Chapter Seventy-Two: Battle

At the pass, there were only three thousand defenders: two thousand five hundred infantry and five hundred cavalry. Liu Rengui stood atop the city wall, the rockfalls and wooden beams that had lain hidden for three years now once more bared their savage fangs. Dozens of massive cauldrons lined the ramparts, fires roaring skyward, their stench of blood and grease spreading for miles around.

A distant rumbling echoed closer, and a cold gleam flashed in Liu Rengui’s eyes. His voice was grave as he declared, “They truly are a pack of witless barbarians. All commanders, heed my order—slaughter these whelps! I will personally report your valor to His Majesty, and the army shall be rewarded!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill!” Thousands of soldiers roared in response, their gazes upon the Goguryeo troops below brimming with murderous intent.

More than ten miles away, Gao Yanshou and his cavalry swept across the plains, undaunted by the flames or the stench ahead. Hearing the distant cries, Gao Yanshou licked his lips, a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes. He shouted, “Everyone, faster! As soon as a stick of incense burns, begin the assault!”

At his command, thousands of Goguryeo soldiers readied their bows and arrows, prepared to unleash a deadly volley upon the Tang troops atop the wall.

Meanwhile, on the Hetao Plain, thousands of cavalry thundered past, led by Li Kong. They had been riding from Chang’an for three days, and the pass lay just three to five hundred miles ahead—at their current speed, they would arrive within two hours at most.

Suddenly, a column of smoke shot into the sky. Li Kong, spurring his horse onward, grew tense and called out, “There’s urgent military news ahead! Everyone, increase your speed!”

Beside him, a burly man in his thirties remarked, “That’s the pass ahead—it’s deep within Tang territory. How could there be military trouble? Could Goguryeo have the nerve to run wild inside our lands?”

“Those people are all madmen. Even if the pass commander had a hundred lives, he would never dare trifle with the signal fires…” Li Kong recalled the ways of modern South Korea from his previous life and sighed inwardly—people still understood far too little about the shamelessness of Goguryeo.

Though today’s South Korea was formed from the union of descendants of Goguryeo and Silla, at their core, they still bore the blood of Goguryeo. How could such people be measured by ordinary reason?

As for Liu Rengui, the commander at the pass, Li Kong knew him well. He was a capable minister and general, famous in the early Tang for his command, though now he was still unknown. It would not be until the fourteenth year of Zhenguan—ten years from now—that he would come to Li Shimin’s attention, and thereafter serve through the reigns of Zhenguan, Xianqing, and Wu Zhou, earning great renown.

But Li Kong never doubted his abilities. As for “playing with the signal fires,” such things were recorded only in the histories. To try it now? Anyone would kill him for it.

Hearing the news, the Tang soldiers spurred their mounts faster. But distant water cannot put out a nearby fire—the pass had already weathered the first volley from the Goguryeo archers.

Liu Rengui crouched behind the battlements and commanded, “Hold your fire until the enemy is within fifty paces. Get the oil cauldrons ready. This time, I’ll teach these sons of bitches a lesson they’ll never forget!”

“Yes, sir!” A guard answered and swiftly relayed the order.

Gao Yanshou ignored the stir atop the walls; at thirty paces, his men released two volleys. Tens of thousands of arrows rained down, taking the lives of dozens of Tang soldiers and delivering a trove of weapons into the defenders’ hands—though these arms were far inferior to Tang steel.

“Stop!” Just as Liu Rengui prepared to order a counterattack, Gao Yanshou suddenly halted his troops at fifty paces, squinting up at the walls.

Liu Rengui paused, then vaulted down beside the parapet, a ruthless glint in his eyes. “Bring out the cavalry!” he ordered.

His personal guard blanched. “General, you mustn’t! The enemy has at least five thousand men, while we have only five hundred. To ride out would be suicide!”

“Suicide, my ass! I’m taking five hundred cavalry out the gate to draw those bastards in. What, are we supposed to just sit here and wait? There’s no such thing as a thousand-day thief or a thousand-day sentry. Their leader is no fool, but I’ll be damned if I don’t kill these arrogant fools today!”

Not waiting for another word, Liu Rengui dashed down the steps. Affairs atop the wall had already been delegated to his deputy, with every detail accounted for—there would be no slip-ups.

The guard captain was a former refugee whom Liu Rengui had taken in nearly a decade earlier, and knew his commander’s temperament well—once Liu Rengui made up his mind, not even a hundred oxen could drag him back.

So he did not argue further, but said, “If that’s the case, General, do not stray ten paces from the gate!”

Liu Rengui shot him a look, a mocking smile on his lips. Ten paces? If he had another five hundred men, he would charge straight into the enemy’s camp—did he doubt it?

Across the field, one of Gao Yanshou’s deputies eyed the walls suspiciously. “General, why not press the attack? With a few more volleys, we could wipe out that lot of Tang soldiers, open the gates, and the pass would be ours!”

Gao Yanshou sneered. “Do you really think we’re gods descended to earth? We’re cavalry, not meant for sieges. We have no siege engines—an assault would be suicide. Night is falling; the Tang will be waiting for darkness too. Once it’s dark, we can slip into the city under cover of night. Then, won’t the pass be ours?”

“General… a wise decision!” The deputy had meant to object, but seeing his commander’s expression, he swallowed his words. He glared at the city wall, as if a crowd of beauties were just out of reach, the frustration nearly unbearable.

Suddenly, the city gates swung open, and Liu Rengui charged out with five hundred cavalry, halting less than ten paces from the entrance.

Gao Yanshou was stunned. He had never imagined the Tang commander would dare meet them in open battle—was this a fight to the death?

“Which of you barbarians is the chief? Come and give your name! I’d hate to kill you and leave you nameless!” Liu Rengui’s voice rang out.

Fluent in the Sui tongue, Gao Yanshou’s face darkened. “Who are you? I don’t kill nobodies!”

“So you’re the leader! Come, face me—let’s have three hundred rounds!” Liu Rengui was inwardly delighted, though his face wore only scorn.

Gao Yanshou sneered. “You think I’m a fool? All troops, attack! Send these ignorant Tang dogs to their graves!”

As the Goguryeo ranks began to move, Liu Rengui smiled. He slowly raised his riding crop, and when the enemy had advanced twenty paces, suddenly shouted, “Everyone, back to the city! Deputy, now—kill!”

“Fire!” The deputy upon the wall had been waiting for this very moment. At his command, thousands of arrows rained from the ramparts, plunging into the midst of the Goguryeo ranks…