Fearing they would be convicted, these soldiers desperately tried to exaggerate the enemy's numbers. Gao Liangcheng and his generals were increasingly shocked the more they listened. If the enemy really had so many troops, they were doomed.
Where did these over 10,000 Song troops come from? Did they know from the outset that Dali and Tubo were planning a joint attack, so they deliberately showed weakness, pretending to divert their main forces while the Song Dynasty was actually looking for an excuse to go to war with Dali?
Gao Liangcheng shuddered at the thought. But he immediately began to doubt. Over 10,000 Song troops—that was impossible. Even if the Song army truly had 10,000, they couldn't possibly be fighting this way. They would surely employ an encirclement tactic, leaving a gap for the enemy to escape.
There is only one possibility: the defeated troops at the front were afraid of being punished and deliberately exaggerated the story.
"Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!" Gao Liangcheng suddenly woke up.
His personal guards immediately rushed forward to stop the fleeing, and more than a dozen fleeing soldiers were killed on the spot. Finally, these fleeing soldiers began to stop and move closer to the commander.
Although it was difficult to tell how many enemies there were in the darkness, Gao Liangcheng was certain that the number of Song troops was definitely not large.
"Prime Minister! Prime Minister! It's bad. Thousands of Song soldiers are coming. They are the elite, the elite of the Song army!" A man on a fast horse rushed over. It was Shan Chuanxu from the Shan Camp.
Shan Chuanxu was so panicked that he ran all the way to the commander. He then dismounted and knelt, saying, "Prime Minister, the Song army has undoubtedly dispatched its main force, the elite Ding Ran. They are wearing the uniforms of the local wing troops, but they fight with all their might. The Shanzi Battalion has lost over a thousand men." At this point, Shan Chuanxu's voice choked with emotion.
This time, everyone was even more shocked. It had only been less than half an hour, and the Shanzi Camp had lost over a thousand men. What kind of army was this?
In reality, only six or seven hundred men from the Shanzi Camp had been killed; the rest had scattered. After Shan Chuanxu said this, the generals began to panic again.
Gao Liangcheng asked nervously, "How many people are there on the other side?"
Shan Chuanxu didn't dare to mention more, but in the darkness, he felt that the Song army was at least as strong as his own, so three to four thousand men should be enough. So he bowed and said, "Prime Minister, I guarantee with my life that the Song army has at least five to six thousand men."
Gao Liangcheng expected five or six thousand men. He also believed the Song army numbered around five or six thousand. Even with five or six thousand men, the enemy had launched a surprise attack, taking advantage of the darkness. If a fight really went on, even with over twenty thousand men, it was still unclear who would win. Even if they won, those twenty thousand men would surely pay a heavy price.
"Where are the Tibetans? Have the Tibetans arrived?!" In desperation, Gao Liangcheng called out for the allied forces he was longing for.
If the Tibetan army arrived, he would certainly not take the Song army seriously. But Prince Zuzan did not come.
"Prime Minister, the Tibetans can only reach Kagong Town in the morning. It's not even dawn yet, and the Tibetan army should be here in another hour or two," said a subordinate.
"Inform the soldiers of each camp to gather here quickly. Remember, do not panic. Find out the number of enemies and then report back." Gao Liangcheng planned to defend. As long as he could wait for the Tubo army, these Song troops who came to attack would never return.
Chengdu prefect Zhang Ma was restless in the government office. He knew that Wen Zhengming would die if he went there. But as for himself, there were only about 2,000 people left in the city. Even if the officials, yamen runners and the recruited militia were added together, the entire Chengdu government had only 4,000 to 5,000 people.
He had no weapons to defend the city, and archers were in short supply. How could he defend Chengdu? If the Dali and Tibetan coalition forces attacked, Chengdu would fall in less than an hour.
He definitely couldn't hold on, he was only a few hours later than Wen Zhengming. It was just a hardship for the people of Chengdu. The enemy would surely burn, kill, and plunder, and maybe even massacre the entire city.
"Someone come! Someone come!" Zhang Ma suddenly shouted.
"Sir!" An officer walked in from outside the door.
Zhang Ma was a civil servant, merely a prefect. He had no authority to command troops, but the Song Dynasty stipulated that he could exercise discretion in the event of war. Currently, the military and political command of Chengdu Prefecture rested in Zhang Ma's hands.
"Give the order and gather two thousand men. I'm going to Kagong Town!" Zhang Ma said.
The official was startled: "Sir, if you go to Kagong Town, what will happen to Chengdu Prefecture?"
Zhang Ma angrily said, "If Wen Zhengming dies in battle, how can we, with only a few thousand men, defend Chengdu? The enemy is a combined force of Tubo and Dali, numbering at least 30,000 to 40,000 men."
The officer dared not speak any more and only said, "I will go and inform the two Lords of the Capital."
There are two Du Yuhou under Wen Zhengming in Chengdu Prefecture, Lin Yuanzheng and Lu Peng, each of whom has more than a thousand men under their command.
Lin Yuanzheng and Lu Penglai met Zhang Ma. Zhang Ma said, "My two Du Yu Hous, General Wen entrusted me with the important task of defending the city. But he went to Kagong Town to fight the enemy to the death. I don't think we can defend Chengdu Prefecture no matter what. Why don't we set off for Kagong Town now and follow General Wen to fight the enemy to the death!"
Lin Yuanzheng and Lu Peng exchanged a glance, and Lin Yuanzheng bowed and said, "Master Zhang, it's not that we're afraid of death, but I'm afraid that even if we go, it won't help."
Lu Peng, however, had a different opinion: "I think Lord Zhang is right. We have no choice but to go to Kagong Town. Even if it means death, we must inflict pain and terror on the enemy. That way, the enemy will not dare to take Chengdu lightly and will be afraid. I think Commander Wen went to Kagong Town for this reason."
Zhang Ma nodded. "That's right. Commander Wen meant for him to lead those 800 warriors to inflict pain and frighten the enemy, leaving them with a lingering fear when they attack the city. But 800 men would certainly never return, and they might not even be able to frighten the enemy. So I want to bring more men to support Wen Zhengming."
"But if we all go there, won't Chengdu become an empty city with no one guarding it?" Lin Yuanzheng said.
Zhang Ma slapped his thigh and said, "Why not? Lü Peng and I will take the remaining Shengjie Army to Kagong Town. Lindu Yuhou, you stay and defend Chengdu Prefecture. Order the conscripted militia to wear military uniforms and plant military flags all over the city walls. Then, throw the city gates wide open and give them an empty city plan!"
"Empty City Strategy?" Lin Yuanzheng and Lu Peng asked in unison.
"Yes, the empty city plan! We can't defend it anyway, so we might as well take a risk. Lü Du Yu Hou, are you willing to go with me to Kagong Town?" Zhang Ma looked at Lü Peng.
Lu Peng bowed and said, "I am willing to obey Zhang Dasha's orders."
"Okay! Gather the team and set off immediately! Go to Kagong Town to support Wen Zhengming!" Zhang Ma said.
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