Volume Two: The Battle of Hulao Pass Chapter Forty: Luring the Enemy into an Ambush, Capturing the General Alive on Horseback

Hearing his second brother’s reassurance, and seeing that his disciple refused to retreat with him, Li Xuanba had no choice but to comply. The situation was dire, with the enemy approaching at any moment. He understood that his second brother wanted him to rush ahead to the ambush site and deliver the news. He replied, “Then be careful!” With that, he turned his horse and, accompanied by several armored cavalrymen from the Tang forces, galloped toward the ambush point.

Li Shimin turned to Yuchi Gong by his side and asked, “Jingde, do you dare to fight again?”

Yuchi Gong, hearing the commander speak and recalling the favor shown him by the Prince of Qin, responded loudly, “Why wouldn’t I dare! What happened earlier was just a warm-up! The enemy may seem unbeatable, but in front of me they are nothing more than clay roosters and straw dogs!”

“Hahaha!” Li Shimin threw his head back and laughed, his voice echoing, “With my bow and arrows in hand, and you wielding your spear by my side, what can even a million enemies do to us?”

Yuchi Gong charged ahead, heading straight for the several thousand Xia soldiers, while Li Shimin spurred his horse behind him, loosing arrows like a string of pearls, each shot finding its mark. Even as they charged, he had already felled over a dozen men.

Both sides spurred their horses forward at full speed, and in an instant, the distance between them vanished. The Xia cavalry saw that the Tang had only two men, but the one leading was clad in black armor, astride a black horse, his face dark as iron. He thundered forward like a tempest, his voice booming like a bell, shouting wildly—instilling fear in the hearts of the Xia soldiers before a blow was even struck.

Momentum is everything in battle, and as one side’s morale swelled, the other’s waned. Yuchi Gong was like a tiger descending the mountain, and at the first clash, he sent the Xia cavalry tumbling, men and horses alike.

Mingyu, seated behind Li Shimin, felt the wind howling past his ears and the roar of battle all around him. Yuchi Gong led with his spear, Li Shimin followed with his bow. Though only two, their presence alone overwhelmed the thousands arrayed before them. The two darted left and right, weaving through the foe, leaving chaos in their wake. Mingyu’s heart surged with admiration—Li Shimin truly deserved the mantle of a hero of his age, courageous and bold, his spirit soaring to the heavens. Two men, yet fearless in the face of thousands.

The battlefield has always been the crucible that stirs a man’s blood, inspiring countless stirring words throughout history. Li Mingyu, overcome with excitement, shouted, “Second Uncle! Suddenly, a poem comes to mind! It’s by a man named Li Taibai! There’s nothing more rousing at this moment!”

Li Shimin, shooting down another Xia soldier, replied, “Oh? Let’s hear it! If it’s no good, I’ll have to have you flogged when we return!”

Mingyu thought—no good? How could an immortal work by Li Bai be anything but excellent? Clearing his throat, he recited in a loud voice,

“A Zhao knight with a trailing barbarian tassel, a Wu sword shining like frost and snow. Silver saddles on white horses, swift as shooting stars. Every ten steps, a man falls; a thousand miles, none can pursue. When the deed is done, he brushes his sleeves and goes, hiding his name and form. Leisurely he drinks with Lord Xinling, resting his sword across his knees. He shares roast meat with Zhu Hai and toasts Hou Ying. Three cups and a promise spoken, the Five Peaks count for nothing. Dizzy and flushed, his spirit soars. He saves Zhao with a golden hammer, startling Handan first. For a thousand years, two heroes shine bright in Daliang. Though he dies, the bones of a hero are fragrant, never shamed among men. Who can write your story, master, until old age, pondering the Jade Mystery?”

At the first line, Li Shimin shouted his praise, laughing wildly, his heroic spirit ignited. With each phrase, he loosed another arrow, each one felling a foe. By the time Mingyu had finished reciting “The Ballad of the Knight-Errant,” Li Shimin had shot down dozens more.

“Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent!” Li Shimin could not contain his admiration. “What lines—‘Every ten steps, a man falls; a thousand miles, none can pursue!’ And ‘Three cups and a promise spoken, the Five Peaks count for nothing!’ A poem for the ages!”

Even as he praised it, his hand reached for his quiver—empty.

Li Shimin slung his bow, took up his spear, and said to Yuchi Gong, who was drenched in blood, “That’s enough! Let’s withdraw as well!”

Yuchi Gong, still caught up in the joy of battle, shouted his agreement, turned his horse, wiped the blood from his face, and replied, “Very well!”

The two wheeled about—Li Shimin in the lead, Yuchi Gong behind—and cut their way out through the encirclement.

On the other side, Xia’s main commander Yin Qiu and his deputy Shi Zan, seeing their quarry trying to escape, refused to let them go. Though Li Shimin and his companion were formidable, as long as they could delay them, the army could surround them on all sides, and not even Xiang Yu reborn could escape exhaustion. Yin Qiu, seeing the pair break through, roared at his men, “Dammit, after them! There’s only two! Capture Li Shimin and there’s a reward of a thousand gold coins and promotion by three ranks!”

Such rich rewards for just two men—every Xia soldier was whipped into a frenzy, chasing relentlessly.

In this chase, they had covered over ten miles. Li Shimin and Yuchi Gong’s fine warhorses slowly pulled ahead, the distance stretching from a few yards to twenty. Soon, a dense forest loomed ahead.

Deputy General Shi Zan reined in his horse and warned Yin Qiu, “General, don’t enter the woods! Li Shimin wouldn’t risk exposing himself unless there’s an ambush ahead!”

Yin Qiu hesitated, halting his men. “I know he’s trying to lure us into an ambush, but such a golden opportunity is right before our eyes—I can’t just let it slip away!”

Mingyu, still riding behind Li Shimin, looked back and saw the Xia forces halt. He quickly said, “Second Uncle, this is bad—the Xia army must have realized there’s an ambush and won’t come any further!”

Yuchi Gong glanced back as well. “Commander! Let me go out and provoke them, lure them in!”

Li Shimin shook his head. “They’re after me. Unless I go myself, they won’t budge. But my arrows are spent. If I go back into close combat, I fear we may not escape again.”

Li Mingyu’s eyes lit up with an idea. Lowering his voice, he said, “Second Uncle, I have a plan—just follow my lead!” Then, he raised his voice and wailed, “Oh no! Prince of Qin! Your Highness, what happened to you? You’re wounded—so much blood! Waaaa! Prince of Qin, you mustn’t die—what will I do if you’re gone?”

Li Shimin, quick as ever, instantly understood, leaned forward, and slumped over his horse’s neck, feigning unconsciousness.

Yuchi Gong, though straightforward, caught on at once and bellowed, “Prince of Qin! Commander! What’s happened to you? Hurry, run!” With that, he slapped Li Shimin’s horse on the haunch. The startled animal neighed and surged ahead.

The Xia army, not far behind, heard everything clearly. Seeing Li Shimin slumped over, unconscious, they were all stirred—such glory within reach!

Yin Qiu was galvanized, spurred his horse, and shouted, “Quick, after them! Capture Li Shimin alive!”

Shi Zan urged his horse after him, but remained anxious. “General, I still think something’s off. Why would Li Shimin only collapse when we stopped giving chase? It must be a trick!”

But Yin Qiu, his mind clouded by the thought of glory and reward, brushed aside the warning. “Even if it’s an ambush, so what? How many men does Li Shimin have at Hulao Gate? Even if he brought them all, that’s barely three thousand men! We have five thousand elite cavalry—what’s there to fear? Let’s seize the moment, capture Li Shimin, and take Hulao Gate! When rewards are given, we’ll all be made lords at least!”

Shi Zan, hearing this, was swayed. “General, your wisdom surpasses mine! I’ll follow your orders!” Then, whipping his horse, he called out, “Did you all hear the general? Put your backs into it—catch Li Shimin and you’ll all be rewarded!”

Five or six thousand Xia soldiers, dreaming of reward, surged forward, spurring their horses and calling out, “Don’t worry, general! Li Shimin won’t escape us!” “When you’re made a lord, don’t forget about us—let us have a taste of glory too!” Every face was alight with anticipation.

Li Shimin, playing the wounded, let Mingyu steer the horse. Seeing the Xia forces resume their pursuit, he pushed the horse to its limits until it foamed at the mouth, drawing the enemy within ten yards. He whispered, “Second Uncle, it worked—they’re chasing us again! How much farther?”

Li Shimin, peering from under half-closed eyes, replied, “Just around the next bend.”

The Xia army drew closer, now only four or five yards behind, Li Shimin almost within arm’s reach. Just as they were about to spur their horses again, a mighty shout rang out: “Hey, you Xia soldiers! Don’t be arrogant—Cheng Yaojin is here!”

With this booming cry, a mighty general burst from the left, clad in black armor, astride a red horse, broad and powerful, leading over a hundred black-armored cavalry.

“Qin Qiong, Qin Shubao is here! Villains, do not flee!” From the right came another resounding shout—Qin Qiong, also leading over a hundred men.

Caught completely off guard, the Xia army was thrown into chaos by the two charging forces. As they tried to retreat, a shout from behind stopped them cold: “Since you’ve come, don’t think of leaving! Leave your lives here!” With these words, Li Xuanba and Li Shiji, leading two or three hundred men, blocked the way.

Li Shimin, before leaving the pass, had prepared for both possibilities. He’d ordered Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong to lie in wait ten miles outside Hulao Gate, with Li Shiji taking troops around to the rear for a three-pronged ambush—just in case. He hadn’t expected the Xia army to fall for the trap so perfectly.

At this moment, Li Shimin straightened up and laughed, “Indeed, since you’re here, remain here!” With spear in hand, he and Yuchi Gong turned and plunged back into the fray.

This Tang force numbered just five hundred, Li Shimin’s elite Black Armored Horsemen, led by several fierce generals. With a well-laid plan against an unprepared enemy, they smashed the Xia army, who collapsed at the first blow.

Li Xuanba himself was unstoppable, wielding his spear with unmatched skill, leading his men straight toward the Xia commanders.

Only now did Yin Qiu realize how foolish he’d been—Tang numbers were few but their troops were fierce, each worth ten of his own rabble. In a panic, he shouted to Shi Zan, “Damn, it’s a trap! The Tang are too strong. You stay behind—I’ll regroup the men for retreat!”

But seeing Li Xuanba charging straight for them, Shi Zan dared not resist. Before he could protest, Li Xuanba was upon them. With a flick of his spear, the blade slashed toward Yin Qiu’s face. Yin Qiu raised his sword to block, but Li Xuanba’s spear swept sideways, slicing at his hands. Panicked, Yin Qiu dropped his sword.

Li Xuanba’s arms trembled, his spear darting in a blur of afterimages, thrusting at Yin Qiu’s throat, ribs, and chest. With no long weapon, Yin Qiu drew his waist blade, but amid the storm of spear shadows, he could not tell real from false, sweating in terror. Gritting his teeth, he slashed at random—missing. His heart seized; he thought himself doomed.

But Li Xuanba aimed to capture, not kill. Seeing Yin Qiu miss, he switched tactics, wielding his spear like a staff and striking Yin Qiu’s helmet with a mighty blow. Dazed by the pain, Yin Qiu collapsed, unconscious. Li Xuanba deftly grabbed his belt, slung him over his horse, and turned to pursue Shi Zan.

Shi Zan, seeing Yin Qiu try to hold the enemy off, made to flee, but who would have thought Yin Qiu would be captured so quickly? Terrified, he spurred his horse to escape.

With Shi Zan ahead and Li Xuanba behind, barely a yard separated them. Li Xuanba squeezed his horse’s flanks, sending it leaping forward. He thrust his spear like a venomous dragon at Shi Zan’s lower back. Shi Zan, panic-stricken, dared not turn to parry. Hearing the wind rushing behind, he cried out and ducked low.

Seeing Shi Zan so cowardly, not even daring to defend himself, Li Xuanba stayed his hand. He flicked his spear to the side, hooked it back, and struck Shi Zan full on, knocking him from his horse to roll on the ground. Tang soldiers rushed up and bound him tightly.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong attacked from both sides, their elite Black Armored Horsemen cutting into the Xia ranks like hot knives through butter, scattering them in disarray. The Xia, already demoralized by the ambush, now saw both their commanders captured in an instant—panic became rout.

Then someone shouted, “Run! If you’re slow, you’ll never leave here alive!” The Xia soldiers scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.

Li Shiji had been blocking their escape all along. Seeing the Xia routed and desperate, he showed no mercy, signaling his men to pursue in groups of fifty.

In mere moments, the Black Armored Horsemen had left the battlefield littered with Xia corpses, both commanders captured, the dead and wounded beyond counting—at least several hundred Xia had perished.

Pursuit continued for a time, with hundreds more slain as the Xia fled in disarray. Li Shimin, seeing the survivors vanishing into the distance and wary of possible reinforcements from Dou Jiande, called out, “Enough! Don’t pursue a desperate enemy. Clean the battlefield!” His soldiers replied in unison, “Yes, sir!”

The outcome was decided: five hundred Black Armored Horsemen had routed five or six thousand Xia troops. Li Shimin looked to the sky and laughed, “Ha! What a glorious victory, all thanks to the valor of our men!”

Yuchi Gong, Cheng Yaojin, and the others, directing the cleanup, clasped their fists and replied, “All due to the commander’s might and cunning, using himself as bait to lure the enemy!”