Yue Fei welcomed Situ Heng into the military camp.
Situ Heng then took out a general report made by the Imperial City Guard in the Jin Kingdom.
"Commander Yue, the Jin invaders have deployed 200,000 troops on the western front, commanded by Wanyan Wuzhu. It is worth mentioning that Wanyan Wuzhu is known as the most capable general in the Jin state, and he is no less capable than Wanyan Zongwang. He commands 30,000 Iron Pagoda soldiers!"
Yang Zaixing chimed in, "Are they those heavy cavalrymen who were modified from the Tangut Iron Falcons?"
“That’s right. We have conducted a special investigation on the Iron Pagoda. Each Iron Pagoda member wears armor weighing about 40 jin (20 catties) and is equipped with crossbows, horse-slaying swords, and spears. The riders are connected to their horses, so even if a person is killed, it will not affect their impact force.”
"It does indeed resemble the Iron Falcon."
Many of the people here participated in the war to destroy the Xia dynasty. They vividly remember the fierce battle against the Iron Falcons, which was an extremely arduous war.
Situ Heng said, "The most difficult thing is that the Iron Pagoda is composed of about three people linked together, which increases its overall impact. If we try to confront it head-on, there will be a great risk."
He continued, "To be honest, the Jin invaders knew that the western front was the most capable commander of our Song Dynasty, which is why they sent Wanyan Wushu."
Everyone present loved to hear him say that, and he also patted Yue Fei's horse on the shoulder.
Yue Fei first distinguished himself during the emperor's first northern expedition to recover Yan and Yun. It can be said that since the current emperor ascended the throne, Yue Fei has accumulated numerous military achievements and has long been a pivotal figure in the Song army.
The emperor was determined to win this war against the Jin dynasty, placing high hopes on Yue Fei.
The Jin Dynasty was a tough nut to crack. Any army that the Jin Dynasty could field was far more powerful than the Tanguts and many times stronger than the Goryeo.
The last large-scale war between the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty was eight years ago when the emperor personally led the expedition. At that time, the Song Dynasty was able to barely win by sheer numbers.
The situation was created by having ten times the number of the enemy.
There has been no large-scale conflict for eight years. Although the Song Dynasty is getting stronger and stronger, many people are still unsure of its strength.
Yang Zaixing chimed in, "So what if they're Ironclad Cavalry? Every man of the Great Song Dynasty is a fearless warrior. Iron Falcons are known as the guardian deities of the Tangut people, but weren't they crushed by our Great Song cavalry anyway?"
He added, “General Yue, if we must fight, I am willing to lead 30,000 men to annihilate Wanyan Wuzhu’s Iron Pagoda. If I fail, I will offer my head in return!”
His tone was forceful and resounding, which stirred the blood of the commander in the tent.
Even Situ Heng seemed to be infected: "That's right, so what if they're the Iron Pagoda? My Great Song Iron Cavalry isn't something to be trifled with!"
"Wanyan Wuzhu is currently stationed in Fengzhou (Hohhot). If he wants to enter Shangjing from the west, he must break through Fengzhou."
“Fengzhou is the largest military stronghold of the Jin Dynasty in the west. There are many barbarian tribes there. Over the years, they have gradually submitted to the Jin invaders. Now Wanyan Wushu has an army of 200,000, but he is still mobilizing those barbarian tribes.”
In other words, the total number of troops on the western front was more than 200,000.
It seems that the Jin Dynasty is mobilizing the entire nation's resources to fight against the Song Dynasty.
Situ Heng continued, "It is worth mentioning that the Jin bandits have also established a musket battalion. The current number and size of the battalion are unknown. We have spent a lot of effort to obtain this information but have not been able to."
Yue Fei himself naturally had some intelligence.
Yue Fei's Tabai Army was no pushover; its purpose was to gather intelligence on the enemy.
For example, when the main force of the Jin army was stationed in Fengzhou, Wanyan Wuzhu laid a trap on the western front, just waiting for the Song army to pass through.
This network was divided into three strongholds, with Fengzhou as the center.
Fengzhou in the central route drew the Song army away, while the left and right routes launched surprise attacks with cavalry, mainly using cavalry units.
The most distinctive feature of the Jin Dynasty's warfare was its formidable cavalry, which was extremely agile, possessed tremendous striking power, and exhibited highly unified tactics, enabling them to overwhelm the enemy in a single charge at lightning speed.
Now the Song army is attacking the Jin, and the battlefield is on the grasslands, which is the cavalry's home ground.
Yue Fei decided to use cavalry to counter Wanyan Wuzhu's left and right flanks, while advancing to Fengcheng with the main infantry force.
To take Fengcheng, we must rely on infantry.
Actually, it's not that difficult to fight against the Iron Pagoda. You definitely can't use cavalry to fight them head-on. The Song Dynasty also has heavy cavalry, but fighting the Iron Pagoda head-on is obviously the worst strategy.
The key to defeating the Iron Pagoda lies in the infantry.
Yue Fei had a plan in mind.
The Northwest Infantry Corps was the strongest under Liu Qi.
Liu Qi himself was quite powerful in battle. When he attacked Xia, his army was undefeated and fought the most steadily and fiercely among the various armies.
This fits the image of an infantryman perfectly.
The infantry of the Song Dynasty were mostly heavily armored, and their combat power was exceptionally strong. Liu Qi used them to perfection.
After reading the detailed intelligence report brought by Situ Heng, Yue Fei found it to be extremely useful.
Yue Fei pointed to the strategic map and said, "The Jin invaders have three routes. The left route is Wanyan Tuhesu, Wanyan Wuzhu's trusted general. The right route is Han Chang, who is also a fierce general. To take Fengzhou, we must contain these two routes."
"Zhang Cai!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You lead 50,000 Beiwei troops to the left flank to contain Wanyan Tuhesu. That should be enough."
"Yes, sir!"
"Yang Zaixing!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead 50,000 vanguard troops to meet Han Chang in battle. Note that the task is to harass and contain him."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
"Wang Gui, Liu Qi!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You two, on foot and on horseback, will coordinate your attack on Fengcheng!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Liu Qi had 60,000 infantrymen under his command.
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