Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 280 is over. It seems like it's really over...

Su Wu knew that the Tanguts were right behind him, so he just needed to slow his horse down and not rush. At this moment, both sides, whether cavalry or scouts, were exhausted...

Only Su Wu's troops still had some spare strength, though not much. Su Wu had even ordered the entire army to lead their horses and walk instead of sitting on them. They were feeding and watering their horses as they walked, since horses can chew and drink while walking...

The horses need to rest and recover so that they can still fight when it matters most.

Su Wu knew that Wu Song was nearby, and he also knew that Wu Song would appear behind Wang Liren, but that would be at least thirty or forty miles away.

Keep moving forward, don't stop, seize every moment, or all your previous efforts will be in vain. Now, it's a battle of who can endure more hardship, who can push themselves to the limit...

People eat flatbread and drink water. About seventy or eighty li ahead is the main camp of the Tanguts. If we continue along this route, we don't necessarily need to travel seventy or eighty li. The Tanguts are coming, and we should be able to meet them about fifty or sixty li away.

Su Wu calculated, and even occasionally checked on the horses around him. The horses' mouths were full of white foam. The soldiers placed water bags near their mouths, and the horses licked and drank them in large gulps. Then they were given a few handfuls of soybeans, followed by some hay.

Liu Zhengyan was also anxious: "Commander Su, I'm afraid we can't delay for too long. If we delay too long, the Dangxiang cavalry will find out the news and report back, and then Li Liangfu will be on guard."

Su Wu looked around and said, "It's okay to be anxious, but we can't be too hasty. If the horses can't rest properly, they won't be able to run even if we find Li Liangfu. He'll be prepared for this. The Dangxiang scouts who are coming with us are already exhausted. They won't be faster than us!"

Liu Zhengyan nodded, knowing that what Commander Su said made sense, but then asked, "Commander Su, where is General Wu lying in ambush?"

Su Wu shook his head: "I don't know either. Don't worry, Erlang is sure to do things right. Just listen to the sounds. These horses will charge again later, so we should finish quickly and not linger!"

"Commander Su, rest assured. Just consider that the Tanguts are seeking revenge. But am I not also filled with hatred? Which of us Northwest soldiers doesn't harbor hatred in our hearts? We should fight bravely, even if it means dying a hundred times!"

Liu Zhengyan spoke through gritted teeth, saying that killing more of these Tanguts would not be revenge; only killing Richard would be true revenge!

Su Wu nodded, and gradually came to understand Liu Zhengyan. The hatred of killing one's father is probably the same throughout history.

The sky was already turning white, and the soldiers were exhausted, needless to say. Even Su Wu himself was already exhausted and cold, getting colder and colder, so cold that he was still shivering even while moving quickly!
But we still have to persevere.

They only thought that warfare was about strategizing and devising countless plans, and then killing the enemy was as easy as slicing melons and chopping vegetables, thus securing victory, with the enemy suffering heavy casualties while their own losses were minimal...

Clearly, a real war is a contest of both intelligence and willpower, and now it's time to test that willpower.

Somewhere, behind a low mound that could block out the view, Wu Song also became a little anxious. He even climbed up the mound alone, lay down on the ground, and scanned the surroundings with his eyes...

It's already dawn, why haven't the Tanguts passed by yet?

They could vaguely hear their own horse's hooves heading northeast, but after a long, long time, the Tangut people were still nowhere to be seen.

Wu Song was truly anxious, but he didn't send out any scouts. He just waited, firmly believing that his plan would not go wrong.

As he waited and waited... Wu Song's lower eyelids seemed to be fighting, and he was so tired that he could hardly keep going. Below the hill, most of the soldiers were lying on the ground, already snoring. Wu Song could have had his soldiers keep watch while he took a nap, but he insisted on going up to the high place to see for himself.

The soldiers couldn't sleep for long either. Whenever they slept for a short while, they would be forcibly woken up. Their bodies would stiffen, and they would immediately get up and move around a few times. Otherwise, if they slept for too long, they might actually die from the cold.

Are not the hardships and difficulties faced by the Song cavalry also the hardships and difficulties faced by the Tangut people?

When the Tanguts chased after them, they were in a bit of a rush and didn't have as much food, drink, and fodder as the Song people had prepared.

Therefore, the people from Wangli arrived slowly. They were also leading their horses and walking slowly, shivering in the cold, exhausted just like the people from Song.

No matter how tired they were, the Tanguts still came. They appeared at the eastern edge of the horizon, far away, but they could be vaguely seen. With their ears close to the ground, they could feel the trembling of their footsteps.

Wu Song was overjoyed, and his fatigue vanished instantly. But he was in no hurry. He needed to make the Tanguts continue north, go as far as possible, at least four or five miles. Then he could attack from behind and catch them in his trap. They wouldn't have time to run away then.

It was still early, and they had to wait for the Tanguts at the edge of the horizon to slowly walk away. Wu Song was also observing the terrain around him, looking for a more suitable place for horses to gallop. If they went out there, the swift horses would gallop away, catching the Tanguts off guard.

The Tanguts were indeed slow, as were the Song cavalrymen at the front.

As they waited, Wu Song suddenly came galloping down the hill and shouted, "Wake everyone up, mount your horses and gather the troops, quick!"

Below the mound, shouts echoed everywhere, and someone even slapped their comrade across the face, instantly waking everyone up.

Wu Song had already mounted his horse and was waiting for the various troops to gather. Wu Song shouted, "Spread the word! Just follow me!"

The news spread quickly among the crowd. Wu Song had already spurred his horse forward, and the rest of the riders followed in single file, their thunderous roar echoing once more across the sky and the earth.

Four or five miles ahead was the road to Lidangxiang. They were all walking slowly with their heads down when they suddenly heard a loud rumbling sound. They all raised their heads and looked around.

Wang Liqi had already shouted, "Mount up, mount up! Quickly mount up and fight! South! It's south! Turn around, turn around!"

There was no need to call out to Liqi; how could the Tangut soldiers not mount their horses? And how could they not know that the enemy was coming from the south?

The enemy emerged from behind a small hill and came into view.

What scouts and rangers? Many Tangut soldiers wanted to curse, but they also knew that they were already so exhausted, let alone the scouts and rangers. Weren't they even more exhausted?

He mounted his horse, turned around, and headed to the forefront of Li Qi's already-departing cavalry. With spear in hand, he charged forward, his shouts piercing the air: "Kill! Charge forward and kill! Kill the Song people!"

Wang Liqi knew that he had fallen into a trap. There were enemies in front and behind, and neither was far away. Should he attack the ones in front or the ones behind? Even a fool could make a decision immediately.

As for fleeing to the northwest or southeast?
This is also an option, but it's unnecessary because the cavalry behind us number only about 2,500, which is roughly equivalent to our own forces, and we can fight them.

Did they come here simply to kill the Song people?

Ten thousand Song cavalrymen are difficult to defeat, but how could we not fight against two thousand?
The distance was only four or five miles, but the Song cavalry had already charged ahead for some distance. At this moment, the Xiangli cavalry gathered together and rushed to fight. In a flash, the two armies clashed.

There was no sense of ceremony, nor any words to boost morale.

Everything was that simple and direct. The two torrents of steel collided immediately, and all that could be heard was the clanging of various weapons and armor. There were hardly any shouts, as shouting required strength, and it was no longer necessary at this point.

To the northeast, a thunderous roar immediately arose, and the tens of thousands of Song cavalry, hearing the commotion, turned their horses around at the first opportunity.

You got scammed! It wasn't easy!
Su Wu had already taken a deep breath. Every Tangut killed was a victory in Xingqing Prefecture.

The reason why this plan succeeded was not entirely due to Su Wu's brilliance, but rather to the self-confidence and arrogance of the Tangut people.

In the midst of battle, the cavalry charges were uneventful, and from the sky, one could only see knights falling from their horses one after another, including Tangut cavalry and Song cavalry.

If you look closely, there's nothing particularly exciting about it; it's either the sparks flying from the armor as weapons clash, or the horses stumbling and falling as their riders fall...

In a flash, Wu Song paid no attention to how many horses had fallen around him, only shouting desperately, "Gather around! Turn around! Catch them!"

Wu Song was afraid that the Tanguts would run away, so he had to turn back as quickly as possible in order to keep up with them.

Wu Song's worries were not unfounded. After a while, the two armies faced each other. Wang Liqi had already sensed that something was wrong, so he quickly looked around and found that something was indeed wrong!

why?

Countless of his comrades fell from their horses, leaving countless empty backs. Wang Liqi was extremely surprised. He had never had the experience of confronting Song cavalry like this before. How could the Song have a truly large-scale and organized cavalry force charging back and forth?
Even if it did exist, it was decades ago.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the Song people were skilled in cavalry warfare.

Inside the general's tent, everyone said that the Song cavalry must have been hastily assembled, and those knights certainly wouldn't be truly skilled in mounted combat. That's what everyone said...

Looking around at Liqi, a chill ran through him. Disbelief was secondary; what was happening before his eyes was undeniable and could not be faked.

Should we still fight?

From the northeast, the booming sound was truly like thunder in early summer, growing ever closer. If another ten thousand such cavalry were to arrive, what would be the point of talking about victory or defeat?
If they didn't fight, the Song cavalry behind them would turn around and come back again, moving swiftly, showing no sign of being bad at horse combat whatsoever.
Rather than saying he was not good at mounted combat, it was more like he was extremely good at it. He charged into battle, killed enemies, gathered his forces, and turned around with incredibly smooth and seamless movements, without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Having already been targeted, fleeing means turning your back to the enemy, who will then pursue and attack you from behind, shooting or stabbing you—it will be a one-sided massacre.

Just like three years ago, when they pursued and slaughtered the Song people.

"Let's fight again!" Wang Liqi shouted, gritted his teeth, and got up again to fight.

Rather than exposing your back to the enemy for stabs and shots, it's better to stand still and kill as many as you can...

Maybe...

Maybe...

The Song people's truly elite cavalry numbered only about two thousand men in front of them. The ten thousand cavalry that came from the northeast were probably just for show. How could the Song people suddenly have so many skilled cavalry?

Absolutely impossible! It must be so!

In other words, as long as the current force is truly defeated and loses its courage, the 10,000 cavalry that come later will be nothing more than targets on horseback.

"Kill! The Song people are about to collapse, kill them quickly!" Wang Liqi continued to shout with heart-wrenching despair.

He charged headlong into the road again, seeing nothing else in sight and having no thoughts in his mind. He just kept charging forward, lance incessantly, his horse struggling to move, yet he still kept slapping its rump.

If patting didn't work, Li Qi would use the butt of his spear to poke the horse's rump and back until it bled profusely. This seemed to give the horse a little more speed...

The shepherd's son no longer cared about his most beloved horse.

Countless people followed suit, poking the horse's back and rump until they bled profusely. How kind the horse is! Even when it was suffocating, it still wanted to run.

Another wave, and he fell from his horse... Enough, I'm not watching anymore.

"Kill again! Right in front of us are all the elite troops of the Song army. If we win this battle, the Song army will surely be routed. We're about to win! We're about to win!" Wang Liqi seemed to be brainwashing himself, and it really worked.

He believed it himself, so he did it again!

Wu Song, on the other hand, didn't say much, only one sentence: "These Tangut heads are probably worth fifty strings of cash!"

Many of Wu Song's men also fell from their horses, but far fewer than the Tanguts. Why?
Because of the difference in horsepower, the horse beside Wu Song was actually still able to run. What does it mean that it could run?
It signifies a stronger impact, more powerful thrusts from weapons, more precise timing for soldiers to strike, and faster preparation, assembly, and deployment for future battles—faster than the enemy.

After a while, many people's arms were numb, and they even felt dizzy. This was exhaustion, an unbearable exhaustion, an exhaustion that no amount of adrenaline could suppress.

Ignoring all that, Wu Song kept shouting to his men, "Let's get together again!"

The Tanguts have gone south again. If we don't hurry, what if they escape?
They charged again. Wu Song's elite troops, consisting of two infantry battalions and two cavalry battalions, were at the forefront. The infantry battalions were absent, but the cavalry battalions were truly fierce and brave. As long as Wu Song gave the order to charge, they would do anything, even if it meant falling off their horses.

After a while, the Tangut cavalry, who were much slower to prepare, came again. There was no way to escape; they had no choice but to fight to the death.

Even if it's just for that two or three-year-old child in Dahengshui whose internal organs were ripped out by wild wolves, we should fight to the death!
In another battle, Wu Song went south, then north to Liqi.

They're here! Heading towards Liqi, they see even more Song cavalry, densely packed like a flood bursting its banks. Here they come...

Turn around or go forward?
There's no time to think about it; just keep going. If we try to regroup and turn back, there might not be enough time. We just need to charge straight ahead. These endless waves of Song cavalry that come next won't be the elite anymore; they definitely won't be the elite…

Definitely not!

Come and fight! Let's see how much courage you Song people still have!

Dust, withered grass clippings, severed limbs and blood, all intertwined together to form a body resembling a paste of flesh.

He had disappeared into countless Song cavalrymen, and he didn't know how deep or how thick the defenses were. Suddenly, he felt the world become quiet, and everything slowed down. The waving weapons moved slowly, and the galloping horses moved even slower...

Black, endless black.

His body, like a deflated balloon, thrashed about on the ground, perhaps trampled by a horse's hooves, or kicked away by a horse's leg...

And when the spear passed by and couldn't find the enemy, it would casually stab the enemy on the ground.

A moment later, everything settled down.

No more Tanguts could break through the ranks of ten thousand cavalry; not a single one remained!
With Ma Bu reined in, everything seemed to slowly settle down. But after only a short while, Liu Zhengyan, panting heavily, shouted, "That was exhilarating! That was exhilarating to kill! Killing the Tanguts was exhilarating!"

Su Wu slowly turned his horse around, facing northeast, to look at the battlefield. On that battlefield, the corpses of Song cavalry and Dangxiang cavalry lay strewn across the land. In many places, the flesh and blood of both sides were intertwined and stuck together, and many corpses looked as if they had been hammered and forged a thousand times on a blacksmith's anvil.

The horrific scene was truly indescribable.

Su Wu immediately said, "Order that General Wu's men rest on the spot, and also... treat the wounded..."

Of the wounded, it's uncertain how many will be lucky enough to survive...

Su Wu continued, "The rest of you, dismount and proceed on foot, leading your horses towards Dahengshui! Hmm... Tell Erlang that after we rest, the battlefield must be cleaned up, and all the warhorses must be retrieved! Even the warhorses from Miqin in the south must be searched for!"

They were also afraid that Wu Song would not want to rest and would want to continue fighting. With such a military order, Wu Song had to do it. How could Wu Song not know how much his brother valued the warhorse?

As he spoke, Su Wu was the first to dismount, take his horse and leave. Sometimes, it wasn't necessary for military orders to be relayed everywhere; just by observing Su Wu's actions, the people in rows simply followed suit.

The journey continues, heading north. Now, it's all about willpower. Both sides are equally exhausted, but they must keep eating and feeding their horses, and keep moving forward!
Exhausted, Su Wu's mind was blank, and many things seemed to be playing in his mind like a movie. He seemed to remember something, about a very long time ago, when there was a group of people who were starving and cold. In the bitter cold of winter, in the land of the Goryeo people, they marched 140 miles in one night, crossing mountains and valleys. What was that place called? Sansuoli.
so tired...

Su Wu even felt like he was about to hallucinate from exhaustion, but he kept walking, walking and walking. In his hand was a piece of frozen flatbread. Su Wu would remember it from time to time, subconsciously pick it up and take a bite, and then forget that he still had a piece of flatbread in his hand...

Keep going...

Some soldiers were even walking while standing, their eyes closed, as if they were asleep; you could even hear them snoring softly, but their footsteps continued...

In his dazed state, Su Wu seemed to remember something again: sugar, yes, sugar. The army should be provided with sugar, whether it be cane sugar, beet sugar, or maltose...

Sugar is the most direct and fastest way to replenish energy, and it should be distributed more to soldiers.

Oh, I just remembered. There's still half a pancake in my hand. I'll take another bite. If you ask Su Wu if he's hungry, he can't really tell. He doesn't know if he's hungry or not, but Su Wu knows he has to eat.

Take another big gulp, chew slowly and swallow. There's still water left, hanging next to the horse's belly. Take it down and drink a sip...

After finishing his drink, Su Wu stuffed half a flatbread into the mouth of his black horse, Ta Xue Wu Zhui, and then took another flatbread from the leather pouch hanging on the horse's belly...

Horses have perfectly straight teeth, as if they were born without needing orthodontic treatment, but their teeth are yellow and black, which is really unattractive...

Horses need water too, and Su Wu served them...

Anyway, I keep walking, busy, doing this and that, and keep going...

The sun was already high in the sky, and was gradually starting to slant westward, but despite its blazing heat, it wasn't particularly warm...

"My lord, you are a Tangut, a Tangut from the northeast!"

Suddenly startled by the shouts coming from somewhere, Su Wu looked up and saw cavalry galloping towards him from afar.

"How far?" Su Wu suddenly exclaimed, as if half-asleep.

"Ten li, just ten li!"

Ten li is a very short distance, and this is the limit of the riders' ability after they are exhausted. They can't run any further.

"Mount up!" Su Wu shouted, his voice filled with anguish. He mounted his horse, calmed himself, and looked to his left: his waist knife, his quiver...

Looking to the right, the spear on the victory hook is still there; looking behind, the short bow is also in the bag.

They're all here!
"Go!" Su Wu shouted, and his horse, Wuzhui, was already out in formation. It was a fine horse, and there were three or four more on either side.

Someone else shouted, "I am willing to die for you, sir!"

The essential slogan for JD.com's troops charging into battle!
A few more voices rose up, scattered and intermittent: "We are willing to die for you, sir!"

It seemed that even more people joined in, shouting, "We are willing to die for you, sir!"

Then, finally, the entire arena erupted in shouts: "We are willing to die for you, sir!"

The horse stance is like the drumbeats, the earth is the drum, the war drums resound, the drumbeats are dense like rain, telling the soldiers, faster, faster, faster!
The earth shook violently, and the war drums resounded across the fields.

Who is ten miles away? It is Li Liangfu of the Tangut army.

Li Liangfu had been worried and anxious for a long time. He felt that this battle was different from the past, and very different from previous battles against the Song army. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, but it was just a feeling, a strange feeling...

How could he not be exhausted? The more worried he became about the four thousand riders going far away, the faster he wanted to catch up. He had countless worries, but also countless hopes, hoping that everything would go smoothly and that nothing unforeseen would happen.

Occasionally, I would console myself with the thought, "It's just the Song army, just the Song army..."

But no matter how fast he chased, he still kept the army in front of him in check, and he must not let them get separated. No matter how many scouts he sent, he had to keep the more than 20,000 men in sight.

Some of the scouts were also rushing back, and they saw the Song cavalry coming from the north again, so they ran as fast as they could.

Even if they didn't actually reach that point, the roar of the Song cavalry had already spread far and wide.

Even before the messenger scouts arrived, Li Liangfu already knew and was shouting, "Send orders to all units: halt! Halt immediately! Form ranks! Use the wagons as fortifications!"

Exhausted soldiers were running, Song cavalry were approaching, and in the chaos, all units were running. The auxiliary soldiers kept whipping the horses to drive the carriages here.

Once you reach the destination, you must remove the bridles from the horses and then frantically arrange the carriages neatly, one frame at a time, end to end, trying to leave no gaps. If there is a small gap, you must quickly take out various odds and ends from the carriage frame and use them to plug the gap.

This battle tactic was originally prepared by Li Liangfu for the Jurchen cavalry. The Dangxiang had previously tested it against the Jurchens, and five thousand of them were routed by four thousand cavalry. The Jurchen cavalry was truly invincible. Therefore, when Li Liangfu returned, he came up with this battle tactic.

Unexpectedly, the Jurchens didn't use this tactic, but they did it on the Song people.

The Song people arrived, with tens of thousands of horses galloping about, and no one knew how many riders were on those horses; all that could be heard was the roar of a mountain and the sound of a tidal wave…

"Faster, faster, move faster!" Li Liangfu shouted anxiously. The wagon camp in front of them hadn't even been half-encircled yet...

The distance was no longer far; the Song cavalry was getting closer and closer.

How could this be? In an instant, Li Liangfu pondered this question.

Were the scouts too tired? Or should I have chased them so fast?

Or is the Mi-Qin-Wang strategy simply ineffective? To fail so easily? And without any prior notice?

What exactly is going on? A group of over 20,000 people, having walked such a long distance, has remained completely orderly. They've taken precautions at every turn, to such an extent, with extreme caution.

Why are there still flaws?

Li Liangfu shouted, "Cavalry, advance! Quickly meet the enemy!"

There was no time to lose. Hopefully, the cavalry would go first to meet the enemy and delay the Song people. Otherwise, the camp might not be able to be fortified.

The cavalry, having received their orders, could not possibly dismount. The last two thousand riders set off, heading straight for the Song army, whose number numbered in the tens of thousands.

Suddenly, the rumbling sound in the air seemed to change. Li Liangfu quickly stood up from his horse and turned his head around rapidly.

After wandering around for a while, Li Liangfu suddenly felt a chill in his heart and his face darkened.

How come there are cavalry galloping in from even further north? With such a roar, their numbers must be considerable.

What is going on?

Even Su Wu, who was about to engage in battle, suddenly looked up and looked further north. He couldn't see anything, but he suddenly knew what was going on!

Wanyan Wuzhu has arrived! Wanyan Wuzhu has really arrived!
Su Wu shouted, "Brothers, reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements have arrived!"

With the cavalry on the left and right, how could their morale not be greatly boosted?
Exhaustion lingered in my body, but not in my mind. I only cared that my weapon was in my hand. This time, I was truly going to utterly defeat the Tanguts! Utterly defeat them!
The credit is all before our eyes, one head after another, like strings of gleaming copper coins.

Two thousand Tangut cavalrymen had already arrived, and the two sides instantly engaged in battle.

But how could two thousand riders possibly stop tens of thousands of horses? Why are so many horses galloping?
Because as long as you lead the horse into the enemy ranks, even a horse without a rider is like a tank; you can just charge headlong into the direction the reins are pointing.

Unless the battle formation is tightly packed, infantrymen are simply sitting ducks.

The Tangut cavalry entered the formation, but Su Wu paid no attention to the fighting. All he could see was the Tangut infantry formation ahead, which hadn't even set up half of its camp.

Don't think about anything, just keep going forward, keep going forward!
With spears in hand, one after another, they were not cavalry, but infantrymen, infantrymen with faces full of terror, infantrymen who could not escape no matter what.

Li Liangfu, standing among the infantry, suddenly felt his vision darken slightly, as if a chill had rushed to his head...

It's over, it's over, it's probably really over...

The scene before Li Liangfu was exactly the same as the scene before the old marshal Liu Fa three years ago. At this moment, it was exactly the same as it was then!
Looking around, the cavalry was powerless, the formation was crumbling, and panic was everywhere! They couldn't regroup, they couldn't hold them back…

At that time, Liu Fa was probably just like Li Liangfu at that time, his eyes were in darkness, and he was thinking to himself: It's over, it's over, it's really over...

But Li Liangfu glanced north again and saw it. It appeared. He recognized it: Jurchen cavalry!

Li Liangfu felt as if he could barely stand, his body swaying. His personal guards, quick as lightning, immediately came to his aid...

After helping him sit upright on the horse, he was momentarily stunned...

(Hey guys, muah!)
(End of this chapter)