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

Chapter 445: The monkeys seek a way forward in a dangerous tree

When Liu Huai arrived at Dongguan this time, he felt a completely different atmosphere. Not only was there a sense of emptiness after the people moved to Chao County, but the attitudes of Yang Chun and Chen Ruhui were also more enthusiastic and respectful than before.

Victory on the battlefield has always been a huge catalyst for prestige. Generals who can win consecutive battles often gain the loyalty of the people and can even change dynasties. This is why.

Life has always been the most important right. Following a victorious general can save your life, which is much more practical than any other guarantee of fame, wealth and honor.

Seeing that Liu Huai easily destroyed four Meng'an in an organized manner under the city of Chao County, not to mention Chen Ruhui felt a little regretful, even Yang Chun felt that obeying Liu Huai's orders did not seem to be a very shameful thing.

Liu Huai brought only a thousand infantrymen to the East Gate this time. Together with the 3,000 remaining soldiers of Yang Chun's army and more than 700 brave warriors of Chen Ruhui, they formed the defense force of the East Gate.

If these troops fought head-on with the main force of the Jin army, it would definitely be like an egg hitting a stone. However, they could still do it by relying on the East Gate to deal with the Jin army.

It should be said that Liu Huai led his army to arrive very timely. Almost at the same time, that is, on the morning of December 11, Yu Yunwen, who was in Dongcai Shi, realized that something was wrong.

The atmosphere in the Jin army became different.

Yu Yunwen did not become a famous general suddenly, but because he had experienced war and naturally had some understanding of military affairs. For a smart man like Yu Yunwen, it was natural for him to make inferences about the battlefield through clues and even intuition.

To put it more intuitively, the Jin army gave up Jiangxinzhou, which it had already captured, and withdrew all its troops to the west bank of the river. Although they did not move camp, they still showed a strategic contraction.

As he became the most informed and comprehensive person among the several armies, a huge choice was placed before Yu Yunwen.

Should we take the initiative to pursue the Jin army, or when should we take the initiative to pursue the Jin army?
Even a fool would know that the Jin army was in a strategic retreat, not a major rout. At this time, there must be elite troops setting up a trap waiting for them. No matter which army crossed the river to fight, they would be hit head-on by the Jin army.

Li Xianzhong was also worried, so he advised Yu Yunwen to wait until the battle at Dongguan officially started before crossing the river.

But Yu Yunwen still made the decision to counterattack no matter what, because this was not just a battle, but also had political significance. Taking the initiative to launch a counterattack and pursuing the enemy after they withdrew were two completely different things. Compared with the reputation of sending the enemy off respectfully, even a small defeat was not unacceptable.

After thinking for a long time, Li Xianzhong finally agreed with Yu Yunwen's idea. After occupying Jiangxinzhou again, he sent his trusted general Li Ziyuan to lead 300 elite soldiers across the river, supported by Meng Fotu, to launch an attack on the Jin army camp.

The Jin army had not expected that the Song army would launch a counterattack so quickly. The three armies were all in the stage of shrinking defense. They were all stunned when they heard the military situation, but then a cavalryman reported back, and Wanyan Yuanyi, who was in charge of the camp affairs, made the decision and immediately launched a counterattack.

Li Ziyuan also knew that he could not shake the Jin army camp at all. After quickly shooting and killing more than a dozen approaching Jin army cavalry and cutting off their heads, he saw the Jin army armored cavalry pouring out of the camp and immediately boarded the boat and left.

However, when they were on the boat, Li Ziyuan ordered the heads of the Jin army to be hung high, and the Song army cheered loudly as if they had won a great victory.

This made Wanyan Yuanyi, who came in person to investigate the situation of the Song army, very annoyed, but there was nothing he could do.

The Jin navy has suffered heavy casualties in recent days and is exhausted. It is indeed a bit too much to ask them to deal with the remnants of the Dongting Lake navy on the river.

After thinking for a while, Wanyan Yuanyi was at a loss as to what to do, so he could only order the river bank to be strictly guarded, and at the same time, make arrangements in Hezhou.

Although Li Ziyuan's victory was only a small one, it still greatly boosted the morale of the Song army. Soon, several other troops followed suit and crossed the river to harass the Jin army. However, the Jin army could not allow the Song army to travel freely. The scale of the fighting between the two sides quickly decreased, but the intensity did not decrease in the slightest.

Seeing another wave of cavalry galloping towards the main camp, Wanyan Yuanyi was furious, and could only vent his anger on the military envoy in front of him. "Have you investigated thoroughly? Why did that Xu Wen suddenly withdraw from Zhenzhou?"

The military envoy's forehead was covered with sweat. "There was indeed a great battle. The camps were burned, there were corpses, and many ships sank. I only explored the area around Zhenzhou. The other scouts have already pursued them towards Yangzhou."

Wanyan Yuanyi was about to speak, but saw a man with several personal guards coming up to him.

"Minister Wanyan, His Majesty has ordered me to go to Tushan Zhen's army and urge him to return to protect Shanyang."

Wanyan Yuanyi did not dare to be arrogant and returned the greeting respectfully.

The reason was simple. The thin old man in front of him was none other than Shan Yongnian, the co-judge of the Da Zong Zhengshi and the right military inspector. He was also one of the important state ministers accompanying the emperor on this trip.

After paying his respects, Wanyan Yuanyi thought for a moment before frowning and asking, "Your Majesty, are you worried that Tushan Zhen will be in danger if he doesn't withdraw his troops?"

Tushan Yongnian sighed and shook his head, "That's not the case. Your Majesty is worried that Tushan Zhen will retreat too quickly and too decisively, leading him to retreat directly north of the Huai River and abandon all the lands gained during this southern expedition."

Wanyan Yuanyi nodded suddenly. During a large-scale retreat, a resolute retreat would likely lead to an even more determined pursuit by the enemy. If the retreat turned into a rout, it would be troublesome.

With Tushan Yongnian, an old minister from the same clan as Tushan Zhen, in charge, the situation can be somewhat controlled.

"Then I will send some more troops to escort the Right Military Inspector."

Tushan Yongnian shook his head: "I still have dozens of soldiers from my clan. With these people protecting me, as long as I don't take the initiative to provoke the Song people, this hundred-mile journey will only take a day."

Wanyan Yuanyi nodded and stopped persuading him. He just gave Xu Wen some instructions about the military affairs of the army. Then the two of them bowed and said goodbye at the camp gate.

Tushan Yongnian drove his horse slowly, and after traveling two miles eastward, he stopped and looked back, sighing slightly in his heart and feeling relieved.

I finally escaped from danger.

Wanyan Liang was still so arrogant, and those generals were blinded by the continuous victories, so that they could not see how dangerous the current situation was.

At this time, the retreat was cut off not because a certain city was out of control, but because the entire line of Hefei, Chaoxian and Dongguan was gone.

Liu Huai's reputation was not prominent before, and now that the Wusheng Army has been swallowed up, the court still treats him as a child who is taking advantage of loopholes. Isn't this a bit too arrogant?
The best thing to do now is to lead an army of 30,000 from Hezhou all the way north, through Chuzhou, to Zhongli, and then wait and see after occupying Haozhou.

This will inevitably result in a large number of non-combat casualties, severe losses of war horses and livestock, and they may even face pursuit from multiple Song armies, but in the end it is much better than rushing into Chao County.

However, does Tushan Yongnian have any way to persuade Wanyan Liang?
not at all!
Just like he couldn't persuade Wanyan Liang not to march south!
The advice given by Su Baoheng, an old minister, before his death only made Wanyan Liang temporarily delay his pace of crossing the river. How could he, a simple-minded man like Shan Yongnian, have the ability to persuade Wanyan Liang?

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I just hope you can succeed in this battle!" Tushan Yongnian sighed in his heart, then turned his horse to the northeast and galloped away with his nephews and clan soldiers.

(End of this chapter)