I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 543: Battle of Zhuohe! The Song Dynasty Cavalry is about to usher in the hunting time
March 27th.

The Eastern Route Army of the Song Dynasty was planning the routes for transporting food and weapons and supplies.

There were new movements of the Liao soldiers on the north bank of the Zhuo River.

The Liao Dynasty's defending general Yelu Tiancheng led 30,000 Liao soldiers and set up a military formation along the Zhuo River.

They dug horse pits on the other side of the Zhuo River and transported bows, crossbows, javelins, catapults and other projectile weapons. Later, cavalry and infantry set up a defensive formation.

Also.

About sixty miles away from Youzhou, a pass called Tianmingzhai was also filled with Liao soldiers.

The other party's intentions are obvious.

First, relying on the momentum of the Zhuo River, they engaged in a battle in formation (i.e. a field battle) on the north bank of the Zhuo River to attack the Song army.

If they win, they can attack forward; if they lose, they can retreat into Tianming Village.

If Tianming Village is lost, there is still the city of Youzhou which has strong defenses.

Relying on the three defense lines of Zhuohe River, Tianmingzhai and Youzhou City, the military strength of the Song Dynasty was gradually weakened.

Also.

Because the Eastern Army of the Song Dynasty occupied Yingzhou, Mozhou, and Zhuozhou, the troops were dispersed.

But at this time we cannot gather our troops in one place.

Because once all the eastern troops were gathered together to attack Youzhou, the Liao soldiers in Shunzhou and Jizhou behind Youzhou would move south to destroy the food supply route of the Song Dynasty.

Once the food supply route was destroyed, the Song army would have to retreat.

This is the disadvantage of being the attacking party, as the enemy's forces will be constantly dispersed and consumed.

There is no solution but a quick attack.

……

The Eastern Army, inside the central army tent.

Zhao Zhen, Han Qi and Su Liang all looked at the sand table in front of them, their eyes all fixed on the Zhuo River.

There was a wooden plaque on the side with two dates engraved on it.

The eighth day of June and the eighth day of August.

The former was the deadline for capturing You and Yun states, and the latter was the deadline for recovering the Sixteen States of Yanyun.

At this time.

Su Liang was the first to speak: "The Liao people are quite methodical in fighting. Yelu Liang intends to use the three checkpoints of Zhuohe, Tianming Village, and Youzhou City to continuously consume our troops, delay time, and extend the battle line, while they can attack or defend at the moment."

"The best way for us to break the impasse is to cross the Zhuo River in one go, win the first battle, and then quickly capture Tianming Village to show our momentum!"

Zhao Zhen and Su Liang both nodded in approval.

As the saying goes: War is all about courage. The first time you make a strong effort, the second time you lose strength, and the third time you are exhausted.

If the Song army cannot make a concerted effort to repel the Liao cavalry after crossing the Zhuo River.

When fighting the second battle, morale will be affected and it will be more difficult.

This battle is bound to be a tough one.

Han Qi said, "Your Majesty, I suggest organizing 5,000 brave warriors, and combining them with bridge builders, archers, and firearms soldiers to rush to the other side as quickly as possible, and then use long shields and hook spears to resist the impact of the Liao cavalry. After reaching the shore, as long as the brave warriors can hold out for half an hour, our Longyu Army will be able to rush over, and then the light cavalry will rush over. With one go, we will definitely be able to break the enemy's army and completely defeat it!"

Zhao Zhen and Su Liang both nodded.

When the Song army crossed the river, in addition to launching long-range attacks, the Liao army's cavalry in the rear would certainly also take action.

They launched a fierce attack when the Song cavalry had just crossed the river and had not yet organized their battle formation.

Doing so will cause the greatest damage!
The best way to fight back is to use a group of infantry (warriors) as meat shields to block the opponent's cavalry attack first, and then fight against them after the Song cavalry is ready.

The ones who will make the greatest sacrifices will be these brave warriors.

The so-called daredevil fighters are the death squads.

In the Hebei Imperial Army.

Refers to those soldiers who are not the only sons in their families or already have children, and are willing to exchange their lives for their families in exchange for high amounts of money or court rewards.

These soldiers knew that normal military merit was hard to come by, so they chose this method and became brave fighters.

They were scattered in different teams.

Once this kind of "meat shield" battle is needed, they will be assembled.

Zhao Zhen said, "Okay, let's do it. Two days later, at four o'clock in the morning, we will cross the river. Han Qing will be the commander of the front army and command the battle of Zhuo River. I and Jing Ming will coordinate in the rear. We will call the generals to discuss the specific action arrangements."

"Yes." Han Qi and Su Liang bowed at the same time.

At this moment, Su Liang said: "Sir, I have another idea."

"Tell me!" Zhao Zhen looked at Su Liang.

Su Liang said: "For the Liao generals, this battle at Zhuohe is a tough job. The bottom line in the mind of Liao Privy Councilor Yelu Liang should be to hold Youzhou for more than half a year, until we can no longer fight or run out of food and grass, then it will be considered a success. The other side of Zhuohe River and Tianming Village will definitely be ours, the only difference is the length of time."

"The commander of this Zhuohe battle is Yelu Tiancheng. He should know that this is a tough job. In the end, his 30,000 soldiers will definitely be eaten up by us."

"Yelü Tiancheng was once a subordinate of Yelü Chongyuan, the great uncle of the Liao Dynasty. I infer that either he volunteered to show his loyalty to Yelü Hongji in this battle, or Yelü Hongji felt that Yelü Tiancheng was not a general he could trust, so he let his 30,000 soldiers rush to the front. Whatever the reason, Yelü Tiancheng was eager to achieve success."

"Yelü Tiancheng knows that he is no match for us, but he still has a glimmer of hope, and that is: capturing the emperor alive!"

"I want them to see this glimmer of hope, and then use their trick to capture him alive. If we can capture Yelu Tiancheng, the Liao army will be in chaos and then retreat. We can then pursue them. In this way, we can reduce many casualties and speed up the time to reach Youzhou."

Su Liang just finished speaking.

Han Qi pouted and said decisively: "No, absolutely not. Using the emperor as bait is simply ridiculous. Even if there is a slight danger, the emperor must not cross the river!"

"Deputy Commander Han, listen to me. I am not using the emperor as bait. Instead, I am sending someone to pretend to be the emperor and lead the imperial army across the river. I will be accompanying them. Most of the Liao soldiers on the other side have seen my portrait. With me here, they will believe that the emperor is here. Yelu Tiancheng will most likely come to capture the emperor himself. When that happens, I will capture him."

"No, absolutely not!"

This time, it was Zhao Zhen who spoke.

"Jingming, you must not be in danger. If Yelu Tiancheng knew that you and I had crossed the river, he would definitely use all his strength and attack us crazily. It's too dangerous!"

"Sir, with the protection of your personal army and the help of firearms, I am not in great danger. This can even save the lives of thousands of soldiers and boost morale. I think it is worth it." Su Liang said with certainty.

Han Qi looked at Su Liang.

"Jingming, I feel that the possibility of Yelu Tiancheng attacking the emperor is not high. Isn't he afraid that this is a trap?"

Su Liang smiled slightly.

"He has no other way out. If he captures the emperor alive, he will be the benefactor of the entire Liao Kingdom. If he fights normally, he will either die in battle or be severely punished by Yelu Hongji for defeat. In addition..."

Su Liang hesitated to speak and looked at the document not far away.

"What else?" Han Qi asked.

Zhao Zhen followed Su Liang's gaze, was stunned for a moment, and then said unhappily: "I understand what he wants to say."

"Yesterday, we received several intelligence reports from within the Liao army."

"In order to boost morale, Yelu Liang said that I am not good at military affairs and prefer to command. My ability to lead the army is far inferior to that of Emperor Taizong, who was defeated by them. With me as the commander-in-chief, our army will definitely be defeated!"

"This news has spread throughout the Liao army and is very useful in boosting morale. What Jingming wants to say is that Yelu Tiancheng must also believe this and think that I am a fool and that crossing the river rashly is just a reckless move, so he believes that he can find an opportunity to capture me."

Han Qi scratched his head in embarrassment.

He shouldn't have asked.

Zhao Zhen looked at Su Liang and said, "Jingming, is my explanation consistent with what you think?"

Su Liang smiled cheekily.

"Your Majesty, this is the Liao people's misunderstanding of you. We can make them pay a heavy price for this perception. I beg you again to use your personal army as bait to cross the river and capture Yelu Tiancheng. My existence is the most powerful evidence to prove that you are definitely here!"

Zhao Zhen thought for a while.

"Okay! If there is any danger, evacuate immediately. To our Song Dynasty, even Yelu Hongji is not as important as you, Su Jingming!" Zhao Zhen said solemnly, and then looked at Han Qi.

"Han Qing, the same goes for you. If there is any danger, retreat immediately. Don't fight to the death and put yourself in danger!" "I obey your command." Su Liang and Han Qi bowed at the same time. At this moment, they felt warm in their hearts.

Zhao Zhen looked at the sand table and immediately became full of confidence.

The conversation between the three people made this head-on battle feel like it was under control.

……

March 29th, four o'clock in the morning.

The sky is dark and there are few stars.

On the south bank of the Zhuo River, more than 30 catapults of the Song Dynasty gradually moved forward.

at the same time.

Five teams of soldiers who were crossing the river and building bridges set off quickly, carrying canoes, wooden boards, or various tools.

Behind them were five thousand brave warriors.

These warriors were wearing armor, holding a shield in one hand and a grappling spear in the other.

Their mission was to clear some obstacles on the opposite bank and resist the first wave of attacks from the enemy cavalry, so that the heavy and light cavalry of the Song Dynasty behind them could cross the river smoothly and set up a charge formation.

In the rear, the heavily armored Longyu Army was ready.

And behind them, there were more than 10,000 light cavalry.

These soldiers are the main force in the battle, and it is also a rare opportunity for the Song Dynasty cavalry to prove themselves.

Behind the light cavalry was Han Qi's central army.

On the two wings, there were 10,000 Yanyun Army cavalry and 10,000 Imperial Army cavalry, who were the soldiers for fighting and pursuing.

As for Su Liang, he was at a corner of the south bank with Zhao Zhen's 500 personal soldiers. One of the personal soldiers even wore Zhao Zhen's armor.

This team does not look so obviously like Zhao Zhen's personal army, but with Su Liang there and their flags, it is still easy for the enemy to find them.

Su Liang was waiting for an opportunity and crossed the river when the battle was fierce.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Not long after the bridge-building soldiers reached the river bank, they were discovered by the Liao soldiers on the other side.

This is normal.

When the Liao soldiers mobilized catapults, bows and crossbows and other weapons to launch them towards the other side, more than 30 catapults of the Song Dynasty had already started to operate.

This time, the catapult was not filled with stones, but with wind, fire and thunder.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
Dozens of wind, fire and thunder flew towards the opposite side almost at the same time.

Just when the Liao soldiers on the opposite side felt that the stone was too small and the distance was not enough.

The wind, fire and thunder exploded!
boom!boom!boom!boom!
Like a thunderclap, the explosion also produced a lot of dust.

The Liao soldiers were horrified and retreated one after another.

They had heard of the Song Dynasty's firearms, but now seeing them with their own eyes, they did not expect them to be so powerful.

The catapults in front of them were just playing house.

At this time.

A Liao general shouted, "Don't stop, throw stones! Throw stones quickly, don't let the Song army cross the river!"

And this moment.

The bridge-building soldiers of the Song Dynasty were building a pontoon bridge at a very fast speed, and wind, fire and thunder were thrown continuously to provide cover for the former.

Soon, the Liao soldiers' catapults also came into play, but they retreated a lot, and many stones deviated from their direction.

This is the deterrent effect of wind, fire and thunder.

……

Half an hour later.

Two floating bridges on the river were built, and five thousand brave warriors, armed with weapons, ran quickly to the other side of the river.

As long as they can hold off the enemy cavalry for half an hour, they will be considered a great success.

And this moment.

About a kilometer away from the river bank, the Liao commander, Yelu Tiancheng, was riding on a horse, listening to the sound of Song's artillery with a gloomy expression.

The 30,000 soldiers under his command were all his personal soldiers, whom he had trained himself.

He received a military order that he could only return to Youzhou City unless Tianming Village was breached and he was unable to organize another attack.

This means that his 30,000 soldiers will inevitably become victims of the war between Song and Liao.

It’s just that he once stood on the wrong side.

The only way to save himself was to capture the Emperor of Song alive, but this was nothing but a foolish dream for him.

Just then, a Liao soldier came on horseback to report.

"General, Song's infantry has crossed the river, followed by a large number of cavalry!"

Swish!
Yelu Tiancheng waved the long sword in his hand and shouted: "All troops, listen to my order, charge immediately, first destroy the Song infantry, then destroy their cavalry, let them know how powerful our Liao cavalry is!"

Yelu Tiancheng had to fight. If he fought, he might have a chance to survive, but if he didn't, he would surely die.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Suddenly.

A black mass of Liao cavalry rushed forward.

"Kill!"

After five thousand brave warriors rushed across the other side.

Everyone was fighting madly with a "fighting for life" attitude.

This greatly shocked the surrounding Liao infantry. They did not expect that these Song soldiers were so desperate!

tread!tread!tread!
A moment later, the Liao cavalry rushed over.

Like a dark cloud covering the sky.

When the brave warriors saw this, the leader shouted loudly: "Brothers, charge and kill the Liao dogs!"

Infantry has no advantage over cavalry.

To fight against it, you must rush forward with all your strength.

If you stand still and are attacked by the enemy, the only thing you can do is lose your head.

In addition, the brave warriors must leave enough space for the cavalry behind them to deploy.

"Charge!" the brave soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs.

now.

In their minds, they were not thinking about whether they could survive, but how to resist for more than half an hour.

soon.

The brave warriors of the Song Dynasty collided with the Liao cavalry, and then a hand-to-hand and bloody fight began.

Every blow was bloody, it was a life-and-death fight, it was extremely tragic.

But that's what war is like.

It is worth it to exchange the blood of one generation for the peace of future generations.

at the same time.

Xu Mang started to cross the river with his heavy cavalry and light cavalry behind him.

When they form a military formation and begin to charge, it is time for them to hunt.

(End of this chapter)