Chapter Twelve: A Deliberate Plan

Fortunately, the Tang soldiers were well-prepared. Without needing an order, those guarding behind the wall of corpses simply crouched down in unison, pressing themselves close to the barrier.

A dense storm of arrows rained down, only to strike the slick, frozen wall of corpses and clatter harmlessly away.

Simultaneously, the crouching Tang soldiers seized the opportunity to nock their arrows. No sooner had the second wave of Turkic arrows fallen than a counter-volley from behind the wall tore into the arrogant ranks of the Turks, bringing a great number of them down.

Seeing this, Sili Feshe bellowed, "Warriors, charge! Slaughter the Tang dogs!"

Though the Turkic warriors had suffered over a hundred casualties, they were not deterred. The cavalrymen shouted wildly, their voices a cacophonous din. Despite the wall of corpses standing only four feet high, the twenty-pace distance remained a formidable obstacle to leap across.

The Turkic cavalry wheeled their horses around, retreated over two hundred paces, and then turned back to launch a fierce charge. More than two thousand Turkic horsemen surged forward like a tidal wave.

At this moment, the three or four hundred Tang soldiers guarding behind the wall turned and fled toward Red Hill Fortress, their expressions filled with panic.

Watching this, Sili Feshe was not surprised; in fact, he felt this was exactly how the Han people should behave. Gazing at the retreating figures, he roared, "Warriors, charge! Sever the heads of the Tang dogs!"

However, Bulugen, who had already tasted the bitterness of the Tang army's tactics, felt something was amiss. While the Tang soldiers appeared utterly defeated, their formation remained tight and disciplined; they showed no signs of a disorganized rout.

Before Bulugen could warn Sili Feshe, the Turkic vanguard began to vault over the wall of corpses.

But before the Turks who cleared the wall could let out a cheer, blood-curdling screams erupted one after another. As it turned out, the Tang soldiers had taken the broken weapons salvaged from the battlefield and driven them deep into the ground behind the wall, packing them tightly together. Hidden by the height of the wall, the approaching Turks had no way of seeing the forest of spears waiting for them.

The weapons, frozen solid into the ice-hardened ground, stood like a fixed, lethal forest. The Turkic riders, leaping over with great momentum, could not check their speed and were forced to helplessly impale themselves upon the blades.

*Squish... squish...*

The sharp spear tips pierced through the Turkic horses without resistance, skewering both man and beast into a single line.

"No! A trap!"

The Turkic cavalryman in mid-air screamed in terror. Alas, his cries were quickly drowned out by the shrill shrieks of the dying and the mournful neighing of wounded horses.

Those struck in the heart or head by the spears fixed in the snow died instantly—a mercy, perhaps. But many others suffered wounds to their limbs and non-vital areas, their agonizing screams sounding like slaughtered hogs, chilling to the marrow.

The Tang soldiers, who had nearly reached the walls of Red Hill Fortress, suddenly spun around, their faces hardening into masks of grim ferocity. They charged toward the struggling, screaming Turkic riders pinned in the forest of spears. With their own weapons flying, they wantonly reaped the lives of the Turks.

Xianyu Liang was not a Turk by birth; he was a Xianbei who had surrendered to the Turks and gradually risen to the rank of Dujiang. The Turks modeled their hierarchy after the Xianbei, organizing ten households into a *qu*, one hundred into a *bai*, and one thousand into a *du*, led by a Dujiang. Ten *du* formed a *she*, a rank capable of governing ten thousand households and serving as a tribal leader. However, the position of *she* was typically hereditary among the Turkic nobility.

For a Xianbei to become a Turkic Dujiang was a testament to his prowess; he had reached the pinnacle of military command within the Turkic Khanate. Xianyu Liang possessed extraordinary gifts: he could outrun a spooked horse on foot and had the strength to topple a sturdy ox. He was a renowned warrior of the Khanate.

Watching his own hundreds of men dying in agony, Xianyu Liang finally issued the order to cease the attack. His reaction was not slow, but the valiant and fearless Turks had charged too quickly, and a full six or seven hundred riders had already crossed the wall.

The fate of those who had crossed was sealed. Most were incapacitated by the dense forest of spears, and the Tang infantrymen were mercilessly harvesting their heads. The sight of six or seven hundred Turkic heads being collected sent the Tang soldiers into a frenzy of excitement.

Losing over six hundred warriors in the first engagement—a casualty rate of over five percent—left Sili Feshe so enraged he nearly vomited blood.

"These despicable Tang people! They don't dare fight the great Turkic warriors face-to-face, so they resort to these underhanded tricks!"

"Turkic warriors, slaughter the Tang dogs! We will cross the border! Beyond it lie endless riches and beautiful Han women. Once we break the fortress, I grant you three days to pillage the city!"

Stimulated by the promise of massive rewards, the Turkic soldiers seemed to forget their recent failure. They roared with excitement, preparing to launch a second assault.

If the Turks truly committed to an all-out attack, the Tang army would likely be unable to hold them off. The fixed spears were either broken or rendered useless by the sheer mass of men and horses piled upon them. Though a few remained behind the wall, they could at most claim another three or four hundred lives—a loss the Turkic force of nearly ten thousand could easily afford.

However, Bulugen and Xianyu Liang both knelt before Sili Feshe.

"Yehu, we cannot attack!"

"The Han are too treacherous. Charging like this is exactly what they want!"

"You base slaves, get out of my sight!" Sili Feshe erupted in fury, raising his whip to lash out at Bulugen’s head. Bulugen flinched, pulling his head back.

With a loud *crack*, the whip struck the air. Seeing Bulugen retreat, Sili Feshe was satisfied, but when he saw Xianyu Liang still kneeling before his horse, he roared, "Do you truly think I dare not kill you?"

"I dare not!" Xianyu Liang insisted, bracing himself. "Yehu, please, consider the bigger picture!"

Hearing this, Sili Feshe fell silent. The powerful Turkic Khanate was not a monolithic entity; it was rife with layers of contradiction and internal strife. It had been suggested by later generations that the Han people were the most adept at internal conflict.

That statement was unfair.

In truth, all nations were prone to infighting. For instance, without internal strife, the Tang Dynasty could never have driven the Turks to the shores of the Red Sea to eat sand. Without the internal conflicts of the Mongols, the Mongol Empire would not have been such a fleeting phenomenon. The Mongols swept across the world with casualties of only a few hundred thousand, yet their own internal slaughter claimed over a million lives.

Others might not have known, but as a Yehu, Sili Feshe was acutely aware of the undercurrents flowing beneath the surface of the seemingly mighty Khanate. His brother, Shibi Khan Duojishi, had seen his health decline significantly since the start of winter. Whether he could survive the season was in question. The struggle for the succession had become the most pressing issue.

His brother had four sons, two of whom were already adults and held the title of Yehu. The other two were still children. Which of these nephews ascended the throne would directly dictate his own future. Unlike the Central Plains, the Turkic succession did not rely on primogeniture, but on sheer power.

Duojishi’s overtures toward the Tang were undoubtedly a means to pave the way for his sons. As one of the four great Yehu of the Turks, Sili Feshe himself harbored ambitions for the throne. To seize power, strength was paramount. If his own forces were decimated here, he would lose any chance of contending for the Khanate.

Sili Feshe muttered, "Are we just to let it go?"

"Of course not," Bulugen replied. "We can deliberate on a better plan."