Datang: Ten Years of Proton, Leading an Army of Millions to Return

"I don't believe it," the boy said stubbornly, "In broad daylight..."

"Ah--!" As if to protest their existence to the boy, the Tatar army made the ancient sound of gathering and charging, and the chaotic and heavy sound of horse hooves came from all around us again.

The fat shopkeeper was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he quickly told his men to run away. But a caravan loaded with goods could obviously not outrun the well-equipped robbers.

"Run! Run!" As if to provoke, a soldier of the Tan Jie army deliberately slowed down his pace and followed closely behind the running shopkeeper, "Anyway, no matter how fast you run, you can't outrun us."

Seeing that he couldn't outrun them, the shopkeeper had no choice but to throw down the things he was holding and quickly run for his life. However, he was tripped by a stone after running a few steps. The leader of the Tartar army laughed loudly:

"Why, are you people from Dayan all the same when you see us? You are so scared of our Tartar Army that you don't know how to resist, and you can't even run away properly."

"In that case, if you, the people of Dayan, are more sensible and take the initiative to hand over your things to us, then both of us won't have to go through so much trouble."

"Who said that we, the people of Da Yan, are cowardly? I'm telling you, it's only because our Majesty hasn't come yet. As long as our great general who protects the country comes, he can crush those small tribes of yours in one fell swoop!"

The shopkeeper didn't know where he got the courage from.
"I know I can't beat you, so why should I tell you not to insult our Tang Dynasty?

"Haha, your general is the governor who was fooled by us for a long time and couldn't find us in the end?" The leader of the Yangjie army became more and more rampant.

"Brothers, we have been busy for so many days. We should meet a group of fat cattle this time... Take away everything from them. We should celebrate well when we return this time."

"Swish," an arrow flew towards the Jie soldier with the sound of breaking through the air.

Although he dodged it at the critical moment, a long scar was still left on his left face. He was extremely angry, but before he could get angry, he heard a shout of killing the enemy.

"They are soldiers. They are our Dayan's soldiers!" said the fat shopkeeper excitedly.

"Swish, swish, swish," another round of arrow rain came, and more than 20 Tatar soldiers were unable to dodge and fell down with screams. But for the safety of the people, after the arrow rain suppressed the Tatar army, the officers and soldiers of Dayan rushed forward and engaged in close combat with the Yangji army.

The people in danger quickly seized the opportunity and hid in a safe area. Because the Tang army was well prepared and they took the enemy by surprise, the balance of the war suddenly fell to the Yan army.

"Ah-oh--," accompanied by a strange shout, a man riding a horse, dragging a man behind the horse, ran over quickly. He shouted loudly and knocked down a Tang soldier in front of him. Then he relied on his martial arts to rush all the way and killed several Dayan soldiers.

Everyone present recognized him as Ajil, the second son of the leader of the Anchegu tribe of the Tatars.

"Stop," Ajile roared when he saw that the situation was not favorable to him. He put the scimitar in his hand against his neck. The other Tatar soldiers also picked up their weapons and gathered towards him.

Ajil sneered.
"Master Cui, I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon.

Behind Ajile were two people from Dayan. It seemed that he wanted to use the lives of the people as a threat in exchange for the lives of his men.

Even though I made all the preparations, I didn't expect that I would still fail in the end.

Cui Yuan clenched the sword in his hand: "Humph, how come the second son of the leader of the Anchegu tribe of Tartars is either running away or threatening others? You are really bringing shame to your tribe."
"Haha, face is not important, the most important thing is to be effective," Ajile pushed the scimitar in his hand a little further, "Tai Shou Cui, you can't catch me every time anyway. This time, will you let me go?"
Governor Cui heaved a sigh of relief and made way for Yang Ji's army. Ajile and his men laughed loudly, and the officers, soldiers and civilians of Dayan present clenched their fists.

"Don't be complacent too soon," Cui Yuan roared, "Once my Great Flame Heavenly Soldiers arrive, you will surely die without a burial place."

"Heavenly soldiers, who are you trying to scare?" Ajile laughed.

"You people from Da Yan are just like this, you have no courage at all, and you can only talk nonsense. I want to tell you that my people from An Che Gu may attack at any time, so you should bring more goods next time."

After saying that, Ajil and several of his men picked up the goods they were about to rob, got on their BMWs and chased after them.

The officers and soldiers surrounded them tightly. After running for a distance, Ajile laughed loudly, untied the ropes of the two civilians in an instant, and kicked them out.

The plan failed again, and the prefect breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems that to deal with the Tatars, we still have to wait for Marshal Li's army." Ajile and his group ran all the way, and the four legs of the horses under them were used as if they were eight legs. After a long time, they finally led a few remaining men back to the Anchegu tribe.

"Ajile, what's wrong with you?" Their leader was eating the barbecue he had snatched from the people of Dayan in the tent, "Why do you look so gloomy even though you only have so little in your hand?

"Don't mention it. We almost fell into the hands of that despicable Governor Cui."

Aji took a sip.
"Luckily, I threatened him with the lives of the people of Dayan, and he led me and my men out."

"Oh, Ajile, don't you call yourself the cunning rabbit in the forest? Why are you being troubled by the people of Dayan?" Another dark-skinned man laughed, "Isn't it that your skills are far inferior to before?"

"Tusaihei, what are you talking about? My skills are not even comparable to the eagle in the sky," said the Ajil, supporting himself with his hands.

"You also know that the people of Da Yan have always been cunning. Now many of them have chosen to flee southwards to avoid disaster. Recently, there are fewer and fewer things we can steal."

"I finally met a group of fat sheep today, but who would have thought that the damned Governor Cui would actually send people to ambush me, so I fell into their trap." "So that's how it is. The people of Dayan are indeed cunning, but they are born timid," the dark-skinned Tu Saihei laughed.
"All the warriors of Anchegu know that sacrificing one's life to earn clothes and food is an act of bravery. Even if one dies on the battlefield, it is the glory that we Anchegu people deserve."

"Those people from Dayan, in order to live a little longer, took the initiative to hand over their belongings under our scimitars. Because of this, Dayan is destined to suffer at the hands of my Anchegu tribe."

"Don't discuss this for now. I have received a very important message."

Chief An Chegu said.

"According to our spies who infiltrated Dayan, the emperor of Yanyun City is very angry about our harassment. He has already sent a large army to attack us. If nothing unexpected happens, we will go to war with the Yan army in about four days."

"An official from Dayan sent us a letter, saying that if our tribe can return the things that were taken from us, compensate their people, and submit a petition to their emperor to express our willingness to submit forever, the official can intercede for us in front of the Emperor of Dayan."

"Oh, Da Yan sent troops?" Ajile was shocked. "Generally speaking, as long as we don't go too far south, the emperors of the Central Plains have always turned a blind eye to us."

"At most, they can just send some soldiers to scare us. Besides, the mountains are covered with snow right now, which is not suitable for fighting at all. He...they, Da Yan, really dare to send troops at this time?"

The tribal leader pinched his beard and said, "I am indeed confused, but according to the information I have gathered, many ministers in Da Yan also suggested to make a big deal out of a small matter. But it was because of the strong support of their national defense general that Da Yan sent 10,000 elite soldiers to attack us."

"Oh, the Great Protector of the Nation, is that the Chen Qingzhi that the Dayan people and some of the tribesmen are talking about?" Ajile was surprised.
"I heard that the arrogant Turkic Khan and Yeon Gaesomun were defeated by him. It's just right that he's here. I've long wanted to see if the legendary God of War from Dayan is really that powerful."

Their leader shook his head and said, "No, although the one who advocated the battle this time was the Great Yan's national defense general, he stayed in Yanyun City. The one who actually led the troops was another powerful old man. The people of Great Yan were also very surprised by this matter."

The people in the tent were silent for a while. After all, this matter did not sound very reasonable.

Suddenly, the man named Tusaihei burst into laughter, clapped his hands and said:
"Chief, I guessed why. I think this must be a great thing for our Anchegu tribe."

"Oh," their leader asked in confusion, "Tusaihei, what do you mean by this?"

"Marshal, there is heavy snow everywhere outside, and it is not suitable to transport food and grass. In addition, there are deep mountains everywhere here, so the bows and arrows of Da Yan can't play much role at all."

Tu Shehei said confidently, "So in my opinion, their great general who protects the country actually believes that they can't defeat us if they send troops against us."

"The reason why he is so persistent must be that he wants to use us to eliminate the old general. After all, middle-aged people like them love to fight among themselves."

“I agree with Tusaihei’s opinion this time,” Ajile said, “We may be able to use the conflict between them to achieve the interests of our tribe.”

Their leader nodded and agreed with their opinion, but he still hesitated:
"That being said, I heard that the old general sent by Dayan this time is very good at both civil and military affairs, and was also very brave when he was young."

"Although the warriors of our Anchegu tribe are brave, our numbers are too few. After all, we are now guaranteed to survive the winter. Why don't we return some of the looted items to the Tang Dynasty first, and then make long-term plans later?"

"No," Tutanhei firmly objected, "The people of Da Yan have always been cunning, who knows if what they say is true. Besides, my warriors of Anchegu have worked so hard to get the clothes and food we have now, we absolutely cannot give it back so easily."

"Although the army of Da Yan can defeat Goguryeo, it may not be able to defeat our Anchegu tribe," Ajile insisted.
"The snow and wind will stop the enemy from advancing. The internal strife among the enemy will give us an opportunity to take advantage of it. Even if they really attack us, they will definitely withdraw their troops due to insufficient food and grass if we hide in the mountains."

“By then, not only will we not have to return the things, but we may even be able to send troops while they are weak and occupy some of Da Yan’s land.”

“Besides, Da Yan, we did some things overtly and covertly during the locust plague. Even if we surrender to Da Yan now, I’m afraid we won’t get any benefits.

Ajile continued, "Chief, please think about this. Why can we barely fill our stomachs in years of plenty, and can only eat tree bark and grass roots in times of famine, while the people of Dayan live so happily?"

"Think about it carefully, is this fair? The things and land of Da Yan are all excellent. For the sake of the tribe, for the land and materials of Da Yan, I, Ajile, am willing to take a gamble."

"I want to get a tan, but I am also willing to assist the leader and let my Anchegu tribe accomplish something!"

The tribal leader began to weigh his expectations. Originally, because he was afraid of the reputation of the Tang army, he had planned to compromise with Dayan.

Hearing about the supplies and land of Da Yan, the fire of greed in his heart could not help but burn. Suddenly, he tore up the letter:
"Okay, for the sake of Da Yan's land and supplies, I will never back down."

……

Inside Cui's house.

"It is truly an honor for my humble residence to have the two generals here," said Governor Cui Yuan, who ushered Xin Qiji and the other generals into the residence.
"Normally, it would take at least nine days for the army to march from Yanyun City to here. I didn't expect General Xin to be so swift. The people are really blessed."

"I am just a pioneer exploring the way, so I am walking faster. The real elite are still behind us," Xin Qiji smiled.
"The army has been stationed outside the city. Originally, I, Xin Qiji, should not have entered the city to disturb them. However, I am new here. I don't know the local customs and habits, as well as the Tatars, so I need your help, Governor."

"General Xin, what are you talking about? This is my duty," said Governor Cui, with a look of shame on his face.
"The Han Jie are rampant and have plundered the people's property. To be honest, I had a chance to catch the thieves today, but unfortunately I failed because of a mistake."

(End of this chapter)