black approached Du Luoxian unnoticed. His hat was pulled low, covering most of his face. In the dim light of the flames, no one noticed him; everyone’s attention was focused on the “centipede” attacking the gates.
“What do you want?” Du Luoxian suddenly noticed him and turned to ask.
The man opened his mouth but couldn’t speak, his face showing anger.

“Damn it, I forgot!” he roared, drawing his gleaming sword and swinging it in a swift strike. But Du Luoxian was already on guard and dodged quickly, avoiding the fatal blow. Still, he was too slow—the sharp blade severed his left arm with a crack! Du Luoxian screamed in pain and fled on his horse.

Li Qingan spurred his horse in another direction. After running a dozen steps, he reluctantly turned back, drew his bow, and shot an arrow that hit Du Luoxian in the back. Du Luoxian staggered and fell from his horse. The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. In an instant, the Turkic cavalry became chaotic—some rushed to help their leader, while dozens charged after the daring assassin with furious shouts.

Li Qingan galloped frantically. He had torn off his cumbersome robe and thrown away his hat, revealing his Tang army’s Mingguang armor. As he fled, he kept shooting arrows—one after another, like a storm of arrows. With each shot, a pursuer screamed as he fell from his horse. The Turkic cavalry also fired arrows at him, clanging against his armor, but none could penetrate the Mingguang armor.

“Damn, this armor is really good!” Li Qingan’s confidence soared. He had heard before that even the Tang army’s bows couldn’t pierce transparent armor from fifty paces away. If even the most powerful Tang bows failed, let alone the inferior bows of the Turkic cavalry.

Li Qingan raced across the Gobi Desert. His familiarity with the terrain gave him a huge advantage. He drew his bow like a full moon, and his arrows flew like meteors. Each arrow sent toward the enemy was like a grim smile from death. After traveling over ten miles, he had already killed more than twenty men, all with a single arrow. Gradually, the Turkic cavalry began to hesitate, slowing down their pursuit. They were terrified by Li Qingan’s deadly arrows.

Li Qingan rushed to a high ridge. Under the golden full moon, he felt a surge of killing pleasure. He drew his bow sharply, aiming the cold arrow tip at the approaching Turkic cavalry, his eyes narrowed. From above, the tall and mighty Li Qingan resembled a god. With a snap of the string, the arrow flew swiftly. The lead cavalryman was struck in the head and fell from his horse with a scream.

The last dozen Turkic cavalrymen were terrified and turned to flee. Li Qingan laughed heartily—the taste of killing was truly exhilarating. “Give me your lives!”

Li Qingan rode after them on his horse. In the vast, boundless Gobi Desert, he was like a fierce tiger from the Tianshan Mountains, chasing a group of terrified wild wolves from the Western Regions. His arrows flew like pear blossoms, drenched in the blood of the Turkic horsemen. When he killed the last one, he finally couldn’t help but roar to the sky.
“As long as the valiant general of Longcheng remains, the barbarian horses shall never cross the Yin Mountains!”