When news of the collapse of the rear defense line reached the main army, the entire high command of the Song army was shaken.
Some roared in anger, wanting to tear this Liao army to pieces.
The angry voices were quickly suppressed, and the supreme commander maintained the coldest rationality.
Even the Song army camps were unaware that their rear defenses had collapsed.
As soon as it was dawn, Yue Fei dispatched Yue Yun, known for his swift and decisive military tactics, and appointed the steady and reliable Wang Gui as the commander-in-chief.
Wang Gui personally led five thousand iron cavalry, galloping at breakneck speed.
Wang Gui and Yue Yun's mission was not to immediately engage Xiao Duolu in battle, but rather to act as a sharp force to strike from the rear and avoid entanglement with Xiao Duolu.
This prevented Xiao Duolu from truly attacking the Song army that was crossing the river.
Of course, Wang Gui had another task.
All the Song soldiers whose bodies were left to rot in the wilderness were cremated, and some of their ashes were brought back to comfort the spirits of those heroic Song soldiers who sacrificed their lives.
Yue Yun was at the prime of his life, brave in battle, and full of vigor, making him suitable to threaten Xiao Duolu from the rear with swift actions.
But Yue Fei was worried that he would not be able to resist confronting Xiao Duolu directly and would fall into Xiao Duolu's trap again.
That's why Wang Gui was chosen as commander. Wang Gui is a calm and steady person who would rather not win than take unnecessary risks.
What Yue Fei wanted now was not to eliminate Xiao Duolu immediately, but to restrain him.
The Song army is at a critical juncture in crossing the river.
When Yue Yun saw the mound of Jingguan on the wasteland, his blood boiled with rage.
He volunteered to Wang Gui, requesting an immediate and rapid attack on the Liao army.
However, Wang Gui rejected it on the spot.
There is still no accurate number of how many Liao troops came this time, and he cannot take that risk.
Wang Gui had his own tactics. He had already sent out scouts to track the Liao army's movements, and once they were discovered, the main force would follow closely behind.
If the Liao army wants to start a war, then retreat.
If the Liao army retreats, they will attack.
Next, the Song army piled up their fallen comrades and burned them.
Flames shot into the sky.
Some soldiers had red eyes and could only shed tears silently, unable to cry out loud.
Some soldiers even saw their childhood friends in the Jingguan (a mound of corpses). They had joined the army together, gone to war together, and even planned to go back together to get married.
Some soldiers finally broke down and cried, and others followed suit.
"Wang Shuai, what should we do? Everyone's emotions are getting out of control."
Wang Gui sighed, his eyes also getting a little moist: "It's alright, let them cry, let them cry out their sorrow, and let each officer keep an eye on them."
At this time, on the wasteland, another Song army was marching at a normal pace.
"Report!"
A soldier rode up at full speed and stood before Wei Sheng: "Commander Wei, the brothers at the twenty-sixth sentry post ahead have all..."
His voice suddenly choked with emotion, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "They've all died in battle!"
Wei Sheng gripped the saber at his waist tightly, veins bulging, his reason constantly reminding him to restrain himself.
In one night and half a day, he had gathered and organized ten outposts, totaling nearly a thousand people.
These thousand men were all elite troops ready to be deployed to war at any time.
Because of Wei Sheng's first-place finish last year, many people in the military respected him greatly.
That's why he was able to mix and match these thousand people.
He led his thousand men forward for ten miles and saw corpses strewn across the field ahead.
The entire force at this outpost was basically wiped out.
Wei Sheng dismounted and walked to a dead officer who was standing.
The officer used the knife stuck in the ground to prop himself up; he had been dead for some time.
His brow was still furrowed.
"Old Zhang..."
Wei Sheng's eyes were a little moist.
Old Zhang's voice from yesterday still seems to echo in my ears.
He searched Old Zhang and found that all the food he was carrying had been taken by the enemy.
Inside the armor was a letter, stained with blood, but the words on it were still legible.
It's a letter written to my family.
A suicide note!
This was prepared in advance by Lao Zhang; if he couldn't go back himself, he would give it to a friend to take back.
If I can go back, I will never show it to my family.
But it's also possible that they can neither go back nor be sent back.
Wei Sheng read it once; it mentioned his mother, wife, and children.
Old Zhang has a son and a daughter.
His father joined the army with him ten years ago and died in the campaign against Xia.
Wei Xin noticed that the letter also mentioned himself, and that he hoped his son would study at Hanwu National University like him, and his daughter would study at Hanlin Academy.
Knowledge can change your destiny.
"well……"
Wei Sheng sighed and put the letter away: "Old Zhang, I will take good care of the children for you, and I will pay for their schooling in the future!"
After saying that, Wei Sheng poured the last drop of wine he had brought onto Old Zhang.
Wei Sheng ordered his men to burn them alive, collected their ashes, and then summoned several constables.
"The enemy is probably nearby. We don't know how many they have, but they don't know how many we have either, let alone that we have an organized force like ours. If we continue to recruit more troops, our location will be exposed, and that will take time. We're running low on supplies. A quick battle would be most advantageous for us!"
The officers all thought what he said made a lot of sense.
This area is mostly populated by officers of the rank of captain. There was originally a commander, but he was injured and died.
The captains, or centurions, were not usually skilled in tactics, but rather in leading a hundred men in a brave charge into battle.
It still lacks a comprehensive understanding of the overall situation.
After Wei Sheng spoke, everyone felt they had found a direction.
Their faces glowed.
Having persuaded these captains, Wei Sheng began to reorganize the army, arranging its formations and ensuring its readiness.
This was Wei Sheng's first real battle as a commander, and he should have been nervous, but he had experienced the emergency the previous night.
Having organized this force, Wei Sheng led his men to find the nearby enemy troops.
Soon, he received a report from his scouts that there was a Liao army of a thousand men ahead.
He was overjoyed; the enemy force numbered a thousand, roughly the same as his own.
This size is perfectly capable of engaging in direct combat.
This group of Song soldiers was filled with anger and sorrow.
Wei Sheng did not devise any strategy to lure the enemy, nor did he employ any tactics such as dividing his forces or using feints to attack from the east or west.
In these cavalry battles in the wilderness, there are no strategies to speak of.
It's all flat terrain, so it's all about fighting strength.
Warhorses galloped, and a thousand Song soldiers charged forward.
However, upon discovering the approaching Song army, the Liao army quickly adjusted its formation and began to line up.
Before long, a red flying cavalry could be seen charging toward them.
"Kill! Slaughter these Liao bandits without leaving a single one alive, avenge our brothers!"
The angry voices of the Song army echoed across the wilderness.
Of course, Xiao Duolu was unaware at this time that someone had already assembled a group of Song soldiers and started fighting again from the rear.
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