The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 329 The Battle of Sha Niu Ling: The Jin Army Collapses Completely

The Jin army arrived at Sha Niu Ridge first. Although the mountain was not very tall, it was steep and dangerous.

Wanyan Heda immediately ordered the deployment of defenses: two thousand heavily armored infantry and three thousand cavalry were arrayed at the entrance of the mountain road.

More than 4,000 infantrymen were stationed on both sides of the ravine, setting up arrow towers and barricades, and even piling up boulders on the cliff edge, just waiting for the Northern Frontier Army to attack.

Before long, a reddish hue appeared on the distant loess slope.

"Boom boom boom~"

The vibrations of ten thousand horses galloping reverberated through the ground, even causing the rubble on Killing Bull Ridge to tremble slightly.

The Jin soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their faces grim. In the era of cold weapons, cavalry was the absolute king of the battlefield.

The cavalry of the Northern Frontier Army were "natural riders" who grew up on horseback. Their ferocity was far superior to that of the Jin cavalry, who had fallen into the prosperous world of the Central Plains.

However, compared to the Xia army's trembling legs when they saw the Northern Frontier Army, the Jin soldiers were much more composed.

After all, their invincible Jin cavalry still possessed an undiminished pride, though beneath their composure lay an undeniable tension.

Wanyan Hedalema stood on the main peak, squinting as he surveyed the Northern Frontier Army below, his mood growing increasingly solemn.

The crimson armor stretched out in one continuous line, like flowing flames spreading across the yellow earth. The armor coverage was almost 100%, showing no trace of the "wildness of the grassland barbarians".

He muttered under his breath, "No wonder those Tangut bald dogs were defeated. Such elite troops are probably not much worse than the Iron Pagoda of my Great Jin..."

His biggest concern was the defensive capabilities of the Northern Frontier Army's crimson armor. If it could match that of iron armor, the battle would be much more difficult.

"Someone come forward and shout!"

Wanyan Heda waved his hand, and a personal guard with a loud voice rode out and shouted down the mountain: "This place is the border of the Great Jin Kingdom. You must leave immediately. If you dare to approach again, you will be making an enemy of the Great Jin Kingdom."

Then, a group of soldiers began to repeatedly shout this phrase at the Northern Frontier Army.

Not far from the foot of the mountain, the Northern Frontier Army slowly came to a stop, selected a favorable location, and prepared to rest.

At Bali'ala's signal, a northern envoy rode out, his voice equally loud: "King Li Anquan of Xia has fled into Jin territory."

"You are hereby ordered to hand it over immediately, and our army will withdraw at once; if you dare to harbor it, our Northern Frontier Army will surely raze Chang'an to the ground."

"Arrogant." Wanyan Heda sneered upon hearing the Northern Frontier Army's reply.

"Having defeated the tiny Xia Kingdom, you've become arrogant and ignorant, daring to boast about flattening Chang'an? How shameless!"

"When our Jurchen cavalry swept across the Central Plains, they were still living on the grasslands, eating dust and drinking the wind."

"Today, let them see what a truly formidable force in the world is."

"Tell them that Li Anquan is the Xia Kingdom's ruler appointed by His Majesty the Great Jin, and how dare they demand him at will?"

"If you want him, you'll have to retreat to the northern frontier, return the country to my Great Jin, and then kneel down to welcome Li Anquan back."

The guards immediately relayed Wanyan Heda's words.

The two sides continued their stalemate for a day, with the Northern Frontier Army not launching an attack but waiting for reinforcements.

Wanyan Heda did not launch an attack.

Because most of the troops in Guanzhong were deployed to the southern front to deal with the Song state, only 10,000 troops remained in Fuyan Road. If they were to be lost here, the northern front would be completely empty.

If there's no chance of winning, then we won't fight. We'll wait until we defeat the Song Kingdom, then personally lead our troops to Xia Prefecture to settle scores with the Northern Frontier Army and regain the face we lost today.

The next day, Li Dongjiang led the main force of the Second Division to arrive, accompanied by more than 10,000 Kuli soldiers.

They were all servants of the Western Xia nobles and the garrison of Xia Prefecture, who were brought in by Li Dongjiang to be cannon fodder.

Meanwhile, Bali'ala briefed Li Dongjiang on the results of the day's investigation.

"The terrain of Killing Bull Ridge is such that a direct assault would be a death sentence."

He pointed to the arrow towers and barricades on both sides of the mountain road: "The infantry rely on the terrain to fire arrows, and the heavy cavalry block the road. If we charge up, we'll be sitting ducks, and the casualties will definitely be high."

Li Dongjiang nodded, then suddenly asked, "Besides the Yansui Road, is there another route from Xiazhou to Yan'an Prefecture, the Qin Straight Road?"

"Commander-in-Chief, are you referring to that old road from the Qin Dynasty?"

Bali'ala immediately realized what was happening and nodded slightly, saying, "The Commander-in-Chief is wise."

"This humble general believes it is worth a try."

There are two main routes from Xia Prefecture to Yan'an Prefecture.

The Yansui Road mainly follows the Wuding River Valley, where water is plentiful and the terrain is relatively flat. It is the route chosen by most people, and it is the very road that the two armies are currently traveling on.

In addition, there is a straight road built during the Qin Dynasty leading to the Hetao region, but it has been neglected and damaged over the years.

Moreover, it was built along the ridges and edges of highlands, where there were few people and it was not conducive to the replenishment of water and food.

Moreover, heavy rain may cause difficulties such as mud and landslides.

This is a backup route.

But war is never without risk; it's good enough if you can even escape, let alone be picky.

Li Dongjiang said decisively, "Order Mo Jun's troops not to join forces with our main force."

"Take the Qin Straight Road to the west, detour around the rear of Sha Niu Ling, cut off their supplies, and outflank the Jin army's rear."

He paused, then added, "We will continue to confront the Jin army here, and send more light cavalry to probe the mountain pass, making them think we are going to launch a frontal assault, thus drawing their attention and buying time for the Mo army."

"As ordered!"

"Woooooooo~"

After another day of rest, urgent bugle calls rang out across the northern land of Sha Niu Ling.

Li Dongjiang drew his cavalry saber from his waist and swung it forward, officially commencing the Northern Frontier Army's attack.

The first to charge were the prisoners of war from the Kuril army.

They were dressed in the original Xia army's cloth clothes or simple leather armor, holding rusty spears in their hands and simple wooden shields in front of them. Under the orders of the supervising team, they slowly advanced towards the mountain path of Sha Niu Ling.

"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for?"

The supervising soldiers held crossbows, arrows pointed directly at the prisoners' backs: "Anyone who dares to back down or tries to defect will not only die, but their family in Xiazhou will also die."

The prisoners of war were pale and their steps were heavy.

They had no choice but to press forward, but as they approached the mountain path, a hail of arrows from the Jin army rained down, and many fell to the ground.

Seeing this, several prisoners of war simply threw down their weapons and shouted at the Jin army, "We surrender! Don't shoot arrows!"

Although the Northern Frontier Army promised to distribute land and women to them, and that they only needed to pay 40% of the rent, they have received nothing yet and have been pushed to the front lines to be cannon fodder.

Nobody wants to die. Dividing the land and women is certainly a good thing, but survival is the priority right now.

However, the Jin army did not dare to trust them rashly, fearing that they had fallen for a counter-espionage plot. The frontline generals did not have time to verify their identities and could only continue to fire arrows.

Those prisoners of war who tried to surrender either died from arrows of the Jin army, arrows of the northern border supervisory team, or at the hands of their own comrades.

After all, the rule of the Curry Army is: "If one person dares to escape, the entire army will be executed."

Of course, some people successfully surrendered; people's hearts are different, and no one can force them.

The battle reports from the front quickly reached Wanyan Heda.

"General, those Xia soldiers were forced into a charge, their morale is low, and they are not to be feared."

The lieutenant said excitedly, "The real fighting force is still those elite troops from the northern frontier who wear red armor."

Wanyan Heda smiled, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes: "I knew it, these barbarians from the northern frontier only know how to use such despicable means."

"How can you control people's hearts and minds in such a simple and crude way?"

"Those barbarians could never learn it even if they studied it for a hundred years."

"Order Tudanbahu on the left flank to deliberately create an opening and draw the main force of the Northern Frontier Army away."

"Order Winston on the right flank to counter-attack!"

An hour later, the sounds of fierce fighting came from the left flank of Killing Bull Ridge.

The Jin army led by Tudanbahu deliberately slowed down its counterattack and even abandoned several low hills, creating the illusion that it was "insufficient in troops and about to be defeated".

Seeing this, the prisoners of war from the Kuli army thought they had a chance and charged up the hill with all their might. But every time they were about to reach the top, the Jin army would launch a counterattack and force them back.

This repeated itself, and although the Kuli army occupied several positions, it was unable to break through the Jin army's core defense line, and instead suffered heavy casualties.

On the right flank, however, the situation is quite the opposite.

Jin soldiers, armed with long spears, swooped down from the ridge, charging into the Kuli army's formation like tigers descending a mountain.

The Kuli army had no will to fight, and when the Jin army charged, they were instantly routed and fled in all directions.

Subsequently, the main force of the Northern Frontier Army immediately split into two parts to support the two flanks.

One unit was sent to support the right flank of the Kuli army and to block the Jin army.

The other part attacked the left flank, attempting to expand the gains of the Kuli army and completely capture the hilltop on the left.

Seeing this scene from the mountaintop, Wanyan Heda couldn't help but burst into laughter: "I thought the Northern Frontier Army would be so difficult to deal with, but now it seems they're not so bad after all."

"With just a little trickery, that bunch of brainless idiots were fooled."

He immediately ordered: "Left flank Tudanbahu must hold the hilltop at all costs and not allow the Northern Frontier Army to advance an inch."

"Wendun Saibu on the right flank, retreat immediately, and don't get entangled with the Northern Frontier Army down the mountain."

Then, he turned his gaze to the middle lane and said in a deep voice to Wu Simeng beside him, "Wu Simeng! You suffered heavy losses before, today I will give you a chance to redeem yourself."

"Now that the main force of the Northern Frontier Army has been drawn to the flanks, the gates of the central army are wide open. You lead a thousand Iron Pagoda soldiers and charge straight into the central army of the Northern Frontier Army."

"The remaining cavalry units will then launch a surprise attack, and we must utterly crush the Northern Frontier Army in one fell swoop!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Wu Si's eyes, and he immediately accepted the order: "This subordinate obeys! I will certainly not fail the general's trust!"

Soon, the heavy sound of horses' hooves echoed on the main road of Sha Niu Ling.

"Boom boom boom~"

A thousand Jurchen Ironclad Warriors, clad in heavy iron armor and wielding long-handled battle axes or other weapons, advanced slowly toward the central army of the Northern Frontier Army like mobile steel fortresses.

Two thousand light cavalry followed closely behind them. Once the Iron Pagoda had broken through the enemy lines, they charged forward to reap the rewards.

At this time, the Jin army was not yet completely corrupt, and its fighting power was still unmatched by any other country in the world.

The 10,000-strong army under Wanyan Heda was the elite force of the Jin army.

Half of them were veterans, which is why they were able to implement Wanyan Heda's strategic intentions.

In the case of any other ordinary army, the left flank would be breached before the central cavalry even set out, and the right flank would be surrounded at the foot of the mountain.

Meanwhile, under the crimson sun and moon battle banner, Li Dongjiang remained calm in the face of the Jin army's ferocious charge, as if he had expected it all along.

The Jin army had not experienced a large-scale war for many years, while the Northern Frontier Army had been constantly at war. Li Dongjiang, forged in the crucible of war and bloodshed, had seen it all.

How could they not see through Wanyan Heda's tricks?

"Iron Pagoda? Did you think only the Jin Dynasty had it?"

Li Dongjiang sneered: "Pass on my order, Shenji Battalion, prepare."

On both flanks of the Northern Frontier Army, more than twenty Tiger-Druid Cannons were neatly arranged on the ground, pointing diagonally in the direction from which the Iron Pagoda was charging.

These cannons were only a little over a meter long and weighed no more than a hundred kilograms. They were completely black, with the muzzles gleaming coldly.

The commander of the Shenji Battalion drew his cavalry sword and shouted, "Target: Jin army's Iron Pagoda! Fire!"

"Boom boom boom~"

More than fifty Tiger-shaped cannons roared simultaneously, their shells whistling as they flew toward the Jin army's Iron Pagoda.

Although the Tiger Cannon was not as powerful as the Divine Might Cannon, it had the advantage of a fast rate of fire and high density. Dozens of shells landed on the Iron Pagoda formation and exploded instantly.

Countless iron nails flew like a rainstorm. Before a Jurchen soldier could react, the nails pierced through the gaps in his armor and embedded themselves in his chest. He screamed and fell off his horse.

Some of the iron plates tore open the warhorses' bellies, and their intestines flowed out of the wounds. The warhorses neighed in pain and frantically threw the soldiers off their backs to the ground.

The once orderly Ironclad Pagoda formation instantly became chaotic.

The startled warhorses charged in all directions, and the fallen horses tripped their comrades behind them. More and more soldiers fell from their horses, and the gaps in the formation widened.

"Ahhhhh~"

"The devil, it is the roar of the devil."

"What the hell is that thing?"

"My stomach is killing me!"

Screams rose and fell, and fear filled the faces covered by the iron armor. They had never seen such terrifying weapons. The hard iron armor was as fragile as paper in front of these horrific things.

"How is this possible... what kind of sorcery is this?"

Wu Simeng stared wide-eyed at the horrific scene before him, muttering to himself in disbelief.

His warhorse was also frightened by the roar of cannonballs, pawing at the ground in agitation.

As the elite of the Jin army, the Iron Pagoda was a symbol of "invincibility" in his mind, but now it was no match for the artillery of the Northern Frontier Army.

"Keep moving forward! No retreating!"

Wu Simeng suppressed his fear, drew his scimitar, and shouted to his soldiers, "Charge! If we can charge through, we can crush the central army of the Northern Frontier Army!"

Although the soldiers still had fighting spirit, many of the warhorses had begun to disobey commands, frightened by the roar of the cannons.

Just then, a sound of hooves, even louder than the roar of the Tiger Cannon, suddenly came from ahead.

The ground trembled violently, even the gravel on the mountain road was jumping. On the distant horizon, a black mass surged in like a tide, that was the heavy cavalry of the Northern Frontier Army!
"The Northern Frontier Iron Pagoda?" a Jin soldier shouted in terror, pointing ahead.

Wusi looked up and saw that the heavy cavalry of the northern frontier were wearing black heavy armor and holding long-handled sabers or armor-piercing spikes.

The warhorses were also covered in iron armor, like a black torrent of steel, charging towards the Jin Kingdom's Iron Pagoda formation.

They were extremely fast, and at first glance, they were not much different from the Jin Dynasty's Iron Pagoda.

"Form ranks! Quickly form ranks to meet the enemy!"

Wu Simeng shouted anxiously, but by this time the Iron Pagoda formation was already in chaos, and the soldiers were too busy to defend themselves to organize an effective resistance.

The heavy cavalry of the northern frontier quickly charged to the front of the Iron Pagoda formation. The armor-piercing spikes, propelled by the impact of the warhorses, pierced the iron armor with a crisp "crack".

Some northern cavalrymen specifically targeted disoriented warhorses, extending their hook-and-sickle spears towards the horse's legs. The moment the horse fell to the ground, the soldier on its back became a lamb to the slaughter.

Some cavalrymen even charged directly into the Ironclad Pagoda formation, using the force of their horses to knock the soldiers over.

Wu Simeng brandished his scimitar and fought back fiercely, but was attacked from both sides by three black-armored soldiers. The immense force caused Wu Simeng to fall from his horse.

"catch him!"

Several northern cavalrymen immediately surrounded him and pinned Wusimeng to the ground.

Without their commander, the Ironclad Cavalry soldiers completely lost the will to resist.

Meanwhile, the cavalry on both flanks of the Northern Frontier Army had arrived and joined the heavy cavalry, charging towards the remaining Jin light cavalry.

When Wanyan Heda saw this scene from the mountaintop, his face turned ashen, and he gripped the flagpole tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white.

He never imagined that his proud Ironclad Cavalry would be defeated so quickly and so miserably.

“How could this be… how is this possible…” Wanyan Heda’s lips trembled, as if he were talking to himself, or questioning the heavens.

In his heart, the Iron Pagoda was the pride of the Great Jin Dynasty and a symbol of "invincibility".

Back when they marched south to attack the Song Dynasty, this heavily armored cavalry had conquered dozens of cities, and the Song army would flee at the mere sight of them. But now, they were defeated so decisively and so tragically by the Northern Frontier Army.

He finally realized that the Northern Frontier Army was not some "barbarian steppes" at all. They had excellent armor, terrifying firearms, fierce heavy cavalry, and tactical skills far superior to those of the Xia Army.

The strength of this army far exceeded his expectations.

"General, the brothers down the mountain... have been defeated!"

The urgent voice of the adjutant beside him interrupted Wanyan Heda's thoughts: "The Iron Pagoda has suffered heavy losses... Wusimeng has also been captured... What do we do?"

"Withdraw... Let the remaining troops at the foot of the mountain retreat back up the mountain."

Wanyan Heda took a deep breath, his voice slightly hoarse but calmer: "Pass down the order to reinforce the defenses. Arrow towers and barricades are all in place. Everyone hold their positions. No one is allowed to launch an attack without my order."

The deputy general was stunned for a moment, then realized that Wanyan Heda was planning to take advantage of the terrain of Sha Niu Ling and hold out to the death.

Soon, the remnants of the Jin army at the foot of the mountain retreated towards the main peak of Sha Niu Ling. They were chased and killed by the northern cavalry, losing their armor and weapons, looking disheveled and no longer possessing their previous vigor.

The Northern Frontier Army did not pursue relentlessly, but instead regrouped at the foot of the mountain, their crimson battle flags fluttering in the wind, as if demonstrating against the Jin army on the mountain.

"People from the northern frontier..."

Wanyan Heda muttered these three words under his breath, his eyes bloodshot, and said viciously, "I will repay today's grudge a hundredfold in the future!"

For the next period of time, Wanyan Heda's army held fast to Sha Niu Ridge and could not retreat.

Otherwise, the morale of the army will collapse, and they will be utterly routed by the Northern Frontier Army.

Moreover, the number of cavalry in the Northern Frontier Army far exceeded that of the Jin army.

Holding the strategically important Sha Niu Ling is the right course of action. As long as the Jin army has enough food and supplies, the Northern Frontier Army will have to pay several times the casualties if it wants to take Sha Niu Ling.

Ten days later, a rapid sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from behind Killing Ox Ridge.

A grain transport officer, covered in mud and with tattered armor, rode an exhausted warhorse and stumbled to the main peak before falling off his horse with a thud.

"Master Steward, something terrible has happened."

"Our food...our supplies have been stolen! Behind us...a large contingent of northern frontier cavalry, several thousand strong, has appeared behind us!"

"what?"

Wanyan Heda's eyes widened suddenly, as if struck by lightning: "What did you say? The grain supplies were stolen?"

"How did the Northern Frontier Army end up behind us? Weren't there scouts from our army heading towards Yan'an Prefecture? Why didn't they warn us beforehand?"

The grain transport officer trembled with fear at Wanyan Heda's imposing manner and stammered, "Those Northern Frontier troops... seem to have sprung up from the ground."

"They were wearing yellow armor and carrying yellow battle flags. They suddenly rushed out of the mountains to the west, and we didn't have time to react at all..."

"Qin Straight Road?" Wanyan Heda's heart sank, and he immediately thought of the Qin Straight Road in the west.

He released the grain officer, staggered back two steps, and his face was even paler than when he saw the Iron Pagoda's defeat.

Food supplies are the lifeblood of an army. Without them, let alone holding Sha Niu Ridge, even if they wanted to retreat, they wouldn't last long.

"Sir, what do we do now?" the lieutenant asked anxiously, his voice tinged with panic.

Before Wanyan Heda could answer, a commotion suddenly arose in the distance, and a soldier rushed over to report: "General, scouts from the Northern Frontier Army have been spotted behind us, numbering about a dozen, and they are scouting our positions."

"What? So fast?" Wanyan Heda's pupils shrank. The appearance of the Northern Frontier scouts meant that the main force of the Northern Frontier army was not far away.

An hour later, the earth-shaking sound of horses' hooves came from behind Killing Bull Ridge, and the ground trembled violently.

The Jin soldiers all looked back and saw a golden torrent of steel rushing towards Sha Niu Ridge.

"The Northern Frontier Army is here! The Northern Frontier Army is attacking from behind!"

The Jin soldiers on the mountain were instantly thrown into chaos, and panic spread like a plague.

They had already suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Northern Frontier Army, with most of their cavalry lost. Now, attacked from both sides and without supplies, their morale was beginning to collapse.

Down the mountain, Li Dongjiang had also received the news that Mo Jun had bypassed the rear of Sha Niu Ling, and the Jin army on the mountain had now become an isolated force.

"Launching the general offensive first thing tomorrow morning."

"Tell all the Jin soldiers on the mountain that those who surrender will be spared, while those who resist will be executed without mercy," Li Dongjiang shouted in a deep voice.

"As ordered."

The generals shouted in unison.

Early the next morning, the deep rumble of bugles echoed through the Northern Frontier Army camp, and plumes of smoke rose into the sky—the agreed-upon signal for the attack with the Mo army.

Both armies launched a general offensive simultaneously.

The main force of the Northern Frontier cavalry, together with prisoners of war from the Kuli army, charged toward the mountain path.

The Tiger Cannon of the Divine Machine Battalion roared again, and the shells landed on the Jin army's positions. The exploding iron nails took the lives of countless soldiers.

The Jin army was attacked from both sides and caught in a pincer movement by the Northern Frontier Army, and its formation collapsed instantly.

Some soldiers threw down their weapons and tried to escape along the ditch; others huddled in their positions, trembling, unable to even hold their bows and arrows properly.

"Stop right there! Don't run away!"

Wanyan Heda drew his curved sword from his waist and slashed at the fleeing soldiers, trying to stabilize morale.

But his efforts were ultimately in vain, as the Northern Frontier Army had already reached the position at Sha Niu Ling.

The northern cavalry moved as if they were in an empty field, brandishing their sabers and hacking down Jin soldiers, their screams and pleas for mercy filling the air.

Looking at the tragic scene before him, Wanyan Heda was filled with despair.

He knew that Killing Bull Ridge could no longer be held, and he had completely lost this battle.

He was filled with endless regret. He hated himself for underestimating the Northern Frontier Army, for failing to protect the grain supplies, and even more so for failing to hold onto Sha Niu Ridge.

On the main peak of Sha Niu Ling, the flag of the Jin Kingdom slowly fell, and was replaced by the sun and moon battle flag of the Northern Frontier Army.

(End of this chapter)