Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 214: Thunderous Defeating the Enemy's Vanguard

Hui Te Mile was not a fool. He ran back and forth along the first trench to observe the battle. After two circles, he saw Wang Shilong's four hundred long-axe armored soldiers, the fleeing soldiers, and the light cavalry in chaos between the first and second trenches, and it seemed that they could not withdraw for a while.

After secretly calculating the time it would take for the long-axe soldiers to engage in battle between the first and second trenches, Huitemiler immediately felt something was wrong and quickly gave orders.

"Pass on my military orders. Have Piduli run away with his banner. Fighting light cavalry against axemen in this terrain is courting death."

"Alibu, you lead five Mouke infantrymen forward to support the retreat of the light cavalry."

"Aliban, lead an armored cavalryman westward. Do not cross the trench. If loyal bandits come to support you, harass them with heavy arrows. Go quickly!"

"Have Zhuo Tuoan lead all the cavalry to come to our aid and join the battle immediately!"

After that, Huitemiler led the last armored cavalry Mouke eastward and faced Wang Shilong's four hundred long-axe armored soldiers across a trench.

While galloping, the Jin army cavalry drew their bows and shot arrows into the formation of the loyal army soldiers.

There was no way around it. The heavy armor-piercing arrows commonly used by the Jurchens were difficult to throw from a long distance. To penetrate armor, one often had to get within ten steps and then use the speed of a warhorse to shoot the arrow.

It is similar to the five-step face-shooting method of the Qing Dynasty in later generations.

But at this time, the Jin army did not dare to approach the trench. The light cavalry was already in danger, and if the armored cavalry fell into it, things would be troublesome.

The reaction of the loyal army soldiers was no reaction.

Some unlucky guys were shot by arrows falling from the sky and hit the gaps in their armor, suffering some injuries, but the vast majority of the soldiers did not even look at the Jin army's armored cavalry, allowing arrows to pierce their shoulder pads and skirts, and closely followed the big flag with the word "king" on it, heading towards the delayed Jin army's light cavalry.

At this moment, the Qian army had run far away and opened the camp gate. Another round of drums and cheers came from the loyal army camp. The next moment, several wooden fences in front fell down, and armored soldiers holding long spears swarmed out under the command of a large Luo-shaped flag, and rushed straight towards the hundreds of light cavalry.

Under attack from both sides, the commander of the 300 light cavalry, the marching marshal named Piduli, almost cried.

He originally had only three Mouke's light cavalry, which were now scattered between the second and third trenches. The Loyal Army dispatched a thousand soldiers to fight him, and they really treated him as a dish.

Originally, Pi Duli had thought that with over a thousand soldiers guarding the front to cushion the blows, the light cavalry would be safe. But who could have imagined that the soldiers could run so fast? Who could have imagined that the loyal soldiers who had just shot arrows at the soldiers would immediately turn their spears around and point them at the light cavalry?

This is too confusing!
However, before Pidulili could come up with any countermeasures on the chaotic battlefield, the banner with the character "王" on it was already within sight.

"They're just thin-skinned dumplings. Take it easy, just chop the people, don't hurt the horses! I'm almost vomiting from all the horse meat I've been eating these past few days!"

Wang Shilong shouted loudly, not caring how many people heard his complaints. Together with more than 30 personal guards around him, he swung his axes and attacked the Jin army's light cavalry.

The crowded Jin army's light cavalry fell down in unison like wheat under a sickle, without any ability to fight back.

There's no way, the light cavalry wasn't designed for this.

It is the job of armored cavalry and soldiers to deploy large formations to meet powerful enemies. How can light cavalry be allowed to participate in close combat and cause trouble?

The light cavalry in front of the camp were in an even worse situation. Although Luo Shenyan's spearmen moved slower, they were closer, so even though they joined the battle later, they started fighting with the Jin army's light cavalry at almost the same time as the longaxe soldiers.

And don't forget that the light cavalry here are still suffering from the attacks of the divine arm crossbow.

At this point, even the most foolish Jin army knew that things were not going well.

But under the threat of being killed, they gathered around their respective leaders and began to resist hard. Many light cavalrymen who only had a bow, two pots of arrows and a waist knife simply dismounted, used their horses as cover and their saddles as shields, and engaged in a bloody battle with the loyal army soldiers.

It’s really not that Pi Duli and other marching men don’t want to run, but because they are now surrounded by war horses and cannot run at all.

Seeing the light cavalry being surrounded and killed, it was not known whether Ali was out of anger or because he felt that the five infantrymen under his command could not bear to see their comrades die, so he actually drove straight into the battlefield along those filled roads.

This made the situation even more lively. The light cavalry, which had some chance of escape, were completely blocked. After the Jin army's infantry joined the battle, Shi Qilang's troops in the camp also began to line up, ready to join the battle.

In this situation, Hui Te Mile could only ask for help from behind, while hesitating whether to send in the two armored cavalrymen under his command to hold back the thousand loyal soldiers.

If this were done, the Sixth Meng'an would surely suffer heavy casualties. However, if Cheng could take advantage of the time when the Loyal Army opened the camp gate and went out to fight, he could defeat the enemy in one fell swoop and force the defeated army into the camp. Wouldn't the situation be settled?

Liu Huai was also a little hesitant when he saw this scene.

The thousand-man attacking team in front of them was obviously out of touch with the main force behind them.

The reason is self-evident, because in the original design of the Wuxing Army, this first battle should have been to use the Qian army to wear down the morale, strength and defensive fortifications of the Zhongyi Army. No one expected that Hui Te Mile would directly attack the regular army.

Whether or not to have a decisive battle in the first place, Zhuo Tuo An would have no say in the matter after Hui Te Mi Le came back. He would definitely ask for instructions from the general Meng Tian to protect the country.

This back and forth time gave the Loyal Army the opportunity to seize Meng An's opportunity.

Just as Liu Huai walked down from the watchtower, mounted his warhorse, and was about to personally lead the armored cavalry out of the camp along the western passage to capture the Sixth Meng'an of the Wuxing Army, a deafening gong sound came from the north.

The Jin army's light cavalry and infantry, still engaged in battle with the Loyal Army, were momentarily disoriented and looked back, only to see Hui Te Mi Le, also stunned for a moment, then fiercely striking the gong himself. The flag bearer raised the Meng'an flag and waved it violently.

After receiving the signal to retreat, the infantry in the rear row retreated under the cover of the armored cavalry.

The light cavalry and infantry engaged in battle with the loyalist army had nowhere to retreat. Those who tried to turn and flee were hacked to pieces by long axes and stabbed by long spears, dying an undignified death.

Liu Huai rode his horse to the hill in the camp and looked at the scene with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, the Zhongjun and Youjun armies of the Loyalty Army had not yet arrived, and Liu Huai did not want to fight a decisive battle today. However, the more this happened, the more resolute he had to be. Therefore, Liu Huai was indeed relieved when the Jin army withdrew.

On the other hand, the Jin army's regular troops were indeed extraordinary. Not only were the senior officers still wise and courageous, but even the ordinary soldiers could fight bravely under disadvantages. They were arguably the strongest enemy the Loyal Army had ever encountered since its Northern Expedition.

This battle still has to be fought!
(End of this chapter)