Chapter 863

Tengjite was struck in the neck by a Three-Eyed Gun, lost consciousness, and tumbled from his horse. As soon as he hit the ground, seven or eight Mongol soldiers rushed forward, intent on rescuing him. The surrounding Ming Army soldiers held them back, either by ramming them with their mounts or hacking at them with sabers. The Mongols did not give up; instead, they regrouped and organized another rescue attempt. They advanced in a wedge of ten, leveling their hooked spears. Because the Ming Army’s sabers were shorter than the hooked spears, they found themselves at a slight disadvantage in the skirmish. Furthermore, seeing no reason to risk their lives for the sake of a single Mongol, the Ming soldiers fell back, opening a gap. Two Mongol soldiers immediately seized the opportunity, hooked Tengjite’s belt with their spears, and worked together to drag the unconscious man back and hoist him onto a horse. Before they could secure him with ropes, Liu Zhaoji arrived with his troops. After putting up a token resistance, the Mongol soldiers turned and fled. Having penetrated deep behind enemy lines and lost their leader, they had no reason to stay and fight.