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

Chapter 439 Why Should I Return Wrapped in Horsehide?

"That's the military situation. What do you want to say?"

In Liu Qi's tent, Ye Yiwen and Liu Qi sat side by side on the main seats, and Lu You was pointing at the map. Except for Zhang Rong and Li Bao, the rest of the people in the tent were Liu Qi's trusted and beloved generals, and they were all fierce generals.

It can be said that all the people in Huaidong who are able to fight and dare to fight are here, except Li Heng who led 8,000 troops to garrison Yangzhou and fought to the death with Tushan Zhen.

They passed the military intelligence from Xiangfan and the letters from Yu Yunwen to each other and looked through them. Some of them looked puzzled, some had anger in their eyes, and some sighed.

General Yuan Qi, who had been promoted to deputy commander, was the first to express his joy: "General, are we going to have a big battle? Let me be the vanguard!"

Liu Qi said with a smile: "You, a brave general, will be indispensable when the time comes."

On the other side, a big man with powder on his face and flowers in his hair was sweating profusely in the winter, so that his powdered face was plowed with grooves by sweat.

This person was Liu Qi's nephew Liu Si, and also Liu Qi's successor in the military.

Liu Si's level was just average. After all, he rose to power by virtue of his status. Unlike Liu Qi, who emerged from the sea of blood and corpses during the Jing Kang period, he really needed some ability to survive.

Therefore, even though applying powder was a very common behavior among men in the Song Dynasty, Liu Si was secretly ridiculed by his colleagues and subordinates as "the man of powder" simply because of his poor ability.

Wang Shilong also puts on makeup, but he has strategy and martial arts, and he is loyal and brave in battle. Do you think anyone dares to mock him?
It was precisely because of this dilemma of being unworthy of his position that Liu Si wanted to make a contribution in this war. However, he was also a self-aware guy who knew that his level was really average.

At this time, Liu Qi was already old and sick, and the day of succession was imminent. If Liu Si wanted to go further, he had to take the initiative to take responsibility and even make great contributions on his own.

In addition, Liu Si had been influenced by Liu Qi after all, and knew the general situation of the world and his uncle's temperament. From this, he could directly infer that a big war was about to take place.

Liu Si commanded the most elite troops of the Huaidong army and it was impossible for him not to participate in the war.

Hundreds of emotions mixed together at the same time, causing more and more cold sweat on Liu Si's forehead, so that he was unable to answer Liu Qi's questions for a while.

The rear army commander, Wei You, glanced at Liu Si, saluted, and asked, "General, if you have any military orders, please give them. All those present here today are brave warriors of the Huaidong army. If you give the order, we will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Liu Qi nodded. "Although the contents of this military meeting are all top secret and cannot be disclosed to outsiders, I still want you to risk your lives, and I must know what you are thinking. Don't hesitate when the time comes, when you are ready to die. It would be inappropriate to be afraid of death."

Zhang Rong finally lost his patience after hearing this. "At this point, the empire is about to fall. What else is there to say? When Jin Lord Wanyan Liang withdraws his troops, General Cheng and Liu Dalang will hold off the enemy at the East Gate of Chao County. Prime Minister Yu and General Li will cross the river from Caishi to pursue them. Our army will then advance upstream, either joining forces with Prime Minister Yu's Huaixi army or advancing from Hanshan to annihilate Wanyan Liang at the East Gate of Chao County!"

The plan Zhang Rong mentioned was very simple.

If Liu Huai placed his defensive forces at Dongguan, the armies from Huaidong, Huaixi and Chizhou would chase after them and block the Jin army between Dongguan and Yuxikou.

If Liu Huai decided to fight a decisive battle in Chao County, the Huaixi and Chizhou armies would pursue the Jin army all the way, while the Huaidong army would pass through Hanshan County and reach Chao County along Baochan Mountain to join the battle.

This plan is quite feasible, but there is a major flaw that has not been resolved.

Wang Fang, the commander of the Left Army, said solemnly, "Zhang, we all want to get things done, so I won't waste my words. Your military strategy is excellent, but there's only one point."

Wang Fang pointed to Yangzhou on the map, then to Zhenzhou. "The Jin bandits aren't fools. If we move, they'll surely notice. What will we do if they catch up? Should we first fight the Jin bandits in Huaidong and then move to Huaixi? Will we still be strong enough to fight them by then?"

Liu Si calmed down from his previous nervous panic and shook his head at Wang Fang: "No, this is not the most urgent issue."

"Uncle," Liu Si said, crossing his arms, and asked earnestly, "If the Huaidong army marches towards Huaixi, how many troops will be needed, and how many will have to stay behind?"

This is an important question.

If more troops were sent out, not only would it be difficult to conceal their whereabouts, but the route to Hanshan County would also be unacceptable. With fewer troops left behind, if Yangzhou and Guazhou Ferry were captured by Tu Shanzhen's army, that would be a disaster.

If the number of troops going on the expedition is small and the army is not united, it will be easy for Wanyan Liang to seize the opportunity to defeat them one by one. It will be like throwing a meat bun at a dog. Not only will there be casualties, but the morale of the Huaixi troops will also be affected.

Liu Qi glanced past Li Bao and Zhang Rong. "Liu Si leads 1,500 elite soldiers from the front army, Wei You leads 2,000 elite soldiers from the right and rear armies, Wang Fang leads 1,000 elite soldiers from the left army, plus my own 500 personal guards, for a total of 5,000 elite soldiers and horses."

This is also the last elite mobile force of the Huaidong army.

Liu Qi looked at Wang Fang and said, "What Wang Er said just now makes sense. The Jin thieves will definitely not sit idly by and watch us surround and kill the Jin lord. If we move, they will move too."

Liu Qi pointed to Zhenzhou, just west of the Guazhou Ferry Camp, and said, "So, the first thing our army must do is to remove the thorn in Wucheng's side."

Then, Liu Qi pointed to Yangzhou again and said, "Then we must feint an attack on the Jin bandits' Yangzhou camp. I don't even expect to repel them or inflict any damage. It will be enough to make their leader, Tu Shanzhen, panic and lose his judgment."

As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell in the tent.

To be honest, if there was a way to defeat Tu Shanzhen's three Wan Hu, why would Liu Huai have to toss around in Huaixi? Liu Qi would have dealt with them at the beginning of the war.

But the current situation is that Tu Shanzhen is almost unscathed, while Liu Qi is trapped in the Yangtze River.

Insufficient combat power means insufficient combat power. It is not possible to significantly increase combat power by just saying a few inspiring words.

Seeing the atmosphere cool down, Lu You broke the deadlock: "Dealing with Wu Chengjun does not necessarily mean annihilating them. It is also possible to let them rebel against the Jin Dynasty."

Liu Qi shook his head directly: "It's too late, time is too tight. Xu Wen is still hesitating now, which is the way to his death. If we don't kill them, the Huaidong army won't even be able to cross the Yangtze River!"

Lu You was stunned when he heard this, but he still said with difficulty: "Give me another day, and I will go to Xu Wen to explain the pros and cons myself!" Liu Qi hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement before Ye Yiwen could stop him.

Liu Qi continued to address the other generals, "I know this is a difficult matter, but the nation has reached this point. Even if the situation in Huaidong is difficult, how difficult is it for Yu Xianggong and his men in Dongcaishi? How difficult is it for Liu Dalang, who is behind the enemy lines? You usually boast of being heroes, but are you going silent at this moment?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qi jumped up and shouted, "The Commander-in-Chief is really underestimating us. Isn't it just a fight to the death with the Jin bandits? Who would be afraid?"

Liu Qi waved his hand to let the guy sit down, and said to the others, "Is this what you think?"

The other Huaidong Army generals nodded helplessly.

"In that case, you should all return to your respective armies and prepare, keep the secret strictly, organize your troops, and obey my orders."

Liu Si and others were a little confused. None of the problems had been solved yet, so how could a decision be made suddenly?

However, Liu Qi was a general who had been famous for a long time, and under his accumulated power, he would not allow his subordinates to refute him.

Liu Qi looked at Li Bao again and said, "General Manager Li, is the Zhejiang East Navy still usable?"

Li Bao, who had been silent the entire time, stood up and bowed, "I've rested well."

Liu Qi nodded without issuing any military orders. "Well, please ask Chief Li to wait in the outer tent for a while. Ah Si, you guys should also leave. I have something private to discuss with Chief Zhang."

A moment later, only Liu Qi, Ye Yiwen, Lu You and Zhang Rong were left in the general's tent.

Liu Qi looked at Zhang Rong, and his first words had a shocking effect: "Manager Zhang, I'm going to die."

Zhang Rong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "Although the General is ill, he can still live longer with careful care."

Liu Qi smiled and said, "Everyone knows their own affairs. How could I not know the condition of my body? I have already reached the stage of the five decays of the celestial being. The end of my life may be just one or two months away.

Why, Zhang Zongguan, do we, as warriors, have to conceal even the facts of life and death?"

Zhang Rong was unable to respond and could only sigh.

Liu Qi continued, "Even though Zhang Zongguan didn't answer, Yu Xianggong, who was quarrying, was blunt and said directly that the old man was about to die."

Zhang Rong and others were slightly stunned, not knowing why Yu Yunwen would speak so bluntly.

Liu Qi continued to ask, his tone somewhat aggressive: "Manager Zhang, do you feel that I was too arbitrary today and not like my usual style?"

Zhang Rong nodded.

Since the Battle of Fuping, Liu Qi has always been known as a resolute general. He is usually like an old ox who works hard and is willing to endure any complaint. He is a brick of feudalism, and he will be moved wherever he is needed.

This attitude naturally allowed it to stand firm during the political turmoil in the early Southern Song Dynasty, but it was also equivalent to being smoothed out by the times. When encountering things, one does not seek to achieve anything but to avoid making mistakes.

However, during this military meeting, Liu Qi launched the campaign almost in an arbitrary manner, which was unimaginable in the past.

Liu Qi explained directly: "The reason is very simple, because Yu Xianggong, who is quarrying, asked me a question."

"He asked me, since he was about to die, where would he choose to die? In his bed? Or on the battlefield where the siege of the gold master was taking place?"

Zhang Rong's breathing suddenly stopped, and then he seemed to feel a warm current flowing from his heart to his brain. He stood in place and couldn't help but sway slightly.

There is no need to put yourself in Liu Qi's shoes. Any person who claims to be a real man would choose to die on the battlefield without hesitation when faced with this choice.

Liu Qi walked forward slowly and held Zhang Rong's hands. "Master Zhang, can you please grant me a favor and allow me to die on the battlefield?"

Zhang Rong took a deep breath and nodded heavily, "If the commander-in-chief issues an order, I will obey it!"

Liu Qi nodded and said, "The entire Dongping army must march north to rescue Yangzhou together with Jia Hezhong!"

Lu You's eyebrows jumped violently.

This means that Zhang Rong needs to lead the Dongping Army to launch a fierce attack on Tushan Zhen's 30,000 Jin troops who are besieging Yangzhou in order to contain the enemy.

The only people fighting alongside Zhang Rong were the exhausted Li Heng and Jia Hezhong, whose fighting ability was questionable.

The Dongping Army will surely face great danger if they go this way.

Zhang Rong didn't hesitate, but bowed and promised: "I will obey your order!"

Seeing Zhang Rong's straightforward answer, Liu Qi hesitated. He patted Zhang Rong on the shoulder and said, "Zhang Diwan, I... I never meant to abandon you, it's just..."

Zhang Rong said firmly, "It's just that with our country and the world at this point, someone has to risk their life. I understand the commander-in-chief's difficulties, but doesn't he treat me like a pawn? Why should I complain?"

Liu Qi was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, and even though he coughed several times in the middle, he couldn't stop laughing.

(End of this chapter)