in2ebook Chapter 141: Oath and Consideration
Chapter 141: Oath and Consideration
It is the eighth day of the third month in the seventh year of Jiayou. Today is the day of fire on the top of the Five Elements Mountain. It is suitable for offering sacrifices, bathing, taking up office, and going to war. There are no taboos.
Star God White Tiger, good or bad luck: bad, evil direction: north.
On the top of Zhisheng Pass, Han Ming stood there with his generals. Below the pass were the 80,000 elite Central Imperial Guards who participated in the Second Battle of Haoshuichuan.
They all looked at the leader with warm eyes. This was the man who would lead them to a turning point in the future.
In a short while, the guard of Zhisheng Pass prepared the incense table and all the offerings to the gods of heaven and earth, then lit a stick of incense and handed it to Han Ming, who was wearing a crimson official robe.
Han Ming took it with both hands with a solemn expression. He first bowed three times to heaven and earth, and then recited the inscription of offering sacrifice to heaven and earth and going to war in a loud voice.
"Han Ming, the Great Song Dynasty's Shaanxi General Manager, Pacification, Transport, Recruiting and Suppression Envoy, Commander of the Yongxing Military Route, Imperial Academician and Acting Imperial Edict Drafter, Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Senior Official, General Dingyuan, and Senior Cavalry Commandant, hereby declares this with the utmost sincerity to the gods of heaven, earth, mountains and rivers!"
"I now lead a dignified army to defend the land that our ancestors painstakingly cultivated and bequeathed to us."
"The name is just and the words are right. Ghosts are subdued and gods are drunk. The determination is firm and I will never change until I die."
"Han and traitors cannot coexist. Ancient times have clearly taught that the Chinese and the barbarians must be strictly distinguished. The Spring and Autumn Annals uphold righteousness."
"As a Song man, I shall be the soul of Song after my death. Future generations will view the present just as we view the past. Why should I be worried?"
"Now that the enemy has come to attack, I will resolutely annihilate them, and sacrifice my life for them until my strength is exhausted."
"However, I firmly believe that the vast heaven will bless the loyal. In this bloody battle, victory is within our grasp!"
"This oath!!!"
"On the eighth day of the third month in the seventh year of the Jiayou reign of the Song Dynasty, at the hour of Si."
Han Ming inserted the burning incense into the incense burner, and then took the large bowl handed to him by Yong Zeng, which contained mellow and sweet wine.
"We will definitely win this battle!!! The Great Song Dynasty is mighty!"
Han Ming's heart-wrenching roar rang out from the top of the city wall. He then drank the spicy wine in one gulp and threw the bowl to the ground.
The generals behind him and the 80,000 soldiers at the pass collectively raised their bowls to drink up the wine and then threw it to the ground viciously.
The "crackling" sound resounded through the clouds, followed by roars and sounds of venting from the top of the city and below the pass.
"We will definitely win this battle!"
"The Great Song Dynasty is mighty!"
"We will definitely win this battle!"
"The Great Song Dynasty is mighty!"
"We will definitely win this battle!"
"The Great Song Dynasty is mighty!"
"..."
Looking at the high-spirited Han Ming and many young generals and soldiers, Zhang Wenbi and Yang Wenguang couldn't help but smile at each other and uttered the famous saying that has been talked about for thousands of years: The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves in front forward!
Han Ming stood on the top of the city wall and drew out the long sword from his waist with a "hum". As his eyes slowly looked over the sword, a slightly heroic face was reflected on it.
"The troops are dispatched to the good water stream! Let's march!"
Han Ming raised his sword and swept it across, pointing directly towards Haoshuichuan, northwest of Zhisheng Pass.
"The might of heaven rolls across the Yellow River, and the Qiang people across thousands of miles sing the songs of Han."
"The water flows backwards across the mountain, and flows westwards to become the waves of grace."
The 80,000-strong army sang loud military songs and marched northward in a mighty formation.
On the top of the city wall, all the generals said goodbye to Han Ming, and then went their separate ways and led their troops to set off.
Finally, only three people were left at the city gate: Duke of England Zhang Wenbi, the commander of the four wings of the Dragon God Guard Yang Wenguang, and the Qinfeng Road Transport Commissioner Chen Han.
"My Lord, General Yang, I will host a celebration banquet for you all in Longgan City. I wish you all a successful start."
Chen Han bowed slightly.
"Thanks to Lord Chen's auspicious words, I will capture Zhang Yuan and Mo Zang Xiling alive and present them to Your Majesty!"
Zhang Wenbi shook his beard, looking confident of victory.
Seeing Zhang Wenbi in such a state, Chen Han knew that he should not worry too much. He turned to look at Yang Wenguang, who was already in his sixties, and couldn't help but sigh.
"General Yang, please take care of yourself!"
Hearing Chen Han's caring words, Yang Wenguang laughed.
"Master Transport Commissioner, just watch. In ancient times, there was Lian Po who could still eat a dou of rice and ten kilograms of meat at the age of seventy. At my age, I must show the people of Xixia what it means to be strong even in old age!"
As he said this, he patted his chest vigorously, appearing very happy.
Seeing these two elderly men, Chen Han could only smile bitterly and personally escort them out of the customs.
"I hope everything goes well... so that I can give an explanation to the court, the government, and the people of the world..."
Chen Han sighed softly and watched the army leaving.
. . . . . .
In Deshun Army, inside Desheng Village, the Western Xia soldiers were discussing the next military action.
As the battle progressed, even Zhang Yuan could no longer be sure whether his previous speculation about Han Ming's attempt to lure the enemy was right or wrong.
Even with the "strong" support of internal and external intelligence networks, Zhang Yuan knew that the Song court had now dismissed Han Ming from his post and was preparing to take him back to Bian Jing for trial.
It must be said that the Western Xia intelligence system was indeed powerful and had indeed detected first-hand real information.
After all, Emperor Renzong's "Twelve Golden Medals" to recall Han Ming and dismiss him from his post were all true.
However, they never expected that the entire Shaanxi side and the reinforcements would collectively deceive their superiors and subordinates and jointly weave a huge net to completely swallow up their isolated army that had penetrated deep into Song territory.
"It has to be said that Song Ting's decision to replace the commander at the last minute was a huge mistake!"
Mo Zang Xiling sneered, looking down on the Song Dynasty monarch.
"It's normal. The entire Song court, the emperor and his ministers, are like shackles weighing on the army. They don't care about victory or defeat, as long as there are no major chaos."
"This kind of lack of ambition and maintenance of the status quo will surely lead to the destruction of the nation in the future!"
Zhang Yuan also agreed with Mo Zang Xiling's words and bluntly belittled his former motherland.
"Sir, since the Song court has replaced its generals before the battle, should we take this opportunity to attack the interior of Guanzhong and capture various cities?"
Mo Zang Xiling asked excitedly.
"No!"
Zhang Yuan immediately rejected the other party's idea.
"You must know that we are alone in deep territory at this moment. Our goal is to do the opposite and break the Song army's encirclement with an offensive."
"If we disperse our forces to occupy the cities, we will likely be defeated one by one by the Song court's local garrison troops and reinforcements."
Zhang Yuan's consideration was very reasonable. You know, they had already forced the Song army to change generals by taking advantage of the momentum of invading Song territory. This effectively made the Song army in the Yanzhou area of Western Xia leaderless.
As long as we can return to the territory of Western Xia and attack the rear of the Song army one by one, the battle can be turned around in an instant.
Thinking about this, Zhang Yuan's slightly impetuous heart calmed down, and years of caution once again took over the high ground of his IQ.
He felt that his attack on Song territory was a stroke of genius, but now he might be surrounded.
“Isn’t that a bit radical?”
Although Zhang Yuan was full of confidence and ambition during the pre-war mobilization, determined to take Guanzhong in one battle, he was now a little cautious.
After all, the strategic intention has been achieved, so there is no need to confront the Song army head-on. The Xixia assets are now fixed.
The Battle of Tuotuokou had already resulted in the loss of 40,000 troops. Next, in order to face the pressure from the Song court's Shaanxi Road, troops had to be transferred from the west.
In this way, Xixia will face unprecedented military pressure from the siege of Liao, Song, Qingtang and Zuo Silu.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yuan actually began to think about evacuating Song territory.
However, at this time, the generals headed by Mo Zang Xiling were already caught up in the excitement of earning huge credit, and they probably wouldn't listen to anything he said.
For the first time, Zhang Yuan felt that he was so stupid. His original lofty ambitions had backfired.
After thinking quietly for a while, Zhang Yuan suddenly felt that maybe things were not that bad.
Can I use the strategy from that year to attract reinforcements from all over the Qinfeng Road and the imperial court to launch a concentrated annihilation battle?
As long as Qin Fenglu's army is destroyed, the pressure on the currently empty Jingsai Army can be eliminated.
This is a one-for-one exchange. If you, Han Ming, swallow up my Jingsai Army's 40,000 cavalry, I will swallow up the Qinfeng Road army, and even the reinforcements from the central government of the Song court.
This way, it's not impossible, there are not so many things to pay attention to.
Zhang Yuan's eyes became brighter and brighter, and he felt that his idea was correct.
"Perhaps this is my second chance to leave my name in history and dominate the Song Dynasty?!"
Zhang Yuan thought about it again and again and decided on the strategy of fighting a second time in Haoshuichuan.
When the generals heard this, they cheered and expressed their willingness to give the Song court a good fight.
Then Zhang Yuan held the border defense seal given by Mo Zang Epang and began to issue military orders.
"Nothing has been hidden in Xiling!"
"I am here!" As the highest military commander of the Western Xia Army at the moment, Mo Zang Xiling stood up happily and clasped his fists.
"I order you to lead 10,000 cavalrymen out of Desheng Village and march south, capture Zhong'an Fort, and then march straight into Longgan City, the main city of the Deshun Army!"
Hearing that he would continue to advance deeper into Song territory, Mei Zang Xiling was shaking with excitement. These were all military achievements!
"Yes, I have received your order!"
"Remember, you must show your military might with great fanfare, so that everyone in the Song army knows your location and route."
Zhang Yuan quickly reminded the other party.
"Don't worry, sir. I understand my strategy. Isn't it just to use it as bait to lure reinforcements from all over the Song territory?!"
Mei Zang Xiling saw at a glance what he was going to do.
"Okay, General Mo Zang has this idea, so this old man and the other generals will wait for good news."
"Come, serve some wine to the general!"
Zhang Yuan waved his hand and asked someone to bring a jar of good wine, and personally poured a bowl for Mo Zang Xiling.
"Thank you, sir. I will definitely complete the mission!"
Mo Zang Xiling drank it all in one gulp, then smashed the bowl and wiped his face, then led his army out of the camp with great momentum and marched southward.
"General Xifeng, lead your troops eastward to Zhangyi Fort immediately. Raise as many flags as possible to force our main force to move here, forcing the enemy to converge on Zhangyi Fort."
"When General Mo Zang returns to Haoshuichuan, you will abandon Zhang Yi Fort and lead your troops to support them. Using the north bank of Haoshuichuan as support, the two armies will unite and fight to resist the Song reinforcements."
Zhang Yuan issued military orders one by one, allowing the entire Western Xia army to launch an active strategic move.
Except for the two troops of Mo Zang Xiling and Xi Feng Le Mai who were openly luring the enemy, the rest of the troops were led by Zhang Yuan and ambushed in the foothills of Liupan Mountain, which completely gave up the garrison position of Deshengzhai.
Thus, with the efforts of Han Ming and Zhang Yuan, the second battle of Haoshuichuan, which was a series of encirclement, counter-encirclement, and encirclement again, officially began...