Chapter 47: The Enemy Surges Like a Tide, Resolve Unwavering (Part 1)

Zhang Shouyue turned to look behind him. The flags fluttered in the wind, and the soldiers were as numerous as ants, seemingly filling the entire valley. But if one were to count carefully, there were only two thousand men—this was the only force under his command as the military supervisor of the Qin-Feng Road.

Zhang Shouyue, nearly sixty years old, had already turned gray at the temples, with thick eyebrows that drooped heavily over his eyes. The old general half-closed his eyes, the wrinkles at the corners resembling deep ravines, and his dark face was covered in lines, like a field that had been dry for a long time. His expression remained calm, but his tightly pressed lips revealed his inner tension.

His dim, yellowish eyes stared at the enemies to the east. There were over ten thousand Tangut soldiers, including the iron-clad cavalry and the heavily armored infantry, stretching like a sea of people. The cavalry and infantry of the Great White High Kingdom filled the valley from one end to the other, completely blocking Zhang Shouyue's path back to Gan Valley City.

Zhang Shouyue inwardly cursed himself for being too greedy for merit during this border patrol, falling for such a simple trap. Gan Valley City was built at the entrance of the Great Gan Valley, with a sixty-mile-long valley to the south, known as Tang Valley due to the hot springs that flowed into it. To the north of Gan Valley City, beyond the valley entrance, was the Gan Valley Water Plain, named South Valley because it was south of the Ma Ridge, which was the boundary between the Song and Western Xia forces.

Zhang Shouyue had led his patrol with the intention of driving out the thousand or so Tangut invaders in the South Valley, but he never expected them to be a decoy. The real enemy had been lying in wait, ready to ensnare him. After two days of chasing and stopping, zigzagging through the valley, his two thousand troops finally followed the Tangut forces into a side valley of the South Valley, where ten thousand enemy soldiers emerged from their ambush, cutting off the Song army's retreat.

Now, Zhang Shouyue and his army were about thirty miles from Gan Valley City. This distance, which seemed not too far, was just a half-day's march. However, once a battle began, it would be like a vast distance. In the past, at the Battle of San Chuan Kou, General Liu Ping, with his troops, was only five miles from Yanzhou City, but despite seeing the city walls, they could not break through after a day of fierce fighting, and ultimately, more than ten thousand men were annihilated outside Yanzhou City.

Thirty miles away, with five times the enemy forces on the retreat route, and after two days of pursuit and a battle, the morale of his troops was severely damaged. The situation Zhang Shouyue faced was as dire as the one Liu Ping had encountered, and the old military supervisor of the Qin-Feng Road stroked his beard, remaining silent.

"Supervisor, what should we do?"

"Why are you panicking? It's just over ten thousand Tangut soldiers. Look at how scared you all are!"

Zhang Shouyue scolded his trembling subordinates impatiently. Their cowardice helped the old and resolute Zhang Shouyue shake off the unease of falling into the enemy's trap, and his resolve was rekindled. If one ignored the morale drop caused by the enemy's trap, the only problem Zhang Shouyue faced was an enemy five times his size.

That's right! Just "five times"!

Zhang Shouyue was a seasoned general from Guanxi. Over twenty years ago, the Song army suffered several consecutive defeats at the hands of the Tangut forces. Although he did not participate in those battles, he had been involved in the subsequent reinforcements and rescue efforts. He was well aware of the details of Liu Ping's defeat at San Chuan Kou, Ren Fu's at Hao Shui Chuan, and Ge Huaimin's at Ding Chuan Zhai.

Due to geographical conditions, the Guanxi border was divided into four routes: Qin-Feng, Jing-Yuan, Huan-Qing, and Fu-Yan. Naturally, the border defense forces of the Western Army were also divided into four parts. From the total number of troops deployed by the Song in Guanxi, it was indeed far more than the Western Xia. However, if one considered a single route, the Song forces were actually outnumbered.

Moreover, a single route's army had to be divided to defend various key points, making it impossible to gather all forces. The Tangut forces, however, could freely mobilize their entire national strength to attack any one of the routes. Thus, the three major defeats were all due to the Song forces being outnumbered and falling into the cunning traps set by Li Yuanhao, who then defeated them with superior numbers and well-rested troops.

For example, at the Battle of San Chuan Kou, Liu Ping's ten thousand exhausted troops, who had been running back and forth for several days due to the Tangut's strategy, faced Li Yuanhao's ten thousand well-rested Tangut soldiers. Although they had fallen for the enemy's trap, it was their own fault for being foolish, not the enemy's cunning. However, despite the overwhelming disparity in numbers, the battle at San Chuan Kou lasted nearly two days, and Liu Ping was still able to set up a defensive camp. The Tangut's combat strength was such that many Western Army generals still harbored resentment over the past defeats.

If the conditions were fair, and the forces were equal, whether in open battle or city defense, the Song army did not lose many battles. It was not uncommon for the Song to defeat larger forces and drive the Tangut away. Now, it was just two thousand against ten thousand. Moreover, the thousand Tangut decoys had already been eliminated by Zhang Shouyue, foiling the Tangut's plan for a pincer attack.

"There is still a fight to be had!" The old supervisor thought firmly. If they could hold out a bit longer, reinforcements from Fuqiang City and Jichuan Fort on the other side of the mountain should arrive, and then the Song army would be the ones to launch a pincer attack.

However, the reinforcements had not arrived yet, and the Tangut forces had already begun preparing for the attack. The rising sun was shining from behind the Tangut forces, forcing the Song army on the western side to face both the enemy and the sunlight. With the loss of time, place, and harmony, Zhang Shouyue could only rely on the human element.

One thought after another raced through his mind, only to be discarded one by one. In the end, only one name remained: "Wang Junwan!"

"Here, Supervisor!"

A tall and handsome officer, standing a few steps away from Zhang Shouyue, dismounted his horse with a nimble movement, unaffected by his heavy armor. He knelt on one knee before Zhang Shouyue's horse: "Please give your orders, Supervisor!"

Zhang Shouyue raised his heavy right arm and pointed to the vast enemy formation ahead. "Take your troops and charge." His tone was as calm as if he were asking Wang Junwan to buy some wine or vegetables from the market.

"Charge?" Wang Junwan looked up, puzzled.

Zhang Shouyue's dim, old eyes suddenly became sharp, and his gaze regained the vigor of his youth. He sternly asked, "Do you dare... or not?"

Wang Junwan, with his slightly delicate phoenix eyes and fair skin, did not look like a soldier who spent his days in the sun and wind. However, this young man, not yet thirty, had his armor and robe stained with blood from leading his troops to eliminate the Tangut decoys.

Hearing Zhang Shouyue's question, Wang Junwan stood up abruptly. His phoenix eyes narrowed, his face flushed, and he gripped the hilt of his sword, shouting angrily, "Why not!"

He swiftly remounted his horse, pulled out his ten-foot-long spear from the ground, and swung it overhead. The whistling of the spear blade through the air caught the attention of his troops, and he roared, "Men! Follow me and charge!"

Wang Junwan, as a cavalry commander, led four hundred cavalrymen. Although his rank was just a lowly palace attendant, far from the ninth rank of a junior officer, his command of the troops in battle had the air of a seasoned general.

The four hundred cavalrymen charged out of the side valley like a whirlwind, the thundering hooves echoing through the valley. Under Wang Junwan's lead, they crashed into the Western Xia formation in the South Valley. Wang Junwan's silver-tipped spear flashed like pear blossoms, leaving a trail of blood wherever he passed. The four hundred cavalrymen followed him, cutting through the enemy like a boat slicing through waves, forcing the enemy to retreat.

The white Tangut flag was in sight, and Wang Junwan's roar grew louder. His spear darted in and out, felling several Tangut warriors, and he led his troops to break through the Western Xia cavalry's defenses, charging straight for the flag, determined to decapitate the enemy commander.

Just as Wang Junwan was about to reach the Western Xia's main camp, the Tangut forces sounded a series of urgent horns, and a group of lightly armored, mixed-clad infantry charged out, blocking the Song cavalry with their bodies.

Zhang Shouyue's breath quickened, and he gripped the reins tightly: "Not good!"

The troops blocking the Song cavalry were called "Zhuang Ling Lang," a corps of Han people organized and trained by the Western Xia. Whenever they faced a strong enemy, they were forced to charge forward. If they won, the rear forces would follow and slaughter the enemy; if they lost, only the Han people would die. This corps of traitors had caused as much bloodshed in the four routes of Guanxi as the Tangut forces.

Trapped by the Zhuang Ling Lang, Wang Junwan's four hundred cavalrymen's momentum gradually slowed. A group of iron-clad cavalry saw their opportunity and charged at them from the side. Wang Junwan commanded his troops well, pulling the reins to lead them in a diagonal retreat. However, their attack was shattered. One by one, Tangut units charged forward, like a pack of wolves surrounding a hungry tiger, surrounding Wang Junwan and his men. Although the tiger was fierce, each clash left a piece of flesh torn away.

The Song cavalrymen who had charged into the enemy formation were visibly decreasing, with men falling from their horses at every moment. Wang Junwan looked back, his eyes bloodshot. With a roar that shook the entire battlefield, Wang Junwan's spear whistled through the wind, slicing through the throats and chests of several Western Xia warriors, the tip gleaming with blood. In an instant, the surging enemy was forced back by Wang Junwan's ferocious charge.

"Follow me!"

Wang Junwan roared again, urging his horse forward, leading his remaining troops to break through before the Tangut forces could encircle them again. The cavalrymen charged through the Western Xia formation, struggling to find a gap, and finally retreated to their own lines. Although they had killed hundreds of enemies, only about three hundred of Wang Junwan's cavalrymen remained, all injured and swaying on their horses.

---

End of Chapter 47 (Part 1)