Chapter 4

"Command of the Wu Rui Army: When the enemy is 120 paces away, release all arrows!"

This time, the order was given by Lu Zhaolin, the Right Wu Doctor and Commander of the Wu Rui Army. In Chen Dexing's mind, an image of an older soldier appeared, his beard already streaked with gray, his face tanned and shiny, his leopard eyes emitting a fierce light, clearly a seasoned veteran. He was the one Chen Dexing called "Old Lu," also from Anfeng (near Shouzhou), and considered a fellow townsman. Thirty years ago, he joined the army along with others like Lu Wende and Chen Hushan, and now he was the commander of an entire army.

The sound of crying and shouting once again surged like a tide!

The three heavy infantry formations of the Mongol Han Army had already clashed with the remaining Song civilians in the center of the battlefield. Three-foot-long ring-headed sabers mercilessly slashed, causing splashes of blood! Compared to the Mongols who had been driving the crowd with curved swords and whips, these soldiers were even more ruthless and determined. It seemed as if those being cut down and killed were not their fellow countrymen, but unrelated foreigners...

They... still intended to drive the civilians into the formation!

The military knowledge in Chen Dexing's mind clearly told him that this tactic was not only commonly used by the Mongol army but also frequently seen in internal wars in Central China—using the elderly and weak as the vanguard, with the strong soldiers pressing from behind, to charge the enemy's formation and swarm the city! This was a tactic, this was military strategy... The essence of military strategy was: to win, one could not be bound by means!

"Er Lang, 120 paces is almost here!" Liu Heshang urged. Last time, he had helped Chen Dexing calibrate his shot. This time, it was Chen Dexing's turn to shoot... Since ancient times, a merciful person could not command an army! Chen Dexing was a military officer and could not have a compassionate heart! Otherwise, he would harm himself and others, and even endanger the country!

"Er Lang, shoot quickly... Lu Youwu and Li Baowen are watching!" Liu Heshang urged again.

Lu Youwu referred to Lu Zhaolin, whose rank was Right Wu Doctor, abbreviated as Right Wu. Li Baowen referred to Li Tingzhi, whose current position was Fengzhi Doctor, Director of the Baowen Pavilion, and Governor of Haozhou, as well as a participant in the Anhui and Huai安抚司 (Anhui and Huai Consolation Commission). Among these, Fengzhi Doctor was a nominal rank (determining the level of the official), and Director of the Baowen Pavilion was a library position, theoretically responsible for managing some books and documents left by Emperor Renzong and Emperor Yingzong (the Baowen Pavilion was built for these two emperors). In practice, it was an honorary position for a civil official, indicating the possibility of being heavily used. Therefore, high-ranking civil officials in the Song Dynasty had similar "library positions," and Jia Sidao's current library position was Duanming Hall Scholar. The famous Bao Zheng, also known as Bao Qingtian, had a library position as Director of the Longtu Pavilion, hence he was respectfully called Bao Longtu.

Chen Dexing's stepfather, Chen Huaiqing, although he had passed the military examination as a Wu Jinshi (military scholar) 23 years ago, did not have the opportunity to obtain a library position because he was not a Wen Jinshi (civil scholar). Song Dynasty Wu Jinshi generally did not serve in the military but would transfer to civil positions to become minor civil officials with poor prospects—until now, he was only a Chengwulang (a low-ranking official) of the 8th rank, serving as a doctor in the Wu School under the National University, and was still reading the Four Books and Five Classics day and night, preparing to take the civil examination next year... if the Song Dynasty still existed next year!

Chen Dexing looked at the elderly and weak women and children being driven forward, his face ashen, gritting his teeth, he raised his crossbow, drew the bow, and nocked an arrow, "Damn Genghis Khan, I will one day dig up your grave!"

After cursing, he closed his eyes and shot a sharp arrow into the dense crowd!

At this moment, the Song army's tactic was to release all arrows when the target was calibrated! The purpose of calibration was to measure the distance; hitting the target meant the enemy was within effective range. Then, all arrows could be released to cover the enemy with a dense barrage!

"Release!"

The archers and crossbowmen were commanded by their battalion and company commanders. These grassroots officers were either the sons of generals or experienced veterans, and they had iron hearts, showing no hesitation on the battlefield. As for the archers, they were strictly disciplined by military law—slower shooting would result in beheading! Future generations only knew of the strict laws of the powerful Qin army, but they did not know that the weak Song army also had strict discipline, although it could not be maintained for long...

Arrows rained down again on the elderly and weak women and children, who were only covered by thin clothing! After shooting one arrow, Chen Dexing did not join the inhumane slaughter, remaining silent, looking forward.

Behind the elderly and weak women and children, the Mongol Han Army's heavy infantry advanced in formation, carrying a "Shi" character banner. Chen Dexing knew that it was the banner of Shi Tianze, one of the five commanders of the Mongol Han Army! It was either Shi Tianze himself or one of his brothers. The Shi family of Daxing and Yongqing was one of the three major commanders in the Mongol army, controlling five regions with a population of a million and commanding tens of thousands of elite troops!

Behind the elite troops of the Shi family, the formation of the Mongol archers was slightly scattered. Dismounting to shoot and remounting to charge was the basic tactic of the Mongol cavalry, which dominated Eurasia. Forming infantry formations was never the Mongols' strength, and they did not consider it important because the enemy's infantry was always passive in front of them!

On the flanks of these Mongol archers, two thousand-strong formations of Mongol heavy cavalry were already in position, ready to charge once the Song army's formation became disordered. This tactic was simple and practical, and even in the future, during the era of linear infantry, similar principles were followed—disordered infantry formations could not withstand cavalry charges, just as they could not withstand the charge of well-ordered infantry. Therefore, the Song army, facing their own civilians being driven forward, could only choose to kill rather than save...

"Thump thump thump..." The sound of war drums, the Mongol Han Army advanced in formation, like a moving city, truly elite!

From a modern perspective, they were traitors, but they were not like the puppet armies of the Anti-Japanese War that dispersed at the sound of gunfire. This was not an era of rising nationalism; these northern Han people who served the Mongols only knew of their families and lords, not of their country or ethnicity.

"Twang twang twang twang..."

The sound of bowstrings firing in unison, on the battlefield, ten thousand arrows were released, covering the Mongol Han Army soldiers and Song civilians who were charging towards the Song army with a rain of arrows. The Song army was known for its powerful bows and crossbows, and in the Southern Song army, archers and crossbowmen made up 60% of the troops. The rest, including the spear wielders, shield bearers, and axe wielders, were auxiliary troops protecting the archers and crossbowmen.

After just three volleys, there was not a single standing Song civilian on the opposite side! Even the heavily armored elite troops of the Shi family had fallen in large numbers, making the formation appear sparse—leather armor's protective power was ultimately inferior to iron armor, and the leather armor provided to the Han Army was not as sturdy as that used by the Mongols. There was no silk undergarment inside the leather armor to catch the arrowheads, making it difficult to resist the Song army's bows and crossbows. However, these elite troops of the Shi family continued to charge forward without stopping.

At this moment, the Mongol archers also began to shoot arrows! They held Mongol composite bows, made from multiple materials, with power similar to the Song army's infantry bows (the Song army's bows were also composite). The maximum range for a light arrow was over 200 paces, but in battle, heavy arrows were used, which were only effective within 120 paces, and still had difficulty penetrating the Song army's infantry armor.

A series of crisp sounds, the rain of arrows from the sky fell on the heavily armored Song infantry in the front, only causing sparks to fly, seemingly causing no significant damage. Chen Dexing was also hit by an arrow, which lodged in the gap of his armor, hanging on his body, but he felt no pain. In the bow and crossbow battle, the Song army seemed to have the upper hand, but the approaching Shi family infantry still made the air in front of the Wu Rui Army tense...

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