Chapter 7

Chen Qing led more than 130 soldiers into the forest.

The moment they entered the forest, everyone felt as if they had crawled back from the underworld.

Chen Qing's warhorse fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and was clearly about to die.

Wu Zhang Yang Hua rushed forward and suggested, "Captain, if we cross the forest, the mountain on the other side of the river is where the Second Son's military camp is."

Seeing the soldiers becoming somewhat lax, Chen Qing shouted urgently, "The enemy is coming! Everyone, don't rest, continue to retreat north!"

The soldiers mustered their strength, stood up, and ran.

"Captain, Liu Wu can't make it!" Zhao Xiaoyi shouted sadly from behind.

Liu Wu's lower abdomen had been pierced by a spear, his intestines hanging out, and he was almost out of blood. He had been holding on until now, but once they entered the forest and his will relaxed, he could no longer support himself.

Chen Qing squatted down to bandage his wound and comforted him, "You'll be fine, it's just a minor injury, don't worry too much."

Liu Wu's chest heaved violently, and he was in a critical state. He tightly grabbed Chen Qing's hand and pleaded, "Captain, I beg you... I beg you for one thing!"

"Speak!"

"I beg you to tell my son that his father did not disgrace him, that he died for his country. You must tell him..."

Liu Wu's breath faltered, his head fell to the side, and he stopped breathing.

Chen Qing held back his tears, reached out to close Liu Wu's eyes, and nodded, "I will definitely do it!"

"Captain, they're here!" A soldier pointed outside the forest and shouted in fear.

The sound of hooves thundered, and a few hundred Jurchen cavalry appeared a hundred paces away.

Chen Qing struggled to lift Liu Wu's body and threw it into a nearby mud ditch, where the thick mud swallowed it.

"Let's go!"

Chen Qing led the remaining soldiers deeper into the forest.

Soon, three hundred Jurchen iron cavalry charged into the forest like a whirlwind, skillfully controlling their horses and galloping swiftly.

The Jurchen cavalry, while galloping, drew their bows and shot arrows at the lagging Song soldiers. Soldiers were constantly hit by arrows, screaming and falling to the ground.

Many Song soldiers were severely injured and could not run fast, ultimately dying under the Jurchen cavalry's arrows.

Seeing more and more wounded soldiers being shot, Chen Qing's heart ached. At this rate, they would all be killed soon.

"Captain, look!" Zhao Xiaoyi suddenly pointed at the trees and shouted.

Chen Qing saw it; two large beehives hung from the branches of a large tree, like two giant lanterns.

Chen Qing's eyes lit up; this was a good idea.

Zhao Xiaoyi quickly said, "Let me do it! I've dealt with them since I was a child."

"Be careful!"

Zhao Xiaoyi was very agile, climbing the tree like a monkey and tearing off his military uniform to cover his face and neck.

He waved to Chen Qing, who turned and ran.

In a moment, the three hundred Jurchen iron cavalry arrived. Zhao Xiaoyi swung his sword and chopped down the two large beehives along with the branches...

Zhao Xiaoyi turned and hugged a thick branch, the wide branch shielding his small body.

*Plop! Plop!*

The two giant beehives fell heavily into the cavalry formation, right next to Wanyan Alu. A swarm of bees rose into the air and attacked the surrounding cavalry.

The horses neighed in terror, their front hooves raised high, and the cavalry covered their faces and fled in all directions.

The pursuing Jurchen cavalry quickly fell into chaos. The cavalry behind them reined in their horses, helplessly watching the wild bees flying around in the forest.

Seizing this opportunity, the Song soldiers rushed out of the forest and ran towards the river, jumping into the water. Two large mountains lay ahead, with the river flowing between them.

The river was about ten zhang wide, and it was the dry season, so the water only reached the knees in the middle, but the current was still swift. They had too many wounded, and the battle and running had exhausted the soldiers, making it difficult to walk in the river.

But the enemy's iron cavalry could easily cross the river, and with their powerful bows, they would likely shoot them all down at the foot of the mountain before they could reach it.

If they could find something like a beehive to slightly obstruct the enemy, they might escape this disaster.

Chen Qing's mind raced, seeking a simple and effective way to block the enemy.

Historically, the most effective way to deal with warhorses was with caltrops, but what else? Tripwires, horse traps...

*Horse traps!*

Chen Qing thought of it like a flash of lightning.

This was the most suitable method for their current predicament, simple and effective.

"Let the wounded go first, and the uninjured follow me to set up!"

Chen Qing led dozens of soldiers to dig dozens of deep pits on the path the cavalry would take. The sandy soil was easy to dig, and they broke the arrows, inserted the arrowheads upwards, and covered the pits with piles of leaves.

"Captain, will it work?"

Chen Qing shook his head, "I don't know, but we'll take every moment we can get."

Chen Qing looked back at the forest, genuinely worried whether Zhao Xiaoyi could escape.

The sound of hooves like thunder came from the forest, and the Jurchen cavalry arrived.

"Go!"

Chen Qing leaped up, leading dozens of soldiers into the river, quickly wading to the other side.

In a moment, the Jurchen iron cavalry emerged from the forest. They had not lost any men but had been delayed.

The commander, Wanyan Alu, his face swollen and red, was furious. He looked at the Song soldiers fleeing in the river and shouted, "Catch the enemy, kill them all!"

Hundreds of iron cavalry sped towards the river. Suddenly, a dozen cavalrymen at the front fell, and dozens more horses were tripped by the traps.

The cavalry behind them reined in their horses, afraid to advance.

"What's happening?" Wanyan Alu asked sternly.

"Commander, there are horse traps on the ground!"

A dozen horses had broken their legs, the arrowheads deeply piercing their hooves, rendering them useless. Several cavalrymen were also seriously injured.

Wanyan Alu saw the Song soldiers already on the shore, running up the mountain a few hundred paces away. He shouted in frustration, "Forget the horse traps, catch them!"

The Jurchen cavalry, bracing themselves, charged into the river. Another Jurchen cavalryman unfortunately stepped on a horse trap, and his horse fell, rolling him into the river.

Another cavalryman also stepped on a horse trap, the sharp arrowhead piercing his horse's hoof, causing the horse to fall forward and pinning the cavalryman underneath.

But the rest of the cavalry charged into the river, the horses galloping, splashing water.

The Jurchen cavalry drew their bows and shot arrows at the Song soldiers rushing into the forest. Chen Qing waved his spear to deflect the arrows, retreating as he moved.

The Jurchen cavalry were ultimately a step too late. Chen Qing led a few soldiers into the forest, their figures disappearing into the darkness.

The Jurchen cavalry reined in their horses at the edge of the forest. The horses could not go further, and they had to dismount to pursue. Wanyan Alu shaded his eyes and looked up the mountain, faintly seeing a wooden camp on the hillside.

"There's a camp on the mountain. Rest for a moment, they can't escape!"

...

Chen Qing could no longer make the soldiers continue fleeing. Most of the soldiers were injured, and if they kept running, even if they weren't killed by the Jurchen cavalry, half of them would die from their worsening injuries.

They urgently needed to rest and treat their wounds.

The Second Son's camp was a small military post left by the commander Qu Duan when he deployed the defense of Guanzhong. There were many such posts in Guanzhong, garrisoned with soldiers and storing grain and supplies.

The commander of the Northwest Army, Zhang Jun, was focused on the Fuping campaign and opposed Qu Duan's defensive strategy, so almost all the military posts were abandoned.

The post was located on a hillside, not very large. From the sky, it looked like a crescent moon, with an open area of about 500 to 600 square meters, capable of accommodating up to 200 people. The soldiers had dug about twenty caves into the mountain wall, serving as barracks and storage for supplies, and built a fence at the front.

There was also a mountain spring trickling down, which was crucial for the construction of the military post.

Entering the post, the exhausted soldiers lay down, their injuries and extreme fatigue making it impossible for them to move. The uninjured soldiers used cloth soaked in spring water to clean and bandage the wounds of the injured.

The soldiers opened the caves, which were dry and well-ventilated, warm and dry. They carried the most severely injured soldiers inside.

The soldiers were hungry, cold, and severely injured. They had no medicine or food.

Without medicine, the injured would not survive the night, and without food, they would not survive the night either.

Worse still, they had no weapons. The soldiers had discarded their armor and spears in the forest, leaving them with only their daggers and a few bows and arrows. The entire army had only one iron spear carried by the commander, Chen Qing.

If the Jurchens attacked, they could only scatter and flee. Once the army dispersed, the structure would be lost, meaning their total annihilation.

This was a harsh reality that no one wanted to face.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the cave warehouse, their only hope.

Chen Qing ordered the soldiers to tear off the seals and smash the locks. Wu Zhang Yang Hua smiled, "General, don't worry, there must be weapons and supplies!"

Chen Qing, half-believing, half-doubting, ordered, "Smash the lock!"

The lock was finally broken, the door opened, and a large beam of light shone in, revealing the contents of the cave clearly. The soldiers cheered.

Chen Qing let out a long sigh of relief, leaning against the door frame, feeling a deep gratitude for the previous garrison.