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

Chapter 576 Chaos on the Battlefield

The war came faster than anyone had anticipated.

The outbreak of war was even more unexpected by everyone.

On September 16, Heshilie Zhining led 6,000 elite cavalry south from Daming Prefecture and stationed them in Puyang.

This place not only points directly to Shouzhang, the western gateway to Dongping Prefecture, but is also only two hundred li away from Bianliang.

This alarmed not only the Taiping Army, but also Wanyan Liang.

Although he still had 100,000 troops under his command, apart from Heza Meng'an, they were all disorganized and incapable of fighting tough battles.

The failure of this southern expedition and the coexistence of two emperors in the Jin Dynasty dealt a tremendous blow to Wanyan Liang's prestige. It would take him a long time to regain popular support.

But if Heza Meng'an is sent out, wouldn't this army of 100,000 immediately become unstable?

Even at this point, Wanyan Liang still hoped to quell the war by winning over Heshilie Zhining.

Then his messenger never returned.

There's nothing more to discuss. Let's prepare for battle.

Even though he was unwilling, Wanyan Liang still personally led an army of 60,000 men across the Yellow River and stationed them in Baima City, hoping to force Heshilie Zhining to retreat and achieve the goal of subduing the enemy without fighting.

But this immediately triggered a chain reaction.

North of Shanzhou, across the Yellow River in Jiezhou, Wanyan Guying's banners appeared, and there seemed to be a large-scale military movement.

When Tudan Hexi, who was in Guanzhong and still confronting Wu Lin, reported this military intelligence, Wanyan Liang felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and almost fainted.

The shape of the Western Jin Dynasty ruled by Wanyan Liang was roughly that of a dumbbell, with the two thicker parts being the Central Plains and Guanzhong, and the thinner part in the middle being Shanzhou.

Tongguan, which is said to be the only road since ancient times, is located in Shanzhou.

If Wanyan Yong sends troops to establish a foothold in Shanzhou, then the Western Jin will be divided into two parts, one in Guanzhong and the other in the Central Plains, which will be unable to support each other.

Without the support of provisions from the Central Plains, no matter how loyal Tudan Hexi and Zhang Zhongyan were, they had no choice but to bow down to Wanyan Yong.

Otherwise, these two would really have been killed by Wu Lin!
Faced with such a dire situation, Wanyan Liang's gambler's instincts were reignited. He emptied the treasury, mobilized the entire army in Bianliang, and launched an offensive in Hebei.

Why do you come from so many routes? I go from one route.

Didn't you want to use Wanyan Guying in Jin to restrain me? I'll directly attack the flat plains of Hebei and see if you, Wanyan Yong, dare to have a decisive battle with me in Youyan!

Damn it, all in!
The 100,000-strong army split into two routes.

One force of 40,000 troops, led by Pusan ​​Zhongyi, marched out of Weizhou and attacked Xiangzhou.

With 60,000 troops, led by Wanyan Liang himself, and Crown Prince Wanyan Guangying also by his side, they marched straight from Baima to Kaizhou.

Upon seeing this, Heshi Liezhining, who was in Puyang, Kaizhou, was startled and, disregarding everything else, immediately led his troops to retreat.

His goal was still to support Liu E and, incidentally, to guard Daming Prefecture, the southern gateway to Hebei. He only had six thousand elite cavalry under his command. How could he possibly fight Wanyan Liang to the death?
Although Heshilie Zhining felt that Wanyan Liang's behavior was somewhat crazy, the arrival of so many troops could not be faked, so he immediately requested reinforcements from Wanyan Yong.

By the time the news reached Wanyan Yong, it was already September 23rd.

Wanyan Yong had long been prepared for this. He first dispatched General Tudan Hailuo with 20,000 troops to Hejian, and then personally led 30,000 troops south to succeed Tudan Hailuo.

In an instant, Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yong seemed poised to wage a strategic decisive battle in Hebei, a battle that would determine the fate of the land and decide the ownership of the north.

As all the wise men had predicted, the two Jin kingdoms did indeed go to war.

Wanyan Liang's entry into Puyang was not difficult, because the local officials were also wavering. Yesterday, when the emperor in the east was powerful, they would naturally side with him; today, when the emperor in the west is powerful, they would switch sides again.

The two big shots are scheming against each other, so don't bother us. We'll listen to whoever wins.

That's just courting death.

During political struggles, one can wait for the best offer, but now we're in a chaotic world, and you still want to pull this stunt? What, do you have 10,000 troops under your command?
Therefore, after Wanyan Liang led his army into Puyang, he immediately began the massacre of the city.

It must be said that in feudal times, massacring a city was a relatively cost-effective way to boost morale, because it not only brought a large amount of wealth, food and women, but also turned the men under its command into bloodthirsty beasts.

That's pretty much what the beast army is like.

Soon, the morale of Wanyan Liang's 60,000 troops, who were personally leading the army, began to swell.

Upon seeing this, Wanyan Liang was overjoyed and immediately led his army north to besiege Yuancheng, the core city of Daming Prefecture.

Then things went a little wrong here.

Heshilie Zhining led his troops to retreat because he had no idea about the temperaments of the local officials and powerful families.

We are all from the Jin Dynasty. Do you want to pledge allegiance to Wanyan Yong or Wanyan Liang? You can't see into someone's heart. How can you tell?
He Shi Lie Zhi Ning's biggest worry was that he would hold out in the city. The local powerful families felt that it didn't matter who controlled the country, so why suffer from war? They took the opportunity to open the city gates and surrender.

Then he would become a laughing stock.

But what Wanyan Liang did in Puyang was truly terrifying. Even after the city gates were opened and the city surrendered, he still ordered a massacre. Did he have no regard for political rules? Had he gone mad?

Yes, we are knowledgeable about military and political affairs, and we understand that Your Majesty's tens of thousands of troops are not stable at all. But let me ask you, have you carried out a massacre in the city? How can we believe that you wouldn't do such a thing in Daming Prefecture?

This led to the people of Daming Prefecture uniting as one to defend the city to the death, determined to fight Wanyan Liang to the very end.

Of course, Heshilie Zhining would not continue to garrison in Yuancheng because of these few words. Instead, he led 6,000 elite troops northward along the Yongji Canal and established a camp in Guantao Town, 50 miles away.

Before the invention of artillery, sieges were inherently difficult. Once a city had complete defensive structures and a determined garrison, the attacking forces could only establish siege camps and gradually chip away at the city's defenses.

The famous generals in history who fought across thousands of miles and swept through the enemy's main field army often caused the defenders to break down and the city to crumble at the slightest touch.

Yuancheng was a formidable city that had been under construction since the Song Dynasty. Although it didn't have much grain, it wasn't a city that could be taken in one fell swoop.

Wanyan Liang was a smart man; how could he not know the consequences of massacring a city?
But he had no choice. If he hadn't fed his troops with the wealth and women of Puyang, they might have already collapsed on their own.

It is only natural that they have suffered a setback at the hands of Yuancheng.

We'll lay them out along the Yongji Canal and then slowly work them out; there's no rush.

Once Pu Sanzhongyi has taken over Xiangzhou and then marches north to Mingzhou, he can use a fierce left hook to directly block He Shilie Zhining's retreat.

No matter how many troops Wanyan Yong's troops come, they will all die.

However, it is not as good as God.

On the first day of the tenth month, Heshilie Zhining and Tudan Hailuo joined forces, totaling nearly 30,000 troops. Without stopping for a moment, they immediately laid a pontoon bridge and crossed the Yongji Canal upstream. Then, the entire army marched south and attacked Wanyan Liang.

At the same time, just as Pusan ​​Zhongyi led his army to Mingzhou, someone reported to him that the Han'er army was unstable.

Pusan ​​Zhongyi initially thought it was just another rumor circulating in the army, so he sent his son, Pusan ​​Kui, to conduct a routine check-up.

This investigation actually uncovered something.

Of the 40,000 troops under Pu Sanzhongyi, about 15,000 were Han soldiers, most of whom were of Han origin from Youyan.

Liu E had previously sent a message instructing them to flee north immediately after arriving in Mingzhou. He said that even if their organization was disbanded, it wouldn't matter, as everything would be fine once they reached Youyan.

However, the leading general had a different idea.

He also needed to establish himself in front of Wanyan Yong.

Wouldn't it be even more impressive to bring back an entire army intact?
However, ensuring the integrity of the organization is not an easy task. In any case, the officers under his command must be informed of the situation beforehand.

However, these officers also had their own trusted confidants.

The information suddenly became uncontrollable, and everyone in the Han army was talking about going home.

Therefore, after only a brief investigation, Pusan ​​Kui realized that something was wrong and quickly returned to Pusan ​​Zhongyi's side to prepare for the situation.

The Han army knew they had revealed their strength, but at this point they had nowhere to retreat and could only hastily launch an attack, with the entire army breaking camp and heading north.

Pu Sanzhongyi could only respond hastily, personally leading several hundred elite cavalry guards in an attempt to quell the rebellion by capturing the leader first.

In fact, Pusan ​​Zhongyi was indeed one of the most outstanding military strategists of the era. The mere 10,000 Han soldiers had no way to resist Pusan ​​Zhongyi's personal surprise attack. Before long, not only were the officers killed, but the entire army had already collapsed.

The key point is that wanting to go home is all the hope of the Han people of Youyan. Even if the whole army is scattered, they will all flee north together, and Pu Sanzhongyi will be unable to gather them together.

When the Han army fled, many Xi and Khitan people followed suit. Pusan ​​Zhongyi's 40,000-strong army almost mutinied. Before they had even engaged in much fighting, they had already lost more than half of their troops.

The same thing happened south of the Yongji Canal.

Wanyan Liang initially thought that Heshilie Zhining had walked right into a trap, so he immediately deployed his forces, intending to fight a strategic decisive battle. However, this battle, which could have been called the battle to determine the fate of Hebei, was filled with all sorts of strange atmospheres from the very beginning.

First, there's Wanyan Liang's side. Of his 60,000 troops, 30,000 are Han Chinese soldiers. Moreover, Wanyan Liang is worried that Liu E might cause trouble, so he keeps him by his side to keep an eye on him.

However, the Han army was divided into two parts, one under Wanyan Liang and the other under Pusan ​​Zhongyi. If they wanted to cause trouble, they had to launch a simultaneous operation. Otherwise, once the news got out, the other part would have a hard time extricating itself.

This date is October 1st.

Liu E had been plotting something for a long time, preparing to open Wanyan Liang's eyes wide.

Secondly, there was Heshilie Zhining, who also hastily marched south to attack because of his appointment with Liu E.

This meant that Tudan Hailuo's 20,000-plus troops had no time to rest before being thrown into battle.

These two generals were not lacking in either military strategy or political stance, but in their haste they forgot one thing.

Their mindset had already been adjusted during the suppression of the Khitan rebellion, but the junior officers, and even some mid-level officers like the marching Meng'an, had not yet changed their thinking.

If Wanyan Liang had died in the Huai River region, and the army was now commanded by the crown prince Wanyan Guangying, then it would have been fine.

Even if all else fails, Wanyan Yong could lead his army here.

However, neither of these two conditions were met, yet they were about to take action against the former emperor. Who could not be shocked and hesitant?

Neither side was adequately prepared and made significant mistakes, which caused the balance of the war to fluctuate wildly.

The two sides were in great chaos from the moment the battle began.

First, He Shilie Zhining remained true to his fierce general nature, leading his troops to charge at the forefront. After breaking through two formations and defeating thousands of men, he realized that the follow-up troops had not caught up at all.

Now even He Shilie Zhining was a little flustered.

Wanyan Liang was overjoyed upon seeing this and dispatched Hezhameng'an to fight, hoping to capture Heshilie Zhining in one fell swoop.

However, at this moment, the Han army, whose formation was the thickest, broke away from the main formation and began to attack from the north.

Wanyan Liang originally thought that the Han army had been provoked by the scouts and had taken the initiative to fight. After sending the military envoy to deliver the order, he found that the envoy never returned.

Wanyan Liang then had a sudden inspiration and went to look for Liu E's whereabouts, only to find that the fellow had long since disappeared.

Now it was Wanyan Liang's turn to be drenched in sweat.

If the Han army were to turn against him, he would be completely finished.

Thinking of this, Wanyan Liang's ferocity was reignited, and he simply led his personal guards and the army forward to press forward.

We must kill He Shilie Zhining first, no matter what!
Liu E was also full of worries.

To be honest, he really wanted to turn against Wanyan Liang, but Liu E faced a similar problem to Heshilie Zhining.

Let the Han soldiers go home, the Han soldiers would be 100% in favor, but let the Han soldiers go and kill the emperor, that's nonsense.

Moreover, to maintain secrecy, Liu E only told the generals when they agreed to return north today. Although they could command the troops, as the army gradually approached the enemy, not only the officers at all levels but even the ordinary soldiers began to hesitate.

To fight or not to fight?
What followed was Tudan Hailuo's stress response.

He knew that he was there to meet the Han army, a great responsibility, but he could not stand by and watch Heshilie Zhining die at the hands of Wanyan Liang. So he immediately commanded the army to advance.

Tudan Hailuo's original intention was to rescue Heshilie Zhining, but the army's actions would clear out the surrounding area, and soon the scouts and cavalry were locked in a fierce battle with the advancing Han scouts.

The battle quickly escalated, and junior officers, following established procedures, took the initiative to lead their cavalry into battle, resulting in a fierce melee.

too messy.

Liu E, who had returned to the Han army, saw that the chaos was spreading and knew that the Han army could no longer participate in the war. He made a decision immediately.

The entire army formed a marching formation, disregarding everything else, and headed north all the way home!

Then, to the astonishment of all the participating troops, the 30,000 Han soldiers emerged from the billowing dust and fled in a flash, regardless of whether they could maintain their formation.

Logically speaking, with half of the troops deserting, the morale of Wanyan Liang's forces should have collapsed long ago, but there is no such thing as normalcy on the battlefield today.

Wanyan Liang personally led his Golden Guard banner and fought alongside Hezha Meng'an, managing to maintain the morale of the army.

But He Shilie Zhining really couldn't hold on any longer.

He had held out for a long time against the siege of Heza Meng'an, but he could not wait for Tudan Hailuo's reinforcements. He could only cut down the banner and break out of the encirclement.

After joining up with Tutankhamun, they retreated northward.

Wanyan Liang led Heza Meng'an in a pursuit of victory, defeating Tudan Hailuo's forces in one fell swoop. However, fearing that the remaining troops would also scatter, he had no choice but to withdraw his troops and return to camp, without pursuing them to the end.

After returning to their respective camps, both sides tallied up their gains and losses for the day.

On Heshilie Zhining's side, the Han Chinese troops who had defected to him had completely scattered, and Liu E was still gathering his troops.

Both Heshilie Zhining and Tudan Hailuo suffered heavy losses in the final moments, with no fewer than 5,000 casualties.

Wanyan Liang's situation was even worse; not only had he lost half of his troops, but the remaining half were also showing signs of aggression.

Both sides suffered crushing defeats today.

However, He Shilie Zhining still has an advantage.

Wanyan Liang brought his entire family with him; it was a fight to the death. Heshilie Zhining, on the other hand, had 30,000 troops personally led by Wanyan Yong as his successor.

As long as we hold on here, and wait for Wanyan Yong to arrive with his army, it will be the end for Wanyan Liang!
Then, the next morning, He Shilie Zhining received a bolt from the blue.

After Yesugei, the leader of the Mongol Qiyan tribe, annexed the Tatar tribe at the beginning of the year, his power greatly increased. In the autumn, he annexed the Taichiwu tribe, declared himself the Mongol Khan, and sent troops to attack Linhuang Prefecture.

Historically, the Tatar tribe was almost entirely uninvolved in the Khitan uprising. Therefore, although Yesugei killed the Tatar leader Wuge, causing heavy casualties to the Tatar tribe, he ultimately failed to completely annex the Tatar tribe.

But things are different now. Wuge led his tribe's elite troops to try and take advantage of the Khitans, but they were brutally beaten by the Jin army and the Khitans, leaving them severely weakened and powerless to resist the Qiyan tribe.

Yesu could be said to have snowballed his power. In another six months, he used both soft and hard tactics to annex the Taichuwu tribe, almost unifying eastern Mongolia. He then launched a war against his sworn enemy, the Jin Dynasty.

Linhuang Prefecture cannot be lost. The Linhuang Prefecture Horse Breeding Bureau, which produces the most warhorses in the Jin Kingdom, is located there. If it is lost, how can the Jin army continue to leverage its cavalry advantage?

Therefore, Wanyan Yong only traveled south for one day before leading his army back north.

Similarly, Wanyan Guying, who was in Shanxi, also ceased his operations and returned to Datong Prefecture to deal with the Mongol attack.

Wanyan Yong made it clear in his military order that Yangheshilie Zhining was needed to defend the Hejian Prefecture line, and the southern prefectures and counties should be defended if possible, but if not, they could be kept under control.

Meanwhile, news of the mutiny of the Han Chinese army under Pusan ​​Zhongyi's command also reached Wanyan Liang.

Wanyan Liang and Heshilie Zhining were looking at the military report, clicking their tongues at the same time.

What kind of war is this?
You little brat, just you wait. Once I catch my breath, I'll take your dog's life sooner or later!

On the third day, the officials in Yuancheng saw Wanyan Liang withdrawing his troops from afar and were overjoyed, congratulating each other.

However, when they went to look for Heshilie Zhining, they discovered it.

Oh dear, so the general left a long time ago too!

A strategic location that was once fiercely contested by both sides has suddenly become unwanted.

Not to mention how chaotic the officials in Daming Prefecture were.

On October 8th, Geng Jing, who was located at the border of Dongping Prefecture and Bozhou, sorted out the news from the chaotic military situation and almost laughed his head off.

This is truly divine intervention!
Although there is still no definite document from Lord Yu, everything is ready except for the final push. The Taiping Army has been waiting for this opportunity for too long, and it is time to send out troops!
Meanwhile, in Xuzhou.

Heshilie Liangbi burned the documents in his hand and threw them into the Yellow River.

"So be it."

Heshi Lieliangbi turned around, a bright smile on his face: "Let's send troops."

Upon hearing this, more than ten generals, including Tu Danzhen, were startled and revealed a ruthless expression unlike anything they had shown before.

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)