Get the deer!
This is a county under the jurisdiction of Zhending Prefecture. Although it has always been prosperous and has a large area, it is still just an ordinary county under the jurisdiction of Hebei West Road.
Now, when the Song and Jin leaders were keenly aware that the two sides were likely to meet hastily and a large-scale field battle would break out hastily based on their own advancing speed, they all noticed this area at the same time.
This coincidence, coupled with the name, makes people feel a sense of fate.
When Qin lost its deer, the whole world chased it together… Ever since Sima Qian wrote this sentence in "Biography of Huaiyin Marquis", the metaphor of the deer of the world has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Even if we look into it carefully, we can find that Han Xin, the person this sentence was trying to persuade, had gained the basis for chasing the deer based on Hebei at that time.
Therefore, when this name was shouted out by the top leaders of both armies, it seemed to have a magical power that attracted the decision-makers of both sides. Both sides realized that the gains and losses in this area would determine the ownership of Hebei, the ultimate success or failure of the Song army's Northern Expedition, and the basic destiny of the two countries.
Of course, putting aside the name, some things, especially the application of geography in military, politics, and people's livelihood, are really clear and destined, and there is no coincidence in essence... Just like if someone told Emperor Zhao that the area they were eyeing was essentially the core urban area of ​​Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province in later generations, he would definitely suddenly realize it.
The so-called Huolu County was originally a large plain closest to the exit of Jingxing. It was only because the scope of human activities and urban development at that time had not yet reached the level of breaking through the level of rivers like the Hutuo River, the capital of Zhending Prefecture ended at the north of the Hutuo River, and Huolu south of the Hutuo River became a pure agricultural area.
And now, because the armies of both sides are too large and need a large plain nearby, Huolu naturally emerges.
There are countless similar geographical locations throughout history, both in China and abroad.
For example, Zhuolu in Zhangjiakou area in the north, the Stone City built in Nanjing area in later generations after Sun Quan's extensive development in the south, and Constantinople located at the mouth of the strait gradually replaced Lysimachia in ancient Greece to become the capital of Thrace and even the entire eastern Mediterranean after Rome unified the Mediterranean.
There are many coincidences in the world, but some are not really coincidences.
On the 24th day of the first lunar month, with permission from the rear, Yelu Ma Wu finally gave up his efforts in Jingxing and retreated... In fact, even if he did not retreat, he would not be able to hold on. There were too many Song troops, and the Jingxing Pass was not a natural barrier that could be blocked by one man. The Song army was able to deploy enough troops to maintain the successive attacks.
But no matter what the reason was, with the retreat of Yelu Ma Wu, the vanguard of the Song army suddenly became clear. Shao Yun, the general of the imperial camp, took the lead and led his troops to follow Yelu Ma Wu, and were the first to walk out of the Jingxing Passage and arrive in Jingxing County. This is the veritable territory of Hebei West Road.
Following closely behind were Niu Gao, Dong Xian, Zhang Qi, Zhai Chong, and Zhai Jin.
On the second day, which was the 25th day of the first lunar month, Jie Yuan, Hu Yantong, Dong Min, Chen Ju and other generals from the left army of the imperial camp crossed the passage.
By the evening of that day, the Tangut light cavalry led by Li Shifu could not wait to break the order and rushed out of Jingxing before the core force of the Song army to conduct necessary reconnaissance and assist in defense.
On the same day, the five vanguard units swept through the villages of Ganquan, Xiaozuokou, Wangjiagu and Jiuxian, and controlled the Jingxing exit area west of the Mianman River and south of the Hutuo River.
After gaining the necessary safe area, on the 26th day of the first lunar month, countless Song army troops, led by countless flags, crossed Jingxing and arrived in Hebei.
The Jin army only lost its main stronghold on the west side of the Mianman River, but there were still scattered scouts who risked their lives to stay here to do necessary reconnaissance. They hid in the remnants of the Taihang Mountains, and used the terrain with many valleys and hills to spy from afar... At the beginning, they tried to calculate the specific number of the Song army and identify the main commanders of each unit, but soon they gave up this futile action.
There was no way, there were too many Song soldiers, not just soldiers, but also countless civilians and baggage, which were impossible to count. Moreover, with the outflow of these Song main forces, all the towns, valleys, plains and hills west of Mianman River were almost completely controlled by the Song army, and most of these scouts also lost their hiding places and could only choose to retreat.
However, even so, the Jin army scouts also got a glimpse of the most important information before evacuating - the dragon flag did appear on the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain and came to Hebei.
In fact, the dragon flag went all the way to Xiaozuokou Village on the west side of the Mianman River before stopping, which was only a dozen miles away from the Mianman River.
Without further ado, that evening, the top brass of the Song army hastily convened a military meeting in front of the emperor to discuss the next steps of the advance.
The person who presided over the military meeting was none other than Wu Jie, who had just caught up with the main army yesterday. There were not many participants, except for Emperor Zhao... except for Ma Kuo who was in the rear supervising the transportation of grain and grass, who was not present... The rest were Lu Yihao with a few scholars, Han Shizhong with a few generals, plus Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan, that was all. However, even so, the most junior people like Yu Yunwen and Mei Li could only stand at the narrow door of the hall to listen.
“It’s still a deer!”
As soon as the military meeting started, under the lights, Wu Jie pointed at the simple map hanging on the screen with his whip, and without hesitation gave the same answer as Han Shizhong had given him on the west side of Jingxing. "It can only be Huolu!"
"Why?!" The person asking the question was Lu Yihao, who was obviously a little depressed but trying hard to keep himself awake. After all, he was old and military life was extremely destructive to his health.
"Let me tell you, sir, we are now at the exit of Jingxing, west of the Mianman River and south of the Hutuo River..." Wu Jie continued to point at the map, his words clear and logical. "The main force of the Jin army is concentrated in Huolu on the south side of the Hutuo River, facing us across the Mianman River. Both armies are huge and powerful, and we must not easily split our forces at this time."
"Not bad." Lu Yihao thought for a moment and then twirled his beard in approval.
"And then, for the offensive, our main force will either cross the Hutuo River to Zhending, or cross the Mianman River to Huolu... But we don't have the final say on where to go, because according to the scouts, the main force of the Jin army has obviously set up camp in the wilderness around Shiyi Town, southeast of Huolu City. If we cross the Hutuo River, we don't need to cross all of them, as long as we can cross 40,000 to 50,000 people, they will immediately cross the Mianman River and take the opportunity to fight us. Or we can wait a little longer and try to block our retreat after most of us have crossed the river!"
"Can't we use the terrain along the Mianman River to stop the Jin army?" Fan Zongyin couldn't help but interrupt.
"No." Wu Jie's reply was decisive. "The Hutuo River is a big river, but the Mianman River is just a tributary, a small river. It is much more difficult for troops to travel to and from the Hutuo River than to and from the Mianman River! Moreover, from our point of view, the section of the Hutuo River controlled by the Wang army is too short, far less convenient than the Mianman River, which stretches for dozens of miles."
At this point, Wu Jie paused for a moment, but looked at Emperor Zhao who had remained silent, because he knew that if Lu Yihao had no objection, then according to the current hasty situation, it would basically be a matter of a word from Emperor Zhao: "In fact, to put it bluntly, with such a large army on both sides, no matter what river it is, it is impossible to effectively stop it. Only an army of more than 100,000 can stop an army of more than 100,000! Moreover, the royal army went east to Hebei this time to target the main force of the Jin army. There is absolutely no reason to put the cart before the horse!"
After these words were spoken, Lü Yihao, Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Wang Yan, Wang De, Li Qiong, Wu Lin, Li Shifu and others turned around to look at Emperor Zhao who was sitting on the side under the candlelight.
Wu Jie understood, and they certainly understood too, that the war was so hasty and often all it took was a word from Emperor Zhao.
"Well said." Zhao Jiu, who had listened to Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Wang Yan and others' analysis several times, nodded without hesitation. "We can only go to Huolu to fight! Besides, if we don't cross the Mianman River, we can't join up with Qu Duan... But Jin Qing, if we fight in Huolu, do you have any plans?"
Wu Jie was silent for a moment when he heard this question, and then he said seriously: "Let your Majesty know that this battle is almost three times larger than the Battle of Yaoshan... If your Majesty asks about the marching arrangements, I can certainly imitate the style of the court reports to list one, two, three, and four, but they are all based on experience... The real targeted deployment will probably have to wait until we cross the Mianman River and arrive at the battlefront, and then make temporary arrangements based on the terrain, military situation, and weather."
There was a slight commotion in the hall.
But Zhao Jiu's expression did not change at all, he just nodded: "It doesn't matter! We are like this, and the Jurchens are like this too. It doesn't matter if we are in a hurry or have no experience... According to the military report, the Jurchens arrived in Huolu only a day and a half earlier than we arrived in Jingxing County... Just tell me what to do now."
Everyone felt a little relieved.
Wu Jie was also very straightforward: "Cross the Mianman River and take the city of Jingxing County. Then send a large army to set up a large camp in the hilly areas east of Jingxing County and west of Huolu County, arrange defenses, and then join up with Qu Dutong's cavalry and move forward. Along the way, observe the enemy situation, test the Jin army, and decide on strategy."
"Okay, let's do it."
Zhao Jiu spoke briefly and directly concluded the day's military meeting in front of the emperor.
Since the first military meeting had been held, Emperor Zhao personally issued an order and the army immediately made adjustments and deployed along the Mianman River, determined to cross the river and seize the county towns of Jingxing and Pingshan to establish a foothold.
On the morning of the next day, Emperor Zhao led his generals and a large army eastward to the Mianman River, where he personally supervised the battle and made preparations for crossing the river.
According to the military order drawn up by Wu Jie last night and handed down by Emperor Zhao, early this morning, thirteen commanding divisions, led by their respective generals, crossed the river together to carry out the necessary mopping-up operation.
Once the mopping-up operation is completed, the main force of the Song army will advance eastward and force its way into Huolu.
In addition, of the thirteen commanding departments, each commander was a famous general, and the total number of troops under their command, including pure combat troops, reached nearly 30,000. So many armored combat troops and so many famous generals, simultaneously crossed the river on a front line of dozens of miles, and attacked cities and seized lands... Moreover, they not only crossed the Mianman River to attack the two county towns of Jingxing and Pingshan, but also three commanders led thousands of people to cross the Hutuo River to the north to capture Bailingzhai, Xilinshanzhai, and Donglinshanzhai (the area of ​​Xibaipo in later generations)... It is said that the regular and the bizarre have a certain degree of control, and the regulations are grand.
Such a military force and such actions, if placed in a small country, would almost be considered a battle that determines the fate of the country. However, whether it was the Song Army or even the Jin Army on the opposite side, everyone knew that this was just a necessary action for the Song Army to clear obstacles, make room, and prevent surprise attacks for the large army to advance.
All I can say is that the scale of the war was so absurd that it was numbing.
However, the Jin army was no less powerful.
On the 27th day of the first lunar month, at noon, all the grass and trees are green and the world is full of life.
In front of the gurgling spring water, the dragon flag of Emperor Zhao swayed slightly in the spring breeze, while the Jingxing County City on the opposite bank, which was within sight, was already on the verge of collapse under the brave attacks of Dong Xian's troops, who had performed increasingly well in this Northern Expedition.
But at this moment, the rumbling sound like spring thunder came from far away and became more and more obvious.
Of course, everyone in the Song army knew what this was... They were Jin cavalry. Besides, there was no reason for the Jin army to sit back and watch the Song army capture the city and set up camp. They had to fight a few battles to boost morale while the Song army was still unstable after crossing the river. This was expected... So, no one took it seriously at first. The only thing they did was to send down a military order from the emperor, ordering the left army of the imperial camp, which was supposed to cross the river in order, to be ready to cross the river at any time to respond to Dong Xian.
However, as the thunder grew louder and louder, exceeding everyone's experience and cognition, Dong Xian's troops on the other side of the river, marching from east to west, were the first to panic and lose control. In the end, they voluntarily gave up the city that was within their grasp, and gathered together beside the pontoon bridge with their backs to the river... The Song army finally realized that something was wrong.
Soon, there was no need for Dong Xian's messengers to cross the river and report back, because the senior Song army leaders under the dragon banner had already understood what was going on - they saw with their own eyes that countless Jin army armored cavalry, each man riding two horses, over the opposite hills and slopes like a tide, and their horizontal battle line stretched endlessly, reaching a width of seven or eight miles, and was still continuing, extending in depth.
Under the spring sunshine, the armor and weapons of the Jin army were shining, and the flags were densely packed. Looking around, there were many famous Jin army generals, which caused the Song army on the west bank of the river to change color and even waver.
There was no other way. There were too many Jin cavalrymen. This was probably the largest number of Jin cavalrymen gathered at one time since the Jingkang Incident. Although they were not as powerful as they used to be, the reputation of the Jin cavalrymen was still shocking and frightening.
This can be seen from the reaction of Dong Xian’s troops on the other side of the river.
Since the Northern Expedition, Dong Xian's troops have the most battle experience and the most outstanding military exploits. Dong Xian himself is also the commander with the most achievements in Hedong, otherwise he would not have been used as the vanguard of this expedition to Hebei. However, the Jin cavalry did not engage in battle with such a unit. They just swarmed in from the south side of Jingxing County and lined up on the hillside a few miles away from them, showing off their might and strength. They were frightened to the point of collapse... Among Dong Xian's troops who lined up with their backs to the river, there were many who tried to abandon the formation and escape back to Hexi along the pontoon bridge, but they were all beheaded.
It was precisely because of the strict military law that they were able to hold their ground.
Moreover, no one thinks there is anything wrong with this… If I and my subordinates were on the other side, I’m afraid our reaction would be even worse than Dong Xian’s.
Even among the Song army on this side of the river, many of them gradually became timid when the Jin cavalry advanced in large numbers, but the dragon flag stood still and no one dared to move.
Under the dragon banner, Zhao Jiu, Lu Yihao and other generals remained silent until the Jin army had finished forming their battle array on the opposite hillside. A five-colored sun flag and a "Wei" royal flag of the same pattern appeared in the middle of the array on the opposite bank. Only then did there become a slight commotion.
"How many cavalrymen are there?"
Zhao Jiu, who was holding the reins tightly to hide his nervousness, remained calm and finally asked the general beside him, "Fifty thousand or sixty thousand?"
"Thirty thousand!" Han Shizhong blurted out.
"Just 30,000?" Zhao Jiu was a little surprised.
"So that the emperor knows, the cavalry is only deployed widely, that is, 30,000." Li Yanxian explained calmly. "However, the concentrated use of 30,000 cavalry is enough to make the final decision and decide the outcome of the 200,000-man battle."
"But the Jin cavalry should be more than 30,000, right?" Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, still puzzled. "According to the military report, two Wanhu and four Hezhameng'an from Yanjing have come to help. They should have 600 to 700 Mouke. Even if we don't count the reinforcements from Yanjing, just the cavalry that followed Wuzhu and Balisu from the south, plus the two Wanhu from Datong and Yelu Mawu's subordinates, there should be at least 50,000 to 60,000 people."
"Your Majesty." Wu Jie, who had been observing the enemy's formation with a telescope, suddenly reined in his horse and turned around, squeezing into the position between Emperor Zhao and Prime Minister Lu. "Wu Shu and Ba Li Su must have wanted us to think this way..."
Zhao Jiu was slightly stunned.
"Although the Jin army can have 600 Mouke, in fact, after more than three months of fighting, thousands of miles of travel, countless casualties, and the army that has been following Wuzhu and Balisu, there are probably only these 300 Mouke who are so powerful and well-organized!" Wu Jie responded calmly. "And if my guess is correct, the reinforcements from the Yanjing direction of the Jin army should not have arrived yet. The two Wanhu of the former Datong in Zhending Prefecture in the north of the Hutuo River dare not easily cross the Hutuo River before our main force crosses the river. Yelu Ma Wu has been beaten all the time, and it is impossible for him to prepare so quickly. In other words... these 300 Mouke are the limit of what the Jin army can gather to form a battle array at this time! Moreover, most of them are fake!"
Zhao Jiu woke up slightly.
"Don't worry, sir. Even if reinforcements arrive and the army is fully prepared, the Jin army will not be able to concentrate 60,000 cavalry." Han Shizhong interrupted again, but the corners of his mouth curled up, and he sneered. "Because cavalry is used for sprinting and sweeping. If you want to command properly, a general like Lou Shi can use 5,000 or 6,000 people. If there are more, he will have to send out his trusted lieutenants to assist... let alone 50,000 or 60,000 cavalry? If what I expected is correct, when the decisive battle comes, the Jin people will definitely send out tens of thousands of people, arrange them according to the terrain in advance, and form a grand battle array... In most cases, the infantry will be in the middle, the cavalry will be on both wings, and then Balisu will gather two or three Wanhu and four or five Meng'an, and gather 20,000 elite cavalry to determine the outcome!"
Zhao Jiu thought of the battle experience at Yaoshan and nodded heavily, and the other officers also agreed.
"But what can we do in the current situation?" After relaxing a little, Zhao Jiu couldn't ask any more.
"Simple." Wu Jie replied seriously. "Please ask the emperor to order us to cross the river in advance!"
Zhao Jiu felt it was ridiculous in his heart, but he was well-trained after all, and there was no dazed look on his face, he just remained silent.
"That's right." Wu Jie urged in a deep voice. "Please don't hesitate, sir... The Jin army must have heard that we are crossing the river, and they have hastily gathered to demonstrate. They have no infantry to follow them, nor sufficient military equipment and logistics arrangements. Moreover, they have to worry about the threat of Qu Dutong and his troops in the rear. They are simply unable and unwilling to fight us, let alone prepare for a decisive battle! Our army has already built a pontoon bridge, and we have already prepared for the whole army to cross the river. As long as we send our elite troops to cross the river first and cover the whole army crossing the river, with several times the number of troops, the Jin army will be panicked and can only retreat!"
Zhao Jiu stared at Wu Da in a daze, then couldn't help but glance at the Jin army's iron cavalry covering the mountains on the other side, then looked at him again, but before Lu Yihao behind him was about to speak, he suddenly turned his head and ordered: "Yu Yunwen!"
"I'm here!" Yu Yunwen, who was extremely tall, was startled and immediately rode his horse forward.
"Are you afraid of death?" Zhao Jiu asked coldly.
"Don't be afraid!" Yu Yunwen responded straightforwardly.
"Cross the river and persuade Wushu to surrender for me!"
“Yes.”
"Good minister!" Zhao Jiu called out to another person.
"I'm here." Han Shizhong bowed in response.
"Your army of more than 20,000 people was about to cross the river. Now you raise your own banner and personally lead your troops to cross the river from the downstream to join Dong Xian's troops! If the Jin army dares not to withdraw, you will fight me head-on!"
"I obey your order, and invite you to watch me defeat the enemy!" Han Shizhong still looked disdainful, but he rode away with his horse and the big banner.
"Wang De." Zhao Jiu continued to look around, but his eyes were fixed on a person who was eager to try.
"I'm here." Wang De was surprised for a moment.
"You cross from upstream."
“Yes.”
"The rest of the army." Zhao Jiu looked back. "Get ready. When Prince Yan'an and Deputy Commander Wang cross the river and gain a foothold, Deputy Commander Li (Li Shifu) will lead the cavalry to support and march behind. The rest of the central army will march in the order planned for crossing the river!"
The generals were all in an uproar, and Wang De left in a hurry.
Without mentioning the division of the Song army in Hexi, let's just say that a moment later, on the hillside under the five-colored sun-holding flag on the east side of the Mianman River, Wuzhu stood on his horse, with Balisu riding beside him, and on his left and right were the hastily gathered Wanhu and Meng'an, and behind them were countless staff members and personal guards, which was quite impressive.
However, the King of Wei of the Great Jin had just arranged his troops and spoken a few words, even out of breath, when he suddenly saw the unrivaled large banner leave the dragon banner and rush northward. At the same time, another smaller flag with the word "king" on it quickly flew southward. How could he not know who these were?
Han Shizhong and Wang Yasha.
So, I felt a little nervous at that moment.
But after a moment, their anxiety disappeared, because they already knew what the Song army was going to do... The Jin army leaders saw the huge Song army formation that covered the entire mountain and field and was so shocking that they dared not move. Without waiting for the two flags to arrive at the position, no less than tens of thousands of Song soldiers on both wings rushed to cross the river, but they were caught off guard and looked at each other in dismay.
To be honest, the Song army was frightened when they saw the large cavalry formation of the Jin army. But the Jin army came from afar and saw that the main force of the Song army, numbering more than 100,000, was deployed along the river for more than ten miles or even almost twenty miles, and the formation was dense and thick. How could they not be afraid when they saw that the Jin army had abandoned its infantry and camp and had only 30,000 cavalry who had come all the way here?
Who is more afraid than who?
"Marshal, what should we do?" Wuzhu suppressed his panic, walked past the generals , turned his head and faced Ba Lisu.
Balisu opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, another scout came galloping over, claiming that a Song army envoy, the direct scholar Yu Yunwen, had arrived alone across the pontoon bridge, and was coming to see the King of Wei at the order of the Zhao Song government.
"It is possible that Qu Duan has arrived and has made contact with the Zhao Song officials on the other side of the river!" Upon hearing this, Ba Lisu blurted out, as if he had come to his senses. "That is why the Song army has resorted to various means and spared no effort to entangle us, so that it would be easier for Qu Duan to sneak attack our Shiyi stronghold!"
Wuzhu was stunned for a moment and continued to wait for Balisu's next words.
But Balisu said nothing, just staring at Wuzhu... The latter was stunned again, then suddenly realized, and immediately clapped his hands: "Yes! It must be so! Marshal, our army has demonstrated and frustrated the enemy, so there is no need to stay any longer. In my opinion, we should return to the camp and be careful!"
Balisu thought for a moment, then nodded slowly: "Since it is the military order of the King of Wei, I shall obey it."
All the generals and their subordinates felt relieved and returned to the formation one after another, gathered their troops and prepared to retreat.
Soon, the cavalry's tactical mobility advantage was brought into play, and the various Jin troops retreated one after another. Yu Yunwen didn't even have time to say a word before he was tied up and taken back to Shiyi as a prisoner.
A demonstration confrontation that started off well but ended badly.
To be honest, Zhao Jiu, Wu Jie, Han Shizhong and others did not expect the Jin army to retreat so easily.
However, hearing the cheers of the Song army that shook the fields and seeing the massive withdrawal of the Jin army, under the dragon banner, Wu Jie and Li Yanxian, two generals who had not reacted too strongly to the arrival of the Jin army before, now changed color.
However, the whole army was excited at this time and Emperor Zhao did not notice this.
In the afternoon, Jingxing opened the city and surrendered. The elite troops of the left and central armies of the Song army's imperial camp had already seized the high ground in Hedong and lined up in front. The Dangxiang light cavalry in the imperial camp also successfully crossed the river and then scattered on the hilly area where the mountains and plains meet on the east side of Jingxing County and the west side of Huolu County.
For a time, the east side of Mianman River was safe.
Emperor Zhao finally led the dragon banner and prepared to settle in Jingxing City.
When Emperor Zhao rode across the floating bridge, most of the officers and ministers around him were temporarily separated. Li Yanxian, the commander of the central army of the imperial camp, suddenly rode forward and took the opportunity to come to Emperor Zhao and whispered, "Emperor, don't underestimate the Jin army because of what happened today."
Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged: "Of course."
"Your Majesty, you don't understand what I mean." Li Yanxian became more serious. "The Jin army's show of force is false, and there is no need to worry. But when the Jin army retreated, no unit was scattered, and no unit broke away from the main force to attack the left and right armies that had just crossed the river. This is the embodiment of the Jin army's combat power... In a war, executing military orders is the most important thing! This shows that the Jin army's cavalry still has the power left, which is enough to determine the outcome of the war in one fell swoop. It must not be underestimated."
Zhao Jiu recalled what he had seen before and his face finally changed, but it was only a slight change before he returned to normal and nodded heavily.
When Li Yanxian saw that Emperor Zhao had come to his senses, he said no more, just took his leave, and then rode off on horseback to visit his subordinate Dong Xianbu who had worked hard in the previous battle.
As soon as Li Yanxian left, Wu Jie, who had just crossed the river, rode over again and said, "Your Majesty."
"But what about the strict discipline of the Jin Army's cavalry?" Zhao Jiu asked calmly.
"Yes." Wu Jie was slightly stunned, then immediately returned to normal. "But it's not just this."
"Your Majesty," Wu Da said solemnly. "I know where the outcome of this battle lies."
Zhao Jiu's expression changed again, but he returned to normal again: "Tell me."
"The Jin army's cavalry is very powerful, so we must use them in a concentrated manner. I'm afraid that just as Prince Yan'an said before, General Balisu will gather tens of thousands of elite cavalry as a trump card... When the battle is fierce, tens of thousands of cavalry will be deployed together to make a fatal blow." Wu Da responded seriously. "Therefore, if our army wants to win, the only and inevitable thing to do is to leave a reserve of elite troops that can suppress tens of thousands of cavalry, and wait for the enemy cavalry to go out, and then we will go out as well, and then we can win!"
Zhao Jiu didn't move at all.
"There are two key points." Wu Jie calmly concluded. "We need to recruit and form a large elite force, and then we must let the Jin army send out cavalry first before we send out this army."
"Drawing back elite troops?" Zhao Jiu finally spoke.
"yes."
"Long axes, heavy infantry and powerful crossbows to defeat the Jin army's cavalry? Just like when you drew on the divine arm bows of various units to form the garrison arrows?"
"yes."
"It's not difficult to draw them out." Zhao Jiu finally got to the point. "But if we use them together, who will be the general? These are the lifeblood of all the generals. And they have to make the final blow. They must have both prestige and the courage to fight."
"That's what I want to say." Wu Jie glanced behind Emperor Zhao and lowered his voice again. "According to the official rank system and military experience, it should be President Wang Yan who should lead this army..."
"But Wang Yan is a stingy person, and all the troops in the army do not submit to him, right? And if we do not let him lead, it will be neither right nor unreasonable, and it will still lead to dissatisfaction, even he will not submit, right or wrong?" Zhao Jiu asked calmly.
"yes."
"What can you do?"
"Your Majesty." Wu Jie replied with a sigh. "Since the Jianyan period, the imperial camp has been a system of generals, and each general has his own personal guards... This is something that cannot be helped, but fortunately, the emperor has great prestige, and if there is an imperial order, no one dares to disobey..."
"I will lead the army myself?" Zhao Jiu was speechless. "I'm afraid we will be defeated."
"How can this be possible?" Wu Jie reluctantly revealed the answer. "Please ask the emperor to send a trusted official, a well-known minister in front of the emperor, to be the deputy general of the king. In fact, he will supervise the army to fight together with the king... All the generals will obey."
"Just like Liu Yan in Yaoshan that day?" Zhao Jiu was slightly stunned, then nodded, but still a little puzzled. "But with such a large-scale elite force, Liu Yan might not be able to provide enough, and if Liu Yan is not good enough, where else can we get?"
Wu Jie raised his head and looked at Emperor Zhao without saying a word.
Zhao Jiu was puzzled at first, but after a few breaths, he suddenly realized what was going on. He turned around and saw Yang Yizhong standing behind him with an expressionless face. Then he turned around to look at Wu Jie for confirmation.
Wu Jie had no choice but to nod... but at this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the direction of the floating bridge not far from the dragon flag.
Zhao Jiu, Wu Jie and the others were all puzzled, so they tacitly stopped the previous topic and went to see it together.
A moment later, a loyal rider came to report in a panic: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lu stumbled while riding his horse across the bridge and fell into the water. Fortunately, he did not hurt his bones! Prime Minister Lu asked me to tell you not to look back and care about him, and not to publicize this matter, so as not to delay the army's progress... Please drive into the city quickly!"
Zhao Jiu's face turned pale, but after the official of the Zhao Song Dynasty rode his horse around twice under the dragon flag, he finally turned around and reined his horse forward, heading towards Jingxing County with Wu Jie and Yang Yizhong in silence.