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

Chapter 192 The Han army is in an uproar, long live Zhao Shuo!
"What? The Flower Hat Army has rebelled against the Jin Dynasty? Good!"

Zhao Shuo was naturally pleased with the Flower Hat Army's rebellion.

In the final years of the Jin Dynasty, a brief resurgence occurred, and two powerful armies emerged.

First, there was the Flower Hat Army.

Secondly, there was the Loyal and Filial Army.

Needless to say, the Loyal and Filial Army was a force that harbored extreme hatred for the Mongols and Zhao Shuo, making them completely unusable; they had already been wiped out by Zhao Shuo.

Pusan ​​Anzhen, the leader of the Flower Hat Army, was killed by the Jin dynasty, which destroyed its own Great Wall. Afterwards, the various units of the Flower Hat Army were disbanded and resettled.

The Flower Hat Army and Zhao Shuo had no deep-seated hatred; at most, they were dissatisfied with Zhao Shuo's land redistribution, and were therefore potential targets for appeasement.

For example, when Zhao Shuo conquered Shandong, he recruited Guo Alin. Guo Alin's "Yellow Crane Sleeve Army" was a remnant of the Flower Hat Army, now belonging to the Bordered Blue Banner, and its combat strength was quite good.

Of course, neither Guo Alin nor the "Yellow Crane Sleeve Army" could compare with Guo Zhongyuan and the main force of his Flower Hat Army.

Guo Zhongyuan was already the most capable general in the Flower Hat Army, and was known as "Master Guo". Guo Alin, on the other hand, was called "Young Master Guo" to distinguish them.

In addition, Guo Zhongyuan also had another title—the greatest general since the southward migration.

The so-called "southern crossing" naturally refers to the Jin Dynasty crossing the Yellow River and moving its capital to Bianliang.

Wanyan Chenheshang was called "the fiercest general since the southward migration," and Guo Zhongyuan was called "the best general since the southward migration," which shows his abilities. He was a talented commander, capable of leading independently, but unfortunately, he was born at the wrong time.

Immediately, Zhao Shuo shouted, "All generals, listen to my command!"

"Here!" The Eight Banners generals all stood up and responded in unison.

Zhao Shuo shouted, "It's freezing cold! Order all your soldiers to wear cotton armor underneath iron armor and attack Jingou with all their might!"

"Yes!"

The generals roused themselves and departed to receive their orders.

Indeed, the Jin army might have used deception, perhaps even setting a trap. But so what?

The Jin army now has at most 20,000 elite soldiers left.

Moreover, in the dead of night in such cold weather, with only autumn clothing to rely on, they probably couldn't even draw a strong bow. Their food supply was certainly also insufficient.

Meanwhile, Zhao Shuo's men were well-fed and protected from the cold with cotton armor, allowing them to rest and recuperate for three days.

Zhao Shuo believed that even if the Jin army had any schemes, they would be unable to carry them out in the face of such a great disparity in strength.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! The Flower Hat Army has rebelled! They'll show you the red cloth on their left arm!"

"Switch to the Zhao emperor in the north and kill the Jurchens!"

"Kill all the Flower Hat Army soldiers! Kill the traitors!"

"These Han dogs are indeed unreliable! Kill them all! Kill them all!"

……

Inside the Jingou Pass, ten thousand elite Jin soldiers were fiercely attacking the camp of nearly three thousand Flower Hat Army soldiers. The shouts of battle between the two armies mingled together, creating a deafening roar.

Wanyan Sai stood on a makeshift platform, anxiously watching the battle unfold.

Wanyan Saibu's reputation as an "ever-victorious general" was not built on boasting, but on the hard-won victory after victory.

He never looked down on Guo Zhongyuan, the "first general to cross the river to the south," and always sent people to closely monitor the movements of the Flower Hat Army camp.

If Guo Zhongyuan was either utterly loyal to the Jin Dynasty, worried about his family in Bianliang, or hadn't seen through Wanyan Saibu's plan, then things would be simple. How much fighting strength would the Flower Hat Army, with only three thousand men left, have after fourteen days of starvation? He guaranteed that once the elite troops he supplied arrived, they would wipe out the Flower Hat Army, allowing the Jin army to hold out for a little longer.

If Guo Zhongyuan intends to change his mind, concentrate superior forces to eliminate him first, thus providing the main army with meat.

Wanyan Sai hadn't expected Guo Zhongyuan to react so quickly. He had barely laid out a plan for his generals to defend Jingou to the death when Guo Zhongyuan guessed what he was up to. And, upon returning, he immediately arranged for his men to defect!
At this time, Wanyan Sai's elite troops, which he did not intend to use to annihilate the Flower Hat Army, were not yet ready; only some soldiers were monitoring the Flower Hat Army.

As a result, neither side was prepared.

At the third watch of the night, the battle suddenly broke out. At the beginning, the Flower Hat Army was stronger than the ordinary Jin soldiers and had a certain advantage as they charged towards the mouth of the Jin Valley.

However, the cold winter nights and the thin autumn clothing greatly affected the combat effectiveness of both the Jin army and the Flower Hat Army, and the Flower Hat Army's advance was not fast.

As Wanyan Sai continued to redeploy his troops, he gradually forced the Flower Hat Army back with superior forces. Now, the Flower Hat Army's total strength should be less than three thousand.

Despite the improved situation, Wanyan Saibu was far from happy. What were the Flower-Hat Army compared to Zhao Shuo's main force? Zhao Shuo's army was his true mortal enemy. Most of his elite troops were currently engaged in suppressing the Flower-Hat Army; if Zhao Shuo's army were to seize the opportunity to attack, the consequences would be unimaginable!
What are you afraid of?

"Charge! Kill! Kill the Jin dogs!"

"The Jin army is in turmoil; Heaven is helping our king!"

"We will flatten the Golden Gou tonight!"

"Whoever beheads Wanyan Saibu will be rewarded with five hundred taels of gold and three futures!"

……

Shouts of battle echoed from all directions as countless Han Chinese Eight Banner soldiers charged towards the Jin army inside the valley from the valley entrance and the surrounding hillsides.

"It's over!"

Wanyan Saibu's heart sank.

If it were daytime, the Han army would not have an easy time descending the steep mountain from the high mountains, as they might be targeted by the Jin army at the bottom of the valley. It would not have been easy for the Han army to break through the Jin Gou camp.

At night, the Jin army's arrows would not be able to stop the Han army from charging down the mountain. However, in the darkness, it is difficult to spot the enemy, and the conscripted soldiers can better exert their strength, which the Han army is unwilling to suffer.

Therefore, he believed that the Golden Ditch could still be defended.

However, in the dead of night, most of Wanyan Saibu's elite troops were tied up by the Flower Hat Army. He now only had a little over six thousand elite soldiers at his disposal. How could he possibly defend himself?
"Jin Gou! Jin Gou! So this name foreshadows the annihilation of our Great Jin's main force here! Our Great Jin has indeed lost its destiny!"

The situation is better than people.

Now that things have come to this, Wanyan Saibu has finally accepted this absolutely unacceptable reality.

"Enough! Enough! Then I shall die for this Great Jin tonight! Before I die, at least... at least, I shall kill one of Zhao Shuo's generals!"

Wanyan Saibu finally made up his mind. He sent out all of his nearly 5,000 troops as the backbone and supervisory force to organize the conscripted soldiers to resist.

He left only 1,800 guards by his side.

Wanyan Saibu's personal guard originally numbered three thousand, all of whom were fearless and loyal to Wanyan Saibu and the Jin Dynasty. Now, only eighteen hundred remain.

He intended to use these 1,800 men to pledge his final loyalty to the Jin Dynasty and assassinate one of Zhao Shuo's generals.

In less than an hour, the Han army's Eight Banners stormed into Jingou, and Wanyan Saibu also selected the general he wanted to assassinate.

Peng Yibin, the 20,000th Commander of the Plain Blue Banner of the Han Army!
At this moment, shouts of battle echoed through the Jingou Valley, and countless tents were set ablaze, providing light, allowing the banners of the Han army to be seen.

The 20,000th household of the Han army's Plain Blue Banner charged the fiercest and had already approached Wanyan Saibu's location.

Although Wanyan Saibu did not recognize Peng Yibin, Peng Yibin was surrounded by many guards, and his armor was dazzling in the firelight, so he was obviously a big shot in the Bordered Blue Banner.

Wanyan Sai then set his sights on him.

"Light the fire! Show me my great banner!"

"Yes!"

At Wanyan Saibu's command, a large banner was erected in the firelight, bearing a total of ten large characters.

On the left is "Deputy Privy Councilor", on the right is "Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel", and in the very center are two large characters "Wanyan", which are clearly visible in the firelight.

"Hmm? Wanyan Sai isn't here? Today is my day to make a contribution!"

Peng Yibin guessed that Wanyan Sai did not intend to raise a banner to boost the morale of the Jin army, and a smile appeared on his face.

Unlike Zhang Hui, the 20,000th commander of the Plain Red Banner, Peng Yibin was an ambitious man. Otherwise, he wouldn't have risen to prominence in later historical records, becoming the top warlord in Shandong and Hebei, while Zhang Hui remained frustrated and unsuccessful. However, Peng Yibin lacked the arrogance and unwillingness to be subordinate to others like Wu Xian. He simply wanted to do his best and become the top military commander under Zhao Shuo. The position of 20,000th commander of the Plain Blue Banner was not enough for him.

Now, the opportunity to make a difference has arrived!

Wanyan Sai, the Deputy Privy Councilor of the Jin Dynasty, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the Commander-in-Chief of Jingou, was the one in question. Killing him would grant us the greatest credit for the victory at Jingou.

"Soldiers, charge forward! Take Wanyan Saibu's head!"

"Yes!"

Boom~~
The soldiers of the 20,000th household of Zhenglan Banner have now dispersed under the leadership of their respective commanders, and Peng Yibin can only gather three commanders at his disposal.

He commanded three commanders to launch a fierce attack towards Wanyan Saibu's direction.

Wanyan Saibu was naturally prepared, and his 1,800 personal guards formed a battle formation and fought hard to hold the line.

"Kill! Kill the Jin dogs! Kill Wanyan Sebhua!"

"We swear to protect the Commander-in-Chief! The Plain Blue Banner will die!"

……

The war quickly escalated to a fever pitch. The 20,000th Commander of the Han Army's Plain Blue Banner was certainly brave, but Wanyan Saibu's personal guards were no pushovers either.

Moreover, the 20,000th household in Zhenglan Banner must act quickly!

Otherwise, if other banners of the Han army were to arrive nearby, some of their current battle merits would be lost for nothing. If Wanyan Saibu were killed by other banners, they wouldn't even have half of their battle merits left!

"Come with me!"

Half an hour later, Peng Yibin saw that Wanyan Saibu's guards were on the verge of collapse, and that Wanyan Saibu only had about five hundred guards forming a shield formation to protect him. He immediately led his own five hundred personal guards into the battle.

zizizi~~
Just as Peng Yibin was killing several Jin soldiers and was about to approach Wanyan Saibu's shield formation, sparks suddenly ignited.

Three hundred Jin soldiers suddenly charged out of their shield formation!

"Ah! Not good!"

Peng Yibin suddenly felt a chill in his heart. He then realized that he had seriously underestimated Wanyan Saibu, the ever-victorious general of the Jin Dynasty.

It was too dark to see clearly, but these people were all holding devastating bombs. He hadn't even noticed!
Generally speaking, thunderclaps are not very effective in field battles. How could a five- or six-pound thunderclap, thrown by manpower, possibly have a range that can't match that of an arrow? Besides, both sides have thunderclaps; at worst, they can just throw them at each other at a certain distance. Those that need to explode will explode, and those that need to take cover will dodge, so there won't be too many casualties.

However, the two sides are now less than ten steps apart!
Moreover, it goes without saying that these Jin soldiers must have cut the fuse extremely short, so that it would explode as soon as it was thrown, giving Peng Yibin very little time to react.

Wanyan Sai's goal is to assassinate him here!

This move was also extremely dangerous for the Jin army; the distance was too close, and they too would be injured or killed on the spot. Moreover, many of Peng Yibin's personal guards were fighting against Wanyan Saibu's personal guards nearby, and Wanyan Saibu's own guards were likely to be injured or killed on the spot!

However, the Jin army was about to face national collapse and extinction. These elite Jin soldiers were already prepared to die, so why would they care about this?
They don't want to win; they want both sides to perish together!
"Lie down! Lie down now!"

Peng Yibin roared and immediately lay down on the ground.

At the same time, Peng Yibin felt even colder inside.

He understood that it was probably too late. Wanyan Sai did not use himself as bait, but instead used nearly a thousand Jin soldiers as bait, intending to kill him and his few hundred personal guards, to deal the biggest blow to Zhao Shuo's army. His preparations were far too thorough.

It's a pity that all his ambitions and desires for the highest position in the court have come to nothing!
It's so frustrating!
Boom boom boom!
Boom boom boom!
Just as Peng Yibin thought he was going to die, he lay down with his hands covering his head, filled with regret and resentment, when a series of explosions occurred around him.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through Peng Yibin's left leg. He closed his eyes tightly, preparing to face his final moments.

Hmm? A stinging pain like being pricked by a needle?
That's it?

That's it?

Peng Yibin moved his left leg and found that he was fine, but his ears were ringing and he stood up unsteadily.

"I'm not dead! I'm not dead! How... how is this possible?" Having narrowly escaped death, Peng Yibin's voice was filled with sobs.

Of course it's possible.

Peng Yibin was not only wearing iron armor, but also cotton armor to keep warm!

Iron armor is effective against attacks from cold weapons, such as sword cuts and spear thrusts. However, its protective effect is limited against firearms, and it can be penetrated.

Besides providing warmth, cotton armor primarily offers good protection against firearms, cushioning the impact of shrapnel and even early bullets to reduce damage. However, it offers weak protection against sharp melee weapons; swords and knives can pierce through it.

Therefore, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the development of firearms, cotton armor began to become very popular.

Of course, a combination of cotton armor and iron armor would offer better defensive capabilities.

However, the cotton armor weighs over ten kilograms, and the iron armor weighs several dozen kilograms, making it too heavy to wear. Only the most elite soldiers could wear it and still have the strength to fight.

More importantly, this combination is far too airtight, making it unbearably hot and stuffy to wear in normal weather. Let alone the combination of cotton armor and steel armor, even the steel armor itself presents the problem of "airflow after removing the armor."

"Unarmor removal wind" is actually a type of stroke.

The general, clad in airtight iron armor, was unbearably hot after a fierce battle. Feeling safe and exhausted, he immediately removed his armor, still drenched in sweat, to enjoy the coolness. Such a drastic change in blood vessel stimulation can easily rupture, leading to a stroke; this is the origin of the term "armor-removing wind" (斬甲风).

The legendary Li Cunxiao suffered from "armor-removing wind" in history, but he survived and recovered. Chang Yuchun was not as lucky as Li Cunxiao; he died young due to "armor-removing wind."

Iron armor is already so uncomfortable, let alone adding cotton armor on top of that?

But then again, it's snowing heavily now, and the temperature has dropped to extremely low levels. Is wearing a padded coat plus a heavy armor still hard to accept? Wearing just the armor alone would be too cold!

This led to the current situation: Peng Yibin, wearing both cotton armor and iron armor, remained unharmed despite being struck by the thunderbolt.

In fact, it's not just Peng Yibin.

The soldiers of the 20,000th household of the Plain Blue Banner under his command were also wearing iron armor and cotton armor!
How much damage could an early firearm like the Thunderclap Bomb cause to those wearing both iron and cotton armor?

Soon, many Han soldiers also stood up with Peng Yibin. However, inevitably about 20% of the soldiers were hit in the face by shrapnel or were seriously injured and could not get up.

Some soldiers had minor injuries to their hands or faces, but were still able to stand up, which was considered a minor injury.

But this is still quite remarkable!
Despite not being protected by the shield array, Wanyan Sai was not injured, though his ears were ringing and his head was spinning.

He watched as, under the bombardment of the thunderbolts, almost all the Jin soldiers still fighting nearby were killed, and most of the soldiers who threw the grenades were also seriously wounded.

But what about the Han army? Most of them stood up unsteadily.

What about the Han general he wanted to assassinate? He's safe and sound!

How is this going?

All my painstaking planning has only resulted in the deaths of countless of my own people, turning into a complete joke.
Am I just a clown?
Is there any justice in this world? Is there any law in this world?
Is this Heaven deliberately trying to destroy my Great Jin?

Seeing this scene, Wanyan Sai was ashen-faced and on the verge of tears!

Although Peng Yibin couldn't possibly know the details, seeing that most of his soldiers had stood up, he guessed that it wasn't his luck, but rather the effect of the cotton armor.

What does this mean?
The cotton armor that the king wore not only kept them warm, but also saved their lives!
Even more crucially, the Thunderclap Bomb was a nightmare for almost all elite soldiers and generals.

Because once this thing explodes, no matter how skilled you are in martial arts, it's impossible to dodge it.

Now, the combination of cotton armor and iron armor has reduced the damage of the thunderbolt to an extremely low level! How could Peng Yibin, a fierce general, not be extremely excited?
Your Majesty is too awesome!
Fighting under the king's command is so exhilarating!
Follow the King, and you can roam freely across the land!
Having escaped death and with such a bright future ahead, Peng Yibin was overjoyed and couldn't help but shout, "It's the King! The King saved us! The King is blessed by Heaven and will be invincible! Long live the King!"

This wasn't Peng Yibin intentionally flattering Zhao Shuo; rather, it was simply a way to express his excitement, his respect for Zhao Shuo, and even his hopes for Zhao Shuo to go further!

"Long live the King!"

"Long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the King!"

……

The fierce soldiers around Peng Yibin also understood what was going on, and they responded in unison, their voices shaking the heavens!

(End of this chapter)