You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 175: Soldiers are powerful and fast

As night fell, the Jurchen Tartars went to bed early, as it was too cold outside to stay up late.

It's best to get into the tent early to conserve your energy.

Na Hai can fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow; he can sleep a lot, but he can also stay awake all the time.

Sometimes, he could even fall asleep on horseback during marches, letting his warhorse continue with the main force while he quietly regained his strength.

Sometimes they could march continuously for days and nights without sleep or rest!

Suddenly, Nahai was jolted awake from his sleep, his eyes wide open.

While he was sleeping, he felt the earth tremble. When he woke up, he could only hear the sounds of his guards grinding their teeth, snoring, and farting in the tent. The stench in the tent was so unbearable that even Na Hai found it hard to stand.

It reminded him of those noble ladies and young girls from the Liao Dynasty, sleeping in each other's arms, the air itself smelling sweet.

He listened intently to the sound of wind and snow outside the tent; it seemed to have subsided considerably compared to the first half of the night.

Yin Shu could go patrol the outer perimeter, so Na Hai was quite relieved. However, thinking about the commotion just now, he glanced at the cold ground and lay down again.

With my ears pressed against the ground, the initial tremors seemed to have subsided.

Was I just dozing off in my sleep?

Nahai shook his drowsy head and walked outside the tent.

Yin Shuke has already ordered them to rest well tonight, as they might go after the enemy army coming from the west tomorrow.

If Yin Shuke gives such an order, he will definitely come to inspect the camp himself the next morning.

When the time comes, no matter who fails to greet them, even a trusted and beloved general like myself will be severely punished with a whip.

Being a general in the Jurchen army was this tough; you had to be attentive to everything at all times, not just rush forward to fight.

That is precisely why they were able to defeat the strong with the weak and defeat the many with the few in the early stages.

At first, everyone struggled out of the freezing cold and didn't feel it was too hard.

However, ever since he acquired more spoils of war and was able to sleep soundly with Liao female slaves from time to time, he became increasingly unwilling to endure hardship.

Na Hai walked outside the tent and saw the firelight flickering on the stockade wall, making the snow appear somewhat yellow.

Na Hai was somewhat annoyed that the patrolling servants and auxiliary soldiers were hiding in sheltered places, shirking their duties.

These lackeys are becoming increasingly outrageous. In fact, they know that too many of their slave soldiers have died recently, and their Jurchen masters can no longer afford to lose them and cannot kill them indiscriminately.

That's why they became bolder. They wouldn't have dared to be so careless before. Besides, being a little lazy in this kind of weather isn't a big crime; at most, they'd get a couple of lashes.

The sound of warhorses chewing on night grass in the stables of the camp not far away rustled together. The sky was still dark, but the wind had gradually subsided, and the snowflakes were not as heavy as they had been in the first half of the night.

The snowstorm was so heavy that Na Hai suddenly had this thought, but then he shook his head and found it somewhat amusing.

Back in the old days, the wind in the dense forests of my hometown wasn't much stronger than it is now, not to mention the snow.

They've only enjoyed a few years of good fortune, and they can't stand hardship anymore.

Na Hai steeled himself, scooped up some snow from the ground with one hand, and rubbed it hard on his face several times.

The cold snowflakes instantly banished his lingering sleepiness, making him feel wide awake.

He always trusted his senses, and he clearly felt the vibrations of the horse's hooves just now, although he could no longer hear them after he regained consciousness.

He was still worried, so he disregarded the fact that the Silver Arts team still needed to gather tomorrow and took his men to check out the area.

The Jurchens fought for more than a decade and were never the ones who were ambushed; they were always the ones who ambushed others.

The Liao people only dared to hide in the city; when they saw Jurchen armored soldiers in the wild, they were all so frightened that they fled at the mere sight of them.

Even Wanyan Aguda, in his later years, rarely allowed his men to set up fortifications when setting up camp.

Nahai turned around, flung open the tent flap, and kicked the guards on the ground haphazardly in the darkness: "Get up, all of you!"

"Na Hai, what are you doing?"

Na Hai said, "Come with me on an inspection tour."

"Didn't we just get back?" one of the guards complained.

He was Na Hai's brother-in-law, and the others didn't dare to complain, so they all dressed silently.

Na Hai cursed, "I told you to get up, what are you yelling about? Back in the old forest, we used to keep our eyes open all night chasing after bears! In the dead of winter, we would break through the ice to retrieve pearls from the water. And now, only a few years later, we can't even patrol at night anymore?"

"I think you've become lazy because of the Khitan female slaves!"

Na Hai's way of cursing people is simple: he just blames them for his recent depravity.

The guards dared not argue, sprang to their feet, and while rubbing their eyes and yawning, went to grab their weapons.

After getting up, they went outside, and the guards all went to rub their faces with snow.

Nahai didn't even explain why he was going on the inspection, yet these people followed him and came out without a single complaint. This small detail reveals the Jurchens' early military strength.

Before the guards came out, Nahai finished cursing and went to the horse farm to look for horses on his own.

Because the main army was assembled in Datong Prefecture, the western route troops all returned at once, and their logistics and supplies could not keep up.

They had never advanced so quickly before. The Jurchens were not complete war machines; their logistics were still much worse than those of the Dingnan Army.

These days, the soldiers in the Zizhen army are eating very little and poorly, especially in Yinshuke's camp, where they often complain about their commander's incompetence, which has caused them to go hungry.

Although the people were not well-fed, the horses were taken excellent care of, which was a major characteristic of the Jurchen people.

They placed great importance on horses, and the military camps were built rather perfunctorily. After all, the Jurchen Tartars' construction skills were only so-so, and the auxiliary Liaodong soldiers were the same.

However, the stables in the camp were the only ones that were built solidly and sturdily.

Even in temporary encampments, Ma Peng used large wooden pillars, covered them with felt, and then covered the felt with mud and grass.

They gathered furs, cloths, mats, and sheds from all over Liaodong and hung them up to keep out the wind.

The stables are divided into individual stalls, providing ample space for horses to sit or lie down, with fresh hay laid out underneath.

Rows of feed troughs, connected together, are filled with chopped grass and beans, some only an inch long.

The warhorses were all tethered high, and the colder the weather, the more they needed to be kept alert. Each horse was covered with a felt blanket. The servants who took night watch, however, slept on the snow wrapped in straw, shivering with cold.

Not long ago, a Liao man who stole horse feed was stripped naked, hung up, and had his belly cut open and stuffed with grass.

From then on, the servants and assistants assigned to the stables never dared to slack off again.

Here, a dozen servants, who had been watching over the horses all night without closing their eyes, immediately knelt down to greet Na Hai when he walked in.

Nahai's dark blue warhorse snorted and swayed its mane as if greeting its master, looking quite well-fed and energetic.

Nahai nodded in satisfaction, not even glancing at the kneeling servant, and went to groom his beloved horse's mane, waiting for his personal guards to arrive.

Sometimes he would wonder when this war would end, and if they hadn't launched the southern expedition against the Song Dynasty, would they no longer have to fight?

Wouldn't it be better for everyone to be appointed to official positions in the cities of Liao and enjoy the slaves and wealth they plundered?
He wouldn't dare say such a thing normally, since everyone came from a humble background and only got to where they are today by following Yin Shu.

You must understand that Zonghan values ​​going south the most. If Yinshu loses favor with Zonghan because of his negativity, will everyone still have a good life?

Those strategists under Xi Yin and Lou Shi, aren't they all climbing over our heads?

As he was lost in thought, amidst the low, howling wind outside, Na Hai suddenly heard a distant cracking sound.

The sound was so faint that it was quickly masked by the wind and was inaudible to most people.

As a veteran of the army, Kenahai's alert nerves immediately tightened. In his hazy sleep, the tremors of the earth once again assaulted his mind. It seemed that it was not an illusion!
He turned and rushed out of the stable.

The sound of something cutting through the air came again, this time from the direction of the camp gate. He didn't know why Yin Shu hadn't appeared yet!
With a loud bang, this time it was much louder.

The two gates, which were already very flimsy and were only made of dozens of pieces of wood about the thickness of a bowl, began to tremble in the torchlight!

Someone is attacking the camp.
Na Hai was momentarily confused; all along, they had been the ones who raided enemy camps and stormed out strongholds.

The guards patrolling the stockade wall were finally alerted, pointing outside the wall and shouting something incomprehensible.

A commotion began to stir in each tent of the stockade, as sleepy-eyed Jurchen warriors peeked out. Several guards not far away, like Nahai, stared blankly in the direction of the stockade entrance, still unable to comprehend what was happening.

Almost instantly, another deafening roar erupted. The gate of the stockade swung violently inward, sending snow and dust flying and causing the entire stockade wall to sway wildly.

The entire stockade wall collapsed amidst the deafening roar!

Several guards patrolling the stockade finally cried out in a desperate voice: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Several arrows whistled through the air, striking several guards in vital spots. They screamed and fell from the stockade wall. Then, with a deafening crash, the bolts broke, and the two stockade gates slammed open!
Amidst the swirling snow dust, Na Hai saw rows of heavily armored, black cavalry charging in through the wind and snow.

They were clad in full armor, riding tall horses, and as they attacked, dozens of weapons, gleaming with a chilling aura colder than snowflakes, surged in simultaneously!

Nahai hurried back to the stable, ready to mount his horse and meet the enemy, but unfortunately the group was too fast!

At that moment, he wished he could tear the cunning and deceitful Khitan lackeys to pieces, but it was too late.

The Helan Mountain cavalry swept through the enemy with overwhelming force. Logically, the Jurchen armored soldiers, who had formed a battle formation, should have been able to withstand such an attack.

However, the Jurchen soldiers, who had just woken up, were not yet armored, and had no commander, were no different from the other auxiliary troops.

Nahai was stabbed through the chest, and in his dying moments, he thought of his child.

He had killed countless children, fathers, and mothers along the way, and had raped so many that he had long since lost count.

He thought they would keep winning, and they would always be the perpetrators.

But at that moment, he was afraid. For the first time, he remembered that he also had a family.

What do they do?
With a "pfft," a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.

How could I be so careless!
How could I be so careless!
Yin Shuke, weren't you supposed to be on patrol?

Silver magic is acceptable!
It's all over.

Amidst the flames and swirling smoke of the military camp, the Jurchen Tartars moved with frenzied abandon.

The cowhide tents were burning everywhere, billowing out clouds of black smoke, and suddenly the central command tent collapsed.

Flames shot up high, sending sparks flying in all directions. Everything around was bathed in a blood-red light! It was all a massacre!

In the Jurchen camp after the great battle, countless corpses lay scattered about. The ground was covered with battle scars and bloodstains, and dying men and horses writhed and struggled in the snow. The steeds, now without their masters, neighed and wandered alone across the snowfield.

The auxiliary troops of the Cloud Camp began to jubilantly clean up the battlefield, finishing off those who needed to be killed, burning the corpses, and looting the spoils with great enthusiasm.

The air was still thick with the smell of blood, and the screams and shouts from the fierce battle seemed to still echo in our ears, but the fight had suddenly stopped.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the Jurchen camp, which was shrouded in wind and snow.

At the base of the watchtower high up, torches flickered in the cold wind, illuminating the bloodstains scattered on the ground.

Han Shizhong looked at the Jurchen corpse in front of him, recovering from his extreme excitement.

His shoulders slumped, he gripped the gun and gasped for breath, especially his back, which finally got some rest.

The foundation of a martial artist lies in their waist!

When facing battle, military generals would tighten their belts around their waists. A strong waist means you can lift mountains! A weak waist means the battle is over!
Therefore, even when Han Shizhong was fighting and his arms were sore and his armor was soaked with sweat, his back remained as steady as a mountain and he stood straight!
Only then can one relax a little.

I fought my way from the west, and the Jurchen army only sent such a small number of people to guard the western plains.

They deployed their main force to the mountains in the southeast, intending to attack Yingzhou.

It's hard to tell whether the renowned Wanyan Zonghan underestimated his enemy or trusted his subordinates too much when he overthrew the Liao Dynasty.

They didn't take themselves seriously.
Han Shizhong spat, looking at the corpses that were being carried out. He could roughly guess what was going on. These people must have had it too easy and needed to slowly adapt to opponents of similar strength.

He reached out and stopped several auxiliary soldiers from the Cloud Camp who were carrying the body. Looking at the corpse they were carrying, he asked, "Is this Yin Shuke?"

Several soldiers from the Cloud Camp nodded repeatedly. They had all seen the Jurchen commander before. Yin Shu was often by Wanyan Zonghan's side and was one of the top five generals in the entire Jurchen Western Route Army!

Han Shizhong took another closer look and said, "This Tartar is as strong as a bear!"

Those around him couldn't help but flatter him. Han Shizhong was secretly pleased, but he still pretended to wave his hand and told them to go and dispose of the bodies.

Just as these people were about to leave, Han Shizhong suddenly stood up and said, "You all did a great job tonight! Kill all these Tartars, take Datong Prefecture, and we'll all share the wealth!"

These words were met with cheers.

Han Shizhong thought Chen Shao was truly amazing. When boosting morale in Hengshan, he used the phrase "sharing wealth and prosperity" most often.

Aside from that, he rarely talked about anything else. He used just those four words to win over the hearts of the people in Hengshan Sanzhai who were on the verge of collapse, and managed to hold on for seven days.

These four words are more effective than anything else; they always inspire my subordinates to charge forward with great enthusiasm.

Yes, wealth and status, who the hell doesn't want wealth and status!

Han Shizhong couldn't help but recall a time when he was young and got extremely drunk. A fortune teller stopped him on the street and told him that he would become very rich and powerful in the future.

At that time, Han Shizhong had just had his credit stolen and was furious. Without saying a word, he beat up the fortune teller.

Now it seems he may have hit the wrong person. Han Shizhong felt a little guilty and quickly recited Amitabha Buddha a few times.

The moment Han Shizhong's troops stormed in, the auxiliary soldiers began to surrender and flee.

Through them, Han Shizhong learned that this was Yin Shuke's camp.

There were 1,100 Jurchen soldiers, which was already considered a lot.

As for the auxiliary troops, Han Shizhong simply didn't bother to count them; in his eyes, they weren't even considered part of the army.

At best, they were accompanying slaves.

The auxiliary troops of the Jurchen Tartars and the auxiliary troops of his own Cloud Camp were completely different species.

The auxiliary troops of the Yunzhong Camp are human, while the auxiliary troops of the Jurchen are dogs.

Han Shizhong glanced at his troops; charging into the camp with heavy cavalry was very physically demanding.

Logically speaking, at this point, the march should absolutely not continue; in fact, they should rest for a few more days.

However, judging from the defenses of the camp here, the Jurchen Tartars were still underestimating the enemy, so Datong Prefecture probably did not leave any heavy troops.

During the period when the Jurchen commander-in-chief was destroying Yinshuke in the west and then returning to defend, the defense of Datong Prefecture was at its weakest!
Once they return to defend, the difficulty of attacking the city will undoubtedly increase exponentially!

Thinking of this, Han Shizhong glanced at the three thousand troops of the main force who were resting.

He stood on a high place, waved vigorously, and gathered everyone around him.

Then, with a loud voice that always made Chen Shao's ears itch, he roared:
"Brothers, the Jurchen Tartars have looted the entire Liao Dynasty. All their treasures are piled up in Datong Prefecture!"

"Now that they've all left the city, Datong Prefecture is undefended. This is a golden opportunity!"

"Do you want to get rich? I pat my chest and guarantee you that after we break into Datong Prefecture, you can plunder it for ten days straight!"

"Grab as much as you can, whoever gets it keeps it! If someone takes less, I'll laugh at them!"

"Discard all heavy armor, and we'll raid Datong tonight! Whoever enters the city first will receive an extra three thousand gold pieces!"

The atmosphere was instantly ignited.

All the auxiliary troops included in the Helan Mountain Legion became excited.

The commander of the Cloud Camp stepped forward and asked, "General, what should we do with these servants and auxiliary soldiers?"

"Ignore them!" Han Shizhong said, "Throw away all the useless stuff, don't hold back, ride like there's no tomorrow!"

Soldiers are valuable and quick.

Han Shizhong had absolutely no interest in these Jurchen vassal armies.

In later generations, Guderian, during his raid on Paris, shouted to the French troops waving white flags along the way: "Get out of my way, I don't have time to capture you!"

Han Shizhong probably feels the same way now.
-
In one battle, Han Shizhong killed the Jurchen general Wanyan Yinshuke and annihilated all of his Jurchen subordinates.

If this news gets out, it will surely shock the world once again.

As the Jurchens moved south, the Song people gradually came to know their new northern neighbor.

Despite their small numbers, they destroyed the Khitan, who had suppressed the Song Dynasty for a century.

The rumors about how invincible and incredibly powerful they were became increasingly fantastical.

Later, Wanyan Zongwang took only a few months to retake the vast Yanshan Prefecture, and the Song Dynasty's army was routed, which once again proved these reports.

Han Shizhong was like a shot in the arm for the Song people.

With this battle, he showed his compatriots in the Central Plains that the Jurchen Tartars could be defeated, and were not as miraculous as legend had it.

However, the most affected were the Silver and Xia Legions of Longshou Mountain and Sanggan River.

The pressure from the Tartars lessened considerably, and all five groups of troops withdrew.

Zhu Lingling took the opportunity to block these roads, and began to lay fortifications, build stockade walls, and move rolling stones.
Li Xiaozhong stood on the mountain peak that the two sides had repeatedly fought over, and which was also the starting point of this conflict, standing together with Zhu Lingling.

"Han Shizhong is even more capable than I thought!" Li Xiaozhong exclaimed sincerely. "With him opening up the situation like this, things will be much easier for us from here on out."

Zhu Lingling looked north and laughed heartily, "If we can take Datong Prefecture, we will be remembered for all time. We have lost that place for hundreds of years."

Li Xiaozhong felt something was off, and finally remembered, "What does this have to do with you?"
Aren't you a Qiang person?

Of course, he wouldn't say it aloud, but he just felt something was off.

Zhu Lingling did not consider herself a Qiang person at all.

In fact, Li Xiaozhong still didn't understand the Qiang people, especially the Hengshan Qiang people, in whose land, strength was paramount.

Zhu Lingling gave his three daughters to Chen Shao as concubines, and in the eyes of the people of the Central Plains, he should be considered an elder.

However, in the eyes of the Hengshan Qiang people, there is no such thing as elders or juniors; the strong are respected. Chen Shao is not a son-in-law; he is their master.

Everything about oneself should change according to him; if he is a Jurchen, then one is a Jurchen; if he is a Khitan, then one is a Khitan.

If we truly conquer the country in the future, I'll definitely be guaranteed the position of a founding duke or marquis.

He has recently read many books and knows that in Han Chinese culture, leaving one's name in history is a great honor.

It can help me further consolidate my position!
Looking at the spirited Zhu Lingling, Li Xiaozhong felt that this person also had his merits, namely, he was always so confident.

It seemed as if those Tartars would soon be wiped out by them, and that Datong Prefecture would surely be taken over by them as well.

To be honest, Li Xiaozhong himself did not have absolute confidence in this.

As the commander-in-chief of the Yinzhou Army Corps, Lao Zhu's confidence is not just confidence, but also inspires his soldiers.

Thinking of this, Li Xiaozhong secretly encouraged himself to take Datong Prefecture and make a name for himself in history!
Li Xiaozhong said in a deep voice, "We can't let these Tartars go back to Datong Prefecture. We have to chase after them and keep them in check to buy time for Han Shizhong."

Zhu Lingling chuckled and said, "That's right, these Tartars are not weak, and they have a lot of troops. We need to keep them occupied and not fight them head-on."

"I just don't know if Han Shizhong can capture the city."
-
Wanyan Zonghan gathered his troops and temporarily retreated to Datong Prefecture.

He finally began to reflect that, from the start of the war until now, he seemed to have been using the same methods he used against the Liao people to deal with the Dingnan Army.

This is the root of all failures.

The enemy we face now is completely different from the Liao dogs. If we continue to underestimate them, we will suffer an even more devastating defeat.

It would be naive to expect a renowned general like Zong Han to remain silent and reflect on his mistakes after suffering repeated defeats.

The Jurchens' arrogance after destroying the Liao Dynasty will soon correct itself. While this golden generation is still fighting, they will surely eliminate formidable enemies like the Dingnan Army for the sake of their descendants.

The battles to come may be even more brutal.
Along the way, many of the Jurchen western route army members who gathered from various places did not take Yin Shuke's annihilation seriously.

Instead, he was thinking about the slaves and valuables that Yin Shuke had left in Datong Prefecture, wondering if he could divide them up when he got back.

Those who were present, such as Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Loushi, and Wanyan Xiyin, all had solemn expressions. They all understood Yin Shuke's abilities.

Especially Wanyan Zonghan.

The plan to march south seems to have completely failed. Let alone taking Yingzhou, even holding Datong is now proving difficult.

As they were walking, a scout on horseback suddenly shouted from ahead, "The western barbarians from Dragon Head Mountain are catching up!"

Wanyan Zonghan gasped and cursed, "This is bad!"

"They're going to attack Datong!"

(End of this chapter)