When the Mongol cavalry saw that it was Ming cavalry charging out from the camp, they instantly understood what had happened. This Ming force had raided their camp while they were away, slaughtering their kin, consuming their livestock, and burning their tents and winter supplies. It was a blood feud of the highest order!
Furious, they grabbed their weapons and surrounded the Ming force, attempting to annihilate them in one stroke. The Ming army formed ranks to resist, and the two sides descended into a bitter struggle. Before the Mongol cavalry could finish them off, Li Xingzhong arrived with his main force to provide support. Abunai rallied his troops to fight again, only to be defeated once more!
Successive failures finally forced Abunai to recognize the disparity in strength between the two sides. With no other choice, he led his shattered remnants and the surviving herdsmen in a flight toward the east. Fearing an ambush, Li Xingzhong dared not pursue too deeply. In truth, even without the threat of an ambush, he would not have ordered a chase; after all, they could not outrun the Mongol cavalry.
Chapter 588