Volume 1 Chapter 65: Water Margin (Part 1)
It is said that in the afternoon, as the north gate of Jeju City opened, those Song army soldiers, who were actually Yue Fei, Tang Huai, Zhang Xian and others, almost immediately threw down flags such as "capture Wanyan Li alive", posed heads, and the body of Databuye... That's right, facing the large number of Jin troops leaving the city, after realizing that Bohai Meng'an had played his due role, Yue Fei almost killed this guy casually... and then immediately let his horses run north!
You have to leave!
Because not only was the north gate wide open, with the Jin cavalry swarming out, but even the cavalry deployed on the east and west sides were running away in a panic, waving their flags wildly... It was obvious that the Jin army had opened all three gates and their main forces were out!
Of course, Yue Fei had anticipated this scene long before Da Tabuye was provoked by him and fled the city... With the Jin army being so rampant, even if the commander was cautious, an army of 5,000 people would never allow a Meng'an to be captured!
But then again, after fighting the Jin army for several years, Yue Fei already had enough understanding. There was a huge difference in strength between the two armies, and there was a military discipline called "decapitation" which was hard to say whether it was good or bad. Moreover, the Jin army, from the royal family to the officers at all levels, were not afraid to risk their lives by swords and arrows. Therefore, the decapitation tactic was the riskiest, but simplest and most effective way of fighting.
Back to the present, the prologue is over and the war officially begins, but it is extremely difficult.
A large number of Jin troops swarmed out, and the combat power they brought was completely overwhelming. The previous fancy moves and personal bravery were not meaningless on such a battlefield, but they could not bring about a qualitative change.
Moreover, even during his escape, Yue Fei could sense the caution and prudent nature of the Jin army commander. The five hundred cavalrymen in the woods did not shake the Jin army at all, but the key point was that no Jin army shouted or screamed to express contempt. This could only mean that the officers had communicated these things in advance.
Therefore, under the strong pressure, encirclement and pursuit of the Jin army, the Song army was able to slightly slow down the time, so that it was followed by the pursuers several times and suffered substantial casualties.
Of course, since we have successfully lured the enemy, none of this matters anymore. We just need to try to control the time and lead these people into the ambush site as instructed.
However, when he thought of this, Yue Fei couldn't help but worry about Zhang Rong.
He knew that Zhang Rong was reliable in his will to fight, and that he must be a capable and calculating man since he had been so stable in occupying Liangshanpo for so many years. But what if he lacked military experience in large-scale battles and ultimately failed in the face of the caution of the Jin army's main general?
However, this worry was only fleeting, because regardless of the fact that the arrow was on the string and had to be shot, Yue Fei asked himself that he had already done the simplest yet most extreme thing in this battle... The more important point was that the fight against the Jin army was an obligation, and with the overall situation deteriorating, he had to do his best and leave the rest to fate. If it could be accomplished, it would be accomplished. If not, he would try his best to break through and look for the future. Why worry?
Just like that, time came to mid-afternoon. Seeing the sun coming to the southwest, Yue Pengju no longer made any tactical moves with the large group of Jurchen cavalry behind him, but led the remaining 400 or so riders directly to the bank of Liangshan Lake. Then he glanced at the instruction signal on the water, but without hesitation followed the signal to turn between two large reed marshes several miles apart and entered a hard road in the water.
As soon as he turned the corner, he saw his own troops in the open land and water right in front of him. He was shocked, but did not think too much and led his cavalry straight away.
A moment later, he saw generals such as Wang Gui, Ma Kuo, and Fu Xuan rushing forward to support him.
"What is the name of this wild beach?" Yue Fei dismounted from his horse, walked on the hard gravel beach under the shallow water to the front of the battle formation, and then instinctively checked the terrain and asked curiously.
"Chief Zhang said that this place is called Suotou Beach!" Ma Kuo answered casually.
"Why not call it Hulutan?" Yue Fei blurted out.
"We asked the same question, but Chief Zhang just smiled and put his hands on his hips, but didn't say much." Wang Gui spread his hands in response. "He said that the terrain here is beautiful, and few people except the local fishermen know the tricks, so it is the most suitable. We are all in his water fort, so we can only listen to his nonsense!"
Having said that, Yue Fei, Wang Gui and others had no choice but to ask this question, because the terrain here is really like a standard big gourd!
There are two circular gravel beaches, one big and one small, connected to each other, like a big gourd, running northwest and southeast, slanted in the middle of the waters at the southern end of Liangshan Lake... There is a smaller beach in the northwest direction of the gourd head, and a larger round beach in the southeast direction of the gourd body, which is the direction Yue Fei came in. Needless to say, there is the deep part of Liangshan Lake on one side, and there is a deep and wide water area of seven or eight miles on the other side. Ma Kuo, Wang Gui and Fu Xuan led five or six thousand Song troops to occupy the small beach, and then set up a forward position at the waist of the gourd.
"How is he going to fight?" Putting aside the doubts about the place name for the time being, Yue Fei continued to inquire, but he asked the key question.
"He only said that if Pengju really led the Jin army here on time, then we only need to hold this place for more than an hour, and then we can win a great victory." Ma Kuo also spread his hands. "We asked him for details, but he just smiled with his hands on his hips. In his water fort, all transportation depends on their boats, and he can't make a single decision... After arriving here, we can only guess that he is planning to let us hold for an hour, and then lead the navy to rush out from the reeds on both sides and encircle us from both sides!"
"When we came here, we were still discussing whether these pirates would sell us out!" Fu Xuan couldn't help but complain.
Yue Fei shook his head repeatedly and continued to observe the terrain.
You know, after being in Jeju for the past few days and seeing the people of Jeju being so abused by the Jin army, Yue Pengju certainly didn't believe that Liangshan Marsh, which had a deep hatred for the Jin people, would sell them out.
However, several serious officers beside him could not help but complain, because looking at the defensive position and terrain arranged by Zhang Rong, it is dangerous, and of course it is enough to hold, but it is just a defense, and it is still far from the outstanding ambush site that Yue Fei had expected... What is even more puzzling is that since it is an ambush of such a scale, it must be annihilated, and although the water here is deep on both sides, the sand and gravel are hard, and both sides are connected to the shore. Given the caution of the Jin army leader, if Zhang Rong really leads a large group of navy to surround it on both sides, can't he just turn around and leave?
You have to know that the big round beach we came from is three or four miles in circumference, and the base of the gourd and the waist of the gourd under your feet are probably about three or four hundred steps wide!
With such a wide width and the hardness of the sand and gravel, not only can the cavalry come and go as they please, but even if they want to charge into the battle formation, I'm afraid they can do so as long as they don't care about the lives of the horses!
In fact, didn’t Yue Fei and his 400 or so cavalrymen just gallop straight in?
However, Yue Fei had no time to think about it. During this moment of conversation and observation, the Jin army sent out a small group of scouts to confirm the situation inside, and then without hesitation, led a large group of troops directly into the water.
The situation between the two sides was clear at a glance, without any concealment at all.
But even so, Wanyan Seri still remained cautious. He actually stopped his horse, looked around and observed the situation.
However, seeing that the large reed marshes on both sides were five or six miles away, and seeing with his own eyes that the scouts could gallop to the front of the Song army's position, and that the Song army was not without reinforcements and support, Wanyan Seri watched for a long time and, despite the impatience of the other officers, concluded that the Song army had run out of tricks and only wanted to rely on a large group of reinforcements to hold on until dark, forcing the Jin army to retreat... This was already a good calculation.
Therefore, Wan Hu, who had always been cautious, no longer hesitated, but instead ordered the entire army to advance in pursuit, in order to defeat the Song army and end the battle before dark.
A quarter of an hour later, under the spring afternoon sun, the war broke out!
Arrows flew everywhere, blood splashed everywhere! At the narrow pass of Huluyao, blood spread out almost instantly, and it continued endlessly!
It was at this time that the Jin army seemed to have received truly "fair" treatment and demonstrated its true combat strength... Although they had come from afar and were well-rested, and although they had no advantage in numbers and could not make use of the cavalry's advantage in local battlefield mobility, and although the Song army on the opposite side had a greater range advantage, the Jin army gradually turned the balance of the war back with the hard impact and damage of dismounted infantry combat, as well as the armor-piercing lethality of the Jurchen bows and arrows, and the balance became increasingly tilted.
"The Song army has run out of tricks!"
Wanyan Saili, who was standing on horseback at the center of Dayuantan on the belly of the gourd, looked at the Song army formation in the northwest for a long time and suddenly laughed.
Liu Lin, standing next to him, was the opposite. His expression was serious and full of worry. He almost immediately asked back, "Why did General Wanyan say that? The strength of this Song army is far beyond imagination. We four complete Meng'an took turns to attack them, but they didn't retreat for more than half an hour... Maybe they can really hold out until dark and force us to retreat."
"Brother Liu is right and wrong..." Wanyan Seri shook his head repeatedly.
"Please give me some advice, General Wanyan."
"Brother Liu, look." Wanyan Saili was obviously in a good mood at this time, so he pointed with his whip and explained a little to Liu Lin. "You are right because the Song army I saw today is indeed the most rare Song army I have ever seen in my life. They are well-disciplined, well-organized, and they keep fighting. And you are wrong because the number of soldiers in this Song army who can really fight hard is actually less than 5,000. Including the hundreds of cavalrymen who lured the enemy before, there are only about 1,400 to 1,500 soldiers... The enemy can hold on now, all thanks to the 1,400 to 1,500 soldiers, and the rest of the troops are already shaking!"
Liu Lin suddenly realized: "It must be the headquarters commanded by the man named Yue!"
"That's right." Wanyan Saili couldn't help but sigh. "The commander of an army must be someone famous, and his surname is Yue, which is rare. Brother Liu, do you remember this person?"
Liu Lin raised his head and thought for a long time, and finally shook his head: "I really don't recognize him!"
Wanyan Seri was slightly disappointed.
Liu Lin observed the expression and immediately realized: "General Wanyan wants to surrender?"
"Talents are hard to come by!" Wanyan Saili sighed. "Moreover, among the Han people, your father in the south and General Han Chang in the north are both highly valued by our Great Jin Kingdom. If he brings his troops here, he will be treated well immediately. After two battles, he will be a well-known general!"
Liu Lin was slightly moved, so he volunteered: "Although I don't know him, since we are already at the end of our rope, why not take advantage of the next attack gap to shout for General Wanyan?"
"Be careful of his archery skills!" Wanyan Seri nodded with satisfaction and immediately agreed.
A moment later, as one group of Jin troops withdrew and another group of Jin troops were not yet launched, Liu Lin really rode forward and stopped just over a hundred steps away from the Huluyao Song army position. Then he shouted from afar to the Song army position that was soaked in blood, but he asked General Yue to come out and speak!
Yue Fei wanted to delay time, and he knew that his troops had reached their limit, so there was no reason to refuse. He immediately rode out of the battle line, came to the blood, stood far away, and waited for the other side to speak.
"General Yue!" Liu Lin did not dare to move forward, but just hid behind the troops and shouted at them. "My General Wanyan has already seen clearly the strength of your army... Only your own thousand people can fight, and now they are exhausted and can't stand two more hard blows! And you killed a Meng'an, which has already angered General Wanyan, so today, let alone holding out until dark, even if you muster up the remaining courage to hold out until dark, our Jin army has no intention of letting you go! When the time comes, you will have more infantry and we will all be cavalry. If you want to run, you can only abandon your own troops and lead a few hundred cavalry to run... What's the matter what a general should do?"
Yue Fei just looked around the water and had no desire to answer the other party.
"Are you waiting for reinforcements from the water?" Liu Lin saw that the other party did not answer, so he continued to shout. "The bandits in the water hate you Song soldiers even more! It's been almost an hour and they haven't come yet, they must have sold you out! And even if they want to covet your reward, how dare they come to support us with the might of our Jin army? Listen to me, if you can surrender, General Wanyan said that he will guarantee you a career as a millionaire!"
Yue Fei found it boring and wanted to turn back.
Liu Lin, who was watching from a distance, was also anxious.
After all, he was seriously planning to be a traitor to the Song Dynasty, so he sincerely hoped that there would be a traitor who could fight to partner with his father so that he could make a career.
But the other party was not understanding, and he did not want to delay the military opportunity, so he could only angrily say: "Commander Yue, if you don't know how to appreciate it, before dark, the army will come and destroy you and me!"
Yue Fei finally got angry, but he turned around, reined in his horse, pointed his gun, and said the first word of the day:
"Come!"
Then, Yue Fei reined in his horse and turned around, ready to return to the battlefield.
But the movement was too big, and the horse's hoof stepped down, causing a splash of water. Yue Pengju instinctively lowered his head to look, but he only saw a pink ripple under the reflection of the setting sun, and his heart was also moved.
