Chapter 189

A night passed without a word, without the slightest movement. Xiao En returned to the city, Yang Yizhong set up his camp, and even Zhang Maode, by some unknown means, managed to silence the county's wealthy families he had once pawned off... And with the city specially sending out some wine, meat, fruits, and melons, both inside and outside the city remained safe and sound.

Not only that, the next morning, Yang Yizhong continued his army's eastward advance, and the city had no further words.

Over the next two days, the two thousand Imperial Guard cautiously marched, passing through Jingdezhen, then turning to Guanshan Town, and finally arriving at Wushan, reaching the banks of the Jishui River. They prepared to cross the Jishui via the Beixinqiao behind Wushan to support the Pingyin front line on the opposite bank downstream.

But Commander Yang's flanking insertion ended there, because the defending commander of Dongping Prefecture, the great leader of Mount Shuipo Liang, Zhang Rong, who was locked in fierce battle ahead, personally sent a "military order" demanding that Yang Yizhong, this fish that had slipped the net, stop at the Jishui River and not advance any further on his own. Otherwise, he would treat them all as enemy troops, regardless of whether they were Imperial Guard or not, official army or bandits.

Yang Yizhong was utterly helpless, but still couldn't help being half-angry to death.

Now, having arrived at the banks of the Jishui, he had long since scouted and knew that the battle ahead was intense... Zhang Rong had concentrated almost all the forces of Shuipo Liang and Dongping Prefecture, personally leading no fewer than twenty thousand men. Relying on the convenience of Pingyin City, he was engaged in continuous battle with the Qi puppet regime around Pingyin. On the Qi puppet side, Liu Yu's eldest son Liu Lin led over twenty thousand Jinan troops, and the Qi puppet Marshal Kong Yanzhou led over ten thousand Yanzhou troops. Their numbers were slightly greater, so their momentum was also immense.

And to be honest, among these three men, regardless of morality or stance, both Zhang Rong and Kong Yanzhou were truly capable men, and Liu Lin was no useless dandy either... Moreover, as things stood, just as Privy Councilor Wang Boyan had said that day, the leaders of the Qi puppet regime, wherever they were positioned, had no way to retreat. So militarily, they would never be the slightest bit careless.

As for Zhang Rong, not to mention that he was universally recognized in these times as an invincible figure on inland waters, even on land he was a renowned hero from the old Jingdong region. Let alone the fact that he had always regarded that great defeat caused by Kong Yanzhou's betrayal as the greatest humiliation of his life... And when such an emotional, jianghu figure got fierce, how intense could it be?

So, although these three had been fighting on the front line for less than ten days, they had been going back and forth—setting ambushes, launching strong assaults, establishing stockades to control cities, burning earthen fortifications—truly a lively affair.

But to put it another way, this liveliness, seen from another perspective, meant that both sides had actually been locked in a fierce stalemate.

Logically, at this point, if Zhang Rong had set aside some of his inner grudges and let Yue Fei lead a considerable number of troops across the Wenshui River, it would have been an almost certain great victory, perfectly achieving the kind of clean and decisive triumph that His Majesty Zhao Jiu expected.

Even just letting Yang Yizhong's two thousand elite armored troops join the front line might have brought some surprises.

However, wasn't this because the Liangshan bandit leader had always held a great prejudice against the official army? Wasn't it because he regarded that great defeat as the greatest hatred of his life, to the point that after that defeat, he even felt ashamed to meet Yue Fei?

So, back to the present, two thousand Imperial Guard could play a significant role in a battle involving tens of thousands of men. But if they truly angered Zhang Rong and stubbornly pushed forward, they might indeed end up ground to dust in the millstone of war. And Yang Yizhong, as an Imperial Commander leading His Majesty's most basic armed force, was only here to gain combat experience and temper his troops, not to recklessly throw the entire unit away without principle.

Or rather, the unit could be thrown away, but it had to be for value... As a trusted confidant of the Imperial Court, Yang Yizhong was very clear about His Majesty Zhao Jiu's certain philosophy regarding the military.

So, Yang Yizhong chose to stay at Wushan, on the northwest side of the Jishui River, which ran southwest to northeast. He set up camp right at the foot of Wushan, by the permanent pontoon bridge convenient for marching, the famous Beixinqiao... And he sent military intelligence documents to Yue Fei in Zhongdu, further south (across the Jishui and Wenshui Rivers), for communication and reporting.

However, enduring the scorching heat, he waited for three days. Not only did the messenger he expected to return in three days not show up, but instead, a torrential rainstorm arrived. And in the midst of the storm, unexpected guests suddenly appeared.

On this day, the weather suddenly changed. Rain poured down in sheets, and the sky grew dark. Around noon, a force of troops suddenly advanced rapidly from the north of the Jishui River, passing through the southern slopes of Wushan, heading straight for the Beixinqiao. Then they crashed headlong into the camp of the Imperial Guard.

The two sides met suddenly in the rain, each shaken, and then quickly erupted into fierce battle.

For the attacking force, encountering defenders at this critical juncture naturally meant they could strike directly. For Yang Yizhong, he almost immediately realized the enemy's purpose—Zhang Rong was already exhausted, so the attackers must be from the Qi puppet regime or the Jin army. Their mission was undoubtedly to take advantage of the heavy rain to cross the river, outflank Pingyin from the rear, and attempt to annihilate Zhang Rong's main force.

Back to the present, although it was daytime, the rain made the sky dark, the roads muddy, and banners could not unfurl. So the battle began from the very start as the most intense and brutal kind of chaotic melee and hand-to-hand combat.

The Imperial Guard, caught off guard and unable to don their armor in time, suffered hundreds of combat casualties right from the start. But the sacrifice of these troops and Yang Yizhong's decisiveness undoubtedly bought precious time for the follow-up forces. So when the subsequent troops armored up and organized, pouring out of the camp in units of a hundred and ten men, the tide of battle quickly turned.

Superior armor, high-quality and complete weapons, carefully selected soldiers, the protective effect of the camp, the advantage of terrain knowledge gained from being stationed there for several days, and more importantly, the chaos brought by the rain, coupled with Yang Yizhong's calm command, allowed the Imperial Guard, once they reacted, to maximize their combat effectiveness. In contrast, countless attacking troops were blocked at the foot of Wushan. Facing a small but well-constructed camp, and hindered by the terrain of Wushan's southern slopes, they lost their greatest numerical advantage.

At the same time, the rain-soaked rapid march and chaotic battle led to severe command confusion, so the attacking forces had no idea how the battle was going up front, and just kept pouring troops into the fight.

And so, in the summer rain, by the banks of the Jishui, beside the bridge, the sounds of clashing metal, wailing and crying, battle cries, and the ever-dominant sounds of wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning, produced a mixed, teeth-grinding symphony of combat.

Combined with the smell of blood that even the rain could not mask, the Song army camp guarding the Beixinqiao instantly became a meat grinder.

For an entire afternoon, the rain poured without stopping. Amidst the lightning and thunder, corpses piled up, gradually beginning to block the paths, and eventually becoming the main factor that slowed the intensity of the battle.

As evening approached, the sky gradually darkened. The attacking force finally had to abandon the fight due to visibility issues. The Imperial Guard could only light torches in the camp and shout desperately, hoping their wounded comrades would call out for help... But that was all. In the pitch-black, rainy night, coupled with the sudden onslaught of exhaustion, clearing the battlefield was undoubtedly a luxury. After a period of chaos, no one knew how many had been rescued.

However, it was precisely because of this that the next morning, as the rain continued to drizzle and sunlight first appeared through the clouds, the Song army, having regained some mobility, immediately sprang into action and began rapidly clearing the battlefield.

Yang Yizhong, who had not removed his armor all night, also returned early to the area of the camp where the fiercest fighting had occurred the day before to conduct an inspection.

Yet, in the dim light of early morning, he was astonished to find that within the rain-soaked camp, water had gathered under the piles of corpses, forming gurgling streams that flowed towards the Jishui, and yet there was hardly any trace of blood in them.

It wasn't that there was no bloody water.

In fact, the Imperial Guard, who were roughly clearing the battlefield and desperately searching for their own wounded and dead, found that almost every time they turned over a corpse, obvious bloodstains would mix into the rainwater on the ground. But they were quickly diluted and muddied by the greater flow of water, and then disappeared.

In other words, if not for the corpses still piled in the camp, if not for the wounded still moaning, if not for the broken camp and scattered weapons right before their eyes, the heavy rain that had not stopped all night would have completely covered up the traces of yesterday's fierce battle.

Mere human strength was insignificant in the face of nature.

And just as Yang Yizhong was staring blankly at the water flowing at his feet, a particularly chilling scream suddenly rang out not far away. It startled the Imperial Guard who were roughly clearing the battlefield, but they quickly returned to normal.

As for Yang Yizhong, who had not removed his armor all night, he stood motionless, hand resting on his saber, like a statue, seemingly oblivious, just staring blankly at the water at his feet.

"Commander..."

In the slightly diminished rain, Zhai Biao, carrying a clearly notched saber, emerged from where the scream had come. He approached, his face ferocious. "I've questioned him thoroughly. Although they mixed in many Jin uniforms, they aren't Jin troops, nor are they from Jinan Prefecture, nor from Kong Yanzhou of Yanzhou. They are Li Cheng's men from Qingzhou, no fewer than twenty thousand in total! And they didn't come along the Jishui River. Instead, after the battle started, they followed Li Cheng's subordinate, the Mizhou leader Du Yan, directly to Liaocheng in Hebei. There, they changed to Jin banners, found some old Jin uniforms and armor from Great Ming Prefecture, then crossed the river the day before yesterday and came here. They planned to scare us with the Jin banners, but the rain was too heavy, so they never got them out."

Yang Yizhong understood in his heart, lost in thought, but then spoke directly: "A feint to the east and attack to the west... Li Cheng never went to the easily defensible Yizhou. Instead, he had already made an agreement to act as this surprise force, and just happened to run into us. Send someone to report this immediately to Zhang Zhenfu in Pingyin and Grand Commandant Yue in Zhongdu!"

"Yes!" Zhai Biao acknowledged, but did not move.

In the drizzling rain, Yang Yizhong took a step forward, then turned his head, hand on his saber: "What else?"

"That bandit, under pain, said a lot." Zhai Biao's face was still ferocious. "This time, Li Cheng's army is at least twenty thousand strong, and they came from across the Yellow River. The ones we fought yesterday were mainly the troops of Du Yan, the Mizhou leader under Li Cheng..."

"I already know that." Yang Yizhong's expression was calm. "Didn't you just say that?"

"Commander, what I mean is..." Zhai Biao stared back with wide eyes. "If Li Cheng's troops crossed the Yellow River from Liaocheng, then the nearest and most convenient place to cross the Jishui is right here at Beixinqiao. There's no reason for him to split his forces to cross the Jishui downstream at Huajiakou. That's too close to Pingyin; if he's not careful, he'll be discovered by the main army in Pingyin... But conversely, if he's blocked today and his sneak attack fails, he'll have to change to a direct assault. Then Li Cheng might split his forces to cross the Jishui at multiple points and forcibly surround Pingyin."

"I know that too." Yang Yizhong's expression still didn't change.

"Commander," Zhai Biao gritted his teeth and continued. "We won yesterday, but after all, we have few troops. We lost two or three hundred brothers in the very first clash. And that was just against Du Yan's six or seven thousand men, the vanguard of Li Cheng's army. Now Li Cheng's main force is about to arrive, and today's rain doesn't seem as heavy as yesterday's..."

"Zhai Biao, what exactly are you trying to say?!" Yang Yizhong finally grew impatient. "When making a suggestion in the army, be direct."

"Commander, I'm not saying we should retreat and sell out the rear of Pingyin to Li Cheng. That Xiao En in Yanggu, though a blockhead, wouldn't do such a thing... I'm thinking, can we withdraw to the other side of the river and defend across it?" Zhai Biao's words caught the interest of several nearby commanders and company leaders.

In fact, it wasn't just these officers; even Yang Yizhong fell silent for a moment.

Defending across the river wasn't just about effectively reducing the impact of numerical inferiority. More importantly, it could effectively avoid battle. The Imperial Guard were elite troops. If they also had the advantage of the river barrier and could guard the bridge in peace, they would almost be in an invincible position.

Therefore, doing this seemed the most prudent course, as it could preserve the unit to the greatest extent.

Besides that, there was another point Zhai Biao didn't mention, but the meaning was clear: if it came to the necessary moment—that is, if Zhang Rong in Pingyin was surrounded, or his entire army collapsed—then this force of over a thousand Imperial Guard, having withdrawn to the other side of the Jishui in advance, could calmly retreat south, cross the Wenshui River, and join Yue Fei... Since Zhang Rong didn't regard them as the official army, why should the Imperial Guard fight to the death for him?

They said there were no factional biases, but they still couldn't escape them.

But soon, Yang Yizhong, as the commander of this elite force, made up his mind and shook his head in response: "No!"

Everyone was taken aback.

And Yang Yizhong didn't hide his reasoning; he explained it clearly:

"The rain has lessened, but it hasn't cleared up. It's hard to monitor the other side of the river clearly. If we cross to defend... and I were Li Cheng, knowing that the troops on the opposite bank are all armored and exceptionally elite, making a direct assault difficult, I would only leave a small force as a decoy. Then I would lead the main army to sneak downstream and force a crossing at Huajiakou. By then, wouldn't our two thousand Imperial Guard be sitting idle? But if we stay on this side of the river, Li Cheng will have to use a force several times the size of ours just to keep an eye on us. He might even intend to use his entire army, taking advantage of today's lighter rain, to forcibly swallow us up before crossing the Jishui. This way, although we are in immediate danger, we can play a major role in the overall situation!"

The officers were all stunned, then quickly understood. But after understanding, many of them showed hesitant expressions again.

"I know what you're thinking." Rain dripped from the edges of his armor. Yang Yizhong continued to look around, hand on his saber, speaking openly. "You think I'm gambling the Imperial Court's two thousand Imperial Guard here by the Jishui River, beside Wushan. But it's not to that extent... Because don't forget, the reason the Qi puppet troops launched this offensive was that they thought Grand Commandant Yue's forces were being reorganized and would be unable to fight. So they dared to take a risk and try to take Dongping Prefecture. In other words, this move by the Qi puppet regime didn't account for Grand Commandant Yue's forces, nor did it account for us. Otherwise, why would we have met so suddenly yesterday? But you and I both know that Grand Commandant Yue's forces can fight, and we are here! In other words, in the battle for Dongping Prefecture, the overall situation is in the hands of the Imperial Song! So as long as we can hold out for two or three days, and get Grand Commandant Yue to stop worrying about Zhang Zhenfu's attitude and send troops directly, then the outcome at Pingyin will be decided, reinforcements will surely come here, and Li Cheng will definitely retreat! On the other hand, if we withdraw to the other side of the river now, we might ruin the entire situation! And if that happens, what face will we have to show His Majesty when we return?"

Having said this, without waiting for anyone to speak, Yang Yizhong directly drew his blade and spoke coldly to the surrounding officers: "I've finished explaining the reasoning. From this moment on, no more discussion of crossing the river is permitted. Steadfastly guard the camp and protect the bridge. Whoever disobeys this order will be executed!"

After all, these were men who had participated in several bloody battles, proud and fierce soldiers. Hearing this now, they said nothing more, merely lowering their heads to accept the order.

However, no sooner had Yang Yizhong finished conveying this resolve, and before everyone could catch their breath, sure enough, amid the slightly diminishing rain, a massive force of soldiers wearing Jin Jun armor came attacking at great speed, blurring into a dense black mass in the rain, casting a shadow over everyone's hearts...

Now, although it was summer, the rain still had too great an impact. At this moment, the Song Jun, who had a camp, had only just finished preparing, while the puppet Qi troops camping in the open had already launched their attack. It was clear they were under pressure from the highest level and had no choice but to act hastily.

Therefore, they would have to pay the price for this.

PS: Starting today, I will turn over a new leaf, focus on writing. Last month I wrote 140,000 characters; this month I aim to complete 150,000 characters of updates...

Then let me ask again: Is it really that I'm too old? Or are you all too young? After all, no one has seen "The Fisherman's Revenge" or "The Plum in the Golden Vase"? Xiao En and Zhang Maode...