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

Chapter 621 Abandoning a Child to Cross the River Makes It Difficult to Survive

Although the Divine Might Army has experienced a series of battles and the three Meng'an were transferred away by Heshi Lie Liangbi, leaving only a little over five thousand soldiers, its combat strength is still incomparable to that of the powerful families in Dongping Prefecture.

Especially after Xiao Qi became determined to defend, Zhengjiaweizi really became a shell, and even with the impact of the fleeing army, it was very difficult to break through.

"General Huyan, General Xiao." A military envoy rode up and bowed to Huyan Nanxian and Xiao En, then held up a token and said, "Commander-in-Chief's order: the Wucheng Army and the Dongping Army shall take turns resting!"

Xiao En nodded in acceptance of the order, but Hu Yananxian frowned and said, "Our Wucheng Army still has strength. We have already broken through that earthen wall. If the Commander could give us a little more time..."

Xiao En rolled his eyes as he listened.

So you think all the soldiers in the Wucheng Army are heroes, while we soldiers in the Dongping Army are cowards?
This is why we have the bond of fighting side by side today; otherwise, Xiao En would have retorted with a sarcastic remark.

However, before they could finish speaking, the group saw the elite troops that had stormed into the fortified village being driven out. Two or three hundred men scattered and fled, while the Jin soldiers standing on the earthen walls kept drawing their bows and shooting arrows at the fleeing soldiers, causing more than thirty casualties in a short time.

If it weren't for reinforcements, the entire Wu Cheng army that stormed in might have died on their escape.

Upon seeing this, Hu Yananxian's face darkened. After a moment of contemplation, he finally managed to cup his hands and say with difficulty, "I will obey your command."

With the Wu Cheng Army and the Dongping Army clearing the way, Wang Shilong and Shi Qilang arrived with their troops and continued the siege.

Faced with such a fierce attack, Xiao Qi finally couldn't hold on any longer, and was drenched in sweat in the cold winter wind. It wasn't until another quarter of an hour later, when Liu Huai arrived with four thousand soldiers and saw the huge 'Han' character flag, that Xiao Qi finally lost all composure.

"Why haven't they arrived yet?! Why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet?!"

The soldier Meng'an, who was being grabbed by him, said with a mournful face, "This humble general did not know. This humble general has sent out several groups of military envoys, but none of them have returned! It has been almost an hour. Even if those Bohai bastards are unreliable, Wendun Qizhi and the others should not be so slow!"

Xiao Qi shouted, "Quickly! Send another military envoy! Tell the Left Chancellor that if reinforcements don't arrive soon, the Divine Might Army won't be able to hold out either!"

Xingjun Meng'an nodded repeatedly, but as he was about to turn and leave, he stared blankly at the surface of the Beiqing River, his mouth agape.

Xiao Qi turned his head and saw many huge ships with their sails billowing, taking advantage of the strong east wind today, sailing upstream towards Zhengjiawei, where the Shenwei Army was stationed.

"This...this is the Jingnan rebels' big ship!" Xingjun Meng'an seemed to have just realized something and shouted anxiously, "We also have a navy, Commander, where is our big ship?!"

Xiao Qi was also struck dumb.

The Jin army mainly relied on cavalry and infantry on land and did not pay much attention to the development of its navy, so Xiao Qi and others did not understand the situation at first.

The navy composed of powerful local figures from Dongping Prefecture was quite strong, and since they were sailing downstream, they should have arrived long ago.

Why did the Han army's naval reinforcements arrive at this time, while the Jin army's navy remained completely silent?
Could it be...

Xiao Qi thought of that terrifying possibility.

Heshi Lieliangbi abandoned them.

Just like they abandoned Wu Jie's army in Xuzhou.

At this moment, the intelligent members of the Divine Might Army all considered this terrible possibility.

Xiao Zhongda strode over, this time not bothering to conceal his face. Under the horrified gaze of the soldier, he whispered, "Uncle, there's still a chance. Don't make a mistake!"

Xiao Qi's cheeks twitched a few times before he finally snapped impatiently, "Zhongda! You know military law. If you dare to disrupt morale again, I'll execute you right now! Now get back to the rear camp and don't cause any more trouble!"

Xiao Zhongda pleaded with Xiao Qi for a while, then sent him back to the rear camp.

Yelü Zhaba leaned against a thatched hut and, seeing Xiao Zhongda return empty-handed once again, chuckled: "Your uncle is truly stubborn."

Xiao Zhongda subtly bypassed the guards acting as watchmen, approached Yelü Zhaba, pondered for a moment, and then gritted his teeth and said, "Try your method later, let Uncle hate me as much as he wants! I can't just watch him die."

Yelü Zhaba chuckled again, then looked up at the eaves of the thatched hut.

The villagers in Zhengjiawei had fled into the mountains a few days earlier to escape the war, but this retreat was inevitably hasty, and all they did was lock the doors of their houses.

At this time, Yelü Zhaba was in a place where commoners gathered, with about a dozen thatched huts and straw behind them, enough to set a large fire.

At that time, there is no need to worry about the morale of the Divine Might Army remaining high.

However, Yelü Zhaba no longer needed to take action.

Two quarters of an hour later, He Boqiu directed three large wagon boats to approach, and from their elevated position, they rained arrows down into the dike, quickly turning the northwest side of the river, which served as the rear camp, into utter chaos.

The Shenwei Army was completely unprepared for the situation where "the city wall suddenly appeared in front of us." After suffering nearly a hundred casualties, they finally withdrew to the center of the fortified area.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the Divine Might Army's formation, Shi Qilang led the vanguard of swordsmen and shieldmen, charging in again through the breach in the fortified wall.

Exhausted, the Shenwei Army could no longer hold out, and nearly two hundred defenders suffered a crushing defeat. Shi Qilang quickly regained his footing and continued to attack from all sides of the fortress. However, for Xiao Qi, this was not the worst news.

A military strategist from the Third Meng'an, covered in blood and panting heavily, came galloping from the southwest, his body and horse riddled with arrows.

Just as he arrived at the west side of the fortress, his warhorse stumbled, throwing him off and nearly breaking him apart.

But the strategist paid no heed. He scrambled to his feet, made contact with the outer garrison, and immediately ran toward the Divine Might Banner in the center of the fortress.

"General! General!" The military strategist, disregarding all formalities, burst into tears upon seeing Xiao Qi: "The army has already crossed the Beiqing River, and the Left Prime Minister is leading them north! General! My general has been detained in the central army; he has no choice but to go with them. But he told me to find a chance to inform you, General, and all the brothers, to find a way out, to not die! Please, please don't die!"

Xiao Qi was struck dumb, staggered, took two steps back, and then collapsed to the ground.

It wasn't that his personal guards had failed in their duties, or that his subordinates had become disloyal and failed to support him; rather, it was because everyone was so shocked by the news that they were speechless.

The Divine Might Army was not one of those third-rate troops from the powerful families of Dongping Prefecture, but rather a legitimate field army of the Jin Dynasty.

Before Wanyan Liang's southern expedition, the Jin Dynasty only had 32 armies and 25 households in total.

Moreover, the Shenwei Army was one of the strongest armies among the thirty-two armies. When Wanyan Liang attacked Lianghuai, Xiao Qi served as the vanguard general, advancing with unstoppable momentum all the way to the Yangtze River, forcing Liu Qi to temporarily avoid his advance.

How could Heshi Lieliangbi have so readily abandoned such an elite force?!
"You...are you telling the truth?"

Xiao Qi's hair seemed to turn a few shades whiter at that moment. Although he already believed this explanation, he still asked, clinging to a sliver of hope, "You're not also siding with Liu Dalang and trying to deceive me, are you?"

The strategist, tears streaming down his face, nodded emphatically: "After being ambushed by the Geng bandits, the Left Prime Minister ordered the navy to build a pontoon bridge under the pretext of maintaining the rear. We thought this was the Left Prime Minister's prudent approach. But who would have thought that the Left Prime Minister would disregard the Divine Might Army... and the entire army would cross the river... They've already crossed the river!"

When the situation had deteriorated to its worst, Xiao Qi calmed down. He first reassured the military strategist before saying to his personal guard, "Quickly summon Zhongda."

A moment later, Xiao Zhongda, bewildered, arrived at the front of the formation carrying a token and a white flag, and shouted to the Han army scouts, "Don't harm me! I am here on the orders of the Commander-in-Chief!"

The troops that had gone to besiege Zhengjiaweizi made way for them, and the officers on horseback escorted them swiftly to the banner with Chinese characters.

Liu Huai naturally recognized Xiao Zhongda, and he frowned as he asked, "What else does Xiao Qi have to say?"

Xiao Zhongda bowed deeply and then said loudly, "Commander-in-Chief, my uncle is willing to surrender! I beg you to order a temporary ceasefire! Moreover, my uncle says he has important military intelligence to report!"

Liu Huai glanced at Shi Qilang's troops, who had already entered the fortified village, and then smiled at Xiao Zhongda, saying, "It seems Xiao Qi is taking advantage of my youth and lack of historical knowledge. He wants to be like Eulji Mundeok, but I am not Emperor Yang of Sui."

Go back and tell him that, at this point, I will absolutely not stop the attack. After such a long and fierce battle, with so many dead and wounded, what other options does Xiao Qi have? He has only one path left: surrender!

Xiao Zhongda wanted to try to persuade them again, but after seeing the menacing looks in Li Xiu's eyes, he dared not speak. He immediately raised the white flag again and charged toward Zhengjiaweizi.

Soon, Xiao Zhongda repeated Liu Huai's words.

Xiao Qi was somewhat confused: "I know about Emperor Yang of Sui, but who is this Eulji Mundeok?"

Xiao Zhongda could only shake his head in response.

After a moment, the military advisor beside him explained: "Eulji Mundeok was the garrison commander of Liaodong City in Goguryeo. Emperor Yang of Sui was ambitious and eager for glory. When he was conquering Goguryeo, he ordered all generals to treat those who surrendered well, and that if there was any major military information, they must report it to him."

Eulji Mundeok took advantage of this, declaring surrender each time he could no longer hold out at Liaodong City. The Sui army had no choice but to retreat and report to Emperor Yang of Sui in the rear, while Goguryeo took the opportunity to strengthen its defenses.

Eulji Mundeok deceived the Sui army three times, and relied on this trick to defend Liaodong City.

Xiao Qi said with a wry smile, "So that's what Liu Dalang was worried about. Oh well, for the sake of the entire army's survival, I will personally raise the surrender flag."

Xiao Zhongda didn't know why his stubborn uncle had changed so quickly, but upon hearing the shouts of battle that were already close at hand, he instantly understood Xiao Qi's feelings.

The main force of the Jingnan army has broken through the outer defenses of the Shenwei army, and the Shenwei army is about to collapse!

"In that case, Uncle, come with me! And quickly!"

Xiao Zhongda understood the situation perfectly. Disregarding social hierarchy, he immediately knocked down the banner, rolled it up, tucked it under his arm, grabbed Xiao Qi's arm, and ran wildly out of the dike.

Xiao Qi struggled at first, but Xiao Zhongda was a top martial artist, young and strong. When he really made up his mind, his hands were like iron clamps. Xiao Qi could not break free without using all his strength.

Xiao Qi's personal guards naturally recognized this former top general of the Divine Might Army, and they dared not stop him, so they could only watch helplessly as he dragged Xiao Qi away.

The two quickly passed through the army formation and arrived at the front of the Han army again. Xiao Qi was still somewhat embarrassed, while Xiao Zhongda immediately knelt down, unfurled the Divine Might Banner, and shouted loudly, "Commander-in-Chief! The Divine Might Army has surrendered! The Divine Might Army has surrendered!"

Liu Huai, perched high on his horse, finally nodded and said after seeing the flag that had just been taken down: "Send orders to Shi Qilang and Wang Shilong to suspend their offensive, but to hold their ground and not relax their formation."

The man showed absolutely no respect for scholars; he merely glanced at Xiao Qi and then fell silent.

(End of this chapter)