Chapter 62: The Sudden Assault

"Khagan, the Tang army began large-scale troop movements a few days ago. I have already dispatched all scouts to monitor their actions, ensuring that every move they make is entirely under our control," Kangsumi said to Illig Khagan.

"I never expected the Tang army to take the initiative and attack! I thought they would only garrison and defend. Who is the commander leading the Tang forces this time? Is it Li Shimin?!" Illig Khagan asked with a relaxed expression, though his demeanor grew serious at the mention of Li Shimin.

"No!" Kangsumi shook his head and said, "It is a man named Li Jing."

"Li Jing? He does have some ability." Illig Khagan nodded in recognition. "Back when I led the Turkic army to sweep across Longxi, apart from Li Shimin, he was the only Tang general who managed to retreat completely unscathed. He is a notable figure!"

"Khagan, we have a massive army of one hundred thousand stationed at Dingxiang, with endless reinforcements following right behind. Could we possibly fear this Li Jing?!" Princess Yicheng said to Illig Khagan in a resolute yet gentle voice.

"You speak the truth, *Yicheng*!" Illig Khagan reached out, pulled the princess into his embrace, and said with complete composure, "Since Li Jing is overestimating himself by launching an unprovoked attack, we shall annihilate all one hundred thousand of the Tang troops. Then we shall see if Li Shimin dares to lead his army into battle in person!"

"At that time, the Khagan will naturally vanquish the rebel Li Shimin and fulfill the Turkic hegemony!" Princess Yicheng flattered.

"Haha!" Hearing Princess Yicheng's words, Illig Khagan could not help but burst into hearty laughter.

"Report... Report!" A scout suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, interrupting Illig Khagan's pleasant daydream as he proclaimed: "Reporting to the Khagan, Li Jing is personally leading his elite guards in a sudden raid on Eyang Ridge! Eyang Ridge can no longer hold out much longer. Please make your decision, Khagan!"

"What?!" Hearing this, Illig Khagan abruptly stood up, his expression turning solemn. "The main Tang army is still a hundred miles away. Without bringing their entire nation's forces, how dare he bring a lone army here? Has Li Jing lost his mind?!"

Upon hearing Illig Khagan's words, Princess Yicheng saw an opportunity to earn military merit and suggested, "Khagan, our newly established *Xiaoguo* Army has yet to achieve even an inch of merit. Let Yang Yan lead the *Xiaoguo* Army to provide reinforcements right now; they will surely capture that scoundrel Li Jing!"

"Then I must trouble the *Yicheng*," Illig Khagan agreed upon hearing her proposal.

To be honest, Illig Khagan did not take Li Jing's meager forces seriously. After all, what did it matter if Li Jing launched a surprise attack on Eyang Ridge? As long as the main force of the Tang Dynasty had not caught up, Li Jing was nothing more than a minor skin itch to him. Since Li Jing had brought only a solitary army, could his own massive forces possibly fail to fend them off? Letting this newly trained *Xiaoguo* Army experience real combat and sharpen its edge would also allow them to become his trump card for ruling the Central Plains in the future.

Although Illig Khagan was cruel and extravagant, he was not brainless. He clearly understood that if the Turks wanted to rule the Han people, they had to give the Han people an opportunity to stand out, and this *Xiaoguo* Army was a trial run suggested by Princess Yicheng.

After eating at the fourth watch, Li Jing led three thousand cavalrymen across the frozen Zi River, launching a surprise attack on Eyang Ridge, the gateway to Dingxiang.

Yet, despite the suddenness of the raid, the Turkic soldiers stationed there were no fools. Faced with the abrupt assault, they quickly regained their calm, began counterattacking relying on their camp, and even dispatched scouts to Dingxiang for reinforcements.

However, doing their utmost only brought them this far. Li Jing watched as they successfully sent out the message that Eyang Ridge had encountered the enemy. Then, Li Jing instantly accelerated the pace of the Tang army's offensive by a massive margin, leaving the Xiongnu inside Eyang Ridge utterly unable to cope.

Originally, both sides had been locked in a stalemate, but once the message was sent out, the entire Eyang Ridge fell in less than a quarter of an hour.

"Commander Li, this general failed to catch the Turkic messenger. Please punish me for my failure, Commander!" Su Dingfang ran back and reported.

"Let it go if he's gone. Finish clearing the battlefield, eat a piece of dried meat brick—we likely have more fighting ahead of us," Li Jing said.

"Is Commander Li preparing to fight another battle against the Turks?" Su Dingfang asked curiously upon hearing this.

"What is our objective this time?" Li Jing looked at Su Dingfang and asked with a hint of calm composure.

"To evaluate the combat effectiveness of the Turkic soldiers!" Su Dingfang thought for a moment before answering Li Jing.

"Mmm!" Li Jing nodded. "Our surprise raid on Eyang Ridge was achieved by catching them off guard. Although the Turks displayed some strength, they haven't truly reflected the power an army ought to possess, so it is still not enough!"

"No wonder that after the Turkic messenger left, Commander Li's attacking rhythm became much fiercer. Commander Li did this on purpose!" Su Dingfang recalled Li Jing's command tempo and said thoughtfully.

Li Jing did not answer directly, instead asking Su Dingfang, "What kind of army do you think the Xiongnu will send to reinforce them?"

"It should be one of the three elite forces mentioned by Chief Supervisor Zhang!" Su Dingfang pondered before making his judgment.

"The Tiger Division is the foundation personally built by Illig; he shouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary," Li Jing said. "Then what remains should either be the Turkic Imperial Guard inheriting the legacy of Shibi Khagan, or the *Xiaoguo* Army in Princess Yicheng's hands... After all, Eyang Ridge has been attacked by our army. If they don't send elite reinforcements, aren't they simply delivering themselves to us as easy prey? Only by fighting elite forces can we truly evaluate the strength of this Turkic army! Go and prepare well; there is another major battle coming."

"Understood!" Su Dingfang naturally replied with excitement upon hearing Li Jing's words.

Li Jing gazed in the direction of Dingxiang. Having struck Eyang Ridge this time, his next stop would undoubtedly be the city of Dingxiang.

"Whether the reinforcements are the *Xiaoguo* Army or the Turkic Imperial Guard, once I defeat you, taking Dingxiang should follow naturally!"

Li Jing swept his gaze over his personal guards. Having been free from war for many years, although the soldiers maintained their condition through routine training, the bloodshed from raiding Eyang Ridge continuously sharpened the combat effectiveness of his elite cavalry. No, more accurately, they were reclaiming the fighting instincts that belonged to them but had been forgotten during times of peace.

"Having tasted blood this time, if we hunt down a few more elite units to slaughter next time, we should be able to enter that special state the Black Armor Cavalry achieved when they wiped out two kingdoms in a single battle!" Li Jing's complexion remained pure and calm, but his eyes already revealed the cruelty of a predator.

Li Jing calmly cleared the battlefield, then dispatched mobile scouts to gather intelligence. Soon, he learned that reinforcements from Dingxiang City were heading toward Eyang Ridge.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Jing decisively summoned the entire resting army.

Looking with satisfaction at the speed with which his elite cavalry assembled, Li Jing drew his sword, held it high, and said, "I will lead you to victory!"

Simple words, devoid of grand encouragement or motivation, yet the gazes of every single elite rider burned with fanaticism and trust.

No one doubted Li Jing's words, for ever since Li Jing joined the army, he had brought nothing but victory. These three thousand men were Li Jing's personal cavalry, the ones who trusted him the most. As long as Li Jing said they could defeat the enemy, they believed he certainly would; all they needed to do was execute his commands.

At Li Jing's command, these two thousand nine hundred-odd cavalrymen followed him and launched a proactive assault against the Turkic reinforcements coming from Dingxiang!

Yang Yan cautiously commanded the five thousand *Xiaoguo* troops as they marched toward Eyang Ridge. Although this was not his first time on the battlefield, Yang Yan knew very well what kind of force was in his hands. This force was the absolute last surviving army of the Sui Dynasty, and it was also Princess Yicheng's guarantee of power within the Turkic military.

Therefore, this time when reinforcing Eyang Ridge, Yang Yan had heard that Li Jing's lone army was small in number. He believed that by leading a large army over, he would surely frighten Li Jing into immobility, forcing him to obediently retreat back to the Tang lines. In that way, he could safely and securely earn military merit on the battlefield.

However, what Yang Yan never expected was that upon spotting him, Li Jing commanded his elite cavalry to charge directly at the *Xiaoguo* Army.

When this army appeared on the horizon, the palpable, bloodthirsty murderous aura was so intense that Yang Yan momentarily forgot to issue his orders.

Yet Li Jing showed not a shred of hesitation as his entire unit of personal cavalry lunged straight at the *Xiaoguo* Army led by Yang Yan.

Riding at the very front, Li Jing shouted, "Our army will surely win this battle!"

"Li Jing!" Yang Yan was, after all, a member of the Sui imperial clan; otherwise, his turn to command this army would never have come. Yet he never expected that Li Jing, always renowned for planning before acting, would charge at him with a mere three thousand lone soldiers as recklessly as a reckless youth! What was he plotting? Wasn't he afraid of being delayed here and having his entire army annihilated?!

Li Jing's answer, however, was to charge into the *Xiaoguo* Army with an utterly resolute posture, his singular objective being to pierce completely through this enemy force.

"*Xiaoguo* Army, engage!" Following Yang Yan's order, this army bearing the name of the Sui Dynasty's final elite began to display a glimpse of true *Xiaoguo* valor. The muscles in their arms expanded at a visible rate; both their striking speed and physical power saw a marked enhancement.

This was the difference between elite troops and ordinary soldiers. Thanks to their thoroughly tempered bodies, elite troops possessed battlefield abilities unique to themselves, granting them astonishing powers in combat.

As the *Xiaoguo* Army displayed its strength—especially the power brought by the bulging muscles in their arms—Yang Yan intended not only to curb the reckless charge of Li Jing's elite cavalry, but also to utilize their numerical superiority to completely swallow up Li Jing's vanguard!

"Have they only awakened the power of their arms? Such an army is unworthy of the name *Xiaoguo*!"

Li Jing watched unperturbedly as Yang Yan displayed his power, yet this *Xiaoguo* Army still left him deeply disappointed. This newly trained force could only awaken arm strength; compared to the old *Xiaoguo* Army when they fought to the death against Wagang—where at least half of their body's muscles were fully awakened—they were simply not on the same order of magnitude. Had that old army survived the Wagang battle, they might have achieved the fully body-muscularized state of the *Xiaoguo* and gone toe-to-toe with the Emperor's own Black Armor Guards.

But now, this force was still too green—so green that they merely relied on trained innate talents to put on a bluff.

"They haven't even experienced true bloodshed; what kind of army can this be called!" Surveying the battlefield, Li Jing immediately gave his orders: "Su Dingfang, advance one hundred paces to the left-front and smash a breach!"

"Order received!" Without a moment's hesitation, the very next second after receiving the command, Su Dingfang led his own division straight into the fray.

Under military orders, Su Dingfang rode his horse directly into a head-on collision with the muscle-inflated *Xiaoguo* soldiers.

In an instant, the soldiers of both sides clashed in the bloodiest manner imaginable. Having lost their minds, they hacked at each other with blades, plunging weapons into their enemies' hearts and severing heads, all to claim each other's lives. Such a bloody collision sent combatants tumbling from their saddles one after another. And on a battlefield like this, falling from horseback essentially guaranteed death.

Watching the soldiers on both sides deplete at a terrifyingly visible rate, Yang Yan was utterly dumbfounded.

Since its formation, this elite *Xiaoguo* force had never fought such a bloody, desperate war; mostly, they had simply activated their talents and crushed their opponents with ease. But this time, the enemy was locked in a life-or-death struggle, which left the *Xiaoguo* Army somewhat at a loss.

"As expected, this army has never fought a hard war; lacking the resolve of a life-or-death struggle, the Sui *Xiaoguo* Army doesn't rely on willpower or technique, only resources. With enough meat and provisions, this talent can be trained into existence. But without bathing in blood, how can they truly be considered elites? It's somewhat regrettable for this *Xiaoguo* Army!"

Though Li Jing sighed verbally, his tactical command did not let up in the slightest!

For a figure like Li Jing, even if an enemy army had no flaws, he could manufacture flaws for them. As for what happened after creating those flaws—Yang Yan quickly discovered that taking the breach opened by Su Dingfang as a pivot, Li Jing directly led his cavalry in tactical maneuvering and infiltration.

Yang Yan tried his utmost to command and coordinate, but facing Li Jing's eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through all his battlefield deployments, Yang Yan realized that every maneuver he made only served to watch Li Jing pierce toward his direction at an astonishing speed, as if all his efforts were merely paving the way for Li Jing's fierce breakthrough!

Li Jing personally led his elite cavalry, cutting and slashing all the way until he stood right before Yang Yan.

Under Yang Yan's despairing gaze, he watched helplessly as the personal guards around him were overrun and crushed by Li Jing's cavalry.

Yang Yan hurriedly raised his weapon to block, but Li Jing swept his sword and cleanly severed his head.

"It's a pity to let you command the *Xiaoguo* Army. If they were the *Xiaoguo* of the past, cutting them down with my elite cavalry might have made my men even stronger!" Li Jing sighed. Originally, he had wanted to train an army identical to the Black Armor Cavalry, but looking at it now, a gap still remained!

However, Li Jing quickly refocused, shouting loudly, "Drive and pursue the remnants of the *Xiaoguo* Army! We shall not return until we enter Dingxiang!"

Hearing Li Jing's command, his elite guards grew even more valorous, the weapons in their hands seeming to grow sharper still!

On this day, horses trampled Eyang Ridge, pierced through the *Xiaoguo* Army, and Li Jing set foot toward Dingxiang!