Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

After stepping back, Li Ji leaned closer and asked Cheng Yuanzhen in a low voice, "Master Cheng, the Sage just said that he had given me several hundred men. I wonder how many hundred exactly?"

Cheng Yuanzhen glanced at Li Ji, noticing the other man's large eyes darting around with a half-smile, and immediately understood. He then smiled wryly, "Nine hundred, what does Changwei think?"

"What harm is there in adding ninety-nine more? Besides, now that I have assessed the enemy's strength, I should hurry back to report to the Emperor. It is inconvenient for me to lead infantry; it would be best if they were all cavalry."

"Then let's make it nine hundred and ninety-nine riders."

Li Ji immediately stepped aside and bowed deeply to Cheng Yuanzhen: "Master Cheng is so virtuous, I will surely repay you in the future!"

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At this time, on the front line of Longzhou, Ma Lin was attacked from two directions by the Tubo army from the west and the Western Qiang allied forces from the north. Almost every day, hundreds of soldiers were killed in battle, and the number of wounded was twice as many. He was about to be unable to hold on.

His encampment was located between Qianyang County and Wushan County. The Qian River originates from the northwest mountains, flows between Yong County and Wushan, and empties into the Wei River, where the terrain gradually flattens out on both banks—meaning this could be considered the westernmost point of the Wei River plain. Ma Lin had previously repelled the Tibetan army at the city of Yong County, the seat of Fengxiang Prefecture, and pursued them to this location. He then sought out several isolated mountains nearby to set up camp, hoping to block the enemy army in the mountains.

Although the Tibetan army was still strong, two to three times the size of the Tang army, the mountainous terrain and winding roads made it difficult for them to concentrate their forces to attack the Tang forces. Ma Lin was confident that he could hold out for several months, waiting for the court to send reinforcements or for the Tibetans to withdraw their troops due to the cold weather, snow, and lack of supplies.

But just as the camp was being set up, the various tribes of the Western Qiang suddenly attacked from Jingzhou in the north, heading straight for the Tang army's flank. Ma Lin was forced to divide his troops to resist, leaving him stretched thin and compelled to urgently dispatch a fast horse to Chang'an to seek help.

However, several attempts to send envoys were unsuccessful, as if thrown into the sea, with no response. Through his relatives and friends in the capital, and through their informants, it was likely that Cheng Yuanzhen had intercepted the memorials and failed to report them to the Emperor…

Fortunately, Gao Sheng suggested that 40% of the current Fengxiang army consisted of soldiers from the Longyou army who fled east after the loss of their territory and were subsequently merged and incorporated into the army. Many of these soldiers knew Li Tan, Li Ji, and Yang Yan. They could try to use this channel to bypass Cheng Yuanzhen and quickly report the critical situation at the front to the emperor. Ma Lin considered that Prince Qi, Li Tan, had been completely excluded from the court and was forced to observe mourning for Emperor Suzong, so he was probably of little use. Yang Yan was ultimately a civil official and had no connection with the military system, so he might not be willing to risk offending Cheng Yuanzhen... It would be better to try to get through to Li Ji.

So he sent Jia Huai back to Chang'an immediately to persuade Li Ji.

Jia Huai had been gone for several days and should have arrived in Chang'an and met Li Ji by now. However, whether Li Ji would accept the request was still unknown. More importantly, the court had temporarily dispatched troops, and it was unclear how long it would take for them to reach the front lines. As for Ma Renjie, he was already helpless and had no hope of defeating the enemy.

The generals urged that it would be better to retreat for the time being and hold Fengxiang Prefecture. They believed that there was still a chance to pull most of the troops out of danger. If they delayed for a few more days, they might not be able to leave, and tens of thousands of government troops might be wiped out.

Once the army is defeated, Prefect Gao will certainly be unable to defend Fengxiang. Once Fengxiang falls, the area west of Chang'an will be completely defenseless...

Left with no other option, Ma Lin ordered Lü Yuejiang, the military commander of the Weibei expeditionary force, to lead his troops to cover the rear. They burned the fortifications and fled in one night. The Tibetan army pursued them from behind, and Lü Yuejiang fought valiantly until his troops were exhausted, at which point he was captured.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Li Er Returns Again

The Tang and Tibetan armies faced off at Longzhou. The Tibetan officials took turns challenging them, displaying considerable arrogance. However, their commander, Ma Chongying, remained perpetually worried. The other officials were quite surprised, thinking to themselves, "Our advance has been quite successful this time. First, we ambushed and repelled the Tang's flanking force outside Longguan, then fought hard to break through Dazhen Pass, and are now directly threatening Fengxiang… Although we suffered a slight setback at Yongxian, that's common in military conflicts. Now, the Tang army facing us numbers only forty or fifty thousand, and their morale is low; they are exhausted and weary. If we can launch a full-scale attack and crush them in one fell swoop, capturing Chang'an is not a dream—what are you still worried about, Commander?"

Ma Chongying couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking to himself: Short-sighted people live quite happily...

His original plan was to seize Longyou, severing the connection between the heartland of the Tang Dynasty and Hexi, Zhenxi, and Beiting, so that Tibet could spend five to ten years completely annexing the Western Regions. However, after years of bitter fighting, he finally defeated Prince Qi, Li Tan, and swept through Shan, Lan, Kuo, He, Wei, Qin and other prefectures, directly approaching Dazhen Pass. The leaders of various tribes plundered Tang lands and captured Tang people, and they all became very rich. Once their greed took hold, they could no longer control themselves.

Continuing eastward, one enters the vibrant world of China, a land of abundant resources and a thriving population. And just over ten days' journey lies Chang'an, the renowned capital of the land. It is said that the streets of Chang'an are paved with gold bricks, the trees adorned with brocade, and wealthy households use nanmu wood for beams and sandalwood for pillars. Even the common people enjoy plump mutton at every meal. If one could conquer it, one's descendants would be able to live comfortably for generations!

In comparison, the wealth of the Western Regions consisted of only a dozen or so sandbars along the Silk Road, which, even piled together, probably couldn't compare to the size of Chang'an. The northward advance was particularly treacherous, separated by deserts and snow-capped mountains—from Lhasa to Chang'an was four thousand li, and to Yumen Pass three thousand li. If the journey were unimpeded, the former would take at most two months, while the latter might take three months or more…

Why go to the long way around, choose the difficult over the easy, and choose poverty over wealth?

Therefore, when Ma Chongying initially proposed his strategy of dividing the east and west to advance into the snow-capped mountains, the high-ranking officials and nobles nodded enthusiastically, praising it as a "brilliant plan." However, after conquering Longyou, various suggestions for modification and even proposals to completely overturn the established strategy emerged one after another. Ma Chongying was helpless and could only desperately try to win over the three high-ranking officials, pleading with them to support his proposal.

However, in terms of strategic planning, San Shang gradually drifted apart from Ma Chongying... In the end, Shang Zanmo privately advised Ma Chongying: "The will of the people cannot be reversed, so it is best not to be stubborn in your own opinions."

He further proposed: "Tang can still defend against us even if they hold Dazhen Pass. Moreover, if I advance my main force northward, and they come out from Dazhen Pass to try to recover Longyou, how will we deal with them? It would be better to launch another eastern expedition, break through Dazhen Pass, and march into Ping, threatening Fengxiang and Chang'an. Then the Tang people will be afraid and seek peace. At that time, we can use Longdi as the boundary, and we will have all the land outside the mountains. After stabilizing the region for several years, we will have no worries about the rear when we go north."

Ma Chongying was then forced to lead a large army eastward again, fighting a bitter battle to break through Dazhen Pass. However, although they had penetrated deep into Longzhou, the Tang army seemed to be at its last gasp, and his mood was not as excited and optimistic as that of his ministers. He said to Shang Zanmo, "The rebellion in Guandong has been quelled, and the main force of the Tang army will be transferred westward in succession. Now, 40,000 to 50,000 troops are enough to block our advance, and their fighting spirit is still high. I fear that if we continue to advance eastward, we will be like people trapped in a quagmire, unable to extricate ourselves..."

"I am now marching straight for Chang'an, but Hexi and Shuofang are to the north, and Jiannan and Shannan are to the south, and they could cut off my retreat at any time. The great chaos has just been quelled, and the Tang army is exhausted and short of supplies, which is why I have been able to penetrate so deep; however, if Chang'an hears the alarm, the Tang emperor will be terrified and will surely issue strict orders to all the provinces to come to the aid of the emperor. Who would dare to disobey?"

Shang Zanmo said, "I have a plan. After we conquer Chang'an, we can install someone surnamed Li as the emperor of China and order him to cede territory..."

Ma Chongying shook his head repeatedly: "No, no. The Tang Emperor is appointed by Heaven, how can he be installed privately? Besides, if I don't seize Chang'an, the officials will be furious; if I do seize Chang'an, the Tang people will hate me, how can they still obey the Tang Emperor I have installed? If we can break into Chang'an in one battle, capture the Tang Emperor, and force him to cede territory, then there is still something to say... But the Tang Emperor is good at escaping, I don't think we can capture him. Moreover, there are still troops in Shanzhou, Hedong, and Henan. If the Tang Emperor escapes to those places and gathers troops to fight, the new emperor will definitely not be able to establish himself in Chang'an..."

Moreover, Ma Chongying was worried that if he gained a slight advantage in this battle, that would be fine, but if he won a great victory, it would further arouse the greed of the tribal leaders, and they would probably have to fight eastward again next time, leaving him with no hope of advancing northward.

However, the territory of the Tang Dynasty was several times that of the Tibetan Empire, and its population was ten times that of the Tibetan Empire. Its war potential was unfathomable, and its strategic depth stretched for thousands of miles. Even if the Tibetan Empire won every battle and the Tang army retreated again and again, they could always regroup and rebuild their defenses. But if the Tibetan army suffered a major defeat and was further and further away from the plateau, it would probably not be able to escape back.

The tribal leaders are all short-sighted; I cannot allow them to lead me by the nose, ultimately ruining the country and failing the king's high expectations. But, when should I find an opportunity to back down?

Therefore, the tribal leaders repeatedly requested orders to launch a fierce attack on the Tang camp, regardless of casualties—because they estimated that as long as they defeated the Tang army before them, the gates of Chang'an would be open to them—but Ma Chongying always refused. Ma Chongying explained, "Even if we capture Chang'an, the Tang still has hundreds of thousands of troops in Guandong, and our army cannot stay in Tang territory for long. It would be better to force the Western Qiang to launch a major attack on the Tang camp, so that we can suffer fewer losses among our barbarian soldiers."

"Tang territory is not suitable for long-term defense, and we will eventually have to retreat back to the plateau. The Western Qiang, however, are in Longyou. They were previously under the control of Tang, but now they are allied with us against Tang. But if Tang's power recovers, they will most likely turn back. Those barbarians are only interested in profit; how could they truly be loyal to the Zanpu? It would be better to order them to attack Tang, so that Tang and Qiang will develop deep hatred. Then, if Tang wants to recover Longyou again, the Qiang will definitely stop them. And if Tang does not destroy the Qiang, they will never dare to cross Longyou to plot against us. This is a plan to kill two birds with one stone."

Ma Chongying was indeed clever, but unfortunately, others were no fools either. The Western Qiang were a diverse group, and they had previously rebelled against the Tang Dynasty one after another, like trying to suppress one problem only to have another pop up, but most of them dared not completely break ties with the Tang Dynasty. The Tibetan army wanted the Qiang soldiers to lead the attack, but only Nuci was willing to follow orders without question. The other Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, and various Di tribes all dragged their feet and wanted to negotiate with the Tibetans first, demanding weapons and provisions endlessly.

In fact, the Dangxiang Qiang chieftain Tuoba Chaoguang also secretly sent people to Ma Lin's army, both to express his loyalty and to ask for supplies...

Thus, the Tang army held their ground in a strategic location and, surprisingly, faced an enemy force four times their size attacking from two sides. They held out for more than half a month until they were exhausted and had to retreat.

The Tibetan army pursued the Tang army, capturing the Tang general Lü Yuejiang alive and bringing him before Ma Chongying. Ma Chongying personally untied him, comforted him with kind words, and then inquired about the Tang court's movements. Lü Yuejiang replied:

"Ma Zhenxi has been defending you here for more than half a month. Prefect Gao took the opportunity to strengthen the defenses of Yong County, building strong fortifications throughout the Beishan and Wei River areas, making it impossible for even a single horse to pass. If you wish to attack Xijing again, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Moreover, the court has already ordered the Shuofang Army to march south and attack your rear, and has ordered the Shangjin Army, the Shanguo Army, and the Hedong Army to come to your aid one after another, with a total force of no less than 100,000. They will surely annihilate you all between Long and Feng!"

Upon hearing this, the various tribal leaders couldn't help but show a hint of fear, while Ma Chongying remained calm—he simply didn't believe it! However, he also feigned concern and turned to the leaders, saying, "If the Tang forces besiege us, our army will be unable to return... We can only send a envoy from the Western Qiang to attack Fengxiang first to assess the situation. If things go wrong, we should return to Longyou immediately, lest the hard-won opportunity for victory vanish into thin air."

An official spoke up: "Please send the looted goods and captured Tang people we have recently seized to Longyou as a precaution." Ma Chongying agreed.

He then dispatched a contingent of the barbarian army to urge the Qiang tribes to advance eastward, directly threatening the city of Yongxian. Yongxian was located on a plain, with no natural defenses except for a lake to the south. However, Gao Sheng temporarily set up more than ten camps around the city. After Ma Lin retreated, he immediately divided his troops to defend the city, controlling the battlefield and preventing the enemy from easily bypassing it.

With Nu Ci as the main force, the Qiang army launched a fierce attack on the Tang fortress. However, while the organized but undisciplined barbarian cavalry could roam freely on the plains, they lacked sufficient skills and means to breach fortifications. As a result, after three days of continuous attacks, they only managed to break through one Tang fortress, killing and wounding several hundred Tang soldiers while losing more than a thousand of their own.

Soon after, Ma Chongying led the main force of the Tibetan army to arrive.

Ma Chongying personally went to inspect Tanglei and ultimately decided to send the Western Qiang away. He planned to have his noble chieftains attack the fortress from different directions. If they could break through the fortress and approach the city wall in a short time, that would be best. Even if they failed, making the chieftains suffer a bit might make them obedient and stop.

Previously, the fierce attack on Dazhen Pass had crippled four armies. The leading noble chieftains wept and begged for a large amount of spoils before retreating to the rear. If one or two more armies were crippled, perhaps the obstacles in front of Ma Chongying would be reduced, and he would have a chance to negotiate peace with the Tang people and withdraw his troops.

Originally, Ma Chongying was unwilling to lose too many of his barbarian soldiers, but those officials had almost driven him to the brink of despair, so he didn't care anymore—as long as it wasn't his own men who died!

With the plan finalized, Ma Chongying directly named the five tribal leaders—those who had been the most vocal in their calls to storm Chang'an—to launch a simultaneous attack on the Tang fortifications from different directions. Ma Lin personally led his troops out of the city to provide support, but was repelled by Ma Chongying's ambush. However, the Tang army fought valiantly, battling from dawn until noon, and the barbarian army, at a two-to-one casualty ratio, only managed to breach two fortifications.

In the midst of the fierce battle, a sudden tremor shook the earth. Ma Chongying looked up and saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance. Then, countless Tang cavalry surged forward, their thousands of hooves pounding the ground with astonishing force, like a continuous barrage of thunder!

Ma Chongying exclaimed in surprise, "Tang reinforcements have arrived! I wonder which garrison they are from, and how many troops they have?" The proportion of cavalry varied among Tang garrisons. Garrisons like Shuofang and Hebei, which controlled the best horse-producing regions, typically had over 10% cavalry. However, garrisons along the Huai River and south of the Yangtze River often had fewer than a hundred cavalrymen out of every ten thousand troops—but such distant regions generally wouldn't be mobilized from Guanzhong. If we consider nearby garrisons like Shannan and Shaanxi-Guo, with several thousand cavalrymen in front, wouldn't the infantry following behind be at least fifty or sixty thousand?!

He hastily ordered the troops attacking the fortified position to withdraw and commanded the Qiang army to meet them and try to halt the enemy's advance.

From afar, shouts seemed to drift on the wind. Ma Chongying asked his men, "Are those Tang people shouting? What are they saying?" One of his subordinates, with a better ear, replied, "It sounds like—'Li Er, the governor of Jingzhao, who defends Longyou against the barbarians, is here!'"

Ma Chongying was greatly surprised: "I heard that Li Ji has gone to Hebei, how could he have come here? Could this be the Hebei army?!"

He had already learned about the Tang Dynasty's strategic plan for this autumn through various channels, including through the initiative of Fan Zhicheng of the Shuofang Army, who sent people to make contact. The plan was to first gather troops in Longxi to await the arrival of the Tubo. Therefore, he launched his troops ahead of schedule, catching the Tang army off guard. If the Tang Dynasty had simultaneously ordered the Hebei troops to come to the western front, they would have arrived around the same time!

Why would they mobilize troops from Hebei for no apparent reason? Could it be that I underestimated the Tang Emperor's resolve, and that he intends to concentrate the nation's elite forces in Longxi for a desperate last stand, hoping to annihilate our main force in one fell swoop? If the Hebei troops are here, what about the Henan troops? What about the Hedong troops? Could they be trying to cut off our rear?!

It's no wonder Ma Chongying had such a vivid imagination; after all, within the entire Tibetan Empire, aside from Trisong Detsen, he was probably the one with the deepest understanding of the Tang Dynasty's national strength and war potential. Sometimes, the more a person knows, the more they inevitably think...

As the saying goes, "The older you get in the world, the more timid you become."

The newcomer was indeed Li Ji, leading a thousand cavalry—including nine hundred and ninety Baoying soldiers, twenty of his own personal guards, and a Jia Huai—who had left Chang'an two days prior and were heading west at breakneck speed.

The fighting strength of this cavalry was guaranteed, and it was incomparable to the Imperial Guards during the Tianbao era. Emperor Suzong Li Heng had originally formed the Yingwu and Weiyuan armies and incorporated the Shence Army when he abandoned Chang'an, because the six armies had scattered and were unusable. After Li Yu ascended the throne, he allocated a large amount of military supplies to these new Northern Army Six Armies.

Even after the fall of the two capitals and the collapse of half the empire, the core military equipment manufacturing technology remained in the hands of the Tang court and was not widely dispersed. As a result, the equipment of the Imperial Guards was far superior to that of the foreign armies—even Li Ji's personal guards couldn't help but show envy in front of ordinary Imperial Guard soldiers. As for pay and provisions, needless to say, even the officials of the Ministry of War wouldn't dare to skimp on the Imperial Guards' rations, even if they were just drinking soup.

The Tang court's finances were indeed stretched thin, but it was still sufficient to support the six armies of the Northern Army, which numbered less than ten thousand. Moreover, Li Yu would occasionally use funds from the imperial treasury to reward the six armies in order to win them over.

Most of the members of these six armies were veterans from Guanzhong. Even though their courage had waned due to long-term garrisoning of the capital region and lack of battles, their basic qualities were still superior. In particular, Li Ji, Li Sheng, Ma Sui, and other generals had put a lot of thought and effort into training these six armies.

Most importantly, although the Imperial Stables were basically reduced to only "Flying Dragons," they still held a thousand fine horses. Combined with the existing forces of the Six Armies, it wouldn't be difficult to muster two thousand cavalrymen from Chang'an. Li Ji asked Cheng Yuanzhen for cavalry. Cheng Yuanzhen, like Li Fuguo in the past, held a multitude of official positions, including the idle stable officer. Since he had already given Li Ji face, he decided to go all the way and not only allocated nine hundred and ninety-nine cavalrymen without any hesitation, but also allowed Li Ji to select brave men from the Baoying Army.

Li Ji had only been away from Baoying Army for a year, and more than half of the officers and soldiers in the army were still familiar faces. So he counted a dozen or so heads and ordered them to select the elite to set off with him. His original intention was to go to the western front to investigate the battle situation in detail so that he could come up with a reliable strategy in front of the emperor. But with a thousand cavalry, how could he not take action if he really encountered the barbarian bandits? Since he was going to take action, he naturally had to choose the best fighters to bring along.

After two days of rapid march, they arrived at Qishan County, where they encountered Ma Lin's messenger again, seeking reinforcements. They learned that the Tang army had retreated to Fengxiang, and that the Tibetan and Qiang tribes were fiercely attacking the city's outposts. Li Ji ordered his soldiers to rest well in Qishan for the night, and the next day led a thousand cavalry westward along the Wei River, bypassing the south of Yong County. With a single command, they charged straight into the Tibetan army's ranks, shouting in unison, "Li Er, the commander of Jingzhao, who defends Longyou against the Tibetans, has arrived!"

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Real and the Fake Princess

In any battle, it's essential to first send out scouts to thoroughly investigate the enemy's situation before slowly approaching and launching an attack when an opening arises. However, after analyzing the battle situation the previous night, Li Ji decided—

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, let me be reckless one more time!

He had already learned about the situation at Yongxian from the envoy sent from Fengxiang to Chang'an. The Tang army was defending the fortified positions against the Tibetans and Qiang. Based on Ma Lin's tactical skills and battle plan, it was unlikely that the Tibetan army could break through all the fortified positions and reach Yongxian in just one or two days unless they launched a full-scale attack regardless of casualties.

Even if they manage to reach the city walls, surely a fortified city cannot fall in a single day?

Even if we assume the Tang army suffers a major defeat and Fengxiang falls, surely not a single defeated soldier will be unable to escape? If I encounter defeated soldiers on the way, I will naturally turn my horse around and rush back to Chang'an; as long as I don't encounter defeated soldiers, I can charge straight at the barbarian camp under the city without prior reconnaissance!

Unless Ma Chongying is a master strategist, it's unlikely he would set an ambush for me.

Moreover, even though the fortifications outside the city have been breached, it would be impossible for the Tibetans to build strong fortifications and implement a siege and reinforcement strategy in just one or two days.

Li Ji made this assessment. On the Tibetan side, there were naturally scouts scattered across the fields, concealing the battlefield and gathering intelligence. The problem was that the Tang cavalry arrived far too quickly, and with a thousand riders galloping at full speed, no one dared to confront them, and there was basically no time to return to camp and report. Caught completely off guard, Li Ji managed to successfully approach the Tibetan formation.

Ma Chongying was momentarily stunned, still wondering: Is this really Li Ji? Is this really a Hebei soldier? This slight hesitation in the command system affected the soldiers on the front line, with disastrous consequences.

He hastily ordered the troops still attacking the Tang fortress to retreat, but the Tang army, seeing reinforcements arrive, were greatly encouraged—although they were unaware that only a thousand cavalry had come—and seized the opportunity to pursue and kill their way out of the fortress, making it difficult for the Tibetan army to retreat smoothly, thus causing chaos. Ma Lin, seeing this from the city wall, also hurriedly led his troops out to fight. In an instant, the tide of battle turned.

Ma Chongying ordered the Western Qiang to intercept them, but the scattered Qiang cavalry were no match for the Tang Dynasty's semi-armored cavalry. Li Ji shouted and fired a volley of arrows, killing dozens of riders, and the rest were terrified. Then, the barbarian cavalry mixed in with the Qiang army shouted, "It's Li Er again!" and turned their horses to flee, causing the Qiang army to collapse.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Ma Chongying sent his generals to cover the rear and hurriedly fled west, leaving the battlefield—Li Ji, however, was unwilling to pursue him far.

Actually, Li Ji hadn't expected his reckless attack to be so effective. He had defeated the combined forces of the Tibetans and Qiang in a single charge. He hadn't had enough of the killing and wanted to pursue them further. However, in order to surprise the enemy and create momentum, he led his cavalry in a charge when they were still more than a mile away from the battlefield. By the time the Tibetan army retreated, their horses were exhausted and they could no longer run.

If we were to pursue them at a great distance, it's estimated that half of these thousand-plus warhorses would be exhausted, and we might not even be able to inflict significant casualties on the enemy. It would be a complete loss.

So they slowly reined in their horses, met up with Ma Lin, and returned to Fengxiang Prefecture.

Gao Sheng then expressed his deepest gratitude.

Gao Sheng and Li Ji had some disagreements when they were in Longyou, but times have changed. Although the young man's rank was not as high as his own, he was now a favorite general of the emperor. How could he dare to offend him? Especially since Fengxiang Prefecture was in imminent danger and it was only thanks to Li Ji leading troops to its aid that the barbarian bandits were driven back. Gao Sheng was not a complete ingrate; he was ultimately grateful.

If it weren't for Li Ji's arrival to help, Gao Sheng, who was incapable of fighting, would not have had the confidence to hold Yong County for long. Even if he didn't die at the hands of the rebels, he would still be unable to bear the guilt of losing territory.

Li Ji appeared tough on the surface, but was actually quite shrewd. Although he looked down on Gao Sheng, the latter greeted him with a smile, so he couldn't very well refuse him. Thus, they entered the city hand in hand, and Gao Sheng said he would host a banquet for Li Weibo.

Li Ji waved his hand and said, "The bandits haven't gone far, and they may come again. There's no time for a feast." He then revealed that what he had brought this time was not reinforcements, but rather that the Emperor, unaware of the situation at the front, had sent him to scout ahead.

"Now that we have summoned the Shangzhou army to the north to provide relief, I fear it will take at least ten days for them to arrive."

Upon hearing this, Gao Sheng's face immediately fell. "As Changwei said, the enemy has not gone far, and their momentum has not been severely weakened..." Although he did not know much about military affairs, he could roughly understand from the people on the city wall that although the Fan and Qiang tribes had retreated, they had not pursued them far, and they had not brought back many heads. "If they rest for a day or two and then come back, how will we deal with them?"

Li Ji bowed to Ma Lin and said, "The fortifications set up by Ma Zhenxi outside the city are clearly layered and are truly capable of defending against bandits..."

Gao Sheng thought to himself, "That was my idea, alright? Although it was a plan devised by my behind-the-scenes advisor."

"...If we quickly repair the fortifications, it will not be difficult for Fengxiang to hold out for ten days."

He verbally comforted Ma Lin and Gao Sheng, but inwardly he was also worried. If Li Qijun acted quickly, he could indeed gather the defeated soldiers who had fled to Shangzhou and rush to Fengxiang in ten days. The question was, how many soldiers would he have? And how much fighting strength would they have left? It seemed that the only option was to rush back to Chang'an and wait for the Shaanxi-Guo army to be summoned to the capital, then try every means to bring over the main force of the Six Armies of the Northern Army.

Ma Lin sent men to scout the enemy's strength, while Gao Sheng ordered the mobilization of laborers to repair the fortifications. He then prepared a banquet to entertain Li Ji. Under the influence of alcohol, Li Ji, feigning nonchalance, asked Gao Sheng, "I have a request to make. I wonder if you, sir, would be so kind as to grant it?"

Gao Sheng nodded repeatedly: "Whatever you have to say, Chief Guard, I will listen to everything you have to say..."

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Li Ji did not stay in Yong County for long. The next morning, upon hearing that the combined forces of the Fan and Qiang tribes had retreated to their old camp at the western entrance of the Wei River Plain and estimated that they would not dare to come again for a day or two, he gathered his troops and returned to Chang'an. He went to pay homage to Li Yu and had just finished explaining the course of his journey. Just as he was about to plead with Li Yu to allow him to lead the six armies of the Northern Army on the expedition, a young eunuch suddenly peeked out from the palace gate.