Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 869: The Emperor and His Ministers Discuss Countermeasures

"Our reinforcements are gone just like that!" The voice of a Song Dynasty general was filled with shock and disbelief.

"This Su Chen is too cunning. He deceived us." Another general said angrily, with anger flashing in his eyes.

"It's too terrible to be an enemy of such an opponent." All the generals were shocked. It was difficult for them to accept this result and they were particularly angry towards Su Chen.

However, people admire the strong, and when these Song generals scolded Su Chen, they also respected him in their hearts, and even felt powerless. This enemy was so wise and resourceful, and he was a master of both civil and military affairs. He was so good at using troops that they felt helpless. They had a bad premonition in their hearts, as if the fate of the Song Dynasty was about to be taken away by this man.

"Then what should we do? We can't just let Su Chen occupy Pengcheng and do nothing. If our rear supply route is cut off, not only will the reinforcements be without food and will be defeated, but even we at the front will be short of food." Wang Zhengzhong said in surprise, with a hint of anxiety and worry in his voice.

Cao Bin said in a deep voice: "It will be fine in the short term. Our food and fodder can support a hundred thousand troops for a month. If there is a shortage, we can requisition food and fodder and soldiers from the nearest county. After all, this is the territory of our Song Dynasty. The people are all citizens of the Song Dynasty and they still belong to the Song Dynasty in their hearts."

"However, we are now attacked from both sides. If the army of Pengcheng in the north integrates its resources and joins forces with the armies of Lu Jiang and Pan Mei in the south to attack, the situation will be very bad." There was a hint of worry in Cao Bin's tone, and his eyes swept over the generals present.

Although most of the generals were rough, they could understand such a simple truth. They thought Cao Bin made sense and they could not just sit there and wait for death. Everyone's eyes instantly turned to Zhao Kuangyin, because at this time, only he could make the decision. After all, he was the emperor of the Song Dynasty, and every decision he made would determine the fate of the Song Dynasty to a certain extent.

Zhao Kuangyin felt heavy pressure. Should he continue to fight here, or selectively retreat and escape from the situation where the Wu army might attack from the north and south next?

If the battle continued, Zhao Kuangyin was not sure that he could defeat the 100,000-man army nominally led by Lu Jiang quickly, because the Wu army was well-trained and had better weapons and equipment than the Song army.

Moreover, in terms of tactics, he was constantly defending and predicting against the Song Dynasty, as if someone who was very familiar with the Song Dynasty's operations was commanding the army. The more Zhao Kuangyin thought about it, the more he felt that the invisible commander was most likely Pan Mei.

In such a situation, Zhao Kuangyin felt that it was meaningless to continue the fierce battle. Turning around to deal with Su Chen's troops was not the wisest choice either, because the Wu army in the north was invincible and had already defeated the Song army in the Muyang area.

Now that the Wu army had joined forces, they had more people, and they had been winning battles, so their morale was high. Zhao Kuangyin was not sure that he would gain a big advantage by leading more than 100,000 troops north to fight Su Chen again.

In this situation, Zhao Kuangyin felt that the second option, to temporarily leave here, bypass Pengcheng, return to Bianjing, and organize troops from all over the country to come to the rescue, would be more prudent.

At that time, he could issue conscription orders and imperial edicts to various places to stop the Wu army, so that county lieutenants and governors in various places could organize troops to fight against the enemy, defend their country, and slow down the Wu army's advance, thus dragging the Wu army to the north of the Yangtze River in the Song Dynasty. In this way, he could buy time and gather more troops to prepare for the next battle.

Zhao Kuangyin pondered for a moment and slowly said, "I now have two strategies to deal with this matter. One strategy is to continue to go north and fight Su Chen's troops to the death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, many generals' faces changed slightly, and a trace of uneasiness surged in their hearts. They recalled that when they first set out on the expedition, their morale was high and their troops were sufficient, but they did not defeat Su Chen, but instead ended up in defeat and fled. Now that the situation has reversed, it is really difficult to fight head-on. "The second strategy is to temporarily leave this place, give up Linhuai, choose to take a detour back to Bianjing, and plan to resist the invasion of the Wu army in the long run. What do you generals think? You might as well say it!" There was a hint of expectation in Zhao Kuangyin's voice. He hoped to hear the true thoughts of the generals.

Song generals such as Shi Bao, Murong Yanqing, Wang Zhengzhong, Cui Yanjin and others were tempted to choose the second safe strategy. They knew that the current situation was complicated and changeable, and it would be too risky to rush north to fight Su Chen.

Only Dang Jin had a hot temper. He said carelessly: "I suggest we go north and fight the Wu army to the end. Others are afraid of Su Chen, but I am not. When the battle comes, I will personally call him out and fight him one-on-one. I don't believe that Su Chen is a supernatural being or a god from heaven!" His words were full of heroism, but also seemed a little impulsive.

After hearing this, all the generals smiled bitterly in their hearts. Dang Jin was so impulsive and irrational that he would destroy the main force of the Song Dynasty and put His Majesty in danger.

"I think that Your Majesty is the supreme ruler and a person worth millions of gold. It is not appropriate for you to take any more risks. It is better to take a long-term view and return to Bian Jing!" A general said in a deep voice, his eyes revealing his concern for Zhao Kuangyin.

"I also agree. We should return to Bian Jing and redeploy the troops. Or you can take some troops back to the capital and leave us here to fight to the death. That's fine too!" Han Lingkun said. There was a firmness in his voice, but it also revealed his consideration for Zhao Kuangyin's safety.

Other generals also stood up, either persuading Zhao Kuangyin to choose the second strategy, or agreeing with Han Lingkun's words, asking His Majesty to return to Bianjing City first and not stay in this dangerous place.

They knew very well that Zhao Kuangyin's safety was of vital importance. If he was lost, the fate of the Song Dynasty would be affected immeasurably.

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes swept across the generals present, and finally stopped at Cao Bin. He wanted to hear the opinions of this veteran of three dynasties. After all, Cao Bin was not only outstanding in wisdom and strategy, but also in his ability to lead troops. Zhao Kuangyin trusted him very much.

Cao Bin pondered for a moment, knowing that this was a critical moment and that he could not hold back. He needed to express his views wholeheartedly for Your Majesty's reference. So he slowly said, "I believe that a gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall. The current situation is extremely unfavorable to us. We should take advantage of the situation and temporarily avoid the Wu army. I support your second strategy, that you should lead the elite imperial guards back to Bianjing, and then make long-term plans, sit in the center, and stabilize the Song Dynasty. As long as you do not cause any trouble, the Song Dynasty can drag the Wu army down within the Song territory."

"But I cannot retreat. I ask the emperor to leave me 50,000 soldiers and horses, so that I can fight guerrilla warfare here. I can attack when I advance and defend when I retreat. I will tie down the armies of Lu Jiang and Su Chen so that they cannot connect with each other. This will divide the strength of the Wu army and prevent them from completely occupying Huainan, so that they will not be able to march north with peace of mind to attack the city of Bianjing." There was firmness in Cao Bin's voice, and his eyes flashed with loyalty to the Song Dynasty and desire for victory.

After listening to Cao Bin's analysis, Zhao Kuangyin nodded slightly in his heart. This was exactly what he expected. This way, he could take care of both sides. On the one hand, he could return to Bianjing to take charge of the overall situation, and on the other hand, he could prevent the Wu army from joining him.

He pondered for a moment and finally made a decision: "I have decided to leave 80,000 troops to General Cao to continue activities in Huainan to block the connection of Wu's forces and mainly divide the Wu army. When I return to Bianjing City, I will order the conscription of soldiers and new recruits from all over the country to come and encircle and suppress the Wu army, and never let the Wu army invade Bianjing City."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the generals nodded. They knew that this was the most prudent decision under the current circumstances. It not only preserved part of the main force of the Song Dynasty and allowed His Majesty to return safely, but also left room for future counterattacks.