xymnovel Chapter 94 Facing Death!
Chapter 94 Facing Death!
Chapter 94 Facing Death!
As dusk settled and the setting sun slowly painted the sky, the surface of the Yangtze River north of Runzhou City quietly tinged with a faint red, spreading across the crests of the waves like congealed blood.
The crimson color slowly spread along the river, turning the surging waters into a breathtaking picture of a blood-stained landscape.
World War I is raging!
Shi Shouxin's 40,000 troops were arrayed north of the Yangtze River, while Cao Bin led 3,000 elite troops in a fierce attack south of the Yangtze River. The two armies, one in the south and one in the north, formed an encirclement and relentlessly attacked Zheng Yanhua's naval camp.
Arrows rained down like a dense storm, striking the wooden fortifications of the Tang navy. Wood chips flew everywhere, screams filled the air, and the river water became even more turbid, turning the river surface into a veritable hell on earth.
"General, the Song army's offensive from Jiangbei is fierce; two breaches have been breached in our defensive fortifications!"
The guards stumbled and rushed into Zheng Yanhua's warship, their voices filled with panic.
Zheng Yanhua gripped his sword hilt tighter and tighter, forcibly suppressing his inner anxiety, and sternly ordered: "Order all ships to hold their positions to the death! Use crossbows to blockade the river surface, and absolutely forbid the Song army from approaching the pontoon bridge construction site. Anyone who retreats will be executed on the spot!"
He kept Li Congjia's orders in mind, relying solely on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River to remain on the riverbank, not seeking to defeat the enemy, but only to hold off Shi Shouxin's troops and cut off the possibility of the Song army crossing the river to provide support.
"If we delay a little longer, the Jiangrao navy from the east of the city will arrive."
Zheng Yanhua's eyes flashed with a cold light as he gazed into the distance at the bright silver armor of the Song army in Runzhou.
Although they were far apart, he could tell from the figure and the style of the armor that the man was Zhao Dezhao, the eldest son of the Song emperor.
The thought of capturing the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty would bring him immense merit ignited a burning flame in Zheng Yanhua's heart, and he secretly prayed that the Jiangrao Navy in the east of the city could act even faster.
The battle on the river lasted for a full hour. The Song army approached the pontoon bridge several times, but each time Zheng Yanhua's troops destroyed it.
"Report! A large Tang army is rapidly approaching from the east of the city!"
Upon hearing this news, Cao Bin remained calm and composed. He glanced at the dark sky, quickly calculating in his mind for a moment, before loudly ordering, "Sound the retreat! Withdraw and defend Runzhou!"
This battle was originally a feint.
The seemingly endless mass of corpses lying before the Song army was actually mostly composed of surrendered soldiers from Runzhou City. Cao Bin had ordered them to don Song army armor and fight on the front lines with unsharpened blunt weapons. The true elite Song army was positioned behind them, adhering to only one ironclad rule:
Anyone who retreats will be killed!
Runzhou City is located right next to the Yangtze River. These two thousand surrendered soldiers had nowhere to retreat or escape, and could only become bait on the battlefield.
Zheng Yanhua's navy was only concerned with fighting, and they would attack anyone wearing Song army armor with all their might. They didn't bother to distinguish whether the people under the armor were Song people or surrendered soldiers.
With Cao Bin's order, the sound of the retreating gong pierced the battlefield, and the Song soldiers retreated in an orderly manner, gradually heading back towards Runzhou.
Seeing this, Zheng Yanhua immediately raised his hand to stop the pursuit: "No need to chase after them! Stay on high alert for Shi Shouxin's movements!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh, a hint of pride in his eyes: "To annihilate two thousand Song soldiers in one battle is quite a feat."
Not long after, in the Tang army camp in the middle valley of Cuiping Mountain, Li Congjia received a report of victory from Zheng Yanhua: "Your subject Yanhua led the naval troops to fight to the death against the enemy on the north bank of the river. He was seriously wounded, but fortunately he did not fail His Highness the Crown Prince's entrustment and held the river defenses intact."
"In this battle, more than two thousand Song soldiers were killed. I personally witnessed the eldest son of the Song emperor, Zhao Dezhao, leading his remaining troops in a sorry state to retreat to Runzhou, and he dared not attack again."
"This report is submitted humbly for Your Highness's consideration."
"Good! Good! Good!"
Li Congjia couldn't help but burst into laughter, and the last lingering doubts in his heart completely vanished.
At first, he was worried that Zhao Dezhao would use the same trick again, taking advantage of the fact that the encirclement of Runzhou was not yet complete, and launch a feint attack like he did at Cuiping Mountain last time.
But now, he is completely at ease.
"Pass on my command."
A triumphant Li Congjia immediately summoned his messenger, pacing back and forth with a resolute tone: "Order Zhou Chengzhao and the Jiangrao navy to immediately assemble a vanguard. At daybreak, launch a full-scale attack on Runzhou from the east and south, and be sure to capture the city in one fell swoop!"
"Yes, sir!" the messenger replied and left.
Li Congjia looked up at the darkening sky outside the tent, stretched lazily, and in high spirits, couldn't help but murmur: "A pot of wine, a fishing rod, how many are as carefree as I am?"
The army is resting tonight, why not take advantage of this fine time to enjoy some romance and beauty?
As night deepened, a group of soldiers dressed in Tang Dynasty armor lay in ambush on a small hill at the northern foot of Cuiping Mountain.
Their faces were filthy, their clothes and armor stained with blood. At first glance, they looked no different from scattered soldiers, even more disheveled than ordinary defeated soldiers, like a group of beggar soldiers begging in the mountains.
The group consisted of exactly eight hundred people, neither too many nor too few.
They lay silently among the dry grass and withered branches, their bodies motionless, their eyes fixed on the Tang army camp in the valley not far away.
They have maintained this position for four days and four nights!
-
Suddenly, the wind picked up.
A biting north wind from the Yangtze River howled past, swirling up fallen leaves, arriving in a desolate and bleak manner.
Zhao Dezhao brushed the withered leaves off his face, closed his eyes to feel the force of the wind, and finally couldn't help but say, "Everything is ready, and the north wind is coming!"
Long before Li Congjia's army completed the encirclement of Runzhou, he led eight hundred elite guards, donned the Tang army armor that had been prepared in advance, and quietly infiltrated Cuiping Mountain.
This wait lasted for a full four days!
It wasn't that no Tang scouts went up the mountain to investigate during that time, but who would have thought that someone would lie there on the dry grass and withered branches for four days and four nights, motionless like a stubborn rock?
They dared not light a fire during the day, and could only gnaw on dry, hard millet cakes. At night, they dared not speak, and even their breathing was kept extremely low. They lay tightly in the pile of dead leaves, enduring the bites of mosquitoes. They endured four days and nights like this.
Only these eight hundred personal guards could command with such strict discipline; ordinary Song soldiers would never have been able to maintain such discipline.
As night deepened, the distant chimes of the midnight bells drifted over, and the Tang army camp in the valley was filled with the sounds of snoring.
Zhao Dezhao slowly stood up, facing the wind, the collar of his armor fluttering in the night breeze.
The howling northwest wind, carrying the astringent scent of withered grass and trees, swept over him, blowing the dust off his face and revealing a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes.
"October is a cold month, the transition from autumn to winter, the vegetation is withered, and the air is dry, making it a time when wildfires are most likely to break out —"
He curled the corners of his lips into a smile, turned around, and looked at the eight hundred guards slowly rising from the haystack. His gaze swept over their haggard yet resolute faces, and he suddenly spoke to one of them: "You are Chen Erniu, aren't you?"
The guard was clearly surprised that Zhao Dezhao knew his name. He was immediately taken aback and quickly cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "This humble one is Chen Erniu!"
"I remember you still have an elderly mother who is bedridden at home."
"Yes—" Chen Erniu's expression was somewhat depressed.
"Don't worry, before we set off, I sent a doctor from the prefecture to take your mother to the Kaifeng Medical Center for treatment. Judging by the time that has passed, her condition should have improved by now," Zhao Dezhao said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Chen Erniu was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
He simply knelt on the ground with a thud, his eyes reddening, and said, "This humble one—this humble one will never forget Your Highness's great kindness!"
"Get up." Zhao Dezhao raised his hand to help him up, then turned his gaze to the soldier on the other side. "You're Ma Jiu? You must have a baby at home who's just a month old, right?"
"I am Ma Jiu!" The soldier was both surprised and delighted, his voice trembling.
"By the way, is this Liu Silang next to you? He lives in Liu Family Village outside Kaifeng City, and he has a younger sister to support, right?"
"And Zhou Hu, I remember you too—"
"————"
As Zhao Dezhao strolled among his eight hundred personal guards, each time he thought of a person, one of them would kneel on the ground, either with reddened eyes or an agitated expression, refusing to stand up no matter what Zhao Dezhao said.
They knelt willingly.
Despite being the most noble and esteemed eldest prince, he knew the family affairs of these ordinary soldiers like the back of his hand. In fact, if he hadn't spoken up today, no one would have known that the eldest prince had secretly done so much.
A soldier will die for one who understands him, and so will a soldier!
In particular, these guards were all from good families personally selected by Zhao Dezhao, and most of them were not bad at heart.
When Zhao Dezhao reached the end of the line and turned around, all eight hundred guards were kneeling on the ground, their eyes filled with fanatical admiration and determination as they looked at him!
"I am telling you all this today because I want to tell you..."
The night wind carried Zhao Dezhao's earnest words to the ears of every guard: "Now that you have joined my personal guard, you are my brothers!"
"Your parents, wives, and children are also my family, Zhao Dezhao's family!"
"As long as I am here, I will ensure their safety and prosperity!"
The night wind swept across the hillside, rustling the grass and trees, but it couldn't drown out the heavy breathing of the guards.
No one spoke; they simply gazed intently at Zhao Dezhao, as if he were a beacon of light, a torch of hope, a banner held high in their hearts!
"After this battle, we can return to the capital. Your families, wives, and children are waiting for you!"
Zhao Dezhao once again moved through the ranks, his voice steady and powerful: "Four days of lying in wait, enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, all for tonight!"
With that, he strode up the high slope, pointed sharply at the Tang army camp in the valley, and said sternly, "There, lies Li Congjia's 30,000-strong army!"
"And we only have eight hundred people!"
"Eight hundred against thirty thousand —" Zhao Dezhao withdrew his finger, smiled, and spoke in a relaxed tone as if he were talking about something insignificant: "Tonight, perhaps someone will die."
"Perhaps—I will die too."
"Then may I ask you gentlemen?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of each of his guards, and asked, word by word, "—Are you willing to die with me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the eight hundred guards remained silent. Instead, they all stood up and slammed their spears into the ground with a loud, powerful thud!
The army remained hidden, unable to voice their thoughts, but could demonstrate one thing through their actions: "We are willing to die alongside the eldest prince!"
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