PDLP Chapter 235 Southern Song Army Launches a Surprise Attack on Hebi City
Chapter 235 Southern Song Army Launches a Surprise Attack on Hebi City
The night was as dark as ink, and the two sides engaged in a silent battle on this battlefield swallowed by darkness. Time seemed to stand still amidst the endless carnage. As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight shone on the south gate of Puyang, what came into view were the corpses of Jin soldiers lying haphazardly across the field, like withered leaves in winter, silently telling the cruelty of the night.
Now, the once fierce and tumultuous battlefield has fallen silent. Both sides, whether valiant defenders or ferocious Jin invaders, have laid down their weapons, standing or lying wearily on the ground. A night of fierce fighting, like a torrential downpour, has washed over this land, exhausting all their strength and will, leaving only heavy breathing and weary figures, slowly lengthening in the morning light.
Although the fighting had ceased, the air was still thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder, reminding people that this brief calm was merely a moment of tranquility after the storm.
Wanyan Xu's face was gloomy as he listened to his subordinate's report, and he gradually understood the truth behind his deputy's misfortune.
"You mean, the enemy possesses a secret weapon capable of killing people from a distance?"
He asked in a deep voice, each word seemingly carrying immense weight.
The centurion knelt on the ground, his body trembling with fear, his voice echoing with barely suppressed terror: "Reporting to the General, I witnessed a terrifying scene. A strange object, wreathed in raging flames, ripped through the sky and arrived in an instant, followed by a deafening roar, as if the heavens were collapsing. In that split second, the Vice General and his guards were torn apart as if by an invisible hand, reduced to countless fragments scattered across the ground—a truly gruesome sight."
Wanyan Xu said no more. His gaze shifted slightly to the clerk beside him, who was engrossed in calculations. His voice was steady, yet carried a hint of imperceptible heaviness: "What are the statistics? How many casualties did we suffer in this battle?"
Upon hearing this, the clerk slowly closed the ledger in his hand, a hint of awe in his eyes, and said in a low voice, "The statistics are complete. In this battle, our side suffered a total loss of more than 30,000 soldiers. Among them, 20,000 warriors lay dead outside the south city of Puyang; another 10,000 souls were lost in the fierce battle at the north gate. What is even more heartbreaking is that none of the 500 wild Jurchen warriors you personally trained survived. The fighting power of the Li family army is truly rare."
After he finished speaking, an indescribable sorrow seemed to permeate the air, mingling with the lingering smell of gunpowder from the battlefield, evoking a sense of melancholy.
Just as Li Zhen was stationed in Puyang City and fighting against the Jin army of over 100,000 men, no one expected that Li Zhen's hometown would be captured by the Southern Song army.
As dawn broke, a letter carrying a heavy message, delivered by pigeon, slipped through the thin mist and quietly landed in Li Zhenfei's hands. The letter recounted how, under the cover of darkness the previous night, 80,000 elite Southern Song troops, like phantoms in the night, had silently surrounded the ancient city of Hebi. This was a surprise attack without warning; the 50,000 defenders of Hebi, caught in this unexpected storm, had become the most resolute line of defense on the isolated city.
The night was as dark as ink, the faint light of torches flickering on the city walls, illuminating the resolute faces of the defenders. Five thousand warriors, facing an enemy many times their number, did not retreat, only showed fearlessness. Arrows rained down, war drums thundered, every inch of the city wall witnessed their bravery and sacrifice. Blood stained their robes, sweat soaked their armor, they defended the land beneath their feet with their lives until the last ray of dawn rose, but they never heard the bugle call for reinforcements.
Finally, as dawn completely dispelled the darkness, only silence and sorrow remained atop the walls of Hebi. Five thousand defenders had all perished on the battlefield; their loyal souls are forever etched into this land, becoming a tragic tale for posterity. This battle, though a defeat, was one of honor; with their flesh and blood, they wrote a legend of loyalty and courage.
Li Zhenfei gripped the letter tightly, his fingertips turning white from the force, a resolute glint in his eyes. This was not merely the loss of a city, but a devastating blow to his beliefs. But he knew that war never ends with temporary gains or losses; the real battle was yet to come.
Li Zhen's expression was solemn as he asked in a deep voice, "At present, how many of our troops are left in Tangyin?"
Seeing this, Yue Peng knew the situation was urgent and quickly stepped forward, his tone urgent: "Reporting to my lord, when we left, there were still 10,000 troops guarding Tangyin City. In addition, there were 7,000 newly recruited soldiers training intensively outside the city. As for Li Family Village, although there were 2,000 men, most of them were wounded, which greatly reduced their fighting strength."
In this dramatic turn of events, the Southern Song army silently invaded the territory of the Li family's army. The root of all this was still that name that evoked so much sorrow—Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji. Times had changed. Now, the Northern Song army under Zhao Heng (Emperor Huizong) was like a tiger descending the mountain, forcing the Southern Song army into repeated defeats. The once glorious territories fell one by one into the hands of the Northern Song. Only the rich land of Jiangdong remained firmly in the resolute hands of Zhao Gou (Emperor Huizong), becoming the last bulwark of the Southern Song, a stark contrast to the surrounding lands already trampled by the Northern Song's iron hooves.
Emperor Zhao Gou of the Southern Song Dynasty was plotting a grand power struggle. He seized the opportunity presented by Li Zhen's fierce battle with the Jin army to secretly orchestrate a surprise attack on Tangyin, a territory under Li Zhen's control, with his ultimate target being his imprisoned father, Emperor Huizong. Zhao Gou reasoned that if he could rescue his father amidst the chaos, he could stage a grand scheme of "using the emperor to command the princes," leveraging Emperor Huizong's still-powerful prestige to rekindle the loyalty of the generals who harbored resentment towards their former ruler.
This strategy was both a brilliant use of the current situation and a reflection of Zhao Gou's complex yearning for a balance between power and kinship. He knew that in the turbulent final years of the Southern Song Dynasty, only by grasping the banner that symbolized legitimacy and bloodline could he stabilize his position in this chaotic world, revitalize the court, and bring back the loyal ministers and generals scattered across the land to his banner to work together to restore the country.
Therefore, Zhao Gou remained calm and secretly mobilized troops, waiting for the right moment to launch an attack, pushing this game concerning the fate of the nation to an unprecedented climax.
Li Zhen glanced at the Jin army camp outside the city and immediately ordered, "Yue Peng, immediately gather all the troops in Puyang City. Yue Ying, also prepare all the modified tractors in our city. Today I will break through this Jin army camp."
After a moment of silence, he murmured to himself, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps lamenting the injustice of the world: "If we are to return to Tangyin to offer our assistance, we must first defeat the Jin soldiers who are besieging us. I only hope that Mr. Bad Guy can stand firm like a rock and win us that glimmer of hope."
With Li Zhen's firm and powerful command, the entire city seemed to be awakened by an invisible force. Inside and outside the city, in the camps of the Li family army, the sound of war drums suddenly boomed, as awe-inspiring as thunder, stirring the blood of every soldier. Troops surged like a tide, swiftly and orderly forming impregnable battle formations, their eyes gleaming with unyielding spirit, preparing for this life-or-death struggle against the Jin army outside the city. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, foreshadowing a fierce yet magnificent battle to come.