New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

As Tang Qian had predicted, Zhuo Luwang followed the Western Route Army south from Yunzhou and encountered almost no counterattacks from the Song army.

This made Zhuo Luwang feel quite bored. He had come here to make a name for himself so that he could hold his head high in front of the Seventh Princess. But he had just gone back on horseback without doing anything earth-shattering. What was the point of talking about making a name for himself?

After successfully arriving at the city of Tokyo, Wanyan Zongwang ordered his troops to set up camp outside Fengqiu Gate in the north of the city in order to wait for the eastern army led by Wanyan Xieye to join him.

While waiting for the Eastern Route Army to arrive in Tokyo, Wanyan Zongwang ordered the camp gates to be closed, not intending to claim credit. However, Zhuo Luwang, eager to make a name for himself, believed that the Song army had long been terrified by the Jin army's attack on the Western Route Army led by the Grand Marshal. He thought that capturing the outer city of Tokyo before Wanyan Xieye arrived would be a great achievement.

If Zhuo Luwang didn't know to claim the merit right in front of him, he felt he could go home. So, after his efforts to persuade the Grand Marshal to attack the city failed, he actually led two thousand elite soldiers of the Zhuo Lu tribe to take the initiative to attack Fengqiu Gate.

The Zhuolu tribe disobeyed military orders and acted without authorization, which Wanyan Zongwang did not want to deal with. Unfortunately, he had long been addicted to drugs, and without the pills provided by Zhuoluwang, he would be unable to handle any military affairs.

Wanyan Zongwang was no fool, and he naturally noticed the abnormality in his body. However, trying to get rid of the drug's control was simply wishful thinking. He had tried to resist taking it, but in less than half an hour, even with his resolute character and the fact that he had never shown the slightest cowardice on the battlefield, the Grand Marshal of the Western Route Army of the Great Jin Dynasty could not resist the unbearable pain that gnawed at his heart and bones, as well as the desire to taste the marrow.

As the saying goes, "pulling one hair affects the whole body," and once the Zhuolu tribe moved, in order to protect their medicine jars, Wanyan Zongwang's central army had to move as well. This was followed by the left and right flanks. In no time, the entire western army camp was like a pot of boiling water, completely in chaos.

As it turns out, fighting an unprepared battle can only end in defeat. Although the Song army was not very strong, they had no fear of the mere thousand men of the Zhuolu tribe. Moreover, the capital city of Dongjing was their last resort. If they did not defend it to the death, they would have no way to survive once the city was breached.

With just one volley of arrows, a large number of the warriors charging ahead had already fallen. Zhuo Luwang's eyes were bloodshot as he brandished his long sword, wanting to be the first to rush to the top of the city wall, but he was stopped by his personal guards.

This is the future prince consort of the Great Jin Dynasty, the hope of the entire Zhuolu tribe. There must be absolutely no mishaps.

Just as the two were struggling, another bowstring twang sounded from the opposite city wall, and arrows whizzed past, once again claiming the lives of dozens of people. This scene made Zhuo Luwang's eyes bloodshot. He knew that all the soldiers he had brought with him this time were the elite troops of the Zhuo Lu tribe, and they could not afford such losses.

A wave of turmoil surged through his chest, and Zhuo Luwang suddenly felt a metallic taste rising deep in his throat. Overwhelmed by anger, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Having suffered heavy casualties from two waves of arrows, the Zhuolu soldiers had long been contemplating desertion. However, since the prince had not given the order, they could only continue charging forward with their heads down. After enduring the third wave of attacks, hundreds of soldiers finally reached the foot of the city wall safely. Looking back at the battlefield behind them, they saw that almost all those carrying siege ladders had been shot dead. As a result, all those who had risked their lives to charge forward had been in vain.

Killing soldiers carrying siege equipment was a common tactic of the Song army. Moreover, the force that came to raid the city gate this time was only a small unit of a thousand men, and the archers on the city wall could almost kill them by targeting specific points.

"Pour the Golden Soup!"

In the blink of an eye, the hundreds of people who had reached the foot of the city wall suddenly heard a loud shout from above. What followed was a chilling heat, and finally, they were drenched in scalding hot oil that would make them roll on the ground in agony.

With a series of tragic cries, the two thousand soldiers of the Zhuolu tribe were wiped out in an instant. Witnessing this scene, Zhuoluwang collapsed and almost fell off his horse. Just then, Wanyan Zongwang's reinforcements finally arrived.

However, their mission was not to attack the city, but to cover the retreat of the Zhuolu tribe. Under the escort of 5,000 men in the central army, Zhuoluwang finally managed to gather more than 500 survivors and hastily withdrew from the battlefield like clay chickens and earthen dogs.

"Our rash attack this time resulted in the loss of 1,200 men. Apart from some soldiers who were slightly wounded and carried back, there are less than 400 who can still fight."

Listening to his subordinates' report, Zhuo Luwang felt another pang of pain in his heart. These young men were the backbone of the Zhuo Lu clan, yet they couldn't withstand the Song army's attack at all, resulting in such a terrible loss. Wasn't the Song army supposed to be utterly incompetent? In the past, they would retreat at the sight of their banners, so how could they be so valiant this time? Before the two sides had even engaged in close combat, his two thousand men had already been wiped out.

So many people died in just one battle. How is he supposed to explain this to his father and clan when he gets back?

Meanwhile, inside the central command tent, all the generals unanimously requested the Grand Marshal to behead Zhuo Luwang, who had disobeyed orders, and to set an example for the public, in order to uphold military law.

At this moment, Wanyan Zongwang wished he could devour Zhuo Luwang's flesh and drink his blood, but he was now under someone else's control. Without that pill, he would rather be dead than alive. If he killed Zhuo Luwang, he was afraid that his own death would not be far off.

Before we get our hands on the seeds of that green fruit that Zhuo Luwang has, this kid absolutely cannot be allowed to get into trouble.

After a long silence, Wanyan Zongwang coughed lightly, and the military tent immediately returned to quiet.

"Zhuo Luwang's reckless actions this time were not entirely without merit. At least they helped us to find out the true situation in Tokyo. Moreover, those who died were all from his Zhuo Lu tribe, and the army did not suffer too many losses. There is no need to make a big deal out of it."

The generals looked at each other and felt that the Grand Marshal's handling of the matter was unfair. If everyone could disobey orders and act on their own, wouldn't the army of tens of thousands be thrown into chaos? How could they fight a war like that?

However, since Wanyan Zongwang no longer intended to pursue the matter, they, as his subordinates, had no choice but to obey. However, they were all outwardly respectful but inwardly resentful. In just a few days, rumors began to circulate in the military camp, with all sorts of things being said.

It was one thing for him to be an illegitimate child, but when he claimed to have homosexual tendencies and a fondness for male lovers, Wanyan Zongwang couldn't stand it. In a fit of rage, the Grand Marshal ordered a thorough investigation, which eventually led to the discovery of several culprits.

After the men were beaten to death, they thought the rumors would be quelled, but instead, the situation spiraled out of control.

"The Grand Marshal is enraged."