I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 94: Liu Yanqing's troops splashed Han Wu

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

In Bian Jing and Zhenjiang, Zhao Ji and Tong Guan were both thinking about how to place Zhao Zicheng after the war and how to use Zhao Zicheng to stabilize the current situation.

Zhao Zicheng himself, however, did not have the leisure to think about the future. For him, the battle against Fang La was far from over, and he also had to worry about how to reinforce Hangzhou to maximize his own interests while avoiding being blamed for his own achievements.

On the ninth day of October, while Zhao Ji and Liang Shicheng were discussing post-war resettlement issues in Bian Jing, a reinforcement force of about 6,000 people had arrived near Wujiang County, Suzhou and Wucheng County, Huzhou.

When the reinforcements arrived, Zhao Zi said that he was on the east bank of the northern entrance of the Jiangnan Canal at the junction of Wujiang County and Wucheng County, which seemed to indicate that he knew when to advance and retreat. The west side of the boundary river was the territory of Huzhou, and the east side of the boundary river was the territory of Suzhou.

Zhao Zicheng, as the Tongpan of Suzhou, had previously entered the territory of Huzhou in order to pursue the defeated soldiers of Shi Bao's army, and then "by chance" he took the opportunity to destroy the bandit army of Deng Yuanjue's army.

However, as soon as the war ended, Zhao Zicheng retreated back to Suzhou without crossing the border and without giving any handle to the rigid military management system of the Song Dynasty.

"Generals, you have come a long way and have suffered a lot. Fang La's power is growing stronger day by day. Our soldiers and civilians in Suxiu Prefecture have fought desperately to keep the enemy out of our prefectures. Now, we have finally received reinforcements from the imperial court, and Jiangnan is saved."

When the reinforcements arrived, Zhao Zicheng personally went to the dock by Taihu Lake to greet them. Zhao Lin, the governor of Suzhou, and Wei Xian, the governor of Huzhou, stood on either side of him, a body length behind him, and also saluted the reinforcements.

In peacetime, how could he, a Tongpan, stand before two prefects? But in wartime, when the fighting is fierce and dangerous, whoever is better at fighting has the final say, which is quite reasonable.

The reinforcement generals also returned the greetings and then introduced their identities.

Zhao Zicheng noticed from afar that among the reinforcements were his old acquaintances, Liang Xin and Liang Feng, the father and son whom he had met when they passed through Zhenjiang a year and a half ago while escorting the Flower and Stone Gang. So before the other party even spoke, he guessed that the reinforcements must include the local Jiangfangxiang Army from Zhenjiang.

But there were two cavalry generals he didn't know, so he could only wait for them to introduce themselves.

"General Liu Guangshi greets Magistrate Zhao and the two Lords. Under the orders of General Tong, I am temporarily in command of the Zhenhai Army, and am here with two battalions of elite Western Army cavalry to assist in the defense. This is Han Shizhong, the commander of the second battalion."

The title of Observation Regent, also known as Chengxuanshi, was just a title for military officers and had no real job. However, Tong Guan used his authority to temporarily give Liu Guangshi this title so that he could better command his own troops and the local garrison in Zhenjiang.

So people who knew the matter knew that this reinforcement force of about 6,000 people was led by Liu Guangshi after listening to his self-introduction, and the rest had to obey him.

Tong Guan probably considered that Liu Guangshi's father, Liu Yanqing, was already a veteran general of the Western Army with tens of thousands of Western Army soldiers under his command, so having a member of the Liu family come forward would be more able to calm the situation.

Moreover, sending out at least two battalions of elite cavalry from the Western Army at one time was also to ensure that Liu Guangshi could suppress Liang Xin.

Otherwise, if the Western Army only sent one battalion of cavalry, the commander sent by the Western Army would only be at the battalion level. However, the Zhenjiang Wing Army sent out ten battalions of fully staffed troops. Letting a battalion commander-level person to manage the commander-in-chief of the entire army would disrupt the order between the upper and lower levels.

But as long as the Western Army sends out two battalions, these two battalions can be selected to form an army. In theory, the chief officer of this Western Army will be on the same level as the chief officer of the local soldiers. Adding a temporary title of observation and retention will be enough to suppress them.

"It's Liu Guanchao and Han Commander. Thank you for coming all this way. Please take your seats."

Zhao Zicheng knew that these people would become famous generals in the future, so he did not act disrespectfully at all and appeared to be very respectful to them.

Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong, Liang Xin and others followed him into the tent, where a welcoming banquet had been set up.

Zhao Zicheng also took the opportunity to observe that Liu Guangshi is now a middle-aged man in his early thirties.

Han Shizhong should be slightly younger than him, but also over 30. Han Shizhong's big beard conceals his true age, making him look even older.

Because it was wartime, Zhao Zicheng was not extravagant, but simply had a large amount of Taihu Lake seafood prepared, mainly whitebait and white shrimp. The poultry was also mainly waterfowl, with several ducks stewed, but no pork, mutton, or chicken.

Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong are both from the northwest. They were a little uncomfortable seeing the table full of seafood, but they were not disgusted by it. They were just curious.

However, after eating a few bites, they quickly got used to the delicious taste of the duck stew and found the soup to be mellow and delicious with a long aftertaste.

Although Taihu fish and shrimp are small in size, they are boneless or cartilaginous, which makes the Northwest men who are not good at picking fish bones enjoy eating them very much. They just slide down the esophagus without chewing.

Han Shizhong had the ugliest eating habits. He simply picked up the bowl of fish soup and gulped it down, drinking the fish like soup.

Zhao Lin and Wei Xian, both civil servants who had passed the imperial examinations, could not help but chuckle at his expression. When Han Shizhong heard the laughter of the civil servants, he realized he had lost his composure and quickly wiped his mouth, sitting back down and using chopsticks again.

However, among the civil servants in the room, there were also some who did not smile or just smiled, such as Zhao Zicheng.

At this moment, Zhao Zicheng felt a little dazed and couldn't help but think of the scene in Water Margin where Song Jiang invited Dai Zong and Li Kui to drink for the first time.

"Commander Han must be hungry and impatient to eat fish. Here, give him these two duck legs." Zhao Zicheng said as he tore off two duck legs from the stewed duck in front of him, put them on a lacquer plate, and asked his personal soldiers to bring them to Han Shizhong.

Han Shizhong was also stunned when he heard this.

He was already thirty years old and was known in the army as the "Po Han Wu". He was not like the unruly and unconcerned person he was in his youth when he was in the eyes of his superiors.

This is because there are many factions in the Western Army. Even if you fight hard and make many military achievements, your credit will be snatched away by those with connections.

Over time, Han Shizhong suffered so many setbacks that he felt that rewards and punishments were unclear and his future was hopeless, so he became too lazy to pretend and just did whatever made him feel comfortable.

Just like some middle-aged people in the workplace who are just lying down, they realize that their future is hopeless and start to be too lazy to pretend in front of their leaders.

It’s like District Chief Sun, who “looks up at the vastness of the universe” and dares not even pay attention to the cardinal’s conversation.

Zhao Zicheng suddenly tore off two duck legs for him. Although Han Shizhong had no shortage of food, he still felt the other party's courtesy. His intuition told him that this Zhao Tongpan was indeed different from ordinary people.

Han Shizhong had long disregarded official etiquette, but this time he could not help but stand up and thank Zhao Zicheng:

"President Zhao is so considerate of us warriors, it's truly admirable."

Zhao Zicheng smiled calmly, raised his wine cup, and toasted to Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong, and Liang Xin. "In times of national crisis, what's the difference between civil and military officials? We all serve the court and seek stability for the people. General Han, are you being so distant? Do you think I, Zhao, am not a martial artist?"

Zhao Zicheng said this in a teasing tone, not seriously. The civil servants nearby and the Liang family members who knew him well all laughed along.

Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong had just arrived after traveling thousands of miles. Tong Guan had sent them there after seeing the battle report, but he hadn't informed them of Zhao Zicheng's achievements. Tong Guan felt that these matters had nothing to do with them and that they should just focus on fighting when the time came. Therefore, Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong still didn't know about Zhao Zicheng's latest military exploits.

Seeing Zhao Zicheng say this, and the others acting as if it was a matter of course, they were also a little confused: "From what Zhao Tongpan said, you also know martial arts?"

After hearing this, the prefects Zhao Lin and Wei Xian finally couldn't help but laugh in unison: "You're just a frog in the well! Zhao Tongpan was the one who took the enemy commander's head amidst a huge army, and you actually asked him if he knew martial arts?"

Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong were completely shocked. They really didn't know these details. They only knew that Huzhou and Suzhou had won a defensive counterattack and repelled Fang La, but they didn't know the specific achievements of each person.

At this moment, I couldn't help but take a breath.

Liu Guangshi came from a military family and was subject to many rules and regulations, so he was just shocked and did not question it.

Han Shizhong was used to being a playboy, so he was genuinely curious and wanted to ask for details: "I wonder how Zhao Tongpan killed the enemy general in battle. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't believe him, I just want to broaden my horizons."

Liu Guangshi, who was standing by, flew into a rage upon hearing this and immediately scolded him, "Han Shizhong! Zhao Tongpan is hosting a welcome party for us, and you're spoiling the mood by saying these things!" After that, Liu Guangshi turned to Zhao Zicheng and offered an excuse, "Please don't blame me, Zhao Tongpan. Han Shizhong...hasn't been promoted for so long that he's become lazy and doesn't know the rules of etiquette."

Zhao Zicheng raised his hand and said, "That's all right, but you must be tired from coming so far. It's not appropriate to practice martial arts right after a meal. I know a little about medicine, and I know that it's easy to get appendicitis. If you don't mind the smell of blood, you can take a look at the heads reported after dinner to see if the battle of Huzhou is a success."

Zhao Zicheng casually said something that brought the topic to a close. The other officials, interrupted by Han Shizhong, lost interest in the conversation and simply quickly finished their meal and wine before leaving.

After eating and drinking, Zhao Zicheng took Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong and the Liang family to see the results of the Battle of Huzhou and the Battle of Wuxing.

It had been nearly ten days since the battle ended, but the heads had not been removed. Instead, they were left on the spot, awaiting inspection by Tong Guan and the military officials. They would then be burned on the spot and the ashes buried. The heads had been treated with lime, appearing dehydrated and charred, but the smell of blood was still overwhelming.

When Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong saw that scene, even though they had fought with the Western Xia for many years and had seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they still couldn't help but feel shocked.

Especially since Zhao Zicheng was a civil servant, his expression never fluctuated at all, and there was only a hint of compassion in his eyes, which made them admire him even more.

Among all the Zhao family members they had met, there was absolutely no one else who could match Zhao Tongpan's courage.

Zhao Zicheng took these guest generals to inspect the results of the battle and then inspected each other's armies in order to enhance the understanding between the friendly forces.

Incidentally, Zhao Zicheng also asked his officers, including Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, and Lu Da, to mingle with Liu Guangshi and Han Shizhong, exchanging their experience in leading troops. This was considered a post-lunch treat.

After Liu Guangshi, Han Shizhong and Zhao Zicheng's generals had a conversation, they felt the atmosphere was more harmonious, which was much more comfortable than the pretentious banquet with the civil officials just now.

Especially when Yang Zhi and others spoke out about their own experiences and the speed of their promotion, Liu and Han were envious. Liu Guangshi at least had his father's protection, so his promotion was already quite fast, while Han Shizhong could only envy them.

"I was originally only a clerk in the Tokyo Palace Marshal's Office. I was framed and my ship capsized, and the treasure of flowers and stones was lost. If it weren't for Zhao Tongpan, then a mere student at the Imperial Academy, who spoke up for me and helped to clear my name, I would have been reduced to poverty and without the means to serve my country!"
Now, I have been promoted along the way with Zhao Tongpan. In this great victory at Wujiang, Zhao Tongpan reported my achievements in fighting and beheading generals truthfully, and General Tong also approved it, promoting me to Du Yuhou! Brother Lin and Brother Lu were originally only Dutou, but now they have also been promoted to commanders.

Han Shizhong's eyes lit up after listening to Yang Zhi's introduction. A decisive victory would instantly earn him a promotion to a higher rank. How wonderful it would be if he could serve under such a clear-cut leader!

According to the levels of Yang Zhi and others who were just promoted on the spot, Yang Zhi and Liu Guangshi are now on the same level, and Lin Chong and Lu Da are also on the same level as Han Shizhong.

If they had not worked hard in the subsequent battle of Hangzhou, Lin Chong and Lu Da might have overtaken Han Shizhong.

Han Shizhong has a strong sense of crisis.

He was also worried that Zhao Zicheng might be partial to his own people, so he couldn't help but ask casually, "President Zhao, if I, Han Wu, am the first to ascend the enemy, and I am meritorious, can you also speak well of me and treat me equally?"

Han Shizhong was so straightforward that Liu Guangshi could not help but criticize him again.

However, Zhao Zicheng was not angry. He pointed at Yang Zhi and said, "Brother Yang and Brother Lu worked together to kill the thief general Shi Bao who attacked Wujiang. As long as you can show real merit, as long as you are under my command, no one can swallow up your military achievements.

Being the first to ascend the mountain, beheading generals, and breaking through enemy lines—these are things that cannot be faked. As for other hard-to-define achievements that are shared by comrades, I can't be too definitive. Believe it or not, it's up to you."

After hearing this, Han Shizhong couldn't help but start thinking about whether he could get some credit for killing more generals later.

It seems that in Zhao Zicheng's case, as long as you kill a general, the credit will not be taken away. This cannot be faked, and Zhao Zicheng will report it impartially.

As he was thinking about it, Han Shizhong suddenly felt itchy and wanted to see what level of martial arts was needed to defeat Fang La.

So he suggested, "I heard that Shi Bao and Deng Yuanjue, who were killed earlier, were also among Fang La's most formidable generals. Brother Yang must have possessed exceptional martial arts skills to have been able to kill Shi Bao. I wonder if we could have a sparring match?"

Zhao Zi said that several old men around him were also indignant that Han Shizhong seemed lazy and petty in vying for credit, so they wanted to fight him immediately.

Lu Da, however, was even more crude than Yang Zhi, yet possessed a subtler mind. He immediately stepped forward to stop him, "You're only a battalion commander, how dare you fight General Yang? If there's any fight, it should be General Liu! You must defeat me first! I'll be honest, in this army, General Yang can fight Zhao Tongpan to a draw, and Brother Lin is even better, but I'm still slightly inferior to Zhao Tongpan. If you can defeat me, it won't be too late to challenge Zhao Tongpan and General Yang!"

Lu Da's words weren't entirely false. In previous military duels, Zhao Zicheng's powerful, fierce, and aggressive fighting style had been effectively defeated. Furthermore, Zhao Zicheng had later killed Deng Yuanjue, whose tactics resembled Lu Da's. So Lu Da's claim that he wasn't as good as Zhao Zicheng made sense.

But Lu Da's real martial arts skills were actually better than Yang Zhi's. If Yang Zhi and Lu Da fought each other, it would be difficult to determine the winner within dozens of moves. But if Yang Zhi ran out of energy, he would be at a disadvantage.

Han Shizhong was unaware of the "attribute conflict" involved, so he immediately braced himself and took up positions with Lu Da, each holding a wooden weapon. After a salute, they began to fight fiercely.

Because it was a foot battle, neither side used long weapons. Han Shizhong's usual short weapon was a thick-backed large ring knife. The back of the knife was three fingers thick and wide, but the blade was as thin as a cicada's wing. It was both sharp and fierce, and it was not afraid of breaking even under heavy blows.

After switching to a wooden sword, the power of the moves could no longer be fully exerted, and could only be applied briefly. However, Lu Da also switched to a wooden stick, which was much lighter than the Zen staff, and the two were even.

Han Shizhong's sword was like the wind, one wave faster than the other, slashing down in a series of turns, his moves were sharp and continuous.

Lu Da gathered his energy and moved his sword vigorously. While blocking with the wooden stick, he looked for every opportunity to counterattack Han Shizhong, trying to use the characteristics of a two-handed weapon that is more suitable for exerting force to shake off Han Shizhong's wooden sword.

For a moment, the dull and crisp sound of wood colliding was heard continuously.

The two sides had barely exchanged twenty moves when Han Shizhong suddenly launched another move to split Huashan without holding back. Lu Da intercepted it head-on with the force of raising fire to burn the sky. When the sword and stick met, Han Shizhong's wooden sword finally couldn't withstand the huge force and broke directly.

Lu Da quickly turned his head, but the broken half of the wooden sword still fell on his shoulder, leaving a white mark dipped in lime.

Lu Da felt the pressure on his hand ease, and when he wanted to counterattack, Han Shizhong had already leaped back and put some distance between them.

Lu Da was also a straightforward person. He didn't want to explain anything, so he dropped his stick and admitted defeat.

Han Shizhong had originally prepared himself for a verbal debate with the other party, but he didn't expect that the brute had just come at him aggressively and admitted defeat so readily. Instead, Han Shizhong felt like he was punching cotton, with no place to put his strength.

However, a feeling he had never had before also arose in his heart. His intuition told him: even the officers under Zhao Zicheng were so upright. Winning is winning and losing is losing. It seemed that Zhao Zicheng really had nothing to hide and did not do anything shameful like taking credit for others' work.

"The brothers under Zhao Tongpan are all upright and honest. I, Han, used to judge others with a mean mind. I am really ashamed!" Han Shizhong realized that he was wrong before, and apologized very straightforwardly.

Zhao Zicheng waved his hand casually. "That's all right. I'm well aware of the military preparations of the Song Dynasty. The suppression of military personnel and the lack of clear rewards and punishments have been going on for a long time. I can only manage my own people. It's great that Brother Han can understand and work together from now on. By the way, Brother Han was curious about Zhao's martial arts just now. Don't you want to try it now?"

Han Shizhong felt slightly embarrassed, unsure what to say. Zhao Zicheng offered him another chance: "Could it be that you were fighting Brother Lu too intensely just now and are running out of energy, so you think I'm taking advantage of you? Then we can just try three moves, without deciding the winner, so Brother Han won't think we're just going to fight you in a round-the-clock manner."

After Zhao Zicheng said this, Han Shizhong certainly couldn't back down, otherwise it would be too contemptuous. Moreover, Zhao Zicheng gave him a way out, avoiding Liu Guangshi's accusation that he didn't know the difference between high and low.

"It seems that this Zhao Tongpan is truly a man of both civil and military talents, both extraordinary. Even if he can't defeat me or Brother Lu, he won't be far behind."

Han Shizhong thought so in his heart, changed to a big knife, got into a stance, and attacked Zhao Zicheng.

Zhao Zicheng was still as graceful and elegant as ever, with his clothes fluttering in the wind, and he held the long sword and gently pulled it, never colliding with Han Shizhong's blade, and easily deflected Han Shizhong's fierce attack.

Han Shizhong had never seen such martial arts before, and when they first exchanged blows, he was caught off guard by the opponent's calculated moves, and his moves were suddenly a little scattered. He quickly responded with a defensive move, barely blocking Zhao Zicheng's counterattack, but three moves had already passed.

Seeing that Zhao Zicheng had stopped fighting and had no intention of pursuing the enemy, Han Shizhong felt he had no nerve to continue fighting. He could only surrender completely and sincerely.

(End of this chapter)