Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 62 The Royal Army

Dark clouds loom over the city, threatening to crush it.

The gloomy weather, coupled with the news of the defeat in Zezhou, plunged the entire city of Shangdang into a somber atmosphere.

"Brother, do you think there's any hope for us?"

On the city wall, a soldier leaned against the crenellations, his spear dangling on the ground, speaking weakly.

"It's hard to say, it's hard to say."

The old soldier beside him shook his head, his brows furrowed. "With Governor Li dead, neither the puppet Han nor the Zhao traitors will easily give up the prize of Luzhou. What follows will surely be a battle between two tigers."

"With only five thousand remaining soldiers, can we hold out? In my opinion, we might as well just choose one and surrender! At least we can save our lives, and maybe even get some pay to eat."

Another young garrison soldier couldn't help but chime in.

"Hmm...that makes sense."

On the city wall, several soldiers nodded and sighed with worry, each secretly planning their escape route.

However, before they could finish their sigh, a muffled thunderous roar of hooves suddenly resounded outside the city, startling them so much that they forced themselves to inhale their sighs back.

They sat up abruptly and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a dark, surging wave on the distant horizon!

That was not a flood, but a torrent of steel with a black battle flag fluttering in the wind!

The cold glint of their armor gleamed faintly in the gloomy sky, their ranks as neat as if cut by a knife, as they slowly pressed towards Shangdang City.

"This...is the Song army!"

Upon seeing that black battle flag, some of the guards on the city wall cried out in alarm, and for a moment, the city was thrown into chaos!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Beat the drums to warn us!" the commander shouted hoarsely.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

The rapid and heavy sound of war drums suddenly rang out from the city wall, instantly intensifying the already oppressive atmosphere in Shangdang City.

The resounding war drums, like the long-awaited spring thunder, boomed in everyone's hearts, causing the defending soldiers to be filled with dread.

Inside the city lord's mansion, Li Shoujie shuddered and jumped out of bed.

In recent days, the devastating news of his father Li Jun's death has weighed heavily on his heart, and he hasn't had a single peaceful night's sleep.

If it weren't for Lu Zan, the military supervisor sent by the Northern Han, keeping a close eye on him, given his temperament, he probably would have surrendered long ago.

I finally managed to get a short nap today, but I was completely awakened by the rapid drumming and shouts outside the door.

"My lord! It's terrible! The Song army has attacked! They're already at the city walls!"

"What?!"

Li Shoujie was completely wide awake, his hair standing on end. He jumped out of bed barefoot, not even bothering to put on his outer clothes properly, just throwing on a robe haphazardly, and stumbled around shouting:

"Quickly! Inform Lu Zan immediately! Tell him to request reinforcements from the Han army at Taiping Post Station! Hurry!"

……

After a flurry of frantic instructions, Li Shoujie, along with a group of garrison commanders, climbed the city wall, panting heavily.

When he saw the size of the Song army below the city, which numbered only a few thousand, his heart, which had been in his throat, finally calmed down a little, though his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

Fortunately, it wasn't the main force of the Song army that came.

But before he could finally breathe a sigh of relief, several powerful war drums sounded again from below the city.

Immediately afterwards, a group of Song cavalry, escorting dozens of donkey carts covered with black cloth, slowly drove out from both sides of the camp and came straight to the foot of the city wall, instantly attracting the attention of everyone on the city wall.

"What are the Song army trying to do?"

"Could they be here to deliver a letter of surrender?"

"No, judging from this situation, it doesn't seem like it..."

The soldiers guarding the city wall whispered among themselves, their faces full of doubt, unable to figure out what the Song army was up to.

Zhao Dezhao, who was always willing to help others, naturally couldn't bear to let them waste their time guessing.

With a gesture, Li Chuyun immediately stepped forward and ripped off the black cloth covering the donkey cart.

"You murderous thief—!"

A collective gasp of astonishment erupted from the city wall, followed by a series of exclamations:

"That's...that's the armor of the Northern Han army?!"

"Not just that! There are corpses too! All of them are charred black! How many people must have died..."

What was loaded on the donkey carts was not grain or supplies at all, but piles of charred corpses, some of whom were still wearing the standard armor of the Northern Han army, looking extremely miserable.

The Song soldiers unloaded the corpses one by one from the carts, gradually piling them into a small mountain of corpses below the city. The pungent smell of burning flesh drifted up to the city wall with the wind, making Li Shoujie both surprised and suspicious, and a bad feeling began to rise in his heart.

Could it be... that something happened to the puppet Han reinforcements at Taiping Station?

Immediately afterwards, his ominous premonition was confirmed.

"Splash..."

The sound of chains dragging on the ground came from the Song army camp. More than twenty Han soldiers, their arms bound behind their backs and linked together by numerous chains, appeared together below the city.

Most of them were Han generals who survived that night.

The once imposing figures were now disheveled, their hair and beards disheveled, their armor gone, leaving only tattered undergarments.

Upon recognizing the face of the leading Han general, Lu Zan, the Northern Han's military supervisor in Shangdang City, collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way.

"That, that's Fan Shoutu?!"

"Fan Shoutu?! Isn't that the commander of the puppet Han reinforcements?!"

"With their commander captured alive, wouldn't the reinforcements from Taiping Station... have been completely wiped out?"

The surrounding guards erupted in chaos. Amidst the clamor, Li Shoujie froze, his heart pounding faster and faster, cold sweat pouring from his forehead!

The reason he still holds onto a sliver of hope is the presence of the puppet Han Chinese reinforcements at Taipingyi!

He originally thought that even if the main force of the Song army attacked, the Northern Han would definitely send troops to its aid. At that time, he could simply stand by and wait for the right price. No matter which side he sided with, he could make a good future.

But given the current situation, where does he have any other choice?

After Fan Shoutu's identity was revealed, the way the many guards on the city wall looked at Li Shoujie began to subtly change.

"Look carefully, everyone!"

Suddenly, a sharp shout rang out outside the city.

Surrounded by generals including Li Chuyun, Zhao Dezhao rode out of the formation on horseback.

This was the second time Li Shoujie had met Zhao Dezhao.

Compared to his previous naiveté, the eldest son of the Song Dynasty before him was like a drawn sword, his sharpness fully revealed, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.

Zhao Dezhao raised his whip, pointed it directly at Fan Shoutu and other prisoners below the city, and shouted:

"I have been ordered by the Emperor to recapture Luzhou! The traitors of Hedong, those petty clowns, dare to send troops to invade?"

"Those who offend our Central Plains, though far away, shall be punished! The 5,000-strong puppet Han reinforcements have been completely annihilated by us, and their commander, Fan Shoutu, has been captured!"

"The reinforcements have been wiped out, and Shangdang is like an isolated city. Within three days, our Great Song army will surely be at the city gates! However, the Emperor is benevolent and does not wish for the people to suffer the pain of war!"

"If any righteous person within the city is willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, the Emperor decrees that past transgressions will be forgiven. Furthermore, those who slay traitors and achieve great merit will be rewarded even more!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Zhaoyi garrison on the city wall were stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned their heads to look at Li Shoujie.

His eyes were like those of a hungry wolf that had smelled meat; they were filled with greed!

They knew that since Prince Zhao Dezhao had said these words in public, he would not go back on his word.

Now that the reinforcements have been wiped out, Shangdang is bound to fall, and there is only one path left for them to take!

Many of the guards gripped their spears tightly, slowly moving forward to surround Li Shoujie, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Li Shoujie was startled and reacted instantly. He immediately drew his sword and shouted:

"Now that the royal army has repelled the invaders from Hedong, I have no way to repay your kindness by remaining loyal, so I should offer the city to you!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned around, his sword flashing coldly, and slashed straight at Lu Zan, who was still slumped on the ground beside him!

A fine head rolled off, and Luzan remained in an incredulous state until his death.

Li Shoujie felt no remorse whatsoever. He simply picked up Lu Zan's head, held it high, turned to the surrounding guards, and shouted:

"What are you standing there for?"

"Lu Zan was a traitorous collaborator who wreaked havoc in Luzhou; he has already been slain by me!"

"You all, why aren't you opening the city gates yet! Welcome His Highness the Crown Prince!"