Chapter 78

"They actually came?"

Han Shizhong reined in his horse atop the river embankment corresponding to the eastern side of the battlefield. Turning back, he saw Liu Bao, Zhang Jun's trusted general, leading the troops that Grand Commandant Zhang cherished like his own life hurrying along the embankment, and for a moment he found it hard to believe.

Yang Yizhong, standing nearby, also withdrew his gaze from the Jin army's camp, which had become a chaotic melee, and showed a look of surprise… The reason was simple. As both a former subordinate of Zhang Jun and a trusted attendant of His Majesty Zhao Jiu, this Yang Dalang knew very well that for Zhang Jun—a military ruffian from the old Western Army—to grit his teeth and send Liu Bao's main force to the front line when only three thousand armored men remained, it must have been a personal decision by His Majesty. Otherwise, Grand Commandant Zhang would have wrapped himself in the supreme pretext of "protecting His Majesty's safety" and no one could have refuted him.

It was just like when the Imperial Guard had been dispatched earlier—without His Majesty personally giving the order, no one dared to deploy that unit for support.

And this was precisely where Yang Yizhong's surprise lay—half of it was astonishment that Zhang Jun had been properly arranged by His Majesty again; the other half was shock at His Majesty's resolve in today's battle.

To be fair, Yang Zhengfu had followed Zhao Jiu for so long that he naturally knew the changes in His Majesty before and after the well incident, and he was also aware of all sorts of rumors inside and outside the palace. However, perhaps because of his inherently cautious nature, or because he had been exposed to too much firsthand information, unlike those outside officials who were more concerned with resisting the Jin or matters like Yangzhou, Yang Dalang himself had always harbored some doubts deep inside, unspoken.

Moreover, these doubts were multifaceted and not one-sided.

Among them, there was both fear of His Majesty's identity and gratitude for the favor His Majesty had always shown him, but also a certain natural wariness that a subject feels toward the sovereign… For instance, Yang Yizhong had always felt that whether or not His Majesty had changed the basic state policy, whether or not His Majesty's temperament had undergone a drastic shift, this sovereign's inherent selfishness as a Zhao emperor had never changed. When it came to a critical moment, it was hard to say whether His Majesty could truly risk everything.

Therefore, today, on the verge of battle, His Majesty's decisive move had actually dispelled quite a bit of Yang Yizhong's wariness.

As the saying goes, no matter how things changed or what was said, at least from Yang Yizhong's perspective, the current sovereign still had a certain admirable boldness.

"General Han!"

Back to the present, Liu Bao led his unit of over a thousand armored men, detouring along the river embankment from the westernmost to the easternmost section of the battlefield. He himself rode a horse, galloping ahead to Han Shizhong and speaking hastily. "My Grand Commandant sent me to take your orders, and said it was His Majesty's personal oral command… Now that things have come to this, General, whatever arrangements you have, just say them!"

"I do have a major task for Commander Liu." Han Shizhong, who had just withdrawn his gaze from the Jin camp, shook his head and spoke clearly, issuing a very precise military order. "Right now, in front of the Jin army camp on the western side of the Xiacaicheng wall, our forces are insufficient, and His Majesty's safety is the top priority. Please, Commander Liu, lead your troops to reinforce that area and provide support, just in case…"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yizhong and Liu Bao were both stunned.

Immediately afterward, the latter couldn't help but take off his helmet while on horseback, staring fixedly at the man before him with a ferocious expression… To be fair, this Commander Liu was a renowned fierce general of the Western Army, known for his violent temper. If it weren't for the fact that the man in front of him happened to outrank him, had more seniority, seemed to be a better martial artist, and appeared to be even more of a rogue in personality, he would have risked everything today to cut this bastard down first.

But wasn't it just that there were so many coincidences?

So Liu Bao took a few heavy breaths, held back in the end, and while still on horseback, holding his helmet, pressed on: "General Han, are you deliberately mocking me? You called me here to reinforce, but now you want me to withdraw from the heat of battle, run back and forth along the embankment, and return to my original position, just to lose ground for nothing?"

Yang Yizhong also found it absurd and seemed about to speak up.

"Go quickly!" Han Shizhong didn't want to say more, directly glaring and shouting. "I'm about to decide the outcome here. His Majesty's safety is even more important now. Don't ask questions, return to your unit immediately!"

Liu Bao was speechless with rage, but could only hurl his helmet to the ground in frustration, then turn and gallop away.

"Yang Dalang!" Han Shizhong ignored Liu Bao and instead looked at Yang Yizhong, who was standing on the ground.

"Your subordinate is here!" Yang Yizhong dared not be negligent, instantly setting aside all his doubts and bowing his head to receive orders.

"I've figured out the Jin's deployment." Han Shizhong's tone was calm, yet carried a hint of seriousness. "I'm going to move out and prepare now. Yang Dalang, stay here and make sure to watch my banners and drums, ready to relay orders… After I circle around from further east and take position, I'll raise a flag to signal you from the east. Then you watch the Jin camp's movements. If cavalry comes out to engage Wang Sheng, raise the blue flag; if all the cavalry charges out and reaches behind Wang Sheng's formation, raise the yellow flag; when the Jin cavalry is blocked and stalls, raise the red flag… Got it?"

Yang Yizhong nodded repeatedly but still gritted his teeth and asked one more question: "Just this is enough?"

But Han Shizhong didn't even acknowledge him, merely glancing down at Yang Yizhong from his horse before riding east alone along the embankment. His personal guards abandoned all their banners and drums, carrying only a single general's flag with the character "Han," which they deliberately dragged along the ground as they followed.

At the same time, on the exposed riverbed inside the embankment, the two thousand troops of Han Shizhong's personal army that Grand Commandant Zhang had long coveted—the Beiwei Army and the Cuipian Army—followed suit. Amid Yang Yizhong's nervous unease, they casually discarded their banners and drums, each carrying only a small flag, and followed Han Shizhong eastward.

"That unit of over a thousand armored men has gone back?!"

Jin Wushu, who had been hesitating about whether to launch a frontal assault, climbed the wooden watchtower at the edge of the command platform and personally gazed at the troops on the southern embankment, then couldn't help but ask in astonishment. "What does this mean?"

Shi Wenbin below opened his mouth but said nothing.

"I understand."

Of course, Jin Wushu was no fool. He came down from the watchtower, was dazed for a moment, and then suddenly realized. "That Song general outside has ill intentions. Through this kind of real and fake maneuvering, he's trying to probe where my central army is!"

"Your student thinks so too." Shi Wenbin quickly nodded. "And just now, the Song army successively withdrew two main forces from the western battlefield, but the Fourth Prince never took the opportunity to reinforce the west and try to break through. I'm afraid the Song general is already suspicious. Now, if this unit turns back and still doesn't encounter the Fourth Prince's reinforcements, he'll likely understand completely—the rapid progress on the eastern front must mean there are ambush troops inside the camp, and the Fourth Prince's central army must have been sent to support that side… So, Fourth Prince, should we recall the central army, or simply order General Puluhun on the eastern front to switch from offense to defense?"

PS: Many thanks to the 32nd sponsor, Kangcheng Feibai, I'm deeply grateful, an old reader as well… Today, my mom was on the treadmill and wondered aloud, what would make a reader tip a book a thousand yuan?