I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 150 Zhao Zicheng: You fire first, I can kill you first too.
Zhao Zicheng's nonchalant words and attitude truly enraged Wanyan Zongwang.

The Jin state had tried to negotiate with the Song people before. The Song people had even sent a so-called prince as a symbolic gesture, but the Jin state believed that he was not a real prince and that even if he was taken hostage, he would not have any deterrent effect. So they simply sent him away and asked Zhao Huan to replace him with someone of sufficient stature.

Unexpectedly, what they got in return was even less impactful, like a dead pig that doesn't care about boiling water, its worthless life having no deterrent effect whatsoever.

Of course, the Jin people had also done some intelligence work. In addition, Zhao Zicheng had negotiated with the Jin people three years ago. The Jin people knew his toughness and that he had fought several battles in Jiangnan, the south of the Song Dynasty, and quelled some rebels in Jiangnan.

However, given the Jin dynasty's military strength, it wouldn't have led them to overestimate Zhao Zicheng or consider him particularly powerful or a significant threat. In the Jin people's eyes, what did it matter if they could defeat the rebels in Jiangnan? Tong Guan's Western Army could also defeat the Jiangnan rebels, but when faced with the mighty Jin warriors, weren't they utterly routed?
In Wanyan Zongwang's eyes, Zhao Zicheng was at most "the most powerful and capable member of the Song imperial family," but not enough to pose a threat to the Jin state.

"Is your emperor making a fool of my Great Jin? He actually sent you to make up the numbers. I don't care if you're a prince or not, immediately send someone whose life is precious enough that Zhao Huan wouldn't dare to part with it! Otherwise, there's no point in talking! You Song people have no sincerity. If you want war, then keep fighting!"

Zhao Zicheng had a nonchalant expression on his face: "If you want to talk, talk to me. The Great Song will not send anyone else. I am both a prince and the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, so my position is legitimate."

Your western army is still bogged down beneath the fortified walls of Taiyuan, unable to advance an inch. My loyalist army is growing ever larger. Although the people of our Great Song Dynasty will suffer during this spring famine, you will not be able to solve your food and sustenance problems by plundering!
We Han people are people of principle. Even if it means exchanging children for food or splitting bones for fuel, we will fight you to the bitter end. There are hundreds of millions of Han people in the world, while you Jurchens, including the elderly, women, and children, number less than a million. Even if all the Han people around Bianjing die, and your entire army perishes here, we Han people will never surrender!

But as long as you recognize the situation and withdraw your troops, the previous misunderstandings can still be discussed, but ceding territory is absolutely out of the question! You keep saying that my Great Song broke the alliance first, but in reality, it's just a pretext to frame me.

Before Wanyan Aguda died, why did you accept money and withdraw your troops in exchange for Yanjing? Didn't you know that? Wasn't it because you were afraid of instability during the transition of power and internal conflicts, so you wanted to extort money from us first? The fabricated accounts you spread to the outside world don't even match your own "Veritable Records." Weren't you deliberately trying to conceal the fact that you knew Aguda was going to die before you withdrew your troops? You never intended to keep your promise in the long run!

Last year, the Liao Dynasty was just destroyed, and during the autumn harvest, you sent your troops south. Your so-called treaty was nothing more than a way for you to defeat the Liao Dynasty one by one, and to avoid facing two enemies, the Song and Liao, simultaneously before the Liao Dynasty was completely destroyed! Such despicable and shameless behavior still has the audacity to accuse my Great Song of breaking the alliance! This truth is now known to everyone in my Great Song. You should no longer fantasize that your words can mislead the Han people and make them mistakenly believe that my Great Song was at fault first!
"Only the virtuous should rule the world; otherwise, even a military force as powerful as the Qin cannot escape being overthrown and destroyed by the clamor of the people! If you wish to reverse the impression of your treachery and fabricated charges in the hearts of the people, you have no choice but to immediately negotiate peace and withdraw your troops. Otherwise, all the hundreds of millions of Han people in the world know that those who destroy a country are the ones who devise schemes for its downfall, and that every citizen bears responsibility for the destruction of the world!"

Zhao Zicheng's words were forceful and eloquent, and the Jin people certainly wouldn't let him finish speaking. So, when he was only halfway through, Wanyan Zongwang's generals were already enraged. A group of them shouted and yelled at Zhao Zicheng, trying to outdo each other in shouting, but Zhao Zicheng remained unmoved, as if these people didn't exist.

When he finished speaking, the Jurchen generals, enraged at being completely ignored, began to draw their swords and spears, brandishing them in front of Zhao Zicheng or trying to put their knives to his neck.

Several swords were not aimed at his head or neck, but at his torso, with some blades even touching his chest and abdomen, tentatively poking him.

However, Zhao Zicheng was wearing a feathered armor underneath and knew that the Jurchen swords and blades could not harm him. He was not afraid of other cold weapons unless they were spears made of high-quality steel that had been repeatedly forged.

Therefore, Zhao Zicheng remained calm throughout, and despite being attacked by dozens of swords, he maintained his tone and pace, speaking with an air of righteous indignation, and refuted the Jin people completely.

Without Wanyan Zongwang's order, the Jurchens never dared to actually cut off his hand.

Wanyan Zongwang listened to Zhao Zicheng's explanation with a gloomy expression before waving his hand to signal everyone to step back.

“You are even more fearless than Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou only stayed in the camp for a short time and was still able to eat and sleep well. You, on the other hand, remained calm even when faced with swords and axes. You are, after all, an old rival who has been fighting my Great Jin for three years.”

Before you came, I heard from your spies in the court that Zhao Huan wanted to find someone to provoke our Great Jin, so that the Jin would kill the envoy, frame the Jin, and incite all Han people to unite against the Jin. I was somewhat skeptical at first, but now it seems you're shamelessly courting death?

By the time he finished speaking, Wanyan Zongwang's tone had become extremely cold and menacing. At the same time, his words also served to emphasize that he had many informants within the Song court, subtly implying that Zhao Zicheng might be betrayed without even realizing it—a form of psychological warfare, in itself.

Zhao Zicheng merely smiled slightly and said, "It's not a matter of seeking death. How could an envoy of the Great Song Dynasty seek death? I am naturally aiming to conclude the negotiations and avoid further bloodshed and killing. However, if I were to die, the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty promised me before I came that my two-year-old son would inherit the title of Prince Xiu, a hereditary title."

In my Great Song Dynasty, the title of prince is extremely precious. Even the emperor's own brothers and the other sons of the late emperor could only inherit the title of prince for one generation, after which it would be downgraded with each subsequent generation. That the title of Prince Xiu could be hereditary without any further decline is truly an act of imperial grace.

Zhao Zicheng deliberately made this clear to tell Wanyan Zongwang that if he didn't kill him today, there would be no way to replace the envoy; the Song Dynasty was that tough. Even if the Song Dynasty wasn't originally that tough, forcing the Jin people into a fit of rage and killing the envoy would put the Jin people in a more disadvantageous position and make the Han people of the world more united.

This situation is actually somewhat similar to Li Hongzhang being shot by the Japanese before signing the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Even with the gunshot wound, Li Hongzhang was able to force the Japanese to pay tens of millions of taels of silver less in reparations.

Of course, Zhao Zicheng was not really going to his death. He was confident that he could survive. He was just putting maximum pressure on the Jin people to let them know that the Song Dynasty was relentless and would never give up. He made the Jin people mistakenly believe that his life was worthless and that he was really willing to gamble so much.

In all these years, Wanyan Zongwang had never been so humiliated. Even though he was known as the "Bodhisattva Prince" and was extremely composed, he couldn't help but retort with a chilling smile:
"So, doesn't my Great Jin still have the opportunity to force your Song state to send a new envoy? As long as my Great Jin is willing to bear the infamy of killing the envoy, completely abandon all shame, and only talk about military might, Zhao Huan will still send someone after you die. Using my Great Jin's face to exchange for your dog's life, my Great Jin might not be so reluctant—I am a barbarian!"

Upon hearing Wanyan Zongwang's aggressive words, the Jin generals in the tent became eager to try again, and one by one they drew their weapons to threaten Zhao Zicheng.

Zhao Zicheng remained calm and composed: "Second Prince seems to have overlooked something. To make you Jurchens regarded as rude barbarians by the world, it doesn't necessarily require sacrificing my life. As long as you really draw your swords first and injure someone, the whole world will naturally know that the truth lies with you Jurchens, and that you betrayed your promise first."

"It's only natural for me to retaliate in self-defense then. Even if you strike first, I'm confident I can kill you first. Try me if you don't believe me."

"Insolence!" Even with his deep composure, Wanyan Zongwang was utterly enraged upon hearing such arrogant words.

However, he still wanted to humiliate the other party first, forcing him to submit, rather than killing him silently—killing someone directly would have no deterrent effect on the Song Dynasty, but would only leave a bad reputation, which would be a complete loss. Even if he had to kill, he wanted to maximize the benefit of Zhao Zicheng's life.

So, before he could finish speaking, Wanyan Zongwang simply roared with a ferocious expression, "Sever his tendons in his hands and feet! If that doesn't work, cut off his limbs and turn him into a human pig! Let's see if he's still so arrogant!"

Upon hearing this, more than a dozen Jin generals and axemen rushed towards Zhao Zicheng.

These people were at varying distances; some were only a step or two away from him, and could even attack Zhao Zicheng simply by raising their arms and thrusting out their weapons.

Those in the back row had to jog a few steps or even a dozen steps to get in front of Zhao Zicheng before they could attack.

Regardless of distance, everyone used knives and spears, at most maces or axes, but no one used ranged weapons such as bows and arrows.

There were too many people inside the command tent, and the terrain was cramped. There was only one Song person, Zhao Zicheng, and the rest were Jin people. It would be easy to accidentally injure one's own people with bows and crossbows.

But Zhao Zicheng had fewer concerns. The moment he realized the Jurchens were truly about to stab and injure him, he acted with lightning speed, instantly drawing his sword—as an envoy and a prince, he had the right to enter the commander's tent to negotiate while carrying a sword.

The sword was merely a ceremonial object. The Jurchens were martial, and they wouldn't do something as shameful as forcibly demanding the removal of a sword, yet now they're using it.

Zhao Zicheng has devoted a considerable amount of energy to practicing martial arts over the past three years. His parents-in-law have given him special guidance for three years, and he has also sparred with Yue Fei. Recently, he even had a chance to test his swordsmanship with the newly arrived Dugu Jian.

It's fair to say that Zhao Zicheng's martial arts skills are among the top five in the world. Even if not the top five, he'd definitely be in the top ten. Moreover, he has so much equipment to back him up.

The Jurchens, however, had always lived in remote and isolated places, and were ignorant of his power.

Zhao Zicheng suddenly drew his sword, circling around in the blink of an eye, easily catching the two Jin spears and three swords that were thrusting at him first. Then, with a smooth drag and pull, he neutralized all the first wave of attacks aimed at him, and even deflected the Jin attacks with great force, turning them into friendly fire.

The sounds of swords and spears piercing flesh were incessant, and two Jin warriors were seriously injured after being stabbed by their own comrades.

The first wave of attacks aimed at Zhao Zicheng was thus unexpectedly neutralized in one move.

The tent was filled with golden figures. Except for a few who were drawing their weapons and stabbing at Zhao Zicheng, they didn't have time to think and were still fighting fiercely.

However, the other generals who had not yet taken action, including Wanyan Zongwang himself, were momentarily stunned and unable to understand what had happened.

This is not their fault; such a sudden change is simply too unbelievable. Even if they had heard that Zhao Zicheng had once fought against Fang La, which Jurchen from the harsh northern lands could have imagined that Zhao Zicheng's martial arts skills would be so high?

Zhao Zicheng, of course, would not waste the brief opportunity when the enemy was stunned and shocked. After repelling the enemy's first round of assassination attempts, he immediately used his unarmed hand to pull out the forged steel drilled tube revolver from the boot of his iron-soled combat boot. The revolver was already pre-loaded with several paper bullets.

This pistol could not be reloaded on the battlefield; it was too much trouble. After emptying all the magazines, it was basically useless for the time being and could only be reloaded slowly after the battle when it returned to the rear.

However, at this moment, in the command tent of the army advancing on the eastern route, a few bullets were enough.

Without a second thought, Zhao Zicheng raised his gun at Wanyan Zongwang, whom he had already observed very carefully, and fired three shots in quick succession without even taking a precise aim.

This primitive flintlock revolver required the other hand to manually charge the hammer and manually assist in rotating the magazine. The automation and precision of the mechanism were not yet sufficient, so Zhao Zicheng fired it with both hands, much like a cowboy in a Western movie.

In the instant before firing, he even hurled his sword into the air, severing the arm of an attacking Jurchen warrior in the process. By the time the sword landed again, Zhao Zicheng had already fired three shots.

Wanyan Zongwang had no idea what the other side was holding; he'd never seen it before. But his battle-hardened instincts, honed through countless battles, made him instinctively tilt his head as he faced unknown danger. A shotgun shell grazed his head and struck the tent behind him, leaving over a dozen holes in the tattered fabric. However, Wanyan Zongwang's ear was also blown off by lead fragments, and a significant amount of hair and scalp was shaved off from one side of his temple, leaving him bleeding profusely.

The other bullet was caught by a guard who had instinctively rushed to protect Wanyan Zongwang after Zhao Zicheng made his move. The guard was blasted so badly that his chest and abdomen were mangled and he died on the spot.

Even so, a third bullet, some of which consisted of shrapnel and lead fragments, still managed to penetrate Wanyan Zongwang's body. Although he was wearing armor, which could block a significant portion of the smaller shrapnel, several still managed to pierce his neck, cheek, and shoulder.

Wanyan Zongwang let out a miserable howl and fell backward.

The remaining Jin warriors, witnessing this sudden turn of events, also turned bloodshot, charging fiercely towards Zhao Zicheng with frenzied shouts. They unleashed a barrage of attacks with swords, spears, axes, hammers, and maces. Unfortunately, Wanyan Zongwang was still a dozen or twenty paces away from Zhao Zicheng, making it impossible to close the distance and seize him. During the negotiations, the two sides hadn't been face-to-face; they had been quite far apart, given the sheer size of the central command tent.

Moreover, if hostages are taken, the situation changes. The Jurchens are ruthless and merciless, and they might disregard Wanyan Zongwang's life and insist on keeping Zhao Zicheng as well, which would backfire.

However, given the medical conditions of that era, it would have been impossible for the Jin dynasty's medical officers to thoroughly clean a wound containing tiny fragments of lead.

Given his injuries today, even if Wanyan Zongwang doesn't die immediately, he will definitely die from lead poisoning, infection, or other causes within ten days to half a month, or at most a month. Therefore, it's not worth taking any more risks to kill him immediately.

After severely wounding Wanyan Zongwang, Zhao Zicheng could only throw out a handful of lime he had hidden beforehand from his other sleeve. Taking advantage of the fact that the nearest Jurchen was temporarily blinded, he swiftly killed several of the most threatening enemies with his sword and rushed out of the central command tent.

All of this happened very quickly. The Jin army outside was unaware of what had happened in the central command tent. More than ten breaths passed after Zhao Zicheng rushed out before the Jin army camp began to beat drums and sound horns, the sound of which spread outwards layer by layer.

Taking advantage of the few breaths that followed, Zhao Zicheng sprinted and broke through the encirclement, having already fought his way out of the innermost gate of the command tent area and reunited with Yue Fei and Dugu Jian.

Yue Fei and Dugu Jian were very perceptive. They didn't wait for the Jin people's war drums and horns to sound; they only heard gunshots coming from the central command tent. Yue Fei knew that his lord's negotiations with the Jin people had broken down and war had broken out.

Dugu Jian had only been there a short time and had not received any training in using a pistol. He was not carrying a gun today, but Yue Fei had received training and was quite skilled with a gun.

He had also concealed a pistol in each of his boots, a pistol he had previously kept in a hidden compartment in the sole. Hearing the gunshots from inside the command tent, he raised his hand and fired two shots, killing the two Jin warriors guarding the tent where he and Dugu Jian were temporarily resting. Then he drew his sword and charged out, immediately retrieving the double-hooked iron spear that had been placed on the weapons pile outside.

When they entered the camp, the Jurchens confiscated their long weapons, allowing them to carry only ceremonial swords. However, Yue Fei had already killed the guards with a pistol, so he easily seized the spears and horses before the others could react.

When Zhao Zicheng broke through the first camp gate, Yue Fei was already waiting with a horse. It wasn't a horse Zhao Zicheng had brought; it was just whatever he could grab in the chaos, enough to get by and save his life.

"Your Highness, mount your horse quickly! We swear to protect Your Highness and help you break through the encirclement!" Yue Fei saw Zhao Zicheng mount his horse and immediately brandished his double-hooked spear, charging ahead. He also tossed another identical weapon, which he had just seized, to Zhao Zicheng, who caught it mid-air and gained even more confidence.

Killing enemies on horseback with a sword is ultimately not efficient; a spear is still necessary.

In an instant, two iron double-hooked spears and a double-edged heavy sword with a blade length of five and a half feet and a total length of seven feet including the hilt clashed wildly and fiercely within the Jin camp.

Yue Fei led the charge, clearing the way, while Zhao Zicheng positioned himself in the middle, occasionally fending off enemies who tried to intercept him from the left and right.

Dugu Jian, wielding a heavy greatsword, brought up the rear. In cavalry warfare, the rearguard position is unsuitable for long spears, as their power is maximized by leveraging the momentum of the charging horse.

On the contrary, the sweeping two-handed greatsword, without needing to rely on the momentum of the warhorse, is enough to sweep away any enemy's block by the sheer mass and inertia of the twenty or thirty Song jin greatsword itself.

Even if the Jurchen Iron Pagoda soldiers were wearing double steel armor to pursue them, or if they were wearing two sets of infantry armor captured from the Song army, or even two sets of Western Xia Qing Tang armor, they would be completely defenseless against the fierce sweep of the twenty-odd Han-jin forged steel giant sword.

A heavy sword has no edge, and great skill appears effortless; even if the Ironclad Pagoda blocks it, it will die.

Yue Fei, who was at the forefront, relied on an incomparably sharp and exquisitely simple double-hooked spear made of wrought iron, and his attacks and retreats were as swift as the wind.

His entire body swayed like dancing pear blossoms, fluttering like drifting snowflakes. The elite Jin cavalry who were initially blocking his way were no match for him, and he stabbed more than ten of them off their horses.

Most of the enemy soldiers were killed with a single shot. Only a very few managed to block the attack, but they were all caught by the strange hooks on Yue Fei's double-hooked spear. With a swift and powerful back-and-forth pull, the Jin soldiers' weapons were instantly thrown from their hands. The second move would inevitably kill them, and there was no way they would have to make a third move.

Zhao Zicheng, positioned in the center, found it difficult to maneuver his spear. After charging and killing several Jin soldiers with his own hands, he followed suit, drawing his sword from his waist and wielding it with both hands, simultaneously dealing with the enemies rushing in from the left and right sides to intercept him.

As the Jurchens reacted, their arrows gradually intensified. However, both Zhao Zicheng and Yue Fei wore armor with carved feathers and sinews. The Jurchens lacked powerful crossbows; their strongest weapons were only horn bows, posing no threat to Zhao Zicheng whatsoever.

With the martial arts skills of Zhao Zicheng and Yue Fei, they could at least deflect or dodge more than 80% of incoming arrows.

Seeing that the three riders' arrows could not penetrate, the Jin soldiers had no choice but to disregard friendly fire and urge their soldiers to swarm and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Some of the faster Jin soldiers were shot by their own arrows.

Fortunately, most of those who charged forward were heavily armored generals or even Ironclad Cavalry, and these men were not afraid of the power of ordinary arrows. It was just that the Jurchen's ordinary spearmen suffered.

"Let the Iron Pagodas advance! Quickly close the camp gates!" As more and more Jin soldiers reacted, some generals began to shout orders.

During the fierce battle, Yue Fei heard a Jin general shouting in the distance. Enraged, he took advantage of the moment when he was killing several people with his double-hooked spear and forcing back the surrounding enemies, took the rhinoceros horn and tiger sinew bow with a strength of five stones from his saddle, and shot a steel spike arrow with the force of metal and stone at the Jin general who was shouting and giving orders.

The arrow, accompanied by the sound of wind cutting through the air, struck the Jin general squarely in the throat, instantly knocking him down. This disrupted the Jin's encirclement and command, allowing Yue Fei and his men to seize the opportunity to break through another layer of the camp gate.

"Your Highness, rest assured, there's only one gate left! Once we break through, even if the Jurchens catch up, only their light cavalry can keep up with us!" Yue Fei shouted as he reported, trying to reassure Zhao Zicheng.

"Be careful, my brother. Just fight your way out, and I'll follow closely!" Zhao Zicheng also used both hands to wield his weapon, killing two enemies in quick succession, while talking to Yue Fei.

He had also mastered the skill of shifting stars and turning stars to its fullest extent. Whenever there were Jin soldiers surrounding him, if there were too many of them, he could almost always shift their attack direction and attack his comrades from an angle that the attackers could not imagine. Many Jin soldiers died in this confused way at Zhao Zicheng's hands.

Under such intense pressure, Zhao Zicheng was even inspired to develop an unprecedented understanding of martial arts. Unconsciously, he discovered that he could follow his instincts and muscle memory, multitask, and use the "Shifting Stars and Moving Horizontal Strike" technique with both hands at the same time to deflect two waves of attacks coming from two directions, causing them to retaliate against the attacks of their comrades.

As more and more Jin soldiers surrounded them, countless men grew increasingly terrified, as if they had seen a ghost.

Even if a few fierce generals charged forward and were unable to turn the tide, Zhao Zicheng would casually throw his sword aside, draw his pistol, and fire a shot to the face. Within five paces, anyone hit by the shotgun shells would have their face, chest, and abdomen completely blasted to pieces.

During the breakout, he fired his gun three times, killing two unnamed enemy generals. Their bodies were covered in blood, plunging the unsuspecting Jurchens into a deep fear of the unknown.

"These Song generals are using sorcery! Even when you try to stab them, their weapons will inexplicably end up stabbing their own people!"

"He also possesses a fire and lightning technique that can kill in an instant! With flashes of light and deafening roars, he kills someone dozens of steps away before you can even see them clearly!"

Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, Yue Fei and his men rushed to the last outer gate of the camp.

The Jin soldiers hadn't had time to completely close the gate yet; they had only placed a few barricades at the intersection. But now, a dense wall of spearmen had formed, blocking the entrance.

Hoping to break through such a hail of bullets is certainly unrealistic. Even if a person has unparalleled martial arts skills to block these attacks, they would still be unable to protect their warhorse.

Fortunately, Yue Fei had noticed the situation on his way over, so when he was thirty or fifty paces away, he had already switched to holding the gun with one hand and reached into his pocket with the other. He first took out a tinderbox and put it in his mouth, then took out two melon-sized grooved iron grenades, lit them one after the other, and threw them forward with all his might.

The fuse time of a tin grenade is difficult to calculate, and it took three to five seconds after landing before it exploded. Fortunately, the Jin soldiers of this era were completely unfamiliar with grenades, and even though they knew that the Song army had gunpowder weapons that produced incendiary fumes, they were not too afraid.

When Yue Fei's grenade landed, it didn't emit a large plume of pungent poisonous smoke. The Jurchen spearmen continued to hold the camp gate shoulder to shoulder, desperately blocking it, until two consecutive loud explosions occurred, directly within the dense spear formation. The intense power of the nitrocellulose gunpowder blasted two bloody craters at extremely close range, and within a radius of five paces, the ground was littered with dismembered corpses and screaming victims.

Using grenades to carve a bloody path, Yue Fei took the lead, taking down five or six stunned but not quite dead Jin soldiers in succession, and charged out of the camp gate in one go. Zhao Zicheng and Dugu Jian followed closely behind, killing several Jin soldiers who came to fill in and break through the encirclement.

"Chase! Let the 'Hooked Horse' chase! One person, two horses! Those Song pigs can't change horses, they can't run fast!"

Not long after Yue Fei charged out of the camp, a Jin general finally arrived at the scene in a fit of rage, and then shouted orders to his light cavalry to surround and pursue him.

This person was none other than Wanyan Zongbi, the fourth son of the late emperor and the fourth younger brother of Wanyan Zongwang.

This is what later generations referred to as Jin Wuzhu.

In the first year of the Jingkang era, Wanyan Zongbi did not hold such a high position. He was merely a cavalryman who followed his second brother and was in charge of commanding the Jin army's eastern route.

When Zhao Zicheng and Wanyan Zongwang broke off negotiations and started fighting, Wanyan Zongbi was not in the command tent. He only rushed over to take charge after hearing the gunfire from the command tent. By the time he had assembled his troops, Yue Fei and Zhao Zicheng had already fought their way out of the camp.

The Jin soldiers' Iron Pagoda armor was too heavy, allowing them only to make short sprints but not to launch long-range pursuits. In his haste, Wanyan Zongbi could only think of gathering several thousand elite cavalry to chase down the three Song soldiers.

His two cavalry generals, Wang Bolong and Gao Biao, were immediately assigned by him, each leading more than a thousand men, one from the left and the other from the right, to encircle and intercept them.

Although each cavalry force numbered only a little over a thousand, they were equipped with as many as three thousand warhorses, clearly intending to spare no effort in their pursuit.

(End of this chapter)