Chapter 125: Fu Zihou's Deduction and the Tujue Night Raid

On the plains.

As the setting sun descended, the soldiers of the Sui army found a valley among the endless mountain ranges to use as a resting place.

The closer one got to the north, the greater the temperature difference between day and night, and fierce winds swept across the plains. Without baggage trains, spending the night on the open plains was far inferior to lighting fires and seeking shelter from the wind inside a valley.

"If you release me, I am willing to give the order for the Tujue forces to return to the north!"

Bound tightly, Jishi Wuli spoke to Li Shimin and Fu Zihou, who were roasting meat over a nearby campfire.

Inhaling the fragrant aroma of the roasted meat and listening to Jishi Wuli's words, Li Shimin wore a thoughtful expression.

For Li Shimin, killing Jishi Wuli held no real benefit. Compared to capable and battle-hardened figures like the Tujue collateral royal kinsman Dumu Duolu and Mo Mo Dagan, Jishi Wuli was merely a learned and scholarly man among the Tujue.

Given Jishi Wuli's status and position, releasing him back to the Tujue would yield far greater practical advantages.

"I will not break my word!"

Jishi Wuli continued.

From listening to the discussions among these Sui military commanders just now, Jishi Wuli had already figured out that their true target was Wei Dao'er's forces in Taiyuan Commandery. As long as the Tujue main army withdrew, these men could focus their efforts entirely on dealing with Wei Dao'er's army, which was the very purpose of this Sui cavalry force coming to Yanmen.

"What do you think?"

Without rushing to answer Jishi Wuli, Li Shimin looked toward Fu Zihou.

Although he already knew that Fu Zihou also intended to spare Jishi Wuli—otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically arranged for Jishi Wuli to feel indebted to him upon capture—Li Shimin was unsure whether Fu Zihou was satisfied with Jishi Wuli's conditions.

Hearing Li Shimin's inquiry, Fu Zihou glanced at Jishi Wuli.

"If we let him go now, the Tujue will withdraw, sparing our soldiers a battle. But that does not mean the Tujue army will not sweep back southward. Next time, it could be in half a month or a month. And when they return, it will be these same people, or perhaps even tens of thousands more Tujue..."

Having said this, Fu Zihou looked at Li Shimin.

"I believe in one principle: if you want the Tujue to remain peacefully in the north, it is not any promise from the mouths of the Tujue that you must rely on, but the sharp swords in our own hands! Only by making them fear us will they hesitate when breaking their promises! Only by making them terrified will Tujue commanders and the men of the Tujue tribes weigh the gains and losses before marching south! No matter how high Jishi Wuli's position is among the Tujue, he cannot speak for all Tujue people. If we want the Tujue to stop at the border, it has never depended on honoring Tujue promises; it requires us, the people of the Central Plains, to measure out the boundaries for the Tujue with our own swords!"

As Fu Zihou's voice faded, Jishi Wuli stared straight at him. Across his haggard face, a look of helplessness emerged, followed by a soft sigh.

"The territory the Tujue cannot cross is something we must measure out for them with our swords..."

Listening to Fu Zihou's words, Li Shimin savored them for a long time, increasingly appreciating the profound meaning hidden within.

"Indeed so!"

Li Shimin felt a deep inner stirring. Looking back through history across countless dynasties, whenever the Central Plains were weak, the northern nomads would ride south to plunder; whenever the Central Plains were strong, the north would grow fearful and behave themselves.

"If you want the respect of the Tujue, you must ultimately depend on the sharpness of your own blade!"

Li Shimin spoke, then glanced once more at Jishi Wuli.

He slowly stood up.

Holding a piece of roasted horsemeat, Li Shimin walked over to Jishi Wuli, untied his bonds, and handed the meat to him.

"Tomorrow, we will still fight another battle against the Tujue army! If we are defeated, I will let you go, and I hope you keep your word. If we are victorious, I will still let you go, and I trust you will not break your promise then either!"

Li Shimin said to Jishi Wuli.

Looking at Li Shimin, Jishi Wuli naturally understood the implications of his words: one promise to be kept, and one vow not to be broken.

Accepting the horsemeat handed to him by Li Shimin, Jishi Wuli gave him a deep, lingering look.

"Very well! What is your name?"

Observing Li Shimin's demeanor and bearing as he stood up, Jishi Wuli could not help but ask.

Even though Li Shimin was much younger than himself.

Even though Li Shimin was currently covered in dust and dried blood, wearing armor that had not been removed for days and carried a faint odor, Jishi Wuli could still perceive that this Sui general was destined for great achievements in the future.

"My name is Li Shimin!"

Li Shimin turned his head and replied to Jishi Wuli.

While the Sui soldiers were resting, Fu Zihou observed the sky and walked over to Hu Jingyuan.

"Take five hundred soldiers, lead horses, and drag the corpses from the battlefield back here. One horse for every two bodies!"

Fu Zihou instructed Hu Jingyuan.

"Understood!"

Hu Jingyuan saluted, accepted the order, and turned to assemble the troops.

Following closely beside Fu Zihou, Li Shimin heard these instructions and cast a puzzled glance at him.

Corpses? Fu Zihou was sending men to haul back Tujue corpses at a time like this?

Gazing at the surrounding ring of mountains.

"Are you worried the Tujue will launch a night raid?"

Realizing the reason behind Fu Zihou's demand for the corpses, Li Shimin asked.

"Indeed! Even though we concealed our tracks and saw no Tujue scouts."

Fu Zihou nodded, then looked toward Jishi Wuli, who was eating his horsemeat.

"But this man is skilled at raising golden eagles! I am certain that the Tujue who bred golden eagles for him will find a way to track us down through those birds!"

Said Fu Zihou.

"Golden eagles!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin turned his gaze back to Jishi Wuli.

Jishi Wuli was still eating the horsemeat. Although he tried hard to conceal his inner shock, his slightly ragged breathing betrayed him.

Seeing out of the corner of his eye that several Sui officers were already leading soldiers and horses away, Jishi Wuli knew that the Sui commander's mind was made up and any further struggle was futile.

He raised his head to look at the young Sui general standing beside Li Shimin.

If Jishi Wuli's respect for Li Shimin stemmed from his inner admiration for his composure and bearing, then looking at this even younger Sui general—the one whose authority among the cavalry seemingly surpassed even Li Shimin's—he felt a creeping chill deep within his heart.

In all his years of dealing with Central Plains generals, he had never once encountered anyone who would pay attention to his golden eagles.

Although this young Sui general was even younger than Li Shimin, this single detail made Jishi Wuli unwilling to underestimate him.

Furthermore, even Jishi Wuli himself was unsure whether Dumu Duolu and Mo Mo Dagan would send troops for a night raid. Yet, seeing the absolute certainty on the young Sui general's face, Jishi Wuli could not help but feel a sense of bewilderment.

Why was this young Sui general so certain the Tujue army would come for a night raid?

He could not possibly be unaware that if his judgment proved wrong, the Sui cavalrymen would be denied their rest, fatigued for no reason, and their morale severely damaged.

"Are you confident?"

Li Shimin watched Jishi Wuli eat his horsemeat and glanced at Fu Zihou. He understood very well that if the Tujue army truly launched a night raid tonight, it would serve as an immense psychological deterrent to Jishi Wuli.

"I have some confidence!"

Fu Zihou replied to Li Shimin.

Under the cloak of night.

Inside the valley, figures were huddled together, lying by the dying campfires. Looking out, they were densely packed; even the sentries who should have been standing watch were leaning against one another, fast asleep.

Amidst the quiet atmosphere.

A night breeze swept through, failing to chase away the lingering chill. The uneaten horsemeat beside the fires flickered in the dying embers, seemingly releasing waves of savory aroma.

In the dark, bottomless ravines and gorges all around, near the valley exit, the sound of fluttering wings and the hooting of owls drifted past on the wind.

High up on the steep cliffs, a rustling sound echoed as a few loose stones tumbled down.

A patch of dark clouds blocked the moonlight, and an unknown amount of time passed.

Suddenly, a dense barrage of whistling sounds tore through the air. Thick volleys of arrows rained down continuously near the campfires. Whether it was the burning embers, the sleeping figures, or the roasting horsemeat, everything was struck by the arrow-rain.

Even the entire ground was soon bristling with arrows!

"Charge!!"

"Charge!!!!"

The unique battle cries of the Tujue, accompanied by the blowing of their offensive horns, reverberated through the entire gorge. Viewed from the sky, it was as if a torrent of darkness had surged out from the shadows, sweeping into the valley like a black tide and instantly swallowing up the few remaining flickers of firelight.

At that exact moment, the moonlight broke through the clouds...