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

Chapter 435: We must save the world

"Let's go!" Seeing Li Qi constantly looking towards Chao County, Yang Qin said calmly, "That's not our battlefield."

Li Qi nodded, slinging his large shield behind him, but he couldn't help but ask, "So, in this kind of war, we can only be spectators cleaning up the mess?!"

Yang Qin also carried a large shield on his back and waved to the flag bearer to go ashore and raise the flag before saying, "This is not a big river. There is no place for our Dongting Lake navy to use their skills."

Li Qi also commanded his soldiers to form a battle array at the foot of Turtle Mountain. His eyes instantly turned red. "Why not return to the Yangtze River and fight the Jin thieves' navy? Even if we die, we must die with those who command us!"

"Ridiculous." Yang Qin signaled his men to unload the fuel and firewood from the boat, then scolded Li Qi. "How will this affect the overall situation? Didn't you hear what Commander-in-Chief Liu said during the military meeting? The Jin bandits are ruthless and cunning. We must be even more ruthless and cunning than them to defeat them. Fighting with personal feelings will only ruin the overall situation!"

Li Qi gritted his teeth and looked up at the Jin army camp where the signal smoke had been lit. He was extremely angry but helpless.

After the news of the near annihilation of the Dongting Lake navy on the Yangtze River came, Li Qi and other officers had been doing so. They had originally planned to go downstream from Yuxikou to Caishi to fight the Jin navy, but they were prevented from doing so by Liu Huai's strong intervention.

Even though Liu Huai had broken down the strategy and explained it to the Dongting Lake naval commanders several times, the anger of not being able to fight the Jin bandits to the death on the familiar battlefield still burned in their hearts and was difficult to control.

"Li Erlang, I will be the vanguard in this battle, and you will be my successor!" After Yang Qin scolded Li Qi, he put on his helmet and walked ahead.

Li Qi was stunned. He called out to his personal guards without stopping, "General, let me be the vanguard and you will be my successor."

An old man's strength is not measured by his muscles and bones. Yang Qin was a veteran who had experienced the Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao uprising. He was already old at this time. Even though he was taller and stronger than an ordinary old man, he was still no match for Li Qi, who was in his prime.

Yang Qin suddenly turned around, grabbed the edge of Li Qi's armor and said, "I know you all are complaining in your hearts, thinking that I am afraid of death by staying in Chao County. But today, I tell you, I am not afraid of death, but I will die in the right place! My life, and your lives, must be thrown away with all due respect! Do you understand?!"

After saying that, Yang Qin never looked back and led hundreds of naval soldiers to charge towards the Guishan camp.

Li Tieqiang, who had already disembarked, ignored the dispute between the two Dongting Lake naval officers. He just bowed from a distance and led his own troops to attack the small camp set up by the Jin army on the road.

Li Qi stood there looking a little embarrassed.

As the highest commander of the Dongting Lake navy, Yang Qin's opinion was actually the opposite of that of the lower-level officers. This veteran had experienced too much and was too rational. He knew that with their limited forces, even if they returned to the Yangtze River, they would not be able to defeat the Jin navy.

If they stayed in Chaohu, they could cooperate with Dongguan to block Yuxi River to the south, and threaten Hefei along Feihe River to the north.

The strategic significance is extremely important.

However, reason is meaningless in the face of emotion. After forcibly suppressing the emotions in the army, Yang Qin was despised by almost all Dongting Lake naval officers.

Talking about strategy and general trend is nothing but cowardice.

At this time, Yang Qin personally led the navy and infantry to attack the Jin army camp, which was an announcement to everyone that although I, Yang Qin, am rational, I have never been a coward.

At this time, the Jin army camp only had two Mouke regular troops and more than a thousand signed troops. Although they had seen the Dongting Lake navy from a high position as early as when it appeared, they were still extremely shocked to see hundreds of infantrymen rushing to attack, which was not like an ordinary Song army at all.

The terrain of Guishan Mountain is not very steep, especially near Chaohu Lake, which is just a gentle slope. When rolling logs and rocks were of no use, the Jin army officers could only use bows and arrows to force back the attacking navy soldiers.

The Jin army did not even dare to use the usual method of guarding a camp to guard the Guishan camp, because the camp was built hastily, with only one trench dug, only one row of wooden fences set up, and few watchtowers. If the enemy army was placed under the camp, it was very likely that the wooden fences of the camp would be pushed down.

However, Yang Qin did not order his men to storm the Jin army camp. Instead, he stood forty steps away from the Jin army camp, gained a firm foothold, and gave orders to his soldiers.

"ignition!"

The soldiers quickly mixed the oil and ignited the arrows soaked in oil. With Yang Qin's order, the rockets shot out. Only a few of them passed over the wooden fence, and most of them were nailed to the wooden fence.

"Quick! Quick! Archers, come here and shoot them to death!"

The Jin army generals were very anxious and directly summoned nearly 200 archers to counterattack in the direction of Yang Qin.

Most of these archers were signed soldiers. Their bows were soft and their arrows were light, but when they were thrown into the navy formation, they still caused a series of commotions.

Yang Qin was furious upon seeing this, and he stood in front of everyone with his sword in hand. His gray beard fluttered in the cold wind, and his eyes were fierce as he stared straight at the Jin army camp. He let the arrows hit his armor, making tinkling sounds, but he remained motionless.

The general was the bravest of the soldiers. Seeing their commander so brave, the morale of the navy soldiers was greatly boosted. They accelerated and shot rockets at the wooden fence.

After a while, several wooden fences were finally dried and ignited, and several rockets flying into the camp seemed to have ignited something, and thick smoke gradually rose in the Jin army camp.

This naturally caused panic among the Jin army.

And this is the moment Yang Qin was waiting for.

"rush!"

Yang Qin took off the large shield on his back and called on dozens of personal guards to move forward with shields in hand. More than a hundred sailors threw down their bows and arrows, picked up grappling hooks and followed closely behind.

Taking advantage of the Jin army's panic, the navy soldiers put hooks on the wooden fences and pulled them hard. Soon, the wooden fences outside the Jin army camp collapsed, and several holes about ten steps wide appeared in front of Yang Qin.

"My men, follow me!" Yang Qin, holding a shield in one hand and a knife in the other, rushed into the Jin army camp first.

Li Qi followed.

In just a moment, the Qian army, driven by swords and fire, rushed to the front, broke through the camp and fled in all directions. The two Mouke's regular troops were also surrounded by the Dongting Lake navy and were completely slaughtered.

Thicker and heavier columns of smoke rose up, and Yang Qin told everyone on the battlefield that the Guishan camp had been captured.

Liu Huai watched the commotion on Turtle Mountain from afar, then looked back at the now-encircled Dahong Mountain. He sighed and said to Guan Chongyan, "Guan Qilang, go ask this brave general. What's the point of still struggling now? As a token of mercy, I'll give him ten numbers to surrender. No more waiting."

Guan Chongyan's face was serious as he took the order and drove his horse forward.

This marching general named Dahongshan was indeed heroic and a brave general. He even dared to drive his armored cavalry to charge head-on into the spear formation, trying to carve out a smooth path.

No, this is no longer bravery, but rather recklessness.

After repeated armored cavalry raids and knight infantry battles, Dahongshan not only failed to reverse the situation, but Liu Huai seized the opportunity and surrounded the last few hundred cavalry under the wall of Chao County.

At this time, the only 300 armored cavalrymen left in the Wusheng Army were facing the Chao County city wall to the west, and densely packed armored soldiers to the northeast and south. It was truly like there was no way to go up to heaven and no door to enter the earth.

Guan Chongyan followed the gap between the square formations and came to the front of the Jin army cavalry: "At this point, what else do you still want? Surrender!"

Da Hongshan personally led the charge in the first round. Unsurprisingly, his warhorse was pierced by a spear and turned into a hedgehog. He fell off the horse and broke his arm.

At this moment, Da Hongshan, supported by his personal guards, leaned on his arm as he listened to Guan Chongyan's words of persuasion. He wanted to yell a few words, something like "I'd rather die than surrender," but seeing the panicked faces and whispers of the armored cavalry beside him, he knew the morale of the army was broken and could not be maintained. He couldn't help but sigh. "You... surrender," Da Hongshan whispered. "Our army is defeated, and our way back is cut off. If you don't want to die, you have no choice but to surrender."

The guard understood the implication in Da Hongshan's words and asked anxiously, "What about you, General?"

"Me?" Da Hongshan held his broken arm and said with a sad smile, "My benefactor and all his comrades are dead. I brought you to this place of death. If I don't die, how can I face them in the afterlife?"

As he spoke, Da Hongshan once again looked up at the Wusheng flag hanging upside down on the city wall. After a moment of stunned silence, he gritted his teeth and said, "How can a man like me commit suicide by crying like a little girl? Even if I die, I will die on the battlefield!"

After saying that, Da Hongshan drew out his sword with one hand, shouted "kill", and strode towards the soldiers of the Jingnan Army.

As if inspired by his courage, more than a dozen foot knights also rushed forward, but were easily finished off by the axe-wielding soldiers.

Liu Huai looked at the scene coldly and nodded to Guan Chongyan who was looking back at him from afar.

Guan Chongyan understood: "You still have five counts to surrender. If any of you still want to be heroes, our Jingnan Army will fight to the end!"

Clang.

Clang.

The sound of weapons falling to the ground gradually rang out, accompanied by calls for surrender, and the last organized military force of the Wusheng Army surrendered.

Liu Huai was not surprised by this result. Or rather, with the current strength of the Jingnan Army, which was well-rested against the 4,000 Jin Guo regular troops, it would be a surprise if something went wrong.

"All troops, pursue the Jin army and enforce strict discipline." Liu Huai said to the military envoy beside him, "Tell He Daguan to mobilize the civilians and clean up the battlefield. We hunted a lot of war horses today, and we'll have meat tonight!"

"Send a few more people to all parts of Chao County to announce that in this battle, the Jin bandits will not return with a single horse, and our army will be victorious!"

Several military envoys followed the order and left. Only one, a native of Chao County, was stunned for a moment. He turned his horse and rode away, weeping bitterly and shouting in a strange voice, "Great victory! Great victory!"

This attracted the attention of the veterans of the Jingnan Army, while the new recruits behaved just like the military envoy. Even though they did not dare to leave the formation, they still cheered and cried softly.

Although for the Jingnan Army, this battle was just one of several major battles against the Jin Army, but for many new recruits whose predecessors were from the Song Army, this was the first victory they had won on the front battlefield since the war between the Song and Jin Dynasties. How could this not be exciting?

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

The cheers gradually grew louder until they were like a tsunami.

at the same time.

On the top of Xia Pi City, Wei Sheng seemed to have sensed something, looked towards the southwest, and remained silent for a long time.

Wang Xiongyi, brimming with blood and vigor, walked up from the city walls, grinning, "Duke Wei, the city has been cleared! Xia Pi City has been taken! We've cut off the Jin thieves' retreat!"

Wei Sheng nodded slowly and signaled Wang Xiongyi to come closer with his eyes.

Wang Xiongyi didn't understand what was going on, so he had to walk past under hundreds of gazes from both inside and outside the city.

"Stay on the side and let me lean on you. Don't let anyone see us." Wei Sheng said in a low voice.

Wang Xiongyi was startled, and then he saw blood oozing from the corner of Wei Sheng's mouth. He immediately wanted to reach out and support him, but then he remembered what Wei Sheng had just said, so he just walked forward slowly and stood side by side with Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng explained in a low voice: "I am not seriously injured. I was just hit in the chest by the Jin bandits' weapons when I climbed the city wall. I feel a little stuffy. However, I cannot sit down and rest in front of everyone."

Wang Xiongyi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

Wei Sheng was wearing heavy armor, and his chest was the thickest part of the armor. As long as he was not hit continuously by heavy weapons, nothing would go wrong.

However, as Wei Sheng said, as the commander-in-chief of the loyal and righteous army, he must not show any weakness at all when he is winning a great victory, otherwise it will be a huge blow to morale.

"Have all the departments followed the previous military consultation?"

Wang Xiongyi nodded and whispered amid the growing cheers, "They've all gone, but Cangcheng seems a bit too large, so Zhang Chou and Zhang Dapan personally led people to take inventory."

Wei Sheng was silent for a moment, then raised his hand to stroke his beard and wiped the corner of his mouth subtly. "Mobilize everyone to transport the grain. Don't count it yet. Count it as you transport it. And notify the people of Pizhou that we are releasing the grain and letting them take it. Even if we can't transport it away, we must distribute it all to the people. We absolutely cannot let the Jin thieves take it away again."

Xia Pi was the place where the Yellow River and Yishui met at that time. Therefore, whether it was grain and fodder transported from Yishui or supplies transported from Bianliang, they would all gather here. The huge scale of the storage can be imagined.

The Jin army's retreat was cut off, so neither Da Huaizhen, who was in the east of Huainan, nor Wuyan Puluhun, who was in charge of coordinating supplies, would sit idly by. The loyal army was likely to face a devastating counterattack.

At this time, the loyal and righteous army was divided into several parts. Although the troops attacking Xia Pi were also elite, they were only one part and could not withstand the attack of the main force of the Jin army.

Therefore, the correct approach was to first empty the granary city of Xia Pi, sweep away all the food, armor, weapons and horses, and then temporarily avoid the main force of the Jin army.

Even if we want to hold on to Xia Pi, we must quickly establish contact with the State of Song in order to attack from both sides.

Wang Xiongyi nodded, listening to the cheers from the city grow louder. "Duke Wei, the important matter has been accomplished. How about we rest a while in the Arrow Tower before discussing other matters? You must know that among all the important matters, nothing is more important than Duke Wei's health. If Duke Wei's health collapses, what will become of the Shandong rebel army?"

Wei Sheng smiled and shook his head. Seeing that many people below the city were still looking at him and cheering, he broke free from Wang Xiongyi's secret support, raised his long sword and shouted: "Ten thousand victories!"

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

The cheers resounded everywhere and were comparable to the cheers in Chao County.

December 8, the 31st year of Shaoxing.

Liu Huai, the commander-in-chief of the Jingnan Army, killed Da Huaizhen, the commander-in-chief of the Wusheng Army, in battle at Chao County and wiped out all four Meng'an of the Wusheng Army.

Wei Sheng, commander-in-chief of the Loyal Army, captured Xia Pi and cut off the Yellow River-Si Shui channel.

At this point, the 70,000 Jin troops that had invaded Huainan had their baggage routes cut off, and the situation on the Song-Jin Huainan battlefield finally began to reverse.

(End of this chapter)