Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 663 Luo Hongyi, Wang Fangyi, Xue Rengui, each one crazier than the last (Second Update)

Amidst the undulating Tianshan Mountains in the distance, smoke from battle rose into the sky.

The cold winter wind seemed to carry the sounds of battle with it.

On the city wall of Gaochang, Luo Hongyi, dressed in red robes and black armor, seemed to feel the tremors of the city wall and said with a solemn expression, "Diyun is actually heading towards Xizhou."

"Harass Kucha, Yanqi, and Tingzhou, evade scouts, strike directly at Xizhou, sever the connection between Anxi and Shazhou and Yizhou, disrupt the entire Anxi, and finally create an opportunity for Helu's surprise attack." Wang Fangyi, dressed in black armor, stood to the side with his hand on the Thousand Ox Blade and said calmly, "Dieyun is indeed courageous and resourceful."

Luo Hongyi turned to look at Wang Fangyi and nodded, saying, "General Wang has keen insight."

Wang Fangyi, the Left General of the Thousand Ox Guard, was promoted to Left General of the Thousand Ox Guard after Yin Yuan was promoted to Left General of the Thousand Ox Guard. He accumulated military merits and seniority and was promoted to Left General of the Thousand Ox Guard.

"When Dieyun was in Chang'an, he was very obedient. Who would have thought that he would be so bold in the Western Regions? He is really not afraid of death!" Wang Fangyi looked deeply into the depths of Tianshan Mountain.

Luo Hongyi nodded slightly and said, "Although he has 50,000 troops under his command, if he directly storms into Anxi's residence, he might die here."

The entire Anxi region is centered around Xizhou.

To the west of Xizhou are Yanqi and Kucha, and to the north is Tingzhou.

The Tianshan Pass separates Xizhou and Tingzhou.

Of course, there are many passes in the Tianshan Mountains, and the Western Turks are much more familiar with this place than the Tang Dynasty, so it was not a problem for them to ignore Tingzhou in the north and directly attack Gaochang.

Although this is riskier.

If his retreat is blocked by the army of Tingzhou, and Kucha and Yanqi come to his aid from the west, Dieyun will likely die here.

“He’s buying time for Helu!” Wang Fangyi’s eyes gleamed. He raised his head, cupped his hands in greeting to Luo Hongyi, and asked, “What are your plans, Your Excellency?”

Luo Hongyi suddenly smiled, turned to look at Guo Daizhao who was silent on the other side, and asked, "Nephew, what do you think?"

Guo Daizhao respectfully cupped his hands and said, "With the Dieyun army coming, Xizhou should prioritize defense. People inside and outside the city should either go into the city, go into the mountains, or go far away. Then we should look for an opportunity to fight Dieyun."

"My dear nephew, you've been too cautious," Luo Hongyi said with some emotion.

Guo Daizhao bowed respectfully, his expression solemn.

He and his father nearly died in Kucha. After him, the emperor no longer appreciated his father much. He only continued to appoint him as the Protector-General of Anxi because he had been in the Western Regions for many years. After that lesson, Guo Daizhao became much more cautious.

However, this made the emperor appreciate him even more, which is why he was able to be promoted to Left General of the Valiant Guard.

Being cautious is never a mistake.

Luo Hongyi turned to Wang Fangyi and asked, "What does the General think?"

“We have to make a push first.” Wang Fangyi shook his head slightly and said, “Judging from the beacon fires, Dieyun is still some distance from Gaochang, so if we send troops now to intercept them in time, we should be able to achieve something, at the same time curb their momentum, and buy time for the people.”

"Good nephew?"

“Alright!” Guo Daizhao nodded and said, “However, the choice of the number of people is very important.”

“That’s true.” Luo Hongyi looked at Wang Fangyi again and asked, “How many troops does the General plan to mobilize?”

Wang Fangyi looked intently at Luo Hongyi, then bowed respectfully and asked, "My lord, how is everything in the city?"

"What?" Luo Hongyi was suddenly taken aback.

Wang Fangyi nodded calmly and said, "My lord, my intention is to mobilize the entire army in the city, ten thousand cavalry and five thousand infantry, and send them out to settle the matter in one battle."

Go crazy.

With the calmest expression, Wang Fangyi uttered some incredibly crazy words.

"This prefecture does agree to send troops, but at most eight thousand cavalry." Luo Hongyi couldn't help but look at Wang Fangyi with a wry smile and said, "After all, Xizhou still needs to be guarded, and if anything happens, we can handle it."

“There won’t be any unforeseen circumstances.” Wang Fangyi interrupted Luo Hongyi, raised his head to look into the depths of Tianshan, and said seriously, “My lord, although it is said that taking Xizhou could cut off the imperial court’s support and disrupt the entire Anxi, to be honest, my lord, given the strength of Gaochang, can it be taken in a short time?”

“Impossible.” Luo Hongyi shook his head and said, “Ten thousand cavalry and five thousand infantry. Let alone fifty thousand, even if a hundred thousand troops came, they wouldn’t be able to conquer Gaochang in less than half a year.”

The Western Regions are not a peaceful place, and the Western Turks are the biggest destabilizing factor there; who knows when they might invade?

Therefore, all the governors of Xizhou attached great importance to the defense of Gaochang.

With the skills of the Tang Dynasty craftsmen, conquering Gaochang City would be far more difficult than Hou Junji's attack on Gaochang back then.

In particular, the Turks were not good at attacking cities.

“So, my lord, Dieyun is not here to attack Gaochang.” Wang Fangyi shook his head slightly and said, “Dieyun’s goal is not Gaochang. His goal should be to use one force to disrupt Gaochang, another force to hold back the reinforcements from Kucha and Yanqi, and the remaining main force to swallow up the reinforcements from Tingzhou when they come to Gaochang’s aid, and then rush straight to Tingzhou.”

Dieyun's goal has always been Tingzhou.

Wang Fangyi's gaze was frighteningly sharp.

“Using Tingzhou as a base to block the Tianshan mountain pass, we can reach the Uyghur army in the north. At this time, Helu will attack again…” Thinking of this, Luo Hongyi had to nod and say, “The General is right.”

“So, my lord, let’s attack.” Wang Fangyi looked up and said, “Di Yun has come with 50,000 cavalry. We need 15,000 cavalry to temporarily hold back the reinforcements from Kucha, Yanqi, and Tingzhou. He only has 35,000 cavalry left, and he himself has to lie in ambush in the mountains. In the end, only 20,000 cavalry will be able to come to Xizhou.”

“That’s 20,000 cavalry!” Luo Hongyi said instinctively.

Wang Fangyi smiled gently and calmly shook his head, saying, "My lord, it's only 20,000 cavalry. My 10,000 Right Guard cavalrymen are more than enough to easily defeat them."

That's incredibly boastful.

Luo Hongyi's expression turned serious: "Not enough."

“Jiaohe Ancient City, its terrain is high enough and well-hidden, and although the river below is frozen now, it should be enough to delay them.” As Wang Fangyi spoke, his expression became completely calm.

This calmness inexplicably affected Luo Hongyi. He took a deep breath and said, "Three thousand, leave me three thousand men. I want to defend the city."

“Five hundred!” Wang Fangyi stared straight at Luo Hongyi.

"Two thousand!" Luo Hongyi's lips twitched.

Wang Fangyi glanced at him, then turned to Guo Daizhao and said, "Brother Guo, have the cavalry begin preparations."

"Yes!" Guo Daizhao did not hesitate at all and turned around to walk down the city wall.

Wang Fangyi then looked at Guo Daizhao and calmly said, "My lord, there are some things I cannot say in front of you, but there are some things you should understand. After this battle, no matter what, Protector Guo will not be able to stay in Anxi. The Protector of Anxi will definitely be replaced, my lord..."

Luo Hongyi's breath caught in his throat for a moment. He hadn't expected Wang Fangyi to say something like that.

"My lord, our Great Tang Dynasty established itself on military merit, and His Majesty values ​​this highly." Wang Fangyi bowed slightly towards Chang'an.

"Alright!" Luo Hongyi took a deep breath, looked into the city, gritted his teeth, and said, "Okay, all the men are yours. I also have a thousand warhorses, which are all yours. I will recruit the city's inhabitants to defend the city... You must promise to stop them for me."

"They're doomed." Wang Fangyi calmly cupped his hands in greeting.

……

Standing on the city wall, watching ten thousand cavalrymen gallop away like lightning, Luo Hongyi, whose chest had been feeling tense and tight, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the very least, Wang Fangyi has a knack for leading troops.

Luo Hongyi suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head slightly. He had gambled this time.

It's less about the Protector-General of Anxi and more about having high hopes for Wang Fangyi.

Wang Fangyi was born into the Wang clan of Taiyuan. He was the cousin of the emperor's favorite concubine and had the demeanor of a famous general. Most importantly, he was still young.

A series of hurried footsteps came from below, and then the Chief Clerk of Xizhou walked up with a heavy expression. He looked at Luo Hongyi and asked anxiously, "My lord, how come they took everyone away? What are we going to do to defend the city?"

"Take all the money from the treasury and recruit people to guard the city." After a slight pause, Luo Hongyi said, "Send men to block the north, west, and south gates, leaving only the east gate open. People inside and outside the city can come and go as they please."

"Yes!" The chief clerk hesitated, but still bowed and accepted the order.

"Prepare stone slabs at the East Gate. If news of a major defeat arrives from the front lines, immediately block the East Gate." When Luo Hongyi said this, he himself was unaware of the slight, almost imperceptible tremor in his voice.

"Yes, sir!" The chief clerk's expression turned solemn, and he quickly turned and left.

Luo Hongyi turned to look at the vast Tianshan Mountains at the end of his vision, and suddenly he smiled softly.

The Tang Dynasty will surely win.

……

"Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!"

As the sun began to set, the Turkic cavalry, who had just emerged from the Tianshan Pass and reached the banks of the Yellow River, suddenly looked up and saw countless black-armored cavalrymen cascading down the northern hillside like a black tide.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves and the deafening roar of battle filled the air.

Dressed in red robes and black armor, Wang Fangyi charged at the forefront, his right hand gripping a long spear, his left hand holding a crossbow, his body slightly crouched, his eyes fixed intently ahead.

As they sped along, a hint of disappointment flashed in Wang Fangyi's eyes.

Damn luck! He actually left 20,000 cavalrymen by his side, but only mobilized 15,000 cavalrymen to attack Xizhou.

How much does he despise himself? Damn it!

"Kill!" In the blink of an eye, Wang Fangyi had already led his troops down the mountainside.

The warhorses had been driven at an alarming speed, and the crossbows in their hands were fired at Wang Fangyi's command.

Countless crossbow bolts flew through the air like a black cloud before crashing down.

In an instant, a large number of Turkic cavalrymen in front of Wang Fangyi were gone, with only a few lone horses still standing on the ground. But the next moment, two long spears swept across his body at the same time, and blood splattered everywhere.

Immediately, Wang Fangyi and Guo Daizhao, who was beside him, split up and rushed forward, one on the left and one on the right.

The cavalry charging up from behind immediately unleashed another volley of crossbow bolts.

Crossbows cleared the way, followed by long spears.

The Tang cavalry, hurtling down from the mountainside like lightning, had already pierced through the Turks before they could even fully react.

In the blink of an eye, nearly half of the Turkic cavalry had been killed or wounded.

Most importantly, their cavalry lacked speed.

More Turkic cavalry began to charge towards the outer perimeter, but their speed was terribly slow.

Wang Fangyi frantically urged his warhorse forward, and with just a slight turn of his long spear, he had already taken the lives of dozens of Turkic cavalrymen in the blink of an eye.

Despite charging into the enemy ranks with frenzied fury, Wang Fangyi remained remarkably calm.

A short arrow flew from somewhere, but Wang Fangyi calmly turned slightly to the side, letting the arrow embed itself in his armor.

With a "ding," the short arrow was flung off Wang Fangyi's body, leaving only a shallow mark on his armor.

The next moment, countless hooves trampled over it.

……

In just a quarter of an hour, tens of thousands of elite Tang cavalrymen had broken through the center of the Turkic cavalry crossing the river.

Only a few hundred riders remained, standing there blankly.

West of the Yellow River, nearly 8,000 Turkic cavalrymen were slowly approaching, caught off guard by the sudden battle.

The cavalrymen who were close to the west bank of the river and preparing to cross it tried to rush over to their aid, but after only a couple of steps, their horses fell directly onto the ice.

The journey along the river wasn't too fast, but it was still about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

As soon as they fell onto the ice, a volley of crossbow bolts flew up from the east bank, pinning them to the ice.

"Retreat! Retreat!" It was unclear who or which general gave the order, but the Turkic cavalry on the west bank did not hesitate for long and immediately retreated.

They were cavalry, and speed is the most important quality for cavalry.

A glacier, though not difficult to cross in the past, reduced their speed to its limit.

Once they are attacked again, they will be wiped out immediately.

Suddenly, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves rang out downstream. The Turkic cavalrymen looked down sharply and saw countless Tang cavalrymen who had somehow crossed the icy river and were charging up from downstream.

Wang Fangyi's expression grew increasingly calm as he watched the Turkic cavalrymen who wanted to retreat but couldn't.

He had a thousand infantrymen on horseback. They didn't need to do much; it was incredibly easy for them to pave a road on the completely frozen ice, using straw strips to wrap soil, out of the Turks' sight.

They could do these things much faster and more conveniently than the Turks.

Especially now, at sunset, the huge shadow cast by the Tianshan Mountains directly affects the Turks' vision, concealing all their small movements.

They never expected that after charging down, Wang Fangyi would attack again in the shortest amount of time.

The galloping warhorses showed no signs of slowing down.

At this moment, Wang Fangyi had another crossbow in his left hand.

This isn't the same one he used before; he's switched to a different one.

The Tang Dynasty cavalry were now so wealthy that each rider could carry two crossbows at the same time.

With a "whoosh," countless crossbow bolts flew up like a black cloud, finally striking the Western Turkic cavalry who had not yet completely retreated.

Sharp crossbow bolts pierced through their bodies and then embedded themselves straight in the ground.

Only the black arrow shaft still bore a trace of blood.

Like a black tide, the horses' hooves trampled across the ground, leaving a trail of blood and mud. Wang Fangyi had already led his cavalrymen to charge in once again.

This time their speed had decreased considerably, but they were still faster than the Turkic cavalry. In particular, this time, their cavalry numbers were greater than their opponents'.

Wang Fangyi kept his body low to the ground, coldly calculating the various win-loss statistics in his mind.

At that moment, the Turkic cavalry that had been retreating charged back at them in large numbers.

With a ferocious expression and speaking strange Turkic words, he charged forward recklessly, disregarding his own life.

A thought inexplicably flashed through Wang Fangyi's mind.

Someone is leaving.

He lowered his head, gripped his long spear tightly, and his gaze inadvertently fell on his armor.

The once pristine armor now bears more than a dozen scratches.

Each one could mean the loss of a life.

Wang Fangyi couldn't help but roar, "Kill!"

"kill!"

The sound of killing shook the sky.

Blood flew like a waterfall.

……

The sounds of battle echoed directly from the Tianshan Pass.

Hidden in a sheltered oasis, Di Yun stood up in disbelief, looked at the blood-soaked messenger general opposite him, and roared, "Defeated! Fifteen thousand cavalry, defeated just like that! Even fifteen thousand pigs wouldn't have been slaughtered this quickly!"

"They attacked us while we were crossing the river, and they were well-prepared. We didn't have time to react at all, and..." The general looked distressed, but still bowed and said, "Moreover, this Tang army is completely different from the Tang army we fought in the past. They have more crossbows on each of them than they did in the past. Each crossbow has five bolts, and there are ten thousand cavalrymen..."

“That’s fifty thousand arrows.” Dieyun suddenly looked up, and suddenly he understood. He couldn’t help but grit his teeth and curse, “Damn Wang Fangyi, damn Wang Fangyi.”

Dieyun had been to Chang'an more than once or twice, and he knew that there was a group of young generals who were highly valued by the emperor.

Pei Xingjian, Wang Fangyi, Duan Baoxuan, Wei Daijia.

Almost all of these people came from prominent families and had served the emperor. Some even had various kinship ties with the emperor's concubines.

But these people were all extremely talented, and they were never short of fighting in the military.

It could even be said that these people are the best survivors of the battles.

Wang Fangyi was one of these people.

"Damn it." Dieyun stood up, glanced deeply in the direction of Gaochang, took a deep breath, and said, "We can't go to Gaochang. Once we get entangled in the fighting, we won't be able to leave even if we want to. Send the order to head north immediately and attack Tingzhou."

"Yes, sir!" Countless Turkic cavalrymen rose and mounted their horses, then sped off to the north.

Turkic cavalry continued to arrive from behind, and more than 20,000 cavalrymen sped towards Tingzhou.

For some reason, the direction of Xizhou became quiet at this time, with only Yanqi and Gaochang still having some sounds.

Dieyun didn't have time to think about all that. Taking advantage of the night, he charged straight towards Tingzhou.

With the moon high in the sky, more than 20,000 Turkic cavalrymen crossed the Tianshan Mountains and galloped swiftly across the grasslands.

Dieyun breathed a sigh of relief; this battle was still going to go.

Just then, the edge of the opposite ground suddenly began to shake violently.

The next moment, countless black-armored cavalrymen charged out from the horizon.

Leading the group was a general dressed in white robes and silver armor, carrying a halberd and galloping towards them with a cold expression.

It was exceptionally dazzling under the moonlight.

Xue Rengui.

(End of this chapter)