Song Xiu

Chapter 106 Great Joy and Sorrow: The Racer Appears
Mid-August of the first year of the Jianlong era of the Song Dynasty.

Before Zhao Guangyi sent envoys to Chuzhou, he made the following arrangements:
Zhao Guangyi divided the 50,000 Imperial Guards into four divisions, each commanded by a general: Tian Chongjin, Wang Quanbin, Pan Mei, and Cui Yanjin.

Each general led 10,000 troops and stationed them at the four gates of Chuzhou.

Zhao Guangyi was not unaware that after he besieged Chuzhou, Li Chongjin would likely bring troops to its aid.

Zhao Guangyi, who had the intention of besieging the city and attacking reinforcements, entrusted the most important east gate of Chuzhou to Wang Quanbin for defense.

He himself led the remaining several thousand imperial guards to garrison at another location east of Chuzhou City.

Zhao Guangyi's ideas were quite ambitious.

If the garrison commander of Chuzhou accepts the offer of surrender, then so be it; if not, then he will use Chuzhou as bait to lure Li Chongjin's main force to come.

When Li Chongjin led his army to relieve Chuzhou, he joined forces with Wang Quanbin's troops and wiped out the main force of the rebels in one battle, thus achieving the greatest merit.

At first glance, Zhao Guangyi's idea seems to be the same as Zhao Dexiu's strategic thinking in Luzhou:

"The key is to annihilate the enemy's manpower."

Zhao Guangyi was not born with strategic thinking, but that did not prevent him from learning it later.

Anyone can just copy and paste.

The subsequent development of the war unfolded exactly as Zhao Guangyi had "predicted".

Upon learning that Chuzhou was besieged, Li Chongjin personally led tens of thousands of troops from Yangzhou to its aid.

Upon entering Yangzhou territory, Li Chongjin ordered his soldiers to garrison in Lai'an City, northeast of Chuzhou.

When Zhao Guangyi learned that Li Chongjin had indeed led his troops to reinforce him, he was overjoyed:

“Every move the rebels made was exactly as I had anticipated.”

"Why delay in defeating the enemy?"

Zhao Guangyi excitedly said these words to Wang Quanbin.

Zhao Guangyi was initially annoyed by the Chuzhou garrison commander's lack of appreciation and his repeated refusal to surrender despite repeated attempts to persuade him to do so.

Li Chongjin's arrival has prompted Zhao Guangyi to set even higher goals for himself.

Compared to Zhao Guangyi, Wang Quanbin was not so optimistic.

"Li Chongjin is a veteran general of the Zhou dynasty. In the past, when he was in the army with His Majesty, he was praised as a famous general."

They should not be underestimated.

Seeing that it was his trusted and beloved general who reminded him of this, Zhao Guangyi temporarily suppressed his excitement.

“What you say makes sense. We will know their military strength in one battle.”

The day after Li Chongjin led his troops to Lai'an County, a group of rebels crossed the river to fight.

Upon learning of this news, Zhao Guangyi personally led several thousand elite troops to meet the enemy.

As expected, the Song army won another victory in this battle, beheading many and capturing hundreds more alive.

After this battle, Zhao Guangyi's contempt for the rebels grew even stronger.

Then Zhao Guangyi sent scouts across the river to investigate the situation in Lai'an County.

Shortly afterward, the scouts reported back:
"The flags on the city wall are scattered, as if the morale of the soldiers is low."

"Many rebel soldiers have left the city, and there is a sense of disarray."

Upon hearing the scout's report, which matched his suspicions, Zhao Guangyi couldn't help but laugh loudly at Wang Quanbin again:

"Having suffered several defeats, Li Chongjin is powerless to turn the tide!"

When Zhao Guangyi said this, anyone could see the desire to take the initiative on his face.

"Does the Marquis intend to lead his troops to crush the enemy in one fell swoop?"

Wang Quanbin asked tentatively.

Upon hearing this question, Zhao Guangyi answered very decisively.

"Exactly!"

After spending some time together, Zhao Guangyi came to believe that Wang Quanbin was an overly cautious general. To dispel Wang Quanbin's concerns, Zhao Guangyi spoke candidly:
"According to previous intelligence reports, Li Chongjin's reinforcements number around 10,000."

Recently, there have been frequent desertions among the rebel army, suggesting that Li Chongjin's forces currently number only a few thousand.

"Several thousand troops are stationed in Lai'an County, which is not easy to capture."

The only way forward is to lure Li Chongjin out of the city; only then can we hope to achieve a complete victory in one fell swoop.

Strategically speaking, Zhao Guangyi's idea was not wrong.

After pondering for a moment, Wang Quanbin asked again:

"How does the Marquis intend to lure the enemy?"

Seeing that Wang Quanbin had asked a crucial question, Zhao Guangyi finally had a chance to shine.

Zhao Guangyi pointed his finger at himself, and then said "greatly":

“I am a close relative of His Majesty and the commander of an army. If I appear at the city gates and show weakness to the enemy, Li Chongjin may risk leaving the city.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Quanbin was initially surprised, but he quickly calmed down.

Judging from Zhao Guangyi's previous actions of personally going to the front lines on several occasions, he was not lacking in courage.

As for safety
Compared to Wang Quanbin's hesitation, Zhao Guangyi appeared very confident.

From Zhao Guangyi's perspective:
The rebels suffered two defeats and their morale plummeted, while our side won several victories and their morale soared.

In addition, there is a general assessment of the rebels' troop strength.

From any perspective, this battle is a sure thing.

"In matters of war, one must be cautious in every aspect. When will one be able to achieve complete success?"
He can defeat an army of ten thousand with only two hundred men. I am also a descendant of the Zhao family. With equal forces, why would I fear Li Chongjin?
Attacking the city is too slow; only by eliminating the enemy's main force can the rebellion be quelled quickly.

If I can win this battle, the seven prefectures of Huainan can be pacified within ten days.

Then the world will know that within the Song Dynasty imperial family, I am no less capable than him!

Although Zhao Guangyi did not explicitly state it, Wang Quanbin knew who "he" was after Zhao Guangyi recounted his deeds.

For Zhao Guangyi, war was a means to an end; his goal was to gain a higher political position.

With this goal in mind, he not only wants to win this battle, but he also wants to win it spectacularly!

After understanding Zhao Guangyi's intentions, Wang Quanbin stopped trying to dissuade him.

Given our strength, even though there are still some doubts about this battle, it is indeed worth a try.

"Your subject will follow the plan and set up an ambush, awaiting good news from the Marquis."

Wang Quanbin's well wishes made Zhao Guangyi nod with a smile.

Definitely, definitely!
"how?"

Li Chongjin looked anxiously at the scout who had just returned to the city.

"Reporting to the commander, several thousand rebel troops are heading towards the city."

The scout's first report did not satisfy Li Chongjin.

"Who is leading the charge? Have you seen it clearly?"

Under Li Chongjin's urgent questioning, the scout quickly replied:
"It is the Marquis of Donghai!"

After receiving a satisfactory answer, Li Chongjin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!

The Zhao family of Tianshui, with three generations of military talents, how could they produce an anomaly?

After saying this, Li Chongjin's laughter echoed throughout the hall again.

Hearing Li Chongjin's laughter, Zhai Shouxun closed his eyes helplessly.

Having always been by Li Chongjin's side, he knew that after the Song army entered Huainan territory, Li Chongjin had been feigning defeat in order to make the enemy arrogant and lure them deeper into the territory.

With Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Dexiu as two shining examples, Zhai Shouxun originally thought that Li Chongjin's plan could not be hidden from Zhao Guangyi.

What a surprise!
What Zhai Shouxun didn't know was that a great man many years later also couldn't have imagined that Zhao Guangyi's military strategy would be so incompetent:

"If you go deep into enemy territory, you will be defeated."

"The Khitans always lured the enemy deep into their territory. The Song people never learned their lesson."

"But incompetent."
Every word was a precise assessment of Zhao Guangyi by that great man.

Li Chongjin didn't notice Zhai Shouxun's expression; he was now preoccupied with how to give the overconfident Zhao Guangyi a big surprise.

The Song army's scouts did not report incorrect intelligence.

The city has indeed suffered a significant loss of troops in recent days.

But the important thing is that most of the troops lost were not elite soldiers; it was Li Chongjin's deliberate act.

The true elite are hidden in Lai'an City!

Li Chongjin turned his gaze towards the outside of the city, a dangerous glint in his eyes:
"Zhao San, you scoundrel, let me teach you how to fight!"

After leading several thousand troops to the outskirts of Lai'an County, Zhao Guangyi saw that it was getting dark and ordered his soldiers to set up camp outside the city.

After issuing the order to set up camp, Zhao Guangyi ordered, "The entire army should get plenty of rest tonight."

Because he underestimated the enemy, Zhao Guangyi did not consider the possibility of a night attack.

Zhao Guangyi believes that the decisive battle will take place in the future.

Before a major battle, one must first conserve energy and build up strength.

After issuing the military orders, Zhao Guangyi, who had been marching all day, was quite tired and went into his tent to rest first.

Even Zhao Guangyi, who had been riding a horse all the way, felt quite tired, let alone the Song army who had been on foot.
Once the camp was initially set up, many of the Imperial Guards began to drift off to sleep.

Since ancient times, it has been a major taboo for military strategists to underestimate the enemy.

Underestimating the enemy can lead the commander to adopt frivolous tactics.

On the other hand, the commander-in-chief is the head of the army, and his underestimation of the enemy will naturally affect the soldiers in the army.

Because the entire army was in a state of complacency, the defenses of the Song army camp were rather lax. When midnight quietly arrived, a sudden change occurred outside the camp.

Outside the Song camp, a large number of fire arrows suddenly shot up, illuminating the night sky in a fiery red.

After a large number of fire arrows fell into the Song camp with the help of the wind, they caused chaos throughout the camp in an instant.

The next moment, shouts of "Enemy attack!" echoed throughout the Song camp.

Many of the Imperial Guards, awakened from their sleep, stepped out of their tents and witnessed a terrifying scene.

From the nearby city of Lai'an, countless torches were emerging and charging towards their own camp.

Under the cover of darkness, the Song army had no way of knowing how many enemy troops there were.

The numerous torches that appeared outside the camp made the Song army tremble, thinking that the enemy's strength far exceeded their own.

Before launching the night attack, Li Chongjin ordered each soldier to "carry two torches at night" to create the illusion that his side had a large and powerful force, thereby disrupting the morale of the Song army.

Judging from the panicked expressions on the faces of many Song soldiers, Li Chongjin's tactics were effective.

Because they were caught off guard, Li Chongjin personally led his vanguard and quickly reached the gate of the Song camp.

As a fierce general, Li Chongjin took the lead, killing several Song soldiers before leading his troops to break through the Song army's camp gate.

As soon as Li Chongjin led his troops into the Song army camp, the sharp sound of bugles rang out from within the camp.

The sharp sound of the bugle awakened more and more Song soldiers, and also awakened Zhao Guangyi.

Zhao Guangyi had just woken up when he saw Shi Xizai rushing to his bedside in a panic to report:
"My lord, something terrible has happened!"
The rebels launched a night attack on the camp and are currently charging towards the main tent!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guangyi broke out in a cold sweat.

Weren't the rebels terrified by his killings? How could they still dare to launch a night attack?
Two perplexing questions immediately arose in Zhao Guangyi's mind.

Seeing that the enemy was about to attack, Shi Xizai couldn't help but anxiously shake Zhao Guangyi's arm.

"My lord, hurry! Quickly command the soldiers to fight the enemy!"

Prompted by Shi Xizai, Zhao Guangyi suddenly realized the truth.

After the initial shock, anger welled up in Zhao Guangyi's heart.

"You audacious scoundrel, how dare you offend the might of our army!"

Before Zhao Guangyi could even put on his armor, he led Shi Xizai, sword in hand, to the outside of the tent.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving outside the tent, Zhao Guangyi was immediately shocked by the scene before him.

Numerous torches were lit outside the camp, seemingly symbolizing the ever-growing number of rebels.

The enemy's battle cries, which echoed throughout the entire camp, rushed towards him like a flood, approaching rapidly from afar.

What he saw and heard instantly gave Zhao Guangyi a judgment:
"He is dangerous!"

This judgment made Zhao Guangyi's hand holding the sword tremble slightly.

He personally went to the front lines several times recently because the enemy was weak and he had tens of thousands of elite imperial guards to rely on.

Why shouldn't we use our strength to attack the weak?
But tonight, the situation is completely reversed.

Caught off guard, the Song army was unable to mount an effective offensive for a time.

The rebels, taking advantage of the night raid, advanced triumphantly.

Once the balance of power reversed, Zhao Guangyi's mindset changed.

His life is very precious!

He needed to get back to the tens of thousands of Imperial Guards as soon as possible!
"The enemy is powerful; we should temporarily avoid their advance!"

Zhao Guangyi said these words with a slightly trembling voice.

Before Shi Xizai could react, Zhao Guangyi had already left the command tent with his sword.

Zhao Guangyi's destination was the camp's stables.

On the other hand, Li Chongjin's situation was not much better as he led the Shadow Army to charge towards the commander's tent.

Although the surprise attack was effective, the Song army was still an elite force.

After being caught off guard at the beginning, many Song soldiers, under the command of their officers, gradually organized their formations by taking advantage of the terrain in their camps.

Li Chongjin's fierce offensive was successfully contained, and he even sustained several wounds.

If General Zhao Guangyi had appeared and taken command at this time, the battle situation would have taken a new turn.

However, the Song army, which was desperately resisting, was met with cries of alarm:

"The magistrate has fled!"

"The magistrate has fled!"
These cries of alarm, like boulders falling from the sky, shattered the fighting spirit of those resisting the Song army.

"Zhao Guangyi, I...!"

The insults gradually began to circulate in the minds of the Song soldiers.

He risked his life to hold the line for him, but the commander-in-chief ran away first?
When news of Zhao Guangyi's escape spread throughout the camp, the Song army's defensive line collapsed instantly.

If the commander has already fled, what are they still resisting for?
Many Song soldiers scattered like birds and beasts, running wildly out of the camp.

This change directly did Li Chongjin a great favor.

Despite the Song army's scattered retreat, he was unable to inflict significant casualties on them.

However, compared to killing Song soldiers, Li Chongjin had an even more important goal—to capture Zhao Guangyi alive.

Once this thought occurred to him, Li Chongjin immediately ordered the soldiers behind him to shout:
"Capture only the East China Sea! Capture only the East China Sea!"

These shouts spread, and the Song army, which had been scattering and fleeing, inadvertently made way for Li Chongjin to reach the commander's tent.

Looking at the road gradually widening in front of him, Li Chongjin was overjoyed and spurred his horse, Ninghan, forward.

As Zhao Guangyi rushed towards the stables in a panic, the shouts of "Capture Donghai!" from behind startled him so much that he fell to the ground.

Upon seeing this, Shi Xizai quickly helped Zhao Guangyi up from the mud.

With his face covered in filth, Zhao Guangyi saw the shouts of the rebels behind him getting closer and closer. In his desperation, his gaze was drawn to a dusty donkey cart beside him.

After staring blankly at the donkey cart for a long time, even though shame filled his heart, Zhao Guangyi finally couldn't control himself and got Shi Xi onto the donkey cart.

Feeling the weight coming from the cart behind him, the donkey, which had been dozing off, suddenly woke up.

When Zhao Guangyi fell, he had several cuts on his legs from the stones. After getting into the carriage, Shi Xizai tore off strips of cloth from his own clothes and bandaged Zhao Guangyi's legs.

The pain from the wound made Zhao Guangyi cry out.

However, Zhao Guangyi disregarded the pain at the moment. In order to save his life, he made Shi Xizai hold on tightly to the side of the carriage.

After Shi Xizai got a firm grip, Zhao Guangyi shouted "Giddy up!" and a horsewhip lashed the donkey's rump.

The not-so-sturdy gray donkey let out a startled bray and suddenly leaped away.

The wheels of the donkey cart rolled rapidly over the gravel on the ground, making a screeching sound, and the axle seemed as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Shi Xizai was jostled about in the carriage, his forehead hitting the wooden wall and his vision going black.

In contrast, Zhao Guangyi looked focused, his eyes fixed on the donkey in front of him.

"Capture him alive! Don't let that damned Marquis of Donghai escape!"

The sounds of the rebels chasing from behind grew closer and closer, almost as if they were about to enter the carriage.

This caused more and more sweat to appear on Zhao Guangyi's forehead.

Zhao Guangyi's hand, gripping the reins, slowly turned white from the force.

The donkey cart sped wildly along the bumpy dirt road, its wheels nearly getting stuck in the potholes several times, but Zhao Guangyi managed to avoid them each time thanks to his superb donkey-controlling skills.

Shi Xizai stared blankly at the donkey cart speeding by.

In Shi Xizai's eyes, at this moment, Zhao Guangyi and the donkey cart became one, like a god.

Then Shi Xizai glanced back and exclaimed in surprise:

"My lord, hurry! They're catching up!"

Shi Xizai's voice trembled, causing Zhao Guangyi to clench his teeth.

Whenever the donkey was about to exhaust itself and showed signs of stopping, Zhao Guangyi would always strike it with his soft whip at the right time, reviving the donkey.

"Faster...faster..."

Zhao Guangyi gritted his teeth, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

The fingers gripping the reins were so tight that they hurt in the palms.

But Zhao Guangyi dared not relax for a moment.

Suddenly, the road ahead made a sharp turn.

Logically speaking, at the current speed of the donkey cart, it would be very likely to overturn when going through that sharp turn.

"My lord, be careful!"

Shi Xizai's mournful cry had already been uttered, but Zhao Guangyi's eyes were filled with fighting spirit.

As they approached the sharp bend, Zhao Guangyi had a sudden inspiration and began to drift the donkey cart at an incredible angle.

The donkey cart's wheels left deep ruts on the ground, almost causing it to tumble into the ditch, startling the donkey into letting out a mournful bray.

But in the end, the donkey cart successfully drifted and continued to stumble and crash into the darkness ahead.

The shouts of battle behind me gradually faded into the distance, but like a persistent ailment, they lingered in my ears.

Shi Xizai lay slumped in the haystack inside the cart, his bones feeling like they were falling apart.

The donkey cart continued its bumpy journey forward, carrying Zhao Guangyi on a frantic race toward survival.

After the threat to his life lessened somewhat, Shi Xizai suddenly realized something:

"How will history record the absurdity of tonight?"

　The descriptions of the racing legend in the article are largely based on his actual historical performances.

　　The abstract military concept of the "God of Cars" is indeed difficult to understand.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)