Chapter 135 A Decisive Battle on the Riverbank

After a short rest, the Xia army surged forward once more, spearheaded by the White Ox banner.

This time, the *zhuang ling lang* (shock troops) didn't throw their lives against blades and spear tips. Instead, driven by the *fanqi* (foreign cavalry) behind them, they formed ranks, drew their bows, and unleashed a storm of arrows… Their orders were simple: empty your quiver and then retreat.

One side rained down arrows like a dense cloud, the other responded with crossbow bolts as swift as thunder. Separated by a distance, they engaged in an all-out, non-contact battle, eliciting both joy and concern from the Song troops.

The joy came from the fact that the Xia abandoning close-quarters combat allowed the Song soldiers in formation to psychologically relax somewhat. Facing hand-to-hand fighting was incredibly taxing on one's willpower. Moreover, unlike the previous melee combat that had halted the outer battle lines, the Song army could now advance behind shields and heavy armor while enduring only a ranged barrage.

The concern, however, lay in the indiscriminate nature of arrows. If the Xia persisted in a large-scale archery duel, even with shields, rotations, and heavy armor, there would inevitably be significant casualties on both sides.

After all, the enemy's numbers were still overwhelming.

The Song army's senior officers had to consider the possibility of substantial losses.

"They won't just keep this up," Qu Duan muttered, stroking the silken horse armor on his Iron Elephant mount, while making careful deductions. "If they just wear us down, today's movements will become meaningless. These actions must be a smokescreen for something else."

"What kind of smokescreen can there be on a battlefield?" Hu Hongxiu, wearing leather armor at Yue Fei's command, shook his head in disagreement.

"There must be a follow-up…” Qu Duan couldn't help but retort to Hu Hongxiu, who was being supported by Yue Fei. "Lord Hu is second to none as a scout; his efforts have earned him great merit, but he's still a bit lacking in military strategy."

Hu Hongxiu glanced at Qu Duan, hesitating to speak.

Yue Fei finally intervened, explaining Hu Hongxiu's perspective: "Lord Hu doesn't mean what Commander Qu thinks… Anyone can see that the Tanguts must have a backup plan. Lord Hu's point is that the Xia are now fighting for their lives, but these troops were hastily gathered in the past three or four days. So, each unit has its own hopes, differing only in their scope."

Qu Duan paused, instinctively wanting to refute, but, recalling the old Tangut woman from earlier, he ultimately held back. Not only that, but Qu Duan understood that Yue Fei and Hu Hongxiu were calmer and spoke more sense.

In the end, the Song army had exploited a weakness in the Xia defenses, launching a sudden, decisive strike. At that moment, the Xia were both unprepared and terrified. Therefore, any military action they took was rushed and chaotic, meaning that even the most imposing offensive could be easily repelled by the well-prepared Song Imperial Troops. At the same time, any military action these Tanguts took was also desperate and reckless, meaning that even the most absurd and futile offensive could not be underestimated.

When fighting a war, thick armor and sharp blades were important, but in this era, one could not ignore the will of the people, especially when combined with a large numerical advantage. No one knew what desperate measures the Xia would take when faced with fear and despair.

In fact, as the archery duel continued, an unconventional and bloody situation soon emerged on the Xia side:

Perhaps the previous round of close combat had resulted in too many casualties, leaving the *zhuang ling lang* shaken. Or perhaps the high casualty rate among the unarmored troops facing the Song crossbowmen had driven them to despair. Soon, some soldiers tried to slip away, deserting… Of course, many deserters tried to retreat under the pretense of discarding their quivers, only to be met with brutal suppression by the *fanqi* behind them.

One after another, any *zhuang ling lang* who dared to retreat at this time was directly executed on the ridges by the *fanqi*, who utilized their height advantage and the length of their spears. Seven or eight *fanqi* would swarm a retreating *zhuang ling lang*, stabbing him seven or eight times. The executed *zhuang ling lang* would usually only let out a few cries of agony before collapsing on the ground.

When the rear guards inflicted more casualties than the Song army in front, and coupled with the suddenness of the situation, these common tribal members still retained a sense of obedience to the Tangut nobles and the Great White High Kingdom, not to mention the presence of the emperor's banner… The battle lines were quickly stabilized.

But this method of control was destined to not last.

"I really emptied my quiver!" Finally, another soldier retreated, shouting to the *fanqi* supervising the battle, using the Guanzhong dialect. "I've always been the fastest and steadiest archer in my tribe!"

Several *fanqi* immediately approached him with spears, and the voice hastily replied, half pleading, half stubborn and proud:

"I'm not lying to you. I just got too old to go to Hengshan. I even had a horse at home, as good as yours, but I gave it to my grandson!"

This commotion was especially jarring on the recently stabilized battlefield. It immediately caught the attention of King Liang, Wei Ming Anhui, under the White Ox banner. But when he looked up, he didn't find the old soldier who had tried to defend himself. He only saw a group of *fanqi* returning to their positions, their spears stained with blood.

At the same time, the trodden green seedlings stubbornly stood up, concealing many things along with the field ridges.

Unable to find what he was looking for, Wei Ming Anhui continued to look ahead, and was left speechless… As far as he could see, the shields of many Song soldiers on the outermost perimeter of the formation were densely studded with arrows, yet they continued to move forward.

Even further inside, in the crossbow formations offset from the spear-shield formations, many Song crossbowmen on the outer edges were covered in arrows, like porcupines, yet they still moved freely, taking a few steps forward, then stopping to exchange crossbows with the Song soldiers behind them, calmly firing at the Xia troops with preloaded crossbows.

Obviously, the Song crossbowmen were also clad in lamellar armor, with iron face masks and iron collars, leaving only a few vulnerable areas, such as the armpits.

Of course, they were not without casualties, but compared to the losses of their own Tangut army, the difference was simply too great… In stark contrast, the Song arrows, seemingly casual, often overturned not only the nearby *zhuang ling lang*, but also the outer *fanqi*, along with their horses.

This was normal. As a Xia royal who had commanded troops since his twenties, Wei Ming Anhui clearly understood the importance of armor. The *bubazi* (foot soldiers), the Iron Falcons, and the few *beiwei* (elite personal guards) around the nobles, were themselves remembered by the Song army because of the exquisite and dazzling Xia armor.

But now, there was no way to change things. The national strength of Xia was limited. Wei Ming Chage had taken most of the military reserves from Xingqing Prefecture, and the reserves from Lingzhou had also been taken to Hexi. As things stood, Xia had already done its best.

After watching and thinking for a while, Anhui, who had advanced to the front, was silent for a moment. Then, for some reason, he stopped hesitating and directly ordered a golden-armored warrior: "The *zhuang ling lang* have done their best today, but Xingqing Prefecture lies just ahead, and we must not relax… Go back and tell the Emperor that after the *zhuang ling lang* have fired this round, send half of the light cavalry to continue shooting, and after the light cavalry are done, let the *zhuang ling lang* pick up the arrows on the ground and go up again to shoot. Then, the remaining half of the light cavalry will continue to shoot. We must maintain the distance and suppress them in turns… All those with armor, follow me!"

The Xia generals responded with a thunderous roar, and the golden-armored warrior immediately accepted the order, spurred his horse, and left the formation towards Li Qianshun's location.

Of course, with Wei Ming Anhui's renewed action, the Song army immediately noticed the enemy's intention.

"It's the rear!" Liu Qi, who noticed the change first, rode over to urgently report to Yue Fei. "Commander, the Xia Emperor's White Ox banner is moving towards the rear. I believe the Xia are going to concentrate their forces to attack our rear!"

"I see it," Yue Fei finally said, his expression solemn, but he still didn't mince words. "Vice Commander Liu, return to your formation immediately. Don't easily disrupt the formation you command!"

"Yes!" Liu Qi hesitated, but still answered and left.

"Immediately send someone to tell Zhang Jing at the rear to hold firm and try not to stop, to keep up with the main army." Yue Fei turned to his messenger behind him, and then looked at Qu Duan. "Commander Qu… I won't go to the rear. The armored cavalry of the Central Army is yours to command. If you can capture the White Ox banner, the Xia foreign soldiers will surely collapse, and today's battle will be won. If you can take the head of the Xia Emperor, it will be a merit no less than capturing Xingqing Prefecture… I leave it to you."

Qu Duan was caught off guard for a moment, but then he was thrilled and immediately responded.

However, as Qu Duan impatiently ordered the Central Army's armored cavalry to halt, turn around, and ride to the rear of the armored cavalry, he saw Yue Fei and Hu Hongxiu leading the main banner into the ranks of the civilian laborers by the river, continuing to advance. He couldn't help but turn his head and shout, "Commander… Are you still going to continue to advance with the main banner?"

"As long as my banner continues to advance, the Xia's morale will continue to decline." Yue Fei didn't turn his head, simply raising his hand on horseback. "Compared to the outer soldiers and Commander Qu, I am far more relaxed. Today, I will take a break and watch Commander Qu succeed!"

Qu Duan scoffed and turned his horse around again, but then turned back a second time, shouting loudly on the noisy battlefield: "Commander Yue… I also want command of the other armored cavalry in the formation!"

Yue Fei raised his hand again on horseback, still without turning his head: "Granted!"

With these words, dozens of Yue Fei's elite personal guards, who also served as messengers, rode out of the ranks towards Qu Duan, leaving only Hu Hongxiu by Yue Fei's side, along with the main banner behind them.

Of course, the main banner continued to advance.

"Wooo…"

The Xia acted swiftly. Just as Qu Duan had gained command of the cavalry and was about to have the turning cavalry take action, a horn suddenly sounded from the side and rear of the Imperial Army. The sound was powerful and penetrating. The soldiers of both armies, drawn by the sound of the horn, witnessed the eye-catching White Ox banner rushing towards the rear, finally stopping about a hundred paces from the Song formation. It was clear that the Emperor himself had taken up a bow and gone to the front lines to fight.

At this, the surrounding Xia *fanqi* and *zhuang ling lang*, as if possessed, suddenly erupted in a heart-shaking roar. This madness quickly spread throughout the battlefield. The *fanqi* and *zhuang ling lang* swarmed forward, disregarding life and death, engaging the Song army in an archery duel. Occasionally, a *fanqi* without armor would charge into the Song formation on horseback, howling and seeking some kind of exchange in a suicidal manner, braving the rain of arrows from both sides.

Of course, this attack, so obviously intended to trade lives, was met with concentrated sniper fire from the Song army and failed to achieve its purpose. However, the Xia had found a new suicidal combat tactic—many Xia *fanqi*, after throwing their quivers to the *zhuang ling lang*, chose to hurl their spears at high speed!

It could only be said that the Xia's move was unexpected and sudden. Moreover, the infantry and cavalry swarmed forward, constantly suppressing the enemy with long-range arrows, and launching suicidal spear throws at close range. The momentum was stronger than the previous *zhuang ling lang* assault, and even somewhat rational… Therefore, the Song formation finally began to waver. The frequency of casualties in many formations exceeded the total number of casualties before.

What was even more deadly was that the uneven quality of the various units was revealed without a doubt. Some formations clearly faltered, with uncontrolled rotations, forcing the marching commissioners to personally step in to adjust the formation and enforce discipline.

For a time, the number of those executed by the Song army for faltering actually exceeded the number of direct casualties under these circumstances… The situation was no different from that on the other side.

From the beginning, the casualty pattern of this battle had been strange.

"Your Majesty." Amidst the shouts that nearly shook the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River, a golden-armored warrior couldn't help but remind his emperor on a field ridge three or four hundred paces away from the front line. "Before King Liang departed, he asked me to leave a message for you, saying to rotate the *zhuang ling lang* and the light cavalry. Furthermore, the light cavalry should also be divided into two waves, with the rear guarding the front, using a wheel-like tactic to apply constant pressure…"

Li Qianshun, nearly fifty years old, with a flushed face, was slightly startled when he heard this, but slowly shook his head. "It doesn't matter… When King Liang said that, he probably didn't expect my White Ox banner to have such power. Only with such great momentum around us can King Liang achieve success at the rear more easily… Don't rotate."

The golden-armored warrior hesitated for a moment, but ultimately bowed in agreement.

The Xia outside surged like an overwhelming wave, almost drowning out the sound of the Yellow River… At the rear of the Song Imperial Army, Zhang Jing, the old-school commander of the Central Army, and his subordinates also encountered unprecedented attacks.

This was indeed the weakest point in the entire formation… Contrary to the imagined long formation lined up along the river, where the center of the long line would be the weak point, Wei Ming Anhui keenly realized that the current Song formation could not hold both ends and attack the middle; that would be suicidal. On the contrary, because the enemy formation was constantly moving, and the purpose of the Xia army was not to annihilate the enemy by the river or defeat them, but to prevent them from continuing to move, the weakest point of this constantly moving formation naturally became the rear of the long line.

Because in this location, a Song emergency task force needed to maintain protection on both sides simultaneously. Moreover, although he did not know that the formation at the front of the column was mainly composed of the most elite unit of the Imperial Vanguard, Zhang Xian's unit, Wei Ming Anhui could still see that Zhang Jing's unit at the rear was slightly inferior to the vanguard.

In addition to this, as an experienced general, Wei Ming Anhui had long noticed another important battlefield factor: the early summer breeze blowing from south to north. Originally, this made the Song army's advance smooth and easy, but conversely, if the Song formation was "pursued" from the rear, the Song army would be forced to retreat against the wind.

In fact, Zhang Jing's unit encountered this extreme predicament from the very beginning.

His task force was constantly suppressed by the shooting of Xia light cavalry and *zhuang ling lang* on the flanks, while simultaneously being attacked by the real core strength of the Xia army from the rear… Arrows and javelins made it almost impossible for his troops to breathe, and they were unable to rotate their units because they had to withstand attacks from both sides at the same time.

At the same time, he received orders not to launch any cavalry counterattacks without permission, and not to stop the army's advance.

Helpless, Zhang Jing could only have his unit retreat backwards with their shields raised.

But that wasn't all. Soon, an even worse situation appeared. The Xia at the rear began to deliberately search for loose soil, wrap it in cloth, and then, whenever the wind blew, they would raise dust with the wind. Some armored Xia cavalry followed the dust, launching close-range surprise attacks.

In an instant, Zhang Jing's unit suffered losses far exceeding those of other units.

But losses were not truly frightening. What seriously damaged morale was that, in the current situation, they could not launch any effective counterattacks against the army directly behind them. They could only passively endure attacks, passively suffer casualties, and could not even timely discover and support their own wounded soldiers. They could only be forced to abandon them… The corpses of the Song Imperial Army soldiers left on the ground were then picked up by the pursuing Xia with spears to taunt them, and a few wounded soldiers were used as tools to provoke the Song army when there was no dust.

Less than a quarter of an hour after the battle suddenly entered a white-hot phase, Zhang Jing, who had been a main commander in front of Zhao Guan's imperial presence since Huaishang, became furious, and immediately allowed a few subordinates to launch unauthorized counterattacks.

Frankly speaking, as a veteran of the Western Army with sufficient qualifications to participate in core military discussions, Zhang Jing knew very well that the two orders he had received earlier were absolutely correct and rational… He knew where the fundamental significance of this battle lay: to persist in marching. As long as he could ensure that an attack could be launched on the empty Xingqing Prefecture tomorrow, it would be a victory. He also knew that the team of *fanqi* and armored cavalry in his hand were destined to become prey for the Xia light cavalry.

However, the problem was, even if he understood this in his heart, how could he control his emotions? In the Battle of Yaoshan, his unit had suffered more deaths than in this battle, but the question was, were the main force of the Jurchen Western Route Army the same as a group of tribal soldiers hastily assembled by the Xia as reinforcements? Was a valiant death the same as being forced to passively endure attacks?

The elite armored soldiers under his command who had entered the pass with him each cost a hundred *guan* a year to maintain! Yet they were being shot to death by a group of *fanren* wearing blue cotton jackets and couldn't even fight back?

Moreover, if they continued to advance like this, the entire army would probably not suffer a thousand deaths by the time they camped at night, but the few teams under his command were estimated to suffer five hundred deaths!

Who could bear it?

"Old Zhang said that?" Qu Duan, sitting on his Iron Elephant, frowned. "The casualties at the rear are so heavy?"

"Commander, to let you know, my commander said that the casualties aren't the reason, he just can't bear it." Zhang Jing's messenger reined in his mount, circling anxiously. "My commander also said that if you don't go to support him within a quarter of an hour, he only has one thing to entrust to you…"

"What is it?"

"Please avenge him!" After saying this, the messenger ignored Qu Duan and rode back directly.

Qu Duan was stunned for a moment before he fully understood the information in Zhang Jing's words. He couldn't help but scoff and turn to look at his men: "Old Zhang is in a hurry."

However, the surrounding armored cavalry, including Yue Fei's personal guards, remained silent, only looking at Qu Duan without saying a word. Qu Duan realized this again, and then smiled awkwardly.

The sunlight shone down from the Helan Mountains, reflecting on the Yellow River, a magnificent sight. But the battle continued. Arrows and crossbow bolts continued to fly, and the Xia were stubbornly refusing to retreat. Every moment, blood soaked the earth and green seedlings on the battle lines hundreds of paces away. At the same time, Yue Fei and Hu Hongxiu were still leading the main banner forward slowly. Suddenly, the sound of their own horn rang out behind them.

"The commander anticipated this, so he deliberately transferred the command of the cavalry?" Hu Hongxiu looked back, unable to suppress his doubts.

"Yes." Yue Fei didn't deny it, or rather, was too lazy to deny it. "But it's not that comprehensive… I had long expected the Xia to attack Zhang Jing. The two thousand armored cavalry of the Central Army were originally prepared to ambush them in the formation, but I realized at the last moment that on the battlefield, even the best ideas are just ideas. The will of the people must be followed, otherwise, the losses will outweigh the gains… Furthermore, there is no reason for the commander to personally take the field, so I simply let Commander Qu do it. He also wants to seek some merit."

Hu Hongxiu immediately nodded. "Commander Qu should have had the same idea as you at the beginning. I just saw him turn the two thousand armored cavalry around, but then dismount and stand still, clearly intending to ambush the enemy in the formation, waiting for the rear army to naturally retreat to his position before launching a surprise attack."

Yue Fei nodded in agreement.

"But he moved prematurely after all," Hu Hongxiu said with emotion. "Actually, the commander and Commander Qu's plan was the best. If Commander Zhang could have endured for a moment or two…"

"Why should Zhang Jing abandon his own soldiers for the sake of the overall situation?" Unexpectedly, Yue Fei shook his head this time. "It's not like the Jingdong campaign, where the brave win when the road is narrow and both sides have no choice, so General Tian Shizhong had to make a sacrifice. This time, the overall situation is in my favor. Why should I deliberately let one unit suffer losses for the sake of the whole? Therefore, as soon as the Xia retreated, I realized that Zhang Jing, a commander of the Central Army with such qualifications, had pride in his bones. If I forced him, he might risk his life for the sake of his pride… Then, it would be futile to damage the morale and hearts of the entire army."

"That's true, but how did the commander predict that Commander Qu would go to his aid?" Hu Hongxiu thought for a moment and continued to ask.

"Because the Emperor often chides him for not being good at uniting allied forces and subordinates when marching and fighting. He still disdains such things on the surface, but he still takes it to heart… Compared to some personal military merit, he is actually more afraid of being disliked by the Emperor."

"It is difficult to be a regional commander," Hu Hongxiu said, slightly stunned, but he avoided the topic of the Emperor, which he was not good at. "One must consider closeness and estrangement, merits and demerits, superiors and subordinates, left and right, and also ensure that the overall situation is not lost."

"What difficulty is this?" Yue Fei scoffed instead. "It's not like before and after the Jingkang Incident, when many people risked their lives just to seek a little chance of survival, without having to consider these things. But who wants to go back to that time? And the so-called difficulties of our army now are just the difficulties of seeking perfection under a great victory."

Hu Hongxiu also smiled for a moment, but after smiling, he sighed again: "The Xia don't have to consider these things right now."

"That's why," Yue Fei turned his head to look at the Helan Mountains to the west, where the Xia were still fighting madly. "The Xia think that by doing this, they still have a chance of survival, but we know even better than they do that they lost their chance long ago… Because we have experienced far more desperate situations than they have, we knew from the beginning that they were using the wrong force… Without armor or weapons, hastily gathered, no matter how crazy and ruthless they are, how can they win? They are just deceiving themselves."

"There are many similar things in the world, not only before and after, but also between north and south, east and west not far away. They can't be changed… Didn't we also deceive ourselves many times in the past? What was the result?" Hu Hongxiu also turned his head to look around, sighing. "Only our country is larger, so we can survive step by step. What about the Xia?"

Yue Fei nodded in agreement.

Speaking of which, just as Yue and Hu were getting along well, two or three miles away, in the direction of the early summer breeze, after Qu Duan hesitated, he chose to decisively come to the rescue. The two thousand armored cavalry of the Central Army finally launched a surprise attack, greatly alleviating Zhang Jing's predicament. At the same time, the various emergency task forces of the Song army followed Qu Duan's previous orders, using this surprise attack as a signal, unleashing their full power. In an instant, the armored cavalry and light cavalry, which had been suppressed to the extreme, attacked together, pouring out from the gaps in the infantry formation and launching a full-scale counterattack against the Xia.

Facing the sudden emergence of the Song cavalry, the Xia, already bloodthirsty, chose to meet them head-on.

The battle suddenly entered a decisive stage.

Frankly speaking, human life is fragile, so anything can happen on the battlefield. Some commanders of the Imperial Army were hit by stray arrows as soon as they came up, some archers were covered in arrows even while wearing armor and still jumped around, and for the same reason, some Tangut nobles who had inherited their positions for several generations suddenly saw their families wiped out, while some crazy Tangut kids threw their spears at the Song army and successfully retreated.

However, these miraculous and improbable events are easily erased by the vast numbers of both sides, and replaced by things that actually affect the exchange ratio between the two sides, such as armor, weapons, training, and morale.

Thanks to these factors, the Song army had the upper hand, but the Xia, who should have retreated, still showed no sign of retreating. They were holding on.

On the riverbank, Hu Hongxiu and Yue Fei were still advancing slowly. Watching this scene, although they were somewhat lost in thought, they were not too puzzled… Yue Fei had experienced the entire Song-Jin War, from Hebei to the Central Plains, and had seen too many distorted expressions of human nature in war. Hu Hongxiu had just returned from Xia, and also knew something about the Xia people. They were very clear why the Xia were so crazy.

In the end, the White Ox banner, defending the homeland, were of course reasons, but for these bottom-level members of the Xia tribes, who couldn't even enter the army, these might just be reasons.

The Xia was a country of militarism and extravagance, worshiping Buddha and shamans. The survival of the common people was like that. These years were better, but it still had not changed the essence of this country.

Of course, after all, they were living people, and they would soon be awakened by blood, and then completely collapse.

However, just as the entire Xia army in front of them was going crazy, one Xia unit wisely chose to retreat… Under the White Ox banner, Wei Ming Anhui, King Liang of Xia, did not hesitate at all. After seeing a large number of Song armored cavalry rushing out ferociously, he directly followed the tactics that should have been used in this battle and chose to retreat.

In fact, Wei Ming Anhui had the only temporarily assembled armored cavalry of the Xia under his command, all of whom were aristocratic children from Xingqing Prefecture. Logically speaking, he did not need to retreat, and could even use the momentum of the wind and the courage to defend the homeland to fight Qu Duan.

However, wasn't this for the sake of the overall situation?

What was the overall situation? The overall situation was that the main force of the Xia army was still unarmored light cavalry. When facing the Song armored cavalry, they should take the initiative to retreat, lure the Song cavalry out of the range of the formation's protection, and then use the advantage of the light cavalry to wear down the enemy.

Therefore, Wei Ming Anhui's actions were completely justified.

However, when this Xia commander left the front line and turned to a safe area in the rear, he was shocked to find that the Xia main force had unknowingly made a huge and fatal mistake: the tribal light cavalry were actually crowded together with the *zhuang ling lang*, and were engaging in direct melee combat with the Song armored cavalry and light cavalry.

This meant that when the Song cavalry gained the upper hand, the Xia army's crowded formation would make it impossible for the entire army to withdraw properly, because when the light cavalry lost room to maneuver, they would also lose their greatest tactical advantage. At that time, they were likely to lose their flexibility and collapse completely.

Last night, Li Qianshun and he had repeatedly said, why were they fighting this battle? After he decided to go to the front line in person, what message did he leave for Li Qianshun? Why did he choose to retreat just now?

In a nutshell, wasn't it all because the mobility of the light cavalry could only be used in the wild? This was the only advantage the Xia army had when facing such a disciplined army!

But in this situation, how could they deploy the light cavalry to hunt down the Song armored cavalry?

"The Song armored cavalry didn't fall for the trick." By Wei Ming Anhui's side, a golden-armored warrior became anxious, pointing directly at Qu Duan's banner. "It should be Qu Duan. That guy is personally leading this force, and he's probably going back."

Following the direction he pointed, Wei Ming Anhui glanced at the direction of Qu Duan's banner, and his face suddenly turned pale.

Before he could speak, a tribal leader with a dark face gave his judgment: "He's not going back, he's going to turn around and attack our light cavalry from the outside."

As soon as he said this, several golden-armored warriors and several tribal leaders who knew the art of war all lost their color. At this time, they had realized the problem, just like Qu Duan on the other side had realized the problem… At this time, the Xia light cavalry and *zhuang ling lang* were too crowded.

And once Qu Duan led these two thousand armored cavalry along the outer line, cutting through the Song army formation all the way north, there would be no need to wait for anyone to collapse. This battle would probably collapse completely and turn into a bloodbath.

After hesitating for a moment, Wei Ming Anhui, with his gray hair, suddenly turned his head and gave an order: "Follow me back!"

The surrounding warriors, whether in gold or iron armor, were all shocked. Although they didn't know why, the light cavalry had already abandoned their strengths, and the overall situation had already fallen into a disadvantage. At this time, what if they failed again?

But soon, King Liang gave sufficient reasons: "If the front only sees the main banner retreat and doesn't see it charge back, morale will probably suffer. Moreover, the Emperor is in front, so we can't let Qu Duan go there! On the contrary, if we can succeed in one charge, defeat Zhang Jing, or capture Qu Duan, we can retreat from this battle. The Song army won't dare to continue marching."

The reasons were sufficient, but as the saying goes, what if they failed?

Only because the safety of the Emperor was involved, the golden-armored warriors took the lead in responding by the White Ox banner. The other tribal leaders and aristocratic children, seeing that King Liang and the golden-armored warriors had made a decision, were also speechless.

After a moment, the horn sounded again, and the White Ox banner immediately turned back.

This time, the conspicuous banner plunged into the Song formation without hesitation. At this moment, the last decent force of the Xia in the Silver River Plain was completely reckless, and directly engaged the well-equipped Song army in melee combat.

The enemy's attack was fierce, and Zhang Jing no longer cared about any military orders. He directly ordered his unit to stop advancing north, turn around and set up a formation on the spot, facing the White Ox banner.

Seeing this sudden change, Qu Duan changed his tactics for the second time. He directly reined in his horse, turned the Iron Elephant with the silken cover, and personally launched a charge at the White Ox banner, trying to completely encircle the banner from the flank.

The three sides were in a chaotic battle.

The battlefield here was no different from the surrounding areas, all with flying flesh and blood, and lives as cheap as paper. But without a doubt, Qu Duan's two thousand armored cavalry were not only exceptionally powerful, but also had been conserving their strength, so Qu Duan had the upper hand from the beginning.

At this point in the battle, both sides were fighting a war of attrition, waiting. But without a doubt, the Song army was the stronger side after all, especially those unarmored light cavalry and *zhuang ling lang* crowded together. They could collapse at any time, which would trigger a chain reaction.

However, as the fierce battle continued for more than a quarter of an hour, the phenomenon of taking the initiative to withdraw finally occurred. However, the first to withdraw was not any Xia tribal light cavalry, but the Xingqing Prefecture armored cavalry facing Qu Duan. These temporarily conscripted aristocratic children from Xingqing Prefecture, finding that they could not withstand the Song armored cavalry at all, took the lead in losing discipline.

At first, it was scattered aristocratic children, then teams, and finally the entire formation faltered and collapsed. These people finally made up their minds, turned around and fled, leaving King Liang Wei Ming Anhui and the Emperor's White Ox banner, as well as the *bubazi* from the tribes under the Helan Mountains, to be surrounded by the Song armored cavalry led by Qu Duan.

The benefits of this were obvious: they could escape back to Xingqing Prefecture and help the Emperor continue to defend their homeland.

The price of this was also obvious: the White Ox banner and the *bubazi* were surrounded, and it was all their responsibility. It was conceivable that once the White Ox banner was submerged, the countless tribal light cavalry and *zhuang ling lang* on the battlefield would collapse like they had been drained of their strength. However, because of their extremely tight formation, they were unable to turn around in time, and fell into the slaughter of the Song army.

The afternoon sun was neither scorching nor gentle, and the Yellow River flowed neither fast nor slow.

The outer *bubazi* were trapped in the slaughter, and many people began to try to jump into the river. Destruction was almost in sight, while Wei Ming Anhui, under the protection of the golden-armored warriors, still sat under the White Ox banner, without saying a word… Among them, familiar tribal leaders took off their armor and jumped into the river, and even persuaded him to join them, but he turned a deaf ear to them.

The golden-armored warriors also realized the meaning of King Liang's actions: this *shangfu* (honored advisor), who had been guarded against by Li Qianshun for half his life, had decided to persist until the last moment to buy time for the Emperor and even those aristocratic children from Xingqing Prefecture who had just betrayed them.

If they couldn't win this battle, they could still defend the city. If they couldn't defend the city, they could still escape… The Great White High Kingdom had been established for a hundred years. No matter whether it was useful or not, someone should try their best.

It had to be said that Wei Ming Anhui's actions were successful. Qu Duan's Central Army armored cavalry and the soldiers of Zhang Jing's unit all noticed this side, and then gave up their pursuit. They single-mindedly wanted to capture the golden-crowned Tangut nobles under the White Ox banner, who were desperately protected by the golden-armored warriors.

Then they succeeded.

The blood-stained White Ox banner, which still looked exceptionally beautiful, was desperately snatched by Wang Jing's subordinates, and the golden crown with the slightly bent outer ridge was snatched by Qu Duan's subordinates. The surrounding Xia tribal light cavalry also began to gradually collapse as the banner fell, but the head with white hair and beard was angrily thrown into the Yellow River by Qu Duan.

This Xia King Liang, who made indelible contributions to the archaeological cause of the Xia Dynasty in later generations, was beheaded and buried in the Yellow River. And his mausoleum, which he had built under the Helan Mountains, was now empty and could no longer have a single word to spread his name to later generations through there.

There was no way, even now, Wei Ming Anhui's name had been forgotten for a long time. After confirming the identity of this person, everyone was greatly disappointed… It should be known that Xingqing Prefecture was in front of them, and this battle had already been decided. Compared to the great merit that would be obtained tomorrow, a King Liang was really worthless.

The collapse caused by the fall of the White Ox banner continued, and then swept across the entire battlefield by the river. Yue Fei, who had regained command, did not hesitate at all, and directly ordered the entire army to sound the gongs and withdraw their troops.

The cavalry received the signal, and also woke up from the bloody and meaningless pursuit. All the troops that