A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 558 Backstab
Ashide Jielifa's 50,000 Turkic troops stopped advancing when they were 60 li away from Fanzhi.

After waiting for two days without seeing any movement from the Turks, Li Yi decided to take the initiative and advance forty li (approximately 20 kilometers) to Mayubao.

This is the place where Qin Wutong's three thousand men were previously stationed.

The camp that was raided last time was located at the confluence of the Mayu River and the Hutuo River, not far from Mayu Fort.

However, one is on the riverbank, and the other is at the mouth of a valley at the foot of the mountain.

Eight thousand infantry and cavalry entered Mayubao, which was only twenty li away from Ashide's camp of fifty thousand men.

"The river in front of us is the Mayu River, also known as the Malan River. It originates from the Malan Valley, which is a vital passage leading to the back of the mountains. During the Han Dynasty, troops were stationed in this valley, making it an important pass."

There are still seven villages in this valley, including Baibao Village to the north, which was once a garrison town.

Li Yi looked at the river in front of him.

Flowing out of the valley, meandering from north to south, the river water is very clear.

The river has a considerable volume of water, and I've heard that it frequently experiences flash floods during the summer and autumn flood seasons.

Mayubao Village is just a fortified village at the southern entrance of the valley. The real Mayu Pass is Baibao Village, more than ten miles to the north, built on a plateau with a stone mountain base and a loess top, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Although the Mayu Fortress at the mouth of the valley is not as precipitous as the Baibao Fortress,

However, since it not only controls the southern entrance of Mayu, but also serves as the main road leading to Pingxingguan, Mayu Fort was previously mainly used as a place to garrison troops, set up checkpoints, inspect merchants and travelers, and collect customs duties.

Although not that dangerous,

However, the small castle, nestled against the mountain and facing the water, is also a decent military stronghold.

"Ashid al-Khairi still hasn't made a move?"

"No."

Li Yi couldn't help but feel disappointed in Ashide Jielifa. After all, Ashina Ashide was a member of the Turkic clan, a male and a female. They were the core tribe of the Turks, followed by the four major tribes such as Zhishi.

Then there were the twelve Cangtuju tribes, followed by the Tiele, Khitan, and other vassal states.

Li Yi didn't know Ashide Jielifa's name, but he should be called Turtle, because he was really good at enduring hardship.

Li Yi only brought eight thousand men, and they arrived right under his nose, just twenty miles away, to set up camp in this small fortress.

Ashid commanded 50,000 men and had 100,000 Jieli troops behind him, yet he remained motionless.

A turtle that doesn't move is a turtle, and Ashide is undoubtedly a turtle.

Anyway, all four Khans in a row appointed Princess Yicheng of the Sui Dynasty as Khatun, so Ashide had nothing to do with it.

"This Mayubao Fortress is indeed a good place. The Mayu River flows out of Malanyu, and the river surface is very wide and the water volume is quite large. The Turkic cavalry cannot come from the west side of the river, and there are mountains to the north."

It is bordered by a river to the west and mountains to the north.
The remaining two sides, south and east, can be used for attacks.

The city wasn't large, and with Li Yi stationing 8,000 infantry and cavalry there, it was easy to defend. Moreover, the Mayu Pass to the north led to Yingzhou, where Liu Heita and others were located, and there was even a chance to contact the Youzhou army that had entered Yunzhou.

To the east lies the ancient city of Fanzhi, and on the south bank of the Hutuo River is the present-day county seat, where troops are stationed.

Along the Hengshan Mountains to the east, there are also four forts and one pass where troops are stationed.

"Ashid is such a coward, like a tortoise. We might as well send him two tortoises," Li Yi grumbled.

He hasn't forgotten that the fundamental purpose of his current series of actions is to relieve the siege of Yanmen.

Even though nine thousand were captured and killed last time,
But the fundamental problem has not yet been solved.

If Jieli is stubborn and determined to take Yanmen City first, then things will get complicated.

Ashide's 50,000 men set up camp 20 li east of Yanmen City, remaining motionless like turtles, leaving Li Yi only able to sigh in the direction of Yanmen.

"Our Divine Machine Battalion was too fierce last time; it scared all those Turkic wolf cubs."
It is said that many of the more than 10,000 people who escaped last time have developed hysteria. Some even jumped up in the middle of the night, talking nonsense and shouting that the Eternal Heaven was angry and sent down divine punishment.

Several small camps of the Zhishi tribe and the Miscellaneous Hu tribes have all rioted.

Although it's not very serious,
Those who went hysterical and caused a ruckus were immediately suppressed by the Turks, who beheaded many of them. But I heard that the Turks are quite panicked now.

Li Yi exclaimed in surprise, "Soldier Liu, the intelligence you've gathered is incredibly detailed! You even know about the Turks' camp raid?"

"They are all scouts from the vanguard battalion. We are so close to the Turks that we have to go on patrol every day. We can always bring back some prisoners alive. We can still find out some information that is not confidential."

The fear that the hundred Divine Machine Soldiers had instilled in the Turks last time exceeded Li Yi's expectations.

With 20,000 men, a raid on a camp resulted in the beheading of over 3,000 and the capture of over 5,000, a loss of 45%. To be honest, in ancient times, especially in open field battles, and at night, even the mighty armies of the Han and Tang dynasties would not have been able to withstand such losses.

In field battles, if an enemy can withstand 10% casualties without retreating, and 20% casualties without collapsing, they are already considered quite elite.

With nearly half its troops lost, any army would have collapsed long ago.

It's normal that the Turks collapsed, and it's also normal that they are still full of shadows in their hearts. They said that the Eternal Heaven was angry and sent down thunder and fire rain, and other Turks believed it.

As a result, Ashide, who was deeply terrified at the camp at the mouth of the Mayu River where more than 3,000 headless corpses were left last time, did not dare to cross the river or stay there. Instead, he retreated 20 miles to set up camp.

Now, the Tang army has once again stationed its troops at the mouth of the Mayu River.
Ashide dared not come any further.

Faced with Ashide's fear, no one on Li Yi's side suggested a night raid on the camp anymore.

Firstly, the other side was well-prepared and had built their camp like a semi-permanent fortification in the past few days. Secondly, the other side had a force of 50,000 men, which is not as simple as 20,000 or 30,000.

Most importantly, Ashide's camp was only twenty miles away from Jieli's.

This means the two armies can be considered as one, since the Turkic light cavalry could reach the destination in no time, given that it was only twenty li away.

If the enemy was prepared, then the raid was already halfway to failure.

The vast numerical disparity made raiding the camp far more dangerous.

The further west you go, the more dangerous it becomes.
If things go wrong, we could be surrounded by the Turks.

Ideally, the Turks should be the ones to attack. Li Yi has prepared so many cities and fortresses, so a defensive counterattack would be the most advantageous strategy.

It can also widen the gap between them and the main force of Jieli.

But now Ashide is too cautious and conservative, hiding in his shell, and has no chance at all.

"They're not attacking, and they're blocking our way to rescue Yanmen." Li Yi was also somewhat at a loss.

"Have there been any reports from the armies of Yun, Ying, Wu, Bing, and Xin yet?"

Whether they were ordered to send troops, and what the progress was, were all unknown to Li Yi due to the distance and slow communication. This left him somewhat confused about the next steps in his strategy.

"At present, we only know that Governor Yun is leading Liu Heita, Su Dingfang, Li Cunxiao and others to attack Mayi. As for the other routes, there is no news yet," Liu Shiche said truthfully.

Standing atop the Mayubao fortress, gazing at the clear waters of the Mayu River before him, Li Yi couldn't help but sigh, "Is it truly impossible to relieve the siege of Yanmen, and can we only watch helplessly as Jieli breaches its defenses?"

"Send Ashide two turtles and a set of women's clothing," Li Yi said angrily.

Liu Shiche couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm afraid Ashide won't be provoked, but Sikong might have to lose the tortoise and pay for his clothes."

"Then give him two sets of tortoise shells."

If Ashide remains unprovoked, Li Yi will have no other choice. With his current forces, achieving this much is already quite remarkable.

It's impossible for him to fight his way to Yanmen City. He's neither Li Shimin nor Li Jing; he doesn't have their abilities.

Moreover, even if Li Jing launched a surprise attack on the Khan's court in the snow, it would still be a raid on an empty Khan's court, a journey of hundreds of miles.

Instead of the current situation where 150,000 troops are gathered at Yanmen, Li Jing wouldn't have the courage to venture in.

This is a real tiger's den.

The sun sets in the west.

Yanmen City was gradually swallowed by the night.

Twenty miles south of the city lies Gao Kaidao's camp, where tens of thousands of people reside. Among them are ten thousand auxiliary soldiers and artisans left behind by Yuan Junzhang, former subordinates of Li Da'en who had been captured and surrendered, and some newly recruited able-bodied men by Gao Kaidao.
Many young prisoners of war and artisans who had been captured were also placed under Gao Kaidao's command, where they worked intensively to build various siege weapons.
Cutting down trees and dismantling houses for timber in the mountains
Various iron tools needed for forging, and processing of various leathers such as cowhide and horsehide.

A large camp of tens of thousands of people, including countless surrendered soldiers, craftsmen, and prisoners.

Gao Kaidao was defeated at Pingxing Pass and only managed to escape with 800 cavalry, 300 adopted sons, and 500 elite soldiers.

Here, he also quickly recruited a lot of new soldiers.

He had another 10,000 men under his command, but these 10,000 men were poorly armored and armed, and many of them were former farmers, merchants, or servants.

Gao Kaidao's most reliable men were his eight hundred men, three hundred adopted sons, and five hundred elite soldiers.

Although he recruited two hundred new sworn brothers under the walls of Yanmen City, and also selected five hundred men from the new recruits to bolster his army.

Tomorrow, tens of thousands of men in this camp will be responsible for leading the attack on Yanmen City.

Tonight in the camp,

The atmosphere was very tense.

The imposing Yanmen City was a headache to think about; it wasn't just one city, but also three outer fortresses.
Yanmen City has four city gates, each with a barbican. The moat outside the city gates not only has drawbridges, but each gate is also guarded by a patrol wall on the opposite bank.

The moat was very wide; it wasn't a trench, it was a river, several dozen feet wide.

Shibi Khan launched a surprise attack on Yang Guang's army, which besieged Yanmen Pass. Even with 200,000 cavalry, they failed to capture it. That year was not long ago, only seven years ago.

Last winter, Khan Jieli led 100,000 men to besiege Yanmen Pass for more than a month, but failed to capture it.

This year, the weather has been swirling from spring to summer, and autumn is just around the corner.

It's been over a hundred days, and we still haven't won.

In the eyes of those besieging the city from outside its walls,

This is an impregnable fortress.

Without sufficient siege equipment, a direct assault was impossible. And with ample food supplies within the city, a siege to starve them out was not an option.
Even more critically, the Tang army was only a few dozen miles away and had already repeatedly defeated the Turkic army.

Tomorrow, when the sun rises, how long will they have left to live? Will they be able to see the moon tomorrow night, living under the impregnable walls of Yanmen Pass?
The thought that countless people might die beneath the city walls tomorrow...

Those who entered within a hundred paces of the city walls were likely to be shot dead by crossbows; they would be shot dead while filling the moat; they would be shot dead while scaling the city walls…
No, maybe tomorrow they won't even be able to cross the moat. Filling in the passage won't help. Without enough ladders and cannons, they can only sigh at the towering city walls or be shot dead.

Nobody can sleep.

Gao Kaidao couldn't sleep either. He drank in his tent, embracing two young and beautiful women from Hedong whom he had abducted, who had become his playthings.

Fine wine, beautiful women, and delicious food—these are the means to numb oneself.

Around his main tent were the tents of his five hundred adopted sons. In fact, Gao Kaidao didn't know many of these adopted sons. Most of them were his close attendants and personal guards. After staying by his side for a year or two and getting to know each other, they would be taught some military tactics and other skills. Then they would be sent down to the army to work as squad leaders, brigade commanders, or military advisors. This was also one of his methods of controlling the army. The adopted sons were relatively trustworthy. In the army, they could control the lower-ranking soldiers and also act as his eyes and ears to monitor the mid- to high-ranking generals.

Outside Yi'er's camp were a thousand battalions, five hundred infantrymen, and five hundred cavalrymen, who were also his personal guards.

Further out on the periphery were ten thousand new recruits.

Zhang Jinshu and several of Gao Kaidao's trusted adopted sons were also in the main tent drinking and making merry with Gao Kaidao.

Under the night,
Inside the adopted sons' camp outside, Zhang Jinshu's confidants also brought wine and meat tonight, eating and drinking with them, calling each other brothers, and showing indescribable enthusiasm.

The moon quietly disappeared into the dark clouds.
Inside the central command tent, Gao Kaidao was somewhat drunk from being toasted by Zhang Jinshu.
Inside the Yi'er camp outside, the Yi'er in each tent were also drunk by the Ya's soldiers.

It was late at night.

Gao Kaidao shook his head and said, "Let's stop drinking here tonight. We still have to attack the city tomorrow, so we can't let things get delayed. After we take Yanmen City, I'll buy some good wine and meat, and we'll all drink together again."

"Jinshu, tell everyone outside to disperse as well."

Zhang Jinshu stood up and made a gesture to help Gao Kaidao to his feet. But as he got closer, he suddenly pulled out a short knife from his sleeve and plunged it into Gao Kaidao's ribs.

This strike hit the vital point.

Gao Kaidao winced in pain and looked at Zhang Jinshu in surprise, "Why?"

Although he did not recognize Zhang Jinshu as his adopted son, he always regarded him as a brother.

Facing Gao Kaidao's shocked gaze, Zhang Jinshu remained silent, pursing his lips and gritting his teeth. He then pulled out his short knife and stabbed Gao Kaidao several more times.

Gao Kaidao's gaze gradually became unfocused.
The question remains: "Why?"

Zhang Jinshu helped Gao Kaidao up and slowly laid him down on the ground. "King Gao, the brothers don't want to die under the walls of Yanmen City, they don't want to fill the trenches, and they don't want to be arrows for the Turks."

I don't want to go to the grasslands and become a lost soul.
The brothers all want to go home.

Gao Kaidao died with his eyes wide open in disbelief. This rebel king at the end of the Sui Dynasty was once able to turn back and charge into the enemy ranks, killing more than a dozen people and rescuing the commander-in-chief, Ge Qian. He also once had a doctor chisel open the bone in his cheek, drive in a wedge, pry open the bone gap, and remove the arrowhead. He was still able to watch singing and dancing and eat meat and wine without changing his expression.

This was once Zhang Jinshu's good older brother.

But now, he killed him with his own hands.

Inside the tent,

Several of Zhang Jinshu's trusted cavalry generals suddenly drew their swords and assassinated Gao Kaidao's trusted adopted sons.

Zhang Jinshu got up and looked down at Gao Kaidao lying on the ground. A large pool of blood flowed from his body, like a blooming flower of death.

Withdrawing his gaze, Zhang Jinshu's eyes were icy cold.

For him, fighting and killing were already commonplace.

“Cut off Gao Kaidao’s head and take it with you, along with all the gold, silver, and valuables in this tent,”

"Proceed according to plan,"

The camp of tens of thousands of people quickly descended into complete chaos.
Fires broke out everywhere in the camp, and people everywhere were shouting that the Tang army had stormed in.

Some people are even saying that Khagan Jieli has been assassinated and that the Turks are fleeing north.

The artisans, prisoners, and surrendered soldiers of Li Da'en in the camp, awakened by the commotion, stared in shock at the scene before them. Then, with a reminder from someone attentive,
They all scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing into the darkness outside the camp.

All those siege weapons that had cost countless manpower and time were set ablaze and burned fiercely in the darkness.

The burning camp
The fleeing men and horses scattered

Several hundred people quietly left the camp, heading south first and then east at high speed.

(End of this chapter)