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

Chapter 443: Intrigue and Military Strength

On the same morning, there was already light snow in the east of Huaihe River, while the west of Huaihe River was just covered with dark clouds.

In such weather, Cheng Min led his elite Beiwei Army as the vanguard and arrived at Chao County.

Liu Huai naturally did not dare to be arrogant, and also led the generals of the Jingnan Army to the Guishan Pass to welcome them.

"General Cheng, I have long admired you. My father asked me to say hello to General Cheng on his behalf." Liu Huai saw an old general riding a horse in the lead and knew that this was the real leader. He immediately stepped forward, dismounted and bowed.

Cheng Min did not expect that the other party was so young and spoke so politely without any arrogance. He also dismounted and stretched out his hand to straighten Liu Huai's slightly bent body.

"A young hero, a true young hero," Cheng Min exclaimed. "If there was a Liu Dalang for every ten thousand people in the Song Dynasty, Yanyun would have been revived long ago! When it comes to raising a son, I'm far inferior to Wei Dadao!"

As the saying goes, a sedan chair is carried by everyone, and everyone is happy. In a happy atmosphere, everyone introduced themselves to each other.

Those who came this time were the ones who had the say and were in charge. From the Ezhou army, there were Cheng Min, Chen Min, Bi Jin, and Yu Feiying, while from Chao County, there were Liu Huai, He Boqiu, Xin Qiji, Yang Qin, and Liang Zichu.

Everyone exchanged a few pleasantries when Bi Jin stared at the spear hanging on the victory hook of Liu Huai's warhorse, his face full of disbelief: "This... This is Marshal Yue's Liquan..."

Bi Jin had been Yue Fei's personal instructor, and was very familiar with Yue Fei's armor, weapons, and flags. When he saw the Liquan Spear again, his body swayed on his horse, and he couldn't help but feel dazed.

"Before he died, Commander Li Dao could not bear to see this soldier sink into the river with him, so he gave it to me." Liu Huai took the spear from his horse and handed it to Bi Jin.

Bi Jin took the spear with trembling hands, examined it carefully, and after calming himself down, handed it back and said, "I never thought that Liquan would be in Old Li's hands. Liu Dalang, don't let Old Li down, and don't disgrace this spear."

"Alas... Lao Bi, what you said is boring. At Liu Dalang's age and with his skills, even Marshal Yue could only praise him in person. Is there any need for you to encourage him here?" Cheng Min joked to his friend.

Bi Jin glanced at Cheng Min and said nothing.

He knew what Cheng Min meant. Although the other party inherited the Liquan, since he was the main general of one side, he should not treat him as a junior, but should maintain respect.

Liu Huai didn't care. He asked everyone to mount their horses and led the way towards the Guishan camp.

"This was originally a camp built by the Jin bandits. The location is quite good." Liu Huai pointed to the huge construction site. "General Yang is a prudent man. In order to break the morale of the Jin bandits, knowing that they were about to collapse, he only burned some of the hay instead of destroying the camp. This saved us the trouble now."

Building upon the Jin army's existing camp, Liu Huai mobilized a large number of civilians and prisoners of war to expand it. Two camps, one large and one small, were now located on two hilltops, one to the south and one to the north, less than a mile apart, sandwiched between the main road. The fortifications were planned with trenches, drawbridges, and antlers in place.

"These two hilltops are a good location. The main camp is steep, and the small camp is near the lake, where we have naval support." Liu Huai pointed at the nearby mountains with his whip and said, "I will prepare food and supplies for 20,000 men here. General Cheng, you can naturally defend this place like an iron wall."

Cheng Min remained silent. After carefully looking at the camp, he looked up at Chao County in the distance. After listening to Liu Huai's words, he finally spoke with a smile.

"Wait a minute... I don't think I ever said I'd move from Hefei to Chao County to fight the Jin bandits to the death!"

Liu Huai looked at Cheng Min strangely, then glanced at Chen Min and others behind him who were eager to try but dared not speak due to the strict military law. He couldn't help but frown and said, "General Cheng, what are you talking about? My nephew naturally knows how far Ezhou is from here."

"As the saying goes, those who travel a hundred miles in pursuit of profit will inevitably fall from grace. Those who dare to undertake such a long expedition are no ordinary men. How could they ignore the opportunity for victory? Otherwise, why would the Ezhou army come all this way? Is it a spring outing?"

"Furthermore, any qualified general, upon seeing the arrangements here, would naturally know that a monumental achievement is just a matter of raising their hands. How could they not come?"

Cheng Min's eyebrows and nose twitched at the series of rhetorical questions, but the veteran took a deep breath, calmed his throbbing emotions, and pointed to the northeast with his whip: "What are you going to do over there at Hanshan?"

"in spite of!"

"in spite of?"

“When you cast a net to catch fish, you always have to leave a hole. Once the fish is in, you can tighten the hole.”

"Who's going to close the gap?"

"Yu Yunwen, the Prime Minister, and Li Xianzhong, the Grand Commandant."

Cheng Min turned his horse and circled twice, squinting his eyes as he continued to survey the surrounding terrain. "A scholar and a barbarian, can you trust them?"

"I don't believe it," Liu Huai said calmly. "I also don't trust you, General Cheng, or the Ezhou army."

"Boy!" Chen Min frowned and said, "Don't think..."

"Shut up, Yuan Gong!" Cheng Min scolded in a low voice, then turned to Liu Huai and said, "Since you don't trust me, why did Liu Dalang let me guard Guishan?"

"Because General Cheng wants to achieve merit and won't surrender, he has a certain level of combat capability. That's enough." Liu Huai's expression remained unchanged. "As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. I already know everything about the Jin bandits and our troops. And that's all I know about General Cheng's troops."

"If I could fully trust General Cheng, I should choose the right time to engage the Jin bandit army in open battle, rather than defending the city camp and waiting for the bandits to tire out before counterattacking."

"That's true." Cheng Min stroked his beard and smiled. The next second, his face turned serious and he asked, "Then how can Liu Dalang convince me to believe you?"

"My nephew doesn't need to convince General Cheng, but General Cheng needs to convince himself." Liu Huai shook his head and smiled, "How could I not know what General Cheng is thinking? How can people like us believe what others say but not our own eyes?"

"Look at this battlefield, think about those 30,000 gold thieves, I don't believe that you, Cheng Bo, are not heartbroken."

Liu Huai trusted Yu Yunwen immensely, believing that this future prime minister would fight for the country's interests. He also desperately wanted Cheng Min's help. However, he couldn't show any fear in the face of a seasoned warrior like Cheng Min. He had to demonstrate his confidence that even if no one else joined the battle, the Jingnan Army could still defeat the enemy.

Only by acting as if you are here to reap the credit can you attract veteran revolutionaries like Cheng Min to join the fight.

Cheng Min had been stationed in Huaixi for a long time and was familiar with the surrounding environment and scenery. With just a glance, he knew that what Liu Huai said was true.

This matter has great potential.

"Liu Dalang, what are you going to do if I don't come?" Cheng Min pondered for a moment, staring into Liu Huai's eyes and asked directly.

"Our army is small, so we cannot split it at Guishan. If the Jin bandits attack Chao County, we will use Chao County as a defensive base to counterattack. If they force their way through, we will lead our navy and cavalry to harass them. We must make sure that the Jin bandits are exhausted by the time they reach Hefei, so that we can coordinate internal and external forces."

"Can Chao County withstand the siege of 30,000 Jin army troops?" The Jin army ignored Chao County, and the cost of forcing their way through was too high, so this possibility was immediately kicked out of Cheng Min's mind.

"We'll inflict casualties on the Jin bandits in the outer city, and then we'll engage in a decisive battle in the inner city," Liu Huai said calmly. "A large number of navy troops are stationed in the inner city. If the Jin bandits become even slightly fatigued, we can use our navy's advantage to launch a night attack. If we go back and forth several times, even if the Jin bandits are made of iron, they'll melt beneath Chao County."

"The Jin thieves also have navy." Cheng Min interrupted.

"Yuxi River is so narrow, and the navy is upstream. If the Jin pirates' ships are allowed to break through to the city of Chao County... Brother Liang, what did you promise me?" Liu Huai looked at Liang Zichu with a smile.

"General, I will swallow the mast when the time comes!" Liang Zichu laughed cruelly.

"Let's go and see the Chao County you've rebuilt. Also, tell me the real numbers." Cheng Min walked down from Turtle Mountain, and Liu Huai followed closely behind. "How many soldiers do you have available, and how much armor do they have?"

"We have 10,000 infantrymen capable of engaging the Jin bandits in the field, 8,000 armored soldiers, 1,500 armored cavalry, and 1,000 crossbowmen. We have nearly 10,000 auxiliary soldiers and civilian laborers, who can only rely on the city walls to fight." Liu Huai listed them all: "The Dongting Lake navy and the Chao Lake navy total 3,000 men, most of whom are supporting at the East Gate, with a smaller number heading to Luzhou."

Cheng Min's eyes showed surprise: "So many soldiers?" "Along the way, we robbed a lot of supplies, and also destroyed six Meng'an troops of the Jin bandits. We reaped a lot of rewards. If we count Yang Chun's troops in Dongguan, there may be more soldiers, but their combat effectiveness varies, so I can't guarantee it." Liu Huai said reservedly.

"So how many casualties did you suffer in the previous battle with the four Jin thieves?"

"More than 300 regular army soldiers were killed or wounded, and more than 200 auxiliary soldiers were killed or wounded. The losses were relatively heavy." Liu Huai shook his head and said.

In medieval wars, killing 40% of the enemy could be considered a "great gain", and the main casualties on the enemy occurred during the pursuit, with nearly 600 casualties on the battlefield, which was already a very heavy loss.

As they spoke, the two of them rode side by side. After arriving at Chao County and inspecting the city defenses and troops, Cheng Min fell silent again, then stopped the others from following him and spoke privately with Liu Huai on the top of the city wall.

Liu Huai was the first to ask, "Cheng Bo, what do you think of the Jingnan Army?"

As a veteran who had fought many battles, Cheng Min still had a good vision: "Of course, they can be considered elite, but the army has been formed too recently. They can only form formations and then fight, and their adaptability is insufficient."

"That's right." Liu Huai nodded and smiled, raising his whip and pointing in all directions. "But if we were to be under the city of Chao County, would our Jingnan army be enough?"

Cheng Min nodded slowly.

Now the Jingnan army occupied the strategic location and waited for the Jin army to attack. This completely avoided any flaws that might be exposed during the movement.

Moreover, this triangular area is indeed too small, and it is not so easy to be strangled on both wings in a defensive counterattack situation.

"Can Cheng Bo lead his troops to move to Guishan?" Liu Huai asked in a deep voice.

If Cheng Min still refuses to do so, then Liu Huai actually has no choice but to come up with a backup plan and make some changes around the inner city of Chao County, which may lead to variables.

Not only would the casualties be enormous, but if the strategic situation changed, the Jingnan Army alone would have struggled to achieve its full potential. For example, if Wanyan Liang had simply run away, even if the Jingnan Army had pursued him, it would have been difficult to destroy him.

Cheng Min stroked the parapet, looked up at the gloomy sky, and after a long silence, he said, "In fact, the Ezhou army is already on the way."

Liu Huai instantly understood the reason why Cheng Min had been talking nonsense just now. It was nothing more than trying to get some benefits. However, regardless of whether there were any benefits in the end, the Ezhou army would come to Chao County to participate in the war.

This is totally inconsistent with his understanding of the Song army.

If the Song army were to actively seek battle and risk their lives like this, the Liao, Jin and Western Xia would all be trash.

Seeing Liu Huai's puzzled expression, Cheng Min smiled bitterly and said, "Liu Dalang, we are all from the Shenwu Zuo Army. I don't want to say more. I just want to say one thing: Fancheng is gone."

Liu Huai felt he should be shocked, but after experiencing so many battles, he found that he was not moved at all. He just narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who knows about this?"

Cheng Min patted Liu Huai on the shoulder, reassuring him: "Now only Lao Bi and I know about this, but it's impossible for General Wu to hide this kind of news from the Central Government. If the Central Government knows about it, then everyone in the world will know about it."

Liu Huai was completely enlightened, and at the same time completely understood why Cheng Min gave up the slippery nature of the Western Army and wanted to fight the Jin Army head-on.

If my prediction is correct, this news will soon come from Yu Yunwen, and he will certainly be even more anxious. Even Liu Qi in Huaidong will make some strategic moves.

The situation in the world is changing too fast, forcing everyone to respond in a more drastic way.

The decisive battle between Song and Jin in Chao County was imminent and unstoppable. This was not a decision made by one or two decision makers on a whim, but the entire tide of history pushed all parties to this critical juncture.

Both the Song and Jin dynasties needed a major battle to achieve political victory.

There is no way for anyone to hide.

For the State of Song, the consequences of losing Fancheng were too serious. Not only did the Xiangfan defense line collapse, but more importantly, all the elite Song troops fighting on the front lines were in danger.

If they fail to win a great victory while the Ezhou army is concentrated in Lianghuai, then the prefectures of Jingxiang are likely to be penetrated by Pushan Zhongyi's army. The Ezhou army will lose both the wife and the soldiers.

For the Jin Dynasty, or more precisely, for Wanyan Liang, the situation was equally grim.

Don't forget that Wanyan Liang's southern expedition involved the entire nation's strength, and he risked chaos in the rear to attack the Song Dynasty.

If you don't get enough benefits, then the smoke from seven places will turn into fire from eight directions.

What's more, Chao County gathered all the soldiers and horses that were able to fight and dared to fight from Ezhou, Lianghuai, Jiangnan and even Shandong of the Song Dynasty. As long as the Jin army could win the battle, Jingxiang and Lianghuai would be at the mercy of the Jin Dynasty, no matter what happened to other places.

There was no way Wanyan Liang would give up such an opportunity.

Liu Huai took a deep breath and said, "Uncle Cheng, is there anything else I can do for you?"

Cheng Min gritted his teeth and said, "I will personally lead 20,000 troops to guard Turtle Mountain, but I have a condition."

"Please say."

"Liang Zichu's troops must temporarily obey my command. At least half of the ships must guarantee a retreat route before I dare to lead the army to fight."

"Okay. Liang Zichu!" Liu Huai greeted Brother Liang from a distance.

"The general is here!"

"If General Cheng wants half, then give him half. But don't forget what you will do if the Jin thieves' navy reaches the river mouth."

"General Liu, I will definitely make sure Yuxi is safe and secure." Liang Xing patted his chest and promised.

"Xin Wulang!" Liu Huai pointed out another person.

"exist!"

"For the next few days, you and He Daguan will be in charge of the overall situation of Chao County. You must prepare for war, store food, organize the people, and assist General Cheng. You must not neglect any of these tasks."

"Yes!" Xin Qiji bowed in agreement.

"Liu Dalang, where are you going?" Cheng Min asked curiously.

"Dongguan." Liu Huai said in a deep voice: "I will take capable soldiers to Dongguan to provide support and buy enough time for Chao County."

"General Yang, Commander Li, is the Dongting Lake navy ready?" Liu Huai looked at the two again.

Before Yang Qin could answer, Li Qi bowed first, a smile on his face, and said viciously: "We have been preparing for a long time!"

　There should be only one chapter today.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)