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

Chapter 310: A Mixed Class of People Leaping Over the Dragon Gate

Liu Huai walked up to the calmed Li Xiu and said, "I know you have grievances, and so do I, but is the military meeting a place for you to vent your grievances? We're discussing military affairs while we draw our swords and chop each other. Are we the legitimate Northern Expedition Army, or just some hooligans?"

Li Xiu's cheeks twitched for a moment, and he shook his arms, breaking free from Wang Xiongyi and Zhou Xinglie's grip. He bowed and said, "Master Commander, I... I know I was wrong."

Liu Huai nodded: "It's good that you admit your mistake, Brother Xiaoyi."

Zhang Xiaoyi stood up and bowed in response.

"Take Li Sanlang down and personally give him the five military sticks." Liu Huai said coldly, "This punishment is not for Li Sanlang insulting the Chuzhou Tongpan of Song State, but for disrupting the military meeting. Do you understand?"

"Here!"

Zhang Xiaoyi and Li Xiu agreed at the same time. When they reached the outside of the curtain, Zhang Xiaoyi took a spear and made Li Xiu stand while he hit him five times.

All the generals knew the relationship between Zhang Xiaoyi and Li Xiu, and it was impossible for them to be ruthless. They also knew that Liu Huai was just making a big deal out of this matter, so they did not try to persuade him.

After looking around, Liu Huai turned his gaze to Xu Zongyan in front of him and found that the other party no longer had the arrogance he had a few months ago. He was covered in dust, his eyes were full of fatigue, his cheeks were deeply sunken, and even his standard scholar's long beard was missing half, as if it had been burned by fire.

He wanted to make a few sarcastic remarks, but after thinking about it, Liu Huaifu felt it was boring. He walked directly to Wei Sheng, bowed, and then sat in the first seat on the right.

Lu You looked at Liu Huai with some concern.

Just when Li Xiu was scolding Xu Zongyan, Wei Sheng was telling him that the internal conflict within the Loyal Army had become very serious, and the only one who could truly reconcile the two sides was Liu Huai.

Because local Shandong forces like He Boqiu believed that Liu Huai had ambitions to secede, so they were inclined towards Shandong.

However, veterans of the Loyal Army, such as Yu Yuan and Lei Ben, also believed that Liu Huai would not abandon his hometown in Lianghuai.

In addition to these two groups of people, there is also a large number of people in the Loyal Army who believe in Liu Huai's strategic ability.

Especially those who were not excluded and could still participate in military meetings, such as Xin Qiji, had a blind trust in Liu Huai after that chaotic night.

After all, in this era, there are many people who can understand the war situation, but there are very few people who can use the world as a chessboard and analyze the world's strategy from a political perspective.

Therefore, if you want to go south to Lianghuai, you must have Liu Huai's support.

Just after Li Xiu finished the execution and sat down rubbing his butt, Lu You stood up holding the document.

"This military meeting was chaired by Duke Wei, the governor of Haizhou and commander-in-chief of the Loyal and Righteous Army, and a total of forty people participated in the meeting.

Among them, there are six local officials.
He Boqiu, the magistrate of Yizhou; Zhang Chou, the military commander of Yizhou; Luo Guzi, the magistrate of Juzhou; Lu You, the magistrate of Haizhou; Gao Chang, the magistrate of Qushan County; Cui Hama, the magistrate of Linyi County;

There were thirty-three officers in total.

The front army included Commander Liu Huai, and Leading Officers Zhang Baiyu, Luo Shenyan, Shi Qilang, and Wang Shilong. Deputy Commander Li Huoer was in Chendao and had not yet arrived.

The central army had deputy commander Yu Yuan, and the commanders were Lei Ben, Wang Xiongyi, Pang Rugui, Yuchi Mingyue, and Zhou Xinglie.

The Right Army had the commander Zhang Xiaoyi, the deputy commander Li Xiu, and the leading officers Fu Gongyuan, Jiao Qiao, and Fu Dashi.

The left army had the commander Dong Cheng, the deputy commander Liang Qiansui, and the leading officers Zhu Qijiu, Hua Tiankai, and Long Quan.

The rear army had Zhang Qing as the commander, Kai Zhao as the deputy commander, and Liu Yi, Li Ji, Li Zi, and Zheng Yun as the commanders.

In addition, there were generals of the Tianping Army, including Xin Qiji, Li Tieqiang, Jia Rui, and Xiao Pennu.

Unable to participate in the resolution and only serving as observers, the other two included Wucheng Army General Huyan Nanxian and Wuxing Army Centurion Liang Yuaner.

After reading the long list, Lu You took a breath.

In fact, a lot can be seen from this list.

For example, many local tyrants in Yizhou changed their jobs and became local officials. This does not mean that the army is short of manpower and does not need them.

It is because the local area needs more stability, and they need to communicate with the landlords and wealthy families. After all, even as conquerors, the Loyal Army can use knives to conquer the land, but they cannot use knives to govern the local area.

It was necessary to try the local tyrants and evil gentry, but it was impossible to kill all the small landlords. This would only push them into the arms of the Jin Kingdom, and the good family members would form groups to fight the loyal army to the death. The correct approach was to use one faction to fight another.

For example, the combat strength of each army is obviously much larger in the central army, with five commanders.

The front army had been winning big victories, so the officers remained the same and no one was promoted to replace them.

The right army experienced a heavy battle with heavy casualties, and lost a commander who has not been replaced yet.

The left army was smaller, with only three commanders.

The most typical example is the rear army. Zhang Qing is still the commander of the rear army, but he has obviously been separated from the command system of the Dongping Army. The troops under his command have undergone a major reshuffle. The troops originally belonging to the Dongping Army were taken back, and Kai Zhao and other Shandong rebel forces were stuffed in all at once.

This is tantamount to a signal that Zhang Qing will be the pure commander of the Loyal Army from now on.

This is not surprising, because Zhang Rong's most outstanding fourth son, Zhang Baiyu, is serving as a commander under Liu Huai. It is natural to send out an old general and many veteran Shandong volunteers who have been through many trials and tribulations at this time.

Of course, it is also possible that Zhang Rong is adding bargaining chips to his son, so that Zhang Baiyu will have more say in the Loyal Army.

Those who play politics have dirty hearts, who knows?

As for the three generals of the Tianping Army, there are naturally some explanations.

Needless to say, Xin Qiji and Li Tieqiang were praised highly for their contributions when Geng Jing personally came to the alliance meeting. He also promised them the positions of deputy governor and general manager on the spot, which made them feel a little helpless.

As for Yelu Xingge, he was too special. His Khitan tribe was difficult to overthrow, so even though Geng Jing had a rough army, he did not touch them. He just let the Khitan tribe exist as an outsider.

After a private heart-to-heart talk, Geng Jing continued to keep Xin Qiji and Li Tieqiang in the Loyal Army, and transferred a group of rotation troops, led by Jia Rui, and asked them to continue to obey Wei Sheng's orders.

As for Yelu Xingge, the Khitan troops under his command had no way to stay away from the tribe under such circumstances. After leaving behind a deputy general, Xiao Pennu, he returned to Fei County with the captured cattle, sheep and horses to prepare for the next war against Yanzhou and Dongping Prefecture.

This was not because Geng Jing had any fearless internationalist spirit, but rather a brilliant plan that the military strategist Zhang Anguo came up with to achieve multiple goals at once.

First, Xin Qiji and Li Tieqiang can continue to stay away. This does not mean that these two people and their thousands of soldiers are no longer needed, but after Leader Geng has fought several major battles and consolidated his position, they can be recalled calmly. It will be good for everyone at that time.

Secondly, the Zhongyi Army and the Dongping Army were definitely going to go south to help the Song Dynasty. The location of the Tianping Army determined that it was impossible for them to move their entire army south, but it also made it impossible for Emperor Zhao to underestimate their loyalty.

The greatest achievement is to rescue the emperor. The Loyal Army marched south to the Huai River and Huai River regions, fighting under the watchful eyes of the Song court. Even if the Tianping Army recaptured Bianliang, their contribution would not be comparable to that of the people working so hard right here.

Therefore, the Tianping Army must also send troops to let the Zhao Song officials see his loyalty and courage. Otherwise, wouldn't the memorial be signed in vain?
Third, even if Geng Jing lacked strategic foresight, he knew he could not allow the Jin Kingdom to gain a foothold in Lianghuai and encircle Shandong. If the situation reached that point, the Shandong rebels would be doomed to fail.

Fourthly, he could also cheat Wei Sheng out of some military equipment and food. This was not because Geng Jing was extremely greedy, but because a county could not afford to support so many people in the Tianping Army. In addition to establishing the hegemony rule in Tai'an, he also had to fight to the death with Shizhanxie who was entrenched in Dongping Prefecture, so he really needed these supplies.

These little ideas do have some use, but they are so crude that everyone can see through them.

In Liu Huai's opinion, if he were Geng Jing, he would tell Xin Qiji and Li Tieqiang clearly that they wanted to dismantle their strongholds, let them hide outside, and let them go south to make contributions to the Tianping Army.

My left and right positions are waiting for you. When you two return victorious, you will still be able to obtain corresponding political status according to your merits.

Now you are being secretive and it seems a bit petty.

As for Jia Rui of the Tianping Army, it can be said that he is a military supervisor, but it is more because he is a fanatical supporter of the Song Dynasty. He always mentions the emperor and praises our Song Dynasty. God knows what he has experienced that shaped such a character.

Just as in history, Jia Rui was determined to go south this time and no one could persuade him. Therefore, Geng Jing simply sent him out and added 3,000 soldiers to Xin Qiji.

As for Huyan Nanxian and Liang Yuaner, it is even simpler, because they have not yet been absorbed into the system of the Loyal Army.

Just like Wang Xiongyi, only after fighting side by side several times will there be formal acceptance.

The token of allegiance is universal among both bandits and regular soldiers.

Just as Liu Huai was looking around at the generals and carefully taking notes on each one, Lu You continued, "President Xu Tong is well-informed about the situation in Lianghuai. Please explain a little to us."

(End of this chapter)