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

Chapter 542: It is difficult for people with different beliefs to work together
Yu Yunwen is different from Zhao Gou.

He knew Liu Huai very well.

This guy has always been a gangster-like figure who is afraid of chaos in the world and is not afraid of things getting out of hand, but is afraid of things not getting big enough.

At that time, when the generals of the Song army were still passively taking the beating in the south of the Yangtze River and defending against the attack of the Jin army, Liu Huai was already preparing to lead his troops to attack the retreat of Wanyan Liang's army.

How can such a person be judged by common sense?
Therefore, Yu Yunwen immediately identified the culprit who let Wanyan Liang go. It must be Liu Huai, Liu Dalang.

When Yu Yunwen arrived at the post station and saw Liu Huai, he instantly became more certain of his previous thoughts, because everyone in the post station was packing their luggage and seemed to be about to leave.

Liu Huai was leaning against a pillar, listening to the argument between Zhu Xi and Xin Qiji with a smile on his face.

In real history, the relationship between these two people was also somewhat tense at the beginning.

The reason is also very simple, because Zhu Xi belongs to the conservative faction among the pro-war faction, and hopes that after everything is ready, he can win a big victory in one go and completely recover the lost territory.

If we use ancient events as an analogy, it means that we hope that Zhuge Liang will turn his six expeditions to Qishan into accumulating strength, so that once he goes to Qishan, the outcome of the battle will be decided, and the people can suffer less.

But most of the pro-war factions, including Yu Yunwen and Xin Qiji, were radicals. They had been to the battlefield and were well versed in politics. They understood very well that if they did not continue the Northern Expedition, the situation where everything was ready would never appear.

In addition, Xin Qiji was a northerner who was "fortunately promoted" during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, and Zhu Xi and other Neo-Confucianists hated such people the most, so the relationship between the two was quite cold.

All these changes came from the meeting at Nanyan twenty years later, when Zhu Xi was dismissed from office and Xin Qiji tactfully expressed a conciliatory attitude.

Afterwards, the relationship between the two became uncontrollable. Xin Qiji communicated more and more with the Neo-Confucian scholars around him. In his later years, there were even poems such as "Song of Water Melody: Inscribed on the Jingde Hall of Zhenshan Mountain, County Magistrate Wu Zisi", which were complete "reasoning" poems.

After Zhu Xi passed away, Xin Qiji gave Zhu Xi a high evaluation: "What is immortal is his name that will last forever. Who would have thought that you are dead? You are still alive!"

Now, the dispute between Zhu Xi and Xin Qiji is precisely a dispute between conservatives and radicals, and even more so a dispute between Neo-Confucianism and Taoism.

Of course, both of them were very young at that time. Apart from having a firm political stance, they had not yet become the academic masters they later became, but they could still talk about some of the things they knew.

It's true that Zhu Xi was a disciple of the Liu brothers, and Xin Qiji was also a descendant of the great northern scholar Liu Zhan. They both have a lot on their sleeves, and once they start a verbal battle, it won't be over for long.

Liu Huai actually didn't quite understand the debate between the two. In terms of natural sciences and social sciences and literature, Liu Huai stood on the shoulders of giants and could still make some eloquent remarks, but he really didn't understand the dispute between Neo-Confucianism and Taoism.

But Liu Huai has a hobby, or rather a bad taste. He likes to forcibly replicate what is happening now with history, giving him the feeling of participating in history.

This was the reason why Xin Qiji was given the poems he would write in the future; this was the reason why Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yuanyi became good friends as ruler and subject; this was the reason why Zhu Xi and Xin Qiji had a chance to debate academic matters.

Seeing Yu Yunwen arrive angrily, Liu Huai stood up, no longer caring about Zhu and Xin, and led Yu Yunwen to the lobby of the post station.

"Mr. Yu, please ask any questions you have. I will tell you everything I know today." Liu Huai poured a cup of tea for Yu Yunwen and said with a smile.

Yu Yunwen frowned, took a sip of tea, and threw the teacup heavily to the ground. "Liu Feihu, you are so audacious! How dare you kidnap the financial sponsor? Do you still respect the imperial court?!"

Seeing this, Liu Huai threw the teapot aside, sat directly on the main seat, and said with a smile: "Mr. Yu, you haven't asked whether I did this."

Yu Yunwen narrowed his eyes, a hint of hesitation on his face: "Could it be that this outrageous thing was not done by you?"

Liu Huai laughed: "Of course I did it."

Yu Yunwen couldn't catch his breath and started coughing violently, almost dying of anger on the spot.

"you you!"

Liu Huai stepped forward, patted Yu Yunwen on the back, and said with a smile, "Mr. Yu, do you want to know my overall plan?"

Yu Yunwen's cough gradually subsided, and he stared at Liu Huai fiercely: "I've heard that some of the most notorious thieves were caught because they couldn't help but brag about their past crimes. Liu Dalang, is this the case with you?"

Liu Huai thought about it and nodded in response: "Mr. Yu, you are damn right. I really have this mentality."

Yu Yunwen's eyes were still fierce: "Then Liu Dalang, aren't you afraid that I will report it to the authorities?"

Liu Huai smiled and turned back to the main seat. "Prince Yu, let's not engage in these witty exchanges. Don't I know who you are? Can an extremely pragmatic prince really do as he pleases in such a situation?"

Seeing Yu Yunwen speechless, Liu Huai coughed twice, as if he had returned to the crime scene but was a perverted murderer who had escaped legal punishment. He told the detective his modus operandi one by one.

"In fact, releasing Wanyan Liang and splitting up the Jin Dynasty was a plan that was already decided on the third day after the Battle of Chao County."

"It was Li Tong, the Li Xianggong, who persuaded me to make this decision."

"Yes, he's not dead. The one you saw was a scapegoat. Don't look at me like that. I naturally know that Li Tong has some bad intentions. He might not be truly loyal to me and plan for me."

"But so what? As long as Li Tong can accomplish this, I'll spare his life and let him return to Bianliang with Wanyan Liang. What's the harm?"

"The situation in the north is a product of a mixture of class and ethnic contradictions, a boiling pot of molten iron. Can Li Tong, a Han Chinese minister, depose the emperor or convert all the Jurchens into Han Chinese?"

"He has no choice, so even if Li Tong is short-sighted and returns to the Jin Kingdom, I don't care."

"Of course, even if I wanted to release Wanyan Liang, my initial thought was to resolve the issue through political means. That is, to help the pro-war faction in the court defeat the pro-peace faction, and then push you, Prime Minister Yu, or others to take power. Let them do this quickly."

"However, that day, I changed my mind."

At this point, Liu Huai looked at Yu Yunwen with a half-smile: "Mr. Yu, you know which day I'm talking about, right?"

Yu Yunwen gradually calmed down his anger and nodded slowly.

Will that day ever come again?
It was at the grand court meeting that the emperor Zhao Gou bowed to the prisoner Wanyan Liang and called him his imperial brother!
"I was thinking, what a fool I am! In the State of Song, what minister could be more powerful than the emperor? And with such an emperor at the top, what can he accomplish?" Liu Huai's face turned serious. "So, I have to do it myself! Even if it means risking the wrath of the world, I will make this happen!"

Yu Yunwen sighed deeply and shook his head repeatedly: "You have indeed risked the world's disapproval."

Liu Huai sneered, but looked at Yu Yunwen: "Those who died..."

"I know those who died!" Perhaps because he had revealed the sorrow in his heart, Yu Yunwen's expression became fierce: "But even for them! They are also loyal ministers of the Song Dynasty. They don't want to see you go astray..."

"Zhou Xiaowei." Liu Huai interrupted Yu Yunwen and slowly uttered a name.

"Who?" Yu Yunwen thought Liu Huai was going to mention Shi Jun, Zhang Xiaoyi, Wang Qi and others, and even prepared his accusations against Liu Qi. However, he did not expect the other party to say a name he had never heard of, and he could not help but be slightly stunned.

Liu Huai said slowly, "Zhou Xiaowei, Lord Yu doesn't know this man because he died in the first battle of the Loyalty Army's Northern Expedition to attack Haizhou a few months ago when they crossed the Shu River."

"This time when I went south, I found his family and wanted to give them money as compensation. If only the elderly and children are left, they can return to Shandong and be cared for by our Loyal Army."

"Fortunately, the Zhou family is a large one, so it wasn't difficult to find them. But during the war, the Zhou family members were scattered and lost. In the end, I only found Zhou Xiaowei's mother and his two brothers."

"I personally returned Zhou Xiaowei's ashes to his mother."

"Honestly, Mr. Yu, I'm ready to be dragged and cried, insulted, and even beaten."

"I was even mentally prepared for questions like what happened to Han Qi, the prime minister of the previous dynasty, after the Battle of Haoshuichuan, when an old woman pulled him aside and questioned him, 'My son is dead, why are you still alive?'" "But I didn't expect Zhou Xiaowei's mother to only ask me two questions."

"One is whether her son is brave."

"The other is whether her son's death was valuable and worthy."

"Then I began to think, what if I let this opportunity slip away? When the families of the soldiers who died in this war asked me whether their fathers, brothers, and children died for a good cause, what would I say?"

As he spoke, Liu Huai looked into Yu Yunwen's eyes and said, "Mr. Yu, how should I answer?"

Yu Yunwen avoided looking and could not answer.

Liu Huai continued, "After making this plan, I naturally have to count the cards in my hand."

"First of all, my advantage is that I have extremely elite troops at my disposal."

"But my disadvantage is that I have almost no helpers in the court."

"Even if there were helpers, I wouldn't trust them. Just like Prime Minister Yu, who was the red banner of the Northern Expedition, still had to scold me, the greatest helper, for the sake of Song. The rest of them were even more mediocre and difficult to be entrusted with important matters."

At this point, Liu Huai seemed to have thought of something. He chuckled twice before continuing, "But Li Tong told me that day that no one in the world is blind and can see true heroes. Therefore, as long as I can show my attitude as always, there will naturally be people who will assist me openly or secretly, or even join me. Later, just as Li Tong said, he is a true hero."

Liu Huai sighed twice and then turned to the main topic: "Prime Minister Yu, the next steps are very clear to you. By rectifying the affairs of Lianghuai and organizing the military farms, let the Jingnan Army and the Dongping Army control some key areas in Lianghuai. Then, transfer the Liao Cavalry Battalion composed of Liao people from Shandong and let them stir up trouble in Lianghuai and prepare for action."

"The original plan was simple: elite cavalry would cross the river and abduct Wanyan Liang on his way to Lin'an. However, halfway through the plan, by chance, Zhang Xiaoxiang and Yang Dan defected to me, and brought Zhao Mi into the picture. Li Tong, the chancellor, immediately took advantage of the situation and fabricated the illusion of Jin thieves' remnants on the river, luring the main force of the Jiankang navy to Huaixi."

"Zhang Guang is a coward. Even though he didn't find the Jin navy, he certainly won't make it public. Instead, he'll eliminate some pirates and claim credit for the victory, thus avoiding direct combat with the Jin army."

"Therefore, Jiankang is empty, and the chances of a surprise attack are greater."

"After learning of Yang Yizhong's intentions through Yang Dan, the plan became a scheme to kill Zhao Mi."

"Zhao Mi was being clever, playing a double game. He didn't realize that Yang Yizhong had been in the Imperial Guard for decades and was already deeply entrenched. How could he be easily shaken? Zhao Mi's every move was clearly understood, and all the information was passed to me through Yang Dan. Before Zhao Mi even set out, I knew his route."

"Then, disguised as Jin naval vessels, they set off, carrying the Liao cavalry battalion to Jiangnan. They captured Wanyan Liang and his men and brought them back to Huaixi. If nothing unexpected happened, Wanyan Liang should have already reached Haozhou by then."

Liu Huai smiled and said, "Prince Yu, that's all. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Yu Yunwen's anger had completely disappeared at this point. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and said, "Yes."

"Let's talk about it."

"I know that Liu Dalang is very meticulous and thinks about defeat before he even thinks about victory. What should we do if the Liao cavalry battalion fails?"

Liu Huai said calmly: "I still have two backup plans."

"The first is my two hundred personal guards. They are all elite soldiers who can fight me to the bitter end."

"The second is He Boqiu of the Jingnan Army. He has a deep hatred for the Song State."

Liu Huai paused, then uttered a shocking statement: "If the final moment comes and everything is irreversible, I will kill Emperor Zhao in Lin'an, then take advantage of the chaos to kidnap Wanyan Liang. I will also immediately mobilize the Jingnan Army. Before Cheng Min and Li Xianzhong can react, I will defeat Zhang Zigai and his gang of losers, and then return to Shandong to deal with the situation."

When Liu Huai was halfway through his speech, Yu Yunwen suddenly stood up with murderous intent.

"Liu Dalang, have you forgotten that you are still in Lin'an?"

A strange smile appeared on Liu Huai's face: "Don't worry, Yu Xianggong, I will leave on the 17th and will not even attend the abdication ceremony."

"You were the matchmaker between the Crown Prince and me. Although your actions were discreet, Zhao Mi still discovered it and slandered us to Emperor Zhao. Although Emperor Zhao didn't believe it, he still had doubts and didn't want us to stay in Lin'an any longer. I had no choice but to leave in disgrace."

Yu Yunwen looked at Liu Huai intently, feeling mixed emotions.

What a brave and capable general he is, yet he is difficult to be used by the Song Dynasty. Perhaps this is God's will.

Yu Yunwen's emotions told him that he should immediately find an excuse to escape from the inn, and then go directly to Yang Yi Zhong and ask him to bring all the troops from Lin'an and surround and kill Liu Huai here at all costs.

This may be the only chance, because since he said this, he will not bring only 200 cavalry to Lin'an next time!

But reason advised Yu Yunwen not to kill another Yue Fei.

Not to mention whether the Palace Front Division could use heavy troops to surround these 200 armored cavalry before Liu Huai could react, with its strength.

Now the Song State's biggest threat is still the Jin State. Before the Northern Expedition is successful and the lost territory is recovered, it cannot kill meritorious ministers like Liu Huai.

Even though Yu Yunwenming knew that the two of them would use each other in the future, he couldn't take action at this time!

Otherwise, wouldn't it discourage the heroes who are loyal to the Song Dynasty?

Thinking of this, Yu Yunwen once again looked deeply at Liu Huai and said, "Liu Dalang, I once really wanted you to become the prime minister of the Song Dynasty in the future, but now it seems that we can still walk together for a while, but in the end, we will still go our separate ways."

Liu Huai also put away his smile and said seriously: "Prime Minister Yu, the Song Dynasty has reached a point where half of the country is now under its rule and it is only in a corner. This is not my responsibility, nor is it my fault."

Yu Yunwen shook his head, then said earnestly, "I naturally know that this is not your responsibility, Dalang, but the Emperor of the Song Dynasty is the Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty, and you, Liu Dalang, are of Han descent. You usually fly the banner of the Han Dynasty. How can you not support the Song Dynasty and create great achievements together?"

Liu Huai spoke with equal sincerity. "Prime Minister Yu, to be honest, I did harbor such thoughts in my mind before. The Jingnan Army, or the Loyal Army, was originally formed from the Song Army. Countless people within the army wanted to serve the Song. As one of them, even though I had ambitions, seeing this behavior, I still had some hesitations."

"However, from this journey south, it seems you can't save the world. Forget about the world, can the Song Dynasty truly quell the unrest in Huaibei and Huainan? If it weren't for the Jingnan Army's tremendous contribution, do you believe, Prime Minister Yu, that the unrest in Huaibei and Huainan would have spread far and wide?"

Yu Yunwen shook his head and sighed repeatedly, but he didn't want to argue any further. "Dalang, you have your choice, and I also have my own persistence. Now the enemy is still the Jin Kingdom. Why don't we make a deal that as long as the Jin Kingdom is not destroyed, you will not rebel against the Song Dynasty. How about it?"

Liu Huai smiled and said, "Why is Lord Yu so kind to me? Does he also think I can accomplish great things?"

Yu Yunwen also laughed: "Who made Liu Dalang the only general capable of confronting the Jin bandits head-on? Liu Qi is dead, Cheng Min is old, Wu Lin is in charge of Shu, Li Xianzhong needs to protect Jiangnan, and the others are even more mediocre. Besides Duke Wei and Liu Dalang, who else can shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Northern Expedition?"

Liu Huai smiled and nodded, then stood up and walked forward, shaking hands with Yu Yunwen as an oath.

Yu Yunwen stood up, looked at Liu Huai deeply again, and then walked out the door.

Liu Huai knew that after this showdown, Yu Yunwen, the only prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, would definitely take countermeasures, but Liu Huai was not afraid.

Compared with the consequences of unclear political attitude, Yu Yunwen's attitude can only be regarded as a drizzle.

After all the hard work in splitting up the Jin Kingdom, everything that follows will be decided by victory or defeat on the battlefield, and this is exactly what Liu Huai is good at.

It's time to go back to Shandong.

But before returning to Shandong, Liu Huai still had one important thing to do.

(End of this chapter)