The prince is more stable

Chapter 1040 Turning from defense to offense
Zhao Xiaoqian's presence greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the Song Dynasty's army.

The reason why the Song army can now hold its head high, with its combat power greatly increased and almost invincible, is precisely because of the transformative changes brought about by Zhao Xiaoqian.

From the early development of flintlock muskets to the later invention of the "rush," and finally to the red-coated cannons, the Song Dynasty army filled all its gaps after being equipped with firearms.

From short-range swarm guns to medium-range flintlock muskets, and then to long-range cannons, the Song Dynasty's imperial guards' weapons could cover all distances within sight.

This is the reason why the Imperial Guards of the Song Dynasty are so different from what they used to be. Zhao Xiaoqian illuminated the technological path of the Song Dynasty, letting people in ancient times know why technology is the primary productive force.

It only needs to stand far away and gently pull the trigger to reap a life on the battlefield.

Modern warfare is a completely new model, emphasizing overall battlefield strategy to achieve victory with minimal cost and maximize benefits.

However, the Liao army still failed to accept this new mode of warfare. They continued to use old methods to attack cities, relying on wielding swords and spears to kill the enemy.

Or rather, the Liao army wanted to accept it but had no choice, because the Liao army did not have firearms, and from the moment the decision to fight was made, the war was destined to be unfair.

In this case, failure is inevitable.

At this moment, the Liao army's relentless siege, regardless of casualties, resulted in them falling one by one at the foot of the city walls, like harvested leeks, while the defending Song army remained unscathed. This made the Liao army's siege seem more like a tragic sacrifice bidding farewell to the era of cold weapons.

When the Liao soldiers broke through the range of the flintlock muskets and arrived at the city wall after suffering heavy casualties, they were shocked to find that the flintlock muskets were not the only means of defeating the Song army. The Song army took out a swarm of bees from the city wall and opened fire on the people below.

A burst of flames shot out, and the Liao army suffered heavy casualties. After several rounds of swarming fire, there were basically no survivors left under the city wall.

This fact shattered the morale of the Liao army, and their spirits finally collapsed completely in that instant.

Deserters appeared in the attacking force. They turned and ran, ignoring the general's stern rebukes. Even killing to establish authority had no effect. The Liao soldiers were terrified. They seemed to have gone mad, fleeing while letting out meaningless, mournful howls like wolves.

In the Liao army's ranks, the war drums and horns that had urged the attack and boosted morale now sounded weak and powerless, and Yelü Chun, who was personally supervising the battle from the front, gradually despaired.

He had been defeated by the Song army more than once.

But what made him despair today was that the Song army had once again brought out new firearms. Their weapons to defeat the enemy were not only flintlock muskets, but also those strange square black boxes that could kill a large number of people with a single shot.

Whether in long-range or close combat, the Song army had firearms that could counter the Liao army, so the Liao army couldn't even get close to the Song army. How could they possibly win this battle?
Even if Wei Qing and Huo Qubing were reborn, or Bai Qi were resurrected, they would still be helpless against such a terrifying enemy, right?

On the city wall of Xingqing Prefecture, Zhong Jianzhong, who was in charge of the defense, squinted at the rhythm of the Liao army's attack on the city.

As the commander-in-chief of the army, Zhong Jianzhong was very sensitive to changes in the rhythm of the battlefield. When he realized that the Liao army had begun to collapse and that the intensity and pace of the siege had gradually slowed down, he knew that the Liao army's first wave of attack on the city was coming to an end.

"Pass down the order: slow down the firing of firearms to lure the Liao army to regroup and attack the city again," Zhong Jianzhong ordered.

In today's battle to defend the city, Zhong Jianzhong's strategic objective is not to repel the Liao army, but to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Liao army, eliminate its manpower, and strive to bury this entire Liao army of 100,000 men within the territory of Western Xia.

This will benefit the Song Dynasty's future northern expedition against the Liao Dynasty. As the commander-in-chief, Zhong Jianzhong's vision and perspective are not limited to the immediate war; he is considering the overall future strategy of the country.

A moment later, the pace of the Song army's firepower indeed slowed down.

The Liao army, which had been in a rout, realized this and their morale began to rally again. They mustered their courage, regrouped, and launched another massive attack on the city walls.

When the Liao army arrived at the city wall, stepping over the corpses of their comrades, a terrifying scene unfolded once again.

Square black boxes emerged from the crenellations of the city wall and opened fire fiercely downwards. The Liao soldiers were terrified and turned to flee. And the swarm never disappoints; this wave of attack left behind thousands more corpses as the Liao soldiers fled in panic to the rear.

Yelü Chun, who had been in a state of despair, was also in despair.

He knew very well that given the current disparity between the Song and Liao dynasties, the Liao army had no chance of conquering the city.

Continuing the siege would only result in the annihilation of the entire army, leaving them to be wiped out by the Song army.

"Sound the retreat!" Yelü Chun decisively gave the order.

The Liao army, exhausted and demoralized from their attack, felt as if they had been granted a pardon. Upon hearing the news of the Jin army's arrival, they retreated, all rejoicing that they had pulled back from the brink of death and had survived another day.

The Liao army retreated like a tide, and the Song soldiers on the city wall cheered. Many soldiers loudly mocked and cursed the retreating Liao army, making various obscene gestures.

Zhong Jianzhong, standing atop the city wall, showed no joy whatsoever. Instead, he looked up at the sky, frowned, and said in a deep voice, "Why haven't the imperial guards from the east and west arrived yet? What is Guo Cheng up to?"

Zhong Jianzhong's defense of the city was not merely a simple act of defense; he was simply buying time for the imperial guards on the east and west sides outside the city to arrive. A good general, even when defending a city, must have a precise grasp of the situation and seize opportunities to turn the tide of battle.

Zhong Jianzhong wouldn't be foolish enough to just stay inside the city and wait for the Liao army to attack. He also wanted to create opportunities to counter-encircle the Liao army and try to annihilate them.

The Liao army has been attacking the city for two hours now. According to the distance, Guo Cheng's two imperial guards should have arrived in Xingqing Prefecture by now, forming a pincer movement against the Liao army. However, for some reason, Guo Cheng's troops have not yet arrived.

Zhong Jianzhong remained silent with a stern face. He was always extremely strict in disciplining his troops. If Guo Cheng missed the opportunity and caused the Liao army to escape, then no matter how much the emperor valued Guo Cheng, Zhong Jianzhong would have to punish him severely according to military law.

"Send the order for the entire army to rest, quickly prepare food and water, and await the next wave of Liao army's attack on the city!" Zhong Jianzhong said helplessly.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a guard on the city wall rushed over, pointing excitedly into the distance and saying, "Reporting to Commander Zhong, dust is rising in the distance on both the east and west sides outside the city. It seems that troops are approaching."

Zhong Jianzhong was startled and hurriedly got up and walked to the arrow emplacement to observe intently. He saw that dust was indeed flying in the east and west directions outside the city, and the figures of soldiers and horses were visible inside. A familiar banner was faintly visible in the flying dust.

"It's Guo Cheng!" Zhong Jianzhong excitedly slapped the arrow sack, then shouted sternly, "All soldiers, prepare to leave the city and form ranks, coordinating with the eastern and western armies outside the city to encircle the Liao army from the east, west, and south!"

In the distance, Yelü Chun also noticed something amiss in the Liao army's formation. He was immediately terrified. He hadn't expected that the Song army had not only perfectly defended the city but had also laid an ambush to surround the Liao army.

Despite being the attackers, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed two hours later, with the Song army turning the tables and surrounding them.

"Order the entire army to retreat north, abandon their baggage, and travel light and fast!" Yelü Chun ordered with a grim face.

The question is no longer whether we can capture Xingqing Prefecture; that's completely hopeless now.

At this moment, Yelü Chun only wanted to survive. He wanted to lead his Liao army out of the Song army's encirclement and let the Khitan warriors return to Liao alive.

In the battle to attack Xingqing Prefecture, the Liao army of 100,000 suffered about 20,000 casualties. The remaining less than 80,000 troops were surrounded on three sides by the Song army, and their morale plummeted. The entire army abandoned all its baggage and fled north in panic, carrying only weapons and warhorses.

What seemed like a fierce siege turned into a complete rout in less than two hours, with the enemy forces being surrounded and pursued by the Song army.

The city gates of Xingqing Prefecture were wide open, and Zhong Jianzhong personally led his troops out of the city, watching the Liao army retreat north in panic.

Zhong Jianzhong's lips curled slightly upward, and he roared fiercely, "Men, ride quickly north to tell Commander Zhang in the north to ask the Northwest Army to cooperate with our army, tighten the northern defenses, and intercept this fleeing Liao army!"

"Make sure the trap is secure, and try to annihilate them all!"

…………

Bianjing (Kaifeng)

A large open space has been cleared in the northern suburbs outside the city, and officials from the Ministry of Works are leading craftsmen and laborers to diligently ram the foundation.

Standing on this new foundation, Cai Jing was in high spirits, his face beaming with pride, and he twirled the string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand even faster.

With Zhang Dun resigning due to illness, Cai Jing has essentially taken over the administration of the State Council. The Emperor's signal is quite clear: barring any unforeseen circumstances, Cai Jing will soon officially replace Zhang Dun as the new prime minister of the Jingkang era.

Cai Jing's career advancement came so quickly that he himself could hardly believe it. This meteoric rise to power seemed to have been delivered to him by fate without warning.
Of course, the discussions among the court officials also reached Cai Jing's ears.

Most of the discussions were critical, questioning, or even opposition.

Zhang Dun had been in power for more than five years and was the leader of the New Party who claimed to be the successor to Wang Anshi's will. Now he suddenly fell ill, and the position of prime minister was taken over by Cai Jing, who was not well known. Naturally, there were very few court officials who supported him.

The comments were mostly unpleasant, with the most common criticism being that Cai Jing was "lucky in his rise to power" and that he had no real ability, except for being extremely good at flattering and fawning over officials.

His current position is probably the result of flattering the officials.

This is a typical case of a petty person gaining power, something a gentleman would disdain. No matter how high Cai Jing's official position was, the court officials had no respect for him in private. It was just that Cai Jing was currently in the limelight, and no one dared to offend him to his face.

Cai Jing certainly heard these comments, but he didn't care at all; in fact, he was even a little smug.

Flattery is a skill in itself. Do you bunch of pedantic scholars really think that making the emperor feel comfortable is such a simple and easy thing?

Besides, Cai Jing's skills were not limited to flattery.

Apart from Zhao Xiaoqian, no one knew that Cai Jing was actually very smart. It was Cai Jing who proposed the alliance with Liao to destroy Western Xia. How stupid could someone who could stand at the height of national strategy and seize benefits for the Song Dynasty be?
(End of this chapter)