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

Chapter 572 Powerful figures have always been difficult to rely on.

The Zuo Zhuan states that the most important matters of a state are sacrifice and warfare.

As Sun Tzu's Art of War states, "War is a matter of vital importance to the State; a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected."

War is a dangerous and difficult thing. It is a gamble that puts many lives on the chessboard and a sacrifice that determines the fate of future generations.

So when war was imminent, even Wei Rujun immediately stopped being petty and began to seriously organize the documents.

"...That's the whole story." After telling Wei Sheng what had happened, Liu Huai saw his father deep in thought and quickly drank a large cup of tea to quench his thirst.

Wei Sheng didn't keep Liu Huai waiting for long, and after a moment he said, "So, you mean there will be 30,000 Jin bandits attacking us next? Do they still have any morale?"

Liu Huai explained, "If we follow Wen Bianque's advice, the Jin state's offering of the entire Shandong province as a reward would certainly boost morale."

"But this morale is definitely just a facade, all bark and no bite. As long as we can win a few battles, the Jin invaders' morale will definitely collapse."

"On the other hand, if the Jin bandits can win a few battles and plunder some wealth and women, this false morale will become real, and then the Jin bandits will be much harder to defeat."

At this point, Liu Huai hesitated for a moment before saying, "If we consider Shandong as a whole, then the Jin invaders will be attacked from both sides, whether they attack Yizhou or Dongping Prefecture. But now, it seems that Geng Jiedu of the Tianping Army has become estranged from us."

Hearing this, Wei Sheng became extremely angry: "I originally thought that Chief Geng was a hero, but I didn't expect that this guy to be so stupid and unable to distinguish where his roots are. How can he be of any help by associating with those powerful figures?!"

Liu Huai nodded repeatedly.

Wei Sheng's words hit the nail on the head.

In fact, as a military and political leader, one can be bad, but one cannot be stupid.

Geng Jing regarded the Taiping Army as his foundation, and it was understandable that he wanted to benefit his base. Every leader had to do this, otherwise how could he get his confidants to go through fire and water for him?

But what did Liu Huai do?

The process involved surveying fields, selecting officials, checking household registers, and meticulously recording merits to ensure that benefits reached every soldier.

Although this is extremely troublesome, it ensures that all the benefits end up in the hands of the core group.

With such precision, the required resources were naturally reduced. The land, houses, and wealth seized from the Meng'an Mouke households were sufficient, with some surplus to resettle displaced people and distribute land equally among the people.

However, Geng Jing issued an order, and everyone rushed forward to grab the items; whoever grabbed the first one got to keep it.

Landlords and powerful families also joined in the looting. The benefits gained from driving out the Jurchens were far from enough, so they had to plunder the people.
Geng Jing's thinking was, "If I give you benefits, you have to listen to me." That's his big-picture perspective.

Liu Huai thought it was a cerebral thrombosis.

While some powerful figures, like Wang Shilong and Ye Shichan, were willing to sacrifice their families for the greater good and abandon petty gains for lofty ideals, most remained loyal only to themselves and their social class.

The saying that there are only individuals who betray their class, not classes that betray their class, is exactly what this means.

So what if Cao Cao? After killing Bian Rang in Yanzhou, Chen Gong was able to contact the powerful families and clans of Yanzhou and make Cao Cao leave the same way he came.

If Cao Cao couldn't solve a problem, and you, Geng Jing, think you can, then you're truly amazing.

Those powerful figures are completely unreliable!

After sulking for a while, the father and son continued their military discussions.

“We must send troops this time, but in order to restore people’s livelihoods, we cannot send too many.” Liu Huai stood up and stood in front of the map: “I intend to lead two thousand troops down the Yi River and set up camp at Aishan.”

Aishan is located in Pizhou, about 70 li north of Xiapi and 150 li south of Linyi.

Mount Ai is not particularly steep, but it is a mountain that rises abruptly from the plain, and its location, along with the Yi River, is sufficient to establish a camp. Moreover, it is convenient for Linyi to provide support.

With the mountain stronghold and the water stronghold together, two thousand soldiers would be enough to cover the Yi River.

If Xiapi is undefended, Liu Huai can lead his army down the river to attack Xiapi directly, and then go up the Yellow River to threaten Xuzhou.

In any case, it can serve to restrain the Jin army in Xuzhou.

If the Jin army focuses its main attack on Linyi, then Liu Huai can take advantage of the Yi River's naval forces being located upstream to make arrangements at his own pace, whether it's retreating or launching a surprise attack.

However, this possibility is still relatively small.

Since the Jin army's advance route could only rely on the Yi River, and knowing that the Zhongyi Army had a navy, any Jin general with a clear mind would not send his troops into the tiger's den.

If I have an advantage on the water, wouldn't it be better for me to attack the State of Song?
Moreover, Xiapi, which served as a forward base, had already been captured once by Wei Sheng, and all its supplies and provisions had been removed. The Jin army would then have to transport provisions from Xuzhou, making their advance extremely powerful and impossible to conceal.

If they wanted to launch an attack on Linyi from Xuzhou, they would have to go north to Jizhou, break through Yanzhou, bypass the vast mountainous area of ​​Yimeng Mountain, and attack Linyi from Feixian.

They fought across 600 li, creating a war myth of the classical era.

Therefore, the most likely route for the Jin army in Xuzhou is to march north to attack Yanzhou and Dongping Prefecture, and then kill Geng Jing!

This would allow them to break away from the front lines with the Song Dynasty and open a breach in the Shandong West Road, achieving two goals at once.

"Therefore, if the Jin invaders were to really fight, this would probably be the route they would take."

Liu Huai pointed to the Yellow River on the map and headed north, then drew a circle around Dongping Prefecture.

Wei Sheng stroked his long beard and nodded slowly.

This is not about being able to predict the future, but rather about making accurate judgments based on the geography of mountains and rivers, the global situation, and political factions.

"In that case, we should immediately write a letter to Geng Jiedu and warn him to be careful."

Liu Huai nodded, then shook his head: "Not only that, we also need to write a letter to Minister Yu of Lianghuai, asking him to make some preparations to restrain the Jin army at Wokou and prevent them from getting involved again."

Thirty thousand Jin bandits are already a lot; if a few thousand more were added, it might just be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

Wei Sheng pondered for a moment: "Brother, besides the Flying Tiger Army, which other troops are you planning to lead?"

“Zhang Baiyu’s unit of the Dongping Army.” Liu Huai had already prepared a plan: “The Dongping Army’s navy has also been reorganized, and many retired veterans have gone to the Maritime Trade Office. This is both a practical training exercise and a test for them.”

Wei Sheng nodded: "Do we need to assemble the garrison soldiers?"

Liu Huai thought for a moment and said, "That's not necessary, because the winter training of the garrison troops has not yet been disbanded and they can be assembled at any time. However, if we summon them all to Linyi, the logistical pressure will be too great. But we still need to prepare some standing troops. I will have Chief Secretary He follow Father's orders."

This meant that command of the Jingnan Army was handed over to Wei Sheng.

Wei Sheng pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then I will remain in Linyi to prepare for the future of my eldest son and provide support."

Liu Huai suddenly frowned: "Now we need to think about how to advise Geng Jiedu. I think the series of troubles he caused after the autumn harvest should be dealt with proactively."

It's nothing more than Jinan and Hebei. Do you really think a mere letter can make the Taiping Army change their strategic direction?

Wei Sheng could only sigh, "Let's do our best and leave the rest to fate."

(End of this chapter)