Chapter 34: Bravery
After resting, Li Xuan led the cavalry to set off and officially launch the pursuit.

First, control the horse's speed and walk quickly for two miles.

When the horse still had a lot of strength left, Li Xuan slowed down the horse so that he could clearly hear the sound of its four hooves hitting the ground while the warhorse was walking.

Ashina Fuwen still didn't understand. They thought the horses should run for a longer time and then slow down. If it really didn't work, they should stop and rest.

So he asked Li Xuan.

"Just wait and see. With my marching method, I will definitely catch up with the Turkish cavalry faster than you think, and fight in a better condition."

Li Xuan explained to Ashina Fuwen and others.

The energy consumed by the warhorse when it walks fast will gradually be restored when it walks slowly.

In this state, they can stay on their horses for a long time.

Just as Ashina Fuwen thought, he kept running at a constant speed and rested when he was tired.

This will waste a lot of time.

At dusk, the setting sun is blood-red.

The scout came to report: "General, we found Turkic cavalry sixty miles to the northeast. There are about a thousand of them. They are divided into two armies, front and back, and they are driving a large number of cattle and sheep in the center."

Finally detected the enemy's movements.

Calculating the time it took the scouts to return, they were probably less than fifty miles away from the Turkic cavalry at this time.

Li Xuan ordered the Tang army to prepare for battle.

The scouts discovered the Turkic cavalry, and the Turkic cavalry must have also discovered the Tang scouts.

Knowing that the Turkish cavalry could not shake them off, the marching speed was kept alternating between fast and slow to conserve horsepower to the maximum extent possible.

"General, it is dusk now and the soldiers rarely fight at night. This will be a test for our riding and archery skills," Ashina Fuwen said to Li Xuan.

"That may not be a bad thing. Our army already knows the number of Turks, but they don't know our strength. However, the Turks will definitely send troops to scout the rear. Send two teams to the front first. If you encounter Turkic scouts, drive them away."

Li Xuan gave instructions to Ashina Fuwen.

"As ordered!"

After Ashina Fuwen received the order, the two cavalry teams temporarily left the team and galloped quickly on the northeast and northwest sides of the main force.

Not long after, scouts came to report that the Turkic light cavalry who came to investigate the rear had been driven away.

But the Turkic cavalry had realized that something was wrong and sped up.

It would be impossible to escape from the Tang army no matter how hard they tried, even with so many cattle and sheep.

Unless the Turkic cavalry abandons their cattle and sheep.

How could the Turks, who have always been as ruthless as tigers and wolves, easily give up their prey?
The Turkic cavalry expected that the Feng'an army had few cavalry, so a large battle was inevitable.

In terms of deployment of troops, the Turkic cavalry was no match for the Tang army, but encounter battles and surprise attacks were what the Turkic cavalry were best at.

A veil of darkness gradually shrouded the world.

Li Xuan didn't expect that his first battle would take place at night.

"What is the formation of the Turkic cavalry?"

When the scout came back again, Li Xuan asked.

"The Turkic cavalry is leading with cattle and sheep in the front, guarded by a small number of cavalry. A large number of cavalry have moved to the rear and are heading towards our army. The formation they form is not a cavalry and archery formation, but a charge formation. They are now less than twenty miles away from us." The scout replied.

"The Turkic cavalry didn't want to abandon their cattle, sheep and the people they had captured, so they had no choice but to attack proactively."

Li Xuan muttered to himself, this was within his expectations.

Shooting arrows at night would hurt one's own people by mistake, especially when their armor was not as good as that of the Tang army.

The leather armor of the Tang cavalry could resist arrows to a certain extent, but there were very few Turkic cavalrymen wearing armor.

Although the Turks wore animal skin clothes, they were very different from specially made leather armor.

"General Ashina, when the enemy rushes, command the soldiers to retreat to both wings. Be sure to maintain the formation, and when the Turkish cavalry enters the range, shoot at the Turkish cavalry. If the formation becomes chaotic and it is not suitable for horseback shooting, stop immediately to prevent accidental injuries. Also, listen to my orders and be ready for close combat at any time."

Li Xuan gave instructions to Ashina.

Since the Turkic cavalry wanted to disperse them in one battle, they must not be allowed to succeed.

Avoid its sharp edge first.

"You will finally understand."

Ashina Fuwen nodded.

The enemy is numerous and powerful, so it is unwise to fight head-on.

Although the war horses were consumed after the long march, according to Li Xuan's marching method, they could still engage in a fierce battle.

At this time, Ashina Fuwen admired Li Xuan even more. He had been riding a horse for many years, but he had never thought of such a way of marching.

The two cavalry teams that were previously separated returned to their teams.

All the cavalry received the order to retreat in teams of fifty, keeping their distance from each other, under the leadership of the escort officers and team leaders.

But the horse's speed was still slow.

The Turkic cavalry's horses charged at a run and quickly approached the Tang army.

"Boom!"

The bright moon and sparse stars bring a hint of brightness to the dark night.

But the vast wilderness was filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

Nearly nine hundred riders charged together, and the earth-shaking sound of horse hooves echoed throughout the wilderness.

"Our men of Dulu are like wolves, and our enemies of Dulu are like sheep. The enemy is the Tang army of Feng'an, and their cavalry must be inferior to ours. If we charge forward, we will get more spoils."

The leader of the Turkic cavalry was a Turkic Dagan.

He was the most powerful warrior of the Turkic Zuoxiang Duolu tribe.

After seeing the Tang army, he raised the spear in his hand and shouted orders to his subordinates.

He was experienced and knew that the Tang cavalry that appeared in this area came from Feng'an Military City.

Therefore, even if they did not find out the strength of the Tang army, they were determined to fight.

How could you possibly spit out the fat sheep that you finally got into your mouth?
At the command of the Turkic Dagan, all the horses of the Turkic cavalry were in a state of assault.

The spears and sabers looked even colder under the moonlight.

In front of them, Li Xuan had already ordered the cavalry to put their horses into a running state.

The Turkic cavalry could not catch up for a while.

"Damn it! Tang Bing is cowardly!"

The Turkic Dagan quickly ordered his men to stop charging and let the cavalry pursue at a normal running state.

The Tang army also had light cavalry and deliberately avoided engaging them.

The Turkic Dagan knew that he could not give up. Once he turned back, the Tang army would turn around and catch up with him.

Now the only way they can return to the tribe smoothly is to catch up with the Tang army and disperse them.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the Turkic cavalry was finally only 200 steps away from the Tang army, and was getting closer and closer.

Even in a charging formation, they would fire several rounds of shots before engaging in close combat. The Turkic cavalry showed wolf-like eyes and put arrows on the bowstrings.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

When they were within a hundred steps of the Tang army, arrows pierced the darkness.

The Tang army's formation was dispersed and they were maneuvering at high speed. Arrows were shot at night, causing almost no casualties to the Tang army.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

The Tang army also began to turn back and fight back.

The Turks were in a surprise attack formation, with their troops and horses tightly packed together. Although the Tang army could not see clearly, it was easier for them to cause casualties.

However, the damage is very limited.

The Turkic cavalry thought they were going to engage in a battle with the Tang army, so they charged ahead, causing their horses to consume a lot of energy.

After a flurry of arrows, they were separated again.

However, it was impossible for the Tang cavalry to maintain a perfect formation all the time. When galloping, there would always be some people falling behind.

The Turks are the pursuing party, so it doesn’t matter if they fall behind.

If the pursued party falls behind, they will be slaughtered.

Li Xuan could not ignore these cavalrymen who were about to fall behind.

Seeing that the formation was showing signs of dispersing, he immediately ordered the Tang army to be divided into two teams.

A team of 300 cavalrymen, led by Ashina Fuwen, made a roundabout attack on the enemy's right wing.

Li Xuan led two hundred cavalrymen to attack the enemy's left wing in a roundabout way.

When the Turkic Dagan saw that they were further away from the Tang army, he knew that he could not run any longer. He ordered his men to stop running and follow the Tang army at a slow pace.

I wanted to take a break and continue chasing the Tang army.

However, the Tang army split into two and turned around in the field and attacked them in a surprise attack.

"Meet the enemy!"

Turkic Dagan shouted loudly that the cavalry could not lose momentum and he had to make the horses run again.

But it is obvious that the momentum of the Turkic cavalry is not as strong as that of the Tang army.

The two groups of Tang troops stabbed into the two wings like two sharp knives.

"call out!"

Li Xuan took the lead, took out a carved bow from the side of the horse, drew the bow and put an arrow on it.

A Turkic cavalryman who was rushing in the front fell down.

He was commanding the cavalry formation just now and had no chance to shoot an arrow. This was the first enemy he killed.

Then came a few more arrows, each hitting its target.

Seeing that the two sides were close, Li Xuan hung the strong bow on the side of the horse. He took out the long spear from the other side and held it tightly with both hands.

A Turkic leader saw Li Xuan wearing iron armor and knew that Li Xuan was of extraordinary status, so he prepared to knock Li Xuan off his horse to show his bravery.

He also stood out from the crowd, riding his horse and holding a spear.

"Pfft!"

When the two horses met, Li Xuan seized the opportunity and shot the enemy right in the heart, killing him instantly.

"drink!"

At the moment when the spear pierced the Turkic cavalry leader, Li Xuan suddenly exerted force, lifted the corpse high up, and threw it towards a Turkic cavalryman.

The Turkic cavalryman was knocked off his horse by the corpse before he could react.

"The general is mighty!"

Seeing Li Xuan's bravery, the Tang army behind him shouted in unison and rushed forward with Li Xuan as if they were injected with chicken blood.

"kill!"

Seeing how powerful Li Xuan was, several Turkic cavalrymen rode their horses and rushed towards Li Xuan.

"Pfft!"

The first rider was stabbed in the throat by Li Xuan and was thrown off his horse.

Three more spears stabbed at the same time.

"clang!"

"Pfft!"

Li Xuan waved his spear and pushed away all the spears.

He still had some power left in his spear, and when a Turkic cavalryman lost his balance, he stabbed him in the chest.

"boom!"

Then he swept across and hit another Turkic cavalryman on the head, knocking him off his horse.

Although the remaining Turkic cavalryman was separated from Li Xuan's horse, Luo Xing behind Li Xuan took the opportunity to thrust his spear and stabbed him to death.

Several more riders came galloping at him, but he dodged several spears and stabbed them all off their horses.

More and more Turkic cavalry gathered towards Li Xuan, but Li Xuan was completely unaware. He shouted and rushed forward, charging left and right, making those who met him retreat in fear and no one could match him.

Luo Xing and Feng'an cavalry followed Li Xuan's pace and completely broke through the outer formation of the Turkic cavalry.

When Li Xuan rushed to the center of the Turkish cavalry, two Turkish cavalry leaders did not abide by the moral principles of war. When Li Xuan stabbed a Turkish cavalryman to death, they attacked Li Xuan from the left and right.

"Pfft!"

Li Xuan swung his gun back and stabbed the attacker on the left off his horse.

A spear from the right pierced Li Xuan's chest.

But Li Xuan slightly turned sideways and avoided the spear.

At the same time, he held the gun with one hand and grasped the underside of the spear blade with the other.

The attacker wanted to get the spear back, but Li Xuan held it tightly. He exerted force and the spear changed hands.

The Turkic cavalry leader had lost his weapon and was doomed to die on the battlefield.

"Pfft!"

He threw the spear in his hand, piercing the body of a cavalryman two meters away, and his blood spilled on the plain.

Li Xuan fought more and more bravely. Wherever his horse passed, there were corpses everywhere. The Turkic cavalry dared not approach him.

"Are you still a warrior? I will kill you after the battle!"

The Turkic Dagan was very angry when he saw that the cavalry on the left wing actually reined in their horses.

How come the left wing was defeated so quickly when the battle hasn't even ended?
He no longer cared about the right wing, but personally took charge of the left wing.

In the dark night, he did not see Li Xuan's bravery.

(End of this chapter)