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

Chapter 609 Let's settle this with a sword someday.

"sorry!"

puff!
"sorry!"

puff!
Ye Shichan was startled awake from his coma. He tried to move his hands and feet, but found that his left arm was tightly bound, while he could not feel his right arm at all.

Then he felt a sharp pain coming from his shoulder. Ye Shichan opened his eyes, but instead of looking at his right arm, he looked up at the sky first.

The sun was already setting in the west, and the sky was gradually darkening.

By this time, Geng Jiedu must have already gone far away no matter what.

After putting down a huge weight on his mind, Ye Shichan finally had a moment to glance at his right shoulder. When he discovered that his arm had disappeared, he grinned twice.

Yes, I was not captured because I surrendered, but because I was exhausted and seriously injured and fainted. I am not a cowardly traitor.

Then, Ye Shichan looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Shao Jin, acting like a madman, was waving his hand and shouting "I'm sorry!" before slamming his blade down heavily on a corpse.

His hair was disheveled, and he looked like he was possessed, attracting the attention of the Jin generals around him.

Ye Shichan laughed a few more times, but when he saw the corpse that was almost turned into mincemeat, even though the eyes on the head had become bloody holes, he still recognized it.

This is Liang Atai.

"Shao...Shao the traitor!" Ye Shichan roared in fury, trying to get up and step forward, but his legs were tightly bound, and he immediately fell to the ground. He tried to struggle, but two more Jin soldiers pressed him down: "Shao the traitor! Kong the traitor! You two heartless dogs!"

Xiao Qi and Gao Jingshan, who were arguing angrily to the side, frowned and looked over when they heard the shout.

However, seeing that Heshi Lieliangbi was looking northeast with a gloomy face, the two of them did not dare to make any big moves. They just glared at Kong Duanqi, who looked like a quail.

Kong Duanqi trembled slightly, then strode forward and sternly said to Ye Shichan, "Shut up!"

Ye Shichan turned to look at Kong Duanqi, snorted coldly, and then looked at Heshi Lieliangbi, who was standing at the head of the table: "You Jin traitors! Let me die knowing the truth! Has Commander Geng already broken out?"

Heshi Lieliangbi turned around, and without keeping them in suspense, nodded and said, "Today we failed to achieve our goal completely, and Geng Jing escaped. There will inevitably be twists and turns in the future."

Ye Shichan finally collapsed to the ground, laughing heartily: "Since that's the case, I have nothing more to say. Do with it as you see fit."

Heshi Lieliangbi stepped forward and said sincerely, "Ye Shichan, Ye Erlang, I know you. Your family is in Xucheng and I have already captured them. As long as you are willing to surrender to the Great Jin, you will not only be able to reunite with your family, but also enjoy high-ranking official positions and generous salaries."

Ye Shichan's cheeks twitched a few times, but he still smiled and said, "Jin traitor, you seem to be a scholar, don't you know how to interpret the words 'loyalty' and 'righteousness'? Besides..."

Ye Shichan grinned maliciously at Kong Duanqi: "Besides, Liu Dalang is coming to kill us! Even if you manage to outmaneuver our Taiping Army, do you think you can survive Liu Dalang's attacks? Even if your emperor can withstand Liu Dalang's fierce assault, if it weren't for the incompetence of the Song Dynasty, that scoundrel Wanyan Liang would still be eating in prison in Jiangnan!"

“Old dog Kong, back then Liu Dalang told me that we can’t trust you, we can’t take the people’s money to feed you, you’re just ungrateful dogs. At the time, I thought Liu Dalang was just exaggerating. But now it seems that I was blind, and Liu Dalang was truly insightful.”

Ye Shichan stared wide-eyed at Kong Duanqi and said viciously, "Old dog Kong, you've driven Geng Jiedu away, now it's Liu Dalang's turn to talk to you! Liu Dalang is going to talk to you with a knife! Old dog Kong, don't regret it when you die!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Whether it was because his secret thoughts had been exposed or because he was truly afraid of the future, Kong Duanqi shouted loudly, but because Heshi Lieliangbi was in front of him, he dared not use any means and could only shout angrily.

Heshilie Liangbi nodded: "So, you're not going to surrender?"

Ye Shichan shook his head firmly: "I would rather die than surrender."

Heshi Lieliangbi waved his hand directly: "Cut off his head and send it to Geng Jing tomorrow."

"Old dog Kong! Traitor Shao! And you bunch of Jin thieves!" As Ye Shichan was dragged away, his words suddenly became fierce: "I'll be waiting for you down there! Waiting for you all!"

Amidst the shouts and curses, both the nobles of the Jin Kingdom and the traitors of the Taiping Army remained silent.

After a long silence, Heshi Lieliangbi sighed softly: "Loyal ministers and filial sons are respected by all. Regardless of their stance, it is truly regrettable that such a hero could not be used by me and could only die at my hands."

In this situation, Shao Jin and Kong Duanqi had no right to speak. Xiao Qi and Gao Jingshan were about to chime in when they heard He Shilie Liangbi's tone turn cold.

"Two chief stewards, are you still loyal subjects and filial sons of the Great Jin?"

Xiao Qi and Gao Jingshan felt their scalps tingle instantly, and they bowed in unison, saying, "Reporting to the Left Prime Minister, this humble general will naturally obey military orders."

"Then tonight I will personally lead the army to pursue the Taiping rebels. Which of you two will command the army?"

Xiao Qi was startled, but Gao Jingshan, who was standing to the side, frowned and advised, "Prime Minister, the men are exhausted today. Why don't we rest for the night? Tomorrow, I will volunteer to be the vanguard and defeat the Tianping rebels!"

As for whether the Wu'an Army will contribute tomorrow, we'll see then!
Heshi Lieliangbi sighed: "Time waits for no one. Didn't you hear Ye Shichan's threat just now? Liu Dalang is coming, and there might be a decisive battle then."

Xiao Qi said, "Now that we have severely damaged the Tianping Army, how about we call it a day? After we have reorganized our troops, we will fight Liu the traitor again in the future!"

Heshi Lieliangbi gave Xiao Qi a deep look, but said nothing.

The Taiping army was composed of diverse individuals, and the Jin army here was no less so.

Heshilie Liangbi forcibly united these people, but when it came to the battle, he still had various thoughts, which led to the fact that even in this seemingly perfect situation, Geng Jing still managed to escape with the main force of the Taiping Army.

Although several generals of the Taiping Army were captured and killed, the Jin army also suffered considerable losses. It was only natural that Xiao Qi did not want to fight any longer and wanted to preserve more resources.

However, Heshi Lieliangbi was, after all, a powerful minister. He stared at Xiao Qi for a long time, until Xiao Qi was sweating profusely, before slowly saying, "What if I insist on going my own way?" Xiao Qi lowered his head: "Then the Divine Might Army will naturally lead the way for you, Prime Minister!"

Heshi Lieliangbi then looked at Gao Jingshan.

Gao Jingshan chuckled, then nodded and said, "The Wu'an Army will also do its best!"

"Return to your camps and prepare." Heshi Lieliangbi calmly ordered, "Rest for two hours, then quickly prepare food and armor. Send scouts to pursue and ascertain the situation of Geng! Two hours later, launch a night attack, with the Divine Might Army leading the charge!"

"Here!"

After making the promise, Xiao Qi returned to his own command tent without saying a word, and then flew into a rage.

Gao Jingshan is going too far! He Shilie Liangbi is going too far!
Today, the Divine Might Army has been fighting a tough battle all day, but during the most difficult night battle, they still have to be at the forefront.

It should be noted that this is a night battle, and the army's organization will be at its lowest. A counterattack by a few hundred people might cause the entire army to lose its composure and suffer a crushing defeat.

Even with such a crushing defeat, could the Taiping Army really be unable to organize even a few hundred elite troops? How could that be?

After sulking for a while, Xiao Qi still summoned all the soldiers and issued military orders.

The soldiers were also full of complaints, and many simply stood still, using silence to resist this absurd order.

However, Xiao Qi was, after all, a veteran general who had commanded the Divine Might Army for a long time. With a combination of kindness and severity, he managed to get the generals to obey his orders and leave.

Wen Dunqi slowed his pace and lagged behind. After everyone had left the command tent, he cupped his hands to Xiao Qi and said, "This humble general has important matters to report to the chief steward alone."

Xiao Qi sized the other person up and down, then dismissed his personal guards from the tent: "What urgent matter is it?"

Wendun Qizhi stepped forward and said in a low voice, "General, there are complaints in the army."

Xiao Qi gasped.

At times like these, discontent within the army could be fatal.

What's even more worrying is that none of his most trusted confidants reported this to him. Instead, it was Wendun Qizhi, a Jurchen Meng'an, who came to report it. Doesn't this mean that he has lost control of the Shenwei Army?

However, Xiao Qi composed himself and asked with an unchanged expression, "What complaints?"

Wen Dunqi said in a low voice, "Many soldiers of the Shenwei Army were originally from the Meng'an Mouke households who migrated to Shandong. Last year, Shandong was in great turmoil, and the Meng'an Mouke households also suffered heavy casualties. Apart from those who have been confirmed to have died, there are still many soldiers whose families are in Yidu Prefecture. I heard that the traitor Liu did not make things difficult for them. On the contrary, he registered them as ordinary citizens and distributed land to them. As a result, there is a saying in the army that it is better to go and join Liu Dalang than to serve the Jin Dynasty. At least you can go home and reunite with your family."

Xiao Qi narrowed his eyes halfway through the conversation. After listening, he remained silent for a moment before looking at Wen Dunqizhi with a strange expression and saying, "Are these the words the young men want to say, or are they what you want to say?"

Wen Dunqi simply chuckled twice at Xiao Qi, then solemnly said, "We have them all."

"You have both?" As if surprised by Wen Dunqi's frankness, Xiao Qi's voice rose two octaves.

“Yes, yes!” Wendun Qizhi said firmly, “Steward, what I think is not important. What is important is that the men have not been home for more than a year. If they were scattered all over the country, it would be fine, but we are only two or three hundred miles away from Yidu Prefecture. How can we expect them to be able to endure this?”

Xiao Qi said solemnly, "Since you know that our army is only two or three hundred miles away from Yidu Prefecture, you should help me stabilize the morale of the army and prevent any more rumors from spreading. Then, the whole army should work together to fight our way back home!"

"Yes, yes!" Wen Dunqizhi repeatedly agreed, but then whispered, "But can the Heavenly Army of the Great Jin really defeat Liu Dalang?"

Xiao Qi was completely impatient: "Qi Zhi, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Wendun Qizhi took a deep breath: "To be honest, my family is actually from Yidu Prefecture. They contacted me a long time ago, wanting me to escape back. But with so many fellow villagers and comrades in the army, how could I abandon them? So I kept it to myself."

Xiao Qi didn't ask Wen Dunqi if he had leaked military intelligence. If he had, there was no need to talk to Xiao Qi today; he could just sell off the Shenwei Army.

“I had considered going back to my hometown before, but it seems that…” Wen Dunqi shook his head repeatedly as he spoke, “Our army can’t even take down a single Taiping soldier. Our troops are exhausted and weary. How can we possibly fight Liu Dalang?”

That hits the nail on the head.

The Taiping army was already weaker than the Han army. Now, the Jin army used various tactics such as ambush, surprise attack, and psychological warfare, and Geng Jing still managed to escape. How could they possibly defeat the Han army next?

This was also the reason why Wen Dunqi made up his mind, and as soon as he said this, Xiao Qi immediately hesitated.

"Qizhi, do you mean... that I should go and seek refuge with Liu Dalang?" Xiao Qi remained silent for a moment before asking in a low voice.

Wen Dunqi shook his head: "The general has his own plans, and I dare not interfere. However, two men from my army came a few days ago, but I have not dared to introduce them to the general. Would the general like to meet them now?"

Xiao Qi knew that the two men were probably sent by Liu Huai. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Bring them here secretly."

Wen Dunqi quickly agreed.

A moment later, two armored soldiers with iron masks were brought to the commander's tent.

After bringing the man, Wen Dunqi immediately took his leave.

After the two removed their armor and iron masks, Xiao Qi pointed at one of them and exclaimed in astonishment, "Zhongda! You're not dead?!"

One of them was Xiao Zhongda, who was captured alive by Zhang Xiaoyi in the Battle of Chaoxian, and was also a trusted nephew of Xiao Qi.

Xiao Zhongda gave a wry smile, then knelt down and kowtowed heavily: "Uncle, I'm late."

(End of this chapter)