Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 507: The British Duke’s Confidence
Zeng Gongliang was not only worried that once the soldiers knew about the rebellion in the Central Plains, the morale of the army would be shaken.

He also felt that this battle could no longer be fought.

Even if the rebellion in the Central Plains could be quelled, the rebels could still coerce the people and cause destruction everywhere.

After the rebellion is pacified, a large number of people will need to be resettled, and they will all require food and fodder.

If the fighting continues, the imperial court will find it hard to bear.

This is no longer a problem that can be solved with money. There are only so many fields in the world and the grain output is always limited. How can it withstand such a turmoil?

Emperor Wu of Han conquered the Xiongnu thanks to the years of accumulation by Emperors Wen and Jing.

Emperor Yang of Sui conquered Goguryeo by relying on the accumulation of Emperor Wen of Sui.

Even so, he gained a reputation for warmongering.

The other one was even more cruel and directly destroyed the country.

Although Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Yang of Sui fought for many years, the Song Dynasty did not have any accumulation.

On the contrary, the Song Dynasty's treasury was empty.

The Song Dynasty only produces so much grain every year. Although much of it is in the hands of landlords and gentry, last year several states near Jiangzhou first suffered from floods and then rebellion.

The imperial court spent money to collect grain from the people.

This time, nearly 600,000 troops were dispatched to the North, and they also relied on purchasing grain.

Where would people get so much food?
There is also a more serious problem: the price of food in the private sector is constantly rising.

If we keep winning, we can temporarily suppress these problems.

But now that the situation has reached a stalemate and a rebellion has broken out in the Central Plains, this issue has to be considered.

"I know, I have already ordered preparations." The Duke of England nodded.

"Duke Ying, we can't prepare now. We have to wait until after dark, otherwise we will be easily discovered by the Liao army. You just recalled Zuo Qiang directly, which was a bit hasty." Zeng Gongliang shook his head.

He was worried that the Liao Kingdom would notice and launch a surprise attack when the Song Dynasty withdrew its troops.

Duke Ying smiled and said, "I know what Privy Councilor Zeng is worried about. What I am doing is just luring the Liao Kingdom to launch a surprise attack!"

"Duke of England, we can't fight anymore!"

Zeng Gongliang saw that Duke Yingguo was still trying to plot against the Liao Kingdom, so he emphasized with a heavier tone.

"Now the Song Dynasty has no choice but to fight!"

Ying Jun said calmly: "After this retreat, we can only take a defensive stance. But the Liao Kingdom will not give up such a good opportunity to counterattack unless the Song Dynasty is willing to give up the territory it has already conquered!"

"But once we give up, all our previous efforts will be in vain. The Liao Kingdom may even counterattack the Song Dynasty, and the border will not be stable."

"With internal and external troubles, has Privy Councilor Zeng ever thought about the consequences?"

"this…"

Zeng Gongliang opened his mouth. He only wanted to withdraw his troops and did not think too much in such a hurry.

But the Duke of England's concerns were real. The Song Dynasty did not want to fight, but the Liao Kingdom would not give up.

As long as the border is unstable, it will be a trouble for the Song Dynasty.

Zeng Gongliang was silent for a long time, and then said, "Duke Ying wanted to lure the Liao Kingdom into a surprise attack, weaken the Liao Kingdom's strength, and force the Liao Kingdom to recuperate after the Song Dynasty withdrew its troops. Duke Ying suddenly recalled Zuo Qiang and deliberately let the Liao Kingdom know that the Song Dynasty was going to withdraw its troops."

"But the Liao Kingdom didn't know about the rebellion in the Central Plains. In the Liao Kingdom's view, this was just a trap to lure the enemy, and they would not be fooled."

"If that's the case, Liao will definitely not be fooled."

Duke Ying nodded and said, "But the emperor was not the first to send the message to the emperor. Since the emperor has received the news, it won't take long for the Liao Kingdom to receive the news."

The Liao Kingdom must have spies in the Song Dynasty. Unless the emperor sent a message to Zhao Xing as soon as possible when a rebellion broke out, the news would be received before the Liao Kingdom.

But the emperor did not do so. The reason why he learned the news before the Liao Kingdom was because of the war in the north, which affected the transmission of information by the Liao Kingdom's spies.

Considering the time, the Liao Kingdom should have known about it by now.

He urgently recalled Zuo Qiang and even pretended to withdraw his troops openly, which would indeed make the Liao Kingdom suspicious and worry about a trap.

But once the Liao Kingdom learned that a rebellion had occurred within the Song Dynasty, everything he did seemed normal.

Because he was anxious to withdraw his troops before the Liao Kingdom learned the news, it was normal for him to be anxious.

All the Duke of Ying did was to gamble that before he withdrew his troops, the Liao Kingdom would be able to learn that a rebellion had occurred within the Song Dynasty.

"In that case, why didn't Duke Ying deliberately delay to ensure that the Liao Kingdom could get the news?" Zeng Gongliang said.

"That would be too deliberate. The Liao Kingdom would definitely think that we are delaying in preparation and they would not be fooled," said the Duke of England.

If possible, he would not want to gamble, but if he did not show an eagerness to withdraw his troops, the Liao Kingdom would not be fooled even if it learned the news.

Zeng Gongliang was silent for a while after hearing this, and then said, "Duke Ying is very far-sighted and prudent. I admire him."

The Duke of England smiled when he heard this, not because he was praised by Zeng Gongliang, but because Zeng Gongliang said this to indicate that he agreed with his plan.

Although he was the commander-in-chief appointed by Zhao Xing, he did not want to conflict with Zeng Gongliang.

Zeng Gongliang agreed with Duke Ying's strategy, but still proposed to report it to Zhao Xing.

The British prince would naturally not refuse this.

…………

The Duke of Yingguo suddenly recalled Zuo Qiang, which really confused Yelu Yixin.

Soon, the people who were monitoring the Song army camp reported that the Song army seemed to be packing up and wanted to retreat.

Upon hearing this, Yelu Yixin believed that the Song army was setting up a trap, so he ordered his men to continue monitoring and did not take any other action.

The Song army had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and it was not easy to withdraw. They did not withdraw quietly until late at night.

However, all this was under the surveillance of the Liao Kingdom.

When Yelu Yixin heard the news, he frowned.

He was a little confused about what the Song Dynasty was trying to do.

If it was a trap, the Song army was probably just pretending to do so to lure the Liao army into raiding the camp at night.

But the Song army actually retreated.

Is it to make it more realistic?
Yelu Yixin shook his head and denied this speculation.

According to the spies who were monitoring the situation, the Song army looked like they were really going to retreat.

Going to such a huge cost to lure the enemy, if it succeeds it's fine, but if it fails the soldiers will be tormented like this and will surely have complaints in their hearts, which will be a huge blow to the generals.

Is the Song Dynasty really going to withdraw its troops?
An absurd idea suddenly occurred to Yelu Yixin.

The reason why it is absurd is that the Song army was clearly in an advantageous position, so why did they suddenly retreat?
Unless something major happens in the Song Dynasty.

But he had no news now and didn't dare to act rashly.

"His Majesty!"

At this moment, a eunuch hurried in, saluted and said, "The secret agents from the Song Dynasty have urgent news!"

"Bring it here quickly!" Yelu Yixin said anxiously.

Although he didn't know the content of the urgent report yet, he had a hunch that this urgent report would allow him to tell whether the Song Dynasty had really withdrawn its troops due to an unexpected event or it was a trap.

After reading the urgent report, Yelu Yixin was overjoyed. After a moment's thought, he said anxiously, "Quick, call Yelu He!"

The urgent report said that a large-scale rebellion had occurred in the Central Plains of the Song Dynasty, affecting more than a dozen states.

The urgent report also said that the Song Dynasty had previously laid off old and young soldiers in the army, and transferred troops from various states in the Central Plains to fill the vacancies in the army due to the lack of pay.

Many troops were also drawn from the Central Plains for this expedition.

It can be said that at that time in the Central Plains, except for the area near Bian Jing, other prefectures and counties were short of military forces.

Under such circumstances, the Song Dynasty was unable to mobilize troops to suppress the rebellion in a short period of time, so the rebels developed rapidly and were heading towards Bianjing. He also knew this news, and because he knew it, he also understood why the Song army was so anxious to withdraw.

"No wonder they pretended to retreat in panic, revealing such a big flaw. This is not to lure me to raid the camp, but to make me doubt and dare not send troops."

When Yelu Yixin thought of this, he became even angrier.

I almost got cheated.

However, after suffering a series of losses, he also thought that the Song army's retreat would inevitably make them wary of his attack.

But for him this was a godsend opportunity. Even if the Song army was prepared and could not cause much damage to them, he had to delay the time for the Song army to return as much as possible.

If the Song Dynasty had quelled the rebellion later, the losses caused by the rebellion would have been greater.

He even thought that it would be even better if the rebels could capture Bianliang.

But he also knew that this was wishful thinking.

Although the Song Dynasty was short of military forces in the Central Plains, it still had a lot of troops near Bianliang.

It would be impossible to capture Bianliang with just a few untrained civilians, no matter how many of them there were.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Yelu He was summoned and hurried to Yelu Yixin's tent.

Yelu Yixin waved his hand, briefly explained the matter, and said: "I will give you all the cavalry in the army. You will lead the troops to chase the Song army immediately."

"Yes!"

Yelu He was very excited. He saluted and prepared to go to inspect the troops.

If we can defeat the 300,000 troops of the Song Dynasty, we will be able to secure victory.

Then he will have made a great contribution and will have a chance to be crowned king.

Although Yelu He was a member of the Liao royal family, the relationship between his lineage and Yelu Yixin was somewhat distant.

After Yelu Yixin ascended the throne, he was not given the title of king.

"and many more!"

Yelu Yixin stopped Yelu He and asked, "What are you going to do if you catch up with the Song army?"

Yelu He was stunned, but still said: "Although the Song army is eager to retreat, they will also deploy troops in the rear. I am leading cavalry and cannot conceal my tracks. I plan to divide the troops and approach from both wings and launch a direct attack."

"You have considered it carefully. However, the Duke Ying of the Song army has good soldiers and may not be unprepared. Divide the cavalry into several groups and launch surprise attacks from multiple sections. If one of the groups encounters resistance, focus on containment." Yelu Yixin said.

If the Song army retreated, they would certainly be on guard against the Song army's attack and split into several groups to tie down the Song army's defensive troops.

As long as one of the troops can launch a surprise attack on the Song army, the Song army will be in chaos.

Once there is chaos at night, a chain reaction will occur.

After suffering several losses, Yelu Yixin is now becoming more and more cautious.

Even though he felt that the Song army was unlikely to set an ambush, he still made multiple preparations.

Moreover, he will launch a counterattack next and does not want to lose too many troops now.

"Yes! I understand!" Yelu He replied.

"Go!" Yelu Yixin waved his hand.

Yelu He saluted and withdrew, ordering his men to beat drums and mobilize the troops.

The Liao army had 200,000 cavalrymen, of which more than 20,000 had been lost, and some were wounded.

The number of cavalry that could be mobilized was approximately 170,000.

After Yelu He assembled his troops, he led them out of the camp to pursue and kill the Song army.

At this time, the Song army had been marching for more than two hours, but because most of them were infantry and they were carrying baggage, they had only walked a few dozen miles.

When the scouts ahead reported that the Song army was only ten miles away, Yelu He followed Yelu Yixin's instructions and divided the cavalry into eight groups of 20,000 each.

He personally led 30,000 cavalrymen to launch surprise attacks on the Song army in several sections.

The Song army had 300,000 soldiers, and when they withdrew, the marching route was very long.

Even if there were only 20,000 of them, as long as there were no cavalry to stop them, even if the infantry heard the sound of horse hooves and took precautions, they would not be able to stop the cavalry in a hurry.

The Song army had only 100,000 cavalrymen, and he launched multiple raids that were completely unstoppable.

Yelu He also admired Yelu Yixin's method, but it was a pity that this method was not his own idea. Even if he won, his credit would be greatly reduced.

Therefore, Yelu He prepared to lead his troops to the front to intercept the Song army.

He believed that the main general of the Song army must be at the front, and it would be a great achievement if he could capture or kill him.

…………

The Duke of Ying left a spy in the rear, and when the Liao army pursued, he was the first to learn the news.

Upon learning that the Liao army had sent out all its cavalry and divided them into several groups, attacking from the flank in order to launch multiple surprise attacks, the Duke of Ying began to admire the Liao army's generals.

If he was setting a trap, there was nothing to worry about with the Liao army's actions.

But this time he was really retreating. An army of 300,000 strong stretched for more than ten miles.

In the darkness, even with a torch, there is only a limited amount you can see.

Hundreds of thousands of cavalrymen launched multiple raids, which he could not defend against no matter how well he prepared.

Once a cavalry unit breaks into the army, there will inevitably be chaos.

But since the Duke of England is in a hurry to do so, he naturally has the confidence.

When they heard that cavalry was approaching, the people arranged by the Duke of England carried a huge gunpowder bag, left the army, and headed in the direction where the sound of horse hooves came from.

That’s right, the British public’s confidence is gunpowder.

When Zhao Xing told him how to use gunpowder, he also told him that the loud noise of gunpowder could be used to deal with cavalry.

Before this, the Song Dynasty had always used gunpowder to blow up cities and had never used it for other purposes.

The Liao Dynasty also ignored this point, or it believed that gunpowder could only be used to blow up cities.

The war horses were suddenly frightened in the darkness, and even if the Liao cavalry had good riding skills, they found it difficult to control the horses.

There was no need for the Song army to chase and kill them. The Liao army would suffer countless losses just from the frightened war horses.

…………

Zhao Xing was worried about the situation in Bian Jing and did not fall asleep until late at night.

When I woke up the next day, I received an urgent report from the British Duke.

The Duke of England said in an urgent report that the Central Plains was in turmoil and most of the soldiers in the army came from the Central Plains. If the news spread, the morale of the army would inevitably be shaken and it would no longer be suitable to continue fighting.

When retreating, he would lure the Liao army into a surprise attack, causing as much loss as possible to the Liao army, allowing the Song Dynasty to counterattack and then defend.

As for whether it could succeed, he was not sure.

After reading the urgent report, Zhao Xing sighed. In fact, he knew that it was no longer suitable to continue fighting.

However, since the progress was so smooth this time, he was still unwilling to withdraw his troops.

That's why I wrote a letter to the Duke of England, asking him to make the decision.

Now that the Duke of England has agreed to withdraw his troops, it seems we have no choice but to do so.

Zhao Xing also hoped that the Duke of Ying's plan would succeed, otherwise he would have to give up all the territory he had conquered before.

After all, these cities had been ruled by the Liao Kingdom for many years. Even though most of the people in the cities were Han people, the people were not on the side of the Song Dynasty, making it difficult to defend them for long.

(End of this chapter)