Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 540: Escape After Hitting the Strike
Sun Liang's guess couldn't be said to be brilliant, but it was certainly off the mark.

Just when Sun Liang sent Jiankang's last mobile forces to the Qinhuai River east of Jiankang City, three hundred Liao cavalry had already formed up at a small ferry more than ten miles west of the city, and raised the Jin army's flag. Then, with the determination to burn their boats and cross the river, they chased south along the official road.

Zhang Baiyu wore a fierce ghost mask and remained silent, but he felt a little anxious in his heart.

It is almost evening. If the weather remains gloomy, it will get dark even earlier. By then, even if there is an insider, Wanyan Liang will most likely lose his position.

This is the difficulty in getting things done.

Even if the time, place and people are all on your side, there will still be all kinds of unexpected troubles waiting ahead, which require smart people to deal with on the spot.

Just like today's situation, a cloudy day could easily ruin the entire plan.

Of course, the simplest and most common way to prevent these unexpected situations is to have a backup plan.

Before Zhang Baiyu set out on this expedition, Liu Huai had told him through Li Tong not to be afraid, as Liu Dalangjun had plenty of plans, so Zhang Baiyu didn't need to worry and could just go ahead and do it.

However, Zhang Baiyu thought differently. If everything was done by his own general, then what was the use of him as a subordinate?

Even if we are completely trapped this time and the entire army is wiped out, we must capture Wanyan Liang!

Zhang Baiyu secretly became angry and continued to run forward in the drizzle.

The cavalry's tactical mobility is extremely terrifying. In just half an hour, Zhang Baiyu saw scattered yamen runners and archers.

After capturing some archers and asking for directions, Zhang Baiyu sped up again, not sparing any effort. Over two hundred Liao cavalrymen also quickly prepared for battle.

Zhao Mi was shocked when he heard the increasingly dense sound of horse hooves behind him. He then brought a group of captives to a dike. After sending out military envoys to rescue, he led his soldiers to defend the earth wall and wait for help.

"Your Majesty! We are here to rescue you!"

The knight shouted loudly through the dense rain. His voice arrived before he arrived, and Zhao Mi was terrified to death.

It is true that someone came to rob Wanyan Liang, but they were not the Jingnan Army, nor were they the pro-war faction. Instead, they were the elite troops of the Jin Army who crossed the river to do this!
Zhao Mi didn't know the ethnic policy of the Loyal Army. In his opinion, there might be many northerners under Liu Huai's command, but there definitely couldn't be so many people from Liaodong!
Even if he was recruiting rebels, it wouldn't have happened so quickly! Yet, for some petty gains, he'd been so foolish as to send out a large army. As a result, he was now surrounded by only a hundred or so yamen runners and a few dozen armored soldiers! How truly foolish!
"General..." a trusted officer asked in a trembling voice.

"Meet the enemy!" Zhao Mi shouted loudly.

"General!" The voice of the trusted officer also became firm: "We can't win! Run away quickly!"

Zhao Mi looked at the approaching Jin army cavalry through the drizzle, and said with a dry mouth, "I have received great favors from the emperor..."

Before he could finish his words, the trusted officer had already jumped on his horse and turned to flee.

Now those armored cavalry have begun to split their formation and want to surround this dike. If we don’t escape now, we will never be able to escape.

They were not frontier troops that could fight bloody battles with the Jin army, but central imperial troops with seniority in the central government.

Are you bored enough to fight the Jin army here?
I just advised Zhao Mi and I have done my best. Now that his father has died and his mother has remarried, he should just take care of himself!

It didn't matter that the officer escaped. The yamen runners and archers who were hastily gathered also fled. Soon, there were only about twenty loyal soldiers left by Zhao Mi.

"General! Let's escape too!"

Even those die-hard supporters were frightened when they saw so many cavalrymen rushing towards them, and kept urging them to come.

Zhao Mi just felt bitter in his mouth, but after all, he was once a general who fought in the battlefield, so he quickly made his own decision.

"You can't escape like this! Each of you capture those Jin nobles as hostages, and we'll retreat together!"

The confidants nodded, leaving a few people to guard the earthen wall of the dike, while the rest pulled Wanyan Liang and others out of the prison car, and put their weapons on their necks to block them in front of them.

During this delay, the armored cavalry had already approached them. Dozens of "Jin soldiers" in iron armor jumped off their horses and approached with shields raised. The remaining armored cavalry were on guard outside the weir, as if they were going to set up a dragnet to prevent anyone from escaping.

"Your Majesty is here. If you don't want him to die..." Before the officer of the Palace Guards finished his voice, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him.

Looking back, he only saw Zhao Mi riding away on his horse, which made the Song army officer stay in place.

Zhao Mi also glanced back, then galloped through the gap in the encirclement. These 'Jin troops' were clearly intent on kidnapping Wanyan Liang. Chasing down their guards was pointless. Even if they incurred heavy casualties, as long as Wanyan Liang was injured, the Jin army's daring adventure would be a failure.

In this case, it would be better to let these confidants use the nobles of the Jin Kingdom to hold back the "Jin Army" so that they can escape in the chaos.

"Li Shiyi, Zhang Fang..." Zhao Mi silently recited the names of those confidants in his heart, and then made up his mind that if he could escape this disaster, he must treat their wives well!
The fact was just as Zhao Mi had thought. Zhang Baiyu ignored any of the people who escaped. His eyes under the mask did not even look in other directions. He just raised his spear and pointed it forward.

Dian Lun understood and shouted at the top of his voice, "We are not here to fight you! Release our Majesty, and I will let you live!"

At this point, the Song army officer didn't dare let Wanyan Liang go. He just kept the wrist-cutting knife pressed against Wanyan Liang's neck, his tone already tinged with tears: "The Jin thieves are all untrustworthy. How can I trust you?! Brothers, whether we can survive depends on these nobles! If we really have to die, we must drag a Jin nobleman with us!"

The rest of the Song army also knew that it was a critical moment, and they all started to make a commotion.

Zhang Baiyu looked up at the sky, and with a cold face, he took the big bow wrapped in oil paper from the warhorse behind him, drew the bow and released an arrow, which pierced the throat of the officer of the Palace Front Department.

After all, Wanyan Liang came from a military aristocracy. He reacted instantly, turned around and pounced on the Song army that was holding Wanyan Yuanyi hostage, knocking him to the ground with a few punches.

"Stop talking nonsense, kill!"

When Wanyan Liang's order was issued, Zhang Baiyu also stepped forward in time. More than ten soldiers, led by Ximao Zhanggu, each holding a short weapon, rescued the hostages.

It is not known whether it was because Xiemao Zhanggu acted too quickly or because the Palace Guards were too cowardly, but these more than ten high-ranking officials of the Jin Dynasty were rescued safely, without even a single injury.

"go!"

Zhang Baiyu gave the order decisively without any hesitation.

Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Wangxiang supported Wanyan Yuanyi on the left and right and quickly mounted their horses.

The three hundred riders sped away, leaving only the Palace Guards who were knocked to the ground groaning and wailing.

He actually saved their lives.

"Who are you? Who sent you?!" Wanyan Liang asked loudly while riding his horse, wanting to know which loyal and righteous person could break through the Lianghuai region and rescue him in such a situation.

However, no one answered him, not even the armored cavalrymen who had braids and only a thin layer of hair on their bald heads, and were obviously Jurchens.

After Wanyan Liang shouted loudly twice, Wanyan Yuanyi pulled his sleeve and he stopped shouting.

There was obviously something wrong with the origin of these troops, but Wanyan Liang and others had no choice.

Now that I have the chance, should I not escape and go to Lin'an to beg for life at the feet of that bastard Zhao Gou?
Before the last ray of sunlight in the sky disappeared, the group finally gathered all the armored cavalry that had been waiting for them along the way and arrived at the wild ferry where they had set out.

At this time, the three ships under the command of Liang Pan that intimidated and restrained the Jiankang defenders had also returned.

It should be said that Liang Pan completed his task extremely well. The waters near Jiankang were like a public toilet, allowing him to come and go as he pleased, but he did not show the slightest bit of pride.

After all, this was not because of Liang Pan’s ability, but because the Jiankang defenders cooperated so well.

The knight boarded the ship quickly, and the ship also quickly weighed anchor and set sail. In just three quarters of an hour, it crossed the river and arrived at Jiangbei.

At an unknown wild ferry in Jiangbei, Wanyan Liang finally met Li Tong. The two held hands, looked at each other in silence, both with tears in their eyes.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! I have finally rescued Your Majesty." Li Tong's tears fell, and he almost burst into tears.

Wanyan Liang sighed, "I should have thought of it earlier, it was Li Xianggong. I should have thought of it earlier."

On the other side, Wanyan Yuanyi looked ashamed.

When Li Tong surrendered to Liu Huai that day, he just thought that Li Tong was afraid of death and wanted to find another backer, but who would have thought that this guy actually found a way to rescue Wanyan Liang?
Originally, Wanyan Yuanyi thought that he was just a lucky villain, but if he could escape back to the north this time, even in the history books, he would have to be praised as a brave and resourceful man!
Zhang Baiyu watched the harmonious scene between the emperor and his subjects, then took off his mask and said coldly, "Time is running out. You should all hurry on your way and reminisce about our past when you reach Huaibei."

When Wanyan Liang saw this familiar handsome face, he wanted to sneer, but after seeing Li Tong's pleading expression, he could only swallow all his words and nodded heavily.

(End of this chapter)