Chapter 50

With the death of Silie, the outcome of the battle was already clear.

The leaderless Tujue soldiers only knew to avenge their chieftain and their subordinates, charging forward in a disorganized manner. Though they were numerous, they lacked order and fought chaotically. In contrast, the Tang Dynasty's elite guards effectively utilized the coordination of different troop types, leveraging the strengths of each to continuously cut down the Tujue cavalry.

"Kill...!!!"

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed behind the Tujue soldiers, causing Lu Shixin's heart to tremble: if the Tujue had reinforcements, it would be disastrous. They were already outnumbered, relying on the advantage of the陌刀阵 (Mò Dāo Zhèn) to hold the Tujue cavalry firmly, preventing them from utilizing their strengths. If another thousand Tujue cavalry flanked them from behind, their well-organized formation would be broken due to the overwhelming numerical disadvantage.

Squinting, he looked into the distance, where a dense crowd of figures appeared on the horizon.

A tall banner in the distance was perfectly aligned with the sun, the sunlight passing through the red flag as if it were burning fiercely.

Lu Shixin finally made out the five large characters on the banner: "Princess Pingyang Li."

The vanguard of the reinforcements was entirely cavalry, their red armor gleaming with a golden hue under the fiery sunlight. Accompanied by thunderous roars, they charged forward like a tidal wave, galloping swiftly towards the rear of the Tujue cavalry.

The leader wore a deep red, ornate armor. Though the distance was great, her identity was unmistakable—Princess Pingyang, the renowned princess of the Tang Dynasty.

"Ha ha!" Lu Shixin didn't bother to wonder why Princess Pingyang had appeared behind the Tujue cavalry; he only knew that her timing was perfect.

The陌刀阵 (Mò Dāo Zhèn) was indeed formidable, allowing them to overpower ten thousand Tujue cavalry with just two thousand five hundred soldiers. This was due to the array's unique targeting. However, the陌刀阵 (Mò Dāo Zhèn) was just a formation, not a mythical addition that could defeat the Tujue cavalry without any casualties.

War inevitably involves casualties, and it was a matter of mutual attrition. Relying on the power of the陌刀阵 (Mò Dāo Zhèn), the Right Brave Guard had the upper hand, but the attrition was still necessary. The Tujue suffered more severely, but the battle had reached a point where only mutual damage could be inflicted before the Tujue's morale collapsed.

The problem was that the Tujue had over ten thousand soldiers, while the Right Brave Guard had only two thousand five hundred.

If the attrition continued, Lu Shixin believed he would ultimately win, but the Right Brave Guard would have to pay a heavy price, at least half of their forces. Although, in terms of proportion, this would be a significant victory, to Lu Shixin, even a hundred Tujue lives were not worth a single Right Brave Guard life.

Thus, Princess Pingyang's appearance turned the attrition into a crushing victory, saving hundreds of Right Brave Guard soldiers.

"Brothers, Princess Pingyang has cut off the Tujue dogs' rear. Let's press forward and crush these scoundrels!" Lu Shixin's leadership and bravery had earned him the respect and admiration of the Right Brave Guard. They admired him for his martial prowess and his camaraderie in sharing meals and training with them. This admiration had now elevated to blind worship after he led them to a miraculous victory against overwhelming odds.

His shout was met with no hesitation. The soldiers' morale was at its peak, and the cries of "Crush the Tujue scoundrels" echoed deafeningly.

Even the crossbowmen, who usually stayed back, slung their crossbows over their shoulders and drew their short swords, rushing forward in a frenzy.

There was no need for formations now; they just needed to scatter and disrupt the Tujue, leveraging the advantage of a pincer attack and overwhelming morale to annihilate them.

The Tujue, already on the verge of defeat, were dealt a fatal blow from behind, like the final straw that sank the ship.

No tactics or formations were needed; the two routes of Tang soldiers, full of energy and ferocity, crushed the exhausted and demoralized Tujue in a single strike, causing them to scatter and trample each other in a blind retreat.

In a short time, the battlefield was littered with Tujue corpses. The Tang soldiers, red-eyed and focused on cutting and killing, dominated the field.

"Everyone who can ride, mount up and pursue!" Lu Shixin shouted, joining forces with Princess Pingyang.

Princess Pingyang held a steel saber over a meter long, its blade stained with blood, complementing her heroic and beautiful appearance like a rose blooming in a sea of blood.

"Princess, let these scoundrels regret invading our Tang territory!" Lu Shixin didn't have time to admire Princess Pingyang's beauty; in the blink of an eye, he left her behind, leaving those words. Beautiful things could be appreciated anytime, but the opportunity to pursue the enemy was fleeting.

Princess Pingyang, well-versed in military strategy, immediately understood Lu Shixin's meaning: the principle of not pursuing a defeated enemy was to avoid exposing vulnerabilities due to the dispersion of troops and the eagerness for quick victory, which could allow the enemy to counterattack.

But in this situation, there was no such risk. The Tujue had boldly penetrated over two hundred and fifty miles into Tang territory, and there was no possibility of enemy reinforcements.

Why wait to finish them off?

Like Lu Shixin, Princess Pingyang ordered all who could ride to mount up and pursue...

Initially, Lu Shixin and Princess Pingyang had only eight hundred horses, but now, with the numerous unclaimed horses around, they quickly assembled a force of three thousand cavalry, launching a massive pursuit of the fleeing Tujue.

The pursuit lasted for two days and one night, covering over a hundred and fifty miles, with two thousand eight hundred of the three thousand cavalry falling behind.

All the Tujue soldiers, except for the scattered stragglers, were annihilated.

Lu Shixin, exhausted and nearly boneless, especially with his inner thighs chafed raw, sat on the ground, feeling a deep respect for Princess Pingyang nearby.

Princess Pingyang had not fallen behind during the entire pursuit, which was unexpected by Lu Shixin. Due to the intensity of the pursuit and the physical differences between men and women, the women's army she led fell behind severely, with only Princess Pingyang herself keeping up with the main force.

Throughout the pursuit, Princess Pingyang displayed incredible archery skills, leaving even Lu Shixin, a seasoned warrior, in awe.

"Princess, how did you end up behind the Tujue?" Lu Shixin asked the question he hadn't had time to ask.

Princess Pingyang smiled, "Just as the general trusted me initially, I chose to trust, and that's all there is to it."