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

Chapter 969 The Grasslands of Baierguan are Not Overgrown

"General, we can't retreat any further! The army is right behind us; they'll trample each other!"

Amidst his busy schedule, Liang Yuanfu turned around and saw a massive crowd of Dangxiang cavalry. He was shocked and exclaimed, "Why are there so many people? Didn't you send a military envoy to inform His Majesty that the road is difficult to travel?"

The deputy general was also somewhat embarrassed: "Of course I did tell them, but the military envoy came to report that His Majesty has ordered that we can only advance and not retreat!"

Liang Yuanfu turned his head with difficulty, looked at the Song cavalry, and couldn't help but sigh: "These Song cavalry are really powerful. How could I be so stupid as to not think of bringing Iron Falcons with me?!"

Apart from the light cavalry of the Han army, most light cavalry of this era were only useful for harassment and reconnaissance, and did not have the ability to charge into enemy lines.

The Tanguts were in the same boat; when faced with the charge of the Song cavalry led by Cao Dache, they were utterly powerless to resist.

If it weren't for the large number of Jin infantry behind the Tangut light cavalry, and the muddy ground also limiting the mobility of the Song armored cavalry, Cao Dache might have dared to try and rout the Jin army like a curtain of pearls.

Given the current situation, Liang Yuanfu is the one who is suffering the most.

This terrain, with its single road, was a death trap for light cavalry, offering no space for them to maneuver or circumvent. Liang Yuanfu could only lead his light cavalry in a retreat, attempting to use arrows to counter Cao Dache's charge.

But now they couldn't even retreat. Behind them were Jin infantrymen. If a large-scale trampling occurred, Liang Yuanfu wouldn't have enough heads to chop off even if he had ten.

"What the hell is going on? Not only is the Song emperor dead, but Zhao Gou has already ordered a withdrawal and is going to negotiate peace with the Jin. Why are the Song cavalry still so willing to fight?"

Liang Yuanfu burst into a tirade, as if he realized something was amiss.

The lieutenant said anxiously, "General! His Majesty is right behind us overseeing the battle, and the Jurchen tribal warriors are also holding the line. We have nowhere to retreat or avoid; we have no choice but to go and fight!"

"Is it that I don't want to push forward?! The Song traitors are armored cavalry, while we are all light cavalry! If I had two hundred Iron Falcons, I would have charged in right now, but what can I do now?! What do you suggest we do?!"

Faced with Liang Yuanfu's sudden loss of composure, the deputy general also became somewhat anxious and blurted out everything he had just been thinking.

"General, the Song bandits only have a few hundred cavalry. With so many of us, we must break through no matter what." The deputy general gritted his teeth and said, "I will lead my dozen or so close brothers, all of whom are skilled in battle. They will break through at the forefront, and the general will lead all the troops to charge forward. As long as we can make the Song bandits' armored cavalry retreat, the matter will be settled!"

Liang Yuanfu hesitated for a moment, then looked back at the Jin infantry who had begun to deploy.

Knowing what Liang Yuanfu was thinking, the deputy general bluntly said, "General, don't think about the Jurchens or the Han people. His Majesty has entrusted us with this important task. If we are deterred by just a few hundred Song cavalrymen, how will we, the Tanguts, establish ourselves in the Great Jin?!"

Liang Yuanfu still hesitated: "If we lose, the fleeing army will charge into the formation..."

The lieutenant, however, became even more aggressive: "Sir! Do you think retreating now is any better than being defeated?! It's all the same!"

Liang Yuanfu finally nodded emphatically: "Ahua, what you said makes sense! It wasn't easy for Wodao Chong to win this power for us Tanguts, and we warriors can't lose face! You go first, I'll support you from behind!"

The two Tangut nobles were quite impassioned for a moment.

They were just flirting with a blind man.

Just as Liang Yuanfu ordered his troops to put down their bows and arrows and pick up their swords and spears, preparing to use their unfamiliar charge tactics, they suddenly heard a horn sound.

He immediately turned around and saw that the group of exceptionally fierce Song cavalry seemed to have heard a signal, and immediately changed from rear to front, retreating.

Liang Yuanfu was both surprised and delighted, but in the next instant, he became extremely panicked.

It was certainly a good thing that the Song army's rearguard troops retreated, but didn't that mean that the main force of the Song army had already escaped?

Does this count as violating military orders?
Liang Yuanfu immediately shouted, "Ahua! Don't delay, chase after them immediately!"

Ahua dared not hesitate any longer and led several hundred light cavalry westward in pursuit.

As if receiving some kind of signal, the Jin army following behind the Tanguts also surged forward. The order that was originally quite good finally became somewhat chaotic after several cycles of road blockage and smooth flow.

Lu You stood on a hill at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, coldly watching this scene.

Zhang Zhen, standing beside him, looked surprised and exclaimed, "It's really as Lord Lu said, the Jin bandits are indeed in chaos. Lord Lu is truly as resourceful as Zhuge Liang."

Even with the current tense situation, Lu You still scoffed upon hearing this: "I am neither able to assist the emperor above nor suppress the ministers below. Even if I were to launch a northern expedition and come to this place called Wuzhang Plain, how could I possibly compare to Zhuge Liang?"

Zhang Zhen, however, seemed quite convinced: "Lord Lu, please don't be modest."

Lu You shook his head again: "It's not self-deprecation, nor is it related to divine wisdom. It's just that after figuring out the accounts of all parties, one can naturally understand the situation and be reasonable."

"Uh, is this military strategy?" "No, this is the study of natural phenomena."

Lu You said calmly, "We must be realistic, make bold assumptions, carefully verify them, and ultimately investigate things to gain knowledge."

"Uh...this humble general doesn't understand..."

"If you don't understand, you don't understand." Facing his trusted general, Lu You had no intention of keeping anything to himself: "When I scouted the camp that day, I discovered that the three Jin troops were not working together seamlessly, but rather each had their own ulterior motives, making them a veritable coalition."

Since it's a coalition, it's impossible for them not to seek war. The longer it drags on, the more chaotic people's hearts will become; this is the reason why coalitions have historically failed to achieve anything significant.

On the other hand, Wanyan Liang was, after all, the emperor of the Jin army. As long as he could defeat our army and achieve a great victory, his prestige would be enough to unite the Jin army and completely consolidate its rule in Guanzhong.

Therefore, it wasn't just us who were anxious; the Jin invaders were anxious too.

As Lu You watched more and more Jin troops enter the narrow passage between the Wei River and the Qinling Mountains, he pointed to a group that was clearly somewhat scattered and said, "As the saying goes, haste makes waste. If you are in a hurry, you will make mistakes."

The Jin army also had veteran generals, so they would naturally be on guard. But I told the Jin traitors two things:
First, something happened in the Song Dynasty; second, I had to withdraw my troops in the face of battle. I made far more mistakes than the Jin invaders, which is why they risked a major taboo in the army to pursue and kill my troops.

Zhang Zhen still hesitated: "Would the Jin bandits really believe that?"

Lu You smiled bitterly: "The movements in the court cannot be kept secret. The Jin invaders can easily find out from Nanyang, and our army has indeed turned back in the face of battle. How could the Jin invaders not believe us?"

"In fact, I was walking on thin ice. I only managed to find a two or three-day time difference. If the Jin invaders don't take the bait, then our army can only retreat to Dasanguan and watch as Guanzhong falls out of the country."

At this point, Lu You seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, the Jin invaders have finally entered the ambush. Chief Steward Zhang, the future of Guanzhong, Sichuan, and even the entire Song Dynasty rests on your shoulders. I am not skilled in military affairs, so I can only sit here and drink, waiting for the army to return victorious."

Zhang Zhen ignored Lu You's claim that he was not skilled in martial arts and bowed respectfully, saying, "Lord Lu has already planned this matter to such an extent. If I still cannot win, there is no need for military law to behead me. I will simply jump into the Wei River to atone for my sins!"

Lu You nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face: "In that case, let us, the loyal subjects of the Great Song Dynasty, fight to the death for our country!"

Lu You's words were gentle, and were quickly swallowed up by the winter wind, yet they seemed to transform into sharp blades that rang out in the wind, as if there were sounds of war and battle.

A few miles to the west, in a mountain valley in the Qinling Mountains, Wu Ting, standing on a high place, seemed to hear Lu You's words and looked up to the east.

After searching for a while without finding a signal, Wu Ting was somewhat disappointed. He then drew his steel knife and took out his whetstone to sharpen it again.

The blade was already extremely sharp, but Wu Ting was still not satisfied. He kept sharpening it, and the more he sharpened it, the more force he used, until sparks flew everywhere.

Seeing this, his personal guards also became extremely cautious and each prepared their own equipment.

Lieutenant Peng Qing rushed over with his sword, and upon seeing the situation, immediately shook his head: "Fifth Brother, that's not how you sharpen a knife. The blade will soften in a moment."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ting seemed to only then realize what was happening. He held the gleaming blade in front of his eyes for a long while before saying, "Old Peng, do you know what I was thinking just now?"

Peng Qing answered without hesitation, "Of course I'm thinking of the old military governor."

Wu Ting nodded, then, still looking at the knife in his hand, said, "I am thinking of my father, but I am also thinking of my uncle, and even more so of Liu Ziyu, the Master Liu."

Peng Qing was puzzled: "It is normal for Wu Lang to think of Grand Chancellor Wu and Governor Wu, but why would he also think of Chancellor Liu? I remember that Wu Lang and Chancellor Liu have no relationship."

Wu Ting sighed: "Looking at what Prime Minister Lu has been doing these days, I feel that with the system of the Great Song Dynasty, it is really impossible to achieve great things without the leadership of scholar-officials. At critical moments, we military men can only obey the orders of the court. If we dare to refuse, it is considered to have a disloyal heart, which is tantamount to rebellion. But when scholar-officials like Prime Minister Lu take the lead, even if they disobey orders, they are still working together to overcome difficulties and adapt to changing circumstances."

You tell me, if Lord Lu had been in Shu that day, wouldn't he have directly rejected the order to withdraw the troops? My father... and many of my brothers, wouldn't they have been spared from death?

Peng Qing suddenly realized, and could only sigh in resignation.

The two fell silent for a moment, then Peng Qing changed the subject: "I can't see Wanyan Liang's imperial banners..."

"It's alright..." Wu Ting had just finished speaking when he saw fireworks rising in the east, blooming into brilliant flowers in the sky.

A sinister smile crept across his face: "Let's swallow the thief's outstretched hand now, and chop off Wanyan Liang's dog head another day!"

"Beat the drums! March!"

The Song army, which had been waiting in the mountain valley, responded with a roar, their killing intent soaring into the sky.

(End of this chapter)