The prince is more stable

Chapter 566 Passive Confrontation
Unbeknownst to Zhao Xiaoqian, his father-in-law and Zong Ze had discovered an incredible secret through calculations.

The unreasonableness of the Liao army's attack targets made the two men suspicious.

Under normal circumstances, if the Liao army wanted to attack Daming Prefecture, it would have to have at least 100,000 soldiers and horses. Once the troops were dispatched, a series of chain reactions would occur in both the Song and Liao countries, and all the troops of the two countries would engage in a fierce battle over this city.

Now, with only 30,000 Liao troops, they actually dared to march south and head straight to Daming Prefecture. This is obviously unreasonable.

"What's Yelu Otera's idea? Planning to make a feint to the east and attack in the west?" Zong Ze muttered to himself.

Inside the general's tent, Di Zi pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I'm afraid Yelu Otera wouldn't have the guts to come up with this idea. It's most likely Yelu Hongji's idea. Only he has the ambition and courage to do so. Furthermore, as the Liao Emperor, he's concerned with the overall situation, not just a single city or region."

"Only by capturing Zhending City can the Liao Kingdom's passive situation be reversed. Our Song army will be attacked and harassed by the Liao Kingdom from all sides, and the offensive and defensive situation between the Song and Liao Kingdoms will return to the situation of the past. This is Yelu Hongji's ambition. He is unwilling to accept the rise of the Song Dynasty and he wants to reverse the situation."

Zong Ze nodded: "General Di's words make sense, and I completely agree."

"I will now send a letter to His Royal Highness the Prince over eight hundred miles away, explaining this matter clearly."

Di Zi added, "Of course, we need to send the letter, but our army must also set out immediately and march quickly towards Zhending Prefecture. We only have one day at most."

"We must intercept the 30,000 Liao troops on their way to Zhending before Yelu Otera leads his troops to change their route. We can end this trouble in one decisive battle."

Zong Ze said without hesitation, "Alright, I'll issue the order immediately. I'll also send a letter to Daming Prefecture Governor Lü Huiqing, stating this matter. The defense of Daming Prefecture will be handed over to the local garrison. If the 30,000 Liao troops really attack Daming Prefecture, with the military strength of Daming Prefecture, it won't be a problem to hold out for a month."

"A month is enough time for our army to recover and then surround and annihilate them."

Di Zi showed hesitation on his face and whispered, "General Zong, all of this is just our guesses. What if we're wrong? If you move the army without permission, if you miss the opportunity to fight and cause casualties to the people in Daming Prefecture or nearby, His Royal Highness will be..."

Zong Ze gritted his teeth and said, "I am the commander-in-chief. If the opportunity to fight is missed, all the responsibility lies with me. I will enforce the military law myself without complaint."

Di Zi hurriedly said, "The general and I share the same military law."

The two looked at each other and couldn't help feeling some pressure in their hearts.

If the calculation is wrong and the enemy's intentions and goals are misjudged, it will be a disaster. Even if His Royal Highness the Prince is willing to forgive them, he will not be able to help them find a reason to shirk responsibility.

Zong Ze suddenly slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "As a general, you should be decisive and act immediately. Why are you thinking about so many useless things? If I'm wrong about the enemy, I have no right to eat this bowl of rice. You can kill me as you please!"

"Come here, pass the order, the army will set off now and head for Zhending City!"

"Within this camp, there is no need to move the tents and flags. Leave behind a thousand soldiers to create a decoy and confuse the Liao scouts."

…………

East Road, at the foot of an unnamed mountain between Datong Prefecture and Taiyuan Prefecture.

The 20,000-strong Eastern Army of the Song Dynasty and the 30,000-strong Liao Army faced each other at the foot of the mountain. The two sides set up camps 20 miles apart.

The standoff had lasted for two days and two nights. During this period, scouts from both sides met and several small-scale battles took place between them. Apart from that, there were no major conflicts between the two sides, and the main forces remained in the camp.

The chief general of the Song army in the east, Zhe Keshi, the chief general of the Liao army, Xiao Wuna, and his disappointing son Xiao Guangjing.

It is more like a confrontation between these three people than a confrontation between the two armies.

Before the battle, Zhao Xiaoqian privately instructed Zhe Keshi to give Xiao Wuna's troops some slack.

Zhe Keshi kept it in mind, and until the two armies met, he really did not move a single soldier. He just set up camp and passively confronted the Liao army.

Many generals were puzzled and asked questions one after another. Those with a more impatient temper simply asked for a fight, but were scolded back by Zhe Keshi one by one.

Zhe Keshi was also very aggrieved. He didn't understand why he was assigned such a strange task. The Liao army was his mortal enemy. When they met, it was natural for them to show their strength. Whoever had the bigger fist would win, and they could go back and claim credit with pride.

As a result, Zhao Xiaoqian's words of letting the enemy go made Zhe Keshi and his 20,000 Song soldiers feel as if their hands and feet were tied, unable to move.

In the past two days, Zhe Keshi had smashed countless wine jars and wine cups in the general's tent, and his generals were all scolded by him. Zhe Keshi also talked about the female ancestors of so many generals who had had countless super-friendly relationships with them.

Should we fight or not? Of course we should fight. Letting them go is fine, but His Royal Highness the Prince did not say that he would let them go without killing anyone.

But how to fight? Could someone tell Xiao Wuna, "You have 30,000 soldiers, why don't you send 10,000 to retreat? I'll take care of the remaining 20,000. Please cooperate and don't be ungrateful..."

During the two days of confrontation, Zhe Keshi lost his temper countless times, but finally he seemed to understand something.

There must be a reason why His Royal Highness the Prince wanted to let Xiao Wuna off the hook.

So, could it be that Xiao Wuna is...

Zhe Keshi wasn't just a soldier who knew how to lead troops in battle; he'd heard a bit about what was happening outside the barracks. He'd heard that two years ago, Xiao Wuna's son, Xiao Guangjing, had come to Bianjing as an envoy from the Liao Kingdom. It seemed that at the time, the Prince of the County was only the Crown Prince of Chu. At that time, the sons of the powerful and influential in the city had all had some contact with Xiao Guangjing...

So, if we extrapolate this, could it be that the true identities of Xiao Wuna and his son are...

Zhe Keshi seemed to vaguely understand why Zhao Xiaoqian went easy on them.

But this matter is too sensitive, and Zhe Keshi cannot mention it to anyone. If the father and son of the Xiao family are from the Song Dynasty, they should think carefully about how to fight this war.

His Royal Highness the Prince gave Xiao Wuna a break, probably hoping he could preserve some of his strength and escape back, perhaps even get promoted and get closer to the Liao Kingdom's power center...

In the Liao army camp, which was twenty miles away from the Song army camp, Xiao Wuna was quite calm.

Since encountering the Song army two days ago, the 20,000 Song troops on the opposite side did not directly attack the Liao army. Instead, they set up camp at their leisure, posing as a long-term containment and confrontation posture.

From then on, Xiao Wuna vaguely understood the attitude of the Song army. The attitude of the Song army might be the same as Zhao Xiaoqian's attitude. He had guessed correctly that Zhao Xiaoqian was planning to give him a credit.

It can’t really be called a credit. At most, it is just that the other two supporting roles serve to highlight this big red flower.

Defeat is inevitable, but the question of to what extent and how much strength can be retained before retreating is very subtle. After returning, the Liao emperor will naturally have his own judgment in his mind, and Xiao Wuna will stand out.

It's a little funny, but also a little sad.

In a national-level war, one was not valued for military merit, but was promoted for having fewer soldiers die. This clearly showed that the Liao Dynasty was heading downhill and could not be pulled back even by nine oxen.

The Liao army camp is very quiet tonight.

Xiao Wuna sat in the general's tent, thinking alone for a long time, and suddenly ordered the drums to be beaten to gather the generals.

After a while, the Liao army generals under his command gathered in the tent.

Xiao Wuna stood up and looked around at the generals. He said in a deep voice, "We have been facing the Song army for two days. It is obvious that the Song army has realized our intentions. I am afraid that we can no longer capture Song Taiyuan Prefecture."

The generals were silent, but they all agreed with Xiao Wuna's words.

The original plan was to launch a surprise attack on the Taiyuan Prefecture of the Song Dynasty. Now this army of 20,000 soldiers blocked the Liao army's route. The so-called surprise attack was of course declared a failure and had no meaning at all.

The question now facing the Liao army is whether to withdraw immediately or fight the Song army before leaving?
An unfathomable light flashed in Xiao Wuna's eyes, and he said slowly with a sullen face, "Since the surprise attack failed, it's meaningless for us to fight the Song army. However, we can't retreat."

The generals were stunned.

Xiao Wuna continued, "This battle was ordered by His Majesty himself. The purpose isn't just to raid Taiyuan Prefecture. You should know that we have three armies dispatched simultaneously, and our primary target is the Song Kingdom's Zhending City..."

"Zhending City will be taken care of by the central army. That is the responsibility of Yelu Chun, the Nanjing garrison. Our Eastern Army's mission is not only to take care of Taiyuan Prefecture, but also to contain the Song army and prevent them from returning to support Zhending City."

"If we withdraw, it will inevitably affect the entire war situation. If His Majesty then holds us accountable, who among you here will be able to bear the responsibility?"

The generals looked at each other in silence.

Yes, their troops did not come only for Taiyuan Prefecture, but also had another mission to contain the Song army. Now that the raid on Taiyuan Prefecture has failed, if the mission of containing the Song army is not completed, everyone present will inevitably be brought to the capital to be punished.

Taking everyone's expressions in mind, Xiao Wuna slowly said, "In my opinion, since we can't surprise attack Taiyuan Prefecture, why not confront the Song army here until Zhending City is captured by Yelu Chun? The Song army confronting us will surely panic and return for support. Then we can pursue them..."

One general couldn't help but ask, "What should we do if the Song army on the other side attacks us first?"

Xiao Wuna sighed and said, "If the Song army attacks first, we will have no choice but to fight back. Deserting from the battlefield is a serious crime, and I'm sure you can't afford to do that, right?"

The generals remained silent, their faces turning ugly.

Although the Song army on the opposite side had fewer people than the Liao army, they were all equipped with firearms. The Liao generals had all heard of the power of the Song army's firearms. If the Song army launched an attack, it would be difficult for their army to be defeated.

Now it is neither possible to retreat nor to attack, and the Liao army does not even have the confidence to passively fight back. It seems that they are trapped in a strange vortex from which they cannot escape.

Xiao Wuna then said, "In my opinion, it would be better to allocate 10,000 troops and retreat 30 miles, leaving 20,000 troops to deal with the Song army. Even if we can't win, we can still take some troops back and avoid being completely wiped out. What do you think?"

The generals hesitated for a while and felt that Xiao Wuna's decision was the most appropriate and correct one. At least the punishment after the defeat would not be too severe.

So all the generals nodded in agreement.

Xiao Wuna smiled, stood up, and said, "Then, it's decided. We will deploy 10,000 troops now and set up camp 30 miles back. If fighting breaks out in our main camp, these 10,000 troops will not need to rescue us and will immediately withdraw north to Datong Prefecture."

(End of this chapter)