"Report!"

A black-clad rider galloped in like lightning, unhindered by anyone, for he was dressed as the Emperor's personal guard.

The black-clad rider dismounted, bowed, and loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, Wanyan Loushi's army has already besieged Longde Prefecture. After two unsuccessful sieges, the Zhe family army arrived at Licheng, twenty li outside Longde Prefecture, at dusk! In addition, Wanyan Pujianu led ten thousand troops south and encountered the left flank of the Zhe family army. Both sides have their victories and defeats, and the stalemate continues!"

Zhao Huan laughed and said, "It seems that Zhe Keqiu anticipated that Wanyan Zonghan would definitely send troops south to intercept him, so he split his troops into two groups!"

Zhong Shidao, who was standing to the side, nodded repeatedly and praised Zhe Keqiu's shrewdness. Wanyan Pujianu was intercepted by the Zhe family army on the left flank, which made it easier for the Wang army and Zhe Keqiu's right flank army to advance without any obstacles.

"Zhong Qing, at the current speed, when will we be able to reach Licheng?"

"Your Majesty, we will also arrive by the hour of You (5-7 PM)."

"Very well! I have no choice but to see Zhe Keqiu!"

Zhao Huan was genuinely excited. The late Northern Song Dynasty was full of dramatic events, and the most regrettable thing about the border affairs was the collapse of the Western Army. The Hedong Army had already suffered heavy losses under the command of the treacherous Tong Guan, and the Zhejia Army in the Northwest, which was fighting against the Dangxiang, was also completely destroyed under the misguided command of the Song court.

Since its establishment, the Western Army has been a cradle of famous generals in the Song Dynasty, and the Zhe Family Army is even more worthy of its reputation, being the only vassal state in the Song Dynasty that was tacitly allowed to exist!

When people in later generations mention military stories of the Northern Song Dynasty, they usually think of the Yang family generals. However, in the Northern Song Dynasty, the most powerful family was not the Yang family, but the Zhe family, which was the maternal family of She Taijun.

Unfortunately, Emperor Qinzong of Song was not satisfied with being a surrendered emperor; he also wanted to be a "commander" sitting in the palace directing the battles at the front.

On the battlefield, the situation changes in an instant. Emperor Qinzong of Song was far away in Bianjing. If a scout wanted to report the military situation at the front, it would take more than two days to travel back and forth. Wasn't this courting death? What was he doing?

At this moment, Zhe Yanzhi, who had been silent all along, stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the left wing of the Zhe family army is currently blocking Wanyan Pujianu's army, but if Wanyan Zonghan reacts, he will definitely send more troops to suppress them. I think that we should send more troops north to intercept Wanyan Zonghan. Your Majesty can then rest assured to destroy Wanyan Loushi. Once Wanyan Loushi is defeated, the Jin bandits will suffer a great blow to their morale!"

"What are your thoughts, Zhong Qing? You are the supreme commander here."

Zhong Shidao said, "Zhonggu's plan is feasible. We should divide our forces and head north to intercept the main force of the Jin army. We should first surround and kill Wanyan Loushi to dampen the Jin bandits' morale and give confidence to the soldiers and civilians of the three towns!"

Yao Pingzhong said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go north to help the Zhe family army intercept Wanyan Zonghan's main force on the left flank!"

Zhao Huan was quite troubled. This Yao Pingzhong was just as eager for merit as Yao Gu. It seemed the saying "like father, like son" held true. But Yao Pingzhong had volunteered to go to the front lines to kill Wanyan Zonghan. He couldn't just refuse him outright, could he? What did refusing him outright mean? Was he looking down on him? Wasn't he afraid of alienating him? What time was it? It was wartime!

Zhao Huan said, "Minister Yao's heart is clear, but I have a more important person to entrust to you."

Upon hearing this, Yao Pingzhong was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Your subject is willing to die ten thousand times over!"

Zhao Huan then asked Zhong Shi, "Zhong Qing, who do you think would be the best person to send to support the Zhe family's left flank army?"

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, Zhong Gu is the best choice. He is a member of the Zhe family, so he will naturally have a better working relationship with you."

If it were any other emperor of the Zhao Song dynasty, they would certainly not have agreed to this proposal.

You bastard, you've got all these guys with the surname Zhe hanging out together. Do you think these rebellious soldiers are just out having fun? What if I cause a Chenqiao Mutiny or Liqiao Incident and get crowned emperor? Do you expect me to give up the throne too?

But Zhao Huan didn't think so. He thought that the Zhe family was really rebellious. Damn it, shouldn't they be sick at this time of supporting the king? Why did they come to fight for the Zhao family? Are they out of their minds?

So he readily agreed. In fact, Zhe Yanzhi has a very good reputation in history.

"Very well, Zhong Qing shall have full authority. I am not knowledgeable in military affairs and dare not interfere!"

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."

Master Zhong said, "Zhe Yanzhi, listen to my command!"

Zhe Yanzhi quickly dismounted and saluted, saying, "Your subordinate is here!"

"I hereby order you to lead another 10,000 troops and, within two days, join forces with the Zhe family's left flank army. There must be no mistakes!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Zhe Yanzhi immediately led his troops and set off quickly.

At the hour of You (5-7 PM), Zhao Huan arrived at Licheng. Zhe Keqiu, who had just arrived, heard that the emperor had come and personally went out to greet him.

The main force of the Song army was stationed in Licheng, which was only twenty miles away from Longde Prefecture. The total number of troops that arrived under the emperor's command, including Zhe Keqiu's army, was 150,000!

Wanyan Loushi knew that the Song emperor was personally leading an expedition with 150,000 troops who had already encamped in Licheng, but he was not afraid at all.

Since Wanyan Aguda established the Jin Dynasty, the Jin army has been invincible. Not to mention the Song Dynasty, even the Liao Dynasty of the Khitan was defeated by the Jin Dynasty without uttering a sound. It only took five years from the start of the war to the destruction of the country.

Wanyan Loushi, as the first war god of the Jin Dynasty, had made great achievements and was extremely brave. He had never been defeated on the battlefield. Now that the Jin army had defeated the Song Dynasty's Hebei and Hedong regions, Wanyan Loushi naturally did not take the Song army seriously.

It would be even better if the emperor personally led the expedition. He thought that capturing the Song emperor and bringing him back would be an unparalleled achievement that would be recorded in history!

As darkness fell, Zhao Huan received news that the Jin army had begun its attack on Longde Prefecture.

In the central army tent, Zhe Keqiu said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead 20,000 troops to capture Wanyan Loushi alive!"

Yao Pingzhong, not to be outdone, also said, "Your Majesty, I only need ten thousand men!"

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!