Chapter 21: Beating the Drums (IV)

Li Kuo charged swiftly into the Uyghur cavalry with his lance, knocking off the heads of two Uyghurs with just one strike. But he didn’t stop there—turning around, he pierced another cavalryman who tried to ambush him with a curved sword, then swept his lance wildly, slashing the abdomens of three more Uyghur riders, causing blood to gush forth like a fountain.
Though it had been a long time since he last used a lance, it felt natural in his hands now!
“Charge in and kill them all—for ourselves!”
Li Kuo pointed his lance at Ba Chuo, his icy gaze making the latter tremble with fear.
“For ourselves!”
“For ourselves! Charge in and kill them all!”
“Kill them!”
“…”
“Follow General Li and charge in—kill these scum!”
Under Li Kuo’s leadership, 150 elite Tang cavalrymen quickly broke through and penetrated the middle of the Uyghur cavalry, engaging in close combat. By now, the Uyghurs, already weakened by scattered arrows, tripwires, and spear attacks, had lost their initial momentum. Seeing a group of brightly armored Tang cavalry charging at them, they became disorganized.
This Tang cavalry was like a fierce wave in a vast marsh, rushing toward the Uyghurs with unstoppable force, with General Li Kuo, whom his soldiers trusted utterly, at its forefront. Li Kuo’s lance acted like a sharp dagger, piercing through the Uyghur cavalry, knocking riders off their horses as they cried in pain. The ownerless horses neighed mournfully, galloping toward their masters’ corpses.
“Draw your swords!”
Li Kuo issued the order for battle while charging. He wouldn’t spare a single one of these Uyghur cavalrymen!
“Swish!”
Swords with cold gleams were drawn from their scabbards, and with the speed of their horses, they were swung at the Uyghurs. The sharp blades sliced through their waists, tearing open deep wounds with just a slight pull. In horse combat, riders didn’t need to exert much strength—just skillfully slice along their opponents’ bellies to drain them of blood!
Wherever the Tang cavalry went, cries of pain filled the air, and flesh flew wherever their swords struck!
They had to kill these vicious wolves—only by killing them could they survive better.
Now, they fought not for the Tang Dynasty or glory, but for themselves, for a better chance of survival!
Anyone who stands in my way dies!
“Don’t panic! Stay together! We’re in the majority—we must break through!”
Ba Chuo no longer dared think of defeating the Tang army; he only wanted to escape, to get out of this quagmire. At that moment, he realized it was the Tang army the real vicious wolves!

“O Eternal Heaven, protect your child! I will prove my honor with my blood!”
Ba Chao drew his curved sword and charged at one of the Tang cavalry first. These Uyghur riders were after all elite soldiers; after a brief moment of panic, they regained their composure and rushed forward under their commander’s lead. Although at this distance their cavalry had little impact force, they could make use of the strength in their waists to compensate for this weakness.
“Die!”
Ba Chao swung his curved sword fiercely, severing a Tang soldier’s head in one stroke. Bright red blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing all over his face.
“Haha, haha! The Tang dogs are nothing but this! Slay them all!”
As he slashed at a Tang soldier’s shoulder blade, Ba Chao felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. He wielded his curved sword wildly, ending each life with a swing.
Five, six… ten…
In the blink of an eye, he had killed ten Tang cavalrymen, with heads rolling everywhere beneath the clanging hooves of their horses.
“Charge! Charge forward!”
Before he could finish speaking, a intense chill struck his throat.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
He desperately tried to call for help, but his voice sounded like that of a trapped beast. The tremendous force nearly knocked him off his horse. By instinct, Ba Chao clung tightly to the horse’s flanks, barely managing to maintain his balance.
Looking down in disbelief, he saw a black-feathered arrow stuck in his throat. “Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
His voice was low and hoarse; no one could understand what he was saying. A warm, bloody fluid surged up his throat and spilled from between his teeth. Reluctantly, Ba Chao reached out with his right hand, hoping to pull out the arrow. But as his rough hand touched the cold shaft, his neck muscles spasmed, his vision blurred, and he fell to the right side of the horse’s back.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the Uyghurs’ hopes vanished instantly!
“Lord Ba Chao is dead!”
“General Ba Chao has been killed by the Tangs!”
The Uyghur cavalry, who had formed a wedge formation, instantly fell into chaos. They could hardly believe their commander had been killed like this, just twenty steps away—while that black bow was still trembling!
It was that Tang general in black armor who had killed their commander! Him!
“Kill him!”
Ba Chao’s deputy, with eyes blazing red, gave the order. With their commander dead, if they failed to drive back the Tang army and retrieve General Ba Chao’s body, how could they face returning home?
“Blood for blood! O Eternal Heaven, protect your child! I will use the blood of the Tangs to honor General Ba Chao’s spirit!”

“Blood for blood!”
“Blood for blood!”… The battle in the central army had reached a fierce intensity. Bi Qiehe frowned, thinking over his next move under the cover of his bodyguards. The encirclement strategy he had envisioned had not taken shape. Nuo Luo from the right wing had arrived in time, but he failed to break through Tang Ren’s solid formation. As for his second son, Ba Chuo, leading a thousand elite cavalrymen, their presence was completely hidden in the swirling yellow sand.
Tang Ren clearly intended to divide them into several groups and defeat them one by one using their formations!
There was no more time to wait! Absolutely no more! Waiting any longer would only drain the remaining fighting spirit of the cavalry!
The longer it dragged on, the more scattered their cavalry would become, making them easier targets for Tang Ren!
“Pass my order: charge straight at the enemy’s central army and seize their flag!”
Bi Qiehe’s voice was authoritative and unchallengeable. As the king of the Uyghurs, his command meant instant obedience from all his troops!
“Father Khan! This is too dangerous. What if there’s a trap…?” Du Gu hurriedly bowed to Bi Qiehe, urging him loudly. Tang Ren was skilled in tactics, and they had already suffered so much before. Acting rashly could lead to further disasters. Although attacking the central army directly would be decisive, they still didn’t know Tang Ren’s troop deployment behind the pike formations, so they couldn’t make targeted preparations.
“Stop talking! Tang Ren only has three thousand soldiers. At least a thousand will be needed for the left and right wings. With three thousand elite cavalry charging to kill their leaders, what is there to fear? Blow the horns!”
Bi Qiehe looked displeased. The battle had dragged on too long. In cavalry warfare, speed was crucial. The longer it went on, the deeper they got trapped, and the more casualties there would be. He somewhat regretted reaching that agreement with Geshu Han. It seemed the grasslands of the Göktürks wouldn’t be easy to seize!
Even if they managed to take the grasslands, someone would need to guard them. If most of his elite troops were killed or wounded, who would protect the women and children of their tribe?
But since they had come this far, they couldn’t return empty-handed. Only by cutting off the heads of these Tang dogs could they gain fertile grasslands to honor the spirits of the fallen warriors!
The only solution now was to fight quickly and decisively!
“Yes!”
Du Gu clasped his fists and replied reluctantly.
“Blow the horns!”
“Woo—woo-woo—woo-woo-woo!”
“Woo—woo-woo—woo-woo-woo!”
The deep sound of the horns rang out again as the Uyghur cavalry forced their way through the pike formation.
“Charge at the Tang dogs’ central army and seize their flag!”
The bodyguards repeated their commander’s orders repeatedly to ensure the soldiers knew exactly what to attack.

Damn it! The Tang generals are just cowards who fear death and hide in the center of their army, letting their soldiers die for them. Now, without hesitation, our men rushed into the center and cut down your flag—see where you can hide now!
Perhaps intimidated by the power of the Uyghur cavalry, the spearmen actually stepped aside, creating a wider gap. This delighted Bi Qiehe greatly, who shouted repeatedly, “What are we waiting for? It’s time to repay the Eternal Heaven! Kill all those Tang dogs and wash our blades with their blood!”
With enough space, the Uyghur cavalry accelerated their horses. Following Bi Qiehe’s orders, they ignored the spearmen and archers around them, focusing only on the enemy flags fluttering in the wind.
Without the obstruction of the spearmen, the fifty-step distance was covered in an instant. When Bi Qiehe knocked over the last wooden barrier, he finally saw the Tang army’s flag waving ahead. But beneath it were neither the Tang commander nor his bodyguards—only dozens of roughly made, ugly-looking wooden carts. (Note 1) What could these be? What kind of military carts would be placed in the center of the battlefield?
Bi Qiehe felt a chill rise along his neck and shuddered instinctively.
The Tang army’s center was empty! No wonder they lured him here. So, his left and right wings were now in a situation of fighting outnumbered?
Boom! Bi Qiehe’s mind exploded, and he was about to order a retreat. But it was too late. Before he could wave his command flag, a strange buzzing sound came from those dozens of ugly carts.
“Buzz!”
“Buzz!”
Uncertain if he was hallucinating, Bi Qiehe saw the strange carts shaking violently before clusters of silver-white arrows shot toward him!
“No, no!”
It all happened too fast. Bi Qiehe instinctively fell off his horse to avoid the deadly attacks.
The arrows, like locusts, pierced through the horses and, driven by their momentum, pinned the riders to the ground.
Bi Qiehe’s pupils contracted sharply as blood mist blurred his vision, and everything around him fell silent.
Note 1: Wooden cart crossbows: A type of military crossbow used by the Tang Dynasty, a medium to large-sized crossbow with extreme lethality.