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

Chapter 723 The Ruyi Chariot and the Charge Cavalry

"What's going on? What do you mean we can't break through?!"

Two quarters of an hour after Wanyan Zhang and Wanyan Shoudao led half of the central army—that is, four thousand armored cavalry—into battle, Heshilie Zhining coldly questioned Liu E, who had retreated to his side in a disheveled state.

His voice suppressed immense anger, as if if Liu E didn't immediately give a reliable explanation, He Shilie Zhining would immediately strike him down with a knife.

Liu E was naturally somewhat embarrassed by such a rebuke, but his anger was mixed with disbelief: "Marshal, it's not that we Han soldiers are not doing our best, but the Shandong bandits are truly difficult to attack..."

He Shilie Zhining raised his hand to interrupt Liu E's nonsense, and said with a gloomy face: "You mean, the bandits number no more than 10,000, and they exposed a weakness, with our armored cavalry dividing them into several formations, and then our infantry pressing forward with superior numbers, yet we still couldn't take them down?!"

Heshilie Zhining grew increasingly angry as he spoke, but eventually calmed down and said sincerely, "Chief Steward Liu, Commander Liu, if this is all the ability you Han people of Youyan have, then stop talking about being pillars of the nation every day. Isn't it only natural that the Han people are subordinate to the Jurchen people?"

Upon hearing this, Liu E became even more ashamed and indignant: "Marshal, one of my nephews has already died in battle. If this does not prove that the Han army fought to the death, then I have nothing more to say."

Upon hearing this, Heshi Liezhining, disregarding the fact that a disagreement between generals in the central army would shake morale, angrily replied, "Commander Liu! Look at those banners! They are not about loyalty and righteousness, nor about pacifying the rebellion, but simply the Balance of Heaven! They are nothing but the Balance of Heaven Army!"

That banner is just a blue rhinoceros, not a flying tiger! This is the Taiping Army that was defeated and forced to flee in disarray by Prime Minister Liangbi last year! And you can't even defeat them, how can you possibly face the Jingnan Army?

Tell me, if we can't capture Xin Qingsi, how are we going to deal with Liu Feihu?!

The Jin army was founded on cavalry, so naturally its main force consisted of elite cavalry. Therefore, the Youyan Han'er Army was not the most elite fighting force of the Jin army.

But in Heshilie Zhining's view, the Taiping army on the other side was not the most elite Han army either!

Faced with Heshilie Zhining's angry rebuke, Liu E remained silent for a moment before finally saying with difficulty, "Let the armored cavalry on both flanks of the army go out and fight, even if it's not for the sake of our Han army..."

Heshilie Zhining interrupted Liu E again, resolutely refusing: "No, Tudan Hailuo and Wuyan Chala each have their own destinations. They are to be used to make the final decision. How can we send them out lightly?"

Moreover, since I have entrusted the two flanks to them, I have given them the authority to act independently; they need to make their own decisions based on the situation.”

Of course, Heshilie Zhining could force them to fight, but that would be a long shot. The Han army's most elite Jingnan army had not yet appeared, nor had the armored cavalry on both flanks been mobilized.

Moreover, although the famous Flying Tigers have already made their appearance in Jeju, who knows if they might be using a feint to secretly advance and have already arrived around the battlefield?
How could we not prepare a reserve team?
Seeing Liu E's anger, frustration, and some panic, He Shilie Zhining couldn't help but sigh: "Liu Jiedushi, I will give you another three thousand soldiers. After two quarters of an hour of fighting, break through the Tianping bandit formation and coordinate with Wanyan Zhang and Wanyan Shoudao ahead. Can you do it?"

Liu E knew this was He Shilie Zhining's bottom line, so he immediately nodded in agreement, cupped his hands in farewell, and left.

Heshilie Zhining then raised his voice and said, "Commander Liu, everyone wants to be respected, but that respect doesn't fall from the sky! For example, right now, Wanyan Zhang, who has some grudges against you, has personally charged into the Shandong bandits' ranks and divided the Tianping bandits' formation, while you couldn't even break through a small part of the Tianping bandits' formation with your elite troops. In the future, wouldn't it be only natural that the heroes of the world would respect Wanyan Zhang more and despise you, Commander Liu, more?"

Liu E was even more embarrassed and angry. She turned around and bowed again, then turned and left without saying a word.

Of course, Wanyan Zhang, who was praised by Heshilie Zhining at this time, was also having a hard time.

The first to discover this was Liu Huai, who had finally found a high vantage point to observe the battlefield situation.

That's the downside of fighting on plains: the army spreads out over a huge area, and there are few high points on the plains, making it difficult for the commander to have a clear view of the overall situation.

Therefore, although Liu Huai found a gentle slope to establish his central army, he could only look at it from afar through the smoke and dust, and rely on guesswork based on the military intelligence conveyed by the military envoy.

"Young Master! The Tianping Army has already engaged the enemy. The Jin cavalry have broken through the gaps in the formation but were stopped by the Dongping Army. Although there is no immediate danger, Chief Steward Xiao En sent me to report to you immediately."

Liu Huai squinted and looked towards the battlefield: "What did Xiao En say? Did he come to request reinforcements?"

Yao Buping quickly shook his head: "Chief Steward Xiao said that the eldest son has a comprehensive plan, and he dares not comment. However, because the combat strength of the various units of the Dongping Army is uneven, he is worried that there will be small-scale defeats, which will cause the overall situation to go wrong. I hope the eldest son will make preparations as soon as possible."

Liu Huai simply nodded upon hearing this.

From his vantage point, Liu Huai finally got a general idea of ​​the battlefield.

Although Xin Qiji was the vanguard, he did not send all his troops forward at once, but instead deployed them in two waves.

The first to bear the brunt were the more than nine thousand elite Tianping troops, who were now trapped in the division of the Jin army, divided into four small formations, and were engaged in fierce fighting with the Jin army.

The more than 6,000 Dongping infantrymen were on the second line, relying on carts for their march.

After the battle officially began, the Dongping army quickly donned their armor and deployed their wagons in a defensive formation. The wagon formation had been a specialty of the Loyal Army since Wei Sheng was the military commander, and it was further developed and perfected at this time. All the supply wagons of the regular army were gradually replaced with Ruyi chariots. As a result, when the Jin cavalry passed through the gaps in the Tianping army's formation, they saw a large wagon formation that could be called a fortified city.

It was indeed a fortified city.

The Ruyi chariot itself was a very sturdy four-wheeled vehicle. After being fitted with wooden planks covered with cowhide, the Ruyi chariot was more than two meters high. Nearly a hundred of them were connected end to end, just like a wooden city rising from the ground.

Moreover, this wooden fortress was more dangerous than ordinary fortresses. Archers stood on the wagons and fired arrows, while spearmen thrust their spears through the gaps between the wagons, causing heavy casualties to any Jin army that approached.

Wanyan Zhang was a general who led from the front, and he was already stunned after walking around the chariot formation once.

He originally thought that even if he couldn't turn the Han army's light cavalry into a rout, he could still drive them away to disrupt the rear lines, thus completely isolating the Taiping army.

But Wanyan Zhang watched helplessly as nearly a hundred riders returned to the wagon formation along the reserved passage, and after the wagon formation closed, he was completely numb.

Doesn't this just mean the Taiping Army is fighting with their backs to the city?

Having finally managed to cut off the Shandong bandits' vanguard, why can't they expand their gains and can only turn back to devour the Taiping army?
Wanyan Zhang looked at the chariot formation before him, which resembled a giant hedgehog, and then turned to look at the Taiping Army, feeling very hesitant.

The battlefield is extremely chaotic; once infantrymen are scattered, it is difficult for them to form ranks, let alone cavalry.

Therefore, many mediocre cavalrymen were simply reckless and prone to abandoning their posts, with only one chance to maintain their formation and launch an attack.

Although the elite Jin army under Wanyan Zhang's command was not in such a state, the combined forces of over 100,000 men on both sides on this battlefield were extremely chaotic, and this Jin cavalry force likely only had one more chance for a group attack.

Seeing the Jin army's more than three thousand armored cavalry wandering aimlessly between the chariot formations of the Tianping and Dongping armies like headless flies, Liu Huai seemed to understand the Jin army's hesitation and made a decision in his heart.

But before he could give the order, Liang Su said, "The Jin bandits are hesitant! Young Master, we must not wait any longer. We need to continue to reinforce our troops, otherwise if these Jin bandits really turn back to dismantle the Tianping Army's small formation, it might cause another disturbance!"

As the saying goes, even a hand can be long or short. Among the four command divisions of the Taiping Army, Li Tieqiang and Xin Yuanying's troops were extremely powerful, Du Shiba was somewhat weaker, and Shi Baiju was the weakest.

The battlefield situation at this time shows that Xin Yuanying, in the center of the army, and Li Tieqiang on the left wing are both pressing the Jin army, while the right wing is in a stalemate.

Wanyan Zhang's idea of ​​sweeping through the Tianping Army with three thousand cavalry was pure nonsense, but it was not entirely impossible for him to break through one or two small formations by joining forces with the Jin infantry.

Liu Huai nodded: "What Mr. Liang said is exactly what I was thinking. I will pass on my order, instructing Luo Shenyan and Shi Qilang of the Jingnan Army to lead their troops to bypass the flanks of the Dongping Army's chariot formation and support the Tianping Army."

After a pause, Liu Huai continued, "Order Lei Ben to lead three thousand elite troops to join forces with the Dongping army and enter the wagon formation to await orders. We have agreed that the red flag of the central army will be the signal. As soon as the central army raises the red flag, the elite troops must march in front of them and crush anyone who tries to stop them!"

The military staff drafted the document, affixed the military seal, and the military envoy took the token and document and set off immediately.

The military order was quickly delivered to the three generals, who acted swiftly without any hesitation.

Seeing the nearly 10,000 troops moving out, Liang Su hesitated and said, "Commander-in-Chief, should we ask Chief Secretary He to send troops to the central army? At this time, the central army only has 10,000 men. Isn't that a bit too few? If the Jin bandits launch a surprise attack, there may be danger."

Upon hearing this, both Pang Rugui and Wang Xiongyi glared angrily.

Liu Huai waved his hand and laughed, "I have over ten thousand soldiers here, how can that be considered few? And how could there be any danger? Besides..."

Liu Huai's expression turned solemn: "Moreover, Chief Secretary He has the authority to act on his own. If he finds anything amiss, he will naturally send troops to provide assistance."

Liang Su could only nod.

In this era, information transmission is slow and transportation is inconvenient. Liu Huai is not Yuri, who can mind control others.

With 60,000 troops spread out over a wide area, they could only rely on the commanders of each unit to adapt to changing circumstances.

Although Liu Huai did not speak further, he kept his eyes fixed on the battle situation ahead.

As expected, when the Han army reinforced its troops from both flanks, encircling Wanyan Zhang like a pair of giant hands, the battlefield underwent a new change.

(End of this chapter)