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

Chapter 444: Even when a person is about to die, his words are kind.
On the night of December 10th.

Wanyan Liang, who had become the prey, finally lost his composure.

Almost at the same time, two pieces of bad news were received in the Jin army tent.

One was that Da Huaizhen suffered a crushing defeat in Chao County. Not only were the Wusheng army blocked in a small area of ten miles and slaughtered, but Da Huaizhen also lost his head.

This was a bolt from the blue for the entire Jin army.

This is the commander-in-chief of an army, with a command of ten thousand troops! With such a high position and power, how many years has it been since the Great Jin Dynasty lost a soldier in battle?
You have to know that this was not the annihilation of a group of soldiers, nor the fall of a city, but the annihilation of an entire regular army of tens of thousands of soldiers.

How many Wanhu troops like the Wusheng Army were there in the entire Jin Kingdom?

There are only thirty-two in total!

This was the largest fortune that the Jin Kingdom had accumulated after spending ten years and almost forcing the people in the north to rebel!
The second news is even worse.

Xu Wen claimed that he was besieged by the main forces of the Song navy and cavalry and infantry, and suffered heavy losses. The 6,000 Wucheng troops could not hold on at all, and almost all of their ships were destroyed. They could only retreat to Yangzhou along the tributaries of the canal.

Regardless of how true or false Xu Wen's news was, theoretically, the fleet that the Jin Kingdom had spent countless efforts and money to build was now only left with the Wanyan Zheng family's troops, and they were blocked on the river.

Of course, there is also good news. After experiencing a series of near-death experiences including coma, high fever, wound infection, etc., Su Baoheng finally woke up, which is a miracle of some magnitude.

As soon as he woke up and heard the story from his trusted general Meng'an, he immediately knew the situation was critical. Despite being weak, he forced his guards to carry him to the front of the central army tent to participate in the military meeting.

In a military meeting like the one chaired by Wanyan Liang, a military commander would definitely have a seat no matter what. Moreover, Su Baoheng was not only the Minister of Works of the dynasty, but also the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, which was a higher rank than that of an ordinary commander.

Seeing Su Baoheng coming, the guard at the door did not dare to stop him. He could only quickly inform him and lead the way.

"There are still heroes among the Han people." Before entering the tent, Su Baoheng heard Wanyan Liang sigh like this.

Su Baoheng pushed away the guards around him, held the hilt of the sword and tried to steady his body, wanting to enter the tent on his own.

"In the Huainan region alone, the older ones include Cheng Min, Li Xianzhong, Liu Qi, Li Bao, and Zhang Rong, while the younger ones include Liu Huai, Xin Qiji, and Shi Jun. They were truly heroes of their time. Once they unleashed their power, they had me at a loss in just ten days."

"I've finally gotten a taste of China's customs. I used to wonder how the cowardly Han people, while the northern tribes rose and fell so quickly, could hold onto the richest land in the world. Even if they declined due to natural disasters or man-made calamities, they could always rise again. Now I understand. The Han people have so many heroes. When one wave dies, more are born. With so many talented people gathered together, what great things in the world can't they accomplish?"

Hearing this, Su Baoheng opened the tent and walked in slowly and firmly.

"Su Qing, it's a good thing that you are here. Tell me, do the Han people really have a destiny?" Wanyan Liang was not sitting on the main seat at this time, but standing in front of the map, and asked with a frown.

"Your Majesty, this is wrong." A guard brought a chair and Su Baoheng sat down without hesitation.

"Minister Wanyan once said something that resonated deeply with me." Su Baoheng took a deep breath and said aloud, "Heaven's will is the human heart."

"It's not just one or two people who can decide world affairs, but all people in the world. No single clan holds the Mandate of Heaven; it's the clan that the people of the world follow who holds the Mandate of Heaven." Su Baoheng knew that even if his injuries healed, he wouldn't have many days left to live, so he spoke frankly: "Even though the Han people are the most numerous in the world, their reign has been snatched away several times. The reason is simple: those so-called emperors of the Central Plains couldn't even gain the support of the Han people."

"Your Majesty, there are too many Han people like me. They speak the same language, have the same skin color, write the same characters, and read the same works of sages. Even the hundreds of years of division between the North and the South have not turned the Han people into different ethnic groups. So in the final analysis, it has always been the hearts of the Han people that determine the ownership of this land." Su Baoheng coughed and said.

"You are spreading rumors to confuse the people!" Wanyan Alin said with gritted teeth, holding his sword.

"Gu Shen (Wanyan Xiyin) has only been creating the Jurchen large characters for twenty years, while the First Emperor has been using the same writing system for 1,800 years. There is no comparison." Su Baoheng waved his hand at Wanyan Alin, not wanting to pay much attention to this guy, and tried hard to make himself look full of energy.

Then, Su Baoheng addressed Wanyan Liang, who had remained silent, saying, "Your Majesty, the Mandate of Heaven has always been in the hands of the people of the world, not the Song State. Zhao Gou is a dog-like creature. Expecting the people of the world to follow him is sheer wishful thinking."

"And the Song State was even more of a joke. The Zhao Song State came to power illegitimately. As a regent, he bullied orphans and widows, and used flattery to gain control of the country. This was disloyalty. Zhao Gou watched his parents and brothers trapped in the north without striving for progress. This was unfilial. The Zhao Song State imposed heavy taxes and levied heavy fines, neglected the administration, and left the rich with fields stretching for miles while the poor had no place to live. This was unkindness. He slaughtered meritorious soldiers for no reason, and abandoned the people of the world. This was unrighteousness."

"How can such a disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unjust nation expect the world to follow it, inherit the Chinese legacy, and be called the Son of Heaven of the Central Plains?"

"Although the Han people are full of heroes, Zhao Gou couldn't even tolerate Yue Pengju, so how could he use them? I, this old minister, dare to guarantee with my own head that those who have made great contributions this time, even if they can win, will be humiliated by the hands of slaves. If this continues, how can the Song Dynasty have the Mandate of Heaven?"

"Your Majesty must resolutely reform and win the hearts of the people. Then the Mandate of Heaven will naturally fall into your hands."

Wanyan Liang did not refute, but there was a sadness in his eyes.

He understood what Su Baoheng meant. That was that the Zhao Song dynasty was in a state of partial peace, unable to maintain the orthodoxy of the Central Plains. What Wanyan Liang wanted to do was to wrest the orthodoxy from the Song. Then, Han heroes loyal to the Song would naturally join his forces.

Wanyan Liang knew even more that Su Baoheng's words at this time and place were not due to his old age, but were the last advice given to him by this old minister before his death.

The scene was silent for a moment.

"However, this is all a story for the future. In this southern expedition, the Eastern Army was completely defeated." Seeing that Wanyan Liang did not speak, Wanyan Alin had no choice but to bite the bullet and change the subject back.

As soon as these discouraging words came out of his mouth, Han Tang immediately glanced at him.

Although the battles across the river in the past few days had caused heavy casualties to the Song army, Li Xianzhong personally led his guards to fight when the pontoon bridge was built on the first day, but they were just a little short of defeating the Song army completely and had not been able to break through the defensive positions on the riverside.

In the next two days, the three Wanhu took turns to fight and destroyed the Song army's position. However, Li Xianzhong was not the only one who was in trouble. Shi Jun, who was strongly supported by Yu Yunwen, led the elite infantry and defeated the invading Jin army time and time again in vain.

As of today, almost every Wanhu has suffered hundreds of casualties. Although the troops have been replenished from the auxiliary forces and the reduction in personnel has not reached the point of being short of staff, the combat effectiveness has inevitably declined.

Especially the two Wanhu Wanyan Alin and Han Tang, they had lost one Meng'an respectively to the Jingnan Army before the Cai Shi Battle. Taking into account the casualties in recent days, it can be said that they were seriously injured.

"How can you say you've lost? Wasn't this a resounding victory?" Su Baoheng retorted gravely, "Wasn't it the Song that was defeated and lost troops and territory? Wasn't it the Jin that occupied Huaibei and Huaibei? If they had turned around and destroyed Cheng Min, recaptured Hefei, and reorganized their navy at Chaohu, wouldn't they still be able to cross the Yangtze River within ten years?"

"Su Qing is absolutely right. We really shouldn't lose our ambition just because of a small setback." Wanyan Liang finally responded in a deep voice.

Wanyan Yuanyi finally breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he looked at Su Baoheng with a bit of jealousy. He had been worried that Wanyan Liang would get angry and cross the river regardless of the consequences, but seeing that Su Baoheng could persuade Wanyan Liang with just one sentence, he felt a bit jealous.

In Wanyan Liang's eyes, the others were ministers, while Su Baoheng was both a minister and a friend, and their statuses were different.

"Your Majesty is an expert in land warfare, but I don't understand much, so I won't offer any advice." Su Baoheng bowed and said, "I only hope that Your Majesty will avoid arrogance and impatience, accumulate merit for another ten years, and unify the world."

"My old minister's injuries are difficult to heal. Wanyan Zhengjia is good at accepting others' advice and is cautious. He can be the commander of the navy."

Wanyan Zhengjia lowered his head, his eyes red.

Although he and Su Baoheng were not master and disciple in name, they were master and disciple in reality. Seeing this kind old man handing over the command of the navy to him as if he was entrusting him with his last wishes, Wanyan Zhengjia knew that he was incompetent, but he dared not refuse.

"I agree with everything Su Qing said, but I hope Su Qing can take care of his health. The Great Jin Dynasty still needs Su Qing to guarantee it." Wanyan Liang sighed and could only say some polite words like this.

"Pass on my military order, and all units shall return in order." Seeing that no one raised any other opinions, Wanyan Liang gave the order immediately.

"Han Tang."

"The general is here!"

"Lead the Wurui Army to Hanshan. Don't attack Chaoxian yet. Send elite troops around to the north of Dongguan Pass and join us in a pincer attack from both the north and the south." Wanyan Liang pointed at the map and said, "Your mission is the most important. If you make even the slightest mistake, you'll be the first to be attacked."

"Do you dare to do it? If not, I'll send the Yi Te chariot for a trip."

Who can say they don’t dare?
"Your Majesty! This is a trivial matter. Let us see how our Wurui Army demonstrates its prowess!"

"Very good." Wanyan Liang nodded and said, "Hezhameng'an and the Wuping army will be the vanguard, and Yitenian will be the rearguard. Yitenian, if the Song dogs dare to cross the river to pursue us, you will return to the army and give them a hard time!"

"Zheng family!"

"Chen is here!"

"The navy should stay back and protect the Yi Te Chariot. Once it reaches the mouth of Yuxi River, you will go upstream along Yuxi River, catch up with the vanguard, and join me in breaking through the East Gate."

"Here! It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Your Majesty, I would like to allocate some warships and have them carry the baggage to accompany Your Majesty. In this way, Your Majesty's marching speed will be extremely fast." Wanyan Zheng Jianu said with a bow.

Wanyan Liang thought for a moment and shook his head. "Zheng family, here's what I think. If you take Yuxi River, and if things don't go well, you can just go ashore and join the army, and abandon those boats. But if the baggage and food are on the boats, and the Song people set fire to the boats in Yuxi River, will you run or not?"

"Besides, you also have the important task of transporting siege components, so there won't be much room."

Wanyan Zheng Jianu thought about it and could only nod solemnly.

"Does anyone else want to say anything? Are there any mistakes? Tell us freely." Wanyan Liang sat back on the main seat, took a sip of tea and asked.

"I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not." Prime Minister Li Tong, who had been silent all this time, stood up and bowed.

"There are no taboos in military meetings."

"Well, with Xu Wen defeated, Shan Zhen's plan to cross the river has been thwarted. He is unruly and unruly, and I'm afraid military orders will be difficult to force him to return. I hope Your Majesty will personally lead Hezha Meng'an to Huaidong and take control of the three Wanhu there, so that he can return to Haizhou safely." Li Tong bowed and said, "Also, please grant me the grand banner and the position of marching commander. I will lead the three Wanhu to attack the city and capture the stronghold, and recapture Hefei and present it to Your Majesty."

There was complete silence in the tent.

After a while, generals such as Wanyan Bendu, Wanyan Yuanyi, Han Tang, Wanyan Alin, and Da Huaizhong also stood up to second the motion.

If Tushan Zhen were here, he would be jumping up and down and cursing Li Tong's ancestors for eight generations.

The shit is unruly.

Tushan Zhen was the one who followed Wanyan Liang to kill the king. He was Wanyan Liang's confidant. Moreover, he had been expecting the order to withdraw troops for a long time. How could he disobey the order just because Wanyan Liang withdrew troops?
But the people in the big tent also understood that Li Tong, the prime minister who was good at taking advantage of the emperor, was not going to give Tushan Zhen any trouble at this time. Instead, he asked Wanyan Liang to take Hezha Meng'an to retreat to Huaidong, which was a safer place. At the same time, he left the Jinwu flag behind and let him lead three Wanhu to open up Dongguan, Chaoxian and Hefei.

After all, it would be an exaggeration to say that the situation of the Jin army in Huaixi was as precarious as an egg in peril, but it is okay to say that it was not very good.

Not only did they lose soldiers and generals, their food supply was cut off, but the entire Wan Hu army on the rear was wiped out. If the Song army had not been so weak and frail on weekdays, the Jin army would have been doomed to failure.

On the other hand, as an emperor, Wanyan Liang's presence itself is the best tonic for boosting morale.

If Wanyan Liang retreated with the Huaixi army, the high-spirited army would have a 70% to 80% chance of advancing through all the barriers and defeating all the enemies. However, if the army knew Wanyan Liang had escaped in advance, the battle would be very difficult to fight, and Li Tong would only have a 30% chance of winning.

But even so, Li Tong still did not dare to put his emperor in such a dangerous place. Compared with Wanyan Liang's safety, the gains and losses of the three Wanhu were nothing more than a trivial matter.

Su Baoheng did not second the motion, but just closed his eyes and rested in the chair.

He knew Wanyan Liang too well. To put it nicely, he was extremely confident; to put it bluntly, he was arrogant. How could he accept such a cowardly proposal?

"Don't try to persuade me. I brought you here, and you followed my orders and entered a dangerous situation. If I abandon the army and flee, how can I lead the troops in the future?" Wanyan Liang's face was as gloomy as water. "I have made up my mind. Let's not talk about this anymore. Instead of thinking about this, it's better to think about how to deal with the Song dogs. You must know that the next battle will be different!"

The generals were all shocked and responded with a loud voice.

That night, Su Baoheng returned to his tent and fell ill with a high fever again. This time, he was not so lucky. The next day, just before Wanyan Liang's army broke camp, Su Baoheng breathed his last at the age of fifty.

(End of this chapter)