diymy Chapter 88 Crossing the Yangtze River
Chapter 88 Crossing the Yangtze River
Chapter 88 Crossing the Yangtze River a Second Time (Seeking First Subscription)
In ancient times, military campaigns were far less convenient than they are today.
Intelligence gathering and information transmission between the enemy and our own forces both rely on scouts traveling around, which inevitably leads to time lags.
Therefore, Zhao Dezhao was unaware that the Tang army pursuing him numbered only over 20,000.
If he had known the enemy's strength beforehand, he would never have chosen to launch a surprise attack on Zheng Yanhua's navy. Instead, he would have turned around and engaged the pursuers directly, then crossed the river to join forces with Li Chongjin to attack Lin Renzhao from both sides.
However, it seems that it's not too late to find out now.
Zhao Dezhao looked up at the sky; the clouds were thinning and the dawn was breaking through.
After a moment's hesitation, he abandoned the idea of taking a break.
Of these 10,000 elite soldiers, 8,000 had rested and recuperated while lying in ambush at Cuiping Mountain. The remaining 2,000, though physically exhausted, were still able to grit their teeth and persevere after a period of special training.
Zhao Dezhao's gaze fell upon the faint outline of Jiangning City in the distance. He abruptly drew his sword from his waist, pointing the tip directly at the city walls, and loudly ordered, "Fortune lies to the west! The entire army marches on Jiangning!"
"Here you go!"
Thousands of soldiers responded in unison.
Jiangning was the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty at that time.
The Jiangnan region was prosperous, and Li Jing's palace was extremely luxurious.
Inside the spacious palace, colorful silk and gauze curtains hung down to the ground. A gentle breeze swept through the hall, causing the gauze shadows to sway, creating a scene reminiscent of a fairyland, captivating the mind and spirit.
Through the swaying, hazy gauze curtains, one could vaguely see a stunningly beautiful woman nestled against Li Jing's lap, her posture gentle and alluring, her soft, melodious moans revealing her tender affection.
Anyone who witnessed this scene would feel their blood boil and find it difficult to move.
"Still no news from Lin Renzhao?"
Li Jing leaned against the soft couch, his eyes half-closed, indulging in the service of beautiful women while also keeping an eye on state affairs.
"Your Majesty, there is no news yet," the eunuch replied, not daring to raise his head.
"Is that petty thief Zhao Dezhao still trapped on Cuiping Mountain?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing frowned deeply, feeling a vague sense of foreboding, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
A night passed, and there was not a single word from either Yangzhou or Cuiping Mountain, which was truly abnormal.
"Send scouts to investigate, and report back immediately if there's any news!" Li Jing ordered, still worried.
"Yes, sir!" The eunuch dared not delay, bowed, and quickly retreated.
With no one in the hall, Li Jing couldn't help himself. He pulled the beauty into his arms and took out a luminous pearl from his waist, rolling it over the beauty's delicate body.
The beautiful woman, with a sweet voice and giggling cries, snuggled into Li Jing's arms, making Li Jing burst into laughter.
But just then, several muffled rumbling sounds came from outside the palace!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
From afar, it sounded like a god beating a drum, deafeningly loud, causing everyone in Jiangning City to pause in surprise and look blankly in the direction from which the sound came.
It's the direction of the East Gate.
Li Jing instantly lost all interest, shoved the beauty in his arms away, hastily threw on a sable robe, and rushed out of the palace in his shoes, demanding sharply, "What happened!"
A middle-aged eunuch stumbled in, his face panicked, and knelt down, gasping for breath, crying out, "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Song troops are attacking the city!"
"Song army attacking the city? Where did the Song army come from? Wasn't Zhao Dezhao trapped on Cuiping Mountain?"
Li Jing was startled, his face filled with disbelief. He quickly recovered and ordered, "Quickly! Prepare the horses! To the city wall!"
Upon reaching the top of the East Gate, the sight before him froze Li Jing in place.
Amidst the flickering flames, the city walls were completely unrecognizable, riddled with countless craters of all sizes, and littered with mutilated corpses and wailing cries.
The Song army surged in like a tide, and many of the defenders were so frightened that they huddled behind the parapets, not even having the courage to fight back.
"Where is Zheng Yanhua? And where are Lin Renzhao's 20,000 troops at Cuiping Mountain?!"
Li Jing suddenly grabbed the collar of the general beside him and roared furiously, "Who can tell me what happened?!"
Enraged, Li Jing trembled uncontrollably, his heart filled with panic and fear spreading like a tide.
Jiangning Prefecture was poorly defended, with only 5,000 troops in the city, and it relied entirely on the Yangtze River Navy for protection.
But now Zheng Yanhua's navy has not arrived!
Not only that, but even Lin Renzhao's 20,000-strong army has disappeared without a trace!
Meanwhile, Zhao Dezhao's 10,000-strong army attacked the city like wolves that had smelled meat, risking their lives to do so!
How long can Jiangning hold out?
Li Jing felt completely uncertain.
All he knew was that the Song Dynasty's Imperial Guards below the city were the most formidable force in the world, skilled in siege warfare, not to mention their current predicament of being outnumbered and outmatched in morale.
The thought of the terrible fate he might face after the fall of Jiangning sent cold sweat down his back!
"Send scouts immediately! Find Zheng Yanhua and Lin Renzhao and order them to return to Jiangning tonight!"
Li Jing, forcing himself to remain calm, sternly ordered, "Send another decree to the garrisons in all regions to immediately rush to protect the Emperor and hold Jiangning at all costs!"
In his panic, he could only place his hopes on reinforcements from various regions.
"Your Majesty! Military Governor Zhu Lingyun is currently leading 50,000 naval troops in a standoff with the Wu army on Taihu Lake. He simply cannot spare any troops!" Chen Jishan, Vice Minister of War, stepped forward hastily.
"Fool! If Zhu Lingyun can't come, then send Jiang Rao's navy!" Li Jing shouted angrily, his eyes wide with rage.
"But Hongzhou————"
"Hongzhou my ass!" Li Jing couldn't hold back any longer, his killing intent boiling over as he stared intently at Chen Jishan: "I'm already on the verge of death, what do I care about Hongzhou! Dare to say another word, and I'll behead you first!"
Hongzhou, which he personally designated as the new capital, is located in the most fertile Jiangrao region.
There, the last naval force of the Southern Tang Dynasty was stationed to protect the future capital.
"Yes!" Seeing Li Jing's murderous gaze, the Vice Minister of War dared not persuade him any further and could only retreat hastily.
Meanwhile, in the direction of Cuiping Mountain, the 20,000 Tang troops who were originally pursuing Zhao Dezhao also received a message from the scouts sent by Zheng Yanhua.
Given Zheng Yanhua's experience, he would certainly not have sent out only one scout.
"Did Zhao Dezhao escape from Cuiping Mountain?"
When the commander-in-chief, Zhou Chengzhao, received the letter, his expression changed drastically, his face filled with disbelief.
Cuiping Mountain is not large. After they chased them all the way here, they quickly divided their forces and set up sentries, surrounding the entire mountain so tightly that not even a sparrow could fly out, let alone a person.
Moreover, at the beginning of the siege, they repeatedly confirmed that Zhao Dezhao's 10,000 Song soldiers were clearly in the mountains!
But now, they've run away?
"Damn it, we've fallen for their trap! The one on Cuiping Mountain isn't Zhao Dezhao at all!"
Zhou Chengzhao quickly figured it out and couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Despite his cursing, he dared not delay for a moment and immediately shouted the order: "All troops assemble! Rush to the aid of Jiangning!"
Meanwhile, Zheng Yanhua, who had circled around to the northwest of Jiangning Prefecture, successfully built a pontoon bridge and led his navy across the Yangtze River, speeding towards Jiangning City.
In a short time, a total of 70,000 troops were rushing to Jiangning Prefecture to provide reinforcements.
By this time, the city of Jiangning was already a scene of devastation.
Most of the battlements were destroyed, the defending troops suffered heavy casualties, and their morale plummeted. If it weren't for Li Jing standing on the city wall to hold the line, some soldiers would probably have already surrendered.
After all, with such a clear advantage, it was only a matter of time before Zhao Dezhao conquered Jiangning.
But the most pressing issue right now is time.
"Your Highness, Zheng Yanhua's troops have already circled the river and will arrive in Jiangning in less than an hour!"
"Your Highness, 20,000 Tang troops have assembled at Cuiping Mountain and are rushing to our aid at full speed!"
The scouts, who had been dispatched at the beginning of the war, were now reporting military intelligence one after another.
"Damn it! So close!"
Li Chuyun stared at the crumbling Jiangning City so close at hand, clenched his fists tightly, and couldn't help but curse.
This is Jiangning!
Inside is the ruler of the pseudo-Tang Dynasty!
If we could capture Li Jing alive, what a great achievement that would be!
Even the reserved and composed Cao Bin glanced longingly at the city wall before turning his gaze away and bowing to Zhao Dezhao, advising, "Your Highness, let's withdraw the troops."
Given the current situation, it is clear that Jiangning cannot be attacked.
Even if they succeed, they will be surrounded by the subsequent loyalist army and become sitting ducks.
"Your Highness, the warships we intercepted earlier are still on the south bank. Why not take advantage of the fact that the Tang army has not yet blockaded the Yangtze River and immediately withdraw to the north bank to make further plans?" Cao Bin added.
"Uncle Guohua is absolutely right, it's time to retreat."
Despite failing to capture Jiangning, Zhao Dezhao remained calm, showing no sign of regret.
In his plan, taking over Jiangning was not originally part of his objective.
He raised his hand and waved, then announced loudly, "Pass down the order: the entire army shall retreat in an orderly manner, heading straight for the south bank of the Yangtze River!"
Upon receiving the order, the soldiers, though unwilling, understood the gravity of military command and immediately halted their offensive, retreating in an orderly manner.
There were also dozens of warships that had previously captured Zheng Yanhua, which were ready to cross the river.
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