Chapter 14

With a single move, Wang Xiaohu was subdued, and Luo Shixin's confidence soared to the extreme: Luo Shixin was indeed a top-tier warrior of the early Tang Dynasty. Even the best of the best were no match for his one or two moves.

"Hmm! You managed to hold me for a few seconds. Come on, come on again. Maybe if your subordinates come one by one, you could run a hundred feet away! Anyway, you've run away before, haven't you?" He looked disdainful, not caring whether Liu Heita understood what "seconds" meant, his face full of mockery.

Liu Heita's face turned pale and then red. Abandoning his troops to escape was not something honorable, and it would make him infamous for generations. Being publicly humiliated and mocked was even more unbearable for the Prince of Handong, but the situation forced him to do so, whether he liked it or not.

Even Wang Xiaohu was no match for Luo Shixin, let alone himself.

"General Luo, a young hero, truly valiant! It's not in vain for Heita to fall into your hands today. It's just a pity that your great talents are destined to be buried in the tide of history, what a pity, what a pity!" Liu Heita looked as if he had let go of life and death, showing no concern for his own safety, but rather concern for Luo Shixin's future.

Luo Shixin was taken aback and said, "What do you mean by that?"

Liu Heita secretly rejoiced and said, "Has General not heard of the fates of Han Xin, Peng Yue, Lu Wan, and Ying Bu? Throughout history, when the birds are gone, the good bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hunting dogs are cooked. Who can avoid it? General has made great contributions to the Li Tang, and I am certain that your fate will not be better than that of Han Xin, Peng Yue, Lu Wan, and Ying Bu. You will have to hand over your military power and become a nominal general with no real authority. A great hero and a great man, if he does not achieve great things in his lifetime, is it not a pity?"

Luo Shixin was at a loss whether to laugh or cry and said, "Are you asking me to lead a hundred or so men to rebel?"

"Of course not!" Liu Heita said, "How could I let General go to his death? I hope that General will choose a better path and join me in seeking refuge with the Khan of the Turks, Jiali."

Luo Shixin secretly laughed. This guy, after all his twists and turns, was planning to trick him into going to the Turks and save his own life. Truly, when a person is desperate to save their life, they will do anything. Liu Heita, who could abandon tens of thousands of his own troops, was indeed not a good person.

He remained silent.

Liu Heita continued, "Khan Jiali is eager for talent and holds the greatest respect for young heroes like General Luo. The customs of the Turks are very different from ours. As long as General can make great contributions to the Turks, you will receive sufficient rewards, form your own tribe, and be like a king. Why not..."

"Prince of Handong..."

Liu Heita was talking nonstop, but Fan Yuan suddenly interrupted him with a stern voice.

Liu Heita was furious, enjoying his trickery, and turned to scold. Before he could speak, he noticed that two more groups of troops had appeared on both sides, slowly closing in.

"Damn it, you tricked me!" Liu Heita suddenly realized, hastily shouting, "Those who want to live, follow me!" He pulled his horse to the right, not daring to charge forward.

To ensure that Liu Heita could be blocked, Luo Shixin had made ample preparations, personally inspecting the nearby terrain. He found that Liu Heita had three possible routes to escape to the Turks. Historical records only mentioned that Liu Heita escaped, without specifying which route. To ensure absolute success, Luo Shixin had to divide his limited troops to block all three routes, personally guarding the most likely one.

Sure enough, Liu Heita chose the main road, planning to escape as quickly as possible while Li Shimin was still engaged with his main force.

Luo Shixin had over three hundred men, and Liu Heita had about the same number. With Liu Heita pinned down, he had no chance of escaping. If the others scattered, it would be difficult to capture them all, and some might slip away. Just as he was worrying about how to capture them all, Liu Heita, thinking Luo Shixin was a simpleton, tried to trick him into becoming a traitor.

Luo Shixin went along with the plan, letting him talk, while secretly ordering his men to surround the other two routes.

A thousand against three hundred, there was no way they could escape.

"Liu Heita, I, Luo Shixin, hate traitors the most. You tricked me into becoming a traitor! If I don't beat you up, I'll change my name to Liu."

Luo Shixin was already prepared to attack. As Liu Heita was about to turn his horse, he leaped forward.

Liu Heita, the scoundrel, still had some loyal followers. At this moment, several men rushed forward to resist him to the death.

Luo Shixin's iron spear was like a dragon, swift and fierce. The five men at the front were immediately cut down, their horses scattering and falling.

Liu Heita was overjoyed, taking advantage of the moment to draw his saber and slash the buttocks of his warhorse. Just as the horse took a step, a silver flash appeared before him, and the horse let out a mournful cry, falling to the ground and throwing Liu Heita off.

Liu Heita fell heavily to the ground, a bright silver spear planted nearby, his beloved horse's front legs severed, and his heart turned to ashes.

Luo Shixin was tied up by the loyalists and couldn't immediately chase after Liu Heita. Seeing Liu Heita about to escape, he ignored the three spears thrust at him and threw his long spear. As the silver spear left his hand, he swiftly drew his Tang saber, ducked to avoid the spears, and slashed upward with a powerful stroke. Blood spurted over a foot high, and both the man and the horse's heads flew into the red sky.

The remaining two were quickly dispatched by the Tang soldiers who caught up.

Luo Shixin ignored the others and rushed toward Liu Heita, easily capturing him.

To avoid being called Liu Shixin, Luo Shixin gave Liu Heita a good beating.

A thousand against three hundred, most of whom were fleeing, was not much of a challenge. The majority were captured or killed, and those who fled far were simply shot down with arrows, none escaping.

"General, where do we go next?" Mo Huer laughed, feeling more and more that his choice was right. Although he couldn't match Luo Shixin, he had captured Fan Yuan, the second-in-command of the Handong army, which was also a great achievement.

"We will take Mingzhou!" Luo Shixin said with great confidence, knowing that with Liu Heita in hand, forcing the surrender of Mingzhou would be easy.

As for the decisive battle north of the Ming River, Luo Shixin was not worried at all.

Historical records clearly state that after Li Shimin defeated the Handong cavalry, he completely took control.

However, because they were arrayed with their backs to the water, the Handong army was determined to fight to the death. The twenty thousand infantry resisted with great tenacity.

From noon until dusk, the Tang army finally broke the morale of the Handong army, and they began to retreat.

Seeing the Handong army retreating toward the Ming River, Li Shimin mercilessly ordered the dam to be breached.

The floodwaters roared down, sweeping the Handong soldiers into hell, and the water level of the Ming River rose by several feet.

In the chaotic retreat, the Handong soldiers either drowned in the river or were killed by the Tang army. In this battle, over ten thousand Handong soldiers were killed, and several thousand drowned.

Duan Zhihuan, with a mournful face, threw a corpse in front of Li Shimin amidst the envious gazes of others and said, "Your Highness, it's fake, Liu Heita has already fled."

Li Shimin's face changed, and he then thought of someone else, his expression strange, sensing something amiss.

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