Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 205: My Heart is as Good as Dan

Wang Xiongyi certainly had reason to be moved.

Because he was neither a member of the Loyal Army like Pang Rugui, nor an old friend of Wei Sheng like He Boqiu, nor even a person from the State of Song like Zhang Baiyu.

Wang Xiongyi's surrender didn't even last long.

To be fair, Wei Sheng and Liu Huai, father and son, were indeed very kind to him.

Wang Xiongyi chose to lead the troops, so Wei Sheng continued to let him lead the troops and sent elite troops from the central army to reinforce his troops.

He wanted to participate in the war and make merit so as to be integrated into the Loyal Army, so Wei Sheng changed the strategic plan and let him lead the army in the first battle.

When he arrived at the battlefield, Liu Huai did not look down on Wang Xiongyi just because he had just surrendered, nor did he let his subordinates serve as a buffer.

After defeating the enemy, after only a brief period of coordination, Liu Huai let him take charge of the front camp and entrusted him with the entire army's base camp and rear route. What kind of trust was this?
Wang Xiongyi had only ever felt trust in Mrs. Wang, who had always taken care of him as his aunt. Now he wanted to show his heart to Liu Huai.

Not to mention that Wang Xiongyi started to work with a heart almost filled with gratitude.

After completing a complete set of PUA, Liu Huai quickly took two hours of sleep, and then led 200 armored cavalry along the official road northward to Yishui County.

Then he realized that what he said yesterday, "If I don't save the people, who will?" was really too arrogant.

The common people are not fools. Who would just wait for death peacefully just because there is no savior from the sky?

It is said that there has never been a savior or a divine emperor. If we want to create happiness, we have to rely on ourselves.

The elders of Yishui County had already started a vigorous self-help movement.

So many cavalrymen rushed out of Yishui County together yesterday. They were all not blind, so how could they not see it?

Regardless of what these elite cavalrymen were doing... Of course, they were all dressed in armor, so what else could they do? Of course, they were going to fight... Nor could they actually win the battle, but if these cavalrymen left, would they have a chance to escape from Yishui County?

Of course, some people would say that the Jin cavalry just passed through Yishui County and stayed there for a while. After they left, Yishui County would naturally be peaceful!

You can just muddle through the days without moving or fleeing.

In fact, the Chinese people's character of being attached to their hometown is so ingrained in their bones that it has almost become an instinct. People feel inferior when they leave their hometown. Unless they really can't survive there, it is better to stay in their hometown if possible.

To put it bluntly, even if you beg for food, at least you can become a familiar face in your hometown, and you can get more food, right?

However, on August 28, after the Jin army had gone and never returned, a large number of government officials came to collect food and block the roads. The people of Yishui County, who had been somewhat relaxed, quickly became tense.

At the same time, a rumor that had been circulating from the county government office a few days ago was becoming increasingly intense. The rumor said that tens of thousands of Jin troops were marching south from the north and stationed in Yishui County. The heavy taxes and conscriptions they had been doing in recent days were all preparations for the Jin army.

But it is still far from enough. The county government is still relatively relaxed now because they do not have enough staff. When the Jin army comes, they will inevitably demote all the people in the county into slaves and laborers.

This rumor has some truth to it, and those who originally did not believe it because they had not seen the Jin army arrive in Yishui County, now believe it to about 70% after seeing a massive cavalry expedition yesterday. Combined with today's scene, almost everyone is full of despair about the future.

If there were no one who took the lead in causing the riot, the people of Yishui County would still have faced the final end in despair.

But in the north where people can't survive and start rebellions every other day, how could there be no one causing trouble?
It is impossible to tell who killed whom first, or whether it was just a fight or a quarrel. The end result was that the entire Yishui County was in chaos.

Countless people fled in all directions, dragging their belongings with them and carrying their elderly and children.

They truly fled in all directions, and whether on the main roads or the small roads, whether east or west, north or south, civilians struggled to move forward. The relatively small number of archers, soldiers, and yamen runners were simply unable to stop such a large crowd. After the few archers who bravely tried to stop them were hacked to pieces by hoes, these people no longer had the courage to even shout.

The only person who could come out to take charge of the situation at this time was Zhu Tianshou Zhu Sanlang, who had already returned to his own farm.

The farmers in Zhujiazhuang are half soldiers and half civilians, and can be organized at any time. Moreover, their numbers are large enough to block Yishui County.

But the strange thing is that even the chief clerk of Yishui County who took the initiative to ask for help was driven out. This guy didn't even want to see him, but just said that he was doing something very important and asked everyone not to bother him.

The chief clerk was speechless, but he had no other choice. In addition, he didn't know who won or lost in the battle between the Jin army and the loyal army. He was panicked for a moment and could only return home, close the county gates, and let the people flee.

When Liu Huai arrived in Yishui County, he faced such a chaotic situation.

"Zhang Silang, take one hundred cavalrymen and my 'Han' flag. Spread out and tell the people that fifty miles south along the mountain road is the territory of the Loyal Army. We are a Han army, and we will naturally take care of the lives of Han people. Once we get there, there will be food to eat, land to farm, and a peaceful life to live!" Liu Huai shouted to Zhang Baiyu, "Convince everyone you can, and go now!"

Zhang Baiyu hurriedly bowed in agreement.

"Guan Qilang, Zhu Tianshou has five manors in total. You and I will mount fifty cavalrymen. Carry the Jin bandits' flags and march to these five manors and one county town in turn to show off your power. You must shout, 'The Jin bandits have been destroyed. Thank you, Zhu Sanlang, for your kindness!'"

Liu Huai gave Guan Chongyan another order.

This kind of alienation tactic is indeed rather crude, but I've got nothing to do anyway, so what if it turns out to be useful?
Guan Chongyan also took the order and left. Almost all the armored cavalry under his command carried a Jin army battle flag, including the Haidongqing flag representing the marching Meng'an, the Wuque flag representing the marching Mouke, and some flags used for command in battle.

These Jin army battle flags were well preserved, and the Loyal Army did not burn or insult them. They simply hung them upside down on the flagpoles, with a white cloth wrapped around the top of the flagpoles to indicate that they were captured enemy flags.

"The rest of you, follow me!"

As he spoke, Liu Huai took the remaining fifty armored cavalrymen, bypassed the already guarded Yishui County, and headed straight for the official road in the north.

His mission was the most dangerous, but also the most important.

He was going to monitor the Wuxing Army and when the enemy arrived, he would call the entire army to retreat.

Even if the Wuxing Army really arrived with a vanguard of armored cavalry as expected in the military meeting, then Liu Huai would have to rely on the meager capital he had, take advantage of his rest, and seize the initiative, thus buying time for the entire army to retreat.

Wang Xiongyi even said directly during the military meeting: This is something that only a person like Zhao Zilong can accomplish!

Liu Huai didn't want to take such a risk, but Wei Sheng had said something good before.

If I don't do this kind of thing, who will?

Who else but me can handle this matter in this world?
This kind of character that dares to shoulder all responsibilities at critical moments is also the reason why many heroes dared to follow Wei Sheng and launch a Northern Expedition with little hope of success.

This is also the reason why many people are willing to follow Liu Huai now.

Some of Wei Sheng's brothers who had known each other for decades were discussing privately that although Wei Sheng had two biological sons, the one who was most like their father and the one who could best inherit Wei Sheng's legacy was his adopted son Liu Huai... or his future son-in-law.

Liu Huai made his preparations with a nervous and excited mood. From the perspective of hindsight, it was purely like flirting with a blind man.

Three things happened one after another this morning, making the whole situation a little confusing again.

(End of this chapter)