Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 830: Song Dynasty Shocked
Su Chen simply settled down in Yangzhou City. He did not let all the troops pour into the city. He only left 30,000 troops to garrison in the city.

He knew that this Northern Expedition was a heavy task, not just a place for sightseeing. If these elite troops were allowed to immerse themselves in the prosperity of Yangzhou, they would probably become lazy, and their will to fight to the death would be worn away by the gentleness of the land. In this way, they would lose momentum before the subsequent war even started.

During the short one-day stay in Yangzhou, Su Chen was busy arranging the accompanying civil officials, especially the three talented men he had met in Jinling - Jiang Tao, Liu Dong, and Xia Baosong. After several years of experience, they were no longer young and inexperienced teenagers, but capable officials who could take charge of their own affairs.

For this Northern Expedition, Su Chen deliberately brought them with him to plan the expedition together.

Yangzhou is located at a strategic point, and Su Chen knows this very well. After much deliberation, he decided to let Xia Baosong be the governor of Yangzhou, responsible for managing Yangzhou's political affairs and economy. As for the military, he would select another Du Yuhou to serve as the commander of Yangzhou, specializing in military affairs and obeying Xia Baosong's orders.

In this way, Xia Baosong inadvertently became the top military and political leader of Yangzhou City.

Su Chen knew him inside out, and both his outstanding abilities and his rare loyalty made Su Chen feel at ease. Putting him in this position, Su Chen trusted him very much and felt that Xia Baosong would live up to his trust.

"Sir Xia, I will now place the heavy responsibility of Yangzhou on your shoulders. To govern the people's livelihood, you need to be as meticulous as a hair; to appease the people, you need to be as affectionate as the sea; to transport food and grass, you need to plan carefully; to coordinate the north and the south, you need wisdom and courage. I don't need to say much about the hardships and responsibilities involved, you must know what to do." Su Chen's eyes were deep, and his tone was full of trust.

"General Su, please rest assured. I, Xia, swear to follow you till death. I will live up to your mission and live up to your trust." Xia Baosong clasped his hands and saluted, his eyes flashing with determination and gratitude.

He was so grateful to Su Chen that he couldn't express it in words. Back then, he was just a failed scholar with a bleak future, but it was Su Chen who saw his talent and gave him a chance.

In the Southern Tang Dynasty, Su Chen helped him build connections and grow; when he arrived in Wu, he was regarded as a close confidant and cultivated and supported. Xia Baosong remembered this kindness and support in his heart, and his loyalty to Su Chen was beyond doubt.

"In that case, Yangzhou will be handed over to you. I hope you will take good care of it." After Su Chen said goodbye to Xia Baosong, he led his personal soldiers and resolutely left the city.

He knew that although Yangzhou was a good place, it was not a place to stay for long. Speed ​​was of the essence in war, and the Northern Expedition could not be delayed. How could he miss the opportunity to fight because of the prosperity of a city?
Furthermore, the beautiful scenery and beauties in Yangzhou City, although fascinating, can also easily make people indulge and wear down their fighting spirit. He, Su Chen, has ambitions for the world, so how can he be hindered by this mere gentle place?
So he chose to camp outside the city, fight side by side with the soldiers, and eat and live together.

He knew in his heart that only in this way could he unite the men and women, share weal and woe, and win the respect and support of the soldiers.

This is Su Chen's way of commanding the army, and it is also the secret that enables him to lead the army, overcome all obstacles and move forward.

The news that the Wu army had conquered Yangzhou in one fell swoop and crossed the Yangtze River reached Bianjing like thunder, causing an uproar in the court of the Song Dynasty. In the Jinluan Palace, Zhao Kuangyin sat on the dragon throne with a solemn expression, and the civil and military officials looked at each other in shock.

Who would have thought that Wu would launch a surprise attack without declaring war? The three armies were like three sharp swords, piercing Taizhou, Yangzhou, and Hezhou respectively, and they were unstoppable wherever they went.

In Huainan, three prefectures were lost overnight, and the situation suddenly became serious.

"This is outrageous! Those villains from Wu State, instead of staying in Jiangnan, actually dared to interfere in the territory of our Song Dynasty and provoke a national war! I will not tolerate such outrageous behavior. I must teach them a profound lesson and completely annihilate the 300,000 Wu troops that have crossed the river!" Zhao Kuangyin's eyes were wide open with anger, and his words revealed unprecedented determination and indignation.

Zhao Kuangyin had fought all his life, but had he ever been bullied like this? Over the years, he had led the army to fight in the south and the north, destroying Jingchu, pacifying Southern Tang, taking Shu, and repeatedly attacking Northern Han, and he was invincible. But now, it was the Wu State that dared to take the initiative to provoke him. This was a great insult to him!
Moreover, crossing the river to fight in the past was indeed a huge challenge for the northern soldiers. But now that the Wu army had crossed the river and entered the northern land, they had to face many combat forms that they were not good at, such as land warfare, field warfare, and siege warfare.

This was undoubtedly a great opportunity for Zhao Kuangyin to annihilate the main force of the Wu army. He sneered in his heart: Wu army, oh Wu army, since you dare to attack, don't blame me for being rude!

The commander of the imperial guards, Dang Jin, said, "Your Majesty is right. Wu has mobilized 300,000 soldiers to cross the river. It can be said that they have come out in full force. If we can destroy these 300,000 soldiers in Jiangbei, then the Wu army will be completely wiped out. We can take the opportunity to cross the river and destroy Wu. It will be easy."

Dang Jin was not only Zhao Kuangyin's trusted general, but also had real skills and was highly valued. Three years ago, Zhao Kuangyin led his troops to besiege Taiyuan and set up four large camps outside the city, ordering Dang Jin to station in the east of the city. One night, Liu Jiye, a brave general of the Northern Han Dynasty, took advantage of the fact that the Song army had not yet set up camp and suddenly led his cavalry to attack. Dang Jin hastily fought back and led dozens of his followers to defeat Liu Jiye and repel him. He became famous in one battle and was promoted to an important position by Zhao Kuangyin when he returned.

Wang Shenqi said angrily: "That's right! Our dynasty has not taken the initiative to send troops to attack the Wu Kingdom, which is already a great blessing for them. I didn't expect that they would dare to take the initiative to attack, which is really a humiliation for themselves! Although the Wu army is divided into three routes, it seems to be very powerful, but its eastern and western routes are only 50,000 each. The dispersed forces provide a good opportunity for our army to defeat them one by one!"

After hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin nodded in agreement, and his thoughts coincided with Wang Shenqi's.

In his eyes, the 300,000 troops of the Wu army were a considerable number, but if they were divided into three, they would be like scattered sand and difficult to gather. The east and west routes each had 50,000 troops, which could easily be surrounded and suppressed. Only the 200,000 main forces led by Su Chen were his concern.

However, since Su Chen has stepped into Jiangbei and is on the land battlefield, Zhao Kuangyin is confident that he can confront him head-on and compete with him.

Zhao Kuangyin's eyes became fierce, and he thought to himself: Su Chen, Su Chen, although you are brave, fighting on land is the strength of our northern soldiers. This time, I will let you know how powerful our Song Dynasty cavalry is! When I capture you, I will take you to Bian Jing and make you a prisoner to serve as a warning to others!