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

Chapter 772 A Last Stand

A biting wind howled, whipping the banners atop Xiangyang city walls into a fluttering din. Li Zheng stood atop the city tower, clad in iron armor, his hand on his sword hilt, his gaze sweeping across the densely packed enemy ranks outside the city with a sharp, piercing gaze. The setting sun cast a long, solitary shadow of him on the city bricks, a resolute silhouette.

"General, the granaries are almost empty." Lieutenant Wang Huan strode over, his voice low but filled with anxiety. "The people in the city have started gnawing on tree bark."

Li Zheng didn't turn around, but simply nodded slightly. His gaze crossed the moat and landed on the banners fluttering in the distance at the Song army camp. There, Chen Xiao, the military governor of Huzhou, was enjoying fine wine and food, while his soldiers were preparing siege equipment.

"Wang Huan, why do you think they are so obsessed with Xiangyang?" Li Zheng suddenly asked, his voice low and cold.

Wang Huan was taken aback, then smiled bitterly, "Xiangyang is the strategic throat between the north and south; whoever controls Xiangyang controls the world. The Song court's alliance with the Mongols is naturally aimed at completely cutting off our Great Jin's retreat."

Li Zheng sneered, his fists clenched so tightly beneath his armor that they cracked: "They think they can destroy my Great Jin by taking Xiangyang? How laughable! Those greedy fools only want to plunder everything in Xiangyang!"

A commotion arose from below the city walls. Li Zheng looked down and saw a group of ragged civilians gathered outside the granary, being held back by soldiers. An old woman knelt on the ground, holding a sallow-faced child in her arms, crying and shouting something.

Li Zheng's brow furrowed even more. Three months ago, when the Song-Mongol allied forces began their siege, the city still had enough food reserves to last for six months. However, as the siege dragged on, more and more refugees fled into the city, and the food supplies were being consumed far faster than expected.

"General, what about His Majesty?" Wang Huan hesitated, then stopped himself from speaking.

"Your Majesty?" Li Zheng's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Your Majesty has probably already crossed the Han River and headed south, leaving us here to die."

Wang Huan's expression changed. He looked around to make sure no one had heard before letting out a sigh of relief: "General, be careful what you say!"

Li Zheng said nothing more, turned and strode towards the steps inside the city wall. Wang Huan quickly followed, and the two walked silently through the passageway inside the city wall to the command post in the center of the city.

Inside the command post, more than a dozen generals had been waiting for some time. Upon seeing Li Zheng enter, they all stood up and saluted. Li Zheng waved his hand and walked straight to the sand table. On the sand table, the terrain of Xiangyang City and its surroundings was clearly visible, with small flags representing the enemy troops densely planted throughout the area outside the city.

"Gentlemen," Li Zheng said bluntly, "the enemy has besieged the city for three months, and our supplies are running low. Continuing to hold out will only lead to our demise."

The generals exchanged bewildered glances, and one couldn't help but ask, "Does the general mean we surrender?"

"Surrender?" Li Zheng sneered, a cold glint in his eyes. "Surrender to those treacherous Song people? Or surrender to the brutal Mongols?" He slammed his fist on the table. "I, Li Zheng, would rather die in battle!"

The room was completely silent, except for the crackling sound of the burning torches.

“What does the general mean?” Wang Huan asked cautiously.

Li Zheng's finger traced across the sand table, stopping at a spot in the south of the city: "Tonight at midnight, I will personally lead three thousand elite cavalry out of the south gate to launch a surprise attack on the Song army camp."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar.

"General, you mustn't! There are tens of thousands of enemy troops outside the city. Three thousand cavalry would be like throwing eggs against rocks!"

"The terrain outside the south gate is narrow, making it difficult for cavalry to maneuver!"

"If the general falls, who will defend Xiangyang?"

Faced with the generals' objections, Li Zheng merely glanced around coldly, his voice low but authoritative: "Do you all think that holding out will save your lives? The Song have already brought in gunpowder and will soon blow up the city gates. Rather than waiting to be killed, we should take the initiative and catch them off guard!"

He pointed to a depression south of the city on the sand table: "This place is densely wooded, perfect for hiding troops. After my cavalry launch a surprise attack, I'll immediately retreat here. If the enemy pursues, the ambush will spring up everywhere, and we'll surely inflict heavy losses on them."

Wang Huan frowned and said, "General, this plan is brilliant, but the risk is too great. Perhaps it would be better to send this humble general..."

“No need for further words,” Li Zheng interrupted him. “My mind is made up. Wang Huan, you stay in the city. If our army suffers a defeat, immediately organize the civilians to evacuate through the north gate.”

Wang Huan wanted to persuade him further, but seeing the resolute look in Li Zheng's eyes, he could only nod heavily in the end.

Night fell, and Xiangyang City was silent. Three thousand elite cavalry had already assembled inside the south gate, both men and horses clad in light armor, swords drawn, arrows nocked. Li Zheng rode a black warhorse, his iron armor gleaming coldly in the moonlight. "Open the city gate!" Li Zheng commanded in a low voice.

The heavy city gates slowly opened, and the drawbridge lowered silently. Li Zheng took a deep breath and raised his long sword: "Warriors of the Great Jin, follow me to kill the enemy!"

Three thousand cavalrymen charged out of the city gate like arrows released from a bow, their hooves wrapped in cloth, making almost no sound. Li Zheng led the way, the cold wind blowing in his face, dispelling the last trace of hesitation in his heart.

Meanwhile, in the Song army camp, Chen Xiao was drinking and making merry with several generals.

"Report—" A scout rushed into the tent in a panic, "General, the south gate of Xiangyang has opened, and cavalry are charging out!"

Chen Xiao calmly put down his wine glass and wiped the grease from his lips: "How many men?"

"About three thousand cavalry, not a large number."

Chen Xiao laughed and said to those around him, "This Li Zheng is quite a clever man." He turned to his trusted generals, "Pass down the order: proceed according to plan. Tell Shen Hao to prepare gunpowder to blow up the city gate."

The trusted aide obeyed and left. Chen Xiao picked up another chicken leg and started gnawing on it, mumbling indistinctly, "Li Zheng wants to play a feint? Heh, I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive!"

Li Zheng led his cavalry to the outer perimeter of the Song army camp. Unexpectedly, the camp's defenses were extremely lax, with only a few scattered sentries. Li Zheng felt a chill run down his spine, a vague unease creeping in, but the die was cast.

"Kill!" he shouted, and charged into the enemy camp first.

The cavalry surged in like a tide, only to find most of the tents empty. Li Zheng abruptly pulled on the reins, his horse rearing up: "Damn it, we've fallen into a trap! Retreat!"

Just then, countless torches suddenly lit up all around, and shouts of battle shook the heavens. The Song army, which had been lying in ambush, surged in from all directions, and arrows rained down like raindrops.

"Form ranks! Break out to the south!" Li Zheng remained calm in the face of danger and commanded the cavalry to quickly form a charging formation.

The cavalrymen brandished their longswords, carving a bloody path through a hail of arrows. Li Zheng charged at the forefront, his blade unstoppable. A Song general rode forward to meet him, only to be cut down by Li Zheng's single stroke.

"General, be careful!" a guard suddenly shouted.

Li Zheng dodged to the side, and a stray arrow grazed his visor. He looked back and saw Chen Xiao on a distant hill, putting down his longbow with a sinister grin on his face.

"Chen Xiao!" Li Zheng roared, turning his horse around to charge, but was held back by his personal guards.

"General, no! The enemy is too strong; retreat immediately!"

Li Zheng gritted his teeth and looked around. His cavalry had suffered nearly half their losses, while the Song army was growing in number. He had no choice but to order: "Retreat! Retreat to the woods south of the city as planned!"

The surviving cavalry, led by Li Zheng, broke through the encirclement and galloped south of the city. The Song army pursued them relentlessly.

Just as Li Zheng was about to reach the designated ambush location, he found the woods completely silent, with no sign of any ambushers. His heart sank—the ambush force had either been wiped out, or...
"General! Look at the city!" a soldier exclaimed in alarm, pointing towards Xiangyang City.

Li Zheng turned his head and saw flames shooting into the sky at the south gate of the city, followed by a deafening roar. A huge fireball rose into the air, and the city wall at the gate collapsed with a crash.

"No!" Li Zheng's eyes widened in horror. He understood. Chen Xiao had anticipated his attack from outside the city and deliberately set up an ambush, while simultaneously sending men to blow up the city gates.

Just then, a deep, resonant bugle call sounded in the distance. On the horizon, a dark mass of cavalry surged forward like a tide, the Mongol wolf-head banners fluttering in the wind.

"Mongolians! It's Boru's army!" The soldiers were terrified.

With Mongol cavalry in front and Song troops in pursuit behind, Li Zheng's 3,000 cavalrymen had dwindled to less than 1,000 and were in dire straits.

(End of this chapter)