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

Chapter 99: Guo Kan’s grandfather Guo Baoyu, the Battle of Yehu Ridge!
"Four hundred thousand? That's a lot? Come on! Let's go and take a look."

Although he had expected this, Zhao Shuo was still very happy when he heard that he had won so many horses.

He and Geerle went to see the captured war horses.

This look was even more surprising.

Among the 400,000 horses, 120,000 were tall and majestic Liaodong horses.

Among these 120,000 Liaodong horses, 40,000 were young horses.

Grey horses are found in all horse breeds, but there is no doubt that grey horses are the most likely to produce excellent horses.

For example, according to historical records, the Eastern champion Hou Huo Qubing rode a big blue horse.

Bucephalus, the divine horse of Alexander the Great in the West, was a green horse.

There were also great men in later generations who rode a small green horse.

The blue horses seized from Huan, Chang and Fu states this time were of great help to the improvement of the Mongolian combat effectiveness.

Fifty years later, a scholar praised the Mongol gains from the attack on the Jin Dynasty in a poem: "We pursued the Mongol army northwards past the capital of Yan and obtained another four hundred thousand gold taels, both large and small, which were unparalleled in the world."

Jinyuan is another name for the Jin Dynasty.

The figure of 400,000 is not reliable.

Zhao Shuo was not sure how many horses there were in the three states of Huan, Chang and Fu, because the numbers in various historical materials were too confusing.

The Secret History of the Mongols says it was "nearly one million", which is slightly less than one million horses.

But other information is mostly "millions" or "tens of millions", which is too exaggerated.

"Big blue and small blue are peerless in the world" refers to the majestic appearance of these blue horses.

Or, does the 400,000 mentioned in this poem refer to the total number of green horses obtained by the Mongols during their invasion of the Jin Dynasty?

Anyway, Zhao Shuo was very satisfied with the batch of war horses he obtained.

The horses in Huanzhou Muguan were driven to Huanzhou City by Wanyan Kuang, but the cattle, sheep and camels also became Zhao Shuo's spoils of war. There were 680,000 sheep alone.

Are you still waiting for the New Year if you don’t eat something to reward the soldiers?
Zhao Shuo announced that starting today, people could eat as much mutton as they wanted for seven days in a row.

Not only that, he also ordered people to spread the slogan "Wanyan Chengyu fell, and the Mongols were full."

For a moment, 30,000 soldiers cheered.

By the next morning, good news came one after another.

Before Wanyan Kuang's envoys arrived at the pastoral supervisory offices in Fu and Chang prefectures, the Mongolian army arrived and seized all the livestock there.

Fuzhou seized 220,000 horses and Changzhou seized 190,000 horses.

In other words, the number of horses seized by Mongolia this time was similar to what was recorded in "The Secret History of the Mongols", less than one million.

Moreover, the Mongolian army was good at learning.

Zhao Shuo prepared so many cloth bags, and other Mongolian troops followed suit, directly "racing into the city" and successfully captured Fuzhou and Changzhou.

Having achieved such a great victory and made a fortune that they had never dreamed of before, the entire Mongolian army was jubilant.

In stark contrast, the Jin army stationed on the Yehuling defense line was in dire straits. Having lost Wusha Fort and Wuyue Camp, along with the three prefectures of Fu, Heng, and Chang, many of the soldiers' families fell into the hands of the Mongols. Even the most clueless person could see that the Jin army was in dire straits, and a cloud of despair filled the air.

Yehu Ridge, Badger Mouth, and Black Wind Mouth.

This is where Wanyan Chengyu and Duji Sizhong are stationed. The Prime Minister of the Great Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Kuang, fled here yesterday evening.

However, Wanyan Kuang has now fallen into a coma.

There was no other way. Wanyan Kuang was already in his twilight years. Even if he went to bed early, rose early, lived a life of luxury, and enjoyed a good mood, he only had half a year to live. This time, not only had he not slept for thirty-six hours straight, but he had also first run 500 miles in one night, then painstakingly arranged the city defenses. Then, when Zhao Shuo attacked the city, he fled in panic for over a hundred miles.

Not to mention an old man in his twilight years, even an ordinary middle-aged person may die suddenly at this time.

Wanyan Kuang was not dead at this time, he just had a stroke, which showed that his physical condition was strong enough.

Fortunately, before he fell into a coma, Wanyan Kuang issued a final order: suspend all Du Ji Sizhong's duties, and Du Ji Sizhong quickly left the Yehuling defense line and returned to Yanjing to await the emperor's disposal.

There was no need to listen to the reports from Wanyan Chengyu and Duji Sizhong. As the mainstay of the Jin Dynasty, Wanyan Kuang understood as soon as he saw the memorial that it was the civil servant Duji Sizhong who only considered political gains and losses, which affected Wanyan Chengyu's military judgment. It would be better to kick him to the rear as soon as possible.

This was the last thing Wanyan Kuang could do for the Jin Dynasty.

Although the Jin Empire's northwest front had two prime ministers serving as commanders, one in charge of military affairs and the other in charge of logistics, their positions were actually different. Duji Sizhong's official title was "Pingzhang Zhengshi" (Pingzhang Zhengshi), while Wanyan Chengyu's was "Canzhi Zhengshi" (Canzhi Zhengshi). In other words, Duji Sizhong was the chief commander, and Wanyan Chengyu was the deputy commander.

Now the Prime Minister of the empire has fallen into a coma and the commander-in-chief has been transferred. Wanyan Chengyu has no ambition to command nearly 400,000 troops alone. Instead, he is depressed because of the current dire situation.

At this moment, someone came to report that Shi Mi Ming'an wanted to see him.

Shimi Ming'an was a Khitan. He commanded an elite Khitan warrior, a Thousand Households (千户), and was a skilled military officer. He had been sent to Mongolia several times by the emperor to meet with Temujin. Among this army of nearly 400,000, he was considered a figure who could have a say with Wanyan Chengyu.

Wanyan Chengyu ordered Shi Moming'an to come into the tent and talk.

Shi Miming'an offered him a suggestion: Although the Mongols had seized horses from Fu, Wen, and Huan prefectures, it was impossible for so many horses to be kept in the city for long and fed. The Mongols would surely drive the horses back to the herds to graze, and only send a small number of troops to guard them.

Now, it is perfect to send elite troops to raid these three herdsmen, which can not only kill the remaining Mongolian troops and boost the morale of the Jin army, but also kill as many horses as possible to reduce the losses of the Jin army.

Wanyan Chengyu rejected Shimi Ming'an's proposal: "The Mongols were so powerful that even his son had been defeated by a small force. Who knew how many troops the Mongols had left behind at Mujian? Could the Jin elite attack Mujian successfully? This strategy was too risky; it would be safer to hold the Yehuling line."

Shi Mi Ming'an was unable to persuade Wanyan Chengyu, so he had to retreat in disappointment.

But just as he walked seven or eight steps out of the tent, he saw someone coming towards him.

"Greetings to the Duke of Fenyang!"

Shi Mi Ming'an hurriedly paid his respects.

The person opposite him was Guo Baoyu, the Duke of Fenyang County of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Guo Baoyu is a descendant of the famous Tang Dynasty general Guo Ziyi and the grandfather of the later-famous Guo Kan. It is said that the story of the hero Guo Jing was based on Guo Kan.

However, Guo Baoyu is only 45 years old now and has been granted the title of Duke of Fenyang County of the Jin Dynasty. Although he only has one elite Han soldier, Meng'an, his status is much higher than Shi Mo Ming'an.

"It turns out to be General Shi Mo. Please excuse yourself."

Guo Baoyu knew that Shi Moming'an was a talented person, so he quickly helped him up and said, "Are you here to see Wanyan Canzheng?"

"Yes."

Shi Mi Ming'an did not hide anything and explained what had happened.

After listening to this, Guo Baoyu frowned slightly and said, "That's a difficult situation. Great minds think alike. I'm here to offer this plan to Wanyan Canzheng as well."

"Don't go, it's useless. Wanyan Canzheng... he's too cautious in his military operations."

High emotional intelligence means being "too cautious", while low emotional intelligence means being "too timid".

After all, how can anything in the military be 100% safe?
With an army of 400,000, sending out a few thousand elite soldiers is no big deal. If they lose, they will only lose a few thousand elite soldiers. If they win, they will gain a huge advantage.

Why not?
Shi Mi Ming'an had already seen that after a series of setbacks, Wanyan Chengyu, the famous general who once led 8,000 troops to chase and attack 50,000 Song troops, had lost his original fighting spirit.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. I won't get into trouble by getting involved in politics."

Guo Baoyu patted Shi Mo Ming'an on the shoulder and was about to leave.

"Duke of Fenyang!"

Shi Mi Ming'an stopped Guo Baoyu again and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't blame me for being so polite. Do you think we can hold Yehu Ridge?"

He was a general of the Jin Dynasty and had been sent as an envoy to Mongolia many times, so he had a clear understanding of the strength of both sides.

"Of course we can hold it. I have 400,000 troops here, and we have the advantage of Yehu Ridge. As long as we command properly and the soldiers fight for their lives, how can we not stop the less than 100,000 grassland barbarians?" Guo Baoyu said without hesitation.

Shi Mi Ming'an certainly understood Guo Baoyu's implication: as long as "proper command and soldiers' dedication" were achieved, the city could be held. But could the Jin Kingdom achieve "proper command and soldiers' dedication"? Wanyan Chengyu had just rejected his suggestion.

"Thank you, Duke Fenyang, for your teachings!"

Shi Mi Ming'an turned and left.

As he watched his receding figure, Guo Baoyu recalled a children's rhyme that had recently spread throughout Hebei: "Rolling the fishing net, I arrive in Henan to pay my respects to the Yan family!"

Yanshi was the legal wife of the Xiongnu Chanyu.

The people of Henan all worshipped the Yan clan. What did this mean? The Jin Dynasty was destroyed by the Mongols.

This nursery rhyme certainly has nothing to do with the Mongols. Even Zhao Shuo's subordinates lack talent and cannot do such delicate work.

In fact, any discerning Jin official could see that while the Jin's population was now the largest since its founding, and despite defeating the Song army of hundreds of thousands in the Kaixi Northern Expedition, seemingly entering its heyday, the Yellow River had burst its banks three times, and Jiaochao had become worthless, leading to a huge gap between the rich and the poor.

In addition, in order to deal with the Mongols, the Jin court mobilized hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and the people sold their children and became homeless.

Countless people were gritting their teeth and cursing the demise of this dynasty. The Jin Dynasty was truly at its most dangerous moment.

The powerful and wealthy began to stockpile soldiers, horses, and food supplies in preparation for future chaos.

The frustrated intellectuals were eager to make a move and wanted to get a piece of the pie in this chaotic world.

This nursery rhyme was probably written by some unsuccessful writer.

"If it weren't popular, how could this nursery rhyme have spread so quickly throughout Hebei? It's even being sung in Yanjing. It seems that both the battle situation in Yehuling and the future of the Jin Kingdom are not looking good!"

Guo Baoyu thought secretly and sighed.

……

……

Ten days later, the vanguard of the Mongolian army arrived at Haoerzui.

The Yehuling defense line stretches for hundreds of miles. Of course, some places are important and some are not.

Unimportant places are places with extremely steep mountains and no roads. Even if the Mongols were lucky enough to climb such places, they would not be able to bring many troops, let alone horses. Even if they lost the place, there is a good chance of retaking it. They can just send a small number of elite troops and ordinary soldiers to garrison.

The important places are those where the mountains are gentle and there are roads, which are conducive to the Mongolian advance.

Badger's Mouth is such a place.

The terrain here resembles the face of a wild badger.

The most eye-catching thing is the badger's protruding pointed mouth.

This pointed mouth is the valley between the two mountains. There is a road in the middle. It is narrow on the outside and wide on the inside. The outermost valley entrance is only wide enough for one person to pass through.

The two mountains on both sides of the sharp mouth stretch for three miles each. They are not very steep and can be climbed by human power.

Three miles away there are cliffs, which are difficult for humans to climb.

The place the Mongols most wanted to attack was definitely Badger's Mouth.

Wanyan Chengyu led 35,000 of his most elite troops and stationed them here. (Heifengkou refers to that valley.)

Of these, 20,000 were stationed on the low hills three miles on either side, while 15,000, along with Wanyan Chengyu, were stationed at the bottom of the valley, ready to support the low hills on either side at any time.

After all, the Yehu Ridge defense line stretches for 500 miles, and a certain number of troops must be deployed in the rear. A mere six miles of defense, with 35,000 of the most elite troops stationed, is a lot. Furthermore, the terrain restricts the deployment of too many troops.

Temujin led an army of 80,000 to attack Haoerzui!

The vanguard this time was led by Zhebie, who only led 3,000 troops.

Seeing that Zhebie had few soldiers, Wanyan Chengyu adopted a strategy of luring the enemy, sending Zhebie's troops into the valley, attempting to ambush and annihilate all of Zhebie's 3,000 soldiers.

However, Zhebie saw through Wanyan Chengyu's plot, pretended to be defeated and retreated outside the valley, killing all the pursuers.

There was nothing else to do, Wanyan Chengyu chose to defend to the death.

He ordered his men to use chain carts to completely block the entrance to the valley.

The entire army was on alert, ready to deal with the Mongolian army's attack.

In the evening of that day, Temujin led the main force to meet up with Jebe's vanguard.

At the first watch of the night, inside Temujin’s golden tent.

Zhao Shuo, Mu Huali, Borshu, Hasar, Belgutai, Jebe, Subitai... a group of powerful Mongolian generals all came to discuss the matter.

"The Golden Dog's defense of Badger's Mouth is tight, but definitely not impenetrable." Temujin pointed to a map of Badger's Mouth and said, "Look here, the outermost edge of Badger's Mouth is a cliff. They thought we wouldn't attack from here, so they only sent a small number of troops to guard it. So, Muhuali!"

"exist!"

"You will lead three thousand elite soldiers tonight at the second watch. Under cover of darkness, you will climb up the outermost cliffs of Badger's Mouth and launch a surprise attack on the Jin army."

"Yes."

"A Shuo, you have the most soldiers under your command, the Baru Battalion. From now on, you will lead the Baru Battalion in an all-out attack on Badger's Mouth. Don't let the Golden Dog catch a moment's breath!"

"Yes."

Zhao Shuo also nodded and accepted the order.

Temujin's strategy was simple.

Zhao Shuo led the Baru camp in a frontal attack.

Mu Huali led 3,000 elite soldiers to climb the cliff and launch a surprise attack from the side.

By then, Mu Huali's sneak attack would cause chaos in the enemy army, and Zhao Shuo could then attack from the front with all his strength.

Both tasks are difficult.

If Zhao Shuo's frontal attack was not fierce enough to attract the full attention of the Jin army, Mu Huali's surprise attack might be discovered.

If Mu Huali's sneak attack was not timely enough, not deadly enough, and could not relieve the pressure of Zhao Shuo's frontal attack, then Mu Huali would be surrounded by the enemy and would be in danger of death.

At this critical juncture, Temujin could only be completely assured by entrusting such a task to Zhao Shuo and Mu Huali. ...

At the beginning, after the Battle of Keyimen, only 6,000 people were left in the Baru Camp of the Mongolian army.

Zhao Shuo had one thousand Baru soldiers under his command, and five thousand others.

In the attack on Wusha Fort and Wuyue Camp, Zhao Shuo incorporated more than 16,000 people into the Baru Camp, and the other Mongolian nobles gained nothing.

However, after conquering the three states of Fu, Chang and Huan, a total of 5,000 Jin troops, including Zhao Shuo, were incorporated into the Baru Camp.

Therefore, what Zhao Shuo can command now are 27,000 soldiers of the Baru Camp.

Their predecessors were the regular armies of Jin and Xia!

"Soldiers of the Baru Camp!"

The blazing torches lit up the scene as bright as day. Zhao Shuo looked at the 27,000 soldiers of the Baru Camp below the platform.

He shouted, "You should know what the Baru Camp is for! It's for attacking! In every battle, the entire army is only allowed to attack, not retreat. If ten households retreat, the heads of the ten households will be beheaded. If a hundred households retreat, the heads of the hundred households will be beheaded! If the heads of ten households die in battle, all ten of their men will be beheaded. If the heads of a hundred households die in battle, all one hundred of their men will be beheaded. After victory, you will receive 10% of the spoils.

Tonight's battle at Yehuling is extremely important to Mongolia.

Two hours, I only give you two hours.

If we can't break the badger's mouth within two hours, all the soldiers in the Baru camp will be killed!

But if the badger's mouth is broken within two hours, all surviving soldiers of the Baru Camp will get 50% of the spoils.

Not only that, beheading one person will earn you an extra five taels of silver. Beheading two people will earn you an extra ten taels of silver... and so on, with no upper limit.

After tonight, anyone who beheads three or more people will be able to leave the Baru camp and become a regular soldier of the Great Mongol Empire.

Anyone who beheads five or more people will be rewarded with an additional beauty for every five heads.

You all, did you hear that clearly?"

As soon as Zhao Shuo finished speaking, the 30,000 soldiers of the Baru Camp suddenly roared enthusiastically.

"Listen clearly!"

"I am willing to die for your majesty!"

"Two hours to break the badger's mouth!"

"Break the badger's mouth, and you'll get money and a beautiful woman!"

……

The vast majority of soldiers in the Baru Camp have pledged their allegiance and there is no turning back.

Moreover, Zhao Shuo's announcement of seven days of unlimited mutton included the soldiers of his Baru Battalion. While the other Mongol nobles weren't as generous as Zhao Shuo, the captured plunder was still too much—hundreds of thousands of sheep—how ​​could they possibly eat it all? They also provided their Baru Battalion soldiers with three days of plentiful mutton.

The food here is even better than that of the elite troops of the Jin army.

The newly joined soldiers of the Baru Battalion have initially returned to their roots.

Moreover, the soldiers of the Baru Camp had told them that the Mongols kept their word, and Prince Consort Zhao Shuo was even more so, never giving in to any concessions. As long as they won the battle, they would not only receive a large amount of money, but they might also be given female slaves.

Is there such a good thing?
It was good enough that the Jin army could receive normal military pay, how could they receive such treatment?
Some of the newly joined soldiers of the Baru Camp were eager to try.

In the current Battle of Badger Mouth, there is both the strong military law constraint of "Ba Dui Zhan" and a huge reward. What else can the soldiers of Baru Camp do?
Try your best!
It must be said that East Asian warriors are the best. They are disciplined, hardworking, and resilient. The more dangerous the moment, the calmer they are. They have no regard for the lives of others, and when necessary, they can also disregard their own lives.

The army they form will be the strongest army in the world as long as they are treated well!

"Very good." Zhao Shuo waved his hand and said, "Break through the badger's mouth. I will personally celebrate your success!"

"Here"

Twenty-seven thousand people responded with a roar, dispersed, and waited for the signal for the general attack.

There is nothing to attack at the valley entrance. It has been completely blocked by dozens of chained cars. Attacking here is no easier than climbing a cliff.

Baru Camp's target was the low hills six miles long on both sides of the valley entrance.

The defenses of the hill were as follows: at the front was a series of breastworks, behind which stood the Jurchens' simple barracks built with wooden palisades. At the rear of the barracks, at the top of the hill, lay the target of the Baru camp.

Although this defensive measure was somewhat crude, the Jin army was in a dominant position and had prepared a large number of defensive equipment, so it was actually very difficult to break through the Badger's Mouth.

Finally, three loud whistling arrows echoed through the night sky of Badger's Mouth.

The Ballou Battalion began its attack.

The first batch, 5,000 people.

It wasn't that they couldn't send more troops, but rather that they needed ample space to dodge the massive logs rolling down the mountain. With 30,000 men advancing, a single falling log could cause significant damage to the Baru camp, a pointless sacrifice.

Therefore, the first batch of soldiers from the Baru Camp who attacked consisted of only 5,000.

These five thousand people were not lined up in a single row, but were divided into three rows.

At the front were the strongest warriors of the newly joined Jin army, each wearing three pieces of iron armor and holding a huge shield.

The back row, holding the bow with the string already strung,

The third row holds three people's weapons, bows and arrows, maces, spears or swords.

Seventy feet behind the first group of 5,000 people are the second group of 5,000 people.

After another seventy feet, there were another five thousand people.

A total of six batches, which were continuous and dealt a saturation blow to the Jin army in Haoerzui.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Kill the barbarians! Protect our country!"

"Go to hell, you barbarians!"

……

Today is the twelfth day of the lunar calendar, and the moonlight is very bright. The Jin army stationed on the low hill soon discovered the full-scale attack of the Mongolian army and shouted loudly.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~
The bows and crossbows of the Jin army became very powerful.

In the past, you had to shoot upwards to hit distant enemies, but now you can just shoot horizontally!

Moreover, they pushed down the huge logs that had been prepared long ago, the largest of which was three feet in diameter, directly from the top of the mountain.

And of course, there are catapults.

Countless rocks, carrying huge potential energy, fell on the heads of the soldiers of Baru Camp.

The soldiers of Baru Camp were no pushovers either. They were regular troops of the Jin Dynasty and Western Xia, and had made sufficient preparations for this battle.

Even those not in the front row of heavily armored soldiers wore iron armor, so the arrows and crossbow bolts fired from them were barely enough to cause them any trouble. Only a few unlucky souls were pierced directly by the crossbow bolts fired from the bed crossbows.

But there was nothing you could do about the huge logs and rocks thrown by the catapults. You could only try to avoid them. If you couldn't avoid them, you could only blame your bad luck.

close!

Getting closer!

In the blink of an eye, the heavily armored soldiers in the front row were only eighty steps away from the Jin army's fortifications.

It was at this time!

Whoosh whoosh!
The divine arm bow in the Jin army showed its power!

This Western Xia invention was carried forward by the Song Dynasty and then learned by the Jin people. It is a magical weapon that is powerful enough to penetrate three layers of heavy armor within eighty steps!

At the time, Song general Wu Lin created his own "overlapping formation" with the Shenbi bow as its core, repeatedly defeating the Jin army. This led Jin Wushu to say, "The Song's most ingenious military weapon is the Shenbi bow, followed by the heavy axe. They are fearless outside of this. Now I'm giving them a model to build."

A single volley of the Jin army's Shenbi bows wiped out at least half of their heavily armored soldiers.

The rest of the heavily armored soldiers did not dare to delay and rushed forward.

The armored soldiers behind him fired the Shenbi bow, causing heavy casualties to the Jin army. Then they took the weapons handed to them from behind and rushed forward.

Seventy steps later, the enemy's various heavy crossbows and heavy bows began to show their power!

At the same time, the Jin army threw huge stones directly down the mountain!

There are also rolling logs and stones, and boiling water!
In the blink of an eye, the 5,000 soldiers of the Baru camp suffered heavy casualties. In the end, only 800 brave warriors climbed down the low wall and engaged in close combat with the Jin army.

"it is good!"

Although it seemed that nearly 90% of the first batch of Baru Battalion soldiers were killed or wounded, the commander of the second batch of Baru Battalion, Machibieduwen, couldn't help but shout "Great!"

If there is close combat in front, the Jin army will not be able to continue pushing logs down the mountain, and other defensive facilities will also be greatly affected. Isn’t this a great thing?

With only over 4,000 soldiers from the Baru Battalion, they have made such great progress. Isn't this a good thing?
"Kill these cowards first!"

Five thousand soldiers from the Baru Camp charged, but more than four hundred of them could not stand such a cruel battlefield and retreated one after another.

He was captured by the military law team of Machibeduwen.

woohoo~~
Four consecutive horn sounds were heard, signaling the military court to start the execution.

In the blink of an eye, four hundred and eight heads fell to the ground!
Machibeduwen even took the bones of a caltrop and smashed the heads of three deserters.

It happened so quickly. From the time the 800 soldiers of the Baru Camp started fighting hand-to-hand with the Jin army to the time 400 heads fell to the ground, only one minute had passed.

Machibeduwen raised the caltrop in his hand and said, "In this battle, we must advance, not retreat! These cowards will suffer the fate of those who retreat! Soldiers of the Baru Camp, charge!"

"Charge! Kill!"

"Kill the golden dog!"

"Break the badger's mouth, and you'll have money and women!"

"Soldiers of the Baru Camp, we will advance and never retreat, and we will not turn back until we die!"

……

With shouts, the following batches of Baru Camp soldiers sped up and rushed forward!

The war quickly entered a white-hot stage.

On one side were the Jin Kingdom's most elite troops of 15,000 men, and on the other side were the 23,000 soldiers of the Baru Camp.

They began a fierce hand-to-hand fight on the low hill of Badger's Mouth. The shouts of killing, the sounds of flesh being torn apart, and the clash of weapons were completely mixed together, rising and falling one after another, resounding through the sky!
"How is this possible? How could the Mongolian infantry be so fierce? Aren't they only good at riding horses and shooting arrows?"

The person in charge of the Jin army's defense on the top of the mountain was Wanyan Jiujin, the commander of the Jin Dynasty's northwest line.

In fact, his original surname was Hesheli. Because of his bravery in battle and countless achievements, he was given the national surname "Wanyan", so his current name is Wanyan Jiujin.

In fact, just hearing his name tells you how brave this person is.

According to Jurchen custom, a child's birth weight is used as their nickname. A full name is given after the child turns five. Some impoverished Jurchens simply use their nicknames, not bothering to give them a full name.

Wanyan Jiujin is still called Wanyan Jiujin until now. It is obvious that he is a brave general of the Jin Dynasty who rose from the bottom and fought his way through with every sword and gun.

As a result, people in later generations often confuse him with Wanyan Chengyu or Hu Shahu, because their nicknames are also Jiujin. This is actually wrong. In historical records, Wanyan Jiujin clearly died in the Battle of Yehuling, but the other two were still alive and well after the Battle of Yehuling.

All in all, Wanyan Jiujin was indeed a formidable general of the Jurchens.

However, such a brave general could not believe his eyes when he saw that the Mongolian infantry were so brave and forced the most elite infantry of the Jin army to retreat step by step.

At this moment, a Meng'an hurriedly came to Wanyan Jiujin.

"Pacifier, something terrible is happening!"

"what's up?"

"We captured five barbarians from the grasslands, and the result... the result..."

"What's the result?"

"They were originally our people, and two of them were Jurchens. The grassland barbarians forced them to kill their own people and come here to fight us!"

"What? Our own people? Jurchens? I was wondering why these infantrymen were so powerful, it turns out they're ours! No way!"

After the initial panic, Wanyan Jiujin quickly calmed down and said, "Since they are our people, how could they work so hard for the grassland barbarians? Even if they surrendered their loyalty, this doesn't make sense!"

Meng'an said, "Because their military law is too strict. They only allow attack, not retreat. If ten households retreat, the heads of the ten households will be beheaded. If a hundred households retreat, the heads of the hundred households will be beheaded. If the heads of ten households die in battle, all ten of their men will be beheaded. If the heads of a hundred households die in battle, all one hundred of their men will be beheaded."

"Zhu Quanzhong's assassination at the end of the Tang Dynasty?"

Although Wanyan Jiujin came from a very humble background, he studied diligently after becoming a high-ranking official, and immediately thought of the title of Ba Dui Zhan.

Meng An said, "Not only will we kill the captured soldiers, but we can also take 10% of the spoils from each battle. In the Battle of Haoerzui, we can take 50% of the spoils. Not only that, there will also be an additional reward of five taels of silver per head, and those who perform great deeds will even be given beautiful women!"

"What a cruel Mongols! They offer both heavy punishments and generous rewards. Won't those captives fight tooth and nail for them? They're using us Jurchens to fight against the Jurchens! How can we fight this war?"

Wanyan Jiujin came from the lowest class, and he understood very well what the lowest-level soldiers wanted.

Because the treasury was empty, not only were the northern border troops often not paid, but even the salaries of the most elite troops could not be paid on time.

Reward? Where is the money? All the prepared reward money was left at Wuyue Camp by Duji Sizhong.

But the Mongols promised such a huge reward. Wouldn't the morale of both sides be so different?
At this moment, Wanyan Jiujin felt as if a basin of cold water was poured over his head, chilling him from head to toe.

Meng'an said anxiously, "Pacifier, what should we do now? Our brothers can't hold on any longer. Please ask Wanyan Canzheng to send reinforcements!"

(Four chapters in one)

(End of this chapter)