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

Chapter 273 The Three Realms Are Unsafe Like a Burning House

If there is one thing that time travelers fear most, it is discovering that reality is vastly different from what they are familiar with.

for example.

For example, a time traveler travels back to the Middle Ages, where he is surrounded by poor people and the local area is ruled by several knight families.

The time traveler took on the mission of anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism. He mined, farmed, and led the people to fight against tax collectors. Finally, he developed the area into a prosperous place.

A few years later, several knight families came to fight against the time travelers. At this time, the time travelers had even developed flintlock rifles and were ready to teach the knights a lesson.

Then the time traveler discovered that several mountains in the distance were getting closer and closer, and heard that the Emperor's angels were also coming to join the battle to assist the Imperial Knights in defeating the rebels.

Anyone would be devastated by this, right?

Liu Huai is now in a semi-collapsed state.

It doesn't make sense.

Why did the Jin navy react and launch an attack?
In real history, Wei Shengdu led his army to Rizhao, but the Jin navy was still huddled in Chenjia Island like slow-witted idiots. Why did they take the initiative to attack now?

Is it because Zhang Rong is so famous?

Or did the Dongping Army advance dozens of miles further north than the Loyal Army in history?

Could it be that just because of these few dozen miles, the Jin navy could no longer hold back and was about to take the initiative to attack?
The reason why Liu Huai was so anxious was very simple. Li Bao's navy had only 3,000 people, and it was impossible to destroy the 70,000 navy in a head-on battle.

The only way is to launch a surprise attack when the enemy is unprepared.

But now the Jin navy has reacted and is not only preparing for war, but is also directly participating in the battle.

How can this be a sneak attack?

If the surprise attack fails, the 70,000 Jin navy troops will arrive at the coast of the Song Dynasty in large numbers. Not to mention whether they can help Wanyan Liang cross the Yangtze River, the coward Zhao Gou will definitely abandon Lin'an and flee.

It’s not like he hasn’t done it before!
Liu Huai didn't bother to care about Zhao Gou's life or death, but if he ran away, the entire bureaucratic system of the Song Dynasty would be half-crippled, so how could the war on the front line be fought?
What would happen if the Xiangfan and Huaibei defense lines were breached by the Jin Kingdom, and even if Wanyan Liang had built up his prestige during this period and made Wanyan Yong dare not rebel, what would happen?
and many more……

When Liu Huai thought of this, he immediately broke out in a sweat.

Now that such a big problem has occurred in the destruction of the Jin navy, is there really no problem on Wanyan Yong's side?

If he could flutter his butterfly wings and stop Wanyan Yong from usurping the throne, that would be a serious matter.

It must be understood that it was because Wanyan Yong usurped the throne that Wanyan Liang forced the troops to cross the Yangtze River and established a strict system of beheading, which led to Wanyan Yuanyi's regicide.

If Wanyan Yong had not usurped the throne, the Jin Dynasty would have really conquered the two Huai regions.

And if the Jin Kingdom really gains a foothold in Lianghuai by then, it is hard to say what will happen to the Song Kingdom. The Loyal Army will be isolated in Shandong and will definitely be doomed!

So, since the Northern Expedition, so many people have died and several tough battles have been fought, but things have not only not gotten better, but seem to be heading in a worse direction.

At this time, Liu Huai did not know that the Jin Kingdom had shifted its main attack direction to Jingxiang. If he knew, he might not be anxious, but panicked.

"Ugh……"

Liu Huai was holding a scroll of documents and sighing beside the Yi River outside the camp.

As a general, Liu Huai had to boost the morale of the troops, so he didn't even dare to stay in the tent. He just relaxed outside the camp.

But even though he hid far away, he was still seen by someone and reported to Xin Qiji privately.

Xin Qiji didn't dare to neglect his work. He put down his work, rode his horse to the bank of the Yi River, and found Liu Huai. "Dalang, I heard you've been sighing all morning. Why is that?"

When Liu Huai saw that it was Xin Qiji, he was about to answer, but he didn't know where to start. He could only sigh and hand over the document in his hand.

Xin Qiji only took a glance at the title and understood that this was a document from Zhang Rong reporting military intelligence.

This kind of thing was not a secret, especially for an officer of Xin Qiji's rank, who had already copied a copy early on and brought it back to the Tianping Army for study.

"Dalang, are you worried that the Dongping army is defeated and our army needs assistance, but we're worried that our army has become exhausted and its combat effectiveness has decreased due to repeated battles?" Xin Qiji frowned as he held the document. "Dalang, several troops have rested in the past few days and their morale is still high. Besides, we don't have to make a long-distance raid. The correct approach is to set up defenses behind the Dongping army, resist them layer by layer, and then launch a counterattack..."

Xin Qiji rattled off a bunch of military strategies and tactics, and it was clear that the battle with the Wuxing Army had indeed boosted morale. Even Xin Qiji, who had suffered several heavy losses at the hands of the Jin army and was chased all the way from Jinan Prefecture to Juzhou, gave up his conservative attitude and was eager to make another big move. How can you explain this kind of thing?

With one blow, they instantly turned from left-wing radicalism to right-wing conservatism.

Having taken advantage of a great opportunity, they instantly turned from right-wing conservatism to left-wing radicalism.

This is also human nature.

Everyone knows it is wrong, but no one can avoid it.

However, Liu Huai was not worried about this. After listening to Xin Qiji's words, he opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only sigh: "It's not this matter. I don't know how to say it specifically."

Xin Qiji's face fell. "If you are simply feeling melancholy, Commander-in-Chief, then please go to a secluded corner and do not let the other soldiers see you. Otherwise, it will damage the morale of the army. It will also make someone like me, who is already busy as a madman, take time out to worry about you... I was sorting out paperwork last night and slept for over an hour..."

Before Liu Huai could answer, there was another sound of horse hooves.

"Liu Dalang, what's wrong with you? Did you find something wrong with the army?"

Lu You dismounted panting, then trotted to Liu Huai and asked directly without caring that Xin Qiji was beside him.

Liu Huai sighed again, feeling somewhat guilty about mobilizing such a large army. After a moment's thought, he sat down on the ground, gazing at the vast expanse of the Yi River. "You two are both wise men," he said, "please help me with something. What do you think? Is this Northern Expedition a good or bad thing for the overall situation of the world?"

Now, both Lu You and Xin Qiji were very upset.

The faith of the core figures of the Northern Expedition has wavered. How can this be tolerated?
Seeing the panic on their faces, Liu Huai felt that he shouldn't ask such a question, so he immediately waved his hand again: "Think of it as a fart I just passed."

After thinking for a moment, Liu Huaifu asked again, "Now I have a question. What if I... no, what if it was Xin Wulang? Your neighbor's house was on fire, and there was a child in the house. You risked your own life to save the child. Would that be something to be proud of?"

"Exactly."

"But what if you came out and found that the neighbor's adults had also rushed to the fire, but because they couldn't find the child, they spent too long searching in the fire and were burned to death."

"You knew perfectly well that if you had not rushed in to save the child, your neighbor would have returned safely from the burning house with the child, and no one would have died.

So, is your heroic performance a good thing or a bad thing?"

Lu You and Xin Qiji were both extremely intelligent people. When they thought about Liu Huai's previous questions, they immediately understood, but they were also confused for a moment.

"Da Lang, are you saying that if the Loyal Army hadn't come to the North, then the situation in Shandong, or even the situation in the country, would be better than it is now?" Lu You looked incredulous. "How is that possible?"

Xin Qiji also looked puzzled. "Da Lang, are you saying that if the Loyal Army doesn't come to the north to fight, the Jin Kingdom will collapse in Shandong? That's impossible. It's not like our Tianping Army hasn't been fighting against the Jin Kingdom. Although they are destroying their own foundation, they are not to the point of collapse at the first blow. Otherwise, we would have been defeated and returned to Jinan Prefecture long ago."

Liu Huai waved his hand: "Don't let your thoughts wander so much. Wu Lang, just tell me about the example of the burning house. Do you feel guilty about it?"

Xin Qiji thought for a moment and said, "Although I didn't kill Bo Ren, he died because of me. How can I not blame myself? But if you say that all the blame lies with me, I don't accept it."

"How to say?"

"It was the fire that killed people, after all. Isn't the fire, or the arsonist, or the person who caused the fire, the one who is most responsible? Why are you blaming me, someone who worked so hard and risked my life?"

Liu Huai was silent for a moment, then he sighed and smiled: "Yes, this fire has been burning for decades, and countless people have died. Why are we the ones who put out the fire being blamed? The ones who should be killed are the ones who set the fire."

As he spoke, Liu Huai looked at Xin Qiji and said, "Wu Lang, you are truly a wise man in the world. You cured my mental exhaustion with just one sentence."

Xin Qiji was also used to Liu Huai's strange words and was not surprised. Seeing that he had returned to normal, he turned around and left with Lu You.

"I'm already very busy, so please don't ask me to help you with your happy knot again."

The two men came and went in a hurry, and returned to the camp in a flash, leaving Liu Huai alone to look at the Yishui River. He thought about the historical knowledge he had memorized in his previous life, and compared it with the present. Although his worried expression was gone, he was still stunned.

There is no peace in the three realms, it is like a burning house.

Everyone was burning in the fire.

I don’t know when I will have the strength to put out this fire.

(End of this chapter)