Chapter 2 is truly cruel
Among them are mothers protecting their children with their bodies, youths supporting the elderly, innocent children who are blissfully unaware of the impending calamity, and local landlords shivering in tattered silk garments... There are also farmers with blank expressions and scholars wearing traditional caps... Together, they form a diverse array of characters that constitute a nation, all of whom appear on this hellish battlefield, awaiting the arrival of death
Chen Dexing was taken aback, raising his head to look ahead, and saw countless disheveled common people, old and young, being driven out through the gaps between the Mongolian army formations on the opposite side
Alongside Chen Hushan, there was also Chen Huai'an, the adoptive father (biological uncle) of Chen Dexing, who fell in battle. At the time of his death, he held the official rank of a seventh-grade military officer, known as a "Great Minister," which encompasses ten ranks from the eighth-grade Xiuwulang to the seventh-grade Wugonglang.
"These are the common people of our Song Dynasty!" shouted Monk Liu beside him, stamping his feet. "This is the old trick of the dog Tartars, driving the common people to raid the city, exhausting our arrows, and undermining our morale! As for the Mongolian cavalry, in my opinion, they are nothing but cowardly wretches who only know how to bully the common folk!"
Starting from before dawn, tens of thousands of Song soldiers concentrated around the city of Yangzhou, the headquarters of the Two Huai Anfu Envoy of the Song Dynasty, gradually entered the battlefield, arranged themselves in formation on the open ground, and prepared to face the first major battle against the invading Mongolian army.
Chen Dexing has been practicing martial arts with his father, Chen Huaqing, since childhood, and has long mastered excellent skills. He can draw a hard bow that requires the strength of 1.5 stones; while he may not dare to claim he can hit a target at a hundred paces, shooting at people or horses from that distance poses no difficulty for him... However, that was the real Chen Dexing, not the current imitation.
This is ... ... " Chen Dexing said in a voice choked with emotion
The arrow was shot by Monk Liu, as some of the displaced commoners of the Song Dynasty had already approached within less than one hundred and twenty steps of the front line of the Song army...
Also leaving the military camp early in the morning to rush to the battlefield were the tens of thousands of Mongolian troops across the way. They were the Eastern Army among the four routes of the Mongolian forces planned to subdue the remnants of the Song Dynasty, commanded by the Mongolian Grand Marshal Liu Gan. They crossed the Huai River in early September and, burning, killing, and plundering along the way, swept down to the location of the Governor of the Two Huai regions, just outside the city of Yangzhou. Today's battle is the crucial engagement that will determine whether they can successfully encircle Yangzhou.
Chen Dexing obtained the title of "Nan Yin" from his grandfather (due to dying in battle for the country, which allowed his descendants to hold official positions), thus becoming a minor official known as Chengxinlang (the title of Chengxinlang, a ninth-rank official, and the eighth-rank official Congyilang, among others, are all referred to as minor officials) in the military... In the peaceful times of the Northern Song Dynasty (referred to as "Chengping Shi" by the Southern Song people), a minor official could live a life free from worries about food and clothing, comfortably enjoying a lifetime! However, in the current chaotic world where the nation is on the brink of collapse, being a ninth-rank military official who could be called to battle at any moment is not a "Nan Yin" but clearly a "calamity"!
This person is surnamed Liu, named Heshang, and serves as the steward of the Chen family, specifically that of Chen Dexing. Previously, he was a personal guard to Chen Dexing's adoptive father and biological uncle, Chen Huai'an. Currently, he is a coach and a trusted confidant under Chen Dexing. Chen Dexing originally came from a military family; his grandfather, Chen Hushan, served under Zhao Kui, the pacification commissioner of Huai Dong, during the early years of the Duanping era. After more than a decade of military service, he died in the Battle of Shouzhou over a decade ago. At that time, Chen Hushan had risen to the rank of Hengxing official (a title that encompasses twenty-five ranks from the seventh-grade Right Martial Lang to the fifth-grade Tongshi Dafu) and held the position of a seventh-grade Wuyi Dafu, also serving as a military commander.
Although in his previous life he sometimes read some boring time-travel novels to pass the idle time during sea voyages, he had a slight understanding of the concept of soul crossing. However, when such a nightmarish experience truly befell him, he would have preferred to completely perish in that shipwreck.
Chen Dexing frowned slightly, and just as he was about to ask Monk Liu to assist him with the calibration, he suddenly heard someone shouting angrily.
Chen Dexing felt a jolt in his heart again, "Those are the people of our Great Song!"
The cries of the herald echoed across the battlefield, accompanied by the sound of galloping hooves. This was the command of Jia Sidao, and although it was cruel and inhumane, it was the only feasible method. At that moment, Chen Dexing seemed to see countless soldiers of the Song army standing tall, tears of light red blood flowing from their eyes.
The sun slowly ascended into the sky, and the morning chill gradually dissipated under the sunlight, causing the temperature on the battlefield to rise slowly. Everyone's breathing unconsciously quickened. Chen Dexing tightly gripped the bow in his hand, striving to calm his emotions. He was not excited about the impending slaughter; rather, he was extremely, extremely afraid, and equally, extremely, extremely confused.
A faint sound rang in Chen Dexing's ear, the distinctive noise made when an arrow is released from a bowstring. In Chen Dexing's memory, this sound had almost accompanied his growth, yet now it sent a tremor through his heart.
The order of the Privy Council: The thieves drove the common people to a distance of one hundred and twenty steps, and a rain of arrows was unleashed!
Drive the common people to the front! Chen Dexing, for some reason, felt his blood boiling all over his body, and his voice became hoarse with anger, "What should we do then?"
Chen Dexing stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, blankly watching the scene before him, his mind a complete void. This was not a series of inconsequential numbers from the history books of later generations—sixty million or two hundred million (the population slaughtered by the Mongols)... In the eyes of later historians, this was merely a trivial cost that should be paid for the integration of nations or the convergence of literary civilizations. These were living, breathing individuals, right in front of Chen Dexing, a sea of people, being driven into the slaughterhouse by the Mongols with their knives. In the eyes of later historians, this was merely a trivial cost that should be paid for the integration of nations or the convergence of literary civilizations. These were living, breathing individuals, right in front of Chen Dexing, a sea of people, being driven into the slaughterhouse by the Mongols with their knives.
"Is there any way! We can only shoot randomly with arrows..." Liu the Monk replied through gritted teeth
"Er Lang, Er Lang, you must not forget the calibration shot!" Liu Heshang looked at Chen Dexing with some concern. The term 'calibration shot' generally refers to a test of archery skills, but in the context of the current battlefield, it likely means measuring distance. Each unit of archers will designate an exceptionally skilled archer to shoot the first arrow during combat; if they hit the enemy, then a volley of arrows will follow. This responsibility is typically assigned to the instructors or training officers within the Wu Rui army.
Now is the critical moment of confrontation between the two armies. The Song army has deployed as many as eighteen battle formations on the battlefield, belonging to six different troops, with a total strength exceeding 40,000. The array stretches for ten li. Opposite the Song army stands the Mongolian army, whose numbers are not inferior. Among them, there are no less than 8,000 heavily armored Mongolian cavalrymen wielding long spears! The Song army relies entirely on their well-organized formations and strong bows and crossbows to counter them. If the formation is disrupted by these commoners of the Song dynasty, a single charge from these 8,000 Mongolian cavalry could very well shatter the 40,000 strong Song army!
"Damn it! Those dog bandits are not real men. They dare not charge into battle themselves, but instead drive our Han men to their deaths. Now they have even plundered the common people of our Song Dynasty to fight... Damn it, does that Liu Gan even have any balls? https://mhetushu.com!"
Monk Liu displayed a pained expression and lowered his voice, saying: "It is not just the common people of the Song Dynasty; these are also the people near Yangzhou, and perhaps even the families of the soldiers from various armies!" He paused for a moment, gritted his teeth, and continued, "But if we do not shoot, we will face defeat. Once we are defeated, the entire Yangzhou and all the people of Jiangnan will be slaughtered by the Tartars..."
Er Lang! Er Lang... That tall and thin man has started to call out to Chen Dexing in a low voice again, but this form of address sounds somewhat awkward.
The number of displaced civilians is increasing, with at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand. They are being slowly driven forward by the Mongolian soldiers, who threaten them with knives, guns, and bows, drawing ever closer to the front lines of the Song army. Chen Dexing seems to see faces that are either numb, in pain, or filled with despair, all dressed as Han civilians. Among them are elderly individuals and young children.
Chen Dexing responded with a sound, then squinted his eyes and pondered for a while. Finally, he found some information about this man and his new identity amidst the chaos in his mind
The common people of the Song Dynasty, driven to the battlefield, were drawing ever closer to the military formation where Chen Dexing was located. Behind them, curved sabers and whips were being wielded with increasing frenzy, and the sounds of screams, cries, pleas, curses, and calls for help merged into one, carried by the northwestern wind to the ears of Chen Dexing and the other soldiers of the Song army, as if they were waves of demonic sounds from hell