Chapter Seventy-Nine: Marshal Yang Speaks with Reason

Upon receiving Cui Qianyou’s report that the assault on Tongguan had been halted due to a sudden flood in the Forbidden Ravine, which swept away the bridge of corpses and over a thousand soldiers crossing it into the Yellow River, An Qingxu stamped his feet in despair and let out a long sigh.

The Forbidden Ravine had always been a formidable obstacle, a chasm nearly impossible to cross, causing much vexation. After Lingbao’s defeat, the bodies of countless Tang soldiers nearly filled the Forbidden Ravine, making it almost passable. When An Qingxu first received Cui Qianyou’s report, he was overjoyed and repeatedly ordered Cui Qianyou to attack Tongguan at any cost. Cui Qianyou obeyed, but the results were not as hoped. Ultimately, the offensive failed at the city’s gates, and the sudden flood erased all their efforts, leaving An Qingxu bitterly disappointed.

What frustrated him even more was that after the flood, Cui Qianyou ceased the attack on Tongguan and withdrew his troops for respite. When An Qingxu received this message, he flew into a rage. What he wanted was relentless assault, denying the Tang soldiers on the ramparts any respite and striving to seize Tongguan before Tang reinforcements arrived.

An Qingxu knew well that once Tang reinforcements arrived, the difficulty of capturing Tongguan would multiply. Even if they could overcome the challenge posed by the Forbidden Ravine, the tall, sturdy walls and treacherous terrain of Tongguan would make storming the ramparts a daunting task. Upon receiving Cui Qianyou’s report, An Qingxu immediately ordered the attack to resume and personally led a detachment, hurrying toward Cui Qianyou’s command post near Tongguan.

Cui Qianyou found himself in a dilemma upon receiving An Qingxu’s renewed order to attack. He had already ordered the entire army to retreat and rest before fighting again. If he forced the troops to fight without rest, not only would the cost be greater, but morale would suffer, and any hope of success would be lost, squandering lives in vain. Thus, he sent a swift report to An Qingxu, explaining his reasoning, and ordered the troops to rest, replenish food and water, and instructed his officers to prepare for a night assault.

Though Cui Qianyou’s order to halt the attack seemed foolish, it was not without reason. When An Qingxu arrived at Cui Qianyou’s command post and heard his explanation, his anger abated somewhat. After surveying the terrain of Tongguan and listening to the report, An Qingxu further understood how defensible the city was and did not pursue the matter, instead discussing the next steps for the assault.

With over a hundred thousand troops gathered before Tongguan, and the Han city already captured, there was no possibility of retreat, regardless of the recent heavy losses and daunting challenges ahead. More effort was needed.

“Attack the city overnight!” This was the conclusion reached after An Qingxu convened all his senior officers for counsel.

They now had a new plan for the assault: fill the ravine and build a road, turning the natural barrier into a thoroughfare.

The terrain at the east and north gates was too perilous for large-scale deployment; these would serve only as feints, with the main attack focused on the south gate. Nevertheless, the assaults in these directions would continue, and any success would be welcome.

Once the orders were given, soldiers who had rested for over two hours sprang into action, preparing for a continuous night assault on Tongguan. Their orders were clear: before attacking, fill the Forbidden Ravine outside the south gate.

More than a hundred thousand troops had gathered outside Tongguan; if each carried a handful of earth, the ravine could be filled.

By now, the water in the Forbidden Ravine had subsided significantly from the afternoon, its depth only reaching halfway up a soldier’s calf and steadily decreasing. By tomorrow, it would likely be only ankle-deep. With so many working together, the ravine could be filled.

With the decision made, the soldiers moved swiftly. Barely half an hour after the arrival of Zhang Jian’s Tang reinforcements, Cui Qianyou’s vanguard resumed their large-scale assault.

Upon hearing reports that the rebel army was attacking overnight, Yang Xi was unsurprised. Yet, when he climbed the ramparts and saw torches flickering across the hills, he could not help but feel a sense of awe.

Hundreds of thousands of troops, tens of thousands of torches, adorned the landscape like stars, a truly magnificent spectacle.

The moon was nearly full and cast a broad outline over the hills. The rebels’ gathered forces could be discerned, a dense, intimidating mass. Under the torchlight, their momentum seemed even more daunting. Yet the Tang soldiers on the ramparts felt little pressure; after withstanding the brutal assaults of the day, when the rebels nearly breached the walls, the current threat was not as grave. The rebels had not yet reached the city, only advancing to the eastern edge of the Forbidden Ravine.

“Marshal Yang, the rebel army’s night assault is merely a tactic to exhaust us, to deprive our troops of rest and wear them down!” Standing beside Yang Xi atop the gate tower, Wang Sili, watching the torch formation slowly advancing toward the ravine, remarked with some confusion, “Marshal, I cannot understand why Cui Qianyou gave up the chance to continue the attack in the day, abandoning nearly ten thousand soldiers at Tongguan and halting the assault, only to resume it at night. Is this not illogical?”

“General Wang, if my guess is correct, An Qingxu has arrived to personally command the assault. Cui Qianyou was compelled by An Qingxu’s pressure to launch the night attack!” Yang Xi looked at Wang Sili and the other officers, speaking confidently. “The rebels are attacking overnight because they do not realize our reinforcements have arrived. They still hope to seize Tongguan before our forces can support it. If they discover our reinforcements are here, their morale will break, and they may soon call off the attack!”

“You are right, Marshal!” Pang Zhong interjected. “The rebels are attacking today without regard for casualties, hoping to breach Tongguan before our reinforcements arrive. If they realize our support is here, they may stop the assault, even withdraw to defend Luoyang!”

The other officers echoed Yang Xi’s and Pang Zhong’s views, and even the usually taciturn Geshu Han voiced no disagreement.

Seeing their consensus, Yang Xi grew more resolute in his decision and continued, “Since you are all of this opinion, I have decided that when the rebels begin their assault, we will respond with full force, creating the illusion that our reinforcements have arrived in strength at Tongguan, thus shattering their confidence!”

“Yes, Marshal! Understood!” the officers replied in unison.

With a stern expression, Yang Xi issued another order: “With the Forbidden Ravine’s natural barrier restored, the rebels cannot launch a large-scale attack on the ramparts. They may attempt to fill the ravine with earth, stones, or timber. We must not allow them to fill the ravine and must strike hard. All troops are to prepare and greet their assault with the densest barrage of arrows. Let them taste what it means for arrows to rain down!”

“Yes, Marshal!”

As the officers responded in unison, the rebel war drums began to thunder. Countless soldiers shouted as they charged toward the Forbidden Ravine!

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