"Dangxiang men, follow me!"
He led his 500 cavalrymen and charged straight into the king's tent from the flank.
The Tuyuhun people clearly did not expect the reinforcements to arrive so quickly, nor did they expect the offensive to be so fierce.
The central army was thrown into chaos. Fu Yun heard the shouts of battle growing closer and closer in the royal tent. Terrified, he didn't even have time to put on his armor and fled north in panic under the protection of his personal guards.
With the commander-in-chief fleeing, the entire army collapsed.
The 20,000-strong Tuyuhun army retreated like a tide, leaving behind corpses and supplies scattered all over the ground.
By the time the battle ended, it was completely dark.
Wu Shangzhi reined in his horse at the foot of the city, watching the city gate slowly open.
Guo Xiaoti personally went out to greet him, kneeling on one knee: "General Wu, I will never forget your life-saving grace!"
Wu Shangzhi dismounted and helped him up: "General Guo, you truly are a hero for holding out for three days. What are the casualties?"
Guo Xiaoti's eyes reddened: "Of the 5,000 defenders, 2,300 were killed in action and 1,500 were wounded... The civilian casualties have not yet been tallied."
Wu Shangzhi was silent for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder: "Properly settle the wounded and killed soldiers, and double their compensation. The court will compensate the people for their losses after the war."
Upon entering the city, Wu Shangzhi immediately summoned his generals.
"Why did the Tuyuhun suddenly invade our border?" he asked Guo Xiaoti.
Guo Xiaoti smiled wryly: "It is said that... it was instigated by the Tanguts."
All the generals turned their gazes toward Mei Zang E Pang.
Mo Zang E Pang's expression changed: "It wasn't me! My troops have already submitted to General Wu!"
“It’s not him,” Guo Xiaoti shook his head. “It’s another Dangxiang tribe, whose chieftain is called Yeli Rong. He sent someone to contact Tuyuhun, saying that the main force of the imperial court was in the Central Plains, and Hexi was undefended, which was a good time to raid southwards.”
Wu Shangzhi's eyes turned cold: "Where is Ye Lirong now?"
"I heard it's in the grasslands west of Wushaoling."
Wu Shangzhi looked at Mo Zang E Pang: "Do you know this person?"
Mecangepang gritted his teeth: "I know. Yeli Rong is my uncle, and he has always defied my father's control, frequently leading his men to plunder merchant caravans. But I never imagined he would dare to collude with foreign tribes..."
"Lead the way." Wu Shangzhi stood up. "Tomorrow morning, we will launch a surprise attack on Wushaoling."
"General!" Guo Luo exclaimed urgently, "The Grand General has given an urgent order that we must arrive in Luoyang before the tenth of the third month..."
“I know,” Wu Shangzhi interrupted him, “but Hexi is unstable, the army is returning east, and the rear is not secure. We can save Guazhou today, but what if Liangzhou or Suzhou changes tomorrow? We must solve this problem once and for all.”
He looked at Mezang Epang: "Mezang Epang, this is an opportunity for you, and also for the Tangut people. If you can quell the internal strife and persuade the various tribes to submit, I will certainly petition the court to grant the Tanguts the treatment they deserve. If not..."
He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.
Mo Zang E Pang knelt on one knee: "This humble general is willing to be the vanguard! Within three days, I will surely capture Ye Li Rong and present him to your command!"
“I don’t need you to capture him.” Wu Shangzhi shook his head. “You just need to lead the way and persuade him. If you can’t persuade him, then I’ll take action.”
That night, Wu Shangzhi wrote a secret letter to Zhao Muyun, explaining the situation in Hexi and requesting a five-day grace period.
The carrier pigeons were released overnight.
At dawn the next day, the army set off and headed straight for Wushaoling.
This time, Wu Shangzhi only took 10,000 light cavalry with him.
Another 10,000 men remained in Guazhou to rest and recuperate, under the command of Guo Luo, and marched eastward three days later.
He wanted a quick victory.
......
On the third day of the third lunar month, in Liangzhou City.
Jiedushi Zhang Zan stood on the city wall, looking at the sparse caravans outside the city, his brows furrowed.
This veteran general, who has guarded Liangzhou for fifteen years, now has white temples and a slightly hunched back, but his eyes are still sharp.
"Sir, this month's commercial tax revenue is down by another 20%." The registrar held the account book, his face full of worry. "The trade routes to the Western Regions are constantly disrupted, and caravans dare not travel anymore. If this continues, we won't even be able to pay the soldiers' salaries..."
Zhang Zan remained silent.
He knew where the problem lay—the Hexi region was unstable, so trade routes were naturally blocked.
With the Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, and Uyghur tribes rebelling and surrendering at different times, and caravans frequently being robbed, who would dare to travel this route?
But what could he do?
The Liangzhou garrison only had 10,000 troops, which was stretched thin to defend the thousand-mile border.
The imperial court has not allocated any grain or salary for three months.
With the war in the Central Plains raging, how could they possibly attend to the Northwest?
"My lord!" A guard rushed in to report, "General Wu Shangzhi has arrived! He's thirty li outside the city!"
Zhang Zan's eyes lit up: "Quickly! Open the city gates, I will personally go to greet you!"
Half an hour later, at the military governor's residence.
Wu Shangzhi and Zhang Zan took their seats as host and guest, while Mo Zang E Pang stood by their side.
After listening to Wu Shangzhi's account of the Battle of Guazhou and the journey to Wushaoling, Zhang Zan sighed deeply.
“General Wu, you may not know this, but the predicament of Liangzhou is not a recent phenomenon,” Zhang Zan said with a wry smile. “The rations and pay are delayed, and the border troops are short of food and clothing, so they have no choice but to procure food locally. But Liangzhou is already impoverished; how much can they possibly procure?”
He paused, then continued, "As for the various Tangut tribes... I admit that last year we only delivered half of the tea, salt, and iron we promised them. It wasn't that we didn't want to, but that we couldn't afford to. The tea and salt permits allocated by the court still haven't arrived."
Upon hearing this, Mo Cang E Pang's expression became complicated.
Zhang Zan looked at him: "No, your father and I have dealt with each other for many years. Have I, Zhang Zan, ever broken my promise to him?"
After a moment of silence, Mo Cang E Pang shook his head: "No. Lord Zhang always keeps his word."
“Then why this time…” Zhang Zan’s eyes flashed with pain, “because I simply have nothing left to give. The tea warehouse is empty, the salt warehouse is almost empty, and there isn’t a single piece of ironware left. My own soldiers are drinking wild vegetable soup and training with wooden spears…”
He stood up and walked to the window: "Do you know how long the soldiers of Liangzhou haven't been paid? Half a year! How have the soldiers survived in the past six months? They've relied on their families for support, earned extra money by guarding caravans, and some have even... secretly sold their weapons and armor to buy food."
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