Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 728 Tong Guan: What can I do? I'm desperate too! [1st Update]

On the border of Jingnan Prefecture, about ten miles away from the Guandi Temple, a cavalry force was hidden in the mountains and forests.

Leading them were Wang Bing and Zhao Tan, generals under Emperor Qinzong of Song.

Zhao Tan said with some worry, "Brother Wang, will the false emperor pull some tricks?"

"What are you afraid of?"

Wang Bing said confidently, "We have three thousand cavalrymen here, all of whom are elite troops of the Western Army!"

"As long as the false emperor dares to cause trouble, His Majesty will send a signal, and it will take us at most the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to get there!"
"Even if the false emperor has ambushed 10,000 troops, we can still fight our way in and out seven times!"

Zhao Tan said worriedly, "What if the false emperor has planted cavalry in ambush..."

"You don't know about the southern boats and northern horses?"

Wang Bing chuckled: "Where would the false emperor get his cavalry?"
"Even if they have cavalry, they won't outnumber our cavalry!"
"They are certainly not as elite as our cavalry!"

"Our cavalry fought their way out of the Western Xia battlefield!"

Zhao Tan thought about it and was still worried: "Sigh, if only old Master Zhong were here..."

"With the Western Xia invading the border, Lord Zhong must remain in Yan'an Prefecture..."

Wang Bing calmly replied, "Besides, with you and me here, why should we trouble Old Master Zhong with all this trouble?"

Zhao Tan thought about it and agreed. After all, Zhong Shidao was not young anymore; he turned seventy-one this year.

Even the young master Zhong Shizhong is already sixty-three years old.

The once-renowned generals are now all old and gray...

It's impossible for the Song Dynasty to rely on these two old men in their sixties and seventies to maintain its rule!
It's time to step up!
Zhao Tan encouraged himself, determined to shine brightly with Wang Bing this time!

……

"Brother, we are brothers. What can't we discuss? Why resort to violence?"

Emperor Gaozong of Song spoke frankly with Emperor Qinzong of Song:
"Once the fighting begins, the land will be scorched and the people will suffer!"
"But this land belongs to the Zhao family, and the people also belong to the Zhao family. Isn't this destroying our own foundation?"

Emperor Qinzong of Song retorted, "So what do you intend to do?"

Emperor Gaozong of Song smiled and said, "Brother, the Song Dynasty is very large!"
"We can divide the world equally and govern it along the river!"

"The land north of the Yangtze River belongs to you, and the land south of the Yangtze River belongs to me, how about that?"

"joke!"

Emperor Qinzong snorted coldly: "I have already gained most of the world, why should I share it with you?"

When the two brothers discussed this issue, they automatically ignored Cai Fu's territory.

Emperor Gaozong of Song sighed: "Brother, so there's no point in negotiating?"

"There's no room for negotiation!"

Emperor Qinzong of Song spoke with unwavering conviction, then softened his tone somewhat:
"But if you can see the error of your ways and turn back, I am your elder brother and will not mistreat you!"
"I hereby appoint you as the King of Jiangzhou and leave Jiangzhou to you!"
"From now on, we'll still be good brothers, okay?"

"Big brother is so generous!"

Emperor Gaozong of Song scoffed: "But when I had half the country, you, my elder brother, wished you could kill me!"

"I only have one state, so how can I not be at your mercy, elder brother?"

"How about this, I can guarantee that if you surrender to me, I won't mistreat you!"
"I hereby bestow upon you the title of King Qin Feng, and the entire Qin Feng Road will be your fiefdom!"
"From now on, we'll still be good brothers, okay?"
"Generous or not?"

"Humph!"

Emperor Qinzong of Song had lost his patience: "Xiao Jiu, it seems you have no sincerity in negotiating!"
"In that case, there's no need for further nonsense!"
"Let the war begin!"

"Does this mean I am not sincere?"

Emperor Gaozong of Song spread his hands and shook his head:
"I never wanted to fight with you, my elder brother!"
"But since my elder brother is being so aggressive—"

"If you want to fight, I will fight!"

After saying this, Emperor Gaozong of Song turned and left, taking Chen Zongshan, Liu Guangshi, and five hundred imperial guards with him from the Guandi Temple.

Emperor Gaozong of Song arrived quickly and left quickly, without any of the surprise attacks that Emperor Qinzong of Song had anticipated.

Although unexpected, it was also reasonable, as Emperor Qinzong of Song still had some brotherly affection for Emperor Gaozong of Song.

The condition he just offered, "King of Jiangzhou," was sincere; he felt it was already a generous offer to Emperor Gaozong of Song.

Unfortunately, Emperor Gaozong of Song was insatiable and took his good intentions for granted. "Let's go!"

Emperor Qinzong of Song mounted his imperial horse with a gloomy expression.

He had made up his mind to start the war as soon as he returned to Yan'an.

Tong Guan and Zhang Jun also mounted their horses and led five hundred Western Army soldiers away from the Guandi Temple, heading towards the border.

They will meet up with Wang Bing and Zhao Tan's three thousand cavalry at the border and return to Yan'an Prefecture together.

"Pity!"

Tong Guan sighed insincerely: "If the false emperor surrenders, we can take over the whole country without bloodshed!"
"Even the King of Qi would have to bow down and submit!"

Emperor Qinzong didn't say anything, but he still felt a bit uneasy about actually taking action against his own brother.

Zhang Jun remained cautious, as the safety of Emperor Qinzong and Grand Tutor Tong rested on his shoulders.

If he could bring Emperor Qinzong and Grand Tutor Tong back unharmed, he would surely be given an important position.

They were only five li from the border, or rather, only five li from Wang Bing and Zhao Tan's three thousand cavalry.

Zhang Jun breathed a slight sigh of relief. At such a close distance, Wang Bing and Zhao Tan could arrive in no time if anything happened.

Just then, Zhang Jun suddenly noticed the thunderous sound of horses' hooves coming from the side!
"So many cavalry?"

Tong Guan naturally noticed this as well; having fought in battles, he quickly made a judgment:

"Could it be that Wang Bing and Zhao Tan got impatient and rushed over to join us?"

"Perhaps."

Emperor Qinzong of Song also thought so, because the south had boats and the north had horses, and Jingnan Prefecture should not have so many cavalry.

"Boom... Boom..."

Seeing countless cavalrymen appear in sight, trailing a several-mile-long earthen dragon, Emperor Qinzong of Song was very proud:

"Our Great Song Western Army is indeed the elite of the world!"
"Little Jiu doesn't even have a cavalry, how can he fight against me?"

"not good!"

Zhang Jun had sharp eyesight; upon seeing the armor of the countless cavalrymen, he couldn't help but gasp.
"They are Liao soldiers!"

"Liao soldiers?"

Emperor Qinzong of Song could hardly believe his ears:

"Where did the Liao soldiers come from in Jingnan Prefecture?"

"I see!"

Tong Guan suddenly remembered something and broke out in a cold sweat:
"A Liao army was driven into Song territory by the Jin army, who then used this as a pretext to trick the gates of Bianjing (Kaifeng) into opening..."

"Could this be the one?"

"Grand Tutor Tong!"

Emperor Qinzong of Song was terrified by the thunderous sound of the Liao soldiers' hooves.
"What should I do?"

what can I do? I'm desperate too!

Fortunately, Tong Guan had also led troops and fought battles, and he immediately ordered Zhang Jun:

"Quickly! Fire the signal arrows!"

"You must hold on until reinforcements arrive! Hold on!"

Zhang Jun quickly took out a signal arrow and shot it into the sky. Immediately, a "Ji'er" sound rang out and shot straight into the sky!
"Yes! We must hold on!"

In his panic, Emperor Qinzong could only provoke them by offering promotions and wealth:

"General Zhang, if you can hold out until reinforcements arrive, everyone will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with a thousand strings of cash!"

Zhang Jun's eyes lit up immediately: Military Envoy, Commander, Military Commander-in-Chief, Military Commander-in-Chief, Regional Commander-in-Chief...

Now that I'm a commander, and I've been promoted three ranks, I'll be the commander of the entire commandery!

Not to mention the huge reward of a thousand strings of cash, I'll give it my all!

(End of this chapter)