I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 319 Zhang Chun: The True Dragon Never Dies

...

afterwards.

Zhao Yu had Zhang Chun in his left arm and Li Lin in his right, while ten newlywed Liao women lay sprawled around him.

After Zhao Yu arrived in Yanjing, although he helped Yelü Aoluwo ascend the throne and claimed that he wanted to unite with the Liao Kingdom to resist the invasion of the Jin Kingdom, seemingly to preserve the Liao Kingdom's country, anyone with eyes could see that the remnant Liao Kingdom would be annexed by the Song Dynasty sooner or later.

Therefore, the Liao people in the Yanping area, including Guo Yaoshi of the resentful army and Zhang Jue of Pingzhou, secretly sent women from their families to Zhao Yu, leaving themselves and their families a way out.

This meant that Zhao Yu never lacked women after arriving in Yanjing, especially after his great victory over the Jin Dynasty. Those with discerning eyes could see even more clearly that Zhao Yu would definitely become the overlord of both the Central Plains and the grasslands, just like Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang. Consequently, they offered Zhao Yu even more beauties in hopes of continuing to gain power and prestige.

Zhao Yu accepted all offers without hesitation.

This was because it not only pleased Zhao Yu, but also helped him to quickly stabilize the newly recovered Yanping region. After all, marriage alliances have always been an effective means of consolidating relationships and winning people's hearts in political games.

Zhao Yu understood this well. These women from various Liao families were not only the beautiful women beside him, but also important pawns in his schemes in the Yanping region.

Before going to sleep, Zhao Yu thought of Zhao Cheng, who had only rested briefly before anonymously following the reinforcements to the front lines again. He then said to Zhang Chun beside him, "Too much of a good thing is bad. If something really happens to Cheng, you will regret it too late."

Zhang Chun thought to himself, 'If the true dragon is immortal, and my son is truly the next emperor of the Song Dynasty, there's no way he could die here.'

Seeing that Zhao Yu was beginning to care about Zhao Cheng, Zhang Chun thought, 'One was born and raised in the deep palace, nurtured by women; the other climbed his way up from the very bottom, receiving the most thorough training. I'll see how you choose in the future!'

Of course, this was just Zhang Chun's thought. She said obediently, "With the merits that Tang'er has made, he should be promoted to commander. He won't need to work so hard in the future. I will definitely tell him to take care of himself."

Zhang Chun's words were true. Based on the number of enemies Zhao Cheng killed in this battle, even if he wasn't a prince, he could become a military officer, which would greatly reduce the risk for him in the future.

Moreover, Zhao Cheng went to the front line to risk his life simply to prove himself and let everyone (mainly Zhao Yu) see his courage and bravery. He didn't really want to die or have an addiction to adventure. He certainly won't take risks easily in the future.

The key point is that Zhang Chun has been teaching Zhao Cheng all these years, so Zhao Yu can't criticize Zhang Chun or deny her efforts over the years.

Then Zhao Yu turned to Li Lin and said, "Qing'er is good. He has the demeanor of a great general. I saw him on the observation platform. He, Xiu'er, and Di'er were the most composed. They not only have excellent military skills, but also strong obedience."

Li Lin said matter-of-factly, "Soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders, and this is what Qing'er should do."

Zhao Yu observed how Zhang Chun and Li Lin raised their sons and discovered that a mother's personality can indeed be reflected in her son to some extent.

Because of the ongoing fighting, Zhao Yu, a severe sex addict, has been forced to abstain from sex for several days.

Now that he could finally break the rules, Zhao Yu naturally went all out.

This resulted in him not only turning ten beautiful Liao girls into young women tonight, but also giving Zhang Chun and Li Lin a hard time.

As a result, Zhang Chun and Li Lin, especially the former, were exhausted by Zhao Yu.

Before long, Zhang Chun fell into a deep sleep in Zhao Yu's arms, and even began to snore softly.

Immediately afterwards, Li Lin also fell asleep.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yu also became drowsy.

Just as Zhao Yu was about to fall asleep, Liang Hongyu came to Zhao Yu's bedside and gently touched him.

Zhao Yu opened his eyes and asked, "What happened?"

Liang Hongyu whispered in Zhao Yu's ear, "The Liao army was ambushed by the Jin army and suffered heavy losses..."

……

Let's turn back the clock to the day the Jin army suffered a crushing defeat.

Seeing that the Song army was too powerful, and that if they did not withdraw, the Jin army might suffer an even heavier blow, and the Jin state might even perish, Wanyan Aguda decisively ordered a retreat.

Wanyan Aguda narrowly escaped death and led his defeated and remaining troops on a nearly 100-mile journey before stopping.

After counting, Wanyan Aguda found that he still had less than 30,000 troops around him.

Wanyan Aguda realized that he could not run away any longer. If he did, the Jin Dynasty would be finished, and the Jin army might lose its fighting spirit.

At this moment, a scout reported that Tong Guan was leading 50,000 Song light cavalry in pursuit of the Jin army while simultaneously engaging them in battle.

Wanyan Loushi advised Wanyan Aguda to ambush the 50,000 Song light cavalry.

But Wanyan Aguda shook his head: "If the Song army gets bogged down, their rear guard will catch up, which will be a death sentence."

Tong Guan's 50,000 light cavalry could fight if they could win, and run if they couldn't. Once they got on their heels, it was like a bone-deep infection that was hard to get rid of. Moreover, the large numbers of Song and Liao troops that followed were very likely to come like a tide, overwhelming the Jin army and eventually annihilating them.

After thinking for a moment, Wanyan Aguda said with a resolute expression, "It would be better to let them go and attack their rear guard."

Upon hearing Wanyan Aguda's words, many Jurchens realized that if this were the case, then their families' residence in Liaozhongjing might be in danger.

Wanyan Chang quickly reminded Wanyan Aguda: "If the Song army is allowed to pass, Dading Prefecture will be in danger."

Wanyan Aguda heard this and said leisurely, "If we cannot turn defeat into victory, our Great Jin will be in grave danger."

After hearing what Yan Aguda said, many Jin people realized just how dire their situation was.

To put it bluntly, if they had just returned to the Jin Dynasty, it's uncertain whether Wanyan Aguda could have continued to be emperor.

Even if those Jurchen nobles were still willing to recognize Wanyan Aguda as emperor and obey his orders, the Jin dynasty might not have been able to withstand the attack from the Song-Liao allied forces.

The most urgent task is to gather more defeated Jin soldiers and restore our strength, rather than engaging in a war of loyalty.

Therefore, all the Jurchens obeyed Wanyan Aguda's orders and hid in a secluded valley.

This valley, with its treacherous terrain and steep peaks all around, was easy to defend and difficult to attack, providing the Jin army with an excellent place to rest and recuperate.

Not long after, Tong Guan led 50,000 light cavalry in pursuit of several thousand Jin soldiers as they passed through the area.

Wanyan Aguda saw all of this through his telescope, but chose to remain inactive.

Not long after, Xiao Gan and Yelü Dashi each led more than 10,000 Liao cavalrymen through the area, but Wanyan Aguda still chose to remain still.

At this point, Wanyan Aguda sent Wanyan Zongjun and others to make contacts in all directions to gather the bewildered and disoriented Jin army.

Upon learning that Wanyan Aguda was waiting for them, these defeated Jin soldiers overcame various difficulties and came to join him one after another.

Not long after, Wanyan Zonghan, who was seriously injured, led more than 30,000 Jin troops from the western route (mainly Liao light cavalry who had surrendered to the Jin state earlier) to join Wanyan Aguda.

Wanyan Aguda sent people to count the number of troops, and to his surprise, he found that he had more than 100,000 men under his command!

Wanyan Aguda went deep into the army, mourning the dead and inquiring about the wounded, offering self-criticism, and pointing out that they had initially defeated the Liao army with only 2,500 men, gradually growing stronger. Now they still had over 100,000 troops and would not be defeated. Through Wanyan Aguda's efforts, morale was gradually stabilized, the situation was restored, and the Jin army's strength was revived.

At this moment, Wanyan Aguda received a report from a scout that Yelü Chun was leading more than 100,000 Liao troops on a rapid march toward Liaozhongjing.

Wanyan Aguda guessed that Yelü Chun wanted to recapture Liao Zhongjing and secure a place for Liao, and perhaps he also intended to compete with the Song Dynasty for Liao Zhongjing.

Wanyan Aguda discussed with the Jin Dynasty's high-ranking officials and concluded that the Song Dynasty might not be interested in this land outside the Great Wall. After all, if the Song Dynasty were to rule the Northeast directly, it would have to pay a considerable price and gain little, which would be a losing proposition. Therefore, even if the Song Dynasty conquered the Northeast, it would most likely establish a puppet regime there to control the barbarians.

The Liao Dynasty was different; their goal was to destroy the Jin Dynasty and recover lost territory.

In comparison, the Liao Dynasty had a deeper attachment to Liaozhongjing and even the entire Northeast region. After all, it was their former homeland, the source of the Liao royal family's dignity and foundation. Especially after the Liao Dynasty lost the Yanyun region, Liaozhongjing was almost the best option for them to restore their country.

This was probably why Yelü Chun rushed to Liaozhongjing, fearing that if Liaozhongjing were recovered by the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom were no longer allowed to exist there, the Liao Kingdom would have to remain dependent on others.

Having figured this out, Wanyan Aguda believed that at this stage, he should focus his attacks on the Liao army.

Okay, actually there's an even more important reason.

That is, Wanyan Aguda was terrified of the Song army, and he was extremely afraid of their firearms, so he dared not fight them again for a short period of time. In fact, it wasn't just him; the arrogant and fierce generals of the Jin army were also intimidated by the Song army and dared not fight them again.

The Liao army was different. The Jin army had never lost to the Liao army in their battles, including this one. If it weren't for the interference of the Shenji Left and Right Armies, they would have definitely won another great victory over the Liao army.

At this critical moment when the Jin army needed to regain its confidence, Wanyan Aguda naturally chose to pick on the weakest link.

Therefore, Wanyan Aguda ordered the scouts to investigate and report again.

It turned out that because the Liao army was running too fast, the main force of the Song army was seventy miles away from the Liao army. Even if the Song cavalry ran at full speed, it would take two or three hours to catch up. The Song infantry, which the Jin army feared the most, would probably take one or two days to catch up.

That much time was enough for the Jin army to defeat the Liao army.

Wanyan Aguda acted decisively, issuing an order to prepare for an ambush on the Liao army...

……

Laohadian is located directly south of Liaozhongjing. It used to be a river valley, but now it has dried up and become a north-south road. The ground is covered with small stones and gravel, and there are long slopes on both sides of the road, covered with large pine forests.

Just as Wanyan Aguda guessed, Yelü Chun really, really wanted to recapture Liaozhongjing. This was something Yelü Aoluwo and Yelü Chun had planned long ago. As long as the Song-Liao allied forces won this battle, the Liao army would immediately capture Liaozhongjing. If they succeeded, they would try to persuade Zhao Yu to let Yelü Aoluwo go to Liaozhongjing to become the real emperor of Liao.

It can be said that Yelü Aoluwo placed all his hopes on Yelü Chun.

Yelü Chun was truly loyal to the Liao Dynasty and wanted to fulfill the important task entrusted to him by Yelü Aoluwo.

The key point is that this opportunity is just too good to pass up.

There is no doubt that the Song army decisively defeated the Jin army.

The problem is that the Liao army also made contributions. Without them holding back the Jin army on the eastern route, the Song army would not have been able to annihilate the main force of the Jin army on the western route.

Under such circumstances, as long as the Liao state recovers Liaozhongjing itself, Zhao Yu will most likely return Liaozhongjing to the Liao state.

As for getting Zhao Yu to release Yelü Aoluwo, although it would be a bit difficult, they could simply bring Empress Dowagers Xiao Puxian and Xiao Sese along with them, and then Zhao Yu would probably have no way to object.

In short, Yelü Aoluwo and his minister Yelü Chun had made a clever plan.

The only question now is whether the Liao army can recapture Liaozhongjing, or whether the Song army will get there first.
Yelü Chun was eager for merit, and since he had not encountered any large Jin troops along the way, but only small groups of defeated Jin soldiers, he mistakenly believed that the Jin army had been defeated by Tong Guan, Xiao Gan, and Yelü Dashi. He actually led more than 100,000 Liao troops straight into the territory of Liao Zhongjing.

When the army entered Laohadian, Yelü Chun sensed a heavy, ominous atmosphere in the dried-up valley, indicating that something was amiss.

Guo Yaoshi and Zhang Jue also realized something was wrong and came to persuade Yelü Chun to leave the narrow valley as soon as possible.

Yelü Chun was about to order a retreat, but it was too late.

Arrows rained down from the slopes on both sides of the valley.

The Liao army was caught off guard by the Jin army.

Tens of thousands of troops entered the valley and crowded into the narrow valley, running east and west and trampling each other.

Wanyan Aguda stood on the mountaintop observing the battle situation. He saw Wanyan Zongjun beside him wave his command flag, and the buglers standing next to him sounded the charge. The Jin soldiers, hidden in the pine forest, rushed to both sides of the valley like tigers descending the mountain, desperately firing into the valley.

The Liao army that did not enter the valley (mainly the Liao infantry) was attacked by the Jin cavalry.

Dust billowed and battle cries shook the heavens in and around Laohadian, as a bloody battle raged for nearly three hours before finally ending.

The setting sun cast its crimson light upon the severed heads, arms, legs, and torsos. Horses and mangled corpses lay scattered haphazardly, a gruesome sight. The dead Liao and Jin soldiers lay intertwined, indistinguishable only by their clothing. A thick, nauseating stench of blood filled the air.

Some of the seriously wounded soldiers lay on the ground, barely alive. They took one last look at the sky, their hearts filled with either longing for heaven or fear of hell. Their twitching lips seemed to be a mixture of smiles and pain.

Under the desperate protection of generals such as Guo Yaoshi, Zhang Jue, and Yelü Mage, Yelü Chun led his remaining troops to fight their way out of Laohadian.

After galloping for more than ten miles, seeing that there were no pursuers, Yelü Chun ordered his men to dismount and rest by a wheat field.

Without even counting, Yelü Chun could tell that of his more than 100,000 troops, some had died and others had scattered, leaving only three to five thousand men.

Yelü Chun squatted on the edge of the wheat field and wept bitterly. He felt that he had let down Yelü Aoluwo and even more so the Liao Kingdom, for he had destroyed the Liao Kingdom's last hope.

Blood splattered on Yelü Chun's clothes, face, and hair. His eyes were bloodshot and fierce, as if he wanted to devour someone, or as if he had just eaten someone.

The remaining soldiers also joined him in wiping away tears.

Yelü Chun felt ashamed to face Yelü Aoluwo and his fellow villagers in Liao. He had served in the army for decades, how could he have made such a basic mistake?

Yelü Chun grew angrier the more he thought about it, and suddenly raised his curved sword to slash at his own neck.

In the critical moment, with a clang, Yelü Chun's scimitar was knocked to the ground by Guo Yaoshi.

Yelü Chun looked up at the sky and sighed, "The war was fought so humiliatingly. I have failed His Majesty above and the warriors of my Great Liao below. How can I have the face to live in this world?"

Guo Yaoshi advised, "Your Majesty, as long as we live, we can always fight again. We must avenge this grudge!"

Zhang Jue also advised from the side, "There's no such thing as losing a gamble. Besides, the Song Dynasty is an ally of our Liao Dynasty. Perhaps if the Song Dynasty takes Zhongjing, it will give Zhongjing to our Liao Dynasty."

Other Liao people also advised Yelü Chun to think more positively.

Yelü Chun thought Zhang Jue was right. What if Zhao Yu was benevolent and generous, and after conquering Liao Zhongjing, he would give it to the Liao Kingdom?
After thinking it over, Yelü Chun roused himself and cautiously made his way towards Liaozhongjing while gathering his defeated troops, hoping to seize the city as a great opportunity...

……

(End of this chapter)