Chapter Seven: Slaying the General and Seizing the Banner

The Turkic cavalry began to accelerate, their hooves pounding the snow and sending flurries flying. Amid the blizzard, it was as if a storm of arrows had been unleashed alongside the tempest.

Dozens of Turkic horsemen were struck by arrows and thrown from their mounts. Although most of those who fell were wounded rather than dead, the horses galloping behind them could not stop in time. The thunderous pounding of hooves, as loud as raindrops, quickly silenced the screams.

Falling from a horse at high speed, a lone rider might still survive. But for a large cavalry unit charging together, falling meant certain death—either crushed by the fall or trampled to a pulp by the horses behind.

At this moment, Burugen’s heart was gripped with dread. Though he possessed great brute strength, he had yet to prove his worth on the battlefield. Roshi Xin never engaged him directly, instead striking like a dragonfly skimming water—touching lightly and retreating immediately. He exploited the long range of his crossbows to maintain distance, leading the Turks on a relentless chase.

Burugen’s eyes reddened, like a wounded beast, and he let out furious roars.

“Kill all the Tang slaves!”

“Kill all the Tang slaves!”

Zhao Wu Captain Zhang Shigui was the only captain in the Second Merit Office who held rank without promotion. In times past, promotions and wealth always involved some intrigue. Among the four captains originally assigned to the Second Merit Office, Zhang Shigui was the only one without a powerful patron. His lack of promotion was understandable. Though the court did not elevate him, Chen Ying appointed Zhang Shigui as Roshi Xin’s deputy, commanding the Yue Cavalry.

“The Turks are getting desperate!” Zhang Shigui rubbed his cheek, stinging from the snow pellets, watching hundreds of Turkic horsemen weave through the lines without regard for their horses’ stamina. At this pace, the steeds would soon be ruined.

“This is just the beginning!” Roshi Xin laughed loudly, “Keep retreating, lead them in circles!”

Roshi Xin urged the Yue Cavalry forward, while the Turkic horsemen chased recklessly from behind.

Accustomed to modern military thinking, Chen Ying understood that in future battles, discovering the enemy meant destroying them. Thus, he invested heavily in deception. The Yue Cavalry’s abundant stamina and the endless circling of the Turks were the result of Chen Ying’s clever ruse.

Warhorses could only sprint at full speed for about half an hour; beyond that, they were exhausting themselves. Chen Ying split the Yue Cavalry in two. One group concealed itself about ten miles from Hongshan Fort in the Lingshui River valley, wrapping their horses and soldiers in white cloth so they could not be seen unless observed from very close by.

When Roshi Xin led the Turks charging toward the Lingshui River valley, the pursuing Turks only saw his troops rushing in. They did not realize that from another direction in the valley, a fresh wave of Tang cavalry had emerged. The exhausted horses and soldiers rested inside the valley.

As the current group of cavalry neared exhaustion, Roshi Xin had them charge into the valley, quickly don white cloth disguises. Meanwhile, the rested cavalry continued to lead the Turks in circles.

This cat-and-mouse cavalry chase lasted nearly an hour, whittling down the Turks by hundreds.

Though the Turks lost hundreds, they had not even grazed their enemy, which left Burugen and his commanders disheartened and bitter.

Gradually, Burugen felt something was amiss. His mount, “Red Tiger,” was a rare steed with the bloodline of the legendary Ferghana horse—a breed prized for its sprinting power and endurance. Yet now, Red Tiger was exhausted, as if soaked in water.

Yet the opposing cavalry still possessed abundant stamina, which Burugen found unbelievable. Though the Turks had many horses, and many fine ones at that, horses as magnificent as Red Tiger were one in a thousand. Beautiful horses were not as common as cabbage.

He was certain the Tang could muster ten or so horses better than his Red Tiger, but he could never believe they had hundreds of such superior mounts all at once. Even the Kingdom of Dayuan could not field a thousand Ferghana horses in one go.

“Stop! Stop the pursuit!” Burugen ordered urgently.

If they continued, their horses would be ruined. Though ruined horses could still be used as pack animals, losing over two thousand horses in one battle was unbearable—even for the horse-rich Turks.

Seeing the Turks cease pursuit, Roshi Xin smiled faintly. “Now you don’t want to fight? Too late!”

Roshi Xin, with fewer than a third of the enemy’s numbers, was steadily pressuring the Turks to retreat.

The battlefield took on a strange scene: Tang cavalry, outnumbered three to one, chasing after the Turks.

At this moment, Burugen was furious. Though normally quick to concede, now that his horses were spent, fighting was tantamount to suicide. One misstep led to another. Having underestimated his enemy, Burugen had lost the initiative and could only silently pray that the reinforcements sent by Silifu would arrive soon.

Unknowingly, Burugen’s forces were pushed near the Bogu Lyu Canal opposite the Hongshan Fort beacon tower.

At this time, the once silent Bogu Lyu Canal stirred. Duan Zhigan, well-fed and rested, slowly awakened.

Over 1,200 Tang soldiers slipped out of their down sleeping bags, quietly cocking their crossbows.

Duan Zhigan narrowed his eyes as more Turkic horsemen approached, unaware that death was upon them.

“Three hundred steps!”

“Two hundred steps!”

“One hundred steps!”

“Eighty steps!”

“Fifty steps!”

Duan Zhigan suddenly stood and shouted, “Left front five, press an inch, hold the line!”

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

A dense volley of arrows tore through the air. Burugen was stunned; he could not fathom how the Tang soldiers had crept so close beneath their noses.

Fifty steps for a crossbow was akin to shooting at someone’s forehead—one could hit the target even with eyes closed.

The bolts flew straight and true, effortlessly piercing Turkic armor and robes. Instantly, over a hundred Turkic horsemen were drenched in a rain of bolts.

Blood splattered across their backs and the haunches of their horses. Horses reared and cried out sharply as their riders fell, stirring up sprays of snow.

One Turkic horse’s hindquarters were struck by a bolt. The furious horse leaped skyward, throwing its rider to the ground, where the heavy hoof landed squarely on his thigh. The man screamed as if being slaughtered.

Duan Zhigan’s ambush threw the Turkic ranks into chaos, but after only three volleys, the scattered horsemen swiftly divided into two groups to evade the arrows, gradually reforming their lines without needing Burugen’s orders.

Zhang Shigui gasped at the scene.

These were elite cavalry indeed. If mismanaged, Duan Zhigan might not gain an advantage but could suffer losses.

Roshi Xin urged quickly, “Press forward!”

Spurring his horse, Roshi Xin charged toward the banner where Burugen stood.

Roshi Xin’s greatest skill was a single decisive move—cutting down the general and capturing the banner!