Moma Liangshan

Chapter 340 Midfield Tactical Change: A Strategic Retreat for Advance

Before the soldiers who had stormed the Liao army camp could establish a foothold, Wanyan Zongwang dared not remove the wooden bridge to rescue the stranded soldiers. Furthermore, the chest-high camp walls made it difficult for the Jurchen soldiers inside and outside the camp to coordinate their attacks. After much deliberation, he finally said, "Send hammer-wielders to smash the camp walls flat!" Hammer-wielders were not a specialized unit, but rather a hastily formed force during special periods, typically composed of burly, strong men wielding heavy hammers specifically to destroy enemy camp walls and roadblocks.

Although the tower shields lacked mobility, when advanced in formation, they resembled mobile fortresses, making them extremely difficult to destroy. The tower shields had openings on both flanks specifically for attack, where Yelü Dashi's hardwood hooked spears, previously used as part of the camp walls, were once again put to use. The Jurchen swordsmen and shield bearers fought individually; before the Liao army counterattacked, they could still fight back with their individual bravery. However, once the Liao army retaliated, the hooked spears, which three men could barely encircle, would instantly knock them away. But the Jin army consisted of seasoned veterans, whose adaptability far surpassed that of ordinary soldiers. A swordsman and shield bearer leader discreetly signaled to his five soldiers to prepare for a counterattack. Having fought side-by-side for years, the six men understood each other's next move with just a glance and a gesture. They paired up, facing each other, and quietly retreated half a step. Finally, when the Liao army's hooked spears were about to strike again, they suddenly attacked, using the edges of their shields to firmly block the Liao army's hooked spears, and then abruptly pulled back. Caught off guard, the Liao soldiers behind the shield tower, unable to break free from the ropes binding their wrists, were mercilessly dragged out of the battle formation. Without the cover of their ranks, the three Liao soldiers were instantly hacked to pieces. Having succeeded, the Jurchen leader immediately reported the victory to his superior, who in turn relayed it to the vanguard officer. The vanguard officer immediately gave the order: "Order the entire army! Six shield bearers per team, two per group. Pull out as many hooked spears as the Liao soldiers extend!" Sure enough, the order shattered the Liao formation. The Jurchen soldiers, as easily as pulling radishes, ripped out the Liao spears and the soldiers holding them one after another.

The Liao army's original formation was both offensive and defensive, gradually compressing the Jin army's positions with the coordination of tower shields and hooked spears. However, once the hooked spear offensive was broken, the entire formation resembled a crab with its claws severed, leaving only its hard shell. Yelü Dashi frowned and ordered, "Archers, prepare! Fire a volley of arrows!" The Jin army's shields, while blocking the hooked spears, could not defend against the arrows falling overhead; conversely, while blocking the arrows overhead, they could not withstand the hooked spear attack. Helpless, the Jin vanguard officer led his troops to retreat thirty paces. Only elite troops could advance and retreat freely after the weapons had clashed! The Jurchen vanguard army immediately halted after retreating thirty paces and re-prepared for battle.

Watching the battle from the rear, Wanyan Zongwang looked anxious at the densely packed crowd on the wooden bridge and said, "Tell the vanguard officer that the enemy's camp walls have been leveled. In half an hour, when the war drums sound, the entire army will attack!" The vanguard officer, upon receiving the order, immediately adjusted the formation and said, "Bring six shield carts over. I want to form a wedge formation to pierce the enemy's tortoise shell!" His subordinates, upon receiving the order, immediately brought over six shield carts, arranged in layers of "one," "two," and "three." Of the six shield carts, the one in the center of the third row did not initially engage the enemy but served as a reserve vehicle. Due to the terrain limitations, the Jin army could not fully deploy its forces. Wanyan Zongwang adapted to the situation, transforming his army into a long spear, intending to forcefully break through the Liao army's "crab-like" defenses.

After the Jin vanguard single-handedly broke through the Liao army's hook-and-spear formation, Yelü Dashi began to have a completely new understanding of the Jin army's strength. However, this new understanding was almost catastrophic for the Liao army at that moment. If Yelü Dashi could not be prepared to die and resist to the last moment, all 60,000 Liao soldiers would likely be buried here.

If the two armies were evenly matched, Wanyan Zongwang's tactics would not have been particularly brilliant. Yelü Dashi could have simply dispatched elite troops to hold back the enemy vanguard and retreat while fighting, thus miring the enemy in a quagmire without their knowledge, and even encircling them at the last moment, turning the tide of battle. However, there are no "ifs" in life. It is an indisputable fact that the Liao army was weaker than the Jin army. Under such circumstances, how could Yelü Dashi dare to be overconfident, let alone risk everything for a chance of survival? Furthermore, Wanyan Zongwang was not fighting alone. He had Wanyan Zonggan nearby and Wanyan Aguda overseeing the overall situation. If the battle turned against him, reinforcements would inevitably come. At that point, not only would he fail to launch a counterattack, but he might also be completely annihilated by the Jin army.

Yelü Dashi unconsciously looked towards the observation platform where the Shu princess was located, and finally ordered: "The left army moves east to assist in the defense of Xiao Yu; the right army moves west to hold the western camp wall; the central army retreats five hundred paces and forms ranks to meet the enemy!" Such a change of formation not only had the appearance of inviting the wolf into the house, but also included the observation platform where the Shu princess was located within the battle zone. After much deliberation, Yelü Dashi finally came to pay his respects to the Princess of Shu, saying, "This humble general should die; I could not hold the enemy outside the camp walls!" The Princess of Shu was strong-willed by nature and could hardly tolerate Yelü Dashi's actions. She questioned, "Retreating without a fight, welcoming the enemy into the camp—is this how you repay my trust?" Yelü Dashi knelt on one knee and retorted, "The enemy is strong and we are weak; we cannot fight them head-on. Now that they are at the city gates, the people are filled with panic. If we are not careful, the last hope of the Liao Dynasty may be extinguished!" The Princess of Shu scoffed and said, "The people are filled with panic? Perhaps you are cowardly and dare not fight to the death!" Yelü Dashi, also stubborn, said, "This humble general has long since disregarded life and death. The reason for this formation is only to preserve the overall situation!"

The Shu princess was about to erupt in anger, but Wang Hao, having considered other options, said, "I fully agree with General Da Shi's plan!" The Shu princess, puzzled, looked at Wang Hao. Wang Hao nodded slightly and said, "I have a question for General Da Shi!" Yelü Da Shi said, "Please speak, Duke of Bohai!" Wang Hao said, "If I have a way to prevent the enemy from coordinating their forces, how many enemy soldiers do you think we can encircle and annihilate?" The Shu princess and Yelü Da Shi instantly became alert. The Shu princess immediately asked, "What method?" Wang Hao shook his head and said, "You'll see soon enough!" Then he looked at Yelü Da Shi. After weighing his options, Yelü Da Shi said, "Five thousand men!" Wang Hao nodded and said, "When five thousand enemy soldiers break through, the general will beat the drum as a signal!" Yelü Da Shi, half-believing, said, "Yes, sir!" The Shu princess's anger had subsided, and she said, "I was out of control just now. Please, General Da Shi, return to the command platform!" Yelü Da Shi replied, "Yes, sir!"