Phi-Fic Chapter 1148 Surprise Attack on Liucheng, Gazing at Shazhou
Chapter 1148 Surprise Attack on Liucheng, Gazing at Shazhou
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away.
The outline of an earthen-yellow city emerged in the twilight, its low yet sturdy walls revealing glimpses of Tibetan flags.
Commander Zuo She, who had been tied to a horse and jostled all the way, had just dismounted when Yu Daliang dragged him to the front of the battle.
Upon seeing the city ahead, he immediately realized something.
Without Li Che needing to speak, he presented the intelligence tray:
"This city... is called Liucheng. It is the front-line stronghold of the Tubo (Tibetan) forces that keep a close watch on Shazhou, and it has the largest garrison."
"It blocks both the grain route from the east of Shazhou and the waterway from the south."
Li Che, mounted on his horse, surveyed the fortress from afar: "You have connections with the Tibetans in the city?"
The left commander's throat tightened, and after hesitating for a moment, he whispered, "I... was ordered to deliver provisions and weapons."
Li Che smirked: "Aiding the wicked, the Yellow-Headed Uyghurs deserve this fate."
The commander on the left was sweating profusely and dared not reply.
"Can you call for the city gates to be opened?" Li Che asked directly.
Commander Zuo instinctively wanted to decline, but when he looked up and met Li Che's calm and unwavering eyes, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He recalled Yaoluoge's mangled corpse and gritted his teeth, saying, "I...I am willing to try it for Your Majesty."
"Okay." Li Che nodded and said no more.
He immediately selected two hundred agile Qing army light cavalrymen, all of whom changed into captured Uyghur clothing, covered their standard armor, and smeared some dust on their faces.
The left commander was pushed to the front of this "Uyghur cavalry," took a deep breath, and spurred his horse toward the Liucheng city gate.
It was late at night, and the situation outside the city was completely obscured.
The soldiers guarding the city wall seemed rather lax. It took the left commander a while to shout before a small group of Tibetan soldiers poked their heads out, cursing.
"Who goes there?!"
"I am the Left Commander of the Yellow-Headed Uyghurs! I have urgent military information that I need to present to your general in person!" the Left Commander shouted in Tibetan.
The soldiers on the city wall held torches and carefully examined the face, vaguely recognizing it.
Upon seeing that the people behind them were indeed dressed as Uyghurs and their numbers were not large, their vigilance relaxed slightly.
What brings you so late at night?
"Something has happened in Ganzhou! It's a matter of great importance, and we must report it to you in person!" Commander Zuo said urgently.
The Tibetan guards behind the city gate remained silent.
After a while, they seemed to have received a notification and finally ordered the city gates to be opened.
Seeing this, Li Che, who was lying in ambush in the distance, narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his arm.
The Qing soldiers behind them all placed their hands on their weapons.
The heavy city gate creaked open and slowly opened a crack.
The next second, two hundred 'Uyghur cavalrymen' filed in.
Just as the last few riders stepped through the city gate, the Tibetan soldiers inside were preparing to re-bolt the gate.
"Let's do it!"
Suddenly, someone shouted, and the first few Qing soldiers jumped up.
A gleaming blade flashed across the throats of the Tibetan soldiers by the door, while several others lunged at the winch and door bolt with swift and clean movements.
"Seize the door! Take control of the winch!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the large cavalry force lying in wait behind them surged toward the open city gate like a flood bursting its banks.
The Tibetan garrison was thrown into chaos, and someone shouted, "Oh no! Enemy attack! Ring the bell to warn us!"
A Tibetan soldier ran towards the alarm gong like a madman, picked up the drumstick, and was about to strike it.
whoosh-
An arrow shot out from the darkness outside the city, striking the Tibetan soldier squarely in the throat. The force was so great that it sent him staggering a few steps before he collapsed against the battlements.
In the darkness outside the city, Li Che lowered the hard bow he had been holding.
Luo Yueniang, standing beside Li Che, gave the order on Li Che's behalf: "All troops, attack!"
The signal flare soared into the sky, and the Qing army detachment surged forward like a tide, as the bugle call sounded once more.
Liucheng was instantly in an uproar.
The Qing army captured the city without much effort.
The commander on the left, familiar with the area, led a team of elite soldiers straight to the largest earthen mansion in the city center.
That was the residence of the Tibetan garrison commander.
The guard was awakened by the commotion outside. He rushed out of the bedroom, disheveled, ready to demand an explanation of what had happened.
Before the words were finished—
Boom!!!
The mansion's main gate was blown off by the explosives, sending wood chips and metal scraps flying everywhere.
The garrison commander was horrified and retreated, ordering his personal guards to go up and check while he hurriedly retreated back into the house.
Then, the screams of the guards could be heard from outside the door.
boom!
The door was kicked open forcefully.
A squad of soldiers dressed in black battle coats and carrying strange short iron pipes rushed in and instantly occupied the room.
They searched the house thoroughly with cold eyes, and after confirming that no one was there, they all pointed the ends of their iron pipes at the guard hiding in the corner.
Then, a young man dressed in black armor slowly walked in.
"Are you the garrison commander of this city?" Li Che asked in a calm tone.
The commander on the left quickly translated.
After regaining his composure, the defending general mustered his courage.
His gaze swept over the dark iron pipes, and he sneered, "You think you can intimidate me with a few broken iron bars?"
Upon hearing this, the Qing army soldier closest to him turned his head and glanced at Li Che.
Li Che nodded.
The soldier silently raised his musket, slightly turning the muzzle to aim at the wooden chair behind the commander.
Pull the trigger.
boom!
The explosion resounded in the small room.
The garrison commander trembled with fear. When the smoke cleared, he saw that the chair was broken into pieces, with charred wood chips.
The color drained from his face instantly, and his pupils dilated.
Without any hesitation, the garrison commander knelt down with a thud, speaking at an astonishing speed: "This city is garrisoned by 8,000 troops, and 500 warhorses are all in the eastern camp! The granary is in the third large cellar in the west of the city! The armory in the south of the city is heavily guarded!"
"This humble general...this humble general is willing to lead the heavenly soldiers! I only beg to be spared my life!"
Seeing him rambling on and on, Li Che couldn't help but look at the Left Commander beside him.
The latter quickly translated it.
There was a moment of silence in the room.
Li Che looked at the Tibetan general, then suddenly twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a half-smile.
He turned around and said to Luo Yueniang, Yu Daliang and the others who followed him in, "He's someone who knows how to seize the moment."
Yu Daliang grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth: "That saves trouble too."
. . . . .
The main hall of the mansion was temporarily used as the central command post, and torches illuminated the area.
The surrendered Tibetan general, bound hand and foot, knelt below the hall, his face still showing fear and confusion.
Who exactly are these people? I've never seen their words, armor, or weapons before.
Logically speaking, any country in the Western Regions with such power would recognize them, and they would never have heard of such a person.
Li Che had removed his helmet and sat on the chair that originally belonged to the garrison commander, with generals such as Luo Yueniang and Yu Daliang standing on either side with their hands on their swords.
The commander on the left huddled in a corner, trying to minimize his presence.
"Tell me about the size of the Tibetan forces in the surrounding area and where they are stationed," Li Che asked directly.
Left Commander reluctantly translated Li Che's words.
Upon hearing this, the garrison commander responded almost reflexively: "Reporting to Your Excellency! Thirty miles west of Liucheng, there is a camp of Yang Tong's troops, with about six thousand cavalry, but they are not under the command of this area, they are only assisting in the defense."
"To the southeast, along the upper reaches of the Shule River, there are two thousand-household camps, which are mutually supportive, each with about a thousand people."
"On the southern edge of the desert, there are more than ten beacon towers and outposts, with no more than a hundred people permanently stationed there, but they can transmit messages for hundreds of miles..."
He spoke frankly, explaining clearly what he knew about the Tibetan forces' deployment points, troop strength, the temperament of their commanders, and even the conflicts between different tribes in Shazhou.
After the garrison commander finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.
"What about inside Shazhou City?" Li Che suddenly asked. "What's the current situation with that Huan army?"
The garrison commander was taken aback, clearly not expecting the other party to suddenly ask about the isolated city that they had besieged for many years.
He thought for a moment and hurriedly said, "Shazhou? Uh, those rebels... those Huan people are already at their wits' end. The city's food supplies should be almost exhausted, and the population is no more than ten thousand. At most, two or three thousand can wear armor."
"If we had not been ordered to besiege without attacking, we could have easily defeated them with a few days of fierce fighting."
He spoke with a hint of self-satisfaction.
Realizing his predicament, he quickly added, "Of course, the heavenly soldiers are so powerful, they could be defeated with a flick of their fingers..."
He suddenly stopped speaking.
Heavenly soldiers?
In a flash, an almost impossible idea struck him.
This group of people came from the East, were strangely well-equipped, possessed unparalleled combat power, and showed unusual interest in Shazhou...
The garrison commander suddenly raised his head, staring intently at Li Che's young face, then quickly scanned the unique patterns on the armor of the surrounding generals, and a name suddenly popped into his mind.
"...Qing?"
His lips trembled as he uttered a single syllable, his eyes filled with horror: "You...you are Qing people?!"
Yu Daliang scoffed, "You only noticed it now? Your eyesight is pretty bad."
The commander was struck dumb, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
His gaze returned to Li Che, and an even more terrifying guess nearly suffocated him: "Then...then you...you could be...Qing..."
"I am the Emperor of Daqing."
The sound wasn't loud, but it hit the general's heart like a heavy hammer, making him dizzy.
His mouth was open, and a gurgling sound came from his throat. His face turned ashen, and he collapsed, unable to even maintain his kneeling position.
emperor?!
Wasn't the Qing emperor personally leading the expedition, currently engaged in a decisive battle with the main force of the Tibetan army?
How did they manage to traverse the vast territory controlled by Tibet and appear here as if they were divine soldiers descending from the heavens?!
What were those men doing with the army in Tibet's homeland?
Why haven't I received any messages?
Shock even temporarily overwhelmed his fear, leaving his mind blank as he stared blankly at Li Che, as if looking at a god who had suddenly descended.
Li Che showed no reaction to his shock, but continued to ask, "Who is the current garrison commander of Shazhou?"
The garrison commander, seemingly still in a daze, mechanically replied, "Yes... it's a man named Zhang Yi, who claims to be the envoy of the Guihuan Army..."
Li Che nodded, which matched the intelligence from Commander Zuo She.
Turning to Yu Daliang: "Take stock of the spoils seized in the city, especially the grain, fodder, and weapons."
"Luo Yueniang, take your men to take over the city defenses and seal the city gates."
"Yes, sir!" The two men accepted the order.
Li Che stood up, walked to the entrance of the hall, and gazed at the deep night in the direction of Shazhou.
He suddenly felt a little lost, wondering what he should say when he saw the steadfast Huan people.
Thinking of this, Li Che sighed.
Ultimately, it was the Central Plains that owed these wanderers a debt.