The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 524 Offensive and defensive changes
Qin Shou stood on a high place, his eyes as sharp as torches, staring at the direction of Kebineng's camp in the distance. Suddenly, a scout came on horseback, dismounted, knelt on one knee and reported: "Your Majesty, there is movement in the Xianbei camp, the enemy is packing up and seems to be preparing to evacuate!"

"Haha, I found it! Unfortunately, isn't it too late to find it now? You were so happy when you were chasing me, but now you are so embarrassed."

Qin Shou laughed loudly after hearing this.

Kebi Neng retreated at this time, obviously he discovered the crisis in his old nest. In addition, Budugen was defeated, and it would be difficult for him to defeat him in a short time, so he had to withdraw his troops.

It is easy to pursue, but it is very difficult to withdraw.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chu immediately clasped his fists and pleaded, "Your Majesty, Ke Bineng wants to escape! I am willing to lead the cavalry to chase him and cut off his dog head!"

Xun You frowned slightly and said in a deep voice: "Ke Bi Neng is as cunning as a fox. If he retreats now, he must have a plan. Our army has just experienced a great battle. It may be inappropriate to pursue him rashly."

"Gongda, they have the final say on when to start the war, but we have the final say on when it ends. Ke Bineng wants to withdraw from the battlefield at this time. Where in the world can such a good thing happen?" Qin Shou sneered.

Qin Shou's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He slowly drew out the Hanguang from his waist. The blade flashed coldly in the morning sun. He looked around and snorted coldly: "Can Kebi escape? It's not that easy. Pass the order down, all troops should travel light and make sure to hold on to the enemy!"

Dian Wei grinned, swung the double halberds in his hands, and said solemnly: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will prepare it right away, and I will let the Xianbei people know how powerful we are!"

Qin Shou climbed onto his horse, his black armor gleaming coldly in the sun. He raised his sword high, his voice as loud as thunder.

"Soldiers, the Xianbei are fleeing in fear. This is a godsend opportunity! Follow me to chase them and annihilate the grassland in one fell swoop!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The soldiers of the three armies shouted in unison, shaking the sky.

Soon, the Tang cavalry swept out like a hurricane and galloped towards the Xianbei camp. Qin Shou led the way, followed by Xu Chu, Dian Wei and other fierce generals. The cavalry galloped like a torrent, shaking the earth.

Thirty miles away, Kebineng's army had already begun to withdraw in batches. The Left Grand Commandant Ashina led 5,000 elite cavalry to cover the rear, and he ordered the soldiers to light bonfires along the way to raise dust to create the illusion that the army was still there.

However, the Tang army's scouts had already seen through his plan. Qin Shou sneered, "How dare you show off your skills in front of an expert! Xu Chu, you lead 5,000 elite cavalry to bypass the left side and cut off their retreat; Dian Wei, you lead 5,000 elite cavalry to encircle from the right side and make sure to annihilate this enemy who is left behind!"

"I obey your command!" Xu Chu and Dian Wei took the order and left.

Ashina was directing his soldiers to deploy a decoy when he suddenly heard the rumbling of horse hooves in the distance. His face changed and he quickly climbed to a high place to look. He saw the dark mass of Tang cavalry surging like a tide on the horizon.

"Oh no! The Tang army is chasing us!" Ashina was horrified and quickly ordered the entire army to line up and prepare to meet the enemy!
However, before his order was spread throughout the army, the left and right sides suddenly roared with shouts of killing. Xu Chu and Dian Wei led the cavalry to attack from both wings, instantly breaking the Xianbei cavalry's formation into pieces.

Ashina roared and swung his sword to fight, but was chopped back by Xu Chu's sword. Dian Wei's double halberds were like dragons, and the Xianbei cavalry fell off their horses wherever they passed.

Qin Shou personally led the central army to attack, his two swords were invincible, and the Xianbei cavalry was unstoppable. In less than half an hour, Ashina's 5,000 elite cavalry were completely wiped out, and Ashina himself was captured alive by Xu Chu.

Qin Shou reined in his horse, looked at the dust rising in the distance, and said in a deep voice: "Ke Bineng's main force has gone far away, but we can't let him escape easily. Pass the order down, the whole army continues to pursue, and make sure to hold them back!"

Xun You rode forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, our army has been fighting continuously and is exhausted. If we pursue them further, it may be risky."

Qin Shou looked determined and said with a smile: "I didn't think of destroying them, I just wanted to hold them back and put pressure on them so that they couldn't escape easily." At the same time, Kebi Neng was leading the main force to retreat rapidly. The scout came to report: "Shan Yu, General Ashina's rearguard troops have been completely wiped out by the Tang army, and Qin Shou is leading his troops to chase them!"

Ke Bineng's face was as gloomy as water, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Qin Shou, you really won't give up!" He turned to Tufa Da Duwei and said, "You lead 10,000 cavalrymen and set up ambushes along the way to delay the Tang army's pursuit!"

Tufa clasped his fists and accepted the order: "Don't worry, Chanyu, I will make sure that the Tang army will never return!"

As night fell, the Tang army continued to pursue. Qin Shou knew that speed was of the essence in war, so he ordered his soldiers to take turns to rest and keep the pressure on the Xianbei army.

It seems to be extremely fast, but in fact, it has little impact on the soldiers.

However, just as they passed through a valley, arrows suddenly rained down from both sides, and the ambush troops of Tufa Daduwei launched an attack.

"There's an ambush! Protect His Majesty!"

Xu Chu roared, swung his sword and stood in front of Qin Shou, shooting down the arrows.

Qin Shou remained calm in the face of danger and calmly ordered: "The entire army will shrink its formation, archers will fight back! Cavalry will charge and defeat the ambush!"

The Tang army quickly adjusted their formation, with archers firing back to suppress the enemy on the hill, while the cavalry charged towards the hillside where the ambush troops were located like sharp swords.

Also on the grassland, this kind of hill is not high, and the cavalry can charge up it with one charge.

Tufa did not expect the Tang army to react so quickly, and seeing that the ambush failed, he had to order a retreat. However, the Tang cavalry had already arrived, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle in the valley.

Qin Shou personally went into battle, his two swords slashed cold rays under the moonlight, and the Xianbei cavalry fell wherever he passed. At this time, the follow-up cavalry also caught up and began to encircle the Xianbei.

When Tufa saw that the situation was not good, he tried to escape, but was stabbed to death by Dian Wei's halberd.

The battle ended quickly, and the Xianbei ambushers were completely wiped out. Qin Shou looked into the distance and said in a deep voice: "Ke Bineng is trying to survive!"

Xun You advised: "Your Majesty, it is a dark and windy night, there might be an ambush. It is better to rest for a while and chase them tomorrow."

Qin Shou thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, let the soldiers rest for a night. We will continue the pursuit at dawn tomorrow!"

The Tang army responded with a roar. The long-term attack had already exhausted the soldiers. After all, not everyone is Qin Shou.

But Kebi Neng, who was far away, did not have the time to rest. He still seized the opportunity to escape. The Duan and Murong tribes were very proactive. They followed Kebi Neng and obeyed their orders.

It was Kebi Neng who sent his troops to stop the Tang army's pursuit, which made the two tribes admire Kebi Neng's fairness even more.

As for Xu You, he was worried that if Kebineng was defeated, his fate would be the worst.

(End of this chapter)