Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 11 Heroes Immediately Rise from the Yellow River

"Golden Dog!" Wei Chang's tone was filled with panic: "Golden Dog is catching up!"

"Be quiet and save your energy!"

Liu Huai scolded Wei Chang and then drove the two horses into a trot.

It's not that he didn't want to gallop all the way, but the warhorse had been running for half the night and was already exhausted. If he ran at full speed for another two or three miles, he might just fall to the ground and die.

However, before they could go around the hill in front, three neatly-armored cavalrymen turned out from behind. After seeing Liu Huai from afar, they did not stop at all, did not even bother to prepare their horses, and just threw away the reins and rushed straight towards him.

The war horses of these three Jin soldiers were obviously carefully selected. Even after a long journey, they were still in high spirits.

In just half a moment, they were within a hundred steps of Liu Huai.

"Brother, quickly put me down from the horse, let's ride one step at a time and kill these three golden dogs!" Turning around, he saw three Jin soldiers taking out bows and arrows while cursing, and Wei Chang's face was instantly covered with cold sweat.

Out of fear and anger, Wei Chang instantly had the urge to dismount and fight the Jin cavalry.

It's better than being shot to death by an arrow in the back.

Liu Huai looked around at the terrain and forced his horse to speed up. "We're lying flat on the ground. There are only two gentle slopes around us, not even a tree. How can we fight the Jin bandits? Let's get to the village you mentioned first, and then we can make some moves."

Wei Chang opened his mouth to speak, but because of the sudden jolt, he fell back on the horse and his mouth was stuffed with horsehair.

Liu Huai was well aware of his own strengths and weaknesses. Despite his impressive performance last night, with his killings, arson attacks, and even his ability to break through enemy lines and slay generals, he had simply taken advantage of the situation by catching his opponent off guard. If Liu Huai had been forced to face off against three well-armored Jin cavalrymen on flat ground, armed with a machete, he would have been doomed.

However, while dodging the flying arrows, when he finally turned around the hill in front, Liu Huai hurriedly looked towards the ferry that Wei Chang mentioned, but was immediately stunned.

This ferry crossing only has seven or eight thatched houses of varying sizes, and it would be a stretch to call it a village. However, in front of these seven or eight thatched houses, there are actually several small plots of land that have been reclaimed, where three or four farmers are working.

There are several big trees at the entrance of the village, and several young children are playing and fighting under the shade of the trees.

The farmers at the ferry...or rather, in this small village built along the river, were obviously extremely shocked and frightened by the sudden appearance of several cavalrymen. They dropped their farm tools and fled towards the village entrance like crazy.

In a flash, Liu Huai made up his mind. Instead of escaping to the ferry, he turned his horse to the right and headed into a small woods about a mile to the north.

But it was just a delay, and the three riders behind him approached within fifty steps. The shouts, the horses' panting, and the clanging of bowstrings were already close to his ears, and even the arrows, which had weakened in force, hit Liu Huai.

Liu Huai felt the numbness on his back. While he was anxious, he was secretly glad. He could only say that it was fortunate that he was careful enough to get two sets of armor last night by using both threats and trickery. Otherwise, he would have been seriously injured at the very least.

Looking at the approaching woods, Liu Huai shouted to Wei Chang, "Hold your knife. Once we enter the woods, I will throw you off your horse. Protect yourself. Do you understand?"

Wei Chang grabbed the hilt of the knife and pulled it out suddenly. He leaned over the horse and nodded, but was hit on the chin by the horse's neck. For a moment, he could only respond with a vague whimper.

Seeing that the two little thieves were like turtles in a jar, a Jin soldier who was left behind grinned and cast his eyes towards the small ferry behind him.

I didn't expect there was such a place here. I deserve to make a fortune.

Even if there is no wealth in this ferry, we can always capture some slave women.

The Jin soldier thought so.

He then stood up from his horse with his legs in the stirrups, drew his bow and pointed his arrow at Liu Huai's back.

But the next moment, the hairs on his body stood up, the cold sweat on his back instantly soaked the lining, and his hands couldn't help but tremble slightly. This was the keen perception that years of experience in fighting on the battlefield had given him.

It's like being stared at by a tiger.

The Jin army cavalry quickly turned around and saw a strong black horse running out of the small village. A black-armored knight sat on it, holding the reins in one hand and holding an iron-framed bow in the other, pressing towards the Jin army like a collapsing iron tower.

One man and one horse have the momentum of thousands of troops.

The armor worn by the black-armored knights was heavy galvanized armor, which was widely used by both the heavy cavalry and heavy infantry of the Song and Jin dynasties. The only difference was that the Jin army's helmets were mostly gourd-shaped, while the black-armored knights' helmets were hat-shaped, with the collar lowered to cover their entire face, leaving only a pair of murderous phoenix eyes exposed.

The hand of the bow held by the last Jin army armored cavalryman trembled slightly, and then he became furious, not only because the Song army actually took the initiative to launch an attack, but also because of his cowardice just now.

He suddenly pulled the reins, the warhorse stood up, and the iron-framed bow turned backwards.

"Go!"

The Jin army roared, the bowstrings clanged, and the arrows shot towards the black-armored knight's eyes like lightning.

The two men were only thirty steps apart, but in the blink of an eye, the black-armored knight just tilted his head slightly, and the feather arrow brushed the side of his helmet and fell to the side.

The Jin army had no time to be discouraged. They almost reflexively bent their bows and arrows again, and shot out the other arrow between their palms.

In such haste, the arrow's power and accuracy were far below its usual level.

The black-armored knight kept riding his horse, and raised his iron-framed bow slightly, not only knocking the feather arrow off, but also reaching out and clamping it between his fingertips.

At this time, the two horses were only three steps apart. The clanging sound of each other's armor and the heavy breathing of the horses were clearly audible. The Jin soldier's eyes were red, and it was too late to abandon his bow and pick up his sword. However, seeing that the black-armored knight on the opposite side was also holding an iron-framed bow, the brave Jin soldier simply held one end of the iron-framed bow with both hands and swung it towards the black-armored knight.

The black-armored knight seemed to know what the Jin army was thinking. He squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and the black horse turned slightly and leaped high.

Just as the two horses passed each other, the black-armored knight put the feather arrow shot by the Jin army on the bow, and drew the bow like a full moon.

"Back to you!"

The Jin army's arrows were divided into two types: heavy arrows and light arrows. The Jin army's armored cavalry often used heavy arrows, the arrowheads of which were three inches long, almost like small iron spikes.

Arrows this heavy could not possibly rain down arrows on the enemy. The Jin cavalry, using these heavy arrows with two-stone iron bows and leveraging the speed of their horses, fired arrows within ten steps of the enemy formation, powerful enough to pierce iron armor.

The black-armored knight's iron-framed bow weighed more than two stones, and the two men were less than ten steps apart.

The heavy, cone-like arrowhead pierced through the Jin army's gourd-shaped iron helmet like tofu, going straight through.

This imaginative Jin army cavalryman still kept holding the bow with both hands. After shaking on the horse, he fell headfirst.

But his right foot was still hooked in the stirrup, and he was dragged away by the warhorse.

The attention of both Liu Huai and the remaining two Jin army armored cavalrymen was drawn over.

Unlike the Jin cavalry who were so frightened that they reined in their horses, Liu Huai, though unaware of the incoming force, knew his chance to strike back had arrived. He drew his long sword and struck Wei Chang's horse's rump with the flat of his blade, driving him into the grove ahead.

He then turned his horse around, leaned over the horse, and charged towards the nearest Jin soldier.

(End of this chapter)