Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 345 Xi Yin is here, brothers, he's here!

As Wanyan Zonghan walked eastward, he also frequently looked northward, wondering why Wanyan Xiyin couldn't reach the destination.

He had partnered with Wanyan Xiyin more than once or twice, and this kind of thing had never happened before.

Even if he retreats eastward at this moment, as long as Wanyan Xiyin can still appear in the north, as long as Wanyan Xiyin breaks through Su Wu's formation from the north, this battle can still be fought, and there is still a chance to turn back and fight again!

Unfortunately, no matter how far Wanyan Zonghan looked north, Wanyan Xiyin from the north simply wouldn't come!
Su Wu, however, kept in hot pursuit from behind, chasing so fast that it left Su Wu breathless.

He could see the horses being prepared in the distance, but Wanyan Zonghan dared not go towards the horses, fearing that if he stopped even slightly, the Song army would crash into him from behind.

However, if he didn't find a spare horse and just kept galloping eastward, he would inevitably be overtaken by Su Wu when his horse ran out of strength. Su Wu would have baggage and other supplies following behind him, and his herd of horses would certainly be coming after him...

Faced with this dilemma, Wanyan Zonghan made a quick decision, already slightly turning his position and shouting, "Run north! Run north!"

Wanyan Zonghan must go north; he cannot go east anymore!

He also headed north to find Wanyan Xiyin. He could probably guess that Wanyan Xiyin was entangled in something, probably the Song army that Su Wu had divided his troops to go elsewhere.

But Wanyan Xiyin will not lose; he will simply be too late.

Heading north, if we encounter Wanyan Xiyin, with 20,000 Jurchen cavalry against 40,000 Song cavalry, the battle will still be fought. This has often happened in the past when fighting the Khitans, and we have never lost...

The best strategy was for Wanyan Xiyin to arrive in time; the middle strategy was to find Wanyan Xiyin and have the two armies join forces to fight the Song people to the death.

The worst course of action would be to retreat from the battlefield and be pursued, which is absolutely unacceptable!

In just a moment, Su Wu sensed that the Jurchens were beginning to turn north, and he couldn't help but feel anxious, frequently looking north...

Yue Fei, surely he wouldn't lose?
Eighteen thousand fine young men should not be defeated...

Su Wu comforted himself in this way, but his heart was still full of worries. However, he did not stop his pursuit and just kept chasing!
Even if Yue Fei were to lose, he would still manage to take a large chunk of flesh from the Jurchen cavalry in the north. In that case, the Jurchens in the north would suffer countless casualties and be exhausted.

Even if the Jurchen cavalry from both sides join forces, no matter how many casualties they suffer, Su Wu will fight them to the death!
This opportunity couldn't be better for Su Wu; he would never have another chance like this in the future!
The most important point about heading north from the Hetao and Yinshan Mountains is to stay far away from the Jurchens and to come from a place where the Jurchens' influence has not yet reached, in order to exploit the Jurchens' lack of intelligence!

Only in this way can we gather superior forces to strike the Jurchens!
The second time, Su Wu led only ten thousand cavalry as the vanguard. The moment he saw Hurzahusi, he attacked without warning. The plan was to give the Jurchens the wrong information that the Song cavalry numbered only ten thousand...

Clearly, on that day, regardless of who it was, Su Wu would have fought them, determined to drive them away in pain and force them to seek help from the Jurchens...

Only in this way can we truly confront the Jurchens with superior military strength today.

Su Wu also knew that the Jurchens were arrogant and overconfident about war.

Even though Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiyin lacked intelligence and even guessed that Su Wu might have more than 10,000 cavalry, they were still confident and would find a way to fight, determined to gain the credit.

Clearly, Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiyin, this pair of partners, never imagined that they would be defeated by the Song army in such an open field with cavalry.

Not long ago, the Song army had to cross the sea to buy a few horses.

When the Jurchens were besieging Yanjing with their wealth, Su Wu only had ten or twenty thousand cavalry under his command. As soon as the Jurchen cavalry turned around, Su Wu was so frightened that he fled in panic. How could he dare to go beyond the border?
The scene of Su Wu being chased and fleeing in terror is still vivid in my mind...

Who would have thought that in just two months, Su Wuzhen would bring so many cavalrymen to such a vast grassland?

There were over 40,000 men on the front lines, plus some who were divided into smaller groups... So how many were there in total?
Wanyan Zonghan analyzed the situation back and forth, but couldn't come to a conclusion; it was unreasonable!
What if Wanyan Xiyin was defeated by the Song cavalry in the north?
That's even more impossible!
How many cavalry could Su Wu lead north? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? Surely not thirty or fifty thousand?

In the Great Song Dynasty, Wanyan Zonghan personally went on a long journey, but where could he find many people who knew how to ride a horse? He traveled a distance of one or two thousand li and didn't see many horses, though he did see quite a few cattle…

The Song cavalry... that's really unreasonable!

It's common knowledge that the Song people didn't have land to raise horses. Su Wu was able to have cavalry, but in reality, the number of horses he bought across the sea was not that many. It was the fall of the Tangut people that probably made the Song people a fortune from horses...

How to think about it, think about it again and again...

Wanyan Zonghan looked back, still unable to understand anything.

He kept running north, Wanyan Zonghan's mind was full of Wanyan Xiyin, why hadn't he seen him yet?
Are we really going to turn back and risk everything?

That was the last resort. In fact, Wanyan Zonghan had previously hoped for a lucky break with Su Wu's 40,000 cavalry. However, despite the impressive appearance, it was nothing more than a show. Most of them were new recruits, and many had just learned how to ride horses. When they charged, their formation was thrown into chaos, and many even broke apart...

At this moment, however, Wanyan Zonghan's last hope had vanished completely, for they had already clashed, and Su Wu's cavalry, though lacking in many ways, were truly capable of fighting...

In total, there were only two or three battles, and the Song army must have suffered many casualties, but Wanyan Zonghan's forces also lost over a thousand men on their horses...

Fighting 40,000 cavalry with 10,000 is not a good choice.

Wanyan Zonghan looked up and gazed into the distance, even standing up on the galloping horse to look at it. But he wasn't standing in the stirrups; he was standing on the horse's back. The horse was jolting, but Wanyan Zonghan was still able to stand steadily on its back. His horsemanship was truly divine.

Standing so high, all I can do is look up at Wanyan Xiyin!
We've been running for who knows how long, and if we don't come soon, the horsepower will really run out!
Suddenly, Wanyan Zonghan was overjoyed and pointed into the distance: "He's here! Xi Yin is here! Brothers, he's here!"

He really saw it; it wasn't a hallucination. Although it was still extremely far away, perhaps at least ten miles away, or even more than ten miles away!
The sky was already dark, almost completely dark, with only the last rays of light remaining on the horizon, spreading from the west to the north and south...

When you can actually see that dark line coming from the horizon, that blurry line, that almost indistinct line, that is the cavalry, a scene all too familiar!

Wanyan Zonghan had seen it countless times; even as darkness fell, he could still recognize it as a cavalry unit!

Many Jurchen knights on either side also looked out into the distance, but unable to see anything, they too stood on horseback to try and see...

This incredible skill of standing up from a galloping horse and gazing into the distance was something many Jurchens could do.

"I saw it! Your Highness, I saw it too!"

Just by listening closely, one could faintly hear the thunder of horses' hooves, which confirmed that a large number of knights were galloping from the north!
Wanyan Zonghan dismounted and settled into his saddle, calling out to those around him, "Hurry, hurry, hurry and regroup! Make way so that Xiyin can charge straight into the enemy lines. We'll circle back and then charge again!"

Wanyan Zonghan was truly adept at tactical details. Even if the two armies joined forces, the horses must not be allowed to stop, and the momentum must not be reduced.

Therefore, Wanyan Xiyin had to charge straight into the Song army's ranks. Wanyan Zonghan had to step aside first, let Wanyan Xiyin pass by, and then run back around the field!
This time, it's all down to a final, desperate battle; life and death are in the hands of fate!
The Jurchens fought their way up from scratch, starting with three thousand warriors wielding wooden clubs, and eventually brought down the Liao Dynasty, which was ravaged by a million armored soldiers!
Today, we'll fight one more time. If we win, the Song people will have no more truly courageous troops, no more cavalry to use, and Su Wu will be terrified from now on...

Perhaps, even the mighty Song Dynasty, with its million-strong army, will perish!
If such merits are brought back, Wanyan Wugumai is not young anymore. In the future, who else but Wanyan Zonghan can be the ruler of the Jurchen and the ruler of the world? Even his elder brother Wanyan Zongwang will not be qualified to compete again!

These thoughts came to Wanyan Zonghan on the spur of the moment, and he was using them to motivate himself.

Su Wu was unaware that a large number of cavalry had arrived from the north. It was already late at dusk, and he couldn't see them. He just kept chasing after them without paying attention.

After chasing for a while, Su Wu sensed from the booming sound coming from the sky that a large number of knights were approaching from the north...

Su Wu's heart tightened immediately, and he blurted out instinctively, "Has Yue Fei arrived?"

Beside him, Lin Chong slightly tilted his ear. He couldn't see clearly, but the roar was getting closer and closer. How could he tell whether it was Song cavalry or Jurchen cavalry?
Su Wu followed up with another statement: "It must be Yue Fei!"

This is also a word of encouragement.

Whether it is Yue Fei or not, we should still advance fearlessly in this battle. If we cannot eliminate a large number of these true Jurchen warriors today, it will be even more difficult to succeed in the future.

In an extremely rational mindset, it's worth sacrificing human lives for something!

Even if... two for one...

The saying "a kind heart cannot command an army" is perfectly exemplified today!
It is said that in this vast world, whether in the Song Dynasty or on the grasslands, no one could threaten Su Wu militarily. Su Wu's only great enemy was the Jurchen.

Even with heavy losses today, we are still no match for the Khitans in this grassland land that has been ruled by them for more than two hundred years!
In the Great Song Dynasty, needless to say!
Therefore, today, we have no scruples and can fight to the death!

Lin Chong beside him was already shouting, "Yue Pengju has won a great victory and is coming to our aid! Quickly, give chase!"

Lin Chong simply shouted according to Su Wu's words, convinced that the reinforcements coming from the north were Yue Fei's.

Then others followed suit and shouted, the words spreading through the crowd...

How could everyone not be overjoyed? With this, the Jurchens, who were facing both an ambush in front and a pursuit by others, were now in a precarious situation. Today, they were destined for a great victory!
The price His Highness Prince Yan used to ask for 200 strings of cash for the head of an elite Jurchen, but now he has increased it by 100 strings, making it a total of 300 strings!

Putting aside other merits, just the head of one person is worth three hundred strings of cash. If you manage to rob one, you'll have a house and a wife, and even have money left over to buy some more land.

If we manage to seize two, we can immediately purchase houses in any city!

If we dare to think even further, three... then having a son who can study for over ten years is no problem! Who knows, maybe a handsome husband will even emerge from the family...

If we pursue them, the Jurchens are like caged beasts; once we catch up, their heads seem within easy reach!

In the rush, you have to overtake the person in front, so it's a scramble to get ahead. If it's hard to overtake, then you squeeze to the side...

With this squeeze, the massive army of 40,000 people widened considerably, and the horizontal width of the army involuntarily increased.

That's fine. The formation that was originally meant for pursuit, like a long dragon, has now widened to the left and right, creating a huge cross-section that makes it easier to block the Jurchens' escape routes on both flanks.

The Jurchens at the front were also extremely excited. How could they not be excited when reinforcements arrived? Their horses galloped faster and faster!

Wanyan Zonghan, standing at the front, frequently looked back to see the last glimmer of light in the night. He stood up to examine the Song army's formation, essentially studying the enemy!
He was planning where to enter the Song army's formation when he turned back later, naturally aiming to attack the most scattered part of the Song army!
After observing the enemy formation several times, Wanyan Zonghan looked ahead again. The reinforcements were slowly approaching. The timing was crucial. If they avoided them in advance, the Song army behind them would be able to react and would just keep chasing after them.

It requires evasion at the most opportune moment, demanding extreme maneuvers, considering factors such as the number of people, the width of the path, when to turn, and the turning angle...

Standing there, he looked around, observing landmarks and the best route to return from the field. It was like archery, where the target was constantly moving, making the route extremely important. Wanyan Zonghan's entire 10,000-strong army was the arrow, and it had to accurately strike the weak spot of the Song army, this moving target, on its return journey.

The Jurchens' extremely keen sense of warfare was fully reflected in Wanyan Zonghan's constantly scheming and decisive thinking.

In this world, everything is interconnected; a single hair can affect the whole situation!

After Wanyan Zonghan finished reading, pondered, planned, and made his decision, he dismounted, sat down, and looked at the approaching reinforcements, estimating the distance.

Wanyan Zonghan also spurred his horse forward, standing at the very front of everyone, and suddenly shouted, "Follow me, turn around, turn around, east, east!"

Wanyan Zonghan had another reference point in his field of vision: a low peak on Wugu Mountain, or rather, a high ground.

Just keep running in that direction!

Among the Song army soldiers behind, Lin Chong was the first to notice that the Jurchens were changing direction, and shouted, "Your Majesty, the Jurchens have changed direction and seem to be heading towards Wugu Mountain!"

Su Wu stood up from the stirrups to look, and simply said, "Follow its turn and bite!"

It is extremely difficult for an army of 40,000 to change direction. Su Wu himself also had to step forward to form a spearhead, which was like a weather vane and a steering wheel, so that he could direct the entire army to change direction...

However, going in this way is extremely risky. With such a large army, turning to chase Wanyan Zonghan could lead to Wanyan Xiyin from the north, who would then be directly plunging into Su Wu's flank.

But Su Wu couldn't care less about that now. It was an option. Wanyan Xiyin's army was definitely a remnant and exhausted force.

The Wanyan Zonghan before him was indeed still a formidable warrior.

Since Wanyan Zonghan turned towards the mountains, the options were either to go into the mountains or turn back.

If they were to enter the mountains, though not any great mountains or rivers, Wanyan Zonghan's formation would inevitably be thrown into chaos once he entered, and then he would be nothing to fear.

If Wanyan Zonghan were to circle around and change direction, Su Wu would immediately rush over and catch up.

There are different strategies for winning and losing. Do your best and leave the rest to fate. First, plunge into Wanyan Zonghan's battle formation and just keep fighting. As for Wanyan Xiyin, let him go first.

Let's see what the final result will be!
Of course, Su Wu was more convinced that the person coming from the north must be Yue Fei!

That's understandable, but for Wanyan Zonghan to head towards the mountain at this moment would be tantamount to courting death!
With both sides blocked, Wanyan Zonghan had no choice but to go into the mountains.

These thoughts and considerations flashed through Su Wu's mind in an instant, and his decision was made in an instant as well.

The 40,000 troops should simply turn and pursue them up the mountain!
In the Jurchen army, Wanyan Zonghan breathed a slight sigh of relief, because he had been constantly checking the situation, and the rhythm and timing were exactly as he had expected, without any mistakes. Such extreme operation was so precise.

Once the rear guard cleared the way, Wanyan Xiyin, coming from the north, could immediately pass through and penetrate the Song army's flank.

Wanyan Zonghan had done it, and now he was just waiting to walk around the field and turn back.

"Your Highness!" someone called out.

Wanyan Zonghan turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your Highness, look ahead quickly..." came the urgent voice.

"What's wrong?" Wanyan Zonghan hadn't even finished speaking when he turned to look. What was wrong?
Something's wrong, something's wrong ahead!
Riders were approaching from ahead, and I couldn't see them clearly, but the outline of that dark mass was still clearly discernible. They were also turning around. Why weren't they attacking the Song people straight ahead? Why were they turning around?

"Has Xi Yin made a fool of himself? What does he want from us?" Wanyan Zonghan exclaimed anxiously!
“He…”

Something's not right, something's definitely not right. We've only gone a mile or two at most, and ahead...

Could it be... a Jurchen cavalryman, not Wanyan Xiyin!
Are they Song cavalry?
Who was Wanyan Xiyin? How could Wanyan Zonghan not know? In all the years the two had worked together, had Wanyan Xiyin ever done anything foolish?

If we're talking about intelligent people, there wasn't anyone more intelligent than Wanyan Xiyin in the entire Jurchen tribe.

Who is in front of me?

When Yue Fei truly arrived, he had finished his battle and was rescuing people, but he could only save a few, and he needed a few more to go. He had many horses prepared, so how could he not come?

In this battle, Su Wu staked the entire cavalry force, and the pre-battle plan was the same: whichever route was victorious, the other route would be sent to support it immediately!
How intelligent was Yue Fei? He could distinguish between the two armies in the south—the Song army and the Liao army—simply by listening to the sound of horses' hooves!
How to tell? By the quantity and intensity of the sound of horses' hooves.

As they got closer, it became easier to distinguish them. Forty thousand cavalrymen were so closely packed together; how could they not be their own king?

The 10,000 cavalry recently pursued northwards were none other than the Jurchens.

How could he not charge headlong into it?

Yue Fei had traveled dozens of miles when he suddenly collided with them! Ma Lizheng still had some strength left, but looking at the Song and Jin armies to the south, it seemed that their horses were exhausted and they were not running very fast.

It's only a mile or two; we'll be there in no time.

It's really dark now.

The Milky Way was crystal clear, and the moon, which had actually risen early, appeared bright and clear only now.

Night battles are actually disadvantageous.

Charge in and just stab them!

The scabs on Yue Fei's shoulders and abdomen had already been scabbed over, but now the wounds were torn open, causing fresh blood to flow again and making him even more painful. The more he was in pain, the more fiercely Yue Fei fought.

Countless knights charged head-on, causing men and horses to fall to the ground...

Su Wu, from the south, quickly engaged the rear guard of the Jin army, and a great battle ensued.

Among the nine thousand Jurchen people, it suddenly resembled a car accident scene, with countless rear-end collisions occurring, and people and horses falling over one another...

When a person falls over and a horse tumbles, they become obstacles, tripping up countless horses and creating a chain reaction.

On Yue Fei's side, the situation was the same, with chaos and defeat everywhere.

Even Su Wu, who was at the southernmost point, could not escape such a tragic scene. With each collision and stop, men and horses were thrown into disarray. This was true for the Jurchens, and it was also true for the Song people.

Night truly fell, and the chaos of battle ensued.

It was easy to distinguish friend from foe in front of them, so they fought with all their might, and countless shouts arose.

The horse's hooves had long since stopped, and Su Wu, surrounded by the crowd to prevent a fall, immediately dismounted and began to walk forward...

The scene before me was incomplete, yet it resembled a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) being squeezed, or even hands clasped together in a squeeze...

Something that is being squeezed will naturally seek an outlet, and the outlet right in front of us is that low Wugu Mountain...

The Jurchens in the far east were already heading towards Wugu Mountain. Their horses could no longer move, so they dismounted and ran on their own two legs.

This is no longer a matter of victory or defeat, or courage.

Just like boiling water in a pot, it can only keep rolling and jumping.

How can words describe the devastation of this moment?

The situation was already out of control, and Su Wu could only let it continue to spiral out of control; he really couldn't give any command at all.

No one could have predicted that the war would end like this.

Where are the enemies?
Behind Su Wu, in the distance, countless Song soldiers were searching...

But the sounds of fierce fighting will guide the way!

For the Jurchens, where were their enemies? They didn't need to search; they were everywhere!

If you stand on a slightly higher vantage point and take a look, under the moonlight, dark shadows flicker everywhere, stretching as far as the eye can see, as if they cover the entire vast grassland...

Going up the mountain is an unconscious choice, the only choice driven by the human instinct for survival.

Even Wanyan Zonghan was heading east up the mountain. He finally knew, and was certain, that Wanyan Xiyin had been defeated, and that Song cavalry reinforcements had arrived...

Defeated? As Wanyan Zonghan was swept along by the crowd toward the mountain, he seemed to be in a dreamlike state!
In his life, he has never truly lost, let alone suffered a crushing defeat!
He had never experienced a truly utter and complete failure...

Therefore, Wanyan Zonghan was somewhat dazed and confused; his feet were moving, but his soul seemed to be elsewhere...

Su Wu was also swept along in the crowd; he didn't actually have any enemies in front of him, and his steps were simply carried forward by the tide...

He was overjoyed, ecstatic!
A great victory! We are defeating the Jurchens!

This stone had been pressing down on him for far too long, making it hard for him to breathe. It seemed that it had finally been moved away a bit, and he could finally breathe again.

Believe it or not, after Su Wu truly raised a cavalry force, he often dreamed of fighting the Jurchens, and then suffering endless defeats...

This pressure made Su Wu subconsciously feel that he had to do one thing in his life, and that this was the most important thing: defeat the Jurchens!
The actions of the Jurchens are clearly recorded in history books. As for the Song Dynasty, what other things really matter to Su Wu?
After today, I hope I won't have this kind of dream again.
(End of this chapter)