Chapter 1 The Vanguard

Wang De, leading the vanguard, spurred his men onward with indomitable morale. Although the sudden assault briefly shook the unprepared Ali’s division, Ali’s personal prestige, battlefield experience, and the tactical prowess of his core troops allowed him to quickly reorganize. Soon, the two sides were locked in fierce hand-to-hand combat on the small slope before the stone bridge, amidst the drizzle.

From this perspective, Wang De’s father and son’s attack seemed unsuccessful.

But in reality, on a larger scale, their charge was extraordinarily significant.

First and foremost, it greatly boosted overall morale… This goes without saying. Since ancient times, those who first scale the walls and those who charge into the enemy lines have always been highly regarded by the entire army. Wang De, a military commissioner, along with his three sons, charged ahead, greatly impacting the enemy and inspiring their own troops.

As the battle began and the sun rose in the east, the light was only partially obscured by the drizzle. The small slope before the stone bridge, already the most prominent location for both armies and the site of initial engagement, naturally drew the most attention. Even those who couldn’t see it directly sent scouts to gather information.

Returning to the present, the battle on the slope saw fluctuating front lines. Wang De and his two sons, relying on their bravery and full heavy armor, led dozens of riders in repeated charges, rescuing trapped subordinates on the left and disrupting large-scale Jin counterattacks on the right. The three, leading their elite guards, were like sharp blades, unstoppable. Though their cavalry suffered casualties and dwindled in numbers, they were continuously replenished by soldiers crossing the river, seemingly connected to the Taiping River by an endless root system.

On the other side, Ali personally supervised the battle, directing operations effectively and constantly applying pressure to the front lines, forcing Wang De’s father and sons to exert themselves fully and hindering their ability to fully deploy their forces.

Of course, the details of such a fierce battle were impossible for observers on both sides to grasp in their entirety, given the scale of the battlefield. However, they could still see Wang De’s banner moving back and forth, the fluctuating front lines, and Ali’s flag never getting closer than two or three hundred paces from Wang De’s.

From this, they could infer the intensity of the fighting.

This brings us to the second major effect of Wang De’s vanguard action.

"Military Commissioner Li, Military Supervisor Wu has ordered the vanguard to seize this opportunity to construct pontoon bridges on a large scale." A Red Heart Cavalryman, ringing his bell, galloped up, relaying passwords along the way until he reached Li Yanxian's banner. He delivered his message simply.

Li Yanxian pondered briefly, immediately understanding. He relayed the order to his command: "Order all units to advance to the riverbank and construct pontoon bridges. However, no one is to cross the river without specific orders."

The vanguard units dared not delay and acted immediately. Upon hearing the news, Generals Dong Xian and Niu Gao, already advanced to the riverbank, were about to start building bridges, but before they could even drag out the prepared rafts and logs, they received a new, specific order: Li Yanxian authorized them to send small elite units across the river to relieve pressure on Wang De.

The Taiping River was, in fact, a small river. The recent flooding after days of rain couldn't hide the narrowness of the proper riverbed, especially since scouts from both sides had already thoroughly explored the river, knowing where the shallows were, where the river narrowed, and where the current was slow.

Therefore, just as Wu Jie had guaranteed, and as Wang De's troops had just demonstrated, the construction of pontoon bridges was quick and easy. Soon, a dozen simple but practical bridges were erected along the river, and small elite units of Song soldiers crossed, attempting to converge at the stone bridge, triggering a chain reaction along the Jin front line… The large Jin units stationed on the high ground were fine, but the Jin troops on either side of the high ground along the river reacted instinctively, sending cavalry and infantry to meet the enemy and prevent a 'large-scale crossing' by the Song army.

"Tell Wanyan Ben Du that the Song army is deliberately bluffing, trying to tie down Pusan Beilu near the river. In reality, the Song army wouldn't risk crossing from our side right now. Even Wang De's initial surprise attack is intended to cover Han Shizhong. He must not misjudge the situation and lose the big picture for minor gains! Just have Pusan Beilu follow the original plan and quickly move upstream to block Han Shizhong… In short, the four *wanhu* to the west must advance and retreat together, ensuring the stability of the battle line."

On the western, southern side of the high ground, Tuhesuo’s *wanhu* unit had already received orders and was marching further west, upstream, to contain the crossing of Han Shizhong's Imperial Guard Left Army. However, Tuhesuo, observing the situation while riding alongside his marching column, immediately sensed the Song army's intent and turned to relay the order to his personal guard.

The guard, after roughly repeating the message, hurried away.

But even after the guard left, Tuhesuo remained uneasy and turned to another guard: "Relay the previous message to Marshal Bali Su… In case Ben Du wavers or hesitates, have him directly intervene with an order."

Another guard received the order and hurried away.

Only then did Tuhesuo continue to spur his horse, continuing west with the main force.

"Lord *Wanhu*," a Han army *mouke*, unable to resist, rode alongside, cautiously inquiring, "Han Shizhong's Imperial Guard Left Army has a total of forty thousand men. Wang Sheng's ten thousand men couldn't reach the battlefield, and there have been constant battles in recent months, surely resulting in losses. Now there are only twenty or thirty thousand men. Is the upstream area that important, requiring four *wanhu* to block them? On the other hand, Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, and their units facing the stone bridge have clear banners and strong soldiers. It's obvious at a glance… Isn't this the real main battlefield?"

"Where is there a main or secondary battlefield in this kind of war? Everywhere is the main battlefield!"

Tuhesuo, of course, knew that this Han general, who had only become a *mouke* in Daming Prefecture, was essentially lingering near him because of some insecurity. But now, he had a responsibility to win over and appease these people, so he didn't object to explaining during their march, even raising his voice slightly. "The key is the order in which the battles are launched…"

"Please enlighten me, Lord *Wanhu*," the Han *mouke* interjected at the opportune moment.

"What is there to enlighten?" Tuhesuo said, continuing forward. "Our army, including the newly arrived reinforcements, numbers one hundred thirty to one hundred forty thousand. The Song army, including their newly arrived reinforcements, numbers one hundred seventy to one hundred eighty thousand. There are too many troops, and no one can command them properly, let alone charge all at once. That would be self-destructive. At this point, we have to focus on dividing the battlefield and staggering the waves of advance… Although Han Shizhong's unit only has twenty or thirty thousand men, they are all elite troops who haven't been defeated and are still intact. Han Shizhong himself is a famous general, perfectly suited to cross first and establish a foothold…"

"And once they cross the river, those Khitans, Tanguts, and Mongols, a full forty thousand light cavalry, can easily come over under Han Shizhong's cover…"

"And once the forty thousand light cavalry pour in, their own offensive power wouldn't be enough to cause much damage, but they would be enough to harass, contain, and divide the battlefield across the entire front. Then we wouldn't be able to stop Li Yanxian's main force from crossing the river and contending for the high ground."

"And if Han Shizhong and the light cavalry aren't successful, although Li Yanxian will still lead his main force across the river before noon, he will inevitably be subjected to a large-scale attack from our main force on the high ground during the crossing, suffering heavy casualties… That would be our chance for victory… And these things are layered upon each other."

The Han army *mouke* nodded slightly on his horse but was clearly still somewhat puzzled and wanted to ask more questions. But in the end, he didn't dare to ask. And soon, he didn't need to ask anymore, because he, positioned to the left of Tuhesuo while maintaining a humble posture, suddenly noticed the activity on the opposite riverbank and subtly raised his hand to signal.

Tuhesuo turned back in surprise, his expression changing immediately… It turned out that what he feared most had still happened.

Whether it was due to being unable to withstand the pressure from the dense Song army standing ready on the opposite bank or whether Wanyan Ben Du on the high ground had made a misjudgment and issued an order, the *wanhu* unit of the Eastern Route Army along the river on the west side of the high ground ultimately did not follow the original plan of ignoring the enemy in front of them and quickly marching west alongside them. Instead, they sent a large number of troops to press towards the riverbank.

In that case, even if this *wanhu* unit quickly turned to the west after receiving support or orders, his own battle line would inevitably be affected… Especially his own unit, whose flanks would be exposed.

But what was done was done, and Pusan Beilu, the leader of that *wanhu* unit, was a recognized incompetent fool, but he was also the younger brother of Emperor Taizu Aguda, and his Pusan tribe was a major Jurchen tribe. Tuhesuo simply couldn't interfere. So, after watching for a moment, Tuhesuo turned his head and continued west with his main force.

However, things weren't over yet. After traveling no more than two or three *li*, amidst the drizzle, after losing sight of the high ground behind them, shouts of battle suddenly erupted from ahead.

Tuhesuo and his accompanying officers hurriedly climbed onto a slightly raised ridge. After a single glance, they were half-shocked, half-realized.

It turned out that directly ahead, a familiar banner led a familiar unit, charging straight at the Jin army, launching an attack. It was Huyan Tong's unit, the commander of the Imperial Guard Left Army.

Clearly, Huyan Tong’s unit had not, as the Jin army had imagined, first established a defensive line to gain a foothold, then covered the crossing of the main force, and then the main force of the Imperial Guard Left Army forming ranks to continue covering the crossing of the light cavalry… The fact that Huyan Tong's unit could appear here at this moment could only mean one thing: Huyan Tong must have been the vanguard of Han Shizhong’s army, crossing the river first and directly from a dangerous position downstream of the main battlefield. And as soon as they crossed, they had advanced towards the so-called main battlefield without stopping for a moment.

This desire to attack was astonishing, and in terms of covering the crossing, this offense-as-defense strategy seemed no worse than a stable defense.

The planned riverbank suppression quickly transformed into a frontal engagement. Amidst shock and anger, Tuhesuo immediately notified the other two *wanhu* units, ordering them to prepare for battle. At the same time, he immediately ordered his entire army to deploy in place, with infantry in the center and cavalry flanking on both sides, using the standard and simple Crane Wing Formation to meet the advancing enemy.

This simple formation was none other than the famous Guai Zi Ma.

That's right, Guai Zi Ma, like Wu Jie's garrison arrow formations, was a tactical name, not a description of a type of soldier… Iron Pagodas (Tie Fu Tu) were the term for heavy cavalry.

Specifically, the Guai Zi Ma involved iron cavalry on both wings protecting the infantry in the center, coordinating with the infantry to advance in layers, launching short-range charges or flanking maneuvers. It was a typical wave-like cavalry-infantry coordination tactic.

This tactic, when explained, wasn’t as magical as imagined. What was magical was always human resilience and courage. These things, combined with strict discipline, excellent armor and weapons, ample supplies, and fair rewards and punishments, were enough to make any tactic magical.

In the early days of the Jurchen Jin dynasty, they had no shortage of these excellent qualities, so even the most ordinary tactics and administrative military systems were mythologized.

"Although Prince Wei is angry, he doesn't intend to kill you. He clearly agrees with me and Gao's assessment, and is preparing to let you return when necessary, to send a message to… to Zhao Guan Jia." As the Song and Jin armies engaged head-on, both upstream and on the main front, the Jin army's main camp, closer to the Hutuo River, appeared chaotic yet surprisingly calm. In one of the camps, Hong Ya was sincerely conversing with Yu Yunwen.

"In other words, Prince Wei, the Fourth Prince, the commander of the army, is also unsure about this battle?" Yu Yunwen's eyes were bloodshot as he almost snarled the question from his bed.

"Who is sure?" Hong Ya wasn't angry at all. Instead, he stood there with his sleeves folded, sighing for a moment. "Who is sure, the Jin army or the Song army? It's true that the Song army has a numerical advantage, but the Jin army is defending across the river and has the advantage of a large cavalry force on the plains. It's not fake that the Guai Zi Ma can withstand over a hundred rounds without collapsing, is it? At this moment, no one is sure. I'm afraid the Official on the opposite bank isn't sure either!"

The two sides then fell silent.

But soon, Yu Yunwen calmly asked again: "How many combat soldiers does the Jin army actually have? Everyone says the Jin army has one hundred thirty to one hundred fifty thousand, but is it one hundred thirty thousand, one hundred forty thousand, or one hundred fifty thousand?"

Hong Ya shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Don't you think it's too late to ask this now? It's a mess outside. I just asked personally, and Wang De, Wang the Yaksha, has already crossed the bridge as the vanguard. The battle has officially begun."

"Now that the battle has begun, it wouldn't hurt to say, would it?" Yu Yunwen stared intently at the other party, pressing for an answer.

"It's not that I can't say, but I really don't know." Hong Ya shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Yu *Tanhua*, to be honest, even Bali Su may not know how many combat soldiers the Jin army has. The battle was too rushed. There was no replenishment, no reorganization. All units have suffered losses. There have been several engagements near Daming Prefecture, and a large-scale cavalry battle near Longde Prefecture…"

Yu Yunwen remained silent, staring intently at the other party.

"If you ask how many *wanhu* units there are, anyone can tell you: sixteen." Hong Ya, feeling pressured by the gaze, could only continue to be honest. "But some of them are newly arrived reinforcements, full cavalry *wanhu* units with one hundred *mouke*. Others are like Yelu Ma Wu's, which have been decimated. There is also one *wanhu* unit of Bohai people, Pu Suyu, which is simply there to make up the numbers, doing support on the Hutuo River and not even able to reach the battlefield! Their combat power varies greatly. For example, the full cavalry *wanhu* unit is half composed of Yan Yun Han Chinese and half of mixed barbarian troops from beyond the Great Wall. They are all new recruits who haven't been on the battlefield. Do you think they are useful or not? But the four Heza *mouke* from Yan Yun, led by Wanyan Pushu, Wanyan Loushi's deputy and son of the former Datong garrison commander Wanyan Dumu, even though they only have four *mouke*, who can underestimate them? Even if we don't talk about them, what about those *wanhu* units with dozens of *mouke* and several thousand Han Chinese soldiers? Aren't they also vastly different? Are Bali Su and Ben Du's two *wanhu* units the same as those two from Datong? Everything will be decided on the battlefield."

Yu Yunwen finally sneered: "So, the Jin army's combat power is uneven, and the sixteen *wanhu* units are actually the equivalent of thirteen or fourteen?"

"Probably about one hundred thirty to one hundred forty thousand combat soldiers," Hong Ya sighed, then suddenly asked, "Everyone says Zhao Guan Jia has one hundred seventy to one hundred ninety thousand combat soldiers this time. May I ask Yu *Tanhua*, does the Imperial Guard actually have one hundred seventy thousand, one hundred eighty thousand, or one hundred ninety thousand combat soldiers?"

"Two hundred thousand!" Yu Yunwen replied calmly. "Military Supervisor Qu brought over more than twenty thousand."

Hong Ya shook his head repeatedly, not bothering to argue.

The two fell silent in the tent again.

But soon, Yu Yunwen suddenly asked: "How many of the new Yan Jing troops are there, and why did the fighting start so urgently? Why didn't they all come together? Were they unable to make it in time?"

Hong Ya narrowed his eyes, and was about to speak when, suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the tent.

The Chancellor of the Jin Privy Council was alarmed and quickly abandoned Yu Yunwen to go outside and inquire. He heard the news that 'Prince Han had crossed the river upstream and was launching a large-scale attack.'

This Prince Han was not Wu Jie, but Han Shizhong. Only Han Shizhong could cause such a level of sensation among the Jin auxiliary troops and conscripts.

Clearly, after Huyan Tong engaged Tuhesuo, the remaining units of the Imperial Guard Left Army had also crossed the river without hesitation and chose to advance directly. By this point, they must have engaged in a full-scale battle with the Jin army's heavy troop group on the left flank. At the very least, Han Shizhong's banner had appeared on the battle line, otherwise, it wouldn't have caused this level of shock.

"Is that Tuhesuo?"

On the plain with green seedlings, beneath the Peerless Banner, the tall Han Shizhong, without his face armor, stood on his horse directly in the drizzling rain, which was starting to intensify, and pointed to the Jin army facing him with a gloved hand.

"It is," Wang Shixiong, as his personal guard, naturally responded.

"No wonder Huyan's unit charged straight in," Han Shizhong chuckled. "But I heard that Tuhesuo has become much more cautious, despite his lameness… Why deploy a Guai Zi Ma but stretch his main force out so much? Seven or eight thousand men spread out over four *li*?"

Wang Shixiong immediately fell silent.

"It must be because the rear troops haven't arrived yet, so he had no choice," Xie Yuan, who had turned around at some point, suddenly appeared nearby. "The scouts said that the two *wanhu* units lined up to the south only stretch for four or five *li* together."

"That's the opportunity," Han Shizhong laughed again. "I said long ago that Wang Yaksha is a good man. He must have used his attack at the stone bridge to hold back a *wanhu* unit that was originally supposed to be marching here… That's the opportunity!"

As he said the last words, his smile turned into a snarl. As soon as he stopped speaking, the Prince of Qin immediately donned his bronze face armor.

Everyone below Xie Yuan donned their face armor together, and then all stood silently, awaiting orders.

"There's nothing to say!" Han Shizhong pointed with his finger. "The Beiwei Army will follow me to use cavalry to counter cavalry and break through his Guai Zi Ma on the right. The rest of the army will be commanded by Xie Yuan, with only one specific requirement: be sure to send troops to hold the broken flank on this side so that he can't extend it again!"

"Understood," Xie Yuan calmly replied from behind his bronze mask.

"Right," just as Han Shizhong reined in his horse and took two steps forward, he suddenly turned back to remind him. "The Mongol light cavalry is about to cross, but I don't trust them… Send them to the southernmost area, and have Li Shifu's Tangut light cavalry support me!"

"Don't worry, Fifth Brother," Xie Yuan remained calm.

A moment later, the Beiwei Army of the Imperial Guard Left Army, having just crossed the river and not yet fully assembled, launched a surprise attack along the river, targeting the right wing of Tuhesuo's Guai Zi Ma, which was overextended in order to control the battle line.

As the saying goes, the person on the bridge admires the scenery, but doesn't know that they are also part of someone else's scenery. Just as Han Shizhong was staring at Tuhesuo's formation, quickly determining his tactics, Tuhesuo was, of course, also paying attention to that large banner.

And from the first moment, he felt somewhat panicked.

Whether it was superstition or his past achievements, no one could ignore that 'Peerless' banner, and no one could ignore Han Shizhong's Imperial Guard Left Army and his Beiwei Army… After his defeat at Bridge Mountain, Tuhesuo no longer felt that he was stronger than anyone else… But the problem was, what else could he do?

It was raining, and his flank was wide open. Facing Huyan Tong's unit, which had far fewer troops than his, what reason did he have not to spread out his formation to be prepared for anything?

But Han Shizhong had arrived so quickly and acted so decisively. What could he do? Could he bring his flanks closer at this point? Leaving an opening for Han Shizhong to pass directly through?

In the end, after the fighting broke out, Tuhesuo realized that from Wang De to Huyan Tong to Han Shizhong's entire army… In this battle, the Song army was aggressive and determined to win!

"Lord *Wanhu*," the Han army *mouke* panted as he approached. "What do we do?"

"The Song army crossed the river too quickly. At this point, we can't rely on pushing forward anymore. I'll go to the cavalry-infantry junction on the right, and you go to the cavalry-infantry junction on the left," Tuhesuo regained his composure, trying hard to remain calm. "Each of us will do our duty, holding our ground is the most important thing…"

"Will that be enough to stop Prince Han from breaking through our right wing Guai Zi Ma?" The Han army *mouke* was still completely uneasy.

"The right wing is just to cover Pusan Beilu's ass anyway…" Tuhesuo only felt an unbearable itch on the soles of his feet. "He will naturally block Han Shizhong from behind. We just need to hold our ground and not retreat, and we'll be doing our best for everyone!"

Only then did the Han army *mouke* remain silent, hurrying towards the cavalry-infantry junction on the left wing.

A moment later, Tuhesuo had just arrived at the cavalry-infantry junction on the right wing when he saw that the great banner was leading thousands of bronze-masked iron cavalry, charging straight towards him from his right, almost along the river.

Compared to just one wing of the Guai Zi Ma, this iron cavalry was clearly larger in number, had more complete armor, higher morale, and greater combat power.

As the two armies clashed, Tuhesuo almost forced himself to watch the section of the battle line along the river.

But without a doubt, that great banner, as always, was like a sharp knife, tearing through the enemy in front and breaking through directly… You should never doubt Han Shizhong as an enemy.

Of course, this nearly dismissive sentiment immediately disappeared, because another unit of the Imperial Guard Left Army surged up immediately, almost following closely behind the Beiwei Army and plugging the gap on his right wing. Huyan Tong, like some haunting spirit, also followed the shift of his command flag, turning towards this location.

This made Tuhesuo realize that the time to do his duty had arrived.

However, leaving aside the fact that Han Shizhong had successfully crossed the river on a large scale and launched a full-scale attack thanks to Wang De's long-range cover, Wang De himself was embroiled in a completely fierce battle at the stone bridge.

There was no way around it. Wang De had only led four thousand men of his own troops to cross the river as a lone force. Although they had taken the initiative at first, they were naturally weakened once his entire unit had crossed the river and lost their rear support. At the same time, the Jin army facing him could continuously receive reinforcements.

Even without those reinforcements, Ali's unit itself had over eight thousand cavalry and infantry, twice the size of Wang De's unit.

Looking from afar through the gradually thickening drizzle, Wang De's banner was still moving back and forth, but it was noticeably slower and more sluggish. The initial momentum of his unit was gradually diminishing due to the overwhelming force in terms of numbers.

"Wang Zihua (Wang De's courtesy name) is an important general of the state and cannot be easily lost." At the side of the Dragon Banner in front of the large camp in Huolu City, Lu Yihao, being supported, turned to Zhao Guan Jia, who was sitting there, and advised, completely ignoring his strict declaration during the morning military conference that no one should expect reinforcements and that any unit could be completely wiped out. "If possible, Guan Jia should try to save him."

In the narrow and messy artificial lookout post, a lonely desk was set up. On the desk was a solitary pot of Blue Bridge Moonlight and that lonely cup. The cup still had half a cup of residue, but it was unclear whether it was rainwater or alcohol. Zhao Jiu, who had put on armor, was sitting cross-legged behind the desk, frowning slightly at the words.

Of course, he also wanted to save Wang De to prevent a loss of morale, but the problem was, what could he use to save him?

It was impossible to send out troops in advance before the six thousand troops upstream had fully crossed and launched their attack. That would directly disrupt the main force's advance plan on this side, and the strict requirements of the previous military conference would become a joke.

But if he allowed the battle to continue like this, perhaps Wang De's unit could wait for the planned large-scale advance according to the original plan… After all, on this kind of battlefield filled with heavy armor, as long as they didn't collapse and fall into chaos, it would be difficult to suffer large-scale casualties… And they could rely on the initial advance to ensure that they didn't suffer a net loss in enemy casualties. But in this way, Wang De and his three sons would be in danger, because it was obvious from the movement of the command flags that the three of them had been constantly charging back and forth at the forefront.

In this situation, once they became exhausted, if they were careless, they would be killed by the Jin army, who would be targeting them as a priority.

And this was the fundamental reason why the men who scaled the walls first and charged into the enemy lines had always been respected in the army - the courage to scale the walls first and charge into the enemy lines was certainly heroic, but behind it was a bloody risk of death.

In his dilemma, Zhao Jiu could only turn to Liu Yan, who was standing beside him, and ask: "Ping Fu, can we have Li Yanxian concentrate some archers and crossbowmen to suppress them from across the river and create a safe zone?"

The latter hesitated for a moment but shook his head: "Let Guan Jia know that the rain is getting heavier, and the greatest impact of rain on bows and crossbows is that it causes the strings to become damp and soft. Once the strings become soft, the range will be greatly reduced. If we fire from across the river like this, exposing the crossbow mechanisms, I'm afraid they will be wet after only three shots. Then they won't be able to provide enough cover for our army, and they may even accidentally injure our own troops due to the shorter range and lack of accuracy."

"How about sending some elite troops to support them from the stone bridge?" Fan Zongyin, the chief scholar, suddenly interjected from the side.

"Too few wouldn't be enough to suppress the Jin army and wouldn't make much of a difference; too many could easily attract the main force of the Jin army on the high ground and backfire," Liu Yan replied calmly.

Zhao Jiu finally fell silent, and Lu Yihao didn't say a word either.

"Guan Jia…" Just then, Mei Li, who was standing beside them, suddenly spoke. "Can we try using the Po Xi Army? The small crossbow cannons used by the Po Xi Army can be operated under oilcloth wooden frames. They have a longer range than crossbows, and the fist-sized stones are enough to injure heavily armored soldiers and suppress the Jin army."

Zhao Jiu paused for a moment, then looked at Liu Yan again.

Liu Yan thought for a moment, then immediately nodded: "We can try it. Also, the Po Xi Army's camels are tall, so they don't need to suppress them from across the river. They can completely cross the river from the stone bridge and go to the army on the opposite bank to provide support!"

Zhao Jiu didn't hesitate and nodded quickly: "Let Wei Ming Yun Ge attack!"

Since the beginning of this Northern Expedition, Wei Ming Yun Ge had been following the imperial entourage and had gained some merit during the attack on Sparrow Valley. However, the special organization of his unit, which consisted of camels and small torsion crossbows, made it difficult to quickly replenish his forces through rest and reorganization. So, although his unit had not suffered any defeats, it had dwindled from five hundred camels at the start to less than three hundred. Now, being ordered to cross the river and attack, he was temporarily shocked and confused.

But once the military order was issued, there was no room for thought. He immediately led his unit of over two hundred camel torsion crossbows towards the stone bridge. At the same time, over one hundred mules and horses, driven by Tangut auxiliary soldiers, followed, carrying the polished, fist-sized stones that served as ammunition.

About two quarters of an hour later, the Po Xi Army, which had been invented specifically to deal with the Song army's heavily armored infantry in the past, relied on the camel's powerful mobility to cross the river and take its position. It immediately had a miraculous effect.

Stones rained down, and the heavily armored soldiers of the densely formed Jin army, both infantry and cavalry, were unable to raise their heads.

The pressure on Wang De's unit was greatly reduced in an instant, and Wang De and his sons at the front seemed able to catch their breath a little.

Even Wei Ming Yun Ge didn't expect such a miraculous effect. He knew that his niche unit, which was difficult to replenish, had long been considered for disbandment. If it hadn't been for his memorial last year saying that the Po Xi Army could launch gunpowder packs, it would have been disbanded long ago.

Wang De gained some respite, Ali's unit suffered a temporary setback, and the battlefield on the small slope in front of the stone bridge began to show some signs of reversal.

But on the high ground, Wanyan Ben Du, who controlled four *wanhu* units, didn't say a word, didn't even look at the battlefield directly in front of the high ground. At the same time, in the camps on the side and rear of the high ground, Bali Su, whose entire body was drenched but was only staring at the five-colored Sun-Holding Flag above his head, also didn't react in any way.

Beside Bali Su was a wooden lookout post. Prince Wei Wushu, disregarding his status, was personally climbing the lookout post to survey the situation, but he wasn't looking at the front of the high ground. Instead, he was straining his eyes to look towards the west of the high ground, the so-called upper reaches of the Taiping River…completely disregarding the fact that he couldn't see anything clearly in the rain.

The reason was simple. The scouts up ahead had repeatedly reported that Han Shizhong's Beiwei Army had broken through the Guai Zi Ma in front of the river and were officially engaged with Pusan Beilu's *wanhu* unit, and then that a startling number of light cavalry were crossing the river and surging up.

At this time, the upper reaches of the Taiping River to the west of the high ground was the real battlefield. The fighting forces on both sides had probably reached seven or eight *wan*, and were approaching the scale of ten *wan* without limit… In this situation, who cared about the small slope battlefield in front of them, especially since it seemed that Wang De's attack was more like providing cover for Han Shizhong?

Turning upstream, on the battlefield where the entire front was already engaged, Huer Zhahusi Khan, wearing a golden crown, led some of the Western Mongol troops to cross the river first, intending to advance directly along the river and follow Han Shizhong's unit. But he received a military order from Xie Yuan, relaying the Qin Prince's order, requiring them to bypass the Song army, preparing to attack the side and rear of the high ground, trying to insert themselves into the gap between the southernmost end of the Jin army's battle line and the camp, and then completing the encirclement of the high ground from the depression behind the high ground.

Of course, it would be too flattering to this 10,000+ Mongol light cavalry to talk about encircling anything. In essence, they were still meant to play a role of containment and harassment.

In fact, after bypassing the Song army's troops, Huer Zhahusi was shocked to find that there were already Jin troops deployed properly here, still using the typical 'Guai Zi Ma' tactics of infantry in the center and cavalry on both wings, and had successfully connected to the trenches outside the southern camp, sealing off the road.

Seeing this, Huer Zhahusi, who already knew the power of this tactic, gasped, but thinking of the spoils promised by the Zhao Song official earlier that day, he gritted his teeth and shouted and encouraged his men in the grassland language:

"My *anda*! My hawk and dog warriors! The Chinese Emperor's promise has been made very clear! This is a fair reward! Now it's time for us to exchange our courage for that promise!"

"Don't fear the enemy, and don't fear this rain! I know the rain will soon make our bowstrings soft and our arrows wet! But as long as you listen to my, Huer Zhahusi's, orders, wherever I point, shoot your arrows there without stopping! Before the arrows get wet, before the bowstrings get soft, shoot out both quivers of arrows! The Jurchens will flee like rabbits, and victory will be ours!"

"Now, hold your bows in your hands, nock your arrows, and follow me!"

After speaking, Huer Zhahusi, wearing heavy armor and a golden crown, turned his horse around and took the lead, drawing his bow and firing an arrow at the Jin army's formation. The dozens of Kereit nobles, fully equipped with Han army-style heavy armor, closely followed behind, drawing their bows and shooting arrows at the Jurchen army.

Seeing their khan take the lead in this way, the Western Mongol soldiers' morale soared. They immediately followed the orders, also imitating his actions, deploying in the typical light cavalry formation, and then attempting to harass and suppress the Jin army with arrows over the vast battlefield… For a time, arrows rained down behind this Western Mongol king, and the rain of arrows never stopped.

But after personally shooting just two arrows, Huer Zhahusi Khan silently fell straight from his horse, never to rise again.

The Western Mongol troops didn't understand what was happening, their formation was thrown into chaos, and the morale that had just been boosted plummeted.

Tueri, standing seven or eight steps behind his father, was equally stunned. To be honest, he was prepared to hand his father over to the Zhao official after the battle, but this time it really wasn't him.

In fact, in full view of everyone, it couldn't have been him.

Huer Zhahusi Khan's several *anda* and several heads of small Western Mongol tribes dismounted together and picked up the lifeless Huer Zhahusi Khan from the ground. Tueri hurriedly dismounted at this time to see what had happened, and then realized what had happened through the mask… It wasn't a conspiracy, it really wasn't a conspiracy. It was just an accident. A traditional Mongol feathered arrow had struck the khan in the back of the neck, who wasn't wearing a helmet because he was wearing a crown.

And one side of the feathered arrow had been wet by the rain, and the feathers were scattered. In this situation, no one could control the direction of the arrow.

This was a common accidental injury on the battlefield, except that this time, the one who had been accidentally killed was the dignified Western Mongol Khan, and