Li Qing recounted the whole story, and when he spoke of the Song army falling into a trap on the hillside, his voice became hoarse, and tears mingled with blood.
He was sobbing uncontrollably, his face was flushed, and his eyes were bloodshot.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and from exhaustion and grief, he fainted.
Li Qing was taken to the military medical clinic for emergency treatment.
One of Li Qing's subordinates continued Li Qing's words and finished speaking.
Everyone fell silent.
Xie Qian, the commander of the Third Army Group of the Yan-Yun War Zone, stood up and said angrily, "Marshal, I am willing to lead all the soldiers of the Third Army Group north to surround and kill Wanyan Zonggan. If I fail to complete this mission, I will bring my head to you!"
Seeing that Zhong Shidao remained silent, Jie Qian continued to kneel on one knee in front of him.
Zhong Shidao's hair and beard were all white, but his eyes were bright and piercing. He stared at the strategic map on the table, looking at it back and forth.
"The morale of the Jin army is greatly boosted. Given Wanyan Zonghan's character, he will surely take the opportunity to march south and defeat Yaogu in one fell swoop. Once Yaogu is defeated again, our army's morale will be greatly damaged, and we will have no choice but to retreat back to the Great Wall."
"Therefore, we must support Yao Gu at all costs!"
Zhong Shidao raised his head and looked at Jie Qian: "You will lead 10,000 men to support Yao Gu first. Remember, each man should carry a flag. If you don't have enough, use cloth. Yongxi, you go and prepare cloth for Jie Qian as much as possible!"
Zhang Xiaochun replied from the side, "Yes!"
Although he didn't know why, Zhang Xiaochun still hurried to prepare for Xie Qian.
"Jie Qian, arrive before dawn tomorrow. Once you arrive, make a big show of it and announce that 50,000 of our Great Song Jingse Army have come to support you!"
(The Jingse Army was the elite cavalry force in the early Song Dynasty, and even the Liao Dynasty's Iron Forest Army trembled in fear at their name!)
Jie Qian said, "This humble general will certainly not fail in his mission!"
"Zheyan Zhi!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead 10,000 Jing Sai troops to Ruzhou first. Yao Gu's vanguard army has already advanced 300 li. If Jie Qian fails to support Yao Gu, the Jin bandits will surely move south and directly into Ruzhou. It is also possible that Wanyan Zonghan will bypass Yao Gu and launch a surprise attack on Ruzhou. You will intercept the Jin bandits in Ruzhou and must not let them cross the Juyong Pass Ancient Road! I will follow shortly!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
"The rest of you, organize your troops and follow me north to confront Wanyan Zonghan!"
"Marshal, what about Marshal Zhong's side?"
The "General Zhong" he was referring to was Zhong Shizhong, the military governor of the Yanyun War Zone.
At present, the vanguard of the Song Dynasty's Northern Expeditionary Army is divided into two routes. The left route is led by Yao Gu and goes out of the Great Wall from the Juyong Pass Ancient Road in Ruzhou, while the right route is led by Zhong Shizhong and goes out of the Great Wall from Tanzhou.
Yao Gu suffered a severe blow, and the generals inevitably worried about Zhong Shizhong.
Zhong Shidao said, "With the army marching ahead, the generals and commanders each perform their duties, remaining steadfast in the face of any change. You and I need not worry too much."
"yes!"
After Zhong Shidao said a few words, the generals' hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, were instantly calmed down.
At present, the morale of the Jin invaders is high, and the Song army can only temporarily stabilize the front line of their northward advance.
From the perspective of the Master of the Way, what is most important right now?
The Song army had no shortage of numbers, manpower, well-trained warriors, generals, or weapons.
Of all things, the morale of the army is the most important.
The loss of 30,000 elite cavalrymen by the left wing was a devastating blow to the entire Yan-Yun region, and it was bound to cause unrest among the Song army.
Moreover, some ministers in the court had reservations about the Northern Expedition.
Therefore, the most important thing Zhong Shidao needs to do now is to stabilize the situation and the battle lines in order to stabilize the hearts of the people.
The Song Dynasty was fully capable of waging a protracted war against the Jin Dynasty.
With the Song Dynasty's current mobilization and food supply capabilities, as long as the front lines remain undefeated, they can fight for five years, let alone one!
Jie Qian led 10,000 elite troops and rushed to Ruzhou day and night. From Ruzhou, he left the pass and headed towards Yao Gu's army in the north.
Zheyan Zhi then led 10,000 troops toward Ruzhou, where he stationed himself and awaited the arrival of Zhong Shidao's main force.
Yao Guben examined the strategic map in his military tent, pondering that after Yao Xiong eliminated Wanyan Zonggan of Xiaoshui, the army would advance three hundred li northeast, entering the territory of some towns in the southern part of the Jin Kingdom, where they could build fortified camps.
Yao Gu's goal was naturally to capture the capital and establish his own kingdom.
Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the tent. Yao Gu looked up, about to speak, when the guard outside said, "Commander Yao, there is an urgent military situation ahead."
"Come in and talk!"
The guards supported Tang Chuan, the commander of the Second Battalion of the Ironclad Army, who was seriously injured and barely holding on by sheer willpower.
Upon seeing Yao Gu, Tang Chuan knelt down with a thud, but his body couldn't support him and he collapsed.
The guards on the side quickly went to help him up.
The generals in Yao Gu's tent looked at each other in dismay, and Yao Gu himself turned pale.
However, he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Please go out first."
The generals stood up, not daring to ask any more questions, and bowed, saying, "This humble general takes his leave."
After the generals left, Yao Gu walked to his seat.
No one noticed that his left hand was trembling, with veins bulging out.
But he was a seasoned veteran, a contemporary of Zhong Shidao, and even though he had already guessed that Yao Xiong had been defeated, he still managed to remain calm.
After Tang Chuan finished explaining the military situation at the front, Yao Gu could no longer hold back and slammed his fist on the table in anger.
"Wanyan Zonggan, I will skin you alive and tear your tendons out!"
Tang Chuan was taken away for treatment.
Subsequently, Yao Gu summoned his generals.
He did not mention the defeat at the front, and the generals naturally guessed it, but they would never have guessed that the entire army would be wiped out.
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