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

Chapter 398: Swords and Blades Shattering Iron Armor
No wonder Han Wenguang was surprised.

Because the Song army's horse management was even more corrupt than its military management, it did not have many cavalrymen, and even fewer elite cavalrymen.

For example, the 4,000 cavalry under Li Xianzhong's command may seem like a lot, but don't forget that these are the remnants of the nearly 100,000-strong army in Huaixi, plus all the cavalry of the Chizhou army, which serves as the general reserve force of the two Huai regions.

Generally speaking, for a Song army of 2,000 people, having 200 cavalrymen was a considerable number.

This is also the reason why Han Wenguang dared to order the troops to dismount and fight on foot.

This Song army already has more than 300 elite cavalrymen serving as scouts, fighting head-on with the Jurchen scouts. How many cavalrymen can be left to wait for the opportunity?

Now there are 500 armored cavalry dismounted and fighting on foot, and the remaining five Mouke are also gathering. Can the Song army still hide a thousand cavalry?
If you have such strength, why don't you combine the infantry and cavalry to fight head-on?

The fact was just as Han Wenguang had thought. Although the gate of Yuxi Town was wide open, only a hundred armored cavalrymen poured out. However, what was beyond Han Wenguang's expectation was that these hundred armored cavalrymen were extremely ferocious. Under the guidance of a white fish flag, they almost did not stop for a moment and directly crashed into Dai Laosi.

Dai Laosi was ordered to gather the cavalry. At this time, he had gathered nearly 200 cavalrymen, and more than 100 retreating light cavalrymen joined him, making a total of more than 300 cavalrymen.

Zhang Baiyu could naturally count the number of people, but his hundred riders were not fighting alone.

The scouts who were dispersed were also armored cavalry of the Flying Tiger Army. When they saw Zhang Baiyu start to charge, they did not bother to gather together. They gathered in twos and threes and launched a siege on Dai Laosi's troops from all directions.

The first-class Meng'an were warriors who were well-prepared for three battles. They could take on the responsibilities of both light and heavy cavalry. However, whether they were cavalrymen who had just served as scouts or light cavalrymen who were harassing the elite troops in front of the battle, they only wore iron crotch guards.

They could still fight to a draw against scouts who were also wearing light armor, but when faced with Zhang Baiyu, who had been waiting for a long time and then suddenly attacked, the disadvantage of the armor was quickly magnified to the extreme.

It is impossible for light cavalry to win a meat grinder fight with armored cavalry.

Han Wenguang, who was in the center of the armored formation, felt even more depressed when he saw this scene.

He didn't expect that the Song army was so cunning that they actually sent their most elite soldiers and cavalry to cover their retreat. It was very likely that their general was also here.

Aren’t they afraid that the entire Wu Rui army will come and wipe out this broken Song army in one fell swoop?

Thinking of this, Han Wenguang finally realized a huge oversight. This mistake was so great that even in the midst of the fierce battle, Han Wenguang was dazed for a moment, his face feeling the cold and hot air mixed with the fierce masculine energy of the winter wind, and sweat broke out on his forehead.

The other side only left behind more than a thousand elite soldiers to cover their retreat, obviously for the purpose of facilitating their advance and retreat.

If a large group of Wu Rui Army or even the entire army turned back, although they were powerful, they would move slowly. These Song soldiers would have enough time to react and would definitely abandon the city and flee, following the main force north.

If the Wu Rui Army only sent part of its troops to support, then this elite force would be like Taotie and would slaughter the invading Jin Army here!
These 600 elite soldiers of the Song army are just bait!
For the first time in his life, Han Wenguang felt a little regretful as to why the First Meng'an was so elite and gave him the courage to go forward and fight without finding out the military situation.

If the other Meng'an were faced with such a situation, they might have harassed the six hundred soldiers for a while, but then they would have withdrawn directly after seeing their tight formation.

However, Diyi Meng'an has a heavy responsibility. In theory, Han Wenguang is one of Han Tang's deputies and is responsible for the overall strategic situation. Therefore, under the premise of having elite troops in hand, Diyi Meng'an must give it a try no matter what.

But in a moment, Han Wenguang's worries became a reality.

After the two battlefields of soldiers against soldiers and knights against knights gradually began to fight fiercely, the sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out in Yuxi Town.

This time, a large banner with the words "Jingnan" written on it was in the center, while another large banner with a picture of a flying tiger was in the lead.

Two hundred armored cavalrymen rushed out, and both the elite soldiers and the Flying Tiger knights who were already caught in the melee became agitated.

"Kill the thief!"

The swordsmen shouted slogans and pressed forward again. The Jin army soldiers on the front line encountered tremendous pressure. The line, which was originally in a straight line although jagged, quickly bent and formed a huge arc.

The fatigue caused by the first Meng'an's running around was fully revealed at this moment.

It is true that they are elite troops, but the Flying Tiger Army and the Elite Army were selected from the Loyal Army and the Jingnan Army, and were honed in several major battles.

Liu Huai jumped out on his horse, and after a brief formation, he led the armored cavalry and charged towards the rear of the Jin army's infantry cavalry.

"Form a formation! Stop them!" Some Jin soldiers spontaneously advanced, attempting to form a formation to block them. However, the horses galloped so fast that as soon as dozens of Jin soldiers stepped out of the formation, the armored cavalry formation had already pounced on them.

"Stop! Raise your shields! Release your spears!"

Noisy commands mixed with roars rang out, but in front of the well-trained war horses, all the bluffing was useless.

Liu Huai used his Liquan Spear to deflect two thrusting spears. Then, with a gentle thrust, he struck a Jin army officer squarely in the neck. Blood gushed out, staining the white tassel hanging from the spearhead red.

After twenty years of silence, the weapon that once belonged to Yue Pengju once again thirsted for the blood of the Xiongnu. It seemed to have developed a sense of intelligence, trembling slightly and whistling in the wind. As if witnessing some kind of history, Liu Huai's already excited mood intensified.

Of course, the Liquan Spear wasn't transformed from a giant python, as described in the Yue Fei story; all of this was just Liu Huai's imagination. However, this didn't stop him from leading the Jingnan Army as the commander-in-chief. He led the charge, ripping through the Jin army's defensive formation, and then rode solo into the battle from the side and rear, smashing directly into the Jin army's armored formation.

Seeing Liu Huai breaking into the battle array, the Flying Tiger Army's armored cavalry also became furious. They no longer cared about casualties and tactics. They did not intimidate the enemy as usual, but followed suit and drove their horses into the battle array.

A standard hammer and anvil tactic took shape instantly.

The right wing of the Jin army collapsed immediately, and the entire formation was in danger.

"Forward! Kill the bandits!" Lei Ben saw the opportunity and gave a loud order. The sound of horns and drums urging the attack immediately became rapid. The formation of the Elite Army split slightly, and the one hundred swordsmen who had been recuperating in the back row of the battle formation suddenly rushed out. The flag representing the commander of the Elite Army also pressed forward.

The original formation of the Jin army soldiers was somewhat disrupted by the armored cavalry that suddenly appeared behind them. At this time, facing the sudden attack of the swordsmen, they were even more vulnerable. The Jin army in front of them was instantly at a loss and suddenly collapsed.

Han Wenguang could see clearly in the formation that these battle-hardened soldiers did not break up or get killed. Most of them were simply pushed to the ground and trampled to death on the spot by countless pairs of big feet.

The originally regular square formation became crooked.

"We can't keep fighting like this!" Han Wenguang was anxious, but he had no idea what to do.

Under attack from both sides, the five Mouke soldiers were unable to advance or retreat, and were at a loss as to where to go. Whether they declared an attack or retreat, or even which direction to attack, the entire formation would collapse even faster.

Han Wenguang wanted Dai Laosi to lead the cavalry to help, but when he tried to stand on tiptoe in the crowded square formation and looked back, he saw that the cavalry was in a fierce melee. Although the Mouke flag representing Dai Laosi did not fall, it was entangled with the white fish flag, and it was difficult to separate them for a while.

Before he could figure out where the way out was, Han Wenguang felt a sudden loosening behind him. Looking back, he saw that the passage had just been opened and dozens of armored cavalrymen who had killed countless people were withdrawing.

Han Wenguang was not happy. On the contrary, he was so shocked at that moment that he became completely depressed.

Because he knew what the Jingnan Army was going to do.

Sure enough, at the moment when those dozens of cavalry retreated, dozens of Flying Tiger armored cavalry who had already formed a battle formation rushed in rapidly along the gap that had not yet healed, almost breaking into the center of the armored formation.

Just like when chopping down a tree, two axes hit the same spot in succession. The big tree called the First Meng'an finally couldn't hold on and collapsed from the inside out.

Meng'an, the number one Meng'an of the Wurui Army who was so arrogant in the past and defeated the 100,000 Song troops in Huainan together with Hezha Meng'an, was now like the Song army they mocked, unable to control himself and fled in panic.

Han Wenguang knew that he was not to blame the boys, as Didi Meng'an had indeed tried his best.

All the results were determined when the Flying Tiger flag crushed the Jin army that came to stop them, making it impossible for the Jin soldiers to form a circular formation to deal with the enemies coming from all sides.

No, not then.

In the noisy and chaotic battlefield, Han Wenguang quickly became dazed.

This was a trap. When the first Meng'an decided to fight head-on and was stuck by the school swordsmen, the outcome was already determined.

"General, hurry up!" A personal guard pulled Han Wenguang and fled backwards. Seeing that he was still in a daze, he couldn't help but get anxious and hurriedly tried to tear off the other's helmet and put it on his own head to cover the general's escape.

While they were struggling, several armored cavalrymen of the Flying Tiger Army rushed over. Seeing this, the leading armored cavalryman quickly realized that this person must be the main general of the Jin Army. Without saying a word, he swung his spear and hit him.

Han Wenguang tried to block it with his hands, but it was no use. Then he felt a sharp pain in his forehead, his eyes went black, and he knew nothing.

(End of this chapter)