The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 138: Defeat the Royal Court
Li Xiao's white-armored cavalry was like a sharp spear, piercing straight into the core of the Pi Shi Army.

Their charge was unstoppable, and Khitan warriors along the way fell one after another, and their blood dyed the grass along the Ili River red.

Da He Chu Luoduo clenched the hammer in his hand, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

He knew that if Li Xiao was not killed today, the morale of the Pi Shi Army would completely collapse.

"Li Xiao, you bastard."

"You will definitely die today."

Da Hechu Luoduo roared, with a ferocious face, and rode his horse to meet them.

He and Li Xiao not only have different positions, but also have an unsolvable personal grudge.

Although he had broken off his engagement with Xiao Yanyan, he was more concerned about the political impact.

In itself, Xiao Yanyan is very much in line with Daha Chuluoduo's wishes, and he has even regarded her as his exclusive concubine.

Unfortunately, not long ago, he learned that Xiao Yanyan was engaged again.

The person she was engaged to was Li Xiao, the deputy governor of Jinzhou.

So, at this moment, it was not only Li Xiao who wanted to kill this guy to vent Xiao Yanyan's anger.

Da He Chu Luoduo also wanted to kill Li Xiao to wash away his own humiliation.

As long as Li Xiao died, Xiao Yanyan would become a "homeless woman".

After defeating Dongdu and Xiao Simo's death, Xiao Yanyan would be at his mercy.

Thinking of Xiao Yanyan's beautiful face and hot body, Da He Chu Luoduo couldn't suppress the passion in his heart.

In the blink of an eye, Li Xiao had led the white-armored army and rushed to the front like a gust of wind. His figure looked particularly tall and straight against the backdrop of the white armor.

He thrust the lance in his hand forward like a nimble dragon, with a whistling sound, heading straight for Daha Chuluoduo's throat.

He roared angrily, "Da He, you bastard, go to hell."

Da He Chu Luoduo was no ordinary man. He reacted quickly and raised his strong arms high to block the attack with the hammer in his hand.

There was a loud "clang" sound, sparks flew, and the sound of metal colliding echoed on the battlefield, making the eardrums of the surrounding soldiers hurt.

Feeling the terrifying power coming from his arms, Da He Chu Luoduo was suddenly shocked.

"how is this possible?"

He originally thought that Li Xiao was just a young Han general who had achieved some victories through luck and trickery, but he did not expect that the other party's martial arts were so superb.

You know, Li Xiao seems to be less than 20 years old?

But he is strong and has amazing strength, not inferior to Da He Chu Luoduo at all.

At this moment, a deafening cry of killing suddenly came from the distance.

Da He Chuluoduo's guards shouted in panic: "General, the Northern Navy has arrived!"

Da He Chu Luoduo's heart sank, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes. He turned his head and saw the North Sea navy surging from the right wing like a tide, and the black North Sea battle flag fluttered in the wind.

"Damn it, why did it come so fast?" Da He Chu Luoduo roared angrily in his heart.

He was even more angry at the Jinzhou Army under Li Xiao's command, as they were much more difficult to deal with than he had expected.

Especially those soldiers wearing white armor, their combat effectiveness is no less than that of the elite Pi Shi Army.

As a result, the Pi Shi Army is now surrounded by enemies on three sides and is on the verge of extinction.

When Li Xiao saw the arrival of the Northern Navy, he laughed coldly and said, "Da He Chu Luo Duo, today is the day you die!"

Then he rode forward again and led his men to rush towards Dahachu Luoduo.

This time, Da He Chu Luoduo was no longer as calm as before, and the force of the hammer seemed to have become much lighter.

Li Xiao seized the opportunity at this moment and suddenly swung his lance, knocking Daha Chuluoduo's hammer away.

Before Da Hechu Luoduo could react, the tip of Li Xiao's spear had already pierced his chest like a poisonous dragon.

Da He Chu Luoduo barely managed to avoid the vital parts by turning sideways, but was swept across by the horse spear. He fell off the horse and hit the ground heavily, spurting blood from his mouth.

"General~"

The soldiers of the Pi Shi Army screamed and rushed forward quickly. One team was sent to desperately stop Li Xiao, while the other team quickly helped Da He Chu Luoduo onto his horse.

"Let's go, retreat quickly~"

Da He Chu Luoduo's face was pale, he was breathing heavily, and he gave orders in a trembling voice.

Li Xiao's horse lance has more than just two functions: slashing and stabbing.

Behind the spear blade, there is a cylindrical weapon with spikes, which looks like an extended mace when swung.

The iron armor could not withstand the blow of such a blunt weapon, causing Da He Chu Luoduo to vomit blood.

"Chase them and destroy the Pishi Army. Don't let any of them escape."

Li Xiao roared loudly and instantly stabbed the two Pi Shi Army soldiers who were blocking him in front of him.

The white-armored cavalry of the Jinzhou Army pressed towards the defeated Pi Shi Army like an avalanche, and the six thousand-household armies followed closely behind.

The black cavalry of the Northern Navy encircled from the right wing and attacked from both sides with the Jinzhou Army.

The soldiers of the Seven Rivers Tribe also began to counterattack.

The three armies were like three sharp blades, completely dividing and surrounding the royal army.

Wang Ting's army was in chaos at this moment. The soldiers saw their commander being knocked off his horse, and looked at the enemy troops rushing in from all directions in horror. The fear in their hearts grew wildly like weeds, and they had long lost the courage to resist.

On the battlefield, shouts, screams, and the sounds of weapons clashing were intertwined, and blood dyed every inch of land along the Ili River red.

At least more than half of the Eagle Tribe's Pi Shi Army remained on this river bank forever.

The other troops took Daha Chuluoduo and fled to the rear.

Moreover, he had to take into account the seriously injured Ohga Chuluoduo, so he couldn't run fast at all.

They were chased all the way by the Left Route Army under Li Xiao, leaving behind a large number of Pi Shi Army corpses along the way.

At this time, the sun had risen high, and the scorching sunlight shone unhindered on this tragic battlefield, exposing all the cruel scenes.

Although the killing on the battlefield has stopped, the pungent smell of blood has become stronger, filling the air and making people feel nauseous.

The river water not far away, which was originally crystal clear, was now dyed a strange dark red by the blood. It flowed slowly, as if telling the cruelty of this war.

Densely packed corpses floated on the surface of the river, including those of Wang Ting’s army and those of the Qihe Army who had unfortunately died in battle.

As for the Jinzhou Army and the Beihai Army, their losses were minimal.

Li Xiao also experienced the benefits of being a head coach, and was able to drive other forces to work for him as cannon fodder.

Standing on a high slope, Li Xiao overlooked the entire battlefield.

His white armor was stained red again with blood, and the tip of his lance was still dripping with blood.

Beside him was the Northern Sea Governor Jiu Meng An He, and the two were whispering about the next battle plan.

Soon, Li Dashan rode up, his face beaming with triumph. "General, in this battle, we've beheaded 1,800 enemies, captured over a thousand, and seized countless horses and weapons!"

The Eagle Tribe's Pi Shi Army had three thousand men, plus the five hundred Wang Ting troops originally stationed on the south bank.

By this calculation, only five or six hundred Pi Shi soldiers escaped.

There is no doubt that this was a great victory for the Dongdu Army.

The Eagle Division, one of the six divisions of the Pi Shi Army, was almost completely wiped out.

Li Xiao was satisfied with the result.

"Pass the order down, the entire army will rest for an hour." Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

"Follow your orders~"

Li Dashan took the order and left.

Jiu Meng Anhe and Li Xiao continued with the previous topic.

He wanted to march westward along the Ili River to support Xiao Simo's central army and attack the main force of Zhen Wuchi in the front.

But Li Xiao had other ideas.

"The problems we can think of, Zhen Wuchi can also think of them."

"Once he learns that our army has successfully crossed the river from upstream, he will definitely not stay where he is and wait to be attacked from both sides."

Jiu Meng Anhe nodded slightly, agreeing with Li Xiao's statement, and then asked.

"Do you have any idea?"

Li Xiao looked at a sheepskin spread on the ground in front of him.

This is a royal court map specially made by Xiao Simo, which marks out the mountains, rivers and roads on the south bank of the Ili River.

Even the places where Wang Ting often grazed his livestock were clearly marked.

It was to serve as a lesson for generals like Li Xiao who were unfamiliar with the royal court.

Therefore, if one wants to attack the royal court, one really cannot do without the leadership of a "traitor" like Xiao Simo.

One dozen and one is accurate.

"This is the Saksu Highlands. The most convenient and fastest route from the Ili River to the royal court passes through here."

Li Xiao held a horsewhip, pointed at the location of Saksu Highlands, and said in a heavy voice.

"Therefore, I plan to send a small force to feint an attack on the main force of the royal court from the flank, forcing them to withdraw from the Ili River basin and move towards the royal court."

"At the same time, send someone to inform Lord Xiao of our plan and ask him to lead the main force of the central army and closely attack Wang Ting's main force from behind."

"Meet up with our army at Saksu Highlands and completely encircle and destroy this main force of the Royal Court."

Hearing this, Jiu Meng Anhe nodded slightly.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face and he said, "Commander Li is indeed worthy of being a person valued by both the king and the princess."

"From the first time we met, I could tell that Commander Li was no ordinary man."

"Now, I admire Governor Li's wisdom even more."

"If this plan succeeds, the capture of the royal court will be just around the corner."

Hearing the praise from Jiu Meng An He, Li Xiao laughed and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Commander Jiu Meng An, you are too kind to praise me. Li Xiao is ashamed to accept it."

"It's all for my great cause in the Northern Frontier. I, Li Xiao, dare not take any credit for it."

An hour later, the left-wing army had completely cleaned up the battlefield.

In addition to the weapons and war horses of the Pi Shi Army, the biggest gain was the iron armor found on the corpses, about 1,200 sets.

The Pi Shi Army was the elite of the royal court, with 40% of them wearing armor.

You know, even at the peak of the Mongolian army, the armor rate was only 60%.

Therefore, the armor coverage rate of the Pi Shi Army is already very high.

Although the soldiers of the Pi Shi Army were mainly equipped with iron armor such as breastplates to protect important parts, they could not form armored cavalry.

However, with these armors, the strength of the left-wing army has been significantly improved.

So, Li Xiao divided the 1,200 sets of armor into 200 for the Qihe Army, 400 for the Beihai Army, and 600 for the Jinzhou Army.

Other money, weapons, war horses, clothes, etc. were temporarily stored and distributed uniformly according to military merits after the war.

……

The army under Zhen Wuchi was the main force of Wang Ting's army.

They held their ground firmly on the south bank of the Ili River and repeatedly repelled the attacks of Xiao Simo's central army.

However, with the arrival of a piece of news, Zhen Wuchi's mood suddenly became bad. "What?"

"The rebels crossed the river upstream?"

On the shore, Zhen Wuchi personally commanded the front line.

He has a white beard, a face full of wrinkles and age spots, and at first glance he looks like an ordinary old herdsman.

But at this moment, his eyes were fierce and his face was solemn.

He was just like an old but immortal lion, whose anger made the grassland tremble.

"How is that possible? It's only been half a day, why can't it be stopped?"

"Where is Dahachu Luoduo?" Zhen Wuchi said angrily.

"General Yingyang was seriously injured and has returned to the rear camp to rest." The personal soldier responded.

"Where are his troops? Where are the Eagle Tribe's Pishi Army? How many are left?"

"It seems~it seems that less than 500 people have returned."

Upon hearing this number, Zhen Wuchiqi's beard flew up and he roared angrily, "You bastard."

"What a fool."

"He has killed so many of our fellow soldiers in the Pishi Army, and he still has the nerve to come back?"

"I gave orders before the battle. If the battle becomes unsustainable, you can retreat at any time to preserve your own strength."

"Why didn't he listen?"

The old man is very old, but he has a very hot temper.

Of the three thousand elite Eagle Tribe soldiers and six hundred royal court soldiers by the river, less than five hundred have returned.

It was almost a complete annihilation of the army.

If it weren't for the powerful Daha family and the fact that Daha Chulodo was trusted by Jurghan.

Otherwise, Zhen Wuchi would have killed Daha Chuluoduo by now.

"Who is the leader of the upstream rebels?"

Zhen Wuchi scolded Daha Chuluoduo harshly, breathed a sigh of relief, and then began to think about the current situation.

"The commander of the rebels' left wing is named Li Xiao, the deputy governor of Jinzhou and also the son-in-law of the Chu State."

"Highly trusted by the thief Xiao."

A general under Zhen Wuchi said in a deep voice.

Regarding this kind of dynastic civil war, many families and forces are hedging their bets.

Therefore, the internal affairs of the Dongdu Army were no secret to the royal court.

Zhen Wuchi had heard of Li Xiao's name before and thought that he was just a show-off who got to the top through connections.

And he was so young that he didn't think Li Xiao had much ability.

But it is different now.

Among the three armies of Dongdu, only Li Xiao's left army was the first to break through the Ili River defense line, which shows that Li Xiao must have his extraordinary qualities.

"Li Xiao!" Zhen Wuchi said the name heavily.

Then, he looked at the generals under his command and said in an old voice, "You all remember this."

"This Li Xiao is not only Xiao Simo's brother-in-law, but also a great enemy of our army."

"When we eliminate the thief Xiao in the future, we must capture this Li Xiao in one fell swoop. Otherwise, he will become a serious threat to our royal court in the future."

After listening to Zhen Wuchi's words, all the generals nodded seriously.

"As ordered!"

At this moment, Li Xiao's reputation spread more widely in the royal court, and the royal court's attention to Li Xiao also rose to a higher level.

He has gradually become the second most important target in the Dongdu Army, second only to Xiao Simo.

Afterwards, Zhen Wuchi received another report from the scouts that a cavalry unit was coming from upstream, targeting the flank of Wang Ting's army.

Therefore, Zhen Wuchi immediately made arrangements, abandoned the Ili River defense line, retreated across the board, and moved towards the royal court.

Relying on the second line of defense, the Xiao Wusun Mountains, to deal with the rebels.

Not long after, Xiao Simo's main force landed on the south bank.

Although at this time, there were still many corpses of Dongdu soldiers floating in the Ili River.

But after all, most of them were Naimans and Qarluks, and the casualties among Xiao Simo's own troops were very small.

Therefore, after reaching the south bank, Xiao Simo was in a very good mood.

He shouted directly, "Where's Li Xiao?"

"Where is my great hero from the Northern Frontier? Let him come and see me."

At this moment, his face was full of smiles and he was very happy.

When he appointed Li Xiao as the commander of the left-wing army, although no one openly opposed it, there must have been people gossiping about it in private.

They think that Li Xiao is just a gigolo who got to the top through nepotism.

But after this battle, Xiao Simo wanted to let those guys see whether his decision was wrong.

Li Xiao is not only a gigolo, but also a capable and meritorious gigolo.

At this moment, Xiao Simo was even more convinced that his decision to appoint Li Xiao as the commander of the left-wing army was correct.

However, what Xiao Simo did not expect was that Li Xiao was no longer on the south bank of the Ili River.

It was simply to let the 2,700 river cavalry pretend to be an army of 10,000 people and feign an attack on the flank of Wang Ting's army.

But Li Xiao’s main force was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did Li Xiao go?" Xiao Simo asked in a deep voice.

At this time, a white-armored soldier sent by Li Xiao to deliver the letter said, "Your Majesty, the commander-in-chief has led his troops south. This is the letter he gave you."

Li Xiao's plan was top secret, and only he and Jiu Meng'anhe knew about it in the left-wing army.

In order to avoid leaking the news and let Zhen Wuchi make preparations in the Saksu Highlands, Li Xiao also wrote the letter by hand and did not dare to let a third person know.

Xiao Simo checked the wax seal on it and confirmed that it was intact before opening the letter.

The first time he saw it, he shook his head speechlessly and muttered.

"This Li Xiao is good in every way. That's the word."

"It's written like a dog crawling."

When Li Xiao writes a letter, he must use a brush, and this happens to be Li Xiao's weakness.

Not to mention, it was written in traditional Chinese characters that he was not familiar with.

So, it’s really unbearable to watch.

However, after understanding the content, Xiao Simo smiled.

"Hahaha~"

"That bastard Li Xiao is truly a genius at fighting."

Xiao Simo also strongly agreed with the plan in the letter that the two armies would converge at the Saksu Highlands and jointly attack the main force of the royal court.

I think this plan is quite feasible.

And even if it doesn't succeed, it doesn't matter, the worst case scenario is not that bad.

For the Dongdu Army, there is almost no risk.

Therefore, Xiao Simo immediately ordered the entire army to rest for half an hour after crossing the river.

The various tribes gathered their scattered troops due to crossing the river, reorganized their organizations, and then followed the royal army.

As for the Xiao Tuladuo unit of the right wing army~
Xiao Simo was not worried either.

After all, when the main force of Zhen Wuchi retreated, it must have notified the Wang Ting army downstream in advance.

Wang Tingjun's army downstream did not want to be surrounded, so they dared not retreat.

At this time, the right-wing army had probably also crossed the river.

Xiao Simo sent someone to convey his order to the right-wing army to join him.

For a whole day, Xiao Simo's army kept closely following the main force of Zhen Wuchi's royal court.

As they approached the Saksu Plateau, the terrain gradually became rugged, and the undulating hills were like silent giants, quietly watching every move of the two armies.

Zhen Wuchi rode on a tall black warhorse, his brows becoming increasingly furrowed, forming a deep "chuan" character.

His eyes revealed confusion and uneasiness, and he looked back from time to time at the army of Xiao Simo that was following him like a shadow.

"What exactly does this Xiao Simo mean?"

Zhen Wuchi muttered to himself, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"They have always been following behind our army, but they never took the initiative to attack, not even a night attack."

He thought to himself that Xiao Simo's behavior was really weird and completely inconsistent with his usual fighting style.

Poor Zhen Wuchi took great pains to guard against night attacks.

He personally inspected the camp, arranged for the soldiers to strengthen their vigilance, set up multiple sentries, and let the soldiers take turns to rest and maintain their strength.

Even he himself did not sleep all night, his eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at Xiao Simo's camp, ready to deal with possible attacks at any time.

However, in the end, the wait was in vain. A night passed, and nothing happened except for the occasional neighing of horses.

At this time, it was almost noon.

Zhen Wuchi was worried and didn't feel sleepy at all.

But ordinary soldiers can't do that.

Many soldiers who participated in the ambush last night were now extremely sleepy.

They could only sleep on the horse's back while marching.

But at this moment, an army slowly appeared on the hill in front of them.

It was an army of white armor. Under the sunlight, the white armor shone brightly, like a silver ocean.

Following the White Armor Army were countless troops from the Jinzhou Army, the Northern Navy, and the Qihe Army wearing leather armor.

The leading general was Li Xiao.

He was riding on a nimble black warhorse, his eyes cold and sharp, like a sharp blade in the cold night. After seeing Wang Tingjun appear and learning that Xiao Simo's main army was following closely behind, he nodded slightly.

I know in my heart that victory is in sight.

Then, he suddenly swung his lance and shouted, "Kill!"

The sound was like a huge bell, resounding throughout the entire battlefield.

In an instant, the white-armored army rushed down the hillside like an arrow, and the sound of horse hooves was like rolling thunder, shaking the earth.

The golden sun and moon battle flag fluttered in the wind, as if it was the dancing flag of the god of death.

Every soldier's face was filled with murderous intent and determination, and the spears in their hands flashed with cold light, stabbing straight at the panicked Wang Ting army.

Following the White Armor Army, the Jinzhou Army, the Beihai Army and the Qihe Army were not to be outdone. They brandished their spears and roared like wild beasts. The roars gathered into a powerful wave of sound, sweeping towards the Wang Ting Army.

(End of this chapter)