Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 351 Those who offend our Great Tang! Slaughter them all! [Bonus Chapter 33 for the Dreamers Watching TV Alliance Leader]

When Li Chengqian fired the signal flare, not only did the six troops of the Eastern Palace rush over from the rear, but even the Ganzhou and Liangzhou armies, whose morale had been low, regained their spirits and began to charge at the Xueyantuo army like wolves and tigers, as if they had been given stimulants.

At this moment, the Xueyantuo central army, which had originally received the order to retreat, also began to hesitate about whether to carry it out.

Because on ancient battlefields, the retreat of the central army had more than just the significance of retreating.

Generally speaking, once the central army retreats, the soldiers will inevitably follow suit.

But the ones charging ahead are cavalry!
The cavalry's victory lay in its relentless, unstoppable charge.

Li Chengqian's repeated attacks had already greatly reduced the morale of the Xueyantuo army. If the central army retreated to avoid Li Chengqian's attacks or for some other reason, the Xueyantuo army would collapse in an instant.

Therefore, any Xueyantuo general with some experience hesitated about Yishi Dadu's order.

This included Mota, another trusted general of Yi Shi Dadu.

Mo Ta hurriedly rode up to Yi Shi Da Du and advised him, "Your Highness, we cannot retreat now. The enemy has launched a general offensive. If we retreat, we will surely be defeated!"

"Retreat will only lead to defeat, but how can we win if we don't retreat? Didn't you see how brave Li Chengqian is? We can't stop him at all!"

Yi Shi glared at Mo Ta with annoyance, then looked around the chaotic battlefield and shouted, "Where is Li Jian?! Where is he?! Didn't we agree that Tuyuhun would join forces with us to attack the Tang army? Where are Tuyuhun's troops?!"

"This"

All the Xueyantuo generals present, including Mota, looked at each other speechlessly upon hearing this.

However, they didn't have much time to hesitate.

Before long, a large number of Tang soldiers charged in.

"Ironclad Cavalry! Advance!"

At Xue Rengui's command, the heavily armored Ironclad Cavalry charged into the battlefield from the west side with a thunderous roar.

There were no shouts, and very few people yelled; only the clanging of clashing weapons and the thud of flesh being pierced.

The occasional groans were quickly drowned out by the muffled 'ping, ping, plop, plop' sounds.

The Xueyantuo soldiers gritted their teeth and persevered, waiting to see which formation would collapse first.

Some people had already suffered a mental breakdown before they died, and their excrement and urine flowed down the edge of their combat boots.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and feces, so strong it was almost unbearable and made one want to vomit.

"Wolf Fang Guards! Kill!"

Having witnessed death countless times, Yu Gushe was unaffected by the stench of blood and excrement in the air. He simply waved his battle flag, and the Wolf Fang Guards behind him, like bloodthirsty fangs, launched a brutal attack on the Xueyantuo army.

They were the kings of the grasslands, and dealing with the Xueyantuo army, which was similar to them, was like the original fighting a counterfeit. They not only had a crushing advantage in bloodline, but also had superior weaponry, causing the Xueyantuo soldiers to cry out in despair.

After a round of attacks, the Xueyantuo vanguard on the right flank had collapsed.

Even without Yi Shi Dadu's orders, they would have abandoned their weapons and fled, only to be slaughtered by the Tang army that had already broken through to the vicinity of the central army.

"Archers! Prepare—!"

Pei Xingjian and Lai Fu led the Imperial Guards to become the archers of this combined army.

After adjusting their formation on the perimeter, they immediately took out their bows and arrows, pointing the arrows diagonally upwards into the sky.

"put!"

Pei Xingjian gave the order.

In an instant, arrows flew like locusts, soaring into the sky, passing over our own soldiers and the vanguard of the Xueyantuo, creating a rain of arrows between the enemy's vanguard and follow-up troops.

Although the guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were not actual archers, the bows and arrows they carried were not traditional hard bows, but composite bows.

Anyone who has ever used a compound bow knows that it requires less effort, has a longer range, and is more powerful than a rigid bow.

However, it is relatively more complicated to make.

Of course, this kind of trouble was not a problem for the Crown Prince's private weapons workshop, which had mastered modern science and technology.

The purpose of flying arrows in unison is not to precisely strike the enemy, but to increase the density of strikes per unit area.

This was not a difficult task for non-professional Imperial Guards.

Therefore, after three rounds of firing, a death zone quickly appeared between the vanguard and the center of the Xueyantuo troops on the right flank.

The soldiers who were leading the charge felt a chill run down their spines after losing support, and their defeat became increasingly unstoppable.

"It's over, we're really finished now."

Yi Shida looked at the defeated Xueyantuo vanguard and his face turned pale instantly.

Meanwhile, Mota, standing beside him, roared defiantly at the left flank, "Charge! What are you all afraid of?!"

The Xueyantuo soldiers on the left wing outnumbered the enemy five to one, yet they were forced into a series of retreats by Li Chengqian alone. If they continued to retreat like this, they would undoubtedly lose the decisive battle.

"Those who retreat will be killed without mercy!"

A Xueyantuo general roared loudly. He led his personal guards and charged towards Li Chengqian. Upon seeing someone running towards them, regardless of whose subordinate he was, he raised his hand and slashed.

puff!

Blood gushed forth!

The bloody slaughter seemed to have some effect, gradually halting the collapse of the originally routed left-wing army.

The Xueyantuo soldiers, who had already fled, had no choice but to grit their teeth, turn around, and face the enemy's blades once again.

However, everything is in vain.

Especially when facing Li Chengqian, even if they rushed up to him, they didn't have the courage to swing their swords at him, and were eventually taken away by Li Chengqian with a single shot.

Nearly 40,000 Xueyantuo troops on the left wing fought fiercely against less than 10,000 Ganzhou and Liangzhou troops, as well as Li Chengqian. The blood mist rising from the battlefield even blocked out the sunlight overhead.

"If only we hadn't run into that kid."

Yi thought to himself in despair, having lost all magnanimity.

He originally intended to use his numerical advantage to launch a crushing attack on the Tang army.

As a result, the vanguard army of more than 10,000 men led by Li Chengqian turned his battle formation upside down.

Coupled with his flawed decision-making, he directly led his 100,000-strong army into the abyss.

At this moment, the numerical advantage of these 100,000 people has vanished; they are nothing more than a pack of worthless dogs.

By this time, the war had begun to show a one-sided trend.

Knowing that the situation was hopeless, Yi Shi, disregarding the bloody battle fought by Mo Ta and other Xueyantuo generals, simply led his personal guards and fled.

When Mota and other Xueyantuo generals realized what was happening, they inadvertently looked in the direction of Yishi Dadu and their eyes widened in astonishment.

Why are we surrounded by Tang soldiers?
"Damn it! Let's retreat too!"

A Xueyantuo general said angrily.

The Xueyantuo general standing nearby said with a wry smile, "Can't you see that we're surrounded by Tang troops? Where do we retreat to?"

"How about we just surrender?"

Just as the Xueyantuo generals were filled with indignation and at a loss, a sudden voice rang out.

"Li Jian! How dare you!"

Upon hearing this voice, Mo Ta's face darkened, and he immediately drew his sword and charged forward: "If you dare to surrender, I will kill you!"

"There are Turks in the Tang army, so there's no reason why they can't tolerate us Xueyantuo people!"

Li Jian ignored Mo Ta and went directly to the Xueyantuo generals, saying, "There's a saying in the Central Plains: 'Where there's life, there's hope.' As long as we're alive, we have a chance!"

"Ah, yes, yes!"

“You’re right! I’ve had enough of following those idiots from the Yishi family!”

"Alright! It's decided then! We'll surrender to the Tang army first, and then set up our own forces after they leave!"

Soon, the Xueyantuo generals made up their minds and turned to look at the Mota.

Mo Ta frowned, first glancing at the direction Yi Shi Da Du had fled, then at Li Jian, and finally gritted his teeth, immediately ordering: "Pass on my order to surrender to the Tang army!"

"Woo-wu-wu-"

A mournful bugle call suddenly rang out from the sky above the outskirts of Ganzhou.

Upon hearing the bugle call, countless Xueyantuo soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and ceased their attack, laying down their weapons.

At this moment, the other Tang soldiers also stopped the massacre.

"Your Highness! Yi Shi Da Du has run away, I'm going to chase after him!"

Yu Gu immediately rushed to Li Chengqian's side and asked him for permission.

"Alright! Go and come back quickly!"

Li Chengqian agreed without hesitation: "I want to see the body, whether dead or alive!"

"promise!"

Yu Gushe responded and immediately led the Wolf Fang Guards in pursuit. Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui, and Lai Fu arrived at Li Chengqian's side a moment later.

But Li Chengqian coldly said, "First, gather these surrendered soldiers together and make them dig pits!"

"what?"

Pei Xingjian and his two companions were taken aback, thinking, "No way! Is His Highness the Crown Prince going to massacre these surrendered soldiers?"

"Do you still remember the oath of my Great Tang? Those who offend my Great Tang, no matter how far away, shall be punished!"

Seemingly sensing their shock, Li Chengqian calmly and indifferently said, "If I spare them today, next time, if they have the chance, they will be even more cruel in wielding their swords against the people of my Great Tang!"

"Therefore, I will never allow anyone, any country, to provoke my Great Tang. Those who provoke will surely perish!"

hiss!
Upon hearing this, Pei Xingjian and the other two gasped in shock.

However, they fully understood Li Chengqian's actions.

After all, there's a saying that goes, "To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself."

So, after only a moment of shock, they revealed a cruel expression to the surrendered Xueyantuo soldiers.

The Xueyantuo soldiers, including their generals, thought the war was over and threw away their weapons faster than they would a hot potato.

Little did they know, what awaited them was an eternal nightmare.

On the other side, outside Liangzhou City.

Li Daliang looked at Tuoba Mi outside the city and shouted loudly, "Tuoba Mi, if you want to attack, then attack! What's the meaning of besieging my Liangzhou City? Are you here to beg for food from your father?!"

"hehe."

Tuoba Mi smiled noncommittally, clearly used to Li Daliang's cursing, and said calmly, "Governor Li, what's the rush? Are you unhappy that I'm not attacking you?"

"If you want war, then let's fight! Stop talking nonsense!"

Cheng Gao couldn't help but shout as well.

But Tuoba Mi didn't want to pay any attention to him. He just turned to Li Daliang and said, "Governor Li, let's not beat around the bush. Do you really think that your Crown Prince's small force can defeat Yishi Dadu's 100,000 elite Xueyantuo troops?"

"If you know what's good for you, surrender the city now. Otherwise, once the battle reports from the other side arrive, you won't have another chance like this!"

It turns out that it wasn't that he was afraid to go to war with the Tang Dynasty, but rather that he was planning to reap the benefits.

If Yi Shidadu wins the war against Li Chengqian, he will not hesitate to order an attack on the city.

If Li Chengqian wins, in his mind, as long as he does not take the initiative to attack the Tang Dynasty, it will not be considered a pretext to provoke a full-scale war between the two countries.

Therefore, either outcome would be advantageous to Tuyuhun.

He naturally had no need to strike first; he only needed to wait quietly.

Unfortunately, there is a gap between ideas and reality.

While he was confronting Li Daliang across the city, their tribes near Liangzhou City were suffering devastating blows.

"There is a tribe on the left, about twenty miles away."

A scout in black armor swiftly rode up to Su Dingfang and reported, "The tribe is of medium size, with approximately five hundred cavalry."

Soon, the scout finished reporting what his team had discovered.

Su Dingfang acted decisively, immediately ordering, "Cross over the left slope and kill them all!"

Rumble! The horse's hooves flew swiftly, like a black lightning bolt, heading straight for the Tuyuhun tribe on the left hillside.

Wuwuwu——

A heavy bugle call sounded.

Su Dingfang saw that the cavalry in front of him had only charged less than 500 meters before they discovered his whereabouts. Upon reflection, he realized that this was probably a consequence of Li Chengqian's attack on their tribe last time.

They also knew that the Tang army would attack them again, so they also placed scouts around the tribe. At least within ten miles of the tribe, they were not undefended.

But this attack was different from the last one.

This attack was carried out by light cavalry in black armor, which were not only fast but also did not require disguise.

The time left for the other side to react is very short. Even if they discover your whereabouts, they cannot effectively stop or resist you and can only desperately run away.

Just as Su Dingfang had predicted, the tribe originally had about five hundred cavalrymen, but when they saw a large group of cavalrymen coming down the hillside in the distance, they were so frightened that they didn't dare to fight.

Although they were considered barbarians by the Tang people, it did not mean they were fools.

Their leader immediately ordered his men to retreat south.

As for the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled in the tribe, we can't care about that anymore.

Some cavalrymen retreated without hesitation after mounting their horses. These soldiers were often single men with no relatives in the tribe.

They knew that staying would not only fail to stop the Tang army, but would also cost them their lives. After all, they hadn't married yet and naturally wanted to live longer. Once they got married, they would probably realize that marriage is the grave of love.

As for the other group of cavalry, they were different.

Their wives, children, and parents were all in the tribe. They knew how cruel the Tang army was after their last attack and that they would never spare their wives, children, and elderly parents. Therefore, they absolutely could not abandon their wives, children, and elderly parents at this time.

Therefore, they did not hesitate to take their wives, children, and elderly parents with them and prepare to retreat together.

But the ideal is very full, and the reality is very skinny.

One person escaping is possible, but for an entire family to escape is a serious underestimation of the Black Armor Guards.

They had never seen such a well-organized arrow formation, especially since the enemy archers were charging on horseback, which should have greatly reduced their accuracy.

But the Tang soldiers in front of them, clad in black armor, were completely different from the Tang soldiers they had seen before. With thousands of arrows, they could be said to have hit their targets every time.

This was simply unimaginable to them.

You should know that the cavalry on the grasslands are the most skilled at mounted archery.

Even the once invincible Turkic cavalry, when charging on horseback, had less than 70% accuracy.

The Tuyuhun tribe had no idea how these Tang soldiers were trained.

But Su Dingfang himself was very clear that these cavalrymen were all the elite of the elite, and their training methods were completely different from those of the existing Tang Dynasty cavalry and steppe cavalry.

According to Li Chengqian, their eyesight was at least 5.0, and most of them were 5.2 or 5.3.

With such eyesight, coupled with scientific shooting training, hitting a bullseye from a hundred paces is just basic skill.

Therefore, after three rounds of firing, half of the original two hundred-plus Tuyuhun cavalrymen had fallen in pools of blood.

By the time the remaining men picked up their scimitars and prepared to charge at the Black Armor Guards, they were no match for them.

They were like wheat in a field, harvested instantly without any resistance.

"Reporting to Commander Su, no Han Chinese have been found in this tribe!"

The subordinates quickly searched the tribe and then reported back to Su Dingfang.

Without any hesitation, Su Dingfang immediately said, "The old rules apply. Except for the old, weak, sick, disabled, and women, kill all the able-bodied men, and then move on to the next tribe!"

"Yes!"

These black-armored guards knew exactly what they were doing.

Although they did not kill the entire tribe, the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and the women who remained were left without the protection of able-bodied men and would mostly wander the grasslands, waiting for other tribes to take them in.

Such an outcome will only drag down other tribes.

If other tribes do not accept them, all they will face is death, to be devoured by wolves on the grasslands.

This also indirectly exacerbated the internal conflicts within Tuyuhun.

About half an hour later, all the able-bodied men in the tribe were slaughtered by the Black Armor Guards.

"withdraw!"

With a wave of his hand, Su Dingfang led his men directly to the next tribe without any hesitation.

And this tribe, coincidentally, was the tribe of Murong Xiaojun, the deputy prime minister of Tuyuhun.

Murong Xiaojun originally planned to go to Liangzhou City with Tuoba Mi, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that most of the dozen or so tribes that had been destroyed among the twenty or so tribes near Liangzhou City belonged to the Tuyuhun prince, while Murong Shun's tribe was rarely destroyed, which seemed a bit strange.

So, after discussing it with Tuoba Mi, he felt it was necessary to go and investigate Murong Shun's tribe.

If Murong Shun really colluded with the Tang Dynasty, it would not only help the Tuyuhun prince fight back against Murong Shun, but also drive these tribes out of Liangzhou City.

After all, Liangzhou City was already in their grasp.

He didn't believe that Yi Shida's 100,000-strong army couldn't defeat Li Chengqian's 30,000-40,000-strong allied army.

"Tell me, did Prince Murong Shun collude with the Tang Dynasty?"

Murong Xiaojun sat in a high position, coldly looking at the tribal chief kneeling in front of him, as well as some of his advisors.

It must be said that not only did the people of the Central Plains enjoy internal strife, but people of other ethnicities did as well.

Especially when a country is on the verge of collapse, internal strife is often the prelude.

(End of this chapter)