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

Chapter 216: Always think about retreating before things are over
Zhang Jueming walked with a frivolous pace and returned to the camp of his own thousand-man team.

As soon as I entered the camp gate, someone came to greet me.

"Second brother, what's going on? What are the military orders from the commander-in-chief?"

Zhang Jueming said with a grim expression: "Let all the brothers come to my tent."

Those people looked at each other, but did not dare to neglect.

Soon, ten marching Mouke came to the tent of Marching Meng'an.

Among these ten people, seven are genuine military commanders, the kind with military positions, seals and official documents, and the remaining three are acting military commanders.

Just like Zhang Jueming, the acting military commander Meng'an, his title is neither legitimate nor justifiable.

As for why there are so many temporary workers in the Fourth Meng'an of the Wuxing Army, let's take a look at the distant Lianshui County.

Zhang Yu, the fourth general of the Wuxing Army, led three Moukes and stationed in Lianshui County. They became the first opponent of the Northern Expedition Army and were completely surrounded. No one could escape. Although the Wuxing Army looked at the map and guessed that Zhang Yu and others had been killed, no one dared to draw a conclusion.

But how can a team of a thousand men be without officers?

Therefore, Zhang Jueming, who was originally in charge, was promoted on the spot and became the fourth general, and the three Moukes were also reorganized.

Of course, the combat effectiveness will definitely drop a lot, but at least the frame has been put together.

As Zhang Yu's cousin, Zhang Jueming still had some prestige, so after he took a look around, the ten marching Moukes had quieted down.

Zhang Jueming looked at the people in front of him and said slowly, "The commander-in-chief has ordered us to go into the mountains to investigate the enemy's small camp."

As soon as this statement came out, there was an uproar in the venue.

Someone immediately spoke out angrily, "How could the Grand Marshal do this? We've risked our lives for him and never let him down. Just because we're not Jurchens, do we have to die?"

It's really a suicide mission.

The Fourth Meng'an's main force was armored cavalry, so how could they wear armor while venturing into the mountains? But if they didn't wear armor, wouldn't they be playing a zero-sum game with the enemy's light soldiers?

If they had only received a tough job, they wouldn't have lost their composure like this, but the key point was that the Fourth Meng'an's position in the Wuxing Army was already very embarrassing.

The composition of these ten marching men can be seen. Nine of them are of Jurchen descent, and only one, Zhang Yu, is of Han descent.

The personnel composition of the Fourth Meng'an was similar. Except for Pushan Saba, who was stationed in Lianshui with Zhang Yu and was obviously sent by Meng Tian to serve as a military supervisor, the others were basically Han people.

The Jurchens knew the saying, "Those who are not of our race must have different hearts." Although Wanyan Liang had done his best to bridge the ethnic conflicts within the army, the disparity in strength between the two sides made it impossible for Zhang Yu's Fourth Meng'an to avoid discrimination within the Wuxing Army.

Even according to the private messages from the military officers, Zhang Yu brought three Moukes to Lianshui County to wait for death, and it is very likely that one of them was squeezed out by several marching Meng'an.

With what happened to Zhang Yu before, and now receiving such a difficult task, how can these Han officers continue to maintain a calm state of mind?
"As far as I'm concerned, a snake can't survive without a head." Someone took the opportunity to attack Zhang Jueming, standing up and saying bitterly, "If Big Brother Zhang were here, he would definitely argue with the commander-in-chief. Why would he let us do such a stupid thing? Second Brother Zhang, can you do this? If not, let me go and complain to the commander-in-chief!"

As soon as he said this, he was immediately surrounded by three or four people.

"Gu Dashou, don't be so careless! The commander-in-chief is in the military meeting and has issued a formal military order in front of all the generals. If you dare to bargain, I might chop you up on the spot!"

The burly man named Gu Dashou sneered, "Liang Yuan'er, you also know this is a serious military meeting? I've never heard of a rule that says officers aren't allowed to speak during military meetings. Since this is a serious military matter, why can't we speak to the commander-in-chief? Three hundred regular soldiers of our Meng'an are gone, and no one has left, alive or dead. Isn't that true?"

Liang Yuaner was about to refute, but saw Zhang Jueming waved his hand to stop everyone from talking, and then spoke slowly.

"You should all know about the first fierce An Tudan chapter, right?"

Gu Dashou nodded, "Indeed, I have heard that they were ambushed by the Loyal Bandits. Six hundred armored cavalrymen twisted their feet and fell into the trap. It is unknown whether General Tushan is alive or dead."

"Alas..." Zhang Jueming sighed, "There's a result. The loyal thief sent someone to return the head."

Gu Dashou swallowed hard and asked with difficulty, "Six Mouke armored cavalrymen...six hundred elite armored cavalrymen. Were they really wiped out?"

Zhang Jueming waved his hand: "Who cares whether they are dead or alive? What I want to say is another matter. After Tu Danzhang's head was sent back, the commander-in-chief took advantage of the situation to force us marching soldiers to fight to the death. At that time, I actually wanted to pass on a small message to the commander-in-chief and admit that I was a softie.

Don't say I'm too embarrassed to talk about it. For the future of a thousand brothers, how could I be embarrassed to talk about such a thing? "

"But then..." Zhang Jueming's face was filled with fear. "Then the commander-in-chief ordered that Atu'er to take Tudan Zhang's head and execute the four unkillable marching men of Diyi Meng'an."

The sounds of ten people inhaling together merged into a strange whistling sound.

Then, panic spread throughout the tent. Zhang Jueming sneered, looking at Gu Dashou, whose forehead was instantly covered in sweat. "Gu San, do you understand how I felt back then? Do you understand why I didn't dare to bargain with the commander-in-chief?"

Gu Dashou's face looked grim, and it was unclear whether he was afraid or being squeezed.

There is no other reason why they are so frightened.

Or it was because of the military law of beheading the whole team.

Although theoretically, it is unknown whether Zhang Yu is alive or dead now, everyone understands that the Loyal Army is so powerful that it is unlikely that Zhang Yu, who is at the first level, can still be alive.

But now no one is sure, right?
They all thought they had escaped this, but the fact that the four marching marshals of the First Meng'an were punished by military law still sounded a wake-up call for them.

Now the marching marshals of the Fourth Meng'an are still alive, but the Wuxing Army has not yet confirmed Zhang Yu's death.

Once Zhang Yu's life or death is confirmed, the sword hanging over his head will fall.

Military law is military law. There is no such thing as being spared just because you were not present!
That was the most powerful commander in the entire army. The officers among them were all Meng Tian's trusted confidants in defending the country. He was killed so easily. What hope was there for the others?
"Everyone, I don't want to waste any more time on this nonsense." Zhang Jueming sighed again and said, "Just fight your best. Tomorrow, the five Moukes will go into the mountains together, taking every step carefully, to explore the bandit stronghold. Let's see if we can capture one or two mountain people to lead the way for us."

"Remember, only military merit can atone for sins. Empty words won't do in front of the governor!" Zhang Jueming's tone turned cold. "I'll lead the team tomorrow. No one can slack off. This is for the lives of everyone here!"

At this point, even a troublemaker like Gu Dashou didn't dare to say anything. He stood up and bowed in agreement along with the others.

However, just after everyone left their tents and returned to the camp, Liang Yuaner rushed in front of Zhang Jueming with a whoosh.

"Second brother, we should find a way out."

Zhang Jueming lifted the water bag, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and said dejectedly, "What's the escape route?"

The Zhang family in Youzhou is a large family. Although they have been somewhat devastated by the incident of Zhang Jue, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. They still have a deeper foundation than the average powerful family. There are more than a thousand slaves and servants in the family.

Liang Yuan'er was born a servant of the Zhang family. Because he was smart when he was young, he was trained with emphasis and had a bright future. He followed Zhang Yu to gain experience in the army.

This is what is called a home-born child.

Therefore, Liang Yuaner's loyalty is beyond doubt, and there is no taboo in the two of them talking.

"Of course, they surrendered to the Han people."

Zhang Jueming said with a half-smile, "Is it the Loyalty Army attacking the Wuxing Army now? Or is it the Song State attacking the Great Jin? How does it feel to leave the strong and join the weak?"

Liang Yuaner lowered his voice and said hurriedly, "It's not about what it's like to go to the Han people, but it's really not interesting to stay in the Wuxing Army. These Jurchen dogs really don't treat us as human beings!

"Now that Big Brother Zhang is dead, you, Second Brother, are in danger too. Big Brother Zhang and I are brothers on paper, but in reality we're master and servant, so I can't say much. But you and I grew up together, and we're like brothers. How can I bear to watch you die for such an inexplicable reason?"

Zhang Jueming was silent for a moment, then shook his head again. "Our entire Zhang family is still in the north, and because of what happened to my uncle, how can I trust the Song Kingdom?"

Zhang Jueming's great uncle was Zhang Jue, the famous unlucky man at the turn of the Song Dynasty.

Liang Yuaner looked around and lowered his voice again, almost whispering into Zhang Jueming's ear, "First of all, we can hide our identities. Your Majesty is marching south to attack the Song Kingdom, which is a matter of great chaos in the world... It's better to say that the world is in chaos now, otherwise where did these loyal thieves come from? In such a chaotic situation, no one cares about us small fry.

Secondly, these loyal bandits seem to have some connection to the Song State, as their route suggests they began their march northward from Chuzhou. However, when I was a scout observing the bandit camp the other day, I only saw a large flag with the word "Han" on it, but no large flag with the word "Song" on it.

Zhang Jueming shook his head: "So what? There are too many possible reasons."

Liang Yuaner said sincerely, "I just don't believe that these people wouldn't have ambitions after marching north alone and conquering two or three states. If they do, it would be an opportunity for us to fish in troubled waters. We are all Han Chinese, we have courage and strength, and we will be fighting in the north next. Why wouldn't the Loyal Army accept us?"

"Besides, we are just looking for a way out now. We are not going to surrender immediately. It is not the time to do so." Liang Yuan'er advised earnestly, "But we must find a way out anyway."

Zhang Jueming hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "How should we do this? Should we write a letter?"

"How can such a thing be put on paper?" Liang Yuan'er whispered, "Aren't we going into the mountains tomorrow? Let's see if there's a fight. The ravines are in chaos. I'll take a few trusted people with me and surrender directly when we see the Loyal Army. Then we'll act accordingly. Nothing will go wrong. It's a sure thing."

But how can it be foolproof?
Both of them knew this.

What if the Loyal Army's reward for a head was higher than that for a prisoner? It wasn't impossible for Liang Yuan'er to be dragged into a corner and chopped to pieces.

If Feihuzi is a cruel person, it would not be surprising if he skinned Liang Yuaner alive.

But seeing that the other party had made up his mind, Zhang Jueming knew that he could not persuade this childhood friend, so he could only pat Liang Yuaner on the shoulder and said: "Remember, everything is to save your life first. Don't worry about me. At most, I can find two fast horses and run away. You must not get into trouble."

(End of this chapter)