LFHYB -Chapter 194 Liu Heita Captures Dou Jiande

In Li Shimin’s eyes, even if he couldn’t pinpoint Dou Jiande’s exact location, it was usually obvious where the important figures were in an army. He didn’t even realize that Dou Jiande was deliberately creating a ruse.

Although his first instinct was to shoot at the enemy’s command banner, when he observed the soldiers around it reacting, he immediately knew the commander wasn’t actually there.

Li Shimin straightened up at once. From the elevated view offered by his tall horse, he glanced briefly at the chaotic army formation and immediately noticed a spot with the tightest defenses—even though no banner was raised there.

For a moment he wondered why the most heavily defended position had no visible mounted commander—but he dismissed it. He trusted his instincts.

Better to charge first and figure it out later!

So Li Shimin led his Xuan-armored soldiers forward.

When Dou Jiande felt that chill, Cheng Zhijie felt it too.

Because that’s not how cavalry is supposed to be used!

Here’s a reminder about proper cavalry tactics:

Cavalry either moves close to shoot and then retreats repeatedly, compressing the enemy formation—or circles around to harass and strike, which is an advanced form of the first method. Alternatively, they attack from the flanks, charging diagonally in and out, tearing through enemy lines.

Charging straight into the enemy mass isn’t a charge—it’s a death sentence.

Horses have strong impact force, but they tire and feel pain. Even if the enemy soldiers aren’t armored, after knocking a few down, the horse slows, gets entangled by infantry, and loses mobility.

Cavalry that loses mobility in the middle of a formation becomes sitting ducks.

Initially, Li Shimin’s charge was fairly normal, a standard flank attack.

But halfway through, he headed straight for the middle of the enemy formation.

“No, my lord! We’re too few! Charging into the enemy center will just get us surrounded! Forget breaking their lines—we might not even get out alive!”

Yet at this moment, Cheng Zhijie could only grit his teeth and follow Li Shimin into almost certain death.

Once engaged in a charge, no one can leave the formation or speak out to question orders—that would sap morale.

Li Shimin lowered his bow, kept a few arrows, and switched to a spear. The Xuan-armored soldiers behind him stowed their long weapons and began firing their bows.

Cheng Zhijie was still waving his weapon foolishly, and only after noticing the soldiers around him shooting bows did he pause and pick one up.

Li Shimin, even in the middle of a charge, noticed what Cheng Zhijie was doing and laughed: “Shoot at your own rhythm. You don’t have to follow the Xuan-armored soldiers. You and Qin Shubao are both warriors who can act freely.”

Even if Cheng Zhijie thought Li Shimin’s judgment was wrong, hearing this warmed his heart.

Then he immediately scorned himself for feeling warmed.

“The lord has misjudged, I’m nearly dead in the midst of chaos, and I’m feeling ‘warmth’? My body’s about to go cold!”

“Hmm? Ah?! Dou Jiande!” Cheng Zhijie’s eyes widened as he drew his bow. “My lord, the one in gold armor ahead is Dou Jiande!”

Li Shimin laughed heartily: “I knew there was a big fish here! Damn it, I’m in silver armor, he’s in gold—why? Qin Shubao, hit him!”

Qin Qiong, who had been holding back to only defend against incoming arrows, switched to a cavalry spear and spurred his horse forward.

“I’m coming too!” Cheng Zhijie couldn’t let Qin Qiong have all the glory. “Brother Qin, I’ll back you up!”

Though Cheng Zhijie and Qin Qiong had never coordinated before, after so many battles, they instinctively knew how not to interfere with each other during a mounted charge.

Li Shimin knew this too.

He stowed his spear and picked up his strong bow, covering Cheng Zhijie and Qin Qiong as they advanced.

Whether infantry or cavalry, once Li Shimin’s arrows flew, one enemy would fall per shot—none missed.

This halved the pressure on Qin Qiong and Cheng Zhijie; the remaining enemy was suppressed by the Xuan-armored soldiers’ volleys.

Archers aren’t like in movies, shooting blindly. Arrows thrown randomly cannot pierce armor, and no army has unlimited arrows.

Historical records show that archers were selected strictly for both draw strength and accuracy.

The Xuan-armored soldiers were accurate, maintained a tight formation, shot diagonally, and could release arrows without fear of hitting their own.

But the archers in Dou Jiande’s army were different.

They surrounded the Xuan-armored soldiers; any arrow that missed them would likely hit their own comrades.

Previously, commanders could ignore friendly fire and order volleys, but now the Xuan-armored soldiers had reached Dou Jiande. If archers misfired, they would hit top officers and strategists—so no one dared to give orders.

Meanwhile, Zhang Shan’an, who was ready to open the city gates, saw Dou Jiande’s army outside unexpectedly in disarray. He rushed out, attacking Dou Jiande’s troops near the gates.

Zhang Shan’an was a fickle man. Though he had genuinely intended to surrender before, seeing the chaos in Dou Jiande’s army, he tried to take advantage.

He was cunning, attacking only at the gates and ready to retreat at any moment. If Dou Jiande’s soldiers fled, he wouldn’t pursue, only ordering arrows to be fired.

The front wing of Dou Jiande’s army fell into confusion.

The central command faced the Xuan-armored soldiers’ assault and could not issue timely counterorders.

Most soldiers without orders behaved like headless flies. They had no independent combat ability.

The front wing of Dou Jiande’s army resisted briefly. The flag bearers looked back multiple times, saw no command banner, panicked, and didn’t know how to wave their own banners.

It was like a modern battlefield’s radio system being jammed—if the frontline can’t receive orders and has no initiative, even capable soldiers prioritize survival, and collapse instantly.

Caught by Li Shimin’s cavalry, Dou Jiande’s front wing, though still capable of fighting, saw its formation disintegrate.

At this moment, Zhang Shan’an remained very calm. He didn’t rush out to expand his gains just because he saw the front wing of Dou Jiande’s army starting to collapse.

Although Dou Jiande seemed certain of victory, he couldn’t even properly command his troops, clearly having run into an attack from another surprise force.

He knew himself well enough to understand that this surprise force was certainly not his reinforcements—it was aiming to take advantage of a fight between him and Dou Jiande, to strike both sides.

But Zhang Shan’an understood this as well, and he wouldn’t let the opportunity to strike Dou Jiande’s army slip by.

He had a bad temper. Dou Jiande had been attacking him for so long, filling him with anger—first, he needed to get back his pride.

Now that he had vented his frustration, he cautiously stayed in place, afraid that the unknown surprise force might strike him by accident.

“Dou Jiande will surely be defeated. Once that happens, we will surrender to the ones who defeat him,” Zhang Shan’an told his subordinates. “Anyway, surrendering is surrendering. Does it matter who we surrender to? Surrendering to someone stronger than Dou Jiande isn’t better?”

His subordinates all nodded.

They were truly a band of thieves. They never thought about the future—taking life one step at a time. If they couldn’t win, they surrendered; if they weren’t satisfied after surrendering, they rebelled; if they couldn’t win again, they surrendered once more. That’s how thieves operate—honor, integrity, or principles don’t exist in their world. So surrendering to this unknown…

“General Zhang, that banner over there seems to read ‘Prince of Qin, Li Shimin’!” one literate officer at Zhang Shan’an’s side exclaimed in shock.

Zhang Shan’an rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on the distant banner, only to remember that he couldn’t read.

He turned and asked, “Are you sure?”

Because it was so far away, the literate officer was uncertain: “It looks like it… but it’s too blurry to be sure.”

Zhang Shan’an furrowed his brow.

If it really was Prince Qin Li Shimin, rebelling afterward might be difficult if he got displeased. He hoped Li Shimin would let him stay in Jianghuai—far from the emperor’s reach—so that if he became upset, he could still rebel.

You might ask: why would he think about rebelling before even seeing Li Shimin? Because he had been a bandit since the age of seventeen; all he ever thought about was being a bandit.

Even seeing signs of Dou Jiande’s defeat, Zhang Shan’an didn’t dare pursue. Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

When Li Shimin charged into the enemy ranks, they were already ready to lead the infantry in a follow-up attack.

But after waiting for a while, they still hadn’t seen Li Shimin bring the Xuán Armor soldiers from the flank.

Was their lord being held up by Dou Jiande’s main force?

As Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin hesitated—unsure whether to continue waiting per Li Shimin’s orders or rush to aid him—the previously stable formation of Dou Jiande’s army suddenly exploded like a burst water bubble.

Although they didn’t know exactly what had happened, Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin immediately seized the opportunity, leading their infantry to charge at the disintegrating Dou Jiande forces.

Their numbers were far smaller than Dou Jiande’s, but with the command center paralyzed and the front wing already crushed—Zhang Shan’an had already helped Li Shimin smash Dou Jiande’s front wing—Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin struck at the rear wing, whose commanders had already been killed in battle by Li Shimin and Qin Qiong when the Xuán Armor troops charged. With no one left to lead, the rear wing collapsed instantly.

Once a unit breaks, other soldiers who could still fight start fleeing with them.

Dou Jiande’s army had completely fallen into chaos, soldiers scattering in panic. Xu Shiji and the others had no intention of annihilating them completely, letting the enemy disperse. With no one blocking them, the army’s collapse accelerated.

Shan Xiongxin laughed joyfully: “What has our lord done? Dou Jiande’s troops are as soft as dried grass! Don’t run! Shan Xiongxin your father is here!”

Xu Shiji silently cut down enemies while looking up for the Xuán Armor troops.

Where did our lord go? Why haven’t we seen him yet?

Fortunately, the voices of Qin Qiong and Cheng Zhijie were loud enough, allowing Xu Shiji to finally locate them.

“Shan Xiongxin, over here!” Xu Shiji urged. “Stop lingering—hurry to support our lord!”

Shan Xiongxin muttered: “Normally, he just calls names directly. Only when nagging does he say ‘brother.’”

Xu Shiji ignored him. He didn’t use Shan Xiongxin’s given name because Shan Xiongxin’s family lacked a scholar to give him a courtesy name.

Wielding their weapons, Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin hacked left and right, moving to support Li Shimin.

Qin Qiong and Cheng Zhijie were already entangled with Dou Jiande’s commanders. They prided themselves on being rare and fierce warriors, yet were evenly matched in combat with their opponents.

Li Shimin’s eyes lit up with delight: “A worthy fighter! You’ve already been defeated—why not surrender to me?”

A young officer sneered: “I’d never surrender to a lackey of the dog emperor of the Sui!”

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes.

Though his mind could sometimes be vast, at other times the Prince of Qin could be as meticulous as a needle—he remembered the young officer’s face.

Dou Jiande, though a capable general, quickly realized he was defeated after scanning the battlefield from horseback.

The front wing must have been hit by Zhang Shan’an’s ambush—Zhang Shan’an had indeed feigned surrender!

The rear wing was struck by the army of Prince Qin Li Shimin. He had brought his main force?

Having failed to stabilize his troops during the surprise attack, he was now at a disadvantage and could only flee.

Though personally brave, Dou Jiande knew he couldn’t act recklessly.

He took advantage of Qin Qiong and Cheng Zhijie being engaged with his brother-in-law Cao Dan and the young officer Su Dingfang, ordering nearby soldiers to protect him as he broke through.

At this moment, Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin, along with other mounted commanders, arrived. Their infantry formations followed, relieving pressure on the Xuán Armor troops and blocking Dou Jiande’s escape.

Among the supporting commanders was Liu Heita, a subordinate of Hao Xiaode—one of the leaders of the Qilu volunteer army—and a childhood friend of Dou Jiande. He immediately spotted Dou Jiande, who was hiding among the officers and pretending to be ordinary.

Excited, Liu Heita told Li Shimin: “My lord! That man in the rusted iron armor is Dou Jiande! I’ll capture him!”

Li Shimin was puzzled: “Hmm? Cheng Yizhen said the one in golden armor is Dou Jiande… oh well, maybe he changed clothes. Go ahead!”

Liu Heita had been about to explain that he and Dou Jiande were childhood friends, and that he could recognize him far more accurately than Cheng Zhijie. But before he could speak, Li Shimin only looked puzzled for a moment and immediately trusted him, ordering him to attack.

Cheng Zhijie came from the Wagang Bandit Army, while Liu Heita came from the Qilu Bandit Army. Although both forces were now under Li Shimin’s command, the generals couldn’t help but feel a quiet rivalry.

Seeing his lord place such trust in him, Liu Heita gave a triumphant glance at Cheng Zhijie, who was still struggling with Su Dingfang, and spurred his horse toward Dou Jiande.

Cheng Zhijie saw Liu Heita’s glance and his face darkened.

He definitely hadn’t been mistaken before! Dou Jiande must have changed armor when preparing to escape! Damn it! How can this young general be so formidable! Move, you little rascal, don’t block your elder!

As Liu Heita and several fellow Qilu commanders attacked Dou Jiande, Dou Jiande also recognized the face beneath Liu Heita’s helmet and his expression instantly changed.

“Liu Heita! I once did you a favor! Why repay kindness with enmity?” Dou Jiande shouted angrily.

Liu Heita, drawing his bow and shooting arrows while speaking, replied, “Capturing you alive is how I repay my debt! Now the entire realm is under the command of my lord, Prince Qin. Dou Gong, why resist? Surrender now, and I swear to protect your life!”

Li Shimin cheered from behind: “Yes! Dou Jiande! Surrender now! I will not kill you! Everyone hear me! Surrender and you won’t die!”

The armored soldiers immediately helped spread the message: “Surrender and you won’t die!”

Xu Shiji and the others quickly followed: “Surrender and you won’t die!”

Even the other soldiers under Li Shimin, though they didn’t know that it was their lord who shouted this, knew that their lord was close to victory. They assumed only he could be saying it and shouted while fighting.

Once the words “Surrender and you won’t die” rang out, soldiers immediately dropped their weapons and surrendered efficiently.

Liu Heita was clever and cunning. He knew that both his lord and Prince Jin had an excellent reputation among the common people.

He shouted loudly, “My lord is the ‘Righteous Beyond the Clouds’ Li Shimin, and his brother is the ‘Virtuous and Benevolent’ Li Xuanba! ‘Righteous Beyond the Clouds’ and ‘Virtuous and Benevolent’ treat the people very well! Surrender now, and my lord will definitely not kill you!”

The Qilu commanders behind him shouted: “‘Righteous Beyond the Clouds’! ‘Virtuous and Benevolent’! Surrender and you won’t die!”

The Wagang commanders were stunned: “???” Can it really be like this?

They hurriedly joined in, while secretly keeping an eye on Liu Heita.

This man is so clever—a real formidable rival!

Li Shimin, having rested enough, muttered to himself that he and his brother’s nicknames were already outdated. “Invincible in Battle” and “Master of Strategy” sounded cooler than “Righteous Beyond the Clouds” and “Virtuous and Benevolent.” He grabbed his spear and caught up with Liu Heita and the others.

The Qilu commanders glanced back and hastened their pace.

Though they had not experienced it themselves, they had often heard their comrades complain:

Our lord is here to snatch heads!

After Liu Heita called out the titles “Righteous Beyond the Clouds” and “Virtuous and Benevolent,” the hesitant soldiers under Dou Jiande threw down their weapons and surrendered.

Many commanders who had been scattered among the defeated forces also turned their horses, dismounted, and surrendered.

Most of them were illiterate and could not read what was written on Li Shimin’s banners. But they had long heard of the reputations of “Righteous Beyond the Clouds” and “Virtuous and Benevolent,” even before becoming bandits. Li Shimin had an excellent reputation; he did not kill civilians for sport, so surrendering to him was safe.

Seeing his subordinates hesitate, Dou Jiande’s face went pale.

While he was distracted, Liu Heita shot an arrow into the horse under him. The steed screamed in pain and toppled to the side.

“Dou Gong!”

“My lord!”

Liu Heita shouted violently: “Dou Gong! Stop resisting! Surrender immediately!”

He even leapt from his horse, charging into Dou Jiande’s protective circle, grabbed the nearly falling Dou Jiande, and pressed him firmly to the ground.

The fighting among the generals abruptly ceased.