Chapter 845: The Three Great Camps

The fifth year of Taiping.

Great Song.

Jiangbei.

"General! Brother!!... My Little Yellow Mountain Stronghold really cannot continue to fight anymore."

Wu Xing's eye sockets were slightly red as he looked at Song Gongbao: "The Imperial Court's rewards and pensions are meager... Ever since we accepted the amnesty, the brothers have fought every single day, and now three or four tenths have been lost... If this continues, all of us brothers will be wiped out!"

Song Gongbao also shed tears: "Sigh... What can I do? The Imperial Court's decree has already arrived... In a few days, we brothers must head south."

Originally, his strategy was just to plug their ears or something similar; he had not expected the Wu King to be so ruthless!

Liang Wang Army formation.

Sanwang Mountain is the eastern border of Jiangzhou Prefecture and also a dangerous pass.

When the time comes, at worst we can play the trick of replenishing while fighting on the battlefield... and then the Six Jia Divine Soldiers will be completely exposed to the eyes of the world! Xulingzi will be confirmed as a demonic Daoist on the spot!

But no matter what, the Wu King must be defeated!

"Oh? What joy does this orphan have?"

Even with two thousand five hundred men, Zhan Da gave people a sense of being unable to keep up with his ambitions!

At this time, who else could it be but him as the number one great general under the Liang King?

"Not bad, not bad."

Wenzhengming's eyes lit up: "Could it be the Dare-to-Die, Vanguard, and Tiger-Brave battalions?"

Diyou's mouth curled slightly, clearly in a good mood.

The fifth year of Taiping.

But no one believed that the defending general could hold out against the siege of tens of thousands of troops.

March 15th.

Upon discovering that several Imperial Academy Students as well as Taichong, Taihe, and Taiyin were not so ungrateful, he could not help but feel it was acceptable.

Diyou said: "These criminal soldiers have all had their ears deafened; they only know how to act by watching the command flags. Even if the world were to collapse outside, they could not possibly be shaken in the slightest!"

Furthermore, there is also the possibility of being backstabbed by the Liang King!

Therefore, one must strike the Liang King first!

And Wu Xing knew even better that for such a major campaign involving tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, since the Imperial Court had spoken with such certainty, they must have obtained solid evidence.

"Ah!"

What he had to do to oppose the Confucian school was not to kill any one person or certain people, but to deal with its ideology!

But at this moment, Baiyunzi looked at the Liang King's great army again and was suddenly startled.

Boom! Boom-boom!

Tang Xun took a deep breath and threw out a command arrow: "Beat the drums!"

Possessing such soldiers, he would dare to fight fifty thousand with ten thousand!

Not to mention that the Prime Minister valued and trusted him; the vanguard, center, left, and right armies were all under his command, and he was also given eight thousand men to guard his rear.

Moreover, as a surrendered general, he had repeatedly gained the Prime Minister's trust.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The Liang King had started his uprising so early, even before the Wu King; if he had taken the opportunity to strike in all directions and capture prefectures and counties, he might have developed even more than Diyou by now!

Cao Man's voice trembled slightly: "The Wu King Diyou is leading an army of one hundred thousand to attack; in two days at the earliest, the spearhead will reach Sanwang Mountain!"

As for bringing eight thousand Six Jia Divine Soldiers to hold the line, that was the final insurance.

Aaron coughed lightly, and the entire hall fell silent at once.

The criminal soldiers, each with an uneasy expression, held their weapons and advanced slowly; their target was clearly the vanguard on the opposite side!

This aura of the Liang King was no secret in the world.

The Daoist Gate even spread it secretly to announce to the world—the Liang King is not a wise lord!

'If I want to be an Anle Marquis, I cannot let the Imperial Court feel threatened... So, must this great army in my hands all die in the south? With two hundred thousand Imperial Guards watching from behind, even if a dog jumps over a wall in desperation, it cannot be done...'

"To be born in troubled times and compete with the heroes of the world is also a great joy in life!"

He let out a miserable cry, covered his eyes, and blood and tears flowed through his fingers: "Not good... I fear the Wu King is in trouble!"

"The Imperial Court has made up its mind to negotiate peace with the Jin King, granting annual tribute, silk, and promising a marriage alliance... The Jin King has already agreed to withdraw his troops for now, and both sides will cease hostilities and agree to be brotherly states."

Therefore, the Wu King must have already attacked the Liang King, and the two armies might even have already engaged in battle!

"We are heading south just to fight the winner, so that we can be the fisherman who benefits while the snipe and clam fight? Truly a good plan!"

In the Wu King's formation.

"The Imperial City Department spies have already obtained news that the Wu King has mobilized his entire army to attack the Liang King!" Song Gongbao helplessly revealed some inside information.

As for the secret complaints of a few people?

That was exactly what he hoped to develop and grow.

Excluding sneak attacks and other situations, and with similar equipment and training, in a head-on battle, facing an enemy several times larger, the morale should inevitably be scattered!

Sanwang Mountain, a mountain peak.

Wu Xing was instantly stunned.

"Today I have summoned you all to discuss the war!"

He had to admit that he was actually a little tempted.

Another unit had only twenty thousand men, but it was as immovable as a mountain, flying a flag with the character 'Liang'.

When the Imperial Court envoy arrived, there was actually another sentence:

'If General Song heads south and achieves this great merit, upon returning he will surely be enfeoffed as a Duke or Marquis!'

Wenzhengming suddenly shivered.

He looked at Taichong: "How is the grain in the treasury?"

"Supreme Divine Thunder!"

One could only imagine how many practitioners of Taoism had been attracted here.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, following last year's harvest, there are 150,000 shi of grain in the treasury, and the armaments are also fully prepared..."

On Tang Xun's side, the vanguard commander was Commander-in-Chief Zhang Tie!

At this moment, leading one unit of 2,500 men, he was already locked in combat with the Death Battalion opposite them.

"Humiliating the nation and forfeiting sovereignty, humiliating the nation and forfeiting sovereignty!" Wu Xing sneered: "To prefer negotiating peace with the Hu people, bowing and scraping, just to suppress a civilian rebellion... Truly the work of the high-ranking officials in the Imperial Court. I wonder if the next move is to campaign against Xiao Liang and Fang La, or to attack Diyou?"

Diyou was skilled in military governance and had many fierce generals under his command; the most famous were these three battalions, which could be called the cream of the crop.

But the Death Battalion was indeed not in chaos!

Immediately, the two forces pushed deeper into each other, beginning a mutual slaughter!

"Congratulations to the King, felicitations to the King!"

Diyou wore a suit of armor made of thousands of steel scales strung together, and upon hearing this, he smiled: "It is the perfect time for you, sir, to witness the splendor of my army's three great battalions!"

However, on second thought, the Death Battalion was mostly composed of criminals, many of whom were destined to die anyway; that they could live until now was already the grace of the King of Wu, so he turned a blind eye.

Besides... even if the other side wanted to rebel, his subordinates—the Commanders-in-Chief, the Camp Commanders... were mostly Six Jia Divine Soldiers, and even the common soldiers were more than half infiltrated; what could they rely on to rebel?

But in Tang Xun's view... let it be Daoist Technique! The art of war was inherently a way of winning by any means necessary!

As long as one could win, anything was acceptable!

In recent years, starting from Team Leader, he had been promoted repeatedly, and now he was a Seventh Rank Guerrilla Lieutenant! Leading two units of 5,000 men!

And the one most trusted by the Prime Minister, Zhan Da, who had followed him since the very beginning, was currently only a Seventh Rank Commander-in-Chief! Managing 2,500 men!

This could be called great favor! It made Tang Xun unable to help but develop a sense of "a scholar dies for one who recognizes his worth."

"The enemy army has moved."

On the plain not far away, the two great armies stood facing each other from afar, the aura of baleful violence surging straight into the clouds.

He knew that as the King of Wu developed to this point, there were only two strategic choices: either fight the Liang King, or fight Jinshi.

Song Gongbao said.

Boom—!

Forcing someone to do something they aren't suited for might not be appropriate; it is better to let the professionals handle it.

Through three years of observation, it had been generally confirmed that Tang Xun had defected in earnest.

Baiyunzi was shocked, as if he had seen some extremely terrifying scene.

Fortunately, these people within the system would become targets, attracting the opposition, and then gathering them around the Little Liang King!

Song Gongbao's expression changed drastically; after calling for a physician and having Wu Xing taken away, his expression became uncertain.

Therefore, not only the Wu and Liang factions, but even the Great Song Imperial Court and even the Jin King had dispatched spies.

Sanwang Mountain, the weather was clear and the breeze was gentle.

"Tang Xun! Zhan Da... what do you say?"

The Six Jia Divine Soldiers at the very front were expressionless as they threw the gunpowder packets in their hands.

Tang Xun looked at his soldiers, seeing that although some new recruits showed panic, they were quickly calmed by the expressionless appearance of the comrades around them, and he could not help but nod inwardly.

The Liang King Xiao Liang rarely made an appearance; he was still a child, though he looked a few years older.

Taichong stepped out of the ranks and performed a salute with meticulous care.

To tell the truth, Tang Xun was truly impressed to the point of prostration by the ability of Daoist Xulingzi and the "Propaganda Battalion" to convert captives.

Liang King Palace.

One of the forces was numerous, flying the "Wu" banner, numbering about 50,000.

"Reporting to the King and the Prime Minister!"

Among them, the Tiger Valor Battalion was the personal guard, with the most excellent equipment, guarding closely like a wall of copper and iron.

Unexpectedly, with a "pfft" sound, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Amidst these shouts of battle, the silent Death Battalion appeared very abrupt, and terrifying.

Wu Xing was stunned, then said: "But no matter which side wins, our army's great battle with the Anti-King will inevitably result in heavy losses!"

Furthermore, he knew that while Zhan Da, Hei Er, and the others were first-class at executing orders, their talent for management and military affairs seemed insufficient.

Benevolence does not command an army! He understood this principle!

Jiangzhou Prefecture.

Xiao Liang was basically a puppet on such occasions, and Aaron directly clapped his hands and laughed: "General Tang's courage is commendable... Pass the order! Promote Tang Xun two ranks to a Fifth Rank Guerrilla Lieutenant, leading five units of 12,500 men! There is no need to defend the city; directly meet the King of Wu in battle on the plain... I, the Prime Minister, will personally lead the remaining 8,000 men to bring up the rear and hold the line!"

But later, after encirclement and suppression, and receiving captives, it became 20,000!

This was even because there were only 10,000 men at the beginning, and they had fought a rout rather than an encirclement and annihilation; otherwise, there would have been even more captives, and even more soldiers converted.

As for the final "Death Battalion," it was composed of Sinful People and soldiers who had committed offenses; they could only be pardoned by performing military merit in battle, and each was fearless of death, but at the same time, their military discipline was the worst!

"Today, our army's vanguard shall be the Death Battalion!"

This world is a material world; since ancient times, the strong have prevailed, and Qi Luck does not appear out of thin air.

"I have no choice either; the Imperial Court is very determined this time and has ordered Privy Commissioner Gao Qiu to mobilize 200,000 Imperial Guards to supervise the battle from behind! We are just one vanguard force..."

Immediately, several people looked at Aaron, who was also sitting above, with hearts full of resentment.

The First Ascent Battalion attacked cities and seized positions, taking joy in being the first to ascend, and were the most eager to kill the enemy.

"But why is the Liang Wang Army's Military Qi so immovable as a mountain?"

Even if it meant increasing some field taxes, compared to occupying several prefectures and expanding the army by tens of thousands, it was still a huge loss! And it offended the gentry!

Aaron kept a smile on his face, but in reality, he was very sensitive to such good and evil thoughts.

It is precisely because I spent three years silently farming that things have reached this point!

Song Gongbao looked toward Jingshi: "The high officials of the Imperial Court certainly have a clever scheme!"

Accompanied by the sound of war drums, the great armies each marched out to form ranks; suddenly, the Military Qi surged into the sky, stirring the wind and clouds!

This battle will not only decide the fate of the south, but may also influence the overall situation of the world!

Wu Xing's expression was deathly pale, and he muttered to himself: "I regret previously exterminating the rebels for the Imperial Court! I regret the amnesty!"

Previously, the Liang Wang Army had at most ten thousand men.

Tang Xun glanced at Zhan Da and, finding the other party's expression wooden, could not help but step forward: "Reporting to the King... our side has an army of twenty thousand, while the Wu King claims to have one hundred thousand, though in reality, he has at most fifty thousand. Although we are at a slight disadvantage, by relying on the sturdy fortress, this general believes... we can fight!"

Jinshi City has high walls and deep moats, with numerous garrison troops, and it is also a vital southern stronghold; once attacked, it may provoke the Great Song Dynasty Imperial Court to respond with all its might.

The Hu Prince Wanyan Lie inherited the Khan throne, styled himself 'Jin King', and marched south to attack the Great Song; the great war has already been going on for several years.

With these two hundred thousand Imperial Guard troops behind them, they can only fight to the death, or die in battle!

"The Imperial Court is using us as cannon fodder!"

Wenzhengming was still dressed in a green robe, looking exceptionally elegant, and he pointed at the landscape: "King... the Liang Army is famous for fighting without fear of death, and they also possess a type of fire-thunder, called 'Supreme Thunder Technique'! It can terrify people! The new recruits are especially afraid of it!"

Wenzhengming, who had been nervously watching the Army Formation, let out a long breath and offered his congratulations to Diyou.

Aaron also knew his own situation best.

If Tang Xun were to suffer a crushing defeat, then he would have to step up himself.

Several soldiers of the Death Battalion at the very front were blown to pieces, their severed limbs and remains flying everywhere.

It was not until a crimson military flag was waved and swept across the front of the formation that the entire Death Battalion began to stir.

At this moment, Diyou also saw Tang Xun's order and could not help but sneer: "To be able to face my army of fifty thousand and still not lose formation, the enemy general has some skill... Order! The Death Battalion is to attack!"

Even if the Wu King were to regret it now, the mobilization of grain, armaments, and logistics would all have been in vain, and the great army would be unable to move for at least a year!

"Oh?"

Aaron knew deeply that even if he did not use the Four Books and Five Classics to select officials, there were still many Confucian scholars, or rather, thinkers of the School of Names, who had infiltrated the ranks of the Liang Wang.

This was very troublesome.

The fifty thousand Wu soldiers shouted loudly, their momentum almost reaching the heavens, threatening to Rend the clouds.

"March south?" Wu Xing was startled: "What about the north? The Hu Prince, no, the Jin King?"

Beside him was Wang Gu Xiao Zi, who was looking at the various ministers below with a face full of worry.

Baiyunzi, who had bet on Diyou, had also arrived; at this moment, looking at the Wu King's Military Qi, he could not help but stroke his beard and smile complacently: "The Military Qi is flourishing, the flood dragon has already formed! Yet the Liang Wang is but a tiny carp..."

Even in the Great Song, aside from the time when the dynasty was first founded, this was quite rare.

The war drums beat, sounding like thunder!

Once it reaches the level of tens of thousands of troops in formation, it is difficult to employ any clever schemes or tricks; one can only be upright and straightforward, comparing the quality of the soldiers and the changes in the Army Formation!

Song Gongbao smiled bitterly.

Tang Xun did not know about the other soldiers, but the Liang Wang soldiers who had undergone training by the Propaganda Battalion were famous for their strict obedience to orders and their bold fearlessness!

There were already rumors outside that Xulingzi was training troops with Daoist Technique.

When ten thousand people gather, they are boundless; he had never systematically studied military strategy, nor did he have much talent for it.

The reward of a Duke!

"Quick, take the military advisor down for treatment!"

"This Supreme Divine Thunder is only terrifying in its first wave, and its lethality is not very high; now that we have endured it... even if it explodes again later, the center and rear armies are already accustomed to it and can stand firm. The enemy's tricks cannot take effect, and they are at their wit's end... As long as our army is upright and straightforward and compares military strength, we will surely win!"

Wenzhengming's face seemed to glow with Light, truly possessing the demeanor of a famous scholar!

(End of this chapter)