Chapter 417: The Advance

Huolu!

This was a county under the jurisdiction of Zhending Prefecture. Although it had always been prosperous and vast in area, it was still just an ordinary county in Hebei West Circuit.

And now, when the high command of both Song and Jin, gauging their own marching speeds, keenly realized that the two sides would likely meet hastily and erupt into a large-scale field battle, they both, as if by prior agreement, took note of this region.

This coincidence, combined with the name, inevitably gave people a fatalistic sense of heavenly destiny.

"The Qin lost their deer, and all under heaven joined in the chase..." Ever since the Grand Historian wrote this line in the "Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin," the metaphor of the deer of the realm had been deeply ingrained. And if one looked closely, the person this saying was meant to persuade, Han Xin, had at that very time used Hebei as his base to obtain this foundation for the chase.

Therefore, when this name was shouted out in unison by the high commands of both armies, it seemed to possess a kind of magic, drawing in the decision-makers of both sides. Both sides realized that success or failure in this region would determine the fate of Hebei, decide the ultimate outcome of this Song northern expedition, and determine the basic destiny of the two nations.

Of course, setting aside the name, some things, especially the application of geography in military affairs, politics, and people's livelihoods, were so clearly structured that they seemed preordained by heaven—there were essentially no coincidences... It was as if someone told His Majesty Zhao that the area they had their eyes on was essentially the core urban district of Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei in later ages; he would certainly have a sudden moment of enlightenment.

The so-called Huolu County was originally the nearest large plain to the exit of Jingxing Pass. It was only because the scope of human activity and urban development at the time had not yet reached the point of crossing a river of the Hutuo River's caliber that the seat of Zhending Prefecture stopped north of the Hutuo River, leaving Huolu south of the Hutuo River to become a purely agricultural area.

And now, because the scale of both armies was too vast and they needed a nearby large plain, Huolu naturally surfaced.

Similar geographical phenomena are countless throughout history, both in China and abroad.

For example, Zhuolu in the Zhangjiakou region to the north; for example, the Stone City built in the later Nanjing area after Sun Quan's extensive development in the south; for example, after Rome unified the Mediterranean, Constantinople at the mouth of the strait gradually replaced the ancient Greek Lysimachia to become the capital of Thrace and even the entire Eastern Mediterranean.

There are many coincidences under heaven, but some truly are not coincidences.

On the twenty-fourth of the first month, having received permission from the rear, Yelu Ma Wu finally gave up his efforts at Jingxing Pass and actively withdrew... In truth, even if he hadn't withdrawn, he wouldn't have been able to hold out much longer. The Song troops were too numerous, and the Jingxing Pass passage was not some impregnable natural fortress where one man could hold off ten thousand. The Song army could deploy enough troops to maintain rotating attacks.

But regardless of the reason, with Yelu Ma Wu's withdrawal, the Song vanguard suddenly found a clear path. Shao Yun, the general of the Imperial Camp Central Army, took the lead, following Yelu Ma Wu with his troops and being the first to exit the Jingxing Pass passage, arriving within the borders of Jingxing County. This was truly the territory of Hebei West Circuit.

Closely following were the units of Niu Gao, Dong Xian, Zhang Qi, Zhai Chong, and Zhai Jin.

The next day, the twenty-fifth of the first month, saw the units of the Imperial Camp Left Army, including Xie Yuan, Hu Yantong, Dong Min, and Chen Jue, cross the pass in turn.

By the evening of that day, the Dangxiang light cavalry led by Li Master, unable to contain themselves, also surged through the pass ahead of the main Song army, rushing out of Jingxing to conduct necessary reconnaissance and provide support.

On the same day, the five vanguard units swept through the stockades of Ganquan, Xiaozuokou, Wangjiagu, and Jiuxian, gaining control of the Jingxing Pass exit area west of Mianman River and south of the Hutuo River.

After securing the necessary safe zone, by the twenty-sixth of the first month, countless Song army units, under countless banners, continuously crossed Jingxing Pass and arrived in Hebei.

Now, although the Jin army had lost the main strongholds west of the Mianman River, scattered scout riders remained behind at the risk of their lives to conduct necessary reconnaissance. They hid in the remaining veins of the Taihang Mountains, using the numerous valleys and hills to spy from afar... At first, they tried to calculate the specific number of Song troops and identify the commanding generals of each unit, but they soon abandoned this futile effort.

There was no help for it. The Song army was too numerous, not just in fighting men, but also in countless laborers and baggage trains, making it impossible to count. Moreover, as these main Song forces poured out, all the towns, valleys, flatlands, and hills west of the Mianman River were almost entirely controlled by the Song army. Most of these scout riders also lost their hiding places and had no choice but to withdraw.

However, even so, the Jin scout riders managed to glimpse the most important intelligence before their withdrawal—that dragon banner had indeed appeared on the eastern slopes of the Taihang Mountains, arriving in Hebei.

In fact, this dragon banner advanced all the way to the Xiaozuokou stockade on the west side of the Mianman River before stopping, a mere dozen or so li from the Mianman River.

To make a long story short, that evening, the Song high command hastily convened a military council before the Emperor to discuss the next steps for the advance.

The one presiding over the military council was none other than Wu Jie, who had only caught up with the main army the day before. The number of participants was small. Below His Majesty Zhao... except for Ma Kuo, who was supervising grain transport in the rear and was not present... there were Lu Yihao with a few academicians, Han Shizhong with a few military governors, plus Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan. That was all. Yet even so, those with the least seniority, like Yu Yunwen and Mei Li, could only stand and listen in the narrow doorway of the hall.

"Still Huolu!"

At the start of the council, under the lamplight, Wu Jie pointed at the simple map hanging on the screen with his horsewhip and gave the exact same answer Han Shizhong had given earlier on the west side of Jingxing Pass, without any hesitation. "It can only be Huolu!"

"Why?!" The question came from Lu Yihao, who was visibly listless but forcing himself to stay alert. After all, he was getting on in years, and the military life was extremely taxing on his health.

"Let me inform you, Chancellor, our current position is the Jingxing Pass exit, west of the Mianman River and south of the Hutuo River..." Wu Jie continued pointing at the map, his words clear and his logic sound. "The main Jin force is concentrated at Huolu on the south side of the Hutuo River, facing us from afar across the Mianman River. Both main armies are immensely large and are gathering strength against each other. At this moment, we absolutely must not lightly divide our forces."

"Correct." Lu Yihao thought for a moment, then stroked his beard in agreement.

"Next, as we are the attacking side, our main force must either cross the Hutuo River to reach Zhending, or cross the Mianman River to reach Huolu... But where we go is not for us to decide. According to scout reports, the main Jin force has clearly already concentrated and built stockades in the wilderness around Shiyi Town, southeast of Huolu City. If we cross the Hutuo River, we don't need to cross completely; as long as we can get forty or fifty thousand across, they will immediately cross the Mianman River and seize the opportunity to engage us in a decisive battle. Or, they might wait a bit longer, wait until most of our troops have crossed, and then try to block our retreat!"

"Can't we use the natural barrier of the Mianman River to block the Jin army?" Fan Zongyin couldn't help but interject.

"No, we cannot." Wu Jie's reply was decisive. "The Hutuo River is a major river, but the Mianman River is only a tributary, a small river. Moving troops across the Hutuo River is far more difficult than moving troops across the Mianman River! Moreover, from our perspective, the section of the Hutuo River under the Imperial Army's control is too short, far less convenient for crossing than the dozens of li of the Mianman River."

Having said this, Wu Jie paused briefly and looked towards His Majesty Zhao, who had remained silent. He knew that if Lu Yihao had no objections, then given the current hasty situation, it would basically be settled by the Emperor's word: "To put it bluntly, with such large armies on both sides, no river can effectively block them. Only an army of a hundred thousand can block another army of a hundred thousand! Furthermore, the Imperial Army's eastward expedition into Hebei was precisely aimed at the main Jin force. There is no reason to put the cart before the horse!"

At these words, from Lu Yihao down to Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Wang Yan, Wang De, Li Qiong, Wu Lin, Li Master, and others, they all turned their heads to look at His Majesty Zhao, who was sitting to one side under the candlelight.

Wu Jie understood, and of course they understood as well, that when a battle was this hasty, it often came down to a single word from His Majesty Zhao.

"Well said." Zhao Jiu, who had already heard Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, Wang Yan, and others analyze this several times, nodded in agreement without hesitation. "We can only go to Huolu to meet the battle! Besides, if we don't cross the Mianman River, we won't be able to link up with Qu Duan's forces... But Jinqing, if we engage at Huolu, do you have any specific plans or arrangements?"

Upon hearing this question, Wu Jie was silent for a moment before replying seriously: "Let me inform Your Majesty, for a battle of this scale, nearly three times the size of the Battle of Yaoshan... If Your Majesty asks about marching arrangements, I could certainly imitate the style of the official gazette and list out points one, two, three, and four, but they would all be armchair strategies based on experience... Truly targeted arrangements will likely have to wait until we cross the Mianman River, arrive before the battle line, and make on-the-spot decisions based on the terrain, the military situation, and the weather."

There was a slight stir in the hall.

But Zhao Jiu's expression did not change at all. He simply nodded: "No matter! We are like this, and the Jurchens are like this too. Whether it's hasty or lacking experience, it's the same for both sides... According to the military report, the Jurchens only arrived at Huolu a day and a half before we arrived at Jingxing County... Just tell me what needs to be done right now."

Everyone was somewhat relieved.

Wu Jie was also exceptionally straightforward: "Cross the Mianman River, take Jingxing County town, then dispatch the main army to establish a large stockade in the hilly area east of Jingxing County and west of Huolu County, set up defenses, then link up with Commander Qu's cavalry, advance further, observe the enemy situation along the way, engage in probing skirmishes with the Jin army, and decide on the strategy."

"Good, let's do it that way."

Zhao Jiu was concise, directly concluding that day's imperial military council.

Since the first military council had been held, His Majesty Zhao next issued an imperial decree. The main army immediately made adjustments, deploying along the Mianman River, determined to cross this river and seize Jingxing County town and Pingshan County town as a base for establishing a foothold and stockade.

The next morning, His Majesty Zhao, along with the generals of the Imperial Court and the main force, personally headed east, arrived at the Mianman River, personally supervised the operations, and made preparations for the crossing.

According to the military orders formulated by Wu Jie the previous night and transmitted by His Majesty Zhao, early that day, a full thirteen command units, each led by their respective generals, crossed the river together to conduct the necessary mopping-up operations.

Once the mopping-up was complete, the main Song army would advance en masse eastward, pressing into Huolu.

Now, these thirteen command units, each commanded by an officer renowned throughout the land, together fielded nearly thirty thousand pure fighting men alone. So many armored soldiers, so many famous generals, simultaneously crossing the river on a battle line dozens of li wide, each attacking cities and seizing territory... And it wasn't just a frontal crossing of the Mianman River to take the two county towns of Jingxing and Pingshan; three command officers each led several thousand men north across the Hutuo River to take Bailing Stockade, Xilinshan Stockade, and Donglinshan Stockade (the area of later Xibaipo)... This was a grand and well-regulated operation, balancing the orthodox and the unorthodox.

Such an army, such an action, in a small country, would almost be considered a battle that decided the nation's fate. But both the Song army and even the opposing Jin army knew that this was merely a necessary action for the Song army to clear obstacles, make space, and guard against surprise attacks for the advance of the main force.

One could only say that the scale of the war was absurd to the point of numbness.

However, the Jin army was not to be outdone.

On the twenty-seventh of the first month, around noon, the vegetation was all green, full of life.

Before the babbling spring waters of the Mianman River, His Majesty Zhao's dragon banner swayed slightly in the spring breeze. On the opposite bank, the Jingxing County town, visible to the naked eye, was tottering under the valiant assault of Dong Xian's unit, which had been performing increasingly prominently in this northern expedition.

But it was at this moment that a rumbling sound, like spring thunder, came from afar, growing louder and more distinct.

The entire Song army naturally knew what this was... Jin cavalry, of course. And the Jin army had no reason to sit idly by while the Song seized cities and built stockades. They would always take advantage of the Song army's unstable foothold after crossing the river to fight a few battles to boost morale. This was expected. So, at first, no one paid it much mind. They simply passed down orders from the Imperial Court for the units of the Imperial Camp Left Army, which were scheduled to cross in sequence, to prepare and be ready to cross the river at any time to coordinate with Dong Xian.

However, as the thunder grew louder and louder, exceeding everyone's experiential knowledge, Dong Xian's unit on the opposite bank, from east to west, was the first to fall into chaos and lose control. In the end, they voluntarily abandoned the city that was within easy reach, huddling together with their backs to the river near the pontoon bridge... The entire Song army finally sensed something was wrong.

Soon, without needing a messenger from Dong Xian's unit to cross back and report, the Song high command under the dragon banner already understood what was happening—they saw with their own eyes countless armored Jin iron cavalry, each man with two horses, surging over the opposite hills and slopes like a tidal wave. The horizontal battle line of their advance stretched continuously, reaching seven or eight li in width, and it was still coming, extending the depth.

Under the spring sunlight, the Jin armor and weapons glittered, their banners dense. Looking out, there were no shortage of famous Jin generals and units, causing the Song troops on the west bank of the river to change color, some even showing signs of wavering.

There was no help for it. The Jin cavalry was too numerous. This was likely the largest single, unified gathering of Jin cavalry since the Jingkang Incident. And although times had changed, the fearsome reputation of the Jin iron cavalry still shook and terrified people.

This point was clear from the reaction of Dong Xian's unit on the opposite bank.

Since this Northern Expedition began, Dong Xian's unit had the richest combat experience and the most outstanding military achievements. Dong Xian himself was the commander with the most accumulated merit on the Hedong front, which was why he had been chosen as the vanguard for this push into Hebei. Yet even such a unit, when the Jin cavalry, without even engaging them, simply swarmed out from the south side of Jingxing County, formed up on a hillside a few li away, flaunting their might and displaying their power, was already shaken to the point of near collapse... Among Dong Xian's troops arrayed with their backs to the river, there were not a few soldiers trying to abandon their formation and flee back west across the pontoon bridge, but they were all beheaded.

It was only because of the strict military law that the formation barely held.

Moreover, no one thought this was unreasonable... If they and their own subordinates were on the opposite bank, they would probably react even worse than Dong Xian's unit.

Even among the Song troops on this side of the river, many had gradually felt fear as the Jin iron cavalry deployed in force, but since the dragon banner stood firm and unmoving, no one dared to move either.

Beneath the dragon banner, Zhao Jiu, Lu Yihao, and the other commanders remained silent until the Jin army finished forming up on the opposite hillside. A five-colored sun-holding banner and a royal banner bearing the character "Wei" of the same size appeared in the center of the opposing formation, and only then was there a slight stir.

"How many cavalry are there?"

Zhao Jiu, gripping his reins tightly to conceal his tension, kept his expression unchanged and finally asked the generals beside him. "Fifty thousand or sixty thousand?"

"Thirty thousand!" Han Shizhong blurted out.

"Only thirty thousand?" Zhao Jiu was slightly surprised.

"Let Your Majesty know, the cavalry are just spread out widely. It's only thirty thousand," Li Yanxian explained calmly from the side. "However, concentrating thirty thousand iron cavalry like this is already enough to decide the outcome of a battle involving two hundred thousand men with a single blow."

"But the Jin cavalry should be more than thirty thousand, right?" Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, still puzzled. "According to military reports, the two Wanhu and four Hezha Meng'an from Yanjing have already come to reinforce. They should have six or seven hundred Mouke. Even without counting the Yanjing reinforcements, just the iron cavalry that withdrew from the south with Wushu and Balisu, plus the two Wanhu from Datong and Yelu Ma Wu's troops, should be at least fifty or sixty thousand."

"Your Majesty." Wu Jie, who had been observing the enemy formation through a telescope, suddenly reined in his horse and squeezed into the space between His Majesty and Lu Xiang. "Wushu and Balisu probably want us to think that way..."

Zhao Jiu was momentarily stunned.

"Although the Jin army could have six hundred Mouke, in reality, after more than three months of campaigning, traversing thousands of li, with countless losses and attrition, among the troops that have been following Wushu and Balisu, those with such neat and imposing bearing are probably only these three hundred Mouke!" Wu Jie replied calmly. "And if I am not mistaken, the Jin reinforcements from Yanjing haven't arrived yet. The original two Wanhu from Datong north of the Hutuo River at Zhending Prefecture wouldn't dare to cross the Hutuo River easily before our main force crosses this river. Yelu Ma Wu has been taking beatings all along and couldn't have reorganized so quickly. In other words... these three hundred Mouke are already the limit the Jin army can muster to form a battle line right now! And even among them, nine out of ten are understrength!"

Zhao Jiu came to a gradual realization.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Even if the reinforcements later join and the entire army is reorganized, the Jin army cannot concentrate sixty thousand cavalry for use," Han Shizhong interrupted again, a faint, cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Because cavalry are meant for charging and sweeping. To command them properly, a general like Loushi using five or six thousand men is already the limit for one commander. Any more, and you need trusted deputy generals to assist... let alone fifty or sixty thousand cavalry! If I am not mistaken, when the decisive battle comes, the Jin will surely split off tens of thousands of men, pre-position them according to the terrain, and form a grand formation... most likely with infantry in the center, cavalry split into two wings. Then Balisu will gather two or three reliable Wanhu, four or five reliable Meng'an, and assemble twenty thousand elite iron cavalry to decide the outcome!"

Zhao Jiu, recalling the battle at Yaoshan, nodded heavily, and the other officers mostly agreed.

"But what should we do about the current situation?" After feeling slightly relieved, Zhao Jiu pressed for an answer.

"Simple." Wu Jie replied seriously. "Please, Your Majesty, issue an order to cross the river ahead of schedule!"

Zhao Jiu felt it was absurd in his heart, but having been tempered, he showed no sign of being stunned on his face, only remaining silent.

"Correct." Wu Jie urged in a deep voice upon seeing this. "Your Majesty, do not hesitate... The Jin army must have heard of our crossing and hastily gathered to demonstrate. They have no infantry to follow and coordinate with the formation, nor sufficient equipment and logistics. Moreover, they must worry about the threat from Commander Qu and his troops on their flank. They are in no position and have no intention to fight us head-on, let alone prepare for a decisive battle! Our pontoon bridges are already built, and we are fully prepared for the entire army to cross. As long as we send elite troops across first to cover the full crossing, with several times their numbers, the Jin army will surely panic and be forced to retreat!"

Zhao Jiu stared blankly at Wu Jie, then couldn't help but glance at the Jin iron cavalry covering the hills on the opposite bank, then looked back at him. Just as Lu Yihao behind Wu Jie was about to speak, he suddenly turned his head and gave an order: "Yu Yunwen!"

"Your servant is here!" Yu Yunwen, whose height was very prominent, felt a jolt in his heart and immediately spurred his horse forward.

"Are you afraid of death?" Zhao Jiu asked coldly.

"No!" Yu Yunwen replied crisply.

"Cross the river and persuade Wushu to surrender on my behalf!"

"Understood."

"Liangchen!" Zhao Jiu called out another name.

"Your servant is here." Han Shizhong cupped his hands in response.

"Your unit of over twenty thousand men was already supposed to cross. Now, raise your own banner, personally lead your troops to cross downstream, and join up with Dong Xian's unit! If the Jin army dares not to withdraw, you will strike them head-on with me!"

"Your servant receives the decree. Please, Your Majesty, watch me defeat the enemy!" Han Shizhong, still arrogant, spurred his horse and left with his banner.

"Wang De." Zhao Jiu continued to survey, fixing his gaze on one eager man.

"Your servant is here." Wang De was overjoyed for a moment.

"You cross upstream."

"Understood."

"The rest of the entire army." Zhao Jiu turned to look around. "Prepare yourselves. After the Prince of Yan'an Commandery and Vice Commander Wang have crossed and established a foothold, Vice Commander Li (Li Master) will provide cavalry support for the rear echelon. The remaining central army will proceed in order according to the previous crossing plan!"

The generals responded with a thunderous roar, and Wang De hurried away.

Leaving aside the deployment of the Song army west of the river, a short while later, on the east side of the Mianman River, on the hillside beneath the five-colored sun-holding banner, Wushu stood on his horse, with Balisu beside him on his horse. Around them were hastily assembled Wanhu and Meng'an, and behind them countless staff officers and personal guards. It was quite an impressive sight.

However, this Great Jin Prince of Wei had just finished forming his formation, spoken a few words, and was still somewhat out of breath, when he suddenly saw that peerless banner leave the dragon banner and race north. At the same time, another slightly smaller royal banner with the character "Wang" quickly moved south. How could he not know who they were?

Han Shizhong and Wang Yecha.

Immediately, he felt a bit uneasy.

But in no time, the unease vanished, because they already knew what the Song army was going to do... The Jin high command, seeing the vast Song army formation that stretched across the mountains and fields, so imposing that it had almost stunned them into inaction, watched as, before the two flags even reached their positions, no fewer than tens of thousands of Song armored soldiers on both flanks rushed to cross the river. They were caught off guard, and every one of them exchanged looks of dismay.

To be fair, the Song army was momentarily panicked when they saw such a massive Jin cavalry formation. But the Jin army, having traveled a long distance, saw the main Song force of over a hundred thousand men deployed along the river for nearly twenty li, dense and solid. And they themselves had abandoned their infantry and main camp, coming here with only a paltry thirty thousand cavalry. How could they not be afraid?

Who was more afraid than whom?

"Marshal, what should we do?" Wushu, suppressing his inner panic, turned to Balisu, bypassing the other generals.

Balisu opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a scout galloped up, reporting that a Song envoy, Direct Academician Yu Yunwen, had crossed the pontoon bridge alone and had come on the orders of the Zhao Song Emperor to see the Prince of Wei.

"Could it be that Qu Duan has arrived and made contact with the Zhao Song Emperor on the opposite bank?" Upon hearing this, Balisu blurted out, as if suddenly realizing. "That's why the Song army is using every means, sparing no effort to tie us down, so that Qu Duan can launch a surprise attack on our Shiyi main camp!"

Wushu was stunned for a moment, then waited for Balisu to continue.

But Balisu remained silent, just staring at Wushu... The latter was stunned again, then suddenly realized, and immediately clapped his hands: "That's right! It must be so! Marshal, since we have already demonstrated our might and demoralized the enemy, there's no need to stay longer. In my opinion, we should return to the main camp and be cautious!"

Balisu thought for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Since it is the Prince of Wei's command, I shall naturally obey."

The generals below, feeling relieved, all turned back to their formations to gather their troops and prepare to withdraw.

Soon, the tactical mobility advantage of the cavalry came into play. The various Jin units withdrew one after another. Yu Yunwen, without even having a chance to say a word, was directly bound and taken back to Shiyi as a prisoner.

A demonstration and confrontation, anticlimactic.

To be honest, even Zhao Jiu, Wu Jie, and Han Shizhong hadn't expected the Jin army to withdraw so decisively.

However, as the Song army's cheers shook the wilderness and the Jin army withdrew en masse, beneath the dragon banner, Wu Jie and Li Yanxian, the two commanders who had shown little strong reaction when the Jin army arrived, now both changed color in unison.

But at this moment, the entire army was elated, and His Majesty did not notice this.

By the afternoon, Jingxing had opened its gates and surrendered. The elite of the Song Imperial Guard Left Army and Central Army had already seized the high ground east of the river and formed up in advance. The Tangut light cavalry of the Imperial Guard Cavalry had also successfully crossed the river and spread out across the hilly terrain where the mountains met the plains, east of Jingxing County and west of Huolu County.

For a time, the east side of the Mianman River was secure.

His Majesty finally led the dragon banner forward, preparing to enter Jingxing city to settle in.

And as Zhao Jiu spurred his horse across the floating bridge, most of the surrounding officers and close ministers were temporarily separated. Li Yanxian, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Camp Central Army, suddenly rode forward and took the opportunity to come before Zhao Jiu and report in a low voice: "Your Majesty, do not underestimate the Jin Army because of today's events."

Zhao Jiu's expression did not change at all: "Naturally."

"Your Majesty did not understand my meaning." Li Yanxian grew even more serious. "The Jin Army's show of force is a bluff, not worth worrying about. But when the Jin Army withdrew, not a single unit was disordered, and not a single unit broke away from the main force to attack the left and right armies that had just crossed the river—this is the true manifestation of the Jin Army's combat power… In a great battle, executing military orders is paramount! From this, it can be seen that the remaining might of the Jin Army's iron cavalry is still present, enough to decide victory or defeat in a battle. Do not take them lightly."

Zhao Jiu recalled the scene he had witnessed earlier and finally changed expression, but it was only a slight change before he returned to normal, then nodded heavily.

Seeing that Zhao Jiu had understood, Li Yanxian said no more, merely took his leave, and then rode off to console his own subordinate Dong Xian's unit, which had fought hard earlier.

And just as Li Yanxian left, Wu Jie, who had just crossed the river, rode over: "Your Majesty."

"Is it about the strict discipline of the Jin Army's iron cavalry?" Zhao Jiu asked calmly in return.

"Yes." Wu Jie was slightly startled for a moment, then immediately returned to normal. "But that is not all."

"Your Majesty." Wu Da spoke seriously. "Your minister knows where the key to victory or defeat in this battle lies."

Zhao Jiu changed expression again, but again returned to normal: "Speak."

"The Jin Army's iron cavalry is extremely formidable and must be used in a concentrated manner. I fear, as the Prince of Yan'an said before, that Bolisu will assemble tens of thousands of elite cavalry as a trump card… When the battle reaches its climax, he will release those tens of thousands of iron cavalry all at once for a fatal strike." Wu Da replied earnestly. "Therefore, if our army is to win, the only and necessary course of action is to hold back an elite force sufficient to suppress those tens of thousands of iron cavalry as a reserve. When the enemy's main cavalry force emerges, we send ours out as well, and we can decide the outcome!"

Zhao Jiu remained motionless.

"The key lies in two points." Wu Jie calmly summarized. "First, we must select and assemble a large, elite force. Second, when the battle comes, we must ensure the Jin Army sends out its cavalry first, and then we dispatch this force."

"Select and assemble an elite force?" Zhao Jiu finally spoke.

"Yes."

"Long-handled axes and heavy infantry with strong crossbows, to counter the Jin Army's iron cavalry? Just like when you previously drew Shenbi bows from various units to form the Garrison Formation Archers?"

"Yes."

"Selecting and assembling is not difficult." Zhao Jiu finally got to the crux. "But if used in a concentrated manner, who will command? These are the lifelines of all the generals. And they must deliver the final blow—the commander must have both prestige and the knowledge and courage to fight."

"This is what your minister wanted to say." Wu Jie glanced behind Zhao Jiu and lowered his voice again. "According to official rank and military experience, it should be Wang Yan, the Commander-in-Chief, who leads this army…"

"But Wang Yan is petty by nature, and none of the various units in the army are willing to submit to him, is that not so? And if he is not allowed to lead, it will lack proper justification, which will also invite discontent, and even he himself will be dissatisfied, is that not so?" Zhao Jiu asked calmly in return.

"Yes."

"Do you have any method?"

"Your Majesty." Wu Jie sighed in response. "Since the Jianyan era, the Imperial Camp has been under the Grand General system. Each major general has his own attached personal guards… This is unavoidable. But fortunately, Your Majesty's prestige is outstanding. If an imperial decree is issued, no one dares to disobey…"

"I should personally lead the army?" Zhao Jiu was utterly speechless. "I fear it would end in a disastrous defeat."

"How could that be?" Wu Jie helplessly revealed the answer. "I ask Your Majesty to send a trusted confidant, a close court official known throughout the realm, to serve as Deputy Commander to Commander-in-Chief Wang, in practice overseeing this army's operations alongside him… The generals will surely obey."

"Like Liu Yan at Yaoshan back then?" Zhao Jiu was slightly startled, then nodded, but still somewhat puzzled. "But for such a large-scale elite force, Liu Yan might be somewhat inadequate. And if Liu Yan won't do, who else is there?"

Wu Jie raised his head and looked at Zhao Jiu, saying nothing.

Zhao Jiu was first puzzled, but after a few breaths, he suddenly understood. Then he turned to look behind him and saw Yang Yizhong standing expressionlessly on his horse behind him. He then turned back to look at Wu Jie for confirmation.

Wu Jie was helpless and was about to nod… But just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the direction of the floating bridge not far from the imperial banner.

Zhao Jiu, Wu Jie, and the others all looked puzzled, and with mutual understanding, they stopped their previous discussion and looked over together.

After a moment, a Red Heart Cavalryman indeed came forward in disarray to report: "Your Majesty, Lord Lu was riding his horse across the bridge when he stumbled and fell into the water. Fortunately, he did not injure his bones or sinews! Lord Lu ordered me to inform Your Majesty not to turn back for him, nor to publicize this matter, so as not to delay the army's advance… I beg the imperial carriage to hasten into the city!"

Zhao Jiu's expression completely changed. But this Zhao Song Emperor rode his horse in two circles beneath the imperial banner before finally turning and reining his horse forward, heading toward Jingxing County town with the silent Wu Jie and Yang Yizhong.

PS: A word on something—I am very grateful for everyone's enthusiastic participation in the completion event. There are many excellent posts… But today is not for pleasantries; rather, it is to remind everyone that, according to the previous agreement, event posts made before May 15th should receive additional gifts. See the post by the fan circle operations officer for details… I hope the relevant big shots will take note.