Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

Chapter 697 "Game Era 2" (Part 2)
"Who is your commander? Why doesn't he come out to see me?"

Inside the Song army's Caishiji camp, several horsemen reined in their horses in front of the central command tent, looked around, and asked questions.

However, the Song soldiers present did not respond to the loud questioning of the leading civil official, which forced the civil official to raise his voice again.

"The Jin army is about to cross the river and attack, why are you all still so undisciplined? Where is military law?"

Faced with this even more stern questioning, the undisciplined soldiers around finally raised their heads and glanced at the man. However, seeing that he was young, they all showed a dismissive expression.

One of the soldiers even retorted:

"This is not something you should ask us, sir. You should ask the generals who have already fled or retreated."

Upon hearing this, the civil official was also taken aback. When he learned that General Li Xianzong, who had been dispatched by the imperial court, had not yet arrived, he hesitated for only a moment.

"I am Yu Yunwen, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, who has come to offer my regards to the troops on the orders of Prime Minister Ye Yiwen of Jiankang Prefecture."

"Go and summon all the soldiers in the camp; I want to reward you!"

The civil official named Yu Yunwen straightened up on his horse, pointed at a soldier with his whip, and exhaled loudly. His voice was loud and carried far, and many soldiers heard it and turned to look at him in disbelief.

The soldier he pointed at also looked surprised.

"To reward us?"

"That's right! It's a reward for all the soldiers!"

Yu Yunwen's voice had a resounding quality rarely seen in Southern Song Dynasty literati, which gave the soldiers more trust. They immediately got up and ran off to inform everyone in the camp.

Before long, a large number of Song soldiers gathered from all directions and surrounded Yu Yunwen and his companions.

However, at this moment, the Song soldiers still looked at him with some suspicion, as well as the bewilderment and frustration inherent in defeated troops.

What follows is a story where Yu Yunwen, through his personal charisma and the art of promising the future, replaces General Li Xianzong, who was originally supposed to be sent, and takes over as the temporary commander of the Jianghuai Army. He successfully wins over the group of Song soldiers who are filled with despair, and uses descriptions of the brutality of the Jin soldiers to arouse their fighting spirit.

Once the Song soldiers, inspired by Yu Yunwen, regained their fighting spirit and began patrolling the camp diligently, Xia Feng finally found an opportunity to approach them and reveal his identity and purpose.

Upon hearing that Xia Feng and the others had escaped from Jiangbei and knew about the Jin soldiers' situation, Yu Yunwen's eyes immediately lit up with joy, and he quickly invited Xia Feng into the tent.

Afterwards, Yu Yunwen inquired in detail about the situation of the Jin soldiers on the other side of the river, such as the number of enemies and the construction of the ferry. Xia Feng answered these questions one by one, speaking clearly and logically, neither humble nor arrogant, which made Yu Yunwen think more highly of him.

According to Xia Feng, the Jin army is currently accelerating the construction of warships to cross the river. The first batch of ferries consists of about eighty large Mengchong ships, and it is estimated that they will be completed in about ten days.

If each ferry can carry 300 soldiers at a time, the Jin army's initial attack force would be as high as 20,000.

However, upon hearing this, Yu Yunwen chuckled and reassured the officers standing on both sides of the tent:
"Such a number of ferries should not be enough for Wanyan Liang to concentrate his superior forces to cross the river."

So he probably won't launch an attack immediately; we still have some time to prepare.

However, the officers clearly did not think so, and their expressions remained very solemn.

Upon seeing this, Xia Feng immediately revealed more information, such as that although Wanyan Liang's expedition was said to have a million troops, most of them were conscripted laborers who not only had no fighting power but also consumed precious food supplies.

In addition, the Jin army had a complex composition, including not only Jurchen Jin people, but also Khitans, Han people, and Mongols.

These people are fine when things are going well, but once they encounter setbacks, they will never be willing to risk their lives for Wanyan Liang. In critical moments, they may even have the opposite effect.

Moreover, not all Jurchen soldiers wanted to fight; the mutinous deserters along the way are the best proof of this.

Furthermore, there were many criticisms of Wanyan Liang within the Jin state, and the Western Xia was not of one mind with the Jin state.

Therefore, Wanyan Liang certainly wouldn't have had many troops that he could actually use on the battlefield.

After Xia Feng's words, the expressions on the faces of the Song soldiers present finally eased a bit.

After some discussion, they finally decided on a strategy to deal with the enemy: to rely on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to keep the Jin army at bay on the north bank of the river.

If they could hold out long enough, given Wanyan Liang's arduous campaign, the Jin state would inevitably descend into internal strife, allowing them to win without a fight.

With this, the soldiers felt more confident, and a sense of high morale gradually appeared on their faces.
However, the next second, a soldier rushed into the tent. It turned out that a special envoy from the Jin Dynasty had crossed the river to deliver a letter urging surrender.

In response, Yu Yunwen wrote a personal letter, not only refuting Wanyan Liang but also challenging him to a duel on the Yangtze River, thus completely extinguishing the Song army's hopes.

However, simply angering the Jin emperor Wanyan Liang was not enough, although that might force the enemy to cross the river prematurely without adequate preparation, thus creating an opportunity for victory.

But having brilliant tactics alone is not enough; one must also have the capability to execute the plan successfully in battle.

At this time, Xia Feng, taking advantage of his status as a "player" and offering his knowledge from the real world, helped the Song army transform their small boats, which could only carry a dozen or so people, into sea-going boats equipped with paddle wheels and thunder cannons.

With this secret weapon, the morale and fighting spirit of the Song soldiers undoubtedly soared even higher.

Not to mention that during this military preparation process, Yu Yunwen's friend, Han Yanzhi, came to lend a hand.

What he brought with him was the military flag of Han Shizhong, who had decisively defeated Jin Wuzhu, the fourth prince of the Jin Dynasty, at Huangtiandang.

Although the flag has faded somewhat due to its age, the large, blood-red characters in the center of the flag are still as dazzling and eye-catching as a burning flame!
"In battle, courage is paramount!"

The morale of the Song army camp below Caishiji was now completely stabilized.

Time passed in the midst of the Song army's intense preparations for war, and on a certain day in November of the thirty-first year of Shaoxing, which was also the fifteenth day since Xia Feng and others crossed the Yangtze River and joined the Jianghuai Army.

Just as Yu Yunwen had predicted, Wanyan Liang did not have the patience to wait for the second batch of warships to be completed, and directly used the eighty newly built warships to force a crossing of the Yangtze River.

A major battle was about to erupt on the big screen, and the tense atmosphere even reached the theater, immersing all the audience members completely.

On the big screen, the sunrise caused the river to shimmer with layers of phosphorescent light, and huge sails, reflecting the glow of the sunrise, slowly approached from the opposite bank.

On the warships were Jin soldiers clad in armor, exuding formidable martial prowess and displaying savage natures. They carried various weapons and were already in a state of frenzy for the impending war.

As a result, the entire fleet exuded a scorching, aggressive aura. Although it couldn't be described as overwhelming, it still exerted immense pressure on the crew.

At the same time, the rumbling of drums rose from the river. Although the drumbeats were not loud, they had an indescribable sense of desolation and solemnity, as if each beat struck a chord in people's hearts, making the hearts of the Song soldiers on the riverbank tremble.

Xia Feng was also in the group by the river. He stood behind Yu Yunwen and other Song generals, looking down at the battlefield from the cliffs dozens of feet high at Caishiji.

On the distant river, Jin warships were approaching, while below them, hidden on the riverbank, many Song soldiers were also on high alert. Although they were still somewhat nervous, they knelt behind the pile of rocks on the shallows as ordered by their commanders, nocked their arrows, and drew their swords. Each archer had at least three quivers of arrows beside him.

This was the Song army's first strike against the landing Jin troops, and each of them was one of their most elite archers.

Following the archer squads were rows of infantrymen lying prone like cheetahs, the assault force personally led by Shi Jun, the commander of the Song army's infantry.

Despite their rudimentary weaponry, those who participated were carefully selected young men from the Song army, possessing rare combat capabilities.

In addition, dozens of medium and small warships were also patrolling the riverbank.

This was a feint by the Song navy; their mission was merely to delay the Jin troops' landing and relieve pressure on the infantry on the shore.

As for the real trump card?

Xia Feng's gaze followed the surging river upstream, where the river mist obscured everything, making it impossible to see anything.

Xia Feng knew that the Jianghuai Army's latest secret weapon, the Sea Loach Ship, was being led by the naval commander Li Bao and hidden in the fog.

That's the main fighting force of the Jianghuai Army's navy. Presumably, they'll give that Jin king a big surprise next.

"Bang the drum!"

Yu Yunwen spoke softly, and the drummers on the Song army's side slowly beat their war drums. The drumbeats, like muffled thunder, rolled across the river, rivaling the drumbeats on the Jin warships.

Soon, the Jin warships were closer to the shore, and several warships even broke through the Song navy's blockade and crashed into the shallows of the riverbank with a loud bang.

These warships were covered with iron armor and steel spikes at the front, which were probably specially made by the Jin army for boarding, and they probably never intended to retreat.

"kill!"

On the warship, the shouts of the Jin soldiers rang out, and the forward deck was lowered. A dozen or so warhorses carrying the most elite Jin soldiers leaped into the waist-deep river water, and then, driven by the Jin soldiers, charged toward the shore.

Clearly, the Jin army also had soldiers who were well-versed in military strategy and knew the story of "attacking while crossing the river." These Jin cavalrymen were specifically sent out to prevent this.

As they rode their horses onto the mudflats and were about to scatter, everyone turned their gaze to Yu Yunwen, waiting for him to give orders.

Even at this moment, Yu Yunwen remained calm and composed. His eyes were bright as he surveyed the entire battlefield, his expression unchanged.

At this time, in the river, more than ten Song warships dared not confront the large ships of the Jin army, so they could only avoid their sharp edge and launch attacks from the side.

Even so, the Song warships were still at a disadvantage. Fortunately, the Song soldiers on board remained determined and did not retreat due to the unfavorable situation. As previously requested, they remained fully engaged with the Jin warships, slowing down their landing progress.

Very good, that's it!
"Change the drum!"

Seeing that the first step of the tactical plan had been achieved, Yu Yunwen immediately shouted.

On the riverbank, as the Jin army's vanguard was about to rush across the shallows, their shouts becoming even more frantic and hysterical, the Song army's drumbeats suddenly tightened, and the rhythm became fine and rapid.

As the drumbeat changed, the Song archers hiding behind the rocks in the shallows immediately stood up, drew their bows, nocked arrows, and then released them.

Immediately, a hail of arrows flew out from the arrow formation, accompanied by a light whistling sound as they tore through the air, heading straight for the riverbank.

The Jin soldiers who were about to cross the shallows barely had time to scream before they were struck by several arrows and fell headlong from their horses. The fallen warhorses neighed pitifully, adding to the tragic scene of the battlefield.

And that wasn't all. The second group of Jin soldiers who disembarked were forced to slow down because of the corpses of their comrades in front of them. As a result, they soon received a second volley of arrows from the Song soldiers.

"Rush over!"

Among the Jin cavalry soldiers, some soldiers shouted, and behind them, more warships rushed to the riverbank, unloading squads of Jin infantry.

These infantrymen quickly replaced the cavalry, braving a hail of arrows and trampling over the corpses of their comrades, howling as they charged up the riverbank.

People around them kept screaming and falling down, their blood not only staining the riverbank red, but also turning the river water into various shades of color.

However, after paying the price of thousands of corpses on the shallows, the Jin army finally pushed the battle line forward by a large margin.

At this moment, the oncoming rain of arrows began to thin out. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Song archers had run out of the three quiver of arrows they had prepared. Their arms were trembling slightly, which showed how fierce the arrow attack had been.

"Change again!"

On the cliff, Yu Yunwen shouted, and the rhythm of the war drums changed again.

The dense drumbeats were like rain pattering on banana leaves, or like rumbling thunder, making one's heart feel as if it would burst out of their chest.

Upon hearing the drumbeats, the Song soldiers on the riverbank turned and fled almost without hesitation. At the same time, the infantrymen crouching behind the arrow formation leaped up to take their place, shouting in unison as they rushed towards the riverbank to meet the oncoming Jin soldiers.

"kill----"

Shi Jun, the infantry commander at the forefront of the Song army, wielded two gleaming broadswords and was the first to engage the enemy. With a roar, he directly cut two Jin soldiers dressed in golden uniforms into four pieces at the waist.

He wielded his twin swords with impenetrable skill. Shi Junzhi's bravery and ferocity immediately intimidated the Jin soldiers behind him, making even these foreign tribes, known for their fierceness, dare not challenge his prowess.

However, his performance was merely a minor interlude on the battlefield.

At this moment, on the riverbank, soldiers in golden and gray uniforms were already entangled together, a chaotic mess, their bodies intertwined and indistinguishable.

These people were already bloodthirsty, and their deafening shouts of battle were like a furnace, seemingly capable of boiling the river water.

On the battlefield, people kept falling, and then people kept getting up and falling again.

On the shallow riverbank, which was less than two or three miles long, hundreds and thousands of severed limbs and bloodied bodies were scattered in an instant.

Seeing this scene, even though Xia Feng kept telling himself that this was just a "game", he couldn't help but grip the long sword at his waist, his brows furrowing into a deep frown.

Life here is so cheap, almost worthless. Many living soldiers are turned into corpses on the riverbank after just one encounter, never to rise again.

Even so, neither the Jin nor the Song soldiers retreated an inch.

The war has progressed to a point where it's a matter of life and death.

(End of this chapter)