After several days of forced march, the scouts received news that Meilin was ahead, but it had been occupied by 20,000 Jin soldiers.
Upon hearing this, Meng Liang was immediately overjoyed. After traveling for so many days, he had finally encountered the Jin soldiers, and now there was a battle to be fought.
Meng Liang estimated that Li Guang should have arrived at Panzhou Lake by now. He wanted to capture Meilin and take the Jin generals alive as a gift to Li Guang.
In less than half a day, Meng Liang's army arrived at the city of Meilin and set up camp two miles from the city gate.
At this moment, Xiang Shangjin in the city was indulging in pleasure, having been living a very carefree life lately.
Previously, he followed Somelon to Panzhou, where they entered as if it were empty land, with virtually no resistance.
After arriving in Panzhou, he was ordered to lead troops to attack Meilin. When he arrived in Meilin with 20,000 troops, it was already an empty city.
In Xiang Shangjin's view, he was known as the number one fierce general of the Jin Kingdom. Wherever he went, the people of the Northern Dynasty would be terrified. So it was normal that there was only an empty city here.
With Somelon not around these days, he plans to enjoy himself in the city for a few days before going out to find more fun.
Just then, he received a report that a large army had arrived outside the city and had already set up camp.
Xiang Shangjin was taken aback. The army of the Great Northern Dynasty had already been routed by them. Where did this army come from?
"Where did the army outside the city come from? Is it the army of the Great Northern Dynasty?"
"It shouldn't be. These soldiers don't seem to be wearing clothes. They've made clothes out of rattan and are wearing them."
"Rattan armor soldiers, these must be some southern barbarians from the south. It is said that rattan armor soldiers are very powerful in battle, but they never go north. What are they doing here this time?"
"Are they rebels from the Northern Dynasty, taking advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to overthrow the Northern Dynasty?" some people speculated.
"It is possible that most rebellions in the Central Plains in history started in the southern part of the Central Plains."
"General Xiang, could you take this opportunity to bring these southern barbarians under your command and have them serve our Great Jin Kingdom?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking. If these southern barbarians can be used by our Jin state, we can gain even more benefits when we seize the Central Plains this time."
Let's not talk about that now. Let's go out and see what happens.
After Xiang Shangjin finished speaking, he led his 10,000-strong army out of the city.
The Jin soldiers arrived at the front of the battle and lined up their troops in a single file.
Meng Liang did not expect the Jin army to come out of the city at this time, so he ordered his army to also form a battle formation and line up to meet them.
Xiang Shangjin began to sized up the soldiers opposite him and found that they were in good condition, but they were not tall and had dark skin, which was incomparable to the tall and strong Jin soldiers.
Everyone says that rattan armor soldiers are powerful, but they don't seem that impressive. They would definitely be no match for the iron hooves of their own army.
If I could utilize these southern barbarians to serve the Jin Dynasty, that would be wonderful.
Thinking of this, he urged his horse forward and asked:
"Who are you people, and what are you doing in Meilin City of our Great Jin Kingdom?"
When Meng Liang saw that the other side had sent a general who stepped forward and shouted that Merlin belonged to their Jin Kingdom, he became furious.
He urged his horse forward and said:
“Our Great Northern Dynasty’s Southern Yi Clan army, instead of staying peacefully in the Jin Kingdom, you came to invade our Great Northern Dynasty, killing and burning, committing all sorts of evil deeds. Your Grandpa Meng Liang specially came from the ancient castle to deal with you bunch of bastards.”
Those who know what's good for them should dismount and surrender immediately, and we will spare their lives.
Upon hearing this, Xiang Shangjin burst into laughter.
"You southern barbarians dare to oppose our Great Jin Dynasty? The Great Northern Dynasty is doomed. If you surrender to the Great Jin Dynasty now, I might consider giving you a way out..."
"Shut up! Your Master Meng has brought troops from the ancient castle to wipe out you Jin traitors!" Meng Liang shouted.
The two men were about to start fighting when their words fell on deaf ears. Immediately, their generals stepped forward to replace them, and the two sides' generals began to fight.
Once the two sides made their move, their strength became apparent. The generals of the Jin Kingdom all came from the north. They grew up on horseback and ate beef and mutton. Although beef was forbidden in the Northern Dynasty, it could be eaten freely in the Jin Kingdom.
Therefore, most of the soldiers of the Jin Dynasty were tall and strong, and their physical condition was much better than that of the people from the south.
On the battlefield, the difference in strength became apparent as soon as the two sides clashed. Meng Liang's generals were no match for Jin's generals, and in a short time, Meng Liang lost two of his generals.
Seeing this, Xiang Shangjin burst into laughter:
"With your strength, you think you can fight against our army? It's not too late to surrender now. When we come, we will leave you with nothing."
At this moment, Meng Liang was both ashamed and angry. The two sides had not even officially started fighting yet, and he had already lost two generals. How could he fight the battles to come?
On the battlefield, we have 20,000 soldiers while the enemy has only 10,000. If we charge forward now and fight the enemy, we might be able to defeat the Jin army by relying on the power of our rattan armor soldiers.
However, this would also result in heavy losses for themselves. If the Jin soldiers in the city rushed out to reinforce them, their entire army might be wiped out.
I brought my troops here to reinforce Li Guang. I can't let my 20,000 men be wiped out before I even see Li Guang. That would be a joke.
Meng Liang was at a loss. If the Jin soldiers launched an attack at this time, the rattan armor army would definitely suffer losses.
Since he doesn't have any skilled generals, it seems that only by personally taking to the field and killing a few Jin generals can he turn the tide.
Thinking of this, Meng Liang spurred his horse, drew his sword, and arrived at the front of the two armies, ready to cleave the golden general before him.
Meng Liang's broadsword weighs over 100 jin (approximately 50 kg), making him virtually unmatched in the ancient castle. He could easily handle ordinary Jin generals with this broadsword.
Seeing Meng Liang personally taking action, Xiang Shangjin guessed his intentions; he wouldn't let Meng Liang succeed.
Xiang Shangjin took the large iron rod handed to him by his deputy, spurred his horse into battle, and replaced the other general. He wanted to meet Meng Liang personally.
When Meng Liang saw the large iron rod in Xiang Shangjin's hand, he was taken aback. The rod was at least as thick as a man's arm and weighed over 200 jin. He knew he had little chance of winning against this man.
But he had no choice but to stand his ground against Xiang Shangjin.
At this moment, Xiang Shangjin looked at Meng Liang and said:
"Meng Liang, it's not too late for you to surrender now. But if you remain obstinate, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Xiang Shangjin, stop spouting nonsense. Come at me and fight your Grandpa Meng for three hundred rounds."
After Meng Liang finished speaking, he raised his knife and slashed at Xiang Shangjin.
Seeing Meng Liang bring down his sword, Xiang Shangjin raised his large club and deflected Meng Liang's sword with a loud bang, like a thunderclap.
In that instant, Meng Liang's broadsword was almost knocked away. He felt as if the space between his thumb and forefinger had been cracked, and now he could no longer hold the sword properly.
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