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

Chapter 775 A Lonely City Under the Shining Sun: A Battle of Wits (Part 1)
Mengcheng had become a ghost town; all the original inhabitants had been conscripted into the army and sent to the front lines.

The few who escaped the net either hid or eke out a living in the countryside and lakes.

Several days ago, 10,000 Jurchen cavalrymen took advantage of the opportunity of conscripting soldiers from all over the country to secretly change their location and openly set up camp in Mengcheng.

The Jin army set up a large camp on the east bank of the Fei River, but the actual number of regular troops was only 24,000.

Li Xianzong is right. With the two camps so close together, any large-scale troop movement cannot be kept secret.

But what if these 10,000 cavalry hadn't come to Xia Cai to confront the Song army in the first place?

This is also why Pusan ​​Zhongyi only led 7,000 cavalrymen in the counterattack today. Apart from the 5,000 cavalrymen who took the opportunity to march eastward in the evening and were discovered by the Song army, the rest of the Jin army camp were basically infantrymen.

The Jin infantry were not invincible, but they were easily exposed.

As for why Heshi Lieliangbi made things so complicated, almost at the cost of unrest in Henan, to cover up the whereabouts of 10,000 cavalry, it was ultimately because the main force of the Jin army at this time not only had to guard against the Song side, but also against the Henan Han army led by Shi Ju.

Not only must we guard against the Han army tipping us off, but we must also guard against the Chenzhou army suddenly becoming resolute and crossing the Fei River directly to overturn the main Jin army camp.

Regardless, after the strategic deception and the direct confrontation with the loyal and righteous Pu San, He Shi Lie Liang Bi finally got what he wanted. He not only kept the Song army in a strategically conservative posture, but also caused Wei Sheng to make a strategic misjudgment through the Song army.

If Wei Sheng knew that 15,000 Jin cavalry were coming, he would definitely have stationed himself in Qixian, secured his position as a detachment, and then simply observed the success or failure of Xiacai.

However, if there were only 5,000 Jin cavalry, Wei Sheng would most likely continue marching towards Xia Cai.

Once the Ruyi War Chariots surround the city, it's like a wooden city rising from the ground. What can five thousand Jin cavalrymen do?

After inflicting damage to a certain extent, a counterattack can be launched, and the outcome remains uncertain.

The Loyal Army has been fighting this kind of battle for so long that they're almost getting the hang of it.

However, Wei Sheng remained extremely cautious. After receiving the message from the Song army envoy on the evening of July 2nd, he did a quick mental calculation and, based on the Jin cavalry's pace, deduced that the 5,000 troops were not far away.

After a moment's hesitation, Wei Sheng ordered the scouts to investigate the military situation as far as possible, making sure they knew the details of the Jin army. The entire army then retreated ten miles under the setting sun, with the rear guard becoming the front guard.

The loyal and righteous army crossed the Huan River yesterday and set off this morning. They have only traveled about 20 li. Now they are going back 10 li, which means they will be only 10 li away from Qixian County.

Although this would inevitably lead to a decline in the army's morale, it turned out that Wei Sheng's caution saved everyone.

On the morning of July 3, the loyal soldiers who were cooking in the camp surrounded by Ruyi chariots were startled by the thunderous hoofbeats. They put down their bowls and chopsticks, put on their armor, picked up their bows and swords, and, under the command of their officers, began to defend themselves.

As the sun rose in the east, Wei Sheng and Lu You stood on the high platform, their faces turning ashen as they looked at the Jin army cavalry closing in from all directions.

Lu You muttered to himself, "Is this... is this five thousand cavalry? How can there be so many?"

Wei Sheng, leaning against the wooden railing, sighed and said, "There are at least ten thousand cavalrymen. Lord Yu of Xia Cai has been tricked. I just don't know who gave the false intelligence or if someone deliberately caused trouble. The Jin invaders have changed their main attack direction and are charging towards us with their main force."

Lu You's face grew even uglier.

In this era, there were no telephones or telegrams, and all military intelligence had to be transmitted through letters or verbal messages. Therefore, Wei Sheng did not know what the situation was in Xia Cai, and thus had no way of judging who had carried out strategic deception against Yu Yunwen.

It's even possible that the conflict between the Han Chinese army and the Jurchens was just an act from the beginning, and that the two sides were actually very close, treating Wei Sheng like a fool.

"marshal!"

"Marshal, your humble servant has come to request orders!"

Li Huo'er and the others remained calm and proudly accepted the order.

Unlike the Song army, the Shandong Han army had a psychological advantage over the Jin army due to its repeated victories. This sentiment could certainly develop into arrogance, but what they showed now was that even when faced with the overwhelming Jurchen cavalry, the loyal and righteous army did not panic at all, but instead became high-spirited.

Looking at his old comrades, Wei Sheng's spirits also rose, and he raised his sword and said loudly, "Gentlemen, the Jin invaders have come by long-distance cavalry raid, and their supplies and provisions must be lacking. Therefore, the Jin invaders only have one day to fight them."

Our army has established a camp here, with food and water. How could we possibly not last a single day?!

"Now that the Ruyi War Chariots have surrounded us, what else is there to say? The army should defend on all sides, prepare for rotations, and if the Jin invaders dare to come, we'll drive them back!"

"Here!"

Unlike the general enthusiasm of the loyal and righteous army, Lu You still had some worries.

Because the Loyal Army has no reinforcements, the nearest legitimate force is the Song army in Xia Cai, but they may not even have realized that there are so many cavalrymen to deal with the Loyal Army. Moreover, the Jin cavalry are numerous enough to block the roads, and unless they can get close to the river, military intelligence cannot be transmitted.

As for Zhang Anguo and Shan Dingtun's garrison troops and archers stationed in Suzhou, they could hold their own in defending the city and camps, but if they were to leave the protection of the city walls, they would not be able to withstand a single charge from the Jin army's armored cavalry.

In other words, the Loyal Army may very well have to rely on itself in this battle.

Despite his worries, Lu You kept them to himself. He simply told Wei Sheng and then went to sit in the labor camp, which was protected in the very center of the wagon formation.

The Loyal Army was, after all, a legitimate military force, so it was normal for them to be unafraid of and even despise the Jin army. However, the civilian laborers were just ordinary people. Although they had undergone some military training, they were still somewhat panicked when faced with such a massive scene of thousands of horses galloping.

Lu You, on the one hand, had his personal guards loudly proclaim the fighting strength of the loyal and righteous army, saying that victory was certain. On the other hand, he summoned several troop leaders, told them to repeat Wei Sheng's words, and then sent them back to appease the troops.

However, a moment later, a village headman returned, saying he had something important to report.

“I recognize you. You’re from Huaixi, and your name is Hao Donglai. You’re currently the village head of Erdao Village in Guannan County, Haizhou.” Lu You spoke with familiarity and a friendly expression, “Brother Hao, what brings you here?”

Hao Donglai was somewhat flattered: "Does Your Excellency still remember my name?"

Lu You shook his head and chuckled: "Of course I know. How could I not know the old Master Hao of Huaixi? When your son was born last year, I even asked the magistrate of Guannan County to send a gift."

Hao Donglai's identity is far too complicated. He was once the leader of the refugee army, and later organized people to settle in Haizhou. In addition, his friend Liu Yungu is an underground worker in the Youyan area, and his son Hao Nan is also carrying out secret missions there. Naturally, he would be the focus of the government's attention.

However, this person had no great ambitions and only wanted to farm peacefully, and now he has achieved his wish.

Hao Donglai was even more surprised upon hearing this: "The official did not say it explicitly. I thought that the generous gift was because this was the first baby born in the village, and that was why the official sent the money."

Lu You waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about that. Brother Hao, you came to see me in such a hurry. What do you want to say?"

Hao Donglai nodded repeatedly, but was momentarily distracted by the sudden shouts of battle and the sound of horses' hooves coming from all directions. After calming himself down, he said, "What Minister Lu said just now was a bit problematic, but there were too many people talking at the time, so it was not easy to refute him."

"Although the Jin bandits came from afar and didn't bring much food, the autumn harvest is approaching and the grain will soon be ripe. While it may not be enough for people to eat, it can still fill the livestock's stomachs."

"Lord Lu, compared to large livestock, people can't eat much. If each person carries ten catties of dry rations, mixed with water and some dried meat, that should be enough to keep the Jin bandits going for a while."

Lu You pondered for a moment and nodded in response: "Brother Hao, only someone like you, who has both military experience and is skilled in farming, could see the current situation. However, do not make a fuss about it; the Marshal has a comprehensive plan."

Hao Donglai nodded repeatedly: "It's good that the Marshal knows. I'm just worried that the Marshal might have overlooked this situation and misjudged the military situation, which would be a serious matter."

Faced with such a sincere person, what could Lu You say?
He nodded haphazardly, offering words of comfort to Hao Donglai before following Wei Sheng's banner to report.

“I know about this, but it’s true that the Jin bandits’ opportunity is only for one day.” Wei Sheng had already reached the southernmost end of the wagon formation and looked at the rising sun. He said, “The Jin bandits are most afraid of this kind of heat. They also came by night after a long journey. As long as we can hold out through the daytime, the Jin bandits’ fighting strength will be reduced by 30%. At night, our army will be able to launch a counterattack.”

Seeing this, Lu You felt somewhat relieved and immediately turned back to the labor camp.

As the art of war says: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

However, in practice, due to various reasons such as the speed and accuracy of information transmission, leaders can at most make macro-level predictions about the enemy, and it is impossible for them to be fully aware of all military situations.

Therefore, all military and political leaders have strived to be true friends to the extreme.

Lu You's ability to recall Hao Donglai's name and hometown was nothing special. Later, when Napoleon returned from exile, he recounted the names, hometowns, battles, and achievements of the soldiers who came to besiege him in great detail. The soldiers immediately shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and turned against him.

Heshilie Liangbi was naturally capable of knowing his own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it was impossible for Heshilie Liangbi not to know about the opportunities for battle that Wei Sheng could see and the weaknesses of the Jin army that he knew, and it was also impossible for him not to have made preparations in advance.

Even so, when the elite Jin army crashed into the loyal army, the chariot formation stood firm like a rock in the waves. Not only did Heshi Lieliangbi look somewhat uneasy, but even the Jin generals were all shocked.

It should be noted that this was due to the advantage of a surprise attack and a numerical superiority, while the loyal army did not even show the slightest panic, let alone collapse.

Was Heshilie Zhining fighting against this kind of army in Hebei?
No wonder they suffered such a crushing defeat!
"Lord Liangbi, the Shandong bandits' chariot formation is formidable. I am here to request military orders. What should we do?"

Heshi Lieliangbi gave him a cold glance: "Shi Dunzhong, you are also a veteran general, and you have served as a proper Meng'an for many years. Do you still need to ask me about such matters? Look at this chariot formation, it is like a city, so of course we should deal with it by means of attacking a city. You have not forgotten how to attack a city, have you?"

The senior general named Shi Dunzhong shuddered, then loudly agreed and left.

Although Shi Dunzhong was a general of the Western Jin Dynasty, he ultimately dared not be disrespectful to a mere prime minister. He hurriedly dispatched troops to temporarily cut down trees to make ladders, preparing to attack the chariot formation using proper siege tactics.

As the sun rose higher and the temperature increased, Heshi Lieliangbi gazed at the cavalrymen fighting valiantly in the sweltering heat, and sighed inwardly. He looked towards the northeast, silently praying, "Qingchen, you absolutely mustn't mess this up..."

(End of this chapter)