Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 345: Lighting Fires and Fighting at Night

War is actually like playing chess. If the opponent is slow to make a move, you not only have to worry about his strange moves, but also worry that he will overturn the chessboard and slap you.

But once the move is made, everything is determined.

Therefore, when Aligua saw the Song army setting up a large formation to attack in an orderly manner, he was actually very happy.

When it comes to competing in endurance and perseverance, the Jin army has never been afraid of anyone.

Aligua raised his right hand and told the three Moukes, Erlubu, Shuhuchi and Hu Yuan, to wait patiently. Looking at the Song army's formation getting closer and closer, he narrowed his eyes and looked at a beacon tower next to him that was taller than the watchtower. After weighing it in his mind, he shook his head and turned his gaze to the Song army formation.

The rumbling of the general drums suddenly stopped. The front of the Song army was less than a hundred steps away from the Jin army camp. The spear and shield soldiers in the front row stood still and placed their spears on their large shields. Five thousand people were divided into teams of thousands and surrounded the Jin army camp.

The Jin army's ferry camp was roughly semicircular and built against the Yangtze River. If it weren't for a floating bridge behind it, it would have been a typical battle with its back to the river.

"This is good, I can have a way out." At this moment, Ali thought so.

After the vanguard of the Song army formed up, archers from each army came out, totaling about 500 people. Under the command of each captain, they poured arrows towards the Jin army camp.

The soldiers on the wall of the Jin army camp were not to be outdone. They also drew their bows and arrows and shot at the Song army from above.

The Song army archers all had soft bows, and were a poor match against the Qian army on the wall. Both sides combined didn't kill many people, but the fighting was very lively.

During this period, some flaming arrows were shot into the Jin army camp, but were quickly extinguished by the Jin army who were well prepared.

But taking advantage of this opportunity, the auxiliary soldiers of the Song army continued to fill the trench with dry soil using sacks and bamboo baskets, and soon filled up a small half of the trench outside the Jin army camp, which was two steps wide and half a person deep.

Ali, who had already come down from the watchtower, leaned against the camp fence, looked out through the gap at the scene, and snorted coldly.

"General, shall we go up?" Erlu asked loudly.

"Bullshit! This is just the beginning!" Ali yelled back in dissatisfaction: "Just stay in peace."

"But it's frustrating just to watch these Song dogs run wild in front of me." Ali finished his scolding and smacked his lips. He said to Erlubu, "Have your Mouke step forward and fire four rounds. No more, no less. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Erlubu responded loudly and formed two rows with a hundred men behind the camp wall.

"Lead!" Erlubu took the lead in drawing his bow and arrow, and pointed it diagonally upwards, above the heads of the soldiers at the bridgehead.

Each of the one hundred Jin army soldiers held a hard bow and pulled the bowstring as their own Mouke made a creaking sound.

"put!"

After all, they were the main force of the Jin Kingdom, and their attacks were extraordinary. The arrows flew over the heads of the soldiers with a whistling sound, scaring them so much that they fell down.

These heavy Jurchen arrows drew an arc in the sky and then hit the ground like falling hail.

The auxiliary soldiers of the Song army who were filling the pit with loose soil were caught off guard and were hit hard by the arrows, and they immediately let out wailing screams.

Erlubu smiled cruelly, but his hands did not stop. He commanded his men to strictly follow Ali's order and fired four rounds. The Song army auxiliary troops outside the camp collapsed instantly and scattered like birds and beasts. Only dozens of dead and wounded were left lying outside the camp.

Before Erlubu could rejoice, he felt a sharp whistling sound in his ears, as if something were whistling past. Then, the Jin army, arrayed in two rows, fell into chaos. He turned back to take a closer look, accompanied by the sounds of screams and cracking wood. Only then did Erlubu realize what had happened.

A thick crossbow arrow shaped like a spear happened to pass through the gap in the wooden fence of the camp and shot in, brushing against Erlu's ear and nailing two heavily armored Jin soldiers behind him together.

"Eight Ox Crossbow! These Song dogs! These lunatics brought out the Eight Ox Crossbow!" Erlu was frightened for a moment.

The first of these two unlucky guys was lucky enough to be pierced through the chest by a crossbow arrow and died instantly. The second one was pierced through the abdomen by a crossbow arrow, his intestines spilled all over the floor, but he still screamed and struggled for help, but was killed by Erlu with a finishing blow.

"How many are there in total?" Aligua was also startled by the Song army's display of the Eight-Ox Crossbow. He looked up and asked the Han'er soldier on the wall how many Eight-Ox Crossbows the Song army had. "Four... no... five..." The Han'er soldier hadn't finished speaking when a huge crossbow bolt with an iron feather sliced off half of his head.

This soldier, wearing leather armor, stood out like a crane among chickens. He betrayed his command position among the soldiers who were all made up of common people and was targeted and killed by a sniper.

Seeing this, Aligua also took a few steps back, not daring to go any closer to the camp fence.

Before Aligua could come up with a countermeasure, another round of crossbow bolts came crashing down, smashing into the wooden fences of the camp. With the immense potential energy stored in the Eight Oxen Crossbow, the bolts could penetrate even the rammed earth walls, let alone the ordinary log fences.

Ali understood clearly that these Eight Ox Crossbows were definitely not what these defeated soldiers had brought with them when they retreated. How could they have brought large weapons when they had already lost all their armor? It was more likely that they had been dismantled from Dangtu City behind them. These Song people really fought hard!

You must know that the Eight Ox Crossbows have always been positioned as city defense weapons, not field artillery! As long as you are not careful, these precious city defense weapons will be completely broken.

Although the Eight Ox Crossbow was immensely powerful, it couldn't, after all, destroy a large area with a single blow. After three or four rounds of crossbow bolts, only a dozen or so unlucky individuals suffered casualties.

However, there was no way to withstand this crossbow arrow that was as powerful as a spear. Even if it just touched it, it could tear off a piece of flesh and blood. No matter how thick the armor was, it could not defend against it. The blow to morale was too severe.

The Jin army screamed and dodged, and the neatly arranged formations were temporarily scattered, while the war horses became even more agitated. With the screams of the wounded, the camp became more and more chaotic.

Although the commotion in the camp was quickly quelled by the suppression of Jin officers at all levels, the Song auxiliary troops seized this opportunity to rush out again, either dragging the bodies and wounded back to the Song army or carrying earthen baskets to continue filling the trench. Soon, the half-filled trench outside the camp was completely filled.

After reprimanding the Jin army for their scattered formations with a whip, Aligua ordered the beheading of several stray soldiers to serve as a warning to others. He then found an inconspicuous corner and peered through the cracks in the fence, silently weighing the timing of his move.

The Eight Oxen Crossbow, capable of shooting a thousand paces, fired from a hundred or so paces away, firing one giant arrow and six smaller ones at a time. Although incredibly powerful, its firing speed was too slow. In the time it took to wind it, the Jin army would have trampled on it eight times.

But apart from that, the Song army did not reveal anything.

There was no trace of their heavy infantry.

Their elite cavalry, numbering at least three hundred, did not show up either.

Their divine arm bows did not start shooting either.

But at this moment, the Song auxiliary soldiers had already tied ropes to the wooden fences of the camp and shouted in unison, trying to pull the fence down. Although the soldiers on the wall were firing arrows with soft bows, the Song archers and eight-ox crossbows were no pushovers. Often, the soldiers were hit by a dense barrage of arrows as soon as they showed their heads.

Ali scratched the crumbling fence and made up his mind that although this was not the best time, it might be the last time.

"Raise the fire! Blow the horn! Mount the horses!" At Aligua's command, a torch was thrown onto the beacon tower, and the pile of dry wood soaked in grease quickly caught fire. Dozens of Jin soldiers blew their horns simultaneously, while Erlubu's troops, acting as the supervisor of the battle at the front, ignored the increasingly uncontrolled soldiers and allowed them to flee throughout the front camp.

After Erlubu led his troops to a tent, the other two Moukes had already led their horses and formed a team, while Aligua was at the front of everyone. The flag symbolizing his status as a marching Meng'an was held high by his personal guards, who followed closely behind him.

Aligua watched silently as the walls of the camp collapsed bit by bit, without saying a word.

The Jin cavalry behind him, which had been resting for a day, also watched all this in silence. There were only one or two horse neighs, but they were quickly quelled by the knights. Although it was different from the loud shouts and noises of the Song army outside the camp, the murderous aura rose to the sky in silence.

Finally, at the moment when the wooden fence of the camp was pulled down, good news and bad news came to Ali at the same time.

The Song army that was attacking the Jin army camp suddenly fell into chaos, with loud shouts and cries of killing. The sound of horns symbolizing the Jin army's breakthrough came from outside.

Han Feng and Xie Maochu led two Moukes who were lying in ambush outside and finally arrived, launching an attack at the first moment.

Before Aligua had time to feel the joy, he suddenly felt some doubts and fears.

Why are there flames and shouts behind me?
Ali looked back and was in a dilemma.

(End of this chapter)