Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"Guards! Take this audacious Tong Guan out of here! Take him out of here!"

Zhao Ji's roar echoed throughout the entire tent.

Clearly, Tong Guan's words had broken his defenses!

Throughout his life, the thing he least wanted to do was compare himself to his elder brother, the emperor!

But at this moment, Zhao Ji's sudden order left many guards in the tent somewhat bewildered.

No, Lord Tong is the current commander of the army. Lock him up? What's the point of fighting then?

Your Majesty, is this...?

"What are you all standing there for? Take Lord Tong away now!"

Yang Jian then spoke up, intending to smooth things over for Tong Guan, and simply had someone take Tong Guan away.

After all, he knew Zhao Ji's temper. Although he was cursing and swearing now, he would continue to look for Tong Guan after a while.

After all, among the people brought this time, there was no commander more useful than Tong Guan.

"Privy Councilor, my brother and I must apologize for our inconvenience..."

Two guards approached Tong Guan and said with a troubled expression.

"I'll go by myself."

Tong Guan, true to his word, glanced at Zhao Ji with disappointment, pushed aside the two guards, and turned to walk out.

"Daban, Daban, did you see that? What is Tong Guan doing? He just went out like that? He has such audacity!"

When Emperor Huizong saw Tong Guan's actions, he was furious. He never expected Tong Guan to do such a thing!

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down. It was all for the sake of the Song Dynasty. Although Privy Councilor Tong made mistakes, he also fought valiantly on the battlefield today and held off the pursuers for Your Majesty."

Yang Jian was also surprised. What was wrong with Tong Guan today? How dare he be so bold as to show such disrespect to the Emperor?

Good job, Lao Tong! You've really made something of yourself!

"Humph……"

Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps because Yang Jian's words were indeed reasonable, Zhao Ji did not say anything more. He simply snorted and then gave up on pursuing Tong Guan's responsibility.

but!

He still wants to leave!

"Your Majesty, the situation is not clear at the moment. We do not know how many Liao people have come. It would be unwise to leave the army rashly at this time."

"In my humble opinion, it is safest to stay with the army at this time."

Yang Jian could tell what Zhao Ji was planning from his expression. In order to prevent him from saying anything that would damage morale, Yang Jian whispered in his ear to warn Zhao Ji.

After all, if Zhao Ji were allowed to continue speaking like this, the morale of the Zhao Song army would definitely collapse, and it might even cause a mutiny in the army!

"Hmm... Otomo is right, that's what I was thinking too. The best course of action now is to wait and see!"

"I will not move. I will remain in the army. I will be with my soldiers!"

Zhao Ji wasn't stupid; he understood Yang Jian's meaning and immediately followed suit.

And indeed, Zhao Ji's statement improved the situation in the tent considerably; the generals were all thinking:

Even if the government is incompetent, at least the people are still around, so we can make do.

"What should we do now?"

After leaving Zhao Ji's military tent, someone asked in a low voice.

"What can we do? Defend the camp! What else can we do?"

Some people get very angry and speak very aggressively.

"Then, shall we still listen to Lord Tong?"

"If we don't listen to Lord Tong, should we listen to you? If you're so capable, then you do it."

……

Amidst the clamor of the generals, the various units of the Song army began to hold their ground. Although no one knew exactly what had happened, rumors still circulated, saying that the emperor had argued with Privy Councilor Tong and was so angry with Tong that he almost returned to the capital.

These rumors had a significant impact on morale, and in the end, Emperor Huizong had to step in and, together with Tong Guan, put on a show of "harmony between the emperor and his ministers" in front of the army, which finally stopped the discussions among the troops.

On the Song army's side, their northern expedition was stalled in Nanjing, but they did not have a particular advantage over the Liao army at the moment, mainly because their cavalry were not good at defending cities, so they could only defend by attacking.

The four Yelü brothers were divided into two groups. Every day, two brothers led their troops out to harass the Song army camp, while the other two led their troops to defend the city. Faced with the constant harassment from the cavalry, Tong Guan, after regaining command, ordered his soldiers to hold their ground and refuse to engage in battle with the Liao people. He even ordered the army to retreat twenty miles on its own initiative.

When the Liao people saw that the Song people were retreating, they were afraid that there might be a trap, so they did not choose to pursue them, but chose to observe.

"Lord Tong, what is the current situation?"

Because the relationship between Zhao Ji and Tong Guan is currently rather awkward, they rely on Yang Jian for communication.

"Not too good, but not too bad either. At least if someone wants to go back to the capital, they can now."

Tong Guan's words were full of sarcasm.

"Lord Tong, you can't say that..."

Yang Jian said, "What's wrong with you, Tong Guan? Why do you have to go against the Emperor? Can't you just back down?"

"Eunuch Yang, you should go do whatever you need to do. You don't need to worry about things in the army."

Tong Guan had no intention of continuing the conversation with Yang Jian. He still harbored ambitions, and Zhao Ji's previous behavior had already made Tong Guan extremely disappointed in him.

"Ah... Privy Councilor Tong, then see you in the capital. Take care of yourself."

Yang Jian was too lazy to persuade him anymore; he couldn't persuade him anyway. All he wanted to do now was return to the capital in peace.

Tong Guan did not abandon Yang Jian; he was still somewhat unconvinced. He still had more than 200,000 men under his command, and he really wanted to make another desperate attempt!

……

Liao Dynasty, a certain place east of central China.

“Brother, the Liao Kingdom previously sent 120,000 cavalry south to support Nanjing. Now, their garrison in Zhongjing only has about 100,000 troops left.”

Shi Qian took the latest intelligence and reported it to Ren Yuan.

"Yelü Chun is indeed quite interesting."

Ren Yuan reviewed the intelligence report and expressed his approval of Yelü Chun's arrangements.

After losing the northern fortress, he decisively made Shangjing his northern stronghold, leaving a large number of troops to defend against the Jurchens, while the royal family and ministers were evacuated to Zhongjing. This way, a defensive barrier was left for the north, and the safety of the royal family was ensured.

After problems arose in Nanjing, he decisively sent people south to provide support and curb the Song Dynasty's offensive, demonstrating his accurate assessment of the situation.

Currently, his troops are mostly stationed on the north and south sides, leaving the central capital somewhat vulnerable.

Of course, to be fair, there's nothing wrong with what he did. Normally, as long as things don't get chaotic in the north and south, Zhongjing is indeed as stable as a rock.

Although Tokyo had been lost, Yelü Chun judged from the intelligence he had gathered that the group that captured Tokyo was definitely not as strong as the Jurchens. They were lucky to be able to hold Tokyo, and it was absolutely impossible for them to invade Zhongjing!

Therefore, Yelü Chun believed that 100,000 troops in Zhongjing would be sufficient!

"Brother, now that they're fighting in both the north and south, what should we do..."

Shi Qian said, "Brother, you've let everyone rest for so long, shouldn't we get back to work now?"

"Notify Brother Ling Zhen to have the Divine Machine Army bring out all the cannons!"

Ren Yuan looked in the direction of Zhongjing, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

Do you think a mere 100,000 people can hold Zhongjing?

Yelü Chun, who do you think you are?