The eleventh year of Jianshuo, the nineteenth of December.
The misalignment of time would create a dramatic scene in the mountains in the southwest.
The battle near Rainwater Creek had begun tentatively since the early morning of this day.
Nearing noon, Xie Lili sent a large number of troops into the battlefield and began to attack the front of the battlefield. This action was to cover his intention of leading his bodyguards to attack the Eagle Beak Cliff.
Half past noon, the road from Yu Yu Creek to Huang Tou Cliff was cut off by Chen Tian. The whistling arrow sent the message back to Yu Yu Creek. Qu Zhengyan ordered the elite troops to attack the entire Yu Yu Creek from all the forks and launched a counterattack.
The Eagle Beak Cliff was blown up and the battle between Xie Lili and Mao Yishan reached its climax in an instant.
Past noon, the Jurchen frontline general Yu Yu led the highly mobile scouts to launch a counterattack in the direction of the mountain road cut off by Chen Tian. The troops stationed at Huang Tou Cliff cooperated with them.
Yu Yu was a skinny man who started his career as a scout. He traversed mountains and ridges as if he was walking on flat ground. His iron arms and fingers could break rocks. Da Lai was of medium build but strong. He had killed countless people on the battlefield and looked like a huge wild boar. The two Jurchen generals looked at the rugged mountain road and their hearts sank.
The scouts who sent the message to the rear were still running on the muddy and slippery road. There was still a distance of nearly 30 miles between them and Wanyan Zonghan, the commander-in-chief of Shili Ji.
As the winter rain continued to fall, the Shili Market was still bustling with noise and excitement. The originally small transit market was now occupied by layers upon layers of military camps. Even though it was raining, the transfer of all kinds of resources and the deployment of various armies continued. Troops waiting to depart blocked the entrance of the camps. The generals and soldiers who were waiting impatiently shouted continuously in the clear sky, and in the rain, all kinds of roars and curses could be heard. If it weren't for Han Qixian and the others suppressing the situation, there would have been signs of a fight.
This situation had been going on for more than two months.
Zonghan felt comfortable with such a situation but also frowned. What worried him was not only the stalemate at the frontline and the terrible road conditions, but also the pressure from the rear. On the 19th day, when the frontline battle started, he received a letter from Supreme Jin Wu Qimai.
Wu Qimai had been paralyzed from a stroke for more than a year. The southern expedition of the Female Zhenren was originally the last rational choice of the Eastern and Western imperial courts to guide the troops while a group of old ministers were still around. However, Zong Fu and Zong Wang's goal was to fight for merit, while Zong Han and Xi Yin hoped to use this expedition to get rid of the Jin Kingdom's last threat — the Hua Xia army in the southwest.
Wu Qi was already in a critical situation when he collapsed this time. Half of his body was paralyzed, and he was only conscious occasionally. He had dragged on for more than a year, and now his physical condition was very bad. In October, when they were preparing for the war, Zong Han wrote a letter to the Jin Kingdom. Wu Qimai, who was in the palace, asked someone beside him to write a reply to Zong Han. In the letter, he recalled their military experiences and hoped that Zong Han and Xi Yin could stabilize the situation in the world within half a year, because the situation in the Jin Kingdom still needed them to come back and guard.
Over the years, Wu Qimai's personality had been tough with a hint of gentleness. His willpower was extremely strong. The reason he suggested half a year was probably because he realized that even if he forcefully extended his life, he only had so much time left.
The memories of the past in the letter made people sigh. Even Wanyan Zong Han, who had half a head of white hair, could not help but feel emotional. The differences between the Jurchen and Eastern imperial courts and the younger generation's struggle for power did exist. Since October, Zong Fu and Zong Bi, who were on the eastern battlefield, had already arranged for the army to escort more than 100,000 slaves back to the north. In November, another 100,000 people were driven back.
At that time, it was already snowing in Jiangnan. Who knew how many of these Han slaves who were treated like livestock to the north would successfully reach the Jin Kingdom.
Zong Han and Xi Yin, of course, understood that Zong Fu and Zong Bi's actions were to take advantage of the fact that the Western Route army was delayed in the southwest to bring back the spoils of war, appease the other parties, and reward them according to their contributions.
The actions of the two younger generation made Zong Han feel disdain. Xi Yin suggested some countermeasures, but Zong Han just let her do it and did not want to interfere. As long as the southwest was conquered, everything else would be settled. If the war in the southwest is not favorable, we have nothing to say when we return. I only want to focus on the war in the southwest, and the rest of the small matters can be decided by the Goddess of Grains.
As such, he wrote to Xi Yin. As for Xi Yin's suggestion for him to write a letter to appease the elders in the country, he was unwilling to participate in it. When he received Wu Qi's reply, Zong Han's heart was filled with lofty sentiments. He and Ah Gu had spent their entire lives fighting and establishing the Jin Kingdom. Even though he was in his twilight years, he did not care about the thoughts of a few youngsters.
He walked out of the tent and patrolled the camp until it was dusk and the rain gradually stopped. The changes in the frontline situation had only just crossed the distance of 30 miles and reached the Ten Mile Gathering.
At this time, at the Yu Yu River, more than 40 miles away, blood was pooling in the pool, and the hills were covered with corpses.
After two months of fierce battle at the Yu Yu River, this was the first time the Hua Xia army launched an all-out counterattack. The fourth division led by Qu Zhengyan and the fifth division led by Yu Zhongdao had a total of more than 14,000 men participating in this battle.
When the elites of the Hua Xia army under Qu Zhengyan's command rushed out from the various mountain paths, the forces of the Han army across the battlefield were the first to be crushed by this sudden counterattack. A portion of the Jin army, consisting of Jurzhenren, Bohai people and Liaodong people, held on for a while in the midst of the chaotic battle. However, as the number of casualties increased to more than 10%, the majority of these troops also showed signs of decline. They were either routed or chose to retreat.
For the current battle, Qu Zhengyan had been secretly observing Xie Lili's attack patterns for the past two months. He had recorded the repeated problems of the various troops in the Yu Yu River during the rotation and had been preparing for a long time. However, the so-called first step in the battle was still to prepare the hard strength of an iron hammer against an iron anvil.
Just this afternoon, the strength of the frontal battle between the two sides, after a fair collision, was officially weighed on a scale.
The first battle was also the most tragic.
In order to cover for Xie Lili's attack at the Eagle Beak Rock, several positions on the battlefield suffered large-scale attacks on this day. The Jurzhenren set up battle formations in the muddy water. At the second position near the Eagle Beak Rock where the attack was the most intense, the defending Hua Xia army even had their line of defense broken and almost lost their position.
As Qu Zhengyan's troops brazenly charged out, the surrendered soldiers of the Han army who participated in the attack were perhaps a little timid. However, the main force of the Jin army, who were already tired of the two months of attacks, only felt that the opportunity had arrived.
Similarly, the troops led by a brave general like Xie Lili were not afraid of a direct battle. In the eyes of the middle-level generals, as long as they could defeat the enemy's attack head-on, the rest of the problems would be solved.
The rain was accompanied by seeping mud. The terrain around Yu Yu River was complex. In the initial attack of Qu Zhengyan's troops, the Jin army welcomed them with open arms. On the huge battlefield of a few miles, eight to nine small to medium-sized clashing points were formed. The two sides were either steady or anxious, attacking or defending. In the blink of an eye, the shield wall formed by dozens of people collided with each other.
The clashing of gold and iron produced a heart-shaking muffled sound in the rain between the mountains. The sound of fighting roared to the surrounding mountains. On the front line of the battle, the killing was like a meat grinder, swallowing up the lives of the advancing soldiers. Before the soldiers who rushed forward fell, their companions behind them had already caught up. The people roared, their spittle stained with blood. In the collision, both the Hua Xia army and the Jurchen soldiers were like this.
There was nothing fancy about this kind of weighing. In the past twenty years of dominating the world, the Jurchen had almost always won in such a collision.
But this time, the formation of the Jurchen was retreating.
In such a collision, the power displayed at the first moment was fierce and surging, but the changes that followed were especially fast and obvious in the eyes of many. The front line moved back slightly. Some of the middle-level generals who had the most experience among the Jurchen, who had killed countless people, led their personal guards to attack. Their collision boosted the morale of the soldiers, but not long after, these generals and their veterans were also swallowed up in the front line of meat grinder.
During the period of time between the confrontation and the collapse of one side, people's hearts were filled with either fear or excitement. Many thoughts didn't even come to a conclusion in their minds. The Jurchen generals personally threw themselves into the battle according to the predetermined procedure, because this was the best choice they had made in the previous head-on battles. When they were swallowed up, the trembling of the front line turned into an avalanche, but this change didn't leave much of a trace in people's hearts. Afterward, the survivors could only turn around and flee along with the running soldiers.
The battlefield was like this. An individual's ability often couldn't influence the development of the battle. People were forced to do what they had to do, and the passive could only blindly follow their companions. In this afternoon's confrontation, both sides suffered huge losses. Not long after, the position of the Jurchen side was directly torn apart.
Retreating, fighting, and then rushing to the nearby mountains and valleys like a tide.
After all, the terrain of Rainwater Creek was not wide. The main force of the Jurchen was forcefully pushed away by this fierce attack, and the Han army was completely routed. Although their numbers weren't considered high on the battlefield, many of the mountain paths were narrow, and the large number of routed soldiers still formed a bead curtain. Their routed soldiers blocked the path of the main force of the Jin army, and were then decisively killed by the Jin. In some places, the Jin formed shield walls, not only to defend against possible attacks from the Huaxia army, but also to prevent the Han army from escaping.
This intense battlefield, which was like an oven, became a nightmare for the weak in the blink of an eye.
Part of the routed Han army was suppressed by the Huaxia army and the Jin army, and some of them, after their path was blocked, chose a relatively open area and knelt down. At this time, the soldiers of the Fifth Division who were originally guarding the position also participated in the all-out attack. Qu Zhengyan led the staff of the General Staff Department and quickly gathered the surrendered Han soldiers in the heavy rain.
"… The path from Rainwater Creek to Yellow Head Cliff has been cut off. The Dalai army won't be able to gain a foothold in Rainwater Creek for ten days to half a month. The Jurchen — including you — have already been split up and defeated by me! Tonight, when the rain stops, I will knock on the Jurchen's main camp! There will be people who are stubborn, and there will be people who will resist stubbornly! We will bury them in Rainwater Creek at all costs! "
"You! As Han people! Raising your sabers against your own people! The Huaxia army will not tolerate such a great crime. In the southwest, you are only fit to be thrown into the mountains to be miners! Some of you will be publicly judged and hacked to pieces! Why? Are you regretting kneeling here? Are you regretting throwing away your sabers so quickly? Our Huaxia army is not afraid of your sabers! Even if it is the most ferocious Jurchen army, today, we will defeat them head-on! If you don't surrender, we will defeat you head-on! But if you put down your sabers, I will give you a chance on the battlefield today! "
"This is your only chance!" Qu Zhengyan roared in the rain, "Some of you can pick up your sabers and return to the Jurchen's camp! Use the heads of the Jurchen to atone for your past sins! As for the rest of you, we will also give you sabers. On the surrounding hills, at this moment, those who are still running away, those who are still resisting, I want you to take them down! If you are a man, fight for your life! "
The staff officers who were doing more detailed work moved through the surrendered soldiers, pulling out some of the leading officers, registering their information, and giving them instructions. Some of the soldiers were once again given back their sabers and spears.
At this time, the battles in the mountains had not stopped. A portion of the Jurchen soldiers were forced into a dead end and were stubbornly resisting. On this side, Qu Zhengyan's voice rang out, "… We are not afraid of you feigning civility! We are not afraid of you fighting with us again! Today, when the rain stops, our cannons will destroy the Rainwater Creek camp! At that time, we will settle today's debt with you! There is no other way out! Pick up your sabers and be an upright Han! To be an upright man! Otherwise, you will all die here for me — — "
A quarter to an hour later, the first group of Han soldiers in the woods near Rainwater Creek was instigated to join the counterattack against the Jurchen soldiers. Because the Jurchen army had chosen to attack first, most of the fighting troops had not yet set foot on the road back to camp.
— — Due to the terrain of Rainwater Creek, the Jurchen camp on this side wasn't placed in front of the city like Huang Ming County. Because they could attack from several directions at the same time, the Jurchen camp was placed halfway up a small mountain more than three li away. Behind them, they guarded the road leading to Huang Tou Cliff.
In this mountain forest, which was less than four miles away in a straight line, the actual terrain was complex and ever-changing. The Chinese army had already calculated the battle steps and selected several key points. For example, the First Regiment of the Second Brigade of the Fourth Division, which had the heaviest burden, was led by Commander Shen Changye. After easily cutting through the obstruction of two smuggled troops, they directly killed their way into the most crucial valley where the Jurchen soldiers were retreating.
The valley, which usually only existed quietly in the mountains, had no name. Shen Zhangye's regiment of a thousand soldiers set up a defensive line in the rain. When he killed his way in, the Female Zhenren on the battlefield had not carefully considered the idea of retreating. But not long after this afternoon, Shen Zhangye's troops had encountered as many as eleven repeated attacks in this valley like a tide.
Corpses piled up into a small hill in the valley, and sticky blood dyed the water under their feet red. After this day, the valley was named "Victory Gorge".
The First Regiment of the Second Brigade under Qu Zhengyan's command also became the unit with the most casualties on the battlefield. Nearly fifty percent of the soldiers would forever sleep in this bright red valley.
By the time it was between three and five o 'clock in the afternoon, the rain had gradually stopped, and the sounds of stubborn resistance in the mountains gradually became softer. At this time, the news of Du Lili's death had spread throughout the entire Yu Yu River. The road from the main camp to Huang Tou Crag had been destroyed, which meant that it was difficult for the Dalai reinforcements from the rear to arrive. The two main roads from the battlefield back to the military camp were repeatedly fought over by the Huaxia army and the Jurchen soldiers. Some people fled through the small roads back to the main camp, while many troops were forced into a corner. Some strong Jurchen troops set up a defensive formation, while a large number of surviving troops chose to surrender.
Including the main force of the Jin army and the Han army, nearly eight thousand Jin soldiers were directly killed or injured in this battle. In addition, about fifteen thousand people were captured on the spot, disarmed and escorted to the rear.
The Huaxia army also suffered a lot of losses, but as the rain gradually stopped, Qu Zhengyan ordered his men to drag the last usable cannons into the mountains. Some of them would be used to deal with the stubborn Jurchen elites, while others would be dragged to the Jurchen camp.
Pack horses used to carry heavy loads dragged dry firewood through the bloody battlefield. When they arrived at the periphery of the Jurchen camp, Qu Zhengyan ordered the soldiers to light piles of bonfires upwind. After the bonfires were set up, wet firewood was added, and wisps of black smoke climbed along the hillside in the direction of the Jurchen camp.
The Jurchen camp had not been attacked for two months after it was set up. Many of its structures were still in good condition, such as the wooden walls and canopies where cannon fire was piled up. But Qu Zhengyan was not afraid. When the battle at Yu Yu River was at its most intense, some of the "defeated" soldiers had already "retreated" to the camp. As the black smoke lingered, the horses carrying the bags of explosives also came one after another.
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