Chapter Five: Do Your Best and Leave the Rest to Fate

Chen Ying had intended to lure the Turks into the salt lake region, planning to use the hollow, thin ice layers formed by the salt flats to inflict casualties upon them. When Chen proposed this plan to the officers of the Right Guard, He Yuejing, the Deputy Commander, furrowed his brows and shook his head. "Commander Chen," he said, "I fear the Turks will not be so easily deceived."

"What do you mean?" Chen asked.

He Yuejing explained, "Last year, on the first day of the third lunar month and again on the fourth day of the seventh, Liang Shidu invaded Lingzhou. Since the ninth month, he has raided the city three times. In particular, the local powerful clansmen Liu Tong and Zhang Ju have both defected to Liang Shidu. As natives of Lingzhou, they are well aware of the treacherous nature of the salt lake. The Turks will not only see through our ploy, but they might even turn it against us."

Within the city, space was limited. Many commoners and gentry did not live inside the walls but instead sought protection in fortified manors. Especially in the border prefectures, such strongholds were numerous. These fortified residences, known as "坞壁" (wubi), were defensive structures that emerged during the Tianfeng era of Wang Mang’s reign, a time of famine and social unrest. Wealthy families had built them for self-preservation.

The strongholds outside Lingzhou were small, housing anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred people, making them impossible to defend against the massive Liang-Turk allied forces. During the seventh month, while Liang Shidu failed to take Lingzhou, he managed to capture the Jiang family’s stronghold. Its master was the Tang Dynasty’s General of the Right Martial Guard, Jiang Baoyi, said to be a descendant of the Three Kingdoms-era general Jiang Wei.

Jiang Baoyi and his son, Jiang Xie, were stationed in Taiyuan fighting Liu Wuzhou, leaving only the elderly, weak, and infirm behind in the stronghold. After conquering it, Liang Shidu slaughtered all 273 people within, with only Jiang Baoyi’s illegitimate son, Jiang Pan, surviving by hiding beneath a corpse in a dry well.

In the ninth month, when Liang Shidu led his main force to attack Lingzhou again, Zhang Ju, fearing his own family stronghold would meet the same fate, opened his gates and surrendered with over four hundred clansmen, earning an appointment as a Right Commander of the Liang Kingdom. While Zhang claimed he surrendered to protect his people, it was driven more by his own resentment. In terms of strength and population, the Lingzhou Zhang clan was far superior to the Tianshui Jiang branch in Lingzhou. Yet, Jiang Baoyi had traveled to Chang'an in his youth and was an old acquaintance of the Emperor. When Li Yuan raised his army, Jiang was already a Left Commander, later rising to General of the Right Martial Guard and being enfeoffed as the Duke of Yong'an. Zhang Ju, by contrast, had not even held a ninth-rank office. Once Zhang surrendered and was appointed a Right Commander, Liu Tong followed suit.

Lu Decao remarked, "Deputy Commander He’s words are perhaps too alarmist. The Turks might not consider such things, and they likely do not view local gentry like Liu Tong and Zhang Ju as significant figures anyway."

"One must consider the possibility of defeat to remain invincible; we cannot rely on the enemy’s oversight," Chen Ying replied after a moment of thought. "For now, I have no better plan. When fighting the Turks, caution is paramount. Our greatest advantage is that the Turks cannot discern our true strength. Furthermore, we possess an advantage they lack: we do not need to worry about frostbite, and being near hot springs, our fuel consumption is manageable. If the weather turns even colder, the Turks at Boguli City will surely be the first to collapse."

Wei Wenzhong stroked his beard and said, "But Lingzhou has been under siege for three months. While their grain supply is not an immediate concern, fuel is scarce. I wonder if they can hold out."

...

Chen Ying could not have known that fuel in Lingzhou was already exhausted. To keep warm, the citizens had begun burning corpses. When a body is in an advanced state of decay, it becomes fatty and, when combined with dry wood or other kindling, can be used as fuel. Because of the extreme cold, the bodies of soldiers and civilians who had died recently could not be burned; however, the townspeople began digging up the remains of those who had died in the seventh month to use for warmth. Even so, these numbers were few, and they could not last much longer.

On the walls of Lingzhou, the wind howled like a blade. Governor Guo Zihe dared not hide in his office to escape the cold; his presence on the ramparts was the only thing keeping the sagging morale of the troops alive. Though in his prime, his energy was waning. He gripped his sword hilt, watching the soldiers and laborers, whose faces were filled with the stillness of death. Were it not for Guo leading by example, Lingzhou would have fallen long ago. Yet, he knew that once the last of the corpses had been burned, even his resolve would not be enough.

"It seems we have only one path left," Guo said to Yang Ze, his expression solemn.

"Are you planning a breakout?" Yang Ze asked, pondering. "At this time of year, breaking out is as difficult as reaching the heavens. There is almost no hope of success."

"I am well aware of that," Guo replied. "I only wish to confirm one thing."

"Are there reinforcements?" Yang Ze sighed. "The snow came earlier than usual this year. By the time the news reached Chang'an, the roads were already blocked. Even if His Majesty dispatched reinforcements, they could not reach Lingzhou for some time."

This was indeed the issue. With the roads sealed by heavy snow, marching was far slower than usual. Even if the news reached Chang'an, it would take a week or more to prepare, and at a pace of eighty *li* per day, the journey would take nearly a month. Under these weather conditions, no army could maintain such a speed.

"Our fuel will last at most half a month," Guo Zihe stated. "Send a suicide squad to break out and find the road to Chang'an. If they do not encounter reinforcements within seven days, they must return. While we still have the strength to fight, we will clash with the Turks—killing one is breaking even, killing two is a profit."

"I have no other skills, but I can at least serve as a messenger," Yang Ze said with a forced, lighthearted smile.

Guo knew the breakout would be far from the simple task Yang described. A safe journey was the ideal, but it was nearly impossible. The most likely outcome was that the entire squad would perish in the bloodletting.

"There is no need to rush," Guo said. "Let us rest for the night and begin the breakout tomorrow morning."

For over two months, Guo had barely left the city walls, eating, sleeping, and commanding from the gate tower. Fortunately, neither Liang Shidu nor the Turks possessed heavy catapults; a single stone from one would have destroyed the city’s command center.

Inside the tower, despite a brazier burning, the cold was bone-piercing. Yang Ze looked at the wounded soldiers moaning in agony throughout the room, his heart growing heavier. "Governor, I fear I may fail in this task."

"We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate," Guo replied.