Chapter 170: Divine Soldiers Descend from the Sky, Cavalry Battle

"Soldiers, we have come from the yellow sand, through numerous hardships and dangers, and finally arrived behind enemy lines. We are thousands of miles away from home. Whether we are pursuing wealth or bravery, it all ends at this moment. Let us work hard to achieve success together!"

During the surprise attack, Li Xuan gave his final encouragement to his generals.

"Work hard to achieve fame!"

"Life and death depend on General Li!"

Yellow sand filled the sky, and the shouts of the entire army shocked the sky and stopped the clouds.

When they were nearly twenty miles away, the heavy cavalry, with the help of auxiliary personnel, put on armor for the spare horses.

They covered themselves with heavy armor of fish scales.

Countless light cavalry hammered down and grabbed the poles, tied their mounts in place, and had them guarded by the scout battalion.

Xin Yunjing led 7,000 light cavalry and Li Zhushi led 5,000 light cavalry. They rode on spare horses, left behind all the extra food and supplies, and only carried water bottles, bows and arrows, and broadswords.

They began to outflanke the enemy from the left and right wings respectively.

Since the formation remained intact, not much time was wasted in the changeover.

A large team of 500 people was led by Langjiang Yajiang.

Each team plans to be no more than three miles apart.

To ensure that more than 20 light cavalry teams can maneuver quickly and encircle and annihilate the enemy.

Nan Jiyun and Li Feiyuanli each led 5,000 elite cavalry as the main force to charge into the battle.

They are also divided into teams of 500 people, but the distance between teams is smaller.

The heavy cavalry and the elite jumping cavalry, one side attacks directly like a hammer; the other side directly rushes into the enemy's formation, attacks and kills the opponent's elite, which acts as a jumping effect.

Come prepared and organize the army quickly.

Li Xuan was protected by 200 Shen Ce Guards. He would not charge first, but command the soldiers of various armies through flags and trumpets to complete the deployment. After the big net was set up, he would wait for an opportunity to break into the enemy camp.

This time, a brave warrior from Hebei named Zhang Wanfu was responsible for raising the commander-in-chief's banner.

He was one of the few generals in the imperial guards who was not a knight-errant. He also came from a Confucian family and had ten years of experience as a soldier in Wei County.

Later, after hearing about Li Xuan's deeds, he resolutely gave up the hopeless county soldier status and came to Longyou to apply to be Li Xuan's personal guard.

Li Xuan discovered this talent not long ago. Although he was older, Li Xuan agreed that he should be a personal guard and after two years of training he would join the army as a general.

The fact that Zhang Wanfu in history was able to enter the Lingyan Pavilion must have been unique to him.

Li Xuan's mount, the Fire Cloud Horse, was also covered with armor.

With the power of the Fire Cloud Horse, the armor will not affect its speed too much.

His Ferghana horse was led beside the big banner, so that he could change horses in Li Xuan's camp if he had the chance.

The armor of Li Xuan and the Shen Ce Guards also changed.

Although they were still wearing Ming Guang Armor, it was heavy armor like the Mo Dao Army's, and the helmet had a face protector.

Face guards are made of iron and can prevent arrows from hitting the face to a certain extent.

When the enemy cannot see the facial expression, it can also deter the enemy.

When it was time to charge, Li Xuan and the Shen Ce Guards put down their face protection, leaving only their eyes exposed.

"Rumble..."

After a while, a team of light cavalry under Li Zhushi's command had already rushed to a position three miles away from the right wing of the Uighurs, and the sound of horse hooves shook the earth.

In the distance there was billowing smoke and fluttering flags.

At this time, the Uighur cavalry had not yet finished gearing up, but the feeling of oppression had already been felt.

"Order the assembled troops to resist the Tang army. Do not let them rush over."

Mo Yanchu stood on the makeshift lookout tower and gave orders with an anxious look on his face.

Looking down from his high place, he saw row after row of Tang cavalry, lined up neatly and endlessly.

In the smoke and dust, there were large patches of bright armor illuminating the sky and earth.

Mo Yanchu looked at the situation and knew that the Tang army had more than 20,000 soldiers and that they were going to encircle and annihilate their 50,000 cavalry.

He did not forget the 10,000 Tang army Hu cavalry in the direction of Bai Tinghai, although their combat effectiveness was not as good as that of the Tang army.

But they came from Tang territory, not the direction they were retreating from.

So it cannot be underestimated.

"Ye Hu, I don't understand why you didn't fight the Tang army the first time you saw them coming, but retreated instead?"

"Since Li Xuan has sent troops to raid our military parade, it means there is no room for easing. Looking at the Tang army's formation, I'm afraid these light cavalry teams will sweep across a hundred miles. If they want to escape, the warriors will all die under the arrows of the Tang army's light cavalry. If we fight the Tang army, we will have a way to survive."

"Ye Hu, we have 50,000 cavalry. Even if we are not well equipped in time, we are still more numerous than the Tang army. Moreover, there is no example of 50,000 cavalry fleeing without fighting. Put away your fear and wake up! If we win this battle, the Tang court will not dare to look down on us anymore, and we will have more capital even if we ask for peace. Otherwise, it will be humiliating!"

After hearing Moyanchuo's order to retreat, the Uighur general Alebu became more and more angry. He could no longer bear it, and pointed at the wolf head on the banner and spoke to Moyanchuo in a questioning tone.

He really didn't understand why Mo Yanchu was so afraid of Li Xuan.

Li Xuan attacked the Turks and Tibetans.

But the Uighurs never fought with Li Xuan, not even a small conflict.

The soldiers were not afraid of Li Xuan either.

The newly born Khanate had to use the blood of the strong to prove that they were stronger, so that they could be on par with the former Huns and Turks.

This is the wolf on the grassland and the eagle in the sky.

"General Alebu, you are right. When I learned that Li Xuan suddenly attacked from the wind and sand, I was indeed afraid. Looking at the movement of the Tang army's light cavalry, it is clear that they are encircling and annihilating us. Even if they break through a gap, they cannot guarantee that the entire army will break through."

"Let's fight! We will definitely win!"

Mo Yanchu slapped his head, very annoyed.

He knew that he had committed a major military taboo by being afraid before the battle even began.

How can he be qualified to become the next Great Khan of the grassland?
Given the formation of the Tang cavalry, even if they were able to escape, they would lose most of their men and abandon all their cattle and sheep.

Just as Aleb said, since Li Xuan launched a ruthless surprise attack, this was a complete break. Even if they seek peace in the future, it will be divided into the gesture of victory and the begging of the loser.

This victory will surely bring unprecedented confidence to the hundreds of thousands of Uighur cavalry scattered across the country.

The overlords of the grasslands, whether the Xiongnu, Xianbei, or Turks, all suppressed the Central Plains dynasties at one time or another.

If they run away as soon as they meet someone, how can the Huihe conquer other tribes in the future?

"Woo...Woo..."

In the autumn colors, a low horn sounded.

The Huihe's flag was changed, and part of the cavalry went to deal with the Tang army's cavalry.

Some cavalrymen were armed with bows and fired at the Tang army's light cavalry in oases and deserts.

Fight a battle to prove yourself in this former land of the Xutu Huns.

Even if they are passive.

Under the protection of three thousand armored cavalry guards, Mo Yanchuo stood on the lookout tower and commanded the troops.

Those servant tribes were strictly controlled by Mo Yanchu.

Anyone who fears the enemy and does not advance, or flees in the middle of a battle, will be beheaded!
The Uighur general Alep led a team of armored men, armed with spears, and personally went into battle.

He has the strength to defeat ten thousand men, and hopes to tear apart a group of Tang troops and shock their morale.

"Bad boys, let General Li see the wind-like tactics of our Chishui Army's light cavalry. Such limelight cannot be taken away by the Lintao Army."

Li Zhushi personally led 500 cavalrymen to approach a Uighur army first. He shouted loudly, and the knights all took out their horse bows from their bow bags.

The Uighur cavalry they faced were clearly trying to block their advance.

But the strength of the light cavalry lies in horseback archery. If they rush into the enemy on horseback, such light cavalry will be meaningless.

If you are caught up by enemy cavalry in a short time, you will also fail.

When they were several miles away, the five hundred light cavalry of the Tang army divided into small teams and began to control the position of the horses.

The Tang army's light cavalry left enough space so they could turn around and make a detour at any time.

The Huihe tribe was originally a tribe that was good at riding and shooting, in this respect, the Tubo was far inferior.

However, they responded hastily, and there were not many cavalrymen in the first wave.

What’s more, the Tang army came in wave after wave.

When the two sides were about a hundred steps away, they began to throw missiles at each other's formation.

Such projectiles have limited damage against the wind-like cavalry.

But there is no doubt that the Tang army with more troops would have the advantage.

"call out……"

When the distance was closer, Master Li Zhu used the groove on his ring to hold the bowstring and aimed at a Uighur knight with a nine-bucket horse bow.

When the arrows arrived, the Uighur cavalry fell down immediately.

The rest of the soldiers, taking advantage of their numbers, drew their bows one after another.

They have better bows and lighter armor with greater protection.

If the Uighur soldiers' bow power was insufficient, they would be blocked by the Tang army's standard leather armor.

Most of the Huihe people who wore iron armor were guards, similar to the imperial guards of the Tang Dynasty, and leather armor was only available to a small number of people.

Although the Huihe people were rich in furs, leather clothing and leather armor are two different concepts.

After a blast of bullets, hundreds of Uighur cavalrymen fell off their horses.

Seeing that the second team of Tang troops had already arrived at the other side, the newly assembled Uighur cavalry had no time to provide support and could only go to block the second team of cavalry to prevent the Tang army's light cavalry from rushing in front of the camp and throwing arrows into chaos.

The third team, the fourth team, the fifth team...

The Tang army's light cavalry arrived as promised. Although the Uighur cavalry assembled quickly, they were exhausted from dealing with it.

They had to deploy part of the cavalry on the left wing because Mo Yanchu saw more light cavalry had already detoured to the left wing.

A part of the cavalry must also be sent to the rear to block the Tang army's various Hu tribes in Hexi.

When Mo Yanchuo wanted to send some of his cavalry to attack the Tang army's light cavalry, the Tang army's light cavalry cleverly avoided them and only used roving shooting.

To deal with them, there are the Tang army's elite cavalry and heavy cavalry.

The Tang army's light cavalry stayed for less than a quarter of an hour when Nan Jiyun led five thousand elite cavalry to attack.

But they guarded beside the light cavalry and shot at the opposing Uighur troops without attacking immediately.

The same was true for the 5,000 elite cavalry led by Li Fei Yuanli.

He was clearly already behind the Uighurs.

"Rumble..."

Half a quarter of an hour later, An Zhongzhang led the armored cavalry to charge.

The armored cavalry were arranged in a long line.

The light cavalry dispersed to allow the armored cavalry to pass through.

When the armored cavalry were charging, the 10,000 elite cavalry of the Tang army started their attack only one step slower than the armored cavalry.

"Block it!" The Tang army attacked in close combat, and the Uighur army also had to engage in close combat with the Tang army.

There was still a part of the Uighur cavalry that had not yet finished arming themselves, and they could not allow the Tang cavalry to enter the camp.

When the light cavalry faced the heavy cavalry, the Uighurs could have used mobile archery to make the heavy cavalry lose their temper.

But this is the consequence of the Tang army seizing the opportunity.

Even if some of the Uighur cavalry were not wearing any armor, they had to face the enemy head-on.

"Dang Dang Dang..."

The arrows of the Uighurs hit the heavy armor and could hardly cause any harm.

The heavy cavalry of the Tang army held their guns in one hand, protected their faces with the other, and lowered their heads in the hail of arrows.

Only a few unlucky ones were hit by arrows in vital parts of their horses and bodies, causing them to fall off their horses.

But it did not affect the overall formation of the Tang army.

"clang!"

"Pfft!"

In close combat, it was almost always the Huihe coalition forces that were defeated.

"First break the enemy's momentum, destroy the enemy's front, and our army will win!"

An Zhongzhang shouted loudly and was rushed in with a gun in a heavy armored seat.

He did not use any spear skills, he just thrust the spear straight forward, and each time he was one step ahead of the enemy and stabbed him off his horse.

If encountering armored cavalry, An Zhongzhang would use the power of his warhorse to charge forward, break their armor, and knock them off their horses.

During the charge, An Zhongzhang killed more than a dozen riders in a row, and the Uighur cavalry was unable to resist the force of the armored cavalry.

Even if a group of Uighur cavalry managed to escape the clash with the armored cavalry, they would be targeted by the elite cavalry in the rear.

Nan Jiyun led the elite cavalry and rushed out from the rear, facing thousands of Uighur cavalry entering the battle line.

Nan Jiyun went through several major battles, especially in Qinghai, where he fought dozens of small battles in succession.

Nan Jiyun, who already possessed great courage, rapidly improved in all aspects.

He led his team and rushed through the weak point.

"Pfft!"

Unlike An Zhongzhang, Nan Jiyun struck left and right with his spear, showing his superb fighting skills.

As soon as a Uighur cavalryman in iron armor came into contact with Nan Jiyun, he was pierced through the throat by Nan Jiyun's spear, which was as powerful as a dragon.

Whether drawing or putting away the gun, Nan Jiyun did it very smoothly and fluently.

The elite cavalry of the Tang army followed the generals to fight bravely and win military merits. Just like last time, General Li was not stingy with rewards.

"Dong dong dong..."

The fierce sound of war drums in the rear made the soldiers' blood boil.

The spears were like frost and the blood was like rain.

The elite cavalry on both sides raised up dust and approached the Uighur camp, which was dozens of miles in radius, with the force of thunder.

The Uighur vassal army was the first to become frightened. They did not dare to attack the Tang cavalry and instead turned their horses back to the camp, trying to hide and seek a chance to survive.

The vassal tribes had only been subject to the Uighurs for a short time and only had fear but no submission. They were suddenly attacked by the Tang army and were in a panic.

"Pfft!"

But Aleb could not bear to see his vassal tribes retreat before the battle even started. He stabbed a retreating vassal general to death with his spear and angrily said, "You are a Turkic tribe. The Turks believe in heavy military death and are ashamed of dying of illness. Have you forgotten that?"

This move frightened the other servant generals. They were so frightened and ashamed that they could only turn their horses and rush back to the battlefield.

"Damn it! The Tang army actually took advantage of this opportunity to send out heavy armored cavalry!"

Aleb was furious with the Tang army's heavy cavalry, which was very deadly to them at this time.

"Iron cavalry, follow me. Let's defeat a part of the Tang army's cavalry first!"

Seeing that the Tang cavalry was only a few miles away from the main camp, Aleb personally appointed his generals and led the only 2,000 organized cavalry except for the guards.

He was one of the most powerful generals of the Uighurs, experienced in hundreds of battles, and the Uighur cavalry trusted him very much.

The Uighur cavalry howled and rushed towards a group of Tang cavalry.

These were the hundreds of elite cavalry led by Nan Jiyun.

When Nan Jiyun saw the enemy cavalry charging towards him, he naturally would not face them alone.

"Woo..."

The messenger beside him blew the horn, and immediately several teams of Tang cavalry came around.

While thrusting with his spear, Nan Jiyun defeated some of the Uighur light cavalry. After there were no obstacles ahead, he faced the Uighur iron cavalry with all his strength.

"To deal with the cavalry, the team dispersed."

Nan Jiyun issued an order to avoid subsequent accidents of people and horses falling.

Even if the Uighur cavalry rushed through their formation, there were still many light cavalry behind them.

Light cavalry can kite iron cavalry.

Aleb had the same idea and he thought more about it.

When he planned to rush forward, he could turn around in time and sprint back to avoid being delayed or surrounded by the Tang army's light cavalry.

At this time, Aleb aimed at Nan Jiyun who was standing next to the Tang army's flag, and saw the bravery of this Tang general from a distance.

He was ready to kill Nan Jiyun.

Nan Jiyun's idea coincided with Aleb's. He saw that Aleb was closely guarded by cavalry and knew that he was a Uighur general.

Under such circumstances, the two would naturally clash first.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides were only a few dozen steps away.

Nan Jiyun gripped the spear tightly.

Aleb's eyes were like a falcon, gathering strength to attack.

Closer again!

Gallop!

"clang!"

Aleb was the first to charge. His spear was longer than that of an ordinary soldier, and the blade was long and pointed, which could penetrate armor.

He thought he could pierce Nan Jiyun's armor before Nan Jiyun could react.

But he underestimated Nan Jiyun's martial arts skills.

The moment Nan Jiyun saw Aleb draw his spear, he knew that he could not take the initiative to attack, otherwise he would not even be able to end up with both sides suffering losses.

He thrust the end of his spear just below the blade of Aleb's spear, deflecting the fatal blow.

Aleb's attack failed, and his two horses missed the target, leaving him with no chance to make another attack.

"What a strength!"

Nan Jiyun's hands were so painful from the shock that he was amazed at the strength of the Uighur general.

"interesting!"

Aleb was simply moved by Nan Jiyun's spear skills. There had never been such delicate spear skills on the grassland.

But he did not take Nan Jiyun seriously. He waited for the opportunity to turn his horse around and then rushed to kill Nan Jiyun.

"Pfft!"

Nan Jiyun missed Aleb, but there were still many enemies waiting for him.

After stretching his hands, a Uighur cavalryman was stabbed in the neck by Nan Jiyun.

With one stab and one block, the Uighur cavalry was always able to fall off their horses.

Aleb and his personal guards caused some casualties to the Tang army's elite cavalry when their horses passed through the Tang army's formation.

Master Li Zhu saw that this group of Uighur cavalry was about to rush to the open space and turned their horses around.

He immediately ordered several riders to rush into the open space where the horses were being maneuvered and to shoot at the Uighur cavalry.

"It's not about the man, it's about the horse!"

Li Zhushi ordered all the troops to shoot the horses of the Uighur cavalry.

All teams follow orders.

The horses are waiting for the horse shooting while they are at a trot.

"Sign up your team to attack the Tang army's elite cavalry, and the rest of you should prepare to move your horses!"

Aleb anticipated this situation and ordered a team of cavalrymen to act as a death squad to resist the arrows of the Tang army's light cavalry.

They were surrounded and the light cavalry could not deploy, so they were very passive in this regard.

The more than one hundred riders showed determination in their eyes. They did not stop in the open space and continued to charge at the Tang army's light cavalry.

The heavy soldiers died and the army ended in disgrace, and the Uighurs also inherited the will of the former Turks.

Knowing that he would die if he charged into the thousands of Tang cavalry, he still moved forward resolutely.

“Wheeze…”

The horse screamed and fell down.

The rest continued to charge forward, and the light cavalry slightly reined in their horses and shot.

The Uighur cavalrymen who had fallen to the ground but were not dead yet stood in front of the open space with their spears raised.

Although the time they fought for was short, they successfully turned around the more than 1,000 cavalry led by Aleb.

At this time, Lifei Shouyu led a thousand elite cavalry to meet Aleb's cavalry from north to south to prevent him from rushing over and disrupting the Tang army's formation.

Li Feishouyu was as brave in battle as he was good at archery.

He was grateful to Li Shuai for promoting him and was ready to prove himself in this battle.

Aleb saw that the elite cavalry of the Tang army were blocking his way and there was no way to avoid them.

In desperation, they could only go up to fight.

Both sides are close.

Li Feiyuanli took a stone bow and shot at Aleb.

"Boom!"

"call out!"

The arrow was swift, but Aleb was alert and leaned back to avoid the fatal arrow.

"Pfft!"

The guards behind him were not so lucky. They were pierced through their armor by arrows and fell off their horses.

Li Fei Shouyu shot the second arrow...

(End of this chapter)