Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 108 Tears of a Heroic Man (3)

Grass!
Song Yan couldn't help but curse, and her face looked extremely ugly.

Even though Song Yan didn't have much experience in commanding battles, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rising in his chest.

To actually send infantry out of the city to fight cavalry in the open field? What genius issued such an order? This is practically sending your soldiers out to their deaths.

Throughout the history of ancient warfare, cavalry has always been a persistent nightmare for infantry, especially in open field battles. With their powerful impact and superior mobility, cavalry were the undisputed kings of the battlefield.

Infantry encountering cavalry are basically doomed to be slaughtered.

Of course, in order to counter cavalry, some special troop types did emerge, such as the spear formation.

When facing cavalry, the infantry would remain still while the enemy moved, forming a square formation and holding three-meter-long spears pointing diagonally upwards. When the cavalry charged, they would use their sharp spears to pierce the necks of the warhorses, turning the enemy from cavalry into infantry.

However, the spear formation cannot be said to be completely useless, but it is only said to be of limited use.

After all, warhorses can run at incredible speeds, and with the weight of the soldiers and horses themselves, even if someone is pierced in the neck and loses control, they will most likely be thrown into the spear formation due to inertia.

This impact was enough to scatter the spear formation, and often the spear formation would be broken up after a few rounds.

In the era of cold weapons, cavalry was virtually invincible until the Tang Dynasty saw the emergence of the Mo Dao, a weapon known for its ability to shatter both men and horses.

Lei Yi and the others were filled with resentment, their bloodshot eyes looking like they wanted to devour someone.

The outcome of sending infantry to fight cavalry in open field is predictable.

"General Dou argued his case with reason, but Qian Yaozu said that General Dou was cowardly in the face of battle, and even wanted to take General Dou out and behead him to boost morale. Helpless, General Dou could only lead eight thousand infantrymen to fight against the Jurchen cavalry."

This is the outcome of having civil officials command soldiers. It's not to say that there are absolutely no capable civil officials, such as Yu Qian and Wang Yangming. Even civil officials are excellent at commanding troops. However, such people are ultimately too few.

"Eight thousand people were scattered in just a few rounds."

"Seeing that the cavalry had already rushed to the city gate, Qian Yaozu panicked and ordered the city gate to be closed, attempting to defend the city to the death."

“It’s a pity that eight thousand brothers were trapped and died outside the city. Even General Dou died a heroic death in battle.”

Although he had long guessed that this would be the outcome, he still couldn't help but sigh when he heard Song Yan say it. The entire Ning Kingdom was utterly rotten.

"Then, the Jurchens began to attack the city. The brothers fought desperately to resist, and the entire city wall was stained red. When Qian Yaozu saw the enemy climbing the city wall, he panicked and shouted that he could not hold it, so he ordered a retreat to Pingyang Prefecture."

"But behind us are the people. If we retreat, the vast area from the border to Pingyang will be completely exposed to the Jurchen's iron hooves."

"Deputy General Liang Youde explained the situation to Qian Yaozu, hoping that they could defend the border while seeking help from Pingyang Prefecture. However, Qian Yaozu was terrified and insisted on fleeing. Helpless, General Liang disobeyed orders and led 6,000 soldiers to guard the city walls. He also arranged for 1,000 soldiers to notify the people in the city to evacuate as soon as possible to avoid being plundered by the Jurchens."

"The border troops' armor and weapons have not been replaced for many years, and they are all substandard. Long swords break at the slightest touch, and armor is easily pierced. Yet, despite this, General Liang still managed to hold out for three days."

"Although Qian Yaozu was furious, he had no choice but to lead his two thousand lackeys away from the border."

"I heard that this guy crossed a river during the retreat. Fearing that he would be punished when he returned, he planned to jump into the river to commit suicide. But when he was about to jump in, he tested the water temperature with his hand and found it too cold, so he decided not to die."

A black line appeared on Song Yan's forehead.
Is this the Ningguo version of "the water is too cold"?
Or is it possible that Qian Yaozu is Qian Qianyi's ancestor?
"Qian Yaozu is a useless commander, but he is a master at embezzling rations and shirking responsibility. Since he has decided to survive, he must wash away his stains. Therefore, he put all the blame for the defeat on General Dou and General Liang."

"The petition to the court stated that the two generals disobeyed orders, which led to the great defeat."

"As for the five of us, we were arranged by General Kong to escort the people to safety. We were also falsely accused by Qian Yaozu of being deserters. Qian Yaozu is currently searching for us in the Liaodong area, so we had no choice but to disguise ourselves as refugees."

As he spoke, Lei Yi took another big gulp of wine.

He was clearly a tough guy, but his eyes became a little moist, and his pupils were bloodshot.

“Then General Liang and the others…” Song Yan sighed, feeling somewhat depressed.

"The Jurchen general tried to persuade them to surrender, but General Liang refused. Of the six thousand defenders, including General Liang, none survived."

Fourteen thousand fine men! Ningguo is not without men of unyielding spirit, but what good is pride if they are ultimately killed by their own people?

After taking another sip of wine, perhaps due to excessive grief or because he hadn't drunk alcohol for a long time, Lei Yi seemed a little drunk: "My brothers and I are planning to travel all the way to Dongling."

"We want to appeal to the emperor."

"The two generals are already dead; they should not have to bear such a stigma any longer."

Song Yan let out a soft sigh. He couldn't bear to shatter these people's hopes, but he also had to make them face reality: "I'm afraid it's impossible."

“Since Qian Yaozu is preparing to shirk responsibility, he will naturally not allow what happened at the border to be spread. If my estimation is correct, there should be people arranged by Qian Yaozu at every pass and every necessary route to Dongling. Once you show yourselves, you will inevitably be intercepted and killed.”

"Moreover, even if you reach Dongling, you probably won't be able to see His Majesty."

"The first people you'll meet are ultimately the civil officials from Dongling. Do you think those civil officials will report these matters to the Emperor?"

The carriage fell silent once again.

Even though they already knew all this, hearing Song Yan say it so bluntly still made them feel like their hearts were bleeding. Tears rolled down their dirty faces, leaving streaks on their skin.

“Brother Lei…” After a long while, Song Yan spoke again: “You may not know, but in a few months I will be going to Xinhou County to take up my post as a minor county magistrate.”

"His Majesty has given me a little power, and I am able to raise some soldiers myself to defend against the Jurchens."

Lei Zhenghu and the others looked somewhat surprised.

Given Song Yan's ability to hold off Japanese pirates ten times his size with only a few hundred guards, it would be normal for him to be assigned to the border as a general.

But what kind of magistrate is this?

Only Lei Yi narrowed his eyes. "County magistrate, recruiting soldiers?"

Although it was only a county, it essentially held all military and political power, which was entirely in Song Yan's hands.

If this were in those chaotic times, apart from being a small place, it could be considered a separatist regime.

Song Yan's expression gradually became solemn: "I wonder what everyone..."

"Are you still able to lift a knife?"

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, two carriages were speeding along the path.

Inside the carriage was a group of scholars, none other than Linghu Rui and his entourage.

Perhaps because they were worried about being caught and retaliated against by Song Yan, who was known for being vindictive, Song Zhen, Song Yun, and Yang Miaoqing, who had bullied him before, were all dead. Although on the surface it seemed that they had nothing to do with Song Yan, some people guessed that Song Yan was probably behind it, so they didn't even dare to walk on the official road.

Although the official road is wide, the detour is much longer, while the narrow road, though bumpy, is closer to Songzhou Prefecture.

While hurrying towards Songzhou Prefecture, he secretly looked back through the carriage window and breathed a sigh of relief when he found that no one was chasing after him.

faster.

Once we return to Xilin Academy, we will be safe.

Even though Song Yan was arrogant, he would never dare to cause trouble at the academy.

Suddenly, a neigh was heard, the carriage stopped abruptly, and Linghu Rui's head slammed heavily against the carriage window.

With a large bump on his head, Linghu Rui rubbed it and cursed as he looked ahead, only to find dozens of figures had appeared in front of the car.

(End of this chapter)