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

Chapter 575 A Dilemma of Advance and Retreat

"Although Bi Zaiyu is young, he has already killed a Jin army commander in battle. He should not be underestimated by ordinary people!"

After hesitating for a moment, Xin Qiji still whispered a word of advice.

Geng Jing waved his hand dismissively: "He's just a little kid. He may have some skills on the battlefield, but what long-term vision does he have? He's just picking up scraps from Liu Dalang."

I'll say it again: Liu Dalang may have his reasons, and I have mine. Must we argue about right and wrong at this point?

Xin Qiji immediately shut up.

He didn't know if it was because Liu Huai's methods in Sishui County were too ruthless, or because Geng Jing had some other considerations.

In short, Geng Jing always got a little too excited when others mentioned Liu Huai.

"Go and summon the Jin envoys, and have Zhang Anguo and the others come over as well. I want to see what the Jin traitors are up to."

Soon, generals Zhang Anguo, Li Tieqiang, Jia Rui, Ye Shichan, and others had all arrived.

They were extremely surprised to hear that an envoy from the Jin Kingdom had arrived. However, the military officers were simple-minded and thought that Geng Jing had sent them to bolster their prestige. As a result, many of them even put on their armor, put on their expressions, and stood fiercely on both sides of the command tent, holding their swords.

It was under these circumstances that Yila Dao entered the murderous tent without changing his expression.

Yila is Yelü. It was a surname changed by the Jin Dynasty to prevent the Khitan royal family from causing trouble. At first, it had some humiliating connotations, but the Liao Dynasty had been destroyed for decades and two generations had passed. Gradually, the surname was no longer considered humiliating and became a legitimate surname.

You can tell from the name Yiladao that this guy is a genuine Khitan.

Although he was only a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue at this time, he would become the Grand Chancellor of the Jin Dynasty, or prime minister, in a dozen years in history.

He was a very talented person who was valued by both Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yong.

In actual history, it was this guy who, together with Liang Qiu, pacified Shandong and recruited rebel armies.

Although there is no definitive historical record, given the time and place, and the fact that he was recruiting Shandong rebels, Zhang Anguo's rebellion, Geng Jing's death, and Yiladao's involvement are inextricably linked.

Of course, this kind of obscure history was something that neither Geng Jing nor Liu Huai could possibly know, let alone foresee.

"What does the benefactor have to say? Is he going to step down and hand over the reins?" Geng Jing asked with a cold laugh, not mincing words.

Yila Dao, neither humble nor arrogant, said solemnly, "No, no, His Majesty sent me to proclaim to the heroes of Shandong that as long as they are willing to turn back, they will be generously rewarded with official titles and ranks, whether they are officials or soldiers."

Geng Jing's smile grew even colder: "Is that all?"

Yila Dao also smiled, but his smile was extremely warm: "Of course there are other ways of speaking, but submission to the Great Jin is a major premise. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a joke to talk about granting titles at this time?"

Geng Jing slammed his fist on the table: "Isn't what you're saying a joke? Do you know that Liu Dalang of the Jingnan Army killed the envoy directly?! You want me to surrender with just empty words? Didn't you see my 100,000 troops camped for 50 miles?"

Yila Dao's gaze sharpened, and he keenly discerned certain information from Geng Jing's words. However, he remained calm and said, "Geng Jiedu, don't try to deceive me. I have also been in the army. An army of 100,000 is truly overwhelming, and you can't see the end of it for two or three days. Although the Tianping Army is powerful, it can never reach the scale of 100,000 troops."

Geng Jing, too lazy to say anything more, simply waved his hand and said, "Since the Jin thieves underestimate us, then you can go back now. From now on, let's settle things with swords!"

"Very well." Yila Dao remained as nonchalant as ever: "Then let the Taiping Army and my Great Jin warriors fight to the death on the battlefield! If it benefits Liu Dalang from Shandong, it will all become a joke."

With that, Yiladao made a gesture to turn and leave.

"Wait!" Kong Duanqi interrupted, bowing to Geng Jing and saying, "Commander, it wouldn't hurt to let the Jin envoy finish speaking before expelling him."

Geng Jing felt that these words had given him a way out, so after a moment of restraint, he nodded happily.

Yila Dao's eyes lit up. He glanced at Kong Duanqi without making a sound, and then said to Geng Jing, "My lord pities the people of the world who are suffering from war and wants to live in harmony with all of you heroes. From now on, Han people and Jurchens will be treated equally without discrimination."

"What did I think it was? Just an empty promise!" Li Tieqiang burst out laughing. "How about this, if the Jin Dynasty makes a Han Chinese emperor, I'll believe you. For example, my elder brother Geng Jiedu is quite good, much better than your emperor. Aren't you going to kowtow to him?"

Yila Dao, too lazy to pay attention to such a fool, continued, "But if you all remain obstinate, when the Heavenly Army arrives, you will all be reduced to dust under their iron cavalry!"

Geng Jing spread his hands and said, "Then let's have a life-or-death battle. If I lose, you can use my head as a chamber pot. But if you Jin traitors lose..."

A sinister smile appeared on Geng Jing's face: "From now on, there will be no more Jurchens in the world!"

Yila Dao sighed and said, "Geng Jiedu, in fact, my lord was indeed merciful this time. Before I set off from Liaodong, I knew that this would be the result. Because if we don't fight a battle and show that my Great Jin still has the strength to sweep across the world, how can I persuade someone like Geng Jiedu to surrender with just my words?"

However, as my lord said, we should do our best and leave the rest to fate. If this battle is truly unavoidable, when it comes to the fight to the death, do not blame anyone. I will return afterwards, and as for who will kneel and beg for peace, that will be up to their own abilities!

Geng Jing laughed and said, "You scoundrel do have some sincerity. With these words, it would seem petty of me to kill you. Get lost, and let your emperor wash his neck and wait!"

Yila Dao was not angry. He cupped his hands in greeting and turned to leave.

After watching Yila Dao leave, Geng Jing said to the generals, "I called you here not just to have a few words with the Jin traitors, but because Wei Gong of the Loyal Army has sent me military intelligence."

"Goro, tell everyone."

"Yes!" Xin Qiji responded, and then solemnly recounted the document jointly signed by Wei Sheng and Liu Huai.

"...This is the military intelligence that Lord Wei and Liu Dalang synthesized based on the intelligence they received."

Ye Shichan frowned and said, "So, the Jin bandits of Xuzhou are very likely to attack Dongping Prefecture? Doesn't that mean we can't attack Daming Prefecture?"

Kong Duanqi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stepped forward and said, "General Ye, you are mistaken. This is just Liu Dalang's side of the story and cannot be taken seriously."

Ye Shichan said solemnly, "Liu Dalang is already leading his army to threaten Pizhou. It doesn't seem like an exaggeration. Or is it that Liu Dalang has become distant from us and is only willing to give perfunctory answers, unwilling to put in the effort to entangle the Jin invaders?"

Xin Qiji was about to retort, but after seeing Li Tieqiang's warning look, he could only swallow his words.

"Liu Dalang will definitely fight to the death."

Xin Qiji looked in surprise toward the direction from which the voice came, only to find that it was Geng Jing who spoke up for Liu Huai.

"Liu Dalang may have his flaws, whether it's arrogance or overstepping his bounds, but ultimately he deeply hates the Jin invaders and is irreconcilably opposed to them. Moreover..."

At this point, Geng Jing gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Moreover, Liu Dalang may not care about the lives of us traitors who harm the people, but he will definitely not allow the Jin traitors to enter Dongping Prefecture and harm the people."

Upon hearing this, all the generals in the tent fell silent, and several of them showed signs of embarrassment.

After pondering for a moment, Ye Shichan said, "So the question is whether Liu Dalang can stop the Jin bandits?" Before, it was a question of attitude; now it's a question of ability.

Xin Qiji finally couldn't hold back and said, "If the Jingnan Army and the Zhongyi Army were to go out in full force, they might be able to confront the Jin bandits in Xuzhou head-on. However, when the Duke of Wei was in the spring, he had already made his plans for the next two years clear. In order to restore people's livelihood, he would try to avoid fighting for the next two years."

At most, Liu Dalang could only lead a few thousand elite troops to hold our army back.

Ye Shichan murmured, "Several thousand people... that's not enough."

The Jin army in Xuzhou numbered 30,000. Their fighting strength may have been somewhat reduced due to the annihilation of the First Meng'an's entire army, but their numbers were still considerable, and they had many tactical options.

The simplest option is to leave one commander to guard Xuzhou and block Liu Huai, while the other two commanders attack Dongping Prefecture from the north. What should we do then?

Could we really expect Liu Huai to lead a few thousand men to directly capture Pengcheng?
Geng Jing also realized this problem, and then turned his gaze to Kong Duanqi: "Mr. Kong, is there any definite answer from the Song state?"

Kong Duanqi felt flustered.

We've finally gotten to this topic.

But he still forced himself to remain calm: "It's already done, Jiedushi. I came here for this very reason. Minister Ye and Minister Yu of the Song state have not yet sent official documents, but they have already dispatched military envoys to investigate the Jin army in Xuzhou several times, and have also sent many troops to garrison Shanyang, seemingly intending to move north to Suqian."

Ye Shichan felt relieved.

The political significance of the Song Dynasty crossing the Huai River far outweighed its military significance, as it marked the beginning of a new round of northern expeditions, leaving the Jin Dynasty with no choice but to be on high alert.

Even if only 10,000 Song soldiers crossed the Huai River, the Jin army in Xuzhou would not dare to make any rash moves. In addition, Liu Huai's elite troops were eyeing Pizhou with hostility. As long as the Jin army in Xuzhou hesitated for a few months, the Tianping Army would be able to free up its hands to attack and capture Daming Prefecture.

Xin Qiji frowned and said, "Then why didn't Liu Dalang mention this in his letter? Does Prime Minister Yu intend to keep it a secret from Liu Dalang?"

Kong Duanqi remained silent for a moment before cupping his hands and saying, "Xin Wulang, let me tell you the truth, please don't be angry. Master Yu may not necessarily be hiding things from Liu Dalang, but Liu Dalang is very likely to be hiding things from us."

Xin Qiji was taken aback upon hearing this, and then shook his head repeatedly: "This is absolutely impossible."

Kong Duanqi pressed on, saying, "How is it impossible? The military governor just said that Liu Dalang is extremely kind to the people. He is clearly a famous general, but he can refrain from going into battle and instead wants to restore the people's livelihood. It is possible that he can't stand what we are doing and wants to stop us from sending troops in this way."

At this point, Kong Duanqi paused deliberately, seemingly hesitant: "Moreover...moreover, the growing power of our Taiping Army doesn't seem to be a good thing for Liu Dalang either..."

Xin Qiji finally lost his temper: "What kind of slanderous words are you spouting?! Does the classics allow you to speak ill of others?"

"Alright," Geng Jing said, stopping the two from arguing.

"Wulang, Mr. Kong, don't get yourselves into a mess." Geng Jing said solemnly, "The key now is not who said what, or didn't say what. It's whether the Song Kingdom will send troops or not, and whether the Jin Kingdom will attack Dongping Prefecture."

"Wu Lang, Da Tie Qiang, Jia Hulu." Geng Jing looked at his three trusted confidants: "All three of you have been to the Song Kingdom and worked in its central government. Tell me, will the Song Kingdom send troops across the Huai River?"

The three knew that this matter concerned the Taiping Army's next strategic moves, so they had to be cautious.

The generals in the tent also waited quietly.

After a moment, Li Tieqiang finally spoke with difficulty: "The Song Dynasty had heroes, but most of these heroes died or were wounded in the Battle of Lianghuai. Most of those who survived were useless cowards who dared not fight and were incapable of fighting."

"But Prime Minister Yu, who was in charge of Lianghuai, was a remarkable figure. If he were here, he would still be able to accomplish something."

Geng Jing and the others were all somewhat helpless upon hearing this.

Zhang Anguo retorted angrily, "What's the difference between saying something and not saying anything at all?"

Li Tieqiang wasn't annoyed. He forced a smile and said to Zhang Anguo, "Zhang Qi, if you had come south with us, you would be in the same predicament. The Song Dynasty has many heroes, but even more cowards..."

Xin Qiji, however, said, "General, no matter what, it is still the right thing to do to ask Prime Minister Yu for the exact documents. Prime Minister Ye is unreliable, and the rest of the people in Song are also unreliable. Only Prime Minister Yu has the ability to accomplish this."

"Governor, please allow me to make a trip to Lianghuai."

Kong Duanqi's heart was pounding in his throat.

If Xin Qiji were to meet Yu Yunwen, wouldn't he immediately expose the charlatan he was trying to maintain?

However, Geng Jing immediately waved his hand: "A great battle is about to begin, how can we do without a general like you? Let Mr. Kong do it."

Xin Qiji knew that Geng Jing was still worried that he would join forces with Liu Huai and Yu Yunwen, so he could only sigh and say, "Yes, sir."

Kong Duanqi breathed a sigh of relief and then bowed in return, saying, "As you command."

For the Taiping Army, the situation was already clear.

The Taiping Army was determined to send troops; the only options were to either directly attack Daming Prefecture or, as a second choice, take Jinan Prefecture.

This expansion plan was set as early as last year and is absolutely impossible to change.

It's simply a matter of how many troops to leave behind in Dongping Prefecture.

If Yu Yunwen could lead the Song army across the Huai River from Shanyang and threaten Suqian, and at the same time Liu Huai could lead his army to threaten Pizhou, then the Jin army in Xuzhou would have no choice but to retreat to Guide Prefecture and even the Bianliang area.

Otherwise, we will be caught in a pincer movement!
Then the Taiping Army can rest easy.

But if you lift the hole, you'll feel like you're sitting on pins and needles.

Because he knew for certain that no Song reinforcements would arrive to cause any trouble.

During this time, Kong Duanqi wanted to apologize to Geng Jing countless times, but the thought of his future being ruined and no longer being able to hold an important position made his heart feel like it was being squeezed.

Anyway, all of this is just Liu Huai's speculation. The Jin army in Xuzhou may not necessarily send troops, right?
Kong Duanqi was in a daze and had no idea when he had left the camp.

It wasn't until he reunited with several trusted soldiers and had traveled ten miles from the camp that he snapped out of his daze at the greeting.

"Mr. Kong, I've been waiting for you!"

Kong Duanqi shuddered, then looked towards the roadside.

At a tea stall, Yila Dao held up a teacup, smiling but saying nothing.

(End of this chapter)