Chapter Twenty-Two: The Battle Is About to Begin

When Yang Xi led nearly a hundred personal guards under Yang Dong and Yang Zheng up to the eastern gate of the city, dawn was already breaking in the sky. Smoke signals rose in warning, towering into the air, and several distant bonfires blazed brightly, each conveying a specific message.

The ascending smoke silently communicated a sense of urgency—the military situation was critical, and a fierce battle could erupt at any moment.

Upon seeing the warning signals, Yang Xi felt both fortunate and deeply moved.

He was fortunate because, with a resolve and audacity that surprised even himself, he had persuaded his father Yang Guozhong and Emperor Li Longji to let him lead the army in relief. After receiving his orders, he had rushed to Tongguan at the fastest possible speed, arriving before the rebel army could attack the city. He had swiftly dealt with Huoba Guiren’s scheme to coerce Geshu Han into surrendering, and then made calm preparations.

Had he not taken such swift and decisive action, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Yet he was also struck by how quickly the rebel forces advanced. They had pressed on through the night without pause, reaching the outskirts of Tongguan before dawn—much faster than he had anticipated. He realized that, were it not for the roadblocks set up by Geshu Han’s defeated generals along the way, the rebels might have arrived at Tongguan’s gates long ago, and the battle for the city would already be raging.

As he hurried up to the city wall, loudly ordering his soldiers to make all necessary preparations and ready themselves to repel the rebels, he felt a twinge of nervousness.

Although he had commanded many exercises and real battles before crossing over to this era, he had never led more than a hundred men, and always in special operations. The scale and style of warfare were utterly different now. He was unsure if he could organize a battle fought with cold steel. He could not help but wish for the familiar weapons of his past—sniper rifles, grenades, rocket launchers. With those, he would have no fear of the rebels storming the city; a well-placed shot at their leader would send the enemy army into disarray and relieve the pressure on Tongguan entirely.

But now, he could only rely on the bows, broadswords, and spears wielded by his soldiers. Their fighting strength could not match that of the rebels, and morale was low after a recent defeat. Their sole advantage lay in defending the formidable city of Tongguan, whose treacherous terrain and imposing walls would exact a heavy price from any attackers.

At this moment, Yang Xi truly believed in fate. He felt that since Heaven had allowed him to cross over to the Great Tang at this critical moment, it must have entrusted him with some special mission. As long as he made use of the advantages of time and place, he could fulfill it. As a seasoned special forces soldier, trained in the harshest conditions and with countless combat experiences—even having faced death many times—he felt no fear of war.

He believed he could command this battle, turn the tide, and hold Tongguan.

In that instant, confidence surged within him, and his orders rang out with vigor.

Geshu Han had insisted on personally commanding at the southern gate, so Yang Xi did not contest him for it and instead chose to oversee the defense at the eastern gate.

The eastern gate was guarded by Li Chengguang, who favored his father, and Gao Shi, with whom he had shared some acquaintance and mutual respect. Yang Xi felt that this arrangement was a good one, likely made by Geshu Han for his benefit. As the newly appointed commander of Tongguan, his authority would be further established at the eastern gate, and his abilities would be displayed to the fullest here.

The eastern gate was the most prominent feature of Tongguan city, and barring any surprises, would be the rebels’ primary target. Yet the terrain outside the gate was treacherous—not suitable for large forces to launch an assault. Even if the rebels came with hundreds of thousands, only a few thousand could attack at once. The number of troops they could deploy against the gate matched the defending forces atop the wall; at best, the rebels would attack in waves, one after another.

This was the greatest danger. The defenders inside Tongguan were few and could not rotate their troops in the same fashion as the rebels, unless reinforcements arrived. If no relief came in time and the rebels persisted in their assaults regardless of losses, wave after wave, the defenders’ morale and stamina would eventually fail, leading to defeat and the fall of the city.

With this in mind, Yang Xi cursed his father’s incompetence. Had there been two hundred thousand troops defending Tongguan, even a million rebels could not take the city.

With such numbers, the defenders could rotate at each gate and wall, repelling attacks and even occupying the dangerous terrain outside Tongguan to further inhibit the rebels.

Before Geshu Han’s recent defeat, the rebels, commanded personally by An Qingxu, son of An Lushan, had attacked Tongguan, but never reached the city walls where Yang Xi now stood. They had only managed to reach Han Tongguan, where they were stopped. At that time, Han Tongguan was defended by over fifteen thousand troops under Pang Zhong. Pang Zhong, with his fifteen thousand men, had stubbornly resisted countless assaults, forcing An Qingxu to retreat dozens of miles and abandon his offensive, settling for a standoff and preparing other strategies.

The rebels’ most likely plan was to bypass the city and attack Chang’an from the north and south. However, after trying this approach, An Qingxu was forced to abandon it. In summer, the Yellow River and Wei River ran wild, making it impossible to build floating bridges amid the roaring waves. Without bridges, his army could not cross the rivers, and the northern route attack was out of the question.

Attacks from the south also failed, as the roads were treacherous and impassable. Marching tens of thousands quickly was a fantasy; even a few thousand struggled, and the Tang defenders, using the terrain, blocked the rebel vanguards at the gates. To take Chang’an, the rebels would first have to capture Tongguan. An Qingxu resorted to baiting the imperial army with a weak force, and his plan succeeded.

At Lingbao, An Qingxu won a decisive victory, annihilating the twenty thousand troops sent out from Tongguan.

Yang Xi, though not fully aware of An Qingxu’s current plans, could piece together these events from the intelligence he had gathered. He knew An Qingxu was determined to take Tongguan. With only ten thousand troops at his disposal, Yang Xi was unsure if he could hold the city and guard the gateway to Chang’an.

If he had more forces, he could reinforce Han Tongguan and slow the rebels’ advance, exhausting them. Even if Han Tongguan eventually fell, it would serve its purpose.

In terms of strategic importance, the present Tongguan city was even more formidable than Han Tongguan. This was why, after his defeat, Geshu Han abandoned Han Tongguan and focused on defending the current city.

With insufficient troops and resources stretched thin, they could only concentrate all their forces at the most critical points. Without Yang Xi’s three thousand fresh soldiers, there would have been no possibility of dividing troops to defend Han Tongguan. Now, at best, Pang Zhong could lead eight hundred men, and, combining with others retreating to disguise their numbers, perhaps two thousand in total. Expecting these two thousand to completely stop the rebels at Han Tongguan was unrealistic, barring a miracle. Their role was, essentially, like pawns sacrificed to protect the more important pieces—meant to confuse the enemy, slow their advance, and boost morale until reinforcements arrived. Yang Xi believed the court would surely send reinforcements, especially with his father, notorious for his cunning, in power. The court would act swiftly.

Yang Xi had already twice sent signals of safety back to Chang’an, and dispatched riders to inform Yang Guozhong of Tongguan’s situation and the urgent need for reinforcements. If Yang Guozhong still hesitated and failed to act decisively, the Yang family deserved its fate.

When Yang Xi reached the city gate, the soldiers atop Tongguan were already busy with preparations under Li Chengguang and Gao Shi’s command.

Tongguan had always been a vital defensive stronghold for the capital, and preparations for its defense were made with long-term resistance in mind. The city was well-stocked with military supplies. According to Geshu Han, if every soldier fired twenty arrows a day, there were enough arrows in Tongguan to supply two hundred thousand men for a month—over ten million arrows.

Moreover, the city walls were equipped with large bed crossbows, among the most powerful and long-ranging weapons of the cold steel era.

There were no worries about provisions; enough food for two hundred thousand men was stored, so supplying ten thousand was no issue.

With no shortage of arms or supplies, Yang Xi’s worries eased somewhat. If reinforcements arrived quickly, holding Tongguan would be assured.

Although his mind was filled with concerns, very little time had actually passed. By the time he reached the wall and approached Li Chengguang and Gao Shi, who were busy directing the defenses, he had calmed himself.

“Your subordinate greets Commander Yang!” Li Chengguang and Gao Shi, startled by Yang Xi’s bold stride, hurried to meet him.

Yang Xi returned their salute briefly, saying nothing, and walked to the edge of the wall.

From there, he saw a massive blaze rising in the southeast, illuminating the pale dawn sky. He knew it must be Geshu Han’s order to burn the corpses of soldiers in the forbidden trench with oil. Yang Xi let out a long sigh of relief, then turned to face the anxious Li Chengguang and Gao Shi, speaking sternly:

“General Li, General Gao, the rebels are about to arrive and will soon attack the city. I hope that when the assault begins, you will command your soldiers with all your strength, never allowing a single rebel to set foot atop Tongguan’s walls. In times of crisis, I will join you at the wall, fighting the enemy side by side! I have sworn before His Majesty: ‘If the city stands, I stand; if the city falls, I fall!’”