Chapter 10: A Fight to the Death

The eight thousand iron cavalry of the Mongols still stood motionless at the rear of the formation

"Your Excellency is truly remarkable! The strategy you employ is indeed one of fighting with one's back against the water! In this battle, our army is sure to achieve a great victory!" On the high platform, a man suddenly shouted. Jia Sidao turned around to look and saw a scholar in his thirties, dressed in a long robe with a front opening, wearing a Dongpo cap, and with a small sword about a foot long hanging at his waist. His features were handsome and refined, making him quite the elegant young gentleman.

Oh? Why?" Jia Sidao remained unperturbed.

Good! Indeed, there are brave and valiant men under my command!" Jia Sidao stroked his beard and nodded slightly, as if this scene had already been anticipated by him.

On the battlefield, only organized soldiers constitute an army, and only infantry arranged in formation can exert their maximum combat effectiveness, enabling them to withstand the Mongolian cavalry, which has few rivals across the vast Eurasian continent

Defeat the enemy! Kill the thieves!

Wu Ruijun! Raise the knife!" Chen Dexing shouted loudly, raising high the more than three-foot-long saber with a ringed handle in his hand. This was the treasured sword used by his adoptive father, Chen Huai'an, during his lifetime, forged from fine iron, capable of cutting through iron like mud

Ladies and gentlemen, heed my command, arrange your formations, and prepare the weapons to break the enemy's ranks

Young men! Stand shoulder to shoulder, raise your swords and guns, and move forward

Willing!

We have already defeated the three formations of the southern barbarians and slain one of their generals; is that not enough?" Li Cuixian smiled, "Let the Mongols handle the remaining battles.

"Brothers, avenge the Right Martial, break the enemy! Kill the thieves!"

At this moment, 2000 red-armored soldiers quickened their pace, shouting as they began their charge. Countless broadswords gleamed with a cold light as if they were eager to drink the blood of the soldiers of the Song Dynasty

This individual is a guest scholar in his retinue, surnamed Liang, given name Chongru, courtesy name Yifu, and is a renowned scholar from Yangzhou. He has also married the daughter of Lu Zhaoqi, the commander of the Xiongsheng Army, who is a cousin of Lu Zhaolin, the commander of the Wushui Army. Liang Chongru himself is not an ordinary person; he was originally a student at the Imperial Academy and gained considerable fame for his memorials opposing the Mongols. During the Song Dynasty, students at the Imperial Academy were very fond of writing memorials to discuss state affairs, and sometimes they would even impeach the powerful ministers of the time. Generally, the Song court would tolerate these scholarly individuals, and it was rare for students to be punished for their words. Thus, the Imperial Academy is also referred to as the unofficial Inspectorate.

Jia Sidao laughed heartily, no longer engaging in conversation with Liang Chongru, but instead turned his head towards the battlefield, gazing at the Song army formation that had just been arranged by Chen Dexing.

Chen Dexing shouted, using all his strength to call out, as if he could attract the panicked and disoriented soldiers of the Song army to his side with his voice; as if he could ignite the fighting spirit of the fleeing Song soldiers with his voice; as if he could infuse the exhausted soldiers of the Song army with boundless energy through his voice

So it turns out to be Yi www.hetushu.com.com, quite impressive. Jia Sidao nodded, seemingly quite appreciative of this guest. "Yi, do you think those Wu Rui troops can break the enemy and achieve merit, turning the tide?"

"It is not me, I am not Lu Da'an, Lu Da'an is already dead..." The old soldier cried out as he prepared to charge forward

Kill the captives! Cut... ...

A certain family has received an order

A certain family has received an order

The formation was not very tight, but over a thousand routed soldiers, in a desperate situation, were inspired to fight back by the courageous Chen Dexing. However, they remained a disorganized and defeated force, lacking any officers to organize them. In a moment of urgency, Chen Dexing had no other options and could only try to gather everyone together as much as possible, positioning those with swords and spears at the front and those with bows and crossbows at the back

What should we do then? We can't just stand by and watch on the battlefield

Young men! Shout with me... Defeat the enemy! Kill the thieves!

"Monks, tall ones, you will be my deputies!" Chen Dexing shouted suddenly after walking back and forth in front of the hastily assembled formation.

Chen Dexing knew that those soldiers in red armor would not give him much time to organize his troops, so he could only hastily arrange for two deputies to command alongside him. As for whether such an arrangement violated the military laws and regulations of the Song Dynasty, that was of no concern to him

The crowd surrounding Chen Dexing shouted loudly, their voices piercing through the battle cries on the battlefield, sweeping all the way to a thousand steps away, to the high platform where the Grand Envoy of the Two Huai, Jia Sidao, was located.

"We need to find something to do." Li Cuixian looked around with her beautiful eyes and soon discovered a formation of Song soldiers gathering by the moat. She then raised her hand and pointed, "Fourth Brother, there is a group of southern barbarians over there; let us go and engage them in battle."

Li Cuixian chuckled and then commanded, "Come here, go find a long pole and lift the head of the southern barbarian general that was just beheaded!"

Soon, someone recognized that the head impaled on the long spear belonged to Lu Zhaolin, the Right Martial Minister and Commander of the Wu Rui Army

The crowd shouted, they all knew that now was a fight to the death, and they could only seek survival amidst certain doom

Kill the barbarian! Kill the barbarian!

"Right Wu, I am sorry for you!" Suddenly, an older soldier, his face covered in blood and his eyes bloodshot, shouted out beside Chen Dexing, and was about to lunge forward, but was swiftly caught by the quick-witted Chen Dexing.

... ...

"Heavens, is this still allowing people to live!" Chen Dexing lamented inwardly, but he could not show even the slightest hint of it on his face—experience from two lifetimes and the last shred of rationality in his mind all told him that now was a moment of no retreat; he could only fight, not back down

Liang Chongru stroked his beard and shook his head, saying: "In the past, the Chu general Xiang Yu indeed achieved great success at Julu by breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, fighting with his back against the river. However, both Xiang Yu's bravery and the might of the Chu army are rarely seen in history and are absent in the present age. Our Song dynasty, in order to defeat the northern invaders in the Jianghuai region, must not rely on mere brute courage; we must depend on the wisdom of strategists. I dare to speculate that the strategy of fighting with one's back against the river is merely one of the tactics employed by the gentleman, and he must certainly have more brilliant plans for defeating the bandits and killing the invaders."

"Lu Da'an, is that you?" Chen Dexing vaguely recognized the man as Lu Da'an, a personal guard of Lu Zhaolin. The head of the lord had already been displayed high, yet for some reason, he found himself standing beside Chen Dexing...

Defeat the enemy! Kill the bandits! Avenge the Right Military...

Third Princess, our sons are all remarkable, and they have already broken a hole in the center of the Southern Barbarians' formation

"Do it! Kill a few more..." The old soldier shouted, no longer advancing, but instead raised his broadsword and stood beside Chen Dexing

Li Xiong, the adopted son of the nobleman Li Yan from the Mongolian Yidu Province, spoke loudly to his nominal sister Li Cuixian. At that moment, he was standing on horseback, surveying the surrounding battlefield. The various divisions of the Mongolian Han army had already engaged in combat with the Song army in front of them; however, aside from the Red Jacket Army of the Li family, which had defeated the Song army's elite troops, no other divisions had made any progress.

"Monk, the second row of long spears is under your command, and the tall ones, the archers, are also under your command! As for the first row, the lads with knives, are you willing to fight alongside me?"

Chen Dexing noticed that the soldiers on both sides were slightly wavering, and immediately shouted loudly. Less than 200 paces in front of him, at least 2,000 red-coated soldiers had already formed a square formation, steadily advancing, and they brought with them the head of Lu Zhaolin

Monk Liu and the burly man who had just responded second, Chen Dexing, both answered loudly at the same time. This man was named Gao Da, a fishing overlord from the Yangtze River. He was tall and strong, having trained in martial arts. A year ago, he was recruited into the Wushui Army by Li Tingzhi and Lu Zhaolin, serving as a squad leader in charge of dozens of archers. He was familiar with Chen Dexing and had sparred with him in martial arts.

Young men! Gather around me, with broadswords in the front, long spears next, and bows and crossbows at the rear, form the formation

Third Princess, should we roll in from the side and strike the flank of the Southern Barbarians?

"Damn it, is it that easy to die!" Chen Dexing shouted as he grabbed the collar of the old soldier and forcibly pulled him back into the ranks, "Stay by my side! We will die together! But... let's take down a few more northern barbarians as a cushion!"

It is Lu Youwu! Lu Youwu has sacrificed himself for the country...

Liang Chongru laughed heartily and said, "No way!"

Alright!

Chen Dexing shouted orders. At this moment, on the brink of life and death, his mind became exceptionally clear! The memories and experiences from two lifetimes merged completely in an instant. Therefore, he knew he must immediately organize the Song army soldiers around him, whom he had inspired, into formation. He also knew how to deploy the soldiers.

His beard is gray, his face is dark, his eyes are wide open with anger, and he appears vividly alive