Chapter 80: The Scholar Resists the Jin Invaders

Li Qianshun’s lips trembled as he shouted at the assembled officials, “So many people have been killed—was there truly no survivor? Not a single clue left behind? Must I, the emperor, personally investigate how many enemy troops there are?”

All the ministers knelt. Huang Shouren addressed Li Qianshun, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The enemy is truly too cunning. According to the reports, every trace at the scene was thoroughly cleaned, so we have no way of determining their numbers.”

Noticing Li Qianshun growing even more displeased, Huang Shouren hurried on, “The largest tribe slaughtered had over twenty thousand people, with more than four thousand able-bodied men. We estimate, based on this, that the Song force numbers nearly ten thousand.”

“A force of ten thousand soldiers, and yet they slipped right past our grand army in total secrecy to strike at our very gates? Send an urgent message—it must reach Feng Renduo Baozhong within eight hundred li. Ask him, as the grand general, how he let the Song army sneak in undetected. And why, with two hundred thousand troops, have we failed even to take a mere Guanzhong?” Li Qianshun commanded.

Huang Shouren considered a moment and said, “Your Majesty, the most urgent matter now is to eliminate this Xixia raiding party. Many tribes are already fleeing toward Xingqing Prefecture. If we do not resolve this swiftly, the consequences may be dire.”

Li Qianshun’s laugh was cold. “Eliminate them? Then first, find them for me! If you cannot even locate the enemy, where is the army to go? Who are they to fight? Are you asking me to send troops out blindly, knowing nothing?”

Huang Shouren pondered and ventured, “From the first slaughtered tribe until now, I dare speculate on their objective—”

“Well, where is it? Speak quickly!” Li Qianshun felt this old man would be the death of him.

“Your Majesty, I believe their target is the imperial city itself,” said Huang Shouren.

Li Qianshun’s brow furrowed at this, but then he smiled grimly. “Very well. I would like to see just what kind of men these are, who would dare come straight to my imperial city to court death!”

Despite his words, Li Qianshun did not dare be careless. After the court dispersed, he ordered his soldiers to reinforce the city walls and strictly control all movement in and out of the city.

At this moment, the Feiyu Army knew nothing of Li Qianshun’s preparations, but Wang Ping had guessed as much.

“General, tomorrow we should attack this location,” Wang Ping suggested to Yang Weiguo.

Yang Weiguo nodded. “Agreed. The Xixia emperor surely already knows our next target. If we continue along this route, we’ll surely fall into their trap.”

Wang Ping was a man of wisdom and military acumen—a rare talent. Much of their success on this journey was due to his counsel. As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. Whenever a problem arose, Yang Weiguo often consulted Wang Ping, and thus the Feiyu Army had progressed so smoothly.

“General, reports from the scouts: there are over ten thousand people in this tribe at this location, and fifteen thousand at another. Both are viable targets.” Wang Ping pointed to two spots on the map.

Both locations were away from the imperial city. If the Feiyu Army struck, they would surely catch the enemy off guard.

“Good. Pass down the order—have the army ready to depart in one hour!” Yang Weiguo commanded.

Another brutal massacre loomed.

Meanwhile, on another front, Liu Qi was leading forty thousand Song troops toward Yanqing Prefecture. But he was still too far away—by the time his army arrived, the prefecture had already fallen to the Jin.

Left with no alternative, Liu Qi withdrew his troops to defend Shunchang City.

Liu Qi’s force numbered only forty thousand, while the Jin commander, Wanyan Chang, led over a hundred thousand. Some officers counseled retreat, reasoning that since Liu Qi’s orders were to hold Yanqing Prefecture, and the city was already lost, they had nothing left to defend. Facing an enemy more than twice their size, the soldiers were understandably afraid.

This suggestion infuriated Liu Qi. He rebuked them on the spot: “Although His Majesty ordered us to hold Yanqing Prefecture, now that it has fallen, our duty is to recapture it—not to flee! If you run, what will become of the people behind you?”

His words shamed the deputy general deeply. From then on, no one in Liu Qi’s ranks spoke of retreat, and word of his resolve spread among the people of Shunchang. The townsfolk, moved by Liu Qi’s kindness, began bringing him gifts of food and grain—fish, meat, whatever their households could spare. The common people are truly endearing: treat them well, and they will repay you with all their heart.

But Liu Qi soon faced a greater challenge—the massive Jin assault.

Shunchang was but a small city, far inferior to Yanqing Prefecture, with low walls that offered little defense. Standing atop the ramparts, Liu Qi frowned and said to his strategist Wei Nan, “This city is simply too small. I fear we won’t withstand even a single charge from the Jin.”

Wei Nan, a scholar of great resource and military skill, nodded. “General, the city walls are low, and the Western Xia archers can easily rain arrows upon us. This could inflict heavy casualties—we must be vigilant.”

Liu Qi knew this well, but it was impossible to raise the walls now—the task was out of the question. He turned to Wei Nan. “Have you any good defensive strategies?”

Wei Nan pondered, then replied, “General, under the circumstances, we can borrow wooden doors from the townsfolk and prop them behind the walls. When the Jin loose their arrows, we can use the doors as shields. This not only protects our troops, but also allows us to recover the arrows and use them ourselves.”

Liu Qi’s eyes brightened at the suggestion. On such a rapid march, their supplies were limited—even arrows were scarce. This strategy could cleverly offset their shortage. Delighted, he praised Wei Nan, “An excellent plan! I shall send people to borrow doors from the townsfolk at once!”