Chapter 396

Thanks to the blessing of the long winter nights, the Song army's plan had ample time to be completed.

After Bei Yan sacrificed two of his only three hot air balloons, roughly one of the two most critical tactical steps for the Song army tonight had been completed... Dozens of large and small steamships carrying small artillery carts and bed crossbows had successfully crossed this narrow strip of land, entering the eastern branch of the Yellow River's northern channel from the northern fork of its eastern channel, and they were still coming in an endless stream.

Of course, losses were still heavy. At least one-seventh to one-eighth of the ships had run aground on land for various strange reasons, with no telling when they could be repaired. One steamship had even capsized directly at the entrance on the eastern side of the Yellow River, causing one of the four docks to cease operations immediately.

But this was already enough.

In fact, as early as when the first balloon ignited and over a dozen steamships had already successfully entered the eastern branch of the Yellow River's northern channel, the Song army had no way back. At that moment, Tian Shizhong initiated the second critical step—under the twilight and a layer of common winter mist, tens of thousands of Song army main forces began crossing the river simultaneously south and north of the city. The scale north of the city was especially massive, because alongside the combat troops crossing, there were also countless Song army laborers and construction planks.

As soon as they crossed the river, except for a very small number of elite troops ordered to rest and stand guard on the spot, everyone else, soldier and civilian alike, immediately began building fortifications on site.

The winter ground was somewhat stiff, but it wasn't frozen soil, not to the point of being unworkable. A single hard swing of an iron long chisel could dig a shallow pit; twenty swings could dig a shallow, long trench deep enough for three wooden posts to stand side by side. And if one could swing it two or three hundred times, with someone helping to clear the dirt from the pit, it would be enough to dig a deep hole capable of firmly erecting the planks Tian Shizhong had brought over earlier.

But that still wasn't enough. Almost every such plank also needed oxhide ropes to connect to other planks, other shallow pits on both sides for inserting single timbers as auxiliary bracing, and wooden boards nailed to connect the planks to form a whole. Only then was a plank considered fully fixed and successfully buried, becoming part of a traditional camp stockade fence.

Compared to this slightly complex task requiring experience, digging a trench in front of the fence was actually simpler... Just dig a pit, anyone could do it. No need for too much depth—two and a half feet deep, three feet wide, following the fence line from east to west. Then the excavated soil could be piled up in front of the fence. While piling, they also had to take water from the river channel to pour and tamp... Pouring river water at this time would definitely have a miraculous effect.

Of course, there were difficulties. The most critical was lighting. Considering the scale of the operation here, for the sake of caution, even from several li away, the Song army had to strictly restrict light sources. On the planned defense line construction route, there was a torch every twenty paces, and wooden boards and other light-blocking materials were added on the south side. On the transport roads, there was a torch every forty paces, also with light-blocking arrangements on the south side.

But even so, it still looked somewhat strange from a distance.

Moreover, as more and more soldiers and civilians crossed the river, the scale of the operation grew larger and larger. Not just the light, but the noise also became increasingly difficult to suppress. This situation became exceptionally obvious during the latter half of the night, after the battle at the point where the two cities faced each other across the river had come to an end.

There was no help for it—there were too many people.

"What's this? Breath mist from people? Or sweat vapor?"

After visiting Xiao En and a group of old brothers, Zhang Rong, casually draped in a jacket, hurriedly climbed the north wall of Great Ming City to meet up with Yue Fei. But as soon as he mounted the wall, he noticed a strange visual phenomenon.

It turned out that looking north from the brightly lit Great Ming City and Yuancheng, there was a strange mist writhing in the boundary between light and dark, like some living thing clawing menacingly from the darkness toward the bright city.

"Probably both."

Yue Fei, fully armored, had a calm expression. The momentary shock and panic that had appeared unexpectedly in the first half of the night were long gone. "It should be hot air... meeting cold air, so it becomes visible... too many people."

"In other words, with this heat haze so clearly visible here, I'm afraid we can't hide it from the people in the city?" Zhang Rong frowned deeply.

"Even without this heat haze, with all this commotion, we couldn't hide it by now." Yue Fei sighed in response. "But Gao Jingshan doesn't know we have warships crossing to control the river channel, nor does he know we're building stockades and fortifications. With Commander Xiao's desperate delaying action, he shouldn't risk a night sortie... Given his nature, he probably thinks we're setting an ambush north of the city to lure him out."

"What if he insists on taking the risk?" Zhang Rong frowned. "Or what if someone else in the city with a suspicious nature persuades him to?"

"Then we fight!" Yue Fei turned to look back. "If he dares to leave the city, we'll take the opportunity to strike! Push his troops back! If he bypasses the city to urgently summon reinforcements, we'll wait for the reinforcements and push them back head-on! After all, reinforcements won't arrive until dawn anyway, and Commander Xiao bought us a lot of time. At most, it'll be an hour earlier... At this point, there are already ships in the river, stockades are being built on the shore, and the entire army has crossed over. What is there left to worry about?!"

"True!"

Zhang Rong sighed. "At this point, I don't have any burdens left in my heart! We'll deal with whatever comes—soldiers to block, water to contain!"

"We still need to make some decisions." Yue Fei said seriously. "Brother Zhang, do you know how I came up with this plan?"

"This..."

"This is actually a standard operation. When besieging a city... building stockades to lock it down, starting from Zhan Han's siege of Taiyuan, it's been a common tactic across the land. The only thing worth praising is preparing the rammed-earth construction in advance, crossing the river in one night, building the stockade in one night—what's called 'pulling a tooth from the tiger's mouth, then opening your own mouth to face it.'" Yue Fei's tone softened slightly, and the white mist from his breath drifted endlessly into the night sky. "But it's just an old trick from Wei Rui's battle at Zhongli back in the day..."

"What story?"

"An old trick, also a story—something someone else did, recorded in a book."

"If there's a story like that... why couldn't Gao Jingshan think of it?"

"Because there are too many such stories. This idea isn't particularly remarkable either. The key is to have decisiveness and to prepare early... I told you before, I had this idea on the very first day I arrived."

"Go on."

"As for why I had this idea back then, it was on the first day I came to Great Ming City. I was worried the Jin army might attack from the north, and our army was too large, with so many laborers coming and going. The two towns of Great Ming and Gucheng couldn't accommodate everyone, leaving a vulnerability. So I planned to build a huge stockade ten li long, connecting to the river on the east and west, tightly sealed, to shelter the forty to fifty thousand troops of the Imperial Guard Forward Army and the naval combat soldiers, plus fifty thousand laborers, and even the ships in the river." Yue Fei continued. "It was also then that I realized Great Ming Prefecture's defenses were tight, and the main Jin force might gather in winter. The idea was to get through the winter this way, to endure a possible siege by the main Jin force..."

"I understand!" Zhang Rong suddenly interrupted him. "You must have been standing in the hot air balloon back then, looking at the terrain on both banks, thinking about building the stockade and attacking the city at the same time. Suddenly you thought, since we can build a huge stockade on this side of the river, why not build one on the other side? It could cut off the Jin army and take the opportunity to attack the city?"

"Yes!" Yue Fei gave him a serious look, as if he had more to say.

"I know what decision you still need to make." Zhang Rong unfastened the new jacket he was wearing, draped it over himself, and shook his head repeatedly. "And I know what you meant by having me drag the boats over land... But if we do it this way, will we have enough grain and supplies?!"

"Brother Zhang, you know the Yellow River best. Tell me, including the ice run, how long will the freeze-up last?" Yue Fei asked in return.

"The earliest freeze is early next month, and the latest thaw for navigation is after the Lantern Festival next year—at most forty days... But actually, in recent years, it hasn't exceeded thirty days." Zhang Rong couldn't help but grow a bit tense again.

"Count it as forty days!" Yue Fei continued seriously. "Right now, we have a little less than seventy thousand combat troops gathered here, plus fifty thousand laborers... We already have cotton-padded clothes. What about grain, weapons, and fuel... Do you think we can stockpile enough before the freeze?"

"It's the middle of the month now. Let me calculate." Zhang Rong thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "We're only three hundred li by water from Dongjing, and two hundred li from our Wushan camp. Most of it is downstream, but the river mouth here is still inaccessible, so we have to go through Gucheng... Let's put it this way: grain and weapons are definitely enough. But for winter heating—coal and firewood—I really can't be sure!"

"We don't necessarily have to go through Gucheng." Yue Fei reminded him gently. "And the number of ships doesn't have to be limited to these."

Zhang Rong was startled, then suddenly understood. He nodded heavily, then lowered his voice: "One thing is, it's still unstable to talk like this now. We have to take it step by step. But I think it's feasible... Even so, another thing is, we need the cooperation of the lords in Dongjing..."

Yue Fei was silent for a moment, then said seriously: "The lords in Dongjing might be angry, and there will be arguments in the Secret Pavilion. But the four of them—Zhao, Zhang, Hu, Lin—will never defy His Majesty. And His Majesty gave me full authority over military operations before he left... These four, plus Minister Lu, will never make a mistake."

"The other three are fine, but that one surnamed Zhang—I heard from my son-in-law in private that he's a good-hearted man with a bad temper, very good at making mistakes." Zhang Rong continued to warn. "I'm afraid he'll meddle, trying to help on one hand but causing errors on the other..."

In the darkness, there was suddenly some commotion in Yuancheng across the river. Clearly, the activity north of the city had stirred up unease within the city.

Yue Fei and Zhang Rong both stopped talking, glanced together at the opposite city, then turned around. Yue Fei, resting his hand on the steel saber at his waist, continued discussing with Zhang Rong: "What's your suggestion, Brother Zhang?"

"Write a letter to your patron, Minister Hu. Don't talk about official business—let official business be discussed officially. Just lay your stance out plainly, clearly stating your worry about Zhang Jun. He's an iron-faced man who can rein in Lord Zhang for you... Asking Lord Zhao to step in would actually be more likely to cause trouble."

Yue Fei thought for a moment, then nodded heavily. He turned and descended the steps.

Zhang Rong didn't pay it much mind at first, just putting his cotton jacket back on. But he immediately realized what was happening and called out after him: "Pengju! Where are you going?"

"Since there's movement in Yuancheng, to be safe, I'm crossing the river to oversee the battle!" Yue Fei replied without turning back as he descended the stairs. "I also need to urge the entire army to speed up building the stockade, cross the Yongji Canal, and continue building westward."

Zhang Rong wanted to advise him against it, but after thinking it over, he felt helpless. Somewhat frustrated, he turned back to look at the heat haze. But soon he thought of something and asked again: "What about Yue Yun?! Where's our Imperial Son-in-Law?!"

"He crossed the river south of the city early on with the Beiwei Army, following Tang Huai. He should be west of the Yongji Canal by now..." Yue Fei, already on the ground, still didn't look back.

Zhang Rong was stunned for a moment before realizing that Yue Yun and the Imperial Guard Forward Army's Beiwei Army were truly isolated and exposed, bearing the brunt of the attack.

This was because on the land between the two rivers, twelve or thirteen li north of Yuancheng, the Yongji Canal first ran east-west, then north-south. It came from the west, crossing the western fork of the Yellow River's northern channel, then went around the city wall northward, parallel to the eastern and western forks of the Yellow River's northern channel, splitting the land north of Yuancheng in two... In this terrain, if the two Jin Wanhu from Guantao came together, the area east of the canal for several li would certainly already have stockade walls and fortifications built. The vulnerability would inevitably be west of the Yongji Canal.

Yue Fei hadn't said a word, but he had thrown his own root unit and his son into the most dangerous place on land, just as Zhang Rong had thrown his most trusted brother, Xiao En, onto that river channel full of ship wreckage.

"There is a large army, but there's no need to worry!"

On the north wall of Yuancheng, Gao Jingshan, who had lost his composure because of the burning hot air balloon, finally came to the wall draped in a fox-fur coat. He calmly gave his judgment. "Since the Song army prepared for a sneak crossing earlier, they must have prepared sufficient support behind it..."

"Correct." Gao Qingyi, the Interpreter Gao, who had followed him, also nodded seriously in agreement. "I just went to look at the river channel. The Song navy charged forward without hesitation, leaving all twenty ships abandoned in the channel. While it was a sneak crossing, it also absolutely showed their intention to force a crossing at all costs if discovered... Under the circumstances, concentrating a large army on the north bank to set an ambush, guarding against reinforcements from Guantao while also providing support, is perfectly reasonable."

"Commander, Interpreter, that's all well and good..." The Jurchen Meng'an in charge of the north wall pointed at the churning mist in front of them and said earnestly, "But this commotion is far too great."

Gao Jingshan stared at the churning mist before him and the strange light behind it, listening to the faint yet dense, suppressed noise hidden beneath the clamor from across the river and south of the city, and said not a word.

Seeing this, Gao Qingyi shook his head repeatedly and took the initiative to analyze for the Jurchen Battalion Commander: "The Commander-in-Chief is well aware that this formation is off, but there are two things I must explain to you, General... First, the key for the Song army tonight is still the river crossing—that ferocity cannot be faked. Second, even if the Song army has some other grand scheme at the same time, what can we do about it now?"

The Battalion Commander wanted to speak but held back.

"If we send troops out of the city to sweep..." Gao Qingyi pointed at the northern darkness dotted with faint starlight and continued to explain, "Sending too few is just throwing them away. Send too many, and if the Song army has an ambush waiting with a large force, we lose the battle in one go, and they roll right into the city with our routed troops—what then? Wouldn't that play right into the Song army's plan?"

The Battalion Commander gave a half-smile but ultimately did not refute him.

"If we call for reinforcements from Guantao, the Commander-in-Chief already agreed with them that they would send troops to sweep at dawn tomorrow..." Gao Qingyi pretended not to see the other man's contempt, sighed inwardly, and continued to explain for Gao Jingshan. "It's already the latter half of the night. If we make them set out early—never mind whether the Commander-in-Chief is right that the ambush outside the city is aimed at the north, or that sending cavalry in the dark might cause accidents—even if they get the news and come early, at best they'd be an hour faster. Just one hour. What can the Song army accomplish in that time? Shouldn't we wait for daylight?!"

Though the Jurchen Battalion Commander still looked down on the caution of these two Bohai men, he had nothing left to say on the surface. He just sneered, "Interpreter Gao is absolutely right... But don't we still have one big balloon left? It's always liked catching fire. If we could light one up like the Song people did and send it north, wouldn't we be able to see? Seeing would be good enough."

"There's only one left. What if the Song army really does launch a full assault and we need it to observe the battlefield?" Gao Qingyi was utterly exasperated. "Besides, General, do you think it takes no time to scramble and prepare that balloon in the dead of night? What's the point of seeing half an hour earlier? Even if we go a thousand steps back and decide to burn it, why would we burn it? Are we in the same dire straits as the Song army was before?! In my view, this commotion outside the city is nine times out of ten the Song army worrying that their ambush will be exposed at dawn, and with Guantao's reinforcements attacking from both sides, they're pulling back in force—that's what's making the noise... It's just that when they came over in the first half of the night, it wasn't cold enough for this to be so obvious."

Hearing the hint of resentment, and knowing that this long-winded Interpreter Gao had once been successful and was now valued by Gao Jingshan, the Jurchen Battalion Commander quickly smiled and said, "Just a joke. Interpreter Gao, don't mind it."

Gao Qingyi shook his head.

In truth, it all came down to Xiao En's desperate river crossing being too successful. It not only captured Gao Jingshan's full attention, allowing the Song army to transport their fleet outside his field of vision, but equally important, they—along with the two hot-air balloons—had bought a significant amount of time, keeping the entire Yuancheng garrison's focus on the river.

During that time, the Song army had managed to cross the river in force north of the city and build extensive earthworks, and it also made the Jin army, after sensing something was off, fall into their own mental trap:

No matter what the noise was... since the night was already this loud anyway... why force Guantao's Jin troops to give up their daylight cavalry sweep and instead risk a night sortie just to gain a little over an hour?

Even the Jurchen commanders who had been dissatisfied with Gao Jingshan's conservative strategy since the start of the war had nothing to say... Even if they weren't afraid, why bother?

What could one hour decide? Besides, the great victory on the river tonight proved that Gao Jingshan's calculations were sound!

"Go back to sleep!"

Gao Jingshan ran through all his arrangements in his mind, thought about the great victory on the river and the two fireballs, and finally shook his head as he descended from the wall. "Tomorrow morning, when the two Wanhu, Shaohe and Ali, arrive, come wake me!"

Unlike with Gao Qingyi, the Jurchen Battalion Commander maintained sufficient respect for Gao Jingshan and quickly cupped his hands in acknowledgment.

And so, time passed, the east grew pale, and amid the thin winter morning fog common to the season, the long night finally ended.

But what woke Gao Jingshan was not a messenger from the Battalion Commander at the north wall, but a sudden bombardment!

The whistling sound of cannonballs and stones tore through the air in perfect unison, followed by a dull yet heavy impact. Because the landing points were also neatly aligned, it was as clear as thunder, jolting Commander-in-Chief Gao, who was sleeping in the attic, awake instantly.

"What's happening?" Gao Jingshan didn't even have time to put on his fox-fur coat, rolling off the bed and shouting. "Is that cannon fire? Where is it coming from?!"

The attendants inside and outside the building had just heard the noise themselves—how could they explain it clearly?

Coming to his senses, Gao Jingshan hastily threw on his fox-fur coat, slipped into his boots, and hurried downstairs. Just as he turned onto the second-floor corridor, where the view was slightly wider and clearer, he heard another volley of whistling sounds, followed by another thunderous crash.

This time he heard it unmistakably—it was coming from the wall on the east-north side... And this made Gao Jingshan lose his composure even more, because the east wall faced the Yellow River channel. Only the southeast corner had a water gate and dock. In other words, whether by the original city design or the later defensive arrangements, the east side was the weakest.

That was precisely why Gao Jingshan had insisted on holding the southeast water gate and setting up a catapult position to blockade the river.

But after everything that happened last night, why this now?

Had the Song army built catapults capable of firing across the entire Yellow River channel? If so, what was the point of that river force last night? And why weren't they directly bombarding the southeast water gate?

There was no reason for it!

His mind raced with chaotic thoughts, leaving him utterly unsettled, but on the surface, Gao Jingshan had already regained his composure. He continued downstairs, heading straight for the east wall, while making sure to put on his boots properly, don his hat, and slow his pace. Seeing their commander like this, the surrounding personal guards also calmed down, hastily tidied their formation, took up their weapons, mounted their horses, and followed eastward. Meanwhile, the garrison troops, initially startled by the commotion in the city, were being shouted into order by their officers... Among them, the mobile reserve in the city center spotted Commander-in-Chief Gao Jingshan and his guards and began to follow along voluntarily.

All this commotion still demonstrated Gao Jingshan's orderly arrangements. In fact, by the time Gao Jingshan mounted his horse and reached the third intersection along Great Ming Prefecture's central avenue heading east, the Song army had only fired seven volleys.

At that moment, as the morning sun rose and the thin fog gradually dispersed, Gao Jingshan keenly noticed a sudden disturbance at the north wall as well. Of course... he had to first figure out what was happening at the east wall!

Soon, however, a Han army officer, sent from the east wall, met him head-on and reported the situation.

"Small wheeled boats carrying crossbow carts in the river, and large wheeled boats with catapults?" Gao Jingshan finally erupted in anger. "Did the Song people's boats fly here?! Last night they feigned a move to the east while attacking the west—but where was the west?!"

The Han army officer coming to report was helpless and could only kowtow in the street: "Commander-in-Chief, go see for yourself! The fog is clearing fast this morning—at this distance, there's no mistaking it!"

Though he was shouting, Gao Jingshan's heart was already in turmoil. Otherwise, he wouldn't have completely lost his composure, cracking his whip in the air in frustration before speeding eastward.

After just one more volley, Gao Jingshan was already convinced in his heart. He just needed to go up on the wall and see for himself, to figure out how those boats had crossed the "west."

But just then, a rider came along the east wall from the north. It was none other than Gao Qingyi, who lived in the Cuiyun Tower in the northern part of the city. From several dozen paces away, he called out, "Commander-in-Chief! Don't go to the east wall! Come with me to the north wall immediately! Something huge is happening at the north wall!"

Gao Jingshan's heart turned cold. He reined in his horse and forced himself to respond, "At a time like this, why panic? Interpreter Gao, they say the Song army has dozens of wheeled boats on the river, carrying crossbow catapults... Let's go take a look together."

"No need to look. I don't know where the boats came from either, but everyone along the east wall says the same thing, so it must be true. Right now, the north is what you need to see." Gao Qingyi had already ridden up to him and continued urging. "Let the east wall take the hits. Yuancheng's walls are this solid and thick—it won't collapse in less than ten days of pounding. Let them pound away. The north might see a major battle!"

"What do you mean by that?" Gao Jingshan, in his well-fitted fox-fur coat, forced down his shock and confusion about the catapults and blurted out from horseback.

Gao Qingyi, disheveled in his clothing, wanted to speak but stopped, then started again and stopped again. Finally, he just gripped his reins tightly and shook his head. "I don't know how to explain it either... Just come with me and see for yourself! You absolutely have to go to the north wall!"

Half in panic, half in bewilderment, Gao Jingshan followed Gao Qingyi north. Along the way, the fog finally dissipated rapidly under the sunlight. The light from the east cast the city wall's shadow onto the ground. The city gradually recovered from the initial panic of the bombardment, and the troops began to be deployed in an orderly fashion.

But precisely because of this, messengers from the south wall and the main city caught up to report. One said the Song army south of the city had not retreated but was instead setting up a large camp outside, as if to blockade the city. The other said that as the fog cleared, a cavalry silhouette had been spotted west of the city, across the Yongji Canal.

But Gao Qingyi just scolded them to go back and hold their positions, urging Gao Jingshan to hurry north. And probably to avoid the artillery boats on the river, they deliberately turned toward the north gate tower.

Arriving at the north gate tower, the customary winter thin fog had completely cleared. A red sun had risen above the horizon. By his calculation, the two Wanhu from Guantao should be setting out around now.

But Gao Jingshan, climbing the east-west staircase, had no mind to look at the sun or think about Guantao. The first thing he noticed was the face of the Jurchen Battalion Commander who had looked down on the Song army the night before... The man's face was pale, and he was waiting anxiously on the wall. When he saw Gao Jingshan arrive, he numbly raised his hand and pointed north.

All trace of his liveliness from a few hours ago was gone.

On the north gate tower of Yuancheng in Great Ming Prefecture, carrying a strong sense of unease, Gao Jingshan, who had just climbed the stairs, looked northward for the first time—and stood frozen at the top of the stairs.

After a full ten-odd breaths, he finally lifted his feet, walked slowly to the crenellations, and with a dazed gaze, took in the magnificent sight before him.

It turned out that on the strip of land between the two rivers north of Yuancheng, stretching ten li from east to west, countless banners, troops, laborers, and fortifications had completely filled the area.

And these people, these banners, these objects—even this land itself—were bathed in a layer of golden-red light under the just-risen winter sun.

They formed a seamless whole, yet glittered brilliantly, as if they were some living, enormous creature.

So that ferocious fog from last night had a true form this magnificent?!

Dizzy for a moment, Gao Jingshan's gaze was instinctively drawn to the four-character banner directly opposite the city gate, about two li away. After staring at the four large characters on that banner for a few seconds, he followed the movement of the crowd behind it and noticed the defensive line at the northernmost end, still under construction and extending... This line, which had at least a sturdy palisade and a ditch, was clearly somewhat crooked, but it had already filled the narrow area east of the Yongji Canal. The western section, several li wide, was already more than half done, leaving only a gap of two or three li, which was being rapidly closed at an unusually fast pace.

The sun continued to rise, shining on the two Yellow River channels, making the light even more brilliant. Gao Jingshan looked closer and saw that between the banner and the city gate, part of the Song army was clearly already on alert. Small patrols of cavalry moved constantly, and several heavy infantry formations were drawn up in front, facing the city gate. Behind this force, on the west side of the Yongji Canal, he could see what seemed to be fresh reserve troops hidden behind banners at a distance, plus the cavalry reported earlier from the west gate...

Before he could think further, Gao Jingshan looked eastward. There, north and east of the banner, behind these troops, another part of the army and laborers were streaming back and forth, transporting supplies... The Yongji Canal, only a few dozen paces wide, was covered with simple wooden planks serving as pontoon bridges, almost completely hiding the waterway, making it look like solid ground. On the eastern Yellow River channel, there were also several dozen pontoon bridges, with small wheeled boats shuttling back and forth, helping to transport construction materials.

Looking further, Gao Jingshan saw something that struck him like lightning, yet made everything clear—a Song army wheeled boat, a huge one, lying capsized on the land across the river!

But just as he saw this, someone interrupted his dazed observation.

A rider came galloping from north to south, stopping below the city wall and calling out from a distance: "A message! Yue Fei, Marshal of the Hebei Theater of the Great Song, sends word to Gao Jingshan, Commander-in-Chief of the Jin army's Great Ming Prefecture Field Headquarters... Yuancheng is now surrounded on all sides, with no hope of survival. Commander-in-Chief Gao, why not surrender early? If you surrender, in accordance with the Great Song Emperor's decree, even war criminals can have their sentence reduced by one degree! Or you may receive a special pardon!"

Gao Jingshan finally snapped back to reality. He turned his head and stared blankly at the Jurchen Battalion Commander: "Loose arrows!"

The Jurchen Battalion Commander, having received his orders, in the midst of the chaos, surprisingly did not order the archers to assemble. Instead, he directly picked up the stiff bow at his feet, drew, and loosed an arrow... The arrow missed. Below the city wall, a Song cavalryman reined in his horse, spat out a curse, then turned his mount and rode back to the formation.

At this moment, the Song army east of the city continued their bombardment without pause. After another muffled thunderclap, countless Jin officers on the northern city wall all fixed their gazes intently on Gao Jingshan.

Upon hearing this, Gao Jingshan forced a smile and raised one finger, but then seemed to want to speak yet stopped himself. He could only lower it, then raise it again, only to stop once more.

When he raised it a third time, Gao Jingshan knew he could not lower it again, or morale would surely be lost. Yet his heart was already a tangled mess... After waiting a moment, this Grand Coordinator of the Jin's Great Ming Prefecture March, this founding veteran general of the Jin state, seized the moment to point north with his finger and threw his head back in loud laughter.

But the laughter did not last long before it gradually faded, replaced by the sound of rapid breathing. The finger Gao Jingshan had extended also began to tremble slightly.

"Gentlemen, I originally wanted to laugh and say that this Yue Fei whelp has walked right into a death trap... but wouldn't saying that just be deceiving ourselves?!"

The assembled generals were silent. Their only reply was another round of trebuchet strikes against the city wall from the east.

Gao Jingshan paid it no heed. When the sound of this round of stone projectiles subsided, he continued to point at that great banner and spoke sternly: "Using three thousand death-defying soldiers and twenty small boats as bait, openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing at Chencang, painstakingly preparing, building a city in a single night! What kind of resolve is this?! What kind of boldness is this?! Isn't it only natural that we are toyed with by such a man?! But Great Ming Prefecture is the gateway to Hebei. The state has entrusted this vital point to us. Are we, just because the other side has great boldness, going to say nothing, shoot not a single arrow, and simply hand over this city?!"

"No..." The Jurchen Battalion Commander stationed at the north city managed to reply, but his voice was weak.

"Transmit my orders!" Gao Jingshan lowered his finger and clasped his hands behind his back, speaking coldly. "Gao Tongshi was absolutely right. Today, the most important thing is the north city, and the battle outside the north city. Scout riders will go out from the west city together, scattering in all directions to deliver the orders. Let as many get through as possible. As long as one meets up with Ali and Shaohe, tell them the military situation here. Tell them today is the greatest opportunity to break the siege. They must strive to charge... charge from that unfinished breach in the northwest! Cross the Yongji Canal ahead of time, charge over there, rush to the west gate. We will attack from inside and out. As long as we open a connection between the relief force and the city, the Song army will lose their foothold and their purpose!"

"Yes, sir!"

The morale of the surrounding officers lifted slightly.

"Secondly, still go out from the west city, scattering in all directions to deliver the orders. Let as many get through as possible. Go to the riverine strongholds along the western fork of the Yellow River... Order the boats burned! Every single boat stored in the towns along the river behind Xiaowusao, burn them all. Do not leave them for the Song army!" Gao Jingshan continued his instructions.

But at this moment, Gao Qingyi was slightly puzzled: "Grand Coordinator, why burn the boats? Let the boats go to the west bank and wait for the Fourth Prince's main army..."

"What the hell do you know!" Gao Jingshan cursed bluntly. "If they can move boats over land once, they can do it a second time. If the Song army sends another ten boats to the more western fork, opens Xiaowusao, or simply sends a land force to seize Xiaowusao and directly lead the Song navy in from outside, then with the strength of the Song navy, that short stretch of river will be like catching a turtle in a jar. After we rebuilt Xiaowusao and lost many battles, the few boats we painstakingly saved will be uselessly handed to the Song army to use as grain transports or obstacles!"

Gao Qingyi's face changed in fear for a moment, and he dared not speak again.

"And, if my guess is not wrong," Gao Jingshan continued, turning back to look at the great banner outside the city with his hands clasped behind his back, "Yue Pengju's intentions are probably not limited to just sealing off and attacking the city..."

The surrounding officers grew even more solemn.

"Finally!" Gao Jingshan suddenly flicked his sleeve sternly. "Tear down houses, tear down buildings. Do it now. Tear them down and set up trebuchets! Set up trebuchets on all sides! Counter their artillery with artillery! Then send a single messenger riding alone to tell that Yue Fei whelp that as long as I, Gao Jingshan, am in this city, he will never be able to shake it!"

Seeing Gao Jingshan respond so solidly and without losing his spirit, the assembled generals finally felt their morale redouble. They were about to roar their assent... but just as they were about to speak, another whistling sound came from beyond the eastern city wall, followed by another round of rumbling thunder that drowned out the voices of everyone on the wall.

Clearly, on the river to the east, the Song army had unleashed another volley of bolt-throwers, smashing into the city wall... There was no end to it!