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

Chapter 694 Carts Clash, Close Combat Erupts (Part 2)
"Wang Xiang!"

Upon seeing that Wanyan Wangxiang seemed about to attack the seemingly sturdy Six Flower Formation, Wanyan Liang waved to stop him, then pointed to Mawei Slope.

"You personally lead the Han army to flank them from both sides! The Song army's warhorses are surely behind them; drive them all away!"

As expected of a military aristocrat who had received a systematic education, Wanyan Liang immediately discovered the flaws in the Song army's tactics.

If the Song army was truly an elite force prepared for three battles, then if the Jin army wanted to target the warhorses, it goes without saying that the entire Song army could simply mount up and decide the outcome through mounted combat.

However, most of the Song army consisted of mounted infantry, and when the battle was about to begin, they could only leave their warhorses at the rear of the battlefield and leave a small group of soldiers to guard them.

Those who charged straight in like Zhang Wen could only place their warhorses a little behind the formation and wait for the rear guard to provide support. The few Song soldiers guarding the warhorses were powerless against the Jin cavalry's pursuit and could only turn around and flee with their horses.

The Song army's decisive action saved their warhorses, but it also temporarily deprived Zhang Wen's troops of mobility.

What Wanyan Liang needs Wanyan Wangxiang to do now is to eliminate the mobility of the entire Song army.

"Yes!" Wanyan Wangxiang responded loudly, then led the remaining hundreds of Han cavalrymen to charge backward from both flanks of the battlefield.

The Song army's cavalry on both flanks could not stand idly by and sent troops to block Wanyan Wangxiang.

The two sides immediately began fighting.

However, this resulted in the Song army's cavalry on both flanks getting caught up in a melee with the Jin army, while the infantry in the middle continued to advance, creating a brief disconnect.

It wasn't that no Song army officer discovered the oversight.

However, firstly, the Song army's infantry formation was only four or five hundred paces away from Wanyan Liang's Golden Banner, making it difficult to change formation. Secondly, after the chaos on both flanks, not only was it difficult for the Song cavalry to move out, but the Jin armored cavalry also found it difficult to launch a flanking attack.

Therefore, Wu Ting hesitated only for a moment before ordering the army to continue advancing, determined to join forces with Zhang Wen first.

Wanyan Liang had been waiting for this opportunity.

Aside from the Song army's cavalry and infantry tactics, this encounter was surprisingly similar to the Battle of Yancheng.

On that day, Yue Fei also led a large number of infantry and a small number of cavalry to face Wanyan Wushu's cavalry force head-on.

Yue Fei's tactics that day were similar to those Wu Ting wanted to use today: to use a small number of cavalry to entangle the main force of the Jin army, while the infantry would advance and use spears and crossbows to strangle the Jin army, which had lost its mobility, within the formation.

Wanyan Wuzhu had no choice but to order the Iron Pagoda Cavalry to charge the Song army's infantry formation head-on at the wrong time, resulting in a crushing defeat.

From the perspective of historical battles, Wu Ting's decision was entirely correct.

The key point is that Wanyan Liang was also aware of the battle examples.

Therefore, he absolutely could not allow the Song cavalry to disrupt the Jin army's formation, or they would die without even knowing how.

Compared to Wu Ting, Wanyan Liang had a stronger desire to win.

For Wu Ting, and indeed for the entire Song army, the worst outcome after defeat was simply to flee back to the Song state.

If we close the Shu Road then, and continue to rebuild and learn from our mistakes for ten years, we will be able to recover no matter what.

But for Wanyan Liang, he had to swallow his pride and personally seize power from his ministers, using every means at his disposal, to create such an opportunity.

Even if this battle were lost, or even if the victory were not so impressive, it would still be a huge blow to Wanyan Liang's prestige.

Given Wanyan Liang's current situation, if he were to suffer such a blow, it wouldn't just be a matter of Guanzhong being completely out of control; his entire family might be wiped out immediately.

It can be said that, up to this day, Wanyan Liang is still paying the price for the failure of his hasty southern expedition against the Song Dynasty.

Since failure means bloodshed, then to turn the tide, one must fight desperately.

At this time, the guards surrounding Wanyan Liang were more than twenty Jurchen cavalrymen from the Mouke tribe. They were the most traditional Jurchen armored cavalrymen and the most elite troops of the Western Route Army.

This is Wanyan Liang's capital for turning the tide!

"Shousu!" Wanyan Liang said to his commander of the palace guard, "Follow me and crush them head-on!"

Tudan Shousu, who had already ridden back, looked at the Song army formation and couldn't help but advise, "Your Majesty, are you going to charge straight into their lines?"

Wanyan Liang chuckled, then picked up his spear: "I know what you mean, Shousu, but that Wu boy is not Yue Pengju, and I am not my uncle!"

Tu Dan Shou Su was slightly taken aback, and then couldn't help but look up at the Golden Guard banner that had moved to the front of the cavalry formation. His scalp immediately tingled.

"His Majesty……"

"Alright, enough of that." Wanyan Liang brandished his spear twice: "This time, I will be the vanguard of the army!"

Tu Dan Shousu was dumbfounded.

Before he could even react, Wanyan Liang was already galloping across the front lines, brandishing his spear and clashing it against the weapons of the Jin cavalry: "Soldiers of the Great Jin, follow the Emperor and kill the traitors! Kill the traitors!"

The Jin army's morale soared, and they cheered in unison. After running around the front of the formation twice, Wanyan Liang returned to the center of the front line with his imperial banner, and then, together with his personal guards, slowly advanced towards the Song army's infantry formation.

More than twenty strategists and over two thousand Jin cavalrymen suddenly set off.

The warhorse first moved forward slowly, then trotted, and finally galloped at top speed.

Both sides had come from a long march and were caught off guard. Even the elite Jin army was no longer capable of disrupting the Song army's formation.

The Song army was in a similar situation. After their raid, they marched in formation, and even with the help of horses and mules, they were still somewhat exhausted.

Wu Ting watched in horror as the Jin cavalry, led by the Golden Guard banner, surged forward like a flood, overwhelming everything in their path.

However, he maintained the composure expected of a great general and immediately issued the order: "Halt! Form ranks!"

His personal guards immediately sounded a horn and vigorously waved a black flag.

The Song army immediately halted, and formations were quickly established. Except for the first two rows which erected spears, the rest took out bows and crossbows, preparing to use arrows to block the Jin cavalry's charge.

The entire set of movements was fluid and graceful, demonstrating excellent training.

But they are just too well-trained.

Wu Ting knew things were going to go wrong as soon as he saw the scene.

Formations typically rely on terrain to slow down the enemy's attack and reduce their numbers, allowing archers to inflict heavy casualties.

After all, archers are armed with bows and arrows, not Maxim guns, so they can't wipe out a large group at once.

Now that the Jin emperor is personally leading the charge, clearly showing a desperate, bloodthirsty attitude, how can we expect the Jin army to hesitate and give the Song army a chance to inflict casualties?
At the very least, the first five rows should have long spears to deal with such a fierce frontal assault.

The two rows of spearmen, arranged merely according to military inertia, would hardly be able to withstand the Jin army's seemingly indifferent attitude towards life and death.

A cavalry charge into a spear formation head-on is not a question of whether it is possible or not. Elite knights with qualified warhorses are ready to go through fire and water, so why would they not be able to?

The question is whether it's worth it.

Now Wanyan Liang is showing Wu Ting through his actions that he not only thinks it's worth it, but he would even gamble his life away.

"Strike more spears! Strike more spears!"

Wu Ting immediately gave the order in a loud voice.

However, the cavalry was incredibly fast, and it was too late by then.

"Fire the arrow! Fire the arrow!"

Amid the thunderous sound of horses' hooves, officers of all ranks shouted loudly.

With a kind of numb emotion, the Song army followed their daily training habits: the archers fired first, followed by the crossbowmen, who immediately bent down to draw their bows, while the archers at the front kept firing arrows, trying to release all the arrows in their hands at the first moment.

Arrows and crossbow bolts rose into the air with a whoosh and landed in the midst of the galloping Jin cavalry.

"what!!!"

"kill!!"

Even though many arrows were blocked by the heavy armor, the Jin cavalry in the first row were still like hedgehogs. Dozens of warhorses buckled in the ground and fell to the ground while running, throwing their riders off their backs.

However, some warhorses were wearing leather face shields and neck guards. Although they were also riddled with arrows and crossbow bolts, most of the wounds were superficial, which only fueled their ferocity. The warhorses increased in speed instead of decreasing, and they charged towards the front of the spear formation with the Jin knights.

Although a volley of arrows from the Song army killed dozens of Jin knights, it only caused two or three small-scale disturbances and did not stop the Jin army's entire charging formation.

The two or three places where men and horses were thrown into chaos were quickly bypassed and filled by the Jin cavalry.

As his guards were shot down, Wanyan Liang reached the forefront of the charge. Gazing at the approaching two layers of spear formations, he roared with all his might, "Kill the traitors! Conquer the Song!"

"kill!"

At this moment, the Jin cavalry, acting as the vanguard, employed various tactics: some drew their bows and shot arrows at close range to kill Song soldiers; others brandished long weapons to deflect oncoming spears; still others simply disregarded everything, using shields to cover their heads and faces, accelerating their warhorses to maximum speed, and charging headlong into the enemy lines.

The neighing of warhorses, shouts of battle, screams of agony, and the sounds of bones and flesh shattering mingled together, forming a symphony of hell.

The casualties at that moment were so devastating that words could hardly describe them. Wu Ting even briefly forgot his duties as a general and closed his eyes in despair.

However, in the next instant, Wu Ting forced his eyes open, shouted a command that he himself could not understand, raised his spear, and led more than a hundred personal guards and armored cavalry forward on horseback.

"Kill the sugar daddy!"

(End of this chapter)