My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

The Khitan cavalry gritted their teeth and spurred their horses forward, charging through a hail of arrows.

The crossbow bolts came flying from the reeds on both sides, so densely packed that there were almost no gaps.

The cavalrymen in front fell into the mud row by row, while those behind continued to push, stepping on the corpses of their comrades.

Warhorses were stuck in the mud everywhere, neighing and struggling, sinking deeper and deeper.

"Royal Guard! Follow me and advance!"

With a roar, Dahe Duluo sent three hundred guards behind him spurring their horses forward.

Everyone wore two layers of armor, with cowhide as the inner layer and iron plates as the outer layer.

The crossbow bolts were fired, piercing the iron plates, but most of them were blocked by the cowhide. Although the force was still there, it was not enough to kill with every shot.

Braving a hail of arrows, the cavalry pushed forward relentlessly. Both men and horses were riddled with arrows, resembling two moving hedgehogs, yet they still managed to break through the first trench and cross the barricades.

Smoke and dust billowed, and within the breach, a second line of defense had already been set up.

"Shixin!"

"exist!"

"Take your men, mount up, and charge back."

Luo Shixin had been waiting for these words. He mounted his horse and swung his long spear toward the causeway.

"Tiger-Slaying Camp—Follow me and crush the barbarian cavalry!"

Hundreds of heavily armored cavalrymen from the Tiger Slayer Camp, clad in armor and carrying spears, formed a formidable cavalry formation along the relatively open main embankment.

Armored and clad in iron, with long spears pointing forward, hundreds of cavalrymen pressed forward along the main embankment like a moving iron wall.

The two streams of iron collided with a deafening roar in the middle of the embankment.

Spears pierced, horses clashed, armor plates struck, and the sound of metal clashing was as dense as a sudden rain.

Although the Khitan guards were brave, their horses had already run more than half the distance, their momentum was waning, and the horses were riddled with arrow wounds.

The Tiger-Slaying Camp's heavy cavalry, well-rested and with their horses full of energy and men at their peak, shattered the Khitan guards' formation with a single charge.

Luo Shixin took the lead, his eyes fixed on Dahe Duluo, his warhorse charging forward with all its might, his long spear sweeping out horizontally.

Ōga Tōra also saw him and brandished his sword to meet him.

The two riders clashed, swords and spears raised, sparks flying.

Dahe Dulu slashed three times, but Luo Shixin blocked them all.

Luo Shixin swung his spear in a backhand motion, and Dahe Duluo parried with his sword. The spear shaft struck the sword, causing Dahe Duluo's hand to split open, and he almost dropped his scimitar.

Just as he was about to dodge again, Luo Shixin's second strike arrived, the spear shaft sweeping heavily across his shoulder.

With a second sweeping thrust, Ōga Tōro was knocked off his horse.

"Bang!"

Dahe Duluo grunted, lost his balance, and tumbled heavily off his horse into the mud.

"Sijin!"

The Khitan guards rushed forward desperately, dragged Dahe Duluo up from the ground, and pulled him backward.

Luo Shixin, his eyes bloodshot with rage, wielded his long spear, felling several guards who tried to block his path.

Ōga Tōra was dragged a short distance and looked back.

Luo Shixin pressed on relentlessly, leaving him no room to escape.

He grabbed the arm of one of his bodyguards.

"Go back and tell Brother Ku—that I shall succeed him as the leader of the eight tribes of the Khitan. The hatred of today must not be forgotten by the descendants of the Khitan!"

After saying that, he pushed aside his personal guards, gripped his curved sword, and resolutely charged towards Luo Shixin, who was rushing towards him.

Luo Shixin did not give him a chance to get close.

With a thrust of the long spear, the tip pierced Dahe Duluo's chest.

Dahe Duluo grunted, gripped the spear shaft with both hands, his legs buckled, and he knelt down.

His eyes were still open, gazing towards the northern grasslands.

Luo Shixin withdrew his spear, and Dahe Duluo fell to the ground, twitching a few times before becoming still.

With the death of Dahe Duluo, the morale of the remaining Khitan troops collapsed.

"Sijin is dead! Run!"

The Khitan cavalry on the causeway turned their horses around and fled back the way they came.

But the causeway was too narrow; those in front wanted to run, but those behind were stuck in the crowd, all jostled together.

The Sui army's crossbow formations on both flanks opened fire again, arrows sweeping across the retreating soldiers, and another large number of them fell on the embankment.

Of the three thousand Khitan cavalrymen, fewer than three hundred survived and returned to the Turkic main camp.

When the news of the defeat reached them, all the tribal leaders felt a chill run down their spines and looked at each other in dismay.

A sense of shared sorrow, like that of a rabbit mourning the death of a fox, quietly spread among the crowd, causing unrest among the various units.

Within the main Turkic army, Shibi frowned deeply.

He originally only intended for the Khitans to test his strength, but he never expected that a small outpost attack would directly result in the loss of a barbarian chieftain.

"He's just a tribal chief. If he dies, we can just replace him with someone else."

Silif frowned upon hearing this.

"Dubi, you make it sound so easy. Dahe Duluo was the chief of the eight tribes of the Khitan. He was defeated in one battle, and the other tribes have all seen this. If the situation is not handled properly, the tribes will harbor resentment and it could easily lead to a mutiny."

Conchaebol stepped forward.

"Khan, Siliftegin is right. The most urgent task is to appease the Khitan people."

After a moment of contemplation, he slowly nodded.

Shi Bi sat in the tent without saying a word. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Summon the leaders of all the tribes to come see me."

The leaders of the various departments arrived upon receiving the order, and their expressions were not good.

Leading the group was Yuluojin, the leader of the Khitan Daji tribe, whose face was covered in mud and blood.

Shi Bi walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Great He Duluo, well done."

"He broke through the first line of defense of the Sui army. He used his own life to test the strength and weakness of the Sui army's defense for me."

He glanced at the other tribal leaders.

"I, the Khan, have recorded this merit of the Khitan tribe. I hereby bestow upon the Khitan tribe five hundred fine horses, three thousand head of cattle and sheep, and expand their pastures fifty li to the south."

"From this day forward, the sons of the Khitan tribe shall follow the central army of this Khan and shall no longer lead the vanguard alone."

Yu Luojin placed his right hand on his chest and bowed.

"Thank you, Khan!"

The other leaders also bowed in respect.

"The Khan is wise!"

But when they looked up, there was something else in their eyes—Dahe Duluo was dead, and in return, they had cattle and sheep pastures.

But who will be the next one sent to die?

The leaders of each department appeared respectful on the surface, but in their hearts, they were all calculating their own agendas.

Conchaebol stepped forward at the opportune moment.

"Khan, although the Khitan troops suffered heavy casualties during their charge, they also managed to glean some information about the Sui army's strengths and weaknesses."

He pointed to the position of the Sui army's vanguard on the map.

"The main embankment is guarded by the Tiger-Slaying Camp. This is the most elite unit of the Sui army. A direct frontal assault would result in heavy losses."

"you mean--"

"Probe from both flanks." Kang Qiaoli's fingers spread out from the main dike to both sides, "find the weak points, then concentrate our forces to break through."

He nodded slowly after finishing.

"Wait for Ripher."

"exist."

"You will lead the Turkic main force, along with the Xi and Shiwei tribes, to attack the left flank."

"Duh Bi."

"exist."

"You will lead the main Turkic tribe, along with the Xi tribe, the Tiele tribe, and the remaining Khitan tribes, to attack the right flank."

This time, it was no longer a single tribe launching a solo attack. The Turkic headquarters held the line, and all tribes coordinated their efforts to launch an offensive simultaneously.

Right flank position.

The Turkic troops began to assemble.

In the distance, smoke and dust billowed, banners fluttered like clouds, and horns sounded one after another.

Yuchi Gong stood on a high point at the mouth of the embankment, put his hand to his forehead, looked north, and spat.

Liu Heita walked up from behind and stood next to him.

Yuchi Gong glanced at him and forced an ugly smile.

"It's unbelievable that we, who used to fight to the death, are now standing on the same side."

"Yes, it's truly a cruel twist of fate. If it weren't for the Turkic invasion, I would have loved to have another duel with you and avenge the loss of that spear in Liyang."

"Hahaha..." Yuchi Gong laughed loudly, "You're quite vengeful!"

"You are the first person to slip through my fingers. Not being able to take your head is a regret in my heart."

"The same goes for me. But with a formidable enemy at hand, I'll keep your head for now. Don't let yourself die at the hands of the Turks."

"The same to you!"

Yuchi Gong paused, then began to become serious.

"But let me make this clear first: if your position is breached, I'll whip you."

Liu Heita turned his head and glanced at him.

"You take care of your middle section first. If the heavy infantry gets scattered, I can't hold them off."

Yuchi Gong grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"You think I'm just sitting around doing nothing with these three thousand iron lumps?"

Liu Heita did not retaliate, and the two returned to their respective positions.

As the bugle call drew closer, both the right and left flanks simultaneously entered a state of combat readiness.