Chapter 81: Battle with Monk Chen
A day passed without any results. Everyone thought that the Jin people must have ulterior motives for pestering them like a scabby dog. Zhao Yulin asked his brothers to strengthen their investigation. Han Yongchao asked several special forces to prepare for battle.
Three days later, a hunter reported that if it were him, he could cross Chanxi Ridge, use vines to swing across the ditch on the opposite side and head straight for Yangzhou.
Fairy Banban, this is just like playing an adventure game. Does the golden man dare?
Gao Jin said it was impossible. If that happened, he would only be able to carry a knife and a bow. How would he march and fight?
The brothers all shook their heads in disbelief.
But Zhao Yulin said that was not necessarily the case. Everyone had heard from Chief Steward Wu that Monk Chen was good at taking risks. He might not expect the sneak attack to be successful, but it could disrupt the morale of the army and the people, sabotage our deployment, and create opportunities for him to attack the pass.
Han Yongchao believed that there was another possibility, which was waiting for the Mongolian army to attack our Chencang Road.
Zhao Yulin nodded and asked two squadrons to take three days' rations and try their luck.
Gao Jin said that he didn't believe it, so he led the team. The brothers knew that he was fighting for the opportunity to go into battle, so they didn't bother with him. They all reminded him to pay attention to safety.
The next day, the Jin army came to the pass again to provoke, but this time they lay on the ground to sleep without a saddle. Zhao Yulin said that they were all experts in horse riding and archery, so what was the Jin general planning?
Isn't it necessary to let these masters die in front of the battlefield?
Han Yongchao had already lost his patience and was about to send out the cavalry to deal with him.
Zhao Yulin said that there seemed to be about fifty people. If they didn't mount their horses and just shot arrows, our brothers would definitely be killed or injured, and this deal would not be worth it.
Lai Chuanfang said the catapults could completely cover them.
Zhao Yulin disagreed, and said that the power of the new weapon could not be exposed in advance. He ordered the catapult to throw stones and lime bombs to drive them away. He immediately took action after closing the door. Stone bombs hit the horses and people, and the lime bombs emitted choking smoke.
The Jin people still couldn't bear it and fled.
At night, Lai Chuanfang said that we have more than 10,000 people, and it would be too depressing to stay in seclusion. Why not go out directly and take over Shiquan?
Zhao Yulin asked them: Are you trying to recapture Jinzhou? Can we hold on to it if we take it?
Han Yongchao said that the landlords had no surplus food, and as long as we took it down, they would come to attack, and he would have to weigh the number of troops and forces they would need at that time. However, it would be very disadvantageous for us to be on the defensive for a long time, and our brothers would become tired and careless , so it would be better for us to fight back.
The next day, Lai Chuanfang told him to go down along the Niuyangshui River, cross the Yanziwan Bay, climb up the Erlang Rock, and we can also take a shortcut to the Shiquan.
Zhao Yulin was moved.
Even though the Shenwei Army had not yet fought against the Jin people, they all held their heads on their shoulders, so the Dali soldiers were defeated.
He decided to test the waters at Raofeng Pass to see which was stronger, the Shenwei Army trained with new concepts or the Jin soldiers.
Zhao Yulin asked Lai Chuanfang to prepare, concentrate the special forces for him, and go straight to Shiquan.
He sent a message to Lu Huacai and Miao Gui, asking them to immediately mobilize all mobile forces to support Rao Fengguan.
In the evening, Lai Chuanfang led the assault team to set off.
The Shenwei Army is provided with three meals a day, so night blindness is not a problem.
It was because the government troops and the Jin people ate two meals a day, and many soldiers were pale and thin, which made them prone to night blindness.
But Zhao Yulin was still very worried. After all, his brothers were carrying special warfare equipment. The cannon was a miniature version, and a catapult was even less likely. He could only bring more grenades.
The next day, Zhao Yulin asked Han Yongchao to deploy his troops and attack.
However, the Jin army had already arrived, and reconnaissance revealed that the Jin army's vanguard numbered 10,000. Zhao Yulin estimated that the Mongolian army had already taken action on Chencang Road.
He had no choice but to ask Wu Yuqi of Yangzhou to send a message to Qingyeyuan: The Jin army is invading, and the Shenwei Army has launched a battle to defend Raofeng Pass. They are determined to defend the pass to the death. The Jin soldiers attacked the pass in multiple directions, including the low hills on both sides of the pass, and the battle line was three miles long.
Zhao Yulin asked Han Yongchao to pass the message to his brothers, aim and shoot, and save it. How fierce will the Jin people's offensive be and how long will it last? He really had no idea.
At the end of the day, nearly a thousand people of the Shenwei Army were injured, and many Jin soldiers were killed, roughly estimated to be more than five thousand. This barbaric method of siege hit the Zhuge crossbow and the Shenbi crossbow, and they rolled down before they could climb up the pass and the top of the mountain.
Zhao Yulin was satisfied with the results of the battle. He only needed to throw stones to stabilize the defense, and it would not be impossible for the Shenwei Army to break out of the pass.
The next day, the Jin soldiers sent another 10,000-man team to attack the pass. The enemy used all the weapons they could carry. Zhao Yulin, Lei Man and Han Yongchao were responsible for different sections and went to the front line to supervise the battle. On the mountain in front of the pass, the brothers even dug up stones from the ground and used them to knock the enemy down.
Han Yongchao judged that the commandos should have reached the foot of Shiquan City. It was only such a short distance away that they should be able to reach it even if they climbed. Why were they not making any movement?
The situation has become extremely critical, and Zhao Yulin decided to go out and fight back tomorrow.
Yang Xingyun suggested that in order to ensure the absolute safety of the pass, he should lead the attack, while Lao Han would stay behind to prevent the enemy's sneak attack.
Lei Man said he wanted to go, because this was the first battle between our Shenwei Army and the Jin people, and we must win.
He said okay, and he would follow up tomorrow to prevent Monk Chen from causing trouble.
The generals refused, saying that their brothers were fighting bravely and there was nothing to be afraid of. As long as Monk Chen was killed, he would sit down and drink tea and would not charge again.
No one could persuade him, so they had to agree .
In fact, Lai Chuanfang had already arrived at the foot of Shiquan City, but he did not attack immediately. He was waiting for the best opportunity because he saw many Jin soldiers coming and going on the official road.
At this time, the Mongolian army in the west launched an attack on Xihezhou and Tongqing Prefecture. Due to the passive resistance of the Governor of the Ministry of Defense, soldiers and generals were lost in various places, causing the Mongolian army to quickly break through the Song army's defense line and capture Liangdang. When they approached Qingyeyuan, the Ministry of Defense even ordered the Shenwei Army to reinforce.
Zhao Yulin quickly wrote a letter of apology, stating the current dangerous situation and requesting support of gunpowder and other military equipment.
Han Yongchao lost his temper. Our Shenwei Army resisted the Jin army in the east, but they have so many troops and can't just deal with the Mongolian army? Damn it.
Zhao Yulin said that the Mongolian army was even more powerful than the Jin army. One of their cavalrymen could lead up to three horses during a long-distance raid. What does that mean?
It means that the horse can rest but the man can't. If there is nothing else to eat, you can kill the horse and eat its meat. Can you do it?
Han Yongchao stopped talking.
He told us to hurry up and prepare, as tomorrow might be a fierce battle.
At dawn, the Jin army began to attack fiercely. Zhao Yulin saw from his magic mirror that another 10,000-man army was coming up from behind. His anger was rising.
Damn, how can I tolerate being bullied?
He called for firearms and fired without restraint. The trebuchets were immediately equipped with thunder bombs and fired alternately with lime bombs, targeting crowded areas. The iron barrel cannons fired at the pass.
Zhao Yulin's trebuchet is an improved version. Although it is small in size, it is more compact. With the addition of springs as boosters, it is easy to operate and its throwing power is not inferior to those tall and heavy antique trebuchets. The density of their deployment on the city wall is much higher.
The Jin people immediately felt the deafening sound, their antique catapults were quickly blown apart, and the soldiers immediately showed signs of fatigue.
Zhao Yulin gave the order to attack and then rushed out of Xiaguan.
The artillery of the Shenwei Army had received combined training. The catapults that were closed were still extending their firing range, while the catapults that were leaving the pass had already been set up at selected locations. The artillery brothers pushing iron barrel cannons swarmed out behind the infantry, chasing after the Jin soldiers.
Zhao Yulin saw that Lei Man was leading the charge and the team was running too fast, so he ordered them to slow down and advance in line with the range of the catapult.
Because he had never fought against the Jin people, he always felt uneasy.
The Shenwei Army rushed out five miles and ran out of the range of the catapults. Suddenly, a burst of cannon fire sounded in front of them, and the Jin soldiers took action.
Zhao Yulin immediately ordered the retreat and withdrew the troops.
A group of horses in bright armor rushed out from the middle of the canyon, galloping with the sound of rumbling hooves. Large flags were waving on both sides, and two teams of Jin soldiers surrounded them with shouts.
Mag was forced to do so because the Jin people's Iron Pagoda had arrived. Both these men and horses were wearing heavy armor and were as protected as a tank. The soldiers who had no time to retreat were soon exposed to the crushing of the Iron Pagoda.
Lei Man was unable to dodge and was already in a fight with Tie Futu. Zhao Yulin saw that he was outnumbered with his two fists and was hit repeatedly, with blood dripping from his eyes.
He snatched the iron trumpet from Fan Zheng's hand and shouted, "Throw the grenade! Throw the grenade quickly to kill them." The soldiers quickly took off the grenades from their waists and threw them at the enemy.
Some of them were too late and simply started a fire and died together with the Jin people.
At this time, the catapults of the Shenwei Army finally launched an interception shot, instantly suppressing the power of the Iron Pagoda.
Fifty crossbows were quickly installed. Zhao Yulin told them not to rush and to shoot towards where the brothers were scattered.
This crossbow was specially prepared by Chen Xian for the enemy cavalry. Although the arrow was only one foot long, it was designed with flanks and stable flight. It could directly penetrate the armor and penetrate into the body of the horse and man, which was equivalent to placing ten heavy machine guns.
After taking these two measures, the Jin army's Iron Pagoda immediately showed signs of decline.
Yang Xingyun was so bloodthirsty that he rushed forward again with his brothers, firing their iron cannons at close range. The Jin people's iron pagodas fell one by one in front of their eyes.
At this time, the Jin army's horn sounded again, and they actually organized a counterattack under the cover of the Iron Pagoda.
Han Yongchao moved out all the closed catapults and bombarded the Jin army with them. The two sides engaged in a melee in the valley less than five miles away.
Zhao Yulin saw a tall and mighty Jin army general riding a strong white horse, sweeping away the soldiers on both sides like a heavy tank, and approaching Yang Xingyun quickly as if he was in an empty space. He wondered if this man was the legendary Monk Chen.
Sure enough, the flag bearer at the back raised his flag. Zhao Yulin knew that this man had extremely high martial arts skills and was deeply loved by the soldiers. He was definitely not a good person.
He immediately snapped open his bayonet, loaded the bullets into the gun, and ran forward, knocking down three Jin soldiers in succession. He saw that Yang Xingyun was already fighting with Chen Heshang.
Yang Xingyun was not as tall as Chen Heshang, so he was naturally at a disadvantage in the fight.
The two men spun like windmills, exchanging moves back and forth. Yang Xingyun was quickly stabbed twice by Chen Heshang, and his hands became numb, obviously injured.
