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

Chapter 387: Overt and covert attacks

November 25th.

Various news finally came back from Lianghuai.

These scouts had a really hard time. Operating in the occupied areas, some of them encountered bandits, some met Jin cavalry, and some simply died inexplicably in remote corners.

The scouts from the Flying Tiger Army were better off. Almost half of the Huaixi Army were killed on the west bank of the river, and the rest had not yet found any intelligence.

The most important information was delivered personally by a captain of the Chaohu navy named Yuan Mao.

The remnants of the Luzhou army hiding in Chaohu agreed to assist the Jingnan army, but with their strength, they could not even capture Chao County, let alone Hefei. Therefore, they could only provide some intelligence and then join forces when the Jingnan army arrived.

Liu Huai also understood this.

Yang Chun and his men must have been afraid that after they captured the city, the Jingnan Army would not return and would cancel the plan to cross the river. This is nonsense.

Although Guan Chongyan and his men praised the Jingnan Army to the skies, Yang Chun, as the army's commander, certainly couldn't believe everything he heard.

If you want to contribute to our side, your Jingnan Army must show determination.

How to show determination?

The moment you crossed the river to fight in Lianghuai, it was enough to show your determination. By then, both the Luzhou army and the Chaohu navy would obey your command, Liu Dalang, and fight to the death with the Jin thieves.

In addition, Yuanmao also brought accurate news.

The Jin Dynasty's Wusheng Army was stationed in Hefei. A few days ago, it sent some troops and horses westward with the surrendered Song Dynasty puppet troops. It was not known whether they were stationing troops there or attacking some city.

As for the commander-in-chief of the Wusheng Army, Da Huaizhen, his flag has been in Hefei all the time and he has not made any moves.

Chao County and Dongguan had a total of one Wusheng Army Meng'an stationed there, most of whom were stationed in Chao County, with only a few hundred regular troops stationed in Dongguan. This Meng'an also had the task of protecting the Yuxi River, a key logistics route, and from time to time had to send hundreds of soldiers to escort grain ships.

The remnants of the Chaohu naval force had managed to seize two Jin army grain ships, but the Jin army learned their lesson after these two setbacks. Instead of using the Feihe River to enter Chaohu, they moved overland to Chaoxian County, then blocked the entrance to Yuxi River and Chaohu Lake, then continued their waterway by entering Yuxi River from Chaoxian County.

Such a transfer is extremely troublesome, but it is also the only solution. The Jin Dynasty's cavalry and infantry are extremely powerful, but the navy is too weak. It is impossible to let the Wusheng Army take off its heavy armor, abandon its horses, and sail in small boats to Chaohu to encircle and wipe out the remnants of the Luzhou army, right?
By then, Yang Chun and Liang Zichu will be grinning from ear to ear.

At the same time, Yu Yunwen was also using his power to mobilize civilian ships, merchant ships and fishing boats to gather in Danyang Lake, and then arrive at Wuhu for ferry through Wuhu waters.

The Chizhou army and the Huaixi army spread rumors that they would cross the river to fight and return to their hometown.

The effect was very significant and immediately caused an uproar in the army. Not to mention the soldier Lazi, even the commanders reported to their superiors. It was not that they did not want to fight, but they were indeed not prepared now. Even though the Chizhou Army, Huaixi Army, and Jingnan Army had expanded their forces, their total number was less than 40,000. How could they complete a beach landing in front of the three Wanhu Jin Army?
This is the Yangtze River. Being attacked halfway across the river is no joke. It is possible that those who are crossing the river will be killed directly on the mudflats.

If the various commanders had not known the inside story, suppressed it by force, and secretly leaked the information, allowing the Dongting Lake navy to take the lead, the Song army might have been thrown into disarray, making the Jingnan army a laughing stock.

The Jingnan Army is different from other armies. Most of the soldiers are heroes from Shandong. They are fighting in a foreign land when they go to Jiangnan and Lianghuai. Although they are about to face the main force of the enemy, haven't the Shandong men faced the main force of the Jin thieves many times in recent years?

Not to mention that this battle is led by their invincible commander Liu Huai himself, so what is there to be afraid of?
It should be said that the battlefield is the best place to establish prestige. After experiencing one great victory after another, the Jingnan Army's trust in Liu Huai has reached the point of almost blind obedience.

It is hard to say whether this is good or bad. A commander who is good at everything may make it very likely that the rest of the people will not fight without him, but at this moment, Liu Huai is the source of courage for the Jingnan Army.

As the Jingnan Army rapidly expanded, time passed quickly and soon it was November 28th.

Early in the morning of that day, the Jingnan army gave up its camp to the Chizhou army, marched away from the river bank, and moved to Wuhu city.

At about the same time, the military information that the Jingnan Army was going to cross the river to fight in Lianghuai was finally secretly sent to the Privy Councilor Ye Yiwen.

The person in charge of handling such documents was Lu You, the former third-in-command of the Loyalty Army and now the military advisor of the Zhenjiang Prefecture. When the documents arrived at Guazhou Ferry, Lu You was furious.

"Who came up with the idea of sticking branches on the banks of the river to make antlers to stop the Jin thieves from crossing the river?"

Lu You picked up a document and spoke coldly.

Several staff members looked at each other in confusion. One of the young men trembled and said, "Staff Officer Lu, it was my idea."

Lu You looked at the man for a few times, sighed and said, "If it were anyone else, it would be fine, but you, Hou Yu and Hou Erlang, are not a foolish person. You must be punished."

After saying this, Lu You's face darkened: "Drag him away and give him twenty beatings with military sticks."

The Jingnan Army soldiers standing solemnly beside him immediately stepped forward with their swords, pressed their shoulders and dragged him out.

"Wait! Wait...wait...what crime have I committed?!"

Hou Yu struggled in panic and shouted at the same time.

However, the soldiers of the Jingnan Army who were specially left by Liu Huai beside Lu You didn't care what he had to say and just stuffed Hou Yu's mouth with rags.

"Wait." Lu You spoke from behind the desk.

The soldier stopped immediately and turned around with Hou Yu in his arms.

"I'll explain it all to you now." Lu You stood up, holding the document and looking at the other staff members in the tent. "Putting branches on the river bank will not only fail to stop the enemy, but will also disappear without a trace when the current washes over them at night. No matter who gave the order, it will not only be a waste of manpower, but will also be laughed at by the world."

"You've lived by the river for a long time, your brother is in the navy, and you're a rare and intelligent person. How could you not know this?" Lu You pointed at the document and said, "You still put forward such a ridiculous suggestion, and you passed it directly to Lord Ye, bypassing me, a military advisor with some knowledge of military affairs. You have ill intentions!"

"I don't care why you did this, or who's behind you. But as Lord Ye's junior, I can't help but eliminate the hidden dangers in his government." Lu You slammed the document on the table. "Hou Yu, now I have another piece of good advice for you. A true man has committed his life to serving others. Even if we don't share the same ideals, we'll only be rewarded and given official positions. How can you be a traitor? Then, both the one you're loyal to and the one behind you will look down on you."

Hou Yu's face turned pale when Lu You said the second sentence, and at the end it was even more shaky, but he still forced a rebuttal: "Lu You, don't think you can cover the sky with one hand... cough..."

Seeing that someone dared to call Lu You's name directly, the soldier became furious and punched Hou Yu in the chest and abdomen, causing him to retch repeatedly.

"This piece of good advice is worth ten military sticks. Drag him away and give him thirty military sticks." Lu You gave the order coldly. Then, after sitting back at the desk amid Hou Yu's screams and pleas for mercy, he felt inexplicably tired as he picked up the documents.

When in the Loyal Army, even though we were exhausted and tired, all the heroes in the army worked together to fight against the foreign enemies.

It’s not like now, where in addition to resisting the Jin, we also have to be on guard against stabs from behind.

For example, today, if Ye Yiwen really mobilized the people to stick branches on the river bank to act as deer antlers, and the river washed away the branches tomorrow, it would be irrefutable evidence that Ye Yiwen was not familiar with military affairs and his handling of the matter was wrong.

By then, the political enemies in the court will have to resort to some means.

Of course, the officials who dared to frame the Privy Councilor and even bribed Ye Yiwen's staff could not be small figures. Even if Lu You guessed, he could guess who they were, but with the enemy at hand, he could not care less.

"Report!" A military envoy held up a document and entered, announcing: "This document, signed jointly by Minister Yu of Huaixi, General Li, and General Liu, must be presented to Minister Ye in person!"

Lu You's face changed. Although he didn't know what had happened, he still grabbed the military envoy whose clothes were soaking wet and said, "Mr. Ye is in Liu Jinglue's tent now. Come with me!"

After saying that, Lu You called on four armored soldiers to mount their horses together, with the general in the middle, and headed towards the center of Guazhou Ferry.

(End of this chapter)