My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

On the desolate plains at the western foot of Chiling Mountain, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the morning mist, the cavalry of Tuyuhun had already formed their battle formation.

Murong Zeren, a general under Murong Fuyun, stood at the front of the battle line, looking at the wisps of smoke rising from the Tang army camp in the east, a contemptuous smile curving his lips.

"The Tang dog is cooking again."

He pointed with his riding crop.

"You need to eat your fill before you set off."

The centurions beside him chuckled. They were all too familiar with the Tang army's rhythm—meals at dawn, formation at mid-morning, and only a slow advance at noon.

The Tuyuhun light cavalry were best at harassing the Tang army when their formations were not yet stable, using arrow rain to wear them down, feigning defeat to lure the enemy, and using the terrain of this plateau to wear down these Central Plains armies who were not used to the lack of oxygen.

The last time they clashed was only a few months ago. The Tang army was indeed brave, but by no means invincible.

Their heavy infantry moved slowly on the plateau, and although their cavalry charged fiercely, their warhorses had far less endurance than the Qinghai steeds carefully bred by the Tuyuhun.

More importantly, Tang soldiers were also flesh and blood; they were afraid of death, they were tired, they cried out when they were injured, and they were terrified when they saw their comrades die tragically.

In other places, they would definitely be afraid, but this is the plateau.

The Tang army's fighting strength has been greatly reduced.

"Send the order to all teams,"

Murong Zeren narrowed his eyes.

"As per tradition, wait until the Tang army's vanguard has marched three miles out of camp, then launch a feigned attack from the left flank while the right flank circles around to cut off their retreat. Today, we must at least wipe out three thousand of Li Jing's vanguard!"

As the bugle sounded mournfully, the Tuyuhun cavalry slowly spread out to both sides, like an eagle spreading its wings.

however--

Not right.

Murong Zeren suddenly frowned.

The Tang army camp gates opened a full half hour earlier than expected!

Even more strangely, the speed and the neatness of the Tang army's vanguard that charged out were completely unlike a team that had just finished breakfast.

Those infantrymen clad in gleaming armor ran at a speed almost matching that of a lightly armed charge.

The cavalrymen accelerated at full speed as soon as they left the camp, and the white breath exhaled by their warhorses stretched into long trails of mist in the morning light.

"Aren't they...lining up in formation?"

The lieutenant said in astonishment.

According to Tang army custom, after leaving the camp, they should form ranks outside the range of arrows, with shields in front, spears in the middle, crossbowmen in the rear, and cavalry on the flanks.

But this Tang army, after leaving the camp, hardly stopped. The vanguard infantry charged in skirmish lines, and the cavalry split into several groups, directly penetrating the gaps on the flanks of the Tuyuhun formation!

"Prepare for the enemy! Quickly prepare for the enemy!"

Murong Zeren shouted sternly, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

The Tuyuhun cavalry skillfully drew their bows and nocked their arrows, unleashing the first volley of arrows.

The sound of arrows piercing the air was sharp and shrill, and a dark mass enveloped the Tang army's vanguard.

Then, a scene that all the Tuyuhun people will never forget happened.

The arrow did hit its mark.

They saw arrows embedded in the shields and armor of the Tang soldiers, and even hitting their unprotected calves and arms.

Based on past experience, Tang soldiers hit by arrows would either fall to the ground and wail in pain, or at least become sluggish and their formation would become chaotic.

But no.

Those Tang soldiers who were hit by arrows seemed to feel no pain!

They merely grunted, some casually snapping off the exposed arrow shafts, others ignoring the arrows still embedded in their flesh, their pace not slowing down at all! On the contrary, their charge accelerated!

"Eternal Heaven...don't they feel pain?"

A young Tuyuhun archer's hand trembled, and he couldn't nock the second arrow.

What's even more terrifying are their eyes.

When the distance closed to a hundred paces, Murong Zeren finally saw the faces of the Tang soldiers at the forefront.

Those were not human eyes—the pupils were bloodshot, the eyeballs were full of blood vessels, yet they radiated an almost fanatical, beast-like light.

Their mouths were open, not shouting, but... laughing?

A chilling laugh that was a mixture of extreme excitement and savagery!

Moreover, a strange smell wafted through the air.

It wasn't bloody, nor was it sweaty, but rather a... spicy, salty, and savory aroma that seemed to concentrate all the sensory stimuli.

The Tuyuhun soldiers: ? ? ?

"What does it taste like?"

Murong Zeren sniffed.

But there was no time to think about it further.

When the Tang army's vanguard infantry had advanced fifty paces, they suddenly erupted in a deafening roar:

"Great Tang Dynasty—May you be victorious!!!"

The roar was so powerful that it startled the Tuyuhun warhorses in the front row, causing them to rear up!

Immediately afterwards, these infantrymen stopped advancing slowly with their shields in hand and instead thrust their shields forward violently, their bodies almost touching the ground, and charged wildly in an almost frenzied manner, directly crashing into the Tuyuhun cavalry line!

Murong Zeren: ? ? ?

"They're insane! They're insane!"

This was the only thought left in Murong Zeren's mind.

Infantry charging at cavalry?

Why are they rushing in so resolutely?

The impact happened in an instant.

The sounds of bones cracking, horses neighing, and metal clashing, along with the screams and roars of humans, blended into a symphony of hell.

What terrified the Tuyuhun people was that the Tang soldiers who were knocked away by warhorses and slashed by scimitars would cling to the horse's legs as long as they could still move, biting with their teeth and stabbing the horse's belly with short knives, even if they were trampled to the point of having their intestines ripped out, they would not let go!

Even more remarkably, Tang soldiers with their bellies ripped open and intestines spilling out could still struggle to their feet, stuff their protruding intestines into their waistbands, tighten them with their belts, and then, with red eyes, continue to charge at the nearest enemy!

"Devil! They are devils!"

A Tuyuhun centurion finally broke down, turned his horse around and tried to run away, but was knocked off his horse by a group of Tang cavalry charging from the side.

The Tang cavalry captain, his face covered in blood, grinned, revealing a set of white teeth stained red with blood. He wielded his lance like a windmill, and with one thrust, he pinned the centurion, who was trying to get up, to the ground.

On the left flank, the Tuyuhun light cavalry responsible for the feint attack suffered an even more devastating blow.

Hou Junji personally led three thousand elite cavalrymen, completely ignoring the main force of Tuyuhun in front. Instead, they cut through the weak left flank like a hot knife through butter, and then charged towards the rear of the Tuyuhun camp without stopping!

"They're going to burn the pasture! Stop them!"

The shout of a centurion abruptly ceased as Xue Wanche's hurled spear pierced his chest, its momentum undiminished, carrying his corpse as he flew off his horse.

On the right flank, the Tuyuhun cavalry, attempting to flank the enemy, were horrified to find that their retreat had been cut off by a Tang cavalry force.

The Tang army was small in number, but each soldier was like a demon. The leader (Li Daliang) even charged into the enemy lines alone, killing seven Tuyuhun warriors. He was covered in blood, but he became more and more courageous in battle.

With the desperate protection of his personal guards, Murong Zeren barely managed to escape the chaos and retreat to a high slope.

He looked back and felt a chill run through him.

In just half an hour, his carefully arranged lines of defense had fallen apart.

The Tang army did not play by the rules at all. They did not form formations or hold their ground. Instead, they charged forward with the most frenzied and reckless attitude, trading wounds for wounds and lives for lives.

Moreover, he was horrified to discover that many Tang soldiers who were clearly seriously wounded and should have been incapacitated were still fighting.

A Tang army artilleryman with his arm severed used his remaining hand to tightly grip the neck of a Tuyuhun cavalryman. The two rolled on the ground until their comrades arrived to finish them off.

A Tang crossbowman, stabbed in the abdomen with a wound so deep his intestines were visible, leaned against his dead horse, his hands trembling as he cocked his crossbow and shot an arrow through the throat of a centurion who was giving orders...

"Medicine...they must have some evil medicine!"

"A soldier said in a trembling voice, pointing to a seriously wounded Tang soldier being dragged away by his comrades not far away.

"Look! His wound is bleeding so badly, yet he was just swinging his knife!"

Murong Zeren suddenly remembered that strange fragrance, and the Tang army's unusually ruddy complexion and bloodshot yet excited eyes.

Thinking of their seemingly painless and fearless attitude towards death...

An absurd yet chilling thought arose in his mind:

Did the Tang army... obtain the power of immortality from the gods?

"General! The left flank has completely collapsed! The 'Marquis' flag has moved towards the rear of the camp!"

"The right flank has been cut off! The Tang army is closing in!"

"The central army... the central army can't hold on! We can't kill all those Tang soldiers! For every one we cut down, two more get up!"

Bad news followed one after another.

Murong Zeren looked down at the Tang army below, slaughtering them like tigers among sheep, and saw the growing fear and despair on the faces of his own soldiers. He could also hear the faint sounds of fire breaking out in the haystack and the shrieks of cattle and sheep fleeing in terror in the distance...

He recalled the Tang army from a few months ago, which, though brave, was still prone to fear and retreat, and then looked at the group of demons before him who seemed to have crawled out of hell...

Damn it!

Did these Tang soldiers take some kind of magic potion?

How can he be so brave?

"withdraw……"

His voice was extremely dry.

"Order... retreat thirty li... no, fifty li! Quickly!"

The bugle call to retreat sounded hastily, but it was already too late.

Like wolves that have smelled blood, the Tang army relentlessly pursued the fleeing Tuyuhun people, chasing them to the death.

On the barren red ridge, the sun shines brightly.

Tang banners fluttered in the morning breeze, beneath which stood Tang soldiers, panting but still upright, their eyes still burning with unwavering fervor.

They exuded the lingering aroma of the "immortal soup" and a strong stench of blood, with the corpses of Tuyuhun people lying scattered on the ground and the dust of panicked escapes lingering beneath their feet.

On a distant high slope, Li Jing put down his binoculars and calmly spoke to the scribe beside him who was recording the battle situation.

"Record: On the day of Bingyin in the twelfth month of the ninth year of Zhenguan, the Battle of Chiling took place. After our vanguard drank the immortal noodles bestowed by His Majesty, their morale soared, and they fiercely attacked the enemy. The Tuyuhun leader Murong Zeren's troops fled for dozens of miles, leaving behind more than 2,700 corpses and countless wounded. Our army pursued, killed, and captured..."

He paused, looked at the soldiers who were bandaging each other's wounds but were still in high spirits, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"...Our troops are in high spirits, and the wounded all say they are fine and can fight again."