Chapter Two: The Turkic Reinforcements

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Luo Shixin removed his mask and gloves, stuffed them into the saddlebag beside him, and had the guards lead the horse away. He cupped his hands and breathed warm air onto his frozen fingers, hoping to thaw them somewhat. “If we delay any longer, we’ll be frozen solid. Has General Chen gone to sleep?”

“If you hadn’t returned, do you think he’d be asleep?” Zhang Huaiwei replied. “Come on, don’t just stand there—come inside and warm up for a bit!”

In later eras, gloves and masks were commonplace and unremarkable, but since leaving the Great San Pass, many soldiers wielding spears and shields had suffered frostbite. Chen Ying immediately thought of gloves.

Unfortunately, this era lacked cotton fabric. Gloves sewn from fine hemp offered poor cold resistance. Leather gloves, while warm, restricted finger dexterity.

After several trials, Chen Ying compromised: each soldier would be issued two pairs of gloves. One pair was made from double layers of fine hemp cloth—less effective against cold, but sufficient to prevent frostbite and preserve finger mobility.

Whether shooting arrows from a bow or wielding spears and swords, finger movement remained largely unaffected. Leather gloves were reserved for tasks not requiring finger dexterity, such as shield bearers, snow sled drivers, or those riding the sled during marches.

Even the hardier Turkic horsemen could barely draw their bows in such freezing weather. If they forced it, their accuracy dropped to less than ten percent of normal.

Luo Shixin marveled at how Chen Ying’s mind worked—coming up with such a simple yet ingenious solution. Recently, his mounted troops had gained the upper hand against Turkic raiders mainly because of their gloves.

Without gloves, the Turkic riders’ fingers were nearly frozen; their reactions lagged by more than half a beat. Before they could even draw their bows, Luo Shixin’s cavalry had unleashed a shower of arrows upon them. As the Turks recovered, Luo Shixin and the Tang cavalry had already turned to flee.

In this bitter cold, a warhorse’s stamina was drained alarmingly fast. Crucially, the frozen icy ground severely damaged horses’ hooves. But Chen Ying had already nailed horseshoes to the mounts of his cavalry, eliminating this worry.

Thus, the Turks could neither defeat nor pursue them, left only to sputter in frustration.

Standing beside Chen Ying, Liang Zan sensed the commanding aura radiating from him. Chen Ying, clad in armor, stood within the command carriage; the generals below involuntarily trembled. For the Right Guard’s Eighteen Regiments of Four Prefectures, this month-long grueling march felt like an eternity.

Covering eighty li daily, rain or shine, had nearly drained the troops’ strength. Yet Chen Ying insisted on two training sessions each morning and evening. Without at least half an hour of drill, no marching was allowed. The harshest rule required that if any regiment lagged behind and failed to reach camp on time, their entire unit’s rations would be cut by thirty percent.

What astonished Gao Yunquan most was that despite Chen Ying’s brutal discipline, the soldiers grumbled endlessly but never staged any disturbances.

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The Right Guard’s Chief Clerk and Imperial Son-in-law Duan Lun had caught a cold shortly after leaving the Great San Pass. Chen Ying permitted him to rest there. Throughout the march, Chen Ying relentlessly drilled the troops from Zhang Huaiwei, Zhang Shigui, and Yin Yuan’s units—the First and Second Support Prefectures—pursuing near-ruthless training even while on the move. The soldiers’ suffering was unimaginable.

Without Duan Lun’s interference, others dared not oppose Chen Ying.

Suddenly, a thunderous clatter of hooves announced the arrival of Luo Shixin and Zhang Shigui.

“Reporting to General, Luo Shixin and Zhang Shigui return!” they announced.

“Not so fast. Each soldier in the Mounted Scouts will receive an extra four taels of meat and half a jin of wine,” Chen Ying said evenly.

“Thank you, Chief Commander!” The Mounted Scouts roared with excitement.

After Luo Shixin’s pale face regained color following three bowls of meat broth, Chen Ying eagerly asked, “How’s the north?”

“Not good,” Luo Shixin replied, removing his boots and warming his legs by the fire. Zhang Shigui frowned, setting down his bowl displeased. “Will you let anyone eat in peace? You haven’t washed those feet in years!”

Chen Ying was used to Luo Shixin’s stinking feet and felt no discomfort. “Have the Turks reinforced?”

“Yes,” Luo Shixin said. “We lost three brothers but managed to scout Wild Boar Ridge thoroughly. There are at least five hundred Turkic camps there—over a hundred large camps and nearly four hundred small ones.”

“Five hundred camps?” Chen Ying’s heart skipped a beat.

The Turks’ small camps, akin to the Tang army’s squads, numbered ten to twelve men each. Large camps held fifty to sixty men. Roughly estimated, this meant over ten thousand soldiers. Intelligence from Chang’an had indicated only five thousand light cavalry stationed at Wild Boar Ridge—now their numbers had doubled.

If it were merely five thousand light cavalry, Chen Ying’s Right Guard’s sixteen regiments from four prefectures might still hold their own. But the disparity now was overwhelming.

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Chen Ying cautiously asked, “Could the Turks be bluffing?”

“In this hellish weather, no fires burn inside their tents—like ice cellars!” Luo Shixin rubbed his yellow-dripping foot, helplessly explaining, “Each of those thousand camps is inhabited. The Turks are naturally resource-poor. With this cold, every tent is worth several lives. They can’t afford to bluff.”

Chen Ying considered this. For an ordinary herder, a tent was the family’s main possession. Losing it meant death within hours in such weather.

Luo Shixin continued, “We’ve also gathered intelligence on Bokulü City. It’s garrisoned by the younger brother of the Turkic Shibike Khan Ashina Duojishi—Yehu Ashina Silifushe’s division.”

Chen Ying’s relaxed expression vanished, replaced by gravity. “How many men does Silifushe’s division have?”

“We haven’t confirmed exact numbers,” Luo Shixin said. “Silifushe commands capable troops. Bokulü City is inaccessible, but judging from the smoke rising, the force likely numbers no fewer than twenty thousand.”

“Twenty thousand!” Chen Ying’s head ached at the news. Combining the troops at Wild Boar Ridge and Bokulü City, the Turkic forces exceeded thirty thousand—six times the size of the Right Guard’s troops. Even if Liang Shidu sent no reinforcements, this force alone posed a severe threat.

Though Chen Ying’s mind churned with worry, his expression remained calm as he unfolded the map. Wild Boar Ridge lay thirty li northwest of Lingwu; Bokulü City was over sixty li south of Lingwu. The straight-line distance between them exceeded ninety li. On the map, ninety li translated to well over a hundred li in actual travel.

If the Turks at Wild Boar Ridge intended to reinforce Bokulü City, mounted scouts could arrive within an hour under normal conditions. But in this weather, it would take at least three hours.

Suddenly Chen Ying asked, “How many troops remain in Lingzhou now? What are the casualties? Also—”