You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 86 Breaking off friendship and righteousness
The bright spring sunshine shines on the Red Willow River.

The river has a beautiful name, derived from the red willow tree, a unique species found only in the harsh northwest.

In May, the red willows are in bloom, their pale red or pink catkins are a beautiful sight.

Red twigs and pink petals sway in the wind, like a beautiful and charming young girl on the grassland, swaying her waist and dancing gracefully.

Liang Duomai remained standing on the watchtower of Hongzhou city wall, quietly watching the movements of the Song army on the opposite bank.

The Red Willow River flows slowly past his city of Hongzhou. Liang Duomai was momentarily lost in thought, recalling his youth when he hunted with a group of boy companions along the banks of the Red Willow River.

He rubbed his round forehead vigorously, straightened up, and looked around, trying to focus on the battlefield and stop his mind from wandering.

He had been completely worn down by the Song army's tactics.

Looking out, the fields resembled a giant pot of boiling porridge. The dust kicked up by the horse caravan swirled across the land like turbid floods.

The scattered and disorganized soldiers were running around, adding to the chaos of the battlefield.

While observing the chaos in his field of vision, Liang Duomai racked his brains, trying to connect the scene before him with the initial plan, stitching together the threads of the situation!

He sent some cavalrymen to break through the encirclement, but they were hunted down and killed by the Song army.
Those men he sent out were originally intended as a diversionary force to cover his breakout from the east.

But they were defeated too quickly.

Just like a fledgling bird that has just spread its wings, it is hunted by an eagle.

"Boom! Boom!" After the drums sounded, the powerful sound of horns filled the entire sky.

Liang Duomai closed his eyes tightly. He knew that the new siege equipment on the other side had arrived again. The city walls of Hongzhou had been bombarded for so long that they were already riddled with holes.

The siege equipment on the other side was becoming increasingly outrageous; some of the wooden siege engines were even as tall as the city walls.

The Song soldiers above hid behind bunkers lined with tanned cowhide and used arrows from the loopholes to mow down the defenders on the city walls.

Even more outrageous, opposite Hongzhou, outside the Song army camp, they even built a fortification that was taller than the city wall of Hongzhou.

Liang Duomai was unaware that those were the city walls that Chen Shao had expanded after planning to take Hongzhou.

"The Song people are so boring," Liang Duoma thought weakly, too lazy to even curse.

Whenever he painstakingly gathers men and women from the city to defend it, he is inexplicably attacked and killed.

The Song army on the other side could have easily captured Hongzhou, but instead chose to kill with a dull knife.

Although Hongzhou City was not well-defended, in a normal siege, Liang Duoma was willing to defend the city to the death, delaying the Song army's advance as much as possible and giving the court leverage for negotiations.

The city has a sufficient supply of food and provisions, enough to last for three to five months.

However, this tactic of besieging without attacking, attacking without breaking through, and specifically targeting the defenders, nearly drove him to the brink of collapse.

Several junior officers arrived together, each with a somber expression.

Liang Duomai looked at them coldly and said, "Why are you all here without orders, instead of properly guarding the city?"

The group met his sharp gaze head-on without flinching, probably never having been so defiant towards Shangguan in their entire lives.

"Commander Liang, why don't you break through!"

After one of the young officers shouted, several men behind him, their faces flushed with excitement, stepped forward and asked, "Why didn't you break through?"

Liang Duomai's personal guards immediately drew their swords, ready to kill these young military officers who had defied their superiors.

Liang Duomai's eyes gleamed as he stared intently at the young military officers. "Are you planning a rebellion?!"

The young military officer leading the group was of low rank, and Liang Duomai did not recognize him at all. He saw that the young man's face was flushed red as he roared, "We are all loyal Tangut men who swear to die rather than surrender, but we are not willing to die here in disgrace."

Why must we hide in ditches and corners, waiting to be shot through by the Song soldiers? We are warriors, we have steel swords in our hands, we have warhorses beneath us, we must fight!

The young man became more and more excited as he spoke, raising his arm and pounding his chest loudly.

Liang Duomai was stunned by his shout, and wished he could immediately rush out with a surge of hot blood and lead them to fight his way out.

However, he quickly calmed down and charged out, which was tantamount to falling into the Song people's trap.

They were probably afraid that if they broke through, they would be caught in street fighting with themselves, which would allow them to kill as many Song people as possible.

The more they fear something, the more they want to do it.

Looking at the group of spirited young men before him, Liang Duoma felt a pang of reluctance, but he still said coldly, "These men have disobeyed orders and abandoned their posts. Drag them away and behead them!"

After the cursing young general was dragged away and beheaded by the guards, the pent-up blood in his chest gushed out from his neck!

Liang Duomai's face turned ashen. He immediately ordered an end to the city defenses, abandoning the dilapidated city walls, retreating into the city, opening the city gates, and preparing for street fighting!
The city is besieged; those inside want to get out, while those outside don't want to get in.

Tong Guan kept increasing the rewards, promoting Chen Shao to higher ranks and sending him grain and supplies. From April to May, the Pacification Commission issued eight official documents praising him.

The goal is to keep this young general, known as "the hothead Shao," on the offensive, ideally taking over Xia Prefecture and Yin Prefecture as well, and continuing the miracle that began with the blocking action at Hengshan.

But Chen Shao stopped at this point. Faced with the wide-open gates of Hongzhou City, Chen Shao still did not choose to attack, but instead began laying foundations outside the city.
He was building a city, expanding the city of Hongzhou.

Gradually, the official documents from the Pacification Commissioner's Office began to stop being all praise.

By late May, Tong Guan's tone had become somewhat stern.

Inside the main tent, Chen Shao looked at the letter from the Pacification Commissioner and touched his nose.

Yang Sanqi, who came to deliver the message, looked at Chen Shao, who looked dejected, and his eyes lit up. He took a step forward and asked, "Brother Shao, what exactly are you thinking?"

Yang Sanqi didn't want to recall how unpleasant Tong Guan's face must have looked when he arrived.

Chen Shao said innocently, "Third Brother, don't you understand me? I value loyalty and take other things lightly. Look at my men, they all followed me from humble beginnings, and it hasn't been easy for them."

Those inside the tent nodded in agreement, with Brother Pang even shouting, "That's right!"

Zhao He said, "The boss is a man who values ​​loyalty and righteousness the most."

The tent was in a chaotic uproar, with everyone talking at once.

Chen Shao waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and continued:

"That Liang Duomai is a mad dog. He's lying in ambush in the city, waiting for me to go in. He's going to fight me street by street, room by room. How many people will die?"

Yang Sanqi frowned and scratched his head, saying, "When Commander Xuan came, he said that military orders are as heavy as mountains and military secrets cannot be delayed. If you hesitate here and make a big mistake, the court will blame you and he will not be able to plead for you."

As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Tong Guan was under immense pressure. The Song Dynasty was now using the full strength of the nation to help him conquer Xia. If no good news was sent back for a long time, Tong Guan would not be able to explain himself!
Chen Shao suddenly kicked over the table and said angrily, "Enough! Commander Xuan has been incredibly kind to me, and I cannot disobey his orders!"

He put his hand on Yang Sanqi's shoulder and said, "Third Brother, when you go back, tell Commander Xuan that in my heart he is the Wei Qing of our Great Song Dynasty. I am willing to be his Huo Qubing. If the two of us join forces, we will definitely destroy Xia this time!"

"Brother Shao, with your words, I can explain things to you when I get back. You have no idea how difficult these past few days have been for Commander Xuan!"

Yang Sanqi completely ignored his ridiculous analogy of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. Are you Huo Qubing?
You are Huo Qubing, besieging Hongzhou City for almost two months without attacking! You occupy the largest supply lines and frantically recruit and incorporate the local Qiang and Hu tribes to strengthen your own power.

The Pacification Commissioner knows all these things; they just hope that while you enrich yourself, you can quickly achieve some results.

Everyone was waiting for good news to save them; the atmosphere on the front lines in Shuofang was so tense they could hardly breathe.

Liu Yanqing's Fuyan Army was indeed incapable of fighting tough battles, and Tong Guan had no way to deal with it.

The two forces he had painstakingly supported were: Liu Yanqing, who was loyal but could not be attacked; and Chen Shao, who was capable of fighting but refused to fight!
Everyone in the court was waiting for good news; it was said that the emperor had even drafted a plan for the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Chen Shao lowered his voice and whispered on his shoulder, "You heard it too, I'm going to charge in, and I need the brothers to fight to the death. Here's what we'll do, you tell Commander Xuan if he can send another 200,000 strings of cash. I'll use it as a resettlement allowance for the brothers, so they won't have any worries and can fight in the city streets for Commander Xuan!"

After Chen Shao finished speaking, Yang Sanqi stared at him in disbelief.

Has Shao Ge'er gone mad?
“I should have paid for this, but as you know, I come from an ordinary background and I can’t save any money.”

Yang Sanqi nodded with a sullen face.

Chen Shao smiled and saw him out, instructing him, "Third Brother, don't forget to say a good word for me."

Yang Sanqi calmly dodged the hand that was about to hook around his shoulder and said indifferently, "I will tell Commander Xuan the truth. Shao, you'd better take care of yourself!"

After walking a dozen steps, Yang Sanqi couldn't hold back any longer and spat out a mouthful of saliva!
Bah! Ungrateful wretch! What a piece of trash!
Watching Yang Sanqi leave, Chen Shao put his hands behind his back and let out a long sigh of relief.

After Tong Guan secured for him the positions of Military Commissioner of Dingnan Army and Acting Military Governor, he had reached the limit of what he could gain from him.

During this period, he exploited Tong Guan to the point of success, completely turning him into Ge You.

Firstly, in terms of official rank, Chen Shao could not be promoted any higher; this was the limit the court could offer.

Secondly, Tong Guan would no longer provide him with many supplies; next, he would need to accumulate strength to attack Liao.

All the benefits had reached their limit. Tong Guan was not a philanthropist; he gave so many benefits simply so that Tong Guan would fight for him.

I'll risk my life for him!
It's time to split up
Next, Tong Guan was entering his old age, and his red hair was an ominous sign.

In his early years, Tong Guan was actually quite remarkable, but it was around this time that he began to put on one of the most disastrous performances of the 12th century.

If we wait until he is completely disgraced before making a break, we will be branded as ungrateful. Now, at the height of his power, drawing a clear line and gradually severing ties may be the best option.

So in the end, when they parted ways, Chen Shao offered another 200,000 strings of cash.

He believed that Tong Guan would provide the money, because Tong Guan couldn't afford to delay any longer.

I kept calling you "General En" and wishing you good health, giving you plenty of emotional value. I'd like to ask you for 200,000 strings of cash, how much?

Not much!
You, Tong Guan, are not short of 200,000 strings of cash.

Chen Shao felt that the breakup fee was very reasonable, and Tong Guan gritted his teeth and paid it.

If he really doesn't give it to me, I'll just stall for a few more days; I can afford to wait.

(End of this chapter)