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墨書 Inktalez
In ancient times, there was Poetry Cloud: Year after year, the golden river flows past the jade pass; day after day, horses and swords clash. In the spring's white snow, it returns to the green tombs, while the Yellow River winds around the Black Mountain. The bloodshed and turmoil of the borderlands cannot be fully expressed.
Now, Niu Jinda intended to launch a night raid on Songzhou, but Xu Zhen was well aware that Murong Hanzhu controlled the situation with Tuguhun, thus she strongly opposed it. She understood that soldiers are instruments of violence, which a Sage must reluctantly use; who does not wish for a meeting with cavalry at Xiao Pass, with a protector at Yanran? Even though there are fierce generals who have fought across three thousand miles and faced a million troops with a single sword, many Soldiers still find it hard to return home, only to send innocent lives to their demise.
Although Niu Jinda was reckless, he had fought in the Tang Army for many years and learned from his failures. He knew that Songzhou was a crucial route from Sword South Road to the Tuguhun. After pacifying the Tuguhun, a Governor's Office was established here with only ten thousand troops. The defeat of Han Wei was understandable.
However, if Niu Jinda and his men led fifty thousand troops but remained passive, they would surely face reprimands from the court officials. Moreover, as the Sage was about to engage in military action against Liaodong, this matter concerning Tuguhun needed decisive and swift handling to align with the intentions of the Sage.
Three hundred miles northwest of Songzhou City lies Gansong Ridge, guarded by the Railway Army. To the west of the Railway Army is Tangxiang, which leads northwest toward the Tuguhun, further highlighting the strategic importance of Songzhou.
After becoming part of Tang, Tangxiang saw the establishment of Jimi Prefecture and Guizhou, appointing its leaders as governors to manage their people. Subsequently, except for the most formidable Tuoba Tribe, other factions submitted to Tang. Tang also set up numerous prefectures for control until Hou Junji launched a surprise attack on Tuguhun Wang City, leading to the eventual submission of the Tuoba Tribe. Tang then established nearly thirty Jimi Prefectures, most of which fell under the jurisdiction of the Songzhou Governor.
This illustrates how critical Songzhou is. With Tuguhun breaching Gansong Ridge and advancing toward Songzhou, after defeating Han Wei, some Qiang chieftains who were originally subordinate to Tang even instigated rebellions, including Kuo Province Governor Bie Cong Wo Shi and Nuo Prefecture's Governor Ba Libuli. If they could not expel Tuguhun from Songzhou in a short time, once over thirty troops from these thirty-odd Jimi Prefectures in Tangxiang stirred up trouble, controlling the situation would become increasingly difficult!
While Xu Zhen was passionate and felt sorry for the innocent lives of ordinary Soldiers, after years in military service, Niu Jinda assessed the situation and planned a night raid on Songzhou. Although this decision might seem inappropriate, it was not unreasonable; indeed, the situation in Songzhou involved many factors that required swift action.
The sudden decision to launch an attack was also due to news that both the Songzhou Governor and remnants of Han Wei were gathering forces nearby. They claimed that although Tuguhun boasted an army of two hundred thousand, careful consideration revealed significant exaggeration.
The Tubo Army was divided into forty eastern divisions, each managing just over a thousand households at that time. If each household contributed one soldier, their total strength would only reach fifty thousand at most. With only waiting for reinforcements from Li Daozong and Liu Lan, Tang's combined infantry and cavalry would total fifty thousand. In such parity, how could trained soldiers of the Tang Heavenly Army be resisted by an untested force like that of Tuguhun?
Having just suffered defeat, Han Wei was eager to restore his reputation. Meanwhile, driven by his desire for victory and intent on suppressing Xu Zhen, he and Niu Jinda quickly conspired together for this night raid on Songzhou.
While feeling pleased about persuading Niu Jinda, when he saw that Xu Zhen opposed him outright, he became furious. Although merely a lower office in terms of rank, with a governor being third-class while she held only fourth-class status as a scattered official known as a loyal martial general commanding merely twelve hundred troops as a negotiation commander.
It was quite surprising that an esteemed general like Imperial Guard General Niu Jinda and Songzhou Governor Han Wei were stopped by Xu Zhen . While Niu Jinda had witnessed firsthand how much favor Sage showed towards Xu Zhen , Han Wei had only heard rumors. Seeing her so dismissive made him furious; he immediately rode out and commanded his personal guards.
"How dare mere Colonel Murong Xiao defy military orders! Is he treating our army's supervision as nothing? Quickly take him down! When we return victorious, we will question him about his crimes!"
Zhou Cang saw Niu Jinda and couldn't believe his eyes. How could he dare to provoke Lord? He was about to lash out when Xu Zhen shot him a glare, causing him to be restrained by the supervising generals.
Niu Jinda thought that Xu Zhen had discovered his collusion with Changsun Wuji and was unwilling to step forward to face death. He coldly laughed to himself; since Xu Zhen dared not take the lead, he would lead the army to sweep through Tuguhun. After all, Xu Zhen had disobeyed orders, giving him a valid excuse to deal with her later. He would first claim the great achievement of taking Songzhou.
“ Xu Zhen, it is not that I, Niu Jinda, am opposing you. You have been in the military for some time now and should know that defying military orders is a grave crime. This time, we will breach the city first and then discuss how to handle this matter.”
With her hands bound, Xu Zhen's subordinates, mostly Imperial Guards, looked down on her. They felt their Colonel Murong Xiao was cowardly and lacked ambition, feeling ashamed and secretly cursing Xu Zhen for her lack of courage. If it weren't for Zhou Cang and others strictly restraining them, this group of reckless soldiers would have rushed forward to fight.
Clearly, they were trying to preserve their lives and avoid punishment, yet they were misunderstood. In the past, Xu Zhen would have been furious and sent these eager-to-die fools into battle. But now she remained calm as water, merely smiling in response.
Han Wei could not stand Xu Zhen's feigned seriousness and urged people to take her away for proper supervision. However, Xu Zhen raised her head and spoke to Niu Jinda.
“General, it is not that I, Xu Zhen, fear for my life; rather, I know this battle is destined for defeat. As an envoy, I have witnessed many ambushes along the way. I hope you will think carefully and not sacrifice the lives of many comrades…”
Hearing Xu Zhen's sincere plea made Niu Jinda hesitate slightly. Yet Han Wei pointed at Xu Zhen with a whip and scolded her: “With a great battle imminent, you not only defy orders but also curse our defeat and sow discord among the troops. Do you think the Tang Army's discipline is just for show? I came from Songzhou; do you think I am less aware of enemy placements than you?”
Xu Zhen did not expect Han Wei to act so arrogantly after their defeat. She had long looked down on him and lost any goodwill towards him, so she no longer held back her words.
“Governor Han speaks correctly. If we were truly cowards concerned only with saving our own skins at that moment, we would have only thought of fleeing and would not have noticed enemy placements along the way. Since Governor Han is so confident in his plans, I dare not speak further… However… there is something I must say upfront; I hope the soldiers bear witness!”
At this point, Xu Zhen raised her voice with conviction: “Tonight, my defiance of orders is solely to preserve the soldiers' lives; I do not wish for any unnecessary sacrifices. If both generals refuse to heed my advice and we win the battle, I will willingly die before the army. But if we lose, then the lives of those fallen soldiers will all be attributed to both generals!”
Seeing how resolutely Xu Zhen spoke—like a reincarnated Zhuge Liang—Niu Jinda couldn't help but be moved. The soldiers were also influenced by her words and began to doubt their course of action. However, with plans already set in motion, they found themselves in a difficult position due to her stirring words.
Considering this, Niu Jinda no longer hesitated and loudly ordered: “ Xu Zhen has slandered and misled the crowd while neglecting military morale; punish her with thirty lashes! After the battle, we will hold her accountable along with others who are complicit. All soldiers shall follow me into Songzhou to defend our territory against barbarian invaders and restore our mountains and rivers while strengthening our national prestige!”
Han Wei could no longer tolerate Xu Zhen and happily ordered her to be dragged away. She was stripped of her uniform and given thirty lashes before being thrown into the military prison.
Zhou Cang and a few others rushed to rescue her but were stopped by Xu Zhen. It was not that she did not value herself; rather, she had to endure this punishment to ensure her survival after the battle. Considering the long-term situation, she chose to bear it.
With Li Jing's personal teachings of the Enhanced I Ching Cleansing Inner Power Manual to strengthen his inner energy, along with the Seven Sacred Blade Secret Techniques and Yoga Techniques to enhance his physical resilience, the soldier executing the punishment was wary of his identity as Loyal Martial General and did not dare to strike too hard. Therefore, the pain from the lashes was not significant.
Niu Jinda led three thousand troops under Han Wei's command, with another thousand infantry following closely behind. They left the city and headed straight for Songzhou City.
Han Wei, as the Songzhou Governor, was very familiar with the terrain. He quickly recalled his escape route and led a thousand vanguard troops to clear the way, eliminating over ten checkpoints along the way with great momentum. The morale of the soldiers surged as they rushed forward. Before midnight, they were already less than ten miles from Songzhou City.
Ahead lay a crucial pass known as Little Gansong Ridge, flanked by high mountains and dense forests, with deep valleys making it a small fortress that was easy to defend but hard to attack.
However, Han Wei did not have complete control over all enemy forces as he claimed. In his panic to escape, he could hardly consider such details. He was eager for victory and exaggerated his words to persuade Niu Jinda to send troops.
Upon reaching Little Gansong Ridge, scouts reported no ambushes, which delighted the soldiers. Many joked about Xu Zhen being cowardly and handing over the first achievement.
Niu Jinda and Han Wei exchanged smiles as if they had already secured Songzhou City. They urged their troops forward and easily passed through the Little Gansong pass.
As they accelerated their march toward Songzhou City, suddenly cannon fire erupted from both sides. Boulders and timber fell like a collapsing mountain, while White Feathers and rockets rained down from above. In an instant, half of the thousand infantry at the rear were engulfed.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"There’s an ambush! There really is an ambush!"
The confident Tang army vanguard was caught off guard by a surprise attack, causing chaos in their formation. In back-and-forth exchanges, several hundred cavalry were shot dead by the Tubo Army on the mountain. The remaining infantry could use their shields for protection, but those on horseback had no way to evade and fell one after another!
"Counterattack! Counterattack!"
Niu Jinda was greatly alarmed and hurriedly commanded the troops to engage. However, for the sake of a rapid march, this thousand-strong infantry had become a burden, and how could they bring along the Archer formation? Even if they had the Archer formation, it would be extremely difficult to shoot back at the enemy on the mountain. The advantage of height made it feel like a piece of cake for the attackers!
Seeing the soldiers suffering heavy casualties and unable to organize an effective counterattack, Niu Jinda felt immense regret and cursed, "The Korean Bandits have led me astray!"
Thus, he covered his retreat, but was intercepted and attacked by the Tubo Army. By dawn, he had only managed to escape with about seventeen or eighteen men left, a mixed group of infantry and cavalry in disarray. Many were injured, wailing filled the air, morale was shattered, resembling scattered rogues with no courage left, truly disheartening!
Now Xu Zhenzhi's warning still echoed in his ears; comrades in the camp were still waiting for the warriors to return victorious. Niu Jinda felt utterly ashamed and could only lead his remaining troops back to camp in disgrace.
Just as this remnant army departed, atop Little Gansong Ridge, Qizong Nongsan, dressed in yellow and red noble attire as the New King of Tubo, clapped his hands and laughed heartily. Meanwhile, Murong Hanzhu squinted slightly, his expression inscrutable as he watched the retreating Tang army's tail end, seemingly dissatisfied with the outcome of this battle.
"The strategist truly has foresight; such wisdom is worthy of the Great Minister's responsibilities!"
Murong Hanzhu smiled lightly and waved his hand in modesty but accepted Qizong Nongsan's praise. However, while the speaker may have been casual, the listener took it to heart. As a Han person, Murong Hanzhu's influence over Tuguhun garnered deeper appreciation from Zanpu. Yet many elders of Tuguhun felt wary; upon hearing Zanpu say that Murong Hanzhu possessed talents akin to a Great Minister, the true Tuguhun Great Minister was displeased.
This individual would inevitably become well-known among the Han people as Tuguhun's Great Minister, Ge'er Dongzan, also known as Lu Dongzan among the Han people!
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