Chapter 243

The sun had shifted slightly westward. At the Song army's central command camp, the generals and staff officers who remained there were already stirred beyond measure.

The main battlefield on Dongpo Plateau needed no further mention. Although everyone had initially calculated and recalculated, feeling that with a numerical advantage they might be able to fight the Jin army, none of them had been certain—until the Imperial Guard Central Army now faced them head-on, advancing step by step. In comparison, Liu Qi's unit on the left flank, stuck in the mud, was an even greater stroke of luck that made everyone cry out in relief!

It truly was luck. Several dozen mouke, plus the ten or so mouke that had succeeded in raiding the camp earlier but were driven back, along with other scattered units—this was enough to deduce that this was a Gold Seal Marching Myriad Household leading the main Jin force and his core subordinates, likely formally tasked with a flanking mission, representing about one-fifth of the Jin army's strength.

Such a powerful Jurchen cavalry force, if they had safely crossed the swamp, whether to launch a heavy infantry assault on the camp's flank or to provide support on the plateau, would have had a tremendous impact on the battle. But now, they were stuck in the swamp, and Liu Qi's unit, which had sallied forth at just the right moment, had surrounded them in the mire.

Was this kind of luck not, as many were quick to flatter, proof that the so-called "Deputy Commander Zhao" was a true Son of Heaven, blessed with overwhelming fortune?

Of course, if that were the case, then what about the Two Sages during the Jingkang Incident? And what about those Jurchen generals across the way who had captured the Khitan emperor and then the Zhao Song emperor?

They were professional dragon-catchers, weren't they?

But regardless, with the battle situation so favorable, morale was naturally high.

"Deputy Commander, Marshal!" The more he watched, the more eager he became. Qin-Feng Circuit Grand Coordinator Zhao Zhe finally couldn't help but clasp his hands and request battle. "Let me lead my own troops to assist Grand Coordinator Liu... If we can devour these few thousand Jin troops, victory in this battle will be firmly in our grasp!"

Now, before and after the battle began, whether Zhao Jiu was truly reckless or putting on a brave face, he had maintained a calm demeanor. Hearing this now, he naturally showed little change in expression. However, being genuinely ignorant of military affairs, he instinctively looked toward Wu Jie.

Just as Wu Jie was about to speak, Xihe Circuit Grand Coordinator and Western Three Routes Commander-in-Chief Liu Xi had already shaken his head repeatedly: "No need for that... The great battle has just begun. A mere flank, even if we have a complete advantage, is not worth committing more troops. Let my younger brother handle it himself. As for where Grand Coordinator Zhao should go, I believe the plateau is where the outcome will be decided. Grand Coordinator, please wait a while, to be used for a greater purpose."

At these words, Zhao Zhe and the various generals and staff officers in the central command fell silent, then all looked toward Wu Jie... The meaning was clear: Liu Da, relying on his position as Western Three Routes Commander-in-Chief and being, like the Wu brothers, a pair of brother circuit grand coordinators, had been opposing you, Grand Commandant, for many days over the marshal's seat. According to the Western Army's rules, they were already irreconcilable.

And now, he actually wanted to let his brother take all the credit for this battle right in front of you. And you, Wu Da, a scoundrel who has been muddling along in the Western Army for twenty years, yellow-faced and black-hearted, why aren't you suppressing Liu Da's arrogance in front of His Majesty right now, so that the other brothers can get a share?

If you can distribute the battle credit, who cares about his Western Three Routes Commander-in-Chief or his family of generals? Wouldn't the men of Qin-Feng Circuit then truly accept you as their great marshal?

However, Wu Jie, upon hearing this, kept his yellow face stern and actually nodded heavily: "Commander Liu is absolutely right! In such a grand battle, victory or defeat lies only in the main confrontation. As for the flank in the mire, even if we send reinforcements, how long would it take to kill off all those heavily armored knights? It would only waste troops there... If I, Wu Da, send a single reinforcement to the flank today, it will only prove my incompetence!"

Zhao Zhe and the other generals were dumbfounded, but had nothing to say in reply.

On the other hand, Zhao Jiu thought about it for a moment and couldn't help but nod immediately... That was the logic. Just like this Jin army's southern campaign, everyone knew that control of Guanzhong was the foundation. Any minor gains or losses elsewhere were merely diversions or exchanges. And now, with Guanzhong at stake, the outcome here was the most critical. As long as the other fronts didn't collapse, that was enough. Following this logic down to the present, the flank only needed to ensure it wasn't completely lost. The real decisive point could only be where the main armies converged on the plateau.

If that place was won, then this battle could be called a victory!

With this thought, Zhao Jiu couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy, because the battle was going far too smoothly. And Wanyan Loushi was never an opponent one could relax around... The true decisive battle had certainly not yet arrived.

Just as Zhao Jiu was lost in thought, suddenly, on the central command platform, Yang Yizhong reached out and tugged at the Imperial Lord's cloak, causing the lord to turn back in surprise, momentarily confused.

However, he soon realized what was happening, because on the central command platform, the generals were all staring fixedly at the left-flank battlefield on the northeast side of the camp. Zhao Jiu followed their gaze and was also stunned... It turned out that less than half an incense stick of time had passed since Wu Jie, "Marshal Wu," had just made his solemn declaration that he would never send a single reinforcement to Liu Qi on the flank. From the platform, it was clear to see that at the edge of the mire, no fewer than four or five hundred crossbowmen were riding horses from the south to reinforce. Upon reaching the mire, they dismounted and scattered into the swamp, seeking out suitable hard ground, where they braced their crossbows and joined the ranks of those annihilating the Jin army!

Without needing a thousand-li eye, Zhao Jiu instantly understood: these were Divine Arm Crossbowmen! A full four to five hundred Divine Arm Crossbowmen!

In the mire, the Jin army had lost its mobility. The Divine Arm Crossbow, with its armor-piercing power and excellent range, was the best tool for annihilating the enemy and earning battle merits... Of course, the problem wasn't there. The problem was that the Divine Arm Crossbow was the best tool for dealing with the Jin army anywhere!

And hadn't Wu Jie and Liu Xi, the two most powerful figures in the army, just emphasized the importance of the main battlefield? So why would someone immediately send such a precious number of Divine Arm Crossbowmen to the flank, which was already stuck in the mire and had the upper hand?

"Whose troops are these?" After watching for a moment, "Deputy Commander" Zhao Jiu finally spoke coldly.

"Let me inform the Deputy Commander," the crowd came to their senses, and Zhao Zhe was the first to clasp his hands in reply, indignant. "With so many crossbowmen, if they're not from the central army, they must be from the palace guard. In any case, they are not from my Qin-Feng Circuit troops!"

It couldn't be the central army or the palace guard, as they were right behind the platform, resting in their tents. Zhao Zhe was speaking sarcastically.

In fact, as soon as Zhao Zhe finished speaking, Zhao Jiu, Wu Jie, Wang Yuan, Yang Yizhong, Zhang Xian, Tian Shizhong, and the other generals almost all looked at Liu Xi... They understood now. Liu Xi's earlier words were only to prevent his brother's battle credit from being stolen, but that didn't stop him from sending his own reinforcements to help his brother achieve great merit!

Of course, in this situation, Liu Xi was also extremely embarrassed. He had never imagined that Wu Jie would be so focused on the overall situation and wouldn't take the opportunity to steal his brother's advantage. So, seeing his brother's brilliant battle from afar, he had judged others by his own petty standards and immediately sent a trusted subordinate away to lead most of his own Divine Arm Crossbowmen to assist.

As a result, he had not only earned the displeasure of everyone but, more importantly, incurred the Imperial Lord's wrath!

"Deputy Commander!" Liu Xi's face was red, and he could only force a weak defense. "My younger brother has been serving as the Longyou Protector in Xihe Circuit all along. This must be his old subordinates acting on their own..."

Zhao Jiu stared blankly at this man for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a thunderous noise from directly ahead and quickly turned to look. The crowd saw clearly that on Dongpo Plateau, two columns of rolling dust, like two yellow dragons baring their fangs and claws, were speeding in from the gentle slopes on the left and right flanks, hugging the Song-Jin battle line and plunging straight toward the Song army's left and right flanks!

Clearly, the Jin army was sending reinforcements from the rear.

For a moment, although the yellow dust made it impossible to see the specific situation on the two flanks, the sound of hooves from the two yellow dragons, combined with the suddenly erupting battle cries from the Jin army facing them, was truly terrifying. Moreover, soon, as far as the eye could see, the Song-Jin battle line, like a single thread, was flattened from both flanks to the center by the two intersecting yellow dragons!

Needless to say, the Jin cavalry had launched a surprise attack, their penetration precise. The Song army, caught off guard, had been outmaneuvered again, directly losing its advantage on the plateau.

However, in the eyes of Wu Jie and other senior officers, this brilliant penetration by the Jin army was not merely about regaining the advantage.

On the one hand, it demonstrated the Jin army's superiority in large-scale cavalry tactics. On the other hand, it also revealed the uncompromisingly aggressive character of their commander, Loushi. The combination of these two factors caused a tremor among the Song generals, almost all of whom were former subordinates who had been defeated by Loushi, from Zhao Jiu and Wu Jie on down.

Even Liu Xi, relieved for a moment, quickly requested battle: "Deputy Commander, Marshal, I am willing to lead the Xihe Circuit to provide support!"

"No!" Wu Jie, now too lazy to put on airs with this man, immediately rebuked him. "Loushi's main force has not yet arrived. The Xihe Circuit troops must remain on the right flank to guard against a flanking attack by Loushi! Even if Loushi finally comes from the front of the plateau, your unit has the most cavalry and should be kept for the final encirclement!"

Hearing that he still had an important role to play, and that "Deputy Commander Zhao" had no intention of speaking, Liu Xi finally relaxed for a moment.

"No need for support?" Zhao Jiu watched for a while longer. Seeing that the Song army's line was retreating slowly but inexorably, he turned to Wu Jie again and asked seriously.

"Your Majesty, it hasn't come to that yet." Wu Jie snapped back to reality and gave the Imperial Lord a brief explanation, along with a reminder. "If the Imperial Guard Central Army's various battalions truly cannot hold and are about to retreat from the plateau, then we will immediately send the Qin-Feng Circuit troops to reinforce. And if the Qin-Feng Circuit also cannot hold, naturally, I will lead the central army to reinforce... The left and right flanks must not be moved lightly."

Zhao Jiu nodded: "I understand what you mean. If you also fail, then I will personally go to reinforce!"

Wu Jie wanted to say something but stopped, finally remaining silent... If he were also routed, the Imperial Lord Zhao, staying put in the camp, would be a dead end. He truly should raise the imperial banner and lead the palace guard forward. That might offer a glimmer of hope.

But back to the present, these were not things to think about now, because the main battlefield on the plateau was the most critical point. And the situation on the plateau was already very bad.

The Jin army had gained four thousand cavalry, and the effect was almost qualitative. Now, on the plateau, the Jin army had ten thousand Han infantry and ten thousand cavalry, while the Song army had thirty-five thousand men of the Imperial Guard Central Army. But the problem was that the thirty-five thousand men of the Imperial Guard Central Army were mostly infantry, divided into ten divisions, and the battle line could not be properly deployed, so they were essentially fighting independently. The Jin cavalry was also in a chaotic battle, but they were more familiar with hunting methods, and the mouke coordinated well with each other. Moreover, the newly arrived forty mouke, split in two under the leadership of Peiman Tounian and Wanyan Xiebuchi, had never dispersed, giving the Jin army the opportunity to concentrate large cavalry units and use parallel penetrations to defeat the Song army's divisions one by one.

To be fair, considering the armor-wearing rate of the Imperial Guard Central Army's various divisions and the Jin army, in this large-scale battle between armored warriors, due to the battle line, actual casualties were not high. But the problem was, in this era, how many people could face that kind of death and injury?

The Jin army was famous for its heavy arrows, with arrowheads that were large and unmatched in the realm. Thousands of cavalry galloped across the plateau, and from a distance, dense volleys of arrows rained down. Even those in heavy armor could hardly avoid injury. Being hit in the armpit or groin was almost equivalent to being crippled. Moreover, the Jin army's quality was indeed far superior to the Song army's. Many brave warriors, braving the Song army's arrows, would ride to extremely close range to shoot... Once hit by such an arrow, it was a death sentence.

Therefore, ever since the Jin army's reinforcements charged onto the plateau slope, the Song army's various divisions had been retreating again and again, barely able to hold their ground.

In stark contrast, Jin cavalrymen who had lost their horses due to the terrain or arrows but could still fight did not withdraw to regroup. Instead, they would form small groups on the spot, three to five men, and dare to charge with long spears, engaging the Song army's formations to provide cover for the heavy arrows of the cavalry behind them.

"Jin Sai!"

Li Qiong reined in his horse at the center of his own formation. Seeing the Jin cavalry once again force his division back, then gallop off to jointly attack Xin Yongzong's division on the outer flank, and seeing Xin Yongzong's division even more incapable, showing signs of wavering before even engaging, he was furious. He suddenly gritted his teeth and called for his deputy general. "You take command here for me!"

"How long will the general be gone?" Deputy General Jin Sai rode up from the front. An arrow had struck his helmet earlier, not hitting a vital spot, but it had shattered his hair crown. After breaking off the arrow, his hair hung loose from the helmet. Coupled with the yellow dust covering his face, he looked extremely disheveled.

"How long can you hold out?" In the noisy surroundings, the Jin army, seeing Xin Yongzong's division showing signs of instability, let out a collective roar to intimidate. Li Qiong had to shout loudly to be heard.

"I can only guarantee a quarter of an hour!" Jin Sai also shouted with all his might.

"That's enough!" Li Qiong shouted back. Before his words had even faded, he had already spurred his horse toward a banner to his side and rear—it was the banner of Wang Yan's Eight-Character Army.

His thirty personal guards also quickly spurred their horses to follow.

But even on the side and rear, they couldn't avoid the fierce comings and goings of the Jin cavalry. By the time Li Qiong reached Wang Yan's formation and pushed up his visor, he had lost about ten of his thirty riders. Li Qiong himself had an arrow stuck in his shoulder, but it was blocked by his double-layered heavy armor and silk inner lining, so it hadn't caused an effective injury.

"Li Qiong!"

As the only Military Governor on the plateau and the one holding the rear, Wang Yan naturally had the duty of an army supervisor. Therefore, seeing Li Qiong abandon his formation, he was displeased rather than pleased. "Why are you here?"

"Grand Commandant Wang!"

Li Qiong galloped close, speaking earnestly. "The battle is already urgent. If we let the Jin cavalry keep cutting across our lines like this a few more times, and then press in together a few more times, we'll be forced back down to the foot of the plateau! Vice-Commander... His Majesty is right behind the formation. If we lose this plateau, the Jin cavalry will form up on it and strike down in one move. I'm just a Commander—if I die, I die. But you, Grand Commandant, are the only one here bearing the imperial tally. Even if you die, the histories will record it, and you'll be a laughingstock for losing this plateau in this battle!"

"Then what do you suggest?!" Wang Yan roared in fury. "Do you think I don't know His Majesty is behind us? But your six divisions up front keep pulling back in whole units, and I have no power to do anything about it from the rear!"

"To stop the Jin cavalry from cutting across, two things are needed. First, elite troops must actively push forward despite casualties to block these two large cavalry forces from continuing their left-right sweeps. Second, a senior general must supervise the battle, standing firm like a pillar in the current, stabilizing the whole situation from the rear so the troops can retreat no further!" Li Qiong retorted forcefully. "Grand Commandant Wang is a minister of the state and the only Military Governor on this plateau. At this moment, I beg you to act accordingly!"

Having said this, without waiting for Wang Yan's reply, Li Qiong galloped away again, turning toward some point ahead.

On this side, Wang Yan was both shocked and enraged. But when he looked back and saw the main camp in the distance, he could only clench his fist on his horse, then shout orders: "Have Meng De and Jiao Wentong converge on me, parallel to my banner! Have Liu Ze fall back to the foot of the plateau as support! Tell him to form an execution squad—counting me, Wang Yan—anyone, Song or Jin, who leaves this plateau today dies! And relay this order to the units ahead!"

The surrounding Personal Guards scattered at once to deliver the orders, while Wang Yan personally took up his banner and slowly urged his formation forward.

Just as Wang Yan was burning his boats, on the other side, Li Qiong had already reached Wang De's formation. From a distance, he could see Wang De's imposing figure, along with his two sons, Wang Qi and Wang Shun, who had similar builds. The three of them, father and sons, were personally leading over a hundred armored axemen at the very front of their formation. Seeing this, Li Qiong was overjoyed and spurred his horse to catch up.

"Commander-in-Chief!" Facing Wang De, Li Qiong was much more direct. "I know you're a true man. The state is in crisis now, and great matters ultimately require a true man like you to handle them... I want to join formations with you, back to back, to cut off the Jin cavalry's rampage. Do you dare or not?!"

Wang De turned back and listened to Li Qiong finish shouting, but didn't answer. He just laughed loudly. Before the laughter died, he suddenly urged his horse forward, leaping out like a dragon, and smashed a Jin company commander who had stopped to nock an arrow while he was laughing, sending him tumbling off his horse with a single axe blow. His two sons immediately surged forward to guard his flanks, and his Personal Guards followed with their great axes. His troops, not daring to be slow despite being attacked from three sides, also followed under their deputy commander's direction.

Seeing this, Li Qiong knew no more words were needed, and galloped back to his own formation.

Unexpectedly, before he reached his formation, he saw with his own eyes that Xin Yongzong's formation had already retreated. The Jin cavalry was driving a small number of routed troops toward the flank of his own formation. At this moment, Jin Sai was already at a loss, but upon seeing his own Commander return, he breathed a sigh of relief and went straight to the front of the formation to block the routed troops.

Li Qiong returned to his formation and watched Jin Sai block the routed troops with his own eyes. He immediately issued orders, preparing to push forward from the oblique front to join up with Wang De's unit. However, when he looked up again, he saw with his own eyes Jin Sai hit in the helmet by another arrow at close range from the Jin army. This time, Jin Sai was not as lucky as before—he fell straight off his horse and lay still.

Li Qiong reined his horse and made a turn within the formation. He had no extra words, no extra expression. He just pulled down his iron faceguard and continued to urge his army forward toward the oblique front.

In a moment, Bolisu's unit and the former Yinshu Ke'ai's general, Peman Tünian, having driven Xin Yongzong's unit back, passed through the blinding yellow dust and found that Li Qiong's unit, which they had just pressed moments ago, was now shifting formation in a strange way. Overjoyed, Peman Tünian personally led several hundred cavalry forward. After loosing several arrows, he actively switched to a cavalry lance.

The cavalry lance was astonishingly long, and Peman Tünian didn't try to smash straight through—it wasn't time for that yet. Instead, when he was several dozen paces from the formation, he actively reined his horse and cut in sideways. Relying on his long lance, he stabbed at the Song troops who were moving and unable to form a spear wall, using his reach advantage to kill and wound the outermost Song soldiers.

With this one charge, the effect was like scraping fish scales—he easily scraped off a bloody layer from the side of Li Qiong's formation.

After scraping off one layer, Peman Tünian circled back and saw that the Song troops ahead were still moving. Without hesitation, he repeated the tactic, intending to use the enemy's active shift, which exposed the weakness of their flank, to shatter Li Qiong's entire formation.

But this time, just as Peman Tünian suddenly turned before the formation, the Song troops ahead abruptly halted. This caught the Silver Tablet Marching Commander off guard, making his cut-in deeper than intended. That wasn't all. Just as Peman Tünian and several dozen of his forward troops cut into the Song formation, from the dust on the flank, an officer who was clearly a Song general personally led several dozen cavalry leaping out. He didn't go for Tünian, nor did he do anything else unnecessary. He simply took advantage of the moment when Peman Tünian's following troops were reining in and slowing down to charge horizontally and cut off the rear of this Jin Silver Tablet Commander.

Tünian, temporarily isolated in a small area, was naturally shocked. But his warhorse accelerated instead—because his battlefield experience was rich, and he knew clearly that this place was not for lingering. Only by quickly breaking out could he survive. But clearly, that general had great authority in the army. The Song troops, who had been scattered and unable to hold their ground, were inspired by that general and pressed in recklessly from three sides toward Tünian. With three sides converging and long spears stabbing wildly, Tünian swung his hammer in a frantic defense, unable to cope. Unexpectedly, his warhorse suddenly neighed—its belly had been stabbed by a Song spear—and it knelt, throwing its master off.

Poor Tünian. First he lost his mount. He rolled over, already wounded, and then was stabbed repeatedly by several long spears. He died outright in the Song formation.

The sun continued to slant westward. Because Loushi had never sent troops, and Wu Jie had firmly held back his follow-up forces, but thanks to the courage of the various units of the Imperial Guard Central Army, the battle line on the plateau suddenly stabilized again.

At the mountain-foot main camp five or six li away, from the well-viewed tamped-earth command platform, Wu Jie saw this. Both his hands were trembling, so much so that he had to grip his saber to endure. Since the Song army had stabilized, it was still the Jin army's turn to make a move. All Wu Da needed to do was wait and strike after the enemy had moved.

"What is that?" As the battle eased slightly, Zhao Jiu couldn't help but look up curiously. He had only now noticed that, from some unknown time, a large bird had been circling directly ahead and above him. "Is it a Jurchen sea eagle?"

"Yes!" Yang Yizhong looked up at the large bird, examined it briefly, and nodded directly. "It belongs to some Jurchen general or other..."

Zhao Jiu nodded, unconcerned. The other generals also glanced at it upon hearing this, but similarly showed no reaction.

After all, this wasn't some long-range teleportation. Even if you raised a sea eagle, it couldn't have a built-in eagle-eye special ability. At most, this bird could see where there were more people and report back a rough location of the main battlefield, which was already impressive.

And at this point in the battle, did such intelligence still have meaning?

So, no one paid it any attention at all.

But just as everyone was about to turn their attention back to the front and start discussing whether to let the Qin-Feng Route troops press forward appropriately... Yang Yizhong's expression suddenly changed drastically. Then Zhao Jiu, Wu Jie, and the others also changed expression drastically, because before everyone's eyes, after circling a few times over the main battlefield, which was full of people, that sea eagle actually turned and flew toward the due west—that is, behind Mount Yao!

"Liu Xi! Quickly lead your Xihe Route troops out of camp and form up on the right flank!" Wu Jie's expression changed drastically as he immediately gave the order.

Liu Xi was no fool. He bowed his head in acceptance and then hurried off to muster his troops.

Almost as soon as this man had left the camp gate, a single rider met him along the gently sloping hillside, galloped to the front of the central army camp, hastily displayed a golden tablet, and then collapsed, unable to rise.

The clerk stationed at the camp gate dared not be slow. He carried the golden tablet and a brocade pouch over. Yang Yizhong stepped forward to receive them. Without looking at the golden tablet, he first opened the brocade pouch. He took only one look, then his expression also changed drastically as he hurried back.

"I said Loushi wouldn't just fight a straight battle with fewer troops." Wu Jie glanced at the brocade pouch in Yang Yizhong's hand, his expression dark, and spoke directly to Zhao Jiu and the other generals. "As I expected, it should be Huonü leading his ten thousand cavalry, coming from behind Mount Yao, preparing to attack the camp from the flank, or simply go up onto the plateau to decide the outcome... That sea eagle just now only proves that the Jin army has already reached behind Mount Yao, which is behind us, only seven or eight li away round trip. By the time Liu Xi gets into formation, he'll meet them head-on... But Qu Duan is to the north. If Huonü goes south, he will surely notice and have no reason not to follow. It's just a pity his cavalry is few—he can probably only send five or six thousand horsemen. The infantry won't arrive until evening at the earliest!"

Wang Yuan, Zhang Xian, Tian Shizhong, and the others all nodded hastily. Even Academician Xiao Lin nodded slightly in agreement.

However, as Yang Yizhong whispered a word in Zhao Jiu's ear, this Zhao Song Emperor was silent for a moment before barely correcting the intelligence: "It's not news from behind the mountain. Han Liangchen sent a report. According to him, it's probably not just Huonü. Because the day before yesterday, a large Jin force secretly crossed at Longmen Ford from behind Liangshan—at least ten thousand, possibly several tens of thousands..."

Everyone below Wu Jie changed expression drastically.

"But the good news is that Han Liangchen set out this morning with about seven thousand reinforcements. They might be able to arrive before evening... He told us to be on our guard." Zhao Jiu took several deep breaths and spoke calmly.

The generals were somewhat relieved. Yang Yizhong opened his mouth slightly, then immediately closed it again.

Thus, two quarters of an hour later, Liu Xi had finished forming up his entire Xihe Route army in battle array. Just at that moment, at the southwestern end of Mount Yao, several banners flashed into view, followed by countless Jin cavalry charging out from that direction.

Seeing this from afar, Zhao Jiu and Wu Jie both composed their expressions.

Correspondingly, on Gold Chestnut Mountain over ten li away, Loushi, glimpsing this scene from afar, was also silent. But he stood up directly, mounted his horse, and when he reached the formation at the foot of the mountain, with just a gesture, the remaining seven thousand cavalry there all swarmed forward, following behind him.

Seven thousand men, neither hurried nor slow, advanced calmly toward the west.

At the same time, at the foot of Mount Yao, Jin cavalry continued to pour out endlessly. Liu Xi had already seen through the banners that the approaching generals were the Fourth Prince, Wanyan Wushu, and Han Chang. On the East Slope Plateau, the fierce battle had not ceased, but with such great commotion front and back, both Song armies faltered slightly, showing signs of fatigue. To the north of the battlefield, in the mire, Liu Qi held a complete advantage, but up to now, only one-fifth of the thirty Jin companies surrounded there had been killed or wounded, and they still stubbornly held their ground.

"Bring out my imperial dragon banner!" After a pause, Zhao Jiu suddenly consulted Wu Jie. "If Wushu knows I am here, he might become anxious and lose his composure."