Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 671 Empress, I'm Going to Become the Heavenly Khan (Third Update)

West of the Pamir Mountains, the Wuhu River.

Under the cover of night, the water gurgled.

A rocket launched from the west bank and crashed heavily onto a small boat in the middle of the river, but it was extinguished instantly.

Li Dejian stood on the east bank, calmly watching Ashina Helu, who was surrounded by a densely packed army on the opposite side.

It must be admitted that He Lu is a very intelligent person.

In the several major battles last year, the generals of the Tang Dynasty made great use of the frozen rivers to slow down the Turkic cavalry, thereby gaining a speed advantage and securing victory in the final battle.

He Lu cleverly took advantage of this.

After Li Dejian, Pei Xingjian, Wang Fangyi, and others broke through many passes in the Pamir Mountains, He Lu led his army to retreat to the west bank of the Wuhu River, west of the Pamir Mountains.

The Wuhu River was a hundred feet wide, which was exactly within the range of the Turkic archers.

Fifty thousand cavalrymen firmly blocked Li Dejian's cavalry on the east bank of the Wuhu River.

The Turks were indeed not good at defending cities, but using rivers and bows and arrows for defense was enough to hold out Li Dejian and his men until winter.

Winter is always the greatest enemy in long-range operations.

The Pamir Mountains are bitterly cold and covered in glaciers; obtaining supplies for more than 50,000 people here is simply a pipe dream.

He Lu would naturally be even happier if the Tang Dynasty itself transported supplies from Anxi to the Wuhu River.

Because in that case, all of Tang Dynasty's cavalry would be guaranteed to die here this winter.

Their only option is to cross the river now.

Unfortunately, within a radius of dozens of miles, not only wood but also stones were all taken to the west bank by the 50,000 Turkic cavalry.

He Lu wanted to trap them here.

……

Li Dejian pressed his hand on the long sword at his waist, his gaze slightly lowered.

Countless rockets flying in the air were reflected on the river surface.

He Lu is somewhat clever, but that's about it.

They didn't have enough wood to build boats, but they could convert grain wagons into ships.

Over the years, the Tang Dynasty has made countless improvements to its military equipment in preparation for its campaigns against Goguryeo.

Water and land transport vessels appeared as early as ten years ago.

Now that the emperor's goal in war is to destroy the Western Turkic Khaganate, Li Dejian, Pei Xingjian, and Wang Fangyi naturally need to make thorough preparations in all aspects.

Yes, Pei Xingjian and Wang Fangyi are also there.

The two of them are not here now. Pei Xingjian led 5,000 cavalrymen upstream, and Wang Fangyi led 5,000 cavalrymen downstream, searching for a place to cross the long and wide Wuhu River.

Although Helu's cavalry were also patrolling on the opposite bank, an opportunity still arose.

Today, the sky is pitch black, without a single ray of light.

On the Wuhu River, dozens of covered boats, completely submerged in water, sped towards the opposite bank. No matter how many rockets He Lu's men fired, they could not set the boats ablaze.

Just as the covered boats were crossing the middle of the river, suddenly, half of the covered boats quickly converged together and then rapidly joined together.

A bridge appeared instantly.

More boats began to connect to the other side of the bridge.

"Damn it, they're in the water!" He Lu suddenly roared from the opposite bank, pointing towards the middle of the river. The next moment, the arrows following him began to shoot into the river.

In the blink of an eye, a corpse floated to the surface from underwater; he had been unlucky enough to be shot by an arrow from the edge of the boat.

Li Dejian's expression darkened slightly, then he said in a cold voice, "Shoot!"

With a "whoosh," countless crossbow bolts flew into the sky, then swept across the river and landed on the opposite bank. Some Turkic cavalrymen who were close to the front and fell into the range of the crossbow bolts were instantly riddled with holes.

With a "whoosh," dozens of crossbow bolts simultaneously soared into the air and then crashed heavily into the heart of the Turkic cavalry.

In an instant, dozens of Turkic cavalrymen were pinned to the ground.

With a creaking sound, three ballistae and five catapults were pushed to the shore and then launched with a "boom" towards the opposite bank.

Stones flew through the air and crashed into the Turkic troops, instantly crushing them into a bloody pulp.

"Scatter!" He Lu roared under the Golden Wolf Banner. His Turkic cavalry immediately scattered. His eyes were fixed on the west bank. How could he not know that the main force of the Tang army's central army had arrived?

"Kill!" Countless shouts of fighting suddenly came from upstream.

Pei Xingjian has already crossed the river.

He Lu suddenly looked towards the center of the river, where more boats began to be quickly assembled, and a bridge was rapidly connecting to the other side.

At the same time, a soldier climbed out from under the boat and then directly removed the awning from the covered boat.

There were no tents there; those were originally just shields pieced together.

While using their shields to protect themselves, the soldiers on the ship immediately picked up the crossbows that had been placed on the ship and fired all the crossbow bolts at the opposite bank.

The Turkic cavalry on the opposite bank were thrown into chaos.

At the same time, more awning boats appeared on the river.

There were hundreds of them, densely packed together.

He Lu was utterly astonished by what he saw.

How could there be so many ships in the Tang Dynasty?

This time, the shields on the awning boats were not removed. More soldiers relied on the awning boats, firing rapidly while also quickly heading towards the west bank. Moreover, they scattered and headed towards every possible landing spot on the west bank.

He Lu suddenly looked upstream, and in an instant, he felt that the sounds of fighting upstream were much closer.

"He Lu!" Suddenly, a furious shout came from the opposite bank. He Lu subconsciously turned his head and saw Xue Rengui, dressed in white robes and silver armor, appear on the other side.

In an instant, an uncontrollable commotion broke out among the entire Turkic cavalry.

Xue Rengui, the White-Clad Killer.

Dieyun, Zhu Xie, and Wuzhile, who was Helu's double, all died at Xue Rengui's hands.

This news spread throughout the entire Western Turkic Khaganate through countless Turkic cavalrymen who had been deliberately released by the Tang Dynasty.

Upon seeing Xue Rengui, many people instinctively wanted to turn back. Xue Rengui ignored them completely, riding his horse directly along the bridge and quickly heading towards the other side.

Before we knew it, the boat bridge was almost connected to the other side.

"Release the arrows! Release the arrows!" He Lu roared, and countless arrows shot into the air before falling onto the water.

Xue Rengui wielded his halberd with incredible speed, not only blocking all the crossbow bolts himself but also protecting his warhorse.

"He Lu!" Countless roars suddenly came from the other side.

In an instant, the east bank was completely illuminated.

Countless Tang Dynasty cavalrymen appeared on the opposite bank, led by none other than Liang Jianfang.

At the same time, more boats were pushed into the river, not just under their feet, but also in more places on both sides, as thousands of soldiers boarded the boats at the same time.

He Lu was extremely surprised; how could the Tang Dynasty possibly have so many ships?

Just then, a burst of fire suddenly appeared from downstream, and then, accompanied by the sounds of fighting, the fire moved toward his location.

Has someone crossed the river from downstream?

He Lu's expression darkened, then he gave a slight sneer and ordered, "Ten thousand men forward, continue firing; ten thousand men prepare to charge and loot; the rest prepare for full-scale war."

"Yes!" Everyone accepted the order in unison, and the next moment, they had all gone to relay their commands.

Although they could not completely stop the Tang army from crossing the river, their cavalry had a speed advantage, and victory on the battlefield belonged to them.

Seeing this, Liang Jianfang on the opposite bank couldn't help but shake his head slightly: "How foolish!"

Li Dejian stood to the side and whispered, "General, they're running low on arrows!"

"I see."

……

"He Lu, where are you? Don't run away!" At dawn on the west bank of the Wuhu River, Xue Rengui brandished his halberd and shouted incessantly, searching for He Lu.

The sounds of fighting filled the air all around.

After Pei Xingjian led 5,000 cavalry across the Wuhu River, he immediately cut through the 5,000 Turkic cavalry blocking the way upstream.

Wang Fangyi also charged into the ranks of the five thousand cavalry, heading directly towards He Lu's main camp.

At this time, the Tang soldiers on the other side also crossed the river, but the main force was not the cavalry led by Xue Rengui, but the infantry who crossed the river in boats.

Each of them carried four crossbows and long spears, and as soon as they crossed the river, they immediately set up a spear formation on the opposite bank.

Tens of thousands of Turkic cavalry charged forward, but they were still no match for these few thousand cavalry.

After that, the real main force of the battle, Li Dejian, appeared. He followed behind Xue Rengui and led two thousand cavalrymen to charge across the river.

Then it went straight into the enemy formation.

With just two thousand cavalrymen, they annihilated tens of thousands of Turkic cavalrymen.

After them, Liang Jianfang, Xue Wanbei and others crossed the river, and instantly, a battlefield with more than 100,000 cavalrymen fighting each other was fully unfolded.

It was at this moment that a figure appeared on the opposite bank.

Yan Liben, Prefect of Qizhou.

All the boats on the river that were modified in a very short time were his work.

Yan Liben looked at the opposite bank, his eyes gleaming.

It seems that He Lu has disappeared.

……

The Kingdom of Shi, outside the city of Sudu.

Liang Jianfang led an army of 100,000, his gaze coldly fixed on the city wall, which was less than ten feet high.

Li Dejian, Xue Rengui, Xue Wanbei, Qibi Heli, Porun, Ashina Misha, Ashina Buzhen, Pei Xingjian, Wang Fangyi, and many more Tang and Turkic generals all stood on either side of the black banner.

A combined army of 100,000 from the Tang Dynasty and the Western Turks completely surrounded the entire city of Sudu.

After Ashina Misha gathered the five tribes of Dulu, he immediately led a large army south. The 30,000 troops of the five tribes of Nushibi offered only a brief resistance. After losing 4,000 men, they immediately fled west and headed for the Western Sea.

Finally, He Lu, who was originally going to flee west with them, was trapped in Sudu City of the Kingdom of Shi.

Sudu City of the Kingdom of Shi.

With a creak, the city gate swung open.

Ashina Helu, who was bound tightly, was escorted out by Inedagan, the lord of Sudu City.

Liang Jianfang looked at He Lu, who was kneeling on the ground, calmly shook his head, and said, "Escort him to Chang'an."

"Yes, sir!" All the generals bowed in unison.

Liang Jianfang looked up and continued, "His Majesty has decreed the establishment of the Kunling Protectorate, with Ashina Misha as the Kunling Protectorate and Xingxiwang Khan, governing the five tribes of Dulu; and the establishment of the Mengchi Protectorate, with Ashina Buzhenfeng as the successor to Wangjue Khan, concurrently serving as the Mengchi Protectorate, governing the five Nushibi tribes west of the Suyab River."

Amidst the astonished gazes of countless people, Liang Jianfang calmly declared, "From this day forward, the Western Turkic Khaganate is destroyed."

"Here!"

……

Chang'an, Liangyi Palace.

Li Chengqian looked at the memorial in his hand, took a deep breath and said, "Issue an imperial decree: the Western Turkic Khaganate has been destroyed, Chang'an will celebrate for ten days, and the people of Guanzhong will be exempt from next year's land tax."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, and the assembled officials bowed in unison and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Send a message to the whole world!" Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "At the same time, tell Liang Jianfang to pursue and kill the Wunushibi tribe, disperse the troops of the Western Turks, repair roads, set up post stations, bury the dead, inquire about their suffering, and do our best to return what was previously plundered by Helu, so as to stabilize the Western Regions."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

Li Chengqian stood up directly and, with the respectful farewell of his ministers, went to the Lizheng Hall.

Su Shu stood on the steps; she had already received the message.

Li Chengqian looked at Su Shu with a complicated expression on his face. Finally, he said softly, "Empress, I want to call myself the Heavenly Khan, just like my father."

Su Shu stood opposite him, and she could clearly see that tears were welling up in Li Chengqian's eyes.

Heavenly Khan.

(End of this chapter)