The midday sun began to turn pale and dazzling. The fierce battle near the southern gate of Hanzhong grew more intense by the minute.
From dawn to noon, Wanyan Xiyin's troops launched six waves of large-scale attacks. The first two waves were relatively stable and could be considered a test of the Huaxia army's strength. Knowing that the situation on the battlefield was not right, the next four waves of large-scale attacks came like a thunderstorm. Based on the feeling on the battlefield, the opposing army already had tens of thousands of people participating in the attacks.
There was only a small gap between each wave of attacks. This was the short time it took for a thousand-man unit of the Female Enlightened Being to retreat and for the next thousand-man unit to charge in.
The sounds of explosions and fighting could be heard from afar. Chen Hai crawled up from a pool of blood, his body already swaying. The attack on this position had been repulsed, but the battle on the other positions continued.
Sticky blood dripped from his hair. He wiped it with his hand, the smell of blood filling his nostrils. Corpses were piled up on the ground to the side, some of them the Female Enlightened Being's and some of his comrades'. Third Battalion Commander Chen Kuquan lay there, his stomach slashed open by an enemy blade. His viscera was flowing out, sticky and greasy.
No matter how long they fought on the battlefield, people could not get used to this sticky feeling. Chen Hai wiped his eyes, then wiped them with the clean sleeve of his right hand because his eyes were covered in blood. He squatted down and closed Chen Kuquan's eyes. This was a comrade who had followed him for the longest time. When he had become a squad leader, Chen Kuquan had been one of the soldiers in the squad. Now, not a single one of the soldiers in that squad was in front of him.
The sounds and auras in his ears became real. Figures were running and soldiers were searching for the wounded. Someone ran over to report, "… Second Battalion Commander has died." Second Battalion Commander's name was Chang Feng, a big man with a face full of pimples.
"… Battalion Commander has died. Company Commanders will take his place. Company Commanders have all died. Platoon Commanders will take their place."
Chen Hai said calmly, then walked over to a small mound on the side. "Those who are injured, hurry up and bandage them! Count the number of people in each battalion! Jin Gou will be here soon! Look at your comrades who have left! They died in our place. How can we repay him … "
He had exhausted all his strength. When he shouted the last sentence, his usually calm and indifferent voice even became a rare bit hoarse.
The battlefield was dyed red by the corpses and pools of blood. Most of the people who were still alive were dyed a sticky red. No matter how much experience people had, it was difficult for them to get used to this sticky and greasy feeling. However, some people would vomit because of the pain, and some people would choose to throw such great pain back at the perpetrator.
As a result, the people's bodies gained a bit more power to fight.
In front of the Jurchen army in the east, the thousand-man squad that had been thrown into chaos earlier had already retreated. Wanyan Xiyin gazed forward. He had already seen the entire situation on the opposite side. The Huaxia army only had about 4,000 soldiers, and it had already been five days of fierce fighting, but they had repelled wave after wave of attacks from the Jurchen elites on their side.
The noon sun was so white that it was a little dazzling. Just like this offensive and defensive battle, it was so long that it made him feel a little disgusted. The warriors under her command were already fighting with all their might, but everything that was presented in front of her was just because the defensive line on the opposite side was too tough. Xi Yin could only watch as her superior forces rushed to the front of the enemy's formation, and then retreat again and again in the battle, chaos, and even partial collapse. In fact, the enemy did not have much of an advantage in terms of fortifications.
In fact, the battle in Hanzhong City was also continuing. Some of the Jin army drove the Han people out of the city, and the Huaxia army built barricades with debris on the streets, making it difficult for the crowd to advance. Meanwhile, a small group of Huaxia army rushed through the crowd and into the city, causing a lot of chaos. Most of the soldiers in the city had retreated from the battlefield, and their fighting spirit was weak. Wanyan Xiyin could not think of anything for a moment.
The old man frowned. Although he looked calm, the blood vessels on his forehead still bulged from time to time because of anxiety. About 20 miles to the west, Zong Han was fighting fiercely on the decisive battlefield. Xi Yin had a few options when he first confirmed the news. For example, he could give up the position and let most of the troops detour out of Hanzhong City to support Zong Han, or he could board the fleet and go upstream along the Han River. Of course, this was the most inefficient method. Now that the Han River was in the flood season, the current would be even more rapid after passing Hanzhong. He was afraid that he would not be able to walk as fast as a human, and when he reached the shore, he might even be attacked by the Huaxia army.
These deductions were meaningless, because if his troops could not defeat the 4,000 people on the opposite side in Hanzhong, then many of the following things would become meaningless.
Zong Han was not a child. He did not need to feel that the enemy was in need of help when he learned that they were attacked, especially when 30,000 people were attacked by more than 10,000 people. There were still many scattered soldiers on the battlefield that could be gathered. His troops were the furthest away from the enemy, and there was no need to rush over in a hurry. Zong Han would not make too many mistakes in tactics, because he would fall into the enemy's trap or ambush and suffer a great loss …
He would use a fierce offensive to defeat the Huaxia army and then reinforce the battlefield. This was the most correct way of fighting. It would be best if he could defeat the enemy in two hours, but if that was not possible, then he would use half a day. But half a day had passed. The enemy's tenacity finally made him feel a little anxious.
If the entire Huaxia Seventh Army had this kind of combat strength, what would happen on the Tuanshan battlefield?
"Tula." He waved the flag. "It's your turn. The Huaxia army is already an arrow at the end of its flight … Break through them …"
Tula, a fierce soldier, obeyed the order. Under the noon sun, the beating of the war drums became even more intense.
Zong Han was not a child. He would not make tactical mistakes.
And he had to win here to ensure that the entire battlefield could be won.
He looked at the sunlight.
In another two hours, he would probably be able to defeat them.
"Kill!"
As another round of battle formation charged out, the old man waved his sword and shouted.
Then, the shouts of thousands of Perfected Ones swept across the battlefield like thunder. The continuous addition of new forces brought new morale to the Jurchen soldiers who were still fighting on the battlefield.
Chen Hai raised his long saber and faced the incoming enemies. A soldier was sent out to deliver the message.
"Tell Brigadier Lin that our regiment has no more reserves."
He did not ask for reinforcements because he could guess what the other party's answer would be. Lin Dongshan would probably say, "I don't have any either. You hold the line for me." But he still had to tell Lin Dongshan this information because if everyone on his side died, Lin Dongshan would have to decide what to do.
Not long after, the soldier returned with Lin Dongshan's reply. The battlefield had already fallen into a sea of fighting.
…
The pale sun shone down on the ground. From the west gate of Hanzhong to Tuanshan, skirmishes of various sizes were also taking place.
There weren't many soldiers dispatched here by the Huaxia army, but since the morning, two companies of soldiers had been circling around the western gate of Hanzhong. They were either intercepting and killing the Jurchen scouts who were sending messages or taking advantage of the defeated Jurchen soldiers who were retreating to Hanzhong. They had even launched two rounds of feint attacks on the city gate, hyping up their momentum and causing the soldiers guarding the city to close the gate tightly, not daring to go out.
Soon after midnight, Wanyan Yuchi led over three thousand men and charged out from the west gate, preparing to head for Mt. Tuan. At the same time, he was ambushed by these two troops. Taking advantage of the terrain of the mountain ridge, they launched an attack on the Jurchen troops that were passing through the main road. They even pushed out two iron cannons that they had seized from who knows where to bombard Wanyan Yuchi's troops. Wanyan Yuchi had no choice but to send out his cavalry to repel them. The two companies quickly hid in the forest, putting up a stubborn resistance and stalling for time.
Among Wanyan Yuchi's three thousand men, there were nearly a thousand cavalry. If he wanted to annihilate these two companies of Huaxia soldiers, it would not be a problem. However, he knew the enemy's goal, so he could only use the cavalry to fire fire arrows and set the forest ablaze so that the infantry could quickly pass through.
Six li west of Hanzhong, a small town called Qingyang Post had already been occupied by a battalion of Huaxia soldiers. Around noon, these two hundred soldiers discovered Wanyan Kuchi, who was charging towards them, and began to build fortifications to attack. Wanyan Yuchi also began to attack and fought with the enemy for an hour. However, the enemy's defense was extremely strong. In the end, he decided to leave through a side road and go to Tuanshan first. This was to avoid being delayed by these two hundred people and not being able to reach the battlefield.
Not long after he passed through Qingyang Post, there were people sneaking over from the side of the road. Three Huaxia soldiers were hiding in the grass by the side of the road. When the Jurchen troops passed by, they jumped out and threw three hand grenades. Then, they broke into a run. They crossed a small ditch on the side and jumped into a small river not far away. They swaggered off. This was clearly a strategy that had been planned according to the terrain. The nearby cavalry quickly chased after them, but they were still unable to hit them before they fell into the water.
He had been following Wanyan Xiyin all this time and had never participated in the southwest war. It was only when he arrived at Hanzhong that he officially began to fight with the Seventh Army of Huaxia. He had previously learned about this Huaxia army through the defeated soldiers on the battlefield. However, at this moment, Wanyan Yuchi finally felt extremely vexed by this army that seemed to dare to attack him no matter how many people there were.
Those who were good at scouting and fighting in the wilderness might have a weakness in a head-on battle. With this thought in mind, he cast his gaze towards Tuanshan to the west …
…
At this moment, on the south side of Tuanshan, between the hills and lowlands leading to Hanzhong, the fighting was boiling like a raging tide amidst a storm.
It was just past noon. The most tenacious wave of counterattacks led by Wanyan Zonghan had begun.
Under the sky, the area within a radius of several li was filled with a large number of defeated soldiers. No one cared about the corpses on the battlefield. Smoke and dust were still rising from the position after the bombardment. In the core area of the inner circle, fierce fighting was taking place. Wanyan Zonghan had mobilized the eight thousand core elites under his command. Wave after wave, they crazily charged towards Qin Shaoqian's troops on the hills to the northeast.
After half a day of fighting, half of the troops in the outer circle had already collapsed. There were still several thousand troops left, but after experiencing defeat and fleeing, they were nothing more than numbers. Only the eight thousand soldiers in the inner circle still maintained their fighting spirit. The middle-ranking and high-ranking officers who led these soldiers were promoted by Zonghan's personal guards for many years, as well as Zonghan's in-laws and close relatives. Following Zonghan's call, these people also understood that it was finally time for them to sacrifice themselves.
Before noon, the first thousand-man squad led by the fierce Jurchen Anchara launched a fierce charge towards the northeast battlefield. This was a veteran general who had been by Zonghan's side since Aguda's uprising. He was fifty-five years old and tall, but because his right little finger was a little deformed, his early achievements were not outstanding. That was also because the Jin Kingdom had many generals in its early years. He had been by Zonghan's side for many years. His eldest daughter was married to Zonghan as a concubine. Although he was old these years, he was full of vigor and extraordinary bravery. It was said that he had countless concubines at home.
After confirming Qin Shaoqian's position and setting a target, he was the first to come out and ask for the order to charge. Zonghan looked at him and nodded.
This old Jurchen general brandished a large axe and then led the thousand or so men under him to charge towards the Huaxia army on the hills ahead.
A battalion of the Huaxia army came to meet them from the front. This was the first battalion of the Second Regiment of the Third Brigade of the First Division. As the first battalion blocked the way, the second battalion immediately charged in from the side. Anchara divided his forces to deal with them. Between the hills and the chaotic world, arrows flew in the air, followed by explosions. After the two sides clashed, the throwing of grenades and fireballs did not stop. In the blink of an eye, the formations of both sides were torn into chaos. A large number of Huaxia soldiers charged towards the Jurchen general who was brandishing the large axe.
With the formation in chaos, even the elite Jurchen soldiers could see a small number of soldiers subconsciously fleeing to the side after losing their restraints. Zonghan called over Wanyan Saba's cavalry. "Execute the military law! Those who flee will be killed! "
As the cavalry charged out, Zonghan ordered Mengan and Wanyan Zhentu to lead another thousand-man squad to press forward. This was Shema and Yiebao's cousin. He was thirty-two years old and had inherited the title of a county count. After receiving the order, he pressed forward.
The sounds of shouting and fighting were so chaotic that it made people feel annoyed. Some of the Jurchen troops could still be said to be orderly, but the Huaxia army that was charging in from all directions looked so chaotic that it gave people a headache at first glance. Most of them had already experienced one or two battles. In terms of numbers and physical strength, they were no match for the Huaxia army. But the problem was that even if they had the advantage in numbers, once the Huaxia army threw their men out, they would basically be unable to catch them after the battlefield was thrown into chaos. Meanwhile, the Huaxia army on the other side could still charge forward.
Wanyan Zhentu's second thousand-man squad was blocked by the chaotic soldiers on his side. Before support could arrive, the thousand-man squad led by Chala had already been crushed by the Huaxia army's attacks. The personal guards gathered towards Chala, trying to protect the general as they retreated to meet up with Wanyan Zhentu. Two grenades were thrown over, drowning the crowd in smoke and dust. Then, several Huaxia soldiers charged into the crowd.
The battle was chaotic. Through his binoculars, Zong Han could still see the figure of Chala, who was brandishing a large axe bravely. A Huaxia soldier pounced over and was sent flying along with him. Chala's figure rolled, and after getting up, he drew his saber and continued to fight. The Huaxia soldier also pounced over. Next to him, Chala's personal guards charged forward and forced the Huaxia soldier to take a step back. Meanwhile, the other two Huaxia soldiers had also arrived. Everyone was engaged in a fierce battle, and in the blink of an eye, Chala's body was already drenched in blood. Someone threw another flaming grenade, and the rising smoke and dust obscured the figures engaged in battle.
The third formation charged out from the flank, and Zong Han's main formation pressed forward.
At this point in the battle, the so-called art of war, strategies, and conspiracies could no longer be of any use. Or, it could be said that these things were only the basic skills of commanding. Both sides could only pick up their chess pieces and do their best to throw themselves into the chessboard. Once they were in the game, the only thing that followed was to fight.
Troops after troops were widening the path forward. Three minutes later, Zong Han's entire army had joined the battle. The two huge vortexes had already merged into one and were devouring each other fiercely.
Before this, although Han Qixian and the others had advised Zong Han not to take the risk himself, Zong Han had rejected them all.
… …
Arrows were flying in the sky not far away at all times, and the occasional sound of explosions could be heard. The neighing of warhorses, the shouting of men, and the echoes of explosions made it seem as if the entire world had been plunged into a fierce battle.
The general wearing an eyepatch stood on a small slope and looked around with his single eye. The mighty charge of the Jurchen Daoists was unfolding right in front of him.
The routed Jurchen soldiers who had collapsed in the fierce battle were like a part of this huge vortex that had evaporated, and they were fleeing to the periphery. Meanwhile, small groups of Huaxia soldiers were passing through the villages and forests, trying to form long lines and pierce through the core of the Jurchen Daoists' army.
The attack from the south was particularly intense, so much so that the middle section of the Jurchen army had already been distorted by the slaughter. The entire brigade led by Qi Xinhan had already been scattered, but he had gathered a regiment of troops in the south and was trying to cut the Jurchen army, which still had several thousand soldiers, in two.
As for Qin Shaoqian's side, the sounds of the battle had almost extended to him. More than four thousand people, including Zong Han, were pressing down on this hill with all their might. In front of them was a regiment led by Xu Xiaohu. About six or seven battalions and even scattered companies were simultaneously attacking Wanyan Zong Han's position from different directions. This kind of offensive delayed the Jurchen Daoists' advance. It could be said that as this giant beast advanced, its flesh and bones were being cut open.
Qin Shaoqian's position was less than a hundred meters away from the front line of the battle. Occasionally, a Jurchen divine archer would forcefully break through and shoot arrows in his direction. At his side, there were only about a hundred soldiers from a garrison company. On the nearby hilltops and mountainsides, there were still several companies and battalions active. Wanyan Saba led the cavalry to break through the encirclement and circle around to Qin Shaoqian's rear. On one hand, he wanted to block Qin Shaoqian's retreat, but on the other hand, he could launch an attack on this hillside at any time.
Fortunately, this hillside was rugged, so it was not difficult to deal with the cavalry.
"I've already informed Ni Hua at the foot of the hill to keep an eye on Wanyan Saba. He has a battalion under him that can be used, but there aren't enough men. I've asked him to enlist them on the spot …" Chief of Staff Chi Wenguang came over and looked at the battlefield with Qin Shaoqian. "… When do you think Zong Han will be able to kill his way here? Let's make a bet? "
Qin Shaoqian put down his binoculars. "… He'll never be able to kill his way here."
The offensive of the Huaxia army was like a blade, cutting open flesh and piercing through the bodies of the Jurchen army …
…
It had been a long time since Zong Han had experienced the feeling of charging into battle.
He had been in a high position for a long time. Starting from the middle of the destruction of the Liao Empire, all he needed to consider were matters related to battle formations and strategies. Large-scale marching, besieging a city, launching a dignified offensive on the battlefield, and then defeating the enemy.
In the past few decades, there were not many people who could be evenly matched with the Jurchen Daoists, and very few people could stab him with their blades. In the past, if such a situation really happened, he would usually choose to move or even break through the encirclement.
But the situation before him was different.
The Huaxia army fought valiantly, but they did not have many soldiers. Although the soldiers under his command had not been fighting well enough recently, they still had the strength to fight.
Once they moved, the Jurchen army would lose all opportunities. Only he could take the lead and charge forward bravely. On this afternoon, perhaps the heavens would give the Jurchen Daoists a bit of protection.
The marshal's flag moved forward amidst the mighty shouts. The Jurchen soldiers were fighting bravely, and the cannons were pushed forward, filling the sky with black dust. Zong Han advanced with his sword under the protection of his bodyguards. Sometimes, arrows and crossbow bolts would even fly over. The bodyguards tried to surround him, but Zong Han ruthlessly shouted at them to disperse.
At some point, the Huaxia army's offensive had already begun to affect the artillery positions. Zong Han sent two hundred people to support them, repelling the Huaxia army's offensive. But not long after, small squads of the Huaxia army charged in from the flanks. This was an unavoidable situation after the flanks had been disrupted. If it were the Jurchen Daoists' squads, it would be very difficult for them to summon the courage to directly charge in from the periphery. However, the Huaxia army's squads were keen on this. Some of them were already dozens of feet away when they appeared, and only retreated when they encountered the thousand-man squad by Zong Han's side.
The army formation at the very front of the attack had already been smashed to pieces. Cha La was the first to be killed by the Huaxia army, and Wanyan Zhentu had one hand and one leg chopped off by the Huaxia soldiers after a fierce battle. He was saved by his bodyguards after being stabbed several times, and he was on the verge of death. Around him, the Huaxia army squads charged through the chaotic army formation, and the squads by Zong Han's side were also involved in the slaughter.
"Charge with me!"
Zong Han wielded his sword and moved forward. His banner had indeed inspired many Jurchen soldiers, causing them to gather again after their defeat.
A Huaxia army squad charged in from the flank. The crossbow shot passed through the crowd, and a "ding" sound rang out on the armor of one of Zong Han's bodyguards. Someone threw a grenade, and after the explosion, there was billowing smoke and dust. The bodyguards in front of him charged forward and began the slaughter. Several bodyguards rode over on horses and tried to block the possible attack for Zong Han, but Zong Han waved his horsewhip and told them to move away. "Don't mess around! If they throw fire and thunder, all of you will be in trouble! "
In the smoke and dust in front of him, human figures crisscrossed, and soldiers fell one after another. Their blood spilled into the sky along with the sword light, and outside the smoke and dust, Zong Han heard someone shouting, "Nie Han is here!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill Nie Han!!!"
In the billowing smoke and dust, the leader was a Huaxia army soldier who was as strong as an ox. He looked at Zong Han and charged forward in the slaughter. Zong Han waved his sword. "Kill him! Reward him with a hundred gold coins! " The riders beside him rushed forward, but on the other side of the battlefield, a small group of Huaxia soldiers appeared in their field of vision. They seemed to have responded to the call to "kill Nie Han" and rushed over to stop this group of riders. The two sides began to fight.
The Huaxia army soldier who was as strong as an ox helped his wounded comrade up from the chaos not far away. He wielded his sword and came over. Someone shot arrows, and he blocked them with his shield. His body was bathed in blood. Zong Han looked to his side, and then looked at the hillside not far away. There was a mighty slaughter everywhere. He raised his sword. "Listen to my command!"
He roared, "Kill them!"
The formation pushed forward, and the soldiers in the rear row lit up grenades and threw them in that direction. There were no more than a dozen Huaxia soldiers there, and they scattered in all directions, taking cover in a panic. Some rolled in the mud, some hid behind rocks, and some were blown up on the spot. In the billowing smoke, the soldiers in the front row rushed forward. Zong Han saw the Huaxia soldier pounce out of the smoke and dust behind the rocks. He slashed open the chest of one of his guards. Blood spurted out, and the guard's body flew two or three feet away. Soon after, the soldier stumbled back under the attacks of the two Jurchen soldiers. But as a wounded Huaxia soldier came over to help, the soldier slashed open the neck of a Jurchen soldier with his sword.
"Good!"
Zong Han urged his horse forward!
His blood was boiling, and he urged his horse forward like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he rushed in front of the Huaxia soldier and slashed down with his sword!
The Huaxia soldier's body rushed forward, and with his long sword, he slashed at the leg of Zong Han's horse!
Blood splattered, and the Huaxia soldier was hit by the horse, and his body rolled on the ground. Zong Han and his horse rushed forward. Because the distance was not long, the horse's speed was not at its fastest. Although its front leg was cut, it only staggered and fell to the ground. Zong Han directly fell off the horse, and he threw away the long sword in his hand. The soldiers around him all shouted, "Marshal!" Zong Han threw away his cloak, picked up a large sword from the ground, and rushed forward.
In his prime, he was good at using a saber, but these years, he had basically only been giving orders, so he changed to a dignified long sword. But in the current situation, it was not good enough.
None of the Jurchen generals who were able to make a name for themselves during the early years of the Jin Kingdom were not warriors on the battlefield. Even in his old age, Wanyan Loushi was still keen on putting on a show of three to five elites donning armor and seizing a city. Although Wanyan Xiyin was mostly a civil servant, when it came to martial arts, for example, Wanyan Zongbi, who had an illustrious reputation in history, would be hung up and beaten by him. It was the same for Zong Han. For decades, he had been managing the military, but his martial arts training had never fallen behind. At this time, holding a long sword, he was still the most outstanding warrior and hunter of the Jurchen race.
He was tall and had held great power all year round, so he had accumulated a majesty and momentum that far exceeded that of ordinary people. At this time, with a sword in hand, the cold murderous aura was enough to frighten people. The strong Huaxia soldier got up from the ground, his face and forehead were scratched with blood. Around him were the Jurchen guards, and in front of him, Wanyan Zong Han rushed over with a sword. A trace of fanaticism flashed in his eyes, and two rows of teeth were exposed. It looked like he was laughing wildly with blood.
He exerted strength in his legs and met Zong Han. This famous Jurchen general who had killed countless people chopped down with his sword, like a butcher chopping down his prey. The Huaxia soldier, who was half a head shorter than him, raised his sword and met it with all his strength! The sword light soared into the sky.
"Bang!" The two steel swords collided in the air. Zong Han's sword with all his strength was forcibly smashed away. He took half a step back, but the Huaxia soldier advanced half a step forward. His sword was in the air, and his eyes were fanatical. He opened his mouth and spat out blood, roaring in front of Zong Han.
"Kill!"
Killing must be festive.
After more than ten years, Niu Chengshu, the commander of the Second Battalion, Second Brigade, Second Regiment, First Division of the Huaxia Seventh Army, once again brought his sword down in front of Wanyan Zong Han. On one side was the seemingly insignificant Huaxia soldier, and on the other side was the Jurchen hero who had cast a shadow on the world for decades. When the swords collided, sparks flew in the air. In the blink of an eye, Wanyan Zong Han kept retreating and fell into the crowd.
The Jurchen soldiers next to him flooded over —
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