The rain had indeed slowed, but it was still enough to obscure figures, soak flags, and render bows and crossbows ineffective. Formations were also difficult to deploy, so the battle ultimately took on an unusual form.

On the official road south of Wu Mountain, a man of imposing stature, with a great horse and twin blades, fully armored, was gazing at the grayish-white expanse of the Song army camp and battlefield before him at North New Bridge. He stood silently on his horse in the rain, solemn and unmoving.

This man was none other than Li Cheng.

It was said that when the Song court discussed the puppet Qi state, they considered Liu Yu, Liu Lin, Li Cheng, and Kong Yanzhou to be the most noteworthy figures beneath him. This was certainly correct. However, in terms of winning the hearts of the soldiers and possessing prestige, Kong and Liu were far inferior to Li Cheng. In fact, from that perspective, Li Cheng was simply on a different level from the other two.

Although they had forded the river and rushed through the rain, it did not mean Li Cheng's troops had no place to spend the night... North New Bridge was a crucial transportation hub on the Ji River, and about three or four miles away there was a small settlement formed due to trade and traffic. However, due to the repeated passage of Jin troops and the recent battle of Pingyin, the people there had long since scattered... Regardless, it was a logical place to take shelter from the rain.

However, Li Cheng had arrived in the middle of the night and occupied the settlement. He had driven out the vanguard and allowed his elite central army to occupy it for rest and recuperation. But he himself had personally taken charge, camping out in the rain with the vanguard soldiers. When dawn broke and the battle commenced, even though he knew ordinary soldiers could not see him in the rain, he still stood upright on his horse, erect in the downpour.

He certainly had the bearing of a great general.

Of course, this display was not lost on everyone. Hong Ya, the puppet Qi chancellor who had been ordered to supervise the army, had finished resting in the small settlement and rode out on horseback, holding an umbrella, to find Li Cheng. Seeing this scene from behind, he first put the umbrella away, hanging it on his horse, and allowed himself to be rained on for a while before riding forward and standing beside Li Cheng.

It was said that Li Cheng, the "Twin Blades" himself, possessed martial arts skills that were among the best in the world, with exceptionally keen eyesight. He had already glimpsed the chancellor's figure earlier, but had simply pretended not to notice...

After all, this Hong Ya was not just the chancellor of the Great Qi state. Rumor had it that he had originally been a confidant of Tartan, the Jin Right Deputy Marshal, and had even saved his life. It was even said that when Tartan was defeated and fled from Changshe, it was this man who had salvaged the situation and maintained order.

When Tartan retreated to Hebei, this man was sent to Daming Prefecture to negotiate the establishment of the Great Qi state with Nikan, the Jin State Chancellor and Grand Marshal. To everyone's surprise, he had also caught Nikan's eye. Therefore, when the Great Qi state was established, Hong Ya had simply taken over as chancellor directly from Daming Prefecture... In other words, he was not just the chancellor of the Great Qi state, nor was he simply the supervisor of Li Cheng's Qingzhou troops; he was more like the Jin state's supervisor sent to the Great Qi state!

Even Liu Yu, the emperor of the Great Qi state, had to show respect to this man, so Li Cheng should logically show him some deference as well.

However, Li Cheng, the master of Qingzhou, Mizhou, and Weizhou, the so-called Grand Commander of the Qi state, was no ordinary military man. He had understood from the beginning that a warlord like himself, with no solid foundation, needed to rely on political backing to truly survive and gradually grow in power... Therefore, he held this Lord Hong in awe.

"Grand Commander, you've worked hard." Hong Ya rode to Li Cheng's side, calmly facing him. "How is the battle going ahead?"

"Lord Hong, you've also worked hard!" Li Cheng replied equally calmly. "The battle ahead is not going well."

Hong Ya paused slightly, then looked at the chaotic camp ahead with some hesitation. "How can you tell? Can the Grand Commander see the situation clearly? Or is there some trick I don't understand?"

"It's nothing mysterious." Li Cheng continued sternly. "I enforce strict discipline in my army. This morning, I issued a military order to Du Yan that if he managed to break into the enemy camp by a hundred paces and occupy the fences and gates, he was to blow the horn as quickly as possible. At that time, my central army, which has been resting all night, would take advantage of the situation and rush in with a single blow. Du Yan would not dare disobey... But so far, I have not heard the sound of the horn."

"I see. So it's still a tug-of-war." Hong Ya stroked his beard and sighed. "After the battle of Changshe, the morale of the Song army has greatly increased. They have lost some of their fear of the Jin, not to mention that we met them suddenly in the rain yesterday, and our plan to impersonate the Jin army failed..."

"The best situation is naturally a tug-of-war around the fences," Li Cheng ignored the other's nonsense and proceeded with a further analysis. "The worst situation is that this Song army is exceptionally elite and has directly blocked Du Yan's Mizhou troops at the edge of the camp, inflicting casualties in an orderly manner... In that case, the Mizhou troops will soon be unable to withstand the losses, and Du Yan will have to come and plead guilty before the army collapses!"

"I see."

Hong Ya couldn't help but take another look at Li Cheng, but he didn't lose his composure because of the man's words... After all, who hadn't experienced defeat? The key was that Li Cheng spoke so calmly, which made people both suspicious of his intentions and filled with respect.

In any case, he certainly had the bearing of a great general!

However, just as Hong Ya was lost in thought, the opposite of what he was thinking occurred – amidst the light rain, countless Qi troops, which were Du Yan's Mizhou troops, suddenly came rushing back like a tide. The commotion was so great that even in the rain, one could vaguely see the momentum.

Li Cheng was visibly stunned, then his face turned gloomy, and he subtly waved his hand to his side.

At the signal from the Grand Commander of the Qi state, hundreds of cavalrymen, who had been waiting on both sides of the official road, suddenly emerged from the rain. Hong Ya had, of course, seen Li Cheng's personal guard cavalry long ago, but only now did he notice that these cavalrymen were not only fully armored, but also each carried a long-handled, single-edged saber, the blade of which was over two feet long... Now that the blades were drawn, they were gleaming brightly even in the rain, a truly impressive sight!

Immediately afterwards, the cavalrymen, disregarding the slippery mud due to the rain, formed a horizontal line and charged forward. The officers stayed behind, shouting loudly, demanding that the retreating soldiers immediately turn back and form ranks. Most of the long-saber cavalrymen, however, calmly advanced towards the retreating soldiers, and as soon as they made contact with the retreating troops, they began to slaughter them.

In an instant, severed limbs and shattered bodies littered the official road south of Wu Mountain, the resulting commotion even louder than the previous battle, especially the screams of agony, which were particularly horrifying.

However, in any case, the retreating soldiers were quickly reorganized, and the soldiers pursuing them from the Song army camp in front of the bridge immediately gave up the chase and returned to defend their positions.

The situation had stabilized somewhat. Li Cheng, unhurried, actually glanced at Hong Ya at his side first. Seeing that the other's expression had not changed, and that he was instead stroking his beard and sighing, he felt an additional measure of respect.

"Lord Hong, please wait." After a moment, several long-saber cavalrymen, carrying gleaming sabers, drove a well-armored officer over. Seeing this, Li Cheng first excused himself to Hong Ya, then turned to face the officer in front of his horse and sternly asked, "Wu Shun, where is Du Yan? Why have you been defeated to such an extent?"

"Brother Du died!" Wu Shun prostrated himself on the muddy ground in front of the horse, drenched in rain and covered in mud. He was panting heavily, a truly miserable sight, but because of the several long sabers at his side and Li Cheng in front of him, he had to quickly explain. "Please know, Grand Commander, it's not that we didn't try our best, but that this Song army is no ordinary force, but the Emperor's own Imperial Guards! So, even though there are only two thousand of them, they have held back our five or six thousand Mizhou troops for two days..."

Li Cheng and Hong Ya, who had been maintaining their composure, both changed color. They had crossed the river to launch a surprise attack, braving the rain, and the battle had been raging for a day and a night. Even with some intelligence, how could they have been so sure about the origin of this elite force?

In fact, back in Yanggu, Zhang Maode had only thought they were the 'Royal Army' from Tokyo, but he didn't know they were the Imperial Guards.

After all, unless someone had direct or indirect contact with the Emperor, who would believe that the Zhao Song Emperor would be willing to throw his own Imperial Guards out as expendable troops?

Returning to the present, Li and Hong both changed color. Hong Ya quickly regained his composure, but Li Cheng couldn't help but sternly reprimand from his horse: "How do you know they are the Imperial Guards?"

"Please know, Grand Commander, that the officers themselves proclaimed it!" Wu Shun quickly kowtowed and replied. "We fought for most of the morning, thinking we could wear them down, but we didn't expect that when both sides were exhausted, one of the enemy generals led his personal guards, who had been hiding behind the Emperor's armored soldiers at the front, no matter how fierce the fighting was at the front. They only moved when my brother ordered the front-line soldiers to rotate, suddenly taking the opportunity to rush out directly towards my brother... My brother was caught off guard and was directly beheaded! Then the guards at his side shouted that the person who killed my brother was none other than Yang Yizhong, the commander of the Imperial Guards and concurrently the Director of the Imperial City Division!"

Li Cheng instinctively sneered, "How do you know they weren't just trying to intimidate you defeated troops? If you hadn't heard they were the Imperial Guards, why would you have collapsed to this extent?"

"They weren't intimidating us; it's most likely true." At this moment, Hong Ya suddenly spoke, making a judgment.

Li Cheng turned his head and paused slightly. "Lord Hong...?"

"Yang Yizhong is here, he must have received direct orders from the Zhao Song Emperor." Hong Ya answered with an arrogant look. "I, Hong Ya, am not talented, but I personally suffered defeat at the hands of the Zhao Song Emperor at Changshe. That day, under the city of Changshe, I saw the Zhao Song Emperor's dragon banner from afar, and like Grand Commander Li, I didn't believe it. But I personally led a hundred riders, pierced through the formation to see if it was real. Before the dragon banner, more than half of my hundred riders were killed or wounded, but I saw clearly... From that day on, I knew that the temperament of the Emperor in Tokyo was simply unlike the descendants of the Zhao family! And today, Yang Yizhong leading the Imperial Guards here is exactly what he would do!"

Li Cheng was still hesitant.

Hong Ya, unhurried, stroked his beard and sneered, "Even if the Grand Commander doesn't trust me, you should trust the fifteen Meng'an that were wiped out before the city of Changshe!"

Li Cheng finally became serious. "So, the troops ahead are really the Imperial Guards?"

Hong Ya still sneered, "I know the Zhao Song Emperor well, so I am willing to believe it!"

Hearing this, Li Cheng sighed to the sky. "In that case, won't this battle be difficult?"

Hong Ya paused slightly, then narrowed his eyes to look at the other party. "What does the Grand Commander mean by this?"

Li Cheng immediately replied with emotion, "Lord Hong, think about it, the Imperial Guards are the elite of the world's armies, how elite are they? If they are determined to defend, how can we easily break through?"

"Our army has twenty thousand men, while the enemy's camp size shows they only have one or two thousand. They are not separated by the river, but are defending the stronghold with their backs to the river. No matter how elite they are, how can they withstand attrition?" Hong Ya immediately laughed. "Yesterday, in the sudden battle, didn't you say that you immediately wiped out two or three hundred of them? Even when the Mizhou troops collapsed today, weren't there any casualties?"

Li Cheng finally smiled. "Lord Hong, I'm not saying we can't break through, but that the Imperial Guards are so elite that even if we do wear them down, we will lose the opportunity. Moreover, they should have called for reinforcements yesterday. By the time we wear them down, their reinforcements might have arrived..."

Hong Ya continued to stroke his beard and smile. "If that's the case, why don't we leave the Mizhou troops to watch over these Imperial Guards and cross the river strongly from Huajia Port downstream, attacking Pingyin from the flank?"

Li Cheng shook his head repeatedly and continued to smile. "The Mizhou troops have already suffered such a defeat, how can they watch over these Imperial Guards?"

Hong Ya finally stopped smiling. "In that case, shouldn't we retreat to Liaocheng, north of the Yellow River?"

These words were very vicious... If twenty thousand troops rushed across the Yellow River, only to be forced back to the north bank of the Yellow River by two thousand Imperial Guards in two days, the Jin army on the north bank might directly deal with Li Cheng in Liaocheng!

However, Li Cheng also became serious upon hearing these words, but instead of replying in a hurry, he nodded slightly towards the several long-saber knights in front of him... The latter understood. One of them, in the best position and at the correct angle, slashed down with his saber at the neck of the man under the horse, directly beheading Wu Shun, the second-in-command of the Mizhou army, right in front of Li Cheng and Hong Ya. His head landed on the ground!

Wu Shun had been lying on the ground listening to the conversation between the two great figures, thinking that he had already been spared. Even when the matter of the Mizhou troops watching over the Imperial Guards was mentioned just now, he had even thought of volunteering... But Li Cheng had immediately opposed it, so he had remained prostrate on the ground.

But what was the result? He suddenly lost his life!

In the end, this man had forgotten that Li Cheng enforced strict military discipline. Not to mention the previous defeat, but the fact that he, Wu Shun, had failed to rally the troops after the death of the commander meant that he had no chance of survival.

Returning to the present, the head rolled in front of Li and Hong's horses, and the body spurted out warm blood, splattering the mud in front of the warhorses' hooves into a bloody mess. The long-saber knights didn't even look at it, but turned around and returned to their ranks.

Li Cheng, however, kept his eyes fixed on Hong Ya throughout. Seeing that the other party was still not afraid, he finally made up his mind and spoke frankly, "Lord Hong, let me tell you the truth... You only know the Zhao Song Emperor, but you don't know the other person. I only knew the other person before, but I didn't know the Zhao Song Emperor, so we each came here with a bit of luck. Now that we are here, and at this time, we should confide in each other and let each other understand the future."

Hong Ya simply stroked his beard in silence.

Li Cheng didn't beat around the bush. "I didn't take this battle seriously at first, because everyone thought that Yue Pengju was young and that integrating the hundred thousand troops of the Tokyo Garrison Command into fifty or sixty thousand would inevitably lead to chaos. Even if it didn't, there would be internal difficulties, making it difficult to mobilize and fight. But I knew his ability... That's why I stayed in Liaocheng for so long, until the weather turned gloomy and I felt that we could win quickly, before I decided to cross the river! But who would have thought we would encounter this?"

Hong Ya was slightly moved, then said, "Yue Pengju fought me at Changshe, but he was just one of the generals and not particularly outstanding. I don't know how his so-called ability compares to Han Shizhong?"

"I have not seen Han Shizhong, so I am not convinced by Han Shizhong." Li Cheng was honest. "But I have seen Yue Pengju, and I was suppressed by him in terms of martial arts and aura! I wouldn't say I was convinced, but I can trust his ability enough to know that he is a formidable figure!"

Hong Ya hesitated for a moment, then, seeing that there was no one around, he simply said, "What does the Grand Commander intend to do? Do you think that the Zhao Song Emperor and the current commander are both important figures, and that we will inevitably lose this battle, so we might as well just stay here and wait and see?"

"Yes and no!" Li Cheng replied sternly. "If we are blocked here and cannot eliminate or force back this Imperial Guard force by noon today, then the overall situation of the Dongping battle will be completely ruined. But how can a general retreat from the battle? If I wanted to retreat, I wouldn't have waited in Liaocheng in the first place..."

"What exactly does the Grand Commander intend to do? Please speak clearly!" Hong Ya urged impatiently.

"I want to personally lead my elite troops to attack the enemy in front. If we can defeat them or force them back by noon, then we will continue to besiege Pingyin from here or downstream." Li Cheng answered decisively. "But if we can't, then forgive me for speaking frankly, we might as well just stay here and wait and see... Anyway, the Jin state has tens of thousands of troops in Daming Prefecture behind us. They can't let Jinan Prefecture be lost, can they?"

Hong Ya finally laughed again, pulling on his reins. "If so, then I will see the Grand Commander's ability!"

Li Cheng, having obtained the supervisor's promise and no longer having political worries, didn't say a word and directly spurred his horse forward, past the dismembered corpse. The hundreds of long-saber cavalrymen around him, following the orderly commands of the officers, whipped their horses into line and followed.

For a moment, on both sides of Li Cheng, although there were only a few hundred riders, they advanced and retreated in an orderly manner. The sabers were like a forest, creating their own momentum in the slowing rain.

As for Hong Ya, the chancellor of the Great Qi state, he paused slightly behind him, first glancing at the head in front of his horse's hooves, then staring coldly at the other's back, barely suppressing a scholar's instinctive disgust for these warlords in times of chaos, before whipping his horse forward to watch the outcome.

ps: I feel like I need time to find the state of mind...