Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 421 Strike the Northern Barbarian Cavalry (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"Moo..."

April arrives as scheduled, the crisp and melodious sound of cowbells, combined with the mooing of oxen, creates a picturesque pastoral scene.

The ancient city of Guzang, built by Zhang Huaishen's army, still stands in this northwestern land, while the villages that were reduced to ruins by war and the countless abandoned lands have been repopulated and cultivated again.

Dozens of villages are scattered around the four counties of Liangzhou, like stars on a chessboard, bringing more vitality to this northwestern land.

The rising wisps of smoke represent more than just cooking; they represent the feeling of home.

"Screw rustle..."

The sound of armor plates rustling filled the air as dozens of generals clad in lamellar armor emerged from the Divine Bird Gate at the north gate of Guzang and walked onto the White Pavilion Bridge over the moat.

On the opposite bank connected by the arched bridge, there were tens of thousands of Liangzhou soldiers dressed in red battle coats, lined up in square formations.

Most of them look young and are around twenty years old, with a few around thirty.

The open space, originally reserved for the North Market, has now become a gathering place. Everyone stands silently, looking ahead with unwavering determination, but their eyes are filled with trepidation.

Standing behind them, more than 3,000 middle-aged laborers were watching over the tens of thousands of horses and thousands of horse-drawn carriages.

Each of them stood in perfect posture, but not in the military posture; rather, it was the posture of ordinary civilians.

Looking at the scene before them, the generals on the arched bridge had not yet spoken, but the laborers had already started talking.

"You damned bastards! We just want to farm and work honestly, but we have to come and fight... Spit!"

"Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that the army needed educated people, I would have gone too!"

"I heard that General Jie is coming too. He should be alright, right?"

"Marshal?"

"King Han, King Han, look at my mouth, I've gotten so used to saying it that I can't change it."

The laborers chattered amongst themselves, while Zhang Chang on the arched bridge looked at Zheng Chu beside him.

"Damn it, Zheng Langjun has really trained a good soldier!"

He laughed happily, and Zheng Chu laughed along, saying, "Have you forgotten the old rules of our Guiyi Army in Longyou? A hero becomes a soldier, but not just anyone can be a soldier!"

"Hahaha, that's true!" Zhang Chang laughed heartily, then looked at the nearly ten thousand soldiers on the battlefield and said in a deep voice, "Are there enough horses?"

"Of course, that's enough!" Director Zheng replied without hesitation. "How could the Hexi Corridor lack horses?!"

Liangzhou was undoubtedly more suitable for breeding horses than Longxi, so there were eight horse farms there, accounting for 30% of the total number of horse farms in Longyou.

Behind the eight horse farms are more than 3,000 military horses and more than 20,000 riding horses.

As for whether the soldiers could ride horses, that goes without saying.

Children from the Hexi Corridor, even those who fled famine in Xichuan, will inevitably develop excellent horsemanship skills if they stay for a few years.

Zhang Chang's gaze swept over the tens of thousands of soldiers. After nodding, he drew his sword and raised his arm, shouting, "Let's go!!"

At his rallying cry, the brothers of the Liangzhou Army began to turn around in an orderly fashion, in "regiments," to go to the rear to collect their horses.

Each laborer had been assigned a task in advance; they each had their own sign. Each group of soldiers was assigned three laborers and three horse-drawn carts, which carried tents, food, armor, weapons, saddles, and other supplies.

Soldiers led the horses in front, while laborers drove and pulled the carts behind them. The procession stretched out along the Macheng River in Liangzhou, heading north towards Baitinghai and Xiutuze.

While they were marching north, thousands of miles away in the northwestern part of the Yanran Mountains, a force of tens of thousands of people was leisurely herding their livestock southward.

"Take good care of our meat, or we'll use yours to replace it!"

"Hahaha……"

On the grasslands north of the Yanran Mountains, one can see the Gobi Desert dozens of miles away to the north and west, while to the south are the undulating Yanran Mountains (Khangai Mountains).

In this era, the Gobi Desert between southern and northern Inner Mongolia was not as large as it would be in later times.

It stretches northeastward from the northern part of Yanran Mountain in the west, with a width of only three or four hundred miles, forming a narrow and long Gobi desert.

The Yanran Mountains, along with the Yinshan and Yanshan Mountains, are covered with dense forests that can easily block the sandstorms that blow southward during the spring and summer.

However, this is not absolute. At least in the past thousand years, there have been more than a dozen large-scale sandstorms that swept southward, but the most recent one was more than seventy years ago.

Although the desert and Gobi are still expanding, at the current rate, these three mountain ranges in the north will not be eroded for at least the next two or three hundred years.

This is why the nomadic tribes of northern Mongolia could easily attack the Hetao region along the Altai Mountains and Yanran Mountains, or enter Hexi via Qikou and plunder Hexi.

Just like now, tens of thousands of Kyrgyz people in leather armor rode on horseback, guarding the more than 10,000 armored cavalry in the center of the army, while in front of them was a shepherd's caravan of several thousand people, including Turks, Pugu, and Tatars.

The Kyrgyz did not like herding; they preferred to enslave these people to herd their livestock.

Tens of thousands of cattle and sheep were herded south by this group of servants, and they only needed to follow behind, so they didn't have to worry about the cattle and sheep getting lost.

In the central army, an old general wearing bright armor was observing Yanran Mountain. Behind him were two middle-aged generals, also wearing magnificent bright armor.

"The armor of the Tang Dynasty is really good, much better than ours!"

The slightly older-looking man patted his chest, admiring the armor, and said, "After we raid Longyou, we might be able to capture artisans and make this kind of armor ourselves."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The two brothers laughed heartily, but they didn't notice the solemn expression on the old general's face.

"Father, what's wrong?"

The first person to speak asked a question, while the old general in front looked at Yanran Mountain and said, "When I was a child, I heard that we came to the northern desert from the Central Plains."

"Now, seeing the Yanran Mountains, I can only feel the hardships our ancestors endured."

"I originally thought that only the Tang Dynasty was prosperous in the south, but I didn't expect that the south was even better than the north."

“If we can set up our headquarters here, we can travel to the Western Regions from here in the future.”

As the old general remarked, another general beside him chimed in, "Ah Re, it's still too hot and humid in the south. It's much cooler in the north."

The only person in the Kyrgyz army who could be called Are was the valiant and wise Khan, who was over sixty years old.

His full name was Pei Luo Gu Du Lu Ya Er, but after being included in the imperial clan genealogy of the Li Tang dynasty during the Huichang era, he changed it to Li Pei Luo.

His two sons are named Li Gao and Li Zheng, and they also have their own Kyrgyz names.

"You're right, it's definitely much hotter in the south than in the north."

As Li Peiluo spoke about the situation in the south, she looked up at the bright sun.

If they weren't worried that Longyou would ambush them at Qikou, they wouldn't have had to brave the scorching heat, wearing armor and carrying heavy loads, to march south.

"Susu..."

As they were talking, a gust of north wind swept across the land, raising a cloud of yellow sand and filling the air with a dusty smell.

Li Peiluo didn't continue with his lamentations, but instead shook the reins and led his troops south.

Compared to the black-haired, black-eyed Han Chinese appearance of Li Peiluo and his companions, the other Kyrgyz people had a wide variety of appearances.

Some people have red hair, green eyes, and fair skin; others have long, flowing blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and pale skin that is also reddened from sun exposure.

Tens of thousands of men, led by Li Peiluo, marched along the Yanran Mountains and reached Qikou before dusk.

The so-called Qikou is a gap between the Yanran Mountains and the Yin Mountains, which is more than a hundred miles wide.

Every spring and summer, tens of millions of yellow sands are blown by strong winds to the west bank of the Yellow River, where they merge with several deserts in the north and then sweep southward.

However, the desert area in Hexi is not large, and it is separated from the desert by grasslands. Therefore, after heading south from Qikou, one can leisurely travel along the grasslands to Juyanze, Baitinghai, or Xiutuze.

After arriving at these places, you can travel along the Gan River and the Macheng River to Ganzhou or Liangzhou.

Although the Kyrgyz people were unaware of these things, the Turks and Uyghurs who herded their livestock knew very well how to get to Hexi.

For this reason, Li Peiluo led his troops cautiously through the desert pass and set up tents to rest in the grasslands south of Yanran Mountain, letting their horses graze nearby.

The Turks and Uyghurs in the camp all kept their heads down, managing the sheep under the watchful eyes of the Kyrgyz, who would capture sheep from among them to roast and eat.

As night fell, the Kyrgyz people feasted on roasted meat around the campfire, passing around wine flasks amidst their boisterous laughter.

The next day, when they broke camp and headed south, all that remained in the camp were sheep bones that had been drained of their marrow and a mess of horse manure.

The Kyrgyz rarely used tactics in warfare, and they were even less clear about the key points of military campaigns.

The army marched south along the foothills of Langshan Mountain, relieving themselves with horse and human excrement wherever they went, without any regard for the consequences.

Although they are adept at using horse manure and human excrement to pursue enemies, they have not yet reached the level of properly cleaning up their own excrement.

Ten days passed quickly, and when they arrived in the northern part of the Langshan foothills, they heard the piercing sound of arrows coming from ahead.

One after another, the sound of arrows came from the southwest, gradually approaching.

Two quarters of an hour later, the scouts returned to their headquarters and arrived at Li Peiluo's banner.

"Are, news has come from thirty li away that the Han people have taken up a stone fortress at the Langshan pass ahead. The fortress is too sturdy and not easy to attack."

"Let's go take a look!" Li Peiluo nodded upon hearing this and then shook the reins.

Under his command, tens of thousands of Kyrgyz people advanced towards Langshan Pass, thirty miles away.

Two hours later, tens of thousands of troops arrived at Langshan Pass. Ahead of them was a gentle uphill slope stretching for three or four miles, with a stone fort built on the top of the slope.

The stone fortress stands at the mouth of Langshan Mountain, with Baitinghai and Xiutuze a hundred miles behind it.

As the north wind blew, the banners representing "Han" and "Longyou" on the stone fort fluttered in the wind, while the smoke signals from the stone fort continued to drift in the air.

"This stone fortress isn't big; it can only hide a few people, at most no more than fifty. Let's get closer and take a look."

After a quick glance at the size of the Han army, Li Peiluo, drawing on his years of military experience, estimated their numbers.

He wanted to get closer to investigate, but the general who had arrived earlier said, "Are, there are ballistae in the stone fortress. We'd better not go any closer."

"Balloon?" Li Peiluo frowned and shook the reins. After traveling more than two miles forward, he finally saw the three chisel-shaped arrows stuck in the ground not far away.

The chisel-shaped arrow, as tall as a person, was deeply embedded in the ground; it's hard to imagine what it would look like if it hit a person.

Li Peiluo looked around, then looked south.

Using the height of this earthen slope, he could clearly see that there was a stone fortress in the distance with smoke signals being lit.

“Are, this Liu Jilong has great ambitions. He actually wants to occupy all the land south of Langshan Qikou.”

“I remember that except when the Tang Dynasty was at its peak, when Tang troops were stationed in these places, these places were occupied by us, the Uyghurs, and the Tibetans.”

A general with Turkic features from the scout team stepped forward, bowed, and Li Peiluo didn't think much of it.

For the Kyrgyz, the one with the bigger fist should occupy the bigger territory.

"We'll bypass the stone fort and head south."

"Yes!"

Li Peiluo calmly gave the order, and then directed his troops to bypass the stone fortress and head south.

"Damn it, those bastard bastards are heading south again!"

Inside the stone fortress, dozens of fully armed veterans from Liangzhou gritted their teeth as they watched the tens of thousands of cavalry bypass them and march south.

The captain leading the team was equally angry, but he still turned to his deputy and asked, "How long will the food and water in the fort last?"

The deputy captain, who was of average appearance, immediately bowed when asked, saying, "It's enough for at least a month. Our cavalry will head south first and will arrive at Baiting Garrison City by midnight at the latest."

"Good!" Upon hearing this, not only the squad leader breathed a sigh of relief, but all the soldiers inside the stone fortress also breathed a sigh of relief.

While they relaxed their guard, the Kyrgyz army bypassed them and advanced south toward Hutuze and Baitinghai.

As they moved, the stone fortresses behind them watched them from afar, judging their marching speed by the distance between the fortresses.

Before they got close, they sent out cavalry south to report the military situation.

With the help of the cooperation between the various stone fortresses, a great deal of intelligence was gathered at Baiting Shouzhuo City, located between Baiting Sea and Xiutu Marsh.

"The number is no less than 50,000, around 60,000, and they can travel at least 50 li per day. There are also tens of thousands of herds in the caravan."

"Most of the soldiers were wearing leather armor, with only 20-30% wearing lamellar armor."

"Given the armor-making techniques of the Uyghurs and Turks, the armor worn by these Kyrgyz people must have been crudely made and far inferior to that of the Central Plains."

Baiting Garrison City, serving as a city overseeing Baiting Sea, Xiutu Marsh and the surrounding grasslands, was garrisoned by a thousand soldiers, including troops from the twelve stone fortresses in the north.

In addition, there are thousands of family members of the soldiers stationed in the city, as well as tens of thousands of acres of farmland cultivated by the family members between Baitinghai and Xiutuze.

Yesterday, Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu led their troops to this place, intending to wait for their own Han King's military orders, but unexpectedly received news that the Kyrgyz had invaded from the south.

The two men were gathered inside the garrison headquarters, with a sand table laid out on the ground in front of them, both with furrowed brows.

"According to the military order previously sent by the King of Han, as soon as our army receives news of the Kyrgyz's southward advance, we should immediately mobilize our troops and launch an attack to attract the Kyrgyz's attention."

"But neither of us knows where the King of Han is right now, so it's hard to decide whether or not to send troops."

Zheng frowned, wanting to follow the military order, but worried that Liu Jilong was too far away and would delay his journey.

Zhang Chang was more decisive than Zheng Chu in this regard, and he simply said: "Since the King of Han has issued a military order, he probably knows the speed of our army's march."

"No matter what the King of Han wants to do, he will surely keep his promise and come. You and I only need to obey military orders and do not need to question anything else."

"Alright!" Director Zheng readily agreed to send troops after hearing Zhang Chang's suggestion.

"In that case, we will set out north at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow. At the speed that the King of Han previously stipulated for marching north, we estimate that we will meet the Kyrgyz people at dusk tomorrow, and we will probably clash the day after tomorrow."

Director Zheng naturally deduced this, and Zhang Chang nodded and said, "More or less, go down and rest early, what's coming next is going to be a fierce battle."

Zheng Chu nodded in agreement, then ordered the three armies to break camp and head north the next day before retreating to rest.

Tonight, Baiting Garrison is destined to have a sleepless night. However, there is no nightlife in this era, and many people, no matter how anxious they are, can rest for two or three hours to barely lift their spirits.

After their anxiety subsided, they actually became more energetic after marching for the second day.

Led by Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu, ten thousand infantry and cavalry, along with more than three thousand laborers and wagons, headed north.

As they left the area of ​​Baitinghai and Xiutuze, the surrounding environment inevitably became somewhat desolate.

Fortunately, under Li Shangyin's management, Liangzhou not only restored the official road between Baitinghai and the Langshan Mountains that the Tang Dynasty once built, but also planted drought-resistant willows on both sides of the road.

There were more than ten rows of willows on each side, which not only blocked the wind and sand, but also provided some shade for the army.

Under these circumstances, Zhang Chang and his men quickly led their troops forty li (approximately 20 kilometers) and set up camp on the left side of the official road, waiting to continue their northward march the next day.

Shortly after they set up camp, a piercing whistle sounded from the north.

"Beep--"

The whistle sounded from afar, gradually approaching. By the time it got close to the camp, Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu had already left the camp and arrived at the camp gate.

A troop of cavalry arrived at the camp gate, dismounted, and bowed, saying, "Commander-in-Chief, Chief Secretary, the Kyrgyz cavalry encountered our cavalry thirty li away. After three battles, twelve heads were taken."

"The Kyrgyz headquarters should be about sixty miles away from our army."

As Tang Qidui finished speaking, Zhang Chang looked at Zheng Chu: "It's 130 li from Langshan Qikou to Baitinghai."

“We have marched forty li and set up camp today. It is only Shenshi (15 pm) now. The Kyrgyz should be able to march another twenty li.”

"It is estimated that they will set up camp forty miles away, so in order to avoid being attacked, the cavalry must be vigilant tonight and let the brothers rest and recuperate so that they can fight the rebels tomorrow."

Zheng Chu nodded upon hearing this, but hesitated and said, "Our army is still heading north tomorrow? Why don't we set up our troops here and wait for the Kyrgyz to move south, then engage them in battle from our encampment?"

Zhang Chang shook his head and then explained, "The King of Han asked us to attract the attention of the Kyrgyz. There is no better way to attract attention than to take the initiative to send troops."

"If the King of Han is planning to attack the Kyrgyz from the side or the rear, our advance will simultaneously push forward the Tang cavalry, which will inevitably cause the Kyrgyz to suppress the Tang cavalry at the same time and neglect the Tang cavalry from other directions."

People always need to go through experiences to grow. After Zhang Chang followed Liu Jilong to fight in the south, he did grow a bit and learned to coordinate his attacks at the right time.

If Liu Jilong could see this, he would probably be very happy.

“Alright, in that case, we will head north tomorrow to draw the attention of the Kyrgyz for the King of Han.”

Seeing this, Zheng Chu said nothing more and immediately agreed to everything. He then returned to his tent with Zhang Chang to rest.

While they were resting, Li Peiluo, who was heading south from the north, also learned of the clash between the Tang cavalry and the Han army's Tang cavalry.

After thinking it over, Li Peiluo decided to set up camp on the spot, just to be on the safe side.

"The army set up camp, cut down nearby trees, and built a camp."

"Yes!"

The prime ministers, governors, and officials who accompanied the army began to lead their troops to cut down the willows along the official road that were used for shade. After simple processing, they were used to set up camp on the spot.

In just over half an hour, the willows along both sides of the official road for several miles were completely cut down, and a camp was built across the middle of the road, housing tens of thousands of people. Thousands of cavalry were also stationed outside to ensure the safety of the camp and the surrounding area for more than twenty miles.

Although Li Peiluo was wary of fighting the Han army, he did not believe that Liu Jilong could mobilize too many troops to deal with him under the control of the government forces, so he still underestimated the Han army.

However, as time went by and the sun rose again, the army broke camp and headed south along the official road. This ten-zhang-wide official road quickly restricted the Kyrgyz army.

Seeing this, Li Peiluo calmly ordered the three armies to leave the official road and march onto the grassland to the left of the road.

They continued southward, and the sound of arrows whistling from ahead became more and more frequent.

At noon, the cavalrymen ahead brought bad news.

“Are, the Han army is heading north, and their cavalry is numerous. We are no match for them. Please send more troops.”

"How far away are they from us?" Li Peiluo asked, frowning.

Upon hearing this, Da Yu (the brigade commander) who led the Tang cavalry immediately said, "It should only be about ten li away."

Upon hearing this, Li Peiluo said no more, but simply increased the number of Tang cavalry without transferring Tang cavalry from other places to fill the vacancies.

Meanwhile, under the blazing sun, the Hexi Corridor grasslands gradually became sultry in mid-April. The Kyrgyz people, who were used to living in the cool northern desert, found the mid-April heat in the Hexi Corridor somewhat oppressive, which inevitably made them a little irritable.

"The army shall advance, annihilate these Han people as soon as possible, and march south to Liangzhou to plunder money, grain, and women to take back to the northern desert!"

"Yes……"

Under Li Peiluo's command, tens of thousands of Kyrgyz troops continued to march south.

Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu led 10,000 cavalry and infantry to slowly advance northward. The distance between the two sides grew closer and closer until the two armies were no more than ten miles apart, at which point Zhang Chang issued his military order.

“The laborers formed a battle array with their baggage wagons and raised their shields to protect themselves.”

"All units of the three armed forces, dismount and don your armor, and obey orders!"

"Beep--"

The piercing sound of wooden whistles rang out, and the flag bearers behind Zhang Chang waved their banners continuously, while the drum carts behind them stepped forward at the opportune moment.

Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu dismounted one after the other and boarded a drum cart, which was more than five feet high and pulled by three horses.

A five-foot-tall drum stands on the drum cart, and there is an empty cart next to it for the flag soldiers to command.

Zhang Chang boarded the drum cart and immediately took in the entire army. He could see the soldiers putting on their armor and then mounting their horses again.

Two quarters of an hour passed, and after the three armies had donned their armor, Zhang Chang finally ordered the army to advance.

Meanwhile, the Kyrgyz troops were getting closer and closer, and both sides could see each other's banners clearly. Li Peiluo in the central army also roughly determined the number of Han troops by looking at the banners.

"They number around ten thousand, and they appear to be cavalry?"

Li Peiluo carefully observed the situation while simultaneously transmitting military orders orally, causing the Kyrgyz army of 50,000 to fully deploy.

Soon, a battle formation of 50,000 against 10,000 was set up on the grassland. Many soldiers in the Han army couldn't help but feel nervous, their hands unconsciously clenching their spears and swallowing hard.

"Damn it, that actually looks pretty convincing!"

Zhang Chang cursed and swore, then took out the command flag in front of him and calmly waved it.

Since they've encountered each other, a battle is inevitable. He can't back down; even if his own King of Han doesn't appear, they can't afford to lose.

"Uuuuuu——"

As the bugle sounded, ten thousand Liangzhou cavalry and infantry began to adjust their ranks, dividing into three armies, front and rear. The formation appeared uneven, but it was actually a curved formation within the Six Flower Formation, deployed in units of platoons.

When an expert makes a move, Li Peiluo's expression immediately becomes serious after only a few glances.

He didn't know what the Han army's generals were like, but judging from the speed at which this group of Han soldiers moved, they were definitely not ordinary troops.

"Elite! This is definitely the elite of the Han army!"

"Are, let me lead the Fallen Eagles to break through the formation, and then our main army will launch a surprise attack."

Li Gao and Li Zheng spoke one after the other, and the "eagle-falling soldiers" they mentioned were the ten thousand armored soldiers in the army who were excellent archers and capable of wearing lamellar armor.

"No rush, let's wear them down first."

Li Peiluo was not in a hurry, but wanted the Han army to charge at them first.

He watched Zhang Chang form his ranks without intervening, but waited until Zhang Chang adopted an offensive stance before raising his hand and saying, "The Eagle Fallers should maneuver around them, don't get entangled in one place. The Han people's armor is thicker than ours, so we don't have the upper hand in close combat."

"Yes!!" Li Gao and Li Zheng nodded in agreement, and then mobilized 10,000 armored soldiers to go into battle.

They took out their bows and arrows, and, to the sound of horns, shook their reins, gradually approaching the Han army two hundred paces away.

"They prepared to charge forward, checked their face armor, and took out horn-handed crossbows to fire at each other."

Zhang Chang calmly waved the command flag and verbally relayed the message a second time to avoid any mistakes.

Under his command, ten thousand Han cavalry and infantry inspected their face armor. After confirming that there were no problems, they all raised their hands and took out two-foot-long horn crossbows.

The horn-bow crossbow was a type of crossbow specifically designed for cavalry, primarily intended for use by mounted infantry, since while mounted infantry were skilled in horsemanship, they were not adept at mounted archery.

If you encounter cavalry, it is still feasible to engage them in close combat with horn bows and crossbows while wearing armor.

If the horses run out of steam, dismount, form ranks, and take up longbows to shoot at the enemy.

"Enter!"

"Uuuuuu——"

"Dong dong dong..."

At the same time, horns and drums sounded, and ten thousand cavalrymen suddenly shook their reins and began to charge towards the ten thousand eagle hunters.

The drum cart, pulled by three horses, was now moving at a rapid pace, making a very bumpy ride. Zhang Chang had to hold onto the railing to keep his balance.

"kill!!"

As they raced forward, the two hundred paces were covered in an instant. When they were sixty paces apart, both sides raised their bows and crossbows and attempted to aim at the enemy's face to fire.

In an instant, arrows crisscrossed, sweeping in like locusts. Horses were hit and neighed, men were shot in the cheeks and cried out in pain, and some fell from their horses, creating obstacles for their comrades behind them.

After a brief skirmish, the two sides decisively separated, avoiding each other while continuing to draw their bows and fire arrows.

The Han army's armor was thick, and the Kyrgyz arrows could not cause them any damage. Except for the unlucky ones who were shot in the eye by a slingshot, the rest were basically unharmed.

In comparison, although the horn crossbow was not as powerful as the crossbow or the horse crossbow, the Kyrgyz's armor-making technology was inferior.

Even if the arrows cannot penetrate the armor, they can still cause flesh wounds to the eagle-dropping creature.

After a round of exchanges, both sides understood each other's weaknesses.

"They are infantrymen, not skilled in mounted combat."

Li Peiluo squinted, then raised his hand and said, "Don't let them dismount and form a battle formation. Use arrows to target their eyes and horses, shoot them off their horses, and then surround and attack them!"

"The three armies shall retreat five li; do not worry about the horses' strength!"

Zhang Chang waved command flags on the drum cart to convey military orders, and it is likely that through this probing attack, he tested the strength of the Kyrgyz.

Now they can retreat, dismount, and form ranks to fight the enemy.

"Beep--"

The piercing sound of wooden whistles rang out, signaling the Han army's retreat south, pursued by the Hu cavalry.

When the retreating troops arrived first at the place where the laborers had formed a battle formation with their supply wagons, they decisively dismounted and formed their own battle formation.

Each team consists of ten men who lead their draft horses into a circular formation surrounded by supply wagons, before returning to their own team to form a new formation.

In just half an incense stick's time, hundreds of people had dismounted and formed a battle formation to cover the rear of the thousands who would follow.

"Order that the crossbowmen of the vanguard fire when they are 100 paces away from the enemy, and the archers fire when they are 60 paces away from the enemy."

"If the enemy comes within twenty paces, the vanguard will advance first, and the archers and crossbowmen will put down their bows and crossbows, and each will first put on their arms, take up their swords and spears, and wait for the order to break the formation."

"put!"

Zheng Chu, who had retreated earlier, gave the order as usual during training. Although most of the Liangzhou army were new recruits, they had participated in military training in school since childhood, so their formation and organization speed was not slow, not to mention that they had been in the army for seven or eight months.

They took out their crossbows and crossbows, and, following orders, began firing at the pursuing Kyrgyz soldiers with their crossbows.

For these barbarian soldiers, who were only wearing leather armor, the crossbows easily pierced through their armor at a distance of a hundred paces, and hundreds of them fell from their horses.

"Rush over!"

Seeing that there were only a few hundred people in front of him who could form an array, Li Peiluo was not afraid at all.

But just as he was feeling fearless, a sharp whistling sound came from behind him.

He turned his head to look, but saw nothing.

He thought he had misheard and did not issue a military order to retreat. Upon seeing this, Zhang Chang, who had retreated to his position, immediately ordered the cavalry and infantry who had not yet dismounted to split into two groups and switch to long weapons to counterattack the Hu cavalry on the left and right.

Countless cavalry and infantrymen abandoned their bows and crossbows, replaced them with their spears, and turned their horses around to launch a counterattack.

At the same time, several thousand eagle hunters rushed in front of the seven or eight hundred Han soldiers.

"Horse catchers, prepare to catch the horses!"

Zheng Chu calmly gave the order, and soon these eagle hunters raised their bows and charged forward, shooting down many Han soldiers while trying to break through the gap in the formation.

"Bang!!"
"Hissing—"

The cavalry charged into the enemy lines, only to find that they couldn't break through the mere seven or eight hundred Han soldiers.

Moreover, amidst the neighing of the warhorses, horse catchers wielding long-handled swords leaped out from the spears of the vanguard and began to hack and slash wildly.

A group of fierce warriors, each six feet tall and clad in double armor, wielding heavy, fifteen-pound long broadswords, advanced like a wall.

The eagle was felled to the ground, and the horse neighed as its head was chopped off.

There was no need for the horse catchers to target them; more than a hundred leaping soldiers wielding hammers and axes rushed out from behind, smashing and hacking with axes and hammers as if opening a can, causing countless deaths and injuries to the fallen eagles.

At the same time, more than 8,000 Han cavalry and infantry changed their spears and charged directly into the Hu army.

Upon seeing this, the Hu soldiers clad in leather armor immediately turned their horses around and began to retreat.

Seeing this, Li Peiluo remained calm and immediately ordered his army to retreat. Zhang Chang, seeing this, did not order his cavalry and infantry to continue the pursuit, but instead withdrew them and ordered them to dismount and form a battle formation.

"Beep--"

The sound of whistling arrows echoed from behind, and Li Peiluo finally heard these sounds.

What's going on behind us?

"It must be an ambush by the Han army!"

Lee Pei-luo questioned him, while Lee Gao and the others responded breathlessly.

Upon hearing this, Li Peiluo's expression flickered. His gaze swept across the battlefield, but he saw that there were only a few hundred corpses on the battlefield. Although most of them were his own, this number of casualties was not enough to make him retreat.

He was more concerned about how many Han troops were in the rear and whether it was worth his retreat.

His inaction allowed the cavalry from behind to quickly arrive with news.

"Are, Han troops have appeared in the direction of Langshan Qikou. They have killed nearly 10,000 of our cavalry and are heading this way. They are only about ten miles away from our army."

Upon hearing that nearly ten thousand Han troops had arrived, Li Peiluo's eyes flickered: "The vanguard will become the rearguard, and the rearguard will become the vanguard. Let's deal with the rear guard first, and then deal with the front guard."

"Yes!"

Under Li Peiluo's command, the Kyrgyz army of more than 50,000 turned around and retreated to the rear.

Meanwhile, with the disappearance of the whistling arrow, Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu were still unaware of what had happened.

"Hu Bing has withdrawn?"

"It must be the King of Han! Everyone stop, dismount, form ranks, mount your horses, and prepare to pursue the enemy! The laborers, retreat back to Baitinghai!"

"Yes!!"

Zhang Chang calmly gave the order, and the three armies responded decisively, then began preparations to march north.

Before they could head north, a troop of elite cavalry appeared on the official road. They approached by blowing wooden whistles and holding up banners with the character "Liu" on them. No one dared to stop them.

They galloped up to Zhang Chang and his men, then dismounted and took out Liu Jilong's military secrets from their robes.

"The King of Han has ordered Zhang Chang, the Governor of Hexi, to lead his troops on the left flank to outflank the Hu cavalry and launch a surprise attack!"

"Zhang Chang, receive the order!"

Zhang Chang agreed without hesitation. After receiving the order, he immediately mustered his troops and ordered the laborers to lead the wounded brothers back to Baitinghai. His main force, carrying three days' worth of military rations, followed Liu Jilong's orders to flank the enemy.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the Kyrgyz cavalry saw dust rising high ahead, indicating that a large number of elite cavalry were launching a surprise attack.

"All troops, be on alert!"

Seeing the sound of hooves growing louder and his own cavalry retreating continuously, Li Peiluo immediately ordered his army to stop on the spot and rest their horses.

As they rested, streaks of red emerged from the dust, especially the banners bearing the characters "Liu," "Han," and "Longyou," which were particularly eye-catching.

"Liu? Liu Jilong?"

Li Peiluo was delighted to see this and said to his men, "The Tang people say that Liu Jilong is good at surprise attacks, but now it seems that he is nothing special."

"Those troops that he attacked were simply because his cavalry wasn't positioned far enough. Now that our army has discovered him, his attack is no longer possible!"

"Pass down my military order: the entire army must be in high spirits and charge straight for Liu Jilong's banner! Capture Liu Jilong and the reward will be ten thousand sheep!!"

When the military order was issued, there was an uproar in the Kyrgyz army. Everyone was sharpening their knives, eager to capture Liu Jilong themselves.

More than 50,000 Hu soldiers swaggered around, forming a great formation that spread out in all directions. Banners fluttered wherever their troops marched, and their breaths thundered.

The north wind from Hexi made the banner behind Li Peiluo flutter loudly, and at this moment, the elite Han cavalry, amidst the rising dust, suddenly stopped and stood at a distance of less than three hundred paces from the more than 50,000 Hu soldiers.

Despite the arduous journey of the past two weeks, Liu Jilong was not disheveled at all; on the contrary, he appeared composed and radiant.

He rode up to the nine thousand elite Han cavalry, and even if he did nothing but let people look at his back, he could still inspire the morale of the entire army.

"Sorry..."

The two armies faced each other, and the horses trotted and swayed restlessly, as if even they could sense the chilling atmosphere of the place.

Liu Jilong did not rush to attack, but stood calmly between the two armies, remaining silent.

"What is he doing?"

Li Peiluo frowned as she gazed at the figure in the distance, puzzled.

Seeing this, Li Gao couldn't help but say heartily, "They're probably intimidated by our power!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Hearty laughter echoed from all around, but they soon stopped laughing.

"Buzz, rumble—"

"Beep beep!!"

The dull thud of hooves, the whistling of arrows, and the sound of wooden whistles rang out one after another. The 50,000 Kyrgyz cavalry looked at each other, their eyes mainly on the rear.

However, there was no one behind them. Li Peiluo listened carefully, and his expression changed drastically: "To the west!"

"Beep--"

Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, the cavalry from the west were whistling and firing arrows, fleeing for their lives.

Behind them, dust billowed as nearly ten thousand Han soldiers on horseback arrived on the battlefield.

Zhang Chang and Zheng Chu saw the stalemate on the battlefield, but without hesitation, they both raised their lances and shouted, "Kill!!"

"Uuuuuu——"

"kill……"

As the bugle sounded and shouts of battle erupted, tens of thousands of Han soldiers, both cavalry and infantry, seized the opportunity to charge forward.

"Left Army, change formation! Change formation!!"

Li Peilu urged them on, and the Left Army began to frantically change formations.

At the same time, the sound of wooden whistles and arrows suddenly rang out from behind them.

"Beep beep!!"

"The infantry unit behind us is catching up!"

"Han dogs, where did they gather so many troops from!"

Li Gao and the others couldn't help but panic, and Li Peiluo in the formation also sensed that something was wrong.

They had tens of thousands of troops behind them, and now their left flank was being attacked by tens of thousands of troops. The vanguard still had tens of thousands of troops. Doesn't this mean that the Han army mobilized at least 30,000 cavalry or infantry to attack them?

"When did the Han people have so many cavalry?"

"That dog-and-rat Tang Dynasty dares to deceive me!!"

Li Peiluo had not expected Zhang Chang and his men to take a detour, and the wooden whistles and arrow whistles of the Houjuntang cavalry confirmed that he was surrounded by 30,000 cavalry.

This shows that the Tang army failed to hold back the Han army at the front line; they were betrayed by the Tang!

The Kyrgyz army began to waver, and Liu Jilong keenly noticed this wavering and did not let it go.

"Enter!!"

"kill--"

Suddenly, nearly ten thousand elite cavalrymen behind him launched an attack on the Kyrgyz army.

The Han army attacked from three directions—front, rear, and left—in a pincer movement. The left flank had to launch an attack to defend, and Li Peiluo had to detach his rear army to guard against the Han army in the rear.

In this situation, he only had less than 30,000 men available to counter Liu Jilong's frontal assault.

The Han army swept in like a flood breaking through the dikes, bringing endless pressure to the Kyrgyz army.

At the same time, the whistles and arrows from behind kept getting closer. Li Peiluo turned his head to look, but only saw thousands of Tang cavalrymen fleeing for their lives, and thousands of elite cavalrymen chasing behind them. It was not the tens of thousands of cavalry and infantry behind them.

Upon learning of the situation in the rear army, he suddenly turned to look ahead, all his experiences flashing through his mind and connecting together, leaving him with only three words.

"Fell into a trap!"

"kill--"

(End of this chapter)