Chapter Thirteen: The Fierce Protector of His Brother

"Aligu and the others are all dead!"
"Those Han people cut off their heads!"
"Pursue them! We cannot let them get away!"
"Ah, ah, ah, Huliatai, my brother!"

After the Karluks by the river had wiped out all the Khitan warriors, they immediately gave chase. They never expected, however, to be met with such a gruesome scene. The forty-some Karluk cavalrymen who had split off earlier had been slaughtered to the last man. Some were struck in the back by arrows, others pierced through the chest by blades, and some even had their heads severed. Along the way, the path was littered with the blood-drenched, harrowing corpses of the Karluks.

The arriving reinforcements were shocked and enraged; the sight of their fallen kin ignited a fury within them.

"Kill them all! Hack them into pieces to honor our brothers!" the Karluk leader roared, leading his men in the direction Li Xiao and his party had fled. Nothing could deter their resolve for vengeance. These Han people had used despicable tactics to massacre so many Karluk warriors; anger could no longer express the depth of their hatred. They were determined to slaughter every last one of the damnable Han, sparing neither women nor children. They needed the blood of more Han people to wash away their shame.

"Kill!"

The Karluks whipped their horses, desperate to overtake Li Xiao’s group as quickly as possible. The distance between the two parties shrank. The Karluk leader gripped his longbow tightly; if they could just close the gap by another hundred meters, they would be able to shoot down every one of those bastards.

But just as the Karluks crested a high slope, following the backs of Li Xiao and his men, they all froze simultaneously. Without a word, they began to slow their horses, gradually coming to a halt. Expressions of astonishment washed over their faces, their previous rage and murderous intent vanishing in an instant, replaced by a look of agonizing constipation.

"Back! Turn the horses around, quickly!" the Karluk leader roared in frustration.

They had no choice but to retreat. Their lives were on the line.

A few hundred meters ahead, Li Xiao and his men also pulled on their reins. As a wave of relief washed over him, a playful expression gradually appeared on Li Xiao’s face. Directly in front of them, more than a hundred cavalrymen were charging forward, scattered across the wild landscape like stars, the thunder of their hooves making the earth tremble.

It was the men from Hexi Fort led by the Old Man!

They had heard the commotion of the approaching Karluks and, realizing that Li Xiao and his group were in that direction, the Old Man had made a swift decision, leading half the men of the village to their aid. The roles of hunter and prey had reversed. Under the threat of the hundred-plus riders from Hexi Fort, the Karluks were forced into a chaotic retreat.

"Brother, we’re here!"
"Whoever dares to hurt you, I’ll leave them without a shred of armor left!"

From a distance, Li Xiao heard Erhu’s booming voice. The boy was riding a chestnut horse, clad in leather armor, holding the reins in one hand and brandishing a long saber in the other, howling as he charged forward recklessly. Although young, Erhu was sturdy and fiercer than many grown men. His charge with the saber possessed the valor of a seasoned battlefield commander.

"This kid," Li Xiao chuckled. Is he a brother-protection fanatic?

***

Since reinforcements had arrived, it was time for a counterattack. Li Xiao shouted immediately, "Sixth Uncle, let’s charge back! Let’s finish off these dog-cursed Karluks at Dragon Bone River!"

Li Dashan and the others did not hesitate. "Right! Charge!"
"Don't let a single Karluk escape!"

Unbeknownst to them, Li Xiao’s prestige had risen to a new level in their hearts; his words now carried even more weight than Li Dashan’s. This was something Li Xiao had earned with his own tangible achievements. In the previous skirmish, he had personally slain ten Karluks—nearly a quarter of the entire force. He was not only a master of archery, capable of precision shots from over a hundred meters, but his close-quarters combat had left everyone in awe. His killing was swift and effortless; his enemies never had the chance to land a second blow.

His performance had completely won over Li Dashan and the others. In their eyes, Li Xiao seemed born for the battlefield; he was truly fierce and skilled in war. No one looked at him as a mere boy anymore.

*Whoosh.*

Without waiting for the reinforcements to catch up, Li Xiao and his companions turned back to pursue. The roles of hunter and prey flipped once more, as if in a game. Li Xiao’s bow played its part again. From nearly two hundred meters away, he sank an arrow into the back of a Karluk rider. He continued to draw his bow and nock arrows, repeating the motion tirelessly, as more and more Karluks were shot from their saddles.

Li Dashan and the others watched in silence. Li Xiao had brought them too many surprises that day; they were beyond being shocked. It felt as if, no matter how incredible Li Xiao was, it was simply to be expected.

"Dahai has a worthy successor," Li Dashan sighed softly, thinking of Li Dahai, who had fallen in the Northern Mountains not long ago. With his eldest son growing up to be so brave and exceptional, Dahai could rest in peace.

***

The men from Hexi Fort had well-rested horses and were moving at great speed, brimming with murderous intent. They finally caught up to the Karluk cavalry on the south bank of the Dragon Bone River. Just as in the earlier fight, facing the desperate, cornered Karluks, the men of Hexi Fort did not charge blindly. Instead, following Li Xiao’s strategy, they split into two wings to flank the Karluks, using their bows to whittle down the enemy's strength.

Only when the remaining Karluks’ will to fight was nearly extinguished did the hundred-plus riders from Hexi launch their final charge.

"Die!"

After the previous close-quarters engagement, Li Xiao had undergone a complete transformation. His entire demeanor seemed changed. Facing a Karluk rider charging straight at him with a spear, his face twisted in a hideous, frantic mask, Li Xiao remained perfectly calm, his gaze indifferent.

*A coward in a fierce mask.* That was Li Xiao’s assessment. The grimace was merely a disguise; the endless fear of death was the reality within.

"Hah!"

As the distance closed, Li Xiao raised a spear he had scavenged from a fallen Karluk. He had to admit, in a cavalry charge, polearms held the advantage. As their horses flashed past one another, Li Xiao shifted his body violently, dodging the Karluk’s spear, and thrust his own with the speed of a dragon, aiming straight for the man’s chest.

*Spluck.*

The spearhead pierced the Karluk’s heart. A spray of blood erupted, and the man died on the spot.

"Good!"

Not far away, the Old Man had been keeping a close eye on his three grandsons; it was their first time on the battlefield, after all. Seeing Li Xiao’s clean, decisive strike, the Old Man nodded in satisfaction. His eldest grandson had not disappointed him. With his powerful physique, strength, and speed, the Old Man had to admit that Li Xiao’s prowess might already surpass his own. In a direct duel, he himself might not survive. The Old Man felt a deep sense of relief.

His gaze shifted to Dahu and Erhu, who were working together to take down an injured Karluk. Erhu wielded his saber with wild, frenzied slashes, looking nothing like a battlefield novice. Dahu was much calmer; he lacked Erhu’s manic intensity, but his strikes were ruthless, seizing every opportunity to land a blow. In short order, the Karluk was hacked to death.

The Old Man sighed softly, "Heaven has not forsaken me." He then returned to cutting down the enemy.

On the other side, Li Xiao found himself in an awkward spot: the spearhead had become lodged in the Karluk’s ribcage and would not pull out.

"Get off!"

Li Xiao, blood surging and killing intent high, had no time to fiddle with the corpse. With a roar, he exerted his strength, hoisted the body high into the air, and flung it at another approaching Karluk rider. The rider had no time to react and was knocked from his horse, immediately followed by the Old Man’s spear, which sent him to his maker.

*Huff, huff.*

After throwing the body, Li Xiao let out a breath and then smiled helplessly. He realized that the spear he was using could not withstand such force; there were already cracks in the shaft. It would snap after one more strike at most. That was the downside of these spears—high utility, but poor quality. They were a far cry from the *mashuo* (heavy cavalry lances) used by the Central Plains dynasties. But those were expensive and complex to forge; even in the Tang army, only generals were qualified to use them.

The Li family had once owned an ancestral *mashuo*, but his father had taken it to the Northern Mountains. It had likely fallen into the hands of the Karluks.

"If I get the chance, I must get my hands on a *mashuo*," Li Xiao muttered to himself. In a charge, its effect was invincible.

Just then, spotting a target, Li Xiao did not hesitate. He gripped the spear by its head and hurled it like a javelin.