New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Inside the Jin army camp fifteen miles outside of Tokyo, Wanyan Xun was patting Tang Qian's back with a look of disgust. Once the other man had vomited up all the remaining juices in his stomach, he immediately withdrew his hand, inwardly cursing.

He's just a naive child, inexperienced in the ways of the world. He was only watching from the back, yet he managed to look so pathetic.

Feeling he had nothing left to vomit, Tang Qian straightened up and wiped his mouth clean. In both his lives, he had never even witnessed the killing of dogs or pigs. Today, seeing countless soldiers being smashed by boulders, their brains splattered, and their heads chopped off by swords, with corpses strewn across the field like a scene from hell, he was quite pleased that he hadn't fainted from fright.

"Although the Song army fought desperately and barely managed to hold onto Tokyo, this is only the first day of the siege. If the outcome is not as you say..."

"Your Highness may take my head as you see fit." Tang Qian seemed unconcerned by Wanyan Xun's threat. "However, even if we make peace, which I guessed correctly, it seems I still won't gain anything."

"Are you trying to bargain with me?" Wanyan Xun sneered. "Don't worry, if what you say is true, I can guarantee that as long as I am stationed in Youzhou, your life will not be in danger."

Tang Qian grinned and said, "I thought the young prince would let me leave freely, but it seems I was overthinking it."

"Young Master Tang, you are mistaken. The Song Dynasty is currently weak and plagued by bandits, beset by internal and external troubles. In comparison, I think my Youzhou City is safer for you."

If Tang Qian truly possessed the ability to foresee the future, how could Wanyan Xun possibly let him leave so easily? Such a person with extraordinary abilities would naturally be kept by his side for his own use. To think Tang Qian would leave? That was pure wishful thinking.

Tang Qian really wanted to say that his role in returning to the Song Dynasty was far greater than his role in staying in the Jin Dynasty. However, the two of them were not on the same level at all. If he showed even the slightest intention to escape, Wanyan Xun would not hesitate to stab him in the back. Since they could not have a fair conversation, all Tang Qian could do was to endure it for the time being.

Fortunately, he could see that Wanyan Xun was quite ambitious. It was precisely this kind of person who would never hand him over to claim credit. So, for now, the two were using each other. As long as he still had value to them, Tang Qian's situation was relatively safe.

The two men outside the tent were each making their own plans, while the generals inside the tent were also reviewing the day's siege.

The military report of a defeat in the first battle, with significant losses, left Commander-in-Chief Wanyan Xieye looking quite unwell, making the already ailing Jin prime minister appear even more exhausted.

"Do any of you have a good strategy for breaking through the city?"

The generals under his command looked at each other for a long time, and no one spoke up. This made Wanyan Xieye's face even more gloomy and terrifying, almost to the point of being black.

The two brothers, Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongwang, exchanged glances, both signaling to the other to come to their rescue. When they set out on the expedition, they thought that after destroying the Liao, the Jin army was now unstoppable and that it would be easy to take the Song south. However, after these two attacks, they found that it seemed that their current tens of thousands of troops were not enough to conquer Bianjing (Kaifeng).

It should be known that the Jin soldiers were skilled in archery and horsemanship. If the two armies were to face each other in an open field, they could definitely wipe out the Song army. However, this was a siege. The Song army was holding firm and not coming out, so the cavalry was useless. If they wanted to conquer the city walls, they had to use lives to build the steps.

I thought the Song army was cowardly and would flee at the sight of the Jin army's banners in the past. But now they were defending the capital of the Song Dynasty. If the city fell, the country would perish. Even if the Song soldiers had no backbone, they would never be willing to become slaves of a conquered nation.

Therefore, it is understandable that the repeated failures in this siege are to be expected.

"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, the Song army is holding firm in the city, and various Song troops have already entered the capital to defend the emperor. The enemy has the advantage of timing, location, and popular support. Even if our army can successfully capture Tokyo, the losses will not be small. This humble general believes that we do not necessarily have to capture Tokyo this time. If we can force the Song emperor to negotiate peace, it will be a great victory."

Wanyan Zonghan's words, spoken with a forced smile, resonated with the generals present, who all nodded in agreement. They had brought their personal guards, and none of them wanted their trusted men to die on the walls of Tokyo.

The Song army has always been weak. Even with the existence of the Song state, it will not be a major threat to the Jin Dynasty in the future. Why not accept the annual tribute from the Song state without shedding blood?

"In other words, are you all advising me to retreat?" Wanyan Xieye's cold snort silenced the generals. "Before setting out, I made a solemn pledge before His Majesty that I would not return to the capital until I had captured Tokyo. Now, after only one battle with the Song army, you want to return empty-handed?"

Wanyan Xieye's voice was low, clearly suppressing his anger. Wanyan Zonghan dared not speak out, and could only mutter to himself. Rumors had already spread in the Prime Minister's mansion that this old fellow was not long for this world. Now he was forcibly leading tens of thousands of troops to attack the Song Dynasty. It was obvious that he wanted to leave behind a good name for expanding the territory of the Jin Dynasty after his death so that he could be written about in books by future generations. He did not really want to help his father conquer the Central Plains.

"A direct assault on Tokyo is not advisable. We cannot allow tens of thousands of soldiers to die innocently. However, if the commander-in-chief is willing to destroy Tokyo, we can replicate our attack on Liaodu and achieve remarkable results."

After hearing Yan Zonghan's words, the other generals echoed, "As long as we order the catapults to advance fifty zhang, we are absolutely confident that we can take over the city of Dongjing. Once the outer city is breached, the Song army will surely be demoralized, and we can capture the inner city in an instant."

Wanyan Xie frowned and pondered. He had considered using this method to conquer Tokyo, but seeing the prosperous Central Plains turned into scorched earth, he still felt a little reluctant. It wasn't that he truly sympathized with the Song people who might perish in the city; he was worried that this move would be condemned by the world.

"So be it. One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. For the sake of my Great Jin's unification of China, what's wrong with me playing the villain?"

After a brief internal struggle, Wanyan Xie made his decision: "We will attack again tomorrow. If we still cannot take the outer city, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After the discussion, the generals returned to their camps to prepare. At dawn the next day, the Jin army once again formed ranks outside the camp. This time, Wanyan Xie had put his entire army on the line. Standing on the city wall and looking down, he saw a dense, dark mass of heads from left to right. Even the Song commander-in-chief, Li Gang, felt a chill run down his spine.

"This will surely be a tough battle, Your Majesty must not disgrace the imperial dignity."

Zhao Huan unconsciously swallowed. Although he was terrified, he could only force himself to remain calm: "Minister Li, rest assured, I, the Crown Prince... will never desert my post."

Last night, Emperor Emeritus Zhao Ji attempted to flee south out of the city, but was blocked at the city gate by a group of soldiers guarding the city. Even though Zhao Ji cursed loudly, it was to no avail, and he was eventually escorted back to the palace. This shows that the capital city of Bianjing was no longer under the control of the imperial family.

Even the former Daojun Emperor was not taken seriously. If this new emperor, whose foundation was not yet secure, wanted to abandon the city and flee... Zhao Huan felt that he would definitely be cleaved to death on the city wall by some unknown soldier.

A bugle call sounded outside the city, and tens of thousands of Jin troops began their attack. At the same time, the Song troops on the city walls also began their operation. In an instant, the shouts of battle shook the heavens, and even the entire city wall seemed to tremble slightly.

As pontoon bridges were erected, large numbers of Jin soldiers charged towards the city walls under a hail of arrows. Before the ladders could be set up, stones, molten metal, and rolling logs were thrown out, eliciting cries of agony. Witnessing this scene, Tang Qian felt his stomach churn once again. He simply could not bear to see such a bloody scene. He could only turn his gaze to Wanyan Xieye, the Jin commander-in-chief who was directing the entire army from the central platform not far away.

Despite the heavy casualties suffered by the soldiers at the front, Wanyan Xieye showed no intention of retreating. Seeing that the Song army was only concerned with defending the city and could only watch helplessly as his dozen or so catapults advanced to the moat, Wanyan Xieye smiled and said, "Pass on my order: prepare the catapults, target the outer city of Tokyo, prepare to launch."