Chapter 133: The Army at the City Gates
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Yang Zaixing strode at the very front of the formation, broad-bladed saber in hand. Once they entered the imperial road, the Song army’s pace slowed noticeably.
Wanyan Liang was hiding behind a clump of shrubs, his eyes fixed intently on another thicket ahead. He said to Yelu Hong beside him, “Once the Song army comes within range, unleash every arrow we have left. There are too many of them for us to fight head-on. After the arrows are gone, withdraw along the path behind the mountain.”
Wanyan Liang was not foolish. Although they had the advantage of surprise, they had only five thousand men, many of whom were wounded. Even if they fired every arrow they possessed, they could not seriously damage the Song army. He certainly was not stupid enough to charge down and throw his life away in a desperate clash.
He had chosen this place for the ambush for no other reason than to earn himself a little military merit.
Clutching his treasured sword tightly, Wanyan Liang was, in truth, extremely nervous. He had dreamed of commanding a great army for many years, but now that he was truly on a battlefield, the sensation was entirely different from anything he had imagined.
At last, amid Wanyan Liang’s mounting tension, the Song army entered the encirclement.
“Loose!”
With a great shout, Wanyan Liang himself fired the first arrow at Yang Zaixing.
Yang Zaixing had remained vigilant all along. Hearing Wanyan Liang’s roar, he immediately called out, “Prepare yourselves! Enemy attack!”
The Song army had already been prepared before entering the area. At Yang Zaixing’s order, the soldiers instantly raised their shields.
Clang, clang, clang...
The sharp arrows were deflected one after another by the shields. Only a few slipped through and struck the Song soldiers, yet none hit a vital spot.
Wanyan Liang cursed inwardly, then began directing his men to hurl boulders down the mountainside.
“Archers, return fire!” Yang Zaixing ordered.
The Song soldiers began shooting toward the slope. Arrows fired from above traveled downward with ease, but those shot upward from below required tremendous effort. Even when they reached the hillside, they had lost most of their force and inflicted almost no damage on the Jin troops.
There was, of course, one exception: Yang Zaixing.
His bow and arrows were specially made. When he drew the enormous bow, a weapon requiring the strength of eight stone, every arrow he loosed tore through the air with a shrill whistle.
“Ah!”
With every arrow Yang Zaixing fired, a Jin soldier fell dead. Not one shot missed.
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The Jin soldiers were so terrified that none dared raise his head, each fearing that he would be the next target.
Seeing this, Wanyan Liang grew frantic. “All of you, keep throwing the stones! Anyone who dares disobey a military order will answer with his head!”
The Jin troops had no choice but to resume hurling rocks down the slope. Yet, fearful of Yang Zaixing’s deadly arrows, they threw them wildly, with no accuracy whatsoever.
Yang Zaixing gave a cold laugh. He was in no hurry to order his soldiers forward. He could already see that these ambushers were likely the remnants of the army that had retreated from Wuchang City. They were no cause for concern.
He intended to buy time for his deputy general, then use the opportunity to annihilate these remnants completely.
Once the fighting began, Yang Zaixing’s deputy general hurriedly led another five thousand men up the hillside.
“Brothers, follow me and kill!” the deputy general roared, leading the Song soldiers in a charge.
When a commander is prepared to die and his soldiers have no desire to cling to life, an army becomes unstoppable. The Song soldiers charged forward like men possessed, engaging the Jin troops hiding there before long.
Wanyan Liang was furious and was about to lead his men uphill when Yelu Hong seized his arm and stopped him.
“My prince, this is no time to continue tangling with the enemy. If these Song soldiers lock onto us, we may end up being surrounded and crushed.”
As he spoke, Yelu Hong pointed down the slope.
Wanyan Liang turned and looked. Sure enough, the Song soldiers below had begun charging uphill as well. If those troops reached the top, the Jin army would be attacked from both front and rear, and total annihilation would be inevitable.
“My prince, withdraw at once. As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood,” Yelu Hong urged.
Wanyan Liang drew a deep breath before saying bitterly, “Song, in this life I, Wanyan Liang, will surely break through your gates.”
Only after uttering those words did he reluctantly order the Jin troops to retreat.
Yet withdrawing was not easy. The Song army pursued them relentlessly from behind. Fortunately, as natives of the region, the Jin troops knew the terrain extremely well. Even so, they escaped only after suffering more than a thousand casualties.
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Yang Zaixing ordered the pursuit halted.
A dense primeval forest lay ahead. If they continued chasing the enemy, he feared they might fall into another Jin ambush. Their most urgent task now was to reach Shangjing and complete the encirclement of the capital by the three armies.
Yang Zaixing continued leading his army forward. In less than half a day, they finally caught sight of the Jin capital, Shangjing, in the distance.
Yang Zaixing ordered the Song army to establish camp thirty miles outside Shangjing. He then sent messages to Han Shizhong and Wu Xiaodong, informing them that he had reached his assigned position.
Yang Zaixing was truly formidable. Under his command, his Song army had advanced the fastest. Next came the central army personally led by Han Shizhong. Since the Jin had no worthwhile navy, Han Shizhong’s force encountered no obstacles and soon reached its assigned position. He left five thousand elite soldiers aboard the ships to guard them, then led fifteen thousand Song soldiers to the designated location.
Wu Xiaodong arrived last. He had advanced with the greatest caution and consistency, taking one step at a time. Along the way, he had wiped out every Jin force in the east.
The three armies gathered outside Shangjing.
Wanyan Wuqimai’s expression was extremely grim. He had never imagined that the garrisons of Wuchang City and Songjiang City would be so utterly useless. They had not even held out for a full day before being overrun by the Song army. Now, with the capital completely surrounded, Wanyan Wuqimai slammed his fist onto the table.
“You all told me that the Song army was weak! If they are truly so weak, then why could you not hold them off for even a single day? How did they reach our doorstep so quickly?” Wanyan Wuqimai shouted.
The Jin ministers fell silent, terrified. They had no answer. They did not understand why the soldiers of Song now fought like fierce young tigers, fearless of death.
“Your Majesty, the new emperor of Song has ascended the throne and devoted himself to strengthening the realm. He has reformed the military system, and the nation’s power grows stronger by the day. The Song of today is no longer the Song of old,” Wanyan Satan told Wanyan Wuqimai.
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