Jian Niang rushed out from the shop and desperately dragged at Qu Zhuo. She wanted Qu Zhuo and the children to hide in the cave—if anyone had to die, it should be her first.

“We can’t escape, Jian Niang, we can’t escape. Too many are coming. This city is certain to be destroyed. We are Tang people—we cannot be burned to death in a hole like rats.”

Qu Zhuo patted Jian Niang’s cheeks, telling her to go back and stay with the children. He took up his blade alone and walked toward the city gate. He didn’t call to those people kneeling on the ground—they were all as good as dead, long since drained of any fighting spirit. They weren’t worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with him in battle.

A tall warhorse clad in heavy armor appeared at the city gate. The plume on the rider’s helmet nearly touched the top of the gate. Black armor, black cloak, gripping a twelve-foot-long blade in hand, with five throwing spears on his back. A loaded crossbow hung at his side, and a flail was tucked at his waist, its massive head swaying lightly. The menacing face guard was lowered—only a pair of sinister eyes could be seen through the small arrow-proof grating.

When one appeared, there would be a second, then a third…

Qu Zhuo wanted to shout, but his throat choked painfully and he couldn’t utter a single word. Jian Niang shrieked and spread her arms wide, blocking her husband’s front—she didn’t want those beast-like cavalry to approach her husband.

The lead rider paid no attention to Qu Zhuo. He merely drew the flail from his waist and tossed it at Qu Zhuo’s feet, then rode without stopping through the street toward the rear city gate.

Weapons continued to accumulate at Qu Zhuo’s feet. When a horizontal blade was thrust into the ground before him, Qu Zhuo patted Jian Niang who was clinging to him, telling her to go inside. Under Jian Niang’s bewildered gaze, Qu Zhuo began equipping himself with weapons. He fastened a palm-wide cowhide belt around his waist, struggled to lift the flail and insert it, then slung the bow and arrows on his back. The hand fork went into his boot, the horizontal blade hung at his waist. Finding no warhorse, he walked over to the city lord who had his head buried in the sand and said coldly, “Horses. I need horses. Three of them!”

The city lord lifted his sand-covered face and quickly stood up. He led three horses from behind the wall and knelt on the ground, using his own body as a mounting block. The equipment was too heavy—Qu Zhuo failed three times to mount the warhorse. The city lord called over four strong men, and only then did they manage to hoist Qu Zhuo onto the horse.

The torrent of cavalry passing through the main street seemed not to see these people, silently and swiftly passing through the city.

“If any harm comes to my wife and children, you will be trampled into meat pulp by warhorses.” Once Qu Zhuo was steady in the saddle, he gave this instruction to the city lord, smiled at Jian Niang, then spurred his horse to follow the cavalry torrent toward the rear gate.

Jian Niang saw that very large banner. Written on it was an enormous character for Tang—her husband had taught her this character, so she knew what it meant. Faintly hearing the children’s cries, she hurriedly returned to the storehouse, pushed aside the cabinet, and stood by the roadside with the two children, watching the great army advance.

Behind countless warhorses, light crossbow carts were being dragged swiftly across the street. The city lord couldn’t see where this force’s tail end was. He stole a glance, then continued keeping his head buried in the sand, awaiting his judgment.

This was a great army! Jian Niang wiped away her tears. This moment felt like a dream. She had seen Nanzhao armies, Western Region armies, and Tubo armies too—not one army could compare with this great force.

The children’s tender Tang speech caused the soldiers in the army’s ranks to laugh and continuously toss food items over. Soon it piled up like a small mountain. The city lord had a sudden inspiration. He scrambled up from the ground and somehow produced four or five women, having them attend to Jian Niang. He himself held a large basket, gathering all those food items into it, and stood behind Jian Niang mimicking Tang etiquette, playing the role of steward.

“Where is Qu Zhuo?” A young general stopped beside Jian Niang, teased the two children, and asked gently.

“My husband rode off to kill those Tubo bandits,” Jian Niang answered haltingly.

“What Tubo people could he kill? Where are the things I asked him to collect? Hand them over.” After saying this, Yun Ye placed a handful of milk candies in the two children’s hands, then mounted his horse and rode off.

The Dina Mountain pass wasn’t large, but it was a vital route for merchants entering and leaving the desert. Now a large group of bandits were gathered there in clusters, eating messily—one pile here, another there. Tubo had never been a unified nation. All Tubo people belonged to their own tribes, not to Xieluo. They revered the solitary, independent eagle. Only when plundering would they band together. Once back in Tubo, they would scatter back to their own tribes.

The Tubo people’s favorite targets for plunder were Tang people. Only by robbing Tang people could they obtain the finest blades, the finest spears, even the finest armor. This time they planned to ambush the Tang army, striking when they were crossing the distant desert in an exhausted state.

Once the Tang people died of thirst in the desert, it wouldn’t be too late to go pick up those weapons. Shanshan City was their feeding ground. After those Western Region people provided them with some food, they hurriedly left—these cowards who were naturally timid even without attaching fox tails couldn’t be considered warriors.

Yun Ye’s great army easily formed a semicircle surrounding the Dina Mountain pass. The smoothness was shocking. Could it be these Tubo people didn’t even send out scouts? To guard against falling into a Tubo trap, Yun Ye advanced forward step by step with extreme caution.

“Commander, this is just how Tubo people fight. They only believe in their own martial prowess, impulsive as yaks. Precisely because of this, Songtsen Gampo and Gar Tongtsen could easily conquer Tubo in such a short time. These local Tubo savages fight by swarming forward in a mob to hack and kill. You needn’t be so careful.” Qu Zhuo had finally caught his breath—full armor was simply a burden for him.

If it were the Tang army, daring to densely position five thousand soldiers in an area spanning one li, that commander would absolutely not escape the emperor’s beheading order. If five thousand cavalry were placed in such a small position, the only possibility awaiting that commander would be the execution of nine generations of family. For Tubo people it didn’t matter—gather some money, grain, and livestock to pay Songtsen Gampo, then they could happily be their own great tribal lords, leading their brave tribesmen to plunder everywhere. Life was very pleasant.

By the time Yun Ye had arranged the eight-ox crossbow formation, those Tubo people were still eating. Some were drinking, songs constantly drifting over. A few fellows who were singing enthusiastically even waved their long robes and began dancing.

“Commander, the formation we’ve deployed is defensive. Right now these stupid pigs still don’t know. This humble officer has never fought such a battle. What do we do now? Wait them out with the Tubo people?” Fan Hongyi scratched his forehead, somewhat troubled. According to the Commander’s orders, the crossbow formation was at the forefront, followed by blade-axe soldiers, then spearmen, and finally cavalry—this was a standard defensive formation. The area was too small. The crossbow formation’s power was infinitely magnified, while the cavalry’s capability was infinitely diminished. There wasn’t even space for a flanking maneuver.

Yun Ye was just planning to send a small detachment to harass the Tubo people when a Tubo man who had nothing to do but liked standing on high ground singing suddenly shouted excitedly. He had seen the densely packed Tang army behind the mounds. His first reaction wasn’t fear but joy—he’d long wanted a suit of Tang armor. What a fine opportunity!

When one person moved, all the Tubo people began moving. The Tang people had blocked some wooden frames in front of their battle formation—could such things really hinder the Tubo warriors’ attack?

There was no organization, only the naturally formed ranks from their usual plundering. Some Tubo people who had witnessed Tang weapons hesitated slightly and fell a bit behind. Those young Tubo men who had never been on a proper battlefield and only participated in plunder howled and charged forward. They thought this time would be like before—relying on their martial prowess alone, they could break through this battle formation. In the Western Regions, they had already broken through countless formations.

Lai Chuanfeng watched the rushing Tubo people with his mouth agape and asked his subordinates, “Don’t these people know the power of eight-ox crossbows? Or are they impervious to blades and spears all over their bodies?”

“Let’s try, General. We’ll know once we try. This humble officer doesn’t believe there exists in this world anyone that eight-ox crossbows cannot kill.” Seeing the Tubo cavalry pass the ranging arrow, the deputy general struck the trigger mechanism of the eight-ox crossbow with a hammer blow.

These eight-ox crossbows were products improved by the Academy. Their volume had shrunk by five times, yet their power had decreased very little. Many wooden components had been replaced with steel. The two crossbow arms were entirely made of soft steel. Previously, eight-ox crossbows relied on elastic bowstrings to provide sufficient power. Now it was different—the crossbow arms also provided adequate power to the siege bolts.

Just as he was about to reach the Tang formation, the first charging Tubo man felt his body flying, and moreover flying backward, soaring high over his companions. Only then did he feel his chest hurt terribly. A thick crossbow bolt had pierced through his body. He saw a heart flying backward together with him, then felt boundless darkness encroaching upon him, finally submerging him completely.

“General, you see, the eight-ox crossbows can kill them. Just now one arrow only killed one person. This time aim at the place with the most people. Can’t kill them? How could eight-ox crossbows fail to kill people?”

The deputy general chattered away as he triggered the eight-ox crossbow again. This time, the twanging sound of the eight-ox crossbows rang out like thunder in the desert. A wall of arrows composed of siege bolts swept forward from the crossbow formation in a flat trajectory.

No matter how tough the Tubo people were, under the bombardment of eight-ox crossbows they remained as fragile as paper. With each volley, the siege bolts carved a path clear of people through the dense Tubo crowd.

After one round of crossbow arrows was fired, the battlefield was already filled with wails. Those who were killed by the eight-ox crossbows in one shot were fortunate. The wailing of those Tubo people whose arms and legs were pierced by the massive siege bolts echoed throughout Dina Mountain pass.

Death did not make these Tubo people afraid. Holding up their companions’ corpses, they charged forward bravely once again. This method of attack had chilled countless people before. They fantasized that this time would be no exception.