Chapter 8: The Red Cloak and Silver Blade Advance into the Formation

Chen Dexing, as the front-line archer, naturally had to move with the crossbowmen. He immediately sheathed his large sword, picked up his bow, and advanced forward alongside Monk Liu, positioning himself at the very front of the sixth row of crossbowmen. Before his eyes lay a vast sea of red!

Before his words had faded, a dense sound of footsteps came from behind, followed by a loud shout: "Young men, can we still fight?"

Li Cui is the alias of Li Cuixian. Although she is a woman, she is also proficient in martial arts and military formations, allowing her to participate in military and political affairs. However, using a female name is often inconvenient, so she chose a masculine name for herself and presented herself in male attire. This bold demeanor is seen as a breach of decorum by the scholars of the Southern Dynasties, but the young men of the Northern regions do not care about such matters. The Li family of Yidu is even more so; back in the day when Li Quan was in charge, he shared power with his wife, Yang Miaozhen.

She and Li Xiong were speaking in Mandarin, and beside Liu Gan, there was a northern scholar who took on the role of interpreter, translating everything for him in detail

The order to retreat had arrived. Chen Dexing hurriedly stowed away his bow and arrows, pulling the exhausted Liu monk beside him as they ran towards the rear. At this moment, a formation composed of shield bearers, spear men, and axe wielders was already on high alert. As the Song army's archers had just withdrawn, this formation advanced forward to the sound of the resounding drums, quickly colliding with the opposing formation of red-armored soldiers!

The drumming from wwwhetushucom.com surged like a tide, gradually drowning out the cheers of the Song army soldiers, and the atmosphere on the battlefield suddenly became tense

He glanced at the soldiers beside him, each face marked by a resolute expression, all drenched in sweat, their breathing appearing hurried. Many were also using their rifles as makeshift canes, propping them against the ground

The sound of bowstrings being drawn echoed continuously. Arrows flew like locusts, sweeping across the formation of the Red Jacket army, and one could see dozens of bodies fall to the ground—the power of the volley was significantly weaker than in previous rounds. Chen Dexing clearly observed that many arrowheads struck the enemy but merely bounced off. It was not that the leather armor of the Red Jacket soldiers was particularly strong, but rather that the bow's power had been exhausted; only the Divine Arm Bow retained its full strength. However, drawing the string of the Divine Arm Bow was also an extremely laborious task. The Divine Arm Bow is a type of foot-drawn crossbow; to draw it, one must first step on the iron stirrup at the front of the bow with their foot, then pull the bowstring with both hands, using all the strength of their body to draw the bow. If one has not undergone rigorous training, they simply cannot draw the Divine Arm Bow! During the Northern Song Dynasty, there were even multiple records of Divine Arm Bowmen being unable to draw their bows in the face of the enemy. Although the Divine Arm Bowmen of the military units formed during wartime were not so inept, after consecutive battles, their speed in drawing the bow had significantly slowed. Originally, the distance was sufficient for the Divine Arm Bow to achieve four volleys, but in the end, only two rounds of arrows were shot, and the Red Jacket soldiers wielding silver knives had already charged within twenty paces.

It cannot be held any longer! Chen Dexing has already realized that something is amiss; the bow in his hand has been gripped so tightly that it is soaked with sweat. The enemy is overwhelming, numbering at least five to six thousand, and they are all fresh troops! On our side, how many are still capable of fighting? I, being abnormal, have no problem, but what about the others? Most of the soldiers in the Wushui Army were merely farmers and fishermen from the vicinity of Yangzhou before joining the military...

Knock knock knock knock ... ...

Liu Gan smiled and nodded, saying, "Li Cui'an's solution is quite good. The sons of the Li family only need to deal with the Southern barbarians for a while, and the rest can be trampled by the iron cavalry of the Great Mongol!"

"To this day, not a single Mongol has been killed..." Chen Dexing sighed again, raised his bow, took out an arrow, nocked it onto the string, and then pulled it back with great force until it formed a full moon shape

Hearing the words of Ye Liugan, Li Xiong did not respond, as Ye Liugan did not understand Chinese, and Li Xiong did not understand Mongolian. Therefore, he simply smiled and turned to look at his sworn sister, the third princess of Yidu Province, the beautiful Li Cuixian, who was dressed in men's clothing.

The voice of the herald echoed from afar, and it seemed that Jia Sidao was aware of the dire situation, hastily rallying the troops with encouragement—each receiving a reward of 200 guan in currency, which was no small sum. In Chen Dexing's memory, there were also matters concerning the economy. This currency was essentially paper money, issued by the Southern Song court. However, since the beginning of the Duanping era and the outbreak of war with the Mongols, this currency had depreciated due to over-issuance. The current value of 200 guan in currency was equivalent to merely around 10 guan in copper coins, yet it was still not an insignificant amount. At present, a stone of white rice was worth only about 1.5 guan at most, or up to 2 guan in copper coins.

The dull sound of the military horn echoed in waves, signaling the movement of the Mongolian army. With this signal, the entire formation of the Mongolian troops stirred, and then began to move forward slowly

Bow and crossbow, step back

At this moment, on the battlefield, the hearts of tens of thousands of Song soldiers trembled—everyone knew that the Mongolian general assault was about to begin

"The Marshal wants us, the Red Coats, to go into battle." Li Cuixian's gaze shifted as she glanced at the battlefield where fierce fighting was taking place, then she spoke in a crisp voice to Li Xiong, "Fourth Brother, why don't we engage in a battle ourselves? We should not simultaneously attack the three southern barbarian formations. Instead, let us unite the six thousand men and strike at the center of the southern barbarians' formation; we can surely break through in one go. The remaining two formations will undoubtedly be intimidated, allowing the iron cavalry of the Great Mongolia to trample them. Perhaps we could even decide the fate of Yangzhou City in one battle!"

Can fight! Everyone is of one mind

I am already exhausted!" Chen Dexing sighed inwardly, turning his gaze towards the approaching soldiers in red armor, as he sought a target among them to shoot and kill

The Grand Decree of the Privy Council: The soldiers of the left, middle, and right armies of the Wusharp Army fought valiantly in three formations, killing countless enemies, and each shall be rewarded with two hundred guan!

Great Song, Victory! Great Song, Victory!

Under the lure of great rewards, there will surely be brave men. The morale of the Wushui Army immediately reached a peak, but morale does not equate to strength

Great Song, Victory! Great Song, Victory!

"Young warriors, form the formation... let the powerful crossbows break the enemy's ranks!" Lu Zhaolin shouted

Chen Dexing turned around and saw a flag with the character "Lu" that had been raised at some point without his notice. Beneath the flag stood a military officer holding a spear. With a grizzled beard and a dark complexion, it was none other than Lu Zhaolin, the commander of the Wushui Army. Accompanying Lu Zhaolin were several hundred armored soldiers wielding broadswords, all of whom were personal guards of the Grand Commander Lu.

Imperial Decree of the Privy Council: Advance without retreat; anyone who dares to step back even half a step shall be executed without mercy

The initiative is in the hands of the enemy, this battle is truly humiliating!" Chen Dexing sighed softly, fully aware that the prospects of this battle were grim. ... It is uncertain whether the 40,000 Song troops on the battlefield will collapse, but it is certain that the army he belongs to, the Jiang Wurui army, will definitely rout.

A vast sea of crimson appeared before Chen Dexing. The Mongolian Han army soldiers who had come up this time were all clad in red armor and red coats, countless in number. The warriors in the front row each held a red shield and a gleaming silver sword. On several fiery red military flags, the large character for "Li" was embroidered in striking black lines from hetushu .com .com

At this moment, cheers had already resounded above the three formations of the Wu Rui army. The armored soldiers of the Dong family had been repelled by the warriors of the Wu Rui army, leaving behind more than 10% of their lives, retreating in disarray under the protection of the Mongolian cavalry

The "Qiangnu Polu Zhen" is the name of a formation used by the Song army, where crossbows are positioned at the front and heavy armor at the back. When the enemy approaches to a distance of 120 paces, the crossbows are fired simultaneously, with four arrows as a limit, after which the crossbows retreat and the armored soldiers advance to engage in close combat with swords and spears. Previously, the "Wushui Jun" employed the "Zhongjia Yulu Zhen" formation when fighting against Mongolian armored soldiers, which had heavy armor at the front and crossbows at the back, in contrast to the "Qiangnu Polu Zhen".

"It is the Red Robe Army! The elite of the Li family from Yidu!" Liu the monk exclaimed in shock, "They are all heading this way, this is bad..."

Chen Dexing and Liu Heshang did not join the soldiers in their cheers, but instead gazed gloomily at the Mongolian army formations ahead. Including the common people of the Song Dynasty who had been driven to the front lines, the soldiers of the Wushui Army had already fought four consecutive battles! Most of the soldiers were exhausted, and the recent bloody battle with the Dong family warriors had been fraught with peril. The casualty rate among the main forces of the Wushui Army had likely approached 30%, reaching the brink of collapse. Most of the soldiers were already drained of their strength, and the recent bloody battle with the Dong family warriors had been fraught with peril. The casualty rate among the main forces of the Wushui Army had likely approached 30%, reaching the brink of collapse

With a soft sound of "twang!", the arrowhead shot forth, and a burly soldier in a red coat was instantly struck by the arrow and fell to the ground.

Li Xiong and Li Cuixian exchanged a glance, simultaneously bowing to the willow branches in greeting and receiving their orders, before proceeding to arrange their offensive strategy

Oh ... ...