Chapter Thirty-Seven: Desolate Mountains and Wilderness

After the main affairs had been properly arranged, Li Wenyuan entrusted all the remaining trivial matters to Qiuniang. He himself set out ahead, leading his newly reorganized army toward Wuwei Commandery.

The grand army, accompanied by provisions and supplies, departed from Jincheng in great momentum. They first marched westward along the southern bank of the Yellow River until reaching Hekou, where they crossed the river and then turned northward, following the Zhuanglang River. According to the map provided by Xue Ju, they were to keep heading north until Zhuanglang River shifted west at Wushaoling. At that point, they would leave the river behind and continue north through the valleys of Wushaoling, eventually arriving at Changsong County. There, they could join the ancient Han dynasty official road, which would lead them straight to Wuwei Commandery. This route would save them several days compared to the Sui Empire’s main roads, and since Li Wenyuan wished to strengthen his troops’ ability for long marches, he chose this long-abandoned path.

In Li Wenyuan’s memory, the northwest had always been a water-scarce loess plateau. Over the centuries, each dynasty’s capital construction had exhausted the land’s vitality. With the forests gone and the earth’s veins unprotected, the loess plateau was left barren, relentlessly eroded by wind and rain, devoid of life.

Of course, that was a situation that would only appear in later generations. For now, the land remained verdant and full of life, and in this era, the threat of nomadic invasions from the north was a far greater concern than advancing sandstorms.

Having crossed the Yellow River, Li Wenyuan and his men marched under the blazing sun for a long time. Around midday, Zhang Juntao said, “General, let the troops rest awhile. We can wait until the sun’s heat wanes before setting out again.”

Li Wenyuan wiped the sweat from his brow. “How long have we been marching?”

Zhang Juntao glanced at the sky. “General, we cooked breakfast at the crow of dawn and broke camp soon after sunrise. Now it’s nearly noon—by my estimate, we’ve been on the road for almost three hours.”

Li Wenyuan looked around. Though the soldiers were drenched in sweat, their ranks remained orderly and disciplined. He nodded, then gave the order to halt and eat lunch.

The soldiers, upon receiving the order, sought shade to rest. The camp cooks went to fetch water from the nearby Zhuanglang River to prepare the meal. Li Wenyuan also tied his horse to a tree and carefully helped down the frail soldier who had been riding with him.

This young man was a soldier from Jiangnan. Conscripted to Liaodong, he was already physically weak and had fallen ill with a plague there. Though he had recovered, he had not yet regained his strength. Shortly after crossing the river, he collapsed. Li Wenyuan had him placed on his own horse, leading it on foot.

The soldier from Jiangnan had since regained consciousness, and Li Wenyuan had someone give him a bowl of warm, lightly salted water. During training, Li Wenyuan repeatedly emphasized that all water used on the march must be boiled before drinking; anyone caught drinking unboiled water would be punished with twenty lashes.

This was their first time undertaking such a long march, serving as a test of how well Zhang Juntao’s recent training had prepared the troops. Being a man from another time, Li Wenyuan naturally possessed basic survival knowledge. Before setting out, he ordered the cooks to purchase a large quantity of salt, which they now used to make a mild saline solution for all the soldiers.

As they rested in the forest, a young soldier poured Li Wenyuan another bowl of salted water and then asked, “General, who are those men in black armor? Even in this heat, they don’t remove their armor.”

In his efforts to win the loyalty of his core troops, Li Wenyuan often trained and ate with the soldiers, sharing their lodgings as well. The men had come to realize that, outside of training and strict enforcement of orders, their general was not one to put on airs. They had grown relaxed in conversation.

“They’re the enforcers of military law, also known as military police,” Li Wenyuan replied, accepting the bowl.

“So, those are the military police? I’ve heard Deputy Commander Zhang talk about them. He says the key to victory is something like ‘orders must be carried out; prohibitions must be strictly observed.’” another soldier chimed in.

“Absolute obedience to orders,” Li Wenyuan said with a smile. “Listen well, all of you. Most of you survived the Liaodong campaign, but remember, at Liaodong we held the strategic advantage and rarely fought large-scale battles in the open. In the Western Regions, however, we’ll face nomads—whether the Eastern or Western Turks, they’re all cavalry. Infantry caught in the field by cavalry are almost always doomed.”

Judging by the looks in their eyes, Li Wenyuan knew they understood. Since the time of the Xiongnu, the infantry of the Central Plains had been unable to defeat nomadic horsemen in open battle. It wasn’t until the nineteenth year of Kaihuang, when Duke Yang Su abandoned the traditional formations of infantry, cavalry, and war chariots, and led a force of heavy cavalry forged with the power of the entire nation, that the Great Khagan’s cavalry was finally crushed and the steppe brought to heel.

Li Wenyuan continued, “When cavalry sweeps across the field like a dark tide, the thunder of ten thousand horses is enough to shatter the courage of even the bravest soul. But!”

Here, he raised his voice, addressing the soldiers: “But courage is rarely innate. More often, it is forged through rigorous training and iron discipline. That is why your training is harsher than any other camp’s. I want your families to welcome you home alive after victory, not to mourn by your graves.”

Li Wenyuan then softened his tone. “In the future, we will have our own cavalry. But there will be times in battle when cavalry reinforcements cannot reach us. In those moments, we must withstand the cavalry’s charge alone, and that is when the formations we’ve drilled so hard will show their worth. To maintain our formation, we must enforce absolute obedience to orders.”

Just then, the cooks brought in the meals. Li Wenyuan ended the discussion, giving the young soldier beside him a playful kick. “Enough talk, I’m starving. Go fetch this general his meal.”

During lunch, Zhang Juntao asked, “General, at today’s pace, we should be able to reach Woniuling and make camp shortly after nightfall.”

Li Wenyuan nodded; the speed was acceptable. Suddenly, something occurred to him. He asked, “Juntai, have we drilled forced marches before?”

Zhang Juntao shook his head. “Only short distances—not long ones.”

Li Wenyuan smiled. “Then today we’ll have a real field exercise. We’ll reach Woniuling before sunset.”

Soon after, the soldiers finished their meal and handed their utensils to the cooks. Under the coordination of their officers, the troops quickly assembled in their ranks, orderly and disciplined.

Zhang Juntao had already relayed the orders to each brigade commander. Now, with a wave of his hand, he commanded, “March!”