Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 85 Crossing the Yangtze River

The Yangtze River, known as a natural barrier since ancient times, stretches across the north and south, serving as a natural defense line for the Southern Tang Dynasty against the northern cavalry.

In the past, Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Chai Rong, dominated the world, and no one could stop his military might. However, the Southern Tang Dynasty barely managed to retain half of its territory by relying on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River.

At this moment, Zhao Dezhao was leading 10,000 elite Song soldiers in a rout all the way to the riverbank.

Across the river lies Runzhou, the stronghold of Lin Renzhao, the military governor of Runzhou.

On the surface of the Yangtze River, a pontoon bridge quietly unfolds, which is the crossing channel previously built by Lin Renzhao's army.

Because the Southern Tang navy was anchored on the river, even if the pontoon bridge was destroyed, the Tang army could still cross the river by boat. Therefore, only a small number of soldiers were left to guard the pontoon bridge, and the defense was relaxed.

The Song army broke through the weak resistance with almost no effort, sped across the pontoon bridge, and entered the territory of the Southern Tang.

Instead of ordering a rest, Zhao Dezhao abruptly turned his horse around and led his army at breakneck speed toward Jiangning, the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

Li Chuyun spurred his horse to catch up, asking in confusion, "Your Highness, are you... planning a 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' strategy?"

Currently, the elite troops of the Southern Tang are either rushing to the aid of Yangzhou or stationed in the navy, leaving Jiangning Prefecture with a weak military force. If they launch a fierce attack on the capital now, they might actually force the Tang army from the direction of Yangzhou to return and relieve the siege of Yangzhou.

Upon hearing this, Cao Bin, who had accompanied him on the expedition, frowned and stepped forward to offer his advice in a serious tone:

"Your Highness is wise!"

"With Tang troops still in pursuit, and our army already fleeing, if we attack Jiangning now, we will be caught in a pincer movement, facing attacks from both sides, and unable to advance or retreat!"

Zhao Dezhao kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, his expression unchanged. He neither argued nor hesitated, but simply laughed heartily, "Uncle Guohua is absolutely right!"

"However, I have my own considerations. Uncle Guohua, please just wait and see."

Cao Bin and Li Chuyun exchanged a glance. Although they were full of doubts, they could only obey the order and follow.

The army sped along and arrived at a mountainous area called "Cuiping Mountain".

This mountain is only about 30 li away from Jiangning Prefecture. Its terrain is steep, its vegetation is dense, and its roads are rugged, making it an excellent place for hiding.

Almost at the same time that the Song army rushed into the mountains, Lin Renzhao sent 20,000 pursuers to cross the Yangtze River and follow the traces left by the Song army all the way down the mountain.

Seeing the enemy retreat into the mountains, the 20,000 Tang soldiers remained calm and did not rush to pursue them. Instead, they quickly divided their troops and set up sentries to block all the entrances and exits of the mountains. They also sent scouts to infiltrate the mountains to investigate, intending to trap the Song army firmly in Cuiping Mountain and catch them like turtles in a jar.

Just as the Tang army began its operation, Zhao Dezhao, deep in the forest, reined in his horse, scanned the surrounding mountains and forests, and looked at Li Chuyun with a solemn expression: "Uncle Li, you are leading eight thousand soldiers to lie in ambush in these mountains and forests."

Although Li Chuyun was puzzled, he still bowed and replied, "This subordinate obeys the order."

"Remember, do not engage the Tang army for the time being. Just conceal your movements. Also, the army's food should consist mainly of dry rations. Do not use stoves to light fires."

Zhao Dezhao spoke sternly, emphasizing, "After the enemy forces withdraw from the encirclement, you shall lead your troops straight to Jiangning!"

"Understood, sir!" Li Chuyun bowed again to accept the order, then turned around and summoned eight thousand Song soldiers, who quickly infiltrated the mountains and forests.

The Imperial Guards of the Great Song Dynasty were always well-trained. They moved nimbly, trying to keep their footsteps as low as possible, and quickly concealed themselves by taking advantage of the dense vegetation and rugged mountain paths. Even their flags were carefully put away, and the entire forest instantly returned to silence.

Zhao Dezhao then looked at the two thousand elite soldiers beside him.

Of these two thousand elite troops, apart from his eight hundred personal guards, the remaining thousand or so soldiers were also the best of the best when they were selected as personal guards. Their combat strength and execution ability far surpassed those of ordinary imperial guards.

"Come with me!"

Zhao Dezhao gave a low shout and led his two thousand personal guards to continue speeding towards Jiangning.

However, just as he was about to break out of Cuiping Mountain, he quietly took a detour, using the cover of night and the terrain to avoid the detection of Tang army scouts, and slowly turned towards the Yangtze River bank.

This action left Cao Bin, who was standing next to him, completely baffled.

The strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" is flawed; if we don't besiege Jiangning Prefecture, how can we force the reinforcements to return to their posts?

But Zhao Dezhao quickly provided the answer.

On the banks of the Yangtze River outside Jiangning Prefecture, thousands of sails stood tall, with nearly a thousand warships of various sizes arrayed on the river. Even in the darkness, the large banners bearing the character "Tang" could be faintly seen fluttering in the wind.

This is the 50,000-strong navy of the Southern Tang Dynasty, commanded by Zheng Yanhua!

When Li Jing was planning the war, he ordered Lin Renzhao to lead 50,000 troops across the river from Runzhou and head straight for Yangzhou.

Zheng Yanhua deployed his troops on the river, which would allow him to rush to Yangzhou's aid at any time and to control the Yangtze River defense line with the freedom of movement by water.

If the navy could be defeated, the Southern Tang army's retreat and supply lines could be cut off, putting the Southern Tang reinforcements from Yangzhou on the defensive.

Upon learning of Zhao Dezhao's intentions, Cao Bin's expression shifted slightly.

The Tang army was skilled in water warfare, and they had deployed 50,000 naval troops here. Zhao Dezhao only had 2,000 men, yet he dared to launch a surprise attack.

But then, Zhao Dezhao showed him through his actions.

There's nothing he wouldn't dare to do.

There's nothing he doesn't want to do!

In the darkness, two thousand elite soldiers wrapped their horses' hooves in pre-prepared linen and, taking advantage of the night, silently approached the naval camp...

……

Meanwhile, Lin Renzhao led 30,000 Southern Tang troops and finally arrived at the gates of Yangzhou.

He reined in his horse and stopped, looking up at the city walls of Yangzhou. His expression instantly turned to astonishment.

The city walls were already covered with Song Dynasty flags, the large banners bearing the character "Song" fluttering in the night wind. The Song soldiers on the city walls were on high alert, weapons in hand, ready for battle.

Judging from this situation, Yangzhou has completely changed hands.

"How could it be so fast?" Lin Renzhao murmured, his heart filled with shock.

He never expected that in just half an hour, Yangzhou City would fall into the hands of the Song army.

Actually, it's not entirely his fault. After all, even Zhao Dezhao didn't expect that the pawns Zhao Kuangyin had laid out earlier would play such a crucial role!

An Yougui, you've gone too far!

With the help of both inside and outside forces, Shi Shouxin captured Yangzhou almost as soon as Zhao Dezhao's army had "retreated" across the Yangtze River!

Although Lin Renzhao was unaware of all this, he still steadied himself and forced himself to calm down.

At this point, he only had three paths before him.

First: With the enemy outnumbering us, we launched a strong attack on Yangzhou.

Second: Returning empty-handed, sounding the retreat, and awaiting the Song Dynasty's retribution afterwards.

Without a doubt, the first two paths are simply not viable.

Yangzhou is well-defended. Now that the Song army has captured it, they will surely strengthen its defenses and deploy a large force. He only has 30,000 troops under his command. If he launches a strong attack alone, he will only increase casualties and will not be able to capture Yangzhou at all.

As for returning empty-handed, that goes without saying; once the arrow is on the bowstring, it has no choice but to be released!

Therefore, after only a slight hesitation, Lin Renzhao chose the third path.

"Pass on my orders!"

Lin Renzhao loudly ordered, "The entire army shall remain in place, set up camp, and closely monitor the movements of the Song army. No one is allowed to engage in battle without authorization!"

He paused, then added, "Order the messenger to immediately go to General Zheng Yanhua's location and request the navy to send troops to reinforce us!"

If 30,000 troops aren't enough, then 80,000 will do!

At this time, the Song army had just captured Yangzhou, and the morale of the people was certainly not secure. If they were to launch a strong attack on Yangzhou with 80,000 troops, the outcome would be uncertain.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded in unison, and then began to set up camp, erect tents, and arrange defenses in an orderly manner. The entire military camp was well-organized.

Just then, a scout came running, his face beaming with joy. He knelt on one knee and excitedly reported:

"General! News from the soldiers pursuing the Song army indicates that Zhao Dezhao is trapped on Cuiping Mountain, with no way to escape! We only need to send a small number of reinforcements to capture him alive!"

"Ha! If only you had listened to me earlier, you might have already captured Zhao Dezhao alive. Why would you be wasting your time here?"

Li Congjia lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out, glancing sideways at Lin Renzhao, letting out a cold snort, before urgently issuing an order:

"Pass down the order: have Zheng Yanhua send another 10,000 naval troops ashore to surround Cuiping Mountain. Zhao Dezhao must be captured alive, without fail! Whoever captures Zhao Dezhao will be richly rewarded!"

"This..." The messenger hesitated and looked at Lin Renzhao.

Military affairs in Runzhou were always decided by Lin Renzhao, and he dared not follow Li Congjia's orders on his own.

Seeing this, Li Congjia became even more dissatisfied.

Lin Renzhao frowned, feeling a vague unease. He had a feeling that things wouldn't go so smoothly, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

Even if Zhao Dezhao is incompetent in military affairs, didn't he have a great general from the Song Dynasty to guide him? Why would he personally venture into dangerous territory?

"What are you waiting for?"

Li Congjia was already resentful that Lin Renzhao hadn't pursued them earlier, and seeing Lin Renzhao's hesitant expression, he couldn't help but sternly question him: "As long as we can capture Zhao Dezhao, even if we lose Yangzhou, this battle will still be a great victory!"

"Now that Yangzhou has fallen, if Zhao Dezhao escapes, I will hold you accountable!"

Lin Renzhao took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his doubts.

Now that things had come to this, if he insisted on stopping it, he would only give others ammunition to criticize him. Moreover, Li Congjia's attitude was resolute, so he had no choice but to nod slightly to the messenger and tacitly approve the order.

The messenger then accepted the order and left.

Seeing this, Li Congjia snorted and glanced at Lin Renzhao with displeasure. Then, he took the Zhou Ehuang sisters with him and turned to walk towards the luxurious, palace-like camp in the center of the army.

……