The prince is more stable

Chapter 426: The Battle Situation Changes Dramatically
The year is unlucky and disasters may come from the sky.

The sky seemed to have fallen for Yelu Yanxi.

I never thought that I would stir up a hornet's nest just by going out hunting.

No one told him that there was an enemy ambush outside the Liao army camp. If he had known earlier, he would never have left the camp.

Yelu Yanxi stared blankly at the troops surrounding them. He could tell at a glance from their clothes that this army was the Song army.

The uniforms of the Song Dynasty's wing army are dark red cloth armor, which is the original equipment of the novice village, with defense +1, agility +1, and the color of the uniforms is not uniform.

Those from poor families only wore cloth clothes issued by the court. Those from better-off families bought or made two pieces of leather armor to protect their chest and back, with defense +2 and agility -1.

The weapons in their hands were not uniform, some held halberds, some held long-handled paddles, and some held bows and spears...

In short, it is easy to see the difference between the wing troops and the imperial guards from their uniforms and weapons.

The army in front of them looked like a group of hungry and desperate rabble who had just come down from the mountains to rob.

Yelu Yanxi's head was buzzing, and a question kept popping up in his mind.

How could I, the great Crown Prince of Liao, be surrounded by such a group of people?

This isn't a matter of shame or not, this is a lifelong disgrace! If it really fell into their hands, and Yelu Yanxi ascended the throne in the future, this dark history would be enough to make the entire court laugh until their descendants were extinct, because everyone alive would die of laughter.

Yelu Yanxi's eyelids twitched violently and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated. It was a very cold day, but drops of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

The only thought in his mind now was that he must not be captured, as the consequences would be too serious.

Yelu Yanxi's expression was solemn. He turned his head and quickly said to the guards around him, "There are fewer people on the east side. Let's gather them and attack with all our strength to break through the eastern defense line. If you help me break out, I will send troops to rescue you."

The guard nodded.

Then, fighting spirit burned in Yelu Yanxi's eyes. He gripped his knife tightly, staring at the relatively weak defense line in the east. Suddenly, he exhaled and shouted in a deep voice.

"At this moment, break out..."

Before he could finish his words, the man took only one step forward and kicked Yelu Yanxi's chest with a big foot, sending him flying backwards and falling heavily to the ground.

Yelu Yanxi had never suffered such humiliation since he was a child. He lay on the ground with red eyes.

Shao Jing and Feng Sheng separated from their generals and walked into the encirclement. Looking at the Liao cavalry of a hundred men, they showed extreme confusion and puzzlement in their eyes.

"These guys are not that powerful. What were they laughing at just now? Why were they laughing so wildly?" Shao Jing scratched his head, puzzled.

Feng Sheng stepped forward, staring at Yelu Yanxi and the others, and said coldly, "Would you like to wait for us to kill a bunch of them before surrendering, or would you like to lay down your weapons and surrender now? It's your choice."

After a series of clanging noises, the guards had thrown away their swords, bows and arrows. One of them was so sensible that he even picked up a hunting dog that was watching the fun innocently and handed it over.

Shao Jing nodded with satisfaction: "Tie them all up! Interrogate them immediately and find out where their main force is."

This question is very important. Shao Jing didn't believe that the Liao army was so stupid as to send only a hundred people to wipe them out, so the Liao army must be ambushing somewhere, or had gradually formed an encirclement of the Xiang army from a distance.

At this time, Yelu Yanxi and his personal guards could only be slaughtered and tied up by the Xiang army, like hairy crabs on the market in autumn.

Shao Jing immediately spotted Yelu Yanxi, who stood out in the crowd. He walked up to him, stared into his eyes, and said slowly, "Are you the idiot who laughed so loudly just now?"

Yelu Yanxi was startled, his heart filled with endless humiliation. He gritted his teeth and said in awkward Central Plains Mandarin, "I did laugh just now, and I admit that it was a bit loud, but I'm not a fool!"

Shao Jing nodded slowly: "He's so stubborn, smiling so foolishly, and still refuses to admit that he's a fool. He's a ruthless character. Come on, treat him well!"

Yelu Yanxi and a hundred personal guards were taken into the forest.

The five thousand Xiang troops also quickly retreated. Shao Jing said with a worried look on his face, "We don't know when our whereabouts were discovered. Perhaps the Liao army's scouts noticed us. We have no idea what the purpose of these one hundred people coming here is, where their main force is, or how many people are surrounding us."

Feng Sheng nodded. "We must send out scouts to investigate in all four directions. We must also send someone to inform Zhe Keshi and Zhang Rong's troops ten miles away."

Shao Jing hummed and said, "That idiot just now must be severely interrogated. He is the leader and wears luxurious clothes. It seems that he has a high position in the Liao army. Although I don't understand why this idiot dared to challenge our five thousand soldiers with only a hundred people, he must have a conspiracy!"

Feng Sheng thought about it and carefully speculated: "Maybe it's because he is a fool, so he is fearless..."

Shao Jing shook his head solemnly and said firmly: "It's impossible for a person to be so stupid!"

After a while, a soldier from the Xiang army came hurriedly to report.

"General, that fool was beaten to a pulp, but he just said he was out hunting."

Shao Jing sneered, "He's really being stubborn. The two armies are about to engage in a major battle, and the area within a hundred miles is fraught with danger. And now he's talking about going out hunting? You're kidding! Only a fool would do such a thing! Continue the interrogation and give him a good beating! We must get the truth out of him."

In the dense forest, there were bursts of crisp sounds of whips hitting people, accompanied by Yelu Yanxi's shrill cries.

"Tell me! Where is your main force!" The soldiers of the Xiang army who were carrying out the execution shouted with a ferocious look on their faces.

"What main force? What does it mean? I don't know!" Yelu Yanxi cried.

"Tell it or not——!" The soldiers gritted their teeth and asked while torturing him.

"Ah—the main force! The Liao army camp ten miles away is the main force!"

"Who doesn't know about the Liao army camp? I'm asking where the main force of the Liao army surrounding us is. How dare they fool me?"

"What encirclement? Can you please speak human language? There is no main force! I came out hunting, where did the main force come from?" Yelu Yanxi was both sad and helpless.

"Okay, okay! You're a real man! Now, what is your identity?"

Yelu Yanxi kept his mouth shut. He could confess anything, but his identity was absolutely unacceptable. Otherwise, if the Song army knew that he was the Liao emperor's grandson, his fate would be even more miserable. The Liao court would also be thrown into great shock, and the Liao army would be at a disadvantage in every way when facing the Song army.

I have to say that Yelu Yanxi really became smart at this time.

Although he looks silly when he smiles, he is not stupid at all.

a long time.

The soldiers of the Xiang army hurried over to report.

"General, that fool still refuses to surrender and won't tell us where the main force is."

Shao Jing and Feng Sheng were stunned, their eyes full of surprise.

The fool looked so young and weak, as if he had been drained by alcohol and sex. I didn't expect him to be so tight-lipped. He was wrong.

"He's a real man!" Shao Jing's eyes showed admiration. "Although the Liao Kingdom is our enemy, it's undeniable that they also have some brave men."

Feng Sheng said with a complicated expression, "It's a pity that we are enemies, otherwise I really want to make friends with this person."

"When dealing with a hero like this, we must fulfill his loyalty and bravery. Tell the soldiers not to show mercy and continue to interrogate him harshly. He will get what he wants. The Song Dynasty will fulfill his wish. If he is interrogated to death, we will bury him with the ceremony of a hero." Shao Jing ordered solemnly.

Now the two of them were full of admiration for Yelu Yanxi and no longer called him a fool.

A scout came galloping over on horseback. He didn't dismount even when he reached the edge of the forest. He shouted, "General, there's a troop movement from the Liao army camp to the east. Five thousand soldiers are leaving the camp and heading straight for this place!"

"We've been on the road for half an hour now, and we'll be here in about another half an hour."

Shao Jing and Feng Sheng were cheered up.

"The Liao army actually left the camp?" The two were surprised.

Until this moment, they still haven't forgotten their original intention.

What was the original intention?
It's to lure the enemy!

I originally thought that Yelu Chun's cautious use of troops and his strategy of luring the enemy had failed, but...

Five thousand Liao soldiers actually left the camp? And they were heading straight for him. This was simply a gift from nature!

"Orders, prepare the entire army!" Shao Jing gave the order without hesitation: "Everyone, assemble! Exit the dense forest and head east to meet the 5,000 Liao troops. Also, quickly send a message to Zhe Keshi and Zhang Rong's troops ten miles away. They are about to be lured into our planned ambush!"

"Remember, our army must retreat immediately upon contact with the Liao army. We must not linger in the battle. Our mission is to lure the enemy, not to fight them to the death!"

The soldiers were excited and responded loudly.

Feng Sheng pointed at Yelu Yanxi and the others who were tied up in the forest and asked, "What should we do with them? Kill them or let them go?"

Shao Jing thought for a moment and said, "Take them all with you. One hundred men is a military achievement, and capturing them alive is also a merit. If we send them to the Duke of Zhao, it's not too much to exchange for one hundred dan of grain, right? We earned this with our own hands, not begged for it."

Feng Sheng sighed with regret, "The Dragon Guards went out with money, food, women, cattle, sheep, and horses, and we only captured a hundred or so people. It's really not worth mentioning. But even a little is still meat. A small reward from Lord Zhao will be enough."

Shao Jing jumped on his horse, waved his hand and shouted, "Let's go!"

…………

Two hours later, at the Liao army camp.

Yelu Chun sat in the general's tent with empty eyes, listening to the scout's report.

"Five thousand Song soldiers appeared in the forest ten miles away?"

"Yes."

"The Crown Prince and more than a hundred personal guards also went in that direction?" Yelu Chun's heart sank suddenly, falling into the abyss.

"Yes!"

"The Crown Prince..." Yelu Chun's eyes showed fear.

The scout lowered his head and said, "The Crown Prince and his personal guards must have... encountered those 5,000 Song soldiers."

Yelu Chun's hands and feet suddenly became cold. He turned his head and looked around, then took out a pot of wine from under the table and poured it into his mouth. After a burst of warmth and dizziness, his mind became clearer.

"Damn it! Damn it! Yelu Yanxi, you've caused me such a big mistake!" Yelu Chun exploded after a period of silence, cursing loudly while standing in the general's tent.

If nothing unexpected happens, Yelu Yanxi should have met with an accident.

However, something unexpected happened to the Crown Prince, and the strategies and tactics of Yelu Chun and his 40,000 Liao troops were thrown into chaos.

If the Crown Prince fell into the hands of the Song army, it would be a serious disaster.

It is no exaggeration to say that it was more serious than the defeat of the Liao army.

Now Yelu Chun no longer has the mind to think about strategies such as shrinking defense and waiting for reinforcements. What he has to do now is to rescue Yelu Yanxi at all costs.

If anything happened to Yelu Yanxi, Yelu Chun's official career would be over. Not only that, he would be brought to Beijing to be punished, and his entire family would be implicated.

What is the outcome of the Song-Liao war now?
Not important anymore.

"Send the order, all troops leave the camp and pursue those 5,000 Song soldiers. No matter what the cost, we must surround them!" Yelu Chun looked a little crazy, his eyes red as he growled.

(End of this chapter)