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

Chapter 987 The Azure Rhinoceros Gallops Across Ten Thousand Armies (Part 1)
"...That's what Lao Zuo said?"

At the central command post, Shao Hongyuan was still stroking his long beard, but his eyes kept blinking, as if he didn't believe it.

Xiao Gao hurriedly replied, "That's exactly what I said, word for word."

Shao Hongyuan paused in stroking his beard, and after a moment, amidst the somewhat strange looks from his trusted guards, he slowly said, "Didn't Old Zuo say that it was my good-for-nothing son who caused the trouble?"

Xiao Gao was slightly taken aback, then immediately shook his head repeatedly: "It has nothing to do with Young Master Shao."

In order to deal with the cavalry of the Great Blue Rhinoceros, we had to deploy a large formation to meet the enemy, leaving no stone unturned from the Yellow River to the foot of the Lüliang Mountains.

However, the further northwest they marched, the narrower the official roads became, making it increasingly difficult for the army to advance side by side.

It's not just Shao Yanei's situation that's problematic; Commander Wei and General Zuo are also facing difficulties.

Shao Hongyuan nodded repeatedly: "So, the cavalry of that Great Blue Rhinoceros are indeed formidable?"

Xiao Gao said in a somewhat panicked manner, "They are extremely powerful. We have never seen such fierce armored cavalry before. They are no weaker than the Heza Meng'an of the Jin bandits back then."

Upon hearing this, Shao Hongyuan laughed out loud: "That's natural, otherwise how could the Jin invaders have brought about the downfall of the country?"

While Xiao Gao repeatedly agreed, he also felt a little strange.

With the military situation so urgent, what nonsense is Grand Commandant Shao spouting? Why isn't he worried at all?

As if he could read Xiao Gao's mind, Shao Hongyuan continued stroking his beard and said, "Tell Lao Zuo not to worry."

"This is terrain I specifically chose. If our army were to fight on flat ground, Xin Qiji might use his cavalry advantage to defeat them one by one."

However, our army is now in a place surrounded by mountains and rivers, and Xin Qiji's cavalry would never be able to get around it unless they grew wings.

There's only one path for both sides, friend and foe.

Shao Hongyuan pointed to the Yellow River, then to the Lüliang Mountains, and then pointed northwest along the official road: "With the solid formation of my 100,000-strong army, how can the mere thousand cavalry of the Great Blue Rhinoceros possibly break through? Are all of his cavalrymen reincarnations of Xiang Yu?"

"Go back and tell Lao Zuo to let him act recklessly. It's okay if he shows some weaknesses if necessary. I've already ordered Liu Si and Li Ziyuan's troops to prepare. Besides that, I'll be there to back him up!"

Xiao Gao's heart skipped a beat, followed by a chill.

What do you mean by "it's okay to show some flaws"?

Wasn't the plan to use the nearly 10,000 Song soldiers in the front as bait to lure Xin Qiji into attacking recklessly, so that the central army and rear guard could use their solid formation to strangle Xin Qiji in the middle of the formation?

This plan might be the best for the overall situation, but it's not so good for the decoy.

How many people will die from mutual destruction in the end?!

But this was a serious military order after all, and no matter how unwilling Xiao Gao was, he had no choice but to obey and return immediately.

Shao Hongyuan, however, remained confident and composed.

The young staff officer who had reported the terrain earlier looked around and, seeing that no one was speaking, remembered his duty and could only bite the bullet and say, "Grand Commandant, should we send a military envoy to inform Grand Commandant Li of the Rear Army?"

The veins on Shao Hongyuan's hands, which were gripping the reins, bulged, but his expression remained calm. He turned to look at the other man and said with a smile, "Why do you want to inform Grand Commandant Li?"

The young staff officer regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, but now he could only continue to give a perfunctory reply: "I think that since the whole army is one, there is no reason not to let the rear guard make preparations."

The Grand Commandant's divine might would naturally allow him to easily slay Xin Qiji, but if the rear army were caught off guard and thrown into chaos, it would ultimately be undesirable.

Shao Hongyuan nodded repeatedly, looked the young staff officer up and down, and praised him again: "You're really good. What's your name?"

"My name is Liang Zhong."

"Would you like to seek a future under my command?"

"Grand Commandant, you jest. Aren't I currently serving under your command?"

"Hahaha, but my command tent isn't so easy to enter." Shao Hongyuan laughed heartily, then his expression turned serious, and he pointed behind him with his riding whip: "Don't bother two masters with one matter. Since you're worried about the rear army, go tell Grand Commandant Li and let him act according to the circumstances."

Once things are settled, you'll have a bright future ahead of you.

Liang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, acknowledged the order, and immediately rode away at full speed, unaware of Shao Hongyuan's chilling gaze behind him.

Two quarters of an hour later, Liang Chong met Li Xianzong in the rear army. After explaining his purpose, Li Xianzong waved his hand and said, "I know. You don't need to go back. Just stay by my side and serve me."

Seeing Liang Zhong hesitate, Li Xianzong cut to the chase: "You've already offended Grand Commandant Shao, understand? Going back means certain death."

Liang Zhong was shocked. Li Xianzong, however, continued to speak: "You shouldn't have mentioned me in front of him and spoke up for me. Even if you were thinking of the army, Grand Commandant Shao will not let you off the hook."

Liang Zhong's expression changed several times before he finally sighed and said, "I did this for the sake of the country. Why should I end up like this? Grand Commandant Li, with the army's commanders-in-chief and deputy commanders in such a state, even if we capture Pengcheng, will it really have a good outcome?"

Li Xianzong scoffed, "You still expect to capture Pengcheng? Let's get through this battle first!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Zhong panicked: "Grand Commandant Li, I believe there is no problem with Grand Commandant Shao's plan."

The central army has nearly 20,000 troops, including elite generals like Li Ziyuan and Liu Si. Even if there are setbacks at the front, how could they possibly shake the central army?

Li Xianzong nodded slightly and earnestly said, "This is the key point. Although Grand Commandant Shao's plan was ruthless, his principle of loving his soldiers like his own children and using them like mud is not a major problem."

The key lies in the fact that the premise of being able to crush Xin Qiji was that the central army remained as immovable as a mountain, and could withstand the impact of the fleeing troops and the Flying Tiger cavalry.

"And now, the biggest weakness of the central army is none other than Grand Commandant Shao Hongyuan!"

Liang Zhong suddenly realized, but then he was horrified. He was speechless for a long time before covering his face and bursting into tears: "Grand Commandant Li, I was inspired by Lord Yu's Battle of Caishi to abandon my pen and join the army. Why is it that after so many years, the Song Dynasty is still in this state?"

Liang Zhong did not lower his voice, and upon hearing this, not only Hou Gaolang, but also many of his personal guards turned around to look.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Xianzong did not punish Liang Zhong on the spot, but simply turned his head away and remained silent.

Hou Gaolang and the other officers immediately panicked.

However, Li Xianzong was not a weak man after all. After a moment of panic, he gritted his teeth and ordered: "Shao Hongyuan deserved to die, but so many fine young men from Lianghuai should not be wasted here!"

Hou Gaolang, with my banner in hand, the entire army advances! We'll hold the rear of the central army!

Hou Gaolang initially thought that Li Xianzong had finally made up his mind to surrender to the Han army. But upon hearing the end, his heart immediately turned cold.

He was about to offer his advice in public when he inexplicably remembered the words of his friend Li Ziyuan, who spoke of being loyal to his duty. He could only sigh slightly and say, "Understood!"

Soon, the rear army of over ten thousand troops abandoned all auxiliary soldiers and marched forward in formation, advancing at the fastest speed.

Although the Song army had stretched for nearly ten miles through this narrow passage, the commotion caused by the rear army's military operations quickly spread from the central army to the front lines.

Specifically, this manifested in the fact that the more than 10,000 troops at the front appeared even more aggressive.

Meanwhile, because the battlefield gradually narrows from southeast to northwest, the Song army's front-line formation was crooked and twisted by the terrain.

In this situation, a small portion of the Song army would naturally break away from the main formation and swarm forward.

Their objective was naturally to pursue the retreating Flying Tigers, but when they realized they couldn't catch up, it was perfectly reasonable for them to bend down and pick up the valuables on the ground.

This naturally led to the disarray of the Song army's formation, but as the Han army repeatedly showed weakness, the Song army gradually became bolder.

It wasn't that no clever people realized this was a Han army tactic to lure the enemy, waiting for the Song army's formation to collapse so they could launch a bloody counterattack.

However, most people harbor a sense of wishful thinking.

Who said the Flying Tiger Armored Cavalry would definitely attack me while I was picking up valuables?
I only need to pick up two silver coins to buy enough food for my family for another six months. It's clear which is more important.

Besides, even if I don't pick it up, does that mean others won't?

The general's personal guards are also lining their own pockets! Once the good stuff is in their hands, do you think they'll give it back?
The two thousand Song soldiers marching along the Yellow River were the most frustrated, because their commander, Shao Shixiong, was a parachuted-in son of a high-ranking official. The original generals had gone into retirement with Dai Gao, so the personal guards that Shao Shixiong brought were not the same as the ordinary soldiers.

The two sides had no past favors and no recent dealings, so how could ordinary soldiers possibly believe Shao Shixiong's words about unified searching and distribution?
Therefore, the left wing of the Song army was in the most disarray.

Seeing this, Chen Wenben said to Xin Qiji, "Fifth Brother, is this the opportunity you've been waiting for?"

Xin Qiji had already fought several battles, and the white tassel on his long spear had been stained red. When the north wind blew, it swayed back and forth on the spearhead, as if a bloody human head was hanging there.

He merely glanced at it coldly and immediately shook his head: "No, the terrain there is a bit off. It's not a dam, but a mudflat. Our army only has armored cavalry as an advantage. If we can't advance and retreat quickly, the losses will be greater, and this battle will be impossible."

"It's not just the left wing, but the right wing of the Song army is the same. There are too many bushes on the hills there. If the cavalry crosses them, they are likely to be delayed and get bitten by the Song army."

Chen Wenben's lips twitched a few times: "Fifth Brother, do you mean these two sides are bait? I saw a banner with the character 'Shao' flying by the Yellow River, it seems to be Shao Hongyuan's nephews, does this guy really have such a ruthless heart?"

Xin Qiji stroked his short beard and shook his head again: "That's not the case. Rather, the 10,000 troops at the front of the Song army can be considered bait. Otherwise, why wouldn't someone like Li Xianzong come to the front personally to stabilize morale? Even if he and Shao Hongyuan are at odds, he couldn't possibly remain unmoved."

Chen Wenben asked hesitantly, "Should we still fight?"

Xin Qiji immediately laughed out loud: "As the saying goes, everything depends on human effort. If the Song army thinks they can withstand my desperate attack, then let them try!"

(End of this chapter)