Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2712 Zhang Babai VS Li Sanqian

Shuten-dōji surrendered to Jin, and Kōman-man, Gorō-dan, and Yatsumata Orochi died in battle one after another.

During this time, Kuki Yoshitaka, the commander of the water gate and the successor to Yi Sun-sin, was about to jump into the river to escape when the city had already fallen and the situation was hopeless.

However, it was retrieved by the Jin army navy stationed on the river using fishing nets.

Because he still wanted to resist fiercely after being captured and attempted to ambush Xu Cheng, Xu Cheng ordered him to be sunk in the river, causing this naval admiral to eventually perish in the water.

As a peerless warrior, Hei Chi Chang Zhi also put up a fierce resistance after the city fell. However, after beheading eighty-seven people, the sword in his hand had been broken several times.

In the end, he died in the hail of bullets from the Jin army.

From this point on, Li Mu officially entered Nianchan City. Between Wandu and the rest of the country, there was no other fortified town as naturally fortified as Nianchan City.

The small towns ahead could not possibly hinder his army in any way.

Meanwhile, Li Shimin, who was leading the retreating Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, and Zhang Liao, who was in pursuit, also began to engage in battle.

When Li Shimin discovered that Zhang Liao had caught up with them, he knew that he absolutely could not continue to flee rashly.

They would have a hard time really shaking off their opponents. After all, what do heavy cavalry have to compete with other cavalry in terms of speed and endurance?

The Xuanjia Iron Cavalry were indeed elite!
However, even the most elite troops cannot alter matter with their consciousness.

If they keep running and can't shake off their opponent, and their stamina is almost depleted, then their opponent can easily finish them off.

Therefore, Li Shimin immediately chose a favorable location. Relying on his familiarity with the terrain, he took the lead in occupying the top of a gentle slope, preparing for a decisive battle with Zhang Liao.

At this time, the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry still retained a certain fighting strength, and Zhang Liao also kept Li Mu's instructions in mind, waiting for the enemy to be exhausted before seeking an opportunity for a decisive battle.

Not to mention, the other side now occupies advantageous terrain.

Therefore, they did not respond to the other party's challenge.

However, Zhang Liao did not notice that under the cover of night, Li Shimin took advantage of the time of challenging him to battle to have his Xuanjia Iron Cavalry switch to spare warhorses in batches, and even take out spare rations in batches.

Such elite heavy cavalry naturally had a standard configuration of one rider and three horses: two groups of tall, powerful horses mainly responsible for charging into battle, and a third group of horses similar to the Mongolian horse, which was known for its endurance and ease of care, specifically for carrying goods.

Zhang Liao ignored his challenge. After completing the task in batches under the cover of night, Li Shimin pretended to be openly cooking, having over a hundred knights openly remove their equipment, dismount, and light fires, all while appearing to be resting.

Down the slope, in the midst of the Jin army's cavalry formation.

"Wen Yuan! Look! The Tang army is cooking!"

Yu Jin pointed to the clusters of flickering firelight on the hilltop and the shadowy figures of people sitting around after removing their armor, his tone filled with disbelief and astonishment.

“Li Shimin is cunning and treacherous; he cannot be trusted!” Zhang Liao said in a deep voice.

"The Xuanjia Iron Cavalry is a national treasure of the Tang Dynasty. How could Li Shimin not know the danger of disarming them? This must be a trap to lure the enemy! He is deliberately showing weakness to lure us into a strong attack on his pre-arranged positions!"

"Look at that gentle slope, it's perfect for heavy cavalry to charge. If I, with light cavalry, attack from above, it's like throwing an egg against a rock!"

They have been studying the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry for many years, and at this point, they are probably not yet at the point where they can exhaust the enemy and force them to risk removing their armor!
Therefore, Zhang Liao instinctively felt that this was a trap set by the enemy to lure them into attacking. For heavy cavalry to disarm themselves was like pulling the teeth out of a tiger; he didn't believe Li Shimin would actually dare to openly order his soldiers to remove their armor!
Li Shimin certainly wouldn't dare. Even though he had just ordered the replacement of the spare warhorses in batches, it was done in six or seven waves. Only under the cover of darkness, the obstruction of vision from the bottom of the slope, and the fact that most of the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry were arranged to block the view, was it possible to complete the task quietly.

But it's just a matter of changing to a spare warhorse. If we really let him remove his armor and rest, that would be like dancing on a tightrope!

Now, they want to lure Zhang Liao into a battle in this way, instead of just hanging on behind them and waiting to wear them down.

The reason is that changing horses can only improve their situation, but cannot solve their fundamental crisis.

The soldiers, clad in heavy armor, could not possibly get a real rest!

Dragging this out will be disadvantageous for him!

"Wen Yuan, it's hard to determine the true nature of Li Shimin's military strategy!"

"What if he is really taking a risk? What if he is convinced that we dare not attack because we fear the power of his heavy cavalry, and therefore he is taking a risk by disarming and resting in batches in order to restore our fighting strength?"

"If the enemy really risks taking turns to rest, once they recover their full fighting strength!"

“Wen Yuan, if we wait until then to have a decisive battle, the casualties will likely be even more severe!” Zhang He said hesitantly from the side.

Smart people sometimes think more than others, but thinking more often leads them to do exactly what others want.

With Zhang He interjecting, they were given another possibility, and Zhang Liao no longer dared to make any guarantees.

There's no 50/50 probability with this; it's just a matter of zero or 100. It's simply a matter of whether you win or lose after making a choice.

If we're betting he's setting a trap, we should remain still and wait for him to tire. But if he's truly recovering, tonight would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains, with endless troubles to come!

If we bet he's taking a risk and launch a full-scale attack now, we'll be playing right into his hands, and his heavy cavalry will charge down the hilltop...

Therefore, Zhang Liao was already struggling at this point.

Li Mu had been at the forefront all this time, but now that it was his turn to fight Li Shimin alone, he truly realized how formidable his opponent was. A single, casual move had already put him in a difficult situation.

For a moment, Zhang Liao couldn't make up his mind.

"Wen Yuan, it seems the other side is starting to change players and rest!" Yu Jin, who had been watching the slope, spoke up at this moment.

In the darkness, although there was the light of the stove fire, the vision was still extremely blurry. This conclusion was actually a combination of guesswork and speculation.

On the hillside, Li Shimin was calmly resting on his horse.

If Zhang Liao attacks, it will play right into his hands, and the two sides will have a decisive battle.

But if the enemy hesitates, he can simply let his soldiers rest in shifts, and then launch an attack when dawn is near.

In any case, it's impossible for Li Mu's other troops to appear at this point in time, given the difference in their marching speed.

Therefore, at this time, Li Shimin was actually waiting for Zhang Liao's choice.