New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Upon hearing Tang Qian's words, Li Su and Chen Xu's expressions immediately changed drastically. They had only been ordered by the emperor to come to Guangling to deliver an imperial decree, and they did not expect to lose their lives because of it.

As Tang Qian had predicted, shortly after the two left, Jin scouts appeared outside the city. The following day, banners fluttered continuously outside the north gate, densely covering the entire Shugang area.

Immediately afterwards, the Jin army began to set up camp outside the city, and the continuous commotion seemed to cause the city beneath their feet to tremble slightly.

This time, upon returning to Guangling, Wanyan Xie learned from his previous experience and built a wooden wall around the camp by cutting down trees and digging canals. He also erected watchtowers in various corners, effectively turning the camp into a mountain stronghold. His purpose was to prevent Yue Fei from using the same tactics as before and launching a midnight attack on the camp.

What Wanyan Xie didn't know was that when he retreated to Gaoyou City, Yue Fei led two thousand cavalrymen to follow closely behind. They broke into smaller groups and bypassed Gaoyou. At that time, the supply train of the Jin army, which was waiting outside Chuzhou City to ambush the grain transport troops, had no time to launch a sneak attack.

Wanyan Xieye's remaining troops were terrified of Yue Fei.

He would become restless whenever night fell, always feeling that as soon as he fell asleep, the Song army would come to harass him. Wanyan Zonghan's central army, on the other hand, was quite disdainful of this.

After all, the words in the battle report alone could not make them face the horror of the time, but instead aroused the ferocity in their bones.

Especially after Commander-in-Chief Wanyan Zonghan ordered the capture of Guangling and the subsequent three-day massacre of the city to vent his anger, the morale of all the soldiers was instantly boosted to its peak.

It should be noted that since the attack on Bianliang at the end of last year, they have been fighting on the front lines for more than half a year, and their lonely and empty hearts need an outlet for their emotions.

As the Jin army pressed in like an overwhelming tide once again, Guangling City was also prepared to fight. However, what puzzled everyone was that this time the Jin army seemed to be besieging the city without attacking. They had been stationed outside the city for two days and still showed no intention of attacking, not even sending out small groups to probe.

This display of force, however, caused a sense of panic among the generals on the walls of Guangling.

"Could it be that the enemy has seen through our plan and is deliberately stalling for time so that Wanyan Zongbi's western army can strike directly at the heart of the enemy and capture Lin'an?"

"Wanyan Xie also knows that we can only defend the city and dare not attack outside, so he simply stays outside and waits for Wanyan Zongbi to take Lin'an before attacking Guangling from both sides?"

Thinking about it carefully, it's not impossible. Since Tang Qian was able to come up with such a battle plan, it's not surprising that the enemy was shrewd and the generals worked together to come up with such a battle plan.

"But if the Jin army really doesn't intend to attack, Lin'an will be in danger."

Although the new emperor has just ascended the throne and the entire court is fleeing, with the imperial power unstable, the people on the city wall do not have much respect for Zhao Gou. However, he is still the emperor of the Song Dynasty. If he sits by and watches Lin'an fall and Guangling refuses to send troops, future historians will surely condemn Tang Qian and his group to death.

"Perhaps Wanyan Xie was also prepared for a standoff, but Wanyan Zonghan would definitely attack the city."

Tang Qian was certain that Wanyan Zonghan would launch an attack because they still had a score to settle between them from when they were in Youzhou, which they had not yet verified.

In order to get Zhao Yingluo, this old guy used every means at his disposal, but thanks to the protection of the Seventh Princess, Wanyan Zonghan did not succeed.

Now that he and Zhao Yingluo are in Guangling City, and he can settle both old and new scores, how could Wanyan Zonghan possibly miss this opportunity to forcibly seize Zhao Yingluo?

"So, it's not that they don't intend to attack, but rather that they haven't completed all their preparations yet; they're waiting."

"Wait for what? The reinforcements sent from Liaoyang?" Ye Zhao's face was very grim. "They can afford to wait, but we can't wait that long."

According to intelligence from Jiangnan, Wanyan Zongbi's western army has entered the territory of Huainan West Road. However, due to the difficult mountain roads, it has been delayed for some time. But eventually, the western army will reach Lin'an.

"Don't worry, the Emperor will be fine. Even if we don't go to his aid, the court will be able to weather this crisis safely."

Even without his involvement, in his previous life, the Jin army captured Guangling and marched south, driving Zhao Gou to drift at sea for several months. Ultimately, a situation of coexistence between the two countries was formed until the rise of the Mongols.

Now he has drawn at least half of the firepower for Lin'an. If Li Gang still cannot withstand the attack and the Song Dynasty is completely destroyed, Tang Qian feels that the blame cannot be placed on him.

If the two commanders of the Jin army had heard these words spoken on the Guangling city tower, they would surely have given Tang Qian a thumbs-up in praise, because he had almost hit the nail on the head regarding the whole truth.

As early as the moment the two armies joined forces, Wanyan Zonghan planned to immediately order an attack on the city to avenge the previous humiliation. However, Wanyan Xieye received a message from the emperor that Tang Qian's father, Tang Huan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue of the Song Dynasty, was about to arrive in Guangling with the aim of persuading Tang Qian to surrender and join the Jin Dynasty.

Winning without fighting would be the best outcome, as the Jin army had suffered heavy losses in this battle, and Wanyan Zonghan did not want any mishaps to befall his personal guards.

But how can the humiliation in Youzhou be avenged? This is not a question of a woman's fate, but a question of a man's dignity.

"His Majesty sent Tang Huan here, surely to promise to marry the Seventh Princess to Tang Qian. The prince consort is not allowed to take concubines. If he agrees to surrender, wouldn't Zhao Yingluo still be yours?"

If Tang Qian disregards even his father's life and refuses to surrender the city, then we should besiege it without attacking, waiting for Wanyan Zongbi to capture Lin'an before returning to aid Guangling. In that case, the city will fall and people will die, and Zhao Yingluo will still be a widow without a master, at their mercy.

"Therefore, you don't need to rush into a direct confrontation with Guangling City. My Great Jin can afford to wait this long."

Hearing Wanyan Xieye's violent coughing, Wanyan Zonghan's lips curled up into a cold smile: "The Great Jin can afford to spend so much, but you shouldn't have such thoughts about Bojilie. Are you scared by Tang Qian? The long-cherished wish of unifying the Central Plains is just one step away from being fulfilled. Are we really going to be blocked by a small city like Guangling?"

To confront Tang Qian and wait for Wanyan Zongbi's western army? Such a defensive tactic is definitely not the behavior of the brave warriors of the Jin Dynasty.

Wanyan Xie also responded with a cold laugh: "Since you are willing to send your soldiers to their deaths, I am naturally willing to collect your corpses. However, I would like to remind you that underestimating the enemy will lead to a great loss."

Wanyan Zonghan was already blinded by shame and indignation: "No matter what, I must confront Tang Qian and see if his firearms are really that powerful."