The victory of the Shengjie Army was a rare victory in the history of the Song Dynasty. It is estimated that this battle will be recorded in history. Only 3,000 Xiang troops defeated an army ten times their size.
Wen Zhengming looked at the scattered 800 soldiers around him, unable to believe it. Eight hundred men had fought bloody battles all night, and now only fewer than 200 remained. The Shengjie Army's death squad had won this victory at the cost of heavy casualties.
In contrast, the losses of the two thousand people led by Zhang Ma were much greater. They chased wildly for dozens of miles, and the high-ranking soldiers they chased were scared to death.
In Chengdu Prefecture, Du Yu Hou Lin Yuan was watching the quiet outside the city, feeling a sense of unease. Chengdu Prefecture's two highest military and political commanders had already gone to Kagong Town, and were probably buried on the battlefield by now.
Looking at the conscripted civilians around him, they knew nothing about warfare. However, they worked diligently on tasks like building city walls. The war for supremacy in the Central Plains, a place where warlords throughout history treated the region as their hunting grounds, was a source of trepidation. These ordinary people were terrified of even holding weapons, let alone killing.
Now the entire city wall is filled with countless flags, and the big "Song" characters on them seem to show off the sovereignty of the Song Dynasty to the world.
Lin Yuanzheng wasn't afraid of death. He had been terrified before, terrified to death. But now the entire Shengjie Army was probably wiped out. These were his brothers, comrades who had shared weal and woe. They were all dead, buried in Kagong Town. What was the point of living? Now he just had to wait for the enemy to attack, and die on this city wall.
The civilians on the city wall and dozens of soldiers dressed as officials were guarding the city. These officials could scare the civilians with knives, but it was really difficult for them to fight.
One soldier's legs were shaking, and his hands holding the spear were trembling. Lin Yuanzheng recognized him as Liao Dutou from the Chengdu government office.
Lin Yuanzheng patted his shoulder gently: "Captain Liao, why are you so nervous?"
Liao Dutou's face turned pale: "I'm not nervous." Although he said that, his body couldn't stop shaking.
Normally, these officials were arrogant and conceited, bullying the common people with a show of force. But now, thrown onto the city wall to guard Chengdu, they were like frightened chickens, their usual arrogance gone.
"Fear is nothing," Lin Yuanzheng said, "I'm afraid too, but look back. If we can't defend Chengdu because of fear, the millions of people behind us will be killed. You know what the Tibetan barbarians will do after they break into the city, right?"
Liao Dutou shuddered. He knew these barbarians too well. They robbed and killed, looted women, and even massacred the whole city. There was nothing they wouldn't do. Miraculously, Liao Dutou stopped trembling at the thought. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fuck them!"
Lin Yuanzheng smiled and patted his shoulder again.
"Du Yuhou! The enemy is coming!" A soldier pointed to a black spot in the distance in the morning light.
Lin Yuanzheng was startled. They had finally arrived. He saw the black speck in the distance outside Chengdu City getting closer and closer. Countless troops were pouring in. Judging from the number of people, this must be the enemy's vanguard.
"Prepare for battle!" Lin Yuanzheng shouted.
The soldiers, dressed as civilians on the city wall, began to get busy. It seemed that the only thing they could do was to tighten their weapons and plant some flags. Everyone felt their throats dry, and their palms holding their spears were covered in sweat.
As the enemy drew closer, Lin Yuanzheng suddenly realized something was amiss. He opened his eyes wide and saw the flags of the Song army coming from the front. Yes, it was the army of the Great Song Dynasty.
Their banners and armor, their horses and weapons—are they not our victorious army? Are they not dead?
"It's Lord Zhang!" A sharp-eyed soldier saw Zhang Ma riding on a horse.
"There is also General Wen, and that is Lü Du Yuhou! It's them, they are back!" someone else shouted.
For the past few days, the people of Chengdu have been living in a state of turmoil. Everyone knows that the combined forces of Tubo and Dali are about to invade. They want to abandon the city and flee, but when they see the rich land bestowed upon them by God, and the houses, streets, wells, and memorial archways left by their ancestors, they hesitate. These are the places they depend on for survival. Where else can they go if they leave?
So the people in the city waited, waiting for the day the city would fall. But who could have imagined that Chengdu would hold on? It wasn't the regular Song army, the formidable imperial guards, that held Chengdu. Instead, it was the local garrison troops, despised and spitted upon by everyone. In the eyes of the common people, these local garrison troops were like scumbags, oppressing the people and taking advantage of them.
In fact, this can't be entirely blamed on them. With the poor treatment of the Xiang army, they can't support their wives and children without doing some side jobs. Although they are busy with farming in their spare time, the military pay is too low after all.
But it was this group of people who defended Chengdu Prefecture. They used their blood and lives to defend the dignity of the Shengjie Army. We can be proud that we defeated the invaders, even though we are still scumbags, we are still lazy and can only bask in the sun and brag to each other.
Lin Yuan hurriedly ran down the city wall and reached the city gate. Of the three thousand victorious soldiers who had left, less than a thousand remained. Their clothes were ragged, blood and stains so thick that their original appearance was unrecognizable. Everyone was exhausted, but a smile finally broke out on their weary faces.
Lin Yuanzheng had tears in his eyes. Zhang Ma came up to him, staggering on his horse. He smiled at Lin Yuanzheng and said, "We won the battle." Then he fell off his horse.
The soldiers next to him hurriedly caught him. Lin Yuanzheng walked over and carried Zhang Ma on his back. He walked into the city step by step with the prefect of Chengdu on his back.
The soldiers defending the city wall all rushed out of the city. They rushed into the crowd of victorious soldiers and carried the exhausted soldiers step by step into the city. They were heroes.
Wen Zhengming was carried on a stretcher. He looked at the Chengdu Prefecture in front of him with a smile on his face.
"Boom, boom, boom..." The sound of gongs and drums came from the city, and countless people spontaneously came to the city gate to welcome their triumphant army.
The 1,000 battered soldiers of the Shengjie Army walked forward hesitantly. They couldn't believe that these people, who usually spit on their backs, would treat them so warmly.
The food of the Shengjie Army could be described as pig food. They ate the coarsest grains and never saw a single piece of meat all year round. But now they were surrounded by food and people.
The people brought out their best food: some brought bowls of braised pork, others of hard-boiled eggs, and still others brought fruit. They presented the food before the victorious Czech army, who tore at it with excitement and slapped the soldiers on the head. For these illiterate people, this was their way of expressing joy.
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