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

Chapter 626 Jieli, Surrender Now!

Ideals are lofty, but reality is always harsh.

Tuli felt that his uncle, Jieli Khan, was not up to the task, but since his elder brother Li Shimin and second brother Li Yi had defeated Jieli so decisively, he thought he could do it too.

Who knew, his troops hadn't even been assembled yet...
His uncle, Jieli, arrived three days earlier than he had expected. While he was still asleep, Jieli's elite cavalry broke through his camp's defenses.

In recent years, he has made a fortune by doing border trade with the Tang Dynasty. As long as he profits, his men will also benefit, and he has not plundered for several years.

They enjoyed themselves for too long, neglecting military preparedness and abandoning training.

Tuli suffered a crushing defeat.

Even though his uncle, Jieli Khan, had been repeatedly defeated by Li Yi, he was still a Mohedushe who had been enfeoffed in a region.

He was unaware that his informant in the Khan's court had been known to Jieli for a long time, yet he still deliberately sent the informant to deliver the message. Once the message was sent, Jieli took control of his informant and then launched an attack ahead of schedule.

Traveling day and night,
Braving the cold wind and heavy snow, they traveled 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) and really went all out.

Tuli's defeat in this battle was not unjust.

He had enjoyed a few years of comfort, but little did he know that Jieli's military campaign was driven by a deep-seated rage.

Jieli fought for his honor and prestige, launching the War to Defend the Khan.

Tuli, however, underestimated his enemy and became arrogant, ultimately reaping the bitter consequences.

In the chaos of the surprise attack, he didn't even think about fighting to the death and quickly fled south in panic.

Until the entire escape route,

Tuli then realized that Khagan Jieli was not as incompetent as he had imagined.

This made him even more surprised by the strength of his two older brothers, who were able to defeat Jieli time and time again.

The news of Tuli's defeat and retreat to Northern Yan Prefecture

When the goods were delivered to Li Shimin by fast horseman braving the wind and snow, he was warming himself by a fire and drinking tea in a stone house on Wild Fox Ridge.

Inside the room were Li Daoxuan, the Grand General of Youzhou, as well as Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, and several other generals.

Wild Fox Ridge
Located four hundred li northwest of Youzhou City, it was known as the Gate of Infinity during the Warring States period.

This place serves as a natural barrier, connecting the northern deserts to the north, the western regions to the west, and the central plains to the south.

At the junction of the North China Plain and the Mongolian Plateau, the terrain rises abruptly. The North Yanzhou Plain is more than 50 meters above sea level, while the Mongolian Plateau is more than 1,000 meters above sea level, forming a clear boundary, much like a dam.

North of Beiyan Prefecture, outside Zhangjiakou, lies the Bashang Plateau.

Tuli's tent is located on the Bashang Grassland.

Now he has fled in a sorry state to Beiyanzhou below the dam.

But little did they know,

He brushed past Li Shimin.

Li Shimin led 30,000 troops to ambush at Yehu Ridge, which was the only way to reach Beiyan Prefecture.

Wild Fox Ridge North Mountain Mouth, also known as Badger Mouth, is a place with treacherous terrain.

"As expected."

Li Shimin sipped his hot tea. The mountain wind at Badger's Mouth was extremely fierce. People were suffering greatly when they were ambushed in this icy and snowy place, but fortunately, the suffering was not in vain.

Tuli was defeated and fled south.
Jieli is already on his way in pursuit.

“Jieli is pursuing us rather hastily; it seems he really doesn’t want to let his nephew Tuli go,” Qu Tutong said.

"That's perfect. I was just afraid he wouldn't come. We brothers are suffering here in vain."

"Get ready to fight."

"Hide well, and let Jieli into the ambush. This Wild Fox Ridge will be Jieli's burial place."

Qin Shubao, Luo Shixin, and the other eight chief stewards all agreed in unison.

Li Shimin poured each of them a cup of hot tea.
Use tea instead of alcohol.

A cup of hot tea with milk and salt.

The eight chief stewards strode out of the stone house and returned to their respective units to lead their troops.

Li Shimin listened to the howling mountain wind, holding his teacup. Everything was going exactly as he and Li Yi had planned.

"Finish all your efforts in one battle!"

If we can capture or kill Jieli Khan,
Then the Tang Dynasty could support and enthrone Tuli as the new Great Khan. However, given Tuli's youth, he would certainly find it difficult to win over the people. With a little instigation in the shadows, some of the powerful Turks would surely rebel and vie for the Khanate.

Furthermore, the Tiele tribes in the northern desert could also be secretly supported in their anti-Turkic struggles.

As a result,
The threat from the Turks was eliminated, and the Tang Dynasty could focus on its development. Within ten years, it was able to launch a northern expedition to sweep away the Turks and completely stabilize the border.

It's very cold.
Li Shimin felt very warm inside.

It is unknown where Li Yi is now, or whether he has already crossed the Shahu Pass and arrived at the Khan's court in Dingxiang.

"Put on your armor!"

Hou Junji and Xu Luoren, two personal guard captains, personally helped Li Shimin put on his armor.

All geared up

Li Shimin strung the bowstring and pulled it out to test it.

Stepping out of the stone house,

Standing atop Wild Fox Mountain,

Before me lay a vast expanse of white snow.

The tens of thousands of cavalry of Khagan Jieli trampled through Tuli's camp and were in pursuit of him.

He wanted to capture Tuli alive.

They even had the idea of launching a surprise attack on Beiyan Prefecture to teach the Tang Kingdom a lesson.

Kill two birds with one stone.
He wanted the Tang people to know that the Turks were still not something the Tang state could afford to offend, and that even if they wanted to make peace, they had to do so standing up, not kneeling down to beg for peace.

Li Shimin, however, had long seen through Jieli's intentions.
Standing atop this mountain,
The treacherous terrain of Yehu Ridge, coupled with the surprise attack of the ambush, not only countered the advantage of Jieli's cavalry but also allowed the Tang army to leverage its strength as an infantry force.

Besides,

Li Yi's Divine Machine Battalion would be even more useful here.

Jieli thought he had outsmarted Tuli.
We can also invade Beiyan Prefecture and teach the Tang Kingdom a lesson.

unfortunately,

The mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole is behind.

The wind was strong.
The snow is heavy.

Low-hanging leaden clouds dimmed the light.
Jieli fought for the prestige of his position as the Great Khan of the Turks.

Li Shimin, on the other hand, fought for the position of crown prince.

After capturing Jieli, they returned in triumph to Chang'an.
Surely Father can see the huge gap between him and the Crown Prince, and surely Father should keep his promise and make him the heir apparent.

In the last battle of Jinzhou, he only annihilated more than 10,000 Turkic and non-Turkic vassals.

But this time, if he captures Jieli and breaks through Jieli Khan's stronghold, shouldn't his father fulfill his promise?
Wild Fox Ridge has a steep and rugged terrain.
And here at Badger's Mouth, a narrow passage, is the throat.

They lay in ambush here.

Tens of thousands of Jieli's men marched south.
That means putting the lifeline into Li Shimin's hands.

at dusk,

Finally, Khan Jieli appeared with his army amidst the wind and snow.
The line was very long.

Tens of thousands of troops, after marching 800 li through days of wind and snow, and then launching a night attack on Tuliya's camp, achieved a complete victory.

But at this point, he was also extremely exhausted.
Jieli stopped by the roadside, looking at Wild Fox Ridge in the distance.

Cheer up,
"Hurry up and march. Once we cross Wild Fox Ridge, we'll descend from the grasslands and enter Northern Yan Prefecture in the Central Plains. Once we're in Tang territory, we can plunder at will."

"Then we'll eat roasted mutton, sleep with Han women, and enjoy ourselves for three days and three nights straight without stopping!"

Jieli summoned Zhishi Sili.

"Take a thousand light cavalry and speed up the march. You must catch up with that traitor Shibobi and never let him escape to Youzhou or Bingzhou."

Jieli urged everyone to perk up and speed up.

They were required to descend the dam before dark.

Resting within the territory of Northern Yan Prefecture. A fierce snowstorm raged.

Jieli led his men step by step into a death trap.

Li Shimin watched coldly from the mountaintop, like a shrewd hunter watching his prey take the bait.

"There were approximately 30,000 cavalry."

“Not many.”

"Their rear guard also carried several thousand prisoners of the Tuli tribe, along with many cattle, horses, sheep, camels, and other livestock and spoils of war."

After watching for a while, Li Shimin became increasingly confident of victory.

Jieli's army was completely unprepared for this march.

"Proceed according to the original plan, and I will personally guard the mountain."

"Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, and several other cavalry generals waited until most of the Turks entered the Badger's Mouth Pass, then lit smoke signals to order them to lead their cavalry out from the valleys where they were lying in ambush on both sides, cutting off the enemy's retreat."

"Qu Tutong, Luo Shixin, Zhang Shigui and other generals then led the infantry and charged down the hillside."

Wild Fox Ridge, Badger's Mouth
Ambush from all sides.

In the wind and snow,
Jieli had no choice but to dismount and lead his horse up the mountain.
The snow was deep, making the mountain roads difficult to travel.

Once the mountain pass is crossed, the route will lead to Beiyan Prefecture in the Central Plains.

They captured Tuli and crushed the Northern Yan.

Jieli was panting heavily.

That damned Tuli, those damned Tang people, that damned Li Shimin, that damned Li Yi!
If it weren't for them
In this damned weather, I should be comfortably drinking wine, embracing beauties, listening to songs, watching dances, and eating roasted meat in the warm Golden Wolf tent of the Dingxiang Khanate.

Instead of his beard being frozen solid like this now.

Once they have stormed into Northern Yan Prefecture,

He absolutely had to find a luxurious mansion, take a nice hot bath, and then...

While he was still in his fantasy,

Suddenly, a Turkic soldier shouted,

"Smoke signals, smoke signals are rising from the mountaintop,"

Jieli suddenly looked up.

Sure enough, the smoke of war rose and billowed into the sky.

"Why are there still beacon towers in this damned place?"

Once the flames of war are lit, their whereabouts will be exposed.

Jieli cursed a few times.
"It seems that it will be difficult to launch a surprise attack on the cities of Beiyan Prefecture this time. We can only plunder the countryside."

"Look, the beacon fires are burning at the mountain pass behind us too!" someone exclaimed.

Jieli suddenly turned his head.

Sure enough, several plumes of smoke rose from the mountain pass they had just passed.

Not right.

Jieli's heart skipped a beat.

If we're talking about the beacon fires on the mountain, it's because the Tang people set up beacon towers here for surveillance.

But the smoke from the mountain pass behind us definitely indicates something is wrong.

Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted from all sides of the valley.

The sound of horns echoed through the valley.
"Look, on the mountaintop."

on the top of the mountain,
A red flag is raised high.
Then another flag was raised.

"King Qin."

Another flag was raised.

"General Tian Ce,"

Then another one,
"Marshal of the Hedong Headquarters!"

More flags are raised.
Each of these flags is conveying a message.

On the mountain,

He was Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin and General of the Great Tang Dynasty.

Jieli felt a tightness in his throat and a sudden, inexplicable panic. At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to that night at Jinci.

That night
He was almost captured.

"There's an ambush!"

Some of the Turkic soldiers, realizing what was happening, began to shout in panic.

There is a Qin King's general's banner on the mountaintop.
Sure enough, countless Tang soldiers emerged from the valley entrance and intercepted their retreat.

Amid the Turks' panic...

The valley was also filled with ambushes.

Suddenly, Tang troops appeared everywhere, filling the gullies, valleys, and slopes.

The Divine Machine Battalion launched the first attack.
They fired rockets from the hillside into the valley and launched slingshots of lightning bolts from small catapults.
Explosions rang out among the Turkic troops in the valley.

Sparks flew.

The valley roads are narrow.

The Turkic army was crammed into the narrow valley, making it difficult to move and extremely crowded. When they were surrounded and ambushed, they became densely packed live targets.

Ambushes sprang up everywhere.

Holding a long spear, Luo Shixin charged into the Turkic army like a tiger descending a mountain, or a whirlwind sweeping away clouds, and began a massacre.

Zhang Shigui, clad in heavy armor and wielding a horse spear, led his troops straight towards Jieli Khan beneath the wolf-head banner.

Jieli experienced palpitations, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and even weakness in his legs and feet.

He was terrified, never expecting that the Tang army had set up an ambush from all sides.
An urgent order was issued to guards.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

The entire 30,000-strong Turkic army at Yefuling, including the rear guard escorting prisoners and several thousand captured soldiers, was cut in half by Tang cavalry and blocked outside the valley.

More than 20,000 people were trapped inside the valley.

However, the valley was narrow and uphill, and the Turkic cavalry were squeezed inside, unable to run at all, making them less effective than the Tang infantry.

They were attacked from all sides by the Tang army and were quickly cut into many pieces. Unable to defend themselves, they could only fight on their own.

The Turkic army was already exhausted.

How could they possibly stop the well-rested and imposing Tang army?
The firearms of the Shenji Battalion further enhanced the Tang army's prestige.

Soon, the Turkic army collapsed like an avalanche.

Jieli managed to gather a mere thousand or so soldiers, but it was too late to turn the tide; he couldn't even turn and run.

Badger Mouth Valley has been blocked off.

Swords clashed and blood flowed like rivers in the valley.

Red flags fluttered atop the mountain, and the war drums of the Tang army thundered.

Jieli fought and retreated.

The remaining thousand or so men were squeezed into a narrow corner of a valley, their morale low and their troops exhausted.

Utter despair.

In the last rays of twilight

Li Shimin rode his horse through the battlefield, where corpses littered the valleys.
They arrived at the front of Jieli's army.