Chapter 102
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The Tatar cavalry, cut into three sections, could not fully utilize their excellent horseback combat skills.
The middle section of nearly six thousand soldiers had been trapped in a narrow passage and roasted alive.
The leading Tatar forces had planned to outflank and detour around the mountains, regroup, and counterattack. Unexpectedly, they fell directly into Xie Duo’s trap, suffering from the dual impact of tripwires and trenches, causing many riders to tumble from their horses.
Despite the chaos, the Tatar soldiers kept their wits about them, swiftly escaping the trap’s terrain, gathering in groups, intending to rely on their formidable strength to form a shield formation and break through the encirclement of the Great Chu cavalry.
At this moment, the Tatar General was not yet in despair because, having witnessed the feeble Great Chu defenders, he believed that, even without their warhorses, the Great Chu cavalry was still not a match for Tatar warriors.
His perception had some merit, as these wild-grown warriors were robust and ferocious, resembling wild beasts. Even without their horses, they might not necessarily be unable to break out when pitted against the inexperienced Great Chu cavalry.
However, Xie Duo also guessed the Tatar General’s counterstrategy, so he arranged archers and cavalry to cooperate in advance.
When the Tatar forces, now without their horses, gathered together, the archers on the hillside didn’t need to aim carefully. They shot into the crowd, and every arrow found its mark.
A chorus of cries erupted. The Tatar General, shielded in the center, shouted incomprehensible orders, likely commands to change formation. In response, the Tatar soldiers, previously huddled in a defensive formation, quickly scattered, attempting to create a new battle formation.
This scene matched the Ninth Prince’s predictions exactly. Before the Tatar could establish a new formation, the Deputy General on the hill raised the charge flag as planned.
Upon seeing the signal, the Great Chu cavalry surrounding the Tatars immediately brandished their swords and charged. They completely dispersed the Tatar army, still in the process of forming a new formation. Dozens of Great Chu riders surrounded three to five Tatar soldiers, and a flurry of chaotic slashes left even the fierce Tatars unable to stand their ground.
Soon, the front two sections of the Tatar forces were roasted, and those chopped into pieces couldn’t continue their incomprehensible shouting, which the Great Chu soldiers didn’t understand.
Only the fortunate remnants of the Tatar’s third section of forces remained. Although they hadn’t yet understood what had happened up front, the cries of their comrades were completely drowned out by the Great Chu soldiers’ battle cries.
Among the Tatar’s third section, there was a commander, the son of the leading General of the vanguard. Upon suspecting his father’s demise, he didn’t hesitate and immediately ordered the remaining troops and horses to retreat.
When they had arrived, the surroundings were quiet, but now, as they attempted to withdraw, the Great Chu cavalry swarmed in from all directions.
At this moment, the remaining Tatar forces numbered six thousand.
In the past, relying on their confidence in their combat abilities, they wouldn’t have been afraid of over ten thousand Great Chu cavalry surrounding them.
The problem was that the preceding two sections of Tatar cavalry had perished in a short time. What had they encountered? The third section of Tatar cavalry was uncertain, catapulting their minds in chaos.
Fear could either ignite or extinguish one’s fighting spirit.
So, how could they make this flock of startled birds completely surrender, instead of mustering the courage to resist until the end?
Xie Duo had a plan in mind. He deliberately exposed a weak point in the encircling cavalry’s defense, waiting for the skittish Tatars to take the bait.
This strategy was foolproof because, when given a safer option, most people won’t choose to fight to the death. In times of extreme fear, judgment is often limited to what’s immediately visible. So, even these formidable Tatar cavalry were frightened enough to flee toward the gap, right into the arms of over ten thousand Great Chu cavalry.
They obediently followed Xie Duo’s lead and charged into a thicket.
In this densely packed patch of tall grass where they couldn’t see the ground, the last group of Tatar cavalry encountered the same traps, like tripwires and trenches, that their vanguard had just faced.
However, since this grassy area lacked slopes for ambush and made it difficult for archers to coordinate with the cavalry, the Great Chu cavalry had to resort to the prearranged tactics of harassment and encirclement.
The Tatar army abandoned all their supplies. Protecting the General’s son, they mounted their horses, beginning a desperate escape. They were left with only two thousand horses, but the Tatar soldiers without horses were quickly cut down by the Chu forces.
To avoid pushing the Tatars into a last-ditch fight that could cause casualties on their side, Xie Duo didn’t set up an ambush for a final encirclement in the front.
He understood the battle capability of the city’s defense forces well. Trying to face the Tatars head-on wouldn’t work, so the plan was to break them down individually and scatter them before taking on their combat strength.
Xie Duo not only aimed to wipe out the elite twenty thousand Tatars but also intended to ensure that not a single Great Chu soldier would be harmed.
Such an audacious notion was something even the most esteemed Emperors and Generals throughout history would be embarrassed to dream of. Only Xie Duo, influenced by plays he watched with his Mother Empress in his younger days, dared to dream this big.
Back then, his Mother Empress and his big brothers all told Xie Duo that what was sung and acted in those plays was make-believe. In this world, there was no such godlike warrior.
At that time, Xie Duo didn’t believe them. He thought that the heroes in the plays could surely achieve it.
Right now, at this very moment, Xie Duo still didn’t believe them because he was about to discover the enormous power hidden within himself and become the hero he idolized in his childhood.
After running for about five miles, the son of the Tatar General had only a bit over two thousand cavalry as his guards, but they were all elite and maintained an impenetrable formation.
The pursuing Great Chu cavalry around them dared not get too close, always keeping a safe distance, relentlessly pursuing.
The two thousand-plus Tatar cavalry remained vigilant against the Chu forces around them but overlooked the continuous arrival of “Tatar cavalry” from behind, gradually blending into the formation, step by step getting closer to the General’s son.
It wasn’t until this group of “newcomer cavalry” chopped off the General’s son’s head with a single strike that the remaining two thousand Tatars were utterly dumbfounded!
Watching the “Tatar cavalry” within the ranks continuously swinging their blades to decapitate those around them, the remaining two thousand Tatars could no longer maintain their composure. They scattered in a wild frenzy and were soon dispersed and surrounded by the oncoming Great Chu cavalry.
A young man disguised as a Tatar cavalryman pulled his reins, turned his horse around, bent down to pick up the head he had just severed, tilted his chin, revealing a handsome face under his helmet’s brim.
With a hint of youthful exuberance, the youth grinned, revealing his two sharp little tiger teeth, and lifted the head of the Tatar Deputy General on his long sword. He shouted, “Majestic Great Chu, unrivaled across the world. Our mighty warriors gaze down upon the world!”
The Great Chu cavalry responded loudly, “Long live Prince Ling. Long live, long live!”
“Long live Prince Ling. Long live, long live!”
“Long live Prince Ling. Long live, long live!”
•••
Faced with the countless Tatar corpses scattered over the mountains and the admiring gazes of the Great Chu soldiers, Xie Duo felt an achievement beyond what cuju had ever brought him for the first time.
This sense of accomplishment continued until he returned to the foot of the mountain—
The little child prodigy still sat lifelessly by the dirt mound.
Xie Duo quietly approached the little child prodigy and squatted down beside him. He cleared his throat and said, “Here, we’ve got a Great Chu strategist who didn’t stay obediently in the rear camp, and I’ve caught him.”
Suddenly turning to see the sinister smirk on the big boss face, Han Jiao felt his cold limbs start to warm up. The overwhelming sense of fear in his chest instantly dissipated. After the initial surprise, it was replaced by a peculiar anger.
Han Jiao didn’t respond to the big boss’ attempt at goodwill. He turned his head away in a huff and remained sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Ignore him!
Xie Duo turned his head to look at the little child prodigy’s face. “I promised to be back within three-quarters of an hour, and I kept my word. Why are you still upset?”
Han Jiao turned to question him, “As the commander, how could you risk yourself like that?”
“Without me leading the way, they would be less confident and more likely to make mistakes.” Xie Duo had rushed ahead too quickly. He had seen the little child prodigy rolling down the mountainside in pursuit but didn’t have time to explain. He just told him that he’d return within three-quarters of an hour.
Knowing that the little child prodigy must have been frightened, Xie Duo quickly sent away the accompanying guards and came to comfort the “self-appointed strategist.”
However, Han Jiao wasn’t willing to give in to the War God. He said seriously, “Even if we escaped from those two thousand Tatars, it’s not worth risking your life. We’ve already annihilated twenty thousand Tatar cavalry. Your promise to the Emperor was only to drive the Tatars out of the border. Why act so impulsively at the last moment?”
“I wasn’t acting impulsively. If I didn’t have complete confidence, I wouldn’t have ventured out personally.”
“You admit to taking a risk, and you say you weren’t acting impulsively!”
In the novel, the big boss was someone who loved to infiltrate enemy camps and capture their leaders. When reading the book, it seemed quite impressive, but now that Han Jiao was in the midst of it, he couldn’t understand it.
Just moments ago on the mountain, Han Jiao watched as Xie Duo took off his armor and replaced it with Tatar dead men’s armor at the foot of the hill. He mounted a horse and personally infiltrated the ranks of the fleeing Tatars, waiting for the opportunity to kill the Deputy General.
Were these mere two thousand fleeing soldiers worth the Great Chu Prince taking such a huge risk?
This habit had to be changed in this stinky little brother because in the novel’s ending, Xie Duo was trapped after going alone to confront someone.
Being overly self-confident was a common flaw in villains.
Han Jiao’s attitude was resolute as he protested while sitting on the ground.
Many soldiers were already eagerly gathering around the Ninth Prince. As the commander, squatting next to the “strategist” for a long time was obviously inappropriate. Xie Duo spoke with a serious tone, “Alright, Han Xiaobai, get up. Can’t I promise not to be impulsive next time?”
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