Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 106 How could a dignified immortal lie to people?
Xuanweng Mountain.

It was originally a giant urn-shaped rock that was destroyed by an earthquake during the Song Dynasty.

"What, are you afraid to cross the river?"

Yang Feng looked at the thousands of troops on the east bank of the Fen River.

Indeed, it was a massive army. Although the claim of 200,000 troops was exaggerated, the actual number was more than 100,000. This included Chengde, Weibo, and Xuanyi, which were originally the Yicheng Army. Currently, they controlled Hua and Zheng prefectures, and their military governor was Yang Shihou, a famous general under Zhu Wen. The military governor of Xingzhou Baoyi Army was Kang Huaiying, also a close subordinate of Zhu Wen, and the commander-in-chief of the previous Luzhou battle. The military governor of Heyang Army was Li Zhouyi.

In addition, there is the newly appointed military governor of Zhaoyi, Wang Tan, who is also a direct descendant of Zhu Wen.

He started out following Zhu Wen.

In addition, Shi Jiantang and Li Sigong were also granted the title of Jiedushi (military governor).

The former was a true fierce general. In the original history, during the Battle of Youzhou, a hundred cavalrymen charged into Zhu Wen's camp, which was personally led by the emperor. After killing and burning, they broke out again. They were quite arrogant. His father was Shi Jingsi, who died in the battle to help Li Keyong break out of the siege at Shangyuan Post Station.

But now, faced with a demon like Yang Feng, they have no choice but to surrender to their father's killer.

Of course, he'd give the governorship to the man who killed his father!
He could become a military governor, but the hatred of killing his father was nothing. He only became a prefect by following Li Keyong!
Meanwhile, on the west bank of the Fen River, thousands of troops were also arrayed in formation.

On this side are Zhu Youqian's Hedong troops, a fan of iron certificates, and Li Renfu's Dingnan Army, under Gao Zongyi. The current military governor of Dingnan Army is Li Sijian, either Li Sigong's or Tuoba Sigong's younger brother. Including these two families, a total of ten military governors are participating in the Battle of Jinyang. Li Cunxu, who has been constantly calling for revenge for his father, did not send troops, citing his mourning period as the reason. In fact, Zhu Wen did not welcome his participation, as he was the military governor of Hedong. If Li Cunxu participated in the recapture of Jinyang and then refused to leave, Zhu Wen would be in an awkward position.

He is the military governor of Hedong, so it makes perfect sense for him to be in Jinyang!

You sealed it!

We can't go back on our word, can we?

But why should we give him Jinyang City, which the Great Liang conquered?
But at this moment, the vast army remained motionless, or rather, the main force on the east bank of the Fen River remained stationary. After all, the Fen River stretched before them, and the bridge to cross it was located within Jinyang City. Even if the cavalry could find shallows to wade across, the Tang army was arrayed at Jinci, ready to ambush them while they were crossing. Although the Hezhong and Dingnan armies could launch a direct attack, why should only the two of them be involved in the ten-section attack? Besides, they wouldn't give up Jinyang after it was captured.

However, if the main force wants to cross the river safely, then the only option is to launch a strong attack on Jinyang City.

That won't work either.

Even Zhu Wen's personal campaign failed to conquer it, so how could they possibly take it in a short time?
Furthermore, Jinyang is a three-city integrated entity. Even if we capture the eastern city, we still cannot cross the river without capturing the central city. The Fen River flows through the central city, and even if we capture the central city, it will be useless. The western city is the main body of Jinyang City, and we must capture the western city before we can leave the western city and fight the Tang army.

Yang Feng's challenge to a decisive battle at Jinci actually presented the Ten Military Governors with a difficult problem.

They want a decisive battle.

But this bastard has his back to the mountain and his face to the river, so if you want to attack, you have to cross the river first. If you cross the river, he will attack you halfway across. If you don't cross the river, you can't have a decisive battle and can only launch a strong attack on Jinyang. But launching a strong attack on Jinyang is the last thing they want. Although you can cross the river safely from downstream, in the middle of the river and behind the Dingnan Army, the area around Jinci is too narrow, only six or seven li from east to west. Their forces cannot be deployed, and they can't even form a proper battle formation.

An army of 100,000, especially with a large number of cavalry, would be arrayed for at least several dozen miles.

Especially the cavalry.

The bigger the battlefield, the better.

A narrow plain of six or seven miles can only accommodate a maximum of twenty or thirty thousand people, and that is infantry on the battlefield.

Then add oil.

The Tang army, with their backs to Jinci, could freely stretch their ranks facing the Fen River. Even if the Liang army crossed the river, they would be fighting with their backs to the water, putting them at a disadvantage by all accounts, especially since this was a coalition with its own agenda. Wang Rong wanted to fight but didn't want to suffer too many losses. Luo Shaowei was even less inclined to, as his strength had already been greatly diminished after his disastrous mistake. In recent years, to avoid being annexed by Zhu Wen, he had relied entirely on servility and flattery. If he suffered further losses, Zhu Wen would truly show no mercy. Zhu Youqian and the Dingnan army were merely there to observe. In short, the decisive battle was now somewhat awkward. The two armies stared at each other across the Fen River, with the southern Hezhong soldiers and the Dingnan soldiers acting as a makeshift atmosphere. Moreover, these were seasoned veterans, unlikely to make such a basic mistake as impulsiveness.

The Tang army has a whole row of founding fathers, with three of them alone enshrined in the Lingyan Pavilion!
Zhang Gongjin was also transferred here.

In any case, Yang Feng mobilized his troops by opening spatial rifts and coming directly from Chang'an.

Zhang Gongjin, Wang Haibin, and Wang Xiaojie were all called up for what could be called the decisive battle in Hedong.

"Open all the gates of Jinyang, and have all the soldiers and civilians in the city retreat to the west city and then into the three northern cities. Tell the other side to go through Jinyang and then come over to form ranks. Our army will not attack them while they are forming ranks."

Yang Feng said.

Jinyang was roughly composed of three cities side by side: east, west, and central. The Fen River flowed through the central city, but in reality, there were six cities in total. This was because the core Daming Palace, or Jinyang Palace, was located north of the western city, and north of Jinyang Palace were the new city and the granary city, which together formed the northern three cities.

"What if they occupy Jinyang?"

Zhou Dewei said in astonishment.

"Let them do as they please. If they are willing to divide their forces to occupy Jinyang instead of going out of the city for a decisive battle, I have no objection."

Yang Feng said.

"What if they don't believe it?"

Fu Cunshen said.

Whether or not Jinyang is occupied is not important. What is important is to defeat the Tang army. If the Tang army is defeated, Jinyang will still belong to the Liang army. However, if Jinyang is occupied, troops will have to be divided to defend it. At that time, the Liang army will weaken its forces for the decisive battle. If it leads to defeat, Jinyang will be out of control. The Liang army will not do such a thing. But the problem is that the Liang army may not believe in such a good thing that seems too good to be true!
"I am a deity, how could I lie to people? Besides, I have already opened up Jinyang City, do you think they still don't believe me?"

Yang Feng said.

Fu Cunshen didn't dare say anything more.

He knew very well that Liang Jun was still going to take the risk because they still had to form a battle line with their backs to the river. If they formed a battle line with their backs to Jinyang City, the garrison and able-bodied men of the three northern cities could come out of the city and attack them from behind at any time.

The Grand Preceptor's trap was designed to force them to form a defensive line with their backs to the wall.

They know it too.

So the imperial advisor kept offering them bait.

They can't help but be unable to resist.

but……

This is war.

It's not like we're inviting them to come and have fun.

Besides, they have almost a three-fold advantage. They can't just keep looking at each other like this. Forming a defensive formation with their backs to the river also gives them a three-fold advantage!

"How could a deity lie!"

Watching Zhou Dewei and his companion descend the mountain, Yang Feng smiled deeply.

"Gods are the biggest liars."

He went on to say.

Soon, the soldiers and civilians in Jinyang began to retreat. At the same time, the east gate of Jinyang opened, and Zhou Dewei and his cavalry escort charged straight to the enemy lines, informing them of the Grand Preceptor's invitation. They then returned, but the gate was not closed again. Immediately afterward, Liang's scouts entered the east gate of Jinyang. After confirming that no one was there, they immediately returned to report. Then, Cheng De's troops entered the city first, followed by Yang Shihou and Kang Huaiying, who were the battlefield commanders.

They continued to probe forward, only to find that Midtown was deserted as well.

Further west, there was no one left in the city.

Soon Yang Shihou and Kang Huaiying led their guards out of the west city, looking suspiciously at the Tang army in formation.

Zhou Dewei and his companion immediately stepped forward and told them that they could now form ranks for the final battle.

They still couldn't quite believe it.

Very normal.

It's unbelievable to most people. But it's the truth. Jinyang, which Zhu Wen couldn't conquer even with all his might, is now under their feet with ease. More Liang cavalry are pouring out from behind them, but they dare not form a defensive line with their backs to the city. After all, the garrison in the three northern cities of Jinyang could open their city gates at any time and launch a surprise attack from the rear.

They had no choice but to form a defensive formation with their backs to the river.

Fortunately, these two were not hesitant. The Liang army continued to pour out from behind them, forming ranks with their backs to the river on the west bank of the Fen River. The Tang army did not attack, but simply watched calmly. The Liang army continued to pour out from the west city of Jinyang, their ranks stretching along the Fen River, yet the Tang army remained unmoved. Liang generals, filled with what could be described as ecstatic joy, continuously passed through Jinyang and completed their ranks on the Fen River. Even as a precaution, a pontoon bridge across the Fen River was rapidly erected behind them, protected by the already completed formation, making retreat easy should anything happen. This continued until the afternoon, when over 100,000 Liang soldiers had completed their ranks with their backs to the river.

Four pontoon bridges were also erected behind them.

The Fen River is not the Yellow River.

They even built a simple fortified village at the bridgehead.

To facilitate the transport of supplies, they even started from the gates of Jinyang and quickly erected a long protective wall using vehicles found inside the city to prevent the Tang army from launching a surprise attack and cutting off this line.

These guys were all seasoned veterans, and their battle preparations were impeccable.

Tang Jun watched the whole process.

Even while they were making arrangements, Tang Jun leisurely ate lunch.

The Tang soldiers happily watched them work while they ate their meals.

All done.

Not yet.

Liang Jun launched the first attack.

"That sorcerer, come out and face your death!"

Like the dead Li Cunxiao, Shi Jiantang carried an iron mace and led a hundred cavalrymen to challenge the Tang army.

But no one paid any attention to him.

The Tang soldiers opposite him were looking at him with amusement, as if he were an idiot.

Amidst his shouts, the main force of the Liang army behind him began to advance. Countless heavily armored soldiers, like iron canisters, marched forward with a tremor that shook the ground, their steel armor scraping against the walls. At the forefront were countless archers, wielding longbows and laden with arrows, followed by heavily armored infantry armed with various weapons.

However, the proportion of weapons like the horse lance and the long-handled broadsword has decreased significantly, especially the horse lance, which is now very rare, and the long-handled broadsword has been replaced by more ordinary horse-slaying broadswords...

Li Cunzhang was tricked in this way.

It wasn't that he was no match for Kan Leng, but rather that the latter's giant longsword was far superior in quality and weight to his horse-slaying sword.

It was cut in half with a single stroke.

In the chaotic world of the late Tang Dynasty, even under the Jiedushi system, financial resources were limited. Expensive, aristocratic weapons were rapidly being replaced by relatively cheap and simple weapons. After all, a Jiedushi with only two or three prefectures needed to maintain an army of tens of thousands.

We must be careful with our money.

"That fiend, come out and face your death!"

Shi Jiantang continued to swagger and show off in front of the Tang army's formation.

He even led his cavalrymen in a charge towards the Tang army formation.

then……

He suddenly stopped.

He looked at the towering mountains behind the Tang army with some doubt.

A distant rumble of thunder seemed to echo from the sky, reverberating through the mountains and forests.

He stared blankly.

The cavalry behind him also stopped, staring blankly at the scene just as he did.

The Tang army opposite them finally stopped looking relaxed.

However, the Liang army, which was advancing in formation behind them, did not hear this sound. Their footsteps completely drowned it out, and amidst the rumbling war drums, they even kept shouting, thus continuously closing the distance between themselves and the Tang army's formation.

Shi Jiantang continued to watch with puzzlement. The muffled thunder grew clearer and clearer. Suddenly, his gaze became fixed on the gap in the Tang army's formation. It was a mountain pass with a stream flowing out from it, and behind it was a patch of green. However, the green was swaying, and some trees were even falling, as if a prehistoric beast was charging out...

He turned around abruptly in terror.

"Retreat immediately, flash flood!"

He was screaming like a madman.

At the same time, he was charging madly towards the Tang army, which was obviously on higher ground.

A general there was watching him with great interest.

Almost simultaneously, the mountain torrent within the valley, like a colossal, earthen-yellow dragon, violently smashed through everything in its path, pushing aside fallen trees and surging forward with a terrifying, all-consuming force. The advancing Liang army was completely stunned. They stared in disbelief as this earthen-yellow dragon burst through the gap in the Tang army's formation, as if unleashed by the Tang forces, surging forward along the stream that originally flowed into the Fen River. The once trickling stream instantly swelled into a destructive torrent, carrying away swept-up trees and even tumbling rocks, rushing towards them with overwhelming power.

Then it continues to expand.

The stream's bed could not contain it, and it even began to split rapidly, rushing into all the gullies.

Unfortunately, all the ravines lead to the Fen River behind Liang Jun.

Liang Jun broke down instantly.

Everyone knew what they were about to face.

Having grown up on both sides of the Taihang Mountains, they knew exactly what a flash flood meant.

But it's too late.

It was only a few miles away, but the raging mountain torrents were much faster than them.

Amid Liang Jun's desperate screams, torrents of water, like giant, earthen-yellow dragons, crashed fiercely into them...

Meanwhile, in the nearby mountains, upstream of another stream that also flowed towards the Fen River, Yang Feng, like a true demon, stood on a boulder, wielding his nine-section staff towards the stream below. Before the staff, which had been absorbing water from the Yellow River all day, the river water surged forth like sand bursting from the Xiaolangdi Dam, transforming into a yellow dragon that plunged into the stream, crashing against the banks and continuing its course outwards, flattening everything in its path.

The earthen-yellow color symbolizes the dragon galloping forward.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared from his sight.

"I hope those Tangut soldiers will like it."

He said it with utter malice.

Meanwhile, the Dingnan army, arrayed downstream, was awestruck by the spectacular sight of the flash flood surging against the Liang army, completely unaware that a similarly yellowish-brown dragon was rushing towards them from the mountains.

"We still have to clean up the mess downstream, otherwise this sudden flood peak could have leveled Pingyang Prefecture."

Yang Feng sighed.

Then he immediately flew south.

(End of this chapter)