The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 166 Breaking the Formation and Slaying Generals
After resting for two days, Li Jingxiao was thinking about finding an opportunity to eat one or two of the Tatar cavalrymen who kept chasing him.

Of course, Li Jingxiao also knew that he was already far away from Xingzhou Guard.

So he has already made preparations to flee eastward back to Liaodong Town should things fall apart.

After hiding for two days in a huge pine forest in Saihanba.

The Left Garrison Commanders discovered a Tatar cavalry force of about six thousand men near Lake Duolun.

Li Jingxiao had someone bring over a basin of water, and then used the "Mysterious Light Technique" on the water in the basin.

The basin quickly revealed the situation around Lake Duolun.

The generals looked at Li Jingxiao with excitement as they watched the Tatars set up camp.

Being chased for so many days would make anyone angry.

Li Jingxiao smiled; these six thousand people were clearly exhausted.

There are many rules to follow when setting up camp. It's impossible to just dismount and set up camp on the south bank of Duolun Lake without any precautions.

If you get surrounded, with the lake behind you, you'll have nowhere to escape.

Not everyone has the courage and determination to fight a desperate battle.

Han Xin dared to fight with his back to the river, but there was a prerequisite.

He had already dispatched 2 light cavalry to circle around behind the Zhao army, waiting for Han Xin to engage the main force of the Zhao army.

The light cavalry launched a surprise attack on the Zhao army camp, raised Han Xin's banner, and that was when the morale of the Zhao army was truly shattered.

Otherwise, with only a few thousand infantrymen, no matter how desperately he tried to survive, he could have easily trapped and killed Han Xin against 20 Zhao soldiers.

Upon realizing this, Li Jingxiao's face lit up with joy.

Moreover, they had already rested in the pine forest for two days.

With the advantage of waiting in comfort and launching a nighttime surprise attack, the probability of winning is at least 80-90%.

Li Jingxiao naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.

He didn't even want to wait until night.

While it was still light around four or five in the afternoon, he ordered the entire army to eat and feed the horses.

We will depart in half an hour.

Then he summoned Jia Rong and ordered him to take 1 support soldiers and head east to contact Wang Zhong.

He promised that as long as Wang Zhong was willing to send troops to fight alongside him, he would support him in terms of food and military equipment.

He also suggested to the emperor that he be appointed as the Deputy Commander of Tashan Guard, in charge of many territories in the north and south of Tashan Guard.

Li Jingxiao contacted Wang Zhong not only because he genuinely wanted to recruit him to fight the Tatars, but also because he wanted to get Wang Zhong involved in the fight.

He also plans to prepare a backup plan for himself.

If things go wrong, with the Hada tribe providing support, retreating eastward will be much easier.

But this cannot be said to Wang Zhong, nor can it be told to Jia Rong.

To prevent Wang Zhong from having other ideas if he knew that Zhou Jun intended to retreat to Liaodong Town.

The grasslands only care about interests and have no sense of morality whatsoever.

Moreover, although Wang Zhong is a Han Chinese name, he is a Jurchen who is 100% Jurchen, so Li Jingxiao would naturally not tell him his true identity.

As for the benefits promised to Wang Zhong, they were nothing more than empty titles.

However, sometimes, the greater good is still very useful.

After all, at this time, the Jurchens were still a minor figure in the eyes of the Great Zhou.

In addition, the various Jurchen tribes often fought each other, so the Tashan Guard Commander-in-Chief still wielded considerable power.

Moreover, having this title will make it much easier to recruit smaller tribes.

Upon hearing this, Jia Rong's face immediately showed a troubled expression.

But Li Jingxiao has killed so many people in the past month or so that his eyes are filled with murderous intent when he looks at people.

Jia Rong knew that if he dared to refuse, he might really be killed by his bloodthirsty uncle.

I had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

Fortunately, Li Jingxiao understood that this kid was indeed the sole heir of the Ningguo Mansion.

If he were to die at his own hands, he would have a hard time explaining it to Yuan Chun when he returned.

Moreover, in order to please her, Jia Zhen even gave her two younger sisters-in-law, You Erjie and You Sanjie, as part of Yuan Chun's dowry.

Having received favors from others, there's naturally no need to cheat the Ningguo Mansion.

So before Jia Rong set off, he was given a Wusun horse with +2 speed, +1 physique, and +1 endurance.

He also sent Jia Rong with a chestnut-colored Wusun horse as a gift to Wang Zhong.

Then tell Jia Rong that if Wang Zhong makes things difficult for him, tell Wang Zhong that in the future, the Great Zhou will not only support Wang Zhong's enemies.

They would also issue proclamations, declaring that whoever killed Wang Zhong would become the deputy commander of the Tashan Guard.

Jia Rong's complexion improved considerably after that.

After seeing Jia Rong and his party off, Li Jingxiao mounted his steed, leaving behind the logistics team, and led 4,500 cavalrymen northward.

After a month-long battle, when they had conquered nine tribes, they not only discovered slaves of the Great Zhou, but also many Jurchen and Mongol slaves from the Uriyangkhai tribe.

In fact, the Tatars, Oirats, and Uriyangkhai were all Mongols, but at that time the Tatars were the most powerful on the grasslands, driving the Oirats to the west.

They drove the Uriyangkhai to the eastern edge of the grasslands, while the Tatars themselves occupied the largest and most fertile pastures.

With the addition of Jurchen, Zhou, and Uriyangkhai Mongol slaves, Li Jingxiao's forces grew larger the more he fought.

The number of hired auxiliary troops also increased from the initial 800 to 2000.

Although many people died, as long as they didn't die on the battlefield.

They could be saved by taking Sanqi blood-nourishing soup.

Even before each major battle, Li Jingxiao would begin distributing Sanqi blood-nourishing soup, made with Sanqi powder and water, to the soldiers.

If you get injured, take out a water bag and take a big gulp; a serious injury can be reduced to a minor one.

Minor injuries healed quickly, so the army's morale and fighting spirit remained very high.

Even when they heard about a major battle, they showed no fear whatsoever.

They were eagerly anticipating going to the battlefield to earn kills and money.

Moreover, the Jurchens and Mongols who kept joining the auxiliary troops received their rewards.

He immediately became extremely loyal to Li Jingxiao.

The army marched on foot, leading their horses, for 40 li (approximately 20 kilometers) along the pine forest. By the time they reached the back of a hill on the east side of Duolun Lake, it was already completely dark.

Li Jingxiao ordered the army to rest and put on their armor, while he himself rode his Chasing Wind to a grove of trees on a hill.

While observing from the high ground, they watched the Tatars who had already set up camp on the south bank of Duolun Lake.

He was also thinking about the number and scale of the Tatar cavalry that were besieging him.

The Tatars in Datong and Xuanfu should have already retreated.

At the very least, there should have been a military order that was relayed from Xuanfu back to the grasslands.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for so many tribes to gather together and besiege him.

After all, there are often disputes between the various tribes on the grasslands, so the determination to avenge those tribes that have already been wiped out is unlikely to be so strong.

Only the Great Khan, recognized by all the Tatars, has the authority and power to force all tribes to relentlessly pursue him.

If one's judgment is correct, it means that the strategic intentions hoped for before the war have been achieved.

After this battle, I should retreat eastward or southward.

However, if he could incorporate Wang Zhong's troops, or even gather the Uriyangkhai Mongols to follow him, that would be ideal.

Who would chase and who would flee was hard to say. Li Jingxiao, in fact, wasn't afraid of the Tatars pursuing him at all along the way.

His concern was that after the cavalry were lost in battle, there would be no replacements.

Once the number of cavalrymen and officers is reduced to a certain extent, the surviving cavalrymen and officers will definitely be thinking about escaping back to the Great Zhou.

He consistently avoided direct confrontations with Tatar cavalry, instead targeting tribes with little defense and few soldiers.

This was done to avoid excessive losses and to create chaos and panic.

This puts more psychological pressure on the Tatar army in Datong and Xuanfu.

As it turned out, his idea was correct.

That night, 900 heavy cavalrymen led the charge, and Li Jingxiao himself was also clad in heavy armor, wielding a bronze staff.

Leading his horse at the head of the army, he made his way to a grove of trees about three miles from the enemy.

Looking at the continuous bonfire, I couldn't help but feel excited.

They weren't discovered even at such close range; it seems these 6000 Tatars have virtually no military discipline.

He ordered the entire army to mount up, and the army could charge into the enemy camp in just a few minutes.

Li Jingxiao, seated on his horse, raised his bronze mace and shouted to the 900 heavy cavalry, "All troops, charge! Follow me into the enemy camp and capture the enemy general alive!"

With the commander-in-chief leading the charge, morale will naturally be high.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao had led them across most of the grasslands, and his achievements had already made these cavalrymen somewhat blindly trust him.

Seeing Li Jingxiao in his heavy armor, the heavy cavalrymen felt their blood boil.

Seeing that morale was high, Li Jingxiao urged his horse to run.

The heavy cavalry behind them also began to trot and accelerate, and soon the thunderous sound of hooves echoed throughout Lake Duolun.

Some fish were so startled by the sound of the horses' hooves that they leaped out of the lake.

When they were only 500 meters away from the Tatar camp, the mournful sound of bull horns rang out from within the camp.

Unfortunately, it was too late to arrange troops and block the heavy cavalry at this point.

Li Jingxiao took the lead and struck with a stick, killing a Tatar who was riding towards him.

Then, the bronze staff swept horizontally or thrust straight in, leading the heavy cavalry into the enemy camp with a thunderous roar.

They charged straight toward the commander's tent.

1600 light cavalry and 2000 auxiliary troops charged into the enemy camp after the heavy cavalry.

Charge around the south side of the camp, trying to drive people as far east or to the lake as possible.

Li Jingxiao charged forward relentlessly, smashing countless Tatar heads and necks in his wake.

From afar, they saw several middle-aged men dressed differently from ordinary cavalrymen outside the main tent. They quickly stepped out of the tent, mounted their horses, and tried to escape.

Li Jingxiao could tell at a glance that this man was of high status, and that killing him would definitely damage the morale of the Tatars.

He put away the bronze cudgel, took out the iron-rimmed bow, drew the bowstring, and fired an arrow at one of them.

"careful".

Harbala had been keeping an eye on Zhou's army and saw the enemy general leading the charge draw his bow and shoot an arrow.

He hurriedly reminded the head coach to be careful.

But after shouting "Watch out!" and turning back to look at the head coach...

They discovered a sharp arrow that had pierced the commander's chest.

Harbala's expression changed drastically, and he thought to himself, how could it be so fast?
But when he turned back to look at Zhou Jun, he saw in his pupils a phantom image of a sharp arrow shooting towards him.

Then he felt a sharp pain in his chest, looked down, and saw that a sharp arrow had been deeply embedded in his chest.

Li Jingxiao, standing a hundred meters away, watched as two arrows killed two important figures, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

He casually used his iron-rimmed bow to deflect a saber aimed at him, then drew an arrow and thrust it to his right.

The arrow sliced ​​open the neck of a Tatar before drawing the bow and aiming at another Tatar leader clad in thick lamellar armor.

Unfortunately, the Tatar guards reacted. Just as the arrow was released, a giant at least 1.9 meters tall grabbed Agula's arm and pulled him off his horse.

At that moment, the arrow flew past Agula's chest and pierced the horse's neck.

Agula was terrified when he saw this.

Forget about appearances, they shouted, "Get out of here! Get out of here!"

Upon hearing this, the giant's face contorted with anger.

But since he was his leader after all, Ulaanbaatar had no choice but to obey his orders, no matter how much he looked down on him.

Just as Ulanbarri helped Agula up, a sharp arrow suddenly pierced through a distance of seventy or eighty meters without warning.

As the arrow pierced Agula, the arrowhead also pierced the shoulder of Ulanbarri, who was wearing armor.

Now, Ulanbarri, known as the Red Tiger of the Grasslands, no longer had the courage and ferocity he had before, and endured the pain in his shoulder.

Grabbing the arrow shaft from Agula's chest, he twisted it sharply, breaking the shaft and pulling Agula out.

Holding the remaining arrow shaft, intending to break it for easier movement, he was surprised to see another arrow shot at him.

It pierced through three layers of heavy armor on Ulanbarri's body.

At this moment, Li Jingxiao was only thirty meters away from the main tent.

He put down the iron bow, drew out the copper staff, and swept it left and right, knocking away five or six Tatar guards.

He rushed straight to Ulanbarri and smacked him on the head with a stick.

This warrior, who was as tall as a horse when standing, had completely lost his former ferocity and had his head smashed by a single blow.

Instantly, the Tatar guards who were still alive all turned ashen-faced.

However, none of the guards escaped after their commander was killed in battle.

Instead, they drew their weapons and fought to the death.

But the guards had to fight to the death, while ordinary Tatar soldiers didn't have that courage.

As the heavy cavalry charged forward, some quickly turned and ran.

Ignoring the deserters, Li Jingxiao rode his horse and killed more than a dozen of his personal guards who were fighting to the death. He approached the central command tent and swung his club down at the central command banner.

With a crack, the thick flagpole, about the size of a fist, was snapped in two by Li Jingxiao's blow and slowly fell to the ground.

The flag of the central commander fell, and those around him who were still resisting the Tatars had lost the courage to continue.

One by one, they rushed to escape for their lives.

Li Jingxiao and his heavy cavalry would naturally not miss the opportunity to "beat a drowning dog".

It took some effort to wipe out all of the Tatar commander's personal guards, numbering over a hundred.

They increased the speed of their heavy cavalry and began to pursue the Tatars.

The Tatars soon discovered a cruel reality: outside the camp, at least several thousand Zhou light cavalrymen were constantly hacking and slashing, while trying their best to drive their panicked comrades into the lake.

When Li Jingxiao led his heavy cavalry and broke through the entire camp, he killed at least two thousand men.

The remaining two or three thousand soldiers could only resist while instinctively fighting their way back towards Lake Duolun.

Many Tatars only realized they had nowhere left to retreat when they were threatened with being driven into the lake.

Li Jingxiao led his heavy cavalry in a circle, then looked back to check on their condition.

Seeing that these guys' eyes were all red, and they looked eager to continue their charge, he realized that they were eager to fight again.

Then he swung the bronze cudgel in his hand.

We rushed out again along the shore of Lake Duolun.

(End of this chapter)