I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 316 Artillery Fire Arc
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The practice of using courtesy before resorting to force seems to be a common military strategy.

After Zhao Yu and Wanyan Aguda's negotiations broke down, the Jin army launched a fierce offensive.

Amidst heart-wrenching cries, the Jin army split into eastern and western routes:
The Eastern Route Army was commanded by Wanyan Xieye, who was the first of the "Twenty-One Meritorious Officials of Yanqing" in history and was known as the "Number One General of Jin". His subordinates included Wanyan Zongjun, Wanyan Zonggan, Wanyan Zongwang, Wanyan Zongfu, Wanyan Wuzhu and other famous generals of the royal family.

The Western Route Army was commanded by Wanyan Wulu, the commander of the Battle of Helandian, who was ordered to lead the army to suppress the uprising of Gao Yongchang, a Bohai native from Liaodong, and who defeated 60,000 Liao troops on the way to Yitui and captured Shenzhou. His subordinates included his nephews Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zhabaodi, Wanyan Loushi, the most valiant general of the Jin Dynasty, and Wanyan Yinshuke and Wanyan Xiyin, famous generals of the Jin Dynasty.

The Liao army faced off against the Jin army on the eastern route, while the Song army faced off against the Jin army on the western route.

The armies of the three kingdoms first launched repeated attacks with cavalry as a probing tactic.

After more than thirty battles, Wanyan Aguda discovered that although the Song cavalry, including the Jingse Army, were not weak, they were not much stronger than the Liao cavalry. Moreover, the Song army fought very conservatively, or rather, steadily and surely. The Jin army made several feigned defeats in an attempt to lure the Song cavalry deeper into their territory, but the Song army decisively chose to withdraw each time, not giving the Jin army any chance to engage the Song cavalry.

As for the Song Dynasty's infantry? How could two legs outrun four? They could only watch from afar as the cavalry clashed—as long as the cavalry didn't enter the infantry's firing range, the infantry had absolutely no way to deal with the cavalry.

On the Liao side, Yelü Chun and others also knew that this was their last chance. If they didn't fight well, the Liao Kingdom would really have no chance at all. Therefore, the Liao soldiers braved the arrows and stones of the Jin army and fought a bloody battle with the Jin army for nearly a hundred times. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. It can be seen that Liao generals such as Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi were really fighting desperately this time.

Time passes day by day.

The food supplies brought by the Jin army have run out.

Now let's look at the Song-Liao allied forces.

Because the battlefield was very close to the Yan-Yun region, and the Song Dynasty had recently built roads there and had a sufficient number of laborers, the Song-Liao allied forces not only had enough food, but also luxury items such as canned goods, so they had no pressure regarding supplies and provisions.

Seeing this, some of the younger generation of Jin generals, such as Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang, could no longer hold on. They all requested a decisive battle, no longer wanting to engage in such probing attacks, because they really couldn't afford to drag it out.

The main reason why Wanyan Aguda did not want to fight a decisive battle was that it would mean a large number of casualties, which was a loss that the Jin state with a small population was unwilling to bear. Also, Wanyan Aguda always felt that something was wrong.

However, the younger generation of Jin generals, such as Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang, were not wrong. If they did not fight a decisive battle soon, their supplies and provisions would wear them down.

Therefore, after discussing with Wanyan Xieye and Wanyan Wulu, Wanyan Aguda adjusted the eastern and western armies, secretly transferring generals such as Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Yinshuke to the eastern army. The plan was to focus the main attack on the eastern route, that is, to first defeat the Liao army, and then have the Jin army from both the east and west routes encircle the Song army and win the battle.

—Wanyan Aguda was still not at ease with Zhao Yu, so he chose the Liao army, which they were more confident of defeating, as the breakthrough point.

The following morning, as the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, the military camps of the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties erupted in chaos. War drums thundered and horns blared, as if the earth itself was trembling, foreshadowing the impending fierce battle that would determine the fate of the three kingdoms.

Liu Fa observed the changes in the Jin camp and said to Zhao Yu, "Your Majesty, the day of the decisive battle has arrived."

Zhao Yu thought to himself, 'Can we finally defeat the Jin army? Wanyan Aguda, you've wasted a lot of my time.'

Before the battle, Wanyan Zonghan, the commander-in-chief, raised his scimitar and shouted: "Capture the Emperor of the Great Song alive, and I will reward him with 100,000 cattle, horses, and sheep, and grant him the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households! Men, follow me and charge!"

After speaking, Wanyan Zonghan gave his younger brother, Wanyan Zhabaodi, who was the commander-in-chief of the armored heavy cavalry, a wink.

Upon seeing this, the tall and strong Wanyan Zabaodi spurred his warhorse and led the charge.

Three thousand well-trained, heavily armored cavalrymen followed closely behind Wanyan Zabaodi and charged out.

Subsequently, under the command of Wanyan Wulu and Wanyan Zonghan, the western Jin army, following the previously established attack formation, crossed the Qingshui River in stages and launched an attack on the Song army...

Wanyan Aguda wanted to open a breakthrough on the eastern route, but Wanyan Wolu, Wanyan Zonghan and others preferred to open a breakthrough on the western route.

This was mainly because, after adjustments, the Western Route Army was now primarily composed of the lineage of Chancellor Wanyan Sagai, representing the Jin nobility; while the Eastern Route Army was primarily composed of the lineage of Wanyan Aguda, representing the Jin royal family.

At the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, it was a union system, more like a joint-stock company. Wanyan Aguda was just the "chairman" and not an emperor in the traditional sense.

The Jin dynasty royal family, led by Wanyan Aguda and Wanyan Wugumai, longed to change this alliance system where the ruler and the subject were not truly in a position of power, and to establish a true feudal monarchy.

This was clearly not in the interest of the Jin nobles, led by Wanyan Sagai. The Jin nobles naturally preferred to maintain this alliance and continue to be "shareholders" of the Jin state.

The Jin nobles needed to use their achievements to intimidate the Jin royal family and prevent them from carrying out reforms.

Similarly, the Jin royal family also hoped to gain more credit to suppress the Jin nobles, make them submit to the Jin royal family's reforms, and make the Jin nobles subjects rather than partners.

This led to a competitive relationship between the eastern and western armies.

In their eagerness to gain credit, Wanyan Wulu and his nephew Wanyan Zonghan decided to take a desperate gamble, concentrating all their efforts to defeat the Song army, which meant using their most effective tactic: a central breakthrough employing their powerful cavalry.

Wanyan Wulu and Wanyan Zonghan used 3,000 heavily armored cavalry as the spearhead and 60,000 to 70,000 heavily armored cavalry as the two flanks of the wedge-shaped defensive line.

—The two flanks of the cone-shaped defensive line are extremely long, allowing the Jin army to move between the two flanks, which can be used for both focused attacks and focused defenses, making it very formidable.

If the Jin army on the western route can break through the Song army's central camp, it can continuously divide the Song army and achieve victory in this decisive battle.

The Song army's Crane Wing Formation was well-suited to "blunt their sharpness and break their wings," meaning the central army defended while the flanks attacked.

If the Song army's infantry can defend against the Jin army's attack from the west, they can encircle the Jin army from the west and win this decisive battle.

To put it bluntly, this is a battle between spear and shield.

As soon as the battle began, Wanyan Zabaodi, who was fully clad in cold-forged armor, led the way, calmly crossing the Luan River with his tall horse, which was also covered in cold-forged armor.

This type of cold-forged armor, also known as wart armor, is bluish-black in color, smooth and translucent enough to see hair through it. It is strung together with musk bark, making it thin yet tough, and its defensive performance is far superior to that of Song armor.

It was not made by the Liao Dynasty, but by the Qingtang Qiang people of the Western Xia Dynasty, and presented to the Liao Dynasty.

It can be said to be the most defensive armor of its time.

Moreover, what's most infuriating is that this kind of cold-forged armor was something the Song Dynasty couldn't replicate before.

Until the Song Dynasty recovered Western Xia.

Upon reaching the Three Arrows Land, the heavily armored cavalry, led by Wanyan Zhabaodi, mounted their horses.

Within three arrow-lengths of ground, they rode slowly on horseback, as if to coerce them.

With a single arrow's flight, they charged forward on horseback, routing the enemy ranks!
This was common sense in the warfare of the northern cavalry, and the Jin army also learned it.

Led by three thousand heavily armored cavalry, sixty to seventy thousand heavy cavalry mounted their horses and charged toward the Song army.

At the same time, the Jin army's heavy infantry mounted their horses and advanced rapidly between the two wing lines of the "∧".

According to Wanyan Wulu, Wanyan Zonghan and others, as long as they could get their heavy infantry within ten paces of the Song army, they would win the war.

The sight of nearly 100,000 armored cavalry, heavy cavalry, and heavy infantry running around was incredibly awe-inspiring, as if the earth itself was shaking!
There were no war drums, but the momentum of ten thousand horses galloping was even more awe-inspiring than war drums. The booming sound was like hundreds of thousands of lightning tribulations erupting at the end of the world!
If viewed from above, one would see a colossal cone, obscuring the sky, wedging itself towards the center of the Song army...

Zhao Jian was the twelfth son of Zhao Yu. At this time, he was at the forefront of the Song army's central army, serving as a shield soldier. He had a short hammer hanging on his left waist and carried ten thunderbolts on his back.

As a prince of the Song Dynasty, even if Zhao Jian chose to pursue a military career, he didn't need to start from the bottom. He could have had a higher starting point, such as studying martial arts like his brothers and then rising through the ranks as a low-ranking officer. However, after leaving the palace, Zhao Jian chose to study at the Imperial Academy, intending to achieve some success there before pursuing further martial arts training.

This is also the path followed by many of Zhao Yu's sons.

However, just as Zhao Jiangang was reading about the students in the middle school, the war broke out.

Zhao Jian did not choose to wait for another opportunity, but resolutely chose to join the army directly, even if he could only start as a private.

Zhao Jian made this choice because

Firstly, because his mother, Zhou, was just an ordinary palace maid in the harem, she was chosen by Cai Xuan to participate in the "Hainan Rendezvous" because of her beauty. As a result, she was lucky enough to conceive him. Therefore, he did not have a strong background. If he wanted to develop better, he would definitely have to rely on his own efforts.
Secondly, he wasn't the only one to make this choice; many of his brothers made the same choice, including his fourteenth brother, Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng was a prominent figure among the princes. Before he was even thirteen, he had already achieved the rank of Tan Hua in the imperial examination. Now he had been promoted to Shang She Sheng, and his literary talent was about to reach its peak. Crucially, his mother was Zhang Chun, a concubine whom Zhao Yu greatly favored. Not only was she favored, but she was also able to participate in political affairs.

Even someone as capable as Zhao Cheng chose to start from the bottom. At this moment, he was not far from Zhao Jian, and was in a similar position to Zhao Jian, except that he was a spearman, holding a spear instead of a shield. If the Jin army charged into their formation, they would definitely be among the first to engage them, and the chances of dying in battle were very high.

Although Zhao Jian didn't know why Zhao Cheng made such a choice, he knew that if he followed suit, he couldn't go wrong.

Seeing the Jin army charging towards them like an overwhelming force, Zhao Jian's legs went weak and his palms were covered in cold sweat. He felt as if he was about to lose his grip on his shield.

Zhao Jian glanced at Zhao Cheng secretly and found that he wasn't much better off than himself; he was also extremely nervous and was barely holding on.

Zhao Jian swallowed hard to moisten his dry throat. He thought to himself, 'If I can make it back alive this time, I'll not only bring honor to my mother, but I'll also surely earn my father's favor!'

With that thought in mind, Zhao Jian gripped the large shield in his hand tightly.

In the very center of the Song army's central formation, there was not a solid square formation, but a hollow one. Emperor Zhao Yu and his ministers had deployed hundreds of Li Lin cannons here, along with a large number of infantrymen armed with Li Lin muskets or Shenbi crossbows, as well as a large number of spearmen. Together, they formed this hollow formation, creating a 360-degree firepower circle with no blind spots.

The one in charge here was Li Lin, dressed as a eunuch.

Most of Zhao Yu's sons, such as Zhao Yan, Zhao Xiu, Zhao Da, Zhao Di, Zhao Wei, Zhao Jin, and Zhao Qing, were here. They were either artillerymen, musketeers, spearmen, junior officers, or low-ranking supervisors.

It's easy to see that this is definitely the best place to train people.

Zhao Yan and the others were also extremely nervous. Some of them even thought, 'Why should a prince like me come here to face such danger? A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.'

Even Zhao Yu's sons, unable to withstand such pressure, chose to give up participating in the war before it even began, opting instead to live as ordinary princes.

In response, Zhao Yu patted his sons on the head, said nothing harsh, and sent them back, fully respecting their choices.

Unlike the others who were extremely nervous, Li Lin was only excited.

Although she didn't become the overall commander of this battle, Li Lin was quite satisfied with being able to command the core hollow formation.

The Jin army is getting closer and closer.

Zhao Jiang, Li Lin's second son, who was personally operating one of Li Lin's cannons, looked at Li Lin with an anxious expression, as if asking, "Mother, aren't you going to fire the cannon?"

But Li Lin remained calm and collected, keeping the artillery under control.

Only when the Jin army's heavily armored cavalry was within an arrow's reach did Li Lin calmly order: "Fire."

As soon as Li Lin gave the order, the first two or three hundred Li Lin cannons simultaneously opened fire on the armored cavalry charging at the front.

"boom--!!!"

Hundreds of Li Lin cannons roared simultaneously, the sound waves like thunderclaps from the heavens, and even the ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble from the force.

The flames spewing from the cannons illuminated half the sky, and thick smoke instantly billowed into dark clouds, obscuring part of the sun above the Song army's central camp.

Shells, whistling through the air, hurtled towards the Jin army's armored cavalry like black meteors.

The first to charge to within an arrow's reach, Wanyan Zabaodi, wore a dark, translucent, cold-forged armor that gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and even the armor plates on his warhorse were completely impenetrable.

However, this cold-forged armor, which is considered "unbeatable in terms of defensive power" in modern times, is as fragile as paper in the face of Li Lin's cannonballs.

A cannonball grazed Wanyan Zabaodi's horse head and crashed directly into the Jin army's armored cavalry behind him.

First, the cannonball shattered the helmet and half of the head of an armored cavalryman, scalding flesh and bone fragments splattering onto the armor of the surrounding knights. Then, with the remaining force of the cannonball, it killed seven or eight more men.

These shells, landing in densely packed areas, reaped the lives of the Jin soldiers and men in droves.

The fallen men and horses became speed bumps, and the cavalry behind them, unable to stop in time, crashed into them, piling up in layers to form a mountain of flesh.

Wanyan Zabaodi watched as his bravest bodyguard was struck squarely in the chest by a cannonball.

The guard's cold-forged armor dented and cracked instantly, and the moment the cannonball pierced the armor, the resulting jet of blood sprayed all over his face.

Without uttering a sound, the guard was thrown from his horse like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing heavily to the ground. Dark red blood gushed from the cracks in his armor, and he remained motionless.

"Charge! Charge in!"

Wanyan Zabaodi, his eyes bloodshot, brandished his scimitar as he charged forward.

But a second round of shelling followed immediately.

Wanyan Zabaodi's good fortune vanished, and he was instantly engulfed by artillery fire.

The so-called "strongest defense in modern times," the cold-forged armor, was constantly cracking and deforming under the fire, with fragments of armor mixed with blood and flesh flying everywhere, becoming the footnote to death.

When the third volley of cannon fire rang out, the Jin army's momentum had completely collapsed. The once overwhelming torrent of cavalry had now become a desperate struggle of remnants amidst the artillery fire. The corpses piled higher and higher on the banks of the Luan River, blocking the path of the following Jin cavalry, some of which were swept away by the river, staining half the riverbed red.

The violent explosion caused chaos and destruction, with people and horses falling to the ground. The black smoke from the explosion swept across the land more and more intensely, and many plumes of black smoke from the explosions rose into the air like whirlwinds from the already cratered sandy land!
Under the seemingly endless black smoke, there was chaos everywhere, with men and horses being trampled and crushed. The terrified Jin soldiers and their warhorses ran wildly across the battlefield, completely bewildered...

Those Jin cavalrymen who were still able to ride horses, seeing the hellish scene ahead, reined in their horses amidst the roar of cannons, their fierce courage replaced by fear.

This was no battle; it was a one-sided massacre. The heavy armor of the Jin troops had no chance to even struggle against Li Lin's cannons.

When the roar of modern firearms drowned out the sound of horses' hooves, and when the trajectory of cannonballs pierced the pride of cold-forged armor, the outcome of this war was predetermined from the start—not a contest between spear and shield, but an era crushing era.

And this is not the scariest thing.

The most terrifying thing was that the fierce attack of the Jin army on the western route, which was originally like a flood, was actually stopped by the dense artillery fire of the Song army.

It is common knowledge that once cavalry stops, they are at the mercy of infantry...

……

(End of this chapter)