Chapter 27: Why Not Use Barbarians to Control Barbarians?

Equipping cavalry with hook-sickle spears was, in fact, a bold experiment by Chen Ying. In his previous life, Chen Ying had seen the epic Polish film *With Fire and Sword*, which depicted the clashes between Polish cavalry and the forces of the Cossacks and Tatars. That film had left a profound impression on him; he had even researched the subject extensively, eventually learning of the glory and legend of the Polish Winged Hussars.

He was particularly struck by the scenes in the movie where cavalrymen, armed with long lances and arrayed in dense, wall-like formations, launched overwhelming charges against the enemy. Under their onslaught, the fierce Cossacks were broken, and the Tatars, who had once threatened to sweep across the world, fled in terror. This had made a lasting impact on Chen Ying.

Previously, he had lacked the opportunity. But now, as a Fourth-Rank General of Loyal Martial Power in the Right Guard of the Tang Dynasty, he had such a cavalry force under his command. It was the perfect moment to utilize the hook-sickle spears he had commissioned. With minimal extra effort, he had successfully debuted a simplified version of the Winged Hussars.

Perhaps Sili Fu-she was bitter about his defeat, believing it was only because he had sent in his weakest Turkic Tuojie cavalry first. But in truth, the outcome would have been the same regardless of which Turkic unit he had deployed. Even if the Turks’ most elite and best-equipped Fuli Army had taken the field, they would have found it impossible to escape such a rout.

In reality, Sili Fu-she should be grateful. Had the Fuli Army been deployed and faced such a total collapse, the myth of their invincibility would have been shattered like a bubble.

Lingzhou City was now an ocean of joy. With all four city gates thrown open, the residents, who had been trapped for over three months, hurried out under the protection of the army to cut firewood and store fuel.

Surveying the more than thirteen thousand Turkic captives, Chen Ying frowned and commanded: "We do not feed idlers. Pass on my order: every Turkic captive must chop thirty loads of firewood today, or they will not eat!"

Yang Ze looked at the dense crowd of captives outside the city with concern, his expression grave. "General Chen, with so many captives, what if they cause trouble..."

"Do not worry, Chief Clerk Yang!" Chen Ying laughed dismissively. "Have them bring Yuguni here."

Before long, Yuguni came running over in high spirits. Stopping about thirty paces from Chen Ying, he suddenly threw himself onto the snowy ground and crawled toward Chen Ying like a snake.

Chen Ying was utterly bewildered, watching Yuguni with confusion. "What is he doing?"

Du Shanguo explained, "General, you may not be aware, but this is the highest form of Turkic etiquette. It signifies his willingness to serve as your slave; he is offering you the kowtow of the boot-kissing ritual."

"The boot-kissing ritual?" Chen Ying vaguely recalled that similar customs existed in Europe, but he had never expected to find them among the Turks. As a man from a later era, he found it difficult to stomach such a deeply dehumanizing act.

Chen Ying was about to adopt a humble demeanor and help Yuguni up, but Du Shanguo grabbed his hand. "General, it would be best if you accepted it."

"How can I do that? Isn't that degrading?"

"The Turkic people are a very peculiar race," Du Shanguo said. "If you refuse his boot-kissing ritual, it will be a grave insult to Yuguni, and he will likely draw his blade and kill himself."

Chen Ying wore a helpless, bitter smile, thinking to himself, *What a bizarre race.*

As Du Shanguo had predicted, Yuguni was exceptionally solemn, his movements as pious and grave as if he were worshiping a divine spirit. At that moment, Chen Ying’s boots were coated in blood, mud, and bone fragments from the battlefield, yet Yuguni licked the grime from the leather as if it were a supreme delicacy.

Watching Yuguni’s filth-covered mouth, Chen Ying felt his stomach churn. After suppressing his nausea, he said, "Yuguni, I order you to oversee all the captives and ensure they cut wood. If there is any sign of unrest, execute them on the spot!"

"My master, rest assured!" Yuguni slowly backed away, sliding his body across the snow until he was a dozen paces away, at which point he rose to his feet.

Yuguni returned to his own unit of several thousand men and began shouting instructions. Moments later, the thousands of troops from the Yushe-she tribe jumped off their horses and began kowtowing frantically toward Chen Ying.

I use the word "frantically" because there was a fanatical adoration in their eyes, like super-fans meeting their favorite celebrity.

Before long, these soldiers remounted their horses without needing any further orders from Chen Ying. Yuguni divided his officers—the *dujiang* (thousand-man commanders), *qujiang* (hundred-man commanders), and *zhangmu* (squad leaders)—into hundreds of groups. Each oversaw dozens or hundreds of captives as they headed toward the woods outside Lingzhou.

When one captive moved too slowly, a *qujiang* lashed out with his horsewhip, beating the man to death on the spot before stopping.

This served as a powerful deterrent to the other Turks, who began chopping wood with great vigor. Although these captives held axes and wood-cutting knives—effectively arming them—not one dared to show any sign of defiance.

On the walls of Lingzhou, Yang Ze watched this scene in utter disbelief. "Are the Turks not known for being unruly and savage? How have they changed so quickly today?"

"They haven't changed. This is simply the nature of their entire race."

Yang Ze was greatly puzzled.

Chen Ying did not seem particularly familiar with the Turkic people; he didn't even know who Yiwuzhenmo, one of the four *Yehu* of the Eastern Turks, was. Yet, how could he be so certain they wouldn't rebel?

Seeing Yang Ze scratching his head in confusion, Chen Ying explained calmly, "The Turks believe in the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest. They are accustomed to attaching themselves to the strong. For thousands of years, the tribes beyond the Great Wall have been this way. To put it bluntly, they are like grass growing on a wall, bending with the wind. When the Xiongnu were powerful, the entire steppe took the name Xiongnu. When the Xianbei leader Tanshihuai was young, he was brave and resourceful; he was chosen as the tribal leader, established his capital at Mount Tanhanshan north of Gaoliu, raided the border commanderies to the south, resisted the Dingling to the north, defeated the Fuyu to the east, and struck at the Wusun to the west, occupying the old lands of the Xiongnu. Consequently, the tribes of the steppe abandoned the name Xiongnu and began calling themselves Xianbei. Later, when the Xianbei declined, the Rouran rose, and the entire desert north and south began calling themselves Rouran."

"Back then, the Turks were merely a blacksmithing vassal tribe under the Rouran Khanate. After the Shimen Khan defeated the Tiele and unified the steppe, all the tribes beyond the border were collectively called Turks."

Yang Ze nodded. "For thousands of years, we in the Central Plains have collectively called ourselves Huaxia. Regardless of whether the state name was Han, Jin, Wei, or Sui, everyone knows they are Huaxia."

"Exactly," Chen Ying said. "That is the nature of our national character. We revere our ancestors and know where our roots lie. But the tribes of the steppe are very forgetful. During the reign of the Wen Emperor of the previous dynasty, they were beaten into submission, yet in the era of Yang Guang, they besieged him at Yanmen Pass and nearly killed him. They are forgetful people. Now that we have won, we can drive them without a shred of guilt!"

Yang Ze said with a troubled expression, "General Chen, although we have grain in Lingzhou, there are so many Turks that no amount of food will be enough to sustain them!"

Chen Ying thought for a moment and said, "That is easy to solve. We shall demand it from Shibi Khan!"