Chapter 147: Striking Them While They Are Halfway Across

Wu Xiaodong led twenty thousand Song soldiers pouring in through the western gate of Shangjing, seizing the opportunity to capture it. Following the breach, the Jin forces had long since fled in all directions, leaving no trace of the Jurchen people anywhere in the western district. Consequently, once he took the city, Wu Xiaodong marched unimpeded straight toward the Jin imperial palace in Shangjing.

Along the way, displaced refugees fled in panic everywhere. These native Jurchen residents could never have imagined that their capital would be occupied by the Song dynasty. A few bold men even attempted to charge forward and fight the Song troops to the death, only to be ruthlessly suppressed under Wu Xiaodong's orders.

"Death to those who resist!" Wu Xiaodong shouted, ordering the archers to clear the path ahead. Anyone daring to block the way was to be shot dead on the spot without hesitation.

"His Majesty the Emperor has already fled, yet you fools are still blindly charging forward?" someone shouted out. Hearing this, the remaining resistance among the Jurchen commoners instantly collapsed.

"Our army is a righteous royal force. This campaign aims solely to punish the treacherous Wanyan imperial clan. We shall do no harm to ordinary citizens who lay down their arms and surrender obediently." Wu Xiaodong conveyed this message to the common populace in a timely manner.

Shangjing boasted a population of a full million. If a civil uprising were truly triggered, the consequences for the Song army would be unthinkable. Wu Xiaodong's strategy of pacifying the populace indeed played a significant role.

After all, among nomadic peoples, kings were replaced in rotation, and whoever had the stronger fists ruled the entire tribe. Even the Wanyan family had only claimed the imperial throne for a few decades; now that they were overthrown by the Song army, it merely amounted to changing a ruler. As long as the common people were not harmed, they cared little who held power.

Thus, Wu Xiaodong marched unhindered all the way to the Jin imperial palace in Shangjing.

By this time, the Jin imperial palace had descended into complete chaos. Wanyan Wuqimai had fled with his family and dependents, while the remaining palace maids and guards, utterly panicked, were ransacking the palace for valuables as they prepared to make their own escape.

Unfortunately for them, before they could flee, they were caught red-handed by the Song army.

Wu Xiaodong was not a man bloodthirsty by nature; all looted treasures were left behind, but the people were entirely set free.

The Song army quickly and thoroughly occupied the Jin imperial palace.

Meanwhile, Wanyan Wuqimai, having escaped through the northern gate with his retinue of family members, fled northward with extreme caution, terrified of encountering a Song ambush. In truth, Wanyan Wuqimai still commanded a considerable force, but the heavy baggage and numerous dependents hampered them far more, severely weighing down the combat effectiveness of the Jin army.

Not far into their northern march lay the Songhua River. In the distance, Wanyan Wuqimai could already catch a glimpse of the river. Overcome with relief, he burst into hearty laughter and said to the ministers beside him, "The Song generals are truly foolish. If I were the Song commander, I would certainly have laid an ambush right here. That would have dealt a devastating blow to our army."

Just as Wanyan Wuqimai's voice trailed off, the thunder of hooves suddenly echoed from the east. Clouds of dust billowed in the distance as Song cavalry charged fiercely toward them.

Wanyan Wuqimai cursed under his breath at his abysmal luck—whatever he spoke of had instantly materialized. He hurriedly ordered his soldiers to put up a defensive fight while preparing to cross the river.

Had Wanyan Wuqimai ordered a desperate, last-ditch stand, the Jin army, with their backs to the Songhua River and nowhere left to retreat, might have fought with such ferocity as to turn the tables and defeat the oncoming Song forces.

Instead, Wanyan Wuqimai commanded them to retreat while fighting. This instantly threw the Jin ranks into utter disarray. Everyone understood the simple truth: crossing the river meant survival, whereas staying behind meant death at the hands of the Song army. Driven by this psychological pressure, who would possibly wish to remain and resist?

The Jin army fell into complete disorder, with the soldiers having no intent to fight, thinking only of crossing the river as quickly as possible. Yet, the Jin had prepared only a meager number of small boats, while their forces numbered a full fifty thousand, plus dependents. Trying to cross the river with just these small boats was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Wanyan Wuqimai and his high-ranking ministers boarded a boat first, and the remaining soldiers began scrambling frantically to get aboard. The frantic shoving and crowding almost capsized Wanyan Wuqimai's vessel.

Wanyan Sadao drew his sword, struck down one of the Jin soldiers trying to clamber aboard, and roared sternly, "This vessel is the dragon boat carrying His Majesty! How dare you rabble step forward and cause such disorder?"

Wanyan Sadao's roar finally cowed the surrounding soldiers into submission. Those who had previously swarmed forward now scrambled to fight over other boats, while soldiers who could swim simply cast aside their weapons and plunged directly into the river, swimming toward the opposite bank.

The scene among the Jin forces was one of unmitigated chaos.

Under the command of Zhang Jun, ten thousand Song soldiers galloped toward the Jin forces. From afar, a wave of arrows rained down. The Jin soldiers and dependents fighting along the riverbank for a spot on the boats instantly became sitting ducks. The Song soldiers did not even need to aim; they simply notched their arrows and let fly, each shot striking a Jin target.

The threat of death hung heavily over the heads of the Jin army, driving them to plunge frantically into the river, as if entering the water guaranteed a chance at survival.

Out of the tens of thousands of Jin soldiers and their dependents, only a small fraction were actually killed by Song weapons; the vast majority were trampled to death or drowned. The wide expanse of the river was soon choked with corpses.

The Songhua River had effectively transformed into a river of death.

Sitting in his small boat and gazing out at the corpse-filled river, Wanyan Wuqimai's complexion turned hideously pale. Since the rise of the Jurchen cavalry, this battle was undoubtedly the most disastrous defeat they had ever suffered.

"Hahaha!" Wanyan Wuqimai suddenly burst into wild laughter.

Wanyan Sadao, standing close by, was struck with deep worry upon seeing the emperor laugh so abruptly. He genuinely feared that Wanyan Wuqimai had suffered a blow too great to bear and would never recover his spirit.

"Your Majesty..." Wanyan Sadao said anxiously, "Your Majesty need not worry. Once Wanyan Zonghan and the others lead the main army back, we shall repay the humiliation the Song army has inflicted upon us today tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Hearing this, Wanyan Wuqimai waved a hand and said, "Prime Minister, you need not comfort Us. We laugh simply because We are in high spirits. If We were the commander of the Song army, We would certainly have hidden a detachment of troops in ambush along this river, launching a sudden assault halfway through our crossing—striking while the enemy is half across the water. That would have utterly crushed our forces."

"Your Majesty is truly wise. How could a mere Song general possess Your Majesty's grand strategy and insight?" Wanyan Sadao flattered him. Seeing that Wanyan Wuqimai had not broken down from this defeat, Wanyan Sadao finally eased his mind, though he never imagined that Wanyan Wuqimai's words would turn out to be an uncanny prophecy.