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

North of Junziguan lies the high ground where the Turks' main camp was located.

Shi Bi stood on the hilltop, pointing his whip south.

"Left wing, Siriver! Right wing, Dobi—Advance from both sides!"

The sound of horns traveled down from the top of the hill, one after another, forming a deep hum that drowned out the sound of the wind across the plains.

Silif on the left waved his command flag, while Dubi on the right drew his sword at the same time.

The two armies launched their attack simultaneously.

Kang Qiaoli stood beside Shi Bi, squinting as he looked at the battlefield.

The left flank consisted of continuous reed marshes, scattered shallow water islands, and broken roads, making it difficult for cavalry to maneuver.

The right flank was a narrow, rammed-earth embankment, with mud and marshland on both sides, allowing only advances along the embankment.

The two locations have different terrains and require different tactics, and he secretly hoped that at least one of them could create an opening.

Left wing, reed marshes.

Silif sent his Xi cavalry to charge into the reed marshes.

The three hundred cavalrymen dispersed, intending to weave through the islets and encircle the enemy.

But the reeds were taller than a person and so dense that they formed a wall, and the cavalrymen lost their way as soon as they entered.

The formation was forced to break up, and they could only advance by feeling their way forward in small teams.

Deep within the reeds, the archers of the Fenrui Battalion were already lying in ambush under the grass roots, with rows of crossbows hidden in the gaps between the reeds.

As soon as the first group of Xi cavalry reached the sandbar, the clapper sounded, and crossbow bolts rained down from three sides.

Caught off guard, more than a dozen Xi cavalrymen fell from their horses on the spot.

Yu Qi wanted to retreat, but the road behind him was blocked by reeds, making it a crowded mess.

A second volley of crossbow bolts followed, felling another group.

The surviving Xi cavalry charged forward desperately, reaching the sandbar.

The ambush troops of the Fenrui Battalion had already withdrawn, retreated to the next reed marshland, regrouped, and began firing arrows again.

Rush again, retreat again, bleeding at every step.

The Xi chieftain, watching from the rear, grew anxious and rode to find Silif.

"Special forces! The Sui army isn't engaging us head-on; they're hiding in the reeds, firing sneak arrows. If we charge in, they retreat immediately, like we're sinking deeper into a quagmire!"

Silif watched from the edge of the reeds with a furrowed brow—he was not afraid of a direct confrontation, but the unpredictable ambush from the reeds was irritating him.

The men and horses were trapped in the reeds, unable to move forward or spread out, which only increased casualties.

"Choose the daredevils, dismount and fight on foot." Silif gritted his teeth. "Short swords and shields, go into the reeds and clear them out. Drag their ambush out of the reeds!"

The Xi and Shiwei tribes assembled a suicide squad of about eight hundred men, who dismounted, armed themselves with short swords and shields, and disappeared into the reeds.

They searched step by step along the sandbar until they found the main island where Shen Guang was located.

On the island's edge, Shen Guang squatted behind a row of crossbows, watching the flashing blades in the reeds.

"They're here! Fire the arrows!"

The last volley of crossbow bolts was fired, and a large number of the suicide squad fell, but the rest had already reached the head of the island.

A young chieftain of the Xi tribe brandished his knife and lunged at the crossbow. In a flash, the knife seemed about to knock the crossbow over.

Shen Guang let out a low shout, pushed off the earthen embankment with his feet, and soared into the air. His armor-clad body seemed to fly like a bird.

His body was as light as a reed leaf. He used the momentum to leap over a crossbow and thrust his long spear straight through the air.

Before the Xi chieftain could even see who it was, the spear tip pierced his chest.

Shen Guang landed, blood dripping from the spearhead, and stood beside the crossbow, shouting loudly.

"Charging forward with fierce spirit, how can we not cross the river!"

Deep in the reed marshes, the soldiers of the Fenrui Battalion responded in unison.

The ambush troops emerged simultaneously from the islets, from behind the reeds, and from the shallow water, their short blades closing in and surrounding the suicide squad that had charged up to the head of the islet.

In less than half an incense stick's time, all eight hundred or so people were strangled to death.

When Lifebringer heard the shouts from behind, his face darkened.

"Charge again!" He drew his sword, personally overseeing the battle. "Push upwards!"

The cavalry of the Xi and Shiwei tribes gritted their teeth and spurred their horses into the reed marshes.

They could charge in and then scatter, then be ambushed, and then retreat.

After several repetitions, the losses of men and horses grew heavier and heavier, and morale plummeted.

After charging several times, the cavalrymen's horses slowed down during the next charge.

Silif gripped the hilt of his sword, his knuckles cracking, but ultimately did not charge forward himself.

"Withdraw and regroup!"

Right wing, causeway.

The attack from the Duobi side was far more ferocious than that from the left wing.

The Turkic main force, with the Xi, Tiele, and remnants of the Khitan forces in front, charged wave after wave along the narrow dike.

The causeway was narrow, and only a limited number of people could rush up at a time, but they were in no hurry to widen the breach; they just kept attacking relentlessly.

The Hu cavalry charged to the embankment, but the heavily armored shield wall of the Forging Battalion held it firmly.

The iron shields clashed, making a loud booming sound.

Yuchi Gong stood at the heart of the formation, carrying a spear and an iron whip, as immovable as an iron tower.

Any Hu soldiers who dared to cross the shield wall were smashed by his spear and whip, leaving none alive.

"Yuchi Gong, there's a gap in your shield formation on the left. If another wave of attacks comes, we might not be able to hold it off."

"Mind your own side! My Forging Battalion's armor isn't so easily broken. As for you, don't charge too recklessly; a rash counter-charge will leave you vulnerable to being cut off!"

Liu Heita smiled faintly.

"My men know when to kill and when to defend."

Before he could finish speaking, the Turks launched their second offensive.

The enemy concentrated their forces and launched a fierce attack on the gap between the two men's positions.

The Turkic elites used blunt weapons to knock down the outer shield soldiers, revealing a breach that was about to be torn open.

Yuchi Gong strode forward, wielding both a long spear and an iron whip, striking several people in succession with a thunderous roar.

"Our armor is as solid as a mountain; we will not retreat a single step!"

Liu Heita seized the opportunity, mounted his horse, and swung his sword backward.

"The righteous army of Hebei, follow me in our counterattack! Defend Hebei, we will not retreat from the dikes!"

Five thousand Hebei militiamen charged forward with shouts, swords raised, blocking the breach and slaughtering all the Turks who had broken in, thus sealing off the defensive line once again.

As the casualties surged, Dubi's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Charge again! Don't give the Sui army any time to breathe!"

Third round: Turkic infantrymen pushed makeshift wooden ladders forward, intending to fill the trenches and climb the embankment.

Yuchi Gong ordered the stones to be thrown. The stones came down from behind the embankment, breaking the wooden ladder, and the infantry retreated.

Taking advantage of the situation, Liu Heita launched another attack, driving back the Hu cavalry that were approaching the embankment.

After several rounds of back-and-forth fighting, the embankment was piled high with corpses, and blood flowed down the embankment into the muddy puddles on both sides.

As Dubi watched his elite troops being sent in batches, he gritted his teeth in heartache, but the embankment remained completely unmoved.

The two reports of defeat were delivered to Shi Bi almost simultaneously.

"Khan, the reed marshes on the left flank have a strange terrain. Shen Guang's troops are able to ambush us from all sides, and our army has been repeatedly thwarted in its attacks, making it difficult to deploy a large force."

"Khan, the right flank of the embankment is narrow, and the two Sui army battalions are well-coordinated, one defending and the other attacking, making their defense line impenetrable. They have launched repeated attacks, resulting in countless casualties. Please, Khan, make a decision."

Kang Qiaoli stood to one side, silent.

He had previously asserted that the elite Tiger-Slaying Camp should be targeted from the flanks, but now the left and right flanks, like the main dike in front, are equally impenetrable and unassailable.

Shi Bi tightened his grip on the riding whip.

"Issue the order—to temporarily halt the troops and rest, and summon all leaders back to the central command tent for a meeting."