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墨書 Inktalez
As they approached the base of Tokyo City, Zhong Shidao and his companions dismounted one by one, leading their horses over.
Although Zhong Shidao was quite old, with a head full of white hair, he still exuded an air of strength and deep foresight.
The young general beside him was imposing, looking strong and radiating a considerable amount of killing intent, clearly a seasoned veteran of the battlefield.
Qin Feng followed Li Gang, and the Guard Soldiers on the City Wall also smiled and welcomed them.
He said, "General Zhong, it is an honor. The Western Route Army's arrival is truly wonderful; having repelled Jin Bing, they will not dare to invade for the time being."
Zhong Shidao also raised his hand to salute them, showing his respect.
Even though he was a general from the west, he still needed to pay respects to the Chancellor and others.
The young general looked at Li Gang, the Chancellor of the court, who represented the War Faction; it was time for him to showcase his talents!
In the past, when treacherous officials were in power, Marshal Tong Guan suppressed the War Faction and marginalized dissenters, preventing capable individuals from realizing their ambitions.
He immediately knelt down, facing Li Gang with an excited expression.
He said, "I am Yao Pingzhong, paying my respects to Prime Minister Li Gang. It is truly a stroke of fortune to meet the Chancellor today."
Li Gang smiled upon hearing this and felt even more pleased.
He hurriedly helped him up, looking very appreciative; he was indeed a capable individual!
"General Yao need not be so formal; we are all thinking of Great Song. There is no need for such courtesy. This battle will rely heavily on both generals!"
Qin Feng also chimed in, noting that it was somewhat ceremonious and clearly flattering the Chancellor to highlight his importance.
Yao Pingzhong was indeed a formidable general; in his youth, he had slain many Liao People and achieved significant victories multiple times. He was quite different from those mediocre generals and possessed real strength.
Even Tong Guan at that time admired him greatly for helping achieve several major victories and intended to reward him handsomely.
It is precisely because he is a Loyal Minister, dedicated to serving the country, that rewards are not important; he wishes to meet the Emperor.
The Traitorous General Tong Guan is dissatisfied with him. If he were to reveal his own foolish actions, the Emperor would not spare him, so he has been neglected and his rewards confiscated.
After the Qin Emperor came to power and executed the six major treacherous ministers, he immediately thought of him and promoted him to a general of the Western Route Army to serve the country!
After exchanging a few polite words, they got straight to the point.
Zhong Shidao, dressed in black armor and looking very imposing, said, "Li Chancellor, the war is urgent. Let us go to the palace to meet the Emperor! There are important matters to discuss."
Li Gang also smiled in agreement, saying, "Good! That suits me perfectly. Let us go to the palace at once. With the elite forces from the Western Route arriving, we will surely be able to repel Jin Bing."
He then turned to Qin Feng and said, "Qin Feng! Although Jin Bing has retreated, we must remain vigilant. You stay on the City Wall and continue monitoring!"
Qin Feng agreed but was somewhat surprised; he had always been accompanied by them before, but this time he was not.
Upon arriving at the palace, Li Bangyan, Geng Nanzhong, and Tang Ke, Prime Minister were present. It seemed they had just been discussing matters but had now stopped.
There were few people in the room; the palace maids and eunuchs had left, leaving only a few Imperial Guards holding Long Swords as protection.
Li Gang, Zhong Shidao, and Yao Pingzhong also bowed respectfully to the Emperor.
Li Bangyan and the others casually asked about their arrival. On the surface, they smiled, but in reality, they were indifferent to them; there had always been a disagreement between those advocating peace and those favoring war.
Above them, wearing a Golden Dragon Robe, the Qin Emperor saw Zhong Shidao arrive with eighty thousand Western Route Army troops and his favored general Yao Pingzhong. He laughed joyfully, thinking that Great Song's defense was promising.
He said, "Zhong Shidao, Old General, have you come up with any brilliant plans? How can we repel Jin Bing? I fear they may attack again!"
The Peace Faction members Li Bangyan and others were unwilling; after long persuading for peace negotiations so that they could enjoy stability without war, why should there still be fighting?
They shouted, "Your Majesty must not go to war! Our Great Song army is no match for the Jin Army. They are brave and skilled in battle, having grown up on horseback. Most Song Soldiers are merely farmers."
Old General Zhong Shidao listened and looked at them with disdain; these useless old men were cowardly and selfish, only thinking of their own safety.
As long as we work together and fight with all our might, there is no army that cannot be defeated. How formidable can the Jin people be?
"Li Bangyan is merely a figure of speech. He does not know the strength of our Song State army; he is just a civil official who knows nothing about military affairs. Your Majesty, do not listen to him!"
They immediately began to shout, dissatisfied with Li Gang and his group, claiming they were not only useless but also causing trouble.
The Qin Emperor looked at them and felt annoyed. Although one cannot be inept in battle, neither can one be inept in discussions of peace, as it could jeopardize the Great Song's territory.
He shouted, "You old fellows, if you do not want to discuss military formations, then get out! Stop making a ruckus here. What kind of place do you think this is? If you don't want to listen, just leave; no one is stopping you!"
The old members of the Peace Faction quieted down, like beaten dogs standing there, afraid to speak.
He continued, "Zhong Laojiang, continue with your views. The situation is very urgent; we must go to war. Otherwise, those Jin people will not retreat easily."
He smiled genuinely, feeling happy that the Peace Faction had been in power before and had never expected to be scolded.
"My view is that the Western Route Army should be stationed outside the city to form a pincer attack with those inside the city. The Jin Bing would not dare to attack recklessly. If they attempt another strong assault while being attacked from both sides, we will surely drive them back."
"If we wait too long, within half a month, the Jin Bing will run out of supplies and retreat. We can then pursue them and defeat them thoroughly!"
Listening from above, the Qin Emperor found this plan quite good. The Western Route Army was indeed formidable; the Jin Bing should not dare to attack the city.
Zhong Shidao's companion, Yao Pingzhong, was somewhat restless and had an even bolder idea: to launch a night raid on the Golden Army Camp and catch them off guard. This would surely drive them back.
When Tong Guan was in command of the army, he had long wanted to serve his country loyally and achieve great merit to bring glory to his family!
Moreover, being young and impetuous after winning several battles had made him somewhat arrogant.
"Your Majesty, I also have a strategy: to launch a night raid on the Jin Bing camp while they are busy attacking the city and exhausted from their efforts. They will be lax in their defenses; a night raid would definitely kill many Jin Bing and capture several large camps."
"Give me thirty thousand men; I will surely inflict heavy losses on the Jin people and charge right in. We could even capture Marshal Wolibu alive. The Jin Bing will definitely retreat."
After hearing this, although the Qin Emperor was surprised, he was very pleased; this plan was much better than Zhong Shidao's strategy.
I indeed did not misjudge him; I promoted him to the position of General. He dares to act boldly and even launch a night raid on the Jin Bing camp, which has several times the number of troops.
Out of concern, I still asked him.
I said, "General Yao, although your reasoning is sound, can thirty thousand troops really deal a heavy blow to Jin Bing? They have several times our numbers."
Yao Pingzhong patted his chest vigorously, the armor making a clattering sound. He was very confident; the opportunity to achieve great merit had come, and this time he would definitely take the lead.
Zhong Shidao was already old and cautious in his actions, lacking the demeanor of a great general. It would be better for me to lead the troops in raiding their camp!
"Numbers do not matter as much as elite troops. My Western Route Army consists of elites; one can take on three. We can absolutely defeat Jin Bing while they are busy besieging the city and exhausted. That is enough! That is enough!"
"I have led troops for many years and have long wanted to serve the country and achieve merit for Your Majesty by heavily damaging the Jin people. Let me lead the troops; if I fail, I am willing to die as an apology."
The Qin Emperor was even more excited upon hearing this. Not only could they repel Jin Bing, but they could also annihilate them. It turned out that my Great Song's Western Route Army was so formidable, able to take on three.
He clapped his hands vigorously a few times to express his agreement and happiness.
He said, "Good! Good! Good! General Yao, you are indeed my beloved general—brave and resourceful, daring to act. I will give you thirty thousand Western Route Army troops and command you to raid their camp at night. You must defeat the Jin people; do not let me down!"
"If you succeed in raiding their camp and repelling Jin Bing, you will be credited with the first achievement and richly rewarded! Hurry and prepare!"
Yao Pingzhong bent down to express his gratitude, feeling that his opportunity had come. He would surely make a name for himself in Great Song and bring glory to his family.
Zhong Shidao was also considering his strategy. Although it sounded easy, it would be much more difficult to execute!
Jin Bing was exhausted from besieging the city, and my Western Route Army had also arrived tired from the journey. Without our strongest fighting capability, how could we take on three? We usually couldn't even manage that.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor agreed so quickly, so I hurriedly advised him.
"Your Majesty, although General Yao's words make sense, it is too risky for a lone army to go deep into enemy territory. My Western Route Army has also arrived exhausted from the journey; we do not have that strong fighting capability!"
"Right now, Great Song should primarily focus on defense rather than offense; this is not a good time!"
However, the Qin Emperor was already overwhelmed with excitement, believing that victory was certain, and did not heed his words!
He said, "Zhong Laojiang is old; it is the young who have the courage to act boldly. They dare to raid the Golden Army Camp at night and will surely succeed. Let us wait for good news!"
"This time, there is no need for the Old General to go personally; General Yao can handle it. I have made up my mind, and this is settled."
Initially, the few disgruntled members of the Peace Faction stood there unhappily, unwilling to participate.
Yet one by one, they revealed strange smiles, plotting something devious.
They laughed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. General Yao is young and capable; he will surely raid the Jin Bing's camp and return victorious. Zhong Laojiang, you need not worry; you are getting old."
The Qin Emperor also laughed heartily, praising the unity between ruler and ministers, which would surely lead to great victory.
Right Chancellor Li Gang agreed as well, believing it was worth taking the risk to raid the Jin Army's camp at night and drive back Jin Bing sooner.
Although Zhong Laojiang was reluctant, he could only agree, hoping for success! Zhong Ping was still too young and inexperienced!
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