Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

The following day, on the city wall of Xiangzhou, Wanyan Zongbi stood amidst the biting frost and snow, his gaze fixed on the distant direction of Yancheng.

The situation in the Great Jin Dynasty took a sharp turn for the worse. In just a few months, the joy of victory brought by the capture of Bianjing was shattered by the heavy iron fist.

A large number of Jin generals who were skilled in battle died in battle, and hundreds of thousands of Jin soldiers perished.

Throughout the Jin Kingdom, there was a chorus of wailing. For three months, funeral processions could be seen everywhere, and the hilltops were covered with cenotaphs.

The old man cried until he went blind, the child lost his father, and the wife lost the pillar of her family.

The tragedy that should have belonged to the Song Dynasty was suddenly played out on the Jurchens.

This weighed heavily on Wanyan Zongbi's mind, much like the oppressive atmosphere of the current standoff, which made him feel suffocated.

Just then, a scout came to report: "Reporting to Prince Wanyan, we have discovered the movements of the Song army."

Wanyan Zongbi wiped the snow off his face and asked in a cold voice, "Is the Song army going to attack the city?"

"No, it seems that the Song army is trying to bypass Xiangzhou Prefecture and is looking for a route elsewhere."

"What? Bypass Xiangzhou Prefecture?"

Upon hearing this news, Wanyan Zongbi was caught in a dilemma.

Did the Song army just give up like that?

The fierce artillery bombardment by the Song army a few days ago still haunts him.

If it weren't for our advance repair of the city walls, Xiangzhou Prefecture would probably have been in dire straits long ago.

Even so, under the overwhelming artillery barrage of the Song army, several thousand defenders of Xiangzhou Prefecture still suffered casualties.

I thought Yue Fei would continue his strong attack on Xiangzhou, but now he's going to bypass Xiangzhou Prefecture?

Is this possible?

Wanyan Zongbi's mind raced, taking into account every possible and impossible factor.

Finally, he thought of one possibility.

"Whose troops were those Song soldiers searching for the route?"

The scout shook his head: "We can't find out for sure, but there are at least ten thousand people, and there seems to be a large flag with the character 'Zhong' (种) standing in the army."

"The Zhong family army, the elite of Zhong Shidao's Western Army. After Zhong Shidao's death, the remnants of the Zhong family army were taken over by Zhong Lue, hmm..."

After pondering for a while, Wanyan Zongbi's pupils suddenly lit up.

"I understand now. This must be Yue Fei's scheme. He is using the pretext of finding a path to lure our army into pursuit, and then launching a counterattack to annihilate our entire army."

Wanyan Zongbi was full of confidence.

"The main force that scouting ahead was Yue Fei's independent brigade, not Zhong Lue's army at all. Zhong Lue's troops are still holding out in Yancheng."

The scout was taken aback, somewhat bewildered.

But he dared not ask, nor dared he speak.

"Tell me, how many troops are left to defend Yancheng?"

"The garrison at Yancheng numbered less than a thousand."

"now it's right!"

Suddenly, Wanyan Zongbi gave an order: "Order the Iron Pagoda army to take advantage of the weak defenses of Yancheng and capture it in one fell swoop."

"Once Yancheng falls and Yue Fei's supply lines are cut off, the battle will be over."

"After Yue Fei's defeat, our Great Jin will have enough time to catch its breath before sending envoys to the State of Chu to sue for peace. In this way, the foundation of our Great Jin will be preserved."

Wanyan Zongbi immediately shook off his gloomy expression of the past few days, and, full of energy, prepared to lead his troops to attack Yancheng...

Inside Yancheng, Yue Fei gazed at the swirling snowflakes, tightened his cotton-padded coat, and exhaled a heavy breath.

"Commander, just as you predicted, the Jurchens have launched a surprise attack on our Yancheng. The commander is none other than Wanyan Zongbi, and the main force he is leading is the Iron Pagoda."

Upon receiving the news, Han Ming rushed over to report.

Yue Fei calmly nodded: "Understood. Have each battalion take their positions. No matter what, we must capture this entire Iron Pagoda in this battle."

"Yes!"

After receiving the order, Han Ming asked in confusion, "Commander, how did you determine that Wanyan Zongbi would not attack Zhong Lue's main force, but would instead head straight for Yancheng?"

"Because cavalry no longer dominates field battles."

Yue Fei shook the snowflakes off his body.

"The widespread availability of military equipment in the Great Chu completely negated the advantage created by the cavalry."

"When almost everyone can shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces, how much deterrent power do you think a cavalry charge will still have?"

Han Ming nodded: "So, they would rather attack Yancheng than engage in open field battles with the Independent Brigade?"

Yue Fei shook his head: "There's one more thing you haven't figured out, which is that Wanyan Zongbi is inherently suspicious. I transferred most of the Independent Brigade to Zhong Lue's command and ordered him to go and scout ahead."

This would lead Wanyan Zongbi to suspect that it was Yue Fei's main force that was exploring the route, while Zhong Lue was the one left behind in Yancheng.

Moreover, Yancheng is currently poorly defended, making an attack on it at this time the only option for Wanyan Zongbi.

Han Ming nodded seriously: "So the captain had foreseen everything."

Yue Fei: "Notify the garrison not to conserve ammunition. Once the Jurchens enter the ambush zone, give them a good beating and try to annihilate this Iron Pagoda that has harmed countless soldiers and civilians of our Great Song Dynasty under the walls of Yancheng."

"Yes!"

Han Ming immediately went to deploy and notify the defending troops to prepare for battle.

Yue Fei looked up at the sky and said, "Let this battle end the last hope of the Jurchens and wipe away the shame of our Great Song army and people!"

……

Clack clack—

The heavy snowfall froze the ground, making it as hard as iron.

A heavy thud of hooves sounded.

Nearly 30,000 of the Jin Dynasty's most elite cavalry, led by Wanyan Zongbi, launched a decisive battle against Yancheng.

"Yue Fei, I have seen through your scheme to lure me into attacking your main force, but you never expected that I would take the initiative to attack your Yancheng."

"Once Yancheng falls, even if your independent brigade has powerful weaponry, it will be useless."

"This battle is the key to our Great Jin's turn of defeat into victory, and I, Wanyan Zongbi, am the hero who will rebuild the Great Jin."

The thunderous hooves of horses and the scorching breath from their snotty noses filled the air.

Eight thousand cavalrymen led the way, followed closely by fully armed infantrymen. Braving the biting wind and the thick frost covering their bodies with goose-feather-like snow, they resolutely pressed forward.

The outline of Yancheng gradually came into Wanyan Zongbi's view.

When he saw the city walls covered with flags bearing the character "Yue," he couldn't help but smile.

"Just as I predicted, the city is definitely empty, so they deliberately set up a diversion to delay my army's advance. Unfortunately, I anticipated your prediction."

Wanyan Zongbi waved his hand and immediately ordered the entire army to speed up their advance and launch an offensive against Yancheng.

Bang~

Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out in the air.

Wanyan Zongbi was instinctively startled.

puff~

But then he saw his personal guard on the left being shot through the helmet and into the temple by a bullet fired from the shadows.

The moment the guards landed, Wanyan Zongbi felt a bad premonition and immediately gave a loud order.

"Retreat quickly! We've fallen into a trap!"

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang——

The next moment, the sound of countless Garand rifles firing rang out from all directions.

Amidst the hail of bullets, the cavalrymen on horseback cried out in agony as they fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, several Maxim heavy machine guns began firing.

Da da da da——

Where the flames passed, the splattered snow was filled with turbulent blood.

In an instant, the Iron Pagoda was thrown into chaos, suffering a devastating blow three miles outside Yancheng.