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

Chapter 945 Ten Thousand Armors Discarded Like Snow Melting

As seasoned veterans... or to put it more bluntly, as generals who had endured numerous crushing defeats and developed a calm and composed mind, Gao Anren and Wen Dunqi quickly regained their senses.

However, Gao Anren was utterly dejected, as if his very bones had been removed: "One hundred thousand troops! One hundred thousand troops! It's only been two hours, not even noon yet, how could we have suffered such a crushing defeat?!"

While sending his personal guards to maintain order, Wen Dunqizhi said to Gao Anren with a wry smile, "What's so strange about this? When my Great Jin Dynasty was founded, the Liao and Song dynasties had nearly a million soldiers combined, but they were still easily swept away by Emperor Taizu."

What happened to the 700,000 Liaodong troops at the Battle of Hubudagang? And how long did they hold out?

Looking at the large banner bearing the character "Liu" that had reached the central command of the Han army, and hearing the exhilarating cheers that resounded throughout the battlefield, Gao Anren couldn't help but burst into tears. He pounded his saddle and wailed, "Why did I run away that day?! Why didn't I fight to the death at Haizhou?! I've caused such a disaster! Father! Is this my retribution?! Ah!!!"

Gao Anren was among the first Jin officials to fight the Northern Expeditionary Army in Haizhou. At that time, when he still had the strength to fight, he became fearful and abandoned his army and fled. This not only deprived Haizhou of its fighting force and caused the death of his father, Gao Wenfu, but also led to the decline of the Jin dynasty.

Looking back now, Gao Anren suddenly realized that that day was actually the closest the Jin Dynasty came to destroying the Northern Expeditionary Army.

Wen Dunqi immediately grabbed Gao Anren's shoulder anxiously and said, "Old Gao, now is not the time to talk about this. Since Fei Huzi has come in person, and with the prestige of a great victory, there is no hope for this battle!"

Go quickly and inform His Majesty that this area will be maintained by my Loyal and Filial Army. Order the main force to retreat immediately and absolutely not to attack. As long as we retreat back to Yanjing and preserve some troops, there should be a way out.

Gao Anren forced back his tears and nodded haphazardly. But as he turned his horse around, he suddenly realized something and grabbed Wen Dunqi's arm, saying, "No... I should be the one who dies here. Have you forgotten the important task His Majesty entrusted to you? Go back and report to His Majesty. I will command the troops here for you!"

Wen Dunqi pried Gao Anren's hands away: "It's too late! It's too late! Changing generals at the last minute will destroy the last chance of the Great Jin! You should leave now! Do what I can't do!"

As he spoke, Wen Dunqizhi simply drew his sword and slashed Gao Anren's warhorse's rump hard with the back of the blade.

Gao Anren could only lie prone on his horse and gallop wildly toward the rear army. He only glanced back once, and tears welled up in his eyes again.

Wen Dunqi gasped for breath in the cold winter air until his lungs felt slightly stinging from the cold before he calmed down.

"General, it's...it's Fei Hu Zi himself who's come..." Several trusted officers arrived at the central command, their voices trembling.

Wen Dunqizhi's expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly: "I know."

"Those banners and flags are all real. Flying Tiger really did breach the Huolu camp..."

"The entire army of 100,000 is gone..."

"This is an army of 100,000..."

Wendun Qizhi said sternly, "I'm not blind, I know everything!"

With that, Wen Dunqizhi, his expression ferocious, surveyed his generals: "But you should know that I am your commander!"

Having built up his prestige over many years, once Wen Dunqizhi made a move, all the generals fell silent in fear.

However, before the life-or-death crisis, someone anxiously spoke up: "General, it's not that we don't want to obey orders, but... but General, do you really expect our Loyal and Filial Army to break through the Han army? Those are the Flying Tigers!"

Wen Dunqi listened quietly, then calmly said, "I know that our Steward Liu must have contacted some of you and made some promises."

Among the generals, some were bewildered, some were flustered, and two of them were in an awkward position.

Wen Dunqi ignored their expressions and continued, "To be honest, Lao Liu also came to me. However, due to the unclear situation that day, I only left a loose end."

"General, do you intend to surrender and betray His Majesty?"

Someone murmured.

The two men, their expressions awkward, looked around at their comrades and placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

Just as an unusual conflict was about to erupt at this crucial moment, Wen Dunqi remained calm: "Of course, it's not about betraying His Majesty."

“But now Flying Tiger is powerful, and it’s obvious that the Great Jin is doomed. Even if I want to be loyal, I can’t drag you all down with me.”

A Jin general loosened his grip on his sword hilt and asked with a hint of helplessness, "Then what do you suggest we do, General?"

Wen Dunqi slowly said, "I've come up with a solution that satisfies both sides. Our six thousand loyal and filial soldiers will be of one mind and one heart, and hold out here for one hour. After one hour, the entire army will surrender to the King of Han. What do you think?"

"I might as well be more explicit today and tomorrow. Those who want to join the King of Han, if you don't show him your military strength and just want to have a large army, aren't you demeaning yourselves? The Han army has many famous generals, how could they possibly look up to you?"

“Those who wish to pledge allegiance to His Majesty, even if you lead everyone to fight to the death, can you really hold out for several days? The 100,000-strong army at Huolu couldn’t even last two hours! Hold out for one hour, buy His Majesty one hour, and when you get down there, you’ll be able to face the founding emperor.”

After the conversation, the atmosphere among the generals eased slightly, but some still hesitated to speak.

Wen Dunqi, however, grasped his sword and said, "This is my decision. If you still consider me your commander, you should obey my orders!"

After proposing a solution that everyone could accept, and then using the authority they had accumulated over time to exert pressure, the high command of the Loyal and Filial Army finally quickly unified their will.

After the Loyal and Filial Army deployed in a defensive formation, Wen Dunqi gazed at the high-spirited Han army pressing forward in formation. Looking up at the blue sky, his mind was suddenly filled with confusion and frustration. Why... why did things come to this?
It's not just about the fate of the Great Jin Dynasty, but also his personal future. Why is he like a caged bird, unable to break free no matter which direction he tries?
Wen Dunqi thought for a moment, but firstly, he was indeed of average appearance, and secondly, he was distracted by the movements of the Jin army on both flanks, so he gave up thinking.

When Gao Anren relayed the news back to Wanyan Yong, Tudan Kening made a decisive decision. Ignoring the hesitation of most people and the opposition of a few, he directly ordered the Zhongxiao Army to stay on the battlefield to cover the rear, while all other troops were to retreat.

Don't go back to Zhen Ding Prefecture, go straight back to Yan Jing, go as far as you can.

This battle is beyond fighting.

Wen Dunqi simply watched as the Jin cavalry on both flanks retreated rapidly, and the Han cavalry began to pursue them. He then felt somewhat bored. Amidst the growing shouts of battle on the battlefield, he took out the large envelope that Liu Yunggu had given him earlier from beside his saddle.

Previously, because he was worried that the letter was a letter from a family member urging him to surrender, Wen Dunqizhi did not dare to open it, fearing that it would affect the war.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Wen Dunqi tore open the envelope, poured out a thick stack of letters, and began to read them carefully amidst the chaos of the battlefield.

If a commander were to abandon commanding his troops on a normal battlefield, it would be tantamount to courting death. However, at this moment, the Loyal and Filial Army was in a completely defensive posture, and all the generals were veterans of the battlefield, so he didn't need to worry about fighting.

At the same time, Liu Huai stood under the banner of General He, folding his hands and complaining to He Boqiu: "I've been exhausted these past few days. This time I only brought the captured golden drums and banners. You will command this battle, and I will hold the line for you at the end."

He Boqiu was somewhat amused and exasperated, but could only nod in agreement: "Very well, please, young master, watch the battle from here."

After saying this, He Boqiu carefully examined the battlefield situation and slowly gave the order: "Order the Wucheng Army and the Chenzhou Army to go around the Jin bandits' Zhongxiao Army from both sides. Don't worry about what's behind them, follow the cavalry and pursue those fleeing Jin bandits."

"Send another order to the artillery battalions of all units: come quickly! This turtle shell is hard to break through, but I refuse to believe that cannons can't blast it apart!"

However, almost all of the lightest five-pound cannons had been taken to Huolu by Liu Huai. Now, only the heavier ten-pound and twenty-pound cannons were moving with He Boqiu's army, so their speed was extremely slow.

Liu Huai, who had just said he didn't want to rack his brains, immediately added, "Let the cavalry I brought also join the pursuit."

He Boqiu immediately nodded and pointed to Guan Chongyan: "Commander Guan, you will attack together with the White Horse Army and the Liao Cavalry Battalion. Do not stray from the range of the light cavalry support."

I have only one order: as long as Wanyan Yong is on the run, you must pursue him to the bitter end!

Guan Chongyan was greatly encouraged. He then led nearly 5,000 cavalrymen to bypass the Zhongxiao Army from both flanks, reorganized his troops, and pursued them northward.

Winston Kiji was momentarily captivated by the scene, but then merely shook his head slightly and continued reading the letter.

There was nothing that could be done. The Hebei Plain was so vast. The Loyal and Filial Army was arrayed in the road, which could only delay the enemy to some extent. How could they possibly block all the Han troops?

However, as long as it can delay and tie down a portion of the Han army, that will be enough.

After reading the letters written to him by his brothers and uncles, Wen Dunqizhi's hands trembled slightly as he turned to the last letter, which was also written by his own mother.

After reading it only once, Wen Dunqizhi was stunned on the spot.

To his surprise, the letter did not contain any words urging him to surrender to the King of Han. Instead, it advised him to follow his heart and do whatever he wished, whether he wanted to reunite with his family or be loyal to his lord, as long as he would not regret it for the rest of his life.

Your mother will always support you.

Just as Wen Dunqi was reciting the book several times and had almost memorized all the words, a general covered in blood rushed from the front lines.

"General! An hour has passed! Those who were supposed to retreat have already retreated! The Han army has also bypassed many of them! We have done our best and have done right by Emperor Taizu. Let's surrender!"

Wendun Qizhi looked up at the sun, then took the 'Wendun' banner from his guard: "That's exactly right. Take my banner and go to the King of Han to surrender."

Jin was overjoyed. After taking the banner, he held it upside down in his hand and was about to rush to the front of the battle.

However, after running only a few steps, he heard a cry of alarm behind him. Jin hurriedly turned around and saw Wen Dunqizhi covering his head and face with a large banner inscribed with the words "loyalty and filial piety," and then decisively plunging a wrist-splitting dagger into his throat.

Jin was dumbfounded, and for a moment he was flustered and speechless.

Although I knew long ago that loyalty to the country and filial piety were difficult to balance, I never imagined it would be this difficult.

At this moment, Jin wanted to turn back, preserve Wen Dunqi's body, and fight the Han army to the bitter end.

However, when he turned his head, he saw the panicked eyes of many soldiers. He realized that he couldn't let all these men die, so he could only grit his teeth, shed tears, and go to the front line to surrender.

With the collapse of the Jin army's last resistance, the road in front of the Han army finally became unobstructed.

The army pursued the fleeing enemy like a whirlwind, and the Jin generals and commanders could not control themselves. Their elite troops could not gain a foothold and the situation became completely uncontrollable.

The Battle of Huolu and Zhending, which determined the fate of Hebei and the Yan region, ultimately ended in a complete victory for the Han army.

(End of this chapter)