The prince is more stable

Chapter 460 One enemy

Thirty miles west of Feihu Bingmasi, when the 20,000 Liao troops unexpectedly encountered the Song army that had been waiting in formation, the Liao generals knew that the purpose of the surprise attack had failed.

It is impossible to withdraw troops now, and the only option is a head-on confrontation.

But the Liao army general was not panicked. He had a heavily armored cavalry under his command, which was an army that Yelu Chun once regarded as a trump card. It was the elite among the elite of the Liao army.

The number of heavy cavalry was small, only more than 2,000.

The entire Liao Kingdom had less than 10,000 heavy armored cavalry. It was not that the Liao Kingdom was unwilling to expand its heavy armor, but that the conditions for building heavy armored cavalry were too harsh.

First of all, the war horses must be strong and powerful, and the soldiers must also be sturdy and powerful. Then there are weapons and heavy armor. Every piece of armor on the armor must be repeatedly hammered and refined. Even the war horses under the mount must be covered with armor.

To build a heavily armored cavalry is extremely costly for the country, just like the heavily armored combined brigades of later generations. Despite the efforts of the entire country, only 29 brigades were equipped. Is the country unwilling to build more?

Of course not, because it’s expensive!

Today, the Liao Kingdom's 2,000-strong heavily armored cavalry is lined up opposite the Song Army. The Liao Army generals are well aware of the power of the Song Army's firearms, but at this moment they are also full of confidence.

He firmly believed that no matter how powerful the firearms were, they could not penetrate heavy armor, and that the heavily armored cavalry only needed one charge to tear through the Song army's defense line.

It's time to let the Song army know what true strength is. Do they really think they can be invincible with just a firewood stick? Then all the wars throughout history, and the many lives they have sacrificed, are too cheap.

The only thing that determines victory or defeat is a bloody fight with swords and guns.

The sky was pitch black, but the dawn was already visible in the east.

Chou hour, Yin hour, Mao hour...

As the sky grew brighter and brighter, the pre-dawn light pierced the darkness. Outside the wilderness, the emotions of the soldiers of the two armies became increasingly tense.

The time for a bloody battle is approaching!
"Come here, get the war drums ready, soldiers, beat them when you hear them!" Zhe Keshi turned his head and shouted.

The Song army soldiers responded with a roar.

Zhe Keshi's eyes were bloodshot and excited at this moment. He stared at the opposite side intently. In his eyes, the dark shadows of the Liao army were no longer living people, but heads that could be exchanged for military merits.

At this moment when the war was about to begin, Zhe Keshi suddenly felt infinite gratitude towards Zhao Xiaoqian.

If I hadn't met His Royal Highness the Prince by chance in the northwest, he wouldn't have remembered me, let alone transferred me all the way from the northwest to Zhending Prefecture.

Soldiers make a living by fighting, and Zhe Keshi is no exception. He longs for military exploits, promotion and title, and glory for his family. The world-famous Zhe family army gallops across the northwest, and every member of the Zhe family is like a dragon. No matter where they are, they are all pioneers and brave generals of the Song Dynasty.

Another war is about to begin today, but for Zhe Keshi, this is a military achievement that His Royal Highness the Prince has brought to his lips.

The war drum was pushed to the rear army formation. Zhe Keshi looked up at the sky. There was light in the east. In the dim light, he could vaguely see the formation of the Liao army on the opposite side.

Looking carefully in the dawn light, Zhe Keshi suddenly smiled.

Sure enough, about two thousand heavily armored cavalrymen of the Liao army had lined up in the front line. These cavalrymen were covered with black iron armor and even had iron masks on their faces.

The warhorse under him was even more majestic and powerful, slightly taller than an ordinary warhorse. The warhorse was also covered with iron armor, with only its four hooves exposed.

The weapons held by this heavily armored cavalry were spears about ten feet long. When the spears were raised in the formation, it looked like a black jungle, exuding a strong murderous aura.

"Is this the heavy armored cavalry that the Liao Kingdom is proud of?" Zhe Keshi narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself.

There was no fear on his face, but rather an excitement that seemed eager to try.

I am happy to hear about the war. I have been wanting to decide it for a long time!
As the sky grew brighter and the light around the quiet battlefield became more and more abundant, as if by agreement beforehand, the sound of war drums was heard from the rear lines of both armies at the same time.

The rumbling of the war drums had a brisk and rapid rhythm, and the soldiers' fighting spirit was completely ignited by the sound of the war drums. The troops of both sides began to get ready to move.

"Four thousand soldiers will suppress the left and right wings, and the rest will face the enemy head-on!" Zhe Keshi shouted, raising his sword.

As soon as he finished speaking, the war drums on the opposite side suddenly stopped. At the same time, more than 2,000 heavily armored cavalrymen rode their horses and began to advance.

The speed of the war horses was not fast, after all, they were wearing heavy armor, but they gave people a very thick, indestructible feeling of suffocation. Watching them advance step by step, it was like a solid wall of steel pressing towards them.

Zhe Keshi remained fearless and full of confidence.

He personally tried out the upgraded flintlock rifle and was amazed at the Prince's magical ingenuity, but he also disdained the so-called heavy armor.

He knew what range was needed to penetrate the seemingly thick armor.

Today is the first actual combat.

The Liao army's heavily armored cavalry had begun to accelerate, their horses' hooves trampling on the fertile land, rolling away like a hurricane. While galloping, their formation remained intact, like a sharp iron spike, fiercely piercing the heart of the Song army.

Zhe Keshi stared at the distance of the heavy armored cavalry without blinking, from 800 steps, to 600 steps, to 400 steps...

"All troops, get ready, first row!" Zhe Keshi raised his hand, and the flag officers on both sides of the team raised their command flags high.

Zhe Keshi gritted his teeth and swung his arm down heavily, and the flag officer's flag also fell at the same time. "Release!"

There was a loud bang and smoke rose all around.

The heavy armored cavalry on the opposite side who were charging had already fallen down in a rush.

This result shocked not only the Liao army generals, but also the heavy cavalry.

Every Liao army soldier showed an expression of disbelief. It seemed as if time on the battlefield had suddenly stopped. In just a short moment, the actions of both sides were frozen.

The Liao army commander's pupils shrank into needle points, and a glimmer of despair finally appeared in his eyes.

He saw with his own eyes that groups of heavily armored cavalrymen fell off their horses and were trampled into the mud by the cavalrymen behind them.

But...how is this possible!

These were heavily armored cavalry! Each of them carried over 60 kilograms of armor, yet the Song army's firearms were able to penetrate them?

This elite force, which Yelu Chun regarded as his trump card, was taught a lesson by the Song army's first round of firearms fire. Not only did they learn how to be human, but they were also taught how to be reborn as human beings.

Compared to the shock of the Liao army, cheers broke out in front of the Song army on the opposite side.

The fall of the first batch of heavily armored cavalry confirmed the power of the upgraded firearms.

The so-called heavily armored cavalry were ultimately no match for the Song army's firearms.

Zhe Keshi waved his fist excitedly, rode his horse back and forth in the central army, and finally came to the rear army, kicked the soldier who was beating the drum down, took the drumstick himself with his bare chest, and started beating it hard.

"Pass the order, the formation must not be disrupted, press forward with the left and right wings! Get ready--!" Zhe Keshi shouted while beating the drum.

…………

At the same time, at the Yishui River east of Feihu Bingmasi.

Zhang Rong led 10,000 soldiers from the Dragon Guard Camp and quietly crossed the Yishui River.

Crossing the river without being noticed is the most troublesome thing. Zhang Rong's method is the same as that of the Liao army tonight. They both took a detour to the Yishui River twenty miles away, chose the narrowest section of the river, and the soldiers temporarily built floating bridges and quietly crossed the Yishui River.

Next, they galloped towards the Liao army camp on the north bank of the Juma River.

The Liao army camp has a total of more than 30,000 people. In order to raid the Feihu Bingmasi tonight, the Liao army dispatched 20,000 soldiers and horses, and there are more than 10,000 people left in the camp.

Among the 10,000 Dragon Guard soldiers under Zhang Rong, only half were firearms soldiers, and the remaining 5,000 men were the 10,000 border troops who once served under Zong Ze.

This time, Zhang Rong and Zong Ze were actually the leaders.

This was also what Zhao Xiaoqian meant. The 10,000 border troops who had just been incorporated into the Dragon Guard Camp needed to experience the real baptism of war, otherwise they would be of little use.

When Zhang Lan was in command of the army in the past, he always fought passively, and fleeing and defeat became commonplace. After so many defeats, the soldiers gradually lost their bloodiness and fighting spirit. When they put down their weapons, they were no different from ordinary farmers.

Such an army must have its bloodiness awakened through actual combat and bloodshed.

Zhao Xiaoqian has not equipped them with firearms so far, and they are still using cold weapons, not only out of caution, but also as a test.

As I said, it is people, not weapons, that determine the outcome of a war.

Ten thousand soldiers galloped in the middle of the night, and they might have been discovered by Liao scouts along the way, but Zhang Rong didn't care. He was in a hurry.

On the galloping horse, Zhang Rong squinted his eyes, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he was blown into by a breath of cold air.

He turned his head to look at Zong Ze who was running side by side with him. He was quite familiar with Zong Ze. When the Dragon Guard Camp was still in Bian Jing, Zhao Xiaoqian transferred Zong Ze from a civil official in charge of river management to a military general in the Dragon Guard Camp. Zong Ze had been assisting Zhong Jianzhong in leading troops in training.

Looking at Zong Ze riding uncomfortably on horseback, with his facial features distorted by the cold wind, Zhang Rong's heart was full of admiration.

It is said that Zong Ze was a Jinshi granted by the emperor in the sixth year of Yuanyou. As a serious scholar, he could actually do such a bumpy job. Men of culture are indeed not simple.

"Lao Zong, after arriving at the Liao army camp, you will lead your troops to attack from the south and north, and I will lead my troops to attack from the front. Remember, you can only take action after my troops have launched the attack." Zhang Rong said loudly.

Zong Ze nodded to indicate that he received it.

There is no way to argue with Zhang Rong about this matter, because Zong Ze's subordinates are still wielding cold weapons and can only serve as auxiliary troops to support Zhang Rong's troops from the side.

Zhang Rong rubbed his frozen hands, grabbed the reins again, and said with an excited smile, "If we can capture Yelu Chun alive today, I'll be honored. In His Highness's merit book, I'll be listed as the first meritorious person, right?"

Zong Ze smiled bitterly and said, "You'd better not count on it. Yelu Chun is an old fox. If he finds that there is no way back, he will definitely escape first. Didn't he let him escape last time when we surrounded and annihilated the Liao army?"

Zhang Rong laughed heartily and said, "It's okay to dream. What if? If I really capture Yelu Chun alive, the emperor will at least give me a title, or at least a promotion of three ranks. I'll be on par with General Zhong, haha!"

Zong Ze rolled his eyes. "How dare you dream such an outrageous dream? You want to be on equal footing with General Zhong. I'll see if he doesn't chop you to pieces..."

(End of this chapter)