Chapter 21

Li Boliang was truly troubled. As the county magistrate, he certainly did not want the Jurchens to come to Linyou County; it would not only be a disaster for the common people but also for the officials.

They had surrendered to the Jin state two years ago when Wanyan Lou Shi was governing Shaanxi. The Song army then counterattacked, and the officials of Fengxiang Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture rebelled and rejoined the Song. Soon after, the Song army suffered a defeat at Fuping, and the Jin army once again swept through Guanzhong, massacring extensively. The governor of Fengxiang Prefecture fled in terror, leaving the seal behind, leaving them, the local officials, at a loss, and it was best not to stir up trouble.

Unfortunately, the innkeeper of the fodder shop was meddlesome, coming to report that Song cavalry was hiding in Linyou County. Wasn't this just causing him trouble?

His advisor, Du Jie, suggested, "If you really don't want to get involved, it's actually simple. Have this innkeeper provide evidence, or have him write a guarantee that if it's not the Song cavalry he mentioned, he will bear full responsibility."

Li Boliang was caught between a rock and a hard place, "That's what I'm saying, but I'm afraid that if it really is that cavalry, and the Jin people investigate, I'll be in deep trouble."

At that moment, a constable rushed in, "Magistrate, a Jin army has arrived and is already in the city!"

Li Boliang's head buzzed, "This is a big problem now!"

...

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, a 200-man army left the county town, heading towards Qilin Fort, followed at a distance by a thousand Jin soldiers.

This Jin army was half Jurchen and half Han, led by a general named Xiao Yantuo, a Khitan noble who had surrendered to the Jurchens early on and had distinguished himself in the destruction of the Liao state, earning the rank of Mangan.

He was ordered to patrol the Linyou County area and planned to return after two days. However, upon arriving in the county town, he heard news of the Song cavalry.

Although it was not yet clear, his intuition told Xiao Yantuo that it was indeed that cavalry. No one else would buy 3,000 dan of fodder, not even for cattle or mules.

Xiao Yantuo immediately sent a messenger back to Fengxiang to report to Wanyan Moli.

The leading officer was County Lieutenant Min Wu, who commanded the 200 soldiers of Linyou County, responsible for maintaining local security.

Min Wu cursed the innkeeper for being meddlesome but had no choice. Driven by the Jin soldiers, they would be killed if they disobeyed, so he led the 200 soldiers northward in a grand procession.

As the Jin soldiers approached the gorge, they were immediately spotted by the sentries at the gorge entrance. Three gunpowder arrows shot up into the sky, exploding with a crisp sound.

Xiao Yantuo narrowed his eyes; it was gunpowder arrows, something the peasant army could not possess. He immediately ordered, "Tell the vanguard to speed up and climb the mountain!"

At this time, the 400 Song soldiers in the military fort quickly assembled, dividing into eight small teams to guard the winding mountain path.

Chen Qing stood at the edge of the cliff, watching the situation in the valley. He saw a group of about 200 men rushing up the mountain, still wearing the leather armor of the Song army, but behind them were a thousand soldiers with the iron-floated five-colored flags of Wanyan Zongbi's army.

Chen Qing was well aware that this battle was inevitable, so he went to purchase supplies and fodder the day after he arrived at the fort, not minding if the Jin soldiers discovered him.

The soldiers brought bundles of crossbow bolts and arrows, and 200 city-defense bows were also brought over. The soldiers drew their bows, ready to defend.

Chen Qing pointed to a pile of wood, "Cut them all into short pieces; we'll need them soon!"

They had cut down several dozen large trees the day before to prepare for winter firewood, but had not yet sawed them. Now they could be used as rolling logs.

Dozens of soldiers set up saws and quickly sawed the wood, soon producing dozens of three-foot-long rolling logs...

Deputy General Li Yuanqing suggested, pointing to a bend below, "I will lead a team to set up a defensive point there to slow down the enemy's advance."

"What will you use for defense?"

"Sandbags!"

Chen Qing carefully examined the terrain and agreed. Yang Yuanqing immediately led the soldiers carrying sandbags down to the last bend, building a sandbag wall. He personally led 50 soldiers with crossbows and long spears to establish the first line of defense.

...

The 200 soldiers of Linyou County led the way up the mountain, being the lowest in rank. They were followed by 500 Han soldiers, while the 500 Jurchen soldiers rested at the foot of the mountain.

Tiantai Mountain was not very high, with a vertical height of only 200 to 300 meters, but the path wound around the mountain, requiring at least ten turns to reach the top.

The 200 soldiers, armed with long spears, bent over and slowly climbed, not daring to breathe heavily. The 500 Han soldiers behind them held shields, but their leather armor could not withstand the powerful crossbow bolts.

The 200 soldiers turned a corner, and 50 paces ahead was the sandbag wall. They had entered the Song army's range of attack.

Chen Qing watched the 200 soldiers almost crawling through the mud and mercilessly ordered, "Fire the arrows!"

240 tall soldiers drew their city-defense bows, tilting the arrow tips upward. 240 arrows were simultaneously released, drawing countless arcs in the air, raining down on the 200 Han soldiers.

...

On the official road north of Fengxiang County, 3,000 Jurchen cavalry and 3,000 Khitan cavalry were rapidly advancing towards Linyou County. The leading general was Wanyan Lou Shi's son, Wanyan Huonü, a Jurchen commander known for his bravery. He was the governor of Taiyuan but had specially led his troops to support Guanzhong to avenge his father.

Wanyan Huonü arrived in Fengxiang County yesterday, and it was also yesterday that Wanyan Moli finally confirmed the identity of the Song general who led the attack on Qishan County: it was Chen Qing, who had killed Wanyan Lou Shi.

There were three reasons for the confirmation. First, a Han soldier heard the enemy general called "General Chen," with the surname Chen.

Second, the Song general used an eight-foot-long iron spear, the same as the one that killed Wanyan Lou Shi. This was not a standard weapon but a special one, and there were probably few in the world.

But the most crucial reason was the third: a Jurchen centurion, Wanyan Wuhuai, recognized the horse ridden by the Song general, which was Wanyan Lou Shi's white dragon steed.

As soon as the identity of the Song general was confirmed as Chen Qing, Wanyan Huonü arrived.

At the same time, Wanyan Moli received a hawk message from Xiao Yantuo in Linyou County, reporting the discovery of a Song cavalry unit, highly suspected to be the one that attacked Qishan County.

Wanyan Huonü did not rest and immediately led 6,000 cavalry to Linyou County.

This news even alarmed the Jin army's commander, Wanyan Zongbi, who brought 500 bodyguards and rushed to Fengxiang County overnight.

...

In just half a day, 700 Han soldiers were forced to attack four times by Jurchen soldiers with sharp axes, with over 500 casualties. The mountain path was littered with the bodies of Han soldiers killed by arrows and rolling logs.

The combat ability of the Han soldiers was extremely poor; they failed to break through the first line of defense in four attacks.

This was not surprising. Even when they were in the Song army, they had no combat ability and surrendered at the first sight of the Jin army. As Jin soldiers, they were discriminated against in terms of equipment and treatment, treated as military slaves by the Jurchens. How could they fight for the Jin army?

The Song army had fewer than ten casualties, mostly from stray arrows, with one death from falling off a cliff after being hit by an arrow.

"Commander, should we continue the attack?" a Jurchen centurion asked Xiao Yantuo.

Xiao Yantuo shook his head. He saw that the terrain was very unfavorable for the attack. With only 500 Jurchen soldiers under his command, a forced attack would likely result in failure and the loss of hundreds of men.

"I have already reported to the commander. Let's wait for his orders!"

He then said to County Lieutenant Min Wu, "Find local people for me. I need to know if there are any other paths up the mountain besides this one."

Half an hour later, Chen Qing received a message from the sentries at the gorge entrance that the Jurchens had retreated from the gorge and were heading back to the county town.

He immediately ordered the soldiers to go down the mountain to clear the bodies and collect arrows and weapons.

All the soldiers knew that the Jin army would not be satisfied with this defeat and would certainly return, possibly with a large-scale attack.

All the soldiers were actively preparing for battle.

Chen Qing found the old man Yang San.

"Old Yang, can you help me find a guide familiar with the mountain paths? I will reward you generously!"

"General Chen, money is not important. How about letting my son be the guide? He is a hunter and knows the mountain paths well."

Chen Qing was delighted and thanked him repeatedly, "Thank you, Old Yang!"

Yang San then pointed to the northeast corner, "There is another small path leading to the foot of the mountain, unknown to most people. I'm worried that the Jin army might find a local guide and learn about this path. You need to be prepared!"

Chen Qing took this information very seriously and immediately sent Yang Hua with a few men to follow Yang San down the small path to assess its impact on the defense.

In the evening, Deputy General Yang Yuanqing returned with 300 soldiers, dragging hundreds of logs with ropes. The soldiers lit torches and sawed the wood through the night.

It was proven that rolling logs were a powerful tool for defending on a slope. At least half of the enemy soldiers were killed by rolling logs today, and they needed to prepare thousands of logs.

The night was deep and very cold, with ice forming, but the soldiers continued to prepare for battle. They had sawed most of the wood and filled thousands of sandbags, each soldier exhausted but still gritting their teeth and persevering.

Chen Qing inspected the defense preparations on the small path halfway up the mountain. This path could indeed be used to attack the Song army from behind. To block this loophole, the soldiers came up with a solution.

The path halfway up the mountain had been leveled, the most dangerous part of the entire path, with a seven-foot-high steep slope. By leveling the top of the slope and stacking sandbags, the steep slope was extended to 15 feet, completely preventing the Jin army from climbing up.

Chen Qing frowned at the sandbag wall, "What if the enemy uses long spears to pierce the sandbags?"

Headman Yang Hua smiled, "General, don't worry. The mud and water will freeze by morning. Even if the spears pierce the bags, the frozen mud will not collapse. Unless they bring ladders, but our men will knock them over."

"Frozen!"

Chen Qing's eyes lit up. Freezing would make the path very slippery, a good strategy.

At that moment, a soldier shouted from above, "General, Old Yang and his son have arrived with important news."

"I'll be right there!"

Chen Qing hurried back to the military fort...