HLnovel Chapter 393 Recapture of Xiangyang
Chapter 393 Recapture of Xiangyang
Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou frowned slightly. He did not think that making such a decision at this moment was wrong.
If the main force of the Song army were to be concentrated on Xiangyang, then the Huaihe River region would be extremely vulnerable to problems.
However, his only request was to restore Xiangyang to the area it was in during Li Heng's time, which should not be a difficult task for Yue Fei!
But as he gazed northward, he felt a sense of unease and thought, "Let's wait and see; it's too early to talk about a northern expedition!"
……
The live broadcast continues.
"In this mission to Xiangyang, in addition to appointing Yue Fei, Zhao Gou also ordered Han Shizhong, the Pacification Commissioner of Huaidong, and more than 10,000 elite troops to be stationed on Sishui as a feint to disperse the enemy's forces."
"In addition, Liu Guangshi, the Pacification Commissioner of Huaixi, launched an attack on Chen and Cai prefectures to provide support."
"At the same time, the imperial court expressed strong support for Yue Fei's actions to recover the territory of Xiangwang."
"Zhu Shengfei even said that after the recapture of Xiangyang, he would grant him the title of Jiedushi (military governor) and allocate 100 warhorses from the Shenwu Right Army and Shenwu Central Army to Yue Fei's army."
"However, Yue Fei did not care about so-called empty fame; he devoted his entire life to the cause of resisting the Jin dynasty."
"Therefore, on April 19th of the fourth year of the Shaoxing era, Yue Fei personally led more than 30,000 troops from Jiangzhou, crossed the Yangtze River at Ezhou, and marched westward to Yingzhou."
"When the boat reached the middle of the river, Yue Fei swore to his subordinates: 'I will not cross this river again until I capture the enemy commander and return to our former territory!' He used this to demonstrate his determination."
"On the fifth day of the fifth month, Yue Fei's entire army arrived at Yingzhou, which is located at the southernmost tip of the territory of the puppet Qi state."
Before the attack, Yue Fei first observed the terrain and sent someone to persuade Jing Chao, the prefect of Yingzhou under the puppet Qi regime, to surrender. Jing Chao had served as a guard in the Northern Song court and was known as "a match for ten thousand men".
"However, Jing Chao refused Yue Fei's offer and continued to serve as an official of the puppet Qi regime. Since persuasion failed, war was the only option. But Yue Fei stated that the problem was minor and could be resolved by the next morning!!!"
"So the next morning, Yue Fei's army launched an offensive, and the two sides fought fiercely. Yue Fei, as the commander-in-chief, sat under the banner and directed the battle."
"Jing Chao led the puppet Qi army to put up a last stand. During the fierce battle, a cannonball even landed at Yue Fei's feet. Everyone around him was busy dodging it, but Yue Fei remained calm and continued to command."
"Not long after, the soldiers stepped onto the city walls and rushed into the city. In a short time, they beheaded and captured thousands of the puppet Qi army, while their leader, Jing Chao, eventually jumped off a cliff and committed suicide."
A Han Dynasty official: Why not just surrender? It'll save us the trouble of fighting. We're going to lose anyway!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: "He was originally a traitor to the Northern Song Dynasty. Was he afraid of losing face and didn't want to die at their hands?!"
Yuchi Jingde of the Tang Dynasty: (??????????) From this perspective, the recapture of Xiangyang is no problem!
Lan Yu of the Ming Dynasty: This battle was fought with ease! No wonder you are General Yue Fei!!!
……
Upon hearing this, the people in the Song Dynasty widened their eyes, their gazes shining brightly!
General Yue is truly amazing! Many people agree with this sentiment!
If I remember correctly, this should be the time when the Song Dynasty's military strength was at its peak!
If Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, had not taken any action for the future, what kind of situation would have been left for the Southern Song Dynasty?
……
Meanwhile, in the live stream room.
Lin Ke continued, "After Yue Fei captured Yingzhou, he immediately divided his troops into two routes, ordering his generals Zhang Xian and Xu Qingdong to lead troops along the northeast direction to attack the next target—Suizhou."
He himself led the main force to attack Xiangyang Prefecture, which was garrisoned by Li Cheng, the general of the puppet Qi state, along the northwest direction.
"Xiangyang Prefecture is the focus of this mission. It is the place where the puppet Qi regime is preparing to move south. However, Li Cheng, who is stationed there, has fought against Yue Fei and suffered multiple defeats."
"Therefore, he heard that Yue Fei had captured Yingzhou without much effort, in less than two days."
"They were already heading towards Xiangyang Prefecture. This news terrified him so much that he didn't dare to face Yue Fei and fled directly to Xinye."
"On May 17th, Yue Fei entered Xiangyang and was warmly welcomed by the people. The situation went very smoothly, and he took Xiangyang Prefecture with almost no soldiers."
"However, Zhang Xian and Xu Qingdong encountered problems in Suizhou. Because Wang Song, the prefect of the puppet Qi state, refused to come out of the city, Zhang Xian and Xu Qingdong did not gain any advantage after several days."
Upon receiving the news, Yue Fei's subordinate Niu Gao accepted the order and led his troops to support Zhang Xianfa and the others with three days' worth of provisions!
"However, they marched very fast. Before they had even finished three days' worth of food, Niu Gao met Zhang Xian and his men. At that time, Yue Fei's eldest son, Yue Yun, who was only sixteen years old, was also in the army. He was wielding two hammers and was unstoppable."
As Lin Ke finished speaking, she thought to herself, "People in ancient times could achieve great success by their teens!"
At the same age, I was probably still doing practice problems.
"After merging their forces, the Song army launched the first offensive on the 18th. Yue Yun was the first to scale the city wall, and the entire army subsequently captured Suizhou City."
"A total of more than 5000 people were captured this time, including Prefect Wang Song. Wang Song was also taken to Kanshou in Xiangyang Prefecture."
"Yue Family Army swept through the enemy lines with unstoppable momentum, which pleased Zhao Gou, terrified Liu Yu, and annoyed the Jurchens."
"Liu Yu, far away in Bianjing, never imagined that Yue Fei would be so powerful, successively capturing Yingzhou, Suizhou, and Xiangyang. In a panic, he hurriedly called his patron, requesting emergency support."
"Therefore, the Jin people did not fail in bringing Liu Yu along; they immediately mobilized troops from Hebei and Hedong, and then added the remaining troops of the puppet Qi regime under Li Cheng."
"These troops regrouped in Xinye, Longpi, Huyang, Zaoyang, Tangzhou, Dengzhou, and other places, claiming to be an army of 300,000, ready to fight Yue Fei to the death!"
Liu Yu: This time I'm going to get serious!
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: Hahaha, that was awesome! The Song court has fought so many times, but there's never been a truly satisfying moment. General Yue is truly amazing!!!