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

Chapter 612 One Chase, One Escape, One Facing Difficulty
Midnight (12:00 AM).

Midday on the moon.

Xin Qiji secretly calculated in his heart that it was already November 24th.

The military envoy has already been dispatched and should be within the territory of Jinan Prefecture by now. I wonder where Liu Huai's army has arrived and whether they have time to meet him.

"General! We should set off!" an officer shouted. "General Li has already lined up the ranks. If we don't leave now, the well-organized ranks will fall apart again."

Xin Qiji nodded, then turned back to look at the long line of torches on the official road: "Then let's set off, don't fall behind."

The officer responded loudly, then led his personal guards to the ranks to find his own troops.

Night marches are troublesome because flags are completely useless, and officers can only command the troops by firelight and shouts.

"Liu Dalang has already captured Jinan! If we go another ten miles or so, the Jingnan army will come to our aid! Then we can finally get some rest!"

Officers rushed back and forth, speaking incoherently, using Liu Huai to boost morale.

This naturally has both advantages and disadvantages.

Many in the Taiping Army had fought alongside Liu Huai and knew the fighting strength of the Jingnan Army. Some even had a blind faith in Liu Huai, so these words naturally boosted morale.

However, if they arrive in Jinan Prefecture and no one comes to meet them, this army, which has suffered a major defeat, is likely to collapse immediately.

Will Liu Huai come?
Although there was no definite information, Xin Qiji still had a certain inexplicable confidence.

Because Liu Dalang never lets anyone down!
After the army began its movement, Xin Qiji noticed that a group of cavalrymen carrying torches rushed out of the town and galloped wildly into the southeastern mountains.

This caused a stir among the Taiping Army. Some people seemed to want to leave with the cavalry, but were stopped by their respective officers.

Xin Qiji looked back at the two hundred-odd cavalrymen as they gradually departed, until the torchlight dwindled to a mere wisp, before turning back and sighing softly.

This might be the best outcome for everyone. The Taiping Army could serve their new master without any psychological pressure, while Geng Jing could escape and either find a future in the Song Dynasty or simply live a life of seclusion as a wealthy man.

Make a comeback?

impossible.

It's not like the army has completely collapsed and is beyond saving, yet Geng Jing has already abandoned the army.

The only possibility is that Geng Jing completely lost his will to live because of this battle and wanted to find a place to end his remaining years.

Thinking this, Xin Qiji sighed again, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the direction the cavalry had left, then put everything out of his mind, led his troops, and quickly departed towards the northeast.

At the same time, in front of Xiao Qi, Kong Duanqi and Shao Jin pleaded repeatedly.

"Steward Xiao, the men are exhausted. Could they rest for another hour?"

In the flickering torchlight, Xiao Qi said impatiently, "Do you think my Divine Might Army isn't tired? Do you think I want to send out troops overnight? This is the Left Prime Minister's military order. Do you know what a military order means?! Military orders are absolute! If you don't want to obey, don't argue with me. Go and talk to the Left Prime Minister now!"

Kong Duanqi sighed helplessly, "Could we send a contingent of elite troops and leave the majority here? Our army has a total of 8,000 men, and Geng is already exhausted. How can we possibly mobilize the entire army to deal with them?"

Xiao Qi sneered twice, pointed at Kong Duanqi, and shouted, "Old dog Kong, don't think I don't know your little scheme! You just want to secure a way out so you can control me. But let me tell you, if you hadn't brought it up, I could have let you off the hook, but since you did, for the safety of the entire army, all of you must go!"

Having said all that, Kong Duanqi and Shao Jin could only nod helplessly.

Now that we are at their mercy, what else is there to say?
Fortunately, the troops under Shao Jin's command were mostly composed of powerful local figures, with the majority of them being generals and private soldiers and tenant farmers serving as soldiers.

The families of the private soldiers all lived on the manor, resulting in a serious situation of personal dependence, but there was no large-scale desertion.

Half an hour after nearly eight thousand rebel soldiers set off, Xiao Qi finally led the Divine Might Army to depart.

It was already the end of the Zi hour and the beginning of the Chou hour (1 a.m.)

When the remaining Jin army set off under the personal leadership of Heshilie Liangbi, it was already past 2 a.m.

Yesterday's battle was extremely difficult. Even though the Jin army was well-rested, the casualties were real. They also didn't get a proper rest, which led to a decline in morale.

Of course, while not as good as some, they were better than others. Compared to the Taiping Army, which was already a defeated force, the Jin army maintained a relatively high level of morale and was at least able to seek the initiative in combat.

But for Gao Anren, the vanguard of the Wu'an Army, this task was rather tedious. As the rearguard of the Jin army, the Wu'an Army was supported by three forces: Shao Jin, Xiao Qi, and even Heshi Lie Liangbi. If the Tianping Army wanted to reach this point, they would have to cut through two large, well-organized armies and kill Heshi Lie Liangbi.

In theory, this place is the safest place in the entire army, even safer than Heshilie Liangbi.

This method of troop deployment was truly baffling to Gao Anren.

“Uncle, this battle was really…” Gao Anren thought for a long time but couldn’t think of a suitable word.

Gao Jingshan stroked his beard and chuckled, "Isn't it truly bizarre?"

Gao Anren nodded repeatedly: "It is indeed strange. Uncle, do you feel the same way?"

Gao Jingshan nodded: "Yes, I didn't feel it when we were fighting, but now that things have calmed down, I feel that everything is strange, but I can't quite put my finger on it..."

At this point, Gao Jingshan chuckled: "Second Brother, I have also experienced several political struggles. Whenever I have this feeling, it's either that a big shot is making a foolish mistake and is about to bite people indiscriminately, or that a smart big shot has already made a decision, but it's not known to others yet."

"Second Brother, what kind of person do you think the Left Prime Minister is?"

Gao Anren felt a chill run down his spine, but he still said sincerely, "He shouldn't be a fool."

Gao Jingshan sighed: "Yes, if the Left Prime Minister isn't a fool, then it can only be us fools who are being played around."

Both men fell silent, and then silently led their troops forward.

Between the Beiqing River and the foothills of Mount Tai, along this passage, which is about ten miles wide and over a hundred miles long, stretching from northeast to southwest, the army's torches formed a line, like a fire dragon, spreading northeastward.

However, even with ample torches and clear roads, marching was still not as clear and easy as during the day, and the speed was naturally not as swift.

Therefore, it wasn't until 3:15 AM that Shao Jin's vanguard of the powerful troops arrived at Pingde Town, where the Taiping Army had previously been stationed.

Half an hour later, around 3:30 AM, Heshi Lieliangbi, carrying his Left Chancellor's banner and escorted by three Meng'an soldiers and over two thousand men, arrived near Pingde Town.

Meanwhile, Xin Qiji had led the Tianping Army to the territory of Jinan Prefecture, around Guide Town, and the military envoy he sent back good news.

"Fifth Brother!" Bi Zaiyu came with the Tianping Army envoy: "The eldest son already knows. The army has been mobilized and will arrive in two hours at the latest. Fifth Brother, you should stay in Changqing County for the time being. Fifth Brother Wang and Chief Secretary He are stationed there and can provide support."

Looking at Bi Zaiyu, whose army had grown increasingly strong over the past few months, Xin Qiji breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately became furious: "This battle has been fought in a cowardly manner. I cannot just let the entire army cower behind Dalang like this. We must join the fight!"

Bi Zaiyu glanced at the Tianping Army's ranks through the long line of torches, then hesitated before speaking: "Fifth Brother, it's not that I'm being offensive, but the Tianping Army needs to rest and recuperate. Even if we want revenge, there's no rush."

Xin Qiji smiled and said, "We can still muster a few hundred soldiers."

"You lot, hurry and spread this message: the Commander-in-Chief has led a large army to reinforce us. We'll arrive in Changqing County soon; there will be hot meals, hot soup, and shelter there so we can rest!"

All the enlisted soldiers and deputy generals were extremely excited and mustered their spirits to spread this good news throughout the army.

Subsequently, several Taiping generals gathered around, without dismounting, and all bowed and volunteered for battle.

These people all have their own agendas. They are defeated generals who have nowhere else to turn and come to seek refuge. Wouldn't they immediately have to humble themselves and act subservient?
If they could gather a hundred or so elite soldiers and fight alongside the Han army, wouldn't that show that the Ping army, though losing the battle, still deserves to be called heroes?
Xin Qiji understood this perfectly. Seated on his horse, he immediately ordered, "Liu Dalang won't let us lead the charge, but we can't be fooled. Each of you select a hundred elite soldiers to stay here with me and wait for the main army to arrive. Then..."

At this time, the moon was setting in the west and the sun had not yet risen; it was the darkest moment of the day. Amidst the flickering light and shadow of the torches, Xin Qiji suddenly spotted Zhang Anguo's figure.

Normally, Xin Qiji would never make the mistake of not being able to count all the generals under his command.

But things were too chaotic today. It was already quite an achievement that Xin Qiji was able to muster his troops at night to march with the army. He simply didn't have time to oversee the entire army.

"Zhang Qi?! What are you doing here?! You weren't with the governor?!" Xin Qiji's voice was distorted.

Only then did the others notice Zhang Anguo, who was lagging behind, and almost everyone was surprised.

A few quick-witted individuals immediately showed expressions of horror.

Xin Qiji reacted immediately, his voice trembling: "The governor... the governor really went..."

Zhang Anguo's eyes were red and swollen, as if he had already cried. Upon hearing this, he burst into tears again, but he couldn't say a word and could only nod hurriedly.

Xin Qiji was in a state of turmoil. He reined in his horse, turned around, and looked southwest.

The night was as dark as ink, and the mountains and rivers separated us, so how could we see clearly?
(End of this chapter)