Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"Slay the enemy and march on Lingqiu and Feihu counties."

"Wait until next year when the Hebei army breaches Yizhou,"

"The combined efforts of Shanxi and Hebei can achieve this,"

"Let's open up Feihu Pass together."

Zhang Guangdao, after considering the opinions of all the generals, said:

"Ten thousand troops from the Shanxi garrison were stationed in Daizhou, Guoxian, and Fanzhi (Fanshi)."

"The field army and the remaining garrison troops were divided into two."

"Go west to attack Tudeng Village,"

"It echoes Han Shizhong's troops from afar."

"Go east to attack Pingxing Village,"

"It would be best if we could break into Lingqiu County."

Zhang Guangdao's meaning was quite clear.

He never intended to seize Datong.

At least we won't be fighting Datong this year.

And Yanmen Pass

Let whoever wants to hit me go ahead.

Anyway, Zhang Guangdao isn't going.

He preferred to take a detour from somewhere else.

Yanmen Pass has three cities, six stockades, and eighteen strategic passes.

There is room for defense everywhere.

Even if we could conquer them all,

The Ming army also had to endure a protracted war and suffer huge casualties.

So how did the Jin army manage to breach Yanmen Pass back then?

It was only mentioned briefly in the history books.

There's no definite news from this timeline either.

It was as if all the barriers were made of paper.

.....

The commander who attacked Pingxing Village was Yao Pingzhong.

This guy always wanted to fight tough battles and make a name for himself.

Zhang Guangdao granted his wish this time.

Chapter 3161 There are too many challenges.

Although there are countless checkpoints in the surrounding area

But what's truly important is...

Actually, there are only two places: Yanmen Pass and Pingxing Pass.

Even if other passages were breached, they would be difficult for a large army to pass through.

Yao Pingzhong was the commander-in-chief.

Guo Yaoshi and Yue Fei were appointed as deputy generals.

The other generals leading troops below them included Chen Ziyi, Hua Rong, Deng Xia, Wu Jie, and Liu Qi.

Chen Ziyi, Deng Xia, and Hua Rong,

A commander of cavalry,

One who commands the artillery,

A commander of musketeers.

They are all relatively independent units.

He was neither the commander-in-chief nor the deputy commander.

They were more like allies fighting alongside Yao Pingzhong.

Including the accompanying Shanxi garrison troops,

Including the local militia reorganized by the righteous army,

The total number of combat troops was over 35,000.

Han Chang's eight hundred Liaodong Han soldiers

They came along too.

In critical moments, one can use verbal appeals to persuade someone to surrender.

Pingxingguan is not a standalone pass.

There are three villages: Pingxingzhai, Maguzhai, and Meihuizhai.

They blocked three major traffic arteries.

During the War of Resistance Against Japan,

The Nationalist soldiers were stationed along these three routes.

The Japanese army also attacked from these three directions.

Lin Shuai's 115th Division

But they mysteriously appeared and disappeared into an unknown valley.

Ultimately, they caught the Japanese army off guard.

Yao Pingzhong led his troops to rest and recuperate in Fanzhi County for two days.

They immediately marched towards Pingxingguan.

Chen Ziyi's cavalry was expanded again this year.

Two thousand light cavalry were added.

These light cavalry were dispatched first.

Reconnoiter the battlefield ahead along the way.

It's still more than ten miles to Pingxingguan.

The two sides clashed on light cavalry.

After a fierce battle, both sides suffered casualties.

They each ran back to report the news.

Leaving behind a story that continues to entangle us.

Upon receiving the news, Yao Pingzhong accelerated his march.

Another day passed,

The Ming light cavalry have all returned and reported:

"The Jurchens dispatched several thousand cavalry,"

"And many more valiant cavalrymen were included,"

"We simply couldn't hold them off any longer and had no choice but to retreat."

Yue Fei guessed, "It seems the Jin army wants to fight in the open field."

"They were unwilling to remain holed up in their fortified villages and hold out to the death."

Liu Qi said with a smile, "When the Jurchens were defending Chitang Pass to the death,"

"They were terrified of artillery and deafening bombs."

"Moreover, the three villages of Pingxing, Magu, and Meihui,"

"It was built by the former Song Dynasty to guard against the Liao Dynasty."

"Better for external defense,"

"However, its internal defense is inadequate."

"And besides, that area is all mountainous,"

"The Jin cavalry also found it difficult to exert their full potential."

"For all these reasons, the Jurchens simply decided to fight in open fields."

Wu Jie said, "Han Chang, who surrendered."

"It is said that the Jin army in Shanxi initially numbered more than 60,000."

"They suffered a series of crushing defeats in Shanxi,"

"At most, there are only 40,000 left now."

"We must divide our forces to defend all the passages,"

"We also need to divide our forces to defend the various fortresses around Yanmen,"

"The Jin soldiers here at Pingxingzhai probably number only 20,000."

"It's not even 20,000,"

"It's only a little over ten thousand."

Three famous generals of the Southern Song Dynasty served as military advisors to Yao Pingzhong.

After some guessing and reasoning,

It's almost like having a full map cheat.

Yao Pingzhong thought this made a lot of sense.

Suddenly his mind cleared, and he clapped his hands, saying:

"Since the Jurchens want to fight in open battle,"

"Then we'll fight them with a chariot formation."

"Our troops have superior numbers,"

"And morale soared,"

"And there were firearms to cheer them on."

"Let alone more than ten thousand Jin soldiers,"

"Even if it's thirty or fifty thousand, I'm not afraid!"

"What do you think, Master?"

Chapter 3162 One Against Three

Monk Zhenbao was the leader of the rebel army.

Now he serves as the commander of the local militia in Wutai County.

He also joined the others in killing the Jurchens.

"Amitabha!"

The monk Zhenbao chanted the Buddha's name, then put his palms together and said:

"Those golden figures are all demons incarnate,"

"They should be sent back to hell!"