Chapter 50: Heavenly Questions (II)

Linghu Chao was a man who loved gambling, and he had an exceptional eye for it—almost always winning. At that time, he bet that the Tang forces could not withstand the rebel cavalry, so he without hesitation surrendered and handed over Yongqiu City.
What happened next? Not only Henan Province but also Chang’an was seized by the Emperor of Great Yan.
Even Suiyang City, defended by Zhang Xun, was captured by the Yan army after ten months, wasn’t it?
War is cruel, and the primary factor determining victory is, of course, strength. The cavalry of Youzhou was renowned throughout the land, and just with that advantage, the Empire of Great Yan could conquer cities effortlessly and remain invincible.
Although he hadn’t yet earned the absolute trust of the Emperor of Great Yan, his situation was certainly better than that of a county magistrate in Yongqiu.
And now, he still wanted to gamble—he wanted to bet that the Tang archers couldn’t kill all the enemy soldiers.
“Charge forward! General Linghu orders us to charge! Those who show fear will be executed!”
The soldiers of the military police shouted while drawing their steel knives, urging the cavalry to charge across the river.
Someone will surely make it through! Linghu Chao thought to himself.
“Third round—fire together!”
But Li Kuo wasn’t affected by Linghu Chao’s emotions and continued giving orders.
“General’s order: The third row of archers, step forward and prepare to fire together!”
Xianyu Yu coordinated perfectly with Li Kuo, issuing loud commands.
“Thwack!” “Swish!”
The triggers were pulled simultaneously, and a dense net of arrows flew toward the advancing rebel cavalry.
“Thwack! Thwack!”
The leading rebel cavalry soldiers had their chests pierced and collapsed, rolling around in pain and screaming.
“Thwack! Thwack!”
The soldiers stepping forward to fill the gaps didn’t even have time to see the faces of the Tang soldiers before feeling pain in their throats and falling down in shock.
Unaffected, Linghu Chao ordered again, “Charge forward! Ten kills earn one rank upgrade! Ten kills earn one rank upgrade!”
The rebel cavalry formed a human shield wall and charged forward at full speed. When one rider fell, another immediately took his place, swinging his whip fiercely.
“Charge forward! Charge forward!”
Linghu Chao could now see the face of that Tang general and frowned.
This man… why did he seem so familiar?
Suddenly, Linghu Chao seemed to remember something.
Weren’t this the general whose rebellion the Tang court had announced?
Then why was he here now?
A series of questions surged through his mind, leaving him dizzy and confused.

“Change formation!” Li Kuo shouted loudly, issuing his command firmly. Immediately, the five hundred archers retreated, followed by five hundred armored soldiers armed solely with long spears! The sun hanging high in the sky cast its light on the Tang soldiers in silver armor, giving them a glorious and solemn appearance. “Fight!” “Fight!” “Fight!” The five hundred armored soldiers raised their spears together, aiming them firmly at the rebel cavalry charging across the suspension bridge. “Fight!” “Fight!” “Fight!” The five hundred soldiers formed a dense wall of steel, blocking any enemy attempting to scale it。…… Upon seeing this tactical change by the Tang forces, Linghu Chao felt a chill in his heart as he frowned deeply. How could this be? How did the Tang have such a strong infantry unit? “ neigh!” Linghu Chao suddenly pulled on the reins, causing his warhorse to let out a mournful cry and stand on its hind legs. Linghu Chao clung tightly to the horse’s belly to avoid falling off. But the other cavalry riders at the front were not so lucky. First, they were surrounded by their comrades urging them forward with no way to retreat, and second, they had already reached the other side! “Advance!” Li Kuo gave a cold order. The five hundred armored soldiers exerted all their strength, thrusting their long spears forward. They didn’t need to move much—just seal off that gap to trap all the Hu soldiers. So what if you’re the Yanzhou cavalry? So what if you have a large number of troops? The five hundred soldiers stood on the other side of the suspension bridge, giving the impression of being an impenetrable barrier. The rebel cavalry at the front couldn’t stop in time and crashed headfirst into the sea of spears. The long spears pierced the necks of the warhorses, penetrated the armor on the rebel cavalry’s chests, and unleashed years of accumulated hatred. Blood gushed out from the wounds, splashing onto the Tang soldiers’ armor. Yet the soldiers of the Jianghuai army were unaffected at all. They threw the dying rebel cavalry aside and thrust their spears at those trying to follow. “Thwack! Thwack!” The spears pierced the armor and then tore through flesh. More and more rebel cavalry fell before the sea of spears, with piles of dead horses reaching half a person’s height. “ neigh!” Seeing this, Linghu Chao couldn’t help but gasp in shock. He never expected the Tang infantry spear unit to be so deadly! But now he had no choice—no matter how many soldiers he lost, he had to charge through! “Charge! Kill all these Tang invaders! Avenging our fallen comrades!” Linghu Chao drew his sword and raised it high, leading the Yanzhou cavalry. “The general orders us to charge! Advance!” His personal guards echoed his words, conveying their commander’s orders to every soldier.

It was a matter of life and death now, leaving no room for hesitation. Perhaps the pile of corpses at the bridge posed a significant obstacle to the Tang soldiers, so when the cavalry from the rear crossed the suspension bridge and reached the riverbank, they faced much less resistance. The Tang soldiers could no longer shoot as swiftly as before; sometimes they even had to step over layers of decaying corpses to thrust their long spears! Of course, the piles of corpses also hindered the rebel cavalry, and both sides soon engaged in close combat. The rebel cavalry struggled to reach the riverbank, raising their curved swords high and swinging them fiercely at the Tang soldiers in armor. “Kill them! Kill them all!” Linghu Chao finally made it across the suspension bridge and glanced back at the rushing Cang River below, taking a deep breath in shock. Falling from such a height would mean certain death—these Tang soldiers were truly ruthless! “Change formation!” Li Kuo ordered coldly, frowning deeply. “Clang! Clang!” “Thud! Thud!” Amidst the chaos, the soldiers with long spears stepped aside, creating a gap through which a group of about a hundred silver-armored infantry rushed forward. Each of them held an eight-foot-long halberd, their eyes as cold as ice. When the halberds were raised, everything would be destroyed! There were halberds in the Tang army—Linghu Chao gripped the reins tightly, inwardly exclaiming in alarm.