The prince is more stable

Chapter 428: Unexpected Decisive Battle
The unexpected decisive battle came early.

In this battle, both the enemy and us were confused and had no idea why.

The only person who knew about it was probably Yelu Chun.

He knew what he was doing, and he knew he had no choice.

If the Liao army was defeated in the Song-Liao War, Yelu Chun might be held responsible and demoted or even imprisoned. However, if anything happened to the crown prince, Yelu Chun's fate would not be as simple as being demoted and imprisoned.

The crown prince of a country went out to fight with the army, but he lost his people and fell into the hands of the Song army. Guess how Yelu Hongji would react?
The coach was unaware? Did the Crown Prince act on his own?
Haha, would Yelu Hongji tell you these principles?

No matter how innocent Yelu Chun was, he had to take the blame.

What does it mean to be the commander-in-chief of an army? Do you really think it's as simple as sitting in the general's tent and giving orders?
The commander-in-chief is responsible for everything in the army, whether good or bad, embarrassing or shameful. No matter whether you know it or not, no matter how innocent you are, as the commander-in-chief you must take responsibility, and if something goes wrong, the commander-in-chief must be held accountable.

Forty thousand troops attacked the Song army like crazy. Didn't the battle-hardened Yelu Chun know that this was a taboo in military strategy?
But he had no other choice. Yelu Yanxi had most likely fallen into the hands of the Song army. Before the Song army could react, the only way to make up for the loss was to immediately take Yelu Yanxi back from the Song army and suppress the matter.

If Yelu Yanxi acts as if nothing happened after returning, then all consequences will still be within the controllable range, and Yelu Chun will be able to protect himself to the greatest extent.

If he cannot be rescued, it doesn't matter what happens to Yelu Yanxi. Yelu Chun's fate will definitely be worse than death. Family, official titles, fame and fortune, everything he has worked hard for most of his life will be wiped out. The entire family will be dragged down by him and reduced to commoners.

This is why Yelu Chun attacked the Song army like crazy.

Rather than saying that the 40,000 Liao troops launched a general attack, it would be more accurate to say that it was Yelu Chun's personal crazy counterattack before his death, a strategy of mutual destruction.

The Crown Prince cannot be saved, I cannot survive, and no one else can expect to survive.

At this time, the Song army, from Zhao Xiaoqian to Zhong Jianzhong, Zhang Rong, Zhe Keshi, and ordinary soldiers, were all a little confused by the crazy actions of the Liao army.

The 30,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion had a unified thought in their minds: who stirred up the hornet's nest, and why were the Liao army so furious and ready to fight to the death?

It's incomprehensible. The monthly salary is only a few cents. Why are you risking your lives?

At this time, the main force of the Longwei Camp, with 20,000 soldiers and horses, was about 20 miles away from the ambush site of Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi's troops. All the war horses in the camp were used, and those who were short of horses had to run a forced march.

While the Liao army rushed towards Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi's troops in frustration, the Song army also rushed to support Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi's troops in frustration.

Both sides were furious, but they didn't know why they were so angry, and the battle was a mess.

In this unexpected battle, the center of the storm of war was inexplicably concentrated on the ambush site of Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi's troops, or more precisely, on the 5,000-man wing army of Shao Jing and Feng Sheng.

…………

Within an hour, Zhao Xiaoqian led 20,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp and rushed towards Zhang Rongzhe Keshi at full speed.

At the same time, 40,000 Liao troops also overwhelmingly pressed towards the ambush circle of Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi.

The scouts of both sides discovered each other's whereabouts, and before the two armies started fighting, the scouts had already started fighting.

In this situation, Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi had already realized that an ambush was meaningless as their whereabouts had been discovered by the enemy. They could only fight head-on.

So Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi ordered their troops to form a battle line. On this snowy plain, 10,000 soldiers from the Dragon Guard Battalion faced 40,000 Liao troops.

At the same time, 40,000 Liao troops arrived and began to form a battle line.

On the wilderness plain, the spring weather was chilly, and 50,000 soldiers stood facing each other quietly.

The wind was howling on the plain, and the atmosphere was filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere. The war horses seemed to feel the oppression of the coming storm and stamped their hooves restlessly on the spot.

Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi stared quietly at the massive Liao army two miles away, their faces extremely solemn.

What does 40,000 troops mean?
It's not like the few hundred people standing loosely together in movies and TV shows. In fact, there are real 40,000 soldiers and the feeling given by the scene is completely different.

It was an endless sea of ​​black armor, war horses, and soldiers tightly arranged in various square formations. If 40,000 people took a step in unison, it would cause a small earthquake nearby.

What Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi were facing at this moment was the endless Liao army.

Anyone with a little bit of courage would be frightened to death by the oppressive and suffocating atmosphere just by looking at the size and momentum of the enemy.

It is no exaggeration to say that except for the ancients, no one knows what it feels like to face tens of thousands of people.

The 10,000 soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion under Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi were also a little frightened. They were the elite of the Song Dynasty, but after all, they had not experienced many battles.

When they broke into the hinterland of Western Xia and captured the capital, they were all temporary encounters, small-scale ambushes and raids, and they had never experienced a confrontation involving tens of thousands of people.

At this moment, it was impossible for the 10,000 Dragon Guard Battalion soldiers to say they were not afraid when facing the 40,000 Liao troops. After all, the weak character of the Song army could not be reversed in just one or two years.

But despite their fear, the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp gritted their teeth and formed their battle formation silently.

I'm scared, but I can't retreat, let alone escape.

At some point, the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion developed a sense of military honor. They knew only that retreating was shameful and they felt embarrassed to stay in the Dragon Guard Battalion. It was unclear who had endowed them with this sense of honor, and as for the reason, it was unclear whether it was Zhao Xiaoqian's personal charm or the unprecedented huge benefits the Dragon Guard Battalion had achieved.

In short, when this army of 10,000 soldiers faced the 40,000 Liao troops, not a single one fled or retreated.

Zhang Rong and Zhe Keshi looked at each other, and a smile suddenly flashed across their solemn expressions.

Being able to remain undefeated when facing a strong opponent qualifies you as an "elite".

"Brothers, don't panic. Trust your generals and the flintlocks in your hands!" Zhang Rong raised his sword and shouted, glaring, "Ten thousand soldiers and horses will all be killed before the flintlocks!"

The sound of drums was like a shot of adrenaline to the ten thousand soldiers, and their morale, which had been somewhat depressed, instantly rose.

"Kill!" the soldiers of the Dragon Guard Camp shouted in unison.

Ten thousand people roared with the momentum of a hundred thousand soldiers. The air on the battlefield seemed to freeze. A group of sparrows flapped their wings in panic and flew away. In the cold wind of early spring, the murderous intent became more and more solid.

Yes, no matter how strong the enemy is, it is enough to just believe in the flintlock in your hand.

The Dragon Guard Battalion is not only capable of fighting in favorable situations, but can also handle unfavorable situations!

In the Liao army formation ahead, war drums suddenly sounded, one after another, and the rapid rhythm made the heartbeats of both the enemy and us suddenly accelerate.

At the same time, nearly 10,000 cavalrymen in the vanguard of the Liao army lined up and slowly moved to the sound of war drums.

The cavalry first advanced slowly, then began to speed up. What was amazing was that no matter how fast or slow, the Liao cavalry's formation did not become disordered at all. Looking from above the battlefield, the 10,000 cavalry were like a long sharp arrow, swiftly piercing towards the center of the Dragon Guard Camp.

As the Liao cavalry launched their charge, Zhang Rong raised his hand and shouted, "Form your formation! First row, follow my command!"

The greatest reliance of the Ten Thousand Dragon Guards Battalion was the flintlock rifles in their hands. At this time, they did not make any fancy formations. They quickly arranged themselves into four horizontal rows according to the previous training manuals. The first row had already loaded the gunpowder and loaded the bullets and squatted down, holding the flintlock rifles horizontally, quietly aiming at the Liao cavalry that was approaching at a rapid speed.

At this time, the Liao cavalry was only one mile, half a mile, eight hundred steps, five hundred steps away from the front of the Dragon Guard Camp...

Zhang Rong's eyes were fixed on the distance of the Liao cavalry, and he was silently calculating the range of the flintlock rifle in his mind.

When they were about 300 steps away, Zhang Rong decisively shouted, "First row, fire!"

With a loud bang, the galloping Liao cavalry fell off their horses one after another. In the blink of an eye, they were trampled into meat paste by their comrades' horses behind them. At the same time, the huge size of the men and horses also created obstacles for the Liao cavalry behind them. Many Liao cavalry were tripped and then trampled into meat paste.

In the first round of volleys, one-third of the 10,000 Liao cavalrymen who were charging were killed or stumbled.

The Liao cavalry ignored their comrades who were trampled on the ground and continued to charge. However, immediately afterwards, the second round of volleys from the Dragon Guard Battalion followed.

Following a burst of gunfire, thousands more Liao cavalry fell to the ground, and the third round of volleys arrived...

In the center of the Liao army, Yelu Chun was riding on his horse, staring expressionlessly at the Liao cavalry's charge, the Song army's volleys, and the tragic casualties of his own cavalry.

As the head coach, Yelu Chun had no expression on his face, but at this moment he was extremely shocked in his heart. His pupils suddenly dilated and then shrank as small as needles.

Is this... the Song army's firearm?
Today was the first time that Yelu Chun witnessed the power of the Song army's firearms with his own eyes. It was indeed as described by the Liao envoys such as Xiao Guangjing.

The invincible Liao army was like a helpless baby in front of this firearm that could take people's lives within a few hundred steps.

Ten thousand cavalrymen were sent out to charge, and nearly half of them had been killed, but they had not yet reached the front line of the Song army, and there was still more than a hundred steps left.

These short distances of more than a hundred steps were enough for the Song army to fire three more rounds of firearms.

After three volleys, even if the Liao cavalry charged into the Song army's front lines, how many would be left alive? Even if they charged into the Song army's front lines, what would be the point? What would it have changed the outcome?
At this moment, Yelu Chun's eyes were filled with awe, unwillingness, and loss.

It is a commemoration and struggle of the end of an era.

After just one charge, Yelu Chun had deeply realized that the era of the Liao army's invincibility had quietly come to an end.

The State of Song already had the strength and confidence to rise.

Beforehand, he was reluctant to engage in a head-on battle with the Song army for a long time, always feeling unsure. Facts proved that his premonition was correct.

The Liao army was already defeated by the Song army's 10,000 troops.

Yelu Chun knew better than anyone that all 30,000 soldiers of the Song army's Dragon Guard Battalion were equipped with firearms. If the 40,000 Liao army were facing 30,000 firearms today, they would probably be doomed to defeat as soon as the battle began.

If it weren't for Yelu Yanxi, Yelu Chun would have still been somewhat confident that the reinforcements transferred from Shangjing would contain the trump card he expected to restrain the Song army's firearms.

pity……

One person changed the outcome of a war.

(End of this chapter)