Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Only Yang Wan stood up and said: "Guo Linggong is a pillar of the court, and Li Shuofang is also a general of the country. So how can we not listen to what the two gentlemen say when it comes to military affairs? I do not know anything about military affairs, but I know that we should control others and not be controlled by others. If we only block the passes to defend against the autumn and take a purely defensive stance, we will be controlled by the barbarians. This is not a long-term solution."

"Last year, His Majesty ordered the Shuofang Army to march west and harass Liangzhou, which was indeed a crucial military operation. However, it is not advisable to repeat this campaign this year. If we wish to subdue the enemy, we should send troops to Longyou. Moreover, east of Huining Pass, there are Longshan Pass, Zhisheng Pass, Anrong Pass, Dazhen Pass, and Anyi Pass, all of which are strategically important and can be easily fortified. Why then must we defend against the autumn attack every year and mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops to guard these areas? Furthermore, the gathering of hundreds of thousands of troops between Yuan and Long is a waste of resources. When the enemy comes, we simply hold our ground and dare not pursue them when they leave. Is our Tang army really so weak? We must blame the incompetence of the generals and commanders of these garrisons!"

Ultimately, Li Yu adopted Yang Wan's suggestion, still ordering the various garrisons to pretend to gather troops and advance westward to defend against the autumn, while in reality only ordering the armies of Fengxiang and Jingyuan to hold the passes—which were originally within the jurisdiction of the two garrisons—and ordering General Li Sheng, the deputy military governor of Binning, to advance westward to spy on the opportunity to attack Longyou through Dazhen Pass.

Because Longyou was vulnerable last year, none of the towns dared to act, except for Li Sheng who went out and beheaded hundreds of people. Therefore, this year, they still pinned their hopes on Li Liangqi.

In this way, the money and supplies originally planned for autumn defense could be saved by more than half... but he refused to supply Shuofang as Li Ji had requested. Li Yu simply told Li Ji through the military supervisor Liu Huiguang that if the barbarian bandits invaded Shuofang this autumn, he would entrust him with full authority. How to fight, where to fight, whether to retreat or counterattack, and whether to seek reinforcements from the Uyghurs would all be up to Li Ji's decision. After the victory, the court would reimburse him for the money and supplies consumed by Shuofang.

With the autumn harvest just around the corner, surely Shuofang can afford to be short of funds and provisions for several months of fighting? We can temporarily disregard losses and replenish your supplies after the battle is over; if the war drags on, we can discuss how much more money and provisions are needed then.

Upon receiving Liu Huiguang's account, Li Ji frowned, "The Emperor is being far too stingy..." On the surface, Liu Huiguang seemed quite cooperative, and Li Ji hadn't forgotten to bribe him from time to time. Thus, the eunuch wouldn't bother to report the emperor's misdeeds; and even if he did, given Li Ji's understanding of Li Yu, he probably wouldn't care much.

I have made outstanding contributions, and more importantly, I command a large army. I have neither disobeyed imperial orders nor rebelled. I just casually made a sarcastic remark. Would the emperor dare to argue with me? With Li Yu's courage, he wouldn't dare.

Liu Huiguang smiled broadly: "General Li, you mustn't say that. You know that the court is in dire financial straits and the granaries are empty. Anyway, His Majesty has already promised that he will find a way to fill the gaps in Shuofang after the war. As long as the battle is fought well, whatever General Li says will be the final word, right?"

Li Ji glanced at Liu Huiguang and said, "When the time comes, we'll naturally need Mr. Liu's help to submit a memorial saying that what I reported was all true—and Mr. Liu will certainly get his share of the benefits." Then the two of them burst into laughter.

Since arriving in Shuofang, Li Ji had racked his brains, secretly dispatching spies to gather intelligence on Tibet. Unfortunately, due to the difference in ethnicity, penetrating the Tibetan upper class was almost impossible. On the contrary, Tibetan spies could easily infiltrate the Chang'an court—frankly speaking, there were far more Tibetans who could speak Tang language than Tang people who could speak Tibetan, and they could easily infiltrate the homes of important Tang officials as slaves.

Lhasa is especially remote, and the roads on the plateau are difficult to traverse. Even if some important intelligence were obtained, it would be difficult to transmit it in time. Therefore, when the matter was put to the attention of Yin Shen, he was at a loss. Even when Yan Zhuang was consulted, he could only scratch his head.

Therefore, so far, they have only managed to win over some Qiang and Hu tribes who had submitted to the Tibetans in the Hexi and Longyou areas. Generally, any major military action by the Tibetan army cannot be kept secret from Li Ji. Last year, this intelligence network was not yet complete and not sufficiently secure, which allowed Ma Chongying to set a trap, and Li Ji only managed to escape thanks to his personal battlefield acumen. Now, through the tireless efforts of Yan Zhuang and Yin Shen, they have finally achieved the desired results.

In August, a secret report was received, and Ma Chongying, indeed filled with resentment, plotted to attack Shuofang that autumn. The general plan was as follows: Qin and Wei troops would feign an attack on Dazhen Pass, while Lan and Shan troops would feign an attack on Huining Pass, in order to contain the Tang Dynasty's troops in Guanzhong and the Anxi and Beiting military camps; Ma Chongying would personally lead an elite force between Guzang South Mountain and Pipa Mountain, heading straight for Xinquan garrison.

He summoned the generals in Mingsha City to discuss the matter and concluded that the strength of the barbarian army could not be too great. Just as Guo Ziyi had said, if Ma Chongying brought his entire army of over 100,000 men, the logistical pressure would be too great. Moreover, after trekking through hundreds of miles of Gobi Desert, if the speed was slow, the soldiers would be exhausted; if the speed was fast, the food supply would certainly not be sufficient. But they must be elite and valiant soldiers without a doubt.

The garrison at Xinquan is not under Li Ji's command, and if the Shuofang army were to advance that far, the transport route would be long, and the disadvantages would be shared with the rebels—mainly because the Anxi and Beiting military camps are poor and cannot expect Bai Xiaode's supplies. Therefore, the main battlefield should be either Feng'an Army or Mingsha City.

Many generals suggested temporarily abandoning Feng'an Army, luring the enemy deeper into their territory, and allowing the barbarian troops to reach Gaolan Prefecture to stretch their supply lines as much as possible. They also suggested temporarily mobilizing surrounding barbarian tribes to harass the enemy's flanks. However, Li Ji believed that those barbarian tribes might not be trustworthy…

He wasn't discriminating against the Hu people, but he felt that the similarities in production methods and customs between the Fan and Hu peoples made it easier for them to develop a common language. He also couldn't guarantee that Ma Chongying wouldn't secretly send envoys to win over the Hu peoples beforehand. However, he had many Hu people among his officers and generals, a reason he couldn't openly state.

But there were other reasons—"Xinquan and Feng'an are both in Hebei, while Mingsha is in Hedong. If the enemy attacks Feng'an, they will not be willing to cross the river to the west, but will instead attack our heartland. If we cross the river first, we can only retreat to Lingwu. Then the farmers will be plundered by the barbarian bandits, the fields will be trampled by the barbarian bandits, and the fertile land of Lingzhou will be turned into wasteland in an instant..."

Of all the towns in Shuofang, Lingwu and Huaiyuan are the most productive. How can we let the barbarian bandits set foot there so easily? Even if they only rob two or three villages and trample a few hundred acres of land, Li Ji would be heartbroken!

"Furthermore, if the enemy crosses the river before we arrive, and we intend to attack them from behind, they can easily wait for us in peace, or even attack us while we are halfway across, which would be very disadvantageous to our army."

Wei Gao advised, "What the commander says is very true. However, the walls of Feng'an Army are low and narrow, making it difficult to defend."

Li Ji smiled and said, "You can order Bai Yuanguang to guard it."

Chapter Thirteen, Aiming for Gansu and Liangzhou

In last year's battle, Bai Yuanguang was indeed reckless in his advance, nearly wiping out his entire army. Although Li Ji did not pursue the matter afterward and even reported his achievements in capturing Herong City and Changsong County—it's only fair that the credit for Changsong be attributed to the Anxi and Beiting campaigns—rumors were rife in the army, saying that General Bai was old and had neglected archery and horsemanship for several years, making him far less sensitive to the battlefield than before…

Bai Yuanguang thought to himself, "Old my ass! I'm not even fifty yet!"

Actually, Bai Yuanguang's responsibility, and even those strange remarks, were deliberately spread by Li Ji on behalf of Yin Shen and others. The original intention was to seize upon this weakness, forcing Bai Yuanguang to submit, so that they could use the pretext of reorganization to completely incorporate the Dingyuan City troops. Unfortunately, the "Turkic slaves" were extremely vigilant, thwarting Li Ji's plan—mainly because Li Ji didn't want to be too forceful, lest it cause unrest within the town. Therefore, after several unsuccessful attempts, he had to temporarily abandon the plan.

But that little brace was still firmly in their grasp, so they ordered Bai Yuanguang to lead the Dingyuan City troops south to assist in the defense of Feng'an Army, believing that the other side would not dare to refuse.

On the one hand, the soldiers of Dingyuan City are known for their elite status, and on the other hand, Bai Yuanguang himself is famous in Shuofang for his bravery and fighting spirit. If General Bai is unwilling to take on such a heavy responsibility, to whom else can he entrust it? If you are reluctant to take on the easy task, you will be despised by the entire town's generals and soldiers. When that happens, under the condemnation of thousands, I will strip you of your military power and annex the soldiers of Dingyuan City. Isn't that just a matter of a word?

As expected, the order was issued to Dingyuan City, and Bai Yuanguang gladly accepted the order—at least on the surface—and led four thousand troops to Feng'an Army to garrison the city. He only requested that the military governor provide the necessary food, supplies, and expenses in advance.

Li Ji had no objection to this and readily granted the request.

In fact, after returning from Liangzhou last year, Li Ji had anticipated that the barbarian bandits might invade in the future, so he added this item to the fiscal plan for the following year. The detailed plan was handed over to Yang Yan at the end of the year, and Yang Gongnan had already spent several months sorting out the financial situation of Shuofang and planned to change the policy for the next round of summer and autumn grain collection.

They adopted the same strategy Yan Zhenqing had used in Weibo: nominally, without abolishing the old system, they reduced or exempted rent, labor service, and taxes, while simultaneously levying a series of temporary levies. Although Shuofang Town was vast, its arable land was far less than that of Weibo. It was mainly distributed in the surrounding areas of Lingwu and Huaiyuan, as well as the Hetao region and the vicinity of the prefectures of Xia, Yan, Yin, and Sheng. With half a year, they had enough time to measure and verify the area clearly.

After repeated discussions with Li Ji, it was decided that most of the tax revenue of the various prefectures would be entrusted to the prefects. Except for Ling and Feng prefectures, if there was a surplus, the military governors would not collect it, and if there was a shortfall, the military governors would not make up for it—they would have to find their own way! The military governors would only be in charge of the grain revenue of Ling and Feng prefectures, as well as the cattle and sheep tribute from the Hu tribes in the various tributary prefectures, plus the profits from well salt, the profits from trade, as well as the court's customary rewards and the Hedong region's customary subsidies.

Having thus shed some burdens, Yang Yan, based on Li Ji's expenditure plan, determined the tax revenue for the following year and handed it over to Li Ji. Upon closer inspection, Li Ji couldn't help but gasp: "The tax burden is so heavy; is Lord Yang trying to force a rebellion?"

Yang Yan smiled bitterly: "The town needs money and grain, and the military governor wants to dredge the canals, repair the cities, and repair the roads. He also wants to recruit more soldiers and provide them with food and pay. Next autumn, he intends to send troops to defend against the barbarians... So this is the only possible outcome."

Li Ji frowned: "Yang Jun once petitioned the Emperor to change the policy from 'spending according to income' to 'spending according to income.' Does this mean that when it comes to managing the nation's finances, we should also impose such harsh taxes?"

Yang Yan shook his head and said, "If we live within our means, there will be no plan for finance and taxation, and no choice in expenditures. Even the sage will not pay attention to the details, and the officials will not know what is important and what is not. This will not benefit the country. If we control expenditures according to income, we can weigh the pros and cons of expenditures such as official salaries, military pay, engineering projects, and labor services, eliminate non-urgent matters, and only pursue what is necessary. This will benefit the country and the people."

To put it bluntly, Yang Yan wanted to consolidate greater power in the finance and taxation department, allowing them to audit the expenditures of each government office for the following year, instead of just anyone bringing a stack of plans and waiting for the finance and taxation department to allocate funds—basically, whoever had the most power or the best connections got first. His implication was: based on your plan, General, I've set the tax quota for next year. If you find it too burdensome and worry about inciting a popular uprising, then you should revise your plan first.

Li Ji couldn't help but sigh, thinking to himself, "Yang Gongnan, this isn't how you measure expenditures against income..."

While it's certainly essential for finance and tax departments to review the expenditure plans of various departments, the modern government's approach to budgeting largely relies on borrowing, issuing public bonds, and other means to advance revenue from several years ahead. This allows for early investment in necessary projects to stimulate economic development. If all these extra expenses were passed on to the people, the country would surely collapse!

But there was no other way. In those days, it was impossible to issue public bonds, and local governments had no right to borrow money—and from whom could they borrow? As for Shuofang, they could plead poverty to the imperial court and request additional allocations, but the imperial court was not wealthy either, and I certainly couldn't mortgage Shuofang's movable and immovable property to merchants...

Then we can only revise our own expenditure plan... Li Ji said, "Dredging ditches and canals is beneficial for agriculture and will last for a hundred years. It cannot be changed. The sooner the Han Canal and Tanglai Canal are completed, the sooner the fields can expect to yield more produce. Moreover, even if there is a drought, it will not be a major disaster. As for the cities, Feng'an Army and Mingsha City are close to the enemy, so they should be repaired first. The other cities can only be delayed... If the soldiers' food and pay are not increased, they will suffer heavy losses when they encounter the enemy, and the post-war relief will be another huge expense..."

After repeated planning, the land tax and tributes from the various Hu tribes were finally reduced to a barely acceptable level. The land was naturally classified into nine grades according to the laws of Jingzhao, with different tax rates set for each grade. However, there were no wealthy or powerful families in Ling and Lan prefectures; most of the land was actually held by the generals. Li Ji simply took out his own money to forcibly buy several hundred hectares of fertile land, and then took the lead in agreeing to pay the taxes accordingly.

Then, turning his back, he sold most of the land back to the original owner for 90% of the purchase price...

Li Ji's move was quite cunning and somewhat scoundrel-like, causing considerable resentment among the generals. However, the problem was that it was legally sound and there was no way to find fault with it, so many had no choice but to follow suit. As for those who insisted on not selling their land, they could only pay taxes according to the amount owed.

Li Ji then handed over the proceeds from the sale of the land—in fact, he had lost quite a bit of money, but fortunately he had brought a lot of wealth from Weibo that day, and instead of selflessly handing it over directly to the Shuofang Treasury—to Yu Ling. The trade generated profits, which naturally encouraged many generals to invest in industry and commerce.

Most of the generals who followed Li Ji's investment were doing so to curry favor with the military governor. In any case, the military governor wouldn't let them suffer losses, so even if they lost money following him, it wouldn't be too much.

Li Ji designated the new commercial center of Shuofang Town in Wuyuan County, the capital of Yanzhou Prefecture. This was because a hundred li north of Wuyuan lay Yanchi County, named after the famous Baiyanchi (White Salt Lake) within its borders. Shuofang was a major salt producer, with half of its salt originating from Baiyanchi. Furthermore, the road south from Wuyuan to Guanzhong was relatively wide and flat, facilitating the flow of merchants.

Therefore, the repair of the main road between Wuyuan and Yanchi, as well as the road connecting Yanzhou and Qingzhou, is of such importance that it is second only to the dredging of the canals in Lingzhou, and it is absolutely not to be removed from the expenditure plan.

As a result, excluding the possible war against the barbarians in the autumn, the income and expenditure were basically balanced. Li Ji told Yang Yan not to include that battle in the calculations for now—"Whether the barbarian bandits invade or I take the initiative to attack Liangzhou again, how could the court not provide rewards?" This part of the expenses can be asked for from the court later.

He also frequently complained to his subordinates: "Shuofang is barren and has to rely on Guanzhong and Hedong for supplies. With the country still in poverty, it is difficult for me to make great strides. What about Liangzhou? If we can get Liangzhou, the annual income will be three times that of Shuofang. If we can also recover Gansu, Guazhou, and Shazhou and open up the Silk Road, the benefits will be more than ten times!"

Yang Yan nodded repeatedly at this statement, saying, "In fact, after the An Lushan Rebellion was quelled, the court originally hoped to accumulate a large reserve of wealth. However, within a few years, Longyou and Hexi fell one after another... As a result, merchants from the east could not come, the two markets of Chang'an were desolate, and the market tax revenue was only one-tenth of what it was during the Tianbao era, which was less than half of what it was during the Zhide and Qianyuan eras..."

If the Silk Road had remained open, according to Yang Yan's estimate, the imperial treasury would have been full long ago after these years of accumulation—and there would have been no need to waste money and grain on autumn harvest every year.

As a result, all the generals and officials knew that the military governor intended to recover Liangzhou.

Returning to the story, after seeing off the Dingyuan City soldiers who had gone west to assist the Feng'an Army outside Mingsha City that day, Li Ji returned to the backyard of his government office. Cui Cuo and Qingluan, both heavily pregnant, came to greet him. Li Ji inquired about his wives and concubines, then returned to his bedroom. Hongxian helped him remove his outer robe, leaving him in only a thin undergarment. He sat on the couch, constantly fanning himself—

"This late summer heat is really fierce! I never imagined that early autumn in the north would be so hot!"

After hanging up her clothes, Hongxian took the fan from Li Ji's hand and fanned him, saying, "I just received news that Ma Meng has returned to Lingwu and will be able to see you soon, my lord..."

Hongxian was taken as a concubine by Li Ji three months ago, mainly because all his wives and concubines were pregnant and it was inconvenient for them to have sex. Cui Cuo then encouraged Li Ji to take another concubine. Li Ji was still somewhat hesitant, but Cui Cuo said, "Hongxian is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and is a great help to you, sir. Do you really want to let her go out of the manor and marry her to someone else? Besides, since it is inconvenient for us, it is better than you sleeping with courtesans again!"

Li Ji's eyes widened in surprise: "When have I ever slept with courtesans? When I recently gathered officials and officers for a banquet, I called courtesans to serve the wine, just to make it lively and to win everyone's hearts—I always went back to my quarters early, how could I have ever stayed out overnight?"

Hongxian curled her lip: "Even a gentleman will eventually lose his patience, just like back in Longyou..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Back when I took Qingluan as a concubine in Longyou, you caught me red-handed, saying I had a criminal record, right?" He did indeed admire Hongxian's talent, so he pretended to make excuses for a few days, but finally agreed—hmm, it's really good.

Then Hongxian informed him that Ma Meng had returned to Lingzhou, and Li Ji was overjoyed, saying, "That fellow has finally returned—I thought he had died in the Western Regions!"

Ma Meng was sent by Li Ji to Beiting at the end of last year to contact Li Yuanzhong and Guo Xin. Although he had to go north first and make a big detour through the Uyghur territory, he should have returned by May or June. For some reason, it was delayed until autumn. Li Ji was indeed worried that he might have died on the way.

The following day, Ma Meng finally returned to Mingsha City and reported back to Li Ji, explaining, "The journey went relatively smoothly, but waiting for Guo Liu to arrive delayed me for over a month..."

After a long journey of more than a month, Ma Meng arrived in Lingzhou, where the military governor of Beiting was stationed, in February. He presented Li Yuanzhong with a long letter written by Li Ji himself. Li Yuanzhong was overjoyed and asked him to rest for a few days so that he could invite Guo Xin to come north to discuss the defense against the barbarians. However, Guo Xin was busy with military affairs and did not arrive for a whole month.

The main reason was that the Tubo Kingdom invaded Anxi again last autumn, with its main force attacking Khotan. Guo Xin led troops south to relieve the siege, fighting fiercely with the Tubo army for over two months, but they were unable to break through the road. Ultimately, Khotan fell, and the soldiers and civilians were all captured by the Tubo army. Furthermore, the Tubo army took advantage of their victory to capture Qinan Prefecture and Biancheng Prefecture, advancing directly towards Shule...

Guo Xin mobilized his main force to defend Daman Prefecture, where Shule Town is located, and Yandu Prefecture to its south. He finally managed to wait until spring arrived and the Tibetan army withdrew. As a result, although Li Yuanzhong summoned him, he was forced to arrive late.

Ma Meng briefed Li Ji on the situation in the Western Regions, saying, "If the barbarian bandits come again this autumn, I'm afraid even Shule cannot be defended... Only the Kucha region, between Gumo and Weitou, has the Kupi Desert, which might be able to somewhat contain the bandits. However, if the barbarian bandits capture Shule, they can then form a direct alliance with the Turgesh..."

"So what about the Turgesh?"

"He is a rat with two ears."

Ma Meng's journey also included an important mission: to serve as an envoy to the two Turgesh tribes, hoping to persuade them to abandon their barbarian allegiance and submit to the Tang Dynasty. The Karluks were out of the question; they were easy prey for the Uyghurs, and if the Tang were to win them over, it would surely offend the Uyghurs. Li Ji promised that the vast lands north of the Tianshan Mountains, extending to the Yibo Sea, would be given to the Turgesh. Whoever submitted to the Tang first would be granted the title of Great Khan of the Turgesh and Grand Protector of the Kunling Protectorate.

Although the two Turgesh tribes coveted this title, and had heard Ma Meng boast that the Tang Dynasty was still powerful and would soon launch a long expedition to attack Tibet, the Tibetan army had already reached 500 li away, while the main force of the Tang army that was supposed to be on the westward expedition was still thousands of li away... Therefore, they treated Ma Meng well, feasting him every day, but never made any clear statement.

Both Khans stated that if Commander Li of Shuofang led a large army through Beiting, they would definitely send troops to help.

Upon hearing the report, Li Ji couldn't help but smile wryly and say, "As expected..."

In addition, Li Ji also compiled a large number of Bianwen (narrative ballads) and gave them to Ma Meng, which were then circulated in Beiting and Anxi—including "Qian Niang Bianwen," "Ping An Shilu Bianwen," "Wei Bo Bianwen," "Ji Zhou Battlefield Bianwen," and so on. On the one hand, he used monks to inform the soldiers and civilians in the Western Regions about the situation in the Central Plains, especially the story of the Tang Dynasty's recovery from peril, in order to strengthen their resolve to hold their ground and await reinforcements; on the other hand, the protagonists of these Bianwen were mostly Li Changwei (or Wei Changli)...

Ultimately, being thousands of miles away in a remote border region, they were not afraid to talk about recent events of the current dynasty. Thus, they spread the various heroic deeds of Li Ji since he entered officialdom throughout the Western Regions. Except for the Zhang Empress Rebellion, the matter of Li Ji "standing at the gate with a key" ultimately occurred in the palace and involved royal affairs, so it was inconvenient to boast about it to the common people.

And even if he wanted to boast, no one would dare to write it...

Chapter Fourteen: The Interplay of Reality and Illusion

After the White Dew solar term, the weather gradually turns cold, and urgent messages fly back and forth between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and beyond, indicating that both the Tang and Tibetan sides are preparing for another war.

Just as Li Ji had predicted—actually, it was only a matter of course—from Fengxiang to Chang'an, not only within the cities but also in the military towns, there were many Tibetan spies, or soldiers and civilians bribed by the Tibetans. As a result, the general situation of the Tang army's mobilization was quickly reported to the plateau and gathered on the case of Ma Chongying, the Grand Master who was preparing to set off in the Jishi Mountain area.

Ma Chongying slapped the table in delight: "The Tang family's plan is exactly what I expected!"

Last year, Li Ji led the Shuofang cavalry westward into Liangzhou. This advance was not only anticipated by Ma Chongying, but also served as a warning to the Tibetan leadership. Previously, the Tibetans, focused solely on the Western Regions, considered the main Tang army—which only knew how to defend Dazhen Pass and dared not advance westward to reclaim lost territory—a sign of cowardice and largely disregarded it. However, in last year's battle, although Ma Chongying overruled objections and deployed a large army to set a trap, he not only failed to severely damage the Shuofang army, but Li Ji also inflicted heavy casualties on the Tibetan troops and their allied Qiang and Hu tribes, before successfully escaping. Therefore, Ma Chongying warned his noble chieftains:

"The Tang dynasty has already secured the east and is about to plan the recapture of Hexi and Longyou. If Hebei is not secured, the Tang emperor will not dare to relocate Li Ji to Shuofang; and if he did not rely on the impregnable Guanzhong region, he would not dare to send the Shuofang army westward to harass us. In that case, our main force will advance into the Western Regions, and Liang, Lan, Qin, and Long will rely solely on the Qiang and Hu tribes. Once the Tang find an opportunity to invade and recapture Hexi and Longyou, I fear that the westward-bound army will have to return eastward, and the wars of Anxi and Beiting will have to be temporarily halted. Is this what you gentlemen wish to see?"

Therefore, it is necessary to advance eastward again, engage the Tang forces in one or two battles, disrupt their strategic deployment, damage the production and reserves in Guanzhong, and, more importantly, severely demoralize the Tang army and frighten the Tang emperor's determination to recover lost territories. Only in this way can we ensure that, within a few years, we can focus all our efforts on conquering the Western Regions and completely pacify the Anxi and Beiting garrisons.

But how should we confront the Tang army? Qilibuzang suggested: "Since the Grand Master believes that the Shuofang army is strong and Li Ji is a formidable enemy of our tribe, and that the two combined will surely cause trouble, then we should first send troops eastward from Liangzhou and attack Lingzhou..."

Ma Chongying shook his head and said, "How could I not wish to capture and kill Li Ji to avenge the humiliation I suffered in the past? But alas, Shuofang is not easy to conquer..."

He also knew that the journey to Lingzhou and Lingwu, the core of Shuofang Town, was nearly a thousand miles long, a desolate and sparsely populated area, making it difficult for a large army to travel. If the Tang army were to cut off their supply lines, not a single horse would be able to escape. But what if they sent elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack? Li Ji was not stupid. If they had taken precautions beforehand and held their positions at the passes, the Shuofang army would not be easy to defeat.

Da Shang asked, "Does the Great Treatise mean we still need to fight at Da Zhen Pass?"

In fact, the original desire of the Tibetan nobles was to advance eastward, break through the Dazhen Pass, enter Guanzhong, and attack and plunder famous cities and towns such as Fengxiang and Chang'an, from which they would reap the greatest rewards. However, after suffering a major setback, the Tang court gathered troops in Guanzhong every autumn to defend the Dazhen Pass and several nearby strategic passes, leaving the Tibetan army with no opportunity to exploit. As a result, Ma Chongying's strategy to advance on Anxi and Beiting was barely approved.

Although the journey was long and the population was not large, the number of Tang troops in the Western Regions was limited. Moreover, killing one would reduce the number of troops. Unlike Guanzhong, which had hundreds of thousands of Tang troops and strong cities to rely on, although it would be possible to feast after taking it, it was uncertain how much manpower and resources would be needed. It was very likely that the losses would outweigh the gains.

Moreover, the Western Regions control the Silk Road. If we can truly take over the Four Garrisons of Anxi and the Three Prefectures of Beiting, we can negotiate peace with the Tang people and resume trade. I believe the Tang people are very likely to agree. Then we can sit back and enjoy the commercial taxes, and first take exotic goods from distant lands. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

In short, all the noble chieftains actually wanted to attack Guanzhong from the east, but they were quite wary of the Tang army's defensive strength.

Ma Chongying said, “Last year I dispatched tens of thousands of troops, advancing from both the north and south, hoping to severely damage the Shuofang army. As a result, Shuofang will certainly not dare to come this year, and the Tang court will surely worry that I will take the main force directly to Lingzhou. Lingwu is the place where the previous Tang emperor ascended the throne, how dare we abandon it lightly? Moreover, Li Ji is a favorite general of the Tang emperor, and his bravery is widely known among our barbarians. If Shuofang is defeated, the Tang people will be timid, while the morale of our barbarians will be greatly strengthened—therefore, the Tang people will surely come to the rescue of Shuofang.”

"However, the Tang family's reserves are limited. According to reports, the price of rice in Chang'an has risen three times in the past six months, indicating a shortage of money and grain. If all efforts are devoted to saving Shuofang, the troops stationed at Dazhen Pass will be insufficient. Perhaps this year, they will not be able to gather 100,000 troops in Longzuo..."

Shang Jiexi frowned and said, "These are all speculations by the great scholars, and may not be what the Tang Emperor thinks. So what if this autumn, the Tang people still send their main force from Guanzhong to Dazhen Pass to block our army?

Ma Chongying smiled and pointed to the map: "Da Shang is quite right. Therefore, the routes to attack Shuofang and Dazhen Pass are actually feints. My real purpose is here..."

The western defense line of the Tang Dynasty gradually rose in elevation from north to south. The northern prefectures such as Ling and Yan were relatively flat, with the Yellow River as the boundary, with deserts in the north and grasslands in the south. The southern prefectures of Longzhou and Yuanzhou were plateaus with dense mountain ranges, with the Liupan Mountains connecting to Longdi, making them treacherous and difficult to traverse.