[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-397":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558563,2024,"Chapter 397: Looking East and West","shao-song-chapter-397",397,"\u003Cp>Gao Jingshan's response was very appropriate, and Gao Qingyi's initial advice was also correct. As independent field commanders and military adjutants, the two of them had experienced too many military campaigns. They almost instinctively grasped the most critical issue — the Song army's overnight relocation of the main body of troops to this side of the river was certainly a feat worthy of a military miracle, enough to shake the morale of the Jin army, but it was also inevitably hasty, full of flaws, strong on the outside but exhausted within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So at this time, the Jin army didn't need to think too much. They just had to suppress emotions like fear and shock, fix their eyes on the gaps in the defense line, and attack with all their might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they couldn't break through, then they would have to endure hard times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the Song army couldn't hold out, to the point where the Jin army could connect inside and out, then all the Song army's hard work that night would not only be wasted, but they would instead fall into a dilemma with no way forward or back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, Yue Fei would truly have outsmarted himself and walked right into a trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Correspondingly, Yue Fei was of course well aware that things weren't over yet — the vast majority of soldiers and laborers were already very tired, but the things that needed to be done, the things that had to be done, were still not a single one less. The narrow terrain and solid defensive fortifications were indeed the only way to make the Jin cavalry lose their combat advantage, but the prerequisite was that the defense line had to be completed and strengthened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had to persist in finishing the defense line!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had to stop the Jurchens!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only, war is not a dinner party, where you set the table, count the guests, arrange the corresponding dishes and chopsticks, and then the guests arrive on time as promised, and everyone bows to each other before taking their seats. After dozens of days of stalemate, a sudden change in the military situation would inevitably lead to fierce and lightning-fast military clashes. The scale of last night's battle was at most an appetizer, and the unfolding of battles and events would never develop exactly as the commander predicted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first surprise appeared inside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he had descended from the city wall, Gao Jingshan saw a familiar Bohai Poliyan (commander of fifty, deputy Mouke) galloping hastily from the west along the base of the wall, and he was momentarily exasperated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commander!\" The Poliyan called out, quickly dismounting, but because the horse was too fast, he stumbled as he got off, almost rolling on the ground before steadying himself against the city wall. \"The northwest watchtower, marked 'Bingzi,' has suddenly blocked the city wall passage with debris and thrown down its flags! It must be that Liu An, seeing the Song army's main force besieging the city, has wavered and decided to rebel!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jingshan was momentarily stunned, but then quickly came to his senses. He turned back on the spot and pointed at a Meng'an who had followed him from the city center: \"Quickly take men to retake it! If you can't retake it quickly, set it on fire! The city wall is several zhang thick of rammed earth, stone slabs, and bricks — it's not afraid of fire! Whatever you do, don't give the Song army outside the city a chance to climb up and support! If the Song army hasn't noticed, don't make any unnecessary moves, but if they have noticed, strip those rebels of their clothes and hang them from the tower, dead or alive!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Meng'an suddenly understood, immediately turned back and called out the names of a few Mouke and Poliyan, then hurried off with the messenger Poliyan towards the due west, that is, the northwest corner of the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After they left, Gao Jingshan thought for a moment, then urgently pointed at Gao Qingyi again: \"Gao Interpreter, go to the city camp and summon Wang Dang. He is the most reliable Han general. Have him lead a patrol to inspect the Han army. If anything is amiss, execute them on the spot... Then you yourself open the treasury, take out silk, wine, and meat, also conduct a patrol, and uniformly reassure the Han army again!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Qingyi understood and hurried away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, this first surprise passed without incident. Because the Han army's uprising in the watchtower was hasty and internally disunified, within just a quarter of an hour, accompanied by the rumbling of catapults from the east side of the city, the Jin army, coordinating from inside and out, recaptured the Bingzi watchtower among the row of diagonal watchtowers in the southwest of the city, and then slaughtered the faction of Han army officers who had rebelled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Song army outside the city, from beginning to end, didn't even notice this small ripple that could have directly changed the fate of the entire realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regardless, after this incident, the Jin army inside the city knew about it throughout the city. Whether it was the catapults on the river smashing the city, or the trouble at their very side, everything had arrived at their doorstep. From now on, nothing that happened should be surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can't get through!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Gao Jingshan had turned back to the front of Cuiyun Tower near the north of the city, not even having time to go up the tower, while he was issuing various emergency city defense orders on the ground floor, unlike the officer who had swiftly dealt with the rebellion earlier, another officer who had received orders came to report with a completely dejected face. \"Let the Commander know, the Song cavalry is on the opposite side of the Yongji Canal, blocking the bridgehead. Our messengers trying to reach the north simply can't get through. On the south side of the city, the encirclement isn't tight. The messengers ordered to burn the ships don't need to cross the Yongji Canal, so most of them probably got through...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jingshan, who had only slept for two hours last night, reined in his horse and stood beneath Cuiyun Tower. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, his exhaustion fully showing. Then he forced himself to pull himself together and, ignoring the rumbling from the east, headed towards the west city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arriving at the west city, he hurriedly ascended the city wall. Gao Jingshan took one look and let out another long sigh, then simply felt a headache coming on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, when he had received the report earlier, this Jin army Commander of the Great Ming Prefecture Field Army knew that a fully organized Song cavalry unit had already taken up position on the west side of the Yongji Canal, and he also knew it must be Yue Fei's Beiwei Army. But to be honest, the Song army's cavalry had never been highly regarded by the Jin army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This really wasn't the Jurchens' fault for looking down on them. In the Battle of Yaoshan back then, Yue Fei's Beiwei Army had also participated, but their performance was actually poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, among the hundreds of thousands of Song troops and tens of thousands of cavalry, the only exception was Han Shizhong's bronze-masked Beiwei Army. From the escape from Hebei, to driving Wushu out of the Huai River region, to the Battle of Yanling, the Battle of Yaoshan, including the previous Battle of Hedong, their performance was truly stunning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Gao Jingshan personally ascended the city wall this time, his eyes swept over the scene, and as a veteran commander, he realized in his heart that he shouldn't be using old accounts to write new books — it had been five or six years since Yaoshan. Times had changed. While the Jin army hadn't fought for five years and the Song army hadn't moved their weapons for three years, at this very moment, as the Jin cavalry grew increasingly mediocre, the Song army's fully supported cavalry, especially units with years of history and combat experience, had probably been gradually honed to a fine edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, just this well-equipped Beiwei Army was indeed a strong force that could match the Jurchen elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And facing this kind of disciplined heavy cavalry elite, it was indeed very difficult to attempt any individual breakthroughs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond that, this assessment of the cavalry's combat power also made Gao Jingshan's mind wander a bit further... He was not a simple battle commander; he was a regional commander with political acumen and a sense of the big picture, even the type who held both military and civil authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commander, should I take my own six Mouke down for a charge, to provide cover?\" Just as a different ripple was stirring in Gao Jingshan's heart, Pusuyue, who had received several strokes of the military cane the night before — the eldest son of the deceased Da? — and who had been holding the west city from last night until now as the Bohai Meng'an, couldn't help but limp over and make a suggestion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jingshan turned his head, looking at the other man with a complex gaze, showing some hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commander!\" Pusuyue clearly misunderstood the look. \"Twenty strokes of the cane won't stop me from riding a horse or wielding a spear...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's not time yet.\" Gao Jingshan shook his head repeatedly, his tone also somewhat scattered. \"And it's too late... At this point, we can only hope that Ali and Shaohe are perceptive. I estimate they'll be here soon... Go gather the troops. Not just your own six Mouke. I'll add another fourteen Mouke for you... That's the limit. Later, when the front lines engage, if the reinforcements come from the east side of the canal, you don't need to cross the Yongji Canal. Immediately go harass the main force in front of Yue Fei's command banner. But if the reinforcements come from the west side of the canal, don't be afraid of casualties. Make sure you try to break through the canal and create a diversion for the reinforcements!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pusuyue was overjoyed, bowed respectfully, and then limped off to prepare the cavalry. After Gao Jingshan gave a few instructions to the west city officer who took over, telling him to be careful with the city defenses, he stood still again, staring fixedly at that elite heavy cavalry outside the city... After a long while, he finally moved to the northwest watchtower, which was best for observing the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The northwest side of Yuancheng was built into a wavy slope because of the turn of the Yongji Canal. Each protrusion had a watchtower. The previous Han army rebellion had occurred at the Bingzi watchtower here, and it was this bloodstained Bingzi watchtower that Gao Jingshan ascended, looking down from the flat top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he had said earlier, it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had this Jin army commander mounted the watchtower than dust clouds rose from the horizon further north of the Song army's defense line... Clearly, the Jin army's field forces deployed in Guantao, two Wanhu's worth of troops, had followed the previous agreement exactly — cooking their meals at the fourth watch, and as soon as dawn broke, they marched directly south to sweep this strip of land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were not a moment late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jin army's vanguard cavalry arrived especially quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it. Guantao was on the east side of the Yongji Canal. The main Jin army camp was only twenty or thirty li from Yuancheng, and the forward camp closer to this side was a mere ten-plus li from the Song army's \"camp.\" They had set out hastily as soon as the sky brightened today, and the result was that they arrived as soon as they were mentioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Jin army vanguard troops, like the Jin troops on the city wall, were also clearly stunned by the Song army's massive formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But behind them were two full Wanhu, and moreover, they didn't have that psychological shock of seeing a city built overnight. After a brief hesitation, they immediately launched an attack on the Song army's position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer was self-evident. The small Jin cavalry unit was helpless against the dense abatis and could only retreat in disgrace after encountering the Song army's bow and crossbow fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, the Song army relaxed slightly, and cheers rang out across the northern strip of land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, before the cheers had completely died down, Yue Fei, sitting silently under the command banner, heard a strange sound and instinctively looked towards the river. Not just him, but many officers around him also instinctively looked that way. Because this sound was very similar to the sound of stone projectiles from the naval catapults' volley smashing into Yuancheng's thick city walls — like a thunderclap on a clear day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no sign of the catapults on the river having just accelerated their firing. They were still uniformly taking aim and getting into position, waiting for the signal from beneath the \"Heaven's Will\" banner behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Fei reacted immediately. He stood up, mounted his horse, turned north, and stood still. The officers around him also mostly realized what was happening and turned around solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, the thunder grew louder and louder, and closer and closer, bringing with it a sky-obscuring cloud of dust that appeared in the due north. The haze spread like dark clouds, but soon stopped before the northern defense line. The thunder on the battlefield quickly subsided again, leaving only the sounds from the river and the east side of Yuancheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the Jin army's main force had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Song army's scout cavalry immediately reported back, saying they had seen the banner of the veteran Jin general Ali.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the time it took the Song scout cavalry to ride two li back and forth within their own formation, without hesitation, without consultation, even without a pause, almost as soon as they stopped, the Jin army in the north unhesitatingly chose to dismount and fight on foot. In the form of heavily armored infantry, they began to move the abatis and fight for the northern palisade!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, there was no need for scout cavalry to report. The shouts of battle and the sound of bows and crossbows piercing the air could be heard from afar. Flags waved as units were deployed back and forth, all visible from a distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the hastily erected northern defense line, the battle was exceptionally fierce from the start. The well-prepared Song army fired crossbow bolts continuously from elevated shooting platforms behind the palisade, but the heavily armored Jin army showed no fear, directly enduring the bolts and casualties as they moved the abatis layer by layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that wasn't all. As parts of the abatis were moved aside, the Jin army immediately changed tactics. On one side, they continued to expand the battle line; on the other, they began to dismantle and chop up the abatis on the spot, wrap it in their own flags, even their uniforms, set it on fire, and fashion it into a kind of makeshift torch, which they threw towards the base of the palisade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This tactic worked wonders. Soon, parts of the palisade caught fire, forcing the frontline Song commanders to hastily fetch water to put out the flames in their panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Yuancheng watchtower, Gao Jingshan, watching this scene from afar along with the direction of the dust behind, felt a surge of excitement... He had to acknowledge the decisiveness and propriety of the two veteran generals, Ali and Shaohe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Fei, seeing the smoke and fire in the north from a distance, also looked somewhat serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commander!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some Jin Jun soldiers hastily climbed the corner tower to relay messages. \"General Pusuyue is ready and requests permission to exit from the west gate, circle around to the north, and harass the rear of Song Jun to assist Generals Ali and Shaohe!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jingshan turned to face them, hesitated slightly, then waved his hand with effort: \"Not yet!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Marshal!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A staff officer of Song Jun, clad in leather armor, also stepped forward cautiously. \"The Jin Jun offensive is quite fierce. Should we dispatch reinforcements? Sending them from here would be secure enough, while sending them from east of the Yongji Canal would be swift enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Fei did not hesitate, not even glancing at the man as he raised his hand in response: \"Hold!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The staff officer withdrew helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although neither commander had been shaken by Ali's assault for the moment, the course of the battle truly exceeded everyone's expectations. Or rather, the ferocity of Ali—a veteran Jurchen general who had risen from a lowly soldier all the way to Battalion Commander—and his troops surpassed what anyone had anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost as soon as he reached the front line, he ordered his men to dismount and fight to seize the defensive line, then recklessly used his own banners and uniforms to set the palisades on fire—which produced a remarkable effect. And that was not all... Clearly, as his Han auxiliary troops arrived from the rear, the Jin Jun's crossbow support quickly took shape, and the battlefield began to see a true exchange of arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, on the narrow strip of land east of the Yongji Canal—only a few li wide—the two sides were fighting along several makeshift, narrow front lines, obstructed by cheval-de-frise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, under this mode of combat, while the Jin Jun could not commit large numbers of troops, the Song Jun's numerical advantage was not very pronounced either. Instead, due to fatigue, they found themselves at a disadvantage against the fresh Jurchen forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quarter of an hour later, some Jin Jun soldiers successfully crossed the trench, pushed over a section of palisade whose supports and ropes had been burned through, and breached the defensive line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Follow me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of the defensive line, Hu Qing, the Commanding Officer of the Right Army of the Imperial Camp responsible for this sector, panicked momentarily. Shouting loudly in a Jingdong accent, he called to his direct Personal Guard, then hastily donned his helmet and personally rushed forward to try to plug the breach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the moment he led his men to meet the enemy, a heavily armored Jurchen soldier who had charged out first spotted an opportunity. He shot an arrow directly at Hu Qing's face, which was unprotected by a visor. Hu Qing, a dignified Commanding Officer, died on the spot in front of the palisade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Hu Qing dead, the Personal Guard behind him panicked and lost their composure. They hastily snatched up their commander's body and retreated in confusion, allowing the Jin Jun to surge into the breach. They pursued and killed wantonly on one side, while hacking at the palisade with their weapons on the other, trying to widen the gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the tower, Gao Jingshan, witnessing this scene from afar, found his breathing growing heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have Zhao Buyou take a thousand men over to plug the leak!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, news of Hu Qing's death reached the main banner. By now, the Jin Jun had clearly expanded their advantage at the breach, and there were even two other small breaches. Yue Fei had to confront the issue. \"But if Commander-in-Chief Tian has his own arrangements, do not seize the front line without authorization. Just maintain order in the rear...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Buyou was an Imperial Academy student of imperial clan origin, skilled in martial arts. He had met Yue Fei by chance in Xiangzhou during the Jingkang era and had long admired him. He had been Yue Fei's subordinate ever since Yue Fei served as a general under the Kaifeng Marshalate, and now held the rank of Commanding Officer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Zhao Buyou had left, the surrounding staff officers and military officers gathered around, all apparently feeling that the situation was dangerous and that Yue Fei's handling of it was somewhat underestimating the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's not that I'm underestimating the enemy.\" With the lives of over a hundred thousand soldiers and civilians at stake, even Yue Fei had to offer some explanation to his staff and close officers. \"On the contrary, it's because Shaohe's troops have not yet appeared, and the forces inside the city that are supposed to coordinate have not come out either! Moreover, the Yongji Canal splits the strip of land in two. Right now, although the situation in the east looks perilous, it's merely the Jin Jun relying on their fresh troops and their initial burst of momentum. Once they are checked, their morale will surely collapse. On the other hand, the gap of only a few hundred paces west of the Yongji Canal is the truly critical point of this battle. We need to keep enough reserves for emergencies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The generals forced themselves to suppress their unease and continued to observe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, despite these words, while Zhao Buyou was leading his troops forward to provide support, the situation at the front grew even worse. Taking advantage of the momentum from breaching the palisade, the Jin Jun continued to wreak havoc on the front line. A unit of heavy armor that had come up as reinforcements passed through the breach and, without hesitation, took advantage of the chaos to charge into a group of civilian laborers who were clearly transporting water to fight fires. They slaughtered them wantonly, triggering an even larger-scale chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this from afar, Yue Fei remained seated motionless on his horse. But on the corner tower, Gao Jingshan, faced with Pusuyue's fourth request to engage, finally fell into deep hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the commander of Great Ming Prefecture, Gao Jingshan had a completely clear view of the battle situation and fully understood Yue Fei's intention to hold his troops back. In fact, looking down from his elevated position and gazing north, he could see certain things even more clearly than Yue Fei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, he too was waiting for the Jin Jun to circle around to the west of the Yongji Canal and charge at that gap of only a few hundred paces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a major problem now was that the Song Jun had built a city overnight and erected countless bridges over the Yongji Canal. While the Song Jun could not claim to move across the strip of land east and west of the canal as if on level ground, they definitely had a mobility advantage. As for the Jin Jun, whether it was the earlier obstruction of their scouts inside the city, Shaohe's failure to appear, or his own hesitation about Pusuyue's direction of attack, all of this had clearly revealed a huge tactical flaw in the Jin Jun's plan... Under the Song Jun's miraculous operations, the Yongji Canal, which the Jin Jun had originally relied upon as a geographical advantage, had instead become their greatest tactical obstacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the haste, it was very troublesome for a large force without preparation to cross the Yongji Canal—a raised river above ground—in a timely manner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was true for the troops inside the city, and it would certainly be true for the reinforcements as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, Ali's unhesitating, desperate assault had unexpectedly produced a remarkable effect. So Gao Jingshan himself did not know whether he should commit his mobile forces to the north of the city or the west.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let Pusuyue leave the city and go to the north of the city to harass Yue Fei's main banner... Remember, tell him to harass, not to engage in reckless battle.\" Finally, after casting another glance at the silent Song Jun cavalry waiting in the west, Gao Jingshan suppressed his unease, turned back, and issued the order. \"Just try to tie them down, so they cannot fully support the northern defensive line.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he finished speaking, the Jin Jun Field Commander regretted it, but in the end, he did not change the order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he knew that if he continued to make Pusuyue wait, he too would suffer torment and regret. And changing an order on the battlefield was probably even worse than making a decision that might be wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, just as the chaos on the northern defensive line reached its peak, with a thunderous rumble, the Jin Jun cavalry inside Yuancheng finally appeared. They poured out of the west gate and then gathered northward along the city wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the two cavalry forces of Song and Jin—one east of the canal, the other west of it—were separated by the Yongji Canal, a man-made waterway that rose slightly but could not conceal tall cavalrymen, only a few dozen paces wide. The two sides could clearly see each other's armor from afar, but neither paid any attention to the other, nor made any superfluous moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jin Jun cavalry hurried north along the city wall, and the Song Jun cavalry did not risk long-range attacks from the city wall to harass them across the river. They simply watched the enemy pass by their side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene further confirmed Gao Jingshan's conjecture from the corner tower: the discipline of the Song Jun cavalry far exceeded his imagination. Having the cavalry inside the city cross the canal to the west side to provide support would probably produce an even worse result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Marshal, the Jin Jun have left the city!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A general at his side was overjoyed. \"They're coming for us! Should we imitate Commandery Prince Han, lure them close, and then have the Beiwei Army risk blocking their retreat, to annihilate them completely beneath the city walls?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need.\" Yue Fei did not even turn his head to look at the situation behind him. His expression unchanged, he quickly issued orders from his horse. \"The situation in Hebei and Hedong are completely different. Do not engage recklessly. Pass the order to the three Commanding Officers Yao Zheng, Pang Rong, and Li Shan: once the enemy cavalry passes the northwest corner tower of Yuancheng, advance immediately and block them in front of the city!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The order was given. When the Jin Jun cavalry turned past the northwest corner tower, the three units rumbled into action as ordered. And at that very moment, another continuous roll of thunderous noise once again resounded across the battlefield, and rolling dust clouds once again spread out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the commotion came from the northwest of the strip of land, and unlike the previous noise from the due north, it did not gradually subside. Instead, it came without pause, charging straight for the northwest gap of the strip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's right—without needing Gao Jingshan's order, the Jin Jun Battalion Commander Shaohe, under Ali's cover, crossed the Yongji Canal from the rear and seized the Song Jun's greatest weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have Zhang Zigai get up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exhausted Tian Shizhong looked relieved. He released a pinch of dust he had been holding in his hand, and the dust fell, scattering over his armor, which was covered in grime. \"Advance! Tell him, success or failure rests on this! Establish the chain of command for deputy generals in advance. Don't be like that fool Hu Qing, who not only got himself killed but also ruined the front line! As for everyone else, no need to wait any longer—follow your respective defensive lines and advance north to meet the enemy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Tian Shizhong's order, nearly ten thousand elite troops of the Right Army of the Imperial Camp rose from among the civilian laborers and banners, and rumbled northward. The commotion was as great as the rising tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the city wall, Gao Jingshan watched this spectacular scene and suddenly felt something was wrong... The number of Song Jun combat troops exceeded his expectations... Zhang Rong leading the navy in the east, Tang Huai in the south, Zhang Xian in the west, plus the necessary garrison troops on the opposite bank of the river—where did this ten thousand-plus men come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if the Song Jun's troop strength had been like this from the start, then what the hell was Ali's infantry assault worth? And what the hell was the point of all his calculations here, weighing the odds on the east and west sides?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was simply no chance of victory on the east side of the Yongji Canal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>War is not a banquet, so the other side had prepared three tables of food in advance, waiting for two tables of guests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Signal!\" Yue Fei finally turned his head to glance at Yuancheng, then issued another order from his horse. \"Have the floating bridges on the river dismantled. Have Commander-in-Chief Zhang recall the paddle-wheel boats and bombard Ali along the river! The central army is to stand by and not move! The Beiwei Army is to stand by and not move!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was four tables of food.\u003C\u002Fp>",4828,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","d92c27d09e835f9e7778d3a0fc8c6d179a568e391fa4b8827beb97724a454bab","shao-song-chapter-398","shao-song-chapter-396",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]