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That night, Qin Feng, as usual, after patrolling the City Wall several times late into the night, went down from the City Wall and went to sleep in his tent.
People definitely need to sleep; no matter how tired they are during the day, they must rest at night.
Moreover, there were some generals changing shifts, with Generals on patrol at the City Wall from evening until dawn. If any enemy situation arose, they would wake up those who were sleeping to fight together.
Li Gang, however, was too excited to sleep. Yao Pingzhong had taken thirty thousand elite soldiers to launch a surprise attack on the Golden Army Camp, and it was bound to succeed.
Yao Pingzhong was very skilled in martial arts; when he was young, he could single-handedly slay a dozen or twenty Liao People and had earned several merits.
There were only a few generals in the Great Song who dared to lead troops in a surprise attack against the Jin; good news was sure to come.
Unexpectedly, instead of receiving good news, he heard bad news that nearly knocked him out.
The scouts from outside the city brought back several soldiers who were heavily injured; they were from the Western Route Army and had been part of Yao Pingzhong's surprise attack on the Jin Bing camp.
The injured soldiers had pale faces and trembled all over, clearly terrified, with tears still on their faces.
As soon as they saw Li Gang, they immediately knelt down and did not dare to raise their heads, continuously begging for mercy.
Li Gang sensed that something was wrong and asked, "What happened? Speak honestly."
The soldiers raised their heads and began to tremble.
"Chancellor, General Yao's thirty thousand elite troops fell into an ambush set by the Jin. They had arranged over a thousand men in their camp, which was equivalent to several empty camps to lure them deeper in. Once they got too far away..."
"The Jin Bing stationed outside the camp then launched their attack. Over ten thousand crossbowmen shot tens of thousands of arrows and immediately killed large numbers of the Western Route Army."
"We fought desperately but were still on the outermost edge. Over a hundred men fought their way through a bloody path to escape but were still pursued by the Jin Bing. Only two of us survived thanks to the rescue from the scouts."
Li Gang was so frightened that his face turned pale as he looked at them in terror.
An ambush? How could the Jin people have set up an ambush? Even if they discovered someone was attacking, they wouldn't have been able to prepare an ambush that quickly, such a cunning trap.
Could it be that there are spies in the court? Did they leak information to the Jin people, allowing them to set up an ambush so quickly, waiting for the thirty thousand troops to fall into their trap?
He also thought of Yao Pingzhong and those thirty thousand elite soldiers.
He asked, "Did your General Yao escape? What happened to the thirty thousand elite of the Western Route Army?"
One soldier was in tears, his face barely visible through the flowing tears, looking extremely sorrowful.
"General Yao did not break through the encirclement; he is likely dead in battle. It was a siege by over a hundred thousand troops; how could he survive?"
"The thirty thousand elite of the Western Route Army, apart from us few, are probably all dead in battle. It's truly horrific; there are corpses everywhere, blood everywhere! It's too tragic!"
The soldiers who were kneeling also began to cry loudly, as if their own relatives had died.
Li Gang was so scared that he nearly fainted; he could barely stand and was about to collapse against the City Wall.
Fortunately, a city defense commander beside him supported him, preventing that from happening.
He said, "Li Gang, Prime Minister, take care of yourself! We need your leadership for this important matter!"
Li Gang forced himself to suppress his fear and anxiety, calming down after a while and returning to normal.
Spies—there must be spies in the court who leaked information about the surprise attack to the Jin people, leading to the tragic deaths of tens of thousands. Who could it be?
Qin Feng could not possibly be a spy; he had never entered the palace to see the emperor and had been on the City Wall all along.
The most suspicious were those Chancellors from the Peace Faction, who surprisingly supported the ambush, which was rather strange.
Soon, the news spread across the City Wall, and many people became aware of it. The morale of the troops was shaken, and they felt that they could not hold the city.
Qin Feng and several sleeping Generals were also awakened and went up to the City Wall.
Discussing with Right Chancellor Li Gang, they realized that losing thirty thousand troops would shake their morale. The Jin people would surely attack the city again, which would be detrimental to our Great Song!
Half an hour later, no stable plan had been devised, and something even more terrifying happened.
A Chief Eunuch appeared, dressed in a red-purple robe, indistinguishable between male and female, here to deliver an imperial edict.
He was accompanied by dozens of Imperial Guards in Black Armor, who looked quite imposing.
"Li Gang's command was a mistake; he has tragically lost thirty thousand elite troops from the Western Route Army. I am deeply saddened. Yao Pingzhong is also incompetent; with thirty thousand troops dead, morale is shaken. A warning must be issued for a change in personnel."
"Li Gang is to be removed from his position as the Capital's Defense Commander but will temporarily retain his position as Minister of Rites. He is stripped of all military authority and must not command troops. He is to go to the palace immediately to explain to the emperor."
"The position of Capital Defense Commander will be temporarily held by Left Chancellor Li Bangyan, responsible for the defense of Tokyo City. All generals must obey his command. Li Gang, accept the decree and express your gratitude!"
The voice was neither high nor low but quite grating, and his face was heavily made up, which was utterly disgusting!
Li Gang, Qin Feng, and several Guard Soldiers were kneeling on the City Wall and slowly stood up.
They looked at the eunuch in fear and also at the golden imperial edict in his hand, astonished.
Li Bangyan, a representative of the Peace Faction, was so eager to kneel and plead for peace with the Jin that he was nothing but a coward. How could someone like him defend the city?
Li Gang's face turned pale as he realized the gravity of the situation. If Li Bangyan were to guard the city, it would surely fall; a coward like him could not hold the line.
He forced a grim smile and approached.
He said, "Eunuch Wang, what does His Majesty mean by this? Why has my military authority been revoked? Please enlighten me, and I will certainly repay you."
Eunuch Wang looked at him with a hint of disdain, showing two parts of contempt.
"Li Gang, Prime Minister, I cannot claim to offer guidance; you know well what you have done. Is there any need to ask me?"
"You listened to the incompetent general Yao Pingzhong, who incited His Majesty to launch a surprise attack on Jin Bing's camp. Thirty thousand elite troops were all killed in battle. His Majesty was furious; it is fortunate you were not punished more severely. Your military authority has been revoked; go explain yourself to His Majesty!"
"By the way, I also have an imperial edict that must be delivered promptly. It is for General Zhong Shidao of the Western Route Army outside the city. Due to the incompetence of the command, with thirty thousand elite troops nearly annihilated, he too shall temporarily lose his military authority and must obey the court's commands. Those who disobey will face severe punishment."
Qin Feng listened and immediately turned pale with fear. What was the Emperor doing? How could Tokyo City possibly hold out?
Li Gang was considered the best commander within the city; without him, the morale of the Guard Soldiers would waver, making it difficult to resist Jin Bing's forces.
Zhong Shidao, an old general of the Western Route Army for many years, had his military authority revoked. The Western Route Army could not engage in battle at will.
How could there be soldiers left to fight? If Jin Bing launched a full-scale assault, Tokyo City would be in grave danger!
Li Gang was utterly terrified, his body swaying as if he had lost his soul.
He stopped Eunuch Wang and said, "Eunuch Wang, I beg you. You can revoke my military authority, but please do not strip Old General Zhong Shidao of his command. He is the pillar of our Great Song; his authority must not be taken away! Please do not issue that edict."
Eunuch Wang revealed a strange smile on his face and did not rush to leave.
"Li Gang, Prime Minister! It is impossible not to announce the imperial edict. If the Emperor seeks punishment, my entire family will be executed for treason."
"You have so much time; why not go to the palace and meet the Emperor? With some good words, perhaps the Emperor will change His mind. Blocking me is useless; step aside quickly, Chancellor."
Li Gang also came to his senses. Blocking him was not feasible; the imperial edict would definitely reach Zhong Shidao. The important thing was to persuade the Emperor and regain military power.
Eunuch Wang walked over, snorted a few times, seemingly displeased.
He looked at Qin Feng and the others and said, "I have temporarily lost military power and will soon enter the palace to meet the Emperor. You must fight to defend the city. Jin Bing may attack at night; you must hold the city until I return."
Qin Feng and the others looked at him sadly, truly hoping he would not lose military power. However, with nearly one hundred thousand troops in Tokyo, morale would be shaken.
"My subordinates will fight to defend the city and battle Jin Bing to the death, protecting our home and country."
Li Gang shouted "Good," turned around, and quickly ran towards the City Wall.
The war was becoming increasingly intense, and more people would die. How could he be stripped of military power and let that useless person take charge? It would only lead to the downfall of Great Song.
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