A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 443 Peak Showdown
The water level of the moat in Mingshui rose by three feet after the heavy rain.

The city of Mingshui is surrounded by a moat fifty paces wide, making it resemble a castle in the water.

"I wonder whether the Xia army will arrive first, or whether the Qin king's reinforcements will arrive first," said Sikong Li Yi, standing on the city wall.

Duke Sheng Yanshi of Ge State was still dressed in a white robe. "Perhaps our rear guard arrived first, and Zhang Gongjin may have already taken Ping'en County."

Li Yi was not so optimistic. Zhang Gongjin was leading 5,000 men under the city of Ping'en in the east, and there were still 4,000 men in the three prefectures of Weibo.

Although Ping'en is a small county town, it is not easy to attack as long as the garrison holds firm.

The Ming River is only sixty li away from Mingzhou City.

Li Yi and his men had already penetrated deep into Dou Jiande's stronghold.

What follows will be a great battle, a decisive one.

"I hope this battle will end soon, so that the people of Hebei can have peace and tranquility again."

During his time in Hebei, Li Yi discovered that Hebei under Dou Jiande's rule was indeed much better than Shannan and Henan. It was relatively stable, without large numbers of military leaders or various bandits and thieves.
Dou Jiande was born a farmer and did a good job in restoring farming and weaving. He even repaired river embankments and built irrigation canals. In addition, the Hebei Plain had not experienced any major disasters in recent years, and the people had gradually recovered some of their vitality from the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

Dou Jiande also enjoyed good prestige among the people of Hebei.

It can be said that Hebei is not much worse than Guanzhong today.

However, the world must eventually be unified, and only when it is truly unified can the people have true peace and stability.

It is located sixty li south of the Ming River.

The ancient city of Lie Ren

A thin mist hung over the Zhanghe River in the early morning. The river level had risen considerably after the rain, but fortunately there was a pontoon bridge at Lieren Ferry.

Qin Qiong led 5,000 light cavalry across the pontoon bridge overnight and ambushed behind the ancient city of Lie Ren.

The dew on the grass was crystal clear in the early morning.

The five thousand light cavalry had already donned their armor, changed their horses, and were resting and eating hay on the same horses they had ridden all night.

"coming!"

Light cavalry galloped in, bringing news of the Xia army's arrival.

"how many people?"

"There were many, about three thousand light cavalry, countless infantry, and many auxiliary soldiers and laborers transporting a lot of siege equipment, stretching for more than twenty miles."

"It's estimated that there are at least 30,000 people."

This number was unexpected. It was thought that once Xia Jun learned that Li Yi had captured Mingshui City, they would immediately send an elite force to rush there.

Cheng Yaojin, chewing on dried meat, was unconcerned upon hearing the number of enemy troops. "Even if there are 30,000, it's nothing to fear. Let's just fight."

Zhai Changsun nodded, "We also have 10,000 infantrymen lying in ambush along the Zhang River. 15,000 ambushing 30,000, the advantage is on our side."

Duan Zhixuan drew a long line on the ground. "Since the enemy army has formed a long, serpentine formation, let's let the vanguard pass first. Once the enemy's central army has passed, we'll attack and cut them in two."

This proposal was approved by the three cavalry generals, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and Zhai Changsun.

Their advantage lies in ambush and the rapid mobility of their cavalry.

Despite the fact that this place is a plain, the Xia army, with its scouts and cavalry, can still catch them off guard by ambushing them in the reeds behind Lieren City.

When marching, soldiers are rarely armored, and that's where the opportunity lies.

Surprise attacks, encirclement, and long-range strikes—these are the advantages of cavalry.

Flanking maneuvers were employed to divide the enemy forces, leaving them unable to defend both ends. Utilizing the rapid mobility of cavalry, repeated divisions, encirclements, and firing were carried out.

The four armored cavalry generals quickly devised an attack plan.

Before the great war,

Five thousand cavalrymen remained silent.

Time passes slowly.

"Report! The vanguard of the Xia army has arrived!" A scout galloped in to report.

Sure enough, the dust raised by the advancing army could be seen in the distance. Liu Heita commanded 30,000 infantry and cavalry, with 1,000 cavalry leading the way, followed by 5,000 infantry.

Next, 10,000 infantrymen from the central army escorted auxiliary soldiers and laborers to transport siege equipment and provisions, while 2,000 cavalrymen provided escort on the left and right.

The rear guard consisted of 10,000 infantry and auxiliary troops.

The column stretched for twenty miles, marching very slowly. It was a vast and imposing force, and neither the infantry nor the cavalry wore armor in order to conserve their energy.

Only twelve scouts were sent out on light cavalry to explore the area.

The vanguard of 6,000 infantry and cavalry is already not far away, and the twelve scout cavalry units have already moved forward and dispersed to approach.

Qin Qiong stepped into the stirrups and mounted his horse.

"Attack!"

While the plains terrain is not as treacherous as the valleys, it still provides an advantage for cavalry charges.

Five thousand light cavalry,

They all mounted their horses.

The next instant, the bugle sounded.
The sound of iron hooves thundered.
The earth was shaking.

Five thousand light cavalry charged out from the reeds behind the city of Lieren.
Black armor tore through the morning mist, and iron hooves crushed the dewdrops.

Qin Shubao took the lead, and Hu Leibo was incredibly swift.

The Xia army's scouts, seeing the countless cavalry suddenly appear before them, cried out in alarm, "Tang cavalry, an ambush!"

He quickly pulled a small red flag from the pouch at his waist, shook it vigorously, and turned to retreat as he did so.

Not far to his left, right, and behind, there were scouts who, upon seeing the red flag raised ahead, immediately took out their own red flags and waved them as well.

Liu Heita's marching was relatively well-organized. He dispatched twelve scout cavalry units, each with five light cavalrymen, to spread out and scout in all directions.

Faced with the surprise attack of 5,000 light cavalry, these scouts did not buy the Xia army much time to respond.

The scouts turned tail and galloped away.

However, he was quickly overtaken by the Tang cavalry, struck by several arrows, fell from his horse, and was trampled into mud by the torrent of iron hooves.

The scouts, armed with red flags, delivered the message.
The news quickly reached the Xia army's vanguard commander, several miles away.

"Tang army, Tang army spotted ahead, cavalry, at least five thousand."

Upon hearing the report, Wang Xiaohu, the commander of the vanguard, felt a sudden panic.

Five thousand cavalrymen—that's an astonishing number. Where did they come from? From Li Shimin's camp on the south bank of the Zhang River, or from Li Yi's troops on the Ming River?

"Halt!" he roared. "Form ranks!"

"armored,"

"quick,"

He immediately sent someone to the central army to inform Liu Heita that the Tang army was about to attack.

The open plains had no usable terrain, no hills or forests, let alone cities or fortresses.

What's worse is that they are still on their way, stretched out in a long line, and it will take a lot of time to assemble the troops, put on their armor, and then form ranks.

The light cavalry charged forward in battle formation, covering a distance of three miles in less than a quarter of an hour, and could arrive in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

This isn't even a full-speed charge.

In such a short time, the soldiers didn't even have time to assemble, let alone put on their armor.

Wang Xiaohu felt a chill run down his spine; he hadn't expected there to be five thousand Tang cavalry here.

"Quickly, quickly, quickly, gather around me and form ranks!"

His vanguard consisted of 6,000 infantry and cavalry, who were mostly unarmored during the march, with only 100 cavalry and 500 infantrymen on guard duty wearing armor.

This number of soldiers wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between the teeth of five thousand Tang cavalry.

The bugle call sounded urgent.

If the scouts could advance twenty li ahead, that would give them more time to react.

The vanguard panicked.

They gathered in the fields, the soldiers shouting to their auxiliary soldiers for armor. The auxiliary soldiers pushed and pulled carts, hurriedly unloading the armor from them in a chaotic mess.

The cavalry arrived in an instant.

To Wang Xiaohu's surprise, the black tide did not rush towards them, but instead surged past from one side.

"They're charging towards the central army!" Wang Xiaohu gritted his teeth, but they weren't even wearing armor yet, and their troops hadn't fully assembled, making it impossible to intercept them.

They could only watch helplessly as they charged toward the central army.

"Quickly, put on your armor and follow me to turn back and surround them!" Wang Xiaohu roared.

Less than half a cup of tea,
Qin Qiong led 5,000 light cavalry and had already reached the central army of the Xia army.

The central army was also in disarray.

The vast majority of soldiers were still in armor, with only a few hundred soldiers on guard duty forming a thin layer of armor.

The Kuroshio Current surged in.

The Tang cavalry accelerated their charge, already firing arrows from their horses from afar.

A hail of arrows rained down, and many Xia soldiers who had not had time to don their armor screamed as they were struck by arrows.

Qin Qiong raised his spear and pointed it directly at the central army's banner bearing the character "Liu".

The Tang cavalry were like red-hot blades, smoothly cutting through the solidified grease.

The Xia army had not yet completed their battle formation, and hadn't even put on their armor properly.

Before these five thousand Tang cavalry, they were as fragile as paper.

Unstoppable.

A chorus of screams and wails filled the air.

Many Xia soldiers, still in their armor, were sent flying by the cavalry.

Qin Qiong's horse spear, with its thrusting, parrying, smashing, and sweeping attacks, was deadly to anyone who touched it; even Yuchi Gong had been defeated by him three times.

He Chong was one of these Xia soldiers.

The warhorses charged wildly,

The light cavalry displayed the effectiveness of armored cavalry, directly piercing through the Xia army.

Tang cavalry cut through the Xia army's long, single-file formation.

They quickly turned around in the fields, regrouped, and charged towards the Xia army once more.

Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, Zhai Changsun, and Duan Zhixuan, the four commanders of the Qin Prince's cavalry, led five thousand Tang cavalry, repeatedly dividing and charging.

The Xia army, numbering over 30,000, stretched out in a long line, twenty miles long, without having formed ranks or donned their armor.
Faced with the surprise attack of five thousand Tang cavalry,
They can only be slaughtered at will.

Liu Heita didn't even have time to put on his armor. He charged left and right with his horse spear, constantly shouting to gather his troops.

north,

Wang Xiaohu finally got his 6,000 vanguard infantry and cavalry fully armored.

Six thousand men spread out in a wing-shaped formation more than a mile long and turned to press towards the central army.

Defeated soldiers from the Xia army's central command kept rushing towards them.

Wang Xiaohu ordered them to retreat to the flanks and rear to assemble and follow, and forbade them from charging into his army's formation.

He swung his sword and killed dozens of panicked soldiers who were trying to rush into his army's formation, finally intimidating them and causing them to retreat to the flanks or rear.

Qin Qiong was completely encased in iron, with only his eyes visible beneath his mask. His black lacquered spear thrust out with lightning speed, piercing through two Xia soldiers.
With a forceful flick, the two, who were still alive, were sent flying.

A Xia army captain rode up and thrust his spear, but Xia Jun countered with a backhand strike using the copper ferrule at the end of his spear, shattering Xia Jun's facial bones and sending him sprawling from his horse.

Xia troops were on all four sides.

The Qin cavalry, however, moved as if they were in an empty field.
Hulei kicked away a Xia soldier who was attacking from behind with his hind legs, then opened his mouth wide and bit down hard on another Xia soldier in front of him, throwing him aside.

The guards stabbed and smashed left and right, protecting the left and right sides.

Liu Heita's central army of over ten thousand men had already been thrown into chaos. In his haste, Liu Heita managed to erect a makeshift palisade using supply wagons and siege equipment, with large iron shields erected and long spears protruding from behind them.

Like a hedgehog raising its sharp quills amidst a chaotic army.

Liu Heita stood shirtless on a ladder cart in the middle of the formation, holding a powerful bow and firing arrow after arrow.

Liu Heita, his eyes bloodshot, stood on a high place, bathed in the morning sun, as if gilded, with the large Liu-character flag behind him fluttering in the wind.

As long as the general's flag hasn't fallen, Liu Heita is still here, and he hasn't been defeated yet!
Looking around, one could see that Wang Xiaohu in the vanguard and Meng Zhu in the rearguard had already assembled their troops and were forming ranks, flanking the enemy from both the front and rear.

Liu Heita was overjoyed, and his fighting spirit soared even higher.

"Come on, have a good fight!"

The banner bearing the character "Liu" stubbornly fluttered amidst the bloodshed.

(End of this chapter)