Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 629: Overlord
By the early morning of the third day, Lu Tianming's troops had held out, and more than 2,000 of their 7,000 men had been lost in successive battles.

Even though they had been trying to save their arrows, they were about to run out.

The rations they carried would run out by this evening, and Lu Tianming suddenly felt anxious.

Lu Tianming had a rough idea of ​​which of his troops were located near Lingbi.

If there were reinforcements, there shouldn't be any news at this time.

At this time, with no hope of breaking out, Lu Tianming's troops had already captured a hilltop and used it as a temporary camp.

In fact, taking the hilltop was not part of Lu Tianming's plan, because it would be more difficult to break out once you are on the mountain, and there is no water source on the mountain, so it would be difficult to sustain.

Lu Tianming seized this formation which was more advantageous in attack and defense, betting that there would be reinforcements.

If reinforcements do not arrive, he will be committing suicide by going up the mountain, and it will be difficult for him to break out.

A battle in the early morning had just ended, and the Jin soldiers began to withdraw to the camp in an orderly manner.

Lu Tianming, who was smoked like a Kitchen God, had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly heard a faint cry of killing coming from a distance.

Then, clearer sounds of war drums and trumpets were heard.

Drums and trumpets are both commonly used instruments in the military to transmit orders, but the Song and Jin dynasties had different signal settings.

Lu Tianming immediately became excited when he heard it: "It's our people! Our reinforcements are coming!"

Lu Tianming rushed up to a high rock and looked into the distance.

At this time, the morning mist had just dissipated and the sun was shining down.

Far away, in a valley, a troop of soldiers was surging towards this side.

The Jin army set up positions on the road ahead and blocked their way.

The situation was exactly the same as when Lu Tianming was resisting the attack launched by the Jin soldiers.

Lu Tianming squinted his eyes and observed for a while, and finally saw the flag of the support army clearly.

Lu Tianming shouted excitedly: "It's General Li! General Li has personally led his troops to rescue us!
Quick, gather your strength immediately, break out in the direction of Li Dutong, and respond to Li Dutong. "

The Song army on the mountain were greatly excited after hearing this. Lu Tianming immediately gathered troops and organized them to launch an attack in the direction where Li Xianzhong was coming to provide support.

The Jin soldiers were very tenacious in their blockade. Relying on the advantage of terrain, the Jin soldiers fought back desperately. The two sides fought fiercely for more than an hour, and a position was repeatedly held. Both sides left behind a large number of corpses, but Li Xianzhong's troops were never able to break through the Jin soldiers' blockade.

The situation on Li Xianzhong's side was similar. The Jin soldiers who blocked them were endless. They advanced with difficulty in the valley. After more than an hour of fighting, they were able to expand the distance by more than a hundred feet.

But the Jin soldiers immediately sent a large number of reinforcements into the battle, and the situation that had been finally overcome began to shrink again.

In terms of military strength, the Jin soldiers who had already set up an ambush here had an absolute advantage.

Lu Tianming stood on the top of the mountain, with his hands on his back, looking into the distance. Suddenly, he saw the flags of the Song army flying on the two hills to the left and right of the place where Li Xianzhong's troops were fighting with the Jin soldiers.

Lu Tianming couldn't help but frown.

There are many mountains here, with more than a hundred peaks of various sizes, but the peaks are not connected to each other, and there are valleys and cols in between for travel.

This is also the reason why Lu Tianming regards it as a maze.

In addition, the highest mountain here is only seventy or eighty feet high, which is considered a very low hill compared to the towering mountains in the north.

Therefore, although the high ground gives them a certain geographical advantage in terms of attack and defense, this small hill is short of natural resources, especially water, and it is impossible to hold on for too long.

Therefore, unless reinforcements arrive to rescue you later, the enemy does not need to attack head-on. Just hold on until the drinking water you carry is exhausted, and that is when your entire army will be destroyed.

Lu Tianming had to go up the mountain because he was outnumbered. He had followed Li Xianzhong for many years and knew Li Xianzhong well. He knew that Li Xianzhong would definitely come to help, but why did Li Xianzhong do that?
After thinking for a long time, Lu Tian finally understood what Li Xianzhong meant.

Li Xianzhong was obviously not sure he could break through the siege and rescue them, which meant that the number of Jin soldiers besieging here was more than he expected.

Li Xianzhong climbed up a small hill where there was no water source and the mountain was not very high. Although it had certain geographical advantages, it was difficult to hold on for too long. This meant that he had no intention of holding on for long.

In other words, will the Song army receive more reinforcements?
Lu Tianming was an old subordinate of Li Xianzhong. After he understood Li Xianzhong's combat intentions, he immediately gave up breaking out and ordered his soldiers to build temporary fortifications.

Since Li Xianzhong wants to use himself as bait to delay the Jin army and wait for subsequent reinforcements to arrive, he must now fully cooperate with Li Dutong.

Lu Tianming ordered his men to gather up the dead war horses. The food was about to run out, so everything edible had to be used sparingly.

Drinking water must also be distributed uniformly.

At this time, before the Song army attacked, the Jin soldiers who had voluntarily abandoned their original garrisons in Fuli and Jing'an had already arrived at the foot of the Lingbi Mountains.

The Jin army became even more arrogant.

Behind them, on the official road less than an hour's walk away, the main force of the Jin army formerly stationed in Suzhou was also coming in with the rumbling of carts and the neighing of horses.

……

"Boom! Boom boom boom boom..."

Suddenly, the sound of drums gathering troops was heard in the central army camp in Suzhou City.

The officers and soldiers of each unit were confused as to what was going on, but no one dared to neglect the military secrets. They quickly dressed in their armor and rushed to the central military tent.

Liu Molin is now the temporary commander of this army. When the generals rushed to the central military tent, Commander Liu also hurried over in full gear.

So all the generals immediately asked him the reason.

"Commander Liu, weren't you the one who beat the drum to gather the troops?"

"I do not have it."

"Could it be that General Li has returned?"

The generals were standing outside the tent, looking extremely surprised, when Yang Yuan walked in proudly from behind the screen.

Fei Yuye and Fujiwara Himeka followed closely behind, one holding a "talisman" and the other holding a "jie".

After Yang Yuan walked to the commander's desk, the two men stood to his left and right, solemnly standing still.

When Liu Molin saw it, he couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Judging from the situation, the one beating the drum to gather the troops must be this General Yang.

Along the way, this military supervisor never interfered with the decisions made by the generals in the army, but what is he going to do now?
However, because Yang Yuan had already taken his place in the army's case, his actual position in the army was higher than that of Li Xianzhong, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Army.

Therefore, although Liu Molin was full of doubts, he did not dare to step forward and ask. Anyway, Yang Yuan would have to explain the reason immediately, so Yang Molin could only suppress his doubts and listen to his instructions.

Yang Yuan said solemnly: "Generals, Lu Tianming's troops underestimated the enemy and went deep into their territory, and were trapped in Lingbi. General Li Xianzhong led his light cavalry to help, but was ambushed halfway.

According to the military report sent back by General Li, the Jin soldiers obviously wanted to use Lu Tianming's troops as bait to lure our troops to support them, and then strangle them one by one."

Yang Yuan glanced at his generals and said, "We conquered Suzhou, Fuli, and Jing'an without attacking. So, where did the Jin army that was originally stationed there go?"

The generals under his command did not dare to discuss anything, but many of them exchanged glances with each other.

Yang Yuan said sternly, "You are all veterans in the army. If you save the land but lose the people, you will lose both the land and the people. If you save the people but lose the land, you will gain both the land and the people. You should all understand this principle."

The tent was filled with a chilly atmosphere. Yang Yuan said in a cold voice, "It is obvious that they abandoned the city and must have gone to Lingbi.

The Jin soldiers wanted to concentrate their superior forces to strangle General Li Xianzhong's main force!"

There was a sudden commotion under the tent, and the whispers could no longer be suppressed.

Liu Molin stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "Military Supervisor, after General Li broke through the siege and continued to head north, the generals were informed and ordered the troops to rush to Lingbi."

Yang Yuan said: "But our group is the closest to the trapped army."

“What the military supervisor said is correct, but no matter whether it is General Li or General Lu, even though the Jin soldiers are strong, it is impossible to wipe them out in a short period of time.

Our reinforcements will arrive in time to provide reinforcements."

"So, you think we should stay in Suzhou and wait for other troops to come to reinforce us?"

Liu Molin secretly complained, isn't it because you, the top scholar and military supervisor, are here?

With a precious baby like you here, who would dare to let you make mistakes?

Not only him, but all the generals under his command also knew that the reason why Li Xianzhong divided his troops into two groups, leaving the central army and the rear army to escort Yang Yuan to Suzhou City for stationing, was because he was afraid that something might happen to him.

If anything happened to the military inspector Yang Yuan, the entire scholar-official group would go crazy.

Even the factions that were originally in fierce opposition to Yang Yuan would "let bygones be bygones" and "turn enemies into friends" because of Yang Yuan's death, and would jump out to bite these generals fiercely.

Liu Molin frowned slightly and said, "The military supervisor is the military supervisor of Lianghuai, and he cannot afford to make mistakes. This is why General Li ordered me to follow up slowly and occupy the city.

Although we are the closest army to Lingbi, other troops will also be able to reinforce us. I think..."

Yang Yuan shook his head: "Commander Liu, in the situation of the two armies fighting each other, the Jin soldiers must concentrate their superior forces to annihilate our elite main force, so they must fight quickly and decisively, isn't that right?" "Yes."

"Okay! Then..."

Yang Yuan walked towards the large map of Huaibei and Huainan hanging on the wall, drew his sword and pointed at the map: "On the battlefield in the east of Huainan, there are the imperial guards of the three divisions and the garrison troops of various states, with a complex composition.

The imperial guards divided themselves into several groups and attacked, the few groups of troops closest to Lingbi were all stationed in the various states of Huaibei and Huainan.

If someone misses the opportunity to fight, or someone delays the journey by just two days or even one day, what will be the consequences? "

The faces of the generals under his command suddenly turned ugly.

Most military generals are more straightforward in temperament and have read far fewer books than civil officials, but this does not mean that they are stupid.

Human hearts and human nature are the most unpredictable. The situation described by General Yang may not necessarily happen.

If the Jin army succeeds in creating a time difference, it will really be a disaster.

After a long silence, Liu Molin said in a deep voice: "General Yang, I will leave the central army with General Yang to guard Suzhou City, and I will personally lead the rear army to rescue Lingbi."

Yang Yuan shook his head: "Not enough!"

"Then I will send a group of elite cavalry to escort the military supervisor to retreat to Sizhou, and I will lead the central and rear armies to attack Lingbi."

"It's still not enough!"

Yang Yuan explained to him: "When the Jin soldiers lured General Li Xianzhong into an ambush, they did not expect that our army would necessarily split up.

Therefore, they must have taken into account all the troops we have along the way.

Therefore, even if we all pile up, we are still within their reach to annihilate them."

Another general lost his patience and shouted, "Military Supervisor, if our entire army is not enough, does the Military Supervisor have another clever plan?"

"Have!"

Yang Yuan took a few steps towards them and puffed out his chest: "I, the military supervisor of Lianghuai, will go there in person!"

When the generals heard this, they were immediately in an uproar.

Fei Yuye and Fujiwara Himeka had no idea of ​​Yang Yuan's plan beforehand, so they were shocked at this moment.

Fei Yuye was both shocked and worried. If the situation was really as dangerous as Yang Yuan said, then if Yang Yuan went to help in person, his life might be in danger.

Fei Yuye was naturally deeply worried about this.

Fujiwara Himeka and Hitamaha felt completely different, she felt very excited.

She stood behind the desk, tightly gripping the "bronze dragon knot" in the shape of a dragon head, and felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling quietly in her heart.

She and Fei Yuye grew up in different cultural environments, and she never considered the danger to her life.

She now only saw a domineering man, a courageous man, who made her want to surrender at his feet.

Fujiwara Himeka's face flushed red. If the dragon joint in her hand was not made of bronze but bamboo, it would have been broken by her grip.

Yang Molin said anxiously: "If the situation is really impossible, what's the point of adding a military supervisor? Even if the military supervisor has the courage of ten thousand people, his role is limited if he is alone in the battle formation."

Yang Yuan shook his head and said, "I'm not going to add another person, a horse, or a sword!"

Yang Yuan walked slowly to the back of the commander's desk. He was also fully armed, and as he walked forward step by step, the armor leaves made clanging sounds.

"The Jin people used Lu Tianming's troops as bait, gathered troops from all directions, and lured our Eastern Army commander."

Yang Yuan walked behind the desk, stood facing everyone, and leaned his fists on the desk:
"I am using myself as bait to lure in reinforcements from Huaibei and Huaibei. If..."

Yang Yuan glanced at his generals and said, "If the troops of the Song Dynasty do not want to see me, the military supervisor of Lianghuai, die in Lingbi, then they must travel day and night to come to our aid!"

Only then did Liu Molin and others understand Yang Yuan's purpose.

Although they were horrified by Yang Yuan's decision, they were deeply moved.

In order to rescue the main force of their imperial guards and to rescue General Li, this General Yang took the initiative to join the battle even though he knew that a large number of Jin troops were lying in ambush there. How many people can match his courage?
Yang Yuan's expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice: "I have made up my mind. I am summoning all the generals today to inform you, not to discuss with you.

The military situation is urgent, and speed is of the essence. There is no time to delay. Commander Liu! "

Liu Molin's heart trembled: "I am here!"

Yang Yuan said: "After retreating, we will immediately move camp and the entire army will rush to Lingbi."

"I obey your command!"

Yang Yuan shouted to his men, "Captain Guan, Captain Jiang, enter the tent and listen to my orders."

Two captains from the Imperial City Division, who had been waiting outside the tent, immediately called out their names and came in, standing still under the tent.

They are now the commanders of the military guard.

Yang Yuan immediately ordered the two men and their deputy captains, military chiefs, ten generals, secretaries, and escorts, each of whom was accompanied by two personal officials and armed with military orders stamped with the seal of the military inspector, to go to the various locations of the troops on the battlefields of Lianghuai.

Their purpose was to convey the order from the Lianghuai Military Supervisor to the commander-in-chief of the army: abandon the original combat intention, rush to Lingbi immediately, travel day and night, and not slack off.

The messenger was to stay in the camp to act as a military supervisor and oversee the actions of the troops.

Liu Molin listened to Yang Yuan's instructions and made arrangements. The messengers sent, those with higher official positions, were all sent to the camps of the garrison troops in the Huaidong area.

Liu Molin thought to himself that it seemed that General Yang didn't trust the generals of the garrison troops very much.

Indeed, the most loyal, the best at fighting, and the most daring to fight are of course my Three Yamen Imperial Guards. What the hell is the Huaidong garrison?
The Three Yamen Imperial Guards looked down on the garrison troops.

Of course, the garrison troops also looked down on the Three Yamen Forbidden Guards.

In the eyes of the garrison troops, they are the ones who have always been at the forefront.

The three yamen imperial guards had the best treatment and the best equipment, but when it came to fighting, they were not even worthy of carrying their shoes.

In the eyes of the Western Army, the Three Yamen Imperial Guards and the Lianghuai Garrison were all garbage.

The Western Army actually also belongs to the garrison army, but it has long been independent and formed its own system.

After leaving the tent, Liu Molin immediately began to move out of camp. According to Yang Yuan's request, he traveled light and abandoned all baggage.

On Yang Yuan's side, two captains of the Imperial City Division led a group of officers, received military orders stamped with the seal of the military supervisor, and rode at full speed to the various Song army garrisons in Lianghuai.

The specific action plan was drawn up by Belle with the cooperation of Yuye and Jixiang.

Leng Yuchan, Xiaonai and Huayin have already started packing their bags.

After signing the military order, Emmanuelle Belle, Fujiwara Himeka and Hitamaha stood together. There were hurried steps all around, and soldiers were walking hurriedly everywhere.

Fei Yuye frowned slightly: "Erlang's move is too risky."

Ji Xiang looked lovingly at Yang Yuan who was giving instructions to Liu Molin in the distance, and did not care about Fei Yuye's worries.

"Fame and fortune are won with swords and knives, wealth and honor are sought in danger. So what if I take risks? When I first met Erlang, I thought he was a local overlord..."

Ji Xiang thought of Yang Yuan's decisiveness when she first met him, his awe-inspiring manner, and his somewhat dazed eyes:

"When I followed him to the Song Dynasty, I realized that he was a first-class strategist, with a wealth of wisdom and strategies."

Ji Xiang retracted her gaze and looked at Fei Yuye, smiling sweetly, and said, "Now I know that the counselor's appearance was just a disguise. In his heart, he is still a local tyrant!"

Fei Yuye sneered at the words of the Japanese woman: "Just because he wants to take this risk?"

Ji Xiang nodded seriously: "The counselor makes analysis and judgment based on what he has learned, and the overlord makes the choice and bears the consequences of success or failure.

Therefore, even the most capable strategist cannot replace the overlord. No matter how powerful a strategist is, he can only hide under the shadow of the overlord. "

Belle thought about it and nodded in agreement: "That's right. Sometimes, we overestimate the role of strategy and underestimate the courage of those who take responsibility. Without courage, everything is empty talk."

Fei Yuye snorted coldly and rolled her eyes at them: "You two are in the same bed, so of course you are breathing through the same nostril."

Belle's face immediately turned red.

Ji Xiang was not shy at all. She glanced at Fei Yuye with lustful eyes, licked her lips, and said with a smile: "You want it too, so I'll take you with me next time?"

"Pooh!"

Yuye thought of the ridiculous things that happened between her and her godmother, Madam Li, and she couldn't stand it anymore and ran away with a red face.

PS: I am still in an ongoing meeting and will write whenever I have time.

(End of this chapter)