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

Chapter 571 A Great Battle Is Imminent, Dark Clouds Loom

Just as Yang Tan's "Medical Notes" came to the forefront of history, a chaotic war that would engulf the entire northern region quietly began.

"You mean, Heshi Lieliangbi went to Xuzhou? When did that happen?"

Inside the military governor's residence, Liu Huai frowned at the man in front of him, who was called Wen Bianque, and asked, "How did you know that?"

Wen Bianque said, "He Shilie Liangbi arrived on the fifteenth of August. On that day, I happened to go to find my elder brother at home and happened to be there when he was holding a military meeting. My brother also saw that Liangbi was promoted to the position of Left Prime Minister and had subdued all the generals."

Liu Huai's gaze sharpened, and then he asked, "Tell me everything, no matter how small."

Wen Bianque dared not delay and quickly relayed the instructions his elder brother Wen Dunqi had given him that day.

“Wearing the seals of two prime ministers.” Liu Huai chuckled, then said, “Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yong are too naive!”

Even so, Liu Huai's smile gradually faded.

If these 30,000 households can truly unite under the command of a powerful figure, then the Shandong rebels will be the first to suffer a blow.

Dongping Prefecture, Yanzhou, Haizhou, and Yizhou were all under the attack of the Jin army.

It would be a waste to expect the State of Song to cross the Huai River and launch an attack at this time.

Therefore, Shandong will inevitably have to weather this storm alone.

Moreover, who says that Heshi Lieliangbi necessarily revealed everything in the military council?
If Wanyan Yong were to ambush another army and cross the old course of the Yellow River in Hebei to attack Yidu Prefecture, what could they do?

Liang Su, who was standing to the side, had obviously also thought of this possibility, but he remained calm and asked another question: "Since the military meeting was held on August 15th, why is it only being reported now?!"

Upon hearing this crucial question, Wen Bianque immediately kowtowed and said, "After I received the message, the area around the military camp was placed under martial law. I took a detour to get here. After returning home, my mother reminded me that such news should be immediately reported to the military governor's office... That's why I've come to see the military governor again."

Liu Huai thought for a moment, then said to Wen Bianque in a serious tone, "You have made great contributions in your recent visits. You and your brother have both done a great service. I am giving you some money as a reward now. After things are settled in the future, you two brothers will be richly rewarded."

Upon hearing this assurance, Wen Bianque felt completely refreshed.

He traveled back and forth for many days, wasn't it all for this one promise?

After Wen Bianque left, Liu Huai shook his head helplessly.

If he were an official spy, and dared to take urgent intelligence home, sleep it off, and then report it, he would have been hung on a flagpole as a warning to others.

However, these were ordinary people who spontaneously contacted their relatives in the Jin army; they were righteous people who contributed their own money to the development of Shandong.

It's already quite good that the information is reported up through the ranks to the Jiedushi's office; what more could you ask for?
However, Liang Su, who was full of schemes and plots, still frowned.

Could this guy be a spy sent by the Jin army in Xuzhou?!

However, Liang Su quickly understood, because the Jin army had no reason to do so.

The army's deployment was so large and impressive that it couldn't be kept secret.

Liu Huai thought the same way, and then said to Liang Su, "Mr. Liang, write military intelligence reports to various places so that the generals can make preparations as soon as possible."

"Let Huyan Nanxian guard Yidu Prefecture, I will head south to Linyi."

Liang Su nodded repeatedly, and finally asked, "Do we need to send a letter to the Taiping Army?"

Liu Huai sighed and said helplessly, "It's no use now. No matter what we say, Geng Jiedu won't listen. He'll just think we're exaggerating and interfering with the Taiping Army's work."

Liang Su solemnly replied, “Commander-in-Chief, whether they listen to us or not is a different matter from whether we do it or not. Not everyone in the Tianping Army is a fool blinded by power; there are heroes among them. They will see what we do.”

Liu Huai knew that Liang Su was hinting to him to find a way to annex the Tianping Army. After giving him a straightforward reminder, he would use some underhanded methods to get the Jin army to shift its main attack direction to Dongping Prefecture. Once the Tianping Army was defeated, he could then take action and calmly consolidate the Tianping Army's forces.

However, as the saying goes, underhanded methods may succeed for a time, but how can they deceive true heroes and great men?
“Mr. Liang, I understand what you mean, but the greatest enemy at this time is still the Jin invaders. Before the Jin dynasty was destroyed, I could even tolerate Zhao Gou, so why can't I tolerate Geng Jing? Moreover, if the Jin invaders are allowed into Dongping Prefecture, those powerful families will certainly deserve to die, but what have the common people done wrong?”

As he spoke, Liu Huai got up and walked out: "I will write a letter with my father to urge the Taiping Army to prepare as soon as possible. At the same time, we will gather elite troops in Linyi to threaten the Jin bandits in Xuzhou and to keep the Taiping Army occupied."

Liang Su sighed.

My husband, the Commander-in-Chief, is good in every way, except for one thing: he is too particular about being upright and honest, which leaves him with no opportunity to use his many schemes and tricks.

But then Liang Su thought about it again. The reason he and his brother Liang Qiu came to Shandong was because Liu Huai was upright and honest in his dealings with people.

With mixed feelings, Liang Su followed Liu Huai south and arrived in Linyi two days later.

Then, Liu Huai saw the Jin envoy holding a staff. At this time, the Jin envoy and his party of fifteen had been surrounded by dozens of loyal soldiers, and the leading officer of the loyal army was questioning them sternly.

The Jin envoy showed no fear, but answered with pride.

Liu Huai spurred his horse forward, ignoring the Jin envoy, and instead demanded sharply, "Han Fang, Han Erlang, how did you allow the Jin invaders to reach the walls of Linyi? Has the discipline of the Loyal Army deteriorated to such an extent?!"

Han Fang was already furious, and when he heard the question, he immediately turned around to curse. However, when he saw that it was Liu Huai, he immediately calmed down and explained: "Young Master, it is not that the military discipline is lax."

I just checked. This fellow disguised himself as a merchant the whole way, without armor or weapons, and all his travel documents were complete. Who would have thought that when we reached the walls of Linyi, he would take off his outer garments, revealing his official robes and ceremonial staff, catching us completely off guard...

At this point, Liu Huai realized that the Jin envoy was actually quite clever.

The Jin envoy seemed to recognize the person before him as the true leader, and immediately raised his staff, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Liu, in person, I am..."

Liu Huai interrupted the envoy directly: "Are you here to surrender?"

The envoy was slightly taken aback: "I am an envoy from the Great Jin Dynasty..."

"I'm asking you, are you fucking here to surrender?!"

The Jin envoy was startled by the loud shout, but still bravely declared, "I said, I am an envoy of the Great Jin..."

Liu Huai once again rudely interrupted the Jin envoy: "We have nothing to talk about with the Jin traitors. As for your decision not to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, that's fine too."

"Shen Longzi, capture them all! Strip them of their official robes! Torture them severely! Make them confess everything!"

Shen Longzi immediately agreed loudly, and then led more than ten fierce guards forward to knock down the Jin envoys who tried to resist.

"When two countries are at war, envoys should not be killed! When two countries are at war!"

Faced with the Jin envoy's repeated shouts, Liu Huai only sternly cursed: "You small, insignificant clan, suddenly invaded a great nation, established a false dynasty, and as traitors, what right do you have to talk about relations between two countries!"

Liang Su, who was standing nearby, was stunned.

Good heavens, so it seems that this Liu Dalangjun is not only going to destroy the Jin Dynasty, but also to refuse to recognize the Jin Dynasty as a country altogether.

Liu Huai ignored all of this and rode his horse to the Shandong Marshal's Mansion.

Wei Sheng had already handed over most of his real power to Liu Huai. This was partly because Liu Huai was not a power-hungry person, and partly because Wei Sheng seemed to have lost some of his strength and was physically weak after being injured repeatedly. In order to ensure a smooth handover of power, he handed over personnel and financial authority as soon as possible.

It can only be said that Wei Sheng was never a separatist warlord, but a loyal minister and general of the Song Dynasty. He did not pass on the position of warlord leader, but the important task of launching a northern expedition against the Jin Dynasty and recovering lost territories.

The transfer of power was uneventful.

Liu Huai was originally the number two figure in the Loyal and Righteous Army, and also Wei Sheng's adopted son. He was in charge of the military construction of the Loyal and Righteous Army and the civil administration plan in Shandong.

Even Wei Sheng's most loyal confidants were completely convinced by Liu Huai, and there was no opposition from them.

Of course, Liu Huai was not an arrogant person. He would still place the Jingnan Army Military Governor's Office under the Shandong Marshal's Office. After making plans for major matters, he would still let Wei Sheng review and approve them, which was a way of respecting the authority of the Marshal's Office.

"Little sister, how is Father doing lately?"

Upon entering the Marshal's Mansion, Liu Huai's first sight was Wei Rujun, who was carrying a stack of documents and walking briskly.

At this time, Wei Rujun had become one of the chief stewards of the Loyal Army. According to later accounts, Wei Rujun was the chief accountant of the Loyal Army, responsible for accounting for accounts in various places, and could be described as having a high position and great power.

Upon hearing her brother's voice, the usually capable Wei Rujun first turned around with delight, then snorted coldly and turned to leave: "Father is doing very well. As for whether I, your younger sister, am doing well, brother, you need not worry about it."

Wei Jiao, who was following behind Wei Rujun, was both amused and exasperated, but in the end he did not dare to show any displeasure to Liu Huai. He quickly bowed respectfully and addressed him as "elder brother".

"What's wrong with her?" Liu Huai was completely baffled.

Wei Jiao was speechless for a moment: "Brother, have you forgotten to discuss your marriage with Father?"

Liu Huai slapped his forehead and said, "I've been so busy lately I'm almost dizzy."

Wei Jiao stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Then, brother, is your visit here because...?"

Liu Huai sighed: "There's no time to talk about this, we're going to have to fight again."

(End of this chapter)