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

Chapter 346: Horses suddenly rise up and attack at night

Han Feng and Xie Maochu ambushed behind a slope two miles north of the Caishiji camp at nightfall.

In order to hide, the two Moukes dispersed into groups of ten and went to the ambush site, quietly lying in wait for the order for the general attack.

It's not that the Song army didn't explore the surrounding area, but the surrounding area had just been massacred by the Jin army, and the people fled in all directions. There was not even a civilian to ask for directions.
Secondly, the Jingnan Army was concentrated to prepare for a night attack, and it was impossible for them to disperse on a large scale at night to act as scouts.

Thirdly, the location of the Jin army's ambush was too tricky.

Therefore, before besieging the Jin army camp, the Song army did not discover that there was an elite Jin cavalry ambush in the north.

The two Moukes waited quietly for most of the night. Just when they thought that the Song army would not come tonight, the Song army spread out like a pouring galaxy and surrounded the Jin army camp.

But Han Feng and Xie Maochu just watched in silence.

It wasn't that they didn't want to attack, but Aligua had instructed them to attack only when ordered by beacon fire and horn. Anyone who charged without orders would be rewarded for their merits and punished for their mistakes!
After waiting for a long time, the beacon fire and horn in the camp finally appeared. Han Feng threw down his whip that was about to break, spat out the copper coins in his mouth, and shouted: "Mount!"

Afterwards, Han Feng and Xie Maochu rode their horses to the top of the gentle slope without any cover, allowing their figures to be revealed to the tribesmen in the moonlight.

"Form a formation!" Xie Maochu shouted.

In order to ensure the suddenness of the raid, the two hundred Jin soldiers still did not light fires, but just followed their respective centurions and formed a rough cone formation.

These people are all veterans, and even though they are mixed, they consciously adjusted the formation.

"Forward!" After a while, looking back, he saw that his troops had already lined up. Han Feng raised his spear and pointed it forward, then took the lead and rode his horse slowly towards the 5,000-man formation of the Song army.

Two hundred Jin cavalrymen also started to move.

At the beginning, the speed of the 200 Jin soldiers was like that of ordinary people taking a walk. When they were one mile away from the Song army's formation, they were already jogging. When they were less than a hundred steps away from the Song army, the Jin cavalry had already poured in like a mountain torrent.

Although the Song army cavalry on guard outside fired flares, the sound of horse hooves like a landslide had revealed everything. Why did they need others to warn them?

The troops on the far right were led by Wang Qi. Although he immediately mobilized more than 200 infantrymen armed with spears to form a strong formation, Wang Qi still had sweaty palms and a dry mouth.

The performance of his Song army was even worse. The Jin army's cavalry had not yet appeared, and when the rumbling sound of horses' hooves was heard, the spear formation formed by the Song army was already unstable. Many Song soldiers had already retreated in small steps, and even the five rows of spear formation began to become crooked.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Wang Qi ordered his personal guards to supervise the battle behind the spear formation. Only after killing five Song soldiers who escaped from the formation did he stabilize the formation.

Before Wang Qi could say anything more, the silent charging Jin cavalry had already pierced through the darkness and arrived in front of the brightly lit Song army.

Han Feng saw the panicked Song army from a distance, put his mouth under his neck and smiled contemptuously, feeling relieved. He knew that although the opponent had won two battles, they were still a group of cowards with their heads stuffed in their crotches.

Although it is not cost-effective to use cavalry to charge the infantry in formation head-on, it depends on what kind of infantry they are.

The infantrymen who dared to face the cavalry charge, wielding axes to chop down the riders and the horses' legs, were the elite of the Song army. Any Song commander would cherish them like precious treasures, and would be heartbroken if dozens of them died. If such infantrymen formed a strong formation, even Wanyan Liang personally leading Hezha Meng'an would surely suffer a bloody nose if he charged, let alone Han Feng.

But these Song soldiers under Wang Qi were not bragging as Han Feng said. Even if they attacked head-on, they only needed to knock down the first two rows, and the Song soldiers behind them would flee in panic, exposing their backs to the Jin army's butcher knives.

Maybe by then the Jin army’s casualties will be less than ten!
It was not known whether it was the blessing of the spirit of old man Wang Dewang in heaven, or the response of the gods and Buddhas to Wang Qi's prayers, but these Jin cavalrymen did not charge headfirst into Wang Qi's army formation. Instead, they passed by the side of the Song army, drew their bows and arrows, and shot arrows into the Song army formation at a distance of less than ten steps.

Like a sharp blade scraping off fish scales, the Song soldiers struck by arrows, armored or not, were all either dead or wounded, falling to the ground one after another. Wailing, weeping, and screaming filled the air. At least seventy soldiers were rendered incapable of combat by the hail of arrows.

The more than one thousand soldiers on the far right wing showed signs of collapse in an instant.

"Hurry! Hold on!" Wang Qi gripped the axe tightly and ordered more than a hundred sword and shield soldiers to push against the opening on the side.

But executing such a quick order at night would confuse even a truly brave general and elite soldier, let alone a useless person like Wang Qi?
As soon as the order was given, the right wing of the Song army was almost immediately in chaos. Some wanted to retreat, some wanted to follow the order. The generals could not find their soldiers, and the soldiers could not find their generals.

This is also the difficulty of fighting night battles in the Middle Ages. The army is stronger than ordinary people because it is organized, but the darkness will naturally weaken this organization to the minimum.

Wang Qi was watching this scene from a distance, his eyes went dark, and his heart sank to his ass. But at the same time, for some reason, this forty-six-year-old commander actually thought of his father, Wang De Wang Yasha.

During the Jingkang period, Wang De, known for his bravery, enlisted in the army and served under Song general Yao Gu. When Jin invaded, Wang De, on reconnaissance duty, beheaded a Jin leader. Yao Gu, impressed, asked if he still had the strength to kill the enemy. Without a word, Wang De, along with sixteen other men, captured the Jin-appointed prefect of Longde Prefecture. During this time, Wang De slaughtered dozens of enemy soldiers without a scratch.

After this battle, Wang De became famous throughout the world and was called Wang Yaksha in the army.

As the son of Wang De, Wang Qi was already embarrassed to flee in panic. Was he going to throw away all the reputation his father had earned?
Thinking of this, Wang Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Follow me, Daqi! Come to the front!"

Wang Qi's voice was a little out of tune, but in such a chaotic environment, no one cared about this flaw.

Or to put it more bluntly, not many people heard Wang Qi's order.

However, Wang Qi's action of driving his horse and heading towards the Jin cavalry with a big axe in hand served as a great demonstration.

As the commander moved, his big flag with the word "Wang" on it also moved, and the personal guards surrounding Wang Qi also shouted and moved forward.

The turmoil on the right wing of the Song army was temporarily calmed down as Wang Qi led the advance.

But Wang Qi's heroic act was like a wink to a blind man.

If Han Feng wanted to completely defeat the right wing of the Song army, the best opportunity would be after the rain of arrows, and he would definitely not give Wang Qi time to show his ability.

The reason why Han Feng was unwilling to send his troops into the right wing of the Song army was because of the night.

When the Liao Dynasty was destroyed, the Jin Dynasty's god of war Wanyan Loushi led the armored cavalry to launch nine charges on the Liao army's right wing within half a day in the Battle of Huanglongfu, and finally defeated the Liao army.

If it were during the day, Han Feng would lead these 200 cavalrymen to charge and trample repeatedly. He wouldn't dare to say that he could charge and kill nine times, but three or four times would be no problem.

But it was dark, and the Song army had difficulty organizing in the dark, and so did the Jin army. In the Middle Ages, when communication was largely based on shouting, this was not a problem that could be solved by military discipline or morale.

Of course, if the Jin army's autonomy and initiative were truly strong, they would fight tooth and nail to complete their mission even in a single battle, and naturally wouldn't be afraid of night battles. But if that were the case, the Song Dynasty would have given up trying; it was definitely no match for the Jin. It could only lie down and be ruled.

Precisely because the Jin army could not do it, these 200 Jin soldiers had only one chance to break out. After that, Han Feng and Xie Maochu would lose their command in an instant, and the two Moukes would be in the dilemma of fighting on their own with the Song army.

If the Song army had not been defeated in this sudden attack and a fierce battle had broken out, even if the two hundred Jin soldiers were made of iron, they would not be a match for the Song army with its absolute numerical advantage.

Therefore, Han Feng must make sure that this attack hits the weakest part of the Song army!
This is also the reason why Liu Huai wanted to fight a night battle. If they really lined up their battle array in broad daylight and fought each other to the death, the Jin army would divide into formations and attack together with the Mouke units. With the cavalry galloping, although his own Jingnan Army's armored cavalry could hold on, the Huaixi Army would definitely be defeated.

To put it bluntly, Liu Huai's plan was to drag both the Song and Jin armies into the muddy pond at the same time, and have them fight each other without any dignity. Even if the other side was Ximen Chuxue, he would be covered in mud.

Han Feng ignored the commotion on the Song army's right flank and continued to rain arrows down from behind the main Song formation. The Song army had never expected a Jin army to suddenly appear from behind, and they too were thrown into disarray. However, the commanders of each formation, either by enforcing military discipline or by setting an example themselves, calmed the turbulent formations and prevented them from dispersing.

After three rounds of arrow rain, Han Feng finally saw the large flag with the word "Yu" in the center of the Song army in the firelight. Knowing that this was the real target, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, slowed down his horse and galloped towards the southeast for a while, creating distance for the next charge.

"How many people are there?" Han Feng turned around and asked Xiang Xie Maochu.

"One hundred and sixty!" Xie Maochu answered loudly.

Although the Song army had no effective means of counterattack, the stray arrows from the air, the horses' stumbling in the dark, and the inevitable loss of their way and separation caused the Jin army to lose a full forty cavalrymen during this journey.

"That's enough!" Han Feng raised his spear and shouted, "Follow me!"

After saying that, Han Feng turned his horse around and started charging with the Jin cavalry.

"Blow the trumpet!"

The blaring of horns became the accompaniment of the rumbling of horses' hooves, like the call of the god of death, drowning out the shouts of the Song and Jin armies, and conveying the news of the arrival of elite cavalry to Aligua.

The Jin army's armored cavalry no longer cared about concealing their bodies at this time. Even without orders, they all spat out the gags in their mouths and howled loudly in words they themselves did not understand the meaning, releasing the murderous intent that was about to boil in their blood.

The Jin soldiers on the periphery of this small cone-shaped formation threw away their round shields and raised their spears in both hands, ready to charge. The Jin soldiers in the center and the back wielded ox-horn bows, loaded with heavy arrows, and slowly accelerated along with the cavalry in front.

“Kill them!!!”

"Block!!!"

Although the Song army's center had its retreat cut off, it did not panic like the right wing. About three hundred spear-wielding infantrymen formed six rows, firmly planted their spears on the ground, and pointed the tips of their spears at the charging Jin cavalry.

This was the only action the Song army had time to take in the face of the armored cavalry that was rushing towards them like a turbulent wave.

The next moment, more than a hundred Jin cavalrymen smashed into the Song army formation.

Just like an icebreaker breaking through the ice, the sound of broken limbs accompanied by screams and shouts of killing filled the air. The Song army lined up at the front of the formation was directly smashed away, and a commander died on the spot.

Han Feng's warhorse, who was at the forefront of the Jin army, was instantly riddled with spears and became a hornet's nest. Han Feng was thrown out by the horse and fell heavily into the Song army formation, throwing dozens of Song soldiers into chaos. The Jin army's armored cavalry that followed, along with the Song soldiers, were trampled into a pulp.

The armored cavalry behind the Jin army's cone formation continuously fired arrows, hurling them into the Song army's ranks in an attempt to maximize their victory. When they rushed into the Song army's formation, they raised their swords and spears and fought with all their might.

In comparison, the Song army seemed too weak. Although these soldiers were considered elite in the Song army, they were still full of fear when facing an unknown number of Jin troops in the night battle. When the Jin army rushed to the fourth row, their formation was loose and they were about to scatter.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Another captain who was supporting the rear had just shouted a few commands when a heavy Jurchen arrow came from nowhere, pierced through his iron helmet and knocked him to the ground.

The Song army spearmen who witnessed this scene could no longer conceal their fear. They dropped their weapons and fled, regardless of the fact that their comrades were still fighting in front of them.

The rout spread rapidly among the Song army like a contagious disease, completely ignoring the fact that the Jin cavalry had actually lost their mobility, which made it a good time to advance and besiege them.

"Follow me and kill!" The Song army's spearmen avoided to the left and right, as if making way for the Jin army to charge. Xie Maochu was overjoyed when he saw this, and drove his horse again to prepare to charge in the direction of the big flag with the word "Yu" on it.

At this critical moment, the Song army's counterattack finally arrived.

"Hahaha, now that you're here, don't leave!" Liu Huai personally led a hundred armored cavalrymen to attack from the rear of the Jin army, catching the Jin army off guard.

The Jin army was caught off guard, and the already somewhat loose formation was directly cut in two.

Liu Huai's attack was immediate, and he didn't resort to back-and-forth like the Jin army. This was a night battle, making it difficult to command. If he got caught in a chaotic battle, he could combine forces with the infantry, creating a situation where he outnumbered the enemy.

The reality was just as Liu Huai had imagined. After he raised the Flying Tiger Banner in the chaos, fresh troops from both wings, along with some of the defeated Song troops, surged back. In the rear, over sixty Jin cavalrymen, wielding their war hammers and engaging the armored cavalry of the Jingnan Army, were surprised to find themselves surrounded by Song troops.

In the minds of these Jin troops, dispersing and reuniting has always been the Jin Kingdom's patent, and the Song army was basically defeated to the end.

Are these Song soldiers today so bold?

"How many brothers can keep up?" Xie Maochu looked at the Song army surrounding and killing his subordinates, and asked his confidant Puli Yan without changing his expression.

"Twenty riders!" This was the number of armored cavalry gathered around Xie Maochu and did not fall into the melee, and could ensure the charge.

"Good!" Xie Maochu stared intently at the large banner with the Chinese character "Yu" on it, flickering in the flames two hundred paces away. He knew that the general under his banner, surnamed Yu, was the soul of the Song army. It was he who had boosted the morale of the Song army in a few days, surrounded and killed Puchalin, and led a group of defeated soldiers to besiege the ferry camp. He was indeed a noble figure.

As long as we kill that guy surnamed Yu and cut down his banner, I don’t believe that the Song army will dare to compete with the Jin army with their morale!
"Follow me!" His slanted spear had been lost after piercing a Song soldier's ribs during the charge, but that didn't stop him from being filled with murderous intent. He drew his short hammer from his waist and once again led the charge, charging into the heart of the Song army like a sharp knife.

But just as the warhorse picked up speed, a rain of arrows flew towards it.

At first, Xie Maochu didn't care much, simply lowering his head to protect his eyes. The Song army's bows were weak, and unless they hit a vital part, they generally couldn't penetrate the armor. But just as the thought passed, the armored Jin cavalry beside Xie Maochu let out a scream and fell off their horse.

"Divine Arm Crossbow!" Xie Maochu instantly figured out what was going on.

No wonder Wang Qi only had a few archers, and only archers were used to suppress the city. It turned out that all the Song army's divine arm bows were concentrated in the central army!
It turned out that the Song army spearmen were retreating to both sides. The most important thing was to make room for the archers with divine arms!

After just one round of volleys, three or four of the Jin army's armored cavalry fell off their horses, and their lives or deaths were unknown.

"Charge! Get in front of them!" Xie Maochu roared. The armored cavalry had already increased their speed to a swift pace. Not only would they expose their backs to the crossbows if they retreated, but they also couldn't stop at all.

Even if the archers can only shoot three arrows in battle, the shooting speed of the divine arm crossbow is even slower. The only right way is to rush over and defeat these divine arm crossbowmen!

But just as Xie Maochu finished roaring, another hail of arrows came. His warhorse Xilulu let out a wail, fell to the ground, and threw him away.

Xie Maochu struggled hard to get up, but before he could touch his helmet, a crossbow arrow pierced his neck and he fell to the ground again.

As his life slipped away with his blood, this battle-hardened marching commander never figured out two things.

One thing is why the shooting speed of the Song army's Shenbi bow is faster than the ox horn bow?
The other was that they had originally agreed with Meng'an Aligua to attack together, attacking the Song army from both sides. Why hadn't there been any response from the camp until now?

It is destined that you will not be able to understand these two questions.

After a while, two Jin army Moukes who broke into the Song army formation from the rear disappeared like a drop of ink dropped into a glass of water.

　I have some work to do today, so if I can't finish it this afternoon, it will only be one long chapter...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)