Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 190: The decisive battle at Sanfeng Mountain, a crushing defeat, annihilating the main force of the Jin army!

Eighteen years ago, when the Mongols first attacked the Jin Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty had to defend against a northern Great Wall defense line that stretched for over ten thousand miles.

Twelve years ago, when the Mongols attacked the Jin Dynasty for the second time, the Jin Dynasty's northern Great Wall defense line had been breached, and they could only rely on hundreds of strong cities in Shandong, Hebei, and the Northeast for defense. Although they still failed to hold them, Shanxi, Henan, and Shaanxi remained unscathed.

A year ago, Zhao Shuo attacked the Jin Kingdom again. The Jin Kingdom had both strong cities in Shaanxi and the Tongguan Pass and Yellow River defense line, which was still more than three thousand li long.

But now, the main force of the Jin army is compressed into a single point and a single line. The single point is Bianliang City, and the single line is the Sanfeng Mountain defense line. The Sanfeng Mountain defense line is only twenty-seven li long and only two hundred and forty li away from Bianliang.

The elephant turned into a chick.

Clearly, although the Jin Dynasty still has hundreds of thousands of troops and more than two hundred fortified cities in Shanxi and Henan, it has been driven to the brink of despair by Zhao Shuo.

Unfortunately, the Jin Dynasty's defensive posture at Sanfeng Mountain was extremely unstable. After more than ten days of marching and harassment by five thousand elite Mongol cavalry, the infantrymen's strength was rapidly waning. Despite this, they still managed to repair the camp for a full day.

Even if a person has more stamina than an animal, you can't use it like that!

The hastily constructed makeshift camps did little to increase defense and could not fully compensate for the soldiers' lack of combat effectiveness caused by extreme exhaustion.

It's fair to say that these fortifications were better left unbuilt!
"No! Zhao Shuo arrived too quickly! We must change our plans! Otherwise, we absolutely cannot hold the Sanfeng Mountain defense line by simply holding out!"

The Jin Dynasty's prime minister, Wanyan Saibu, quickly made a decision.

In fact, he hadn't been unaware that Zhao Shuo's main force would arrive so quickly. Just after the Jin soldiers had spent the entire day building their camp, Zhao Shuo had already led his main force to the foot of Sanfeng Mountain at the first watch of the night, giving him absolutely no chance to catch his breath!

But so what? Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice.

The fundamental problem facing the Jin Dynasty is its severe shortage of troops, making it unable to defeat the combined forces of the Song and Mongol armies. Coupled with a serious lack of cavalry, it has completely lost the initiative in the war.

Therefore, Wanyan Saibu always has to choose the lesser of two evils, opting for the tactic that minimizes damage to himself under the current circumstances. And this tactic that minimizes damage, unless Zhao Shuo makes a mistake, cannot change the course of the battle.

Sometimes he couldn't even manage to choose the lesser of two evils, because he didn't know how Zhao Shuo would respond.

For example, this time, it was the right thing to urgently build fortifications when Zhao Shuo's main force arrived a little slower. If Zhao Shuo had arrived faster, he would have suffered even greater losses.

Ultimately, the Jin dynasty is now at its wit's end. Wanyan Sebu sees no hope of victory and can only pin his hopes on Zhao Shuo making a mistake or on some vague destiny.

"Then what should we do?" Wanyan Zhongde asked anxiously.

Inside the central command tent, all the Jin generals looked toward Wanyan Sebu.

Among them are Wanyan Chenheshang, the most valiant general of the Jin army and commander of the Loyal and Filial Army; Wanyan Zhongde, the Zhennan Jiedushi who was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and skilled in both literature and military affairs; Guo Zhongyuan, the most renowned general since the southward migration; Jiaguze, a valiant general of the Jin state second only to Wanyan Chenheshang; and Wanyan Congtan and Wanyan Eke, who were of royal lineage and brave in battle...

All the famous generals of the Jin Dynasty were gathered here, yet none of them could come up with a plan.

Wanyan Sai said in a deep voice, "We must buy enough time for the soldiers to recover their strength and even build fortifications. Therefore, we need a team to draw Zhao Shuo's main force away from us."

"..."

The generals looked at each other, and no one spoke.

Wanyan Sai didn't explicitly state that he intended to use this force to draw Zhao Shuo's main force away. However, in reality, this force was likely to be sacrificed. They were willing to give their lives to buy time for the main army to build fortifications and rest.
They are not afraid to make sacrifices, but those sacrifices must be meaningful.

You think you can hold back Zhao Shuo's main force? What if Zhao Shuo defeats them in no time? Not only will it be a pointless sacrifice, but it will also waste the Jin Kingdom's extremely valuable resources.

Furthermore, what if Zhao Shuo refuses to fight you? Can two-legged creatures outrun four-legged ones? If you lead your army into battle but fail to draw Zhao Shuo's main force, you will not only humiliate yourself but also miss a crucial opportunity.

“General, if you are willing to give up the Loyal and Filial Army, let me do it.” Suddenly, a tall and robust figure in his mid-thirties stepped forward.

He was Wanyan Chenheshang, the most valiant general of the Jin Dynasty.

Wanyan Chenheshang knew, of course, that by saying these words, he might very well die on the battlefield.

However, he was willing to die for the Jin Dynasty, as it was his responsibility as a Jurchen.

He would rather die for the Jin emperor Wanyan Shouxu, as a way of repaying Wanyan Shouxu's kindness to him!
"You treat me like a national hero, and I will repay you with the same respect!"

Two years ago, Li Tai and Ge Yiweng, generals under Wanyan Chenheshang, got into a fight. Wanyan Chenheshang believed that Ge Yiweng was in the wrong and punished him with twenty strokes of the military rod.

This was supposed to be a trivial matter, but Ge Yiweng, with his fiery temper, died of anger over it. Before he died, Ge Yiweng asked his wife to avenge him.

Therefore, Ge Yiweng's wife went to Bianliang to file a complaint against Wanyan Chenheshang, claiming that Chenheshang had killed her husband due to personal grudges. She even piled up firewood south of Longjin Bridge in Bianliang, declaring that if the court did not punish Chenheshang, she would set herself on fire on the spot to proclaim the court's injustice to the world.

Public opinion was overwhelming, and Wanyan Shouxu had no choice but to imprison Wanyan Chenheshang.

Later, it wasn't until Wanyan Chenheshang's cousin, Wanyan Xielie, died that Wanyan Shouxu finally made up his mind to release Wanyan Chenheshang despite strong public pressure.

At that time, Wanyan Shouxu said to Chen Heshang: "The officials have accused you of killing someone out of personal resentment. Your brother is dead, and I have lost a famous general. Now, because of your brother, I am unjustly pardoning you. People in the world will definitely talk about me. From now on, you must work hard and establish your reputation. With your great support, the country will see that I am not pardoning you arbitrarily."

The monk Wanyan Chenchen wept and bowed, too moved to utter a single word of thanks.

If I can't say it, I won't say it.

Wanyan Chenheshang had long ago made up his mind to dedicate himself to the country and repay the emperor's kindness at all costs.

"Good! That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you, Monk Chen!"

Wanyan Saibu nodded slightly and said, "If possible, I would rather die in battle than abandon the Loyal and Filial Army and you. However, without deploying the Loyal and Filial Army, how can we lure Zhao Shuo into battle and buy time for our army to rest?"

Wanyan Chenheshang nodded slightly and said, "I am willing to die for the Great Jin!"

"Relying solely on the Loyal and Filial Army is too weak. How about this, Wanyan Congtan!"

"exist!"

"You will lead 30,000 elite troops to fight alongside Wanyan Chenheshang. No more than that; just hold out for three days, and then you can withdraw from the battle."

"Yes!"

The 30,000 elite troops, plus Wanyan Chenheshang's more than 7,000 loyal and filial soldiers, already constitute half of the elite troops in this area.

But is it possible to not send so many troops? With fewer troops, it would be impossible to hold off Zhao Shuo for three days in open battle.

Fortunately, they were the only reserves that Wanyan Saibu had specifically set aside. They did not participate in building the fortifications and still had some physical strength.

Wanyan Saibu's plan still has a chance of succeeding.

"This is a bait that Wanyan Saibu has thrown at us, a bait that he has to cut off his own arm to save himself!"

Just as Wanyan Chenheshang and Wanyan Congtan finished their battle formation on the mountainside, Zhao Shuo received the report.

When he led 80,000 elite cavalry to the front of this army, it was exactly three quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM), just as the sun was rising.

From a distance, nearly 40,000 Jin troops were arrayed with their backs to the mountains. 30,000 infantrymen were in the center, while more than 7,000 cavalrymen were deployed on both flanks.

On the high mountain behind them, banners fluttered and bugle calls were carried out, and the figures of the Jin army could be faintly seen, seemingly ready to come down the mountain to provide support at any time.

Clearly, this army was a bait to lure Zhao Shuo into battle; it was up to Zhao Shuo to take the bait.

eat!
why do not you eat?
Sooner or later, the main force of the Jin army will be annihilated.

Zhao Shuo went to great lengths, twice using the route through the Song Dynasty, and exhausted a thousand bombs to break through the Tongbai Mountain defenses in five days. Wasn't it all to force the Jin army to abandon their geographical advantage and engage him in open battle?
Now that the opportunity for field battles has arrived, why should Zhao Shuo wait?
Zhao Shuo now has two choices.

First, monitor the cavalry on both flanks, and send a cavalry unit to break through the Jin army's infantry formation. Then, take care of the cavalry as well.

Secondly, the entire army should launch an attack, taking out both cavalry and infantry at the same time.

After a brief consideration, Zhao Shuo decided to adopt the first method.
The reason is very simple: the Jin army's "Loyal and Filial Army" was too strong in historical records. It once defeated 8,000 Mongol soldiers in a field battle with only 400 cavalry.

What was the true strength of these 8,000 Mongol soldiers? How powerful was the Loyal and Filial Army? Zhao Shuo had no idea. However, it was clear that the Loyal and Filial Army, as the last vestiges of the Jin dynasty, was not so easy to deal with.

Since Zhao Shuo had the initiative in the war, he naturally decided to first deal with the weaker infantry, and then the stronger Zhongxiao Army.

Moreover, he realized that the Jin army's initiative to engage in open battle was a delaying tactic. Given this, it was unlikely that the Zhongxiao Army would launch a preemptive attack on the Mongol army. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a delaying tactic but a decisive battle.

Zhao Shuo said in a deep voice, "The Jin infantry are arrayed with their backs to the mountains, and their cavalry protect their flanks. Who will pull the tiger's teeth out of my mouth and break the Jin infantry formation?"

"I!"

"The First Ten Thousandth Commander of the Plain Yellow Banner of the Han Army requests permission to go into battle!"

"If Your Majesty employs me, victory is assured!"

"Please issue the decree, Your Majesty, and order our First Ten Thousandth Commander of the Plain Black Banner to go into battle!"

……

The generals all requested orders.

Zhao Shuo thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go with the 10,000th Commander of the Plain Black Banner. If the 10,000th Commander of the Plain Black Banner breaks through the enemy lines, the 10,000th Commander of the Plain Red Banner and the 20,000th Commander of the Plain Blue Banner will immediately move out and follow closely behind to expand the gains. If the Jin army's Loyal and Filial Army moves out, Shi Tianni, Zhang Hui, Zhang Rou, and Wang Shixian will be deployed!"

"exist!"

"You shall lead your troops into battle immediately and annihilate the Loyal and Filial Army!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the four generals replied in unison.

"In addition, the Bordered Blue Banner and the Loyal and Obedient Army serve as the general reserve force, ready to fight at any time upon my command."

"Yes!" Zhang Fu and Meng Gong bowed and accepted the order.

Zhao Shuo's meaning is now very clear: if the Jin army does not mobilize, he will use three cavalry commanders to bully the Jin infantry of 30,000 men.

The Jin dynasty's Loyal and Filial Army was mobilized, and four commanders of ten thousand men crushed them. If four commanders of ten thousand men were not enough, Zhao Shuo personally led a Khitan commander of a thousand men, a commander of a Bordered Blue Banner, and the Loyal and Obedient Army.

What do you mean by 400 loyal and filial soldiers defeating 8,000 Mongol soldiers?
Zhao Shuo refused to believe that Wanyan Chenheshang had any chance against such elite troops and fierce generals!
Of course, the Zhongxiao Army might not be easy to defeat, and the Jin army's 30,000 infantrymen were not to be underestimated.

The infantry square was protected by the Loyal and Filial Army on its left and right flanks, and backed by mountains, making a frontal assault the only option. With a forest of spears and a dense array of swords and shields in front, and powerful bows and crossbows gleaming in the center, it wasn't going to be so easily breached.
Once it is breached, it will be a truly remarkable achievement!
The Zhenghei Banner Wanhu Yanshi bears such a task, which involves both risks and opportunities.

Currently, no banner lord has been appointed among the various banners of the Han Army. However, it has recently been rumored that Zhao Shuo intends to appoint Shi Tianni, the chief of the first ten thousand households of the Plain Yellow Banner, as the banner lord.
Yes, Shi Tianni is amazing, and the Shi family is awesome.

However, which of the eight banners of the Han army were easy to deal with? Which of them would be willing to fall behind Shi Tianni?

Yan Shi not only wanted to become the banner lord of the Plain Black Banner, but also wanted to achieve the honor of being the first banner lord of the Han Army's Eight Banners!

In that case, he must seize the opportunity to make a great contribution. Now the opportunity is right in front of him; it remains to be seen whether he can grasp it.

Upon returning to his headquarters, Yan Shi looked at his subordinate commanders and said, "The King has entrusted us with the task of breaking through the Jin army's infantry formation. Yan Zhongzhen and Zhang Jinheng, you will lead the Third and Seventh Commanders to try attacking first."

"Yes!"

Yan Zhongzhen, Yan Shi's eldest son, is twenty-seven years old this year. He is brave and fierce in battle, and always takes the lead in every fight.

This is precisely why even the best swimmers can drown. Historical records indicate that he died in battle during the fight between Yan Shi and Peng Yibin.

Zhao Shuo changed history. Yan Zhongzhen is still alive and kicking, serving as the commander of the third thousandth household of the Han Army's Plain Black Banner.

The commander of the 7th thousandth household was named Zhang Jinheng. Because of his bravery in battle and his talent in both literature and martial arts, Yan Shi liked him very much and married his daughter to him.

In other words, Yan Zhongzhen's decision to directly send his eldest son and son-in-law to test the strength of the Jin infantry showed that he took the matter very seriously.

Boom~~
Two thousand-man cavalry units of the Plain Black Banner moved.

Their method of charging was the same as that of the steppe people. They formed small teams of ten, which were then divided into two hundred teams. These teams were further divided into groups of four, resulting in fifty groups.

Each group first sends out a squad to gallop towards the enemy's formation. When they are about a hundred paces away, they suddenly turn and gallop close to the enemy's infantry formation, firing four arrows in succession before returning to their starting point.

Just as they turned back, the second squad attacked. After the second squad came the third squad, after the third squad came the fourth squad, after the fourth squad came the first squad again... and so on, in a continuous cycle, subjecting the enemy to a barrage of attacks and exposing weaknesses.

However, it is clear that facing the strongest infantry of the Jin Kingdom today will not be easy for them to achieve victory.

"Raise your shield!"

Just as these cavalrymen reached a distance of a hundred paces, a loud shout rang out from the Jin army ranks opposite them.

Dang Dang Dang!
Some arrows missed their mark and struck the shields, while others hit the armor and helmets of the Jin soldiers. Apart from the clanging sounds, only four or five Jin soldiers were wounded in a volley of five hundred arrows fired by the Black Knights, and only one was seriously injured!
That's fine.

Whoosh whoosh!
The divine crossbowmen in the Jin army ranks suddenly made their move!
Although the crossbows were not a significant threat to the armored knights at a distance of a hundred paces, four or five Han knights were still wounded. That wasn't all; three crossbow bolts also struck the warhorses. While none hit vital organs, the horses' ability to gallop was severely impaired.

"Damn it!"

Yan Zhongzhen cursed angrily and quickly ordered the injured knights to go back and change horses, while the remaining armored soldiers continued to charge.

Whoosh whoosh!
Whoosh whoosh!
The two sides went back and forth. Within an hour, the Han army, with its black flag, charged repeatedly dozens of times with two thousand soldiers, but the Jin infantry remained unmoved and showed no weakness!

The casualties on both sides were almost one to one!

"As expected of the Jin Dynasty's powerful army! They really have some tricks up their sleeves."

Yan Shi was actually mentally prepared for this. Cavalry is a "separate and combined force," and its most appropriate use is to create various situations to put one's own side in an advantageous position and then defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, rather than to engage in a head-on battle with the enemy.

For example, when dealing with enemy infantry phalanxes, you can cut off their supply lines. You can take advantage of the difficulty in turning their formations to directly attack their left and right flanks and rear. You can also avoid direct combat, allowing the infantry to suffer a severe morale collapse and achieve victory through a prolonged stalemate.

However, none of these methods can be used today.

These infantrymen were meant to stall for time, and the cavalry avoiding battle was exactly what they wanted. Thanks to the protection of the Loyal and Filial Army and Sanfeng Mountain, the methods of attacking their front and flanks could not be used.

You can only fight hard!

The 30,000 Jin troops before them were well-trained and well-equipped, making a direct breakthrough extremely difficult.

However, this was no challenge for Yan Shi.

"Sound the retreat and have the third and seventh thousand households withdraw," Yan Shi ordered.

"Yes."

With a loud gong sound, the two commanders of the Black Banner retreated back to their main camp.

Then, Yan Shi temporarily handed over command of the Zhenghei Banner to his eldest son, Yan Zhongzhen, and led the first, second, and fifth thousand households of the Zhenghei Banner to charge fiercely towards the Jin army.

The tactics used this time are different from the last time.

The first thousand households were at the forefront, arranged in a square formation. Like a heavy iron hammer, they slammed down fiercely towards the Jin army.

The second and fifth thousand households also formed a square formation, following closely behind.

A hundred steps can be covered in the blink of an eye!

Whoosh whoosh!
The black flags were unleashed in unison, unleashing a rain of arrows!
"Raise your shield!"

The Jin army raised their shields to meet them.

Whoosh whoosh!
The Divine Arm Bow launched a counterattack!
However, this time Yan Shi did not follow Yan Zhongzhen's lead and attack briefly before retreating, but instead continued to urge his horse forward!

He was determined to confront the Jin army's formation head-on!

"Humph, I don't know whether to live or die!"

Upon seeing this, Wanyan Congtan, the commander of the Jin infantry, snorted coldly and said, "Did you really think I had used up all my divine crossbows? I've been waiting for you!"

Eighty steps!
Sixty steps!
Fifty steps!
The Black Flag Army moved with lightning speed, covering a distance of fifty paces in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh whoosh!
The Black Flag Army unleashed a second volley of arrows!

This volley of arrows certainly inflicted some casualties on the Jin army, but the Jin army also launched a swift counterattack.
Foot bows are more powerful than cavalry bows, and the Jin army also had the Shenbi bow, ready to be used.

Pfft!
Pfft!
Plop!
When the Black Cavalry had charged within twenty paces, more than two hundred of the vanguard of the Plain Black Banner had already fallen from their horses.

Before them stood the heavily armored knights of the Jin Kingdom, their spears like a forest and their shields like a rain of arrows, revealing ferocious smiles.

However, Yan Shi's face remained completely calm as he shouted, "Prepare!"

As soon as he finished speaking, every member of the Black Flag Army's vanguard raised a short spear. This spear had a rounded, nail-shaped blade and a three-pronged blade extending diagonally from the end of the shaft; it was called the "Three-Tailed Throwing Spear," and it was Yan Shi's greatest source of confidence in breaking through the enemy's formation today.

Those within the family know their own situation. Yan Shi understood that neither his personal martial arts skills nor his command abilities were outstanding among the various commanders of the Han Army's Eight Banners. To achieve merit, he had to find another way.

Zhang Hui, the 20,000th commander of the Plain Red Banner of the Han Army, established a team that hurled short spears to attack cities. Their repeated successes in scaling the walls inspired him.

If infantry can use short spears to attack cities, can cavalry use short spears to break through enemy lines?

He commissioned skilled craftsmen to design this short spear specifically for cavalry to throw. The three-pointed blade at the end of the shaft was not for fighting, but rather served a similar function to the fletching of an arrow during throwing.

Then, Yan Shi selected strongmen from the Black Banner and added them to the Thousandth Household, specifically training them to use this "Three-Tailed Throwing Spear" tactic.

Of course, this matter could not be kept from Zhao Shuo, no matter who it was kept from.

Zhao Shuo knew this, which was why he specifically chose Yan Shi as his general today. It would be best if traditional methods could be used to break the Jin army's formation; if not, then let's test the power of these three-tailed throwing spears!
"put!"

Warhorses galloped, warriors threw their spears, and the three-tailed javelins reached their maximum speed!

More than 600 three-tailed javelins, carrying enormous momentum, flew toward the Jin army ahead!
puff!
Some of the three-tailed javelins pierced straight through the shields, hitting the cheeks or right hands of the Jin soldiers behind them!
puff!
Some of the three-tailed spears struck the heavily armored infantry. With the immense potential energy and the added strength of the Damascus steel, the armor was practically made of paper; the spears pierced through, and blood gushed forth!

puff!
Some of the three-tailed spears pierced directly into the necks of Jin soldiers. Their entire heads were severed by the three-tailed spikes, and blood gushed forth like a fountain!

"Wow! What a powerful javelin!"

"That despicable Han dog, he actually cheated!"

"Help...help me!"

……

The sudden barrage of three-tailed spears caused screams of agony among the heavily armored Jin soldiers in front of the battle lines, plunging the army into chaos.

Actually, similar weapons to javelins have existed in China since ancient times. However, these things use too much iron and can only be fired once in battle, making them far less cost-effective than other weapons.
Moreover, even in terms of sheer power, there are more powerful triple-bow ballistae and weaker divine crossbows, but their applications are too limited and they have disappeared from the battlefield.

However, today, Yan Shi's sudden use of this tactic proved surprisingly effective, catching the Jin army completely off guard.

Moreover, his "Three-Tailed Throwing Spear" utilizes three tails to increase accuracy and Damascus steel to enhance sharpness. Previous javelins-like weapons are simply incomparable to it!

"Black Banner, follow me!"

Yan Shi roared and charged into the Jin army's formation.

Boom!
Yan Shi pulled on the reins, and his warhorse reared up, striking a Jin soldier squarely in the face. The soldier didn't even utter a sound before being kicked more than five feet away. His face was a bloody mess, clearly indicating he was dead.

"kill!"

A Jin infantryman swung his sword at Yan Shi's horse's leg, but Yan Shi's iron spear shot out from above, striking the armored soldier squarely in the chest, piercing straight into the bone and emerging from under his ribs along with flesh and blood.

"go to hell!"

Three fierce Jin soldiers stepped forward together, sweeping their iron spears to force them back. They then spurred their horses forward and thrust their spears straight at the throat of one of the armored soldiers.

He mustered all his strength and swung his iron spear horizontally to the right. The helmet of the infantryman on the right was crushed by his spear. The infantryman fell to the ground with a thud, his fate unknown.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the foot soldier on the left thrust forward at Yan Shi. Yan Shi barely dodged, and then the ten-foot-long iron spear slammed down heavily on the head of the foot soldier on the left!
……

Rush!
Kill kill kill!

Yan Shi took the lead, leading three commanders into the Jin army's formation of 30,000 elite soldiers. They charged left and right, advancing relentlessly, and were already close to Wanyan Congtan, who was commanding from the center of the formation.

"Alright! Let's charge in!"

"Quick! Follow me!"

Yan Zhongzhen was overjoyed and led the remaining seven thousand households of the Plain Black Banner to provide emergency reinforcements!
"How...how could this happen?"

Wanyan Congtan was completely dumbfounded.

To be honest, Yan Zhongzhen and Zhang Jinheng's charge had already stunned him. On the surface, the Jin army's defense seemed quite organized, with the exchange ratio between the two sides reaching one to one.

However, Wanyan Congtan was already feeling uneasy.

Raising shields requires physical exertion, and soldiers standing ready in battle need even more stamina. The two thousand soldiers of the Plain Black Banner could attack continuously for an hour without showing any signs of fatigue.

What about the next hour?

What about the next hour?

The two thousand cavalrymen of the Plain Black Banner can continue their fierce attack, or they can have another two thousand men take over.

But Wanyan Congtan had no confidence that his infantry could hold out for a whole day. Although they were called elite troops, they were no longer the powerful army of their ancestors, who believed that "if they could not fight a hundred rounds, how could they be called a cavalry?"

What he didn't expect was that the soldiers of the Plain Black Banner were so awesome that even the Plain Black Banner wasn't satisfied and actually brought out strange javelins.

Wanyan Congtan was a man of outstanding talent in his time, and he certainly knew how limited the application of the javelin was. He could also imagine how many elite and brave men would be needed to train such a force, and how long the training would take!

If the Han Chinese Eight Banners had that kind of money and time, wouldn't it be better to train them in other subjects?

It's entirely reasonable to assume that Taihang had both the resources and the money to even consider this javelin incident.

The gap between the Jin Dynasty's elite troops and the Han Chinese Eight Banners was simply too great!

How to fight this battle?
"Hold on! Hold on!" Wanyan Congtan had no other choice but to shout frantically, "Today's defeat means the destruction of our country and the extinction of our clan! We have nowhere to retreat but to fight to the death!"

"I am willing to die for the Great Jin!"

The Jin soldiers responded with shouts of defiance, charging towards the Plain Black Banner with reckless abandon. They were even willing to perish together to halt the Plain Black Banner's offensive and salvage their crumbling army.

However, it's useless, completely useless!
After the 10,000th household of the Plain Black Banner, there is also the 10,000th household of the Plain Red Banner and the 20,000th household of the Plain Blue Banner!

Guo Baoyu and Peng Yibin led two commanders of ten thousand men, closely following the Zhenghei Banner, and charged into the Jin army's infantry formation. The entire formation was already in a precarious state and could collapse at any moment!

"Hmm, Yan Shi is good; he's both willing to use his brain and put in the hard work."

Upon seeing this, Zhao Shuo, standing on the command platform, couldn't help but nod.

He originally valued Zhang Rou, Shi Tianni, and Guo Baoyu as the three commanders of the Han Chinese Eight Banners, placing Yan Shi on the same level as four others.

When Yan Shi proposed training javelin riders, Zhao Shuo thought of the "three-tailed javelin" that the Yuan Dynasty had in historical records, so he named it directly.

Zhao Shuo sent the First Commander of the Plain Black Banner to fight this time because he really wanted to see how "Three-Tailed Throwing Spear" would perform.

However, Zhao Shuo really didn't expect that Yan Shi's "three-tailed throwing spears" would be so effective, giving him a big surprise!

On the other side, Wanyan Chenheshang looked distressed upon seeing this situation.

"The entire Loyal and Filial Army, don your armor and move out! Target: Zhao Shuo!" Wanyan Chenheshang had no choice but to issue the order.

Of the Loyal and Filial Army soldiers on both flanks of the infantry, only half were armored and on guard duty. The other half were unarmored and took turns on guard duty to conserve their strength.

If possible, Wanyan Chenheshang really didn't want to send out the Loyal and Filial Army. With the Loyal and Filial Army there, the flanks of the infantry could be protected, which was much better than going out to fight the Han Eight Banners cavalry head-on.

But isn't this a sign that the infantry formation is about to collapse?
What can he do?
If he dared to rescue the infantry formation, the other Han cavalry would definitely be mobilized, making it impossible to save them.

Should we retreat to the Sanfeng Mountain camp?

The soldiers' strength has not yet recovered, and with the loss of these 30,000 elite troops, it is impossible for them to hold out. Moreover, the Loyal and Filial Army will be greatly reduced in combat effectiveness if they dismount and fight on foot.

To flee now? That's possible. But can over seven thousand loyal and filial soldiers really save the Jin? Not only would it be of little use, but it would also be misunderstood as cowardice and desertion, causing the Jin army to collapse.

Having already been falsely accused once, Wanyan Chenheshang was absolutely unwilling to bear this infamy.

Then we have no choice but to fight Zhao Shuo to the death!

Let's see if Wanyan Chenheshang can lead more than 7,000 loyal and filial soldiers to take Zhao Shuo's head amidst thousands of troops and change the course of the battle!

Although the possibility was extremely small, Wanyan Chenheshang had no other choice.

"Kill! Kill Zhao Shuo!"

Wanyan Chenheshang mounted his horse and led the left wing of the Loyal and Filial Army towards Zhao Shuo's command platform!

The right-wing Loyal and Filial Army quickly followed!
Among them were Naimans, Jurchens, Khitans, and Han Chinese, but most of them were people who had deep hatred for the Mongols and Zhao Shuo.

They certainly understood that this attack would likely result in their deaths.

But what about that?
I'll fight Zhao Shuo to the death!

However, just as they set out, Shi Tianni, Zhang Hui, Zhang Rou, and Wang Shixian, the four commanders of the Han army, had a bright idea in their eyes and issued a military order for their subordinate commanders to move out!
Four Eight Banner commanders charged forward at breakneck speed. Zhang Hui, nicknamed "Surpassing Zhang Fei," met Wanyan Chenheshang head-on, Shi Tianni attacked Wanyan Chenheshang's left flank, Zhang Rou attacked his right flank, and Wang Shixian broke through Wanyan Chenheshang's rear!
In no time, they had surrounded more than 7,000 loyal and filial soldiers!
Blood splattered wildly, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens; the fight quickly reached its climax.

Standing on the command platform, Zhao Shuo carefully observed the battle situation through binoculars while asking, "Meng Gong, what do you think of this Loyal and Filial Army?"

"What a formidable Loyal and Filial Army!"

Meng Gong gasped and said, "If the forces are equal, my Zhongshun Army is no match for them. Even if all 20,000 Zhongshun soldiers came, we would probably only manage a draw."

"Then what do you think of this Loyal and Filial Army compared to my Eight Banners Army?"

"These seven thousand loyal and filial soldiers are probably comparable to the king's twelve thousand Eight Banners troops."

Zhao Shuo frowned slightly and said, "Judging from the battle situation, that's indeed the case. So, how do you think Wanyan Chenheshang trained this Loyal and Filial Army? How could they have such fighting power?"

“Training can’t make them,” Meng Gong said with a wry smile. “My loyal soldiers are similar to them; they are all driven by hatred.”

"For my loyal army, the Jin Dynasty forced them to leave their homes and risk being discovered and killed by the Jin people at any time, so they secretly crossed the border to the Song Dynasty. Every one of them has a deep hatred for the Jin Dynasty, so they naturally fight bravely and are not afraid of death."

"As far as the Loyal and Filial Army is concerned, they hate the Mongols and Your Majesty. The Naiman people hate you for destroying their country, and the Jurchen people not only hate you for killing their families, but also for trying to destroy the Jin Dynasty. The Khitan and Han people also probably have family members who died at your hands. Oh, and there may also be some Han people who deeply resent Your Majesty for taking their land and distributing it to the people."

Zhao Shuo nodded slightly and said, "That makes sense."

To be frank, the Loyal and Filial Army might not be as skilled in martial arts or physical fitness as the Han Eight Banners. However, they came for revenge and had long since disregarded life and death. The Han Eight Banners, on the other hand, were living comfortably; what hatred could they possibly harbor?
They fought for honor, rank, and wealth, making them inferior to the Loyal and Filial Army driven by hatred.

Of course, so what?

Since Zhao Shuo has established extraordinary achievements, he naturally has many enemies. And with many enemies, Zhao Shuo has even more supporters!
No matter how strong the hatred of the Loyal and Filial Army was, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot when faced with the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Han Eight Banners!
Two hours later.

More than 7,000 loyal soldiers were killed, and Wanyan Chenheshang was surrounded by Shi Tianni, Zhang Hui, Zhang Rou and Wang Shixian.

"Chen the Monk, die!"

Holding the gun in his right hand, Zhang Hui strained to thrust it at Chen Heshang. In the previous fight, he and Chen Heshang had exchanged blows several times; his left arm, swollen and unable to lift from Chen Heshang's wound, had been struck by Chen Heshang's spear.
Of course, Monk Chen didn't fare much better either. Zhang Hui stabbed a large hole in his right calf, and blood kept flowing out, leaving him pale.

Moreover, while Zhang Huineng could bandage his wounds and even rest for a while, Chen Heshang had to fight bravely all the time. Now he was so weak that he couldn't even lift his big iron spear and could only defend himself with his waist knife.

when!
With a crisp sound, Chen Heshang skillfully deflected Zhang Hui's iron spear.

However, it was no longer possible to evade attacks from others.

Puff puff!
Zhang Rou's broadsword severed Wanyan Chenheshang's left arm!

Wang Shixian's iron mace smashed down hard on Wanyan Chenheshang's head!

Shi Tianni's spear pierced Wanyan Chenheshang's left side!

"Hey!"

The great man Wanyan Chenheshang passed away before he could even utter a last word!

Pfft!
The corpse fell from the horse.

Zhang Hui, Zhang Rou, and Wang Shixian did not make a move, allowing Zhang Hui to dismount and cut off Wanyan Chenheshang's bloody head.

After all, this Wanyan Chen monk was really too fierce, and Zhang Hui contributed the most. Without Zhang Hui holding off this guy in front, things would have been really difficult.

In addition, Zhang Hui was seriously injured, so no one wanted to take the credit for her.

Then, the four of them came to the command platform and paid their respects to Zhao Shuo.

"Our four men have successfully completed our mission. We have brought the head of Wanyan Chenheshang here to deliver the imperial decree!"

"very good!"

Zhao Shuo had already seen the scene clearly through his binoculars.

At this moment, the three Han army commanders had already dealt with the 30,000 elite Jin infantrymen, and Wanyan Congtan's head was right beside him.

Guo Baoyu, Peng Yibin, and Yan Shi also returned to report the imperial decree.

Zhao Shuo said loudly, "In less than five hours, our army has annihilated 40,000 elite Jin troops, which is truly gratifying. Tonight, we will not hold a post-battle debriefing meeting or discuss merits and rewards. Everyone should get a good night's rest, and tomorrow we will muster our remaining strength to launch a strong attack on Sanfeng Mountain and annihilate the main force of the Jin army!"

"Yes!"

The next day, all the Han army's Eight Banners soldiers dismounted and transformed into infantry, launching a general attack on Sanfeng Mountain.

They fought all day yesterday and are indeed a bit tired today.

However, the Jin army consisted of infantry. After marching for more than ten days and spending a day repairing their camp, even after resting for a day, they were still much more tired than the Jin soldiers!

Even more crucially, in addition to more than 40,000 elite troops, the Jin army now has 100,000 conscripted soldiers.

If used properly, recruited soldiers can be an excellent auxiliary force.

However, if they are not used properly, and the conscripted soldiers become routed troops, it would be a disaster.
After the Han army captured one hilltop, they immediately drove their routed soldiers to attack another. The number of routed soldiers increased, and the Jin army's retreat accelerated.

In military terms, this is called "inverted beaded curtain".

In any case, after two days of fierce fighting, the Jin army suffered heavy losses due to the Han army's "rolling up the beaded curtain" tactic.

Approximately 80,000 Jin troops were trapped in a narrow valley between two peaks of Sanfeng Mountain.

This mountain valley has a name: Golden Valley.

"Jingou is a good omen!"

That night, Wanyan Sai, in his central command tent at Jingou, tried his best to boost morale, saying, "Although our army is surrounded by the Mongol army here, it doesn't mean we've been defeated, or that the Jin Dynasty is finished! Look, this place is called Jingou. Doesn't that mean that the destiny of our Great Jin Dynasty lies here?! Turning defeat into victory also lies here!"

"The commander-in-chief is right! This place is the destiny of our Great Jin!"

"Heaven will protect us Jurchens!"

"If we just wait for the right opportunity, Heaven will surely help us!"

"Back then, the State of Qi only had two small cities left, yet it still managed to restore its kingdom. I refuse to believe that Heaven is going to destroy my Great Jin!"

……

All the generals echoed.

In fact, they themselves didn't really believe that Jingou could truly foreshadow the Jin Kingdom's destiny and that it would turn defeat into victory here.

But what can be said now?

Moreover, when the Jin Dynasty rose to power, there were indeed some inexplicable things, as if the Mandate of Heaven was truly on their side.

In the Battle of Chuhedian, the Jin army had 3,700 men against 100,000 Liao soldiers when suddenly a strong wind arose, and the Jin army took the opportunity to turn the tide and win.

The Jin dynasty would have needed to cross the Yellow River to attack the Northern Song, right? They didn't even have a navy, so how could they cross the Yellow River? As it turned out, the Northern Song hadn't even deployed any defenses there. The Jin dynasty used a few fishing boats to transport supplies across the river in just five days. A full five days! The Northern Song didn't even notice! How could they possibly justify this?
Furthermore, the Jin state originally planned to plunder and leave without a full-scale attack on Bianliang, but the Song state left hundreds of excellent catapults in the city! With these catapults, wouldn't it be foolish for the Jin army not to attack Bianliang?
The Jin dynasty wasn't even confident of capturing Bianliang when two emperors surrendered!

It's like God is feeding us!

Now, the situation in the Jin Kingdom is more dangerous than ever before, and these Jurchens can only hope once again that God will be kind enough to let them win this time out of nowhere.

It was at this moment that Heaven seemed to understand the Jurchens' wishes.

Pure white snowflakes drifted down in the early winter night!
(End of this chapter)