LRAB Chapter 1085 I only regret killing you too late
Chapter 1085 I only regret killing you too late
Chapter 1085 I only regret killing you too late
Under Lingzhou City.
There were piles of pounding carts and the remains of stone cannons.
There were fifty or sixty corpses piled up at the drawbridge of the city gate, the city wall was pierced by more than a dozen crossbow arrows, and the city wall was scarred by stone bullets.
After a day of brutal siege, the Song army was leaving the camp to collect the bodies. Today, another 300 to 500 bodies were left under the city, and the same was true for the Western Xia.
Standing on the top of the city wall, Renduo Yading watched this scene. He knew that if the Song army continued to fight like this, Lingzhou would fall within ten days, but... but the Song army might never be able to capture Lingzhou City.
Ren Duoyading sneered, but for some reason, he felt that something was strange about the Song army today.
However, after attacking the city, part of the troops from Xihe Road did not return to the camp, but went around to the vicinity of the large military camp of Jingyuan Road.
Renduo Yading called Renduo Baozhong and pointed at the Song army's deployment and asked, "What do you think of this?"
Renduo Baozhong said: "I don't know, maybe the Song army is trying to lure the enemy. In any case, we will be right if we defend the city carefully."
……
But I saw the Song army tent.
Zhang Zhi, holding the imperial edict, was in a tense situation with Wang Zhongzheng and his cronies.
Wang Zhongzheng was shocked and angry and asked, "Zhang Jinglue, what do you mean by this? Your Majesty only wants you and me to return, why do you want to take my seal?"
Zhang Zhi said: "Now we have to return, who will be the rear guard, who will be the commander?"
"Of course, if your Excellency is willing to lead an army to cover the rear, then I have no objection. If your Excellency is unwilling, then please hand over the seal? I will discuss and arrange it with the generals!"
Wang Zhongzheng sneered upon hearing this, "Who will cover the rear? We have our own arrangements. The governor has 20,000 elite soldiers from Xihe Road but is so cowardly. We plan to return to the front, or we can go west to find troops from Fuyan Road, and then we can cooperate and retreat slowly."
When Wang Zhongzheng said this, all the generals shook their heads.
Wang Shan, who was standing directly below Zhang Zhi, stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency really doesn't know anything about military affairs. Not to mention that the troops on Fuyan Road are already in danger. Even if their troops have broken through the drought sea and arrived here, how much food and grass do they have? Where will the nearly 200,000 soldiers and horses get food and fodder?"
Wang Zhongzheng's face turned pale when he heard this, and he argued: "The two armies will be even stronger if they join forces. We can break through a city in Xixia, find food and then retreat."
The generals shook their heads, saying it was such ignorant talk.
Wang Zhongzheng saw this and said to Zhang Zhi: "You call yourself the General, and you are in charge of a group of troops, but you say such cowardly words. Are you planning to let the troops of Jingyuan Road cover your rear? You lead the troops and retreat alone."
"Or do you have any ulterior motives towards the Xia people?"
Zhang Zhi said: "I am not afraid of the commander-in-chief's rear guard, but I am afraid of treacherous ministers like you. If I die like this, I will have no place to bury my body. Yang Wudi was a hero in his lifetime, but he was killed by a villain like this."
"What is the difference between you and the villain who killed Yang Wudi today?"
As we all know, Yang Ye had been marginalized because of his status as a surrendered general. When Emperor Taizong of Song was defeated in his second expedition against Liao, he ordered Pan Mei to be the main general and Yang Ye to be the deputy general to lead the western army to retreat.
The military supervisor Wang Quan used words to incite Yang Ye to lead his troops to fight at the rear, and then withdrew the troops that were supposed to support Yang Ye, which eventually led to the deaths of Yang Ye, his son Yang Yanyu, and his generals Wang Gui and He Huaipu.
This incident was adapted into the novel Generals of the Yang Family. When reading the part where Yang Ye crashed into Li Ling's stele and died, readers of later generations were moved to tears.
After this battle, Emperor Taizong of Song demoted General Pan Mei by three levels, removed the military supervisor Wang Quan from office and exiled him to Jinzhou, and removed Liu Wenyu from office and exiled him to Dengzhou.
The armies of Xihe and Jingyuan routes were about to retreat from the encirclement of Western Xia. Given Wang Zhongzheng's jealousy and suspicion, which general would be willing to cover the rear?
If no one is willing to be like Yang Ye, the soldiers at the rear will feel abandoned and will have to find a way out on their own, and then they will be in danger of being wiped out.
Without the assembly call, who would be willing to cover the rear?
Therefore, the rear guard must be the most loyal and trusted troops of the commander. Otherwise, they will just be trapped.
Wang Zhongzheng's face changed when he heard this and he said, "Zhang Jinglüe, what are you going to do? You have relied on your uncle's power to become so arrogant!"
Zhang Zhi drew his sword from his waist without hesitation, and then all the generals of Xihe Road in the tent drew their swords and pointed them at Wang Zhongzheng and his cronies, while the generals of Jingyuan Road in the tent, starting from Liu Changzuo, all turned pale.
Several generals close to Wang Zhongzheng wanted to speak, but Liu Changzuo did not say anything, so they also remained silent.
At this moment, there was a report outside the gate that the troops from Xihe Road were charging into the camp.
The troops of Jingyuan Road were nearly three times the number of those of Xihe Road, but they could not be stopped for a while.
Wang Zhongzheng cursed: "Zhang Zhi, are you planning a coup to seize power? Come on, come on, capture him!"
As soon as Wang Zhongzheng finished speaking, the guards outside the tent rushed into the tent with weapons in hand, but were shouted at by Liu Changzuo and driven out.
Liu Changzuo said: "Your Excellency, you are the only one who can give me the military power. I will protect you with my life!"
Wang Zhongzheng asked in a trembling voice: "Are you serious?"
"Really?" Liu Changzuo looked at Zhang Zhi and said, "Zhang Jinglüe, say something too!"
"Alright!" Zhang Zhi threw away the weapon in his hand, then took a few steps forward and stretched out his hand to Wang Zhongzheng, saying, "Give me the seal!"
Seeing this situation, Wang Zhongzheng was so frightened that his legs were trembling. He had no choice but to take out the seal.
However, Wang Zhongzheng didn't dare to do anything to Zhang Zhi, the imperial envoy.
Zhang Zhi stepped forward as if to hold the seal, but he took out a short blade from his waist and stabbed Wang Zhongzheng in the chest! Wang Zhongzheng instinctively wanted to dodge, but the eunuch was weak and slow.
With a thud!
The seal fell to the ground.
Wang Zhongzheng screamed loudly, and then his throat made a hoarse sound. He held his chest with both hands, and his clothes were instantly stained with blood. In a moment, he died...
Everyone in the tent was so surprised at this sudden change that they were speechless.
Liu Changzuo was shocked and angry and said, "Zhang Jinglüe... since he has already handed over the seal, why do we need to kill him?"
Zhang Zhi wiped the blade on his sleeve and sneered, "I only regret that you killed me too late!"
A general from Jingyuan Road stepped forward and said, "Zhang Da, are you planning to rebel... and rebel against the imperial court?"
Zhang Zhi said: "My Zhang family has been loyal since my great uncle Zhang Dexiang. My uncle is the prime minister of the dynasty. What good is there in rebellion? If I don't kill Wang Zhongzheng, can the 60,000 or 70,000 troops leave here alive?"
"Don't worry, everyone. I, Zhang Zhi, was the only one who killed Wang Zhongzheng. If the court investigates in the future, only I will be killed. It has nothing to do with you!"
With Zhang Zhi's words, everyone felt relieved.
"Just hang the red cloth outside the tent, and the Xihe Road troops in the camp will retreat!"
"Release General Zhong again!"
The generals looked at Liu Changzuo hesitantly, and Liu Changzuo nodded and said, "More than a dozen Zhang family members are officials in the court, and we dare not be implicated in this matter!"
"You all should follow what General Zhang said! From now on, whether our two armies can leave this place alive depends entirely on General Zhang!"
After these words were spoken, the generals of Jingyuan Road finally came to their senses.
After that, Wang Zhongzheng's confidants were stripped of their weapons, and their bodies were carried out. When the troops of Xihe Road retreated, Zhong Shidao was also released from the cage. When he heard the news that Wang Zhongzheng was killed, his first reaction was that Zhang Zhi wanted to rebel, but he immediately shook his head and said it was impossible.
How could the Zhang family do such a thing?
Thinking so, before entering the tent, Zong Shidao immediately ordered someone to put on armor for him.
Zhong Shidao walked into the big tent and saw Zhang Zhi standing in the tent with his sword in hand. The generals from Xihe Road and Jingyuan Road did not utter a word.
Zong Shidao stared at Zhang Zhi, and saw that his eyebrows were like knives. He had the elegance of a Confucian general, and was also full of heroic spirit. If it weren't for today, Zong Shidao would never have thought that Zhang Zhi would dare to kill Wang Zhongzheng.
But Zhong Shidao immediately thought that the only way for the 60,000 to 70,000-strong army to retreat intact was to kill Wang Zhongzheng.
Zhang Zhi was determined to accomplish this task even at the cost of his own life. It was really... really... Zhong Shidao didn't know how to describe Zhang Zhi. After a long while, he chose a word that was the highest evaluation given to a person by a warrior - courage!
From Zhang Yue to Zhang Qie, and from Zhang Qie to Zhang Zhi, Zhong Shidao had dealt with all three governors of Xihe Road.
Each of the three men has his own characteristics. At first, Zong Shidao thought that Zhang Zhi was not as young as the previous two governors, but now that he thought about killing the imperial envoy, he really had guts!
When Zong Shidao thought of this, he immediately shouted, "Zhang Jinglüe, how about you take my two armies?"
Zhang Zhi said calmly, "General Manager Zhong, how is Wang Zhongzheng these days? I don't need to tell you, the soldiers have seen it all."
"You can tell the difference between Wang Zhongzheng's life and my 60,000 or 70,000 troops!"
"Otherwise... who is willing to be Yang Ye, and who is willing to be Yang Ye?"
Liu Changzuo said: "There is no point in talking any more. Who will cover the rear?"
Zhang Zhi said: "It's very simple, draw lots! You and me, whoever draws the first one gets it. No regrets whether we live or die!"
"Okay!" Zhong Shidao agreed straightforwardly.
Although the other generals of Jingyuan Road had doubts about Zhang Zhi, they decided to wait and see. If the draw was not favorable, they would speak out against it.
Zhang Zhi and Zhong Shidao drew lots on the spot, and in the end Zhang Zhi got the last one.
Seeing the result, all the generals of Jingyuan Road had happy expressions on their faces, while the generals of Xihe Road remained calm.
Zhang Zhi said: "I will lead 10,000 soldiers from Xihe Road to guard the rear, and repay the court for its generous support with my military achievements! But I need the help of General Zhong for one thing. You can arrange a group of soldiers at Xiongya Pass. When my army retreats here, you can attack and ambush the Xia army with the soldiers from Jingyuan Road. This way, we can turn defeat into victory. Otherwise, I and the soldiers from Xihe Road will all die here."
Zhong Shidao asked suspiciously, "Zhang Jinglüe, do you really want to cover the rear?"
Zhang Zhi said: "What else?"
Master Zhong said, "I will come to Jingyuan Road to take care of the rear guard, otherwise I will not be able to explain it to Minister Zhang!"
Zhang Zhi smiled and said, "That's what I want you to say. If my troops can't reach Xiongya Pass, then it means I am incompetent. I will die if I die. It has nothing to do with you."
"But if your Jingyuan Road has no troops here, I and my 10,000 soldiers from Xihe Road will not let you, Master Zhong, go even if we become ghosts in the underworld!"
Zhong Shidao was provoked by Zhang Zhi and immediately said, "That's good, we have a deal!"
Zhong Shidao stretched out his palm and hit Zhang Zhi with each other.
Afterwards, Zhang Zhi led the Xihe Road generals out of the tent. Wang Shan walked to the tent entrance, smiled at the Jingyuan Road generals, and said, "You can go back at ease and sit at home and watch how we defeat the Xixia army!"
After saying this, Wang Shan walked away, and a burst of hearty laughter was heard from the generals of Xihe Road.
The generals of Jingyuan Road were so angry that their faces turned red. One of them said, "How arrogant! How could we know that they are not the rear guard in name only, but actually the enemy!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Shidao whipped him in the face.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
(End of this chapter)