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

Chapter 595 Refugees Everywhere, Military Marching Difficult

Hu Yananxian was unaware of what had happened in Licheng.

But now that he knew the powerful families of Jinan Prefecture were going to join forces with the Jin Dynasty, he could no longer stay in the vicinity of Licheng.

Otherwise, they would face ubiquitous nighttime attacks and harassment.

The four hundred riders galloped along the same route they had come from, only stopping when they reached Zhangqiu County, the easternmost part of Jinan Prefecture.

This is the border area between Jinan Prefecture and Zizhou. Camps have been set up along the Xiaoqing River as a transit point for stockpiling supplies, and hundreds of soldiers from the Wucheng Army are stationed here.

Originally, this place should only serve as a supply depot, but due to the unsuccessful march to Licheng, this place should become the forward base for the entire army.

Having only successfully captured Zizhou, Hu Yananxian was driven out of Jinan Prefecture. He couldn't tell whether he felt frustrated or proud, but he certainly felt a little regretful.

"Have the remaining troops assemble here, and those that arrive should rest on the spot. Within three days, I will lead the entire army on the expedition!" Huyan Nanxian said to Deputy Commander Liang Yuan'er, "Whether our Wucheng Army can make a name for itself in Shandong this time depends on this tremor."

Liang Yuan'er nodded. He was much more composed and advised, "General, war is dangerous. If you only think about making a name for yourself, you are likely to suffer a defeat."

Just as Huyan Nanxian was about to wave his hand dismissively, he suddenly realized that the person in front of him was not an old comrade of Wu Chengjun, but someone representing another faction of the Han'er Army. He immediately explained, "A Yuan is right, but we were originally Jin soldiers, and we don't have any outstanding achievements to show for ourselves. We are still inferior to others. Even if Lord Wei and Commander Langjun promote us, it's not a long-term solution. We still have to risk our lives."

But don't worry, Ah Yuan, how could I not care about the lives of my men? I will be careful."

Seeing that the reminder had been given, Liang Yuan'er said nothing more, simply nodded to Ji Cheng, and then turned and left to arrange camp affairs.

After Liang Yuan'er left, Ji Cheng said indignantly, "What are those stray dogs of the Wuxing Army so arrogant about?!"

"Shut up!" Huyan Nanxian snapped. "We're all in the same boat now. Do you want to cause trouble for yourselves? If you say another word like that, I'll tear your mouth off!"

Ji Cheng nodded hastily, then changed the subject: "Brother, what should we do with Deng Yu, the one you captured?"

"I'm busy right now, let's give him a break!" Hu Yananxian ordered, then strode out of the tent to inspect the camp and check how many warhorses had been lost in this long-distance raid.

Huyan Nanxian's troop deployment plan was perfect, but it failed in the very first step.

On November 8th, the very day Huyan Nanxian was preparing to send out his troops, tens of thousands of refugees traversed the entire Jinan Prefecture, pouring towards Zizhou.

These were not all refugees from Licheng. Refugees would die along the way, but the number of refugee armies was difficult to reduce because they would plunder food and livestock wherever they went, turning ordinary people into new refugees.

The entire group of refugees grew larger and larger, like a snowball rolling downhill.

Hu Yananxian was completely at a loss, not knowing what to do.

At the critical moment, Zhang Xiaoxiang, who happened to be there at the right time, stepped forward.

After months of waiting in Shandong, this prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty finally got his chance. He escorted grain and supplies along the Xiaoqing River to Zizhou and went directly to the camp of Wu Cheng Army.

As the saying goes, opportunities are earned, and Zhang Xiaoxiang immediately realized that an opportunity had arrived after seeing so many refugees.

He first asked Huyan Nanxian for a promise, and then directly led Yuan Qi and other personal guards into the Zizhou prefectural government office, seized the prefectural seal, and began to use the prefectural name to command the surrounding areas and settle the displaced people.

Hu Yananxian was initially worried that Zhang Xiaoxiang was all talk and no action, but he soon discovered that Zhang Xiaoxiang truly lived up to his reputation as the truth-teller of the Southern Dynasty. Not only was he a good writer, but he was also incredibly capable in getting things done.

Zhang Xiaoxiang first convened a large meeting with the local tycoons and wealthy families of Zizhou. The central idea was simple: a large number of refugees had arrived, and if they didn't want the whole of Zizhou to fall into chaos, and if they didn't want to be dismantled and boiled in a large pot, they had to find a way to provide relief.

The treasury is out of money and grain, but we can provide some military rations. However, you local tyrants cannot be so shameless. You should contribute money and labor as needed, and not court death.

Flying Tiger Gentleman loves this kind of thing the most. Don't you want to cater to his tastes? Do your best, and you'll reap the rewards.

Under coercion and enticement, Zhang Xiaoxiang quickly amassed a batch of grain and used it to recruit a group of refugees, settling them on both sides of the Xiaoqing River.

Subsequently, Zhang Xiaoxiang redefined the marching range for the laborers, shortening the marching distance for subsequent laborers. Once within Zizhou, newly recruited young and strong refugees took over, carrying out work-for-relief programs.

With a combination of suppression and countermeasures, Zhang Xiaoxiang stabilized the situation in just three days.

However, as the people of Jinan Prefecture faced increasing hardship and the number of displaced people grew, even with Zhang Xiaoxiang's exceptional civil administration skills, he couldn't conjure up food out of thin air and had to request aid from the rear. It wasn't until November 14th, when Liu Huai led the main force and carried a large amount of military provisions to Zhangqiu, that Zhang Xiaoxiang and Huyan Nanxian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"These past few days have been hard for you, Mr. Zhang." In the central command tent, Liu Huai first praised Zhang Xiaoxiang with a kind smile: "If it weren't for Mr. Zhang being here to oversee things, Zizhou might already be in chaos. I hope that Mr. Zhang can continue to temporarily serve as the prefect of Zizhou and take charge of the civil administration of Zizhou."

Zhang Xiaoxiang cupped his hands and said, "It is my wish, but I dare not ask."

Liu Huai then looked at Huyan Nanxian: "Given this situation, does General Huyan have anything to say?"

Hu Yananxian was somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this.

He volunteered to lead the Wucheng Army as the vanguard, and solemnly assured Liu Huai that he would definitely take Jinan Prefecture.

As a result, Jinan Prefecture is now in this state, with powerful clans joining forces with the Jin state, and refugees everywhere, leaving the main army in a dilemma.

As the person in charge of the front, Huyan Nanxian naturally bears responsibility for the disastrous war.

Seeing this, Liu Huai waved his hand and said, "I didn't bring this up at the military council because I wanted to humiliate General Huyan. I really wanted to hear your opinion."

Hu Yanan nodded, then his tone became somewhat strained: "The only option now is to temporarily halt the advance and clean up this mess first."

If Hu Yananxian had followed his usual practices, he wouldn't have cared about refugees and civilians at this point; he would have already gathered able-bodied men to attack Licheng.

But didn't he just realize Liu Huai's governing principles and give a righteous speech to Deng Yu? He still has to save face.

Upon hearing this, Liu Huai slowly nodded, then carefully examined the newly hung map in the tent, his hand resting on his sword. After a long while, he finally asked, "Mr. Zhang, how many refugees are there now?"

Zhang Xiaoxiang shook his head: "I don't know how many people there are now, I only know that it's increasing day by day. A few days ago, I had a junior official make a simple estimate based on the amount of grain used, and at that time there were about 70,000 people, but now it's completely unreliable. Moreover..."

At this point, Zhang Xiaoxiang's words still revealed some pity: "Moreover, the number of people who were able to escape to this place is still a minority. Countless people have been swept away to other places. Here, they will at least have some food. But in other places, where it is freezing cold, they have probably already died or been killed in large numbers."

Zhang Xiaoxiang paused again, first bowing to Huyan Nanxian to show that he had no intention of offending him, and then sincerely said to Liu Huai: "Commander-in-Chief, my opinion is exactly the opposite of General Huyan's. At this time, we should send troops quickly to quell the chaos and cut the Gordian knot. We must not let momentary compassion lead to the spread of chaos throughout the prefectures and counties to the point of being uncontrollable."

Huyan Nanxian then asked, "Do we have enough military provisions to provide relief along the way? Do we have land and houses to settle people?"

Zhang Xiaoxiang did not give a direct answer: "If ten people die now, a hundred fewer people will die tomorrow. Which is more important? General Huyan, can't you consider this carefully?"

Hu Yanan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately could not answer.

Liu Huai smiled.

This is the classic trolley problem.

All Liu Huai could do was either turn a blind eye, shirk all responsibility, and let most people die while saving a small number; or take the initiative, sacrificing a small number of people and bearing the infamy of an executioner, in order to save the majority.

It's impossible to say for sure who is right and who is wrong.

Most people might hesitate, but Hu Yananxian, a military man, didn't have such ulterior motives.

Because military strategists don't focus on right or wrong, but rather on the concept of 'profit'.

The saying goes, "If killing one person terrifies the entire army, kill him; if rewarding one person pleases ten thousand, reward him."

Whether a person is guilty or meritorious is irrelevant; as long as they are useful for victory, they should be either killed or rewarded.

If it neither violates Liu Huai's administrative program nor fails to quickly send troops, then Hu Yan Nanxian has no other objections.

Seeing that the two most powerful figures at the front had reached a consensus, Liu Huai remained noncommittal and instead brought up another matter: "General Huyan, I heard you captured a bandit leader?"

Hu Yananxian cupped his hands and said, "Indeed, this man is called Deng Yu, and he is one of the most powerful figures in Jinan Prefecture."

"Bring him up here!"

(End of this chapter)