SWDnovel Chapter 84 To Fight or to Retreat
Chapter 84 To Fight or to Retreat
The night was as dark as ink, and a murderous intent was brewing beneath the surface.
An Yougui settled the woman in a secluded barracks. His eyes, filled with ruthlessness, completely replaced his hesitation. He turned around and summoned more than a hundred of his trusted personal guards. Each of them donned armor and drew their swords, heading straight for the city wall.
At the same time, Zhao Dezhao, covered in blood, had just retreated from the city wall and was leaning against a railing catching his breath when a messenger rushed over, kneeling on one knee to report urgently:
"Your Highness! General Shi has urgent military business to attend to and humbly requests that Your Highness grant him permission to speak with me!"
Zhao Dezhao frowned slightly, waved away the personal guards who were handing him water, and followed the messenger's directions to quickly ascend the central command platform.
Upon seeing Zhao Dezhao arrive, Shi Shouxin, with a somber expression, immediately relayed the military intelligence that the scouts had just brought:
"Your Highness! The 50,000-strong reinforcement army led by Lin Renzhao of the pseudo-Tang dynasty has reached within 50 li. At their marching speed, they will be at the city gates within half an hour!"
"Whether to fight or retreat is now up to Your Highness!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao's brows furrowed even more. He leaned on the railing of the command platform and gazed into the distance, his eyes sweeping over the situation of the great battle.
Although Yangzhou had already been largely breached and the east gate was on the verge of collapse, it would still take time to completely eliminate the remaining enemy forces.
If the Southern Tang reinforcements arrive at this moment, the Song army will be caught in a pincer attack from both inside and outside, and may even fail at the last minute.
"We cannot retreat, and we certainly cannot abandon Yangzhou."
Zhao Dezhao spoke firmly, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Yangzhou is the throat of the Jianghuai region. If we retreat today, we will be handing over the entire Jianghuai defense line to the pseudo-Tang dynasty, which will lead to endless troubles."
"Your Highness, but..." Shi Shouxin hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
How could he not know the advantages and disadvantages involved?
The army was already in a difficult situation, and Yangzhou was about to fall. If they retreated, the pseudo-Tang dynasty could take Yangzhou without lifting a finger.
But if war is to break out, then someone must step forward and stop those 50,000 Tang soldiers!
"Your Highness, why don't I lead the troops?" Shi Shouxin gritted his teeth and volunteered for battle, but before he could finish speaking, Zhao Dezhao raised his hand to interrupt him.
"I'll go to this battle!"
Zhao Dezhao turned to Shi Shouxin, his expression serious, and said, "General Shi, the battle within the city is entrusted to you. You must quickly eliminate the remaining enemy forces and take control of Yangzhou!"
"This..." Shi Shouxin hesitated, but seeing the undeniable solemnity in Zhao Dezhao's eyes, he could only nod in agreement:
"Your Highness, rest assured! I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
Zhao Dezhao said no more, turned around and stepped down from the command platform, and quickly mobilized the personal guard battalion, along with the two thousand elite soldiers who had been specially trained before, to gather a total of ten thousand elite imperial guards.
Ten thousand soldiers, clad in armor and armed with weapons, instantly formed a neat square formation below the city walls. They followed him as he galloped out of the city, the rapid sound of hooves kicking up clouds of dust that stretched into a long, dim yellow ribbon in the inky night.
……
Under the cover of night, the banners of the Southern Tang army fluttered in the wind. Lin Renzhao, clad in silver armor, rode alongside a richly decorated carriage, urging his soldiers to speed up their march.
Just then, a scout came to report:
"General, please report! Over ten thousand Song soldiers are heading straight for our army!"
"Who comes?" Lin Renzhao reined in his horse, his face calm and composed.
"The general who comes claims to be Zhao Dezhao, the eldest son of the Song emperor!"
"Haha, well done!"
Before Lin Renzhao could speak, a hearty laugh, filled with surprise and delight, came from the luxurious carriage behind him:
"It is the will of Heaven! I was just about to capture Zhao, and you have delivered yourself to my doorstep!"
The curtain was quickly lifted by a maid, and Li Congjia, dressed in a brocade robe, stepped out of the carriage with a smile on his face.
Now that his father can call himself "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "the Emperor"), he naturally follows suit and calls himself "孤" (Gu, meaning "I, the Lonely One").
"Your Highness, we must not be careless!" Lin Renzhao reminded him.
"With 50,000 against 10,000, I have the advantage; what is there to fear?"
Li Congjia calmly waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the front lines to the rapidly approaching banner bearing the character "Zhao." His smile deepened, and he immediately gave the order:
"General Lin, immediately order the army to form ranks and meet the enemy; you must capture Zhao Dezhao alive!"
At this moment, Zhao Dezhao had already led his troops to the front of the battle line. He wielded his dragon-patterned staff like a dragon, and spurred his horse forward like a thunderbolt, charging into the Tang army's ranks, his roar shaking the surrounding fields.
"I am Zhao Dezhao, the eldest son of the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty! You will all die immediately!!"
The ten thousand elite troops behind him also waved flags and shouted, following closely behind with overwhelming momentum!
A great war has begun!
However, to Lin Renzhao's surprise, after a short while of fighting, the Song army began to show signs of being outmatched, and their formation began to break down.
"Sound the retreat! Withdraw! Retreat now!"
Amidst the chaos of battle, Lin Renzhao clearly heard Zhao Dezhao's panicked roar, followed immediately by the crisp sound of the retreat signal from the Song army camp.
The Song army fought and retreated in panic, fleeing hastily towards the Yangtze River, completely ignoring the Southern Tang soldiers pursuing them.
Lin Renzhao did not order a pursuit, but instead reined in his horse and gazed into the distance, his brows furrowed as he fell into deep thought.
The two armies clashed hastily. The Song army appeared to be in a rout, but in reality, its casualties were minimal, and it didn't even leave behind much of its baggage. This was extremely strange.
The Imperial Guards of the Great Song Dynasty were renowned throughout the world, so how could they collapse so easily at the first touch?
Moreover, even if they were to retreat, they should have moved towards Yangzhou City. Why did they choose to flee towards the Yangtze River and the Tang Dynasty?
Ha, you're still too green. Trying to play these tricks on me?
Lin Renzhao's lips curled into a cold smile, as if he had seen through the enemy's scheme.
"General Lin, what are you waiting for? Order the pursuit!"
Just then, Li Congjia, who had hurriedly climbed back into the carriage, stepped out again, his voice urgent, and he waved his hand, saying, "If we can capture Zhao Dezhao, we'll have won most of the battle!"
Lin Renzhao turned around, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I think this is inappropriate."
"It would be better to send 20,000 soldiers to pursue them first, keeping them close behind the Song army."
"In this way, the enemy will not know the size of our army and will think that we are pursuing them with our entire army. They will be uneasy and unable to sleep at night. When the enemy is exhausted, we can defeat them in one fell swoop."
Lin Renzhao has now realized that Zhao Dezhao is clearly feigning weakness to lure him into pursuit, thus buying time to capture Yangzhou.
Although he admired the courage, he shook his head and smiled at the childish arrangement.
Even if you're going to feign defeat, you should at least make it look convincing.
However, having seen through Zhao Dezhao's scheme, he naturally wouldn't fall for it. So he paused, and then advised again:
"Your Highness, the most urgent task is to capture Yangzhou!"
"The Song army is about to breach the city. If our army seizes this opportunity to take Yangzhou, we can cut off Zhao Dezhao's retreat. At that time, he will be like a turtle in a jar, at our mercy to capture and kill. Why rush to pursue him?"
Li Congjia, however, didn't understand much. He only heard Lin Renzhao say he would let Zhao Dezhao go, and his face darkened. He asked:
"General Lin, let me ask you this: which is stronger, the Imperial Guard of the Song Dynasty or the elite troops of my Tang Dynasty?"
Lin Renzhao remained silent for a moment before answering truthfully: "The Imperial Guards of the Great Song Dynasty are seasoned veterans and their combat strength surpasses that of our elite troops."
"In that case, when a lion hunts a rabbit, should it use its full strength?" Li Congjia's tone suddenly rose, and his gaze sharpened as he stared at Lin Renzhao.
"Yes, sir," Lin Renzhao replied in a deep voice.
"That's right."
Li Congjia snorted coldly: "The ten thousand soldiers with Zhao Dezhao must be the most elite troops of the Song Dynasty. If we only send twenty thousand soldiers to pursue them, what will happen if he discovers the true strength of our army and turns to attack?"
He raised his hand and smoothed his sleeve, feigning an air of profound military erudition, adding, "The art of war says, 'Appear deceptive when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.' Perhaps he's trying to lure you into dividing your forces so he can defeat you one by one!"
When Li Congjia started talking to him about military strategy, Lin Renzhao couldn't help but chuckle, recalling the phrase "armchair strategist."
He calmly replied, "Your Highness, rest assured. Even if the Song army turns to attack, our army still has 50,000 naval troops on the Yangtze River, ready to rush to our aid at any time. With an attack from both sides, how can Zhao Dezhao, with only 10,000 soldiers, possibly withstand us?"
The navy he was referring to was the 50,000-strong elite navy led by Zheng Yanhua, which originally planned to advance along the river directly towards Kaifeng. At this moment, it was anchored on the Yangtze River, waiting for orders.
Having said that, Lin Renzhao's tone became more forceful, carrying a hint of coldness:
"Your Highness! Before His Majesty departed, he gave me the order to take charge of all matters in the army and act as I see fit."
"The battle in Yangzhou is urgent and cannot be delayed for even a moment. I hope Your Highness will not put me in a difficult position."
Li Congjia's face turned pale and then red, his heart filled with rage. However, he knew that Lin Renzhao held military power, and his father had decreed that he was only serving in the army and should not interfere in military affairs. Therefore, he could only give up indignantly.
He glared at Lin Renzhao hatefully: "This battle had better go as you wish! If Zhao Dezhao escapes, or Yangzhou is lost, you will be held responsible!"
Having said that, he turned around, flicked his sleeves, and climbed back into the carriage.
A moment later, mournful and plaintive music drifted from inside the carriage...