The spring rain suddenly appeared again, and even if it was just a drizzle, it was enough to shake people's hearts, because the weather had a huge impact on the war. Therefore, the Song and Jin armies almost simultaneously held a pre-war military meeting in advance, and had the last discussion before dawn.
Before that, when the officers of both sides were gathering and joining together according to the military orders, Gao Qingyi and Tai Shi Nu in the Jin camp were the first to find a secluded tent... This was the tent of Hong Ya, the military envoy to Yanjing and the chief secretary of the Privy Council. The latter arrived with Jiagu Wulibu, and also accompanied by a Wanhu of all cavalry hastily gathered from outside the Shanhai Pass and Yandi, which were the one hundred Moukes that the Song army saw yesterday afternoon.
However, Gao Qingyi and Tai Shi Nu did not come here to look for Hong Ya today, but to take away the two captives that Hong Ya was originally going to take back to Yanjing.
"Why does the King of Wei want them at this time?" Hong Ya, who couldn't fall asleep, frowned instinctively when he heard Gao Qingyi's words.
"The King of Wei wants to kill them as a sacrifice." Tai Shi Nu spoke before Gao Qingyi, and was straightforward and direct.
Hong Ya was stunned for a moment, and looked at Gao Qingyi for confirmation, and the latter nodded slightly.
After getting the verification, the minister remained silent for a moment and did not move for a while.
Seeing this, Tai Shi Nu could not help but urge: "Hong Chengzhi, this is the order from the King of Wei himself! If you don't want to lead the way, just say the word and I will go and fetch the person myself."
Hearing this, Hong Ya sighed, turned around and took the two of them to his own tent, and then came directly to a small tent with armored soldiers standing in front, behind, and on both sides.
The soldiers received the signal to enter, and in a moment, they carried the two captives, one tall and one short, one blue and one medium, out of the tent, and then stood next to the torch in front of the tent door... It was obvious that these two people did not rest either.
The Grand Master's slave nodded and was about to signal the soldiers to take their men and follow him.
"Wait a moment." Just as the soldiers were dragging the two men up, Hong Ya suddenly stepped forward and spoke. "The King of Wei is so angry that he is confused... Regardless of whether this battle is won or lost, these two men will be useful... Leave them here, and I will take care of everything."
The Grand Master's slave was slightly stunned, and before he could say anything, Gao Qingyi came to his senses a little at this time, and immediately agreed: "Minister Hong is right... I will also explain to the King of Wei about unnecessary things."
However, although both of them wanted to protect the two captives, and both of them were far superior to him, Tai Shi Nu thought for a moment and shook his head: "Now is the time to fight for our dignity, not to calculate the benefits... Besides, the King of Wei has clearly stated that he wants to chop off the captives as sacrifices. When we return, the King of Wei will directly call people to the stage to be killed. Do you want you and me to explain in front of more than a hundred Meng'an in the army? I'm afraid that if something goes wrong, you and I may be directly squeezed in to be sacrificed!"
Gao Qingyi was helpless for a moment.
The two men who were held by the soldiers knew they were going to be sacrificed, and their bodies froze... But soon, the tall young man tried hard to stand up straight and maintain his composure, while the short middle-aged man looked a little dazed and out of control for a moment.
"If that's the case, just take one person with you... killing one person will be enough to explain!" Seeing the two captives react differently, Hong Ya shook his head, summoned his wits, and tried to answer. "This Yu Yunwen is Zhang Rong's son-in-law, a close minister to the Zhao Song government, and keeping him will be very useful... Meng'an doesn't know who is who!"
Gao Qingyi came to his senses again and followed suit.
Tai Shi Nu obviously didn't want to argue with the two of them. After a little thought, he nodded and ordered the short middle-aged man to be dragged away.
However, just as the tall young man, Yu Yunwen, was being held down for trying to struggle, the middle-aged man, who had been dragged for seven or eight steps, suddenly came to his senses, turned around and shouted, "Yu Tanhua!"
"Commander Bei, are you going to talk about your wife and children?" Yu Yunwen, who was still struggling, burst into tears.
"Why should Yu Tanhua worry about my wife and children?" The short middle-aged captive, the battalion commander Bei Yan who was captured by the Ali tribe after the hot air balloon crashed, was pale at this time. He was dragged while shouting. "I want you not to fall into the trap of the Song traitors to lure you into surrender, thinking that you can get along with them just because you have the situation... In this world, if you make a mistake, you will be a hero or a coward. You want to be a husband, so don't leave yourself with the stigma of being unfaithful!"
Hong Ya's face turned pale on the spot, and Yu Yunwen could only shed tears.
But the Tai Shi slave was a clever one. After dragging the man away, he found some ropes and linen, tied him up properly, and gagged him. Only then did he dare to continue leading the man to the stage.
"Your Majesty, I think we should send troops as usual!"
The front yard of the Huolu County government hall, where many torches were lit, was crowded with people. No one knew about the incident in the Jin camp, or even if they knew, they would not be distracted. In fact, as soon as Emperor Zhao and Prime Minister Lu arrived, the leader stepped forward without waiting for greetings. It turned out to be Han Shizhong, who had been a little silent since Wu Jie arrived. "Not to mention that such a light rain may not affect the overall situation. Even if it continues, the rain will get heavier. By noon, the bowstring will be damp and soft and can't shoot steadily. By afternoon, the ground will be muddy again, and the horses and soldiers will have difficulty moving. Our army will not suffer any loss! There is no reason for the whole army to pull back its fist after gathering strength until now... Your Majesty, this battle is ultimately a battle for our army with more morale and more troops. I am willing to guarantee the victory of this battle with my life!"
Han Shizhong had not made a public statement for a long time. He was the first to speak at this time, and his words were direct. He also made political and military guarantees as the first person in the army... From Emperor Zhao and Prime Minister Lu to the hundreds of senior officers in the drizzle and firelight, up to Li Yanxian and Wu Jie, no one dared to speak out in protest, so that the atmosphere was silent for a while.
Even Zhao Jiu and Lu Yihao were stunned for a moment and had no time to sit down on the chairs in front of the hall door.
"Everyone."
After a while, it was Emperor Zhao himself who broke the silence. He sat on the chair in the middle of the hall, expressionless, and pointed at Han Shizhong, then looked around. "Now do you know why Han Liangchen is the leader of the world and my backbone?!"
Han Shizhong was not polite when he heard this. He stood up straight, holding the jade belt in front of the throne, and turned back to look at the generals in front of the hall.
There was a sudden uproar in the slightly dim courtyard... This was not only because Han Shizhong was so imposing, but more importantly, Prince Han's words and Emperor Zhao's words had clearly stated their attitudes and directly made the most important and fatal decision of this pre-war military meeting.
That means sending out troops as before!
At almost the same time, in the Jin army's central camp on the other side of the river, due to military system issues, the number of Meng'an participating in the military discussion far exceeded the commanders of the Song army on the other side of the Taiping River, so the scene was more grand, but inevitably a little dragged out. After waiting for a long time, they gathered in the open space with the help of dense torches, and then fell silent as the surrounding armored soldiers clasped their armors in unison.
The situation was stable, and Balisu prepared to climb onto a temporary wooden platform to preside over the military meeting.
It is said that before he took the post of marshal, Balisu had been resentful of the long-standing use of people in Yanjing and some arrangements that were designed to guard against him. After he took the post of marshal, he had been releasing his resentment intentionally or unintentionally, while striving for authority, suppressing the direct lineages of the ruling princes, and striving to make himself worthy of the title of marshal.
During the previous months of war, several young men who were raised under Taizu Aguda proved that these so-called central lineages were not as good as these veterans of the two routes. At the same time, the situation was getting worse, and they needed the strong support of veterans like Balisu. Therefore, not to mention the rear, at least on the front line, Wuzhu was more and more respectful of Balisu in terms of ceremony, and Balisu's authority was also increasing.
But in this great battle, the first person to jump onto the stage was Wei Wang Wushu. As for Balisu, although he was shocked, he remained silent in the dim light and was not in a hurry to go on stage.
"Everyone calm down, I am Wushu, the King of Wei, and I have something to say!"
In the drizzle and under the light of torches, as Wuzhu loudly announced on the stage, the sound of clapping armor stopped immediately, and for a moment, only Wuzhu's voice was heard around.
"Why did I call you here so early? Because it's raining again, and some people are hoping for the best, thinking that the Song army might not come today... Then I naturally have to tell you early that this battle is inevitable! Even if the Song army doesn't come today, it's their choice. Can we prepare for it as if they don't come?!"
"Besides, no one in this world knows the Emperor Zhao better than me. If you want me to believe that he won't come, I can't convince myself... I can't convince myself! So today, he will definitely come! And he will bring his Jinwu banner and his hundreds of thousands of troops!"
"You all must follow the previous arrangements today, obey Marshal Balisu's command, and prepare for battle early! Don't be careless at all! Do you understand?!"
At the end of the conversation, Wuzhu shouted loudly, and the people below fell silent for a moment. A few people wanted to join in the discussion, but their voices were only answered twice before being extinguished by the drizzling rain.
At this time, although it was still drizzling, the sun behind the clouds had gradually appeared. In the slightly brighter field of vision, Wanyan Balisu finally stepped onto the platform with a gloomy face. He glanced at the dark crowd in front of him, and his words were surprisingly calm compared to Wushu:
"The war arrangements have been made clear, so I won't go into details. Besides, we have all fought countless battles, so we all understand some things... Hundreds of thousands of people are mixed together, and spread out over dozens of miles. Once the war starts, it will be a mess. No one can command properly, and no one can take care of everything. We can't do that, and neither can the Song army. At that time, we will fight on our own, and the battles will break out layer by layer..."
"If you must point out the key points, in my opinion, it is nothing more than everyone following the arrangements before the war, strictly obeying military orders, and then helping each other as much as possible..."
"Don't count on these reinforcements. The last troops in the camp are used to decide the outcome. When to attack will depend on the overall situation . We can't withdraw anything to save you just for the survival of a Wanhu or a Meng'an! Life is life, death is death! You have to rely on yourself!"
Sure enough, by the end of the conversation, both on and off the stage, things gradually became serious...some things can't be avoided.
"Third, after crossing the river, unless there are other direct military orders from the commander-in-chief, all troops should immediately launch an attack. There must be no delay or avoidance..."
The sky was slightly bright and drizzling, many people's hair was slightly wet. In Huolu County, the Song army also began to emphasize the relevant military discipline of this battle in the name of the imperial edict. The drafter of this battlefield military order was of course Wu Jie, but the reader was not Shao Chengzhang, the chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but Lu Yihao, the prime minister and the commander-in-chief. His words were equally calm and serious, and the effect was equally outstanding.
"Fourth, no unit may request reinforcements or retreat without reason in the name of casualties, but the superior unit should automatically rescue the inferior unit."
"Fifth, if there are those who violate the above provisions and waver in battle, or even miss the opportunity to fight, from the commander-in-chief to the commanders, they should take the initiative to enforce strict military discipline and not tolerate it... If there are those who escape across the river without being seriously injured, no matter how many people there are or what the reason is, they will all be executed without fail!"
After reading this, Lu Yihao, who was sitting in his seat, put away the imperial edict, and also glanced at the generals in front of him, and asked coldly: "Did you hear it clearly? If not, I will tell you something simple... That is, once the war starts, no one can care about you, and this war is so grand and chaotic that any unit may be wiped out. Because even if any unit is wiped out, as long as we are the winner in the end, the remaining troops will be enough to sweep Hebei and destroy the Jin Kingdom. And those who dare to flee or disperse in this war will only be more embarrassed than dying... So, I will learn from the words of the emperor's arrangement the night before and ask again, who has any comments? If you don't have any opinions at this time, you are not allowed to turn back."
Hearing this, many people focused their attention on the Khitan general Yelu Yudu who was in the front position and the Western Mongolian king Huerzahusi who was wearing a golden crown. However, seeing that the two men were pale but did not say a word, everyone immediately looked at Qu Duan.
Everyone knew that compared with other troops, including the Khitan reinforcements and the Western Mongolian reinforcements, the reinforcements composed of the main elite of the Imperial Camp that arrived later were in the worst condition. In this battle, especially when the Song army had an advantage but the combat effectiveness of the Jin army was still affirmed and verified, this army that arrived later and took on a key mission was likely to suffer a very tragic loss of personnel, and it was considered a kind of "unnecessary" loss.
So if anyone were to try to make a final struggle in front of the emperor at this moment, it should be them.
But then again, Emperor Zhao has been on the throne for ten years and has tight control over the imperial camp troops. Besides, in such a serious battle, not everyone has the courage to stand up and discuss it.
This is not the time for Huaishang, nor is it the time for Yaoshan. Wu Jie can formulate such a serious proposal, and Lu Yihao can make such a naked threat. They have the confidence.
And sure enough, under everyone's gaze, Qu Duan also turned pale, but he also just clenched his fists and remained silent.
"Sir, I have something to say!"
Just when everyone's attention was on Qu Duan, suddenly a tall general in the front row turned around and knelt on one knee in front of the emperor, shocking everyone... because the person who stepped out was actually Wang Dewang Yaksha.
"Please speak, Lord Wang." Zhao Jiu remained calm and responded without changing his expression.
"Your Majesty!" Wang De panted on the ground. "I'm not talking about the military discipline on the battlefield, but I'm a little dissatisfied with the battle arrangement... When we decided on the military strategy the day before yesterday, we only planned for today to be sunny, so it would have been fine if I was to go out third from the last battle... But it rained today, so the battle must be slow. If I go out third from the last battle, wouldn't it be a mess?"
"What do you think, Wang Qing?" Zhao Jiu asked. "Hundreds of thousands of troops are fighting, and you, Wang De, are also leading tens of thousands of people. You can't just change the order at the last minute, right?"
"Good instructor, you know, I have no intention of ruining the overall situation. Hundreds of thousands of people fighting will never rush in. What I mean is that Li Qiong is a man who knows how to coordinate. Let him take charge of the various units in Tokyo and send the troops according to the original arrangement." Wang De said while pointing to Li Qiong who was stunned for a moment. "Only me and my troops, please be the vanguard! I am willing to go out of Xiaoshiqiao first, lead the way for Li Jiedu, and respond to Han Junwang!"
"How can a general of a town be the vanguard?" Zhao Jiu was also stunned, but then shook his head.
However, upon hearing this, Wang De simply punched the ground with his fist, then stared at Emperor Zhao with bloodshot eyes and spoke fiercely:
"Your Majesty, I am a brave man. If I hadn't met you, how could I have been able to keep my integrity?! Even the people in the imperial camp say that I can only have my current position because I followed the emperor early and relied on my seniority. This time, I have long wanted to be your pioneer, to fight the enemy to repay your kindness and to restore my reputation! Before in Taiyuan, after I made meritorious service, I asked for pardon for my second son Wang Shun to return to the army. People from all levels also mocked me, saying that I was of low character and was tied to my child. In fact, I asked for my rebellious son to return to the army, and all I asked was that the three of us, father and son, could work hard for the king's cause and live and die together! Your Majesty, please allow the three of us, father and son, to go before this battle!"
After saying this, Wang De simply disregarded his status and kowtowed repeatedly... The generals around him were all in awe, and Liu Qi was even more nodding, as if no one knew what he was thinking about.
Zhao Jiu thought for a moment and no longer hesitated: "Wang Qing is so heroic. If I don't allow it, it would be stingy. So I will allow your troops to march out first and lead the entire army!"
Wang De was overjoyed and quickly stood up and returned to his position, even glancing at Han Shizhong who was standing with his hand on his waist.
Han Shizhong just shook his head and laughed.
"Wang Jiedu is valiant and brave, but when large armies fight for important positions across the river, it is inevitable that they will fight one after another. This kind of thing can only happen once, not twice, otherwise it will disrupt the march. The rest of you should not follow suit and seek a fight." Zhao Jiu waited until the other party returned to his position before speaking seriously. "Besides this, does anyone have anything else to say?"
Everyone looked at each other. Huyan Tong, who had taken a step forward, withdrew his foot silently, not daring to say anything.
Seeing that everyone was speechless and the vision was getting brighter and brighter in front of the hall, Emperor Zhao couldn't help but sigh: "You don't have anything to say, but I have one more thing. Just now, Prime Minister Lu played a good role to emphasize military discipline and law. Now I have to promise some rewards, otherwise who would risk their lives? But I ask myself that after ten years in power, the words I said and the promises I made are still worth some money... You just listen."
Everyone was cheered up.
"Huer Zha Husi?" Unexpectedly, but also reasonable, Zhao Jiu called the person in front of him first.
"The little king is here." Huer Zha Husi shuddered, and under the push of his son, he quickly bowed and walked out. His tone was strange, but his posture was extremely humble.
"I have two things to say to you." Zhao Jiu responded calmly. "First, your army accounts for about one-tenth of the total army in this battle. The spoils of war after this battle, whether it is the armor and weapons collected on the battlefield or the inventory of the Jin army after the capture of Zhending Prefecture, are eleven times that of your Western Mongolians; second, as long as your Western Mongolians do not fall behind in this battle, I promise you that as long as the Song Dynasty has spare power, we will ensure that the Western Mongolian kings will be from the Kerait tribe for generations, and the son will inherit the father, and the younger brother will inherit the elder brother. You don't have to worry about your descendants not being able to carry on the business."
Huer Zha Hu Si didn't know whether he had thought through the pros and cons of the matter, and whether he had time to weigh the pros and cons. But at this moment, what else could he say? Naturally, he bowed and expressed his gratitude.
However, the eldest son Tuoli, who was standing behind him, heard these words and realized how heavy the political commitment made by the emperor in public was. Moreover, considering the private promises made between the emperor and his subjects before, he could not help but stand up and immediately stepped out to express his gratitude as a statement.
Zhao Jiu looked past the father and son and towards Yelu Yudu: "General Yelu!"
"The foreign minister is here." Yelu Yudu was much calmer.
"I won't say anything more... After this battle, your troops will be treated the same as the Imperial Army... As for General Yelu, if you return to Western Liao, I will personally recommend you to be the King of the Northern Courtyard to rule Hexi; if you don't want to return to Western Liao, you can still be a county king. After destroying the Jurchens, you can return to your hometown. I will never let you have any regrets."
Yelu Yudu bowed slightly and thanked calmly, as if he had already thought about this.
"After the two reinforcements, I won't explain the rest one by one." Emperor Zhao turned around and stared at the remaining officers in the imperial camp, still calm. "It has two meanings. When you go back, you can tell the whole army before crossing the river today..."
In the drizzle, the courtyard was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"The next level is also the most basic level. If the Northern Expedition is victorious this time, in addition to the basic military merit measurement, I will uniformly grant land to those who have made military merit in Hedong Road, Hebei West Road, Hebei East Road, Yanshan Road, and Datong Road. Where will the land come from? All the five routes will have unified land measurement and population measurement, and no matter the rich or poor, the land will be equally granted! The soldiers in the imperial camp will naturally be granted double the land... They can continue to be paid soldiers while renting out the land... The disabled will get four shares, the dead will get six shares, and military merit will be calculated separately. Officers will also have class bonuses, and even civilians who want to stay in Hebei can get an extra half share. In other words, even if Meihua Han's son-in-law returns to Xiangzhou and Zhao Xianggong himself returns to Wenxi, they will not get as much land as a civilian in the army."
Except for Lu Yihao, no one said a word… For this kind of thing, those who understand the situation would not dare to say anything, while those who don’t understand would just take it as a reward and there is no need to say anything.
"The upper level is for military officers... After the Northern Expedition, commanders and above will be promoted one level; commanders and above can enter the cabinet after retirement; deputy commanders who actually command the army, but have military merits, can all be considered for additional titles; commanders and those who have already held titles can all be granted the title of prince based on their military merits!" At this point, Zhao Jiu glanced at Qu Duan in the commotion, but then turned to Han Shizhong. "Of course, those who have made special contributions can be promoted to princes... Others don't know, but Han Shizhong is the Prince of Qin, Yue Fei is the Prince of Wei, Li Yanxian is the Prince of Jin, Wu Jie is the Prince of Han, Zhang Jun is the Prince of Qi, Zhang Rong is the Prince of Lu, and Ma Kuo is the Prince of Xing. I have already decided on these seven princes, so it's okay to say it directly now."
Han Shizhong and the other two were frightened for a moment and hurried to express their gratitude, but Han and Li were fine, but Wu Jie was almost in a trance.
Zhao Jiu ignored the three people's bowing and just turned back to signal. After receiving the signal, Shao Chengzhang, the escort of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, immediately led two squad members to Wu Jie, who was increasingly caught off guard. Then the two squad members tore away the object in their hands, and it turned out to be a large banner with regulations similar to those of the other five people.
There are four big characters written on it: 'Command with confidence'.
"This is for Jin Qing, take it." Zhao Jiu said calmly. "I prepared it for you before the Northern Expedition... It seems a bit unfair to give it to you only now."
"I am deeply moved..." Wu Jie almost cried.
"Don't be like this, or I'll be embarrassed to continue." Zhao Jiu looked at them and sighed. "I gave you rewards and promises before the battle. First, because of your merits, you can't do without them. Second, I also want to remind you that there are already many princes who surrendered in the Song Dynasty. Don't have more... If you really encounter an emergency, please set an example and die on the battlefield."
The generals were once again in awe.
Although it was drizzling at this time, the sky was obviously brightening. Wuzhu, whose hair was already wet, knew that he could not delay any longer, so he directly called for Tai Shi Nu to come up and kill the prisoners and sacrifice to the flag. The latter did not dare to delay and hurriedly pushed Bei Yan up himself.
When Wuzhu saw that there was only one person, and that he was tied up and gagged, he knew something was wrong, but he could no longer say anything, so he just kept urging him.
Tai Shi Nu also wanted to deal with the matter quickly, so he ordered four soldiers to hold Bei Yan down, then he personally picked up a big axe and chopped off the man's head with just one blow, and blood splattered three feet away.
Now that Bei Yan was dead, the troops should have been sent out, but for some reason, Wuzhu, standing in a pool of blood, still had some words in his heart that he couldn't help but say.
"The last word!"
As Balisu looked at him tentatively, Wanyan Wushu closed his eyes slightly, but then suddenly opened them and roared. "I know some of you are still cowardly and confused. You always think that the Jin Kingdom is thousands of miles away and there are plenty of ways to retreat. Why do we have to fight here? Why do we have to fight?!"
"Can't we avoid it, hide it, and waste time? Can't we go to Hejian, go to Yanjing?"
"What truth can there be? It's nothing more than the blood feud since the Jingkang period. The Song people will not let us go! After Zhending is Hejian, after Hejian is Yanjing, after Yanjing is Liaoyang, after Liaoyang is Huanglongfu. Do you think that going straight to Huanglong is just empty talk? When has the Zhao Song government ever said anything empty?! They will definitely chase us all the way to the White Mountains and Black Waters!"
"So, although the Jin Kingdom is big, it has already lost its retreat route! And if we retreat today, if we avoid the battle, we will never be able to recover!"
At the end of his words, Wuzhu almost roared to the sky, and all the Jin army generals fell completely silent.
"Return to the camp quickly and prepare to deploy the troops!" Balisu lost no time and gave the order with gritted teeth.
"At this time, I shouldn't talk nonsense anymore, but I know it very well. There are some truths that everyone should know very well, but in fact, if you don't say it out loud, there will still be people who are confused and don't understand, or pretend not to understand." In front of the lobby of Huolu County, in the drizzle, Zhao Jiu actually recalled the past. "My lords, I met Zhang Jun and Zhang Boying in Yingkou on Huaishang that year, and told him that if I didn't have him, I would have been bait for the Jin soldiers, and if he didn't have me, he would be just a loser on the roadside. I and he will rise and fall together... Today, ten years have passed, and there is actually no essential difference. It's just that the imperial camp is bigger, with more soldiers and more generals, but we still rise and fall together... Without you, even if I have all kinds of ambitions, I am just a fish on a stack. Without me, even if you are born heroes, you are just a wolverine in the field... I hope that we, the monarch and the ministers, can truly accomplish a great cause together and live up to the ten years of hard work!"
At this point, the whole courtyard fell silent. With a wave of his hand by Emperor Zhao, whose sleeves were already wet, Shao Chengzhang, the eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, actually brought . On the board was a pot of "Blue Bridge Fengyue", but there was only an empty cup.
"This wine is not for you."
Zhao Jiu took the pot and cup from Shao Chengzhang, poured himself a cup, and drank it all before speaking. "I use it for myself, because from now on, I am already an idle person... The ten years of hard work, whether there will be any results or not, it is no longer up to me, but to you! I will hold this wine today and watch you decide the rise and fall of the country! Send the troops!"
Han Shizhong and others responded loudly and then dispersed.
Just like that, as the sky was about to brighten, and under the drizzle that was still the kind that could be completely ignored, the two armies, after having their hot meals, began to march out of the camp and line up as planned.
The Jin army was indeed deployed in a large scale with the high ground southwest of Huolu County and across the Taiping River as the core. Across the river, several flags of Wanhu could be seen fluttering slightly on the high ground, including the commander-in-chief Wanyan Bendu. There were also dense deployments on the small slope in front of the high ground next to the stone bridge and on both sides. As for the Song army, in addition to Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, and Li Qiong lining up in large battle array opposite the high ground-stone bridge, Han Shizhong also quickly led the left army of the Imperial Camp to advance to the upper reaches of the Taiping River in the southwest direction under the protection of the Dangxiang, Khitan, and Mongolian light cavalry deployed along the river.
The scouts sent out by both sides at night had already lost their foothold as the army was deployed along the river. Then, both the Song and Jin armies tried to raise hot air balloons, but at this time, the power of the seemingly insignificant rain had already been revealed. The hot air balloons of both sides barely ignited, but soon became damp and dull due to the rain.
In this situation, the Jin army occupied the high ground and obviously had a better visual advantage. No matter whether it was Li Yanxian, Wu Jie, or Li Qiong who were directly behind the high ground-stone bridge, or Zhao Jiu, Lu Yihao, Wang Yan, and Yang Yizhong who were waiting for orders inside and outside the Huolucheng stronghold downstream of the high ground-stone bridge, they could only rely on telescopes to spy. However, it was impossible for them to see the Jin army's deployment in the depression behind the high ground, which was protected by the existing camp on the side and blocked by the high ground... From this perspective alone, the high ground at the stone bridge must be controlled.
About an entire hour after leaving the camp, Han Shizhong's troops finally crossed the light cavalry's cover, displayed the large banner that read "Unparalleled in the World", and then built a large pontoon bridge at the designated location after yesterday's reconnaissance. They also used flag signals to quickly send a signal in the direction of the stone bridge, and tens of thousands of light cavalry also began to lay the pontoon bridge to meet the necessary needs.
As soon as the Song army made its move, the Jin army on the southeast side of the Taiping River immediately noticed the movement.
At this time, the battle had not yet begun and the command was smooth. The high-ranking Jin army officers on and around the high ground were obviously gathering and discussing. The flanks close to the upstream also had a corresponding reaction, as if they were preparing to dispatch corresponding troops to block the left army of Han Shizhong's imperial camp at the riverside.
But at this moment, under the new banner of "Command as Sure as a Glory", a long horn suddenly sounded, and soon after, drums sounded from Li Yanxian's position in the front army.
Wang De, who was waiting for orders in front of the stone bridge, ordered his subordinates to build a simple floating bridge on both sides. At the same time, he sent his second son Wang Shun as the vanguard and his eldest son Wang Qi with dozens of riders as the rear guard. Then, he literally took the lead and rode across the stone bridge himself.
There were countless Jin troops on the other side of the Taiping River. In the drizzle, they saw a large flag with the word "Wang" on it crossing the river first. At first, they thought that the rain was affecting their vision and they missed the size and handwriting of the flag. Even in front of the high ground, on the small slope next to the stone bridge where Huyan Tong was defending, the thousands of infantry and cavalry led by the veteran Jin general Ali were hesitant and unbelieving.
But soon, they had no choice but to believe it.
Since Wang De and his two sons led only a few dozen riders to cross the bridge and arrived in front of the Xiaopo formation, they stopped their horses for a while. Wang De shouted, "Wang Yasha is here! You have fought more than a hundred battles with you for more than ten years since the Jingkang period, but it was like sifting bran and grinding flour. Are there still one or two fearless golden dogs today?"
Realizing that a Jiedushi and deputy governor had almost arrived alone, the Jin army responsible for blocking the stone bridge on the hillside was not frightened at all. Instead, they were all overjoyed. The nearest Meng'an did not wait for orders or say hello to the other Meng'ans, and obviously wanted to take the credit, but directly led his personal guards to ride out to meet the enemy.
The two sides soon closed to a distance of dozens of steps between them, but Wang De did not ride his horse to meet him. Instead, he took out a Jurchen-style bow from under the oilcloth on the side of his horse, raised his hand and shot, hitting the opponent's eye socket, knocking the man off his horse.
Then, amid the rumbling of drums, the man put his bow on the saddle, held his spear to urge his horse forward, and roared forward. As the governor of a town, he led his two sons to kill the more than ten cavalry guards. Then, without stopping for a moment, he led the small group of infantry and cavalry that followed him on the stone bridge and rushed directly into the enemy formation on the small slope in front of the stone bridge.
This literally means the general takes the lead and charges into battle.
Wang De was a famous general with a special authority who had been in office for more than ten years. The two of them, father and son, rushed into the battle formation first. Their troops had been following them for a long time, so their morale was naturally boosted. Not only did they rush forward on the stone bridge, but even on the place where the pontoon bridge was being laid, their subordinates could not hold back and some of them waded through the water forward.
Ali, the commander of Xiaopo, was not with his army at this time. He had learned before that Han Shizhong would lead his troops to cross the river from upstream. After receiving the call from Wanyan Bendu, he turned around and went to the high ground to discuss countermeasures with several Wanhu and try to adjust the formation. At this time, he was halfway up the slope of the high ground facing the stone bridge.
This veteran Jurchen general saw from afar a large banner with the Chinese character "王" leading the way and charging into his own formation, causing the Song army in front of the stone bridge to rush forward and disrupt his own formation. Instead of being angry, he looked around and said with a smile:
"Wang Yasha is a great military governor, but he actually charged into the battle himself. Why am I, an old soldier, pretending to be so arrogant?"
After saying this, he did not wait for a reply from his subordinates, nor did he go to the high ground for a military meeting. Instead, he turned his horse around, pulled down his armor, and raised a cavalry hammer high. He led his flag back to the small slope without haste. In front and around, the subordinates who were at a loss for a moment, when they saw this scene, regardless of whether they were on horseback or on foot, turned around and rushed in front of Ali, rushing straight to the big flag with the word "king" on it.