Of course, everyone in the Song army knew what this was... They were Jin cavalry. Besides, there was no reason for the Jin army to sit back and watch the Song army capture the city and set up camp. They had to fight a few battles to boost morale while the Song army was still unstable after crossing the river. This was expected... So, no one took it seriously at first. The only thing they did was to send down a military order from the emperor, ordering the left army of the imperial camp, which was supposed to cross the river in order, to be ready to cross the river at any time to respond to Dong Xian.
However, as the thunder grew louder and louder, exceeding everyone's experience and cognition, Dong Xian's troops on the other side of the river, marching from east to west, were the first to panic and lose control. In the end, they voluntarily gave up the city that was within their grasp, and gathered together beside the pontoon bridge with their backs to the river... The Song army finally realized that something was wrong.
Soon, there was no need for Dong Xian's messengers to cross the river and report back, because the senior Song army leaders under the dragon banner had already understood what was going on - they saw with their own eyes that countless Jin army armored cavalry, each man riding two horses, over the opposite hills and slopes like a tide, and their horizontal battle line stretched endlessly, reaching a width of seven or eight miles, and was still continuing, extending in depth.
Under the spring sunshine, the armor and weapons of the Jin army were shining, and the flags were densely packed. Looking around, there were many famous Jin army generals, which caused the Song army on the west bank of the river to change color and even waver.
There was no other way. There were too many Jin cavalrymen. This was probably the largest number of Jin cavalrymen gathered at one time since the Jingkang Incident. Although they were not as powerful as they used to be, the reputation of the Jin cavalrymen was still shocking and frightening.
This can be seen from the reaction of Dong Xian’s troops on the other side of the river.
Since the Northern Expedition, Dong Xian's troops have the most battle experience and the most outstanding military exploits. Dong Xian himself is also the commander with the most achievements in Hedong, otherwise he would not have been used as the vanguard of this expedition to Hebei. However, the Jin cavalry did not engage in battle with such a unit. They just swarmed in from the south side of Jingxing County and lined up on the hillside a few miles away from them, showing off their might and strength. They were frightened to the point of collapse... Among Dong Xian's troops who lined up with their backs to the river, there were many who tried to abandon the formation and escape back to Hexi along the pontoon bridge, but they were all beheaded.
It was precisely because of the strict military law that they were able to hold their ground.
Moreover, no one thinks there is anything wrong with this… If I and my subordinates were on the other side, I’m afraid our reaction would be even worse than Dong Xian’s.
Even among the Song army on this side of the river, many of them gradually became timid when the Jin cavalry advanced in large numbers, but the dragon flag stood still and no one dared to move.
Under the dragon banner, Zhao Jiu, Lu Yihao and other generals remained silent until the Jin army had finished forming their battle array on the opposite hillside. A five-colored sun flag and a "Wei" royal flag of the same pattern appeared in the middle of the array on the opposite bank. Only then did there become a slight commotion.
"How many cavalrymen are there?"
Zhao Jiu, who was holding the reins tightly to hide his nervousness, remained calm and finally asked the general beside him, "Fifty thousand or sixty thousand?"
"Thirty thousand!" Han Shizhong blurted out.
"Just 30,000?" Zhao Jiu was a little surprised.
"So that the emperor knows, the cavalry is only deployed widely, that is, 30,000." Li Yanxian explained calmly. "However, the concentrated use of 30,000 cavalry is enough to make the final decision and decide the outcome of the 200,000-man battle."
"But the Jin cavalry should be more than 30,000, right?" Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, still puzzled. "According to the military report, two Wanhu and four Hezhameng'an from Yanjing have come to help. They should have 600 to 700 Mouke. Even if we don't count the reinforcements from Yanjing, just the cavalry that followed Wuzhu and Balisu from the south, plus the two Wanhu from Datong and Yelu Mawu's subordinates, there should be at least 50,000 to 60,000 people."
"Your Majesty." Wu Jie, who had been observing the enemy's formation with a telescope, suddenly reined in his horse and turned around, squeezing into the position between Emperor Zhao and Prime Minister Lu. "Wu Shu and Ba Li Su must have wanted us to think this way..."
Zhao Jiu was slightly stunned.
"Although the Jin army can have 600 Mouke, in fact, after more than three months of fighting, thousands of miles of travel, countless casualties, and the army that has been following Wuzhu and Balisu, there are probably only these 300 Mouke who are so powerful and well-organized!" Wu Jie responded calmly. "And if my guess is correct, the reinforcements from the Yanjing direction of the Jin army should not have arrived yet. The two Wanhu of the former Datong in Zhending Prefecture in the north of the Hutuo River dare not easily cross the Hutuo River before our main force crosses the river. Yelu Ma Wu has been beaten all the time, and it is impossible for him to prepare so quickly. In other words... these 300 Mouke are the limit of what the Jin army can gather to form a battle array at this time! Moreover, most of them are fake!"
Zhao Jiu woke up slightly.
"Don't worry, sir. Even if reinforcements arrive and the army is fully prepared, the Jin army will not be able to concentrate 60,000 cavalry." Han Shizhong interrupted again, but the corners of his mouth curled up, and he sneered. "Because cavalry is used for sprinting and sweeping. If you want to command properly, a general like Lou Shi can use 5,000 or 6,000 people. If there are more, he will have to send out his trusted lieutenants to assist... let alone 50,000 or 60,000 cavalry? If what I expected is correct, when the decisive battle comes, the Jin people will definitely send out tens of thousands of people, arrange them according to the terrain in advance, and form a grand battle array... In most cases, the infantry will be in the middle, the cavalry will be on both wings, and then Balisu will gather two or three Wanhu and four or five Meng'an, and gather 20,000 elite cavalry to determine the outcome!"
Zhao Jiu thought of the battle experience at Yaoshan and nodded heavily, and the other officers also agreed.
"But what can we do in the current situation?" After relaxing a little, Zhao Jiu couldn't ask any more.
"Simple." Wu Jie replied seriously. "Please ask the emperor to order us to cross the river in advance!"
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