"Where are the Dangxiang and Mongol forces? Why haven't they arrived yet?!"

On the twenty-ninth day of the first month of the tenth year of Jianyan, on a slightly raised embankment beside a small river several miles south of Huolu County, a burly Song general clad in lamellar armor was furiously waving his saber and shouting curses.

Beside him, some two thousand Song imperial guards were arrayed along the riverbank, desperately holding their ground with their backs to the river and facing a stone bridge.

Surrounding them was a larger force of armored Jin cavalry and infantry, also numbering around two thousand, encircling the slope with a leisurely air. They pressed the attack from three sides, deliberately leaving the riverbank undefended, seemingly to lure the Song troops into abandoning their armor and crossing the river, or fleeing across the stone bridge, thus creating an opportunity to expand their gains.

Across the river from the small embankment lay a vast, prominent high ground. On this verdant height, a Wanhu banner fluttered in the wind, flanked by thousands of unmoving Jurchen iron cavalry, poised to strike... This was the true source of Huyan Tong's predicament.

"Are you certain it's Huyan Tong?"

The Jin commander on the high ground was none other than Wanhu Tuhesuo, who observed the scene from horseback with a rare air of ease. "That subordinate of Prince Han?"

"It is indeed Huyan Tong." A Meng'an of Han ethnicity, promoted from Daming Prefecture, and clearly a man of letters, shaded his eyes with his hand, equally relaxed. "This man is known for his valor and boasts of his elite troops. He was arrogant and reckless, and thus fell for such a simple ruse. He ventured alone to the Taiping River, losing his light cavalry support and approaching our Shiyi camp. He deserves this fate!"

Tuhesuo surveyed the surroundings and nodded, evidently agreeing with the Han Meng'an's assessment.

The reason was simple: from the six- or seven-li high ground where Tuhesuo stood, one could clearly observe the surrounding terrain... The Taiping River originated southwest of Jingxing County, diagonally crossing both counties before flowing into the Hutuo River northeast of Huolu County... The southeast and downstream side of the Taiping River, where the main Jin force was stationed, had a high ground, but it was just that—high ground. The overall terrain was gentle, almost flat, except for this high ground and the distant Shiyi camp.

This flat terrain extended southward for dozens of miles, stopping only at Fenglong Mountain, making it ideal for cavalry maneuvers and reinforcements.

In stark contrast, the upstream and northwest side of the Taiping River had some plains, but they were narrow. Instead, the distant valleys and hills were undulating and prominent... This was the tail end of the Taihang Mountains, the natural advantage of the Song infantry.

Huyan Tong's isolated advance across the Taiping River, to a point less than twenty miles from the Jin army's camp at Shiyi Town in Huolu County, was clearly a death wish.

"Commander!"

A rider crossed the stone bridge, wide enough for only five or six horses abreast, and shouted to find Huyan Tong. Upon finding him, he dismounted and reported urgently. "I didn't find the Mongol cavalry, nor the Dangxiang cavalry. I only found two thousand Khitan cavalry at the western pass... Yelu Nu'ge, their leader, promised to help, saying he would arrive soon, but he is only willing to support our retreat from across the river."

"Those Khitan dogs are not to be trusted!" Huyan Tong, his face guard lowered, cursed, veins bulging on his forehead. "With the Jin dogs pressing us, he's only willing to support us from across the river? How can that be reliable? How many of our men will die! Go find other reinforcements!"

The exhausted scout said nothing, remounted, and rode off again to seek help.

However, after the scout left, among the faces of several somewhat disheveled officers, even Huyan Tong felt a sense of helplessness.

Frankly, it wasn't that anyone was unwilling to help; it was that Huyan Tong, confident in his troops, had strayed too far from the main battle line and found himself in a dangerous position... Before he came, the central command had ordered him to set up camp by the river as an outpost, but also to be wary of the Jin forces on the opposite bank. Yet, he had succumbed to temptation and fallen for the Jin army's ruse, easily crossing the river to attack, only to be surrounded by Jin cavalry ambushing from behind the high ground.

Of course, now was not the time to dwell on these matters. The key was how to retreat.

Huyan Tong knew very well that even if the Khitan cavalry were truly willing to cross the river to help, they would likely be trapped by even more Jin troops, resulting in even greater losses.

The most crucial point was that this would not prevent his own men from becoming a meal for the Jin army on the banks of this small, thirty-pace-wide river.

These were over two thousand armored soldiers! Elite troops of the imperial guard's Left Army, formed into a complete fighting unit!

Moreover, these were veteran troops who had served as the Emperor's personal guards in Huaishang and had helped suppress Liu Guangshi. If they were easily lost here, it would be a major problem!

"Wanhu, congratulations, Wanhu! Huyan Tong is at his wit's end!"

As the sun began to slant westward, the Han Meng'an on the high ground, seeing thousands of Khitan cavalry arrive on the opposite bank, only to linger there, suddenly laughed. "If Wanhu can devour all of Huyan Tong's men here, wouldn't that erase the Wanhu Wang Bolong's disgrace from that day?"

Tuhesuo looked around blankly, speechless for a moment.

Given the current situation, he was certainly pleased, but a Song imperial guard commander and a Wanhu could hardly be considered equals, could they?

Moreover, a complete annihilation was unlikely, wasn't it?

The only hope, and the most reasonable expectation, was to constantly wear down the Song army, forcing them to abandon their positions and flee across the river, then seize the opportunity to inflict heavy casualties. If they could capture or kill over a thousand, it would be a blessing from heaven.

Of course, capturing or killing over a thousand would indeed be a great victory!

Therefore, although Tuhesuo felt a slight itch for action, he did not refute the suggestion.

The spring breeze stirred, and for some reason, the air in the already green mountains and fields felt heavy. Huyan Tong quickly found new reinforcements... This was not difficult; there was no shortage of Song troops on the northwest side of the Taiping River, just as there was no shortage of Jin troops on the other side... In fact, when Niu Gao's forces arrived after hearing the news and joined forces with Yelu Nu'ge's Khitan cavalry, the Jin army also increased their forces, with several thousand more cavalry and infantry arriving to rally under Tuhesuo's banner.

The situation remained one of overwhelming Jin superiority, or rather, Huyan Tong's forces remained in an awkward and desperate situation.

In response, Niu Gao sternly refused the request to lead his main force across the river to rescue them. Instead, he suggested that they transport military supplies and wounded across the stone bridge, while he would send small groups of his armored soldiers to continuously support and rotate Huyan Tong's forces, ensuring they could hold their ground on the other side of the river... They would hold out until nightfall, then retreat across the river, minimizing their losses to an acceptable level.

Huyan Tong knew this was the most appropriate and sensible plan under the circumstances, but he still found it difficult to accept. This difficulty was not just anger, but even more shame.

After all, facing Niu Gao, a veteran commander who had been present at the He'yin Oath of Brotherhood, he could no longer use excuses like the Khitans' unwillingness to help to deflect his own responsibility.

Shame and anger drove the fierce general to repeatedly consider launching a desperate charge towards the high ground while inspecting the front lines.

However, after Niu Gao arrived and sent his adjutant to explain the plan, things gradually changed... Specifically, as time passed and information became clearer, both sides received more and more reinforcements.

There was no other way. There were too many troops on both sides, and they were too close. In the relatively narrow area of Huolu-Jingxing, it was all too easy to mobilize and gather forces.

Finally, with Li Yanxian's "Pillar of the Nation" banner and at least five command's worth of cavalry and infantry appearing on the northwest side of the Taiping River, quantitative change led to qualitative change.

Clearly, this seemed to be another large-scale confrontation.

But this time, the Jin army held the initiative. They had no reason to withdraw, and they could not abandon the prize of Huyan Tong's forces. Seeing Li Yanxian personally leading over ten thousand elite troops to reinforce, not only did Tuhesuo remain unmoved, but Wanyan Ben Du and Shao He, two more Wanhu, quickly arrived with even more troops.

Three Wanhu, thirty thousand strong, was a force far exceeding tactical needs.

Moreover, Wanyan Ben Du, nicknamed "Golden Badge Langjun," was himself a Dutong and had the authority to command the other two Wanhu, meaning both sides now had a frontline commander with the power to initiate battle.

Everyone sensed the change in the nature of the situation. The Jin commanders on the high ground and the Song commanders on the narrow plains across the river all grew serious. Even the Jin forces, still holding the overwhelming advantage, could no longer maintain their ease. Huyan Tong, still personally directing the battle on the front lines, felt his scalp tingle.

But no one cared about Huyan Tong's psychological pressure.

As the sun continued to sink in the west, reinforcements on both sides arrived almost without pause. With almost all the units of Li Yanxian's Imperial Army arriving and formally forming ranks on the Taiping River side, Li Shifu's main Dangxiang light cavalry force, Yelu Yu Du's main Khitan light cavalry force, and Hu'er Zha Hu Si's and his son's main Western Mongol light cavalry force, due to their advantage in speed, all arrived before the infantry.

These light cavalry units, following their traditional tactics, actively gathered on the flanks and behind Li Yanxian's infantry formation. Due to a lack of discipline, many light cavalry simply attempted to approach the river from shallow areas, harassing the enemy from across the river. This time, the Jin cavalry, unleashed, had no intention of indulging the Song army. Small-scale skirmishes between cavalry forces broke out at several shallows.

Of course, the Jin army did not show weakness. As mentioned before, this place was only twenty miles from their Shiyi camp, which meant that for the Jin cavalry, with their tactical mobility, they could essentially come and go as they pleased.

When the sun was slanting in the southwest, the Jin army had gathered five Wanhu on the high ground—E Lu Bu and Ali had also arrived.

Both sides maintained a fragile and dangerous balance.

The Song army, outnumbered, dared not cross the river rashly. This time, the Jin army, holding the initiative, also became cautious. Wanyan Ben Du considered ordering his troops to forcibly eliminate Huyan Tong's forces, but he never spoke the words.

Ordering an attack was understandable, because this time, unlike the last, the Jin army truly had the advantage.

This Taiping River, shallow enough to ford on horseback and easy to wade across, a river too small to be marked on a map, unexpectedly provided the Jin army with a powerful tactical advantage.

But the Golden Badge Langjun also had reason to fear, because once a large-scale advance was launched, even without him or Li Yanxian on the opposite side issuing orders, both sides could lose control, and a major battle could erupt directly.

At that point, tactical advantages aside, the scale of the battle would be completely uncontrollable... Song light cavalry would swarm across the river, followed by heavy infantry under their cover. The Jin army would be unable to restrain the battlefield, and they would also cross from the shallows, trying to crush the Song light cavalry from the flanks, then encircle the Song army's main formation. But the Song army would not sit idly by; more reinforcements would come, and the Jin army would commit even more troops.

A great wilderness battle that everyone knew was coming, but for which no one was prepared, would ignite instantly.

Wanyan Ben Du did not have the courage to ignite this battle, so he had already summoned Wanyan Wushu.

However, Wushu's arrival did not break the fragile balance, because just as the banner of the Jin Regent Prince appeared in the Jin army's rear, Han Shizhong's banner also appeared in the upstream area of the Taiping River. His troops had displayed their signature copper masks from more than ten miles away, clearly prepared for battle... Therefore, Wanyan Wushu immediately turned around and initiated a second large-scale confrontation along the river with Han Shizhong.

Not only that, with the formation of the two main battle groups, Wushu also drew troops from E Lu Bu's unit on the high ground to gather at the junction of the two major forces on the side of the high ground.

On the other side, the Song army's light cavalry immediately adjusted, with the most reliable Li Shifu's unit placed in the middle of the two banners, while Yelu Yu Du and Hu'er Zha Hu Si's father and son spread out to the more distant flanks.

Messengers traveled constantly between the two banners, while more orderlies dispersed from under the two banners, delivering the two commanders' orders.

The sun sank further west. Large numbers of Jin infantry arrived and formed ranks in E Lu Bu's original position. After E Lu Bu led his cavalry away, they disappeared behind the high ground... There, Marshal Wanyan Bali Su had been waiting with more than ten thousand pure iron cavalry, each with three horses. Wanyan Huo Nu, Wanyan Pou Shu, Wulinda Tai Yu, and others' banners were all present. E Lu Bu's retreat brought Bali Su's trump card to a force of twenty thousand.

And the Jin army still did not order a general attack on Huyan Tong.

This time, the reason was not that no one dared to take responsibility, but that Bali Su and Wushu, after communicating, both noticed the position of the sun... It was getting later and later, and it was gradually becoming overcast... Compared to Huyan Tong's small force, they had to ensure that their troops did not lose control due to the darkness.

No one wanted to fight a chaotic night battle.

However, no one could control the situation. Just as Bali Su and Wushu made the plan that the main force could retreat slightly, but must launch a surprise attack with local superior forces before dark to devour Huyan Tong's unit and achieve a predetermined victory... things suddenly spiraled out of control.

What triggered this was yet another Song reinforcement from the northwest.

The weather became increasingly overcast. When the Emperor Zhao's Dragon Banner and a reinforcement force no smaller than the main groups under the two large banners appeared in the northwest, there was neither a good field of vision to welcome them nor the spectacular sight of sunlight glinting off their armor... that was the exclusive privilege of Li Yanxian's arrival.

However, as the Dragon Banner appeared in both sides' view, the situation spiraled out of control—each unit instinctively straightened their ranks and entered a state of combat readiness, but the most undisciplined Mongol cavalry overdid it, with one unit launching a surprise attack from a weakly defended shallows towards the opposite bank.

Immediately, a scene that made everyone's hearts clench, but which everyone had expected, appeared. The two armies, which had long been in a tense standoff due to their hasty assembly, directly lost control, and each unit launched attacks on each other from the shallows and bridges where they were confronting each other. The battle quickly expanded, then stirred up a dozen-mile-long front.

Orders and tactics all failed.

Zhao Jiu himself probably never imagined that his arrival would have this effect.

Even Wu Da, who had arrived with the Dragon Banner, was momentarily lost.

Not only that, as the Emperor Zhao's Dragon Banner was erected behind Li Shifu's unit, a muffled thunderclap suddenly sounded... As a conditioned reflex, everyone thought that a large force of cavalry was attacking, and that the Jin army had sent people to cross upstream or downstream in secret.

However, Emperor Zhao, who had just boarded a high-架 carriage, looked around and saw no obvious dust on the unobstructed plains on either side.

In fact, after hearing the thunder, Bali Su, who had been lurking behind the high ground, was also stunned. He also thought that a large force of cavalry was ambushing somewhere... Perhaps Qu Duan's cavalry had come from the rear flank?

Soon, both sides realized that this was real thunder—before dusk, the clouds were mottled, gradually becoming heavy, then spring thunder rumbled, the sky darkened, and rain fell like a torrent.

No one wanted to fight a messy battle, but the sudden thunderstorm turned this battle directly into a messy one!

Lightning, rain, and dusk easily erased the last possibility of transmitting orders and controlling the troops, and at the same time, the storm from top to bottom cooled the ardor of the war from the forces already engaged togather.

Before hearing the thunder, Han Shizhong was almost about to order a full-scale crossing of the river to fully engage Wushu in front of him, and Huyan Tong was also preparing to pounce directly towards the high ground.

But as the rain fell, accompanied by thunder and the sound of rain, it was impossible to distinguish which side was sounding the retreat, and both sides began to consciously retreat.

However, the routes, the enemy, and the friendly forces were completely blurred during the retreat, and encounters were everywhere.

And it was very clear that, since the Song army had initiated the battle and some troops had crossed the river, they were destined to be the side that suffered greater losses in this messy battle.

Spring thunder rumbled, the four fields were vast, and Zhao Jiu stood on the carriage, letting the rain wash over his face, also lost in a state of bewilderment.

He couldn't help it. Anyone who faced this situation would probably be dumbfounded, and in this situation, apart from being dumbfounded, there seemed to be nothing that could be done. Once the rain fell, he had to rely on the moment of lightning to see the state of the battle clearly.

The battlefield was too big, and there were too many troops!

"Your Majesty."

Wu Jie supported Emperor Zhao from the side. "Get down quickly... high places are easy to attract lightning. Setting up a lightning rod is what Your Majesty said in the Dibao."

Only then did Zhao Jiu come back to his senses. He hurried off the carriage, only to see that he and everyone around him were wearing metal armor, and he was even more speechless.

"Your Majesty." After Emperor Zhao came to the ground, Wu Jie's tone was slightly low, but it seemed particularly firm. "This subject is ashamed."

"What is Jin Qing ashamed of?" Zhao Jiu quickly shook his head. "The sky wants to rain, and the mother wants to marry, who can control the rain? Moreover, a messy battle, even if we suffer more losses because of this river, it is impossible to cause a real loss of combat power... But in any case, we must do something now, not only to gather the troops... Gathering the troops is the responsibility of the Prince of Yan'an and Li Shaoyan... We must also do something to ensure that morale is not discouraged."

"Your Majesty." Wu Jie opened his mouth to respond, his tone becoming more cautious, but even more determined. "These two days, we have pushed forward aggressively, forcibly advancing the battle line, and today's events show that both sides have reached their limits, and there is no room for maneuver. Even if it rains today, it will only be maintained slightly along this Taiping River... In this situation, the more tense it is, the more we cannot retreat. Therefore, we must first establish a camp on this side of the river to facilitate the deployment of troops, and at the same time ensure that there are no Jin strongholds on this side of the Taiping River!"

Zhao Jiu thought for a moment in the rain, and suddenly said: "I remember before the news was sent today, you originally wanted Li Yanxian to lead his troops to take Huolu County? Is Huolu County on this side?"

"Yes."

"How far is it?"

"It is a dozen miles from here, but it is not directly northwest, it is on the east side of this, only five or six miles from this Taiping River."

"How many defenders are inside?"

"One Meng'an..."

"Are you sure?"

"This subject is sure."

"Take it down! Immediately take it down in the rain and darkness, spend the night in Huolu County tonight, and take this city as the center to build a large camp... Let Liu Yan personally supervise four command officers to climb the city on all sides and take it down in one fell swoop!"

"Yes!"

The order was quickly passed down. The front line was still in chaos. In the rain, Zhao Jiu couldn't help but ask again: "Jin Qing, why did the Jin army abandon Huolu County, but instead set up camp around Shiyi Town?"

"Before today, this subject only thought that they valued the flat and unobstructed area around Shiyi, or that they were worried that our army would use gunpowder to blow up the city, ruining their morale... But when I came to the front line today, I immediately realized it." As he said this, Wu Jie pointed to the direction of the riverbank southeast across the river. "Your Majesty, have you noticed the high ground on the opposite bank of the river?"

Zhao Jiu noticed a fart!

He was still dumbfounded.

However, that didn't stop him from immediately noticing the high ground by lightning flash.

"Your Majesty, that should be the only high ground on the opposite bank of the river, two or three miles from the river, and ten miles from the Shiyi camp." Wu Jie said seriously. "Six or seven miles in area."

"I understand." Zhao Jiu suddenly realized. "They don't value Shiyi, but they value this high ground. The other side of the river is flat, only this high ground exists alone. If they can occupy the high ground as they do now during the war, they can look down from a commanding position, grasp the situation on all sides, and send cavalry to sweep and support at any time... This is the battlefield they have chosen."

"Your Majesty is wise." Wu Jie nodded in agreement, but made a slight extension. "But it's not just that... In such a great battle, it is impossible to pursue fixed tactics, such as today, suppressing our army's river-crossing troops from the high ground and launching a leisurely attack... But it is also possible to use that high ground as bait, deliberately luring our army to attack. Our army has to attack even if they know it is bait, in order to gain vision and gain. At that time, when our reinforcements are unable to advance due to this river, they will concentrate their forces to sweep, eat up our army on the high ground, and retake the high ground."

"I really understand this time. Anyway, the high ground is here, the Taiping River is here. We attack, they defend, the initiative is in their hands, and they never lack routines in tactics... Is that right?"

"Your Majesty is wise." Wu Jie repeated the sentence again.

Lightning flashed again, the four fields were blurred, and even the high ground across the river became blurred.

And Zhao Jiu, who was already soaked, shook his head in the rain, looking in the direction of the other side of the river: "In any case, let's wait for the rain to stop and for Qu Duan to gather... It should be in these two days... It won't be too late to make plans then."

In the rumbling thunder, Wu Jie hesitated to speak.

ps: Thanks to An Zong's Silver Alliance, thanks to Master Xiao Tang for the Shang Meng... The latter is the 202nd Meng of this book.