Chapter 010: The City of Bloodstains

To seize the initiative through mobile warfare, to distance oneself from the enemy's main force, and to defeat them one by one on specific battlefields with relative advantages is indeed a specialty of nomadic peoples. Mas'ud himself is well-versed in this strategy, so how could he easily fall into the trap set by the Tang people

The clothes had not yet been put on properly when I suddenly caught sight of a burst of flames rising into the sky outside the window, and I exclaimed in astonishment, "What is happening? What is that brightness?"

However, after two rounds of searching, no traps or mechanisms were found within the city

Attack the city

Masoud muttered curses: "Useless thing!" He then said: "However, it seems that the true main force has fled to the northwest. Hmph, these Tang bandits have indeed set an ambush to pursue. Unfortunately, I won't be fooled. Losing a few dozen men won't harm this lord's strength."

Follow the main force: "Others! Follow me to attack the city!"

The subordinate received the order and left, while Mas'ud indulged with two female slaves in a wild manner. The "Heavenly Demon Fragrance" is a type of hallucinogenic drug made from poppy. When ignited and inhaled, it induces a state of blissful hallucination, making one feel as if they are floating in the heavens. However, it is rare and expensive, only accessible to the princes of the steppes and the aristocrats of Arabia, from the Tianshan Mountains to the Mediterranean.

As she was about to ignite the incense, a messenger on a swift horse rushed in to report: "Dihikan! Our men pursuing to the northwest were ambushed on the road, resulting in dozens of casualties, and the remaining ones have fled back."

What should we do now? the subordinate asked

Our military strength is not significantly greater than that of this group of Tang bandits Masoud sneered If we divide our forces we will have even less advantage

The "Tang bandits" fled in two directions, likely one being genuine and the other a decoy. The decoy force is small and serves as a feint, possibly even using the elderly and weak to lure the enemy, while the real force constitutes the main strength

The Byzantine eunuch then expelled the Persian female slave. At that moment, a subordinate reported: "Dihkan! Our light cavalry sent to the northwest m.hetushu.com.com has suffered heavy losses, and the remaining troops have been driven back."

Masoud coldly said, "Good, good, very good!" Although he did not find anyone, the progress of the matter was exactly as he had anticipated. "Tang Kou"—if the old and weak were left behind and the young took to the battlefield, it would only lead to trouble. Now that Qingcheng is fleeing, she won't be able to run far, so there is no need to worry.

Masoud was furious: "What nonsense! She is just a torch; in such a short time, she can't even ignite a single room, how could she possibly burn down half a city!"

After splitting the troops, if we pursue them at night and encounter an ambush, it is likely that a portion of our forces will be consumed by the Tang army

The Byzantine eunuch exclaimed, "This is terrible! Attila, she... she is setting fires outside, and now half the city is ablaze!"

He estimates that after being ambushed once by the "Tang bandits," they would do their utmost to flee, which is a common occurrence in military affairs

Siege

"So... what should we do now?" Karasi asked, shrinking his head.

After a while, a subordinate returned with an urgent report: "The Tang bandits have several hundred cavalry and have already charged back, currently pressing towards the north of the city, right outside the city walls."

But soon news arrived: that group of "Tang bandits" had actually hidden some small boats and rafts among the long grass and sand piles upstream. "By the time our scouts arrived, most of them had already boarded the boats." However, in the dim light, it was difficult to see the details of the opposing side, and the scout cavalry did not dare to approach too closely.

Divide the troops? Divide your head!

However, although Masoud had been drinking, he still maintained some composure and pushed her away: "Go away, go somewhere else!" Even though he was only dealing with a group of bandits at the moment, drinking a little was acceptable, but consuming the Heavenly Demon Incense was out of the question

Masoud Road: "They are still fiercely battling with us during the day, starting to play tricks at dusk, and hurriedly fleeing as night falls, likely having no time to fiddle with these things". This further solidified the resolve.

Masoud saw that the outer layer was wax, but inside it was wrapped around a clump of something black. Bringing it closer to smell, he was somewhat surprised: "These Tang bandits, hiding in this godforsaken place, actually have Heavenly Demon Fragrance hidden here!"

Masoud became slightly alert: "Another ambush?"

What is Tianmo Xiang?

The Huíhé people searched everywhere but could not find a single living person. They returned to report: "Dihēkān, it seems that all these Tang bandits have just fled."

"Pursue? Where to pursue?"

Kalasida: "Why don't we split our forces into two and pursue separately..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was met with a furious scolding from Masoud!

Do not rush; wait until dawn to see which side is the feigned army and which side is the main force. If they are merely elite troops fleeing, they might still manage to escape. Since everyone has been taken away, there must be the old and weak among them who cannot go far.

Under the glow of the fire, Masoud saw seven or eight sheep tied by their hind legs and suspended, with a large drum placed beneath each sheep. The sheep struggled continuously, their front legs moving chaotically, naturally striking the drumheads. Masoud couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "No wonder the drum sounds so chaotic; it turns out to be this!"

Masoud leered, "This is a fine item, quite expensive. I heard it was concocted by Abdul Azim, and it's only sold over in Tarros Kulan City; elsewhere, it's just resold. However, I can't indulge right now, my dear. Today, you get a bargain; let me let you try it."

A female slave, feeling intoxicated after inhaling, leaned closer to Masoud and said, "Master, why don't you try a little too? It's quite enjoyable"

Karasik shouted: "Dihkan, be careful, Tangkou is about to turn defense into offense!"

Masoud scoffed upon hearing this: "Counterattacking with a defensive strategy? Previously, they had cities as shields, yet we defeated them to the point where they couldn't even fight back. Now that the cities are in our hands, how can they possibly counterattack? That would be tantamount to seeking death! Come, come!" He called to the remaining female slave: "Help me get dressed; I am going to deal with that group of foolish Tang bandits."

It is not an ambush, but a frontal assault; now it has turned into a counterattack.

Mas'ud, after having his subordinates search the area without finding any abnormalities, settled in and said to the soldiers: "The guards on duty should keep a close watch at the city gates, while the others can get a good night's sleep. Once the scouts return, we will pursue the Tang bandits tomorrow"

The general asked: "What shall we do now?"

This time, the "siege" was surprisingly easy. Although the sound of drums continued to echo from within the city, dozens of Huigu soldiers climbed to the top of the city walls without facing much resistance. After entering the city, they opened the city gates, and a throng of Huigu soldiers surged in.

Dihakan! Please give the order to pursue

All the generals exclaimed, "Dihakan is wise!"

If the forces of the Suiye people are included, the military strength of the Huigu people would not reach twice that of the Tang army. Once the troops are divided, one of the factions would be comparable to or even slightly weaker than the main force of the Tang army

Masoud's cool gaze swept over the generals: "We neither pursue those in the south, nor those in the north... We..."

Issue a command to the soldiers to occupy various strongholds within the city, while simultaneously conducting a second round of inspections to prevent the "Tang bandits" from leaving ambushes or setting traps

At the second watch of the night, Mas'ud could not sleep. After taking over Guo Shidao's residence, he discovered dozens of jars of fine wine. After confirming that they were not poisoned, Mas'ud embraced his beauties and drank the exquisite wine, reveling throughout the night. An occasional female servant extracted a few items from the bed's sideboard and presented them to Mas'ud, saying: "My lord, what do you think this is"

Mas'ud judged: The real one will certainly set an ambush midway. At this moment, the situation is that the Tang people are taking the initiative, while the Huigu and Tujue are in a passive position. To rashly pursue in this darkness is inherently dangerous; if they encounter an ambush and chaos ensues, the Huigu will lose their advantage in troop strength.

Only the blood and feathers of beasts, along with the entrails of livestock, were scattered everywhere. The foul odor that the Huigu people smelled at dusk wafted in from within the city; even outside the city, the stench was detectable, and upon entering, the foul smell was even more pronounced. Fortunately, the large house in the center was relatively clean—this was the stronghold of Suiye City, with Guo Shidao's official residence in front and living quarters behind; this area of houses was free from any unpleasant odors.

In the depths of the continent, inland rivers differ from rivers that flow into the sea; it is not necessarily the case that the water volume increases downstream. This is because most inland rivers rely on melting snow from mountains rather than rainfall to supply their water. Therefore, it is possible for the upstream to have a large water volume, but after flowing into the desert, it may dry up downstream. As early as the day before yesterday, Masoud had sent someone to investigate; in this section of the river, which spans over ten miles, the water depth is not sufficient for a horse to cross.

"Yes, let's attack the city!" Masoud laughed and said, "First, we will take down this earthen city. If the Tang bandits flee in a hurry, they will surely take the old, the weak, and the women with them, while we are all light cavalry. Even if we are a day or a day and a half late, we will still be able to catch up. Once they leave the city, they will be like sheep out of the pen; as long as we catch up to them, we can slaughter them at will."

The female slave swayed unsteadily, appearing both intoxicated and deranged. Suddenly, she took a torch and set something ablaze. Fortunately, this room of Guo Shidao's was mostly constructed of bricks and stones, with earthen walls that were not easily ignited. Mas'ud shouted, "Drive her out! If she wants to burn something, let her do it elsewhere!" After inhaling the Heavenly Demon incense, playing with fire was a normal occurrence. Having witnessed this many times, Mas'ud did not blame the female slave. Mas'ud shouted, "Drive her out! If she wants to burn something, let her do it elsewhere!" After inhaling the Heavenly Demon incense, playing with fire was a normal occurrence. Having witnessed this many times, Mas'ud did not blame the female slave.

The Huíhé people were infuriated upon hearing the news! These Tang bandits are truly cunning

A general remarked that the group to the south is likely genuine, as safety would be greatly enhanced after crossing the Mhetushucomcom River. Others argued that the group to the north must be authentic, given that the number of individuals fleeing from the north is significantly greater than those escaping from the south.

If there is anything unusual, it is that the city is filled with dead cattle, dead sheep, dead horses, dead pigs, and even dead chickens and ducks, all of which have had their throats cut and their bellies opened. An old veterinarian among the Huigu people examined the carcasses of these livestock and later determined that they were not poisoned or afflicted by plague. Masoud said: "These must be things they cannot take away. The Han people are the worst; they would rather destroy what they cannot take with them than leave it behind. According to their reasoning, leaving things for the enemy is considered aiding the enemy"

What should we do? Send another 100 cavalry to pursue! There is no need to follow too closely, just make sure not to lose them.

The generals looked up at him

The large army broke camp, yet did not immediately pursue the fleeing "Tang bandits" heading north, nor did it promptly chase after the enemy troops fleeing south

At this moment, Masoud was slightly intoxicated and laughed heartily: "I thought these Tang bandit leaders understood warfare, but it turns out they only have a half-hearted grasp of it—after ambushing our pursuers, they should have deployed decoy troops and then escaped by different routes—perhaps that would have given them a chance to flee. Now they actually come back; isn't that just asking for death?"

To the south of the Octagonal Earth City lies a river named Broken Leaf, which is its upstream.

Mas'ud dispatched a general to lead two hundred light cavalry: "You are to pursue the fleeing crowd heading northwest. There is no need to engage in battle; just ensure that they are not lost." He also instructed Karasi: "You should send another two hundred men to patrol the river and see if there is a way to cross it."

He ordered someone to check other places, such as the well and the blacksmith workshop. Soon, his subordinate returned to report that the well had been blocked and the large tools in the blacksmith workshop that could not be moved had all been smashed. Masoud smiled at the generals and said, "See, I was right, wasn't I?"