Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 931 The imperial commander’s personal expedition
At the court assembly the following day, Su Chen announced that he would personally lead the expedition and selected several generals to accompany him, including Lin Renzhao, Pan Mei, and Cao Bin, as well as subordinate generals such as Tai Shizhao, Lin Juyi, Jin Hui, Bian Zhanyu, Li Saidong, and Chai Songyun. Some Song generals, such as Fu Yanqing, Zhang Qiong, Shi Baoxing, Shi Baoji, and Murong Yanqing, who had been captured, were also reinstated.

This time, Su Chen will lead 150,000 Wu troops and 50,000 Song troops to form a 200,000-strong army to march north. Apart from taking several hundred thousand Liao troops who have invaded, his goal is to target the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Accompanying him were also some civil officials who needed to handle court affairs, report to Su Chen in a timely manner, and discuss the formulation of new policies.

At the beginning of the founding of the nation, there were many affairs to attend to, so Su Chen could not always be fighting on the front lines and neglect the operation of the court. Now, Yang Ling'er was no longer the Prince of Wu, but the Empress to be married. Before going to war, they had to get married first.

This was a grand wedding, with the new Emperor Su Chen marrying Empress Yang Ling'er. It was a matter of national stability, so naturally the ceremony was magnificent and announced to the world.

This good news immediately dispelled the gloom of the Liao army's invasion, and at least in Bianjing (Kaifeng), lanterns and decorations were hung, creating a very festive atmosphere.

After the elaborate wedding ceremony, Su Chen and Yang Ling'er met openly in the Phoenix Palace. After drinking the nuptial wine, Su Chen, wearing only his undergarments, sat on the bed.

"Ling'er, I never imagined that in the end, you would become my empress!"

"I never imagined that Brother Su Chen would be so amazing. Not only did he fulfill my ancestors' last wish and avenge the Southern Tang and Zhao Song, but he also brought the name of the Wu Kingdom back to prominence and made it recorded in history!" Yang Ling'er exclaimed. Back then, the two of them were so poor that they didn't know where their next meal would come from.

Who could have imagined that, more than a decade later, Su Chen would have become the ruler of the world and unified the North and South?

Su Chen sighed, "After this expedition, once I reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and destroy the Northern Han, I can return and live happily with you all in the palace, spending every day together."

"Yes, Brother Su Chen, I'm waiting for you. I believe you can definitely achieve your goal and become famous throughout the world, surpassing even the Tang and Song emperors."

Su Chen laughed and asked, "Haha, are you flattering me?"

"Of course not, Ling'er is just telling the truth. There's nothing that Brother Su Chen can't do." Yang Ling'er had complete trust in her sworn brother.

Su Chen said softly, "At a time like this, are you still going to call me Brother Su Chen?"

"That's called...Your Majesty?" Yang Ling'er was a little confused.

"There are no outsiders here, call me husband first!" Su Chen pinched Yang Ling'er's chin and looked carefully at her exquisite and beautiful face.

"Husband," Yang Ling'er called out shyly.

Su Chen could no longer bear it. He directly kissed Yang Ling'er's lips and then pressed his body down on her. Yang Ling'er cooperated fully, letting him take her as he pleased, willingly. She had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

The spring night is too short; everything is understood without words.

Three days later, a grand oath-taking ceremony was held, and then the 300,000-strong army set off in a mighty procession, with banners fluttering and weapons gleaming.

This time, Su Chen specifically brought 40,000 cavalry to facilitate a direct confrontation with the Liao army. In addition, artillery, crossbows, and other weapons effective against the Liao army were also brought. The Liao army is generally not good at siege warfare but excels at ground assaults. Su Chen planned to design a battle formation, utilizing the terrain to annihilate the Liao army.

Since ancient times, the cavalry of the grassland tribes has been too strong, with fast movement speed and the speed of the wind. If tens of thousands of iron cavalry were to charge into an infantry formation of tens of thousands, once a gap was torn open, it would be a massacre. They would cut back and forth, and there would be no way to stop or intercept them.

Therefore, some famous generals in the Central Plains and frontier generals adopted a formation that combined chariots, cavalry and infantry in a cross-training manner. They set up obstacles such as deer antlers and caltrops around the outside of the formation to block the steppe cavalry, while leaving their own cavalry in the innermost part as a precaution and looking for an opportunity to counterattack. This has always been a traditional tactic of the Central Plains army.

This time, Su Chen abandoned the chariot model because he intended to confront the Liao army head-on, using infantry and cavalry to fight them head-on.

Previously, the Central Plains army always prioritized defense over offense, thus handing over the initiative to the steppe cavalry. In addition, the Khitan were fast on horseback, making it difficult for the Central Plains army to completely defeat them. They could only launch half-hearted counterattacks. This time, Su Chen planned to use an infantry formation to lure the main force of the Khitan cavalry, with a sense of superiority and contempt, so that they would launch a continuous attack. Then, he would use his elite cavalry to counter-encircle and completely cripple the Liao army.

After marching for eight days, they finally arrived at Gaoyi, the border area between Zhao Prefecture and Zhending Prefecture, and were less than a hundred li away from the Liao army.

Su Chen was dressed in a golden helmet and armor, gleaming with gold, with a red robe and cloak. His eyes flashed like lightning, and his body was as steady as Mount Tai, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

Surrounding him were some military generals and a few trusted advisors, while behind him were thousands of heavily armored cavalry, carrying quivers, bows, and swords. This was the most elite force among the 40,000 cavalry, responsible for protecting the new emperor's safety and, in critical moments, for breaking through enemy lines and killing enemies!
According to reports from scouts, the Khitan vanguard army of 20,000 men was less than 30 li away, and their iron cavalry was rapidly approaching.

Su Chen had already deployed his cavalry separately to garrison on the two flanks behind the rear, ready to launch a flanking attack at any time upon orders.

The main infantry force will now have to engage the Liao army in a direct battle. The Liao army has the advantage of cavalry, but the Wu army is well-equipped and its defenses are not up to par.

However, the Liao army vanguard did not attack that day, but waited for the main army to arrive. Xiao Chuo, Han Derang, and Yelü Xiuge each led their elite troops to arrive one after another.

Empress Xiao was also a shrewd woman. Instead of starting a war right away, she sent a letter to Su Chen, demanding that Wu cede several prefectures north of the Yellow River, which were originally the border prefectures of Song in Hebei. If Su Chen agreed, the Liao army would retreat and would also recognize the legitimacy of Wu.

Su Chen sneered, "Does the legitimacy of the Wu Kingdom need the recognition of you steppe barbarians? What a joke! If you want war, then let's fight! And you'll have to give up the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!"

This tough stance angered Empress Xiao and the Liao general. Seeing that there was no need for negotiation, they prepared to form ranks and fight.

"That brat Su Chen has personally led 100,000 infantrymen to form ranks twenty miles northwest of Gaoyi, awaiting our attack!" Yelü Xiuge reported truthfully after receiving intelligence from the scouts.

Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty said, "We should not underestimate the Wu army. Since they want to fight, they must be prepared. We should first test the waters with our cavalry vanguard to charge their infantry formations, and then be wary of Wu's cavalry coming out."

"Understood. Any schemes and plots are of little use in the face of absolute strength. The 100,000 iron cavalry will surely tear the Wu army apart!" Yelü Xiuge led his troops to prepare for the attack.

On the other side, Su Chen deliberately set up his formation, quietly awaiting the arrival of the Liao army's iron cavalry. He knew that this would be a tough battle.

Taking advantage of the lull in the war between Wu and Song, the Liao army swept south, seizing land, cities, wealth, and people. They had already gained considerable wealth, but were still not satisfied. Su Chen then deployed infantry to meet the Liao army, drawing them into an attack. He understood that internal strife also existed within Liao. If they could defeat these 100,000 iron cavalry, Empress Xiao and Emperor Yelü Xian would be severely weakened and put in a very passive position, giving Wu the opportunity to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.