Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 849 A critical moment

The night was as dark as ink, and gradually, a hazy grayish-white hue appeared in the sky, and the prelude to the fifth watch quietly opened. The mist and the morning light intertwined, indicating that the night was about to leave and the dawn was slowly approaching.

Su Chen stood three miles in front of the vanguard camp, his eyes were as sharp as torches, but he never received the signal of the Song army's retreat. On the contrary, the Song army's defense line became more and more tight, like a copper wall and iron fortress.

He had already seen through Zhao Kuangyin's intention - to keep his footing and avoid losing his composure when the situation was most chaotic. This was the wise move.

"Is it Zhao Kuangyin's own foresight, or is there someone expert guiding him? The central army and the front army stood firm like a rock, isolating the chaos of the other three camps. And these three camps, due to the limited manpower of the Wu army, could not fully engage in the melee, so it was difficult to wipe out the enemy in a short period of time. When dawn breaks, the Song army will be able to preserve most of its strength and retreat calmly." Su Chen pondered in his heart, and could not help but sigh softly. The other party's wisdom should not be underestimated.

However, Su Chen was no ordinary person. He had already made plans to deal with various situations. Since the Song army was not in chaos, he would stir up the muddy water himself.

"Prepare the artillery!" He gave the order, his voice firm and resolute, "Bombard the Song army's vanguard camp, and then attack!"

Su Chen knew very well that the Wu army had taken the initiative and the Song army was in a passive position. Although the advantage was no longer as obvious as before, the chances of winning were still in their hands.

He planned to use artillery fire to escalate the situation and make Zhao Kuangyin's self-protection strategy come to naught. This was tantamount to taking advantage of the fire and adding fuel to the fire, which was a common practice in the military, and Su Chen was familiar with it.

"Order!"

The messenger's voice was decisive, and then thirty cannons were slowly pushed out like giant beasts. They had just made great achievements at the south gate, and now they turned their guns and aimed at the gate and camp of the Song army's vanguard camp, ready to go.

"Boom boom boom!"

With deafening roars and artillery fire, the Song army's vanguard camp was instantly engulfed in fire and smoke.

The guarding Song soldiers panicked and retreated to avoid the sudden artillery bombardment. They seemed at a loss. However, some clever soldiers quickly lay down and used their shields as shields to barely resist the deadly attack. Although casualties were inevitable, they were reduced a little.

Some clever Song soldiers discovered the pattern of artillery bombardment in the chaos - the shells fell at different points, so they began to jump forward and backward, hiding in the position where the last shell exploded, in order to reduce the probability of being hit. But this was just a drop in the bucket and could not change the overall downward trend of the situation.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the crossbow phalanx and archer phalanx of the Wu army advanced forward like a tide. Once they were within the range of an arrow, arrows poured down like raindrops, tightly covering the entire Song army camp and once again launched a round of fierce suppression on the Song army.

After the bombardment continued for a while, Wu's 5,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry rushed into the Song army's vanguard camp like a tiger descending from the mountain.

This was a head-on confrontation. The purpose of the Wu army was clear - to delay the retreat of the Song army's vanguard camp, thereby forcing the Song army to make a choice: to rescue or not to rescue? To retreat or not to retreat?

Su Chen stood in the distance, watching the chaos he had planned. He knew very well that this battle was not only about the victory or defeat of the Wu army, but also about the direction of the entire war.

Tian Chongjin, the vanguard general of the Song army, saw the Wu army coming like a tide, and immediately made a decision and ordered the beating of drums, hoping to use the sound of drums to boost morale and counterattack the Wu army on the spot.

"Boom, boom, boom..." The sound of the war drums was deafening, echoing in the Song army camp. However, the soldiers at this time, hearing the drums, no longer had the excitement of the past. On the contrary, they only felt irritable and uneasy. Facing the Wu army that was surging like a mountain torrent, their hearts were filled with fear and helplessness.

The soldiers subconsciously jumped on their horses, but did not launch a selfless counter-charge. Their instinct drove them to gather together and prepare for the coming storm.

Sharp sabers flashed with cold light, and long spears pointed forward like a forest. Shrill screams and angry roars intertwined, and the Song army and the Wu army took the lead in fighting a desperate battle at the edge of the camp.

The troops of both sides fought fiercely, blood splattered, and the land was dyed red.

The Wu army had deployed a perfect charge formation a mile away, and by the time they reached the Song army camp, horsepower and manpower had reached the most perfect coordination. They rushed forward quickly, in groups of three or five, responding to each other, attacking and blocking, stabbing and slashing, like a sharp knife, piercing the heart of the Song army.

"Kill!" The shouts were deafening, and the vanguard battle was particularly fierce.

Su Chen stood in the army in the distance, his eyes deep and calm as he watched the fighting in front of him.

He kept ordering troops to be dispatched, and drew 80,000 main troops from the military camp to participate in tonight's sneak attack. Currently, he still had 30,000 troops behind him, waiting to hunt down the Song army.

At the same time, he had sent several troops to set up ambushes in the direction where the Song army might retreat, in order to prevent any danger before it occurred.

At the same time, the news that the vanguard camp was under attack was transmitted back to the central army camp like thunder. Zhao Kuangyin's face turned pale, and his brows revealed an unprecedented severity.

He looked outside the tent, the night was still dark, and there was no sign of any slackening. Knowing that it was not appropriate to act rashly at this time, he decisively ordered the troops to continue to resist, wait until daybreak, and then find an opportunity to break out of the encirclement and begin an orderly retreat.

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"You all, come here!"

Zhao Kuangyin's voice was deep and powerful. He summoned a group of generals including Dang Jin, Gao Huaide, Mi Xin, Shi Baoxing and others to gather around him.

"The situation is critical now. We must discuss the steps and speed of withdrawal, especially to determine which two armies will be responsible for the rear guard to ensure the safe withdrawal of the army."

His eyes revealed unquestionable determination. He knew that the decision at this moment was related to the life and death of 200,000 Song troops. If he was not careful, the entire army might be wiped out and the whole situation would be lost.

The generals also knew that the situation was critical. At this crucial moment, no one dared to speak rashly and waited for Emperor Zhao to give orders.

"During this breakout, the enemy will surely think that we will choose to retreat to the north, or flee to Suqian." Zhao Kuangyin pondered for a moment and continued, "But we have chosen to break out to the south to join General Cao Bin. Only by integrating the army can we fight the Wu army again, instead of fleeing to the north!"

His words were full of reluctance and determination. Zhao Kuangyin knew that if he lost this battle, it would not only affect the morale of the army, but also shake the foundation of the country. He had to continue to integrate the troops on the front line, confront the Wu army head-on, and strive for that ray of hope.

This is Zhao Kuangyin's broad mind and courage. In his heart, the fighting spirit is still burning, and he vows to lead the Song army out of the predicament and regain its glory.