Yang Zaixing was so delighted that he actually nodded to Niu Gao on his horse, then hurried away, leaving General Niu dumbfounded.
"King Wei, this depends on whether the matter is urgent or not."
Inside the Jin army camp, Hong Ya looked at the battlefield just a few feet away. His eyes swept across the dragon banner and his heart began to beat wildly.
"How to deal with the urgent situation, and how to deal with the slow situation?" Wuzhu opened his eyes wide, trying to stay calm, because in the gap when Tai Shi Nu went to call for help, he had learned that Balisu's entire army encountered a large formation of more than 20,000 long-axe heavy infantry of the Song army, and knew the cruel reality that Balisu's troops were trapped in the large formation of the Song army.
Of course, he couldn't possibly know that the five-colored sun-holding flag had fallen into the mud and was wrapped up together with Balisu.
"Slow down, that means the war situation is still reliable." Hong Ya tried to answer. "At this time, we need to relax on the outside and tighten on the inside. On the one hand, we need to argue with reason and try to negotiate peace with the Song State, and on the other hand, we need to speed up the transportation of troops across the river..."
"What's the hurry?" Wushu interrupted the other party directly.
Hong Ya's breathing became disordered all of a sudden. "It's urgent. The situation is hopeless. We don't need to worry about anything at this time. The Song emperor is on the mountain over there. Release Yu Yunwen immediately and ask him to tell them that it doesn't matter if they try to make an alliance under the city walls, make false threats, or kowtow for mercy. Anyway, we should try our best to save the situation... Try to make an alliance while the other party is unaware of the military situation in Hejian, so as to have a chance to transport our troops across the river... Try to persuade them as much as possible, and try to get them to leave as much as possible."
After saying that, Hong Ya stared at the other person.
In the drizzle, Wuzhu turned back and forth, feeling his breathing quicken and his steps out of control. He could not stop for a moment: "Are you afraid that the Zhao Song officials will become suspicious because of our envoys and find out something?"
"Even if he has doubts, he can't know the specific reasons." Hong Ya hurriedly explained. "It depends on how the war goes... If it really reaches the point where the earth collapses and the mountains are destroyed, we should give it a try, right?"
"If the earth collapses and the mountains are destroyed, even if we are trying to deceive and seek an alliance under the city, what can we say?" Wuzhu kept shaking his head.
"King Wei, there are still some things to say." Hong Ya took a half step forward. "For example, first promise the Yanshan Road, withdraw from the entire Han territory, and repay the Jingkang gold and silver... Then you can take advantage of the situation to talk about the Yanyun Han family clans, saying that only peace talks can avoid more casualties and prevent the Han family clans from resisting; then talk about the casualties of this battle, saying that so many people died in this battle, wouldn't Yue Fei, who did not participate in the battle, be too powerful to be eliminated? You can also talk about the balance outside the Great Wall. The Eastern Mongolian Kublai Khan did not participate in the war and preserved his strength, but the Western Mongolian Khan died. Doesn't the grassland need checks and balances? There is also Goryeo, and the post-war appeasement of Hebei, and spring plowing... All of them can be talked about... King Wei, you must remember that the Zhao Song official has never been just a general, he is also an official, and he needs to think about the post-war."
Wushu stared at the other person in astonishment for a moment, then thought for a while, then nodded and turned to look at Tai Shi Nu: "Go and bring Yu Yunwen alive, don't act on your own this time!"
The master's slave left in a hurry.
Hong Ya couldn't help swallowing.
As if seeing through Hong Ya's thoughts, Wuzhu turned his head and said, "Hong Chengzhi, the situation has not yet reached the point of collapse... I just want to bring Yu Yunwen here, just in case."
Hong Ya felt slightly relieved.
As if in response to Wuzhu's words, just as Wuzhu and Hong Ya were discussing whether to give it a try and to be on the safe side, the battle on the slope ahead showed some improvement for the Jin army... Jiagu Wulibu showed up with a reinforcement of cavalry, giving Huo Nu great support. For a while, there were several precarious places on the southern slope front of the Song army, and a small group of troops even came to the barricades and tried to dismount and destroy them.
However, the number of barricades on the mountain and the size of the barricade formation were no longer comparable to those when Wanyan Poshu attacked. What was interesting was that under the dragon banner, Emperor Zhao was as still as a mountain, and did not issue any military orders or decrees, but instead allowed the supported Huo Nu to advance further.
Wuzhu, who actually had rich battlefield experience, became increasingly panicked, because he knew very well that behind the dragon banner, there were obviously sufficient troops who were preparing and resting, but this official was holding back.
About a quarter of an hour passed. As more and more female cavalry crossed the gap between the battle line and the army formation, arrived in front of the chevaux de frise, and began to dismount and destroy the chevaux de frise, with a few even trying to charge directly on foot, Yu Yunwen was finally tied up and brought to the front line from the rear.
Wuzhu was about to say something, and Yu Yunwen just exchanged glances with Hong Ya, when the next moment, the entire southern slope of the high ground suddenly began to vibrate... The noise and movement on the battlefield suddenly increased by more than double.
Wuzhu looked around blankly, then suddenly remembered something, and then he climbed up the watchtower and looked eastward regardless of everything.
Sure enough, as far as the King of Wei of the Great Jin Dynasty could see, in the misty drizzle, the east side of the high ground was in chaos, and countless Jin soldiers were fleeing from there... At first, it was just aimless cavalry, and Wuzhu wanted to send people to clean up the situation, but soon, with more chaotic infantry, as well as the flags of Yelu Mawu, Wanyan Wolun, and even Elubu appeared in the eastern field of vision, Wuzhu knew that the eastern battlefield had collapsed across the board!
It was even faster than the collapse of the western front which had been fighting for a whole day... At least Hesheli Taiyu's flag was still standing with its back to the camp, and Jiagu Wulibu had just regrouped and was about to attack.
"Teach him those words!" Wushu immediately lowered his head from the observation deck and instructed Hong Ya in a trembling voice that he himself could not control. "Prepare to send him back!"
Hong Ya hurriedly spoke those words to Yu Yunwen, but just after he opened his mouth for two sentences, before he could say that the Zhao Song officials should be careful of Yue Fei's influence, he heard Wuzhu on the watchtower continue to issue orders: "Send out all the messengers, let Bendu and Huo Nu try to withdraw the troops in an orderly manner, and return to the camp to cut off the rear before the Song army comes."
But just as he finished speaking, another wave of sound, far louder than the previous ones, suddenly broke through the rain curtain from the side and rear of the high ground and rushed towards him... It was obvious that the Song army on the eastern front and the northern slope of the high ground were shouting all along the line because of something.
Wuzhu was even more stunned, because he saw with his own eyes that the Huonu tribe, which had already reached very close to the highest point, suddenly turned around and left... These Jin army warriors who dared to dismount and attack the dragon flag should have been the most motivated soldiers on the entire battlefield at this time, but now they became the first to flee on the front line.
What exactly did these people see?
"Don't teach him!" Although he didn't know what was going on, Wushu knew that the earth was collapsing and the mountains were falling before his eyes, so he pointed his finger at the Taishi slave below. "Taishi slave! You are a smart person. Did you remember everything Hong Chengzhi said just now?!"
“Remember!”
"How do I treat you?"
"The King of Wei has only known me for a few months, but he has already appointed me as the leader of his personal guards, and generously lavished me with gold, silver, treasures, and official positions... His kindness is as heavy as a mountain!"
"I'm asking you for a favor. Take him with you as a talisman!" Wuzhu pointed at Yu Yunwen, and then quickly pointed at the dragon banner on the mountain. "Go to the Zhao Song emperor, kneel down and beg him for me, and explain the truth to him, so that he will let us go!"
The Grand Tutor's slave said nothing, turned around and brought a horse, tied Yu Yunwen to the horse's back, then hurriedly mounted the saddle and rode out of the camp.
The two of them entered the battlefield and followed the route opened up by Wanyan Huonu's tribe. They had just climbed the gentle slope and had not yet reached the barricade. When they passed by a Song army formation that was in confrontation, Yu Yunwen could not help but shout on horseback:
"The Jin army is defeated! The Jin army is defeated! Marshal Yue is coming from Hejian!"
Before he could finish his words, Tai Shi Nu turned around and hit Yu Yunwen with his elbow. The iron armor was stiff and immediately made Yu Yunwen's mouth full of blood. Several teeth fell out and he was speechless for a while.
When they arrived at the barricade, Tai Shi Nu was even more single. He dragged Yu Yunwen down and punched him hard, then dragged him forward while shouting to the Song army in front of him: "This is Yu Yunwen, the Hanlin scholar of your Song Dynasty, and the son-in-law of Zhang Rong, the governor of the country. I am the envoy of the King of Wei of the Great Jin Dynasty, and I am here to see Emperor Zhao!"
Several military generals came forward to meet them. Tai Shi Nu even threw Yu Yunwen to the ground and went forward alone, but he did not expect that the person who came forward was Yelu Yudu and several Khitan warriors.
Both sides looked at each other in surprise.
But soon, Yelu Yudu went to lead a few people to protect Yu Yunwen, and several other Khitan warriors went to meet Tai Shi Nu, hurriedly tied his hands behind his back, took away his helmet, and then punched him hard in the face... It was not known whether it was to kill him or to extort revenge.
However, Tai Shi Nu had already stopped caring about these things, because before he was beaten, when he took off his helmet, he vaguely saw a huge iron curtain of military formations on the east side of the highland, which was ten miles wide and swept westward along the slope... The formation was so large and wide that he had never seen it before. In his horror, Tai Shi Nu was keenly aware that this should be the unknown thing that King Wei feared, and it was also the thing that caused the Jin army to flee on the eastern front... When he thought of this, he didn't care about the pain on his face, but just thought of Wuzhu's instructions and kindness before, and then he struggled towards the dragon flag regardless of everything.
However, his hands were tied, and his struggle forward resulted in him falling down and being beaten several times along the way. When he was brought before the emperor, he was in an even more battered state.
But even so, he didn't care at all. He just knelt down hurriedly and tried his best to explain what he had said before: "Your Majesty! Emperor Zhao! You used your military skills like a god in this battle and won a great victory... My King Wei is willing to ask for peace by the Yanshan Road! The Great Jin retreats to the border, the entire Han territory is ceded, and the gold and silver obtained in Jingkang are returned! He is even willing to pay tribute!"
Some consultants were slightly startled, but more people sneered. As for the Zhao Song official who was wearing dark golden armor and was the only one sitting there, he said nothing and pretended to be deaf. He just lowered his head, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" The slave of the imperial teacher tried not to look at the increasingly spectacular and conspicuous iron curtain in the east, but just tilted his head and spoke with all his strength. "My King Wei is sincerely begging for peace... You must know that the Yanyun clan has always been unyielding to the Song Dynasty. If the emperor insists on robbing, I don't know how many more people will die. Even if Yanyun is taken by force, the people of the north will be divided! Why can't we give the Jin Kingdom a chance to survive in exchange for a smooth handover of Yanyun?"
Several close ministers around him were slightly moved.
But Zhao Jiu just quickly poured himself another drink.
"Your Majesty." Tai Shi Nu spoke more and more hurriedly, but his voice was already tearful. "Even if we don't talk about Yanyun, haven't enough people died since the Northern Expedition? God is merciful... Let's just talk about today's battle. Foreign ministers came along the way. The whole grassy slope was covered with corpses and weapons, and everywhere was smeared with blood and mud. What's the point of fighting? And if we really continue to kill like this, even our Jin army can't bear it, but can the Song army bear it? Besides, there are too many people dead here. Aren't you afraid that Yue Fei and his 100,000 people will become too powerful to be defeated?"
There was an obvious commotion behind him. Zhao Jiu shook the wine jug in his hand slightly, trying to fill another glass. It looked as if his hands were shaking... But even so, he only got half a glass.
Then, the official stood up holding the half glass of wine.
As far as he could see, the huge iron curtain had crossed the southeast corner of the high ground and appeared in the field of vision on the south slope with a vibration like thunder. On the main positions of the two armies on the south slope of the high ground, a large number of Jin army positions began to shake and tremble as if they had encountered an earthquake without encountering any attack.
Zhao Jiu let out a breath, drank the last half glass of wine, then took off his helmet and threw it on the ground, then he raised his sword and walked forward, causing almost all the ministers and generals behind him, including Han Shizhong, to raise their swords and respond. Han Shizhong and his men even took the initiative to follow him for a few steps.
"Your Majesty!" The slave of the Grand Master kowtowed in the mud and water, crying. "And Eastern Mongolia and Western Mongolia... won't they be dealt with after the war? What about the Koreans? How about the spring farming in Hebei? Your Majesty is the Majesty of a great country, you can't just focus on the war, you have to consider the post-war... At first, my King Wei really just wanted to deceive and delay the war, but after seeing such a large battle, he will definitely want to make peace... Please give us a way out!"
Zhao Jiu had already walked up to this person. Not far to the front and side, Yelu Yudu came hurriedly, and behind him was Yu Yunwen, who was being supported and had blood all over his mouth. He seemed to have something to say.
However, when he got close, just like Han Shizhong and others who were following behind, Yelu Yudu suddenly stopped, because Emperor Zhao suddenly drew his sword.
In the afternoon, in the drizzle, under the dragon banner, Emperor Zhao, holding a sharp blade, looked down from a high place, glanced at the densely packed Jin army's defeated soldiers and the remaining positions in front of him, glanced at the chaotic and long Jin army camp, and then glanced at the misty rain curtain and the grass that had already changed color.
After scanning, Zhao Jiu stepped past the silent Taishi slave and pointed his knife forward. He wanted to say... After we conquer Huanglong Mansion, I will drink with you all... He also wanted to say... Ten years of hard work will pay off today... But for some reason, when the words came to his lips, they all disappeared. He used up all his strength, but could only issue a simple military order in a short and urgent tone:
"Press it over! Push it over for me!!!"
The battlefield was clearly becoming increasingly noisy, but for some reason, after this military order was issued, the people around seemed to have an illusion, as if the entire world had suddenly fallen into a state of pause or stagnation.
But soon, this stagnation came to an end... Because following Emperor Zhao's words, the generals behind him responded loudly, and then, the Song army behind the high ground, led by the generals who had been prepared, marched across the high ground, passed through the chevaux de frise, and from top to bottom, laid out forward and pressed forward with all their might.
This move, echoing the huge iron curtain that was getting closer and closer from the east, finally triggered widespread fear among the Jin army.
Then suddenly, without waiting for the Song troops on both sides to press forward to engage in battle, the Jin army's positions collapsed across the board, and all the famous divisions and generals were unable to stand. The Song cavalry first drove the Jin army to the side of the camp, ravaged it from three sides, and trampled it at will.
In the afternoon, there was still quite some time before dark, and the fine spring rain showed no sign of stopping, and the Jin army had completely collapsed across the board.
It is said that before the total collapse came, although Wuzhu, who stayed behind in the rear camp, was extremely panicked, he still tried his best to make a series of preparations for response... On the one hand, he asked Tai Shi Nu to take Yu Yunwen to meet the Zhao Song government in order to delay the possible total collapse as much as possible; on the other hand, he asked the personal guards to open all the camp gates and drawbridges, and prepare flags behind the drawbridges for support when necessary; on the one hand, he asked the remaining troops in the camp to drive the signed troops out of the camp directly from the other side, and on the other hand, he asked people to clear the passages and venues in the camp to facilitate the entry and preparation of the troops.
However, all the preparations, at least the immediate ones, became completely ineffective when the moment of earth collapse and mountain collapse arrived.
The camp was out of control from front to back, and most people no longer paid attention to military orders. Looting and fighting spread everywhere, accompanied by abandonment of posts and escape. Most of the flag bearers arranged to lead the troops turned around and left... At the beginning, Wuzhu tried to lead his guards to kill the flag bearers as a restraint. However, as the first batch of defeated troops arrived in front of the camp, even the ruling prince's own guards who stayed behind lost the last glimmer of confidence and stopped carrying out military orders.
This is certainly understandable - you know, even though countless suspension bridges and gates were opened in front of the camp because of the previous troops, when the defeated army turned back, a large-scale stampede still occurred, and countless soldiers were pushed directly into the trenches by the rear army. Then, these core combat forces of the Great Jin Kingdom fought and pushed each other in the suspension bridges and mud ditches for a slight possibility of escape.
They trampled on each other, tore each other apart, and even swung their war hammers. Some even tried to take off their armor in the mud just to crawl into the camp earlier.
In just a moment, the armor, weapons, and mud in the trenches caused a huge number of casualties, which might have been caused by the previous half-hour of melee.
In fact, seeing this situation, not only Wuzhu completely gave up his efforts, but the few other people in the camp who strictly followed military orders also lost their discipline and turned around and fled.
"King of Wei! King of Wei! The Fourth Prince!"
Hong Ya, breathing heavily, shouted several times to the watchtower. "The situation is hopeless. If we don't leave now, are we going to destroy the entire Jin Kingdom? Let's hurry back to Zhending Prefecture!"
The pale-faced Wushu finally nodded blankly, then climbed down the watchtower in a daze, but almost fell down again. But before he fell, several guards rushed up and pulled and lifted their prince to the ground, and someone quickly brought a war horse.
"No! I can't go to Zhending Prefecture!"
Wuzhu got on his horse in a daze, and walked slowly for a while with Hong Ya and dozens of his trusted guards. When they reached an intersection in the camp, they suddenly regained some clarity. "With such a big collapse, the floating bridges on the Hutuo River can't pass many people. The majority of the troops still have to go east... But if they go east, Hong Chengzhi, you know..."
Of course Hong Ya knew... most of the defeated Jin army would definitely stay in the south of Hutuo River in a hurry, and Yue Fei would most likely attack from downstream... but now that things have come to this, how dare he still interfere in this matter?
As the person in the army who might be most mentally prepared for the complete collapse of the Jin army, he was much more sober than Wuzhu just now, but he dared not say a word, for fear that he would be suspected of something in the future.
The mess that Yu Yunwen is in is enough to scare people!
"I'll go to Shiyi first and see if I can gather people along the way and cross the river as soon as possible." On the other side, Wuzhu saw that Hong Ya didn't speak, but misunderstood, thinking that the other civil servant was afraid of death. "Hong Chengzhi, please go to the rear camp and take the people in the rear camp to Zhending Prefecture. I asked Gao Qingyi to call Lao Liu to send reinforcements before. Now you have to stop them and don't let them come to die again. Let Lao Liu defend Zhending... One day is one day... Let Pu Suyue take control of the floating bridges on the river and gather as many people as possible!"
When he started saying this, Wuzhu tried to take out his gold medal from his waist and hand it to the other party, but for some reason, he didn't take it off until the end. In the end, Hong Ya himself was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He rode over on horseback, untied it and snatched it away.
After taking it, the two men rode their horses and prepared to go their separate ways. But after walking a few steps, Hong Ya couldn't help but turn his horse slightly, and on his horse, holding the gold medal, he bowed to Wuzhu sideways:
"Fourth Prince, please take care of yourself!"
Wuzhu looked back at the other person blankly and nodded slightly in the rain, but soon the two of them finally rode their horses and went their separate ways.
And if it is said that Wuzhu and Hong Ya still had some time and thinking space to maneuver because they were in the rear camp, then before the total collapse, the three generals Wanyan Huo Nu, Wanyan Po Shu and Jiagu Wulibu and their subordinates who were at the forefront of the high ground would be the first to bear the brunt of the attack, and then they realized at the first moment that the situation was hopeless and beyond human control.
However, when the mountains here were collapsing and destroying, the three former trusted veterans of Lou Shi behaved completely differently.
Jiagu Wulibu, who was already 64 years old, let out a long sigh, then rode his horse back to the camp and tried to escape. Moreover, unlike most of the fleeing soldiers, he actually led dozens of cavalry guards against the trend and headed east, as if he was preparing to do the opposite. He took advantage of the inconvenience of the Song army's iron curtain formation to easily avoid the large group of fleeing soldiers, and it was also convenient for him to take the Hutuo River to Zhending Prefecture.
He knew the importance of crossing the river as quickly as possible.
As for Wanyan Huonu and Wanyan Poshu, they both stopped where they were at the same time, and let the soldiers beside them disintegrate, but they just stared blankly at the motionless dragon flag on the top of the mountain.
This is understandable. Others have reasons to escape and the instinct to survive, but what about Huo Nu and Po Shu?
They have nothing left.
They no longer had the belief in revenge that had sustained them for so long, nor the last hope of defeating the dragon banner, and they even lost the capital to stand firm... Their army was now at the front and was probably the most difficult part to escape, and in this battle, someone would eventually be held responsible for the defeat.
It is one thing to say that the King of Wei was at that level, but Huo Nu and Po Shu took the lead in attacking, which resulted in the last large group of elite cavalry being divided by the Song cavalry. As a result, it was a fact that neither side achieved their strategic tasks, and there was no need to argue.
With this thought in mind, under the drizzle, Huo Nu reined in her horse and smiled at the dozens of riders still behind her:
"You go find General Poshu... He is Taizu's nephew. He can still survive if he goes back. In the future, he can retreat to the frontier, between the white mountains and black waters. Who knows, he can make a comeback and avenge my father... Don't waste your life here... Go quickly!"
Dozens of cavalry guards looked at each other, and no one moved for a while. However, as the Song army formation in front rolled forward, the elite Song soldiers around saw that it was the Jin army general who was attacking specifically, and more than a dozen cavalrymen leaned forward and went to the east to look for Wanyan Poshu.
Huo Nu originally wanted to throw away her helmet and commit suicide as soon as the people left, but when she saw that there were still a dozen riders behind her, she simply rode her horse to meet them, avoiding the Song army's formation and charging along the gaps in the chevaux de frise towards the visible but unreachable dragon flag.
Seeing this scene, a few of the dozen or so riders turned away, and at one moment only seven or eight followed.
Moreover, although the Song army was scattered in the chevaux de frise and not as tight as the surrounding formations, there were still enough heavily armored warriors to easily stop the dozen or so cavalrymen who could not run fast at all.
Only Huo Nu had been watching for a long time and had already seen a group of Song soldiers holding long swords but no blunt weapons occupying a corner of the barricade in front of the dragon banner. They seemed to be easy to deceive, so she took the lead at this time, relying on her excellent horsemanship and outstanding , dodging left and right, and actually avoided the heavily armored warriors swarming down all the way, and led several riders to rush in front of the group of foreign armored warriors wielding long swords. The two sides met, and these foreign armored warriors were indeed no match for Huo Nu and her guards. They could often be dealt with with a hammer, and the long swords were useless if they brushed against their bodies. The few who changed to hammers and axes were obviously not used to them... For a while, they were entangled by Huo Nu's guards, and then Huo Nu herself almost rushed to a position two or three hundred steps in front of the dragon banner alone.
At this time, there was only one alien warrior with a long sword left between the living girl and the formation under the dragon banner that was obviously composed of the royal guards.
Seeing this, the formation in front of the dragon banner was as stable as a rock, without any movement. Even the surrounding Song army formations did not come to rescue, because no one thought that this single rider could break through thousands of imperial guards. Even Huo Nu herself only thought that if she could die in the formation of the Zhao Song imperial guards, so that the Zhao Song officials would see her die without turning back, then she would have no regrets.
Unexpectedly, just as the girl's blood was boiling, the man approached the soldier with a long sword on the opposite side. Instead of retreating, the other party shouted and swung his sword to meet him.
Seeing this, Huo Nu did not hesitate and swung her hammer at the opponent.
However, the two horses collided head-on, and the living woman unexpectedly lost her target. After galloping for about ten steps, the armored warhorse under her crotch neighed again, and then collapsed with a loud bang, throwing the living woman directly onto a group of barricades nearby.
Although he was not pierced dramatically due to the protection of the armor, it was still enough to cause him unbearable pain, rendering him unable to move and at the mercy of others.
In a daze, the living woman who was trapped in the narrow gap between the two wooden spikes of the chevaux de frise opened her eyes with all her might, and saw a large mass of internal organs and blood sliding and rolling along the slope behind the warhorse. The horse intestines were dragged from the warhorse's abdomen for dozens of steps. At this moment, a bloody man stood up from the pile of internal organs and limped towards her.
The girl knew very well that this was a desperate move by the opponent. All she could say was that this guy was really lucky that he didn't get trampled to death by the warhorse while he slipped on the ground and cut the horse's belly.
Of course, now is not the time to think about the other person... Huo Nu tried hard to see her appearance clearly, but she was unable to turn around. She could only sigh in her heart. It would be fine if she died so easily, but she did not die before the dragon flag. She died in front of the Zhao Song official and countless famous generals of the Song State. It was inevitable that she felt a little aggrieved.
Of course, the grievance soon dissipated.
Yuan Weiyi, his body covered in blood, walked forward step by step. Under the solemn observation of the surrounding Song army, he first took the gold medal from the opponent's waist and put it in his mouth, then lifted the visor and stabbed the opponent in the face with the dagger at his waist. Then he hurriedly stepped on the opponent's body and raised the gold medal high in a direction.
Zhao Jiu, who had swung his sword and then rushed forward to the front of the barricade, stood with his hands behind his back, motionless. When he saw this scene from afar, he just pointed. With just one point, Yuan Weiyi felt relieved, and then he fell to the ground and burst into tears for no reason.
Moreover, because Pushan Beilu's body was not found for a while and Wanyan Balisu was only found with his flag broken, Wanyan Huonu was the third Wanhu killed in battle by the Song army after Ali and Tuhesu in this battle, and also the fifth Wanhu actually killed in battle.
It was already afternoon, and the rain had not stopped even half a quarter of an hour after the collapse of the Jin army.
On the other hand, Zhao Jiu had already drawn his sword and ordered the entire army to attack. Without mentioning anything from the commander-in-chief, all the generals led the troops forward. For some reason, he himself was no longer willing to move forward. At this time, he saw from a distance that a general of the Jin army was almost charging alone, but before he could get close, he fell off his horse and showed his gold medal. He knew that the woman was dead, and he became more and more lazy. He didn't want to say or move anymore. He just let Shao Chengzhang move the stool and the table, and watched the army pouring down to chase the fleeing enemy.
However, just as the official sat down again, new news suddenly came.
"Qu Da surrounded Wanyan Poshu... Wanyan Poshu wanted me to meet him in front of the battlefield?" Zhao Jiu frowned. "The deputy general of Loushi?"
"Yes." Liu Yan answered without hesitation. "He is also Wanyan Zhimu's illegitimate son. Wanyan Zhimu is Aguda's half brother, so he is considered Aguda's nephew."
"It's okay to meet someone of your status." Zhao Jiu sat in the rain. "But I'm not interested today... Tell Qu Da to kill him quickly, and then go to the front of the camp and trample on the enemy."
Liu Yan bowed his head and walked away.
About half a quarter of an hour later, the military order reached Qu Duan. Qu Duan nodded in understanding without saying anything. He just looked at a Jin soldier in front of the formation who had no weapons or horses. The latter understood and turned back to the Jin army formation.
There were still hundreds of Iron Pagodas around Wanyan Poshu. When they heard the reply, they all came to see their commander. Poshu looked around, especially after seeing the chaos in the trench in front of the camp behind him, he was also confused.
"The officials of Song State look down on us, but we cannot belittle ourselves. There is no surrendered Hezhameng'an in the Great Jin State." Po Shu took off his helmet and collar and declared loudly. "But now, I can't let you fight and die... Run away! Forget about the reserve war horses in the camp. Untie your vests first, and throw away your armor after crossing the camp. Our horses are good. We can find a shallow ford and cross the Hutuo River by hugging our necks. Let's escape as many as we can. When we escape back to Yanjing, we will go to find the king. If the king wants to return to the frontier to start a career in the future, you will be needed to protect him."
As he said this, he untied the braid at the back of his head again, shook off the blood plasma and dirty water attached to it, then pulled out the knife and cut the carotid artery in his neck with all his might. With just one cut, blood gushed out like a fountain, washing away all the stains on his neck.
The surrounding Iron Pagodas also rushed forward, surrounded Poshu's horse, and carefully supported Wanyan Poshu's body, which was gradually losing strength, to prevent him from falling.
At the same time, the outer Song cavalry could not wait to start attacking and killing. Although a gap was deliberately left behind Tiefutu, he still fought to the death despite the danger of being surrounded by the iron curtain and highland formation on the east side of the Song army.
It was not until the blood on Uncle Po's neck gradually subsided and his pupils dilated that the people around him, who were supporting him, carefully laid him flat on the horse. Only then did they return to their own groups, unbutton their vests, take turns to cover their rear, and try to escape.
As expected, no one surrendered.
A quarter of an hour after the total collapse, Wanyan Poshu, Aguda's nephew who was not a Wanhu but commanded four Hezhamengans, committed suicide in front of the battle.
At this point, the Jin army's front line had lost the last bit of its originally meaningless resistance.
The Song cavalry, who had long been ordered to pursue and kill, led the way and rushed forward, successfully chasing the chaotic Jin army camp. Here, countless exhausted Jin soldiers, both infantry and cavalry, had already lost control in panic, and trampling and killing each other had already occurred. However, with the arrival of the Song cavalry, the previous chaos was nothing compared to the chaos before.
Countless Jin soldiers, although wearing heavy armor and carrying heavy hammers on their waists, were chased and slaughtered wantonly by the Song cavalry who had not caused any casualties all day.
Erlubu saw with his own eyes that groups of Jin cavalry, in complete disarray, were often pursued by a small group of Mongolian light cavalry and had no choice but to rush into the trenches in front of the camp that were full of mud and corpses, or they recklessly charged across the suspension bridge leading back to the camp, causing other Jin soldiers on the suspension bridge to fall into the ditch one after another.
The trench in front of the camp, filled with mud, blood, armor, weapons, bodies and wailing, had already become a hell on earth.
“No need to look at it!”
Yelu Mawu, who was usually very quiet, stepped forward and grabbed Erlubu. "Let's go! If you don't leave now, the trench will be filled with corpses!"
Erlubu turned around and said, puzzled: "Why is it like this? Even if the defeat is certain, even if it is a huge defeat, how can it be like this?"
"It should be like this." Yelu Ma Wu sneered and shook his head, loosening his hand, then turned around and took a reserve warhorse from the guards that had never been to the battlefield, and climbed on it. "I have seen the Khitans like this before, and I have also seen the Song people like this before... Now it's the turn of the Jurchens, why can't they be like this? Could it be that the Jurchens are really supernatural beings, and are not the same species as us Khitans, the Song people, and the Mongols?"
E'lubu was speechless.
"The camp is doomed to fail. There is no point in staying here!" Yelu Ma Wu suddenly became serious and scolded on the spot. "There are horses here. If you want to survive, go to the floating bridge in the north and go to Zhending Prefecture... If you want to try to save your subordinates, go to Shiyi to prepare, and then go back to gather the troops in front of the Qinshui and Hutuo Rivers... Anyway, don't stay here and do nothing."
Elubu shook his head slowly, then stepped forward, took the warhorse and climbed on.
In this way, the two of them led hundreds of cavalry out of the rear camp gate. As soon as they went out and walked a few steps to the south, they heard several exclamations in the noise behind them. When they turned around, they found that Elubu, a veteran general of the Eastern Army who was famous for his bravery, was heading north towards Zhending without saying a word.
More than half of them followed suit.
Ma Wu turned his horse around and hesitated for a moment, but finally shook his head, turned around and rode south with the rest of his men.
Let's not talk about Ma Wu, let's just talk about the other side. Elubu was galloping northward, and after passing the camp, he saw a large group of horses and soldiers in the distance. He followed them and found that they were Hong Ya and the civil servants and military officers of the rear camp, as well as some of the remaining troops. What was even more surprising was that the veteran Jiagu Wulibu was also among them.
The three men met, exchanged some words, and each breathed a sigh of relief. Then they met up and continued to head north to find the floating bridge on the Hutuo River.
After walking another two miles, the road just started to run parallel to the end of the Taiping River. Before they saw Pu Suyue's troops and Eluguan's reinforcements, they saw Gao Qingyi leading more than a hundred cavalrymen coming towards them.
Seeing this, Elubu and Jiaguwulibu lowered their heads slightly and fell down, while Hong Ya hurriedly took the lead to meet them.
Before Hong Ya could speak, Gao Qingyi asked hurriedly:
"Minister Hong, how is the war going?"
"The ground is collapsing and the mountains are falling apart. The whole situation is in disarray. I am here in the name of the King of Wei to ask you not to bring in the Sixth Prince's reinforcements. Then, let the Sixth Prince gather his troops and carefully defend the city. Then, let Pu Suyue restore order on the floating bridge..." Hong Ya raised the gold medal in his hand high. "Then, I will go to the lower reaches of the north bank of the Hutuo River to meet the defeated soldiers."
Jiagu Wulibu was slightly stunned behind him, and Gao Qingyi turned pale and stood there in a daze for a while before asking again: "Is it completely hopeless?"
"There is no hope." Hong Ya said impatiently. "The Song army swept across the battlefield. Our army has no place to maintain its organization. Even the Fourth Prince can only go to Shiyi first to prepare to gather and prepare the defeated soldiers outside the battlefield... Gao Tongshi, turn around quickly and go back with us!"
Gao Qingyi became more and more frightened, but finally turned around and went downstream under the urging of the other party.
The group was getting bigger and bigger. After walking for a while, the shouting and killing sounds behind them gradually faded away. Instead, they gradually heard the rushing river in front of them. The sound of water was loud in front. Everyone knew that the Hutuo River was approaching, so they accelerated forward. After walking a few more steps, they saw that the Hutuo River was right in front of them. On this side, the Pu Suyue camp was neatly arranged with clear flags. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
As expected, the young Pu Suyue rode out to meet the enemy and asked about the war:
"How did Gao Tongshi come back so quickly? Minister Hong, there is a war going on ahead... Why is General Erlubu here? General Wulibu is here too?"
"To be honest, General." Hong Ya had already given up, and at this moment, he went straight forward to tell the story without any burden. "We suffered a great defeat in the front, the Song army swept across, killing and wounding many, and our army has no place to stand... The King of Wei went to Shiyi and prepared to gather troops outside the battlefield, so he gave me a golden medal and asked me to pass on the order to you, to control the floating bridge, gather the defeated soldiers as much as possible, and deal with them if necessary."
Pu Suyue was stunned for a moment, his eyes turned from the gold medal in the other party's hand, then looked at Elubu and Jiagu Wulibu, then nodded blankly.
But soon, he glanced at Gao Qingyi, whose face was pale, and asked Hong Ya again: "In this case...May I ask Minister Hong, do you have any news about General Shaohe?"
Hong Ya didn't know what to say for a moment, but Gao Qingyi immediately covered his face.
"It's hard to say." Erlubu suddenly spoke up. "The victorious Song army came from the east. General Yelu Mawu, General Wanyan Wulun, and I were all on the eastern front. We were defeated first and were able to escape into the camp. General Wulibu should have been rotating his troops in the camp before. But apart from that, the troops on the western front and the central army were too dense and they were defeated too late. People were stuck at the suspension bridge in front of the camp gate, and there were heavy casualties from being trampled... My dear nephew, let me be frank. Shaohe's position is already dangerous, and it's still an hour before dark... If this continues, by dark, even if Shaohe survives by chance, his Bohai Wanhu will probably suffer heavy casualties."
Hearing this, almost everyone looked up at the sky at the same time, and their faces all looked even uglier.
After a long while, Pu Suyue nodded and said, "In that case, I will take you across the river. The Sixth Prince must still be waiting in Zhending City for your news."
Everyone sighed for a moment, but no one objected. Instead, they sped up and followed, passing through Pu Suyue's camp of only two or three thousand people, and then boarded the floating bridge on the Hutuo River from the back of the camp.
The Hutuo River is a big river, and it is also a estuary during the flood season. It is really not easy to build a floating bridge. There are only four of them here. It is conceivable how many floating bridges can be crossed when the defeated troops in the rear arrive.
But a few people, since they have already survived, are too lazy to care about those things.
In fact, after the group climbed onto the bridge and crossed the river, they were finally completely relieved and even collapsed on the spot. However, Pu Suyue turned around and went back without hesitation.
In this way, the group rested here for a while before preparing to set off. However, just as they were about to move, they heard a noise in the camp on the other side of the river.
The crowd, who had already become frightened birds, did not dare to delay. They hurriedly found a small mound in front of the pontoon bridge, climbed up on horseback and looked around. However, they saw neither the pursuers nor the large number of fleeing defeated soldiers. Instead, they saw Pu Suyue's flag leading about a thousand cavalrymen directly out of the camp and heading towards the battlefield against the Taiping River.
How could everyone not understand when they saw this?
But I have seen so many life and death matters today that I am speechless for a moment.
Except for one person.
"What's the point of living?" Gao Qingyi's nose was sore, and he sat down on the ground in the rain, crying bitterly. "Shaohe and I have been friends for many years, and his life or death is unknown. I didn't even dare to ask, but a junior is so ready to die... I am so ashamed!"
After hearing this, everyone had different expressions.
Hong Ya simply sneered: "Gao Tongshi, you have not only let down Shao He, but also the Fourth Prince? This time, you were the one who planned the battle. Although it was forced by the situation, there was nothing wrong with it... But since we were defeated and caused the disaster today, someone should be held responsible... Fifteen thousand households, even if it is only one percent of your fault, you should be killed to pay for it!"
When Gao Qingyi heard this, he nodded repeatedly: "Minister Hong is absolutely right."
Having said that, Gao Qingyi took off his clothes in public without paying attention to the people around him, then walked down the slope and waded into the swollen water of the Hutuo River.
In response, everyone remained silent and looked at each other coldly.
And sure enough, after Gao Qingyi took seven or eight steps, the water reached his chest. He tried it out with his foot and found that there seemed to be a big pit in front of him. He didn't dare to move anymore and just stood there with his head raised and cried.
Seeing this situation, the people on the shore were too lazy to watch any longer and turned their horses around and headed towards Zhending City.
Hong Ya, on the other hand, was really annoyed. He directly scolded him on the shore: "Gao Tongshi! That's enough! You are such a smart person, you know the situation better than anyone else, but when Marshal Nianhan died, you didn't go to be buried with him. When Gao Jingshan sent you out of the city, you went with the flow. You didn't even ask about Shao He's life or death on the way. How come you can't hold your face when you see Pu Suyue swimming upstream? If you really want to die, do you still have to take off your clothes? Come up quickly and follow me to see the Sixth Prince!"
After saying that, Hong Ya ignored him and turned around and walked away, leaving his horse behind. Gao Qingyi, on the other hand, cried in the river for a long time, feeling half ashamed and half helpless, before returning to the shore. He put on his clothes, wiped his tears, and rode away.
During the entire process, no one was willing to return to the other side of the river to deal with and take over Pu Suyue's military camp.
Putting aside the fact that this group of people escaped, let's just talk about the other side. The Jin army's central and western fronts were indeed, as Elubu had judged, in danger of being massacred after the collapse of their overly dense military formation.
The Song cavalry, both armored and light, ravaged the Jin army from all three sides, killing all the soldiers and horses. Finally, as the iron curtain on the east side of the Song army and the large formation in front of them gradually approached, the Jin army began to surrender on a large scale... Starting with the Haner army, to the Khitan and Xi tribes, and finally the Jurchen soldiers could not bear the fear of being slaughtered and began to surrender in an organized manner.
These surrenders in front of the camp were certainly encouraging, but they also hindered the Song army's pursuit. Many Jin troops on the inner side took advantage of this to sneak into the camp, and then, under the cover of the camp, dispersed from the other side of the long camp.
Some went to Zhending, some went to Shiyi, but more of them went there for the desire to survive, so they split into countless small groups and headed eastward, scattering across the Hebei plain.
But at this moment, he really couldn't care less about so many things. He could only quickly transfer the surrendered soldiers and hunt down and kill those troops in the camp who had not yet surrendered.
Because Yelu Yudu knew the inside story of the Jin army's high-level officials, he was ordered to supervise the army to search the Jin army. For a while, silver and bronze medals were flying back and forth with the Khitan knights, and they were constantly delivered to the emperor.
The basket in front of Zhao Jiu was filled with blood-stained medals one after another. After a while, three more gold medals that had obviously been washed and wiped by rain were delivered to Emperor Zhao and placed next to the previous gold medals.
There are words on the gold medal of the marching general.
The first side is obviously the gold medal of Shaohe.
"Dead or alive?" Zhao Jiu became more and more listless.
"He must be dead. General Yelu said that the gold medal was taken directly from a corpse." Liu Yan bowed his head and said, "General Yelu himself also identified it. Although half of the head was rotten, it was still roughly recognizable as Shaohe."
The second gold medal was very interesting. Its shape was completely different from the Shaohe gold medal. One side was flat and the writing on the other side was rough and blurred, like something crudely made.
"Whose is this?" Zhao Jiu was confused for a moment.
"It's Wanyan Bendu's." Liu Yan blurted out. "Wanyan Bendu was raised in Aguda's tent since he was young. He was given this gold medal at a very young age, promising him a bright future... Later, Wanyan Bendu always carried this gold medal..." At this point, Liu Yan paused for a moment before speaking. "Sir, this man has been captured alive and is right in front of us. Do you want to bring him up for a look?"
Zhao Jiu was too lazy to see them at first, but when he looked around, he saw that all the generals who had turned back and gradually gathered were interested in moving. In addition, Wanyan Bendu was the commander-in-chief of the Longde Prefecture's military division, and was considered one of the top three figures on the opposite side. Moreover, Yelu Yudu was not far in front of him, so he had to give him face, so he finally nodded.
After a moment, Wanyan Bendu, who was tied up with his hands behind his back, was dragged to the high ground by Yelu Yudu himself and thrown directly in front of the emperor.
The man raised his head, Zhao Jiu looked down, and found that he was crying, and it was not just because of the rain... Not only that, the man was struggling on the slope and looked back, only to see that the Jin soldiers below the slope were either dead, surrendered or fled, and many Song cavalry were still chasing the scattered Jin soldiers for fun. On such a large battlefield, the mighty formation in the morning was gone, and he burst into tears and wailed.
Zhao Jiu finally spoke coldly: "Does the golden prince also want to be a crying prince?"
Upon hearing this, Wanyan Ben cried even harder. After a long while, under the gaze of countless civil and military officials with different expressions behind Zhao Jiu and under the dragon banner, he managed to answer:
"It is because I think of Salihe that I am so sad... I want to let Lord Zhao know that Salihe and I both grew up in my great ancestor's tent. Although we are not brothers in name, we are brothers in reality... He cried when he was beaten by Wu Jie on Qiaoshan Mountain that day. Although I publicly defended him, I couldn't help but mock him in my heart... But today, seeing the collapse of the mountain, I finally realized... No matter how brave and proud a man is, if he sees his men die like grass, how can he not cry?"
As he spoke, he banged his head on the ground and cried more and more violently, until he was out of breath and did not stop for a moment.
Zhao Jiu nodded: "Salihe never lost his integrity and hanged himself early, so you can just follow him!"
Hearing this, without waiting for Wanyan Bendu's reply, Yelu Yudu directly picked up a large bow with a loose bowstring from the ground next to him, then pressed his knee against the man's back, put the bowstring around his neck, and twisted it again. Wanyan Bendu could no longer cry, but just kicked and struggled with his legs. But after a while, he had no strength to struggle anymore. Then his own group stepped forward, one holding the bow, and two dragged Wanyan Bendu to the side, making sure that he died with his body intact, completely dead.
Zhao Jiu nodded to Yelu Yudu and turned over the third gold medal.
This gold medal was unexpectedly different from the previous two. It seemed more refined, and was heavier and larger in size... Zhao Jiu recognized the word "Marshal" without Liu Yan and Yelu Yudu's explanation.
Obviously, someone reported the gold medal of Balisu.
At this point, the official finally became too lazy to read any more and turned around and issued an order: "Good minister!"
"I am here."
Han Shizhong bowed and stepped forward.
"Send your cavalry, and take reinforcements from any two commanding units to seize the floating bridge in front of the Hutuo River north of the Jinying. The rest of the left army of the Imperial Camp will follow me back to Huolu County." Zhao Jiu ordered calmly.
Han Shizhong responded immediately.
"Jin Qing..." Zhao Jiu glanced at the bruised Yu Yunwen, and continued to look around before looking at Wu Da and giving instructions. "The military situation is not very accurate, but there are indeed relevant reports that Yue Pengju, Zhang Rong, and Tian Shizhong may have already reached the mouth of the Hutuo River in Hejian Prefecture downstream... The left army of the Imperial Camp should not move, and you should arrange the rest of the troops to ensure that they can pursue properly... Collect and resettle the surrendered soldiers on the battlefield, and do not fall behind in cleaning up the battlefield."
Wu Jie had already known the news and even had a plan in mind. In addition, with today's great victory, the Jin army was completely out of control. In fact, the casualties and prisoners were far beyond imagination. Although many escaped, it was definitely not half.
Therefore, Wu Da just responded indifferently at this time, but some generals who were unaware of the situation were excited when they heard the words.
Having said this, Zhao Jiu was too lazy to say anything more and just got up and turned around... He needed to have a good rest.
"Officials!"
At this moment, Liu Yan suddenly stepped forward and pointed at the master's slave who was still kneeling in the distance and asked, "What should we do with this person?"
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Did he hear what Master Yu reported earlier?"
"No."
Zhao Jiu nodded, not caring: "Then let it go! Give it to Wanyan Wushu!"
Liu Yan nodded quickly, and Yelu Yudu said nothing.
Just as Emperor Zhao was about to leave, Liu Yan pointed at the baskets on the ground and hurriedly reminded him, "Emperor, what should we do with these?"
Zhao Jiu looked back and spoke clearly, "Put it away for now... When we have the floating bridge over the Hutuo River tomorrow, we will take good care of the wounded soldiers of the Jin army today and send them into Zhending City along with these signs! We can also send the corpses in, and after calculating the military merits, we will send them to the city and let them bury themselves."
The generals rarely regained their composure.
When Emperor Zhao saw that nothing was wrong, he took off his helmet, looked up to the sky with a sigh, then walked back to Huolu on the other side of the Taiping River holding the helmet.
Before it got completely dark, another victory report was delivered directly to Huolu City. It turned out that Han Shizhong's subordinates Cheng Min, Dong Xian and Shao Yun were ordered to march towards the Hutuo River, but they unexpectedly ran into Pu Suyue, the defender of the Hutuo River pontoon bridge camp, on the way... The latter was beheaded on the spot. Then the Song army pursued and crushed the defeated army, easily seized the pontoon bridge, and sent cavalry to cross the river for reconnaissance and spy on Zhending City.
If Pu Suyue is included, the Song army has killed eight generals with the rank of Wanhu on that day, accounting for fully half of the 16 Wanhu generals of the Jin army in this battle.
Wuzhu, who had already arrived in Shiyi, was of course unaware of this. However, when it was completely dark, he had only gathered less than 20,000 scattered troops. Even the general with ten thousand households only managed to gather five people: Wanyan Wulun, Hesheli Taiyu, Yelu Mawu, Wulin Dataiyu, and Pucha Huzhan!
At this point, the King of Wei of the Great Jin Dynasty understood that the brutality of this battle was far beyond imagination, and the number of people killed and captured by the Song army on the battlefield was absolutely horrifying!
The previous idea of ​​using the camp to support the defeated soldiers and hinder the pursuers now seems to be a joke of being too clever!
I'm afraid it was because of that strange camp that caused such tragic casualties. But if you think about it carefully, this statement is still wrong, because if the whole line did not collapse at once, wouldn't the camp have made a great contribution?
Of course, no matter what, now is not the time to think about those things, because even so, Wuzhu estimated that 40,000 to 50,000 people would escape , and we cannot abandon these defeated soldiers at this time... Wuzhu even did not dare to hug his head and cry with these generals, for fear that it would affect morale.
However, just after having some hot meals with these generals and explaining the plan of heading eastwards early tomorrow morning, gathering the troops and crossing the river in dispersed directions, before he could finish his words, he suddenly heard a loud commotion outside the camp. It turned out that the Song army had ignored the darkness and was chasing after them directly through the camp.
At this moment, the nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses that had been gathered in the camp with great difficulty exploded in an instant, and fled south, north, and east like headless flies... The only place they did not go was the west where the Song army was arriving.
Wuzhu and his generals had no choice but to leave the camp and go their separate ways overnight as planned, preparing to gather their troops at night and flee eastward.
After leaving the camp, Wuzhu rode for a while and heard no more pursuit. He looked up and peeled off his mask. He found that the rain had stopped for a while and the evening breeze was blowing on his face. He looked back at his camp with a few sparks behind him and saw countless defeated soldiers gathered behind him. He wanted to cry but dared not.
After a long pause, Wanyan Wushu raised his head and let out a long roar towards the night sky.
Before he had finished howling, he pulled down his mask and galloped away on his horse.
At the same time, Zhao Jiu fell asleep early in Huolu City... He hadn't slept so soundly for a long time.