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墨書 Inktalez
Murong Hanzhu and Murong Geerhe fled to the banks of the Shandan River. After counting their forces, they were furious to find that out of over a thousand Brothers, only a little more than three hundred remained. Each one was dispirited, lacking in spirit, and filled with fear; there was no trace of battle intent left!
Hanzhu's campaign had not gone well; he had been humiliated in his first battle, and the face of the Xu Zhen was already etched in his mind at Mud Pill Palace. Geerhe hated her to the core. This group of over a thousand men was his last capital, and after being depleted, how could he rise again?
Yet he did not dare to blame Hanzhu; he could only comfort the brothers, rallying their spirits to stabilize their hearts.
Beitou Zhangye was also in a helpless situation. At this time, the Royal Family's general Tu Han was leading troops to attack Zhangye. Tu Han was the son of Heavenly Pillar King, a strategist from Murong Fuyun's era who had already passed away, and he held considerable prestige in the army. It was this man who had driven Murong Geerhe out of the core; how could Geerhe go to Zhangye seeking help in such a disgraceful manner?
In the ninth year of Zhenguan, the first Tang attack during the Tuguhun broke out. Murong Fuyun retreated westward, preparing to cross the Turun River and seek refuge in Khotan. Li Jing commanded the troops, and when his subordinate Qibi Helix learned that Murong Fuyun had fled to the Turun River, he led his elite cavalry to pursue him. Due to the lack of water in the desert, the soldiers were forced to drink blood from their horses. They finally caught up with Murong Fuyun and attacked his camp, killing many and capturing a significant number of spoils. Murong Fuyun narrowly escaped but later hanged himself in despair when cornered.
Murong Fuyun's son, King Murong Shun, had no choice but to execute Heavenly Pillar King and return to Tang with his troops. He was granted titles as Khan and Prince of Xiping, making the Tuguhun a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty.
Just a few years later, Nuohebo grew up inheriting his father's wolf-like ferocity. Having healed from past wounds, he forgot his pain and decided to invade Tang's borders, intending to use Heavenly Pillar King's descendants for legitimacy. He promoted Tu Han to lead general and had been attacking Zhangye for several days.
Zhangye earned its name for "stretching out its arms for communication with the Western Regions," encompassing Ganzhou City and Shandan among other counties; it was a stronghold. If it were captured, Ganzhou would be in grave danger!
Murong Hanzhu was contemplating persuading Murong Geerhe to ally with Tu Han, gather forces again, and return to Shandan for revenge when scouts reported that a group of Tang remnants was approaching from Zhangye, attempting to bypass Tang Territory and head towards Shandan!
Upon hearing that this Tang army consisted of only a few hundred men and appeared disorganized and demoralized, Murong Hanzhu was overjoyed. He quickly ordered scouts for further reconnaissance while reorganizing their forces with Geerhe; they were determined to take down this group of Tang remnants!
The scouts reported back that the remnants were less than five miles from Shandan River's mouth. Hanzhu and Geerhe personally went to investigate, predicting the remnants' movement direction. They ambushed from a high slope near the river mouth, preparing arrows while keeping their horses quiet as they awaited the enemy.
After about half an hour, they indeed saw this group of fewer than five hundred remnants arrive near the river mouth in a panic. Even the scouts dared not reveal themselves as they rushed towards the river with disheveled banners; it was barely discernible that one banner bore the character "Duan."
At this moment, Duan Zan was also filled with regret. Earlier on a rapid march towards Zhangye to save Ganzhou, he had bypassed Shandan from behind knowing it was besieged but did not come to its aid. Upon reaching Zhangye, he found himself surrounded on all sides and realized it had become an isolated city. Alarmed, Duan Zan intended to return to Shandan to assist Xu Zhen but was discovered by Tuguhun's cavalry. After fierce fighting ensued, eight hundred new recruits were terrified; facing only slightly more than three hundred enemy cavalry, they were scattered by their charge and lost over a hundred men!
Hou Polu was infuriated because the leader of those three hundred cavalrymen was none other than Murong Xiao whom he had previously let escape!
This Hu people were indeed as resilient as rocks in the mountains; having been captured multiple times yet escaping each time like cunning foxes or tenacious wolves—fierce like angry tigers—they did not engage Duan Zan directly but instead trailed behind like hungry wolves hunting deer. The moment their prey showed any sign of weakness or carelessness, they would launch sudden attacks, biting off large chunks before fleeing immediately—making pursuit difficult—and soon returning repeatedly until they bled him dry. By today’s count, only fewer than five hundred new recruits remained!
Duan Zan had once been Colonel Murong Xiao commanding five thousand troops; if not for his inexperienced new recruits and Zhang Shenzhi being utterly useless, he wouldn’t have found himself in such dire straits.
Though Hou Polu had some courage, his actions were treacherous and insidious; he always sought to feign weakness before striking back at an opportune moment without realizing that with just these few hundred new recruits, any counterattack would merely lead them into a trap.
With no other options left, Duan Zan could only think of Xu Zhen ’s two hundred elite troops. Compared to these five hundred new recruits, Duan Zan would prefer Xu Zhen ’s two hundred prairie wolf soldiers—even willing to exchange eight hundred new recruits for them without batting an eye.
However, he knew this was impossible; for now, he could only cross Shandan River’s mouth downstream in hopes of launching a surprise attack against the encircling Murong forces besieging Shandan and create some opportunities for Xu Zhen.
But what he did not expect was that the Xu Zhen had already taken Shandan and was now heading towards Zhangye. Even more unexpectedly, Murong Xiao's superior, Murong Geerhe, along with strategist Murong Hanzhu, had set up an ambush at the crossing, waiting for these five hundred fresh recruits to walk right into their trap!
Murong Xiao was in hot pursuit. Although Duan Zan had scouts known as Veterans, after several failed attempts, he decided not to send any scouts out at all, hoping instead to reach Shandan as quickly as possible.
It was late autumn, and the cold wind made people shiver. The morale of the troops was low, and when they encountered the Black Water River, many new recruits were already suffering greatly but could only grit their teeth and prepare to cross the river.
During this dry season in late autumn, the water level was not high. Despite some continuous light rain, it did not increase the river's flow. Duan Zan felt fortunate; this was a small blessing amidst misfortune. He quickly called for his Brothers to check the water level before Murong Xiao arrived.
The river mouth was only a few zhang wide, but the current was relatively stable. The mountain folk had set up a makeshift log bridge in groups of two or three. Although it was not very sturdy, it could serve as a bridge. Unfortunately, they could not ride horses across and had to carefully lead their horses to avoid having their hooves caught between the gaps in the logs.
Duan Zan dismounted first. After crossing the log bridge, he felt a tightness in his chest and hurriedly instructed the new recruits to cross the river first while leaving a few core Veterans behind to hold the rear.
In an army composed of both young and old soldiers, one Veteran could often lead ten others. While Veterans could serve as leaders, Duan Zan temporarily set aside the position of squad leader for a standout new recruit to take on that role, thus creating a standard-bearer.
Counting it all up, there were only a few dozen Veterans. How could Duan Zan feel at ease?
Sure enough, just as he feared, chaos ensued when the rear Veterans suddenly sounded an alarm; it was none other than Murong Xiao who had caught up again!
The new recruits had already lost their fighting spirit and were filled with panic. Upon hearing the alarm from behind, they rushed to cross the river in confusion, pushing each other aside, causing many horses and riders to fall into the water!
Duan Zan wished he could punish those causing trouble to enforce military discipline; however, he gritted his teeth and ultimately worried that this group of new recruits would collapse under pressure. He could only order people to rescue those who fell into the water while having no time to care for the horses and their belongings.
At this critical moment, cannon fire suddenly echoed from a high slope ahead. The sound of hoofbeats thundered like a pulse shaking the earth; another team of Barbarians Cavalry charged down upon them from both sides. With enemies in front and behind, Duan Zan was overwhelmed and could hardly mount an effective resistance!
Seeing his son leading the charge, Murong Geerhe felt overjoyed. The Murong Clan Cavalry, who had suffered setbacks at Xu Zhen's hands, were like wolves ready to pounce. Their eyes burned with vengeful fury as they channeled that rage into their blades and unleashed it upon Duan Zan's new recruits!
"Kill them!!!"
The roars echoed like wild beasts. The Murong Clan's cavalry first unleashed a volley of Arrow Rain. Just as Duan Zan's troops landed on shore and had yet to steady themselves, they were swept by another round of Arrow Rain. The new recruits panicked and raised their small shields for defense; however, the Arrow Rain was too dense and overwhelming. They could only huddle together in hopes of using their comrades as shields, but many fell instantly!
"Raise your shields! Quickly raise your shields! Hide behind your horses!"
Hou Polu shouted hoarsely. Since they were leading their horses across the river, they had no choice but to sacrifice their steeds and hide beside them to avoid the Arrow Rain.
This tactic proved effective; casualties immediately decreased. The faces of the new recruits turned pale as Veterans forced their way across the river trying to push the log bridge into place but found themselves unable to do so against Murong Xiao's cavalry who began firing arrows relentlessly. Duan Zan urgently shouted for his Brothers to retaliate with arrows.
But these new recruits trembled with fear; their minds went blank and numb—how could they hear commands? Seeing that his entire army was about to be wiped out, Duan Zan immediately thrust his spear through a recruit who cried out wanting to jump into the river for escape. His voice boomed: "Damn you stupid fool! Whether we fight or not we die anyway! Why be such a coward? Follow me and fight back!"
Veterans are indeed more reliable than new recruits. The Feathered Arrows buzzed in their hands as they shot down seven or eight cavalrymen eager to cross the river into the water!
The souls of the new recruits seemed to be forcibly shoved back into their bodies by the shouts, their eyes bursting with the fierce light of a cornered beast. Tears streaming down their faces, they raised their bows and arrows in response. Ultimately, Murong Xiao's men were unable to step onto the wooden bridge and could only continue to shoot across the river.
The horses could only withstand the Feathered Arrows from one side, and as they were struck by arrows, they panicked and fled, trampling many new recruits in the process. The situation became increasingly dire!
Just when things seemed critical, adding insult to injury, Murong Geerhe saw that the Feathered Arrows were being blocked by the horses and quickly ordered a charge forward, instantly scattering Duan Army's formation into disarray!
Duan Zan felt a sense of impending doom as he leaped onto his horse, wielding his spear like the wind. He led a group of veterans to collide with Murong Geerhe's cavalry!
Hou Polu's heart sank as he thought about not having enjoyed the great glory or his father's protection. He immediately led his personal guards to follow Duan Zan in attacking the enemy. The two had already made up their minds to break through the blockade and abandon the more than four hundred new recruits!
(Note 1: Also known as Turpan Basin, now Taklamakan Desert.)
(Note 2: Khotan (tian) refers to present-day Hotan in Xinjiang, an ancient kingdom in the Western Regions and one of the Anxi Four Garrisons during China's Tang Dynasty. It was renamed Hotan during the Qing Dynasty, and its ancient residents belonged to the Tocharian ethnic group.)
(Note 3: According to Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government, he was killed by his subordinates.)
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