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

Chapter 808 I only regret that the Han people have suffered so many hardships.

The situation of the Han cavalry was exactly as Heshi Lie Liangbi had described. After a thousand-mile raid, plus today's hundred-mile raid, Liu Huai, who was neither a god nor did he have wings, was also extremely exhausted.

In fact, the organization of the Han cavalry had completely fallen apart. Fifty-man squads could barely maintain one or two units, but hundred-man squads were completely scattered, not to mention the commanders.

The first group to arrive near the battlefield consisted of only about three hundred Flying Tiger Armored Cavalry, and they were all extremely exhausted.

Bi Zaiyu was drenched in sweat. He tried to rein in his horse and organize his troops, but his horse's front legs buckled and he fell off.

Although he wasn't injured, he was covered in dust and dirt.

"Young Master, let's take a break." Bi Zaiyu spat out the dust in his mouth and said breathlessly, "Our army is simply too exhausted."

Liu Huai, who was usually calm, now had bloodshot eyes and shouted while holding his spear: "Bi Dalang, you used to say that you regarded me as your sovereign and father. Now my sovereign and father are in that city, on the verge of death. How can you expect me to wait?!"

Bi Zaiyu was reprimanded to his face. He gritted his teeth, pushed one of his subordinates off his horse, and then mounted his horse again: "What the eldest son said is right. However, since the eldest son is my sovereign and father, this humble general should naturally lead the way for my sovereign and father!"

Having said that, Bi Zaiyu took the lead and charged towards the gradually forming Jin army formation.

Liu Huai shouted, "Yao Buping, gather the troops here! The rest of you, follow me and charge!"

"Slay the Jin invaders! Pacify the Central Plains!"

"kill!"

Liu Huai raised his Li Quan spear and urged his warhorse forward.

Xin Qiji drew two heavy swords without saying a word and followed closely behind.

The Han cavalry, who were already exhausted and disoriented, followed the banner and advanced upon seeing this.

At first, this might have just been a reflexive action performed in accordance with the rigorous training they received, but in a short while, as the autumn wind carrying moisture blew, the shouts of battle suddenly intensified, and everyone saw the Flying Tiger Banner crashing into the Jin army's formation, which in turn invigorated them.

"Follow the eldest son! Kill the Jin invaders!"

"Kill the Jin traitors!"

More than three hundred Han cavalrymen, with the momentum of a thousand troops, charged into the fray, and for a time, they overwhelmed the hundreds of Jin soldiers who were coming to fight them, making it impossible for them to stand firm.

For the Han cavalry, fatigue along the way, non-combat casualties, and a decline in morale were all present.

However, the arrogance born from consecutive victories, the undefeated past, and the undeniable prestige Liu Huai had accumulated through his campaigns since the Northern Expedition were all undeniable facts.

Therefore, when Liu Huai, as the leader of the military and political group, personally charged to the front lines, all the Han soldiers would squeeze out the last bit of strength from their bodies and bravely advance.

Conversely, the Jin army instantly became terrified.

With so many renowned generals and commanders of the Jin state defeated by Liu Huai, rumors circulating among the Jin army had already led to Liu Huai being regarded as a god-like figure.

Especially when the Flying Tiger banner suddenly rushed in, the Jin army, from the marching Meng'an to the lowly soldiers, all felt inferior. Although they had an absolute numerical advantage, their morale immediately became unstable after the Han army charged.

"Bi Dalang, step back!" Seeing that Bi Zaiyu's offensive had been thwarted, Liu Huai immediately stepped forward to take over the charging position. He swung his Liquan spear wildly in all directions. Fueled by his rage, this weapon, inherited from Yue Fei, once again thirsted for the blood of the barbarians, and none of his generals could withstand a single blow.

Xin Qiji, wielding a heavy sword, protected Liu Huai on the flank. The sword flew up and down, knocking down Jin soldiers who were fighting close by.

While a two-handed greatsword may not be considered a top-tier weapon for mounted combat, it is precisely the time for close-quarters combat and breaking through enemy lines, thus compensating for the weapon's relatively short length.

Two influential figures, who were considered to be of great importance in the world, abandoned all means and charged at the forefront with pure force, giving the Jin army a glimmer of hope.

If we can capture these two and cut down that Flying Tiger banner, wouldn't the affairs of the world be settled just like that?!
In fact, it wasn't just Jia Gu Qingchen who had this idea; all the generals of the Jin army who went into battle thought the same thing and immediately put it into action, sending elite troops to besiege the enemy.

But that's where the strange thing is.

Despite having superior numbers and the advantage of being well-rested, the Jin army was unable to stop Liu Huai's advance. Instead, the frequent troop movements caused their already disrupted formation to fall into complete chaos.

A few hundred paces north of the battlefield, a second batch of well-organized Han cavalry arrived.

However, among them were not only the Flying Tiger Army, but also nearly a hundred cavalrymen who had just surrendered to Liu Huai more than ten days ago.

"Hurry! Hurry! The eldest son is already in battle, send as many as you can! Follow that flag and charge in!" Yao Buping shouted the order.

More than three hundred Flying Tiger cavalry dared not be negligent. They changed into their main warhorses and didn't even care that they couldn't find their commander. They just looked at the captain's banner, hastily formed a wedge formation, and immediately launched a charge.

The powerful generals and local strongmen of Hebei hesitated, even showing signs of fear. Ma Yanzhang, the leader, panted heavily, looked around at his fellow countrymen and comrades, then glanced at the numerous large banners galloping through the Jin army ranks from his horse. He then loudly asked Yao Buping, "General Yao, where is the eldest son?"

Yao Buping was rallying his troops under the banner of Han characters. He hadn't really expected anything from these newly surrendered Hebei strongmen, but he couldn't remain silent. He pointed directly at the Jin army formation again: "Ma Laowu, didn't you see? The Flying Tiger Banner is right there in the middle of the formation!"

Ma Yanzhang's warhorse circled restlessly for a moment, then pointed forward with disbelief: "General Yao, I know the Flying Tiger banner has already fallen, could it be... could it be that the eldest son..."

Yao Buping had long been feeling anxious because he couldn't charge into battle and could only reorganize his troops here. Upon hearing this, he impatiently shouted, "Ma Laowu, what are you questioning? Do you think I'm lying to you? Look at that blue rhinoceros banner. That's Xin Wu Ge joining the battle as well."

"If it weren't for the eldest son personally taking action, how could Brother Xin, with his steadfast nature, have undertaken such a risk?!"

Ma Yanzhang's breathing became heavier, while the powerful figures from Hebei were all lost in thought upon hearing this.

Given the strength of Liu Huai's military and political group, they should have declared themselves kings and emperors in the past, during times of chaos.

Liu Huai, however, still led his armored cavalry into battle personally. To put it nicely, he was a leader who took the lead; to put it bluntly, he was reckless and impetuous.

If he were to die from a stray arrow, he would be ridiculed in history books for hundreds of years.

Even if this trip south was to save her adoptive father, it shouldn't have gone to this extent, right?!

However, it is undeniable that once they knew for certain that Liu Huai had led the charge into battle, these newly surrendered and ambitious local strongmen from Hebei immediately became completely subdued and eager to try their luck.

The most important people in the world are fighting desperately in the face of adversity, so what are these country bumpkins compared to them?

"Amitabha!" The first thing to be shouted was a Buddhist chant. A burly man with a shaved head shouted, "Now is our chance to demonstrate our loyalty and courage! Don't let yourselves be misled! I, Fa Chi, am going first!"

Having said that, the monk known as Fa Chi picked up his spear and charged forward with several equally bald armored riders.

The powerful families from Hebei who went south this time all knew each other and knew that Fa Chi was a descendant of Wutai Mountain, so it was not surprising.

Ma Yanzhang took the spear from the Victory Hook and raised it with all his might: "How can we, the sons of Hebei, let outsiders steal our credit? Gentlemen, follow the eldest son and kill the Jin invaders!"

After saying this, more than a hundred soldiers and cavalry from the local strongmen charged forward.

As more and more Han troops joined the battle, Jia Gu Qingchen's fear intensified.

He knew he had made a mistake again.

They shouldn't have left their camp and formed ranks; they shouldn't have devised a foolproof plan before advancing to fight. Instead, they should have sent armored cavalry to meet them from the very beginning.

If you can send five hundred cavalry, send five hundred; if you can send one hundred, send one hundred. How can you just stand there dumbfounded in front of the camp, waiting for the Han army to attack first?

Even Jia Gu Qingchen himself was extremely afraid of Fei Hu Zi, let alone his generals. If they could not establish their power immediately so that the troops could form ranks in an orderly manner, they would be in trouble if the Han army tore their formation apart.
At this moment, as dark clouds gradually filled the sky and more and more Han troops arrived at the battlefield, the Jin army's formation became increasingly chaotic. Jia Gu Qingchen knew that he could not wait any longer.

"Follow me! Kill Flying Tiger!"

Kiyotomi Yagaya forced himself to suppress his fear and led more than two hundred armored cavalry to meet them head-on.

This action was absolutely correct, because Kiyotomi Kagaya had his own general banner. When the Jin army, which was lined up in front of the camp, saw the general banner rushing towards the Flying Tiger banner, the Jin army, which had been scattered, instantly had a target and charged towards the Flying Tiger banner.

At this time, the Han cavalry that entered the battle numbered only a little over a thousand, and they were all exhausted, making the situation critical.

At this critical moment, another cloud of dust billowed from the north, and a white fish-shaped banner led more than two thousand armored cavalry to the vicinity of the battlefield, where they immediately began to change horses and charge.

Xin Qiji gazed at this scene from afar, wiped the blood splattered on his face with his robe, and shouted, "Brother, hold on! Reinforcements have arrived!"

The two men, each leading more than ten riders, disrupted the Jin army's formation. They were now trapped in the very center of the Jin army's formation, almost completely surrounded. They were exhausted and their horses were worn out, trapped in a tight encirclement.

However, Liu Huai refuted Xin Qiji's statement: "Fifth Brother, this place is a death trap. As the saying goes, swift battle means survival, while procrastination means death! It is precisely the time to rise up!"

Xin Qiji remained silent for only a moment before immediately nodding: "Elder brother, what do you think we should do?!"

Liu Huai looked up at the approaching banner of Jia Gu, a sinister smile appearing on his face: "I recognize this man, he is Jia Gu Qingchen. As long as we cut down his banner, the Jin invaders will surely not be able to hold on!"

Xin Qiji flicked the blood off his heavy sword and looked at the nearly forty armored cavalrymen behind him: "The enemy has two hundred armored cavalrymen, and our army only has forty..."

Xin Qiji paused here, then a sinister smile appeared on his face: "However, one Han man is enough to take on five Hu men!"

(End of this chapter)