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

Chapter 450: It is difficult to return to the homeland after the war

"Kill the thief!"

Amidst the falling snowflakes, Zhang Rong held high his spear and personally advanced into battle as the general manager. His eyes focused on nothing but the large "Wu'an" flag a few dozen steps away.

The exhausted Dongping soldiers bravely advanced forward, following the path opened up by Zhang Rong and wedged themselves into the Jin army's formation like a sharp nail.

If the Dongping Army had more than 10,000 troops at this time, or if there were three or four thousand reliable Song troops supporting them in the rear, they might be able to launch a full-scale counterattack against the Wu'an Army and completely defeat it.

However, there were only 4,000 Dongping soldiers who went to the battle. After suffering casualties along the way, there were only more than 2,000 soldiers who followed Zhang Rong in the frontal battle.

Therefore, after charging forward with all their might, the Dongping Army seemed invincible, but they were like an old swordsman who had lost all his strength. He used all his life's knowledge in one strike, but was subsequently weak and found it difficult to advance again.

The first person to feel the weakness of the Dongping Army was not anyone else, but Gao Jingshan, who was the first to bear the brunt of the impact.

Perhaps it was due to the coolness brought by the heavy snow, but Gao Jingshan had completely calmed down by now. He was no longer as furious as before, but just looked at the approaching "Dongping" flag with cold eyes, his hands holding the reins as if they were made of iron, motionless.

When it was a hundred steps away, the Dongping flag was advancing rapidly, and the Jin army that went to stop it was defeated; when it was dozens of steps away, the speed of the Dongping flag had slowed down; and at this moment, the flags of both sides were only more than ten steps apart, and they could see each other's vicious eyes, and the Dongping flag had difficulty moving.

Under the layers of resistance from the Wu'an Army, the Dongping Army was exhausted.

"General, let's retreat for now." Gao Anren returned to report. He only took a glance at the situation and, ignoring the other staff members and deputy generals who dared not persuade him, directly advised: "Zhang Rong is already a trapped beast. He is about to go crazy. General, as the commander of the army, should not take any more risks here."

Gao Jingshan's eyes were still fixed on the battlefield right before his eyes, but he sneered, "You mean to make me fear the trapped beast?"

Gao Anren also glanced at the battlefield. "The difference between humans and beasts lies in their ability to use wisdom and assess the situation. Are we really going to compete with tigers and wolves to see who has sharper claws and fangs? Zhang Rong is attacking because he has no other way to retreat, but the steward cannot abandon his dignity."

Gao Jingshan looked at Gao Anren in surprise, thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "If I retreat, what will happen if the front line collapses?"

Gao Anren bowed, "This is what I wanted to say. The general is too far forward, which is actually disadvantageous to the generals fighting. Not only Gao Cunxin, but Liu Liangguo and the others are also terrified. While trying to find a way to break the formation, they also have to worry about the general, and they can't concentrate on fighting. In addition..."

Gao Anren paused, then looked towards the rear camp again: "Left Inspector is a man of his own ideas. His military orders should be arriving soon."

As expected, as soon as Gao Anren finished speaking, a military envoy, covered in snow and wind, rushed to the front of the army and said, "According to the order of the Left Military Supervisor, I order Gao Jingshan, the commander-in-chief of the Wu'an Army, to clear the way for the charge. If you make any more excuses, you will be punished by military law!"

This is the official military order. If Gao Jingshan still does not obey, then theoretically the Left Military Inspector Tu Shan Zhen will have a reason to attack and can use Gao Jingshan's head to establish his authority.

The military envoy also knew that the military order was extremely strong, so he whispered, "General Manager Gao, the wind and snow are getting stronger and stronger. Military Supervisor Zuo is worried that if this continues, Zhang Rong will escape unscathed, which will be a huge blow to morale."

Gao Jingshan first glanced at Gao Anren in surprise. He felt that his nephew was growing by leaps and bounds and could no longer be regarded as an ordinary junior. Then, seeing the military envoy staring at him, he couldn't help but sneer: "This time, let's give the Left Inspector a favor and let's go!"

After saying that, Gao Jingshan took another deep look at the Dongping flag and rode away.

Ren Jiazhuo, the second general of the Wu'an Army, couldn't help but look at Gao Anren with gratitude, and then took over the command, directing the troops to retreat in turns.

Zhang Rong personally led the army and defeated a Mouke in front of him again. He felt a sharp pain in his arms and severe pain in his chest and abdomen. The veteran general temporarily gave up the pursuit and instead leaned on his spear, taking a breath on the spot.

"Array! Array!"

"Stop chasing him!"

"Come back quickly and form a formation!"

Some officers of the Dongping Army shouted loudly, but in the increasingly strong wind and snow, manpower seemed extremely small, and the effectiveness of flags and drums also became smaller. Coupled with the fatigue after the fierce battle, it became extremely difficult to gather the troops.

Xiao En came again, but this time his helmet was gone, his left arm could no longer be lifted, and his body was covered in dust, blood, and snowflakes. It was unknown what a brutal battle he had just experienced.

After seeing Zhang Rong, Xiao En said anxiously: "Brother, it's enough. Even if Emperor Zhao comes in person, it's enough. Jia Hezhong has already returned to the city. If we don't leave now, the entire Dongping Army will be left here!"

Zhang Rong looked at his old brother, who had been with him since the Liangshan Rebellion, and couldn't help but smile. "Ah Qi, you're right. Even if it's Emperor Zhao himself, we've done him justice. You hurry back to lead the army. I'll cover your retreat and we'll retreat to Yangzhou City!"

Xiao En's spirits lifted, but then he showed hesitation: "Brother, can you still hold on? If not, let me cover your retreat!"

Zhang Rong laughed and said, "Stop talking nonsense! How much strength do you still have? Hurry up and leave! If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave. You said so!"

Xiao En finally gritted his teeth and turned his horse back.

Zhang Rong watched Xiao En's figure disappear in the wind and snow, then turned his gaze to the front. The Wu'an Army over there had also withdrawn from the battle and moved away from the battlefield. Through the wind and snow, the sound of golden drums seemed to be heard.

Zhang Rong continued to order his men to gather their troops and occupy advantageous terrain in the camp to cover each other's retreat.

However, just as he set off, Zhang Rong heard a muffled thunder-like sound coming from the north. Some young soldiers who didn't know anything thought it was winter thunder and looked up at the sky in surprise.

But an old soldier like Zhang Rong changed his expression instantly.

This must be the sound of galloping cavalry!

"Formation!"

"Stand still! Spears in front! North! North!"

"Meet the enemy!"

The officers of the Dongping Army quickly ordered their soldiers to form a battle array to meet the enemy, but it was too late.

A blood-red flag pierced the vast white snow. The first people led by the flag were more than 200 iron cavalrymen. The rolling snowflakes were evaporated by the white mist emitted from their bodies and mouths and noses, and then rushed up into the sky again.

The tall horses covered in iron armor looked like giant beasts from ancient times. The knights on them were also covered in heavy armor, with black ghost masks and gourd helmets. The cavalry rushed forward, really like a row of pagodas pressing down side by side.

"Kill the thief!"

"Iron Pagoda!"

Zhang Rong ignored the blood-red banner and instead watched the charging cavalry, muttering to himself before shouting, "It's the Iron Pagoda! Hold on tight with your spears!"

That's too late.

The galloping cavalry formed a horizontal formation and had accelerated to the extreme. Even they themselves could not control the speed, and there was no way to avoid obstacles. No matter whether it was the tents and soldiers along the way, whether it was the right army or the enemy army, they were all knocked to the ground and trampled.

The Jin army knights on top shouted frantically, both to intimidate the enemy and to boost their courage. At the same time, the Dongping army soldiers, who had seen the situation clearly, also shouted in despair.

"Kill the thief!"

"Auntie! Auntie!"

“Stand still!!!”

The two sides collided head-on with almost no obstruction.

The neighing of war horses, the screams of soldiers, the crisp sound of broken bones, the puffing sound of weapons entering flesh, and of course the indispensable shouts and pleas for mercy, were amplified to the extreme at this moment and mixed together, forming a strange roar.

A moment later, Tushan Zhen personally led two thousand armored cavalrymen of his own army to follow up the iron cavalry and once again crushed the Dongping army's formation.

After two hours of fighting, the Dongping army was too exhausted. Facing Tushan Zhen's frontal attack, after holding on for a while, they finally couldn't hold on and the entire army was defeated.

Unlike the Wu'an Army's several Mouke who were defeated again and again but were gathered together again and again, the Dongping Army had too few cavalry and was unable to pursue the enemy at all. Tushan Zhen's two thousand armored cavalry were enough to ensure that the Dongping Army would be completely defeated.

Zhang Rong was swept into the fleeing army and could only barely keep his flag upright, fighting and retreating until he retreated to a small hill.

This hillock seemed to be the commanding height of the entire Jin army camp. The Jin army also built a watchtower and arrow tower here, but this watchtower had been burned down in the process of disrupting the Jin army camp just now. Now only a few black wooden stakes that were still smoking were left.

Zhang Rong knew that he could not escape. If he escaped at this time, he would only expose his back to the swords of the Jin army. If he was chased by the Jin army, it was possible that no one could escape.

Therefore, Zhang Rong, regardless of being conspicuous, directly raised his own flag on the hill, and found a big drum and started beating it himself.

Some people in the defeated Dongping army noticed Zhang Rong's actions and came to join him, and some people in the Jin army also noticed Zhang Rong and gave up chasing the defeated soldiers. One battalion commander even led his troops to come in person, wanting to get the credit for beheading the general and seizing the flag.

A moment later, more than 500 Dongping soldiers gathered on the hill, followed by thousands of Jin soldiers who surrounded them in layers, forming an iron siege.

"General, leave the flag to me. I'll stand guard for you!" A commander shouted to Zhang Rong, "General, leave immediately!"

Zhang Rong shook the snowflakes from his hair, pointed at his already gray hair and said with a smile, "Zheng Sanlang, look at me, I'm already this old, am I still afraid of death?"

The commander, Zheng San, shook his head. "I'm not saying the general manager is afraid of death, but the general manager is responsible for the future of our Dongping Army. How can he talk about death so easily?"

"Indeed." An old soldier with similarly gray hair said to Zhang Rong, "Brother, your life is not just one person's. This time we've been victorious, but we've also been defeated. How will we compensate the dead and wounded, and how can we return to Shandong? It won't work without you, brother."

Zhang Rong continued to laugh, "Azhi, what you said is a bit confusing. Aqi is 80% sure he can evacuate. Mr. Lu You is still here, Liu Huai is still here, and my son Silang is also serving under Liu Dalang. Given their character, how could they possibly treat the Dongping Army unfairly?"

The old soldier named Yang Zhi was speechless for a moment, but after thinking for a moment, he stamped his foot and said, "Alas, I originally thought I could return to Tokyo with my brother, drink a glass of wine, and listen to a few songs, but now it seems that I can't go back after all."

Zhang Rong suppressed his smile, nodded, and sighed in the snowy wind, "I've always talked about the court's grace and the general trend of the world, but now it seems that those are all distant things. I only forgot that you are all living people, and you followed me into death.

I, Zhang Rong, have never been ashamed of heaven and earth, but today I feel deeply ashamed of you."

As he spoke, Zhang Rong actually shed a few tears on the spot. The commander, Zheng San, loudly retorted, "General, you're wrong. We joined the army from Shandong to kill the Jin bandits. We're not here to repay the emperor's kindness. Emperor Zhao has done us a damned favor! Nor are we here for the sake of the world's affairs. We're just sitting here in Shandong. What does the world have to do with us?"

We are only here to kill the Jin thieves! We are the only ones who want to kill the Jin thieves! We Shandong men have a deep blood feud with the Jin thieves, and we are only here to seek revenge! If we don’t die today, we will die tomorrow!

After Zheng San finished speaking, the Dongping army responded one after another.

Zhang Rong nodded when he heard this: "In that case, let's fight to the death here!"

The Jin army had completely surrounded them, and even Tushan's cavalry had given up pursuing the defeated army because the road was blocked. After Tushan Zhen gathered enough troops, he found that the defeated Dongping army had approached Yangzhou City. He could not help but sigh and returned to the camp in the wind and snow to clean up the mess.

Gao Jingshan and Pucha Shijie stood at the foot of the hill and raised a large flag, looking at the more than 500 Dongping soldiers who were surrounded, waiting silently in the wind and snow.

Even if this war can be called a victory, it was only a pyrrhic victory.

Although the Dongping Army was repelled at this time, and even the commander of the Dongping Army, veteran general Zhang Rong, was trapped in the camp, this was only a tactical victory.

Then there are a series of strategic troubles that need to be resolved.

For example, why did the Song army initiate a counterattack? Why was the Song army's counterattack so resolute? Was this major battle a test for a larger strategic battle?

The two generals were so confused for a moment that they didn't even care about the war and started thinking on the battlefield. They only came to their senses after Tu Shan Zhen arrived in person.

"Do you want to persuade Zhang Rong to surrender?"

Pucha Shijie didn't waste any time and asked Tushan Zhen for orders directly.

Tu Shanzhen looked at the cloudy sky and shook off the snowflakes on his body: "Let's go and persuade them."

After saying that, Pucha Shijie looked at Gao Jingshan. Gao Jingshan understood and waved to call a personal guard to go to the battlefield to persuade the enemy to surrender.

At the same time, Zhang Rong also saw the red Tudan flag coming to the front of the formation, standing side by side with the Wuan and Wujie flags, and he was certain in his heart.

The main generals of the Jin army have all returned, which means that Xiao En and his men have escaped the pursuit. Even if they have become remnants and been scattered, they can still find a way to survive in such wind and snow.

"Zhang Rong, Zhang's enemies are ten thousand strong. The Great Jin soldiers have surrounded you. You have no way out. Surrender!"

Amidst the cries of persuasion for surrender, Zhang Rong stood on a high point and shouted to his five hundred remaining soldiers, "I have fought the Jin bandits all my life, and I have always kept my word. I said I would drive Wanyan Talan away, and I did! I said I would fight back to Shandong, and I did! But today, I said I would cut down the Jin bandits' banner, but I failed. How can I face my brothers in the underworld?!"

As he spoke, Zhang Rong pointed his spear at the three large flags of the Jin army standing side by side. "Now, let's go and cut down these three flags! Even if we stand before the King of Youdu, we will still be men who stand tall and proud!"

"it is good!!!"

"Kill the thief!"

“Kill the gold thief!!!”

Even though the 500 remaining soldiers were exhausted and many of them were wounded, they still became fanatical at this moment.

Just as Zheng San said, they fought against the Jin bandits not for the sake of the world's situation or the country's kindness, but to kill the Jin bandits. As long as there were Jin bandits to be killed, the Shandong Dongping Army would swing forward like a never-ending sword of revenge.

"My men! Follow me to kill the gold thieves!"

Zhang Rong, a veteran who rose from humble beginnings, experienced the Jingkang Incident, and rose to prominence, but then remained silent for more than 20 years, did not flee when he was in desperate situation, nor did he wait like a turtle for the attack of the Jin army and the arrival of death. Instead, he led 500 soldiers and charged towards the nearly 10,000 Jin army.

"How courageous..."

“How courageous!!!”

Pucha Shijie and Gao Jingshan made the same comment, except that one was sighing and the other was angry.

"You are not allowed to interfere in this matter. My Wu'an Army will handle it!" Gao Jingshan said loudly and drove his horse directly to the formation. However, just as he was about to give an order, he was shocked by the scene in front of him and was speechless for a moment.

Led by the Dongping Army's flag, the five hundred remaining soldiers fought bravely from a high position, and they split the third Meng'an in half like splitting a bamboo. With their remaining momentum, they rushed directly into the junction of the fourth and fifth Meng'an, turning the two Meng'ans into a mess.

The trapped beast still fights!

This word popped up involuntarily in Gao Jingshan's mind.

People should not compete with trapped beasts to see whose claws are sharper!

"Clear the way! There are only 500 people. The cavalry will surround them from both wings and shoot them to death!" Gao Jingshan gave a loud order, and the military envoy hurried forward to report.

Afterwards, the Wu'an Army's infantry retreated into formation, and the following troops made way for them. Two thousand cavalry, a mixture of light cavalry and armored cavalry, spread out from both wings, shooting arrows from a distance or at close range, scattering them into the Dongping Army's formation.

The remnants of the Dongping Army had lost all means of long-range attack at this time and could only passively suffer casualties.

Zhang Rong didn't care about it anymore. The armor on his mountain had been shattered, and the spear in his hand had been broken in half. The flying spears and arrows pierced his body, but he seemed to be unaware of it and just charged forward with a roar.

Soldiers kept falling to the ground, and soldiers kept rushing out, wanting to fight to the death with the Jin cavalry, but were shot and killed on the spot by the Jin cavalry.

The Dongping Army's formation became thinner and thinner, but the charge never stopped. The remaining one hundred or so soldiers actually rushed to a distance of only thirty steps away from the Wu'an flag. Two thousand cavalry and thousands of infantry were unable to stop them!
Gao Jingshan finally felt a chill in his heart, but before he could give any order, Gao Anren beside him raised his spear, shouted loudly, and then led Gao Jingshan's personal guards and cavalry to charge forward.

The Dongping Army's formation was in disarray, and they could not withstand the head-on charge of the armored cavalry. After just one round, the fighting and roaring on the battlefield completely subsided.

Zhang Rong's body was riddled with arrows, and had turned a strange black and red due to the blood. However, after being stained with snowflakes, it quickly became mottled. He struggled to get up from the ground, but found that his right foot was weak. Looking down, he saw that his right leg seemed to have been trampled by a warhorse, and had turned into a strange arc.

Zhang Rong struggled to find one or two tall soldiers to support his body. He looked back with a heavy breath, but saw that his Dongping flag was lying quietly beside him, and the flagpole was still firmly held in Yang Zhi's hand.

Yang Zhi also collapsed to the ground. His left eye was covered in blood, as if it had been hit by a knife or a hammer. His slightly narrowed right eye was a little blurry, but after seeing Zhang Rong, it still exuded a strange color and struggled to push the flagpole forward.

Zhang Rong dragged his injured leg, crawled over two corpses, came to Yang Zhi's side, and grabbed the other's big hand.

Yang Zhi's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but because he was seriously injured in the battle, he was on his deathbed and had no strength to speak.

However, their long-standing friendship still allowed Zhang Rong to know what the other party wanted to say. He shook Yang Zhi's big hand, took the flagpole of the Dongping flag, and whispered, "Azhi, let's go home, back to Dongjing City."

Yang Zhi nodded slowly, as if he had exhausted his last bit of strength, and died.

Zhang Rong leaned on the flagpole and stood up with difficulty, enduring the biting cold and dizziness brought by the massive blood loss, and looked at the Wuan flag that was almost within reach.

In the midst of the wind and snow, the veteran shouted once again with his hoarse throat: "Kill the Jin thieves!"

Afterwards, Zhang Rong drew his sword with his left hand, supported the big flag with his right hand, and walked slowly towards Gao Jingshan, leaving a long trail of blood behind him.

Faced with such a veteran at the end of his strength, the Jin army did not laugh at him, and no one stepped forward to kill him with a knife. Instead, they felt a chill in their hearts and were all in awe. Even the most arrogant and cruel knights put away their bows, arrows, swords and guns, and stood quietly without saying a word.

Gao Jingshan's momentum was also taken away by the other party, and a sense of panic arose in his heart. He couldn't help but look around, but when he saw that the guards all had solemn expressions, he was a little confused.

Gao Anren was the first Jin army knight to get rid of this emotion. He knew that if he did not stop Zhang Rong and really let him rush to the front of the Wuan flag, the morale of the Wuan army would be really ruined, so even if he came to do evil, he must be killed.

With this thought in mind, Gao Anren gritted his teeth and drove his horse forward. However, when he saw the scarred figure in front of everyone, his heart trembled and he did not dare to move forward. After thinking for a moment, Gao Anren took up his sword and bow, intending to shoot Zhang Rong from a distance.

However, just as Gao Anren was about to draw his bow, he saw Zhang Rong standing still, still holding the big flag with his sword pointing forward, without moving a muscle.

The man's body was soon covered with a thin layer of white snow. Gao Anren plucked up the courage to go forward to check and found that Zhang Rong's eyes were wide open and he had already died.

Gao Jingshan only spurred his horse forward after seeing Gao Anren signaling him. Seeing Zhang Rong dead standing, he breathed a sigh of relief, then, infuriated, drew his sword and swung it down.

when.

After a crisp sound of weapons clashing, Tu Shanzhen, who had arrived at this place at some point, retracted his Zhangba steel spear and said to Gao Jingshan, "General Manager Gao, please be respectful."

Gao Jingshan snorted coldly, bowed to Zhang Rong's body, and rode away with his anger undiminished.

Tu Shanzhen hung his spear back on the victory hook and bowed to Zhang Rong. He then ordered his guards, "Give him a proper burial."

After saying that, Tushan Zhen was no longer interested in cleaning up the battlefield. He turned around and left with his personal guards, and his figure quickly disappeared in the wind and snow.

On December 12, the 31st year of Shaoxing in the Song Dynasty, Zhang Rong died in battle at the age of 61.

　There is only one chapter today, 2 in 1, 6,000 words

　　PS: It is very common to take the initiative to attack in order to disrupt the enemy's strategic deployment and open up strategic space for friendly forces.

　　Moreover, the party that takes the initiative to attack often suffers huge losses because it needs to use the weak to attack the strong.

　　The most recent and most famous one was the advance into the Dabie Mountains. Liu and Deng's army opened up the situation for the rest of the war zones at the cost of heavy casualties, giving General Su some breathing space and laying the foundation for the subsequent Huaihai Campaign.

　　Just because Liu and Deng’s army killed few enemies and suffered heavy casualties when advancing into the Dabie Mountains, we cannot say that their sacrifice was worthless, meaningless, and unnecessary.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)