aircannonsinc Chapter 159 Remaining inactive
Chapter 159 Remaining inactive
After Wanyan Kuang's personal guards carried Ouyang Ke away, the tent erupted in chaos.
"General, this is a golden opportunity!"
"The Song emperor has delivered himself to our doorstep; we absolutely cannot let him get away with this!"
"This humble general is willing to serve as the vanguard and immediately send troops to Zaoyang to capture the Song emperor alive."
The Jin soldiers were filled with excitement and eager to fight.
Wanyan Kuang paced back and forth in the tent, his face showing undisguised excitement, yet he remained composed.
He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "The Song emperor's presence in Zaoyang is indeed a godsend, but the Song army in Xiangyang is no pushover. If we hastily return, he will surely pursue us from behind, leaving us vulnerable to attacks from both sides, which would be disastrous."
"Moreover, the veracity of this matter is still uncertain, so we cannot rush back. The city of Zaoyang has limited supplies, and they are deep in enemy territory and cannot hold out for long. The slower we proceed, the more panicked they will become."
He stopped and looked at his generals: "Pass on my order, the entire army shall break camp and slowly return to Zaoyang. The rear guard shall become the vanguard, advancing step by step, and guarding against the Song army in Xiangyang in pursuit. We are not in a hurry; we will wear them down slowly."
"Wait until the Song army runs out of food and their morale is low, then launch a full-scale attack on the city. At that time, the Song emperor will be like a turtle in a jar."
"As the commander-in-chief commands!"
The generals responded with a roar of approval, their faces beaming with excitement.
Everyone thought that the Jin Kingdom was bound to win this battle, and that things might even repeat themselves from decades ago.
They were all eager to prove themselves and be rewarded.
On the third day after Wanyan Kuang's army pressed on to the walls of Zaoyang, the siege battle entered a fierce and intense phase.
Once it was confirmed that Emperor Zhao Yu of the Song Dynasty was in the city, the various Jin army units that had been plundering the surrounding counties turned around and gathered towards Zaoyang like wolves smelling blood.
In just two days, more than 40,000 Jin soldiers gathered outside the city, completely surrounding the small county town.
Every day at the crack of dawn, the bugle call to attack the city would resound across the plains.
Dozens of siege ladders were densely stacked on the city wall, and Jin soldiers, clad in heavy armor, roared as they climbed upwards.
Logs and stones rained down from the city walls, each impact accompanied by screams of agony. Broken bones and flesh mingled with dust, turning the gray walls a deep brown.
Wanyan Kuang watched the soldiers falling one after another on the city wall, his face unmoved, only his eyes growing colder.
"Send two more archer squads to the left flank to suppress the Song army on the city walls."
"If the siege ladder battalion fails to scale the city wall within half an hour, the entire unit will be executed."
"Those who retreat shall be beheaded. Those who cower and refuse to advance shall be beheaded."
The orders came one after another, cold and resolute.
He knew better than anyone that capturing the Song emperor was more useful than taking ten Xiangyang cities.
If Zhao Yu can be captured alive, the Song state will be leaderless. At that time, it is not wishful thinking to march south, take Lin'an, and repeat the Jingkang Incident.
This tremendous achievement is enough to secure his place in history.
The Jin soldiers charged forward like madmen.
Those in front had their brains splattered as they were hit by rolling stones, while those behind continued to climb over the corpses, fearless of death.
The Song soldiers on the city walls were fighting fiercely, but the Jin soldiers below seemed endless, one wave retreating only to be replaced by another.
Zaoyang is a small city, and its city walls are not particularly tall or sturdy.
After several days of fierce attacks, cracks had appeared in many parts of the wall, which were temporarily sealed by the soldiers using sandbags and stones.
Every time the Jin soldiers climbed onto the city wall, they had to go through a fierce hand-to-hand battle before they could be driven off, and every inch of the city wall was soaked in blood.
The bloody battle raged on outside Zaoyang, and the morale of the people in Xiangyang was already low.
Inside the council chamber, the generals were arguing amongst themselves.
Since the news of the main Jin army breaking camp and heading north to besiege Zaoyang came, generals have been coming to Wang Chongyang every day to request that troops be sent to rescue the city.
"General Wang, the Emperor is surrounded; how can we stand idly by!"
"This humble general is willing to lead my troops as the vanguard to relieve the siege of Zaoyang!"
"The Emperor is the foundation of the nation; if anything were to happen to him, the Song Dynasty would be finished!"
The crowd erupted in a cacophony of voices, their emotions running high.
Wang Chongyang sat in the main seat, keeping his eyes closed and remaining silent. Only after the commotion subsided did he slowly open his eyes and say, "Hold on."
"General!"
Some people were so anxious that their eyes turned red: "Zaoyang has few soldiers and lacks food. The emperor is in imminent danger. How can we stay here and not move?"
"I know what I'm doing. Anyone who orders me to fight without authorization will be punished according to military law! All of you, step back."
The generals looked at each other, filled with resentment but daring not to disobey orders, and could only leave in anger.
Before long, rumors began to circulate in the army that Wang Chongyang was secretly colluding with the retired emperor, deliberately holding back his troops, and wanted to use the Jurchens to kill the emperor so that he could reinstate the retired emperor.
The rumors spread like wildfire, and even many mid- to low-ranking military officers were secretly wondering about it.
These words naturally reached Wang Chongyang's ears, but he seemed not to hear them.
That evening, in his residence in Xiangyang City, Wang Chongyang sat cross-legged on his couch, circulating his Innate Skill.
The internal energy flowed slowly through the meridians, but when it reached the vicinity of the heart, it suddenly became stagnant.
He groaned, his face paled, and a metallic taste rose in his throat, which he forced down.
According to the original story, Wang Chongyang should have died in his prime.
At that time, he failed to resist the Jin dynasty and was disheartened. He was also entangled with Lin Chaoying for half his life, and his heart was filled with unresolved issues. Even though he practiced the Taoist innate health cultivation technique, he could not stop himself from being plagued by mental illness.
Mental illness is hard to cure; even the greatest martial arts skills cannot prevent birth, aging, sickness, and death.
However, in the world changed by Zhao Yu, Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying no longer had any romantic entanglement.
Zhao Yu gave him hope for a successful northern expedition and the restoration of the Han homeland. This belief sustained Wang Chongyang and extended his lifespan.
However, these days, he has been busy with military affairs day and night, and coupled with his exhaustion, his old illness is showing signs of recurring.
"Master." Qiu Chuji's voice came from outside the door, "Chief Hong of the Beggars' Sect and Chief Qiu of the Iron Palm Sect have come to pay their respects."
"understood."
Wang Chongyang took a deep breath, suppressed the surging blood and qi within him, straightened his clothes, and pushed open the door to go out.
His expression remained normal, showing no sign of weakness.
Simple food and wine were laid out on the stone table in the backyard. The three of them sat down as host and guest, and since they were all from the martial arts world, there was no need to talk too much about official etiquette.
After a few drinks, Hong Qi put down his cup and said, "Brother Wang, the main force of the Jin army is currently besieging Zaoyang, which greatly reduces the pressure outside Xiangyang. I wonder when you plan to send troops to support that brat Zhao Yu?"
Qiu Qianren also questioned, "Master Wang, the Emperor is fighting a bloody battle in Zaoyang, yet you command tens of thousands of troops but remain inactive. What exactly does this mean?"
His wealth and glory were all tied to Zhao Yu. If anything happened to Zhao Yu, everything Qiu Qianren had would vanish. That's why he was more anxious than anyone else.
Wang Chongyang picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and said, "I have my own plans."
"What's your stance?" Qiu Qianren slammed his hand on the table. "You think it's your stance to just stand by and watch the Emperor be surrounded? Wang Chongyang, if you're afraid of the Jurchens, just say so. I'll lead the Iron Palm Clan brothers to rescue him myself!"
"To mobilize troops without orders is tantamount to treason." Wang Chongyang's tone was neither warm nor cold. "Now is wartime, and as the commander-in-chief at the front, I can take you down right now and deal with you according to military law."
"You!" Qiu Qianren was furious and stood up, about to lash out.