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

Chapter 737 The Han army has formed several encirclements.

When some people are happy, others are sad.

Heshilie Zhining led his cavalry back to the vicinity of the camp, and then waited for the troops to arrive and join him.

As the cavalry returned one after another, He Shilie Zhining became increasingly uneasy, and even showed some fear on his face.

In his calculations, although he had sold out all the Han infantry, he was still able to withdraw his cavalry intact.

Despite the ferocity of the battle, apart from the two thousand armored cavalry caught between the Tianping and Dongping armies, in He Shilie Zhining's view, no cavalry force was in a dead end. They were basically in a state where they could fight or run at will.

After all, the fact that the Han army had few cavalry is an undeniable fact.

But Heshilie Zhining did not expect that not only did Wanyan Zhang not return, but Wuyan Chala also disappeared without a trace.

The Jin army had a total of 30,000 cavalry, but Heshilie Zhining only managed to gather a little over 20,000, leaving more than 4,000 ineffective Khitan cavalry.

Damn it, they lost several thousand armored cavalry!

Of course, Heshilie Zhining also knew that it was impossible for all of these armored cavalry to have been killed by the Han army; most of them were scattered across the battlefield and no one knew where they had gone.

The key point is that although the Han infantry were slow, they still pressed forward resolutely.

The reason why the Jin army had to launch such a hasty offensive was because their retreat was about to be cut off.

With these two factors combined, He Shilie Zhining could no longer afford to leisurely gather his troops here.

"General Tudan! Where is Wuyanchala? Have you seen him?"

Heshi Liezhi Ning loudly questioned Tudan Hailuo, who had just arrived.

Tudan Hailuo had been fighting on foot for a long time, and had been running back and forth. He was exhausted by now. After panting heavily on his horse, he shook his head helplessly and said, "Reporting to the marshal, I attacked the southern part of the Shandong bandits' central army, while Wuyan Chala attacked the northern part. We did not join forces... However... cough cough..."

Tudan Hailuo coughed a few times, whether from dust or water, before saying, "However, it seems that Liu Dalang personally led his armored cavalry out from the north. Our army is all infantry, and the casualties are heavy. I don't know about Wuyan Chala..."

Heshilie Zhining finally lost his composure: "Hailuo, you are a veteran general of the Great Jin, why didn't you go and help him? Are you just going to watch him die?"

Tu Dan Hailuo remained relatively calm, and upon hearing this, he could only smile bitterly: "Marshal, although I am not facing Liu Dalang, I am also fighting against the fierce bandits from Shandong. In addition, the rear guard of the Shandong bandits has also surrounded us. If I delay any longer, I may not be able to escape either."

Tudan Hailuo's face turned bitter as he said this: "Marshal, we underestimated the enemy. We shouldn't have come, and we shouldn't have fought this battle..."

He Shilie Zhining could only look up to the sky and sigh.

How could we not fight?
The Jin dynasty simply couldn't compete with Liu Huai in terms of who developed faster under their rule, unless the Jurchens abandoned their national identity and Wanyan Yong changed his surname to Han.

In a few years, after the Han army has integrated half of the Central Plains, there will be more troops coming to Hebei, as well as more gunpowder and new firearms. At that time, how will the Jin state fight?

However, it's pointless to talk about these things now. Although the Jin army has been defeated, a large part of its core fighting force has been preserved, so it's unlikely that they will lose the entire Hebei province.

Tu Dan Hailuo coughed twice, stood on his horse and looked around: "Although nearly 10,000 troops have not yet returned, Marshal, the camp cannot be defended."

Heshilie Zhining: "That's true. This camp isn't very strong and can't be held. However, I'm hesitating about where to go. Should we go back to Hejian Prefecture?"

Tu Dan Hailuo hesitated for a moment before shaking his head with difficulty: "Daming Prefecture still needs to be defended. Putting aside everything else, even for the sake of these nearly ten thousand soldiers scattered on the battlefield, we must hold out in Daming Prefecture for a while."

He Shilie Zhining fell silent again, but he knew that he didn't have much time to make a decision.

Retreating to Daming Prefecture to defend the city was certainly a reasonable course of action.

Yuancheng in Daming Prefecture was a fortified city with a strategic location. Even with the Han army's superior firearms, it was impossible for them to flatten Yuancheng in just a few days.

Yuancheng also has a large stockpile of grain, supplies, gold and silver, which can be used to reward soldiers and restore morale.

In addition, Heshilie Zhining did not intend to hold out to the bitter end. After bringing back the several thousand cavalrymen, he would fight if he could, and if he could not, he would break out with the advantage of cavalry and retreat to Hejian Prefecture, thus lengthening the battle line and preparing for subsequent attacks on the Han army's logistics and supplies.

Although we lost a game today, we are still capable of fighting.

Of course, there are also risks involved.

If they were truly surrounded and killed by the Han army, not only would the several thousand cavalrymen who came to their aid be lost, but even the twenty thousand cavalrymen would be wiped out.

But... for the sake of nearly ten thousand Jurchen armored cavalry, this risk is worth taking!
With this in mind, Heshilie Zhining finally made up his mind: "Then we shall retreat to Daming Prefecture and write the battle report here... to His Majesty. After the battle, I will personally go to apologize!"

Tudan Hailuo was speechless and could only nod: "Marshal, you go first. I'll burn down the camp, drive all the conscripted soldiers and laborers out, and head east. Don't the Shandong bandits want to relieve the people? Let them do that!"

Heshilie Zhining nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble you. Hailuo... I don't know if General Mouyan will be able to return this time. The loyal ministers of the Great Jin cannot afford to be lost. You... you must be careful."

After saying this, Heshilie Zhining inexplicably recalled Wanyan Mouyan's evaluation of him just now.

"It is inappropriate to say that one should be cautious about one's life when undertaking great tasks, but it also implies that one should be willing to risk one's life for small gains."

Now, I find myself unable to go all out at this crucial moment. Doesn't this prove the saying, "One should be cautious about one's life when undertaking great tasks"?

Thinking of this, Heshi Lieliangbi was slightly bewildered, and in a daze, he turned his horse and rode away.

Tudan Hailu shook his head and sighed slightly, then immediately ordered his troops to carry out the plan. This tactic was quite ruthless, because the conscripted soldiers, forced out at knifepoint, did not flee in orderly ranks in any particular direction, but scattered in all directions.

Including the laborers, there were nearly 40,000 people in the camp. Such a large number of people running all over the mountains and fields would not affect individual soldiers, but would seriously hinder the march of large armies.

"Make way! Make way!" Zhang Baiyu led his armored cavalry, dispersing the crowd as they advanced toward the Jin army's camp. He could already see the black smoke rising from there, knowing that the Jin army was burning their camp before retreating, and he became even more anxious.

"Wang Er, go and tell Yelü Xingge and Dian Lun that the light cavalry should no longer guard the flanks. Tell them to drive these people to the north, quickly! The sooner the better!"

However, when Yelü Xingge received the order, he hesitated for a moment and ultimately took the gentlest action.

Faced with a group of panicked civilians, just like an army that has been thrown into chaos or soldiers who have been defeated, the best approach is to let them run around until they are exhausted, and then send troops to gather them back.

Secondly, it boils down to one word: kill.

The fear brought by knives and blood was used to bring the people back to their senses and make them obey orders.

Zhang Baiyu didn't have time to wait for the first method to work, but Yelü Xingge had no intention of using the second method at all.

Regardless of whether Liu Huai was watching from behind, or whether killing these conscripted soldiers and laborers was considered cruelty to the people, the Liao cavalry, a group of assimilated Jurchens and Khitans, needed to integrate into the community if they wanted to continue to establish themselves in Shandong.

Oh, all the other armies are very restrained, but your Liao cavalry battalion couldn't wait to raise the butcher's knife. Do you have some resentment in your hearts?

Since Yelü Xingge was hesitant, his soldiers were equally timid and fearful in military matters.

Just as Zhang Baiyu and Huyan Nanxian were getting angry, a military order came from behind.

The cavalry were ordered to halt their pursuit of the Jin army. One detachment was tasked with occupying the Jin army's camp, where they could water their horses and rest. The remaining cavalry were tasked with assisting the follow-up troops in gathering the conscripted soldiers and completing the encirclement of the Jin infantry.

Since the battlefield is already in such a mess, let's take down these Yan and Han people first, and then deal with the rest.

Zhang Baiyu and Hu Yananxian had no choice but to obey the military order.

Just then, Wang Youzhi and Liang Yuan'er arrived with their troops. Although many soldiers had fallen behind along the way, more than a thousand vanguard soldiers reached the vicinity of the Jin army camp. They then began to form ranks without even having time to put on their armor.

Once the fleeing Jin soldiers were trapped and found no way to escape, they finally began to surrender en masse.

Liu Huai kept riding his horse without stopping, dictating military intelligence and orders as he went.

He spoke almost without thinking, while the clerk beside him hurriedly transcribed the words on a wooden board with a charcoal pencil.

"Issue the order to mobilize all military judges. After the great battle, military discipline must be even stricter, and the torture and killing of prisoners of war must be strictly prohibited."

"Send orders to Mr. Lu, instructing him to immediately lead the Wulu Army to escort the military hospital to this location. Also, instruct the Wulu Army to participate in the cleanup of the battlefield."

"All units must regroup, and all light cavalry and armored cavalry must rest and water their horses immediately after completing their combat missions. I need them to be able to set off to pursue the enemy within an hour!"

"Pass on my military order: although there are many prisoners this time, military law cannot be disregarded. One in thirty shall be executed!"

"Pass on my military orders..."

Liu E slumped to the ground, watching Liu Huai approach from afar, hearing the other's military orders coming incessantly, and the staff around him constantly adding to the discussion. He wanted to say something, but Liu Huai didn't even glance at him before hastily leaving. He couldn't help but sigh.

Because they were close to the official road, Ding Daxing, who had overheard a few words, was somewhat disappointed that Liu Huai did not stop to ask any questions.

Although Liu E was not captured by Ding Daxing himself and his achievement cannot be attributed to him, it was still a chance to shine, which Ding Daxing had been looking forward to for quite some time.

He threw down the flag that Liu E was holding upside down and said to Liu E, "You are really lucky. Since the eldest son has spoken, the doctors will come and treat your leg later."

Liu E, supporting his leg, looked at the well-trained Han soldiers passing by. After his lips moved a few times, he finally asked the question that had been on his mind: "Hey, you men from Shandong... why are the Shandong rebels so powerful? I know the soldiers I trained are not useless, so why can't they gain even the slightest advantage? What benefits did Liu Dalang promise you?"

Ding Daxing was looking for a place to gather troops. At first, he didn't want to pay attention to Liu E, but he couldn't stand the guy's endless questions. Finally, he said impatiently, "Haven't you already revealed the key? It's because the eldest son gave us great benefits that everyone is loyal and heroes are willing to serve us."

Liu E shook his head: "I still don't understand, how much wealth would that require? How much grain would you Shandong have to plunder to support so many soldiers?"

Ding Daxing's face showed some disdain: "Steward Liu, judging from your age, you are an elder with extensive knowledge and experience, so why are you so shallow?"
Are there many other useful things in the world besides wealth and possessions? When we were under the rule of the Jin invaders, we had no land of our own. Officials and bandits levied exorbitant taxes, thieves roamed the land, and we lived in constant fear, often going hungry, let alone being able to read and write. A flood, a drought, or an ice storm could very well wipe out an entire village or town.

However, after Lord Wei and his eldest son arrived, we had land, grain, and our houses were rebuilt. Our children and grandchildren could also study, take the imperial examinations, and become officials. Don't you think this is worth risking my life for?"

Liu E listened quietly, and finally shook his head slowly: "You man, you are an officer, you are reasonable, so you will naturally understand this principle. But I don't believe that everyone in the Shandong army is so reasonable. You should know that the common people are the most ignorant and foolish. Even if your Liu Dalang has great abilities, he can't explain this principle to everyone."

Ding Daxing understood and pointed to the armored soldiers: "It's actually very simple. For every bandit leader, you get five mu of land in Shandong and Central Plains, and ten mu in Hebei."

Liu E suddenly realized.

This is truly a generous reward.

The lands of Youyan were all in the hands of various powerful clans or Meng'an and Mouke households, so Liu E could not make such a promise to his soldiers.

In this sense, Liu Huai, who is expanding his territory and about to sweep away all political forces and redistribute the land, is the richest man in the world!
Thinking of this, Liu E felt a chill run down her spine.

Liu Huai's power is now firmly established. With such generals and soldiers under his command, and with everyone united in purpose, who in the world can stop him from establishing a nation?!

(End of this chapter)