gnovel Chapter 12: Those who do not understand the hardships of the frontier are unworthy of being importan
Chapter 12: Those who do not understand the hardships of the frontier are unworthy of being importan
Xianbei generals used the feathers on their heads to indicate their status; the more feathers they had, the higher their status.
For example, the Left Wise King, Tuoba Zhao, had nine feathers stuck in his hair.
Generally, a commander of ten thousand men has seven stalks, a commander of a thousand men has five stalks, and so on.
The feathers are very conspicuous and easily identifiable.
But these feathers that marked their identity became a prominent target for the Sky Sparrow Battalion soldiers to shoot at!
With just one volley, all the commanders of ten thousand and one thousand of the Xianbei cavalry perished!
Not a single person survived.
The Sky Sparrow Camp's decapitation operations were incredibly efficient!
Only Tuoba Zhao, a high-ranking Xianbei official, survived!
If Li Qing hadn't specifically ordered that Tuoba Zhao's life be spared, he would have certainly died!
Immediately, the Xianbei army was thrown into chaos!
The soldiers were in a panic.
Tuoba Zhao was utterly shocked, his face changing drastically as he exclaimed, "When did the Han people acquire such terrifying archers?!"
At that moment, he suddenly had the idea of escaping.
Then, shouts of battle echoed through the dense forest once more.
"Candle Dragon Riders, charge with me!"
At Li Qing's command, he spurred his horse forward and killed a Xianbei soldier with a single sword stroke.
The Candle Dragon Divine Cavalry had been lying in wait for a long time, and now they could no longer hold back.
They charged down the mountain like tigers, their momentum fierce.
No one survived the Overlord Spear.
These five thousand Candle Dragon Divine Riders were unstoppable, like a sharp blade.
In the blink of an eye, they tore a gap in the Xianbei battle formation and went straight for the core of the enemy formation!
Li Qing charged forward with his sword, flanked by two Candle Dragon Divine Riders.
Their objective was clear: to strike directly at Tuoba Zhao, the Left Wise King of the Xianbei!
"Are Han Chinese cavalry really that terrifying?"
Tuoba Zhao's eyes wavered, his face turned pale, and he was terrified!
The power of these black-armored cavalry was unheard of and unseen.
Even the personal guards of the two great Xianbei warlords, Budugen and Kebineng, did not possess such fierce and unstoppable power!
These warhorses were incredibly strong, far surpassing the top warhorses of the Xianbei.
The cavalry were incredibly brave, and the Xianbei warriors were no match for them!
The existence of these monstrous cavalry meant that the Xianbei could never conquer the Han Dynasty!
Li Qing led the Candle Dragon Riders directly to him, just as he was stunned.
Tuoba Zhao's expression immediately changed, and he raised his spear to meet the attack.
However, the Candle Dragon Divine Rider beside him brandished the Overlord Spear and struck the shaft of his spear fiercely.
Tuoba Zhao felt excruciating pain in both arms, as if they were broken, and his hands were numb, making it impossible for him to hold the spear.
The dart pierced through his Xianbei soldier, and at the same time, the second Zhulong Divine Rider swung his arm and struck Tuoba Zhao heavily in the back with the Overlord Spear.
Tuoba Zhao coughed up a mouthful of blood, fell off his horse, and lay on the ground, lifeless.
He looked incredulous and said in a hoarse voice, "The Han people actually have such a brave general!"
Li Qing sneered, lightly jumped down, and with two swings of his sword, severed both of his arms!
Tuoba Zhao immediately let out a shrill scream, blood splattered everywhere, his face turned pale, and he fainted.
The Xianbei people revered warriors and valued archery and horsemanship; only the strongest could gain the tribe's recognition.
With both arms severed, for him, survival was more painful than death.
The Candle Dragon Divine Rider beside him stretched out his arm, grabbed Tuoba Zhao, and threw him onto the horse's back like trash.
Tuoba Zhao lay there limply, lifeless, like a dying dog.
He has completely lost his former heroic demeanor!
Li Qing sneered, raised his sword high, and shouted, "The Xianbei Left Wise King Tuoba Zhao has fallen into our control!"
The other Zhulong Divine Riders roared in unison, "Tuoba Zhao, the Xianbei Left Wise King has been captured alive!"
The roar was like thunder, and it could be heard loudly even in the midst of the battlefield's clamor.
The Xianbei cavalry were already demoralized and in disarray. Upon hearing this news, they immediately collapsed and lost their will to fight.
Some of them turned and fled, only to be brutally killed by the Candle Dragon Divine Riders.
Others simply abandoned their weapons and surrendered.
The battlefield was filled with cries and pleas for mercy.
Everywhere there were piercing screams.
The battle ended quickly.
The Xianbei cavalrymen fell one after another, their corpses littering the ground.
Many Xianbei soldiers threw down their weapons, knelt down with their hands on their heads, and became prisoners of the Han army.
Lu Bu spurred his horse and quickly arrived in front of Li Qing.
He dismounted, knelt, and said respectfully, "My lord, the battlefield has been cleared!"
"In this battle, we killed 87,000 Xianbei soldiers!"
"Sixty-six thousand were captured, and no more than a thousand fled!"
"Our Wenhou Iron Cavalry suffered over a thousand casualties, but the casualty rate was less than 30%!"
"Neither the Candle Dragon Cavalry nor the Sky Sparrow Camp suffered any damage!"
He was visibly excited as he reported on the battle situation.
The Han army suffered only a thousand casualties, but destroyed nearly 90,000 Xianbei cavalry!
They also captured 60,000 Xianbei soldiers, including the Xianbei Left Wise King Tuoba Zhao!
This victory was absolutely glorious!
Linrong County has already claimed the lives of 120,000 Xianbei soldiers, including the previous 30,000 who died in battle.
Although the Han Dynasty's national strength had been declining for nearly a century, border wars never ceased.
In the past century, they have only killed a little over 100,000 Xianbei cavalry.
Li Qing's meritorious service was so great that he was eligible for direct promotion to the imperial court and could be granted the title of marquis and prime minister.
His generals were also qualified to become regional governors, serving as regional prefects.
Li Yuan and the soldiers of the Tianque Camp surrounded Li Qing, each of them beaming with smiles.
This battle has ensured that their fame spreads far and wide, and that they will be remembered by posterity.
Everyone felt incredibly proud to be a part of it.
He glanced at the Xianbei prisoners, coughed lightly, and then asked directly.
"My lord, what should we do with these Xianbei prisoners?"
"Are they assigned to farm in various counties, or something else?"
Li Qing sneered, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."
"These 60,000 Xianbei soldiers are fierce and highly capable in combat, posing a tremendous threat to the Han Dynasty!"
Li Yuan's gaze sharpened, and he pressed in a low voice, "What exactly does my lord intend to do?"
Li Qing looked up and stared straight at the night sky.
"I will emulate the actions of Lord Wu'an of Qin!"
"These 60,000 surrendered soldiers, leave no one alive, execute them all!"
Everyone was shocked by these words.
Lu Bu frowned and said in a low voice, "My lord, the Han court and the people have always advocated benevolence and righteousness."
"Such a massacre of surrendered soldiers will surely incite anger throughout the court and the public!"
"At that time, a large number of officials will impeach our lord, which will be extremely detrimental to his development!"
Li Qing waved his hand and said firmly, "Benevolence and righteousness only apply to the people of our Great Han!"
"There's no need to be merciful towards foreign enemies!"
"The officials in the imperial court sat in the center of the empire and never witnessed the people being displaced under the iron heel of foreign invaders."
"The Xianbei's scimitars never harmed them, so they did not feel pain."
"I fought for the people and for the nation; let the world judge my merits and demerits."
"I don't care about those officials' impeachments. If I did, I wouldn't be myself."
Li Qing raised his head, his face full of arrogance, exuding an indescribable domineering aura.
This is the true aura of a ruthless leader!