Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 360 As long as we launch an attack, everything will be alright.

Tongwan City.

Lei Shao brought the box that Li Shuang had given him back to the city and handed it to Heba Yue.

The other party opened it and looked at the banner with the Heba family crest. He stroked it for a long time and remained silent for a long time.

After a long silence, Heba Yue asked:

"How is Lingzhou?"

"Zhao Guijun was defeated, and Li Bi had already occupied the four prefectures of Lingzhou."

A simple sentence made Heba Yue tighten his grip on the military flag even more.

"Summon the northern military officers and tribal leaders from the city!"

Lei Shao glanced at him. Heba Yue was quite calm at this moment, with a gentle gaze. But Lei Shao, who knew him well, knew that Heba Yue was close to a berserk state.

The most dangerous hunters are often the calmest when faced with a crisis.

Heba Yue was undoubtedly the same!
Lei Shao summoned the generals in the city as ordered by Heba Yue.

To Lei Shao's surprise, Heba Yue did not hide the unfavorable situation at the moment.

"Li Bi has already occupied Lingzhou, and we are now left with only a lonely city!"

Having said this, Heba Yue looked at the group and asked:
"What do you think?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment. Then one of them stepped forward and asked:

This man is Hugudujin, the leader of the Hu tribe, a Tiele person!

"What about the Erzhu clan?"

Heba Yue smiled and said frankly:
"Erzhu Shilong, hold your troops still!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt reassured.

"What a hero Erzhu Rong was! Now his clan is left with only a bunch of scheming scoundrels. Do they think that just because we were wiped out by Da Yeshuang, they will survive?"

Expressing his frustration and dissatisfaction, Hugu Dujin looked at Heba Yue and bowed.

"Your Majesty, given the current situation, there is no other option but to fight."

Upon hearing this, Heba Yue's expression changed slightly, and he slowly said:

"We are now in dire straits. If we fight and are defeated, we will have nowhere to go."

Hu Gu Du Jin smiled and said:
"At this point, what need is there for a place to stay!"

Those gathered here today are undoubtedly people who harbor deep-seated hatred for Li Shuang and are eager for revenge.

“We have lived in the north for generations and have never heard of Da Ye Shuang. Now, if Da Ye Shuang, a bandit, can be the King of Guanzhong, how can Your Majesty, with your family’s generations of military achievements, not be worthy of the title?”

Hu Gudu glanced at everyone, and no one spoke, but they were all holding back their anger.

"If we leave, where can we go? Looking around, where can we find shelter? Are we to go back to the southern desert and live with the Rouran people, eating grass and shivering in the wind?"

After this was spoken, the Hu chieftains present all said:

"Your Majesty, let's fight!"

Seeing the burning fighting spirit of everyone, Heba Yue had made up his mind.

He had already planned how to fight before he came.

"The only option now is to fight, so that we may survive! Ohno Sou has come from afar with an army of just over ten thousand. If we fight him, we may very well be able to win."

"Please give your orders, Your Majesty!"

A sharp glint flashed in Heba Yue's eyes, and he said sternly:
"If we can capture and kill Ōno Sō in this battle, I will share Guanzhong with you all."

"promise!"

……

starry night.

Within the military camp, looking out into the distance, Tongwan City resembled a lurking behemoth.

Seeing this scene, Li Shuang couldn't help but sigh.

Hulü Guang stood beside Li Shuang and asked:

"What is Your Majesty sighing about?"

"When a cornered beast is locked in a desperate struggle, it is at its most ferocious."

Hulü Guang listened, not understanding the meaning, and asked:
Is Your Majesty worried about Heba Yue, this ferocious beast trapped in a cage?

Li Shuang smiled and said:
"I am simply lamenting that there are too many ferocious beasts in this world."
-
Autumn is high and fresh.

With the Hengshan Mountains stretching out in all directions, Li Shuang led his troops to garrison on a high ground.

The Qin King's banner and the Three Stars Banner fluttered high, and below the high ground, the great formation stood in perfect order.

Li Shuang brought only about 10,000 troops, many of whom were soldiers from the Zhechongfu (military garrison) drawn from nearby Dongxia Prefecture and Dongqin Prefecture.

The reason he only brought over ten thousand troops was because of one crucial factor that constrained him.

logistics!

Attacking Xia Prefecture cannot be done like attacking Taiyuan or Luoyang, where large amounts of supplies could be mobilized by waterways and a large number of laborers could be conscripted for transport. Forcing it would not only cause serious damage but also miss opportunities.

Heba Yue could mobilize slightly more troops, more than 15,000, which was almost all of his resources.

This is the only battle!
In terms of elite status, Heba Yue's core troops and the 4,000 soldiers brought by Li Shuang were roughly equal in strength. The only difference was their equipment.

Li Shuang's 4,000 soldiers were 100% armored, while Heba Yue's 6,000-plus garrison soldiers were only 60% armored, with many unable to gather enough armor and helmets, and dressed in haphazardly.

But the morale of these soldiers from the Six Garrisons was by no means weak.

Even a cornered beast will fight!

The troops of the Six Garrisons were never afraid of fighting, especially since they faced a crucial objective that could determine the course of the world.

This undoubtedly made them even more excited and trembling!
Heba Yue stood in the middle of the battle formation, without saying much, drew his sword and pointed it at the Qin King's banner on the high ground.

The goal is clear!

As the attacker, Heba Yue took the lead, ordering his six garrison troops to advance the front line while simultaneously directing the cavalry on both flanks to cooperate.

The soldiers of the Six Garrisons cooperated seamlessly and knew each other well. Since the uprising of the Six Garrisons, they had traveled all the way from the north to Hebei and then to Taiyuan, and then to Xia Prefecture and Guanzhong. They had experienced countless battles along the way, and it was no exaggeration to say that they were sworn brothers.

The coordination between the troops of the Six Garrisons, especially under the command of a commander like Heba Yue, was enough to make them stand out from the vast majority of armies in the world.

The cavalry on the flanks were less capable, as they consisted mostly of Hu tribesmen from Xia Prefecture.

They were similar to the soldiers of the Six Garrisons, having also experienced great trials and tribulations, though in most cases they were passive participants.

Tactical coordination is secondary; what's keeping them going right now is the anger in their hearts.

On the other hand, Li Shuang's core force of four thousand soldiers, fully armored, had formed an array along the high ground.

The outer perimeter consisted of light cavalry, primarily composed of people from Huai Shuo, brought by Hou Jing, and light infantry drawn from places like Dongxia Prefecture.

As Xia Zhou's army advanced, the space between the two sides was compressed. At a certain moment, a rain of arrows shot out from Li Shuang's army.

Heba Yue was somewhat surprised. Li Shuang's army did have Hu soldiers, but they were only a minority.

In the past, military towns such as Lishi and Tujing rebelled countless times before and after the Six Garrisons Rebellion, and were suppressed by the Northern Wei army many times.

Many survivors ended up in Dongxia Prefecture, where they became soldiers and were later conscripted into the Zhechong Prefecture.

The quality of these garrison soldiers was undoubtedly excellent, but the combat prowess of the Han soldiers from the Zhechong Prefecture also surprised Heba Yue. Their skill in archery alone was something that farmers who spent their days buried in the fields could not achieve.

It should be noted that the Zhechongfu was only a subordinate agency of the Twelve Military Prefectures of Guanzhong, and the soldiers of the Zhechongfu were reserve personnel.

However, this surprise only fueled Heba Yue's fighting spirit.

After several volleys of arrows, Heba Yue's army had reached its designated position.

Heba Yue issued the order.

charge!

Suddenly, the Xiazhou army's formation seemed to come alive.

The cavalry, who were originally positioned on the flanks, were the first to charge, forming several wedge formations, layer upon layer.

Following the cone-shaped formation, the troops of the Six Garrisons followed, forming a large inverted V-shaped goose formation.

Once the formation was complete, the rain of arrows fired from within provided suppressive fire against Li Shuang's army.

There are many brave generals in this world who can lead their troops into battle without fear of defeat, but they are far less capable when it comes to commanding a large army composed of various branches of the armed forces in joint operations.

Heba Yue was far more capable of commanding troops than Zhao Gui, and he himself was an expert at leading troops into battle.

Seeing the enemy's large army approaching and encircling them, Li Shuang's army quickly launched a counterattack.

Hou Jing and Hou Mochen Chong each led a contingent of troops out to attack its flanks.

Their offensive quickly yielded results, significantly reducing the firepower suppression on Li Shuang's army.

Houmochen Chong even broke through the right flank of Hebayue's army formation first!

If it were an ordinary army, it would have already collapsed after being attacked by Houmochen Chong like this. However, the fighting strength and fighting spirit of the Six Garrisons and Hu soldiers under Heba Yue's command were incomparable to those of ordinary armies.

Heba Yue's wild goose formation was broken by Hou Jing and Hou Mochen Chong, but the battle did not stop there. The two sides became entangled and the battle became more and more intense.

Heba Yue's main force troops also began to engage in battle with the local soldiers.

The soldiers of Xiazhou Army were desperate and didn't care about anything else, not even their own lives.

All they wanted was to see the Qin King's banner, so high above the hilltop, torn to shreds at their feet.

For this, they were willing to pay any price.

With soldiers risking their lives, Heba Yue's side launched an exceptionally fierce offensive.

Even though the Xiazhou army's flanks were broken time and time again, the Six Garrisons troops were always able to regroup and continue to fight the enemy.

Hugu Dujin led his troops to the front, serving as Heba Yue's vanguard. He led his troops to fight their way through the enemy lines and charged towards the high ground, getting closer and closer to the Qin King's banner.

His armor was shattered, and he had lost his helmet somewhere, but with sheer courage, he charged ahead.

Sunlight streamed down from the horizon, and a bloody wind brushed against his cheeks, filling Hu Gudu with an unprecedented excitement.

He was only two hundred paces away from the great banner. The array of garrison soldiers blocking their way was already twisted beyond recognition under their impact; with just a little more effort, they could break through it.

Li Shuang was left with only a few hundred personal guards.

Oh no, when we are all united, you will not escape the path of defeat!
Thinking of this, Hu Gudu Jin looked at Li Shuang, who was right in front of him, and couldn't help but shout loudly.

"Capture Da Ye Shuang and march south to Guanzhong!"

This cry ignited an unprecedented fighting spirit in the soldiers behind him!
By this point in the battle, the two sides' formations had become a chaotic mess, relying solely on brute force without any skill whatsoever.

"Bone protector, I'm here to help you!"

Heba Yue shouted loudly. As the commander, he did not hide in the rear, but led his troops to the front. Seeing the opportunity that Hugudujin had seized, he did not hesitate to lead his troops to follow.

This is not the time to cherish one's life.

Looking at Hu Gudu Jin, He Ba Yue could still see a glimmer of light in his eyes.

The situation suddenly changed.

An arrow struck, piercing Hu Gudujin's throat with pinpoint accuracy, ending his life in an instant. A smile lingered on his face as his body fell.

Hugudujin fell in front of Hebayue, during his charge, and at the moment when he was closest to revenge.

impossible!
This distance!

Heba Yue looked around and saw that 150 paces away, under that great banner, a man dressed in royal robes put down his longbow!
What followed was the shouts of all the guards surrounding the banner.

"The King of Qin is mighty! The King of Qin is mighty! The King of Qin is mighty!"

After three shouts, Heba Yue suddenly came to his senses. The prey in front of him was not a weak scholar, but a ruthless character who had fought his way out of the north. He would not hesitate to sacrifice himself when it mattered.

After this arrow, the King of Qin's banner pressed forward!
The garrison troops, who had been on the verge of collapse after being decimated, regained their footing at this moment.

Faced with that great banner, some of their own soldiers actually broke down.

Just as Heba Yue was about to reorganize the formation, another arrow came flying.

Unlike before, this arrow was fired from a closer point and with greater force.

Seventy steps!
The target is Heba Yue!
However, Heba Yue was more fortunate than Hu Gu, as his helmet and armor were still intact.

The neck guard under the mask was still intact, so he survived the blow.

Instead, his warhorse was startled, neighed, and threw him off.

When Heba Yue got up again, he felt a sweet taste in his throat and a cold sweat broke out all over his body.

While the blood and courage of a person can unleash powerful combat strength for a period of time, fear and fatigue will increase exponentially after the passion fades.

The Qin king's banner continued to advance, but Li Shuang did not fire the third arrow.

The closer the distance, the greater the power of the arrow.

Heba Yue was worried and unconsciously took a few steps back. But he also wanted to check if the soldiers around him had noticed his movements. What he saw was the puzzled face of the soldier who had brought him the warhorse.

"Your Majesty, mount your horse quickly!"

Heba Yue, relying solely on his instincts, climbed onto the horse's back. In his moment of panic, he heard a shout.

"Heba Adou ni!"

He Bayue looked up and saw that Li Shuang was already about twenty steps away.

The soldiers around Li Shuang have suppressed the Six Garrison Soldiers around Heba Yue!

"You barbarians, how dare you shout at my front lines? Don't you know you're going to die!"

Its sound was like thunder, and its movement was like lightning.

Faced with Li Shuang in this state, Heba Yue felt no desire to fight back. All his courage and fighting spirit vanished the moment he saw the young king on horseback approaching.

At that moment, Yuwen Luosheng's words echoed in Heba Yue's mind.

We can't win!

Now, those words are like a curse, leaving Heba Yue in a state of panic and uncertainty.

Li Shuang raised his bow, drew the string, and shot an arrow at Heba Yue.

With a whoosh, a wave of pain spread throughout his body. Heba Yue looked ahead again at the King of Qin under the great banner. At this moment, he resolutely rode away.

He hadn't run far when he was struck on the head by an iron mace from an oncoming cavalryman.

After a dizzying moment, all that remained in my ears were shouts of victory.

……

(End of this chapter)