It is an indisputable fact that people of the Jin dynasty were afraid of heat.
In Liaodong, the hottest time of summer is only comparable to the early summer temperatures in the south, and this period of extreme heat is very short-lived.
Especially in Shangjing, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, summers were very short and very cool.
It was June, the height of summer.
The main force of the Jin army, unable to bear the intense heat, generally chose to camp by the river, as Wanyan Zonggan did.
The Song army, having lost 30,000 cavalry due to Yao Xiong's rash attack, dared not make any further moves.
A few days later, an infuriating message arrived.
After Wanyan Zonggan had one eye cut out, he cut off the heads of all 30,000 Song soldiers who had died in battle in order to vent his anger.
He piled up the corpses of the Song soldiers to build a Jingguan (a mound of corpses), and also had a letter sent to Ruzhou City.
"I will use Yao Xiong's head as a wine cup!"
This is the very first sentence. When Zhong Shidao saw the first sentence, his usually calm heart couldn't help but be slightly disturbed.
Although Yao Xiong was somewhat reckless, he was a fierce general in the Song army and a man of upright character. In Zhong Shidao's mind, he was a future general who could govern a region.
Wanyan Zonggan did this to deliberately provoke Zhong Shidao and make the Song army impatient.
Wanyan Zonggan, who had lost an eye, hated Yao Xiong to the extreme. He even deliberately sent people to Ruzhou to spread rumors that Yao Xiong had surrendered when Tie Pojun was surrounded and killed. Wanyan Zonggan did not accept the surrender of a cowardly man and killed Yao Xiong.
This rumor, which was enough to ruin Yao Xiong's reputation after his death in battle, did not spread in Ruzhou City due to its strict defenses.
However, it subsequently flowed into other prefectures of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.
Rumors are often more popular than the truth, and this has been true in any era.
Soon, some people in the Yanyun region began to curse and denounce the Yao family.
Just five days later, a group of people from Youzhou went to the prefectural government office to file a complaint, requesting that the imperial court exile the entire Yao family to the frontier.
Fortunately, the prefect of Youzhou was Li Guang, a famous and capable minister of the Song Dynasty. He used a combination of force and pardon to appease those who came to file complaints, and then immediately escalated the matter to the level of anti-spying.
Sima Junru began a thorough anti-spy investigation in Youzhou Prefecture.
But this did not restore Yao Xiong's reputation, or rather, the perception that Yao Xiong had surrendered began to take root in the hearts of people in some areas of Yanyun.
It is possible that for the next hundred years, popular legends will portray Yao Xiong as a traitor who surrendered when surrounded by the Jin army.
Even the Jurchens despised such traitors.
It's not scary for a person to die; what's scary is being infamous for eternity after death.
Because it negates all the value you had in your life.
The counter-infiltration operation in Yanyun is underway, and at the same time, news of victory from the right wing army led by Zhong Shizhong has also arrived.
Huyangzi is located 300 li north of Tanzhou, south of the Liao River. Because it was a Hu (non-Han) area, the Han people who migrated there named that place Huyangzi.
A large-scale battle took place here this morning.
Both sides committed 10,000 men each to fight on the plain.
The Song army's firearms battalion played an unprecedented role in this war.
The sound of gunfire on the plains caused the Jin army to scatter like startled rabbits.
After some of the Jin army's charges were repelled, the Song army's infantry began to advance head-on, suppressing the Jin army's advance.
At the same time, a long-range cavalry charge was immediately launched.
The Song cavalry's mobility took the Jin army by surprise. They charged in from both flanks, making five runs through the Jin army's ranks and shattering their rear.
Looking down from high above, it's as if sharp flying swords are crisscrossing the army, their momentum as breathtaking as a startled swan.
After the Jin army collapsed, the Song army intercepted and killed this Jin army, beheading a total of 10,000 people. The Jin general Wanyan Zongfu fled in haste.
When news of the great victory reached Yanyun, it was like a sudden, sweet rain in the sweltering summer.
This immediately calmed down the previously somewhat anxious states of Yanyun.
If Zhong Shizhong's victory gave the Song army a boost, then the subsequent wars undoubtedly redefined classical warfare.
On July 1st, Zhong Shidao personally led his army out of Juyong Pass, and the 130,000-strong army marched north.
The Song soldiers were clad in armor, wielding long swords, their red tassels fluttering in the wind.
They marched forward in neat rows, taking firm steps in an orderly fashion.
Under the July sun, the armor shone exceptionally brightly.
Swords and spears filled the sky, and banners obscured the heavens.
One cannon after another was carefully pushed forward; this was a force of fifty cannons.
There is another 10,000-strong musketeer army ahead.
They were the newest branch of the Song army.
After this battle, their fame will spread far and wide, striking fear into the hearts of all the enemies of the Song Dynasty.
Zhong Shidao traveled north for two days, crossed the Liao River, and entered the most densely populated area of Jin Kingdom's towns. He advanced with unstoppable momentum, conquering twelve cities in succession.
This was equivalent to sweeping across hundreds of miles of southern Jin territory.
When this news reached the Jin army's headquarters, it shocked all the Jurchen nobles.
When did the people of Song become so good at fighting?
This has never happened before.
Just a few days ago, in the Battle of Xiaoshui, the Song army lost 30,000 elite cavalry.
I never expected the situation to change so quickly!
Master Zhong was a master of manipulation.
In Zhong Shidao's view, warfare and strategy are inseparable.
Although the Song army's morale suffered a brief blow after the defeat at Xiaoshui, it also fueled anger within the country.
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