[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-73":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},1558239,2024,"Chapter 73: Raiding the Camp","shao-song-chapter-73",73,"\u003Cp>As time progressed, matters inevitably unfolded in a dynamic manner, and the complex battle situation was no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fourth day of the second month, relying on surprise, the Song army countered artillery with artillery in the cannon battle at Xiacaicheng, achieving a visibly great victory after a long stalemate. That same evening, news of the great victory at Mount Shuipoliang also arrived on the Huai River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fifth day of the second month, when Han Shizhong escorted Tian Shizhong up the mountain, he specifically reminded the Zhao official that the campaign was far from over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sixth day of the second month, unexpectedly, the Jin army decisively split its forces and headed north, appearing to withdraw in an orderly fashion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That same evening, the Zhao official sought out Han Shizhong, who judged that the Jin army might be feinting east while attacking west, planning to wheel around for a counterattack. Following the Zhao official's request, he proposed a plan to uproot the Jin army's main camp, which Zhao Jiu approved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early on the morning of the seventh day of the second month, the Zhao official, having made up his mind, summoned Lu Haowen and Wang Boyan, the two chancellors of the Eastern and Western Administrations, unilaterally informing them of the broad military plan. With the assistance of several close ministers, it was nominally passed through the Council of State, making this action a formally legal military operation at the national level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By mid-morning, the Jin army began packing their gear again. With Zhao Jiu personally stationed at the water fortress, Han Shizhong also began, as planned, to replace the scattered troops in Xiacaicheng with elite soldiers from the main camp at Mount Bagong in Henan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By noon, the second contingent of seven thousand Jin troops departed as predicted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By afternoon, Zhao Jiu, along with his Imperial Bodyguards and several close ministers, crossed the river with Huyantong's unit, returning from the inner crossing to Xiacaicheng. To prevent information leaks, they stopped at the government office and did not show themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after Zhao Jiu entered the city, at dusk, Han Shizhong himself, clad in ordinary iron armor and without any banners, suddenly galloped in from the direction of the Jin camp with only a few riders. After a chase that was almost like acrobatics, he calmly entered the city and then proposed to the Zhao official that the attack time be changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No night raid? Change it to a dawn raid tomorrow morning?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu paused slightly upon hearing this, then immediately nodded. \"Let it be as Liangchen says.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Shizhong had intended to explain further but found no need. Not only had the official agreed readily, but the accompanying civil and military officials also remained mostly silent, so he simply took his leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he left, Zhang Jun, the Grand Commandant, who had been watching coldly from the side, spoke up: \"Let the official know, Commander Han is afraid!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that so?\" The Zhao official sat motionless, his expression unchanged. Instead, he pointed to the brand-new bright red robe he was wearing. \"I thought Minister Han wanted the soldiers leaving the city to raid the camp to be able to clearly see my new robe on the city wall.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jun was momentarily stunned. He wanted to hold back but couldn't help himself: \"Official! This is simply Han Wu making wild claims earlier, insisting on a night raid. Then he went to scout today himself, found the Jin army's defenses were tight, realized his old night raid plan wouldn't work, and changed it to a dawn raid!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Grand Commandant Zhang's words are inappropriate,\" at this moment, Zhang Jun, the Censor-in-Chief, who also shared half a name with the Grand Commandant, suddenly stepped forward and refuted him publicly. \"Commander Han's adjustment may indeed be due to underestimating the Jin army's defenses, but could it not also be considered overestimating our army's night-fighting capability... Whether the failure of the night raid was due to realizing the Jin were too strong or discovering our army was too weak, it's hard to say, isn't it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing it was the Censor-in-Chief, Zhang Jun felt a pang of fear first, and his momentum faltered. But just as he gathered his spirit to retort, someone sneered and confronted the Censor-in-Chief before he could. The Grand Commandant looked up and saw it was Zhao Ding, Zhao Damu, who had shared hardships with him these past few days!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Censor-in-Chief Zhao!\" As soon as Zhao Ding opened his mouth, his distant and indignant tone was unmistakable, as if he cared nothing for their past friendship. \"Let the Censor-in-Chief know, we have been facing the enemy day and night north of the Huai. We know the Jin army's strengths and weaknesses thoroughly. If you rear-area officials don't understand the Jin army's situation, just ask us. Why resort to such wordplay here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly,\" Zhang Jun, coming to his senses, quickly chimed in. \"If Han Wu had asked us north of the Huai beforehand, why would he have to change his plan on the battlefield? The key point is that he also put the official in danger. Let the official know, I have been here for a long time, sparring with the Jin army. I know well that their camps are orderly and well-prepared, spacious and organized, with tight night watches, and they even have eagles and dogs on guard day and night...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eagles and dogs?\" Zhao Jiu, who had been listening expressionlessly for half a day, suddenly startled. \"Sea eagles and war dogs?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Y-yes.\" Zhang Jun was also startled by the Zhao official's reaction but had to steel himself to explain. \"It is sea eagles and war dogs. The Jin are skilled in fishing and hunting; their marching and fighting methods mostly derive from hunting techniques, so they naturally bring them along as a precaution!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sea eagles fly so high, wouldn't they see everything clearly inside the city?\" Zhao Jiu pressed on. \"Wouldn't our deployments here be seen by the sea eagles?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The official is overthinking it.\" Zhang Jun finally understood the official's meaning and breathed a sigh of relief. \"A sea eagle is just a gyrfalcon. My family is from west of the Pass, and I've seen plenty... No matter how clever these things are, they're just birds. On the grasslands, deserts, or snowy plains, they can spot a large troop movement. But in the Central Plains, where people are everywhere, they can hardly distinguish soldiers from civilians in a large crowd in the wilderness. How could they understand what's happening inside a city? If they were that miraculous, the Jurchens would have known about my artillery from the very beginning!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu, realizing he had made a fool of himself, slowly nodded. \"In other words, here in the Central Plains, the sea eagle is mainly used, by virtue of its unmatched aerial dominance as a gyrfalcon, to deliver secret military documents, more as a messenger?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct.\" The Grand Commandant nodded repeatedly. \"Let the official know, when it comes to camp defense alone, the eagle may not be as good as the dog, the dog may not be as good as the camp, and the camp may not be as good as the men... In short, if Han Shizhong had dared to ask me a single question before proposing this plan, he would never have made such an absurd mistake as changing the timing on the battlefield!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu gave a dry laugh and immediately nodded. \"I know you, Minister Zhang, have been holding the line alone here at Xiacaicheng these days, doing all the hard and thankless work. I also know that to defend Xiacaicheng, you almost bankrupted your family to relieve the state's difficulties. You are a great contributor to this battle, and I understand that in my heart! In any case, I won't let you fight this battle for nothing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing these words, Zhang Jun felt as if several pounds of weight had been lifted from his bones. Feeling that his gamble had not been in vain, he immediately nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ding, standing to the side, looked somewhat helpless... The official was being vague, and it was hard to tell if he was playing dumb or genuinely confused, but his intention to protect Han Shizhong in a roundabout way was all too obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at it this way, between Zhang and Han, Han Shizhong was the one who had won more of the emperor's favor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to delve deeper, one could only say that, compared to Zhang Deyuan, who had taken the lead first and then stayed ahead step by step, he, Zhao Yuanzhen, was still lacking something in every aspect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at least he hadn't missed out this time!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside the minor twists and turns before the battle, the next morning, at the fourth watch, Zhao Jiu, the Zhao official, who had barely slept a wink, was awakened. Under the personal escort of Grand Commandant Zhang, he led the key officials of the temporary court up to the eastern gate tower of Xiacaicheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this time, several tables of a banquet had already been set up on the gate tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have the soldiers eaten their fill?\" The Zhao official, now wearing a new round-collared red robe and a hard-winged hat, glanced at the densely packed armored soldiers behind the city gate but did not rush to take his seat. Instead, he smiled and asked Zhang Jun, \"Have the valuables I brought yesterday all been distributed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rest assured, Official!\" Zhang Jun, fully armored, bowed and replied with rare solemnity. \"The rewards have all been distributed, the armor and weapons have all been properly allocated, and the troops have just been fed in batches...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly, then gestured with his chin. \"And the wine?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Official,\" Zhao Ding, the Prefect of Shouzhou, finally interjected with a wry smile. \"We've been defending the city for nearly two months. While there's no shortage of food and water, the wine in the city is truly gone. This little bit was begged from Commander Han on the spot...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since it's so precious, let's set it aside for now,\" Zhao Jiu said, waving his hand and raising his voice. \"When the soldiers return victorious, I will share it with them then, it won't be too late... For now, let me watch how you all break the enemy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This speech was clearly meant for the soldiers below the city wall. How could Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding not understand? So they dared not delay and immediately moved to comply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, from among the soldiers below the wall who had been quietly craning their necks to look at the official, someone suddenly dared to speak out insolently: \"Official! As I see it, we might not make it back this time to drink your imperial wine. Just as Prefect Zhao said, two months, and our mouths are so bland birds could nest in them... Why not let us have it now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil and military officials on the city wall—the Censor, the Academician, the Prefect, the Commander-in-Chief—each looked embarrassed and dismayed. Zhang Jun was especially furious, stomping his foot and shouting down at the city: \"Li Laosan! Today you are in the imperial presence! Can't you behave yourself for once? Without merit, why should you get wine? And we're about to launch the attack; giving rewards now would just disrupt the order of the assault!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu had been about to grant the wine on the spot, but upon hearing this, and seeing the east gradually lightening, with countless armored soldiers below the wall looking up at him in the dawn light, he smiled slightly and said no more, instead leading the civil and military officials of the temporary court to take their seats calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rogue soldier below the wall seemed to know he was in the wrong, muttered a few words, and ultimately said nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, with the Zhao official sitting motionless, the imperial dragon banner was first hoisted. Then, suddenly, a collective volley of cannons sounded from within Xiacaicheng as a signal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, the drawbridges outside the eastern, northern, and western gates of Xiacaicheng were lowered together. At the southern water gate, pontoon bridges had already been laid to connect to the river embankment... Combined with the small boats that had come ashore from the Huai River, over ten thousand Song armored soldiers, divided into several units, immediately surged out with a great clamor, charging toward the Jin army's main camp, which had already begun to show signs of panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this point, the east was bright with daylight, and this battlefield on the plains north of the Huai, which had been silent for nearly two months, suddenly erupted into full turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for some reason, beneath the dragon banner, the Zhao official, sitting motionless facing the sunrise, suddenly felt that his own heart, which had been restless for half a year, had now calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a daze, the front lines had already engaged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Formally paying New Year's respects to everyone! May you all be healthy and prosperous in the new year! Xiao Jiu kowtows (for real)!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought I could manage it, but as it turns out, New Year's Eve was still busy enough... Typed on my phone, cobbled together a chapter to pay respects. I hope you'll forgive me.\u003C\u002Fp>",2233,"2026-06-06T07:45:46.639Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","2f70cf94bdb89bcb9eec841aada104c0f41bce5702927912c0137cee88cea406","shao-song-chapter-74","shao-song-chapter-72",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]