Tiger Guards

Chapter 514 All-Out Assault
As the Qiang soldiers fled, they suffered even more efficient casualties.

After the Qiang cavalry broke away from the battle, Xu Huang and Zhang Liao's cavalry, eager to reinforce, turned north and, together with Zhao Yun, pursued and trampled the fleeing Qiang soldiers.

The fighting was so fierce that there was no time to accept the surrender.

As Zhao Ji took out his wine flask and slowly drank to replenish his strength, Xu Huang and Zhang Liao also dismounted and came to the temporarily enclosed open space.

The two men stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Grand Marshal."

Zhao Yun, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Grand Marshal."

"Time is of the essence; the enemy forces on the west side must be temporarily eliminated."

Zhao Ji tossed the wine bag to Xu Huang and pointed southwest: "The Xiongnu can't hold out for long. Let alone dawn, optimistically speaking, they can only hold out until the second watch of the night. We still have about three hours left. If we want to defeat the main force of the Xianbei, we can't hold back. But we must be even more vigilant and cover the enemy forces to the west so that our army can launch a full-scale attack."

Zhao Yun then spoke up: "When I was marching, there were no fewer than 10,000 Xianbei cavalrymen north of Fushi City. They were resting and recuperating and had not been mobilized. We must not be careless."

Xu Huang swallowed the cold wine in his mouth, handed the wine bag to Zhao Yun, and said, "Grand Marshal, give me three thousand men. I will stop this force of ten thousand Xianbei cavalry."

"I don't have any extra troops to give you, but I can give you all the wounded I've taken in."

Zhao Ji looked at Xu Huang: "Your Hedong Knights will remain yours. Before midnight, you must hold off this main force of ten thousand cavalry."

"Here."

Xu Huang cupped his hands in greeting. His main force of 6,000 infantry, cavalry, and chariot soldiers, after deducting losses and replenishing wounded soldiers, was sufficient to establish a relatively solid defensive line.

Zhao Yun handed the wine bag to Zhang Liao and volunteered, "Grand Marshal, this humble general is willing to lead the cavalry of my troops to meet Commander Gongming."

"That puts me at ease."

Zhao Ji looked at Zhang Liao: "The infantry led by Zilong will be handed over to Wen Yuan. After Wen Yuan reorganizes his troops, they will form my left flank."

"Here!"

Zhang Liao bowed and accepted. Time was of the essence, so Zhao Ji quickly walked to his warhorse, only to find that the horse was unsteady on its feet and had injured legs.

A hundred-man cavalry commander led his horse forward and said, "Grand Marshal, this fine horse may be used."

Zhao Ji went to check and saw Pei Bao panting heavily. Then, looking at the horse Jueying that Pei Bao was leading, he said, "If you want to achieve great things, how can you not have a good horse? The central army still has spare horses."

"Yes."

Pei Bao did not insist. He watched as Zhao Ji turned and mounted a horse led by an iron knight. Immediately, the iron knight escorted Zhao Ji toward the central army position.

The infantry and cavalry forces gathered nearby quickly split up. Xu Huang led his main force ahead, while Zhao Yun, after dividing the army, led the cavalry, guards, wounded soldiers, and sled teams to follow behind Xu Huang.

Zhang Liao led his troops, gathered the infantry that Zhao Yun had divided, and after regrouping, collected some arrows and spare weapons before advancing northeast.

At the central position, the third 100-man cavalry unit stepped forward to take over, while the first and second cavalry units were combined.

Zhao Ji changed horses and saw that the sleds and chariots used to build the defensive line were being harnessed again, while the daredevils in the northeast were still fighting against the Xianbei cavalry after they had gathered.

He then addressed the dozen or so messengers before him, each with feathers tucked into their backs, saying, "The enemy forces on the front have been wiped out, and the head of the Xianbei king is right there! Issue my order: a full-scale assault!"

"Here!"

The messenger split into two, galloping to the left and right, whipping his horse and shouting incessantly: "Grand Marshal's order, all troops, charge!"

"Grand Marshal, order the entire army to charge!"

Amidst the messenger's shouts, the various units of the central army set off, striving to maintain their speed and order.

About ten miles to the north, the Xianbei nobles who had fled back came to Kui Tou one after another, dejected and crestfallen.

Kui Tou frowned, extremely annoyed.

What angered him was not the defeat itself, but the fact that this fool had used a circular arrow formation.

This tactic was used to deal with the Qiang and Xiongnu people, and it could also be used occasionally to attack the Han border troops.

On the other hand, the Han army's Grand Marshal, who unified the Qin and Jin regions, had no shortage of powerful bows and crossbows in his army.

Most importantly, the Grand Marshal was an expert archer, and his soldiers actively studied archery techniques.

He had already received the relevant battle reports when the scouts clashed earlier, but that fool still used a circular arrow formation to wear down the Han army.

I wonder if that idiot is dead or alive now. It would be best if he were dead, otherwise if he comes back alive, I will make him wish he were dead!

"Your Majesty, the Han army is marching this way!"

A nobleman who had just retreated shouted loudly. Kui Tou's thoughts shifted, and he turned to ask the prime minister beside him, "How much longer until the rear guard arrives?"

"The order has just been given; we still need time to assemble."

The Prime Minister immediately warned, "We must stop the Han army, otherwise the rear guard will be disrupted."

Kui Tou nodded, pursed his lips and squinted as he weighed the pros and cons, and said, "Prime Minister, command the four thousand cavalry on the left wing and make sure to hold out until the rear guard arrives."

"Yes."

The elderly prime minister immediately agreed and went to see the relevant nobles and leaders. A dozen or so people gathered around him, and together they quickly left, mounted their horses, and went to command the left wing of the troops.

Some Xianbei nobles still fled back, and more than 4,000 cavalrymen on the left wing also began to charge.

Kui Tou then asked his men, "Why hasn't the Uyghur Khan sent troops yet?"

"I'll go and urge him on!"

A nobleman who was related to the Uyghur king stood up and bowed: "At this time, if the Han army defeats the royal court, it will also cut off his retreat, and he will send troops."

"Alright, tell him that if he can take the head of that Han Grand Marshal, I will make him the Western Lord and rule over all the tribes west of Helan Mountain!"

At such a time, the leader was naturally generous with his rewards, and the surrounding royal nobles and officials unusually refrained from objecting. "Yes!"

The nobleman responded loudly, took a few steps back, turned and strode away, leading his knights on a roundabout westward route to deliver the order to the Uyghur leader.

He knew the Uyghurs well; they were not lacking in courage to fight, but they simply did not want to shed blood for the royal court in vain.

At this critical juncture, there is no room for the Uyghur Khan to waver. Even the tribal leaders who are subordinate to the Uyghur Khan can only support him at this moment.

Otherwise, if the royal army is defeated and the Han army cuts off their retreat, they will all be doomed.

However, as soon as he and his hundred-odd cavalrymen started running, they saw the Prime Minister leading four thousand cavalrymen on the left wing engage the Han army in battle. After a round of clashes, the Han army's chariot and cavalry forces that broke through did not turn back to fight, but continued to charge north!

Upon seeing this, the nobleman in his large cap cried out, "Run!"

He quickly cracked his whip and sped westward, skimming along the northern hills.

Before they had run two miles, they saw a group of Han cavalrymen patrolling the hillside. They immediately dispatched several squads to intercept them.

The nobleman dared not linger in battle, and turned his horse around to enter along the low hill gully, but the Han cavalry pursued him.

The snow inside the low hills was so thick that it could cover a horse's hooves, slowing down the escape.

These Xianbei cavalry could only draw their bows, turn around, and shoot back. The pursuing Han cavalry also fired with bows and crossbows, and then fought with spears and halberds when they got close.

Relying on their sturdy armor and superior numbers, they quickly gained the upper hand in battle, and the hundred or so Xianbei riders were soon wiped out, with not a single one escaping.

Kui Tou was in the center of the army when the royal guards stepped forward to engage him, with Kui Tou protected in the middle.

As campfires burned, Han cavalry circled the camp, hurling arrows and crossbow bolts, sending stray arrows flying everywhere.

Kui Tou, no longer caring about his small RV, rode his steed and stood under the Xianbei stag banner, anxiously awaiting reinforcements from the rear army and support from the Uyghurs.

He firmly believed that as long as these 20,000-plus fresh troops joined the battlefield, the situation would improve.

The reason why the royal court's rear army was called the rear army was because these nobles were not so obedient; they were supporters of Qianman.

"Come on!"

The cavalry was the first to break through the Royal Court's guard positions. Several sharpshooters near Kui Tou noticed Zhao Ji's bravery, exchanged glances, and simultaneously drew their bows and aimed at Zhao Ji, firing all five of them at once.

Zhao Ji deflected an arrow with his sword, but another arrow struck the breastplate of his armor. His steed, wounded by the arrow, neighed and nearly fell over as it charged.

Zhao Ji used his left foot to step on one of the stirrups for leverage, and leaped into the air, separating himself from his horse.

His mount collapsed and slid forward. When Zhao Ji landed, he held the horse-slaying sword upside down with both hands. The sword first pierced the ground, and Zhao Ji used the friction to cushion the fall and land smoothly.

Suddenly, under the stag banner, a cloaked figure pointed at Zhao Ji and exclaimed in horror, "That is Grand Marshal Zhao Ji!"

Seeing that the Xianbei people around him couldn't understand, he hurriedly shouted in Donghu language: "He is Zhao Ji, the Grand Marshal of the Han Dynasty!"

While shouting, he tried to squeeze to the back of the crowd, even reaching out his hands to grab people, wanting them to protect him.

Before the surrounding Xianbei people could make a move, Zhao Ji pulled out a short spear from his waist and threw it. The spear struck the man in the chest, and he trembled as he hesitated and fell to the ground.

"kill him!"

Kui Tou pointed at Zhao Ji and shouted. At this moment, Zhao Ji took out a second short spear and threw it at Kui Tou.

Kui Tou was shoved aside by his guard, who was stabbed in the chest. The stab pierced his armor and left him motionless.

Five archers fired arrows at Zhao Ji, who dodged the five arrows, which were almost perfectly evenly spaced.

As Kui Tou strode forward, drawing his sword, the Xianbei nobles stopped in their tracks, showing no intention of engaging him in battle.

The five archers fired in a volley of arrows. Zhao Ji wielded his sword and slashed quickly, but he only managed to deflect two arrows that were aimed at his face. Three arrows struck his chest, one of which was deflected by his breastplate, and the other two were embedded in his body.

However, this did not affect Zhao Ji's explosive charging speed, and he arrived in front of Kui Tou almost like a warhorse charging.

Before Kui Tou could stand up, a sword was slashed diagonally across Kui Tou's chin, instantly slicing off his double chin. The blade then sliced ​​across his throat without pausing.

Kui Tou lay prone on the ground, hot blood gushing from his neck, still trying to crawl away and escape using his hands and feet.

The Xianbei nobles then swarmed forward and besieged Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji fought wildly with his sword, but unfortunately he could no longer enter a state of focused concentration. Even so, relying on his swift sword strikes and explosive power, he cut off the arms or throats of the Xianbei nobles who were participating in the attack.

More and more iron knights stormed in, shattering the fighting spirit of the Xianbei nobles and guards.

Seeing that the battle was going badly, the five sharpshooters turned to run.

Zhao Ji had already picked up his bow and arrow, aiming at the backs of the five high-ranking talents from the grasslands and firing arrows rapidly, shooting more than a dozen arrows in one go. On average, three arrows were stuck in the back of each person before Zhao Ji stopped.

He discarded the bow with his left hand, while his right hand trembled uncontrollably.

At this moment, Zhang Liao charged in on horseback, wielding his halberd, bypassing Zhao Ji, and slammed his halberd fiercely into the flagpole of the Xionglu banner.

The flagpole was sturdy, and Zhang Liao almost dropped his iron halberd.

Only then did he regain his composure, rein in his horse, dismount, and with both hands holding a halberd, stab a charging guard to the chest, killing him instantly.

Zhao Ji also picked up the greatsword again, dragged it to the front of the stag banner, which symbolized fertility and health of the Xianbei people, and looked up at the banner fluttering and shaking to the south.

Holding the horse-slaying sword in both hands, he remained silent, turned around, twisted his waist, and swiftly slashed out with the sword. The horse-slaying sword swept horizontally, breaking the flagpole, and the banner fell to the east, landing not far from Zhang Liao.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Liao gasped for breath, finally realizing his exhaustion and fatigue.

As the great banner fell, the royal guards, who were still putting up a stubborn resistance, gradually collapsed and fled.

(End of this chapter)