Chapter 710: Song Kingdom Recalls Troops |
to live one day as if it were a whole year (idiom: to live in unbearable conditions where a day feels like a year)
The road back, a familiar path!
Luo Zhao, seated on his horse, frowned.
He had grandly entered the Yan Kingdom, crushing all in his path. Heroism emanated from him for countless li.
He had successfully crossed the river, shattering many armies along his way; everything had gone according to his plan. Yet, ever since Meng Shan Min officially began his eastward offensive, everything had changed. Luo Zhao's previous grandiosity was gone; Meng Shan Min had simply shattered it. And now, he had to return home in a foul mood.
He knew he would be awaited, and by none other than Meng Shan Min himself. They hadn't fought yet!
He was withdrawing his troops, but not because he had received an imperial order.
Firstly, he realized that attacking the capital was not the right move. Secondly, he had attacked the capital and failed. He had not lost his senses. Thus, during the assault on the capital, he had discovered the fierce determination of its residents to resist. They had put up immense opposition. Therefore, the capital could not be captured in a short period.
They had attacked twice, to no avail. Then, they began their third assault.
How many warriors had fallen attempting to scale the walls? How much blood had been spilled!
Indeed, behind the capital, every inch of land was filled with warriors of the Song Kingdom!
Though with his warriors, he would sooner or later be able to seize the capital!
Only, he dared not squander such a vast number of warriors. There were many reasons. Firstly, he had little time. Secondly, he did not wish to lose so many warriors. For how many of his 3 million warriors would then remain alive? And they still had to return. Where Meng Shan Min would be waiting for them!
At this moment, he had an epiphany. He understood why Meng Shan Min had buried 600,000 prisoners alive!
Excluding other reasons, Meng Shan Min had deliberately enraged the Song Kingdom army. He had intentionally provoked them to seek revenge. At the same time, he had terrified the Yan Kingdom's capital, thereby forcing both sides into a death struggle!
which had led to the depletion of the Song Kingdom warriors' strength!
Meng Shan Min had used 600,000 warriors to turn the capital into a bait, thereby exhausting the Song Kingdom's warriors' time, provisions, and human resources.
Previously, looking at the weak Yan Kingdom army, Luo Zhao could not have even imagined such an outcome. From it, he felt a chill, though it wasn't cold!
That old man was insane. He cared nothing for reputation, burying 600,000 warriors alive. He showed no concern for the Yan Kingdom's capital. And all this, for the sake of saving the Yan Kingdom!
Realizing this, Luo Zhao no longer dared to attack the capital. He ordered the withdrawal of troops! "Withdraw!" The Song Kingdom's forces began to retreat. However, Shang Chao Zong's cavalry continued to harass them. Every warrior had provisions for a few days, and their supplies were constantly replenished.
Now, a hundred thousand cavalry voluntarily attacked Luo Zhao's warriors.
The hundred thousand cavalry appeared and vanished like the wind, constantly seeking opportunities to strike the massive army. This made their retreat extremely difficult.
Now Luo Zhao understood that Meng Shan Min had left the hundred thousand cavalry precisely for this purpose: to delay the Song Kingdom warriors' return.
At the same time, Shang Chao Zong ordered every province to once again hinder the Song Kingdom warriors, to damage roads and erect obstacles, delaying their return.
At one point, the hundred thousand cavalry struck the retreating army fiercely. They didn't just feign an attack as usual; they truly assaulted them. Thus, they showed Luo Zhao that they could indeed launch a real attack!
Although they understood the cavalry's intent, the Song Kingdom warriors were forced to maintain some form of defense.
Facing such a troubling problem, the Song Kingdom warriors constantly had headaches. Two to three million warriors were an enormous number, impossible to gather into a single mass. Nor was there a road wide enough to comfortably array such a large army. The warriors of the Southern Domain appeared like the wind. They would enter from the left and exit from the right, crushing enemies along the way.
And one never knew when or from where they would strike.
The cavalry was not greedy. They would only kill a few hundred or a thousand men and then withdraw. And how many wounded were left behind each time? Thus, the army slowly retreated. The number of dead and wounded per engagement was small. But if they attacked constantly, how many wounded and killed would accumulate over time? Moreover, the Song Kingdom warriors were constantly on edge; they couldn't even sleep properly.
Two legs were no match for four. How could such an enormous horde evade the pursuit of mighty cavalry?
Once, unable to endure it, the Song Kingdom cavalry rode to pursue the Southern Domain cavalry. In the end, succumbing to the temptation of capturing the enemies, the Song Kingdom cavalry separated from the main forces. The Southern Domain warriors suddenly wheeled their horses and launched a counter-attack, routing their pursuers and leaving only a few hundred riders alive. It turned out the Song Kingdom cavalry was no match for the Yan Kingdom cavalry at all!
Shang Chao Zong also frequently launched sudden attacks on the provision carts—or rather, feigned attacks—constantly disturbing the cultivators protecting the provisions. Although Shang Chao Zong had not yet seriously attacked those escorting the provisions, who knew when he would truly strike? Thus, the provisions were constantly well-guarded.
Such a task constantly gave Dachang Mountain a headache.
Although they were harassing the Song Kingdom army, dealing with the Song Kingdom cultivators was not a pleasant task for Dachang Mountain. For when the cavalry retreated, it was Dachang Mountain's cultivators who had to cover their rear against the enemy cultivators!
After all, ordinary warriors were not considered much of an obstacle for cavalrymen!
«Dudu, an order from His Majesty. He commands us to lift the siege and recall the troops!» A commander presented the dispatch to Wen You, who then handed it to Luo Zhao.
Luo Zhao looked at the order and remained silent. He was deep in thought.
He didn't know what the emperor's sudden order meant. Had they, too, understood Meng Shan Min's scheme?
He had already sent word that he had lifted the siege and was returning. His message should surely reach the capital soon as well.
He handed the decree to Su Yuan Bai and the others. As always, they looked at the order and fell into thought.
Thus, the Song Kingdom's forces were returning. Every day, they suffered casualties, which certainly crushed any fighting spirit they had.
«Your Majesty, the Song Kingdom's troops are leaving. They are truly leaving.»
In the Imperial Library, Tian Yu rushed in and reported joyfully.
«They're truly withdrawing?» Shang Jian Xiong, seated at a small table, asked doubtfully. His eyes were already red; he was utterly exhausted.
These days, he had lived each day as if it were a whole year.
Tong Mo, Shang Yong Zhong, and Gao Jian Cheng were also exhausted from these days. Chairs had long been prepared for them in the Imperial Library. For all these days, these three men had sat with the Emperor. One could say they had chatted ceaselessly day and night. Previously, no official would have dared to chat with the Emperor for days on end like this.
Rooms for overnight stays had also been arranged for them in the Imperial Library. And palace eunuchs attended to their needs.
Tian Yu nodded his head joyfully: «Precisely, we confirmed it several times. The Song Kingdom's forces are now 800 li from the capital. It's unlikely they would withdraw such a great distance for a feint. Now, it will be difficult for them to return!»
«Phew!» Shang Jian Xiong, slowly rising, sighed. But then he sat back down at the table and said, still worried: «They are indeed withdrawing their troops. I have defended the legacy of my ancestors, defended the capital. Otherwise, how could I face my ancestors?»
The three officials also sighed. However, Shang Yong Zhong asked in surprise: «Luo Zhao, with such a vast army, came from afar, attacked the capital three times, and now returns just like that. Why does this strike me as strange?»
Gao Jian Cheng said doubtfully: «Meng Shan Min led our troops to attack the Song Kingdom. He is plundering and killing there, even massacring cities. Perhaps this put pressure on Luo Zhao and forced him to return?»
Several people exchanged glances. Each thought this was plausible.
Tong Mo suddenly said: «And Shang Chao Zong? Is he pursuing the Song Kingdom's forces?»
Tian Yu bowed: «Yes, our scouts report that the Prince is dealing with them audaciously. Along the entire route, he is harassing the Song Kingdom's forces. He even clashed seriously with enemy troops once!»
Tong Mo sighed coldly: «When defending the capital, and he needed to attack, he did nothing at all. But as soon as the Song Kingdom's forces retreat, he immediately displays his capabilities. A deceiver!»
Gao Jian Cheng and Shang Yong Zhong subconsciously exchanged glances. They understood that this was untrue. Luo Zhao commanded a three-million-strong army. How would Shang Chao Zong dare to attack them? When the Song Kingdom's vanguard began attacking the capital, Shang Chao Zong did, after all, defend the city. But afterwards, his defense was simply useless.
However, the two men merely shifted their gaze to Shang Jian Xiong. They knew that Tong Mo simply hated Ning Wang to death.
«No matter how, the capital has been defended. All obeyed the command!» Shang Jian Xiong stood up again and said, no longer worried: «The soldiers and common people listened to the command. We value this! The warriors must be rewarded. You all think about this. To the common people... distribute money and provisions. Each person shall receive one gold coin and ten days' provisions. To all people. And those who joined the capital's defense shall have their reward doubled. Furthermore...»
Listening to the Emperor, Gao Jian Cheng mused to himself that, besides provisions, the imperial court had accumulated a great fortune, seeing as it was now so generously rewarding the people. The Emperor now wished to win the people over to his side.
Gao Jian Cheng acknowledged Tong Mo's abilities. This time, Tong Mo had indeed, at a critical moment, produced a large amount of provisions and money. In this regard, he was inferior to Tong Mo.
In the magnificent palace, Meng Xuan sat in meditation. He suddenly opened his eyes. He, too, had received news of the Song Kingdom's troops withdrawing.
«They spoke of seven or eight days. And now, how much time has passed, and the Song Kingdom's forces are already returning. This Marshal Meng truly saw all as if looking into water. Worthy of shaking the heavens! Now it is clear that his plan regarding the capital was correct!» Meng Xuan stood up and approached the railing. He sighed deeply.
The elder standing nearby said: «Indeed! I believe in his strategy more and more.»
Meng Xuan nodded: «Shang Chao Zong has begun attacking the Song Kingdom's forces. He is doing everything according to Marshal Meng's plan. Now, it will be difficult for the Song Kingdom's forces to return. Without imperial supply, they will see no favorable winds.»
The elder standing nearby nodded his head.
The entire upper echelon of the Three Great Sects knew of Meng Shan Min's plan. But they kept everything a secret. They could not tell Shang Jian Xiong. How could they tell the Emperor that they might sacrifice him for their own benefit? Fortunately, the capital was held!