Chapter 3 The Third Climax

In the afternoon, the spring rain, which everyone had long grown accustomed to, continued to fall intermittently, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, while the battle quickly entered its third high point.

After learning of the information provided by the Han Chinese Meng'an, and combining it with other scattered frontline feedback, Wu Jie, the overall commander of the battlefield, immediately judged that the information was most likely true, at least the general distribution of troops was not too far off. Therefore, he immediately made a decision to deploy Li Qiong's troops in advance... The 20,000 well-rested Imperial Guard Central Army immediately set out, crossed the river from the Shiqiao-High Ground downstream, that is, the front of the Huolu County town, and then detoured around the eastern side of the High Ground, where the fighting was slightly weaker, trying to find the 'reserve' army of Yelu Ma Wu and Wanyan Wolun.

This move would have been very dangerous before.

Because the Jin army camp, in the process of hasty construction, still tried to create and form a herringbone shape, like a core node extending three arms.

Among them, the node was located slightly east of the southern side of the High Ground, with a vast battlefield, which was considered the main camp. The three arms, one cut through the rear of the High Ground, connecting Shiyi further to the southeast, which was the original camp and a retreat; one pointed across the river to Zhengding Prefecture, which was the main supply route for military supplies and a more secure retreat; and the last one diagonally crossed from the eastern side of the High Ground, pointing to the Song army's Huolu County town across the Taiping River.

In other words, for the Jin army, the High Ground and their two arms of the camp formed a mutual assistance system... In fact, at the beginning, among the four Wanhu of the Jin army's western heavy troops group, the southernmost Heshi Lie Taiyu's troops were directly connected to the outer moat of the camp.

In this case, rashly advancing from the eastern side of the High Ground would be very dangerous, because it would likely fall into the pincer attack of the High Ground and the camp.

Only now that the battle had progressed to this point, the main force of the Jin army on the High Ground had been completely exposed and out of control, and had already engaged in a full-scale battle with the Song army, the slight risk seemed less unacceptable compared to the temptation of finding the Jin army's reserve fresh troops in advance.

Therefore, at the moment when Zhao Jiu learned of Huyan Tong's death, the fierce battle zone had already run through the entire High Ground. On the battlefield with the High Ground as the core and a radius of sixteen or seventeen *li*, the total number of engaged troops invested by both sides had reached eleven Wanhu and 125,000 respectively - Li Qiong, Qiao Zhongfu, and Zhang Jing found Yelu Ma Wu and Wanyan Wolun.

According to the original plan, there would be a slight pause next to see if the Jin army would invest their last reserve force under the fierce attack of Li Qiong's troops... After all, whether it was the three Wanhu plus six Hezha Meng'an mentioned by the surrendered general, or whatever was expected, the Jin army must still have a final trump card.

"Is Huyan dead?"

In the rain, Zhao Jiu did not ask out loud, but supported his forehead with his hand, because at this moment he clearly felt a flash of dizziness... However, after drinking most of a pot of wine in the rain, it didn't seem like something worth paying attention to, and in a battle of nearly 200,000 troops, the death of a commander didn't seem like information that should shake him, the official.

"I know," Zhao Jiu replied, suppressing the dizziness and breathing slightly, trying to remain calm.

"The heads of Generals Tu Hesu and Ali have been cut off, and Commander Wu has sent them over. Does the official want to inspect them briefly?" Liu Yan next to him did not notice the emotions hidden beneath Zhao Guan's slightly drunk state, and continued to report respectfully, so that the rain dripped from his armor in lines.

"No need," Zhao Jiu shook his head in response, and pressed down on the wine cup on the table in front of him.

Liu Yan immediately turned around and waved to the two Banzhi (imperial guards), who immediately retreated with the wooden bucket in their hands.

On the high platform temporarily piled with miscellaneous objects, an unsettling silence fell again for a while, and in the silence, Zhao Jiu took a deep breath while the others went to watch the battle.

Speaking of which, this silence was not Zhao Jiu's subjective intention. On the contrary, at this moment, this Zhao Song official actually had countless words he wanted to say.

He really wanted to tell Mei Yue, a close official who might not know, that ten years ago, when he was most insecure, Huyan Tong had taken on the task of guarding the imperial court for a long time by chance.

He also really wanted to ask Liu Yan, how many old soldiers from Liaodong Yanzhou still remained in the Chixin Team, which had 'a thousand people' in front of the Mingdao Palace?

He also wanted to invite Lü Yihao to sit down, pour wine, and discuss heroes with him, to discuss whose credit the so-called 'ten years of merit' really belonged to? Was it him, the official, or the famous generals such as Han Yue, Zhang Wu, etc., who seemed to have fallen from the sky to assist the Song Dynasty in this great era? Or was it Li Gang, Zong Ze, Zhang Suo, Wang Boyan, and Lü Haowen, Xu Jingheng, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and even Lü Yihao himself, the famous ministers of Jianyan?

And if none of these, was it the 300,000 Imperial Guard soldiers themselves, or the countless civil servants and officials in the world? Or was it the struggling remnants of the Hebei region? Or the people of the southeast, Jingxiang, Sichuan, Central Plains, and Guanzhong, who provided financial and material resources for the country's revival?

Or was it that everyone should be one?

But after the Jin Dynasty is destroyed, can it really remain as one forever?

In a trance, Zhao Jiu even couldn't help but silently recited the names of those commander officials in the Imperial Guard, then the ministers in the court, then all the people whose names he could remember or couldn't remember, even some faceless people. In the end, it was no longer specific people, but the things that connected people together.

And when these people and things accumulated more and more in his mind, to a certain extent, this official almost felt that his chest was about to explode, urging and forcing him to shout something out.

However, he ultimately did not speak, not a single word more, because he knew that if today's battle did not produce a result, and it must be a definite victory, otherwise he would not be able to discuss these things or say these names.

Another team of Chixin bell-ringing riders galloped from Wu Jie's side, attracting everyone's attention, and Zhao Guan, whose face was covered with rain, swayed and took the opportunity to pour himself a cup of wine and drink it all in one gulp, in order to suppress the complex emotions in his heart.

He had been using this method to control himself since the morning.

"What is it?"

Liu Yan took the initiative to support his sword and greet them.

Several Chixin riders came forward, immediately bowed down, and then one of them immediately reported: "Reporting to the commander... There is a report from the front line that Commander Guan Shigu has died in battle."

Guan Shigu was a senior general in the Imperial Guard Rear Army, and Wu Jie had repeatedly proposed to replace his younger brother Wu Lin with this person as the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard Rear Army, and he held a prominent position there.

Therefore, after Liu Yan was stunned, he immediately looked back at Zhao Guan, who was sitting motionless, and knowing that the other party would definitely be able to hear him at this distance, he paused slightly before immediately turning his head back, seriously facing his subordinate: "Understood. Does Commander Wu have any other information?"

"Yes," the leader of the Chixin riders took over and continued to report. Obviously, his information was even more important. "Commander Wu said that the war on the front line is slightly unfavorable..."

"How so?" Liu Yan immediately became serious. "Did General Guan's death cause a shock?"

"There is a little bit of General Guan's reason, but General Guan was on the front line of the High Ground, and the ripples after his death are not enough to shake the overall situation. The main reason is that the strength of Yelu Ma Wu's troops and Wanyan Wolun's troops was underestimated on the eastern side and rear of the High Ground," the Chixin rider captain said clearly. "Originally, it was thought that Yelu Ma Wu's troops had suffered heavy losses in the previous Taiyuan battle and Jingxing retreat, and their combat power should not be strong, so Commander Wu took the initiative to seek out the enemy with Vice Commander Li's 20,000 troops, but after the engagement, it was discovered that the strength of Yelu Ma Wu's troops and Wanyan Wolun's troops was not only not weak, but also definitely exceeded two Wanhu..."

"Why is this so?" Liu Yan couldn't help but interrupt the other party and ask.

"According to battlefield feedback, there are many more infantry, and Vice Commander Li and Commander Wu both believe that this is because the Jin army concentrated their cavalry for a final gamble, and picked out the infantry from the remaining three Wanhu and supplemented them to Yelu Ma Wu, who was originally weaker..."

"I see," Liu Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't a divine army falling from the sky beyond the original plan, it was naturally acceptable. "What does Wu Jiedu (military commissioner) intend to do?"

"Commander Wu said that although the Imperial Guard Central Army cannot quickly suppress this Jin army on the eastern side and rear of the High Ground, our army on the western side of the High Ground has already gained unstoppable momentum, and it is only a matter of time before the Jin army is completely suppressed and their trump card is forced out... Please don't worry, Official, just wait a little while," the Chixin rider captain finished his report.

And Liu Yan, hearing the last sentence, looked back at the silent official behind him again. After confirming that the official had definitely heard the relevant information, he didn't say anything more, but waved to signal the other party to return to Wu Jie's side to report.

As soon as the Chixin rider left, Zhao Guan remained silent, but Lü Yihao slowly opened his mouth under Mei Yue's umbrella at this time: "General Liu..."

"This humble general is here," Liu Yan was actually a little flustered when facing Lü Yihao. "Lord Lü, please speak."

"How many troops have crossed the river? How many are left on this side of the Taiping River?" Lü Yihao asked calmly.

"125,000 have crossed the river. On this side of the river, there are still 13,000 to 14,000 cavalry troops from the Imperial Guard Cavalry Army and the Imperial Guard Vanguard Army Beiwei Army, commanded by Wang Jiedu and Yang Tongzhi, and 26,000 to 27,000 heavy infantry and long spear mixed units from the Imperial Guard Right Army Beiwei Army... Altogether, there are less than 40,000."

"Is there more?" Lü Yihao continued to ask.

"There are also the Imperial Guards, as well as scattered Japanese samurai and some personal guards of generals, totaling about 3,000 to 4,000 infantry and cavalry, to protect the Huolu camp and the official," Liu Yan paused and continued to answer respectfully.

"Is there more?" Lü Yihao continued to ask, as if he hadn't heard.

"There are also the Tangut auxiliary soldiers and the Taihang righteous army."

"How are they? Are they usable?"

"Of course they are usable..." Liu Yan became more and more confused, but he could only bite the bullet and state the facts. "They have a lot of combat experience, can endure hardship, and can go into battle... But because they have to deploy supply lines along the way from Taiyuan to Huolu, there are currently only 20,000 Tangut laborers and 10,000 auxiliary soldiers adapted from the Taihang righteous army in the camp here at Huolu."

Lü Yihao nodded and looked at Zhao Guan, who was sitting there expressionlessly: "Your Majesty, this time, we have 180,000 troops from Hebei. Except for a few partial divisions sent to the Hutuo River, the remaining 170,000 combat soldiers have crossed the river by more than two-thirds."

Everyone suddenly realized that Lord Lü was actually urging Zhao Guan to cross the river in person in order to break the stalemate.

And it was obvious that according to this official's temperament, he shouldn't refuse.

Of course, Zhao Jiu also understood what the other party meant, but after thinking for a moment, this official, who had already been unable to restrain himself, actually shook his head and tried his best to reply calmly:

"Wait a little longer."

Lü Yihao didn't care about being rejected, he just nodded slightly, and then instructed Liu Yan to dispatch the 20,000 Tangut auxiliary soldiers and 10,000 Taihang righteous army auxiliary soldiers from the camp and line them up in the open space behind the Shiqiao (stone bridge).

At this time, Zhao Guan suddenly interjected: "Let the auxiliary soldiers take out all the caltrops from each camp."

Liu Yan hurriedly went to organize the auxiliary soldiers, but this sentence from the official more clearly indicated a fact - it wasn't that he didn't want to cross the river, but that he hoped to cross the river at a better, more suitable time, and set off with full preparations, in order to maximize the effect of the imperial presence.

The opportunity didn't wait too long.

About two quarters of an hour after Zhao Jiu said 'wait a little longer', before Liu Yan had finished organizing the 30,000 auxiliary soldiers, as the stalemate continued, Zhang Qi's troops suddenly controlled the eastern slope of the High Ground with a wave of advancement, which was one of the two obvious high points on the High Ground.

Under the 'directing operations' flag that had advanced to the front of the Shiqiao, Wu Jie hesitated for a moment when he saw Zhang's flag on that high point, but soon he came to his senses, and then quickly turned back to order the Chixin riders specially allocated to him by Zhao Guan, requesting Qu Duan to lead the remaining Song army iron cavalry, resolutely cross the river to attack, press up from there, as a breakthrough, and at the same time relay this military order to the imperial court.

He didn't mention how the official himself should act. It wasn't his place to give orders.

The military order of the former subordinate was first transmitted to the Imperial Guard Cavalry Army, and Qu Da didn't hesitate at all. He immediately ordered Liu Qi, Zhang Xian, Zhang Zhongfu, Zhang Zhongyan, and other generals to return to their respective units, and then set out to fight along the pontoon bridge that had been set up when Li Qiong's troops crossed the river. He himself, riding the new iron elephant, took the lead and directly led his guards to cross the river first... It wasn't that Qu Duan suddenly had full confidence in his troops again, or that he enjoyed the fierce battle after watching it for most of the day. It was that, at this point, even if he was dull, it was impossible for him to hesitate and retreat.

Whether it was glory and responsibility, political pressure, or the might of military law, he and his more than 10,000 cavalry troops, who lacked rest, must now go forward without hesitation.

Just like the more than 100,000 troops who had participated in the battle before.

"Commander Qu."

Just after crossing the river, a Chixin rider chased after him across the river, informing Qu Duan of a message. "The official has an order to let the remaining 1,000 Chixin riders in front of the imperial court be at your disposal..."

Qu Duan was rarely stunned, but before he had time to express his gratitude, he suddenly realized something, and then subconsciously looked towards the direction of the dragon banner on the other side of the river.

Sure enough, in the slightly calmer drizzle, that dragon banner moved.

This time, the start of Zhao Guan and his rather old Jinwu flag didn't trigger a scene of roaring mountains and tsunami, at least not at this moment. There wasn't any touching farewell, or any heart-shaking movement... This attack wasn't the same as the one at Yaoshan.

In the drizzle, this Song official and Lü Yihao nodded to each other, Lü Yihao turned back to Huolu City, and Zhao Jiu got up and headed west. He was accompanied by only a few close officials, 700 to 800 Imperial Guard Banzhi under Liu Yan, and even Yuan Weiyi and 180 Japanese samurai were padding out the numbers.

Zhao Jiu even had Shao Chengzhang bring the remaining half pot of wine.

In addition, Zhao Guan's marching route was also somewhat detached from the masses. After entrusting the Chixin Team in the Imperial Guard Banzhi sequence to Qu Duan, who had been worried about his subordinates suffering heavy casualties, he straightened up, then jumped on his horse and headed west, obviously going to cross the Taiping River via the extremely safe and stable Shiqiao (stone bridge).

Of course, even so, Qu Duan didn't think much about it, or didn't have time to think much about it. He just hurriedly urged his troops to cross the river and support the frontal troops in order to completely control the High Ground... And to clear the area for this official and his dragon banner to stay.

The last main cavalry force of the Song army crossed the river at full speed, and Zhao Guan, in his dark gold armor, stopped behind the Shiqiao after heading straight west, that is, behind Wu Jie's main flag... Under Wu Jie's gaze, this official waited for a huge and strange 'reinforcement'... Although it was a bit hasty, Liu Yan still tried his best to allocate the 20,000 Tangut auxiliary soldiers and the 10,000 Taihang righteous army auxiliary soldiers, who had not been added to the Imperial Guard's establishment in the Hedong area, as much as possible.

These people didn't have iron armor, they generally only wore leather armor, carrying spears and swords. Soft bows were useless at this time, so they simply abandoned them.

However, it's worth mentioning that when they set off from the camp, according to Zhao Guan's decree, they almost dismantled all the caltrops in front of the Song army camp, and then, in groups of several people, carried them behind Zhao Guan's dragon banner.

Auxiliary soldiers were auxiliary soldiers after all. Although there was also a military officer system, it still took a long time for these 30,000 auxiliary soldiers to gather and advance. During this time, each unit of Qu Duan's troops had already fought with the chaotic troops in various places on the High Ground... Qu Duan also had his difficulties. It wasn't that he didn't want to use his troops in a concentrated manner, but the battlefield was too narrow. He didn't have the command experience and ability to use more than 10,000 cavalry in a concentrated manner, nor did he have the tactical space.

But even so, the sudden deployment of 13,000 to 14,000 cavalry immediately changed the battlefield situation. The originally active Yelu Ma Wu-Wanyan Wolun troops immediately lost the initiative and could no longer support the friendly forces on the High Ground. And the troops on the High Ground were even more demoralized for a time, so that more than half of the High Ground was controlled by the Song army.

It can be said that this attack caused the Jin army to shrink across the board.

At this time, Zhao Guan finally set off again. At this time, behind him were not only the 30,000 Tangut-Han auxiliary soldiers carrying thousands of simple caltrops and advancing in separate streams, but even dozens of 'consultants' whose faces changed between pale and flushed... These people were driven out of the city by Lü Yihao to accompany the emperor.

Without further ado, the 30,000 auxiliary soldiers spread out across the board, and, according to the pontoon bridge set up by Li Yanxian's troops, crossed the river in dozens of shares from the front, while Zhao Guan led his eunuchs, close officials, and consultants, leading his Imperial Guard to advance to the stone bridge in the middle,夹着 (carrying) that dragon banner.

Arriving in front of the Shiqiao (stone bridge), Wu Jie, who had been prepared for a long time, knelt down on the ground to greet him.

Zhao Jiu sat upright on his horse without saying a word. After allowing the other party to complete the full ceremony, he just nodded slightly. Then, Wu Jie's 'directing operations' flag automatically turned to the side and rear of that Jinwu flag, and Wu Jie himself stepped forward without hesitation to personally lead this official's horse and guide him onto the Shiqiao (stone bridge).

At this time, the commotion caused by the auxiliary soldiers had already alarmed the Song army soldiers along the river on the other side of the Taiping River... The battle had lasted so long, and with the Song army's stern order that 'those who cross the river with serious injuries will be beheaded', the area along the southern bank of the Taiping River had long become a place for the Song army's lightly wounded, routed troops, and tired troops to gather, rest, avoid, and wait.

But hearing this commotion, and seeing the dragon banner crossing the bridge, countless Song army wounded and routed troops couldn't help but look forward to it. Among them, the routed troops gathered towards the Shiqiao (stone bridge) in a hesitant manner.

Of course, Zhao Jiu saw this scene, and he saw it very carefully... He saw a large group of wounded soldiers lying on a clean slope that couldn't hold water. Rainwater flowed down the slope from top to bottom, washing the blood into the river, so that the muddy yellow river water was faintly dark. He saw exhausted soldiers sitting in puddles, hugging their spears, their hands and feet were all white from being soaked, but the mud on the sides of their faces had formed hard lumps because they had avoided the rain for a long time. At this time, they were staring at him, the official, with their necks turning as if they had lost their souls, so that mud dripped from their beards. He also saw familiar officers running over from a distance when he crossed the river, but stopping every few steps for a while, and then starting again, but the speed also slowed down, seeming a little hesitant.

However, throughout the whole process, Zhao Jiu neither dismounted to comfort and praise these wounded soldiers, nor did he reprimand these routed troops, nor did he even let the Banzhi blow their horns, so that the officers could take the opportunity to reorganize the troops.

Because it was unnecessary.

This official didn't say a word, he just let Wu Jie lead him to the small slope in front of the Shiqiao (stone bridge), and then he slightly駐 (halted) here with that Jinwu flag.

And after only a moment, as if pebbles thrown into a lake caused ripples, it continuously re-energized the Song army on the riverbank that had fallen into a state of凝结 (coagulation)... More and more Song army routed soldiers and lightly wounded soldiers crowded over, immediately surrounding the small slope so tightly that water couldn't leak through, and more and more troops and soldiers were still rushing over from the outside.

Zhao Jiu stood at the top of the small slope, looking around, seeing countless pairs of eyes staring at him, wanting to speak, but he was as speechless as before... He, who was usually known for his sharp words, he, who was best at playing the role of a wise monarch, seemed to have had his throat choked at this time.

In fact, he hadn't said a few words since noon today, and even when he did, they were just a few simple words.

It wasn't that he didn't want to say them, but that he yearned for victory so much that he couldn't say them before victory.

Therefore, after looking around for a long time, confirming that he had inspired many routed soldiers, this official forcefully suppressed the various words in his heart, but prepared to continue forward. But he had just spurred his horse again, only taking two or three steps, when he saw another person coming in a hurry from the side in front, so he reined in his horse again, and Wu Jie cooperated throughout.

For no other reason than that the person who came was Wang De, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard Central Army. He was alone, bare-chested, wearing only a pair of long trousers, with seven or eight bandages wrapped around his upper body from his arms to his torso, with obvious blood seeping out from five or six places. But he just came on foot, and seeing that Zhao Jiu was about to leave, he bowed down from a distance of several dozen steps.

Zhao Jiu knew that his troops had suffered heavy casualties, and that he was likely the most exhausted unit in the entire army. He also knew that this Yaksha had lost one son and injured another while making great contributions, so he naturally wanted to comfort him.

But for some reason, the words that came to his lips were exceptionally simple and 평범 (plain):

"Wang Qing."

"Your subject is here," Wang De raised his head, obviously carrying a kind of excitement that was completely different from before the war.

"Follow me!" Zhao Jiu on the warhorse ordered with an effort to remain calm.

However, for some reason, these three simple words almost made Wang De burst into tears on the spot. He spent a great deal of effort to stop his emotions, and then kowtowed heavily on the mud:

"Please wait a moment, Official, allow your subject to put on his armor!"

Zhao Jiu nodded in response.

With this nod, the routed soldiers who had gathered around, including many lightly wounded soldiers, finally burst out, as if they had received some kind of decree. They looked around for their armor and weapons. Those who couldn't find them simply rummaged through the surrounding corpses.

As for Zhao Jiu, after Wang De re-armored himself and led the way with his long axe and warhorse, he unhesitatingly continued to let Wu Jie lead his horse south at a pace that was neither fast nor slow, in order to ascend the High Ground.

After only a mile or two, Li Yanxian also came to greet him from the front. The two met, and they were still frugal with words. After a simple greeting, Li Shaoyan led his main banner and troops to follow the imperial presence.

At this moment, the troops behind and beside Zhao Jiu had formed a considerable scale, and with the auxiliary soldiers who were carrying the caltrops had generally crossed the river and were starting to gather behind the imperial presence again according to the previous military orders, the commotion caused by this dragon banner was finally unstoppable.

On the northern slope of the High Ground, the Song army was invigorated across the board. The Jin army, which had been pushed to the other side of the High Ground as a whole, although they didn't know the reason, clearly felt the tremor and impact. And the few Jin troops who occupied the high points on the High Ground hurriedly urged the scouts to the rear, calling for support after realizing what was happening.

But it was too late.

"Official!"

After another two or three hundred steps, Han Shizhong suddenly galloped from the west, and then called out from a distance, "Is the official going to that slope on the east side?"

"That's right!" Zhao Jiu looked back and answered loudly towards that unparalleled banner.

"The eastern high slope is a secondary slope, not as high as the western high slope," Han Shizhong didn't have time to take off his mask, so he pointed to the side and rear with his horse whip and said. "Since the official is the Son of Heaven, and wants to watch the decisive battle of the royal army, how can he go to a secondary slope? He must go to the main slope on the west side to set up camp!"

"Isn't the main slope still in the hands of the Jin army?" Li Yanxian, who was behind him, suddenly interjected, and asked loudly.

"When I and the various military commissioners escort the imperial presence there, the main slope will definitely be under our army's control!" Han Shizhong also responded on the spot without stopping.

Zhao Jiu still didn't waste words, just directly turned his horse around and headed west.

And Han Shizhong immediately led his main banner to follow and flank him. His Beiwei Army, led by Commander Cheng Min, went directly to the main slope on the west side, which was still under the control of the Jin army.

Not only that, as Zhao Jiu advanced along the way, the various units on the western front cheered up. The various units of the Imperial Guard Left Army, together with the Tangut and Khitan light cavalry, were like wolves running, or pigs突 (charging), or cranes啄 (pecking), or tigers leaping, and they all joined forces and came to this High Ground.

The Jin army here had long been on the verge of collapsing. At this time, how could they defend against the attacks from all directions?

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the defending general Shao He only sighed when he saw the dragon banner, which had gathered as many as three main banners and a dozen general flags, and then sadly led his troops to retreat.

Before half of the afternoon had passed, the drizzle hadn't stopped, and under the sky that had regained its appearance as a drizzle, the Zhao Song official's dragon banner stood silently on the highest point of the High Ground, the core of the battlefield.

Also arriving were the main banners of the three commanders, Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, and Wu Jie, and more than a dozen general flags below Jiedushi Wang De.

After arriving here, with the dragon banner in the center, the main banners and flags of the various commander ministers and generals were placed on the left, right, and rear. The Imperial Guard was encircled and deployed in formation, Zhao Jiu then fell off his horse calmly, and then the Imperial Guard Commander Liu Yan placed a horse stool, the Banzhi carried over a few cases, and the Neishi Province Yaban Shao Chengzhang placed the pot of Lan Qiao Feng Yue, which he didn't know how much was left.

Immediately, the generals涌 (surged) forward, surrounded and lined up, and followed Zhao Guan to look down from a high position to观战 (observe the battle).

There was no drumming, no horns, no additional command throughout the entire process, but from the moment this dragon banner set off, it had already begun to affect the battle situation, and when it was erected on this main slope, it only 'observed the battle' and directly促成 (prompted) a storm.

Within a quarter of an hour after the flag was erected, Qu Duan, who was unable to control the overall situation of the army, and almost all his subordinates who led their units independently, broke through from the gaps in the eastern front and the High Ground battlefield by coincidence. He even gathered with the Tangut light cavalry units that his other subordinate, Li Shifu, had顺势 (seized the opportunity to) descended, forming a huge cavalry group on the eastern side of the High Ground.

This was the first time since the Northern Expedition that the main force of the Imperial Guard Cavalry had fully assembled on the battlefield... And the benefits of Zhao Guan's choice to advance with the Imperial Guard Cavalry were also obvious, and at this moment, one plus one was definitely much greater than two.

At the same time, Jia Gu Wu Libu's 10,000 cavalry, which had been struggling to support, finally gave up protecting He Shi Lie Taiyu under the great danger of being completely surrounded, turned around and left, trying to reorganize behind Shao He.

With forces exerted on both sides, the Central Army also seized all the high ground in the center, and pressed down with all their strength.

In other words, when this dragon banner crossed the river and first登 (ascended) the High Ground, the High Ground was still roughly evenly divided between the two sides, and even the highest point was not in the hands of the Song army. But after this main banner was erected at the highest point, in just a quarter of an hour, the Song army successfully suppressed 70% of the High Ground and隐隐 (vaguely) had the势 (momentum) to encircle it from three sides... A heavy sword has no edge, great skill has no craft, that's about it.

Of course, for many Jin generals who had not experienced Yaoshan, these words were inevitably a little unfamiliar. Under the wave that crashed over the High Ground, they mostly remembered a sentence that circulated in the Jin army after Yaoshan - that dragon banner alone is worth two Wanhu!

"You haven't said a word for half a day, were you waiting for this moment?!"

The dragon banner suddenly appeared on the commanding heights of the battlefield. In the Jin camp, it was already chaotic. When Hong Ya, the Vice-Minister of the Privy Council of the Jin Kingdom, finished listening to the report from his confidant outside the tent, he immediately stood up,逼 (forced) the young Song minister in front of him, and stared at the other party and gnashed his teeth.

"That's right," Yu Yunwen took advantage of his height and said coldly, "I was waiting for this moment... County Magistrate Hong! You don't have to色厉内荏 (be outwardly strong but inwardly weak) anymore! The Great Song will win this battle, and it will definitely be a great victory. No matter how much you twist and turn, aren't you just 不见棺材不掉泪 (unwilling to shed tears until you see the coffin)? Now that the official has reached the High Ground, the general trend is about to be completed, and it can almost be seen from here. I am now taking advantage of the official's prestige to give you one last chance to live in wealth and comfort... What words are you hiding, and unwilling to explain?!"

"What can you do to me if I don't say it?!" Hong Ya turned around and angrily flung his sleeves.

"Not saying it just means your head will fall to the ground in the future, and your entire family will be充往 (sent to) the Western Regions!" Yu Yunwen replied bluntly and decisively. "Whether you kill me or not, that's how it is. The fact that I and Commander Bei entered your camp cannot be concealed... Only if you tell me the reason now can you have a lifetime!"

Hong Ya faced away from the other party, panting heavily. After a long time, he lowered his voice and said, "If I don't say it, the Jin army might just suffer a big defeat, and then lose the Hebei region, but they will still have a foundation. If I say it, this defeat may be a complete and utter defeat, and become the 栈板鱼肉 (fish on the chopping board) of the Great Song..."

"So, it's still military intelligence?" Yu Yunwen was overjoyed for a moment. "Is it that Marshal Yue is actually about to arrive at Huolu?!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Hong Ya turned his head back, speechless. "This isn't attacking a dangerous and difficult pass, and you can still play the戏谑之语 (jesting words) of 'unless it flies here'... We all came from Daming Prefecture, and the Jin army has so many cavalry, supplying along the way, and only just arrived here to meet the official. How can Yue Fei come? Do you really think he is the Golden-Winged Garuda? And if he is really about to arrive, what difference does it make whether I say it or not?"

Yu Yunwen瞬间醒悟 (woke up in an instant)... If Yue Fei had been able to arrive in time to participate in this battle, why would he have let the elite cavalry of the main force follow the Jin army as they came?

It should be known that although he was captured before Qu Duan arrived at the army, as a close official in front of the emperor, he also knew this information.

But if it wasn't like this, what kind of information could directly affect the outcome of this battle?

And just one piece of information?

"I ask you," Hong Ya suddenly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then hurriedly asked, "Isn't the three-armed camp that the Jin army built strange?"

Yu Yunwen was slightly stunned, but immediately shook his head slowly, "Although it's strange, it's only because it happened hastily... They all have obvious reasons."

"What reasons?"

"The most obvious one is that the two arms clamp the High Ground