Heaven is the shore of mortal dust - Chapter 119
A moment later, a deafening roar erupted from the empty land, each shout filled with murderous intent echoing through the sky, shaking the heavens and earth, causing everything around to tremble. The rising sun burst forth amidst the thunderous roar.
"Move out—" came the cold command. The army surged forward like a dark cloud, the thunderous sound of hooves like a tidal wave, the perfectly aligned formations moved swiftly, their iron-clad armor gleaming in the morning sun.
Around noon, the imposing army arrived at Luochuan. A large river stretched out before them. According to the information Wei Zijun had gathered, there was a pontoon bridge here. Crossing the pontoon bridge would allow them to quickly reach Mantianzhai.
But when they found the pontoon bridge, they were taken aback.
On the opposite bank of the river, the Tibetan army stretched out along the riverbank, watching them intently. They were also dismantling the pontoon bridge over the river, trying to use the river to block their advance.
Just then, before the pontoon bridge was completely dismantled, the military advisor named Fang Gu suddenly broke out of the ranks and rushed towards it. The Tibetan army was busy dismantling the bridge, and by the time they realized that the Dayu soldiers had suddenly rushed onto the bridge, they only saw the silver gleam of the longsword being wielded, and the next moment, they had already fallen into the water.
Seeing this, several more Tibetan soldiers rushed out from the opposite bank, charging towards Fang Gu. In desperation, Wei Zijun drew an arrow from a nearby soldier and fired at the leading Tibetan soldier. As the soldier fell into the water, Wei Zijun leaped from her horse, like a silver arrow, carrying the force to shatter metal and split stone, and soared into the sky. A white whirlwind suddenly arose, sweeping away all the Tibetan soldiers who were brandishing their swords and halberds at Fang Gu into the river.
The cheers and shouts of the Dayu army suddenly rose, and then they all rushed onto the floating bridge with their Wind King.
Seeing the white figure flying towards them, and the large banner bearing the character "Wei" that was the first to rush onto the bridge, and then seeing the unstoppable, fiercely charging soldiers, the Tibetan army retreated as quickly as startled crows. "Retreat! It's Wei Feng's army! Retreat to Mantianzhai!"
The escape of the Tibetan army allowed the Dayu army to cross the river in an instant.
Wei Zijun turned to look at Fang Gu. This military advisor was indeed strong; he could kill enemies with a single hand wielding a long-handed broadsword.
"How's your arm?" she asked, tilting her head and lowering her eyelashes.
"Wind King, he's alright," Fang Gu replied.
"That's good. Be careful not to bump into it."
"Yes." Fang Gu raised his head slightly and glanced at her.
Mantianzhai, built high in the mountains and surrounded by towering cliffs on both sides, is a typical example of a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. This place had long been occupied by the Tibetan army led by Gongsong Gongzan.
However, this is the only road that leads to Shu County.
Knowing that the terrain was treacherous and difficult to attack from above, Wei Zijun did not intend to launch a direct assault.
He summoned Yan Jingguang, whispered some instructions in his ear, and then Yan Jingguang left with a smile.
It was just past noon, and the soldiers, having eaten and drunk their fill, gathered at the foot of the mountain and began to look up and curse loudly.
"Gongsong Gongzan—has your beard grown yet—"
"Gongsong Gongzan—your enemy is humiliating you, why don't you come out and kowtow to beg for mercy—"
"Gongsong Gongzan—you look so beautiful in women's clothing! Come out quickly, our commander has prepared the finest face powder and rouge for you! He wants to dress you up again—"
"Gongsong Gongzan—haven't you had enough of women's clothes? If you dare to get down, we'll put another set of women's floral quilts on you—hahaha—and put two big oranges on your chest—"
"Gongsong Gongzan has no beard—Gongsong Gongzan is a woman—"
The shouts and jeers from the foot of the mountain were mixed with the jeers. The Tibetan soldiers on the mountain all looked at Gongsong Gongzan. Their commander had such a humiliating experience.
Seeing Gongsong Gongzan's face growing increasingly pale, when he heard about the two large oranges, he could no longer contain himself and roared, "Send the troops—!"
Note: ① Mantianzhai. Located in Guangyuan, Sichuan, it was renamed Chaotianxia during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. It was a major passage for the people of Shu (Sichuan) to communicate with Guanzhong and the Central Plains.
Volume 3, Dayu Chapter 105: Surrounded
With the thunderous sound of war drums, Gongsong Gongzan led the Tibetan army straight down the mountain. Relying on having twice the number of troops, they mobilized their entire village to fight, aiming to decisively defeat Yu's army in one fell swoop.
A pair of fiery eyes stared directly at the smiling figure in front of the Dayu army. His chest was burning with rage, and he held the Qiong Blade and charged straight at that figure.
The Dayu army surged towards Wei Zijun and clashed with Gongsong and Gongzan. After a brief exchange, the Dayu army, outnumbered, began to retreat. Gongsong and Gongzan led their troops in pursuit, and when they spotted the faintly visible figure in the ranks, they became even more enraged and continued their chase.
His heart burned with rage, his only thought being to annihilate this army, capture that man alive, and utterly humiliate him. He pursued them relentlessly for over ten miles when Gongsong Gongzan suddenly sensed something amiss. Why were so few of the Dayu army's fleeing soldiers? Had they fallen for a diversionary tactic? He cried out in alarm, "This is bad!" and immediately ordered a retreat.
But it was too late.
Just as the gong sounded, two groups of Dayu cavalry suddenly surged out from both sides, flanking Gongsong Gongzan and blocking his path back to Mantianzhai. At the same time, Wei Zijun led the fleeing Dayu army back and charged forward. Attacked from three directions simultaneously, Gongsong Gongzan was thrown into disarray by this unexpected situation. His mind was also preoccupied with the almost empty mountain stronghold, so he lost his will to fight and only thought about breaking through the encirclement.
Until a plume of smoke rose slowly over Mantian Village, a faint smile appeared on Wei Zijun's lips. She knew that the 20,000 ambushes led by Fang Gu had already captured Mantian Village from the rear.
Meanwhile, the two Yu troops led by Yan Jingguang and his deputy Ran Ping, who were intercepting the Tubo army, suddenly retreated rapidly towards Mantianzhai after seeing the smoke.
The Tibetan army immediately gave chase.
The plan was to launch a pincer attack to annihilate the Tibetan army, but Wei Zijun worried that Yu's army was outnumbered and would suffer heavy casualties, so she continued to retreat. She retreated until she reached the pontoon bridge she had crossed that morning, and then crossed to the other side of the river.
Upon reaching the other side, Wei Zijun immediately ordered the army to remove the ropes from the pontoon bridge and plunge into the water. Then, he ordered the army to rest in the open on the shore.
"You want to trap the Tibetan army on the other side?" Miaozhou finally took the initiative to ask about the military situation.
"They won't die of starvation, but they'll be half-dead." Wei Zijun smiled. "They can't break through Mantian Village, and they can't retreat from here. They have no food or supplies, and they don't even have food for tonight. Hehe—" She then smiled happily.
Miao Zhou stared at her smile, lost in thought. He saw her leaning wearily against the tree trunk, looking drowsy, yet still calculating the fate of the enemy. She looked quite adorable.
I heard from His Majesty that he was known for his excessive sleepiness, yet he could go without sleep for several days for the sake of the greater good. I couldn't help but feel sorry for this young man.
That night, Wei Zijun ordered the army to camp in the woods by the riverbank. Seeing that the army was resting peacefully, she found an open space and lay down on the spot fully clothed.
Miao Zhou glanced at the thin figure, then went out, pulled up a large bundle of reeds and spread them on the ground. He then took off his outer robe and spread it on the reeds, gently calling to Wei Zijun, "Fourth Young Master—the ground by the river is damp, sleep here."
He called her several times, but Wei Zijun did not respond, so he went over and gently picked her up and placed her on the grass. When he put her down, he saw that her collar was disheveled from sleeping, revealing her slender and beautiful collarbone. He stared at it for a while, then gently pulled at her collar, trying to cover that view.
Just as his fingers tugged at her collar, Wei Zijun grabbed him. Miao Zhou thought she had woken up, but when he looked up, he saw that she was still fast asleep.
He hadn't slept for four days and nights, no wonder he was sleeping so soundly, Miao Zhou muttered to himself. This person hadn't even noticed him being carried away, yet the slightest tug at his collar made him grip his hand tightly with such sensitivity.
He saw her long, slender, white hand gripping his tightly, so tightly that her knuckles turned white, so tightly that he couldn't pull his hand away. He smiled wryly, "Fine, let her hold on like this." And so he lay down beside her.
The next day, the Tibetan army arrived at the riverbank, only to find the pontoon bridge destroyed. Helpless, they had no choice but to head west along the riverbank.
"Your Highness, the Tibetan army has been gone for quite some time. Shouldn't we hurry to Mantian Village?" Yan Jingguang asked.
"Wait a little longer. The Shannan Road garrison will arrive this afternoon." On the day Wei Zijun set off from Daxing, he sent someone with his own letter to dispatch the Shannan Road garrison. Today, he learned that the Shannan Road garrison will arrive at Mantian Village this afternoon.
"Order men to repair the pontoon bridge, and we will cross the river this afternoon."
"yes."
By the afternoon, the troops stationed in Shannan arrived as scheduled. The two armies met at the riverbank and then crossed the pontoon bridge to head to Mantianzhai.
Wei Zijun left 30,000 elite soldiers to guard Mantian Village, and led 70,000 troops to continue upwards. On the evening of the third day, they finally arrived at Jianmen.
Jianmen Pass, a strategic barrier in northern Sichuan and the throat of western Sichuan, has long been known as the "most formidable pass under heaven" and was a must-win location for military strategists. Jianmen Pass boasts a high and precipitous position, with cliffs resembling city walls and a single road like a gate, making it impregnable for even a single man to hold off ten thousand.
Since ancient times, it has been said that "the road to Shu is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven." Along the hundreds of miles of the ancient Shu Road, peaks rise one after another, cliffs pierce the clouds, majestic and perilous, magnificent and varied. Such a formidable barrier protecting the Shu region truly made Wei Zijun sigh with emotion once again.
This place had already been occupied by the Tibetan army.
The Dayu army camped and rested in a wide open area in the mountains. Wei Zijun, holding a map, sat under a tree, the setting sun casting a soft halo around her, making her look serene and gentle.
"Your Highness, this pass is so formidable; one man can hold it against ten thousand. We cannot launch a direct assault." Yan Jingguang and his generals gathered around her and sat down beside her.
After several days of interaction, the soldiers discovered that although the princess sometimes exuded a regal and imposing aura, appearing dignified and unapproachable, they found her to be quite approachable. They didn't know what it was about her that attracted them; not only when she smiled, but even when she had a cold expression, the soldiers were drawn to her.
Wei Zijun looked up and glanced around, "Call Fang Gu over as well."
Once everyone was present, Wei Zijun spread the military map on him and said, "Jianmen Pass cannot be attacked by force, but it cannot be left unattended either. Look here." She drew a line on the map with her slender finger. "Southeast of Jianmen, there is a small road called Laisu. General Yan, tonight you will lead 50,000 troops to quietly bypass Jianmen Pass and cut off their retreat. Tomorrow at noon, when the Tibetan army is extremely exhausted and lethargic, we will launch a pincer attack. Remember, once it reaches noon, no matter what happens, you must attack. No surprises are allowed. Because we are ahead, we will definitely launch the attack on time. This time, we must take Jianmen Pass in one fell swoop."
The generals gazed at the young princess. She lowered her chin slightly, intently studying the map. The setting sun cast a golden glow on her eyelashes, and a few stray strands of hair shimmered with gold, swaying in the breeze. Her tone was full of confidence, as if victory were already in her grasp. She raised her head, her face displaying an unusually resolute expression. The generals felt as if, if she said she would conquer the land in one fell swoop, she would surely succeed.
As the sun slowly set, the mountains were enveloped in a glow of golden-red light, a color so intense it was almost blinding.
The marching of the past few days had left her no time to wash, and the usually clean-living woman finally couldn't resist anymore. If only she could take a bath.
With a few quick leaps, they quietly circled around the back mountain and stopped at a secluded spot near a mountain spring.
Her clear eyes swept around, and after listening carefully, she found nothing amiss. She then began to gently undress, removing her outer garment and quickly taking off her inner garment before disappearing into the spring.