I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 170 Pacifying Cao Cheng in the South, Defeating Zong Han in the North

"General Liu, General Han, this way! This humble general will lead you to capture Cao Cheng!"

Just two months later, in May of that year,

Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong's armies then launched a pincer attack on Cao Cheng's last stronghold, Wuzhou, from both Guizhou and Guangzhou.

Cao Cheng, who once boasted an army of 200,000, completely collapsed within just two months, and was led all the way to his lair by his former subordinates.

Those loyal generals who had once called him brothers, just like Hu Bai, the steward of Huang Silang's household, immediately turned around and waved "Follow me" when they saw the surging imperial army quelling the rebellion, and rushed straight to their former master's fortified tower.

These powerful warlords and heroes ultimately failed to make a ripple.

Even the process of its downfall doesn't deserve a separate chapter in history books. It was simply submerged in the overwhelming tide of the restoration of the Song Dynasty.

While Zhao Zicheng divided his troops to pacify the south, he also took Yue Fei with him and led the main force of the imperial court on a northern expedition after the busy spring farming season ended in April of that year.

The route of the Northern Expedition was, of course, from Ezhou northward to Xiangyang, while a detachment would sweep westward to attack Jiangling, Yiling and other places.

In addition, Zhao Zicheng also told Yang Zhi, Hu Yanzhuo and others stationed in Xuzhou and the Huai-Si defense line not to be idle, but to cross the Si River to the west and bring together Suzhou and other places in Huaibei.

There were no Jin troops left in those areas, and the Song troops who remained, nominally under Zhao Gou's command, certainly had little will to resist. It was like sending Yang Zhi to pick up a few easy targets. After all, Yang Zhi was a veteran who had followed Zhao Zicheng for a long time, and regardless of his strength, he should not be forgotten if there was an opportunity to make a contribution.

Even former Liangshan generals like Song Jiang, who had previously remained in Goryeo, were transferred back to the Central Plains and stationed in Shandong as the nature of Goryeo's territory was cleared.

Song Jiang also led his generals, including Wu Song and Hua Rong, to participate in this operation to advance westward from Xuzhou and reclaim part of the territory in the Jingdong West Road.

The government troops were in high spirits, and within a month, they recovered the entire Jingbei region on the western front. Xiangyang, Jiangling and other places surrendered without resistance.

During the Battle of Xiangyang, they also encountered several thousand elite Jin soldiers who were originally left behind by Wanyan Zonghan when he retreated north to guard the strategic pass and supervise the Song army under Zhao Gou.

However, because Zhao Zicheng advanced too quickly, too many of Zhao Gou's former subordinates surrendered, and these several thousand Jin soldiers were swept away by the vast ocean and surrounded.

However, these Jurchens were certainly unwilling to surrender, and they held out to the bitter end after being besieged in Xiangyang.

Zhao Zicheng then put Yue Fei in charge of attacking the city, and allowed him to use bronze cannons at will.

This also gave Yue Fei the opportunity to legitimately command artillery in attacking the city.

The first time the Song army used artillery to attack a city on the Central Plains was when Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong attacked Yuezhou. At that time, Zhao Zicheng had just heard that Yue Fei had succeeded in Shangjing, and immediately lifted the ban on the use of cannons on the Central Plains battlefield.

Later, when attacking Changsha and killing Yang Yao, artillery was also used to bombard the city's fortifications. However, these battles were not commanded by Yue Fei, who was itching to show his skills and had been waiting for this moment.

Now that they had arrived in Xiangyang, Yue Fei finally had the opportunity to take action himself. He was in high spirits and eager to make a good impression on the Emperor and the Grand Marshal Regent.

Fifty bronze cannons were lined up outside the south gate of Xiangyang. Yue Fei did not use any fancy tactics, but directly surrounded the south gate and launched a fierce attack.

The Jurchen general left to guard the city was Wanyan Yinshuke, a renowned general of his time. However, due to the rapid collapse of his allies, he was surrounded and killed by Yue Fei.

"Fire!" With Yue Fei's command, dozens of iron projectiles flew towards the city walls of Xiangyang, creating a deafening roar and sending bricks and pillars flying.

As a hub connecting the north and south, Xiangyang had high and thick city walls, far superior to the earthen walls of Shangjing, which had been breached by the Jin people, and also far superior to Yuezhou and Changsha.

The city walls, which were six zhang high, were reinforced with layers of solid hardwood and iron ribs. Light cavalry cannons that fired five-jin iron bullets were simply not enough to break through them.

Fortunately, the cannons that Yue Fei can use in today's battle are far larger than the cavalry cannons that weighed only 500 jin back then.

Given Zhao Zicheng's cannon-casting skills, it wouldn't have been technically difficult for him to create a heavier bronze cannon with thicker walls.

The reason why only 500 catties were cast before was all for the purpose of preparing for the surprise attack on Shangjing. Any larger ones would not be able to move well and would not be suitable for the surprise attack on Shangjing.

Now that they have returned to the Central Plains, in order to carry out a normal offensive, without considering mobility, Zhao Zicheng estimates that the maximum bronze cannon that can be cast is two thousand jin.

It's just that the materials required are huge and expensive. But with the current financial resources of the Song Dynasty, two thousand catties of copper per gate is still affordable.

Among the siege cannons this time, ten were of the 2,000-jin class. At a glance, they were twice as thick and large as the original cannons, and the shells they fired reached 15 Song jin.

The original cannon was equivalent to a 6-pound cannon in Napoleon's era, but now it is an 18-pound cannon.

The iron shells from these giant cannons repeatedly bombarded the south gate of Xiangyang. After several rounds, the incredibly sturdy gate finally burst open.

Wanyan Yinshu, who was on the city wall, witnessed this scene and was utterly heartbroken.

"Heaven has forsaken us! It is not our fault in battle! We, the warriors of the Great Jin, must not be afraid to fight, we must fight the Song people to the death!"

Wanyan Yinshu could then descend from the city walls, organize all the Jurchen cavalry within the city, and charge to the south gate to block it.

Seeing that the Song army was still bombarding and not even in a hurry to enter the city, Wanyan Yinshu resolutely counterattacked and went out of the city, trying to charge and destroy the Song army's artillery positions.

When Yue Fei saw the Jin army defending the city take the initiative to come out of the city and fight back, he felt relieved and was happy to see it happen.

He had already deployed a tight defensive force around the artillery positions to prevent the Jurchens from rushing out and destroying the cannons.

So he immediately countered their moves, deploying his forces in an orderly manner. Rows of hook-and-sickle spearmen and long-handled axemen, clad in iron armor, formed a tight formation, blocking the gaps between the cannons and preventing the Jurchens from charging in.

Moreover, Yue Fei never had his men block the position directly in front of the cannon muzzle, so as to keep the cannon at a firing angle at any time.

Wanyan Yinshu initially commanded thousands of Iron Pagoda soldiers to charge head-on, and the Song army's heavily armored hook-and-sickle spearmen and long-axe soldiers were all in high spirits, fighting to the death. Many of these elite soldiers had followed Yue Fei for several years and had been trained in Goryeo and Japan, while some were only trained after Zhao Zicheng came to power.

However, the Song army's pay is now very high. Zhao Zicheng has thoroughly investigated the embezzlement and deduction of benefits. In addition, the government army has won one battle after another, and the Grand Marshal of the State is invincible. The soldiers are motivated from top to bottom, and they are as energetic as if they have been injected with chicken blood. Where is the original decadent atmosphere of the Song army?

It seems that even the prevailing social ideology of "good iron is not used to make nails, and good men do not become soldiers," which circulated for nearly two hundred years in the Song Dynasty, has been swept into the dustbin of history. In the Song Dynasty today, it is an honor to fight for the nation under the command of the Grand Marshal Regent.

"Sweep away the Jin dogs! Restore China! Sweep away the Jin dogs! Restore China!"

Amidst the resounding shouts, the Song army's heavy armored soldiers faced the charging iron cavalry without flinching, stubbornly resisting to the end. Their hook-and-sickle spears thrust and yanked with all their might, severing the legs of countless horses. The iron cavalry, as if crashing into a copper wall or a Great Wall of steel, collapsed on the spot.

The long-handled battle axe, forged from high-quality water-forged steel and repeatedly hammered, was sharp, heavy, and fierce. Even the Ironclad Pagoda's horse armor could not withstand it. Countless warhorses had their legs broken and their riders fell from their horses, suffering a miserable fate of being torn apart by the blades.

Wanyan Yinshu could repeatedly charge in but failed to penetrate the enemy's defenses, so he had to adjust his tactics, sending his mounted archers to scout for weaknesses. However, this method was not very effective to begin with. With the Song people able to erect large shields and equipped with a large number of crossbows, mounted archers were at a significant disadvantage in a direct confrontation with the crossbows.

However, the current situation facing Wanyan Yinshu is clearly several times more dire than the aforementioned circumstances.

After the Jin army's iron cavalry retreated and began to regroup, Yue Fei immediately and astutely directed his soldiers to reload the cannons with grapeshot. During the time when the cavalry hesitated to approach, the cannons were finally reloaded.

Then Yue Fei seized an opportunity when the Jurchen warriors' horsemanship was a little too flamboyant and too close, and ordered a volley to open fire.

Even a straight-armed archer like the Guai Zi Ma Lian Gen Shen Bi Gong (拐子马连根神臂弓) would be at a disadvantage in a direct firefight, let alone a shotgun.

"Boom boom boom!" The rain of gravel and lead from dozens of cannons immediately blasted the arrogant cavalry that had been rampaging across the formation, causing them to howl in agony. Countless Jin cavalrymen were killed or maimed, and the rest were terrified.

"All troops, charge! Follow me to capture the city!"

At Yue Fei's command, the double-hooked iron spears were swung against the wind, leading the Song cavalry to clear the way. The hook-and-sickle spear formation and the long-handled axe formation followed with shouts.

Wanyan Yinshu was able to fight desperately and lead his troops to resist, but he was killed by Yue Fei in the chaos of battle. The remaining troops were also surrounded and annihilated, with not a single one left alive.

After the battle, Yue Fei arranged the heads of five or six thousand elite Jurchen soldiers and presented them to the Grand Marshal of the State for his appreciation.

Zhao Zicheng was not surprised at all, nor did he show any astonishment or emotion. He simply patted Yue Fei on the shoulder and said, "I have long known of your talent, my brother. Today is just a small test. You must continue to work hard. After we recover the capital, I will drink with you again."

After Xiangyang was recaptured by the Song army, the Jin military presence in northern Jingzhou and the Nanyang Basin was almost completely wiped out. The annihilation of Wanyan Yinshuke and his 5,000 elite Jurchen troops was a significant loss for the Jin dynasty.

With many princes of the Wanyan family returning north to vie for power, the Jurchens simply could not muster enough troops to block the breach in the Henan direction.

By the end of May, Zhao Zicheng had personally led Yue Fei northward and completely recovered the entire Nanyang Basin.

In early June, they broke through the Tongbai Mountain defense line from Fangcheng Pass and entered the central plains of Henan.

Ye County and Kunyang, though small, were important cities in the north and south with rich historical heritage. They were successively recovered by the Song army, whose advance was aimed directly at Yancheng.

Yancheng was an important gateway to Bianjing in the south. The army that crossed the Tongbai Mountains from the Nanyang Basin and marched into the Henan Plain had to pass through this last gateway before they could finally advance across the plain.

Zhao Gou's army was simply no match for them. The Song troops in Ye County and Kunyang had surrendered without a fight when they saw the imperial army. Therefore, Wanyan Zonghan had no choice but to risk being besieged and personally lead his troops to Yancheng to fight the Song army to the death, helping Zhao Gou block the southern gate. Otherwise, Bianjing would have been truly doomed and would definitely have been recaptured by the Song army.

Historically, the Battle of Yancheng was not scheduled to take place until ten years later, in the ninth year of the Shaoxing era. By then, Yue Fei would be thirty-six years old.

But now, due to Zhao Zicheng's butterfly effect, the Battle of Yancheng happened ten years earlier, and Yue Fei was still a young general of twenty-six years old, the same age as Xiang Yu when he fought the Battle of Julu.

Of course, Zhao Zicheng was the same age as Yue Fei, only a few months older, so he was also the same age as Xiang Yu at the time of the Battle of Julu.

Although Yancheng was important, it was not a large city after all, and its defenses were not strong, so there was no need to defend it to the death.

Moreover, the terrain around Yancheng is now slightly more open, unlike the relatively narrow valleys that were just outside Tongbai Mountain in places like Ye County.

There are many ways to bypass Yancheng, so to completely block it, we must use field blocking.

The relatively open plains terrain was indeed suitable for large-scale troop operations. Wanyan Zonghan placed his main forces, which he could control, on the plains surrounding Yancheng to fight a decisive battle against the Song army.

On the tenth day of the sixth month, Zhao Zicheng, Yue Fei, and a group of generals who had come after pacifying Cao Cheng on the southern front, including Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong, Lin Chong, Lu Da, and others, gathered here. Even Yang Zhi, who had recovered Suzhou and Bozhou in the east, brought his troops to join them.

The Song army totaled over 100,000 men, of whom more than 40,000 were veteran soldiers who had served under Zhao Zicheng for many years. A small portion of them were troops he had led when he pacified Fang La in Jiangnan, another small portion were troops he had led in Dengzhou and Laizhou, and others had followed him in the conquest of Goguryeo, the clearing of the outskirts of Japan, and subsequent battles.

The other 100,000 were newly formed troops with a relatively short training period, but their morale and spirit were completely different from before.

The full payment of 80 strings of cash per person per year, the belief and will to fight for the national cause, the strict discipline of rewards and punishments, and the iron-willed cohesion brought by the invincible leader have brought about a tremendous change in the overall morale and collective combat effectiveness of the Song army, whose physical and technical skills are not much different from the past.

Just like with the same number of Chu troops, if a different general were to face the Qin army's Great Wall forces, they might not have the morale and fighting spirit to fight to the death. But with Xiang Yu as commander-in-chief, he could bring boundless fighting spirit, and everyone would fight to the death without retreating.

Wanyan Zonghan, facing him, actually only brought 60,000 to 70,000 elite Jin troops, including Jurchen, Khitan, Xi, and Han soldiers from Yan and Yun. The remaining force consisted mainly of Han troops under Zhao Gou, commanded by Li Cheng.

After all, the Song army was powerful, and Wanyan Zonghan wouldn't dare to fight a decisive battle against the Jin dynasty with only its limited resources in the Central Plains. He would definitely have to bring in Han traitors and puppet troops. Including Li Cheng's forces, the number of troops on both sides in the decisive battle was roughly the same.

The two armies arrayed themselves on the Yancheng Plain. The Song army came from the southwest, while the Jin army was deployed in the northeast. The battle line stretched for more than ten miles, creating a magnificent sight.

Before the battle, both sides observed each other's formations. Zhao Zicheng made the first judgment: "I will personally command the central army and hold off Wanyan Zonghan. My brother can use cavalry and light artillery to outflank and attack from the side, and keep a close eye on Li Cheng's puppet army on the Jurchen flank. As long as the Jurchen flank collapses first, the Jurchen main force will be no threat."

Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong will remain with me in the central army; I will assign Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, and their troops to you.

Zhao Zicheng quickly made a plan, bringing along his former Western Army troops and other veterans who had followed him in Jiangnan.

The troops that had been expanded during the Dengzhou and Laizhou campaigns in Shandong, as well as the Liangshan faction, were assigned to Yue Fei, with a clear division of labor.

While Zhao Zicheng was making urgent deployments, Wanyan Zonghan on the other side was also on high alert, quickly making his own arrangements.

His strategist, Wanyan Xiyin, also realized that Li Cheng's puppet army on the left wing was probably unusable, and advised him to strengthen his own troops and send them to the left wing to supervise the battle.

Wanyan Zonghan readily accepted the advice and assigned the highly authoritative veteran general Wanyan Loushi to lead Hushahu, Salada, Yelü Yudu, and other troops to reinforce the left wing.

At the same time, he also sent his younger brother, Wanyan Balisu, to the right wing, under whose command were Wanyan Saili, Wanyan Wolu, and other tribes.

He himself commanded the central army, with Wanyan Zongxian as the vanguard.

After both armies had finished their maneuvering and fighting, Zhao Zicheng spurred his horse, brandished his spear, and led a troop of cavalry out of the battle, hurling insults and provocations at Wanyan Zonghan's flag formation.

"Wanyan Zonghan! Considering your capture of Bianjing back then, you deserve to be killed by my own hand. Even now, you still don't know your own death and dare to come to Yancheng to block my Great Song army. Since you are so eager to die, I will grant your wish!"

Wanyan Zonghan on the opposite side was also furious and laughed, directing a group of trolls to hurl insults at him: "Zhao Zicheng is a petty thief! If you Song people were capable, you wouldn't have let our Great Jin break through Bianjing so easily two years ago! How dare you talk about such a shameful thing!"

Zhao Zicheng laughed loudly: "What do I have to be ashamed of? If I had been in Bianjing and had military power at that time, would you have thought you could have entered Bianjing? As for you, that damned capital city has been slaughtered by Brother Pengju, leaving no one alive, and those few dilapidated palaces have been burned to the ground."

Instead of going back to listen to what your old, decrepit emperor had to say on his deathbed, you're still meddling in the affairs of us Han people in the Central Plains. Don't you deserve to die?

Now, Wanyan Zonggan and Wanyan Zongbi have definitely formed a faction, ready to fight Wanyan Zongpan to the death. That old scoundrel Aguda, on his deathbed, tried to emulate my founding emperor by passing the throne to his brother rather than his son, but he missed the mark entirely—a mere imitation! He claims the country has a long-serving ruler, but in reality, he's sowing the seeds of disaster!

Soldiers on the other side, unless they are Jurchens, should think this through carefully. Whether Wanyan Zonggan or Zongpan becomes emperor, while you follow Zonghan and remain neutral in the battles of the Central Plains, who will know about the power struggles behind the lines?

When the time comes to reward those who helped them seize power, it will definitely go to those who helped them. You useless lot, dying in the Central Plains would have been pointless! Especially the Han people on the other side, since the unification of military and political power, my Great Song has never suffered a defeat! The revival of my Great Song is obvious even to a blind man! Even all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens cannot stop me!"

As Zhao Zicheng made a single thrust with his spear, the Song army sounded drums and gongs, preparing for battle.

On the other side, Wanyan Zonghan was both anxious and furious: "You scoundrel! How dare you use such shameless words to try and incite our troops! Don't listen to his nonsense, attack! Attack with all your might!"

Wanyan Zonghan was also afraid that Zhao Zicheng would say something that would be fatal to morale, so he hurriedly urged the Jin army to launch a full-scale attack.

The two armies, one moving slowly and the other hastily, advanced towards each other.

"Boom boom boom!" When the Jin army was only about 700 or 800 paces away from the Song army's formation, the Song army launched a solid iron ball that smashed through the Jin army's ranks, leaving several narrow, bloody trails.

The solid iron ball tumbles and bounces, and wherever it goes, it can cause severed limbs to fly everywhere, or even smash a person's head into a watermelon-like shape, or cut them in half at the waist.

The Jurchen army was forced to increase their pace, but with such a massive army and a long battle line, even with increased speed, it would still take considerable time to engage the enemy. As a result, before finally reaching close combat, they were subjected to another round of close-range volleys of grapeshot, causing extremely heavy casualties to the front-line soldiers.

In fact, after the Song army finished firing solid shot and reloaded with grapeshot, the Jin army was still nearly two hundred paces away from the Song army's vanguard.

However, the cannons were too slow to load, so Zhao Zicheng preferred to be cautious and ordered all units not to fire prematurely. He preferred to hold back until the Jin soldiers were within fifty paces of them before firing, in order to maximize the killing effect of the grapeshot.

The iron-clad soldiers and iron-clad cavalry in the front ranks of the Jin army were all treated equally in the face of the shotguns. The originally tight military formation was torn open with many fine and deep gaps, causing the Jin army's formation to become chaotic for a time.

The Song army seized this opportunity with overwhelming momentum and launched a desperate charge. In the last fifty paces, they accelerated their charge, almost immediately after firing that round of shotgun shells.

Hooked spears, long-handled axes, mace, iron staffs, and all sorts of long-handled heavy weapons were swung wildly and slashed, and the two sides quickly became locked in a bloody meat grinder-like battle.

"Golden dogs, prepare to die! You've even lost the capital! Zonggan and Zongpan are killing each other in Yanjing! You're all doomed!"

While the Song army fought desperately, Zhao Zicheng also had his men shout out various insults to confuse and disrupt the Jin soldiers.

While the Jurchen main force of the Jin people was still fighting to the death, the situation of the Han people, Xi people, and even Li Cheng's puppet troops in Yanyun was uncertain, and more and more troops were showing signs of panic.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, Yue Fei opened up several gaps on the left flank of the Jin forces. Under the relentless attacks of Yue Fei's various units, Li Cheng's puppet army quickly began to crumble.

Although Li Cheng himself was a fierce and brave general of his time, Yue Fei's martial arts skills in this life had surpassed those of ordinary humans. With Yue Fei personally leading the charge, Li Cheng dared not take the lead and could only avoid his sharp edge.

Yue Fei's subordinates, including Lin Chong, Lu Da, Yang Zhi, and Wu Song, were like sharp knives, piercing through Li Cheng's ranks, each one fearless and fighting fiercely.

When the Jurchen supervisors saw that Li Cheng's momentum had been suppressed, they could only strictly enforce military law and behead the officers who led the retreat.

On the other hand, the Jin army's supervising troops also had to step forward and directly clash with Yue Fei's most fiercely charging spears.

Hu Shahu, Salada, and other Jurchen generals, each wielding heavy weapons and leading iron cavalry, engaged in a fierce battle with Lin Chong, Yang Zhi, Lu Da, and others. The heavy weapons on both sides swung wildly, creating a whooshing sound as they flew up and down.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Lu Da, caught up in the excitement, wildly swung his Mad Demon Staff Technique, displaying a willingness to trade his life for another, and fought Hu Sha Hu to the bitter end. Hu Sha Hu was not to be outdone, attacking relentlessly and smashing wildly, until both of them were severely injured in the battle.

However, Lu Da had other generals to support him. Taking advantage of the opportunity when Hu Sha Hu and Lu Da were injured by each other, Yang Zhi helped Lu Da deflect Hu Sha Hu's attack, while Wu Song directly used his Yang Family Spear to find an opening and, like a venomous snake, burrowed into Hu Sha Hu's heart.

Hu Shahu let out a miserable howl as Yang Zhi's spear, which had been pierced through his chest with all his might, killed him instantly.

Not long after, in the chaos of battle, Lin Chong unexpectedly encountered the Jin general Salada. During their fierce fight, Hua Rong, disregarding martial ethics, launched a sneak attack with a cold arrow, wounding the Jin general. Salada, in pain, lost his grip on his weapon and was killed by Lin Chong with a single spear thrust.

As the Jin generals who were in charge of the battle were killed one by one, Li Cheng's puppet army became increasingly difficult to hold on. Meanwhile, Yue Fei, with his indomitable spirit, led thousands of Song cavalry in a desperate charge, tearing Li Cheng's army formation apart.

Wanyan Loushi could not hold out and was overwhelmed by Yue Fei's iron cavalry in the chaos. He was stabbed and fell from his horse, and was eventually trampled to death by the iron hooves.

Yue Fei completely broke through the Jin army's left flank. Seeing Yue Fei heading straight for his own formation, Li Cheng dared not fight to the death and tried to escape.

Li Cheng's crushing defeat completely threw the main Jin army into disarray. Wanyan Zonghan's elite troops in the central army also gradually collapsed under Zhao Zicheng's command and charge.

Wanyan Zongxian, struggling to hold off the Song army's counterattack, was overwhelmed by the chaotic soldiers. He was first stabbed into a pincushion by a dozen hook-and-sickle spears and long-handled axes and daggers, and then dismembered by a hail of knives and axes.

Just like when making skewers with a whole piece of fresh beef, some vendors like to cut it into cubes first before skewering it.

However, some shops that prefer to save time and be efficient like to skewer the meat first and then cut it into cubes along the skewer's shape.

(End of this chapter)