Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 201 The Double Whip General Approaches the City, Chief Li Spy on Enemy Camp at Night

Now, let's turn to another matter. In Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital, Gao Qiu, Cai Jing, and their treacherous clique, angered by Gao Lian's death, sought to use someone else to do their dirty work. They thus strongly supported Huyan Zhuo, the Double-Whisperer, as commander-in-chief, to lead a large army to conquer Liangshan. On the day the imperial edict was issued, the Privy Council dared not delay in the slightest. The three armies were mustered, the armory was opened wide, and all the best and brightest equipment were distributed.

The three thousand linked horses were purebred steeds carefully selected from the north. Each horse stood seven feet tall, strong and robust, with a pure black coat, without a single stray hair. They were all clad in heavy armor forged from wrought iron, completely covered from head to toe, only their hooves and eyes visible. The riders, too, wore heavy armor like ironclad fortresses, wielding long spears and carrying sharp blades at their waists. Most terrifying of all, they were arranged in rows of thirty, each horse linked together with iron rings and chains as thick as a child's arm. When they moved, they resembled a moving iron wall, or a colossal steel dragon devouring everything in its path; their movement caused mountains to crumble and the earth to split, their advance unstoppable and invincible!

The five thousand infantrymen were no ordinary garrison troops; they were all elite soldiers selected from among the best of the imperial guards in the capital region. They wore fine chainmail, carried gleaming broadswords and spears, and marched in perfect unison. The only sound as they moved was the dull thud of their armor plates clashing and their footsteps hitting the ground; there was not a sound of their presence.

Furthermore, there was the deputy general "Hundred-Victory General" Han Tao, the military commander of Chenzhou, whose skill with a jujube wood spear was unparalleled, and whose bravery surpassed that of the entire army; and "Ugly Prince Consort" Xuan Zan, who, though unremarkable in appearance, possessed strategic acumen and extraordinary martial arts skills, and was a confidant of Cai Jing. The two, one on the left and one on the right, each led troops, like a tiger with wings, protecting the central army banner.

In fact, the linked cavalry was not much different from the Jin Dynasty's Iron Pagoda, and its power was equally astonishing.

"Iron Pagoda" refers to a pagoda-shaped heavy armor. "Pagoda" is the Sanskrit word for pagoda. By the Jin Dynasty, Chinese pagodas had already developed into a stepped structure with progressively decreasing heights. "The soldiers who led the attacking troops were called Iron Pagoda Soldiers, also known as Iron Tower Soldiers. They wore two layers of iron helmets, with long eaves all around, and felt pillows underneath."

The Jurchens initially did not possess armor. Later, they acquired 500 sets of armor from Liao rebels, marking the beginning of their use of armor. However, early Jin armor was relatively simple, mostly covering only the upper body with knee pads. By the mid-Jin period, long and wide leg skirts were added, extending the garment to the ankles. For ease of combat, military uniforms were designed with round collars and narrow sleeves; the military robe could also be worn over the armor. Later, armor protected the entire body, continuously refining and improving upon the Song dynasty's armor style based on its own characteristics.

The main fighting force of the Jurchen army was cavalry. Therefore, Jin cavalry were generally equipped with heavy armor.

The Jin army stipulated that the "Iron Pagoda" troops could only advance and never retreat. "For every step a man took forward, the chevaux-de-frise behind him moved forward one step, demonstrating their unwavering resolve." In other words, for every step forward, the chevaux-de-frise blocking the horses' retreat would move forward one step, preventing any retreat and signifying their determination to fight to the death. The "Iron Pagoda" troops advanced in groups of three, forming a "wall," reminiscent of Xiang Yu's "breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats" strategy.

The tactics were similar, the difference lay in the quality of the soldiers and the horses. Firstly, after the Jin Dynasty destroyed the Liao Dynasty in the north, it had no shortage of high-quality warhorses, while the Song Dynasty did not. The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun had never been recovered, and the number of horses remained scarce. Even if armor could be mass-produced, it would be very difficult for the Song Dynasty to create a chain of warhorses on a large scale.

Another factor is the people. It can be said that the first generation of Jurchens in this era were the strongest humanoid Gundams. These guys who roamed the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River were not human, but ferocious beasts. The reputation of being invincible was not just a boast, but was earned through sheer force. With the same equipment and the same number of troops, the Song Dynasty's military strength was still no match for the Jin Dynasty, and there was nothing they could do about it.

The army departed from Bianliang, the capital, banners fluttering, dust billowing, a vast and imposing force. The overwhelming killing intent it carried from the capital headed straight for Shandong. Along the way, prefectural and county governments, upon hearing of the imperial army's passage, sprang into action. Officials left their cities, magistrates left their posts, bowing and scraping as they offered the grain and gold they had already plundered. The conscripted laborers suffered terribly; elderly mothers waited anxiously at their doors, newlywed wives wept. For a time, the official roads were a cacophony of carriages and horses, filled with public resentment. This scene was even more tragic than the Liangshan bandits descending the mountain.

"The carriages rumbled, the horses neighed, and the travelers carried bows and arrows at their waists."

Parents, wives, and children saw them off, but the dust obscured the Xianyang Bridge.

They grabbed my clothes, stamped their feet, blocked my way, and cried out, their cries reaching the heavens.

A passerby asked a pedestrian, who simply replied that the road was frequently used for travel.

Or from the fifteenth north defense river, one can reach the fortieth west camp field.

When he left, the village headman wrapped his head in a protective robe; when he returned, his hair was white, and he was still guarding the frontier.

Blood flowed like the sea on the frontier, yet the Emperor's ambition to expand the borders remained unfulfilled.

Have you not heard that in the Han dynasty, there were two hundred prefectures east of the mountains, where thousands of villages and hamlets were overgrown with brambles and thorns?

Even if strong women wield hoes and plows, the crops in the fields will grow unevenly.

Seeing this situation, the military staff officer couldn't help but recite the poem "The Army Chariots Are Coming" by the great poet Du Fu.

Huyan Zhuo rode on the "Snow-Treading Black Steed" bestowed by the emperor, his posture upright like a pine tree, but he frowned inwardly at the sight.

Born into a military family, he was well-versed in military strategy from a young age and deeply understood the principle that "weapons are instruments of destruction, used only as a last resort by wise men." In his eyes, soldiers were for protecting the country and defending against foreign aggression, not for oppressing the people and exploiting them. Looking at those sycophantic civil officials, he felt a surge of contempt: "A bunch of parasites who only know how to flatter and fawn! If you hadn't deceived your superiors and indulged the powerful, how could so many rebels and bandits have emerged!"

He glanced again at Xuan Zan, who was not far from him, talking quietly with a local official. Xuan Zan had a smile on his face, but his eyes gleamed with calculation. Hu Yanzhuo sneered inwardly, "Cai Jing's old traitor's lackey! He's accompanying the army this time, nominally a deputy general, but in reality a supervisor. Does he really think I, Hu Yanzhuo, am such an ignorant fool?"

Although he disdained associating with the likes of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing, he was bound by imperial orders and duty; pacifying Liangshan was his sole objective. He had absolute confidence in his army, especially his three thousand linked cavalry. "Li Hanxiao, no matter how cunning you are, how unparalleled your sorcery, before my ironclad linked cavalry formation, you are nothing but a mantis trying to stop a chariot, a mere clay chicken and a tile dog! Once I've flattened your Liangshan, let's see how you still have the face to call yourself 'acting on behalf of Heaven'!"

Huyan Zhuo was strict in disciplining his army. Although the army made many levies on local areas along the way, its discipline remained relatively strict, and there were no large-scale disturbances to the people. However, the oppressive feeling of an impending storm had long since passed over the Yellow River's natural barrier with the billowing dust.

Liangshanbo, Dongxi Village.

Zhu Gui's waterfront tavern, always filled with the aroma of wine, was quite different today. The red cloth wine flag with gold trim that used to fly high in front of the door had been quietly taken down and replaced with an inconspicuous blue cloth banner.

The shop was deserted, with not a single customer in sight. Only a few Liangshan spies disguised as waiters were watching the slightest movement on the official road warily.

Inside the woodshed in the backyard, the atmosphere was even more tense. A man disguised as a traveling merchant, travel-worn and weary, was using trembling hands to pull a tightly wrapped, still warm roll of secret letter from a huge, hollowed-out piece of firewood. His lips were chapped, and his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't slept for days. "Chief Zhu Gui, it's extremely urgent! This was sent from Jizhou Prefecture by Brother 'White-Day Rat' Bai Sheng, who risked his life!"

Zhu Gui took the heavy, sealed letter. He glanced at the crimson "fire" character on the envelope—a mark created by soaking it in a special solution and then heating it over a fire—and his expression instantly changed, turning as cold as ice in the dead of winter. This mark was the highest-level warning signal from Liangshan's intelligence system!

He dared not delay in the slightest, immediately entrusting the affairs of the inn to his trusted confidant. He then changed into a fisherman's outfit and personally piloted a small boat that darted swiftly through the reeds, like an arrow released from a bow, heading straight for the Liangshan headquarters deep within the marshland. Along the way, the water was strewn with sentries every three steps and checkpoints every five, both hidden and visible. Upon seeing Zhu Gui's boat and its distinctive flag, all checkpoints allowed him unimpeded passage.

Inside the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, huge tallow candles illuminated the entire hall as bright as day, yet the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to drip water, so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Li Hanxiao sat high on the tiger-skin-covered commander's seat, holding the still slightly damp secret letter in his hand. His face was ashen, and his deep eyes, which always carried a hint of mockery and confidence, were now like two bottomless pools of ice.

At the moment of action, Wen Huanzhang, Zhu Wu, Lin Chong, Guan Sheng, Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, and other core leaders of Liangshan held their breath, their expressions solemn. Inside the hall, apart from the occasional crackling of the candlelight, only the heavy, bellows-like breathing of the group could be heard.

"Brothers," Li Hanxiao said slowly, his voice not loud, but like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's heart hard, "His Majesty is truly enraged this time."

He slowly handed the secret letter in his hand to the strategist Wen Huanzhang beside him.

"Double Whip Huyan Zhuo, a direct descendant of the founding general Iron Whip King Huyan Zan, was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. His deputy generals, 'Hundred-Victory General' Han Tao and 'Ugly Prince Consort' Xuan Zan, are both renowned and fierce generals in the court. This time, the court has mobilized all the elite troops of the Imperial Guards in the capital region, totaling 8,000 soldiers, including 3,000 'Chain Horses'."

The moment the words "linked horses" were uttered, the entire hall was filled with astonishment!

Even Guan Sheng, a descendant of a military family, a man who was always arrogant and looked down on all the heroes of the world, now showed an unprecedented solemnity on his jujube-like face. He thought to himself, "A descendant of Huyan Zan? The linked cavalry? This time, the court is really serious!"

Wen Huanzhang took the secret letter, his gaze sweeping over it rapidly. A rare look of worry appeared on his usually calm face. He sighed deeply, rose, and explained to the crowd, “My lords, this linked cavalry formation is the trump card of our Great Song army against the iron cavalry of the northern barbarians! The formation involves cladding all the warhorses in heavy wrought iron armor, then linking them together with iron rings and chains. Thirty horses form a line, creating an impenetrable wall of armor, charging together. Its momentum is like a tidal wave, or an iron plow tilling the land—unstoppable. On the open plains, infantry encountering it crumble at the first touch, instantly crushed into mincemeat; even ordinary light cavalry find it utterly difficult to withstand its onslaught. Since the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Taizu, this formation has been our dynasty's only method against the Liao and Western Xia cavalry of the north, winning every battle without a single defeat!”

Upon hearing this, a collective gasp filled the hall.

"The strategist is absolutely right." Zhu Wu, the "Divine Strategist," also looked grave, and the feather fan in his hand stopped waving. He stood up and added, "The only weakness of this formation lies in its slow movement, inconvenient maneuverability, and poor adaptability. If it encounters mountainous terrain or rivers and marshes, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced. But... but Yuncheng County, which we have just captured, is located on the Luxi Plain, flat and indefensible, making it the perfect battlefield for the 'Chain Horse' formation to roam freely!"

Zhu Wu inwardly groaned: this Huyan Zhuo, a member of a legitimate military family, was extremely disciplined in his military tactics and formations, making him incredibly difficult to deal with. Unlike the government troops he had encountered before, who were full of weaknesses, this time, he feared he had met a truly formidable opponent!

"In my opinion..." Wen Huanzhang frowned slightly, lost in thought. He gently stroked his chin as he pondered the current situation. After a while, he seemed to finally understand something, suddenly opening his eyes and revealing a resolute expression. Then, he turned to face Li Hanxiao, respectfully bowing deeply, and said solemnly, "Huyan Zhuo has led a large army to attack us. They are coming with great momentum and force. If we directly engage them on the open plains, we will likely suffer heavy losses! Therefore, I think we absolutely cannot confront them head-on; we must avoid their sharp edge first. The best approach now is to adopt a scorched-earth policy, relocating all the people of Yuncheng County to the marshland. This way, the enemy will not find food and supplies, and naturally, they will be unable to continue their advance. Moreover, Liangshan has the vast, boundless marshland of eight hundred li as a natural barrier!" This place has numerous waterways, a dense spiderweb of waterways, with harbors and tributaries everywhere—perfect for us to display our skills! While Huyan Zhuo's linked cavalry is formidable, they are ultimately just land predators. Once they enter the water, they're like toothless tigers, nothing to fear. We can send our navy to harass the enemy day and night, cutting off their supply lines. When their army is exhausted, we can seize the opportunity to defeat them—that's the truly foolproof strategy!