Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 897 Everyone has their own agenda
Yang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "After the princess returns to the palace, please tell the two palaces that there is no need to worry."

The Jin dynasty was already at its last gasp; its current struggle would only hasten its demise.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured and simply await my triumphant return."

After a slight pause, Yang Yuan continued, "I am about to embark on a campaign. Tomorrow I will go to the palace to entrust matters concerning the imperial camp to His Majesty and the Second Prince."

This was clearly a tactful promise to her that after he left Lin'an, neither would there be any bizarre deaths nor the situation of "It's getting cold, Your Majesty, please put on another layer of clothing."

Zhao Ning'er was extremely grateful.

The King of Yan was so patient and gentle in explaining to her because of her pleading, wasn't he?
Zhao Ning'er felt a surge of emotion and suddenly blurted out, "General Yang!"

She always called Yang Yuan that in private, but it was rare for her to call him that in front of him.

Yang Yuan was taken aback: "What?"

Zhao Ning'er suddenly leaped towards Yang Yuan.

Yang Yuan instinctively caught it, just like when Ning'er was a child, in front of Zongyang Palace, Yang Yuan carried her with one arm as they ran through the Imperial Street.

The only difference is that Yang Yuan is now extending both arms.

Zhao Ning'er wasn't being held in his arm, but rather in his arms, held from the front.

Zhao Ning'er didn't know where she got the courage to suddenly make such a bold move.

Her face was flushed, her head was spinning, and she hugged Yang Yuan's neck tightly, suddenly planting a kiss on his cheek with her breathy breath.

Then, as if she had come to her senses again, she suddenly fell back to the ground, shyly turned around and ran towards the door.

As she reached the door and was about to push it open to leave, she turned back hastily and whispered, "Ning'er misses the moment when General Yang carried her through the Imperial Street."

With a creak, the door opened and then closed again.

Yang Yuan stood there in a daze for a long time, then gently rubbed her fingers together.

On your fingertips, you can still faintly feel that bouncy and soft texture.

Hmm... the little princess's bottom is getting chubby.

……

When Zhang Xiaoxiang first received news of the dramatic changes in Lin'an, he was somewhat conflicted.

On the one hand, he was also fed up with the incompetence and folly of the imperial court.

However, the education he received from childhood made it difficult for him to accept Yang Yuan's current actions.

When Yang Yuan's handwritten letter arrived in Jiankang, Zhang Xiaoxiang saw Huang Xu's letter attached to it, which accused him of being Yang Yuan's accomplice and used as so-called "evidence" of treason. Zhang Xiaoxiang felt a mix of emotions.

My mindset changed as a result.

Not long after, he received Mr. Muyi's latest article on his lectures at Wushan Academy.

Zhang Xiaoxiang is now also a believer in the new Shu studies.

His duties prevented him from leaving Jiankang, but he entrusted the task to a friend at the Imperial Academy in Lin'an.

Whenever Mr. Muyi makes a speech or writes an article, he promptly organizes it and sends it to Jiankang.

Zhang Xiaoxiang would always read Master Mu's works as soon as possible.

Mu Yi's lectures have always been combined with current events.

This time is no exception.

After reading Mr. Muyi's article, Zhang Xiaoxiang finally resolved his last remaining doubts.

He also knew the words that Wang Shilong of Haizhou cried out in despair when he committed suicide: "The Great Song Dynasty cannot be trusted, and the Zhao family is not worthy of protection!"

He didn't want to care about the changes happening in the imperial court.

He only wanted to govern Jiankang well, to benefit the villagers and the local people, and that was enough.

The importance of Jiankang's geographical location is beyond doubt, so there was originally a garrison here, under the control of the Jiankang garrison commander.

In front of Jiankang City was the large army of Shao Hongyuan, the commander-in-chief of the imperial armies of Huaixi.

Wen Xuanchen and his son Wen Shishuang also led their troops south along the central route of Lizhou and arrived in Jiankang.

For a time, Jiankang's defenses were as solid as a rock.

……

On the Western Xia side, when they received news that Emperor Wanyan Liang of the Jin Dynasty was leading a massive southward campaign with the full strength of the nation, Ren Degong and Kou Heiyi's heads were buzzing.

This... is really quite unexpected.

This should have been good news for them, absolutely good news.

However, their original expectations were not high.

Their original plan was to kill those corrupt officials, gather troops and cause trouble, wait for Yang Yuan to regain power, and then offer them a way to be appeased.

They simply wanted to let the Song Dynasty know that it was absolutely impossible to send a large number of officials to Xixia Road and uproot the clans and tribal nobles like them!

The officials in the imperial court were too naive at the time, mistaking Western Xia for Jiangnan.

If Emperor Li Renxiao and powerful minister Ren Dejing wanted to eliminate a powerful official, they would simply kill him and then select a "proxy" from his clan or tribe.

You send in some officials, just like you dismissed an official in Jiangnan, saying you wiped out that person's entire family.
Because this was their ultimate goal, they did not take any action after occupying the entire Hetao Plain.

They were waiting for the Song Dynasty to send someone to negotiate.

As a result, before the Song people arrived, they received news that Wanyan Liang had led his army south to wage war against the Song Dynasty.

For a moment, these rebel leaders felt like they had grass growing in their hearts.

Should we continue to wait for the Song Dynasty to send someone to negotiate, or should we seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and make a good show of it?
Liu Qi had just passed away, leaving the Song army in Hexi leaderless.

If we were to send troops to Hexi at this time, and the Song Dynasty were already busy fighting the Jin Dynasty and unable to attend to both, then...

There should be a chance to reclaim the entire territory of Great Xia, right?

To be honest, even Kou Heiyi and Ren Degong were once tempted by her.

Not to mention the tribal leaders below them.

However, the current rebellion can still be considered somewhat understandable, and it is possible to negotiate terms with the Song Dynasty.

If they tried to take advantage of the chaos and Wanyan Liang ended up losing, it would be much harder to get leverage in negotiations with the Song Dynasty.

Sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight?
But... once the opportunity is missed, no matter whether the Song Dynasty or the Jin Dynasty is the final victor, the fate of Western Xia will be the same.

The stakes involved were so high that the leaders of the various Western Xia tribes seemed to have grown up in the mansion of General Kou Heiyi of Lingzhou.

They held meetings and discussions here every day, and for a time they were undecided.

Finally, the Song Dynasty responded to their rebellion. The Song Dynasty sent an envoy, Marquis Dingxi, Pucha Alibu, to offer pacification.

This person's approach is quite interesting.

He voluntarily offered up Arrow Ridge, thus making it available to the Song Dynasty.

Li Renxiao was originally the emperor of the Great Xia Kingdom. He was captured alive and granted the title of Marquis.

Pucha Alibu was a commander of a thousand households in the Jin Dynasty. He surrendered voluntarily and was granted the title of Marquis.

The title of Marquis of Pucha Alibu, the Marquis of Dingxi, sounds far more prestigious than that of Marquis of Anshun, Li Renxiao.

Sending him here now seems to be an intentional act to provide these Western Xia tribal chiefs with a point of comparison.

Pucha Alibu was ordered to leave the capital the day after Yang Yuan left Lin'an.

However, Yang Yuan led a large army that marched out in droves.

Pucha Alibu rode a light cavalry at full speed, traveling day and night.

Pucha Alibu felt flustered as he stepped through the gates of the Lingzhou General's Mansion.

However, he still remembered Yang Yuan's promise.

If the Western Xia rebels kill you in a fit of rage, I guarantee that I will petition the Emperor to grant your son the title of Duke of a Founding County, a title that will be retained for three generations!

Remember this: on your journey to Lingzhou, the more arrogant and conceited you are, the less likely they are to harbor murderous intent towards you. Remember this! Remember this!

Thinking of this, Pucha Alibu took a deep breath, straightened his back, and with his full beard tilted back, only his chin was visible.

"The Song Dynasty sent you here. What do you have to say to us?"

Tuoba Hou, Tuoba Heiyi, Ren Degong, and the others stared intently at Pucha Alibu.

Pucha Alibu sat down arrogantly, looked around with disdain, and said loudly, "I, the Marquis, have come on the orders of Prime Minister Yang."

Prime Minister Yang has three things he wants me to tell you all.

Tuoba Heiyi narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Please speak."

Pucha Ali said: "Previously, there were treacherous officials in the court who carried out chaotic policies in Xixia Road."

You were forced to rise up in rebellion; it was a last resort.

The court doesn't blame you, the emperor doesn't blame you, and I, the prime minister, don't blame you either.

The court has now decided that all systems of Western Xia will be reinstated, repeating the old system established when the country surrendered.

Your previous actions can also be wiped clean.

After waiting for a long time without Pucha Alibu continuing, Tuoba Hou couldn't help but ask, "What about the third sentence?"

Pucha Alibu steeled his heart and said loudly, "According to investigations, the rebellion of various tribes in Xixia Road was also instigated and planned by Marquis Anshun, Li Renxiao."

Therefore, Li Renxiao was stripped of his title and imprisoned.

If you remain obstinate and continue to cause trouble, then Li Renxiao will be executed in accordance with the law, and his head will be displayed to the public.

"The day the imperial army arrives, those who stubbornly resist will be beheaded."

Pucha Alibu was also very uneasy.

However, despite the widespread fires in the Song Dynasty, Yang Yuan's attitude towards pacifying them remained surprisingly tough.

Tuoba Hou and others couldn't help but wonder, what gave him the right to do so?
As a result, the hall fell silent for a while, with no movement for a long time.

Pucha Alibu steeled himself and roared out the words that could very well cost him his head, but the hall fell silent for a moment, and no one spoke for a long time.

At this time, Yang Yuan personally led the Imperial Guards' infantry and cavalry units to the Huaidong front.

Banners fluttered in the wind, and the north wind swept through the air.

Wu Ting personally led the soldiers of Huaidong to welcome the Prime Minister's troops.

Li Xianzong was appointed to a critical mission and went to Hexi, while Wu Ting took over the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army in Huaidong.

This is actually somewhat taboo, because it involves changing generals on the eve of battle.

Changing generals on the eve of battle is not necessarily a bad thing. Yu Yunwen's great victory over Wanyan Liang in the Battle of Caishi was in a situation that was even worse than changing generals on the eve of battle.

When Wu Lin died, he was replaced by Wu Gong on the battlefield.

But if the generals all respect him, then there isn't a big problem.

The biggest problem in Huaidong was that the generals and Wu Ting lacked coordination.

This will somewhat affect Wu Ting's command of the Huaidong battlefield, since there is a lack of sufficient understanding and trust between superiors and subordinates.

Therefore, although Yang Yuan judged that Wanyan Liang's real main attack direction was in Huaixi and his target was Jiankang, he still came to Huaidong.

Firstly, it is to make the unreal real.

Wanyan Liang made a gesture to attack Huaidong, and Yang Yuan went along with it.

When Wanyan Liang moved his troops to Huaixi, Yang Yuan timely infiltrated Huaixi, which also disrupted Wanyan Liang's plans.

On the other hand, it was to support and encourage Wu Ting.

Yang Yuan led the soldiers of Lianghuai and won the Battle of Lingbi.

Therefore, he enjoyed great prestige among the officers and soldiers of Lianghuai.

Especially after the Battle of Lingbi, the garrison in Lianghuai was replenished with a large number of new recruits, all of whom had grown up listening to Yang Yuan's glorious achievements.

Outside Shanyang City, spears and halberds stood like a forest, swords and shields surged like a tide, battle flags fluttered, and the army was mighty.

No one made a sound or a fuss; everything was quiet and orderly, yet the powerful military might was as imposing as a raging fire.

The Song army favored red, with red satin shawls, crimson gloves, and red leg guards and boots, resembling a blazing flame.

In the silent ranks of soldiers, pairs of eyes were filled with fervor.

They were all looking forward to Yang Yuan, hoping that he would lead them to another great victory and immediately gain fame and fortune.

Meanwhile, not far from Shanyang, in Chuzhou, the Jin emperor Wanyan Liang personally led his army into the city of Chuzhou (Huai'an).

Chuzhou, located south of the Huai River, was originally in the hands of the Southern Song Dynasty.

During the Shaoxing Peace Treaty, Chuzhou (along with Sizhou, Haozhou, etc.) was ceded to the Jin Dynasty.

Chuzhou thus became one of the core cities of the Jin state in Huaidong.

Chuzhou thus became the center of attack and defense for both the Song and Jin dynasties in Huaidong.

Whoever controls this area will hold the initiative over the entire lower reaches of the Huai River.

The Jin emperor and Song prime minister gathered their troops here, each displaying an attitude of wanting to fight to the death!
(End of this chapter)