Chapter 46

In the smoky and toxic air of the Pavilion Valley, over a hundred puppet soldiers were forced to walk step by step towards the valley entrance by the Jurchen soldiers with crossbows. The thick smoke made it hard for them to open their eyes, so they had to tear a piece of cloth from their undergarments to cover their mouths and noses.

But after walking for not long, one soldier fell to the ground with a thud, startling the others.

Soon, four more soldiers fell, convulsing all over. The leading officer suddenly realized that the smoke was poisonous.

He turned and waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to turn back, but they hadn't gone far when a dozen arrows whistled through the air, and several soldiers in the front screamed and fell.

The Jurchen soldiers were ruthless; if the puppet soldiers dared to retreat, they would not hesitate to kill them.

"Damn it, they don't treat us like human beings. I hope a pile of rocks crushes them to pieces!"

The puppet soldiers cursed under their breath but had no choice but to turn and run towards the valley entrance.

"Ah—"

Several soldiers stepped on poisonous caltrops, writhing in pain as they pulled out the sharp iron caltrops. Soon, they collapsed, and no one had the time to check if they were felled by the smoke or the caltrops.

At this moment, dozens more puppet soldiers rushed in, and the Jurchen soldiers simply forced them all to charge into battle with the enemy.

Hundreds of puppet soldiers were forced to run quickly, their coughing echoing. Arrows whistled from the front, and even with shields, they couldn't block them. People kept falling, either hit by arrows or stepping on poisonous caltrops.

Finally, the puppet soldiers reached the valley entrance, where burning pine branches blocked the way. They kicked the branches aside and rushed out. Several spears flashed, and the leading officer screamed as he fell backward. The soldiers behind him charged forward, one after another, and in a short while, over thirty puppet soldiers were killed, their bodies piling up at the valley entrance.

Zheng Ping was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Damn it, I didn't think we could seal the valley entrance! Let's see how they get out!"

"General, be careful!"

A soldier tackled Zheng Ping to the ground as several arrows whizzed over their heads.

Zheng Ping, furious, got up and roared: "Damn it, shoot them down with arrows!"

Song soldiers rushed forward, shooting arrows into the valley, but there was no response. Zheng Ping suddenly realized, "Not good!"

In the darkness, dozens of men with large shields charged out, catching the Song soldiers off guard. The archers should have been at the front, but the mistake was made, and the enemy seized the opportunity to break through.

Dozens of Song soldiers with spears charged forward, engaging the enemy in fierce combat. The Jurchen soldiers had already seized the valley entrance, and more and more Jurchen soldiers, about fifty to sixty, armed with short spears and large shields, joined the battle.

Then, over a hundred more puppet soldiers charged out, bringing the total number of Jurchen soldiers to nearly two hundred, while the Song soldiers numbered only fifty, a significant disparity.

Zheng Ping, regretting his mistake, roared: "Damn it, let's fight to the death!"

He swung his large saber and charged forward, fighting like a madman, forcing several puppet soldiers to retreat. The archers switched to spears and joined the battle. Both sides fought to the death with no retreat, suffering heavy casualties.

In just a quarter of an hour, over half of the Song soldiers were killed or wounded, and the Jurchen soldiers suffered nearly fifty casualties. The disparity in numbers grew even larger, and Zheng Ping was also wounded, blood streaming down his body.

Just as the Song soldiers were about to be overwhelmed, a loud shout came from the south: "Brothers, kill the Tartars!"

Countless Song soldiers charged from the south, a black mass of men, and countless spears and swords were aimed at the Jurchen soldiers. A general on horseback, wielding a golden saber, led the charge. It was Yang Zheng.

The battle at Wujia Town had ended, with both sides suffering heavy losses. The Jurchen soldiers retreated south, and the Song soldiers, reduced to about five hundred, dared not stay long and retreated to Jianque Pass. Unexpectedly, they arrived just in time to save Zheng Ping's army.

Hundreds of fresh troops joined the battle, quickly surrounding and isolating dozens of Jurchen and puppet soldiers on the south side, reversing the situation.

The Jurchen soldiers were forced to retreat, suffering heavy casualties. The leading Jurchen centurion, seeing the situation was dire, shouted a few commands, and the remaining Jurchen soldiers quickly retreated into the valley.

Zheng Ping was astonished. Where did these hundreds of Song soldiers come from? Could it be another trick, a puppet army sent to deceive them?

...

As night fell, the intense battle at Jianque Pass was drawing to a close. On the city walls, three hundred Song soldiers continued to resist the enemy's assault. The bodies piled up like mountains, and the city walls were drenched in blood. Limbs and headless bodies were scattered everywhere, with blood still gushing from the necks. Many bodies were cut in half, and organs rolled on the ground, the stench unbearable.

Thirty siege ladders had been destroyed, and the remaining five were crowded with nearly two thousand soldiers, climbing desperately to take the city before nightfall. But they were met with rolling logs and stones, drenched in blood and brains.

At the base of the city, a massive battering ram lay on the side, still burning. Thirty Jurchen soldiers were curled up, burned to charcoal, and dozens more were shot by arrows, lying in various positions near the city gate.

The battering ram had failed, not even breaking half the drawbridge. Before the two hundred soldiers could attack, ten barrels of fire were thrown down, engulfing them in flames.

This was an extremely brutal siege, lasting from dawn to dusk. The puppet army suffered nearly five thousand casualties, and the Song defenders over three hundred.

General Han Chang's eyes were filled with despair. He had thrown in eight thousand men and still hadn't taken the city. Were they really Song soldiers? Were there really fewer than a thousand?

At this moment, a Jurchen cavalryman galloped up, saluting and shouting: "The general orders a retreat. You have done your best, please withdraw quickly!"

Han Chang felt a sense of relief, thinking Wanyan Wulu had forgiven him.

This battle could not continue. The last two thousand soldiers were demoralized, attacking like the living dead, and it would be a meaningless waste of lives.

"Order the retreat!"

The retreat bell rang, and the attacking soldiers, as if granted a pardon, ran back in a frenzy, faster than the tide receding. The severely wounded, still alive, were left on the battlefield to die.

Han Chang led thousands of soldiers, feeling deeply dejected, back to the camp outside the valley. The city walls erupted in cheers and drumbeats, celebrating victory.

After a day of intense battle, the Song army had lost over 280 men and 110 were wounded, a total of nearly 400 casualties, not including those from Zheng Ping's defense at the Pavilion Valley.

Only four hundred soldiers were left to immediately engage in battle, and the situation was extremely dire. If the Jurchen army continued to launch large-scale attacks like today, Jianque Pass would not hold.

Outside the city, hundreds of Song soldiers were clearing the battlefield, dragging away bodies for burial, and killing the severely wounded puppet soldiers, who had lost too much blood and would not survive even if taken into the city. Weapons, armor, and valuables were collected, and rolling logs and stones were transported back into the city for reuse. The workload was enormous, and it might not be completed even by midnight.

"Commander, will the Jurchen army launch a large-scale attack tomorrow?" Yang Yuanqing asked worriedly.

Chen Qing shook his head, "I don't know, but the Jurchen army still has many powerful weapons, like siege towers, catapults, and fire weapons, and the Jurchen soldiers haven't participated in the attack yet. Our greatest challenges are still ahead."

Yang Yuanqing felt a heavy weight in his heart. Even with some of the wounded joining the battle, they would only have half the strength. How could they face the even stronger attacks to come?

At this moment, a soldier rushed to report, "Commander, Headman Zheng has brought a Song army, about a few hundred men, from Heshangyuan."

Chen Qing was overjoyed. A few hundred men! It was like a timely snowfall.

He and Yang Yuanqing quickly walked down to the city, "What is the name of the commander?"

"Seems to be Yang Zheng!"

"Yang Zheng?"

Yang Yuanqing suddenly stopped.

Chen Qing looked back at him, "Do you know this person?"

Yang Yuanqing smiled bitterly, "How could I not know him? He is my clan brother, the legitimate son of the Yang family, while I am the illegitimate son. Five years ago, we fought over where to join the army. In a fit of anger, I went to Qingzhou and joined the Huanqing Army, while he joined the Jingyuan Army."

"Which Yang family are you from?"

"The Yang family of Taiyuan, descendants of Yang Yiyi."