Tangli Fried Snow

Shen Shibai scoffed, and the two continued to argue about the war, their words flying everywhere.

It wasn't until Jiang Qimo arrived that they listened to their debate for a while.

Shen Shibai was too lazy to argue with him anymore. He told Jiang Qimo about the latest battle report and asked him what he thought.

Jiang Qimo pondered for a moment before saying, "Lord Shen is right. The quality of soldiers is more important than the quantity. The recent war in the Northwest has tied up 60,000 of our troops. Even if we were to send more troops now, we could barely muster a few people, and many of them would be old, weak, or teenagers."

"The enemy is divided into three camps and commanded by three generals. There must be loopholes in their command and cooperation. I can lead a team to destroy their communication channels and then launch a surprise attack. This will definitely be an effective way to defend against the enemy."

Empress Jin's expression finally improved, and she left the three behind to conduct a detailed deployment and plan, studying the details of each aspect of the operation.

Four months later, just after the Dragon Boat Festival, good news came from the Northwest and the front lines.

In the fourteenth year of the Yuankang era, the Western Turks in the northwest annexed Loulan. At that time, the Mongols believed that the Song Dynasty was preoccupied with internal strife and would be too preoccupied to deal with them. So, at the end of April, they invaded the border. Unexpectedly, they encountered fierce resistance in the Hebei region. Their 50,000-strong army was defeated by 30,000 northern defenders. The general leading the army was Jin Cheng, the beloved son of Jin Yan. With his unparalleled bravery, he led an elite force into the enemy camp. Despite being hit by two arrows, he remained courageous and tenacious, killing the Mongol commander with one arrow and taking advantage of the chaos to cut off his head.

Later, the Jin general, despite being wounded, led his troops to kill more than 10,000 enemies and recapture the fertile 300-li river valley region.

Even more ingenious was Jin Yan's detailed plan, which led his son and Jiang Qimo to launch a surprise attack on Meng Hetang from both the front and rear. The two of them had previously emulated the famous Western Han general Huo Qubing, training a fierce and powerful army to strike at Meng Hetang's weak point and achieve a surprising victory.

The battle lasted for more than a month from start to finish.

First, two surprise attacking forces broke through Meng Hetang's army, creating a gap in the middle. Then, General Jin Yan led the retreating enemy troops from both flanks. Next, the troops on both flanks and 60,000 soldiers advanced into the enemy lines from both sides.

Jin Cheng personally led 40,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry to launch an attack on the retreating Central Army, killing the enemy and leaving corpses strewn across the field and rivers of blood, a scene of extreme carnage.

The cavalry on both flanks broke into the enemy camp with overwhelming force, throwing the southern army into chaos. The chaos spread like waves, affecting the entire army.

Meng Hetang knew things were going badly. He beat the drums and sounded the horn, signaling the entire army to advance and fight the enemy. But this turned the tide of battle from the initiative to the defensive. Even if Sun Tzu were resurrected or Bai Qi were to return, they would not be able to reverse the defeat. Meng Hetang and his soldiers fought fiercely for two hours. He was seriously wounded during the battle, and being old, he persevered for seven days before dying with regret.

Military command temporarily fell into the hands of Deputy General Wang Xingjian. Wang Xingjian followed the old general's dying wish and did not put up unnecessary resistance. Instead, he tried his best to preserve the lives of his soldiers and led the defeated army in a retreat.

The ever-victorious general, who had spent his life on the battlefield, died on the battlefield. Jin Yan, deeply moved by his heroic sacrifice, sent people to express his condolences and ordered his personal guards to transport the old general's remains back to his hometown for burial.

Jin Yan led his army deep into the pass, recapturing Angu Pass and shattering Duan Jingyu's dream of attacking the capital by water. General Jin ordered the fortifications to be rebuilt and the military strength of Angu Pass to be reinforced. He also sent his son back to the Northwest and, together with Jiang Qimo, focused on training elite troops and generals.

After autumn, Empress Jin sent a special envoy to read out the Emperor's decree, appointing Jin Yan as the Grand General of the State, and promoting Jiang Qimo and Jin Cheng to the positions of General Xuanwei and General Mingwei respectively. All other generals were promoted one rank, and everyone else was rewarded for their merits. Soldiers received double the pay and rations, and morale soared.

While General Jin was still fighting the enemy at the front, Jin Cheng and Jiang Qimo were recalled to the capital to report on their duties. This battle made the two young generals famous throughout the country and they were known as the two new tiger generals of the Northern Army. Jin Cheng, in particular, whose elite troops roamed the northwestern grasslands with unpredictable movements, became an absolute national hero.