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

Chapter 552: Military Advisor and General Discuss the Current Situation
"Lord, what is the current situation in the Jin Kingdom?"

Faced with such a direct question, Liu Huai was silent for a moment before he said, "Ten days ago, we received news that Wanyan Liang stopped the central army and rode alone into the Hezhameng'an camp. After reuniting with Crown Prince Wanyan Guangying, he planned to reorganize the central army with 6,000 Hezhameng'an as his base."

"However, these hundreds of thousands of soldiers mutinied, and at one point, under the leadership of some Wanhu, they even attempted to besiege Hezhameng'an."

"However, on the one hand, Pushan Zhongyi and Liu E are still loyal to Wanyan Liang, and on the other hand, Hezha Meng'an's combat power is extremely superior, and ordinary Jin troops will find it difficult to compete. Therefore, there will be some divisions in the end, but not many will leave."

"Wanyan Liang gathered his troops in Bianliang, and he still managed to get about 120,000 men."

"These are just news. It's so chaotic right now that I can't tell which news is true and which is false."

Liang Su lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Although Wanyan Liang has gathered 120,000 men, it's not certain that he can continue to maintain stability."

"Oh? How do you say this?"

"Because Liu E is among the troops," Liang Su said sternly, "Liu E is a Youyan noble and the leader of this generation of Youyan Han people. He will definitely lead the Han army back to Youyan, and at the very least, he will not help either side."

"If either Wanyan Liang or Wanyan Yong had seen things sooner and quickly moved the capital to Youzhou, they could have controlled these tens of thousands of Han troops. If it had taken longer, Liu E might have had other ideas."

Liu Huai nodded and smiled, "This is somewhat similar to what Li Tong, the staff officer, said."

Liang Su was slightly stunned, then he smiled: "It is an honor to be like Mr. Li."

Liang Su just remembered at this moment that Li Tong was not a good person either. His position as strategist did not seem to be very stable. He had to show Liu Huai some real abilities.

"My dear, that's all Mr. Li has to say to you. However, I can be certain of one thing." Liang Su's face grew confident. "Although Youyan may face setbacks, in the end, they will definitely submit to Wanyan Yong."

"This will not change because of Liu E's likes and dislikes, but because of one person..."

Before he finished speaking, Liu Huai directly said the name: "Wanyan Guying."

This time Liang Su was really surprised.

Liang Su's teacher Shi Gao had really been with Wanyan Jiemu, and was well aware of the twists and turns and many secrets within the Jin Dynasty. However, Li Tong was a Han Chinese husband. He might know about the factional disputes within the Jurchens, but he would definitely not know them in such detail.

But Liu Huai showed an unfathomable smile.

Thanks to the many high-end online articles he had read in his previous life, Liu Huai was very familiar with the early politics of the Jin Dynasty, but he was more familiar with the struggle between the Eastern Army and the Western Army, and between Wanyan Nianhan and Wanyan Wuqimai.

Wanyan Guying was the eldest son of Wanyan Yinshuke, Hesheli Liangbi was the favorite disciple of Wanyan Xiyin, and Wanyan Mouyan was the second son of Wanyan Loushi.

Two-thirds of the military and political power of the Western Army have already defected to Wanyan Yong, and it is only a matter of time before Wanyan Guying in Youyan falls over.

Of course, Wanyan Guying's most important position wasn't the governor of Zhongdu or the commander-in-chief of the Northwest, but the immense prestige he held during his long tenure in Jin. Starting with Wanyan Yinshuke, the Western Route Army and subsequent political groups had been operating in Jin for decades, and he truly possessed the prestige to dominate the region.

The Jin territory plus Liaodong can directly include Youyan. Even if Liu E has great abilities, he will not be able to resist.

"Your Excellency is incredibly insightful, a true genius." Liang Su, still believing Liu Huai had other sources of information, couldn't help but sigh repeatedly. "However, if it were just Youyan, it would be fine. Wanyan Liang would absolutely not give up Jin. Otherwise, Wanyan Yong could cross the Yellow River and attack Heluo. Then, Wanyan Liang would be attacked from both sides and would be doomed to failure."

Liang Su spoke eloquently, "If I were Wanyan Liang, I would never dare to start a war on multiple fronts. Therefore, I must send envoys to the Song State to seek peace, and at the same time recall Tushan Zhen and other troops to deal with Wanyan Yong."

Liu Huai finally became interested: "In Mr. Liang's opinion, should we intercept and kill the envoys from the Jin and Song countries who are negotiating peace?"

Liang Su changed the subject: "Lord, I heard that you captured the envoy sent by Wanyan Yong, is that correct?"

Liu Huai laughed. "Exactly. That fellow's name is Gao Zhongjian. He seems to be some high-ranking official. When he was crossing the Huai River to Wokou, he was captured by our general directly on the river. He has been taken to Yizhou and will be executed tomorrow. What's the matter? Could it be that Mr. Liang has some history with him? Do you want me to spare his life?"

Liang Su shook his head. "No, Wanyan Yong and Wanyan Liang are different. Wanyan Liang is caught between several factions. If he can't negotiate peace with Song, he won't start a war and fight for Jin territory with all his might. If Wanyan Yong can negotiate peace with Song, he'll recuperate and prioritize caution. After all, the tide of the war is on his side." Liu Huai nodded and said thoughtfully, "If that's the case, then why don't we do our utmost to stop Wanyan Yong and push for peace between Wanyan Liang and Song?"

"That's right," Liang Su said solemnly. "If possible, I'd even like to suggest that Dalangjun and Wanyan Liang agree not to fight, so that Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yong can start fighting as soon as possible."

Liu Huai nodded, then shook his head again. "Mr. Liang, I will absolutely not negotiate peace with the Jin bandits, not even a cursory verbal agreement. The Shandong rebels have too many diverse origins. If we negotiate peace and compromise, we might just disintegrate from within."

"Resisting the Jin is the foundation of the Shandong righteous army and must not be shaken."

Liang Su quickly agreed, pausing before continuing, "Then I suspect that Lord Dalang's plan is to bide his time, seize Xuzhou, and thereby secure the support of the Song State. He can then utilize the great river to transport troops north and south to launch a northern expedition. This opportunity should arise soon."

Liu Huai nodded: "If my calculations are correct, Tu Shan Zhen should be captured. No matter which side these 30,000 elite soldiers belong to, they must withdraw. That will be our chance."

Liang Su sighed, "It's so comfortable to talk to an intelligent person." Then, he said sternly, "But risks are inevitable. For example, if the Song State attacks to seize territory, or if someone responsible unites these 30,000 households and attacks Shandong first, or if Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yong truly tolerate each other for the sake of their country and deal with the foreign enemy first, then Xuzhou won't be so easy to capture."

In general, after these years of fighting, both the Jingnan Army and the Zhongyi Army are exhausted. We won't be able to muster our main forces for the next two years, and can only maneuver a few thousand troops. This is when we are at our weakest, and anyone could take a bite. We have to use the strategy of using a small force to defeat a large force."

Having said that, Liang Su looked at Liu Huai, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Seeing the change in the other person's expression, Liu Huai said gently, "Mr. Liang, please feel free to speak."

Liang Su took a deep breath. "Although my next words may seem like they could sow discord, I have something to say. For the next two years, the one you should be most wary of isn't the Jin or Song kingdoms, but rather Jiedu Gengjing."

As soon as these words were spoken, Liang Qiu, who had been acting like a quail nearby, shuddered and moved his butt to the side.

Isn't it a bit too profound to say such things at this moment?

Liu Huai didn't react at all, but said in a deep voice: "Could it be that when I was not back, Mr. Liang discovered something?"

Faced with such a question, Liang Su, who had been very confident just now, fell silent, as if he was hesitant again. But after a moment, he said in a deep voice: "When we two brothers came here, we passed by Dongping Prefecture, and we just took a quick look... Geng Jiedu seems to be too focused on military affairs and not on civil affairs, which is a bit inappropriate."

"Sir, we raise troops for battle. Where is Jiedu Geng going now? It's either Xuzhou, Bianliang, or Daming Prefecture. But all three are heavily guarded by Jin troops. How can they be easily conquered? They might even attack Yizhou and Yidu Prefecture."

Liu Huai thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "According to what Mr. Liang is saying, the Tianping Army and I have finally gone from being in the same boat to living in the same bed but dreaming different dreams. Are we about to turn against each other?"

Liang Su also laughed. "What you said, Lord, is quite insightful, but it's just my personal opinion, so it can't be taken as a guarantee. Perhaps Jiedu Geng didn't think much about it and just focused on stationing his troops?"

Liu Huai could only shake his head and smile bitterly: "Now in this situation, we can only wait and see when Xin Wulang returns and persuades Geng Jiedu again."

This is the reason why it is difficult for the peasant uprising army to succeed. They have almost no political vision and their ability to build a base is very poor. At this time, Geng Jing still knew to let the people plant more land and just raise more soldiers and horses, which was already good enough.

There are too many cases in history where peasant uprisings developed into refugee armies, looting as they went.

Liu Huai stood up and said, "Mr. Liang is a man of great insight. It is a waste of talent for him to be my advisor."

Liang Su also stood up and said with a bow, "Lord, you are the one who attracts the whole world's attention. As your personal advisor, I have a bright future ahead of me. How can I be wasting my talent?"

Liu Huai nodded: "Then Mr. Liang, you will be my military advisor and general from now on."

Liang Su was slightly stunned, then smiled and nodded.

It is appropriate that Old Liu uses Zhuge Liang's former position to encourage himself.

(End of this chapter)