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

“But we have thousands of elite cavalry, and even if we travel by horse, we are very easy to be spotted.”

Yue Fei pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's go openly and honestly."

"Take your men to the front and shout that the Jin army's rear cities have fallen."

"I led my men to disguise themselves as defeated soldiers, intimidated the grassland cavalry, and sped towards the grain depot."

Han Chang nodded and said, "We can give it a try."

Han Chang immediately led his cavalrymen who could speak Khitan and advanced slowly southward, with Yue Fei leading more than a thousand elite cavalrymen in pursuit.

They were discovered after traveling about three miles.

A herdsman on horseback galloped up and demanded, "Which tribe are you from?"

"Who ordered you to come here on guard duty?"

Han Chang feigned extreme exhaustion and replied, "Jinyuan County and Huihe County have both fallen!"

"Li Bao, the commander of the Southern Bandits, launched a surprise attack from Jianzhou, catching us completely off guard."

"I fled from Huihe County. I was so exhausted from the long run that my warhorse was almost dead."

"I still have over a thousand riders behind me, all of them defeated soldiers gathered from the two cities."

The herdsman cavalryman was greatly surprised and, instead of asking any more questions, rushed back to inform his companions.

Immediately afterwards, the cavalry patrol team that was responsible for patrolling and keeping watch did not go south to inform Wanyan Mouyan.

Instead, they sped westward toward the Jin army camp that was besieging Dading Prefecture.

Han Chang was stunned, not understanding what was going on.

He rode back and told Yue Fei, who clapped his hands and laughed: "It seems that these cavalrymen from the grasslands are not very loyal to the Jurchens either."

"Upon hearing that two cities in the rear had fallen, they went to reunite with their people without confirming the facts."

"Clearly, they anticipated the inevitable defeat of the Jin Dynasty and planned to flee back to the grasslands ahead of time."

Han Chang immediately realized what was happening and nodded, saying, "That's for sure."

"The Jin army failed to capture Dading Prefecture, and it seems their attack on General Li Yanxian will also be unsuccessful."

"After suffering repeated setbacks, how could these grassland herders not think more deeply?"

"The fact that they did not flee beforehand shows that they were extremely loyal to the Jin Dynasty."

"Now that we've heard the rear has fallen, who would want to stay here?"

Yue Fei instructed, "Send a few of your men to disguise themselves as steppe cavalry and go to Dading Prefecture to deliver the message."

"Tell them that the enemy's morale is low, and have Wang Yan lead his troops out of the city to attack the grassland cavalry besieging Dading Prefecture."

"They will surely be routed in one blow! After the victory, do not pursue them, but instead march towards the Jin army's supply depot to help us burn the supplies and retreat."

"If an opportunity arises, Wang Yan and I will engage the Jin soldiers in battle in the open!"

"Yes!"

"Wait. Bring my trump card too, just in case Wang Yan doesn't believe me."

Meanwhile, the cavalry from the grasslands headed west.

They encountered light cavalry patrols along the way. Regardless of which tribe they came from, they hurriedly reported that the city behind them had fallen and that the troops here had become isolated and deep in enemy territory.

Without any verification, everyone actually believed it!

Chapter 3457 The Rear Area Falls

These herders from the grasslands, though far from the Ming Dynasty's territory, had heard of the Ming army's prowess in battle.

Even if I hadn't heard of it, I witnessed it a few days ago.

Artillery can fire that far, and deafening bombs can explode; how can a mortal possibly win?

Since the rear has fallen, there is no need to continue fighting for the Jin Dynasty.

Everyone should hurry back to the grasslands and try to live their own lives. If the Ming army comes, then they can surrender.

More and more steppe cavalrymen fled back to their camps east of Dading Prefecture.

Although the commander there was a Jurchen general, he had no control over the situation at all.

In the blink of an eye, the news spread throughout the entire camp, and the leaders of various tribes on the grasslands all ordered their people to prepare to flee.

When Han Chang's light cavalry passed near the enemy camp, surprisingly no one came to their aid.

Because the various tribes of the grasslands have begun to flee one after another, and a few have even headed to Dading Prefecture, intending to defect directly to the Ming army in the city.

A cavalry force of over two hundred men galloped up from the grasslands and immediately asked, "Are you also going to surrender to the Ming Dynasty?"

The light cavalry sent to the city to deliver the message was led by Han Su, a cousin of Han Chang.

He asked in fluent Khitan, "Are you also?"

The leader asked, "Can you speak Chinese?"

The cavalry from various steppe tribes fled rather than surrendering in the prefectural city, presumably because they couldn't speak Chinese...

If everyone could speak Mandarin, there would probably be even more tribes defecting.

Han Su thought for a moment and then simply revealed his identity: "I am a cavalry officer of the Ming Dynasty."

“If you want to achieve something, go and call more tribes and bring them to wait by the nearby Tu River.”

The leader was shocked: "Where did you come from?"

Han Su said, "We followed Lord Li and breached the rear city of the Jin Kingdom. Tonight we will attack the Jin army camp."

"Not only are there Ming cavalry here, but they are also present in the south, north, and east, and they have already surrounded the Jin troops far away!"

"Go quickly and invite the cavalry from all the units, and they will join in the attack shortly."

"If we win this battle, all participating tribes will be rewarded with grain and cloth."

Is this place already surrounded on all sides?

The leader was skeptical, but the sudden appearance of the Ming army forced him to believe it.

After hesitating for only two or three seconds, he said, "Please wait for me, General, I will go and fetch someone right away!"

Things are getting more and more outrageous.

Perhaps intimidated by firearms, the various tribes from the grasslands believed that the Ming army could not be defeated.

They were already like frightened birds, and originally planned to scatter and flee.

Now some people went back and spread the word that Ming troops were lying in ambush on all sides. As panic spread rapidly, everyone agreed to surrender to the Ming with that leader.

Moreover, one must also voluntarily offer a pledge of allegiance!

The Jurchen general who stayed behind to guard the camp was leading his troops to pacify the various tribes when they were suddenly besieged by several tribes.

The tribal leaders sent people to coordinate with each other, and the steppe cavalry who had not yet fled rushed to besiege the Jurchen soldiers who remained behind.

Although these guys were severely lacking in armor and weapons, their sheer numbers were enough to defeat an elephant, and they managed to drive the Jurchen troops into retreat and break through the encirclement.

The record is just a bit bad.

Three or four thousand steppe cavalry surrounded two hundred Jurchen elite cavalry, yet over a hundred of them managed to break through...

If it were daytime, it would be hard to say who would win or lose.

Han Su blew his horn as he rushed toward the city, quickly alerting the city's garrison.

Chapter 3458 Don't Fire Arrows

Wang Yan was sleeping inside the city wall at that moment. He quickly walked to the parapet, carefully observed the situation, and then ordered, "Don't fire arrows, let them come over."

Han Su arrived at the city gate: "We were sent by General Yue Fei, and we have his military token as proof."

"General Wang, please mobilize your troops immediately."

"Many of the steppe cavalry besieging the city have already fled in panic, and some still intend to surrender to the Ming Dynasty."

While ordering the entire army to assemble, Wang Yan had someone hoist Han Su up in a basket.

After confirming that the cards were correct, Wang Yan inquired about the details.

He then dispatched all the cavalry in the city, led by Han Su, while he led the infantry to follow.

As for Dading Prefecture, only two thousand men were left to defend it.

Han Su led the city's cavalry to the riverbank, only to find that there were already several thousand riders there.

what's the situation?

The tribal chief rushed over, beaming with pride, and said, "The Jurchen soldiers left here have been routed by us."

Han Su felt like he was dreaming. He had just had a sudden inspiration to bring over more surrendered soldiers.

What's with sending thousands of cavalry directly?

These steppe cavalrymen had very few suits of armor, making them extremely ineffective in battle.

But it's fine to take it to set fire to the grain!

Han Su said, "You should return to camp quickly and bring plenty of torches."

"Also, put out the torches you're carrying, lest they burn out by the time you get there."

Meanwhile, Yue Fei sent Han Chang ahead, spreading false information whenever they encountered enemy scouts.

Many enemy cavalry fled westward, while others fled southward.

Before Yue Fei even got close to the Jin army's granary, chaos had already broken out there.

Wanyan Hezhu hurriedly ran to report: "A light cavalryman has returned with news that two cities behind our army have been lost."

“The people of the various tribes on the grasslands are in turmoil, and some have already fled. I have dispatched brave warriors to intercept and suppress them.”

"How could that place have fallen?"

“Even if Li Bao withdrew his troops from Xingzhong Prefecture, he couldn’t catch up even if he rushed at full speed,” Wanyan Mouyan said.

Wanyan Hezhu said, "It must be Ming cavalry disguised as herdsmen spreading rumors at night."

Wanyan Mouyan said speechlessly, "They actually believed such an outrageous rumor?"

Wanyan Hezhu said dejectedly, "I believed it all!"

Wanyan Mouyan: "..."

The two discussed it for a while, but couldn't come up with a solution.

They could only guard the supplies while sending people to intercept and dispel rumors, in order to prevent more grassland cavalry from fleeing in panic.

Yue Fei led over a thousand elite cavalrymen, but their march was not fast.

He knew the Jin soldiers would definitely be on guard and wouldn't be able to launch a sneak attack.

We might as well ride slowly at a leisurely pace, wait for the situation to change, and then decide how to fight.

Soon, hundreds of cavalrymen appeared in the south, all of them grain-guarding troops who planned to escape back to the grasslands.

"Go and persuade them to surrender!" Yue Fei ordered.

Han Chang immediately rushed out, but instead of directly persuading them to surrender, he first confirmed their identities: "Which tribe are you from?"

Before the other party could answer, they anxiously asked, "Has the Ming army attacked from the north?"

Han Chang burst into laughter: "The Ming army is here."

"If you defect and surrender, not only will your sins be forgiven, but you will also be rewarded for your merits!"

Upon hearing Han Chang's laughter, Yue Fei led his troops forward more than ten steps.

As they drew closer, the steppe cavalry finally got a clear look at their equipment.

They're all elite cavalry!

It seems the previous rumors were not true; the Ming army has indeed arrived.

The leader quickly dismounted and led his men to kneel and surrender.