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

Dubi suddenly turned his head.

Two thousand naval cavalry charged out first, their sabers flashing in the firelight.

The six thousand infantrymen behind them formed a long spear formation, layer upon layer, spreading out from the northwest without haste or impatience, cutting off the Turks' retreat route to the north.

The naval cavalry collided head-on with the Turkic guard cavalry on the north side, scattering them in a single encounter.

The infantry commanders advanced in a zigzag formation, cutting off a chunk of the northwest corner of the Turkic circular formation.

Dubi's heart trembled violently—the dark mass of armored soldiers stretched as far as the eye could see, their commands were unified, and they advanced and retreated in an orderly manner. Where were these auxiliary soldiers and laborers?

Zhi Shisi's expression also changed: "Special troops, these aren't auxiliary soldiers, these are elite infantry and cavalry! The Sui army also has reinforcements!"

"Reinforcements? Where did they get so many reinforcements?"

Dubi's face was full of disbelief.

"We've fallen into their trap! Li Ju is holding the Khan back at Junziguan, but he's secretly hiding a fresh force here!"

"Special Operations, we must immediately concentrate our main force and break through to the north! If we're too late, we'll be trapped and die on this hill!"

Dubi, being a veteran of the battlefield, quickly regained his composure after a moment of panic and issued the order.

"Order—contract the defensive lines on both flanks and concentrate the attack on the north! Hurry!"

The horn sounded three times in succession, and the Turkic cavalry began to retreat northward.

But the darkness made things worse—it was too dark to see how many people were in front of them, and all they could hear were the unified bugle calls and the orderly marching, making it impossible to tell the real from the fake.

Cavalry's strength in wide-area maneuvering is greatly diminished at night; horses are easily startled and cannot break free of the unstoppable waves they once displayed on the grasslands.

Several northward charges were repelled by the long spears of the naval infantry. The riders at the front crashed into the shield wall, those behind were tripped by the horse-tripping ropes, and those further back could not see the road and huddled together.

Wang Yu, with a clear view from behind the lines, waved his command flag repeatedly: "Shields and spears, advance! Cavalry, intercept and kill! Don't let them escape!"

Following orders, the naval infantrymen crouched down, shield bearers pressed forward, and they pushed forward layer by layer.

One group of Turkic cavalry charged out, only to be cut off. Then the infantry surrounded them, hacking and stabbing them with swords and spears, and eating them one by one.

Li Xiuning could see clearly from the west that the Turkic formation was in disarray, and she immediately gave the order.

"The Mo Dao (陌刀) troops advance, unleashing a rain of arrows from their archers!"

The Mo Dao (陌刀) troops marched forward in unison, while three archer cavalry units closed in, their arrows raining down on the heart of the Turkic formation like locusts.

Dou Jiande, seeing the Turks moving north from the south, felt the pressure on his front lines ease and immediately shouted, "Beat the drums—all troops forward! Push forward!"

Dou Xianniang, itching to join in, led ten riders to follow the archer cavalry.

A group of Turkic cavalrymen were driven back from the north by the navy. They turned around and tried to run east, just in time to pass by Dou Xianniang.

Without a word, she thrust out her pear blossom spear, and ten riders followed her, cutting down three Turkic riders and driving the fleeing group back.

A Turkic centurion led dozens of riders in a desperate charge, breaking through a gap in the naval infantry formation and seemingly about to escape.

Suddenly, a row of tripwires sprang up from the bushes in front of the formation, and the seven or eight riders at the front fell to the ground along with their horses.

Just as the men behind were about to rein in their horses, spearmen from both sides emerged from behind the earthen mound, their spears thrusting diagonally, knocking the remaining riders and their horses to the ground in front of the formation.

One of the hundred riders was pierced by a spear and fell from his horse.

The encirclement tightened, and the five thousand Turkic cavalry suffered heavy losses, their formation was completely shattered, and they could no longer maintain their circular defense.

Everywhere on the hills, small groups of three or five cavalrymen charged back desperately, and many veteran naval soldiers fell under the Turkic scimitars.

A gap was finally broken through the encirclement to the north.

"Special agents, move quickly and break through the gap. I'll cover the rear and hold off the pursuers."

"you--"

"If the special agents don't leave, we will all perish here!"

"I have been deeply grateful for the special forces' kindness, and today I repay it with my life!"

Dubi gritted his teeth and mustered his three hundred most elite guards.

"Come on—follow me!"

Zhi Shisi gathered his hundreds of loyal soldiers, arranged them into the last cavalry formation, and turned to meet the pursuing naval infantry and cavalry.

Zhi Shisi led from the front, displaying unparalleled bravery, but his personal guards fell one by one, and the cavalry formation around him grew smaller and smaller until only a dozen or so riders remained to surround him.

The Sui army swarmed forward, thrusting their spears at each other, and Zhishi Sili's horse was pierced and fell to the ground.

He struggled to get up, but was held down and tied up by several guards.

On the other side, Dubi led three hundred cavalrymen to charge through the breach, but they were constantly intercepted and pursued along the way, with the three hundred guard cavalrymen falling one by one.

When they broke through the encirclement, they had less than a hundred riders left.

Duobi didn't dare to look back at all, and sped north, fleeing towards the direction of Junziguan.

The sounds of fighting on Boye Plain finally subsided; it was past midnight.

A line of gray and white appeared on the horizon. The battlefield was littered with the corpses of men and horses, and the stench of blood mixed with the dampness of the night dew made one's throat tighten.

Wang Yu dispatched his naval infantry to survey the battlefield, and his cavalry gathered the captured warhorses, driving them back in groups.

Li Xiuning rode over, a bow still hanging on her back, her eyes bruised and battered.

"General Wang, how is the inventory going?"

"We have seized over 12,000 warhorses, most of which are in good condition and can be put to the battlefield with a little care. Scimitars, armor, and arrows are piled up like mountains; we'll count them slowly later."

"The prisoners numbered about 1,500, mostly vassals of the Xi, Xi, and Khitan."

Li Xiuning nodded: "What are your plans?"

"I was just about to discuss this with you."

"My idea is to select the strongest and best riders to form scouts and laborers, herd warhorses, and atone for their crimes through meritorious service; the old and weak should be sent to the rear to cultivate land. At the same time, we should spread the word to all tribes: those who submit will not be punished. Dividing the Turkic vassals is more effective than killing them directly."

"Alright, we'll do as you say. I'll write a report right away and send it to the Grand Chancellor by fast horse."

In the prisoner-of-war camp, Zhishi Sili leaned against the wheel of a grain cart, his upper body wrapped in bandages and his face covered in dried bloodstains.

Seeing Wang Yu and Li Xiuning walking towards him, he straightened his back.

"Kill me if you will! We Turkic warriors will not surrender!"

Wang Yu squatted down to look him in the eye: "I do want to kill you, but it's not up to me. Your life or death is decided by the Grand Chancellor."

On Dou Jiande's side, Ling Jing was leading laborers to clean up the mess.

Seventy to eighty percent of the grain carts were destroyed, and the arrows almost all went unshot. Less than four thousand Xia soldiers were still standing.

Dou Jiande circled the battlefield once, then suddenly stopped.

Dou Xianniang leaned against the grain cart. Her armor was off, and her undergarments were covered in bloodstains. Her right shoulder was wrapped in thick bandages, and her left arm was also wrapped in two places.

She was talking to Du Yao when she looked up and saw Dou Jiande standing in front of her, and she was stunned for a moment.

"Father."

Dou Jiande squatted down and gently lifted a corner of the bandage on her right shoulder.

The wound was deep, with the skin and flesh turned inside out.

His hand trembled slightly, then he covered it back up.

"you……"

He could only utter one word before his throat became blocked.

The burly man, as strong as an iron tower, suddenly had tears welling up in his eyes. He turned his head away and wiped his face hard with his sleeve.

"Father, it's just a flesh wound, nothing serious. I killed at least a hundred Turkic dogs, I didn't disgrace you."

"From now on... don't push yourself so hard."

"That won't do." Dou Xianniang grinned. "You are the King of Xia, and I am the Princess of Great Xia. If I cower in the back on the battlefield, who will risk their lives for you?"

Dou Jiande was both angry and heartbroken, and he couldn't do anything about it. In the end, he reached out and gently patted her on the head: "Stubborn brat."