The next morning, the defeated allied troops arrived at Suizhou. They were exhausted and could not get any horses in such a mountainous city, but they had no choice but to leave the city at noon to fight against Xu's cavalry. Otherwise, if they stayed for another half a day, a large number of Xu's cavalry infantry would also arrive in Suizhou. At this time, all the troops were exhausted, and the situation of leaving Suizhou on horseback and continuing to escape was even more worrying.
Dong Zunhui was not surprised at the enemy's reaction. He asked his general: Can a human outrun a leopard
The generals were stunned and shook their heads.
Dong Zunhui said with certainty: I heard that in the wild, experienced hunters can find the direction of the leopard and will definitely outrun the leopard and not catch up with it for a while, but if you bring water and dry food and chase it for ten days in a row, can the leopard still run away
After hearing this, everyone bowed in admiration, and some took the opportunity to call Dong Zunhui "General Leopard".
Dong Zunhui's cavalry was less than 10,000. The coalition forces were at least twice as many as his, but after Dong Zunhui estimated his chances of winning, he decided to fight head-on.
The two armies met again in the northern suburbs of Suizhou City. This might be the last battle of the Pingxia War.
The sun was blinding, the smoke had already gone far away, and the yellow dust raised by the horses made everything even more desolate. Dong Zunhui looked from a distance and saw that the enemy's troops were in a rather chaotic state, with incomplete flags, but the troops and horses were still spectacular when deployed.
Dong Zunhui raised his sword and shouted: "The sons of the Han family are loyal and brave. They are the true sons of the Han family. The Daxu cavalry is invincible. Long live the emperor!"
The shouts of "Long live, long live" seemed to shake the old Suizhou and the Wuding River. A large group of horses roared forward, gradually accelerating in front, and the undulating river bank seemed to have been hit by a storm, with sand and rocks flying everywhere.
Xu Jun was the first to approach at a galloping speed. The opposite side was filled with dust and fog, and a large number of cavalry were also coming towards them. The knights in front could no longer see how many people there were on both sides. There was a rumbling sound in their ears, and a strong wind brought flying sand towards them.
In the dust and fog, the cavalry in front were very sparse, and the cavalry on both sides were not dense. However, the depth was very large, and the vision was not clear, so people could only muster up their breath and move forward bravely. They could not stop, and they dared not stop.
The sound of strings snapping seemed to come from all directions. Pitch-black arrows flew in from the dust, and the archers behind Xu Jun were also shooting randomly.
The cavalry could charge more than ten steps in a flash, and one of the cavalrymen rushed to the enemy formation first, and the enemy cavalrymen raised their spears. The knights of Xu's army also picked up their spears.
With a loud scream, the spear was in front of them in the blink of an eye. Neither side could dodge. The Xu cavalryman felt a weight on his breastplate. He spun his right hand, and the spear spun at the speed of a horse's charge, easily piercing the armor of the Khitan man on the opposite side. The screams whistled in the wind. The speed was too fast and the force was too great. The tip of the opponent's spear pierced the breastplate of the Xu cavalryman. The sound of metal friction was terrifying. The spear actually broke.
The Xu army soldier's eyes widened, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest, but it seemed that the wound was not serious. He didn't bother to look at the wound, and the enemy cavalry rushed forward again. The speed of the charge was too fast, and the lance stabbed into the enemy's body and could not be pulled out. The knight hurriedly drew the saber from his back, and sparks flashed in the dust.
The sound of killing on the battlefield was deafening, people and horses were falling, and dust and fog were rolling.
The cavalry moved very fast, and the situation on the battlefield changed faster than usual. The Tangut cavalry on both wings of the coalition army collapsed first, and Xu's army immediately attacked the Khitan cavalry from three directions. The coalition army was defeated very quickly, and the situation on the battlefield became more and more chaotic.
A few days later, Guo Shao's army of chariots and horses appeared outside Suizhou City, and the city gates were wide open. The officials appointed by Li Yiyin opened the city gates and completely gave up resistance.
As the golden gongs rang, the musicians on horseback played the music of the King of Qin breaking through the enemy's formation. At the city gate, the flags of Xu's army were like clouds, and the iron-clad soldiers and horses like dragons marched into the city in a mighty manner.
Guo Shao was in the four-horse carriage. He asked the generals who came to greet him, such as Dong Zunhui, but did not find the chiefs such as Li Yiyin.
Guo Shao looked out from behind the curtain again. The Tangut officials and the guards who had laid down their weapons were kneeling on the roadside, trembling with fear. Guo Shao observed them and felt that they had indeed lost their courage. It was probably that there were few people in Pingxia who still had the confidence to resist Xu's army.
The victory at Wuding River was a thrilling battle, and it was indeed a last-ditch effort in the entire Pingxia War. There was no need to fight for the next city.
At this time, Guo Shao saw that among the crowd kneeling on the side of the road, there were some people whose clothing and attire were completely different from those of the Dangxiang people, and they were not Khitans either. This reminded Guo Shao of the Tibetans and Uighurs he met in Lingzhou during his western tour last year.
He lowered the curtain and pondered for a moment, then he could roughly guess the mentality of the various tribes in Hexi. They did not directly participate in the war this time, but they were definitely inclined towards the Dangxiang.
Most of the first, second and third armies of the Pingxia Army camped in Suizhou. The next day, Cao Bin's troops also arrived in Suizhou. In this ancient and simple city, more than 70,000 troops of Xu's army gathered together at once.
Soon, the military headquarters in the front camp posted a notice to reassure the people. Zhe Heige led a team of Dangxiang people and beat drums and gongs with the notice, shouting in the Dangxiang language to tell the Dangxiang residents in Suizhou.
The court claimed that the Tanguts were meritorious officials during the Tang Dynasty and lived in harmony with the Central Plains. However, a few tribal leaders were ambitious and aggressive, colluding with the enemy and betraying their king and father. They not only threatened the court, but also brought the Tangut people into war and poverty. Now the king's army has put down the rebellion, the emperor treats the people with benevolence, the soldiers have not harmed anyone, and it is forbidden to kill women and children.
The high-sounding words from the military staff sounded better than singing, but this list of people's peace was not without effect. It showed the court's attitude towards governing the Xia region at the fastest speed. At least it was not a genocide, otherwise it would not be said so on the surface.
On the contrary, the Tibetan Uighurs who came to Pingxia to watch and stayed in Suizhou before they could escape soon met with bad luck. The military officers of the Privy Council who were accompanying the army first found out where they lived, and soon their residences were smashed open by the soldiers. A group of soldiers arrested these people and brought them into the central army without explanation.
Before they could figure out the situation, they were locked up in a low house and beaten. Soon, a civil servant came and said sternly: "Someone has confessed that you came to the Tangut army as envoys and funded the Tangut Khitans with war horses, ironware and food on behalf of your master. Is this true?"
A group of people cried out that they were wronged. Then they were separated and detained, and people threatened and bribed them day and night. Soon someone confessed that they were not envoys, but just came to see the situation, but they knew that there were indeed nobles in Hexi who funded the Tangut army.