Volume Two: The Battle of Hulao Pass Chapter Fifty-Five: Another Li Shimin!

After dispatching three thousand elite cavalry, Dou Jiande was left with only three thousand horsemen as his personal guard. Yet, nestled within the heart of the main army, with Li Shimin entangled by thousands of Xia troops and his ambush discovered, Dou Jiande was convinced victory was firmly within his grasp.

But joy often breeds sorrow, and fate seldom aligns with one’s wishes.

Just as Dou Jiande basked in his confidence, a sudden uproar erupted at the rear—chaos and clamor without end. Scanning the field, he saw nothing but waves of routed Xia conscripts, each fleeing for their lives in utter disarray.

A squadron of several hundred Tang cavalry appeared, led by over a hundred elite warriors clad in black armor, their morale soaring and their equipment superior. Like a tempest, they drove the scattered Xia troops before them, surging toward the central command encampment.

At the forefront rode a great general, a silver dragon helmet upon his head, a Kirin-patterned armor adorning his body, astride a white steed, with a gold-inlaid lance in hand.

This sudden turn of events struck terror into Dou Jiande’s heart. Hadn’t the ambush been met with a counterforce? How could there be another hidden force? What had become of Duan Hong—had he been defeated? And whence came these Tang horsemen?

That Tang general, with his elite riders, charged forth, his lance weaving and thrusting with unparalleled mastery, cleaving through the waves of enemy soldiers, leaving none able to withstand him. He was a vision of divine might, unmatched in valor.

The newly conscripted Xia troops, raw and untested—mere farmers not long ago—were even less than the rabble on the left wing. Pressed into service by Dou Jiande, they had never seen battle, and now, confronted by such a scene, their courage shattered.

Their morale had already been feeble, and while Dou Jiande’s elite center held firm, the green recruits in the rear, caught off guard by the Tang cavalry’s sudden onslaught, were instantly routed. They were cut down in droves, fleeing in panic, wishing they’d been born with more legs to carry them away.

The Tang cavalry herded the broken Xia soldiers before them, charging straight for Dou Jiande’s headquarters.

Dou Jiande’s three thousand horsemen longed to resist, but the fleeing Xia troops scattered their ranks, making any formation impossible. They fought as best they could, but within moments, the Tang cavalry had cut them down, armor and helmets abandoned, casualties mounting without end.

That Tang general pressed on, his armor drenched in blood, his lance striking like a venomous dragon—left and right, death followed in his wake, every blow felling another foe.

With death blossoming from his lance, he slew man after man. Lifting his gaze, he spotted Dou Jiande, resplendent in golden armor and crimson robe, mounted beneath the royal standard. In a ringing voice, he shouted, “The Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, is here! Dou Jiande, your life ends today!”

Spurring his horse, he charged straight for Dou Jiande.

Dou Jiande was thunderstruck, his face draining of color, his wits scattered. Another Li Shimin? Then who was the one before?

At that moment, the Tang general was no more than an arrow’s flight away. Both sides could see each other clearly—the Tang general, in his early twenties, had sword-like brows and bright eyes, a strikingly handsome figure whose every glance exuded command. Dou Jiande, though he had never met Li Shimin in person, had studied the paintings of his greatest rival on the road to unifying the Central Plains. The likeness was unmistakable—there could be no doubt, this man was Li Shimin!

The Tang’s surprise attack was devastating. Though the Xia troops still resisted, panic gripped every heart as the enemy appeared at the very threshold of their commander. Morale plummeted.

In contrast, the Tang forces, having gained the upper hand through their audacious assault, surged forward with unstoppable momentum, their spirits ablaze.

The tide of battle turned in an instant.

As Li Shimin and Dou Jiande clashed blade to blade, locked in fierce combat, twenty li east of Hulao Pass, a dense forest spread across the land. Towering ancient trees cast deep shadows, and wild birds and beasts were everywhere.

Li Mingyu now stood atop a fallen tree, directing with urgency. “Hurry! Every moment we delay, the Prince of Qin is in greater peril! The pits needn’t be deep—two or three feet is enough. Nor wide—a bowl’s diameter will do. The key is quantity and cunning placement! Hide the trip wires well—only then will the enemy stumble unawares, and our goal of hindering their pursuit will be achieved!”

More than a hundred peasants, stripped to the waist, toiled in the heat at his command.

Surveying their progress, Li Mingyu leapt down and inspected each effort closely. “You there, why tie the trip wire so high? Afraid the enemy won’t spot it? That’s useless! Half a foot off the ground—that’s right! And tie it in the shade, so it stays hidden!”

“And you—this is your horse trap? Didn’t I tell you to cover it with dead branches and leaves? Does this look covered to you? Fix it, quickly!”

Nearby, a Tang officer sent by the Prince of Qin frowned and asked, “Young master, aren’t we supposed to lure the enemy? If you ask me, we could just charge out and kill a hundred or so—that’d do the trick.”

This man, Li Junxian, was tall and burly, with thick brows and large eyes. Barely in his twenties, he had already won Li Shimin’s trust. When the original guards were chosen for the elite black-armored cavalry, it was he who took command. As Li Mingyu was tasked with leading the decoy on his first campaign, Li Shimin, concerned for his safety, sent his trusted aide along with strict orders: whatever happened, Mingyu’s safety was paramount.

When Li Junxian introduced himself, Li Mingyu found the name oddly familiar, as though it belonged to some notable figure of the Tang era. Pity his knowledge of history was so vague. Later, it dawned on him—wasn’t this the name of the lead character in that TV drama “The Glamorous Imperial Concubine,” played by Vincent Zhao and Alyssa Chia? The one who dallied with Empress Wu and ended up beheaded by Li Shimin for his troubles? To dare covet the women of the Li family—he must have been truly reckless!

“Nonsense!” Li Mingyu rolled his eyes at him. No wonder this fellow lost his head later—he’s all muscle, no brain. He replied irritably, “Do you take Dou Jiande for a fool? We have just over a hundred men. If we charge out, what use is that? One glance and he’ll see through us—why would he even bother?”

Leaping down, hands behind his back, Li Mingyu continued, “As the Art of War says: feint when real, be real when feinting. My teacher’s force is the seeming-feint-makes-real; ours is the seeming-real-makes-feint.”

Li Junxian blinked, even more confused by this display of erudition. He understood not a word.

“Look, put simply: luring the enemy requires art. We must let them sense an ambush, but not discern our true strength. Make them think we’re poised to strike, drawing them in to attack, and thus create a true opportunity for my teacher’s force to strike!”

Li Junxian finally nodded. “Oh, I see. But, young master, why did we knock down all those bird nests earlier on the commander’s orders?”

Li Mingyu pointed to the circling birds overhead. “That, too, was to keep the enemy from detecting my teacher’s troops. Look—hundreds of men hiding in the woods, all seasoned soldiers, exude a killing aura. The birds are scared off, but with chicks still in their nests, they won’t abandon them easily. They circle and cry, drawing attention to the area—clear evidence of an ambush! So I knocked the nests down, cut off their hope, and made them seek new homes elsewhere. As for our decoy force, I’d welcome even more birds—later we’ll scare some up for effect! The more commotion, the better!”

Li Junxian saluted. “The young master is truly observant. I am impressed! But why all the horse traps and trip wires?”

Li Mingyu’s tone grew even more disdainful. “Obviously, to slow the enemy’s pursuit! If we lure them in and buy time, our job is done—then we run for our lives! What, you want to stay and see you, General Li, singlehandedly wipe out the enemy?”

“Ah… So that’s how complex luring the enemy can be. I’ve learned something today!” Li Junxian scratched his head, sheepish.

Li Mingyu shot him another glare. Time was short, yet he lingered with questions. Better to dig two more traps than waste time talking.

When the work was nearly done, Li Mingyu shouted, “Hurry! Clean up the traces and hide deep in the woods! Don’t show yourselves, or you’ll have no one to blame if you die!”

The hundred laborers, following his instructions, swept away their tracks with leafy branches.

Just then, a Tang scout rushed up. “Sir! We’ve caught more Xia scouts—this is the third group already!”

Li Junxian’s face hardened. “Bind them. We’ll deal with them all at once.”

Hearing this, Li Mingyu’s eyes lit up with a cunning idea. He chuckled, “Wait—since they’re dead men either way, we might as well put them to use.”

Li Junxian asked, “What clever plan do you have, young master?”

Li Mingyu replied with a mysterious grin, “You’ll see soon enough! Bring them all here!”