Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 459 Great Victory
Bazhou City is a border town, and merchants from both countries have long been entrenched there. The Duke of Yingguo does not know how many spies there are in the city.

In order to avoid being noticed by the Liao army and ensure a successful surprise attack, he did not gather the troops in advance.

Although it was not certain whether Shen Congxing and his men had succeeded in raiding the camp, the Duke of Ying still decisively ordered the troops to be assembled.

As the sounds of drums and trumpets rang out, the entire military and civilians in Bazhou City were awakened.

After waking up, the generals hurriedly put on their clothes and rushed to the central military tent.

When they arrived at the big tent, they saw the Duke of England waiting for them in military uniform.

"Duke Yingguo, what happened?" General Gan asked anxiously.

Although everyone had not arrived yet, the Duke of England did not intend to wait any longer. He simply explained the situation and began to deploy his troops.

Half an hour later, Duke Ying led an army of 50,000 out of the city and headed straight for the Liao army camp.

……

The Liao army camp was in chaos at this time.

Shen Congxing and Gu Tingye did not aim to kill the enemy at all. The Liao army had 100,000 soldiers and they had only 800. Even if they all stood still and let them be killed, they would be exhausted to death.

All they had to do was run around and set things on fire.

Yelu Qing wanted to stop his soldiers from encircling and suppressing the Song army, but the Liao soldiers were running around like headless flies and could not be organized at all.

As the saying goes, a defeat is like a mountain collapsing. Throughout history, any battle in which a smaller force defeated a larger one always resulted in the enemy being completely routed, making it difficult for them to organize an effective counterattack.

This was the situation of the Liao army at that time. Many places in the camp were on fire, and there were shouts of killing everywhere. In addition, the two hundred people including Shen Congxing who stayed outside were waving flags and shouting. The Liao army had no idea how many people were attacking the camp.

In addition, the generals could not find their soldiers, and the soldiers could not find their generals. Many people even could not distinguish between friend and foe in panic and attacked their own people.

Yelu Qing took great pains to organize a thousand soldiers and sent people to lead the troops to stop the enemy.

He knew very well that there would not be too many soldiers attacking the camp. As long as he stopped them temporarily and prevented them from running around in the camp, he could stabilize the morale of the army.

At that time, these Song troops were like turtles in a jar and there was nothing to be feared.

However, although he had good intentions, he forgot that the Liao army was mostly cavalry. Now they had no war horses, only simple weapons, so how could they be stopped?

With just a charge, they were killed by Shen Congxing and Gu Tingye.

However, Gu Tingye and his men had been fighting in the Liao army for almost an hour, and suffered heavy casualties.

After all, they only have 800 people, and one death is one less.

The most important thing is that they have not stopped and are now exhausted.

Despite this, the two did not retreat.

Judging from the time, reinforcements will be arriving soon.

"Quickly surround them and don't let them run away!" Yelu Qing shouted when he saw the Song army's attack speed was getting faster and faster.

Although it is still unknown how many troops were lost, from what he has learned, the losses are definitely not small.

Even though he is a member of the royal family, the trouble this time is not small.

One can imagine the hatred he felt towards the attacking troops.

"kill!"

At this moment, shouts and screams came from the south, and the Duke of England came with an army of 50,000.

"Marshal! The reinforcements of the Song army are here, let's retreat quickly!" a Liao army general said anxiously.

"Snapped!"

Yelu Qing slapped him and gritted his teeth, saying, "Don't you understand the principle that a defeat is as great as a landslide? We still have a chance if we fight to the death. Once we retreat, we will surely be defeated! Hurry up and organize the troops to meet the enemy!"

When the other generals saw Yelu Qing's murderous look, they dared not say anything and hurried to organize their troops.

They all knew that Yelu Qing was finished. Even though he was a member of the royal family, he would not be executed, but he would never have the chance to lead troops again.

If Yelu Qing killed them in a fit of madness, their deaths would have been in vain.

However, before the Liao army could organize itself, Duke Ying led his army into the Liao army camp.

The Liao army was already in shock and was no match for the Song army.

When the Liao army generals organized their troops to intercept them, they were directly dispersed by the fleeing soldiers.

When Yelu Qing heard the news, he knew the situation was hopeless and issued an order to retreat.

The Song army beat the fallen dog hard and chased it until dawn.

The Duke of England gave the order to stop the pursuit.

"Marshal, the Baigou River is ahead. The Liao army is in disarray. If we continue to chase them, we will surely wipe them out. Why did you order to stop the pursuit?" Shen Congxing, covered in blood, asked loudly.

"I am the commander-in-chief, Marquis Weibei, please be aware of your identity. If you do it again, don't blame me for being merciless!" The Duke of England said coldly.

He was not satisfied with his son-in-law at all.

He usually doesn't talk about military strategies and tactics, and he even dares to question his commander in public.

Shen Congxing wanted to say something, but Gu Tingye quickly pulled him back, shook his head slightly at him, and told him not to speak.

"Marshal, I have been fighting with Marquis Weibei all night and am very tired. I request to return to the city to rest!" Gu Tingye bowed.

"Thank you for your hard work this time. After cleaning up the battlefield, I will report to the government and ask for credit for you. Now you should go back to the city and rest." said the Duke of England.

"I will retire at the end!"

Gu Tingye bowed, and seeing that Shen Congxing did not move, he pulled him.

Shen Congxing then bowed reluctantly.

……

"Zhong Huai, why did you stop me just now? You clearly had the opportunity to annihilate the Liao army, but you ordered the troops to withdraw and gave up a great opportunity!"

On the way back, Shen Congxing said indignantly.

Gu Tingye said helplessly: "Uncle, didn't the emperor tell you that this battle should not be dragged on for too long?"

"Of course I know that after destroying these 100,000 troops, the danger on the border will naturally be resolved. In the next few years, the Liao Kingdom will not dare to invade the border again." Shen Congxing said.

Gu Tingye shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. If we really wipe out the Liao army, the Liao will be furious, and there will be no peace on the border. Now the Liao has lost tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. Although they are angry, they will not fight to the death with the Song Dynasty."

"What can we do if the Liao Kingdom invades? Everyone says that the Liao army is so powerful, but I don't think so. It's just that those generals are afraid of fighting." Shen Congxing said disdainfully.

This victory made him feel that the Liao army was nothing special.

Gu Tingye smiled bitterly and said, "We achieved such a great result this time because of a surprise attack. If we had fought head-on, it would be hard to say who would win or lose."

Gu Tingye was not so optimistic. Since ancient times, there were many examples of defeating powerful enemies by sneak attacks.

This does not mean that you can win in a head-on confrontation.

The success of this sneak attack was largely due to the fact that the Song Dynasty had always been weak in the face of the Liao Dynasty. The Song Dynasty had always been in a weak position in front of the Liao Dynasty. Wasn't the Treaty of Tanyuan signed when the Song Dynasty won?

It was even the Song Dynasty that took the initiative to propose peace talks.

In the eyes of the Liao Kingdom, the Song Dynasty was weak and could be bullied, and they never thought that the Song Dynasty would take the initiative to attack.

Seeing that Shen Congxing seemed a little disapproving, Gu Tingye didn't say anything else. Anyway, there shouldn't be any more fighting in the future, and there would be plenty of time to persuade him slowly in the future.

The two men returned to Bazhou City with more than 600 surviving soldiers and horses. After washing and having a meal, they went back to their tents to rest.

When the two woke up again, it was already evening.

The results of this battle were also counted.

In this battle, the Liao army suffered nearly 40,000 casualties, and only more than 60,000 escaped.

The Song Dynasty suffered only a few thousand casualties, so it could be considered a great victory.

Most importantly, tens of thousands of war horses were seized.

Although the Liao Kingdom would use horses to exchange Song Dynasty goods in trade, the quantity was strictly limited.

Only a few thousand war horses flowed into the Song Dynasty every year, and they were all inferior horses.

The horses captured this time were all good quality horses, much better than those used by the Song Dynasty army.

With these tens of thousands of horses, it is entirely possible to form a cavalry of 10,000 people.

There is no doubt that Shen Congxing and Gu Tingye were the main contributors. The Duke of Ying counted the military achievements of everyone and ordered someone to send the victory report along with it to Bian Jing at an accelerated speed of 800 miles.

In just over two days, the good news reached Bian Jing.

Zhao Zongquan was ecstatic after reading the good news. This victory was of vital importance to him.

However, Zhao Zongquan quickly calmed down and ordered people to summon important officials of the court to discuss the matter.

Defeating the Liao army was not the main goal; forcing the Liao Kingdom to cease fighting and give up increasing the annual tribute was the main goal.

When the court ministers learned that the Song Dynasty had defeated the Liao army on the border, except for a few people, the rest were worried.

Some even suggested that the British princess should be escorted back to Beijing to be punished for provoking the war.

They agreed to increase troops only to make their attitude clear to the Liao Kingdom, not because they wanted to go to war with the Liao Kingdom.

"This is ridiculous!" Han Zhang said angrily, "Such a great victory, which enhances our country's prestige, is not rewarded but punished. How can this be justified?"

"My Lord, how can the Liao Kingdom give up after losing tens of thousands of soldiers? They will definitely raise an army for revenge. Now that the treasury is empty, how should we respond?"

"That's right. Song and Liao have an alliance, and the two countries cannot invade each other. Although Liao deployed troops on the border, it did not attack the city. Now that Duke Ying has recklessly used the sword and violated the alliance, isn't that putting the Song Dynasty in an unjust position?"

"The British princess mobilized troops without reporting to the emperor for instructions. Your Majesty, please punish her!"

As soon as Han Zhang finished speaking, everyone started talking at once.

"The Liao army stationed at the border is like a bandit blocking your front door. Can't you resist? It's ridiculous!" Zhao Zongquan said with a gloomy face: "As for the Duke of Ying's unauthorized dispatch of troops, it was my instruction. I allowed him to act at his own discretion. If you want to punish him, punish me."

Seeing Zhao Zongquan getting angry, everyone instantly quieted down.

"I called you here to discuss sending envoys to the Liao Kingdom, not to listen to what you say." Zhao Zongquan said calmly.

"Your Majesty, Minister Ding is still in Bazhou City, so Shangshu Ding can be the envoy to the Liao Kingdom." Han Zhang said.

…………

"big sister!"

Minglan saw Hualan get off the carriage and greeted her with a smile.

"Sixth sister."

Hualan smiled and took Minglan's hand, took a look at her and said with a smile: "You look a lot fatter, it seems that you are living a happy life after getting married."

"Sister, please stop teasing me." Minglan asked, "Why didn't you bring Sister Zhuang and Brother Quan?"

"Brother Quan is still young and is under the care of the nanny. Sister Zhuang loves her brother and doesn't want to go out." Hua Lan said with a smile.

"Sister Zhuang is just like my eldest sister, she acts like an elder sister." Minglan said with a smile.

Although Hualan didn't like Sheng Changfeng and Molan in the past, she never targeted them and acted like an elder sister.

"She's just lazy and doesn't want to go out." Hua Lan said with a smile.

After a few pleasantries, Minglan invited Hualan in.

He wanted to take Hualan to the main hall to talk, but Hualan wanted to walk around the house, so he took her around.

"This house is pretty nice, but you won't be using it soon. When do you plan to move to the new house?" Hua Lan asked.

"That place hasn't been repaired yet. It will take some time." Minglan said.

"Should we make a big celebration of moving into a new house?" Hua Lan said.

"The master means not to do it. He doesn't have many friends, and not many people will come, so it would be a waste of time. When the time comes, you and your brother-in-law can come over, and the whole family can just have a meal together." Minglan said.

"That's true." Hua Lan nodded and said, "By the way, did you know that Third Brother's marriage has been decided?"

"I haven't been home for a while. Which girl did you choose?" Minglan asked in surprise.

"The third brother of the Hedong Liu family. Ever since Lin Xiaoniang... my father didn't pay much attention to him. He also became well-behaved and hung out with the maids in the yard every day. It was only then that the special examination was held, and my father remembered him and tested his schoolwork. As a result, my father was very angry, so he sent away all the women in his room. He also helped him to find a legitimate daughter from the Hedong Liu family's branch." Hua Lan said.

"The Liu family has a strict family tradition, and the girls of the Liu family are good at managing their own husbands. If the third brother marries a girl from the Liu family, he will have hope of passing the imperial examination in the future. Daddy will choose a marriage for him." Minglan said.

"I heard that when my third brother found out that the girl betrothed to him was from the Liu family, he was so angry that he quarreled with father several times." Hua Lan said with a smile.

After chatting for a while, Hualan turned her head and saw the maid following far behind. She whispered, "I heard from Madam Liu about the last time mother came. Mother is often confused. I talked to her when I went back. Don't take it to heart."

"If elder sister hadn't come, I would have gone to find you. I know the eldest lady's temper very well. She doesn't have any bad intentions. She was just instigated by someone. I won't take it to heart." Minglan said.

"That's good. I was just afraid that you would think too much and that this would cause us sisters to become estranged. Mother was indeed instigated by someone, my aunt. How did you offend her?" Hua Lan asked.

"I have no grudge against her. She came to my house a few days ago and lectured me, and asked me to find a job for her son. I told her that he couldn't do it, and she left angrily. Who knew that she would turn around and go find the eldest lady." Minglan said.

"My aunt is really too much. I have told my mother several times to have less contact with my aunt, but she just won't listen." Hua Lan sighed, "I heard that my uncle was promoted to Bianjing and will come to Bianjing soon. My grandmother dotes on my aunt so much. I don't know what will happen then."

Minglan didn't want to comment on this matter, so she changed the subject and said, "How are you and your brother-in-law now? Is your mother-in-law not making things difficult for you?"

Speaking of this, Hua Lan smiled and said, "The master has now figured it out. The Earl's Mansion will have nothing to do with us in the future. Not only did he send away all the people that my mother-in-law had sent over, he also went to my eldest sister-in-law to get all my jewelry back."

After she entered the Yuan family, her mother-in-law asked her to manage the household but did not give her the key to the warehouse. She could only use her dowry to subsidize the Yuan family's expenses.

The sister-in-law would borrow jewelry from her for various reasons, but never returned it.

Now I have finally made it.

"My elder sister is happy that her brother-in-law has figured it out. All the suffering she has endured over the years has not been in vain." Minglan was sincerely happy for Hualan.

"Stop talking about me. Why don't you talk about yours?" Hua Lan said.

(End of this chapter)