Chapter 434: Collapse

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"Woo..."

"..."

The deep, resonant sound of horns kept coming with the north wind.

A thin black line appeared on the northern horizon.

As time ticked away, the entire earth began to tremble slightly.

"Rumble..."

This was the sound of hooves from countless warhorses trampling the earth.

At the Yongcheng South Camp, Zhao Heng's expression changed completely, shifting from confidence to terror.

Right now, he wished he could instantly grow wings and fly back to the Jinling Imperial Palace, never to come out again.

The Second Prince's legs were trembling uncontrollably.

To the Song People, the Northern Di were like a nightmare.

Aside from the time Yan Wang had defeated them, no other Da Song army had ever won against the Northern Di.

From the imperial court to the common folk, everyone was filled with fear of the Northern Di.

"Wait, Yan Wang?" The Second Prince thought of Yan Wang and suddenly calmed down, saying to Zhao Heng, "Father Emperor, do not worry. Yan Wang defeated the Northern Di with Artillery; we can defeat the Northern Di too."

"Right, right, our Northern Expeditionary Army has Artillery. Xiliang has already been beaten into a scurrying mess by Artillery, so what can the Northern Di do?" Zhao Heng forced himself to calm down.

Turning to the generals before him, he said, "Who dares to lead troops into battle? As long as they defeat the Northern Di, I shall grant them the title of State Duke, hereditary for generations!"

Dou Xiao, Wang Bi, Han Yun, and other generals' eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

The Da Song titles of nobility are divided into five ranks: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. This Duke is a State Duke, which is a first-rank title.

Aside from the founding generals, basically only generals who have rendered immense service can be enfeoffed.

Even Yang Feng's title of State Duke was passed down from his ancestors, which shows how rare it is.

However, although they were tempted,

once they calmed down, Dou Xiao and the other two all chose silence.

To lead their own troops to resist the Northern Di at this moment—would that not be walking into the tiger's den?

Before they set out, the Head of the Family had given them orders to preserve their strength at all costs.

They could fight these easy battles to snatch credit while attacking Xiliang.

But now, no one was willing to be the first bird to be shot.

"Your Majesty, this general is willing to go!" Just at this moment, Yang Feng suddenly stepped forward.

"Old General Yang." Zhao Heng was feeling furious and terrified as he watched the generals playing dead one by one.

Seeing this, he felt a wave of relief and was just about to open his mouth when he heard Yang Feng continue.

"But I ask Your Majesty to immediately retreat to Wuguan. This Northern Expedition, I fear, will be a disaster for our Da Song."

The Second Prince looked dissatisfied upon hearing this, "General Yang, why do you boost the morale of others and dampen our own? Xiliang has been beaten by us into a steady retreat; the Northern Di will also be vulnerable."

"Shut up! If the Second Prince continues to spout nonsense and deceive the imperial ears, do not blame this old man for being heartless with his sword!" Having come all this way, Yang Feng's patience for the Second Prince and the others had reached its limit.

If not for their constant agitation along the way, how could the Northern Expeditionary Army have stepped into this trap step by step?

Now that the Northern Di army had arrived and it was clear this Northern Expedition would be a crushing defeat, he had already steeled himself for death.

He no longer wished to tolerate the Second Prince in his heart.

"What are you trying to do!" The Second Prince's face turned deathly pale, and he shrank a step behind Zhao Heng, "Father Emperor, Yang Feng is trying to rebel!"

Zhao Heng felt displeased, but he knew very well that the current situation meant he could only rely on Yang Feng.

He said, "General Yang, calm your anger. The Second Prince is also just eager for victory. The current battle is urgent; you should immediately lead the troops to resist the Northern Di, and I shall retreat to Wuguan at once..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly heard a "creak."

The gates of Yongcheng had actually opened. The Xiliang Iron Harrier cavalry charged out, heading straight for the South Camp.

And behind the Iron Harriers followed a large number of Xiliang soldiers.

The Xiliang soldiers inside Yongcheng had launched a counterattack.

Zhao Heng's complexion turned completely sallow.

Now, even a pig would understand.

Xiliang was working with the Northern Di to attack the Northern Expeditionary Army from both inside and out.

He was in the midst of terror when another Scout returned with news that left him completely hopeless.

"Your Majesty, the Xiao Family's troops have been routed by the Xiliang soldiers from Baocheng and the Northern Di soldiers coming out of Xiao Pass. The road back to Wuguan has been cut off." The Scout who arrived in a hurry was panicked and distraught.

"What! Our retreat has been cut off."

"How could this be? This, this was completely premeditated."

"The Northern Di came prepared; we are doomed."

"..."

The generals from the powerful clans were in total chaos.

The Second Prince's expression finally changed; the retreat was cut off, and the Xiliang troops had immediately launched a counterattack from the city once the Northern Di arrived.

He finally believed that he had fallen into a trap.

Yang Feng closed his eyes in pain; he knew very well that this Northern Expedition was finished.

"Your Majesty, please head to Xian City immediately. The walls there are high and the city is sturdy. Order the soldiers to defend it to the death, and we may be able to hold out for a while, while simultaneously sending a plea for help to Yan Wang," Yang Feng said. This was the only way he could think of.

As for how long Xian City could hold out, or whether Yan Wang would come, he was powerless to do anything about that.

"I never imagined, never imagined that Da Song would actually perish because of this Northern Expedition." Yang Feng smiled bitterly in his heart.

Once Zhao Heng was captured, a struggle for the throne would surely erupt within Da Song.

With internal strife and external threats, facing the powerful Northern Di, the fall of Great Song is only a matter of time.

"Xian City, yes, Xian City, I will go there now!" Zhao Heng was completely panicked, "Immediately seek help from Yan Wang, order him to come save me with all speed, go, go quickly!"

Having said this, he gave the scout commander a hard shove, "If the message does not arrive, I will execute your nine generations."

Then he scanned his surroundings, spotted a Warhorse, and disregarding imperial decorum, he called for his imperial guards, climbed onto the Warhorse, and fled south.

"Father Emperor, wait for your child..." Seeing this, the Second Prince took off running in pursuit, not daring to stop even when his shoe fell off.

"This general will go to protect the Emperor." Dou Xiao turned to leave.

"Who dares!" Yang Feng shouted, and the imperial guard commanders beside him immediately blocked Dou Xiao.

"I will order one hundred thousand imperial guards to accompany and protect the Emperor; the rest shall remain with me to hold off the Northern Di. Those who disobey military orders will be executed without mercy!" Yang Feng's eyes flashed with cold light.

At this moment, there was no longer any hesitation; at worst, it was just death.

Dou Xiao, Wang Bi, and the others felt a chill in their hearts.

They believed that Yang Feng was absolutely not trying to scare them.

Yet, facing such a situation, how could they be willing to throw their lives away with a madman like Yang Feng?

"Yang Feng, you may control the imperial guards, but you cannot control us." Wang Bi snorted in anger and turned to leave.

But just as he had taken two steps, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest as a sword pierced in from his back and emerged from his chest.

"You, you dare to kill me!" Wang Bi's face was filled with disbelief, and then he slowly collapsed.

Yang Feng drew his sword, "Who else wants to leave!"

The expressions of Dou Xiao and Han Yun became extremely ugly, but they simultaneously pulled back their steps.

Yang Feng sneered several times and said to the soldiers beside him, "Protect General Dou and General Han well; from now on, the entire army will follow my orders."

By doing this, he was essentially kidnapping the two of them.

If he let the two return to their respective armies, they would certainly lead their troops to flee.

Even if they fought, they would not risk their lives, so it was better to keep them under his control.

He would use their mouths to issue military orders to the Shizu Army.

Dou Xiao and Han Yun were ashen-faced and had no choice but to compromise.

Having seized control of the army, Yang Feng immediately withdrew one hundred thousand elite imperial guards from the south and north of the city to head toward Xian City.

At the same time, he left over twenty thousand troops at each city gate to hold the line and resist the Xiliang.

He quickly deployed the remaining two hundred thousand troops to the north of the city to form ranks and await the Northern Di army.