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

Chapter 691 A Hasty Encounter Amidst Urgent Troops

When cavalrymen abandon all baggage and ignore all losses, and one man and three horses race wildly towards a predetermined goal, their speed is astonishing.

The Jin army set off at dawn and by 1 p.m., they had crossed a hundred miles of mountain road and arrived at Jingyang County in the Guanzhong Plain.

"What? Song Gou didn't come?"

Wanyan Wangxiang grabbed the magistrate of Jingyang County and asked in surprise, "Are you telling the truth?"

The magistrate of Jingyang County, with his collar being grabbed, said with a forced smile, "General... I... marched with several thousand men, making a great show of force. The dust could be seen three or four miles away. How could I not notice it? It's really true that I didn't."

Wanyan Wangxiang abandoned the county magistrate, his face ashen, and stood directly on his horse, surveying the surroundings.

The scouts have already been dispatched to scout, but there has been no return yet.

But as the magistrate said, the marching routes of a large army, especially a large cavalry force, cannot be kept secret.

Putting everything else aside, the sheer amount of horse manure left behind by so many warhorses along the way would be enough to draw a clear black line.

In other words, by this time, the Song army had not yet crossed Fengxiang Prefecture and reached the heart of Guanzhong.

What's the reason?
Was the Song army cowardly, or was Zhang Congjin's stance firm?
Does everything the temple planned still count?

Wanyan Wangxiang was gripped by inexplicable fear.

"Wang Xiang, don't panic." Wanyan Liang rode up to Wanyan Wang Xiang and tossed him a water bag. "Our plan won't go wrong. Since Song hasn't arrived yet, let's go find him!"

With that, Wanyan Liang waved to Tudan Shousu.

The army then turned and headed west along the Wei River.

About half an hour later, when the warhorses were getting tired, Wanyan Liang suddenly noticed that a thin layer of yellow smoke had appeared in the western sky.

Although he couldn't see clearly through the several mounds, Wanyan Liang immediately reined in his horse and stopped it on a small hill.

"Stop!"

"Organize the army!"

"Assemble the troops!"

"quick!"

The flag bearers and musicians immediately sprang into action, using drumbeats and flags to direct the army's assembly.

Even a forced march by infantry can result in a large number of soldiers falling behind, let alone cavalry.

The Jin army has been running a hundred miles today, and at least three hundred cavalrymen have fallen behind. Even the troops that arrived in time are somewhat exhausted and in disarray.

However, the reason why Wanyan Liang still dared to launch a long-distance raid was that the Song army would only have to raid even further, and their bodies would become even more exhausted.

Everyone is exhausted and in disarray, which is equivalent to everyone being in high spirits and in perfect military formation.

"Xiao Hu, you know this place well." Wanyan Liang summoned his newly recruited personal guards from Guanzhong and pointed to several low hills in front of him, saying, "Where is this place?"

Xiao Hu swallowed hard, seemingly reluctant to speak, but under Wanyan Liang's intense gaze, he could only stammer, "Your Majesty... Mawei Slope, this is Mawei Slope."

"Mawei Slope".

Less than ten miles from the Jin army, Wu Ting looked at the few small hills blocking the way, his face twitched a few times, and then looked at Zhang Congjin, whose face was as black as charcoal.

"General Zhang, it seems that someone is welcoming guests after Mawei Slope."

Zhang Congjin stared intently at the smoke and dust in the eastern sky, then reined in his horse and fell silent.

Just as Wu Ting's six thousand cavalry could not conceal their figures, the Jin army could not find a way to hide their dust while marching at full speed. Therefore, when the two sides were ten miles apart, their positions were already clear.

If they were to bump into each other on a normal plain, all talk of military discipline and troop assembly would be for naught.

Whether it was Wu Ting or Wanyan Liang, they would immediately lead their cavalry in a charge, even if they could only muster a few dozen riders at a time.
This was intended to disrupt the enemy's formation and gain the upper hand. However, the presence of these small hills in the middle not only made it difficult to directly observe the enemy's formation, but also made it difficult to immediately deploy troops.

As a result, both the Song and Jin commanders were caught in a dilemma.

"Chief Steward Zhang?" Wu Ting was about to continue his teasing and probing when Zhang Congjin suddenly flew into a rage.

"You scoundrel, you're being completely unreasonable! I personally came to your army, taking such a great risk to let you into Guanzhong, and yet you doubt me? You doubt me?!"

Zhang Congjin was filled with resentment and pointed to the sky beyond Mawei Slope: "If I had laid an ambush beforehand, how could this have caused such a commotion? Is this what you call an ambush?"

"Besides, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it in Fengxiang Prefecture. I have many trusted men in the army. It might not be possible to incite them to rebel, but surely it would be possible to kill a Song person like you?"

Zhang Congjin reined in his horse and closed in on Wu Ting, his spittle almost landing on the man's face.

"presumptuous!"

Wu Ting's personal guards drew their swords and shouted at him, while Zhang Congjin's personal guards also showed a fierce expression.

Seeing that the two generals were about to have a fight before the big battle, Wu Ting wiped his face with his sleeve, pretending to let the insult dry, and said with a smile, "Chief Steward Zhang has quite a temper."

Zhang Congjin, however, was completely unmoved and flew into a rage, saying, "What do you know, kid! It would take several thousand cavalrymen to create this dust cloud, and that's several thousand cavalrymen!"
They didn't go to Yuanzhou to fight, but instead came here to wait for you, which means they knew you were coming all along. They also knew I would let you into Guanzhong. My uncle is still in Yuanzhou; he's in danger!

Wu Ting remained unperturbed.

He naturally knew that the uncle Zhang Congkou mentioned was Zhang Zhongyan, so he quickly began to ponder: Could it be that Zhang Zhongyan had betrayed them?
It's not impossible.

It's about putting righteousness before family ties.

"That's not right." Wu Ting suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "The Jin bandits were also lucky, and they were also on a hasty march, otherwise they wouldn't have revealed themselves. They just arrived!"

Zhang Congjin was a smart man. He snapped out of his daze and immediately nodded, saying, "That's right. Now we should fight fast and fast. I'll lead my troops as the vanguard and charge straight in!"

Wu Ting directly refused: "Steward Zhang, please forgive my bluntness, but your suspicion has not been cleared yet. What if you go and never return?"

Zhang Congjin retorted angrily, "Then tell me what to do?! Can you feel at ease having me guard your escape route?"

Wu Ting shook his head and replied, "Of course I can't rest easy. Chief Steward Zhang, you will continue to act with me. Please give your deputy the order to protect our army's left flank."

“Protect the left flank…” Zhang Congjin was about to retort, but then turned to look at Mawei Slope and said thoughtfully, “You want to fight on foot?”

Wu Ting looked back at the troops that were gradually gathering and nodded, saying, "That's right, General Zhang. I have a thousand elite cavalry under my command, and the remaining five thousand men are all elite infantry. Encountering a terrain like Mawei Slope is in accordance with the will of Heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Congjin nodded in agreement and immediately wrote the military order on the wooden board with charcoal. He then summoned his personal guard and instructed him to hand it over to his adjutant.

At this point, Wu Ting finally nodded in satisfaction: "Steward Zhang, there is actually only one way to break this deadlock now."

Wu Ting drew his spear and pointed it far into the distance behind Mawei Slope: "I never expected this battle to go smoothly and without incident. Those bastards blocking our way, no matter how many soldiers they have, we'll just push them over with our army and crush them. Wouldn't Guanzhong still be at the mercy of the Song Dynasty?!"

Seeing Wu Ting's heroic demeanor, Zhang Congjin felt inexplicably calmed down, and then a surge of fervor rose within him.

"That's exactly right! The Jin invaders arrived in haste, and the cavalry is exhausted. This is the perfect opportunity for true heroes to prove themselves!"

After Zhang Congjin expressed his opinion, Wu Ting no longer hesitated.

While the two commanders were arguing and deliberating, the seven thousand mixed Song troops had been almost fully assembled.

Subsequently, Wu Ting ordered Commander Zhang Wen to lead 1,000 Song soldiers as the vanguard to occupy several hills at Mawei Slope; Military Advisor Li Jiu led 1,000 elite cavalry to protect the right flank of the main army.

Wu Ting led the remaining four thousand cavalry and infantry as the main force, advancing slowly.

"Aren't you going to dismount and form ranks now?" Zhang Congjin watched as the Jin army appeared among the hills, and several hundred Song cavalry and infantry went to meet them. He asked anxiously, "Won't it be too late if the fighting starts later?"

A mysterious look appeared on Wu Ting's young face: "Chief Steward Zhang, the infantry under my command are different from others."

Zhang Congjin was somewhat skeptical, but the small-scale skirmish that followed at Mawei Slope astonished him.

(End of this chapter)