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

Chapter 325: Huainan divides its forces into two groups

"Zheng Jia, you've lost a lot of weight."

"Your Majesty, why are you so thin? Da Huaizhong deserves to be killed!"

To the north of Zhenzhou City, in the Jin army's main camp, Wanyan Zhengjia bowed before Wanyan Liang, completely ignoring the fact that Da Huaizhong, the chief inspector of the Palace Front, was right in front of him, and started shouting and fighting.

Da Huaizhong's face was as pale as the bottom of a pot.

His position as the head of the imperial guards was like that of Yang Yizhong in the Southern Song Dynasty. He was a punching bag for people to criticize him indirectly or express their loyalty. However, when the emperor heard it, he would think that his subject cared about him and was very pleased, so he would not be angry.

This also led to the fact that both Da Huaizhong and Yang Yizhong were often "requested to be executed".

Sure enough, Wanyan Liang stepped forward and patted Wanyan Zhengjia on the shoulder: "Hahaha, quickly get up. I didn't expect Zhengjia to become so smooth. Su Qing has so many advantages, why do you always learn useless things?"

Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Zhengjia were only one year apart in age and had known each other since childhood, so they spoke very casually.

Wanyan Liang killed so many members of the royal family that their heads rolled down, and he also allowed the Wanyan Zheng family to control the navy, which is enough to show the deep friendship between the two.

After Wanyan Zhengjia stood up, he was about to say a few polite words with a smile, but suddenly he saw a piece of white cloth used to bandage Wanyan Liang's wrist. He was stunned, and then he directly shook Wanyan Liang's hand, and became furious and shouted at the guards and ministers around him.

"What the hell are you all doing? With 40,000 regular troops, you actually managed to injure His Majesty. Do you still have the nerve to live?"

Unlike Da Huaizhong, Xiao Qi and others who were in a state of embarrassment, Shangshu Youcheng Li Tong was obviously a little angry, but immediately felt helpless.

Wanyan Liang immediately waved his hand to rescue his subordinates: "Alas...Zheng Jia, this is not right. Wasn't it that our Great Jin's empire was conquered by the great emperor Taizu himself, bravely fighting with sword and spear?
The throne has been passed down to me, and it's only the fourth generation. Don't you think I dare to go to the battlefield myself? I can't learn from that old dog Zhao Gou, who cowered in the palace while ordering heroes to die for him.

Wanyan Zhengjia said anxiously: "But even so, Your Majesty's precious body..."

Wanyan Liang grasped Wanyan Zhengjia's arm with his backhand and said with a smile, "Zhengjia, the military situation is urgent, so let's not discuss family matters. Is Su Qing all right? Is the navy all right?"

Hearing Wanyan Liang's question about serious military matters, Wanyan Zhengjia could only turn his attention back. "The navy experienced a storm and suffered some casualties. We were forced to rest in Taizhou for some time, which is why we are a little late. The commander-in-chief is currently at Zhenzhou Harbor, comforting the naval officers and arranging defenses. Therefore, he is unable to personally pay his respects to Your Majesty. I will come to apologize."

Wanyan Liang smiled and said, "They all served the country with merit and no fault. Why ask for apology? But are the navy still useful?"

Wanyan Zhengjia bowed and said, "The Commander-in-Chief said that if we can muster 5,000 naval troops, we can set out immediately, but if we want to deploy more troops, we will have to rest for a while. Your Majesty, our navy fought a fierce battle with the Shandong bandits before heading south, and they are truly exhausted."

"The Shandong rebels..." Wanyan Liang folded his arms and muttered to himself, "The Shandong rebels are truly outrageous. A few days ago, I received news that the Wuxing Army seems to have completely collapsed, and the fate of Meng Tian, the guardian of the country, is unknown."

Wanyan Zhengjia's heart tightened, and he said again: "Your Majesty, the ships following behind our army are the Shandong rebel army. They are mixed with the Song dog navy, and it is difficult to tell how many people there are."

Wanyan Liang shook his head and replied, "It doesn't matter how many men he has. Even if he has a hundred thousand, what can he do to me? Could it be that the Song general is really like Yue Pengju reincarnated?"

Wanyan Zhengjia was somewhat worried: "The life and death of Wuxing Army is a small matter, but if this happens, Yidu Prefecture will be in jeopardy... as well as Pizhou and Xuzhou."

Wanyan Liang waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. I've already ordered Shizhan Xie to keep an eye on Yidu Prefecture. As for Pizhou and Xuzhou..."

At this point, Wanyan Liang raised his head and sighed, "Lou Shi is truly an important official of the state, a true lord. If he hadn't advised me to lead a small force south, I might have been cut off by the Shandong bandits.

But now we only have 70,000 regular troops, and the baggage transport routes are divided into two. The Xuzhou-Sishui line only needs to support the baggage of 30,000 regular troops. How can we not cope with it?"

Wanyan Zhengjia felt slightly relieved and nodded, saying, "I wonder what strategy Your Majesty will have next?"

Wanyan Liang turned to Wanyan Yuanyi and said, "Yite Nian, tell the Zheng family about the strategy we just decided on."

Because the battle in Lianghuai was going so smoothly, Wanyan Yuanyi was in high spirits at this time. He felt that his victory would go down in history because of this battle, so he no longer resisted fighting against the Song Dynasty. At this time, he and Wanyan Liang had a sense of harmony between monarch and minister.

Upon hearing Wanyan Liang's order, Wanyan Yuanyi stepped out of the ranks and pointed to the map in his tent. "This morning, Wuping Army's First Meng'an Ali Gua arrived on a fast horse. He has captured the Caishiji Floating Bridge and set up camp on the south bank of the river. There are only a few remnants of the defeated army in Caishiji. The First Meng'an lacks sufficient forces to simultaneously secure the bridge and defeat the Song army. I request that General Alin send reinforcements as soon as possible."

Wanyan Alin, commander-in-chief of the Wuping Army, stood in the commander's tent with an arrogant look on his face, his face full of pride.

Wanyan Alin's Wuping Army followed Tushan Zhen to fight in Huaidong. After occupying Chuzhou, they sent their most elite First Meng'an to support Wanyan Liang in clearing Luzhou. In the following time, Ali led the First Meng'an and followed Wanyan Liang from Luzhou all the way to Dongguan.

Wanyan Liang saw an opportunity to annihilate Liu Qi. Since Aligua's troops were tired from traveling back and forth, he ordered them to stay in Hezhou to rest and recuperate while looking for an opportunity to cross the river. Who would have thought that Aligua actually found one!

If the fate of the Song and Jin dynasties really changed because of this floating bridge, then Aligua would immediately be recorded in history!
"Right now, almost all of the 70,000-man army is concentrated in Huaidong, and it's difficult to get enough supplies." Wanyan Yuanyi continued, "We still need to divide our forces. Your Majesty suggests that three Wanhu remain in Huaidong to guard Liu Qi. We don't have to fight to the death at Guazhou Ferry, but we should try to capture Yangzhou. Four Wanhu will return to Huaixi, one of whom will be stationed in Luzhou to ensure the army's retreat, and three Wanhu will cross the Yangtze River at Caishi to threaten Jiankang!"

Hearing this, Wanyan Zhengjia looked at Wanyan Yuanyi in disbelief. Seeing that the other party seemed confident, the words of advice flashed on his lips but he swallowed them back.

He then looked at Li Tong, Wuyan Puluhun, Tushan Yongnian and finally set his sights on Wanyan Bendu.

Seeing that even Wanyan Bendu, who was a mature and patriotic man, acted as if it was his own thing, Wanyan Zhengjia immediately became panicked.

He immediately understood the difference between himself and the other generals who had marched south.

The Jin navy withdrew from Shandong, where the situation was dangerous. The Shandong rebel army could not be said to have suppressed the Jin navy, but if several large armies joined forces, it would not be a problem to fight on equal terms with the navy.

However, the Jin army's southern expedition to Lianghuai was so smooth that if Wanyan Zhengjia had not met Wanyan Liang and others in Zhenzhou on the Yangtze River, he would have thought that the military report was fabricated.

After experiencing so many great victories and seeing how vulnerable the State of Song was, even the most cautious people would gradually become bolder.

The Jin army originally thought that there would be a fierce battle in Shouchun, but Shouchun was taken in one go; later they were preparing for a bloody battle in Luzhou, but the Luzhou defenders almost fled without a fight; later the Song army fought desperately at Weizi Bridge, and the Jin army thought they would pay a huge price, but because the main general of the Song army fled, they were able to crush the Song army successfully.

This is how the arrogance and pride in the army arose.

But even if they understood it, Wanyan Zhengjia still found it incredible.

Because in the strategy formulated by Hesheli Liangbi for the Jin army, the purpose of attacking Lianghuai was to tie up the Song army's forces in Xiangfan and create an opportunity for Pushan Zhongyi. Now, just because they have a pontoon bridge, they are going to change the overall strategy. It is outrageous to think about it.

That's a floating bridge! It can be burned and destroyed! It's not a natural barrier!
The 70,000 Jin troops who had fought their way to the river were already considered isolated and deep in the enemy's territory. Now, with only 30,000 soldiers and horses, they were planning to march south of the Yangtze River. Wasn't that a bit too arrogant?!
Let’s not talk about anything else. If Wanyan Liang led three thousand households to cross the river, what would happen if one or two powerful people appeared in the Song army and destroyed the pontoon bridge?
This is a national war! Can we just rely on luck and fight with one person saying something to another?
Wanyan Zhengjia made up his mind and was about to persuade him, but suddenly he remembered the meaningful words Su Baoheng said before he came to see the emperor.

"Our emperor never turns back until he hits a wall. Even Minister Hesheli used gambling to make the emperor hit a wall before he could persuade him. So this time, you only need to bring your ears."

Thinking of this, Wanyan Zhengjia forced himself to swallow the advice.

Wanyan Yuanyi allowed the Jin officials to digest the military information before continuing, "We have now decided to have Left Inspector Tu Shanzhen lead the Wujie, Shenwei, and Wuan armies in the east of the Huai River to confront Liu Qi. Generals Pucha Shijie, Xiao Qi, and Gao Jingshan will serve under him."

"The Wuping Army, Wurui Army, and Weisheng Army will follow the emperor to Hezhou to fight for the quarry."

"Wusheng Army Commander Da Huaizhen had worked hard and achieved great success, but because he had been the vanguard during the advance, his soldiers were exhausted. He ordered the Wusheng Army to be stationed in Hefei to guard the Huaixi Army's retreat route."

The Wanyan Zheng family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the central government has not completely lost its mind. At least it still has a normal strategic plan. It is wise to consider failure before considering victory.

If Wanyan Liang decided not to leave troops to garrison Luzhou, then the Wanyan Zheng family would have to make a suggestion even if it meant risking being beheaded.

Thinking of this, Wanyan Zhengjia suddenly found Wanyan Yuanyi looking at him: "Zhengjia General Manager, no matter how many navy we can mobilize, they must follow the cavalry and infantry. We can't guarantee the pontoon bridge by ourselves."

Wanyan Zhengjia completely understood why Wanyan Liang had asked how many naval forces he could mobilize upon meeting him, and immediately declared: "I will lead 5,000 naval forces of the Divine Vanguard Army and 130 large and small ships to follow Your Majesty to seize the quarry!"

Wanyan Liang nodded with a smile.

After Wanyan Yuanyi finished speaking, he bowed to Wanyan Liang and said, "Your Majesty, that's roughly what I'm saying."

Wanyan Liang looked around at the civil and military officials in the general's tent and said, "My lords, this battle can't be said to be decisive, but it can also be said to present a great opportunity! As the saying goes, if you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences. No matter what, we must test the Song State's strength at Cai Shi. Who knows, maybe that eunuch Zhao Gou will lose his temper and surrender!"

At the end of his speech, Wanyan Liang also had a smile on his face.

The important officials of the Jin Dynasty in the tent all laughed out loud at this unfunny joke.

(End of this chapter)