Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 131

Therefore, the Khan's banner was broken and returned north, while Emperor De led 5,000 cavalry south from Yun and Dai prefectures. Liu Qingtan sent a fast horse to report this matter to Chang'an, and Li Yu then ordered Yao Yong, the Palace Attendant, to go and meet the Uyghur troops again, and to discuss the route of their advance.

Yao Yong traveled with Pugu Huai'en, the military governor of Shuofang stationed in Fenzhou at the time. They met Di De in Xinzhou and requested that Di De cross the Taihang Mountains from Tumen (Jingxing Pass) to conquer Xing, Ming, Huai, Wei and other prefectures and march south to attack Shi Chaoyi's rebel army from the flank.

After pondering for a moment, Emperor De asked, "Li Erlang, who serves the Tang Emperor, is my close friend and was also granted the title of Tutunfa by the Khan. I wonder what his current position is, and whether he will join the campaign against the bandits?"

Yao Yong replied, "Li Ji has just been appointed as the defense commissioner of the four prefectures of Xiang, Deng, Sui, and Ying, so naturally he is also ordered to go on the expedition."

Which way will he take?

The plan had already been finalized, but it hadn't yet been communicated to local generals—such as Li Ji.

Marshal Li Shi and Deputy Marshal Guo Ziyi led the armies of Guanzhong, together with the Shuofang army of Hedong and the Jingxiang army of Li Ji, to Shanzhou, and advanced eastward from Mianchi; Li Baoyu, the military governor of Luze, attacked north of Luoyang from Heyang; and Li Guangbi, the deputy marshal of Henan and other circuits, attacked south of Luoyang from Chenliu.

Therefore, Li Ji should take the middle route.

After hearing the entire plan, Di De said, "I have not seen Li Ji for a long time and I long to see him. I will certainly join forces with Esen in Shaanxi—and I will also be able to pay my respects to His Highness the Marshal in person."

In reality, this was just an excuse. While Emperor De did miss Li Ji, he wouldn't change his own marching route just to see an old friend. He simply felt that the strategy suggested by Yao Yong was really unreliable...

If the Khan were still alive, it would be fine. But now that the Khan has returned north, he has left me with only five thousand cavalry. If we venture deep into the rebel territory, only to be met with a scorched-earth policy and then blocked by a large army, leaving me with nothing to plunder and trapped beneath fortified walls, I will surely face dire straits. And you want me to fight my way from Hebei all the way to Henan to attack Luoyang? That's absurd! Do you really think my Uyghur soldiers can take on ten men each?

If that's the case, why should my family ally with the Tang dynasty?

Therefore, he used the excuse of meeting Li Ji to plan to go to Shanxian to join the main force first. Yao Yong repeatedly tried to persuade him, but Emperor De just refused. In the end, Yao Yong had no choice but to comply. This was because letting the Uyghur troops take over the eastern route was just Li Yu's wishful thinking. If it succeeded, it would be a pleasant surprise. Even if it failed, it would not affect the overall situation.

Even though the Uyghur troops were traveling with the Shuofang army, Yao Yong hurriedly returned to Chang'an to report to Li Yu. Li Yu was overjoyed and immediately changed Li Shi's title to Prince of Yong, then performed the ceremony of appointing him as commander-in-chief. He then added the title of Imperial Censor to Yao Yong, and appointed him and Wei Ju as the commanders of the left and right wings of the army. He appointed Wei Shaohua, a scribe in the Secretariat, as judge, and Li Jin, a censor, as military advisor, thus assembling a staff and setting off on the expedition.

After the imperial decree was issued, Yao Yong, Wei Ju, and others gathered at the commander's residence to discuss military matters. On the way, Wei Ju stopped Yao Yong and whispered, "Zi'ang returned to court yesterday to report on the Uyghur affairs, and last night I had a strange dream that happens to be related to it. I wonder what its omen is..."

Yao Yong then asked, "What dream did you have?"

Wei Ju frowned slightly, his face showing distress, and said, "I dreamt that I, along with Zi'ang and others, followed the marshal on a campaign to the Uyghur camp to see the Khan. The Khan reprimanded the marshal for not bowing, and we argued back. The Khan was furious and ordered a dark-faced general to drag us out, bind us, and whip us... I was almost beaten to death! I woke up in the middle of the night, still feeling pain all over my body... I'm afraid this is not a good omen?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Yong frowned and said, "There is a Master Qingyuan in the capital who is skilled in Taoist arts and divination. Why don't you go and inquire of him?"

Wei Ju smiled bitterly and said, "I have searched all the neighborhoods, but I can't find him anywhere... Some people say that Mr. Qingyuan left Chang'an City a long time ago and went elsewhere."

Yao Yong said, “Although we are close friends, we never expected to enter the commander’s mansion together. Your dream is probably not without reason, or perhaps a warning from heaven. Fortunately, the Uyghur Khan has not come south, so there should be no conflict with the Prince of Yong… In a few days, we will go to Shaanxi and meet the Uyghur army. You should observe them carefully. Do any of their generals have the same appearance as in your dream?”

Wei Ju nodded, and the two continued riding side by side toward the commander's mansion.

Several days later, the army set off, leaving Chang'an and arriving in Shanzhou, where Yu Chaoen, Wei Boyu, and others lined up to welcome them. A few days later, Pugu Huaien led the Shuofang army to join them, while the Uyghur cavalry under Emperor De were temporarily stationed in Hebei—that is, Hebei County, which is northwest of Shanxian County, across the river.

Li Shi ordered Wei Ju to go and reward the Uyghur army, but Wei Ju was terrified and dared not obey, leaving Li Shi completely bewildered. Li Shi thought to himself, "You are indeed a civil official, but now you hold the position of Right Wing Military Commander. Even if you don't have many soldiers under your command, you shouldn't be so timid. I'm sending you to reward the Uyghur army, not to infiltrate the rebel camp. Do you think you're afraid the Uyghurs will eat you?"

Fortunately, Yao Yong bowed and said, "I am quite familiar with the Uyghur generals, please allow me to accompany Lord Wei."

Li Shi thought to himself, "Since you volunteered, why don't you go alone? Why drag Wei Ju along? Is he scared, so you want to be his bodyguard? Yes, you're bigger and braver than him, but you might not actually be a good fighter, right?"

Yao Yong insisted, and Li Shi had no choice but to order the two of them to go together. In fact, Yao Yong dragged Wei Ju along to assess people, to see if there was the black-faced He Jiang you saw in your dream, to confirm whether your dream really had any meaning.

Meanwhile, Emperor De met the two men in Hebei, received their rewards, and then asked, "Has Li Ji arrived yet?"

Yao Yong replied, "It might take a day or two." Wei Ju, however, kept searching left and right for the dark-faced Uyghur general... Unfortunately, or perhaps it was just luck, he didn't find anyone who resembled the Uyghur in his dream, even though Uyghurs generally have rather dark faces...

Only then did he calm down, and secretly chuckled at himself for being too paranoid. He then asked Di De to cross the river to see Li Shi. Di De replied, "Let's wait until Li Ji arrives, then I'll go and pay my respects to the Marshal, so as to save myself the trouble of making an extra trip."

Three days later, Li Ji led the Jingxiang army to Shanzhou.

He was actually quite annoyed—if only he hadn't stationed his troops in Xinye, he would have moved them to Shangzhou earlier. From Xinye, it would only be a few days' journey north to Luyang Pass, and with the Funiu and Fangcheng Mountains, they could have closed the southern gate of Luoyang. Why did they have to gather in Shanzhou?

It is estimated that this was to unify the command of the central route and also to unify the allocation of grain and fodder. It is said that the grain for the central route was mainly supplied by Taiyuan and Hedong, and there was not much surplus in the capital region.

Upon receiving the order, they immediately set off, traveling at breakneck speed towards the northwest, passing through Dengzhou and Shangzhou, then through Guozhou, and finally arriving at the city of Shanxian.

Li Ji sent his military advisor, Li Jin, to greet him outside the city. Li Jin first arranged the encampment for the Jingxiang army, then led Li Ji into the city to pay his respects. Li Ji waited for a while in front of the general's mansion, and only after all the generals had gathered was he summoned to the palace.

Looking around, Pugu Huai'en was an acquaintance, and Wei Boyu was someone he had dealt with before. There was also a general he didn't recognize, probably the newly appointed Tonghua Jiedushi, Guo Yingyi...

Wait, where's Guo Ziyi? And... that bastard Yu Chaoen is here too! Didn't Li Shi promise to kill him as a sacrifice to the flag as soon as the expedition was completed?

In public, it was inappropriate to ask, so he merely glanced sideways at Yu Chaoen. Yu Chaoen's gaze happened to shift towards him, and he immediately shuddered slightly, quickly looking away.

Before long, Li Shi entered the hall, and all the generals bowed with their hands clasped. Li Shi said little, and then ordered Wei Shaohua to read out the planned marching order—Li Ji, who was joining forces with the Uyghur troops, would be the vanguard; Pugu Huai'en and Wei Boyu would be the middle route; and Guo Yingyi and Yu Chao'en would be the rearguard. As for himself, that was the end of the matter for now; he would remain stationed in Shanzhou.

He then asked the generals for their opinions, and Li Ji immediately stood up to express his opposition:

"The troops under my command in Jingzhou and Xiangyang are mostly infantry, with few cavalry, and are not suitable to serve as vanguards. Moreover, they are traveling with the Uyghur army, so it will be difficult for the infantry and cavalry to coordinate."

Upon hearing this, Li Shi frowned slightly: "How can the dignified Li Erlang, who commands the barbarians, not be the vanguard? Is he perhaps afraid of the enemy's strength?"

Li Ji cursed inwardly, but showed it on his face. He simply crossed his hands and said, "I humbly request the Marshal to grant me a thousand warhorses so that I may serve as the vanguard."

Li Shi glanced at Pugu Huai'en: "The Shuofang army has many horses; could we borrow some from Li Ji?"

Pugu Huaien laughed and said, "In that case, it would be better to make the Shuofang army the vanguard than to drive the Jingxiang army forward." He then glanced at Li Ji and said, "The Jingxiang soldiers are not used to cavalry warfare. Even if they have good horses, they don't know how to use them. Moreover, although Li Erlang is brave, he is still a new commander of the Shannan army. It is not advisable to put him in a strong enemy so suddenly."

Li Ji secretly gave a thumbs up: "Good friend!" Of course, the most important thing is that Pugu Huai'en knows how to fight, while Li Shi only has the ability to talk about war on paper for the time being.

Li Shi had no choice but to order the Shuofang Army to send out 3,000 elite cavalry as the vanguard, while moving Li Ji to the central route—of course, the main general of the central route was still Pugu Huaien.

Once the plan was agreed upon, the generals were ordered to go and prepare the troops, and once the provisions were gathered, they would set off in sequence.

Afterwards, Li Shi kept Li Ji behind and asked him, "Are the troops of Jingzhou and Xiangyang truly unusable?"

Li Ji replied, “The Jingxiang troops are arrogant and only recognize Lai Zhen. I have only been in command for less than a month, so they are really difficult to use. Although the main force of the Shangzhou troops consists of the old troops of Zhang Dafu from Luoyang, and there are also brave generals such as Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun, who can be worth ten men in battle, they lack horses and cannot serve as the vanguard... Let us wait for the enemy troops to gather together and fight head-on. I will then cut down enemy generals and capture flags for Your Highness!”

Li Shi nodded: "Indeed, I was mistaken." He then smiled wryly: "I intended to recruit talented individuals to strengthen the staff, but the Emperor decides on important positions such as Chief Clerk and Commander with a single word... Wei Shaohua and Li Jin are both officials trusted by the Emperor, and although they are not incompetent, they are not very knowledgeable about military affairs..."

Li Ji asked, "Where is Minister Guo?" Wasn't it said that he would be your deputy?

Li Shi shook his head and said, "Because of the obstruction of Cheng Yuanzhen and others, Guo Situ was not allowed to follow me... Now my deputy commander is Pugu Huaien - I also appointed him as co-prime minister and prefect of Jiangzhou."

Li Ji frowned, thinking to himself that Pugu Huai'en's prestige was far inferior to Guo Ziyi's... He then asked, "Then why does Your Highness choose to remain stationed in Shanzhou instead of traveling with the main army?"

"This is the mandate of a sage."

Li Ji sighed inwardly, thinking that this was probably another case of father and son distrusting each other—a tradition of the Li family, after all.

“If Your Highness is at the front, everything will be under control; but if you remain stationed in Shanzhou, I fear that Pugu Huai'en, though nominally the deputy commander, will actually have difficulty mobilizing the various armies and military commands…” At least Li Guangbi of the southern route is also the deputy commander, and he might not be willing to listen to Pugu Huai'en—“I fear that the siege of Xiangzhou by the eleven military commands in the past will be repeated…”

"Let's wait until Luoyang is recovered before we talk about it," Li Shi comforted Li Ji. "Today is different from the battle of Xiangzhou. Mr. Changyuan is now a Hanlin Academician, right by the Emperor's side. It is unlikely that the old things will repeat themselves."

He brought up Li Mi, and Li Ji was speechless. He paused, narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked, "Today, there's another similarity to the defeat at Xiangzhou—why didn't Your Highness kill Yu Chaoen?!"

Chapter 50, The Pure Flavor of Tea

Li Ji confronted Li Shi, asking why he hadn't killed Yu Chaoen.

Li Shi said with a displeased expression, "How could I not agree? It's just that I can't."

He then explained that Yu Chaoen was, after all, the Military Commissioner and Pacification Commissioner, a position of great prestige, and that killing him so soon after his departure might damage the morale of the troops. Besides, he couldn't find a suitable reason to do so.

Li Ji remained silent, thinking to himself that he was still worried about his father's suspicions... He wouldn't even let you leave Shanzhou. How was this any different from the Li faction's Marshal of the Army who stayed in Chang'an? The emperor was just giving you an empty title, afraid that you would really gain great prestige in the army and even control the military, making you difficult to manage.

The key point is that starting with Emperor Xuanzong, across three generations of his family, the throne was not inherited smoothly; they all basically had to fight for it themselves…

Li Ji understood Li Shi's concerns. He had been brimming with confidence, planning to personally command the army and conquer the battlefield. However, the emperor first filled his side with useless officials, then ordered him to remain in Shanzhou. The young man wasn't stupid; he naturally understood the implications. So, how could he dare to rashly kill Yu Chaoen at this time? Wouldn't that only arouse his father's suspicion even more?

Li Shi also felt somewhat ashamed. After all, Yu Chaoen had once sent an envoy to Li Guangbi's camp, ordering Li Guangbi to kill Li Ji. That enmity ran deep and was impossible to resolve. As a friend, Li Shi had promised to avenge Li Ji, but now, because of his own reasons, he had broken his promise. It was simply unacceptable.

He could only comfort Li Ji, saying, "There is plenty of time in the future. He will surely be killed one day. There is no need for you to be anxious."

Li Ji sighed and said, "Yu Chaoen is no ordinary man. Moreover, he will be the rearguard. Unless he suffers a major defeat in this expedition, he will surely be rewarded for his merits and his position will become even more secure. It will be even more difficult to kill him."

Li Shi frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Are the strange people left behind by Cui Guangyuan still by Changwei's side?"

Li Ji immediately rolled his eyes: "If Yu Chaoen could be assassinated amidst a vast army, His Highness's life would likely be in danger!"

What are you thinking? Trying to pull another dirty trick like assassination? Back then, Li Fuguo's mansion only had a few dozen bodyguards and a hundred servants. I was confident that if he didn't die, I would send an assassin to kill him. But that would have to wait until after the old eunuch fell from power. Who could assassinate him when he was in power?

Moreover, with thousands of troops at present, Yu Chaoen's defensive forces must be ten or even a hundred times greater than Li Fuguo's back then. Even Jingjing'er, or even her master Jiao Jingzhen, would not dare to take on such a mission—this is not a martial arts novel.

Reluctantly resigning, he felt increasingly frustrated. Upon returning to the military camp outside the city, he summoned his staff officer Han Hui and asked him to write invitations to all the generals.

This Han Hui was recruited from Li Qijun's ranks during their return to Shangzhou. He was from Heyang, and his father, Han Zhongqing, had served as magistrate in several counties, enjoying an excellent reputation and currently holding the position of Secretary in the imperial court. Li Qijun had a good relationship with Han Zhongqing when he was still in Chang'an, so when he was appointed to a post, he summoned Zhongqing's eldest son, Han Hui, to serve as his subordinate. Han Hui was only in his early twenties, in the prime of his youth, yet he possessed beautiful calligraphy and was a skilled writer.

In particular, this person had a natural aversion to the ornate and impractical parallel prose of the time, advocating instead to learn from the classical prose of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, writing concisely, clearly, and logically. It was this quality that caught Li Ji's eye, and through much persuasion, he managed to bring Han Hui to his side.

Of course, Li Qiyun also hoped that her friend's son could participate in the upcoming campaign to quell the rebellion and gain experience on the front lines.

Han Hui, following Li Ji's instructions, invited all the generals and asked, "What excuse do you have?" You have to have a reason; you can't just say you've called everyone here to discuss military issues and hold a secret meeting behind the marshal's back.

Li Ji replied, "Please come in for tea." He paused, then added, "Don't invite that eunuch!"

Upon receiving the letter, all the generals gave satisfactory replies—after all, although Li Ji's rank was low, he was a meritorious official who had helped establish the current emperor, and also a close friend of the marshal; who wouldn't want to cultivate a good relationship with him? After dinner, they arrived one after another. Before seeing them, their voices were heard; a man called out from outside the tent:

"I didn't expect Erlang to also like tea. In my opinion, how can tea taste as good as butter?"

Then another person said, "Grandpa is wrong. Even milk is not as good as wine."

The one who spoke earlier was naturally Pugu Huai'en, an old acquaintance of Li Ji, and the one who spoke next was Pugu Yang, Huai'en's son. Li Ji quickly came out of the tent to greet him, and said to Pugu Yang with a smile, "We dare not drink alcohol in our army. If you want to drink, I should go and bother the deputy commander and Brother Pugu."

Pugu Huai'en waved his hand: "What deputy commander? This position originally belonged to Minister Guo, but it was blocked by the eunuchs who wouldn't let Minister Guo leave the capital..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "You said it well, but unfortunately you said it too soon." He quickly interrupted Pugu Huai'en and welcomed the father and son into the tent.

Not long after, Wei Boyu and Guo Yingyi arrived together. Wei Boyu and Li Ji were already acquainted, while Guo Yingyi was meeting him for the first time today, so they naturally exchanged a few pleasantries. Guo Yingyi then said, "I didn't expect that Defense Commander Li would have tea here. I've always enjoyed it, but it's too troublesome to prepare, so I can't bring it with me to the army..."

Li Ji smiled and said, "The tea here is quite different from the tea that Commander Guo used to drink."

Guo Yingyi raised his eyebrows and his eyes lit up with delight: "Is that so? I have tasted teas from all over the country. I wonder where Defense Commander Li obtained his tea?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "It's not about where it's produced, but about how it's cooked."

While ordering his soldiers to light a small stove and draw water from the well, he asked the crowd, "Do you all know another name for tea?"

Everyone shook their heads. Guo Yingyi looked around—Where's the tea grinder? Where's the bamboo tongs? You don't have all the tools here, how are we supposed to make tea?

Li Ji said, “Tea has another name, called ‘Lao Nu’ (Cheese Slave)…” He then looked at Pugu Huai’en and said, “Just as Pugu said, how can tea taste as good as cheese? If we compare tea and cheese, cheese is the master and tea is the slave.”

Guo Yingyi disagreed: "Although tea is served with cheese, its taste is still different from that of cheese. How can they be compared? In my opinion, tea and cheese can be likened to a married couple."

Li Ji smiled and said, “What General Guo said is true. Tea has its own flavor, and cheese has its own flavor. However, people often add cheese to tea to imitate cheese, which is just a poor imitation. How can that show the quality of the tea? Therefore, my method of brewing is different from others, and I focus on appreciating the original flavor of the tea.”

As they spoke, the water on the stove was already seven or eight parts boiling. First, it was like shrimp eyes, then it was like crab eyes rising... Logically, it should soon reach a full boil, at which point salt should be added, and once it boils again, the crushed tea powder should be dropped into the center of the water. However, Li Ji seemed to have made no preparations, which made Guo Yingyi a little anxious.

You haven't even taken out the tea cake yet, let alone ground the tea. If the water boils three times, it will become too old. Who knows what it will taste like if you add the tea powder then... Anyway, I've never had it. I always follow the rules.

However, it was inconvenient to urge him. Soon, fish eyes appeared in the water, and a whooshing sound like the wind in the pines was heard. Only then did Li Ji take out a small paper packet from his pocket, put the whole green tea leaves into the water, and then used a chopstick instead of bamboo tongs to stir it a couple of times. He then smiled and said, "It's ready."

Everyone was bewildered—how did it get better already?

Drinking tea is a common pastime among nobles and city dwellers. Now, this tent is filled with high-ranking officials; even those who don't enjoy tea—like the Pugu father and son—have certainly tasted it, and even if they don't brew it themselves, they've seen others do it. This is completely different from what Li Ji is doing. Did you really invite us here today to have tea? Is what you're pouring into the water truly tea?

In those days, tea was mostly made into tea cakes before being offered to wealthy families. When brewing, it had to be ground into fine powder first. Therefore, although everyone knew that tea was originally the leaves of a plant, probably only Li Ji among those present had ever seen what the original tea leaves actually looked like.

After boiling twice, Li Ji ordered his servants to remove the water from the fire, filter out the tea leaves, and fill five large cups with the liquid, which he then distributed to everyone. He deliberately used white porcelain cups to show the true color of the tea, which was clear, transparent, and slightly yellowish, quite different from the thick, bubbly, and milky white tea commonly seen in those days.

Everyone held their cups, scrutinizing the color of the tea, but none dared to drink it. Wei Boyu, however, was the first to sniff, exclaiming, "Eh!" "It really is the aroma of tea, and... the fragrance is so pure and pristine, it makes one feel as if they are amidst towering mountains and flowing water..."

Li Ji smiled and said, "Because this is pure tea, without salt, spices, or dairy products, its flavor is the true taste of tea, capturing the essence of nature." He raised his hand and said, "Please, please." Then he picked it up himself, blew on it, and took a small sip.

Hmm, not bad. Sichuan does produce excellent tea, but how exactly to process it to achieve the best quality green tea still requires repeated experimentation... Of course, he can't experiment on his own, since he's not in Sichuan. He can continue to ask Cui Gan for help.

Seeing that Li Ji had drunk from it, everyone else also raised their cups to their lips and took a sip.

Pugu Huai'en frowned and said, "Without the addition of dairy, the bitterness is even stronger..." Pugu Yang shook his head as well. Wei Boyu, however, closed his eyes and savored it carefully. After a long while, he let out a long breath: "Wonderful! Although there is no honey sweetness, the sweetness permeates the back of the tongue; although there is no dairy fragrance, the fragrance penetrates the internal organs. So, this is the true taste of tea?"

Guo Yingyi replied, "I have tasted tea prepared in this way before..."

Li Ji was slightly taken aback: "Where is this custom from?"

Guo Yingyi shook his head: "It's not a custom. In the past, when I had indigestion and my internal organs were out of balance, the doctor took a tea cake, but instead of crushing it, he broke it open and boiled it in water, then filtered out the concentrated juice to use as a medicinal guide. It tasted very bitter and had no aftertaste. It's completely different from what Defense Li gave me today."

Li Ji laughed and said, "Of course. Since it's used as a medicinal ingredient, the taste shouldn't be a concern. It's not good water, nor is it filtered after just two boils. All we're looking for is a strong flavor. How can it be palatable?"

As they talked, everyone finished their cups of tea, but when Li Ji asked if they wanted more, both Pugu and his son politely declined. Guo Yingyi suggested they have another cup, but Wei Boyu said, "This tea is not only pure but also has a pleasant aftertaste, making one feel refreshed and relaxed. It's also easy to prepare, so even in the army, it can be drunk daily..."

Li Ji immediately said that he had quite a few loose teas like this, and would send someone to deliver two catties to Commander Wei later. Wei Boyu was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed in thanks. Guo Yingyi seized the opportunity to ask: Could you send me some too?

Pugu Yang curled his lip and said, "Alas, what's so delicious about such a bitter taste?" Pugu Huai'en also said, "I'd rather drink milk every day."

Seeing that the atmosphere had become quite harmonious, Li Ji finally found an opportunity to gradually steer the conversation toward the main topic while brewing tea again. "First of all, I would like to thank Pugu Huai'en for doing me a great favor in front of the Marshal today—"How could I not want to be the vanguard? However, the infantry of Jingzhou and Xiangyang advance too slowly and can only stay in the middle.

Pugu Yang smiled and cupped his hands in thanks: "Second Brother, there's no need to thank my father. On the contrary, I should thank you, Second Brother—my father has already bestowed upon me the position of vanguard." Consider it a favor you gave me; I owe you this debt.

Li Ji hurriedly praised, "Brother Pugu, you are a tiger cub from a military family, with the courage of General Piao Yao. You should go first." Then he asked, "I have only arrived in Shanxian today and am not very clear about the situation of the enemy and ourselves. I hope you gentlemen can teach me."

Pugu Huai'en introduced, "My Shuofang army has 15,000 men..." He pointed to Wei Boyu, "The Shaanxi-Guo army has 20,000 men..."

Wei Boyu hurriedly said, "Since the marshal is still stationed in Shanzhou, we must leave troops to protect it. I estimate that our army that has marched east will only number 15,000."

Guo Yingyi said, "My army, along with Hua Jun and some troops from Fufang, Binning and other places in Guanzhong, number around ten thousand."

Li Ji nodded: "My force numbers eight thousand. In that case, the number facing the enemy head-on will be around fifty thousand..."