I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 151 The Demon King revealed his health bar, exclaiming that he hadn't hit him.
After Zhao Zicheng and his two companions escaped the Jin camp without any major incident, they still dared not be careless and continued to flee south at breakneck speed.

Wanyan Zongwang's central army camp was still dozens of miles away from Bianjing, and with so many Jin soldiers, they wouldn't just set up one camp.

In ancient times, when a large army set up camp, a single camp typically housed five to six thousand people. Even if several closely connected camp units were combined, the maximum number of troops stationed would be around thirty thousand.

If the troop strength were to increase further, they would have to divide their forces and station them in different locations. In addition to Wanyan Zongwang's central army camp, the Jin army also had a vanguard camp and left and right flank camps.

These camps were mutually supportive, and although they were several miles apart and not directly connected, they could still be deployed to intercept enemy troops at any time.

Zhao Zicheng galloped at full speed for a long time without restraint, until he saw Jin soldiers on both flanks flanking him. The enemy were all lightly armored cavalry, each with two horses. For the first ten miles or so, Zhao Zicheng was able to maintain his distance, but as the gallop continued, the disadvantage of their stamina—the inability to change horses among the three of them—gradually became apparent.

"Pengju, gather your forces and charge to the left! Scatter the pursuers and seize a few more stamina-filled horses!"

Zhao Zicheng quickly realized that if things continued like this, it wouldn't be long before the Jin army would encircle and surround them from both flanks, and they would then have to face attacks from all sides at the same time.

Since that's the case, why not seize the opportunity and exploit the time difference? Take the initiative and charge towards one of the pursuers on one side!

When it came to the specific detail of choosing between the enemy on the left or the right, Zhao Zicheng chose the left without hesitation.

Because the enemy was pursuing them from behind, running alongside them. And most horse archers, limited by the natural characteristics of the human body—the right hand is stronger than the left—naturally chose to draw the string with their right hand and support the bow with their left. This posture also made it easier to shoot arrows from right to left.

If Zhao Zicheng charged towards the enemy on the right, he would be on the enemy's left, perfectly positioned for the enemy to draw their bows, and would face a hail of arrows. Even though his and Yue Fei's armor with carved feathers and sinews was impervious to cavalry bows, their warhorses might not be.

If one were to stumble and fall amidst a vast army, the odds would be against them.

In contrast, if you charge towards the enemy on the left while you are on the enemy's right, only a few skilled archers who can shoot from both sides can fire arrows.

Yue Fei was also well-versed in cavalry warfare and immediately understood the plan. The three riders turned around and charged towards the enemy cavalry on the left.

The commander of the Jin army's left-wing pursuing force was named Gao Biao. Like Wang Bolong on the right wing, he was originally a Khitan bandit who had caused various disturbances in the northern border of the Liao Dynasty for many years. His area of ​​activity was roughly in what is now western Liaoning and the Chifeng area.

Later, they were recruited by the Jurchens to fight against the Liao army. They gradually accumulated merits and became Meng'an, which is a thousand-man commander. Each of them was ordered to lead a thousand-man cavalry unit in battle.

Both of them were formidable generals. Wang Bolong had previously killed dozens of enemies in the campaign against Zhang Jue during the war against the Liao Dynasty. This time, when the Jin army marched south, he served as the vanguard in the Battle of Baihe and defeated the Song army.

In the battle to capture Xingzhou, he was the first to breach the city walls, wearing double-layered iron armor.

Gao Biao, on the other hand, was "extraordinarily strong." He had previously followed Zong Wang on his southern expedition, and during the attack on Xiangzhou, he took the lead and was the first to breach the city walls, killing dozens to hundreds of Song soldiers.

Later, the History of Jin specifically mentioned that when Gao Biao was the first to scale the city walls, he always wore a large iron pot on his head as a helmet and could use the large iron pot to push aside the rolling logs and stones falling from the city walls, which shows his amazing strength.

On a side note, the Xiangzhou prefecture that Gao Biao had previously captured was Tangyin County, Yue Fei's hometown. After Gao Biao captured the city, he also massacred the entire population, including all of Yue Fei's fellow villagers.

During the few days that Yue Fei followed Zhao Zicheng to Bianjing to participate in the resistance, he also inquired about news from his hometown and learned that the enemy general who had massacred his hometown was Gao Biao. Therefore, when he saw Gao Biao's banner at this moment, Yue Fei's eyes turned red, and the hatred for his country and family surged up, erupting into an intense rage.

"You dog Tartar, prepare to die! I will devour your flesh and sleep on your skin! You scoundrel, await your annihilation!"

At this moment, Gao Biao did not expect that Yue Fei and the others would suddenly turn around and charge towards him. He immediately brandished his mace and had his men surround him. He also nocked an arrow and fired several arrows at Yue Fei.

Gao Biao's archery skills were not particularly refined, and his accuracy was poor, but his bow and arrows were extremely powerful and his firing rate was very fast.

Two of the arrows flew off course, and the only one that hit its mark was deflected by Yue Fei's spear.

Seeing that his arrows were ineffective, Gao Biao stuck his bow in the ground and swung his mace at Yue Fei’s head.

A fierce general who could swing a huge iron pot on his head and throw stones down from the city walls must have incredibly strong arms; he was definitely born with superhuman strength.

Coupled with the heavy weapon of the spiked club, it faintly produced the sound of wind and thunder.

Yue Fei did not use any fancy fighting techniques, but instead thrust his iron double-hooked spear straight at the shaft of the mace.

Seeing this, Gao Biao increased his strength and was determined to smash Yue Fei to death with his club.

He wasn't unaware that Yue Fei's spear had double hooks on both sides of the back, which could potentially hook the club shaft. However, he firmly believed that a weakling from the Southern Dynasty couldn't possibly withstand the downward force of his spiked club through brute force alone.

With a loud clang, the horizontal hook of the double-hooked spear jammed the shaft of the mace, and both warhorses simultaneously let out a mournful neigh.

Both riders were strong and determined; under such immense force, they firmly planted their feet and gripped their horses' backs, refusing to yield an inch. The force of the head-on collision was transmitted from the riders' waists and legs to their horses, and neither horse could withstand the force, rearing up on their forelegs and falling backward.

But Yue Fei reacted much faster than Gao Biao. In the instant his warhorse gave out, he poured all his strength into the shaft of his spear, and like a pole vaulter slamming its pole into the ground, he soared into the air. His entire body, along with the spear that was firmly locked onto the mace, pressed down on Gao Biao's weapon.

The immense force of this momentum was transmitted to Gao Biao's staff, and even with his superhuman strength, he couldn't withstand it, directly crushing Gao Biao's warhorse. As Gao Biao lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, Yue Fei thrust his spear with lightning speed, unleashing a powerful burst of energy that knocked Gao Biao's spiked club out of his hand.

The flying spiked club spun wildly, killing two Jin soldiers who rushed to protect their commander.

One man's helmet was struck by the spinning spiked club, his head exploding like a watermelon. Another was struck in the chest cavity, his chest caved in more than a foot deep, fragments of internal organs gushing out along with blood gushing from his throat. The head of the spiked club was firmly embedded in the shattered chest cavity of the corpse, finally stopping its spinning motion.

Taking advantage of Gao Biao's moment of dizziness and confusion, Yue Fei thrust out his spear in mid-air, like a flying dragon covering the ground, accurately piercing Gao Biao's helmet diagonally downwards.

Gao Biao had an extremely thick neck, and his trapezius muscles were even more robust than Schwarzenegger's. He usually wore an extremely heavy helmet because his neck muscles could withstand the weight, which enabled him to carry a large iron pot on his head during the initial assault on the city.

But this heavy helmet, which had saved his life many times, could no longer protect him today. Faced with Yue Fei's sudden thrust from the sky, the steel spearhead pierced through half an inch of cast iron, through the top of his head, and down into his neck.

Yue Fei didn't have time to draw his sword and behead Gao Biao again. Instead, he used the momentum of the fall to twist and wring Gao Biao's neck, which was already broken and had half of its cervical vertebrae broken, and twisted the head off.

The surrounding Jin soldiers fell into a suffocating silence for a moment, then erupted with several times more fear and rage, swarming towards Yue Fei.

Strictly speaking, the military law of the Jin people was extremely brutal. If Mouke died, the entire 100-man squad would be executed; if Meng'an died, the entire 1,000-man squad would be executed. Although today's situation was special, as it was an unexpected incident during the charge and interception, and it was unlikely that the entire 1,000-man squad would be killed upon returning, Gao Biao's personal guards would certainly be executed.

These people then rushed forward frantically, hoping to atone for their sins by killing Yue Fei and Zhao Zicheng, and perhaps escape death.

Yue Fei was not afraid at all. He killed Meng An, the leader of the enemy army, in just a few moves. What did the soldiers and soldiers below have to fear?

Yue Fei calmly responded with his spear, killing several Jin soldiers who charged at him. He also seized the reins of a warhorse that had been killed and galloped past him, then spun around and mounted the horse to continue the battle.

Zhao Zicheng, who was following behind him, wanted to help Yue Fei seize the horse, but seeing that Yue Fei had handled it himself, he continued to focus on the fight.

Zhao Zicheng remained calm, using both hands to simultaneously shift and reverse the enemy's offensive, causing many enemies to injure each other. The more chaotic the Jin soldiers' attack, the more room Zhao Zicheng had to maneuver amidst the chaos. However, such high-intensity combat was also rapidly depleting Zhao Zicheng's stamina, and his breathing was becoming increasingly erratic, suggesting he might not be able to sustain it for long.

If it weren't for the fact that he had diligently practiced the "Wanshou Daozang Xinde" with his mother-in-law over the past few years, trying to extend his stamina as much as possible, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on by now.

The Jin soldiers and generals around them were all dumbfounded and couldn't understand how these few Song people could be so tenacious. They even felt an overwhelming sense of admiration for them, even though they knew they were enemies.

Furthermore, the weapons of Zhao Zicheng and others were forged and honed from high-quality steel far superior to that of the era, making them incredibly sharp and absolutely divine compared to the weapons of the Jin people.

As the enemy swung their weapons, the Jurchens were unable to parry effectively. Countless swords and spears were severed, their shafts snapped, and countless Jurchen soldiers were killed. In an instant, armor was stripped bare, and blood gushed forth like a fountain.

In contrast, even if the swords and sabers of the Jin soldiers occasionally struck Zhao Zicheng and others, they were deflected and "ricocheted" by the amazing elastic modulus of the carved feather armor. Unless a spear or crossbow was thrust straight through, other weapons could not hurt them at all. Even a slash from a broadsword would be deflected and ricocheted if the angle was not right.

The armor made from the quills of a gyrfalcon's primary flight feathers already represents the strength limit of keratin-based elastic materials. It's impossible to find armor made of a more durable and resilient keratin-based material until a Haast's eagle is found hunting it in New Zealand.

The three men fought fiercely. Gao Biao's cavalry formation was about several dozen men deep. After Yue Fei killed more than fifty Jin soldiers, he felt a sudden opening in his vision and finally broke through Gao Biao's flag formation!
Three riders charged against a thousand riders. Yue Fei killed fifty riders in battle, and Zhao Zicheng and Dugu Jian followed up to cut down thirty or forty riders. They fought their way through!

The most unbelievable thing is that, in such a bloody and chaotic battle, both Zhao Zicheng and Yue Fei managed to change horses. Their initial warhorses could no longer withstand the strain, and they ended up killing enemies in the midst of battle to seize horses and continue fighting.

Dugu Jian is relatively less skilled in mounted combat. He was originally a wandering swordsman who focused on honing his swordsmanship from a young age. He didn't have many opportunities to ride horses after joining the army. It was only after following Zhao Zicheng that he began to focus on honing his horsemanship. Therefore, his mounted combat skills are slightly weaker, and he is not good at seizing and changing horses in chaotic battles.

After breaking through the golden formation, Dugu Jian, who hadn't changed horses, gradually fell to the back. However, since he was originally responsible for covering the rear, his stamina from the previous fierce battle was relatively low, and he could still hold on even though he was lagging behind. Gao Biao's cavalry, having lost their commander Yue Fei and been routed, were temporarily demoralized and confused, and couldn't immediately catch up. On the other side, Wang Bolong's troops, who had arrived at the battlefield later, had already taken advantage of the opportunity while Gao Biao's troops were locked in a fierce battle with three Song cavalrymen to launch a surprise attack and reach their destination.

Seeing the three Song riders charge out from behind the friendly forces, Wang Bolong, who was still a fresh force, immediately gave chase.

Dugu Jian was the slowest due to insufficient horsepower and was quickly caught up by Wang Bolong. A fierce battle inevitably broke out between the two generals.

"Your Highness! Brother Dugu is being held up by enemy generals! I'm going to help him!" Yue Fei was a little worried when he saw his comrades behind the palace surrounded, so he asked Zhao Zicheng for permission.

"No! That would mean we'd be surrounded again. Let's take this opportunity to patrol the perimeter, shoot a few enemy cavalry, and get a few good horses."

Zhao Zicheng immediately assessed the situation. They absolutely could not afford to get bogged down in the melee. It would be better to take advantage of Dugu Jian's frantic attacks while covering the rear, harassing and killing a few enemies from a distance, and then seizing the fleeing warhorses.

As long as they can gather enough horses—one person with two or even three—and ride them at full speed while taking turns, they won't be afraid of the Jurchens catching up with their superior horsepower.

Yue Fei understood immediately, quickly drew his Tiger Sinew Treasure Bow, took aim briefly, and then steadily released the arrow. The speed wasn't fast, but each arrow took down a Jin soldier.

He also gave Zhao Zicheng his revolver, which still had some ammunition left, to replace Zhao Zicheng's out-of-ammunition hand, giving Zhao Zicheng six more rounds as a lifesaver.

Zhao Zicheng's archery skills were inferior to Yue Fei's, and his pistol could not reach far either, so he maintained a mid-range interception and patrol. When a cavalryman charged towards Yue Fei who was shooting arrows, Zhao Zicheng would charge and intercept him. At very close range, he killed three more Jin soldiers, Mouke, with his pistol, and also took the Mouke's good horses.

At the very back of the chaotic battlefield, Dugu Jian, who was surrounded by Jin soldiers and whose horse was exhausted, finally chose to dismount and wield his seven-foot-long sword, weaving and slashing through the cavalry.

Because he was a small and agile target, and only one person could maneuver left and right, the Jin army's charging momentum was not well utilized.

If the charge is too sparse, it is easy for the quick-witted Dugu Jian to dodge to the side, and then sweep his long sword, cutting off several horse legs or even human legs.

If the horses rush too close together, they are prone to colliding with each other.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, Dugu Jian felt that his realm had broken through again. His mind was clear and his senses were sharp, and it seemed that even the speed of his enemies had slowed down.

In the midst of the bloody battle, Dugu Jian naturally clashed with Meng An Wang Bolong, who commanded a thousand-man force.

Wang Bolong wielded a thick-backed, broad-bladed sword, which was quite similar to Dugu Jian's longsword, which had a blade length of five and a half feet and a total length of seven feet.

As Dugu Jian's weapon clashed fiercely with Wang Bolong's, a slight sweep of the remaining force was enough to take down several ordinary Jin soldiers nearby. Seeing that he was charging on horseback but could not defeat an enemy already surrounded and fighting on foot, and that his own men were being killed one after another, Wang Bolong became agitated and filled with impotent rage.

The angrier he got, the more chaotic and impatient his moves became. After blocking Wang Bolong's slash again, Dugu Jian ducked to avoid the horse's hoof, swept it across and cut off Wang Bolong's hoof, then swung it back, the blade naturally aimed at the spot where Wang Bolong had fallen off his horse. Wang Bolong fell onto the blade and was cut in two at the waist.

"Brother Dugu, mount your horse quickly!" Seeing that Dugu Jian had killed Wang Bolong, Zhao Zicheng also threw out his last two iron melon grenades with the fuses just lit, and with all his might, he emptied his pistol and killed another Jin soldier, Mouke.

Taking advantage of the bloody path carved out by the explosion, and with the Jin soldiers Meng'an Wang Bolong and several of his strategists dying almost simultaneously, the Jin army was thrown into brief chaos. Dugu Jian sprinted a few steps, seized the opportunity to leap onto the warhorse left behind by a Jin strategist who had been shot by Zhao Zicheng, and charged out with him.

On horseback, he didn't forget to swing his seven-foot-long sword back and forth with his left and right hands, forcing away all pursuers and killing enemies who were too close to catch up.

Yue Fei continued to provide support from a distance with his bow and arrow, killing almost one enemy with each arrow, until the three of them reunited, at which point he ran away.

The Jin soldiers pursued for a long time, but Yue Fei shot some of them with his bow and arrows. Because Zhao Zicheng and his party had acquired good horses and could change horses to rest, the Jin soldiers ultimately failed to catch up.

Moreover, the closer they got to Bianjing, the more Song people they encountered. After running for another ten miles, Zhao Zicheng's guards received the news and came to meet them. They crushed the last group of Jin vanguard soldiers who were still relentlessly pursuing them, killing dozens of them, and the two sides finally separated.

……

"King Xiu is back!"

"Has Prince Xiu returned from negotiating with the Jurchens?"

When Zhao Zicheng arrived at the gates of Bianjing with his escort team, presented the imperial tally given to him by the emperor as a negotiator, and shouted for the city gates to be opened, the generals and soldiers guarding the city walls were stunned.

Today, the person inspecting the city's defenses at the northeast gate tower is none other than Li Gang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Li Gang knows the details of Zhao Zicheng's mission and is very concerned about the safety of this virtuous prince of the imperial clan. Just now, Song scouts reported an unexplained disturbance in the north, and Li Gang immediately dispatched Zhao Zicheng's guards to meet them.

So now that someone has rushed back, Li Gang naturally has to be the first to go up to the city to see and confirm the situation.

Soon, Zhao Zicheng's identity was roughly confirmed, and Li Gang hurriedly ordered the city gates to be opened. Not long after Zhao Zicheng and his men entered the city, Jin soldiers caught up with them. However, since these Jin pursuers were all cavalry and had no infantry to attack the city, they were met with a barrage of arrows and crossbows from the Song army on the city walls and could only retreat in frustration.

"Where is His Highness Prince Xiu?" Li Gang personally descended the city tower steps and searched inside the gate of the barbican, but he could not find him anywhere.

"Brother Li, why are your eyesight so bad? Don't you recognize me?"

Just as Li Gang was bewildered, he finally noticed a tall, imposing figure in dark red walking proudly through the crowd. Upon closer inspection, he recognized him as Zhao Zicheng.

However, the color of Zhao Zicheng's clothes made it impossible for anyone to associate him with a prince.

Zhao Zicheng's robe was already tattered and lost in the fighting, while his carved feather armor was completely exposed on the outside.

However, if it were just armor, it wouldn't be that hard to recognize. But the key is that every feather on this armor is soaked in Xiongnu blood, which makes it difficult to identify.

Even the best armor made of feather quills, with its excellent defense, elasticity, tensile and compressive strength, has one fatal flaw: it absorbs water and ink too easily. Even applying protective oils cannot prevent staining.

Imagine that goose feathers could be used to make primitive fountain pens or quill pens.

Bird feathers have a naturally excellent capillary structure, which makes them extremely effective at adsorbing liquids. The liquid absorbed into the inner wall of the quill tube also has a very high surface tension.

Therefore, Zhao Zicheng, who killed dozens or even hundreds of Jin soldiers, would naturally be covered in the blood of the barbarians, making his armor several pounds heavier, as it was extremely effective at storing blood.

Li Gang looked at Zhao Zicheng for a long time, but still couldn't say a word. He didn't dare to ask Zhao Zicheng what he had gone through.

Finally, Zhao Zicheng patted Li Gang on the shoulder, leaving a bloody handprint where a quill pen would press against paper, squeezing out the blood from its capillary. Even after traveling more than ten miles, the stored blood was still warm, not yet dried.

When Li Gang's official robe was slapped on the shoulder, blood flowed down and quickly seeped in. The chilling, bloody aura made Li Gang almost unable to move.

"Wanyan Zongwang tried to humiliate my Great Song Dynasty and even shamelessly sent executioners to kill me. Naturally, I couldn't just sit and wait to die, so I fought my way out of the Jin camp," Zhao Zicheng explained his experience calmly.

"It's a pity we couldn't find the culprit and kill Wanyan Zongwang. In the chaos, we only managed to throw a weapon and wound him. Along the way, the brothers killed two pursuing Meng'an and seven or eight Mouke, but we couldn't collect all their heads. Brother Li, take these to the Privy Council to report our achievements to me."

As Zhao Zicheng spoke, he threw the heads of Wang Bolong and Gao Biao in front of Li Gang. He did not take credit for it, only saying that Gao Biao was killed by Yue Fei and Wang Bolong was killed by Dugu Jian. He himself only killed a few Mou Ke.

As for the pistol, of course it cannot be handed over now; it must remain a secret.

The fact that Zhao Huan took that thing wouldn't decisively change the course of the war, but it could potentially cause trouble for Zhao Zicheng. If Zhao Huan couldn't defend Bianjing in the future and was eventually captured by the Jin people, the equipment that Zhao Zicheng presented to the emperor might also be seized by the Jin.

Even if the Jurchens lacked the technological capability to completely reverse engineer the samples, capturing them for research and study could greatly enhance their combat effectiveness.

If Zhao Huan wanted to make full use of the pistols and grenades, he could only leave them in the hands of Zhao Zicheng, to be tested by his own trusted men, and not give them to friendly forces.

However, because pistols, grenades, and other such items were kept secret internally, Zhao Zicheng's feat of breaking through the encirclement became even more legendary when it reached Li Gang's ears.

Li Gang couldn't understand it, so he could only imagine that "Prince Xiu's martial arts are unparalleled, and he is indeed capable of defeating ten thousand men, which is why he was able to break through the encirclement with only a few riders!"

"But I wonder... how many Jin soldiers did Your Highness and your party kill to break through the encirclement?" Li Gang asked with a slight chill.

Zhao Zicheng said, "It's hard to say. We must have killed at least several hundred people. The Jin army sent out several Meng'an cavalry to pursue us, but we broke through their lines and escaped."

(End of this chapter)