HCB Chapter 256: The Rout
Chapter 256: The Rout
Zhao Huan persuaded again, saying that he knew that at this critical moment, the right choice must be made, otherwise the Song Dynasty would face a devastating disaster.
The Zhao father and son were caught in a difficult decision. They didn't know how to decide the fate of the Song Dynasty.
Bianliang, the once prosperous capital, has now become a problem in their hearts.
Zhao Ji seemed to have aged a lot: "Forget it, you are the emperor now, you decide for yourself!"
The Zhao Song royal family issued an order to retreat south.
This decision was undoubtedly a major one made under difficult circumstances. As the order was conveyed, intense preparations for retreat began in Bianliang City.
On the other side, Li Chengqian and his group did not go far, but stayed far behind the Jin army.
They remained vigilant, on the one hand to monitor the Jin army's next move so as to respond to possible dangers in a timely manner.
On the other hand, it was to cover the retreat of the people in Bianliang City and do their best to protect innocent people.
"How can you be sure that the Zhao Song royal family will retreat?"
Li Shimin asked in confusion. His eyes were full of curiosity, and he was puzzled by Li Chengqian's judgment.
Li Chengqian raised his lips and revealed a confident smile: "It's very simple, they know your handwriting!"
His tone was light, as if it was an obvious reason.
Li Shimin was stunned: "Is it that simple?"
He was obviously not satisfied with the answer and felt that Li Chengqian's judgment was too hasty.
“Of course not. The most important thing is that the Zhao Song royal family was prepared to escape under the pressure of the Jin soldiers. However, they did not expect the front line to collapse so quickly, catching them off guard.
Now is the right time to retreat, and I think they will make the right choice.”
"I hope so!"
At this time, the scouts sent out earlier came to report that the Jin army camp was in civil strife and fighting broke out among themselves.
After receiving the report, Li Jing immediately found Li Shimin and Li Chengqian and told them the situation.
Li Chengqian analyzed: "The Jin Kingdom had just risen and was still in the stage of evolving from a tribal alliance to an empire, and its internal forces were complex and unstable.
Now that the commander-in-chief Wanyan Zong has suddenly died in battle, triggering an internal power struggle, this was expected.
I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly!!”
His words were full of emotion, and he was surprised at the development of the situation.
"So what should we do now?" Li Shimin asked.
Li Chengqian turned his head and looked towards the direction of Bianliang City, his eyes deep and firm: "Bianliang is temporarily safe. The Jin army is in chaos and will definitely not return to Bianliang in a short time. Bianliang City has enough time to organize an evacuation.
And we don't have to continue following the Jin soldiers. It's time to set out to find Yue Fei."
Then, the group stopped monitoring the movements of the Jin army and turned their horses around and galloped towards Tangyin.
Tangyin is about 400 miles away from Bianliang, and can be reached in the next day and night by a quick march.
However, Li Chengqian and his entourage were carrying a large amount of military supplies, and this heavy burden made it impossible for them to march quickly.
It would take at least two days and nights to reach Tangyin.
In other words, after finding Yue Fei, there is only one day left at most.
During this day, there is also the possibility that Yue Fei may not be found, or he may be delayed by some accident along the way.
So, time is urgent, every minute and every second seems so precious, they must race against time.
After marching for six hours, Li Chengqian and his party encountered a group of more than 800 defeated soldiers on the road.
These Song army soldiers were seen in tattered clothes, unkempt hair and dirty faces, full of fatigue and despair.
Their armor was badly damaged, and some even had only a few fragments left hanging on their bodies.
The weapons were scattered all over the place, some were lost or damaged, and they were dragged in their hands or carried on their shoulders in a disorderly manner.
The team was loose and chaotic, with no order at all. Some people limped forward with difficulty, while others looked dazed, as if they had lost their souls.
Their eyes were filled with fear and helplessness, as if they had just experienced an unimaginable nightmare.
The former military might has completely disappeared, leaving only endless tragedy, which makes people feel pity and sigh.
After some questioning, Li Chengqian and his companions realized that these were the defeated soldiers who retreated after Daming Prefecture was captured!
He originally wanted to flee to Bianliang, but now he learned from Li Chengqian that Bianliang was also planning to retreat.
Now they have completely no way out.
"I can show you a way to survive. Are you willing to follow me?"
Li Chengqian looked at the defeated army and said slowly.
These defeated soldiers looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.
They had just experienced the tragic battle in Daming Prefecture, and their hearts were filled with fear. The fear of death was spreading in everyone's heart.
Now that they learned that Bianliang also planned to retreat, they seemed to have lost their last support and didn't know where to go.
They were afraid of being stuck in the quagmire of war again, yet also worried about having nowhere to go, and were caught in a deep contradiction.
However, when Li Chengqian said that he could show them a way out, a spark of hope instantly ignited in their eyes.
The originally dim eyes gradually became bright, as if seeing a bright light in the darkness.
They long for a new direction, a place where they can find a sense of belonging and security again.
A leader walked out of the crowd and bowed, "Excuse me, which unit are you from? How can we trust your words?"
His eyes were full of doubts, and he was obviously cautious about the identities and proposals of Li Chengqian and others.
Li Chengqian said: "It doesn't matter which division we belong to. What matters is that I can lead you to find a general who can lead you to victory. I just want to ask you if you still have the courage to fight again?"
Fight again!!
To be honest, these defeated soldiers really don't want to fight anymore.
They are even willing to become bandits just for a full meal and a place to live.
As for the so-called national hatred, they don't care.
Anyway, there are still those high and mighty masters who don't care about anything. Why should these thieves and their troops be made to bear all the responsibilities?
Li Chengqian looked at the unwillingness on the defeated soldiers' faces and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Morale is low!
At this critical moment, low morale is undoubtedly a huge problem.
If their fighting spirit is not aroused, future battles will be more difficult.
At this time, Li Shimin stood up and said: "As soldiers, you should take it as your duty to defend your country. Now that the country is in danger, you just want to escape. How can this be done by a real man?"
His voice was majestic and powerful, full of rebuke and encouragement.
But Li Shimin's words did not have much effect.
In war, human life is not much more valuable than a dog's life.
If you can’t even survive, who would care about the country’s difficulties?
The key point is that the Song Dynasty didn’t treat them very well, so there was no need for them to risk their lives for the high-ranking officials.