Chapter 471: Chapter 27: Securing the Turkic Holy Mountain, Raising the Gu Clan’s Name (Part 4)

He had already become an invisible Guardian.

For the Great Tang, and also for the Gu Clan.

And Gu Yi understood as well.

For the future of the Gu Clan, someone like Gu Quan would surely not be the only one.

No one could possibly stop Gu Quan.

On the very next day, Gu Quan led two thousand troops straight towards the Juyan Sea.

Although Gu Yan was deeply pained in his heart,

he could only hold onto Yudujin Mountain.

This was also his responsibility as the Patriarch.

...

Yin Mountain.

Jie Li Khan had retreated his army.

Facing the increasingly fierce assault of the Tang Army, he had no choice but to make such a decision.

As Gu Quan had anticipated, without knowing the whereabouts of the Gu Clan, Jie Li Khan could only choose to flee westward, using the Western Turkic forces to stave off the Great Tang’s troops, hoping to rise in power again another day.

This was Jie Li Khan’s only choice.

Li Jing would surely pursue.

He had never been one to hesitate, naturally choosing to capitalize on the victory and pursue.

——The stalemate was completely broken.

At this point, Jie Li Khan had completely lost the strength to resist, and could only retreat with all he had.

Internal unrest among his people had reached a point where he could no longer stabilize the situation.

The most crucial issue was——

The disappearance of the Gu Clan remained a thorn in his heart, a feeling that left Jie Li Khan walking on thin ice, constantly having to comfort himself internally.

The cold wind howled.

On this vast icy plain, Jie Li Khan was quickly moving westward, relying on his understanding of the terrain.

But the Tang Army continuously pursued closely behind.

Both the surrendered soldiers and the submitted tribes became the best guide maps for the Tang Army.

And because of this,

the entire internal situation of the Turkic people spiraled into a vicious cycle, with more and more deserters and defectors.

In the Turkic camp,

listening to the reports from his confidants,

Jie Li Khan’s expression grew increasingly grim, and he suddenly shouted: "Go to the Holy Mountain!"

There were more and more deserters.

By this time, Jie Li Khan had but this one option left.

Perhaps only going to the Holy Mountain could stop this trend.

Moreover, going there could replenish supplies without delaying the retreat.

This was his only choice right now.

Hearing this, all the confidants nodded immediately.

They also understood the gravity of the situation.

"Tell everyone to stop resting, to hold on a little longer. As long as we reach the Holy Mountain, we can use the terrain to defend and still have a chance then!"

Jie Li Khan forced himself to remain calm and issued the order again.

All the confidants quickly accepted their orders and left.

Under the snow at night,

the entire Turkic army broke camp once again, hoping to distance itself from the Tang Army through this maneuver.

——The Holy Mountain!

Perhaps every Turkic person harbored deep yearnings for it in their hearts.

After hearing Jie Li Khan’s plan, even the air of despair gradually lessened a bit.

The army galloped swiftly...

The bright moonlight reflected off the snow, guiding Jie Li Khan on his path to Yudujin Mountain.

The frigid winds roared.

Under the influence of such an atmosphere, everyone in the Turkic army began to yearn, hoping that the Celestial God they believed in could help them escape the crisis they faced.

Even Jie Li Khan himself was no exception.

Their speed increased.

Just before dawn, the fall of Yudujin Mountain gradually revealed itself under the moonlight.

Seeing this, everyone’s speed increased further.

They all raced forward at high speed.

Everyone’s expressions grew increasingly fervent.

And just as dawn broke,

they finally reached the much-anticipated Holy Mountain, but what awaited them was a barrage of rolling stones and arrows, along with the sound of battle cries ringing from the mountain peak.

"Boom——" The battle cries from the mountain top echoed like thunder.

Despair washed over everyone’s hearts like a tide, breaking the last mental defenses they had left.

At that moment, the Golden Crow illuminated the snow.

The first ray of dawn cut through the clouds like a sharp sword, straight down onto the peak of Yudujin Mountain.

Everyone’s eyes were stung by the scene in front of them — those altars that carried the Turkic people’s millennium of faith had already collapsed, the deity statues inscribed with scriptures lay shattered, replaced by two flags waving fiercely in the wind.

The red silk fluttered in the wind, the dark patterns depicting the totems of the Azure Wolf and Vermilion Bird.

Despite the distance, everyone could clearly recognize the familiar design — it was the war banners of the Gu Clan and the Great Tang!

Sunlight poured down, and against the backdrop of the white snow, it was as if the flags were dyed into flowing flames, blinding to the eye.

It was as if an invisible giant hand clutched everyone’s throat in an instant.

The scimitars in the hands of the Turkic soldiers clattered to the ground, some stumbled from their horsebacks, collapsing into the snow, muttering to themselves;

Even Jie Li Khan’s most elite confidant commanders were pale as paper, their pupils filled with disbelief and despair.

The collapse of faith;

The fear of death.

In this moment, it ultimately destroyed the last vestiges of will they had.

In that dead silent moment, the sound of the battle cries abruptly stopped.

The next moment, thundering roars erupted once more.

"Could the Celestial God’s bones serve as a flagpole?"

"Behold the annihilation of your gods——"

"Are you dying kneeling today, or crawling to surrender?"

——Booming!

These shouts exploded like thunder in everyone’s minds.

Even Jie Li Khan in that moment tumbled from his horse....

——————

"In the second month of the fifth year of Zhenguan, Yan led a light cavalry for a surprise attack across a thousand miles, reached Yudujin Mountain by night, destroyed the Turkic’s heavenly sacrificial golden tent, and burned 400,000 bushels of grain and fodder.

The Tie Le Chiefs prostrated in veneration to the Profound Armor, weeping: ’In the past, Marquis Huo’s golden crown shone in the Northern Desert, now the Gu Clan’s icy blade pierces through the nomads’ homes!’"

The remaining Turkic folk sang a mournful song: ’The Holy Mountain crumbles, the mares weep; Flags break, the bride’s attire.’"

In the alleys of Chang’an:

That night, Yan broke the enemy at the Holy Mountain, a white rainbow crossed the sky, its brilliance like plain silk hanging over the land. Within the rainbow, three hundred Profound Armor cavalrymen were faintly visible, their helmets reminiscent of the Han dynasty’s Zhangwu era design.

An old soldier from Lingzhou pointed to the sky and cried out: ’This is not the courage of Yan alone, but the unyielding spirit of the Gu Clan’s immortal, transformed into starlight to protect Kyushu!’"

The old Turkic proverb still circulates: ’Upon seeing the white rainbow, flee from the nine layers; when encountering the Gu flags, kneel like pine.’"

Since then, no war drums sounded in the Southern Desert, only the sound of Tang’s banners tearing through the wind!"

——From "Tang Book, Biography of Gu Yan"