Chapter 72: The Turkic Attack on Kucha

Anxi, Qiuci.

At the end of April, Qiuci, an oasis, was already full of life.

Yang Yuhuan was sitting in the hall, holding the music score that Li Heng had given her earlier, thinking about the days she had spent with Li Heng over the past year.

Whenever she thought of Li Heng, a smile would always appear on her face unconsciously. She prayed in her heart that Li Heng would be safe and return soon.

Just as he was thinking, Xin Yunjing suddenly ran in hurriedly and saluted, saying, "Princess, the scouts have reported that nearly 15,000 Tuqishi troops have arrived 80 miles northwest of Qiuci. For your safety, please send someone to escort you to Yanqi Town immediately. After I have defeated the enemy, I will bring you back."

Excluding the empty salaries of Gai Jiayun, there were a total of 24,000 soldiers left in Anxi. Li Heng took away 10,000 soldiers, leaving 14,000 soldiers. However, not all of these 14,000 soldiers were in Qiuci.

There were four towns in Anxi, and Qiuci left 7,000 soldiers there, while the rest were scattered among the towns.

Therefore, when they heard that the Turkic army had nearly 15,000 soldiers, more than twice the number of Qiuci, the maids and servants in the mansion were all shocked. Before Yang Yuhuan replied to Xin Yunjing, they hurriedly wanted to pack their luggage and prepare to flee.

"Why panic!"

Yang Yuhuan forced herself to remain calm and shouted at the maids and servants, which scared Hongyue and Zhang Mujin who had just entered the room.

Yang Yuhuan glanced at everyone before asking Xin Yunjing, "Can General Xin repel the enemy?"

Xin Yunjing said honestly: "The enemy is so powerful that it will be difficult to repel them in a short time."

Yang Yuhuan asked again: "Can General Xin defend the city?"

Xin Yunjing said: "It should be possible to defend the city."

"Since General Xin can defend the city, why should I run away?" Yang Yuhuan asked back.

Xin Yunjing said: "Your Highness entrusted me with an important task before leaving. I was just afraid of frightening the princess, and I was also afraid that..."

Xin Yunjing didn't finish his words, because as a general, he couldn't say such words.

But Yang Yuhuan understood what he meant.

Yang Yuhuan was in deep thought, wondering what Li Ying would do and say if he were there.

After thinking for a while, Yang Yuhuan said firmly: "There is no such thing as a one-time event. Qiuci is the strongest city in Anxi. If Qiuci falls, the entire Anxi will also be lost. If Anxi is lost, Your Highness will have no rear, and Your Highness will be isolated and helpless. If the Tuqishi send troops from Anxi again and attack Your Highness' rear, wouldn't Your Highness be in great danger?"

Xin Yunjing said: "What the princess said makes sense. Please rest assured, after I send someone to see you off, I will definitely defend Qiuci to the death!"

Yang Yuhuan shook her head and said, "Kucha's troops are not as numerous as the Turks. If General Xin sends troops to escort me, wouldn't it further weaken our army's strength? Moreover, if I leave, the soldiers and civilians will think that Kucha is about to fall. By then, people will be unstable, which will be disadvantageous for General Xin to defend the city."

"This……"

Xin Yunjing also understood that what Yang Yuhuan said was right. He would rather die than not defend Qiuci, but he could not bear the responsibility of letting Yang Yuhuan be in any danger.

Seeing that Xin Yunjing was still hesitating, Yang Yuhuan said, "Before His Highness left, he had already asked the Jiedushi of Beiting to help defend Anxi. We only need to defend the city and wait for Beiting's reinforcements to arrive. We will surely win."

As he said this, he walked quickly to the door, asked the guard for a knife, turned around and said to Xin Yunjing: "General Xin, just defend the city. If Qiuci is captured, I am still a good horseman. If I can escape, I will escape. If I can't escape, I will use this knife to kill myself."

Xin Yunjing was shocked when he heard this.

He remembered that when Yang Yuhuan first left Chang'an, she was afraid when she encountered an ambush.

He thought that a weak woman like Yang Yuhuan, who grew up in a prosperous village, would think of escaping quickly when she heard that the enemy was invading, and then cause a commotion in the whole city.

But unexpectedly, Yang Yuhuan became so strong-willed and calm!
Xin Yunjing said without further ado, "In that case, I will go to the front to defend the city immediately."

Yang Yuhuan nodded and said, "Thank you, General Xin." Xin Yunjing retreated.

Yang Yuhuan glanced at the people standing there, and said to the maids and servants, "You can go about your business."

"Yes." The maid and the servant were shocked by Yang Yuhuan's aura. They dared not say more and retreated.

Only Yang Yuhuan, Zhang Mujin and Hongyue were left in the room.

Yang Yuhuan put the knife aside, sat down beside the table with the zither, and said to Zhang Mujin and Hongyue: "If the city of Qiuci is really breached, Your Highness will be in danger, so I can't leave. If the two sisters are afraid, you can retreat to Yanqi first."

"Hongyue follows the princess." Hongyue came to Yang Yuhuan and bowed, saying, "Hongyue's life was originally given by your highness. If I can live and die with the princess, it will be Hongyue's blessing."

Zhang Mujin came to the other side of Yang Yuhuan and said with her head down, "Mujin is also following the princess."

Zhang Mujin's words were simple, but her attitude was clear.

Yang Yuhuan said without further ado, "In that case, how about I play a song and you two dance?"

"Okay." Hongyue was originally a dancer, and dancing was her strong point.

Zhang Mujin said: "Mujin doesn't know how to do that."

Hong Yue smiled and said, "It's okay, just dance as you like."

"Okay then." Zhang Mujin agreed.

After the three of them agreed, Yang Yuhuan began to play the piano, while Hongyue and Zhang Mujin started dancing.

The piano sounds melodious and graceful.

Yang Yuhuan was playing the Kucha music score that Li Ying had given her. She had been practicing it recently, and had originally planned to play it for Li Ying after he returned.

But now, she was not sure if she would have this opportunity again. If not, she hoped that Li Heng could feel her piano sound now.

……

……

……

Chang'an, Xingqing Palace.

There was also music and dance, but Concubine Wu Huifei, who was listening to the music, was not very happy at this time, because she knew that her son Li Heng had gone to the war, but she did not know that Li Heng's illness was fake.

At the same time, she was also very confused about what Li Heng wanted to do.

Seeing that Concubine Wu Huifei was in a sad mood, Li Longji gave her many rewards and took her for walks in the palace.

The two came to the pavilion and sat next to each other.

Li Longji said: "If you are really worried, I will give an order to call Heng'er back."

Concubine Wu Hui shook her head, leaned on Li Longji's chest, and said, "Ying'er said that he has only two regrets in his life. One is that he can't continue to be filial to me and Sanlang, and the other is to think about the beautiful mountains and rivers under Sanlang's rule. Now he is doing this for his two wishes."

"What do you mean?" Li Longji was puzzled.

Concubine Wu Huifei said: "Sanlang's civil and military achievements are comparable to those of Yao, Shun, Yu and Tang. The beautiful mountains and rivers under Sanlang's rule are not only in Chang'an, but also in the Western Regions. Wherever the sun and the moon shine, and wherever the rivers flow, they are all Tang territory. If you don't see the boundless Western Regions beyond the thousands of mountains and rivers, how can you truly understand the vastness of the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and how can you appreciate Sanlang's great achievements. So, when I went to the Western Regions, I left with infinite respect for Sanlang."

(End of this chapter)