bookbashuk Chapter 169 Forward! Forward! Until the end of the world
Chapter 169 Forward! Forward! Until the end of the world
Chapter 169 Forward! Forward! Until the end of the world
On the vast plains, how fast do fully armored cavalry charge at full speed?
No one knew this better than Wanyan Talan, the Right Deputy Marshal of the Jin Dynasty. As the commander of several ten-thousand-household commanders, he had repeatedly led the Jin cavalry to use this method to crush the Song army, which outnumbered their own forces by several times.
Those Song soldiers often became fearful before their cavalry even reached them. With just one collision, they would turn and flee in panic, leaving the warriors of the Great Jin Kingdom to easily reap their spoils like harvesting wheat.
He had seen such scenes too many times, so many that he no longer found them special, so many that he had forgotten what it felt like to be shattered.
At this moment, however, it was the first time since he joined the army that he had experienced the feeling of being crushed.
Without any schemes or traps, they were utterly crushed in direct confrontation.
The cavalry, carrying dark red flags, charged into his formation from the very center without pausing for a moment.
Lu Mingfei's golden eyes had already lit up at some point. He brandished his long spear, feeling his blood burning, feeling life slipping through his fingers, feeling as if he were the only person in the world, with no one to stop him and no one to dare to hinder him.
He had only one thought in his mind: forward! Forward! To the ends of the earth!
Wanyan Talan rode his horse on the rammed earth high ground of the general's platform for half an hour, watching helplessly as the eight Meng'an he had sent out were completely scattered and had no power to fight back during that half hour.
Half an hour later, less than three thousand remnants remained, constantly maneuvering around the edge of the position, no longer daring to engage in direct confrontation.
After paying the price of five hundred soldiers' sacrifice, the banner bearing the inscription "Cangyun" finally approached to within a thousand paces of Wanyan Talan's central army camp.
A thousand paces is but a blink of an eye for cavalrymen who have already fully charged, yet Wanyan Talan still shows no intention of giving the order.
"Marshal! Now is not the time to act rashly. Please make a decision quickly!" Beside Wanyan Talan, Hong Ya, a surrendered Song general, hurriedly raised his head and gritted his teeth, saying, "Wang Yan's Eight-Character Army and Yue Fei's main force have already pressed forward!"
Only then did Wanyan Talan, whose attention had been drawn to the Cangyun Army, suddenly realize what was happening and look toward the location of the pontoon bridge.
There, a strange, large, golden banner with three tails landed on the riverbank from afar.
The flag was embroidered with intricate patterns, and the gold thread shimmered in the sunlight. This simple act, however, plunged the entire battlefield into a state of frenzy.
Countless Song soldiers, almost disregarding their formation, swarmed across the river from various pontoon bridges, rushing towards that banner.
"What is that?!" Wanyan Talai pointed at the flag and roared angrily, a sense of absurdity rising within him.
He accepted that his 10,000-household commanders had been defeated by the elite Cangyun Army, but why were these ragtag Song troops also so reckless? Those Eight-Character Army, those routed soldiers from the Tokyo Garrison, those ragtag troops who weren't even fully equipped with armor—why did they dare to charge into his central camp? What gave them the right?
"The Golden Banner—" Hong Ya's tone was clearly flustered: "Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that wherever this banner is, it must be the Emperor's residence!"
Upon hearing this, Wanyan Talan and the Jin army officers and surrendered advisors behind him were all in an uproar.
The arrival of the Zhao Song emperor only means that this battle will be even more difficult!
The appearance of that golden banner signifies that this battle is no longer an ordinary rescue operation, but rather an expedition personally led by the emperor.
Wanyan Talan gritted his teeth, the veins on his hand gripping the reins bulging. The reason he was still holding the camp and not abandoning it was none other than his son-in-law, Pucha, whom he had sent out to lead the most elite Meng'an troops.
The ten Meng'an and ten thousand cavalry were all his old troops brought from the Jin Kingdom, veterans who had fought countless tough battles with him.
In his original plan, he only needed to rely on his last seven Meng'an to hold the camp, and when Pucha returned to reinforce, he could easily swallow up this 5,000-strong forced march with his superior numbers, and then turn back to deal with the other Song troops who participated in the battle.
However, if the Song emperor were to arrive here, the situation would be completely different. Even if Pu Cha led his troops back, the best outcome would be a fight to the death with these Song people.
"Marshal! Let's go! Otherwise it will be too late!" Hong Ya urged from the side. He was a surrendered general and had no chance to return to the Song Dynasty. He could only go down a dark path.
Wanyan Talan was stunned. Even now, he still couldn't accept his defeat, and his mind went blank.
He couldn't understand how he had lost.
However, the changing situation on the battlefield would not change according to his will. After crossing the river, the Golden Guard did not stop at all and launched a direct attack on his own camp along the route opened up by the Cangyun Army.
Golden flags appeared and disappeared amidst the smoke of battle, their three tails fluttering in the wind. The remaining Song troops also spontaneously launched a full-scale assault in this direction, demonstrating their overwhelming advantage of five times that of the enemy.
The Song army, stirring up billowing dust, surged forward like a collapsing mountain. The remaining two thousand or so cavalrymen of the Da Chou tribe were almost powerless to resist and were swallowed up by the overwhelming tide of people.
Wanyan Talan stood there, caught in a state of fear and hesitation.
Experience and the traditions of the Jin army told him that he should lead the last seven Meng'an and charge directly towards the dragon banner. According to the military law of the Jin army, once he, the commander, charged, all the Jin cavalry on the battlefield would turn around, and at that time, it might be possible to turn the tide of the battle.
However, at the same time, the desire to survive told him that he should take the last two Meng'an, abandon everything, and turn back to escape from the Zhuoyi River!
To stay or to leave?
"Go!" Wanyan Talan roared, his voice squeezed out from deep in his throat, hoarse and cracking, like a wild beast howling when cornered.
He ordered his men to open the west gate, leaving Mo's trusted men to lead two Meng'an to guard the village and block the enemy, while he himself led the remaining five Meng'an to make an emergency breakout to the west.
His idea was good: two thousand men could hold out for a while by relying on the barricades and chevaux-de-frise of the camp, which would buy them time to rebuild the pontoon bridge and leave.
Two thousand lives for one of Wanyan Talan's lives—it's worth it.
But he forgot one person: on this battlefield, from beginning to end, it wasn't just him, Cangyun, and the Zhao family behind Cangyun who were the three forces.
There was also Han Shizhong, who had been besieged for three whole months and was now seeing the emperor come to his rescue in person. His ferocity and fighting spirit had reached their peak.
The moment Wanyan Talan led his men in a breakout, the four gates of Changshe City burst open with a roar, the drawbridge fell heavily to the ground, and a cloud of dust rose up.
A burly general, wielding a long spear, charged out on horseback like an arrow released from a bow. Less than a moment later, more than five thousand cavalrymen poured out of the city one after another.
These five thousand cavalrymen rammed straight into Talan's breakout force from the side, cutting the Jin army's ranks in half.
"Han Shizhong!" Wanyan Talan's eyes widened in fury, but Han Shizhong's face was also contorted with rage: "You old pig-dog!"
I'm not running anymore!
In just a moment, Wanyan Talan completely abandoned the idea of continuing to escape.
He had fought Han Shizhong more than once and knew that this guy and his soldiers were like scoundrels; once you got involved, you wouldn't get rid of them easily.
He also knew that, given the current situation, the chances of him escaping were extremely slim.
Then I won't run away.
As the deputy commander of the Jin army, he launched a final charge against the enemy before him!
"charge!"
Wanyan Talan spoke these words in Tungusic, ensuring that all his subordinates present could understand them.
After saying that, he ignored everything else, grabbed his long hammer, and charged toward Han Shizhong with a low roar.
Seeing this, the two warriors beside him also turned their horses around and rushed towards their commander.
At this moment, the entire river island has been transformed into a veritable meat grinder.
There was no longer any chase or escape; everyone was caught up in the most primal and savage fighting, with cavalry clashing on the open fields and infantry tearing each other apart on the riverbanks.
Amidst the clash of swords and the flying of blood and flesh, people were dying every moment.
As the sun set, on the platform that Wanyan Talan had once occupied, beneath the newly erected dragon, the troops of Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Wang Yan, and others gathered with their commanders.
The head of Wanyan Talan, the right deputy marshal of the Jin army, is being circulated among the various armies.
The head was impaled on a spear, the tip piercing through the neck and exiting from the top of the head. The blood had drained away, and the expression on the face was frozen between terror and resentment.
Without a doubt, the Song army won this battle, and it was a great victory.
As for Puchajuanbalu, the son-in-law whom Wanyan Talan had high hopes for, he witnessed the fierce clash on the riverbank and, without any hesitation, abandoned the rescue and led his army northward with the current.
In the central army camp, Han Shizhong, a grown man, was crying his heart out in front of his comrades, which gave Lu Mingfei goosebumps.
After Zhao Jiu finally managed to calm down his two loyal followers, he began to reward them for their contributions.
There is no doubt about who the greatest contributor was in the Battle of Changshe.
In the eyes of today's civil and military officials, Lu Mingfei is even more outrageous than Li Yanxian, who was able to keep reporting great victories under the attack of Wanyan Loushi.
After all, Li Yanxian's existence was only known through intelligence, while Lu Mingfei was someone they had personally witnessed. Before this, there had never been a case of the Song army successfully breaching the Jin formation, especially with fewer troops. They were truly divine soldiers.
With such fighting prowess, extensive connections, and being from the same hometown, Zhao Jiu was determined not to mistreat Xiao Lu. Despite his best efforts and overcoming all opposition, Zhao Jiu managed to get Xiao Lu promoted several ranks, placing him alongside Yue Fei into the core decision-making body of the Song Dynasty. Xiao Lu's title was officially changed from Commander Lu to General Lu.
That night.
"We ordinary people are truly happy today!"
In the Cangyun Army camp, Lu Mingfei, humming a little tune, swayed as he entered the cubicle to prepare for a bath.
His soldiers had prepared hot water in advance, and he skillfully removed his armor and undergarments, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, and comfortably soaked in the hot water.
[Chat Group Channel - Lu Mingfei's Livestream Room]
Russell: "Do you think we should remind him?"
Xiao Yan: "Isn't there still a pair of underwear left? What's the rush?"
Ye Fan: "It would be too late to remind them after they've taken their clothes off. There are minors in our group."
Xiaoyu: "I'm asleep."
Gu Nan: "Tsk, to be honest, Fei Zai's physique is really good."
Klein: "Hey, hey, hey, Sister Nan, stop with the bromance."
Lu Mingfei, who was in the bathtub, seemed to sense something was wrong. He stopped scrubbing and shakily opened the chat group.
Sure enough, he forgot to turn off his live stream. When he looked again, all the group members' avatars were lit up, not one missing, all neatly arranged.
A cry of "Holy shit!" rang out, and Lu Mingfei's expression shifted from smug to horrified. He quickly crossed his arms over his chest, lowered himself so that only his neck and head were exposed, and exclaimed, "Why haven't you left yet?!"
Russell: "It's rare to see Fei-zai display such prowess, so naturally I have to observe him closely."
Zhang Chulan: "Exactly, it's a good thing we didn't leave, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see these pictures of handsome men bathing."
Zhang Chulan: "By the way, turning off the live stream is useless now. I've already taken screenshots and made memes."
Lu Mingfei: "————"
That's what he said, but Lu Mingfei still turned off the live stream. There was no other reason; he was going to start getting dressed.
Lu Mingfei: "@Asule, Asule, do you want to come over and practice it once? It will make it easier for you to dominate the world in the future."
Lu Mingfei is now paying close attention to his little brother Asule.
The dignified Prince of Qingyang, the Grand Master of the Sky Chariot Sect, the bearer of the Bronze Blood, and the master of the Cangyun Ancient Tooth Sword, is actually so frustrated in the storyline.
This is truly unbearable. Even Mingfei couldn't stand it anymore. Training, they must train them hard.
What? You're saying you don't want to fight?
Are you kidding me?!
You are the mighty ruler recognized by both the Sky Chaser and the Moon Goddess, destined to end the chaos!
How can I protect the people I care about if I don't want to fight?
Asule: "Is that alright?"
To be honest, Asule himself was somewhat tempted.
He was, after all, an eagle raised on the grasslands. Although the Lower Tang Kingdom was prosperous, it was bound by too many rules and regulations, which he had long found unbearable.
Having witnessed this fierce yet thrilling battle today, the blood that had been dormant within him had long since begun to boil.
Lu Mingfei: "Of course."
Lu Mingfei: "Everyone is welcome to come and have fun."
silence.
A deep silence.
Those group members who were just moments ago enthusiastically watching him take a shower are now eerily silent, as if they've all gone offline.
Asule: "Strange, why is there no sound? Is the chat group broken?"
Lu Mingfei curled his lips. They all wanted to go when asked, but refused when invited. They were just afraid of the Dao Ancestor. What about the Heavenly Emperor and the Fool? How ridiculous.
After closing the chat group and tying the sash of his undergarment, Lu Mingfei blew out the candle, walked to the bedside in the dark, lifted the quilt, and lay down. The bedding was a bit damp, with the musty smell unique to military camps, but he was already used to it. He casually turned over and prepared to sleep.
Outside the tent, the night wind blew, the flags fluttered in the wind, and in the distance, there were the footsteps of sentries, the occasional neighing of warhorses, and the crackling of campfires. Everything was normal, everything was peaceful.
But the moment he turned around, all the sounds around him disappeared.
After closing the chat group, Lu Mingfei turned around to go to sleep, but the moment he turned around, all the sounds around him disappeared.
Lu Mingfei sat up instantly, his body tense like a bow, every muscle ready to explode at any moment, and his noble and dazzling golden eyes involuntarily ignited, like torches in the darkness.
"Lu Mingze, come out."
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