It was less than two hours before and after the battle just now. At this time, the sun had just reached the zenith and was shining in all directions.
However, the main soldiers of the Song Army bathed in the warm spring sun were all sweaty and pale. Some of them were in trouble, and their legs were shaking slightly. Because the danger and tyranny of the battle in front of them really exceeded their imagination.
"Is the Liao Army (Western Army) so powerful? If we fight with it, can we really survive these two hours?" Such thoughts have flashed through many people's minds unconsciously, and the answer is undoubtedly no.
Although they had had several decisive battles with the Liao army before, and were even defeated by the enemy last year, they had never seen the impact of the Liao army's black armor cavalry like a torrent of steel like they did today. In front of such terrifying cavalry, the spear array that the Song Army was so proud of would be stabbed through like it was made of paper, right
Such a thought was not born by just one or two people, but almost all the generals had this thought, and suddenly felt a sense of timidity in their hearts. Sure enough, it would be a huge mistake to confront the Liao army in the wild. We Song soldiers are most accustomed to defending the city and relying on the absolute geographical advantage to deal with the powerful Liao cavalry.
Even the coach Tong Guan's confidence was shaken at this moment, and he did not dare to order troops to rescue the Western Army ahead. Of course, he had such an idea not only because he was frightened by the powerful combat power of the Liao army, but also because he was afraid of the Western army.
Under the hands of the two elders of the Zhong family, this Western army actually exploded with combat power far beyond his imagination. Can he really control such an army? Do we need to use the enemy's hands to weaken them in order to avoid future troubles forever
Therefore, in the final analysis, Tong Guan is still just a jester. Even though he has some military talent, his thinking will never reach the level of a general. At any moment, what he thinks about is his own interests, rather than trying every means to obtain the final victory.
Because he could no longer control the Western Army and turned against it before, they became another enemy instead of comrades in the Song Army. When thinking like this, what he was thinking about was not only winning the victory over the Liao army, but also getting rid of hidden dangers. Of course, this may also be because he was really frightened by the strength of the Liao army, and it was all just because he did not dare to send troops. Just an excuse.
The panic and fearful reactions of the surrounding generals all fell into Sun Tu's eyes, making his heart suddenly sink. If he had some doubts about the Zhong family's request a few days ago, now he had to consider whether he could influence those soldiers and lead them to kill and assist the Western Army.
It is probably more likely to rely on the cowardly guys around to lead the troops to charge out than to let the Western Army defeat the Liao Army on its own. At least judging from the battle just now, the Western Army's combat strength may not be inferior to that of the Liao Army, and it would not be at a disadvantage in such a head-on confrontation.
At the same time, Sun Tu also made a clear judgment in his heart. The Shandong Army he built with his own hands was indeed far behind the two elite Song and Liao forces. At least in a head-on confrontation, even the Qingzhou Army was afraid that it would not be able to defeat the Liao Army. Of course, if those firearms were used, the situation would be hard to say. As far as Sun Tu knows, in the past few years, Jiangnan has developed several new weapons according to its own wishes, but he doesn't know how powerful these firearms made by craftsmen thousands of years ago are
With so many thoughts in his mind, Sun Tu slowly moved his steps and came to Qin Gan, who also had a solemn expression. Now in the military camp, he had the closest relationship with the general who had saved his life.
"What does General Qin think of this battle?" Sun Tu asked softly.
This sentence made Qin Gan calm down from the shock just now, and said with a wry smile: "The Liao army's combat power is far superior to ours. If we fight head-on, we have no chance of winning." In front of Sun Tu, he just said Tell the truth.
Sun Tu was silent, and after a moment he said, "Does the Western Army have a chance of winning?"
"If this is the full strength of the Liao army, there is a 40% chance of victory. But if they still have reservations..." As he said this, he sighed softly. Because in his opinion, the latter was extremely likely, otherwise the Liao army would not have suddenly stopped and retreated. This was clearly brewing the next wave of more ferocious offensives.
Sun Tu couldn't help but tighten his hand on the sword at his waist: "Then we just watch like this? Once the Western Army is defeated, it will be our turn to suffer the consequences for the Chinese Army... "
Qin Gan glanced at Sun Tu thoughtfully: "What does General Sun mean?"
"Even if my fighting strength here is far inferior to that of the front, this battle is related to the overall outcome, and even the fate of our country, the Song Dynasty. I should give it a try and send troops to rescue." Sun Tu slowly said what he meant: "Or It is said that we are cooperating with the Western Army, after all, our military strength is still higher than that of the Liao Army."
A bitter smile appeared on Qin Gan's face again, and he glanced around: "If you are timid, how can you go out to fight? Besides, Tong Shuai probably won't take this risk."
As a close general who had followed Tong Guan for many years, Qin Gan naturally knew his personality and military habits very well. At this time, I am afraid that his most likely choice is to defend the camp and watch the Western Army and Liao Army kill both sides. Because at least there are some defensive weapons available in the camp, once they are really killed, they will have nothing to rely on.
Sun Tu's face became more and more gloomy: "Is there really no way out? Even you can't persuade Tong Shuai to change his mind?"
"Impossible." Qin Gan shook his head decisively. He didn't dare to touch this nail.
While he was talking, a gust of north wind suddenly blew up a large amount of dark clouds. In the blink of an eye, the scorching sun above his head was covered up. Although there was no thunder and lightning, looking at the situation, a rare heavy rain was about to come suddenly. . Just like the mood of the soldiers in the Song Army's stronghold at this moment!
In the front of the Western Army formation, Zhong Jing, who was covered in blood, was kneeling on the ground, his face full of self-blame: "Two grandfathers, my grandson deserves to die. It was I who was confused for a moment and led my troops to counterattack, which led to the death of so many soldiers. I lost my life, and also killed Fourth Uncle Jiang... I am willing to accept military law and die to apologize!" After saying that, he knelt down and waited for his death.
"You... are simply ridiculous and confused! Do you know how many soldiers were killed just to save you? I really regret bringing you here. Killing you is not enough to give an explanation to the soldiers!" "Zhongshi Zhong's face was full of sorrow and anger. His grandson had really committed an unforgivable mistake. He really wished he could just give the order and drag him forward and kill him with a knife.
But he also knew how many people fought desperately to save Zhong Jing. If he really killed him like this, it would not affect morale, and he would also be sorry for the soldiers who died in the battle. Thinking of Jiang Wukui
They fought hard and sacrificed their lives to save this son, which made him feel painful in his heart.
"Okay, what's the point of talking about this now." Zhong Shidao suddenly spoke, looking at Zhong Jing who was kneeling in front of him: "Zhengqing, if you were the man of my Western Army, you shouldn't act in this cowardly manner. Your life was bought by so many people, so you should cherish it and use this useful body to kill the enemy and make their death worth it! Keep your head up!"
"Grandpa..." Zhong Jing looked up and looked at Master Zhong in front of him and said, "Can I fight again?"
"What? You just suffered a little setback and you want to hide behind us like a girl? I, the man of the Western Army, can die, but I must not be afraid! Even if I die, I must die with dignity! You still dare to fight ?"
"Of course I dare. I want to avenge Fourth Uncle Jiang and the others and kill the Liao dogs!" Zhong Jing shouted loudly.
"Then stand up, pick up your weapons, and mount your horse!" Master Zhong said as he glanced at everyone again: "The battle has just begun. Soon, the enemy will come again. We have no way out. This is the only way. Fight! The Western Army will win!"
Although he was wounded and the blood had not stopped, Zhong Jing still jumped up from the ground, took the spear handed to him, raised it high, and shouted: "I can still fight, I will not retreat! The Western Army, Must win!"
"The Western Army must win! The Western Army must win! The Western Army must win!" First it was a small group of people, and then the same roar continued to spread. Finally, tens of thousands of Western Army roared almost simultaneously, and the declaration of victory continued. Soaring into the sky, it almost dispersed the dark clouds that covered the sun.
When he heard the thunderous roar, Tong Guan's expression changed again: "Western Army... Hey, Western Army..." At this time, in his eyes, the title "Western Army" became the same. It’s a big taboo. Don’t these people actually regard themselves as soldiers of the Song Dynasty
But in the Liao army camp ten miles away, Yelu Dashi and Yelu Xiongge looked solemn: "This Song army is really a group of admirable opponents. They are stronger than any Song army we have encountered before."
"Yes, it's just that the stronger they are, the more quickly we have to defeat them!"
"By the way, are the arrangements over there ready?" Yelv Xiongge suddenly asked.
The confidants on the side immediately took a step forward: "Back to your Majesty, everything is ready. Today there will be another heavy rain as expected by Dashi Linya. By then, the right time and place will help me defeat the Song army!"
"Okay!" Yelu Xiongge was more determined in his heart: "With today's victory, we will have no worries and can return to the north to help the court put down the Jurchen Rebellion!"
There was not much joy on Yelu Dashi's face, he just said softly: "Destroy the enemy in front of you first and then talk about it. If we can't completely defeat the Song army, then we will have to stalemate with them for a while. By then, there will be variables. too much."
After a pause, he frowned again and said: "Also, the Song Army commander in front of us is a famous Zhong family brother. Although we have backup plans, it is not that easy to defeat them in one fell swoop. Maybe we can still... There are variables.”
"Then strike first. Blow the trumpet and attack!" Yelu Xiongge immediately ordered.
At the same time as the horn sounded again, the first raindrop fell from the sky and hit the middle of the two armies where blood was still flowing.
Fight, rise again!