Chapter 6

The effect of the lime powder was something even Luo Shixin, the instigator, did not anticipate, let alone Wang Xiaohu, Su Dingfang, and their group. They were far behind, and the lime powder had already dispersed, so the impact on them was minimal. Even those who were unlucky were not seriously harmed.

Watching the self-slaughter of the storming soldiers, Wang Xiaohu and Su Dingfang exchanged glances, a sense of fear rising from the depths of their hearts. They were not afraid of charging into battle, but the idea of being unable to see and having their comrades-in-arms cut each other down, or having to kill their own brothers to survive, was chilling to think about.

"General, the enemy's numbers are limited. Immediately dispatch my troops to attack from both flanks and the city gate," Su Dingfang, who had a plan in mind, urgently requested.

Wang Xiaohu firmly refused, "No, sending more troops to attack the city under these circumstances would be sending them to their deaths."

Su Dingfang smiled bitterly, "General, you flatter me. In this situation, how could I dare to attack the city rashly? My actions are merely to force the Tang army to retreat, to save as many as possible."

Wang Xiaohu understood that if they allowed the three thousand storming soldiers to slaughter each other, the morale would plummet, and capturing Ming Water City would be even more impossible. He said roughly, "Be careful, don't get stuck in it!"

Su Dingfang confidently responded, then rallied his troops to flank around, planning to bypass the chaotic storming soldiers and directly attack Ming Water City. He also ordered his troops to shout loudly, creating a deafening clamor.

Seeing the reinforcements from Handong, Luo Shixin did not dare to fight for long and ordered all his troops to retreat into the city.

Upon returning to the city wall, Luo Shixin saw that the newly arrived Handong troops showed no signs of attacking. They stayed far from the city, continuously ringing bells and shouting to calm the chaotic storming soldiers and order them to retreat.

Luo Shixin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The enemy's goal was merely to rescue the storming soldiers, not to attack the city. He glanced at the young general leading them, noting that this move had hit his weak spot, forcing him to retreat.

After counting the numbers, they found that out of their fifty-three men, none were lost. In contrast, the Handong storming soldiers suffered heavy losses, with at least eight hundred dead. The remaining soldiers had only a few who could recover and fight again in the short term, while the rest would be permanently or long-term combat ineffective.

In other words, in this battle, Luo Shixin suffered no casualties and killed three thousand Handong soldiers, a truly glorious victory.

Even though he had to retreat at the last moment, Luo Shixin was still quite satisfied with the outcome.

The Tang army's morale also soared due to this battle.

The situation had changed! The Tang army suffered no casualties and killed three thousand Handong soldiers, a significant blow to the Handong army's morale, especially for the vanguard soldiers who witnessed the brutal scene, who now felt fear towards the small Ming Water City.

Death was not something the soldiers were unprepared for, especially the storming soldiers who risked their lives. But even generals like Wang Xiaohu and Su Dingfang felt a chill in their hearts, let alone the common soldiers. A heavy atmosphere spread through the army.

"General Wang, King Handong has ordered the attack to stop and requests you to come to the command tent for important matters!"

Wang Xiaohu, frowning as he thought about how to break the city, was unexpectedly summoned by Liu Heita. He handed his duties to Su Dingfang and rode to the command tent.

Upon entering the tent, Wang Xiaohu immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere. Standing on both sides were renowned and battle-hardened generals: Fan Yuan, Dong Kangmai, Cao Zhan, Gao Yaxian... They all stood with their hands hanging, seemingly afraid to breathe, even the arrogant Song Xie, who was usually very talkative, was unusually quiet.

Song Xie was a trusted confidant of the Turkic Khan Jiali, a tribal chief. The Turks, as the strongest power, were most concerned about the unification of Central China and its potential strength. After years of fighting, the unification of the Tang Dynasty was an inevitable trend, and Khan Jiali felt deeply uneasy, opposing the Tang Dynasty at every turn and providing unconditional support to anti-Tang forces. When Liu Heita rose in Hebei, Khan Jiali immediately lent him horses and troops. The three thousand Turkic cavalry led by Song Xie were the strongest force in the Handong army. Because he looked down on the people of Central China, Song Xie usually acted arrogantly in the Handong army, even disregarding Liu Heita, causing the other generals to be angry but dare not speak out.

Liu Heita silently glanced at Wang Xiaohu and said after a long pause, "I plan to abandon Ming Water. What do you think, General Wang?"

Wang Xiaohu was shocked, his mouth bitter, and he fell to his knees, "This subordinate is incompetent and has failed to meet King Handong's expectations!"

Liu Heita waved him up and said, "This is not your fault. Who would have thought that in this critical moment, the valiant Luo Shixin would resort to such despicable means? Ming Water City is now like a chicken rib, tasteless to eat but a pity to discard. Given the current situation, if we are pinned down by the Tang army in Ming Water, we are not far from destruction." His sharp eyes swept the tent, and he shouted, "I, Liu Heita, have nothing but a heart to avenge King Xia and three thousand fearless brothers. Since Li Shimin seeks battle, let us fight. In the Rao Yang battle, we defeated Li Tang's fifty thousand troops with fifteen thousand. Now we have thirty thousand troops, why fear Li Tang's fifty thousand?"

Liu Heita's final encouragement was met with enthusiastic shouts from the troops, though how genuine they were was unknown.

Indeed, they had once defeated Li Tang's fifty thousand troops with fifteen thousand, but then the Tang army's commander was Li Shentong, and now across the Ming Water was Li Shimin...

Li Shentong and Li Shimin, could they be the same?

**********

On the south bank of the Ming Water!

Li Shimin led a few riders on a hill overlooking Liu Heita's camp, listening to Du Ruhui's report, a smile appearing on his heroic face, feeling much lighter.

After years of war, Li Shimin, with his extraordinary military strategy, had been invincible, but this battle was the most frustrating.

He had meticulously planned every step, waiting for the right moment to achieve victory. The unexpected heavy snow in spring disrupted his plans. If not for Luo Shixin holding out for eight days, allowing him to meet up with Luo Yi and complete the encirclement of Mingzhou, his strategy would have been in vain.

Now, he desperately needed a decisive victory to prove himself.

"Xuanling, Keming, what do you think Liu Heita's mindset is in retreating now?"

On Li Shimin's left was Fang Xuanling, the left Fang and right Du, the two great strategists who struck fear into the hearts of the world.

"He must be running out of resources!" Fang Xuanling smiled lightly. "The rebels originally had only fifty thousand troops. Our army first eliminated eight thousand of Liu Shishan and Zhang Jun's forces, then captured Zhaozhou, Xingzhou, Jingzhou, and other northern counties, eliminating another six thousand. After two months of attrition, the Handong army has also paid a cost of three thousand. In the assault on Ming Water City, General Shixin killed another six thousand Handong soldiers. After all these calculations, the Handong army has no more than thirty thousand troops left, nearly half of their original strength. They have no capital to continue the war."

Fang Xuanling knew the situation of the Handong army in great detail.

"Retreat, let our army cross the river, and fight a decisive battle under the walls of Mingzhou City!" Du Ruhui's simple words revealed Liu Heita's strategy.

Li Shimin sneered, "Too naive!" In a good mood, he raised his whip and shouted, "Prepare the boats, I want to personally meet our great hero in Ming Water!"

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