Chapter 37: Foresight as Profound as Prophecy

Zhao Huan gazed at the triumphant report in his hand, his spirits lifted. He turned to Cheng Dafu and said, “Issue a decree: appoint Zhang Xian as instructor of the Imperial Guard, reward him with one hundred strings of cash and one hundred bolts of silk. All other commanders who distinguished themselves in the defense shall be granted rewards according to their merits!”

Cheng Dafu, equally delighted, hurriedly acknowledged the command and went off to deliver the imperial decree.

Meanwhile, the Jin army split its forces into three routes, attacking Kaifeng, Zhendian, and Luoyang. Knowing Kaifeng would be a hard nut to crack, they concentrated their main strength on Zhendian and Luoyang, leaving fifty thousand elite troops outside Kaifeng to feign assaults daily, preventing the Imperial Guard within from rushing to reinforce other fronts. The true battlegrounds had shifted to Luoyang and Zhendian.

Wanyan Lou Shi personally led a force of one hundred and fifty thousand to assault Luoyang. With the experience from Wanyan Zongbi's previous siege, Lou Shi was cautious; when ten miles from Luoyang, he ordered the army to halt and set up camp.

Yue Fei stood atop Luoyang’s city wall. From afar, the Jin encampments looked like clusters of white flowers blooming on the horizon—beautiful, yet Yue Fei had no heart to appreciate the scenery. From the formation and arrangement of the camps, he could tell the opposing commander was a true expert in the art of war.

“They’ve finally arrived!” Zong Ze stood beside Yue Fei. Though a civil official, after several interactions, he had grown ever more fond of this young man. Yue Fei, though a military officer, was neither reckless nor lacking in talent.

Yue Fei’s brows were tightly knit. Before them was a table bearing a map of the environs around Luoyang.

“Deputy Commander, the situation is grim. Judging by the scale of the Jin encampment, I fear the attacking force exceeds one hundred and fifty thousand,” Yue Fei said to Zong Ze.

“What? That means half their army has come to Luoyang!” Zong Ze was surprised and asked, “Is the information reliable? Could this be a ruse?”

Yue Fei shook his head. “The details aren’t fully confirmed. Our scouts dare not approach too closely; the Jin cavalry is swift, and getting too near risks capture. But by all appearances, their numbers are around one hundred and fifty thousand.”

Zong Ze pondered for a moment. “Three times the enemy’s strength is sufficient for a siege. Within Luoyang, we have fifty thousand troops. It seems the Jin army, seeing Kaifeng so hard to breach, has decided to focus on us first.”

Indeed, Zong Ze’s analysis was sharp. What he had not anticipated was that Luoyang would become the prime target. The Jin army ultimately deployed Wanyan Chang with one hundred thousand to Zhendian, Wanyan Lou Shi with one hundred and fifty thousand to Luoyang, and Wanyan Zongbi with fifty thousand to Kaifeng. Kaifeng was tough, so the Jin shifted their sights to the Western Capital, Luoyang. Suddenly, the pressure on Luoyang had multiplied.

“Do you have any strategy for defeating the enemy?” Zong Ze asked Yue Fei, clearly recognizing his exceptional military acumen and always consulting him in times of crisis.

“At present, no perfect plan, but I believe we can win a small victory,” Yue Fei replied after a moment’s thought.

“What ideas have you? Let’s hear them,” Zong Ze prompted.

Yue Fei pointed to the map. “Deputy Commander, I’ve observed the enemy’s method of making camp; the opposing commander is clearly a master of military operations. I believe we can use this to our advantage.”

“Look here—this is the highest point outside Luoyang. From here, one can survey all the surrounding terrain. Were it me, I would certainly scout this area first. We can exploit this by setting up an ambush beforehand, and seize the opportunity to eliminate any Jin scouts who come.”

Ordinarily, such speculation would lack factual basis, and many envious generals would dismiss Yue Fei’s words. Fortunately, he had encountered Zong Ze—an arrangement deliberately made by Zhao Huan, who knew from history that Zong Ze was Yue Fei’s benefactor.

“If things are as you say, this approach is indeed worth trying!” Zong Ze nodded. “Arrange a small squad and have them lie in wait. If your prediction proves correct, let those Jin scouts never return.”

Thus, Yue Fei ordered preparations for the ambush.

Yue Fei was truly a genius in military affairs, and events unfolded just as he had foreseen. At dusk, a small squad of dozens approached the spot where Yue Fei had laid the trap.

Leading them was a burly man. As soon as he arrived, a sudden shout of battle erupted.

Startled, he watched as Song troops poured in from all directions. In the chaos, he could not tell how many there were—only felt as if the mountain was swarming with Song soldiers.

In reality, this was merely his panic. Yue Fei had dispatched only a three-hundred-man squad for the ambush, for this was but a calculated guess, not the enemy’s main force, and he had reasoned from his own perspective. Yet, he had guessed correctly.

“General, there are too many, we will fight to the death to escort you out. Don’t worry about us; as long as you escape, our deaths will be worth it,” his guards urged anxiously.

To the Jin, fleeing was a disgrace, yet the man knew that capture would be a fatal blow to their side.

He did not argue, nodded fiercely, and under cover of his men, fled in disarray.

At the brink of life and death, he cared for nothing else. He ran desperately, choosing untrodden paths, sprinting for half an hour until he finally evaded the Song pursuit. By then, his clothing was torn by branches, he had stumbled several times, and his body was covered in dust—he looked nothing short of a beggar.

The Song troops killed several dozen, then marched the remaining captives down the mountain.

“Who was the man who escaped just now? Why did you risk your lives to protect him?” Commander Gao Chong interrogated a Jin prisoner.

“Hahaha! That was our General, Wanyan Lou Shi! Now that I’ve told you, do you regret it? Hahaha…” The Jin captive laughed loudly.

“Oh no!” Gao Chong slapped his thigh, regretting bitterly. Had they captured Wanyan Lou Shi, the siege of Luoyang would have been lifted. Alas, it was his momentary negligence that let this big fish slip away.