Chapter 244: Chaotic Battle

"Your Majesty, please sit for a moment."

Wu Jie blocked Zhao Jiu, but he himself was already standing up, panting heavily, his hands trembling. "Let's observe the situation a bit longer, just a bit longer..."

Zhao Jiu, sitting sideways beside him, nodded in agreement but dared not stand up to look at the so-called situation, because if he did stand, his hands would tremble too.

Now, it wasn't that Wu Jie, Zhao Jiu, and all the Song officers hadn't thought of Longmen Ferry before; they couldn't possibly overlook any direction around the battlefield. But the problem was that Longmen Ferry was too far—over two hundred li away. Even marching a hundred li a day, it would take three days to arrive, let alone with such complex terrain there.

Therefore, after much deliberation, everyone felt that at that distance, the Jin army could send reinforcements, but it would have to be an obvious, straightforward affair—taking a good five or six days, with sufficient supplies, to go from Longmen Ferry to Danzhou, then to Fangzhou, then down along the river to gather at the Jin army camp, and finally deploy their chariots and horses for battle.

But now, here came Jin Wushu... appearing north of Liangshan the day before yesterday and showing up here today. This speed made even Han Shizhong's timely warning seem barely better than nothing.

And reportedly, it was at least ten thousand, maybe even tens of thousands!

"History books often record that some armies, though strong and well-equipped, would scatter at the mere sound of a surprise attack, no matter how many enemies there were. This must be about what that looks like, right?"

Although Zhao Jiu was startled and unsettled by the sudden appearance of Jin Wushu, to the point he dared not even stand, he still managed to keep his composure on the surface. After the suggestion to raise the banner was postponed, he took the initiative to speak and laugh from his seat. "Wushu was still north of Liangshan the day before yesterday, and today he's circled around Yaoshan to get here. As the saying goes, 'the strongest arrow cannot pierce thin silk.' In my view, though Wushu's troops are numerous, as long as the entire army responds steadily, we can surely withstand them!"

Upon hearing this, everyone naturally hurried to chime in along with His Majesty's words... One said that the afternoon was already half over, and Wushu had just arrived, so they must have been marching all day and were surely exhausted. Another said that with the complex terrain, the Jin army's rapid advance must have caused many to fall behind, and who knew how many of their tens of thousands remained. Someone else said that the camp still had the Qinfeng Route army and the two units of the Beiwei Army from the central army untouched, so even if Wushu suddenly arrived, it wouldn't decide the battle in one blow. Even Wu Jie secretly regretted his loss of composure, forcing His Majesty to do what he himself should have done.

However, as everyone talked, from Zhao Jiu to Wu Jie to all the rest, their eyes never stopped, fixedly staring at the large contingent of Jin cavalry pouring out from behind Mount Yaoshan to the southwest, while occasionally glancing at Liu Xi's Xihe Route army, which had already completed its formation.

After all, everyone knew in their hearts that if Jin Wushu really brought twenty thousand cavalry of the same caliber as the ten thousand led by Bolisu and Yelu Ma Wu on the plateau, then this battle would see the Song army defeated like a mountain collapsing before any reinforcements could arrive. And the true quality of this wave of Jin reinforcements would have to be tested by Liu Xi.

Back to the present, the Song central army on the hillside was momentarily panicked by the knowledge that the reinforcements might be extremely numerous. Liu Xi, who had finished forming his line on the southern flank of the camp's right wing, was equally flustered. And by now, he was no longer just regretting sending his precious divine-arm crossbowmen out to help his brother snatch kills—he was utterly mortified!

Because at this moment, those five hundred divine-arm crossbowmen, which he couldn't possibly retrieve, might very well be the deciding factor for the entire army! In fact, after Liu Xi had arrayed his troops according to the Western Army's method of defending against cavalry, looking at the mere hundred or so divine-arm crossbows left in the core crossbow formation, he had absolutely no idea how to withstand the Jin cavalry that kept pouring out from the foot of Mount Yaoshan.

"What can be done?" Having finished forming his line, with his officers gathered around, Liu Xi turned back to look at the central army on the hillside, then turned his head and asked, looking around. "Though Guanzhong is vast, His Majesty is right behind us..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding officers were all silent.

Liu Xi fumed in exasperation: "I've nurtured you all in peacetime, yet when the moment comes, not one of you can share my burden?"

The officers exchanged glances. One of them plucked up the courage to speak, but asked an unexpected question: "Commander-in-Chief, is His Majesty truly here in place of Grand Secretary Yuwen, as the rumors say?"

Since someone had broken the ice, the other officers also pressed on with questions:

"There have been rumors in the army all along—is it really true?"

"Wasn't His Majesty in Chang'an?"

"Commander-in-Chief, you're not just tricking us into fighting harder, are you? How could His Majesty be here?"

Liu Xi was so anxious tears nearly came to his eyes: "At a time like this, how could I still be deceiving you? Never mind anything else—if His Majesty weren't here, how could I have let that Wu the Elder easily sit firm as Marshal?!"

The surrounding officers exchanged glances again, then looked at the Route Army Commander Li Yanqi, clearly still unconvinced... Because some things, even if they were concealed, or even if they were displayed openly with precedent, there would still be those who refused to believe.

The Xihe Route army wasn't the Imperial Camp Central Army.

Li Yanqi turned his head to glance at the mountain foot, where Jin troops were still trickling out, then gritted his teeth and spoke directly: "Commander-in-Chief, His Majesty is in the central army. They don't know, but how can we not? At a time like this, if we want them to believe, there's only one thing to do—the two of us must first show we're not afraid to die... And as things stand, just as you said, His Majesty is right behind us in the camp. What else can we do? Even if we die, we die here!"

"What do you want to do?" Liu Xi clearly sensed something in his tone.

"While Huonu hasn't yet secured his footing, let's charge them instead!" Li Yanqi reined in his horse and spoke, still thinking the newcomer was Huonu. "We have only a hundred or so divine-arm crossbows left. Facing so many Jin cavalry, it's not enough to hold the line. And I can see those Jin cavalry are clearly tired too—some even fell off their horses while forming up. Fortunately, our Xihe Route has a lot of cavalry..."

Li Yanqi's words trailed off, but Liu Xi was already stunned: "Cavalry against cavalry?"

"Exactly!"

"But those are Jin cavalry!" Liu Xi could hardly accept it. "We'll lose our entire foundation!"

Li Yanqi shook his head repeatedly: "Commander-in-Chief, are you still worried about your foundation now? If you don't go all out in this battle, I'm afraid your entire clan will be wiped out!"

Liu Xi was momentarily speechless.

"Commander-in-Chief, I'm not saying we should charge head-on." Li Yanqi knew the other man was a military aristocrat at heart and couldn't be forced, so he gritted his teeth again. "I'm saying we split the cavalry and infantry. I'll lead the cavalry to charge, while you lead the infantry to open a gap in the formation and set an ambush... When I'm defeated, I'll try to lure the Jin army into it, and we can use the terrain to pinch them with the infantry... Either way, with the situation as it is, is there any retreat?"

Liu Xi was dumbfounded. It was a long time before he reluctantly nodded under the gaze of many subordinates.

Having received permission, Li Yanqi immediately took a spear from his horse, looked around, and ordered: "All cavalry of the Xihe Route, from every prefecture, army, city, and stockade, follow me!"

Only then did the mid-level officers around fully believe that His Majesty was indeed behind them. With a roar, they each went back to deploy their troops. Liu Xi watched Li Yanqi and the other cavalry commanders gather their forces, then instructed the remaining officers to split the formation left and right for an ambush, and suddenly felt drained of strength.

In the end, as the eldest son of Liu Zhongwu, Liu Xi's political level, vision, and knowledge far surpassed the others. How could he not understand the thoughts of men like Li Yanqi? How could he not grasp the current situation?

In fact, Liu Xi knew better than anyone that compared to himself, a secondary military commander like Li Yanqi still had the option of surrender. But because His Majesty was right behind them this time, if their families wanted to continue standing before the elders of Guanzhong, they couldn't bear the name of having sold out His Majesty, so they were forced to fight with all their might... And for his own military clan, even if His Majesty hadn't come at all, surrender was impossible, so he too had to fight to the death.

But knowing full well what was what, knowing what was right and what was wrong, when the moment came, fear and confusion arose in his heart, and he dared not act, was unwilling to act—and yet this was all too real.

If this battle was won by luck, the family would have to rely on the second son.

Now, the Jin army was still gathering and forming ranks at the mountain foot, following Jin Wushu's Sun-and-Moon Banner and another banner bearing the character Han. When they saw the opposing formation split open and Song cavalry take the initiative to attack, Jin Wushu, who had come to the battlefield after a hard march expecting to sweep everything, instead changed color.

"I regret not heeding General Han's advice." Wushu, who had long since removed his face mask due to the hardship of the journey and the heat, turned his head. "I should have ordered a full assault from the start... Now, instead, I've shown weakness by stopping here to gather the troops!"

"There's no other way now. I'll break their formation! Please, Fourth Prince, gather the troops on one side and cover my rear!" Han Chang, his face flushed red from sweat and his beard spread wide, had simply discarded his helmet. He threw down an empty waterskin and made his decision without hesitation. "We must hold this momentum—once it's lost, we won't get it back!"

"Good!" Jin Wushu immediately agreed.

And Han Chang didn't hesitate, leading several thousand cavalry from his own unit under the banner to meet the enemy head-on.

On the hillside, Zhao Jiu, Wu Jie, and the others had no idea what was happening. They only saw Liu Xi finish his formation, and then a large force of Jin troops pour out from the mountain foot. They expected a crushing blow, but instead the Jin army first stopped to gather its troops, and then the Song army actually took the initiative to send out cavalry to counter them.

At this point, like the cavalry that had charged out, they all thought it was like throwing an egg at a stone. Even Li Yanqi, who had proposed the idea, only thought of it as "luring the enemy deep."

Yet, regardless of how the Song high command felt inwardly, or how decisively the Jin commander acted, or how inept the Song commander was, when the two armies' cavalry, each several thousand strong, gritted their teeth and clashed, they became locked in a chaotic melee on the gentle slope at the mountain foot—and for a time, neither side could gain the upper hand!

No matter what, everything could be deceptive, but the battle line could not. From their elevated position in the central army, everyone could see clearly: the Jin army had been temporarily blocked by the Song cavalry and could not advance. Surprised and delighted, many nearly collapsed to the ground.

Among them, Wu Jie was the first to react. He quickly looked up at the sky, first at the clouds, then at the dim sun, calculating the time and guessing the weather in his mind, and a new confidence began to grow.

After all, if they could hold off the attack until nightfall, or until it rained, and the Jin army withdrew, it would be a kind of victory for the Song army, which was on the defensive.

Even from one perspective, if they could just tie down the left and right wings, that would be enough. The key was the central front... He was already considering whether to send troops to attack the plateau, seeking a decisive move.

Of course, thinking of Lou Shi's main force, hidden by the dust and smoke on the plateau, Wu the Elder forcibly set aside this thought.

But just as Wu Jie stopped focusing solely on the right-wing battle and began to contemplate the overall situation of the entire army, the battle there took another turn—when the Han banner leading several thousand Jin cavalry charged forward but still couldn't drive back the Song cavalry, the Sun-and-Moon Banner behind them, which likely represented Wushu, also began to move!

The commander of a grand army of tens of thousands, disregarding everything, not waiting for reinforcements, directly led several thousand cavalry into the fray.

With this move, the Xihe Route cavalry could no longer hold and began to be pushed back. But interestingly, this retreat was not a rout or a collapse; rather, it maintained the engagement, as if they were being slowly pushed back by the enemy cavalry.

Not only that, as the cavalry retreated all the way to the front of the formation, Liu Xi's split formation, perhaps due to the lack of divine-arm crossbows, failed to spring the ambush effectively. But after the infantry joined the battle, the advance speed of the opposing Jin cavalry dropped another level.

In a sense, this was almost a stalemate.

Without a doubt, Zhao Jiu had been right—the Jin army was indeed at the end of its strength! No matter how powerful an army, it must pay a price before the weather and the terrain!

At the central army command, they were almost ready to celebrate with joy.

But Wu Jie and Zhao Jiu, though they had also temporarily calmed their hearts, each remained silent, merely gazing into the distance elsewhere. The only difference was that Wu Jie was straining to search for relevant units near Dongpo Plateau and had sent out scout riders behind the plateau, while Zhao Jiu was staring far to the due south, at the foot of the mountains further behind Wushu.

Sure enough, the battle situation changed in an instant. Just as the Song army was being startled, alarmed, and then delighted by the right-flank situation, dust and smoke once again rose from the mountain foot where Wushu had previously emerged.

Clearly, several thousand more troops had arrived there.

"Deputy Commander, Marshal!" Wang Yuan, seeing this, tightened his expression and made a suggestion to both Zhao Jiu and Wu Jiu at the same time. "Although Wanyan Wushu's reinforcements are spent arrows at the end of their flight, lacking in combat strength, they still number tens of thousands. If they keep sending intermittent support like this, the right flank might suddenly collapse at any moment... Whether we support the right flank or commit the central army for a decisive battle, the time is now!"

Wu Jie slowly shook his head, and Zhao Jiu also remained silent in concentration.

Wang Yuan had no choice but to let go and observe the battle situation.

Now, as soon as the utter exhaustion and weakened combat power of Jin Wushu's entire force became apparent, Wu Jie had already begun to consider this matter, but he had never acted. There was only one reason: he did not know from where Loushi's main force would launch its attack.

The enemy was cavalry and had the initiative to choose; he, Wu Jie, did not, and could only react passively.

Of course, he shouldn't have to wait too long, because the scout riders had already reported back that Loushi had left Mount Jinli and was heading straight for them.

As for Zhao Jiu, he did not respond to this matter for a different reason.

The sun had shifted further westward, and some cloud layers showed a tendency to thicken, causing the sunlight to gradually dim. In this situation, the yellow dust and smoke—which had not diminished at all in the area around the front of the main camp, where the Song army had deliberately cleared vegetation to expose the loess soil—became the main basis for judging the scale and movement trends of the troops. The flags occasionally revealed within the dust and smoke, along with their positions relative to the starting point, became the main basis for judging which camp the troops belonged to.

On the Dongpo Plateau directly ahead, bloody fighting was still raging. For the Song army's left flank—which was the Jin army's right flank—in short, on the northern side, in that muddy swamp, there was also bloody fighting... By the same logic, on the Song army's right flank and the Jin army's left flank, Wanyan Wushu and Han Chang at the southern foot of the mountain had no choice but to engage in bloody battle with their opponents, Liu Xi of the Xihe Circuit, Li Yanqi, and others.

Bone-deep exhaustion had plunged this army, which should have been sweeping the battlefield, into a war of attrition that was difficult for them to accept. But without needing the army advisor Mouyan to remind them, Wushu and Han Chang knew that on a battlefield of this scale, everyone had to abandon those local gains and losses, hold on at all costs, in order to create conditions for the true decisive hand.

Of course, understanding was one thing; Wushu and Han Chang were still pained... They had thought they would be that decisive hand, but they never expected that a three-day forced march would cost them the chance to become the factor that decided victory or defeat.

There was no help for it—the roads were too difficult to travel, and the weather was too hot!

Of the twenty thousand troops, six or seven thousand had already fallen behind during the two days of forced marching. And today, behind Mount Yao, the troops had become disconnected again—another great general, Chizhan Hexian, Chizhan Hui's younger clansman who had been given command of a Wanhu after Chizhan Hui's death, had directly led five or six thousand men and lost contact behind them. No one knew where they were now!

In fact, the earlier release of the Haidongqing to find the way was not to determine the battlefield's location, but to try to find the whereabouts of the other unit. But they truly hadn't found them. Instead, because they had arrived at one side of the battlefield, they had to lead the six or seven thousand troops who had barely made it into battle first. As for why Wushu had stopped earlier to "reorganize the troops," one reason was exhaustion, and the other was that he truly wanted to wait a bit longer for Chizhan Hexian.

"General Han, it should be General Chizhan coming from behind. I reckon he's brought three or four thousand men with him!" Seeing Han Chang, who had been charging ahead, summoned back, Wanyan Wushu, his face already covered in dust, was overjoyed and immediately reined in his horse to call out to Han Chang amidst the chaotic formation. "You take your unit and withdraw to meet him. I'll hold the line alone for a while!"

"What does the Fourth Prince have in mind?" Han Chang wiped his face, but the sweat could not be hidden beneath the yellow dust.

"You go back and rest. Let Chizhan Hexian attack. Then I'll go back, and you come again... We're cavalry. We shouldn't fight this chaotic melee. If we can charge, we should still charge a bit, and we can also take turns resting the men and horses!" Wushu gave the orders on the spot.

Han Chang found this reasonable and did not hesitate. He had the riders behind him raise their flags again, then led roughly three thousand men to withdraw directly from the battle line and head south to meet Chizhan Hexian.

But as Han Chang continued south with his flags raised, and the dust and smoke on the opposite side also unhurriedly advanced along the mountain foot, just as the two sides were about to collide, this General Han increasingly felt that something was wrong!

After crossing another small slope, when the two sides were five or six hundred paces apart, Han Chang simply stopped on his own. He had finally realized what was wrong—the trajectory of this unit's advance was a bit too far from the mountain foot. It didn't seem to have come through the Mount Yao passage, but rather seemed to have come all the way from further south.

Not only that, but their formation was also maintained too tightly, as if they weren't very tired. And it was vaguely apparent that the number of cavalry was far too few.

Therefore, General Han immediately ordered his own unit to halt, intending to use the many straggling Jin cavalrymen between the two units as his eyes.

However, General Han's doubts were soon put to rest, because when the opposite side was still four or five hundred paces away, they proactively sent out a group of forty or fifty fully armored cavalry. From a distance, speaking with a Liaodong accent, they called out to the straggling Jin troops between the two armies, telling them to gather ahead under the Han banner, and so on.

Seeing this, Han Chang finally relaxed completely.

But before long, when this cavalry unit, which had been issuing orders in a Liaodong accent along the way, advanced to within only two or three hundred paces of him, they suddenly accelerated and launched a charge directly at the Han banner on the small ridge opposite. At the same time, the "dust and smoke" that had been slightly behind also suddenly accelerated and rushed straight forward!

Han Chang, shocked and enraged, immediately ordered his entire force to meet them. But quicker than words could tell, before Han Chang's unit could surge forward, someone from amidst the dust kicked up by the several dozen riders ahead shouted from afar:

"Han Chang!"

Hearing the voice, Han Chang suddenly realized who it was. But before he could react, several dozen arrows flew together from within the dust, aimed directly at him beneath the banner. His warhorse, struck by an arrow, neighed and reared up high. Han Chang himself was pierced like a hedgehog, and one arrow struck him directly in the face, which was without a helmet!

Before the eyes of the multitude, the commander of an army fell from his horse with an arrow embedded in his face.

Han Chang's entire unit was terrified. Even the troops who had been ordered to charge down the ridge momentarily forgot the enemy ahead and reined in their horses, not even bothering to pursue the Liaodong cavalry, who had already turned around and ridden back.

But in the next instant, to everyone's surprise, Han Chang on the ground flipped himself up, pushed down a personal guard, and seized his mount... The men were immediately heartened. But soon, as they saw clearly, they discovered that General Han had an arrow squarely in his eye socket, and their hearts sank again.

However, in the next moment, Han Chang, holding the arrow in his eye socket with one hand and pointing forward at the already-returning Red Heart Squad cavalry with the other, shouted with all his might:

"Liu Yan! You are still this useless, shooting arrows so weakly!"

Having said this, the man actually imitated the ancient act of Xiahou Dun, pulling the arrow from his eye socket right there on the battlefield and yanking out his entire eyeball in front of everyone! He then slammed it heavily to the ground! And that wasn't all. The man nimbly bent down on his horse, grabbed a handful of yellow earth from the ground, stuffed it into his eye socket, then covered his face with one hand while holding the reins with the other. He turned to look around at his men and shouted sternly:

"Can't you hear the orders? Are mere former members of the Resentful Army a match for us? Advance now!"

The commander was like a demon-god. His subordinates, each terrified, nevertheless surged forward with all their might, launching a counter-charge against this sudden Song army that had already begun its assault from below the ridge.

The two sides clashed. Han Chang's act of pulling out the arrow and stuffing earth into the wound was certainly shocking and inspiring to the entire army. But after the initial surge of bloodlust passed, his unit quickly fell into a disadvantage, because the equipment and quality of this enemy force far exceeded imagination! Divine Arm Crossbows were everywhere, long-handled great axes were everywhere, and almost every man was armored!

There was no doubt that this unit, which had come with Liu Yan, a former member of the Resentful Army, was precisely the so-called "trump card" that the Zhao official had hidden away earlier—the elite force assembled by gathering the finest troops from various units and combining them into one.

More importantly, the Jin army that had followed Han Chang here was now exhausted to the extreme, while their opponents had clearly moved with the wind and were in good condition.

Therefore, after a short clash, once their momentum was spent, the Jin army fell into a disadvantage instead, barely holding on by relying on the advantage of their cavalry and their fear of Han Chang behind them.

But at this moment, another unit arrived. Chizhan Hexian had finally come!

The vegetation in the valley was thick, making it hard for yellow dust to rise, so this unit was much easier to see than the previous clouds of dust and smoke. Han Chang, standing on the small ridge, saw Chizhan Hexian's banner appear with his one remaining eye, and then several thousand men rushing straight to support this position. He felt a slight relief.

But soon, as Chizhan Hexian galloped over to see Han Chang, he reported a piece of military intelligence that, while not surprising to Han Chang, still filled him with rage.

"What do you mean you didn't come on your own?" Han Chang asked coldly, covering his eye.

Chizhan Hexian was clearly a Jurchen Wanhu, but seeing the other man in this state, he couldn't help but feel fear in his heart. He could only barely respond: "General Han, the reason I was cut off behind was because at noon, a Song army of four or five thousand men latched onto my rear near Mount Yao! They've been harassing me all afternoon! Judging by the banners and the appearance of the troops, it should be Li Yongqi's Fan troops, and Qu Duan has also come in person!"

Han Chang glanced at the Tangut cavalry that had already emerged from behind the Jin army. Enduring the intense pain, he let out a long breath, then shouted angrily: "Then why didn't you detach some troops to block them in the passage? Instead, you let their entire army through?!"

"How was I supposed to know it would be such a mess here? I thought that once I arrived, I could have the Fourth Prince and you as reinforcements to eat them up together!" Chizhan Hexian also felt wronged. "I never expected that when I came out, I would be the one acting as reinforcements."

Han Chang's head ached as if it were about to split. He forced himself to press the yellow earth in his eye socket and issued an order: "Don't reinforce me. Go quickly and engage Qu Duan and Li Yongqi. Then send word to the Fourth Prince behind me... Today, we've been thoroughly screwed over by Loushi. Let every man look to his own fate!"

The sun moved further westward. The ambush that Zhao Jiu had arranged on the southern flank had worked wonders. He had sent Liu Yan to bring the trump card unit hidden at Jingyao, and unexpectedly, it had caught Wanyan Wushu's force in a pincer from the rear. Not only that, but at this moment, he was still unaware that Qu Duan and Li Yongqi, along with the Fangzhou cavalry, had arrived as reinforcements, vaguely surrounding Wanyan Wushu's force on three sides.

If things continued like this, this Jin general's raiding force of a little over ten thousand men was in danger of being completely surrounded at the foot of Mount Yao.

Of course, at this moment, Zhao Jiu was still unaware of Qu Duan's arrival. Like everyone else, he felt the situation had become confusing and unclear. The only thing he could be sure of was that the battle line showed the right flank was in chaos, and the probability of the Jin army breaking through there had greatly decreased.

"Launch the general offensive!" Wang Yuan had lost count of how many times he had made this suggestion to Wu Jie.

In fact, by now, many of the generals were joining Wang Yuan in speaking up. Even Qiao Ze and Fu Qing, who had been routed in their earlier probing attack, were requesting to fight.

After all, the sun had shifted far to the west. The battle line on Dongpo Plateau had swayed back and forth no fewer than four times. And now, an opportunity did seem to have appeared. Loushi's force had also been confirmed to have marched to a spot not far east of the plateau, seemingly about to ascend the plateau and launch a final assault... At this moment, sending the remaining troops crashing onto Dongpo Plateau seemed to be exactly the right time.

"Wait a little longer!" Wu Jie bit his lip and once again resisted this suggestion with all his might. "Wait until one hour before sunset. If Loushi still hasn't launched an attack by then, we'll throw everything onto the plateau!"

The generals looked once more toward His Majesty Zhao, but Zhao Jiu closed his eyes before they could look at him. He could understand Wu Jie's pressure at this moment — waiting was the most rational way to deal with Wanyan Loushi, but the Jin Jun were hardened to bitter fighting. Who knew if the plateau might suddenly collapse at any moment? And if they waited until Loushi broke through before sending reinforcements, the Dongpo Plateau might collapse outright, and everything would be lost!

There was no right or wrong in such matters — only choices.

"You've dragged the Fourth Prince's twenty thousand troops here to stake their lives as a diversion. If he's lost, even if you win, Huonu and Mouyan will be cut to pieces." On the Dongpo Plateau, beneath Wanyan Balisu's great banner, the banner's master, Balisu, stood shoulder to shoulder with Loushi, sneering coldly in mockery.

And behind the two of them, below the eastern slope, seven thousand cavalry stood in neat, imposing formation two or three li away.

Hearing this, Loushi withdrew his gaze from the chaotic southern side of the battlefield — the foot of Mount Yao — and then unexpectedly chuckled: "You wrong me there. I sent the Fourth Prince here sincerely wanting him to achieve a great feat. But truly, I underestimated the terrain and weather. I didn't expect the road to be so difficult — barely over ten thousand of his twenty thousand arrived, and exhausted to this degree..."

"And you can still laugh?" Balisu snorted derisively. "Why not hurry and bring your troops and those two Hezha Meng'an up here, break through from this spot, and end this battle early! The scouts just reported dust clouds rising to our southeast — Han Shizhong must be arriving soon, right? Between Han Shizhong and the Fourth Prince, which one can you afford to wait for?"

Loushi nodded with a smile, but then shook his head.

"What does that mean?" Balisu suddenly stiffened, his expression turning cold.

"The plateau is too crowded..." Loushi replied calmly with a smile, then directly turned his horse and rode down the slope. "I won't break through from here."

"Then where will you break through?" Balisu twisted his head to stare at the other's back, continuing to press coldly.

"Go around the slope, form up on the side of this plateau, then from the gap between this plateau and the southern battlefield, hug close to the Fourth Prince and charge straight at the Song Jun central camp. Whoever blocks us, we'll crush them!" Loushi turned back with a smile. "Your reminder was good — if the Fourth Prince is lost, I can't bear that responsibility."

Balisu's expression grew even more icy: "So then — even this brutal battle on the plateau, with sixty thousand men from both sides fighting bitterly, countless lives sacrificed — is all just a diversion for your final charge?"

"If the plateau could win, then naturally it would be a great victory on the spot — why would I need to make this final charge?" Loushi's smile remained undiminished. "Balisu, I gave you ten thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry. You couldn't get the job done — who can you blame? Say that to your elder brother, and it's still your incompetence."

Balisu's lips turned blue, and he was immediately speechless.

"Oh, and if I die, you're the Vice Commander — handle the overall situation as you see fit." Loushi added casually as he descended the gentle slope for the last time.

"I don't need you to teach me that!" Balisu roared in fury.

But regardless of how the two commanders — the Commander and Vice Commander — felt, a quarter of an hour later, Loushi and the final seven thousand cavalry were fully in motion.

The Song Jun were tense to the extreme; scout riders kept reporting back, until after another half hour, reports were no longer needed — because Wanyan Loushi and his Five-Colored Sun-Bearing Banner, along with seven thousand cavalry, had already circled around from the south of the Dongpo Plateau and were calmly forming ranks within full view of the Song Jun central camp.

At this moment, Qu Duan and Li Yongqi had already joined forces with Liu Yan, pressing Chizhan Hexi and Han Chang back until they were back-to-back with Wanyan Wushu. Han Shizhong's three thousand cavalry and four thousand infantry had already appeared within Balisu's field of vision as he looked back to the southeast.

Wu Jie naturally dared not be negligent either. This was the moment he had been waiting for. The Qin Feng Route troops had already been sent directly out of the camp to form up and meet the enemy, and the two Beiwei Army units of the central army had finally risen and prepared for battle.

"Your Majesty!"

Wu Jie took a deep breath, then directly knelt and prostrated himself on the ground, cupping his hands as he spoke. "Things have come to this. Your servant will now accompany the two Beiwei Army units into battle. I beg Your Majesty to raise the Imperial Dragon Banner and stand as our rearguard!"

Zhao Jiu nodded, rose without a word, and sat down in the seat Wu Jie had occupied before. A somewhat worn Imperial Dragon Banner was raised under Yang Yizhong's personal supervision, flying high above the Song Jun central camp.

The next moment, Wu Jie did not hesitate. He turned directly and, together with Zhang Xian and Tian Shizhong, led the two Beiwei Army units forward toward the forward camp below.

At the same time, Loushi, positioned amidst his formation, looked up at the sky, glanced at the two Hezha Meng'an units on his left and right flanks, then at his trusted general Wanyan Poshu, who was not far away commanding two thousand men alone. Without even glancing at the dust clouds to his southeast, he cast one last look at the newly raised Imperial Dragon Banner. Then, amid the sudden thunderous roar that erupted from the entire Song Jun army, he casually raised his hand and brought it down heavily.

Seven thousand cavalry — perhaps the most powerful horsemen in the Jin state at that moment — after resting and conserving their strength for most of the day, finally began their advance.

At this moment, it had not yet rained, and there was still a long time until dusk. Heaven had not shown favor to either side after all.

PS: Thank you to the great snow-silence master for the double sponsorship, and to classmate reimuu for becoming the book's eighty-fourth sponsor... I am deeply, endlessly grateful.

Book Recommendation: 《Qin Xiong Luan Wu》

The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away all heroes. Five thousand years of Chinese history in mist and rain — right and wrong, success and failure, all turn to nothing in the blink of an eye.

The Tianyuan World is vast and boundless — seven domains, forty-nine prefectures, each domain a world unto itself; dynasties rise and fall, sects stand in rivalry, heroes contend for supremacy, and all living beings weep.

The Fengdu Great Emperor suppresses the Nine Netherworlds;

The Eastern Sovereign of the Blue Emperor rules the Demon Realm;

The Purple Tenuity Great Emperor fixes the cosmos;

The Demon Lord Rahu battles the heavens;

I ask this vast earth — who rules over its rise and fall?

The State of Qin — an insignificant nation. Watch as it grows step by step, becoming the mightiest empire under the heavens!