People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1664: The Sold Left Guard General Su Honghui
The waning moon is like a hook.

The autumn wind is cold.

The rumbling sounds of countless horse hooves shattered the tranquility of the night and rushed straight towards Xingluo Lake from the north.

The 5,000 cavalrymen who had rushed out from Luoyang City suddenly split into two halves when approaching Xingluo Lake and quickly headed towards the west of Xingluo Lake.

We rowed across Xingluo Lake and headed directly towards the camp in the south.

In the darkness behind, there were still three thousand cavalrymen lurking to the north of Xingluo Lake like poisonous snakes.

The leader of this group of people was none other than Yan Huaidan.

Yan Huaidan, dressed in black clothes and black armor, looked towards the east vigilantly. There, the five thousand cavalrymen coming from Songshan also quickly split into two groups.

One group also headed towards the center of Xingluo Lake, and the other group headed towards the south of Xingluo Lake.

Similarly, behind these 5,000 cavalrymen, there was an elite cavalry of 3,000 men, also lurking cautiously in the darkness.

The commander of these three thousand elite cavalry was naturally the Imperial Censor Wei Yuanzhong who returned from Yangzhou.

Tonight's surprise attack was planned by Wei Yuanzhong, but the one who actually rushed forward to fight was Su Honghui from Yique Pass.

The 20,000 reinforcements from Shannan had arrived at Yique Pass during the day, so without any hesitation, Su Honghui immediately led 10,000 cavalrymen to charge out of Yique Pass under the cover of night.

Yique Pass is located at a high point, and by attacking from above, the power of the cavalry can be fully exerted.

And once Su Honghui succeeds, the 20,000 people from Yique Pass will follow suit, and then everyone will sweep westward, directly attacking the entire Luoshen Island, and then rush out of Luoshen Island and attacking Xishi Pass.

Recapture Shanzhou, Hangu Pass, and Chang'an City as quickly as possible.

The entire Peng Wang rebellion was put down in one fell swoop.

Thinking of this, Yan Huaidan's breathing became heavy. While excitement flashed in his eyes, there was also a hint of worry.

The reason why tonight's raid was so urgent, rather than choosing the best time when King Peng's attack on Yique Pass failed and there were large-scale casualties, was, on the one hand, because Li Xuan was not in a hurry to attack Yique Pass and he seemed to have some conspiracy; on the other hand, it was also to ensure the suddenness of Wei Yuanzhong's attack.

The 20,000 men under Wei Yuanzhong had just returned from Xinzheng, a force that Li Xuan had not expected.

Li Xuan could plot against Yan Huaidan and Su Honghui, but it was difficult for him to plot against Wei Yuanzhong.

But as time goes on, once the news of Wei Yuanzhong's return is known to King Peng, they will be in trouble.

With King Peng blocking them at every level, it would not be so easy for them to launch a surprise attack again. At that time, there was even a greater possibility that they would be ambushed.

A "plop" sound came from in front of the arrow tower on the north bank of Xingluo Lake, followed by countless "plop" sounds.

Countless cavalrymen rushed out of the darkness and fell directly into the trench dug by the right guard, and were immediately pierced through by the wooden stakes inside.

But then more cavalrymen rushed over and threw their lives into the pit.

Even if it means rivers of blood.

A night attack seems to be the easiest tactic to succeed, but when facing an opponent like Li Xuan, they will inevitably suffer heavy casualties themselves.

……

Yan Huaidan stared closely at the front. After suffering the casualties of thousands of cavalrymen, they finally broke through the watchtower.

The soldiers who were originally guarding the sentry towers, when they were attacked, frantically struck the gongs to wake them up. Immediately afterwards, countless fires were lit in the military camps on the Xingluo Lake Island, and the densely packed soldiers began to put on their clothes...

In the darkness, Yan Huaidan breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Xuan's military camp was divided into four sides.

On the Xingluo Lake Island, there are Xingluo Lake North, Xingluo Lake West, Xingluo Lake East and Xingluo Lake South.

Although scouts found that most of King Peng's main forces were in the south of Xingluo Lake, and the other sides were all front camps, there was still a military camp on the island of Xingluo Lake.

There are only four bridges connecting to the outside world. Once these four bridges are destroyed, no one can get to the island.

In fact, the camp on the island was the favorite place for the officers and soldiers stationed here in the past.

Because it's safe here.

Tonight, Yan Huaidan and his men not only have to destroy Li Xuan's troops, but most importantly, they have to capture Li Xuan.

Kill Li Xuan.

In this way, the entire war can be completely settled tonight without having to worry about any recurrence.

Yan Huaidan and Wei Yuanzhong each led 3,000 cavalrymen to watch outside in order to find Li Xuan.

Li Xuan might be in the military camp on the south bank of Xingluo Lake, or he might be in the military camp on the island of Xingluo Lake.

They must make adequate preparations before they can kill Li Xuan directly.

……

"Kill!" Countless cavalrymen rushed directly into Xingluo Lake Island. In an instant, countless rockets fell into the military camp.

In a blink of an eye, the northwest wind blew and the entire military camp was suddenly engulfed in flames.

The cavalry followed closely and charged in, running back and forth and trampling on the enemy.

Yan Huaidan looked towards the military camp further south. Attacks were launched simultaneously from the north and east. Countless flames lit up in the front of the entire military camp in an instant. In the southern part of the military camp, although there were flames, they were relatively sparse.

Something is not right. …

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves came from the mountain road on the south side, and Su Honghui personally led 10,000 cavalrymen and charged directly into the military camp.

Yan Huaidan finally felt relieved...

"Oh no, it's a trap, there's no one in the military camp." On the island in the middle of the lake, a cavalryman suddenly shouted frantically. At this moment, thousands of densely packed soldiers suddenly stood up directly from the water at the edge of the island in the middle of the lake. Immediately afterwards, tens of thousands of crossbow arrows were shot directly into the camp on the island in the middle of the lake.

Yan Huaidan, who was in the darkness in the distance, suddenly gripped the reins tightly. At the same time, a raging fire suddenly broke out in the military camp on the south side of Xingluo Lake.

In a very short period of time, the entire military camp turned into a ball of fire, and the countless cavalrymen who rushed in from all directions instantly turned into firemen struggling in the flames.

Before Yan Huaidan could react, the sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out from the southwest and rushed straight towards the military camp.

Faintly, Yan Huaidan seemed to see someone rushing towards Yique Pass.

In an instant, Yan Huaidan shuddered, and a horrible thought appeared in his mind: their surprise attack tonight was all part of Li Xuan's plan.

How can this be?

Wei Yuanzhong had just proposed this kind of night attack last night.

Even in Luoyang City, under Mount Song, and in Yique Guanzhong, almost no one knew about it.

They didn't start gathering their forces until half an hour before departure, so how could Li Xuan know about it in advance? Looking at the endless flames in the distance, the crazy killing, and the blood splattering all around.

Yan Huaidan knew that he could not delay any longer.

"Let's go!" Yan Huaidan suddenly turned his horse and galloped towards the Qixia Gate in the east.

Yes, he did not return to Dingding Gate because he did not know whether Li Xuan was waiting behind him to chase him and rush into Dingding Gate together, so he had to take a detour to Qixia Gate. At least there was the Yi River in the middle, which could delay Li Xuan's pace a little.

……

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Yan Huaidan slapped the horse frantically, the whistling wind flashed past his ears quickly, and finally, he killed his way to Qixia's camp.

The drawbridge had been lowered, the city gate was half opened, and the soldiers around were looking into the darkness with extreme nervousness.

Just as the three thousand cavalrymen rushed into the city and the city gates were about to close, dense groups of black-armored cavalrymen finally arrived.

At this time, the suspension bridge was quickly pulled up.

The black-armored cavalrymen in the darkness took a deep look at the top of the city wall. The next moment, they dismounted their horses and countless cavalrymen rushed towards the foot of Mount Song in the east.

They were going to kill Wei Yuanzhong.

Yan Huaidan, who had just climbed onto the city gate, looked at this scene with an extremely ugly expression.

But then, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Although he sent out 5,000 cavalry tonight, only 2,000 of them were veteran soldiers, and the rest were new recruits recruited in recent days.

So, his loss was not great.

There was no damage to the defenders of Luoyang City.

The problem with Wei Yuanzhong is not that big, the opposite is true with Su Honghui.

If nothing unexpected happens, Yique Pass will be lost.

Yan Huaidan looked up suddenly and found that the black cavalry outside the city had completely disappeared.

He counted silently in his mind and found that there were only two thousand black-armored cavalrymen.

Then the number of troops chasing and killing Wei Yuanzhong would not be too many, so what about the more people?

King Peng had at least 20,000 cavalrymen under his command, most of whom attacked from behind Su Honghui.

Su Honghui is finished.

Yique Pass is over.

Yan Huaidan's heart was moved, and he whispered in his heart: "Could it be that the news tonight was leaked by Yique Pass?"

His subordinate, Yan Huaidan, was trying his best to control the news, and not even a carrier pigeon flew out of the city.

Wei Yuanzhong's men had just returned from Yangzhou after hunting down Crown Prince Li Chongzhao. It was impossible for these people to be connected with Li Xuan.

Then there is only Su Honghui's side.

Pity.

Yan Huaidan let out a long sigh, then turned and looked in the direction of the Ziwei Palace. His face, which was full of a bitter smile, finally showed a hint of relaxation. At least he would be able to give an explanation to the Queen Mother when he entered the palace later.

……

On the dark hillside, Li Xuan rode on his horse, calmly looking at the blazing flames below the hillside, and the cavalrymen who wanted to rush out of the flames frantically.

Countless crossbow arrows were shot from all directions, and any cavalry who wanted to rush out were all shot dead.

There were countless cavalrymen running back and forth on both sides, strangling the scattered cavalrymen.

Finally, at dawn, the fighting gradually stopped.

A team of black-armored cavalrymen rushed towards where Li Xuan was, and soon saw the left guard general Tang Zhenxing leading them.

Tang Zhenxing held up a head, rolled off his horse, knelt on one knee, and said with his hands clasped, "Your Highness, here is the head of Su Honghui, the General of the Left Guard."

"Get up." Li Xuan nodded calmly, and Tang Zhenxing stood up.

Li Xuan turned and looked in the direction of Songshan Mountain, then whispered, "Brother Tang, if Wei Yuanzhong had led his 20,000 cavalrymen to charge directly last night, would the situation have been different?"

Wei Yuanzhong returned from Yangzhou with 20,000 cavalrymen. However, last night, he only mobilized 8,000 cavalrymen, and the final loss was only 5,000.

The cavalry under Li Xuan had already been entangled with Su Honghui's men. If Wei Yuanzhong suppressed all his forces at once at this time, he might be able to defeat Li Xuan.

"It's difficult." Tang Zhenxing glanced behind Li Xuan and saw two thousand densely packed cavalrymen standing tall.

These people stood on the hillside with Li Xuan all night.

If Wei Yuanzhong really dared to lead the remaining 10,000 cavalrymen into the battlefield, then Li Xuan's 2,000 cavalrymen would attack him directly from behind.

Cavalry has never been a branch of the military that only focuses on numbers; speed is a deadly factor.

Most of Li Xuan's cavalry attacked from behind Su Honghui. Although they were entangled with Su Honghui's men, they still had the upper hand.

If Wei Yuanzhong's troops intervened in the melee at this time, their speed would inevitably be lost.

Once they encounter a master like Li Xuan who can defeat ten thousand Tuyuhun cavalry with only one thousand men and attack from behind.

Wei Yuanzhong is absolutely finished.

Moreover, the longer the battle drags on, the more troops Li Xuan can call in for reinforcement.

Luoshen Island is not far from here.

The entire situation is under Li Xuan's control.

But unfortunately, Wei Yuanzhong and Yan Huaidan were too vigilant, and only Su Honghui could not escape.

Poor Su Honghui.

"Okay." Li Xuan raised his head, looked in the direction of Yique Pass, and said softly: "Our camp is destroyed, and now Yique Pass is a good place for us to stay."

"Yes!" Tang Zhenxing smiled and nodded, "We have to enter Yique Pass. Speaking of which, General Qu is really amazing. He ambushed Wang Guo's 20,000 men with only 5,000 men in Hanzhong, and then killed them quietly to Yique Pass. He is really amazing."

Li Xuan smiled softly.

Yes, this time the victory was decided so decisively, and Qu Chongyu, who arrived at Yique Pass yesterday, made a great contribution.

Qu Chongyu, his father-in-law.

(End of this chapter)