Chu Qiao was planning tomorrow's strategic route in the staff camp. When she received this information, even though she was calm, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
A Tang army general frowned and said, "Your Highness, we should send someone to help them withdraw immediately. We haven't made any preparations, and the Tiexian River is close to the Yanbei Army's base camp. We have to be on guard."
Chu Qiao shook her head upon hearing this and said in a deep voice, "We are not prepared, but how can Yanbei be prepared? From the intelligence, this battle is a complete emergency, and neither we nor Yanbei are prepared at all."
"But……"
"He Qi, you must lead 20,000 infantrymen to the Tiexian River immediately. Our army's first battle will depend on you."
He Qi was stunned for a moment and asked, "Twenty thousand infantrymen?"
Chu Qiao nodded, "Yes."
"But sir, most of our men are cavalry and heavy armored soldiers, and the number of infantry is less than 8,000."
"Then abandon your horses. Remember, each person must have at least three swords. Take off your heavy armor and only wear light armor."
He Qi frowned, but seeing that Chu Qiao was not joking, he nodded and walked out with his sword slung over his shoulder.
When the Tang general saw He Qi leaving, he asked, "Your Highness, are 20,000 men enough? Why don't you send more troops? After all, Tiexian River is close to the Yanbei Army camp, and they can increase their troops much faster than we can."
Chu Qiao shook her head slowly, her eyes deep and sharp, and said calmly: "No, 20,000 is enough."
The sound of hooves like thunder could be heard, and the ground was shaking slightly. Huge square formations were assembled in an instant. Before we could get a clear view, they had already drawn their swords and rushed forward like tigers and wolves.
Several days of heavy rain had turned the already uneven land into a mess, and the silt greatly restricted the movement of the war horses. The two sides rushed together, the soldiers in front intertwined their bodies, and slashed with their swords wildly, with a bang like thunder rising from the ground.
The governor Mo, who was over seventy years old and had white hair and beard, sat on horseback with a red face and a sword in his hand. His personal soldiers pulled his horse's reins and shouted, "Governor, run away," but he knocked them to the ground with a punch. The elderly prefect held up a big knife in his hand, shouted "Kill the enemy and serve the country", rode his horse forward, led the soldiers, and did not retreat even after being hit by more than ten arrows. His men followed behind him, including his son, his grandson who was in his thirties, and his great-grandson who was less than sixteen years old.
When He Qi and his men arrived, the war was almost over. The officers and soldiers of Wuling County were inspired by the courage of their generals. With only a few thousand people, they resisted tens of thousands of cavalry from the enemy, but at this moment they were already at the end of their strength. He Qi led his men in to kill without saying a word. After the previous battle, the Tiexian River had become half a quagmire, with the war horses stuck in it. The heavy cavalry of Yanbei had no choice but to jump off their horses and fight with swords with the infantry led by He Qi. However, the advantage of heavy cavalry is that they can charge on horseback on the plains, but when they are hacking and slashing on the muddy ground, the heavy armor on their bodies greatly limits their flexibility.
Shouts and screams mixed together, the scene was like a pot of boiling porridge, the swords were shining brightly, the air was filled with murderous intent, dark clouds covered the sun, birds were crying, and the sky and the earth were filled with a blood-red light.
The Yanbei Army finally realized its own limitations. Some smart soldiers wanted to take off their heavy armor, but at such an urgent moment, there was no room for distraction. Before he could take off his cloak, the fatal blade had already cut off his neck.
Yan Xun was sitting in the central army tent. Because the Tiexian River was very close to his camp, his subordinates were the first to receive the news of the battle at the Tiexian River. However, it was also because of this that when Yan Xun received the battle report, some troops guarding the camp outside heard the fighting and thought someone was attacking the camp, so they quickly sent troops to support.
By the time he wanted to catch up with the cavalry, the two sides had already engaged in a melee.
At the beginning, all the generals in the camp mocked the Xiuli Army for overestimating their own capabilities, but soon, as the battle reports came back one by one, their faces became more and more ugly. Some people requested to send troops to support with lightly armored infantry, but Yan Xun shook his head coldly.
It was too late. Tiexian River was a narrow alluvial wall. There was only such a small area, but now there were nearly 50,000 troops gathered there. It was already crowded. If we sent more troops now, it would only mean sacrifices in vain.
However, we cannot just let it go like this. This battle was the first confrontation at Handan River. If we lose, it will have a serious impact on morale and will have a direct impact on future battles.
Yan Xun immediately issued an order, asking the entire army to prepare and send troops to Wei and Liao to prepare for a frontal attack.
Late at night, a red moon rose from behind a bare hillside, and hazy water vapor covered the Handan River. A young Yanbei Army staff officer advised several times that their side was the defending party and only needed to stay stationed at Handan Pass, and should not take the initiative to attack and waste military strength.
Yan Xun ignored him at first, but later he couldn't stand it anymore, so he ordered his guards to tie him up and lock him in the cellar. Without the annoying sound, he was finally able to calm down and quietly look at this not-so-majestic pass.
The staff officer didn't understand, and many people didn't understand. Even many of the generals under Yan Xun's command who had followed him throughout the country didn't understand his current intentions.
Indeed, the Xiuli Army came under the banner of defending the imperial capital. If they wanted to rush to Tangjing and defeat Princess Jing'an who was besieging Kyoto, they had to pass through Handan Pass. This means that as long as he guards the Handan Pass, he will definitely have the opportunity to fight against the Xiu Li Army. As the defending party, the price paid is far less than that of the attacking party.
Now he is leading the army to take the initiative and become the attacking party. Many people may find this puzzling.
However, only he himself understood the current situation. Handan Pass is the most important city in Bian Tang and the most populous city in Simon Continent. It covers a vast area and has a population of up to one million. The reason why he was able to easily occupy this place without encountering any resistance was, firstly, because of the reputation of letting the horse thieves into Daxia and killing people cruelly, and secondly, because up to now, the Yanbei Army had not suffered a single defeat, and because he was personally in charge, he was able to intimidate these people.
He knew that with the strength of him and Princess Jing'an, it would be impossible to completely defeat Bian Tang's armed forces. King Luo of Meishan had been planning for more than ten years, but still lost to Li Ce. Now how could he destroy a thousand-year-old country alone? He understood that there were dozens of armies quietly watching to the west of the Handan River. They were all waiting for the showdown between him and the Xiuli Army. Once he showed signs of fatigue, they would surely swarm in.
Therefore, the Battle of Tiexian River was of vital importance. Although it was not large in scale, it was a battle that absolutely could not be lost. At this time, the only way to cover it up is to fight a bigger battle, and leading the army out of the pass to take the initiative to fight can also show the strength of the Yanbei Army.
"Ah Chu, the battle at Tiexian River was an accident, but you were the better one after all."
Under the cover of night, Yan Xun sat on the royal chariot, with eight pure black Yanbei war horses in front of him. He was dressed in an ink-black python robe, with his chin slightly raised and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the city tower hidden in the darkness. A dancer with skin as white as honey and eyes as charming as silk was half-kneeling on the carriage, her smooth back like a white lamb. She looked up, holding a glass of fine wine in her hand, raised it high, and said with a sweet smile: "I wish the king a successful start, and I wish you to cut the bitch in that city into pieces and spread the prestige of Yanbei."
Yan Xun lowered his eyes, looked at her quietly, raised a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, and said nonchalantly: "Are you a citizen of Yanbei?"
The dancer was stunned for a moment, then said: "I am originally from Handanshui, but I have admired the king's reputation for a long time. Now that I am by his side, I am his person, and naturally I am also a person from Yanbei."
Yan Xun smiled even more deeply and said, "Your country was conquered by me, and your compatriots were slaughtered by me, yet you still say that you are mine. It seems that you are really loyal to me."
Seeing him happy, the dancer was overjoyed and immediately said, "I am your Majesty's servant. As long as you are willing, I am willing to do anything for you."
"Anything?" Yan Xun raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Yes." The dancer's eyes were like water, and her lips were full, as if they could squeeze out honey. Her full chest pressed against Yan Xun's legs, and she twisted her waist like a water snake, biting her lower lip, and whispered softly, "Anything."
Yan Xun laughed and said to the guards on both sides: "She said she can do anything for me, so let her do it. When we attack Wei Liao City later, let her be the first to charge."
After saying that, the guards on both sides immediately lifted up the dancer. The woman's face turned pale immediately, and she shouted in panic, "My lord! My lord, spare my life! I am a weak woman, how can I fight in the battlefield! My lord, spare my life!"
The dancer struggled and was dragged away. Yan Xun leaned back in his chair, quietly shaking the wine in his hand, and said to himself, "Anything?"
He couldn't help but sneer.
At this moment, in Wei Liao City, there was also a weak woman wearing armor, standing on a high city wall, overlooking the continuous military formation below. Bands of light appeared on the horizon, and millions of torches illuminated the night as bright as day.
She knew that Yan Xun was among those thousands of torches. After many years of separation, today is their first reunion.
Perhaps, this day had been expected. Fate is like a naughty child who likes to set up all kinds of bloody collisions.
She stood on a high city wall and slowly raised her head. The night wind blew through her body, lifting her hair at the temples. The torches lit up the sky red. Just like many years ago, they stood shoulder to shoulder, swung their knives in unison, smashed the cage that imprisoned them, and cut a bloody path. If they had expected this day to happen, would they still join hands that day?
She slowly closed her eyes, her face was tough and her eyes were frosty. The world is like a rolling tide and no one can predict when the next wave will come. She clenched her sword, and the man with fox-like eyes walked out of the void and stood in front of her across the water. He said nothing, but just looked at her quietly. Vaguely, it was the season when the crabapples were falling and the pomegranates were as red as fire.
Li Ce, I will stay here for you.
There was a loud bang suddenly, and in the fiery red light, a shirtless man was standing on a towering platform, beating a drum. The drumbeats penetrated into people's hearts, and it seemed as if the earth was vibrating with the sound of the drums.
He Xiao drew the crossbow, pulled the bow to its full extent, and let go of the string. The arrow immediately flew away as fast as a meteor. However, at this moment, a sharp arrow came towards them from the enemy's army. The arrow came faster and collided with He Xiao's arrow, then it broke He Xiao's arrow into pieces like a rotten wood, and still whistled towards them with undiminished momentum.
When Chu Qiao saw this, she casually took out a flying knife, swung it out, and the knife hit the arrow, and both fell.
Cheers rang out from both armies at the same time.
Suddenly, shouts like a tsunami sounded. Everyone lowered their heads and saw that the dark Yanbei Army had launched the first wave of attack. However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Yan Bei did not use cavalry to attack, but instead a group of infantry ran in front.