Chapter 214

Chapter 214

Outside Liangzhou City stretched a natural gorge, tens of miles long, so narrow at its tightest point that only two carts could pass abreast.

While this posed no issue for merchants in peacetime, during war, it became a formidable natural barrier—a true chokepoint where one man could hold off ten thousand.

It was precisely because Liangzhou was easy to defend yet difficult to attack that Jieli Khan devised a strategy to besiege the city, aiming to exhaust its provisions and secure victory without sacrificing a single soldier.

Once they captured Liangzhou as a stronghold, even if reinforcements from the Wu Dynasty arrived, they would remain unconcerned, as the opposing forces would likewise struggle to breach their defenses.

Seated on his warhorse, Jieli Khan gazed at the distant city, his heart swelling with emotion. After so many years, they could finally set foot on this land once more.

Three hundred years prior, the most powerful Khan of the Turkic tribes had led his troops to conquer all the northern territories. At that time, they possessed the most fertile pastures, countless Han Chinese slaves, and endless treasures of gold and silver.

Unfortunately, they had ultimately failed to hold onto it. He vowed not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors, for he intended to sweep across the entire Central Plains and rewrite the history of the Turkic nation!

The warhorses snorted and whinnied. His third son, Jieli Chiyan, beside him, asked, "Father, when do we attack the city?"

"Soon," Jieli replied, placing his hands over his chest and looking up at the gloomy sky. "May the Eternal Heaven bless us."

"May the Eternal Heaven bless us!"

"Brave warriors, follow me into battle! Today, we will take Liangzhou! Kill!"

The horns blared as the Turkic army began its assault on the city.

*

Inside the city, the soldiers were equally prepared for battle.

Having eaten well and rested soundly these past few days, they were brimming with energy and strength. Gripping their spears and long blades, they were ready to fight the Turkic barbarians to the death.

Li Mu hurried up to the city tower, his voice booming across the city walls. "Soldiers, heed my command! Today, our cold blades reflect the sun, and war drums shake the heavens! The Turkic cavalry is at our gates! They rely on their strength to bully the weak, repeatedly violating our borders, plundering our provisions, slaughtering our people—how can we let such hatred rest?

Behind us are the lights of ten thousand homes! Our parents, wives, and children watch anxiously from their doors! Our fertile fields and ancestral graves lie behind us! Even if the Turks have a hundred thousand cavalry, how could they trample the backbone of our Chinese nation?

Form ranks! Archers to the front, spears at the ready, crossbows poised! Those who behead enemy chieftains will be rewarded; those who break enemy lines will have their deeds recorded in history! Those who retreat in battle will be executed on the spot!

Today’s bloody battle is not for titles or rewards but to ensure our descendants never again see nomad horses eyeing our rivers! Let the Turks remember—the bones of Han men are harder than their scimitars! Kill!"

Li Mu turned and slashed at the flagpole with his long blade. "When this flag falls—there will be only headless generals, no retreating soldiers!"

"Kill!!!" Tens of thousands of soldiers raised their weapons and roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

The sound of hoofbeats grew closer, thundering like rolling thunder. At the command, crossbow bolts rained down like meteors, striking down the first wave of Turkic soldiers charging in.

The narrow pass was completely blocked. Horses behind trampled over the corpses to advance, only to be felled by a second volley of arrows.

The neighing of warhorses filled the sky, and blood soaked the earth, dyeing the yellow soil red.

As the number of dead piled up, the pass became completely clogged. Those at the front were trapped like turtles in a jar, unable to advance or retreat.

Those behind couldn’t enter either, as archers lined both sides of the gorge. Anyone charging in would meet their death inside, leaving the Turkic cavalry trapped in a dilemma.

At the same time, the gates of Liangzhou suddenly swung open. Li Mu led his soldiers, shouting as they charged out to engage the barbarians in melee combat.

The Turks never expected their opponents to open the gates and counterattack. Caught off guard, many were cut down before they could react.

The soldiers did not linger in battle. After cutting down these foes, they swiftly retreated back into the city and shut the gates tightly, waiting for the next wave to enter.

"Father, this won’t work! Our men will be lost here!"

Having come this far, retreating now was unbearable. Jieli Khan gripped his reins tightly, his eyes burning with hatred.

"Whatever the cost, we must take Liangzhou today! Their supplies are exhausted—they cannot hold out much longer!"

His subordinate clenched his teeth and nodded. "Yes! Continue the charge!"

The Turkic soldiers finally reached the walls of Liangzhou, trampling over their comrades’ corpses. Li Mu had long been waiting. Drawing his blade, he shouted, "Men, follow me to kill the enemy!"

"Kill!"

The soldiers charged out once more to fight the barbarians. The longer the fight dragged on, the more alarmed the Turks became. Weren’t they supposed to be out of provisions? After starving for so many days, how could they be more spirited than the Turks themselves?

"Clang!" Metal sparked as blades collided. Jieli Chiyan panted heavily, staring at the Wu Dynasty general before him.

This was the renowned Border Marquis. He appeared to be around the same age, with an ordinary face and a bluish birthmark. Who would have thought such a man could halt the advance of the Turkic army?

"Border Marquis, I’ve long heard of your fame."

Li Mu spat. "Don’t you dare mimic our Han speech. Are you worthy?"

"You!" Jieli Chiyan glared furiously, his scimitar relentlessly pressing toward Li Mu. His skills were not weak, and his strong build allowed him to exchange blows with Li Mu evenly.

After fighting for a while, Jieli Chiyan realized that not only was Li Mu full of strength, but the other Wu Dynasty soldiers showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. They didn’t look like they had gone hungry for four or five days.

A chill ran down his spine. Had his father been deceived?

Distracted, Li Mu’s spear stabbed into his thigh. While his upper body was armored, his legs were not. The strike left a bloody hole, and Jieli Chiyan screamed in agony.

"You... What loyalty does the Wu Emperor deserve from you? He sends no reinforcements, no provisions, leaving you to die here. Why remain loyal to him? Submit to our Eternal Heaven instead! My father will surely value you highly! You’ll have endless gold, women, and wine..."

Li Mu shook his spear impatiently. "Save your useless words! Face me again!"

Seeing that persuasion was futile, Jieli Chiyan had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue fighting. However, the wound on his leg slowed him down more and more. If this continued, he feared he would also fall here.

Jieli Chiyan began to consider retreat. In several exchanges, his shoulder suffered another heavy blow. Unable to hold on any longer, he turned to flee.

"You think you can escape?" Li Mu chased after him, his spear severing the straps on Jieli Chiyan’s shoulder. The armor clattered to the ground. With a second thrust, the spear pierced Jieli Chiyan’s back. Without uttering another word, Jieli Chiyan met his end.

Li Mu shouted, "Prince Jieli Chiyan is dead! Drive them back!"

"Kill!!!"

The battle cries shook the heavens. The Turkic soldiers were gradually pushed back to the gorge entrance. The tide had turned—they would not take Liangzhou today. If they persisted, their losses would only grow heavier.

Jieli Khan’s eyes nearly burst with rage. The city was so close, yet he had fallen just short. He almost vomited blood—so close, just a little more!

"Khan, if we don’t retreat now, everyone inside will be lost!"

"Yes, General Chiyan is still inside! If we don’t pull back now, he won’t make it out!"

How could Jieli Khan accept this? After a long silence, he raised his hand and waved weakly.

"Retreat! Retreat!" The retreat horns sounded, and the soldiers scrambled to flee outward.

The Han soldiers chased closely behind. After being suppressed by the Turks for so long, they finally had a chance to counterattack. Everyone fought with bloodshot eyes.

"Fall back! Withdraw!" It was Lang Qianping who first regained clarity, ordering the soldiers on the city tower to sound the retreat horns. If they pursued further, the Turks might wipe them out entirely.

This battle was a brilliant victory—few against many, and they had even killed one of Jieli Khan’s princes. Although they had also lost many soldiers, the Turkic casualties were far greater. By conservative estimates, their losses in the gorge alone were five to six thousand men!

The soldiers who had previously been terrified by the Turkic cavalry now gained courage. Who said these enemies were unbeatable? They were made of flesh and blood too—a blade stab would leave a bloody hole just the same!

This battle was later recorded in historical records as the turning point in the war between the Wu Dynasty and the Turkic forces.

Over the following days, several more battles were fought, but the Turkic forces gained no ground. Instead, the Wu army fought more fiercely and bravely with each engagement.

The stalemate lasted until August 16th, when reinforcements finally arrived!

On his way, Zheng Guang had already prepared himself to recover the general’s body. But when he reached Liangzhou City, he was astonished to find so many soldiers still holding the city! Did the Turkic forces even attack?

He hurried straight to the government office and, upon seeing Li Mu, immediately knelt and kowtowed. "Your humble general pays respects to the Marquis!"

"Rise."

Zheng Guang kept his head lowered to the ground. "My reinforcements arrived late, Marquis. I beg for your forgiveness."

"Military orders are absolute. If the higher-ups did not dispatch you, how could I blame you? But the court’s delay in deploying troops cost the Border Guard Army more than half its men. Once this war is over, I will go to the capital and demand an explanation!"

Zheng Guang dared not respond. As a low-ranking deputy general, he had no part in high-level decisions and could only focus on leading his troops to the best of his ability.

The arrival of reinforcements and provisions completely turned the tide of the war. Starting in September, the army launched a full-scale counterattack, and this time it was the Turkic forces who fled in disarray.

Over the months of grueling warfare, the Turkic forces had consumed a significant amount of provisions. Although they looted and plundered extensively, the northwest region was inherently poor, and the seized grain was insufficient to sustain such a large force for long.

As the weather grew colder, the Turkic forces crumbled and collapsed like a wall of earth giving way.

One victory report after another poured into the capital. Cities previously captured by the Turkic forces were retaken one by one, and the reinforcements pressed on all the way to Xizhou.

Capital, Imperial Palace.

Emperor Wuping sighed softly as he read the continuous stream of victory reports. "In this war, I have failed the Border Guard Army."

Liu Yaozhi, standing below, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty had no other choice. Though risky, this move successfully forced the noble families to relocate south, freeing the court from their restraints."

The deliberate delay in sending troops was meant to pressure the noble families into moving south. While they could leave, their land could not be taken with them, allowing tens of thousands of acres of farmland to return to the court’s control.

This strategy of seeking life through death was indeed ingenious, but it was also fraught with danger. Had the Border Guard Army not held Liangzhou until reinforcements arrived, the Turkic forces might have charged straight through to the capital.

"Li Mu deserves the highest merit for this war. Master Liu, what do you think I should reward him with?"

"Your humble official is unworthy and truly does not know what would be a suitable reward."

"A promotion is certainly in order. His husband should also be granted a noble title. Additionally, the Deputy Prefect of Shanzhou, whom he mentioned in his letter for promptly deploying provisions to support Liangzhou, contributed greatly to this war and should also be promoted."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"I wonder where he sourced those provisions. Weren’t the grain supplies of the northwestern states already exhausted?"

"…"

"Never mind, I will ask him in person when he arrives in the capital. By the way, I recall this Chen Qingyan is your relative. He is quite remarkable!"

Liu Yaozhi was slightly taken aback but cupped his hands and replied, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

To have earned the emperor’s admiration—it seemed Chen Qingyan was destined for a meteoric rise.