Chapter 3: Corpses Litter the Ground

This is the banner of that scoundrel Liu Gan! Monk Liu furrowed his brows tightly, "Right in front of us, the northern barbarians are about to launch a fierce attack on us!"

At this moment, Chen Dexing had already raised his bow, skillfully nocking an arrow and aiming at a Mongolian who was wielding a sabre to slaughter the common people of the Song Dynasty. Although he had never learned archery in his previous life, it had long become an instinct for his current body. Born into a military family, Chen Dexing chose the sword and bow to accompany him throughout his life as soon as he learned to crawl. Like those boys raised on the grasslands, he began riding horses before he learned to walk and drew his bow before he learned to eat with a spoon. Nearly twenty years of rigorous training had transformed him into a killing machine

Chen Dexing raised his head and looked ahead, and saw a massive white flag raised at the center of the Mongolian army formation a thousand steps away. The flag had nine fluttering ribbons, billowing in the northern wind—this was a nine-stream white banner symbolizing the formidable military might of the Mongol Empire, known to the Mongols as "Chagan Sulide." During a later visit to Ordos, Chen Dexing had seen such a flag and was informed by a Mongolian tour guide that this flag could only be used by the Great Khan of Mongolia.

After witnessing the determination of the Song army, the civilians who had not yet approached the Song military formation immediately began to cry out in despair, refusing to advance. Some even mustered all their courage in their final moments, wanting to fight against the Mongolian soldiers who were driving them forward. However, how could these unarmed civilians contend with the heavily armored beasts wielding sharp blades? The center of the battlefield instantly transformed into a slaughterhouse! Meanwhile, the civilians, driven by the Mongolians to approach the Song military formation once more, were struck down by a barrage of random arrows, letting out cries of agony as they faced their demise.

Moreover, archery, especially using a hard bow with a draw weight of eight or nine dou or even one shi, is undoubtedly a physically demanding task. Even for someone like Chen Dexing, who stands six feet tall (approximately 1.8 meters) and has a robust build, shooting a hard bow twenty times in succession requires significant rest and massage afterward; otherwise, he risks at least a muscle strain. ... In order to shoot down these civilians driven by the Mongolians, the archers of the Wushui Army must at least conduct four or five rounds of volleys.

With a light sound, the sharp feathered arrow was shot out like lightning, instantly transforming into a small black dot. The face of the Mongolian warrior, nearly one hundred and thirty paces away, was suddenly pierced by half of the arrow shaft, causing him to tremble as if electrocuted before collapsing to the ground

"Brother, run quickly, run quickly..."

Order from the Privy Council: All military forces shall remain stationed and any who dare to advance without orders shall be executed without mercy

Save me, I do not want to die

Mother, I am in pain

Too much effort? In Chen Dexing's mind, a battlefield immediately flashed before him. The common knowledge on mhetushu.com is that one must conserve energy, as the tactics of the Song army's formation are extremely exhausting. Due to a lack of warhorses, they cannot form a strong cavalry unit to protect the infantry. Once the Song army's infantry formation is established on the battlefield, it becomes very difficult to rest or rotate, often having to maintain a state of combat under the watchful eyes of the enemy cavalry, enduring from dawn until dusk, and only able to safely withdraw from the battlefield under the cover of night. Once the Song army's infantry formation is established on the battlefield, it becomes very difficult to rest or rotate, often having to maintain a state of combat under the watchful eyes of the enemy cavalry, enduring from dawn until dusk, and only able to safely withdraw from the battlefield under the cover of night.

Therefore, after the failure of the Northern Expedition during the Kai Xi era, the commanders stationed at various fronts of the Southern Song began to recruit new troops to replace the original imperial guards. This bears a resemblance to the local militia formations during the late Qing Dynasty. Naturally, these newly recruited troops were also semi-warlord armed forces, suffering from the same issue of diminishing combat effectiveness over time. Consequently, it became a common practice in Southern Song military affairs for commanders to recruit new troops in response to urgent situations at the front. After undergoing a period of training, these newly recruited forces often became the mainstay on the battlefield against the Mongols. However, once the leaders and officers of the newly recruited troops became complacent and corrupt after filling their pockets, the combat effectiveness of the units began to decline and became inadequate. The Wu Rui army was such an armed force.

The formation of the Song army is a cohesive whole, where the strength displayed is never that of individual valor, but rather the power of the collective. Acting recklessly would disrupt the integrity of the Song army's formation, which is precisely what the Mongols desire!

At the moment when Monk Liu and the archers shot their first arrow, several formations of the Song army nearby also released an arrow symbolizing the arrival of death—those entrusted with the responsibility of archery on the battlefield are mostly seasoned warriors who have endured numerous battles. In scenes like today, who among them has not experienced this repeatedly, having long since forged a heart of iron and stone

Er Lang, do not be anxious, the Tartars are still far away, it is not easy to engage them, and it would consume too much energy! The Tartars drive the common people to raid our ranks precisely to exhaust our strength!

Chen Dexing did not expect that his marksmanship was so exceptional, being able to hit a target from nearly 200 meters away! He was momentarily stunned, and suddenly thought: "Is that person dead? I killed someone, I have killed! However... it is truly satisfying!"

With the cold and emotionless military orders echoing, a dense rain of feathered arrows and crossbow bolts flew from the formations of the Song army, tracing a semicircular arc in the air. After reaching the apex, they accelerated and fell, instantly covering the common people of the Great Song ahead. This scene would repeatedly appear in Chen Dexing's nightmares in the years to come. Within a distance of one hundred and twenty paces, all the common people, regardless of gender or age, were indiscriminately shot dead. The fallen bodies immediately covered the front lines of the Song army, and then blood flowed from the dying bodies, staining large areas of the soil red.

We are the common people of the Great Song

Perhaps it was because of the distance that he did not witness the bloody scene, or perhaps it was because this body had already made killing an instinct. At this moment, Chen Dexing felt no discomfort; instead, he experienced an inexplicable sense of pleasure and excitement. He casually took out an arrow, preparing to shoot it, but was abruptly stopped by Liu the Monk beside him.

The military banners of the three formations of the Song army are all under the Wu Rui army, which was newly recruited by Li Tingzhi, an advisor from the supervisory office, after Jia Sidao was reassigned to the Lianghuai region. The composition of the Southern Song army has significantly changed from that of the Northern Song. The imperial troops, which were relied upon as the Great Wall by the Northern Song, fell to the status of the original auxiliary troops after their southward migration. At this time, they were merely nominal officials without soldiers, becoming mere titles for the accommodation of idle warriors. In the early years of the Southern Song, the main force of the army consisted of semi-warlord-style imperial troops, initially raised by generals such as Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and Wu Lin. After being brought under the control of the Southern Song court, they were designated as the imperial troops (also known as the Imperial Garrison Army).

"Er Lang, it seems that the Tartars are about to launch a fierce attack on our Wu Rui army. Today, we are likely to face a bitter battle." Liu the Monk gazed at the battlefield, his expression somewhat grave

Send

The sound of the horn echoed in the distance, piercing through the cries and wails on the battlefield, charging straight towards the formation of the Wushui army. This sound of the horn signified the commencement of the Mongolian Han army's infantry assault

Chen Dexing raised his head, gazing at the vast battlefield before him, observing the throngs of people surging towards him, indeed all rushing towards the military formation he was in and the two nearby formations.

It turns out that this Nine-Travel White Banner is not exclusively for the Mongolian Khans. Genghis Khan once bestowed it upon the Grand Marshal and Prime Minister of the Jin Dynasty, Muqali, who was in charge of the Central Plains. Additionally, when the Mongolian General Liu Gan was ordered by Kublai Khan to lead the troops to eliminate the Song Dynasty, he also received a Nine-Travel White Banner from the Khan to enhance his prestige

Accompanied by the sound of horns, three massive infantry formations advanced from the left flank of the Mongolian army into the center of the battlefield. Their equipment was roughly comparable to that of the Song army, as they uniformly wore helmets, donned heavy leather armor, and held not spears, but round shields and long sabers measuring over three feet. Meanwhile, approximately two thousand Mongolian cavalrymen had dismounted, forming four horizontal lines with their bows and arrows, seemingly to provide cover for the advance of the Mongolian heavy infantry.

Heavens, open your eyes!

However, the various imperial troops have a tendency for their combat effectiveness to continuously decline. Often, at the time of their establishment, there is a strong sense of unity and commitment from all levels, resulting in the highest combat effectiveness of the troops. Yet, as time goes by, the various shortcomings of the feudal army gradually become apparent, leading to a significant drop in their combat effectiveness. During the Northern Expedition initiated by the Chancellor Han Tuo Zhou, the imperial troops made a complete spectacle of themselves.

Did the Mongol Khan Möngke arrive at the gates of Yangzhou?

Upon witnessing this scene and hearing such sounds, it is unknown how many valiant men in Song's army gritted their teeth, yearning to rush forward to save others. However, at that moment, the herald's loud voice resounded again behind the ranks of the various armies.