Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 166 Piercing Through Hulao Pass
As the autumn wind blows, a somber atmosphere fills the banks of the Yellow River.

Yuan Shen knew that dragging things out like this would be very disadvantageous to him, so after using ruthless methods to kill the defeated soldiers and intimidate the people, he did not rest for more than a few days before setting up an array in front of Hulao Pass.

The army formation stretched for twenty miles, displaying an impressive and imposing presence.

But at this time, the people inside Hulao Pass were on high alert, ready to fight at any moment.

From the generals under Li Shuang to the ordinary cavalry, everyone was eager to try.

"My lord, why haven't they attacked yet?"

Hulü Guang stood beside Li Shuang, holding Li Shuang's helmet, and asked.

At this moment, Li Shuang was waiting for military intelligence from the scouts at the front, and explained:

"Yuan Shen must be discussing with his various generals who should attack?"

Hulü Guang was young and did not understand the deeper meaning behind these words.

Being the first to charge into battle carries immense risks, but also immense rewards.

However, generally speaking, there are still many brave and courageous people in the army who are willing to do this.

But the situation is different now.

Yuan Shen's army suffered several defeats in succession. These men, who came from the Six Garrisons, had traveled all the way from Shuozhou to Xiazhou and then to Hebei. Anyone who had survived to this day was a cunning fellow.

Knowing full well that if they were to go, they would definitely be cannon fodder and might even benefit those who come after them, who would willingly do such a thing?

In military campaigns, the strategic phase is a contest of logistics and supplies, while the tactical phase is a contest of weaponry and mobility.

Intelligence is what spans both the strategic and tactical stages.

The scouts returned, and Yang Kan personally led the team, bringing the latest news from the front.

"My lord, as you predicted, although the enemy has formed ranks, their formation is loose, and the soldiers are lazy and not in proper formation."

Li Shuang was overjoyed when she heard the news.

The fighter jets have arrived!

He immediately shouted.

"Peng Le!"

"The general is here!"

"You lead the cavalry to the enemy lines!"

Peng Le was taken aback and asked:

What for?

"Let's catch up!"

Li Shuang gave the instructions:
"If the enemy does not drive you away but instead talks to you, then go down the river and wait for my reinforcements to attack together."

"promise!"

After Li Shuang finished speaking, he looked at Gao Ang and said:
"Ao Cao, you take five hundred cavalry, detour around Que Mountain, and outflank the enemy. Once our army has attacked the enemy lines, charge together!"

"promise!"

……

Just as Li Shuang had predicted, the atmosphere in Yuan Shen's tent was somewhat awkward at this moment.

Yuan Shen had originally summoned his subordinates to discuss who should lead the charge.

But nobody wanted to take the lead.

For a moment, things froze.

Yuan Shen was able to kill those hundreds of cavalrymen, but he couldn't kill all these disobedient subordinates.

The factions within the Six Garrisons were already complex. Even Ge Rong and Du Luozhou were merely elected leaders, and they had numerous smaller factions under their command.

Yuan Shen gathered them all together, but it was the largest of all these hills, big and small.

Of course, gathering so many soldiers and arranging them in formation is indeed a spectacular sight, and they can certainly defeat most armies in the world.

But if the opponent is a tough nut to crack like Hulao Pass, then there will be a problem.

If Yuan Shen dares to kill a few leaders today to establish his authority and force them to send troops, he will likely become the target of this very act within a few days, and his head will be in danger.

Therefore, he could only negotiate and coordinate with these people in a polite manner to come up with a satisfactory solution.

This plan may not be the best, but it must be one that everyone agrees on.

They had only discussed it halfway when news suddenly came from the front lines from the commander of the vanguard.

"Your Majesty, Peng Le has arrived!"

Yuan Shen stood up, and even now, a sliver of hope remained in his heart. "But is he going to surrender?"

"He was catching up with soldiers on the front lines across the river."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shen sensed that something was wrong.

Why not drive them away?

"Many of the soldiers at the front are familiar with him, and they do not obey our orders. How can we drive them away!"

Yuan Shen felt a sense of crisis and said:

"Oh no, Li Shuang is about to attack! Quickly, order the defenses to be set up."

Yuan Shen's order came too late.

His army of over 100,000 was deployed in formation, with the front and rear 20 miles apart. By the time his orders from the central command tent reached the front lines, Li Shuang had already led 3,000 iron cavalry to charge in.

When the soldiers at the front encountered Li Shuang's three thousand iron cavalry, they offered little resistance and scattered to both sides, allowing him to charge into their ranks.

In a short time, Li Shuang led his troops and charged for several miles.

Seeing that Yuan Shen's army was in disarray, Gao Ang led five hundred cavalrymen to charge in from the flank.

Yuan Shen stepped out of the tent, and everything in sight was in chaos.

As the autumn wind swept across the south bank of the Yellow River, the air was filled with clamor. Yuan Shen wanted to regain control, but he found that even his subordinates, who had just been discussing things with him in the main tent, were in a hurry to leave.

The central command tent was extremely crowded.

Those who held high positions and wielded great power under Yuan Shen were thinking the same things as Yuan Shen.

To regain control of their own troops.

However, it remains to be seen whether their mindset was the same as Yuan Shen's, that after regaining control, they were fighting against the enemy.

Yuan Shen could not control the army, so he could only manage the flow of people in the central army camp.

In the chaos, Yuwen Luosheng grabbed Yuwen Tai's hand and said:
"Black Otter, come with me!"

"Where?"

"Given the current situation, Yuan Shen's army is in disarray, suffering more defeats than victories. It is crucial for us to leave with our troops and preserve our strength!"

Yuwen Tai listened without objection and fully agreed with his third brother's idea.

"go!"

Yuan Shen also noticed the unusual behavior of the Yuwen brothers. Without saying a word, they fled behind the central army tent, but Yuan Shen could not stop them.

Once the crowd in the central army camp had dispersed, Yuan Shen was surrounded by his loyal guards.

But at this moment, Li Shuang led his iron cavalry and arrived close.

The banner bearing the character "Li" fluttered in the wind, and Li Shuang's cavalry, both on their armor and on horseback, fired anywhere from a few to dozens of arrows.

It looks extremely terrifying, and it also inspires extreme fear.

"Your Majesty, Li Shuang is coming. Let us avoid his advance, retreat to the mountain to form a battle formation, and then make our move!"

Yuan Shen roared angrily.

"Should I avoid Da Yeshuang's sharp edge?"

"Your Majesty, the success or failure of this battle is of paramount importance; we must not act rashly!"

Yuan Shen felt extremely humiliated, but he could only grit his teeth and say:
"go!"

Yuan Shen followed the advice and led his guards slowly toward the higher ground.

But then they saw that the two enemy forces had merged, and they were now moving in and out of the Hulao Pass.

A group of cavalry spotted them and shouted.

As the whistling arrows echoed through the sky, more cavalry surged toward him like wolves that had smelled blood.

The higher Yuan Shen climbed, the more powerless he felt. The higher he stood, the clearer his vision became.

Behind them, the mighty river surged endlessly; before them, iron cavalry swept across, their power unstoppable.

The large banner bearing the character "Li" swayed in the wind, and with the charge of the iron cavalry, it had already pierced through the entire Hulao Pass.

At this moment, no matter how unwilling Yuan Shen was, he could only accept reality.

He lost!
Thinking of this, Yuan Shen burst into loud laughter. After laughing, he used all his remaining strength, filled with resentment and unwillingness, to say:
"What a Li Shuang!"

……

(End of this chapter)