As Wanyan Zongwang uttered his words, the mighty Jurchen soldiers began their charge towards the walls of Bianliang City.
Although Han Shizhong was merely a minor defense commissioner, with Han Mo's endorsement, he had gained the qualification to serve as Yao Pingzhong's deputy.
Following Yao Pingzhong, he commanded the soldiers on the southern city walls to defend against the Jurchen forces.
"Liangchen, is this your first time seeing such a scene?"
Although the Jurchens beneath the city walls now resembled ants, densely packed and covering almost all the ground below, Yao Pingzhong still wore a faint smile.
Despite his smile, the contempt in his eyes was difficult to conceal.
In the Great Song Dynasty, it wasn't just civil officials who practiced seniority; military officers did as well.
Among all the military officers in the world, those born into military families naturally looked down upon generals who rose from the ranks of common soldiers.
The Yao family was one of the prominent military families of the Great Song, and naturally, they held disdain for Han Shizhong, a general who had only recently clawed his way up from the bottom.
Even with Han Shizhong's merits in capturing Fang La alive and commanding the defense of Mingzhou, to him, it was merely a fluke for a nobody.
"Replying to the General, it would be false to say I'm not nervous, but Bianliang is the capital of our Great Song. Nervous or not, we must defend it!"
Han Shizhong, of course, heard Yao Pingzhong's mockery. However, compared to Li Bao and Yue Fei, his temperament was significantly more tactful. Thus, he feigned complete ignorance.
Seeing the smile on his face, even Yao Pingzhong felt a sense of futility and decided to shut his mouth.
Although he looked down on Han Shizhong, he couldn't be too excessive.
After all, Han Shizhong had Han Mo and Li Gang as his backing, and his wife, Liang Hongyu, managed his household.
Leaning on the power of the Maritime Trade Office, it was no exaggeration to say he made a fortune daily.
Navigating the bureaucracy, someone like him, with connections, wealth, tact, and most importantly, his own capabilities, would only be offended by a brute like Yao Pingzhong.
While his Yao family was not to be trifled with and renowned within the Western Army, they were clearly inferior to the Han family.
After all, Han Qi, who had served three dynasties and seen two emperors ascend, coupled with the son of a prime minister, and the more than a dozen banners of Jinshi graduates outside the Han family mansion, were enough for the Han family to hold their heads high among all the aristocratic families of the Great Song.
Furthermore, their numerous in-laws, classmates, and old friends had all transformed the Han family into a colossal entity.
And if that wasn't terrifying enough, now the Han family had produced Han Mo!
A twenty-year-old Pacification Commissioner!
Even Emperor Huizong, the retired emperor, had explicitly stated that this was a prime minister he was leaving for his descendants!
To offend Han Mo over a single incident was something Yao Pingzhong could not afford.
"Well said, my brothers! This is the capital of our Great Song, and we will not allow these Jurchens to be presumptuous! Kill them! Fire arrows!"
Seeing the Jurchens drawing closer, Yao Pingzhong drew the sword from his waist.
With his order, countless arrows were unleashed from the walls of Bianliang City.
A multitude of bows, crossbows, and ballistae unleashed their might.
For a brief moment, the Jurchen soldiers charging at the forefront felt the sky darken.
The next moment, as the arrows descended, a vast swathe of the Jurchen ranks was instantly cleared.
Witnessing this, even Wanyan Zongwang, observing from a distance, had his pupils contract.
Compared to the other cities they had attacked, the ferocity of Bianliang City far exceeded their expectations.
In just one volley, their attacking force had suffered at least two thousand casualties!
"I truly didn't expect these Song weapons to be so fearsome!"
Even though they had already fought their way to the walls of Bianliang, Wanyan Zongwang couldn't help but sigh.
"We might not be able to break this city directly!"
Although the siege had just begun, Wanyan Zonghan had already lost confidence in victory.
"The Song have been entrenched here for too long..."
Although the brothers often bickered, their stance on this matter was remarkably consistent.
"Where is that Guo Yaoshi?"
After merely exchanging glances, they lost the inclination to watch further.
Both were skilled in warfare and understood the formidable nature of Bianliang City.
According to the envoys who had visited Bianliang, there were barbican defenses within the city gates.
Even if they were fortunate enough to breach the city gates, they would find themselves in a precarious position once they entered the barbican, with no easy way in or out.
To conquer such a magnificent city would likely result in at least tens of thousands of casualties and take months, even years.
The Jurchen state had only recently been founded, and they required a large army to suppress dissent. Tens of thousands of casualties were unsustainable!
Moreover, this was the capital of the Great Song. If they lingered here for months, by the time the Song reinforcements arrived, they would be the ones in trouble.
"He is currently in the northern sector. I heard there are many good horses there!"
Since they now knew that capturing the city was almost impossible, their tone became more relaxed as they spoke.
As for the fallen soldiers, it was of little consequence to them!
After all, the vast majority of those currently suffering casualties were the recently surrendered Han soldiers.
Among the rest, they were either Khitans or Han people from the north.
Besides, if there were no casualties, how could they demand a sky-high price during negotiations?
"That fellow truly has some skill. If possible, keep him!"
Upon hearing Wanyan Zongwang's words, Wanyan Zonghan stroked his chin.
"Speaking of which, I still admire that Zhang Xiaochun you mentioned. If we could recruit him, he would be worth ten Guo Yaoshis! Tsk, tsk, tsk, several thousand defenders actually held off an army of over a hundred thousand!"
Hearing Wanyan Zongwang's continued fault-finding, Wanyan Zonghan's lips twitched. This man wasn't praising Zhang Xiaochun; he was clearly calling himself incompetent!
"Second Brother, are you implying I am incompetent with those words?"
"You are overthinking it. I am merely expressing my admiration! Let us consider what we should demand from the Song this time."
Exposed by Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Zongwang blushed slightly and said somewhat awkwardly.
"Establishing the Yellow River as a boundary is naturally impossible. However, what do you think of taking the three prefectures of Hedong?"