[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-56":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558222,2024,"Chapter 56: Hardship and Toil","shao-song-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>\"What does Xiao Tian think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already past the third watch. On the walls of Xiacai, Zhang Jun, Grand Commandant Zhang, who had been roused from sleep in the middle of the night, had been watching for a good while alongside Prefect Zhao Ding. Suddenly he turned his head to look at his son-in-law beside him and called out to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Father-in-law.\" Tian Shizhong, fully armored, immediately bowed his head in reply. \"Your son-in-law has been on the wall the whole time and saw clearly. Although the Jin army made a great show of force and came in haste, they clearly lacked siege equipment. All that half-day's clamor was just them shooting arrows from the perimeter. Only four or five places where the moat was narrow did they try to scale the wall, and those were all Han troops dying in vain... So your son-in-law believes this is undoubtedly a feint. I just gave the order for the watchtowers to clearly identify the enemy and not waste arrows.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You did the right thing.\" Zhang Jun nodded repeatedly. \"And I think so too. But fighting at night, you must guard against elite Jurchen troops suddenly mixing in, or a surprise attack on the west wall, which they haven't touched yet, catching us off guard. Also beware that Liu Guangshi's old troops, used to fleeing, might panic and ruin the situation... Be careful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rest assured, Father-in-law!\" Tian Shizhong quickly replied again. \"Your son-in-law has been on the wall the whole time; there will be no mistakes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good then!\" Zhang Jun continued speaking. \"You keep watch back and forth on the wall. Prefect Zhao and I will return to the government office inside the city, open the gates wide, and drink wine and eat to calm the people. Then have Liu Bao muster a thousand of our most battle-hardened veterans and have them wait, ready to support at any time!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your arrangements are most appropriate, Father-in-law.\" Tian Shizhong remained composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't you two, father-in-law and son-in-law, try to feed me some calming pill or precious elixir!\" Zhao Ding, a clever man, had long since heard that this back-and-forth between the two was actually meant for his ears. He ignored it and pointed directly at the firelight on the Henan side, pressing for an answer. \"I have seen everything in the city with my own eyes, so I naturally trust you. But what is going on in Henan? Can either of you give me a proper explanation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me inform you, Prefect Zhao, the crossing and repairs are difficult. No matter what happens in Henan, we can't manage it for now!\" Zhang Jun, seeing this, shook his head helplessly, but turned and walked away as he spoke. \"But anyway, that reckless Han Wu has such a large fleet on the river. With his skill, even if one or two battalions truly sneak across, how could he not provide support?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Shizhong bowed his head again. Zhao Ding, hearing this, was deflated and could only stamp his foot before turning to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, only a short while later, just as Grand Commandant Zhang Jun and Prefect Zhao Ding had returned to the government office in Xiacai city and before they could even set out the night banquet to calm people's hearts, a change was visible to the naked eye in the direction of Mount Bagong in Huainan... The two, not daring to be negligent upon hearing the news, hurriedly climbed the tower on the wall outside the southeast water gate. Gazing into the distance and observing carefully, they saw that at the water fortress on the western passage of Mount Bagong on the opposite bank, patches of firelight were strangely beginning to spread westward into the valley of Mount Xiashi. They had no idea what was happening!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Withdraw the troops!\" At that same moment, on the Huai River embankment, perhaps no more than two or three li in a straight line from Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding, the Jin army general and commander of ten thousand, Ali, sat on his horse and watched for a good while before suddenly speaking. \"What do the Fourth Prince and General Elubu think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I also think we should withdraw.\" Another commander of ten thousand, Elubu, seemed to have come to his senses as well, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean?\" Jin Wushu was bewildered and growing angry. \"You two were the ones who said to feint, and now you're the ones saying to withdraw. Why won't you explain clearly to me, the commander?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing much!\" Ali sighed. \"I'm afraid the Song army also sensed that there should be a force like Shulie's on the south bank. So the fire earlier wasn't set by Shulie attacking; it was the Song army, with the same intention as us, deliberately lighting it themselves to lure him into attacking. And now Shulie must have been exposed again, trapped by the Song army in the mountain hollow to the north!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think about it.\" Elubu beside him also shook his head. \"Han Shizhong was recognized by all three kingdoms as a brave general back when Liao was destroyed. He's always been bold and daring in battle. With his character, if he ran into an entire battalion on the way here, he would naturally think there was another battalion to the west and take the initiative to attack. And it seems the Song emperor is someone who listens to advice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Wushu opened his mouth, only to feel a tightness in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fourth Prince, this isn't your fault. It's my plan that was too short-sighted. Otherwise, I wouldn't have helped the Song army lure Shulie into the trap!\" Ali, seeing this, was remarkably candid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no need for you to admit fault!\" Jin Wushu's face was bright red, whether from shame or the firelight, no one knew. \"In the end, Shulie was sent by me. The fire started burning on its own before you even made your suggestion!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elubu and Ali exchanged a glance, neither intending to add fuel to the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after the three of them stood there on horseback watching for a long time, seeing that the firelight never turned back, Jin Wushu had no choice but to order the feinting troops to return to camp and rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the nighttime withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops was extremely tedious. By the time the sporadic fighting around Xiacai city ended, it was already near the fourth watch, and the eastern sky was beginning to turn pale... For some reason, only then did Han Shizhong, Controller-General Han, who had firm control of the Huai River's surface, think to send a small boat to the water gate of Xiacai to deliver a letter to the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The letter was very short. First, it naturally offered greetings and asked after everyone's health, the elegant prose making it clear that Han Liangchen hadn't written it himself. Then it mentioned that he, Han Shizhong, had trapped a Jin battalion (a thousand-man unit, led by a Battalion Commander) on a sandbar in the Huai River near the town of Juejian. Finally, it mentioned that he was 'preparing' to use a decoy method to lure in another possible Jin battalion from the west of Huainan... This was to let Grand Commandant Zhang prepare early, so he wouldn't be caught off guard 'when the time came'!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That goddamn reckless Han Wu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun hadn't slept all night and was already exhausted. After reading the letter together with Zhao Ding by the brazier, he finally flew into a rage. \"I'm the one who suffers all the hardship and toil! But this bastard gets to eat all the meat!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Grand Commandant Zhang was so furious, the officers gathered around, from Tian Shizhong and Liu Bao on down, naturally joined in with a torrent of foul language, denouncing Han Shizhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, this had always been the style in the Great Song army. Everyone had come up through the Western Army and had seen countless truly filthy things over the years. Besides, with the emperor right across the river, this reckless Han Wu could only show off his might in this way; it wasn't really about harming a neighbor for his own gain. So after a bout of cursing, no one took it seriously, and they prepared to disperse, grumbling along with Grand Commandant Zhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just then, Zhao Ding, who had been holding the letter and reading it several times without saying a word, suddenly erupted. On the wall, he flew into a towering rage, his voice harsh and his expression severe:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Submit an impeachment memorial! All officers of company commander rank and above in the city, join me in a joint impeachment of Han Shizhong! What time is this, and he's still clinging to that Western Army factionalism! I refuse to believe the emperor deliberately made him wait until now to send this letter! If the emperor doesn't make Han Shizhong give us in Xiacai an explanation for this, then I, Zhao Ding, this prefect, will be the first to jump off this water gate watchtower!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officers of Xiacai, from Grand Commandant Zhang on down, who had been about to disperse, all turned back in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brothers in arms!\" Zhao Ding, already over forty, was still wearing his green official robe, which hadn't been washed in who knows how long. He stood proudly before the brazier on the wall, without any of a civil official's usual demeanor. Instead, he slapped his chest, pointed to heaven, and spoke with utmost sincerity. \"As long as I, Zhao Ding, am in Xiacai for one day, I will never let any of you suffer the slightest grievance... I'm no good at fighting, but for such a small matter, I, the Prefect of Shouzhou, will not shirk my duty!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I should have thought of that!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst a burst of clamor and praise, Tian Shizhong shook his head repeatedly, then spoke quietly to his father-in-law. \"Now, within Shouzhou, on both sides of the Huai River, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers... How about letting Prefect Zhao handle the army's grain supplies from now on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm the one who suffers all the hardship and toil...\" Zhang Jun muttered half a sentence, but looking at Zhao Ding's dirty robe, he couldn't bring himself to finish. Instead, he instinctively changed the subject. \"At this point, let's share the sweet and the bitter together!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to fellow book reader Old Dao for becoming a Patron, this is the thirty-first one! I thank the big shot on behalf of Xiao Jiu!\u003C\u002Fp>",1771,"2026-06-06T07:45:46.639Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","e82a19dc88ab0fbeeaeef136dad3fa1cda87776db762ea6c1ba7f0ca08266dd7","shao-song-chapter-57","shao-song-chapter-55",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]