Chapter 58: The Battle of Pingzhou (Part 10)

  Wanyan Hongcheng was also a powerful Jin general, and his troops were all cavalrymen. When the city of Taiyuan had not yet been breached, Wanyan Zonghan ordered Wanyan Hongcheng's original cavalry to be converted into infantry to attack the city, and it seemed that Taiyuan would soon fall. ...Wanyan Zonghan immediately sent out scouts in all directions, and entrusted them with the task of defending and supplying the lines.

  Wanyan Hongcheng hastily sought out Wanyan Zonghan to argue, but Wanyan Zongwang coldly sneered in response: "The responsibility of logistical support is extremely heavy; cavalry should do what cavalry are supposed to do - you prepare to ride your warhorses up the city walls." Wanyan Hongcheng angrily retorted: "Our tribe's warriors can't be treated like ordinary infantry, taking the lead in attacking the city."

  "This is none of your concern, I have my own plan." He said and walked away with a swagger. Wanyan Hongcheng clenched his fist tightly around the hilt of his sword, wishing he could kill this guy right in front of him, but he ended up letting out a cold snort and turned to leave.

  About 5,000 troops were arranged in the rear of the army during the siege. The formation at this time was relatively intact among the Jurchen soldiers. Although Wanyan Zongwang knew that Wanyan Zongbi was letting him go to his death, he could not retreat. If he disobeyed orders and fled, it would be a dead end. Only by fighting hard did he have a glimmer of hope for survival.

  Five thousand Golden Kingdom cavalrymen formed their battle array, and the cavalry of the Invincible Army in the distance also slowly formed their formation. Liang Fangxu waved his hand, and the chess player beside him shook a red flag. The Invincible Army was well-trained and neatly transformed into several columns. Liang Fangxu picked up his steel spear from the horseback, gently pressed the steel knife on his waist, and at this time, only the comrades behind him could be trusted, as well as the weapons in their hands and the war horses under them.

  Five thousand Qibing held steel guns, gazing at the Jin Guo cavalry lined up in front of them. The battlefield was extremely quiet, with only occasional neighs of war horses, and a gentle breeze blowing across the battlefield, rolling up fallen leaves covered in dust, with a hint of desolation. The air was filled with an atmosphere of killing intent.

  The two armies seemed to have agreed on a signal, and suddenly roared towards each other. The earth-shaking momentum instantly broke the silence of the environment. From afar, two torrents flowed from stillness to speed, from speed to extreme velocity, rushing towards the central convergence point. The cavalrymen advanced in unison, and for a moment, dust flew everywhere, and the cries of killing shook the sky. The soldiers of both armies tightly grasped their blades, ensuring they could deliver them into each other's bodies at the first opportunity.

  Zhao Yun killed a nearby Jin soldier with his crossbow and was about to move forward when he was suddenly intimidated by the confrontation between the Song and Jin cavalry in the distance. A person who has not experienced such a scene can hardly imagine the grandeur, as if it could tear open the sky, the majestic and overwhelming atmosphere, and the sharp aura of the swords that seemed to break through everything, all of which made people's hearts tremble inexplicably. Zhao Yun vowed in his heart to build the strongest cavalry in the world and sweep away all enemies who dared to invade.

  Just as Zhao Ran was sighing, the cavalry of the two Song armies clashed violently, and from a distance, it seemed as if they had merged into one. The horses collided with each other, neighing and instantly collapsing, throwing their riders to the ground. Those who were lucky enough to land on their feet could continue fighting, while those who were unlucky were either trampled by the charging cavalry behind or crushed to death, bleeding all over their bodies.

  The soldiers of the two armies thrust their long spears at the charging soldiers in front of them, and a Song army cavalryman groaned and fell from his horse, collapsing to the ground with blood splattering on his body. The Jin general threw his spear far away, and the steel spear arrived on cue, piercing a soldier. The Jin soldier drew out his steel knife and hacked at the Song army cavalryman in front of him.

  The Song army cavalry was not afraid of the color, raised their hand to block the slashing steel knife with a knife, and borrowed the knife to cut towards the Jin army. The Jin people dodged the knife's momentum and were about to counterattack when suddenly, a dagger stabbed into the Jin soldier's eye. It turned out that the Song army cavalry had thrown out a hidden weapon with one hand. The Jin soldier endured the pain, covering his eyes with both hands, bowing on the horse, with fresh blood dripping from between his fingers. The Song army cavalry moved forward and cut off the Jin soldier's head with one knife. The head rolled away, and fresh blood splashed onto the horse's body. The warhorse was frightened, carrying the headless corpse and galloping wildly.

  One by one, the cavalrymen fell to the ground, shot or stabbed, and the cavalry of both armies had lost their initial momentum. Riding their warhorses and wielding their weapons at top speed, they slaughtered each other, but soon after, the Golden Army appeared. The main force of the Golden Army did not come to reinforce, but instead abandoned their 5,000 cavalrymen and retreated in a cloud of dust.

  In addition, the long spear soldiers in the Song army infantry had already formed a military formation, with swords and guns standing upright, quickly pressing towards the Jin army cavalry. At this moment, Wanyan Huodu couldn't retreat even if he wanted to, as the Song army cavalry had already entangled with the Jin army cavalry, making it impossible to retreat. If they retreated at this time, they would definitely be defeated, and Wanyan Huodu wouldn't do that, especially since there was also Wanyan Zonghan's warning.

  Wanyan Hongcheng picked up his bow and arrow, aiming at a charging Song dynasty cavalryman. With a "whooshing" sound, the cavalryman fell to the ground. As he watched his comrades continue to fall, Wanyan's heart bled with sorrow. Originally, in cavalry battles, nomadic tribes who grew up on horseback had the upper hand. However, the Song dynasty's weapons were more advanced, their armor thicker and heavier, and their swords sharper. Moreover, they were a well-rested and seasoned army, while the Jurchen-led Jin army was tired from battle. Naturally, the Song dynasty had the upper hand, but the Jin army's fighting strength should not be underestimated.

  The battle is becoming increasingly fierce, the cavalry of the Invincible Army has changed its tactics and is coordinating with the infantry to nibble away at the Jin army's vitality. At this point, the 5,000-strong Jin army led by Wanyan Zongbi had already lost all momentum, and it was a miracle that they hadn't dispersed yet. The clash of swords and knives, the explosion of blood mist, the nauseating gore, the roar of anger mixed with screams of agony, made the entire battlefield like a hell on earth.

  Zhao Kun had already shot all the crossbow arrows in his hand, reaping more than a dozen Jin soldiers' lives after harvesting them. He put away his crossbow and wanted to take out his knife to go forward, but was surrounded by the Imperial Guards who were protecting him. Wherever Zhao Kun rushed to, the guards immediately went forward and killed the Jin soldiers with their knives, making Zhao Kun extremely depressed. However, since the overall situation had already been decided, Zhao Kun did not try to be a hero either. After all, his martial arts skills were not good anyway, so why bother looking for trouble? Moreover, there was something more important now. Zhao Kun ordered the guards beside him: "Pass on my order, have the rear army quickly go to Taiyuan City, eliminate the remaining Jin soldiers, and let the medical officers be ready to rescue the wounded."

  At this time, among the 5,000 people of Wanyan Hongcheng, only a few hundred were left, most of whom were still injured, and they were extremely miserable. These hundreds of people formed a circular array under the leadership of Wanyan Hongcheng, surrounded by more than 10,000 imperial guards. Liang Fangxu stepped forward and shouted: "You Jurchen people listen, quickly surrender, there is only one chance to survive, if you continue to resist, there will be no chance to live."

  Wanyan Honglie stepped forward and said in unpolished Chinese: "If we were to change the scene, I would have tens of thousands of men surround you. Would you surrender or not?"

  Looking at Liang Fangxu's silence, Wanyan Hongcheng burst out laughing: "What a pity, we didn't lose to the enemy on the battlefield, but were defeated by our own people."

  Just as Liang Fangxu was about to order the entire army to charge and annihilate the last of the Jin people, Zhao Jie rode up beside him and said in a low voice: "General Liang, shall I handle this?"

  "Please, Your Highness." He said, reining in his horse and moving aside.

  "I don't know which general of the Jin State you are, but after this bloody battle, I, Zhao Jiong, must say that I admire you. Please leave your name."

  "I am Wanyan Hongcheng, I will not change my name for anything, and I will not change my surname for anyone. You can remember that."

  "How dare you! How dare you speak to His Highness like that!" Liang Fangxu angrily said, the Song army behind him all glared with anger. Zhao Jiong waved his hand to stop Liang Fangxu and asked in surprise: "Are you a member of the Aisin Gioro tribe, one of the great nomadic tribes of the Jin state?"

  Wanyan Hongcheng was greatly shocked, this secret was known to very few people, Zhao Bian suddenly said it out, instantly stunning him, and he involuntarily asked: "How did you know?" He was a person of the Aixinjueluo family, later the Wanyan imperial clan gave him the imperial surname Wanyan in order to appease his tribe, but at this time it was extremely secretive, very few people knew.

  Zhao Yan was shocked in his heart. This Aixinjueluo family member, who would destroy the Ming Dynasty and enter Central Plains in the future, this family member who slaughtered many Han people, nine sons, can be clearly seen that at this time, the Aixinjueluo family is still very weak and far from having the power to unify the nomadic nations. Although Zhao Yan hated to eliminate this nation that destroyed the Chinese spirit immediately, he understood even more that if utilized well at this time, it could make the Jin Dynasty internally self-destruct and achieve the goal of consuming the national strength of the Jin Dynasty.

  Zhao Xian calmed down and said lightly: "I can let you go, we can cooperate, I will support your tribe, and let you sit on the throne of the Golden Kingdom. Letting you go is a gesture of good faith, you are an intelligent person, you should understand the value of our cooperation."

  "We'll cooperate."

  Zhao Kuang waved his hand, and the Song army made way for the Jin soldiers. Wanyan Hongcheng rode off on horseback, and Liang Fangxu stepped forward to say: "Your Highness, are you just going to let them go like this? Aren't you afraid that these barbarians will change their minds?"

  "He will come looking for me."