Chapter 50

The fierce battle at Heshangyuan lasted for more than half a month. Contrary to what Wanyan Wulu had said, there was no stalemate between the two sides. Instead, there were intense battles every three to five days.

The Song army, no longer hindered by the western Jin forces, stationed their entire army at Heshangyuan and repeatedly defeated the Jin army's attacks. The Jin army suffered tens of thousands of casualties but could not make any progress into Heshangyuan.

One noon, the commander Wu Jie rode to the western camp. The western camp was currently the base of Wang Yan, who led 5,000八字军 (Bazijun) to resist the Jin army in the west.

Wang Yan was discussing military affairs with his deputy, Fu Xuan, in the main tent when a soldier reported from outside, "Commander, General Wu has arrived!"

"So soon!" Wang Yan smiled and went out to welcome him. Wu Jie dismounted and handed the reins to a guard.

Wu Jie quickly entered the tent and asked, "Zicai, what's the urgent matter?"

Wang Yan smiled slightly and said, "The enemy's recent attacks have been very intense, and I have a plan to defeat them."

Wu Jie's eyes lit up, and he became interested, urging, "Tell me quickly!"

Wang Yan came to the map and pointed to a black flag on it, "This is a large tent that appeared the day before yesterday. From the specifications of this tent, it should be the camp of a commander of ten thousand men. It's definitely not Wanyan Wulu, but Wanyan Meili. I believe the Jin army has shifted their focus to the west."

Wu Jie nodded thoughtfully, "Go on!"

"I'm thinking, why did Wanyan Meili shift his focus to the west? Is he hoping to join forces with Wanyan Wulu and attack us from both sides?"

Wu Jie frowned, "Would Wanyan Meili not know about the Arrow Pass?"

"If he knew that the Arrow Pass had intercepted the western Jin forces, he would certainly send troops to support them. But so far, he hasn't sent any troops. I boldly guess that he doesn't know, and he believes that Wanyan Wulu's army will soon attack the west and hit us from behind, so he personally came to the west."

"So you think this is an opportunity to defeat the enemy?"

Wang Yan nodded, "If my army suddenly retreats in a panic, Wanyan Meili will certainly think that the western Jin forces have arrived. We can lure the enemy deeper, and then the commander can cut off their retreat from behind. They will have no choice but to retreat west to Niushoufu!"

Niushoufu is located to the west of Heshangyuan, with low and swampy terrain, making it difficult for horses to move. Its strategic position is extremely disadvantageous. The Song army has always hoped that the Jin army would enter Niushoufu, but the Jin army would never fall for it.

Wu Jie, of course, knew that this plan was quite risky, but without the western Jin forces, their current strength was evenly matched with the Jin army. As long as their own troops cooperated well, the chances of success were high. The key was whether Wanyan Meili would fall for it.

"How confident are you that the Jin army will fall for it?"

"About seventy percent confident!"

Wang Yan looked at the map again, thought for a long time, and slowly said, "We can give it a try!"

......

That morning, the Song army in the western part of Heshangyuan suddenly retreated in a panic. The Jin scouts monitoring them rushed back to the main camp to report.

The commander, Wanyan Meili, was indeed in the western camp. He had been under great pressure recently, as the fourth prince, Wanyan Wushu, had ordered him to quickly capture Heshangyuan and annihilate Wu Jie's army. Without the support of the western Jin forces, capturing Heshangyuan was no easy task.

Wanyan Meili had been in the western camp for the past two days, hoping to hear news from the western Jin forces.

"What?"

Wanyan Meili stood up abruptly, "You mean the Song army retreated in a panic?"

"Exactly! The Song army at various checkpoints withdrew in a hurry, even leaving their tents behind, as if they had been attacked. The soldiers were in disarray and rushed south in a hurry."

Wanyan Meili slammed his fist on the table, "There must have been a change in the western valley. The western Jin forces have arrived."

"Commander, be careful, it might be a trap!" a general warned.

Wanyan Meili shook his head, "Opportunities are fleeting, and we must seize them. The western Jin forces should have arrived by now. This is a heaven-sent opportunity to crush the Song army. Pass my order, attack!"

The 20,000 Jin soldiers, without time to gather their belongings, quickly advanced under Wanyan Meili's command towards the western part of Heshangyuan. Soon, they occupied the former Song army camp.

It was clear that the Song army had retreated in a hurry. Tents were left standing, and many soldiers' blankets and personal items were scattered. The main tent was in chaos, with maps and documents scattered everywhere.

At this moment, a group of Jin soldiers captured a Song soldier and brought him to Wanyan Meili.

The soldier was terrified, kneeling and begging for mercy, "I am just a cook, please spare my life, Commander!"

"Tell me the truth, and I won't kill you. Why did you retreat in a panic?"

"I'm not sure, but... I heard that something happened in the western valley last night. The garrison there was ambushed, and the entire army was wiped out. I don't know the details."

Wanyan Meili was delighted. It was indeed the western Jin forces that had arrived, catching the Song army off guard. The opportunity for a pincer attack had come.

Wanyan Meili immediately ordered, "Pass my order, pursue the Song army south!"

......

The 20,000 Jin soldiers, without time to gather their spoils, continued to pursue the Song army south. Along the way, they saw items left behind by the Song army, which made the Jin soldiers even more excited. They pursued for over ten miles and entered a long valley. The valley was about seven to eight miles long and one mile wide, shaped like a T. Besides the northern and southern entrances, there was a western passage leading to the low-lying Niushoufu.

Wanyan Meili looked up at the sky, where dark clouds were rolling, indicating an impending heavy rain. He suddenly had a sense of foreboding, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The vanguard of the Jin army, 3,000 Jurchen cavalry, had just reached the valley entrance when a drum sounded, and hundreds of crossbows appeared before them. Arrows rained down like a storm, causing chaos and screams among the Jurchen cavalry.

Over half of the 3,000 Jurchen cavalry were killed, and the remaining few were terrified and turned to flee. The Song army, lying in ambush on both sides, emerged and slaughtered the Jurchen cavalry, causing countless deaths and injuries.

Wanyan Meili suddenly realized what was wrong. In the Song army camp and along the way, there were all kinds of items, but no food.

But they themselves had not brought any food either!

At this moment, a cry of terror came from the front, and chaos broke out in the rear. A soldier rushed to report, "Commander, the vanguard has been ambushed by the Song army, with heavy casualties!"

Another cavalryman galloped in, "Commander, our retreat has been cut off by the Song army, and the rear forces have suffered heavy casualties!"

The reports stunned Wanyan Meili, and he suddenly realized he had been tricked.

Wanyan Meili immediately ordered, "Pass my order, retreat to Niushoufu!"

Just as they began their retreat to Niushoufu, a heavy rainstorm swept through the mountains, with strong winds and heavy rain.

The Jin soldiers, cold and hungry, lost their morale. The Song army, with high spirits, pursued them relentlessly. The Jin army was in full retreat, with soldiers trampling each other on the narrow, muddy road, resulting in countless deaths.

This battle, where the Song army lured the enemy deeper, resulted in a major victory. The 20,000 Jin soldiers suffered continuous defeats in Niushoufu, and only about a thousand managed to escape back to the main camp, almost completely annihilated, including the commander, Wanyan Meili, who died in the chaos.

Upon hearing of the main force's defeat and the commander's death, the eastern commander, Wanyan Huo, hastily led 10,000 Jurchen cavalry to retreat towards Jingzhao, without even bothering to gather their belongings. Wu Lin's army then occupied the Weinan camp, and thousands of puppet troops who couldn't retreat in time surrendered.

Twenty days after the attack on Heshangyuan, the Jin army, numbering tens of thousands, ended in a惨败 (catastrophic defeat). Tens of thousands of stones of grain and countless supplies were seized by the Song army, marking the Song army's first major victory since the disastrous defeat at Fuping.

......

The eighth day of the fire attack on Arrow Pass saw the city walls, which had withstood countless battles, still standing tall. However, the wooden gate had been completely burned, revealing the two massive stones and the dense sandbags inside.

The 20 trebuchets brought by Wanyan Wulu were also completely damaged, making it impossible to continue the fire attack. The battlefield fell into a brief calm.

In the afternoon, Chen Qing mysteriously summoned several generals, including Yang Zheng, who had left five days ago to report the situation at Arrow Pass to Heshangyuan, leaving 500 reinforcements behind.

"Commander, what's the good news, being so mysterious?" the generals asked with smiles.

"Come and see this!"

Chen Qing took out a bundle of items wrapped in paper from the main tent and carefully placed it on a large stone.

He unwrapped the paper, revealing several ropes about a foot long and as thick as a little finger.

"What is this?" the generals asked, puzzled.

"This is what I exposed to the sun for the past two days. It's called a fuse or a slow match."

The generals looked at each other, still confused.

"It's made by cutting paper into strips, brushing them with water, evenly sprinkling gunpowder, brushing them with paste, and rolling them into ropes. After drying in the sun, they can be used."

"But what's the use of it?" Yang Hua couldn't help but ask.

Chen Qing took a fuse and placed it on the ground, lighting it with a torch from a soldier.

'Shush! Shush!' The fuse burned quickly and was soon consumed.

Chen Qing smiled, "By inserting this fuse into a gunpowder barrel, we don't need to use paper to ignite it. Using paper is not only dangerous but also prone to extinguishing."

The generals suddenly understood, and Yang Hua clapped and laughed, "This is great! With over a dozen barrels of gunpowder, we can put them to good use. Why don't we test one?"

Chen Qing smiled, "I tested it in the pine forest yesterday. The gunpowder is limited, so there's no need to test it again. I've already inserted fuses into all the barrels. When the time comes, you'll know how to use them."

"When will we use the gunpowder?" Yang Hua asked.

Chen Qing shook his head, "I don't know. We'll see the situation. Use it when the situation is critical."