Chapter 145: Flooding the Capital

"Reporting to the General, it's just under a mile outside the military camp." Pausing for a moment, the soldier lowered his voice and added, "Sometimes we soldiers really can't stand it, so we secretly run over for a bath. I hope the General won't punish us."

Hearing this, Wu Xiaodong smiled, patted the soldier on the shoulder, and said, "Keep watch well. Once we win this battle, we won't have to suffer like this anymore."

With that, Wu Xiaodong turned and left, then summoned a squad of soldiers and headed toward the small river.

The small river mentioned by the sentinel was not small at all; in fact, it was quite vast—it was none other than the famous Songhua River.

The capital city of Shangjing was built relying on the Songhua River. On the one hand, it provided drinking water for the ordinary people within Shangjing; on the other hand, this was the Songjiang Plain, formed by alluvial deposits from the Songhua River, spanning thousands of miles of fertile land. Truly, it was a geomantic treasure trove.

"Is the General fatigued? The river water is still quite warm right now. We can stand guard here while the General goes down for a wash," the deputy general suggested to Wu Xiaodong.

Wu Xiaodong shook his head and said, "Let's head further upstream to have a look."

Taking the soldiers with him, Wu Xiaodong walked another dozen miles upstream along the riverbank, not returning to the Song army's main camp until the sky was thoroughly bright.

Though he had not slept all night, Wu Xiaodong was in high spirits. He hurriedly went to find Han Shizhong to discuss strategies for breaching the city.

Wu Xiaodong was so excited that he hadn't even had time to change his clothes, and his trouser legs were still caked with mud.

Upon seeing Wu Xiaodong, Zhang Jun—being a man of letters in the Song Dynasty, an era where literati looked down upon military generals from the bottom of their hearts—couldn't help but sneer at his appearance, remarking, "General Zhang comes to see the commander-in-chief in such proper attire, doesn't he?"

Wu Xiaodong was in a good mood and couldn't be bothered to argue with him at the moment. He said to Han Shizhong, "Great General, this subordinate did not sleep all night, walking the entire length of the Songhua River, and finally made some headway. I was so eager to report to the General that I didn't even have time to change my clothes. I hope the Great General will forgive me."

Han Shizhong himself possessed a certain unconstrained, pugilistic jianghu temperament. Hearing this, he waved his hand dismissively and said, "General Wu need not stand on ceremony. You say you haven't slept all night—what have you gained from it?"

Wu Xiaodong pointed to the map behind Han Shizhong and said, "May I borrow the Great General's map?"

"General, this subordinate walked along the Songhua River for the entire night and suddenly thought of a water strategy!" Wu Xiaodong said to Han Shizhong.

"Tell me the specifics," Han Shizhong requested.

"It is currently summer, and the water level in the Songhua River is high. Last night, I came to this location and found that both sides are low hills, with the riverbed higher than this area. Our army can find a way to reinforce the embankments here, dam the water, and secretly dig a channel leading straight to Shangjing!" Wu Xiaodong explained.

Wu Xiaodong's plan was to dam the waters of the Songhua River, then dig a brand-new canal leading directly to the outskirts of Shangjing. When the time came, they would breach the river embankments, allowing the surging waters of the Songhua River to batter the Jin capital of Shangjing.

"How far is this place from the city of Shangjing?" Han Shizhong asked, frowning as he pondered the feasibility of the strategy.

"Reporting to the Great General, it is five miles from here to Shangjing. With ten thousand men digging the channel, it can be completed in a single day," Wu Xiaodong replied.

Han Shizhong turned his gaze to the other generals nearby and asked, "What do you all think of this?"

Yang Zaixing remained silent; he had little interest in such schemes. Perhaps fighting and killing on the battlefield was the only process he truly desired, and he thoroughly enjoyed that process as well.

Zhang Jun, however, nodded this time and said, "This plan is viable. But to prevent the Jin army from getting suspicious, we should divide our forces into two routes: one acting as if they are attacking the city, and the other secretly reinforcing the embankments and digging the channel. Only by doing so can we pull the wool over their eyes and catch the Jin army off guard."

The rest of the generals also agreed that Wu Xiaodong's strategy was worth a try.

Thus, Han Shizhong made the final decision and issued an order: "Hear my command! Draw five thousand men from each of the three armies and place them under the command of the strategist to reinforce the embankments and dig the channel. The remaining soldiers will remain under the command of the two generals to stage a feigned attack on the city..."

Once everything was arranged, the powerful machine of the Song army began to operate at high speed.

The Jin army distinctly felt that the Song army attacking the city today was somewhat lackluster—not at all as desperate as they had been yesterday, and they didn't even deploy their formidable siege engines.

The Song army charged forward, the Jin army unleashed a volley of arrows, and the Song army retreated.

As the arrow rain ceased, the Song army charged again, and the Jin army unleashed another volley.

This cycle repeated several times until the ground outside Shangjing was densely covered with arrows, transforming the terrain into something resembling a giant hedgehog.

"Your Majesty, are the Song army trying to consume our arrow reserves through this tactic?" Wanyan Sagai asked, looking puzzled as he made a suggestion to Wanyan Wuqimai.

Wanyan Wuqimai frowned. To boost morale, he had already moved out of the imperial palace and was now living directly within the military camp. Hearing Wanyan Sagai's words, he shook his head and said, "The intentions of the Song army are hard to fathom, but what the Chancellor says cannot be ignored. Issue an order for the entire army to remain vigilant, and only loose arrows after confirming the Song army's assault." Although arrow supplies within Shangjing were abundant, they couldn't be wasted so recklessly.

Seeing that the Jin army had stopped shooting arrows, the Song army's feigned assault instantly turned into a real attack. Only then did the Jin army's volley of arrows pour down once more.

They fought a lukewarm battle like this for the entire day, and the Jin army still had no idea what the Song army was up to.

"Your Majesty, where there is an anomaly, there must be a demon. The Song army is suddenly launching feigned attacks. In this minister's view, they must be brewing a massive conspiracy," Wanyan Sadan told Wanyan Wuqimai.

Wanyan Wuqimai was also somewhat baffled. Frowning, he asked, "Have any abnormalities been found in the Song army's camp?"

Wanyan Sadan shook his head and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, no abnormalities have been detected."

"Judging by their marching pace, Wanyan Zonghan and the others will arrive at Shangjing in less than three days," Wanyan Wuqimai mused, pausing before decreeing, "Transmit my imperial edict: once Wanyan Zonghan arrives, do not rush to enter the city. When the time comes, the defenders inside and the forces outside will coordinate from within and without. This time, I will ensure the Song army cannot return alive!"

With their capital besieged, Wanyan Wuqimai considered it an utter humiliation. He was determined to slaughter every single one of these Song soldiers to vent the hatred in his heart.

At the Song army camp, Han Shizhong and the various generals gathered together. A distance of five miles was not particularly long. With over ten thousand soldiers working tirelessly, they excavated a complete river channel in just a single day, waiting only for the water level to rise so they could breach the embankments and flood Shangjing.