Blocked by Shao Dengyun from the Northern State, the troops of the imperial court in the north could not retreat unless they fought with the troops of the Northern State.
Shang Jianxiong and the others were shocked when they heard the news. Didn't the Shao enterprise hate Niu Youdao? Why did they listen to Shang Chaozong?
The three major sects were furious when they heard the news. They were furious that Shang Jianxiong secretly transferred troops from the north behind their backs. Once the defense line in the north was weakened, the State of Han would attack.
Shang Jianxiong and the others wanted to cook the rice, but the rice was not cooked yet.
The three major sects were also glad that Shao Dengyun suddenly intervened. It was obvious that Shang Jianxiong did not care about the pressure from the three major sects. Even if the three major sects could stop him on the way, it would be difficult. Lu Congsheng had thousands of troops under his command. The three major sects could not fight with him. At a time like this, it was not a good thing to start a war between their own people. However, with Shao Dengyun's men from the Northern Region intercepting them, things would be different. Additionally, with the three great sects exerting pressure on the cultivators from the various sects who accompanied Lu Congsheng, the imperial court's men in the north were immediately suppressed, unable to retreat.
Shang Jianxiong's actions annoyed the three major sects. As a result, he was almost put under house arrest. The disciples of the three major sects were sent to follow Shang Jianxiong around the clock to monitor his every word and action.
If it were not for the fact that they were afraid that the royalists would do something desperate, the three major sects would have overthrown Shang Jianxiong and replaced him.
When the news reached Meng Shanming's ears, Meng Shanming immediately took advantage of the situation and persuaded Gong Lince to cooperate with the three big sects. They once again controlled the northern defense line's provisions and forced Shao Dengyun to take over the distribution.
With the grain in their hands, the troops in the north could not move at will.
At this point, the main force of the Yan imperial court was in the hands of Shang Chaozong. With the military power in his hands, a war with the Song Kingdom was imminent.
The troops of the Yan army had all gathered at the Dongyu River.
Meng Shanming did not stop at the Dongyu River. He checked along the river bank and even invited the local people who were hiding to have a meal. He asked them about the situation along the river.
Although it wasn't the first time he had attacked the East Domain River, he still didn't dare to be careless. He understood every aspect of the situation, and the more detailed, the better.
Meng Shanming led three million soldiers and gathered at the East River. He had been preparing vehicles to cross the river and could launch an attack at any time. The Imperial Court of the Song Kingdom suddenly became nervous after receiving the news. It was because the commander of the enemy was Meng Shanming, the man who had left a shadow on the Song Kingdom.
Because of this, the Song Dynasty's Viceroy Luo Zhao was under significant pressure. He was very clear about the situation in the royal court. Many people were saying that he was harming the country and wanted the army to retreat. Luo Zhao resisted the pressure and persisted with his opinion. The army continued to attack the Yanjing.
Knowing that the three major sects of the Yan Empire were standing on Shang Chaozong's side, and that Shang Chaozong had taken control of the Yan Empire's army, the atmosphere on Luo Zhao's side suddenly became tense. He also had a premonition that Shang Chaozong was not just a decoration, he was afraid that Shang Chaozong was about to launch a decisive battle with him!
"General Meng, it has been three days. We are running out of food. Why don't you start the attack?"
Meng Shanming was sitting in a wheelchair under a flagpole. From time to time, he would look at the clouds in the sky and the beacon on the flagpole.
Gong Lince walked over and asked. He could not hold it in any longer. He clearly knew that the rations for the Eastern punitive expedition would not last for more than a few days, but after the troops arrived, this old commander actually rested and did not have the intention to attack. Could it be that he wanted to die by exhausting his rations?
Meng Shanming: "Wait a little longer."
Gong Lince: "Wait for what?"
Meng Shanming: "No hurry. It should be in two days."
As for his real intention, he didn't want to reveal it, because if the information was leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The news of the Yan army's delay also reached Luo Zhao's ears.
In an abandoned relay station, Luo Zhao stared at the map on the wall and pondered over it. Finally, he muttered to himself, "What is he waiting for? The food is running out. What is Meng Shanming waiting for? "
Su Yuanbai, who was pacing up and down, said, "I'm afraid the Governor is right. Meng Shanming feigned an attack to lure the Governor to turn around and end the battle quickly. The Governor didn't fall for it, and he is at his wit's end. Even if he wants to chase, he can't catch up with our army anymore. Now that he is at the East Domain River, he is in a dilemma. "
Luo Zhao stared at the map and shook his head. He was the one who decided the strategy, and he didn't want to spoil the mood and shake the army's morale.
But the change in the situation made him realize that the Yan army had made up their mind to attack the Song Dynasty!
Unlike before, when Shang Chaozong had Yan's main force under his control, he didn't have any intention of starting a war with Yan. The situation was very dangerous for the Yan army. How could the three sects of the Yan army just sit back and watch? Logically speaking, they should force the Yan army, but the three sects stood on Shang Chaozong's side. What did this mean? It meant that the three sects already knew that Shang Chaozong had other plans, and they had tacitly agreed to it.
Then the goal was obvious. The troops gathered by the East Domain River were going to attack the Song Dynasty!
But he couldn't figure it out. How could the heavily guarded East Domain River be so easy to break through? What was Meng Shanming waiting for?
He felt that Meng Shanming must have some ulterior motives. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. But now that he had run so far, it was too late to go back.
Luo Zhao suddenly turned around and said, "Send the order again to the troops along the river. We must strengthen the defensive line along the river. We must be very careful, and we must be very careful to prevent a sneak attack from the Yan army! Tell them that whoever makes the slightest mistake will be beheaded without mercy! Report to me immediately if you find anything out of the ordinary. "
"Yes!" The messenger received the order and left.
The people in the hall looked at each other. They could all hear the deep worry in Luo Zhao's words.
Dong Yinglai hesitated and said, "Two million soldiers are guarding the river and waiting for the Yan army to come across the river. It is almost impossible for them to succeed. Moreover, the Governor made the first move. All the ships along the river were moved to the east of the river. It is impossible for the Yan army to find so many ships to cross the river in such a short time. It is a joke if they want to arrange for millions of soldiers to cross the river with only wooden rafts. They will be live targets if they stand on the rafts! "
How could Meng Shanming not know what we know? Luo Zhao couldn't tell them his worries, so he could only tell them, "Don't underestimate Meng Shanming. Be careful!"
What he said was true. It was never wrong to be more careful. Everyone nodded their heads.
Wen You knew Luo Zhao well. She could more or less tell something from Luo Zhao's strange behavior. She planned to ask him when there was no one else around.
Luo Zhao turned around and looked at the map again. He couldn't hide the worry in his eyes. He cursed Wu Gongling again.
He hated Wu Gongling for bringing trouble to the Yan army so early. If only the Song Dynasty could send troops after the Yan army collapsed.
…
The weather changed, and the wind started to blow.
Meng Shanming, who was reading the map in the central tent, heard the sound of the wind blowing through the tent. He looked up slowly and squinted his eyes when he saw the flapping curtains.
The papers on the table were blown away by the wind. Immediately, some soldiers showed up and fixed the curtains.
Meng Shanming said in a deep voice, "Push me out."
Luo Daan, who was reading a book, put down the book and pushed Meng Shanming out of the tent.
As soon as they were out of the tent, Meng Shanming's clothes and beard fluttered in the wind.
Meng Shanming raised his head and looked at the beacon on the flagpole. He then looked up at the sky and saw that the sky was dark. Dark clouds were rolling in.
"It's finally here. It's going to rain!" Meng Shanming muttered.
It was obvious that it was going to rain. Soon, the dark clouds filled the sky, and the rain started to fall.
The soldiers ran around. Other than those on duty, the rest ran back into their tents to hide from the rain. Even those on duty quickly raised their shields to cover their heads.
The rain got heavier. Soon, the sky became misty, and only the sound of the rain could be heard.
The sky turned dark early …
Across the river, in Han's territory, the sun was still shining brightly and the army was in camp.
In the central tent, the commander of Han, Jin Jue, was standing in front of the map with a few generals, thinking about the war between Yan and Song.
"This Meng Shanming doesn't have enough food, but he's biding his time by the river. What the hell is he doing?"
Jin Jue had been thinking about this since he received the news. He was much more capable than Shang Yongzhong. The war was imminent, so he went to the frontline to command.
One of the generals said, "Luo Zhao won't attack recklessly. He's already prepared a backup plan. The defenses along the river are impregnable. Meng Shanming won't be able to break through. Could it be that he's helpless and is just pretending?"
Jin Jue had an honest face. He stroked his beard and shook his head, "Is Meng Shanming a pretentious person? I've fought him before and suffered a few losses. If it wasn't for the sorcerer who helped me escape, I would've been killed by him. This man's tactics are both hard and soft. He's cunning and unpredictable. 'Ming of Yan Shanming' is not an undeserved reputation. We can't underestimate him. Luo Zhao hasn't tasted Meng Shanming's methods. If he's so arrogant, I'm afraid he'll suffer! "
Another general said, "Luo Zhao's arrangements aren't lax. Looking at how he killed his way into Yan territory, his tactics are extraordinary. He's not a mediocre person. He might suffer a loss, but he won't suffer a great loss, right?"
Jin Jue shook his head noncommittally.
At that moment, a messenger came in with a letter with both hands, "Sir, the Imperial Court has sent a reminder that there's internal strife in Northern Province."
Jin Jue took the letter and read it. It said that Shang Jianxiong and Shang Chaozong had a serious disagreement. Northern Province's troops almost fought with the Yan Imperial Court. The relationship between the two sides was strained. The Imperial Court of Han was asking if they could take advantage of the situation and send their troops.
Jin Jue handed the letter to the generals and asked, "What do you all think?"
What else could the generals think? Seeing the Song army running amok in Yan territory, they couldn't sit still any longer. One of them cupped his hands, "Sir, Song has already sent their troops. If we send our troops, Yan will fall and we will win!"
"That's right, Sir. Luo Zhao is running amok in Yan territory. Whoever occupies it now owns it. We have no reason to make them spit it out later. It's time to send our troops."
Jin Jue waved his hand, "Shao Dengyun isn't someone easy to deal with. The time isn't right yet. Let's wait a little longer and play it safe."
This was his reply to the Imperial Court.
After the generals left the tent, one of them complained to his colleague, "If we don't send our troops now, then when? Are we going to wait until we feel like we're losing territory before taking it from the Song army? "
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