The siege continued, but that night, a troop of Jin cavalrymen leaped out of their tents and charged at top speed toward the Song army camp twenty miles away.
Longde Prefecture has a wide terrain, located on the Hedong Plain, which gives cavalry a natural advantage in combat. This is also an important reason why Wanyan Loushi dared to launch a night raid.
Zhao Huan was sitting on the city wall drinking tea with Zhong Shidao. He wanted to see if Wanyan Loushi would really attack the camp.
Before long, Zhao Huan indeed heard a faint tremor. The snow on the ground in the distance was flying up like boiling clouds, while the countless Jin cavalrymen seemed to be heavenly soldiers and generals stepping on clouds, as if the whole earth was trembling.
The Jin army arrived with great speed and ferocity, their offensive as fierce as a roaring torrent.
Seeing this, Zhe Keqiu and Yao Pingzhong's faces darkened. Zhong Shidao had anticipated this, which made them extremely unhappy.
Zhao Huan laughed and said, "Zhong Qing is a man of brilliant strategy, with the talent of Zhuge Liang!"
"This old minister made the judgment based solely on his years of battlefield experience; it is nothing more than a matter of talent."
Zhao Huan appeared very excited. Seeing the Jin army rushing into the empty camp, he hurriedly said, "Now that the Jin traitors are trapped, let's set off immediately and slaughter them without leaving a single one alive!"
Yao Pingzhong was eager to try; he had long wanted to take up a knife and go on the field to chop people up.
Zhong Shidao said, "Your Majesty, please wait. We don't know if this first wave of attacks by the Jin bandits is a test by Wanyan Loushi. Let's wait and see!"
Although Zhe Keqiu and Yao Pingzhong were unhappy after listening to Zhong Shidao's analysis, they had to admit that this old man was indeed old-fashioned, having eaten more salt than they had eaten rice.
If it were Zhe Keqiu or Yao Pingzhong, they would probably have already been successfully ambushed by the Jin army by now.
In the distant camp, a fierce battle broke out. As soon as the Jin soldiers entered, they fell into the pits that the Song army had laid overnight. The pits were filled with sharp bamboo spikes, which pierced through the warhorses. Some riders fell headfirst into the pits, suffering head injuries and bleeding profusely, while others fell directly onto the bamboo spikes and died on the spot.
The Jin army commander, Wanyan Kang, exclaimed, "This is bad! Retreat immediately!"
At this point, there was no time to retreat. Dozens of Jin cavalrymen were killed instantly. Two Song cavalry units surrounded the Jin army from behind, like a pair of pincers, and the two armies immediately engaged in battle.
Although Zhao Huan appeared calm on the surface, his heart was actually turbulent, and he personally realized how shallow his understanding of ancient warfare was.
In his previous life, when he was browsing forums like Zhihu, he often saw experts talking about warfare in the era of cold weapons. Occasionally, he would also look up resources and try to show off on forums like Zhihu.
But seeing it for myself now, I realized that war is like this. When the two armies clash on the plains, the shocking scene is far beyond what a siege battle can compare to.
The Song army grew larger and larger, with cavalry leading the way and infantry following closely behind, effectively blocking the Jin army's escape route.
However, those were the Jin army after all, an army with explosive combat power. Even though Zhong Shidao had anticipated the Jin army's attack on the camp, the overall quality of the Song army was far inferior to that of the Jin army in a head-on assault. Even in a siege, the Song army suffered heavy casualties.
The Jin cavalry were like ghosts roaming in a world of death; no wonder they were able to destroy the powerful Liao Dynasty without any hindrance.
Soon, half an hour had passed, and both the Song and Jin armies had suffered casualties.
"Zhong Qing, now? Can we move out?" Zhao Huan was extremely anxious.
"Your Majesty, please wait a little longer."
Zhong Shidao said to wait, and Zhao Huan had no choice but to accept it. After all, he really had no practical experience. He could talk about theory, but judging the enemy's intentions based on the battle between the two armies required a lot of on-the-spot experience. As a novice, he could only listen to Zhong Shidao obediently.
Actually, a little voice inside him kept telling him, "Don't worry about anything else, just go and do it. Anyway, we have the advantage in numbers, we can overwhelm them with sheer numbers!"
But reason kept reminding him that Emperor Qinzong of Song was a pig who failed to listen to Zhong Shidao's strategic advice, which led to a series of tragedies.
Therefore, Zhao Huan suppressed the urge to intervene.
However, Yao Pingzhong and Zhe Keqiu understood the emperor's needs, and they immediately said, "Your Majesty, your subjects are willing to die to annihilate the Jin army!"
Zhao Huan remained silent. He believed that Yao Pingzhong and Zhe Keqiu would truly fight this siege to the death. Finally, he took a sip of tea, and reason prevailed over impulse. He suppressed Zhe Keqiu and Yao Pingzhong's demands and said to them, "Zhong Qing is the supreme commander here. I will drink tea on the side. If you want to go up and kill people, talk to your Commander Zhong!"
The two were so frustrated they felt like vomiting blood. This official was really too carefree; he was right there on the scene, yet he completely handed over command to Zhong Shidao.
Zhong Shidao, of course, would not agree to their request to fight, and said, "Please be patient and wait for Wanyan Loushi to arrive!"
Damn it! It's been more than half an hour, and this wave of Jin troops has already charged in, but now there's not a soul in sight!
Before long, under the hazy moonlight of the night, a huge black torrent roared toward them, and the whole earth seemed to tremble. The shock was so great that it gave people the illusion that the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart.
This is Wanyan Loushi's army! No wonder he dared to lead several thousand men from the Northeast to the Northwest, killing off most of China!
Wanyan Loushi personally took to the field, and the Jin army, like a red-hot iron fork, pierced into the Song army. On the spot, all the Song soldiers who came to resist were instantly crushed to pieces, countless people lost their lives, and countless families were destroyed.
A scout rode up on horseback and reported: "Your Majesty! Another troop of Jin soldiers is coming!"
Zhao Huan was overjoyed and looked at Zhong Shidao, who said, "Zhe Keqiu, obey my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"I hereby order you to lead five thousand troops to confront Wanyan Loushi head-on!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yao Pingzhong, listen to my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"I hereby order you to lead five thousand troops to launch a pincer attack on Wanyan Loushi!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Wait!" Zhao Huan stood up. "I want to go on stage myself!"
"Your Majesty is the supreme ruler, and the battlefield is extremely dangerous..."
Zhong Shidao tried to stop him, but Zhao Huan stopped him: "You don't need to say anything more. I won't interfere with your other tactics, but since I'm here, I will of course personally lead the charge!"
The emperor stood up and roared, "Who is willing to join me in overthrowing Wanyan Loushi!"
Yao Pingzhong and Zhe Keqiu immediately responded, "Your Majesty, we risk our lives to protect you!"
Helpless, Zhong Shidao also said, "This old minister is willing to guard the Emperor's side!"
Zhao Huan went to get his armor and put it on. Three thousand iron cavalry were already waiting at the city gate, and the rest of the infantry were already lined up in the distance.
The emperor rode on a fine horse, his red cloak fluttering in the night wind.
The Emperor proclaimed loudly, "The Jurchen invaders have marched south, causing immense suffering to the people. I am determined to live and die with the Song Dynasty. You shall all follow me and slay the Jurchen invaders to the death!"
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