Chapter 79: Ambush and Kill

After Li Xiao ordered all the prisoners to be killed, the Naimans were thoroughly enraged.

Five thousand cavalry roared, following the figures of the Northern Border cavalry, charging forward angrily.

There was only one thought left in their minds.

Kill all the Liao people, revenge.

However, as the group went deeper and deeper on this road, Kuchlug felt more and more uneasy in his heart.

Looking at the surrounding terrain, a premonition of danger arose spontaneously.

He ordered loudly: “Stop, everyone stop.”

“Retreat quickly.”

But at this time, many Naimans had blood rushing to their heads, and the scene was extremely chaotic.

Kuchlug’s order couldn’t be conveyed to every soldier immediately.

The soldiers in front heard Kuchlug’s order but didn’t understand why and wanted to stop, but the soldiers behind were still charging forward constantly, so they could only be swept forward.

Only at this time did Kuchlug’s face gradually turn pale, cold sweat pouring down. He already understood in his heart that they had fallen into a trap.

Sure enough, in the next moment, a low roaring sound suddenly rang out on the hills on both sides.

Crash crash crash!

As terrifying as meteorites falling to the earth.

Immediately after, someone was heard shouting: “Rocks, rocks are rolling down.”

“Dodge quickly.”

“There are people on the hill.”

Kuchlug looked up and saw a large number of boulders rolling down simultaneously from the hills on both sides.

Smashing straight into the Naiman team. Some Naiman soldiers were pushed by people next to them, unable to dodge in time, and were smashed to vomit blood directly.

More and more soldiers were hit by boulders, and the scene became chaotic.

The neighing of warhorses and the shouting of soldiers merged into one.

Boulders might not have caused too many casualties to the soldiers, but they caused great fright to the warhorses.

Frightened horses began to run wildly, colliding with other horses, further causing more warhorses to go crazy.

They jumped and neighed constantly, running around randomly, throwing many Naiman soldiers off their horses, who were then trampled by horse hooves immediately after.

This scene was completely tantamount to a camp mutiny.

“Stop, everyone stop.”

“Stop running.”

Kuchlug shouted loudly, but it was useless at all.

Even in the next second, a boulder rolled down and smashed directly onto Kuchlug’s horse leg.

Accompanied by a miserable neigh from the warhorse, Kuchlug was also thrown off the horse.

“Prince! Your Highness!”

Kuchlug’s personal guards were shocked and jumped down hurriedly, helping Kuchlug up to avoid his fate of being trampled to death.

“Retreat, retreat quickly!”

But just at this time, a burst of earth-shaking shouts of killing rang out in the distance.

“Kill!”

It turned out that Li Xiao led his men back again, launching a charge against the Naimans.

At the same time, a large number of cavalry figures also appeared on both sides of the hills, holding spears and war sabers, roaring loudly like barbarians.

Facing these overwhelming shouts of killing, all Naimans realized they were surrounded.

“Liao people are there, and on both sides too.”

“We are surrounded. what should we do?”

“Rush out.”

Naimans shouted in panic, looking around fearfully. Seeing enemy figures covering the mountains and plains, fear and panic in their hearts increased constantly.

Many subconsciously began to retreat, but a large number of Naiman cavalry were still pressing behind, unable to turn around at all.

A large number of Naimans crowded together and many were squeezed off their horses and trampled to death.

With the Northern Border Army charging from three sides, the battle was soon declared over.

Before long, the valley was covered with Naiman corpses with blood flowed, dyeing the grass red.

A large number of injured warhorses neighed miserably. Their fate would only end in the cooking pots of the Northern Border Army.

Li Xiao clad in armor and riding a tall warhorse with a horse lance in hand, walked in this valley strewn with corpses.

Seeing Naimans who were not dead yet, he delivered the coup de grâce directly, sending them to see God.

In fact, many Naimans were not killed by the Northern Border Army but were trampled to death by their own people in the panic.

Even at the very beginning, the Northern Border Army didn’t need to attack directly, only needing to constantly create panic and exert psychological pressure on the Naimans.

Watching them crowding each other while fleeing, being squeezed off horses by others and trampled to death alive.

This efficiency of killing enemies was much higher than direct charging and killing, and the biggest advantage was reducing their own casualties.

Before long, Li Sanhe ran to report to Li Xiao.

“Nearly three thousand ran away.”

He inferred the number of escaped Naimans based on the number confessed by prisoners and the approximate number of corpses on the ground.

In battles on the grassland, it was actually very difficult to annihilate all enemies; if anything went wrong, they would slip away.

Like Li Xiao, making many preparations, luring the enemy deep, and ambushing on three sides, yet he didn’t dare to completely block all four sides.

Also worried that the Naimans would choose to fight desperately in a hopeless situation. Once Li Xiao’s unit suffered excessive losses, it would outweigh the gains.

So he chose to let go of part of the enemy.

Keeping two thousand Naiman cavalry was already enough to satisfy Li Xiao.

Although the remaining three thousand escaped, they had become panic-stricken stray dogs, completely devoid of fighting will.

“Let Sixth Uncle and the others chase them,” Li Xiao nodded gently.

The process of chasing and killing defeated soldiers was often the moment when the most enemies were killed.

The two Thousand Households of Li Dashan and Luo Ping had been lying in ambush on the mountain all along, with ample horse strength.

In contrast, those fleeing Naiman cavalry had been entangled with Li Xiao all the way before and were already exhausted.

It would be good if two thousand people survived in the end.

“Clean up the battlefield as soon as possible; leave no prisoners,” Li Xiao shouted loudly to his soldiers.

Being deep behind enemy lines, they had no energy or manpower to guard prisoners; finishing them with one slash was the best way.

Of course, a few necessary guides (traitors) still had to be kept.

Before long, Dahu and Erhu escorted a Naiman over.

“Big Brother, look who we caught?”

Li Xiao sat on his warhorse, looking down at this prisoner from high above.

Found it was a young man about twenty years old, with a thin face and high nose bridge, having standard Naiman features.

Judging from the magnificent clothes on his body, this should be a Naiman noble.

It was just that he was in a sorry state now, disheveled hair, covered in blood, unknown whether it was his own or someone else’s.

Face dirty and full of stains, his hat lost somewhere unknown.

“Who is he?”

Li Xiao asked. If he had no value, don’t blame him for being cruel.

“Naiman Prince, what he called again?” Erhu said enthusiastically, turning to look at Hutu.

Hutu, who could speak Naiman, explained immediately: “Master, he says he is the Prince of the Naimans, named Kuchlug.”

“His father is precisely Tayang Khan.”

Hearing this, Li Xiao also looked at this Naiman with surprised eyes.

Kuchlug?

This was not a nameless person; he left his name in history.

After the Naimans perished, Kuchlug fled to Western Liao, was appreciated by Yelü Zhilugu, and was even given Princess Hunhu in marriage.

Unexpectedly, Kuchlug had been secretly gathering Naiman remnants and expanding his strength.

Taking advantage of Yelü Zhilugu going out hunting, he launched a coup, directly making him the Retired Emperor.

So, hearing that the person in front of him was Kuchlug, Li Xiao also became interested.

“Hehe, actually caught this guy; interesting,” Li Xiao chuckled.

History had changed in his hands. Didn’t this mean that Western Liao would not be usurped, and Yelü Zhilugu could die a natural death?

At this moment, Kuchlug also looked at Li Xiao with gritted teeth.

Hard to imagine he failed so muddle-headedly.

With an unwilling look, he asked angrily: “Who are you?”

It could be seen that the teenager in front of him seemed to be the leader of this Liao army.

This shocked and angered Kuchlug greatly.

Unexpectedly, leading an army of five thousand, he was beaten to a pulp in a short time by this Liao person younger than himself.

This filled the heart of Kuchlug, who always thought highly of himself, with shame, indignation, and regret.

“Who am I?” Li Xiao shook his head gently and smiled.

Said in a calm voice: “Jin Prefecture, Li Xiao.”

Then, he looked at Hutu: “Ask him how many troops are in the Altai Mountains main camp, what the situation is now, and how many troops are deployed at each pass.”

Immediately after, Hutu and Kuchlug began to communicate in Naiman, chattering for a while.

Finally, Hutu shook his head helplessly: “Master, he refuses to say anything.”

“I can see that,” Li Xiao nodded calmly.

Kuchlug’s expression was very ferocious, looking completely uncooperative.

Seemed to want to suffer a bit.

So he waved his hand and said: “Go loosen his bones.”

Immediately after, he said to the messenger: “Clean up the battlefield; don’t let go of a single piece of Naiman clothing.”

Soon, the valley was full of naked Naiman corpses. Their chests were cut open with knives, to become a feast for vultures and wild wolves.

By evening, the two units of Li Dashan and Luo Ping finally returned.

The reason for being so slow was that besides chasing and killing the defeated Naiman soldiers, they also drove back the cattle and sheep abandoned by Li Xiao and others on the road not long ago.

At night, in a huge valley, bonfires rose everywhere, and the noise of soldiers was everywhere.

This was Li Xiao’s temporary base camp.

In the past few days, all the snatched cattle, sheep, and female slaves were guarded in the valley. On the surrounding peaks were the tents of the Northern Border Army soldiers, guarding their spoils of war.

On the branches of an old tree on a distant hill, several corpses of Naiman women were still hanging, looking particularly terrifying in the moonlight.

Soldiers sat in front of the fires laughing loudly, bragging about their achievements today, holding Naiman women in their arms acting recklessly, and eating horse meat in big mouthfuls.

Rampant laughter and women’s screams filled the entire valley.

On a hillside, Li Xiao sat with Li Dashan and others, saying in a deep voice:

“Kuchlug’s five thousand troops have been defeated by us and now the Naimans in the Altai Mountains main camp are fewer than ten thousand.”

“Early tomorrow morning, leave three hundred people here to guard.”

“The rest will put on Naiman clothes and blacken your faces.”

“We will attack the Altai Mountains main camp!”

Saying that, Li Xiao’s gaze looked into the endless dark night in the direction of the Altai Mountains main camp.

Murmuring voice said: “This war..it’s time to end it.”

(End of this chapter)