Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 410 Yang Ye steals Pan Mei's credit~
"If there were horses."

Lin Dao, who was watching the battle from the watchtower, nodded and said, "This minefield, which is mainly used to damage the morale of the troops, will become ineffective."

Pan Mei, who had rushed back to guard Lin Dao, quickly chimed in, "They deserved it; they didn't bring their horses in."

Pan Mei is not a brainless villain in the story of the Yang family generals.

He is exceptionally capable and also knows how to conduct himself in society.

Pan Mei knew, of course, that riding in on a rainy night, with the ground all muddy, would only cause her trouble.

His seemingly foolish response was actually meant to highlight Lin Dao's achievements.

Lin Dao glanced at him sideways and slowly nodded. "Go, bring back the enemy general's head."

"The last general takes command!"

Faced with the strong counterattack of the Imperial Guards, the demoralized Liao army began to flee.

But as they ran through the gaps in the fence that had been opened earlier, they kept detonating landmines.

This kind of all-around attack across the fan exceeded the Liao army's imagination.

With morale low, they were too afraid to approach for a moment.

The imperial guards in the camp didn't care about any of that and surrounded the enemy from all sides to attack.

Seeing the critical situation, Xiao Siwen could no longer hold back.

He simply ordered his personal guards to traverse the minefield.

Xiao Siwen's personal guards were all from the Bali clan, his relatives.

In order to allow Xiao Siwen to escape, he charged forward with his shield raised, disregarding his own life.

With the detonation of several lightning bolts, hope of escaping was finally within reach.

Similar situations occurred at several other gaps in the fence.

The suicide squad went to clear a minefield, sacrificing themselves to save their comrades.

Seeing this, Lin Dao looked up at the sky again.

"The rain rendered the crossbows unusable, which ironically allowed the Liao army to clear minefields."

"However, even though it was raining, the Liao army couldn't set fires."

"Overall, I still have some advantages and strengths."

The battle was also affected by the weather.

The cover of the rainy night allowed the Liao army to approach the camp smoothly.

This also made it difficult for nearby Qin army camps to send reinforcements.

However, the advantage of the forest route is that the Liao army cannot use bows and crossbows, nor can they set fire to grain, supplies, tents, carts, etc., to cause chaos.

When it comes to war, the weather is really important.

The fleeing Liao soldiers desperately rushed toward dozens of gaps in the palisades.

A fierce battle ensued with the Imperial Guards who were blocking the way outside.

The Liao army, desperate for survival, displayed a frenzied energy.

Their relentless, fearless charge finally allowed a portion of the Liao army to break through the encirclement.

This included Xiao Siwen, the Liao Dynasty's garrison commander in Nanjing.

Pan Mei was alarmed upon seeing this and loudly urged the imperial guards to give chase.

But with mud everywhere, corpses and wounded soldiers, fences blocking the way, and a battlefield of this scale with tens of thousands of soldiers, it was not so easy.

Here in the forest, they used searchlights to illuminate the area outside their camp.

"Stop pushing! Just push down all the fences!"

At this moment, Xiao Siwen and his men had already rushed out of the camp and were engaged in fierce fighting with the Imperial Guards who were guarding the captured horses.

The shortage of horses in the Middle Kingdom is not as large as imagined.

What is truly scarce are well-trained warhorses.

Warhorses need to be carefully selected and then undergo rigorous training to withstand various noises and disturbances on the battlefield.

Training a group of excellent warhorses is not easy.

The Liao army brought excellent warhorses.

The Imperial Guards who had previously left the camp were quite pleased with their spoils, but when the Liao army broke out and began to plunder them, it was too late to kill Ma.

The main force of the Imperial Guard in the camp was blocked by the fence and a large number of Liao soldiers who were stuck in the camp.

There weren't many imperial guards outside, so it was impossible to stop them all.

Just as Xiao Siwen was about to seize the warhorse and escape, a fire dragon roared in from afar.

The searchlights along the forest road swept across the area.

It's one of our own.

On rainy days, torches naturally cannot be lit.

These reinforcements were carrying glass kerosene lamps!

The number was small, only about a thousand riders.

Along the way, people and horses kept falling and falling behind, but now that they had arrived outside the camp, it had a decisive effect.

"kill!"

"Leave no one behind!"

The one who led the troops to our aid in the rainy night was none other than Yang Ye!
The Liao army that had managed to break through the encirclement had now completely lost their will to fight.

Some people ran desperately, rushing into the night.

Some people collapsed to the ground, having already given up resistance.

Others jumped into the trenches in an attempt to take cover.

However, some Liao soldiers were still fighting desperately to seize horses.

Yang Ye was somewhat unable to distinguish between the major and minor kings in his conduct and actions, just like his descendant Yang Zhi, who was also brainless.

However, once on the battlefield, Yang Ye's battlefield intuition far surpassed that of the Lost Marquis.

After a long and fierce battle, the army suffered a crushing defeat.

Those who are exhausted and demoralized but still fight to the death must be the elite of the elite.

These elite troops are usually the personal guards of generals.

Just like the personal servants of Ming generals at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Yang Ye was an excellent horseman; even in the rainy night, amidst the muddy ground, he could still ride his horse forward.

He spurred his horse straight through the shield formation blocking his path, closing in on Xiao Siwen, who was gritting his teeth and wielding his sword. With a flick and a deflection of his spear, he easily deflected Xiao Siwen's blade.

The next moment, Yang Ye drew his sword with a backhand and swung it over.

Xiao Siwen's head rolled and fell into the mud.

The sky is bright.

The storm that raged all night finally subsided.

The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and the sun, which had not been seen for several days, revealed its true face.

Golden sunlight shines down on the world, bringing warmth and light.

The main area of ​​the forest road was packed with people.

The main camp was attacked last night, and all the camps that received the news were in a state of great anxiety.

But it was dark and raining heavily, so they dared not leave the camp without permission, as it could very likely lead to the entire army's collapse.

The only one who could be thought of was Yang Ye, who had been traveling with a glass kerosene lamp all the way.

As dawn broke, troops from all units rushed over.

With such a large gathering, the main area of ​​the forest road was naturally packed with people.

"Xiao Siwen?"

"The Liao Dynasty's Nanjing garrison?"

Lin Dao examined the severed head before him, covered in dried mud and grime, its face contorted in a grotesque grimace. "You've got some nerve, trying to settle things in one battle."

That's not an exaggeration.

If Xiao Siwen could really take advantage of the rainy night to launch a surprise attack on Lin Dao's camp and kill him, the emperor of the Central Plains...

The Central Plains, which had just begun to stabilize, would inevitably fall apart again and descend into chaos.

Not only did the Liao Dynasty win this northern expedition, it was also able to take the opportunity to gradually encroach southward and eventually establish its rule over the Central Plains.

There was indeed an opportunity. At least 10,000 elite Liao troops had managed to get close to the main camp, and nearby troops were unable to come to their aid.

However, they failed to win after breaking in.

After all, the main camp of Lin Dao is filled with the elite of the elite, the Imperial Guards!
By the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Imperial Guard had become a place for gilding.

The men inside were all from noble families, indulging in pleasure and play all day long. They even polished their life-or-death armor plates to be as thin as cicada wings, because these noble young men found wearing heavy armor too tiring.

Such imperial guards serve no purpose other than to become a laughing stock.

But it's different now.

The Imperial Guards assembled by Lin Dao were all elites from various military units, selected through a process of competition and assessment.

They were the emperor's personal guard, enjoying the best treatment, equipment, and honor.

They received an early warning from the cans on the barbed wire fence, and were illuminated by glass kerosene lamps scattered throughout the camp.

He rose, donned his armor, and calmly organized the imperial guards, who not only protected the forest road but also killed most of the Liao army that launched the night attack.

"All soldiers in the Imperial Guard shall have one day off."

"A reward of twenty strings of cash, ten bolts of silk, ten catties of spices, one bottle of imperial wine, and ten cans of meat and ten cans of fruit."

"Decapitation strikes are counted separately."

As soon as Lin Dao announced his reward, the imperial guards erupted in cheers.

Your Majesty is truly generous; when you go to the battlefield again, you will surely be willing to fight to the death!

Lin Dao's gaze fell on Yang Ye.

"You did a good job slaying the enemy general on the battlefield."

"I hereby grant you the title of Marquis of Jinyang, with a fief of 1,600 households, of which 1,000 households will be actually granted to you."

Upon hearing this reward, all the generals in the camp showed expressions of envy.

He was granted a title, and it was a marquisate that could be passed down for two generations!
Moreover, the granting of a fief of one thousand households meant that Yang Ye and his two generations after him would receive the equivalent of one thousand households' tax revenue each year.

This income is so high that it's enough for three generations to live a life of luxury!
The generals were all filled with fervor, secretly thinking, 'Indeed, there is no greater merit than saving the emperor!'

Pan Mei, in particular, had tears in her eyes!

That's overthinking it.

In reality, Lin Dao's intention was more to reward Yang Ye for killing Xiao Siwen.

This person's identity is extraordinary.

Besides being the garrison commander of Nanjing, he was also the son-in-law of Yelü Deguang.

Yelü Deguang was Emperor Taizong of Liao. He ascended the throne in Bianjing and established the country, but was driven away and died of fright at the place where he killed Hulin.

He was a true member of the imperial family and the actual controller of the Southern Court of the Liao Kingdom.

The execution of someone of such high status dealt a severe blow to the morale of the Liao army.

The reward offered by Lin Dao was not excessive.

This also serves as a demonstration, so that all the generals and soldiers can fight bravely and relentlessly in the upcoming battles.

These paltry sums of money are utterly insignificant to Lin Dao.

After the reward was given, the next step was to deal with it.

The Liao army that attacked last night, in addition to those who died on the spot, those who were wounded and then killed, and those who escaped in the chaos, also captured as many as four or five thousand prisoners.

These Liao soldiers were fighting Lin Dao for the first time and were unaware of Lin Dao's attitude towards the Hu barbarians.

Taking a chance, prices actually dropped considerably.

The Liao army was a tribal military system, with soldiers belonging to various different tribes.

For tribes on the grasslands, defeat and surrender were not a big deal.

"These prisoners~"

Sitting in his chair, Lin Dao tapped his fingers on the table in front of him.

After a moment's thought, he finally spoke and ordered, "From the squad leader down, all officers shall be dealt with on the spot."

"The remaining soldiers were dispersed and assigned to work in mines in various places."

The prisoners were lucky; Lin Dao needed more labor to fill the mine pits in exchange for minerals to be sold in the modern world.

In the past, none of them would have survived.

"I heard they also arrested a few local informants?"

Lin Dao nodded slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"I hate these traitors the most!"

(End of this chapter)