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

Chapter 271: Zeguo Jiangshan Enters the Battle Map

As soon as Wanyan Liang finished speaking, all the civil and military officials in the tent were shocked.

Although everyone knew that this would happen sooner or later, when the shoe actually dropped, everyone still felt like a lone boat caught in the general trend of the world, tossed up and down in the turbulent river and could capsize at any time.

Even a veteran like Wanyan Bendu, who had experienced the rise of the Jin Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty's conquest of the Liao Dynasty, and the Song-Jin War, became confused and didn't know what to do next.

However, Wanyan Liang, who once again sparked the Song-Jin War with a single word, did not immediately assign responsibilities to his important officials. Instead, he sighed and spoke of other matters: "Duke Qi, you have experienced a lot. Do you think there are many heroes in the Han Dynasty? Or are there few?"

"If there were many, why were we Jurchens able to conquer half of the world, conquer the Liao Kingdom, and crush the Song Kingdom? But if there were few, why did a hero like my fourth uncle also suffer heavy casualties and lose the country's main force?"

Wanyan Bendu, who was named, is 61 years old this year, but he does not look old at all. His posture is still upright, and his hands covered with wrinkles and age spots are still strong.

After hearing this, the man pondered for a moment before saying, "Of course there are many heroes among the Han people."

As he spoke, Wanyan Bendu bowed to Wanyan Liang and said, as if to advise him: "Your Majesty, I will not talk about Yue Fei, Han Shizhong and others today. I will only talk about the time when Taizu was still alive. At that time, the Song Dynasty was still ruled by Zhao Ji. The Great Jin Dynasty had just been established and was relatively weak. Therefore, they discussed with the Song Dynasty to jointly attack the Liao Dynasty from both the north and the south."

There was no news broadcast in those days, so it was normal for some words to become unknown after decades even if they were widely circulated on the same day. Therefore, no matter who they were, they all listened quietly to the stories told by this living fossil of the Jin Dynasty.

"The Song State sent a young official named Ma Kuo. To show him a warning, Taizu personally led the generals on a hunting expedition. He wanted to show these weak southerners the bravery of the northern heroes, but Ma Kuo showed no fear at all. He mounted his horse, drew his bow, and shot, hitting all ten targets.

Taizu immediately told us that if there was a hero like Ma Kuoguanren among the hundred men of Song, then the Great Jin would have to strictly abide by the alliance with Song and absolutely not take any action that would overstep the line.

At this time, Shangshu Youcheng Li Tong said: "But our Great Jin still defeated the Song Dynasty and occupied the Central Plains."

As soon as this person spoke, Wanyan Bendu's smile instantly faded, and he glanced at Li Tong with some disdain. The other important officials in the tent were speechless, and even a few upright people felt a pang of disgust.

There is no other reason.

Li Tong, though a chancellor, lacked any personal convictions. When facing Wanyan Liang, he wouldn't even utter a single word of opposition, let alone speak out against him.

Rather than saying that he was the ruler of a great country, it would be more accurate to say that he was Wanyan Liang's servant.

It can be said that Li Tong has abilities, but his actions can only be summarized in one sentence: he does evil to the emperor.

As the saying goes: If you are disliked by your elder brother, the crime is small; if you are disliked by your younger brother, the crime is great.

No minister would like someone who actively helps the monarch expand his power to infinity.

Of course, having said that, looking at Wanyan Liang's bloody record of killings, it is not difficult to understand Li Tong's choice.

Even though Li Tong was Wanyan Liang's confidant, Wanyan Bendu had enough qualifications to not give him face: "At that time, we had the army of the founding of the country and the generals who had fought in many battles. Shouldn't we have destroyed the Song and Liao dynasties with great ease and unified the country?

Why did the Second Prince's army vanish in Henan, and the Fourth Prince's army return to Jiangnan without success? Why did even a figure like the Loushi King suffer so much at the gates of Shanzhou?
Isn’t it precisely because among every hundred Han people, there really is a person like Mr. Ma Kuo?
Isn't it because among every ten thousand Han people, there will be heroes like Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Li Yanxian, and Wu Jie?"

Li Tong panicked for a moment, but after looking back at Wan Yanliang, he mustered up his courage again: "What about Yue Fei? What about Han Shizhong? What about Li Yanxian? What about Wu Jie? Some were wrongly killed, some were demoted, some were abandoned. So, could you please tell me what became of Ma Kuo?"

Wanyan Ben was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. "What Li Xianggong said is true. Later, Emperor Taizong saw through the Song Dynasty's weaknesses and sent troops to attack it. But Zhao Ji was so ignorant of the virtuous and imprisoned Ma Kuo simply because he was an envoy to sign an alliance with the Jin Dynasty.

At that time, all the generals of the imperial court were on good terms with Ma Kuo, especially the second prince. Marshal Zong Wang valued this man very much. After conquering Zhending City, he released him from prison. However, he was unwilling to surrender to the Jin Dynasty. Instead, he returned to Wumashan to gather bandits and resist the heavenly soldiers.

The fifth prince Zong Fu led a large army to defeat them.

Later, Ma Kuo returned to Jiangnan, but was banished to a remote village by Zhao Gou. Wulin Dazan planned to travel south as an envoy to the Song Dynasty and met Ma Kuo once, but he must have died by now.

Li Tong clapped his hands and laughed, "Duke, this is what I want to say. What good are the Han heroes? With the Zhao Song court around, these heroes will end up like dirt. Why should we be afraid?"

Wanyan Bendu shook his head, his tone still slow: "Mr. Li, you are wrong. How can Zhao Gou command all the Han heroes? When the sword and axe come to them, do they think that these heroes will submit to death just because of Zhao Gou's order?
For example, the Geng and Wei thieves who are becoming increasingly violent in Shandong, and the Wang Jiu thief who invaded Daming Prefecture from Bozhou, will they lay down their weapons and let the Jin Dynasty do whatever it wants just because Zhao Gou tells them to stop fighting?

Every time Wanyan Bendu mentioned a name, the atmosphere in the tent grew colder. In the end, almost all the important officials dared not breathe.

This is almost a slap in the face of Wan Yan Liang, clearly saying that Your Majesty has made a mess of the country's governance.

According to Wanyan Liang's past temper, he would have ordered Wanyan Bendu to be dragged away and beaten with a stick.

But Wanyan Liang, still smiling, waved his hand to stop Li Tong's rebuttal and resumed his story: "Duke Qi, why did Fourth Uncle (Wanyan Wushu) insist on killing Wanyan Talai and Wanyan Xiyin, who advocated peace, and then marching south to fight?"

Wanyan Ben remained silent.

Wanyan Liang followed up, "The reason is simple. The founding soldiers of the Great Jin are almost dead, and the Great Jin lacks the military might to subjugate the other states. Fourth Uncle wants to seize this last opportunity. Even if he can't unify the country in one fell swoop, he's determined to crush the Song so hard that they dare not even look north."

"But the Fourth Prince was defeated." Wanyan Bendu said in a low voice.

Wanyan Liang looked around. "Indeed, they were defeated. Yue Pengju is a hero that only appears once in a thousand years. It's not shameful to be defeated by him. But Duke Qi, why did Fourth Uncle still insist on attacking Huaixi the following year even though he was defeated and his elite troops were completely decimated?"

Wanyan Bendu opened his mouth, but although he knew the answer, he did not respond.

Wanyan Liang continued, "It was precisely because we were defeated that we had to fight to the death, just as the most dangerous beasts are always those trapped and wounded. A desperate struggle at that time would have given us a glimmer of hope. If we showed weakness, the surrounding wild dogs would pounce and tear the Jin Dynasty apart.

The truth was just as Fourth Uncle had imagined. The Jin attacked Huaibei with all its might, which frightened Zhao Gou into seeking peace and even killing Yue Pengju. This saved the Jin from the brink of destruction.

Wanyan Ben saw no escape and could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, is the Great Jin Dynasty about to fall? Why must you follow the Fourth Prince's example and gamble everything on one throw?"

Wanyan Liang's face turned serious: "It's not that we are going to perish, but the last chance to unify the world is about to be lost."

Wanyan Bendu was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Wanyan Liang sighed, "Even though Zhao Gou is a eunuch, he should live longer than ordinary people, but he's already over fifty this year. Everyone in the Zhao family has a short lifespan, and this guy won't live much longer.

Duke of Qi, think about this. A scoundrel like Zhao Gou is rare. The next Song emperor doesn't need to be exceptionally wise and powerful; he only needs to be an ordinary man with a sense of shame to have the Han heroes rally around him. If they launch a northern expedition, who can stop the Jin? It's hard to say whether the Jin will decline in ten or twenty years, but with Zhao Gou's death, the Song will undoubtedly see a surge in strength! Meanwhile, the Jin's fighting power is declining day by day. Even if I could resist, what about my Crown Prince Guangying? Why should I leave such a huge problem to Guangying?

Wanyan Bendu was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty's words are sharp, and I am convinced."

Wanyan Liang smiled and said, "You are not convinced in your heart. Well, Duke Qi, I don't expect to convince you with just a few words, but the Jin Dynasty's southern expedition is a foregone conclusion, and the elite of the nation are all heading south to fight.

Duke Qi, as a pillar of the nation, can you please bear with the kindness of the Grand Ancestor, who raised you from childhood, and contribute to the country?"

Wanyan Bendu immediately knelt and said, "Your Majesty, I cannot repay the Emperor's kindness, even if I die. Since Your Majesty does not despise my old bones, I am willing to serve you as your vanguard."

Seeing that the biggest troublemaker had been dealt with, Wanyan Liang looked at the civil and military officials in the general's tent and breathed a sigh of relief for a moment.

"You probably all know what happened in my bet with Lou Shi this time. If you don't, I'll explain it again." Wanyan Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Thieves are causing chaos in Shandong and have cut off the Yishui River. This has made it difficult to transport supplies from the eastern Shandong route, and the Huai River region is unable to provide food and fodder for the main army.

Therefore, Lou Shi suggested that if Linyi could be recaptured before the southern expedition, the main attack on Lianghuai would remain unchanged. If Linyi could not be recaptured, I would personally lead a small force to attack Lianghuai as a cover, and then send a general to lead the main force to attack Xiangfan of Song State, giving up the great feat of destroying the country in one fell swoop and taking steady steps to wait for the day.

"To be honest, I didn't want to resort to such fussy tactics, but Meng Tian, the guardian of the country, was incompetent. Not only did he fail to recapture Linyi, he also suffered a crushing defeat, losing many soldiers and generals. At this point, I have no other choice but to use Lou Shi's strategy."

After Wanyan Liang finished speaking, the Chief Inspector of the Palace Front, Da Huaizhong, stepped forward and took out the edict that had already been written.

"Issue this order: Appoint Grand Protector and Privy Councilor Wanyan Bendu as Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Left Army, and Minister of the Right Li Tong as Deputy Commander-in-Chief; Minister of War Wanyan Yuanyi as Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army, and Judge of the Imperial Clan Wuyan Puluhun as Deputy Commander-in-Chief; Imperial Censor Tushan Zhen as Left Military Supervisor, and Co-Judge of the Imperial Clan Tudan Yongnian as Right Military Supervisor. They will accompany the emperor in the expedition against the Song Kingdom and attack the Huai River region."

"Imperial decree, the Left Commander-in-Chief Wanyan Bendu, and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief Li Tong to oversee the overall situation."

"Imperial decree: Minister Zhang Hao, Vice Minister Jing Sihui, and Left Prime Minister Xiao Yu shall remain in Nanjing to assist the Crown Prince in supervising the country."

"Imperial decree: Left Military Supervisor Tu Shan Zhen leads 30,000 troops from Wusheng, Wuping, and Wujie as the vanguard to attack Huaiyin and advance on Chuzhou."

"Imperial decree: Right Grand Commander Wanyan Yuanyi leads the Weisheng, Shenwei, Wu'an, and Wurui armies to attack Shouchun."

"Imperial decree: Minister of Works and Commander-in-Chief of the Zhejiang East Naval Forces Su Baoheng, and Prefect of Yidu Prefecture and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces Wanyan Zhengjia, lead the Divine Front, Mighty Realm, and Wucheng Armies, totaling 70,000 naval forces, to attack the Song Kingdom via the sea."

"Imperial decree appoints Henan Yintu Shan Hexi as the commander-in-chief of the Western Shu Road Army, and Pingyang Yin Zhang Zhongyan as the deputy commander-in-chief. They will command 50,000 regular troops from Wuwei, Wuding, Weilue, Weiguo, and Weiyong. They will attack Sanguan from Fengxiang, pacify Hanzhong, and enter Shu territory."

"Imperial decree, Wuxing Army Commander Meng Tian to maintain the country and maintain the situation in Shandong."

"Imperial decree: Shizhan Xieye, commander of the Weiyi Army, must first suppress the rebellion in Daming Prefecture and then march south to support the Wuxing Army in defeating the enemy."

Having said that, even a shrewd man like Da Huaizhong raised his head slightly and looked at one of the important officials who was saluting in the tent.

"Imperial decree appoints Jinan Yin Pushan Zhongyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Hannan Road Camp, and Taiyuan Yin Liu E as Deputy Commander-in-Chief, to lead 150,000 regular troops from Caizhou to pacify Jingxiang."

Pushan Zhongyi suddenly looked up with a look of surprise on his face, and looked at Wanyan Liang without any hesitation.

Pushan Zhongyi was forty-six years old, a general at the prime of his life. He had a thin face, a sparse beard, and an unshaved head. He wore a tall crown, a common Han Chinese hat. If it weren't for his unusually large stature, he might have been mistaken for a scholar.

Wanyan Liang smiled and stood up. He stepped forward, shook Pushan Zhongyi's hands, and said, "Shandong is in ruins, and deploying a large force in Huaibei and Huaibei is no longer feasible. Wuzhe, I hand these troops, originally intended to destroy the country, over to you. I only hope that you will use them wisely and contribute to the country."

Even though Pushan Zhongyi knew Wanyan Liang's ruthless temper, he couldn't help but feel a little moved at this moment: "Your Majesty, most of the country's troops are in my hands. I am worried..."

Wanyan Liang continued to smile, "Wuzhe, although we are king and subject, we are also equals. Before I followed my fourth uncle to learn military strategy, you led a Meng'an to participate in the destruction of Liao and Song. After years of training, you are now a nationally renowned general. All you need is a great battle to make you famous. How can you underestimate yourself?"

If you're worried that Liu Qing might be dissatisfied, I can assure you that I'll personally write to him and explain the situation."

Pushan Zhongyi was so moved that he wept, and he knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty's grace is as great as a mountain. How dare I not die for you?"

Wanyan Liang took Pushan Zhongyi's hand, pulled him up, and said, "Stand up. You and I have been king and subject for a long time. Never speak of death. Although you, Wuzhe, hold great prestige, I still want to impose a penalty on you."

"Wanyan Lucheng, Shuhuchi."

"exist!"

The two generals who had been standing by bowed and stepped out.

"Go stand behind Wuzhe."

"Here!"

Amidst the gazes of the civil and military officials, two generals stood behind Pushan Zhongyi, holding swords, as if they were guards.

Wanyan Liang stroked Pushan Zhongyi's shoulder and said, "I have nine thousand Hezhameng'an soldiers, divided into three divisions: the Purple Velvet Army, the Fine Velvet Army, and the Red Velvet Army. Now I will give you all six thousand soldiers of the Purple Velvet Army and the Fine Velvet Army. I will personally go to Lianghuai to help you mobilize the Song army. I only hope that Wu Ze can capture Xiangfan in one fell swoop and complete the unfinished work of Fourth Uncle!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Pu San Zhongyi was so grateful that he burst into tears.

People who knew military affairs, such as Wanyan Bendu and Wanyan Yuanyi, breathed a sigh of relief.

Overall, this plan seems much more reliable than the plan of taking a gamble, breaking through the Huai River and Huai Rivers, and destroying the Song Dynasty.

Conquer Jingxiang, sever Shu's connection with the south of the Yangtze River, then conquer Bashu, gather strength for a few years, and then go down the river to destroy the Southern Dynasty. This is a well-established strategy that has been proven by history.

Thinking of this, what Wanyan Ben would think of this old man is another matter, but Wanyan Yuanyi almost felt a little hot in his heart.

Is it really possible for me to see the world unified by the Jin Dynasty in my lifetime?
Can Wanyan Yuanyi also be recorded in history like the famous generals in ancient times?

(End of this chapter)