I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

...

After the Song Dynasty's expeditionary force successively left the Wakhan Corridor and arrived in Central Asia, it immediately divided into three routes to prepare for a full-scale attack on the Western Karakhanid Khanate.

The three armies agreed to assemble outside Samarkand and seize the Western Karakhanid Khanate in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, the Central Asian coalition led by Sanjar also arrived in the Qatwan region north of Samarkand.

Half a month later, the left wing of the Song Dynasty's army, the expeditionary force led by Han Shizhong and Zhao Li, encountered the Central Asian allied forces led by Sanjar.

A hundred miles west of Hisar Pass, on the desolate plains on the north bank of the Amu Darya River, the morning mist had not yet dissipated. The scout cavalry of the Song Dynasty's left wing army, led by locals who had pledged allegiance to the Song Dynasty, cautiously explored the unknown territory.

Li Hu, a scout of Han Shizhong's "Tabai Army," was leading a small team hidden behind the red willow bushes when suddenly a dense array of banners appeared in his telescope.

There were black battle flags embroidered with the Seljuk crescent emblem, lion-patterned banners of the Ghurid Kingdom, waterbird totems of Mazandaran, and eagle flags of West Kyrgyzstan, stretching for dozens of miles and blotting out the sky.

Li Hu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately fired a signal cannon to inform Wang Sheng, the commander of the Ta Bai Army: "There's a situation at the front!"

Upon seeing the signal cannon, Wang Sheng immediately dispatched a hot air balloon squad to scout the enemy's situation.

Soon, the Song Dynasty had a clear understanding of the enemy's situation and sent the intelligence to the rear. In the end, they even sent the enemy's defense map to Han Shizhong.

Compared to the high efficiency of the Song Dynasty, the Central Asian allied forces were much slower.

However, this is Central Asia, the territory of the allied forces, and there will definitely be many locals providing the Central Asian allied forces with intelligence about the Song army.

However, this intelligence is a mess and not very accurate.

Sanjar and his men went to great lengths to find out that the Song army numbered about 200,000 to 300,000. They had some Li Lin cannons, but the number was probably not large. They had 30,000 to 40,000 light and heavy cavalry. The cavalry mainly used sabers, maces, and crossbows as their weapons. There were more light cavalry than heavy cavalry, and a small number of armored cavalry. The infantry mainly used Shenbi crossbows and Li Lin cannons. The army had a large number of mules and horses, as well as a large number of cars and tractors that did not yet exist in Central Asia.

In short, the intelligence that Sanjar and his men had gathered was similar to the intelligence that Mehmed II had given them, and they realized that they had encountered the main force of the Song army.

Sanjar sat upright on his gilded saddle, listening to his subordinates report: "It seems that our army is bound to have a battle with this Song army."

The leaders of the allied forces burst into laughter upon hearing this. King Massoud of Ghur scoffed, "They're nothing but a rabble of two hundred thousand. Our million-strong army can crush them like ants!"

Prince Salbise of Khorasan echoed, "Our allied forces should form a full battle array, with the infantry in front forming a shield wall and the cavalry flanking from both sides. We must annihilate this Song army in one battle!"

Marshal Mond of Sigistan said in a deep voice, "Our army must not be careless. Do not forget that not long ago the Song army defeated our 600,000 with 200,000 troops."

Commander Gurkidan of Mazanland mocked Mehmed II: "This is all because the Karakhan is unwise and lacks strategy. He deployed 600,000 troops in a narrow area. How could he not be defeated?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, believing that the reason Muhammad II suffered a huge defeat in the Battle of the Wakhan Corridor was because of his flawed military strategy, which allowed the Song army to win with fewer troops.

Sanjar thought so too. Now they outnumbered the enemy five to one and were fighting on an open plain. Their hundreds of thousands of cavalry could absolutely crush the Song army.

However, Sanjar also saw from the letter that Mehmed II had given him that the Song army's weapons, especially the Li Lin cannons, were very powerful and should not be underestimated.

Therefore, Sanjar said, "Be careful."

Just then, someone reported: "The Song army has stopped and is setting up defenses, seemingly afraid that our army will come to join the battle!"

Let's turn back the clock by one day.

After receiving Wang Sheng's report in the central command tent, Han Shizhong discussed strategies and tactics with Zhao Li and others, comparing them with the enemy's defense map. Then, Han Shizhong began to arrange his troops.

"A million-strong coalition? That saves us the trouble of taking the detour through Bukhara." Han Shizhong stroked his beard and sneered, pointing to the low hills in the center of the Qatwan steppe. "This place is flanked by tributaries of the Amu Darya River, and the terrain in the middle is open, perfect for showcasing firearms. Issue my orders: the laborers shall immediately construct temporary artillery fortifications, cannons shall be positioned on both sides of the hills, musketeers shall form three ranks, archers shall provide cover, light and heavy cavalry shall guard the flanks, and soldiers from the affiliated tribes shall be responsible for vigilance. Transport ammunition to the battlefield as quickly as possible..."

As Han Shizhong's swift and precise orders were relayed from the Song army's staff to the various Song armies, more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians quickly sprang into action. They built makeshift artillery fortifications with wood and stones, and dozens of Li Lin cannons, their covers removed, pointed their dark muzzles toward the eastern grasslands.

The tiger-squatting guns of various units were also gathered together and deployed.

In addition, feeling that their artillery firepower was insufficient, the Song soldiers began to modify the oil drums in their ranks into "heartless cannons," as Li Lin had taught them in his early years, in order to enhance the Song army's firepower.

All the soldiers were checking their weapons, preparing for this crucial battle.

Even the small Central Asian countries, tribes, and forces that had pledged allegiance to the Song Dynasty were sharpening their knives, preparing to earn military merits that could be exchanged for territory and resources from the Song Dynasty.

Three days later, the vanguard of the Central Asian coalition forces arrived at the battlefield.

The vanguard of the Central Asian coalition consisted entirely of cavalry. Upon arriving at the battlefield, they quickly occupied strategic locations, adopting a fighting posture that allowed them to advance or retreat at will.

The purpose was to prevent the Song army from launching an attack before they were fully assembled.

Just like the Battle of Talas before.

Despite the fact that the Song army was equipped with a number of motor vehicles such as cars and tractors, at this time, motor vehicles, whether in terms of speed or agility, were no better than warhorses. Their only two advantages were that they had a larger carrying capacity and greater sustainability than warhorses.

In this situation, whether or not this battle will take place depends on the vanguard of the Central Asian coalition forces.

After all, if they didn't want to fight, they could simply turn their horses around and escape the battlefield.

This is also what the vanguard of the Central Asian allied forces wanted to tell the Song Dynasty: If you want to fight this battle, don't try any tricks. Wait for our million-strong army to assemble properly. Otherwise, we'll leave and find another opportunity to fight you. After all, we are fighting on our home soil, so it's much easier for us to raise supplies, provisions, and troops than for you.

Faced with this situation, Han Shizhong and others did not insist on catching the enemy off guard, but continued to prepare for the battle.

Subsequently, various Central Asian armies arrived at the battlefield one after another.

It took about half a month for the more than one million troops of the Central Asian coalition to finally arrive at the battlefield.

A million-strong army spread out like a black tide sweeping across the grasslands. The infantry held large leather shields and spears like a forest, while the cavalry wore chainmail and armor, wielding sabers and lances, their imposing presence overwhelming.

……

On this day, the wind on the Katwan Grassland swept through the hastily built wooden and stone fortifications of the Song army, turning the shouts of the million-strong allied army into a deafening roar.

Sanjar waved his gilded banner, and a black tide of infantry advanced, their massive leather shields forming a continuous wall, spears protruding from the gaps in the shields like dense thorns pointing to the sky.

The cavalry on both flanks began to accelerate, their chainmail and armor reflecting a cold, hard luster in the sunlight. The gleam of their sabers and lances mingled with the vibrations of their hooves, billowing dust that blotted out the sky.

Han Shizhong, Zhao Li, and others stood on a command platform built high on a hill to direct the battle. The moment the enemy vanguard entered the firing range of Li Lin's cannons, under Han Shizhong's command, the messenger's command flag was suddenly waved down.

The artillery fortress, which had been poised to fire, suddenly roared. Dozens of Li Lin cannons simultaneously spat fire, and iron bullets tore through the air with sharp whistling sounds, slamming into the Allied forces' shield wall.

The sounds of cowhide and wood shattering mingled with the screams of soldiers as several huge gaps were instantly torn in the shield wall. Subsequent shells exploded amidst the dense infantry ranks, spraying blood everywhere.

The tiger-squat cannons on both sides opened fire simultaneously, and the shrapnel rained down like a storm, sweeping down a large number of Allied soldiers near the breach.

The allied forces did not stop advancing. Sanjar's central banner continued to point forward, and the infantry stepped over the corpses of their comrades to fill the gaps. The cavalry on both flanks accelerated their pace, attempting to bypass the artillery fire zone and rush straight to the Song army's flanks.

Just then, the sound of orderly loading rang out from the Song army formation. Three rows of Li Lin's musketeers simultaneously raised their guns, aiming the muzzles at the approaching cavalry.

"put!"

At a command, Li Lin, in the front row, pulled the trigger. In a flash of light, lead bullets poured out like a swarm of bees. The cavalrymen at the forefront fell off their horses one after another. Their horses were frightened and went berserk, disrupting the formation of the cavalry behind them.

Li Lin, the musketeer in the front row, retreated to the back row to reload, and the second row immediately opened fire. The continuous gunfire rolled across the grassland like thunder, firmly suppressing the momentum of the Allied cavalry's charge.

The archers, positioned behind Li Lin's musketeers, drew their bows taut like full moons, unleashing a hail of arrows that rained down on the Allied infantry attempting to break through the gap.

Those unscrupulous cannons, modified from oil drums, also proved their power. The explosive charges were ignited and thrown into the air, exploding in the Allied lines. Shards and iron filings flew everywhere, and their destructive power far exceeded that of ordinary artillery. Each explosion cleared an area, making the Allied advance extremely difficult.

Soldiers from Central Asian tribes who had surrendered to the Song Dynasty stood guard at the front of the battle lines, wielding curved swords and cutting down the scattered soldiers of the allied forces one by one, thus maintaining the integrity of the Song army's formation.

The allied cavalry finally broke through the Song army's fire line and attacked the Song army's flanks.

Princes Zhao Dan, Zhao Wei, and Zhao Tong led their light and heavy cavalry to meet them immediately.

The Song army's light cavalry, armed with sabers and crossbows, nimbly weaved through the allied cavalry, using their speed advantage to ambush and kill lone riders; while the heavy cavalry, clad in armor and wielding maces and spears, charged head-on into the allied cavalry formation like an iron torrent.

The crisp sound of clashing sabers, the muffled thud of maces striking armor, and the mournful cries of warhorses mingled together, instantly turning the battlefield on both flanks into a blood-soaked grinder.

Prince Zhao Meng personally led a heavily armored cavalry force, flanking the allied cavalry and splitting them in two. With the help of infantry firepower, the divided allied cavalry were annihilated one by one.

Sanjar looked at the carnage on the battlefield, his face turning ashen.

The power of Song's Li Lin cannons far exceeded his expectations. The explosion of the Heartless Cannons terrified him and the allied soldiers. The Song army also had the very flexible and powerful Thunderclap Bomb, which could explode in one go, and the cavalry advantage that they were originally proud of was completely wiped out in the face of this dense firepower.

Sanjar attempted to mobilize the central infantry for a general offensive, but found that the Song army's artillery fire constantly covered the route of the charge, resulting in heavy casualties with each advance.

The Song army maintained a disciplined formation, with three ranks of Li Lin's musketeers firing alternately, archers providing continuous suppression, and artillery fire from the fortified positions constantly adjusting its angle to accurately strike the allied forces' assembly points.

The fierce battle lasted from dawn to dusk, leaving the grasslands littered with corpses and severed limbs, and the tributaries of the Amu Darya River stained dark red with blood.

The allied offensive gradually weakened, and the morale of the Central Asian allied soldiers plummeted under continuous artillery and arrow fire, beginning to show signs of collapse.

Han Shizhong seized the opportunity and ordered a full-scale counterattack. The cavalry on both flanks pursued the enemy, while Li Lin's musketeers and archers advanced, extending their artillery fire to sweep away the remaining resistance.

Those Central Asian tribal soldiers who had surrendered to the Song Dynasty fought bravely, hacking and slashing among the fleeing soldiers to compete for military merit.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Sanjar had no choice but to order a retreat.

The remaining allied soldiers abandoned their armor and fled in panic along the north bank of the Amu Darya River, with Song cavalry in hot pursuit, continuously reaping the lives of the fleeing soldiers...

As the sun set, the smoke of battle gradually dissipated on the Katwan Grassland. The Song army's banners fluttered in the wind on the hills, and hundreds of thousands of Song soldiers stood amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, their bodies covered in blood, yet their eyes gleamed with the light of victory.

It is worth mentioning that although the battle ended in another victory for the Song army, the Song army also suffered considerable losses.

In the post-battle summary, the Song army defeated a million-strong Central Asian coalition force, killing and wounding over 100,000 Central Asian coalition soldiers, while the Song army also suffered nearly 40,000 casualties.

This was the largest casualty suffered by the Song army since its westward expedition.

The reason why the Song army suffered such heavy casualties was...

Firstly, the Central Asian coalition forces were far too numerous, five times the size of the Song army—and this was even with the Song's laborers included.
Secondly, the heartless cannon, which made great contributions in the first half of the battle, caused a major disaster in the second half.

This heartless cannon was modified from a gasoline drum, filled with black powder as propellant. It could launch the explosive charge up to 300 meters, with an explosion radius of 20 meters. The caliber of this weapon was absolutely astonishing—the caliber was as large as the drum. The powerful blast from the huge explosive charge would blow up bunkers and people wherever it passed. Many enemies who were blown down often had no visible wounds, but were bleeding from all seven orifices, and died from the shock. It could indeed be called extremely powerful.

The problem is that the consequences of using fake cannons are endless.

The amount of black powder to fill depends entirely on the artilleryman's experience, and the walls of the oil drums are too thin, making them prone to exploding, especially during intense battles.

This time, the Song army suffered a great loss.

In fact, by around 1 p.m., the allied forces could no longer hold out.

But just then, a heartless cannon exploded.

Not only were the dozen or so artillerymen nearby wiped out on the spot.

This massive explosion also triggered a huge chain reaction.

After that heartless cannon exploded, all the explosive charges at the artillery position were detonated.

Then the explosive charges at the nearby artillery positions were also detonated.

That massive explosion destroyed dozens of Song army cannons and killed or wounded nearly a thousand people.

Crucially, this created a breach in the previously stable Song army battle formation, which the Central Asian allied forces seized upon to launch a fierce attack, inflicting considerable casualties on the Song army.

Later, it was Zhao Li who personally led the Song Dynasty's elite reserve force into the battlefield and defeated the Central Asian coalition again.

Although the left-wing expeditionary force won this major battle, it also suffered heavy casualties and was unable to pursue the Central Asian allied forces. So it stayed in place, cleaned up the battlefield, counted the spoils of war, and rested its troops...

...(End of this chapter)