Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Shameful! Shameful!"

"My army of 300,000! A full 300,000 troops, attacked for a whole day, and yet we couldn't capture a single city!"

"They all talk about how mighty and powerful they are in peacetime, but they're so terrible on the battlefield? No wonder they've been unable to recapture Yan and Yun. What can these people possibly accomplish?"

"Even if it were 300,000 pigs! If they all worked together to push against the city wall for a whole day! Wouldn't they eventually make a hole in it?! Oh, right, Otomo?!"

Later that day, as night fell and the day's attacks had yielded no results, the Song army had no choice but to retreat.

All they left behind, besides a pile of corpses, was nothing to boast about.

After a full day of enjoying commanding, Zhao Ji returned to his tent but was very dissatisfied with the performance of the entire army that day!

He felt that with his skill level, he shouldn't have achieved such a dismal record, so he roared in the military tent and threw a lot of things in the process.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Don't get too angry and harm your health."

Yang Jian could only try to comfort him. Although he hadn't fought alongside him today, judging from the battle reports, he knew that today's battle had been... humiliating.

Although not all 300,000 troops were deployed, at least 100,000 participated in the siege. For 100,000 men to fight for a whole day and fail to capture anything was an utter disgrace.

"No, my lord, isn't our Great Song Dynasty known for its strong and powerful army? Doesn't the Imperial Guard always boast about its fighting strength? Although Nanjing is high, is it as high as Dongjing? Why is it that after a day of siege and fighting, so few have even made it to the top of the city walls?"

Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) genuinely didn't understand.

"Yes, Your Majesty, after all, this is Nanjing of the Liao Kingdom. The Liao people attach great importance to the five capitals, so it is understandable that their defenses are stronger."

Yang Jian began to try to find fault with Zhao Ji.

"Moreover, the Imperial Guards have been stationed in the capital for a long time, so it's inevitable that they might make some mistakes when they suddenly go into battle. They should be fine by tomorrow."

"No, Otomo, summon all the generals of the rank of commander and above in a moment! I want to see what kind of good-for-nothings they are!"

"Yes, but Your Majesty, you should have your meal first. As for the generals, this old servant will go to Privy Councilor Tong and have him inform everyone."

Yang Jian said that he could not bear Zhao Ji's anger alone and that Tong Guan should be included!

"Yes! The Grand Eunuch is right! Summon Tong Guan here. I want to ask him a good question! How does the Privy Council manage these troops!"

Upon hearing Tong Guan's name, Zhao Ji immediately perked up!

Yes, it's Tong Guan's problem! It has nothing to do with me! It's all the result of the Privy Council's failure to properly supervise him!

"Old slave, go now."

After successfully diverting Zhao Ji's attention, Yang Jian immediately retreated.

……

"What? Eunuch Yang, what do you mean by this?"

Inside Tong Guan's military tent, Tong Guan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Prime Minister Tong, this matter has little to do with me..."

“Eunuch Yang, today I, Tong Guan, personally led the attack on the city with a shield. I was following His Majesty’s orders. I am also saddened if the battle is not fought well, but to pin all the blame on me is unacceptable. Eunuch Yang, one must have a conscience! You can’t just talk nonsense because you are a senior, can you?”

Tong Guan interrupted Yang Jian directly. In his opinion, it was Yang Jian who was talking nonsense in front of the Emperor!

"Privy Councilor Tong, this is His Majesty's will. His Majesty's will!"

Yang Jian laid his cards on the table, and even repeated it to the Emperor: "What are you yelling about, Tong Guan? I already said I didn't insult you!"

"Your Majesty?"

Tong Guan was stunned. No way, they could really shift the blame onto him?

"You should quickly gather those commanders and generals together, and then go to the Emperor's tent to apologize. Maybe that will calm the Emperor down."

Before leaving, Yang Jian still pointed out a path to Tong Guan.

"Summon all commanders and generals of the rank of commander or above immediately!"

After Yang Jian left, Tong Guan paced back and forth in his tent. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and signaled all the commanders to come to his tent.

"Tell me, what happened today?"

After everyone had arrived, Tong Guan, with his hands behind his back, asked everyone a question.

"Privy Councilor, what else can we say today? It's all His Majesty's doing..."

"We'll be going to apologize to His Majesty's tent soon. If you can say the same thing then, I'll give you the position of Privy Councilor."

Tong Guan interrupted this stubborn guy directly, saying, "Do I need you to tell me the truth?"

"..."

Although the commander was dissatisfied, he dared not say anything and could only keep quiet.

Who suffered the biggest loss today?

Seeing that no one spoke, Tong Guan spoke up.

"The ones who suffered the most losses were probably Chongwu, Chongwei, and Chongjie..."

The people inside the tent looked at each other, and then gave two answers.

"The Chongwu Army, the Chongwei Army, the Chongjie Army? Where are they? Didn't they show up?!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Guan thought, "Great! Now we have someone to take the blame!"

"My lord, their army suffered heavy losses today. Several regiments were completely wiped out, including the commanders and ordinary soldiers. They all fell under the city wall, and the bodies have not yet been recovered!"

"...They're all good men..."

Tong Guan fell silent. The entire army had been wiped out; to make them take the blame now was indeed a bit much…

"Chongwei Army suffered the worst. Eight regiments went into battle today, but only three returned. Even the commander was seriously injured and is still lying with the army doctor."

"The Chongwu Army also suffered a terrible fate. During the siege, in order to boost morale, their banners were always at the forefront. As a result, they were splashed with oil by the Liao people, and half of the banners were burned!"

……

Now that the conversation was flowing freely, everyone stopped holding back. Most military officers were like that; they spoke directly and frankly, without beating around the bush.

Hearing them say that, Tong Guan's brows furrowed even more deeply.

What are we going to do? Who's going to take the blame? This is driving me crazy!

"Privy Councilor, could you please persuade His Majesty to wait in his military tent starting tomorrow and return command to you? We will then be able to attack the city even more fiercely and take Nanjing within five days!"

One of the commanders boldly made a suggestion to Tong Guan.

"That's a great idea, but why don't you say so?"

Tong Guan rolled his eyes at the man.

"This humble general's words carry little weight..."

"You're just a nobody, but what about me? Do you believe that after I say this, I'll be even less influential than you? And that I'll still capture Nanjing within five days? Where do you get that confidence?"

Tong Guan unleashed a torrent of abuse on the man! "You son of a bitch, you're incredibly audacious, saying whatever comes to mind! You're trying to get me into trouble! If it weren't for the bloodstains on the bandage wrapped around your shoulder, I would have made you the scapegoat for the entire army today!"

"Privy Councilor, Privy Councilor, calm down, Old Wang can't speak properly."

"That's right, Privy Councilor, calm down, Old Wang just has a foul mouth!"

Everyone tried to persuade him, but there was no other way. In this situation, the only way to ensure everyone's safety was to have Tong Guan return to his command position.

Although Privy Councilor Tong wasn't exactly a master strategist, at least... he had practical combat experience! Much better than His Majesty, who was all talk and no action!

"Alright, that's enough. In a little while, everyone carry a thorny branch and come with me to the entrance of His Majesty's military tent to apologize."

After venting his frustrations, Tong Guan calmed down.

"What His Majesty needs is face. As long as we give him enough face, everything will be negotiable."

"Remember, no matter what the Emperor says later, we must listen! Even if it goes in one ear and out the other, we must do our job properly! Do you understand?"

"understand……"

Everyone sighed in unison. They weren't afraid of dying, but they were afraid of dying in vain.

"Haven't you eaten yet? Speak louder!"

"clear!!"

……