Chapter 1: The Awakening of Shin Wang...

  The news that the righteous army started to attack Fushan quickly spread to Pingding City. The Jin army generals were not surprised, on the contrary, they felt relieved. Zhao Chen, who was strong and powerful, did not attack Pingding City, but instead attacked Fushan, which was heavily guarded by troops from the east. During this time, all the Jin officials in Leiping Prefecture were unable to sleep, worried that the king would send troops to attack Leiping City.

  Currently, the main force of the Jin army is concentrated near Tokyo. The Jin army's forces in Hedong and Hexi are insufficient, and Zhao Jun has successively annihilated more than 10,000 elite soldiers and 40,000 to 50,000 strong men. Therefore, the total number of Jin soldiers in Leiping State does not exceed 20,000 people. These 20,000 people are still guarding various strategic passes and towns, and if they are divided, there will be even fewer.

  However, Fushan was different. The troops stationed in Fushan were the 30,000 Liao soldiers who had surrendered to Jin, led by the battle-hardened Jie general Xiao Gan.

  On the same day at dusk, the vanguard of the righteous army arrived outside Jingyang Town. Zhao Xun and other generals such as Zhao Bangjie, Gao Baoshan, Gao Yunfei, Liu Sange, etc., rode their horses to approach the city wall of Jingyang Town to discuss strategies for attacking the city.

  A month ago, the righteous army passed by this town but at that time there were pursuers behind them, so they didn't intend to take the city and therefore didn't attack it, letting it go.

  But this time, it can't be let go, this time the foundation must be laid, and the road from Le Ping City to Taihang Mountain must be thoroughly connected. Zhao Xun wants to connect his territory into one piece, with Taihang Mountain as the great rear and Le Ping City as the support for anti-Jin resistance.

  At this time, the city shot a book, and the Jurchen general guarding the city wanted to meet with Zhao Chen. Zhao Chen brought his personal guards to the west gate of Jingyang Town, where the Jurchen general had already come out of the city.

  The Jin army general was originally a Khitan who surrendered to the Jin, named Yelü Amuwang. The two thousand Jin soldiers under him were Han people and Khitans, as well as a small number of Bohai people and soldiers from other ethnic groups. Faced with the tens of thousands of Liao troops attacking, relying on the less than three-meter earth wall of Jingyang Town was not an opponent at all. Moreover, many people from various tribes had heard that the Liao army would definitely not kill anyone who surrendered, except for the Jurchen people. Moreover, they did not want to continue to die for the Jin army, so Yelü Amuwang asked to surrender.

  Yelü Abaoji's demands were simple: first, after surrendering, the righteous army would not kill prisoners; second, he wanted an official position for himself, requiring a safe position in the rear without fighting. In response to his demands, Zhao Xun fully agreed. So, at midnight, Yelü Abaoji surrendered and left Jingyang Town.

  King Xinfeng Zhao personally led the vanguard into the city. Then, Ma Zheng led the central army to arrive and was stationed at both ends of Jingyang Town. By dusk, Gao Yunfei, who led 20,000 troops, arrived.

  Afterwards, Zhao Kuang sent troops to enter the city and arranged Yelü Abaoji as a town official in Jingyang Town, in charge of local people's livelihood. Of course, he also dispatched a team of cavalry to supervise Yelü Abaoji.

  The next day, Zhao Kuang led the 35,000-strong army to set out. At the same time, from Le Ping's direction, a mighty force of 30,000 people also began to move towards Chang Le City.

  On the rugged mountain road, the flowers and grasses have already grown out at this time, with wildflowers and weeds growing all over the ground, and the surrounding trees are full of green leaves. Zhao Jun rode on the back of his war horse, pondering the current battle situation.

  A horseman came galloping, the scout on horseback was sweating profusely, and with a mouthful of hot air said: "General, the messenger from the left route army has arrived, they have changed direction according to your orders, please be at ease."

  Upon hearing this, Zhao Kun's mouth corners slightly revealed a smile. The righteous army loudly and openly went to attack Fushan, but in fact it was a confusing tactic for the Jin soldiers. Their actual goal was to pacify Pingding Prefecture's capital city, Pingdingcheng.

  At the military meeting, he proposed this strategy of feigning an attack in the east while striking in the west. Pingding City was heavily fortified and garrisoned, if he were to send a large force to attack it head-on, the Righteous Army would certainly suffer heavy casualties. By then, the floating mountain army would follow up with another blow, the Righteous Army would be attacked from both front and back, and might possibly be defeated, all his efforts would be in vain.

  So, Zhao Kun used the strategy of "making a feint to the east while attacking in the west". He publicly declared that he would attack Fushan, intentionally letting the Jin army scouts get the information. However, among the 30,000 troops led by Zhao Kun himself, only 1,000 cavalrymen from the Imperial Guard and 2,000 infantrymen led by Ma Zheng were real soldiers; the rest were just civilians who had been rounded up to make up the numbers.

  "Wolf smoke rises, looking north to the rivers and mountains; dragon rolls up, horse neighs loudly, sword energy like frost; heart like the vast Yellow River waters; King Xīn's army, who can resist in the midst of chaos? Hatred wants to go wild, where the long knife points... How many...". The loud military song echoes through the sky, and under King Xīn's lead, a group of rough soldiers sing with increasing vigor. Some people even sing with tears in their eyes.

  This military song was personally written by General Wang for everyone, and it's not some kind of obscure thing, but something that everyone can understand.

  Singing this song, everyone feels their blood boiling. Let alone the 30,000 troops of the floating mountain, even if there were 300,000, I would still fight to the death. A group of young men worship him, believing that Wang Qian Sheng is really something else, leading everyone to fight against the golden dog. But the emperor in the south only knows how to retreat and doesn't even dare to go to the front line. Why are the two brothers so different? For Wang Zhao Xun, I would give my life.

  The righteous army sang with fervent passion, but under Zhao Kui's command, they moved very slowly. Zhao Kui led 30,000 men, turning left and right, making the scouts sent by the Jin army defending Mount Fujiao almost unable to find any trace of the righteous army led by Xing Wang.

  What's wrong with you, are you heading to Fushan or not? You've deviated from the direction of Fushan by over 20 miles. This isn't even going to Fushan, it's running towards the distant Hebei Road...

  Just as Zhao Jun was leading his 30,000 troops in a frantic search, suddenly "Report...! Report to the Commander-in-Chief!" A team of galloping Righteous Army cavalrymen rushed over at high speed.

  "Report to the Commander-in-Chief, Liang Xing's leader has sent a message that Jin General Wan Yan Kuai is leading 50,000 Jin soldiers from the north into Shouyang City. Deputy Commander Zhao Bangjie has ordered the army to stop advancing and attack Pingding City, what should we do now?"

  Zhao Kun almost fainted when he heard the words. "Wanyan Aguda? Damn it, he's not on the front line, what's the point of gathering so many troops in the rear?" The five thousand Jin soldiers were too many, plus Shouyang was very close to Pingding, and with the original more than ten thousand Jin soldiers garrisoned in Pingding City, the enemy's forces were extremely numerous. Once they attacked Pingding City, the Jin soldiers from Shouyang would definitely come to support Pingding City.

  "Order Deputy Commander Zhao to immediately turn around and head towards Poyang Mountain. We will merge our forces there to attack Poyang Mountain." Zhao Ke gave the order at once.

  Fushan is easy to defend but hard to attack, and it forms a pair of horns with Leiping City, supporting each other. With this, they can resist the large army of Jin soldiers from Shouyang and Pingding cities. Now there's no way out, the Jin army is pressing in, Zhao Song must think of a way to create the best situation to deal with the enemy.

  The 50,000 Jurchen soldiers led by Wanyan Zongwang were actually to deal with Wang Yun's Eight Trigrams Army. Upon learning that Wang Yun's Eight Trigrams Army was very powerful and fearing that the rear fortress of Taiyuan Prefecture would be attacked, the frontline commander-in-chief of the Jin army, Wanyan Zongwang, sent Wanyan Zongbi to mobilize troops from the rear of the Jin state to provide support. Their army was assembled from the rear of the Jin state and marched southward.

  Wang Yan, having received the imperial edict from Gaozong, ignored Xiang Wang's request to join forces and led a force of 10,000 elite soldiers south to surrender to Zong Ze and defend Dongjing. Meanwhile, Wanyan Wuzhuo mistakenly rushed to the location, and now the main force of the Jin army will set its next target on Xiang Wang's righteous army near Taihang Mountain.

  Under Zhao Chen's command, Zhao Bangjie led the army to quickly advance east and merge with Zhao Chen's troops. After the two armies merged, there were more than 30,000 strong soldiers who ate mixed rice, and the total number of righteous army reached more than 60,000 people.

  The mighty army arrived at the foot of Fushan, and Zhao Kuang observed the defense of Fushan, thinking about the strategy to attack the enemy. The Jurchen-led Golden Army had more than 30,000 soldiers, occupying a favorable terrain, and even using strong attacking tactics would not work.

  Xiaoren Wang Shaokang, Zhao Chen knew that he was a good friend of Yelü Chong, a member of the royal family of the original Liao State. When the Emperor of Liao fled to the west, Yelü Chong declared himself emperor in Yanjing, and he and Yelü Dashi were both trusted advisors of Yelü Chong. Later, Yelü Chong died, the Emperor of Liao died, and the Liao State was completely destroyed. Yelü Dashi led his troops to escape to the vast grasslands, while Shaokang surrendered to the Jin State.

  At this time, Xiao Gan was pacing back and forth in his room, unable to fall asleep. On this deep night, he was startled awake by the sound of urgent horseshoes. The scout brought urgent military news that Wang Jun's army suddenly split into two routes, merged into one place, and rushed towards Fushan at high speed.

  Upon hearing this news, Xiao Gan was shocked. How could this be? The King's Righteous Army only had a little over 30,000 men, how did they suddenly double in number?

  "Besides General Xin, whose banner is that? And where have they reached now?" Xiao Gan hastily asked. "A full six or seven hundred thousand, maybe even more, the entire army stretching for miles."

  The scout was deeply impressed by the vast army and said, "There are too many large flags. I saw the flags of Xīn Wáng, Lóng Hǔ Jūn, Jīn Hǔ Jūn, Mǎ Jiā Jūn, Shén Shān Jūn, Fēng Léi Jūn, Kuáng Biào Jūn and Hēi Lóng Jūn. I also saw the flags of Zhōng Yì Shè, Bā Zì Jūn, and the war flag of the Great Song Dynasty's regular army. This large army is now less than ten miles away from the Fú Shān defense line." How fast! Just a while ago, we received news that they were still wandering in the western direction, but now they are already right in front of us.

  Xiao Gan calmed down, and he also believed that Zhao Ke led a large army. However, he knew that Wang Yan's main force went south, so the eight-character army brought by Zhao Ke was a mob. As for the military forces of the Zhongyi Society, they must have also defected to Zhao Ke. It is estimated that apart from this, there are still some Song troops coming north to support King Xian.

  He couldn't have imagined that Zhao Song had always been fond of using the tactic of feigning weakness, making Xiao Gan think he had many troops, and now didn't dare to launch a preemptive attack down the mountain. Once Zhao Song was fully prepared, he would let Xiao Gan know his true military strength, and when Xiao Gan launched another attack, he would fall right into Zhao Song's trap...

  At this time, Xiao Gan looked at the map for a long time, but his heart became more and more calm. He was stationed in Fushan to prepare for attacking Wang Yan's Eight Trigrams Army. Now that the enemy had changed to Xiwang Zhao Chen, it could still serve its purpose.

  Xiao Gan operated in Fushan for several months, and 30,000 people established three defensive strongholds: Zuoshan Stockade, Youshan Stockade, and Houshan Stockade. Although the Xingwang Righteous Army was powerful, even the elite one million Jin soldiers of Pu Jia Nu were annihilated, but breaking through his own impregnable defense was impossible.

  In addition, Wanyan Zongwang is now leading 50,000 troops into Shouyang City, and many reinforcements will come to support. Xiao Gan knows that his time to make a name for himself has arrived. At this moment, Xiao Gan immediately sent a letter to Wanyan Zongwang in Shouyang City, asking him to quickly advance south and attack the army of Prince of Qi. Afterwards, Xiao Gan also ordered the chiefs of various Jie tribes to come to the military tent for discussion.

  About three or four miles away from the floating mountain Jinbing defense line, Zhao Song chose a place with higher terrain and mountains, he decided to make this place the main camp of the army. The mountains here are undulating, surrounded by mountains, which is conducive to building defense and unfavorable for cavalry attacks, very much in line with his requirements.

  "Order all troops to set up camp here." Zhao Xun turned his head and looked at the short knife, the captain of the guard, and smiled: "Do you know what this place is called?"

  "This place is called Fushan." Xiaodao said: "General Qian Shou, you give this place a name, it's also good for passing orders."

  "Hmm..." Zhao Xun nodded in agreement with Xiao Dao's words, and muttered softly to himself: "This mountain range is undulating, and belongs to the yellow earth high slope boundary, so let's call it Huang Long Slope!" Xiao Dao immediately responded loudly: "Huang Long Slope, this name sounds good."

  "Pass on the order, the army will set up camp at Huanglong Slope." "Yes sir!"

  The rebel army surged into Huanglongpo, and at this time, Zhao Bangjie, Ma Zheng, Wu Feng, Liu Xi, Liu Sange and Gao Baoshan stood in a row on the mountain ridge. They looked at the Jin army's defensive formation in front of them, feeling dizzy and having a sense of helplessness.

  Jin Jun's defensive formation was built on the mountain. On the left, a city was built, and on the right, another mountain also had a camp, overlooking from above, with another mountain behind. Because of the distance, it was unclear what was on top, but without guessing, it was certain that there were Jin army barracks on the mountain. If possible, the main tent of General Xiao Gan of the Jin army might be there.

  Looking at the mountain defense in front of him, Zhao Song knew that it was time to test the results of his military training over this period. This battle must be fought and a bloody fight is necessary. Fushan is a barrier blocking the Pingdingcheng Jin army, facing the sudden increase in troops in Pingdingcheng, Fushan must be taken down.

  Ma Zheng was a high-ranking officer of the Northwestern Army, who could grasp the overall situation. Gao Bao Shan was an officer of the Liao and Jin Armies, who could make suggestions on specific matters. So military affairs can be entrusted to them, and I can also rest assured. Now my role is to stabilize the morale of the troops and offer advice when the army encounters difficulties.

  As for Liu Xi and Wu Feng, they are a bunch of uneducated rascals who can't be relied upon. However, these people are thorough anti-Jin rebels and are the backbone of the Wang's righteous army. If you tame them and make them submit to you, they will all listen to you, so you can use them boldly. In comparison, it is better to use these illiterate people, as they are more reliable. Therefore, now we should let them learn more and listen more, which will be beneficial for their future prospects.

  Most of the village heads and fort owners were not from a military background, some were even illiterate. They knew nothing about military tactics or formations. Their battles relied on pure brains and courage, as well as experience. It would be beneficial for them to learn from Ma Zheng, Zhao Bangjie and Gao Baoshan's more systematic combat methods.

  Ma Zheng's plan was to launch a frontal attack, mainly breaking through the right mountain and feigning an attack on the left mountain. In reality, he used emptiness to create fullness and fullness to create emptiness, confusing the Jin army with his tactics of false appearances, causing the Jin generals to misjudge the situation, and giving the righteous army the opportunity to capture Fushan.

  In the afternoon, the attack began. Gao Bao Shan led the Hei Shan army to beat the drums and launch a first attack on the left mountain of the Jin army, commanding his own two battalions to attack the Jin army's camp. The Jin army defended their camp tightly, with countless long arrows shooting out like rain, covering the sky and earth. The righteous army was suppressed by the Jin people's arrow array more than 100 steps away, unable to move forward. However, Gao Bao Shan had no intention of attacking, he just needed to hold back the Jin soldiers from rescuing the right mountain.

  Liu Sangong's nephew, Liu Shannai, led 3,000 infantrymen of the Crazy Leopard Army to attack the Jin army on the left mountain. As the Jin army on the right mountain was held back, the Ming soldiers who did not encounter any resistance from the Jin army quickly approached the Jin army camp on the left mountain.

  The fierce tigers arrived at the Jin army's camp and were stunned. The defensive formation on the left mountain of the Jin army was extremely steep, with high and large fortifications made of stone and yellow earth from the mountain. Moreover, outside the mountain fortress, there were deep trenches forming a defense, with wooden stakes in between, and arrow towers crisscrossing each other, all of which were filled with sharp wooden stakes.

  Jin army hid behind the earth mound at the back of the trench, and the archers on the arrow tower shot down from a high position. If they launched a strong attack, the righteous army would surely suffer heavy casualties.

  Liu Shan's shield-bearing soldiers and long spear-wielding troops penetrated deep into the enemy's defenses, but were soon unable to attack due to being blocked by countless arrows and trenches. Seeing that the attack was hindered, Liu Shan immediately sounded the retreat and ordered a withdrawal, calling off the fight.

  King Zhao Xun and the generals heard this news, their faces were all very unsightly. The Jin army's defensive formation can defend against both cavalry and infantry at the same time. Xiao Gan's troops arrived at Fushan in less than half a year, hastily relying on their 30,000 men, it was impossible to build a city, they could only use local materials.

  However, Xiao Gan, as a famous general of both Liao and Jin dynasties, was quite skilled. In order to block the righteous army, he dug many trenches and built earth mounds. With dozens of trenches, during the attack, the soldiers of the attacking side were squeezed in a narrow space, and the number of deaths and injuries can be imagined.

  The number of righteous army is limited, and this war of attrition cannot be fought. In the end, it will be over. The golden army is numerous, and when the righteous army's attack becomes weak, they can launch a counterattack. At that time, the righteous army will only have to wait for slaughter. Moreover, with the main force of the Golden Army suddenly entering Pingding City, the righteous army cannot afford to lose too many lives if it wants to survive.

  The generals gathered together to discuss military affairs, and all the main generals strongly opposed a strong attack. Although their troops were all under General Zhao's command, they were still their own subordinates; if they all died, they would be completely finished. As long as they still had troops, their backs wouldn't go soft, and they could continue to hold office and receive pay; in the future, there was still hope for enfeoffment and promotion. If they didn't have any soldiers, then everything would be lost. Giving face to General Zhao meant at most being rewarded with a meal; not giving him face meant being dismissed from duty and ignored. This is human nature, and everyone understood it in their hearts.

  Zhao Yun was even more unwilling to launch a strong attack, killing one thousand enemies but losing eight hundred of his own troops. This kind of unprofitable business Zhao Yun absolutely would not do. "Temporarily stop fighting and set up camp to rest." Zhao Yun gave the order very decisively, and afterwards everyone thought of ways to capture the enemy through clever strategy.