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

Chapter 591 Brave Warriors Set Off on a Long Expedition

The Taiping Army's retreat was resolute, but also hasty.

Wanyan Shoudao had been sleeping on the city wall for the past few days, ready to fight at any moment. Normally, the Tianping Army would launch small-scale night raids or beat drums and gongs to keep the Jin army from sleeping, but this night was unusually quiet.

The next day, Wanyan Shoudao looked out of the city at dawn and found that the siege camp below the city had been evacuated, while the Tianping Army camp further away was shrouded in mist, as if they were cooking.

Wanyan Shoudao, with his extensive military experience, immediately realized that the Taiping Army was about to withdraw and promptly lit several beacon fires in the city.

Beacon fires can only transmit a small amount of information, but as long as the communication continues and the content is agreed upon, messages can be transmitted very quickly over long distances.

Soon, Jia Gu Qingchen, who had secretly led two thousand armored cavalry to lie in ambush in Nanpi, Cangzhou, received the news and immediately led his troops along the Yongji Canal toward Daming Prefecture.

It was truly remarkable that Dongjin could muster these two thousand elite troops at this time. About 1,300 of them were squeezed out by Wanyan Yong, and another 600 or so were selected by Heshilie Zhining from the defeated army. They were all soldiers capable of fighting tough battles.

To be honest, Dongjin is also very busy right now, and being able to muster these troops is already a good thing for Heshilie Liangbi.

The Western Jin dynasty under Wanyan Liang was utterly powerless and even considered moving the capital to Luoyang.

After Xin Qiji and Li Tieqiang had the wounded soldiers, laborers, and the elderly and weak follow the central army ahead, the two combined their four thousand troops and retreated to the rear.

Although the straight-line distance between Xucheng and Yuancheng is only two hundred li, military operations cannot be conducted according to the rules of an outing, and cannot be calculated solely based on the straight-line distance.

The Taiping Army's northward march was not solely aimed at Daming Prefecture. Therefore, they established their forward base in Liaocheng, the capital of Bozhou, where they stockpiled a large amount of military supplies and provisions. Consequently, the Taiping Army's retreat route was to first head east, establish a foothold in Liaocheng, and then turn south.

When the main force of the Tianping Army withdrew to the vicinity of Tangyi, Xin Qiji also broke camp and set off. After traveling for less than half an hour, he encountered Jia Gu Qingchen, who was rushing towards him.

Without further words, the two began practicing on the spot.

On one side was a long-distance raid, and on the other side were exhausted troops. The two sides were evenly matched. After fighting for an hour, both sides withdrew their troops.

Xin Qiji led his troops in a slow retreat, while Jia Gu Qingchen led his cavalry at a distance, occasionally rushing over to harass them.

Although news of the siege of Xucheng had not yet spread, the retreat in the face of battle still caused a drop in morale among the Tianping army. If it weren't for Xin Qiji's strict discipline in managing his troops, the army might have already completely collapsed.

Although Liu Huai did not have a complete understanding of the situation here with the Taiping Army, he still had some guesses in his mind.

The world is materialistic. People need to eat and have emotions and desires. Even the military has to walk properly and can't actually fly or disappear. This leads to the fact that military operations, once they reach a certain stage, are all conducted openly.

In Yidu Prefecture, Liu Huai faced military generals such as Huyan Nanxian, Lei Ben, Shi Qilang, and Wang Xiongyi, as well as civil officials such as Lu You, Li Tong, He Boqiu, and Zhang Xiaoxiang. After gesturing on the map, he slowly said, "That's roughly the military situation. Do you have anything to say?"

He Boqiu, without hesitation, coldly snorted and said, "What kind of battle is Chief Geng fighting? It's utterly inexplicable."

Looking at the map, Hu Yananxian sighed and said, "This battle shouldn't have been fought."

Everyone nodded.

Wouldn't it be better to consolidate our development for a few years, wait for the East and West Gold to fight to the death, and then launch a full-scale attack?
If the Taiping Army can consolidate its power and manage its territory, even if Heshi Lie Liangbi can unite the 30,000 households of Xuzhou, he will be powerless to stop it.

Could he really risk attacking Dongping Prefecture with the main force of the Taiping Army and besieging Xucheng at the risk of being surrounded and annihilated by the Jingnan Army that came to its aid?

Impossible. This is an army of 30,000, not 30,000 cabbages. Even if Heshi Lieliangbi had the desire to pacify Shandong, he would not simply throw away these troops for nothing.

If Heshi Lieliangbi fails to launch an attack this winter, the 30,000 households in Xuzhou will fall into internal strife. They are a mixed bunch, forcibly united, and without a common enemy, they will go their separate ways.

This is not something that any one person or group of people can change; rather, it is being pushed forward by the general trend of the world.

However, due to the Taiping Army's hasty deployment, all these plans have fallen apart. The Jin army in Xuzhou, which was originally on the verge of collapse, has been roused to fight head-on.

After hearing the military report, everyone clicked their tongues in disbelief.

No matter how angry or helpless I am, things have come to this point, and I have no choice but to bite the bullet and face the challenge head-on.

Li Tong cupped his hands and said, "Young Master, we have no choice but to send troops now. If the Jin army breaks through Dongping Prefecture and then enters Yanzhou, they will be able to directly threaten Linyi. At that time, the entire eastern Shandong region will be in danger."

Zhang Xiaoxiang chimed in, "That's an old story." These two couldn't stand each other, after all, one was a former prime minister of the Jin Dynasty, and the other was a future prime minister of the Song Dynasty. It would be strange if they didn't have some conflicts.

Liu Huai immediately stopped the argument that was about to begin between the two: "Time is of the essence. As Mr. Li said, we have no choice but to send troops now! This time it is my decision alone, Father Commander and I. The garrison troops have been assembled. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. We only have two directions to send troops from Yidu Prefecture."

The first to cross the Qinghe River to attack Hebei, besiege Hejian Prefecture, threaten the rear of the Jin invaders, and block the Jin invaders' reinforcements from Hebei;
The second plan was to attack Jinan Prefecture, and after capturing Licheng, to sail upstream along the Beiqing River directly to Dongping Prefecture to join the battle.

"Do you have any other explanation?"

"Okay, since there isn't one, let's vote by raising hands!"

Sure enough, few agreed with the first option, while many agreed with the second.

The opposition to the first option stemmed not only from the prospect of directly confronting Dongjin's main forces, but also from a more practical reason.

To attack Hejian Prefecture from Shandong East Road, one would inevitably have to pass through Cangzhou. This place was where the Yellow River once flowed into the sea during the five changes of the Yellow River during the Song Dynasty. It was full of saline-alkali land and sparsely populated, making it impossible to support a large-scale military march.

Moreover, Liu Huai was facing a situation similar to that before he went to support Lianghuai.

Cutting off the enemy's retreat and reinforcements might work, but the Taiping Army might not be able to hold out for that long.

"Since that's the case, let's not hesitate, who will be the vanguard!" Under Liu Huai's sweeping inspection, all the generals were eager to try.

Hu Yanan immediately stood up and said, “Commander-in-Chief, I have been sitting in Yidu Prefecture for a long time and have made some preparations for Licheng. Wucheng Army is also the most complete in terms of troops. The other troops are still gathering. Logically and emotionally, I should be the vanguard.”

Some people wanted to object, but Hu Yananxian bowed deeply to everyone and said, "Fellow colleagues, Wu Chengjun must accomplish something in order to gain a foothold in Shandong."

Upon hearing this, even Zhang Qing and others who were somewhat annoyed by Wu Chengjun fell silent.

The Dongping Army and the Wucheng Army had fought each other head-on and had a deep-seated grudge. This hatred wouldn't simply disappear because Xu Wen committed suicide or Huyan Nanxian came to power.

Even though Zhang Qing, Xiao En, and others would prioritize the overall situation, they ultimately could not be as close to Wu Cheng's army as the other armies.

The simplest and quickest way to break down this barrier is to fight side by side and cooperate in a battle. At that time, Wu Cheng's army will naturally integrate into the Shandong rebel army.

Seeing that no one else objected, Liu Huai immediately made the decision: "The Wucheng Army, with four thousand regular troops, will lead the charge and march on Licheng immediately!"

“Yes!” Huyan Nanxian responded loudly.

"Li Huo'er!" Liu Huai looked at the vanguard commander of the Loyal and Righteous Army, who was also his former deputy general: "You will lead your two thousand troops to garrison Putai and guard against the Jin bandits in Hebei!"

"Here!"

"Zhang Qing! You will lead two thousand soldiers of the Dongping Army to succeed the Wucheng Army and garrison in Jiyang."

"Here!"

At this time, most of the garrison troops of the Jingnan Army and the Zhongyi Army were still gathering, and the only troops that could be mobilized were the nearby Wucheng Army and a few thousand others.

"I will gather troops here to serve as your successors."

"Li Canjun, oversee the logistics and supplies."

"Chief Clerk He, please follow me to handle military matters."

"Mr. Lu, you are in charge of the livelihood of several prefectures and counties in the rear. Under no circumstances should chaos be caused."

"Luo Erlang, draft a document for me and send a letter to Geng Jiedu, telling him to hold out for twenty days no matter what. After twenty days, I will personally lead a large army to his rescue!"

Liu Huai loudly issued the order, and the others responded in unison. Seeing that no one had any other opinion, he turned to Huyan Nanxian and said, "Speed ​​is of the essence in war. General Huyan must not stop. I will follow behind you!"

Hu Yananxian knew that the second sentence was an urging, so he immediately got up and, disregarding that it was already noon, was about to lead his troops out.

(End of this chapter)