Chapter 91: Little Man, Quite Domineering
“Ahhh~”
After the Divine Arm Crossbows fired, the Northern Naiman cavalry over four hundred meters away let out screams of agony.
Among the Naiman people, those wearing iron armor were ultimately a minority; the vast majority only wore leather armor, or even no armor at all.
Therefore, the first twenty or so Northern Naiman soldiers charging forward were directly shot off their horses.
“What?”
“How can the Liao State’s bows and arrows shoot so far?”
The Northern Naiman general was greatly astonished.
However, the order he received was to bypass the Liao Army’s rear at all costs and fiercely strike at Xiao Simo.
Thus, the mere death or injury of over twenty soldiers could not shake his resolve.
“Continue charging for me; anyone who dares to fear battle will have their entire family die.”
The Northern Naiman cavalry continued to charge, but before they could advance twenty meters, the second wave of arrows arrived.
“Ahhh~”
Another wave of screams, the leather armor on the soldiers’ bodies was pierced.
The immense power of the Divine Arm Crossbow arrows directly penetrated their bodies.
Another dozen or so soldiers fell from their horses.
And next, what awaited these Naiman cavalry was seemingly endless volleys of crossbow arrows.
By the time the third rank of soldiers fired their arrows, the first rank had already reloaded their crossbows.
After the third rank of soldiers all squatted down, under Chen Lao Jiu’s command, the first rank of soldiers stood up and pulled their bow triggers.
This cycle repeated, such that the volleys of Divine Arm Crossbow arrows seemed continuous, leaving the Naiman cavalry no chance to breathe.
A short distance of only just over four hundred meters, which normally only required one charge from the Naiman cavalry to end instantly.
But today, it had become a road paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
At least over two hundred Naiman cavalry perished on this bloody road, and in the end, even the Naiman soldiers wearing iron armor could not escape.
Such a tragic casualty ratio severely dampened the morale of the Naiman people.
To the point that the subsequent charging Naiman soldiers, upon seeing the corpses of their comrades along the way, only felt increasing fear in their hearts.
Their will to fight was completely worn away, and many soldiers even disregarded the deterrence of military orders, fleeing in all directions in a panic.
And at this moment, Li Xiao’s cavalry units were already fully prepared, and would certainly not miss the opportunity to strike a defeated foe.
To the flank of the Divine Arm Crossbow Company stood a hundred Armored Cavalry, like war beasts charging out of mythology.
They were entirely covered in heavy armor, and the sunlight reflecting off the surface of their armor cast a cold and dazzling gleam, like an impenetrable steel barrier.
Each overlapping plate of armor produced a crisp clanking sound, intertwining with the heavy panting of the warhorses, composing a prelude to death.
Standing at the very front was naturally Li Xiao, clad in Pockmarked Armor, his entire body covered beneath the armor, with only a pair of eyes filled with murderous coldness staring straight ahead.
Raising his hand to grip his Horse Spear, he roared in a low voice, “Break them.”
“Charge~”
Li Xiao’s cavalry army began their charge.
The hundred Armored Cavalry were like a sharp spear, surging forward with an indomitable and majestic aura.
Thousands of Light Cavalry followed like a tide, the sound of hooves like thunder, a thousand armies and ten thousand horses galloping across the grassland, shaking the very earth.
Facing this overwhelming and terrifying offensive, the Naiman cavalry opposite were already filled with terror and panic in their eyes.
Li Xiao’s Armored Cavalry crashed into the Naiman cavalry like an iron torrent, their spears thrusting out mercilessly, instantly tearing open bloody wounds.
The Light Cavalry followed closely, sabers swinging, harvesting lives as easily as cutting vegetables, the Naiman cavalry formations like fragile ants, scattered and in disarray.
Blood splattered, and screams were incessant.
A moment later, the Naiman people directly collapsed, and the remaining soldiers fled in a frenzy.
Xiao Yanyan then rode her horse to Li Xiao’s side, asking with concern, “Are you injured?”
After all, during the battle, Li Xiao had been at the forefront of the charge.
Li Xiao, encased in heavy face armor, only revealed his eyes, and said to Xiao Yanyan, “Look at me, who could injure me?”
Li Xiao, clad in Pockmarked Armor, was wrapped up like a large iron ball.
The Naiman Light Cavalry could inflict no damage on him; the only thing that could stop Li Xiao was likely his stamina.
Moreover, Li Xiao, having gone through a bloody battle, was very agitated and had no mood to coddle Xiao Yanyan.
Seeing the blood on her leather armor, he knew she had killed the enemy alongside the Light Cavalry, and he couldn’t help but feel irritated.
He said in a domineering voice, “You disobedient woman, I told you to stay in the rear, why did you run out here again.”
After scolding her, Li Xiao glared fiercely at Xiao Yanyan’s guards and cursed, “Protect the Princess well.”
“If anything happens to her, not only will Lord Xiao skin you alive, but I, Li Xiao, will not let you off either.”
After scolding the guards, Li Xiao’s adrenaline was no longer surging.
He looked at Xiao Yanyan again and snorted, “I’ve fought desperately for your Xiao family today.”
“If you don’t repay me handsomely in the future, do you think I’ll let you off?”
After speaking, Li Xiao, without waiting for Xiao Yanyan to reply, directly shouted to his Heavy Cavalry, “Switch horses.”
“Follow me to strike Buyiru Khan’s rear.”
“Capture Buyiru Khan alive, and everyone will be heavily rewarded.”
“Yes, sir~”
Having just won a great victory, the soldiers’ adrenaline was soaring, and their morale was high, so they were roaring with excitement.
Let alone capturing Buyiru Khan alive, even if they had to travel a thousand miles to kill Yelü Zhilugu, the soldiers at this moment would not object.
Soon, Li Xiao and his men changed to fresh horses, and also prepared a spare horse in case of a final sprint.
As he was leaving, Li Xiao shouted to the Khitan guards, “Protect the Princess.”
Then, he spurred his horse forward, wielding his blood-stained Horse Spear, and pursued in the opposite direction from which the Naiman had come.
Watching Li Xiao’s receding back, Xiao Yanyan gripped the reins, a slight smile curling her lips, and let out a soft hum, “Little man, quite domineering.”
A smile slowly spread across her face, and then she waved her Horsewhip, “Giddy up~”
“Princess~”
“Princess, it’s dangerous ahead, don’t go.”
“Yes, if anything happens to you, the Great King will truly skin us alive.”
But Xiao Yanyan ignored them, her beautiful eyes filled with a fierce glint as she looked back at the guards, “Get lost.”
“My brother and Li Xiao are both fighting on the front lines.”
“If they die, what meaning is there for me to live?”
“It’s better to die together.”
“Giddy up.”
As her words fell, Xiao Yanyan whipped her warhorse, following Li Xiao’s army.
These Khitan guards could only follow behind with anxious expressions.
…
On the frontal battlefield, Buyiru Khan was commanding the army, attacking Xiao Simo’s Central Army.
As Sun Khan’s elder brother, the two brothers had similar builds and appearances.
Buyiru Khan was even stouter than Sun Khan, like a large meatball riding a horse.
Looking at the retreating troops of the North Sea Tribe in the distance, Tuoteboluo’s face revealed an excited smile.
“Hahaha.”
“What that person said was indeed true; the North Sea Tribe is utterly incapable of fighting.”
“They are no match for my Naiman warriors.”
“Send orders to Tuobahua, do not concern yourself with those North Sea troops, focus your full might on the Liao State’s Central Army.”
“I want to see Xiao Simo kneel before us and beg for mercy.”
“Hahaha~”
Tuoteboluo let out a wild laugh.
The humiliation and anger he had experienced a few days prior when he went to Xiao Simo’s camp were all swept away.
Having endured for so many days, now was the time for him to reclaim all the dignity he had lost.
“Order the soldiers, those who defeat the Liao people will all be richly rewarded.”
Tuoteboluo, in a great mood, began to generously bestow rewards.
But soon, a piece of news arrived like a bolt from the blue, delivering a powerful blow.
“Report, Great Khan, the Liao Army is charging from our flank.”
The moment he heard this, Tuoteboluo’s smile froze on his face, his eyes widening as if he couldn’t believe his ears.
He stood stunned on the spot, his smugness instantly replaced by terror and rage.
Then he suddenly looked at the scout and roared, “What is going on? How did they appear there!”
“Where is Badu Haba?”
This was the Naiman general he had sent to attack Xiao Simo’s rear.
There was still no news from Badu Haba, but the Liao Army had already reached their rear.
“General Badu Haba has been defeated.”
“His troops have already dispersed.”
Upon hearing the scout’s words, Tuoteboluo almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
He hadn’t managed to strike Xiao Simo’s rear, but his own situation had become precarious.
The main forces of the Northern Naiman were all attacking Xiao Simo’s Central Army from the front, and Badu Haba’s troops had not returned.
Now, Tuoteboluo had very few soldiers remaining around him.
“Hold them off.”
Tuoteboluo drew his saber and shouted in anger.
If this Liao Army were allowed to break through, the Naiman army fighting the Liao Central Army from the front would be caught in a pincer attack and quickly collapse.
At that point, the Northern Naiman would be finished.
Therefore, Tuoteboluo ordered all the remaining troops to intercept Li Xiao.
“Charge~”
In the distance, Li Xiao led the army charging forward, dust billowing wherever they went, shaking the earth.
Their impact was irresistible, as if they were going to crush the entire world.
Amidst the Naiman army’s panic, the terrifying Armored Cavalry, like a sharp spear, directly tore through the Naiman defense line in front of them.
These Naiman soldiers were like fragile ants, scattered and in disarray.
Tuoteboluo, seeing this scene from the rear, his face instantly turned ashen, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
He gripped the reins tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand, and roared, “Hold steady, no one is allowed to retreat!”
But his voice was quickly drowned out by the shouts of battle, and the soldiers could not hear his commands.
The Naiman army collapsed.
