Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 362 Your Highness, if we don't fight now, we will suffer a complete defeat!

The fire started extremely quickly. Although it was still a small fire, thick smoke was billowing out. The grain and fodder were easily ignited, and the tents were even more so. Once the fire started, if no one controlled it, it would truly burn down the entire camp.

In order to burn down the camps faster, they set fire to various sources of fire.

Lu Da, who was there to meet Yue Fei, arrived. After entering the camp, there was no one to stop him, and he felt relieved. It would be even better if Yue Fei had not been ambushed. He just followed along, and Yue Fei's direction was in the center of the Jin army.

The Jin army camps, stretching as far as the eye could see, were already in turmoil, with their servants and vassals of various ethnicities scattering and running in all directions.

Among them, large numbers of Han Chinese rushed out, clearly many of whom had been hoping for the Jurchens to be defeated, and also knew that the Song army was coming.

There were originally many Jurchens around to keep them in check, but now that all the Jurchens had gathered to fight, very few people were left to keep them in check, so they couldn't keep them in check for a while. But they still killed people, with bows and crossbows, with knives, thinking that killing people would deter those who were trying to escape.

But how could they possibly control everyone? Those within a few or a dozen steps around them still held a deterrent effect, but those in the distance scattered and fled. No matter how much they shouted or drew their bows, they couldn't stop them...

There were even seven or eight Khitans or Xi people who rushed forward, pinned one or two Jurchens to the ground, seized their weapons, and then turned the tables and killed them...

With the Jin Dynasty's organizational structure, the snowballing trend cannot be stopped; if the benefits cease, the organization's effectiveness will immediately drop to zero.

If this snowball continues to roll, as history should have unfolded, these people who fled today might one day go to the grasslands, the Central Plains, Shaanxi, Shanxi, or other places, and become slave owners, or helpers to slave owners, or even hold official positions...

So these people who are fleeing now will one day become loyal supporters of the Jurchens who rule most of the country, and they will also be the vanguard of the Jin Dynasty's attack on the Southern Song Dynasty...

But now, this rolling thing has stopped.

Then the collapse and disintegration began!
In the distance, Wanyan Zongwang was in a state of utter panic. Chaos was raging in the main camp, with a fierce battle raging. The battle between the Khitan and the Shiwei people of the Black Cart tribes was also extremely intense, with more than 30,000 people advancing wave after wave, one after another...

Someone came to report that Yelü Yudu had defected on the eve of battle. Wanyan Zongwang, his face dark, remained silent as he pondered the situation.

But those around Wanyan Zongwang had already been cursing him countless times.

"Khitan dogs, the Khitan dogs can never be tamed. We should have slaughtered all the Khitans back then, leaving not a single one alive!"

"Exactly! We haven't killed enough. We should have wiped out all the Khitans!"

These words were, of course, an outlet for venting.

But this was actually impossible. They had already killed enough people, so how could they possibly kill all the Khitans?
This isn't a grassland; it's sheltered by countless mountains and forests. It's a vast, sparsely populated area, so how could they possibly kill them all?

There were also those who complained about Wanyan Zongwang: "Your Highness was kind-hearted in the past, why didn't you kill all those Khitans under Yelü Yudu's command sooner!"

Wanyan Zongwang's face turned ashen, but he offered no explanation.

He did not think he had done anything wrong in the past. After all, his original idea was to defeat the Song Dynasty and gain more territory and population. He had the ambition to conquer the world. How could the Jurchens, with only tens of thousands of people, conquer the world?

If we kill all those who surrender and submit, how can the people trust the Jurchens? And how can we then conquer the world...?

But now, when I think about it again, my ambition to conquer the world has truly become a mirage, as if it's getting further and further away!

Wanyan Zongwang composed himself and looked again at the great battle to the south. He immediately said, "Wuzhu, quickly take your troops back to the main camp to provide support!"

Wanyan Zongbi, his face ashen, bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"

Subsequently, Wanyan Zongbi rushed back to reinforce the area with his cavalry, numbering around seven thousand.

Su Wu saw from afar that a large number of Jurchen knights were heading east. He already had a plan in mind. Instead of sending troops to support Yue Fei and Lu Da, he shouted, "Go! Head north!"

Heading north would mean approaching Wanyan Zongwang. At this moment, Wanyan Zongwang had only about 20,000 cavalrymen by his side, while Su Wu had 40,000 Song cavalrymen and about 20,000 cavalrymen from various grassland tribes. At this point, Su Wu's forces were in an absolute advantage.

Su Wu adhered to the war philosophy he always held: there is never a case of the weak defeating the strong, but always the strong defeating the weak. Once Su Wu had devised a situation in which the strong attacked the weak in a localized area, he had to seize the opportunity immediately.

As for the battle at the Jurchen camp, it was not so important to Su Wu at this moment. As long as the many vassal servants were routed and the fire could be lit, the outcome there would be insignificant.

Su Wu is seeking war. This time, it would be best if he could kill another 20,000 to 30,000 Jurchens in one battle. Then the Jurchens would surely be crippled and would never be able to fight Su Wu head-on again.

How could I not go?

Su Wu even secretly hoped that Wanyan Zongwang would lead his troops to meet him, and that he would never retreat!
How could Wanyan Zongwang, so far to the north, not see the Song army approaching?

He frowned deeply, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

However, it was the people around him who spoke up, including mid-level officers like Wanyan Loushi.

"Please give the order, Your Highness, to send the army out!"

"Your Highness, we have been fighting the Song people to the death. Don't be fooled by the number of Song soldiers; they are nothing but a rabble. Just like when we fought the Liao people, our 20,000 cavalry will surely prevail!"

"Your Highness, give the order!"

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness, let's fight the Song people to the death!"

The crowd was already filled with righteous indignation. At this moment, how could the Jurchens not be brave? How could they not dare to die?
Only Wanyan Zongwang remained silent, his brows furrowed.

I don't know how much hesitation, entanglement, and complexity there was!

war?
The Jurchens' entire strength is laid bare before us. A battle against them, regardless of victory or defeat, will inevitably result in heavy losses.

In the past, Wanyan Zongwang might have still harbored some hope, but after the defeats suffered by Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Xiyin, he had none left. The Song army was skilled in battle and had high morale, so heavy losses were inevitable...

The victory was a Pyrrhic one, with only two or three out of more than 20,000 Jurchen cavalry surviving. How would the Jurchens face the future?
Even if the Song army is defeated and leaves, how will the Khitans, Xis, grassland peoples, and even Goryeo people not be surrounded by enemies?

If the Song people promise to come again in the future, how should we deal with them?
And... what if we lose?
That would be utterly catastrophic; I fear the Jurchen people would be completely wiped out within a few months, starting today.

No war?

When faced with the imperial palace, I fear we might truly be doomed...

From now on, this tight band will be on their heads, and this city will forever guard the edge of the grasslands and Liaodong, trapping the Jurchens in Liaodong, where they are few in number and suffer from the bitter cold. How difficult it will be to break free in the future...

Wanyan Zongwang clenched his teeth and clenched them again and again, unable to make a decision for a moment.

Numerous angry voices rang out around him: "Fight! Your Highness! We will fight, even if it means our own deaths, to slaughter all these Song people before us!"

"Kill! Kill the Song people!"

"Your Highness!"

Wanyan Zongwang looked around, his heart filled with unspeakable bitterness. These people were naturally unafraid of death and would kill, kill, kill.

But how could these people have truly considered the future direction of the Jurchen people?

Wanyan Zongwang immediately said, "Go east and avoid the area for a while!"

No war!

Let's see how the situation develops...

Is it possible that Xu Linhuang's residence can be defended?

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness! How can we not fight now? Let's fight!"

"Yes, that's how we fought our way out of the mountains and forests. Why aren't we fighting like that anymore?"

"Yes, back then, who were we afraid of? Death was death! Let's fight!"

At that time...

How could Wanyan Zongwang remain completely unmoved?

However, things are different then compared to now.

In those days, they had nothing, not even life itself. The Jurchens at that time only had the desire to survive and the longing to live freely!

Now... it's not that we're afraid of death now that we're rich and powerful, but rather that we've struggled so much to get to where we are today. As long as there's a way, as long as there's hope, as long as there's a way to live freely, we can't let all of these things be destroyed and lost...

Back then, it was impossible to survive; now, perhaps, one can still live...

"Follow me!" Wanyan Zongwang said sternly, turning his horse around and heading east without fighting.

I'll circle back in a bit...

They simply refused to meet the Song army head-on!
Countless people feel stifled and sigh endlessly...

But he still had no choice but to follow Wanyan Zongwang.

Su Wu was heading north when he saw more than 20,000 Jurchen cavalry heading east. Su Wu was extremely disappointed. Why didn't the Jurchen come?
Or is it that Wanyan Zongwang was truly a conservative? Much more conservative than Wanyan Zonghan…

Su Wu also turned east and then north, determined to keep up and not let this main force of the Jurchen escape surveillance.

But they weren't in a hurry to pursue, and the Jurchens weren't in a hurry to run either. They were both conserving their strength, thinking that a real battle might be coming later, and they were both making preparations...

They kept their distance, moved around, and confronted each other...

……

Inside the camp, the fires blazed even brighter. Yue Fei fought Wanyan Zonghan for a long time without gaining the upper hand. Moreover, the Jurchens surrounding Wanyan Zonghan were also fighting desperately, and for a time they managed to hold off several battalions of the Song army.

As long as the Jurchen elite troops do not retreat or collapse, the outcome of this desperate battle is still far off...

Yue Fei was no longer in a hurry. He had already seen the fires breaking out everywhere and the camps being overrun. His strategy was already set, and he could take his time to determine the victor from Wanyan Zonghan.

The enormous broadsword, like an axe, cleaved back and forth, and Yue Fei was already panting heavily.

Wanyan Zonghan was panting heavily.

The two men had to clash with immense strength; there was no room for fancy tricks.

As a last resort, I tried to apply minimal force, but even if I hit him, his heavy armor wouldn't do much damage.

The weapons were heavy, requiring immense strength; once that immense strength struck, the outcome would be decided. Thus, the two fought with brute force, and for a time, it was impossible to determine a winner.

Only the deafening "clanging" and "banging" vibrations had left their hands and arms completely numb.

Let's see whose jaw clenches tighter and whose strength lasts longer...

However, Yelü Yudu and many others from the surrounding area had come to provide support and had already joined the battle, slowly surrounding the thousands of Jurchens on the spot...

Behind him, Lu Da shouted, "Make way, make way, let me go first!"

Lu Da arrived. These former Liao soldiers were under strict control by the Jurchens and had little armor. In Lu Da's view, it was not very meaningful for them to surround him. He just wanted to lead his men forward and finish the battle quickly.

Amidst the shoving and jostling, Lu Da surged forward like a tank, cutting through the crowd. Seeing his Song comrades fighting fiercely ahead, Lu Da let out a low growl. After a few more pushes and shoves, he was already at the very front.

With a large shield in one hand and the handle of a large iron mace in the other, he struck down from above, sparks flying. A helmet dented, and brains splattered inside. The man's body seemed to suddenly lose power, his muscles bulging forward just moments before going limp in an instant.

He kept swinging the mace, and the heads of the Jurchens in front of him were like walnuts on a table, which he kept knocking and clanging!

After knocking several times, Lu Da looked around and heard someone calling out, "Where is Yue Pengju?"

One of the soldiers pointed and said, "Over there!"

Lu Da's steps had already begun to shift sideways. With a flick of his left hand, holding a large shield, a figure fell to the ground. With his right hand, he repeatedly smashed down with a large mace. His steps were swift, and he was truly invincible. This fierce battle formation seemed to allow him to come and go as he pleased.

After walking forty or fifty steps, Lu Da knocked open seven or eight iron cans and saw Yue Fei right in front of him, panting heavily, locked in a stalemate with someone.

Then Lu Da stepped forward, his large shield in front of him, and instantly arrived beside Yue Fei, saying, "You're such a useless brat!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Fei was so angry that his nose twisted out of shape, and he exclaimed, "This is the scoundrel Wanyan Zonghan!"

"Ah?" Lu Da was overjoyed and turned to look, only to see Wanyan Zonghan's spiked club coming towards him.

"That's mine!" Lu Da didn't care about any of that. He raised his shield, and with a "bang," he stopped in his tracks, exclaiming, "Good strength!"

But the words were still there, and Lu Da also took the mace. Looking down from above, how could the burly Wanyan Zonghan not be able to resist?
This fight made him feel bitter and his courage was weakened. This giant iron tower had the strength of a thousand pounds. Wanyan Zonghan had been fighting hard for a long time. How could he possibly stop him?
Yue Fei was extremely anxious. He had been working on it for so long, and now Lu Da wanted it so easily?
Yue Fei leaped forward and swung his massive axe in a horizontal strike!
Wanyan Zonghan blocked it once, then again, and actually managed to block it, but his steps were already staggering to the side and backward.

Lu Da was actually simple-minded. He thought Yue Fei was no match for him, so he let him try again. He just pushed the shield forward again, intending to knock Wanyan Zonghan to the ground.

He pushed Wanyan Zonghan so hard that he staggered and couldn't fall down.

Lu Da's mace came from behind, while Yue Fei, standing to the side, slashed at him from the side.

It was also because Lu Da's body was too large and he had a large shield in his hand that Wanyan Zonghan's vision was blocked and he was completely attracted by Lu Da. He hurriedly went to block Lu Da's big iron mace again.

Under the impact, Wanyan Zonghan felt a numbness in his waist, his vision darkened slightly, and his body could no longer stop him from falling to the side.

Even faintly, one could hear continuous "crackling" sounds, the sound of bones breaking...

Finished!

Wanyan Zonghan was still lucid...

And so it was truly over. Yue Fei's already dulled "axe" struck Wanyan Zonghan under the armpit with tremendous force.

His ribs under his armpits were already broken in countless places, his heart and lungs had shifted, his blood seemed to have stopped flowing, and he could not breathe. His body had already fallen heavily to the ground.

Then, Wanyan Zonghan could no longer sense it...

All that was needed was the mace, the shield base, the broadsword, and the stomping of the big foot, creating a series of cracking sounds.

Looking at Wanyan Zonghan on the ground, his armor was dented, his helmet was flattened, his round head had become bowl-shaped, and his whole body was deformed.

Then there was Lu Da's hearty laughter: "Yue Pengju, this is on you!"

Yue Fei, however, would say, "General Lu also contributed!"

"What's yours is yours, I won't fight you for merit!" As soon as Lu Da finished speaking, he continued to smash with his big iron mace, shattering the tin cans into pieces like porcelain bowls.

Yue Fei, however, was taking a short rest, leaning on his weapon to try and catch his breath...

Then came the thunderous sound of horses' hooves. Thousands of cavalrymen were entering the main camp from the rear of the Jurchen camp, and they were also rushing forward from the rear to provide reinforcements. Clearly, a path had been left at the rear for Marco to enter and exit the main camp.

Before he could catch his breath, Yue Fei charged forward again, shouting, "Quickly, crush the enemy before us! Quickly!"

The Jurchen cavalry were still far away, and their camps were spread out in a continuous line, so their fighting power was not as strong as it would be on flat ground.

However, if we don't prepare for this early on, we'll face a challenge when the time comes.

The immediate priority was to fight quickly. Yue Fei kept charging forward, with countless reinforcements brought by Lu Da around him and behind him. Yelü Yudu was also leading men to surround him from the left and right. Victory was not difficult.

After killing several people, Yue Fei suddenly shouted to those around him, "Let's go! Follow me out of the crowd and block the main road in the camp!"

How resourceful was Yue Fei? He was truly a born general, always calm and collected, able to handle any situation with ease.

The final strangulation was no longer needed for him; he had to do something else, which was to block the main road in the camp. How to block it?
It's very simple. Just bring all sorts of odds and ends: broken cart frames, broken tables and chairs, even wooden poles for setting up tents, or just push the tents down and drag all sorts of things onto the road.

Within the military camp, there are main roads leading to and from the central command, which also serve to prevent the fire from spreading. Although they are wide, it is not that difficult to block them.

Lu Da charged forward relentlessly, while Yue Fei pushed his way out of the crowd, shouting as he went, directing his men to join him wherever he came across.

We don't need too many people, a hundred or so is more than enough.

Once he squeezed through the crowd, Yue Fei sprinted forward, circling around them, and once he reached the desired location, he could get to work quickly.

In the distance, the Jurchen cavalry were galloping towards them.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Yue Fei shouted, his hands moving non-stop, his mouth never stopping.

The tents, whether pulled, torn, chopped, or cut, could be lifted up from the ground by a group of people after a few rounds, regardless of their shape, and simply thrown onto the road.

Others followed suit, mostly Khitans from the periphery...

In a flash, the Jurchen cavalry charged forward, their steps unstoppable, and men and horses fell in disarray.

The Jurchens who had fallen down immediately stood up as soon as they could, weapons in hand, and charged forward. The riders behind them slowly stopped and began to dismount!
Yue Fei went to meet them, but it was all a chaotic battle, a complete mess.

They were fighting in front and behind... They fought as long as they could, and when they couldn't fight, they searched left and right, and even turned around to search. Once they found their comrades, they gathered them together, and then they fought again.

On Lu Da's side, the Jurchens were already fighting a bitter battle. With Wanyan Zonghan dead, the Jurchens had begun to retreat while fighting, and they knew that reinforcements had arrived and needed to join them as soon as possible...

There are still about 1,500 or 1,600 left. If they really retreat, the old Liao army that came to surround them will really be unable to stop them.

Yue Fei was ahead of him. Looking back, he saw that some Jurchens had broken through the encirclement, so he quickly moved to the sides to avoid being attacked from both sides.

Yue Fei was well aware that with reinforcements arriving here, the King was probably already about to start a war. So, in terms of strategy and tactics, he would stall on this side while the King made a decisive victory on the other!

We must spread the fire even faster and wider here!

This will completely deprive the Jurchens of their logistical support and camps, making it impossible for them to stay here any longer!
Thus, the overall situation was stabilized!

This was also the plan devised in the meeting a few hours before the battle!
His Highness the Prince of Yan had been planning this war for countless days, meticulously preparing for every single detail.

In a short time, the Jurchen reinforcements and the trapped army quickly converged in one place, and a fierce battle ensued between the two sides.

In the distance, to the northeast, Su Wu was following Wanyan Zongwang, and he kept following him.

Wanyan Zongwang had just gone east, then apparently turned north, and then turned slightly west before returning.

Su Wu was not in a hurry, not at all anxious or impatient. He just followed along, like an eagle catching a chick. Su Wu was the mother hen, protecting the battlefield behind him and preventing Wanyan Zongwang from leading his troops back to the camp to provide reinforcements.

Wanyan Zongwang was like that eagle, leading more than 20,000 cavalry, circling around until he reached a place where he could see the siege battlefield. He needed to see the situation of the siege battle, as that was the most important thing.

Finally, he saw it again, and it made his heart clench, as if he had experienced a momentary angina pectoris, as if something had tugged at his heartstrings...

Because the Khitans went up, many Khitans appeared on the city wall, and from a distance, it could be seen that fighting was taking place on the city wall, and it was in complete chaos.

He couldn't see the details. Even the King of Shiwei had gone up to the city wall. He wasn't the first to climb up, but he went up after many others, after they had established themselves on the city wall.

The moment they went up, the situation changed drastically. There were quite a few people who turned against them on the city wall, and there were also quite a few Khitans inside the city itself.

When the Jurchens are in control, nothing seems amiss, but once they lose control, how could the Khitans not turn against them?
How difficult it is for a small tribe to rise above a great nation! How difficult it is for the Jurchens at this moment!
The city is about to fall...

The shouts echoed in Wanyan Zongwang's ears!

"Your Highness, if we don't rush forward now, Linhuang Prefecture will be gone!"

"Your Highness, flames and smoke are billowing into the sky from the main camp. If we don't fight, we'll be defeated!"

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"Let's give it our all!"

"Your Highness, if we don't fight now, we will suffer a complete defeat!"

His Highness Wanyan Zongwang felt a buzzing or dazed sound in his ears...

He looked around, and even more so at Su Wu's cavalry still blocking his way to the south, moving slowly like a swarm of ants, or surging like the tide...

Looking further east, the sky was filled with smoke and mist...

I was still in a daze. How did things get to this point? What did I do wrong? I don't think I did anything wrong...

Why did Yelü Yudu make peace with the Song people to this extent? It must have been because there was absolutely no chance...

What went wrong?

(Goodnight, brothers... I'm sorry, I write slowly. This month I've only averaged around 6,000 words a day, which is really not much. It's just barely passing at the starting point. I can never go back to my previous ability to write 10,000 words a day. I'm really sorry! Please forgive me, brothers!)

(End of this chapter)