The Pursuit of the Dragon Riders

If there were any nation that epitomized courting disaster in this era, the Tuyuhun would undoubtedly rank among them.

Since the establishment of the Tang dynasty, the Tuyuhun tribes had invaded the borders of the Tang realm once or twice almost every year.

Just Liangzhou alone had been raided several times.

When the Dragon Cavalry arrived in Liangzhou, they had initially planned to rest for a couple of days and send out scouts to probe the movements of the Tuyuhun forces.

However, to Su Lie’s surprise, on the very second day after his arrival, the Tuyuhun unexpectedly launched a raid on Changsong County, under Liangzhou’s jurisdiction.

Su Lie, who was consulting with the Governor of Liangzhou Li Daliang, General Xue Wanjun, and the Left Commander Qibi Heli about the Tuyuhun's battle tactics, immediately led the Dragon Cavalry in pursuit upon hearing the news.

His departure left Li Daliang and the others exchanging glances within the governor’s mansion.

None of them had ever witnessed someone leading troops with such fierce determination.

The Dragon Cavalry had only rested for a day upon arriving in Liangzhou.

They hadn’t even had time to acclimate to the environment before rushing out to battle.

But Su Lie cared little for these concerns.

He had come out to win glory, and with such a golden opportunity presenting itself, how could he let it slip?

It was simply unfortunate for the Tuyuhun forces.

After plundering Changsong County, their pace slowed naturally.

They had not gone far before Su Lie caught up with them.

Upon seeing that the enemy had only about a thousand men while their own side numbered four to five thousand, the Tuyuhun commanders decided to show the Tang army some color.

Murong Yunhai, the Tuyuhun general, roared and led his troops in a charge against the Dragon Cavalry.

Su Lie was amused to see a group of warriors clad in tattered sheepskin coats daring to launch an offensive against the fully armored Dragon Cavalry.

With a mere wave of his hand, the soldiers of the Dragon Cavalry unleashed their familiar “kite-flying” attack.

From beyond the enemy’s range, they mercilessly reaped their foes’ lives.

This was no drill; every soldier’s blood ran hot with fervor.

Among the Tuyuhun troops, the few armored commanders were particularly unlucky.

The Dragon Cavalry soldiers made them their first targets.

Murong Yunhai, at the forefront, had barely drawn his longbow when a sharp arrow struck his shoulder.

Startled, he quickly retreated to the rear.

Su Lie cursed in frustration at failing to kill Murong Yunhai with a single arrow and swiftly nocked another, searching for the next high-value target.

But when he looked up, he found all the armored commanders had already been slain.

He cursed again, reluctantly turning to shoot at the other enemies.

Although the Tuyuhun had clashed with the Tang forces countless times, they had never encountered a tactic like that of the Dragon Cavalry.

Murong Yunhai, hiding at the back, watched as over a thousand of his men fell without firing a single arrow, and fear gripped him.

He howled and prepared to lead the remaining soldiers in a retreat.

He believed, as before, that once they were far enough, the Tang army would cease pursuit.

Unfortunately for him, this time he had miscalculated.

The Dragon Cavalry, finally facing an enemy who knew the terrain, would not let them escape so easily.

Thus, they relentlessly pursued the Tuyuhun forces, forcing Murong Yunhai to lead his troops deep into the Qilian Mountains.

He had assumed his horses, faster and accustomed to mountain terrain, would quickly rid them of their pursuers.

But to his astonishment, no matter how they fled, the Tang army always found them swiftly.

As his numbers dwindled, Murong Yunhai grew increasingly reluctant to engage.

Cornered, he had no choice but to head toward the nearest friendly forces.

For two full days, the Dragon Cavalry forced Murong Yunhai’s troops to run without rest or sustenance.

What was most infuriating was that the Tang soldiers would periodically vanish from their sight, only to reappear unexpectedly when the Tuyuhun hoped to rest.

Exhausted and chilled, the Tuyuhun forces finally collapsed.

Some panicked warriors fell from their mounts, only to be trampled to death by horses behind them.

By dawn on the third day, they reached Kushan, where a ten-thousand-strong Tuyuhun army was stationed.

Only here did Murong Yunhai feel some relief.

He did not believe the Tang forces would dare press on.

Yet he was thoroughly cowed by the Dragon Cavalry.

He did not even dare to let the larger army counterattack.

He had every reason to fear—over three thousand of his men had died in three days, while the Tang forces remained unscathed.

Even more disheartening, their horses had been captured by the Tang army, who now boasted three horses per soldier.

Murong Qing, the commanding general here, had originally intended to confront the Tang troops.

But seeing Murong Yunhai’s dire condition, his confidence waned.

He settled into his camp and sent scouts to gather intelligence.

Unbeknownst to them, Su Lie and his men had long since hidden.

Upon spotting the large Tuyuhun army through telescopes, they decided to rest thoroughly for two days.

Su Lie resolved to launch another pursuit once his troops recuperated.

At over three thousand meters altitude, even the Dragon Cavalry felt the strain.

Thus, they camped in a sheltered mountain hollow to recover.

Murong Qing’s scouts searched in vain for any sign of Su Lie’s forces.

Reporting back, they stirred Murong Qing’s unease.

He summoned Murong Yunhai and inquired, “Did the Tang army truly chase you all the way here?”

Murong Yunhai replied, “Of course it is true.”

Murong Qing then shared the scouts’ report.

Murong Yunhai scoffed, “The Tang army now has three horses per man; if they were beaten, they would have fled long ago.”

Murong Qing hesitated, asking, “If what you say is true, this Tang force must be formidable. Could they not use their few men to launch a surprise attack?”

Murong Yunhai replied, “With barely a thousand men, how would they dare?”

Though Murong Yunhai’s reasoning held some truth, Murong Qing remained uneasy.

He ordered his deputy to strengthen camp defenses.

Two days passed without incident.

Murong Yunhai declared, “I told you the Tang army fled long ago. Two days have passed; that proves it, doesn’t it?”

Murong Qing did not contradict him and felt a measure of relief.

Little did they know, their relaxation had come too soon.