The sky was vast, and cattle and sheep could be seen when the wind blew through the grass.
In the old land of the Turks, there were lush aquatic plants everywhere. Especially since the Turks had moved in for ten years, the grassland here had regained its vitality and was even better than before. Gazelles could be seen everywhere. Whether it was for animal husbandry or hunting, this was an excellent grassland.
At a bend in the river, there were hundreds of yurts. This was clearly the gathering place of a small tribe.
"Da da da!" However, the sound of hurried horse hooves broke the silence of the grassland. A large group of Xue Yantuo cavalry was charging towards this small tribe of Turks.
However, when the Xue Yantuo cavalry arrived at the tribe of Turks, the tribe did not react at all. Not a single brave Turk came out to meet the enemy.
"It's empty! Immediately return and report to Magnanimity! "
Centurion Engel, who was in charge of the surprise attack, had an ugly expression. He immediately turned his horse around and returned. At the same time, he did not forget to burn down this tribe of Turks.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, an arrow was shot from a small hill. Following that, a large group of Turks swept over and attacked the Xue Yantuo cavalry.
The two groups of cavalry immediately clashed and killed each other. Very quickly, the Turks took the advantage of the surprise attack. However, the Turks who had the upper hand did not continue to expand their victory. Instead, they quickly left the battlefield and retreated to the south.
After a while, a large group of Xue Yantuo cavalry arrived. The general leading them was Prince Xue Yantuo, Magnanimity.
"Replying to Magnanimity, the Turks are as cowardly as mice. They have already moved their herdsmen and left behind yurts to lure us in. After ambushing us, they once again fled to the south." Engel angrily reported.
Graciously, he did not blame Engel. Instead, he carefully observed the situation of this small surprise attack. Unexpectedly, he showed a satisfied smile and said, "Our army has lost hundreds of Turks. The Turks took the initiative but still lost fifty. It seems that the warm weather of the Tang dynasty has caused the Turks to lose their fighting strength."
Although the Turks' cavalry served as the imperial guards of the Tang dynasty, they used the training methods of the Tang dynasty. After returning to the grassland, there was no way they could compare to the elite cavalry of Xue Yantuo who trained day and night in the bitter cold. If they did not have the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, the Turks' cavalry might not be able to take advantage of the situation.
Now that Xue Yantuo had gathered two hundred thousand elites from the various tribes while the Turks only had forty thousand, Xue Yantuo would definitely win this battle.
"Magnanimous and wise. The Turks are just old wolves who have already lost. They have become the watchdogs of the Tang dynasty, yet they still dream of becoming the overlords of the steppe," the Khitan leader praised.
In the steppe, strength was always respected. Now that Xue Yantuo was powerful, all the tribes in the steppe would naturally respect Xue Yantuo who was the most powerful and directly abandon the Turks.
If the Turks unexpectedly won, they would also need these small tribes. This was the survival of the steppe tribes.
"Continue to chase. In the future, every ten thousand cavalry will form an army and every army will be thirty li apart. The Turks won't be able to run far. From now on, there will only be one overlord in the steppe, and that is Xue Yantuo," Magnanimous said coldly.
"What if the Turks escape back to the Tang dynasty?" The Huihe leader frowned. The other leaders were worried. Once the Turks retreated to the south of the Yellow River, that was the territory of the Tang dynasty. Could they still attack the Tang dynasty?
Magnanimous said with wisdom in his hand, "The Turks won't escape back to the Tang dynasty so easily. Because they know that once they retreat to the Tang dynasty, it won't be so easy to come back."
This time, he wanted to use the prestige of the war to make the Tang dynasty completely recognize Xue Yantuo's rule in the old land of the Turks. Otherwise, his 200,000 troops wouldn't mind continuing to the south. He also wanted to see the scenery of Chang 'an. But this time, he didn't plan to go through the Ba Bridge. He heard that the Tang dynasty built a more magnificent Wei River Bridge. He didn't know if the bridge could withstand the weight of 200,000 cavalry.
In a valley on the north bank of the Yellow River, tens of thousands of Turks' cavalry gathered. Everyone was ready and looked solemn. Now the Turks were facing a life and death situation. If they won this war, the Turks could establish themselves in the steppe. If the Turks lost, they would completely lose their old land and could only continue to live under someone else's roof.
"Reporting to Khan, Hexan Chengji is back." As the messenger reported, Hexan Chengji, the general who had just attacked Xue Yantuo's cavalry, entered Li Simo's tent.
"What's the situation? Where are Xue Yantuo's cavalry? "Li Simo asked quickly.
Hexan Chengji hesitated for a moment and replied, "I used the tents left by the migrating tribes to ambush Xue Yantuo's cavalry. We won a small victory and killed a hundred people. Now Xue Yantuo has gathered 200,000 troops from the steppe tribes and is less than 500 miles away from us."
"200,000 troops!" Suddenly, the whole tent was filled with exclamations. Xue Yantuo only had 200,000 cavalry, and they only had 40,000 cavalry. No matter how they looked at it, they would definitely lose this war.
Li Simo roared, "When the Turks were strong, all the tribes in the steppe didn't obey us. Now, not only Xue Yantuo has rebelled, even those small tribes dare to hit us when we are down."
"Why don't we withdraw to the south of the river to avoid Xue Yantuo's army?" A Turk nobleman said guiltily.
Li Simo shook his head and said, "I have already submitted a memorial to Chang 'an City to ask the Tang dynasty to send troops to help. Withdrawing to the south of the river to protect ourselves is the last resort. We can't do it until the last moment. We have lost the steppe once, we can't lose it a second time."
"You are right, Khan!"
Many Turks generals nodded. They had finally returned to the steppe, but in less than a year, they had to go back with their tails between their legs. It would not be so easy to return to the steppe again.
Moreover, they believed that the Tang dynasty would not sit by and let Xue Yantuo annex the Turks. This was also a big gamble for the Turks. If they won, they could return to being the overlord of the steppe. If they lost, they could just return to the Tang dynasty.
"Continue to fight with Xue Yantuo. We must delay until the reinforcements of the Tang dynasty arrive," Li Simo said loudly.
"Yes! Khan! "
The Turks generals said in unison. Although Li Simo was appointed as Khan by Li Shimin and his foundation was not stable, this was the moment of life and death for the Turks. The only thing they could do was to work together.
"Kill!"
The two groups of cavalry continued to gallop across the steppe. Sure enough, this was a small-scale battle. Just as Dandu Xu had predicted, in terms of field battles, the Tujue tribes did not have the upper hand.
If it was not for the fact that the 200,000 troops could not keep up, the Turks would have already been besieged by the Turks. However, under the leadership of the Turks, the 200,000 troops continued to encircle and intercept the Turks.
Five hundred li, three hundred li, one hundred li.
For cavalry, a distance of one hundred li was already very dangerous. Seeing that the Turks were in a desperate situation and the reinforcements of the Tang dynasty had yet to arrive, the Turks were shrouded in a cloud of worry.
"I told you not to trust the Tang dynasty. How can the Tang dynasty take the risk of being defeated and send reinforcements?" A Turk general said angrily.
"That's true. The Western Turks are our natural allies. We are of the same race, and Satoshi Tani will definitely help us." A Turk noble placed his hopes on the Western Turks who were also part of the Turks.
Li Simo shook his head and said, "No, relying on the Tang dynasty is our only way out. The Western Turks are located in the Western Region, and they are beyond our reach. Not to mention, Satoshi Tani was defeated by the Tang dynasty. Relying on the strong is the principle of the steppe. If the Turks want to protect themselves, they must rely on the strongest in the world. Don't worry, the Tang dynasty will definitely not leave us in the lurch. Otherwise, if the Turks are defeated in this battle, there will be no one in the steppe who can keep Xue Yantuo in check."
The Turks general's face was gloomy, but many people were dissatisfied with Li Simo in their hearts. They thought that it was a disgrace to the Ashina family that he had betrayed his brother and joined the enemy.
"Reporting to the Khan, the Tang dynasty's reinforcements have arrived!" Suddenly, Hexan Chengji rushed in with a happy face.
"Really?!" Li Simo's face was full of surprise, and he suddenly stood up.
"How many troops did the Tang dynasty send?!" The Turks general asked one after another.
Hexan Chengji replied, "Reporting to the Khan, the Tang dynasty's reinforcements are 3,000 troops!"
"3,000 troops?" Suddenly, all the Turks general couldn't help but be stunned and looked at Hexan Chengji in disbelief. 3,000 troops are not enough to fill the gaps between the teeth in front of 200,000 troops. What's the use of 3,000 troops from the Tang dynasty? "
Hexan Chengji said proudly, "Don't underestimate these three thousand soldiers and horses. These three thousand soldiers and horses are the Firearms Army of the Tang Empire with outstanding military achievements. The General of the Firearms Army is my good brother, Zhangsun Chong."
"The firearms army, the firearms army that can destroy a city in one strike!" All the Turks general were in an uproar. Who didn't know the name of the firearms army? When Gao Chang destroyed a city in one strike, Satoshi Tani was scared and retreated thousands of Tubo soldiers in the eight hundred miles of the vast sea. Their outstanding military achievements temporarily overshadowed the most famous Mo Saber Unit of the Tang dynasty, and they became the most powerful army in the world in one fell swoop.
Moreover, the firearms army at that time was only 1,000 people. Now, the firearms army had expanded to 3,000 people, and their strength had increased by several times.
"This general not only brought 3,000 firearms army, but also 3,000 sets of armor and weapons for the Turks." While speaking, Zhangsun Chong, who was dressed in military uniform, proudly walked into Li Simo's tent with Sun Wukai.
"3,000 sets of armor and weapons!"
Li Simo's face suddenly became happy. The Turks were far inferior to Xue Yantuo in terms of numbers. If they could get the armor and weapons of the Tang dynasty's elite, their combat strength would definitely soar and make up for the lack of numbers.
"But even if we have 6,000 fully armored men, I'm afraid it will be difficult to defeat the 200,000 Xue Yantuo army," Li Simo said worriedly.
Hexan Chengji said proudly, "Rest assured, Khan Simo, General Zhangsun is just the vanguard. General Li Ji will lead 30,000 Tang dynasty cavalry to follow."
"30,000 Tang cavalry!" The Turks generals were pleasantly surprised. They had personally experienced the combat strength of the Tang Dynasty army equipped with armor, not to mention the addition of the world-famous firearms army and 40,000 elite Turks. Now, the Turks had the confidence to fight Xue Yantuo in terms of numbers and strength.
Li Simo was in high spirits. He strongly advocated to stand on the side of the Tang dynasty, and now the Tang dynasty finally gave him a generous reward. As long as they defeated Xue Yantuo, the Turks could stand on the grassland and regain the throne of the grassland overlord.
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