The Song Dynasty has been deliberate for 16 years, only to know that it is the Water Margin

Chapter 536: City Collapse

"The entire Iron Harrier army was wiped out!"

"Bubazi's armor is gone!"

"Capture Brother Richard alive, massacre the Sixth Squadron, and send troops to Xingqing Mansion!"

The earth-shattering shouts, like thunder from the sky, floated over the mountain plains.

Brother Richard seemed to be struck by lightning, and he suddenly reined in his mount, his face full of disbelief.

The light cavalry in front did not obey the military orders and were still retreating. They were about to confront the advancing troops and horses.

At this time, the general following behind hurriedly said: "King Jin, I think it's better to retreat first, otherwise the front army will definitely collide when they come back. They are all cavalry, and there may be chaos!"

"Ah!" Brother Richard stared into the distance, took a deep breath, frowned, and felt extremely angry.

How did it turn into this situation in such a short period of time?

Did he make a mistake in his command? But he didn’t give any instructions at all!

Isn't this a routine operation for Iron Kites to charge with heavy cavalry? It has been used countless times in the past and has been used for hundreds of years. Where has the current situation occurred?

What's the point of heavy cavalry if it doesn't charge? Isn't it just for charging into the formation, charging at the outermost edge, crushing the enemy's formation barriers, and opening up a victory situation?

All generals who lead troops know this truth!

But why did Tie Yaozi rush over and take so many people with him, and then his situation plummeted in the blink of an eye, directly revealing his defeat?

Brother Richard's eyes suddenly widened and his expression became astonished. He figured out the reason in an instant. It was because Tie Yaozi was defeated!

No, even if they were defeated, the war situation would not deteriorate so quickly, unless... the Iron Harriers were really wiped out!

It's not a rumor, it's not that the Song army is destroying the morale of its own army, it's not a lie, it's really that the entire army was wiped out!

The light cavalry in front could see it most clearly. After all, they had already arrived in front of the Song army's formation. They saw what happened to the iron kite and what happened. Then they were shaken and ran back with their lives!

Thinking of this, Brother Richard shook his body three times on his horse, then he opened his mouth and spurted out a mouthful of blood.

It's true, it's all true, it's not a lie, it's not a lie, it's all true, Tie Yaozi is completely defeated!

What is an iron kite? It is the military foundation of Xixia, an important tool for founding Xixia, and the sacred needle of the country.

His eyes turned black, stars popped out, and his robes were stained with blood, and he fell down from his horse.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" The generals behind him looked confused when they saw this, and hurriedly came to help him.

Brother Richard was leaning on the back of the horse, his face extremely ugly. At this moment, the front was already in chaos. It turned out that the light cavalry rushed into the front army. They were in a dilemma for a while, with swords and guns clashing and shouting constantly.

Sweat was dripping from his forehead. At this time, he had no time to think carefully about what Tie Yaozi encountered and what methods the Song army used to cause the heavy armor to be destroyed and the situation was difficult to deal with.

It was not a mountain of defeat, but it was more than a mountain of defeat. As the shouts of the Song army got closer and closer, and the Qingqi ran away and crashed in, many soldiers knew that Tie Yaozi was defeated, and it seemed that the entire army was wiped out. Although I didn't quite believe it at first, I couldn't help but believe it when I saw the Qingqi retreating.

His fighting spirit and confidence were gone. Brother Richard's throat was surging, and he wanted to vomit blood again, but this time he suppressed it forcefully, and his face turned purple and blue.

He raised his arms and ordered in a hoarse voice: "Come forward on both wings to cover, and the rest of the central army...retreat!"

After saying the word "retreat", he seemed to have lost all his strength and fell on his horse. He was obviously very skilled in martial arts, but because he was stimulated by the news of the iron kite's destruction, his mind lost control and his blood boiled wildly. At this moment, he was affected by Internal injuries.

The 80,000-strong army, according to the information from the scouts, was almost twice as large as the Song army. But now they didn't even fight. They turned around and fled. Brother Richard had never fought such a useless battle, or even heard of it, but at this moment But it really happened in his hands.

Following the order, the Chinese army turned around and folded its wings. Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses turned around together, and the sound was heard far away.

The chasing team was led by Du Bo. Hearing the news, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. The Xixia army turned around. As expected by the prince, once the iron kites were destroyed, the souls of the Xixia army and horses were lost!

Du Bo waved his hand, raised his Zhangba Snake Spear, and shouted loudly: "My sons, follow me and charge to the death, and you will make a great contribution today!"

The soldiers behind heard the words and shouted "Aoao", like tigers coming out of the gate, their eyes were blood red, and they charged forward one after another.

At this time, the Xixia army had changed its formation. The cavalry on both wings came to the rear. The front army of the Chinese army and the retreating light cavalry retreated along the middle road.

Du Bo's cavalry was close to two thousand, and the two or three thousand light cavalry from Xixia's two wings came to the rear. Although these soldiers were heartbroken at the moment, they were stronger than the fleeing light cavalry, and even if they had to fight hard, they would come forward.

But they actually had no intention of fighting. The news of the annihilation of the Tie Yaozi army was so shocking that it completely destroyed their thinking, leaving their minds blank even now.

The two armies collided with each other with a "bang". The cavalry behind the two wings of Xixia were elites. They were the so-called Sixth Squadron of the Xingqing Prefecture Guards and the Sixth Squadron of the Outer Guards. They were usually very capable of fighting. They faced some of the best fighters in the Western Army of the Song Dynasty. Ministry, not to mention more concessions.

But at this moment, they really had no intention of fighting, and the Qingqi under Zhao Yan were extremely well-equipped. Not to mention the war horses, their weapons and armors were all made with materials, and even the bows and crossbows were equipped with double copies, which gave them an innate advantage.

Although the combat experience is much inferior to that of these Xixia cavalry, at this moment, the weather is favorable, the location is favorable, the people are well occupied, and the equipment is powerful. At the first touch, the judgment of superiority and inferiority is made, and the Xixia soldiers are at a disadvantage.

At this time, the hook-and-scythe spearmen behind them followed up, and the two-foot-long spears entered the battlefield. In conjunction with their own cavalry, they hooked forward randomly and killed Xixia's team in just a few dozen breaths. Unable to resist any longer, he turned around and ran away.

Of the two to three thousand Xixia cavalry, only a few hundred were left to escape. Du Bo immediately ordered: "The whole army is pursuing us!"

The whole army behind them started to move forward, chasing them all.

Zhao Tong also rode down from a high place, narrowed his eyes, and said to both sides: "If the enemy retreats, I will pursue you!"

Bai Zhan immediately picked up: "When the enemy is tired, I will fight."

Zhao Tong glanced at him and said with a smile: "He is a man with a good memory. He can be trained in the army in the future."

Bai Zhan couldn't help but panic: "Young Master, my subordinates are only willing to follow you."

Zhao Tong snorted: "You're worthless!" After saying that, he galloped forward and chased the army... Xu Ning was ambushing five miles away from the battlefield at the moment. He originally wanted to turn around and invade the flank of the Xixia army, but he didn't expect it. On the way, he met a team from Xixia. With the same plan, they fought a battle with his army. After annihilating and repelling the opponent, they saw that there was no time, so they set up an ambush on the outside to rest.

He also sent scouts to spy on the main battlefield. He had just received news that the Iron Kites had been killed there and the Xixia army was defeated. He immediately got up and led his troops to meet them.

Xu Ning also had close to two thousand cavalry here. He said he wanted to snipe the tens of thousands of Xixia's defeated army, but some of them used their arms as chariots. No matter how unstable the Xixia army was at the moment and how urgent it was to withdraw, he could not stop it with only two thousand cavalry. of.

But he did not want to attack the main force of the Xixia Central Army head-on. Instead, he lurked in the distance. Seeing that the time was almost up, he immediately rushed out. First, he attacked with a round of feather arrows. Then he saw the red-robed figure under the banner of the Chinese Army and concluded that it was Brother Richard began to call the soldiers and shouted: "Capture Brother Richard alive, seize the man in the red robe."

Then another round of hand crossbows was released, and the harassment continued along the edge.

Brother Richard was furious under the banner of the Chinese army. With so many troops and horses, it was enough to be chased by the Song army who was far smaller than his own. However, the Song army with only one or two thousand actually dared to ambush them, even standing by. Disturbance, I really don't take him seriously, which is intolerable!

He immediately coldly ordered a team to pursue him, and then he heard someone shouting "Catch Brother Richard, capture the red-robed summer dog." He was so angry that he stretched out his hand to tear off the red shirt and threw it to the ground.

Xu Ning saw that Xixia sent troops to kill him. He did not stop, but turned around and ran away. After all, the Xixia army was there. Once he was entangled by the incoming soldiers and surrounded by the army, he would not be able to escape even if he wanted to.

Here, Brother Richard's face was as dark as water, and he commanded the troops to continue to retreat, but the Song army kept chasing him. He had no other good ideas. His soldiers and horses were clearly in a state of panic as they ran. After being chased for a long time, they were fine. All the energy and spirit were gone, leaving only the panic of not choosing the right path. It became increasingly impossible to reverse the situation and turn around to fight with the opponent.

At this time, Brother Richard could only lament in his heart and dismounted, hoping that the Song army would give up soon so that they could reorganize their troops and fight again one day.

But the Song army didn't stop at all, falling all the way, like wild dogs, constantly eating away at the Xixia infantry in the rear. The infantry could not bear the damage and gradually began to break up. Those who fled to the east and those who hid in the hills to the west were everywhere. , dead bodies are scattered all the way, and continue to be in the wild.

At this moment, the land was empty and there was no place to rest and take cover. Mingsha City was still some distance away and would be difficult to reach in an instant. Brother Richard had no choice but to continue leading his troops to retreat north.

As time went on, fewer and fewer infantrymen were able to keep up with the team. A large number of Xixia infantrymen began to surrender directly because they could no longer run, let alone continue to move forward, even to the hills next to them. He couldn't run, and even if he wanted to resist, he didn't have the strength, so he could only drop his weapons, raise his hands high, and come out in a surrender posture.

Even if Brother Richard knew the situation at the rear, there was nothing he could do. This was the fate of a defeated army. Along the way, the number of soldiers and horses fled less and less. In the end, there was only one out of ten left. How could they be gathered together again? How can that be easy!

This means that he had many soldiers and horses, and when he was defeated in the first place, he numbered fifty or sixty thousand. If he had only eighteen thousand men and pursued them for so long, they would have been completely dispersed long ago.

As time passed by, the sky was getting darker, and the setting sun stood in the west for half the sky, and the remaining blood light enveloped the earth.

Hearing the sound of the pursuers from behind finally starting to get farther away, Brother Richard let out a sigh of relief on his horse and raised his eyes to look forward.

"How far is it to Mingsha City?"

Upon hearing his question, a general who was familiar with the terrain immediately came over and replied: "Your Majesty, we are only half way out. There is still about a hundred miles left. I'm afraid we won't be able to reach it before dark."

"Can't we get there before dark?" Brother Richard looked back at the remaining soldiers in the rear and thought: "Don't stay too long and continue moving forward later. We have to return to Mingsha today no matter what, and we can't camp outside."

In fact, even if you want to station outside, you can't do it now. After chasing you all the way, all the luggage has been discarded, even the food and grass are gone. Where can you stay for another night? That's basically the same as waiting to die.

Therefore, the plan for now is to return to Mingsha early to reorganize. After all, Mingsha City is the rear base camp and has a relatively complete supply of various supplies, especially grain, grass and other supplies. Only by returning to replenish can we discuss how to counterattack the Song army next.

The general immediately clasped his fists and said yes, and then went down below to deliver the order. The soldiers took out dry food and water bags from their bodies, ate and drank a few times, then gasped and wiped their mouths, and continued on their way.

Those who have been able to follow until now are the best of the best. When they retreated, there were 50,000 to 60,000 people, but now there are only more than 30,000 left. This is already an extremely difficult result. If it were another army, it is hard to say that there would be so many left. many.

As the sky gradually darkened, the voices of the Song army from behind still did not disappear. They were intermittent and intermittent. Brother Richard looked confused on the horse.

How long will the Song army continue to pursue him? Along the way, they have traveled an unknown number of miles and are probably not far from Mingsha City. How can Song Jun have such endurance? Aren't you afraid of an ambush on your own side, taking advantage of the darkness to ambush you?

However, the idea of ​​an ambush only flashed through his mind and then he gave up. The army was exhausted and the horses were exhausted, so what was the point of talking about an ambush? It would be a big joke to actually ambush him, but be killed by the other party.

Moreover, the pursuers behind were not as fierce as before. They were sometimes close and sometimes far away, but they just followed and followed. After a while, some words like "Capture brother Richard alive" came out, indicating that they had not given up the pursuit.

Brother Richard thought over and over again on his horse, and then gave the order to speed up and march forward in a hurry, heading straight to Mingsha City.

He was anxious and always felt that something was not right. At this time, it was already dark, and there was no need for the Song army to pursue them, especially when Mingsha City was not far away.

Although Mingsha is not a great pass, it is still a place to replenish food, grass and supplies. Although he lost his troops and generals, he still had a lot of men and horses left. Once he entered the city and could rest, it was not a good thing for the Song army who was pursuing him.

The Song army was rushing all the way, and it was unable to carry any baggage. It would only slowly follow the transportation behind. In this case, after they entered Mingsha City, the Song army became a tired army. The Song army's horses and horses were not several times their own, so they could If a city is besieged and attacked by force, the situation will turn around and become unfavorable to the opponent.

But there is no use thinking about anything at the moment. I can't guess what Song Jun is thinking, and there is no other way to go. The only way is to enter Mingsha. As for what conspiracy and conspiracy Song Jun has, as long as he enters the city, what can he do?

Brother Richard called the general again to ask about the distance, then continued on his way, and finally saw Mingsha City before midnight.

At this time, everyone felt relaxed, and the shouts from the Song army behind them became even weaker. When the team arrived in front of Mingsha City, a general immediately went over to call the door.

The city was pitch dark, and there were no torches lit. After exchanging a few words with the people below, they lowered the drawbridge and opened the city gate.

When the Xixia army saw the gate open, they swarmed in. Looking from a distance, they saw a dark hole ahead that was hard to see, as if a monster had its mouth open...

(End of this chapter)