Moma Liangshan

Chapter 228 Repeatedly Showing Weakness, Layers of Encirclement

Morigen's thirty riders were all elites from the Hungry Wolf Legion. Although it was their first battle, their opponents were merely Jurchen logistics personnel, not seasoned warriors. Furthermore, Morigen's battle strategy relied solely on long-range archery, avoiding close combat. This greatly alleviated the anxiety of his soldiers and minimized potential casualties. When they were about three hundred paces from the enemy, Morigen charged forward, leading his troops out of the bushes where they were hiding. In an instant, the clatter of hooves against armor thundered like a deafening roar. The supply officer in charge of the rations was thrown into disarray, only managing a few breaths before frantically shouting, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The battle was not as easy as expected. After the initial panic, the enemy calmed down again, and the fierce courage and fearlessness that the Jurchens had honed in the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River region began to be gradually aroused. Before the supply officer could give the order to fight, the soldiers picked up their swords and used the supply wagons and old horses as a shield to meet the hungry wolf cavalry. Several archers, under the cover of their comrades, nocked their arrows and drew their bows, ready to counterattack at any time.

The enemy's calm put immense pressure on Morigen. In a split second, he drew his bow and, using the momentum of his charging horse, fired at the third nag in the supply convoy. Morigen's arrow traced a low arc through the air, striking its target squarely in the neck. The steel shears pierced flesh three-tenths of an inch, not fatal, but the intense pain made the nag feel threatened. No matter how the Jurchen soldiers tried to calm it, it continued its reckless charge. Even with bridles on, horses are still herd animals. The wounded nag's neighing quickly triggered a chain reaction; within moments, all the horses became fearful, and the barrier the Jurchen soldiers relied on for cover began to show numerous gaps. The opportunity was fleeting; the thirty wolf-like cavalrymen immediately launched their first volley.

Using his stirrups, Morigen gripped his horse's flanks tightly, his eyes fixed on the enemy ranks. He pondered deeply: "The enemy's supply convoy stretches for over three hundred paces. An ordinary soldier needs about three to five breaths to fire an arrow. If I slow my horse to thirty paces per breath, I can barely manage three attacks. However, while this would inflict maximum damage in this attack, if the enemy becomes fearful and doesn't pursue, I'll fail to complete the mission of luring them into a trap. That would be a net loss!" With this thought, Morigen spurred his horse forward, firing only two volleys before disappearing from the battlefield. After leaving the battlefield, Morigen didn't leave the enemy's sight; instead, he turned back and confronted them from a hundred paces away—a clear act of provocation.

At this moment, the Jurchens had completely stabilized their formation. Although they had lost more than ten naval infantry and three warhorses, they had not suffered any casualties. The Jurchen supply officer and centurion, gazing at the hungry wolf cavalry not far away, ordered their men to assess their own losses and then said, "Shangjing City has long been surrounded by our army, so why do some dare to attack our supply lines?" The centurion replied, "Even with layers of encirclement, some will inevitably slip through. It's just that these bandits are far too well-equipped!" The supply officer made no attempt to hide the greed in his eyes and said, "What, are you tempted?" The centurion revealed a ruthless smile and said, "As far as I know, even the elite of the Imperial Guard don't have such well-equipped soldiers, do they? If we could take these soldiers..." "Presenting Jia to the Emperor would be a tremendous achievement! He'd be overjoyed, how could he not be rewarded?" The grain transport officer nodded repeatedly, saying, "Now that more than half the horses are lost, we can't possibly reach the front camp on time. We might as well take a gamble; perhaps we can redeem ourselves!" The centurion, looking at the hungry wolf cavalry not far away, said, "The enemy numbers over thirty. I want to take all seventy of their soldiers, and the remaining thirty strong men will accompany you to guard the grain carts. Is that acceptable?" The grain transport officer, a seasoned veteran, replied, "If the enemy only has thirty men, I agree to your strategy. But what if they're using a trick?"

The centurion, brimming with confidence, declared, "Back then, His Majesty led 20,000 troops to decisively defeat the 700,000-strong Liao army—how awe-inspiring! Today, we, with three times the strength, were caught off guard by a mere 30 bandits. Not only did we fail to annihilate the invaders, but we also lost 16 horses. If this gets back to our hometowns, we'll both be expelled from the Wanyan tribe!" The grain transport officer, also stirred by the battle, said, "In your opinion, this battle must be fought no matter what?" The centurion, resolute, replied, "I would rather die on the battlefield than live a life of dishonor!" Suddenly, the centurion roared, "Good! As you say, the entire army shall attack!" The centurion mounted his horse and solemnly promised, "If we win this battle, the credit will be shared equally; if we lose, the punishment will be shared by both of us!" The grain transport officer puffed out his chest and shouted, "The Great Jin Dynasty is invincible!" The soldiers echoed, "The Great Jin Dynasty is invincible!" In an instant, the sounds of oaths resounded across the land.

As Morigen watched the billowing dust rising from the Jurchen ranks and heard the declaration that "the Great Jin Dynasty is invincible," a slight smile played on his lips. He ordered his deputy, "Report to the general immediately, the fish have taken the bait!" The deputy quickly agreed and rode off. The enemy army rapidly approached, and Morigen shouted, "Hungry wolves, are you afraid?" Hearing Morigen's shout, all the soldiers instinctively tightened their reins, but none showed any sign of fear. The enemy army came quickly, and when they were only about two hundred paces away, Morigen suddenly ordered, "Rapiers, volley!" The soldiers, upon hearing the order, drew their bows and fired. The Jurchen centurion, who was in pursuit, watched the black lines gliding across the sky and thought disdainfully, "Such weak soldiers, not worth worrying about!" It turned out that even with a tailwind, rapiers rarely traveled more than a hundred paces. Morigen ordered his soldiers to fire arrows at two hundred paces. Even subtracting the distance for the enemy's charging horses, this was utterly insufficient to achieve any effect. To those familiar with battle, this appeared to be the act of a cowardly general and a weak army. After firing the first arrow, Morigen immediately ordered, "Retreat!"

The faster Morigen retreated, the closer the Jurchen cavalry pursued. In this chase, Lin Chong's formation, like a giant pocket, silently surrounded the seventy Jurchen cavalrymen; or perhaps more accurately, the Jurchen cavalrymen walked right into Lin Chong's pocket. Facing an enemy ten times their number, it was impossible not to panic. However, the Jurchen centurion showed no sign of surrendering, shouting, "Warriors, follow me and break through the formation!"

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