Chapter 13

"Damn it!" Liu Heta had always believed that the Song Yena sent by Khan Jiali was an invincible trump card. He had relied on the ferocity of the Tujue cavalry to dominate Hebei, once striking fear into the hearts of many. But who would have thought that what brought him success would also bring him failure. The uncontrollability of Song Yena became a fatal flaw for the Handong army.

Li Shimin not only seized this fatal flaw but also fully exploited Song Yena's character, luring him out with Qin Qiong and killing him. With Song Yena dead, the Tujue cavalry lost their leader and would no longer follow orders.

In a circular formation, with two wings attacking, one clash was enough to break one of the enemy's wings, putting them in a dire situation.

Liu Heta, with a grim face, issued the order for a left-wing assault: the right wing had collapsed, and the Tujue soldiers, though brave, could not be easily defeated by Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin in a short time. Now, they could only rely on the left-wing cavalry to shake the Li Tang army.

Liu Heta issued the assault order, and Li Tang almost simultaneously ordered Yuchi Jingde to lead the troops into battle.

The two cavalry units clashed like two raging torrents, and with the sound of weapons colliding, large chunks of blood and bodies fell from the horses, immediately trampled into flesh by countless warhorses.

Both sides were at a stalemate. In terms of numbers, Liu Heta, with Tujue support, had eight thousand elite cavalry, which the Li Tang army could not match. However, the Li Tang soldiers were experienced in battle, and their elite troops were far superior to the Handong army.

The focus of both sides was on the cavalry confrontation on the left flank. If the Handong army won, they would regain the advantage. If the Li Tang army won, they could flank the infantry formation with their cavalry, gaining the initiative.

In a battle, the side that gains the initiative often wins.

"Junjiji, Shiji, the infantry is up to you!" Seeing that Yuchi Jingde was not winning, Li Shimin, with a wolf-like gaze, suddenly shouted and personally led the First Left Guard to charge into the right side of the Handong army's left flank.

This was Li Shimin's usual tactic... a flank assault. The thousand-strong First Left Guard he led was the famous Xuanjia Army, one of the five strongest armies in history.

A flank assault did not necessarily mean attacking the enemy's side but targeting their weak points. Li Shimin usually let the main force engage the enemy first, then led the Xuanjia Army to find vulnerabilities. When the enemy was weakened or showed signs of weakness, he would lead the Xuanjia Army to attack their weak points, breaking the stalemate.

Thus, the Xuanjia Army's deployment often meant the enemy's defeat.

Born into a military family, Li Shimin, though not as brave as Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin, was still a fierce warrior with high combat skills. Combined with the Xuanjia Army, the strongest in the world, and attacking the Handong army's weak point, just one strike caused the Handong army's left-wing cavalry to waver.

Seeing Li Shimin move, Yuchi Jingde felt ashamed and tightened his two-zhang iron spear, roaring as he spurred his horse forward!

Amidst the splattering blood, Yuchi Jingde led the charge, breaking through several layers of the enemy. His two-zhang iron spear swirled left and right, and no one dared to approach. Anyone within range was killed with one strike, and he single-handedly broke through the crowd to face Cao Zhan.

Cao Zhan was terrified and, before he could react, was pierced through the heart by Yuchi Jingde's iron spear.

"Han Dong Wang, let's flee!" Wang Xiaohu quietly approached Liu Heta and said seven chilling words.

Wang Xiaohu, who had been leading Liu Heta's personal guards, should have stepped forward to stabilize the situation at this critical moment, but instead, he advised Liu Heta to flee.

Wang Xiaohu used the word "flee" rather than "retreat."

Retreating in battle was normal, but fleeing was different.

Fleeing meant abandoning the army to save oneself.

Liu Heta looked sadly at the Handong army's top general. Even he, so brave, had lost confidence in winning this battle. He did not doubt Wang Xiaohu's loyalty and knew that Wang Xiaohu's actions were to preserve his life for a future comeback.

Liu Heta, who valued his life, thought for a moment and nodded imperceptibly.

Fleeing also required strategy. As the commander of the three armies, if Liu Heta was discovered fleeing, the entire army might collapse, making it impossible to escape.

Liu Heta had a body double wear his armor and continue to command the army, while he and a few trusted aides, including Wang Xiaohu and Fan Yuan, secretly crossed the Ming River by boat.

Liu Heta had already prepared for a northern retreat, arranging a fallback on the north bank of the Ming River, leaving behind over three hundred loyal bodyguards and a thousand fine horses as a backup. His so-called "back-to-the-river" battle was to have the soldiers fight to the death while he prioritized his own survival.

The group did not say a word, mounting their horses and heading north in silence.

Before they had traveled a mile, a group of soldiers suddenly emerged, blocking their path.

"Han Dong Wang, why are you running? Let's catch up and talk about the old days in Ming City!"

Liu Heta recognized the leader and was instantly terrified... facing a young man with a large iron spear, looking disdainful and mocking, who else could it be but the scourge of Ming City, Luo Shixin?

Luo Shixin, having studied the history, knew that Liu Heta would flee before his army was defeated.

This made Li Shimin furious, and he personally led the troops in pursuit, chasing all the way to the Tujue border until the Tujue sent troops to block him, forcing him to return dejectedly.

In this campaign, the key figure was Liu Heta.

What greater merit could there be than capturing Liu Heta alive? Even a thousand or ten thousand heads would not match the value of Liu Heta's head.

Without danger, one could gain the greatest merit as if on a leisurely tour. Only a fool would fight on the front lines!

Thus, Luo Shixin, who knew the history and had calculated that Liu Heta would flee, had already set his sights on this greatest merit. The small task he requested from Li Shimin, to flank the enemy and sweep away the remnants, was aimed at Liu Heta.

Wang Xiaohu shouted fiercely, "Han Dong Wang, flee quickly! I will hold him off."

He leaped onto his horse, brandishing his spear, and roared like a thunderclap, thrusting his spear forward with a sharp, unstoppable force.

Luo Shixin did not dodge but caught the spear tip with one hand, growled, and pulled Wang Xiaohu off his horse, lifting him high. Releasing his grip, Wang Xiaohu fell vertically, and Luo Shixin caught him mid-air, throwing him to the ground and snarled, "Tie him up!"

Liu Heta, about to flee, saw this and felt a chill. What a difference!

Liu Heta's dominance in Hebei relied on three top generals: Wang Xiaohu, Song Yena, and Cao Zhan.

The result was that Song Yena was killed by Qin Qiong, Cao Zhan was pierced through the heart by Yuchi Jingde, and the Handong army's top general, Wang Xiaohu, could not even last one move against Luo Shixin.