Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Wanyan Talan immediately gave the order, and horns sounded and flags were waved.

A cavalry general immediately slowed down and led his soldiers to meet the pursuers.

This man was a slave that Wanyan Talan rescued in his early days. He was kept by Wanyan Talan's side as a personal guard for several years before being promoted to general five years ago.

Gao Jianu was extremely loyal; Wanyan Talan was his god, and he would do whatever he was asked to do.

Even if it's to their deaths!

Yan Ping waved his arm to the left, and the flag bearers behind him followed suit, waving their flags.

The Ming cavalry on the left wing immediately turned around and circled around to the flank of the rearguard Jin troops.

Xiao Baoxian, the Xi general who led the rebellion, led a group of Xi cavalrymen and cut along the riverbank to the other side of the Jin army that was covering their rear.

Arrows were fired from three directions simultaneously, and the rearguard Jin soldiers fell one after another.

Immediately afterwards, they charged from three directions simultaneously. A few Jin soldiers continued to advance, but most of them turned and fled the battlefield.

Not everyone is willing to die!

After pursuing them for several miles, the Jurchen cavalry responsible for covering the rear were completely annihilated by the Ming cavalry and the Xi cavalry.

As for the Jurchen cavalry general Gao Jianu, he died during the charge.

With six arrows lodged in his body, he was then stabbed twice by Ming cavalry who charged at him, and finally fell from his horse and was trampled to death.

Wanyan Talan led his troops along the stream, traveling more than ten miles to reach the valley.

On the opposite bank of the river were Ming cavalry led by Li Shifu, and the two sides kept shooting arrows at each other across the river.

"Make a name for yourself! Follow me to make a name for yourself and kill the enemy!"

The Xi general Xiao Baoxian shouted and led his Xi cavalry in a full-speed charge to pursue and kill them.

They had been bullied so badly by the Jurchens that they now wanted to both make a name for themselves in the Ming Dynasty and avenge their long-standing blood feud.

The Xi people have gone mad and show no compassion for their warhorses.

That kind of forced acceleration and sprinting will ruin the horse by the end of the battle.

"kill!"

Xiao Baoxian had caught up with the Jurchen cavalry and charged forward without regard for anything else.

The Jurchen cavalrymen occasionally turned back to fire arrows, and although they managed to shoot down a few Xi people, they were also fiercely pursued and charged in.

After personally defeating several enemies, Xiao Baoxian's horse gradually slowed down.

As Li Shifu rode his horse, he shot an arrow toward Wanyan Xiyin on the opposite bank.

It missed the man, but struck the horse's hind leg.

Wanyan Xiyin was already over fifty years old and had served as a civil official for several years. His horsemanship was inevitably rusty, and his physical strength was not what it used to be.

The warhorse jumped in pain and accelerated instantly. Wanyan Xiyin's legs could not grip the horse's belly, and he was immediately lifted off the saddle with his buttocks high.

When it landed again, it was slightly off-center, and as its body swayed, it instinctively gripped the reins tightly.

What happens if a horse is running at high speed and the reins are suddenly pulled hard?

There is a possibility of sudden braking.

It might even make the horse run faster!

Chapter 3435 Internal Strife!

Wanyan Xiyin's warhorse went out of control. It had already been shot by an arrow, and the reins were pulled so hard that its head was twisted, causing the horse to struggle against its master.

It sped along the direction the reins were pulling, nearly colliding with its own kind, before finally leaving the flat ground and rushing towards the hillside at the valley entrance.

When the warhorse stopped, it had already carried Wanyan Xiyin to the middle of the hillside.

The area below the mountain is swarming with Ming troops...

"Capture him alive and take him to Kaifeng to be presented to the emperor!" Yan Ping was overjoyed.

Xiao Shunxian had already abandoned his horse and rushed forward, while Wanyan Xiyin hurriedly dismounted and fled up the mountain.

The Xi people dismounted and stopped chasing into the valley. Instead, they followed their commander up the mountain to capture the people.

They all recognized Wanyan Xiyin, one of the Bojilie of the Jin Dynasty, equivalent to the deputy prime minister during the Song-Liao period.

Wanyan Xiyin was getting old and hadn't been very active in recent years, so he was out of breath after climbing the mountain for a while.

He first threw his helmet at the Xi soldiers below the mountain, and then, while climbing the slope, he unfastened his armor belt.

Then, he threw the belt down the mountain as well.

Just as Wanyan Xiyin continued to remove his armor, Xiao Baoxian had already crawled up to a few meters behind him.

Wanyan Xiyin saw a rock nearby and pushed it down with all his might.

The distance was too close; the stone hadn't even gained enough speed to roll before Xiao Baoxian easily dodged it.

Wanyan Xiyin drew his sword again and slashed at Xiao Baoxian's head as he crawled over.

Xiao Baoxian neither dodged nor avoided, since he had a helmet and shoulder armor to protect him, and reached out to grab Wanyan Xiyin's ankle.

With a sudden tug, Wanyan Xiyin fell backward and was pulled in front of Xiao Baoxian.

Then he snatched the waist knife from Wanyan Xiyin's hand and pinned him down.

Xiao Baoxian shouted excitedly, "I captured Bojilie of the Jin Kingdom! The Xi tribe has rendered a great service to the Ming Dynasty!"

Yan Ping and Li Shifu have already chased them into the valley.

Yan Ping followed closely behind the Jurchen cavalry, while Li Shifu stayed on the opposite bank of the river.

About two miles into the valley, the eastern bank where Li Shifu was located became increasingly open, while the western bank where the Jurchen cavalry was located rapidly narrowed.

The Jurchen cavalry were unable to deploy, and those at the rear were forced to slow down.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yan Ping led his troops to catch up and slaughtered the slowed Jurchen cavalry.

The massacre was one-sided; the fleeing Jurchen cavalry didn't even have time to turn around and engage the enemy.

The Ming cavalry had already charged up behind them and were thrusting their spears into their backs.

However, Yan Ping's cavalry was also delayed in the narrow passage, and they had to kill all the enemies in front of them before they could pass.

Li Shifu was still shooting arrows across the river.

Wanyan Talan continued to flee for another four miles, only to find another small river blocking his path.

That is a tributary of the Erdao River east of Jinzhou City.

Not only did the river branch out, but the valley also branched out.

Wanyan Talan turned west and fled into the valley, forcing Li Shifu to dismount and cross the river with his entire army.

After running for about five or six miles, the valley ahead forked again. Wanyan Talan said to his son, "Split up and escape. Who survives depends on luck!"

"Take care, Father!" Wanyan Shengdu called out.

The father and son, each leading a detachment of remnants, fled in different directions.

This time, Yan Ping caught up first. Seeing fresh hoof prints on both sides, he said to one of his personal guards, "You stay here and show General Li the way."

"I'll chase the one on the left, and let General Li chase the one on the right."

"Whoever captures the enemy commander-in-chief depends entirely on luck!"

Yan Ping didn't chase after the one on his right because he was too lazy to dismount and cross the river.

He was lucky, because the left side was the direction Wanyan Talan was trying to escape to—Wanyan Talan didn't want to waste time crossing the river.

They chased each other from afternoon until night, and both sides were exhausted.

Wanyan Talan had only thirty-odd men left, many of whom were Jurchen soldiers or warhorses. They had been shot across the river by Li Shifu's troops and gradually fell behind during their escape.

Wanyan Talan is getting old and is extremely exhausted from all this.

After crossing a riverbank, he selected ten of his personal guards to stay behind and said to the remaining soldiers, "You continue to flee for your lives, I will hold off the enemy!"

The soldiers were extremely grateful and hastened their escape.

Wanyan Talan then told the guards he left behind, "Take the horses into the mountains, and don't make a sound!"

That old man was wicked. He led ten of his personal guards, and with their horses, they climbed up a gentle hillside and hid in a sparse grove of trees.

Yan Ping led his cavalry at breakneck speed, pursuing the fleeing enemy ahead.

After a short rest, Wanyan Talan led his horse over the mountain.

In the pitch black, he had lost his bearings.

Fearing they would encounter Ming troops on their way down the mountain, they decided to spend the night on the mountain.

They would then select a warhorse so exhausted it was foaming at the mouth, tie its mouth, and lead it a short distance away to kill it.

Then, Wanyan Talan, along with his personal guards, drank the horse's blood and cut off pieces of horse meat to eat raw.

After resting for about half an hour, Wanyan Talan, fearing that Yan Ping might glean something from the prisoners, led his cavalry down the mountain from another direction.

On the opposite mountain ridge, Li Shifu was leading his horse back.

Li Shifu's pursuit of Wanyan Shengdu failed. There were many forks in the mountain path, and he lost track of the enemy as he chased.

Because his warhorses were too exhausted, he led his troops back, leading the horses along the way, muttering curses and complaining about his bad luck.

Chapter 3436 I've done a great service!

Wanyan Talan fled completely disoriented, and by the time he finally made it down the mountain, it was already dawn.

Looking at the scenery in the valley, Wanyan Talan felt it looked somewhat familiar. After walking a while longer, he encountered two corpses.

Has this led us all back to square one?

Wanyan Talan turned to look at the rising sun, and after confirming the direction, he shouted, "Quickly mount your horse and head north!"

The Jurchen soldier whose warhorse had been killed and eaten hesitated, unsure of what to say.

In the end, he said nothing and fled on foot in another direction.

Wanyan Talan, accompanied by nine personal guards, rode into a valley.

After galloping for only two miles and rounding a river bend, they saw countless Ming soldiers watering their horses by the river.

Li Shifu was taken aback, then suddenly realized: "Mount up and fight!"

"Retreat immediately!" Wanyan Talan was terrified.

In a panic, Wanyan Talan spurred his horse and galloped away.

They had only gone half a mile when the warhorse stepped on the riverbed pebbles.

The horse stumbled and fell off, along with its rider.

Li Shifu was overjoyed and shouted, "Capture him alive and present him to Your Majesty!"

Wanyan Talan also shouted, "I am willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty."

"If there's any city that hasn't been captured yet, I can help the Ming Emperor persuade the defending troops to surrender!"

Historically, this guy lost in factional struggles and even planned to defect to Zhao Gou and Qin Hui.

Why can't we defect to the Ming Dynasty?

Li Shifu led his troops to surround him: "Tie this scoundrel up! Hahahaha, today I've been granted a title!"

Wanyan Talan knelt obediently on the ground, letting the Ming soldiers bind him, and asked ingratiatingly, "General, what is your surname?"

Li Shifu said, "Your grandfather's surname is Li. Now you're begging for mercy?"

"Too late! You damn bastard, you made me suffer all night, and you almost escaped with your life."

Zhao Yuan has led his main force to Chengzhou, which is the later Haicheng City.

During the Liao Dynasty, Tongzhou was established in the southeastern mountainous region, and Tiezhou was established in the southern mountainous region.

There is copper, iron, and gold.

Continue forward; Liaoyang is 110 li to the northeast.