Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Ma Chao turned his horse around and shouted to his personal guards, "Order each battalion to immediately select one thousand of the weakest and most seriously injured warhorses! Be quick!"

"General, this..." The guard was stunned.

"Excuting an order!"

Ma Chao shouted, "Tell the soldiers that these warhorses will not have died in vain; their deaths will open the door to victory for us!"

"Order!"

The order was conveyed swiftly.

Although many cavalrymen were reluctant to part with their warhorses, military orders were absolute.

Soon, a thousand warhorses were assembled at the front of the battle.

Most of these warhorses were wounded; some were lame, some were blind, and some were on the verge of death.

They didn't understand what was about to happen; they just snorted anxiously and rubbed their heads against their owner's hand.

"I'm sorry, old friend." A young cavalryman hugged his warhorse, tears streaming down his face.

This horse had been with him for five years and had saved his life three times. Now, however, he was about to send it to its death with his own hands.

But war offers no other choice.

"Prepare the tarpaulin!" Ma Chao personally directed.

The soldiers tied strips of cloth soaked in kerosene to the tails of a thousand warhorses.

Each warhorse was led by two soldiers, who stood at the forefront of the position.

"General Zhao," Ma Chao looked at Zhao Yu, "when will we make our move?"

Zhao Yu looked eastward.

It's already afternoon, and the fighting on the south bank should be coming to an end.

He didn't know who won or lost on the other side, but he knew that this battle on the north bank had to end as soon as possible.

“Now,” he slowly uttered the two words.

Ma Chao nodded emphatically, mounted his horse, and raised his spear high: "Light the fire!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers used torches to ignite the tarpaulin on the tails of their warhorses.

Flames erupted instantly!

The warhorse was startled and let out a shrill whinny.

They struggled desperately to break free of their restraints, but the reins were held fast.

"Release the horses!" Ma Chao roared.

The soldiers simultaneously released the reins.

A thousand burning warhorses, like a thousand moving fireballs, charged madly toward the Tang army's position!

The scene was like hell descending.

The warhorses went completely mad under the scorching flames, galloping wildly without regard for anything else.

They stepped over the horse traps—sharp stakes at the bottom pierced the horses' legs, but inertia propelled them forward.

They struck the tripwire—the rope snapped, the horses fell, but the horses behind continued on, stepping over the bodies of their fallen companions.

The first line of defense was completely flattened by these thousand mad horses in just a few dozen breaths!

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows now!" The generals in the Tang army shouted the order.

The archers hastily released their arrows, raining down on the charging, mad horses.

Many warhorses fell to the ground after being hit by arrows, but many more continued to charge forward.

Flames burned on them, and they crashed into the second line of defense like demons from hell!

boom! boom! boom!

The warhorses rammed into the chariot formation with their bodies.

Some were pierced by the shafts of the carts, and some were run over by the wheels, but the enormous impact caused the cart array to loosen and collapse.

Burning horse carcasses piled up in front of the wagon formation, and flames spread to the wagons, marking the beginning of the second line of defense!

"Adjust formation! Spearmen forward!" Li Guangbi, who was watching closely from within the formation, finally changed his expression.

He never expected the Chu army to use such a ruthless tactic.

They used the lives of a thousand warhorses to break through his defenses.

But even more devastating blows followed.

Just as the Tang army's formation began to fall into disarray due to the charge of the mad horses—

"White Horse Cavalry—Charge!" Zhao Yu pointed his silver spear forward.

"Xiliang Iron Cavalry—Kill!" Ma Chao brandished his spear.

The two main cavalry forces, which had been conserving their strength for a long time, finally had the best opportunity.

Two cavalry units, like two torrents of steel, charged out from the left and right flanks simultaneously, heading straight for the Tang army's already wavering defenses!

This time, there were no horse traps or chariot formations to block the way.

There was only a chaotic Tang army and a burning battlefield.

"kill--!"

The cavalrymen's roars shook the heavens and the earth.

The final charge has begun.

Li Guangbi knew that the outcome of this battle was already decided.

We didn't lose because of insufficient troops or poor command.

He lost because... his opponent's ruthlessness exceeded his expectations.

He gazed at the two cavalry units charging like thunder, at the burning horse carcasses in front of him, and at the crumbling defensive line, and slowly closed his eyes.

Then, when he opened his eyes again, all that remained in his eyes was the soldier's final decision.

"Order the entire army—" Li Guangbi said calmly, "Fight to the death, do not retreat."

"Long live the Great Tang Dynasty!"

When a thousand burning, mad horses crashed into the Tang army's lines like fiery beasts from hell, Li Guangbi knew that the most difficult moment had arrived.

This famous Tang general stood on the central command platform, his silver-white beard and hair dancing wildly in the morning breeze. His face showed no panic, only an almost cold calm.

He has fought for thirty years; what kind of scene hasn't he seen?

But the ruthless and decisive tactic of using living warhorses as sacrifices in a fire attack still sent a chill down his spine.

"Send orders to all battalions—"

Li Guangbi's voice was like iron: "Ignore those mad horses, let them pass! Archers, aim at the Chu cavalry behind the mad horses! Spearmen, form a forest of spears, prepare to engage!"

The orders were transmitted quickly, but their execution was fraught with difficulties.

The burning warhorses went completely mad.

Ignoring arrows and gunfire, they charged, trampled, and burned recklessly.

The first rank of Tang soldiers' spearmen thrust their spears, piercing the horses' bellies, but the horses' momentum still sent them flying.

Flames spread across the horse carcasses, igniting the soldiers' armor, the timbers of the wagon formation, and the entire second line of defense.

"Put out the fire! Put out the fire quickly!" the generals shouted hoarsely.

But how can we possibly eliminate them all?

A thousand burning warhorses are a thousand moving sources of fire.

Wherever they rushed, fire spread.

The Tang army's formation was broken by flames, disrupted by mad horses, and obscured by thick smoke.

But at this most chaotic moment, the Chu army's true killing move was about to begin.

Zhao Yu's White Horse Cavalry attacked from the west, while Ma Chao's Xiliang Iron Cavalry attacked from the east.

Two elite forces, having rested and prepared for battle for a long time, clamped down like two iron pincers on the already wavering Tang army's defenses.

"First formation—hold the western flank!"

Li Guangbi sternly ordered: "Second formation—block the east side! Third and fourth formations, retreat and fill the gap!"

The 40,000 Tang soldiers displayed astonishing discipline.

Despite the chaos caused by the mad horses, the spreading flames, and the overwhelming momentum of the Chu cavalry, they continued to put up a stubborn resistance.

On the west side, Zhao Yu's white horse cavalry collided with Li Guangbi's first formation.

This is an iron phalanx composed of 10,000 heavy infantrymen. The soldiers are clad in double-layered heavy armor and wield giant shields and spears. The forest of spears they form resembles a moving steel forest.

"Charge!" Zhao Yu took the lead, his silver spear like a dragon, thrusting straight into the center of the formation.

But the Tang army's spears were too densely packed.

The first rank of cavalrymen crashed into a hail of spears, and both men and horses were impaled.

The second and third rows followed one after another, filling the road with corpses.