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

Chapter 807 The Windlass Sword Breaks, the Bearded Man Turns White

Wei Sheng, leaning on his long sword, knelt on one knee, breathing in the fresh air, and gripped the arrow shaft stuck in his abdomen.

Time seemed to slow down countless times at this moment, allowing Wei Sheng's thoughts to flow freely in the river of time.

The Jurchen heavy arrows were specifically designed to penetrate armor, and now they were coming straight at a distance of less than twenty paces. Even with his heavy armor, Wei Sheng could not completely block them.

However, it's impossible to say that the heavy armor was completely useless. At the very least, the heavy arrows that could have pierced through the body only managed to pass through the armor with their arrowheads, ending up in Wei Sheng's abdomen.

This...this isn't a serious injury.

Wei Sheng was panting heavily, and the sharp pain in his abdomen cleared his previously muddled mind.

Since joining the army, I have fought in countless battles, big and small, and have faced life and death many times. I have also suffered more serious injuries, including penetrating wounds, but I still survived.

This is just a minor injury, nothing serious.

However, when Wei Sheng tried to stand up, he felt weak and sore all over. A sense of surprise rose in his heart. After trying twice more, a flash of inspiration came to his mind and he suddenly realized what was going on.

He has grown old; he is no longer the brave warrior who could once stand in the cold winter of the Huai River wearing only a thin coat, monitoring enemy movements.

People eventually have to accept getting old, so what can Han Shizhong do?

What could that general, who had fought his way out of the chaos during the Jingkang Incident with his skill in archery and horsemanship, do after the Shaoxing Peace Treaty?

Shouldn't he at least retire to the countryside and withdraw from military service?
King of Han... King of Han...

Jieyuan... Wang Sheng... Cheng Min... Xu Shi'an... Hu Yantong...

Liu Daguan... Li Huoer... Yu Yuan... Lei Ben... Zhou Xinglie...

Divine Martial Left Army...

Those who died...

Those who are alive...

The figures of many people appeared before Wei Sheng's eyes.

stand up……

That's what everyone said.

Ah Sheng, stand up...

"Stand up..." Wei Sheng looked at the long sword in his hand and muttered to himself. Then, he suddenly burst out with strength and snapped the arrow shaft in two. He then stood up, leaning on his sword.

Although Wei Sheng's mind was racing, in reality, only three breaths had passed.

The initially panicked Loyal Army was greatly encouraged to see that their commander seemed unharmed, and they once again engaged in fierce battle with the Jin army.

Wei Sheng also brandished his long sword, slashing in all directions. If his posture just now was like Guan Yu reborn, his current behavior was like a mad tiger descending the mountain, inspiring fear in all who beheld him.

Seeing this, Shi Dunzhong, who was standing on the steps, was about to continue shooting arrows when he heard someone shout behind him: "Jin thieves! Your Grandpa Zhang is here!"

Zhang Anguo led more than fifty personal guards to the scene. He glanced down from his vantage point and immediately saw the critical situation. Without even forming ranks, he personally charged forward with a large axe in hand.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate on the city walls.

However, for Heshi Lieliangbi, this anxiety was actually a good thing.

This means that the Jin army was already capable of deploying enough troops to the city walls, and with a little more effort, they could completely overwhelm the defenders.

At this moment, Heshi Lieliangbi was thinking this.

It was the third quarter of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), and dark clouds covered half the sky. The sun appeared and disappeared among the clouds, and a gentle breeze blew in from the north, sweeping away the heat of the past few days.

Just as the atmosphere in the Jin army's central command was beginning to ease and become more enthusiastic, a military envoy came running up the Huan River, holding a small yellow flag, and went directly to Heshi Lie Liangbi.

The military envoy had just reined in his horse when it collapsed from exhaustion, throwing him off.

But the military envoy, disregarding his disheveled state, raised the yellow flag in his hand and shouted, "Report to the Left Chancellor! Cavalry is coming from the northwest!"

Heshi Lieliangbi's gaze sharpened, but he remained silent at this crucial moment, only looking up at the sky.

However, even though the Jin prime minister didn't ask, some people still wanted to know the military situation. A military advisor anxiously inquired, "How many cavalry have arrived?"

The military envoy looked flustered but shook his head and said, "I don't know. Smoke and dust are billowing everywhere, covering the mountains and fields."

Heshi Lieliangbi finally spoke up and asked, "Have you clearly seen whose banner it is?"

The military envoy nodded: "My general saw it clearly; the Flying Tiger Banner, the Liu Character Banner, and the Han Character Banner were all there. He told me to report back to the Left Prime Minister..."

At this point, the military envoy shivered in the early autumn afternoon before speaking, but the tremor in his voice could not be concealed no matter what.

"It's Liu Feihu! Liu Feihu has come in person!"

Everyone was stunned, as if the air had frozen.

Three full seconds later, the instinct to breathe returned to these Jin soldiers and officials. The collective gasp seemed to suck the surrounding air dry, and then everyone spoke in a panic.

"How could it be Fei Hu Zi? Isn't he in Hebei?"

"Even if the Wei traitors sent a military envoy to request reinforcements, how could they arrive so quickly? Did Flying Tiger fly here?" "We've only been attacking the Shandong bandits for a little over ten days! Could Hebei already be completely..."

"Has anyone been able to see clearly whether it is Flying Tiger or not?"

Amidst the chaotic noise, Heshi Lieliangbi shouted angrily, "Enough!"

Everyone fell silent.

Heshi Lieliangbi, panting heavily, looked around at the people with horrified expressions and said sternly, "What is there to argue about? There must be at least five thousand cavalrymen in the boundless cavalry. Who else in the north can come up with five thousand cavalrymen?"

Could it be Digunai returning from Kansai? It must be the Shandong bandits without a doubt!

"To put it another way, only if Fei Hu Zi personally leads the army can the cavalry disregard casualties in this sweltering heat and travel thousands of miles to Huaibei to fight!"

When Heselryeongpil personally confirmed the accuracy of the news, no one showed any joy; instead, their expressions became even more solemn and even panicked.

Heshi Lieliangbi ignored all of this and directly summoned his trusted guards: "Go and tell Qingchen that there are two thousand cavalrymen in the camp who have been preparing for this day."

In my capacity as the Left Chancellor of the Great Jin Dynasty, I issued a military order, commanding Jia Gu Qingchen to lead these two fierce warriors to meet the enemy head-on.

Tell him again that Flying Tiger is only human, not a god. Even if he were made of iron, he would be exhausted after the long journey from Hebei. This is his only chance to kill him!

"Here!"

The guards immediately dispatched horses to find Jia Gu Qingchen.

Heshilie Liangbi then looked at the still fierce fighting on the city walls and said sternly, "Don't stop the attack! Crush Wei Sheng to death! The day will save the Great Jin Dynasty!"

As the saying goes, "The general is the courage of the army." With such a demeanor, Heshi Lieliangbi, the commander-in-chief, finally calmed those around him, and the civil and military officials then went about their duties and got busy.

Most people were still filled with apprehension and fear, but a small number of people were thinking about what He Shi Lie Liang Bi had said.

If Wei Sheng and Liu Huai were both killed on the banks of the Huan River, wouldn't the Shandong turmoil that had lasted for years be quelled?

This idea was indeed somewhat far-fetched, but it was not entirely impossible. Therefore, many people in the Jin army began to secretly look forward to it.

Jia Gu Qingchen, on whom everyone placed high hopes, was the main general attacking the western city, so by the time he met the military envoy, half an hour had already passed.

After hearing the military intelligence and orders, Jia Gu Qingchen did not immediately become excited or full of ambition. Instead, he was stunned and only had one thought in his mind: I took down Fei Huzi? Really?

However, Jia Gu Qingchen was, after all, one of the most outstanding generals of the Jin Dynasty. Although he had been beaten by the Han army several times, he quickly realized that He Shi Lie Liangbi's words were absolutely correct.

Those who fight for profit within fifty li will surely lose even the greatest general.

The Han army had marched a thousand miles from Hebei; how could they not be exhausted? How could their morale not be low?

Compared to the arduous journey of the Han army, the Jin army was practically waiting in comfort!

However, just as Kiyotomi Yagaya handed over command of the siege to his deputy, he suddenly realized something: "When did the Left Chancellor receive the military intelligence?"

The military envoy hurriedly replied, "About fifteen minutes!"

Jia Gu Qingchen's expression changed drastically, and he shouted to his personal guards, "Quickly! Come with me to mobilize troops!"

The reason he was somewhat flustered was quite simple.

The Jin army used cavalry to transmit messages. After the military envoys investigated the situation of the Han army, they would immediately come to report. However, the Han army was also composed of cavalry. Even though the military envoys had the advantage of being able to move alone, they could not completely shake off the Han cavalry.

In other words, with just this short delay of less than fifteen minutes, the Han army could very well be right in front of them.

In fact, this is exactly the case.

The loyal and righteous army, which was fighting fiercely on the city wall, could already see the billowing dust from the northwest, pressing down along with the dark clouds on the horizon.

"Woo..."

"Woo..."

A mournful bugle call drifted from afar, followed by the ever-approaching, louder rumble of horses' hooves.

Both the Jin army and the loyalist army on the city wall temporarily stopped fighting and looked towards the northwest.

"It's...it's the eldest son! The eldest son has arrived!"

Whether someone had exceptional eyesight and actually spotted Liu Huai's banner, or was simply cheering for themselves, a deafening cheer erupted from the city walls.

The morale of the Qixian garrison, which had been extremely low, was roused again. The entire city seemed to come back to life, and they began to launch a counterattack against the Jin army that had scaled the city walls.

Hearing the gradually resounding hoofbeats ahead and the cheers rising behind, Kiyotomi Kagaya felt flustered, but he still forced himself to calm down and led two thousand fresh armored cavalrymen out of the camp one after another, and began to form ranks at the junction of the North Camp and the West Camp.

"Don't be afraid. Even if Flying Tiger really grows wings on his ribs and flies a thousand miles, he will only have one breath left. As long as you charge straight at him, you will be able to achieve great success!"

Jia Gu Qingchen kept saying things he himself didn't believe to the anxious marching Meng'an and marching Mouke, while looking in the direction from which the Han cavalry was coming.

Scouts have been dispatched. It would be best if they could delay the Han army for a while. Even if they cannot delay it, they can still find out the true state of the Han army and whether it is strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

However, seeing the Flying Tiger Banner getting closer and closer without stopping, Jia Gu Qingchen glanced back at the Jin army cavalry still marching out of the camp and forming ranks. Suddenly realizing that he had made another big mistake, he panicked again.

At this point... how can we stop?!

(End of this chapter)