Chapter Thirty-One: Six Flower Marvelous Art
At this moment, Aju and Ariq B?ke galloped up. Ariq B?ke pointed with his whip: "These are the two cities of Xiangyang." Liang Shicheng asked: "How can these two small cities not be taken for so long?" Aju said: "Since Song Dynasty's great general Yue Fei recovered Xiangyang, in the past 130 years, the Song people have worked hard to build up Xiangyang. During the time of Emperor M?ngke Khan, General Meng Gong guarded Jianghan with a large army, and the country's strength was used to expand Xiangyang several times. Not only are the city walls thick and rarely seen in the world, but also the soldiers are strong and the grain is sufficient, with 44 warehouses of weapons for attack and defense. According to the inference of General Bayan and Shi Tianze, if the city wall cannot be broken, even Xiangyang alone can hold on for more than 20 years. With ordinary siege methods, it is impossible to capture."
Liang Xiaodao said, "So to speak, both sides can only exhaust each other?" Ali Haiya sighed, "That's almost it. The current method is to cut off the external aid of the two cities and consume their reserves of grain and weapons. In the early years, our army built a city on Lumen Mountain, and set up a fence on Guanzi Mountain. Last year, we launched a major attack, defeated the Song people, and built a solid heart platform in the middle of the Han River, sinking seven giant stones into the water, forming a water array. On the line of Wanshan, Bai Zhangshan, Hu Tou Shan, and Xiangshan, we built a one-word city, and on the west bank of the Han River, we built a new city. Now, the two cities of Xiangyang have been cut off from all directions, both north and south, east and west, water and land." He said this to A Li, "I heard on my way that the Song army is advancing to reinforce Xiangyang?" A Li nodded. Ali Haiya smiled, "Most likely you killed them until not a single piece of armor was left!" A Li replied calmly, "Is Fan Wenhuthe son-in-law of Jia Sidao?"
"Right!" said Ariq B?ke with a faint smile. "He and that Xia Gui, they didn't even fight before fleeing, truly more cunning than a weasel. Why not send Zhang Shijie and Li Tingzhi instead? It's all because of these good-for-nothings that I had to deploy troops for nothing." Ariq B?ke laughed: "If it weren't for this bunch of trash, how could we have easily besieged Xiangyang?" Alu said quietly for a moment, then spoke up: "The Song people are getting worse and worse by the year. In the past in Hezhou, I still encountered some with backbone; nowadays fighting these good-for-nothings is truly damaging to one's morale." His words were full of desolation.
Entering the Yuan army camp, Ali Haiya placed Liang Xiao in his own tent and called for the best doctor. He also found two women who were following the army to serve Asha with medicine and changing clothes. Asha's skin was cracked, her blood had dried onto her clothes, and they couldn't be taken off. They could only use scissors to cut them off piece by piece, using hot water to dissolve the hard blood clots. As soon as the water touched her body, Asha let out a series of mournful cries. Liang Xiao endured his heartache, holding her gently and comforting her softly. Asha was afraid he would worry, so she gritted her teeth and endured the pain silently. The two women who were serving her saw her miserable state and their hands trembled with fear, adding to Asha's suffering. Liang Xiao had no choice but to take care of her himself, applying medicine and changing her clothes. In his heart, he hated Yun Shu and the others even more.
Before long, Tuhai and others rushed back, saw Ah Xue's miserable state, shocked and angry, and scolded loudly. Liang Xiao didn't want the crowd to disturb Ah Xue, so he drove them out of the tent and said with a stern face: "I let you treat your wounds in the big camp, how dare you disobey my orders?" The crowd was stunned, Tuhai wiped away his tears and said: "General Bayan agreed." Liang Xiao said: "This time I will spare you, but next time if you disobey again..." He drew a line with his hand, "No matter who it is, they will be beheaded without mercy." The crowd responded in unison. Only then did Liang Xiao nod and say: "You all have injuries on your bodies, go rest now, and don't move recklessly before you recover." The crowd had no choice but to disperse, Tuhai reluctantly bid farewell, taking a few steps back and looking around every now and then.
The next day, Liang Xiao had someone bring Zhao Shan's remains back to Huayin, and he himself stayed by Ah Xue's side all day, tending to her wounds. The doctor treating her was a former imperial physician who had been in the military for a long time and was very skilled at treating flesh wounds. After six or seven days, Ah Xue gradually began to regain consciousness, and her wound started to scab over, although she was still experiencing severe pain throughout her body and found it difficult to get out of bed. Liang Xiao racked his brains to come up with stories and jokes to tell her, making Ah Xue laugh so hard that she almost forgot about the pain all over her body, thinking that if things could always be like this, she would be willing to endure even more beatings.
Before long, another month had passed. On this day, the sentinel spread the order that Bayan was summoning him. Liang Xiao followed the sentinel to the commander's large tent. When he lifted the curtain and entered, he saw Bayan with his hands behind his back, looking at a map on the wall. Liang Xiao came in but didn't turn around. After waiting for half a day, Liang Xiao gradually became impatient and wanted to leave. Suddenly, he heard Bayan's loud laughter and turned around to say: "It's been a long time since we last met, you're still so impatient?"
Two people meet again after a long time, four eyes facing each other, with complex and unclear emotions. Liang Xiao thinks that this person is actually the disciple of Xiao Qian's, can't help but feel resentful, but thinking that he is his mother's senior fellow apprentice, also inexplicably gives rise to some affection.
Bai Yan changed the subject, pointing to the map on the wall: "Liang Xiao, do you know what this is?" Liang Xiao replied: "It's a geographical map of the Song Dynasty." Bai Yan smiled slightly, pointing to Xiangyang: "If we break through Xiangyang, our army can follow the Han River, enter the Yangtze River, cross the river to the south, and advance on Ezhou. Then, with millions of ships and boats, we'll sail downstream, sweeping across the Song Dynasty, straight to Lin'an." His hand moved along the river, stopping at Lin'an, silent for a long time, before sighing: "Thanks to you saving Ariq B?ke back then. As they say, it's easy to get an army of thousands, but hard to find a good general. Without him, it would be like losing an arm; conquering the Song Dynasty in the future will be much more difficult!"
He finished speaking, took two steps forward, looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back, and his face changed from bright to dark, as if he had encountered a very difficult decision. After a long time, he turned his head around, stared at Liang Xiao and said: "A Shi loves your bravery, recommends you to go under his command in the Qincheng Camp as a hundred-man commander, now I agree to this, you should be careful. Remember, being a good general is even more difficult than practicing martial arts!" As he spoke, he handed over a white jade finger ring and said: "If there's anything difficult for you in the future, come find me again, as long as it doesn't violate military discipline or national law, I'll still help you."
Liang Xiao's heart was racing, and his hands were sweating. Bai Yan asked him about the injuries of his companions, but felt that there was nothing else to say, so he ordered him to return immediately and move into the Qincha camp.
Liang Xiao returned to the barracks and told Ah Xue about Bo Yan's military order, letting her stay in Ali Haiya's tent to recover from her injuries. Ah Xue was unwilling in her heart, but she knew that military orders were like mountains, and it wasn't good to say more. That night, Liang Xiao moved into the Qincha Grand Camp and took up the position of Hundred-Man Commander.
Qincha camp was the most elite cavalry in the Yuan army, from Batu Khan's grandson, the founder of the Qincha Khanate. There were Qincha, Aso, Wulos, Hungarians and other colored people, as well as some Mongolians with mixed blood, blonde hair and blue eyes, living together in a camp, each one strong and powerful, fierce and unmatched. Liang Xiao was considered tall among Han people, but in the camp, he was just average.
Artai's grandfather Subutai had twice gone on a western campaign with Jebe and Batu, displaying military might in distant lands. As a result, the soldiers of the Qinchao camp were very much in awe of Artai, but looked down on the Han people. Firstly, because they did not share a common language, secondly, according to the Great Yuan's laws, non-Mongolians were inferior to Mongols, but superior to Han people. Their status was lower than that of the Mongols, and they always tried to regain face at the expense of the Han people. Even when encountering famous generals like Shi Tianze, they would not dismount their horses to pay respects. Moreover, being brave in battle and having outstanding military achievements, they acted tyrannically, never taking the Han army seriously.
Liang Xiao had the appearance of a Han person, but was assigned to the Qinchao camp, and as soon as he arrived, he became a hundred-man commander. The Qinchao soldiers were resentful and secretly discussed making things difficult for him.
The next day, Liang Xiao led his troops out of the camp as usual to inspect them. The horn was blown three times, but not a single person came to report for duty. He was shocked and didn't understand what was going on: "Don't they listen to my orders? If I were to enforce military law, all these hundred or so men would have to be beheaded, but if it's like this, wouldn't I, the company commander, become a mere figurehead?" At that time, other troops had finished their morning exercises and surrounded Liang Xiao, pointing at him and laughing. They used foreign languages to shout and jeer. Liang Xiao stood alone in the middle of the drill ground, unable to advance or retreat, feeling awkward and embarrassed. However, he couldn't understand what they were saying, so after a moment of silence, he could only swallow his anger and return to the military camp.
The Jin general immediately reported the matter to Artai, speaking ill of Liang Xiao. Artai had placed Liang Xiao in this position with the intention of humbling his pride, and upon hearing the news, he merely smiled, thinking to himself: "Let's see how this young man handles it." However, on the second day, Liang Xiao still did not emerge from his tent to summon his troops. The Jin soldiers had no intention of taking action either, and they were delighted to sleep in and lounge around, making the soldiers of other units envy them. The Jin general was very dissatisfied and again went to Artai's tent to complain about Liang Xiao's uselessness and inability to lead troops. Artai listened and also found it strange that Liang Xiao did not show his face. After careful consideration, he ordered the various generals to go down and tell them that if Liang Xiao still made no move the next day, he would have a plan of his own. The generals obeyed the order and left happily.
On the third day, at dawn, the Mongolian camp sounded its horn, and various troops rushed out of their tents. However, there was still no movement in Liang Xiao's camp, as all the soldiers had already received the news and were determined to drive Liang Xiao away, with everyone covering their heads and sleeping soundly. The leaders of other teams also sent scouts to spy on them, waiting for the morning exercise to be over before going to report to A Shi.
The two horns stopped blowing, and suddenly the sound of horseshoes echoed, twenty or so fine horses rushed into the camp. Liang Xiao led the way on horseback, holding a string of iron hooks with chains, the end of which was tied to six warhorses, each carrying two wooden buckets sealed with lids, unknown what they contained. Behind him were five men, all holding iron hooks. Before the scouts could understand what was happening, Liang Xiao threw out an iron hook, securing a tent, and the other five followed suit, throwing out their chains, hooking up more than twenty tents in the camp.
At this moment, Liang Xiao swung his horse whip and the six men simultaneously whipped their horses. The horses were in pain and galloped wildly in all directions. In an instant, more than 20 tents were lifted off the ground, and the sleeping Imperial Guards were exposed to the bright sunlight. They rubbed their eyes, sat up dazedly, looked around in confusion, and didn't understand what was happening. Suddenly, they saw fine horses rushing towards them. Liang Xiao opened a large wooden bucket, and suddenly a strange smell filled the air. The bucket was full of human and animal excrement. Before the crowd could react, the feces were poured over their heads, covering everyone's faces. Filth splattered everywhere, including maggots crawling around. The other five men did the same, and in the blink of an eye, not a single Imperial Guard escaped. The soldiers were still stunned when Liang Xiao turned his head and led his men to flee quickly, leaving behind over 100 people covered in feces, some sitting, some standing. Other Imperial Guards who heard the news came to see, making these soldiers even more ashamed, hating Liang Xiao to the bone.
The Jurchen people, being in a foreign land and unfamiliar with the local customs, were extremely united to prevent bullying by outsiders. When one person was humiliated, it was as if the whole army was humiliated, and in great anger, they took up their guns and spears, mounted their horses, and went to look for Liang Xiao. Unexpectedly, after searching the entire camp, they didn't see his shadow, but instead stirred up a Yuan army camp, causing a commotion that even startled Bayan. Bayan ordered Arutai to handle it immediately, not allowing them to disturb the military morale.
The Qinchuan generals were outraged and went to the tent of Arslan, demanding severe punishment for Liang Xiao. Arslan did not expect Liang Xiao to use such a tactic and was secretly angry, regretting that he had not listened to Ali Haiya's advice, and wanted to crush Liang Xiao's spirit. As a famous general, he took the blame for misusing his men on himself. The Qinchuan army respected Arslan very much, seeing him like this, they did not dare to pressure him too much, only asking to withdraw Liang Xiao.
Ah Shu had an idea: "This Liang Xiao doesn't seem like a weasel who steals chickens and runs away. Forget it, let's see if he has any other tricks up his sleeve." On the surface, he agreed to change generals, but in reality, he was deliberately dragging things out. The inspector thought he had gotten Ah Shu's consent and slightly reduced his anger, but secretly plotted to get Liang Xiao killed as revenge for being humiliated.
The next morning, the hundred Qinchao soldiers in Liang Xiao's team got up early, mounted their horses, and prepared their bows and arrows. They formed a battle array to prevent Liang Xiao from using his old tricks again. After three rounds of bugle calls, Liang Xiao still hadn't appeared, and the crowd began to relax, cursing him as a cowardly devil and a stinking dog turd. Just as they were enjoying their curses, they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves, and six riders emerged from the fog, galloping swiftly towards them. They saw Liang Xiao riding alongside Tudaha, with Liang Xiao holding his flower spear at an angle and Tudaha grasping a large knife. Behind them followed four men, including Gougu De, each carrying guns and spears, looking heroic and majestic.
Everyone did not expect him to dare to come forward, first stunned, then came back to his senses, relying on someone to support him, and they all burst into loud scolding. Liang Xiao didn't understand the foreign language, so he asked Tutuha: "What are they saying?"
Tutaha, a Qinchuan person, who was familiar with the Qinchuan dialect, said: "They are all extremely rude and insulting words." Liang Xiao nodded and said: "Tell them for me: 'Today they got up at just the right time. If they don't want to eat shit and drink urine, they should get up early in the future too.'" Tutaha frowned and said: "Liang Xiao, is this okay? These people are very barbaric!" Liang Xiao smiled slightly and said: "Just go ahead and say it!"
The earth cannot be traversed, and the words have been spoken. The crowd heard him speak in their native language, and everyone was shocked in their hearts. When they understood, they were all furious and frantic. A blond man stepped out of line and shouted: "Liang Xiao dog shit, we won't listen to your command. You insult us, I want to fight you to the death!"
Liang Xiao listened to Tuhata's words, twitched his nose and sniffed the air, laughing: "So smelly, so smelly." The man asked Tuhata: "What did he say?" Tuhata said: "He said you smell good." When everyone heard this, they suddenly remembered yesterday's embarrassment. Although they had been soaking in the Han River for a day, the stench on their bodies was still hard to dispel. For a moment, anger flared up, and they raised their long spears.
The blond Hanzi said to Tuhatai, "Are you a Jurchen? I won't kill you, go further away." He pointed at Liang Xiao, "You this Han dog, what ability do you have to be our hundred-man commander? You were sent by Artai, I won't kill you, I'll compete with you, whoever loses will commit suicide." Liang Xiao laughed and said, "Relying on you? Not enough for me to fill my teeth!" He swept his hand across the scene, "No need for courtesy, all of you come at once!"
Everyone listened to Tuhatai's translation, and they were shocked and angry. The blond-haired man shouted: "You arrogant Han dog, don't look down on people! I can defeat you alone without using a bow and arrow." Liang Xiao smiled: "Good, I won't use a bow and arrow either." As he spoke, he rode his horse forward, and the blond-haired man also charged out with his spear.
The soldiers of the Khitan camp knew that Liang Xiao had arrived, and they didn't do their morning exercises. They rode horses, held spears, and surrounded his camp, making it impossible to escape. Several Khitan generals ordered their troops to let this Han dog come but not return. Seeing the blond Han man challenging them, everyone pointed down with their thumbs and shouted: "Chelni old, kill him! Chelni old, kill him!"
Chielu Niuren was a Wusun man, the bravest among a hundred men. He had hoped to become the leader of this group of a hundred men, but unexpectedly, Liang Xiao snatched it away from him. After his disappointment, he harbored resentment in his heart. Hearing everyone's shout, his courage surged, and he spurred on his horse, charging straight at Liang Xiao with his spear.
Liang Xiao didn't charge forward, instead he swung his spear in a wide arc. Chelneri's arm went numb and his long spear veered off course. He was taken aback: "The Han dog may be small, but he has great strength." Before he could even process this thought, Liang Xiao's spear came sweeping in. Chelneri hastily ducked, but his helmet was knocked askew by the tip of Liang Xiao's spear. Chelneri swiftly countered with a horizontal thrust, but Liang Xiao caught hold of it effortlessly. Chelneri felt as though he had stabbed into solid iron and couldn't advance or retreat. If Liang Xiao were to charge forward with his spear, there would be no way for him to defend himself. In a state of panic, he tried to wrestle the spear back. But unexpectedly, Liang Xiao released his grip, and Chelneri's excessive force caused him to almost fall off his horse. He hastily clamped his legs around the horse's belly and struggled to steady himself. By this time, Liang Xiao had already swung his spear in a wide arc, and the iron helmet that was still dangling from the tip of his spear struck Chelneri on the head with great force. This blow left Chelneri dazed, and he tumbled off his horse. Before he could even hit the ground, Liang Xiao thrust out with his spear, hooking it under Chelneri's belt and lifting him up onto the tip of his spear.
Chier Ni lost so easily, the Jin soldiers were in an uproar. Li Ting laughed and bowed, shouting: "Brother Liang is not competing in martial arts, but rather playing with monkeys." Wang Ke also burst out laughing: "Yes, a golden silk monkey indeed!" The group of people erupted into loud laughter.
Chielu Nao struggled in mid-air, unable to move up or down, his face flushed with shame under the gaze of the crowd. Suddenly, he drew out his waist knife and slashed it at his neck. Liang Xiao's long spear shook, lifting him into the air. Chielu Nao danced with his hands and feet, but his waist knife lost its aim. Liang Xiao swept his spear horizontally, knocking the waist knife flying, and then used the spear handle to support Chielu Nao's abdomen, exerting just the right amount of force to lift him back onto his horse.
Chier Ni Lao didn't even have time to react, and before he knew it, he was already on the horse's back, his hands wrapped around its neck. Liang Xiao laughed and said, "Do you admit defeat?" Chier Ni Lao translated this for Tuerhan, who became enraged and shouted, "I lost! Why won't you let me kill myself?" Liang Xiao shook his head and said, "Is the only thing you know how to do besides opposing your superiors is to commit suicide?" He spat on the ground, "What kind of man can't even win or lose?"
Chier Ni was scolded by him until his face turned red, speechless. Liang Xiao pointed the tip of his spear at the Qinchao soldiers and shouted: "Are you very powerful? Come on up!" The soldiers looked at each other, and for a moment no one dared to come up. Liang Xiao shouted: "You don't come, I'm coming!" He urged his horse forward, galloping out quickly, with his long spear like a whirlwind, killing into the crowd. The first person who saw Liang Xiao rushing over was about to raise his halberd, but Liang Xiao's spear tip flashed and he became dizzy, not knowing where to defend himself. Liang Xiao suddenly thrust out with his spear, knocking off the man's helmet, and with a reverse motion, swept the butt of his spear across the man's forehead, knocking him off his horse.
At one time, Liang Xiao rushed forward on horseback, rising and falling, like a feather on the back of a horse; a flower gun spun left and right, its momentum like a dragon moving through the clouds, or a snake riding the fog, suddenly appearing and disappearing, specifically targeting the soldiers' helmets, knocking them off after being stabbed, and then knocking them unconscious and off their horses. The Qinchao soldiers were both shocked and frightened, and they counterattacked with all their might, the two sides clashing in a fierce battle that was hard to resolve or separate.
Liang Xiao stored up his strength and suppressed the three armies, using all his skills to come and go swiftly, his spear techniques flashing like lightning. In the time it took to drink two cups of tea, he struck down over 80% of the more than 100 men. The Qinchao army soldiers had always been brave and fierce, but when they encountered this powerful enemy, not one retreated, surrounding him from front and back, attacking left and right, without a single inch of disorder.
Liang Xiao secretly admired and also stirred up the idea of winning, making a loud whistle. A gun flower made its way as big as a dipper, floating back and forth, wherever it went there was no one who could withstand it. In an instant, seventeen or eighteen people were knocked down, leaving only two people, extremely frightened, desperately resisting.
Liang Xiao swung his spear and knocked one person down, another person stabbed him from behind with a halberd. Liang Xiao didn't turn his head back, slightly tilted his body, grasped the halberd in his hand, let out a loud shout, and lifted the man off his horse. With a swing of his arm, the man flew up to a height of six zhang, feeling the wind whistling past his ears, the ground rushing towards him, his heart and gallbladder about to split, letting out a loud wail. Liang Xiao threw the man out, galloped forward on his horse, rushed to the spot where the man was about to land, raised his arm, gently grasped the back of the man's heart, lifted him onto his head, spun his horse around, and steadily put the man down on the ground. The crowd cheered loudly, but the officials were speechless, losing their words.
Liang Xiao, after this fierce battle, his horse was exhausted. Seeing that there were no main war horses on the scene, he changed to another one and pointed his spear at the soldiers in all directions, coldly smiling: "Do you want to come too?" The Qinchao people saw him openly challenging them, and they were in an uproar. A blond-haired, blue-eyed chiliarch stepped out and shouted: "Han dog, just because you have some ability, do you dare to show off your heroism?"
He said in Mongolian, and Liang Xiao understood, coldly smiling: "I'm teaching my soldiers, what does it have to do with you? No wonder these people don't obey orders, without a fox using its cunning, how can a hunting dog dare to be unruly in front of its master?" The man was furious, loudly saying: "I am the commander of a thousand men, you are only the commander of a hundred men, how dare you speak to me like this?"
Li Xiangdao said, "There's a saying among the Han people: when a general leads his troops, even the emperor's orders may not be obeyed. In battle, life and death hang in the balance of the bowstring. If what you say is right, I will naturally follow you; if it's wrong, even if it were the words of Kublai Khan himself, I wouldn't necessarily listen. Either way, let's fight it out - these hundred or so men won't obey my orders, and when we encounter the enemy, we'll only be sending ourselves to our deaths."
The other man sneered, "The Imperial Guard has fought from the Yili River to the Han River, never losing a single battle. Hmph, even without a general, we're still invincible. You Han dog, Battalion Commander, we don't care about you!"
The Imperial Guards raised their long spears and shouted in unison, "Right! We don't care about you, Han dog Battalion Commander!" Li Xiangdao smiled wryly and said, "Invincible? That's quite impressive! Do you dare to wager a duel with me?"
The man replied, "Why not?" and brandished his spear, preparing to charge forward.
Liang Xiaodao said: "Fighting alone is not a big deal. Are you guys numerous? You have this many people, we have six, let's put aside our bows and arrows and rely on our skills with knives and guns. If I can't break out of the Jinzhai Camp, it's up to you to dispose of me, but if I do break out, what then?" The Jinzhai army heard this and were both shocked and enraged, all shouting loudly.
"Alright! If you want to gamble, let's gamble. You six charge out of the camp, and if you want to be a centurion, so be it! However, blades don't have eyes, we've said it clearly, your life or death has nothing to do with us!"
Liang Xiao smiled and said, "Alright, it's settled then." With a raise of his long spear, the five men gathered around him. At that time, the Imperial Envoy's army had surrounded them tightly, with at least three thousand soldiers, each led by a chiliarch. The troops reined in their horses and shouted in unison, letting out a loud "Hoo-ah!" battle cry, like a strong gust of wind whipping up waves, an intimidating display of force.
Three thousand men, with a wave of their commander's whip, shouted loudly and charged forward. Liang Xiao glanced sideways and said in a loud voice: "The southwest wind is coming, the shape of heaven is hanging down." The six horses turned around and formed a peculiar formation. Liang Xiao was at the front, Tuhatai and Nanguote were on either side, while Li Ting and three others were lined up behind him, dancing with knives and guns, like a steel awl, suddenly charging southwest, piercing through the heavy encirclement.
Thousands of men rushed to surround and block the southwest, when suddenly Liang Xiao shouted again: "The water in the west, the symbol of the green peak." The six people's formation changed, with Liang Xiao and Tuhata each taking the front and back, Li Ting and four others advancing side by side in the center, transforming into a sharp and sturdy spinning top shape, charging westward. Suddenly bursting out several feet, Liang Xiao shouted again: "Small herds to the north, large herds to the south, Dragon Coiling Array." The formation unfolded and merged, transforming into a dragon-snake shape, winding and twisting, feigning a charge to the north but actually breaking through to the south. Looking east and rushing west, changing formations several times, they charged out over twenty feet.
Liang Xiao suddenly shouted again: "The thunder of the northeast." As soon as the words came out, the other five people responded and transformed into the "Black Tiger Formation", like a fierce tiger going down the mountain, rushing violently towards the northeast. The Jin army soldiers who passed by were overturned on horseback, and no one could resist.
Liang Xiao's loud voice was incessant, the six men responded in unison, transforming into a tiger and dragon, rushing to all eight directions, like mercury pouring onto the ground, leaving no gap uncovered. In the blink of an eye, they had dispersed the invincible Qinchao cavalry, scattering them in all directions, making it impossible for them to regroup. The three thousand-man commanders issued orders one after another, but were unable to stop them, feeling inexplicably shocked and confused, yet unable to comprehend the reason behind this.
Qin's cavalry galloped across the vast desert, skilled in guerrilla warfare. Even when fighting against the Han army, they were only mediocre, never having had the chance to experience the first-rate military tactics of the Han people. The formation used by Liang Xiao was actually the "Six Flower Formation" created by Li Jing, a master of Tang Dynasty military tactics. This formation was derived from Zhuge Liang's Eight Trigrams Formation and was even more subtle and mysterious. It consisted of six men forming a team, each holding a different weapon, with endless variations, making it the ultimate tactic for countering the iron cavalry outside the Great Wall. In the past, Li Jing had used this formation to defeat a much larger force, annihilating over 200,000 Turkic iron cavalry at the foot of Yin Mountain and capturing the Khan Ashina Helu. From then on, the Turks were never able to recover and no longer had the strength to resist the Tang Dynasty.
The tactics of ancient and modern times are all inseparable from arithmetic. Liang Xiao's mathematical skills were profound and surpassed those of his predecessors. After Zhao Shan's death, he was deeply grieved and began to ponder the art of war, thinking that in the future no one would be harmed. Thinking back and forth, he remembered the "Six Flower Formation" he had seen when he was young and reading books at Tianyuan Pavilion. His side had six people in a row, which coincided with the number of six flowers. After Wu Tuhua's five wounded men recovered, he gathered everyone to practice the Six Flower Formation together. During the exercise, he carefully calculated and improved the formation, doubling its power.
That day, the school grounds were humiliated, and Liang Xiao endured it without showing his anger. He let Tuhatai sneak into the Qinchao camp to secretly investigate, and he understood why the troops refused to come forward. He knew that if he wanted to subdue these guys, he would have to fight a fierce battle. On the one hand, he sought out a secluded place to intensify his military training, and on the other hand, he provoked the troops to fight with him, intending to use the Six Flowers Mystical Technique to subdue the three armies.
However, in an instant, Liang Xiao changed into sixteen different formations, gradually approaching the gate of the camp. Suddenly, he saw that there were weaknesses in the southwest and northwest corners of the enemy's formation. He shouted "Long Jin Zhen" (Dragon Whisker Formation). The six men rode their horses, with a momentum like a whale rushing forward, charging towards the "Gui Mei" position. The enemy generals hastily ordered their troops to intercept, but Liang Xiao was using a diversionary tactic, his real intention being elsewhere. As soon as the enemy's formation moved, he immediately led his troops in a slanting insertion into the southwest, forming the "Kun Peng Bian" (Fish and Bird Transformation). In an instant, the fish and dragon transformed into a bird, soaring up to the ninth heaven, and with a loud whooshing sound, they split the enemy's formation in front of them into two pieces. From the "Wu Wang" position, they broke through a large gap, escaping from the encirclement of the thousand-strong army. The pursuing cavalry behind them reined in their horses too late, pushing and shoving each other, calling out loudly and chaotically. The six men galloped out of the camp gate, thinking that this was just the beginning of their test of strength, but they had already achieved a great victory. Each of them was exhilarated, pulling on the reins of their horses and laughing loudly. Liang Xiao shouted loudly: "The outcome has been decided! Do you still stand by what you said earlier?"
The Qinchuan army easily reined in their horses, gathered their formation, and were bewildered. In this brief moment, the six men led by Liang Xiao had not suffered a single injury, while the Qinchuan army had suffered heavy losses. The five men under Tu Tuo's command had followed Liang Xiao's orders and had not intentionally tried to harm anyone, so their opponents mostly had minor injuries, and the fallen soldiers quickly got up, remounted their horses, and thousands of pairs of eyes fell on the three generals. For a moment, the training ground was silent, with only the sound of the wind blowing against the large flags, rustling loudly.
Three chiliarchs faced each other, answering was not right, not answering was also not right. If they answered, the twenty-year military prestige would fall in an instant; if they didn't answer, it would be a breach of faith and a great taboo in the army. Just as they were at a loss for what to do, someone suddenly laughed and said: "What has been said must be counted, let alone a hundred chiliarchs, even a thousand chiliarchs should be worthy!" The three men heard the voice, dismounted their horses together and called out: "General A-Tu."
Li Xue saw Ah Shu with a smile on his face, carrying his personal soldiers and coming down to pay respects: "Ah Shu, there is no other way, without using this thunderous method, Li Xue would not be able to stand here." Ah Shu dismounted his horse, helped him up with both hands and laughed: "Speaking of which, the Qinchao army is strong and fast, fighting is a bit fierce, only saying that one soldier and one general's skills are too great, even Taizu's hand-picked troops may not be able to take advantage. It's just because they haven't met an enemy for many years, so they've become arrogant and look down on everyone. I let you come, but didn't expect you to stand firm! It was originally a test of your skills, who knew you would break through three thousand Qinchao troops with six people? Ha! I've been a general for half my life, this time I also misjudged!"
Li Xiaodao said, "The general has spoken, I'll take the lead and stop these few from using arrows. If we really go to war, with bows and arrows clashing, I'm afraid in just one encounter, all six of us will become hedgehogs!" Alucai smiled and said, "You win without being arrogant, that's good. However, it is indeed true that the strongest aspect of the Jin troops' cavalry is not their spears, but rather their bows and arrows." He looked at the three thousand-man commanders, "Do you three have anything else to say?"
Three people looked at each other, and the brown-haired Qianfu said: "If we talk about charging into battle, we have nothing to say. Master Ashitu also said that our strongest is archery, I want to see Liang Xiao's archery skills." Ashitu scolded: "Are you all stone-brained?" Liang Xiao smiled and said: "No problem, please lend me a bow and arrow." The generals were about to untie the bow, when Ashitu said: "Use mine." He took down a golden-painted hard bow from his horse. Liang Xiao took it over, looking at two white-clad Hu women laughing and chatting on the riverbank a hundred steps away, one with a veil covering her face, the other bare-faced, wearing a string of dazzling pearls on her head.
Liango smiled and said, "Watch me shoot down the pearl on that person's head on the left." The crowd was shocked by his words. A-Tu frowned and asked, "What if you hit the person?" Liango replied, "If I even touch a single hair on their head, behead me, Liango." Before A-Tu could say anything else, he had already mounted his horse and shot an arrow at an angle. The white-feathered arrow flashed out like lightning. Hu Nu was chatting with her companions when she suddenly felt a gust of wind on her head, followed by the sound of "hum", as an arrow lodged itself in the fence not far away. At that moment, the pearl on her hair scattered and fell into the river, dripping and splashing. It turned out that Liango's arrow was extremely sharp, grazing between the two pearls and cutting the golden thread that held them together into two segments. The pearls naturally scattered everywhere. The soldiers were initially stunned, then erupted in cheers and applause.
The woman was extremely surprised and turned her head back. Ah Su saw her appearance, his eyebrows deeply furrowed. But then the three thousand husbands shouted in unison: "Ah Su, we all admit defeat! Let him be the Wan Fu Zhang too!" Ah Su smiled: "Admit defeat? Hmm, being a Wan Fu Zhang is not possible, nor can he be a Qian Fu Zhang. He's new here and has no military achievements. Being a Bai Fu Zhang was already a stretch because he saved Right Chancellor Ariq B?ke!" Everyone who heard that Liang Xiao had saved Ariq B?ke was solemn. The brown-haired general said: "I didn't expect there to be such a person among the Han people!" Ah Su shook his head: "He's not an ordinary Han person, he has Mongolian blood." The other generals listened and added more respect, looking at Liang Xiao with different eyes than before.
Suddenly, the barbarian woman appeared with a feathered arrow, rushing up in a flurry. Her figure was tall and plump, her skin as white as snow, her eyebrows long and eyes large, her pupils blue like seawater, her grayish-black hair braided into pigtails that fell from her ears to wrap around her snowy neck. The crowd of onlookers saw this and swallowed their saliva in unison, thinking: "Where did this beautiful girl come from? How come we've never seen her before?"
The woman approached, pointing at the mark on the arrow and said in Mongolian: "Lord Ashi, was it you who shot me with this arrow?" Ashi laughed and was about to take the blame upon himself when Liang Xiao said: "It was I who shot!"
Hu NiuCui's eyebrows slightly raised, and she sternly asked: "Why did you shoot an arrow at me?" Liang Xiao replied: "I didn't even hit you, why are you getting angry?" Hu Nu coldly smiled and said: "You shot the night pearl that Father gave me into the water! Moreover, how do you know you won't miss? You speak Mongolian, are you a Mongolian? I've heard that Mongolians are all proud eagles. Why don't the eagles go deal with the ferocious wolves instead of coming to capture our weak and small doves?" Her words were well-reasoned, and Liang Xiao, who was good at speaking, had no response.
Ah Ci saw the awkward situation and smiled apologetically: "Lan Ya, don't say anything else, I'll compensate you with a night pearl, okay? Are you living in your father's tent?" He said he would send someone to deliver it later. Lan Ya threw her arrow on the ground and coldly laughed: "I don't want what you're sending, I only like the pearls my father gave me." Ah Ci smiled: "Don't be stubborn, I'll personally bring it over, is your father doing well?" Lan Ya's anger slightly dissipated when she heard him ask about her father, and she said: "My father is fine! No need for you to ask." After that, she turned around and left with another Hu woman.
A Jurchen general swallowed his saliva and asked, "Ah Su, where did this girl come from? She's quite a looker!" Ah Su's face sank, and he sternly said, "You bunch of scoundrels, don't get any ideas. She is the daughter of Jamal al-Din, a Hui Muslim scholar, and a beloved student of the blessed Mullah, the wise King Nasir al-Din. She is the only female sage in the Ilkhanate. At the age of eight, she made a vow to Allah that she would never marry, dedicating her chastity to the stars above, and received the approval of Ilkhan Abaqa Khan. You rough men only know how to fight and kill; humph, you're not even worthy of holding her shoes!"
Everyone heard that she would never marry, and they all said it was a pity. Liang Xiao thought to himself: "Is this woman a mathematician? The notes on numerology from the Tianji Palace seem to have mentioned her, saying that she is the most powerful mathematician among the Hui people. It also vaguely mentions that their counting and calculation methods are very different from those of the Central Plains, but it doesn't explain how they are different. Hmm, that Nasr al-Din actually dares to call himself the king of wise men, he's really boasting. He had just been scolded by Lan Ya until he was speechless, and he was already feeling stifled. Thinking about this made him even more resentful.
Ah Shi was just about to encourage Liang Xiao, when suddenly a war report came in and he hastily galloped away. The Qinchao army didn't know Liang Xiao well, but they knew he had Mongolian ancestry, so they looked down on him and went to pay their respects to the commander, insisting that he join them in drinking wine. Everyone drank two cups of wine together, becoming closer than brothers. Tu Tu Ha's father was a Qinchao Mongol, his mother a Russian, and here he felt like a fish in water, embracing everyone and singing Russian folk songs, dancing traditional dances from his hometown. The others found it entertaining and joined in, causing chaos together.
Liang Xiao finished his bowl of wine, called Chelni old to his side, and had someone interpret for him, praising that his spear technique was not bad. Chelni old was a defeated general under Liang's command, originally feeling embarrassed, but after being praised by him, he felt an indescribable joy. The two men drank two bowls of strong wine, and their previous grievances were all dispelled.
Everyone was chatting and laughing, when suddenly the war drums thundered, and all the soldiers' faces changed. They hastily threw away their wine cups, and rushed out in a flurry. As they ran, they put on their armor, grabbed their spears and bows, and swiftly mounted their war horses. Before the first drumbeat had even finished, the troops had assembled according to their respective units, gathering together with incredible speed, as if transformed from the carefree drinkers of just moments before. Liang Xiao also marshaled his troops, combining five soldiers from the Imperial Guard with five men from Tuhuluo's tribe, forming a ten-man squad with Tuhuluo as its leader.
The Jin army has assembled and is rushing out of the camp. Just as they were hurrying to the commanding platform, they suddenly heard the drums stop beating and the bugle sound start, with a long and short tone.
The brown-haired Qianhu Zhang, Azu people, He Qi Man waved his hand, and the troops stopped their horses. He Qi Man shouted: "Listen to the order, it is the order for the navy to go into battle! The Song people attacked from the waterway first!" The Jurchen army had three wings, each with a thousand men, and each wing had one long, all under the command of Azu. He Qi Man was the most senior among the Qianhu Zhang, with the greatest military achievements, and he usually issued orders on a daily basis.
Making a rough guess, he pointed with his whip: "Let's go southwest to prevent the Song people in the city from coming out to reinforce by land." The troops rushed westward and had not yet crossed the mountain ridge in front when they heard the sound of cannons from Xiangyang City. In an instant, the city gate opened wide, and a thousand Song soldiers, infantry and cavalry, burst out, while the Mongolian and Han armies in the shape of a single character arrayed themselves to meet them head-on. The formation had not yet been completed when both sides began fighting, and for a time arrows flew about like rain, and blood flowed all over the ground.
The city of Xiangyang was filled with the sound of drums and cannons, as the Song army launched a fierce attack on the Yuan army's position. The Yuan army's vanguard suffered heavy casualties and retreated slightly, but the Song infantry took advantage of the momentum to charge forward. One group of soldiers wielded shields and short swords, rolling on the ground to slash at the enemy cavalry's legs, while another group held crossbows and fired rapidly at the Yuan infantry. The Yuan army was attacked from all sides, showing signs of disorder. Suddenly, a cannon boomed from the city wall, and the Song cavalry burst into the Yuan army, wielding curved bows and dancing with their spears as they clashed repeatedly. In just two rounds, the Yuan army collapsed in disarray and fled in panic.
He Qi's barbarian horsemen stood on the ridge, gazing out at a distance and laughing: "The Song people are really making an effort! The Han army is done for, let's go up!" Just as the troops were about to gallop out, Liang Xiao called out: "Wait." He Qi asked: "What?" Liang Xiao said: "Wait for the Song ambush to emerge." He Qi frowned and said: "What do you mean?" Liang Xiao said: "I calculated it just now. The entire battlefield is covered by the strong crossbows and catapults on the city walls. The Song army lures us in but doesn't fire, instead sending troops to fight with me, clearly pretending to put up a show, attracting my elite cavalry to rush to reinforce, then feigning defeat and entering the city, exposing my infantry and cavalry to the catapults. When the time comes, the Song people will fire their cannons and catapults together, even the strongest cavalry will be thrown into disarray, and at that moment they will send out their crack troops to kill me before I can react. If my guess is not wrong, there are still ambush troops behind the Song army."
Hei Tianbian furrowed his brow, not having spoken yet, when suddenly a mounted messenger rushed in, shouting: "General Ashu has an order for you to hold your troops back and not move. Later, the Song army's ambush troops will attack from within the city, and at that time, charge forward and cut off their escape route." Hei Tianbian received the order, looking at Liang Xiao with a puzzled heart: "Strange, he and General Ashu think alike?"
At this time, a cannon sounded, and two groups of Han cavalry rushed over from both sides to charge at the Song army. After a few rounds, the Song army defeated and retreated. Before the Yuan army could order its troops to advance, the cannons and catapults on the city wall suddenly moved, and the thunderous sound shook the eardrums. In an instant, cannonballs rained down on the Han cavalry like raindrops. The Yuan army was cut into two segments, and only the sound of drums and horns could be heard from within the city, as 4,000 Song cavalry rushed out like a stormy wind, charging into the Yuan army's formation, attacking left and right, and slaughtering wildly.
The Yuan army could not withstand the attack and retreated. The Song army gained momentum, planning to take advantage of the situation and defeat the four wings of the Yuan army with one blow. At that time, it was like a broken bamboo, pursuing closely without letting go. At the same time, 2,000 archers and crossbowmen rushed out from inside the city, coordinating with the cavalry formation on both sides to launch a fierce attack on the Yuan army. The Yuan army could neither advance nor retreat, unable to escape in any direction, resulting in a chaotic scene of horses and men, with heavy casualties.
Liāo Xiāo saw this and shouted: "The time has come!" Hé Chī Mán said: "ā Shù Dà Rén hasn't spoken yet." Liāo Xiāo said: "Opportunities don't wait for people. The Song people are inherently timid, and if they succeed in a surprise attack, they will inevitably stop when they see an advantage." After the previous gamble, Hé Chī Mán was extremely convinced of him, and immediately gave orders to the three armies.
Qincha troops had long been impatient, and at the sound of the horse's hooves, they rushed down from the mountain ridge. At this time, Artai's messenger came face to face, ordering Qincha troops to advance, but was surprised to see that they had already launched a surprise attack. The Huihe tribes did not have time to listen to orders and led their army to rush to the front of Xiangyang City like flying lightning. At this time, the Han army was in chaos, with heavy casualties, and the Song people's cavalry were about to retreat, two thousand bowmen had just finished shooting one arrow, also wanting to withdraw arrows and crossbows to cover the retreat of the cavalry. However, Qincha troops came too suddenly, and in the chaos, they disrupted the formation, rushing into the city in a panic.
With a wave of his whip, M?ngke divided the three-winged army into three parts during the chaotic charge. One part attacked the crossbowmen, one cut off the cavalry's retreat route, and another, led by M?ngke himself, charged into the Song army's cavalry. In an instant, horses flew like dragons and arrows rained down like a storm, the Mongolian iron cavalry sweeping across the plains below Xiangyang City like autumn wind blowing away fallen leaves. The Yuan dynasty Han army took advantage of the momentum to counterattack, and in the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, 5,000 Song soldiers were routed and almost completely annihilated.
After a fierce battle, he saw the defeated army retreating in the distance. The gates of Xiangyang City had not been closed yet, and he felt that there was an opportunity to be seized. He had always been arrogant and relied on his cavalry's exceptional speed. At this moment, he was excited and whipped out his long whip, wanting to take advantage of the victory to lead his army in a lightning-fast attack into Xiangyang and achieve a great merit.
Li Shuo Zheng led his hundred men to surround and annihilate the remnants of the Song army. Seeing this, he shouted loudly: "You can't leave!" His voice was drowned out by the sounds of killing, how could He Chi Bian hear him? He rode forward on horseback, along with two other thousand-man commanders, each leading their troops, and charged into the city gate on horseback. Unexpectedly, within Xiangyang City there was a hidden earthenware jar-shaped fortification near the city gate, shaped like a square bucket, which could trap enemy soldiers inside if the city gates were closed.
As soon as they entered the city, the city gate suddenly closed behind them, and he felt something was wrong. He raised his head and suddenly heard a loud noise, huge boulders falling from the sky like thunder, burying them all.
This union, the Qinchao army suffered a disastrous defeat, with three thousand men killed and over 300 elite soldiers buried. Only about ten hundred men were left, leaderless and in disarray. The governor of Xiangyang, Lü De, was a renowned general of the Song Dynasty. Seeing an opportunity, he disregarded the loss of his elite troops and sent out another 3,000 iron cavalry from the city gate. One thousand cavalry blocked the Han army, preventing them from providing assistance, while two thousand cavalry charged directly at the Qinchao army, intending to crush this elite force in one blow and destroy the Mongols' morale.
Since the establishment of the Jin army, there has never been a defeat. When they win, they become more courageous and their military strength becomes sharper. However, as the saying goes, "what is hard cannot last, and what is sharp will break easily". This undefeated army, once encountering setbacks, would lack a strong and unyielding spirit. Moreover, since they govern their troops with fraternal affection, emphasizing emotional bonds, when someone like Hei Taifeng dies, everyone loses their rationality, disobeys military orders, and rushes out in a swarm, relying on their individual expertise in horsemanship and archery to fight separately.
This move was a serious violation of military law, and it fell right into the hands of the Song army. The Song general saw an opportunity, concentrated his troops, took advantage of the momentum to launch a surprise attack, and split the Jin army apart, making it impossible for them to support each other from front, back, left, or right. Then, he divided his troops to launch a fierce attack, slaughtering the enemy. The Jin soldiers were usually arrogant and looked down on their comrades, so the Han soldiers from various routes hated this cavalry unit very much. Seeing that they were defeated and suffered heavy losses, the Han soldiers secretly rejoiced in their hearts and reluctantly came to rescue them, just going through the motions.
Ah Shi took charge of the defense on the south bank, commanding both the naval and land forces. At this time, the naval battle encountered a formidable opponent, making it difficult to divide his attention. Suddenly, he heard a messenger report, looked far away, and saw that the situation on land had suddenly reversed, with the enemy gaining the upper hand. His heart was shocked and desperate. Disregarding the danger on the water, he descended from the command platform and ordered the messenger to quickly assemble the cavalry, intending to come to the rescue himself.
At this critical moment, two out of the ten battalions of the Jurchen-led army had been defeated, and all the soldiers were in despair. Suddenly, they saw that the Song army's formation was in disarray, and a group of about 100 Jurchen cavalrymen broke through the heavy encirclement of the Song army, their formation still intact as they galloped back and forth within the Song army's ranks. The leader was Liang Xiao, who saw his own troops losing control, rushed out on horseback, shouting loudly, and did his utmost to restrain his men. His hundred or so men had recently suffered consecutive defeats and were not as arrogant as other units, plus Tu Tuo Ha and five others, including Qier Ni Laodu, assisted with all their might, these hundred or so people ultimately did not collapse.
Liang Xiao observed the enemy's weaknesses, waited for the army to stabilize, and then formed a "Six Flower Formation" with Tuhai and five others. With the formation as the axis, they led the hundred-man team to repeatedly charge the enemy's array, creating chaos and disorder. Meanwhile, he let Tuhai, Nangulai, and Chirinolao call out to their companions in the Qinchai language, inviting them to join their own array.
The Jin army was momentarily enraged, and their formation was disrupted. At this time, the casualties were heavy, and they suddenly came to their senses, realizing that if they did not unite and work together, they would surely perish on the spot. They all responded to Liang Xiao's call and joined him. Liang Xiao charged forward, shouting loudly, directing everyone to their positions, and even the surviving company commanders took the opportunity to regroup their own soldiers. In just four or five rounds, Liang Xiao managed to reassemble a defeated army that had been on the verge of collapse amidst the chaos. Two thousand men cheered and followed him as he led the charge.
The Qinchuan army was scattered and disorganized, making it easy to bully them. Now that they had a leader, each one of them could take on ten opponents. They had never suffered such a defeat before, and with anger burning in their hearts, they followed Liang Xiao's orders, charging left and right, fighting to the death. Liang Xiao observed the enemy formation and saw the Song army's cavalry moving as if to attack from both sides. He quickly ordered the Qinchuan army to spread out on both wings and block the Song army's sudden attack. He also ordered Tudaha to lead his elite troops in a swift cavalry charge, breaking through the enemy lines and striking at their heart with powerful bows and sharp arrows, killing several high-ranking Song generals. The three thousand-strong Song army was leaderless and disintegrated, being repeatedly attacked by the Qinchuan army, leaving corpses scattered all over the field, and fleeing back to the city in disarray.
Liang Xiao feared the city's catapults and crossbows, and did not dare to press too hard. He regrouped his troops and slowly retreated. When he reached the rear, one of the three wings of the Imperial Guard had been defeated, with over 800 casualties.
