I, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, have risen since I destroyed the Turks

Chapter 771 Song Army Attacks Xiangyang City

The morning in Xiangyang was ripped apart by the sound of bugles.

Li Zheng stood on the city wall, the morning breeze brushing against his angular face, bringing a touch of coolness. On the distant horizon, a dark army surged in like a tide, banners fluttering and swords gleaming. It wasn't the expected Mongol cavalry, but the Southern Song army—a full 80,000 strong, completely surrounding Xiangyang.

"Your Majesty, the scouts report that the Song army's commander-in-chief is Lü Wenhuan, and his deputy is Xia Gui, both renowned generals of the Southern Song Dynasty." Hou Junji strode over, his armor clanging, his face grave.

Li Zheng nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the enemy formation in the distance. He noticed that the Song army was well-disciplined, with cavalry deployed on both flanks and infantry in the center in a neat square formation, clearly a well-trained and elite force.

"Those Song dogs!" Guo Jing slammed his fist on the city wall, the force of his blow cracking several bricks. "The Mongols besieged the city for three months, and not a single one of their soldiers came to our aid! Now that we've recaptured Xiangyang, they've arrived quickly!"

Li Zheng turned to look at the indignant Northern Hero, Guo Jing, whose eyes were bloodshot and chest heaving violently, clearly enraged. He understood Guo Jing's feelings—this great hero had sacrificed so much for Xiangyang, only to see his own country's army turn its spears against those protecting the city.

"Master Guo, please calm your anger." Li Zheng's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "The Song court considers us rebels and will naturally send troops to suppress us. This suits my purposes perfectly."

Guo Jing was taken aback: "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

Li Zheng's lips curled into a cold, stern smile: "The revival of the Tang Dynasty needs witnesses. Today, let these 80,000 Song soldiers be the witnesses to the resurgence of our Tang Dynasty!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a rider charged out from the Song army ranks below the city. Clad in gleaming armor and wielding a long spear, he shouted defiantly, "Listen up, you traitors on the city walls! I am Lü Wenhuan, the Imperial Commander of the Great Song Dynasty! Surrender at once, and you may escape death!"

Li Zheng sneered and said to Li Kan beside him, "General Li, give him an answer."

Li Kan understood, took a sturdy bow, nocked an arrow, and drew the string, the bowstring taut. With a "whoosh," the arrow shot through the air, landing precisely three feet in front of the Song general's horse, its fletching still trembling.

This is the most direct rejection.

Immediately, drums thundered and horns blared from the Song army ranks. The enemy's formation began to shift, with cavalry spreading out to the flanks, infantry phalanxes advancing, and siege equipment slowly pushed forward to the front lines.

"Your Majesty, the Song army is about to attack the city!" Hou Junji said in a deep voice.

Li Zheng remained calm: "Pass down the order to prepare according to Plan A. General Hou will lead the left flank out of the east gate, and General Li will lead the right flank out of the west gate, forming a pincer movement. Crossbowmen, ascend the city walls and fire in unison on my command."

The order was quickly relayed, and the Tang soldiers moved swiftly to their positions. Guo Jing noticed that although these soldiers were fewer in number than the Song soldiers, each of them had a resolute expression and their movements exuded the composure of someone who had been through many battles.

"Your Majesty, I, Guo, request permission to fight!" Guo Jing clasped his hands in a gesture of supplication.

Li Zheng gave him a deep look: "Master Guo's martial arts are unparalleled, but the battlefield is not a duel in the martial world. Are you willing to follow my orders?"

Guo Jing replied without hesitation, "I am willing to obey Your Majesty's orders!"

"Good!" Li Zheng nodded. "You will lead three hundred elite troops, awaiting my command, to directly attack the enemy's central army and disrupt their command."

Guo Jing accepted the order and left. Li Zheng then said to his personal guards, "Send word to General Zhang, who is lying in ambush thirty miles away, to proceed according to the pre-arranged plan."

The guards obeyed and rushed down from the city walls. Only then did Li Zheng turn around, looking down at the Song army that was drawing ever closer outside the city. Sunlight shone on his armor, reflecting a cold light, making him look like a god of war.

The Song army has entered the range of crossbow bolts.

"What are they trying to do?" Guo Jing returned to Li Zheng's side and asked, puzzled, as he looked at the Song army's peculiar formation changes.

Li Zheng glanced at him and nodded slightly: "Just testing their strength. Give the order—fire!" As the command flag was waved, a thousand crossbows on the city wall fired simultaneously, arrows swarming towards the Song army like locusts. The Song army clearly hadn't expected the Tang army's crossbows to have such a long range; the front-line soldiers fell in droves, and their formation crumbled.

However, the Song army was well-trained and quickly regained its footing. Shield bearers stepped forward to form a shield wall, covering the advance of the troops behind them.

"Fire!" Li Zheng gave the order again.

Another volley of arrows rained down. This time, the Song army was better prepared, suffering fewer casualties, but they were still suppressed and unable to advance quickly. Just then, the Song cavalry on both flanks suddenly accelerated, like two sharp knives thrusting straight into the flanks of the Tang army's forces leaving the city.

"Your Majesty! The Song cavalry has moved!" Hou Junji shouted a warning from below the city.

Li Zheng remained expressionless: "Order Hou Junji and Li Kan to change formation and meet the enemy according to plan."

As the bugle call changed, the Tang army formation below the city quickly adjusted, with spearmen in front and swordsmen and shieldmen behind, forming a dense defensive formation. The Song cavalry charged to the front, but were halted by the forest of spears, their momentum momentarily halted.

The battlefield instantly descended into chaos. Song cavalry attempted to bypass the main force and find a breakthrough; Tang troops, however, maintained their formation and retaliated with crossbow bolts and spears. Amidst the billowing dust, the shouts of battle shook the heavens and the earth.

"Your Majesty!" Guo Jing cried out anxiously, watching the fierce battle raging below the city walls. "Our cavalry is insufficient; if this continues..."

Li Zheng raised his hand to stop him from continuing: "I am here, do not be impatient." His gaze calmly swept across the entire battlefield. "The Song Dynasty has many cavalry, while we have few here. We only need to hold them off for a while, and reinforcements will arrive."

Guo Jing nodded, but still couldn't hide his worry: "But if things continue like this, I'm worried."

"What are you worried about?" Li Zheng asked without turning his head.

"This humble general is worried about those cavalry," Guo Jing said, pointing to a small Tang cavalry unit surrounded by Song troops below the city. "They're about to collapse!"

Li Zheng glanced at him and said calmly, "You're worried about the heavy cavalry casualties, aren't you?"

Guo Jing remained silent. He truly couldn't bear to see these brave warriors sacrifice themselves in vain.

Li Zheng's voice suddenly deepened: "War inevitably involves sacrifice. Their blood today will not have been shed in vain; it will forge the cornerstone of the Tang Dynasty's revival." He turned to the messenger, "Tell Hou Junji to advance fifty paces on the right flank, creating space for the cavalry to break out."

The order was relayed, and the Tang army's formation changed again. The besieged cavalry squad finally seized the opportunity to break out, but half of them had already fallen on the battlefield forever.

Just then, a bugle call, different from the previous ones, suddenly rang out from the Song army formation. The central army banner moved, and a heavily armored cavalry unit charged out from the formation, heading straight for the Tang army's left flank.

"The Iron Falcon Army!" a Tang soldier exclaimed in surprise.

This was the Southern Song Dynasty's most elite heavy cavalry, both men and horses clad in heavy armor, impervious to ordinary swords and arrows. They pressed down on the Tang army's left flank like an iron wall, and wherever they went, Tang soldiers fell like wheat being harvested.

On the city wall, Li Zheng's brows finally furrowed slightly. He hadn't expected the Song army to deploy its elite troops at this time.

"Your Majesty, let me lead the attack!" Guo Jing pleaded again, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.

Li Zheng stared at the battlefield for a moment, then finally nodded: "Go. Remember, the objective is to disrupt the enemy's command; don't linger in the fighting."

Guo Jing clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, then turned and galloped down the city wall. A short while later, the gates of Xiangyang opened again, and a force of three hundred elite cavalrymen charged out like an arrow. Guo Jing led the charge, wielding a long spear, and plunged straight into the Song army's ranks.

(End of this chapter)