Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 277 A Gathering of Heroes is Imminent.

In winter, the small riverbed of Dahengshui freezes over.

The blood also congealed into ice, and the corpses, without any special treatment, could remain uncorrupted for a long time even when left in the wild.

These past two days, the soldiers have been eating and sleeping well, but it's been cold, getting colder and colder, causing frostbite on their hands and feet...

The cavalry galloped across the mountains and fields when suddenly, drums and horns sounded from the camp.

The soldiers quickly donned their armor, gathered together, secured their supplies, mounted their horses, and headed north to assemble.

Marshal Su had already mounted his horse and stood at the very front, watching his troops assemble one battalion after another.

coming……

Thirty thousand Tanguts arrived, consisting of five thousand cavalry and over twenty thousand infantry, mainly light cavalry with a little over a thousand heavy cavalry, about thirty or forty li to the north.

Su Wu's expression was grave. This was a tough battle. If they won, the balance of power in the war against Xia would immediately tilt significantly in favor of the Song army. If they lost, Su Wu's strategy would have to change drastically, becoming more conservative and protracted...

Liu Zhengyan asked, "Commander Su, will the Jurchens come?"

Su Wu simply replied, "I don't know!"

"If they don't come..." Clearly, Liu Zhengyan was also calculating the outcome. If there were more friendly troops, the chances of winning would be much greater. If no friendly troops came, with 12,000 against 30,000, Liu Zhengyan wasn't actually that confident.

Because he knew that the Tanguts were formidable warriors—he had witnessed it firsthand—he was somewhat worried. However, this worry did not conflict with their fierce courage.

"If they don't want to come, then they don't want to come. Just watch how I defeat this army of 30,000 Western Xia soldiers!" Su Wu had a plan in mind.

"Okay!" Liu Zhengyan nodded seriously; he really wanted to see!

"Let's go!" Su Wu waved his hand, took the lead on horseback, and headed north.

The two sides' cavalry had already clashed. In the vast wilderness, scattered cavalrymen were shooting at each other, sometimes Song soldiers were chasing Tanguts, and sometimes Tanguts were chasing Song soldiers.

The scout rushed to Su Wu and reported: "Your Excellency, the Western Xia army has stopped moving and is arrayed twenty miles ahead, waiting for us."

Su Wu nodded and said to his generals, "Let's go forward and take a look. Stop five li away."

As we slowly moved forward, we saw that the Tanguts were good at choosing their locations. Li Liangfu was indeed a capable general, and the place where they were arrayed was on a gentle hill that was about a hundred meters higher than the surrounding land.

Thus, it was easier for the Tangut cavalry to charge downhill, while the Song cavalry could not increase their speed when charging uphill.

The Song army had already stopped and was not advancing; they were simply waiting and watching...

Su Wu then spoke to the generals on either side, saying, "Today, this is the first time we've engaged in such a field battle. The enemy has more infantry, so we must change our tactics. When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy retreats, we advance; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack. These four phrases must be remembered clearly. This is the fundamental principle of cavalry field warfare. Unless it's an extremely urgent situation, never rush forward to fight. Take the current situation, for example. Although the enemy has many troops, they lack mobility. If they advance, they can't catch up with us; if they retreat, they can't move. They have fewer cavalry, so they dare not easily win with cavalry. They'll just drag this out. They have no allied forces to come to their aid. They'll be anxious, but we can remain calm!"

The reasoning wasn't complicated, but Su Wu still wanted to explain it seriously to all the generals. Many generals actually understood it, but Su Wu still wanted to explain it in detail. After all, the armies of the Central Plains hadn't fought a proper cavalry war for many years.

The generals listened attentively, and Su Wu continued, "The closest point should be about five li away, but under normal circumstances, we should keep within ten li. We'll just keep an eye on them like this."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Liu Zhengyan then said, "In the past, it was always the Dangxiang people who treated us this way. Now, we've finally turned the tables, and it's time to teach the Dangxiang people a lesson. As long as we're here, they'll have to prepare for battle. There aren't even any trees here, so even if they wanted to set up camp, they couldn't build a stronghold. If this drags on, they'll only become more anxious and uneasy."

Su Wu nodded: "That's exactly right!"

As he spoke, Su Wu also turned to look at the generals of Jingdong. He had seen Liu Zhengyan before and had suffered such hardships, but he had never seen the generals of Jingdong before. Now, they were also undergoing training and learning.

The generals of Jingdong have seen a great deal: naval warfare, siege warfare, cavalry fighting infantry, and even defensive warfare. With this additional lesson, Su Wu can truly rest assured about many things. Just like Wu Song and Lu Da, they are capable of leading an army on their own, but if they are given a team of advisors, they can truly stand alone.

In the future, we will eventually have to let go. This army will also be fighting separately in the future. This is all for the sake of planning ahead and we have no choice but to make plans.

Over there, the Tanguts were already lined up in battle formation, and Li Liangfu, the general of Western Xia, was also at the head of the formation. His banner was towering high, and the infantry and cavalry formation looked quite impressive, tight and solid in every aspect.

Li Liangfu was waiting, waiting for the Song cavalry to come and attack. He was very confident. As soon as the Song cavalry arrived, the cavalry would come out on both flanks, the central infantry would form a tight formation, and the iron-armored infantry in front of them would be in clusters. Most of them were veterans of battle who had participated in the great victory over Liu Fa in the past. Although the enemy cavalry was numerous, he believed that he could win.

However, seeing that the Song cavalry on the other side had not made a move for a long time, Li Liangfu, who had been preparing for a long time, frowned slightly. He understood the situation, and the more he understood, the more worried he became.

The Song people seem to have become truly wiser. In the past, from a grand strategic perspective, the Song people were somewhat "foolish." Whenever they launched a strong attack on a city, after entering the sandy, saline-alkali land and grasslands, they would be dragged down and beaten by the well-rested Tangut army. Moreover, the Song people were always impatient, always thinking of a decisive battle and wanting to achieve victory in one fell swoop...

Li Liangfu waited for a long time, and his wishful thinking disappeared. He truly understood the mindset of the Song people.

The people of Song today are clearly different. The two sides have been locked in a standoff for a long time, yet the Song people don't actually approach; they simply stand there at a distance, motionless for a long time…

Li Liangfu then gave the order: "The main formation remains stationary. The auxiliary troops will use cart frames to form a camp, and block all debris in the gaps!"

There is a way to deal with this. Since we are not going to fight, let's set up camp. Although the Song cavalry are numerous, they have gone on a long expedition and have no supplies. Let's wait and see. The Song cavalry do not have any wagons with them, so they must not have brought much food.

On Li Liangfu's side, a large portion of his more than 20,000 infantrymen were auxiliary troops, and he had countless wagons and a relatively abundant supply of provisions.

Let's see who can outlast whom; the current situation is that whoever attacks will suffer.

From a great distance, the Song people could see that the Tanguts were using carts and miscellaneous items as fortifications.

Liu Zhengyan raised his hand to point and asked, "Commander Su, it seems the Tanguts are going to drag this out with us..."

Su Wu nodded: "Then let's just wait it out... Send out two thousand light cavalry to hunt everywhere, wipe out the Dangxiang people in the vicinity, and also go towards the Daheng River. The sheep frozen on the ground can be eaten for a long time."

Why did Su Wu choose to wait in comfort at Daheng River? There was more to his strategy than one.

Huyan Zhuo immediately said, "My lord, I'll take care of this!"

Su Wu nodded and said, "Retreat five li to the south, set up tents and cooking fires, and send out more scouts!"

At this point, patience is key. War is tedious and dull, far less exciting than it is depicted in novels...

As the Song cavalry retreated, Li Liangfu watched from afar, his brows furrowing even more. He knew that the Song cavalry had obtained considerable supplies along the way from the Daheng River, about twenty or thirty miles away…

At present, it is truly difficult to break the deadlock.

Inside the military tent, many Tangut generals also began to discuss the matter.

"General, why not use cavalry to fight? Song cavalry has always been few, and now so many have suddenly appeared. They must have been hastily assembled after piecing together horses. They are definitely no match for us. We have over a thousand Iron Falcons and four thousand light cavalry. Let's charge forward and win this battle in one fell swoop!"

Then the other man said, “General, Song cavalry have mostly been used for scouts and messengers. The Song people have never really fought us as cavalry. Cavalry is not just about riding a horse. I think these Song people’s horsemanship is mediocre, and they don’t know how to fight on horseback. I think we should really have a cavalry battle, and we will definitely win!”

"Yes, the Song army has always been cowardly; they're easy to defeat!"

Everyone chimed in with their opinions, but Li Liangfu shook his head: "I have heard that General Su Wu of the Song Dynasty is quite famous. I have also heard the Liao people say that the Song cavalry once fought against Yelü Dashi's Liao cavalry outside Yanjing. They were truly formidable..."

Li Liangfu clearly did have communication with the Liao people.

At this moment, a military officer named Mi Qinzhenren spoke up: "General, the words of the Liao people can be trusted, but they cannot be completely trusted. The Liao cavalry today are mostly remnants of defeated soldiers. They have lost, so they will say that the Song cavalry are good at fighting. But the Liao people today are no longer the Liao people of the past. With their country destroyed and their homes destroyed, how can they talk about bravery?"

Li Liangfu glanced at Mi Qinzhen and said, "I know you're anxious, but with a major battle looming, you mustn't be so hasty. Let's wait a few days and find an opportunity to test the waters. That way, we can truly know ourselves and our enemy..."

Why was Mi Qinzhenren in such a hurry? Because his surname was Mi Qin, and the things Su Wu did for the Mi Qin tribe had already spread to the southern desert. How could Mi Qinzhenren not know about it? This Mi Qinzhenren and Mi Qinzhenwu, the garrison commander of Hongzhou City, were brothers, with Zhenren being the elder brother.

At this moment, how could Mi Qinzhen not be filled with hatred and rage? He wished he could rush up right now, skin those Song people alive, boil them in water, and eat them!

But since the commander-in-chief had said so, he couldn't say anything, so he decided to wait a few more days...

There were quite a few Tanguts in the army who were burning with anger, like Mi Qinzhenren. Which of the men like Mi Qin, Wangli, and Feiting wasn't like that?

Of course, while the army was predominantly Han Chinese, those who actually came from these Tangut tribes were still a minority.

It is also said that hundreds of miles to the southwest, in Hongzhou City, in front of Zhong Shizhong, he also kept receiving letters from Su Wu from afar.

The letter contained detailed arrangements, including instructing Zhong Shizhong to begin attacking Hongzhou City, which was already completely besieged. These were all part of a coordinated strategy.

Even the Zhongshidao faction is about to start fighting, and they're about to begin their sieges and conquests.

Even though the goal was to contain the Tanguts, Su Wu was also worried that another Tangut army might come from behind him, which would make things difficult. Therefore, he had to start taking action in various places.

Now that we truly have the initiative, we must show our strength and let the Tanguts know that the Song army is no joke in any way, making it difficult for them to choose between us.

The moats protecting the city had already been filled in to create countless passageways on flat ground. A considerable number of massive siege weapons had also been prepared. This was not the first time the Song army had attacked Hongzhou City. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, and the soldiers began to climb the walls.

Further west, in front of Zhong Shidao lies the Western Xia Qingyuan Military City, south of Weizhou City, the seat of the Western Xia Jingse Military Command. The city is small, with few civilians, mainly soldiers and their families.

Of the more than two thousand soldiers, some of their families had already left, leaving only a few hundred still alive.

After a long siege, they began their attack.

The battlefield was a scene of carnage and bloodshed. Just three years ago, many veteran Song soldiers here, who had followed Liu Fa into the Tangut region, had also breached many border cities of the Western Xia in a similar manner. However, that time, they suffered a devastating defeat, and Liu Fa personally covered their retreat...

When the city was attacked again, the soldiers were not afraid. They rushed up the city with all kinds of weapons and charged forward one after another!

The old general Zhong Shidao also gave a death order: no matter how many men were added, they must capture Qingyuan City today and turn their troops toward Weizhou.

This was a military order from Su Wu, and it was extremely strict.

Everything is a timeline, and these timelines are extremely important, so there can be no delays whatsoever.

Only by implementing the plan step by step can the Tanguts be gradually pressured into an increasingly difficult situation.

The Western Xia Dynasty, a country with over 800,000 square kilometers, had only two to three million people. Its territory encompassed a variety of terrains, including grasslands, deserts, and mountains...

The border with the Song Dynasty is more than two thousand miles long, winding and turning.

Such a country has an inherent weakness: it is difficult to manage multiple affairs simultaneously. This is why Emperor Shenzong launched the Five-Route Campaign against Xia, and also to make it difficult for the Tanguts to manage multiple affairs at once.

At that time, the Tanguts were at their most militaristic and aggressive, and it was during the reign of the war-mongering Empress Dowager Liang of Western Xia. She imprisoned the Tangut emperor Li Bingchang, constantly launched wars against the Song Dynasty, and conscripted almost all the able-bodied men of Western Xia to fight the Song to the death. During the five-pronged attack on Western Xia, the Song army initially had the upper hand and captured cities one after another. However, as they advanced deeper into the territory, the outcome was still the same.

Now it is no longer the era of Empress Dowager Liang, and the Tanguts can no longer do what they used to do, conscripting all the able-bodied men.

The reason is simple: after Empress Dowager Liang's incident, although the Dangxiang people seemed to have blocked five routes of the Song army and won a great victory, it seriously affected the country's production capacity, caused countless deaths and injuries, and even affected the country's population and reproduction, further affecting the development of productivity, causing the country to fall into crisis immediately and not recover for many years. Even now, it has not yet recovered.

This led to the entire Western Xia Dynasty harboring deep hatred for the Liang family. Although the Liang family was once extremely powerful in Western Xia, the consequences were self-evident. Now, there is no one with the surname Liang in the court, and countless men of the Liang family were later purged.

How long ago was all this? Thirty or forty years ago.

It is also said that during Li Qianshun's reign, there was also an Empress Dowager Liang. When Li Qianshun ascended the throne, the Liang family still controlled the court. It wasn't until twenty years ago that Li Qianshun completely purged the Liang family and took over the reins of government.

The Liang clan dealt an unparalleled blow to the Dangxiang people. It is said that only after Li Qianshun's twenty years of diligent governance did the Dangxiang people begin to recover.

Unless absolutely necessary, the Tanguts have no fertile ground for militarism.

Fortunately, in recent years, the Song Dynasty seems to have become increasingly weak, and in the past thirty or forty years, it has been unable to launch the five-pronged attack on the Xia Dynasty.

But who would have thought that suddenly, it seemed as if a three-pronged attack on Xia had come.

Once the war begins, military intelligence will arrive in Xingqing Prefecture like snowflakes. The nearest military city, Qingyuan, is actually only about 300 li away from Xingqing Prefecture, which is very close.

King Li Ganshun and Prince Li Chage of Jin were also extremely anxious as they watched the military situation unfold.

Li Qianshun repeatedly asked, "How is Liangfu doing? Has any military intelligence returned?"

Indeed, Richard said in one sentence: "He also wants reinforcements, he wants a fast cavalry to go east along the edge of the desert and appear behind the Song cavalry. He said that if he does that, victory is assured!"

"He has 30,000 men, including more than 5,000 cavalry, while the Song army has a total of 10,000. Why does he need reinforcements?" King Li Qianshun was a little anxious. If Li Liangfu's side could win, the current situation would immediately become simple and clear.

Richard replied, "The military report also said that the Song cavalry is difficult to deal with, and that's true. If we wait a few more days and still can't win, we might really have to send reinforcements..."

"What? Is he afraid of war?" Li Qianshun was also angry.

Richard quickly explained, "It's not that he's afraid of fighting, but that the Song cavalry simply won't fight him. If he chases after them, he'll be outnumbered and outgunned. If he doesn't chase them, the infantry and cavalry will be stuck together and unable to move!"

"Are the Song cavalry skilled in battle?" Li Qianshun asked.

Richard was truly a wise commander. He immediately added, "We must not underestimate the enemy; this is the way of war. He also has his difficulties..."

The two brothers, one skilled in literature and the other in martial arts, worked together exceptionally well and always trusted each other implicitly.

Li Qianshun could only sigh: "Well, we still have to urge them after all..."

Richard nodded: "Of course we must urge him. Liang Fu is skilled in military strategy. If he is in a difficult position, it must be a genuine one..."

"If this situation drags on like this, when will we see a clear outcome? The Song army seems to be in no hurry at all, bringing the entire nation's strength with them. I'm afraid that the longer this drags on, the more difficult it will become..."

Li Qianshun clearly understood the overall situation.

"How about I lead a cavalry unit to the front lines and take a look?" Richard suggested.

Li Qianshun immediately said, "Absolutely not! The plan has already been decided. We will first use the border cities to weaken the Song army, and then gather a large army to fight in the heartland. This is the way to win. This has always been the case and should not be changed lightly. If we move troops around at will, they will be scattered and if something goes wrong, the decisive battle tomorrow will be in grave danger."

The Western Xia may seem to have won time and time again, and it may be able to win a thousand or ten thousand times, but it cannot afford to lose even once. If it were to lose even once, it would be doomed forever.

Even if it was just bad luck and they lost once, the Western Xia would be gone.

This is the real dilemma at the heart of the Western Xia: the Western Xia appears strong, yet it also appears weak.

That's how weak countries are; they are never secure, and what they lack most is a sense of security.

Therefore, Li Qianshun was clearly very conservative in his grand strategy.

Richard nodded: "Your Majesty is right. In the past, when the Song Dynasty came to conquer, we could always ask the Liao people for help. If we are truly in a predicament, the Liao people will provide us with countless resources, weapons, armor, and horses, both openly and secretly... This time..."

Li Qianshun immediately chimed in: "It's time. Since Liangfu has retreated, we have already offended the Liao people. We should send envoys to the Jurchens. The Jurchens are well aware of the current situation. Keeping our Great Baigao Kingdom alive will be entirely beneficial to the Jurchens!"

"Then send someone on a mission immediately!" Richard was clearly thinking the same thing.

The international situation is indeed very complex.

The Jurchens sent envoys to the Song Dynasty again to establish friendly relations, negotiate policies for border residents, and borrow grain from the Song.

The Song Dynasty agreed.

Su Wu of the Song Dynasty sent another envoy to persuade the Jurchens to send troops to jointly attack the Dangxiang. The Jurchens agreed, but many among them were already discussing the possibility of going to war with the Song Dynasty in the future...

This time, the Tanguts have sent envoys to the Jurchens again, asking the Jurchens to support them. Will the Jurchens respond?

There's no need to overthink it; we'll respond. The only question is what kind of support we'll provide...

There is also the issue of timing. For example, the Jurchens might only truly turn against the Song Dynasty after they actually handed over 200,000 shi of grain to the Jurchens. Before that, there would likely be more things happening behind the scenes than in the open.

It seems likely that the Jurchens will borrow grain from the Tanguts in the future.

All of this is incredibly complex, yet perfectly reasonable. Even the events surrounding the fall of the Liao Dynasty and the Jingkang Incident in history are just as complex.

In comparison, among all the various forces, perhaps only the high-ranking officials and the emperor in Bianjing City showed the most naivety... even ridiculousness.

Dahengshui.

The standoff continued. At night, Song cavalry would often gallop up, sometimes three or four thousand, sometimes seven or eight hundred, and fire at the camp surrounded by carriages, even shooting fire arrows. Their horses would keep moving at full speed, and they would leave after firing.

The Tangut army naturally rose up at night, those who should fight back did so, and those who should extinguish the fires did so.

The Song army was not far away. Li Liangfu seemed to have considered raiding the camp at night and firing a barrage of arrows, but he also knew that once the horses started galloping, the Song cavalry would immediately gather in pairs and start fighting, and he would probably suffer losses in the fight.

The Song cavalry were there, attacking at night and circling the camp during the day, looking left and right, advancing whenever they saw an opportunity, firing a few shots, and then retreating to a distance.

Some Song cavalry even galloped from afar, braving arrows, and threw many lamb legs into the camp.

This was Su Wu's order, which inevitably conveyed the same meaning: endure? We have to endure it again, but at least I still have meat to eat.

Inside Li Liangfu's military tent, everyone looked frustrated, and the calls for battle were already rising one after another, but Li Liangfu alone suppressed the many requests for battle.

He said casually, "His Majesty's reinforcements are probably on their way. They will arrive in a few days. With such a pincer attack, the Song cavalry will surely retreat."

This statement is quite straightforward. It's not that the Song cavalry suffered a major defeat, but rather that they retreated on their own. In the era of cold weapons, how difficult it was to truly defeat a cavalry force in the open field, causing them to be routed and suffer countless casualties.

As long as he doesn't want to fight you to the death, there's nothing you can do about him, even if you have a lot of cavalry yourself.

This is the unparalleled advantage of mobility in warfare.

This is also why Su Wu, as the commander of an army of hundreds of thousands, still dared to remain here safely. If he wanted to leave, he could definitely leave; it was just a matter of where he wanted to go.

Several more days passed, and the Song cavalry were still managing to throw lamb legs into the camp...

The atmosphere in Li Liangfu's military tent was indeed tense.

There has never been a time when the Tangut people had experienced both victory and defeat, but they had never felt so frustrated.

Nami Qinzhen resolutely declared, "General, why not take five thousand cavalry and fight the Song people to the death! Every man of Miqin is willing to die!"

Then the voice came again: "I think all men are willing to die!"

Inside the military tent, there were quite a few Han generals. If it were twenty or thirty years ago, when the Liang family was in power, these Han generals would have held considerable positions and had a lot of influence. But now, with almost all of the Liang family members dead, these Han generals had nothing to say and could only watch the Dangxiang people come and go, arguing.

Li Liangfu sighed deeply: "As you have all seen, it has been quite some time now. Have those Song cavalry ever become lax? When they gallop back and forth, has their formation ever loosened in the slightest? The Liao people's words about the Song cavalry being skilled in battle are true!"

"So what if he's good at fighting? Just fight him!" Mi Qinzhen said repeatedly, truly unable to bear it any longer.

Li Liangfu stood up and paced back and forth, but still waved his hand: "No, the Song people can't hold out for much longer. We still have some provisions! His Majesty's reinforcements are probably on their way."

"With our 30,000 troops here, why would His Majesty still send reinforcements?" Mi Qinzhenren was filled with hatred. He continued, "If 30,000 men cannot defeat more than 10,000 Song soldiers, how can this war even be fought?"

Li Liangfu spoke slowly: "I know some of you are eager for revenge, but victory is true revenge, while defeat is nothing more than a pointless death. The way of war is to remain calm and composed! Reinforcements will surely come!"

Li Liangfu was right; reinforcements would come. However, Li Qianshun and Li Chage had already said they would wait a few days to see. A few days earlier, after watching Li Liangfu for a long time, they had indeed dispatched reinforcements. The nearest one was Xiao Heda, the governor of Xiazhou, who was also the chief officer of the Jianing Military Command.

Order Xiao Heda to organize the army of the Jianing Military Command and march north out of Xiazhou City! Six or seven thousand men, including more than two thousand cavalry, are heading north.

Clearly, this was a last resort, and it also left Su Wu with an alternative route. Even if he was defeated and had to retreat, he could simply head back to Song via Xiazhou. Now that the army from Xiazhou had come out, wouldn't Xiazhou be left vulnerable?

With so many horses, if Su Wu really wanted to retreat, why bother going to Datong? He could just head straight for Xiazhou. And how would Li Liangfu and Xiao Heda possibly pursue him? Would they even dare to pursue him so easily?
This was also a helpless move by the Tanguts. Xingqing Prefecture and Weizhou were too close, which meant they were too close to Zhong Shidao. The troops in Xingqing Prefecture could not leave. If they did, they would fall into the Song's trap. They had to maintain a large Tangut army and prepare to fight the Song in the south of Xingqing Prefecture and Lingzhou City, either by defending the city or by engaging in a decisive battle in the open field.

In reality, while the Western Xia may have had border grasslands and the four prefectures of Hexi, the true population center and the most productive area was near Xingqing Prefecture on the edge of the Yellow River. As long as Xingqing Prefecture and Xiping Prefecture (Lingzhou) existed, the Western Xia existed. Other places may have been strategically important, but in terms of economic strength and population, they were not very important.

The strategy has always been the same, and it has never changed since Li Yuanhao founded the country. Moreover, it has been a successful experience every time. How can we abandon it?
Xiazhou is actually just south of Wangting Town, not very far from Dahengshui.

The Jurchen, Wanyan Zongbi, is also on his way...

It's like a momentous event unfolding right before our eyes.

Su Wu had countless riders coming and going; how could he not know who was behind him?

A new plan seemed to be brewing in Su Wu's mind, and he was ready to act on it!

(Guys, the pace is about to pick up... What follows is a series of changes...)
(End of this chapter)