The soldiers were unwilling to do so. After all, the war horses got along well with them. If they didn't have war horses on the grassland, even if they won tonight, they would still face the pursuit of these grassland people tomorrow.
But at this moment they had no choice. Even if they were hunted down, they would have to face it tomorrow. But if they didn't do it today, everyone would die here tonight. Looking at the dark masses of cavalry outside, there was no way they could survive if they didn't do this.
Hundreds of war horses rushed to the periphery in pain. With tears in their eyes, the Tang soldiers lit their arrows and shot them at the running horses.
Suddenly, hundreds of fire horses appeared on the grassland. This had never happened before. The Xueyantuo army, which was preparing to charge, was also frightened. There were no cavalry on these horses, and their buttocks were stabbed, so they just rushed forward with flames burning on their bodies, and in the final stage they exerted all their strength.
Some Xueyantuo soldiers retreated quickly and were not affected by the war horses, but if they pushed forward slowly, once they were hit by the war horses, the oil on the horses would soak into their bodies. The news spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and the entire Xueyantuo army was actually on fire.
"Shoot everyone on fire."
Xueyantuo Khan arrived in time, so he ordered his men to take action before the fire spread. His men knew that those were their brothers, but they also understood very well that if they didn't shoot them to death, their bodies would be covered in fire, and death would be even more painful. Killing these people now is actually doing a good deed.
What's more, there is a lack of medical care and medicine on the grassland. Even if these people survive, they will have various scars on their bodies and cannot escape this disaster at all. Instead of letting them die slowly and painfully, it is better to give them a quick death. I guess those who were burned also think so.
One night passed like this, and more than 4,000 people under King Wu Li Ke were killed or wounded. The whole camp was filled with the smell of blood. The Xueyantuo army also stopped attacking. They were the attacking party, so their losses would be greater. Now everyone was counting the losses, but Li Ge knew that these people might continue to attack.
What the two sides are competing in now is willpower. If one side has weak willpower, it will not be able to survive in such a war. The smell of blood is everywhere around. Ordinary people will probably be drowned by the smell if they stand here for a while.
The soldiers on both sides also realized that this battle would be a fight to the death. No matter whether they were from the Tang Dynasty or the Xueyantuo, they were now on the edge of the cliff and could not retreat a single step. If anyone retreated, it might lead to a rout, which no one could afford.
"Your Highness, I've noticed. The Turkic tribesmen are probably their weak point. If we launch a surprise attack, targeting them as our primary targets, then if they retreat, it could trigger a chain reaction, and they won't be able to hold on."
Li Zhilong led his men to conduct reconnaissance outside, and also fought with the enemy scouts on the way. The Xueyantuo people were still very powerful. Although they suffered a lot of losses last night, no one was clamoring to retreat now. However, the people of the Turkic tribes were different. They themselves were very weak. After suffering a series of blows, they were ready to leave here, but their prince was still detained by the Xueyantuo Khan, so they could not leave for the time being.
"It's indeed a good plan, but we can't do it now. Come and see."
While Li Zhilong was out investigating, Wu Wang Li Ke also took stock of the situation in the military camp. They knew the number of cavalrymen they could muster was running low. If we had a 100% chance of winning, we could still let them take the risk. But now, we didn't even have a 50% chance of winning. If they left the camp and were wiped out, then the remaining wounded and sick...
Li Zhilong raised his head and looked at the entire camp. The whole camp was filled with screams of pain. He had never seen the Tang army like this before. This should be the most brutal war. Thinking about the death of one after another last night, they really didn't have much strength to attack.
Woo woo woo…
Just as the two were talking, a horn sounded outside. It was obviously the horn of Xueyantuo. It seemed that he had persuaded the little Turkic king. At this moment, armies appeared from all sides, and they were about to launch a final charge.
"Soldiers, I, Li Ge, am honored to die here with you today, raising the prestige of the Tang Dynasty. I am sorry this time. I will not say any more. If we are lucky enough to have another life, I will serve you like a slave."
It is very rare for a prince of a country to say such words. The soldiers under him did not blame him. After all, things on the battlefield change rapidly. Now we have failed. If we had succeeded, all of us would have made contributions. There is no point in saying so much. They are all elite border troops of the Tang Dynasty. They knew when they were guarding the border that when the enemy comes to attack, it will be either you die or I live.
"Long live the Tang Dynasty, and a thousand years for the prince."
The soldiers slammed their swords against their shields and shouted loudly. Although many of them were injured, their spirits were high at the moment. They knew that the final battle was about to begin. Either the enemy would collapse and we would survive, or we would be annihilated by the enemy...
"Hold on until the last moment."
The enemies in the distance had already begun to charge. King Wu Li Ke drew his sword and tightened the cotton cloth on his body. He had been injured last night, and now the wound was probably torn open again, but there was no need to worry about it. He would take care of it slowly if he survived. If he didn't survive, this little wound would not be a problem.
"Capture Li Ke alive and you'll be rewarded 5,000 silver."
The generals of Xueyantuo were already shouting loudly. If they could capture the prince of the Tang Dynasty, they would be very famous. At that time, no matter what conditions they put forward, the Tang Dynasty would have to listen obediently, unless they did not care about the life or death of the King of Wu.
When he heard this, King Wu Li Ge was already prepared. If he really couldn't resist, he would never try to escape, nor would he leave this mess to the Tang Dynasty.