Chapter 75: Capturing the Great Khan

The north wind was blowing and the snowflakes were flying.

Dozens of miles away from Li Xuan, Wusumishi and Jiediyishi were struggling against the wind and snow.

"Squeak... squeak..."

Due to the cold and snow, the car made noise as it moved forward.

Even the horses pulling the carriage had to look back from time to time because of the wind and snow, and the coachman kept whipping the horses to prevent the carriage from falling behind.

Although the knights were fully equipped with armor, they looked very miserable.

The noble men and women in front also looked lonely.

"You lowly Huihe slaves, you have seized my royal court. I swear I will definitely retake Tianshan. And the Tang Kingdom, my Turks will not be destroyed, and my Turkic Wolf Riders will drink from the Yellow River again sooner or later."

It was freezing cold, with heavy snow and wind. The attempt to escape in such a situation aroused the resentment of Usumish Khan.

Last year, the Tang Dynasty joined forces with the Qarluk, Uighur, and Basmil to attack and kill Gutuyehu Khan. As the son of Panque Tekin, he was elected as the new Great Khan.

At most, he had only been on the throne for one year.

Usumish Khan believed that it was the Tang Dynasty's destruction of their left and right wings that enabled the Uighurs to break through their central camp.

"Great Khan, we are moving too slowly. I think we should abandon the carriages and horses and only carry the valuables."

Jie Dishi Khan rode his horse to catch up with Usumishi Khan. He covered his eyes with his hands and spoke to Usumishi Khan.

When the Basmith Khanate was established just last year, Jie Di Yishi fantasized that he could unify the grassland and become as powerful as the Xiongnu and Turks in the past. He himself would also be as powerful as Maodun Chanyu and Shibi Khan and dominate the Central Plains.

Jie Di Yishi Khan had actually been planning to attack the Turkic camp. There could not be two Khans on the grassland.

Who knew that he and Usumishu would become brothers in distress before he even started.

"With such a storm, our footprints will be wiped out in an hour. The Huihe people may not pursue us. Besides, we left secretly, and it will be too late for them to find us."

Usumish Khan would not give up the wealth of his court.

He believed that the items he carried were important, so he was reluctant to abandon them when he was escaping.

"Ugh!"

Jie Di Yishi Khan knew that Usumishi was stubborn and self-willed, and that his remaining troops consisted of only a thousand people and had to rely on others for support.

After continuing to march in the wind and snow for half an hour, the Turkish knights at the rear suddenly found something wrong.

They stopped and in the dim darkness, they saw a group of knights wearing heavy leather coats and leather hats running towards them.

The wind and snow covered the sound of horse hooves.

"It's the Uighurs. Report to the Great Khan quickly."

The Turkish knights were terrified. They picked up their spears on their horses and prepared for battle while going to inform Usumish Khan.

"These are a bunch of lowly Huihe slaves." Usumish Khan gritted his teeth and immediately ordered the armored guards: "There won't be many of them, stop them."

The Turkic nobles were also terrified and regretted fleeing with Usumish Khan.

If they were just running away alone, the Uighurs would not necessarily chase them.

"kill!"

Usumish Khan wanted to use his five hundred cavalrymen to disperse the pursuing Uighur troops.

These five hundred cavalrymen, armed with scimitars, are the most elite warriors under Usumish.

As soon as they collided with the Uighur pursuers, they killed them in great numbers.

Blood gushed out in the snowy night.

"The Turkic Khanate has collapsed. The Turkic Khan has reached his end. We are the ones who created history by establishing the Uighur Khanate with the head of Usumish. My men, work hard! Whoever kills Usumish will be given the title of nobility after establishing his own country."

The person who led the Uighur cavalry to pursue the Turkic Khan this time was Guli Peiluo's most outstanding son, Moyanchuo.

He led a total of 5,000 Uighur light cavalry.

Unlike the Tang Dynasty, the Huihe only wanted to kill Usumish Khan to intimidate the small tribes that once submitted to the Turks.

Although the Turkic cavalry guards were brave and powerful, the Uighur light cavalry were more numerous and powerful, and their morale was high.

Mo Yanchuo was very brave. He personally led the soldiers to charge into the battle line, thrusting his spear in the wind and snow, and knocking the Turkic cavalry off their horses one by one.

The Turkic cavalry were easily distinguishable in the snow because of their brightly colored armor.

Wusumi Shi saw that it was difficult to break through the Uighur cavalry, and that some Uighur soldiers had bypassed the imperial guards and were charging towards them, so he had no choice but to send another thousand elite cavalry to try to stop them.

"Great Khan, most of the nobles are fleeing alone with their own troops. We may not be able to resist them. We need to make a decision as soon as possible."

The Turkic special agent Hulongfu Baimei said to Usumishi.

He was the younger brother of Usumish Khan, and he hoped that his brother would abandon his carriage and horses and ride away lightly.

"Put the most precious treasure on the horse, discard the rest, and go!"

Wusumishi said with great pain, "Look, from the shouting and killing, he could hear that the number of Uighurs was large."

"As ordered!"

Falcon Longfu Baimei made arrangements immediately and only packed up the precious gems and jades.

The other heavy gold and silver were left on the road.

In the end, Usumish escaped with only a thousand cavalry.

Seeing that Wusumishi had finally come to his senses, Jiediyishi decided to follow Wusumishi.

At the critical moment, the two departments can still fight together.

Jie Di Yishi was already a homeless man, without even food, and could only rely on the identity of Usumi Shi.

Although those guards and elite cavalry were abandoned, they fought desperately and bought time for the Great Khan to escape.

……

"General, there is a battle going on ahead."

The advance cavalry reported the battle ahead to Li Xuan.

In the snowy night, they were unable to find out the specific situation and did not know whether the Turkic Khan was ahead.

"Keep in formation and charge forward. No fighting without my order."

Li Xuan could only order them to get closer.

A quarter of an hour later, the Tang army arrived one mile away from the side of the battlefield.

With more than 900 cavalrymen and nearly 3,000 horses, they were naturally noticed by the Uighurs.

The Ming Guang Armor of the Tang Dynasty, symbolizing the elite cavalry of the Tang Dynasty, is set against the backdrop of the falling snow.

"Aren't the Tang troops at Hunyi River? Why are they here?"

Mo Yanchuo was shocked when he saw the Tang army.

He immediately understood that the Tang army was pursuing Usumishi.

Which general of the Shuofang Army dared to lead an army alone into the deep sea?

"General, there are abandoned carriages and horses, and many human and horse footprints extending all the way north. The Turkic Khan should still be fleeing north."

Ashina Fuwen led his men to conduct a survey outside the battlefield and came to a conclusion.

"The Turkic Khan abandoned his chariots and horses and marched quickly. He pursued north with all his strength, changing his horse every half an hour."

Li Xuan gave the order, regardless of the fact that the Uighurs were still fighting.

Seeing the Tang army leave, Moyan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Tang army did not rob them of the gold and silver on the Turkic chariots and horses, otherwise he would not know what to do.

But he suddenly realized that if Usumish Khan was captured and killed by the Tang army, it would be very disadvantageous to their Uighur tribe.

In the future, the tribes on the grassland will not be afraid of the Uighurs, but of the Tang Dynasty.

"Quickly send out two thousand cavalry to chase after them."

Thinking of this, Mo Yanchuo immediately gave the order.

The Uighur cavalry attacked swiftly, and after killing hundreds of Turkic cavalry, they divided their forces into two thousand.

Mo Yanchuo asked his deputy general to stay here to wipe out the remnants of the Turkic yamen and guard the spoils.

He personally led the cavalry to chase after them.

Moyanchuo had a great idea that the Turkic Khan and Basmi Khan still had two thousand cavalry.

Once they are entangled by the Tang army, he can reap the benefits.

Because of the two thousand cavalry, Mo Yanchuo did not split his troops.

"Hey..."

Li Xuan led his cavalry in pursuit until dawn.

The snow is still falling, and the magnificent mountains and rivers are covered in silver, like a poem or a painting.

Through the traces left by the Turkic cavalry, they were able to accurately find the escape route of Usumishi and Jiediishi.

Since two hours ago, they have been encountering the Turkish cavalry and Basmith cavalry that have been lagging behind.

Horsepower is limited, and when a cavalry unit gallops at high speed, some of them are bound to fall behind.

Unless it is like Li Xuan's team, with one person and three horses.

There were also more than a hundred fewer horses in Li Xuan's team.

He did not deliberately pursue the lagging Turkic cavalry. He had only one target, Usumish Khan!

Many soldiers were so cold that their faces turned red, and their breath turned into white rainbows in the freezing weather.

However, the footprints in front of them became clearer and clearer, which meant that the Turkic Khan was getting closer and closer to them.

When it was completely light, the Tang army ran to a high slope and saw a cavalry team running slowly.

After running all night, the Turkic troops were exhausted.

"Look, the Uighurs."

“So many rides!”

"They are catching up..."

The nobles around Usumish Khan pointed at the Tang army on the slope behind them. They only saw black dots in the distance and mistook them for Uighurs.

"Go and stop them quickly. You Basimiites should also stop them."

Usumish Khan looked panicked, gave orders to his tired soldiers, and shouted to Jie Dishi.

He did not dare to stop all night, thinking that he had escaped the pursuit of the Uighurs.

"Men, stop them." Jie Di Yishi Khan ordered his few remaining subordinates.

Now the two of them are in the same boat. If they work together, they might be able to fight.

"As ordered..."

The remnants of Basmil and the Turkish cavalry forced themselves to boost their morale and stood in the way.

"Let's leave quickly. There is a tribe in the south of the Little Sea (now Lake Baikal) that is close to the royal court. Let's go there."

Usumishi, who was almost a lone veteran, did not give up. He led the last hundred cavalrymen and a dozen Turkic nobles and continued to gallop.

Jie Di and Yi Shi had no choice but to follow.

"Change to a warhorse!"

Li Xuan ordered the soldiers to change to stronger war horses.

They left the other horses where they were.

The soldiers all picked up their spears.

No one tried to bend the bow because it was too cold and the bow could not be drawn.

If you forcefully pull the bow, the string will inevitably break.

Li Xuan estimated that the temperature here was at least minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius.

"Since ancient times, Diao Chan has worn a helmet, and glory comes from hundreds of battles. Brothers, charge!"

After all the soldiers had completed their transfer, Li Xuan raised his spear high and gave an order.

"Boom!"

The war horses stepped on the thick snow, shuttled through the snowflakes, and galloped down.

Nine hundred cavalrymen were not afraid of an enemy force of nearly two thousand cavalrymen.

"It's not the Huihe, it's the Tang army!"

Those Uighur and Basmi soldiers realized that their opponents were different.

The Tang army wearing Ming Guang armor are all elite cavalry, which is synonymous with strength.

The appearance of the Tang army here has thrown them into disarray.

But the situation has been revealed and we must fight.

Under the order of the general, Basmil and the Turks rushed towards the Tang army.

Li Xuan still took the lead and met the leading general Basmil.

The general was brave and shouted with his gun in hand, trying to capture Li Xuan.

Two riders arrived.

"Pfft!"

Li Xuan stabbed him to death with a single blow of his long spear.

"General Tang will die!"

The Turkic general also shouted and rushed forward. He held a spear in his hand and stabbed Li Xuan before he could draw his spear.

"Pfft!"

Li Xuan was an expert in wielding the lance. With one swing of the lance, the tip of the lance was like a sword, cutting the neck of the Turkic cavalry general. Blood splattered on the snow, and his body fell straight off his horse.

After killing two generals in succession, both armies were frightened, and Li Xuan immediately rushed into the battle formation.

"Clang!"

He swung his long spear, knocking the spears away.

The Fire Cloud Horse galloped wildly, and the sharp spear tips danced in the snow, stabbing the Turkic soldiers off their horses one after another.

The imperial guards and Tang cavalry in the rear followed up and charged into the enemy's formation.

Ashina Fuwen, Gao Kai and other generals fought bravely, and the soldiers fought to the death.

Li Xuan, with a dozen personal guards, quickly broke through the team.

But he did not immediately pursue the Turkic Khan. Instead, he rushed back and forth, sometimes south, sometimes north, sometimes left, sometimes right.

Dozens of riders were killed in a short while.

The already exhausted enemy troops suddenly fell into chaos, and their will to defend the Khan collapsed. They had never seen such a brave general.

In less than two quarters of an hour, the Basmitian cavalry fled.

Seeing this, the Turkic cavalry also fled in all directions.

"Don't worry about them. Take the horses down and continue the pursuit."

Li Xuan ordered the pursuing Tang army to stop.

One man and three riders continued to chase northward along the footprints.

An hour later, Mo Yanchuo and his men finally arrived.

He saw thousands of bodies lying in the snow, covered with a layer of snow.

The war horses not far away were walking slowly, and no one paid any attention to them.

"Almost all of them are the bodies of Turks and Basmidians, with few Tang soldiers. The battlefield should have been over just an hour ago."

The generals under his command reported to Mo Yanchuo.

"That team of Tang troops is the elite of the Shuofang Army. We are one step too late."

Mo Yanchu muttered to himself.

Each Tang soldier had three horses, which was beyond their reach.

"Should we continue to chase?"

"Chase!"

Mo Yanchu responded that he had to know the result.

……

Usumish and his party were exhausted and frightened, looking back from time to time.

After running for another hour, they saw the figure in the snow again.

"Oh my god! I am the Great Khan!"

Usumish was in despair.

He had no time to blame the nearly two thousand cavalry for only resisting for such a short time.

Now there are only a hundred cavalrymen left with him, what can he use to resist?

Now they all saw clearly that it was not the Uighurs who were coming, but the Tang army.

Jie Di Yishi Khan was also discouraged.

Perhaps when the Uighurs and Karluks jointly broke through his camp, he should have led his troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

Li Xuan saw the back of Usumish Khan again and ordered his soldiers to change horses and sprint.

The remaining hundred Turkic cavalrymen were trembling in fear.

Hu Longfu Baimei was a man of strong character. He took off his hat and said to the last soldier: "The Khanate is destroyed. We should die in battle. Only in this way can we follow the gods."

As he said this, he rushed towards the Tang army alone.

The hundred cavalrymen were infected and no longer cared about their lives.

Usumish Khan, however, did not have such courage. He and a group of noble men and women, regardless of the strength of their horses, whipped their horses repeatedly.

Hulongfu Baimei met Li Xuan and was killed by Li Xuan with a spear.

When one hundred cavalrymen collide with nearly a thousand elite cavalrymen of the Tang Dynasty, the result can be imagined.

When the Tang army rushed over, they all fell off their horses.

The Tang army continued to pursue Usumishi Khan, Jiediishi Khan, and the dozen or so Turkic nobles who accompanied them without slowing down.

"drive!"

Li Xuan pinched the belly of the Fire Cloud Horse.

The Fire Cloud Horse charged at full speed, moving through the snow hills as if they were walking on flat ground.

The other Tang army horses were quickly left behind by Li Xuan.

Two hundred steps...

One hundred steps...

Fifty……

In a blink of an eye, Li Xuan was only a dozen steps behind them.

"Who is the Turkic Khan? Who is Basmith Khan?"

Li Xuan shouted at these nobles.

"Don't kill me. The one riding the white horse in front is the Great Khan, and the one riding the black horse is Basmith Khan."

A cowardly Turkic noble saw that Li Xuan was very close to him and was afraid that Li Xuan would stab him, so he quickly shouted in stiff Chinese.

"Ha ha!"

Li Xuan laughed loudly, and rode his Fire Cloud Horse at lightning speed, reaching the side of Usumish Khan in a breath.

"what……"

Wusumishi didn't expect Li Xuan's horse to be so fast, so he drew out his jewel-inlaid scimitar and slashed at Li Xuan.

"clang!"

Li Xuan used his spear to knock his scimitar off his feet.

When the horses were about to miss each other, Li Xuan reached out and grabbed Lord Usumish Khan's back, forcing him off the horse.

The dignified Turkic Khan was held around the waist by Li Xuan like a rabbit.

As he struggled, the precious hat that symbolized the Great Khan fell to the snow.

It also means the destruction of the Turkic Khanate!

　There are two more updates, and the text is being revised.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)