Moma Liangshan

Chapter 342 Honeyed Words and a Dagger in the Heart; Honest Advice is Hard to Hear

With their retreat cut off, the 5,000 Jurchen vanguard was completely isolated. However, the Jurchen vanguard officer showed no fear, instead raising his arm and shouting, "Retreat even half a step, and we will be shattered to pieces; fight to the death, and there is still a glimmer of hope! Warriors of the Great Jin Kingdom, charge with me and carve a bloody path!" The enemy fought desperately, and the Liao army faced immense pressure. Their horseshoe-shaped formation showed signs of crumbling under the Jurchen vanguard's counterattack. The Shu princess, watching all this from afar, gritted her teeth and said, "Thirty thousand troops, with all the advantages of timing and terrain, are being overwhelmed by five thousand enemy soldiers! A disgrace to the Khitan!"

For Wang Hao, the shock went far beyond this! After the "Alliance at Sea" years ago, the Song and Jin dynasties attacked the Liao dynasty from the north and south, and hundreds of thousands of Song troops were unable to advance an inch under the walls of Youzhou. But now, the Liao army, with six times the strength, was besieging the Jin army and was also finding it extremely difficult! One can imagine what the situation would be like if the Song and Jin dynasties were to fight each other.

The fire blocked Wanyan Zongwang's reinforcements, but the oil in the trenches was not inexhaustible. Wang Hao finally said, "We must capture these five thousand enemy vanguard within three hours, or the consequences will be unimaginable!" The Shu princess immediately understood and said to Xiao Shanbie, "Once the fire is extinguished, if the enemy troops inside the camp are not wiped out, the overall situation will be in grave danger!" Xiao Shanbie immediately volunteered, "Please give the order, Your Highness!" The Shu princess said, "You will lead your troops to completely encircle the enemy along the trenches, and then attack with all your might at all costs, striving to end the battle within two hours!" Xiao Shanbie was about to accept the order and leave. The Shu princess then instructed, "Of the 60,000 troops, only your 10,000 are truly my trusted men. Since the start of the war, Yelü Dashi and Xiao Yu have achieved remarkable feats. We must not let ourselves be overshadowed!" Xiao Shan, though lacking in military talent, was an invaluable warrior, replying, "As long as my blade remains unbroken, I will surely sever the last enemy's head. If my blade breaks, I will simply acquire another and continue my slashing!" The Shu princess was greatly pleased and said, "Once the enemy is annihilated, I will personally recommend you for credit!"

With the addition of troops from Liaodong, the 5,000-strong Jurchen vanguard was now attacked from both sides and could no longer launch a full-scale assault on Yelü Dashi's central army. The Jurchen vanguard was forced to change formation urgently, immediately shrinking into a single mass, but this also led to a dead end. The Jurchen soldiers trapped in the center were like ripe, dried wheat, seemingly hard, but destined to be turned to dust under the Khitan army's millstone formation.

With the enemy at the gates, Emperor Tianzuo did not hide within the palace, but personally ascended the city walls to oversee the battle. The fierce battles fought by the allied forces led by the Shu princess had already drawn Emperor Tianzuo's close attention. After all, with 60,000 allied troops outside the city, Shangjing was not an isolated city. However, if the allied forces were annihilated, the 50,000 soldiers inside the city would hardly be able to turn the tide of the battle. At that point, being able to lead a small number of elite troops to break through and retreat south would be the best possible outcome. As the walls of the allied camp crumbled, Emperor Tianzuo faced a difficult choice: "If the battle outside the city is beyond saving, should we open the city gates to let the rebels in? If we don't open the gates, it will surely demoralize the loyalist army. No matter what promises Prince Qin, Yelü Ding, and Prince Zhao, Yelü Xinilie, the 200,000 tribal troops will certainly not send reinforcements. But if we open the gates, we must bear the risk of the enemy taking advantage of the situation to attack the city. If the city gates are in disarray and we fail to hold them, I will become a prisoner!"

However, just as Emperor Tianzuo was in his most agonizing moment, a sudden fire in the trenches rekindled everyone's hopes, followed by the sight of 40,000 Liao troops annihilating 5,000 Jurchen vanguard soldiers. Emperor Tianzuo suddenly looked up to the sky and roared, "Heaven bless the Great Liao!" Outside the city, the Princess of Shu was in command, and she was the younger sister of Prince Jin, Yelü Aochanwo. The Northern Court King, Xiao Fengxian, was the Empress's elder brother and Prince Qin, Yelü Ding's maternal uncle. He was the biggest opponent of Prince Jin's faction in the matter of succession, and Xiao Fengxian bore undeniable responsibility for the annihilation of the Liao army's 700,000-strong main force. It was likely that if Prince Jin's faction gained power, they would hold Xiao Fengxian accountable for his crimes of disrupting the country and harming the army; even if he escaped death, he would not escape punishment. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Fengxian said, "Your Highness Prince Qin and Your Highness Prince Zhao have been at the tribal army camp for several days. I have heard that the two princes have lived up to the Emperor's favor and achieved remarkable results. Most of the leaders of the twenty tribes have already sworn allegiance. At present, the rebels have suffered heavy losses, and our army's morale is soaring. Why doesn't Your Majesty order the tribal army to join the battle?"

Emperor Tianzuo deeply agreed and was about to agree when Yelü Yudu suddenly spoke up in rebuttal, saying, "This humble subject believes it is inappropriate!" Yelü Yudu's frequent honest advice displeased Emperor Tianzuo, but with a formidable enemy at hand, this Liao emperor could still distinguish right from wrong, and asked, "What is inappropriate?" Yelü Yudu replied, "Why has the Jurchen chieftain's 200,000-strong army hesitated to launch a full-scale attack on the city? It's because 200,000 tribal troops are stationed nearby, forcing the Jurchens to divide their forces for a standoff. In other words, although the tribal troops haven't directly engaged in combat, they have already participated in the battle." Xiao Fengxian... Driven by a moment of pride, he said, "Throughout history, has there ever been a case where the emperor fought on the front lines while his subjects cowered in the rear?" Emperor Tianzuo's face darkened, but Yelü Yudu was sweating profusely. He said, "Now that things have come to this, what are the thoughts of the twenty tribal kings? Does Uncle Xiao really want me to spell it out?" Betrayal and alienation were the last things Emperor Tianzuo wanted to face. With a loud shout, he said, "Enough!" Instantly, everyone fell silent. After a long while, Emperor Tianzuo slowly said, "As Yelü Yudu has said, the tribal armies shall remain still for now!"

On the city walls, intrigue raged; below, the sounds of battle shook the heavens. Facing 40,000 Liao soldiers fighting desperately, the 5,000 Jurchen vanguard were finally outnumbered and fell one by one.

As dusk approached, the flames in the trenches showed no sign of waning, while the battle cries from within the Liao army camp gradually subsided. Wanyan Zongwang dismounted, facing the raging fire, and roared to the sky, seemingly even contemplating suicide. His guards, seeing they could not stop him, quickly informed Wanyan Zonggan. Wanyan Zonggan summoned his deputy and said, "The soldiers have fought fiercely in succession and are mostly exhausted. It is getting late; it is not advisable to continue the assault. Sound the retreat immediately. I will discuss the matter with the Second Prince before making further plans!" The deputy acknowledged the order. When Wanyan Zonggan arrived at Pituo's camp, Wanyan Zongwang was being pulled aside by several deputy generals, who were pleading with him. Upon seeing Wanyan Zonggan arrive, the crowd reacted as if they had seen a savior, clamoring, "Please, Your Highness, persuade the Second Prince!" Wanyan Zonggan nodded and said, "Sound the retreat, switch from offense to defense. We will discuss further plans with the Second Prince!" Wanyan Zonggan issued this order to the Pituo army, and the soldiers, unsure whether to obey, all looked at Wanyan Zongwang. Wanyan Zongwang remained silent, only nodding in tacit agreement. Having received Wanyan Zongwang's approval, a lieutenant immediately went to relay the order. At this moment, Wanyan Zonggan added, "You may all withdraw. I have something to say to the Second Prince!"