Chapter 234

The Xuanjia Army numbered over a thousand.

All clad in iron armor, they were the elite picked from elite cavalry.

Their origin lay in the light cavalry trained by Li Yuan to deal with the Turks.

Later this force passed into Li Erfeng's hands.

Li Erfeng equipped them with upgraded armor and weapons, leading them on southern and northern campaigns to win great renown.

These Xuanjia troops were commanded respectively by Qin Qiong, Cheng Zhijie, Yuchi Jingde, Zhai Zhangsun, and others.

"The Xia army is in disarray, unable to advance or retreat."

"The battle opportunity has appeared!"

Hearing Lin Dao's voice from the walkie-talkie, Li Erfeng took a deep breath and put on his helmet.

The Golden Crow rose higher, warm sunlight shining on the two great lamps on the chest of the Mingguang Armor, gleaming dazzlingly.

Over a thousand Xuanjia troops followed Li Shimin at the very front.

Sunlight fell upon them, and from afar they looked like a metal Great Wall.

Dou Jiande on the royal carriage had a deathly pale face.

He looked around; his own great army was hurriedly donning armor, forming ranks in utter chaos.

Many soldiers' armor and weapons were still on the wagons, not yet taken down.

Drum and horn sounds never ceased, officers at all levels roared desperately, striving to straighten their ranks.

"Wasn't it said they'd arrive in the afternoon?!"

Dou Jiande flew into a rage: "It's barely been long after the si hour—how did the Tang army get here so fast?!"

The accompanying Liu Bin felt his hair stand on end: "Your Majesty, now is not the time to talk about this."

"Please, Your Majesty, enter the city at once!"

"Shut your mouth!" Dou Jiande flew into a great rage: "If I run now, the whole army will collapse immediately!"

Dou Jiande had fought for over a decade; he still had this capability.

The enemy army is charging over, and the commander-in-chief runs away at this time?

You really dare to say that!

The Xia army has not yet collapsed at this moment, precisely because I, Dou Jiande, am still here!

Once he flees, the whole army will collapse immediately.

Dou Jiande had courage and resolved to fight to the death here.

But in a big forest all kinds of birds exist—not everyone has this courage.

The first to flee were the civilian laborers following the army.

These civilian laborers, who brought their own dry rations and were conscripted for hard labor, some began running toward the city gate.

Someone took the lead, and those fleeing afterward expanded like an avalanche.

Nearby officers hurriedly brandished knives to block and kill them.

But there were too many fleeing laborers; they simply couldn't cut them all down.

Once someone started, a chain reaction gradually formed.

Almost all the laborers, and some soldiers, were fleeing toward the city gate several miles away.

Anyone with a clear mind would think this was too absurd.

The city gate is only so big; so many people crowding together at once—isn't that seeking death? ~

But only those in the midst of it could truly feel that, under the threat of death and the pressure of those around them, many things were beyond their control, they were even powerless to consider, and could only follow the crowd.

The place where the Xia army assembled was only a few miles from the city gate they had previously exited.

The swift-footed laborers had even rushed to the gate.

But what greeted them was the garrison's weapons.

"Kill them all!"

Liu Heita, left to defend the city, loudly scolded and ordered: "Do not block the city gate!"

"Go bring all the Li Tang people over!"

Closely following the fleeing laborers were those private soldiers and household retainers.

They surrounded their patriarch, turned around, and began to flee.

With more time to weigh pros and cons, many chose to bypass Mingzhou City.

But some were determined to flee back into the city, and directly clashed with Liu Heita blocking the gate.

On this side, Li Erfeng personally led from the front, bringing his cavalry group charging into the enemy ranks.

The Xuanjia Army led the charge, with ordinary cavalry following.

Right from the start it was like an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, smashing the Xia army's hastily arranged battle formation.

The Xia army had previously been in a marching state.

Not only were their ranks scattered, but the soldiers had not donned armor, and even their long weapons were left on the wagons.

Men and horses numbered over ten thousand, boundless and endless.

Under a sudden ambush, they could still muster a crude battle formation—the Xia army could already be considered well-trained.

Unfortunately, their preparations were too poor, and the opponent was too strong.

Seeing the battle situation collapse, Dou Jiande closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

On this side Liu Bin hurriedly called out: "Your Majesty, return to the city!"

"Quick!"

In the sky, a drone hovered.

Through the lens, Lin Dao, driving one-handed, saw this scene.

"When in doubt, indecision achieves nothing great."

"If you really want to run, you have to run ahead of time."

"Decisively abandoning the twenty-thousand-strong army as an obstacle to block the pursuers."

"You didn't run before, and now you run only after the army has collapsed like a mountain—can you even escape?"

"And you're still sitting there in a conspicuous, slow horse cart heading straight for the city gate, never thinking to switch to horses and go around to another gate?"

"Mingzhou City can't possibly have just one city gate."

"Indeed, wherever you came from, that's where you go back!"

In the collapse of an army like a mountain falling, even many famous generals will do unimaginable things.

That's not strange.

A certain white-robed famous general felt deeply about this.

Stopping the cart, Lin Dao picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Dou Jiande has fled—watch his carriage!"

Hearing this, Li Erfeng immediately fixed his gaze on Dou Jiande's carriage.

He personally led the team, smashing through numerous blocking rout soldiers, heading straight for the carriage.

No one knows who shouted, "The Xia King has run~~~"

The Xia Army still resisting the Tang Army turned to look at that conspicuous royal carriage, and they actually ran away—their will to resist collapsed instantly.

Rout soldiers were everywhere.

Dou Jiande's royal carriage was finally caught up by the Xuanjia Army at a distance of several li inside the city gate.

The guards were killed and scattered, and Liu Bin and other close aides either died or knelt on the ground begging for mercy.

Yuchi Jingde, built like an iron tower, let out a shout, reached out, grabbed Dou Jiande in his royal robe from the carriage, and immediately tucked him under his arm.

"Quickly!"

Seeing this, Lin Dao hurriedly called to Li Erfeng, "Tell Yuchi Jingde to put him down—he has a stench and will smoke people to death!"

"Your uncle and aunt are still being held hostage!"

"To quickly pacify Hebei, we need Dou Jiande alive."

Li Erfeng didn't care that much about his uncle and aunt.

But this kind of thing couldn't be said openly.

Under his repeated shouts, Dou Jiande was finally rescued before being smoked to death.

"Cough cough cough~~~"

Dou Jiande, sitting on the ground coughing repeatedly, looked up and saw Li Erfeng on the horseback in front of him.

"Betraying trust and abandoning righteousness."

Li Erfeng scolded, "You agreed to release them and then went back on your word—what else do you have to say!"

Dou Jiande smiled bitterly again and again, "The victor is king, the loser is a bandit—I have nothing to say."

"Li Erlang, this world is yours now."

Dou Jiande, who had rebelled against the Sui for over ten years, had never seen such a powerful opponent.

The young Li Erlang raided a thousand li, precisely seized the moment when his own troops were weakest, and in one battle not only won a great victory but was even captured himself.

Such a formidable person will surely be the ruler of the world in the future.

Li Erfeng turned to look at Mingzhou City not far away.

"Go order them to surrender."

Dou Jiande sighed, turned, and instructed Liu Bin kneeling not far away, "Liu Qing, you go tell those inside the city."

Liu Bin got up, jogged all the way to the foot of the city wall, and shouted to the defending troops that the Xia King had been captured and that those inside the city should surrender.

On Li Erfeng's side, a smile had already appeared.

The results of this battle were truly better than expected.

One sortie, and they actually pacified the entire Northern Regions~~~

"Whoosh!"

A sharp arrow whistled down, piercing Liu Bin's throat.

Liu Bin, who was shouting for surrender, instantly made gurgling sounds in his throat and fell to the ground staring with eyes wide in disbelief.

Li Er's smile also froze instantly.

Something has changed!

Not long after, several figures bound by ropes were lowered from the city wall.

"Li Erlang!"

Liu Heita on the city tower shouted fiercely, "Release my Great King quickly!"

"Otherwise, your uncle and aunt will have to die!"

Li Erfeng's face turned deathly pale instantly.

As long as the benefits are great enough, within the royal family, even parents, brothers, and sisters can be disposed of.

But this kind of thing cannot be placed in the open.

Those who act in the open, even after a thousand years, will still have people poke their spines.

Li Erfeng naturally would not release Dou Jiande.

Capturing Dou Jiande means the entire Territory of Hebei is as good as settled.

Release him?

What a joke!

But if this caused his uncle and aunt to die miserably, then he, Li Erfeng, would surely be spat upon by everyone under heaven.

This spitting would be written in the Historical Records, passed down year after year.

Saying he, Li Erfeng, for power and influence forced his relatives to death, and so on~~~

No way, after years of Confucian influence.

These had long become moral standards.

Just as he was at a loss, Lin Dao's voice came from his walkie-talkie again.

"Take Dou Jiande away."

Li Erfeng's heart stirred, and he hurriedly turned his horse's head and left.

On this side, Yuchi Jingde also picked up Dou Jiande and followed.

The Tang Army cavalry, bringing defeated soldiers and prisoners, retreated ten li outside and joined up with the bicycle troop.

"Brother Zi Hou."

Li Erfeng, with an anxious expression, jumped off his horse and headed straight to Lin Dao's carriage, "Help me~~~"

"Alright."

Lin Dao nodded, "But my time is very precious."

"If you lend a hand~~~"

Li Erfeng understood immediately, and at once cupped his fists, "As long as my uncle and aunt can be saved, Li Shiji is willing to offer twenty thousand jin of raw silk as thanks!"

"That's your own aunt, your own uncle~~~"

Lin Dao frowned tightly, "Your relatives are worth only twenty thousand jin of raw silk?"

Li Erfeng, having lived twenty years, had never encountered such a thing as raising the price before.

He was obviously a bit dazed, "Brother Zi Hou means~~~"

"Add some more." Lin Dao raised his head to face him, "Twenty thousand jin of raw silk per person."

Li Erfeng was somewhat shocked, the beard on his face trembling and trembling.

He truly hadn't expected that a figure like Lin Dao, possessing immortal methods, would actually be so greedy for money.

This was different from the immortals in the tales.

Are there immortals in this world who lack money?

Li Shiji, who was bestowed the Li surname in the second year of the Wude Era, stepped forward without changing expression and pushed Li Erfeng.

Li Erfeng, coming back to his senses, at once cupped his fists and saluted.

"As long as my uncle and aunt can be saved, twenty thousand jin it is!"

Lin Dao raised a finger.

"It's twenty thousand jin per person."

"Good." Li Erfeng hesitated not at all, and at once agreed.

To him, wealth was an external thing, not worth mentioning at all.

Lin Dao got off the carriage and looked up at the sky.

"It's inconvenient in broad daylight, let's talk at night."

After speaking, he walked over to Dou Jiande, who was under strict guard.

Surveying this Xia King, Lin Dao squatted down and asked.

"I have something I've never understood, and want to ask you."

Dou Jiande was also doubtful, looking at this strangely dressed person before him, and replied in a low voice, "Ask whatever you wish, I will answer without reservation."

"Tell me."

Lin Dao frowned, "Why submit to the Turks?"

Dou Jiande was stunned, obviously not expecting this question.

He relaxed his brow, "You Tang people, haven't you also submitted to the Turks before?"

End of Chapter