Chapter 412 Father and Son
In the morning, the drizzle became a little more rapid. Amidst the lush green, the deafening shouts of killing with a clear direction reminded everyone that the battle had already begun on the west side of the Stone Bridge-Highland, in the upper reaches of the Taiping River.
The Song army had 20,000 troops in the left army of the Imperial Camp, plus 15,000 Dangxiang light cavalry led by Li Shifu, 10,000 Khitan-Xi light cavalry led by Yelu Yudu, and 15,000 Western Mongolian light cavalry, with a total force of 60,000.
As soon as the Jin army noticed that the Song army was extending its forces upstream, they deployed four Wanhu troops in response.
In the Song army, Han Shizhong's Imperial Camp Left Army Cavalry is undoubtedly the elite and the main force. Although Li Shifu's troops in the Imperial Camp Cavalry are all light cavalry, they are after all Imperial Camp soldiers, well-equipped and well-trained, and can be regarded as a very reliable auxiliary force. However, the Mongolian light cavalry and the Khitan and Xi light cavalry are somewhat inferior in terms of equipment and military discipline... Of course, no one expects them to really kill and break through. Their mission is more to contain and harass the Jin army, and to disrupt the entire battlefield with the mobility of the light cavalry, so that the second main battle group of the Song army can cross the river and fight.
By the same token, the combat strength of the Jin army is also uneven. Their cavalry can never be of the same strength as their infantry, and one Wanhu can never be equated with another.
The zigzag battle line roughly ran from north to south, extending a straight distance of eight or nine miles from the river bank to the back of the high ground. The actual battle line was likely to have exceeded twelve or thirteen miles. However, considering the theoretical scale of the battle of 100,000 people on both sides, the length of this battle line was still a bit short, and it was too short.
Overall, the military forces of both sides are still too thick.
However, this is also the reason why Han Shizhong's banner appeared on the front line. The Song Dynasty needed this sharpest knife to cut through everything.
"What are you going to do?" Amid the deafening shouts and cries of killing, Pushan Beilu, one of the 40,000 households on the western front and the Wanhu of Linhe, suddenly grabbed his son and questioned him face to face.
"I'm going to go under that big banner and kill Han Shizhong!" The tall and burly Pushan Wuzhe pulled down his mask and faced him, his face flushed red. "I'll do this today!"
"Does Han Shizhong just want to behead him?" Pushan Beilu was speechless. "Don't gamble your life easily!"
"Father!" Wuzhe responded angrily. "Taizu ordered our Pushan tribe to guard the border of Goryeo, so that you could not conquer Liao and Song and make merit. Later, the Third Prince (the Third Prince Erliduo was Pushan's son) asked you to go to Longde Prefecture to be the commander-in-chief, but you took the initiative to give it to Bendu and only became an ordinary official. As a result, those people not only did not appreciate it, but also said behind your back that you were incompetent..."
"Wuzhe." Pushan Beilu was full of helplessness. "The Grand Master had good intentions when he asked Pushan to guard the Yalu River. What's the point of being a general? I have been stationed in the rear for many years and I really have no military experience... As for what others say behind my back, what's the point of worrying about words? The most important thing is to protect the whole tribe."
"Even if it's to save the whole tribe, shouldn't we fight to the death today?" The young Pushan Wuzhe was still angry. "The fourth prince's last words also make sense, right? If the skin is gone, the hair will fall. If the Great Jin Kingdom is defeated today, the country will never recover. Will the Pushan tribe be safe by then? We should fight to the death for our country."
"No one is stopping you from serving your country, but today's battle does not require you to do so. You must know that we are on defense this time, and the Song army has no foothold on this side of the river. So as long as we hold the battle line and don't collapse, and wait until nightfall, the marshal will lead tens of thousands of elite cavalry to sweep the area, and by then we will have won." Pushan Beilu said earnestly.
Just as Pushan Wuzhe was about to answer, suddenly, a shout came from the upstream direction to the west, interrupting the conversation between father and son.
The two of them turned their heads together and saw Han Shizhong's unparalleled banner moving towards their side. In front of the banner, the hundreds of Jin cavalry on one wing could no longer be said to be retreating, but more like a rout, because some of the fleeing cavalry were in a panic and actually ran directly into the infantry line, which made people nervous for a moment.
"Wuzhe, I allow you to go to the front line to command." Pushan Beilu turned back and suppressed his anxiety to make a final effort. "You take your Meng'an with you, and I will give you ten extra Moukes to take with you, but you just need to watch the front line, don't expose yourself, and don't attack without authorization like before... You just attacked the riverside, delaying the march with Tuhesu, and Bendu is already very dissatisfied... Can you make me a promise?"
"I got it!" Wuzhe was filled with hatred, but he quickly put on his mask, turned around and rode away.
When Pushan Beilu saw this, he felt a little powerless.
You know, compared to himself who has been guarding near the Yalu River all year round, his son has led a tribe of Mouke to the front line to join the army seven years ago when he was only sixteen years old. He has been participating in battles under the care of his nephew Erlido. He also followed Erlubu and Ali to cross the river and participate in the battle of Luoyang in the Battle of Yaoshan, forcing the Song Dynasty Prime Minister Wang Boyan to death, and his military exploits were recorded in the general's mansion very early.
This difference in experience and age meant that the father and son had completely different views on war, and also meant that their actual influence in the military was slightly misaligned.
Otherwise, why would Pushan Beilu be so worried? And how could Pushan Wuzhe command the troops on the front line?
Without further ado, Pushan Wuzhe left his infantry behind and led ten Mouke and the six Mouke under his own Meng'an forward. On the one hand, he divided the ten Mouke into two groups and advanced alternately to resist the offensive of the Song army again, and on the other hand, he ordered the six Mouke under his own command to rectify military discipline on the spot and gather the defeated soldiers. He unexpectedly took control of the situation easily.
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