Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 153 The First Battle is the Decisive Battle; County Magistrate Li Has Great Courage
"drive!"

A long cry.

The galloping horse trampled through the wild grass.

Rolling yellow sand swirls across the plains.

On the other side of the horizon, a tall banner, several meters high, came into view, bathed in sunlight.

The Turks, dressed in full armor, urged their warhorses on toward the great banner.

Beneath the great banner, stretching for miles, were military tents.

"Step aside!"

The Turks galloped in, brandishing their whips and shouting.

The guards in front of the camp quickly opened the wooden gate, letting the scouts file in.

"Report!"

Suddenly, an urgent report was heard.

Inside the central tent, a middle-aged man with a Turkic appearance suddenly opened his eyes, drew a curved knife from the table, and stabbed it into the mutton in front of him.

The once bustling camp fell silent.

The dancers who had been trying to please the Turks knelt down in terror.

"Report!"

"Come in!"

Jieli spoke in a calm voice, rubbing his slightly tipsy head, and exhaled a heavy breath.

The scouts outside had already entered and were kneeling before him.

"Reporting to the Khan, no Han scouts have been spotted ahead. It seems they are unaware of our arrival."

"Hahahaha!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a mocking laugh suddenly rang out from the surroundings.

"These Han Chinese are probably still sleeping in women's arms right now. As long as the Khan marches into Chang'an, all that gold, silver, and women will be ours!"

The burly Turk jumped excitedly onto the table.

"Everyone says the women of Chang'an are fragrant. Let each of the young men choose a dozen or so to have some fun with!"

"Okay, but I've heard that the Tang Dynasty emperor's women are the most beautiful, so when..."

"Shut up!"

The noise around him gave Jieli a headache.

Some of the people in the military tent were his confidants, while others were leaders of other tribes.

But all they saw was that so-called wealth.

"Han people are not so easy to deal with. Have we forgotten about Yang Guang and Yang Jian?"

"The person we're facing this time is Li Shimin. More than a decade ago at Yanmen Pass, he was the one who scared us off. Later, he defeated all those people in the Central Plains. Such a person is more terrifying than we imagined!"

Jieli was not as arrogant as the others.

He knew very well what a behemoth he was facing.

If he were truly confident, he wouldn't have launched a surprise attack on the Tang Dynasty at this time.

"Khan, what is there to be afraid of? This time we have gathered more than a dozen tribes and more than 200,000 warriors. Even Li Yi didn't dare to come out and fight us."

“That’s right, we’re almost at Huizhou, and we haven’t even seen any Han scouts.”

The person speaking was the leader of another tribe.

But what he said was exactly what Jieli was most worried about, because it was too abnormal.

"Notify everyone that we will rest today and the entire army must reach Huizhou within five days!"

They didn't bring much food with them this time, so they had to capture Huizhou as soon as possible to resupply.

Otherwise, if the Tang army cuts off their retreat, all of them will die here.

However, Jieli did not expect this.

At this moment, a group of people in Huizhou City are waiting for him to run into them.

"I thought I was waiting for them in Jingzhou."

Beneath the walls of Huizhou, Wen He, atop a chariot, gazed at the towering city walls riddled with arrows, a chill creeping into his heart.

He had visited some ancient city ruins before.

But after years of weathering, it no longer possesses its current grandeur.

"Sir, why is Lord Li gathering all his troops in Huizhou?" Li Chengqian, standing to the side, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Wen He coughed awkwardly twice; he wanted to know too.

He thought Li Jing would lure the enemy deep into his territory, then combine the forces of the four prefectures to besiege the Turks, and even if he couldn't wipe them out completely, he could at least kill more than half of them.

"This is Pharmacist Li. He never likes to use unorthodox methods in battle. Little kid, can't you understand that?" The speaker was none other than Li Daozong, whom Wen He really wanted to beat up.

This guy keeps calling me a little kid. If Wen He wasn't too weak to beat him, she would have already attacked him.

"Uncle, so Lord Li is going to fight the Turks here?" Li Chengqian asked.

"The first battle is the decisive one, Li Weigong has great courage!" Wen He exclaimed.

He then turned around and got off the chariot.

This car was specially built for him before he set off.

He couldn't bear the embarrassment of riding in a horse-drawn carriage during a military campaign, but he didn't know how to ride a horse.

So after much deliberation, they compromised and ordered someone to build a war chariot overnight.

As he dismounted, the city gates of Huizhou were opened wide.

Li Jing strode out from inside.

At the forefront of the army, Jing Junhong, Qin Qiong, and others dismounted.

Li Daozong and Wen He went to greet them together.

"Brother Medicine Master!"

Jing Junhong stepped forward with a big laugh and bowed to Li Jing at the same time.

"Brother Junhong, it's been a long time."

The two of them were comrades-in-arms, having fought many battles together back then, and had long since become like brothers in private.

"Why did Uncle Bao come too? Is your body able to handle it?"

Li Jing was somewhat worried when he saw Qin Qiong.

The military doctors have been treating him for the past few days.

Wen He had originally wanted to invite him to ride in the chariot, but the former was stubborn and refused.

"Thank you for your concern, Magistrate Li. The illness comes and goes, but it will be fine once I'm on the battlefield."

Qin Qiong laughed.

Li Jing gazed at him, pondered for a long time, and then sighed deeply.

Immediately, the generals from all the units stepped forward to greet him.

Seeing so many familiar faces, Li Jing's smile never stopped.

He knew that His Majesty had sent out almost half of his trusted confidants for this battle.

Even if the Tang Dynasty cannot destroy the Turks this time, it will be enough to keep them from recovering for several years.

After exchanging greetings with his colleagues, he respectfully approached Li Chengqian.

"Your subject, Li Jing, Grand General of the Army Within the Passes, pays respects to the Prince of Zhongshan!"

He bowed respectfully.

Li Chengqian is not yet the crown prince, so it is inappropriate to call him the crown prince's grandson.

Therefore, he was automatically reinstated to his former title.

Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment. Wen He secretly nudged him, and he then realized what was happening. He quickly stepped forward to help Li Jing up: "Lord Li, please rise. I am here to be a student. I hope Lord Li will give me your guidance in many matters in the future."

He naturally couldn't say those words; Wen He had made him memorize them on the way here.

"Thank you, Prince Zhongshan."

"Lord Li, it's been many days since I last saw you."

Only then did Wen He go to greet her.

There was nothing he could do; he held the lowest official rank. If it weren't for protecting Li Chengqian, he wouldn't even have the right to stand here.

"Young man, it's been so long! You seem to have grown taller!"

Upon seeing Wen He, Li Jing was even more delighted.

He knew very well that he was able to come to Jingzhou thanks to this young man, Wen.

But what he said...

It sounds like a conversation between an elder and a younger person.

Wen He didn't know how to respond, and just gave a dry laugh.

However, he does seem to have grown taller recently.

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Jing invited everyone into the city.

But at this moment!
Suddenly, a cloud of sand rose from the distance.

The surrounding soldiers suddenly tensed up, and the shield bearers quickly blocked Wen He and Li Chengqian.

(End of this chapter)