Seeing Zhang Fengyi actually engage him, a strong fighting spirit flared in Yue Fei's eyes.
Ever since he had started leading a separate army, he had always been the one to target others. This was the first time someone had led troops to charge his formation.
"Change formation!"
Although the Song army was infantry, they occupied favorable terrain and had the numerical advantage.
At Yue Fei's command, the thousand soldiers around him immediately altered their formation.
The shield-and-sword infantry moved to the front, with the spearmen positioning their long spears directly through the gaps in the shields.
The archers in the center were poised, ready to unleash their volleys.
"Boom—rumble—rumble—"
"Fire—"
As the Jin cavalry drew nearer, their hoofbeats sounding like thunder, Yue Fei abruptly waved his hand.
In mere moments, hundreds of arrows and bolts soared into the sky, directly targeting the Jin cavalry. Though the Jurchen cavalry's armor was no longer as crude as when they first rose to power, it was still as fragile as paper against the powerful crossbows custom-made for Yue Fei and his men by Han Mo.
Any cavalryman struck by a bolt was inevitably thrown from their horse! And in the darkness of night, while charging, falling from a horse meant being trampled to death!
At a mere fifty paces, a distance that took cavalry only a few blinks of an eye to cover, the Song army's archers had already loosed two volleys of bolts. By the time they reached the Song army's front lines, out of the original three hundred cavalrymen, over fifty had already fallen.
Yet, even so, Zhang Fengyi's fury remained undiminished as he charged directly towards Yue Fei in the enemy formation.
"Boom—"
With a deafening roar, the leading cavalrymen used the momentum of their charge, guiding their warhorses' front hooves directly onto the Song army's shield wall. War was always brutal. Although the Song army's shield wall was instantly shattered, more than twenty cavalrymen were still impaled and killed on the spot by the Song army's spears.
With the shield wall broken, the melee between the two sides instantly entered a white-hot state. In a confrontation between infantry and cavalry, cavalry normally held a distinct advantage. Once the infantry's formation was broken, they would face a one-sided massacre. Zhang Fengyi understood this, and Yue Fei certainly did as well.
At this moment, Zhang Fengyi was the sharpest spear of the Jin, and Yue Fei stood as the biggest stumbling block before him.
"Hahahaha, come and fight!"
Seeing Zhang Fengyi leading the remaining cavalry to charge him in a wedge formation, Yue Fei's eyes instantly turned red. Gripping his long spear tightly, he slowly leaned forward, coiled like a leopard, waiting for his opponent to approach.
Protected by his personal guards, Zhang Fengyi drew closer and closer to Yue Fei. Seeing that Yue Fei showed no intention of evading, Zhang Fengyi's lips curved upwards. He could already envision himself cutting down Yue Fei from his horse, and then slaughtering these attacking Song troops without mercy.
"Clip—clop—"
"Clip—clop—"
"Clip—clop—"
As the distance between them rapidly closed, the sounds of battle around them seemed to fade away. In Yue Fei's ears, only Zhang Fengyi's hoofbeats and his own breathing remained.
Thirty paces.
Twenty paces.
The distance grew shorter, but Yue Fei's breathing gradually shifted from short gasps to long, steady inhales.
Ten paces!
As Zhang Fengyi's horse took its final stride, the long-waiting Yue Fei suddenly moved. He stomped his right foot forcefully on the ground, holding his silver spear tip-down, and leaped upwards, charging directly towards Zhang Fengyi.
"Well done!"
Seeing Yue Fei charge him of his own accord, Zhang Fengyi laughed wildly and swung his saber, aiming directly for Yue Fei's neck. After delivering the blow, Zhang Fengyi's face was filled with a bloodthirsty smile. With Yue Fei airborne, no matter how skilled he was, he would have to meet this attack head-on. After all, he was confident in his own strength!
But before his saber had even completed half its arc, the butt of Yue Fei's silver spear, like a phantom, lightly tapped his saber tip. His seemingly fatal strike was thus neutralized by Yue Fei. Using this force, Yue Fei spun in mid-air again. The tip of his silver spear traced a beautiful arc, piercing directly through Zhang Fengyi's throat!
The instant the spear tip entered his throat, Zhang Fengyi's eyes could only register the peerless beauty of this thrust. So this was the speed of this spear... With his strike successful, Yue Fei then used the momentum to flick upwards, sending Zhang Fengyi tumbling from his horse to the ground. Yue Fei, however, landed steadily on Zhang Fengyi's horse, the entire maneuver as natural and fluid as flowing water.
Quickly dispatching the few cavalrymen near him, Yue Fei shouted again:
"The enemy general is dead! Those who dismount and surrender will be spared!"
Seeing Yue Fei kill their leading general, the Song soldiers' morale surged. Their previously wavering formation suddenly stabilized once more.
"The enemy general is dead! Those who dismount and surrender will be spared!"
"The enemy general is dead! Those who dismount and surrender will be spared!"
"The enemy general is dead! Those who dismount and surrender will be spared!"
With the shouts of the Song army, the Jin cavalry trapped in the center descended into utter chaos. Without a leader, this was the most disadvantageous situation on the battlefield. Even the formidable Jurchen warriors were in disarray.
"Retreat! Quickly retreat!"
Witnessing Zhang Fengyi's death, several officers could only step forward temporarily. Fortunately, in the face of a life-or-death crisis, their decision was unified. However, they had already penetrated deep into the Song army's lines. Leaving now, was it truly that easy?
With a mount, Yue Fei was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, charging and weaving through the enemy ranks, with no one able to match him. Anyone who attempted to rally the scattered cavalry would immediately face Yue Fei's thunderous strike. At this moment, he had transformed into the sole deity on this battlefield. All who dared to challenge him would be swiftly reaped by his silver spear.
"Long live Great Song!"
"Long live Great Song!"
"Long live Great Song!"
Accompanied by the Song army's battle cries, the three hundred Jurchen cavalrymen experienced the terror of the Song army for the first time. Fifteen minutes later, with the last cavalryman cut down, all three hundred Jurchen cavalrymen were annihilated by the Song soldiers.
"General is mighty!"
With Xu Qing's roar, the remaining soldiers became excited. At this moment, Yue Fei was utterly deified in their hearts!
"General is mighty!"
"General is mighty!"
"General is mighty!"