Battle of Huangtiandang (Part 2)
Huangtian Dang is a stranded stretch of water on the Yangtze River, covered in silt and overgrown with weeds. There's only one way in, no way out. Upon hearing the news, Han Shizhong couldn't help but get excited. He said to his generals, "Wanyan Zongbing escaped last time at the Dragon King Temple. Now, let's catch him in the act."
"Yes, we must trap him here to death." The generals were also excited. If they could capture Wanyan Zongbing alive, it would be a great achievement.
Han Shizhong immediately ordered: "Seal off the only exit from the pond, and quickly make some iron ropes and hooks."
"Understood, sir." The generals did as they were told.
The Jin army circled Huangtian Dang and found no exit, so Wanyan Zongbing had to order the entire army to turn the ships around.
Just as the Jin army turned around, Han Shizhong led the navy to follow and appeared at the entrance of Huangtian Dang.
Tall ships were lined up in a black mass, blocking the exit. Han Shizhong and Liang Hongyu stood at the bow, looking at the once arrogant "His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince", and thought to themselves: Now you probably can't escape even if you have wings.
Wanyan Zongbing saw that there was no way out in front of him and that the army was chasing him from behind. He could not help but feel anxious. He knew that Han Shizhong could not be allowed to trap them here. So he ordered: "All the generals, listen to my order. Fight to the death with the Song army and fight your way out."
The desperate Jin army continued to charge forward, attempting to break through Huangtian Dang. However, the Song army's ships were larger and used specialized weapons such as paddles, hooks, and iron chains. Han Shizhong ordered his navy to use iron hooks to snare the ships, and in a short time, they sank or damaged more than 50 enemy ships. Taking advantage of their high position, they continuously used bows and arrows to wear down the Jin army's strength. The Jin army made several unsuccessful attempts to break free from the blockade at the river mouth, and in desperation, they had no choice but to return to the Dang to await rescue.
Han Shizhong commanded the Song army to block the entrance to the river at Huangtian Dang tightly, preparing to take advantage of the situation and trap the 20,000 to 30,000 Jin troops to death.
In this way, the two sides confronted each other on the river for more than forty days, and the Jin army failed to break through several times.
Han Shizhong and his generals have already started holding a banquet to celebrate.
Han Shizhong was so happy after drinking that he said to his generals, "Brothers, don't just drink by ourselves. I have a suggestion. We should let Wanyan Zongbing drink a pot as well. But instead of drinking wine, let him drink the yellow soup from the Yangtze River." After saying that, he burst into laughter.
The generals also laughed out loud, and Liang Hongyu was also in high spirits. "Look how happy General Han is! I've been beating the drum for more than forty days, and my shoulders are sore. General Han has been drinking for dozens of days, and his tongue is numb."
The generals laughed again when they heard this.
Han Shizhong filled a glass of wine for Liang Hongyu and brought it to her. "This glass of wine should be toasted to General Liang. It was General Liang's plan that frightened Wanyan Zongbi so much at the sound of the drums."
Liang Hongyu took the wine glass and said, "I really don't deserve it, but I'll drink it." Then she drank it all in one gulp.
"General Liang is worthy of being a heroine. She is so straightforward. I'll toast you a glass as well." Hu Yantong said as he poured another glass of wine and handed it to Liang Hongyu.
Han Shizhong took the wine glass from Hu Yantong and said, "General Liang will be drunk if she drinks any more. Let me drink this glass for her."
The generals all joked, "When did the general learn to be gentle with women?"
Liang Hongyu heard this and thought that Han Shizhong had no idea how to be gentle with women. So she snatched the wine glass from Han Shizhong and said, "Don't bother General Han. I'll drink this glass."
Seeing Liang Hongyu drink it all in one gulp, rejecting his good intention, his good mood was instantly gone, and he said angrily: "You guys drink, I'm going to go to the boat to feel the sea breeze."
Someone asked in surprise: "What's so good about this sea breeze? We might as well drink here."
Hu Yantong saw that Han Shizhong was unhappy, so he said to the generals, "Go away, no more drinking, go back and rest." Then he drove the generals out.
"It's so strange. Why don't you drink anymore?" One of them complained. Seeing the generals leaving the cabin one by one, he could only leave with them.
Han Shizhong stood at the bow, looking at the moonlight in the night, which was softly sprinkled on the vast river. Seeing that the war situation with Wanyan Zongbing was going well, he was ready to express his feelings to Liang Hongyu after the battle. However, he saw that Liang Hongyu was becoming more and more cold towards him. He was confused and sighed repeatedly.
After Liang Hongyu followed the generals out of the cabin, she stood at the stern. The river breeze blew her hair in front of her forehead and also messed up her thoughts. After this battle, Han Shizhong would be famous all over the world and would inevitably be promoted. The distance between her and him would become larger and larger. He was a general who was feared by all, and she was a famous courtesan in Jiangnan. Although both of them were famous all over the world, there was an insurmountable gap between them. There should not have been any intersection between the general and the courtesan, but fate made them meet.
She thought of Xin Xingzong and Tong Guan again. Her hands were stained with blood. Would he like her like this? He should like a lady from a clean family, not a female general like her, whose hands were stained with blood and who was born into a courtesan family. Even when she was trapped in the brothels, she never felt that she was a lowly person. Why did she always feel inferior in front of him?
Just as her thoughts were racing, she heard a voice behind her: "What are you thinking about, Sister Hongyu?"
Sister Hongyu knew who this person was as soon as she heard the name, so she didn't turn around to look at him, but just listened to the sound of his footsteps slowly walking towards her.
Asen walked closer and glanced at her beside him, only to see that she was frowning slightly. He really didn't know what else could make her unhappy when they were about to defeat the Jin army.
Is it because of General Han?
When Liang Hongyu heard that General Han was going to fight the Jin people, her anxious expression betrayed her inner thoughts. She repeatedly begged the emperor to let her come to help Han Shizhong. The emperor could not resist her repeated begging and agreed to let her come to help Han Shizhong.
Now her wish was about to come true. After helping Han Shizhong defeat the Jin army, Han Shizhong would become famous and be promoted to a higher position. Why would she be unhappy? Could it be that General Han didn't like her? He really couldn't imagine that there would be anyone who didn't like a woman like her.
He looked longingly at the woman beside him whom he admired, a woman he could never reach. Now she had risen to the rank of general, and after this battle, she would become as famous as Han Shizhong. To him, she was someone he could only admire but never reach. As long as he could be by her side like this, he was already content.
"Asen, do you know? After this battle, we may become famous throughout the world, and even terrify the Jin people. Will the government no longer be afraid of the Jin people and be determined to recover the lost territory?"
It turned out that she was thinking about these things. She was such a woman who cared about the world. Asen breathed a sigh of relief. How many men in this world could be worthy of her?
Asen saw sparks of fire flashing in her bright and charming eyes, a fire full of hope and ambition.
"Maybe." Asen answered insincerely, but his thoughts were: such firelight stung his eyes, making him look so humble and insignificant in front of her.
"Go to bed early, maybe there will be another battle tomorrow." Liang Hongyu said, putting her hand on Asen's shoulder.
"Yeah." Asen turned around and was about to leave with Liang Hongyu, but he saw a tall figure standing in front of them. Asen looked up, but his eyes met Han Shizhong's. The sharp eyes seemed to contain murderous intent. It was the eyes condensed by a general who had killed countless people on the battlefield. This look made Asen lower his head in horror. He didn't know why Han Shizhong looked at him with such eyes.
When Liang Hongyu saw Han Shizhong, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she asked, "General Han, haven't you gone to bed yet?"
Han Shizhong didn't answer her question, but only said, "General Liang is quite refined! He even comes to admire the moon with his servants during the battle?"
He actually said I was a servant. Asen was about to refute, but heard Liang Hongyu say: "General Han, please be careful with your words. Asen is not a servant, he is a very important person around me."
When Asen heard this, he felt secretly happy, and the corners of his mouth were almost stretched to his earlobes. He looked at Han Shizhong with a provocative look.
Han Shizhong was so angry that he was about to burst into tears, but he still said calmly: "I have spoken out of turn." After that, he walked ahead of them and left.
Han Shizhong lay in bed tossing and turning, sleepless all night. Seeing Liang Hongyu with another man drove him wild with jealousy. The sound of their laughter and joy pierced his eardrums and pierced his heart, causing a sharp pain in his heart. Never before had a woman so tugged at his emotions. When he saw her, he would become nervous and uneasy, easily saying the wrong thing, which would further upset her. When he wasn't with her, her figure would always hover before his eyes.
He simply got up and sat at his desk to read those obscure military books. Although he was good at fighting, all his skills were his own creation, and he had never really read a complete military book. Sure enough, after reading for a while, he finally felt sleepy and fell asleep.
He dreamed that Wanyan Zongbing had escaped. When he woke up, he hurriedly sent people to investigate. The guards panicked and reported to him, "General, Wanyan Zongbing had his men dig through the canal, and before daybreak, he escaped along the dug waterway."
Liang Hongyu also heard the news and rushed to the tent to ask, "General Han, I heard that Wanyan Zongbi escaped before dawn. Isn't there no exit from Huangtian Dang?"
Han Shizhong sighed and said, "It's all my fault for being careless for a moment. I let this cooked duck fly away again." After saying that, he sat down dejectedly.
After Wanyan Zongbing had been trapped in Huangtian Dang for more than forty days, he summoned all his ministers to discuss matters in the cabin.
Someone offered a plan: "Since the peace talks have failed, let's post a notice. Anyone who can offer a plan to escape Huangtian Dang will be rewarded handsomely."
Wanyan Zongbing thought this was a good idea, so he sent people to post notices everywhere.
However, many people at that time did not have patriotic feelings. After reading the notice, a Song Dynasty citizen took down the notice and asked for an audience.
The man knelt in the Jin army's cabin and said, "There is a Laoguan River in Huangtian Dang that connects directly to the Qinhuai River in Jiankang. It has silted up due to years of disuse. If we send someone to dig it through, we can escape by water."
When Wanyan Zongbing heard this, his eyes lit up and he said, "What a good plan." After that, he sent someone to offer a large sum of money.
After receiving the large sum of money, the man immediately knelt down with a smile on his face to express his gratitude and then left the cabin.
Wanyan Zongbing dispatched tens of thousands of people to work day and night to clear the river channel. In one night, they managed to clear more than 30 miles of the abandoned river channel. That night, they successfully escaped from the river channel and attempted to enter Jiankang through the waterway.
Passing by Niutou Mountain, Yue Fei, who had just recovered Jiankang, had stationed his troops there. When he saw the enemy coming out from here, he immediately mobilized a large army to attack fiercely. Wanyan Zongbing had to retreat back to Huangtian Dang.
As Han Shizhong's navy followed, one of his subordinates reported, "General, Wanyan Zongbi's fleet has retreated again.
This was great news. Han Shizhong and Liang Hongyu looked at each other happily.
"We must not let Wanyan Zongbing escape this time," Han Shizhong said to his generals, then ordered, "We must trap the Jin troops in the Yangtze River near Jiankang Prefecture."
"Yes, command."
It seemed that the remaining 20,000-odd troops of Wanyan Zongbing were about to be surrounded by the tall ships of the Song army.
At this time, a young general from the Jin army reported: "Report to His Royal Highness the Fourth Prince, our reinforcements have arrived at Huangtian Dang."
Upon hearing the news, Wanyan Zongbing, who had been trapped in Huangtian Dang for over forty days, finally relaxed his frown. He said excitedly, "It's a good opportunity! We can coordinate with the reinforcements from both inside and outside to wipe out Han Shizhong's navy in one fell swoop."
On the Song army side, Han Shizhong ordered craftsmen to make many large iron hooks connected by iron chains, and selected strong sailors to practice their use to deal with the small warships of the Jin army.
On the morning of April 12, the Jin army launched the first attack. The fleet was lined up on the river, looking determined to win.
Liang Hongyu suggested, "We can split our army into two groups to attack the enemy, putting them in a position where they can be attacked from both sides."
Han Shizhong followed the plan and divided the warships into two groups. The Song army's navy consisted mostly of large ships with good stability and strong attack power. They sailed on the sea with the wind and moved back and forth like flying. They used large hooks to hook one side of the enemy ship from a high position and pulled it hard, and the enemy ship capsized. The painful wails of the Jin army soldiers were heard again on the sea, and the Song army won a great victory again.
After this battle, both armies took a short rest.
Liang Hongyu reminded Han Shizhong, "Wanyan Zongbi is a famous general of the Jin army. Don't let your guard down. You should seize the opportunity to attack him and force him to surrender without giving him a chance to catch his breath."
Han Shizhong laughed upon hearing this and said, "General Liang, don't worry too much. Even if Wanyan Zongbi had three heads and six arms, I will make sure he can't escape. When his food runs out and his escape is exhausted, he will surrender to me."
Liang Hongyu added, "We previously besieged the Jin army for many days, but Wanyan Zongbing escaped. Are you planning to repeat the same mistake and fail at the last moment?"
Han Shizhong frowned and said, "General Liang, there is no need to say more. Just wait for good news."
Liang Hongyu shook her head helplessly and had to leave the cabin. She instructed Asen, "You must keep a close eye on the Jin army's movements and report any unusual movements to me immediately."
"Yes, General!" Although Asen called Liang Hongyu "Sister Hongyu" in private, he still had to consider Liang Hongyu's dignity in front of everyone and addressed her as "General".
Wanyan Zongbing was defeated by Han Shizhong's navy and warships and had no chance to resist, so he resorted to the same old trick and posted a notice, offering a large sum of money to seek advice from experts on how to escape.
At that time, a Fujianese named Wang, who lived in Jiankang Prefecture, came to seek an audience. He first analyzed the weaknesses of the Song warships:
First, the Song army used sea-going ships, which were deployed in the middle of the river. When the wind blew, the sea-going ships could "fly back and forth like flying", and they were unstoppable, but if there was no wind, they could not move.
Second, the Song army was in the middle of the river, while the Jin army was on the shore. The Song army had no idea what was happening in the Jin camp, but the Jin army on land could use its advantage of being high above to see the movements of the Song army clearly.
He then proposed a plan to Wanyan Zongbing: "Your Excellency could load the warships with earth to increase their stability and speed, then cover them with flat plates with holes punched in them for oars. At the same time, prepare a large number of rockets, and take advantage of the maneuverability of the small boats to use fire attacks against the Song army."
Upon hearing this, Wanyan Zongbing smiled and said, "This is a very good plan. Thank you for your guidance." After that, he sent someone to reward him handsomely and send him out of the tent.
Looking at the man's receding back, Wanyan Zongbing said to his subordinates: "The Song army has such traitorous people. What can we do to us even if there are ten Han Shizhongs?" After saying that, he laughed out loud, and his subordinates also laughed wildly to vent their depression of being trapped for forty-eight days.
Wanyan Zongbing set up an altar that day and knelt on the deck with his generals to pray for calm winds the next day. Afterwards, he ordered his soldiers to build numerous rockets.
The next morning, Wanyan Zongbing walked out of his tent and saw that the weather was indeed clear and windless. He laughed and said, "God is helping me."
On this day, the Jin army marched from Jinshan to the newly remodeled ships. The Jin army officers and soldiers operated them, and the remodeled ships proved to be flexible and maneuverable, as stable as a rock.
After being besieged by the Song army for forty-eight days, the Jin army's warships finally launched a counterattack.
After Asen learned of the Jin army's movements, he quickly reported to Liang Hongyu: "General, the Jin army is attacking."
As soon as Asen finished speaking, he saw tens of thousands of rockets shooting towards this side like locusts. The sails of the ship quickly caught fire. Since the Song army's large ship could not move without wind, the ship became a fixed target. The fire quickly spread to the entire cabin, and in an instant the entire river was ablaze.
Liang Hongyu shouted, "Asen, quickly take the female generals and escape first."
Asen asked worriedly, "What about you?"
"I can get away by myself, why don't you leave quickly!" Liang Hongyu glared at Asen, and he had to turn around and leave.
Han Shizhong sighed deeply, "I regret not listening to you. If Heaven doesn't destroy Wanyan Zongbi, what can I do?"
At this moment, a rocket shot towards Han Shizhong. As the arrow was wrapped in kerosene, it was about to shoot towards Han Shizhong with a sizzling flame. In a hurry, Liang Hongyu tried to block it, and the rocket shot towards Liang Hongyu's chest.
Han Shizhong was shocked when he saw this, and he helped Liang Hongyu who was about to fall. Liang Hongyu fell into Han Shizhong's arms and fainted immediately. Han Shizhong cut off the tail of the arrow with a knife.
Blood gushed out from Liang Hongyu's chest. Han Shizhong felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "General Liang Hongyu! Hongyu!"
Hu Yantong came over at this time and said, "General, I found a small boat. You take General Liang and leave first, and I will cover your retreat."
Han Shizhong had no choice but to take Liang Hongyu aboard a small boat that had been docked next to the large ship and leave first. The remaining soldiers and generals were mostly burned or drowned, with only a few escaping. Two lieutenants were killed in the battle, and most of the 8,000 soldiers were lost, a huge loss.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
