vstars Chapter 130 Song Soldiers Lacking Fighting Spirit
Chapter 130 Song Soldiers Lacking Fighting Spirit
The vanguard of the Jin army clashed with the Song army in Yanggu County. Because the Jin army came prepared with a large number of siege weapons, Yanggu County was captured in less than half a day. The 30,000 defenders in Yanggu County were routed by the Jin army, and most of the defeated Song soldiers fled towards Nanle County.
Looking at the Song soldiers who looked like stray dogs, Wanyan Ping, who was on horseback, sneered: "I thought the Song army under Han Shizhong was different from the previous ones, but after this battle, I think they are just a bunch of chickens and dogs."
Then he said to a centurion beside him, "Send a team of men to change into Song army uniforms and find a way to infiltrate Nanle County. Then we can take Nanle County from the inside and outside. This time, the Song emperor said that as long as we can help him eliminate Zhao Heng's army, wherever our Jin army goes, that place will be our territory. Hahaha... Gentlemen, your chance to make a name for yourselves has come."
In this way, more than a thousand more people joined the fleeing Song army. These people did not speak along the way, but just followed the lead and ran away.
The magistrate of Nanle County was a civil official who had just been sent from Xuzhou. When he saw countless Song soldiers rushing towards him outside the city, disarmed and exhausted, he hurriedly ordered the soldiers guarding the city gate to open the gate to welcome them.
At this time, there were 10,000 Song soldiers in Nanle City. A battalion commander in charge advised the magistrate of Nanle County: "Magistrate, if we let so many defeated soldiers into the city rashly, there may be enemy spies infiltrating."
The magistrate, who already disliked the battalion commander, said irritably, "What are you afraid of? We still have to question them when they enter the city. I can't just watch so many people wander in the wilderness. Let them come in first, and I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."
Anyone who has been on the battlefield knows that routed soldiers can sometimes be more terrifying than the enemy, because they have lost all will to fight and only have their eyes on escaping. As the city gates of Nanle County opened, the soldiers originally stationed at the gates were unable to conduct any checks, because these routed soldiers, exhausted and thirsty after their long journey, poured directly into Nanle County.
They were like a raging torrent, snatching everything they could see—food and drink. Seeing this, the magistrate of Nanle County anxiously shouted to his officer, "Quickly send men to stop them! What kind of behavior is this!"
Upon seeing this, the battalion commander smiled. Although he harbored some resentment, for the sake of the stability of Nanle County, he still ordered his soldiers to suppress the fleeing soldiers.
Just as the battalion commander stepped off the city wall, a Song soldier guarding the city pointed to a dark line in the distance and shouted, "Jin soldiers! The Jin soldiers are attacking!"
Upon hearing the shouts, the magistrate of Nanle County hurriedly leaned over the city wall, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. Whether out of nervousness or something else, he could only vaguely make out the figures, but he couldn't make out their clothing at all.
"Oh dear, my magistrate, think about it, our entire army has been routed. At this point, any cavalry that remains in organized formation must be the enemy. Quickly order the city gates closed!"
The magistrate of Nanle County shouted, trembling, "Close, close the city gates! Close the city gates immediately!"
The battalion commander who had just gone downstairs heard the commotion and ran up as well. He shouted to the Song soldiers near the city gate, "Quickly close the city gate! The Jin soldiers are attacking!"
After hearing the camp commander's order, a dozen Song soldiers struggled through the fleeing crowd and tried to close the city gate.
Just as the city gate was half closed, the dozen or so Song soldiers were caught off guard and attacked by Jin soldiers disguised as defeated soldiers, and the half-closed city gate was reopened.
This scene was witnessed by the camp commander on the city wall. He drew his long sword and shouted to the Song soldiers beside him, "There are Jurchens among the fleeing soldiers. They are spies. Follow me and kill them all!"
By this time, the Jin cavalry outside the city were still a mile away from the city gate, while inside the gate, Song soldiers and Jin soldiers disguised as fleeing troops were locked in a fierce battle. Countless corpses lay on the ground, indistinguishable between Song and Jin soldiers. Because it was impossible to tell the Jin soldiers among the fleeing troops, many of the real fleeing soldiers also fell in pools of blood.
Seeing that the Jin cavalry was about to reach the city, the magistrate of Nanle County gritted his teeth and ordered the archers on the city wall: "Clear the area around the city gate with arrows. We can't let the Jin army break in. If we can't hold the city gate, we're all doomed!"
Seeing the archers staring at each other, the magistrate got impatient and kicked the Song soldier closest to him.
"Hurry up, do you even want to live?!"
The silent archers' eyes flashed with determination, as if they had made an unwavering resolve. They took a deep breath, their fingers suddenly released, and in an instant, a volley of arrows shot out, piercing the sky like a sudden downpour from dark clouds, mercilessly sweeping across the chaotic battlefield below.
Arrows whistled through the air, their piercing sound carrying an impenetrable barrage over the two armies clashing. In this area shrouded in the shadow of death, each dull thud of an arrow piercing flesh was like a merciless pronouncement of fate. In the chaos of battle, soldiers' figures intertwined, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe; yet, this relentless rain of arrows showed no distinction, ruthlessly reaping lives.
The battalion commander, who had been wounded by an arrow in the arm, looked up and glared fiercely at the Song soldiers beside him. He shouted, "Never mind that for now. Find a way to close the city gates. I will settle accounts with the magistrate after this battle!"
Sometimes ideas are grand, but reality is harsh. This time, the Jin army sent a full thousand soldiers disguised as routed troops. Some of these unsuspecting soldiers, believing the garrison of Nanle County was going to kill them, also joined the battle. In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the Jin cavalry charged into Nanle County. Their warhorses trampled away any Song soldiers who tried to stop them, and the battalion commander himself died under the iron hooves of the Jin cavalry.
Upon seeing this scene, the magistrate of Nanle County collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way: "It's over, Nanle County is finished!"
Like in Yanggu County, the garrison troops guarding Nanle County fled through other city gates. Some ran south, while others fled west towards Neihuang County. Although they knew it was Li Zhen's territory, they were all Song people and shouldn't be left to fend for themselves.
At this moment, a full 30,000 Jin cavalrymen surrounded the entire Nanle County. Wanyan Ping sneered and said to the officers beside him, "Tell the soldiers to enjoy this hunting moment. The Song army here has collapsed. Today we have captured two cities in succession, and tonight we will hold a victory celebration banquet in Nanle County."
The fighting in the city had not yet stopped. After receiving orders from Wanyan Ping, the Jin cavalry pursued the fleeing Song soldiers. The Song soldiers, who had no will to fight, wished they had one less leg and ran desperately across the wilderness.
But they were no match for the warhorses. Most of the Song soldiers were killed by the Jin soldiers. Some clever veterans took advantage of the Jin soldiers chasing others and quietly hid in the woods or ditches, planning to escape at night.