Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 343: Did they win? Did they win?
"They're going into battle! They're going into battle!" Gao Qingyi's face was pale, his lips had long since lost all color. He leaned on his horse and turned to look, feeling a surge of relief that he could still go into battle...

But when he looked down again, he saw that the horse's back and belly were already soaked in his blood. He pressed harder on the bloody hole in the abdomen. He was experienced enough to know that the hole had not damaged any vital organs, so the bleeding was the real problem...

Wanyan Xiyin turned his horse around, looking left and right with a furrowed brow. He dared not estimate the extent of the casualties.

The Song army on the other side suffered even heavier casualties.

Take a breather, slowly rein in the horse and turn around. The horse is already at its last gasp and can no longer run. The Song people's horses are the same. No matter how much you urge them, they will not run. Some horses have even knelt down and collapsed.

Horses are actually not good at sprinting. If they walk slowly, they can go to the ends of the earth, but when they run wildly, they are actually not as good as humans in terms of endurance.

Gao Qingyi tumbled off his horse, lay on the ground clutching his abdomen, and looked around, as if to say, "I can't fight anymore!"

That's true. Wanyan Xiyin was standing not far away. He glanced at Gao Qingyi and frowned as well...

Most of the horses on both sides are ruined!

The ferocity of today's battle has exceeded Wanyan Xiyin's expectations. There have been fierce battles with the Liao people in the past, but today's battle is even more brutal.

These callow youths of the Song Dynasty...

Sometimes, no matter how strong a person's will is, there will be a point where they hesitate.

Wanyan Xiyin hesitated...

On the other side, Yue Fei was still roaring: "Abandon your horses, form ranks, form infantry ranks!"

We have to fight, and we have to keep fighting. No matter what, we have to decide who wins and who loses!

Military orders don't travel very far, but Yue Fei was the first to act. With his spear in hand, he flipped down and shouted to those around him.

"Run! Run! Watch me, watch me!" Yue Fei's voice was already hoarse, but he still shouted hoarsely.

Those nearby had already gathered, and as for those further away, Yue Fei glanced at them several times before stepping forward without waiting any longer, and said, "Let's go! Let's move forward!"

Wanyan Xiyin, who was on the other side, saw everything clearly and dismounted as well: "Form ranks! Form ranks!"

We must still fight. When have the warriors of the Jurchen ever lost their courage? From the moment they emerged from the mountains until now, have they ever lost their courage?

The Song army is coming!
The Jurchens are heading this way!
Footsteps clicked and clattered, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake, and faint, mournful cries of the dying could be heard...

Yue Fei stopped gritting his teeth, as if he had been released. He was no longer tense, and seemed to be doing something ordinary. How many people died today?
Even without counting, a quick glance around would reveal the number. He was unwilling to estimate, but his experience also played a part... It was probably close to ten thousand, not far off!
Is there any war like this in the world?

There are obviously some, but not many. It's rare to find an army that can still maintain its morale and charge forward despite suffering such heavy casualties!
They appear very rarely in history, only among the most elite forces at the peak of an empire, like the Tang Dynasty!

What does today's battle foreshadow...?

This heralds the rise of a new era.

Clearly, the strength of the Jurchens today foreshadows this; it's just that two rising powers have collided today.

Without counting or looking around, Yue Fei kept his eyes fixed ahead, on the approaching Jurchens. He seemed to be asking, "Brothers, can I, Yue Fei, be the commander?"

"Yes!" one person answered succinctly.

"can!"

"He's a good man!"

You've really got what you deserve today!

The scattered replies, however, conveyed a sense of rising and falling momentum.

Most of the people around him were not the same ones who had spoken to Yue Fei in a fit of pique; many of those people had perished in battle.

At this moment, most of the people around were also confused, but those who did know answered the question.

The sparse and fragmented replies filled Yue Fei with sorrow, and he muttered, "What a pity..."

What a pity for such a callow youth...

"Charge!" Yue Fei suddenly shouted, his steps quickening as the Jurchens drew near.

Some shouted, "In foot combat, the Jurchens are definitely no match for us! Brothers, charge forward and wipe out all the Jurchens in front of us!"

How many Jurchens are left? Perhaps less than four thousand, perhaps just over three thousand.

The Jurchens were not good at infantry combat? That must be a huge misunderstanding! But this misunderstanding is nothing...

The two armies clashed, spears thrusting back and forth, sparks flying from armor, the cavalry having few blunt weapons but many long weapons…

The scene became even more intense and brutal. Without the speed of the horses, no matter how hard the spears tried to pierce through, the armor was covered in layers of armor, so they couldn't make a difference.

He threw the spear from his hand, drew his sword, and struck countless times, yet no one died.

They grabbed him and rolled him around, punching and kicking him, choking him, and throwing stones at him...

The more difficult it is for them to kill each other, the more tragic the scene becomes!

The eagles and vultures in the sky began to descend to the ground. While humans were still fighting, they had already begun to feast...

Because these humans no longer ran around wildly, they were all trapped in one place, strangling each other.

Yue Fei possessed immense strength, wielded an armor-piercing spike, and was incredibly skilled in martial arts with sharp eyes and quick hands. He was able to pierce armor frequently, even precisely stabbing at the joints of the armor. He was also capable of killing people with exceptional efficiency.

Those around Yue Fei had already noticed this, and they focused on protecting Yue Fei from both sides, allowing him to act as an arrowhead, constantly thrusting forward with tremendous force!
This battlefield is like a meat grinder, but actually it's not; it's a metal grinder...

Few people know that in elite armies, swords are rarely used, and often a battle is over without the swords even being drawn.

Just like today, after the knife is drawn, it only takes a few strikes to turn it into a weak iron bar, weighing no more than three to five pounds in total, and the center of gravity is still at the back of the knife, making it completely useless for smashing.

Countless dull and blunt knives lay scattered on the ground...

It is unknown who first picked up an iron helmet from the ground, smashed it a few times, and found it extremely convenient. Immediately, countless people began to search for iron helmets to fight!
In one instance, a young man, in his haste and unable to find it anywhere, even took off his own helmet and used it to smash things...

……

South!

Liang Hongyu's drumbeats had already resounded across the land. As she beat the drum, she shouted, "Kill! Brothers, kill! Kill the Jurchens! Kill the Jurchens!"

The battlefield was indeed fierce.

The fluttering banner continued to advance through the Jurchen ranks, men and horses falling in disarray, and no one knew who was dying...

Liang Hongyu kept beating the drum and also looked anxiously to the right. She wanted to see where her husband Han Shizhong was, but where could she find him?
If we were to go to battle together, we would only be focused on fighting, and there would be no time to think about these things.
But at this moment, she naturally longed for...

Unable to comprehend or recite the words, Liang Hongyu could only beat the drum with all her might and shout, "Kill the thieves! Kill the thieves!"

On the right flank, Han Shizhong led a thousand armored cavalrymen into the formation. It was unclear whether they were Wugu, Dilie, the Black Chariot Shiwei, or Mogeshi...

Despite having no equal among them, these knights, many of whom wore leather armor and didn't even have a straight spear, still went into battle.

Faced with heavy cavalry, these knights were like paper or straw; how could they possibly withstand them?
They just keep falling from grace one by one!
It's truly unfair of fate. In the past, the Khitan cavalry swept across the grasslands in the same way, ravaging them...

When the Jurchens arrived, they killed people to establish their authority. Killing them was no more than slaughtering pigs and dogs!
This also forced them to voluntarily join the Jin army to fight.

They came to fight, but again they fought the Song cavalry and were swept away like grass.

Since ancient times, merchants in the Central Plains have sought to capture the Qiang people, Qin and Zhao fought against the Xiongnu, and the Han dynasty drove the Xiongnu far away from the eastern lands. The Tang dynasty also fought against the Turks, the Khitans fought against various tribes, the Jurchens fought against various tribes, and the Menggu came down from the mountains and forests and ravaged the grasslands once again...

The Mongols, the Borjigin Golden Family, truly rose to power, but their downfall was swift, lasting only a century, before the Ming Dynasty swept through the north again…

When the Manchus arrived, they reduced the population of the grasslands by several times.

Why?

Firstly, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, Uya Zhaohui massacred the entire Dzungar tribe, turning this once invincible and massive tribal group on the grassland into a mere place name. The Dzungar tribe and the Dzungar people were gone, leaving only the name of the Dzungar Basin.

Secondly, the Manchu Qing dynasty's plan was truly unparalleled. They used religion to reduce the population of the grasslands and brought Tibetan Buddhism to the Mongolian grasslands. In order to reduce the population of the grasslands, they legislated that in each family on the grasslands, only one male member was allowed to stay at home, called "guarding the stove," while all other male members had to go to the temple to become lamas.

After these two operations, the population of the grasslands dwindled from two to three million to just over 500,000 by the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Further on, we come to Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia. Inner Mongolia was the territory of the Golden Family, while Outer Mongolia was the territory of slaves of the Borjigin Golden Family, including the Khalkha Mongols. The tragic situation there is too much to recount.

In fact, the Manchu methods were a good method!

These people of the grasslands suffer so much! In truth, they have never had a truly good life!

It's either people from the east wreaking havoc, or people from the south wreaking havoc.

The people from the grasslands in front of the Song army were actually all emaciated and pale.

Just like today, with the left flank to the north, Lu Da charged forward, rampaging through the enemy without any resistance.

With Han Shizhong on the right and to the south, charging forward, it was as easy as cutting grass!
In fact, Su Wu was willing to give them a better life, but this war had to be finished first.

Su Wu was also fighting fiercely, his guards closely surrounding him as he charged back and forth. These guards weren't just protecting him, but also the great banner that carried the army's morale. Wanyan Zonghan also possessed a great banner, which he held high above.

They go for a while, run around the field and come back for the second time.

The battlefield is so vast that people are but waves in the ocean. Such a large-scale battle can only be planned before the battle, with no wartime command to speak of.

Whether it's issuing orders, sounding drums, or even using flags, it's all useless...

Even the fluttering banner was only clearly visible to a small percentage of people.

Thus, this was a true test, examining the capabilities of Su Wu's army and highlighting the importance of those drills, the most crucial of which were those military exercises that seemed rather unrealistic in their simulation of actual combat...

Many military exercises may seem like just going through the motions, but those very processes are crucial. They allow those involved to repeatedly understand the progress, pace, and stage of the war, thus knowing exactly what to do and when to do it!
Only in this way can we avoid the generals and soldiers from being completely bewildered and not knowing what to do on such a boundless battlefield.

The distance, the rear...

There were quite a few spectators, their horses perched on high ground—a deliberately chosen vantage point. From the battlefield, it was impossible to discern who was standing on that high ground; they were just tiny dots…

But they could see the entirety of the vast battlefield from afar, and the shimmering, grayish-yellow things that swayed like riverbank weeds on the water...

People everywhere, densely packed, rushing around, swaying left and right, like the ebb and flow of the tide...

The sight before my eyes didn't seem to be of 100,000 people fighting; it looked like 1 million, 10 million, or even 100 million—it all seemed so real…

There, the ground was covered with people.

The eyes of the spectators were filled with shock; it was an unparalleled shock.

Yedu Gua's Khan, Qidaili, stood there dumbfounded, asking, "Surely we can win?"

Meng Gudunbinai asked, "Who are you asking?"

Qi Daili snapped out of his daze and said, "Who else can we ask? We should ask the Song army!"

Dunbinai shook his head: "I don't know!"

Zubu Tielali, however, said with certainty: "They should be able to win..."

But Tie Lali's expression was not so resolute!
Meili Jihuluba once exclaimed in amazement: "The Liao cavalry of yesteryear were far less imposing than this!"

Huluba Zeng's words were naturally incorrect; he was simply born too late to witness the era when the Khitan cavalry was truly powerful.

Qi Daili asked impatiently again, "Can we win or not?"

Xu also knew that Qi Daili was the most anxious, and he had more to consider than others, including geopolitical considerations.

He was happy for the Song people to win, because now he was neighbors with the Song people. If the Song people won, his territory would become his heartland, free from the suffering of war and devastation.

If the Song people were to lose, the Jurchens would reign supreme on the grasslands, and the Song would become a border region, a battleground on all sides.

If the Song people come from the north, we will fight them; if the Jurchens want to attack from the west and move south, our army will also seek them out!

Who would want this situation for a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)?

Therefore, Qi Daili genuinely hoped that the Song army could win, and he was extremely anxious.

Damiribuguru said, "Who knows now? Let's wait and see..."

Qi Daili got angry, feeling that these people weren't very sincere, as if they didn't care who won.

Qi Daili succinctly stated: "Song is the Central Plains, a superior nation, the Great Tang, a land of propriety! Those Jurchens are primitive people who live in the mountains and forests, drinking blood and eating raw meat. If the Jurchens win, you and I will not be able to serve this master well in the future!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Qi Daili.

Finally, they started to get anxious, and a sense of urgency arose.

Tie Lali said, "Look and look, look carefully. Aren't the two flanks of the Jurchens in quite a mess?"

Tielali suddenly remembered something: Hurzahus should also be in the Jurchen army at this time, as a fellow Kereit. If the Jurchens win, where will Tielali's land and people be?
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked up and gazed into the distance!
Actually, you can't see the details clearly; you can only see the movement in the color...

It's absolutely true!
In just a short while, the Jin army's flanks were already collapsing. When Lu Da and Han Shizhong turned around and came back for the second wave, they were already chasing after the cavalry of the various steppe tribes...

This is why Su Wu didn't use these steppe cavalry; they weren't an asset, but rather a burden...

They also asked, "Don't the Jurchens know this?"
The Jurchens must have understood a lot, but they had no choice; they had to use it even if they didn't want to!

At the very least, it could boost morale, slow down the Song army's pace, and even... force the Song army to spread out their formation further...

Perhaps, Wanyan Zonghan still held a sliver of hope, hoping that the various tribes could hold out a little longer, even if only for a short while...

At least that Hurzahusi, filled with hatred and resentment towards Su Wu to the bone, would surely fight to the death...

When Wanyan Zonghan went out again, he turned around to look. He couldn't see everything else, but the animals were scattered all over the mountains and fields. How could he not see them?
Even Hurzahus seemed unable to contain his troops as they fled!
The reason for this was that Hurzahus's men had already been demoralized by Su Wu's first encounter with them. How much fighting spirit would they have left to fight again? With their allies running away, how could they not run away as well?

No matter how much influence Hurzahus had, he couldn't stop this rout!
No one was truly willing to risk their life for the Jurchens, to fight to the last drop of blood.

Wanyan Zonghan was already alarmed. He looked north. Logically, with fast horses galloping in shifts, the distance of a hundred miles or so could be covered in half a day with a forced march. This was the usual speed for a forced march on the grasslands.

Later, when Temujin's eldest son led his western expedition, the fastest of his troops, marching from east to west, could cover three or four hundred li in a single day.

Logically speaking, Wanyan Xiyin should have appeared by now, at the northern horizon where heaven and earth meet.

Then they would enter from the flank, sideways, and go straight into the center of Su Wu's army. Under this tactic, it was not necessarily about killing Su Wu.

All we need to do is to throw Su Wu’s formation into chaos, preventing his troops from gathering together and causing them to move around the field in disarray. Once Wanyan Zonghan launches a frontal attack, Su Wu’s army will be thrown into disarray and collapse, resulting in a great victory!
Cavalry tactics have always worked, and they have never failed. In the past, the Khitan's nominal army of several hundred thousand men was completely overwhelmed by this tactic, suffering a crushing defeat.

Unfortunately, Wanyan Xiyin did not arrive!
Wanyan Zonghan changed direction and went again, for a while longer!
They blindly went into battle, disregarding casualties.

They went out again, and looked again. The mountains and plains were filled with fleeing cavalry. At the northern horizon, where the sky met the earth, they still could not see the dark line of horses approaching...

Wanyan Xiyin, why aren't you here yet!

Wanyan Zonghan stopped circling the field and turned around. He couldn't circle any further. Both his left and right flanks were scattered, and the Song army was already attacking from both sides. If he continued to circle the field and turn around to charge, the consequences would be unimaginable.

We can't keep going around in circles. Let's break away first. As long as the army formation doesn't fall into disarray, we can break away and make a comeback!
Behind him, Su Wu ran after him at breakneck speed!
From afar, behind them, an excited Qi Daili shouted, "Did we win? Did we win?"

Many eyes were fixed on the distant view, and Tielali excitedly replied, "It seems like a victory, it seems like a real victory! The Jurchens are no longer fighting, the Jurchens are retreating!"

But Tie Lali asked again, "Is it really not going to be a war?"

But after this question was asked, everyone fell silent, staring intently at the scene. Was there really no intention to fight?
They watched for a long time, but the Jurchens did not turn their horses around.

Qi Daili excitedly stood up from his horse: "We've won! We've won! The Song army has won!"

Jesus has been scoured into the heartland, no longer a frontline battleground! This is a welcome improvement in their fate...

In the past, when Yedu Gua was neighboring the Tanguts, the Tanguts would come out of the grasslands to plunder Yedu Gua when the Khitans and Tanguts were at war. They drove many of Yedu Gua's herders northwards.

Only after the Tangut people paid homage to the Liao emperor did their lives finally settle down.

So... who's become the front line? The Black Cart, Shiwei, Mogeshi, and Dilie have become the front line themselves...

But right now, the northern border of the Mengu tribes has also become the front line...

They also need to guard the Linhuang Prefecture on the edge of the grasslands for Su Wu...

The Jurchens have been defeated today, but it seems their actual military strength has not been greatly diminished; there are only about ten thousand cavalrymen here...

Whether it's a blessing or a curse is unknown, Dunbinai sighed deeply...

While excited, Tie Lali also asked, "I wonder if that wolf cub is dead or alive!"

This refers to Khurzahus. In terms of prestige, within the Kereit, Khurzahus has long since overshadowed the Tirakli...

Tielali, this so-called Zubu King, was nothing more than a puppet chosen by the Khitans in the past. The Khitans were so unwilling to even marry a fake princess to him.

This fellow is obsessed with marrying a princess. In the past, he asked to marry a Khitan princess, but his requests were repeatedly denied. Now, seeing the Song army chasing the Jurchens, he inexplicably has another thought: could he marry a Song princess this time? Of course, it's not for him to marry; he has a son who can marry her.

Why did this idea come to mind? Because given the current situation, it's better to act sooner rather than later. We need to ask these people for help, and perhaps the Song Emperor will agree in order to ensure the long-term peace and stability of the grasslands and to set an example.

In this matter, whoever gets there first gets to keep it...

As he pondered the thought, Su Wu pursued freely in the distance.

Once upon a time, Song cavalry could also pursue and kill Jurchens. Su Wu felt a strange excitement and exhilaration, and his urgency to spur his horse on was beyond words.

The Jurchens were fast too, only three rounds in total, and their horses were strong!
Su Wu was in the lead, already shouting, "The Jurchen rear guard has many light cavalry, shoot them! Shoot them quickly!"

……

In the north, they speak of Yue Fei, the setting sun like blood!

Yue Fei was looking around...

(End of this chapter)