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

Chapter 610 Those who are arrogant will not last long.

“Uncle, this is Yelü Zhaba, a hero who rose up with King Saba.”

Yelü Zhaba casually cupped his hands in greeting.

This fellow naturally had not participated in the Khitan uprising. When he first became interested, before he could even persuade Yelü Wowo, the Khitan uprising had already been quelled.

But that doesn't stop him from calling himself an anti-Kim patriot. Anyway, with his good brother Kuoli covering for him, no one can expose this lie.

“Uncle, during the battle of Chaoxian, I was captured by the Commander-in-Chief, and then spent some time in Lianghuai. Because I have some martial arts skills, I was treated as a reformed person along with that scoundrel Han Wenguang.” At this point, Xiao Zhongda seemed somewhat reluctant to speak.

Xiao Qi immediately waved his hand: "It's alright, it's alright. At that point, as long as we can survive, that's all that matters. What else is there to worry about? In short, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Xiao Qi wasn't stupid; he naturally knew that Xiao Zhongda had chosen to surrender in order to avoid physical suffering, and had even taken some actions on his behalf.

This is understandable. At that time, Chaoxian was so badly defeated that even the emperor was captured alive. Whether the general Meng'an surrendered or not was irrelevant to the overall situation.

But Xiao Qi was immediately taken aback: "Han Wenguang? Is that Han Wenguang from Wu Ruijun? Han Tang's nephew?"

Xiao Zhongda nodded: "It is indeed Han Wenguang, the first general of the Wu Rui Army and a member of the Han family of Youzhou. He was captured by the Commander-in-Chief Langjun even earlier, probably when the Jingnan Army crossed the river to attack Dongguan."

Xiao Qi seemed to be deep in thought.

The Jin Dynasty was a military state, so those who could serve as commanders-in-chief of various armies were generally representatives of a certain political faction.

Those who served as the top generals in the army, leading the most elite elite warriors, were all outstanding young talents from a certain political faction.

For example, Xiao Zhongda, Pucha Shijie's dead son Pucha Wudie, and Wanyan Yuanyi's son Wanyan Wangxiang.

Now that Han Wenguang has surrendered to Liu Huai, does this mean that the powerful clans of Youyan are also going to place their bets?

This is not impossible, because these people are political opportunists, the most opportunistic of all. During the war between the Song, Jin, and Liao dynasties, they switched sides quite often.

As Xiao Qi was pondering, he saw Xiao Zhongda kneel down and kowtow: "Uncle, I have come here to persuade you not to oppose the Commander-in-Chief, or you will die without a burial place."

This time, Xiao Qi did not help Xiao Zhongda up, but slowly said, "You also want me to rely on you."

Xiao Zhongda simply shook his head and uttered words similar to Wen Dunqizhi's: "Uncle has his own plans, and I dare not comment, but we absolutely cannot engage in direct combat with the Commander-in-Chief. The Jingnan army's momentum is overwhelming, and our Shenwei Army cannot stop them!"

Xiao Qi sighed and stepped forward to help Xiao Zhongda up: "Liu the traitor... I naturally know that Liu Dalang has captured Licheng so quickly, but where is he now? Is he coming to attack me?"

Xiao Zhongda looked up blankly: "Uncle, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but we came out early and were hidden in the army by Wen Dunqi for many days, so we really don't know what's going on outside. But since you said that Commander-in-Chief has already captured Licheng, then he must be heading this way now."

Xiao Qi continued to ask, "Although I, Xiao Qi, am not a famous general, I can still be considered a skilled commander. How could I be inferior to the elite troops under Liu Dalang's command?"

Xiao Zhongda said sincerely, "Uncle, governing the army and governing the people are one, not contradictory. Do you know that in just one year, all the Meng'an and Mouke households in Shandong have already won over the hearts of the people?"

Xiao Qi was taken aback: "Is that so?"

“Uncle, that’s true. I’ve also visited many old friends, and they all say that this year has been the most peaceful and fulfilling, even more so than the past ten years.”

As for why many Meng'an Mouke households couldn't make a living over the past decade, you have to ask the great statesman Wanyan Liang.

Xiao Zhongda continued, "Uncle, think about it, if Duke Wei and the Commander-in-Chief have been so kind to the Meng'an Mouke households, how much more so to ordinary people and ordinary military households?"

"A million Han Chinese in Shandong East Road are willing to die for Commander-in-Chief, but our Divine Might Army has less than ten thousand soldiers. How can we possibly fight against Commander-in-Chief?"

Xiao Qi, a veteran of many military campaigns, immediately understood the meaning behind it and then felt a chill run down his spine.

The saying goes, "If the Jurchens number less than ten thousand, they are invincible if they number ten thousand." Is it really because all the Jurchens were superhuman?
No, it was the Jin dynasty's Meng'an Mouke, a system where the military and civilians were united so that everyone could benefit from the war.

The Khitans, Han Chinese, Bohai people, and Xi people were incompetent when they served under the Song and Liao dynasties, but their combat effectiveness soared within the Jin army system. The reason for this was simply that rewards and punishments were clearly defined.

And now it seems that Liu Huai has done the same.

The Han people outnumbered the Khitans and Jurchens by more than a hundred times, and Liu Huai could also unite more than a hundred times more forces. Faced with such a massive force, not only would Xiao Qi be dumbfounded, but even Heshi Lieliangbi would be equally bewildered.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qi couldn't help but sigh and said, "You're too late. I've just finished discussing with the Left Prime Minister that the Divine Might Army will pursue the Tianping bandits. We might have to face Liu Dalang first." Xiao Zhongda was shocked: "What should we do?"

Yelü Zhaba, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interjected, "Heshi Lieliangbi has ulterior motives; he's sending the Khitan men to their deaths!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head and said, "There are still many Jurchen soldiers in the army. The Left Prime Minister will not let them go to waste."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard a military envoy calling out names outside the door. Xiao Qi hurriedly went out and discovered that it was the clerk who was standing next to Heshi Lie Liangbi.

"Reporting to the General, the Left Prime Minister sent me to convey an order that the Third, Fourth, and Ninth Meng'an of the Divine Might Army need to be transferred to his side for protection."

Xiao Qi was stunned.

Yelü Zhaba was right, because all three Meng'an were Jurchen Meng'an, and the commander of the third Meng'an was Wendun Qizhi.

“Our army is already short of troops. If we temporarily transfer three more Meng’an soldiers, how can I fight?” Xiao Qi said indignantly. “I will personally explain this to the Left Prime Minister.”

The clerk shook his head and said, "The Left Prime Minister knew that the Chief Steward would ask this question, so he gave me instructions beforehand. First, all the powerful troops in Dongping Prefecture, totaling eight thousand men, are under the command of Chief Steward Xiao. Second, the Left Prime Minister only asked for these men to protect his own troops; they will not stray too far from the Chief Steward, only a mile or two away, which he can reach on horseback."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi pondered for a moment before finally bowing and saying, "I will obey the orders of the Left Prime Minister."

Subsequently, Xiao Qi had the clerk quickly write out the transfer order, handed the token and the transfer order to his personal guards, and had the guards escort the clerks to find the three marching warriors.

“Zha Ba, you are absolutely right. The Left Prime Minister is trying to kill the Khitan men.”

Back in his tent, facing the two men who were trying to persuade him to surrender, Xiao Qi sighed and said, "I...I really didn't expect that the Left Prime Minister would be this kind of person."

Yelü Zhaba said, "That's not surprising. After all, the Jin Dynasty belongs to the Wanyan clan and the Jurchens. How could the Yelü and Xiao clans be allowed to gain power? How could we Khitans be allowed to rise to the top?"

"In the Jin court now, Yelü Wowo is a duke, and the Khitan army in Linhuang Prefecture is guarding the border and fighting with the Mongols. If Heshilie Liangbi were a female duke, he would not have allowed these several thousand Khitan troops to return to the court intact. What would happen to the Bohai and Xi people then?"

By the end, Xiao Qi was completely dejected.

However, under the expectant gazes of Xiao Zhongda and Yelü Zhaba, Xiao Qi turned his head and said in a deep voice, "This is a major matter. I... I cannot make a decision in a single word, nor can I make a decision in a short time. Let me think about it, let me think about it."

Xiao Zhongda hesitated, but Yelü Zhaba sighed and said, "Second Brother Xiao, it's not good for you to say what comes next, so let me say it."

"The Commander-in-Chief said that he sent the two of us here not so that we could use our silver tongues to persuade Chief Steward Xiao to stop the fighting, but rather to facilitate communication between the two sides."

"General Xiao is a renowned general, and he will always have some pride and insistence. If he is unwilling to put down his weapons, that's fine too. Everyone, go all out and fight to your heart's content. Then General Xiao will naturally understand."

These words, though sincere, were laced with barbs, which immediately angered Xiao Qi, but he calmed himself down: "What conditions did Liu Dalang offer?"

Xiao Zhongda quickly said, "If you surrender before the battle, you can retain your position as commander-in-chief, but your troops will have to be rotated. If you surrender after the battle, your merits and demerits will be recorded again based on the casualties. If you surrender after the battle is over, you will be at the mercy of the commander-in-chief."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qi shook his head and replied, "How come after I surrendered my entire army, I'm still only a commander?"

Yelü Zhaba smiled helplessly upon hearing this: "Commander-in-Chief is only a military governor, a commander-in-chief; Duke Wei is also a marshal; how could I possibly grant you a title of king? Currently, under the military governor, there are only General Zhang of the Dongping Army and General Huyan of the Wucheng Army, which is certainly not an insult to you."

Xiao Zhongda nodded repeatedly, but added at the end, "Commander-in-Chief is determined to bring peace to the world. He who brings peace to the world will surely rule it. Uncle, the future ruler of the world might very well be Commander-in-Chief. With all the merits you have accumulated along the way, I dare not say you will become a king, but wouldn't becoming a duke or marquis be a piece of cake?!"

Xiao Qi glanced at Xiao Zhongda with some surprise, wondering what kind of spell Liu Huai had cast on him to make him so devoted.

Conquering the world is not as simple as it seems.

"My mind is made up." After a moment's thought, Xiao Qi made up his mind and said slowly, "You two will guard me. No matter what, I have to see what Liu Dalang is capable of."

At this point, Xiao Qi said with some pride, "I consider myself a capable commander. The Divine Might Army is one of the strongest armies in the world. In the Huai River region, they have conquered cities and fortresses, broken through enemy lines and killed bandits as if they were in an empty field. How could they possibly surrender at the mere sight of them? Hehehe..."

However, after laughing a few times, Xiao Qi quickly thought of the predicament he had faced in the battle against the Tianping Army today, especially the great difficulty he had in attacking Ye Shichan's hundreds of troops. His smile then froze.

This battle is going to be really tough!

(End of this chapter)