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

Chapter 591 Shifting Battles Across Hundreds of Miles
When Li Yi led three thousand infantrymen to Yehutan on the east bank of the Fen River, it was already afternoon.

Cousin Zhang Hao stepped forward to greet them, "Sikong, Commander Yuchi and the others have heard that there is a Turkic army of five thousand men on the other side of Shahe, and they have already gone there to attack."

We just finished cleaning up the battlefield and are preparing to provide support.

On this battlefield, more than 1,300 Turkic and Sogdian prisoners were stripped down to their underwear.

The horses were gathered in large numbers, and there were piles of armor and weapons.

Ren Zhi came over and asked, "Minister of Works, after verifying the heads of the more than 1,500 Turkic and other non-Turkic peoples who were killed, could we build a mound of heads here?"

Li Yi looked at the corpses that the prisoners had helped collect—more than 1,500 bodies, already piled up in several large heaps.

However, the Jingguan (a mound of skulls) is not simply a pile of stones.

"Cut off all the heads and send them to Fenzhou City. Preserve them with lime. Remember to cut off the left ear as well."

The heads of the animals were to be pickled and stored in Fenzhou for inspection and registration by the military headquarters.

The left ear was to be sent to Chang'an to report the achievement.

It involves the soldiers' military achievements, so trouble is necessary, as these are all based on solid evidence.

"After beheading the bodies, pile them up to form a mound of corpses."

Jingguan, usually a whole-corpse Jingguan, is a mound of enemy corpses piled up into a small hill, then tamped down with soil to form an earthen mound.

It was both a display of martial arts skills and a burial of corpses.

A few were piles of human heads.

Specifically, it's all stacked up layer by layer, with soil filling the middle; it's a terrifying thing.

"Remember to stay away from the Fen River, lest you cause an epidemic."

Upon hearing that Li Yi was going to lead these three thousand men to Shahe as reinforcements, Zhang Hao and the other two also wanted to go, and none of them were interested in building a mound of skulls anymore.

"You clean up the battlefield and send the wounded, prisoners, captured horses, supplies, and rescued civilians back to Fenzhou City. I will take men there."

After a brief rest at Yefutan, and taking some time to visit the wounded soldiers and comfort the rescued civilians, Li Yi hurriedly led three thousand infantrymen to Shahe, dozens of miles away.

···
Yuchi Gong and Li Daoxuan each led eight hundred cavalrymen, like hunting dogs that had caught the scent of prey's blood, galloping northward at breakneck speed.
Less than 30 miles from Yefutan, the Shahe River, a tributary of the Fenhe River on the east bank, lies in front of us.

The river was not deep in autumn, but due to the continuous hot and sunny days, large areas of slippery mud had accumulated on both banks.

Right on the banks of the Shahe River,
It was Sijin Songxie who led 5,000 men to forage in this area.

This man was sent by Khagan Jieli to plunder Hebei at the beginning of the year when Gao Kaidao rebelled.

Now, they've come to plunder Jiezhou again.

Yilida and his group failed to escape here to report the news. They abandoned their armor and horses and fled the battlefield along the Fen River, but they were captured by Yuchi Gong's light cavalry not far away.

Song Xie Na Si Jin was taking a nap in a village on the banks of the Sha River.

Most of his five thousand men had scattered to plunder, leaving only his few hundred cavalry in the village during the day.

Several Turks were watering their horses by the river.

Suddenly, a cavalryman galloped back.
"Enemy attack! The Tang army is coming!"

Song Xie Na Si Jin was woken up and shook his head. "Does the Tang army still dare to come out of the city to attack? Is it the Tang army from Jie Prefecture or the Tang army from Fen Prefecture?"

"They came from the west."

"How many people came?"

"Approximately a thousand riders."

"Hahaha." Upon hearing that only a thousand or so cavalrymen were attacking, Song Xie couldn't help but laugh heartily. "These Tang soldiers have been holed up in the big city, and I can't do anything about them."

Why have they suddenly become so bold as to dare to leave the city?

One of the Turkic soldiers wondered, "It's impossible that a thousand or so Tang cavalry would dare to attack. Could it be that the main force of the Tang army has come to their aid?"

"Main force? What main force does the Tang army have? The Daizhou army? The Bingzhou army? The Jiezhou army? The Fenzhou army? They're all cowards! Main force, my foot! We fought all the way from Mayi to Jinzhou, and that Tang crown prince fled a thousand miles in one go!"

Who dares to fight us?

Although he didn't know where this Tang cavalry came from, Song Xie didn't care at all because their numbers were only a little over a thousand.

"Since they've come to their deaths, let's grant them their wish. Send someone to call back the nearby cavalry and wipe them out!"

A Sogdian general advised, "We only have a few hundred men here, while the Tang army has over a thousand cavalry. They have more soldiers than us. Should we retreat one after the other?"

"Withdraw?" Song Xie sneered. "Do you really think every Tang general is like Li Shimin or Li Yi? Unless Li Yi comes in person, we'll wipe out as many as come."

The horn sounded.

Song Xie gathered the several hundred cavalrymen from the village.
On this sunny afternoon,

A group of Turkic soldiers, who were resting, grumbled and reluctantly put on their armor. They had been raiding for grain every day. Although they hadn't encountered any resistance from the Tang army and had been able to plunder to their heart's content, they were still quite tired from running around.

About five or six hundred cavalrymen had just finished donning their armor and assembled.
The thunderous sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance; the Tang cavalry had already charged in.

"You came so fast, are you in a hurry to be reincarnated?" Song Xie yawned.

Opposite him,
Yuchi Gong also spotted this small number of Turkic cavalry. They had captured several Turkic scouts on the road and learned that there were only a few hundred riders here. So they decided not to wait until dark and to capture the leader first.

"Catch the enemy off guard, capture the kingpin first, let's take that Sijin down!"

"Follow me!"

Seize the enemy general's flag.

His eight hundred cavalrymen did not slow down; instead, they began to accelerate.
Song Xie narrowed his eyes as he watched the approaching Tang cavalry; he sensed a hint of unease. These several hundred Tang cavalrymen possessed considerable imposing presence.
He hadn't seen that indomitable spirit in a long time since his invasion of Hedong. The last time he saw this kind of Tang army was at the beginning of the year in Hebei, with the fierce generals Liu Heita, Su Dingfang, and Li Cunxiao, who were subordinates of Li Yi.

Damn it, where did such a formidable force come from?

"Loose the arrows! Stop them!"

Song Xie Na Si Jin gave the order in a stern voice.

The Turkic cavalry drew their bows and arrows, and when the Tang cavalry charged into range, they began to fire. Several Tang riders fell from their horses.

But this did nothing to stop Yuchi Gong, that fierce tiger.
He led from the front, crouching low on his horse, his left hand holding a shield to protect his head and neck, his right hand gripping a lance, his legs controlling the horse, urging it to charge forward at full speed.
Like an arrow released from a bow,

Eight hundred riders plunged headlong into the newly assembled Turks, who seemed to be half asleep.

This kind of direct, head-on attacking style of play
Song Xie was stunned, and so were the Turkic soldiers.

Shouldn't two cavalry units be running and shooting from a distance? How can they just charge in like this? Even if you have hundreds more troops, you still can't fight like this.

The Turkic cavalry were forced to engage in battle.

The two cavalry forces clashed.
Suddenly, another cavalry force charged in from afar. Prince Li Daoxuan of Huaiyang led another eight hundred cavalrymen to join the attack.

Eight hundred cavalrymen attacked the Turkic army from the flank.

On the banks of the Shahe River,
Song Xie's few hundred Turkic soldiers were suddenly caught in a pincer movement.

The Tang cavalry outnumbered them by more than three times.
Swords and swords flashed, flesh and blood flew everywhere.

Song Xie tried to run, but it was too late. He was caught by Yuchi Gong and surrounded by Li Daoxuan. They were clearly a tribe born for horsemanship, and each of them was a natural-born cavalryman.

But at this moment, they were surrounded by Tang cavalry and could not even run away.

The advantages of the Turkic cavalry could not be utilized at all here.

Yuchi Gong had only one target: the general in the gleaming armor. This armor was clearly of Sui Dynasty standard, and belonged to a high-ranking general.
It would certainly be even more precious on the grasslands, and only people of high status could possess it.

This person must be Si Jin.

He charged wildly on his horse, his lance unstoppable, like a red-hot dagger piercing through butter.

Song Xie also saw the towering cavalry general charging towards them.
His face was as black as charcoal, and he was as burly as an ox.

This must be a black bull that has come to life.

His personal guards, their eyes red, blocked his way layer by layer.
But no one could stop him.

Song Xie panicked.
"Stop him! Quick!"

It's too late.

Yuchi Gong was unparalleled in bravery, and he was accompanied by a squad of equally burly guards, each resembling a miniature Yuchi Gong. This squad of guards formed the sharpest arrowhead.
It pierced fiercely into the Turkic army, and then carved all the way to Song Xie Na Sijin.

Song Xie's personal guards were no match for this fierce cavalry; they were quickly slaughtered, their men and horses falling in disarray.
Yuchi Jingde was like a raging, ferocious god.
They fought their way up to Song Xie's face.

Song Xiena's gleaming armor was too conspicuous, making him stand out from the rest of the Turkic army.

Song Xie not only had a set of exquisite Mingguang armor, but he also had a black lacquered lance made by a famous weapon maker from the Central Plains.

"what!"

Looking at the dark-faced Tang general who seemed to be pressing down on him like Mount Tai, Song Xie gritted his teeth and thrust his spear forward.

But his all-out thrust,
But it missed.

Not only did he fail to hit the dark-faced general, but the general also managed to trap his lance.

Song Xie tried to pull back the lance to stab again, but the lance was held under the arm of the black-faced general, and he couldn't pull it back no matter what he did.

"Give it to me,"

With a roar, the black-faced general exerted his strength, and his lance was snatched away.

Song Xie was so shocked that his face turned deathly pale.
In the moment he was stunned,

Yuchi Gong, however, had already brandished his spear in retaliation.

Song Xie was a Sijin, the chief of a tribe and a warrior, but he was old and past his prime.
Faced with the spear thrust, he instinctively dodged, believing he could evade it.
But a sharp pain shot through his shoulder blade, letting him know he had been stabbed.
Immediately afterwards, he felt as if he had flown into the sky.

"Who is that dark-faced Tang general? How can he be so brave?"

A whooshing sound filled Song Xie's ears, and in the next instant, he was thrown to the ground. A sharp pain shot through him, and he struggled to get up.
But a sharp pain came from the vest.
Yuchi Gong had already pinned him to the ground with a single spear thrust.

Even Song Xie's cherished Mingguang armor couldn't withstand the thrust of the lance. He spat out a mouthful of blood and died on the spot.

Even on his deathbed, he was still wondering who that person was.

Yuchi Gong's personal guards jumped off their horses and swiftly cut off Song Xiena's head, while another guard swung his sword and severed Song Xiena's banner.

Slay the general and seize the flag.

"Sijin is dead!"

"Song Xie Na Si Jin is dead!"

The Turks screamed in terror; fear spread across the battlefield like a plague.
Morale plummeted.

My heart and soul were shattered.

These hundreds of Turkic soldiers completely collapsed, lost all will to fight, and began to scatter and flee.

The commander-in-chief was killed and the flag was captured.
Faced with Tang cavalry that outnumbered them three to one and such brave Tang generals, they completely collapsed, lost all will to fight, cried out for their parents, and scattered in all directions.

Yuchi Gong and Li Daoxuan were like two wolf kings, leading their pack in a relentless pursuit of terrified sheep.

Continuously expand the gains.

quickly,

Those five or six hundred Turkic cavalry were completely annihilated by them on the banks of the Shahe River.
Blood stained the surface of the Shahe River red.

When Yuchi Gong met Li Daoxuan, he said, "Old Cheng didn't make it this time. He didn't even get to eat the soup."

Li Daoxuan wiped the sweat from his face.
"General Yuchi, the commander of these five thousand Turkic men has been killed by us. The remaining few thousand are now scattered across the surrounding area, looting and pillaging."

Let's strike while the iron is hot and not give them a chance to gather or escape.
I think we should split into two groups and launch separate surprise attacks to wipe out these wolf cubs, defeating and annihilating them one by one.”

Yuchi Laohei laughed loudly, "I used to be a blacksmith, and I understand the principle of striking while the iron is hot. That's how it should be done."

"Send someone to inform Lao Cheng behind us that he doesn't need to come here, but should go directly to find the Turkic troops in the surrounding area."
Whether he gets meat or soup depends on how fast he can eat it.

sunset dusk,

When Li Yi arrived at the banks of the Shahe River
Yuchi Gong, Li Daoxuan, Cheng Yaojin and their more than four thousand men had won one battle after another, and had annihilated several Turkic forces.

Li Yi's 3,000 men managed to finish the job and even got to drink some meat soup.

The killing spree continued until dawn the next day.

Song Xie's five thousand men were almost completely wiped out.

As the sun rose, casting its rays across the sky, Li Yi dictated his victory report to his secretary, who then wrote it down: "Your Majesty, I, Li Yi, report this victory from Jiezhou. I have fortunately fulfilled my mission. First, we ambushed and decisively defeated Yi Lida's forces on the east bank of the Fen River, capturing and killing three thousand. Then, on the north bank of the Sha River, we pursued our victory, killing Song Xie Na Si Jin in battle and annihilating his entire force of five thousand men."

In total, more than 6,000 warhorses were captured...

This is all thanks to Your Majesty's great blessings and the soldiers' valiant efforts. Generals such as Li Daoxuan, Yuchi Gong, and Cheng Yaojin led from the front, fighting bravely and shedding blood in battle.

After a day and night of fighting across a hundred miles, they annihilated two Turkic tribes with a combined force of eight thousand men, severely dampening the Turkic arrogance and initially pacifying Fenjie.

A rapid dispatch, carrying news of victory!

(End of this chapter)