Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2718 Li Shimin retreats to the domestic borders, his military advance points directly at the Tang capital.
The mounted battle took place at night, in complete darkness, which provided the best cover for both sides.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Li Shimin had his soldiers switch horses in batches to the spare warhorses.

However, Zhang Liao also took advantage of the darkness to separate 3,000 of his 10,000 cavalrymen, keeping them hidden in the surrounding area and not joining the battle.

Just when a heavy cavalry force was exhausted, a fresh force suddenly appeared.

It is easy to imagine Li Shimin's predicament at this time.

To put it bluntly, Li Shimin suffered a huge loss in this battle, both in terms of national strength and military strength. Moreover, during the breakout, it was impossible for the other troops in the city to withdraw with the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry.

Without the cooperation of other troop types, even the strongest heavy cavalry cannot use other troop types to protect their weaknesses.

"Your Majesty, it's cavalry, a large contingent of cavalry!" Zhi Si, who had survived the battle by sheer luck, reported in a panic during the full-speed retreat.

Last night, he was almost killed by Xu Huang and Yue Jin working together. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Wang Yin jumped out from the side and helped him fight off Xu Huang and Yue Jin, which allowed him to escape with his life.

"Zhang Wenyuan, after last night's battle, it seems he really did hide a portion of his troops!" At this moment, Li Shimin's heart sank.

Li Shimin never underestimated Zhang Liao, one of the earliest generals of the Jin army.

Among the generals of the Great Jin Dynasty, he may not be one of the most outstanding.

However, he was definitely one of the most senior members of the group. Even Xing Tian and Xue Rengui could not surpass Zhang Liao in terms of seniority, since they were also from the same generation.

Besides, he wasn't just someone who relied on seniority. He participated in almost every battle, big or small, of the Jin army, and made contributions in almost every one of them. His official rank and title were steadily rising.

Last night, in the dark, he didn't actually know how many men Zhang Liao had chased after.

He had considered whether the enemy would commit all their forces, or whether they would retain a small force.
However, he had no choice but to fight as soon as possible, defeat the enemy, and then retreat immediately.

Li Mu's main force was still behind them. The infantry's marching speed was indeed no match for that of the cavalry, and it was impossible for them to catch up in a short time.

But if they keep dawdling here indefinitely, even the slowest speed will eventually catch up.

Therefore, he had no choice but to take this gamble!
However, the result is clear now that the gamble has failed!
Things were developing in the worst possible way, and Zhang Liao had indeed secretly preserved a small portion of his troops.

Moreover, Zhang Liao could secretly detach a small force before the battle and hide it in the surrounding area as a last-ditch effort.

However, Li Shimin was unable to spare any troops, so in order to gain a geographical advantage in the decisive battle, he seized a small hill.

But that earthen mound was so small that it couldn't hide the troops at all.

Furthermore, even if heavy cavalry do not participate in the battle, if they really want to conserve their strength, they will definitely need to remove their armor. If they are discovered during the battle, these people will be sacrificed in vain.

This battle wasn't a victory for Zhang Liao over Li Shimin on his own, but rather because Zhang Liao's circumstances and situation were far superior to Li Shimin's. The political climate offered Li Shimin very few options, and little opportunity to fully utilize his talents.

It's all about timing and fate; that's all there is to it!
"Your Majesty, I request permission to cover the rear and lead the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry to cover Your Majesty's breakout!" Li Hu, whose hair was already white and who was extremely exhausted after a night of fighting, stepped forward.

He was also among the highest-ranking members of the Li Tang imperial family.

Moreover, given his age, he doesn't have many years left to live, and it's time for him to make the most of his old bones.

Dying on the battlefield is better than dying in bed, and even better than becoming a subjugated slave after the country is destroyed.

If a general can die on the battlefield, it would be the greatest blessing in his misfortune.

"Your Majesty, your subjects are also willing to cover the rear!" Ashina Chengqing, Wu Lingxun, and several other generals also stepped forward.

These were all seasoned veterans, and they knew very well that this group of Xuanjia Iron Cavalry had no hope of escaping today.

Despite their armor, they couldn't outrun the pursuers!
But if they were to remove their armor now, the pursuers would probably catch up before they even finished removing it!
Moreover, at this time, it was not only the soldiers who were exhausted, but also the warhorses.

Therefore, the ultimate value of the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry was to cover the rear and protect Li Shimin, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, as he left.

The strongest elite force of the Tang Dynasty, which he had painstakingly built through frugality and hard work, was now about to embark on a path of no return. One can only imagine the grief in Li Shimin's heart.

His loyal generals were also willing to risk their lives to cover his retreat, making Li Shimin's grief even more unspeakable.

However, this is hardly a time for them to grieve.
If a decision is not made immediately, the three thousand fresh troops of the Jin army behind will likely catch up very soon.

Therefore, even though Li Shimin was filled with immense grief and reluctance, he could only leave Li Hu and the others with the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry to cover the rear, or rather, to use their lives to hold off the pursuers for a period of time, giving Li Shimin, Li Yuanba, and a few others time to leave.

Moreover, if a few generals were to leave on horseback, their speed would be much faster than the army marching together, and their chances of breaking through would be much greater.

After all, although the warhorses of the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry were all carefully selected, they still could not compare with the quality of the warhorses of those generals.

In this battle, Zhang Liao suffered an initial defeat but ultimately won. Li Hu, Ashina Chengqing, Wu Lingxun, and other generals of the Tang Dynasty were killed in action. Civil officials Gao Lianghui and Liang Shicheng were caught up in the battlefield during the night's cavalry battle and were trampled to death by thousands of horses.

All three thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalrymen fell in this battle.

Zhang Liao obtained all the equipment of the three thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, which became the biggest spoils of the battle.

After this battle, although Xue Rengui was still blocked at Liangkou and Han Xin was still marching miserably on the plateau, Li Mu, one of the three armies, had already broken through the obstacles to the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

After this battle, Li Shimin could only put up a final resistance in the two cities of domestic territory and Wandu. Li Mu's military might would soon officially reach the territory of the Li Tang dynasty.