klisemfg Chapter 784: Defense of Yiyang
Chapter 784: Defense of Yiyang
"Your father and I ate this with the two princes. Come on and eat. Let your father see if you are not hurt."
"No, it's not my turn to pick up a sword and kill people."
Gong Yangge smiled, picked up a rice ball and stuffed it into his mouth, then handed the other rice ball to Yu Huatian.
Yu Huatian shook his head and smiled.
"Before we set out, our army had dinner. You eat first. I'll go see if the food has arrived and cook for the brothers of the Zhige Army.
In today's battle, you have performed a great service."
After saying that, Yu Huatian turned around and left with a smile.
Gong Yangzhan walked through the devastated battlefield and truly felt the cruelty of war. Seeing that his son was still intact, he was also worried.
"Son, I always hoped you would go to the battlefield and make great achievements, but I thought the battlefield was too simple.
I always feel that the battlefield is a good place to gain merit and a capital for promotion.
Now that I think about it, it was my father's fault. In war, people will die. The enemy is not made of wood. They will not just stand there and let you kill them.
If you want to kill someone, that person will also kill you. Who can guarantee that they will always win?
Once you go to the battlefield, you can't think about making achievements or fighting for power. There is only one thing in your mind: how to survive.
Alas, I really regret sending you to the army."
Gong Yangge smiled tiredly and said,
"I have no regrets. After joining the army, I realized that at critical moments, the only ones who can truly save my life are these comrades.
There are also corrupt practices in the army, but in the face of life and death, these are trivial matters.
Once you join the army, you’ll be away from all the court affairs and your heart will be at peace.
I like the military and I like leading troops in battle."
"Alas, whatever you want to do, Dad won't stop you, but be careful and don't forget that you still have parents, a wife and children.
Your family won't use your achievements to seek credit or increase their political capital. Just do your best and don't always think about taking credit for your achievements."
Gong Yang Ge pondered for a moment and said,
"Dad, you can't use my merits. We are enemies now."
"You little brat, humph! Then go chop off your father and claim the credit."
Gong Yangge smiled, finished eating the two rice balls, and said,
"Dad, please go back. We probably don't have enough tents here. We've taken all the tents from the enemy. You're old now, so go back and sleep in my big tent."
"Your father is not that delicate. I can even sleep on the ground. Go and feed your brothers. They work hard for you. Don't let them starve."
That night, the Zhige Army and the Tianyu Army spent the night on the south bank of the Yuan River, while the other armies were on the north bank.
The next morning, the auxiliary troops crossed the river first to clean up the battlefield. Part of the subsequent army also went over to help clean up, and the other main forces crossed the river and camped on the shore.
The Yan army had a large number of troops, and it took another day to cross the river.
According to intelligence, the Chu army led by Li Lei retreated southward to Yiyang City, seventy miles away from here.
They traveled all night and then walked for another day before returning to the city to rest.
In other words, the next target of the Yan army is Yiyang. After destroying this enemy army in Yiyang, the Chu State can be declared extinct.
During the meeting, Shen Changgong emphasized the bravery of the Zhige Army. They were able to rise to the challenge under tremendous pressure, force their way across the river despite the enemy's attacks, and gain space for the subsequent army.
I hope that other legions can fully carry forward the spirit of courageously moving forward and fearlessly sacrificing themselves.
Afterwards, Shen Changgong also announced the intelligence that Guan Shouchang's troops in the west had entered the mountainous area of eastern Sichuan and were heading southeast towards Yingdu. It was expected that they would arrive at Yingdu in two months.
The meeting adjourned.
The army marched for another day and finally arrived at a place two miles away from Yiyang, where they set up camp. Another day passed.
At night, the Chu army launched a surprise attack and wanted to burn down the Yan army camp, but was beaten back by the Yan army's ambush troops.
Are you kidding? With so many famous generals here, anyone can guess that the Chu army will fight desperately to counterattack. How could they let them succeed in their sneak attack like this?
The next morning, Shen Changgong deployed his troops and arranged each legion to attack in a certain direction. Suddenly, scouts came from outside on fast horses.
"Report! Your Highness! The Chu army has left the city and is forming a battle array outside. It looks like they are planning to attack us!"
This news directly interrupted Shen Changgong's deployment.
Zhang Han stood up and said,
"Has Li Lei, the commander of the Chu army, gone mad? With only a few hundred thousand men left, he doesn't even want to defend the city, but actually dares to attack. He's asking the lives of his entire army to die.
Can't he just surrender? He can't win anyway."
"Yes, he knew he couldn't win, but he still went out of the city to fight. If he wanted to die, why did he retreat the night before yesterday?"
“I don’t understand what this person is thinking.”
After thinking for a while, Shen Changgong said,
"According to the intelligence, this Li Lei is from Yiyang, right?"
"Yes."
Shen Changgong nodded and said,
"Then I understand what he's thinking."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Shen Changgong curiously.
Shen Changgong said,
"This man must be a die-hard loyalist, otherwise he wouldn't have volunteered to lead the remaining 200,000 troops to fight our army.
He knew that he would lose and die, so he wanted to be buried in his hometown, which could be considered as returning to his roots.
Similarly, he was from Yiyang, and behind him were his fellow townsmen and relatives, so he didn't want those innocent people to suffer.
So, he took his remaining troops out of the city and fought a desperate battle with our army.
This man would never surrender. His greatest wish was to die in Yiyang, to die defending his hometown."
Gong Yang Ge sighed,
"Who says Jiangdong is full of rats? I think there are real heroes too."
"My Lord, how do we fight this battle?"
everyone asked.
After Shen Changgong pondered for a moment, he said,
"The entire army will be mobilized to surround and annihilate them."
"As ordered!"
Afterwards, Shen Changgong made new deployments and arranged the troops to surround the positions to fight the enemy.
The Yan army marched out of the camp in a mighty force.
This place is only two miles away from Yiyang City. The enemy has occupied a part of the space. When they go out of the city and form a battle line, they can basically see what the enemy looks like.
Shen Changgong and Prince Nan stood on the high platform, looking into the distance.
The empress also came over holding her belly and asked,
"The enemy still refuses to surrender?"
"We haven't offered to surrender at all. Don't waste your energy. The enemy will never surrender. In this final battle, we must kill Li Lei. There is still a chance that the remaining remnants will surrender."
"Okay, I'll just take a look here, you guys go about your business." The empress sat down, looked at the two messengers beside her, and said,
"Two envoys, this is the final battle of our Great Yan against the State of Chu. You two should watch closely. When you return, you can learn about our Great Yan's military might from Emperor Qian and let him clearly understand the difference between our two armies."